JPH1053489A - Susceptor for epitaxial growth furnace and epitaxial growth furnace - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a susceptor capable of producing a wafer free from strain and stain caused by heat, suitable for the epitaxial growth of a semiconductor wafer having a large diameter, comprising constitution for carrying a semiconductor wafer and a detachable susceptor into an epitaxial growth furnace and removing it out while placing the semiconductor wafer on the susceptor as it is. SOLUTION: A wafer handling chamber 11 is moved into a wafer housing part 6 in a wafer cassette 5 by a robot hand 1. A detachable susceptor 9c placed on a silicon wafer 7c is laid on the wafer handling chamber 11. Then, in transportation, a semiconductor wafer is moved into an epitaxial growth furnace 3 while holding the detachable susceptor 9c by the robot hand 1 as it is. The robot hand together with the susceptor is moved to a susceptor holding part 13 and set on the susceptor 13 by a fixing means of the detachable susceptor 13. In the transportation after growth, the robot hand 1 is introduced into the furnace 3 and a susceptor 9b is moved out of the furnace while placing a wafer 7b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a susceptor installed in an epitaxial growth furnace for manufacturing an epitaxial wafer and a growth furnace.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, an epitaxial growth method is used to grow a single crystal thin film on a semiconductor wafer cut from a semiconductor single crystal.
In the case of a semiconductor wafer having a large diameter, the epitaxial growth method is generally performed by the following method.

First, a semiconductor wafer is cut out from a semiconductor single crystal, for example, a silicon single crystal manufactured by a single crystal pulling method or the like, and the surface of the semiconductor wafer is polished. Then, the semiconductor wafer finished by polishing is inserted into an epitaxial growth furnace heated to a predetermined residual heat temperature (about 700 to 800 ° C.) and placed on a carbon susceptor.

Next, SiH is placed in an epitaxial growth furnace.
_4. Inject a reaction gas containing Si such as SiHCl ₃
Heat to a predetermined reaction temperature (about 1100 ° C.). At this time, silicon is deposited on the semiconductor wafer by reduction or thermal decomposition by a reaction gas, and a single crystal thin film is epitaxially grown, whereby an epitaxial wafer is manufactured.

[0005] Then, the temperature in the growth furnace is lowered from the reaction temperature to the residual heat temperature, the epitaxial wafer is removed from the susceptor, and is carried out of the epitaxial growth furnace to the outside.

In a conventional epitaxial wafer manufacturing process, a wafer cut from a semiconductor single crystal is directly handled by a robot hand for carrying in and out of an epitaxial growth furnace. That is, the wafer is directly placed on the arm of the robot hand, and is carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace while partially supporting the semiconductor wafer.

In the epitaxial growth furnace, the semiconductor wafer is removed from the robot hand, the semiconductor wafer is directly placed on a carbon susceptor, and the semiconductor wafer is heated while partially supported by the susceptor.
Epitaxial growth.

[0008]

However, the production of such a conventional epitaxial wafer has the following problems.

First, the semiconductor wafer is moved into the epitaxial growth furnace in direct contact with the robot hand.
There is a problem that dirt easily adheres to the back surface of the wafer due to contact with the robot hand. Further, a scratch is generated at the time of contact, and the scratch may cause a defect such as dislocation.

Since the semiconductor wafer being transported is partially supported by the robot hand, the semiconductor wafer may be bent or distorted, which may adversely affect the epitaxial growth. Furthermore, since the inside of the epitaxial growth furnace (the susceptor) is heated to about 700 to 800 ° C. at the time of loading, when the semiconductor wafer is directly placed on the susceptor in the epitaxial growth furnace, heat is generated from the portion in contact with the susceptor. Conducted.

For this reason, the wafer has a thermal effect not only from a room temperature to a high temperature atmosphere in the furnace but also from a temperature change due to rapid heat conduction from the susceptor. For example, defects caused in the semiconductor wafer due to partial temperature difference due to transformation due to rapid thermal change of the wafer itself, and uneven distribution of thermal influence between the part in contact with the susceptor and the other part In some cases, problems such as cracking and cracking of the wafer may occur.

In order to prevent such a defect of the semiconductor wafer from occurring, it is conceivable to lower the residual heat temperature at the time of carrying the semiconductor wafer into the epitaxial growth furnace. However, there is a problem that the production efficiency is reduced.

In recent years, attempts have been made to manufacture so-called large-diameter semiconductor wafers having a diameter of 400 mm or more. Such a large diameter semiconductor wafer has a diameter of about 200
Despite having an area about four times or more that of a normal semiconductor wafer of about mm, its thickness is scheduled to be about 800 μm or more. The thickness of the large-diameter semiconductor wafer is not much larger than that of a normal semiconductor wafer (about 725 μm). This is because if it is thick, it will be difficult to apply it to the subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process.
It is difficult to increase the strength by increasing the thickness.

[0014] For this reason, a large-diameter wafer is much weaker than a conventional wafer, so that it is likely to be distorted or bent due to physical deformation. In addition, since the heat conduction and the like are delayed by the larger amount, the influence of heat becomes larger than before, and there is a property that cracks and defects are easily generated by heating or the like.

Further, as the diameter of the semiconductor wafer increases, the area to which dust adheres also increases accordingly, so that dust, dirt, scratches, etc., which were not a problem with the semiconductor wafer having a small diameter, become noticeable. , A new obstacle. From the above problems, it has been difficult to manufacture a large-diameter epitaxial wafer in the conventional epitaxial wafer manufacturing.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and is suitable for epitaxial growth of a large-diameter semiconductor wafer, and is unlikely to cause a problem of distortion due to heat.
An object of the present invention is to provide a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace and an epitaxial growth furnace, which are less likely to cause a problem such as contamination due to semiconductor transportation when the semiconductor device is carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace that can be used for storing a semiconductor wafer.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to the present invention is a susceptor for mounting, at a predetermined position, a semiconductor wafer which is carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace by a carrier means. It is installed detachably from the epitaxial growth furnace, and is carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace with the semiconductor wafer mounted thereon.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the semiconductor wafer and the susceptor can be carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace while the semiconductor wafer is mounted on the detachable susceptor. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer is heated together with the detachable susceptor carried into the furnace at the same time. That is,
Since the wafer carried into the furnace only has direct heat transfer through the detachable susceptor heated together with the wafer and indirect heat transfer due to the atmosphere in the furnace and radiant heat, etc.
A rapid and partial thermal change is unlikely to occur. Therefore, unlike the conventional susceptor heated to a high temperature, a rapid temperature change due to direct contact does not occur.

At this time, the temperature of the detachable susceptor naturally rises by being heated in the furnace. However, since the temperature of the detachable susceptor rises together with the wafer in a state of being in contact with the wafer, the detachable susceptor partially contacts the wafer. Even if it is, the temperature does not partially and suddenly change on the wafer.

Thus, in the susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks, defects, and the like of the semiconductor wafer due to a local temperature change at the time of installation at a predetermined position in the furnace.

Further, in the susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace while being mounted on the detachable susceptor. That is, the detachable susceptor in the present invention is used in the epitaxial growth furnace in the same manner as a conventional susceptor, and can be used as a semiconductor wafer holder for mounting a semiconductor wafer before or after carrying in. it can.

As described above, in the growth step of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is supported only by the detachable susceptor,
A portion of the epitaxial growth furnace that is maintained at a high temperature, for example, a holder of a susceptor does not directly contact the semiconductor wafer. Therefore, a local temperature gradient does not occur in the semiconductor wafer. In addition, since the support state of the wafer does not change, no new bending or distortion occurs in the wafer even at the time of installation, so that the occurrence of cracks, defects, and the like can be prevented.

In the carrying out step of the present invention, the epitaxially grown semiconductor wafer (epitaxial wafer) is removed together with the detachable susceptor from a predetermined position in the furnace (removing step), and is carried out of the epitaxial growth furnace to the outside (at the time of carrying out). Therefore, the supporting state of the wafer does not change even in the unloading step.

That is, there is no need to directly remove the epitaxial wafer from a holder such as a susceptor in the epitaxial growth furnace as in the prior art. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer is not scratched or stained by contact. Further, since the whole semiconductor wafer is supported by the detachable susceptor, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer from being newly bent or distorted. Also, since a member at about room temperature does not come into direct contact with the wafer maintained at about the residual heat from the outside, a bad thermal effect such as a rapid temperature change or temperature distribution is prevented as in the case of installation.

The detachable susceptor used in the present invention is:
Since the semiconductor wafer, particularly a semiconductor wafer having a large diameter of 400 mm or more, is supported and used as a susceptor in an epitaxial growth furnace, a material having high strength and high thermal conductivity is preferable. For example, as the detachable susceptor of the present invention, one made of carbon, silicon carbide, quartz, or a composite member thereof can be used.

There is no limitation on the epitaxial growth furnace in the present invention. There are various types of epitaxial growth furnaces, and the epitaxial growth furnace used in the present invention has an aspect as long as a semiconductor wafer can be epitaxially grown while being held on a detachable susceptor. There is no particular limitation. For example, as the epitaxial growth furnace in the present invention, a furnace that applies a horizontal furnace, a vertical (disk) furnace, a barrel furnace, a single-wafer furnace, or the like can be used.

Furthermore, there is no limitation on the shape, size, etc. of the detachable susceptor in the present invention. What is necessary is just to provide the support structure according to the semiconductor wafer which supports a semiconductor wafer. Also, there is no limitation on the mechanism for attaching and detaching the detachable susceptor in the present invention. What is necessary is just to provide an attaching means which is detachably held at a predetermined attaching position in the growth furnace with the semiconductor wafer mounted thereon.
For example, in an epitaxial growth furnace such as a vertical (disk) furnace, a barrel furnace, or a single-wafer furnace, the susceptor is supported by a rotating shaft and rotated in order to uniformly contact the gas.
In such a case, it is detachably attached to the rotating shaft,
Rotate the susceptor when mounted. Furthermore,
Any type can be used as long as it can be used in conformity with various types of epitaxial growth furnaces, and can be easily attached and detached and carried in and out of the furnace. That is, a holding structure capable of holding the semiconductor wafer mounted thereon by the transfer means for moving the semiconductor wafer between the mounting position and the outside in the growth furnace may be provided.

Therefore, a specific susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace of the present invention is a susceptor for holding a semiconductor wafer conveyed into the epitaxial growth furnace at a predetermined position in the furnace, and A support structure for supporting, mounting means for detachably holding a semiconductor wafer mounted on the support structure at a predetermined mounting position in the furnace, and a semiconductor wafer by the support structure. What is necessary is just to have a holding structure that can be held by a transfer means that moves between the mounting position in the epitaxial growth furnace and the outside in the mounted state.

As a specific relationship between the susceptor support structure and the semiconductor wafer, according to the present invention, the support portion of the detachable susceptor that contacts the lower surface portion of the semiconductor wafer has one plane that contacts the entire lower surface of the wafer. Are disclosed. That is, the detachable susceptor has a plane larger than the wafer, and a semiconductor wafer is placed at this portion.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is specifically disclosed one in which the support portion of the detachable susceptor which contacts the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer has a flat surface which contacts a part of the lower surface of the wafer. That is, the detachable susceptor contacts the wafer on a smaller plane. in this case,
The contact of the susceptor with the wafer must be even so as not to cause distortion of the support of the wafer.

Thus, when the susceptor is heated earlier than the wafer, it is difficult to transfer the heat of the susceptor to the wafer, thereby preventing the wafer from being distorted by the heat of the susceptor. Also, since the contact area with the lower surface of the wafer is small,
Even if the contaminant adheres to the upper surface of the susceptor, if the contaminant does not adhere to the plane in contact with the wafer, there is an advantage that contamination to the wafer is prevented.

As another specific example of the present invention, the supporting portion of the detachable susceptor which abuts on the lower surface portion of the semiconductor wafer has a plurality of flat surfaces which abut on the lower surface portion of the wafer almost uniformly. A support portion that contacts the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer of the flexible susceptor has one or more flat surfaces radially arranged from substantially the center of the lower surface of the wafer; A support is disclosed wherein the abutting support has one or more planes arranged concentrically or spirally from approximately the center of the lower surface of the wafer.

The specific means for attaching the susceptor may be any as long as the semiconductor wafer is placed on the susceptor so as to be detachably held at a predetermined attachment position in the growth furnace. For example, in a growth furnace in which a susceptor such as a vertical (disk) type furnace, a barrel type furnace, or a single-wafer type furnace is supported and rotated by a rotating shaft, for example, an upper part of the rotating shaft is provided with a partially cut-out mounting plate, and a susceptor of the susceptor is provided. The lower part is provided with mounting holes that match the mounting plate, and these are detachably mounted so that the susceptor is rotated when mounted.

Further, a specific holding structure by the transfer means may be, for example, a structure in which a robot hand as a transfer means is held under or on a side of a susceptor on which a semiconductor wafer is placed so as not to contact the semiconductor wafer. Although a holding piece may be attached, the supporting portion of the susceptor may be made larger than the plane of the semiconductor wafer, and the peripheral portion may be held.

Further, the epitaxial growth furnace of the present invention comprises:
A device having a mounting means for detachably holding a susceptor for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a transfer port capable of loading and unloading a susceptor with a semiconductor wafer mounted thereon by a predetermined transfer means into and out of a furnace. Good. As the susceptor for holding the semiconductor wafer, for example, the susceptor described above may be used, and it is sufficient that the susceptor has an entrance through which the susceptor with the semiconductor wafer mounted thereon can be carried in and out. This allows
As described above, the semiconductor wafer and the susceptor can be carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace while the semiconductor wafer is mounted on the detachable susceptor.

[0036]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an epitaxial growth apparatus using a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This epitaxial wafer growth apparatus includes a robot hand 1 and a wafer handling chamber 11 as wafer transfer means, and is roughly composed of an epitaxial growth furnace 3 and a wafer cassette 5 as a wafer storage means also serving as a wafer storage means. It is configured.

In this embodiment, the epitaxial growth furnace 3 used is one applied to a single-wafer type furnace. A susceptor holding portion 13 for detachably holding the susceptor 9b is provided at the position of the conventional susceptor, and the wafer 7b mounted on the detachable susceptor 9b mounted on the susceptor holding portion 13 is provided. Are arranged in the same positional relationship as the wafer placed on the conventional susceptor.

Robot hand 1 as wafer transfer means
Is configured to be able to expand and contract between a wafer cassette 5 as a wafer storage means and a susceptor holder 13 in the epitaxial growth furnace 3. The robot hand 1 is provided with a wafer handling chamber 11, on which a susceptor 9a is detachably mounted, and on which a silicon wafer 7a is placed.

That is, the robot hand 1 as the transfer means supports and holds the detachable susceptor 9 on which the wafer 7 is mounted from below, and supports only the detachable susceptor to support the wafer. It is not in contact.

Inside the wafer cassette 5, silicon wafers 7c mounted on a detachable susceptor 9c are stored in a multistage structure together with the susceptor in a wafer storage section 6,
The wafer storage unit 6 is configured to be able to move up and down in an elevator manner. The robot hand 1 as a wafer transfer unit is provided with an arbitrary wafer storage unit 6 inside the wafer cassette 5.
Then, the silicon wafer cut out of the single crystal is taken out together with the detachable susceptor. Further, the silicon wafer after the epitaxial growth is stored together with the detachable susceptor in an empty space of the wafer storage unit 6.

A susceptor holder 13 rotatable by a rotating shaft 21 is provided inside the epitaxial growth furnace 3, and a detachable susceptor 9 a on which a silicon wafer 7 a carried in by the robot hand 1 is placed. It is transported onto the susceptor holding unit 13 and is set here.

Further, inside the epitaxial growth furnace 3,
A plurality of infrared lamps 19 are provided, and the inside of the epitaxial growth furnace is heated (preheated) to about 700 ° C. to 800 ° C. by the infrared lamps 19 at the time of loading. Thereafter, the wafer is placed on the susceptor holding section 13 together with the detachable susceptor, and the inside is sealed after the robot hand 1 leaves the insertion port.
A reaction gas (such as SiHCl ₃ ) is injected into the epitaxial growth furnace. Further, the inside of the growth furnace 3 is heated to a reaction temperature of about 1100 ° C. to 1200 ° C.,
The silicon wafer 7 is reduced by the reduction and thermal decomposition of the reaction gas.
An epitaxial layer grows on b.

After the silicon wafer 7 after the epitaxial growth is degassed in the furnace and the temperature is lowered to the preheating temperature, the silicon wafer 7 is removed together with the detachable susceptor from the susceptor holder 13 by the robot hand 1 which has again entered from the carry-in port. And a wafer cassette 5 also serving as a storage means.
Is transported to and stored in an empty space.

Next, a method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer using the epitaxial wafer manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in time series. FIG. 2 shows a process of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer in the present embodiment.

First, as a mounting step, a silicon wafer cut from a silicon single crystal is mounted on a detachable susceptor, and the susceptor is stored in the wafer storage unit 6 together with the susceptor. In this embodiment, the wafer is placed on a detachable susceptor outside the wafer cassette 5 as a storage means (not shown), and then stored in an empty space of the wafer storage unit 6.

Next, in the transfer step, the wafer handling chamber 11 is moved into the wafer storage section 5 inside the wafer cassette 5 by the robot hand 1, and the detachable susceptor 9c on which the silicon wafer 7c is mounted is moved to the wafer handling chamber. Place on 11

Next, at the time of transfer in the transfer step, the robot hand 1 is moved into the epitaxial growth furnace 3 while holding the detachable susceptor 9, and the detachable susceptor 9 on which the silicon wafer is mounted is carried into the furnace. . Further, at the time of installation, the silicon wafer 7b is moved together with the detachable susceptor onto the susceptor holding portion 13 by the robot hand 1 and is brought into contact with the upper portion of the detachable susceptor 13 to fix the detachable susceptor 13 (see FIG. (Not shown) on the susceptor 13 which is detachable.

In the growth step, the robot hand 1 and the like are withdrawn from the furnace and sealed, and then a predetermined reaction gas (SiH
(Cl ₃ etc.) injection and heating. At this time, the susceptor holding unit 13 is rotated by the rotating shaft 21, and the silicon wafer 7b is epitaxially grown in the same state as the wafer rotating on the conventional susceptor.

Thereafter, when the epitaxial growth is completed as a carry-out step, after the gas is vented from the reaction gas exhaust port 17 and cooled down to the residual heat temperature, the robot hand 1 enters the furnace again and is detachable. Susceptor support 13
The wafer is removed by removing the upper removable susceptor.

By moving the robot hand 1 to the outside of the epitaxial growth furnace 3 while holding the detachable susceptor on which the epitaxially grown wafer is mounted, the silicon wafer (epitaxial wafer) can be detachably attached. The susceptor is carried out of the furnace.

In this embodiment, the epitaxial wafer is moved to an empty space in the wafer cassette 5 again, and the epitaxial wafers together with the detachable susceptor are stored and stored in the wafer storage unit 6. Such an operation is repeated for all the silicon wafers stored in the wafer cassette 5.

In this embodiment, the silicon wafer is stored in the wafer cassette 5 together with the detachable susceptor.
The wafer cassette may be configured to store only silicon wafers and to take out the silicon wafer by placing it on a detachable susceptor when taking out the wafer from the wafer cassette. In this case, one detachable susceptor can be used repeatedly by cleaning the detachable susceptor.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of the detachable susceptor used in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, as the removable susceptors 9a to 9c of the present embodiment, disk-shaped removable susceptors capable of supporting the entire surfaces of the silicon wafers 7a to 7c are used. The peripheral portion of the disk has an edge height, and the wafer is fitted and held inside the edge height portion. The present invention is not limited to this type, and the effects of the present invention can be achieved by using another type of detachable susceptor.

For example, one that supports a part of a semiconductor wafer is considered. This makes it difficult to transfer the heat of the susceptor to the wafer when the susceptor is heated earlier than the wafer, thereby preventing the wafer from being distorted due to the heat of the susceptor.
Further, since the area of contact with the lower surface of the wafer is small, even if a contaminant adheres to the upper surface of the susceptor, if the contaminant does not adhere to a plane in contact with the wafer, contamination of the wafer is prevented.

FIGS. 4 to 8 are explanatory views showing a plan view and a cross section of another embodiment of the detachable susceptor. As shown in FIG. 4, the detachable susceptor 49 is formed at the periphery of the upper surface with an edge high portion 41 into which a semiconductor wafer 47 indicated by a two-dot chain line can be fitted. On its inner side, columnar support portions 42 of the same height are provided substantially uniformly. That is, the support portion 42 abutting on the lower surface portion of the semiconductor wafer 47 shown by the two-dot chain line has a plurality of circular flat surfaces 43 almost uniformly abutting on the lower surface portion of the wafer 47.
Note that the columnar support portions 42 are arranged almost uniformly, and as long as they are all at the same height, there is no restriction on the size or planar shape.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detachable susceptor 59 is formed with an edge high portion 51 at the periphery of the upper surface, into which the semiconductor wafer 57 indicated by a two-dot chain line can be fitted. A plurality of fan-shaped support portions 52 arranged radially from substantially the center are disposed on the inside. Also,
Contrary to FIG. 5, in FIG. 6, the detachable susceptor 69 includes:
An edge high portion 61 into which a semiconductor wafer 67 indicated by a two-dot chain line can be fitted is formed at the periphery of the upper surface. Inside, a plurality of belt-like support portions 62 radially arranged from the center are arranged and provided. That is, the support portions 52, 62 abutting on the lower surface portions of the semiconductor wafers 57, 67 indicated by the two-dot chain line are one or more planes 53, 63 radially arranged from substantially the center of the lower surface portions of the wafers 57, 67. have.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the detachable susceptor 79 is formed at the periphery of the upper surface thereof with an edge high portion 71 into which a semiconductor wafer 77 indicated by a two-dot chain line can be fitted. Inside, a plurality of belt-like support portions 72 having the same center are arranged and provided. That is, the support portion 72 that contacts the lower surface portion of the semiconductor wafer 77 indicated by the two-dot chain line.
Has one or more planes 73 arranged concentrically from substantially the center of the lower surface of the wafer 77.

Although a disc-shaped one is used as a detachable susceptor, the present invention is not limited to this. In FIG. 8, a detachable susceptor 89 is formed with an edge high portion 81 at the periphery of the upper surface, into which a semiconductor wafer 87 indicated by a two-dot chain line can be fitted. On its inner side, a ring-shaped (ie, donut-shaped) support plane 83 is provided by a through portion 82 whose center penetrates. That is, the support portion 82 that contacts the lower surface portion of the semiconductor wafer 87 indicated by the two-dot chain line is a support portion 8 that supports the periphery of the lower surface portion of the wafer 87.
Two. Thereby, the weight of the susceptor 89 can be reduced.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention,
Loading of the silicon wafer, installation on the susceptor, growth, and unloading are performed integrally with the detachable susceptor.
Since the robot hand 1 as the wafer transfer means does not directly contact the silicon wafer, there is no flaw or dirt on the silicon wafer due to contact during handling. In addition, since the entire silicon wafer is supported by the detachable susceptor, the silicon wafer does not bend or deform during handling such as loading, installing on the susceptor, and unloading.

In the present embodiment, a disk-shaped susceptor is used as a detachable susceptor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. It is possible to use a detachable susceptor having a simple annular shape, a detachable susceptor in which a plurality of circular tubes are concentrically connected, and the like. In this embodiment, a leaf-type furnace is used as an epitaxial growth furnace, but in addition to this, a horizontal furnace,
It goes without saying that a vertical (disk) furnace, a barrel furnace and the like can be used.

[0062]

As described above, according to the present invention, the problem of distortion due to heat hardly occurs, and the problem of contamination and the like accompanying the semiconductor transport at the time of carrying in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace hardly occurs. This has the effect of providing a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace that can also be used. The susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace is particularly suitable for epitaxial growth of a semiconductor wafer having a large diameter.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an epitaxial growth apparatus using a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process chart showing a process of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of the susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace used in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of another embodiment of a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of another embodiment of a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of another embodiment of the susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of another embodiment of a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a plane and a cross section of another embodiment of a susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Robot hand, 3 ... Epitaxial growth furnace, 5 ... Wafer cassette, 6 ... Wafer accommodating part, 7a, 7b, 7c ... Wafer, 9a, 9b, 9c ... Susceptor, 11 ... Wafer handling chamber, 13 ... Susceptor holding part, 15 ... reaction gas injection port, 17 ... reaction gas exhaust port 19 ... infrared lamp, 21 ... rotary shaft, 41,51,61,71,81 ... edge height part, 42,52,62,72 ... support part, 82 ... penetration Parts, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83 ... supporting planes, 47, 57, 67, 77, 87 ... wafers, 49, 59, 69, 79, 89 ... susceptors

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Kazutoshi Inoue 1-4-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Super Silicon Laboratories, Inc.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A susceptor for mounting a semiconductor wafer, which is carried in and out of an epitaxial growth furnace from outside to inside by a transfer means, at a predetermined position, wherein the susceptor is detachably installed from the epitaxial growth furnace and mounts the semiconductor wafer. A susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace, which is carried in and out of the epitaxial growth furnace while being placed. 2. The susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to claim 1, wherein the support portion of the susceptor that contacts the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer has one plane that contacts all of the lower surface of the wafer. 3. The susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to claim 1, wherein the support portion of the susceptor that contacts the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer has a plane that contacts a part of the lower surface of the wafer. 4. The susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to claim 3, wherein the support portion of the susceptor that contacts the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer has a plurality of planes that contact the lower surface of the wafer substantially evenly. . 5. The susceptor according to claim 3, wherein the support portion abutting on the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer has one or more planes radially arranged from substantially the center of the lower surface of the wafer. Susceptor for epitaxial growth furnace. 6. The susceptor according to claim 1, wherein the support portion abutting on the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer has one or more planes arranged concentrically or spirally from substantially the center of the lower surface of the wafer. 4. The susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace according to 3. 7. A susceptor for holding a semiconductor wafer carried in an epitaxial growth furnace at a predetermined position in the furnace, comprising: a support structure for supporting the semiconductor wafer; Mounting means for detachably holding the semiconductor wafer in a predetermined mounting position in the furnace with the semiconductor wafer mounted thereon; mounting position in the epitaxial growth furnace with the semiconductor wafer mounted by the support structure; A susceptor for an epitaxial growth furnace, comprising: a holding structure that can be held by a transfer unit that moves between the outside and the outside. 8. A mounting means for detachably holding a susceptor for holding a semiconductor wafer, and a transfer port for loading and unloading a susceptor on which a semiconductor wafer is mounted by a predetermined transfer means into and out of a furnace. There is an epitaxial growth furnace.