CN216049147U - Protective member for work - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a protection member for operation, which comprises: four struts; four first beams annularly connected with the upper ends of the four supporting columns; a top plate which is provided with downward folded parts on four sides of the quadrilateral plate and covers the first beam; four second beams annularly connecting the four pillars at positions lower than the upper end; and a buffer member provided on the second beam and protecting the furnace interior to be protected. Further, the heat insulating portion can be protected during maintenance, and the operator can perform work in a comfortable posture.

Description

Protective member for work

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a work protector.

Background

In substrate processing in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device (component), for example, a vertical substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates collectively is used. When the substrate processing apparatus is maintained, a maintenance region needs to be secured around the substrate processing apparatus, and the floor space of the substrate processing apparatus may be large in order to secure the maintenance region.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Problem to be solved by utility model

When the substrate processing apparatus is maintained, there is a problem that a working space of a maintenance worker cannot be secured.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides the following solutions.

A work protector according to a first aspect is characterized by comprising: four struts; four first beams annularly connected with the upper ends of the four supporting columns; a top plate which is provided with downward folded parts on four sides of the quadrilateral plate and covers the first beam; four second beams annularly connecting the four pillars at positions lower than the upper end; and a buffer member provided on the second beam and protecting the furnace interior to be protected.

A work protector according to a second aspect is characterized in that the work protector has a strength with which a person can sit on the work protector to perform work.

A work protector according to a third aspect is characterized in that the first beam, the second beam, and the top plate are made of metal.

A work protector according to a fourth aspect is characterized in that the four columns are detachably connected to the first beam by a first joint, and the four columns are detachably connected to the second beam by a second joint.

A work protector according to a fifth aspect is characterized in that the four columns are configured to be dividable on an upper side and a lower side of the second beam.

The effects of the present invention are as follows.

According to the present invention, the effect can be obtained that the thermal insulation portion can be protected during maintenance and the operator can perform work in a comfortable posture.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing an example of a treatment furnace preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a processing unit preferably used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the work shield of the present invention disposed within a substrate processing apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the work protector of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the work protector of the present invention.

In the figure:

1000-work guard, 1001-column, 1001A-first column, 1001B-second column, 1002A-first beam, 1002B-second beam, 1003-top plate, 1004-buffer member, 1005A-first joint, 1005B-second joint.

Detailed Description

Non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted. The storage chamber 9 side described later is defined as a front side (front side), and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B side described later are defined as a rear side (rear side). The boundary line (adjacent surface) facing the process modules 3A and 3B described later is defined as an inner side, and the boundary line is defined as an outer side.

In the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a vertical substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a processing apparatus) 2 that performs a substrate processing step such as a heat treatment, which is one step of a manufacturing step in a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device (component).

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the processing apparatus 2 includes two adjacent processing units 3A and 3B. The processing module 3A includes a processing furnace 4A and a transfer chamber 6A. The processing module 3B includes a processing furnace 4B and a transfer chamber 6B. Transfer chambers 6A and 6B are disposed below the processing furnaces 4A and 4B, respectively. A transfer chamber 8 is disposed adjacent to the front sides of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, and the transfer chamber 8 includes a transfer unit 7 for transferring the wafers W. A storage chamber 9 for storing a pod (FOUP) 5 is connected to the front surface side of the transfer chamber 8, and a plurality of wafers W are stored in the pod (FOUP) 5. An I/O port 22 is provided on the entire surface of the housing chamber 9, and the pod 5 is carried into and out of the processing apparatus 2 through the I/O port 22.

Gate valves 90A and 90B are provided on boundary walls (adjacent surfaces) of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B and the transfer chamber 8, respectively. Pressure detectors are provided in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively, and the pressure in the transfer chamber 8 is set to be lower than the pressure in the transfer chambers 6A and 6B. Oxygen concentration detectors are provided in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively, and the oxygen concentrations in the transfer chamber 8A and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B are maintained at a level lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. A cleaning unit 62C for supplying clean air into the transfer chamber 8 is provided at the ceiling of the transfer chamber 8, and is configured to circulate, for example, an inert gas as clean air (clean air) in the transfer chamber 8. By cyclically purging the transfer chamber 8 with an inert gas, the transfer chamber 8 can be kept in a clean atmosphere. With such a configuration, particles and the like in the transfer chambers 6A and 6B can be prevented from entering the transfer chamber 8, and the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafer W in the transfer chamber 8 and the transfer chambers 6A and 6B can be prevented.

Since the processing units 3A and 3B have the same configuration, only the processing unit 3A will be described below as a representative processing unit.

As shown in fig. 4, the processing furnace 4A includes: a cylindrical reaction tube 10A; and a heater 12A as a heating means (heating mechanism) provided on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 10A. The reaction tube is formed of, for example, quartz, SiC. A process chamber 14A for processing a wafer W as a substrate is formed inside the reaction tube 10A. The reaction tube 10A is provided with a temperature detector 16A as a temperature detector. The temperature detector 16A is provided upright along the inner wall of the reaction tube 10A.

A gas supply mechanism 34A as a gas supply system supplies a gas used for substrate processing into the processing chamber 14A. The gas supplied by the gas supply mechanism 34A may be changed depending on the type of film to be formed. Here, the gas supply mechanism 34A includes a raw material gas supply unit, a reactive gas supply unit, and an inert gas supply unit. The gas supply mechanism 34A is housed in a supply tank 72A described later.

The source gas supply unit includes a gas supply pipe 36a, and a Mass Flow Controller (MFC)38a as a flow controller (flow rate control unit) and a valve 40a as an on-off valve are provided in this order from the upstream side in the gas supply pipe 36 a. The gas supply pipe 36a is connected to a nozzle 44a penetrating the sidewall of the manifold 18. The nozzle 44a is vertically erected in the reaction tube 10, and has a plurality of supply holes that are opened toward the wafers W held by the boat 26. The source gas is supplied to the wafer W through the supply hole of the nozzle 44 a.

Thereafter, with the same configuration, the reaction gas is supplied from the reaction gas supply unit to the wafer W through the supply pipe 36b, the MFC38b, the valve 40b, and the nozzle 44 b. The inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit to the wafer W through the supply pipes 36c and 36d, the MFCs 38c and 38d, the valves 40c and 40d, and the nozzles 44a and 44 b.

The cylindrical header 18A is connected to the lower end opening of the reaction tube 10A via a seal member such as an O-ring, and supports the lower end of the reaction tube 10A. The lower end opening of the manifold 18A is opened and closed by a disk-shaped lid 22A. A sealing member such as an O-ring is provided on the upper surface of the lid portion 22A, whereby the inside and outside of the reaction tube 10A are hermetically sealed. The heat insulating portion 24A is placed on the lid portion 22A.

An exhaust pipe 46A is attached to the header 18A. A vacuum pump 52A as a vacuum exhaust device is connected to the exhaust pipe 46A via a pressure sensor 48A as a pressure detector (pressure detecting unit) for detecting the pressure in the processing chamber 14A and an APC (automatic pressure controller) valve 40A as a pressure regulator (pressure adjusting unit). With this configuration, the pressure in the processing chamber 14A can be set to a processing pressure corresponding to the processing. The exhaust pipe 46A, APC, the valve 40A, and the pressure sensor 48A mainly constitute an exhaust system a. The exhaust system a is housed in an exhaust tank 74A described later.

The processing chamber 14A houses a boat 26A as a substrate holder therein, and the boat 26A vertically supports a plurality of wafers (for example, 25 to 150 wafers) W in a rack shape. The wafer boat 26A is supported above the heat shield 24A by a rotating shaft 28A penetrating the cover 22A and the heat shield 24A. The rotation shaft 28A is connected to a rotation mechanism 30A provided below the lid 22A, and the rotation shaft 28A is configured to be rotatable in a state where the inside of the reaction tube 10A is hermetically sealed. The lid 22 is driven in the vertical direction by a boat elevator 32A as an elevating mechanism. Thereby, the boat 26A and the lid 22A are integrally lifted and lowered, and the boat 26A is carried in and out with respect to the reaction tube 10A.

The wafers W are transferred to the wafer boat 26A in the transfer chamber 6A. As shown in fig. 1, a cleaning unit 60A is provided on one side surface in the transfer chamber 6A (an outer side surface of the transfer chamber 6A, a side surface opposite to the side surface facing the transfer chamber 6B), and the cleaning unit 60A is configured to circulate clean air (for example, inert gas) in the transfer chamber 6A. The inert gas supplied into the transfer chamber 6A is exhausted from the transfer chamber 6A by an exhaust unit 62A provided on a side surface (a side surface facing the transfer chamber 6B) facing the cleaning unit 60A with the wafer boat 26A interposed therebetween, and is resupplied (cyclically purged) from the cleaning unit 60A into the transfer chamber 6A. The pressure in the transfer chamber 6A is set lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8. The oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is set to be lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. With this configuration, the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafer W during the transfer operation of the wafer W can be suppressed.

The rotation mechanism 30A, the boat elevator 32A, the MFCs 38 a-d and the valves 40A-d of the gas supply mechanism 34A, and the APC valve 50A are connected to a controller 100 for controlling them. The controller 100 includes, for example, a microprocessor (computer) including a CPU, and is configured to control the operation of the processing device 2. An input/output device 102 configured as a touch panel, for example, is connected to the controller 100. The controller 100 may be provided in each of the process component 3A and the process component 3B, or may be provided in both of them.

A storage unit 104 as a storage medium is connected to the controller 100. The storage unit 104 stores a control program for controlling the operation of the processing apparatus 10 and a program (also referred to as a process) for causing each component of the processing apparatus 2 to execute a process in accordance with a processing condition, in a readable manner.

The storage unit 104 may be a storage device (hard disk, flash memory) incorporated in the controller 100, or may be a portable external recording device (magnetic disk such as magnetic tape, flexible disk, and hard disk, optical disk such as CD and DVD, magneto-optical disk such as MO, or semiconductor memory such as USB memory and memory card). The program can be provided to the computer by using a communication means such as the internet or a dedicated line. The program is read from the storage unit 104 by an instruction or the like from the input/output device 102 as necessary, and the controller 100 executes a process according to the read process, whereby the processing device 2 executes a desired process under the control of the controller 100. The controller 100 is housed in the controller boxes 76A and 76B.

Next, a process (film forming process) of forming a film on a substrate using the processing apparatus 2 will be described. Here, an example will be described in which a silicon oxide (SiO2) film is formed on the wafer W by supplying DCS (SiH2Cl 2: dichlorosilane) gas as a raw material gas and O2 (oxygen) gas as a reaction gas to the wafer W. In the following description, the operations of the respective units constituting the processing apparatus 2 are controlled by the controller 100.

(wafer filling and boat loading)

The gate valve 90A is opened, and the wafers W are transferred to the wafer boat 20A. After a plurality of wafers W are loaded (wafer loading) onto the boat 26A, the gate valve 90A is closed. The boat 26A is carried into the process chamber 14 by the boat elevator 32A (boat loading), and the lower opening of the reaction tube 10A is hermetically closed (sealed) by the lid 22A.

(pressure control and temperature control)

The vacuum pump 52A performs vacuum evacuation (reduced pressure evacuation) so that the inside of the processing chamber 14A becomes a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree). The pressure in the processing chamber 14A is measured by the pressure sensor 48A, and the APC valve 50A is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. The wafer W in the processing chamber 14A is heated by the heater 12A so that the temperature thereof becomes a predetermined temperature. At this time, the energization of the heater 12A is feedback-controlled so that the processing chamber 14A has a predetermined temperature distribution based on the temperature information detected by the temperature detector 16A. Further, the rotation of the wafer boat 26A and the wafers W by the rotation mechanism 30A is started.

(film formation treatment)

[ raw material gas supply step ]

When the temperature in the processing chamber 14A is stabilized at the predetermined processing temperature, the DCS gas is supplied to the wafer W in the processing chamber 14A. The DCS gas is supplied into the process chamber 14A through the gas supply pipe 36a and the nozzle 44A while being controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC38 a.

[ Process for exhausting raw Material gas ]

Next, the supply of DCS gas is stopped, and the inside of the process chamber 14A is evacuated by the vacuum pump 52A. At this time, the N2 gas may be supplied as an inert gas from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 14A (inert gas purge).

[ reaction gas supply step ]

Next, O2 gas is supplied to the wafer W in the processing chamber 14A. The O2 gas is supplied into the processing chamber 14A through the gas supply pipe 36b and the nozzle 44b while being controlled to a desired flow rate by the MFC38 b.

[ reaction gas exhaust step ]

Next, the supply of the O2 gas is stopped, and the inside of the processing chamber 14A is evacuated by the vacuum pump 52A. At this time, N2 gas may be supplied from the inert gas supply unit into the processing chamber 14A (inert gas purge).

By performing the 4-step cycle for a predetermined number of times (1 or more), an SiO2 film having a predetermined composition and a predetermined film thickness can be formed on the wafer W.

(boat unloading and wafer taking out)

After the film having a predetermined film thickness is formed, N2 gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit, the inside of the processing chamber 14A is replaced with N2 gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 14A is returned to normal pressure. Then, the lid 22A is lowered by the boat elevator 32A, and the boat 26A is carried out of the reaction tube 10A (boat unloading). Then, the processed wafers W are taken out from the boat 26A (wafer take-out).

The wafers W may be stored in the cassette 5 and carried out of the processing apparatus 2, or may be carried into the processing furnace 4B to be continuously subjected to a substrate process such as annealing. When the wafers W are continuously processed in the process furnace 4B after the processing of the wafers W in the process furnace 4A, the gate valves 90A and 90B are opened, and the wafers W are directly transferred from the boat 26A to the boat 26B. The subsequent transfer of the wafer W into and out of the processing furnace 4B is performed in the same manner as the substrate processing performed in the processing furnace 4A. The substrate processing in the processing furnace 4B is performed, for example, by the same steps as the substrate processing performed in the processing furnace 4A.

As the processing conditions when forming the SiO2 film on the wafer W, for example, the following conditions may be exemplified.

Process temperature (wafer temperature): at 300-700 deg.C,

The treatment pressure (pressure in the treatment chamber) is 1Pa to 4000Pa,

DCS gas: 100sccm to 10000sccm,

O2 gas: 100sccm to 10000sccm,

N2 gas: 100 sccm-10000 sccm

By setting each process condition to a value within each range, the film formation process can be appropriately performed.

Next, a rear surface structure of the processing apparatus 2 will be described.

For example, when the boat 26 is damaged, the boat 26 needs to be replaced. In addition, when the reaction tube 10 is broken or when the reaction tube 10 needs to be cleaned, the reaction tube 10 needs to be taken out. In this manner, when maintenance is performed in the transfer chamber 6 and the processing furnace 4, maintenance is performed from the maintenance area on the back side of the processing apparatus 2.

As shown in fig. 1, maintenance ports 78A and 78B are formed on the back surfaces of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, respectively. The maintenance opening 78A is formed on the transfer chamber 6B side of the transfer chamber 6A, and the maintenance opening 78B is formed on the transfer chamber 6A side of the transfer chamber 6B. The maintenance ports 78A and 78B are opened and closed by maintenance doors 80A and 80B. The maintenance doors 80A and 80B are configured to be rotatable with the hinges 82A and 82B as base shafts. The hinge 82A is provided on the transfer chamber 6B side of the transfer chamber 6A, and the hinge 82B is provided on the transfer chamber 6A side of the transfer chamber 6B. That is, the hinges 82A, 82B are provided adjacent to each other in the vicinity of the inner corner of the adjacent surface on the back side of the transfer chambers 6A, 6B. The maintenance area is formed on the process module 3B side on the back of the process module 3A and the process module 3A side on the back of the process module 3B.

As shown by the virtual lines, the maintenance doors 80A and 80B horizontally rotate rearward of the rear surfaces of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B about the hinges 82A and 82B, and thereby the rear maintenance ports 78A and 78B are opened. The maintenance door 80A is configured to be openable to the left of the transfer chamber 6A by up to 180 °. The maintenance door 80B is configured to be openable to the right of the transfer chamber 6B by up to 180 °. That is, the maintenance door 80A rotates clockwise toward the transfer chamber 6A, and the maintenance door 80B rotates counterclockwise toward the transfer chamber 6A. In other words, the maintenance doors 80A, 80B rotate in opposite directions to each other. The maintenance doors 80A and 80B are detachably configured, and can be detached for maintenance.

Near the back surfaces of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B, facility systems (utility systems) 70A and 70B are provided. The equipment systems 70A and 70B are arranged to face each other with a maintenance area therebetween. When the maintenance of the equipment systems 70A and 70B is performed, the maintenance is performed from the inside of the equipment systems 70A and 70B, that is, from a space (maintenance area) between the equipment systems 70A and 70B. The equipment systems 70A and 70B are constituted by exhaust boxes 74A and 74B, supply boxes 72A and 72B, and controller boxes 76A and 76B, respectively, in this order from the casing side (the conveyance chambers 6A and 6B side). The maintenance ports of the tanks of the equipment systems 70A and 70B are formed inside (maintenance area side). That is, the maintenance ports of the respective tanks of the facility systems 70A, 70B are formed so as to face each other.

The exhaust box 74A is disposed at an outer corner portion located on the opposite side of the rear surface of the transfer chamber 6A from the transfer chamber 6B. The exhaust box 74B is disposed at an outer corner portion located on the opposite side of the rear surface of the transfer chamber 6B from the transfer chamber 6A. That is, the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B are disposed flatly (smoothly) so that the outer side surfaces of the transfer chambers 6A and 6B are in planar contact with the outer side surfaces of the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. The supply box 72A is disposed adjacent to the exhaust box 74A on the side opposite to the side adjacent to the transfer chamber 6A. The supply box 72B is disposed adjacent to the exhaust box 74B on the side opposite to the side adjacent to the transfer chamber 6B.

In a plan view, the thickness (width in the short direction) of the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B is smaller than the thickness of the supply boxes 72A, 72B. In other words, the supply tanks 72A and 72B protrude further toward the maintenance area than the exhaust tanks 74A and 74B. Since a gas integration system and a large number of incidental equipment are disposed in the supply tanks 72A, 72B, the thickness may be larger than the exhaust tanks 74A, 74B. Therefore, by providing the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B on the casing side, a large maintenance area can be ensured before the maintenance doors 80A, 80B. That is, since the distance between the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B is larger than the distance between the supply boxes 72A, 72B in a plan view, a larger maintenance space can be secured when the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B are provided on the casing side than when the supply boxes 72A, 72B are provided on the casing side.

As shown in fig. 3, the final-stage valves (the valves 40a and 40B positioned at the lowest stage of the gas supply system) of the gas supply mechanisms 34A and 34B are disposed above the exhaust boxes 74A and 74B. Preferably, it is disposed directly above (directly above) the exhaust boxes 74A, 74B. With this configuration, even if the supply tanks 72A and 72B are provided at positions far from the casing, the length of the piping from the final stage valve to the inside of the processing chamber can be shortened, and therefore the quality of film formation can be improved.

As shown in fig. 5, the processing units 3A and 3B and the facility systems 70A and 70B are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to the adjacent surface S1 of the processing units 3A and 3B. The reaction tubes 10A and 10B are provided so that the exhaust pipes 46A and 46B face the corner directions, that is, so that the exhaust pipe 46A faces the exhaust box 74A and the exhaust pipe 46B faces the exhaust box 74B. Further, the pipes are arranged so that the lengths of the pipes from the final stage valve to the nozzles are substantially the same in the process modules 3A and 3B. As indicated by arrows in fig. 5, the rotation directions of the wafers W are also opposite to each other in the processing furnaces 4A and 4B.

Next, maintenance of the processing apparatus 2 will be described.

The interlock (interlock) is set so that the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened when the inside of the transfer chamber 6A is cyclically purged with the inert gas. The interlock is set so that the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened even when the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is lower than the oxygen concentration in the atmospheric pressure. The same applies to the maintenance door 80B. Furthermore, the interlocks are set so that the gate valves 90A, 90B cannot be opened when the maintenance doors 80A, 80B are opened. In the case where the gate valves 90A and 90B are to be opened with the maintenance doors 80A and 80B opened, the entire processing apparatus 2 is set to the maintenance mode, and then a separately provided maintenance switch is opened, so that the interlocks with the gate valves 90A and 90B are released, and the gate valves 90A and 90B can be opened.

When the maintenance door 80A is opened, the atmosphere flows into the transfer chamber 6A from the cleaning unit 62A so that the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A becomes equal to or higher than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere, preferably, is increased to the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. At this time, in order to keep the pressure in the transfer chamber 6A from being higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8, the circulation purge in the transfer chamber 6A is released, the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 6A is exhausted to the outside of the transfer chamber 6A, and the rotation speed of the blower (fan) of the cleaning unit 62A is set lower than that at the time of the circulation purge, thereby controlling the inflow amount of the atmospheric air into the transfer chamber 6A. By performing control in this manner, the pressure in the transfer chamber 6A can be maintained lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8 while increasing the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A.

When the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A becomes equal to the oxygen concentration in the atmospheric pressure, the interlock is released, and the maintenance door 80A can be opened. In this case, the following settings are set: if the pressure in the transfer chamber 6A is higher than the pressure in the transfer chamber 8, the maintenance door 80A cannot be opened even if the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 6A is equal to the oxygen concentration in the atmospheric pressure. When the maintenance door 80A is opened, the rotation speed of the blower of the cleaning unit 62A is made at least greater than that of the circulation purge. It is more preferable to maximize the rotation speed of the blower of the cleaning unit 62A.

The maintenance in the transfer chamber 8 is performed from a maintenance opening 78C formed in a portion in front of the transfer chamber 8 where no pod opener is provided. The maintenance opening 78C is configured to be opened and closed by a maintenance door. As described above, when the entire processing apparatus 2 is set to the maintenance mode, the gate valves 90A and 90B may be opened to perform maintenance from the gate valves 90A and 90B. That is, maintenance in the transfer chamber 8 can be performed from either the front side or the back side of the apparatus.

(working protector)

The utility model also provides a protection member 1000 for operation used for maintenance operation of an operator. As shown in fig. 6, the work protector 1000 is placed in the transfer chamber 6A, and allows the operator to perform the maintenance work on the reaction tube 10A. At this time, the heat insulating portion 24A is not removed although the boat 26A is removed, and therefore the work protector 1000 can protect the heat insulating portion 24A during maintenance.

As shown in fig. 7, the work protector 1000 includes: four struts 1001; four first beams 1002A (refer to fig. 8) annularly connecting upper ends of the four pillars 1001; a top plate 1003 having downward folded portions (not shown) on four sides of the quadrangular plate and covering the first beam 1002A; four second beams 1002B annularly connecting the four struts 1001 at positions lower than the upper ends; and a buffer member 1004 provided on the second beam 1002B and protecting the furnace interior located inside and requiring protection.

Here, the work protector 1000 has strength enough to allow a person to sit thereon to perform work. The first beam 1002A, the second beam 1002B, and the top plate 1003 are made of metal.

The four support columns 1001 and the first beam 1002A are detachably connected by a first joint 1005A, and the four support columns 1001 and the second beam 1002B are detachably connected by a second joint 1005B. The four columns 1001 are divided into a first column 1001A and a second column 1001B on the upper side and the lower side of the second beam.

According to the present embodiment, one or more effects shown below can be obtained.

(1) By arranging the equipment system as an exhaust tank or a supply tank from the casing side, the maintenance area on the rear surface of the processing apparatus can be increased. With this configuration, a large maintenance opening can be formed in the rear surface of the transfer chamber, and maintenance performance can be improved. In addition, by increasing the maintenance area on the rear surface of the processing apparatus, it is not necessary to secure maintenance areas on both sides of the apparatus, and therefore the floor space of the apparatus can be reduced.

(2) By providing the facility systems of the left and right process modules on both outer side surfaces of the processing apparatus so as to face each other, the space on the back surface of the apparatus can be used as a common maintenance area for the left and right process modules. For example, in a conventional apparatus, a supply tank and an exhaust tank may be provided to face each other at both ends of the back surface of the apparatus. When two apparatuses configured in this manner are arranged side by side, one exhaust tank is adjacent to the other supply tank at the boundary between the two apparatuses. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, since the facility system is not arranged at the boundary line between the two process modules, a large maintenance area can be secured.

(3) By providing the final stage valve of the gas supply system above the exhaust box, the length of the pipe from the final stage valve to the process chamber can be shortened. That is, the film formation quality can be improved by suppressing gas delay, flow rate fluctuation, and the like during gas supply. In general, the quality of film formation is affected by gas supply conditions such as a gas flow rate and a gas pressure, and therefore, it is preferable to provide a supply tank near the housing in order to stably supply gas into the reaction tube. However, in the present invention, the final stage valve is provided in the vicinity of the reaction tube, so that the supply tank can be disposed at a position away from the housing without adversely affecting the quality of the film formation. Further, the exhaust box is provided below the exhaust pipe extending from the processing chamber (reaction tube), and the final valve is disposed directly above the exhaust box, whereby the length of the piping to the processing chamber can be shortened. Further, by providing the final stage valve directly above the exhaust tank, maintenance such as replacement of the final stage valve becomes easy.

(4) By providing the respective structures in line symmetry with respect to the boundary of the process modules, it is possible to suppress variation in film formation quality between the left and right process modules. That is, by providing the respective configurations, equipment systems, gas supply pipe arrangement, and exhaust pipe arrangement in the process modules in line symmetry, the pipe lengths from the supply tank to the reaction tubes, and the pipe lengths from the reaction tubes to the exhaust tank can be made substantially the same in the left and right process modules. As a result, film formation can be performed under the same conditions in the left and right process modules, and the quality of film formation can be made uniform, thereby improving productivity.

(5) By configuring the maintenance door to be provided on the boundary side of the two process modules and to be rotated toward the other process module, the maintenance door can be opened by 180 degrees, and a large maintenance opening can be formed in the rear surface of the transfer chamber, so that the maintainability can be improved.

(6) The substrate processing can be performed in one processing unit, and the maintenance can be performed in the other processing unit and the transfer chamber. Thus, maintenance can be performed without stopping the film formation process, the operation rate of the apparatus can be increased, and productivity can be improved.

(7) When the maintenance door of one processing module is opened, the pressure in the transfer chamber is maintained lower than the pressure in the transfer chamber, and the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber is increased to the oxygen concentration in the atmospheric pressure, whereby the inflow of the atmosphere from the transfer chamber on the transfer chamber side into the transfer chamber can be suppressed. Further, by making the rotation speed of the blower of the cleaning unit in the transfer chamber larger than the rotation speed at the time of the circulation purge after the maintenance door is opened, it is possible to suppress the inflow of the atmosphere from the transfer chamber into the transfer chamber even after the maintenance door is opened (after the transfer chamber is opened to the atmosphere). With this configuration, even if the maintenance door is opened in one of the process units, the other process unit can be continuously operated. That is, even if maintenance is performed in the transfer chamber, the clean atmosphere in the transfer chamber can be maintained, and an increase in the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber can be suppressed, so that maintenance can be performed on the processing module that is being stopped without adversely affecting the processing module that is being operated. In this way, since the other process module can be maintained while one process module is operating, the operation of the entire process apparatus does not need to be stopped during maintenance, and productivity can be improved.

(8) When the substrate processing apparatus is maintained, the thermal insulation portion can be protected, and the operator can perform work in a comfortable posture.

The embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope not exceeding the gist thereof.

For example, although the above embodiment has been described with respect to an example in which DCS gas is used as the raw material gas, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, as the raw material gas, besides DCS gas, inorganic halogenated silane raw material gas such as HCD (Si2Cl 6: hexachlorodisilane) gas, MCS (SiH3 Cl: monochlorosilane) gas, TCS (SiHCl 3: trichlorosilane) gas, etc., non-halogenated amino (amine) silane raw material gas such as 3DMAS (Si [ N (CH3)2] 3H: tris (dimethylamino) silane) gas, BTBAS (SiH2[ NH (C4H9) ] 2: bis (tert-butylamino) silane) gas, etc., non-halogenated inorganic silane raw material gas such as MS (SiH 4: monosilane) gas, DS (Si2H 6: disilane) gas, etc. may be used.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example of forming the SiO2 film is described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in addition to or in addition to these, a SiN film, a SiON film, a SiOCN film, a SiOC film, a SiCN film, a SiBN film, a SiBCN film, or the like can be formed using a nitrogen (N) containing gas (nitriding gas) such as ammonia (NH3) gas, a carbon (C) containing gas such as propylene (C3H6) gas, a boron (B) containing gas such as boron trichloride (BCl3) gas, or the like. In the case of performing the above film formation, the film formation may be performed under the same process conditions as those of the above embodiment, and the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

For example, the present invention can be suitably applied to the following cases: a metal-based film, which is a film containing a metal element such as titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), or tungsten (W), is formed on the wafer W.

In the above embodiment, the example of depositing the film on the wafer W has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the following can also be suitably applied: the wafer W and a film formed on the wafer W are subjected to oxidation treatment, diffusion treatment, annealing treatment, etching treatment, and the like.

The above embodiments and modifications can be used in appropriate combinations. The processing conditions in this case may be the same as those in the above-described embodiment and modification examples.

Claims (8)

1. A work protector comprising:

four struts;

four first beams annularly connected with the upper ends of the four supporting columns;

a top plate which is provided with downward folded parts on four sides of the quadrilateral plate and covers the first beam;

four second beams annularly connecting the four pillars at positions lower than the upper end; and

and a buffer member which is arranged on the second beam and protects the furnace internal parts which are positioned at the inner side and need to be protected.

2. The work protector as set forth in claim 1,

the protective member for work has strength enough to allow a person to sit thereon for work.

3. The work protector according to claim 1 or 2,

the first beam, the second beam, and the top plate are made of metal.

4. The work protector according to claim 1 or 2,

the four pillars are detachably connected to the first beam by first joints,

the four pillars are detachably connected to the second beam by second joints.

5. The work protector as set forth in claim 3,

the four pillars are detachably connected to the first beam by first joints,

the four pillars are detachably connected to the second beam by second joints.

6. Work protector according to claim 1, 2 or 5,

the four pillars are configured to be dividable on an upper side and a lower side of the second beam.

7. The work protector as set forth in claim 3,

the four pillars are configured to be dividable on an upper side and a lower side of the second beam.

8. The work protector as set forth in claim 4,

the four pillars are configured to be dividable on an upper side and a lower side of the second beam.

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