JP2002299421A - Notch alignment method and mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform the notch alignment of a body to be treated without requiring any accurate centering and a centering mechanism. SOLUTION: The body (w) to be treated having a notch 50 at a periphery section is placed on a rotary table 51 for rotation, the amount of change at the periphery section of the body (w) to be treated corresponding to the angle of rotation of the rotary table 51 is detected by a sensor 52, the position of the notch 50 of the body (w) to be treated is calculated according to the detected data, and the notch is set to an arbitrary position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a notch alignment method, a notch alignment mechanism, and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices,
When processing or inspecting an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer, an orientation flat (also referred to as an orientation flat) or a notch is provided at a peripheral portion of the wafer as a positioning mark in order to determine the orientation of the wafer. Note that the notch is smaller in the notch area of the wafer than the orientation flat and has less wasted portions, and is therefore often used for large-diameter wafers.

The diameter is 12 inches (300 mm)
A notch aligning method and a notch aligning apparatus have been proposed for aligning notches collectively for a plurality of the large-diameter wafers, for example, for every five wafers (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 335429). This notch alignment method or apparatus, the peripheral edge of a plurality of wafers conveyed supported in multiple stages in a horizontal state by the transfer arm and scooped up by a multi-stage support portion, and supported.
In this support state, the support is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the wafer from at least three directions to perform centering at a time, and then the support portion is lowered to place the wafer on a multi-stage rotary table corresponding to the support portion. Then, the notch of the wafer is detected by a sensor while rotating the wafer, and the notch is aligned so as to be aligned in one direction. According to this notch alignment method or apparatus, centering and alignment of notches can be easily performed collectively in a limited space without applying stress to a plurality of workpieces, thereby improving throughput. I can do it.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional notch alignment method or apparatus, a single light beam emitted from the light emitting element is transmitted through the notch using a sensor including a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The transmitted light beam is detected by a light receiving element to detect a notch. For this reason, if the notch is slightly deviated from the light beam, the notch cannot be detected, and a highly accurate centering and centering mechanism has been required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a notch alignment method and a notch alignment mechanism capable of easily performing notch alignment without requiring a highly accurate centering or centering mechanism. It is another object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In the present invention, claim 1 is provided.
According to the invention, an object having a notch in a peripheral portion is placed on a rotary table and rotated, and a change amount of the peripheral portion of the object corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotary table is detected by a sensor, and the detection is performed. A notch alignment method comprising: determining a position of a notch of a workpiece from data; and adjusting the notch to an arbitrary position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotary table for mounting and rotating a workpiece having a notch on a peripheral edge thereof, and detecting a change amount of the peripheral edge of the workpiece corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotary table. And a control unit that determines the position of the notch of the object to be processed from the detection data and controls the rotation of the rotary table so that the notch is set at an arbitrary position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, a plurality of the rotary tables are provided at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction,
The sensor is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat from the radial direction with respect to the object to be processed on each rotary table.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect, a lifter is provided near the rotary table for transferring a workpiece between the rotary table and the rotary table. A guide for roughly aligning the processing body is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a notch aligning mechanism for aligning notches of an object to be processed having a notch in a peripheral portion, wherein the notch aligning mechanism mounts the object to be processed. A rotary table to be rotated, a sensor for detecting a change amount of a peripheral portion of the workpiece corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotary table, and a position of a notch of the workpiece is determined from the detection data, and the notch is set at an arbitrary position. And a control unit for controlling the turntable so as to meet the requirements.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic transverse sectional view of the heat treatment apparatus.

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a casing which forms an outer shell of a vertical heat treatment apparatus which is an example of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
In this housing, a plurality of, for example, about 36 workpieces, for example, semiconductor wafers w, are mounted on a boat 2 as a holder, and are carried into and out of a heat treatment furnace (loading) and unloading (unloading). A loading area 3, which is a chamber, and a transfer work chamber (also referred to as a wafer handling area) 4 for transferring a wafer w are provided via a partition wall 5.

The loading area 3 is a closed space where outside air does not easily enter in order to suppress or prevent particle contamination of the wafer w. Further, the loading area 3 may be made to the air specification, in order to prevent the formation of a natural oxide film on the wafer w, inert having a function to replace the inner atmosphere with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas N ₂ It may be a gas purge specification.

Above the loading area 3, a vertical heat treatment furnace 6 is provided. This heat treatment furnace 6
It mainly includes a vertically long processing vessel (reaction tube) (not shown) whose lower end is opened as a furnace port, and a heater (not shown) provided around the processing vessel. In order to prevent heat in the furnace from being released into the loading area 3 when a lid 7 described below is opened downward, a shutter 8 that closes the furnace opening is provided at the lower part of the heat treatment furnace 6 so as to be openable and closable. Have been.

A cover 7 for opening and closing the furnace port of the heat treatment furnace 6 is provided in the loading area 3 via a lifting mechanism (also referred to as a boat elevator) 9 so as to be movable up and down. 2 is placed. Boat 2
In this example, in addition to 25 product wafers, a maximum of 36 wafers w including a dummy wafer and a monitor wafer can be mounted and held at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction in multiple stages.

The partition 5 is provided with a pass box 10 capable of accommodating a plurality of, for example, about 36 wafers w in multiple stages.
Are provided in a state of penetrating through. This pass box 1
0 denotes a first transfer mechanism 11 and a second transfer mechanism 1 to be described later.
It has a function as an interface for exchanging wafers w between the two. In the pass box 10,
A shelf 13 is provided for supporting a plurality of, for example, about 36 wafers w in multiple stages at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The pass box 10 has an opening on the loading area 3 side and the transfer work chamber 4 side, and the transfer box 4 side is moved to the loadein area 3 side, or the loading area 3 side is moved to the transfer work chamber 4 side. , The passage of the wafer w is possible.

When the loading area 3 is of an inert gas purge type, the pass box 10 has doors 14 and 1 on both sides.
5 is provided, and is preferably configured to have a function of replacing the inside of the pass box 10 with an inert gas such as N ₂ . Further, it is preferable that the pass box 10 has a cooling mechanism for cooling the unloaded wafer w after the heat treatment from the viewpoint of shortening the TAT.

A mounting table (also referred to as a load port) on the outside of the front of the transfer work chamber 4 for mounting a carrier 16 which is a transport container accommodating a plurality of, for example, about 25 wafers w.
17 are installed. On the mounting table 17, two carriers 16 can be mounted on the left and right. Table 17 described above
First, the carrier 16 containing the dummy wafer dw
Is supplied, the dummy wafer dw is transferred from the carrier 16 to a dummy storage unit 18 described later, and the empty carrier 1 is
After the evacuation mechanism 6 is retracted by a later-described evacuation mechanism, the carrier 16 accommodating the product wafer and the carrier 16 accommodating the monitor wafer are supplied one by one, or the product wafer and the monitor wafer are accommodated. Career 1
6 are supplied. The carrier is supplied 16 onto the mounting table 17 automatically by, for example, an overhead transport mechanism or manually by an operator.

The carrier 16 may be a transport container without a lid, but in order to prevent particle contamination of the wafer w, a lid 16 is provided on the front surface opened as a wafer entrance.
It is preferable that the container is a transport container with a lid to which a is detachably attached via a latch mechanism. In the carrier 16, a plurality of wafers w are supported in multiple stages at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction.

3A and 3B are views showing the mounting table, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view. The mounting table 17 is a movable table 19 on which the carrier 16 can be placed and which can move forward and backward in the front-rear direction.
A positioning pin 20 for positioning the carrier 16, a fixing mechanism 21 for fixing the carrier 16, and the like are provided on the movable base 19. When the carrier 16 is placed on the movable base 17, the carrier 16 is fixed by the fixing mechanism 21, and the carrier 16 is moved forward to the position of the door 23 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 22, which will be described later.

The mounting table 17 has a lid 16 a of the carrier 16.
There is provided a lid opening / closing mechanism 22 for opening / closing the lid. The opening / closing mechanism 22 includes a door 23 that opens and closes an opening (not shown) provided on the front surface of the housing 1 so as to face the carrier 16 on the mounting table 17, and a lid 16 a removed from the carrier 16.
And a lifting mechanism 24 for raising and lowering the door 23 so as to retract the door 23 together with the door 23 downward. Door 23 has lid 1
It has a latch key 25 for locking and unlocking the latch mechanism provided on 6a, and a suction unit 26 for sucking and holding the lid 16a.

The transfer table 4 is provided in the transfer work chamber 4.
A first transfer mechanism 11 for transferring the wafer w between the carrier 16 on the pass 7 and the pass box 10 is provided, and the loading area 3 has a wafer w between the pass box 10 and the boat 2. Second transfer mechanism 12 for transferring a document
Is provided. The first transfer mechanism 11 and the second transfer mechanism 12 are the same as the first transfer mechanism except that the first transfer mechanism 11 has a left-right moving mechanism 27 and a detection unit 28 for wafer mapping. 11, only the first transfer mechanism 11 will be described, and the second transfer mechanism 12 will be described.
Is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the first transfer mechanism. The first transfer mechanism 11 includes a transfer arm 30 having a plurality of, for example, five forks 29 (support plates) capable of supporting a plurality of, for example, five wafers w in multiple stages. The transfer arm 30 is configured to be movable forward and backward, horizontally rotatable, vertically movable and horizontally movable.

More specifically, the transfer arm 30 includes a central fork 29 that can move forward and backward independently, and four forks 29 that can move forward and backward and change the pitch. The transfer arm 30 has a base 31 having a built-in advance / retreat movement mechanism (not shown) for moving the forks 29 forward and backward. The base 31 is provided with the lifting arm 3 of the vertical movement mechanism 32.
3 is provided so as to be capable of horizontal rotation via a horizontal rotation mechanism 34, and below the vertical movement mechanism 32 is provided a left and right movement mechanism 27 capable of moving the vertical movement mechanism 32 in the horizontal direction. .

In the first transfer mechanism 11, a detection unit (a detection unit for detecting the position and the number of wafers w in the carrier 16 for wafer mapping) is provided at the tip of the base 31 of the transfer arm 30. A wafer counter) 28 is provided. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating a state in which a detection target provided in the first transfer mechanism is detecting a target object. The detection unit 28 includes an arm 35 provided to be able to move forward and backward from both sides of the tip of the base 31, and a light emitting element 3 provided opposite to the tips of both arms 35.
6 and a light receiving element 37. These light emitting elements 36
The wafer w is detected by interposing the wafer w between the light receiving element 37 and the optical path. The position and the number of the wafers w in the carrier 16 can be detected by scanning the arm 35 inserted into the carrier 16 and moved up or down by the vertical movement mechanism 32.

The pass box 1 in the transfer work room 4
On the side of 0, a plurality of, for example, about five wafers w having notches (notches) 50 on the peripheral edge are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction in order to align the processing state of the wafer w, for example, the film formation state. There is provided a notch aligning mechanism 38 described later for aligning the notch at an arbitrary position. A dummy storage section 18 is provided below the notch alignment mechanism 38 in the transfer work chamber 4 for temporarily storing (stocking) a plurality of, for example, about 25 dummy wafers dw supplied in advance. ing. The dummy storage unit 18 includes a shelf that supports a plurality of dummy wafers dw at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction.

Further, a carrier 16 for dummy wafers is provided above the first transfer mechanism 11 in the transfer work chamber 4.
A retreat mechanism 40 and a retreat area 41 for temporarily retreating from the table 17 are provided. The evacuation area 41 is partitioned from the inside of the transfer work chamber 4 by a partition wall 42 and is open to the front. The retracting mechanism 40 includes an arm 43 including a link mechanism,
A holding portion 44 provided at the tip of the arm 43 and holding the upper end support portion 16b of the carrier 16 is provided.

The retreat mechanism 40 keeps holding the carrier 16 during retreat. The retracting mechanism 40 is configured to retract the dummy wafer carrier 16 mounted on one of the left and right movable tables 19 on the mounting table 17 by one unit.
The evacuation area 41 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction.

FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically show a notch aligning mechanism. FIG. 6A is a plan view, FIG. 6B is a longitudinal sectional view, FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the notch aligning mechanism, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an algorithm for eccentricity correction, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation sequence of a notch alignment mechanism. The notch aligning mechanism (notch aligner) 38 includes a rotary table 51 for mounting and rotating the wafer w in a horizontal state, and a change amount of a peripheral portion (edge portion) of the wafer w corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotary table 51. 52, the eccentricity of the wafer w and the position of the notch 50 are calculated from the detection data, and the notch 50
And a control unit 53 for controlling the rotation of the turntable 51 so as to adjust the position to an arbitrary position.

The sensor 52 includes a plurality of light projecting elements 52a which emit a plurality of, for example, 12 light beams arranged in a line at a predetermined width, for example, about 5 mm in the radial direction at the periphery of the wafer w.
And a light receiving element 52 for receiving these corresponding light beams
b and an area sensor that can detect not a point but an area on a radial line of the wafer peripheral portion. The control unit 53 includes a system controller 53a that controls the entire heat treatment apparatus, and a notch alignment mechanism 3
And an N / A (notch aligner) controller 53b for controlling the motor 8 itself.

The sensor 52 is set at a measurement position at one end of the peripheral portion of the wafer, and the turntable 51 is rotated once (360 degrees).
°) and rotate the rotation table 51 (the motor 56
The sensor 52 detects the amount of change in the peripheral portion of the wafer w corresponding to the above (detected by the encoder). When the detection point of the sensor 52 reaches the position of the notch 50, the amount of change (voltage amplitude) of the sensor output data becomes the largest, so that the position of the notch 50 can be detected based on this change in data. In this case, the analog signal from the sensor 52 is amplified by the analog amplifier 70 and then the A / D converter 71
Is converted into a digital signal, and the amount of change is calculated by the system controller 53a, thereby capturing the state of the peripheral portion of the wafer w, and the center (rotation center) of the turntable 51.
The eccentricity, the eccentric direction, the center, the radius, and the position of the notch 50 of the wafer w with respect to C are calculated (determined).

By setting the alignment position of the notch 50 in the system controller 53a, the system controller 53a rotates the turntable 51 by a predetermined rotation angle via the N / A controller 53b based on the calculation result. By controlling, the notch 50 of the wafer w is adjusted to the set position. For example, the rotation start position, for example, the sensor
By allocating a large number, for example, 3000 points / circumferential position from the position 2, the position of the notch 50 and the set position are determined by the number of points, and the rotary table 51 is rotated by a predetermined point to adjust the notch 50 to the set position. ing. As a result, the notch alignment accuracy is ± 0.12 °
That's all.

In the initial state, the notch alignment position is set to the front position of the notch alignment mechanism 38 (initial setting). The sensor 52 also serves to detect the presence / absence and deviation of the wafer w. The main part of the notch alignment mechanism 38 is composed of a motor 56 of the rotary table 51, a driving unit 60 of the lifter 60, a sensor 52, a cylinder for moving the sensor 52 forward and backward, and the like.
This is performed by the system controller 53a via the A controller 53b.

The rotary table 51 is provided on the top surface of the front end of a support frame 54 fixed in a cantilevered manner to a column of a notch alignment mechanism main body (not shown). The support frame 54 is formed in a hollow box shape, and has a driven pulley 55 directly connected to the rotary table 51 therein and a stepping motor (pulse motor) having an encoder for detecting a rotation angle of the rotary table 51. A drive pulley 57 directly connected to the driven pulley 55 is disposed.
A timing belt 58 is wound around the driving pulley 57 and the driving pulley 57. An exhaust system 59 having an exhaust fan 58 for exhausting the inside is connected to the support frame 54, and suction of dust generated from the timing belt 58 and the like prevents dust from being contaminated on the wafer.

A plurality of, for example, five stages of the rotary tables 51 are provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and the sensors 52 are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat (approach and retreat) from the radial direction with respect to the wafer w on each rotary table 51. ing. A lifter 60 for transferring (transferring) the wafer w between the turntable 51 and the transfer arm 30 of the first transfer mechanism 11 is provided near the turntable 51.

The lifter 60 mainly comprises a support portion 61 for supporting both right and left sides of the wafer w, and a drive portion 62 for driving the support portions 61 up and down. The support portion 61 includes
A plurality of, for example, five wafers w are provided in a shelf shape so as to be supported in multiple stages at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The lifter 60
A tapered guide 63 for roughly centering the wafer w is provided on the support portion 61 so as to regulate a plurality of locations on the periphery of the wafer toward the center of the turntable 51.

Since the wafer w is only roughly centered by the guide 63, the wafer w
There is a case where it is placed eccentrically from the center C of one. In this case, the following eccentricity correction algorithm is employed to determine the center position of the wafer w. When there is a deviation between the centers C and Cw of the wafer w and the rotary table 51,
FIG. 9B shows a result of adding all N signals obtained by taking in from the sensor to obtain an average and subtracting the offset from all data. This signal is expressed by equation (1).

F1 (Θ) = A1Sin (Θ + δ) (1) This equation can be expanded into an X component (CosΘ) and a Y component (SinΘ).

F1 (Θ) = aSinΘ + bCosΘ (2) where A1 = √ (a ² + b ² ) Tan δ = b / a Therefore, if a and b are obtained by the equation (2), The position of the center Cw of the wafer w can be obtained.

With respect to the signal obtained by the equation (2), Sin (2
When multiplied by πn / N), I1 = f1 (2πn / N) · Sin (2πn / N) = aSin ² (2πn / N) + bSin (2πn / N) · Cos (2πn / N) (3) (3) When one cycle integrating the ^{equation, I2 = ∫ N I1dn = a∫} N Sin 2 (2πn / N) dn
Considering + as ^{∫ N Sin (2πn / N)} · Cos (2πn / N) For ease of dn calculated convenience Θ = 2π * n / N, I2 = ∫ 2π I1dΘ = a∫ 2π Sin 2 ΘdΘ + ∫ 2π SinΘ · CosΘdΘ = a / in ^{2∫ 2π (1-Cos2Θ) dΘ} + b / 2∫ 2π Sin2ΘdΘ (4) (4) equation, cos, becomes 0 when one cycle integrating Sin2Θ addition,, 2 [pi in that one period of the data
Replacing the total number of data (N), therefore ^{I2 = a / 2∫ N dN =} (a / 2) N = aN / 2 (5), by obtaining the I2, the a by a = 2 * I2 / N You can ask.

Similarly, by multiplying the equation (2) by Cos 分, one round
When integrated, I3 = ∫^2πf1 (Θ) CosΘdΘ = ∫^2πaSinΘ ・ CosΘdΘ + ∫^2πbCos ² {D} = a / 2}^2πSin2Θ + b / 2∫^2π(1 + Cos2Θ) dΘ = b / 2∫^Ndn = (b / 2) N = bN / 2 (6), and b can be obtained by b = 2 * I3 / N.
You.

The signal f obtained from the sensor as described above
With respect to (Θ), the data f1 (2πn / N) obtained by subtracting the offset value has Sin (2πn / N) and Cos (2
πn / N) and the integral of each period, the center value of the wafer w with respect to the center of the turntable 51, that is, the X and Y components of the eccentricity can be known. δ is determined. Since there are two eccentric directions with a phase of 180 °, the direction can be determined depending on whether the value of a or b is positive or negative.

On the other hand, notch alignment mechanism 3 by control unit 53
8 is as shown in FIG. That is, when the wafer w is transferred to the lifter 60 by the first transfer mechanism 11, a notch alignment start command (signal) is issued from the system controller 53a, and the sensor 52 is connected to the solid line as shown in FIG. Is moved from the evacuation position indicated by the arrow to the measurement position indicated by the imaginary line, and then the lifter 60 is lowered to move the wafer w from the
Transfer to the top. Next, by rotating the rotary table 51 once and stopping, the peripheral portion of the wafer is sampled, and then the rotary table 51 is rotated and stopped at a predetermined angle to adjust the notch 50 to a predetermined position. Then, when the system controller 53a confirms the completion of the notch alignment, the sensor 52 is moved to the retracted position, and then the lifter 60 is raised to receive the wafer w from the rotary table 51 onto the lifter 60, and the notch alignment mechanism 38 The operation ends. After the notch alignment is completed, the wafer is transferred from the lifter 60 into the pass box 10 by the first transfer mechanism 11.

Next, the operation of the vertical heat treatment apparatus and the notch alignment mechanism having the above configuration will be described. First, first,
The carrier 16 containing the dummy wafer dw is placed on the mounting table 17.
And a dummy wafer dw is supplied from inside the carrier 16.
Is transferred to the dummy storage section 18 by the first transfer mechanism 11, and the empty carrier 16 is retracted by the retracting mechanism 40. Next, a carrier 16 accommodating, for example, a product wafer and a carrier 16 accommodating a monitor wafer are supplied on the mounting table 17 and arranged side by side.
A predetermined number of wafers are transferred from the dummy storage unit 6 and the dummy storage unit 18 to the shelves 13 in the pass box 10 by a predetermined number by the first transfer mechanism 11.

When the carrier 16 is mounted on the movable base 19 of the mounting table 17, the fixing mechanism 21 fixes the carrier 16 and advances the carrier 16 to the position of the door 23.
When the carrier 16 has a lid, the lid 16 a is removed by the lid opening / closing mechanism 22 and is retracted downward together with the door 23. When the carrier 16 is not provided with a lid, only the door 23 is retracted downward. Next, the arm 35 of the detection unit 28 provided in the first transfer mechanism 11 is inserted into the carrier 16, and the detection unit 28 is moved downward or upward to scan the wafer in the carrier 16 on the mounting table 17. The position and number of w are detected and mapping is performed. When the product wafer is transferred from the carrier 16 to the pass box 10, if necessary, the product wafer is transferred to the notch alignment mechanism 38, and the notches are aligned in a predetermined direction. Transfer to.

When the pass box 10 has the same inert gas purge specification as the loading area, the door 14 of the pass box 10 on the transfer work chamber 4 side is opened, and a predetermined number of wafers, for example, 36 wafers are transferred into the pass box 10. After the mounting, the door 14 is closed, and the inside of the pass box 10 is replaced with an inert gas such as N ₂ . After the replacement, the door 15 on the loading area 3 side of the pass box 10 is opened, and a plurality of wafers w are taken out of the pass box 10 by the second transfer mechanism 12 and stand by in the loading area 3.
Transfer to When all the wafers w in the pass box 10 are mounted on the boat 2, the door 15 of the pass box 10 is closed, the boat 2 is moved up by the elevating mechanism 9 and loaded into the heat treatment furnace 6, and the predetermined heat treatment for the wafer w is performed. To start.

When the heat treatment is completed, the boat 2 is unloaded, the door 15 of the pass box 10 is opened, and all the wafers w after the heat treatment are transferred from the boat 2 into the pass box 10 by the second transfer mechanism 12. Then, the door 15 is closed. Then, if the wafer w is cooled for a predetermined time by the cooling mechanism while flowing an inert gas such as N 2 into the pass box 10 and the temperature is reduced from, for example, about 600 ° C. to about 60 ° C., the inside of the pass box 10 is replaced with the atmosphere. The door 14 on the side of the transfer work chamber 4 is opened, and the first transfer mechanism 11 transfers the heat-treated product wafer and monitor wafer from the pass box 10 to the carrier 16 on the mounting table 17 and the dummy wafer. dw is transferred to the dummy storage unit 18.

When the product wafer and the monitor wafer are all returned into the carrier 16 on the mounting table 17, the lid 16a of the carrier 16 is closed by the lid opening / closing mechanism 22, the movable table 19 is retracted, and the carrier 16 is fixed by the fixing mechanism 21. When the fixing is released, the carrier 16 is carried away from the mounting table 17. Then, the carrier 16 evacuated by the evacuation mechanism 40 is returned to the mounting table 17, and the dummy wafer dw is returned from the dummy storage unit 18 into the carrier 16 by the first transfer mechanism 11. The cover 16a of the carrier 16 is closed, the carrier 16 is carried away from the mounting table 16, and the heat treatment may be repeated in a similar cycle.

According to the heat treatment apparatus having the above configuration,
Transfer of wafers w to a loading area 3 for loading and unloading a plurality of wafers w on the boat 2 to carry in / out the heat treatment furnace 6 via a pass box 10 capable of accommodating a plurality of wafers w in multiple stages. Work room 4 is connected, and this transfer work 4
A mounting table 17 for mounting a carrier 16 accommodating a plurality of wafers w is installed at the front of the chamber, and the wafer w is placed in the transfer work chamber 4 between the carrier 16 on the mounting table 17 and the pass box 10. A first transfer mechanism 11 for transferring wafers w is provided, and a second transfer mechanism 12 for transferring wafers w between the pass box 10 and the boat 2 is provided in the loading area 3. Equipped with a transport storage room for transporting and storing a plurality of carriers, compared to conventional vertical heat treatment equipment that uses a boat that carries a large number of wafers, the TAT can be shortened, the equipment can be reduced in size, and multi-product small-quantity production can be achieved. Will be possible.

If the pass box 10 is provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling the unloaded wafers w, the plurality of wafers w are forcibly cooled and cooled by batch processing during the passage in the pass box 10. This makes it possible to further reduce the TAT in batch processing, unlike a conventional batch-type heat treatment apparatus which performs natural heat radiation cooling and a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus having a single-wafer cooling mechanism.

The transfer work chamber 4 is provided with the notch aligning mechanism 38 for arranging the notches by placing the notches of the wafers w in multiple stages, so that the notches of the wafers w can be easily aligned as necessary. It can be carried out. Further, since the notch alignment mechanism 38 is disposed in the transfer work chamber 4,
Unlike when placed in loading area 3,
The wafer w and the notch alignment mechanism 38 are not easily affected by heat and contamination.

In particular, according to the notch alignment method or the notch alignment mechanism 38, the sensor 52 detects the amount of change in the peripheral portion of the wafer w corresponding to the rotation angle of the turntable 51,
Since the position of the notch 50 on the wafer w is determined from the detected data and the notch 50 is adjusted to an arbitrary position, the notch alignment of the workpiece w can be performed without requiring a highly accurate centering or centering mechanism. It can be done easily. Further, since the centering operation of the wafer w (the operation of aligning the center of the wafer with the center of the rotary table) is not required, the notch alignment time can be reduced by that much, which can contribute to the reduction of TAT. Further, since the center position of the wafer w can be determined from the detection data, even if the wafer w is eccentric from the center of the rotary table, the center of the fork 29 of the transfer arm 30 can be aligned with the center position of the wafer w. Thus, the transfer of the wafer w can be performed with high accuracy.

A plurality of the rotary tables 51 are provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and the sensors 52 are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat from the radial direction with respect to the wafer w on each rotary table 51. Notch alignment of the wafer w can be performed collectively, thereby improving throughput or shortening the TAT. A lifter 60 for transferring a wafer w between the rotary table 51 and the rotary table 51 is provided near the rotary table 51. The lifter 60 has a guide 63 for roughly centering the wafer w. Is provided, the notch alignment of the wafer w can be performed smoothly.

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. The invention relates to oxidation, diffusion, CV
D, not only heat treatment equipment that performs heat treatment such as annealing,
For example, the present invention can be applied to various semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses that perform etching, ion implantation, and the like. The object to be processed may be, for example, an LCD substrate or a glass substrate other than the semiconductor wafer.

[0055]

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

(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, an object having a notch in the peripheral portion is placed on a rotary table and rotated, and the peripheral portion of the object corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotary table is rotated. The amount of change of the object is detected by the sensor, the position of the notch of the object to be processed is determined from the detection data, and the notch is aligned with an arbitrary position. It can be done easily.

(2) According to the second aspect of the present invention, a rotary table for mounting and rotating an object having a notch on a peripheral portion, and a peripheral portion of the object corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotary table. A sensor that detects the amount of change in the sensor, and a control unit that determines the position of the notch of the object to be processed from the detection data and that controls the rotation of the rotary table so that the notch is aligned with an arbitrary position. Notch alignment of the object to be processed can be easily performed without requiring a centering mechanism.

(3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the rotary tables are provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and the sensors are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat from an object to be processed on each rotary table in a radial direction. Therefore, notch alignment of a plurality of workpieces can be performed collectively.

(4) According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a lifter for transferring an object to be processed between the rotary table and the rotary table is provided near the rotary table, and the lifter is provided with the object to be processed. Since the guide for performing the rough centering is provided, the notch alignment of the object can be smoothly performed.

(5) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with a notch alignment mechanism for aligning a notch of a processing object having a notch at a peripheral portion, the notch alignment mechanism includes the processing object. A rotary table on which is mounted and rotated, a sensor for detecting the amount of change in the peripheral portion of the workpiece corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotary table, and the position of the notch of the workpiece is determined from the detection data, Since the control unit controls the rotary table to adjust the notch to an arbitrary position, the notch alignment of the workpiece can be easily performed without requiring a highly accurate centering or centering mechanism. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat treatment apparatus.

3A and 3B are views showing a mounting table, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first transfer mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a state where a processing target is detected by a detection unit provided in a first transfer mechanism.

6A and 6B are diagrams schematically showing a notch alignment mechanism, wherein FIG. 6A is a plane portion, and FIG. 6B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a notch alignment mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a detection unit of the notch alignment mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an algorithm for eccentricity correction.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation sequence of the notch alignment mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 w Semiconductor wafer (workpiece) 2 Boat (holding tool) 3 Loading area (transfer work room) 4 Transfer work room 6 Heat treatment furnace 10 Pass box 11 First transfer mechanism 12 Second transfer mechanism 16 Carrier ( (Conveying container) 38 Notch alignment mechanism 50 Notch 51 Rotary table 52 Sensor 53 Control unit 60 Lifter 63 Guide

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5F031 CA02 CA11 DA08 DA17 EA14 FA01 FA03 FA09 FA11 FA12 FA15 FA25 GA04 GA19 GA36 GA43 GA47 GA48 GA49 HA32 HA59 HA61 JA01 JA02 JA04 JA05 JA13 JA22 JA23 JA28 JA29 JA32 JA35 JA51 KA03 KA11 KA14 LA09 LA12 LA13 LA15 MA15 MA30 NA04 NA10 NA14 5F045 DP02 EM01 EM10 EN06

Claims (5)

[Claims] An object having a notch in a peripheral portion is mounted on a rotary table and rotated, and a change amount of the peripheral portion of the object corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotary table is detected by a sensor. A notch alignment method characterized by determining a position of a notch on a processing object from detection data and adjusting the notch to an arbitrary position. 2. A rotary table for mounting and rotating an object having a notch on a peripheral portion thereof, a sensor for detecting an amount of change in the peripheral portion of the object corresponding to a rotation angle of the rotary table, and A notch aligning mechanism comprising: a control unit that determines a position of a notch of the object to be processed from detection data, and controls a rotation of a rotary table so that the notch is set at an arbitrary position. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the rotary tables are provided at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction, and the sensors are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat from an object to be processed on each rotary table in a radial direction. 3. The notch alignment mechanism according to 2. 4. A lifter for transferring a workpiece to and from the rotary table is provided near the rotary table, and the lifter is provided with a guide for roughly centering the workpiece. The notch alignment mechanism according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a notch is provided. 5. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with a notch alignment mechanism for aligning notches of a processing object having a notch on a peripheral portion, wherein the notch alignment mechanism includes a rotating table for mounting and rotating the processing object. A sensor for detecting the amount of change in the peripheral portion of the object corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotary table, and the position of the notch of the object to be processed is determined from the detection data, and the rotary table And a control unit for controlling the operation of the semiconductor device.