<s>
Rapid	B-Algorithm
thermal	I-Algorithm
processing	I-Algorithm
(	O
RTP	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
manufacturing	I-Architecture
process	I-Architecture
which	O
heats	O
silicon	B-Architecture
wafers	I-Architecture
to	O
temperatures	O
exceeding	O
1,000	O
°C	O
for	O
not	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
few	O
seconds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
cooling	O
wafer	B-Architecture
temperatures	O
must	O
be	O
brought	O
down	O
slowly	O
to	O
prevent	O
dislocations	O
and	O
wafer	B-Architecture
breakage	O
due	O
to	O
thermal	O
shock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
processes	O
are	O
used	O
for	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
applications	O
in	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
manufacturing	I-Architecture
including	O
dopant	O
activation	O
,	O
thermal	B-Algorithm
oxidation	I-Algorithm
,	O
metal	O
reflow	O
and	O
chemical	O
vapor	O
deposition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
key	O
challenges	O
in	O
rapid	B-Algorithm
thermal	I-Algorithm
processing	I-Algorithm
is	O
accurate	O
measurement	O
and	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
temperature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Monitoring	O
the	O
ambient	O
with	O
a	O
thermocouple	O
has	O
only	O
recently	O
become	O
feasible	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
the	O
high	O
temperature	O
ramp	O
rates	O
prevent	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
from	O
coming	O
to	O
thermal	O
equilibrium	O
with	O
the	O
process	O
chamber	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rapid	O
thermal	O
anneal	O
(	O
RTA	O
)	O
in	O
rapid	B-Algorithm
thermal	I-Algorithm
processing	I-Algorithm
is	O
a	O
process	O
used	O
in	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
device	I-Architecture
fabrication	I-Architecture
which	O
involves	O
heating	O
a	O
single	O
wafer	B-Architecture
at	O
a	O
time	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
affect	O
its	O
electrical	O
properties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wafers	B-Architecture
can	O
be	O
heated	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
activate	O
dopants	O
,	O
change	O
film-to-film	O
or	O
film-to-wafer	O
substrate	B-Architecture
interfaces	O
,	O
densify	O
deposited	O
films	O
,	O
change	O
states	O
of	O
grown	O
films	O
,	O
repair	O
damage	O
from	O
ion	O
implantation	O
,	O
move	O
dopants	O
or	O
drive	O
dopants	O
from	O
one	O
film	O
into	O
another	O
or	O
from	O
a	O
film	O
into	O
the	O
wafer	B-Architecture
substrate	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rapid	O
thermal	O
anneals	O
are	O
performed	O
by	O
equipment	O
that	O
heats	O
a	O
single	O
wafer	B-Architecture
at	O
a	O
time	O
using	O
either	O
lamp	O
based	O
heating	O
,	O
a	O
hot	O
chuck	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
hot	O
plate	O
that	O
a	O
wafer	B-Architecture
is	O
brought	O
near	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
furnace	B-Algorithm
anneals	I-Algorithm
they	O
are	O
of	O
short	O
duration	O
,	O
processing	O
each	O
wafer	B-Architecture
in	O
several	O
minutes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
short	O
annealing	O
times	O
and	O
quick	O
throughput	O
,	O
sacrifices	O
are	O
made	O
in	O
temperature	O
and	O
process	O
uniformity	O
,	O
temperature	O
measurement	O
and	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
wafer	B-Architecture
stress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
RTP-like	O
processing	O
has	O
found	O
applications	O
in	O
another	O
rapidly	O
growing	O
field	O
:	O
solar	O
cell	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
RTP-like	O
processing	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
semiconductor	O
sample	O
is	O
heated	O
by	O
absorbing	O
optical	O
radiation	O
,	O
has	O
come	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
many	O
solar	O
cell	O
fabrication	B-Architecture
steps	O
,	O
including	O
phosphorus	O
diffusion	O
for	O
N/P	O
junction	O
formation	O
and	O
impurity	O
gettering	O
,	O
hydrogen	O
diffusion	O
for	O
impurity	O
and	O
defect	O
passivation	O
,	O
and	O
formation	O
of	O
screen-printed	O
contacts	O
using	O
Ag-ink	O
for	O
the	O
front	O
and	O
Al-ink	O
for	O
back	O
contacts	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
