TWI476858B - Methods and systems for supporting a workpiece and for heat-treating the workpiece - Google Patents

Description

Method and system for supporting a workpiece and for heat treating the workpiece Cross-references to related applications

The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 60/434,670, filed on Dec. Benefits, these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for supporting a workpiece and to methods and apparatus for heat treating a workpiece.

Many applications require a workpiece to be supported. For example, in the fabrication of semiconductor wafers such as microprocessors, the workpiece typically includes a semiconductor wafer that must be supported in a processing chamber for annealing or other Heat treatment procedure. The wafer is typically supported by a plurality of support studs (typically quartz) in the chamber, or alternatively by a guard ring (generally formed of a semiconductor material similar to the wafer itself) Supported by). The physical contact between the support studs or the guard ring may cause a thermal gradient in the wafer during the heat treatment, thereby damaging the crystal lattice of the wafer or in the wafer. The device, the stud or guard ring in many typical systems will only be at the outer edge of the wafer that will not be used to fabricate the semiconductor wafer (within a narrow "excluded area" or within the boundaries of the abandoned area) Contact the wafer. The exclusion zone is from the outer periphery of the wafer to the edge It extends radially inwardly for only a small distance (for example, 3 mm). However, the support pegs in at least some conventional systems will contact the wafer at locations other than the exclusion zone. For example, a conventional system uses a contact stud that contacts the wafer at a distance of approximately two-thirds of the radius of the wafer from the center of the wafer. Thus, while the use of a discharge region to support the wafer is advantageous for many applications, it is not considered necessary.

The requirements for device size and performance requirements for semiconductor wafers are becoming more stringent, and as a result new heat treatment methods have emerged, and existing heat treatment methods have been modified to attempt to meet these related requirements. However, conventional methods of supporting wafers may no longer be appropriate for some specific applications of these emerging heat treatment methods.

Examples of such emerging heat treatment methods are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,594,446 issued to Camm et al. on Jul. 15, 2003, and issued to U.S. Patent No. 2002/0102098 on August 1, 2002. </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; One such method involves preheating the wafer to an intermediate temperature at a rate that is slower than a thermal conduction time through the wafer such that the entire wafer can be heated to the intermediate temperature fairly uniformly. This preheating phase can be achieved by illuminating the back side of the wafer or the side of the substrate with an arc lamp to bring the wafer at a violent rate (eg, like 100 ° C per second). Heat to 400 ° C per second). After the preheating phase, the top side of the wafer or the side of the device is rapidly heated to a A substantially higher annealing temperature (at a much faster rate than heat transfer through the wafer) such that only the top side surface area of the wafer is heated to the final annealing temperature, while most The wafer is still maintained close to a relatively cold intermediate temperature. This can be achieved by exposing the top side surface area to a high power flash from a flash for a relatively short period of time (e.g., one millisecond). Most of the colder wafers act like a heat sink to aid in the rapid cooling of the top side surface.

Other annealing methods that do not involve any pre-heating stages include the use of, for example, an exciter laser or a microwave pulse to rapidly heat the side surfaces of the wafer to the annealing temperature, while most of the crystals The circle is kept at a much lower temperature. A variation of this method involves scanning a beam of ray across the surface of the workpiece to rapidly heat the area of the workpiece covered by the Ray Ray as it is scanned.

However, the inventors of the present invention have discovered that certain specific embodiments of such annealing methods may cause particular problems and difficulties that have not previously been discovered or are known. In particular, as discussed in detail herein, the inventors of the present invention have discovered that conventional methods of supporting a workpiece may not be appropriate for certain applications of these annealing methods.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and system for supporting a workpiece. There is also a need for an improved method of heat treating a workpiece that is useful for the difficulties discussed herein.

Such as the annealing methods mentioned above (which involve rapidly heating the sides of the wafer to a temperature that is substantially higher than most wafers), resulting in a side of the device The other parts of the wafer are thermally expanded at a greater rate. The inventors of the present invention have discovered that depending on the temperature difference between the temperature of the side of the device on the wafer and the temperature of most of the wafer, this situation may tend to result in "thermal bowing". The generally planar wafer deforms itself into a dome shape, and the centerline of the wafer tends to rise rapidly relative to its edge region. The dome shape represents a minimum stress structure of the wafer that minimizes thermal stresses from temperature gradients between the device side of the wafer and most of the wafer. However, since the device side of the wafer is heated very quickly (eg, at 1 millisecond flash time, much faster than the typical thermal conduction time in the wafer), the wafer may be deformed quickly enough. This occurs so that the edge of the wafer exerts a large downward force on the support peg that supports the wafer in the chamber. Because conventional support studs are generally rigid, the reaction forces generated between the studs and the edges of the wafer can damage the wafer. Such forces may also cause the wafer to be thrown vertically upward from the support studs, and may cause damage to the wafer as it falls back and strikes the studs Further damage. Moreover, because conventional support studs are not designed to withstand such forces, they are susceptible to cracking, with the result that the wafer will fall out of the chamber. Fall and be damaged or destroyed. In addition, since such hot bending occurs very rapidly, the speeds initially imparted to various regions of the wafer tend to cause the wafer to exceed the equilibrium minimum stress dome shape and oscillate or vibrate. It creates additional stress and can cause damage to the wafer.

The magnitude of such heat-induced motion (thermal priming) of the workpiece tends to increase with temperature (i.e., the intermediate temperature at which the wafer is heated as a whole and only the side of the device is faster. The speed at which the ground speed is heated is proportional to the temperature difference between the subsequent temperatures. Therefore, the use of a conventional support system that uses a rigid fixed support stud or guard ring imposes a limit that is not desired on the temperature that can be achieved without harm or damage to the wafer. On the size.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the invention satisfies the above needs by providing a method of supporting a workpiece. The method includes supporting the workpiece while allowing motion of the workpiece caused by heat. Advantageously, by allowing motion caused by heat rather than attempting to prevent the motion, the workpiece is allowed to naturally deform into a least stressful shape, thereby reducing stress in the workpiece. At the same time, the workpiece can be held in a desired area by continuing to support the workpiece while allowing such motion caused by heat.

The supporting action may include engaging a movable engagement portion of a support member with the workpiece, the engagement portion being movable to permit movement of the workpiece caused by heat when supporting the workpiece.

In an important application of the invention, the workpiece system includes a Semiconductor wafers. Thus, the engagement may include engaging the movable engagement portion with the workpiece to permit movement of the workpiece caused by heat when supporting the workpiece.

The method can include exercising to automatically permit movement of the engagement site in response to heat caused by the workpiece.

Allowing the motion caused by heat may include the extent to which the movement of the engagement portion is allowed to minimize stress within the workpiece while supporting the workpiece during the motion caused by the heat.

Allowing the movement caused by heat may include allowing movement of the outer region of the workpiece while maintaining the center of mass of the workpiece within a desired range. Maintaining the center of mass can include the extent to which the motion of the center of mass of the workpiece is minimized.

Allowing the motion of the workpiece to be caused by heat may include allowing for hot bending of the workpiece. Alternatively, this may include, for example, allowing thermal bending of the workpiece.

The engagement procedure can include engaging a workpiece that is a joint (a portion of a rigid, movable support member).

The support member may be flexible and may have a restraining portion and a positionally constrained portion, in which case the engaging action may include engaging the portion where the position is restricted with the workpiece.

The engagement procedure can include resiliently engaging the movable engagement portion of the support member with the workpiece. In such an embodiment, it is advantageous that when the hot bending of the workpiece occurs, the outer edge of the workpiece can be pressed down onto the elastically engageable movable joint, resulting in the engagement. The portion moves downwardly from the edge of the workpiece and is used to resiliently raise the engagement portion back together with the outer edge of the workpiece as the workpiece returns to its original shape. Such an elastic support allows the workpiece to be hot-bent, thereby reducing its internal stress while reducing or eliminating the upward launch of the wafer from the joint at the beginning of the press-bending motion.

The docking program can include engaging a plurality of respective movable portions of the plurality of support members with the workpiece. For example, the articulating procedure can include engaging at least three respective movable portions of the at least three support members with the workpiece. Likewise, the docking procedure can include engaging at least four respective movable portions of the at least four support members with the workpiece.

The method may further include vibrating the workpiece. The pressing process can include at least one natural vibration mode that suppresses the workpiece. The program may include a second natural vibration mode for pressing the workpiece, or may include pressing a first natural vibration mode such as the workpiece.

The pressing process can include absorbing kinetic energy from the workpiece.

The engagement procedure can include engaging a plurality of respective tips of the plurality of support pegs with the workpiece. This procedure may include engaging the tips of the support studs with an outer periphery of the workpiece. In such a case, the method may further include moving automatically by allowing the tips of the support studs to react with heat induced motion of the outer peripheral region of the workpiece.

The articulating procedure can include elastically engaging each of the movable engagement locations with the workpiece. This app can include the application of a force Each of the support members is adapted to cause each of the engagement portions to tend to maintain contact with the workpiece during the movement of the workpiece caused by heat.

A procedure for applying a force may include applying a moment to each of the support members. The procedure for applying a moment may include applying an upward force at a position on each of the support members, the position being placed between a pivot point of the support member and the engagement portion. Alternatively, the procedure for applying a moment may include applying an upward force at a position on each of the support members such that a pivot point of the support member is differentially placed at the position and the engagement portion between.

The application of a force program may include applying a first force and a second force for applying the first and second opposing moments to each of the support members, the second moment acting to balance by one of the forces The support member of the position is opposed to excessive overshooting.

A program that applies a force can include applying a spring force. This procedure may include applying the force by a spring that is coupled to each of the support members. For example, the program can include applying a fixed amount of force by a fixed amount of force coupled to each of the support members.

The engrafting procedure can include engaging the workpiece with a plurality of tips of a plurality of respective support pegs, the support pegs comprising a material that is permeable to at least some of the illuminating wavelengths, and the workpiece can The light is irradiated and heated by the light-emitting wavelengths. Thus, for example, the articulating procedure can include a plurality of the workpiece and a plurality of respective support pegs The tips are joined together and the support studs comprise an optically permeable material.

The engrafting procedure can include engaging the workpiece with a plurality of tips of a plurality of respective support studs, the support studs comprising quartz. Alternatively, the support studs may include sapphire or may include metal. For example, the support studs can include tungsten.

The articulating procedure can include engaging a plurality of coating tips that machine the workpiece with a plurality of respective support pegs. For example, the program can include a plurality of tips of a plurality of tungsten nitride coatings that bond the workpiece to a plurality of respective tungsten support pegs. Alternatively, the tips can be coated, for example, with a tungsten carbide.

The articulating procedure can include engaging a plurality of smooth surface treated tips of the workpiece with a plurality of respective support pegs. Advantageously, such a smooth surface treated tip tends to reduce friction between the support studs and the workpiece. This therefore reduces the likelihood of scratching the workpiece, thereby preventing contamination of the particulate matter of the workpiece or undesired roughness of the surface of the workpiece. Reducing friction can also help reduce stress in the workpiece. Such smooth surface treated tips may include tips that are, for example, melted, polished, or coated.

The method may further include moving the movable engagement portion in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The process of moving the movable engagement portion may include moving the support members. A program may include, for each of the engagement members, applying a current to an actuator that is coupled to the support member. A program that applies a current can include A current is applied to a voice coil actuator that is coupled to the support member. Alternatively, the program can include applying a current to a piezoelectric actuator or a linear servo actuator that is coupled to the support member.

The method may further include transferring a linear motion of the movable member of the actuator to an arched motion of the support member.

The moving program may include adjusting a position of the plurality of support members to reduce a difference between a weight between the workpiece and an upward force applied to the workpiece by a plurality of joint portions of the plurality of support members to The minimum extent. Advantageously, in these embodiments, the upward force provided by the support member to the workpiece is substantially sufficient to balance the gravitational force acting downwardly on the workpiece, but is not significantly larger. This system further reduces the tendency of the workpiece to throw itself out.

The moving program may include a position to adjust the support member to maintain a difference between the weight of the workpiece and the upward force applied to the workpiece by the engagement portion of the supported member within a desired range .

The process of reacting the thermally coupled movements to move the engagement locations can include moving the support members in response to the predicted value of the motion of the thermal actuation.

Alternatively, the process of reacting the thermally coupled movements to move the engagement locations can include moving the support members in response to the detected parameters of the thermally actuated motion.

Therefore, the method may further comprise detecting the workpiece to be thermally actuated. motion. The detecting program may include detecting, from each of the plurality of actuators (each actuator is connected to one of the plurality of support members) An electric current is generated, wherein the force is applied to the joint portion of the support member by the movement of the workpiece.

The procedure for moving the interface can include applying a current to each actuator.

The program for detecting the current may include detecting a current among each of the plurality of voice coil actuators, and each actuator is connected to one of the support members, respectively, and moving The program of the engagement portion can include applying a current to the acoustic coil actuators.

For each actuator, the procedure for detecting the current may include an error that detects the current distance from a desired current standard, and for each support member, the procedure for moving the joint portion A position to adjust the support member can be included to reduce the error to a minimum. The process of detecting the error can include detecting the error in a processor circuit in communication with the actuator.

The joining process may include connecting a plurality of each movable first engaging portion of the plurality of first supporting members with a lower surface of the workpiece, and connecting the plurality of second connecting portions of the plurality of second supporting members with An upper surface of the workpiece is joined. The program can include engaging a plurality of first and plural second engagement locations with the lower and upper surfaces of the workpiece at an outer peripheral region of the workpiece.

The moving program may include moving the joints to be used The force applied between the workpiece and the joints is minimized. For example, the moving program can include a plurality of respective first engagement portions that move a plurality of first support members that engage a lower surface of the workpiece for placing a weight and a force between the workpieces The error between them is reduced to a minimum extent, wherein the force is applied between the plurality of first engagement locations and the workpiece. Similarly, the moving program can include a plurality of respective second engagement portions that move a plurality of second support members that engage an upper surface of the workpiece to apply one between the workpiece and the plurality of The force between the second articulating sites is reduced to a minimum.

A combined passive/active support method can be used if needed. For example, the articulating procedure can include elastically engaging the engagement locations of the support members with the workpiece, and the moving program can include moving the support members in response to the thermally actuated motion. The resiliently coupled procedure can include applying a moment to the support members adjacent the respective pivot points of the support members to cause the engagement portions to tend to maintain contact with the workpiece, and the moving program can A pivot point that moves the support members is included. The program for applying the moment may include applying the elastic force to the support members at a position other than the pivot point of the support member, and the moving program may include applying a current to the plurality of supports connected to the plurality of supports Actuators of the members for moving the support members. The plurality of support members can include a plurality of flexible support members, each flexible support member having a restraining portion and an unrestricted portion. In this case, the elastic title The procedural process can include engaging non-limiting portions of the support members with the workpiece, and the moving program can include a restriction to move the support members. The moving program can include applying a current to a plurality of actuators connected to a plurality of restriction sites.

More generally, the plurality of support members can include a plurality of flexible support members, each flexible support member having an unrestricted portion and a restraining portion, and the plurality of movable members can be moved The procedure for engaging the joint portion may include engaging the non-restricted portions of the flexible support members with the workpiece.

The plurality of flexible support members can include a plurality of fibers, and the joining process can include engaging non-limiting portions of the fibers with the workpiece, for example, the flexible support members Optical fibers such as quartz or sapphire fibers may be included.

The method may further include limiting each of the restraining portions of the flexible support members.

The restricted procedure can include restricting a restriction located in the plurality of limiters that are disposed adjacent an outer circumference of the workpiece.

The plurality of limiters may be constructed of a number of limiters that are less than the number of flexible support members, and the restricted procedure may include having more than one flexible support member confined within each limiter. This procedure may include, among each of the restrictors, confining more than one flexible support member in a manner generally parallel to each other. Alternatively, the program may include limiting the amount more than one another in a manner that is substantially dispersed from each other. A flexible support member.

Alternatively, the plurality of limiters may be comprised of a limiter having the same number as the number of flexible support members, in which case the limiting procedure may include limiting each restricted portion therein. One of the corresponding limiters.

The articulating procedure can include applying a force to the limiters such that the portion of each bit that is constrained tends to remain in contact with the workpiece during the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. A procedure that applies a force can include applying a torque. This procedure can include the application of a spring force.

The articulating procedure can include engaging each of the engagement locations with a lower surface of the workpiece at an angle of 10 to 80 degrees relative to a plane of the workpiece. More specifically, the program can include an angle of 15 to 35 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. More specifically, the program can include an angle of 25 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece.

Each flexible support member can include a restriction at one end thereof, and the limiting procedure can include limiting the restriction to cause the unrestricted portion to extend inwardly toward a central region of the workpiece .

An inner tip of each unrestricted portion may extend inwardly past an outer edge of the workpiece, and the process of engaging may include engaging an outer edge of the workpiece along an unrestricted portion and between the restricted portion and the inner tip The middle point between.

The restricted procedure may include limiting the restricted portion to a workpiece planar panel surrounding the workpiece. Restricted programs can include programs that are clipped.

The procedure for limiting each restriction may include attaching a restriction to the workpiece planar panel and the unrestricted portion extends inwardly toward the workpiece through a workpiece support aperture defined in the panel.

The limiting procedure can include limiting the restriction to a generally horizontal orientation to cause the unconstrained portion to extend generally horizontally inwardly toward the central region of the workpiece when sagged downwardly.

The articulating procedure can include engaging the unconstrained portion with an outer edge of the workpiece. The program can include engaging the unconstrained portion with an outer edge of the workpiece at an angle of less than about 10 degrees relative to a plane of the workpiece.

The plurality of flexible support members can include a plurality of elongate flexible support members. The plurality of elongate flexible support members can include at least 20 elongate flexible support members, and the limiting procedure can include limiting each of the at least 20 elongate flexible support members to Among the flat plates of the workpiece. Likewise, the plurality of elongate flexible support members can include at least 50 elongate flexible support members, and the limiting procedure can include the at least 50 elongate flexible support members Each of them is limited to the planar panel of the workpiece.

Each of the flexible support members can include first and second restriction locations at opposite ends of the support member, the opposite ends defining an unrestricted portion therebetween, and the limiting procedure can include Separate The relationship limits the first and second restriction locations to cause the restriction to extend between a curved path therebetween.

The limiting program may include limiting the first and second restriction portions to cause the unrestricted portion to extend upwardly and inwardly from the first restriction portion toward the workpiece along the curved path to reach an area in contact with the workpiece And extending downward and outward from the area of the contact to the second restriction.

The limiting procedure can include limiting the first restriction portion and the second restriction portion to cause the unrestricted portion to extend along the curved path such that a tangent to the unconstrained portion of the contact region is substantially parallel A tangent to an outer portion of the workpiece that is located adjacent the contact area.

Alternatively, the limiting procedure may include limiting the first and second restriction locations to cause the unrestricted portion to extend along the curved path such that a tangent to the unconstrained portion at the contact area It may extend radially inward toward the center of the workpiece.

In a further alternative, the limiting procedure may include limiting the first restriction portion and the second restriction portion to cause the unrestricted portion to extend along the curved path to form a substantially annular first a path segment, a substantially annular second path segment, and a substantially annular third path segment extending from a first restriction located below a plane of the workpiece and at the workpiece Contacting the workpiece at a lower surface, the second path segment extending from an outer edge of the workpiece and an inner edge of a workpiece planar panel Between the edges, the third path segment extends above the plane of the workpiece and contacts the workpiece at an upper surface of the workpiece, the curved path terminating at the second restriction.

The method further includes retracting the second restriction to move the substantially annular third path segment out of a volume defined above the upper surface of the workpiece.

The restricted procedure may include additional first and second restriction locations to prevent movement of the restriction.

The restricted procedure can include limiting at least one of the first and second restriction locations in a retractable manner. The method may further include retracting at least one of the first and second restriction portions to effectively shorten the unrestricted portion. Conversely, the method may further include extending at least one of the first and second restriction sites to effectively lengthen the unrestricted portion.

The plurality of flexible support members can include first and second plurality of flexible support members, and the program for engaging the plurality of movable engagement portions can include the first plurality of flexible supports An unrestricted portion of the member engages a lower surface of the workpiece and an unrestricted portion of the second plurality of flexible support members engages an upper surface of the workpiece.

The method may further include laterally supporting the workpiece. The lateral support procedure can include positioning a plurality of lateral support members at respective locations relative to an outer edge of the workpiece. The positioning procedure can include elastically engaging the plurality of lateral support members and the exterior of the workpiece edge.

The positioning procedure can include positioning a plurality of flexible fibers at individual locations. This procedure may include positioning the flexible fibers at an angle substantially at right angles to a plane of the workpiece.

The process of engaging and laterally supporting may include a vertical support engagement portion that engages a support member and a lower surface of the workpiece, and a lateral support engagement portion of the support member that engages an outer edge of the workpiece.

The process of articulating and laterally supporting can include a plurality of respective vertical and lateral support engagement locations respectively engaging a plurality of support members with the workpiece. The procedures of articulating and laterally supporting can include resiliently engaging the vertical and lateral support engagement locations with the workpiece. The procedures for articulation and lateral support can include engaging flexing engagement sites as the vertical and lateral support engagement locations. The process of engaging and laterally supporting can include engaging the workpiece with the first and second fibers as the vertical and lateral support engaging portions.

The positioning procedure can include positioning a plurality of optical fibers. Likewise, the positioning procedure can include positioning a plurality of, for example, quartz or sapphire fibers.

According to another concept of the invention, a method of heat treatment of a workpiece is provided. The method includes heating a surface of the workpiece relative to a majority of the workpiece to produce a thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The heating procedure can include illuminating the surface of the workpiece. The program of illuminating can include illuminating the surface for a period of time shorter than a portion of the workpiece for heat conduction time Time to heat the surface to a temperature above the temperature of most of the workpiece. The procedure of illuminating can include illuminating the surface for a period of time less than, for example, about 1 millisecond.

The process of illuminating can include a first time that the surface of the workpiece is illuminated for less than a thermal conduction time of the workpiece to heat the surface to an intermediate temperature greater than the temperature of the majority of the workpiece. The illuminating process can include a second time of illuminating the surface for less than a thermal conduction time of the workpiece to heat the surface to a temperature greater than the intermediate temperature, wherein the second time is subsequent to the first time It begins within an interval, which is sufficient to allow for hot bending of at least some of the workpieces. Advantageously, such a method tends to reduce the initial hot bend size of the workpiece resulting from the illumination during the first time period, and subsequent illumination during the second time can help suppress the vibration of the workpiece.

The program of illumination can include having more radiant energy applied to the surface of the workpiece during the second time than during the first time period.

The program of illumination may include a period of starting the second time within 7 milliseconds following the end of the first time period.

The process of illuminating can include intermittently illuminating the surface of the workpiece for an interval that is shorter than the thermal conduction time of the workpiece and is sufficiently long to allow the workpiece to produce at least some hot bending. The procedure of continuous illumination can include varying the intensity of the illumination during the interval. The altered program can include illuminating the surface with a greater intensity during a later portion of the interval rather than during an earlier portion of the interval. Advantageously, this method tends to reduce the hot pressing of the workpiece. The bend is sized and the subsequent shock of the workpiece is suppressed.

The procedure of illuminating can include illuminating the surface with a flashlight.

Advantageously, by virtue of the advantages of the findings of the inventor of the present invention, such a heat treatment method can be used to reduce thermal stress and suppress vibrations in the workpiece, depending on the speed of the surface heating stroke, the hot pressing of the workpiece The bend can weaken the temperature it adds itself. For example, in a special case where illumination during the first time is achieved by a heated flash for a duration of about 1 millisecond, a peak temperature of the illuminated surface is roughly associated with the flash Occurs at the end of (t=1ms). However, at this point in time, the wafer is only beginning to undergo hot bending, and therefore only reaches a relatively small percentage of its maximum hot bending amplitude. The amplitude of the maximum hot bend is not achieved until after about 4 milliseconds, at which point the wafer has exceeded its equilibrium shape. After a short time (approximately t = 6 ms), the wafer is still significantly bent, but will return to its flat position at a very large recovery rate. According to an embodiment of the foregoing concept of the present invention, the device side of the wafer is subjected to a second illumination flash, the timing of the illumination being arranged such that the hot press generated from the second illumination flash This occurs when the wafer has been hot rolled from the first flash and is recovering toward its flat position. Since the wafer has been hot-bent due to the first flash, the stress generated in the wafer by the hot press generated by the second flash is reduced. The hot bend resulting from the second flash also acts in one direction, which is opposite to the recovery speed of the wafer when the wafer attempts to recover toward its flat position. According to this, from the second flash The raw hot bending system tends to suppress the residual vibration from the first flash. The combination of two such flash heating stages that occur quickly and continuously allows for higher peak temperatures to be achieved while reducing residual vibrations in the wafer. Alternate use of continuous illumination can also provide similar advantages.

This method of heat treatment can also be used in conjunction with the support methods and systems described herein, or can be used separately if desired.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for supporting a workpiece. The apparatus includes a support system that is configured to allow for thermally induced motion of the workpiece when the workpiece is constructed to support the workpiece. Many of the elements of the exemplary support system are described in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for supporting a workpiece. The apparatus includes a mechanism for supporting the workpiece and a mechanism for permitting thermal motion of the workpiece while the workpiece is being supported.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a computer readable media storage instruction code is provided for instructing a processor circuit to control a workpiece support system for use when a workpiece is being supported by the system. Allows the workpiece to be thermally actuated. The command code can include code for directing the processor circuit such that a movable engagement portion of a support member of the support system engaged with the workpiece can be moved in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece .

According to another concept of the present invention, what is provided is a At least one of the communication media or a signal in a carrier, the signal including a code segment for indicating a processor circuit to control a workpiece support system for permitting the workpiece while it is being supported by the system The heat-induced movement. The code segment can include a coded segment for directing the processor circuit such that a movable engagement portion of a support member of the support system engaged with the workpiece can be generated in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece motion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program including an encoding mechanism that, when executed by the control of a processor circuit, controls a workpiece support system to perform the methods described herein. method. Similarly, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a computer program is provided on a carrier with an encoding that controls the workpiece support system to perform the document when executed by a processor circuit. The method described.

Other concepts and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art of the <RTIgt;

Referring to Figures 1 through 4, a device for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in its entirety in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the apparatus includes a support system 20 that is configured to support a workpiece 24 while permitting thermally induced motion of the workpiece.

In this embodiment, the support system 20 includes a support device, generally indicated by the reference numeral 21. More particularly, in this embodiment, the support device 21 includes a support member 22 that can engage the workpiece 24. Still more particularly, in this embodiment, the support member 22 has a movable engagement portion 52, shown in FIG. 3, which can be engaged with the workpiece 24 and movable for use. When the workpiece is supported, the workpiece is allowed to generate a motion that is thermally induced.

In this embodiment, the movable engagement portion 52 of the support member 22 includes a tip end of the support member. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail below, the support member 22 is rigid and the movable engagement portion 52 can be moved by the effectiveness of the pivotally movable support member 22. Alternatively, however, the moveable engagement locations 52 can be moved in other ways (e.g., as described in relation to the further embodiments described herein).

In this embodiment, the workpiece 24 includes a semiconductor wafer, and the movable engagement portion 52 can be coupled to the semiconductor wafer for allowing the wafer to be thermally induced while supporting the wafer. motion. More particularly, in this embodiment, the semiconductor wafer has a top side or device side 26 and a back side or substrate side 28 .

In the present embodiment, the support system 20 includes a plurality of movable engagement locations 52 having a plurality of individual support members 22. more In particular, in this embodiment, the workpiece 24 (i.e., the semiconductor wafer) is supported by the support device 21 and by a plurality of similar support devices, such as by component reference numerals 32 and 34. (not shown in Figure 1) is supported in a workpiece planar panel 30. Preferably, the plurality of movable engagement locations comprise at least three movable engagement locations of at least three individual support members for providing stable support of the workpiece. Even more preferably, the plurality of engagement locations comprise at least four movable engagement locations of at least four individual support members such that even if one of the support members is destroyed, otherwise it may not function properly Maintain a stable support of the workpiece.

At the same time, however, while a greater number of support members may increase stability, it is desirable to minimize the total mass of the movable joint portion. In this respect, in the present embodiment (where the workpiece comprises a semiconductor wafer that would withstand the thermal processing using a high intensity illumination flash), the support system is designed to allow the wafer to be free. The ground moves, and thus reduces the wafer stress during the flash, while at the same time mitigating the shock for the second time after the flash. To achieve this goal, the desired one is to minimize the reaction force from the support member on the wafer. In this embodiment, this object is achieved by using a movable engagement site having a minimized mass, while in other embodiments, the reaction force can be minimized in other ways, such as, for example, By actively moving the support members.

In this embodiment, each support member 22 includes a support stud. Thus, in this embodiment, the plurality of support members The plurality of movable articulating portions 52 of 22 are comprised of a plurality of tips of a plurality of individual support pegs.

In this embodiment, the plurality of support pegs comprise a material that is transparent to at least some of the illumination wavelengths by which the workpiece 24 is capable of being heated by irradiation. Thus, in this embodiment, the plurality of support studs comprise an optically clear material. More particularly, in this embodiment, the support studs include quartz support pegs. In this respect, for the support pegs of the current embodiment in which the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer to be heated by irradiation, due to the low thermal conductivity of quartz, its transparency, its non-polluting nature, Its good thermal stability and its rigidity, quartz is a particularly suitable material. Alternatively, other materials may be suitable for similar applications, and the support studs may alternatively include, for example, sapphire, yttrium nitrite, tantalum carbide. Alternatively, other materials can be substituted depending on the needs of the application at hand.

In this embodiment, each of the movable engagement portions 52 of the support member 22 is resiliently engageable with the workpiece 24. To achieve this goal, in this embodiment, the support system 20 further includes a plurality of force application devices in communication with the plurality of support members 22 to apply the force to the support members for use in the workpiece. Each of the engagement locations 52 tends to contact the workpiece 24 during the thermally actuated motion. More specifically, as will be discussed in greater detail below, each of the force applications includes a spring 48 that is coupled to a respective one of the support members 22.

To achieve this, in this embodiment, the workpiece planar panel 30 is coupled to a support member housing 36 of the support device 21, and the support member 22 is pivotally coupled to the support member housing. 36. The workpiece planar panel 30 is also coupled to a spring assembly 38 that includes the spring 48 and the support member 22 is coupled to the spring.

Referring to Figure 3, the support device 21 is shown in more detail. In this embodiment, the support member 22 is pivotally coupled to the support member housing 36. To achieve this, a pivot stud 40 (which in this embodiment includes a stainless steel peg stud) is attached to the opposite inner wall of the support member housing 36 and extends through a A hole is formed in one of the ends of the support member 22.

In this embodiment, the spring assembly 38 includes a spring roller 42 which, in this embodiment, includes Teflon. Alternatively, other materials such as stainless steel may be substituted. The spring roller 42 is wrapped within a spring roller housing 44 and is attached to the workpiece planar plate member 30 by a spring holder bracket 46. A spring roller 42 is used to mount the spring 48, and in this embodiment, the spring roller 42 includes a spring that has a fixed force.

In this embodiment, the force applicator, or more particularly the spring 48 coupled to the support member 22, functions as a torque applicator. To accomplish this, in this embodiment, the spring 48 is coupled to a link 50 which in this embodiment is comprised of stainless steel. The link 50 is on a support member The support member is pivotally coupled to the support member 22, wherein the support member is inserted into a pivot point of the support member 22 (at the position of the pivot stud 40) to contact the support member 22 to the workpiece Between the junctions 52 at 24. Thus, the torque applicator (or more particularly the spring 48) applies an upward force at the location where the link 50 is coupled to the support member 22. The fixed force provided by the spring 48 (and the force provided by a constant force spring similar to the other support means of the support means 21) is selected such that the cumulative fixed upward force applied to the workpiece by the support member can be A downward force that balances the gravity on the workpiece.

In this embodiment, the movable engagement portion 52 of the support member 22, which in this embodiment includes the tips of the support pegs, contacts the underside of the workpiece 24 or the substrate. Side 28 is for supporting the workpiece. More particularly, in this embodiment, the tips of the support studs can be engaged with an outer peripheral region of the workpiece, or more particularly with an exterior that is not used to fabricate a semiconductor wafer. Exclusion area" or contact with abandoned area. In this embodiment, the workpiece 24 is a semiconductor germanium wafer having a radius of 150 mm and the outer exclusion region extends radially and inwardly from the outer edge of the workpiece by 3 mm (i.e., r = 147 mm to r = 150 mm). Thus, the degree of physical contact between the movable engagement portion 52 of the support member 22 and the substrate side 28 of the workpiece may result in potentially deleterious effects, such as highly localized temperature gradients during heat treatment. A localized temperature gradient is less likely to damage the device formed on the side 26 of the device.

Referring to Figure 4, in this embodiment, support means 21 and other similar support means (such as exemplary support means 32 and 34) are used to support workpiece 24 located within a heat treatment chamber 60. . More particularly, in this embodiment, the chamber 60 is similar to a heat treatment chamber disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2002/0102098, which is incorporated herein by reference. Thermal annealing of the device side 26 of the workpiece 24. In this embodiment, the workpiece planar panel 30 (including the support means 21 and similar support means 32 and 34) is mounted in an intermediate region of the chamber 60.

In this embodiment, the heat treatment chamber 60 includes a heating system configured to heat a surface of the workpiece 24 relative to a majority of the workpiece for producing the workpiece. Heat-induced movement. More particularly, in this embodiment, the heating system includes an illumination system that is constructed to surface the workpiece. In this embodiment, the illumination system includes a preheating device 62 and a heating device 64.

The preheating device 62 (which includes, for example, an arc lamp or an array of arc lamps) illuminates the workpiece via a water-cooled quartz window 63 for use at a rate lower than the heat transfer time through the workpiece The workpiece is preheated to an intermediate temperature such that the entire workpiece is heated fairly uniformly to the intermediate temperature. For example, the preheating device can preheat the workpiece to an intermediate temperature of 600 ° C to 1250 ° C at a rate of 250 ° C / sec to 400 ° C / sec (these rates and temperatures are merely illustrative examples).

The following preheating stage, illumination means, or more particularly the heating means 64 is constructed to illuminate the surface (in this case the side 26 of the apparatus) for a period shorter than one of the heat transfer times of the workpiece 24. Time to heat the surface to a temperature greater than most of the workpiece. In other words, the heating device 64 is used to rapidly heat the device side 26 of the workpiece to a temperature substantially higher than the annealing rate at a much faster rate of heat transfer through the wafer. Only the surface area of the top side of the workpiece will be heated to the final annealing temperature, while the majority of the workpiece will remain close to the relatively cold intermediate temperature. The final annealing temperature can include a higher temperature which is in the range of 1050 ° C to a temperature near the melting point of the crucible (e.g., 1410 ° C).

To achieve this, in this embodiment, the illumination system (or more particularly its heating device heating device 64) includes a flash that is operable to pass a second through a high powered flash A water-cooled quartz window 65 illuminates the side 26 of the device, wherein the high-powered flash has a relatively short duration (which is preferably about 1 millisecond or less, for example) for more than 10 ⁵ The device side 26 is heated at a rate of ° C/sec. More particularly, in this embodiment, the flash lamp includes a liquid cooled arc lamp. More particularly, the flash or the like includes an arc lamp having a double water wall, which is similar to the arc lamp disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,621,199, the entire disclosure of which is assigned to The arc lamp is constructed as a flash lamp as described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 2002/0102098. Since one millisecond of flash produced by the flash attached to the side 26 of the device occurs more quickly than the heat transfer time of the workpiece (typically 10 to 15 milliseconds), the side 26 of the device is heated to the end. The annealing temperature, while most of the workpiece remains substantially at the intermediate temperature. Most of the cooler wafers act as a heat sink to promote rapid cooling of the surface of the device. Alternatively, other types of heating devices (e.g., like an array of flash lamps) can be used instead.

Depending on the short duration of the flash, and the difference between the intermediate temperature of most of the workpiece and the final annealing temperature to which only the side 26 of the device is heated, as described above, the workpiece 24 may experience To a quick hot bend. Advantageously, in the present embodiment, the support system 20 is constructed to support the workpiece 24 when the workpiece is allowed to undergo hot bending, or, more particularly, to automatically allow the support stud The tip of the reaction reacts with the heat-induced motion of the outer peripheral region of the workpiece to produce motion. Thus, contrary to conventional systems in which the downward hot-bending motion of the edge of the wafer may tend to damage the support studs or to lift the wafer vertically upwards from the support studs, In the present embodiment, the effect of the spring 48 to which the support member 22 is attached is effected if the workpiece 24 reacts with a heated flash generated by the heating device 64. The movable engagement portion 52 of the support members 22 can be automatically moved in response to such thermally actuated motion. Therefore, if a rapid hot bending occurs, the outer edge of the workpiece and the supporting members (ie, the support device 21) Support members 22 and support members of similar support means) are allowed to move downwards, thereby preventing the support members from being broken due to the reduced reaction between the support members and the workpiece, and also Prevent the workpiece from launching itself upwards. In the latter case, the elastic downward mobility of the movable engagement portion 52 allows for downward movement of the outer region of the workpiece while maintaining the center of mass of the workpiece within a desired range, or more In particular, the movement of the center of mass of the workpiece is simultaneously minimized. (Alternatively, the motion of other ranges of mass centers is acceptable or desirable for some applications.) In addition, because the workpiece initially becomes a shape of a dome, it will be in the workpiece. The stress in the reduction is minimized to allow such heat-actuated motion and the mobility of the joints to deform to minimize the stress in the workpiece while at the same time The workpiece is supported during the thermally actuated motion. As previously noted herein, the hot press bending tends to occur quickly enough that the workpiece will exceed its balanced shape and thus tend to vibrate or oscillate near the equilibrium shape. Therefore, when the outer edge of the workpiece begins to move back upward and the center of mass of the workpiece begins to move back downward, the upward force applied by the fixed force spring 48 to the support member 22 pulls the support member back up, which is easy To maintain contact with the outer edge of the workpiece. As the workpiece continues to vibrate, the outer edge of the workpiece is allowed to move up and down as it tends to remain in contact with the support member 22 (and a similar support member) until the shock subsides. Therefore, the spring-driven upward and downward movement of the support members 22 allows the workpiece The outer edge performs upward and downward movement while minimizing the motion of the center of mass of the workpiece and minimizing stress in the workpiece.

Referring to Figure 5, a support device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 80. In this embodiment, the support device 80 includes a support member 82 that is similar to the support members previously discussed herein. In this embodiment, the support member 82 is mounted to a support member housing (not shown) at a pivot point 84 for pivotal movement about the pivot point. . As with the previous embodiment, the support device 80 includes a force applicator in communication with the support member 82 for applying a force to the support member (or more particularly including a spring included) The torque applicator of 86) is used to cause an engagement portion 88 to be easily held in contact with the workpiece during its thermally actuated motion. However, in the present embodiment, the torque applicator is constructed to apply a downward force at a location on the support member 82 such that the pivot point 84 of the support member 82 is inserted This position is between the engagement point 88. More specifically, in this embodiment, the pivot point 84 is interposed between a point in which the support member 82 is coupled to the spring 86 and a point of contact between the engagement portion 88 of the support member and the workpiece 24. between. Therefore, unlike the structure shown in Fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the spring 86 (which in this embodiment includes a spring having a fixed force) is attached to one end of the support member 82. Applying a downward force to provide a moment that is offset by The moment at which the weight of the workpiece 24 is applied to the engagement portion 88 of the support member 82.

Referring to Figure 6, a system for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 100. The system 100 includes a support device 102 that is configured to support the workpiece 24 while permitting hot bending or other thermally induced motion of the workpiece.

In this embodiment, the support device 102 includes a support member 104 having a movable engagement portion engageable with the workpiece 24. In the current embodiment, the movable engagement portion includes a tip end of the support member 104. As described below, the support member 104 is rigid and the movable engagement portion can be moved by the support member 104 as a function that can be moved as a whole.

In the present embodiment, the support member 104 can interface with a exclusion zone located around the exterior of the substrate side 28 of the workpiece. The support member 104 includes a quartz stud because it is similar to those discussed in connection with the first embodiment of the present invention. Alternatively, other materials can be substituted.

In this embodiment, the system 100 further includes a plurality of support members similar to the support member 104, such as, for example, the support member 108. Preferably, the system 100 includes at least three such support members for stably supporting the workpiece. Ideally, four or more support members are provided so that even if one of the support members is broken, otherwise It is still able to maintain a stable support of the workpiece when it is not functioning properly.

In this embodiment, the system 100 includes a support member motion system that is configured to move the movable engagement portion of the plurality of support members 104 in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece 24. More particularly, in this embodiment, wherein the support members 104 are rigid, the system is constructed to move the engagement locations by moving the support members 104 themselves. Still more particularly, in this embodiment, the support member motion system includes an individual actuator 106 for each support member 104 that is coupled to the support member 104 for controlling the support Movement of member 104.

Thus, in this embodiment, the system 100 includes a plurality of actuators (not shown) similar to the actuators 106 for actuating the various support members. Each of the actuators 106 is attached to an upper surface of the workpiece plane surface 30 by means of a mounting bracket, designated by the reference numeral 110 in FIG. The support member 104 extends through a bore 112 into the actuator 106, which is defined to pass through the workpiece planar surface 30.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, an exemplary actuator 106 is shown in more detail in Figure 7. In this embodiment, the actuator 106 includes a voice coil actuator that is coupled to the support to construct the support member 104. More specifically, in this embodiment, the actuator 106 includes a stationary member 120 that is mounted to the bracket 110, and a moving member 122 that moves relative to the stationary member. The stationary member 120 produces a magnetic field that passes through the moving member 122. To achieve this, in the present embodiment, the fixing member 120 includes a permanent magnet 124 and a strong magnetic member 126. In this embodiment, the moving member 122 includes a cable coil 128. The actuator 106 further includes a power supply unit 130 operable to apply a voltage between opposite ends of the cable coil 128 to generate a current in the coil. It will be appreciated that as a result of the current being generated in the coil of the moving member 122, the magnetic field generated by the stationary member 120 exerts an effect on the moving member 122 in a direction according to the direction of the current. force. The magnitude of the applied force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the current in coil 128.

In the current embodiment, the moving member 122 of the actuator 106 is coupled to the support member 104. Thus, the amount of upward support force exerted by the support member 104 on the outer edge of the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24 can be controlled by controlling the current in the coil 128 of the controller 106.

In this embodiment, the support member motion system includes at least one controller configured to apply a current to each actuator to move each of the support members to move the movable engagement portion thereof. . More particularly, in this embodiment, the at least one controller includes a plurality of controllers, each controller being in communication with one of a respective one of the plurality of actuators 106. Still more particularly, in this embodiment, each controller includes a combined detector/controller 132 that functions as a thermally actuated motion for detecting the workpiece. Detector. In this embodiment, the detector/control The controller 132 is in communication with the power supply unit 130 and the coil 128 of the actuator 106. Thus, in this embodiment, the detector/controller detects the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece by detecting a current in the coil 128 and, conversely, the control The support member 104 is moved by controlling the power supply unit 130 to apply a current to the coil 128.

In the current embodiment, each detector/controller 132 includes a processor unit. More specifically, in this embodiment, each detector/controller includes a digital signal processor (DSP). Alternatively, the detector/controller 132 can include a microcontroller or a similar device (e.g., with or without a central processing unit (CPU)). Alternatively, other types of detectors or controllers can be used instead, and the detection and control functions can be performed by the same or different components. More generally, in this specification (including the scope of patent application), the words "controller", "detector" and "processor circuit" are used to cover a broad range of any type that can be described herein. Functional or equivalent device or combination, including (but not limited to) other types of microprocessors, microcontrollers, other integrated circuits, other types of circuits or combination circuits, logic gates, or Row gates, or any kind of programmable device, for example, are individually or in combination with other devices seated at the same location or are remotely combined with one another. Additional types of controllers, detectors, and microprocessor circuits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing stupid specifications, and any such other types of controls The singularity of the invention, the detector and the microprocessor circuit can be considered to be without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the present embodiment, the detector/controller 132 includes a program memory 134 that functions as a computer readable medium for storing instruction codes for the detector/controller 132. Take media for a variety of functions described in this article. It will be appreciated that the program memory 134 is only one example of such a computer readable medium. Alternatively, the instruction codes can be provided on a different medium, such as a compact disc, a soft magnetic disk, a hard disk drive, a read-only memory, or a flash memory (only these are examples). ). Alternatively, in the case of relying on local memory to provide instruction code in the form of such computer data signals, such instruction codes may be embedded in a carrier or embedded in a communication or transmission medium (like a A signal code segment of a regional network or a wide area network (e.g., like the Internet) is provided and can be received from a remote device.

Referring to Figures 4, 6, and 7, a plurality of support means similar to the support means shown in Figure 6 can be substituted for the support means 21, 32 and 34 located within the heat treatment chamber 60 shown in Figure 4 . Generally, in this embodiment, the support member motion system is constructed to engage the engagement portions of the support members 104 to minimize stress applied between the workpiece 24 and the engagement portion. The extent of this is discussed in more detail below.

During the preheating phase (during which time the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24 is illuminated by the preheating device 62 to heat the workpiece to The desired intermediate temperature), the detector/controller 132 controls the power supply unit 130 to control the voltage applied to the leads of the coil 128 to produce a desired size that can be in the coil 128. a fixed current flowing, whereby a corresponding fixed upward force is applied to the moving member 122 and thus applied to the support member 104, and the support member 104 is rotated to apply the upward force to the workpiece 24. The outer edge of the substrate side 28 is. The desired current magnitude is selected such that the fixed upward force applied to the workpiece by the support member 104 (and similar support members of other support means) can accurately balance the downward gravitational force acting on the workpiece 24.

Thus, during the subsequent heating phase (during which time the device side 26 of the workpiece is exposed to a high-powered illumination flash from the heating device 64, the desired side of the device is heated to a higher level. The temperature, while most of the workpiece is maintained at a cooler intermediate temperature, the workpiece 24 may again experience rapid hot bending, as previously described in this paper (according to the short duration of the flash, and The difference between the intermediate temperature of most of the workpieces and only the final annealing temperature to which the device side 26 is heated. Assuming that such rapid hot bending occurs, when the workpiece begins to deform rapidly, the outer edge of the workpiece 24 will suddenly abut at the joint of the support member 104 (and at the joint of similar support members of other support devices). Top) Apply a significant downward force. It will be appreciated that this sudden downward force includes a corresponding sudden increase in current in coil 128. Therefore, to detect the heat-induced motion of the workpiece 24 in the present embodiment, Each detector/controller 132 is configured to detect a current in its respective actuator 106 that is applied to each support from a thermally actuated motion by the workpiece. The force generated by the joint of the member 104 is generated. More specifically, the detector/controller 132 is constructed to detect an error in the current at the coil 128.

When the thermally actuated motion is detected in the manner described above, the detector/controller 132 is configured to adjust the position of its respective support member 104 for the weight of the workpiece 24 to be used in the work. A difference between an upward force applied to the workpiece by the engagement portion of the support member remains within the desired range. More specifically, the detector/controller 132 is constructed to minimize this difference. In order to achieve this, in the present embodiment, the detector/controller 132 is constructed when detecting the error caused by the motion of the heat priming in the current layer described in the coil 128 as described above. The voltage is configured to control the actuator 106 to adjust the voltage applied to the leads of the coil 128 so as to cause the actual current in the coil to be restored to a desired size, thereby reducing application by the support member 104. The upward force of the workpiece 24 allows the support member 104 to continue to counteract only the downward gravitational force on the workpiece and does not counteract the additional downward force applied by the initial thermal deformation or the hot bending of the workpiece. . Therefore, in an efficient manner, the support member 104 will be lowered to allow the edge of the workpiece 24 to suddenly move downward when it is just beginning to undergo a hot press. As previously noted in the text, the hot bending system tends to occur at a sufficiently fast rate that the workpiece will protrude out of its balanced shape and therefore tend to Its balanced shape is used to vibrate or oscillate. Thus, as the outer edge of the workpiece begins to move back upward and the center of the workpiece begins to travel back down, the detector/controller 132 will continue to apply a desired amount of current to the support member 104 (corresponding to an exact Earthly balancing the upward force of the workpiece on the support member), but due to the upward hot bending motion of the edge of the workpiece, this upward force is no longer applied by the downward force of the workpiece to the support member. Offset, and as a result, the support member 104 will rise by the edge of the workpiece. Similarly, when a cyclical vibration motion of the workpiece begins and the edge of the workpiece begins to move downward again, the downward force applied by the edge of the workpiece to the support member 104 will again exceed that of the support member 104. The applied upward force (including a change in current in the coil 128), and the detector/controller 132 will quickly control the power supply unit 130 to adjust the actual current in the coil such that the support member The upward force applied to the workpiece by 104 only counteracts gravity, thereby allowing the support member 104 to be reduced under the influence of the additional force applied by the downward hot bending motion of the edge of the workpiece. As the workpiece continues to vibrate, the outer edge of the workpiece is allowed to move up and down while tending to remain in contact with the support member 104 (and similar support members) until the shock subsides.

Alternatively, the actuator 106 can include different types of actuators. For example, the actuator 106 can include a linear servo actuator. Alternatively, the actuator 106 can include a piezoelectric actuator. In this respect, piezoelectric actuators may be advantageous due to their fast reaction time (generally at least as fast as 10 - ⁵ seconds), precise movement, and significant achievable forces. However, the range of motion that most existing piezoelectric actuators can achieve is limited, and for this reason may not be suitable for some applications.

Alternatively, the actuator 106 can be replaced with other types of actuators.

In the foregoing embodiments, the support member motion system is constructed to reflect a detected parameter of the workpiece for thermal kinetic motion (i.e., detected in the current in the coil 128). The change is caused by a change in the force applied to the support member 104 by the motion of the heat-induced movement to move the support member. Alternatively, the motion system can be configured to move the support member in response to the predicted value of the motion of the heat priming if desired. These predicted values can be obtained empirically via, for example, heat treatment to observe similar workpieces. Likewise, it will be appreciated that in the event that an individual detector/controller 132 is not used for each actuator 106, for some or all of the actuators 106, if desired, A separate detector/controller 132 can be used for detection and control purposes.

Referring back to Figure 6, the moving member 122 of the actuator 106 need not be directly coupled to the support member 104. For example, the actuator 106 can be indirectly coupled to the support member 104. In this regard, it will be appreciated that the hot-bending motion of the outer edge of the workpiece 24 does not follow a vertical line, but rather approximates an arc. Accordingly, the motion of the outer edge of the workpiece also has a horizontal component. For example, for some applications, the downward movement of the outer edge of the workpiece As well as the upward movement of the center of the workpiece, it is contemplated that the outer edge of the workpiece will advance inwardly and horizontally by a distance of one millimeter. Therefore, if the support member 104 is horizontally fixed, it is effective that the point at which the tip end of the support member contacts the step edge region outside the workpiece will further slide outward toward the edge of the workpiece. This inward horizontal advancement distance is typically less than the radial extent of the outer exclusion zone of the workpiece and, therefore, is positioned more inwardly by inwardly advancing the support member 104 in a horizontally inward direction than the intended workpiece during compression. In the exclusion zone, contact between the workpiece and the support member can be maintained without causing the edges of the workpiece to advance more inwardly than the tips of the support members and via between the support members The space is falling. However, such gliding across the support members of the outer exclusion zone of the workpiece may be undesirable for certain applications. For example, such gliding may scratch the surface of the workpiece, thereby causing contamination of the particles, and may undesirably roughen the surface of the workpiece.

Accordingly, if there is no need to connect the support members 104 directly to the moving member 122 of the actuator 106, the moving member can be via a motion conversion device (for vertical movement of the moving member) The movement is converted into a motion of the support member 104 having a vertical and horizontal component) to which the support member 104 is attached.

For example, referring to Figures 8 and 9, an actuator in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown generally as component reference numeral 200. The actuator 200 is similar to the actuator 106 shown in FIG. 7, and includes a moving member 122 and a fixing member 120. However, in this implementation In the example, the moving member 122 is not directly connected to the support member 104, but instead is connected to a motion converter 202. In this embodiment, the motion converter 202 is constructed to convert a linear motion of a movable member of the actuator 106 (or more specifically a linear motion of the moving member 122) into An arched motion of the support member 104. In order to achieve this, in the present embodiment, the motion converter 202 includes a first connector arm 208, and the moving member 122 of the actuator 200 is rigidly coupled to the first connection. Arm 208. The motion converter further includes a second connector arm 210, and the first connector arm 208 is pivotally coupled to the second connector arm 210. The second connector arm 210 is pivotally coupled to a first rigid member 214 at a first freely moveable pivot point 212. The first rigid rod member 214 extends rigidly between a second freely movable pivot point 215 and a first fixed pivot point 216. In this embodiment, the first freely moveable pivot point 212 is disposed at a position along the first rigid rod 214 that is closer to the second freely moveable pivot point 215 A fixed pivot point 216. The first rigid member 214 is pivotally coupled to a modified support member 204 at a second freely movable pivot point 215. The first fixed pivot point 216 is coupled to a housing (not shown) for preventing translational movement or displacement in any spatial dimension of the first fixed pivot point 216 while permitting The rotation of the first rigid lever 214 about the first fixed pivot point 216 (and, thus, the rotation of the first freely moveable pivot point 212 and the second freely moveable pivot point 215). The motion conversion The device further includes a first rigid rod member 218 that is pivotally coupled to the first fixed pivot point 216 and a second fixed pivot point 220, and the second fixed pivot point 220 is also secured A lock is used to prevent switching movement or displacement of the second fixed pivot point 220. The motion converter 202 also includes a third rigid lever member 222 that connects the second fixed pivot point 220 to a third freely moveable pivot point 224 disposed along the support member 204. Thus, any vertical linear motion of the moving member 122 of the actuator 200 results in the respective arches of the first and second freely movable pivot points 212 and 215 that are centered about the first fixed pivot point 216, respectively. The path moves and likewise causes the third freely moveable pivot point 224 of the support member 204 to move in an arcuate path centered about the second fixed pivot point 220. Thus, the vertical linear motion of the moving member 122 of the actuator 200 causes a support tip 228 of the support member 204 to move along an arcuate path 230 as shown in FIG. In addition, a relatively small amount of downward linear motion of the moving member 122 due to the position of the first freely moveable pivot point 212 along the first rigid rod member 214 (closest to the first fixed pivot point 216) The system member is efficiently enlarged to a greater amount of downward arching motion of the support member 204 along the arcuate path 230.

It is to be clearly understood that the dimensions of the various elements shown in Figure 9 are not to scale and are exaggerated. The implementation dimensions of these components will vary to cause the arcuate path 230 tracked by the tip 228 of the support member 204 to coincide with the path expected by the outer edge of the workpiece 24 during hot bending. Alternatively, any other suitable type of motion converter can be substituted if needed.

Referring to Figures 5 through 7 and Figures 10 through 12, a system for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 300. In this embodiment, each of the plurality of movable engagement portions of the plurality of support members can be resiliently engaged with the workpiece in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. Also in this embodiment, a support member motion system similar to that shown in Figures 6 and 7 is constructed to react to the workpiece 24 to move a plurality of support members in a thermally actuated motion.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the system 300 includes a plurality of support devices including a first support device 302 as shown in FIG. 10, which is similar to the support device 80 illustrated in FIG. Thus, each support device 302 includes a support member 304 having a pivot point 306 about which the support member 304 can pivot. A respective spring 308 is attached to each of the support members 304 at a location other than its pivot point 306. More particularly, in this embodiment, the pivot point 306 is inserted into a position point (the support member 304 is coupled to the spring 308) and the support member contacts an engagement portion of the workpiece 24 (a Between the tip). Thus, like the configuration shown in Figure 5, in the present embodiment, the spring 308 (which in this embodiment includes a spring with a fixed force) acts like a torque applicator, which is The construction applies a moment to the support member 304 about its pivot point 306 such that the engagement portion 310 tends to remain in contact with the workpiece. In order to achieve this, the spring 308 is attached to one end of the support member 304. The downward force is used to provide a moment that counteracts a moment applied to the engagement portion (tip) 310 of the support member 304 by the weight of the workpiece 24.

Referring to Figures 4 and 10 through 12, in the present embodiment, the support member motion system is constructed to pivot point 306 for moving the support members 304. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the pivot point 306 is not fixed in the space relative to the other portions of the chamber 60, but is coupled to an actuator 320. The connection may be direct or alternatively may be indirect (eg, the pivot point 306 may be provided by a pivoting member that is mounted between opposing walls of a housing 312, and A direct connection may be provided by connecting the pivoting member to the actuator, or alternatively, an indirect connection may be achieved by attaching the housing to the actuator 320). The actuator 320 can include a voice coil actuator such as that previously described herein, or alternatively, can include any other suitable type of actuator. In this embodiment, the motion system is configured to apply a current to each actuator 320 for moving the support member 304 coupled thereto, thereby moving the pivot point 306 of the support member. In order to achieve this, in this embodiment, the actuator 320 is synchronized with the heating means 64 such that it is almost in the hot-bending motion of the workpiece 24 produced by the sudden heating of the flash produced by the heating means 64. Simultaneously, the actuator 320 will move the entire support device 302 downward, causing the support member 304 to also move downward simultaneously with the initial downward hot bending motion of the outer edge of the workpiece 24, but not Will occur with the support member 304 facing the pivot point 306 performs any significant pivoting. The magnitude of the downward movement of the support device 302 can be predetermined in response to, for example, a predicted value of the workpiece 24 that is thermally actuated. In this embodiment, the actuator 320 includes a detector/controller (not shown) similar to that discussed above with respect to FIG. 7, which can be used to detect workpieces. The heat-induced movement. Thus, such synchronization and prediction can be omitted if desired, and the initial downward movement of the actuator and actuator 320 and support device 302 can be initiated in response to detection of thermal motion. And control. Figure 11 shows the construction of the support device 302 after this initial movement caused by the actuator 320. After this movement, as shown in Fig. 12, since the downward hot bending motion of the outer edge of the workpiece 24 continues, the pivoting motion is fixed in a manner similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5. The resistance of the force spring 308. Since the outer edge of the workpiece begins to rise as the workpiece vibrates, the actuator may likewise produce an upward movement of the entire support device 302, if desired. Thus, in the present embodiment, the upward and downward movement of the support member 304 is provided by the spring 308 in a partially passive manner and is provided by the actuator 320 in a partially active manner. Alternatively, other types of hybrid active/passive support systems can be substituted if desired. Similarly, the motion converter previously described herein can also be used such that the motion of the pivot point 306 produced by the actuator 320 follows an arcuate path that corresponds to the outer edge of the workpiece. The path expected during hot bending.

Referring to Figures 6, 13 and 14, in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention The system for supporting a workpiece is shown generally in Figure 13 by reference numeral 400. In this embodiment, the system 400 includes a first plurality of movable engagement portions of a first plurality of respective support members that are engageable with a lower surface of the workpiece 24, and the system also includes A second plurality of movable engagement portions of the respective plurality of respective support members are engageable with an upper surface of the workpiece. In this embodiment, the first and second plurality of engaging portions are respectively engageable with the lower and upper surfaces of the workpiece at an outer peripheral region of the workpiece, and the outer peripheral region is in this embodiment The external exclusion area of the workpiece.

More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the first plurality of support members includes a support member 404 having a first support member 402 that is somewhat similar to the support device illustrated in FIG. 102, and thus includes an actuator 406. In this embodiment, each of the second plurality of support members includes a pressing member 414 having a pressing device 410, which in turn includes an actuator 416. In this embodiment, the pressing member 414 and the pressing device 410 are somewhat similar to the support member 104 and the support device 102 shown in FIG. 6, but are constructed to be used to contact the workpiece side 26 of the workpiece. The workpiece is joined in the external exclusion area of the workpiece. However, in this embodiment, actuators 406 and 416 are controlled by a controller 420 that is coupled to a force detector (not shown) in each actuator. Connected. The controller 420 receives a signal from the force detector, the signal representing the workpiece 24 being hot pressed or otherwise thermally actuated. The force applied to the support member 404 and the pressing member 414 during the period. In response to such a force detection signal, the controller 420 adjusts the relative position of the support member 404 and the pressing member 414 and/or the applied force for, for example, hot bending as shown in FIG. The support member and the pressing member are held in contact with the outer exclusion region of the workpiece during the vibration of the produced workpiece.

To achieve this, the controller 420 is constructed to move the first plurality of engagement locations of the support member 404 for introduction by a method similar to that discussed above with reference to Figures 6-9. A difference between the weight of the workpiece and a force that is applied between the first plurality of engagement locations and the workpiece is minimized. Similarly, the controller 420 is constructed to move a second plurality of engagement locations of the pressing member 414 to minimize a force applied between the workpiece and the second plurality of engagement locations. Degree. The latter is similar to the former, except in the case of the pressing member 414, it is desirable that the current level in the coil of the actuator corresponds to the zero force applied between the pressing member 414 and the workpiece, However, in the case of the support member 404, it is desirable that the current level in the coil of the actuator corresponds to one gravity, i.e., the weight of the workpiece on the support member 404. The controller 420 detects errors in the desired current levels and controls the voltage supplied to the actuators 406 and 416 to move the support member 404 and the pressing member 414 for actuation. The current levels in the coils of the device are restored to their desired levels, respectively. Ideally, the force detector and controller 420 should be protected so that Minimize any electrical interference or noise, where electronic interference and noise may be used by a capacitor bank or other device to provide power to the heating device 64 to produce a flash (to heat the device side 26 of the workpiece) A sudden unloading of the pulsed power supply to its final annealing temperature). In addition to the advantages of supporting the workpiece in this manner as previously discussed herein, the action of the pressing member 414 and the actuator 416 in the direction of the controller helps to suppress the vibration of the workpiece, thereby reducing the likelihood of such vibration. The possibility of damage to the workpiece. If desired, a motion converter such as that previously described herein can also be used for the support member and the pressing member.

Referring to Figures 1 through 5 and Figure 15, a support device in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in Figure 15 by reference numeral 500. The support device 500 is similar in some respects to the support device 80 shown in Figure 5 and thus includes a support member shell that is pivotally mounted to a support member member 504 at a pivot axis 504 similar to the support member 82. The support member 502 of the body 503 is configured to pivot against the pivot shaft. The housing 503 can include a workpiece planar panel 30 as shown in Figures 1 through 4, or alternatively, if desired, can include, for example, an independent housing 36 as shown in Figure 1. case. The pivot axis 504 is interposed between a position point 505 and a contact position point at which the support member support member 502 is coupled to a spring 506 (in this embodiment, the spring system includes There is a fixed force spring) and the point of contact is between a tip 508 of the support member and the workpiece 24. To achieve this pivotal connection, support structure Member 502, which in this embodiment includes a quartz stud, is rigidly coupled to a housing 510 that is thus pivotally coupled to opposite sides of the housing at pivot axis 504 The first and second mounting members (one of which is shown at 512) are rigidly secured to the housing 503.

As with the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 3, the support device 500 of the present embodiment includes a force application that communicates with the support member 502 to apply a force to the support member for The engagement portion that causes the support member 502 will tend to remain in contact with the workpiece during the thermal priming motion of the workpiece. However, in this embodiment, the force application includes first and second torque applicators configured to apply the first and second relative moments to the support member 502, the second moment acting The support member 502 is opposed to an excess of its equilibrium position. More particularly, in this embodiment, the first moment applicator includes a spring 506 that applies a moment (in a clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 15) and the torque tends to be The opposite moment applied to the tip end 508 of the support member 502 by the weight of the workpiece 24 is counteracted. In this embodiment, the second moment applicator includes a second spring including a second spring 520 that, in this embodiment, is coupled to a tip 508 that is remote or relative to the support member 502. A support device 500 at one end. In this embodiment, the second spring 520 includes a flexible elongate metal member that extends from the support device 500 in a direction away from the workpiece 24. When the workpiece 24 is stationary and the support device is in equilibrium A distal end of the second spring 520 is held in contact with a rigid stop 522 that projects upwardly from a lower surface of the housing 503. During operation, when the outer edge of the workpiece 24 begins to undergo a downward thermal bending, the support member 502 pivots relative to the housing 503 (in a counterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 15), and Accordingly, the distal end of the second spring 520 is raised upwardly away from the stop 522 along an arcuate path in a counterclockwise direction. After a few milliseconds, when the outer edge of the workpiece 24 is rapidly oscillated upwardly, the force applied by the first spring 506 to the support device 500 causes the support member 502 to pivot in a clockwise direction until the second spring 520 contacts stop 522 and bends as the support member exceeds its balanced angular position, thereby applying a counterclockwise moment to the support device to cause the support device to recover toward its equilibrium angle. It will be appreciated that the stop 522 in this embodiment prevents the support device 500 from rotating too far in the clockwise direction through its balanced angular position. Advantageously, because the second spring 520 engages the stop 522 in an elastic manner for this purpose, in other cases the detrimental effect (such as would be from a rigidity between the support devices) The particulate contamination caused by a sudden collision between the part and the stop will be reduced to a minimum or avoided.

Referring to Figure 16, a support device in accordance with an eighth embodiment of the present invention is shown generally as component reference numeral 600. In this embodiment, the support device 600 includes a plurality of flexible support members, generally indicated by reference numeral 602. In the current embodiment, each The flexible support members 602 each have a restricted portion, such as indicated by reference numeral 604, and an unrestricted portion, such as indicated by reference numeral 606. In this embodiment, the movable engagement portion of each support member 602 includes the unrestricted portion 606.

In the current embodiment, each flexible support member 602 includes a flexible fiber. More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the flexible fiber systems includes an optical fiber. Still more particularly, in the current embodiment, each of the flexible fiber systems comprises an optical fiber having a quartz. In the current embodiment, although certain optical fibers may be undesirably fragile for certain applications, optical fibers are selected for their general availability, low cost, and appropriate mechanical properties. . Alternatively, however, other types of fibers can be substituted. By way of example and not limitation, fibers made of sapphire, quartz crystals covered with amorphous quartz, tantalum carbide, carbon fibers, quartz with metal, glass, or glass with metal therein may be used instead. For example, sapphire fibers typically have greater strength than quartz and are advantageous for embodiments like the present embodiments, wherein the outer cladding of the fibers, as will be described in more detail below, The system has been removed, otherwise it does not exist. More specifically, other types of flexible support members can be substituted. Preferably, for the use of the present embodiment, the appropriate flexible support member should be non-contaminating, flexible, low quality, and should have moderate temperature survivability to withstand the purposes of this document. Describe the thermal cycle.

It will be appreciated that optical fibers are generally provided with an external aluminum The coating is either sold or coated. Thus, in order to prevent the coating of aluminum from contacting and contaminating the workpiece, in the present embodiment, the aluminum coating has been chemically extracted from the distal end of the unconstrained portion of the flexible support member 602 ("remote" It is indicated that it is removed away from the outer casing 610). More particularly, in this embodiment, the cladding of aluminum has been removed from the distal end of each unrestricted portion 606 along a length of 2 mm. The uncoated distal end of each unrestricted portion 606 preferably has a smooth surface, such as, for example, a smooth surface as discussed below with reference to FIG.

Referring to Figure 16, in this embodiment, the support member 600 includes at least one restrictor that is configured to limit the restriction portion 604 of the flexible support member 602. More particularly, in this embodiment, at least one of the limiters includes a housing 610 having the support member 600. In this embodiment, each of the restriction portions 604 includes a length of 10 mm and is restrained or locked in place within the outer casing 610. Moreover, in this embodiment, each unrestricted portion includes a length of 17 mm, the length of which is 15 mm of aluminum, and the remaining 2 mm is the uncoated distal end. Each unrestricted portion 606 extends from the outer casing 606 such that the uncoated distal end of each unrestricted portion 606 engages the workpiece 24 in an outer exclusion region of the workpiece. Moreover, in this embodiment, each of the flexible support members 602 has a diameter of less than 2 mm. Alternatively, however, other sizes or combinations of sizes may be substituted in a particular embodiment. In general, this size will be chosen to provide the desired balance of flexibility and fast enough reaction time. at this In contrast, larger diameters generally tend to increase the stiffness of the support member. Increasing the unrestricted portion of the support member is useful for reducing its hardness and thus allowing for a thicker diameter, however, this method tends to slow the fixed reaction time of the support member, which in this embodiment also Right and wrong. It is also desirable to minimize the quality of the flexible support member. Thus, in an embodiment like this embodiment (where the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer that is expected to experience rapid hot bending and vibration), the diameter will be small enough and unconstrained The length will be long enough to provide the desired elasticity or flexibility, and the length should be short enough to provide a fast reaction time to allow the flexible support member to be in a 1 The motion of the workpiece is reflected on a scale of milliseconds or less, while at the same time these goals can be achieved by the unrestricted parts of the smallest mass.

In general, the vibration frequency of a support member is related to its physical size and quality, as shown below:

Wherein E = Young's modulus [N / m ² ] I = inertial area of the section of the support member [m ⁴ ] t = length of the support member [m] μ = mass per unit length of the support member [kg / m] A = coefficient (for vibration mode 2, A = 3.52; for mode 2, A = 22.0; for mode 3, A = 61.7, etc.)

Therefore, the aforementioned relationships and observations can be used to help give The desired application selects the length and diameter desired by the support member.

Referring to Figures 15, 16 and 19, in this embodiment, the support device 600 shown in Figures 16 and 19 is slightly similar to the support device 500 shown in Figure 15, with the most significant difference being The deflected support member 602 (which in this embodiment is a flexible quartz fiber) replaces the rigid support member 502. Accordingly, the present embodiment includes a plurality of force applications that are configured to apply force to a plurality of support devices 600 to cause each unrestricted portion 606 to tend to be thermally induced on the workpiece. Contact with the workpiece 24 is maintained during the movement. In particular, the force application devices include a torque application or, more particularly, springs 506 and 520.

In this embodiment, a support system includes a plurality of support devices similar to support device 600 that are disposed at various intervals near the exterior of the workpiece 24. Thus, in this embodiment, the at least one restrictor includes a plurality of restrictors disposed adjacent the outer periphery of the workpiece, that is, a plurality of outer casings 610 of the respective support devices 600. As can be clearly seen from Fig. 16, in this embodiment, a plurality of limiters are constructed of limiters that are less than the number of flexible support members, and each limiter is constructed to be used More than one flexible support member is constrained, such as, for example, a set of six support members 602 as shown in FIG. More particularly, in this embodiment, each restrictor (i.e., each outer casing 610) is constructed to limit more than one flexible support member that is generally parallel to each other.

16 and 17, a branch according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention The struts are integrally shown in Figure 17 with reference numeral 650. The support device 650 is generally similar to the support device 600 and includes a plurality of flexible support members, generally indicated by reference numeral 652, each of which has an element reference numeral 654. The restricted portion shown is an unrestricted portion as shown by reference numeral 656. Each restriction is limited or locked in place in the limiter or, more particularly, within a housing 660. As in the previous embodiment, each limiter limits more than one flexible support member 652. In this embodiment, however, each of the restrictors is constructed to limit the more than one flexible support member that is generally dispersed relative to one another. Thus, in this embodiment, the flexible support members 652 are not substantially parallel, but extend from the outer casing 660 toward the workpiece 24 in a dispersed manner. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 17, the flexible support member is generally straight (but may include a curved end region, as discussed in more detail with respect to Figure 20), and from The outer casing 660 extends along an outwardly dispersed path.

Referring to Figures 17 and 18, in the alternative, the flexible support members can be dispersed by respective curved paths if desired. For example, a support device in accordance with a tenth embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in FIG. 18 with reference numeral 680. The support device 680 is generally similar to the support device 650 and includes a plurality of flexible support members integrally shown with reference numeral 682, each of which includes an image reference symbol 684 shows a restricted portion, and one like the component reference symbol 686 Unrestricted parts. Each restriction is limited or locked in a suitable position within a housing 690. However, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 682 extends from the outer casing 690 toward the workpiece 24 along respective discrete curved paths. To accomplish this, the plurality of flexible support members 682 can be preheated and bent to the desired curvature.

As a further alternative, each limiter can limit one restriction to only one of the respective one of the respective flexible support members, if desired. Moreover, in general, the flexible support member 602 of the support device 600 can be used in other embodiments of the invention, such as, for example, any other embodiment described herein.

Embodiments such as those shown in Figs. 17 and 18 tend to allow the contact point division of the workpiece to be wider and to reduce the shadow effect.

16 to 19, in the above embodiment, a support system for elastically supporting the workpiece includes a plurality of support devices similar to the support device 600 (or alternatively, the support device 650 or 680) The support devices are disposed at various angular positions around the outer edge of the workpiece. While three, or even two, of these support devices are sufficient for some applications, such systems preferably include four or more such support devices for one of the support devices Moderate support stability may not be provided where the workpiece may not be properly referred to.

Referring to Figure 19, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 602 (or alternatively, the support member 652 or 682) is externally attached to the workpiece at an angle of about 25 ^o with respect to the plane of the workpiece. region. Alternatively, it can be replaced with other angles.

Alternatively, referring to Fig. 20, in an eleventh embodiment of the invention, the flexible support member 602 (or alternatively, the support member 652 or 682) can engage the workpiece with a steeper angle The outer exclusion zone, for example, is the angle of engagement between the unconstrained portion 606 of the flexible support member 602 and the workpiece 24 shown in FIG. If such a steeper engagement angle is used, the unrestricted portion 606 of each flexible support member 602 preferably has a curved end region 620 for engaging the outer exclusion region of the workpiece 24. Such curvature can be achieved, for example, by preheating the flexible support member and mechanically bending the end region 620 as it is heated. The area of the end region 620 serves to minimize scratching of the side edges of the workpiece by the end region 620, which would otherwise occur during hot bending and shaking of the workpiece.

Although the foregoing embodiments describe the flexible support member 602 of the support device 600 (or the support device 650 or 680) (or, alternatively, the support member 652 or 682) is coupled to one or more springs (eg, Used together with springs 506 and 520) as shown in Figures 15 and 19; alternatively, in some embodiments, provided by the flexible support member 602 (or support member 652 or 682) The flexibility will be sufficient to elastically support the workpiece without the need for any such springs or other resilient or flexible elements. Thus, in such an embodiment, the position and orientation of the outer casing 610 can be fixed and only the unrestricted portions of the flexible support member can be moved.

For example, referring to FIG. 21, a support system for supporting the workpiece 24 in accordance with a twelfth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 700. In this embodiment, the support system 700 includes a plurality of support devices 701, such as those shown with reference numerals 702, 704, 706, and 708, which are disposed on a workpiece planar panel 710. An internal workpiece supports various spacings around the opening. In the present embodiment, the support device 702 and other similar support devices extend inwardly and upwardly from a lower region of the workpiece planar panel 710 for resiliently engaging the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24. External exclusion area.

Referring to Figures 21 and 22, the support device 702 is shown in more detail in Figure 22. In this embodiment, the support device 702 includes a flexible support member 712 that includes a quartz optical fiber in this embodiment, however, as previously discussed herein, Alternatively, other suitable flexible support members can be substituted. In the present embodiment, the flexible support member 712 is partially confined within a cladding layer 714, which in this embodiment is a cladding layer of aluminum, wherein Quartz fiber is a commercial seller. The aluminum cladding has been chemically removed from an unenclosed end region 716 of the flexible support member 712, and the end region 716 is remote from the workpiece planar panel 710 (near workpiece 24) The side regions 716 are such that the exposed or uncoated end regions of the quartz fibers contact the outer exclusion regions of the substrate side edges 28 of the workpiece 24. As discussed above with reference to previous embodiments, in the current embodiment, the flexible branch The end region 716 of the brace member 712 is curved to minimize scratching of the substrate side 28 of the workpiece caused by the deflectable support member during the thermally induced bending and vibrating motion of the workpiece. Degree. In this embodiment, the aluminum cladding is tightly secured within a housing 718, which in this embodiment includes a stainless steel tube. The outer casing 718 is tightly secured within the workpiece planar panel 710.

In this embodiment, the flexible support member 712 has a length of 27 mm, and an end region having a length of 10 mm proximal to the workpiece planar panel 710 is packaged in the cladding layer 714 and Within the outer casing 718, an intermediate portion having a length of 13 mm is only packaged within the cladding layer 714, and an end region 716 having a length of 4 mm at the end of the workpiece plane is exposed. Not surrounded by the outer casing and not covered by the cladding. In the present embodiment, the outer casing 718 and the cladding 714 extend from the workpiece planar plate 710 at an angle of 35 ^o from the vertical distance (or 55 ^o relative to the workpiece plane), however this angle is primarily for Conveniently selected to minimize the required modifications to the workpiece flat panel. Alternative angles are discussed in more detail below. In addition, in general, other combinations of sizes, angles, or configurations can be substituted if needed.

Referring to Figures 21 and 22, in this embodiment, the support system 700 includes a plurality of support means, such as the support means 702 shown in Figures 21 and 22, which are disposed on the workpiece flat panel. Various locations around the pieces. More special. In the present embodiment, the workpiece support system 700 includes 16 such support devices configured as closely spaced eight pairs of devices, each pair being symmetrically disposed at the workpiece at 45 ^o intervals. Around 24 around. In this respect, in addition to this, the support devices are effectively provided with a tightly spaced pair of placements at each angular position so that if one of the support devices of the pair of support devices fails as desired In operation, the other of the pair of support devices will generally support the workpiece at the angular position in a modest manner to prevent the workpiece from falling or being damaged.

Alternatively, however, other numbers and angles of support means can be provided. In general, for embodiments similar to the prior embodiments, it is preferred that the number and location of such support devices are selected to be directed to minimize the quality of the support device. To the extent that an appropriate number of such support means are provided at the same time to support the workpiece during the entire heat-induced compression and vibration motions described herein.

For example, still referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, in an alternative embodiment suitable for processing, for example, a 200 mm diameter wafer, a modified workpiece support system 700 includes six such support devices 702. It is configured as three pairs of support devices that are closely spaced, each pair of support devices being symmetrically disposed around the workpiece 24 at 120 ^o intervals. Similarly, in yet another alternative embodiment suitable for processing wafers such as 300 mm diameter, a modified workpiece support system 700 includes eight such support devices 702, which are configured Four pairs of support devices are closely spaced, each pair of support devices being symmetrically disposed around the workpiece 24 at 90 ^o intervals. The support device 702 of these alternative embodiments is similar to that shown in Figure 22, however in these alternative embodiments, the end regions 716 that are exposed or uncoated have a length of 2 mm. In this regard, the shortened uncoated end region 716 has been found to reduce the likelihood of fiber breakage. Among these embodiments, as described below in connection with FIG. 37, the shortened uncoated end region 716 has a pointed end with a smooth surface.

Moreover, among these alternative embodiments, the angle of engagement of the support device 702 relative to the plane of the workpiece 24 has been altered. In these embodiments, each of the engagement locations can engage the lower surface of the workpiece 24 at an angle of 10 ^o to 80 ^o relative to the plane of the workpiece. More particularly, in these embodiments, the angle is 15 to 35 degrees. Still more particularly, among these alternative embodiments, the angle is 25 degrees. In this respect, although the choice of angles required may vary from application to application, it has been found that for certain semiconductor wafer applications, a steep junction angle (eg, like 80 ^o to 90 ^o ) will increase the possibility of staking into the wafer and damage the support member or the wafer. However, the shallow angle (for example, 0 ^o to 10 ^o ) will increase. The possibility of the flexure support member 712 breaking. Therefore, for some applications, a joint angle relative to the plane of the workpiece in the range of 10 ^o to 80 ^o would be preferred; a 15 ^o to 35 ^o joint angle would be more Good; for some applications, a 25 ^o convergence angle will be even better. However, the alternative is that it can be replaced with other angles.

In all of these embodiments, for the flexible support member The unenclosed portion of 712 (i.e., the portion of the flexible support member 712 that extends beyond the outer casing 718) is preferably of a length and other flexible support for use in a given system. The uncoated portions of the members are identical to maintain consistent flexibility of each of the support members. For similar reasons, it is preferred to accurately control the length of the uncoated end region 716 for consistent flexibility and fracture resistance. Similarly, preferably, each support device 702 is coupled to the workpiece 24 at the same angle.

Moreover, in general, other suitable configurations and sizes (whether symmetrical and consistent, or other situations) may be substituted.

Referring to Figures 23 and 24, a support system for supporting the workpiece 24 in accordance with a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in Figure 23 by reference numeral 800. In this embodiment, the support system 800 includes a plurality of support devices 802 (e.g., such as those shown with reference numerals 804, 806, and 808) that are attached at different intervals. Disposed around the inner workpiece support opening of a workpiece planar panel 810. In the present embodiment, the support means 802 extend inwardly and upwardly from a lower region of the workpiece planar panel 810 for engaging an outer exclusion region of the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24. However, unlike the previous embodiment shown in Figures 21 and 22, in the embodiment shown in Figures 23 and 24, each support device includes a flexible bending support. A member that is resiliently engageable with the exclusion region of the workpiece.

In this respect, referring to Figure 24, the support device 804 is more detailed. The ground is displayed. In this embodiment, the support device 804 includes a flexible curved support member 812, which in this embodiment includes an optical quartz fiber, however, alternatively, other A type of flexible support member is substituted. In this embodiment, the flexible curved support member 812 includes spaced apart first and second restraining portions, and an unrestricted portion extends between the restricted portions in a curved path. . More particularly, in this embodiment, the first restriction portion includes a first end region 815, the unrestricted portion includes an intermediate region 816, and the second restriction portion includes a Second end region 817. The first and second restriction locations are thus located at opposite ends of the support member 812 and define an unrestricted portion therebetween. The first and second restriction locations (or more particularly, the first and second end regions 815 and 817) are attached to the workpiece planar panel 810 to prevent movement of the restriction. In this embodiment, the flexible curved support member 812 is partially confined within a cladding layer 814, which in this embodiment is a commercially available quartz fiber. A coating of aluminum. The aluminum cladding has been chemically removed from the intermediate region 816 of the flexible curved support member 812 such that the exposed intermediate region 816 of the quartz fibers contacts the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24. External exclusion area.

In this embodiment, the system 800 includes first and second limiters configured to limit the first and second restriction locations in the separation relationship (ie, First and second end regions 815 and 817) are used to cause the unrestricted portion (i.e., the intermediate portion 816) to extend in a curved path therebetween. More particularly, in this embodiment, the first and second limiters include first and second outer casings 818 and 819. At the first end region 815, an aluminum cladding 814 surrounding the flexible curved support member 812 is tightly secured within the first outer casing 818, which in this embodiment It consists of a stainless steel pipe. Similarly, in this embodiment, at the second end region 817, the aluminum cladding 814 surrounding the flexible curved support member 812 is tightly secured within the second outer casing 819. The second outer casing includes a similar stainless steel tubular member. The outer casings 818 and 819 are securely secured within the workpiece planar panel 810.

Referring to Figures 22 and 24, in this embodiment, each of the outer casings 818 and 819 is similar to the outer casing 718 shown in Figure 22 and is similarly secured to the workpiece planar panel. However, in this embodiment, the first and second limiters (which in this embodiment include housings 818 and 819) are constructed to limit the first and second restriction locations ( That is, the first and second end regions 815 and 817) are configured to cause the unrestricted portion (the intermediate region 816) to extend upwardly and inwardly from the first restriction portion toward the workpiece 24 along the curved path. To an area in contact therewith and extending downwardly and outwardly from the contact area to the second restriction. More particularly, the flexible curved support member 812 does not extend linearly inwardly and upwardly toward the workpiece, but rather the flexible curved support member 812 will be wrapped from the outer casing 818 and the first end region 815. The layer 814 protrudes and extends inwardly and upwardly toward the workpiece 24 along a substantially arcuate path such that a center of the intermediate portion 816 contacts and supports the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24. External exclusion area. The flexible curved support member 812 will thus continue to extend downwardly and outwardly from the center thereof along the arcuate path to the second end region 817, wherein the cladding 814 surrounding the end region 817 It is fixed within the outer casing 819. At the center of the intermediate region in contact with the workpiece, a tangent to the unconstrained portion (i.e., a tangent at the center of an intermediate region 816) is substantially parallel to a vicinity of the contact region for the workpiece 24. The tangent of an outer edge. In this embodiment, as with the embodiment shown in Fig. 22, the angle of the arcuate path of the flexible curved support member 812 is about 35 ^o from the vertical, however again, this angle is facilitated by The selector is used to minimize modifications to an existing workpiece flat panel. Alternatively, it can be replaced with other angles and configurations. In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible support member 812 can extend a length of 10 to 20 mm from the first end region 815 within the outer casing 818 and can extend within the cladding 814 The other is 20 to 40 mm in length outside the casing and can extend another uncovered 2 to 4 mm at one of its central regions (where the flexible support member 812 is in contact with the workpiece 24) length. The flexible support member can then extend within the cladding layer 814 toward the second end region 817 for another length of 20 to 40 mm and extend another length of 10 to 22 mm within the outer casing 819. . The flexible support member may have a diameter of, for example, 0.5 to 2 mm. If desired, the alternative is to replace it with other lengths and diameters. If desired, among other similar embodiments, such as those in which the flexible support member 812 includes a material such as sapphire, the cover layer 814 can be omitted entirely.

In this embodiment, the plurality of support devices 802 includes at least four such support devices similar to the support device 804 for providing moderately stable support in the event that the support devices are broken or otherwise faulty. . More particularly, in this embodiment, the plurality of support devices 802 includes 20 such support devices. However, if desired, an alternative would be to replace it with a different number of support devices.

Referring to Figures 25 through 30, a support system for supporting a workpiece 24 in accordance with a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 900. In this embodiment, the support system 900 includes a plurality of flexible support members that are integrally shown with reference numeral 902. In the current embodiment, each of the flexible support members 902 includes a flexible fiber that is resiliently engageable with the workpiece. More particularly, as in the prior embodiments, in the current embodiment, each of the flexible fibers includes a quartz optical fiber, although as discussed elsewhere herein, an alternative is Sapphire or other types of fibers, or more generally, other types of flexible support members can be substituted. Preferably, for the use of the current embodiment, the alternative flexible support member should be non-contaminating, flexible, low quality, and should hold moderate temperature survivability for Resist the thermal cycle described herein.

Referring to Figures 28 and 30, an exemplary flexible support member is shown generally in Figure 28 with reference numeral 903. It is easier to display, only the exemplary support member is described, it should be understood that the remaining flexible support members 902 are similar. In this embodiment, the flexible support member 903 has a restriction portion 904 and an unrestricted portion 906. More particularly, in the present embodiment, the flexible support member 903 includes a restriction 904 at one end thereof, and the unrestricted portion 906 is directed from the restriction portion 904 toward the workpiece 24. A central area extends inward.

In this embodiment, the flexible support member 903 includes a fiber 907. In the present embodiment, a portion of the length of the flexible fiber 907 is wrapped within an outer cladding 908, which in this embodiment is a commercially available fiber. A coating of aluminum sold together in 907. In this aspect, to prevent the coating of aluminum from contacting and contaminating the workpiece, in the present embodiment, the coating of aluminum has been chemically derived from a length of the unrestricted portion 906 of the flexible support member 903. Removed. More particularly, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 903 has a length of 65 mm and the coating or coating of the aluminum has been chemically placed from its length up to 40 mm inside. Remove.

Alternatively, other suitable lengths may be substituted depending on the flexibility and quality desired for the flexible support member 902. For example, in some embodiments (such as where the support member includes sapphire The coating or coating of aluminum can be omitted entirely.

In this embodiment, the support system 900 includes at least one limiter for restricting the restriction site 904. In the current embodiment, the at least one limiter includes a workpiece planar panel 920. More particularly, in this embodiment, the at least one restrictor includes a plurality of clamps defined within the workpiece planar panel for holding the restriction of the plurality of flexible support members 902. Still more particularly, in the present embodiment, each of the restraining portions 904 is constrained or locked in position within a fixture that is generally indicated by reference numeral 910 in FIG. In Figure 30. In this embodiment, the clamp 910 includes an upper clamping member 912 and a lower clamping member 914. More particularly, in the present embodiment, the upper clamping member 912 has a generally planar lower surface and the lower clamping member 914 has a V-shaped groove defined in its upper surface. Or a channel 916 that extends along the length of the lower clamping member 914. The size of the V-shaped groove 916 is selected such that the flexible support member 903 can be inserted into the V-shaped groove 916 such that when the lower surface of the upper clamping member 912 is pressed against the lower surface When the upper surface of the member 914 is applied, the outer covering layer 908 is tightly fixed between the lower surface of the upper holding member 912 and the two surfaces of the V-shaped groove 916, thereby preventing the flexible supporting member 903. The portion that is fixed within the jig 910 moves relative to the jig. The clamp 910 is oriented such that the V-shaped groove 916 (and thus the flexible support member 903) will be directed radially inward toward the center of the workpiece 24.

In this embodiment, the plurality of images are represented by element reference symbol 910 and are bounded by an upper clamping ring and a lower clamping ring with a plurality of V-shaped grooves defined therein. The upper clamping ring acts as a plurality of upper clamping members 912, and the lower clamping ring acts as a plurality of lower clamping members 914. The upper and lower clamping rings extend radially inwardly for a length of about 10 mm, wherein the restraining portion 904 of each flexible support member 902 is snugly secured within the length. Alternatively, other limited lengths can be substituted if needed.

Referring to Figures 28 and 29, in this embodiment, the workpiece planar panel 920 defines a plurality of workpiece support apertures in one of its interior surfaces, and the restriction portion 904 is attached to the workpiece planar panel 920, and the unrestricted portions 906 extend inwardly through the workpiece support openings toward the workpiece. More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the workpiece support apertures includes a vertical elongated aperture 918 that is defined within the interior surface of the workpiece planar panel 920. Thus, in this embodiment, the unrestricted portion 906 of the flexible support member 903 projects inwardly toward the center of the workpiece 24 through the vertical elongated aperture 918, which allows the flexible support member 903 The unrestricted portion 906 can be moved still downward relative to the workpiece planar panel 920. In this embodiment, an inner tip 924 of each unrestricted portion 906 will pass inwardly through an outer edge 922 of the workpiece 24 such that the inner tip 924 will be located at a distance from the center of the workpiece. The outer edge 922 is at a smaller radial distance. More specifically, in this embodiment The inner tip 924 extends approximately 10 mm more inward than the outer edge 922 of the workpiece, however, alternative ways may be substituted with other length relationships. Thus, in this embodiment, the engagement portion of the support member 903 includes an intermediate point 926 along the unconstrained portion 906 between the restriction portion 904 and the inner tip 924. The unrestricted portion 906 (or more particularly the intermediate point 926 along the portion) can engage the outer edge 922 of the workpiece to contact and support the workpiece.

In this embodiment, the workpiece planar panel 920 is configured to confine the restriction portion 904 in a generally horizontal orientation to cause the unrestricted portion 906 to be bent downwardly. The central region facing the workpiece 24 extends generally horizontally and inwardly. In this aspect, due to the downward force of gravity exerted by the outer edge 922 of the workpiece on the intermediate point 926, the flexible support member 903 can be bent downward such that the inner tip 924 of the flexible support member can The plane below the workpiece 24 is vertically displaced by a "sag displacement" distance.

Still referring to Figures 28 and 29, in this embodiment, the plurality of flexible support members 902 includes at least 20 elongate flexible support members. More particularly, the plurality of support members 902 includes at least 50 such support members. Still more particularly, in this embodiment, the plurality of support members 902 includes about 60 exemplary flexible support members similar to the exemplary support members 903, which are arranged in an interior. At approximately equidistant spacing around the workpiece support apertures, the inner workpiece support apertures are defined within the workpiece planar panel 920. In this embodiment (wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor crystal Round, and the flexible support member 902 is an optical fiber as described above, the "sagging displacement" is typically in the range of from about 3 mm to about 5 mm. Thus, in the present embodiment, the unrestricted portions 906 are engaged with the outer edge 922 of the workpiece 24 at an angle of less than about 10 degrees downward relative to the plane of the workpiece. Alternatively, depending on the particular application to be processed, other sag distances and angles may be tolerable or desirable.

Typically, in the illustrative embodiment shown in Figures 28 and 29, each of the flexible support members 902 has a diameter of between about 0.4 mm and 2 mm. However, as discussed with other embodiments, alternatives may be substituted with other dimensions, selected for the length and diameter of a given application to provide the desired flexibility and fast response time.

Referring to Figures 20 and 28, if desired, the inner tip 924 of the flexible support member 903 shown in Figure 28 can be provided with a curved end region similar to the curved end region 620 of Figure 20, The possible scratching effect against the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24 during minimization of the heat-induced bending or shock is minimized.

Referring to Figure 31, a support system for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 1000. In this embodiment, the support system 1000 is constructed to suppress the vibration of the workpiece, or more particularly to suppress at least one natural vibration mode of the workpiece, in this embodiment. The middle system includes first and second natural vibration modes of the workpiece. In order to achieve For this purpose, the support system 1000 includes first and second support means integrally shown with reference numerals 1002 and 1004. The support devices 1002 and 1004 each include respective flexible support members 1006 and 1008, which in this embodiment include quartz fibers. More particularly, in this embodiment, the quartz fibers are optical quartz fibers that have been chemically removed from the cladding of the aluminum and have a diameter of about 100 microns.

Alternatively, as with the previous embodiments, other types of fibers, or more generally, other suitable types of flexible support members may be substituted.

In this embodiment, each of the flexible support members 1006 and 1008 has first and second separation restriction portions, and an unrestricted portion extends between the restriction portions in a curved path. More particularly, the first and second restriction portions of the flexible support member 1006 include a fixed end portion 1010 and an adjustable end portion 1014, respectively, and likewise, the first and the first of the flexible support member 1008 The two restriction portions respectively include a fixed end portion 1012 and an adjustable end portion 1016. The fixed end 1010 of the flexible support member 1006 is attached to a workpiece planar panel 1018 adjacent the workpiece, directly below the plane of the workpiece 24, and likewise, the flexible support member 1008 The fixed end 1012 is attached to a workpiece planar panel directly below the plane of the workpiece. Thus, the workpiece planar panel 1018 acts as a first restrictor for limiting the fixed ends 1010 and 1012 of the flexible support members 1006 and 1008.

In this embodiment, the unrestricted portion of each of the support members extends along a curved path between the restriction portions such that a tangent to the unrestricted portion at a region in contact with the workpiece faces the The center of the workpiece extends radially inward. For example, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 1006 extends from its fixed end 1010 (in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 31) along a generally annular path. And contacting and supporting the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24 adjacent the outer exclusion zone of the workpiece. The flexible support member 1006 continues along the loop path from a point of contact with the workpiece, circumferentially (counterclockwise) and via an opening 1020 defined in a lower surface of the workpiece planar panel Re-enter the workpiece planar panel 1018. The adjustable end 1014 of the flexible support member 1006 will enter and be secured within a length controller 1022 that acts as a second limiter for limiting the flexible support member 1006 Adjustable end 1014.

In this aspect, in the current embodiment, at least one of the first and second restriction portions of each of the flexible support members 1006 and 1008 is restrained in a retractable manner. Thus, in the present embodiment, the system 1000 includes a length controller 1022 that, in this embodiment, includes a mechanical retractor and is retractably restrained in a retractable manner. The second restriction portion of the curved support member 1006 (ie, the adjustable end portion 1014). The retractor is configured to retract the second restriction portion for effectively shortening the unrestricted portion, and conversely, is configured to extend the second restriction portion for effective The ground is lengthened by the unrestricted portion. In the present embodiment, the length controller 1022 can be remotely controlled from one of the processing chambers in which the workpiece planar panel 1018 is seated to lengthen or shorten the flexible support member 1006. The effective length is thereby varied to change the shape and size of the loop-like path, wherein the flexible support member extends in the path to elastically support the workpiece.

Likewise, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 1008 extends from its fixed end 1012 along a generally toroidal path (in a counterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 31). The device side 26 of the workpiece 24 is disposed adjacent the outer portion of the workpiece and continues (clockwise) along the loop path to again pass through an opening defined in an upper surface of the workpiece planar panel 1024 enters the workpiece planar panel 1018. As with length controller 1022, adjustable end 1016 of flexible support member 1008 is accessed and secured within a length controller 1026. In this embodiment, the length controller 1026 can be remotely controlled from a processing compartment outside which the workpiece planar panel 1018 is seated to retract one of the flexible support members 1008. Sufficient length to completely move the flexible support member 1008 out of a cylindrical volume defined above the plane of the workpiece 24, thereby allowing the workpiece 24 to be lowered into the first flexible The position in which the curved support device 1002 is supported, or lifted back when the heat treatment is completed, leaves the position. To heat treat, the length controller 1026 can be remotely controlled to extend a sufficient length of the flexible support member 1008 such that the loop path of the deflectable support member 1008 The device side 26 of the workpiece at the outer exclusion zone is contacted.

In general, the effective diameter of the generally flexible path of the flexible support members 1006 and 1008 depends on the material selected for the support members and on the range of motion of the workpiece desired. For example, for some embodiments, the effective diameter of the generally looped path may be between about 30 mm and 100 mm, but instead, other effective diameters may be substituted .

In this embodiment, the workpiece 24 is to be supported for such heat treatment. The support system 1000 includes a plurality of lower support devices identical to the support device 1002, and a plurality of upper support devices identical to the support device 1004. They are arranged at various intervals around the workpiece planar panel 1018. Accordingly, the system 1000 includes elongated first and second plurality of flexible support members. The unconstrained portions of the first plurality of flexible support members can engage the lower surface of the workpiece, and the unconstrained portions of the second plurality of flexible support members can engage the upper surface of the workpiece 24.

The upper support means act to enhance stability during the thermal cycle described herein and to compress the vibration of the workpiece 24. For example, in this embodiment, the first and second support devices 1002 and 1004 cooperate to at least partially compress the first and second natural vibration modes of the workpiece 24.

Alternatively, if desired, the support device 1004 and other similar support devices may be omitted, leaving the workpiece to be supported by the support device 1002 and other underlying support devices.

Referring to Figures 32 and 33, a support system for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 1200. In this embodiment, the support system 1200 includes a lateral support member that is configured to laterally support the workpiece 24. More particularly, in this embodiment, the system 1200 includes a lateral support device 1202 for providing resilient lateral support to the workpiece 24. In this respect, it will be appreciated that in some cases, for example, due to the reaction flash rather than uniformly heating the device side 26 of the workpiece, or due to, for example, various (vertical) supports such as those previously described herein. The non-uniform reaction of the device, the thermal cycling described herein may tend to produce hot bending or vibrational motion of the asymmetric workpiece. Such asymmetrical motion may include lateral movement of the workpiece 24 relative to a workpiece planar panel (e.g., such as those shown by the component reference numeral 1204). In the present embodiment (where the workpiece 24 is a semiconductor wafer), if such lateral motion creates a workpiece 24 and the workpiece planar plate member 1204 (which in this embodiment is aluminum) A collision between the effects of such collisions may include contamination of the particles or other physical damage to the workpiece 24.

Accordingly, to prevent such collisions, in this embodiment, the lateral support device 1202 includes a lateral support member 1206 that is configured to laterally support the workpiece 24. More particularly, in this embodiment, the support member 1206 includes a plurality of lateral support members (e.g., such as those shown in Figure 33 with reference numerals 1208, 1210, and 1212). The support member is located relative to The respective outer edges of the workpiece 24 are at respective locations. In this embodiment, each of the support members is resiliently engageable with the outer edge of the workpiece. More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the lateral support members includes a flexible fiber which, in the present embodiment, includes an optical fiber. Even more particularly, in the current embodiment, each support member includes a quartz fiber. Alternatively, as discussed with the previous embodiments, sapphire fibers, other fibers, other types of flexible support members, or, more generally, other types of lateral support members may be substituted.

Referring back to Figure 32, in this embodiment, the lateral support members 1206 are coupled to a locator 1214, which in this embodiment includes an aluminum block. The locator 1214 is coupled to the workpiece planar panel 1204 and extends far enough to enter a workpiece support aperture defined in the workpiece planar panel for positioning the lateral support member 1206 in proximity. At the outer edge of the workpiece 24. In the present embodiment, the lateral support members 1206 and similar support members (which in this embodiment include flexible fibers) are positioned in a substantially positive one of the workpieces 24. The angle of the plane.

In this embodiment, wherein the lateral support members comprise optical quartz fibers s, the coating or coating of aluminum, typically sold with optical quartz fibers, has been chemically removed. At least the portions of the lateral support members 1208, 1210, and 1212 that may enter the contact of the workpiece 24 are exposed quartz and are therefore non-polluters. In the current embodiment, the workpiece is during the heat treatment Will contact most of the length of the quartz fibers (except for the length segments that are fastened within the locator 1214), and thus, in this embodiment, the aluminum coating or cladding system The entire length of the fibers has been removed (if desired, the aluminum cladding can be retained along the length segments that are secured within the locator 1214). Alternatively, other materials that are generally not sold with any such aluminum coating (eg, such as sapphire) can be used in place of quartz fibers.

In an exemplary embodiment similar to that shown in Figures 32 and 33, the lateral support members and other similar lateral support members may have a length of about 20 to 40 mm (not including being fastened to the positioner) The portion within 1214) and may have a diameter of, for example, 0.5 to 2 mm. Alternatively, for a given application, it can be replaced with other suitable sizes.

In this embodiment, the support system 1200 includes a plurality of lateral support devices similar to the lateral support devices 1202, the lateral support devices being positioned within the workpiece planar panel 1204. The workpiece supports various spaces around the opening. For example, the system 1200 can include between 4 and 20 such lateral support devices, although alternatives can be substituted with other numbers. These lateral support devices can be used with vertical support devices such as, for example, any of the other support devices described herein.

Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment, a lateral support system somewhat similar to the support system illustrated in Figures 32 and 33 may be provided, wherein one or more rigid support members may be substituted for the side to Support member 1206. For example, one or more rigid quartz pegs can be substituted for the flexible support member. Such embodiments are sufficient to control the lateral movement of the workpiece, however, depending on the lateral momentum of the former relative to the latter when the workpiece collides with the or the support members, such embodiments may also cause damage to the workpiece 24 or The rupture of the workpiece.

Instead of providing individual lateral and vertical support, a single support device can be provided if desired. For example, referring to Figures 21, 22 and 34, a support system for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a seventeenth embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in Figure 34 by reference numeral 1300. In this embodiment, the support system 1300 includes a support member that functions as a vertical and lateral support member and includes a movable member that is engageable with a lower surface of the workpiece 24. The vertical support engagement portion and a lateral support engagement portion engageable with an outer edge of the workpiece. More particularly, in this embodiment, the support member includes a support device 1302 that is a modified version of the support device 702 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the movable vertical support engagement portion of the support device 1302 includes a flexible support member 712 including a cover layer 714 and a housing 718, and the flexible support member is within the outer casing Fixed to the workpiece planar panel 710. The lateral support engagement portion of the support device 1302 includes a second flexible support member 1304. In this embodiment, the second flexible support member 1304 is similar to the first flexible support member 712 and thus also includes an optical quartz fiber, however, such as If desired, as previously discussed herein, alternatives may be substituted with other types of fibers, or more generally other types of flexible support members. By virtue of their flexible nature, in the present embodiment, the vertical and lateral support engaging portions are resiliently engageable with the workpiece.

In this embodiment, the second flexible support member 1304 has a smaller diameter than the first flexible support member 712. More particularly, in this embodiment, the second flexible support member 1304 has a diameter of approximately 0.5 mm, however the first flexible support member 712 has a diameter of approximately 4 mm. However, if desired, the alternative is to replace it with other suitable sizes.

In this embodiment, the second flexible support member 1304 includes an outer cladding 1306, which in this embodiment is a coating of aluminum commercially sold with optical quartz fibers. . In this embodiment, the coating of aluminum has been chemically removed from at least the portion of the second flexible support member 1304 that may come into contact with the workpiece 24 for the workpiece to avoid contamination of the workpiece. . In this and similar exemplary embodiments, the second flexible support member 1304 extends a length of 10 to 20 mm within the cladding layer 1306 and is not outside the cladding layer. The cover extends another length of 20 to 40 mm, although alternatives can be substituted with other suitable lengths if desired.

In the present embodiment, the second flexible support member 1304 is secured to the first flexible support member 712 by a collar 1308. The axis Ring 1308 may comprise, for example, stainless steel or titanium, although alternatives may be substituted with other suitable materials.

Alternatively, however, the second flexible support member 1304 can be coupled to other portions of the support device 1302 in any other suitable manner.

If desired, the support device 1302 can include a retractor 1310 that is coupled to a portion of the second flexible support member 1304 to direct the second flexible support member 1304 toward the workpiece planar panel 710. Retracted to allow insertion or removal of the workpiece 24. Alternatively, the second flexible support member 1304 can be preheated and pre-bent back toward the workpiece planar panel 710 to avoid the need for such a retractor. Alternatively, as another alternative, such preheating and pre-bending may be combined with a retractor in a given embodiment, if desired.

In the present embodiment, as with the embodiment shown in Figure 21, the support system 1300 includes a plurality of support devices similar to the support device 1302 shown in Figure 34, which are configured At intervals around the inner workpiece support opening defined in the workpiece planar panel 710. Accordingly, the system 1300 includes a plurality of support members including a plurality of vertical and lateral support engagement locations engageable with the workpiece.

Referring to Fig. 35, a support system for supporting a workpiece in accordance with an eighteenth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 1400, as a combination of lateral and vertical support means of a further example. In this embodiment, the support system 1400 includes a support device 1402. In the present embodiment, the support device 1402 includes a flexible support member 1404 that, in this embodiment, includes an optical quartz fiber. Alternatively, as with the previous embodiments, other types of fibers, or more generally, other types of flexible support members may be substituted.

In this embodiment, the flexible support member 1404 includes first and second separation limiting portions, and an unrestricted portion extends between the restricted portions in a curved path. More particularly, in this embodiment, the first and second restriction portions include a fixed end portion 1406 and an adjustable end portion 1408. A workpiece planar plate member 1410 acts as a first limiter for limiting the first restriction portion (i.e., the fixed end portion 1406), which in this embodiment is in the vicinity of the workpiece 24 (the workpiece The workpiece is directly attached to the workpiece plane plate 1410.

In this embodiment, the unrestricted portion of the support member 1404 extends along a curved path between the restriction portions to form a first restriction from below a plane of the workpiece 24 and A first substantially loop-shaped path segment 1412 contacting the workpiece at a lower surface of the workpiece, a second substantially annular shape extending between an outer edge of the workpiece 24 and an inner edge of the workpiece planar panel 1410 A path segment 1414, and a third substantially loop-shaped path segment 1416 that contacts the workpiece at a plane above the workpiece and at an upper surface of the workpiece, contacting a curved path that ends at the second restriction. More particularly, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 1404 is from its fixed end 1406 along the first generally looped path segment 1412 (in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 35). Medium) extending below the plane of the workpiece, contacting and supporting the substrate side 28 of the workpiece 24 adjacent the outer exclusion region of the workpiece. The flexible support member 1404 then continues to extend (clockwise) through a second substantially loop-shaped path segment defined between the outer edge of the workpiece 24 and an innermost portion of the workpiece planar panel 1410. The flexible support member 1404 then continues to extend (clockwise) through a third generally loop-shaped path segment 1416 extending over the plane of the workpiece, via an opening defined in the upper surface of the workpiece planar panel The 1422 re-enters the workpiece flat panel. The adjustable end 1408 of the flexible support member 1404 is accessed and secured within a second limiter, which in this embodiment includes a length controller 1424 that is similar to The length controllers 1022 and 1026 shown in FIG. 31 are shown. Thus, due to the configuration of the flexible support member 1404, and particularly the substantially annular path segments 1412, 1414, and 1416, the flexible support member 1404 provides vertical and lateral resiliency to the workpiece 24. support. In addition to this, such a configuration of the flexible support member 1404 will also partially compress the first and second natural vibration modes of the workpiece 24.

In the present embodiment, the second limiter (or particularly the length controller 1424) acts as a retractor configured to retract the second restriction to provide a third substantially annular The loop path segment 1416 removes a volume defined above the upper surface of the workpiece. at this In one aspect, the length controller 1424 can be remotely controlled from the side of the processing chamber in which the workpiece planar panel 1410 is seated to lengthen or shorten the effective length of the flexible support member 1404 to thereby change the loop path. The shape and size, wherein the system extends to elastically support the workpiece. In particular, for some applications, it is desirable to be able to fully retract the flexible support member 1404 such that the third loop-shaped path segment can be fully withdrawn from the volume above the plane of the workpiece 24 for The workpiece is allowed to be inserted into the chamber for heat treatment or removed when the heat treatment is completed.

In this embodiment, the support system 1400 includes a plurality of support devices identical to the support device 1402, the support devices being disposed about the workpiece support opening defined in the workpiece planar plate member 1410. Various intervals. For example, in an exemplary embodiment similar to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 35, the support system can include between 4 and 20 such support devices, and the flexible support members of such devices It may have a diameter in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm and a length in the range of 50 mm to 300 mm. Alternatively, if desired, other numbers of support means can be substituted for the size of the flexible support member.

If desired, a second substantially loop-shaped path segment 1414 defined by the flexible support member 1404 can be attached to the workpiece planar panel 1410 for additional stability. Alternatively, this attachment can be omitted if needed.

Referring to Figures 4 and 36, a heat treatment chamber according to a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention is integrally shown with reference numeral 1500 in Figure 36. Among them. The chamber 1500 is similar to the chamber 60 shown in FIG. 4, but has been modified to include an additional quartz window 1510 that is mounted over the device side 26 of the workpiece 24. And close to the side of the device. More particularly, in this embodiment, the window 1510 is mounted about 1 cm above the plane of the workpiece 24, but alternatively it can be mounted at other distances from the workpiece. And for the current embodiment, a distance of between 1 and 10 cm is preferred. The window 1510 is preferably cooled and, in this embodiment, cooled by gas, but alternatively the wavelength of the window required by the transfer for heating or measuring purposes, by water or other Proper liquid to cool. When the workpiece 24 experiences a hot press caused by a heated flash as described above, the pressure of the process gas between the workpiece 24 and the window 1510 provides resistance to vertical movement of the workpiece. . Thus, as previously described herein, in conjunction with the movable engagement portion of the support member, additional gas pressure between the workpiece 24 and the window 1510 is used to counteract vertical movement of the workpiece 24, thereby The movement of the center of mass of the workpiece can be easily reduced to a minimum. An additional advantage is that during the preheating phase of heating the workpiece to an intermediate temperature prior to flashing, the window 1510 also tends to reduce heat convection losses from the sides of the device, resulting in improved temperature non-uniformity. .

Alternatively, a similar effect can be achieved by moving the existing window 65 to the side 26 of the device closer to the workpiece 24 without the window 1510.

If desired, the plurality of movable engagement locations of the plurality of support members can include a plurality of tips of a plurality of smooth surfaces of the respective support pegs.

For example, referring to FIG. 37, a support device in accordance with a twentieth embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 1600. In this embodiment, the support device 1600 includes a support member 1608 having a smooth surface tip 1610. More particularly, in the present embodiment, the pointed end 1610 of the smooth surface is spherical or hemispherical, but alternatively, other smooth surfaces may be substituted. The tips of such smooth surfaces tend to reduce friction and scratching of the workpiece 24. In this aspect, scratches between the support member and the lower surface of the workpiece may result in undesirable particulate contamination and may also undesirably roughen the underlying surface of the workpiece. Reducing the frictional force to a minimum is not only for reducing the stress from the position of the load, but also for reducing or preventing local stress and scratches in the vicinity of the contact point between the support member and the workpiece. It is also desirable for reducing the total stress experienced by the workpiece during the heat treatment as described herein.

In this embodiment, the support member 1608 is fabricated from quartz or, more particularly, a quartz fiber similar to those discussed above in connection with embodiments of the present invention. Still more particularly, in the present embodiment, the tip end 1610 of the smooth surface of the support member 1608 is formed by melting a tip of the support member by using a laser, thereby forming a spherical shaped tip when the tip is cooled. And formed. Has been sent It is now known that this method produces a smoother surface than the usual cutting and polishing methods.

Referring to Figures 16 and 37, in an embodiment in which the fiber system is coated, for example, an aluminum coating such as the unrestricted portion 606 of each of the flexible support members 602 shown in Figure 16, the aluminum The cladding is preferably removed from the tip before the laser melts to form a smooth surface tip 1610. For example, the coating can be chemically removed from the fiber at a length of 2 mm in the vicinity of the tip prior to forming the tip of the smooth surface.

Alternatively, the support member 1608 can be fabricated from other materials, such as, for example, sapphire or any of the materials previously described herein.

Alternatively, as an alternative, the support member 1608 can comprise a metal. For example, the support member 1608 can include a support stud that includes tungsten, and at least the tip of the support stud can have an outer coating to reduce friction and scratches. The outer coating may comprise, for example, tungsten nitride or tungsten carbide, although other types of coatings may be substituted. Alternatively, further alternatives omit such coatings. To reach the desired smooth surface tip 1610 without a coating, the tip of the support member 1608 can be laser melted to form a ball in a manner similar to that discussed herein with the quartz support member. shape. Alternatively, other ways of achieving the desired smooth surface tip 1610 can be substituted.

Such a smooth surface support member 1608 can be used in place of or in place of a support stud or a support member in other embodiments of the invention.

Referring to Figures 20 and 38, a support apparatus in accordance with a twenty-first embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in Figure 38 by reference numeral 1700. The support device 1700 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. However, in this embodiment, a modified support member 1702 does not engage the workpiece 24 at the outer exclusion zone of the workpiece, but rather in a more inward region (i.e., in addition to the exclusion zone). The workpiece is joined at a small radial distance from the center of the workpiece. In this embodiment, the workpiece is supported by a plurality of similar support members, the movable engagement portions of the support members being joined to each other at various angular intervals from a common radial distance from the center of the workpiece. The lower surface.

In this aspect, the position at which the movable engagement portion of the support member engages the workpiece can be based on the particular application being considered, the available elasticity or softness of the support member in question, and minimizing the vertical emission and suppression of the wafer. The balance between the large-scale vibration modes of the workpiece produced by the flash changes. For example, in some embodiments, the support studs can be positioned at an equilibrium radial distance from the center of the wafer such that the hot press bend produces a crystal at the outer side of the balanced radial distance. The downward momentum of the outer portion of the circle tends to balance the upward momentum of the central region of the wafer such that the wafer does not launch itself upward from the support studs. As an illustrative example, in one embodiment, the workpiece includes a semiconductor wafer having a radius of 150 mm and has an axisymmetric natural vibration mode: a frequency of approximately 113 Hz (mode 1), 476 Hz (mode 2), and 1007 Hz (mode 3), the radial distance r for the engagement of the movable engagement portion of the support member is set equal to about 104 mm. This embodiment places the workpiece upwardly above itself. The tendency to launch is reduced to a minimum. However, this positioning also tends to excite the second natural vibration mode of the wafer, which may tend to harm or even smash the workpiece depending on the magnitude and rapidity of the temperature rise of the side of the device. Thus, although for some applications where the movable engagement portion is sufficiently "soft" (i.e., provides a sufficiently low resistance and has a sufficiently large range of motion) to reduce the stimulation of the second natural vibration mode, The construction is acceptable, and for embodiments in which the movable engagement portion is less "soft", such a configuration may be less desirable. In comparison, positioning the movable engagement portion at the outer exclusion region tends to produce a less stimulating higher-scale vibration mode, but also produces an external exclusion region of the workpiece and the movable member. The larger initial position of the joint portion moves downward, and this tends to increase the force applied between the workpiece and the support members, and may cause a large vertical motion of the center of mass of the workpiece. For many applications, joining the joint of the support member to the workpiece at a radial distance (somewhere between the equilibrium distance that minimizes vertical emissions to the outer exclusion zone) will be acceptable.

In the present embodiment, the modified support member 1702 is formed from a transparent material to minimize shadowing effects on the workpiece. More particularly, in this embodiment, the transparent material is quartz. Alternatively, other materials can be substituted. In this embodiment, the size of the modified support member 1702 is also reduced to further reduce any remaining shadow effects and also to reduce Its quality.

While thermal "bending" and associated oscillations or shocks are the primary source of thermal kinetic motion described above in connection with the above-described embodiments of the present invention, alternative embodiments may be utilized to address other embodiments of the present invention. Other types of heat-induced movements. For example, the thermally actuated motion can include thermal bending, and the support system can be constructed to support the workpiece while permitting thermal bending of the workpiece.

In this regard, a recently proposed heat treatment method involves firmly holding a substrate at a step by mechanical clamps, electrostatic or vacuum pads, or equivalent gripping means. A continuous wave of electromagnetic radiation is used with a focused optical instrument to create a radiant line on an upper surface of the substrate. A translational mechanism is then used to move the stage and the source of radiation relative to each other to cause the radiation to scan across the upper surface of the substrate. However, the use of a mechanical clamp or other such holding device to securely hold the substrate at the stage prevents hot-induced bending of the substrate. Without such clamping, the substrate will tend to create a hot bend along the radiant line in order to minimize its own internal stresses. By preventing the substrate from being bent, the use of such a jig or gripping device results in an increase in thermal stress in the substrate, thereby increasing the risk of damage to the substrate or the breakage of the substrate.

Thus, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a support member is provided that includes a movable engagement portion that can be moved to permit the workpiece to undergo thermal kinetic motion (e.g., as described above in connection with embodiments of the present invention) The support member) can be substituted for the mechanical clamp or other holding device previously proposed for this particular heat treatment method.

For example, referring back to Figures 13 and 14, a support device such as the support device 402 shown in Figure 13 can be provided to allow the workpiece to be thermally indexed so that the workpiece is efficiently scanned by radiation. Reduce internal stresses in the workpiece. If necessary, in order to keep the unheated portion of the workpiece flat until it is heated by the radiation, the controller 420 can be pre-programmed to hold the support member 404 and the pressing member 414 at a fixed position. Among the positions, until the radiation has passed through the position where the support member 404 and the pressing member 414 are engaged with the workpiece 24, and is used to allow the heat-induced bending of the workpiece 24 thereafter. Thus, the relatively "cold" portion of the workpiece 24 that has not been heated is held flat for subsequent heating by the radiation, while at the same time the stress in the workpiece 24 is allowed to be The heated portion is produced to the extent that it is minimized by heat-induced motion. Alternatively, however, it will be appreciated that although the unheated portion of the workpiece is held flat until the portion has been heated by the radiation, it may be desirable (in order to be irradiated at the source and the workpiece) A fixed angle and distance is maintained between the portions of the wire heating, and some of the applications in which the pre-programming of such a controller 420 can be omitted may be omitted. More generally, other movable engagement locations of other types of support members can be substituted.

Alternatively, other types of shell moving engagement locations of other types of support members can be substituted.

It will be appreciated that in the foregoing embodiments, various support systems are constructed to absorb kinetic energy from the workpiece. For example, in the embodiment of the flexible support member described above, when the outer region of the workpiece begins to move downward during the hot bending, thereby pushing the engagement portion of the support member downward and thus bending When the support member is equal, at least some of the kinetic energy of the workpiece is at least temporarily absorbed by the support member and stored as potential energy therein.

Referring back to Figure 4, a method of heat treating a workpiece in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention may also be used, preferably (although not necessarily) for use with other embodiments of the invention disclosed herein. The method includes a surface that illuminates the workpiece over a period of time, wherein the duration of the time period is less than the heat transfer time of the workpiece and is sufficient to allow the workpiece to produce at least some hot bends for the surface Heat to a desired temperature greater than the temperature of most of the workpiece. More particularly, in this embodiment, the method includes a first time period having a surface that illuminates the workpiece for less than a heat transfer time of the workpiece for heating the surface to an intermediate temperature, the intermediate temperature system Greater than the temperature of most workpieces. The method thus includes a second period of time that illuminates the surface of the workpiece for less than a thermal conduction time of the workpiece to heat the surface to a desired temperature. The second time period begins within an interval after a first time period that is sufficient to allow the workpiece to produce at least some hot bends.

Still more particularly, in the present embodiment, the heating device 64 (which includes a flash in the current embodiment) is used The surface of the device side 26 of the workpiece 24 is illuminated during the first time period and the second time period. In this embodiment, the heat transfer time of the workpiece 24 is on the scale of 10 to 15 milliseconds, the first time period is on the scale of 1 millisecond, and the second time period is also on the scale of 1 millisecond. The interval after the first time period (before the start of the second time period) is on the scale of a few milliseconds.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the illumination system (or more particularly, the heating device 64 including the flash lamp) is constructed to be used during the second time period more than during the first time period. A plurality of radiant energy is imparted to the surface of the workpiece and is also constructed to begin a second time period within a few milliseconds after the end of the first time period. Thus, for example, the heating device 64 can illuminate the device side 26 of the workpiece for transferring approximately 10 J/cm ² of energy to the side of the device during a first time period of one millisecond, followed by No energy is delivered to the side of the device during the interval of a few milliseconds, and then the side of the device is illuminated during a second time period of 1 millisecond to transfer approximately 20 J/cm ² of energy to the device side side.

In this embodiment, the workpiece 24 is preheated by the preheating device 62 prior to illuminating the device side 26 with the heating device 64, which illuminates the substrate side 28 to preheat the workpiece 24 to An intermediate temperature. This preheating occurs at a rate that is slower than the heat transfer time of the workpiece, for example, from 100 ° C / s to 400 ° C / s. The first time period during which the device side 26 is first illuminated by the heating device 64 begins when the intermediate temperature is reached.

As noted in the foregoing, these methods can be used to reduce thermal stress and suppress vibrations in the workpiece. In this embodiment, after the device side 26 is illuminated by the heating device 64 during a first time period of duration of about 1 millisecond, the device side 26 will be approximately with the flash (t At the end of =1 ms), a first peak temperature is reached. At the same time, the workpiece 24 is just beginning to undergo hot bending and therefore only reaches a relatively small proportion of its maximum hot bending amplitude. The maximum hot bending amplitude is not reached until a few milliseconds, while the workpiece has exceeded its balanced shape. After about one millisecond, the workpiece 24 is still significantly bent, but the system is recovering toward its flat position at a significant recovery speed. The heating device 64 subjects the device side 26 of the workpiece 24 to a second illumination flash during a second time period of duration of about 1 millisecond. The interval between the first segment and the second segment of time (ie, between the first and second heated flashes) is selected such that the hot press resulting from the second illumination flash will have been on the workpiece Occurs when the first flash is hot pressed and is recovering toward its flat position. Since the wafer has been hot-bent due to the first flash, the stress in the workpiece produced by the hot press generated by the second flash is reduced. The hot press resulting from the second flash also acts in one direction, which is opposite to the recovery speed of the workpiece as it attempts to recover toward its flat position. Accordingly, the hot press bending system generated from the second flash tends to suppress residual vibration from the first flash. The combination of two such flash heating stages in rapid succession allows the side temperature of the device to achieve a higher peak while suppressing residual vibrations in the workpiece.

Alternatively, other illumination energies and durations can be used instead.

For example, where the device side 26 is not illuminated with a series of two or more briefly separated illumination flashes, the illumination system can be constructed to continuously radiate the surface of the device side of the workpiece. The interval is shorter than the heat transfer time of the workpiece and is long enough to allow at least some of the workpiece to be hot pressed. More particularly, the heating device 64 can be operated to expose the device side 26 to a continuous illumination pulse having a duration that is 10 to 15 milliseconds shorter than the heat transfer time of the workpiece, but which is sufficient Long to allow at least some hot bending of the workpiece. Such a pulse wave can be extended by more than a few milliseconds, for example, like about 6 milliseconds. If desired, the illumination system can be constructed to vary the intensity of an illumination during the interval. For example, the system can include, for example, illuminating the surface with a greater intensity during the duration of the latter portion of the pulse wave than during the duration of the earlier portion of the pulse wave. Thus, the pulse wave can be shaped to transfer more energy to the surface of the workpiece during the duration of the latter portion of the pulse wave than during the duration of the earlier portion of the pulse wave.

Further alternatives

While a number of specific embodiments and alternatives have been described hereinabove, alternatives are possible to provide various combinations of the various concepts and features disclosed herein. For example, although the use of flexible support members such as optical quartz fibers has been described fundamentally with passive mechanical support systems, an alternative is that such flexible support members can also be active Support systems are provided, for example, such as those shown in Figures 6-14. In this case, the plurality of support members may include a plurality of flexible support members, each support structure having a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion as described above with respect to, for example, FIG. And the movable engagement portion can include the unrestricted portions. In this case, a support member motion system (which may include a plurality of actuators connected to a plurality of restriction portions) as described above with respect to, for example, FIG. 6 may be constructed to move A restricted part of the support member. The features of these and other combinations disclosed in the specification will become more apparent to those skilled in the art and

In some embodiments, it will be appreciated that certain flexible support members may create partial shadows on the workpiece 24. This may result in non-uniform heating of the workpiece in the vicinity of such shadows. In order to eliminate or reduce this difficulty, it may be advantageous to use optical fibers as flexible support members if needed to pass additional illumination from one or more sources of illumination (not shown). The fibers themselves are delivered to the workpiece to further illuminate the workpiece in the vicinity of such shadows, thereby reducing the non-uniformity of the irradiation field on the workpiece.

In addition, although the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, the embodiments are to be considered as illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting The scope of the patent application accompanying the invention.

20‧‧‧Support system

21‧‧‧Support device

22‧‧‧Support members

24‧‧‧Workpiece

26‧‧‧ Side of the device

28‧‧‧The side of the substrate

30‧‧‧Working plane plate

32‧‧‧Support device

34‧‧‧Support device

36‧‧‧Support member housing

38‧‧‧Spring assembly

40‧‧‧ pivot pegs

42‧‧‧Spring Roller

44‧‧‧Spring roller housing

46‧‧‧Spring bracket bracket

48‧‧‧ Spring

50‧‧‧ links

52‧‧‧Connecting parts

60‧‧‧heat treatment chamber

62‧‧‧Preheating device

63‧‧‧Water-cooled quartz window

64‧‧‧heating device

65‧‧‧Second water-cooled quartz window

80‧‧‧Support device

82‧‧‧Support members

84‧‧‧ pivot point

86‧‧‧ Spring

88‧‧‧Connecting parts

100‧‧‧System for supporting workpieces

102‧‧‧Support device

104‧‧‧Support members

106‧‧‧Actuator

108‧‧‧Support members

110‧‧‧ bracket

112‧‧‧ hole

120‧‧‧Fixed components

122‧‧‧moving components

124‧‧‧ permanent magnet

126‧‧‧Strong magnetic components

128‧‧‧ cable coil

130‧‧‧Power supply unit

132‧‧‧Detector/Controller

134‧‧‧Program memory

200‧‧‧ actuator

202‧‧‧Sports Converter

204‧‧‧Support members

208‧‧‧First connector arm

210‧‧‧Second connector arm

212‧‧‧The first freely movable pivot point

214‧‧‧First rigid rod

215‧‧‧Second freely moveable pivot point

216‧‧‧First fixed pivot point

218‧‧‧First rigid rod

220‧‧‧Second fixed pivot point

222‧‧‧ Third rigid rod

224‧‧‧ Third freely movable pivot point

228‧‧‧Support tip

230‧‧‧ arched path

300‧‧‧System for supporting workpieces

302‧‧‧First support device

304‧‧‧Support members

306‧‧‧ pivot point

308‧‧ ‧ spring

310‧‧‧Connecting parts

312‧‧‧Shell

320‧‧‧Actuator

400‧‧‧System for supporting workpieces

402‧‧‧First support device

404‧‧‧Support members

406‧‧‧Actuator

410‧‧‧Compression device

414‧‧‧Compressed components

416‧‧‧ actuator

420‧‧‧ Controller

500‧‧‧Support device

502‧‧‧Support members

503‧‧‧Support member housing

504‧‧‧ pivot shaft

505‧‧‧Location

506‧‧ ‧ spring

508‧‧‧ cutting-edge

510‧‧‧ Shell

512‧‧‧Installation components

520‧‧‧Second spring

522‧‧‧Rigid stop

600‧‧‧Support device

602‧‧‧Flexible support members

604‧‧‧Restricted parts

606‧‧‧Unrestricted parts

610‧‧‧ Shell

620‧‧‧End area

650‧‧‧Support device

652‧‧‧Flexible support members

654‧‧‧Restricted parts

656‧‧‧Unrestricted parts

660‧‧‧Shell

680‧‧‧Support device

682‧‧‧Flexible support members

684‧‧‧Restricted parts

686‧‧‧Unrestricted parts

690‧‧‧Shell

700‧‧‧Support system

701‧‧‧Support device

702‧‧‧Support device

704‧‧‧Support device

706‧‧‧Support device

708‧‧‧Support device

710‧‧‧Working plane plate

712‧‧‧Flexible support members

714‧‧‧Cladding

716‧‧‧End area

718‧‧‧Shell

800‧‧‧Support system

802‧‧‧Support device

804‧‧‧Support device

806‧‧‧Support device

808‧‧‧Support device

810‧‧‧Working plane plate

812‧‧‧Support members

815‧‧‧First end area

814‧‧‧Cladding

816‧‧‧ intermediate area

817‧‧‧Second end area

818‧‧‧ first shell

819‧‧‧ second casing

900‧‧‧Support system

902‧‧‧Flexible support members

903‧‧‧Flexible support members

904‧‧‧Restricted parts

906‧‧‧Unrestricted parts

907‧‧‧ fiber

908‧‧‧External cladding

920‧‧‧Working plane plate

910‧‧‧ fixture

912‧‧‧Upper clamping member

914‧‧‧Bottom clamping member

916‧‧‧V-shaped grooves or channels

918‧‧‧Vertical narrow holes

920‧‧‧Working plane plate

922‧‧‧External edge

924‧‧‧Internal tip

926‧‧‧ intermediate point

1000‧‧‧Support system

1002‧‧‧First support device

1004‧‧‧second support device

1006‧‧‧Flexible support members

1008‧‧‧Flexible support members

1010‧‧‧Fixed end

1012‧‧‧Fixed end

1014‧‧‧Adjustable end

1016‧‧‧Adjustable end

1018‧‧‧Working plane plate

1020‧‧‧Opening

1022‧‧‧ Length controller

1024‧‧‧ openings

1026‧‧‧Length controller

1200‧‧‧Support system

1202‧‧‧ lateral support device

1204‧‧‧Working plane plate

1206‧‧‧ lateral support members

1208‧‧‧ lateral support members

1210‧‧‧ lateral support members

1212‧‧‧ Lateral support members

1214‧‧‧Locator

1300‧‧‧Support system

1302‧‧‧Support device

1304‧‧‧Second flexible support member

1306‧‧‧External coating

1308‧‧‧ collar

1400‧‧‧Support system

1402‧‧‧Support device

1404‧‧‧Flexible support members

1406‧‧‧Fixed end

1408‧‧‧Adjustable end

1410‧‧‧Working plane plate

1412‧‧‧Generally looped path segments

1414‧‧‧Second substantially circular path segment

1416‧‧‧ Third substantially circular path segment

1422‧‧‧Opening

1424‧‧‧ Length controller

1500‧‧‧heat treatment room

1510‧‧‧Quartz window

1600‧‧‧Support device

1608‧‧‧Support members

1610‧‧‧Smooth surface tip

1700‧‧‧Support device

1702‧‧‧Support members

Schema part

The drawings depict embodiments of the invention.

1 is a top perspective view of a workpiece according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a device for supporting the workpiece; FIG. 2 is a support member of a spring drum and a support device of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the supporting device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the workpiece is a plurality of FIGS. 1 to 3 The support device is supported in a heat treatment chamber; FIG. 5 is a partial side view of a workpiece according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a device for supporting the workpiece; FIG. 6 is a A lower perspective view of a device for supporting a workpiece, the device comprising a support member engageable with a workpiece and an actuator cooperating with the support member; FIG. 7 is a sound coil A simplified cross-sectional view of the actuator for cooperating with the support member illustrated in FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a simplified side elevational view of a device for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention, Device Included is a moving member having an actuator that cooperates with a motion shifter for applying an arching motion to the support member as shown in FIG. 6; Figure 9 is a simplified side elevational view of the moving member, motion shifter and support member of Figure 8 in a second position; Figures 10 through 12 are one for supporting a fifth embodiment in accordance with the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 13 to FIG. 14 are simplified partial side views of a device for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 15 is a view of a device according to the present invention; A simplified partial side view of a support device for a device for supporting a workpiece of a seventh embodiment; FIG. 16 is a support device for a device for supporting a workpiece according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention; Figure 17 is a partial bottom plan view of a support device for supporting a workpiece according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention; Figure 18 is a tenth embodiment of the present invention A partial bottom view of a support device for a device for supporting a workpiece; FIG. 19 is a side view of the support device shown in FIG. 16; and FIG. 20 is an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. Partial side view of a support device for a device for supporting a workpiece; Figure 21 is a portion of a support device for a workpiece according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention and a device for supporting the workpiece Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of the support device of Figure 21; Figure 23 is a perspective view of a workpiece according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention and a support system for supporting the workpiece; Figure 24 is a partial bottom plan view of a support device of the support system shown in Figure 23; Figure 25 is a plan view of a workpiece according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention and a support system for supporting the workpiece; 26 is a top perspective view of the workpiece and the support system shown in FIG. 25; FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece and the support system shown in FIG. 25; FIG. 28 is a detailed sectional view of the workpiece and the support system shown in FIG. 29 is a bottom view of the workpiece and the support system shown in FIG. 25; FIG. 30 is a rear view of a support member jig of the support system shown in FIGS. 25 to 29; FIG. 31 is a fifteenth embodiment according to the present invention. A partial cross-sectional view of a support system for a device for supporting a workpiece; FIG. 32 is a partial cross-sectional view of a support system of a device for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention; 33 is a front view of a lateral support device of the support system shown in Fig. 32, wherein the lateral support means is in a radial direction from a center of the opening of a workpiece plane plate member. Figure 34 is a partial cross-sectional view of a support device for a device for supporting a workpiece in accordance with a seventeenth embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 35 is an eighteenth embodiment of the present invention. A partial cross-sectional view of a support system for a device for supporting a workpiece; and FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the workpiece system The plurality of support devices shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are supported in a heat treatment chamber which is modified in accordance with a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 37 is a first embodiment of the present invention. A side view of a support member of a device for supporting a workpiece of a twenty embodiment; and FIG. 38 is a portion of a support device of a device for supporting a workpiece according to a twenty-first embodiment of the present invention Side view.

20‧‧‧Support system

21‧‧‧Support device

22‧‧‧Support members

24‧‧‧Workpiece

28‧‧‧The side of the substrate

30‧‧‧Working plane plate

36‧‧‧Support member housing

Claims (317)

A device for supporting a semiconductor workpiece, the device comprising: a heating system configured to generate a semiconductor workpiece by heating a surface of the workpiece relative to a majority of the workpiece a thermally actuated motion, wherein the heating system includes an illumination system configured to illuminate a surface of the workpiece for a period of time shorter than a heat transfer time of the workpiece to heat the surface to a temperature, The temperature is greater than the temperature of the majority of the workpiece to cause a thermally actuated motion of the workpiece, wherein the thermally actuated motion comprises an outer edge region of the workpiece and a vertical movement of the center of the workpiece relative to each other; and a support system, The support system is configured to allow the workpiece to perform the heat-induced movement while supporting the workpiece, wherein the support system includes a support member having a movable engagement portion, wherein the movable engagement portion The construct is engaged with the workpiece and is responsive to the outer edge region containing the workpiece when engaged with the workpiece Center of the workpiece relative to one another thermally priming of vertical movement is moved. The device of claim 1, wherein the workpiece comprises a semiconductor wafer, and wherein the movable engaging portion is engageable with the semiconductor wafer for supporting the workpiece. The heat-induced movement of the workpiece is allowed. The device of claim 1, wherein the engagement portion is automatically movable in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 1, wherein the connection The portion can be moved to minimize stress in the workpiece while supporting the workpiece during the thermally actuated motion. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support system is configured to permit movement of an outer region of the workpiece while maintaining a center of mass of the workpiece in a desired range. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the support system is constructed to minimize the movement of the center of mass of the workpiece. The device of claim 1, wherein the support system is configured to support the workpiece while permitting hot bending of the workpiece. The device of claim 1, wherein the support system is configured to support the workpiece while permitting thermal bending of the workpiece. The device of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises a rigid movable support member. The device of claim 1, wherein the support member is flexible and has a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion, and wherein the movable engagement portion includes the unrestricted portion . The device of claim 1, wherein the movable engagement portion of the support member is resiliently engageable with the workpiece. The device of claim 1, wherein the connecting portion of the supporting member comprises a plurality of respective supporting members. A movable joint. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of movable attachment portions of the plurality of respective support members comprise at least three movable engagement portions of at least three respective support members. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of movable support portions of the plurality of respective support members comprise at least four movable engagement portions of at least four respective support members. The device of claim 1, wherein the support system is constructed to suppress vibration of the workpiece. The device of claim 15, wherein the support system is constructed to modulate at least one natural vibration of the workpiece. The device of claim 16, wherein the support system is constructed to suppress a second natural vibration of the workpiece. The device of claim 16, wherein the support system is constructed to suppress a first natural vibration of the workpiece. The device of claim 15 wherein the support system is constructed to absorb kinetic energy from the workpiece. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of movable attachment portions of the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of tips of a plurality of respective support pegs. The device of claim 20, wherein the The tip end of the stud can engage the outer peripheral region of the workpiece. The device of claim 21, wherein the support system is configured to automatically allow the tips of the support pegs to react with the thermally actuated motion of the outer peripheral region of the workpiece. motion. The device of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of movable engagement portions elastically engages the workpiece. The device of claim 23, further comprising a plurality of force application devices, wherein the force application device is in communication with the plurality of support members to apply a force to the support members for As a result, each of the engagement portions tends to remain in contact with the workpiece during the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 24, wherein each of the force application devices comprises a torque applicator. The device of claim 25, wherein the torque applicator is configured to apply an upward force at a position on the support member and inserted into the support member. A pivot point is between the joint and the joint. The device of claim 25, wherein the torque applicator is constructed to apply a downward force to a position on the support member such that a pivot point of the support member It is inserted between this position and the joint. The device of claim 24, wherein each of the force application devices includes first and second torque applicators, the torques The applicator is configured to apply first and second relative moments to each of the support members, the second moment acting against the support member beyond one of its equilibrium positions. The device of claim 24, wherein each of the force application devices includes a spring coupled to the support member. The device of claim 29, wherein the spring comprises a fixed force spring. The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of support studs comprise a material that is transparent to at least some of the illumination wavelengths, wherein the workpiece is capable of being illuminated by the illumination wavelengths . The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of support studs comprise an optically transparent material. The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of support studs comprise quartz. The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of support studs comprise sapphire. The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of support studs comprise metal. The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of support studs comprise tungsten. The device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of tips of the respective plurality of support pegs have an outer coating. The device of claim 37, wherein the device The partial coating layer contains tungsten nitride. The device of claim 37, wherein the outer coating comprises tungsten carbide. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of movable attachment portions of the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of smooth tips having a plurality of respective support pegs. The device of claim 12, further comprising a support member motion system configured to move the moveable engagement locations in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 41, wherein the support member motion system is configured to move the support members in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 42, wherein for each support member, the support member motion system includes a respective actuator coupled to the support member. The device of claim 43, wherein the support member motion system is constructed to apply a current to each actuator for moving each of the support members. The device of claim 43, wherein each actuator comprises a voice coil actuator coupled to the support member. The device of claim 43, wherein each actuator comprises a piezoelectric actuator that is coupled to the support member. The device of claim 43, wherein each actuator comprises a linear servo actuator coupled to the support member. The device of claim 43, wherein, for each actuator, the support member motion system further comprises a motion converter constructed to constitute one of the actuators A linear motion of the movable member is converted into an arched motion of the support member. The device of claim 42, wherein the motion device comprises at least one controller configured to adjust a position of the plurality of support members for weighting one of the workpieces A difference between the upward forces is reduced to a minimum extent, wherein the upper force is applied to the workpiece by a plurality of joint locations of the plurality of support members. The device of claim 42, wherein the motion device comprises at least one controller configured to adjust a position of the support member for applying one weight and one upward of the workpiece A difference between the forces is maintained within a desired range, wherein the upward force is applied to the workpiece by the interface of the support members. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the motion system is configured to move the support members in response to the predicted value of the motion of the heat priming. The device of claim 41, wherein the motion system is configured to move the support members in response to the detecting parameter of the thermally actuated motion. The device of claim 41, further comprising at least one detector configured to detect a thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 53, wherein the motion system comprises a plurality of actuators, each actuator being connected to a respective one of the plurality of support members, and wherein The at least one detector is configured to detect a current generated from a force in each of the plurality of actuators, the force being applied to the respective support by the motion of the workpiece The joint of the component. The device of claim 54, further comprising at least one controller configured to apply a current to each of the actuators for moving the engagement locations. The device of claim 55, wherein the plurality of actuators comprise a plurality of voice coil actuators. The device of claim 54, wherein, for each actuator, the at least one detector is configured to detect an error between the current and a desired current level. And the at least one controller is configured to control the actuator to adjust a position of the support member to facilitate minimizing the error. The device of claim 54, wherein the at least one detector comprises at least one processor circuit in communication with the actuators. The device of claim 58, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of processor circuits, each processor The circuitry is in communication with one of the respective plurality of actuators. The device of claim 55, wherein the at least one controller comprises at least one processor circuit in communication with the actuators. The device of claim 60, wherein the at least one controller comprises a plurality of processor circuits, each processor circuit being respectively associated with one of each of the plurality of actuators through. The device of claim 55, wherein the at least one controller comprises at least one detector. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of movable engagement portions of the plurality of support members comprise a first plurality of movable engagement portions of the first plurality of respective support members, and a second a second plurality of movable engagement portions of the plurality of respective support members, the first plurality of movable engagement portions being engageable with a lower surface of the workpiece, and the second plurality of movable engagement portions It can be engaged with an upper surface of the workpiece. The device of claim 63, wherein the first and second plurality of engaging portions are respectively engageable with an underlying surface and an upper surface of the workpiece at an outer peripheral region of the workpiece. The device of claim 41, wherein the motion system is configured to move the engagement portions to minimize a force applied between the workpiece and the engagement portions. Degree. The device of claim 65, wherein the plurality of connecting members of the plurality of supporting members comprise the first plurality From the first plurality of movable engagement portions of the support member, the first plurality of movable engagement portions are engageable with a lower surface of the workpiece, and wherein the motion system is constructed to move a plurality of joints for minimizing a difference between a weight and a force of the workpiece, wherein the force is applied to the first plurality of joints and the workpiece between. The device of claim 66, wherein the plurality of engaging portions of the plurality of supporting members further comprise a second plurality of movable engaging portions of the second plurality of respective supporting members, the The second plurality of movable engagement portions are engageable with an upper surface of the workpiece, and wherein the motion system is configured to move the second plurality of engagement portions for application to the workpiece and the The force between the two complex joints is reduced to a minimum. The device of claim 41, wherein each of the plurality of movable engagement portions is resiliently engageable with the workpiece, and wherein the motion system is configured to react to The thermally actuated motion moves the plurality of support members. The device of claim 68, further comprising a plurality of torque applicators configured to apply a moment to a respective pivot point of the support member to the support The members are configured to cause the engagement locations to tend to remain in contact with the workpiece, and wherein the motion system is configured to pivot points for moving the support members. The device of claim 69, wherein the The plurality of torque applicators include a plurality of springs that are coupled to the support members at locations other than pivot points of the support members, and wherein the motion system is configured to conduct current Applying to a plurality of actuators connected to a plurality of support members for moving the support members. The device of claim 68, wherein the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of flexible support members, each of the flexible support members having a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion; The unrestricted portions are resiliently engageable with the workpiece; and wherein the kinematic system is constructed to define a restriction for moving the support members. The device of claim 71, wherein the plurality of actuators are connected to a plurality of restriction sites. The device of claim 68, further comprising a detector configured to detect a thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of flexible support members, each of the flexible support members having a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion; Wherein the movable engagement locations comprise unrestricted portions of the flexible support members. The device of claim 74, wherein the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of fibers. The device of claim 75, wherein the The number of fibers is comprised of a plurality of optical fibers. The device of claim 75, wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of quartz fibers. The device of claim 75, wherein the plurality of fibers comprise a plurality of sapphire fibers. The device of claim 74, further comprising at least one limiter configured to limit a restriction of the flexible support members. The device of claim 79, wherein the at least one limiter comprises a plurality of limiters disposed adjacent an outer periphery of the workpiece. The device of claim 80, wherein the plurality of limiters are comprised of a limiter having fewer than the plurality of flexible support members, and wherein each limiter is constructed Used to limit more than one flexible support member. The device of claim 81, wherein each of the limiters is configured to limit more than one flexible support member that is generally parallel to each other. The device of claim 81, wherein each of the restrictors is configured to limit more than one flexible support member that is generally divergent from each other. The device of claim 80, wherein the plurality of limiters are comprised of the same number of limiters as the flexible support members, and wherein each limiter is constructed Used to limit Corresponding to each of the flexible support members of one of the restriction portions. The device of claim 80, further comprising a plurality of force application devices configured to apply a force to the plurality of limiters to cause each The unrestricted portion tends to maintain contact with the workpiece during the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 85, wherein the plurality of force application devices comprise a plurality of torque applicators. The device of claim 85, wherein the plurality of force applications comprise a plurality of springs. The device of claim 74, wherein each of the engaging portions is engageable with a lower portion of the workpiece at an angle of 10 to 80 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. The device of claim 74, wherein each of the engaging portions is engageable with a lower portion of the workpiece at an angle of 15 to 35 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. The device of claim 74, wherein each of the engaging portions is engageable with a lower portion of the workpiece at an angle of 25 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. The device of claim 79, wherein each of the flexible support members includes a restriction at one end thereof, and wherein the unrestricted portion faces the restriction portion A central region of the workpiece extends in phase. Such as the device described in claim 91, wherein each An inner tip of the unrestricted portion extends inwardly through an outer edge of the workpiece, and wherein the engagement portion includes an intermediate portion between the restriction portion and the inner tip along the unrestricted portion Point, the intermediate point can be engaged with the outer edge of the workpiece. The apparatus of claim 79, wherein the at least one limiter comprises a workpiece planar panel surrounding the workpiece. The device of claim 93, wherein the limiter comprises at least one clamp for clamping the restriction. The device of claim 93, wherein the workpiece planar panel defines a plurality of workpiece support openings in an interior surface thereof, and wherein the restriction portions are Attached to the workpiece planar panel, the unrestricted portions extend inwardly toward the workpiece to support the apertures through the workpieces. The device of claim 93, wherein the workpiece flat panel is constructed to limit the restricted portions to a substantially horizontal direction for causing the unrestricted portions to be The central region facing the workpiece extends generally horizontally and inwardly while simultaneously downwardly. The device of claim 96, wherein the unrestricted portions are engageable with an outer edge of the workpiece. The device of claim 97, wherein the unrestricted portions are engageable with an outer edge of the workpiece at an angle of less than about 10 degrees downward relative to a plane of the workpiece. The device of claim 93, wherein the The plurality of flexible support members comprise a plurality of elongate flexible support members. The device of claim 99, wherein the plurality of elongate flexible support members comprise at least 20 elongate flexible support members. The device of claim 99, wherein the plurality of elongate flexible support members comprise at least 50 elongate flexible support members. The device of claim 74, wherein each flexible support member comprises a first and a second spaced restriction portion, and the unrestricted portion is between the restriction portions The curved path extends. The device of claim 79, wherein each of the flexible support members includes first and second restriction portions at opposite ends of the support member, and the opposite ends are attached Delimiting the unrestricted portion therebetween, and wherein the at least one restrictor comprises first and second restrictors configured to limit the first and second restricted portions in a spaced apart relationship And to cause the unrestricted portion to extend in a curved path between the restricted portions. The device of claim 102, wherein the unrestricted portion extends upwardly and inwardly from the first restriction portion along the curved path toward the workpiece to an area in contact therewith and is used to contact the contact region Extending downward and outward to the second restriction site. The device of claim 104, wherein the The unrestricted portion extends along the curved path such that a tangent to the unconstrained portion at the contact region is substantially parallel to a tangent to an outer periphery of the workpiece in the vicinity of the contact region. The device of claim 104, wherein the unrestricted portion extends along a curved path such that a tangent to the unconstrained portion at the contact region is radially and inward toward the workpiece The center extends. The device of claim 102, wherein the unrestricted portion extends along a curved path to form a first substantially loop-shaped path segment, a second substantially loop-shaped path segment, and a first a substantially substantially loop-shaped path segment; the first substantially loop-shaped path segment extending from the first restriction portion below a plane of the workpiece and contacting the workpiece at a lower surface of the workpiece; the second substantially loop A loop-shaped path segment extends between an outer edge of the workpiece and an inner edge of a workpiece planar panel; the third substantially loop-shaped path segment extends above the plane of the workpiece and is attached to one of the workpieces The workpiece is contacted at the upper surface, and the curved path terminates at the second restriction. The device of claim 107, further comprising a retractor configured to retract the second restriction portion for moving the third substantially annular path The segment leaves a volume defined above the upper surface of the workpiece. The device of claim 102, wherein the first and the second restriction portions are fixed to a workpiece flat plate member. To prevent the movement of these restricted parts. The device of claim 102, wherein at least one of the first and second restriction sites is restrained in a retractable manner. The device of claim 110, further comprising a retractor configured to retract at least one of the first and second restriction portions for The unrestricted portion is efficiently grown. The device of claim 110, further comprising a retractor configured to retract at least one of the first and second restriction portions for The unrestricted portion is efficiently grown. The device of claim 74, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise first and second plurality of elongate flexible support members, wherein the first plurality of flexible members The unrestricted portion of the support member can engage a lower surface of the workpiece, and wherein the unconstrained portion of the second plurality of flexible support members can engage an upper surface of the workpiece. The device of claim 1, further comprising a lateral support member configured to laterally support the workpiece. The device of claim 114, wherein the lateral support member comprises a plurality of lateral support members at various locations relative to an outer edge of the workpiece. The device of claim 115, wherein the device Each of the plurality of lateral support members can resiliently engage the outer edge of the workpiece. The device of claim 115, wherein the plurality of lateral support members comprise a plurality of flexible fibers. The device of claim 117, wherein the flexible fiber systems are positioned at an angle substantially normal to a plane of the workpiece. The device of claim 114, wherein the support member comprises the lateral support member, and wherein the support member comprises a movable member engageable with a lower surface of the workpiece A vertical engagement portion and a lateral support engagement portion engageable with an outer edge of the workpiece. The device of claim 119, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of support members, the plurality of support members comprising a plurality of vertical and lateral support joints engageable with the workpiece . The device of claim 119, wherein the vertical and lateral support engaging portions are resiliently engageable with the workpiece. The device of claim 119, wherein the vertical and lateral support engaging portions are flexible. The device of claim 122, wherein the vertical and lateral support engaging portions comprise first and second fibers. The device of claim 117, wherein the device The fiber system contains optical fibers. The device of claim 117, wherein the fibers comprise quartz fibers. The device of claim 117, wherein the fibers comprise sapphire fibers. The device of claim 1, wherein the illumination system is configured to illuminate the surface for a period of less than about 1 millisecond. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination system is configured to: the illumination system is configured to illuminate a surface of the workpiece for a first time period shorter than a heat conduction time of the workpiece Heating the surface to an intermediate temperature that is greater than a temperature of a majority of the workpiece; and the illumination system is configured to illuminate the surface for a second time period that is shorter than the heat transfer time of the workpiece Heating the surface to a desired temperature greater than the intermediate temperature, wherein the second time period begins within an interval after the first time period, which is sufficient to allow at least some of the workpiece Hot bending. The device of claim 128, wherein the illumination system is configured to apply more energy to the surface of the workpiece during the second time period than during the first time period. The device of claim 128, wherein the illumination system is constructed to be after the end of the first time period The second time period begins within a few milliseconds. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination system is configured to continuously illuminate a surface of the workpiece in an interval that is shorter than a heat conduction time of the workpiece and is long enough To allow at least some hot bending of the workpiece. The device of claim 1, wherein the illumination system is configured to vary the intensity of the illumination during the interval. The device of claim 132, wherein the illumination system is configured to use a larger period during a later portion of the interval than during a earlier portion of the interval The surface is illuminated by intensity. The device of claim 1, wherein the illumination system comprises a flash. The device of claim 134, wherein the flash unit comprises a liquid cooled arc lamp. The device of claim 134, wherein the flash unit comprises a water wall type arc lamp. The device of claim 136, wherein the water wall arc lamp comprises a double water wall arc lamp. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the workpiece comprises a semiconductor wafer, and wherein the support system is constructed to allow The wafer is supported by the wafer during thermal motion. A method of supporting a semiconductor workpiece, the method comprising the following a step of heating a surface of the workpiece by heat relative to a majority of the workpiece to cause a thermally actuated motion of the semiconductor workpiece, wherein the step of heating includes illuminating the surface of the workpiece for a period of time a heat conduction time shorter than the workpiece for heating the workpiece to a temperature greater than a temperature of a majority of the workpiece, and wherein the step of causing the thermally induced motion comprises causing an outer edge region of the workpiece Vertical movement of the center of the workpiece relative to each other; and permitting the thermally actuated movement of the workpiece when supporting the workpiece, wherein the step of supporting includes engaging a movable engagement portion of a support member with the workpiece The aforementioned engagement portion is movable in response to a thermally actuated motion comprising a vertical movement of the outer edge region of the workpiece and the center of the workpiece relative to each other when engaged with the workpiece. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging the movable engaging portion of the supporting member with a semiconductor wafer, and the engaging portion can be moved to When the wafer is supported, the movement of the wafer is allowed to be thermally induced. The method of claim 139, further comprising the act of thermally urging the workpiece to automatically permit movement of the engagement portion. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of permitting the movement of the heat priming comprises allowing movement of the engagement portion for supporting the workpiece during the movement of the heat priming, The stress in the workpiece is reduced to a minimum. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of permitting the motion of the heat priming comprises the movement of the outer region of the workpiece while maintaining a center of mass of the workpiece within a desired range . The method of claim 143, wherein the maintaining step comprises reducing the movement of the center of mass of the workpiece to a minimum. The method of claim 139, wherein the permissible step comprises thermally pressing the workpiece. The method of claim 139, wherein the permissible step comprises allowing thermal bending of the workpiece. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging the workpiece as the engagement portion with a portion of a rigidly movable support member. The method of claim 139, wherein the support member is flexible and has a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion, and wherein the step of engaging includes the unrestricted portion and the workpiece Connected. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging the movable engagement portion of the support member with the workpiece. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of movable engagement portions of the plurality of respective support members with the workpiece. The method of claim 150, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging at least three movable engagement portions of at least three respective support members with the workpiece. The method of claim 150, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging at least four movable engagement portions of at least four respective support members with the workpiece. The method of claim 139, further comprising the step of suppressing vibration of the workpiece. The method of claim 153, wherein the step of pressing comprises at least one of a natural vibration mode of pressing the workpiece. The method of claim 154, wherein the step of pressing comprises a second natural vibration mode of pressing the workpiece. The method of claim 154, wherein the step of pressing comprises a first natural vibration mode of pressing the workpiece. The method of claim 153, wherein the step of pressing comprises absorbing kinetic energy from the workpiece. The method of claim 150, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a tip end of the support stud with an outer peripheral region of the workpiece. For example, the method described in claim 159 of the patent scope further includes The movement of the tips of the support pegs is automatically allowed in response to the thermally actuated motion of the outer peripheral region of the workpiece. The method of claim 150, wherein the step of engaging comprises elastically engaging each of the movable engagement portions with the workpiece. The method of claim 161, wherein the step of elastically engaging comprises applying a force to the support members to cause each of the engagement portions to tend to be thermally actuated on the workpiece. The contact with the workpiece is maintained during the movement. The method of claim 162, wherein the step of applying a force comprises applying a moment to each of the support members. The method of claim 163, wherein the step of applying a moment comprises applying an upward force at a position on each of the support members, and the support member is interposed in the support member A pivot point is between the hinged portion. The method of claim 163, wherein the step of applying a moment comprises applying a downward force at a position on each of the support members such that a pivot point of the support member is Inserted between the position and the joint. The method of claim 162, wherein the step of applying a force comprises applying the first and second forces to apply the first and second relative moments to each of the support members, The second moment acts to counter a balance of the support member by the support member Set. The method of claim 162, wherein the step of applying a force comprises applying a spring force. The method of claim 167, wherein the step of applying the spring force comprises applying the force by a spring coupled to each of the support members. The method of claim 167, wherein the step of applying the spring force comprises applying a fixed force by a fixed force spring coupled to each of the support members. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece, and the supporting studs are included for at least some The material is transparent to the wavelength of the illumination, and the workpiece is capable of being irradiated with heat by the illumination wavelengths. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece, and the support studs comprise optically transparent material. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece, and the support studs comprise quartz. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece, and the support studs comprise sapphire. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece, and the support studs comprise metal. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece, and the support studs comprise tungsten. The method of claim 158, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a plurality of coated tips of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece. The method of claim 176, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a tip of a plurality of tungsten nitride coatings of a plurality of respective tungsten support studs with the workpiece. The method of claim 176, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a tip of a plurality of tungsten carbide coatings of a plurality of respective tungsten support studs with the workpiece. The method of claim 150, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a tip of the plurality of smooth surfaces of the plurality of respective support pegs with the workpiece. The method of claim 150, further comprising moving the movable engagement portion in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The method of claim 180, wherein the step of moving the movable engagement locations comprises moving the support members. For example, the method described in claim 181, wherein The step of moving the support members includes applying, for each support member, a current to an actuator connected to the support member. The method of claim 182, wherein the step of applying a current comprises applying a current to a voice coil actuator connected to the support member. The method of claim 182, wherein the step of applying a current comprises applying a current to a piezoelectric actuator connected to the support member. The method of claim 182, wherein the step of applying a current comprises applying a current to a linear servo actuator coupled to the support member. The method of claim 182, further comprising converting an linear motion of a movable member of the actuator into an arched motion of the support member. The method of claim 181, wherein the moving step comprises adjusting a position of the plurality of support members to reduce a difference between a weight of the workpiece and an upward force. To a minimum extent, wherein the upward force is applied to the workpiece by a plurality of joint locations of the plurality of support members. The method of claim 181, wherein the moving step comprises adjusting a position of the plurality of support members to maintain a difference between a weight of the workpiece and an upward force Within the desired range, wherein the upward force is applied to the workpiece by the joint of the support members. The method of claim 180, wherein the step of reacting the thermally coupled movements to move the engagement sites comprises moving the support members in response to the predetermined value of the motion of the thermal actuation. . The method of claim 180, wherein the step of reacting the thermally coupled movements to move the engagement sites comprises moving the parameters detected by the one arm of the thermally actuated motion to move The support members. The method of claim 180, further comprising detecting the thermally actuated motion of the member. The method of claim 191, wherein the detecting step comprises: at each of the plurality of actuators (each actuator is connected to one of a plurality of support members) Among them, a current generated by a force applied to the joint portion of the support member by the movement of the workpiece is detected. The method of claim 192, wherein the step of moving the joints comprises applying a current to each of the actuators. The method of claim 192, wherein the step of detecting the current comprises detecting at each of the plurality of voice coil actuators (each actuator is connected to one of the respective ones) The current in the support member), and wherein the step of moving the engagement locations includes applying a current to the acoustic coil actuators. For example, the method described in claim 192, wherein The step of measuring the current includes, for each actuator, detecting an error of the current and a desired current level, and wherein the step of moving the joint portion includes, for each For the support member, a position of the support member is adjusted to minimize this error. The method of claim 195, wherein the step of detecting the error comprises detecting an error at a processor circuit in communication with the actuator. The method of claim 150, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging a first plurality of movable engagement portions of the first plurality of respective support members with a lower surface of the workpiece, and A second plurality of engagement locations of the second plurality of support members engage the upper surface of the workpiece. The method of claim 197, wherein the step of engaging comprises: locating the first and second plurality of engagement portions with an underside and an upper surface of the workpiece at an outer peripheral region of the workpiece Connect. The method of claim 180, wherein the moving step comprises moving the engaging portions to minimize the force applied between the workpiece and the engaging portions. . The method of claim 199, wherein the moving step comprises: a first plurality of engaging portions that move a first plurality of respective supporting members that are coupled to a lower surface of the workpiece for a difference between a weight and a force between the workpiece minus To a minimum extent, the force is applied between the first plurality of joints and the workpiece. The method of claim 200, wherein the moving step comprises a first plurality of engaging portions that move a first plurality of respective support members that engage a lower surface of the workpiece for A force applied between the workpiece and the second plurality of engaging portions is minimized. The method of claim 180, wherein the step of engaging comprises elastically engaging the joint portion of the support member with the workpiece, and wherein the step of moving comprises reacting to the heat urging Move to move the support members. The method of claim 202, wherein the step of elastically engaging includes applying a moment to each of the pivoting points of the support member to cause the coupling portions to tend to remain The contact of the workpiece, and wherein the step of moving includes pivoting points that move the support members. The method of claim 203, wherein the step of applying a moment comprises applying a spring force to the support members at positions other than the pivot points of the support members, and wherein The steps include applying a current to a plurality of actuators coupled to the plurality of support members for moving the support members. The method of claim 202, wherein the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of flexible support members, each of the flexible support members having a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion; The step of elastically engaging includes elastically engaging the unrestricted portions of the flexible support members with the workpiece; and wherein the step of moving includes restricting portions for moving the support members. The method of claim 205, wherein the step of moving comprises applying a current to a plurality of actuators connected to the plurality of restriction sites. The method of claim 202, further comprising detecting the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The method of claim 150, wherein the plurality of support members comprise a plurality of flexible support members, each of the flexible support members having a restriction portion and an unrestricted portion; The step of engaging the plurality of movable engagement locations includes engaging an unrestricted portion of the flexible support members with the workpiece. The method of claim 208, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise a plurality of fibers, and wherein the step of engaging comprises unrestricted portions of the fibers with the workpiece Connect. The method of claim 208, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise a plurality of optical fibers, and wherein the step of engaging comprises unrestricted portions of the optical fibers The workpieces are connected. The method of claim 208, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise a plurality of quartz fibers, and wherein the step of engaging comprises unrestricted portions of the quartz fibers The workpieces are connected. The method of claim 208, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise a plurality of sapphire fibers, and wherein the step of engaging comprises unrestricted portions of the sapphire fibers The workpieces are connected. The method of claim 208, further comprising limiting each of the restricted portions of the flexible support members. The method of claim 213, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting a restriction located in a plurality of limiters disposed adjacent an outer periphery of the workpiece. The method of claim 214, wherein the plurality of limiters are comprised of fewer limiters than the number of the flexible support members, and wherein the limiting steps include More than one flexible support member within each limiter is restrained. The method of claim 215, wherein the step of limiting comprises, in each of the restrictors, confining more than one flexible support member that is substantially parallel to each other. The method of claim 215, wherein the step of limiting comprises, in each of the restrictors, confining more than one flexible support member that is substantially dispersed from each other. The method of claim 214, wherein the plurality of limiters are comprised of the same number of limiters as the flexible support members, and wherein the limiting step comprises A limit of one of the respective limiters is limited. The method of claim 214, wherein the step of engaging comprises applying a force to each of the limiters to cause each unrestricted portion to tend to be thermally actuated in the workpiece. The contact with the workpiece is maintained during the movement. The method of claim 219, wherein the step of applying a force comprises applying a moment. The method of claim 219, wherein the step of applying a force comprises applying an elastic force. The method of claim 208, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging each of the engaging portions with an undersurface of the workpiece at an angle of 10 to 80 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. . The method of claim 208, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging each of the engaging portions with an undersurface of the workpiece at an angle of 15 to 35 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. . The method of claim 208, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging each of the engaging portions with an undersurface of the workpiece at an angle of 25 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. The method of claim 213, wherein each flexible support member comprises a restriction at one end thereof, and wherein the step of limiting comprises limiting the restriction portion, So that the unrestricted portion will be extended inward toward a central region of the workpiece Stretch. The method of claim 225, wherein an inner tip of each unrestricted portion extends inwardly past an outer edge of the workpiece, and wherein the step of engaging includes one along the An unconstrained portion and an intermediate point between the restricted portion and the inner tip engages the outer edge of the workpiece. The method of claim 213, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting the restricted portions to a workpiece planar panel surrounding the workpiece. The method of claim 227, wherein the step of limiting comprises the step of clamping. The method of claim 227, wherein the step of limiting each of the restriction portions includes attaching the restriction portion to the workpiece planar plate member, and the unrestricted portion extends inwardly toward the workpiece through a A workpiece defined in the panel supports the opening. The method of claim 227, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting the restricted portions to a substantially horizontal direction to cause the unrestricted portions to face the center of the workpiece The part extends horizontally and inward while being bent downward. The method of claim 230, wherein the step of engaging comprises engaging the unconstrained portions with an outer edge of the workpiece. The method of claim 231, wherein the step of engaging includes the unjoined portion and an outer portion of the workpiece The edges engage at an angle that is less than about 10 degrees downward relative to a plane of the workpiece. The method of claim 227, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise a plurality of elongate flexible support members. The method of claim 233, wherein the plurality of elongate flexible support members comprise at least twenty elongate flexible support members, and wherein the step of limiting comprises At least twenty elongated flexible support members are constrained within the workpiece planar panel. The method of claim 233, wherein the plurality of elongate flexible support members comprise at least fifty elongate flexible support members, and wherein the step of limiting comprises At least fifty elongated flexible support members are constrained within the workpiece planar panel. The method of claim 213, wherein each of the flexible support members comprises first and second restriction portions located at opposite ends of the support member, and the opposite end portions are Limiting the unrestricted portion therebetween, and wherein the limiting step includes limiting the first and second restriction portions in a spaced apart relationship to cause the unrestricted portion to be bent therebetween Extend in the path. The method of claim 236, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting the first and second restriction portions to cause the unrestricted portion to follow the curved path from the first restriction portion The workpiece extends upwardly and outwardly toward the workpiece to a contact area with the workpiece and extends downwardly and outwardly from the contact area to the second restriction. The method of claim 237, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting the first and second restriction portions to cause the unrestricted portion to extend along the curved path such that the unrestricted portion A tangent at the contact area is substantially parallel to a tangent to the workpiece about an outer portion of the vicinity of the contact area. The method of claim 237, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting the first and second restriction portions to cause the unrestricted portion to extend along the curved path such that the unrestricted portion A tangent at the contact area will extend radially inward toward a center of the workpiece. The method of claim 236, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting the first and second restriction portions to cause the unrestricted portion to extend along the curved path to form a slave a first substantially annular path segment extending below a plane of the workpiece and contacting the workpiece at a lower surface of the workpiece, an outer edge of the workpiece and a workpiece planar panel a second substantially loop-shaped path segment extending between the inner edges, and a third substantially loop-shaped path segment above the plane of the workpiece and contacting the workpiece at an upper surface of the workpiece, the curved path being The second restriction site ends. The method of claim 240, further comprising retracting the second restriction to move the third substantially annular path segment out of a volume defined above the upper surface of the workpiece. For example, the method described in claim 236, wherein The steps of the system include securing the first and second restriction portions to prevent movement of the restriction portions. The method of claim 236, wherein the limiting step comprises limiting at least one of the first and second restriction sites in a retractable manner. The method of claim 243, further comprising retracting at least one of the first and second restriction portions to effectively shorten the unrestricted portion. The method of claim 243, further comprising extending at least one of the first and second restriction sites to effectively lengthen the unrestricted portion. The method of claim 208, wherein the plurality of flexible support members comprise first and second plurality of flexible support members, and wherein engaging the plurality of movable engagement portions The step includes engaging an unconstrained portion of the first plurality of flexible support members with a lower surface of the workpiece, and unlimiting portions of the second plurality of flexible support members with an upper surface of the workpiece Connected. The method of claim 139, further comprising supporting the workpiece laterally. The method of claim 247, wherein the step of laterally supporting includes positioning a plurality of lateral support members at respective locations relative to an outer edge of the workpiece. The method of claim 248, wherein the step of positioning includes the plurality of lateral support members and the outer portion of the workpiece The edges of the parts are elastically joined. The method of claim 248, wherein the step of positioning comprises positioning a plurality of flexible fibers in respective positions. The method of claim 250, wherein the step of positioning comprises positioning the flexible fibers at an angle that is substantially positive toward a plane of the workpiece. The method of claim 247, wherein the step of engaging and laterally supporting includes engaging a vertical support engagement portion of a support member with a lower surface of the workpiece, and the support member A lateral support engagement portion engages an outer edge of the workpiece. The method of claim 252, wherein the step of engaging and laterally supporting includes engaging a plurality of vertical and lateral support engaging portions of the plurality of respective support members with the workpiece. The method of claim 252, wherein the step of engaging and laterally supporting includes elastically engaging the vertical and lateral support engaging portions with the workpiece. The method of claim 252, wherein the step of engaging and laterally supporting comprises engaging a flexible engagement portion that serves as the vertical and lateral support interface. The method of claim 255, wherein the step of engaging and laterally supporting includes engaging the first and second fibers that are to serve as the vertical and lateral support engaging portions with the workpiece. The method of claim 250, wherein the step of positioning comprises positioning a plurality of optical fibers. The method of claim 250, wherein the step of positioning comprises positioning a plurality of quartz fibers. The method of claim 250, wherein the step of positioning comprises locating a plurality of sapphire fibers. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of illuminating comprises illuminating the surface for a period of time shorter than about 1 millisecond. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of irradiating comprises: illuminating the surface of the workpiece for a first time, the first time being shorter than the heat conduction time of the workpiece for heating the surface At an intermediate temperature, the intermediate temperature is greater than the temperature of the majority of the workpiece; and illuminating the surface of the workpiece for a second time, the second time being shorter than the heat transfer time of the workpiece for heating the surface to be greater than The desired temperature of the intermediate temperature, wherein the second time begins within an interval after the first time, which is sufficient to permit at least some hot bending of the workpiece. The method of claim 261, wherein the step of illuminating comprises applying more radiant energy to the surface of the workpiece during the second time of the segment than during the first time of the segment. For example, the method described in claim 261, wherein The step of shooting includes starting the second time of the segment within a few milliseconds after the end of the first time of the segment. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of irradiating comprises a step of continuously illuminating the surface of the workpiece, the interval being shorter than a heat conduction time of the workpiece, and being sufficiently long to allow the workpiece At least some of the hot bends. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of continuously irradiating comprises varying an intensity of the illumination during the interval. The method of claim 265, wherein the changing step comprises illuminating the surface during a later portion of the interval that is more intense than during a earlier portion of the interval. The method of claim 139, wherein the step of illuminating comprises illuminating the surface by means of a flash lamp. The method of any one of claim 139, wherein the supporting, at the same time, the permissible step comprises supporting the thermal movement of a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer. A device for supporting a semiconductor workpiece, the device comprising: a generating mechanism for generating a heat-induced motion of the workpiece by heating a surface of the workpiece relative to a majority of the workpiece, wherein The generating mechanism includes an illumination mechanism for illuminating the surface of the workpiece for a period of time, and the time is shorter than a heat conduction time of the workpiece for The piece is heated to a temperature which is greater than a temperature of a majority of the workpiece, and wherein the thermally actuated motion comprises an outer edge region of the workpiece and a vertical movement of the center of the workpiece relative to each other; a support mechanism for supporting the workpiece The support mechanism is engageable with the workpiece; and an admissive mechanism for allowing the workpiece to perform the thermally actuated motion when the workpiece is supported, wherein the permissive mechanism includes a mechanism for allowing the support mechanism to respond to the included workpiece The outer edge region and the vertical movement of the workpiece relative to each other move with a thermally actuated motion while the support mechanism engages the workpiece. The device of claim 269, wherein the supporting mechanism and the allowing mechanism respectively comprise a mechanism for supporting a semiconductor wafer, and for allowing the wafer while the wafer is being supported The mechanism of heat-induced movement. The device of claim 269, wherein the permissive mechanism comprises an automatic admissibility mechanism for automatically allowing the support mechanism to react to the workpiece by thermal motion. The device of claim 269, wherein the allowing mechanism comprises a mechanism for allowing movement of the supporting mechanism for supporting the workpiece during the movement of the heat priming The stress in is reduced to a minimum. The device of claim 269, wherein the permissive mechanism includes motion for permitting an outer region of the workpiece while maintaining a center of mass of the workpiece within a desired range The institution inside. The device of claim 273, wherein the permissive mechanism comprises a minimization mechanism for minimizing motion of the center of mass of the workpiece. The device of claim 269, wherein the permitting mechanism comprises a mechanism for permitting hot bending of the workpiece. The device of claim 269, wherein the permitting mechanism comprises a mechanism for permitting thermal bending of the workpiece. The apparatus of claim 269, further comprising a pressing mechanism for suppressing vibration of the workpiece. The device of claim 277, wherein the pressing mechanism comprises an absorbing mechanism for absorbing kinetic energy from the workpiece. The device of claim 269, further comprising a force application mechanism for applying a force to the support mechanism to cause the support mechanism to tend to be thermally actuated on the workpiece Keep in contact with the workpiece during the movement. The device of claim 279, wherein the force application mechanism includes a torque application mechanism for applying a torque to the support mechanism. The device of claim 279, wherein the force application mechanism comprises a first force application mechanism for applying a first force and a second force for applying a second force. An application mechanism for applying opposing first and second moments to the support mechanism, the second moment acting as a support mechanism at one of its equilibrium positions Fight against excessive movement. The device of claim 279, wherein the force application mechanism comprises a fixed force application mechanism for applying a fixed force. The device of claim 279, wherein the support mechanism comprises a transport mechanism for transmitting at least some of the illumination wavelengths, and the workpiece is illuminable by illumination by the illumination wavelengths. The device of claim 279, wherein the support mechanism includes a friction reducing mechanism for reducing friction between the support mechanism and the workpiece. The apparatus of claim 269, further comprising a moving mechanism for moving the support mechanism in response to the thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The apparatus of claim 285, further comprising a conversion mechanism for converting linear motion of a movable member of the moving mechanism into an arched motion of the support mechanism. The device of claim 285, wherein the moving mechanism includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a position of the support mechanism for placing a weight between the workpiece and an upward force The difference is reduced to a minimum extent, and the upward force is applied to the workpiece by the support mechanism. The device of claim 285, wherein the moving mechanism includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a position of the support mechanism for placing a weight between the workpiece and an upward force The difference between the two is maintained within the desired range, and the upward force is applied to the workpiece by the support mechanism. The device of claim 285, further comprising a detection mechanism for detecting a thermally actuated motion of the workpiece. The device of claim 269, wherein the support mechanism comprises a first support mechanism for supporting the workpiece and a second support mechanism for supporting the workpiece, the first support mechanism being A lower surface of the workpiece is engaged, and the second support mechanism is engageable with an upper surface of the workpiece. The apparatus of claim 290, wherein the first and second support mechanisms are engageable with an underside and an upper surface of the workpiece at an outer peripheral region of the workpiece. The device of claim 285, wherein the moving mechanism includes a minimization mechanism for minimizing the force applied between the workpiece and the moving mechanism. The device of claim 292, wherein the minimization mechanism includes a mechanism for minimizing a difference between a weight and a force between the workpiece, and the function A force is applied between the support mechanism and the workpiece. The device of claim 285, wherein the support mechanism comprises an elastic support mechanism for elastically supporting the workpiece. The device of claim 294, wherein the permissive mechanism comprises a pivoting member for biasing the support mechanism A point is applied to the torque application of the support mechanism to cause the support mechanism to tend to remain in contact with the workpiece, and wherein the movement mechanism includes a mechanism for moving the pivot point of the support mechanism. The device of claim 294, further comprising a detecting mechanism for detecting the movement of the workpiece by heat. The device of claim 269, wherein the support mechanism comprises a flexible support mechanism for support. The device of claim 297, further comprising a restriction mechanism for restricting the support mechanism. The device of claim 297, wherein the allowing mechanism comprises a force applying mechanism for applying a force to the flexible supporting mechanism to cause the supporting mechanism to be in the workpiece During the heat-induced motion, it tends to remain in contact with the workpiece. The device of claim 299, wherein the force application mechanism comprises a torque application mechanism for applying a torque. The apparatus of claim 297, wherein the support mechanism is engageable with an undersurface of the workpiece at an angle of 10 to 80 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. The apparatus of claim 297, wherein the support mechanism is engageable with an undersurface of the workpiece at an angle of 15 to 35 degrees with respect to a plane of the workpiece. The device of claim 298, wherein the restriction mechanism comprises a clamping mechanism for clamping the singular mechanism. The device of claim 298, wherein the restriction mechanism includes an additional mechanism for attaching the support mechanism to a workpiece planar panel. The device of claim 290, further comprising a retracting mechanism for retracting the second supporting mechanism for moving the second supporting mechanism away from a volume, the volume is defined in the workpiece Above the upper surface. The device of claim 297, further comprising a retracting mechanism for retracting the flexible support mechanism. The device of claim 269, further comprising a lateral support mechanism for laterally supporting the workpiece. The device of claim 307, wherein the lateral support mechanism is engageable with an outer edge of the workpiece. The device of claim 308, wherein the lateral support mechanism is flexible. The device of claim 269, wherein the illuminating mechanism comprises: a surface for illuminating the surface of the workpiece for a first time, and a mechanism for illuminating the surface of the workpiece for a second time, the One time is shorter than the heat conduction time of the workpiece for heating the surface to an intermediate temperature which is greater than the temperature of the majority of the workpiece, the second time being shorter than the heat conduction time of the workpiece for The surface is heated to a temperature greater than the intermediate temperature, wherein the mechanism includes a starting mechanism for starting the second time within an interval after the first time, It is sufficient to allow at least some of the hot bending of the workpiece. The device of claim 269, wherein the illumination mechanism comprises a continuous illumination mechanism for continuously illuminating a surface of the workpiece, the interval being shorter than a heat conduction time of the workpiece, and Long enough to allow at least some hot bending of the workpiece. The device of claim 311, wherein the continuous illumination mechanism comprises a change mechanism for changing the intensity of the illumination during the interval. The device of claim 312, wherein the changing mechanism comprises means for causing the surface to be more powerful during a later portion of the interval than during a earlier portion of the interval The intensity is illuminated by the causing mechanism. The apparatus of any one of claims 269, wherein the support mechanism and the permitting mechanism respectively comprise a mechanism for supporting a semiconductor wafer, and A mechanism that allows thermal excitation of the wafer when the wafer is supported. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a command code for indicating a processor circuit for controlling a heating system and a workpiece support system to cause a patent application The method described in the scope of item 139 can be performed. The medium of claim 315, further comprising an instruction code for indicating a processor circuit for controlling the workpiece support system to perform the method of claim 180. The medium of claim 315, further comprising an instruction code for instructing the processor circuit to control the workpiece support system for implementing any one of claims 139 to 267 of the patent application scope. The method described.