Centura TPCC RTP XE+ RTP

Rapid thermal processing equipment is used in semiconductor manufacturing to heat wafers for short process steps with tightly controlled temperature profiles. Rapid thermal processing tools are commonly used where a wafer needs a thermal treatment without the longer furnace style exposure associated with batch diffusion equipment.

Rapid thermal processing systems expose a wafer to a controlled high temperature cycle for a short interval and then return the wafer to a lower temperature state. Rapid thermal processing tools are generally configured for single wafer thermal treatment so that heating and cooling can be managed with close attention to wafer level process conditions.

Rapid thermal processing tools sit in thermal process flow where a wafer needs a short anneal, activation, densification, or other brief heat treatment between deposition, implant, clean, and film formation steps. Rapid thermal processing equipment is used after steps that leave a material or dopant distribution needing thermal change, and before later patterning, dielectric formation, metallization, or inspection operations that depend on the resulting film or junction condition.

Rapid thermal processing equipment is applied to semiconductor thermal steps such as annealing implanted regions, modifying thin film properties, and driving reactions that require brief high temperature exposure. Rapid thermal processing tools are also used for process modules where short thermal budgets help limit unwanted diffusion while still enabling material transformation.