Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080210671 | Fast axis beam profile shaping by collimation lenslets for high power laser diode based annealing system - A dynamic surface anneal apparatus for annealing a semiconductor workpiece has a workpiece support for supporting a workpiece, an optical source and scanning apparatus for scanning the optical source and the workpiece support relative to one another along a fast axis. The optical source includes an array of laser emitters arranged generally in successive rows of the emitters, the rows being transverse to the fast axis. Plural collimating lenslets overlie respective ones of the rows of emitters and provide collimation along the fast axis. The selected lenslets have one or a succession of optical deflection angles corresponding to beam deflections along the fast axis for respective rows of emitters. Optics focus light from the array of laser emitters onto a surface of the workpiece to form a succession of line beams transverse to the fast axis spaced along the fast axis in accordance with the succession of deflection angles. | 09-04-2008 |
20080217306 | Rapid detection of imminent failure in optical thermal processing of a substrate - A system for thermal processing of a substrate includes a source of radiation, optics disposed between the source and the substrate to receive light from the source of radiation at the optics proximate end, and a housing holding the optics and having a void inside the housing isolated from light emitted from the source. A light detector is disposed within the void in the housing to detect light from the optics emitted into the housing and send a deterioration signal. The system further includes a power supply for the source of radiation, and a controller to control the power supply based on the deterioration signal from the light detector. | 09-11-2008 |
20080230154 | ABSORBER LAYER FOR DSA PROCESSING - A method of processing a substrate comprising depositing a layer comprising amorphous carbon on the substrate and then laser annealing the substrate is provided. Optionally, the layer further comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, boron, phosphorus, fluorine, and combinations thereof. In one aspect, the layer comprising amorphous carbon is an anti-reflective coating and an absorber layer that absorbs electromagnetic radiation emitted by the laser and anneals a top surface layer of the substrate. | 09-25-2008 |
20090032511 | Apparatus and method of improving beam shaping and beam homogenization - The present invention generally relates to an optical system that is able to reliably deliver a uniform amount of energy across an anneal region contained on a surface of a substrate. The optical system is adapted to deliver, or project, a uniform amount of energy having a desired two-dimensional shape on a desired region on the surface of the substrate. Typically, the anneal regions may be square or rectangular in shape. Generally, the optical system and methods of the present invention are used to preferentially anneal one or more regions found within the anneal regions by delivering enough energy to cause the one or more regions to re-melt and solidify. | 02-05-2009 |
20090034071 | METHOD FOR PARTITIONING AND INCOHERENTLY SUMMING A COHERENT BEAM - A method and apparatus for decorrelating coherent light from a light source, such as a pulsed laser, in both time and space in an effort to provide intense and uniform illumination are provided. For some embodiments employing a pulsed light source, the output pulse may be stretched relative to the input pulse width. The methods and apparatus described herein may be incorporated into any application where intense, uniform illumination is desired, such as pulsed laser annealing, welding, ablating, and wafer stepper illuminating. | 02-05-2009 |
20090034072 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORRELATION OF SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY COHERENT LIGHT - A method and apparatus for decorrelating coherent light from a light source, such as a pulsed laser, in both time and space in an effort to provide intense and uniform illumination are provided. The techniques and apparatus described herein may be incorporated into any application where intense, uniform illumination is desired, such as pulsed laser annealing, welding, ablating, and wafer stepper illuminating. | 02-05-2009 |
20090046750 | INCREASED NANOSECOND LASER PULSE-TO-PULSE ENERGY REPEATABILITY USING ACTIVE LASER PULSE ENERGY CONTROL - A method and apparatus for reducing the pulse-to-pulse laser energy variation (i.e., increasing the pulse-to-pulse laser energy repeatability) from a pulsed laser source are provided. In this manner, laser pulses impingent on a processing plane, such as the surface of a wafer or other substrate, may have substantially the same energy content leading to a more controlled process when compared to conventional processing. The method may be based on in-situ detection of the pulse energy level and the subsequent active adjustment of the transmitted laser pulse energy in a closed-loop control scheme. Furthermore, the active adjustment of the laser pulse energy may occur within a few nanoseconds after the original laser pulse is generated by a pulsed laser source. | 02-19-2009 |
20090084986 | Multiple band pass filtering for pyrometry in laser based annealing systems - A thermal processing system includes a source of laser radiation emitting at a laser wavelength, beam projection optics disposed between the reflective surface and a substrate support capable of holding a substrate to be processed, a pyrometer responsive to a pyrometer wavelength, and a wavelength responsive optical element having a first optical path for light in a first wavelength range including the laser wavelength, the first optical path being between the source of laser radiation and the beam projection optics, and a second optical path for light in a second wavelength range including the pyrometer wavelength, the second optical path being between the beam projection optics and the pyrometer. The system can further include a pyrometer wavelength blocking filter between the source of laser radiation and the wavelength responsive optical element. | 04-02-2009 |
20090091817 | HIGH SPEED PHASE SCRAMBLING OF A COHERENT BEAM USING PLASMA - A laser beam is modulated at a very high frequency to produce uniform radiant flux densities on substrate surface processing regions during thermal processing. Beam modulation is achieved by passing the laser beam through a plasma which causes phase randomization within the laser beam. This method may be used for any application where intense, uniform illumination is desired, such as pulsed laser annealing, ablating, and wafer stepper illuminating. | 04-09-2009 |
20090152247 | Fast axis beam profile shaping for high power laser diode based annealing system - A dynamic surface anneal apparatus for annealing a semiconductor workpiece has a workpiece support for supporting a workpiece, an optical source and scanning apparatus for scanning the optical source and the workpiece support relative to one another along a fast axis. The optical source includes an array of laser emitters arranged generally in successive rows of the emitters, the rows being transverse to the fast axis. Plural collimating lenslets overlie respective ones of the rows of emitters and provide collimation along the fast axis. The selected lenslets have one or a succession of optical deflection angles corresponding to beam deflections along the fast axis for respective rows of emitters. Optics focus light from the array of laser emitters onto a surface of the workpiece to form a succession of line beams transverse to the fast axis spaced along the fast axis in accordance with the succession of deflection angles. | 06-18-2009 |
20090236495 | AUTOFOCUS FOR HIGH POWER LASER DIODE BASED ANNEALING SYSTEM - Apparatus for thermally processing a substrate includes a source of laser radiation comprising a plurality diode lasers arranged along a slow axis, optics directing the laser radiation from the source to the substrate, and an array of photodetectors arranged along a fast axis perpendicular to the slow axis and receiving portions of the laser radiation reflected from the substrate through the optics. | 09-24-2009 |
20090311880 | Method of Annealing Using Two Wavelengths of Continuous Wave Laser Radiation - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 12-17-2009 |
20100264123 | Annealing apparatus using two wavelengths of continuous wave laser radiation - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 10-21-2010 |
20100323532 | METHOD OF THERMAL PROCESSING STRUCTURES FORMED ON A SUBSTRATE - The present invention generally describes one ore more methods that are used to perform an annealing process on desired regions of a substrate. In one embodiment, an amount of energy is delivered to the surface of the substrate to preferentially melt certain desired regions of the substrate to remove unwanted damage created from prior processing steps (e.g., crystal damage from implant processes), more evenly distribute dopants in various regions of the substrate, and/or activate various regions of the substrate. The preferential melting processes will allow more uniform distribution of the dopants in the melted region, due to the increased diffusion rate and solubility of the dopant atoms in the molten region of the substrate. The creation of a melted region thus allows: 1) the dopant atoms to redistribute more uniformly, 2) defects created in prior processing steps to be removed, and 3) regions that have hyper-abrupt dopant concentrations to be formed. | 12-23-2010 |
20110199683 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORRELATION OF SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY COHERENT LIGHT - A method and apparatus for decorrelating coherent light from a light source, such as a pulsed laser, in both time and space in an effort to provide intense and uniform illumination are provided. The techniques and apparatus described herein may be incorporated into any application where intense, uniform illumination is desired, such as pulsed laser annealing, welding, ablating, and wafer stepper illuminating. | 08-18-2011 |
20120145684 | METHOD OF THERMAL PROCESSING STRUCTURES FORMED ON A SUBSTRATE - Methods used to perform an annealing process on desired regions of a substrate are disclosed. In one embodiment, an amount of energy is delivered to the surface of the substrate to preferentially melt certain desired regions of the substrate to remove unwanted damage created from prior processing steps (e.g., crystal damage from implant processes), more evenly distribute dopants in various regions of the substrate, and/or activate various regions of the substrate. The preferential melting processes will allow more uniform distribution of the dopants in the melted region, due to the increased diffusion rate and solubility of the dopant atoms in the molten region of the substrate. The creation of a melted region thus allows: 1) the dopant atoms to redistribute more uniformly, 2) defects created in prior processing steps to be removed, and 3) regions that have hyper-abrupt dopant concentrations to be formed. | 06-14-2012 |
20120148701 | APPARATUS AND METHOD OF IMPROVING BEAM SHAPING AND BEAM HOMOGENIZATION - The present invention generally relates to an optical system that is able to reliably deliver a uniform amount of energy across an anneal region contained on a surface of a substrate. The optical system is adapted to deliver, or project, a uniform amount of energy having a desired two-dimensional shape on a desired region on the surface of the substrate. Typically, the anneal regions may be square or rectangular in shape. Generally, the optical system and methods of the present invention are used to preferentially anneal one or more regions found within the anneal regions by delivering enough energy to cause the one or more regions to re-melt and solidify. | 06-14-2012 |
20120234800 | ANNEALING APPARATUS USING TWO WAVELENGTHS OF CONTINUOUS WAVE LASER RADIATION - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 09-20-2012 |
20120234801 | ANNEALING APPARATUS USING TWO WAVELENGTHS OF CONTINUOUS WAVE LASER RADIATION - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 09-20-2012 |
20120238111 | ANNEALING APPARATUS USING TWO WAVELENGTHS OF CONTINUOUS WAVE LASER RADIATION - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 09-20-2012 |
20120261395 | ANNEALING APPARATUS USING TWO WAVELENGTHS OF CONTINUOUS WAVE LASER RADIATION - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 10-18-2012 |
20130141788 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORRELATION OF SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY COHERENT LIGHT - A method and apparatus for decorrelating coherent light from a light source, such as a pulsed laser, in both time and space in an effort to provide intense and uniform illumination are provided. The techniques and apparatus described herein may be incorporated into any application where intense, uniform illumination is desired, such as pulsed laser annealing, welding, ablating, and wafer stepper illuminating. | 06-06-2013 |
20140009829 | METHOD FOR PARTITIONING AND INCOHERENTLY SUMMING A COHERENT BEAM - A method and apparatus for decorrelating coherent light from a light source, such as a pulsed laser, in both time and space in an effort to provide intense and uniform illumination are provided. For some embodiments employing a pulsed light source, the output pulse may be stretched relative to the input pulse width. The methods and apparatus described herein may be incorporated into any application where intense, uniform illumination is desired, such as pulsed laser annealing, welding, ablating, and wafer stepper illuminating. | 01-09-2014 |
20150053658 | APPARATUS AND METHOD OF IMPROVING BEAM SHAPING AND BEAM HOMOGENIZATION - The present invention generally relates to an optical system that is able to reliably deliver a uniform amount of energy across an anneal region contained on a surface of a substrate. The optical system is adapted to deliver, or project, a uniform amount of energy having a desired two-dimensional shape on a desired region on the surface of the substrate. Typically, the anneal regions may be square or rectangular in shape. Generally, the optical system and methods of the present invention are used to preferentially anneal one or more regions found within the anneal regions by delivering enough energy to cause the one or more regions to re-melt and solidify. | 02-26-2015 |
20150069028 | ANNEALING APPARATUS USING TWO WAVELENGTHS OF RADIATION - A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO | 03-12-2015 |