JP2007266229A - Heat treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat treatment apparatus in which contamination over a treatment object, such as a semiconductor wafer, can be reduced compared to a conventional case. <P>SOLUTION: A sealed container 5 containing the semiconductor wafer 20 is provided with a container upper part 21 formed of quartz and a container lower part 22 formed of a metal. Space in the sealed container 5 is divided into upper space and lower space by a divider 27. Upper space and lower space are communicated by connection openings 27a formed in the divider 27. Gas supplied into upper space through gas piping 25 flows to lower space through the connection openings 27a and is exhausted by a vacuum exhaust device. A size of the connection opening 27a is set so that flow velocity of gas flowing in the connection opening 27a from an upper part to a lower part becomes faster than valid moving speed of contaminant generated in lower space, for example. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a heat treatment apparatus having a mechanism for preventing contamination of a processed object such as a semiconductor wafer by contaminants generated from the heat treatment apparatus.

  In the manufacture of semiconductor devices (LSIs), heat treatment apparatuses are used in various processes. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional heat treatment apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment apparatus has a container upper part 11 made of quartz (glass) and a container lower part 12 made of metal such as stainless steel. The container upper part 11 and the container lower part 12 are combined to form the sealed container 1 for storing the semiconductor wafer 10. A heating heater 13 is provided around the upper part 11 of the container, and heat (infrared rays) emitted from the heater 13 passes through the upper part 11 made of quartz to heat the semiconductor wafer 10 in the sealed container 1. Is done.

  Further, a cooling pipe 14 is disposed around the container lower part 12, and the container lower part 12 is cooled by passing a coolant through the cooling pipe 14. Further, a gas pipe 15 for supplying gas (atmospheric gas or the like) into the sealed container 1 is connected to the container lower part 12. The gas pipe 15 passes through the wall surface of the container lower part 12 and enters the sealed container 1, and supplies gas into the sealed container 1 from a gas supply port 15 a disposed above the semiconductor wafer 10. Furthermore, an exhaust pipe 16 is connected to the container lower part 12, and gas is discharged from the sealed container 1 by a vacuum exhaust device (not shown) arranged outside.

  In the heat treatment process of the semiconductor wafer, it is necessary to avoid contamination of the wafer originating from the heat treatment apparatus as much as possible. For example, hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas, or argon gas is used as the atmospheric gas. However, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the container upper portion 11 is made of quartz that does not react with these gases. There is little risk of material generation. On the other hand, since the container lower part 12 is formed of a metal such as stainless steel, there is a possibility that pollutants are generated by reaction with the atmospheric gas. However, since the container lower part 11 is disposed on the downstream side in the gas flow direction, it is considered that the contamination of the semiconductor wafer 10 disposed on the upstream side is extremely small.

  In order to prevent the generation of contaminants, it is conceivable to form the entire sealed container of the heat treatment apparatus with quartz. However, it is necessary to connect a pipe (gas pipe 15 in FIG. 1) for supplying gas and a pipe (exhaust pipe 16 in FIG. 1) connected to the vacuum exhaust device to the sealed container, and a mechanism for taking in and out the semiconductor wafer. It is extremely difficult to form the entire sealed container from quartz.

  In the heat treatment step of the semiconductor wafer, it may be required to efficiently replace the atmospheric gas in the sealed container. For example, when the atmospheric gas is expensive or when it is desired to shorten the replacement time of the atmospheric gas. There are also times when we want to reduce pollution from the atmosphere as much as possible. In such a case, a desired atmosphere gas is supplied after the inside of the sealed container is once evacuated. Moreover, the operation of such a heat treatment apparatus is preferable from the viewpoint of reducing the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.

  As prior arts related to the present invention, there are those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Patent Document 1 discloses an unloading method in order to prevent reaction by-products attached to an exhaust port during unloading of a semiconductor wafer from being vaporized by radiant heat from the semiconductor wafer and flowing back into the processing container to contaminate the semiconductor wafer. It describes that the exhaust port is covered with a shield (short inner pipe) during loading.

Patent Document 2 describes a vapor phase growth apparatus in which a blocking member is disposed in the vicinity of a gas inlet for supplying a source gas into a reaction vessel, and the flow velocity distribution of the source gas in the reaction vessel is made uniform by the blocking member. Has been. Patent Document 3 describes a film forming apparatus in which a gas rectifier formed of quartz or the like is disposed in a gap between a sealed container and an outer reaction tube so that gas stagnation does not occur. .
JP 2003-45808 A JP 2000-269147 A JP-A-6-208958

  The inventors of the present application consider that the conventional heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has the following problems. That is, in recent years, semiconductor devices are further highly integrated and functionally advanced, and elements such as transistors constituting the semiconductor device tend to be further miniaturized. For this reason, there has been a further demand for preventing contamination of the semiconductor wafer.

  In the conventional heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the metallic container lower part 12 is located downstream in the gas flow direction, so that contamination of the semiconductor wafer 10 is not caused even if contaminants are generated from the container lower part 12. It was thought that there was almost no. However, according to experimental studies by the inventors of the present application, depending on the type of the atmospheric gas, the heated atmospheric gas reacts with the metal in the lower portion 12 of the container to generate a metal compound, and the metal compound passes through the sealed container 1 with gas. It has been found that the semiconductor wafer 10 may be contaminated by diffusing in the direction opposite to the flow direction. In particular, when hydrogen is used as the atmospheric gas, Fe (iron) in the metal constituting the container lower portion 12 reacts with hydrogen to generate a relatively large amount of metal compound (contaminant), which contaminates the semiconductor wafer. It has been found.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the result of examining the Fe contamination concentration on the surface of the semiconductor wafer by the inventors of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, when a conventional heat treatment apparatus is used, a large amount of contamination occurs particularly in the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer, and the average value of the iron contamination concentration is 0.43 × 10 ¹⁰ cm ⁻³ . The maximum value was 1.93 × 10 ¹⁰ cm ⁻³ . FIG. 2 shows the result of examining Fe contamination after the semiconductor wafer was heat-treated at a temperature of 500 ° C. for 1 hour by the conventional heat treatment apparatus having the structure shown in FIG.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment apparatus capable of reducing contamination of a processed object such as a semiconductor wafer as compared with the conventional one.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, a sealed container, and a division unit that divides the space in the sealed container into a first space in which a processing object is disposed and a second space connected to an exhaust device; A communication unit that connects the first space and the second space, a gas supply unit that supplies a gas into the first space, and a heating unit that heats the processing object in the first space Is provided.

  In the present invention, the space in the sealed container is divided into the first space and the second space by the dividing portion, and the first space and the second space are communicated with each other via the connecting portion. Is done. A processed object such as a semiconductor wafer is disposed in the first space. Further, during the heat treatment, gas is supplied into the first space via the gas supply unit. This gas enters the second space through the communication portion, and is discharged from the second space by the exhaust device.

  Since the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention has such a configuration, the flow velocity of the gas passing through the connecting portion is faster than the flow velocity of the gas flowing in the first space. Therefore, even if the pollutant is generated in the second space, the probability that the pollutant enters the first space through the connecting portion is extremely small. As a result, contamination of the processing object arranged in the first space is avoided.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention. The heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 3 has a container upper part 21 made of quartz (glass) and a container lower part 22 made of metal such as stainless steel, and these container upper part 21 and container lower part 22 are combined. Thus, the sealed container 5 for storing the semiconductor wafer (processed product) 20 to be processed is configured.

  A partition plate (divided portion) 27 made of quartz or the like is provided on the lower end side of the upper portion 21 of the container, and the space in the sealed container 5 is separated from the upper space (first space) and the lower side by the partition plate 27. It is divided into a space (second space). However, the partition plate 27 is provided with a communication hole (communication portion) 27a that connects the upper space and the lower space, and a throttle mechanism 28 that adjusts the diameter (size) of the communication hole 27a.

  A heater (heating unit) 23 is disposed around the upper portion 21 of the container. Heat (infrared rays) generated by energization of the heater 23 passes through the quartz container upper part 21, and the semiconductor wafer 20 disposed in the sealed container 5 is heated.

  On the other hand, a cooling pipe (cooling part) 24 is disposed around the container lower part 22. The lower portion 22 of the container (that is, the lower space of the sealed container 5) is cooled by the coolant flowing through the cooling pipe 24. The temperature of the coolant is maintained at about room temperature, for example.

  Further, a gas pipe 25 for supplying atmospheric gas into the sealed container 5 is connected to the container lower part 22. The gas pipe 25 is inserted into the partition plate 27 and supplies gas into the sealed container 5 from a gas supply port 25 a disposed above the semiconductor wafer 20. Further, an exhaust pipe 26 connected to a vacuum exhaust device (not shown) is connected to the container lower part 22.

  The principle of preventing contamination of the semiconductor wafer 20 during the heat treatment in the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above will be described.

Here, the radius of the sealed container 5 (radius of the inner surface) is 15 cm, and the radius of the semiconductor wafer 20 is 10 cm. The pressure in the sealed container 5 is 1 atm (about 1 × 10 ⁵ Pa), and hydrogen is supplied into the sealed container 5 as an atmospheric gas at a flow rate of 1 liter / minute. Further, the heater 23 is energized to heat the semiconductor wafer 20 to a temperature of about 800 ° C., but the container lower part 22 (lower space) is maintained at a temperature of about 200 ° C. by the coolant flowing in the cooling pipe 24. And

Flow velocity V _g1 of the gas in the periphery of the semiconductor wafer 20 is a radius 15cm of the sealed vessel 5, radius 10cm semiconductor wafer 21, the supply amount of the atmosphere gas (hydrogen) 1 liter / minute (1000 cm ^3/60 sec) Therefore, the value is represented by the following equation (1).

容器下部２２で発生する汚染物質は、主にガス化した鉄であると考えられる。従って、汚染物質の分子量Ｍは最低でも鉄の分子量と同じであると考えることができる。ここでは、汚染物質の分子量Ｍを鉄の分子量と同じ５６とする。温度Ｔ（Ｋ）における分子量Ｍの気体分子の速度（熱運動速度）Ｖｃは、下記（２）式で求めることができる。

It is considered that the contaminant generated in the container lower part 22 is mainly gasified iron. Therefore, it can be considered that the molecular weight M of the contaminant is at least the same as the molecular weight of iron. Here, the molecular weight M of the contaminant is 56, which is the same as the molecular weight of iron. The velocity (thermal motion velocity) Vc of the gas molecule having the molecular weight M at the temperature T (K) can be obtained by the following equation (2).

ここで、ｋはボルツマン定数（１．３×１０^-23Ｊ／Ｋ）、ｍは分子量Ｍの気体分子（汚染物質）の質量であり、ｍ＝Ｍ／６．０２×１０²³（ｇ）である。

Here, k is the Boltzmann constant (1.3 × 10 ⁻²³ J / K), m is the mass of a gas molecule (contaminant) having a molecular weight M, and m = M / 6.02 × 10 ²³ (g) is there.

Substituting M = 56 and T = 473K (200 ° C.) into this equation (2) results in Vc = 459 × 10 ² (cm / sec).

  Here, it is assumed that the semiconductor wafer is heat-treated in an atmospheric gas at 1 atm. Under such pressure, the gas in the sealed container 5 is handled as a viscous flow. In a viscous flow, the mean free path is short even if the velocity of the gas molecules is high. That is, contaminants diffuse while frequently colliding with other molecules. Therefore, the effective moving speed of the contaminant is significantly slower than the speed Vc.

  Next, in order to estimate the effective movement speed of the pollutant, the number of molecules J of the pollutant that moves in the direction of the semiconductor wafer per unit time and unit area is obtained by the following equation (3).

ここで、λは１気圧における気体（汚染物質）の平均自由行程（≒１×１０^-5ｃｍ）であり、∂ｎ_a／∂ｚは汚染物質の単位長さ（∂ｚ＝１ｃｍ）当りの濃度勾配である。汚染物質の濃度が水素ガス（雰囲気ガス）の濃度の１％であると仮定すると、ｎ_a＝２．４×１０¹⁶（個／ｃｍ³）となる。従って、∂ｎ_a／∂ｚは、２．４×１０¹⁶（個／ｃｍ⁴）となる。

Here, the mean free path of the gas (pollutants) in λ is 1 atm ^{(≒ 1 × 10 -5 cm)} , ∂n a / ∂z is the unit length of the contaminant (∂z = 1 cm) per Concentration gradient. Assuming that the concentration of the pollutant is 1% of the concentration of hydrogen gas (atmosphere gas), n _a = 2.4 × 10 ¹⁶ (pieces / cm ³ ). Therefore, ∂n _a / ∂z becomes 2.4 × 10 ¹⁶ (number / cm ^4).

Is divided by the (3) concentration n _a contaminant values of J obtained by calculating the equation (= 2.4 × 10 ¹⁶ atoms / cm ^3), the effective moving speed Vz of the contaminants is calculated The That is, as shown in the following formula (4), the effective moving speed Vz of the contaminant is 0.153 (cm / sec).

従来の熱処理装置では、ガスの流速Ｖ_g1（＝０．０４２ｃｍ／ｓｅｃ）よりも汚染物質の移動速度Ｖｚ（＝０．１５３ｃｍ／ｓｅｃ）のほうが大きいため、汚染物質が半導体ウェハの上側まで逆流すると考えられる。

In the conventional heat treatment apparatus, since the contaminant moving speed Vz (= 0.153 cm / sec) is higher than the gas flow velocity V _g1 (= 0.042 cm / sec), if the contaminant flows back to the upper side of the semiconductor wafer. Conceivable.

Next, when considering the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, if the radius of the communication hole 27a is 0.5 cm, the flow velocity V _g2 of the gas flowing through the communication hole 27a from the upper side to the lower side is expressed by the following equation (5). 21.2 cm / sec.

この流速Ｖ_g2は、第１の空間の半導体ウェハ２０の周辺におけるガスの流速Ｖ_g1の１００倍以上（約５００倍）である。

This flow velocity V _g2 is 100 times or more (about 500 times) the gas flow velocity V _g1 around the semiconductor wafer 20 in the first space.

In the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention, the gas flow velocity V _g2 (= 21.2 cm / sec) in the communication hole 27a is 100 times or more (about 200 times) the effective contaminant moving speed Vz (= 0.153 cm). ) It becomes faster and the backflow of pollutants from the lower space to the upper space is greatly reduced.

  In addition, it is possible to further reduce the temperature of the container lower part 22 by increasing the flow rate of the cooling water flowing through the cooling pipe or decreasing the temperature of the cooling water. ) Vc can be further slowed down. For example, when the temperature of the container lower part 22 is set to 50 ° C., the velocity Vz of the contaminant is calculated by the above-described equation (4), Vz = 0.126 (cm / sec). Thereby, contamination of the semiconductor wafer can be further reduced as compared with the case where the temperature of the container lower portion 22 is 200 ° C.

In the above example, the space in the sealed container 5 is maintained at 1 atm. However, the relationship between the flow velocity of the gas flowing around the semiconductor wafer 20 in the upper space and the effective velocity of the contaminant, or the upper side. The relationship between the flow velocity V _{g1 of the} gas flowing around the semiconductor wafer 20 in the space and the flow velocity V _{g2 of the} gas flowing through the connecting hole 27a satisfies the relationship described above (V _g2 > Vz or V _g2 ≧ 100 × V _g1 ). If so, heat treatment may be performed in a reduced pressure state.

  Hereinafter, more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the heat treatment apparatus of the present embodiment includes a container upper part 31 formed of quartz (glass) and a container lower part 32 formed of a metal such as stainless steel. Combined with the container lower part 32, the sealed container 6 for accommodating the semiconductor wafer 30 to be processed is constituted.

  A ring-shaped fixed partition plate 37 made of quartz is joined to the lower end portion of the container upper portion 31 with its surface horizontal. The fixed partition plate 37 and a movable partition plate 42, which will be described later, are in close contact with each other, so that the space in the sealed container 5 is divided into an upper space and a lower space.

  In the sealed container 6, a stage 41 on which the semiconductor wafer 30 to be processed is placed, a disk-shaped movable partition plate 42, a moving shaft 43 that moves the stage 41 and the movable partition plate 42 in the vertical direction, and Is provided. The moving shaft 43 is provided at the lower end of the container lower part 32, is inserted through a bellows 44 that expands and contracts in the vertical direction, is led out to the lower side of the sealed container 6, and is connected to a driving device (not shown).

  When the moving shaft 43 is driven to the top by being driven by the driving device, the outer edge of the movable partition plate 42 contacts the inner edge of the fixed partition plate 37 as shown in FIG. The space in the container 6 is divided into an upper space and a lower space. However, a communication hole (communication part) 42a is provided in the center of the movable partition plate 42, and the upper space and the lower space communicate with each other through the communication hole 42a. That is, the gas supplied into the upper space of the sealed container 6 moves to the lower space through the communication hole 42a. When the moving shaft 43 moves to the uppermost position, the semiconductor wafer 30 placed on the stage 41 is disposed at the approximate center of the upper space.

  A heater 33 is disposed around the upper part 31 of the container. Heat (infrared rays) generated by energizing the heater 33 passes through the quartz container upper part 31 and the semiconductor wafer 30 disposed in the sealed container 6 is heated.

  On the other hand, a cooling pipe 34 is disposed around the container lower part 32. The cooling liquid flowing through the cooling pipe 34 cools the container lower part 32 (that is, the lower space in the sealed container 6). The container lower part 32 is provided with a loading / unloading port 45 for loading / unloading the semiconductor wafer 30 to be processed into / from the sealed container 6. Furthermore, a gas pipe 35 for supplying gas (atmosphere gas) into the sealed container 6 is connected to the container lower part 32. The gas pipe 35 is inserted through a fixed partition plate 37 and supplies gas into the sealed container 6 from a gas supply port 35 a disposed above the semiconductor wafer 30. Further, an exhaust pipe 36 connected to a vacuum exhaust device (not shown) is connected to the container lower portion 32.

  Hereinafter, a heat treatment method using the heat treatment apparatus having the above-described structure will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, the moving shaft 43 is moved downward, and the stage 41 is arranged at a position substantially the same as the loading / unloading port 45. Then, the semiconductor wafer 30 is placed on the stage 41 via the loading / unloading port 45. Thereafter, the lid of the loading / unloading port 45 is closed, and the inside of the sealed container 6 is sealed.

Next, the moving shaft 43 is raised to place the semiconductor wafer 30 in the upper space and to bring the movable partition plate 42 into close contact with the fixed partition plate 37 as shown in FIG. These fixed partition plate 37 and movable partition plate 42 divide the space in the sealed container 6 into an upper space and a lower space, and the upper space and the lower space are only communication holes 42 a provided in the movable partition plate 42. Connected with. Thereafter, the evacuation apparatus is driven to evacuate the inside of the sealed container 6 to about 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ torr (about 1.33 × 10 ⁻³ Pa), for example.

Next, atmospheric gas is supplied into the sealed container 6 through the gas pipe 35. Here, hydrogen is supplied as an atmospheric gas at a flow rate of 1 liter / min. Further, it is assumed that the inside of the sealed container 6 is maintained at 0.1 atm (1 × 10 ⁴ Pa) by adjusting the exhaust amount of the vacuum exhaust device.

  Next, the heater 33 is energized to heat the semiconductor wafer 30 to a temperature of 800 ° C., for example. Moreover, a cooling liquid is poured into the cooling pipe 34 arrange | positioned around the container lower part 32, and the temperature of the container lower part 32 is maintained at 200 degrees C or less. Accordingly, as described above, the contaminant (metal compound) generated in the container lower portion 32 is prevented from diffusing into the upper space, and the semiconductor wafer 30 is heat-treated while preventing the semiconductor wafer 30 from being contaminated.

  In this way, when the heat treatment is completed after a predetermined time has elapsed, the energization to the heater 33 is stopped, and the semiconductor wafer 30 is waited for the temperature to decrease to a predetermined temperature. Thereafter, the supply of the atmospheric gas is stopped.

Next, the inside of the sealed container 6 is evacuated (for example, 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ Torr (about 1.33 × 10 ⁻³ Pa)) by an evacuation apparatus to remove the atmospheric gas. Next, the evacuation apparatus is stopped, and the atmosphere is introduced into the sealed container 6 to bring the sealed container 6 to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the moving shaft 43 is lowered and the semiconductor wafer 30 is taken out via the loading / unloading port 45.

  As described above, by using the heat treatment apparatus according to this embodiment, the semiconductor wafer 30 can be heat-treated while preventing the semiconductor wafer 30 from being contaminated.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in that the structures of the fixed partition plate and the movable partition plate are different, and other configurations are basically the same as those in the first embodiment. 4 identical to those in FIG. 4 are designated by like reference characters and need not be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, a ring-shaped fixed partition plate 51 is connected to the lower end side of the container upper portion 31 with its surface horizontal. In addition, the movable partition plate 52 that moves in the vertical direction together with the moving shaft 43 is formed in a disc shape, and its edge overlaps the inner edge of the fixed partition plate 51. The moving shaft 43 not only moves in the vertical direction, but also rotates by a predetermined angle with the central axis as a rotation axis.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the fixed partition plate 51 is provided with a hole 51a, and the movable partition plate 52 is provided with a hole 52a. As the moving shaft 43 rotates, the amount of overlap between the holes 52a and 52a changes as shown in FIG. 8, and the size of the connecting portion that connects the upper space and the lower space can be changed.

  In the present embodiment, when the inside of the sealed container 6 is evacuated, the hole 51a and the hole 52a are matched to maximize the size of the connecting portion that connects the upper space and the lower space. Further, when the semiconductor wafer 30 is heated while supplying the atmospheric gas into the sealed container 6 (when heat treatment is performed), the size of the connecting portion that connects the upper space and the lower space becomes a desired size. Thus, the overlap amount of the hole 51a and the hole 52 is adjusted.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those in the first embodiment, when the inside of the sealed container 6 is evacuated, the hole 51a and the hole 52a are aligned so that the upper space and the lower space Since the size of the communication portion for communicating is maximized, the time required for evacuation can be shortened.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the second embodiment described above in that the structures of the fixed partition plate and the movable partition plate are different, and other configurations are basically the same as those of the second embodiment. 6 identical to those in FIG. 6 are designated by like reference characters and need not be described in detail.

  In the second embodiment described above, holes are provided in the fixed partition plate and the movable partition plate, respectively, and the connecting portion that connects the upper space and the lower space by adjusting the overlapping amount of the holes is provided. The size was adjusted. In contrast, in the present embodiment, neither the fixed partition plate 61 nor the movable partition plate 62 is provided with a hole. However, by adjusting the position of the movable partition plate 62, the upper space and the lower space of the sealed container 6 can be adjusted. Adjust the size of the connecting part that communicates with the side space.

  That is, in the heat treatment apparatus of this embodiment, when the semiconductor wafer 30 is heated while supplying the atmospheric gas into the sealed container 6 (when heat treatment is performed), the fixed partition plate 61 and the movable partition plate as shown in FIG. A predetermined gap (communication part) is provided between Thereby, the gas supplied to the upper space of the sealed container 6 moves to the lower space through the gap. By reducing this gap, the flow rate of gas passing through the gap is increased, and the diffusion of contaminants generated in the container lower part 32 (lower space) into the upper space is prevented. As a result, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. When the gas (or the atmosphere) in the sealed container 6 is exhausted, the gap between the fixed partition plate 61 and the movable partition plate 62 is increased. Thereby, the gas (or air | atmosphere) in the sealed container 6 can be exhausted in a short time.

  Hereinafter, various aspects of the present invention will be collectively described as supplementary notes.

(Appendix 1) a sealed container;
A dividing unit that divides the space in the sealed container into a first space in which a processing object is disposed and a second space connected to an exhaust device;
A communication unit that connects the first space and the second space;
A gas supply unit for supplying gas into the first space;
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a heating unit that heats the processing object in the first space.

  (Additional remark 2) The part corresponding to the said 1st space among the said airtight containers is formed with the material which does not react with the said gas, The part corresponding to the said 2nd space is formed with the metal, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The heat treatment apparatus according to appendix 1.

  (Additional remark 3) The heat processing apparatus of Additional remark 1 or 2 characterized by providing the cooling part which cools the said airtight container around the part corresponding to the said 2nd space among the said airtight containers.

  (Additional remark 4) The heat processing apparatus of Additional remark 1 or 2 characterized by being able to adjust the magnitude | size of the said connection part.

  (Supplementary note 5) In the supplementary note 1 or 2, wherein the size of the communication part is determined so that the flow rate of the gas passing through the communication part is faster than the effective moving speed of the contaminant. The heat treatment apparatus as described.

  (Additional remark 6) The size of the said connection part is determined so that the flow rate of the said gas which passes through the said connection part may become faster than the flow rate of the said gas around the said processed material. Or the heat processing apparatus of 2.

  (Additional remark 7) The heat processing apparatus of Additional remark 1 or 2 characterized by the inside of the said airtight container being maintained in the pressure-reduced state by the said exhaust apparatus.

  (Additional remark 8) The heat processing apparatus of Additional remark 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned processed material being a semiconductor wafer.

  (Additional remark 9) The heat processing apparatus of Additional remark 1 or 2 characterized by the gas supplied into the said airtight container from the said gas supply part being hydrogen.

  (Supplementary note 10) The heat treatment apparatus according to supplementary note 1 or 2, wherein the first space is located above the second space.

  (Additional remark 11) The heat processing apparatus of Additional remark 2 characterized by the above-mentioned metal containing iron.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional heat treatment apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the results of examining the Fe contamination concentration on the semiconductor wafer surface. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a heat treatment method using the heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a fixed partition plate and a movable partition plate of the heat treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the overlap of the holes provided in the fixed partition plate and the holes provided in the movable partition plate. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a heat treatment apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 5, 6 ... sealed container,
10, 20, 30 ... semiconductor wafer,
11, 21, 31 ... upper part of container,
12, 22, 32 ... lower part of container,
13, 23, 33 ... heater,
14, 24, 34 ... cooling piping,
15, 25, 35 ... gas piping,
16, 26, 36 ... exhaust pipe,
27 ... Partition plate 27a, 42a ... Communication hole,
28 ... Aperture mechanism,
37, 51, 61 ... fixed partition plate,
41 ... stage,
42, 52, 62 ... movable partition plates,
43 ... movement axis,
44 ... Bellows,
45 ... Carry-in / out port.

Claims (5)

A sealed container;
A dividing unit that divides the space in the sealed container into a first space in which a processing object is disposed and a second space connected to an exhaust device;
A communication unit that connects the first space and the second space;
A gas supply unit for supplying gas into the first space;
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising: a heating unit that heats the processing object in the first space.   The portion corresponding to the first space in the sealed container is formed of a material that does not react with the gas, and the portion corresponding to the second space is formed of metal. The heat treatment apparatus as described.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cooling unit that cools the sealed container is provided around a portion of the sealed container corresponding to the second space.   The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size of the communication portion is adjustable.   The heat treatment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the size of the connecting portion is determined so that a flow rate of the gas passing through the connecting portion is faster than an effective moving speed of the contaminant. apparatus.

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