High Temperature Emissometer for Semiconductor Materials

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 project involves the design of a test facility for a new method to accurately measure the near-normal spectral emissivity of semiconductor wafers at near-infrared wavelengths. The accurate emissivity characterization of wafers by the proposed test equipment will provide a measurement standard needed for improved thermal processing of wafers, such as in Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP), particularly for model-based temperature control and sensing. SC Solutions, an industry leader in delivering RTP temperature control solutions, recognizes accurate temperature measurement as the single biggest impediment to more precise control of wafer temperature necessary to meet the increasingly stringent specifications of the semiconductor processing industry. The novelty of the proposed design is in the use of both direct and indirect methods, including transmittance measurements, to determine wafer emissivity over a temperature range of 300K-1400 K. The measurements will be made on both surfaces of the wafer in air or in an inert environment using a hot-wall, pancake chamber that ensures excellent temperature uniformity. Apart from the detailed design, the Phase 1 work will include developing a dynamic thermal model of the furnace and an estimate of the error. In Phase 2, the test facility will be constructed and tested, and delivered to NIST.