JPH0563042U - Light heating device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a light heating device such as a lamp annealer, to improve the heating uniformity in the plane of a wafer to be processed. A wafer to be processed 20 such as a semiconductor wafer is arranged inside a processing chamber 10 having a quartz plate 16 which constitutes a light transmitting portion, and light from one or a plurality of light sources 22 is collected by a reflecting mirror 24. The wafer 20 to be processed is irradiated through the microlens array 40 such as a lenticular plate, a fly's eye lens, and an optical fiber bundle, the condenser lens 42, and the light transmitting portion. By providing the microlens array 40 and the condenser lens 42, uneven illuminance within the wafer surface is reduced. The device configuration may be simplified by omitting the condenser lens 42 and using a microlens array instead of the quartz plate 16 to configure the light transmitting portion of the processing chamber 10.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a light heating device such as a lamp annealer, and in particular, it is intended to improve heating uniformity within a wafer by irradiating a wafer to be processed with light through a microlens array.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Conventionally, as a lamp annealer for heating a semiconductor wafer or the like, the one shown in FIG. 3 or 4 is known.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a processing chamber, in which a bottom member 12 and a wall member 14 made of metal such as stainless steel are airtightly coupled and an upper opening of the wall member 14 is covered with an insulating plate 16. It is composed by. A wafer holder 18 is arranged in the processing chamber 10. The wafer 20 to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer is inserted into the processing chamber 10 through the insertion opening of the wall member 14 and placed on the wafer holder 18 during the heat treatment.

Above the quartz plate 16, a concave reflecting mirror 24 is arranged via a light source 22 such as an arc lamp. The reflecting mirror 24 collects the light from the light source 22 and irradiates the wafer 20 with the light. Most of the quartz plate 16 acts as a light transmitting portion of the processing chamber 10. The heating temperature of the wafer 20 can be monitored by a pyrometer 26 provided on the back side of the bottom member 12.

In FIG. 4, inside the cooling jacket 28, a quartz container 13 that constitutes the processing chamber 10 is provided. A wafer holder 18 is arranged in the processing chamber 10. A wafer 20 to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer is inserted into the processing chamber 10 through the insertion opening of the container 13 and placed on the wafer holder 18 during the heat treatment.

A reflecting mirror 24A is arranged above the container 13 via a light source 22A composed of a lamp array. A reflecting mirror 24B is arranged below the container 13 via a light source 22B composed of a lamp array. The reflecting mirrors 24A and 24B collect the lights from the light sources 22A and 22B, respectively, and irradiate the wafer 20 with the collected lights. The light source facing portion of the quartz container 13 functions as a light transmitting portion of the processing chamber 10.

[0007]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 According to the lamp annealer of FIG. 3, uneven illuminance is likely to occur in the wafer surface, and the heating uniformity of the wafer 20 was not good. In order to improve the heating uniformity, it has been attempted to scratch the portion of the quartz plate 16 corresponding to the high illuminance portion of the wafer 20 with a diamond pen or the like to reduce the light transmittance, but it is not always sufficient. Has not been obtained.

Further, the lamp annealer of FIG. 4 has the drawbacks that the depressurization process is difficult because the quartz container 13 is used, and that the process controllability is not good because residual heat remains in the quartz container 13. The heating uniformity of the wafer can be made better than that of FIG. 3 because a large number of lamps arranged in parallel are used. However, in order to improve the heating uniformity, it is necessary to align the optical axes of all the lamps, which is a troublesome task.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical heating device having good heating uniformity within the wafer surface.

[0010]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 This invention is an optical heating device in which light from one or a plurality of light sources is collected by a reflecting mirror to irradiate a wafer to be processed in a processing chamber, and the light from the reflecting mirror is passed through a microlens array. It is characterized in that the wafer to be processed is irradiated.

In such a configuration, the light transmission part of the processing chamber may be configured by a microlens array. As the microlens array, any one of a lenticular plate, a fly eye lens, an optical fiber bundle and the like can be used.

[0012]

[Action]

 According to the configuration of the present invention, the light collected by the reflecting mirror is applied to the wafer to be processed through the microlens array, so that the illuminance unevenness in the wafer surface is reduced and the heating uniformity of the wafer is improved. To do.

Further, if the light transmitting portion of the processing chamber is configured by a microlens array, the device configuration becomes simple.

[0014]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 shows a lamp annealer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Similar parts to those in FIG.

The feature of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is that the light from the light source 22 is collected by the reflecting mirror 24 and is irradiated onto the wafer 20 to be processed through the microlens array 40 and the condenser lens 42. As the microlens array 40, any one of a lenticular plate, a fly's eye lens, a bundle of optical fibers (having a refractive index changed in the coaxial center direction), and the like can be used.

Light with less unevenness in illuminance is obtained by passing the light collected by the reflecting mirror 24 through the microlens array 40. By irradiating the light onto the wafer 20 through the condenser lens 42, the illuminance within the wafer surface is reduced. Uniformity is improved.

The condenser lens 42 can be formed integrally with the quartz plate 16. The condenser lens 42 may be omitted when the illuminance uniformity within the wafer surface may be slightly reduced.

FIG. 2 shows an optical heating device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG.

A feature of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that a flat microlens array 44 is provided in place of the quartz plate 16 shown in FIG. As the microlens array 44, a lenticular plate, a fly-eye lens or the like is suitable.

According to the configuration of FIG. 2, in addition to the effect of improving the illuminance uniformity as described with reference to FIG. 1, since the quartz plate 16 and the condenser lens 42 are not used, the device configuration is simplified. can get.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be applied to other light heating devices such as the lamp annealer shown in FIG. 4, for example. When this invention is applied to the lamp annealer of FIG. 4, the optical axes of many lamps need not be aligned precisely.

[0022]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, since the light collected by the reflecting mirror from the light source is applied to the wafer to be processed through the microlens array, the uneven illuminance in the wafer surface is reduced. The heating uniformity is improved, and the manufacturing yield of semiconductor devices and the like is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a lamp annealer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a different example of a conventional lamp annealer.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: processing chamber, 20: wafers to be processed, 22, 22A, 2
2B: light source, 24, 24A, 24B: reflecting mirror, 40, 4
4: Microlens array, 42: Condenser lens.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A light heating device in which light from one or a plurality of light sources is collected by a reflecting mirror to irradiate a wafer to be processed in a processing chamber with the light from the reflecting mirror via a microlens array. An optical heating device, which irradiates a wafer to be processed. 2. A light heating device in which light from one or a plurality of light sources is collected by a reflecting mirror to irradiate a wafer to be processed in a processing chamber, wherein a light transmitting portion of the processing chamber is constituted by a microlens array. A light heating device characterized by the above.