KR0159528B1 - Method of loading and unloading wafer boat in vertical heat treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

In the vertical heat treatment apparatus, a lid is formed below the reaction tube, and the boat for loading the wafer W is rolled and unloaded with respect to the reaction tube in a state in which the boat supporting the wafer W is substantially perpendicular to the lid.

In a space below the reaction tube, an arm for conveying the boat in a vertical state in a substantially horizontal plane is arranged, and first, second and third stations are formed in accordance with the trajectory of the arm.

During the heat treatment of the wafer loaded on the first boat into the reaction tube, the unheated wafer is loaded on the empty second boat at the first station.

After the wafer is loaded, the second boat is conveyed from the first station to the third station according to the transfer means, and the second boat is supported in the third station.

In the atmosphere of the second boat, the first boat after the end of heat treatment is lowered to the second station, and is continuously conveyed to the first station by the conveying means. In the first station, the heat-treated wafer is taken out of the first boat.

While the first boat is in the first station, the second boat is conveyed from the third station to the second station by the conveying means, and the second boat is continuously delivered onto the lid body, and the It is loaded into the reaction tube.

Description

Low and UnRoow Method of Wafers and Wafer Boats in Longitudinal Heat Treatment Equipment

1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an overview of a vertical heat treatment.

2 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an outline of a main part of a heat treatment furnace for longitudinal heat treatment.

3 is a plan view showing an outline of a wafer transfer device in the lower part of the furnace.

4 is a perspective view showing the main part of the carrier parallel transfer mechanism.

5A to 5D are schematic diagrams showing a carrier that changes position in each motion in order to explain an operation when the carrier on the stage is transferred to the inlet by the carrier parallel transfer mechanism.

FIG. 6A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an outline of a carrier attitude converter mechanism and a carrier introduction mechanism that change with each operation to explain the operation when the carrier is carried from the inlet to the lower part.

Fig. 7A is a plan view showing a carrier introduction mechanism when the carrier is not held.

7B is a plan view showing a carrier introduction mechanism when the carrier is held.

8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the wafer transport mechanism by cutting away.

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view showing the wafer transfer mechanism by cutting away.

10 is a perspective view showing a part of the fork of the wafer carrying mechanism.

11 is a cross sectional view showing a portion of a fork of a wafer carrying mechanism;

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the aspect of rotation of the arm and the positioning member S of the arm.

Fig. 14 is an elevation view showing the relationship between the boat and the arm at the wafer transfer position and the row and unload position of the boat.

15 is a perspective view showing a support mechanism for holding the upper end of the boat.

FIG. 16 is an exploded side view showing the vicinity of the locking member of the support mechanism of FIG.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

1: vertical heat treatment part 1a: treatment part

1b: wafer transfer part 2: reaction tube

5 support member 6 bolt moving mechanism

7: carrier 8: stage

9: wafer carrying mechanism 10: carrier port

11 carrier carrier mechanism 12 coil filter

13: crack pipe 14: exhaust pipe

15: lid 16: lifting mechanism

16a: bowl screw 17: carrier

18: thermos 19: arm

20: shaft member 21: support portion

21a: chip 21b: pin

21c: chip 24: put it on

26: support mechanism 27: locking member

30: carrier attitude converter port 31a, 31b: clamp

32: air cylinder 33: support shaft

34: rotary roller 35: wafer counter

37a, 37b: Link 38: Flood and light sensor

43: fan 44: filter

47: main frame 50a, 50b: cylinder

51a, 51b: rod 52a, 53a: arm

54a, 54b: first and second nail members 56: pin

60: support member 62: support member

70a to 70e: fork 71: plate

72: screw 73: base

75, 76: screw 78a, 78b: groove

79: metal beads 80: parallel transfer mechanism

82: arm 84: check mechanism

86: lifting cylinder 87: linear guide

88: bowl screw 89: motor

90: waiting apparatus 92: stand

94: track 121: drive mechanism

122: motor 123: timing belt

124: pulley 130: turning mechanism

131: frame 133: the motor

134: shaft 135: bearing

141: x-axis drive mechanism 142: motor

143: motor drive shaft 144,145: pulley

150: process controller 160: vacuum exhaust

165: process gas supply 261: beam

262: cylinder 263: shaft

264: link 265: shaft

266: Stroke linear bearing 267: Bellows

268: flange 271: flange

272: conical belt 273: counterbore

274 screw hole 275 screw

W: Wafer B: Boat

R: Wafer transfer position S: Axis center position

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vertical heat treatment apparatus for heat treating semiconductor wafers, and more particularly, to a method of moving a boat carrying a plurality of wafers between a wafer transfer position and a boat lower and an unwood position.

In recent years, unmanned and automated in a clean room advances, and the system which conveys a wafer carrier (cassette) by an unmanned conveyance vehicle of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus has been put into practical use.

To this end, each manufacturing apparatus is provided with a loading / unloading boat for automatically receiving the wafer carrier via the boat.

In the clean room, the space in the room needs to be discharged in a short time and the space as small as possible in order to maintain high cleanliness.

Since the vertical heat treatment furnace has a smaller occupancy of the floor area than the horizontal heat treatment furnace, by adopting this, the effective use of the room floor area can be achieved.

In addition, the vertical heat treatment has the advantage that the wafer can be loaded in and out without contacting the inner wall of the reaction tube.

In the vertical heat treatment furnace, a wafer transfer device is formed in order to transfer a semiconductor wafer from a carrier to a boat.

US Patent Publication No. 4,770,590 discloses a wafer transfer mechanism for a vertical heat treatment furnace.

However, this wafer transfer mechanism is of a semi-automatic type and requires the operator to manually set the carrier on the stage.

Unnecessary dust enters the apparatus at the time of this setting and the semiconductor wafer is contaminated, which increases the defective rate of the device.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of roving and unloading wafers and wafer boats in a longitudinal heat treatment apparatus suitable for automating the introduction, processing and discharging of a wafer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of reliably aligning a wafer carrying mechanism and a boat when transferring a wafer from a carrier to a boat.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method capable of increasing the stable state of a boat and performing a stable and stable operation when carrying a wafer from a carrier to a boat.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method in which the waiting time for carrying the wafer from the carrier to the boat is not the consumption time of the apparatus.

According to the method of the present invention for achieving the above object, a lid is formed in the lower part of the reaction tube, and the boat carrying the wafer (W) is rouded and unloaded with respect to the reaction tube in a state supported substantially perpendicularly to the lid. In the vertical heat treatment apparatus of wood, a means for conveying a boat in a vertical state in a substantially horizontal plane is arranged in a space below the reaction tube, and a wafer is placed with respect to the boat in a vertical state in accordance with the trajectory of the conveying means. A first station for sending and receiving, a second station separate from the first station for sending and receiving the bow itself with respect to the lid body directly below the reaction tube, the first and for supporting the boat; Forming a third station separate from the second station; and heat treating the wafer loaded on the first boat in the reaction tube, during the heat treatment. Loading the unheated wafer into a hollow second boat in the second embodiment; and, after the wafer is loaded, the second boat is conveyed from the first station to the third station by the conveying means, and the third station to the third station. A step of waiting the two boats, a step of lowering the first boat after the end of heat treatment to the second station in the atmosphere of the second boat, and then conveying to the first station by the conveying means; Taking out the heat-treated wafer from the first boat in one station, and transferring the second boat from the third station to the second station by the transfer means while the first boat is in the first station; And subsequently receiving the second boat onto the lid, and rolling into the reaction tube.

According to the method of the present invention, the transfer means for moving the boat allows automation of wafer transfer between the wafer transfer means and the boat in order to position the boat.

By supporting the top of the boat at the time of wafer transfer, the shaking of the boat is eliminated and the wafer transfer operation is performed reliably.

When the boat waiting mechanism is arranged, the wafer transfer and the bow and the unwind of the boat are performed in parallel, thereby effectively utilizing the wafer transfer time.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can be applied to oxidation, diffusion, CVD treatment, and the like.

(Example)

The vertical heat treatment apparatus 1 is formed in an unattended clean room, and the operation thereof as a fully automatic machine backed up by a computer system is in a state where the mode is automatically controlled.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical type heat processing apparatus 1 has a process part (process section) 1a and the wafer transfer part (wafer transfer color shade) 1b. The processing part 1a is formed in the upper part of the apparatus 1, and the wafer change part 1b is formed in the lower part of the apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

The fan 43 which has the filter 44 is formed between the process part 1a and the wafer transfer part 1b.

The fan 43 is formed directly above the carrier station 8 in the wafer transfer section 1b, and serves to supply clean air to the station 8 at least during the transfer of the semiconductor wafer W.

In other words, the dust is prevented from adhering to the semiconductor wafer during transfer.

In addition, the filter 44 uses a HERA filter or a ULPA filter. As shown in FIG. 3, the carrier port 10, the process control part 150, the process gas supply part 165, and the vacuum exhaust part 160 are adjacent to the wafer transfer part 1b.

The carrier port 10 is formed on the front surface of the wafer transfer portion 1b and extends in the Y-axis direction.

On this carrier port 10, a plurality of carriers 7 are arranged at equal intervals.

The movable base 3a of the carrier attitude converter mechanism 30 is supported by the horizontal axis in the center part of the port 10.

Moreover, the parallel transfer mechanism 80 is formed in the front surface of the wafer transfer part 1b as shown in FIG.

As shown in Figs. 6A to 6C, the port 10 has an opening formed in a portion of the movable base 30a, and the movable base 30a is rotated 90 degrees from the horizontal to the vertical about the axis 33. It is supposed to be.

The reaction tube 2 which wound the coil heater 12 is formed in the process part 1a.

The upper part of the reaction tube 2 is closed and the lower part is open. This lower opening is in communication with the wafer transfer part 1b. As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 15 is formed just under the lower opening of the reaction tube 2. As shown in FIG.

On the lid 15 is a heat insulating tube 18 for setting the wafer row to be a cracked region, and a vertical quartz material bolt B is placed on the insulating tube 18.

The lid 15 is supported by the support member 5 of the transfer robot, for example, the nut 5a of the support member 5 is screwed onto the bowl screw 16a of the lifting mechanism 16. .

The bowl screw 16a is configured to stop rotation start by a motor rotating by a program stored in advance in a computer (not shown).

There is also a cover that prevents dust from scattering.

The diameter of the lid 15 is larger than the diameter of the lower opening of the reaction tube 2.

A process gas supply pipe (not shown) extends from bottom to top along the inner wall of the reaction tube 2.

This gas supply pipe is connected to a gas supply source (not shown) through a mass flow controller (not shown) in the process gas supply unit 165.

The exhaust pipe 14 is formed below the reaction tube 20.

This exhaust pipe 14 is connected to a suction port of a vacuum pump (not shown) in the vacuum exhaust unit 160.

That is, between the reaction tube 2 and the coil heater 12, the crack tube 13 for making the temperature distribution in the reaction tube 2 uniform is formed.

Next, the parallel transfer mechanism 80 will be described with reference to FIG. A track (not shown) for robot travel is provided in front of the carrier port 10. The robot (not shown) has the role of conveying the carrier 7 to the port 10 from another place, and carrying this to the port 10. The lifetime transfer mechanism 80 is formed on the front side of the carrier port 10. The bowl screw 88 and the linear guide 87 of the mechanism 80 extend in parallel in the Y-axis direction.

These screws 88 and guides 87 penetrate the movable mechanism 81.

One end of the bowl screw 88 is connected to the drive shaft of the motor 89. The movable mechanism 81 incorporates a nut and a lifting cylinder (not shown), and a screw 88 is screwed onto the nut.

A check mechanism 84 is installed at the upper end of the elevating cylinder at the rod 86. The check mechanism 84 has a pair of arms 82 connected to a rod (not shown) of the air cylinder.

The driving air cylinder of the arm 82 is formed along the Y axis. A cover (not shown) is provided to prevent dust generated from these mechanisms from scattering.

Next, the carrier attitude converter mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C.

The support shaft 33 is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown).

The rotary drive mechanism has a lock mechanism and a return mechanism as rotation stops.

The drive systems of these lock mechanisms and return mechanisms are connected to an automatic control circuit so as to cooperate with the drive systems of the air cylinders 32 of the clamps 31a and 31b.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when the clamps 31a and 31b are opened, the lock mechanism is operated, and the movable base 30a is horizontally supported by the support shaft 33. As shown in FIG.

As shown in Fig. 6B, when the clamps 31a and 31b are opened, the lock mechanism is released, the support shaft 33 is rotated forward, and the movable base 30a is vertical.

As shown in Fig. 6C, after the closed clamps 31a and 31b are opened again, the return mechanism is operated, the support shaft 33 is reversed to return the movable base 30a to its original horizontal position. .

That is, the rotary roller 34 is formed just under the movable base 30a. This rotary roller 34 is supported by a moving mechanism (not shown) and moved to abut the wafer end surface exposed at the bottom of the carrier 7.

The contact of the rotary roller 34 determines the orientation of the orientation plate of the wafer W in the carrier 7.

In addition, a wafer counter 35 is formed near the rotary roller 34.

The wafer counter 35 is also supported by a moving mechanism (not shown) and is formed so as to be movable in the vicinity of the carrier 7.

The wafer counter 35 has a light projection and a light receiving sensor 38, and counts the number of wafers W by irradiating light onto the wafers W in the carrier 7.

In addition, the arrangement state of the wafer, for example, whether it is missing or not, is determined from the output of the wafer counter 35.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the carrier mounting mechanism 11 is demonstrated.

The carrier transfer mechanism 11 and the wafer transfer mechanism 9 are integrally assembled with each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, such an integrated assembly is capable of appropriately and surely transferring wafers in a narrow space.

That is, while being pivotally supported around the pivot shaft 134, as shown in FIG.

The carrier carrying mechanism 11 has opposing pairs of links 37a and 37b.

Since the link 37a and the link 37b are homogeneous in right and left symmetry, only the link 37a in one direction will be described for convenience.

The main member 48a is fixed to the front side of the main body frame 47.

A fixed arm 49a is installed at the front end of the main member 48a, and a cylinder 50a is installed at the side of the main member 48a.

The cylinder 50a is composed of members 52a to 55a and 56 and serves to drive the movable arm.

Such movable arm is mounted along the outer side of the fixed arm 49a.

One end of the short arm 52a is connected via the pin 56 at the front end of the rod 51a of the cylinder 50a, and one end of the long arm 53a is at the other end of the short arm 52a. Connected via 56.

The first nail member 54a is connected through the pin 56 at the front end of the long arm 53a, and the second nail member 55a is connected through the pin 56 near the rear end of the long arm 53a. It is.

The other ends of the first and second nail members 54a and 55a are connected via pins 56 at appropriate positions of the fixed arm 49a, respectively.

When the rod 51a of the link 37a thus assembled is retracted into the cylinder 50a, the front ends of the first and second nail members 54a and 55a are respectively fixed arm (as shown in Fig. 7a). Line up in the long direction of 49a).

On the other hand, when the rod 51a protrudes from the cylinder 50a, as shown in FIG. 7B, the front ends of the first and second nail members 54a and 55a are the lengths of the fixing arms 49a, respectively. The direction changes in the direction orthogonal to.

A groove portion 7a and a stopper 7b are formed on the side surface of the carrier 7, and the first nail member 54a is formed in the groove portion 7a and the second nail member 55a is formed in the stopper 7b. By matching with each other, the relative position adjustment of the carrier 7 and the loading mechanism 11 is attained.

Next, the wafer transfer mechanism 9 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11.

Two systems of forks consisting of five sets of forks 70a to 70e and only one fork 70f are formed on the frame 47 of the wafer transfer mechanism 9.

These two systems of forks 70a to 70e and 70f are supported by the support members 60 and 62, respectively, and independently driven by the belt drive mechanisms 121 and 128, respectively.

The forks 70a to 70f are made of aluminum alloy.

As shown in Fig. 8, the drive mechanism 121 for the five sets of forks 70a to 70e includes a timing belt 123 fastened to each other by a pair of pulleys 124, The motor 122 connected to the pulley 124 and the clearance 125 for belt tension adjustment are provided.

The belt drive mechanism 128 in the other direction is also configured in the same shape as the drive mechanism 121.

In addition, the motor 122, the drive mechanisms 25, 128, and 121 are configured to prevent the scattering of dust generated by the container 47.

As shown in FIG. 9, it is provided in the lower part of the frame 131 and the frame 47 of the turning mechanism 130 through the bearing 135. As shown in FIG.

A step motor is used for the motor 133 of the turning mechanism 130, and the rotation program of the shaft 134 is automatically controlled by a computer system.

In addition, the carrier carrying mechanism 11 described above is moved in the X-axis direction by the X-axis drive mechanism 141 of the belt driving method.

The motor 142 of the X-axis drive mechanism 141 is fixed to the frame 47, and the motor drive shaft 143 is connected to the pulleys 144 and 145.

As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the five-piece set forks 70a of the wafer transfer mechanism 9 are fitted by the base 73 and the plate 71 so as to be equally spaced and screwed by screws 72. It is fixed.

Further, a metal bead 79 is formed between the base 73 and the support member 60 (grooves 78a and 78b), and the base 73 (forks 70a to 70e at the same time). The position is changed by the screws 76 and 77.

That is, the front ends of the forks 70a to 70e are positioned with respect to the horizontal direction and the vertical direction by the four first adjusting screws 76, and the forks 70a are provided by the four second adjusting screws 77. The front end of the to 70e is positioned in the rotational direction. The screw 75 is a fixing screw for fixing the base 73 to the support member 60.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the boat movement mechanism 6 is demonstrated in detail.

The bolt moving mechanism 6 is provided with an arm 19 axially supported by the rotating shaft member 20, and a semicircular support 21 is formed at the front end thereof.

The shaft member 20 not only rotates the arm 19 by the rotation mechanism, but also enables the arm 19 to move up and down by an up-and-down mouth.

The arm 19 is a groove position H adjacent to the boat waiting mechanism 90 and a wafer transfer position R receiving the wafer in the wafer transfer mechanism 9 by the rotation mechanism of the rotation shaft member 20. Rotation is driven between.

The wafer transfer position R is formed through the cassette center position P carried in the I / O station, the rotation center position Q of the wafer transfer apparatus, and the axial center position S of the reaction tube 2. It is formed on a straight line.

In addition, by the up and down movement of the rotating shaft member 20, it is possible to turn over and receive the boat B at each position at the positions H, S, and R. When supporting the bolt B with the support 21 of the arm forming the U-shaped cutout, the following three positioning elements are required.

1st is in alignment with the center of the boat B in the wafer loading position R, and the moving direction and center of the wafer carrying forks 70a-70e. For this purpose, the support part 21 is provided with three side chip | tips 21a made of quartz.

The chip 31a abuts the side of the cylindrical portion b ₁ (see FIG. 14) at the lower end of the bolt B received along the U-shaped cutout, and the center of the bolt B and the support 21 Match the centers

The second is the alignment of the direction of the wafer accommodating groove b ₂ of the boat B in the wafer transfer position R with the moving direction of the wafer transfer forks 70a to 70e.

For this purpose, the support part 21 is provided with a plurality of direction determining pins 21b, for example, two places.

The pin 21 abuts the flat portion of the lower flange b ₃ (see FIG. 14) of the boat B, which is received along the U-shaped cutout, for example, at the home position H. Direction of the wafer accommodating groove b ₂ ) is determined.

This direction is in a state parallel to the moving direction of the forks 70a to 70e to be carried when the boat B is conveyed to the position R to which the wafer B is to be carried.

Third, the slope between the wafer supporting surface of the fork (70a) to (70e) wafer transferred loading position (R) boat (B) a wafer receiving groove (b ₂₎ of the in and put moved so as not Position alignment.

To this end, the portion 21, the lower flange of the boat (B) (b ₃₎ is when a quartz chip (21c) arranged in a uniformly at three locations for supporting the (14, see FIG.).

The chip 21c is attached to the adjustment mechanism so as to adjust the verticality of the boat B. FIG.

In the chip 21c, a screw hole penetrates from the surface of the support portion 21 toward the back surface. Up and down screws are screwed into this screw hole.

Therefore, by rotating this screw, the perpendicularity of the boat B is adjusted. To the home position H of the arm 19, the boat waiting mechanism 90 adjoins, as shown in FIG.

The waiting mechanism is provided with a mounting stand 92 which fits with the lower part of the boat B and holds the boat B vertically. The mounting stand 92 is provided with a track (not shown) by a mechanism (not shown). 94), it becomes movable.

At the position where the arm 19 is mounted, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 14, the mounting table 24 is fitted with the lower portion of the boat B to hold the boat B vertically. ) Is excreted, and this mounting base 24 is comprised so that up-and-down movement is possible.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, the support mechanism 26 which hold | maintains the upper end part of the boat B at the time of carrying a wafer is formed in the mounting position R upwards. The support mechanism 26 includes a quartz-like large-large locking member 27 which is driven up and down by the following structure, and the locking member 27 is a hole of the ring-shaped protrusion b _{4 at} the top of the boat B. Or fit into the groove.

The support mechanism 26, as shown in FIG. 15, includes a cylinder 262 and a storolinear bearing 266, which are fixed to the beam 261. As shown in FIG.

The movable shaft 263 of the cylinder 262 extends upward through the beam 261 and is connected to the link 264.

In addition, a shaft 265 is arranged to pass through the beam 261 and the bearing 266, which is connected to the link 264 at the top, that is, to the cylinder shaft 263.

In addition, a flange 268 is attached to the lower end of the shaft 265, and a locking member 27 is attached to the flange 268.

Over the flange 268 at the end under the bearing 266, the shaft 265 is covered by a metal bellows 267.

The bellows 267 is arranged in order to prevent dust generated at the time of operation of the shaft 265 from sitting on the lower boat B.

As shown in FIG. 16, the quartz cone-shaped locking member 27 is formed of an integral flange 271 and a cone-shaped portion 272. The counterbore 273 or the screw hole 274 penetrates through the shaft center. ) Is formed.

The screw hole 274 is aligned with the screw hole 269 formed in the shaft 265 shaft.

The metal screw 275 is returned to the screw holes 274 and 269 and the locking member 27 is fixed to the flange 268 at the front end of the shaft 265.

At this time, the head of the screw 275 is completely buried into the bore 273, so that only the portion made of quartz comes into contact with the protrusion b ₄ of the bolt B.

Next, the handling state of the wafer W by the above apparatus will be described.

First, the carriers 7 are sequentially placed on the ports 10 by a robot.

Keyboard condition is input to CPU of computer system for changing condition or heat treatment condition.

A maximum of 25 semiconductor wafers W are accommodated in the carrier 7. The command signal from the CPU is sent to the parallel transfer mechanism 80 to operate it.

As shown in Figs. 5A to 5D, the carrier 7 is sandwiched by a pair of arms 82 of the parallel transfer mechanism 80 and placed on the movable base 30a.

The carrier 7 is sandwiched and supported by the arms 31a and 31b of the carrier attitude converter mechanism 30.

At this time, since the arm 31a group has a stronger locking force than the arm 31b, the arm 31a side is first positioned relative to the carrier 7.

Subsequently, the rotary roller 34 is brought into contact with the wafer W in the carrier 7, and the orientation plate of the wafer W is prepared.

Subsequently, the number of wafers W in the carrier 7 is counted by the wafer counter 35.

After the lock is released, the shaft 33 is rotated forward, and the carrier 7 is rotated 90 degrees simultaneously with the movable base 30a.

As shown in Fig. 6B, the wafers W in the carrier 7 are arranged horizontally.

The carrier transfer mechanism 11 is advanced toward the carrier 7, and the links 37a and 37b are positioned to the side of the carrier 7.

Subsequently, the rods 51a and 51b protrude from the cylinders 50a and 50b, respectively.

The front end of the second nail member 55a is in contact with the stopper 7b of the carrier 7, and a misalignment with the transfer mechanism 11 and the carrier 7 is achieved.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the front end of the first nail member 54a is fitted into the recess 7a of the carrier 7, and the carrier 7 is gripped by the links 37a and 37b. Lose.

The arm 31b of the attitude changer mechanism 30 is released, and the arm 31a is then released.

Subsequently, the carrier transport mechanism 11 is retracted into the section 1b, and it is further pivoted to position the carrier 7 in place of the station 8.

The rods 51a and 51b are retracted into the cylinders 50a and 50b, respectively, and the links 37a and 37b are released, and the carrier 7 is placed on the station 8.

Incidentally, the compartments of the station 8 are vertically arranged in four rows and two horizontal rows.

Each compartment of the station 8 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for confirming the presence or absence of the carrier 7.

However, in which compartment of the station 8 the carrier 7 is to be mounted is programmed beforehand.

In this manner, when the wafer W is not moved from the carrier 7 to the boat B, the carrier 7 is sequentially transferred to the station 8 on the port 10 by the carrier transfer mechanism 11. .

On the other hand, the boat B is inserted into the section 1b, and is kept at the position R at which the wafer is to be carried.

The swing drive mechanism 130 is operated to replace the positions of the carrier transfer mechanism 11 and the wafer transfer mechanism 9, and the forks 70a to 70e of the wafer transfer mechanism 9 are moved to the carrier 7. Face the opening.

The forks 70a to 70e are advanced by the belt drive, and the front end thereof is inserted into the carrier 7 and stopped at a predetermined position.

The ports 70a to 70e are slightly raised to pick up five wafers W in the carrier 7 by the forks 70a to 70e.

The forks 70a to 70e are retracted and turned to face the boat B. As shown in FIG.

The forks 70a to 70e are advanced, the wafer W is inserted into the boat B, and the forks 70a to 70e are slightly lowered.

As a result, five wafers W are transferred to the boat B from the forks 70a to 70e.

When carrying out the said loading, the boat B is hold | maintained perpendicular to the mounting base 24 of the conveyance position R. As shown in FIG.

In addition, when the mounting base 24 is raised or the locking member 27 is lowered, the locking member 27 is engaged with the hole of the head protruding portion b ₄ of the bolt B, and the bolt B ) Is fixed at the top.

The wafer W is transferred in this fixed state.

After the transfer is completed, the mounting table 24 is lowered, or the locking member 27 is raised to release the fixed state of the boat B. FIG.

The arm 19 of the boat moving mechanism 6 is pivoted here and engaged with the lower part of the boat B. As shown in FIG.

And as shown in FIG. 14, when the arm 19 raises or the mounting base 24 descends, the boat B will separate | separate from the mounting base 24. As shown in FIG.

Next, the arm 19 turns, and the boat B is conveyed to the top of the mounting table 92 of the boat waiting mechanism 90.

The arm 19 descends and is moved to the stage 92 where the boat B is placed.

And the stand 92 is moved along the track | orbit 84, and the boat B is released from the arm 19. Then, as shown in FIG.

Next, the boat B different from the above in which the predetermined heat treatment is performed in the reaction tube 2 is moved downward by the elevating mechanism 16.

Then, the arm 19 pivots and is engaged with the lower portion of the boat B placed on the insulating tube 18 on the supporting member 5 of the elevating mechanism 16 as shown in FIG.

Here, the arm 19 raises, or the support member 5 descends, and the boat B is moved from the thermos 18 to the arm 19.

This boat B is moved to the wafer transfer position R by the rotation of the arm 19, and the boat B is flipped over the mounting base 24 in the above state.

And the conveying mechanism 9 transfers the processed wafer from the boat B to the carrier 7 of the carrier station 8 in the above-mentioned state. The arm 19 pivots above the home position H, that is, the boat waiting mechanism 90, during the transfer of the processed wafer.

Next, the unprocessed wafer is loaded and carried by the stand 92 where the above-mentioned boat B in the atmosphere is put.

And the lower part of the boat B is fitted in the support part 20 of the arm 19 in the groove position H. As shown in FIG.

Here, the arm 19 is raised and it is disengaged from the stage 92 where the boat B puts.

Next, the arm 19 pivots, and the boat B on which the unprocessed wafer is loaded is conveyed onto the axial center position S of the reaction tube 2, that is, the support member 5 of the elevating mechanism 16. . Here, the arm 19 descends while the shaft center of the boat B and the thermos 18 coincide, and the arm 19 retreats to the home position H. As shown in FIG.

The support member 5 of the elevating mechanism 16 rises to the position where the lid 15 closes the reaction tube 2, and installs the boat B into the reaction tube 2.

Then, the heater 12 heat-controls the inside of the reaction tube 2 to a predetermined temperature, introduces a predetermined processing gas into the reaction tube 2, and performs a predetermined heat treatment.

Claims (7)

A vertical heat treatment apparatus in which a lid is formed at a lower portion of a reaction tube, and a boat for loading a wafer (W) is rolled and unloaded with respect to the reaction tube in a state in which the boat is supported substantially perpendicular to the lid. A first station for arranging and transporting the boat in a vertical state in a substantially horizontal plane below the first station for sending and receiving a wafer with respect to the vertical boat in accordance with the trajectory of the conveying means, and the reaction tube A second station separate from the first station for sending and receiving the bow itself with respect to the lid, and a third station separate from the first or second station for waiting the boat. And an empty second boat lying at the first station during the heat treatment of the wafer loaded on the first boat in the reaction tube. A step of stacking the wafer that has not been heat-treated, and after the wafer is loaded, transferring the second boat from the first station to the third station by the conveying means, and waiting for the second boat at the third station; And dropping the first boat after the end of heat treatment to the second station in the atmosphere of the second boat, and subsequently conveying the first boat to the first station by the conveying means, and from the first station to the first boat. The second boat is conveyed from the third station to the second station by the conveying means between the step of taking out the heat-treated wafer from the wafer and the first boat is in the first station, and subsequently the second boat. A wafer in a longitudinal heat treatment apparatus having a step of exchanging a bow onto the lid and rolling it into the reaction tube; or Low load and unload methods of tapered wood boat. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transferring the empty second boat from the third station to the first station by the transfer means during the wafer heat treatment loaded on the first boat in the reaction tube. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing the processed wafer from the first boat and subsequently loading the unheated wafer on the first boat. The said 1st boat which loaded the unheated wafer after the said 2nd boat was rolled in the reaction tube, is conveyed by the said conveyance means from the said 1st station to a 3rd station, The said 3rd station Waiting for the first boat to flow. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of fixing the head of each boat when the wafer is exchanged for each boat at the first station. 2. The method of claim 1 including the step of simultaneously exchanging a plurality of wafers when exchanging wafers for each boat at the first station. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of, at the third station, removing each of the boats conveyed by the conveying means from the track of the conveying means and waiting for the respective boats.

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