The practical use of residual gas analysis in a semiconductor thermal processing module

Abstract

In this paper, we will discuss the application of a portable Residual Gas Analyzer (RGA) for characterizing and troubleshooting diffusion furnaces and rapid thermal anneal (RTA) reactors in the thermal module at Kilby Fab (KFAB) of Texas Instruments Inc. The tools characterized were Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL) vertical atmospheric furnaces, TEL vertical LPCVD furnaces and Applied Materials (AMAT) Rapid Thermal Annealers and Rapid Thermal Processors. Some aspects of the coordination of this operation in a manufacturing environment will also be discussed.