JPH09241843A - Wafer holding boat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an inexpensive wafer holding boat which hardly generates lattice defects on wafers at the time of heating and facilitates the transfer work thereof by providing struts disposed between a lower plate and an upper plate with wafer holding grooves inclined with respect to this lower plate. SOLUTION: The struts 3 erected on the lower plate 1 are inscribed with the holding grooves 8 with and in which the wafers 6 are engaged and held. This wafer holding boat 5 is loaded into a heater and the heat treatment of the wafers 6 is executed. The holding grooves 8 of the wafer holding boat 5 described above are inclined with respect to the lower plate 1. As a result, the perpendicular load of the wafers 6 upon the holding grooves 8 is made smaller and the easy transfer of the wafers by scooping up from below is made possible.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer holding boat used when heating a wafer such as a semiconductor wafer in a heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state in which a conventional wafer holding boat is inserted in a heater, FIG. 3 is a view showing a part of the wafer holding boat shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. -A sectional view, FIG. 5 is a BB sectional view of FIG. As shown in the figure, four columns 3 are provided between the lower plate 1 and the upper plate 2,
A support groove 3 parallel to the lower plate 1 and the upper plate 2 is provided on the column 3,
The semiconductor wafer 6 is held in the holding groove 4, and the wafer holding boat 5 is constituted by the lower plate 1, the upper plate 2, and the support column 3. The wafer holding boat 5 is made of quartz, silicon oxide, or the like. Further, a soaking tube 12 is provided in a heater body 11 composed of a heating element, a reaction tube 13 is provided in the soaking tube 12, and a gas introduction hole 14 is provided above the reaction tube 13 so that the gas introduction hole 1
4 is provided with a gas supply pipe 15 and an exhaust pipe 16 is provided in communication with the inside of the reaction pipe 13, and the heater main body 11, the soaking pipe 12, the reaction pipe 13 and the like constitute a heater 17. Further, a heat insulating material 22 made of quartz wool or the like is provided on an elevating table 21 which is moved up and down in FIG. 2 by a driving device (not shown), and the wafer holding boat 5 is mounted on the heat insulating material 22. There is.

In order to heat the semiconductor wafer 6 using this wafer holding boat 5, first, the heater body 11 is brought to a predetermined temperature, and then the semiconductor wafer 6 is held in the holding groove 4.
The wafer holding boat 5 is placed on the heat insulating material 22, and the lifting plate 2
1 is moved up to the position shown in FIG.
Is inserted into the heater 17, and the gas is introduced into the reaction tube 13 through the gas supply pipe 15 and the gas introduction hole 14,
The semiconductor wafer 6 is heated while exhausting the inside of the reaction tube 13 by the exhaust tube 16. In this case, the soaking tube 12 makes the temperature in the reaction tube 13 uniform and prevents the temperature in the reaction tube 13 from changing abruptly when the temperature of the heater body 11 changes abruptly.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a part of another conventional wafer holding boat, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. As shown in the figure, a plurality of annular holders 7 are attached to the column 3, and the semiconductor wafer 6 is held by the annular holder 7.

[0005]

When the semiconductor wafer 6 is heated by the heater 17 as shown in FIG. 2, when the wafer holding boat 5 holding the semiconductor wafer 6 is inserted into the heater 17, Since the temperature difference between the temperature inside the reaction tube 13 and the temperature of the semiconductor wafer 6 is large, the semiconductor wafer 6 undergoes a rapid temperature change, and the temperature difference between the surface portion and the inside of the semiconductor wafer 6 becomes large, and the semiconductor wafer 6 Warp, and the semiconductor wafer 6 is likely to have lattice defects. In the wafer holding boat 5 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, since the contact area of the semiconductor wafer 6 with the support column 3 is small, a lattice defect is likely to occur from the contact point with the support column 3 due to the weight of the semiconductor wafer 6. The yield of semiconductor devices formed on the semiconductor wafer 6 is reduced.

On the other hand, in the wafer holding boat 5 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, since the contact area of the semiconductor wafer 6 with the annular holder 7 is large, the own weight of the semiconductor wafer 6 is dispersed. Lattice defects are less likely to occur. However, when the semiconductor wafers 6 are transferred one by one from the wafer holding boat 5 to another device or the like, it is not possible to use a transfer machine for picking up the semiconductor wafers 6 from below and holding the semiconductor wafers 6. The transfer work of the semiconductor wafer 6 from the wafer holding boat 5 to another device is troublesome,
Further, since the processing steps of the wafer holding boat 5 are complicated,
Manufacturing cost is high.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. It is difficult for lattice defects to occur when a wafer is heated, the wafer transfer operation can be easily performed, and the manufacturing cost is low. An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer holding boat.

[0008]

To achieve this object, according to the present invention, a wafer holding boat is provided in which a support is provided between a lower plate and an upper plate, and the support groove is provided in the support. The holding groove is inclined with respect to the lower plate.

[0009]

1 is a view showing a part of a wafer holding boat according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the support groove 3 is provided on the support column 3 and is inclined with respect to the lower plate 1.
The semiconductor wafer 6 is held by the semiconductor wafer 6 in this case.
Also tilts with respect to the lower plate 1.

When the semiconductor wafer 6 is held in the wafer holding boat 5 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the peripheral portion of the holding groove 4 of the semiconductor wafer 6, that is, the corner portion between the outer peripheral portion of the column 3 and the holding groove 4. When the semiconductor wafer 6 is heated by the heater 17, a lattice defect is apt to occur in the semiconductor wafer 6 because the vertical load acting on the portion in contact with is large. On the other hand, the wafer holding boat 5 shown in FIG.
When the semiconductor wafer 6 is held on the
Since the vertical load acting on the portion of the holding groove 8 in contact with the peripheral portion of the holding groove 8 becomes small, even when the semiconductor wafer 6 is heated by the heater 17, lattice defects are less likely to occur in the semiconductor wafer 6, so that the semiconductor wafer The yield of the semiconductor device formed in 6 is improved. Moreover, since the wafer holder boat 5 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 does not have the annular holder 7, when the semiconductor wafers 6 are transferred one by one from the wafer holder boat 5 to another device or the like, Since it is possible to use a transfer machine that holds the semiconductor wafer 6 by picking up the semiconductor wafer 6 from below, it is possible to easily transfer the semiconductor wafer 6 from the wafer holding boat 5 to another device or the like. Moreover, since the wafer holding boat 5 is simply processed, the manufacturing cost is low.

[0011]

As described above, in the wafer holding boat according to the present invention, since the vertical load acting on the portion of the wafer holding groove that comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the holding groove is small,
Lattice defects are less likely to occur on the wafer, and since the annular holder is not provided, the wafer transfer operation can be performed easily and the manufacturing cost is low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a part of a wafer holding boat according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state where a conventional wafer holding boat is inserted into a heater.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of the wafer holding boat shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional wafer holding boat.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Lower plate 2 ... Upper plate 3 ... Support post 8 ... Retaining groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A wafer holding boat in which a supporting column is provided between a lower plate and an upper plate, and a retaining groove is provided in the supporting column,
A wafer holding boat, wherein the holding groove is inclined with respect to the lower plate.