KR20060104236A - Heating equipment for semiconductor manufacturing - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The disclosed heat treatment facility has an exhaust line for exhausting heat generated by the heater to the outside of the heater chamber. Then, a pressure gauge and an automatic pressure control valve are installed on the exhaust line. Therefore, even if the pressure of the exhaust line measured in the pressure gauge is changed, the pressure inside the heater chamber is always adjusted to the pressure necessary for the process. This prevents a process defect from occurring due to a change in the internal temperature of the process tube during the heat treatment process.

Description

Heat treatment equipment for semiconductor device manufacturing

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a configuration of a heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing the automatic pressure control valve of the heat treatment equipment according to the present invention.

** Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings **

10: diffusion furnace

40: process tube

50: heater chamber

55: heater

110: exhaust line

130: pressure gauge

140: automatic pressure control valve

150: control unit

The present invention relates to a facility used for the manufacture of a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device is a heat treatment process is performed.

In general, semiconductor devices are made by repeatedly performing processes such as photolithography, etching, ion implantation, diffusion, and deposition on a wafer.

Among these, heat treatment processes such as a deposition process for forming a desired material film on the wafer and a diffusion process for diffusing impurities in the wafer injected through ion implantation are mainly performed in a diffusion furnance.

Here, referring to the diffusion furnace in which the heat treatment process is performed, the diffusion furnace includes a process tube into which the wafer is loaded, and a heater for generating heat necessary for the process from the outside of the process tube to heat the wafer loaded into the process tube. A heater chamber is provided.

On the other hand, an exhaust line for exhausting high temperature heat generated from the heater chamber to the outside of the heater chamber is connected to the diffusion path in which the process tube and the heater chamber are provided. Here, the heat exhausted through the exhaust line is heat above a predetermined temperature required to perform the heat treatment process. At this time, when the temperature inside the heater chamber rises above a predetermined temperature necessary to perform the heat treatment process, the pressure inside the heater chamber also rises above the pressure required to perform the heat treatment process. Therefore, the high temperature heat is exhausted to the outside of the heater chamber through the exhaust line, so that the pressure inside the heater chamber is maintained at a constant level.

In addition, a pressure control valve and a pressure gauge are installed on the exhaust line. The pressure gauge measures the pressure in the exhaust line, and the pressure control valve regulates the pressure inside the heater chamber (for example, 70 mmH ₂ O in a Nitride process).

On the other hand, when the pressure of the exhaust line is changed in the process of exhausting heat inside the heater chamber, the pressure inside the heater chamber connected to the exhaust line is changed due to the pressure of the exhaust line. This acts as a factor causing the temperature change inside the heater chamber, in order to prevent this, the pressure inside the heater chamber is controlled by using a pressure control valve installed on the exhaust line. At this time, the pressure control valve is to control the pressure inside the heater chamber by adjusting the amount of heat exhausted through the exhaust line.

However, the conventional pressure regulating valve is a manual pressure regulating valve operated manually by the operator, and the operator must check the pressure gauge installed on the exhaust line and operate the manual pressure regulating valve one by one according to the pressure change of the exhaust line.

Therefore, when the operator does not detect the pressure change of the exhaust line, the pressure inside the heater chamber is changed, and the temperature inside the heater chamber is changed according to the pressure change inside the heater chamber. As a result, there is a problem that damage to the wafer loaded inside the heater chamber occurs.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of maintaining a constant pressure inside the heater chamber when the pressure of the exhaust line is changed without an operator's operation.

The heat treatment apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device for implementing the object of the present invention as described above is a heater chamber including a process tube loaded with a wafer therein, and a heater installed outside the process tube and applying heat to the inside of the process tube. And an exhaust line connected to the heater chamber to exhaust heat generated in the heater chamber to the outside of the heater chamber, and a pressure gauge installed on the exhaust line to measure a pressure inside the exhaust line. And an automatic pressure control valve for maintaining a constant pressure in the heater chamber according to the pressure value sensed by the pressure gauge.

At this time, the automatic pressure control valve is preferably installed on the exhaust line between the pressure gauge and the heater chamber.

The automatic pressure control valve includes a body, a valve plate installed inside the body to open and close a flow of heat flowing through the exhaust line, a drive shaft rotatably attached to one side of the valve plate, and the drive shaft. It is connected to the motor for transmitting a driving force to the drive shaft.

In addition, the pressure gauge and the motor is electrically connected to a control unit, the control unit rotates the motor in accordance with the pressure value of the exhaust line measured by the pressure gauge, the opening of the valve plate by the rotation of the motor It is desirable to adjust the angle.

Hereinafter, a heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a heat treatment equipment for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a cutaway perspective view showing an automatic pressure control valve of the heat treatment equipment according to the present invention.

Meanwhile, for convenience of understanding, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements even though they belong to different drawings.

First, the heat treatment apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a diffusion path in which a heat treatment process is performed. As shown in FIG. 1, the diffusion path 10 transfers heat into the process tube 40 on which the wafer is loaded, the manifold 45 supporting the process tube 40, and the process tube 40. It consists of a heater chamber 50 to which the heater is mounted.

Here, the process tube 40 is a double tube structure consisting of the inner tube 30 and the outer tube 20 in a cylindrical shape with an open bottom. Therefore, the boat 60 on which the plurality of wafers W are loaded is transferred into the process tube 40 to perform a heat treatment process.

In addition, a lower part of the process tube 40 is provided with a manifold 45 for supporting the inner tube 30 and the outer tube 20. The manifold 45 has a process gas injection nozzle 46 penetrated into the process tube 40 to inject the process gas into the process tube 40, and the inside of the process tube 40 is evacuated. The process gas exhaust pipe 47 connected with the vacuum pump which is not provided is provided.

In addition, a heater chamber having a heater 55 mounted on the outside of the process tube 40 to heat the wafer W transferred to the inside of the process tube 40 by transferring high temperature heat into the process tube 40. 50 is provided. At this time, the heater 55 is installed to be embedded in the inner wall of the heater chamber 50 as shown, but this is just one embodiment, may be installed in close contact with the outer wall of the outer tube (20).

On the other hand, the high temperature heat generated by the heater 55 is maintained at a predetermined process temperature in the heater chamber 50 to perform a smooth heat treatment process. To this end, the upper part of the heater chamber 50, as shown, the exhaust line 110 for exhausting heat above the temperature required for the process to the outside is connected.

Here, the pressure gauge 130 and the automatic pressure control valve 140 is installed on the exhaust line 110. At this time, the pressure gauge 130 measures the pressure of the exhaust line (110). And, the automatic pressure control valve 140 is installed on the exhaust line 110, the upper and lower surfaces of the automatic pressure control valve 140 is connected to the exhaust line 110.

2, the automatic pressure control valve 140 is a cylindrical body 141, and a disk-shaped valve plate which is installed in the interior 141 of the body to open and close the flow of heat exhausted from the heater chamber 50 142 and a drive shaft 143 which supports the valve plate 142 in the body 141 and protrudes outward of the body 141, and is connected to the drive shaft 143 to supply driving force to the drive shaft 143. And a motor 144 for rotating the valve plate 142.

At this time, one side of the motor 144 is provided with a motor shaft 145, the motor shaft 145 and the drive shaft 143 is connected. Accordingly, the drive shaft 143 connected to the motor shaft 143 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 144, and the rotated drive shaft 143 again rotates the valve plate 142 to adjust the opening angle of the valve plate 142. Adjust

Meanwhile, referring back to FIG. 1, the above-described pressure gauge 130 and the motor 144 of the automatic pressure control valve 140 are electrically connected to the controller 150, and the controller 150 is the pressure gauge 130. The motor 144 is rotated according to the pressure value measured at.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described the operation and action of the heat treatment equipment according to the present invention.

First, the boat 60 on which the wafers W are loaded is transferred into the process tube 40. Then, the heater 55 is operated to heat the transferred wafer W.

Here, the temperature heated by operating the heater 55 requires a process of adjusting the temperature required for the heat treatment process, wherein heat above the temperature required for the process is exhausted through the exhaust line 110 connected to the heater chamber 50. do.

In this process, the pressure of the exhaust line 110 is measured by the pressure gauge 130 installed on the exhaust line 110, and the pressure value measured by the pressure gauge 130 is transmitted to the controller 150.

And, in the process, if the pressure measured in the exhaust line 110 is changed, the pressure inside the heater chamber 50 is also changed. At this time, if the pressure inside the heater chamber 50 is changed, the temperature inside the heater chamber 50 is changed. For example, when the pressure inside the heater chamber 50 rises, the temperature inside the heater chamber 50 also rises.

On the other hand, the valve plate 142 of the automatic pressure control valve 140 is always in a predetermined part open state, the degree of opening of the valve plate 142 is changed by the rotation of the motor 144.

Accordingly, the controller 150 operates the motor 144 of the automatic pressure control valve 140 according to the pressure value measured by the pressure gauge 130, and the motor 144 operated by the controller 150 is a valve plate. The pressure inside the heater chamber 50 is adjusted by adjusting the opening angle of 142.

As such, the pressure inside the heater chamber 50 is adjusted by adjusting the automatic pressure regulating valve 140 to maintain the temperature inside the heater chamber 50 at a predetermined process temperature.

Therefore, the present invention does not change the pressure of the heater chamber through the operation of the automatic pressure control valve even if the pressure of the exhaust line is changed. Accordingly, the temperature inside the heater chamber is maintained so that there is no change.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings, it is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

As described above, the present invention compares the pressure values of the heater chamber and the exhaust line on the exhaust line for exhausting the heat generated inside the heater chamber, and installs an automatic pressure regulating valve for automatically adjusting the pressure. It is effective to prevent process defects caused by the internal temperature change of the process tube.

Claims (4)

A process tube into which a wafer is loaded; A heater chamber installed outside the process tube and including a heater to heat the inside of the process tube; An exhaust line connected to the heater chamber to exhaust heat generated in the heater chamber to the outside of the heater chamber; A pressure gauge installed on the exhaust line to measure a pressure inside the exhaust line; And Heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising an automatic pressure control valve for maintaining a constant pressure of the heater chamber in accordance with the pressure value detected by the pressure gauge. The method of claim 1, The automatic pressure control valve is a heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that installed on the exhaust line between the pressure gauge and the heater chamber. The method of claim 2, The automatic pressure control valve is connected to the body, a valve plate installed inside the body to open and close the exhaust line, a drive shaft attached to one side of the valve plate to rotate the valve plate, and the drive shaft. Heat treatment facility for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that consisting of a motor for transmitting a driving force to the drive shaft. The method of claim 3, wherein The pressure gauge and the motor are electrically connected to a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the opening angle of the valve plate by rotating the motor according to the pressure value of the exhaust line measured by the pressure gauge. Heat treatment equipment for device manufacturing.

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