JPH10120486A - Large-bore crucible turnover apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a large-bore crucible turnover apparatus that can turn over relatively simply even a larger crucible than conventional ones without fear of contamination of the contents. SOLUTION: This large-bore crucible turnover apparatus comprises a mount base 1 on which a crucible is placed with its opening down, a crucible fixing means that fixes the crucible in contact with the outside surface of the crucible except the middle part of the crucible, a mount base turning means 9 which turns the mount base 1 together with the crucible fixing means, and a mount base lifting means 10 which lifts or lowers the mount base 9 together with the crucible fixing means, the crucible fixing means being further provide with a crucible retaining means that holds the crucible in forced contact with the outside surface of the crucible except the middle part of the outside bottom surface and a lifting means that relatively moves this crucible retaining means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reversing device for reversing a crucible used for manufacturing a semiconductor single crystal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of growing a silicon single crystal, a floating zone melting method (FZ method) and a Czochralski method (CZ method) have been used. The FZ method is a method in which the lower end of a polycrystalline silicon rod is heated and melted by a heater, and a silicon single crystal is grown using a seed crystal.
The method is to manually load a polycrystalline silicon lump or granular polycrystalline silicon into a crucible in a furnace, then melt in the crucible,
This is a method of pulling up a silicon single crystal while growing it using a seed crystal.

In general, silicon single crystals (hereinafter, referred to as CZ silicon) formed by the CZ method are mainly used as silicon single crystals used for semiconductor devices in terms of mechanical strength due to impurity oxygen and superiority in heat-induced defects. ing.

[0004]

However, since device chips are manufactured by a batch process, silicon wafers are always required to have a large diameter from the viewpoint of manufacturing yield and the like. Therefore, the possibility of realizing a so-called large-diameter CZ silicon of 16 inches (about 40 cm) larger than 12 inches (about 30 cm) is being explored.

For example, when manufacturing a large-diameter CZ silicon of 16 inches (about 40 cm), the weight of the raw material is more than double as compared with the conventional manufacturing of a 12-inch (about 30 cm) CZ silicon which is said to be the maximum diameter. Therefore, the volume of the conventional quartz crucible is too small and is unsuitable. Therefore, it has been studied to newly design and manufacture a large quartz crucible and a pulling furnace for a 16-inch crystal and grow a semiconductor single crystal by the CZ method.

However, when a larger crucible and a pulling furnace such as a large quartz crucible and a pulling furnace for a 16-inch crystal are used, various problems occur. One of them is the following difficulty.

In manufacturing a semiconductor single crystal, the inner surface of a quartz crucible to be used, particularly, is sufficiently washed and dried.
When the drying step is completed, the quartz crucible is usually in a state in which the inner surface is turned down. Therefore, when this is used in a semiconductor single crystal manufacturing process, it is necessary to turn the quartz crucible upside down and make the opening upward, and then fit the graphite crucible into the graphite crucible. Due to the extremely heavy weight, it is very difficult to turn over manually as in the past. Also, it is very difficult to fit such a large quartz crucible into a graphite crucible after the reversal without inverting the quartz crucible.

That is, since the quartz crucible used for the production of semiconductor crystals by the conventional CZ method has such a weight that it can be handled by hand, it can be turned over manually using clean gloves or the like for preventing contamination. Although it is possible, quartz crucibles larger than conventional crucibles, such as those for 16-inch crystals, are heavier than such conventional quartz crucibles, and it is very difficult to invert them manually. Even if the quartz crucible can be turned over, the upper part of the quartz crucible must be held by hand when it is subsequently fitted into the graphite crucible. In addition, quartz crucibles are fragile,
In the worst case, it is conceivable that an impact may occur during handling operation for inverting the quartz crucible and the quartz crucible may be broken.

From the above, in the present invention, the so-called 16
It is an object of the present invention to provide a crucible reversing device that can relatively easily reverse a crucible larger than a conventional crucible for an inch crystal without fear of contamination. Also, the present invention
For example, another object is to provide a crucible reversing device in which a first crucible, such as a quartz crucible and a graphite crucible, and a second crucible that covers the outside of the first crucible can be superposed well.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a second crucible is placed on a first crucible arranged in a state where the inner surface is laid down, and a second crucible is placed on the inner surface. A mounting table for stacking and mounting the first crucible and the second crucible on the mounting table in contact with a portion of the second crucible on the mounting table except for a central portion of an outer bottom surface of the mounting table; Fixing means for fixing, turning means for turning the first and second crucibles fixed on the mounting table by the fixing means for each mounting table, and mounting table elevating for raising and lowering the mounting table for each turning means Holding means for holding the first crucible and the second crucible with the mounting table in contact with a portion other than the center of the outer bottom surface of the second crucible,
A holding mechanism for moving the holding member relative to the outer surface of the second crucible mounted on the mounting table.

That is, the large-diameter crucible reversing device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a mounting table on which the first crucible is mounted, and the mounting table has a first surface with its inner surface turned down. The size is suitable for placing a crucible. still,
In the present invention, the first crucible is, for example, a crucible made of a material suitable for melting a polycrystalline semiconductor material such as quartz, and the second crucible is a first crucible such as graphite. This is a crucible made of a material suitable for protecting the crucible. Of course, the materials of the first crucible and the second crucible of the present invention are not limited to these.

Further, when a groove 1a having the same size as the opening end of the first crucible as shown in FIG. 2 is formed at the place where the first crucible is mounted on the mounting table, the first crucible is formed. It is preferable because it does not shift. In this case, if a guide ring having a concave cross section is provided so as to be detachable, the guide ring can be removed and washed. For example, when the first crucible after washing is placed on the crucible, dirt accumulated in the groove may occur. There is no risk of the first crucible being contaminated. Such a guide ring may be formed of, for example, a material that does not contaminate the first crucible after cleaning, such as Teflon. Of course, if the size of the guide ring is changed, it is preferable because there is no trouble such as replacing the mounting table according to the size of the first crucible.

Further, the large-diameter crucible reversing device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a device in which a first crucible is fitted into a second crucible between a mounting table and the second crucible (hereinafter simply referred to as a crucible. A simple crucible in the figure indicates a first crucible fitted into a second crucible.) The fixing device has a fixing means for firmly fixing the first crucible.

The fixing means includes a holding member for holding the first crucible and the second crucible between the mounting table and the second crucible in contact with a portion other than the center of the outer bottom surface of the second crucible; A holding mechanism for moving the member relative to the outer surface of the second crucible mounted on the mounting table. If a shock absorbing material such as a rubber sheet or a soft plastic sheet is disposed between the holding member and the second crucible, the crucible may be displaced between the holding member and the mounting table, or the holding member may move the crucible to the mounting table. This is preferable because it is possible to prevent the crucible from being cracked by an extra force applied when pressed against the crucible.

The holding member has a shape that matches the outer surface of the second crucible when the holding member is disposed at a position in contact with the outer surface except for the center of the outer bottom surface of the second crucible. That is, after the apparatus of the present invention raises the opening of the crucible, the holding portion of the transfer device for transferring the crucible such as a trolley engages with the center of the outer bottom surface of the second crucible. The member is provided with a second holding portion of the transfer device so as not to prevent the engagement at that time.
The crucible is fixed to the mounting table in contact with a region other than the region where the crucible is engaged.

Preferably, of the outer surface area of the second crucible, a portion where the holding portion of the transfer device such as a trolley and the second crucible are engaged, and a state where the transfer device is engaged with the second crucible. It is preferable that the shape be adjusted to the outer surface area of the second crucible excluding the portion through which the holding portion of the transfer device passes when moved.

As such a holding member, two symmetrical curved surface members which partially match the outer surface of the second crucible are arranged to face each other, and these two curved surface members hold down the outer surface of the second crucible. One in which the crucible is fixed to a mounting table is exemplified.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the two curved surface members are fixed to the crucible, a portion that comes into contact with the crucible is a region where a holding portion such as a bogie is engaged with the second crucible and the holding portion. There is a configuration in which the outer surface of the second crucible is partially covered so as to be outside the region for passing the portion.

Further, as another configuration, when the two curved surface members are fixed to the crucible, the holding portion of the bogie or the like covers the entire side surface region other than the region engaged with the second crucible. Can be In this case, when the holding portion of the bogie or the like is engaged with the crucible whose opening is turned upside down, the lifting mechanism lowers the two curved members to release the pressing on the crucible, and the two curved members are It is preferable to rotate and divide each side and release the contact with the crucible, because the holding portion such as the carriage can move while holding the crucible without being hindered by the two curved surface members. Of course, similarly, the curved surface member having the former configuration may have a configuration in which the two curved surface members are divided into right and left, respectively, and the present invention is not limited to these configurations.

The holding mechanism moves the holding member relative to the outer surface of the second crucible on the mounting table, thereby setting the holding member between a fixed state and a released state. That is, when the holding mechanism moves the holding member so as to move away from the outer surface of the second crucible on the mounting table,
Since the fixing to the crucible is released, the holding member is released, and conversely, when the holding member is moved so as to be in contact with the outer surface of the second crucible on the mounting table, the crucible is fixed on the mounting table. It becomes a fixed state.

An example of such a holding mechanism is an elevating mechanism that moves the holding member up and down with respect to the mounting table. This elevating mechanism raises and lowers the holding member and fixes the holding member at a height position in contact with the outer surface of the second crucible. That is, the pressing force against the crucible can be adjusted by the position of the holding member determined by the elevating mechanism.

Further, as another structure, a turning mechanism for turning the holding member away from the crucible,
A rocking mechanism for rocking the holding member with respect to the crucible may be used. Of course, the present invention is not limited to such.

Further, when the mounting table is turned upside down and the opening of the crucible is turned upward and the crucible is held by the holding portion of the device for receiving the crucible, the holding mechanism separates the holding member from the second crucible. It is arranged so as not to obstruct the work such as handing over.

In the large-diameter crucible reversing device of the present invention, since the crucible is held between the mounting table and the holding table by such a holding member, the crucible is hardly displaced on the mounting table, and Even after that, the first crucible and the second crucible can be firmly fixed to the mounting table in a state of being overlapped. for that reason,
A favorable arrangement relationship can always be achieved without inconvenience such as the first crucible being inclined with respect to the second crucible.

Further, since the holding member is configured so as not to interfere with the cart or the like that receives and transports the crucible whose opening is turned upside down, the crucible is transported from the apparatus of the present invention. There is also an advantage that the crucible can be easily transferred to a device such as a bogie.

The holding mechanism for moving the holding member relative to the crucible is composed of a simple drive device such as an electric motor, and the operation determines the position of the holding member.

For example, a button or a lever for controlling the elevating state is provided, and the distance between the position of the holding member and the outer surface of the crucible is measured by eye, and at the same time, the position of the holding member is controlled by controlling the button or the lever. It may be a configuration that determines
A configuration may be adopted in which a distance sensor or the like is attached to the holding member, the distance to the outer bottom surface of the second crucible is measured using the distance sensor, and the holding mechanism moves the holding member up and down based on the obtained measurement value. .

Further, the large diameter crucible reversing device is provided with a turning means for turning the mounting table. The turning means may be configured to be able to be turned manually, or may be configured to be turned by a driving mechanism such as a motor. The turning means may turn the mounting table over 360 degrees. However, if the mounting table can be turned only up to 180 degrees, the crucible is received by a device such as a truck that receives the crucible. This is preferable because the crucible is less likely to be inclined when handing.

The large-diameter crucible reversing device includes fixing means for holding the crucible and elevating means for elevating and lowering the mounting table together with the turning means, and the elevating means comprises a cylinder device utilizing hydraulic pressure, air pressure or the like. , A link device, a gear device using a motor, or the like.

The elevating means includes, for example, a first crucible and a second crucible.
When mounting the crucible on the mounting table, the mounting table was lowered to the lowest position to facilitate mounting, or the turning means turned the mounting table 180 degrees and the opening of the crucible was turned upward. At that time, the height position is adjusted so that the crucible is arranged at a predetermined position. Control of the lifting speed of this lifting means
The configuration may be such that the operator can control with a button or a lever or the like, or may be configured to perform automatic control using a computer or the like.

In the large-diameter crucible reversing device according to the present invention, the turning of the mounting table and the adjustment of the height position are enabled by the turning means and the elevating means, respectively. May be provided.

That is, the crucible is delivered by a crucible receiving device such as a trolley or the like, and the height of the holding portion of the receiving device is set in this control means in advance, and when the mounting table is turned, If the configuration is such that the control is automatically performed to the set height position, it is possible to prevent accidents such as collision with other devices or people due to the position of the mounting table being too low when the mounting table is turned. As a result, it is possible to achieve a high security.

Of course, the height position of the crucible that has been turned can always be controlled to an appropriate position for the holding member of the device for receiving the crucible, so that the height position of the crucible is controlled by the operator by eye. Accurate adjustment enables quick crucible delivery.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the large diameter crucible reversing device according to the first aspect, the fixing means rotates the holding member in a direction in which the holding member is separated from an outer surface of the second crucible. It is characterized by having.

That is, when the large-diameter crucible reversing device passes the crucible to the device that receives the crucible, the holding member that contacts the outer surface of the second crucible and holds the crucible may hinder the delivery of the crucible. In the crucible reversing device of the present invention, a turning mechanism for turning the holding member is provided in the fixing means. With this turning mechanism, the holding member is turned in a direction away from the outer surface of the second crucible, and is disposed at a position that does not hinder the delivery of the crucible, so that a good crucible delivery operation can always be performed.

As a structure of such a turning means, for example, a single plate-shaped holding member having an opening at the center and having a cutout for passing through the shaft of the holding member is provided on the outer surface of the second crucible. Things that turn away from you,
An example is one in which two symmetric curved surface members that are aligned with the outer surface of the second crucible are respectively rotated in directions away from each other.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, in the large-diameter crucible reversing device according to claim 1, the fixing means moves the holding member in parallel in a direction in which the holding member moves away from the outer surface of the second crucible. It has a moving mechanism.

In this case, the parallel moving mechanism moves a single plate-like holding member having an opening at the center portion and having a cut for passing through the shaft of the holding member in a direction away from the outer surface of the second crucible. There is a configuration in which it is moved.

That is, when the mounting table is turned and the opening of the crucible is turned upward, and the crucible is held in the holding portion of the device for receiving the crucible, the holding member is moved to the second crucible by the elevating mechanism provided in the fixing means. Separated from Thereafter, the holding member is moved by the parallel moving mechanism in a direction away from the outer surface of the second crucible so that the shaft portion of the device for receiving the crucible passes through the above-mentioned cut, so that the holding member hinders the delivery of the crucible. Therefore, good crucible delivery work can always be performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the large diameter crucible reversing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, a removable mark provided on an outer surface of the second crucible when the holding member is relatively moved. A member, detecting means for detecting the mark member and outputting the position information thereof, and controlling the fixing means based on an output from the detecting means, wherein the holding member is a predetermined member on the outer surface of the second crucible. And control means for localizing the position.

That is, when the mark member is provided on the outer surface of the second crucible when the holding member is relatively moved and the position of the mark member is detected by the detecting means, the positional relationship between the crucible and the holding member can be more accurately determined. Can be detected. Since this mark member is configured to be removable, it is preferable to remove the mark member before moving to the subsequent raw material melting and bulk lifting processes.

The structure of such a mark member includes a screw-in type and a member that engages with a specific portion of the second crucible. In the former case, the second crucible will be screwed. In the latter case, a specific portion of the second crucible will be processed. It does not matter as long as it does not hinder the melting and bulk pulling processes. Of course, the mark member of the present invention is not limited to these as long as it is configured to be removable from the side surface of the second crucible.

The detection value obtained by the detection means is output to the control means. Based on the detection input by the control means, the holding mechanism and the turning mechanism (or the holding mechanism and the parallel moving mechanism) of the fixing means are used. , And the holding member is accurately arranged at a predetermined outer surface position of the second crucible.

Accordingly, when the crucible is held between the mounting table and the mounting table by the holding means, the holding force is too weak and the position of the crucible is shifted, or conversely, the crucible is too strong and stress is applied to break the crucible. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem, such as being lost. In particular, when the outer surface except for the central portion of the bottom portion is covered by two symmetric curved members which are aligned with the outer surface of the second crucible, the holding member is always located at the alignment position with the outer surface of the second crucible. It is effective because it can be placed.

As a combination of such a mark member and detecting means, a reflector such as a mirror, an optical sensor for irradiating the reflector with light and measuring the light reflected by the reflector,
Examples include a metal plate and a metal detection sensor for detecting the metal plate.

As a specific configuration example, a configuration in which a reflecting mirror is attached to the center of the outer bottom of the crucible and the optical sensor is disposed at a corresponding position between the holding members can be considered. in this case,
It is preferable that the optical sensor is movable so that the optical sensor does not become an obstacle even when the crucible is transferred.
Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the large diameter crucible reversing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the fixing means is provided between the holding member and a holding mechanism, and When the member comes into contact with the second crucible, a load sensor that detects a load applied to the first crucible and the second crucible by the holding member, and based on an output from the load sensor, the holding member And a control means for controlling a height position of the holding member so as to come into contact with the second crucible with a predetermined pressing force.

That is, in the present invention, the load applied to the first crucible and the second crucible by the holding member is detected by the load sensor, and the height position of the holding member by the holding mechanism is controlled based on the obtained result. Shall do.

Thus, when the crucible is held by the holding means between the crucible and the mounting table, the holding force is too weak to shift the position of the crucible. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem such as an error.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the large diameter crucible reversing device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the first crucible is a quartz crucible, and the second crucible is a graphite crucible. It is assumed that there is.

That is, in the present invention, the first crucible is a quartz crucible which is a material suitable for melting the polycrystalline semiconductor raw material. Further, the second crucible is a graphite crucible which is a material suitable for protection and heating of the quartz crucible. This has the advantage that the conventionally used material can be used as it is.

The large-diameter crucible reversing device according to the present invention described above is provided with control means for controlling the operation of all means, such as the elevating state of the fixing means and the height position of the holding portion of the receiving device. If necessary information is set in advance in this control means, the height position of the crucible that has been turned can always be controlled to an appropriate position for the holding member of the device that receives the crucible. Therefore, the height position of the crucible can be adjusted more accurately than when the operator controls the height position by eye measurement. Therefore, the crucible can be quickly delivered and the device can be made highly secure.

In addition, all the inventions described above are particularly large crucibles which are very difficult to be turned over by hand, specifically, a diameter of about 1 to 1.2 m and a height of 0.6 to 0.6 m.
It is most suitable for inverting a crucible having a size of 0.8 m or more.

Further, if the present invention is used for reversing a crucible after cleaning, the crucible may be contaminated before a step of paying the most attention to dust such as a raw material loading step and a bulk pulling step performed after cleaning. This is preferable because it can prevent the

[0055]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention.
And it demonstrates in detail with reference to FIG. 3, However, Of course, this invention is not limited only to this embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view simply showing a large-diameter crucible reversing device according to the present invention. In this figure, a quartz crucible 1 serving as a first crucible is placed on a mounting table 1 on which a crucible is placed.
After arranging 4 with its inner surface face down, carbon crucible 15 as a second crucible is placed over quartz crucible 14. In the center of the outer bottom surface of the carbon crucible 15, a reflecting mirror 2 is provided as a mark member.

The mounting table 1 is provided with a groove 1a as shown in FIG. This groove 1a is a Teflon ring 1
b, 1c, and has the same size as the open end of the crucible. The quartz crucible 14 on the mounting table 1
The groove 1a plays a role of a stopper because it is fitted to the a, and prevents the crucible from being displaced from the mounting table 1 during turning. Also, a quartz crucible 14 and a carbon crucible 15
It also prevents deviation.

Further, a vertical pole 3 as shown in FIG. 1 is erected on the mounting table 1, and the pole 3 is provided with a crucible fixing means. Here, FIG. 3 shows a top view of the crucible fixing means of this embodiment, and will be briefly described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the crucible fixing means in this embodiment is a gear device 4 which is configured to mesh with a worm (not shown) provided on the pole 3 so as to be able to move up and down.
(Holding mechanism) and a pair of curved surface members 6a and 6b, which are holding members connected to the gear device 4 via the bar 5.

The bar 5 further includes an L-shaped bar 7a rotatably connected to the bar 5, and an L-shaped bar 7a.
And a distance sensor 7 for irradiating the reflecting mirror 2 provided on the carbon crucible 15 with light and detecting the relative position between the carbon crucible 15 and the curved surface members 6a and 6b based on the reflected light. I have. Although not shown, a soft plastic sheet as a shock absorbing material is arranged between the curved members 6a and 6b and the carbon crucible 15.

The gear unit 4 is configured to be rotatable in the horizontal direction (arrow A) and to be movable in the vertical direction (arrow B in FIG. 1). Is controlled.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bar 5
A motor (not shown) provided integrally with the gear device 4 is configured to be able to expand and contract in the direction of arrow D, and its operation state is controlled by a control device 8 described later.

Further, the L-shaped bar 7a is configured to be able to be inverted in the direction of arrow E, and when the L-shaped bar 7a is tilted, the distance sensor 7 attached to one end of the L-shaped bar 7a is connected to the carbon crucible 15. Is arranged at the center of the. The operating state of the distance sensor 7 is controlled by a control device 8 described later.

When the crucibles (the quartz crucible 14 and the carbon crucible 15) are placed on the mounting table 1, the control device 8 lowers the L-shaped bar 7a so that the sensor 7 faces the outer bottom surface of the carbon crucible 15. The sensor 7 irradiates the outer bottom surface of the carbon crucible 15 with light, detects reflected light from the reflecting mirror 2 provided at the center of the outer bottom surface of the carbon crucible 15, and outputs the detected light to the control device 8 as position information. .

The control device 8 detects the positional relationship between the curved surface members 6a and 6b and the crucible based on the position information from the sensor 7, and controls the ascending and descending state and the rotating state of the gear device 4 and the expanding and contracting state of the bar 5. The curved members 6a and 6b are moved to the positions indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 1, and the crucible is fixed to the mounting table with an optimal pressing force. In FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, a gap is shown between the curved members 6a and 6b and the carbon crucible 15, but actually, the curved members 6a and 6b are arranged in contact with the carbon crucible 15. Have been.

The mounting table 1 is connected to a rotating shaft 9a constituting a turning means, and this rotating shaft 9a is configured to be able to be turned in the direction of arrow C by a turning motor 9 also constituting the turning means. . Further, the rotating motor 9 is integrally formed with a mounting and lifting device 10 constituting a mounting table elevating means, and the rotation speed of the rotating motor 9 and the position of the mounting and lifting device 10 are controlled by a control device 11 described later. .

Further, a worm (not shown) is formed on the pole 13 erected vertically with respect to the base 12, and the gear of the above-described loading / lowering device 10 meshes with the worm, and the worm is vertically moved. It can be moved up and down. The rotation speed of the gear of the loading / lowering device 10 is determined by a motor (not shown). The rotation speed of the motor is controlled by the control device 11, and the motor is started so that the impact due to rapid acceleration does not act on the crucible. At the time of stop and stop, the rotation speed is gradually changed.

The control device 11 comprises a CPU and a memory. Height information is stored in the memory of the control device 11, and when the mounting table 1 is set at the height position stored in the memory, the control device 11 sends a start signal to the rotation motor 9 to move the mounting table 1 to the position. Turn in the direction of arrow C. Of course,
The control device 11 may perform control such that when the rotation of the mounting table 1 is completed by the rotation motor 9, the mounting table 1 is moved up and down to the height position stored in the memory.

When the crucible is inverted, the control device 8 raises the sensor 7 and arranges the sensor 7 at a position where it does not hinder the delivery of the crucible, and the control means 8 starts the gear device 4 to cause the two curved surface members 6a, 6b. Is lowered, and the crucible and the mounting table 1 are separated from each other.

Below the crucible, two curved members 6a,
A bogie (not shown) provided with an engaging portion that engages with the outer bottom portion of the crucible passing between the portions 6b. L-shaped bar 7a
Is raised and the reflecting mirror 2 is removed, the bogie enters directly below the crucible, and the engaging portion engages with the center of the outer bottom surface of the crucible to hold both the quartz crucible 14 and the carbon crucible 15. .

When the crucible is held on the trolley, the control means 8 is operated automatically or manually, and the control means 8 starts the gear device 4 so that the two curved surface members 6a and 6b hinder the conveyance of the crucible. Lower to a position where it does not become When the curved members 6a and 6b have been lowered, the bogie (not shown) is engaged with the crucible and the engaging portion is moved to the curved member 6a.
Is moved away from the crucible reversing device along the space between the and the curved surface member 6b. Thereby, the delivery operation of the crucible is completed.

[0072]

As described above, according to the large-diameter crucible reversing device of the present invention, it is possible to reverse two crucibles used in combination like a quartz crucible and a graphite crucible in a combined state. In addition, the combination state of the two crucibles after the reversal can be always good.

Further, by using the large diameter crucible reversing device of the present invention, a crucible larger and heavier than a conventional crucible, such as a quartz crucible for a 16-inch crystal, can be easily reversed without fear of contamination. It is possible. Of course, there is no possibility that the crucible will be impacted during the handling operation for reversing the crucible, and the crucible can be safely reversed.

When the large-diameter crucible reversing device of the present invention is used, the graphite crucible (second crucible) with the opening of the quartz crucible facing upward after cleaning the quartz crucible (first crucible).
Since the work of fitting the quartz crucible (first crucible) into the graphite crucible (second crucible) is not required, the vicinity of the opening of the quartz crucible (first crucible) is not held. There is no possibility that the quartz crucible (first crucible) will be contaminated during the handling operation.
Crucible) can always be kept in good condition.

Further, by automatically operating the large-diameter crucible reversing device, a favorable effect of improving work efficiency and safety is also achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a large-diameter crucible reversing device according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a mounting table according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a holding member according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: mounting table 1a: groove 1b, 1c: Teflon ring 2: reflection mirror 3, 13: pole 4: gear device 5: bar 6a, 6b: curved surface member 7: sensor 7a: L-shaped bar 8, 11: control device 9 : Rotating motor 9a: Rotating shaft 10: Mounting / elevating device 12: Base 14: Quartz crucible 15: Carbon crucible

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI // H01L 21/208 H01L 21/208 P (72) Inventor Makoto Kuramoto 555 Nakanoya, Annaka-shi, Gunma Pref. Inside the Super Silicon Laboratories (72) Inventor Norihisa Machida 555-1 Nakanoya, Annaka-shi, Gunma Co., Ltd. Inside the Super Silicon Laboratories (72) Inventor Hiroshi Shiraishi 555-1, Nakanoya, Annaka-shi, Gunma Co., Ltd. Inside the Super Silicon Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Kiyotaka Takano 555-1, Nakanoya, Annaka-shi, Gunma Co., Ltd. Inside the Super Silicon Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Tetsuhiro Iida 555, Nakanoya, Annaka-shi, Gunma Co., Ltd. Super Silicon Research Laboratory

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A first device arranged with its inner surface face down.
A mounting table for mounting the second crucible on the crucible in a state where the inner surface of the second crucible is faced down; and a portion of the second crucible on the mounting table except for a central portion of an outer bottom surface of the second crucible. Fixing means for fixing the first crucible and the second crucible to the mounting table; and the first crucible fixed on the mounting table by the fixing means.
And a turning means for turning the second crucible together with the mounting table; and a mounting table elevating means for raising and lowering the mounting table together with the turning means, wherein the fixing means fixes a central portion of an outer bottom surface of the second crucible. A holding member for holding the first crucible and the second crucible in contact with the portion to be removed and between the mounting table and the mounting table, and holding the holding member relative to an outer surface of the second crucible mounted on the mounting table; A large-diameter crucible reversing device for use in manufacturing a semiconductor single crystal, comprising a holding mechanism for moving. 2. The large-diameter crucible reversing device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means has a turning mechanism for turning the holding member in a direction of separating the holding member from an outer surface of the second crucible. . 3. The large-diameter crucible according to claim 1, wherein said fixing means has a translation mechanism for translating the holding member in a direction away from an outer surface of the second crucible. Reversing device. 4. A removable mark member provided on an outer surface of the second crucible when the holding member moves relative to each other, a detecting means for detecting the mark member and outputting its position information, and an output from the detecting means Control means for controlling the fixing means on the basis of the above, and for positioning the holding member at a predetermined position on the outer surface of the second crucible, further comprising: The large diameter crucible reversing device according to 1. 5. The fixing means is provided between the holding member and a holding mechanism, and when the holding member comes into contact with a second crucible, the holding member is connected to the first crucible and the second crucible. And a control for controlling a height position of the holding member based on an output from the load sensor such that the holding member comes into contact with the second crucible with a predetermined pressing force. The large-diameter crucible reversing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means. 6. The large diameter crucible reversing device according to claim 1, wherein said first crucible is a quartz crucible, and said second crucible is a graphite crucible.