Specific Process Knowledge/Thermal Process/Annealing

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Annealing

At Danchip we have four furnaces and an RTP (Rapid thermal annealing) that can be used annealing: Anneal-Oxide furnace (C1), Anneal-bond furnace (C3), Multipurpose Anneal furnace, Noble furnace and Jipelec RTP. Annealing normally takes place in an N₂ atmosphere, or it can be done in H₂ or a H₂-N₂ gas mixture in the Multipurpose Anneal furnace. PECVD PBSG glass is annealed in a wet atmosphere which will also oxidize the silicon substrate.

A 20 minutes N₂ annealing step is also included in all recipes on the oxidation furnace, this annealing is done after the oxidation.

Comparison of the annealing furnaces

	C1: Anneal Oxide	C3: Anneal Bond	Noble furnace	Jipelec RTP	Multipurpose Anneal Furnace
General description	Annealing of 4" and 6" wafers. Annealing of wafers from the LPCVD furnaces and PECVD2.	Annealing of wafers from EVG-NIL, PECVD3 and wafers with aluminum.	Annealing of almost all materials on silicon wafers.	Rapid thermal annealing	Annealing, oxidation and resist pyrolysis of different samples
Annealing gas	N2	N2 Ar Wet annealing with bobbler (water steam + N2)	N2 Ar	N2 Vacuum is possible	N2 H2 Vacuum is possible
Process temperature	700 oC - 1100 oC	700 oC - 1150 oC	20 oC - 1000 oC	20 oC - 1000 oC Ramp up to 300 C/min	Vacuum: *20 oC - 1050 oC¨ No vacuum: *20 oC - 1100 oC
Substrate and Batch size	Small samples on a carrier wafer, horizontal 1-30 50 mm wafers 1-30 100 mm wafers 1-30 150 mm wafers	Small samples on a carrier wafer, horizontal 1-30 50 mm wafers 1-30 100 mm wafers	Small samples on a carrier wafer, horizontal 1-25 50 mm wafers 1-25 100 mm wafers, vertical and horizontal	Small samples on a carrier wafer, horizontal One 100 mm wafers on a carrier wafer	1-30 50 mm, 100 mm or 150 mm wafers per run 1-50 200 mm wafers per run Smaller samples (placed in a Si carrier wafer)
Allowed materials	All processed wafers have to be RCA cleaned, except wafers from LPCVD furnaces and PECVD1.	All processed wafers have to be RCA cleaned, except wafers from EVG-NIL, PECVD3 and wafers for annealing of aluminum.	Almost all materials, permission is needed.	III-V samples Silicon wafers Some metals	Depends on the furnace quartz ware: Clean: Samples that have been RCA cleaned Metal: Almost all materials, permission is needed Resist Pyrolysis