Apparatus and methods for improving the intensity profile of a beam image used to process a substrate

摘要

Methods and apparatuses are provided for improving the intensity profile of a beam image used to process a semiconductor substrate. At least one photonic beam may be generated and manipulated to form an image having an intensity profile with an extended uniform region useful for thermally processing the surface of the substrate. The image may be scanned across the surface to heat at least a portion of the substrate surface to achieve a desired temperature within a predetermined dwell time. Such processing may achieve a high efficiency due to the large proportion of energy contained in the uniform portion of the beam.

主权项

1. A method for processing a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) generating at least one photonic beam capable of forming a putative unmodified image having a substantially uniform intensity profile over a useful portion thereof on the substrate surface, wherein the useful portion of putative unmodified image has an energy utilization; (b) modifying the intensity profile of the at least one photonic beam to form an actual image on a surface of the substrate, the image having a substantially uniform intensity profile over a useful portion thereof, wherein the useful portion of the actual image has an energy utilization that is at least 30% greater than the energy utilization of a useful portion of the putative unmodified image; and (c) scanning the image across the substrate surface to heat at least a portion of the substrate at and/or near the surface to achieve a desired temperature within a predetermined dwell time, D.