Abstract: A cantilever tube for carrying loaded wafer boats into a diffusion furnace and confining flow of gas through the wafers includes an elongated slot extending from an open end of the tube to a predetermined region in which the wafer boats are positioned, the wafer boats abutting each other and forming a sealing cover for the elongated slot. A narrow boat carrier supported on a carriage system extends through the elongated slot and carries a wafer boat loaded with wafers into the open end and to the predetermined region in the cantilever tube without allowing either the carrier, or the wafer boat, or the wafers to touch the cantilever tube. The carrier lowers the boat onto the bottom inner surface of the tube, causing the boat to cover a portion of the elongated slot. The procedure is repeated for subsequent wafer boats, each of which abuts the previous one, to effectively close and seal the elongated slot when all of the wafer boats are positioned inside the cantilever tube.

Abstract: A cantilever diffusion tube apparatus includes a quartz cantilever tube having a support end clamped to a laterally movable carriage mechanism and an outer end portion containing a plurality of spaced semiconductor wafers. The cantilever tube is coaxially aligned with a diffusion tube of a diffusion furnace. The support end of the cantilever tube is sealed by a door plate through which a gas tube extends. The wafers are loaded into the cantilever tube through a window opening. The carriage then moves the cantilever tube and wafers therein into the diffusion tube. Reactant gases are caused to flow into the cantilever tube, between the heated wafers therein, and out of the cantilever tube. Then purging gas is caused to flow through the cantilever tube and wafers therein.

Abstract: A cantilever diffusion tube apparatus includes a quartz cantilever tube having a support end clamped to a laterally movable carriage mechanism and an outer end portion containing a plurality of spaced semiconductor wafers. The cantilever tube is coaxially aligned with a diffusion tube of a diffusion furnace. The support end of the cantilever tube is sealed by a door plate through which a gas tube extends. The wafers are loaded into the cantilever tube through a window opening. The carriage then moves the cantilever tube and wafers therein into the diffusion tube. Reactant gases are caused to flow into the cantilever tube, between the heated wafers therein, and out of the cantilever tube. Then purging gas is caused to flow through the cantilever tube and wafers therein.