JPH08316221A - Heat treatment apparatus of semiconductor substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a heat treatment apparatus by which a gas can be discharged uniformly between semiconductor substrates without requiring a process which optimizes the size and the number of discharge holes in a gas introduction pipe. CONSTITUTION: A gas introduction tube 2 which is installed inside a core tube 1 is U-shaped. Identical discharge holes 10D, 10E are arranged and formed, mutually at identical intervals, in a first rectilinear shape part 2D up to a part 2A which is inserted into the core tube from the bend part 2B of the gas introduction pipe 2 and in a second rectilinear shape part 2E up to the tip 2C from the bend part 2B.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor substrate heat treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to a structure of a gas introduction tube for introducing various gases into a furnace core tube to process the semiconductor substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional heat treatment apparatus is shown in FIG. Same figure,
(A) is a vertical cross-sectional view, (B) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the portion indicated by the alternate long and short dash line (A) in the direction of the arrow, (C) is (A)
It is a front view of the gas introduction pipe which looked at the direction of the arrow from the portion shown by the dashed-dotted line C.

A heat-insulating cylinder 8 for keeping the inside of the furnace core tube warm, and a support base 3 mounted on the heat-insulating cylinder 8 and supporting a large number of semiconductor substrates (semiconductor wafers) 4 at regular intervals are lifted by an elevator 7. The gas is introduced into the furnace core tube 12 into which the gas introduction tube 12 is introduced. Further, a motor 9 for rotating the support base 3 is provided, and the furnace core tube 12 including the semiconductor substrate therein is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 6 via the soaking tube 5.

After the support base 3 supporting the semiconductor substrate 4 is conveyed into the furnace core tube 1, various kinds of gases required for the treatment are introduced from the gas introduction pipe 2 while the support base 3 is rotated by the motor 9. , The semiconductor substrate 4 maintained at the predetermined temperature
Is processed.

The gas inlet pipe 2 extends upward from the inlet side 12A along the arrangement of the semiconductor substrates 4 and is bent at its upper end into a U-shaped bent portion, and from there, along the arrangement of the semiconductor substrates 4. And extends downward and the lower end is the tip.

In the conventional gas introducing pipe 12, a large number of delivery holes 10 are provided between the bent portion at the upper end and the tip at the lower end, and the gas is delivered toward the semiconductor substrates 4 arranged from there. Was becoming.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional technique of a vertical heat treatment apparatus. Next, a conventional technique of a horizontal heat treatment apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-337629 will be described with reference to FIG.

The boat core 3 in which the furnace core tube 31 is partitioned into a combustion chamber 37 and a processing chamber 38, and a large number of semiconductor substrates 34 are supported and arranged.
3 is placed in the processing chamber 38. Hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are introduced into the combustion chamber 37 through the pipes 39A and 39B, and steam generated therein is introduced into the processing chamber 38 through a steam pipe (corresponding to the gas introduction pipe in FIG. 2) 32. The steam pipe 32 extends in only one direction (from the left side to the right side in the drawing) along the arrangement of the semiconductor substrates 34 from the introduction side 32A, and is provided with a large number of outlet holes 40 toward the semiconductor substrates 34 arranged from there. To bring out steam (gas). Further, the flow-out hole 40 can be made larger as it is farther from the combustion chamber 37, that is, from the left side to the right side in the figure, or the number of steams can be made constant by increasing the number. I am going to do it.

[0009]

In the prior art shown in FIG. 2, the gas introducing tube has a delivery hole only between the bent portion and the tip thereof. The gas flows from the bent part of the gas introduction pipe toward the tip, and the gas in the gas introduction pipe flows to the tip side with pressure loss due to discharge from the bending hole on the bend side. . Therefore, due to this pressure loss, the amount of gas delivered from the delivery hole decreases toward the tip, and as a result, the amount of gas delivered between the arrayed semiconductor substrates becomes uneven.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the prior art in which the size and the number of the outlet holes of the gas introducing pipe are changed according to the pressure loss, there is a problem that a great number of man-hours are required for the optimization. It was

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor capable of uniformly delivering a gas between semiconductor substrates arranged without requiring man-hours for optimizing the size and number of the delivery holes of the gas introduction pipe. It is to provide a heat treatment apparatus for a substrate.

[0012]

A feature of the present invention is that in a heat treatment apparatus for a semiconductor substrate, a furnace core tube is provided with a gas introduction tube, and the gas introduction tube is provided with a delivery hole for delivering a gas. The gas introducing pipe has a bent portion, a first straight-shaped portion from the bent portion to a portion inserted into the furnace core tube, and a second straight-shaped portion from the bent portion to the tip. The heat treatment apparatus for a semiconductor device has a character shape, and the first and second linear portions are provided with arrayed holes of the same size at the same intervals.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, the gas introduction pipe is U-shaped, and the first straight-shaped portion between the bent portion and the tip of the gas introduction pipe, and the gas introduction pipe from the bent portion to the furnace. Since the same outlet holes are formed at the same intervals in both of the second linear portion up to the portion inserted into the core tube, two outlet holes are provided corresponding to each semiconductor substrate. Exists in the
Since the sum of the pressure losses at the locations becomes equal among the semiconductor substrates due to the cancellation, the amount of gas released between the semiconductor substrates becomes equal between the semiconductor substrates. In addition, since the distances and sizes of the emission holes in the first and second linear portions are the same and the amounts of emitted gas are equal among the semiconductor substrates, the size and number of emission holes are optimized for optimization. No more man-hours to change.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a heat treatment apparatus for a semiconductor substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, (A) is a longitudinal sectional view and (B) is a portion shown by a chain line B in (A). Is a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow, and (C) is a front view of the gas introduction pipe in the direction of the arrow in the portion indicated by the alternate long and short dash line C in (A).

Similar to FIG. 2, a support base 3 supporting a large number of semiconductor substrates (semiconductor wafers) 4 horizontally and at a fixed interval from each other provides an upper surface of a heat retaining cylinder 8 for keeping the inside of the furnace core tube 1 warm. And is conveyed to and placed in the furnace core tube 1 by the elevator 7. The furnace core tube 1 including the semiconductor substrate 4 inside is heated by the heater 6 through the soaking tube 5 and maintained at a predetermined constant temperature, and the support table 3 is rotated by the motor 9.
Various gases required for the processing are introduced from the gas introduction tube 2 introduced into the furnace core tube 1 to process the semiconductor substrate 4 maintained at the predetermined temperature.

The gas introduction pipe 2 of the present embodiment has a first linear shape extending upward from the introduction side 2A, which is the portion inserted into the furnace core tube 1, along the arrangement of the semiconductor substrates 4 to the upper end 2B. A portion 2D, a bent portion bent at the upper end 2B, and a second linear portion 2E extending downward from the bent portion along the arrangement of the semiconductor substrate 4 to the tip of the lower end 2C, and U is formed as a whole. It is shaped like a letter.

Gas delivery holes 10D having a constant size and a constant size are formed in an array at the first linear portion 2D at the gas rising portion between the introduction side 2A and the upper end 2B. The second straight-shaped portion 2E, which is a gas descending portion between the lower end 2C and the lower end 2C, has the same spacing as the spacing between the gas outlet holes 10D in the first linear portion 2D and the same size as the gas outlet holes 10D. The gas outlet holes 10E are arranged at regular intervals and of the same size.

With such a structure, a pressure loss is generated toward the lower end 2C in the second linear portion 2E between the bent portion (upper end) 2B and the tip (lower end) 2C, but the pressure loss is lower than the lower end. In the first linear portion 2D between the introduction side 2A and the bent portion (upper end) 2B, pressure loss occurs toward the upper end 2B. Since the respective outlet holes 10D and 10E have the same interval and the same size, the pressure loss has the same ratio.

As a result, the delivery holes at the positions corresponding to the respective semiconductor substrates supported by the support base are provided between the bent portion and the tip of the gas introducing pipe and from the bent portion to the furnace core tube. It exists in two places up to the inserted part, and that 2
Since the sum of the pressure losses at the locations becomes equal among the semiconductor substrates due to the cancellation, the amount of gas released between the semiconductor substrates becomes equal between the semiconductor substrates. Therefore, for example, in the heat treatment for exposing the oxidizing gas, the oxide film formed on each semiconductor substrate 4 has a uniform film thickness between the semiconductor substrates.

Although the vertical heat treatment apparatus has been described in the above embodiment, the same effect can be obtained with the horizontal heat treatment apparatus.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the U-shaped gas introduction pipe is provided in the furnace core tube, and the gas introduction pipe is provided with the gas introduction pipe from the bent portion to the tip and from the bent portion. Since the holes having the same size (the same diameter) are provided at the same intervals up to the portion inserted into the tube, the amount of gas emitted between the semiconductor substrates becomes equal, and the semiconductor substrates The uniformity of processing can be improved and the product yield can be improved.

Further, since it is not necessary to change the size and number of the holes of the gas introduction pipe in order to make them uniform according to the pressure loss, there is an effect that a great number of man-hours for optimization can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are diagrams showing a semiconductor substrate heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view, and FIG. Cross-section view,
(C) is a front view of the gas introduction pipe as viewed in the direction of the arrow from the portion shown by the dashed line C in (A).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional heat treatment apparatus,
Is a vertical cross-sectional view, (B) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the portion shown by the dashed line B in (A) in the direction of the arrow, and (C) is the direction of the arrow shown by the dashed line C in (A). It is a front view of the gas introduction pipe which looked at.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing another conventional heat treatment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Furnace core tube 2 Gas introduction tube 2A Gas introduction tube introduction side 2B Gas introduction tube bend (upper end) 2C Gas introduction tube tip (lower end) 2D Gas introduction tube first linear portion (gas rising point) 2E 2nd linear shape part of gas introduction pipe (gas descending part) 3 Support stand 4 Semiconductor substrate 5 Heat equalizing pipe 6 Heater 7 Elevator 8 Heat retaining cylinder 9 Motors 10, 10D, 10E Exhaust hole 12 Gas introduction pipe 12A Gas introduction pipe Introducing side 31 Furnace core tube 32 Steam piping (gas introducing tube) 32A Steam piping introducing side 33 Boat 34 Semiconductor substrate 37 Combustion chamber 38 Processing chambers 39A, 39B piping 40 Kaba exit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heat treatment apparatus for a semiconductor substrate, wherein a gas introduction tube is provided in a furnace core tube, and a gas delivery hole for delivering a gas is formed in the gas introduction tube. It has a U-shaped shape having a first linear shape portion from the bent portion to a portion inserted into the furnace core tube and a second linear shaped portion from the bent portion to the tip, and A heat treatment apparatus for a semiconductor device, wherein the first and second linearly shaped portions are formed with arrayed holes having the same size with each other.