Impulse™ Rapid Thermal Processing (iRTP) is an extension of conventional “spike annealing.”ÜMany thermal processes for state-of-the-art semiconductors require lower thermal budgets and RTP has been evolving towards faster ramp up and cool down rates and minimal time at temperature to meet these needs.ÜBased on VortekÌs water-wall arc lamp, iRTP gives a significant (~5 times lower time within 50 êC of the peak temperature) reduction in effective thermal budget.ÜThe spectral match of the lamp to the absorption of silicon, the zero thermal mass of the lamp, the patented absorbing process chamber and a sophisticated control system combine to make this improvement possible.ÜIn addition, iRTP gives excellent across-wafer uniformity, repeatability and temperature control.ÜiRTP processes are easy to set-up and insensitive to incoming wafer characteristics.ÜThe system is also flexible and can be used for longer processes such as silicide formation and oxidation.

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