WO2003085712A1

WO2003085712A1 - Vertical heat treating equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2003085712A1
Application number: PCT/JP2003/003476
Authority: WO
Inventors: Manabu Honma
Original assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
Priority date: 2002-04-05
Filing date: 2003-03-20
Publication date: 2003-10-16
Also published as: CN100337311C; JP2003297769A; TWI276178B; KR100670869B1; CN1647253A; CN2694474Y; JP4421806B2; KR20040094400A; TW200400566A

Abstract

Vertical heat treating equipment (1), comprising a shutter device (17) shielding a load port (4) when a processed substrate (W) is taken out from the load port (4) of a processing chamber (5), the shutter device (17) further comprising a port cover (18) selectively closing the load port (4) of the processing chamber (5), wherein the port cover (18) is driven by a drive part having an extension arm (19) supporting and moving the port cover (18), and the drive part linearly moves the port cover (18) through the extension arm (19) between a closing position (PB) for closing the load port (4) and a wait position (PA) on the side of the closing position (PB).

Description

Specification

Vertical heat treatment equipment

Technical field

The present invention relates to a vertical heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment on a plurality of substrates to be processed together. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vertical heat treatment apparatus having an improved shutter device for shielding a load port of a processing chamber when a substrate to be processed is being taken out of the processing chamber.

The vertical heat treatment apparatus is typically used by being incorporated into a semiconductor processing system. Here, semiconductor processing refers to forming a semiconductor layer, an insulating layer, a conductive layer, and the like in a predetermined pattern on a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate, and thereby forming a semiconductor on the substrate to be processed. It refers to various processes performed to manufacture devices and structures including wiring and electrodes connected to semiconductor devices.

Background art

In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, various types of processing equipment are used for performing processes such as film deposition, oxidation, diffusion, modification, annealing, and etching on a substrate to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer. As this type of processing apparatus, a vertical heat processing apparatus that heat-treats a large number of wafers at once is known.

Normally, a vertical heat treatment apparatus has an airtight vertical processing chamber (reaction tube) for storing wafers. A loading port is formed at the bottom of the processing chamber, and is selectively opened and closed by a lid that is raised and lowered by an elevator. In the processing room The wafers are held in a stacked state at intervals from each other by a holder called a wafer port. The wafer boat is loaded and unloaded into the processing chamber through a load port by an elevator while the wafer is loaded and supported on the lid.

At the lower side of the processing chamber, a shutter device is provided for shielding the load port when the wafer port supported on the lid is taken out from the load port. The shutter device prevents high-temperature heat in the processing chamber from escaping from the load port and exerting a downward thermal effect when the lid is opened.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the relationship between this type of conventional shutter device and a processing chamber (reaction tube). As shown in FIG. 10, the shutter device 110 has a port cover 118 that covers the load port 104 of the processing chamber 103. The port cover 1 18 is attached to the tip of the horizontal swing arm 1 16. The arm 1 16 can be horizontally turned and vertically moved by a horizontal rotation mechanism 114 and a vertical movement mechanism 112 provided at a base end thereof.

As shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, when the load port is opened, the port force par 118 is moved to the standby position beside the load port 104. When the load port is closed, the arm 116 is swiveled about 60 degrees so as to move the port cover 118 below the load port 104. Further, the arm 116 is raised so as to abut the port cover 118 and the load port 104, and the load port 104 is closed. As another example of a shutter device, a port cover is attached to the tip of a vertical swing arm (not shown). In this case, the vertical turning arm is vertically turned by the vertical turning mechanism at the base end. The port cover is raised by the vertical rotation of the arm until it comes into contact with the load port, which closes the load port.

In the shutter device shown in Fig. 10, the arm 1 16 is turned horizontally to move the port cover 1 18. Since the port cover 118 has a relatively large weight, in the shutter device shown in FIG. 10, it takes much time to control the position when the port cover 118 is opened and closed. For example, in the case of a vertical heat treatment device for a 12-inch wafer, the closing operation requires about 25 seconds to rotate the arm 116 and about 2 seconds to raise the arm 116, for a total of about 27 seconds. It takes about a second. The long operation time of the shutter device causes a decrease in throughput. The dimensions of the port covers 1 18 increase as the diameter of the processing chamber increases with the dimensions of the wafer. For this reason, in the next-generation vertical heat treatment apparatus for processing a larger wafer, the above-mentioned problem is considered to be more prominent.

Disclosure of the invention

An object of the present invention is to reduce the time for opening and closing the shutter device and improve the throughput in a vertical heat treatment apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vertical heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment on a plurality of substrates to be processed together, An airtight processing chamber accommodating the substrate to be processed, and the processing chamber having a load port at a bottom portion,

A lid for selectively opening and closing the load port of the processing chamber;

A holder for holding the substrates to be processed stacked in the processing chamber at intervals.

A supply system for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber;

An exhaust system for exhausting the processing chamber;

Heating means for heating the internal atmosphere of the processing chamber;

An elevator that raises and lowers the lid while supporting the holder holding the substrate to be processed on the lid;

A shutter device for shielding the load port when the substrate to be processed is taken out of the load port in the processing chamber;

Wherein the shutter device comprises:

A port for selectively closing the load port of the processing chamber;

A drive unit having a telescopic arm that supports and moves the port cover, and the drive unit is configured to move the port cover through the telescopic arm to a closed position that closes the load port; Linear movement between the side standby position and

Is provided.

In the vertical heat treatment apparatus, the telescopic arm may include a base, and a plurality of supports supported by the base and supporting the port cover. An arm element, wherein the plurality of arm elements include: a first arm element capable of reciprocating with respect to the base; and a second arm element capable of reciprocating with respect to the first arm element. be able to.

In the vertical heat treatment apparatus, the shutter device may further include a casing that stores the port cover and the telescopic arm, and the telescopic arm is stored in the casing at the standby position. Can be made.

In the vertical heat treatment apparatus, the shutter device further includes a controller that controls an operation of the telescopic arm, and the controller is configured to control a movement of the second arm element with respect to the first arm element. The reciprocating operation can be performed only in a state where the first arm element is in the casing. In the vertical heat treatment apparatus, the casing may include a first opening formed on a first side surface of the casing facing the closed position, and a second opening formed on a second side surface of the casing different from the first side surface. And the vertical heat treatment apparatus can further include a mechanism for forming an airflow flowing from the first opening and flowing out of the second opening. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a vertical heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of a shutter device used in the apparatus shown in FIG.

Fig. 3 schematically shows the internal structure of the shutter device shown in Fig. 2. Front view shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the internal structure of the shutter device shown in FIG.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a plan view and a side view showing the shutter device shown in FIG. 2 in a state in which both the first and second arm elements are contracted (housed state).

5C and 5D are a plan view and a side view showing the shutter device shown in FIG. 2 in a state where only the second arm element is extended.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are a plan view and a side view showing the shutter device shown in FIG. 2 in a state where both the first and second arm elements are extended (extended state).

FIGS. 6C and 6D are a plan view and a side view showing the shutter device shown in FIG. 2 in a state where only the first arm element is contracted.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing a ventilation structure in a work area of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view schematically showing a ventilation structure in a work area of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a side view schematically showing a shutter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a conventional shutter device and a processing chamber in a vertical heat treatment apparatus.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and need not be described repeatedly. Only do so if

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a vertical heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer shell of this vertical heat treatment apparatus 1 is formed by a housing 2. Above the inside of the housing 2, a vertical heat treatment furnace 3 for subjecting a plurality of substrates to be treated, for example, a semiconductor wafer W to a predetermined treatment, for example, an oxidation treatment, is provided. The heat treatment furnace 3 includes a vertically long processing chamber whose lower part is opened as a load port 4, for example, a reaction tube 5 made of quartz.

The load port 4 of the reaction tube (processing chamber) 5 is selectively opened and closed by a vertically movable lid 6. The lid 6 is configured to abut the open end of the load port 4 to seal the load port 4. On the lid 6, a wafer port 9 for holding a plurality of wafers W in a stacked state at intervals is arranged. A rotation mechanism 11 a for rotating the wafer port 9 is provided below the lid 6.

A heater 7 is provided around the reaction tube 5. The heater 7 is controlled so as to heat the atmosphere in the reaction tube (processing chamber) 5 to a predetermined temperature, for example, 300 to 1200 ° C. In order to introduce a processing gas or an inert gas for purging into the reaction tube 5, a gas supply system GS including a plurality of gas introduction tubes is connected to the reaction tube 5. An exhaust system ES for exhausting the inside of the reaction tube 5 is connected to the reaction tube 5.

When the wafer W is processed in the reaction tube 5, the wafer W is held by the wafer port 9 in a horizontal state and stacked at a distance from each other. It is. The wafer boat 9 has a quartz port main body 9a that holds a large number of wafers W having a large diameter, for example, a diameter of 300 mm, for example, about 25 to 150 wafers W. At the bottom of the port body 9a, a leg 9b is formed integrally with the boat body 9a. The leg 9b is connected to a rotation shaft of a rotation mechanism 11a for rotating the wafer W provided on the lid 6 in a circumferential direction. On the lid 6, a heating mechanism or a heat retaining tube (not shown) is also provided.

In the housing 2, a base plate 8 made of, for example, SUS is horizontally disposed for installing a reaction tube 5 ゃ heater 7 constituting the heat treatment furnace 3. The base plate 8 has an opening (not shown) for inserting the reaction tube 5 upward from below. An outward flange is formed at the lower end of the reaction tube 5, and the flange is held on the base plate 8 via a flange holding member. The reaction tube 5 can be removed below eight base plates for washing or the like.

A work area (loading area) 10 for transferring the wafer W to the wafer port 9 is provided below the heat treatment furnace 3 in the housing 2. An elevating mechanism (elevator) 11 for raising and lowering the lid 6 is provided in the work area 10 (FIG. 1 shows only the arm of the elevator 11 supporting the lid 6). The wafer port 9 is transported between the working area 10 and the reaction tube 5 by the elevator 11 while being supported on the lid 6. That is, the wafer boat 9 is loaded and unloaded into the reaction tube 5 by the elevator 11.

At the front of the housing 2 is a carrier for storing the wafer W. A mounting table 13 for mounting a plurality of 1 2 (also referred to as a cassette) is provided. A plurality of, for example, about 25 wafers are stored in each carrier 12. The carrier 12 is configured as a closed-type transport container having a detachable lid (not shown) on the front.

At the front of the working area 10, a mounting port structure 13 a for mounting the carrier 12 and abutting the front of the carrier 12 on the working area 10 side is provided. Will be arranged. An opening is formed in a partition that separates the work area 10 from the mounting port structure 13a, and is opened and closed by a door 14. The door 14 is provided with a mechanism for attaching and detaching the lid of the carrier 12. A replacement means (not shown) is provided near the door 14 for replacing the atmosphere in the carrier 12 on the mounting port structure 13a with an inert gas.

A transfer device 15 for transferring a wafer W between the carrier 12 and the wafer boat 9 is provided in the work area 10. On the front upper side outside the work area 10, storage shelves 16 for storing two carriers at the top and bottom, and from the mounting table 13 to the storage shelves 16 or vice versa. A transport device (not shown) for transporting the carrier is provided.

A shutter device 17 for shielding the load port 4 when the lid 6 is removed from the load port 4 of the reaction tube 5 is provided at an upper portion in the work area 10. The shutter device 17 is used to prevent the high-temperature heat in the reaction tube 5 from escaping from the load port 4 and affecting the heat downward. For this reason, shutter device 17 selects load port 4 It has a port cover 18 that opens and closes automatically.

The port cover 18 is supported by the tip of the telescopic arm 19. The base of the arm 19 is attached to the housing 2 via the support structure 20. The port canopy 18 is linearly moved between the closed position PB for closing the load port 4 and the standby position PA on the side thereof by the expansion and contraction of the arm 19.

At the standby position P A, the port cover 18, the arm 19, and all of the drive units (details will be described later) of the arm 19 are housed in the casing 21 fixed to the housing 2. The inside of the casing 21 is ventilated in the working area 10 in the following manner. 7 and 8 are a perspective view and a sectional view schematically showing a ventilation structure for the work area 10 and the casing 21. FIG.

On the side of the casing 21 opposite to the closed position PB, a front opening 52 is formed having a size through which the port cover 18 and the arm 19 can enter and exit. On the other side (left side in FIGS. 7 and 8) of the casing 21, an opening 54 for ventilation is formed. The other part of the casing 21 is not airtight but is closed to the extent that substantially no airflow occurs. Outside the casing 21, an opening 56 for ventilation is also formed on the side surface (the left side in FIGS. 7 and 8) of the work area 10.

The openings 54 and 56 are connected to a ventilation passage 62 including a duct 58 arranged along the side of the housing 2 of the device 1. The ventilation passage 62 passes through the bottom of the housing 2, passes through the heat exchanger 64, and passes through the filter unit 6 via a fan (gas suction unit) 66. Connected to 8. The filter unit 68 is arranged on the side of the housing 2 facing the duct 58 so as to face the work area 10.

That is, clean air is supplied from the filter unit 68 to the work area 10 by the blowing action of the fan 66. This clean gas forms an airflow FG in the working area 10 and the casing 21 and flows into the exhaust duct 58 from the openings 54, 56 formed on the opposite side. The used clean gas that has flowed into the duct 58 is returned to the refining unit 68 by the blowing action of the fan 66, and is purified by the refining unit 68. However, it is used cyclically.

In particular, a part of the clean air flows into the casing 21 from the front opening 52 of the casing 21 to the casing 21, and then enters the exhaust duct 58 from the side opening 54. Inflow. In this way, by forming the airflow FG from the outside of the casing 21 to the inside through the front opening 52 of the casing 21, the inside of the casing 21 (particularly, the extension arm 19) is formed. The dust (fine particles) generated at the part where the arm elements are in sliding contact with each other does not flow out to the work area 10 side. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the wafer W handled in the work area 10 from being contaminated by dust generated in the shutter device 17 operating in a mode described later.

2 to 4 are a plan view, a front view, and a side view schematically showing the internal structure of the shutter device 17. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the support structure 20 supporting the telescopic arm 19 is It has a front support 20a and a rear support 20b. A pair of left and right front supports 20 a is fixed to a lower portion of the base plate 8. The rear support 20 b is fixed to the base 2 a of the housing 2.

The arm 19 has a base arm element 22, a first arm element (intermediate arm element) 24, and a second arm element (tip arm element) 26. The first arm element 24 is disposed on the base arm element 22 via a rear guide 23 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction. The second arm element 26 is disposed on the first arm element 24 via a guide guide 25 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction.

The first and second arm elements 24, 26 are driven forward and backward by first and second cylinders 27, 28, respectively. The first and second cylinders 27 and 28 are made of a so-called mouthless cylinder. In this mouthless cylinder, a magnet-attached stainless steel is slidably fitted into the cylinder tubes 27a and 28a. In addition, magnetized operating ring portions 27b and 28b that are linked with the piston are movably fitted around the outer circumference of the cylinder tubes 27a and 28a.

The first cylinder 27 is attached to the base arm element 22, and its operating ring 27 b is connected to the first arm element 24. The second cylinder 28 is attached to the first arm element 24, and its operating ring portion 28 b is connected to the second arm element 26. A bottom plate 30 constituting the bottom of the casing 21 is attached to the lower surface of the base arm element 22. Bottom plate 30 is telescopic arm 1 9 And can be tilted downward selectively.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the telescopic arm 19 is supported so as to be pivotable about a shaft portion on the base end side. As a result, the telescopic arm 19 has a horizontal set state moving between the closed position PB and the standby position PA, and a maintenance state PC tilted downward for the operator to access. It is possible to switch between them. More specifically, the base end of the base arm element 22 is vertically rotatably supported by the lower end of the rear sabot 20b via the support shaft 31. The support plate 20a is connected to the support 20a via a stay 32 made of a link car. The stay 32 allows the arm 19 to be maintained in the maintenance state PC in which the arm 19 is inclined downward via the bottom plate 30.

The bottom plate 30 is kept horizontal by being fixed to the front support 20a with screws (not shown). By releasing the fastening of these screws, the bottom plate 30 can be separated from the front support 20a and inclined downward. In the present embodiment, the raising and lowering of the arm 19 including the bottom plate 30 (that is, the movement of the shutter device 1.7 between the normal horizontal set state and the maintenance state) is Performed manually by the operator.

The port force par 18 is attached to the upper part on the tip side of the second arm element 26. The port cover 18 is made of, for example, SUS, and has a water cooling structure (cooling structure) in which a cooling water passage 33 is formed, for example, in a spiral shape. On one side of the second arm element 26, a metal water pipe 34 communicating with the cooling water passage 33 of the port cover 18 is projected. For example, Teflon (Registered Trademark) is connected to a water-guiding tube 35 having heat resistance and flexibility, and is led to the casing 21 side.

In order to protect the water guide tube 35 from the heat released from the load port 4, a tip cover 36 is provided at the front end of the water guide tube 34. On one side of the first arm element 24, an intermediate cover 37 having a U-shaped cross section that allows the movement of the distal end cover 36 is provided. A tube carrier 38 is provided to guide the flexible tube that supplies the pressurized gas to the second cylinder 28 so as not to be slackened.

When the shutter device 17 is opened and closed, the operation of the telescopic arm 19 is controlled by a controller, for example, by sequence control. The controller controls the reciprocating operation of the second arm element 26 with respect to the first arm element 24 so that the reciprocating operation is performed only when the first arm element 24 is in the casing 21. As a result, a structure in which dust generated by the sliding of the arm 19 does not flow into the work area 10 is obtained.

Specifically, when the port cover 18 is moved (closed) from the standby position PA (in the casing 21) to the closed position PB, first, as shown in FIGS. 5A ヽ B, 5C, and 5D, 2 Advance the arm element 26 and then advance the first arm element 24 as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. On the other hand, when the port force par 18 is moved (opened) from the closed position PB to the standby position PA (inside the casing 21), first, as shown in FIGS. The arm element 24 is retracted, and then the second arm element 26 is retracted as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Since the sliding when the arm 19 expands and contracts is performed in the casing 21, dust generated by the slide is discharged by the airflow in the casing 21. Therefore, the outflow of dust into the work area 10 can be prevented.

The expansion and contraction position (stroke end) of the first arm element 24 and the second arm element 26 of the arm 19 is within the casing 2 1 which is hardly affected by the heat from the load port 4. Detect with as few sensors as possible. For this purpose, three sensors, for example, limit switches 38a, 38b, 38c, are mounted on the base arm element 22 in a predetermined arrangement in the longitudinal direction thereof.

To sequentially turn on and off these limit switches 38a to 38c, a kicker 39 is slidably provided on the base arm element 22 via a guide rail 40. Is done. The kicker 39 is provided with hook portions 39a and 39b at front and rear positions. The first and second arm elements 24, 26 are provided with operating rods 41a, 41b for operating the kicker 39, respectively, by hooking on the hooks 39a, 39b. It is arranged to protrude from.

For example, when the port cover 18 is closed from the standby position PA (in the casing 21) to the closed position PB, the limit switches 38a to 38c operate as follows. First, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the second arm element 26 is advanced with respect to the first arm element 24 from the state where the arm 19 is contracted. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the operation rod 41b of the second arm element 26 hooks the hook portion 39a on the front side of the kicker 39, and the kicker 39 is moved to the middle position. Move to limit switch 38b. 6

16 Therefore, the limit switch 38b is turned on, and it is detected that the second arm element 26 is extended.

Next, the first arm element 24 is advanced with respect to the base arm element 22. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the operation rod 41b of the second arm 26 hooks the hook portion 39a on the front side of the kicker 39, and the kicker 39 moves forward. Move the switch to the position of the limit switch 38c. Therefore, the limit switch 38c is turned on, and it is detected that the first arm element 24 is extended, that is, that the port cover 18 has come to the closed position PB.

On the other hand, when the port cover 18 is moved from the closed position PB to the standby position PA (within the casing 21), the limit switches 38a to 38c operate as follows. First, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first arm element 24 is retracted with respect to the base arm element 22 from the state where the arm 19 is extended. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D, the operating rod 41 a of the first arm element 24 hooks the hook portion 39 b on the rear side of the kicker 39, and the kicker 39 becomes intermediate. Move to the position of the limit switch 38b. Therefore, the limit switch 38b is turned on, and it is detected that the first arm element 24 has contracted.

Next, the second arm element 26 is moved backward with respect to the first arm element 24. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the operation rod 41b of the second arm element 26 is hooked on the hook portion 39b on the rear side of the kicker 39, and the kicker 39 To the rear limit switch 38a. As a result, the limit switch 38a is turned on, and the second arm element 26 contracts, that is, 3476

17 Detects that the cover 18 has come to the standby position PA.

Next, the operation of the shutter device 17 having the above configuration will be described. Normally, the shutter device 17 is in a state where it does not hinder the loading and unloading of the wafer port 9 into the heat treatment furnace 3. That is, the telescopic arm 19 is contracted so that the port cover 18 comes to the waiting position PA, and is accommodated in the casing 21 together with the port cover 18.

When the lid 6 is opened downward with the elevator (elevating mechanism) 11, that is, when the wafer port 9 is carried out to the work area 10 after the heat treatment, the shutter device 17 extends the arm 19. Move the port cover 18 to the closed position PB, and cover the load port 4 with the port cover 18. As a result, it is possible to prevent or prevent the high-temperature heat in the furnace from being released to the work area 10 by the load port 4 'force.

When performing maintenance on the shutter device 17, release the screws that secure the bottom plate 30 to the front support 20 a to keep the arm 19 horizontal. Next, the shutter device 17 is rotated downward with the support shaft 31 of the base as a fulcrum, and lowered by the stay 32 until it is held in an inclined state. In this case, it is preferable that the arm 19 is contracted. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the arm 19 may be inclined obliquely downward with the arm 19 extended.

When the shutter device 17 is inclined obliquely downward, a large space for maintenance work is formed above the shutter device 17. For this reason, shutter device 17 For example, the maintenance work of the port cover 18 and the arm 19 can be easily performed.

The port cover 18 of the shutter device 17 that opens and closes the load port 4 of the reaction tube 5 is moved linearly between the closed position PB and the side standby position PA by the telescopic arm 19. . For this reason, stop control at the time of driving is facilitated, and the time for opening and closing the shutter device 17 can be shortened. That is, since the heavy port cover 18 is moved in a linear motion, the port cover 18 is moved for a short time (for example, about 10 seconds for closing or opening operation) as compared with the case where the heavy port cover 18 is moved in a turning motion. ) And can be moved in a small space. As a result, it is possible to improve throughput and save space in the vertical heat treatment apparatus 1.

The port cover 18 has a water cooling structure (cooling structure) in which a cooling water passage 33 for circulating cooling water is formed. For this reason, the thermal deformation and thermal degradation of the port cover 18 itself can be suppressed or prevented. In addition, thermal deformation and thermal degradation of the arm 19 due to the heat conduction of the port cover 18 can be suppressed or prevented. Thereby, the durability of the shutter device 17 can be improved.

The arm 19 is configured to be rotatable from a horizontal set state around the base side to a maintenance state PC inclining downward. Therefore, maintenance work of the port cover 18 and the arm 19 can be easily performed, and workability can be improved.

When opening and closing the shutter device 17 The controller controls the reciprocating operation of the second arm element 26 with respect to the first arm element 24 so as to be performed only in a state where the first arm element 24 is inside the casing 21. That is, when closing the port cover 18 from the standby position PA to the closing position PB, the second arm element 26 is advanced, and then the first arm element 24 is advanced. When opening the port cover 18 from the closed position PB to the standby position PA, the first arm element 24 is retracted, and then the second arm element 26 is retracted. As a result, dust generated by the slide of the arm 19 is prevented from flowing into the work area 10.

In addition, an airflow from the outside to the inside of the casing 21 is formed through the front opening 52 of the casing 21. For this reason, dust does not flow out of the casing 21 to the work area 10 side. As a result, it is possible to prevent the wafer W handled in the work area 10 from being contaminated by dust generated in the shutter device 17.

FIG. 9 is a side view schematically showing a shutter device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The shutter device 17X has a pressing mechanism 42 for raising the port cover 18 at the closed position PB and bringing the port cover 18 into close contact with the load port 4. The pressing mechanism 42 is configured to move the port cover 18 in the vertical direction together with the whole of the telescopic arm 19. Note that also in this embodiment, the telescopic arm 19 linearly moves the port cover 18 to open and close.

It is arranged below the base plate 8 with the arm 19 interposed. The movable frame 43 is attached to the pair of left and right supports 20 so as to be vertically movable. The movable frame 43 is driven by a cylinder 42 a of the pressing mechanism 42. The rear end side of the base arm element 22 of the telescopic arm 19 is supported on the movable frame 43 via a support shaft 44 so as to be vertically pivotable. The front end side of the base arm element 22 is detachably connected to the movable frame 43 with screws (not shown).

When the arm 19 is contracted to the standby position P A (inside the casing 21), the arm 19 is lowered by the pressing mechanism 42. When the arm 19 is extended from this state, the port cover 18 is moved to the closed position PB of the load port 4. Next, the pressing mechanism 42 is operated, the arm 19 is raised, the port cover 18 is brought into close contact with the open end of the load port 4, and the load port 4 is closed.

As described above, according to the shutter device 17X shown in FIG. 9, the same operation and effect as those of the shutter device 1 # shown in FIG. 4 can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the shutter device 17X, since the pressing mechanism 42 for moving the arm 19 in the vertical direction is provided, the port cover 18 is raised to abut the load port 4. Can be made to work. Therefore, by sealing the load port 4 with the port cover 18 airtightly, heat radiation from the load port 4 can be sufficiently prevented, and the pressure in the furnace is reduced. Is also possible. ·

The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to the above embodiment is an example to which the present invention is applied, and the present invention can be similarly applied to other types of vertical heat treatment apparatuses. In the above embodiment, the processing Although a semiconductor wafer has been described as an example of a physical substrate, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a glass substrate, an LCD substrate, and the like.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A vertical heat treatment apparatus for heat treating a plurality of substrates to be processed together,

An airtight processing chamber accommodating the substrate to be processed, and the processing chamber having a load port at a bottom portion;

A supply system for supplying a processing gas into the processing chamber;

An exhaust system for exhausting the processing chamber;

Heating means for heating the internal atmosphere of the processing chamber;

A shutter device for shielding the load port when the substrate to be processed is taken out of the load port of the processing chamber;

Wherein the shutter device comprises:

A port cover for selectively closing the mouth port of the processing chamber;

A drive unit including a telescopic arm that supports and moves the port cover, and wherein the drive unit is configured to move the port cover through the telescopic arm to close the load port; Linear movement between the side standby position and Is provided.

2. The telescopic arm includes a base and a plurality of arm elements supported by the base and supporting the port cover, wherein the plurality of arm elements are a first reciprocatingly movable member with respect to the base. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an arm element; and a second arm element capable of reciprocating with respect to the first arm element.

3. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first arm element includes a linear guide, and wherein the second arm element slides on the rear guide of the first arm rail.

4. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the base includes a linear guide, and the first arm element slides on the linear guide of the base.

5. The telescopic arm is supported so as to be pivotable about a shaft portion on the proximal end side, and can be moved between a set state in which the movable arm moves between the closed position and the standby position, and a maintenance state inclining downward. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, which is switchable.

6. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shutter device further includes a pressing mechanism for bringing the port cover into close contact with the load port.

7. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the pressing mechanism raises the entire telescopic arm.

8. The vertical heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein the shutter device further comprises: a refrigerant passage formed in the port force par; and a supply system for supplying a refrigerant into the refrigerant passage. apparatus.

9. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shutter device further includes a casing that houses the port cover and the telescopic arm, and the standby position is disposed in the casing.

10. The shutter device further includes a controller for controlling the operation of the telescopic arm, and the controller controls a reciprocating operation of the second arm element with respect to the first arm element. 10. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the heat treatment is performed only when the first arm element is in the casing.

11. The shutter device further includes a controller for controlling the operation of the telescopic arm, and the controller moves the port cover from the standby position to the closed position. In this case, the first arm element is moved forward after the second arm element is moved forward, and the first arm element is moved backward when the port cover is moved from the closed position to the standby position. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second arm element is retracted later.

12. The casing has a first opening formed on a first side surface of the casing facing the closed position, and a second opening formed on a second side surface of the casing different from the first side surface. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a mechanism configured to form an airflow flowing from the first opening and flowing out of the second opening.

13. The vertical heat treatment apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the second opening is connected to a gas suction unit via a duct.