HEAT TREATMENT METHOD AND HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS

• Main Authors: UEDA AKIMINE, FUSE KAZUHIKO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 10.09.2020
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

To provide a heat treatment method and a heat treatment apparatus that can form a thin oxide film with excellent characteristics.SOLUTION: A semiconductor wafer W of silicon is delivered into a chamber 6, and preheating of the semiconductor wafer W is started by light irradiation from a halogen lamp HL in a nitrogen atmosphere. When the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W has reached a predetermined switching temperature in the middle of the preheating, oxygen gas is supplied into the chamber 6 to change the atmosphere in the chamber 6 from the nitrogen atmosphere to the oxygen atmosphere. After that, the surface of the semiconductor wafer W is heated for a very short time by flash light irradiation. When the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is relatively low, which is less than the switching temperature, the oxidation is suppressed and after the temperature becomes high, the oxidation occurs. As a result, on a surface of the semiconductor wafer W, a thin and dense oxide film with excellent characteristics including fewer defects at the interface with a silicon base layer can be formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】薄くかつ良好な特性の酸化膜を形成することができる熱処理方法および熱処理装置を提供する。【解決手段】チャンバー６内にシリコンの半導体ウェハーＷが搬入され、窒素雰囲気中にてハロゲンランプＨＬからの光照射によって半導体ウェハーＷの予備加熱が開始される。予備加熱の途中で半導体ウェハーＷの温度が所定の切替温度に到達したときに、チャンバー６内に酸素ガスを供給してチャンバー６内を窒素雰囲気から酸素雰囲気に切り替える。その後、フラッシュ光照射によって半導体ウェハーＷの表面を極短時間加熱する。半導体ウェハーＷの温度が切替温度未満の比較的低温のときには酸化が抑制され、その温度が高温になってから酸化が行われることとなる。その結果、半導体ウェハーＷの表面には緻密かつシリコン基層との界面の欠陥が少ない良好な特性の薄い酸化膜を形成することができる。【選択図】図１