Temperature uniformity in RTP furnaces

The heat transfer to a wafer in a rapid thermal processing (RTP) furnace is simulated by an analytical/numerical model. The model includes radiation heat transfer to the wafer from the lamps, heat conduction within the wafer, and emission of radiation from the wafer. Geometric optics are used to predict the radiant heat flux distribution over the wafer. The predicted wafer surface temperature distribution is compared to measurements made in an RTP furnace for two different reflector geometries. Lamp configurations and the resulting irradiance required to produce a uniform wafer temperature are defined