Effect of radiation shield angle on temperature and stress profiles during rapid thermal annealing

The effects of radiation shield angle and oven-temperature ramping rates on the temperature and thermal stress profiles in a gallium arsenide wafer undergoing rapid thermal annealing are studied. The numerical model of the heat transfer in a cylindrical oven considers conduction in the wafer radiative heat transfer from all oven and shield surfaces to the wafer. All simulations show that at some location in the wafer the induced thermal stress exceeds the critical stress. These results indicate that at high temperatures (T>750°C) it is very difficult to maintain a sufficiently flat temperature profile such that the induced thermal stress is maintained below the critical stress throughout the wafer. Possible ways to minimize the induced thermal stress during the annealing process using a radiation shield and specific oven-temperature ramping rates are discussed