| 1. A method of thermally processing a semiconductor substrate having a surface and a semiconductor bandgap energy, comprising
the steps of:
a. irradiating the substrate with an activating radiation beam having photons with an energy greater than the semiconductor
bandgap energy to generate free carriers in the substrate without substantially heating the substrate, to increase an amount
of absorption of an annealing radiation beam; and
b. irradiating the substrate with the annealing radiation having photons with an energy less than the semiconductor band gap
energy and which are absorbed by the free carriers to substantially heat the substrate.
|
