JPH09184767A - Temperature measuring tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continuously measure temperature by traveling in an oven even if the pressure in the oven is reduced. SOLUTION: A temperature measuring tool 21 is in double pipe structure consisting of an outer pipe 37 and an inner pipe 36. The lower edge part of the outer pipe 37 is airtightly fixed to a port member 23A which is the mounting port to a reaction room, for example, via an O ring 38 and the upper part is erected along the inner wall of the reaction room. The reaction room is surrounded by a heater 13. The inner pipe 36 is provided in the outer pipe 37 so that it can freely move up and down and a thermocouple 35 is fixed in the inner pipe 36. By moving the inner pipe 36 up and down, the vertical sectional temperature in the room can be continuously measured even if the pressure in the reaction room is reduced. The process temperature can be set in details based on the measured values.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a temperature measuring jig used in, for example, an annealing furnace, a diffusion furnace, a CVD furnace or the like, and more particularly to improvement of a temperature measuring jig using a thermocouple.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor manufacturing process includes many oxidation and diffusion steps. The oxidation / diffusion device is mainly used for oxidation and annealing. This oxidation / diffusion device
It is composed of a heater, a gas system, an exhaust system, a wafer transfer unit, and a controller, centering on the reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is surrounded by a heater, and the temperature is controlled by a controller so that the temperature profile in the reaction chamber becomes uniform. A temperature measuring jig using a thermocouple has been used to measure the temperature inside the reaction chamber. In this case, the conventional temperature measuring jig is shown in FIG.
Was configured as shown in.

That is, the temperature measuring jig used in the vertical apparatus is a port member 4 which forms an insertion port at the bottom of the reaction furnace.
1 has a protective tube (outer tube) 42 inserted into the furnace from 1,
A thermocouple 43 is housed inside the protective tube 42.
Therefore, the thermocouple 4 is removed from the furnace atmosphere by the protective tube 42.
3 is blocked and protected. An O-ring 44 is inserted between the inner wall of the port member 41 and the outer surface of the protection tube 42.
It is installed and seals between them. 45 is an O-ring 4
4 is a ferrule to which 4 is attached, and 47 is a nut for fixing the ferrule 45. Further, 48 is a thermocouple wire protection tube, 49 is a heat insulation block, 50 is a protection tube, 5
Reference numeral 1 denotes a thermocouple cable. Therefore, in this temperature measuring jig, the protection tube 42 is connected to the port member 41.
It will be used while it is fixed to. For example, this temperature measuring jig can be used even when the pressure inside the reaction furnace is reduced.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional temperature measuring jig, the temperature inside the furnace could not be measured by moving the jig itself up and down.
This is because if the protective tube is moved up and down, the inside and outside of the furnace cannot be sealed. Therefore, when the inside of the furnace was in a depressurized state, it could not be used for continuous cross-section measurement with this temperature measuring jig.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a temperature measuring jig which can be continuously moved by moving in the furnace even in a depressurized state.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a temperature measuring jig for measuring the temperature inside a closed space, the base of which is hermetically sealed to a mounting port communicating the closed space to the outside. A bottomed tubular outer tube that is attached and has its tip bag-shaped portion inserted into the closed space, and an inner tube that is inserted inside the outer tube so as to be movable along the axial direction of the outer tube, It is a temperature measurement jig provided with a temperature measurement member fixed to an inner pipe.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the inner tube can be moved in the axial direction within the outer tube. As a result, the temperature measuring member (for example, thermocouple) is inside the closed space (for example, in the reaction furnace). It is possible to measure temperatures at multiple locations. At this time, since the inner wall of the mounting port of the sealed space and the outer tube are hermetically sealed, even if the sealed space is under reduced pressure,
It does not hinder the temperature measurement.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a temperature measuring jig according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a temperature measuring jig according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an oxidation / diffusion device to which a temperature measuring jig is attached. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a reaction chamber of the oxidation / diffusion device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical oxidation / diffusion device 11 is composed of a heater 13, a gas system, an exhaust system, a wafer transfer unit, and a controller with a reaction chamber 12 as a center. The heater 13 is configured to surround the reaction chamber 12 and heat it. The gas system and the exhaust system are configured to supply / exhaust reaction gas and the like to / from the reaction chamber 12.
The wafer transfer unit is composed of an elevator 15, an arm 16 and the like. The wafers stored in the storage rack or the like are taken out by the arm 16 or the like and mounted on the boat 17. The boat 17 mounts a plurality of wafers, and the reaction chamber 1
It is charged into the reaction chamber 12 from the lower entrance of 2. Reference numeral 18 is a cap that opens and closes the entrance of the reaction chamber 12. Then, after the wafer is subjected to a predetermined process in the reaction chamber 12, the wafer is unloaded by the elevator 15 or the like. In this case, the temperature inside the reaction chamber 12 is controlled by the controller so that the temperature profile becomes uniform. To measure the temperature inside the reaction chamber 12, a temperature measuring jig 21 using a thermocouple is used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature measuring jig 21 is
It is configured as an elongated cylinder as a whole, and the cap 1
8, the cap receiving ring 22 at the lower end, the furnace port flange 23
It is erected and installed inside the reaction chamber 12 via. That is, the temperature measuring jig 21 has its lower end fixed to the port member 23A fixed to the bottom surface of the furnace port flange 23, and its upper portion forms the inner tube 2 that constitutes the reaction chamber 12.
It is erected along the inner wall of No. 4. The inner tube 24, which is a cylindrical vertical reaction tube, is covered with an outer tube 25. The outer tube 25 corresponds to the heater 1
It is surrounded by the heat generating portion 26 of No. 3. Reference numeral 27 is a heat insulating layer that covers the outside of the heat generating portion 26, and the lower end thereof is the heat insulating block 2
8. Fixed to the heater base 29. In addition, the boat 17 which is erected on the upper surface of the cap 18 is inserted into the inner tube 24. Reference numeral 30 is a heat insulating plate of the cap 18, and 31 is a heat insulating plate holder. Further, 33 is a port for supplying / discharging gas to / from the reaction chamber 12 or the like.

The temperature of the reaction chamber 12, which is a closed space defined by the inner tube 24, is determined by the temperature measuring jig 21.
It is the configuration measured by. This temperature measuring jig 21
As shown in FIG. 1, a thermocouple 35 composed of a pair of strands 34A, 34B, an inner tube 36 that covers and holds the thermocouple 35, and an outer tube 37 that covers the inner tube 36, have. That is, in the temperature measuring jig 21, the thermocouple 35 is doubly covered with the protection tubes 36 and 37,
Even if the inside of the reaction chamber 12 is under reduced pressure, the cross-sectional temperature in the reaction chamber 12 can be continuously measured.

The outer tube 37 is formed as a bottomed cylindrical tube, and its lower end is hermetically fixed to the furnace port flange 23 that closes the inlet portion of the reaction chamber 12 via a port member 23A. . The upper portion of the outer tube 37 is inserted upright inside the reaction chamber 12. Specifically, the O-ring 38 is inserted into the expanded diameter opening of the cylindrical port member 23A inserted and fixed in the opening of the furnace port flange 23, and the O-ring 38 is inserted into the ferrule 39.
By fixing with an O-ring 38 between the outer surface of the outer tube 37 and the inner wall of the diameter-enlarged opening, the space between them is hermetically sealed. In other words, the inside of the reaction chamber 12 and the outside thereof are shut off by the O-ring 38. In addition, the atmosphere inside the outer tube 37 for protecting the thermocouple is set to the reaction chamber 1
It is separated and cut off from 2. The above ferrule 3
9 is fixed to the port member 23A by a nut 40. Further, it goes without saying that means other than the O-ring can be adopted as the airtight sealing member.

Inside the outer tube 37, an inner tube 36, which is substantially the same shape as the outer tube 37 and has a bottomed cylindrical body, is loosely inserted so as to be vertically movable. In this way, at the lower end of the inner pipe 36 inserted into the outer pipe 37, a positioning stopper 40A protruding in a flange shape is formed. Outer tube 37
When the inner pipe 36 moves in the axial direction in the inside of, the upper limit position of the inner pipe 36 is defined by the stopper 40A.

The thermocouple 35 is inserted and fixed inside the inner tube 36. That is, the pair of strands 34A,
A pair of strand protection tubes 52A and 5 each containing 34B inside
2B is inserted into the inner pipe 36 over substantially its entire length.
Fixed. The base end portions of the pair of strand protection tubes 52A and 52B are fixed to the base end portion of the inner pipe 36 by a heat insulating block 53, and are further sealed by a protection tube 54. The strands 34A and 34B are connected to a controller (not shown) via a cable 55.

In the temperature measuring jig 21 having the above construction, the outer tube 37 is inserted into the boat member 23A forming the mounting port, and the nut 40 is tightened through the O-ring 38 and the ferrule 39 so that the furnace It is fixed to the mouth flange 23.
The inner tube 36 loosely inserted into the outer tube 37 is provided with a stopper 40A.
The upper end is positioned in the innermost part (uppermost part) in the outer tube 37. Then, in this state, temperature measurement in the reaction chamber 12 can be performed. Also, the inner pipe 3
6 can be lowered downwards and temperature measurements can be taken. That is, the temperature measuring jig 21 can continuously measure the temperature on the vertical surface in the reaction chamber 12. In this case, even if the pressure inside the reaction chamber 12 is reduced,
Since it is airtightly attached to the furnace port flange 23 via the ring 38, no internal gas leak occurs, and there is no hindrance in temperature measurement while moving the inner pipe 36 up and down. The temperature measurement and the raising / lowering of the boat 17 and the cap 18 can be automatically performed by the controller. In addition, in the present invention, a temperature measuring member other than the thermocouple may be used.

[0016]

According to the present invention, the temperature inside the closed space can be measured at a plurality of positions. For example, the temperature of the reaction chamber can be measured even when the pressure in the reaction chamber is reduced, and the characteristics of the heater for heating the reaction chamber can be determined. Therefore, cross-section heating during the process can be observed using this temperature measuring jig. Further, the detailed temperature setting of the process temperature can be performed based on the measured value.
Therefore, the process wafer area can be increased,
Throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a main part of a temperature measuring jig according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of an oxidation / diffusion device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a reaction chamber portion of an oxidation / diffusion device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a main part of a conventional temperature measuring jig.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 reaction chamber (closed space), 21 temperature measuring jig, 23A port member (mounting port), 35 thermocouple (temperature measuring member), 36 inner tube, 37 outer tube,

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A temperature measuring jig for measuring the temperature inside a sealed space, the base of which is hermetically attached to a mounting port that communicates the sealed space with the outside, and the end bag-shaped portion of which is inside the sealed space. A bottomed tubular outer tube inserted into the inner tube, an inner tube movably inserted into the outer tube along the axial direction of the outer tube, and a temperature measuring member fixed to the inner tube. Temperature measuring jig.