A zone-control induction heating (ZCIH) system for semiconductor processing.

This paper proposes a new induction heating technology capable of controlling a precise exothermic distribution, which is termed zone-control induction heating (ZCIH). The ZCIH system consists of two or more sets of a high-frequency inverter unit and a work coil. The inverter units control the phase angle of the coil current to be in phase with each other. The ZCIH has the capability of operation with the mutual inductance, and enables locating the coils as close as possible. As a result, the ZCIH technology makes it possible to achieve rapid heating performance with extremely precise exothermic distribution. This paper presents experimental results of a 150-kW six-zone ZCIH system for semiconductor heat processing. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 171(1): 37–45, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (<URL>www.interscience. wiley.com</URL>). DOI 10.1002/eej.20908 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]