Rapid thermal and integrated processing is an emerging single-wafer
technology in ULSI semiconductor manufacturing, electrical engineering,
applied physics and materials science. Here, the physics and engineering
of this technology are discussed at the graduate level. Three
interrelated areas are covered. First, the thermophysics of
photon-induced annealing of semiconductor and related materials,
including fundamental pyrometry and emissivity issues, the modelling of
reactor designs and processes, and their relation to temperature
uniformity. Second, process integration, treating the advances in basic
equipment design, scale-up, integrated cluster-tool equipment, including
wafer cleaning and integrated processing. Third, the deposition and
processing of thin epitaxial, dielectric and metal films, covering
selective deposition and epitaxy, integrated processing of layer stacks,
and new areas of potential application, such as the processing of III-V
semiconductor structures and thin- film head processing for high-density
magnetic data storage.