Improvement of thermal uniformity of RTP-CVD equipment by application of simulation

Modeling results on a 6-in single wafer cold wall RTP-CVD (rapid thermal processing-chemical vapor deposition) reactor are presented which include the effects of fluid flow, heat transfer by radiation with a new model, and heat transfer by conduction and by convection. The results show good agreement with measurements. The influence of conduction and convection is studied systematically. In the next step an attempt was made to find an improved version of the reactor with better temperature uniformity. By changing the geometry of the chamber and by creating a region of reduced reflectivity on the top chamber wall it was possible to find a configuration with superior temperature uniformity.<>