Irradiance pulse heat-treating methods and apparatus

1. A method of heat-treating a workpiece, the method comprising, under the control of a processor circuit:

generating an initial heating portion and a subsequent sustaining portion of an irradiance pulse incident on a target surface area of the workpiece;

wherein a combined duration of the initial heating portion and the subsequent sustaining portion is less than a thermal conduction time of the workpiece;

wherein the initial heating portion heats the target surface area to a desired temperature; and

wherein the subsequent sustaining portion maintains the target surface area within a desired range from the desired temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the workpiece comprises a semiconductor wafer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the initial heating portion and the subsequent sustaining portion are asymmetric.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the sustaining portion delivers power to the target surface area sufficient to compensate for thermal conduction from the target surface area into a body of the workpiece.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the sustaining portion further delivers power to the target surface area sufficient to compensate for heat exchange by thermal radiation and conduction between the target surface area and its environment.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the sustaining portion delivers power to the target surface area at a rate of at least 1×10 2 W/cm 2 .

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the desired range is within about 1×10 1 ° C. from the desired temperature.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein the desired range is within about 3° C. from the desired temperature.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the combined duration is such that a full width at one-quarter maximum (FWQM) of the irradiance pulse is more than half of the thermal conduction time of the workpiece.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the FWQM is about 1×10 −2 s.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the target surface area comprises a device side of the semiconductor wafer, and wherein generating comprises generating the irradiance pulse using a plurality of flash lamps.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein generating comprises firing at least one of the plurality of flash lamps at an irradiance pulse commencement time, and subsequently firing at least one other of the plurality of flash lamps.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein generating comprises firing at least two of the plurality of flash lamps simultaneously at the irradiance pulse commencement time.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein subsequently firing comprises subsequently firing at least a first other one of the plurality of flash lamps at a first time interval following the irradiance pulse commencement time, and subsequently firing at least a second other one of the plurality of flash lamps at a second time interval following the irradiance pulse commencement time, and wherein the first and second time intervals are about one millisecond and about two milliseconds respectively, following the irradiance pulse commencement time.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein the target surface area comprises an area segment of a device side of the semiconductor wafer, and wherein generating the irradiance pulse comprises scanning a laser beam having an asymmetric spatial profile across the area segment within less than the thermal conduction time of the workpiece.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein generating the initial heating portion comprises scanning a first spatial portion of the laser beam across the area segment, and wherein generating the subsequent sustaining portion comprises scanning a second spatial portion of the laser beam across the area segment, the first spatial portion and the second spatial portion being asymmetric.

17. The method of claim 2 further comprising pre-heating the workpiece to an intermediate temperature less than the desired temperature, prior to generating the irradiance pulse.

18. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

monitoring at least one parameter indicative of a presently completed amount of a desired thermal process during the irradiance pulse; and

modifying the irradiance pulse in response to deviation of the at least one parameter from an expected value.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein modifying comprises shortening a duration of the subsequent sustaining portion if the at least one parameter exceeds the expected value by more than a threshold difference.

20. The method of claim 18 herein modifying comprises lengthening a duration of the subsequent sustaining portion if the expected value exceeds the at least one parameter by more than a threshold difference.

21. An apparatus for heat-treating a workpiece, the apparatus comprising:

an irradiance pulse generating system; and

a processor circuit configured to control the irradiance pulse generating system to generate an initial heating portion and a subsequent sustaining portion of an irradiance pulse incident on a target surface area of the workpiece;

wherein a combined duration of the initial heating portion and the subsequent sustaining portion is less than a thermal conduction time of the workpiece;

wherein the initial heating portion heats the target surface area to a desired temperature; and

wherein the subsequent sustaining portion maintains the target surface area within a desired range from the desired temperature.

22. An apparatus for heat-treating a workpiece, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating an initial heating portion of an irradiance pulse incident on a target surface area of the workpiece;

means for generating a subsequent sustaining portion of an irradiance pulse incident on a target surface area of the workpiece;

wherein a combined duration of the initial heating portion and the subsequent sustaining portion is less than a thermal conduction time of the workpiece;

wherein the initial heating portion heats the target surface area to a desired temperature; and

wherein the subsequent sustaining portion maintains the target surface area within a desired range from the desired temperature.