Thermal processing is common in semiconductor manufacturing. Semiconductor substrates are often subjected to thermal treatment following a material process such as deposition, implantation, or etching. In many cases, the thermal treatment is performed in a separate chamber from the material process. Transferring the substrate from the material process chamber to the thermal process chamber takes time and reduces production throughput. Machine utilization, the time a machine is operating to process a substrate, is a critical factor in reducing the cost of each chip produced. Thus, there is a continuing need for more efficient semiconductor manufacturing processes and apparatus.
USPTO Backgrounds
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