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Annealing and growth facilities

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About the Annealing and growth facilities

We host a range of annealing and growth equipment which can be used in fabrication processes. These include:

  • anneal furnaces for silicon and other clean processes
  • low temperature anneal furnace for alloying of metal contacts
  • rapid thermal processors (RTP) for very thin silicon dioxide layers

Annealing

High temperature annealing is used in:

  • the repair of implantation damage
  • densification of deposited insulators
  • the diffusion of dopants
  • silicide formation.

The most common anneal method uses a furnace at a high temperature for 30 minutes or more. However, a rapid thermal annealer can be used where shorter anneals are needed to minimise dopant diffusion.

Growth

Growth of silicon dioxide is carried out using thermal oxidation, either in a dry or a wet ambient. Dry oxidation is used for the highest quality oxides, such as gate oxides. Wet oxidation is used for thicker oxides, such as a field oxide in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

For applications where a silicon dioxide layer needs to be produced at a lower temperature, then plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) can be used. This is available as part of our deposition facilities.

The annealing and growth capabilities are part of our clean rooms at the nanofabrication centre.

Technical specification

Tempress Anneal Furnaces

We have several furnaces for annealing and oxidation processes. These include a 200mm anneal furnace that can also be used for dry oxidation and a 150mm anneal furnace that can also be used for wet oxidation. These furnaces offer:

  • automated loading of up to 25 wafers in a quartz boat
  • oxidations at temperatures between 600 and 1150C.
  • temperature accuracy to better than ±1C.

We also have a low temperature anneal furnace which uses forming gas (a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen). 

Jipelec Jetfirst 200 Rapid Thermal Annealers

We have two rapid thermal annealers and oxidation systems, one for clean silicon processing and one for general use. These systems offer:

  • temperatures between 400 and 1200C 
  • anneal or oxidation times from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, with a ramp-up rate of 150C/s.
  • absolute temperature control to within ±5C
  • temperature measure using a pyrometer or a thermocouple

Annealing and growth facilities

Contact us

Get in touch to find out more about our clean room and how we might be able to work with you.

Contact us

Mountbatten Complex, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ
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