The Aspen RTP FR3

Aspen RTP_FR3 has the unique capability to process over a wide temperature range (from 100°C to 1200°C) and to handle both traditional RTP and many furnace applications. The system provides a full suite of leading edge applications that includes silicides, TiSi2 or CoSi2; implant anneals, ultra-shallow junctions without "spike anneals"; high k dielectric anneals (Ta2O5, BST, SBT); glass reflow and/or densification (BPSG, PSG); curing of low k films; and low-temperature copper anneal. Currently, no other RTP or furnace system in the industry provides as accurate control of temperature over such a wide range. Aspen RTP_FR3 moves seamlessly from high temperature implant anneals to low temperature copper anneals to lengthier high k processes that last up to several minutes.

The Aspen RTP_FR3 is designed to meet the requirements for advanced sub 0.18 micron processing while satisfying the demands of high volume manufacturing. Based on the Aspen II platform, it processes up to 110 wafers per hour for select applications. The simple design of the process chamber has no moving parts and no consumables, requiring low preventive maintenance. Aspen RTP_FR3 is based on Mattson's proprietary susceptor technology, which combines the tight process control of single wafer rapid thermal processing (RTP) systems with the high throughput and low cost-of-ownership of batch furnaces. The robust system design allows Mattson to offer an all inclusive three-year warranty that covers all consumables and maintenance costs - a major expense with lamp-based RTP systems.

The system features thermal isolation to keep the uniformity of the wafer temperature independent of the process temperature. Uniformity can be achieved over a wide range of process temperatures for both long and short process times. Proprietary wafer handling techniques are used to remove wafers from the chamber at process temperature, eliminating the cool-down time required by other systems, allowing the system to achieve high throughput for reduced thermal budgets. After processing, the system can also perform chamber cleaning without operator intervention.

Mattson Technology, Inc., 3550 W. Warren Avenue, Fremont, CA 94538. Tel: 510-492-5923; Fax: 510-657-0165.