JP2001077042A - Vertical type heat-treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to perform a heat treatment on a number of workpieces uniformly and rapidly between the surfaces of the workpieces. SOLUTION: A vertical type heat-treating device is constituted into such a structure that a support jig 1, which arrangement-supports a number of workpiece W at a prescribed interval, is housed in a treating container 2 to perform a prescribed heat treatment on the workpieces W under the atmosphere of prescribed treatment gas. In this case, exhaust vents 12a, 12b and 12c to exhaust in the arrangement direction of the workpieces W dividing the exhaust into a plurality of zones are provided in the sidewall of the container 2 and a gas introducing pipe 5 (5a, 5b and 5c) having discharge orifices 13 to send the flow of the treatment gas along each workpiece W at the positions which oppose to the exhaust vents 12a, 12b and 12c, on the pipe 5 is provided holding the workpieces W between the pipe 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vertical heat treatment apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the manufacture of a semiconductor device, an object to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer, is oxidized, diffused, annealed, and cooled.
In order to perform processing such as VD, a batch type vertical heat treatment apparatus capable of processing a large number of semiconductor wafers at one time is used. In this vertical heat treatment apparatus, a boat, which is a support in which a large number of semiconductor wafers are arranged and supported at predetermined intervals, is accommodated in a processing container, and a predetermined heat treatment, for example, a film forming process, is performed on the semiconductor wafer under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. It is configured to apply.

[0003]

By the way, in the above vertical heat treatment apparatus, how to arrange a plurality of semiconductor wafers arranged and supported on a boat in a uniform manner between the surfaces (between the surfaces to be processed of the semiconductor wafers). It is an important issue how to perform the heat treatment quickly and uniformly (with no variation). In order to solve this problem, the processing vessel has a double pipe structure of an inner pipe and an outer pipe, and a number of exhaust holes are provided on one side wall of the inner pipe, and the exhaust pipe faces the exhaust holes with the object to be processed interposed therebetween. It is considered to provide a gas inlet pipe having a discharge hole for sending a processing gas along each object to be processed at a position. In this case, an exhaust pipe is provided at one end of an outer pipe. The exhaust hole closer to the pipe is easier to exhaust, and the flow of the processing gas between the objects to be processed is apt to vary. Accordingly, there is a limit in heat-treating a large number of objects to be processed uniformly between surfaces.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vertical heat treatment apparatus capable of performing heat treatment uniformly and quickly on a large number of objects to be processed. Aim.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In the present invention, claim 1 is provided.
The invention according to the vertical heat treatment apparatus for performing a predetermined heat treatment on the object to be processed under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere containing a support in which a plurality of objects to be processed are arranged and supported at predetermined intervals in a processing container, An exhaust port is provided on a side wall of the processing container to exhaust the air in a plurality of zones in the arrangement direction of the processing object, and the processing gas is supplied along the processing object at a position opposed to the exhaust port across the processing object. And a gas introduction pipe having a discharge hole for sending the gas.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vertical support for accommodating a plurality of workpieces arranged at predetermined intervals in a processing vessel and subjecting the workpieces to a predetermined heat treatment under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. In the mold heat treatment apparatus, the processing vessel has a double-pipe structure including an inner pipe and an outer pipe, and an exhaust port for dividing and evacuating a side wall of the inner pipe into a plurality of zones in the arrangement direction of the object to be processed is provided for each zone. Along with displacing the positions in the circumferential direction, an exhaust passage communicating between the inner pipe and the outer pipe with each exhaust port and exhausting each zone is provided, at a position opposed to each exhaust port with the object to be processed interposed therebetween. A gas introduction pipe having a discharge hole through which a processing gas is sent for each zone along each object to be processed is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vertical heat treatment apparatus according to the second aspect, a partition wall for partitioning the exhaust passage is formed between the inner pipe and the outer pipe. It is characterized by the following.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vertical heat treatment apparatus according to the second aspect, a concave portion for detachably housing the gas introduction tube is formed inside the inner tube. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vertical heat treatment apparatus according to the second aspect, the supporting member supports a peripheral portion of each object to be processed directly or via a claw portion, and a plurality of rings. A support for supporting and fixing the support at a predetermined interval, wherein the outer peripheral edge of the ring is formed as close as possible to the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube, and the support is disposed inside the outer peripheral edge of the ring. It is characterized by having been done.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical heat treatment apparatus includes a large number of, for example, about 150 workpieces, for example, semiconductor wafers w.
Boats (supports) that support the arrays at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction
1 and a semiconductor wafer w under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere.
And a reaction tube 2 serving as a processing vessel constituting a vertical heat treatment furnace for performing a predetermined heat treatment such as a CVD process. Specific configurations of the boat 1 and the reaction tube 2 will be described later.

Around the reaction tube 2 is provided a heater 3 for heating the inside of the furnace to a desired temperature, for example, about 800 to 1200 ° C. The heater 3 is configured by disposing a heating resistance wire on the inner periphery of a cylindrical heat insulating material surrounding the periphery of the reaction tube 2. It is preferable that the heater 3 is divided into a plurality of zones in the height direction, and is configured so that the temperature can be independently controlled for each zone.

The reaction tube 2 is made of a material having heat resistance and corrosion resistance, for example, quartz, and is formed in a vertically long cylindrical shape whose upper end is closed and whose lower end is opened as a furnace port. In the present embodiment, a heat treatment in which the pressure in the furnace is reduced, for example, a reduced pressure CV
In order to make the furnace port highly airtight so that D processing is possible,
A short cylindrical manifold 4 is attached to the lower end of the reaction tube 2. The manifold 4 is made of a material having heat resistance and corrosion resistance, for example, stainless steel.

On the side wall of the manifold 4, a gas introduction pipe 5 for introducing a processing gas or an inert gas into the furnace and a thermometer (see FIG. 5) 6 described later are inserted and fixed in an airtight manner.
An exhaust pipe 8 for exhausting the inside of the furnace is provided. A gas supply source is connected to the gas introduction pipe 5 via a flow control mechanism,
A factory exhaust system is connected to the exhaust pipe 8 via a pressure control mechanism (not shown).

The upper end of the manifold 4 is attached and fixed to a base plate 9, and the lower end of the manifold 4 is opened as a furnace port. Below the reaction tube 2, a lid 10 which is in contact with a lower opening end of the manifold 4 via an unillustrated hermetic material such as an O-ring to hermetically close the furnace port is provided so as to be vertically movable by an unillustrated elevating mechanism. ing.
The boat 1 is mounted on the lid 10 via a heat retaining tube 11. The lifting mechanism moves the boat 1 into and out of the reaction tube 2 and opens and closes the lid 10. The cover 10 is provided with a rotation mechanism for rotating the boat 1 (not shown).

In order to make it possible to heat-treat a large number of semiconductor wafers w accommodated in the vertically long reaction tube 2 uniformly and quickly between surfaces, one side wall of the reaction tube 2 is provided with: Exhaust port 12 for exhausting gas in a plurality of zones in the arrangement direction of the semiconductor wafer w, for example, three zones of upper, middle, and lower
a, 12b, 12c are provided, and the exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 1 facing the processing gas are located at positions facing the exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 12c with the semiconductor wafer w interposed therebetween.
A gas introduction pipe 5 having a discharge hole 13 for horizontally feeding the surface of each semiconductor wafer (surface to be processed) toward 2c is provided.

More specifically, the reaction tube 2 is an inner tube 2a.
And a double tube structure comprising an outer tube 2b and a plurality of zones on the side wall of the inner tube 2a in the arrangement direction of the semiconductor wafer w, as shown in FIG. 2 (a) and FIGS. Exhaust ports 12a, 12b, and 12c are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction for each zone. Further, between the inner pipe 2a and the outer pipe 2b, each exhaust port 12a, 12b, 1
Exhaust passages 14a, 1 communicating with 2c and exhausting each zone
4b and 14c are provided, and at positions facing the exhaust ports 12a, 12b and 12c with the semiconductor wafer w interposed therebetween,
Gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, 5c having discharge holes 13 for sending processing gas horizontally along the surface of each semiconductor wafer w toward the opposed exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 12c for each zone.
Are arranged. That is, in the present embodiment, the gas-in (gas introduction pipe) and the gas-out (exhaust port) correspond one-to-one.

The outer tube 2b is formed in a simple structure or shape having a closed upper end, an open lower end, and a flange 2f at the open end. The outer tube 2b has its open end connected to the upper end surface of the manifold 4 (upper open end).
Are mounted on the manifold 4 in an airtight manner by making contact with an airtight member (not shown) such as an O-ring and fixing the flange portion 2f with the flange retainer 15.

The upper end of the inner tube 2a is closed and the lower end is opened. The inner tube 2 a is engaged with an open end thereof on an annular support member 16 screwed to the inner periphery of the lower end opening (furnace opening) of the manifold 4 so as to engage with the outer tube 2 a.
b. Outside the inner pipe 2a, a partition wall 17 for forming the exhaust passages 14a, 14b and 14c is formed between the inner pipe 2a and the outer pipe 2b. The partition wall 17 includes a plurality of, for example, four vertical ribs 17a provided to form a plurality of, for example, three exhaust passages 14a, 14b, and 14c along the longitudinal direction of the inner pipe 2a, and a space between adjacent vertical ribs 17a. And horizontal ribs 17b provided so as to close the upper ends of the exhaust passages 14a, 14b, 14c.

The exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 12c and the exhaust passages 14a, 14b, 14c are formed in the circumferential direction into a plurality of, for example, three zones.
In order to avoid interference with the gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, and 5c on the opposite side, it is preferable that they are formed within a range of 180 °. Since the exhaust passages 14a, 14b, and 14c are formed in a plurality of zones in the circumferential direction, conductance (ease of flow) is averaged.

In the present embodiment, the exhaust passages 14a, 14b and 14c divided into a plurality of zones are sucked and exhausted from one common exhaust pipe 8 below. In this case, in order to allow the processing gas to flow uniformly between the semiconductor wafers w, the conductance of each of the exhaust passages 14a, 14b, and 14c is designed to be balanced. Gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, 5c for supplying a processing gas for each zone
When the conductance of the exhaust passages 14a, 14b, 14c in each zone becomes unbalanced due to a change in the total gas amount, a change in the pump speed, a design error between the design value and the actual machine, etc. Can finely adjust the amount of gas in each zone by shaking. In addition,
By providing an exhaust pipe 8 for each of the exhaust passages 14a, 14b, 14c, exhaust control or fine adjustment is performed for each zone on the gas-out side so that the conductance of each exhaust passage 14a, 14b, 14c is balanced. May be.

Inside the inner tube 2a, FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gas introduction pipes 5a,
Recesses 18 (18a, 1) for detachably housing 5b, 5c.
8b, 18c) and a recess 18d for detachably housing the thermometer 6 are formed along the longitudinal direction.
Thus, by housing the gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, 5c in the recesses 18a, 18b, 18c of the inner pipe 2a, the gap s between the boat 1 and the inner pipe 2a can be reduced. Since the thickness of the inner tube 2a is thin, the outside of the inner tube 2a is formed in a convex shape corresponding to the concave portions 18a, 18b, 18c, but there is no problem.

In FIG. 2, the recess 18d for accommodating the thermometer 6 is omitted. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 19 denotes a hole provided at a lower end of the concave portion 18 for inserting an L-shaped base end of the gas introduction pipe 5. Recesses 18a, 18
Preferably, b and 18c are formed to have a length corresponding to the length of the gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b and 5c.

The exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 12c are preferably constituted by a large number of slits (lateral slits in the illustrated example), but may be constituted by a large number of holes or simple openings. The gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, 5c are
As shown in FIG. 3, in order to supply the processing gas to each zone individually, the zones are formed with different lengths. The gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, and 5c are formed such that the discharge pressure from the discharge holes 13 gradually decreases toward the distal end, so that the distal end is folded in a U-shape to average the discharge pressure. Is preferred.

On the other hand, the boat 1 is made of a material having heat resistance and corrosion resistance, for example, quartz. As the boat 1, a so-called ring boat capable of performing a uniform heat treatment, for example, a film forming process, on the semiconductor wafer w is preferable. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the boat 1 includes a plurality of rings 21 that support the periphery of each semiconductor wafer w via a plurality of, for example, three claws 20, and a plurality of these rings 21. It mainly comprises a plurality of, for example, four columns 22 that are supported and fixed at intervals.

In this case, the processing gas comprises the ring 21 and the inner pipe 2.
Leaks (flows) upward or downward through gap s of a
The outer peripheral edge of the ring 21 is formed as close as possible to the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 2a, and the strut 22 is located inside the outer peripheral edge of the ring 21.
Are preferably arranged. For this purpose, a notch 23 for accommodating the column 22 is provided at the outer peripheral edge of each ring 21, and the column 21 is engaged with the inner part of the notch 23 to raise the ring 21 to a predetermined height. Locking grooves 24 are provided at multiple positions in the longitudinal direction.

Each ring 21 is fixed to the support 22 by welding. As shown in FIG. 1, a top plate 25 and a bottom plate 26 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the column 22.
The boat 1 configured as described above is detachably engaged and supported on the upper part of the heat retaining cylinder 11.

According to the vertical heat treatment apparatus having the above-described structure, the boat 1 in which a large number of semiconductor wafers w are arranged and supported at predetermined intervals is accommodated in the reaction tube 2 and the semiconductor wafer w is transferred to the semiconductor wafer w under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. In a vertical heat treatment apparatus for performing a predetermined heat treatment, an exhaust port 12 for evacuating the side wall of the reaction tube 2 into a plurality of zones in the arrangement direction of the semiconductor wafers w.
a, 12b, and 12c, and discharge holes 13 for sending a processing gas along the semiconductor wafer w at positions facing the exhaust ports 12a, 12b, and 12c with the semiconductor wafer w interposed therebetween.
Is provided, it is possible to control or finely adjust the exhaust amount on the exhaust side for each zone in order to make the flow of the processing gas between the semiconductor wafers w uniform.
A large number of semiconductor wafers w can be heat-treated uniformly and quickly between surfaces (in the case of film formation, the film formation speed is increased).

In this case, the reaction tube 2 has a double tube structure composed of an inner tube 2a and an outer tube 2b, and exhaust gas is divided into a plurality of zones on the side wall of the inner tube 2a in the arrangement direction of the semiconductor wafers w. The ports 12a, 12b, and 12c are provided at positions shifted in the circumferential direction for each zone, and the inner pipe 2a and the outer pipe 2b are provided.
Exhaust passages 14a, 14b, 14c communicating with the exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 12c and exhausting each zone are provided, and the exhaust ports 12a, 12c are sandwiched between the semiconductor wafers w.
Since the gas introduction pipes 5a, 56b, and 5c having the discharge holes 13 for sending the processing gas along each semiconductor wafer w for each zone are provided at positions facing the semiconductor wafers w and 12c, respectively. It is possible to control or finely adjust the gas amount on the gas introduction side and the exhaust amount on the exhaust side for each zone in order to make the flow of the processing gas uniform.
, Heat treatment can be performed more uniformly and more quickly.

A partition wall 17 is formed outside the inner tube 2a to define the exhaust passage between the inner tube 2a and the outer tube 2b. can do. Further, since the inner tube 2a and the outer tube 2b can be separated, they can be easily washed. Since the recesses 18a, 18b, 18c for detachably housing the gas introduction pipes 5a, 5b, 5c are formed inside the inner pipe 2a, the gap s between the boat 1 and the inner pipe 2a can be reduced. As well as the inner pipe 2a and the gas introduction pipe 5a,
Exchange and cleaning of 5b and 5c can be easily performed.

The boat 1 is provided with each semiconductor wafer w.
And a support 22 for supporting and fixing a number of rings 21 at predetermined intervals. The outer peripheral edge of the ring 21 is the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 2a. And the ring 2
Since the support columns 22 are arranged inside the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 1, leakage of the processing gas through the gap s between the ring 21 and the inner tube 2 a can be suppressed, and each semiconductor wafer w
A uniform flow of the processing gas can be assured.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Is possible. For example, as boat 1,
The configuration may be such that the semiconductor wafer w is directly mounted on the ring 21 without the claw portion 20. The object to be processed may be, for example, a glass substrate or the like other than the semiconductor wafer. A plurality of gas introduction pipes 5 (5a, 5b, 5c) may be provided for each zone.

The exhaust ports 12a, 12b, and 12c do not necessarily have to be provided in the circumferential direction so as to be displaced from one zone to another. As shown in FIG. 7A, the exhaust ports 12a, 12b, and 12c are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the inner pipe 2a. May be provided. In this case, one gas introduction pipe 5 may be used. However, the exhaust passages 14a, 14
Preferably, b and 14c are provided in the circumferential direction separately for each zone in order to average the conductance. The reaction tube (processing vessel) 2 does not necessarily have to have a double tube structure, and as shown in FIG. 7B, exhaust ports 12a, 12b, 12c and exhaust passages 14 are provided outside the reaction tube 2.
An outer wall portion 27 covering a, 14b, and 14c may be provided integrally. In this case, the exhaust pipe 8 is provided on the outer wall 27.

[0034]

In summary, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, a support in which a large number of objects to be processed are arranged and supported at predetermined intervals is accommodated in a processing container, and a predetermined number of objects are mounted on the object under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. In the vertical heat treatment apparatus for performing the heat treatment, an exhaust port is provided on a side wall of the processing container to exhaust the air into a plurality of zones in an arrangement direction of the processing object, and faces the exhaust port with the processing object interposed therebetween. Since a gas introduction pipe having a discharge hole for sending a processing gas along each object to be processed is provided at the position, the exhaust gas is exhausted on the exhaust side for each zone in order to make the flow of the processing gas between the objects uniform. The amount can be controlled or finely adjusted, and a large number of objects can be heat treated uniformly and quickly between surfaces.

(2) According to the second aspect of the present invention, a support in which a large number of objects to be processed are arranged and supported at predetermined intervals is accommodated in a processing container, and a predetermined number of objects are mounted on the object under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. In the vertical heat treatment apparatus for performing the heat treatment, the processing vessel has a double-pipe structure including an inner pipe and an outer pipe, and exhaust gas is divided into a plurality of zones on a side wall of the inner pipe in an arrangement direction of the object to be processed. In addition to disposing ports in the circumferential direction for each zone, an exhaust passage communicating between the inner pipe and the outer pipe and exhausting for each zone is provided between the inner pipe and the outer pipe. A gas introduction pipe having discharge holes for sending a processing gas to each zone along each object to be processed is provided at a position opposed to the object, so that the flow of the processing gas between the objects to be processed is made uniform. Control or fine-tune the amount of gas on the gas introduction side and the amount of exhaust on the exhaust side for each zone It becomes possible to, it becomes possible to perform a large number of and quickly heat treatment more between more plane uniformity with respect to the target object.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the partition wall for partitioning the exhaust passage is formed outside the inner pipe between the outer pipe and the outer pipe, the outer pipe can be simplified. Structure.

(4) According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the concave portion for detachably housing the gas introduction tube is formed inside the inner tube, replacement and cleaning of the gas introduction tube is easy. Can be.

(5) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the supporter supports and fixes a plurality of rings at predetermined intervals with a ring for supporting the peripheral portion of each object to be processed directly or via a claw portion. Since the outer peripheral edge of the ring is formed as close as possible to the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube and the support is disposed inside the outer peripheral edge of the ring, Gas can be prevented from leaking through the gap between the ring and the inner tube, and a uniform flow of the processing gas between the objects can be ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a vertical heat treatment apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing an inner tube, wherein FIG. 2A is a front view and FIG.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing a processing gas introduction pipe, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view for an upper zone, FIG. 3B is a front view for a middle zone, and FIG. 3C is a front view for a lower zone.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of an inner tube.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a support, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view,
(B) is a partial front view.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views showing a modification of the processing container, in which FIG. 7A is a front view of an inner pipe in which exhaust ports are vertically arranged in a line, and FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 w Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed) 1 Boat (support) 2 Reaction tube (processing vessel) 2a Inner tube 2b Outer tube 5 (5a, 5b, 5c) Gas inlet tube 12a, 12b, 12c Exhaust port 13 Discharge hole 14a, 14b, 14c Exhaust passage 17 Partition wall 18 (18a, 18b, 18c) Concave portion 20 Claw portion 21 Ring 22 Prop

Claims (5)

[Claims] In a vertical heat treatment apparatus, a support in which a large number of objects to be processed are arranged and supported at predetermined intervals is accommodated in a processing container and a predetermined heat treatment is performed on the objects under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. An exhaust port is provided on a side wall of the processing container to exhaust the air in a plurality of zones in the arrangement direction of the processing object, and the processing gas is supplied along the processing object at a position opposed to the exhaust port across the processing object. A vertical heat treatment apparatus, comprising a gas introduction pipe having a discharge hole for sending the gas. 2. A vertical heat treatment apparatus for accommodating a plurality of objects to be processed arranged at predetermined intervals in a processing container and performing predetermined heat treatment on the objects under a predetermined processing gas atmosphere. The processing vessel has a double-pipe structure consisting of an inner pipe and an outer pipe, and the exhaust ports for exhausting the divided pipes on the side walls of the inner pipe in a plurality of zones in the arrangement direction of the object to be processed are shifted in the circumferential direction for each zone. In addition, an exhaust passage communicating between the inner pipe and the outer pipe and exhausting air for each zone is provided between the inner pipe and the outer pipe. A vertical heat treatment apparatus, wherein a gas introduction pipe having a discharge hole for sending the water to each zone along the body is provided. 3. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a partition wall for partitioning the exhaust passage is formed outside the inner pipe between the inner pipe and the outer pipe. 4. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a concave portion for detachably housing the gas introduction pipe is formed inside the inner pipe. 5. The support tool has a ring that supports the peripheral edge of each object to be processed directly or via a claw portion, and a column that supports and fixes a number of rings at predetermined intervals. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a peripheral portion is formed as close as possible to an inner peripheral surface of the inner tube, and the support is disposed inside an outer peripheral edge of the ring. .