Abstract: A heat treatment boat houses a plurality of semiconductor wafers in a manner separated at intervals for heat-treating the wafers in a heat treatment furnace. The heat treatment boat includes a bottom plate, a first support rod erected on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom plate, a second support rod and a third support rod both erected on the bottom plate so as to make an central angle of 105.degree. to 120.degree. with the first support rod with respect to the center of the respective wafer supported by the rods, and a top plate provided opposed to the bottom plate for holding the rods. The stresses applied to the wafers housed in the heat treatment boat are distributed equivalently to three contacting points with the rods and become the minimum.

Abstract: A heat insulating member is disposed, enclosing a reaction tube, and a heat source is provided through a heat linearing member disposed above the reaction tube and between the reaction tube and the heat insulating member. The reaction tube is made of quartz and has a transparent portion formed in the top thereof and its neighboring thereof, and an opaque portion in the rest part of the reaction tube. In a heat treatment, when heat rays are radiated from the heat source through the heat linearing member, the heat rays pass through the transparent portion of the reaction tube to heat a wafer, but those of the heat rays reflected on the heat insulating member are blocked by the opaque portion of the reaction tube. A heat ray quantity to be passed into the reaction tube can be controlled, whereby high intra-surface temperature uniformity of the wafer can be secured, and as a result high processing yields can be obtained.

Abstract: A number of semiconductor wafers are held in a ladder boat at, e.g., a 3/16 inch arrangement pitch of wafers W, and the ladder boat is loaded into a vertical heat treatment furnace. Then an interior of the heat treatment furnace is heated up to 900.degree. C. at a high temperature raising rate of, e.g., 30.degree. C./minute. Subsequently the interior is heated in steps at low temperature raising rates, e.g., at below 14.degree. C./minute up to a temperature region of, e.g., 980.degree. C. and at below 5.degree. C./minute up to a heating temperature of 1100.degree. C. These temperature raising rates are determined, based on results given by observation of presence and absence of slips in the wafers W heat-treated in various temperature raising patterns for different wafer arrangement pitches, so that the wafers can be heat-treated effectively without occurrence of slips. Widening said arrangement pitch to 3/8 inches allows higher temperature raising rates to be set.

Abstract: A number of semiconductor wafers are retained in a wafer boat such that the wafers are disposed at intervals in the vertical direction. The wafer boat is loaded into a process tube of a vertical type thermal processing apparatus. The inside of the process tube is heated to 300.degree. to 530.degree. C. in a depressurized atmosphere, and a process gas including a disilane gas is fed into the process tube such that the disilane gas flows at a flow rate of 300 SCCM or more, thereby to form silicon films.

Abstract: A plate-like object carrier device comprising plural arms arranged at a same pitch interval to horizontally support a wafer on each of the arms, a first motor for driving a single arm forward and backward and independently of a group of arms, a second motor for driving the group of arms forward and backward at the same time except the single arm, a power supply for supplying power to the first and second motors, and a controller for selecting whether to supply power only to the first motor or both of the first and second motors.

Abstract: In a vertical heat treatment apparatus, a transfer apparatus is used to transfer a wafer between a wafer carrier and a wafer boat. The transfer apparatus comprises a base unit, a fork, three non-contact type sensors, and a main controller. The base unit can move between a first position at which to transfer the wafer to and from the wafer carrier and a second position at which to transfer the wafer to and from the wafer boat. The fork can move back and forth with respect to the base unit, for supporting the wafer. The non-contact type sensors are mounted on the fork, for detecting the position of the wafer. The main controller controls the base unit and the fork in accordance with the data detected by the non-contact type sensors.

Abstract: A wafer transfer device for transferring wafers between a wafer boat having a plurality of ring-shaped support plates arranged one above another, and a cassette capable of supporting semiconductor wafers at different levels. The support plates have a hole in a center portion and define a vertical passage. Wafers are carried in a horizontal direction between the boat and the cassette by a carrying mechanism having at least two forks. A movable push-up disk is moved up and down through the passage by a drive device. The extension member extends through the passage and has an upper end portion supporting the push-up disk and a lower end portion connected to the drive device and located below a lowermost one of the support plates. A controller controls the carrying mechanism and the push-up disk in interlock fashion.

Abstract: A temperature control method in a rapid heat treatment apparatus comprising simulatively heating dummy wafers in a process tube and previously detecting and grasping by temperature sensors a wafer temperature rising pattern, a heater temperature rising pattern and an internal atmosphere temperature rising pattern, arranging wafers to be processed in the process tube, detecting a temperature of each zone and that of each heater element by the temperature sensors, upon heating the wafers, and controlling each heater element on the basis of the detected temperatures and the wafer, heater and internal atmosphere temperature rising patterns by a controller to rapidly and uniformly raise the temperature of each wafer until the temperature of the wafers in each zone reaches the intended one and becomes stable.

Abstract: An ECR plasma CVD apparatus includes a plasma generation chamber to which a microwave and a plasma source gas are introduced. An excitation solenoid is arranged around the plasma generation chamber to form an electron cyclotron resonance magnetic field with the microwave in the plasma generation chamber. A plasma reaction chamber to which a reactive gas is introduced is provided in communication with the plasma generation chamber. A substrate holder for holding a silicon wafer is set in the plasma reaction chamber. A leakage-type butterfly valve whose opening degree can be freely controlled is arranged in communication with the plasma reaction chamber. A turbo molecular pump is formed in the outlet of the butterfly valve. A subpump is arranged in the outlet of the turbo molecular pump.

Abstract: A method for controlling temperature in thermal processing equipment having a processing chamber containing members to be processed. The method comprises the steps of heating a plurality of zones of the processing chamber by heaters provided in the zones, respectively, measuring periods of time which elapse until temperatures in the zones increase from a predetermined value to at least one reference value, obtaining time differences among the periods measured, and storing the time differences into a memory, and adjusting timings of heating the zones by the heater, thereby to reduce the time differences.

Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus includes: a processing chamber for performing a film formation process to a semiconductor wafer in a vacuum; a mounting member provided in the processing chamber and having a mounting surface for mounting a target object; an electrostatic chuck, provided to the mounting surface of the mounting member, for chucking the semiconductor wafer; a heating mechanism for heating the semiconductor wafer; and a processing gas supply mechanism for supplying a processing gas for performing the film formation process to the semiconductor wafer into the processing chamber.

Abstract: A heat treatment boat houses a plurality of semiconductor wafers in a manner separated at intervals for heat-treating the wafers in a heat treatment furnace. The heat treatment boat includes a bottom plate, a first support rod erected on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom plate, a second support rod and a third support rod both erected on the bottom plate so as to make an central angle of 105.degree. to 120.degree. with the first support rod with respect to the center of the respective wafer supported by the rods, and a top plate provided opposed to the bottom plate for holding the rods. The stresses applied to the wafers housed in the heat treatment boat are distributed equivalently to three contacting points with the rods and become the minimum.

Abstract: A main pump having a wide range of vacuum exhaust capabilities and a high exhaust speed is connected adjacent to a processing chamber and an auxiliary pump having a low exhaust speed is connected by a small-diameter auxiliary pipeline to the exhaust side of the main pump. Since a main pump having a wide range of vacuum exhaust capabilities and a high exhaust speed is connected adjacent to the processing chamber in this manner, not only can improvements in the exhaust characteristics be expected, but it is also possible to reduce the diameter of the auxiliary pipeline from the main pump onward and make the auxiliary pump smaller. Since the auxiliary pump having a low exhaust speed is connected by a small-diameter auxiliary pipeline to the exhaust side of the main pump, the size and cost of the entire system can be reduced.

Abstract: A plate-like object carrier device comprising plural arms arranged at a same pitch interval to horizontally support a wafer on each of the arms, a first motor for driving a single arm forward and backward and independently of a group of arms, a second motor for driving the group of arms forward and backward at the same time except the single arm, a power supply for supplying power to the first and second motors, and a controller for selecting whether to supply power only to the first motor or both of the first and second motors.

Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus comprising a holder, a hollow cylindrical cover, a flat plate, and a processing chamber. The holder holds disk-shaped objects, each having an orientation flat portion at circumference. The objects are arranged coaxially and spaced at predetermined intervals, with the orientation flat portions aligned with one another. The cover has gas ports and surrounds the objects held by the holder and is spaced from a circumference of each object by a predetermined distance. The flat plate is mounted on an inner surface of the cover and opposes the orientation flat portions of the objects. In the processing chamber, the objects held by the holder are processed by using a process gas.

Abstract: A transfer device an ultrasonic sensor having an oscillating section for oscillating an ultrasonic beam toward wafers which are horizontally arranged in a carrier and a receiving section for receiving a reflected ultrasonic wave, and driving mechanism for vertically moving the ultrasonic sensor relative to the carrier so as to sequentially radiate an ultrasonic beam to the end faces of the wafers. The presence/absence of a wafer and projection of the wafer in and from the carrier are detected based on the reflected wave received by the receiving section.

Abstract: According to this invention, there is provided a notch position aligning mechanism and a process for using the mechanism including a base which can be vertically movably inserted into a cassette through a lower opening of the cassette for storing a plurality of targets to be aligned having notches formed in edge portions of the targets wherein can be fitted, a rotating/supporting mechanism, including a first rotary member which is arranged on the base, and has a plurality of fitting grooves in which the notches of the targets can be fitted, a second rotary member which can be rotated and is arranged on the base, and a drive unit for rotating at least one of the first and second rotary members, the rotating/supporting mechanism supporting and rotating the targets using the first and second rotary members while the targets are spaced apart from the cassette, and a support member, arranged on the base, for supporting the targets having the notches fitted in the fitting grooves of the first rotary member to stop

Abstract: An air cleaning apparatus includes an air passage chamber having a suction port, from which air is sucked, and a discharge port from which the air sucked from the suction port is discharged, an air blower, provided in the air passage chamber, for sucking the air from the suction port into the air passage chamber and discharging the sucked air from the discharge port, and a particle removing mechanism for removing particles contained in the air sucked from the suction port, the entire body of the particle removing mechanism being formed of a material which generates little impurity gas detrimental to processing in a processing space.

Abstract: A film is formed on a substrate by supplying a plurality of processing gases into a processing container and forming the film on the substrate from the processing gases while exhausting a portion of the gases out of the processing container. Before a partial pressure of a byproduct in the processing container produced through chemical reaction of the processing gases reaches an equilibrium state, the partial pressure of the byproduct in the processing container is temporarily reduced by temporarily suppressing or stopping the supply of at least one of the processing gases into the processing container and exhausting gas from the processing container.

Abstract: A container for storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers comprises two end walls and two side walls. The container has a main opening through which the wafers are inserted into or withdrawn from the container and a sub-opening through which a wafer counter approaches the wafers. A plurality of slots are formed in the container to hold the wafers one by one at intervals. Each slot includes a pair of grooves which are formed in inner surfaces of both the side walls, have a V-shaped cross-section, and which divergently open toward a central portion of the container. One surface of each groove serves as a supporting surface on which a wafer is disposed substantially horizontal when the container is positioned such that the reference plane is horizontal. The supporting surfaces of the pair of grooves have a pair of converging portions which converge toward the second opening.