Thermal Processing

 

Wafers are heated to very high temperatures to modify the properties of films or already-formed processes. The most common applications include annealing; activating and controlling the movement of atoms in a chip after implantation, and oxidation; growing oxide layers on the wafer's surface.

 

Furnaces are typically used and they bring an excess of oxygen into a tightly controlled high temperature and low-pressure environment. Under the intense heat, the oxygen fuses with the silicon wafer and silicon dioxide is formed as a result. However, Chemical Vapor Disposition is widely used for the depositing of the oxide layers.