JP2011171509A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus which extends the lifespan of a heater that heats a flange, in the flange connecting gas pipes to each other, and enables efficient heating of the flange. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus has gas pipes including a reaction pipe which houses and processes a substrate, a gas supply pipe which supplies a process gas into the reaction pipe, and a gas exhaust pipe which exhausts the reaction pipe of an atmospheric gas. The gas pipes are connected to each other with a clamper 3 via flanges 44a and 46a formed on ends of the gas pipes. Straight pipe portions 44 and 46 continuous with the flanges 44a and 46a are provided with a heater 94, and the flanges 44a and 46a are also provided with heaters 93 and 95. A heat insulator 92 is provided to cover the flanges 44a and 46a and the straight pipe portions 44 and 46. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing such as thin film generation, oxidation processing, impurity diffusion, annealing processing, and etching on a substrate such as a silicon wafer and a glass substrate, and more particularly, a substrate having a joint portion in a gas supply / exhaust system piping. The present invention relates to a processing apparatus.

  As the substrate processing apparatus, there are a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates one by one and a batch type substrate processing apparatus that processes a required number of substrates at a time.

  A batch type substrate processing apparatus has a vertical furnace, and a required number of substrates are stored in a processing chamber of the vertical furnace and processed.

  The reaction tube that defines the processing chamber of the vertical furnace has a cylindrical shape, and includes a heating device arranged so as to surround the reaction tube. In the processing chamber, substrates (wafers) are supported in multiple stages in a horizontal posture by a substrate holder (boat), the processing chamber is depressurized to a predetermined processing pressure, heated to a predetermined temperature, and a processing gas is being introduced. By evacuating, the substrate surface is processed as required.

  A gas nozzle for introducing a processing gas into the processing chamber via a gas supply pipe is erected along the wall surface of the reaction tube, and the gas nozzle is connected via a flange portion formed at an end of the gas supply pipe. ing. A gas exhaust pipe for exhausting the processing gas from the processing chamber is connected via a flange portion formed at the end of the gas exhaust port.

  The flange portion is larger in diameter and thicker than other piping portions, so that the temperature is difficult to increase, and the surface area is large, and is easily affected by outside air. Therefore, depending on the type of gas used, liquefaction of the processing gas at the time of gas supply or solidification of by-products after processing may occur, which may adversely affect the film formation of the wafer. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent liquefaction of the processing gas or solidification of the by-product by heating the flange portion to room temperature or higher.

  A conventional flange heating structure will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Flange portions 2 and 2 are formed at the ends of the pipes 1 and 1, and the flange portions 2 and 2 are connected by a clamper 3 as shown in FIGS. The clamper 3 is formed by connecting a plurality of clamp pieces 4 having a U-shaped cross section by a joint piece 5 so as to be bent. When the pipes 1 and 1 are connected to each other, By sandwiching the flange portions 2 and 2 and further tightening the joint piece 5, the flange portions 2 and 2 are hermetically connected via the joint surfaces of the flange portions 2 and 2.

  A flange heater 6 is provided on the peripheral surface of the flange portions 2 and 2 (up and down of the flange portions 2 and 2 in FIG. 11A) so as to cover the clamper 3. The partial heater 6 includes a heat insulating material 7 having a U-shaped cross section and a flange peripheral surface heater 8 which is a plurality of planar heaters attached to the bottom surface of the U-shaped portion of the heat insulating material 7 at a predetermined interval. The heat insulating material 7 has a cut 9 in the axial direction of the pipe 1 (left and right in FIG. 11A), and the flange heater 6 covers the clamper 3 through the cut 9. It has become.

  When the flange portions 2 and 2 are heated, the flange portion peripheral surface heater 8 heats the clamper 3, and the flange portions 2 and 2 are heated by the atmosphere around the flange portions 2 and 2 and the heat conduction from the clamper 3. 2 and 2 are heated to a predetermined temperature.

  However, when heating is performed by the flange part heater 6 placed on the clamper 3, the clamper 3 is interposed between the flange part peripheral surface heater 8 and the flange parts 2 and 2, and the clamp Since the interval between the pieces 4 and 4 and the interval between the flange portion peripheral surface heaters 8 and 8 are different and the flange portion peripheral surface heater 8 and the clamp piece 4 are not necessarily in contact with each other, Heat is not efficiently conducted to the flange portions 2 and 2, and much power consumption is used for heating, and the flange surface heater 8 may be disconnected due to overheating.

  Therefore, in many cases, the flange portion peripheral surface heater 8 is used with low power consumption by placing importance on the life without heating the flange portions 2 and 2 to the target temperature.

  In addition, what was shown by patent document 1 as a heater for piping which can heat the heat from a heating wire to a deformed part uniformly through a covering part by having constituted the covering part which coats the deformed part of piping with resin. There is.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-159585

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of extending the life of a heater that heats the flange portion and efficiently heating the flange portion in the flange portion that connects the gas pipes. To do.

  The present invention comprises a gas pipe such as a reaction tube for storing and processing a substrate, a gas supply pipe for supplying a processing gas into the reaction tube, and a gas exhaust pipe for exhausting the atmosphere in the reaction tube. Is connected through a flange portion formed at the end portion, and a heater is provided on the flange portion and a straight pipe portion continuous to the flange portion, and a heat insulating material is provided to cover the flange portion and the straight pipe portion. This relates to a processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a gas pipe such as a reaction tube for housing and processing a substrate, a gas supply pipe for supplying a processing gas into the reaction tube, and a gas exhaust pipe for exhausting the atmosphere in the reaction tube. The pipes are connected to each other through a flange portion formed at the end portion, and a heater is provided in the flange portion and a straight pipe portion continuous to the flange portion, and a heat insulating material is provided to cover the flange portion and the straight pipe portion. Therefore, when the flange portion is raised to the target temperature, it is not necessary to supply a large amount of electric power to the heater, and it is possible to extend the life of the heater and improve the heating efficiency. Demonstrate.

1 is a perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the processing furnace in this substrate processing apparatus. It is a flange part heater in 1st Example of this invention, (A) shows the front sectional view of a flange part heater, (B) has shown the AA arrow line view of (A). It is a connection part in 1st Example of this invention, (A) shows the front sectional view of a connection part, (B) has shown the BB arrow line view of (A). It is a front sectional view of a connecting portion showing a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a front sectional view of a connecting portion showing a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a connection part of piping, (A) shows the front view of a connection part, (B) has shown CC arrow view of (A). (A) shows a front view of the clamper, and (B) shows a side view of the clamper. (A) shows a front sectional view of a conventional flange heater, and (B) shows a DD arrow view of (A). (A) shows a front sectional view when the flange portion is fixed by a clamper, and (B) shows an EE arrow view of (A). (A) shows a front sectional view when a conventional flange heater is attached to a flange fixed by a clamper, and (B) shows an FF arrow view of (A).

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

  First, referring to FIG. 1, an example of a substrate processing apparatus in which the present invention is implemented will be described.

  In the following description, a case where a vertical substrate processing apparatus that performs oxidation, diffusion processing, CVD processing, or the like is applied to the substrate as the substrate processing apparatus will be described.

  In the substrate processing apparatus 11 according to the present invention, the wafer 12 made of silicon or the like is transferred in a state where the wafer 12 is loaded in a cassette 13 as a substrate container.

  In the figure, reference numeral 14 denotes a housing, and a cassette loading / unloading port 15 is opened on the front surface of the housing 14 so as to communicate with the inside and outside of the housing 14. The cassette loading / unloading port 15 has a front shutter ( (Not shown).

  A cassette stage (substrate container transfer table) 16 is installed adjacent to the cassette loading / unloading port 15. The cassette 13 is carried onto the cassette stage 16 by an in-process carrying device (not shown) and unloaded from the cassette stage 16.

  The cassette stage 16 is placed by the in-process transfer device so that the wafer 12 in the cassette 13 is in a vertical posture and the wafer entrance of the cassette 13 faces upward. The cassette stage 16 rotates the cassette 13 90 degrees clockwise and vertically to the rear of the casing 14 so that the wafers 12 in the cassette 13 are in a horizontal posture, and the wafer entrance / exit of the cassette 13 faces the rear of the casing 14. It is configured to be able to operate.

  A cassette shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 17 is installed at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction in the housing 14, and the cassette shelf 17 stores a plurality of cassettes 13 in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows. It is configured to do. The cassette shelf 17 is provided with a transfer shelf 19 in which the cassette 13 to be transferred by the wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 18 is stored.

  Further, a spare cassette shelf 21 is provided above the cassette stage 16 so as to store the cassette 13 in a preliminary manner.

  A cassette transfer device (substrate container transfer device) 22 is installed between the cassette stage 16 and the cassette shelf 17. The cassette carrying device 22 is composed of a cassette elevator (substrate container lifting mechanism) 23 that can be raised and lowered while holding the cassette 13 and a cassette carrying mechanism (substrate container carrying mechanism) 24 as a horizontal carrying mechanism. The cassette 13 is transported between the cassette stage 16, the cassette shelf 17, and the spare cassette shelf 21 by the cooperation of the cassette elevator 23 and the cassette transport mechanism 24.

  The wafer transfer mechanism 18 is installed behind the cassette shelf 17, and the wafer transfer mechanism 18 is a wafer transfer device (substrate transfer) capable of rotating and linearly moving the wafer 12 in the horizontal direction. Apparatus) 25 and a wafer transfer apparatus elevator (substrate transfer apparatus elevating mechanism) 26 for moving the wafer transfer apparatus 25 up and down. The wafer transfer device elevator 26 and the wafer transfer device 25 cooperate to load and unload the wafers 12 with respect to the boat 27.

  A load lock chamber 28 (see FIG. 2), which is an airtight pressure vessel, is provided at the rear of the housing 14, and a processing furnace 29 is provided above the load lock chamber 28. The lower end of the processing furnace 29 is opened, the opening forms a furnace port, and the furnace port is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port shutter (furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 31.

  Inside the load lock chamber 28 is provided a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) 32 as a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the boat 27 and is attached to and detached from the processing furnace 29. The boat arm 33 extends in the horizontal direction, and the boat arm 33 is provided with a seal cap 34 that hermetically closes the furnace port, and the boat 27 is placed vertically on the seal cap 34.

  The boat 27 is made of a material such as quartz that does not contaminate the wafers 12 and holds the wafers 12 in a horizontal posture in multiple stages.

  Above the cassette shelf 17, a clean unit 35 composed of a supply fan and a dustproof filter is provided so as to supply clean air which is a cleaned atmosphere, and the clean air is circulated inside the housing 14. It is configured like this.

  In addition, a clean unit 36 composed of a supply fan and a dustproof filter is installed so as to face the wafer transfer device elevator 26 and supply clean air toward the wafer transfer device elevator 26. Clean air blown out from the unit 36 flows through the wafer transfer device 25 and the boat 27, and then is sucked into an exhaust device (not shown) and exhausted to the outside of the housing 14.

  Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 11 of the present invention will be described.

  The cassette loading / unloading port 15 is opened by a front shutter (not shown). Thereafter, the cassette 13 is loaded from the cassette loading / unloading port 15 and is placed on the cassette stage 16 so that the wafer 12 is in a vertical posture and the wafer inlet / outlet of the cassette 13 faces upward. The cassette stage 16 mounts the cassette 13 such that the wafer 12 in the cassette 13 is in a horizontal posture and the wafer entrance / exit of the cassette 13 faces the rear of the housing 14.

  The cassette carrying device 22 carries the cassette 13 to a designated shelf position of the cassette shelf 17 or the spare cassette shelf 21. After the cassette 13 is temporarily stored in the cassette shelf 17 or the spare cassette shelf 21, the cassette 13 is transferred from the cassette shelf 17 or the spare cassette shelf 21 to the transfer shelf 19 by the cassette carrying device 22. Alternatively, it is conveyed directly from the cassette stage 16 to the transfer shelf 19.

  When the cassette 13 is transferred to the transfer shelf 19, the wafer 12 is loaded (charged) from the cassette 13 to the boat 27 in the lowered state by the wafer transfer device 25. When the wafer 12 is transferred to the boat 27, the wafer transfer device 25 returns to the cassette 13 and loads the next wafer 12 into the boat 27.

  When a predetermined number of wafers 12 are loaded into the boat 27, the furnace port shutter 31 opens the furnace port. Subsequently, the boat 27 holding the group of wafers 12 is loaded into the processing furnace 29 as the seal cap 34 is raised by the boat elevator 32.

  After loading, arbitrary processing is performed on the wafer 12 in the processing furnace 29.

  After the processing, the wafer 12 and the cassette 13 are dispensed to the outside of the casing 14 in the reverse procedure as described above.

  Next, an example of the processing furnace 29 used in the substrate processing apparatus 11 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The processing furnace 29 has a heater 37 as a heating means. The heater 37 has a cylindrical shape, is composed of a heater wire and a heat insulating member provided around the heater wire, and is vertically installed by being supported by a holding body (not shown).

  A reaction tube 38 is disposed inside the heater 37 concentrically with the heater 37. The reaction tube 38 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO2) or silicon carbide (SiC), and is formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened.

  A processing chamber 39 is defined inside the reaction tube 38. The boat 27 is stored in the processing chamber 39.

  Below the reaction tube 38, an inlet flange 41 is disposed on the same center line. The inlet flange 41 is made of, for example, stainless steel and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an upper end and a lower end opened.

  The inlet flange 41 is provided on the top plate of the load lock chamber 28, and the reaction tube 38 is erected on the inlet flange 41. An O-ring 42 as a seal member is provided between the inlet flange 41 and the reaction tube 38. A reaction vessel is formed by the reaction tube 38 and the inlet flange 41.

  The inlet flange 41 is provided with a gas exhaust pipe 43 and a gas supply pipe 44, and a gas nozzle 46 is connected to the gas supply pipe 44 via a connecting portion 45 through a flange member (not shown). The gas nozzle 46 includes a vertical portion that extends vertically along the inner wall surface of the reaction tube 38 and a horizontal portion that penetrates the inlet flange 41 horizontally. Although not shown, the gas exhaust pipe 43 is connected to a gas exhaust port (not shown) formed in the inlet flange 41 via a clamper 3 (see FIG. 8).

  The gas supply pipe 44 is divided into three on the upstream side, and the first gas supply source 54 and the second gas supply source are provided via valves 47, 48, 49 and MFCs 51, 52, 53 as gas flow rate control devices. 55 and a third gas supply source 56, respectively.

  A gas flow rate control unit 57 is electrically connected to the MFC 51, 52, 53 and the valves 47, 48, 49, and is controlled at a desired timing so that the flow rate of the supplied gas becomes a desired flow rate. It is configured like this.

  A vacuum exhaust device 59 such as a vacuum pump is connected to the downstream side of the gas exhaust pipe 43 through a pressure sensor (not shown) and an APC valve 58 as a pressure regulator. A pressure control unit 61 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the APC valve 58, and the pressure control unit 61 adjusts the opening degree of the APC valve 58 based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor. Thus, the pressure is controlled at a desired timing so that the pressure in the processing chamber 39 becomes a desired pressure.

  The inlet flange 41 is airtightly connected to the upper surface of the load lock chamber 28, and an opening communicating with the inlet flange 41 is formed in the top plate of the load lock chamber 28. The furnace opening 62 is formed with the opening.

  The furnace port 62 is hermetically closed by the seal cap 34. The seal cap 34 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and is formed in a disk shape. On the upper surface of the seal cap 34, an O-ring is provided as a seal member that comes into contact with the lower surface of the furnace port 62.

  The seal cap 34 is provided with a rotation mechanism 64. A rotating shaft 65 of the rotating mechanism 64 is connected to the boat 27 through the seal cap 34, and is configured to rotate the wafer 12 by rotating the boat 27.

  The seal cap 34 is configured to be lifted and lowered in the vertical direction by the boat elevator 32 as a lifting mechanism provided outside the processing furnace 29, thereby mounting the boat 27 with respect to the processing chamber 39. It is possible to take off. A drive control unit 66 is electrically connected to the rotating mechanism 64 and the boat elevator 32, and is configured to control at a desired timing so as to perform a desired operation.

  The boat 27 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and is configured to hold a plurality of wafers 12 in a multi-stage by aligning the wafers 12 in a horizontal posture with their centers aligned. A plurality of heat insulating plates 67 as a disk-shaped heat insulating member made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide are arranged in a multi-stage in a horizontal posture at the lower portion of the boat 27. It is configured such that the heat from the heat is not easily transmitted to the inlet flange 41 side.

  A temperature control unit 68 is electrically connected to the heater 37 and a temperature detector (not shown), and adjusts the power supply to the heater 37 based on temperature information detected by the temperature detector. Thus, the temperature of the processing chamber 39 is controlled at a desired timing so as to have a desired temperature distribution.

  In the configuration of the processing furnace 29 described above, the first processing gas is supplied from the first gas supply source 54, the flow rate of which is adjusted by the MFC 51, and then the gas supply via the valve 47. The gas is introduced into the processing chamber 39 by the pipe 44 and the gas nozzle 46. The second processing gas is supplied from the second gas supply source 55, and the flow rate thereof is adjusted by the MFC 52. Then, the second processing gas is supplied to the processing chamber 39 by the gas supply pipe 44 and the gas nozzle 46 through the valve 48. be introduced. The third processing gas is supplied from the third gas supply source 56, and the flow rate thereof is adjusted by the MFC 53. Then, the third processing gas is supplied to the processing chamber 39 from the gas supply pipe 44 and the gas nozzle 46 through the valve 49. be introduced. The gas in the processing chamber 39 is exhausted from the processing chamber 39 by the vacuum exhaust device 59 as an exhaust device connected to the gas exhaust pipe 43.

  Next, the configuration around the processing furnace 29 of the substrate processing apparatus used in the present invention will be described.

  A lower substrate 69 is provided on the outer surface of the load lock chamber 28 as a spare chamber. A guide shaft 71 and a ball screw 72 are erected on the lower substrate 69, and an upper substrate 73 is fixed to the upper ends of the guide shaft 71 and the ball screw 72.

  The lifting platform 74 is slidably fitted to the guide shaft 71 and is screwed to the ball screw 72. The ball screw 72 is connected to an elevating motor 75 provided on the upper substrate 73, and the elevating table 74 is moved up and down when the ball screw 72 is rotated by the elevating motor 75.

  A hollow lifting shaft 76 is airtightly suspended from the lifting platform 74, and the lifting shaft 76 moves up and down together with the lifting platform 74. The elevating shaft 76 loosely penetrates the top plate 77 of the load lock chamber 28, and the through hole of the top plate 77 through which the elevating shaft 76 penetrates has a sufficient margin so as not to contact the elevating shaft 76. There is.

  Between the load lock chamber 28 and the lifting platform 74, a bellows 78 as a stretchable hollow elastic body is provided so as to cover the periphery of the lifting shaft 76 in order to keep the load lock chamber 28 airtight. . The bellows 78 has a sufficient amount of expansion and contraction that can accommodate the amount of elevation of the lifting platform 74, and the inner diameter of the bellows 78 is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the lifting shaft 76 to contact with the expansion and contraction of the bellows 78. It is configured so that there is no.

  The boat arm 33 is horizontally provided at the lower end of the elevating shaft 76.

  The boat arm 33 has a hollow structure, and an upper / lower substrate 79 to which the lower end of the elevator shaft 76 is fixed is provided on the upper surface.

  A drive unit cover 82 is airtightly attached to the lower surface of the elevating substrate 79 via a seal member 81 such as an O-ring. The boat arm 33 is constituted by the drive unit cover 82 and the elevating board 79. With this configuration, the interior of the boat arm 33 is isolated from the atmosphere in the load lock chamber 28.

  Further, the rotation mechanism 64 of the boat 27 is provided inside the boat arm 33, and the periphery of the rotation mechanism 64 is cooled by a cooling mechanism 83.

  A power supply cable 84 is led from the upper end of the elevating shaft 76 through the hollow portion to the rotating mechanism 64 and connected thereto. A cooling flow path 85 is formed in the cooling mechanism 83 and the seal cap 34, and a cooling water pipe 86 for supplying cooling water is connected to the cooling flow path 85 from the upper end of the elevating shaft 76. It passes through the hollow portion of the elevating shaft 76.

  The lift motor 75 is driven and the ball screw 72 is rotated to move the boat arm 33 up and down via the lift platform 74 and the lift shaft 76.

  As the boat arm 33 is lifted, the boat 27 is inserted into the processing chamber 39 through the furnace port 62, and the seal cap 34 hermetically closes the furnace port 62 to enable wafer processing. Become. Further, when the boat arm 33 is lowered, the boat 27 is lowered. The lowering position of the boat 27 is opposed to the gate valve 87 provided on the side surface of the load lock chamber 28. When the gate valve 87 is opened, the wafer transfer mechanism 18 loads and unloads the wafer. (See FIG. 1).

  The gas flow rate control unit 57, the pressure control unit 61, the drive control unit 66, and the temperature control unit 68 also constitute an operation unit and an input / output unit, and are electrically connected to a main control unit 88 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus. Connected. The gas flow rate control unit 57, the pressure control unit 61, the drive control unit 66, the temperature control unit 68, and the main control unit 88 are configured as a controller 89.

  Next, a method of forming an Epi-SiGe film on a substrate such as the wafer 12 as one step of the semiconductor device manufacturing process using the processing furnace 29 will be described. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus is controlled by the controller 89.

  When a predetermined number of wafers 12 are loaded into the boat 27, the boat arm 33 is lifted through the lifting platform 74 and the lifting shaft 76 by the rotation of the ball screw 72 by the lifting motor 75, and the boat 27. Is charged into the processing chamber 39. In this state, the seal cap 34 hermetically closes the furnace port 62 through an O-ring.

  The processing chamber 39 is evacuated by the evacuation device 59 so as to have a desired pressure (degree of vacuum). At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 39 is measured by a pressure sensor, and the APC valve 58 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure. The processing chamber 39 is heated by the heater 37 so as to reach a desired temperature. At this time, the power supply to the heater 37 is feedback controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature detector so that the processing chamber 39 has a desired temperature distribution. Subsequently, the wafer 12 is rotated by rotating the boat 27 by the rotating mechanism 64.

  The first gas supply source 54, the second gas supply source 55, and the third gas supply source 56 are filled with SiH4, Si2H6, GeH4, and H2, respectively, as processing gases. Each processing gas is supplied from a supply source. After the openings of the MFCs 51, 52, 53 are adjusted so as to obtain a desired flow rate, the valves 47, 48, 49 are opened, and each processing gas flows through the gas supply pipe 44, and the processing is performed. The processing chamber 39 is introduced from the upper part of the chamber 39. The introduced gas passes through the processing chamber 39 and is exhausted from the gas exhaust pipe 43. The processing gas contacts the wafer 12 when passing through the processing chamber 39, and an Epi-SiGe film is deposited on the surface of the wafer 12.

  When a preset time elapses, an inert gas is supplied from an inert gas supply source (not shown), the processing chamber 39 is replaced with the inert gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 39 is returned to normal pressure. The

  Thereafter, the seal cap 34 is lowered by the lifting motor 75 to open the furnace port 62, and the processed wafer 12 is pulled out of the processing chamber 39 while being held by the boat 27. . Thereafter, the gate valve 87 is opened, and the processed wafer 12 is discharged from the boat 27 by the wafer transfer mechanism 18.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, the heating structure of the flange portion in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the connection portion 45 to which the gas supply pipe 44 and the gas nozzle 46 are connected is described as an example. 3 and 4, the same components as those in FIGS. 7 to 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  3A and 3B show a flange heater 91, which is a hollow cylindrical body having a large diameter at the center and a small diameter at both ends. The flange portion heater 91 includes a heat insulating material 92, a flange portion peripheral surface heater 93, and straight pipe portion heaters 94 and 94.

  A central portion of the heat insulating material 92 is a cylindrical flange storage portion 92a having a U-shaped recess, and both ends are concentric with the flange storage portion 92a from the end surface of the flange storage portion 92a. The end holding portions 92b and 92b extend. The flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 is a strip-shaped flat heater attached to the bottom surface of the concave portion of the flange accommodating portion 92a at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, and the straight tube portion heaters 94, 94 are the end portions. It is a strip-shaped flat heater affixed on the inner surfaces of the holding portions 92b, 92b at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. The end holding portions 92b and 92b are longer than the straight tube heaters 94 and 94, and the end opposite to the flange housing portion 92a protrudes from the end of the straight tube heaters 94 and 94. It is like.

  The heat insulating material 92 is deformable, and a cut 9 parallel to the axial direction is formed on the bottom surface of the flange housing portion 92a and the end holding portions 92b, 92b. By deforming the heat insulating material 92, the flange portion heater 91 can be covered with the connection portion 45.

  In the connection portion 45, a flange portion 44a formed at the end portion of the gas supply pipe 44 and a flange portion 46a formed at the end portion of the gas nozzle 46 come into contact with each other, and the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a. Is clamped by the U-shaped portion of the clamp piece 4 of the clamper 3 and further tightened via the joint piece 5, whereby the gas supply pipe 44 and the gas nozzle 46 are hermetically connected.

  The flange portion 44a, the flange portion 46a, the straight pipe portion 44b in the vicinity of the flange portion 44a, and the straight pipe portion 46b in the vicinity of the flange portion 46a are covered with the flange portion heater 91, and the flange portion When the heater 91 is put on, the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 comes into contact with the clamper 3, and the straight pipe portion heaters 94 and 94 come into direct contact with the straight pipe portion 44b and the straight pipe portion 46b. It has become.

  When the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a are heated, the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 heats the clamper 3 and the atmosphere around the clamper 3, and heat conduction from the clamper 3 and the periphery of the clamper 3 The flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a are heated by the atmosphere. Further, the straight pipe portion 44b and the straight pipe portion 46b are heated by the straight pipe portion heaters 94 and 94, and the flange portion 44a and the flange portion are caused by heat conduction from the straight pipe portion 44b and the straight pipe portion 46b. 46a is heated.

  At this time, the straight pipe portion heaters 94 are more than the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 so as to increase the heating effect from the straight pipe portion 44b and the straight pipe portion 46b to the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a. Also installed with increasing watt density.

  In addition, the heat insulating material 92 is provided so as to cover the flange portion 44a, the flange portion 46a, the straight pipe portion 44b, and the straight pipe portion 46b, and when the cover is further covered, the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a are Since the heat insulating material 92 is housed in a substantially sealed state, heat dissipation from the heated flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a is suppressed, and the heating efficiency for the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a is suppressed. Will improve.

  In the first embodiment, in addition to the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 that heats the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a, the straight tube portion heater 94 that heats the straight tube portion 44b and the straight tube portion 46b, 94 is provided, it is not necessary to supply a large electric power to the flange portion peripheral heater 93 when raising the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a to a predetermined temperature. The lifetime of 93 can be extended. For example, it can be extended to the same extent as a straight pipe part heater (not shown) used for heating a straight part of a pipe, which is composed of a heater in contact with the outer periphery of the pipe and a heat insulating material covering the heater. .

  Accordingly, the flange heater 91 in the first embodiment can be used until the heat insulating material 92 deteriorates, not the heater disconnection due to overheating.

  For example, when the heat insulating material 92 is made of silicon and the flange heater 91 is used at a set temperature of 150 ° C., the life of the flange heater 91 is about two years.

  Further, when the SiN film is formed on the wafer 12 in the substrate processing apparatus 11, the temperature of the flange portion 44 a and the flange portion 46 a is heated to 150 ° C. while ensuring the above-mentioned life of about 2 years. be able to.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 5 that are the same as those in FIG. 4 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the second embodiment, flange portion side heaters 95 and 95 that contact the antibonding surfaces of the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a are further provided. The flange side heaters 95, 95 are rectangular flat heaters that are radially attached to the anti-joint surfaces of the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a at predetermined intervals, and include a heat insulating material 92, a flange portion peripheral surface heater 93, The straight portion heaters 94 and 94 and the flange portion side surface heaters 95 and 95 constitute a flange portion heater 96. The flange side heaters 95, 95 do not interfere with the clamper 3 that fixes the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a.

  When heating the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a, heating by heat conduction from the clamper 3 heated by the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93, heating from the atmosphere around the clamper 3, and the straight pipe In addition to the heating by the heat conduction from the straight pipe part 44b and the straight pipe part 46b heated by the part heaters 94 and 94, the flange part 44a and the flange part 46a are anti-joined by the flange side heaters 95 and 95. Heated directly from the surface.

  In the case of the second embodiment, in addition to heating from the clamper 3 and the atmosphere around the clamper 3, and heating by heat conduction from the straight pipe portion 44b and the straight pipe portion 46b, the flange portion side heater 95, 95, the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a can be directly heated from the anti-joining surface, so that the heating efficiency for the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a is improved, and the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a are It is possible to reduce power consumption when raising the temperature to a predetermined temperature.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 that are the same as those in FIG. 4 are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the third embodiment, the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 is removed from the flange portion heater 96 in the second embodiment, and the heat insulating material 92, the straight pipe portion heaters 94, 94, the flange portion side surface heater 95, 95, the flange portion heater 97 is configured. When the flange portion heater 97 is attached to the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a, the clamper 3 is not interposed by the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93 by the heat insulating material 92. It is made to be covered.

  When heating the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a, the straight pipe portion 44b heated by the straight pipe portion heaters 94, 94, heating by heat conduction from the straight pipe portion 46b, and the flange portion side heater 95 , 95 directly heats the flange portion 44a and the flange portion 46a.

  In the case of the third embodiment, the flange portion 44a is removed by removing the flange portion peripheral surface heater 93, which has lower heating efficiency than the straight pipe portion heaters 94, 94 and the flange portion side surface heaters 95, 95. The heating efficiency for the flange 46a can be improved, and the power consumption of the flange heater 97 can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the flange heater for heating the connecting portion 45 between the gas supply pipe 44 and the gas nozzle 46 has been described. The flange heater may be, for example, an exhaust port (not shown) formed in the inlet flange 41 and a gas exhaust pipe. You may use when heating the 43 connection part.

  Furthermore, the application of the heater of the flange portion of the present invention is not limited to the substrate processing apparatus 11, and for example, a pipe for conveying a gas such as nitrogen or oxygen or a pipe for circulating a liquid such as water. Needless to say, this is applicable.

(Appendix)
The present invention includes the following embodiments.

  (Additional remark 1) It has gas piping, such as a reaction tube which accommodates and processes a substrate, a gas supply tube which supplies processing gas in the reaction tube, and a gas exhaust tube which exhausts the atmosphere in the reaction tube. Is connected via a flange formed at the end, and a heater is provided on the flange and the straight pipe continuous to the flange, and a heat insulating material is provided to cover the flange and the straight pipe. A substrate processing apparatus.

  (Additional remark 2) The substrate processing apparatus of additional remark 1 whose position of the heater provided in the said flange part is the surface opposite to the connection surface of the said flange part, and a surrounding surface.

  (Additional remark 3) The position of the heater provided in the said flange part is a substrate processing apparatus of Additional remark 1 with the surrounding surface covered with the said heat insulating material while being the surface opposite to the connection surface of the said flange part.

  (Additional remark 4) It is the heater for piping which has a straight pipe part and the flange part formed in the edge part of this straight pipe part, and heats the flange part of piping which conveys gas and liquid, Comprising: The said flange part and this flange A flange heater, wherein a heater is provided in the straight pipe portion in the vicinity of the portion, and a heat insulating material is provided to cover the flange portion and the straight pipe portion in the vicinity of the flange portion.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Clamper 11 Substrate processing apparatus 12 Wafer 38 Reaction tube 43 Gas exhaust pipe 44 Gas supply pipe 45 Connection part 46 Gas nozzle 91 Flange part heater 92 Heat insulating material 93 Flange part peripheral surface heater 94 Straight pipe part heater 95 Flange part side heater 96 Flange part Heater 97 Flange heater

Claims (1)

  A gas pipe such as a reaction tube for storing and processing a substrate, a gas supply pipe for supplying a processing gas into the reaction tube, a gas exhaust pipe for exhausting the atmosphere in the reaction tube, and the like are provided at the ends. A heater is provided in the straight pipe part connected to the formed flange part and connected to the flange part and the flange part, and a heat insulating material covering the flange part and the straight pipe part is provided. Substrate processing equipment.

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