2020 AG Associates / Allwin Heatpulse 610 / AccuThermo AW610

Ag Associates 610 RTP Refurbished in 2020 by Allwin

The AccuThermo AW610 is a rapid thermal processing (RTP) system, which uses high intensity visible radiation to heat single wafers for short process periods of time at precisely controlled temperatures. The process periods are typically 1‑600 seconds in duration, although periods of up to 9999 seconds can be selected. The AccuThermo RTP AW610M rapid thermal annealing system consists of an oven unit and a controller computer running the Allwin21 RTAPRO controller software. The wafer to be processed is placed on a quartz tray that slides into a quartz isolation tube in the oven unit. Four banks of lamps, two above the quartz tube and two below it, provide the source of energy for heating the wafer. The lamps can be controlled manually and automatically from the controller computer. The RTAPRO control software allows full control and diagnostics of the AccuThermo RTP system.  In addition, it allows the creation of recipes for automated control of the temperature and, optionally, process gas flow. The control software uses a set of operating instructions known as recipes to automatically control the AccuThermo RTP system. These recipes are created by the Process Engineer to monitor and control the parameters of the processing cycle. The Operator then uses the software to select and run the process parameters (steady state temperature, process time, ramp rates, etc.).

HEATPULSE 610 Features

Manually loaded and capable of processing silicon and III-V substrates up to 150mm in diameter, Heatpulse 610 provides solutions to your process development and monitoring needs. Equipped with a graphical user interface to improve operator productivity, Heatpulse 610 offers recipe management and system diagnostics.

HEATPULSE 610 Major System Features

Semiconductor grade quartz process chamber

21 tungsten halogen lamps in an upper and lower array

Extended Range Pyrometer: 400°C -1300oC (200°C w/TC)

Graphical User Interface(GUI)

These capabilities, combined with the heating chamber’s cold-wall design and superior heating uniformity, provide significant advantages over conventional furnace processing.

HEATPULSE 610 Key Features Include

Closed-loop temperature control with pyrometer or thermocouple temperature sensing.

Precise time-temperature profiles tailored to suit specific process requirements.

Fast heating and cooling rates unobtainable in conventional technologies.

Consistent wafer-to-wafer process cycle repeatability.

Elimination of external contamination.

Small footprint and energy efficiency.

HEATPULSE 610 Performance Specifications

Recommended Steady State Temperature Range: 400-1250° C.

Steady-State Temperature Stability: ± 2° C.

Temperature Monitoring Mechanisms: Extended Range Pyrometer (ERP), used throughout the recommended temperature range, or a thermocouple, used for process temperatures below 400° C.

Heating Rate: 1-200° C per second, user-controllable.

Cooling Rate: Temperature dependent; max 150° C per second.

Maximum Non-uniformity:

±5°C across a 6″ (150mm) wafer at 1150°C. (This is a one sigma deviation 100 angstrom oxide.) For a titanium silicidation process, no more than 4% increase in non-uniformity during the first anneal at 650°C to 700 °C.

Post-anneal sheet resistivity measured on a 150mm wafer annealed at 1100° C for 10 seconds. R&D models optimized for slip control.

Implant: As 1E16 50 KeV with implant uniformity ≤0.3%

Lamp Life: Unconditionally guaranteed for three years.

Steady State Time: 1-9999 sec. (1-600 sec. recommended)

Wafer Sizes for the HEATPULSE 610: 2″, 3″, 4″, 5″ and 6″.

Process Gases: The HEATPULSE system delivers one non-corrosive process gas with manually controlled flow. Two process gas inputs installed.