JP2015065358A - Heat treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat treatment device capable of sufficiently reducing oxygen concentration in a processing chamber while suppressing increasing costs, and achieving high throughput.SOLUTION: A heat treatment device 100 comprises an indexer unit 10, a main transfer robot 20, a carry-in chamber 30, a flash heating unit 70, and a carry-out chamber 50. Two gateways of a carry-in port and a carry-out port are formed in a processing chamber of the flash heating unit 70. A carry-in chamber 30 dedicated for carry-in is connected to the carry-in port of the processing chamber, and the carry-out chamber 50 dedicated for carry-out is connected to the carry-out port. An unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the indexer unit 10 to the carry-in chamber 30 by the main transfer robot 20 and then carried into the processing chamber of the flash heating unit 70. A processed semiconductor wafer W is carried out to the carry-out chamber 50 and then transferred to the indexer unit 10 by the main transfer robot 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for heating a thin plate-shaped precision electronic substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) such as a semiconductor wafer by irradiating light such as flash light.

  In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, impurity introduction is an indispensable step for forming a pn junction in a semiconductor wafer. Currently, impurities are generally introduced by ion implantation and subsequent annealing. The ion implantation method is a technique in which impurity elements such as boron (B), arsenic (As), and phosphorus (P) are ionized and collided with a semiconductor wafer at a high acceleration voltage to physically perform impurity implantation. The implanted impurities are activated by annealing. At this time, if the annealing time is about several seconds or more, the implanted impurities are deeply diffused by heat, and as a result, the junction depth becomes deeper than required, and there is a possibility that good device formation may be hindered.

  Therefore, in recent years, flash lamp annealing (FLA) has attracted attention as an annealing technique for heating a semiconductor wafer in an extremely short time. Flash lamp annealing is a semiconductor wafer in which impurities are implanted by irradiating the surface of the semiconductor wafer with flash light using a xenon flash lamp (hereinafter, simply referred to as “flash lamp” means xenon flash lamp). Is a heat treatment technique for raising the temperature of only the surface of the material in a very short time (several milliseconds or less).

  The radiation spectral distribution of a xenon flash lamp ranges from the ultraviolet region to the near infrared region, has a shorter wavelength than the conventional halogen lamp, and almost coincides with the fundamental absorption band of a silicon semiconductor wafer. Therefore, when the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with flash light from the xenon flash lamp, the semiconductor wafer can be rapidly heated with little transmitted light. Further, it has been found that if the flash light irradiation is performed for a very short time of several milliseconds or less, only the vicinity of the surface of the semiconductor wafer can be selectively heated. For this reason, if the temperature is raised for a very short time by the xenon flash lamp, only the impurity activation can be performed without deeply diffusing the impurities.

  An example of a heat treatment apparatus using such a xenon flash lamp is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the semiconductor wafer delivered from the indexer unit is transferred to the heat treatment chamber via the alignment chamber, and the flash lamp is irradiated with flash light from the flash lamp to perform the heat treatment. Do. Then, the semiconductor wafer which has been subjected to the heat treatment is returned again to the indexer section from the heat treatment chamber via the cool chamber. A transfer robot for transferring the semiconductor wafer between the alignment chamber and the cool chamber and the heat treatment chamber is accommodated in the transfer chamber.

JP 2010-73787 A

  In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a semiconductor wafer is preheated to about 200 ° C. to 800 ° C. in a heat treatment chamber, and then the surface of the semiconductor wafer is heated to 1000 ° C. or more by flash light irradiation. . In an apparatus for heating a silicon semiconductor wafer to such a high temperature, it is required to keep the oxygen concentration in the heat treatment chamber as low as possible to about several ppm (preferably 1 ppm) in order to prevent thermal oxidation.

  For this reason, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, not only the heat treatment chamber but also all other chambers (alignment chamber, cool chamber and transfer chamber) are supplied with high-purity nitrogen gas toward the heat treatment chamber. The oxygen concentration is lowered step by step. That is, the oxygen concentration is gradually lowered from the alignment chamber and the cool chamber directly in contact with the air atmosphere to the heat treatment chamber through the intermediate transfer chamber.

  However, the transfer chamber arranged in the front stage of the heat treatment chamber accommodates a transfer robot that performs complicated operations including a turning operation and a bending / extending operation, and its capacity has to be large. This is because it is necessary to secure a space for operation in addition to the space for accommodating the transfer robot itself. As a result, it was necessary to continue supplying nitrogen gas to the transfer chamber at an extremely large flow rate.

  If nitrogen gas is continuously supplied at a large flow rate, the amount of nitrogen gas consumed during the treatment becomes significantly large, and the running cost of the heat treatment apparatus increases. Further, it has been found that even if nitrogen gas is continuously supplied to a large-capacity transfer chamber at a large flow rate, it is difficult to reduce the oxygen concentration to a certain value or less. For example, in the heat treatment apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the capacity of the transfer chamber is about 500 liters to 600 liters, and even if nitrogen gas is continuously supplied at a large flow rate of 100 liters to 300 liters / minute, It was difficult to reduce the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber to 50 ppm or less.

  Furthermore, when the capacity of the transfer chamber is large, there arises a problem that the time required for substituting the atmosphere in the chamber and lowering the oxygen concentration becomes long.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a heat treatment apparatus capable of sufficiently reducing the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber while suppressing an increase in cost and realizing high throughput. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is a heat treatment apparatus for heating a substrate by irradiating the substrate with light, a processing chamber having a space for accommodating the substrate, and a substrate accommodated in the processing chamber. A light irradiating unit for irradiating light, a carry-in chamber for carrying an untreated substrate into the processing chamber, a carry-out chamber for receiving a treated substrate from the treatment chamber, and supplying an inert gas to the treatment chamber. 1 gas supply mechanism, a second gas supply mechanism that supplies an inert gas to the carry-in chamber, and a third gas supply mechanism that supplies an inert gas to the carry-out chamber. A carry-in port to which a carry-in chamber is connected and a carry-out port to which the carry-out chamber is connected are formed, and the carry-in chamber has A carrying-in mechanism for carrying in the substrate by moving the two supporting rods supporting the plate forward and backward from the carry-in port into the processing chamber is provided, and the two support rods supporting the substrate are loaded into the carry-out chamber. An unloading mechanism for unloading the substrate by moving forward and backward from the outlet into the processing chamber is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, a substrate integration unit that integrates an unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate, and an unprocessed substrate from the substrate integration unit to the carry-in chamber. And a transport robot for transporting the processed substrate from the unloading chamber to the substrate stacking unit.

  The invention of claim 3 is the heat treatment apparatus according to the invention of claim 2, wherein the carry-in chamber has a rectangular shape in plan view, and a first end portion in the longitudinal direction of the carry-in chamber is formed in the process chamber. The input port connected to the carry-in port for carrying the unprocessed substrate by the transfer robot is more than the second end portion on the opposite side to the first end portion of the short-side end surface of the carry-in chamber. The second gas supply mechanism is configured to supply an inert gas from the second end of the carry-in chamber when the inlet is opened and formed at a position close to the first end. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the carry-in port is open, the second gas supply mechanism is activated by the inert gas from the first end of the carry-in chamber. It is characterized by supplying.

  The invention of claim 5 is the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the carry-out chamber has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the first in the longitudinal direction of the carry-out chamber. An end is connected to the carry-out port of the processing chamber, and a receiving port for carrying the processed substrate by the transfer robot is opposite to the first end of the short-side end surface of the carry-out chamber. When the receiving port is opened at a position closer to the first end than the second end, the third gas supply mechanism draws inert gas from the second end of the carry-out chamber. It is characterized by supplying.

  The invention of claim 6 is the heat treatment apparatus according to the invention of claim 5, wherein the third gas supply mechanism is activated by the inert gas from the first end of the carry-in chamber when the carry-out port is opened. It is characterized by supplying.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, the transfer robot is installed in an air atmosphere.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the unloading chamber includes a cooling unit that cools the substrate unloaded from the processing chamber. And

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the carry-in chamber includes an alignment unit that adjusts an orientation of an unprocessed substrate. .

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the unloading chamber includes a breakage detecting unit that detects breakage of the substrate unloaded from the processing chamber. It is characterized by that.

  The invention of claim 11 is the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the treatment chamber, the carry-in chamber, and the carry-out chamber are provided so as to be freely drawn out of a housing of the heat treatment apparatus. It is characterized by being able to.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the light irradiation unit includes a flash lamp.

  According to the first to twelfth aspects of the present invention, the carry-in chamber provided with the carry-in mechanism having a simple structure for moving the two support rods forward and backward and the carry-out chamber provided with the carry-out mechanism are connected to the processing chamber. The capacity of the carry-in chamber and the carry-out chamber can be reduced, and the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber can be reduced while suppressing the increase in cost while reducing the oxygen concentration in a short time with a small amount of inert gas consumption. While being able to fully reduce, high throughput can be realized.

  In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the inlet is open, the inert gas is supplied from the end opposite to the inlet of the carry-in chamber. It is possible to form an inert gas stream and prevent the external atmosphere from flowing into the carry-in chamber from the inlet.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the carry-in port of the processing chamber is open, the atmosphere flows into the process chamber from the carry-in chamber because the inert gas is supplied from the end near the carry-in port. Can be prevented.

  In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the receiving port is open, the inert gas is supplied from the end opposite to the receiving port of the carry-out chamber, so that the smooth end toward the receiving port from the end is provided. Inert gas flow can be formed, and the external atmosphere can be prevented from flowing into the carry-out chamber from the receiving port.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 6, when the carry-out port of the processing chamber is open, the inert gas is supplied from the end near the carry-out port, so that the atmosphere flows into the process chamber from the carry-out chamber. Can be prevented.

  In particular, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the transfer robot is installed in the air atmosphere, it is possible to suppress an increase in the consumption of the inert gas and to reduce the cost for operating the apparatus.

  In particular, according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the process chamber, the carry-in chamber, and the carry-out chamber are provided so as to be freely drawn out from the housing of the heat treatment apparatus, so that the maintainability of the apparatus is improved.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a partial side view of the heat processing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the principal part schematic structure of a flash heating part, a carrying-in chamber, and a carrying-out chamber. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of a carrying-in chamber. It is sectional drawing which looked at the carrying-in chamber of FIG. 4 from the AA line. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of a carrying out chamber. It is sectional drawing which looked at the carrying-out chamber of FIG. 6 from the BB line. It is a figure which shows typically the state by which the semiconductor wafer was conveyed by the carrying-in chamber. It is a figure which shows typically the state which supported the semiconductor wafer with a pair of support rod within the carrying-in chamber. It is a figure which shows typically the state which carried in the processing chamber the semiconductor wafer with a pair of support rod of the carrying-in chamber. It is a figure which shows typically the state in which the semiconductor wafer was received by the transfer arm. It is a figure which shows typically the state by which the semiconductor wafer was hold | maintained in the processing chamber with the susceptor. It is a figure which shows typically the state by which the processed semiconductor wafer was passed to a pair of support rod of an unloading chamber. It is a figure which shows typically the state which is cooling the semiconductor wafer processed by the cooling part. It is a figure which shows typically the state just before a semiconductor wafer is carried out from a carrying-out chamber.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a heat treatment apparatus 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the heat treatment apparatus 100 of FIG. The heat treatment apparatus 100 is a flash lamp annealing apparatus that irradiates a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer W as a substrate with flash light and heats the semiconductor wafer W. The size of the semiconductor wafer W to be processed is not particularly limited, and is, for example, φ300 mm or φ450 mm. Impurities are implanted into the semiconductor wafer W before being carried into the heat treatment apparatus 100, and an activation process of the impurities implanted by the heat treatment by the heat treatment apparatus 100 is performed. In addition, in FIG. 1 and each figure after that, in order to clarify those directional relationships, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached. Further, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, the dimensions and numbers of the respective parts are exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

  The heat treatment apparatus 100 includes an indexer unit 10, a main transfer robot 20, a flash heating unit 70, a carry-in chamber 30 and a carry-out chamber 50 as main elements. Among these, the main transfer robot 20, the flash heating unit 70, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 are provided inside the housing 5 of the heat treatment apparatus 100, and the indexer unit 10 is attached to the outer wall of the housing 5. Further, the heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a control unit 3 that controls each mechanism to advance the flash heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer W. In FIG. 1, the control unit 3 is drawn separately from the housing 5, but the control unit 3 is an element provided in any one of the heat treatment apparatuses 100.

  The indexer unit 10 includes two mounting tables 11 on which the carrier C is mounted. Each mounting table 11 mounts one carrier C. A plurality of semiconductor wafers W can be stored in the carrier C. The carrier C storing the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is transported by an automatic guided vehicle (AGV, OHT) or the like and mounted on the mounting table 11. In addition, the carrier C storing the processed semiconductor wafer W is also carried away from the mounting table 11 by an automatic guided vehicle or the like. As a form of the carrier C, in addition to a FOUP (front opening unified pod) for storing the semiconductor wafer W in a sealed space, a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod and an OC (open cassette) for exposing the stored semiconductor wafer W to the outside air It may be. In the present embodiment, the indexer unit 10 includes two mounting tables 11, but the number of mounting tables 11 included in the indexer unit 10 is arbitrary and may be three or more.

  The main transfer robot 20 includes an arm base 21, a first arm unit 22, a second arm unit 23, and a transfer hand 24. The proximal end side of the first arm portion 22 is connected to the arm base 21, the proximal end side of the second arm portion 23 is connected to the distal end side of the first arm portion 22, and further conveyed to the distal end side of the second arm portion 23. The hand 24 is connected. The arm base 21 can be moved up and down by a built-in drive mechanism, and rotates the first arm portion 22. The first arm part 22 and the second arm part 23, and the second arm part 23 and the transport hand 24 constitute a link mechanism. As a result, the main transfer robot 20 accesses the transfer hand 24 to the carrier C of the indexer unit 10, a carry-in chamber 30 and a carry-out chamber 50, which will be described later, and transfers the semiconductor wafer W between them. Note that the arm base 21 of the main transfer robot 20 does not slide along the horizontal direction in the XY plane.

  Inside the housing 5 of the heat treatment apparatus 100, an area where the main transfer robot 20 is disposed (that is, an area excluding the flash heating unit 70, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50) is an atmospheric atmosphere. That is, in this embodiment, the main transfer robot 20 is installed in the atmospheric atmosphere. For this reason, the consumption of nitrogen gas as the whole heat treatment apparatus 100 can be suppressed. However, a fan filter mechanism (not shown) is provided at the top of the housing 5, and clean air cleaned by the fan filter mechanism is supplied to the area where the main transfer robot 20 is disposed.

  The main transfer robot 20 takes out the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W from the carrier C mounted on the mounting table 11 of the indexer unit 10 and transfers it to the loading chamber 30. Further, the main transfer robot 20 carries out the processed semiconductor wafer W from the carry-out chamber 50 and carries it to the carrier C of the indexer unit 10. That is, the indexer unit 10 is a substrate integration unit that integrates unprocessed semiconductor wafers W and processed semiconductor wafers W. Further, since the main transfer robot 20 of the heat treatment apparatus 100 does not perform the replacement operation of the semiconductor wafer W, a so-called single arm configuration having only one transfer hand 24 is sufficient.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of main parts of the flash heating unit 70, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50. FIG. 3 is a view of the arrangement of the flash heating unit 70, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 as viewed from the (−Y) side. The flash heating unit 70, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 are arranged along the X-axis direction, and the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 are arranged on both sides of the flash heating unit 70.

  The flash heating unit 70 includes a processing chamber 71, a flash lamp house 80, and a halogen lamp house 85. The processing chamber 71 is configured by mounting quartz chamber windows above and below a cylindrical chamber side wall 72. The chamber side wall 72 has a substantially cylindrical shape with an upper and lower opening, and the upper opening is closed by mounting an upper chamber window 73, and the lower opening is closed by mounting a lower chamber window 74. ing. The chamber side wall 72 is formed of a metal material (for example, stainless steel) having excellent strength and heat resistance.

  The upper chamber window 73 constituting the ceiling of the processing chamber 71 is a plate-shaped member made of quartz, and a quartz window that transmits the flash light emitted from the flash lamp FL of the flash lamp house 80 into the processing chamber 71. Function as. The lower chamber window 74 constituting the floor portion of the processing chamber 71 is also a plate-like member formed of quartz, and transmits light emitted from the halogen lamp HL of the halogen lamp house 85 into the processing chamber 71. Functions as a quartz window. An inner space of the processing chamber 71, that is, a space surrounded by the upper chamber window 73, the lower chamber window 74, and the chamber side wall 72 is defined as a heat treatment space 75.

  A susceptor 76 is installed in the heat treatment space 75 of the processing chamber 71. The susceptor 76 is a plate-like member formed of quartz that transmits light emitted from the halogen lamp HL. The susceptor 76 supports the semiconductor wafer W in a horizontal posture (a posture in which the normal line is along the vertical direction). A plurality of support pins for supporting the semiconductor wafer W by point contact from the lower surface may be provided on the upper surface of the susceptor 76. The susceptor 76 is formed with a through-hole for allowing a later-described lift pin 78 to pass therethrough (not shown).

  In the processing chamber 71, two transfer arms 77 are provided. Two lift pins 78 are erected on each transfer arm 77. The two transfer arms 77 can be moved along the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). When the two transfer arms 77 rise along the vertical direction at a predetermined position, a total of four lift pins 78 pass through the through holes provided in the susceptor 76, and the upper ends of the lift pins 78 extend from the upper surface of the susceptor 76. Stick out. On the other hand, when the two transfer arms 77 are lowered along the vertical direction at this position, a total of four lift pins 78 are moved below the susceptor 76. Further, the two transfer arms 77 move between the lower position of the susceptor 76 and the retracted position by opening and closing movement along the horizontal direction.

  In addition, two inlets and outlets 88, 89 and 89 are formed in the chamber side wall 72 of the processing chamber 71. The carry-in port 88 is provided on the (−X) side of the processing chamber 71. One carry-out port 89 is provided on the (+ X) side of the processing chamber 71. That is, the carry-in port 88 and the carry-out port 89 are provided on the chamber side wall 72 of the processing chamber 71 along the X-axis direction so as to face each other.

  The carry-in chamber 30 is connected to the carry-in port 88. A connecting portion between the carry-in inlet 88 and the carry-in chamber 30 can be opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). When the gate valve opens the carry-in port 88, the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is carried into the heat treatment space 75 of the process chamber 71 from the carry-in chamber 30 through the carry-in port 88.

  A carry-out chamber 50 is connected to the carry-out port 89. The connecting portion between the carry-out port 89 and the carry-out chamber 50 can also be opened and closed by a gate valve that is not shown in the drawing. When the gate valve opens the carry-out port 89, the processed semiconductor wafer W is carried out from the process chamber 71 through the carry-out port 89 to the carry-out chamber 50. When both the carry-in port 88 and the carry-out port 89 are closed by the gate valve, the heat treatment space 75 of the process chamber 71 is a sealed space.

  A flash lamp house 80 provided above the processing chamber 71 includes a light source composed of a plurality of (30 in this embodiment) xenon flash lamps FL, and a reflector 81 provided so as to cover the light source. Is provided. A lamp light emission window 82 is mounted on the bottom of the flash lamp house 80. The lamp light emission window 82 is a plate-like quartz window made of quartz. By installing the flash lamp house 80 above the processing chamber 71, the lamp light emission window 82 faces the upper chamber window 73. The flash lamp FL irradiates the heat treatment space 75 with flash light from above the processing chamber 71 through the lamp light emission window 82 and the upper chamber window 73.

  The plurality of flash lamps FL are rod-shaped lamps each having a long cylindrical shape, and are arranged in a plane so that their longitudinal directions are parallel to each other along the horizontal direction. Therefore, the plane formed by the arrangement of the flash lamps FL is also a horizontal plane.

  The xenon flash lamp FL has a rod-shaped glass tube (discharge tube) in which xenon gas is sealed and an anode and a cathode connected to a capacitor at both ends thereof, and an outer peripheral surface of the glass tube. And a triggered electrode. Since xenon gas is an electrical insulator, electricity does not flow into the glass tube under normal conditions even if electric charges are accumulated in the capacitor. However, when the insulation is broken by applying a high voltage to the trigger electrode, the electricity stored in the capacitor flows instantaneously in the glass tube, and light is emitted by excitation of atoms or molecules of xenon at that time. In such a xenon flash lamp FL, the electrostatic energy previously stored in the capacitor is converted into an extremely short light pulse of 0.1 to 100 milliseconds, so that the continuous lighting such as the halogen lamp HL is possible. It has the characteristic that it can irradiate extremely strong light compared with a light source.

  In addition, the reflector 81 is provided above the plurality of flash lamps FL so as to cover all of them. The basic function of the reflector 81 is to reflect the flash light emitted from the plurality of flash lamps FL toward the heat treatment space 75. The reflector 81 is formed of an aluminum alloy plate, and the surface (the surface facing the flash lamp FL) is roughened by blasting.

  The halogen lamp house 85 provided below the processing chamber 71 is provided with a plurality of (in this embodiment, 40) halogen lamps HL. The halogen lamp house 85 irradiates the heat treatment space 75 with light from the lower side of the processing chamber 71 through the lower chamber window 74 by a plurality of halogen lamps HL.

  In the present embodiment, 20 halogen lamps HL are arranged in two upper and lower stages. Each halogen lamp HL is a rod-shaped lamp having a long cylindrical shape. The 20 halogen lamps HL in the upper and lower stages are arranged so that their longitudinal directions are parallel to each other along the horizontal direction. Therefore, the plane formed by the arrangement of the halogen lamps HL in both the upper stage and the lower stage is a horizontal plane.

  Further, the lamp group composed of the upper 20 halogen lamps HL and the lamp group composed of the lower 20 halogen lamps HL are arranged so as to intersect in a lattice pattern. That is, a total of 40 halogen lamps HL are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the upper halogen lamps HL and the longitudinal direction of the lower halogen lamps HL are orthogonal to each other.

  The halogen lamp HL is a filament-type light source that emits light by making the filament incandescent by energizing the filament disposed inside the glass tube. Inside the glass tube, a gas obtained by introducing a trace amount of a halogen element (iodine, bromine, etc.) into an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is enclosed. By introducing a halogen element, it is possible to set the filament temperature to a high temperature while suppressing breakage of the filament. Therefore, the halogen lamp HL has a characteristic that it has a longer life than a normal incandescent bulb and can continuously radiate strong light. Further, since the halogen lamp HL is a rod-shaped lamp, it has a long life, and by arranging the halogen lamp HL along the horizontal direction, the radiation efficiency to the upper semiconductor wafer W becomes excellent.

The heat treatment apparatus 100 also includes a first gas supply mechanism 90 that supplies a processing gas to the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 and a first exhaust mechanism 95 that discharges the gas in the processing chamber 71. The first gas supply mechanism 90 includes a gas supply source 91, an air supply valve 92, and an air supply pipe 93. The distal end side of the air supply pipe 93 communicates with the heat treatment space 75 in the processing chamber 71, and the proximal end side is connected to the gas supply source 91. An air supply valve 92 is inserted midway along the path of the air supply pipe 93. The gas supply source 91 sends the processing gas to the air supply pipe 93. In the present embodiment, the gas supply source 91 delivers nitrogen gas (N ₂ ) that is an inert gas. By opening the air supply valve 92, nitrogen gas is supplied to the heat treatment space 75. As the gas supply source 91, for example, a gas tank provided in the heat treatment apparatus 1 and a feed pump may be used, or the power of the factory where the heat treatment apparatus 100 is installed may be used. Also good. Further, the processing gas supplied by the gas supply source 91 is not limited to nitrogen gas, but may be other inert gas such as argon (Ar) or helium (He). Alternatively, the gas supply source 91 supplies a reactive gas such as oxygen (O ₂ ), hydrogen (H ₂ ), chlorine (Cl ₂ ), hydrogen chloride (HCl), ozone (O ₃ ), and ammonia (NH ₃ ). You may make it do.

  The first exhaust mechanism 95 includes an exhaust device 96, an exhaust valve 97, and an exhaust pipe 98. The distal end side of the exhaust pipe 98 communicates with the heat treatment space 75 in the processing chamber 71, and the proximal end side is connected to the exhaust device 96. The atmosphere in the heat treatment space 75 is exhausted by opening the exhaust valve 97 while operating the exhaust device 96. As the exhaust device 96, an exhaust utility of a factory where the exhaust pump and the heat treatment device 1 are installed can be used.

  Next, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 arranged on both sides of the flash heating unit 70 will be described. The carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 have substantially similar configurations.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the carry-in chamber 30. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the carry-in chamber 30 of FIG. 4 as seen from line AA. The carry-in chamber 30 has a rectangular shape with the X-axis direction as a long direction and the Y-axis direction as a short direction in plan view. The carrying-in chamber 30 having a rectangular shape in plan view is arranged such that the end in the longitudinal direction (the end on the (+ X) side) faces the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70.

  Inside the carry-in chamber 30, a carry-in mechanism 31 for carrying the semiconductor wafer W into the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 is provided. The carry-in mechanism 31 includes a pair of support bars 32 and a drive unit 33. Each of the pair of support bars 32 is a bar-shaped member made of, for example, quartz. The two support rods 32 are cantilevered on the base end side ((−X) side) and connected to the drive unit 33. The distance between the two support bars 32 is shorter than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W to be processed. The drive unit 33 can move the pair of support bars 32 up and down along the vertical direction and move forward and backward along the X-axis direction by a built-in drive mechanism. The drive unit 33 moves the pair of support bars 32 in the same manner in conjunction with each other. In addition, as a drive mechanism incorporated in the drive unit 33, for example, a combination of a screw feed mechanism that rotates a ball screw screwed with a member to which a pair of support rods 32 are coupled, and an actuator that moves the member up and down. Various known biaxial movement mechanisms such as these can be employed.

  The internal space of the carry-in chamber 30 is partitioned up and down by a partition plate 34. Two grooves 35 are formed in the partition plate 34. The two grooves 35 are provided in parallel to each other so as to extend along the X-axis direction. The interval between the two grooves 35 is the same as the interval between the two support bars 32. The two grooves 35 are provided so as to penetrate the partition plate 34 vertically. As shown in FIG. 5, when the drive unit 33 moves up and down the two support bars 32, the two support bars 32 pass through the groove 35. When the drive unit 33 raises the two support bars 32, the two support bars 32 protrude above the partition plate 34. When the drive unit 33 lowers the two support bars 32, the two support bars 32 are embedded in the groove 35.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an input port 36 and a transfer port 37 are formed on the side wall surface of the carry-in chamber 30. The insertion port 36 and the transfer port 37 are formed above the partition plate 34. The input port 36 is formed on the side wall surface on the (+ Y) side of the carry-in chamber 30, that is, the side wall surface on the side facing the main transfer robot 20. One transfer port 37 is formed on the (+ X) side wall surface of the carry-in chamber 30, that is, on the side wall surface facing the flash heating unit 70.

  When the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 and the carry-in chamber 30 are connected, the end on the (+ X) side, which is one of the longitudinal ends of the carry-in chamber 30 having a rectangular shape in plan view, is treated. Connected to the carry-in port 88 of the chamber 71. Both are connected so that the carry-in port 88 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 37 of the carry-in chamber 30 communicate with each other. Accordingly, when the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 37 of the carry-in chamber 30 is opened, the insides of both chambers are in communication. In this state, the drive unit 33 advances the pair of support rods 32 that have been raised above the partition plate 34 toward the (+ X) side, so that the pair of support rods 32 reach the heat treatment space 75 of the processing chamber 71. Can be inserted. The carry-in mechanism 31 then moves the two support rods 32 forward and backward from the carry-in entrance 88 into the process chamber 71 to carry in the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W.

  The insertion port 36 is provided at a position close to the transfer port 37 on the end surface in the short direction of the loading chamber 30 having a rectangular shape in plan view (FIG. 4). More precisely, it is provided at a position closer to the end on the (+ X) side than the end on the (−X) side opposite to the transfer port 37 on the end surface in the short direction of the carry-in chamber 30. . This insertion port 36 can also be opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). When the input port 36 is open, the main transfer robot 20 loads an unprocessed semiconductor wafer W into the load chamber 30 from the input port 36.

  Further, an alignment unit 130 that adjusts the orientation of the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is provided in the carry-in chamber 30. The alignment unit 130 includes a support table 131 and a rotation drive unit 132. The support table 131 is a disk-shaped member, and is provided so that the upper surface thereof is at the same height as the upper surface of the partition plate 34. The support table 131 is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port 36. A plurality of (for example, three) support pins 133 are erected on the upper surface of the support table 131. The support table 131 is rotated by the rotation drive unit 132 about the axis along the vertical direction passing through the center of the disk as the rotation center. The alignment unit 130 includes a laser light projecting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown). When the rotation driving unit 132 rotates the support table 131 while the semiconductor wafer W is supported by the plurality of support pins 133 of the support table 131, the semiconductor wafer W also rotates. Then, the edge of the rotating semiconductor wafer W is irradiated with laser light from the light projecting unit, and the notch formed in the edge is detected by the light receiving unit, so that the direction of the semiconductor wafer W is in a predetermined direction. Adjusted to

  The heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a second gas supply mechanism 40 that supplies a processing gas to the carry-in chamber 30 and a second exhaust mechanism 45 that discharges the gas in the carry-in chamber 30 (FIG. 3). The second gas supply mechanism 40 includes a gas supply source 41, an air supply pipe 43, and two air supply valves 48 and 49. The front end side of the air supply pipe 43 is bifurcated, one of which is connected to the front end side discharge unit 39 and the other is connected to the rear end side discharge unit 38. As shown in FIG. 3, the front end side discharge part 39 is a gas discharge nozzle provided on the (+ X) side end part above the partition plate 34 inside the carry-in chamber 30. The rear end side discharge part 38 is a gas discharge nozzle provided on the (−X) side end part above the partition plate 34 inside the carry-in chamber 30. As such a gas discharge nozzle, for example, a tubular nozzle provided with a plurality of discharge holes can be used.

The proximal end side of the air supply pipe 43 is connected to the gas supply source 41. A front end side air supply valve 49 is inserted into a pipe connected to the front end side discharge section 39 among the two branches of the air supply pipe 43, and a pipe connected to the rear end side discharge section 38 is connected to the pipe connected to the front end side discharge section 38. The rear end side air supply valve 48 is inserted. The gas supply source 41 sends processing gas to the air supply pipe 43. In the present embodiment, the gas supply source 41 sends out nitrogen gas (N ₂ ). The gas supply source 41 may be the same as the gas supply source 91 of the processing chamber 71, or other inert gas or reactive gas may be supplied.

  Nitrogen gas is jetted into the carry-in chamber 30 from the front end side discharge section 39 by opening the front end side air supply valve 49 while sending nitrogen gas from the gas supply source 41 to the supply pipe 43. The front end side discharge unit 39 ejects nitrogen gas from the (+ X) side in the carry-in chamber 30 toward the (−X) side. On the other hand, the nitrogen gas is discharged from the rear end side discharge section 38 into the carry-in chamber 30 by opening the rear end side air supply valve 48 while sending the nitrogen gas from the gas supply source 41 to the air supply pipe 43. . The rear end side discharge unit 38 ejects nitrogen gas from the (−X) side in the carry-in chamber 30 toward the (+ X) side.

  The second exhaust mechanism 45 includes an exhaust device 46, an exhaust valve 47 and an exhaust pipe 44. The distal end side of the exhaust pipe 44 communicates with a space below the partition plate 34 inside the carry-in chamber 30, and the proximal end side is connected to the exhaust device 46. The atmosphere in the carry-in chamber 30 is exhausted by opening the exhaust valve 47 while operating the exhaust device 46. As the exhaust device 46, the same exhaust device 96 of the processing chamber 71 may be used.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the carry-out chamber 50. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the carry-out chamber 50 of FIG. 6 as seen from line BB. Similar to the carry-in chamber 30 described above, the carry-out chamber 50 has a rectangular shape with the X-axis direction as the long direction and the Y-axis direction as the short direction in plan view. The unloading chamber 50 having a rectangular shape in plan view is arranged so that the end portion in the longitudinal direction (the end portion on the (−X) side) faces the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70.

  Inside the carry-out chamber 50, a carry-out mechanism 51 for carrying out the semiconductor wafer W from the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 is provided. The carry-out mechanism 51 includes a pair of support bars 52 and a drive unit 53. Each of the pair of support bars 52 is a bar-shaped member made of, for example, quartz. The two support rods 52 are cantilevered on the base end side ((+ X) side) and connected to the drive unit 53. The distance between the two support bars 52 is shorter than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W to be processed. The drive unit 53 can move the pair of support rods 52 up and down along the vertical direction and move forward and backward along the X-axis direction by a built-in drive mechanism. The drive unit 53 moves the pair of support bars 52 in the same manner in conjunction with each other. Similar to the drive unit 33, as the drive mechanism built in the drive unit 53, for example, a screw feed mechanism that rotates a ball screw screwed with a member to which a pair of support rods 52 are coupled, and the member Various known two-axis moving mechanisms such as a combination with an actuator for moving up and down can be employed.

  The internal space of the carry-out chamber 50 is partitioned up and down by a partition plate 54. Two grooves 55 are formed in the partition plate 54. The two grooves 55 are provided in parallel to each other so as to extend along the X-axis direction. The interval between the two grooves 55 is the same as the interval between the two support bars 52. The two grooves 55 are provided so as to penetrate the partition plate 54 up and down. As shown in FIG. 7, when the drive unit 53 raises and lowers the two support bars 52, the two support bars 52 pass through the groove 55. When the drive unit 53 raises the two support bars 52, the two support bars 52 protrude upward from the partition plate 54. When the drive unit 53 lowers the two support bars 52, the two support bars 52 are embedded in the groove 55.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a receiving port 56 and a transfer port 57 are formed on the side wall surface of the carry-out chamber 50. The receiving port 56 and the transfer port 57 are formed above the partition plate 54. The receiving port 56 is formed on the (+ Y) side wall surface of the carry-out chamber 50, that is, on the side wall surface facing the main transfer robot 20. One transfer port 57 is formed on the side wall surface on the (−X) side of the carry-out chamber 50, that is, the side wall surface on the side facing the flash heating unit 70.

  When the processing chamber 71 and the unloading chamber 50 of the flash heating unit 70 are connected, the end on the (−X) side, which is one of the longitudinal ends of the unloading chamber 50 having a rectangular shape in plan view, is It is connected to the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71. Both are connected so that the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 57 of the carry-out chamber 50 communicate with each other. Accordingly, when the connecting portion between the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 57 of the carry-out chamber 50 is opened, the insides of both chambers are in communication. In this state, the drive unit 53 advances the pair of support rods 52 raised above the partition plate 54 toward the (−X) side, so that the pair of support rods 52 are moved into the heat treatment space 75 of the processing chamber 71. Can be inserted. The unloading mechanism 51 then moves the two support rods 52 forward and backward from the unloading port 89 into the processing chamber 71 to unload the semiconductor wafer W after the heat treatment.

  The receiving port 56 is provided at a position close to the transfer port 57 on the end surface in the short direction of the carry-out chamber 50 having a rectangular shape in plan view (FIG. 6). More precisely, it is provided at a position closer to the end on the (−X) side than the end on the (+ X) side opposite to the transfer port 57 on the end surface in the short direction of the carry-out chamber 50. . The receiving port 56 can also be opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). When the receiving port 56 is opened, the main transfer robot 20 takes out the processed semiconductor wafer W from the receiving port 56 of the unloading chamber 50 and transfers it to the indexer unit 10.

  Further, in the carry-out chamber 50, a cooling unit 150 that cools the semiconductor wafer W carried out from the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 is provided. The cooling unit 150 includes a cooling mechanism 151. As the cooling mechanism 151, for example, a water-cooled tube or a Peltier element can be used. As shown in FIG. 7, the cooling mechanism 151 is fixed on the lower surface side of the partition plate 54. The cooling mechanism 151 is provided in the vicinity of the receiving port 56. Further, a quartz plate 152 is laid on the upper surface side of the partition plate 54 provided with the cooling mechanism 151.

  The cooling unit 150 includes a plurality of (for example, three) lift pins 154 and an elevating mechanism 153. The plurality of lift pins 154 are lifted and lowered collectively by the lifting mechanism 153. A number of through holes 155 corresponding to the lift pins 154 (three in this embodiment) are formed in the partition plate 54 and the quartz plate 152, and the lift pins 154 that are lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism 153 pass through the through holes 155. When the lifting mechanism 153 raises the lift pin 154, the upper end of the lift pin 154 protrudes above the quartz plate 152. When the lifting mechanism 153 lowers the lift pin 154, the upper end of the lift pin 154 is embedded in the through hole 155. When the plurality of lift pins 154 supporting the semiconductor wafer W are lowered, the semiconductor wafer W is placed on the quartz plate 152 and cooled.

  The heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a third gas supply mechanism 60 that supplies a processing gas to the carry-out chamber 50 and a third exhaust mechanism 65 that discharges the gas in the carry-out chamber 50 (FIG. 3). The third gas supply mechanism 60 includes a gas supply source 61, an air supply pipe 63, and two air supply valves 68 and 69. The front end side of the air supply pipe 63 is bifurcated, one of which is connected to the front end side discharge portion 59 and the other is connected to the rear end side discharge portion 58. As shown in FIG. 3, the front end side discharge unit 59 is a gas discharge nozzle provided on the (−X) side end portion above the partition plate 54 inside the carry-out chamber 50. The rear end side discharge part 58 is a gas discharge nozzle provided on the (+ X) side end part above the partition plate 54 inside the carry-out chamber 50. As such a gas discharge nozzle, for example, a tubular nozzle provided with a plurality of discharge holes can be used.

The proximal end side of the air supply pipe 63 is connected to the gas supply source 61. A front end side air supply valve 69 is inserted into a pipe connected to the front end side discharge unit 59 among the two branches of the supply air pipe 63, and a pipe connected to the rear end side discharge unit 58 is connected to the pipe connected to the front end side discharge unit 58. A rear end side air supply valve 68 is inserted. The gas supply source 61 sends a processing gas to the air supply pipe 63. In the present embodiment, the gas supply source 61 sends out nitrogen gas (N ₂ ). The gas supply source 61 may be the same as the gas supply source 91 of the processing chamber 71, or other inert gas or reactive gas may be supplied.

  By opening the front end side air supply valve 69 while sending nitrogen gas from the gas supply source 61 to the air supply pipe 63, the nitrogen gas is jetted into the carry-out chamber 50 from the front end side discharge portion 59. The front end side discharge unit 59 ejects nitrogen gas from the (−X) side in the carry-out chamber 50 toward the (+ X) side. On the other hand, the nitrogen gas is ejected from the rear end side discharge section 58 into the carry-out chamber 50 by opening the rear end side air supply valve 68 while sending the nitrogen gas from the gas supply source 61 to the air supply pipe 63. . The rear end side discharge section 58 ejects nitrogen gas from the (+ X) side in the carry-out chamber 50 toward the (−X) side.

  The third exhaust mechanism 65 includes an exhaust device 66, an exhaust valve 67, and an exhaust pipe 64. The distal end side of the exhaust pipe 64 communicates with a space below the partition plate 54 inside the carry-out chamber 50, and the proximal end side is connected to the exhaust device 66. The atmosphere in the carry-out chamber 50 is exhausted by opening the exhaust valve 67 while operating the exhaust device 66. As the exhaust device 66, the same exhaust device 96 of the processing chamber 71 may be used.

  Further, the unloading chamber 50 includes a breakage detection unit 160 that detects breakage of the semiconductor wafer W unloaded from the processing chamber 71. The breakage detection unit 160 includes an imaging unit such as an imaging camera. The damage detection unit 160 detects the presence or absence of damage of the semiconductor wafer W by imaging the semiconductor wafer W unloaded from the processing chamber 71 by the unloading mechanism 51 using an imaging camera. This image analysis may be performed by the control unit 3. The breakage detection unit 160 includes an optical sensor including a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit, and detects breakage of the semiconductor wafer W depending on whether the light receiving unit receives light emitted from the light projecting unit. It may be.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 are provided so as to be drawable with respect to the housing 5 of the heat treatment apparatus 100. Specifically, for example, rollers are attached to the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50, and the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 are slidably installed along the horizontal direction with respect to the frame of the housing 5. The carry-in chamber 30 can be pulled out from the housing 5 toward the (−X) side, as indicated by an arrow AR1 in FIG. The carry-out chamber 50 can be pulled out from the housing 5 toward the (+ X) side as indicated by an arrow AR2 in FIG.

  Further, the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 is also provided so as to be freely drawn out from the housing 5. As indicated by an arrow AR3 in FIG. 1, the processing chamber 71 can be pulled out from the housing 5 toward the (−Y) side. In addition to the processing chamber 71, the flash lamp house 80 and / or the halogen lamp house 85 of the flash heating unit 70 may be provided so as to be drawn out from the housing 5.

  The control unit 3 controls the various operation mechanisms provided in the heat treatment apparatus 100. The configuration of the control unit 3 as hardware is the same as that of a general computer. That is, the control unit 3 stores a CPU that performs various arithmetic processes, a ROM that is a read-only memory that stores basic programs, a RAM that is a readable and writable memory that stores various information, control software, data, and the like. It has a magnetic disk. The processing in the heat treatment apparatus 100 proceeds by the CPU of the control unit 3 executing a predetermined processing program.

  In addition to the above configuration, the heat treatment apparatus 100 includes, for example, a water-cooled tube for preventing an excessive temperature rise in the processing chamber 71 due to thermal energy generated from the halogen lamp HL and the flash lamp FL during the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer W. Yes. The processing chamber 71 is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W held by the susceptor 76 (for example, a radiation thermometer for measuring temperature without contact).

  Next, a processing procedure of the semiconductor wafer W in the heat treatment apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. The semiconductor wafer W to be processed here is a semiconductor substrate to which impurities (ions) are added by an ion implantation method. The activation of the impurities is performed by flash light irradiation heat treatment (annealing) by the heat treatment apparatus 100. The processing procedure of the heat treatment apparatus 100 described below proceeds by the control unit 3 controlling each operation mechanism of the heat treatment apparatus 100.

  First, the main transfer robot 20 takes out an unprocessed semiconductor wafer W from the carrier C of the indexer unit 10 and transfers it to the loading chamber 30. A carrier C that stores a plurality of unprocessed semiconductor wafers W in advance is transported and placed on a mounting table 11 of the indexer unit 10 by an automatic guided vehicle or the like. The main transfer robot 20 inserts the transfer hand 24 into the carrier C, takes out one semiconductor wafer W, and moves the transfer hand 24 to the transfer chamber 30. Note that the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W in this embodiment means a semiconductor wafer W that has been subjected to ion implantation but has not yet been subjected to flash heat treatment.

  When the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is received in the carry-in chamber 30, the pair of support bars 32 are lowered and are embedded in the grooves 35 of the partition plate 34. Further, the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 37 of the carry-in chamber 30 is closed, and the input port 36 of the carry-in chamber 30 is opened. When the input port 36 is open, the front end side air supply valve 49 of the second gas supply mechanism 40 is closed, and the rear end side air supply valve 48 is opened so that the rear end side discharge unit 38 supplies nitrogen. Gas is ejected. In this state, the main transfer robot 20 inserts the transfer hand 24 holding the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W into the transfer chamber 30 from the input port 36 and passes the semiconductor wafer W to the plurality of support pins 133 of the alignment unit 130. .

  FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the carry-in chamber 30. When the main transfer robot 20 loads an unprocessed semiconductor wafer W into the loading chamber 30, the loading port 36 is opened and the transfer port 37 is closed. When the transfer port 37 is closed and the input port 36 is opened, the second gas supply mechanism 40 ejects nitrogen gas from the rear end side discharge section 38. That is, the second gas supply mechanism 40 supplies nitrogen gas from the (−X) side end in the carry-in chamber 30 toward the (+ X) side when the input port 36 is open. As a result, as indicated by an arrow AR8 in FIG. 8, in the space above the partition plate 34 of the carry-in chamber 30, an air flow of nitrogen gas flowing from the (−X) side end toward the (+ X) side is present. It is formed.

  Here, if the second gas supply mechanism 40 ejects nitrogen gas from the front end side discharge section 39 when the transfer port 37 is closed and the input port 36 is opened, the direction is opposite to the above. , That is, an airflow that flows from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side is formed in the carry-in chamber 30. The open inlet 36 is provided at a position closer to the (+ X) side end than the (−X) side end (see FIG. 4). Therefore, a part of the nitrogen gas ejected from the front end side discharge section 39 flows out from the inlet 36, while the remaining part flows toward the (−X) side end of the loading chamber 30 and stays there. The area where the main transfer robot 20 is arranged is an atmospheric atmosphere. Then, a part of the atmospheric atmosphere that flows in from the input port 36 is pushed toward the (−X) side end in the loading chamber 30 by the airflow flowing from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side. It will be. As a result, when the semiconductor wafer W is loaded, an atmospheric atmosphere is mixed into the loading chamber 30 and a part remains as it is.

  If the second gas supply mechanism 40 ejects nitrogen gas from the rear end side discharge unit 38 as in the present embodiment, it flows into the carry-in chamber 30 from the (−X) side end toward the (+ X) side. A stream of nitrogen gas is formed. If nitrogen gas flows in this direction, a smooth nitrogen gas flow from the rear end side discharge section 38 toward the input port 36 is formed, and from the input port 36 provided at a position close to the (+ X) side end portion. Even if the air atmosphere flows in, the air atmosphere is entirely discharged from the inlet 36 by the nitrogen gas flow. As a result, the atmospheric atmosphere is prevented from remaining in the carry-in chamber 30.

  In short, in the carry-in chamber 30, the second gas supply mechanism 40 supplies nitrogen gas from the (−X) side end opposite to the input port 36, so that (+ X) from the (−X) side end. A smooth stream of nitrogen gas flowing toward the side and flowing out from the inlet 36 can be formed, thereby preventing air atmosphere from being mixed when the semiconductor wafer W is loaded. Part of the nitrogen gas supplied from the (−X) side end portion in the carry-in chamber 30 by the second gas supply mechanism 40 flows from the groove 35 of the partition plate 34 to the space below the partition plate 34 to be second. It is discharged by the exhaust mechanism 45.

  The main transfer robot 20 that has transferred the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W to the plurality of support pins 133 of the alignment unit 130 causes the transfer hand 24 to leave the transfer chamber 30. Subsequently, the inlet 36 of the carry-in chamber 30 is closed. Thereby, both the insertion port 36 and the transfer port 37 are closed, and the inside of the carry-in chamber 30 is made into a sealed space. After the inlet 36 is closed, the rear end side air supply valve 48 of the second gas supply mechanism 40 is closed, the front end side air supply valve 49 is opened, and nitrogen gas is ejected from the front end side discharge portion 39. The When the second gas supply mechanism 40 ejects nitrogen gas from the front end side discharge unit 39, a nitrogen gas flow that flows from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side is formed in the carry-in chamber 30. Regardless of the flow direction of the nitrogen gas flow, when the charging port 36 and the transfer port 37 are closed, the nitrogen gas supplied from the second gas supply mechanism 40 is a space below the partition plate 34 from the groove 35. And is discharged out of the chamber by the second exhaust mechanism 45.

  Such nitrogen gas purge reduces the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30. Further, an air flow is formed in which the supplied nitrogen gas flows from the space above the partition plate 34 toward the space below and is discharged. The drive unit 33 of the support bar 32 and the rotation drive unit 132 of the alignment unit 130 are provided in a space below the partition plate 34 (see FIG. 5), and even if particles or the like are generated from these drive units. The particles or the like are discharged out of the chamber without flowing into the space above the partition plate 34.

  The carry-in chamber 30 includes a simple carry-in mechanism 31 that simply moves the pair of support bars 32 up and down and back and forth. Since the pair of support bars 32 do not perform a turning operation, a space for that is not necessary. Accordingly, the capacity of the carry-in chamber 30 is significantly smaller than the capacity of the conventional transfer chamber disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example (in this embodiment, the capacity of the space above the partition plate 34 is 3 Liters). Therefore, even if nitrogen gas is supplied from the second gas supply mechanism 40 to the carry-in chamber 30 at a smaller flow rate (for example, 5 liters to 30 liters / minute) than before, the oxygen concentration in the chamber is reduced within a short time. Decreases rapidly. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 can be sufficiently reduced in a short time with a small amount of nitrogen gas consumed.

  In parallel with the reduction of the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 by the nitrogen gas purge, the alignment unit 130 adjusts the direction of the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W. The alignment unit 130 irradiates the edge of the semiconductor wafer W with laser light from the light projecting unit while rotating the semiconductor wafer W by rotating the support table 131 by the rotation driving unit 132. And when a laser beam is irradiated to the notch formed in the edge part of the semiconductor wafer W, a laser beam passes a notch and is received by the light-receiving part. Thus, the alignment unit 130 detects the direction of the semiconductor wafer W and adjusts it in a predetermined direction.

  After the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 has sufficiently decreased, the pair of support rods 32 rise and protrude above the support pins 133 of the alignment unit 130, thereby receiving the semiconductor wafer W from the alignment unit 130. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the semiconductor wafer W is supported by the pair of support rods 32 in the carry-in chamber 30. At this time, the input port 36 and the transfer port 37 are closed, and the second gas supply mechanism 40 continues to blow out nitrogen gas from the front end side discharge portion 39. As a result, as indicated by an arrow AR9 in FIG. 9, an air flow of nitrogen gas flowing from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side is present in the space above the partition plate 34 of the carry-in chamber 30. It is formed.

  Subsequently, the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 37 of the carry-in chamber 30 is opened. Also at this time, the second gas supply mechanism 40 continues to supply nitrogen gas from the front end side discharge unit 39, and enters the carry-in chamber 30 from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side. Nitrogen gas is flowing.

  Although the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 is sufficiently lowered by the nitrogen gas purge after closing the inlet 36, it is still higher than the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70. For this reason, if the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 and the transfer port 37 is simply opened, the oxygen concentration in the process chamber 71 may increase due to the atmosphere flowing from the carry-in chamber 30 into the process chamber 71.

  In the present embodiment, when the carry-in port 88 of the processing chamber 71 is opened, the second gas supply mechanism 40 supplies nitrogen gas from the (+ X) side end of the carry-in chamber 30, and the inside of the carry-in chamber 30. The flow of nitrogen gas flowing from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side is formed. Thereby, the atmosphere flowing into the processing chamber 71 from the transfer port 37 of the carry-in chamber 30 is suppressed to the minimum, and an increase in oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71 can be prevented.

  Thereafter, the pair of support rods 32 that support the semiconductor wafer W advance toward the (+ X) side, pass through the transfer port 37 from the transfer port 37 and enter the heat treatment space 75 of the process chamber 71. As a result, the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the loading chamber 30 to the processing chamber 71. FIG. 10 is a view schematically showing a state in which the semiconductor wafer W is carried into the processing chamber 71 by the pair of support bars 32. The pair of support bars 32 advances and stops until the semiconductor wafer W to be supported reaches a position directly above the susceptor 76 in the processing chamber 71.

  Next, the two transfer arms 77 are raised, and the lift pins 78 protrude from the upper surface of the susceptor 76 to receive the semiconductor wafer W from the pair of support bars 32. At this time, the pair of support bars 32 may be slightly lowered. After the semiconductor wafer W is transferred to the two transfer arms 77, the pair of support rods 32 retract and exit from the processing chamber 71. After the pair of support rods 32 exit from the processing chamber 71 and return to the carry-in chamber 30, the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 and the transfer port 37 is closed again. Thereafter, a new semiconductor wafer W following the carry-in chamber 30 may be loaded while the semiconductor wafer W is being heated in the processing chamber 71.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a state where the semiconductor wafer W is received by the transfer arm 77. As the pair of support rods 32 are withdrawn from the processing chamber 71, the two transfer arms 77 are lowered and the lift pins 78 are moved below the susceptor 76, whereby the transfer arm 77 and the susceptor 76 are moved. The semiconductor wafer W is handed over. Then, the light irradiation heat treatment is performed in a state where the semiconductor wafer W is held by the susceptor 76. The semiconductor wafer W is held by the susceptor 76 with the surface on which the pattern is formed and the impurities are implanted facing upward.

  FIG. 12 is a view schematically showing a state in which the semiconductor wafer W is held in the processing chamber 71 by the susceptor 76. After the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 and the transfer port 37 is closed, nitrogen gas is supplied from the first gas supply mechanism 90 into the processing chamber 71, and the atmosphere in the processing chamber 71 is set by the first exhaust mechanism 95. Is further exhausted to further reduce the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71. Note that the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71 is continuously closed. In the present embodiment, the nitrogen gas flowing from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side in the carry-in chamber 30 also when the connection portion between the carry-in port 88 and the transfer port 37 is opened. By forming the air flow, the atmosphere flowing from the carry-in chamber 30 into the processing chamber 71 is suppressed to a minimum, and an increase in the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71 is prevented. For this reason, a short time is sufficient to reduce the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71 to the target value.

  Thereafter, the plurality of halogen lamps HL in the halogen lamp house 85 are turned on all at once, and the preheating of the semiconductor wafer W is started. The halogen light emitted from the halogen lamp HL passes through the lower chamber window 74 and the susceptor 76 made of quartz and is irradiated from the back surface of the semiconductor wafer W. By receiving light from the halogen lamp HL, the semiconductor wafer W is preheated and the temperature rises. In addition, since the transfer arm 77 has moved to the retreat position where it does not overlap with the semiconductor wafer W, there is no obstacle to the preheating by the halogen lamp HL.

  When preheating with the halogen lamp HL is performed, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is measured by a temperature sensor (not shown). The measured temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is transmitted to the control unit 3. The controller 3 monitors whether or not the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W that is heated by light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL has reached a predetermined preheating temperature T1. The preheating temperature T1 is set to about 200 ° C. to 800 ° C., preferably about 350 ° C. to 600 ° C. (in this embodiment, 600 ° C.) at which impurities added to the semiconductor wafer W are not likely to diffuse due to heat. .

  After the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W reaches the preheating temperature T1, the control unit 3 maintains the semiconductor wafer W at the preheating temperature T1 for a while. Specifically, when the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W measured by the temperature sensor reaches the preheating temperature T1, the control unit 3 controls the output of the halogen lamp HL so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is substantially equal to the preheating temperature T1. To maintain. By performing such preheating by the halogen lamp HL, the entire semiconductor wafer W is uniformly heated to the preheating temperature T1.

  When a predetermined time elapses after the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W reaches the preheating temperature T1, the flash lamp FL of the flash lamp house 80 irradiates the surface of the semiconductor wafer W with flash light. At this time, a part of the flash light emitted from the flash lamp FL goes directly into the processing chamber 71, and the other part is once reflected by the reflector 81 and then goes into the processing chamber 71. Flash heating of the semiconductor wafer W is performed by light irradiation.

  Since the flash heating is performed by irradiation with flash light (flash light) from the flash lamp FL, the surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer W can be increased in a short time. That is, the flash light irradiated from the flash lamp FL is converted into a light pulse in which the electrostatic energy stored in the capacitor in advance is extremely short, and the irradiation time is extremely short, about 0.1 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds. It is a strong flash. Then, the surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer W that is flash-heated by flash light irradiation from the flash lamp FL instantaneously rises to a processing temperature T2 of 1000 ° C. or more, and the impurities injected into the semiconductor wafer W are activated. Later, the surface temperature drops rapidly. As described above, in the heat treatment apparatus 100, the surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer W can be raised and lowered in a very short time, so that the impurities are activated while suppressing the diffusion of the impurities injected into the semiconductor wafer W due to the heat. Can do. Since the time required for the activation of impurities is extremely short compared to the time required for the thermal diffusion, the activation is possible even in a short time in which diffusion of about 0.1 millisecond to 100 millisecond does not occur. Complete.

  After the end of the flash heat treatment, the halogen lamp HL is turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed. Thereby, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is rapidly lowered from the preheating temperature T1. Then, the two transfer arms 77 rise again, and the lift pins 78 push up and support the semiconductor wafer W after the heat treatment from the susceptor 76. The state at this time is the same as in FIG.

  Next, the connection portion between the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 57 of the carry-out chamber 50 is opened. The third gas supply mechanism 60 supplies nitrogen gas into the carry-out chamber 50 before the connection portion between the carry-out port 89 and the transfer port 57 is opened. At this time, the rear end side supply valve 68 of the third gas supply mechanism 60 is closed, the front end side supply valve 69 is opened, and nitrogen gas is ejected from the front end side discharge portion 59. Further, the third exhaust mechanism 65 exhausts the gas in the carry-out chamber 50. When the third gas supply mechanism 60 ejects nitrogen gas from the front end side discharge portion 59, an air flow of nitrogen gas flowing from the (−X) side end portion toward the (+ X) side is formed in the carry-out chamber 50. The When the connecting portion between the carry-out port 89 and the transfer port 57 is opened, the receiving port 56 is closed.

  In this state, the connection portion between the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 57 of the carry-out chamber 50 is opened. Similarly to the carry-in chamber 30, the oxygen concentration in the carry-out chamber 50 is higher than the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71. In the present embodiment, when the carry-out port 89 of the processing chamber 71 is open, the third gas supply mechanism 60 supplies nitrogen gas from the (−X) side end in the carry-out chamber 50, and the inside of the carry-out chamber 50. A flow of nitrogen gas flowing from the (−X) side end toward the (+ X) side is formed. Thereby, the atmosphere flowing into the processing chamber 71 from the transfer port 57 of the carry-out chamber 50 is suppressed to the minimum, and an increase in oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71 can be prevented.

  After the connection portion between the unloading port 89 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 57 of the unloading chamber 50 is opened, the pair of support rods 52 of the unloading chamber 50 move forward toward the (−X) side, and the transfer port 57 enters the heat treatment space 75 of the processing chamber 71 through the carry-out port 89. The pair of support bars 52 advances and stops until reaching a position directly below the semiconductor wafer W supported by the two transfer arms 77.

  Next, the two transfer arms 77 are lowered and the lift pins 78 are moved below the support bars 52, so that the semiconductor wafer W after the heat treatment is transferred from the transfer arms 77 to the pair of support bars 52. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the processed semiconductor wafer W is delivered to the pair of support bars 52 of the carry-out chamber 50. When the connection portion between the carry-out port 89 and the transfer port 57 is open, the third gas supply mechanism 60 starts from the (−X) side end in the carry-out chamber 50 as indicated by an arrow AR13 in FIG. Nitrogen gas is supplied, and a nitrogen gas flow from the (−X) side to the (+ X) side is formed in the carry-out chamber 50.

  Subsequently, the pair of support rods 52 that support the semiconductor wafer W retracts toward the (+ X) side, exits from the processing chamber 71, and returns to the unloading chamber 50. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer W after the heat treatment is transported from the processing chamber 71 to the unloading chamber 50. When the pair of support rods 52 are withdrawn from the processing chamber 71, the connection portion between the carry-out port 89 and the transfer port 57 is closed again. Then, the pair of support bars 52 moves backward and stops until the semiconductor wafer W to be supported reaches above the cooling unit 150.

  When the pair of support rods 52 returns to the carry-out chamber 50, the damage detection unit 160 detects whether the processed semiconductor wafer W is damaged. The breakage detection unit 160 captures an image of the semiconductor wafer W supported by the pair of support bars 52 and analyzes the image of the captured image to detect breakage of the semiconductor wafer W. Since the flash heating is performed by irradiating flash light having large energy in a very short time, the semiconductor wafer W may be damaged by the impact. Even in such a case, the damage detection unit 160 can detect whether the semiconductor wafer W is damaged. When the breakage detection unit 160 detects breakage of the semiconductor wafer W, for example, the control unit 3 stops the processing of the subsequent semiconductor wafer W.

  Thereafter, the pair of support bars 52 descend and are embedded in the grooves 55 of the partition plate 54, whereby the semiconductor wafer W immediately after the heat treatment is placed on the quartz plate 152 and cooled by the cooling unit 150. At this time, the cooling unit 150 cools the semiconductor wafer W to a temperature at which the semiconductor wafer W may be exposed to the air atmosphere. FIG. 14 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the processed semiconductor wafer W is cooled by the cooling unit 150.

  In addition, when the semiconductor wafer W is cooled, the third gas supply mechanism 60 continues to eject nitrogen gas from the front end side discharge unit 59 and into the carry-out chamber 50 from the (−X) side end to the (+ X) side. It forms a stream of nitrogen gas that flows toward you. When the receiving port 56 and the transfer port 57 of the carry-out chamber 50 are closed, the nitrogen gas supplied from the third gas supply mechanism 60 flows from the groove 55 to the space below the partition plate 54 and flows into the third exhaust. It is discharged out of the chamber by the mechanism 65. The drive unit 53 of the support bar 52 and the lifting mechanism 153 of the cooling unit 150 are provided in a space below the partition plate 54 (see FIG. 7), and even if particles or the like are generated from these drive units, The particles and the like are discharged out of the chamber without flowing into the space above the partition plate 54.

  After the semiconductor wafer W is cooled to a predetermined temperature or lower, the lift pins 154 are raised by the lifting mechanism 153 to push up and support the semiconductor wafer W placed on the quartz plate 152. Thereby, the cooling process of the semiconductor wafer W is completed.

  Next, the receiving port 56 of the unloading chamber 50 is opened, and the semiconductor wafer W is unloaded. FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing a state immediately before the semiconductor wafer W is unloaded from the unloading chamber 50. At this time, the transfer port 57 is closed. When the receiving port 56 is opened, the front end side air supply valve 69 of the third gas supply mechanism 60 is closed, the rear end side air supply valve 68 is opened, and nitrogen gas is ejected from the rear end side discharge portion 58. Is done. As a result, as indicated by an arrow AR15 in FIG. 15, in the space above the partition plate 54 of the carry-out chamber 50, there is a stream of nitrogen gas flowing from the (+ X) side end toward the (−X) side. It is formed. That is, the third gas supply mechanism 60 supplies nitrogen gas from the (+ X) side end in the carry-out chamber 50 toward the (−X) side when the receiving port 56 is opened.

  Similar to the carry-in chamber 30, in the carry-out chamber 50, the third gas supply mechanism 60 supplies nitrogen gas from the (+ X) side end opposite to the receiving port 56, whereby (+ X) is brought into the carry-out chamber 50. A smooth stream of nitrogen gas flowing from the side end toward the (−X) side and flowing out from the receiving port 56 can be formed. As a result, even if an air atmosphere flows from the opened receiving port 56, the air atmosphere is entirely discharged from the receiving port 56 by the nitrogen gas flow. As a result, it is possible to prevent air atmosphere from being mixed into the carry-out chamber 50 when the semiconductor wafer W is carried out. Part of the nitrogen gas supplied from the (+ X) side end of the carry-out chamber 50 by the third gas supply mechanism 60 also flows from the groove 55 of the partition plate 54 to the space below the partition plate 54, and the third exhaust. It is discharged by the mechanism 65.

  In this state, the main transfer robot 20 inserts the transfer hand 24 into the transfer chamber 50 from the receiving port 56 and receives the processed semiconductor wafer W supported by the lift pins 154 of the cooling unit 150. Then, the main transfer robot 20 moves the transfer hand 24 holding the semiconductor wafer W from the discharge chamber 50 to the carrier C of the indexer unit 10, and stores the processed semiconductor wafer W in the carrier C. In this way, the processing of one semiconductor wafer W in the heat treatment apparatus 100 is completed.

  In the present embodiment, the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 is provided with two entrances, a carry-in port 88 and a carry-out port 89. The carry-in port 88 is connected to the carry-in chamber 30 dedicated for carrying in, and the carry-out port 89 carries out A dedicated carry-out chamber 50 is connected. Each of the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 is provided with a carry-in / out mechanism having a simple configuration in which two support rods are moved forward and backward to transport the semiconductor wafer W. For this reason, the capacity of the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional transfer chamber.

  For this reason, even if the flow rate of the nitrogen gas to be supplied is small, the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 can be sufficiently reduced in a short time, and the consumption of the nitrogen gas can be reduced to operate the heat treatment apparatus 100. Increase in necessary cost can be suppressed. In addition, since the construction of the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 is simple, the manufacturing cost of the heat treatment apparatus 100 itself can be reduced. As a result, the overall CoO (Cost of Ownership) can be lowered.

  Further, since the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 connected to the processing chamber 71 can be easily reduced, as a result, the oxygen concentration in the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 can be sufficiently reduced. Can do.

  Furthermore, in the heat treatment apparatus 100, since the oxygen concentration in the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 can be sufficiently reduced in a short time, high throughput can be realized.

  In addition, the semiconductor wafer W cannot be exchanged by a simple loading / unloading mechanism in which the semiconductor wafer W is transported by moving the two support rods forward and backward, but in this embodiment, the processing chamber 71 is loaded with the loading / unloading port. 88 and a carry-out port 89 are provided, and a carry-in chamber 30 dedicated to carry-in and a carry-out chamber 50 dedicated to carry-out are respectively connected. For this reason, a plurality of semiconductor wafers W can be sequentially processed without reducing the throughput.

  In addition, although the maintenance of the heat treatment apparatus 100 is performed periodically or as necessary, in this embodiment, the carry-in chamber 30, the carry-out chamber 50, and the processing chamber 71 are provided so as to be freely drawn out from the housing 5. Yes. For this reason, at the time of maintenance, a necessary chamber can be pulled out from the housing 5 to facilitate the work. In addition, after the maintenance is completed after opening each chamber, it is necessary to replace the atmosphere in each chamber in order to reduce the oxygen concentration. However, since the capacity of the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 is small, the atmosphere is reduced in a short time. The replacement can be completed. As a result, the standby time after maintenance can be shortened.

  In addition, as described above, the semiconductor wafer W may be damaged in the processing chamber 71 during flash heating in which flash light with large energy is irradiated in an extremely short time. If the semiconductor wafer W is damaged during flash heating, particles will rise in the processing chamber 71. In the conventional heat treatment apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the carry-in / out port of the processing chamber is one place, when the wafer is broken, when the carry-in / out port is opened, the particles flow out to the carrying chamber and the next treatment is performed. A total of two semiconductor wafers W were adhered to the semiconductor wafer W to be performed, including the damaged wafers.

  In the present embodiment, the processing chamber 71 of the flash heating unit 70 is provided with two entrances, a carry-in port 88 and a carry-out port 89. The unloading chamber 50 is connected. For this reason, even when the semiconductor wafer W is damaged during the flash heating, the restoration operation can be performed while the connection portion between the loading port 88 of the processing chamber 71 and the transfer port 37 of the loading chamber 30 is closed. The particles in 71 are prevented from flowing into the carry-in chamber 30. As a result, even when the semiconductor wafer W to be processed next is waiting in the carry-in chamber 30, it is possible to prevent the particles from adhering to the semiconductor wafer W to become defective. In addition, it is not necessary to intentionally collect the semiconductor wafer W to be processed next at the time of restoration work, and it is only necessary to wait in the loading chamber 30 as it is.

  Further, in order to carry the semiconductor wafer W into and out of the processing chamber 71, the carry-in chamber 30 and the carry-out chamber 50 having a small capacity are provided, the alignment unit 130 is provided in the carry-in chamber 30, and the cooling unit 150 is provided in the carry-out chamber 50. Since it is provided, the footprint of the entire heat treatment apparatus 100 can be made smaller than before.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the semiconductor wafer W is preheated by the halogen lamp HL before the flash light irradiation. Instead, the semiconductor wafer W is placed on a hot plate and preheated. Also good. Alternatively, in the above embodiment, since the processing chamber 71 is provided so as to be freely drawn out from the housing 5, a processing chamber 71 that performs preheating with the halogen lamp HL and a processing chamber that performs preheating with a hot plate are prepared. In addition, they may be used appropriately. Furthermore, a vacuum-compatible processing chamber, an active gas-compatible processing chamber, and the like may be prepared, and these may be appropriately attached to the housing 5 for proper use.

  Further, the alignment unit 130 provided in the carry-in chamber 30 is not necessarily an essential element. If the orientation of the semiconductor wafer W is aligned at the stage when the carrier C is loaded into the indexer unit 10, the rotation angle when the main transfer robot 20 transfers the semiconductor wafer W to the transfer chamber 30 is always constant. Even without the alignment unit 130, the orientation of the semiconductor wafer W is the same as that adjusted.

  In the above embodiment, the flash lamp house 80 is provided with 30 flash lamps FL. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of flash lamps FL can be any number. . The flash lamp FL is not limited to a xenon flash lamp, and may be a krypton flash lamp. Further, the number of halogen lamps HL provided in the halogen lamp house 85 is not limited to 40, and may be an arbitrary number.

  The substrate to be processed by the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be a glass substrate or a solar cell substrate used for a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display device. Further, the technique according to the present invention may be applied to bonding of metal and silicon or crystallization of polysilicon.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Control part 5 Case 10 Indexer part 20 Main transfer robot 24 Transfer hand 30 Carry-in chamber 31 Carry-in mechanism 32,52 Support rod 33,53 Drive part 36 Input port 37,57 Transfer port 38 Rear end side discharge part 39 Front end side Discharge unit 40 Second gas supply mechanism 45 Second exhaust mechanism 50 Unload chamber 51 Unload mechanism 56 Receiving port 60 Third gas supply mechanism 65 Third exhaust mechanism 70 Flash heating unit 71 Processing chamber 75 Heat treatment space 76 Susceptor 80 Flash lamp house 85 Halogen lamp house 88 carry-in port 89 carry-out port 90 first gas supply mechanism 95 first exhaust mechanism 100 heat treatment device 130 alignment unit 150 cooling unit 160 breakage detection unit FL flash lamp HL halogen lamp W semiconductor wafer

Claims (12)

A heat treatment apparatus for heating a substrate by irradiating the substrate with light,
A processing chamber having a space for accommodating a substrate;
A light irradiation unit for irradiating light to the substrate accommodated in the processing chamber;
A loading chamber for loading an untreated substrate into the processing chamber;
An unloading chamber for receiving a processed substrate from the processing chamber;
A first gas supply mechanism for supplying an inert gas to the processing chamber;
A second gas supply mechanism for supplying an inert gas to the carry-in chamber;
A third gas supply mechanism for supplying an inert gas to the carry-out chamber;
With
The processing chamber is formed with a carry-in port to which the carry-in chamber is connected, and a carry-out port to which the carry-out chamber is connected,
The carry-in chamber is provided with a carry-in mechanism for carrying the substrate by moving the two support rods supporting the substrate forward and backward from the carry-in port into the processing chamber,
A heat treatment apparatus, wherein the unloading chamber is provided with a unloading mechanism for unloading the substrate by moving two support rods supporting the substrate forward and backward from the unloading port into the processing chamber. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
A substrate integration unit for integrating an unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate;
A transport robot that transports unprocessed substrates from the substrate stacking unit to the carry-in chamber, and transports processed substrates from the unload chamber to the substrate stacking unit;
A heat treatment apparatus further comprising: The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2,
The carry-in chamber has a rectangular shape in plan view,
A first longitudinal end of the loading chamber is connected to the loading port of the processing chamber;
A position where an inlet for transporting an unprocessed substrate by the transport robot is closer to the first end than a second end opposite to the first end of the short-side end surface of the transport chamber. Formed into
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the second gas supply mechanism supplies an inert gas from the second end of the carry-in chamber when the inlet is open. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the second gas supply mechanism supplies an inert gas from the first end of the carry-in chamber when the carry-in port is open. In the heat processing apparatus in any one of Claims 2-4,
The unloading chamber has a rectangular shape in plan view,
A first end in a longitudinal direction of the unloading chamber is connected to the unloading port of the processing chamber;
A position where the receiving port for transporting the processed substrate by the transport robot is closer to the first end portion than the second end portion opposite to the first end portion in the short-side end surface of the unloading chamber. Formed into
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the third gas supply mechanism supplies an inert gas from the second end of the carry-out chamber when the receiving port is opened. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the third gas supply mechanism supplies an inert gas from the first end of the carry-in chamber when the carry-out port is open. In the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the transfer robot is installed in an air atmosphere. In the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the unloading chamber includes a cooling unit for cooling the substrate unloaded from the processing chamber. In the heat processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-8,
The carry-in chamber is provided with an alignment unit that adjusts the orientation of an unprocessed substrate. In the heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The heat-treating apparatus, wherein the unloading chamber includes a breakage detection unit that detects breakage of a substrate unloaded from the processing chamber. In the heat processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-10,
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the treatment chamber, the carry-in chamber, and the carry-out chamber are provided in a freely drawable manner in a housing of the heat treatment apparatus. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The heat irradiation apparatus, wherein the light irradiation unit includes a flash lamp.

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