Interference No. 105,113
such support is also provided by Figures 16 and 17 when employed with at least one of the
temperature-gradient annealing apparatuses shown in Figures 11-15, which "create[] a
temperature gradient through the cross-section of the workpiece [wafer] 490," thereby producing
in the copper film 510 "a stress gradient that provides a driving force which promotes
recrystallization of the copper film 510." Id. at 24, ll. 5-10. This temperature gradient is
represented by temperature regions T1-T5 in Figure 8:
Of the five different embodiments of annealing apparatus for producing such temperature
gradients, Figure 11, the most relevant, is reproduced below:
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