JPS62136811A - Treater - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve workability in treatment by forming a treating chamber in structure in which the treating chamber is tilted at a predetermined inclination in the vertical direction. CONSTITUTION:A heater 2 is mounted on the outer circumferential section of a reaction pipe 1, and structure in which the inside of the reaction pipe 1 is heated uniformly at a fixed temperature is formed. The reaction pipe 1 is tilted at a prescribed inclination A in the vertical direction at that time. The magnetic of the inclination A extends over angles such as 2 deg.-45 deg.. A gas inflow nozzle 3 connected to a predetermined reaction-gas source and an exhaust pipe 4 connected to an exhaust mechanism such as a vacuum pump are each connected to the upper end section and lower end section of the reaction pipe 1, and a reaction gas 3 having a prescribed composition is made to flow in through the gas inflow nozzle 3, evacuating the inside of the reaction pipe 1 to the prescribed degree of vacuum through the exhaust pipe 4. The reaction gas 5 made to flow into the reaction pipe 1 is moved downward in the reaction pipe 1, and brought into contact with the surfaces of a plurality of wafers 7, which are disposed in the axial direction in the reaction pipe 1 and heated at a fixed temperature, during a time when the reaction gas 5 reaches the exhaust pipe 4 fitted to the lower end section of the reaction pipe 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a processing technology, and particularly to a technology that is effective when applied to a film forming process by chemical vapor deposition carried out in a wafer processing step in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[Background Art] For example, in the wafer processing process in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, when forming a thin film made of a predetermined substance on the wafer surface, it is necessary to use a relatively large diameter wafer with a uniform temperature distribution in the cross-sectional direction of the reaction tube. In addition to being able to heat the wafer uniformly over the entire surface, the jig used to carry the wafer into the reaction tube and the inner wall of the reaction tube can always be maintained in a non-contact state, and the adhesion of foreign matter to the wafer surface can be reduced. It is conceivable to use a vertical chemical vapor deposition apparatus having a structure like this.

In other words, the wafer is removably supported at several points around the wafer by grooves cut into a jig that is inserted axially into the reaction tube whose shaft is arranged vertically, and the wafer plane is aligned with the reaction tube. Insert into the reaction tube so that the cross-sectional direction is oriented. Then, a reaction gas of a predetermined composition is supplied from a nozzle connected to the upper end of the reaction tube, exhaust is exhausted from the lower end, and the reaction gas is heated to a predetermined temperature while flowing inside the reaction tube. A substance precipitated by thermal decomposition of gas or the like is deposited on the wafer surface to form a thin film made of a predetermined substance.

However, in a vertical chemical vapor deposition apparatus in which the axis of the reaction tube is set vertically as described above, it is necessary to stabilize the posture of the wafer in the reaction tube and to use a jig when loading and unloading the wafer. In order to hold the wafer stably, it is necessary to tilt the wafer plane by a predetermined angle from a vertical position to a jig inserted parallel to the axis of the reaction tube, that is, from a horizontal position. The inventors of the present invention have found that there are drawbacks such as reduced workability such as operations for attaching and detaching the wafer to and from a jig outside the reaction tube, and making it difficult to automate the film forming process for the wafer.

In addition, documents that explain film formation processing on wafers using chemical vapor deposition include Kogyo Kenkyukai Co., Ltd.;
Published on November 20, 1984, ``Electronic Materials J, November 1984 issue, special edition, pages 45 to 51.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a processing technique that can improve workability in processing.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Summary of the Invention] A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

In other words, it is a processing apparatus that performs a predetermined process by heating a processing fluid to a predetermined temperature while circulating a processing fluid in a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is accommodated, and the processing chamber has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the vertical direction. By adopting a structure that can be tilted without tilting, the workpiece can be mounted vertically with respect to the jig without tilting it, for example, for the purpose of stabilizing the posture of the workpiece held in the jig. This makes it easier to attach and detach objects to be processed from jigs outside the processing chamber, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of a processing device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the processing apparatus is configured as a vertical chemical vapor deposition apparatus used in a wafer processing process.

A heater 2 is provided on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 1 (processing chamber), so that the inside of the reaction tube 1 is uniformly heated to a predetermined temperature.

In this case, the reaction tube 1 is inclined at a predetermined angle A with respect to the vertical direction.

The magnitude of this inclination angle is, for example, 2° to 45°.

Further, at the upper and lower ends of the reaction tube 1, gas inflow nozzles 3 are connected to a predetermined reaction gas source (not shown).
and an exhaust pipe 4 connected to an exhaust mechanism (not shown) such as a vacuum pump. The reaction tube 1 is configured so that the reaction gas 5 (processing fluid) having a predetermined composition is allowed to flow in the axial direction inside the reaction tube 1 .

In addition, a jig 6 is provided in the internal axial direction of the reaction tube 1 which is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and a second As shown in the figure, a plurality of wafers 7 (workpieces) are held with their planes perpendicular to the jig 6 at predetermined intervals.

In this case, since the reaction tube l is inclined from the vertical direction, the wafer 7 held perpendicularly to the jig 6 inserted in the axial direction of the reaction tube 1 is placed in a position parallel to the cross-sectional direction of the reaction tube 1. At the same time, it is tilted from the horizontal direction and is stably held with respect to the jig 6.

A lid 8 integrated with the jig 6 is detachably provided at the lower end of the reaction tube 1, and by moving the jig 6 together with the lid 8 in the axial direction of the reaction tube 1, the wafer 7 can be removed.
The structure allows for the loading and unloading of items.

The operation of this embodiment will be explained below.

First, the inside of the reaction tube 1 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 2.

Thereafter, a plurality of wafers 7 are vertically mounted on the jig 6 which has been pulled out of the reaction tube 1.
By inserting the wafers 7 into the reaction tube 1 in the axial direction, a plurality of wafers 7 are accommodated at predetermined positions inside the reaction tube 1.

Next, while the inside of the reaction tube 1 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum through the exhaust pipe 6, supply of the reaction gas 5 having a predetermined composition through the gas inlet nozzle 3 is started.

The reaction gas 5 that has flowed into the reaction tube 1 is moved downward inside the reaction tube 1 and reaches the exhaust pipe 4 provided at the lower end of the reaction tube 1. It comes into contact with the surfaces of a plurality of wafers 7 that are arranged in the axial direction inside and are heated to a predetermined temperature, and a predetermined substance deposited by a thermal decomposition reaction of the reaction gas 5 is deposited on the surface of the wafers 7. A thin film of uniform thickness is formed.

After a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the supply of the reaction gas 5 is stopped, the inside of the reaction tube 1 is replaced with an inert gas, etc., and then the plurality of wafers 7 held in the jig 6 are
is moved downward together with the lid 8 integrated with the jig 6 and taken out of the reaction tube 1.

Here, when the axis of the reaction tube 1 is provided in the vertical direction, the loading and unloading of the wafer 7 whose peripheral portion is detachably held by a jig 6 inserted in the axial direction of the reaction tube 1 is carried out. In order to prevent the wafer from falling off during the process and to stabilize the posture inside the reaction tube 1, it is necessary to tilt the plane of the wafer 7 from a vertical posture to the jig 6, that is, from a horizontal posture. Become.

However, in this embodiment, since the reaction tube 1 is inclined at a predetermined angle A with respect to the vertical direction, the wafer 7 held by the jig 6 provided in the axial direction of the reaction tube 1 is The surface of the uni-huff itself is tilted with respect to the horizontal direction without tilting the plane from its perpendicular position to the jig 6, and the wafer 7 remains in a vertical state where it is easy to attach and detach the wafer 7 to and from the jig 6. Thus, the posture of the wafer 7 removably held in the groove 6a of the jig 6 is maintained stably.

For this reason, the workability when attaching and removing the wafer 7 to and from the jig 6 is poor due to the fact that the plane of the wafer 7 is held at a predetermined angle from a perpendicular position to the jig 6. The wafer 7 can be easily attached and detached from the jig 6, and the workability in the film forming process for the wafer 7 is improved.

As a result, for example, the work of attaching and detaching the wafer 7 to and from the jig 6 can be automated easily.

Furthermore, since the plane of the wafer 7 is perpendicular to the jig 6, which is parallel to the axial direction of the reaction tube I, and is parallel to the cross-sectional direction of the reaction tube I, each part of the wafer 7 is heated uniformly, and the wafer The flow of the reaction gas 5 inside the reaction tube 1 is prevented from becoming non-uniform due to the fact that the plane of the reaction gas 7 is tilted from a perpendicular attitude to the jig 6. The film thickness and film quality of the thin film produced are made uniform.

[Effects] (1) A processing device that performs a predetermined process by heating a processing fluid to a predetermined temperature while circulating a processing fluid in a processing chamber in which a workpiece is accommodated, wherein the processing chamber is vertically Because it is tilted at a predetermined angle, it can be mounted vertically without tilting from a perpendicular position to a jig that is installed parallel to the axial direction of the processing chamber and holds the workpiece in a removable manner. In this state, the object to be processed can be stably held on the jig, the object to be processed can be easily attached to and removed from the jig, and workability in processing the object to be processed can be improved.

(2) As a result of +11 above, in the film formation process on wafers using a vertical chemical vapor deposition apparatus, the posture of the wafer held in the jig inserted into the reaction tube cannot be stabilized without being a single member. , the wafer plane can be mounted perpendicularly to the jig, which prevents deterioration in workability caused by mounting the wafer plane from an angle perpendicular to the jig, and improves film formation on the wafer. This makes it easier to automate processing.

(3) As a result of +11 above, the wafer plane becomes parallel to the cross-sectional direction of the reaction tube in a posture perpendicular to the jig parallel to the axial direction of the reaction tube, and each part of the wafer is heated uniformly. This prevents the flow of reaction gas inside the reaction tube from becoming uneven due to tilting the wafer plane with respect to the tool, making the thickness and quality of the thin film formed on multiple wafers uniform. be done.

(4) As a result of 111 to (3) above, the yield in manufacturing semiconductor devices is improved.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on Examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Nor.

For example, it is also possible to operate the processing device in an inverted state.

[Field of Application] In the above explanation, the invention made by the present inventor has been mainly applied to the field of application which is the background of the invention, which is the film formation processing technology for wafers in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It can be widely applied to technologies that use gas phase reactions, oxidation and diffusion technologies, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of a processing device that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the wafer is held perpendicular to the jig. 1... Reaction tube (processing chamber), 2... Heater, 3...
Gas inflow nozzle, 4...exhaust pipe, 5...reactant gas (
processing fluid), 6... jig, 6a... groove, 7...
Wafer (workpiece), 8.:', 1;, t+"j

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A processing device that performs a predetermined process by heating a processing fluid to a predetermined temperature while circulating a processing fluid in a processing chamber in which an object to be processed is accommodated, wherein the processing chamber is arranged in a vertical direction. A processing device characterized in that the processing device is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the processing device. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle is 2° to 45°. 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing chamber is constituted by a reaction tube, and the processing apparatus is a vertical chemical vapor deposition apparatus. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be processed is a wafer.