JP2014192294A - Substrate housing vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress or prevent positional deviation of a substrate having a second diameter smaller than a first diameter in a substrate housing vessel for housing a substrate having the first diameter.SOLUTION: In a pod for housing a large-diameter wafer, a bridge tool is provided for housing a small-diameter wafer. The small-diameter wafer is housed in the bridge tool while being held by a wafer holder 100. On a side plate 403a of the bridge tool, each of a plurality of second support grooves 404 supporting the wafer holder 100 includes a protrusion 409A positioning the wafer holder 100. Thus, positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 within the bridge tool can be suppressed or prevented. Therefore, in the case where the position of the wafer holder 100 is deviated closer to a lid of the pod, trouble where the wafer holder 100 is damaged by a stress applied to the wafer holder 100 when the lid is closed, can be avoided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate container, for example, a technique effective when applied to a substrate container that accommodates a substrate used for manufacturing a semiconductor device.

  Silicon carbide (SiC) is particularly attracting attention as an element material for power devices because it has higher withstand voltage and higher thermal conductivity than silicon (Si). On the other hand, it is known that SiC is difficult to manufacture a crystal substrate and a semiconductor device (semiconductor device) as compared with Si because of a small impurity diffusion coefficient. For example, the epitaxial film formation temperature of Si is about 900 ° C. to 1200 ° C., whereas the epitaxial film formation temperature of SiC is about 1500 ° C. to 1800 ° C. Need to be creative. As a substrate processing apparatus that performs such SiC epitaxial film formation, for example, a technique described in Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2012-195562 A

  In order to reduce the cost of the substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to make the components forming the substrate processing apparatus as common as possible, such as a transfer system for transferring the wafer, regardless of the diameter of the wafer to be processed. desirable.

  For this reason, when a small diameter wafer is transferred by a hoop (also referred to as a pod or a wafer cassette) for transferring a large diameter wafer, a bridge tool for accommodating the small diameter wafer is provided in the FOUP. The wafer holder holding the wafer is transferred in a state of being accommodated in the bridge tool.

  However, the position of the wafer holder in the hoop is determined by the positioning rod that determines the stop position in the insertion direction of the wafer holder, and the positions in the lateral direction, the rotation direction, and the direction of the inlet of the hoop intersecting the insertion direction of the wafer holder. Is not decided.

  For example, a wafer after film formation is replaced with an unfilmed wafer. However, since the wafer holder is reused, a film is deposited on the surface of the wafer holder and the diameter of the wafer holder increases. For this reason, with the above positioning rod alone, the wafer holder in the hoop is displaced in the direction of the lid at the entrance of the hoop. As a result, there is a problem that the wafer holder is damaged by the stress applied to the wafer holder when the lid is closed. ing.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a substrate container that accommodates a substrate having a first diameter, and is capable of suppressing or preventing displacement of a substrate having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. Is to provide a vessel.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, in the substrate container according to the present invention, the protrusion that determines the position of the substrate having the second diameter is provided on the support portion that supports the substrate having the second diameter smaller than the substrate having the first diameter. It is provided.

  The effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, according to the present invention, in the substrate container that accommodates the substrate having the first diameter, it is possible to suppress or prevent the positional deviation of the substrate having the second diameter smaller than the first diameter. Become.

It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the substrate processing apparatus which employ | adopted the attachment for different diameter substrates which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the processing furnace which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the cross section of the horizontal direction of the processing furnace which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the internal structure of the gas supply unit which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure around the processing furnace which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram explaining the control system of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which hold | maintained the wafer which concerns on embodiment of this invention to the wafer holder. It is a perspective view which shows the wafer and wafer holder which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for the film formation process of the pancake type | mold which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for the planetary type film-forming process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the susceptor of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for film formation processing of FIGS. 9 and 10 as viewed from the direction of arrow A1 in FIGS. 9 and 10; It is the top view which looked at the pod which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention from the upper surface side. It is sectional drawing of the II line | wire of FIG. FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region B1 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. It is the principal part perspective view which fractured | ruptured a part of pod which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and showed the inside. It is an expansion perspective view of area | region B2 enclosed with the broken line of FIG. FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of a region B3 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is a modification of a projection part, and is sectional drawing of the location equivalent to the II-II line of FIG. It is a modification of a projection part, Comprising: It is an enlarged plan view of area | region B3 enclosed with the broken line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the II-II line | wire of FIG. FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of a region B3 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 16 in the pod according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the II-II line | wire of FIG. FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of a region B3 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 16 in a pod according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the III-III line of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  In the embodiment, when it is necessary for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of sections or embodiments. However, unless otherwise specified, they are not irrelevant to each other. There are some or all of the modifications, details, supplementary explanations, and the like.

  Further, in the embodiment, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), unless explicitly stated or in principle limited to a specific number, It is not limited to the specific number, and it may be more or less than the specific number.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, it is needless to say that the constituent elements (including element steps and the like) are not necessarily essential unless otherwise specified or apparently essential in principle. . Similarly, in the embodiment, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of the component, etc., the shape, etc., is substantially changed to the shape, etc., unless explicitly stated or otherwise considered in principle. Approximate or similar. The same applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

(Embodiment 1)
In the following embodiments, a so-called batch type vertical SiC epitaxial growth apparatus in which SiC wafers are stacked in the height direction (vertical direction) in an SiC epitaxial growth apparatus which is an example of a substrate processing apparatus is described. As a result, the number of SiC wafers that can be processed at one time is increased to improve throughput (manufacturing efficiency).

<Overall configuration>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a substrate processing apparatus using a substrate container according to the present invention. First, a substrate processing apparatus for forming a SiC epitaxial film and a method for forming a SiC epitaxial film, which is one of semiconductor device manufacturing steps, according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 as a substrate processing apparatus (film forming apparatus) is a batch type vertical film forming processing apparatus, and includes a housing 12 that houses a plurality of apparatuses having various functions. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10, for example, a pod (hoop) 16 that is a substrate container for storing a wafer 14 as a substrate made of SiC or the like is used as a wafer carrier.

  On the front side of the housing 12, a pod stage (container introduction portion) 18 for introducing the pod 16 from the outside to the inside of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 is provided. On the pod stage 18, a plurality of pods 16 prepared in other production lines are transported by a carriage CT pulled by an operator. For example, 25 wafers 14 are accommodated inside the pod 16 and set on the pod stage 18 with the lid 16a closed (sealed).

  A pod transfer device (transfer mechanism) 20 is provided on the front side of the housing 12 and on the back side of the pod stage 18 so as to face the pod stage 18. The pod transfer device 20 is provided between the pod stage 18 and the processing furnace 40 on the back side of the housing 12, and transfers the pod 16 from the pod stage 18 toward the processing furnace 40. A plurality of (for example, three stages in the figure) pod storage shelves 22, a pod opener 24, and a substrate number detector 26 are provided in the vicinity of the pod transfer device 20 and on the back side. Each pod storage shelf 22 is provided above the pod opener 24 and the number-of-substrates detector 26, and is configured to mount a plurality of pods 16 (for example, five in the drawing) and hold the state.

  The pod carrying device 20 carries the pod 16 one after another between the pod stage 18, each pod storage shelf 22 and the pod opener 24, and the pod opener 24 opens the lid 16 a of the pod 16. A substrate number detector 26 provided adjacent to the pod opener 24 detects the number of wafers 14 in the pod 16 with the lid 16a opened.

  In addition, a substrate transfer machine 28 and a boat 30 as a substrate holder are provided inside the housing 12. The substrate transfer device 28 includes, for example, six arms (tweezers) 32, and each arm 32 can be moved up and down by a driving unit (not shown) and can be rotated. Can be taken out at once. Then, by moving each arm 32 in reverse from the front side to the back side, six wafers 14 can be transferred from the pod 16 at the position of the pod opener 24 toward the boat 30.

  The boat 30 is formed in a predetermined shape using a heat-resistant material such as carbon graphite or SiC, and is configured to stack and hold a plurality of wafers 14 in a horizontal posture and in a state where their centers are aligned with each other. ing. Note that a boat heat insulating portion 34 as a heat insulating member formed in a cylindrical shape with a heat resistant material such as quartz or SiC is provided on the lower side of the boat 30, and heat from a heating body 48 to be described later is processed. Transmission to the lower side of the furnace 40 is difficult (see FIG. 2).

  A processing furnace 40 is provided on the rear side in the housing 12 and on the upper side. A boat 30 loaded with a plurality of wafers 14 is carried into the processing furnace 40, whereby the plurality of stacked wafers 14 can be heat-treated (batch processing) at a time.

<Processing furnace configuration>
2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the processing furnace, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) of the processing furnace, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are the inside of the gas supply unit. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the structure around the processing furnace, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram explaining the control system of the substrate processing apparatus. Next, a processing furnace 40 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 for forming a SiC epitaxial film will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the processing furnace 40, the first gas supply nozzle 60 having the first gas supply port 68, the second gas supply nozzle 70 having the second gas supply port 72, and the reaction gas from each of the gas supply nozzles 60, 70 are externally supplied. A first gas exhaust port 90 for exhausting is provided. Also, a third gas supply port 360 (see FIG. 3) for supplying an inert gas and a second gas exhaust port 390 (see FIG. 3) for exhausting the inert gas to the outside are provided.

  The processing furnace 40 includes a reaction tube 42. The reaction tube 42 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or SiC, and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape whose upper side is closed and whose lower side is opened. A manifold 36 is disposed concentrically with the reaction tube 42 on the opening side (lower side) of the reaction tube 42. The manifold 36 is made of, for example, a stainless material, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an upper side and a lower side opened. The manifold 36 supports the reaction tube 42, and an O-ring (not shown) as a seal member is provided between the manifold 36 and the reaction tube 42. This prevents the reaction gas filled in the reaction tube 42 and the manifold 36 from leaking to the outside.

  The manifold 36 is supported by a holding body (not shown) provided on the lower side thereof, whereby the reaction tube 42 is installed vertically with respect to the ground (not shown). . Here, a reaction vessel is formed by the reaction tube 42 and the manifold 36.

  The processing furnace 40 includes a heating body 48. The heating body 48 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape whose upper side is closed and whose lower side is opened. The heating body 48 is provided inside the reaction tube 42, and a reaction chamber 44 is formed inside the heating body 48. The reaction chamber 44 accommodates the boat 30 holding the wafers 14 made of SiC or the like.

  The processing furnace 40 includes an induction coil 50 that functions as a magnetic field generator. The induction coil 50 is helically fixed to the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical support member 51, and the induction coil 50 is energized by an external power source (not shown). When the induction coil 50 is energized, the induction coil 50 generates a magnetic field, and the heating body 48 is induction-heated. Thus, the inside of the reaction chamber 44 is heated by causing the heating body 48 to generate heat by induction heating.

  In the vicinity of the heating body 48, a temperature sensor (not shown) as a temperature detection body for detecting the temperature in the reaction chamber 44 is provided. The temperature sensor and the induction coil 50 are connected to the temperature control unit of the controller 152. 52 (see FIG. 6). Based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor, the temperature control unit 52 adjusts (controls) the power supply to the induction coil 50 at a predetermined timing so that the temperature in the reaction chamber 44 has a desired temperature distribution. It is like that.

  Between the reaction tube 42 and the heating body 48, for example, a heat insulating material 54 formed of carbon felt or the like that is difficult to be induction-heated is provided. As with the reaction tube 42 and the heating body 48, the heat insulating material 54 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape whose upper side is closed and whose lower side is opened. Thus, by providing the heat insulating material 54, the heat of the heating body 48 is suppressed from being transmitted to the reaction tube 42 or the outside of the reaction tube 42.

  In addition, on the outer peripheral side of the induction coil 50, for example, an outer heat insulating wall 55 having a water cooling structure is provided in order to prevent heat in the reaction chamber 44 from being transmitted to the outside. The outer heat insulating wall 55 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed so as to surround the reaction chamber 44 (support member 51). Further, a magnetic seal 58 for preventing a magnetic field generated by energizing the induction coil 50 from leaking outside is provided on the outer peripheral side of the outer heat insulating wall 55. The magnetic seal 58 is also formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape whose upper side is closed and whose lower side is opened.

  A first gas supply nozzle 60 having a first gas supply port 68 is provided between the inner peripheral side of the heating body 48 and the outer peripheral side of the wafer 14. Further, a second gas supply nozzle 70 having a second gas supply port 72 is provided between the inner peripheral side of the heating body 48 and the outer peripheral side of the wafer 14. The first gas supply nozzle 60 and the second gas supply nozzle 70 are provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the wafer 14. 14 is directed. The first gas exhaust port 90 is also opened between the inner peripheral side of the heating body 48 and the outer peripheral side of the wafer 14. That is, the gas supply ports 68 and 72 and the first gas exhaust port 90 face the reaction chamber 44, respectively. Further, a third gas supply port 360 and a second gas exhaust port 390 are provided between the inner peripheral side of the reaction tube 42 and the outer peripheral side of the heat insulating material 54.

  Here, at least one first gas supply nozzle 60 and two second gas supply nozzles 70 may be provided as shown in FIG. 2, but two first gas supply nozzles are provided as shown in FIG. A nozzle 60 and three second gas supply nozzles 70 may be provided. In this case, the two first gas supply nozzles 60 are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction of the wafer 14 between the three second gas supply nozzles 70. Thereby, when different types of reaction gases are supplied from the first gas supply nozzle 60 and the second gas supply nozzle 70, the reaction gases can be efficiently mixed in the reaction chamber 44. Further, by making the total number of the first gas supply nozzle 60 and the second gas supply nozzle 70 an odd number, the reaction gas is balanced on both sides (upper and lower sides in FIG. 3) with the gas supply nozzle located at the center as the center. Can be supplied. Therefore, the reaction gas can be uniformly supplied to the film formation surface of the wafer 14, and the film formation accuracy can be improved. The types of reaction gas supplied from the first gas supply nozzle 60 and the second gas supply nozzle 70 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first gas supply nozzle 60 is formed in a hollow pipe shape from a heat resistant material such as carbon graphite, and includes a base end portion 60 a and a tip end portion 60 b. The base end portion 60 a of the first gas supply nozzle 60 is provided on the opening side of the reaction vessel including the reaction tube 42 and the manifold 36, that is, on the manifold 36 side, and is fixed to the manifold 36 through the manifold 36. The first gas supply nozzle 60 is provided in the reaction chamber 44 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction thereof, that is, so as to extend in the stacking direction of the respective wafers 14, and the distal end portion 60 b of the first gas supply nozzle 60 is provided in the reaction tube 42. Is provided on the bottom side (upper side).

  The proximal end portion is located between the proximal end portion 60 a and the distal end portion 60 b of the first gas supply nozzle 60 and closer to the distal end portion 60 b along the longitudinal direction of the first gas supply nozzle 60, that is, at a portion corresponding to the wafer 14. A plurality of first gas supply ports 68 for supplying a reaction gas toward the wafer 14 are provided in a plurality from the 60a to the front end portion 60b. The first gas supply ports 68 are provided at equal intervals, preferably between the stacked wafers, so that the reaction gas can be uniformly supplied to each of the plurality of wafers 14. Yes. The base end portion 60 a of the first gas supply nozzle 60 is connected to the gas supply unit 200 via the first gas line 222.

  The second gas supply nozzle 70 is formed in a hollow pipe shape from a heat-resistant material such as carbon graphite, for example, and includes a proximal end portion 70a and a distal end portion 70b. The base end portion 70 a of the second gas supply nozzle 70 is provided on the opening side of the reaction vessel including the reaction tube 42 and the manifold 36, that is, on the manifold 36 side, and passes through the manifold 36 and is fixed to the manifold 36. The second gas supply nozzle 70 is provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction in the reaction chamber 44, and the distal end portion 70 b of the second gas supply nozzle 70 is provided on the bottom side of the reaction tube 42.

  The proximal end portion is located between the proximal end portion 70 a and the distal end portion 70 b of the second gas supply nozzle 70 and closer to the distal end portion 70 b along the longitudinal direction of the second gas supply nozzle 70, that is, at a portion corresponding to the wafer 14. A plurality of second gas supply ports 72 for supplying a reaction gas toward the wafer 14 are provided side by side from 70a to the tip portion 70b. The second gas supply ports 72 are provided at equal intervals, preferably between the stacked wafers, so that the reaction gas can be uniformly supplied to each of the plurality of wafers 14. Yes. Note that the base end portion 70 a of the second gas supply nozzle 70 is connected to the gas supply unit 200 via the second gas line 260.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, in the reaction chamber 44, the space is formed between the gas supply nozzles 60 and 70 and the first gas exhaust port 90 and between the heating body 48 and the wafer 14. It is preferable to provide a structure 300 having an arc-shaped cross section that extends in the longitudinal direction of the reaction chamber 44 so as to be filled. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, by providing the structures 300 at the opposing positions, the reaction gas supplied from the gas supply nozzles 60 and 70 flows along the inner wall of the heating body 48 to bypass the wafer 14. Can be prevented. The structure 300 is preferably made of carbon graphite or the like in consideration of heat resistance and generation of particles.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a first gas exhaust port 90 is provided at a location facing the gas supply ports 68 and 72 sandwiching the boat 30 and on the lower side of the boat 30, and the manifold 36 includes a first gas exhaust port 90. A gas exhaust pipe 230 connected to the gas exhaust port 90 penetrates and is fixed. A pressure sensor (not shown) as a pressure detector is provided on the downstream side of the gas exhaust pipe 230, and further, vacuum exhaust such as a vacuum pump is provided via an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 214 as a pressure regulator. A device 220 is connected. A pressure control unit 98 (see FIG. 6) of the controller 152 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor and the APC valve 214. The pressure control unit 98 adjusts (controls) the opening degree of the APC valve 214 at a predetermined timing based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor, and consequently adjusts the pressure in the processing furnace 40 to a predetermined pressure. It is like that.

  As described above, the first gas exhaust port 90 is disposed at a position opposite to the gas supply ports 68 and 72, so that the reaction gas supplied from the gas supply ports 68 and 72 is horizontally directed from the side of the wafer 14. Then, the air can be exhausted from the first gas exhaust port 90 after the film is uniformly distributed over the film formation surface of the wafer 14. Thus, the film forming accuracy is improved by exposing the entire film forming surface of the wafer 14 to the reaction gas so as to be effective and uniform.

  The third gas supply port 360 is disposed between the reaction tube 42 and the heat insulating material 54 on the gas supply ports 68 and 72 side. The third gas supply port 360 is provided on one end side of the third gas line 240 that passes through the manifold 36 and is fixed to the manifold 36, and the other end side of the third gas line 240 is connected to the gas supply unit 200. ing. The second gas exhaust port 390 is disposed on the first gas exhaust port 90 side, between the reaction tube 42 and the heat insulating material 54, that is, at a location facing the third gas supply port 360 that sandwiches the heat insulating material 54. The second gas exhaust port 390 is connected to the gas exhaust pipe 230.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the third gas line 240 is connected to a fourth gas supply source 210f via a valve 212f and an MFC (Mass Flow Controller) 211f. From the fourth gas supply source 210f, for example, a rare gas argon (Ar) gas is supplied as an inert gas, and a reaction gas contributing to the growth of the SiC epitaxial film is interposed between the reaction tube 42 and the heat insulating material 54. Preventing entry. Thereby, unnecessary products do not adhere to the inner wall of the reaction tube 42 and the outer wall of the heat insulating material 54, and the maintenance cycle of the apparatus can be extended. The inert gas (Ar gas or the like) supplied between the reaction tube 42 and the heat insulating material 54 is discharged from the vacuum exhaust device 220 via the second gas exhaust port 390, the gas exhaust tube 230, and the APC valve 214. Exhausted outside.

<Configuration of reaction gas supply system>
Next, the first gas supply system and the second gas supply system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 (a) shows a separate method of supplying Si atom-containing gas and carbon (C) atom-containing gas from different gas supply nozzles, and FIG. 4 (b) shows Si atom-containing gas and C atom-containing gas. Shows a premix system for supplying the gas from the same gas supply nozzle.

First, the separation method will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A, in the separate method, the first gas line 222 is connected to the first gas supply source 210a, the valves 212a, 212b, and 212c and the MFCs (flow rate control means) 211a, 211b, and 211c. The second gas supply source 210b and the third gas supply source 210c are connected. Tetrachlorosilane (SiCl ₄ ) gas is supplied from the first gas supply source 210a, chlorine (Cl ₂ ) gas is supplied from the second gas supply source 210b, and inert gas is supplied from the third gas supply source 210c.

Thus, the supply flow rate, concentration, partial pressure, and supply timing of the SiCl ₄ gas, HCl gas, and inert gas can be controlled in the reaction chamber 44. The valves 212a to 212c and the MFCs 211a to 211c are electrically connected to a gas flow rate control unit 78 (see FIG. 6) of the controller 152. The gas flow rate control unit 78 controls at a predetermined timing so that the flow rate of each gas to be supplied becomes a predetermined flow rate. Here, gas supply sources 210a to 210c for supplying SiCl ₄ gas (film formation gas), HCl gas (etching gas), and inert gas, valves 212a to 212c, MFCs 211a to 211c, the first gas line 222, the first The gas supply nozzle 60 and each first gas supply port 68 constitute a first gas supply system.

The second gas line 260 is connected to the fifth gas supply source 210d and the sixth gas supply source 210e via valves 212d and 212e and MFCs 211d and 211e. From the fifth gas supply source 210d, for example, a hydrocarbon (C ₃ H ₈ ) gas (film formation gas) is used as a C atom-containing gas, and from the sixth gas supply source 210e, for example, hydrogen (H ₂ ) is used as a reducing gas. ) Each gas is supplied.

Thus, the supply flow rate, concentration, partial pressure, and supply timing of each of the C ₃ H ₈ gas and H ₂ gas can be controlled with respect to the inside of the reaction chamber 44. The valves 212d and 212e and the MFCs 211d and 211e are electrically connected to a gas flow rate control unit 78 (see FIG. 6) of the controller 152. The gas flow rate control unit 78 controls at a predetermined timing so that the flow rate of each gas to be supplied becomes a predetermined flow rate. Here, gas supply sources 210d and 210e for supplying C ₃ H ₈ gas and H ₂ gas, valves 212d and 212e, MFCs 211d and 211e, a second gas line 260, a second gas supply nozzle 70, and a second gas supply port, respectively. 72 constitutes a second gas supply system.

  As described above, in the separate method, the SiC atom-containing gas and the C atom-containing gas are supplied from different gas supply nozzles so that the SiC film is not formed (not deposited) in the gas supply nozzle. In addition, what is necessary is just to supply appropriate carrier gas, respectively, when adjusting the density | concentration and flow velocity of Si atom containing gas and C atom containing gas.

Further, in order to more efficiently use the Si atom-containing gas, a H ₂ gas as the reduction gas, the H ₂ gas with the C atom-containing gas is supplied from the second gas supply nozzle 70. In this case, H ₂ gas can be used as a carrier gas for the C atom-containing gas. Note that the deposition of the Si film can be suppressed by using an inert gas (particularly a rare gas) such as Ar gas as the carrier gas of the Si atom-containing gas.

  Further, HCl gas is supplied from the first gas supply nozzle 60 as a chlorine atom-containing gas. As a result, even if the Si atom-containing gas is decomposed by heat and can be deposited in the first gas supply nozzle 60, the etching mode is performed by the HCl gas. The formation (deposition) of the Si film is suppressed. Note that the HCl gas also has an effect of etching the deposited Si film, so that the first gas supply port 68 can be effectively prevented from being blocked.

  Next, the premix method shown in FIG. 4B will be described. The premix system is different from the separate system in that the fifth gas supply source 210d of the C atom-containing gas is connected to the first gas line 222 via the MFC 211d and the valve 212d. Thereby, the Si atom-containing gas and the C atom-containing gas can be mixed in advance in the first gas line 222. Therefore, it is possible to increase the mixing efficiency of the reaction gas as compared with the above-described separate method, and to shorten the film formation time.

In this case, since H ₂ gas can be supplied independently from the second gas supply nozzle 70 via the second gas line 260, the ratio of HCl gas to H ₂ gas (Cl / H) is increased. As a result, the etching effect of the first gas supply nozzle 60 can be increased to suppress the reaction of the Si atom-containing gas. Thus, even with the premix method, the formation (deposition) of the SiC film in the first gas supply nozzle 60 can be suppressed to some extent.

  In the above description, HCl gas is used as the chlorine atom-containing gas (etching gas) used when forming the SiC epitaxial film. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and chlorine (Cl) gas or the like is used. May be.

In the above description, when the SiC epitaxial film is formed, SiCl ₄ gas is supplied as the Si atom-containing gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, silane (SiH ₄ ) gas, trichlorosilane (SiHCl) ₃ ) Gas, dichlorosilane (SiH ₂ Cl ₂ ) gas or the like may be supplied. It can be said that the gas containing Si atoms and Cl atoms is a Si atom-containing gas or a mixed gas of a Si atom-containing gas and a Cl atom-containing gas. In particular, the SiCl ₄ gas is excellent in terms of suppressing the consumption of Si atoms in the first gas supply nozzle 60 because the temperature at which pyrolysis is performed is relatively high.

Furthermore, in the above description, C ₃ H ₈ gas is used as the C atom-containing gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and ethylene (C ₂ H ₄ ) gas, acetylene (C ₂ H ₂ ) gas, or the like is used. May be.

In the above description, H ₂ gas is used as the reducing gas. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other H atom-containing gas may be used. Further, as the carrier gas, at least one of rare gases such as Ar gas, helium (He) gas, neon (Ne) gas, krypton (Kr) gas, and xenon (Xe) gas may be used. A mixed gas in which these rare gases are arbitrarily combined may be used.

<Configuration around the processing furnace>
Next, the configuration of the processing furnace 40 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIG. A seal cap (furnace port lid) 102 that hermetically closes the furnace port 144 that is an opening of the process furnace 40 is provided on the lower side of the process furnace 40. The seal cap 102 is formed in a substantially disk shape from a metal material such as stainless steel. Between the seal cap 102 and the top plate 126 of the load lock chamber LR, which will be described later, an O-ring (not shown) is provided as a seal member for sealing between the two, thereby keeping the inside of the processing furnace 40 airtight. I can do it.

  The seal cap 102 is provided with a rotation mechanism 104, and the rotation shaft 106 of the rotation mechanism 104 passes through the seal cap 102 and is connected to the boat heat insulating portion 34. Then, by rotating the rotation mechanism 104, the boat 30 rotates in the processing furnace 40 via the rotation shaft 106, and the wafer 14 also rotates accordingly.

  The seal cap 102 is configured to be moved up and down in the vertical direction (up and down direction) by an elevating motor (elevating mechanism) M provided outside the processing furnace 40, so that the boat 30 can be carried into and out of the processing furnace 40. It is like that. A drive control unit 108 (see FIG. 6) of the controller 152 is electrically connected to the rotation mechanism 104 and the lifting motor M. The drive control unit 108 controls the rotation mechanism 104 and the lifting motor M at a predetermined timing so as to perform a predetermined operation.

  A load lock chamber LR as a spare chamber is provided below the processing furnace 40, and a lower substrate LP is provided outside the load lock chamber LR. A base end portion of a guide shaft 116 that slidably supports the lifting platform 114 is fixed to the lower substrate LP, and a proximal end portion of a ball screw 118 that is screwed to the lifting platform 114 is rotatably supported. Yes. Further, an upper substrate UP is mounted on the distal end portion of the guide shaft 116 and the distal end portion of the ball screw 118. The ball screw 118 is rotationally driven by a lifting motor M mounted on the upper substrate UP, and the lifting platform 114 is lifted and lowered by the rotational driving of the ball screw 118.

  A hollow pipe-shaped lifting shaft 124 is fixed to the lifting platform 114 so as to hang down, and a connecting portion between the lifting platform 114 and the lifting shaft 124 is airtight. Thereby, the elevating shaft 124 moves up and down together with the elevating table 114. The elevating shaft 124 passes through a through hole 126a provided in the top plate 126 on the upper side of the load lock chamber LR with a predetermined gap. That is, when the elevating shaft 124 moves up and down, the elevating shaft 124 does not contact the top plate 126.

  A bellows (hollow stretchable body) 128 having elasticity is provided between the load lock chamber LR and the lifting platform 114 so as to cover the periphery of the lifting shaft 124, and the load lock chamber LR is kept airtight by the bellows 128. ing. The bellows 128 has a sufficient amount of expansion / contraction that can correspond to the amount of elevation of the elevator platform 114, and the inner diameter of the bellows 128 is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the elevator shaft 124. As a result, the bellows 128 can smoothly expand and contract without contacting the lifting shaft 124 during expansion and contraction.

  An elevating board 130 is fixed horizontally below the elevating shaft 124, and a drive unit cover 132 is airtightly attached to the lower side of the elevating board 130 via a seal member (not shown) such as an O-ring. It has been. The elevating board 130 and the drive unit cover 132 constitute a drive unit storage case 134, thereby isolating the atmosphere in the drive unit storage case 134 and the atmosphere in the load lock chamber LR.

  A rotation mechanism 104 that rotationally drives the boat 30 is provided inside the drive unit storage case 134, and the periphery of the rotation mechanism 104 is cooled by a cooling mechanism 135 having a water cooling structure.

  A power cable 138 is electrically connected to the rotation mechanism 104, and the power cable 138 is guided to the rotation mechanism 104 from the upper side of the elevating shaft 124 through a hollow portion. The cooling mechanism 135 and the seal cap 102 are respectively formed with cooling water passages 140, and the cooling water passages 140 are connected to the cooling water passages 140, respectively. Each cooling water pipe 142 is led from the upper side of the elevating shaft 124 to each cooling water flow path 140 through a hollow portion.

  When the elevating motor M is rotationally driven by the drive control unit 108 of the controller 152, the ball screw 118 is rotated, whereby the elevating table 114 and the elevating shaft 124 are raised and lowered, and as a result, the drive unit storage case 134 is raised and lowered. Then, by raising the drive unit storage case 134, the seal cap 102 provided in an airtight manner on the elevating substrate 130 seals the furnace port 144, which is an opening of the processing furnace 40, thereby enabling the wafer 14 to be heat-treated. . Further, by lowering the drive unit storage case 134, the boat 30 is lowered together with the seal cap 102, and the wafer 14 can be carried out of the processing furnace 40.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 152 that controls the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 that forms the SiC epitaxial film includes a temperature control unit 52, a gas flow rate control unit 78, a pressure control unit 98, and a drive control unit 108. These temperature control unit 52, gas flow rate control unit 78, pressure control unit 98, and drive control unit 108 constitute an operation unit and an input / output unit, and are electrically connected to a main control unit 150 that controls the entire semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10. It is connected to the.

<Laminated wafer structure>
Next, the laminated structure of the wafer 14 on the boat 30 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a state where the wafer is held by the wafer holder, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the wafer and the wafer holder.

  The boat 30 includes three boat columns that support the plurality of wafers 14 in a horizontal state, that is, a first boat column 31a, a second boat column (support column) 31b, and a third boat column (support column) 31c. . Each of the boat columns 31a to 31c is formed of a heat-resistant material such as SiC, and these are integrally assembled with each other via an upper plate member and a lower plate member (none of which are shown).

  The boat pillars 31a to 31c are all formed in the same shape, and in a state where the boat 30 is assembled, a plurality of holder holding portions HS made of notches are formed on the side where the boat pillars 31a to 31c face each other. Is provided. Each holder holding portion HS detachably holds the outer peripheral side of the wafer holder (substrate holding jig) 100 on which the wafer 14 is mounted. The holder holding portion HS is, for example, 30 at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of each boat column 31a to 31c. There are steps. That is, the boat 30 is configured to stack and hold, for example, 30 wafers 14 in the vertical direction under the state where the wafers 14 are respectively in a horizontal state and aligned with each other through the wafer holder 100.

  The first boat column 31 a and the second boat column 31 b are arranged at an interval of 90 degrees along the circumferential direction of the wafer 14. Further, the second boat column 31 b and the third boat column 31 c are arranged at an interval of 180 degrees along the circumferential direction of the wafer 14. That is, the interval between the first boat column 31a and the second boat column 31b is narrower than the interval between the second boat column 31b and the third boat column 31c. The first boat column 31a and the third boat column 31c are spaced by 90 degrees along the circumferential direction of the wafer 14 as in the relationship between the first boat column 31a and the second boat column 31b. The widest opening portion of the space between the boat pillars 31 a to 31 c, that is, the opening portion between the second boat pillar 31 b and the third boat pillar 31 c is for transferring the wafer holder 100 holding the wafer 14. Opening (loading / unloading section).

  The wafer holder 100 on which the wafer 14 is mounted is formed in a disk shape as shown in FIG. 8, and the wafer holder 100 includes an annular holder base (substrate holder) 110 and a disk-shaped holder cover 120. Here, both the holder base 110 and the holder cover 120 are each formed of a heat-resistant material such as SiC.

  The outer diameter of the holder base 110 constituting the wafer holder 100 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the wafer 14. A through hole 110a that penetrates the holder base 110 in the axial direction is provided at the center portion of the holder base 110, and an annular stepped portion 111 is formed at the inner periphery of the through hole 110a. The annular step 111 holds the wafer 14.

  In this way, by holding the wafer 14 on the annular stepped portion 111 of the holder base 110, the wafer 14 can be positioned (mounted) with high accuracy at the center portion of the holder base 110, and as shown in FIG. Each boat pillar 31a-31c and the wafer 14 can be kept away. Further, by holding the wafer 14 on the annular stepped portion 111, the lower surface 14 a serving as the film formation surface of the wafer 14 can be exposed to the atmosphere in the reaction chamber 44.

  In a state where the wafer holder 100 is transferred to the boat 30, in the main body portion 112 of the holder base 110, portions corresponding to the boat pillars 31 a to 31 c are arranged along the thickness direction of the main body portion 112, that is, the axial direction of the wafer holder 100. Three through holes, that is, a first communication hole 112a, a second communication hole 112b, and a third communication hole 112c are provided.

  Further, in the vicinity of the first communication hole 112a along the circumferential direction of the main body portion 112 of the wafer holder 100, a notch portion 112e formed in an arc shape is formed. The notch portion 112e is abutted against a holder positioning rod 406 of a bridge tool (attachment for different diameter substrates) 400, which will be described later (see FIG. 12 and the like), whereby the wafer holder 100 can be accurately positioned with respect to the bridge tool 400. I am doing so. Therefore, when the arm 32 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate transfer machine 28 is operated to transfer the wafer holder 100 (wafer 14) from the bridge tool 400 to the boat 30, the communication holes 112a to 112c are connected to the boat columns. It can be made to oppose reliably, without position-shifting with respect to 31a-31c.

  Each of the communication holes 112a to 112c is provided in consideration of consumption of the reaction gas by the boat columns 31a to 31c. That is, when supplying the reactive gas to the wafer 14, the reactive gas is also supplied to the boat columns 31a to 31c as the boat 30 rotates, and the boat columns 31a to 31c are also formed. Therefore, in order to suppress consumption of the reaction gas before reaching the wafer 14, the communication holes 112a to 112c are provided as spaces that do not consume the reaction gas. Thereby, the film can be formed on the lower surface 14a of the wafer 14 so that the film thickness is uniform.

  The holder cover 120 includes a large-diameter main body 121 and a small-diameter fitting portion 122, and the small-diameter fitting portion 122 enters and is attached to the annular step portion 111 of the holder base 110. Thereby, rattling of the holder cover 120 with respect to the holder base 110 is suppressed. The small-diameter fitting portion 122 sandwiches the wafer 14 between the annular stepped portion 111 and is in contact with the upper surface (non-deposition surface) 14 b opposite to the lower surface 14 a that is the film formation surface of the wafer 14. As described above, the holder cover 120 covers the upper surface 14b of the wafer 14 so that the upper surface 14b is not formed, and protects the wafer 14 from particles (fine dust) falling from the upper side of the wafer 14. It is like that.

  In the above example, the case where the present invention is applied to a batch type vertical film forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a pancake type or planetary type film forming apparatus. good. 9 is an explanatory view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for pancake type film forming processing, FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for planetary type film forming processing, and FIG. 11 is a direction of an arrow A1 in FIGS. It is the top view of the susceptor of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for the film-forming processes of FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 seen from FIG.

  In any of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses (substrate processing apparatuses) 10La and 10Lb for film formation in FIGS. 9 and 10, a planar circular susceptor SS is installed inside the reaction tube. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10La for film formation processing in FIG. 9, the wafer 14 is mounted on the upper surface of the susceptor SS with the film formation surface facing upward. On the other hand, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10Lb for film formation processing in FIG. 10, the wafer 14 is held on the susceptor SS by the wafer holder WH with the film formation surface facing downward.

  In any of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses 10La and 10Lb for film formation processing, the gas G such as the above-described source gas or carrier gas is a gas disposed at the center of the susceptor SS as shown by an arrow A2 in FIG. The gas flows from the supply port GSM toward the outer periphery of the susceptor SS, and is further discharged through the gas exhaust port GDM.

  Further, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10Lb of FIG. 10, in order for the susceptor SS and the wafer 14 to suppress or prevent fluctuations in film thickness due to the concentration distribution of the gas G, as shown by arrows A3 and A4 in FIG. It is supported in a rotatable state along each plane.

<Pod and bridge tool structure>
Next, the structure of the pod 16 and the bridge tool 400 used for the pod 16 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 12 is a plan view of the pod according to the first embodiment of the present invention as seen from the upper surface side, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 12, and FIG. 14 is a region B1 surrounded by the broken line in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view. In FIG. 13, the first communication hole 112a, the second communication hole 112b, and the third communication hole 112c in the wafer holder 100 are omitted for easy viewing of the drawing.

  The pod 16 as a substrate container is a pod dedicated to an 8-inch wafer that can store, for example, an 8-inch (about 20 cm) wafer (first diameter substrate) 14W (see FIG. 12). The pod 16 is formed in a hollow shape with the side portions 16b opened by, for example, a plastic material that does not generate particles. As shown in FIG. 12, an opening step portion 16c is provided on the side portion 16b of the pod 16, and a fitting convex portion 16d provided on the lid 16a is fitted into the opening step portion 16c. . Thereby, the side part 16b can be freely opened and closed by the lid | cover 16a. A seal member (not shown) such as an O-ring is provided between the opening step portion 16c and the fitting convex portion 16d so that the inside of the pod 16 can be sealed in a vacuum state or the like. .

  As shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of first support grooves 16 e extending from the opening side (front side of the paper surface) to the bottom side (back side of the paper surface) are formed on the inner wall surfaces facing each other inside the pod 16. Is provided. Each first support groove 16e can support an outer peripheral portion of an 8-inch wafer, extends in the horizontal direction (front-rear direction in the figure), and is equally spaced in the vertical direction (up-down direction in the figure), for example, 7 One is provided.

  A bridge tool 400 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is stored in the pod 16. The bridge tool 400 is an attachment that can store, for example, a smaller 2 inch (about 5 cm) wafer (second diameter substrate) 14 in the pod 16 dedicated to an 8 inch wafer. In the following description, the wafer 14 is a 2 inch wafer.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the bridge tool 400 includes an upper plate 401 and a lower plate 402 formed in a disk shape, and both the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 are the same plastic material as the pod 16. Etc. are formed. Each of the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 has an 8-inch size (first size, first dimension), and is supported by each first support groove 16 e of the pod 16. Here, both the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 constitute a plate-like member in the present invention.

  Between the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402, a pair of side plates 403a and 403b are provided as holding members. Each of the side plates 403a and 403b is formed into a plate shape using the same plastic material as the pod 16, and the upper end is on the upper plate 401, the lower end is on the lower plate 402, and fastening means (not shown) such as screws, respectively. It is fixed. The length dimension of each side plate 403a, 403b (the length dimension in the vertical direction in FIG. 13) is such that the upper plate 401 is at the top of the first support grooves 16e and the lower plate 402 is each first support groove. It is set to the length dimension each supported by the lowest step of 16e.

  A plurality of second support grooves 404 are formed on the wall surfaces of the side plates 403a and 403b facing each other. Each second support groove 404 extends along the longitudinal direction of each side plate 403a, 403b (the direction from the near side to the far side in FIG. 13), and in the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 13), etc. For example, six intervals are provided. Each second support groove 404 is configured to support a wafer holder 100 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) on which a wafer 14 having a second size (second dimension) is mounted. That is, the bridge tool 400 can store, for example, six wafers 14.

  The side plates 403 a and 403 b are provided inside the first support grooves 16 e along the radial direction of the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402. Thus, the side plates 403a and 403b are provided on the first size upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 so that the second size smaller wafer 14 (or the wafer holder 100) can be stored. Thus, the number of wafers 14 that can be held by the bridge tool 400 can be set regardless of the interval between the first support grooves 16 e of the pod 16.

  The bridge tool 400 includes a holder positioning bar 406 as shown in FIGS. The upper and lower ends of the holder positioning rod 406 are fixed to the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 (see FIG. 13) by fastening means (not shown) such as screws. The holder positioning rod 406 is provided on the bottom side of the pod 16 along the transfer direction (see arrow A5 in FIG. 12) of the wafer holder 100 on which the wafer 14 is mounted. By having the holder positioning rod 406 in this way, the rotational position can be accurately determined within the pod 16 even when the wafer holder 100 that needs to determine the rotational position shown in FIG. 8 is used.

  The holder positioning bar 406 is for positioning the position of each wafer holder 100 stored in the pod 16 with respect to the rotation direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the holder positioning bar 406 is provided on the holder base 110 of the wafer holder 100. The notch part 112e is abutted. Thereby, each wafer holder 100 can be accurately positioned with respect to the bridge tool 400 set in the pod 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 forming the bridge tool 400 are provided with a pair of telescopic rod members 407 as fixing members so as to penetrate both. Each rod-like member 407 is arranged on the side 16b side of the pod 16, and the bridge tool 400 is set and fixed at a predetermined position in the pod 16. That is, each bar-shaped member 407 is configured to fix the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 to the first support groove 16e of the pod 16, respectively. In FIG. 14, reference numerals 407 a, 407 b, and 407 c denote a main body portion, a moving portion, and a coil spring that constitute the rod-shaped member 407.

  Note that the rod-shaped member as the fixing member is not limited to the above-described form, and includes, for example, a main body portion having an internal thread portion at an end portion and a moving portion having an external thread portion at an end portion, and both of them are screwed. It may be a rod-shaped member that is expanded and contracted by being combined. Further, by providing a fitting hole (not shown) in which each rod-like member 407 is fitted on the pod 16 side, the bridge tool 400 can be more firmly fixed in the pod 16.

  Further, the structure for fixing the bridge tool 400 is not limited to the above-described structure, and can be variously changed. For example, the thickness of each of the upper plate 401 and the lower plate 402 of the bridge tool 400 is increased so as to contact the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the pod 16 and is fitted to the first support groove 16e, thereby bridging the bridge tool 400. 400 may be fixed. Thereby, since the structure which fixes the bridge tool 400 can be simplified, the cost of the pod 16 can be reduced. Further, it is possible to prevent the bridge tool 400 from vibrating due to vibration caused by moving the pod 16 many times, and to prevent generation of particles or the like in the pod 16.

  Such a bridge tool 400 is stored in a state of being brought close to the lid 16a side of the pod 16 (in an eccentric state). That is, the center of the small diameter wafer 14 is positioned closer to the lid 16a than the center of the large diameter wafer 14W, and the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 on which the small diameter wafer 14 is mounted at the position of the lid 16a is the outer periphery of the large diameter wafer 14W. Try to match. As a result, the retainer 408 that holds the wafer holder 100 on which the small-diameter wafer 14 is mounted and the large-diameter wafer 14 </ b> W can be shared. For this reason, the structure of the retainer 408 can be simplified compared with the case where the retainers for holding the wafer holder 100 and the large-diameter wafer 14W are provided separately. Therefore, the weight of the pod 16 can be reduced and the cost of the pod 16 can be reduced.

  The retainer 408 is formed in a stepped plate shape that is bent a plurality of times by an elastic material such as hard plastic that does not generate particles, and has a function as a leaf spring. A part of the retainer 408 is fixed to a substantially central portion of the fitting convex portion 16d of the lid 16a via fastening means (not shown) such as a screw. The tip of the retainer 408 presses the wafer holder 100 or the wafer 14W.

  As a result, when the lid 16a is closed, the tip of the retainer 408 comes into contact with the wafer holder 100 or the wafer 14W and presses the wafer holder 100 or the wafer 14W. When the wafer holder 100 is pressed by the retainer 408, the notch portion 112e of the wafer holder 100 is abutted against the holder positioning rod 406. Thereby, the wafer 14 can be stably held inside the pod 16, and further, the positioning accuracy of the wafer holder 100 in the rotation direction with respect to the pod 16 can be improved.

  On the other hand, when the lid 16a is opened, the tip of the retainer 408 is separated from the wafer holder 100 and the wafer holder 100 is released from the pressing force of the retainer 408. Therefore, the wafer holder 100 holding the wafer 14 is moved to the arrow A5 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the bridge tool 400 can be taken in and out, that is, the wafer 14 can be taken in and out of the pod 16.

  Next, FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the inside of the pod with a part broken away, FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective view of a region B2 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 15, and FIG. 17 is surrounded by a broken line in FIG. FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. In FIGS. 15 and 16, the first support groove 16e, the first communication hole 112a, the second communication hole 112b, and the third communication hole 112c are omitted for easy understanding of the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, a protrusion 409A is formed integrally with the side plate 403a on the upper surface of the support portion that supports the wafer holder 100 in the second support grooves 404 of the side plates 403a and 403b that constitute the bridge tool 400.

  16 and 17, only the protrusion 409A of the side plate 403a is shown, but the protrusion 409A is also integrated with the side plate 403b in the second support groove 404 of the side plate 403b opposite to the side plate 403a. Is formed. When the pod 16 is viewed from the front (see FIG. 13), the protruding portion 409A of the side plate 403b is arranged to be symmetric with the protruding portion 409A of the side plate 403a.

  The protrusion 409A is a part that determines the position of the wafer holder 100 in the bridge tool 400. The protruding portion 409A projects in a direction intersecting the side plates 403a and 403b, that is, a direction projecting inwardly in the radial direction of the wafer holder 100 and intersecting the upper surface of the supporting portion that supports the wafer holder 100 in the second supporting groove 404. Protrudes toward.

  On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 (holder base 110), a recess (notch) 110d that is locked to the protrusion 409A is formed. The recessed portion 110 d is formed by cutting out a part of the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 so as to be recessed inward in the radial direction of the wafer holder 100. The wafer holder 100 is positioned by engaging the recess 110d on the outer periphery thereof with the protrusion 409A of the second support groove 404 of the side plates 403a and 403b. Thereby, since the wafer holder 100 can be firmly positioned and fixed in the bridge tool 400, the positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 can be suppressed or prevented.

  When the diameter of the wafer holder 100 is increased by the film forming process, the wafer holder 100 is displaced in the direction of the lid 16a of the pod 16, and the wafer holder 100 is damaged by the stress applied to the wafer holder 100 when the lid 16a is closed. There is. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the wafer holder 100 can be firmly positioned and fixed, the problem that the wafer holder 100 is damaged when the lid 16a of the pod 16 is closed can be avoided.

  In addition, since the wafer holder 100 can be positioned with high accuracy in the bridge tool 400, a conveyance error of the wafer holder 100 due to the positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 due to the accumulated film can be suppressed or prevented.

  The recessed portion 110d of the wafer holder 100 is provided at a position facing the second boat column 31b and the third boat column 31c (see FIG. 8) that support the wafer holder 100 when the wafer holder 100 is supported by the boat 30. Yes. The position facing the second boat column 31b and the third boat column 31c in the wafer holder 100 becomes a shadow of the second boat column 31b and the third boat column 31c during the film formation process, and the film formation on the wafer holder 100 is performed by supplying the film formation gas. The impact can be kept to a minimum. For this reason, in the wafer holder 100, by providing the depression 110d at a position facing the second boat pillar 31b and the third boat pillar 31c, the film thickness accumulated in the depression 110d can be reduced. Therefore, the alignment of the wafer holder 100 can be facilitated as compared with the case where the recess 110 d is provided at another position on the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100. Moreover, the highly accurate alignment of the wafer holder 100 can be prolonged. As shown in FIG. 8, when the notch portion 112e on the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 is aligned with the first boat column 31a of the reaction chamber 44, the two recess portions 110d on the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 become the second boat column 31b and It faces the third boat column 31c.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the thickness d1 of the protrusion 409A is set to a height that is at least half the thickness d2 of the wafer holder 100 (holder base 110). If the thickness d1 of the protrusion 409A is smaller than half the thickness d2 of the wafer holder 100, the position of the wafer holder 100 may be displaced due to vibration or the like. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the thickness d1 of the protrusion 409A is at least half the height of the thickness d2 of the wafer holder 100, so that the wafer holder 100 can be firmly positioned and fixed.

  19 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to the II-II line in FIG. 17 as a modification of the protrusion, and FIG. 20 is a modification of the protrusion in the region B3 surrounded by the broken line in FIG. FIG. 21 is an enlarged plan view, and FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

  In FIG. 19, a tapered portion 409t is formed on the tip surface of the protruding portion 409A. That is, a slope that gradually decreases toward the radially inner side of the wafer holder 100 is formed on the tip surface of the protrusion 409 </ b> A that faces the wafer holder 100. Thereby, since the corner | angular part of the side which the wafer holder 100 contacts in the protrusion part 409A becomes an obtuse angle, the risk of the foreign material generation resulting from the contact with the wafer holder 100 and protrusion part 409A can be reduced. Even if the film is accumulated in the recess 110d of the wafer holder 100 due to the film formation process and the diameter is slightly increased, the taper portion 409t can cope with the increase in the diameter of the wafer holder 100. For this reason, the highly accurate alignment of the wafer holder 100 can be prolonged. In addition, although the taper part 409t which inclines linearly was illustrated here, it is not limited to this, It is good also as the taper part 409t which inclines in a curvilinear form (the shape which has a curved part). In this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  20 and 21 illustrate the case where the planar shape of the protrusion 409A is circular. In this case, the corners on the outer periphery of the protrusion 409A can be reduced. In addition, the contact area between the protrusion 409A and the wafer holder 100 can be reduced as compared with the case where the protrusion 409A has a planar rectangular shape. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the risk of the occurrence of foreign matter due to the contact between the wafer holder 100 and the protrusion 409A. In the case of FIGS. 20 and 21 as well, the tapered portion 409t may be formed on the entire outer peripheral portion of the planar circular protrusion 409A as shown in FIG.

<Method for Forming SiC Epitaxial Film>
Next, using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 described above, as a step of the semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, a substrate manufacturing method (for example, forming a SiC epitaxial film on a substrate such as a wafer 14 made of SiC or the like) Processing method) will be described. The operation of each part constituting the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 in the following description is controlled by the controller 152.

  First, the pod 16 and the bridge tool 400 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 are prepared. Subsequently, the bridge tool 400 is stored and fixed from the side 16b of the pod 16 to the inside thereof (attachment fixing step). At this time, the upper plate 401 is stored in the uppermost stage of the first support grooves 16e, and the lower plate 402 is stored in the lowermost stage of the first support grooves 16e. The attachment fixing step may be performed by an automatic device (robot or the like) (not shown) or may be performed manually by an operator.

  Next, the wafer holder 100 loaded with the wafers 14 is sequentially transferred to the bridge tool 400 fixed in the pod 16. At this time, the notch 112e on the outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 is abutted against the holder positioning rod 406 of the bridge tool 400, and the recesses 110d at the two outer periphery of the wafer holder 100 are connected to the second of the side plates 403a and 403b of the bridge tool 400. Align with the protrusion 409A of the support groove 404. Thereby, the rotation position of the wafer holder 100 on which the wafer 14 is mounted with respect to the bridge tool 400, the position in the insertion / removal direction, and the position in the direction intersecting the insertion / removal direction are positioned. In the present embodiment, since the wafer holder 100 can be firmly positioned and fixed in the bridge tool 400, the positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 can be suppressed or prevented.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12, when the lid 16a is faced toward the side portion 16b of the pod 16, the fitting convex portion 16d is fitted into the opening step portion 16c. Accordingly, the retainer 408 installed on the fitting convex portion 16d presses the wafer holder 100.

  As described above, when the diameter of the wafer holder 100 is increased by the film forming process, the wafer holder 100 is displaced in the direction of the lid 16a of the pod 16, and the wafer holder 100 is damaged when the lid 16a is closed. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the wafer holder 100 can be firmly positioned and fixed, the problem that the wafer holder 100 is damaged when the lid 16a of the pod 16 is closed can be avoided.

  In this way, by closing the side portion 16b of the pod 16 with the lid 16a, the inside of the pod 16 is sealed and the wafer holder 100 is stably supported. Thereby, the storing (setting) of the wafer 14 and the wafer holder 100 in the pod 16 is completed (substrate setting step). When the pod 16 is sealed, for example, the inside of the pod 16 is evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown) and no particles are present in the pod 16. Also in the substrate setting process, it may be performed by an automatic device (robot or the like) (not shown) or manually performed by an operator.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of pods 16 that have undergone the substrate setting process are mounted on a cart CT pulled by an operator, and each pod 16 is transported to the pod stage 18 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10. Thereafter, each pod 16 is set on the pod stage 18 by an operator, thereby completing the first substrate transfer process. In the first substrate transfer step, for example, a plurality of pods 16 may be mounted on a self-propelled carriage (automatic transfer device) and automatically set on the pod stage 18.

  Next, when the first substrate transfer process is completed, the pod transfer device 20 operates, and the pod 16 is transferred from the pod stage 18 to the pod storage shelf 22 and stocked. Subsequently, the pod 16 stocked on the pod storage shelf 22 is transported and set by the pod transport device 20 to the pod opener 24, and the lid 16 a of the pod 16 is opened by the pod opener 24. Thus, the number of wafers 14 (wafer holder 100) housed in the pod 16 is detected. Thereafter, by the operation of the substrate transfer device 28, the wafer holder 100 loaded with the wafers 14 is taken out from the pod 16 at the position of the pod opener 24, and transferred to the boat 30 one after another (second substrate transfer step). At this time, in the present embodiment, since the wafer holder 100 can be positioned and fixed with high accuracy in the bridge tool 400, the conveyance error of the wafer holder 100 due to the positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 due to the accumulated film is suppressed or prevented. can do.

  When a plurality of wafers 14 are loaded and stacked on the boat 30, the boat 30 holding each wafer 14 is moved into the reaction chamber (processing chamber) by the lifting / lowering table 114 and the lifting / lowering shaft 124 driven by the rotation of the lifting / lowering motor M. ) 44, ie, boat loading. When the boat 30 is completely transferred into the reaction chamber 44, the seal cap 102 seals the reaction chamber 44, whereby the reaction chamber 44 is kept airtight and the third substrate transfer process (boat loading process) is performed. Complete.

  After carrying the boat 30 into the reaction chamber 44, the induction coil 50 is energized so that the temperature of the wafer 14 and the internal temperature of the reaction chamber 44 are set to predetermined temperatures, whereby the heating body 48 is heated. Thereafter, the MFCs 211a and 211b and the valves 212a and 212b are controlled, whereby the Si atom-containing gas (film forming gas) and the Cl atom-containing gas (etching gas) contributing to the film formation of the SiC epitaxial film are supplied to the gas supply sources. Supplied from 210a and 210b. Then, reaction gas is jetted from each first gas supply port 68 of the first gas supply nozzle 60 toward each wafer 14 in the reaction chamber 44.

Further, the valves 212d and 212e are controlled after controlling the opening degrees of the corresponding MFCs 211d and 211e so that the C atom-containing gas and the reducing gas H ₂ gas have a predetermined flow rate. Then, each reaction gas comes to flow through the second gas line 260. Accordingly, the reaction gas is jetted from each second gas supply port 72 of the second gas supply nozzle 70 toward each wafer 14 in the reaction chamber 44.

  The reaction gas injected from each first gas supply port 68 and each second gas supply port 72 flows on the inner peripheral side of the heating body 48 in the reaction chamber 44, and passes through the gas exhaust pipe 230 from the first gas exhaust port 90. It is exhausted to the outside through. The reaction gases supplied from the first gas supply ports 68 and the second gas supply ports 72 are mixed immediately after injection, and come into contact with the wafers 14 made of SiC or the like when passing through the reaction chamber 44. Thereby, an SiC epitaxial film is formed on the surface of each wafer 14.

  A series of steps so far, that is, a step of forming a SiC epitaxial film on the surface of each wafer 14 by supplying a reactive gas constitutes a substrate processing step.

  After the SiC epitaxial film on the substrate is formed to a predetermined film thickness, the seal cap 102 is lowered by the rotational drive of the elevating motor M, and the furnace port 144 of the processing furnace 40 is opened. Accordingly, each heat-treated (film-formed) wafer 14 is carried out from the lower side of the manifold 36 to the outside of the reaction tube 42 while being held on the boat 30 via the wafer holder 100, that is, boat unloaded. The Each wafer 14 held in the boat 30 is in a standby state inside the load lock chamber LR until it cools.

  Thereafter, when each wafer 14 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, each wafer holder 100 loaded with each wafer 14 is taken out from the boat 30 by the operation of the substrate transfer device 28. Subsequently, it is transferred to the bridge tool 400 in the empty pod 16 set in the pod opener 24 and transferred. Thereafter, the pod 16 storing each wafer 14 is transferred to the pod storage shelf 22 or the pod stage 18 by the operation of the pod transfer device 20. In this way, a series of operations of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 is completed.

<Typical effects of the first embodiment>
According to the technical idea described in the first embodiment, at least one of the plurality of effects described below is produced.

  (1) By providing the protrusions 409A in the second support grooves 404 of the side plates 403a and 403b constituting the bridge tool 400 in the pod 16, the wafer holder 100 on which the wafer 14 is mounted can be firmly positioned and fixed. Therefore, the positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 can be suppressed or prevented.

  (2) By the above (1), the problem that the wafer holder 100 is damaged when the lid 16a of the pod 16 is closed can be avoided.

  (3) According to the above (1), the wafer holder 100 can be positioned and fixed with high accuracy in the bridge tool 400, so that the conveyance error of the wafer holder 100 due to the positional deviation of the wafer holder 100 due to the accumulated film is suppressed or prevented. be able to.

  (4) By using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 having the bridge tool 400 described in the first embodiment in a substrate processing step in the semiconductor device manufacturing method, the above-described plurality of effects can be achieved in the semiconductor device manufacturing method. Among them, one or more effects are exhibited.

  (5) By using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 having the bridge tool 400 described in the first embodiment in the substrate processing step in the substrate manufacturing method for forming the SiC epitaxial film, the substrate for forming the SiC epitaxial film is obtained. In the manufacturing method, one or more of the plurality of effects described above are achieved.

(Embodiment 2)
22 is an enlarged plan view of a region B3 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 16 in the pod according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the protrusion 409B is formed by, for example, a resin bolt, and is screwed into a screw hole 403h1 formed in the side plates 403a and 403b. That is, the protruding portion 409B is installed in the second support groove 404 of the side plates 403a and 403b in a state where it can move in the radial direction R1 of the wafer holder 100 (wafer 14) and in a state where it can be detached.

  When the side plates 403a and 403b are integrated with the positioning projections, when the outer shape and dimensions of the wafer holder 100 are changed, or when the diameter of the wafer holder 100 increases due to the cumulative film, the entire bridge tool 400 is replaced. There must be. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, even if the outer shape and dimensions of the wafer holder 100 are changed or the diameter of the wafer holder 100 is increased by the accumulated film, the protruding portion 409B toward the second support groove 404 side. It is possible to flexibly cope with this by changing the protrusion length of the protrusion or changing the protrusion 409B itself. Therefore, since it is not necessary to change the whole bridge tool 400, the cost of the pod 16 can be reduced. For this reason, the cost of the semiconductor device manufactured by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 or the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 10 can be reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 23, in the protrusion 409B, a male screw is formed in a portion corresponding to the screw hole 403h1, but a male screw is formed on the protruding surface (surface exposed from the side plates 403a and 403b) of the protrusion 409B. Is not formed. That is, the wafer holder 100 does not touch the male screw of the protrusion 409B. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the risk of the occurrence of foreign matter due to the wafer holder 100 coming into contact with the thread of the protrusion 409B.

  Since other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

(Embodiment 3)
24 is an enlarged plan view of a region B3 surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 16 in the pod according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. In FIG. 25, the wafer holder is omitted for easy viewing of the drawing.

  In the third embodiment, the protrusion 409C is installed in the second support groove 404 of the side plates 403a and 403b so as to be movable in the thickness direction Z of the wafer holder 100 (wafer 14). That is, the protruding portion 409C is inserted into the hole 403h2 that penetrates the upper and lower surfaces of the support portion that supports the wafer holder 100 in the side plates 403a and 403b, and is connected to one end of the leaf spring portion 410 on the lower surface side of the support portion. The other end of the leaf spring portion 410 is connected by a bolt (fixing member) 411 on the lower surface of the support portion of the side plates 403a and 403b. Note that the protruding portion 409C, the leaf spring portion 410, and the bolt 411 are formed of the same resin as that of the pod 16, for example.

  In the third embodiment, the protrusion 409C protrudes from the upper surface of the support portion of the second support groove 404 when no force is applied from above (natural state). Therefore, as described above, the wafer holder 100 can be firmly positioned and fixed.

  On the other hand, the protrusion 409C is lowered when the leaf spring 410 is bent when a force is applied from above. When a protrusion is provided in the second support groove 404 of the side plates 403a and 403b, the wafer holder 100 rides on the protrusion and the wafer holder 100 is transported due to the inclination of the wafer holder 100 as a result of the inclination. When carrying out, a conveyance mistake may occur. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, even if the wafer holder 100 rides on the protrusion 409C, the protrusion 409C is lowered so that the posture of the wafer holder 100 can be maintained in a normal state. It is possible to reduce or prevent the occurrence of a conveyance error of the wafer holder 100 due to the riding.

  Since other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, description thereof will be omitted.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the bridge tool according to the present invention is applied to a film forming apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) for forming an SiC epitaxial film. The technical idea of the present invention can also be applied to other types of substrate processing apparatuses that process a wafer having a small diameter.

  In each of the above embodiments, the center of the small-diameter wafer is positioned closer to the pod lid than the center of the large-diameter wafer, and the outer periphery of the wafer holder is aligned with the outer periphery of the large-diameter wafer at the position of the lid. Although the case has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and a structure in which the center of the small-diameter wafer and the center of the large-diameter wafer are aligned may be employed.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the upper plate and the lower plate of the bridge tool are disk-shaped has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a quadrangular shape. Further, in order to easily accommodate the upper plate and the lower plate of the bridge tool, a taper that guides the fitting may be provided at the end portions (outer peripheral portions) of the upper plate and the lower plate.

  Further, in the above-described third embodiment, the case has been described in which the protrusion is configured to descend in order to prevent a conveyance error due to the wafer holder riding on the protrusion, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, A sensor that detects that the wafer holder has run on the protrusion may be provided inside the pod. When the wafer holder is transferred, the operation of the transfer arm is controlled so that the wafer holder is transferred in anticipation of the wafer holder riding on the protrusion. Thereby, the conveyance mistake resulting from the wafer holder riding on the projection part can be prevented.

  The present invention includes at least the following embodiments.

[Appendix 1]
A plate-like member supported by a first support groove capable of supporting a first size substrate;
A holding member having a second support groove provided on the plate-like member and capable of supporting a substrate having a second size smaller than the first size;
A protrusion provided in the second support groove for determining the position of the second size substrate;
A substrate container.

[Appendix 2]
The protrusion of the substrate container described in Appendix 1 has a height that is at least half the thickness of the substrate of the second size.

[Appendix 3]
In the substrate container described in appendix 1 or 2, a substrate holding jig for holding the substrate of the second size is supported by the second support groove of the holding member, and the protrusion is formed of the substrate It has a taper toward the inside in the radial direction of the holding jig.

[Appendix 4]
The substrate holding jig described in appendix 3 has a notch that is locked to the protrusion.

[Appendix 5]
A plate-like member supported by a first support groove capable of supporting a substrate having a first diameter, and a substrate provided in the plate-like member and having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter. A holding member having a second support groove to be obtained, and a substrate container having a protrusion provided in the second support groove and determining the position of the substrate having the second diameter;
A storage chamber for storing the substrate container;
A processing chamber for processing a substrate transported from the substrate container;
A substrate processing apparatus.

[Appendix 6]
The protrusion described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5 is installed in a state of being freely movable in the radial direction of the second size substrate.

[Appendix 7]
The protrusion described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5 is installed in a detachable state.

[Appendix 8]
The protrusion described in appendix 6 or 7 is formed of a bolt.

[Appendix 9]
The protrusion described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5 is installed in a movable state in the thickness direction of the substrate of the second size.

[Appendix 10]
The protrusion described in appendix 9 is supported by the holding member via a leaf spring.

[Appendix 11]
The substrate holding jig described in appendix 3 has a hollow portion that is locked to the protrusion.

[Appendix 12]
The indented portion described in appendix 11 is provided at a position facing a support column that supports the substrate holding jig in a processing chamber that performs processing on the substrate.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (substrate processing apparatus), 14 ... Wafer (2nd diameter board | substrate), 14a ... Lower surface, 14b ... Upper surface, 14W ... Wafer (1st diameter board | substrate), 16 ... Pod (Substrate container) ), 16a ... lid, 16b ... side part, 16c ... opening step part, 16d ... fitting convex part, 16e ... first support groove, 36 ... manifold (reaction vessel), 40 ... processing furnace, 42 ... reaction tube ( Reaction chamber), 44 ... reaction chamber, 100 ... wafer holder (substrate holding jig), 110 ... holder base, 110a ... through hole, 110d ... hollow portion, 111 ... annular stepped portion, 112 ... main body portion, 112e ... notch portion, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 ... Holder cover, 121 ... Large diameter main-body part, 122 ... Small diameter fitting part, 400 ... Bridge tool, 401 ... Upper plate (plate-shaped member), 402 ... Lower plate (plate-shaped member), 403a ... Side plate (holding member) ), 403b ... side plate Holding member), 404 ... second support groove, 406 ... holder positioning rod, 408 ... retainer, 409A, 409B, 409C ... protrusion, 409t ... taper portion, 410 ... plate spring, 411 ... Bolt

Claims (1)

A plate-like member supported by a first support groove capable of supporting a substrate having a first diameter;
A holding member having a second support groove provided on the plate-like member and capable of supporting a substrate having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter;
A protrusion that is provided in the second support groove and determines a position of the substrate having the second diameter;
A substrate container.

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