JP2006253448A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure the smooth elevating operation of a board elector. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate treatment apparatus is provided with a treatment chamber 20 for treating a group of wafers 1 by holding them by a boat 13, a stand-by chamber 12 formed right beneath the treatment chamber 20 wherein the boat 13 stands by, and a boat elevator 23 for elevating a ramp 43 supporting the boat 13 to carry in/out it to/from the treatment chamber 20. In a load-lock type heat treatment apparatus wherein the boat elevator 23 is installed outside the stand-by chamber 12 to prevent the contamination of organic substances, the boat elevator 23 is provided with an elevating shaft 31 inserted into the stand-by chamber 12 to support the ramp 43, and a feed screw shaft 28 arranged inside the elevating shaft 31 like a concentric circle to elevate the elevating shaft 31. Thus, it is possible to prevent a moment working on the feed screw shaft and the driving shaft, and to ensure the smooth elevating operation of the boat elevator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to a transfer technique in a sealed chamber. For example, heat treatment such as diffusion, CVD, or epitaxial growth on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) on which a semiconductor integrated circuit including semiconductor elements is formed. (Thermal treatment) It relates to a heat treatment apparatus (furnace) effective for use.

As a heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment on wafers, a process tube in which a treatment chamber for heat treatment is formed in a state where a plurality of wafers are held in a boat, and a boat that is formed directly below the process tube and is carried into and out of the treatment chamber. 2. Description of the Related Art A batch type vertical hot wall heat treatment apparatus including a standby chamber for waiting and a boat elevator that lifts and lowers a boat and carries it in and out of the processing chamber is widely used.
In the conventional batch type vertical hot wall type heat treatment apparatus, the boat elevator is constituted by a feed screw shaft device and is installed vertically in the standby chamber, and the lower end of the feed screw shaft is supported in the standby chamber and the standby chamber at the upper end. The motor is rotated by a motor installed outside.

However, in such a conventional batch type vertical hot wall type heat treatment apparatus, since the boat elevator is installed inside the standby chamber, it is possible to organically use grease and wiring cables used in the feed screw shaft device and the guide rail. There is a problem that the scattering of the substance causes contamination of the wafer.
Accordingly, it has been proposed to prevent the scattering of organic substances from the boat elevator by installing the boat elevator outside the waiting room and connecting the elevator body of the boat elevator and the boat by a lifting shaft. For example, see Patent Document 1.
JP-A-11-3862

  However, in the batch type vertical hot wall heat treatment apparatus in which the boat elevator is installed outside the waiting room and the elevator body of the boat elevator and the boat are connected by the lifting shaft, the distance between the boat and the boat elevator becomes long. In addition, there is a problem that the moment acting on the drive shaft of the boat elevator is increased, hindering a smooth lifting operation, and the width of the waiting room is increased.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing contamination by a boat elevator while preventing a decrease in lifting operation performance and an increase in size of the apparatus.

Typical inventions disclosed in the present application are as follows.
(1) A processing chamber for processing a substrate in a state of being held in a boat, a standby chamber connected to the lower side of the processing chamber, in which the boat waits for the processing chamber, and a lid that supports the boat And an arm that supports the lid, and a boat elevator disposed outside the waiting room,
The boat elevator includes a cylindrical lifting shaft that is inserted into the standby chamber and supports the arm in the standby chamber, and a drive shaft that is disposed concentrically within a hollow portion of the lifting shaft. Substrate processing equipment.
(2) A processing chamber for processing the substrate held in the boat, a standby chamber connected to the lower side of the processing chamber in which the boat waits for the processing chamber, and a lid for supporting the boat An arm that supports the lid, a cylindrical lifting shaft that supports the arm, a drive shaft that is concentrically disposed in the hollow portion of the lifting shaft, is supported from the upper end side, and has a lower end that is a free end. A substrate processing apparatus comprising connection means for connecting the elevating shaft and the drive shaft.
(3) A processing chamber for processing in a state where the substrate is held in the boat, a standby chamber that is connected to the lower side of the processing chamber and in which the boat waits for the processing chamber, and a lid that supports the boat And an arm that supports the lid, and a boat elevator disposed outside the waiting room,
The boat elevator is inserted into the waiting room and has a cylindrical lifting shaft that supports the arm in the waiting room, and is disposed concentrically in a hollow portion of the lifting shaft and supported from the upper end side, and the lower end side is a free end. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a drive shaft.
(4) The substrate processing according to (1) or (2), wherein a plurality of guide shafts for guiding the lifting and lowering of the lifting shaft across the drive shaft are arranged in a substantially straight line in the horizontal direction. apparatus.
(5) A processing chamber for processing the substrate held in a boat, a heater unit for heating the processing chamber, a gas supply pipe for supplying gas to the processing chamber, an exhaust pipe for exhausting the processing chamber, A standby chamber in which the boat waits for the processing chamber; a lid that supports the boat; an arm that supports the lid; and a boat elevator disposed outside the standby chamber; The boat elevator uses a substrate processing apparatus that includes a cylindrical lifting shaft that is inserted into the standby chamber and supports the arm in the standby chamber, and a drive shaft that is disposed concentrically within a hollow portion of the lifting shaft. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:
Transferring the substrate to the boat supported by the arm via the lid;
Raising the lid and the boat together with the lifting shaft by driving the drive shaft;
Heating the processing chamber by the heater unit;
Supplying gas to the processing chamber through the gas supply pipe;
Evacuating the treatment chamber with the exhaust pipe;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

According to the means (1), since the boat elevator is installed outside the waiting room, it is possible to inevitably prevent the organic substances of the boat elevator from scattering into the waiting room.
In addition, since the elevating shaft and the drive shaft are arranged concentrically, a smooth elevating operation of the boat elevator can be ensured, and the waiting room can be set small.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured as a batch type vertical hot-wall type heat treatment apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a heat treatment apparatus) for performing a heat treatment on a wafer in a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured as a load lock type heat treatment apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a load lock type heat treatment apparatus) 10.
In the load lock method, a standby chamber, which is a spare chamber in which a workpiece waits for processing, is adjacent to a processing chamber for processing the workpiece, and the processing chamber and the standby chamber are connected to a shutter or gate valve. This is a system that stabilizes the process by preventing the intrusion of air into the process chamber or reducing the disturbance such as the temperature and pressure by isolating it using a gate valve such as.

The load lock heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a housing 11, and a standby chamber 12 in which the boat 13 waits is formed in the housing 11. The standby chamber 12 is configured as a sealed chamber having an airtight performance capable of maintaining a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and is formed in a volume capable of storing the boat 13.
A supply pipe 12 a that supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen gas to the standby chamber 12 and an exhaust pipe 12 b that exhausts the standby chamber 12 are connected to the side wall of the housing 11.
A wafer loading / unloading port 14 is opened on the front wall of the housing 11, and the wafer loading / unloading port 14 is opened and closed by a gate 15.
A boat loading / unloading port 16 is opened on the ceiling wall of the housing 11, and the boat loading / unloading port 16 is opened and closed by a shutter 17 as a gate valve that separates the processing chamber and the standby chamber.
A heater unit 18 that heats the processing chamber is vertically installed on the casing 11, and a process tube 19 that forms the processing chamber 20 is disposed inside the heater unit 18.
The process tube 19 is formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened, and is disposed concentrically with the heater unit 18. The process chamber 20 is constituted by the hollow cylindrical portion of the process tube 19.
Connected to the lower end of the process tube 19 are a gas supply pipe 21 for supplying a raw material gas, a purge gas and the like to the processing chamber 20 and an exhaust pipe 22 for exhausting the inside of the process tube 19.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a boat elevator 23 that raises and lowers the boat is installed on the ceiling wall of the standby chamber 12 of the housing 11. The boat elevator 23 includes an upper mounting plate 24 and a lower mounting plate 25, and a pair of guide shafts 26 and 26 are laid vertically between the mounting plates 24 and 25 with a space therebetween. A lift plate 27 is supported on the guide shafts 26 and 26 so as to be vertically movable.

A feed screw shaft 28 as a drive shaft is laid vertically in the center of a pair of guide shafts 26, 26 between the mounting plates 24 and 25, and the upper end side of the feed screw shaft 28 is rotatably supported. The lower end side is configured as a free end.
A motor with a worm gear speed reducer (hereinafter simply referred to as a motor) 29 is installed on the upper mounting plate 24, and the feed screw shaft 28 is configured to be rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions by the motor 29. Yes.
An intermediate portion of the feed screw shaft 28 penetrates the central portion of the lifting plate 27 from above, and a nut 30 is installed at a portion of the lifting plate 27 through which the feed screw shaft 28 penetrates. A feed screw shaft 28 is screwed to the nut 30 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the vertical direction, and the elevating plate 27 is configured to move up and down together with the nut 30 as the feed screw shaft 28 rotates in the forward and reverse directions. .
In order to improve the operation and backlash, a ball screw mechanism is used at the threaded portion between the nut 30 and the feed screw shaft 28.

  A lifting shaft 31 formed in a cylindrical shape is fixed at the center of the lower surface of the lifting plate 27 in a vertically downward direction, and the lifting shaft 31 and the feed screw shaft 28 are arranged concentrically. The lifting shaft 31, the feed screw shaft 28 and the pair of guide shafts 26, 26 are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction, and the pair of guide shafts 26, 26 are arranged symmetrically with the lifting shaft 31 in between. ing.

A thick cylindrical plug 33 is fixed to the lower end of the elevating shaft 31 so as to close the lower end opening of the hollow portion 32 of the elevating shaft 31. An outer cylinder 34 formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter smaller than that is arranged concentrically and fixed. In a space between the inner periphery of the elevating shaft 31 and the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 34, a cooling water passage 35 through which cooling water flows is formed.
In the hollow portion of the outer cylinder 34, an inner cylinder 36 formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 34 is disposed concentrically, and the inner cylinder 36 is interposed at both upper and lower ends. The upper and lower parts are fixed to the outer cylinder 34 and the plug 33 by a pair of rings 37, 37, respectively.
An insertion passage 38 is formed in a space between the inner periphery of the outer cylinder 34 and the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 36. As shown in FIG. 3, insertion holes 37a and 37a are formed in the upper and lower rings 37 and 37, respectively.
A moving path 39 along which the feed screw shaft 28 moves in the vertical direction is formed by the hollow portion of the inner cylinder 36.

The elevating shaft 31 is inserted through an insertion hole 41 provided in the ceiling wall of the housing 11 and the lower end portion is inserted into the standby chamber 12. The elevating shaft 31 is interposed between the upper surface of the lower mounting plate 25 and the lower surface of the elevating plate 27. Is provided with a bellows 42 for hermetically sealing the insertion hole 41.
A lifting platform 43 as an arm for lifting and lowering the boat is horizontally disposed and fixed to the lower end of the lifting shaft 31 through a plug 33. The lifting platform 43 includes a main body 44 formed in a box shape with an upper surface open, and a lid body 45 formed in the same flat plate shape as the main body 44, and the lid body 45 is attached to the main body 44 as a seal ring. An airtight chamber 47 is formed by being put across 46.

A bearing device 49 sealed by a magnetic fluid sealing device 48 is installed on the lower surface of the lid body 45 which is the ceiling surface of the hermetic chamber 47 of the elevator 43, and the bearing device 49 is inserted through the lid body 45 in the vertical direction. A rotary shaft 50 is rotatably supported, and the rotary shaft 50 is rotationally driven by a boat rotation driving motor 51.
The boat 13 is installed at the upper end of the rotating shaft 50 so as to stand vertically.
The boat 13 has a plurality of (for example, 25, 50, 75, 100, etc.) wafers 1 in a state where the wafers 1 are horizontally supported with their centers aligned, and a lifting platform by a boat elevator 23 with respect to the processing chamber 20. It is comprised so that it may carry in and out with 43 raising / lowering.
A seal cap 53 as a lid is installed on the upper surface of the elevator 43 via a seal ring 52. The seal cap 53 is configured to seal the boat loading / unloading port 16 of the casing 11 that becomes the furnace port of the processing chamber 20.

A cooling device 54 for cooling the magnetic fluid sealing device 48, the bearing device 49, and the boat rotation driving motor 51 is installed outside the magnetic fluid sealing device 48. The cooling device 54 has a cooling water supply tube 55. It is connected.
The cooling water supply tube 55 is inserted from the airtight chamber 47 through the insertion passage 38 between the outer cylinder 34 and the inner cylinder 36 and drawn out of the standby chamber 12, and a variable flow rate control valve 56 is connected to the cooling water supply source 57. It is supposed to be connected via.
A water passage 59 through which the cooling water 58 flows is opened inside the seal cap 53, and the cooling water of the cooling device 54 is introduced into the water passage 59 by the introduction side connecting pipe 60.
One end of the outlet side connecting pipe 61 is connected to the water passage 59, and the other end of the outlet side connecting pipe 61 is inserted through the plug 33, and the lower end of the cooling water path 35 between the elevating shaft 31 and the outer cylinder 34. It is connected to the. A cooling water discharge pipe 62 is connected to the upper end of the cooling water passage 35, and the cooling water discharge pipe 62 is connected to a cooling water supply source 57. Therefore, the cooling water 58 is circulated through the cooling water passage 35 by being introduced from the outlet connecting pipe 61 at the lower end and discharged from the cooling water discharge pipe 62 at the upper end.
A power supply wire 63 of the boat rotation driving motor 51 is inserted into the insertion passage 38 between the outer cylinder 34 and the inner cylinder 36 and is drawn out to the outside.

  Hereinafter, a film forming process using the load lock heat treatment apparatus according to the above configuration will be described.

The wafer 1 to be deposited is loaded into the standby chamber 12 under atmospheric pressure by a wafer transfer equipment through a wafer loading / unloading port 14 of the housing 11 and loaded into the boat 13 (wafer charging). The
At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the boat loading / unloading port 16 is closed by the shutter 17, thereby preventing the high temperature atmosphere of the processing chamber 20 from flowing into the standby chamber 12. For this reason, the wafer 1 being loaded and the loaded wafer 1 are not exposed to a high temperature atmosphere, and the occurrence of adverse effects such as natural oxidation due to the wafer 1 being exposed to a high temperature atmosphere is prevented.

When a predetermined number of wafers 1 are loaded into the boat 13, the wafer loading / unloading port 14 is closed by the gate 15.
Thereafter, while comparing the detected pressures of pressure sensors (not shown) provided in the exhaust pipe 12b of the standby chamber 12 and the exhaust pipe 22 of the processing chamber 20, the standby chamber 12 is decompressed by the exhaust pipe 12b, The pressure is the same as that of the processing chamber 20 whose pressure has been reduced in advance.
The boat loading / unloading port 16 is opened by the shutter 17.

Next, the feed screw shaft 28 is rotated in the forward direction by the motor 29 of the boat elevator 23. The nut 30 that is screwed into the feed screw shaft 28 so as to be able to advance and retreat is relatively lifted as the feed screw shaft 28 rotates in the positive direction, so that the elevating plate 27 fixed to the nut 30 is a pair of guide shafts 26. , 26 rises horizontally along the lift plate 26, and the lift shaft 31 suspended by the lift plate 27 and the lift platform 43 fixed thereto are lifted.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lift of the lift 43 raises the seal cap 53 and the boat 13 supported by the lift 43, and the boat 13 moves to the processing chamber 20 of the process tube 19. Carrying in (boat loading) from the carry-in / out port 16.
When the elevating plate 27 rises when the boat 13 is carried into the processing chamber 20, the bellows 42 extends upward.
When the boat 13 reaches a preset desired upper limit, the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the seal cap 53 closes the boat loading / unloading port 16 in a sealed state, so that the processing chamber 20 of the process tube 19 is airtightly closed. become.

Thereafter, the processing chamber 20 of the process tube 19 is closed in an airtight manner, is exhausted by the exhaust pipe 22 so as to have a predetermined pressure, heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater unit 18, and a predetermined source gas is supplied to the gas. The pipe 21 supplies a predetermined flow rate.
As a result, a desired film corresponding to preset processing conditions is formed on the wafer 1.
At this time, the boat 13 is rotated by the boat rotation drive motor 51, so that the source gas is uniformly brought into contact with the surface of the wafer 1.
For this reason, a CVD film is uniformly formed on the wafer 1.

Here, the cooling water 58 is circulated through the cooling device 54 and the water passage 59 of the seal cap 53 through the cooling water supply tube 55 and the cooling water discharge pipe 62, so that the seal ring 52 and the magnetic fluid of the seal cap 53 are heated. Deterioration of the sealing device 48 and the bearing device 49 is prevented.
At this time, since the cooling water 58 flows through the cooling water passage 35 between the inner periphery of the lifting shaft 31 and the outer periphery of the outer tube 34, the lifting shaft 31, the plug 33, the outer tube 34, the inner tube 36, and the like are also cooled. Will be.

  When a preset processing time has elapsed, the standby chamber 12 is connected to the exhaust pipe 12b while comparing the detected pressures of pressure sensors (not shown) provided in the exhaust pipe 12b of the standby chamber 12 and the exhaust pipe 22 of the processing chamber 20. The pressure in the standby chamber 12 is made equal to that in the processing chamber 20.

Next, the feed screw shaft 28 is rotated in the reverse direction by the motor 29 of the boat elevator 23. The nut 30 that is screwed to the feed screw shaft 28 so as to be able to advance and retreat is lowered relative to the rotation of the feed screw shaft 28 in the reverse direction, whereby the elevating plate 27 fixed to the nut 30 is a pair of guide shafts 26, 26, the elevating shaft 31 suspended by the elevating plate 27 and the elevating platform 43 fixed thereto are lowered.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lowering of the lifting platform 43 lowers the seal cap 53 and the boat 13 supported by the lifting platform 43, and the boat 13 is unloaded from the processing chamber 20 of the process tube 19. (Unboat loading).
When the lift plate 27 is lowered when the boat 13 is carried out of the processing chamber 20, the bellows 42 contracts downward.
When the boat 13 reaches a preset lower limit, the motor 29 automatically stops.

  Here, when the processed boat 13 and the group of wafers 1 are lowered to the standby chamber 12 at a high temperature in a state where the lifting shaft 31 is not cooled, the lifting shaft 31 is heated and thermally expanded, so that the boat Since the position relative to the reference height of 13 is shifted, the wafer 1 cannot be detached (discharged) from the boat 13 by the wafer transfer device.

However, in the present embodiment, the cooling water 58 is circulated through the cooling water passage 35 between the inner periphery of the lifting shaft 31 and the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 34, and the lifting shaft 31 is forcibly cooled, Since the elevating shaft 31 is prevented from thermally expanding, the reference height of the boat 13 does not shift even when the boat 13 is lowered to the standby chamber 12 at a high temperature.
Therefore, the work of detaching the wafer 1 from the boat 13 by the wafer transfer device can be performed immediately without waiting for the natural cooling of the elevating shaft 31. That is, since the waiting time for natural cooling of the elevating shaft 31 can be omitted, it is possible to prevent a decrease in throughput of the work for detaching the wafer 1 from the boat 13.

When the boat 13 is unloaded from the processing chamber 20 to the standby chamber 12, the boat loading / unloading port 16 is closed by the shutter 17.
Next, after the standby chamber 12 is returned to atmospheric pressure, the wafer loading / unloading port 14 of the standby chamber 12 is opened by the gate 15, and the processed wafer 1 of the boat 13 is unloaded (wafer discharging) by the wafer transfer device. )
At this time, since the thermal expansion of the elevating shaft 31 is prevented, the reference height of the boat 13 is prevented from being shifted, so that the removal work of the processed wafer 1 from the boat 13 by the wafer transfer device is performed. It will be executed properly and quickly.

  Thereafter, by repeating the above-described operation, for example, the wafer 1 is batch-processed by the load lock heat treatment apparatus 10 by 25, 50, 75 and 100, for example.

  According to the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

1) By installing the boat elevator outside the standby chamber, it is possible to prevent the organic material of the boat elevator from scattering into the standby chamber, so that contamination of the wafer by the organic material can be prevented.
When the wafer is contaminated, abnormal film formation such as cloudiness occurs. It is particularly effective when used for a substrate processing apparatus that performs film formation processing of silicon epitaxial growth or silicon germanium epitaxial growth performed at a low temperature of 400 to 700 ° C. is there.

2) By arranging the elevating shaft and the feed screw shaft concentrically, the moment acting on the feed screw shaft can be suppressed, so that smooth elevating operation of the boat elevator can be ensured, and the wafer on the boat can be secured. It is possible to prevent occurrence of misalignment and the like, and it is possible to increase the ascending / descending speed, to increase / decrease at a higher speed, and to improve the throughput.
Further, by arranging the pair of guide shafts at symmetrical positions with the lifting shaft or the feed screw shaft as the center, it is possible to ensure a smoother lifting operation of the boat elevator, causing a wafer position shift or the like on the boat. This can be prevented, and the elevating speed can be increased, the elevating speed can be increased, and the throughput can be improved.

3) By arranging the lifting shaft and the feed screw shaft concentrically, the distance between the boat and the boat elevator, that is, the length of the lifting platform can be set short, so that the volume of the waiting room can be reduced. it can.

4) By setting the volume of the standby chamber small, the exhaust time and purge time of the standby chamber can be shortened. Moreover, since the load lock type heat treatment apparatus can be set small, not only the cost of the load lock type heat treatment apparatus can be reduced, but also the clean room can be used effectively.

5) The feed screw shaft is supported by the load on the lower end side of the feed screw shaft when the lower end side is rotatably supported by suspending the upper end side rotatably and configuring the lower end side as a free end. Since the occurrence of vibration due to bending can be prevented in advance, a smooth raising / lowering operation of the boat elevator can be more reliably created.

6) By flowing the cooling water through the cooling water channel between the inner periphery of the lifting shaft and the outer periphery of the outer cylinder, the lifting shaft can be forcibly cooled and the lifting shaft can be prevented from thermal expansion. Therefore, the wafer removal from the boat by the wafer transfer device can be performed immediately without waiting for the natural cooling of the lifting shaft. That is, since the waiting time for the natural cooling of the lifting shaft can be omitted, it is possible to prevent a reduction in throughput of the work of detaching the wafer from the boat.

7) Cooling the insertion path between the inner circumference of the outer cylinder and the outer circumference of the inner cylinder by placing the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder concentrically around the feed screw shaft in the hollow part of the cylindrical lifting shaft The water supply tube and power supply wire can be inserted and the moving path of the feed screw shaft can be formed by the hollow part of the inner cylinder, so that the cooling water supply tube and power supply wire are entangled with the feed screw shaft. Can be prevented.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  For example, the guide shafts are not limited to a pair, but only one guide shaft may be installed, three or more guide shafts may be installed, and further, may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the drive motor for rotating the feed screw shaft is mounted on the upper mounting plate, but the configuration is not limited thereto.
A cooling device for forcibly cooling the elevating shaft may be omitted, or an inert gas or the like cooled according to the temperature condition in the standby chamber without using cooling water may be substituted.

  The load-lock heat treatment apparatus is not limited to use for film formation, but can also be used for heat treatment such as oxide film formation, diffusion, and annealing.

Although the case of the load lock type heat treatment apparatus has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to all substrate processing apparatuses.
For example, the present invention may be applied to an open type standby room that maintains a clean atmosphere by a blower fan as a non-load lock type standby room.

It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the load lock type heat processing apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention. It is a back sectional view which passes along a boat elevator. (A) is a cross-sectional view of the upper ring portion, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the lower ring portion. It is a partial cutaway side view which shows the time of boat carrying-in. It is a back sectional view which similarly passes along a boat elevator.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wafer (substrate), 10 ... Load lock type heat processing apparatus (substrate processing apparatus), 11 ... Housing, 12 ... Standby chamber (preliminary chamber), 12a ... Supply pipe, 12b ... Exhaust pipe, 13 ... Boat, 14 ... Wafer loading / unloading port, 15 ... gate, 16 ... boat loading / unloading port, 17 ... shutter, 18 ... heater unit, 19 ... process tube, 20 ... processing chamber, 21 ... gas supply tube, 22 ... exhaust tube, 23 ... boat elevator , 24 ... Upper mounting plate, 25 ... Lower mounting plate, 26 ... Guide shaft, 27 ... Lifting plate, 28 ... Feed screw shaft (drive shaft), 29 ... Motor, 30 ... Nut, 31 ... Lifting shaft, 32 ... Hollow 33, plug, 34 ... outer cylinder, 35 ... cooling channel, 36 ... inner cylinder, 37 ... ring, 37a ... insertion hole, 38 ... insertion path, 39 ... movement path, 41 ... insertion hole, 42 ... bellows, 43 ... lift platform (arm), 44 ... Body, 45 ... lid, 46 ... seal ring, 47 ... hermetic chamber, 48 ... magnetic fluid seal device, 49 ... bearing device, 50 ... rotating shaft, 51 ... motor for boat rotation drive, 52 ... seal ring, 53 ... seal Cap (lid body), 54 ... Cooling device, 55 ... Cooling water supply tube, 56 ... Variable flow rate control valve, 57 ... Cooling water supply source, 58 ... Cooling water, 59 ... Water passage, 60 ... Introduction side communication pipe, 61 ... lead-out side connection pipe, 62 ... cooling water discharge pipe, 63 ... power supply electric wire.

Claims (1)

  A processing chamber for processing in a state where the substrate is held in the boat; a standby chamber that is connected to the lower side of the processing chamber and in which the boat waits for the processing chamber; a lid that supports the boat; An arm for supporting the lid, and a boat elevator disposed outside the standby chamber, the boat elevator being inserted into the standby chamber and a cylindrical lifting shaft for supporting the arm in the standby chamber; A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a drive shaft disposed concentrically within a hollow portion of the lift shaft.

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