Specific Process Knowledge/Thermal Process/RTP Jipelec 2

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RTP2 Jipelec - Rapid Thermal Processor

The RTP2 Jipelec and work station are located in the DTU Nanolab cleanroom A-5. Photo: Inês Diogo@DTU Nanolab, July 2023

The main purpose of the RTP2 Jipelec (Jipelec JetFirst 200 RTP) is to perform thermal processes, using faster heating rates and shorter process durations when compared to conventional methods. This is called rapid thermal processing (RTP) and can be used to treat different types of samples.

Rapid thermal processing typically includes RTA, i.e. Rapid Thermal Annealing, where samples are heated up very rapidly in a nitrogen or argon atmosphere. Contact alloying and RTN, i.e. Rapid Thermal Nitridation, might also be possible for some samples.

The Set-Up

The machine consists of a reactor chamber, in which different samples can be processed/annealed at temperatures up to 1200 °C.

The chamber can be heated up very rapidly by the use of 18 infrared halogen lamps that are situated in the chamber lid. A quartz plate is placed below the lamps, i.e. between the lamps and the sample(s). Below the platen, there is an optical pyrometer aligned with the center of the substrate, that is placed on the bottom part of the chamber. The platen presents additional inlets where multiple thermocouples can be mounted. These details are exemplified in the images on the right.

[[|400px|thumb|Schematic representation of the RTP2 Jipelec reactor. Image: DTU Nanolab]]

RTP2 Jipelec chamber platen. Image: Inês Diogo@DTU Nanolab, July 2023

The lamps are divided in three zones so that a uniform temperature can be obtained over the substrate. During the heating, the quartz window below the lamps will get warm. However, the chamber walls are cooled by a cooling water flow and thus remain cold to prevent sample contamination. As already mentioned, the cooling unit is located under the machine. The lamps are cooled by cooling fans (no noisy compressed air cooling like in the old Jipelec RTP). The halogen lamps and the quartz plate are visible in the image below.

Halogen lamps responsible for the heating in the RTP2 Jipelec. Image: DTU Nanolab internal

The samples are placed above the round metal plate in the bottom of the chamber, i.e. below the halogen lamps. The substrates are meant to be placed on top of three quartz pins. Depending on the type and size of the substrate, there are three types of quartz pins available (for the SiC-coated graphite susceptor, a 100 mm wafer and for a 150 mm wafer). Nonetheless, the susceptor should always be used, when possible (except for 8" wafers).

SiC-coated graphite susceptor used in the RTP2 Jipelec. Photo: InêsDiogo@DTU Nanolab, July 2023

Samples and Process Specifications

Specifics		Range	Comments
Temperature	Pyro Control	400 oC to 1200 oC
	Thermocouple Control	Room temperature to 1200 oC
Process gas	Argon (Ar)	40-2000 sccm
	Nitrogen (N2)	40-2000 sccm
	Forming gas (4% H2/ 96% N2)	40-2000 sccm	Gas line not connected yet.
	Nitrogen purge (N2)	Not possible to control the flow	Do not use for processing.
Pressure	No vacuum	Up to atmospheric pressure.
	Vacuum	Low vacuum (min. 2/3 mbar)	5/6 mbar, if minimum gas flow is used during process.
Process time (Check image below)	At 1200 oC	Max. 10 min
	At 1100 oC	Max. 30 min
	At 1000 oC	Max. 60 min
Heating rate		Max. 100 oC/s with carrier wafer or sample wafer Max. 50 oC/s with SiC-coated graphite susceptor	At faster heating rates, the actual temperature might overshoot from the temperature setpoint in the recipe, and the susceptors/carriers might break.
Substrates	Batch size	Single-wafer process
	Substrate size	Chips on carrier 50 mm, 100 mm or 150 mm wafers	Small samples must be placed on dedicated carrier wafers/susceptors. These do not need to and should not be bonded to the carriers.
	Allowed materials	Silicon Silicon oxides and nitrides Quartz Metals - ask for permisson III-V materials - these cannot be heated above 450 °C, otherwise it can lead to outgassing of toxic gases. For that reason, III-V samples are limited to a maximum process temperature of 440 °C.	Always check the cross contamination information in LabManager to see whether your samples are allowed in the RTP2 Jipelec before using it. If you want to anneal sample materials that are not on the list or not approved, please contact thinfilm@nanolab.dtu.dk

Remark! The time limits are not implemented in the software, but it is very important to obey these. If processing is done for longer times than those defined in the table, there is a certain risk that the chamber gets overheated, which can lead to damage of the equipment.

Additional information

The user manual, user APV, technical and contact information can be found in LabManager: RTP2 Jipelec