JPS6216518A - Semiconductor device manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the adhesion to a semiconductor wafer to dust generating when the semiconductor wafer to be heat-treated is inserted into or taken out from a reaction pipe by a method wherein the chamber, in which the semiconductor wafer to be heat-treated is inserted or taken out, is detachably provided in the reaction pipe, and an inlet hole and an outlet hole of gas are formed on the end face of the chamber. CONSTITUTION:When gas is fed from a pipe 23 while it is being heated up by a heater 22, the gas penetrates into a chamber from the inlet holes 16 and 17 perforated in a chamber 19, and the gas is exhausted from an outlet hole 18. When a heat treatment is finished, the chamber 19 is pulled out from a reaction pipe 21, the upper half part 12 of the chamber is disconnected from the lower half part 11, and a semiconductor wafer 13 is taken out. When the semiconductor wafer 13 is inserted into or taken out from the reaction pipe, as the semiconductor wafer is housed in the chamber 19, almost no dust is intruded into the chamber, and the adhesion of dust on the semiconductor wafer can be prevented. Besides, as the quartz with which the chamber 19 is constituted has low coefficient of thermal conductivity, the semiconductor wafer 13 can be heated up or cooled down slowly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an apparatus used for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and particularly to an apparatus used for heat-treating a semiconductor wafer.

(Prior Art) In recent years, with the remarkable technological innovation of VLSI, ultrafine processing has become required, and photolithography in 1 micron or submicron units has come to be performed. In order to integrate as many elements as possible within the limited area of a semiconductor chip, photolithography on a 1-micron or sub-micron scale is required. Traditionally, in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, attention has been paid to dirt and dust, and various processes are carried out in clean rooms, but in submicron photolithography, trace amounts of dirt and dust, which have not been a problem in the past, can also be handled. This has a significant effect on properties and causes a decrease in yield.

On the other hand, the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices often includes a step of subjecting the semiconductor wafer to heat treatment such as thermal diffusion and oxidation. In this heat treatment, the semiconductor wafer 1 to be heat treated is mounted on a quartz boat 2 in an almost vertical position as shown in FIG.
), it is inserted into a quartz reaction tube 3, heated by a heater 4 provided on the outer periphery of the reaction tube 3, and at the same time a mixed gas of, for example, H2, N2. This is done by supplying. Once the heat treatment is complete,
A drawer rod 6 is inserted into the reaction tube 3, and the tip of the rod is hung on a grip part 2a provided at the tip of the quartz boat 2 to pull out the semiconductor wafer 1 together with the quartz boat 2 from the reaction tube 3.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional heat treatment apparatus described above, when the quartz boat 2 is inserted into and removed from the quartz reaction tube 3, the quartz boat 2 rubs against the quartz reaction tube 3 due to friction, and dust such as quartz debris is thrown up, causing heat treatment. This has the disadvantage that it adheres to the semiconductor wafer 1 and reduces the yield. Generally, there is a heat-resistant brick on the outside of the quartz reaction tube 3,
A heat insulating material such as glass wool is provided near the entrance of the reaction tube 3, but when used for a long time, dirt and dust generated from these materials may enter the quartz reaction tube 3, which is in a high temperature state. may accumulate on internal walls. When the quartz boat 2 is inserted into and removed from the reaction tube 3, there is a possibility that these dust particles will also fly up and be deposited on the semiconductor wafer 1.

Furthermore, when using a conventional quartz boat, the semiconductor wafer is rapidly heated from room temperature or rapidly cooled from high temperature, which may cause the semiconductor wafer to warp or introduce defects, resulting in device characteristics. There are also drawbacks that can significantly reduce yield.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, to prevent dust generated when a semiconductor wafer is inserted into and removed from a reaction tube from adhering to the semiconductor wafer, and to rapidly heat and cool the semiconductor wafer. The purpose of this invention is to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that avoids any problems.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is capable of processing semiconductor wafers to be subjected to heat treatment. The present invention is characterized in that a chamber into which the gas can be inserted and removed is configured to be freely inserted into and removed from the reaction tube, and an inlet through which gas flows in and an outlet through which gas flows out are formed at the end faces of this chamber.

(Function) According to the above-described manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is inserted into and removed from the reaction tube while being housed in the chamber, so even if dust is kicked up due to friction between the reaction tube and the chamber, the semiconductor wafer is not removed from the reaction tube. There is less risk that this will adhere to the semiconductor wafer. In addition, the semiconductor wafer is housed in a chamber, and this chamber forms a thermal buffer, so the semiconductor wafer is not rapidly heated or cooled, which improves yield. become.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. This figure shows a state in which the side half and the lower half are disassembled, and (b') shows the state in which the upper half and the lower half are assembled. 11 and the upper half 12 have the shape of a cylinder divided into two in the vertical axis direction, and are each made of quartz.

A support member 14 is provided at the bottom of the lower half 11 for supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers 13 to be subjected to heat treatment in a substantially perpendicular manner. Further, a grip portion 15 is attached to the lower half portion 11, with which the tip of the pull-out rod engages. Furthermore, a plurality of inlets 16 and 17 for gas to flow are formed in one end face of the lower half 11 and the upper half 12, respectively. Further, the other end face of the upper half 12 is provided with an outlet 18 for gas to flow out.

With the upper half 12 removed from the lower half 11, the semiconductor wafer 13 to be heat treated is placed on the support member 14 of the lower half 11, and then the upper half 13 is attached to the lower half 11. The chamber 19 is formed by placing it over the top.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the pull-out rod 20 is hooked onto the grip portion 15, and the chamber 19 is inserted into the interior of the reaction tube 21 made of quartz. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer diameter of the chamber 19 has a reaction t! It is preferable to make the inner diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of I21.

Next, while heating with the heater 22, H2, N2°O2
Gas is supplied from pipe 23. This gas is in chamber 1
It enters the chamber through inlets 16, 17 at 9 and exits through outlet 18. After the heat treatment is completed, the chamber 19 is pulled out from the reaction tube 21 using the pull-out rod 20.
Furthermore, remove the upper half 12 from the lower half 11 and remove the semiconductor ware. Take out 13.

According to the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, when the semiconductor wafer 13 is inserted into and removed from the reaction tube 21, since the semiconductor wafer is housed in the chamber 19, the reaction tube 21 and the chamber 1
Even if dust is stirred up by 9 and **, very little dust will enter the chamber, so the dust will not adhere to the semiconductor wafer. Furthermore, since the quartz constituting the chamber 19 has low thermal conductivity, the semiconductor wafer 13 is subjected to heat removal and slow cooling, which may cause the semiconductor wafer to warp or
There is no fear that defects will be introduced. In this way, tree p I! By using the manufacturing apparatus No. 11, deterioration of device characteristics is reduced and yield is improved, which is extremely effective especially when photolithography is performed in 1 micron or submicron units.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-mentioned example, the chamber is cylindrical and divided into two vertically, but it can also be square, divided into two horizontally, or into three or more. Further, it is also possible to configure one end face of the cylindrical chamber to be splittable.

Further, according to the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of chambers containing semiconductor wafers of different conductivity types can be prepared, and these chambers can be inserted into one reaction tube and heat-treated at the same time. Such a method is particularly effective against oxidation or diffusion that requires heating at high temperatures for a long time, and can significantly reduce costs.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention described above, semiconductor ware? When the semiconductor wafer is taken in and out of the reaction tube, since the semiconductor wafer is stored in a nearly sealed chamber, dust kicked up by the friction between the reaction tube and the chamber enters the chamber and adheres to the semiconductor wafer. The possibility of this is greatly reduced and the semiconductor wafer can be effectively protected from dust contamination. Furthermore, since the chamber housing the semiconductor wafer has a heat insulating effect, the semiconductor wafer will not be rapidly heated or cooled.

In this way, semiconductor devices with excellent element characteristics can be manufactured at a high yield. By inserting a plurality of chambers into a reaction tube, different types of semiconductor wafers can be heat-treated at the same time, thereby reducing costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the structure of the chamber of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the chamber is housed in a reaction tube, and FIGS. 3(a) and (b). b) is a diagram showing a conventional quartz boat and a state in which it is inserted into a reaction tube. 11...Lower half part 12...Lower half part 13.
...Semiconductor wafer 14...Supporting member 15...Gripping part 16.17...Inlet 18...Outlet
19...Chamber 20...Drawer rod
21...Reaction tube 22...Heater 23
...Gas supply vibrator patent applicant TDC Co., Ltd.++/N
N N :r:,z.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A chamber into which a semiconductor wafer to be subjected to heat treatment can be inserted and removed is configured to be able to be inserted into and removed from a reaction tube, and an end face of this chamber is provided with an inlet through which gas flows in and an outlet through which gas flows out. A manufacturing apparatus for a semiconductor device, characterized in that each of the following is formed. 2. The chamber includes a lower half having a support member that supports the semiconductor wafer to be heat-treated almost vertically, and a lower half that is placed on the lower half and supports the semiconductor wafer in combination with the lower half. 2. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an upper half portion defining a surrounding substantially cylindrical space.