JP3764357B2 - Heat treatment device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment such as a curing process when an interlayer insulating film is formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
  In recent years, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a dielectric film such as an interlayer insulating film is formed by using an SOD (Spin on Dielectric) system. In this SOD system, after a coating film is spin-coated on a semiconductor wafer, a dielectric film is obtained by performing a curing process on the spin-coated coating film. Processing is used.
[0003]
  Such heat treatment is usually performed by a heat treatment apparatus configured by disposing a heating plate in a chamber. A wafer is placed on the surface of the heating plate, and the heating plate is heated by a heater. Then, the wafer is heated. At this time, it is necessary to introduce a purge gas into the casing so that a uniform treatment can be performed on the coating film, and to perform the heat treatment while discharging volatile matter generated from the coating film during the heat treatment. As such a heat treatment apparatus, an apparatus having a structure that exhausts air from the upper center of the housing and supplies purge gas or processing gas from the outer periphery of the housing is employed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  However, in such a heat treatment apparatus, the heating plate is heated and thermal convection is generated in the housing, so that the purge gas supplied into the housing is exhausted from the exhaust port in the upper center of the housing together with the rising airflow. There is a problem that the inside of the body does not have a uniform purge gas atmosphere and it is difficult to obtain a uniform film.
[0005]
  In addition, since the exhaust contains sublimate, a trap mechanism for trapping the sublimate is attached to the exhaust pipe, but when maintenance is performed, it is necessary to clean the pipe to the trap mechanism, etc. There is a problem of poor maintainability.
[0006]
  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is to provide a heat treatment apparatus that is less susceptible to thermal convection in the housing and can uniformly supply purge gas and processing gas into the housing. Objective. Moreover, it aims at providing the heat processing apparatus with high maintainability of a trap mechanism.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above problems, in a first aspect of the present invention, a heating plate for placing and heating a substrate;
A chamber containing the heating plate;
A gas supply mechanism for supplying a predetermined gas into the chamber;
An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the chamber;
A gas introduction unit for introducing gas from the gas supply mechanism into the chamber;
A gas discharge section for discharging the gas in the chamber;
Comprising
The gas introduction part includes a gas introduction port for introducing gas into the top wall of the chamber;
A main gas introduction path extending linearly in the horizontal direction from the gas introduction port in the ceiling wall;
A sub-gas introduction passage that extends concentrically from the main gas introduction passage in the top wall of the chamber and is provided with a plurality of air supply ports;
The gas discharge unit includes a gas discharge port for discharging gas in the chamber from the top wall of the chamber;
A main exhaust passage extending horizontally in the top wall from a gas passage communicating with the gas outlet;
A concentric circle extending from the main exhaust passage in the top wall of the chamber, and a sub exhaust passage provided with a plurality of exhaust ports,
The sub-gas introduction path and the sub-exhaust path are alternately arranged to provide a heat treatment apparatus.
[0008]
  According to such a configuration, gas is supplied from a plurality of air supply ports provided on the top wall of the chamber, and exhausted from a plurality of exhaust ports provided alternately with the air supply ports. Supply and exhaust can be performed for each local region, and the influence of thermal convection is small, and gas can be supplied uniformly into the chamber.
  The gas introduction unit includes a gas introduction port for introducing gas into the ceiling wall of the chamber, a main gas introduction path extending linearly in the top wall from the gas introduction port in the horizontal direction, and The gas exhaust section includes a gas exhaust port that exhausts gas in the chamber from the top wall of the chamber, and a gas exhaust port that extends concentrically in the wall and has a plurality of air supply ports. Gas communicating with the outlet A sub-gas introduction passage having a main exhaust passage extending horizontally from the passage in the top wall and a sub-exhaust passage extending concentrically from the main exhaust passage in the top wall of the chamber and having a plurality of exhaust ports. Since the sub-exhaust passages and the sub-exhaust passages are alternately arranged, the gas can be supplied into the chamber more uniformly, and the exhaust from the chamber can be performed more uniformly and rapidly.
[0009]
  In this case, the gas introduction port is provided in a peripheral portion of the top wall of the chamber, and the main gas introduction path extends from the gas introduction port to a substantially center of the top wall of the chamber, and is connected to the gas discharge port. The communicating gas passage is provided in the approximate center of the top wall of the chamber, and the main exhaust path isChamberIt can be set as the structure extended from the peripheral part of the top wall to the said gas channel.
[0010]
  In the configuration having the main gas introduction path and the auxiliary gas introduction path as described above, the diameter of the air supply port increases toward the tip of the auxiliary gas introduction path, and / or the auxiliary gas introduction. It is preferable that the space | interval becomes narrow as it goes to the front-end | tip of a road. As a result, a large amount of gas can be supplied at the tip of the auxiliary gas introduction path, where the gas supply tends to be reduced, so that the gas can be supplied more uniformly.
[0011]
  Further, by further including a trap mechanism that is detachably provided in the gas discharge part, it is possible to supply gas uniformly into the chamber and to improve maintenance performance.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
  1 is a plan view schematically showing an SOD system equipped with a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the SOD system shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing two unit stacks and a main transport mechanism mounted in the SOD system shown in FIG. This SOD system generally includes a processing station 1, a side cabinet 2, and a carrier station (CSB) 3, and the side cabinet 2 and the carrier station (CSB) 3 are provided on both sides of the processing station 1. It has been.
[0013]
  The processing station 1 has a main processing unit 1a on the side cabinet 2 side and a sub-processing unit 1b on the carrier station (CSB) 3 side.
[0014]
  The main processing section 1a is provided with a main wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18 for transferring a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) W in the center, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. , Two coating processing units (SCT) 11 and 12 provided in the upper stage, and two chemical chambers 13 and 14 containing chemicals and the like provided in the lower stage. Further, on the side cabinet 2 side and the carrier station (CSB) 3 side across the main wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18, processing unit groups 16 and 17 each having a plurality of processing units stacked in multiple stages are provided. Yes.
[0015]
  As shown in FIG. 3, the main wafer transfer mechanism (PRA) 18 extends in the Z direction, has a cylindrical support 51 having vertical walls 51a and 51b and a side opening 51c therebetween, and an inner side thereof. And a wafer transfer body 52 provided so as to be movable up and down in the Z direction along the cylindrical support 51. The cylindrical support 51 can be rotated by the rotational driving force of the motor 53, and the wafer transfer body 52 is also rotated integrally therewith. The wafer transfer body 52 includes a transfer base 54 and three wafer transfer arms 55, 56, and 57 that can move back and forth along the transfer base 54. It has a size that can pass through the side opening 51 c of the support 51. These wafer transfer arms 55 to 57 can be moved forward and backward independently by a motor and a belt mechanism built in the transfer base 54. The wafer carrier 52 is moved up and down by driving a belt 59 by a motor 58. Reference numeral 40 denotes a driving pulley, and 41 denotes a driven pulley.
[0016]
  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit group 16 includes a low-temperature heating processing unit (LHP) 19, two curing (curing) processing units (DLC) 20, and two aging units ( DAC) 21 is laminated. The processing unit group 17 includes two baking processing units (DLB) 22, a low temperature heating processing unit (LHP) 23, two cooling processing units (CPL) 24, and a delivery unit. The (TRS) 25 and the cooling processing unit (CPL) 26 are stacked. In addition, the delivery part (TRS) 25 can have the function of a cooling plate. The heat treatment units (LHP) 19 and 23, the cure treatment unit (DLC) 20 and the bake treatment unit (DLB) 22 are all accompanied by the heat treatment of the wafer W on the heating plate, and are cooled. Units (CPL) 24 and 26 are cooled by cooling plates. The cure unit (DLC) 20 and the bake unit (DLB) 22 perform heat treatment while supplying an inert gas such as nitrogen gas.
[0017]
  The sub-processing unit 1 b is stacked in two stages on both sides of the transport path 32 and a sub-transport mechanism 33 that is movably provided along a transport path 32 extending from the processing unit group 17 toward the carrier station (CSB) 3. And four high-temperature heat treatment units (HHP) 31 with a cooling function as the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment.
[0018]
  The side cabinet 2 has a bubbler (Bub) 27 for supplying a chemical solution to an upper stage thereof, and a trap (TRAP) 28 for cleaning exhaust gas. In the lower stage, a power supply source (not shown), HMDS and ammonia water (NH₄It has a chemical chamber (not shown) for storing a chemical solution such as OH) and a drain (not shown) for discharging the waste solution.
[0019]
  The carrier station (CSB) 3 carries a wafer carrier (not shown) capable of storing a plurality of (for example, 25) wafers W from another system into this system or from this system to another system, This is for carrying the wafer W between the wafer carrier and the processing station 1, and has a carrier mounting table and a wafer carrying mechanism (both not shown).
[0020]
  In forming an appropriate dielectric film in the SOD system configured as described above, various methods are employed. For example, when an interlayer insulating film is formed by a sol-gel method, a predetermined coating film is applied by one of the coating processing units (SCT) 11 and 12, and then the aging unit (DAC) 21 Aging treatment is performed by supplying, for example, ammonia vaporized by a bubbler (Bub) 27 into the unit, and after the heat treatment in one of the low-temperature heat treatment units (LHP) 19 and 23, the bake treatment unit (DLB) ) 22 to perform the baking process. When an interlayer insulating film is formed by the speed film method, after applying an adhesion promoter in one of the coating processing units (SCT) 11 and 12, a low-temperature heating processing unit (LHP) 19 is applied. , 23, heat treatment is performed in any one of the coating processing units (SCT) 11, 12, and film formation is performed in any one of the heat treatment units (LHP) 19, 23 for low temperature. The heat treatment and the baking treatment in the baking treatment unit (DLB) 22 and the curing treatment in the cure treatment unit (DLC) 20 are performed in this order. Further, when an interlayer insulating film is formed by the Fox method, a predetermined coating film is applied by one of the coating processing units (SCT) 11 and 12, and then the low-temperature heat processing units (LHP) 19 and 23 are applied. Any one of the heat treatment, the baking treatment in the baking treatment unit (DLB) 22 and the curing treatment in the cure treatment unit (DLC) 20 are performed in this order. On the other hand, a ferroelectric memory using a ferroelectric thin film has recently attracted attention as a memory element that operates at low power and high speed and has non-volatile data, and an SOD system has been studied as a manufacturing process thereof. In the SOD system, such a ferroelectric thin film can be formed. In this case, first, one of the coating processing units (SCT) 11 and 12 is applied to the wafer W in the main processing section 1a. After applying a hydrolyzable coating solution in, and performing an aging treatment with an aging unit (DAC) 21 as necessary, heat treatment is performed in one of the low-temperature heat treatment units (LHP) 19 and 23, Next, the wafer W is transferred to the sub-processing unit 1b via the delivery unit (TRS) 25, and is heated to 650 ° C. or higher in the high-temperature heating processing unit with cooling function (HHP) 31 according to the present embodiment. Carry out the baking process in the temperature. The wafer W is appropriately processed in the cooling processing units (CPL) 24 and 26 for the purpose of maintaining the wafer W at a predetermined temperature or for cooling after heating.
[0021]
  The above process is an example, and various processes are applied depending on the type of dielectric film or coating film to be obtained. Among them, the process that needs to be heated to a high temperature is the cooling function of this embodiment. Heat treatment is performed in the attached high temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) 31. In addition, various organic, inorganic, and hybrid materials can be used as the coating film formed by these various methods.
[0022]
  Next, the high temperature heat processing unit (HHP) 31 with a cooling function which is the heat processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a high temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) 31 with a cooling function.
[0023]
  The high-temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) 31 with a cooling function includes a heating unit 31a and a cooling unit 31b.
[0024]
  The heating unit 31aChamber61, a heating plate 62 on which the wafer W is placed and heated, a support ring 63 provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the heating plate 62, and a projecting and retracting manner so as to penetrate the heating plate 62 Three lifting pins 64 and a lifting mechanism 65 that lifts and lowers the lifting pins 64 are provided. The heating plate 62 has a built-in heater and can be heated to a high temperature of about 700 ° C. by the heater.
[0025]
  The heating unit 31 a includes a purge gas supply mechanism 66 that supplies a purge gas into the chamber 61 and an exhaust mechanism 67 that exhausts the chamber 61. The purge gas from the purge gas supply mechanism 66 is introduced into the chamber 61 via the purge gas introduction portion 68 provided on the top wall 61 a of the chamber 61, and the gas in the chamber 61 is provided on the top wall 61 a of the chamber 61. The gas is discharged through the gas discharge unit 74. The purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply mechanism 66 is not particularly limited, but when forming a ferroelectric thin film for a ferroelectric memory, O 2₂And N₂A mixed gas is used.
[0026]
  The purge gas introduction unit 68 has a plurality of air supply ports 69 provided on the entire surface of the lower plate 61b provided in a portion of the top wall 61a facing the heating plate 62. A purge gas introduction port 70 provided at the upper end of the top wall 61a, a purge gas passage 71 extending downward therefrom, and a main gas introduction path 72 and a sub gas introduction shown in FIG. Purge gas is supplied via the path 73. On the other hand, the gas discharge portion 74 has a plurality of exhaust ports 75 provided on the entire surface of the lower plate 61b.Have.The gas sucked from the exhaust port 75 is sent from the auxiliary exhaust passage 77 and the main exhaust passage 76 shown in FIG. 5 to the central passages 78a and 78b, the inner space 79a of the cap member 79 provided at the upper center of the top wall 61a, and The gas is discharged from the top wall 61a through the gas discharge port 80. The air supply ports 69 and the exhaust ports 75 are alternately provided. Here, the exhaust port 75 is configured to be larger than the air supply port 69 and has, for example, a diameter twice that of the air supply port 69. By reducing the air supply port 69 in this way, the air supply speed can be increased and the purge gas can effectively reach the wafer W.
[0027]
  The detailed structure of the purge gas introduction part 68 and the gas discharge part 74 is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing the lower plate 61 b of the ceiling wall 61 a of the chamber 61. As shown in this figure, the purge gas introduction part 68 includes a main gas introduction path 72 extending linearly in the horizontal direction from the introduction part 71a of the purge gas passage 71 at the end in the lower plate 61b to the vicinity of the center, and this main gas introduction. A plurality of auxiliary gas introduction passages 73 extending concentrically in the lower plate 61b from the passage 72 and provided with the plurality of air supply ports 69 are provided. On the other hand, the gas discharge part 74 has a main exhaust passage 76 extending linearly in the horizontal direction from the suction port 78c of the passage 78a through which the exhaust gas at the center of the lower plate 61b passes, and a concentric circle in the lower plate 61b from the main exhaust passage 76. And a plurality of auxiliary exhaust passages 77 provided with a plurality of the exhaust ports 75. The auxiliary gas introduction passage 73 and the auxiliary exhaust passage 77 are alternately arranged. The main gas introduction path 72 and the main exhaust path 76 are in a straight line so as to correspond to the diameters of the concentric sub gas introduction path 73 and the sub exhaust path 77. Since the exhaust port 75 is configured to be larger than the air supply port 69 as described above, the auxiliary exhaust passage 77 is wider than the auxiliary gas introduction passage 73.
[0028]
  A middle plate 61c whose center is hollowed out in a disk shape is provided on the lower plate 61b in the top wall 61a of the chamber 61, and a disk-shaped trap mechanism 82 is provided in the central space of the middle plate 61c. ing. Spaces 81 and 83 are provided below and above the trap mechanism 82, respectively. Exhaust gas that has reached the space 81 via a passage 78a extending upward from the main exhaust passage 76 passes through the trap mechanism 82 and passes through the trap mechanism 82. The sublimated materials are trapped. The exhaust gas that has passed through the trap mechanism 82 reaches from the space 83 to a passage 78b extending upward. The trap mechanism 82 is a cartridge type and can be easily attached and detached.
[0029]
  Above the middle plate 61c in the ceiling wall 61a of the chamber 61, there is provided an upper plate 61d in which a refrigerant channel 84 through which a refrigerant such as cooling water flows is formed. On the other hand, a refrigerant introduction port 85 and a refrigerant discharge port 86 are provided at the bottom of the chamber 61, and the refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant introduction port 85 passes through the refrigerant flow path 84 of the upper plate 61d from the refrigerant discharge port 86. The refrigerant is discharged and circulated, whereby the trap mechanism 82 is cooled. As the trap mechanism 82 is cooled in this manner, the sublimation product is cooled and solidified easily, and the sublimation product can be trapped more effectively.
[0030]
  A support block 88 that supports a reflector (reflector) 63 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 61, and a heater that heats the heating plate 62 from the heating plate 62 through the reflector 63 and the bottom wall of the chamber 61. A cable protection tube 89 through which a cable 89a (not shown) passes is provided, and the heater cable 89a is connected to a heater power supply 90.
[0031]
  A wafer loading / unloading port 87 is provided in a portion of the side wall of the chamber 61 on the cooling unit 31b side,ChamberThe wafer W is carried into and out of 61.
[0032]
  A gate shutter chamber 91 is connected to the side wall of the chamber 61 where the wafer loading / unloading port 87 is provided. In the gate shutter chamber 91, a first wafer passage hole 92 is provided at a position corresponding to the wafer loading / unloading port 87, and a second wafer passage hole 93 is provided on the opposite side. A gate shutter 94 is provided inside the gate shutter chamber 91 so that the wafer loading / unloading port 87 can be opened and closed. The gate shutter 94 moves a piston 95 up and down by a cylinder 96 provided below the gate shutter chamber 91. Thus, the gate shutter 94 is opened and closed.
[0033]
  The cooling unit 31bChamber101, a cooling plate 102 for placing and cooling the wafer W, a support member 103 for supporting the cooling plate 102, and three elevating pins 104 provided so as to protrude and retract so as to penetrate the cooling plate 102, And an elevating mechanism 105 for elevating the elevating pins 104. The cooling plate 102 is provided with a refrigerant flow path (not shown) through which refrigerant such as cooling water flows, and a refrigerant introduction pipe 107 and a refrigerant discharge pipe 108 connected to the refrigerant flow path are provided below the cooling plate 102. Is provided. Then, refrigerant such as cooling water is supplied from the refrigerant introduction pipe 107 to the refrigerant flow path, and the refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe 108 so that the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant flow path and controls the cooling plate 102 to a predetermined temperature. It has become.
[0034]
  A shower plate 109 is provided along the horizontal direction in the upper part of the chamber 101, and a number of gas discharge holes are formed in the shower plate 109. A purge gas introduction port 111 for introducing purge gas is formed on the upper surface of the chamber 101, and a purge gas supply mechanism 112 is connected to the purge gas introduction port 111. Then, a purge gas such as O 2 is supplied from the purge gas supply mechanism 112.₂And N₂Is introduced into the chamber 101. Specifically, the purge gas is first introduced into the space 113 between the top wall of the chamber 101 and the shower plate 109, and the purge gas in the space 113 is uniformly discharged downward through the gas discharge holes 110 of the shower plate 109. The An exhaust port 114 is provided in the bottom wall of the chamber 101, and an exhaust mechanism 115 is connected to the exhaust port 114. Then, the inside of the chamber 101 is exhausted through the exhaust port 114 by the exhaust mechanism 115.
[0035]
  A guide rail 116 is horizontally provided between the shower plate 109 and the cooling plate 102 in the chamber 101, and a slider 118 to which a wafer holding arm 117 is attached is movable along the guide rail 116. Yes. The wafer holding arm 117 is made of ceramic such as AlN, and is horizontally arranged with a few mm distance from the cooling plate 102. Then, the wafer holding arm 117 moves the slider 118 along the guide rail 116 by a driving mechanism (not shown) while holding the wafer W, thereby moving the wafer W to the chamber 101 of the cooling unit 31b and the chamber 61 of the heating unit 31a. Can be transported between the two.
[0036]
  A wafer transfer port 119 is formed in the side wall of the chamber 101 on the heating unit 31a side, and the wafer W is transferred between the cooling unit 31b and the heating unit 31a via the wafer transfer port 119. .
[0037]
  The loading / unloading of the wafer W to / from the high-temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) 31 with a cooling function is performed by the sub-transfer mechanism 33 through a wafer loading / unloading port (not shown) provided in the chamber 101 of the cooling unit 31b.
[0038]
  Next, the operation of the high-temperature heat treatment unit with cooling function (HHP) 31 configured as described above will be described. First, the wafer W is loaded from the loading / unloading port of the cooling unit 31b. At this time, the wafer holding arm 117 is positioned immediately above the cooling plate 102 in the chamber 101 of the cooling unit 31b, and the lifting pins 104 are projected, and the wafer W is moved by the sub-transport mechanism 33 as shown in FIG. Is placed on the lift pins 104, and then the lift pins 104 are lowered to place the wafer W on the wafer holding arm 117.
[0039]
  Subsequently, the gate shutter 94 of the gate shutter chamber 91 is opened and the wafer holding arm 117 on which the wafer W is placed is transferred into the chamber 61 of the heating unit 31a, and is positioned directly above the heating plate 62 as shown in FIG. Then, the lift pins 64 are raised to place the wafer W on the lift pins 64. Then, by retracting the wafer holding arm 117, closing the gate shutter 94, and lowering the elevating pins 64, the wafer W is placed on the heating plate 62 as shown in FIG.
[0040]
  At this time, built-inheaterThus, the heating plate 62 is heated to a high temperature of about 600 to 700 ° C., for example, and thermal convection is generated in the space in the chamber 61. Then, the purge gas from the purge gas supply mechanism 66 is introduced into the chamber 61 from the purge gas introduction section 68, and the chamber 61 is exhausted through the gas exhaust section 74 by the exhaust mechanism 67.
[0041]
  At this time, purge gas is supplied from a plurality of air supply ports 69 provided in the top wall 61a of the chamber 61 and exhausted from a plurality of exhaust ports 75 provided alternately with the air supply ports 69. Supply and exhaust can be performed locally. Therefore, even if thermal convection occurs in the chamber 61, the purge gas supplied thereby is less likely to be exhausted without reaching the wafer W, and the influence of the thermal convection is small. Can be supplied.
[0042]
  Further, the purge gas introduction portion 68 is provided with a main gas introduction passage 72 that extends linearly in the horizontal direction, a concentric circle extending from the main gas introduction passage 72 in the lower plate 61b, and a plurality of the air supply ports 69. The gas exhaust part 74 includes a main exhaust passage 76 that extends linearly in the horizontal direction, and a concentric circle extending from the main exhaust passage 76 in the lower plate 61b. Since the auxiliary gas introduction passages 73 and the auxiliary exhaust passages 77 are alternately arranged, the purge gas is supplied more uniformly into the chamber 61. In addition, the exhaust from the chamber 61 can be performed more uniformly and promptly.
[0043]
  In this case, since the amount of gas supplied to the auxiliary gas introduction path 73 extending from the main gas introduction path 72 decreases as it goes to the tip, it goes to the tip of the auxiliary gas introduction path 73 as shown in FIG. It is preferable that the diameter of the air intake port 69 is increased, or the interval between the air supply ports 69 is narrowed toward the tip of the auxiliary gas introduction path 73 as shown in FIG. As a result, the purge gas can be supplied more uniformly in the chamber 61.
[0044]
  On the other hand, the exhaust gas sucked from the exhaust port 75 passes through the sub exhaust passage 77, the main exhaust passage 76, the passage 78a, and the space 81 to the trap mechanism 82, where sublimates and the like in the exhaust gas are trapped. In this case, since the trap mechanism 82 is detachably provided in the top wall 61a of the chamber 61, it is only necessary to remove and clean the trap mechanism 82 during maintenance, and it is not necessary to clean the piping or the like. is there. Therefore, maintainability is high. In addition, since a coolant such as cooling water is passed through the ceiling wall 61a of the chamber 61, the trap mechanism 82 is cooled, and the sublimated material is quickly cooled and becomes a solid in the trap mechanism 82. High trapping efficiency.
[0045]
  A heat insulating material may be provided between the lower plate 61b and the trap mechanism 82 in the chamber 61 and between the lower plate 61b and the middle plate 61c. This prevents a temperature drop of the lower plate 61b due to the thermal effect of the middle plate 61c and the trap mechanism 82 in the cooled chamber 61, and prevents the sublimate from being cooled and solidified in the exhaust port 75. Can do.
[0046]
  After the heat treatment is completed as described above, the wafer W is lifted by the lift pins 64, the gate shutter 94 is opened, the wafer holding arm 117 enters again into the chamber 61 of the heating unit 31a, and the wafer is placed thereon. W is placed. In this case, the wafer W is at a high temperature of about 700 ° C. However, since the wafer holding arm 117 is made of ceramic, damage due to heat does not occur.
[0047]
  Next, the wafer holding arm 117 that has received the wafer W is moved into the chamber 101 of the cooling unit 31b, and the gate shutter 94 is closed. In the chamber 101, a purge gas introduced from the purge gas supply mechanism 112 through the purge gas inlet 111, for example, O₂And N₂Gas is discharged downward from the gas discharge hole 110 of the shower plate 109 and exhausted through the exhaust port 114 by the exhaust mechanism 115, thereby maintaining a clean purge gas atmosphere. In this state, the wafer holding arm 117 is maintained. The upper wafer W is positioned immediately above the cooling plate 102, and the wafer W is cooled by the cold heat of the cooling plate 102.
[0048]
  Thus, since the wafer W is cooled by the cooling unit 31b, even when the wafer W is heated to a high temperature of 700 ° C., the wafer W can be transferred to the next process without any trouble in the sub-transfer mechanism 33. Further, since the cooling is performed while being placed on the wafer holding arm 117, the process is simplified. In this case, since the wafer holding arm 117 is located a few millimeters directly above the cooling plate 102, the cooling efficiency is kept high.
[0049]
  After the cooling of the wafer W is completed, the lift pins 104 are lifted to lift the wafer W, the sub-transfer mechanism 33 is inserted directly under the wafer W from a loading / unloading port (not shown), and the lift pins 104 are lowered to move the sub-transfer. The wafer W is placed on the mechanism 33, the wafer W is unloaded, and the process in the high-temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) 31 with a cooling function is finished.
[0050]
  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the range of the thought of this invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the auxiliary gas introducing passage extending concentrically from the main gas introducing passage and the auxiliary exhaust passage extending concentrically from the main exhaust passage are alternately provided, and the auxiliary gas introducing passage and the auxiliary exhaust passage are respectively supplied with air. Although the opening and the exhaust port are provided, the present invention is not limited to this, and any structure can be applied as long as a plurality of air supply ports and exhaust ports are alternately provided. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although this invention was applied to the high temperature heat processing unit which has a cooling function, a cooling function is not necessarily required. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example of the purge gas as the gas supplied into the chamber has been described. However, the gas is not limited to this, and may be a gas intended for other processing. Furthermore, the substrate to be processed is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be another substrate such as an LCD substrate.
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the present invention, gas is supplied from a plurality of air supply ports provided in the top wall of the chamber, and is exhausted from a plurality of exhaust ports provided alternately with the air supply ports. Therefore, gas supply and exhaust can be performed for each local region, and the influence of thermal convection is small, gas can be supplied uniformly into the chamber, and heat treatment can be performed uniformly.
[0052]
  In addition, since the trap mechanism is detachably provided in the gas discharge section provided in the chamber, it is only necessary to remove and clean the trap mechanism during maintenance, and it is not necessary to clean the piping. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of parts to be cleaned and to improve the maintainability.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an SOD system equipped with a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the SOD system of FIG. 1;
3 is a side view schematically showing two unit stacks and a main transport mechanism mounted in the SOD system shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a high-temperature heat treatment unit with cooling function (HHP) which is a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing a detailed structure of a purge gas introduction part and a gas discharge part.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of a high-temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) with a cooling function, which is a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of a high-temperature heat treatment unit with cooling function (HHP) that is a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a preferred example of a sub gas introduction path in a purge gas introduction unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
  1: Processing station
  2; side cabinet
  3: Carrier station (CSB)
  16, 17; processing unit group
  18: Main wafer transfer mechanism (PRA)
  31; High temperature heat treatment unit (HHP) with cooling function (heat treatment device)
  31a; heating unit
  31b; cooling section
  61; chamber
  61a; sky wall
  62; heating plate
  66; Purge gas supply mechanism
  67; Exhaust mechanism
  68; Purge gas introduction part
  69; inlet
  70; Gas inlet
  71; purge gas passage
  72: Main gas introduction path
  73; Secondary gas introduction path
  74; Gas discharge part
  75; exhaust port
  76; main exhaust passage
  77; Secondary exhaust passage
  78a, 78b; passage
  80; gas outlet
  82; Trap mechanism
  84; Refrigerant flow path
  W: Semiconductor wafer

Claims (6)

A heating plate for placing and heating the substrate;
A chamber containing the heating plate;
A gas supply mechanism for supplying a predetermined gas into the chamber;
An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the chamber;
A gas introduction unit for introducing gas from the gas supply mechanism into the chamber;
A gas discharge section for discharging the gas in the chamber;
Comprising
The gas introduction part includes a gas introduction port for introducing gas into the top wall of the chamber;
A main gas introduction path extending linearly in the horizontal direction from the gas introduction port in the top wall;
A secondary gas introduction path that extends concentrically from the main gas introduction path within the top wall of the chamber and is provided with a plurality of air supply ports,
The gas discharge unit includes a gas discharge port for discharging the gas in the chamber from the top wall of the chamber,
A main exhaust passage extending horizontally in the top wall from a gas passage communicating with the gas outlet;
A sub-exhaust passage extending concentrically from the main exhaust passage in the top wall of the chamber, and having a plurality of exhaust ports;
The heat treatment apparatus, wherein the auxiliary gas introduction path and the auxiliary exhaust path are alternately arranged. The gas introduction port is provided in a peripheral portion of the ceiling wall of the chamber, and the main gas introduction path extends from the gas introduction port to a substantially center of the ceiling wall of the chamber,
The gas passage communicating with the gas exhaust port is provided at substantially the center of the top wall of the chamber, and the main exhaust passage extends from a peripheral portion of the top wall of the chamber to the gas passage. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 . 3. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply port has a diameter that increases toward a tip of the auxiliary gas introduction path. 4. 4. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an interval between the air supply ports becomes narrower toward a tip of the auxiliary gas introduction path. 5. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the exhaust port is larger than the air supply port. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a trap mechanism that is detachably provided in the gas discharge unit.

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