Low thermal budget annealing

1. A method for thermal processing of a workpiece, the method comprising:

placing the workpiece in a thermal processing chamber, the workpiece comprising a device side surface and an opposing non-device side surface, the workpiece having a thickness between the device side surface and the opposing non-device side surface;

delivering an energy pulse from at least one heat source to the non-device side surface of the workpiece, the energy pulse having a pulse duration;

wherein the pulse duration is less than a thermal conduction time for heat from the energy pulse to diffuse through the thickness of the workpiece and is such that a rate of heating the device side surface is greater than 1000 K/s;

wherein a rate of cooling the device side surface is less than about 1000 K/s.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device side surface comprises one or more device structures, films, or layers that are annealed during the energy pulse and the non-device side surface includes no device structures.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulse duration is less than about 100 ms.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to delivering the energy pulse, the method comprises heating the workpiece to an intermediate temperature, wherein the intermediate temperature is in the range of about 20° C. to about 800° C.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein heating the workpiece to the intermediate temperature comprises heating the device side surface of the workpiece.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat source comprises an arc lamp.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat source comprises a laser.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy pulse causes the device side surface to have a peak temperature in the range of about 40% to about 80% of a peak temperature of the non-device side temperature.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy pulse causes the non-device side surface to have a peak temperature of about 1200° C. and the device side surface to have a peak temperature of about 850° C.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulse duration is such that a 50° temperature peak width of a temperature of the device side surface is about 1.3 seconds or less.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-device side surface of the workpiece comprises a compensating film, wherein one or more compensating properties of the compensating film correspond to non-uniform characteristics of one or more device structures on the device side surface.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a mask structure is disposed between the at least one heat source and the non-device side surface.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device side surface is in thermal communication with a heat sink, wherein the heat sink comprises a hot plate in the thermal processing chamber.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method comprises supporting the workpiece on a gas cushion disposed between the hot plate and the workpiece, wherein the gas cushion has a thickness of about 0.02 mm to about 2 mm.

15. A method for processing a workpiece in a thermal processing system, the workpiece comprising a device side surface and a non-device side surface separated by a thickness, the method comprising:

placing a workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber of the thermal processing system such that the non-device side surface faces one or more arc lamps;

heating the workpiece to an intermediate temperature using one or more heat sources;

providing an irradiance flash to the non-device side surface of the workpiece using the one or more arc lamps, the irradiance flash having a duration of less than about 100 ms such that a rate of heating the device side surface is greater than 1000 K/s and a rate of cooling the device side surface is less than about 1000 K/s.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the irradiance flash creates a temperature gradient between the device side surface of the workpiece and the non-device side surface of the workpiece.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the irradiance flash causes the non-device side surface to achieve a peak temperature of about 1200° C.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the irradiance flash causes the device side surface to have a 50° temperature peak width of about 1.3 seconds or less.

19. A method for processing a semiconductor workpiece, the method comprising:

depositing a layer of semiconductor material onto the semiconductor workpiece at the device side of the semiconductor workpiece, the layer having an amorphous structure;

doping the layer of semiconductor material with a dopant species;

annealing the layer for crystallization using solid phase epitaxy;

wherein during crystallization, the dopant species becomes incorporated into crystalline material

wherein annealing the layer for crystallization comprises:

placing a workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber of the thermal processing system such that the non-device side surface faces one or more arc lamps;

heating the workpiece to an intermediate temperature using one or more heat sources;

providing an irradiance flash to the non-device side surface of the workpiece using the one or more arc lamps, the irradiance flash having a duration of less than about 100 ms such that a rate of heating the device side surface is greater than 1000 K/s and a rate of cooling the device side surface is less than about 1000 K/s.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the irradiance flash causes the non-device side surface to achieve a peak temperature of about 1200° C.