US3719291A - Diffusion furnace loader - Google Patents

Diffusion furnace loader Download PDF

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Publication number
US3719291A
US3719291A US00166731A US3719291DA US3719291A US 3719291 A US3719291 A US 3719291A US 00166731 A US00166731 A US 00166731A US 3719291D A US3719291D A US 3719291DA US 3719291 A US3719291 A US 3719291A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
furnace
guideway
moving
loading mechanism
driving
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00166731A
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English (en)
Inventor
J Redan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Simmonds Precision Products Inc
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Simmonds Precision Products Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Simmonds Precision Products Inc filed Critical Simmonds Precision Products Inc
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C30—CRYSTAL GROWTH
    • C30B—SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C30B31/00—Diffusion or doping processes for single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure; Apparatus therefor
    • C30B31/06—Diffusion or doping processes for single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure; Apparatus therefor by contacting with diffusion material in the gaseous state
    • C30B31/10—Reaction chambers; Selection of materials therefor
    • C30B31/106—Continuous processes
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S254/00—Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force
    • Y10S254/06—Flexible rack and pinion

Definitions

  • the process consists of heating the semiconductor to be diffused to a high temperature in a furnace containing the vapors of the impurity to be diffused into the semiconductor.
  • diffusion-current furnaces There are two types of diffusion-current furnaces, one type is open at each end and the boat containing the wafers to be treated to change their atomic structure is transversed through the furnace on the boat on an endless chain, or the boat containing the wafers may be inserted into the furnace by means of a quartz pedal which is manually operated by a workman.
  • the other type of furnace is open only at one end and heretofore it has been customary to insert the beater carrier member bearing the wafers into thefurnace or retract it therefrom by the operators quartz pedal.
  • this invention relates to improvements in furnace loading devices, particularly for use with diffusion furnaces.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a selfcontained housing which includes all the necessary controls to fully automate the subjection of the silicon wafers to the diffusion current of the furnace.
  • Still another object of the invention is to provide the housing a circuitous trackway which acts as a guide means for a multiplicity of articulated link members which advance the wafer-bearing boat into and retract it from the furnace.
  • Yet another object of the invention is to provide a series of interconnected articulated link members which are adapted tobe actuated by a power-driven sprocket member with the links being so designed as to also form a means by which the wafer boat is moved into and out of the furnace.
  • a still further object of the invention is to provide manually operable means for controlling the articulated link members and the wafer upon electrical power failure.
  • FIG. 1 discloses a side elevational view of the furnace loader with a portion of the trackway extending into the furnace;
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG.
  • FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the furnace loaderand the wafer boat with the drive elements for the boat shown schematically;
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the drive chain, boat and trackway in exploded form to better disclose their details.
  • FIG. I there is shown the left side of the furnace loader housing 10 with its rear wall 11 secured to and in abutted relation with the front wall 12 of the diffusion furnace 13, the entrance of which is denoted at 14.
  • an enlarged aperture 15 provided in the left side wall of the housing 10 this opening providing for access not only to the knurled wheel 15a for manual drive of the sprocket wheel 16, all of which will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, but also for driving adjustment of the potentiometer, the necessity for which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
  • FIG. 2 there is clearly shown therein the drive motor 17, a gear reduction unit 18 associated therewith, and a shaft 19 extending therefrom, the terminus of which includes a minor pulley 20 securely fastened thereto in any suitable manner. Adjacent thereto and in driving relation with the minor pulley 20 through an endless belt means 21 is a major pulley 22.
  • a perpendicularly extending plurally apertured partition 23 includes means defining an opening denoted 24 and through which the shaft 25 provided at one end with the pulley 22 and at its opposite end with the knurled drive means 15a is arranged to extend. As shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 25 includes a bearing means 26 for purposes that will be apparent.
  • control members including an on-and-off switch 33, a gauge for indicating the position of the boat 34 relative to the furnace chamber 36 and one of several other switches which, when operated by a skilled workman, will compensate for the rate of control of treatment of the wafers 35 carried by the boat 34, as well as their preheat and dwell time within the furnace chamber.
  • the partition 23 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) is provided with an aperture 37 which is covered by an arcuately slotted plate member 38, the slot 39 thereof being arranged to receive a shaft 40, one end of which is affixed to a plate element 41 pivoted as at 42 to the wall of the housing with the opposite threaded end of the shaft 40 adapted to receive a knurled knob 42a whereby the idler pulley 43 carried by plate 41 can be swung in one direction to tension thebelt 21, and in the opposite direction for releasing tension thereon.
  • FIG. 3 of the drawings there is shown a top plate element 44 which is securely fastened to' the housing 10 and is provided with a guideway 45 having a reentrant bend portion 46 so that the interconnected chain link members 30 can be fully retracted from the furnace chamber in a horizontal plane and stored on the top of the housing, as shown.
  • the trackway 31 is securely mounted on the top wall of the housingand includes a terminal portion 47 that extends substantially the length of the furnace chamber 36.
  • the chain links can be extended fully into the furnace (approximately 4 ft.) and entirely retracted therefrom so as to lie on the top of plate 44.
  • the rotary element 50 carried on shaft 51 and which is driven through gear means 52 that, in turn, is drivably associated with the sprocket is adapted to drive a shaft on which is mounted a contact arm of a potentiometer, the position of the arm being arranged to determine the resistance in the circuit with the latter elements enumerated not being illustrated.
  • FIG. 4 there is shown a schematic view of the left side wall of the housing 10 clearly illustrating the driven sprocket 16, the teeth of which are shown extending up through the trackway and into engagement with the chain link members 30.
  • the exploded schematic view in FIG. 5 shows the quartz boat 34 which includes upright end walls 53-53 with lifting handles being shown extending therefrom, the latter facilitating positioning the boat on the links 30.
  • the boat 34 can be provided with converging slid ing walls, as shown, or the wafer-receiving slotted surface may be merely concave, the boat member not forming any part of this invention.
  • the lower surface of the boat 34 is provided with depressions (see FIG. 1) which receive the upstanding pins 54 of the interconnected chain links 30.
  • Oscillate mode selection of this mode of drive imposes an oscillation on the drive causing the boat to move plus or minus 2 inches at both the dwell (if selected) and diffusion zone.
  • Step 1 Turn selector to set up position.
  • Load boat Step 2 Select boat position in furnace by turning selector potentiometer to position desired.
  • Step 3 Turn rate control to desired time one, two or three minutes for full stroke.
  • Step 4 Turn preheat dwell timer potentiometer to select length of time desired.
  • Step 5 Turn preheat position potentiometer to select desired dwell position in furnace.
  • Step 6 Turn selector to run mode.
  • a furnace-loading mechanism comprising a laterally flexible and longitudinally rigid, elongated means for moving a wafer-bearing boat member for advancement into or retraction from the furnace and a support means for said moving means, said support means comprising a housing containing a power driving means for the moving means, said support means also including a guideway for the moving means, said guideway being positioned in a horizontal plane on a top surface of said housing, said guideway first extending away from said furnace, curving laterally and then extending towards said furnacefor compact storage of the moving means when retracted form the furnace and said guideway having an opening through which a portion of said driving means extends for driving said moving means.
  • a furnace-loading mechanism comprising a conveyor adapted to move a wafer-bearing boat member for advancement into or retraction from the furnace and a conveyor support means including a driving means for the conveyor, said conveyor support means also including a horizontally positioned guideway for the conveyor having a reentrant bend for compact storage of the conveyor when retracted from the furnace, said conveyor including articulated link members, each link member further including a detent means which is complemental to means carried by an adjacent link member, said detent means arranged to cooperate with means on said boat member to advance the same into and retract it from the furnace.
  • a furnace-loading mechanism comprising a conveyor adapted to move a wafer-bearing boat member for advancement into or retraction from the furnace and a conveyor support means including a driving means for the conveyor, said conveyor support means also including a horizontally positioned guideway for the conveyor having a reentrant bend for compact storage of the conveyor when retracted from the furnace, said driving means including an electricmotor drivingly connected to a sprocket means for driving said conveyor and a manually operated means also drivingly connected to said sprocket for driving the conveyor upon failure of the motor to operate.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Tunnel Furnaces (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
US00166731A 1971-07-28 1971-07-28 Diffusion furnace loader Expired - Lifetime US3719291A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US16673171A 1971-07-28 1971-07-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3719291A true US3719291A (en) 1973-03-06

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00166731A Expired - Lifetime US3719291A (en) 1971-07-28 1971-07-28 Diffusion furnace loader

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3719291A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA960995A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH550983A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2237047C3 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2147571A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1384601A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
IT (1) IT961125B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3771948A (en) * 1972-02-29 1973-11-13 Nissho Semiconductor Co Ltd Heating devices for manufacturing semiconductor elements
US4830337A (en) * 1984-02-17 1989-05-16 Aioi Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha Device for pushing and pulling an accessory instrument of manufacturing plant
US6224037B1 (en) * 1998-11-30 2001-05-01 Serapid France Column for lifting loads
US11530735B2 (en) * 2015-11-16 2022-12-20 Serapid - France Rigid chain link and rigid chain equipped with such a link

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4362645A (en) * 1978-09-28 1982-12-07 Akzona, Inc. Temperature indicating compositions of matter
US4219328A (en) * 1979-06-06 1980-08-26 General Electric Company Apparatus for firing low density graphite/alumina cores

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3294261A (en) * 1965-06-30 1966-12-27 Jr Joseph A Cloutier Continuous drive feed for oxidationdiffusion furnace
US3557975A (en) * 1969-03-13 1971-01-26 St Regis Paper Co Pusher assembly for freezers
US3563434A (en) * 1969-02-27 1971-02-16 Texas Instruments Inc Apparatus for loading and unloading furnace

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3294261A (en) * 1965-06-30 1966-12-27 Jr Joseph A Cloutier Continuous drive feed for oxidationdiffusion furnace
US3563434A (en) * 1969-02-27 1971-02-16 Texas Instruments Inc Apparatus for loading and unloading furnace
US3557975A (en) * 1969-03-13 1971-01-26 St Regis Paper Co Pusher assembly for freezers

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3771948A (en) * 1972-02-29 1973-11-13 Nissho Semiconductor Co Ltd Heating devices for manufacturing semiconductor elements
US4830337A (en) * 1984-02-17 1989-05-16 Aioi Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha Device for pushing and pulling an accessory instrument of manufacturing plant
US6224037B1 (en) * 1998-11-30 2001-05-01 Serapid France Column for lifting loads
US11530735B2 (en) * 2015-11-16 2022-12-20 Serapid - France Rigid chain link and rigid chain equipped with such a link

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT961125B (it) 1973-12-10
GB1384601A (en) 1975-02-19
CA960995A (en) 1975-01-14
FR2147571A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-03-09
DE2237047C3 (de) 1975-02-20
DE2237047B2 (de) 1974-06-12
DE2237047A1 (de) 1973-02-08
CH550983A (de) 1974-06-28

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