Apparatus and method for controlling wafer environment between thermal clean and thermal processing

摘要

An apparatus and method for controlling wafer temperature and environment is provided. The apparatus includes a batch processing fixture for batch processing wafers at a first elevated temperature. The batch of wafers is not substantially ramped in temperature within the batch processing fixture. The apparatus also includes a single wafer processing apparatus for rapidly ramping temperature of a wafer of the batch from the first elevated temperature wherein a uniform temperature across the wafer is maintained during the ramping. Another embodiment of the apparatus (10) includes an RTP chamber (20) having an inert or reducing environment and that includes a pedestal (24) for holding a single wafer (16) and a heater unit (22) arranged so as to uniformly and rapidly heat the single wafer. The apparatus also includes a cooling chamber (30) having an inert or reducing environment and located adjacent the RTP chamber and selectively open thereto, and includes a pedestal (34) for holding the single wafer, a first loading chamber (40) having an inert or reducing environment and located adjacent the cooling chamber and selectively opened thereto, and having a cassette (44) for holding one or more wafers. The apparatus also includes a thermal processing chamber (50), such as an LPCVD furnace, located adjacent the loading chamber and arranged to receive the cassette so as to perform a thermal process of the wafers in the cassette.