Abstract: A wafer boat has an upper projection, a lower projection, and a lower flange. A horizontal/vertical conversion handling apparatus for handling the wafer boat comprises a rotatable arm, and upper and lower hands provided at both ends of the arm. The arm is rotatable by at least 90.degree. in a vertical plane. The upper hand has boat contact portions for contact in horizontal and vertical modes, which are engaged with the upper projection on both sides thereof. The boat contact portions of the upper hand are vertically arranged such that the positions of the boat contact portions are reversed by the 180.degree. rotation of the upper hand. The lower hand has boat contact portions for contact in a horizontal mode, which are engaged with the lower projection on both sides thereof, and boat contact portions for contact in a vertical mode, which are engaged with the lower surface of the lower flange.

Abstract: A vertical heat-treating apparatus to be used for a thermal diffusion step or film-forming step in the manufacture of a semiconductor device is proposed. This vertical heat-treating apparatus is characterized in that a work piece-waiting mechanism is incorporated in the apparatus for applying a pre-treatment to workpieces such as semiconductor wafers so as to prevent oxidation of the workpiece, or to remove the natural oxide film formed on the surface of the workpiece.

Abstract: The invention provides an oxidation method which utilizes a processing tube, a combustion chamber connected to the processing tube, inner and outer coaxial guide tubes connected to the combustion chamber, and an auxiliary combustion chamber connected to the combustion chamber, which includes the steps of placing a plurality of objects at predetermined intervals in the processing tube; generating steam in the combustion chamber by combustion of a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen gases and supplying the steam to the processing tube wherein the steam is generated by individually introducing oxygen gas and hydrogen gas into the combustion chamber through the outer and inner coaxial guide tubes and by heating the hydrogen gas in the inner guide tube or both the inner guide tube and the auxiliary combustion chamber such that ignition of the oxygen and hydrogen gases occurs when the gases come into contact with each other; and preventing a flame generated by the ignition of the gases from reaching an interior surface

Abstract: A heating apparatus provided with a double layered heat-insulating material. This heat-insulating material includes an inner layer portion constituted by an alumina fiber/inorganic filler/inorganic binder and having a bulk density of 0.3 to 0.8 g/cm.sup.3, and an outer layer portion integrally laminated on the inner layer portion, and constituted by an alumina silica fiber/ inorganic binder and having a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.4 g/cm.sup.3 which is smaller than that of the inner layer portion.

Abstract: A heat-treating apparatus which heat-treats a multiple of objects such as a plate or the like, with a batch scheme. A reaction chamber houses the multiple of the objects to be treated. An electrical heater is provided outside of the reaction chamber for heat-treating the multiple of objects to be treated at a predetermined temperature. A temperature detector detects a temperature within the reaction chamber and has main and reserve temperature detectors. A damage detector detects damage to the main and reserve temperature detectors. A controller controls the electrical heater normally in accordance with a detection output from the main temperature detector of the temperature detector. When the damage of the main temperature detector is detected by the damage detector, the controller controls the electrical heater in accordance with a detection output from the reserve temperature detector of the temperature detector.

Abstract: A vertical heat treatment apparatus includes a casing, a vertical heat treatment furnace provided in the casing, a substrate holding unit mounted in the casing for holding substrates to be heat-treated in the vertical heat treatment furnace, a loading/unloading unit having a wafer boat for supporting the substrates, the loading/unloading unit being adapted to put the substrates in and take the same out of the vertical heat treatment furnace, and a transportation robot for moving the substrates between the substrate holding unit and the wafer boat. The vertical heat treatment apparatus further includes a clean air supplying unit for supplying clean air sideways to the wafers supported by the wafer boat when the loading/unloading unit is at an unloading position, a and duct for introducing air from the outside of the apparatus. The clean air supplying unit is provided with an air filter disposed opposed to the wafer boat.

Abstract: A clean air apparatus comprises a body in which clean air is supplied, an I/O port having an opening for carrying a carrier housing objects to be treated in/out of the body, a door which opens/closes the opening, and dust preventing device for preventing dusts from entering the body from the outside through the opening, when the door is opened.

Abstract: A vertical wafer heat treatment apparatus for for forming a film on and dry etching a plurality of wafers stored in a wafer boat. The apparatus has at least first and second load lock chambers connected by a gate. Each load lock has an inert gas independently introduced therein and exhausted therefrom. The load lock chambers are vertically connected between two separate process containers. An elevator is provided in the first load lock chamber to transfer a wafer boat into and out of the first container. A transfer means is provided in the second load lock to transfer wafers into and out of a wafer boat.

Abstract: An ashing apparatus of the vertical type comprises a reaction tube erected in the vertical direction to house therein a plurality of semiconductor wafers, an inner tube arranged in the reaction tube to enclose the semiconductor wafers and having a plurality of holes through which activated radicals in plasma can be selectively passed, a reaction gas supply pipe for supplying reaction gases into a space between the reaction tube and the inner tube, and plasma generating electrode unit located outside the reactor tube to generate plasma of the reaction gases only in the space between the reaction tube and the inner tube.

Abstract: A heat processing apparatus comprises a heating furnace, a process tube located in the heating furnace and having an open bottom, a manifold connected to the open bottom of the process tube, a sealing member sandwiched between the process tube and the manifold to air-tightly seal the process tube, a fixing member for fixing the process tube to the manifold, a heat transmitting member made of metal and sandwiched between the fixing member and the process tube to radiate heat at that area of the process tube, which is opposed to the fixing member, to the fixing member by heat conduction, and a heat exchange conduit arranged in the fixing member and having a passage through which heat exchanging medium flows to cool the fixing member by heat exchange.

Abstract: A plurality of light-emitting/receiving sections respectively include light-emitting sections arranged to correspond to substrates to be detected and light-receiving sections for receiving beams from the light-emitting sections. The substrates to be detected are a predetermined number of substrates arranged and accommodated at predetermined intervals in a substrate accommodating section. A moving section relatively moves the plurality of light-emitting/receiving sections and the substrates to be detected in directions cross or perpendicular to each other.

Abstract: A carrier conveying apparatus comprises a first carrier rest for placing carriers thereon, a second carrier rest to which the carriers are conveyed, a carrier holding member for holding a plurality of carriers at a time from below, a liftably moving mechanism for liftably moving the carrier holding member and a horizontally moving mechanism provided over a distance from below the first carrier rest to a position below the second carrier rest to horizontally move the carrier holding member and liftably moving mechanism. The liftably moving mechanism lifts the carrier holding member from below the first carrier rest and hence lifts the carriers placed on the first carrier rest in a manner to hold them by the carrier holding member. Then the horizontally moving means horizontally moves the carrier holding member and liftably moving mechanism to a position above the second carrier rest. Then the liftably moving mechanism lowers the carrier holding member to place the carriers on the second carrier rest.

Abstract: A heat processing apparatus comprises a reactor tube in which matters to be processed are housed, a wire-shaped heating unit enclosing the reactor tube, a support device for supporting the heating unit at plural positions, and reinforcing members for reinforcing the support device. The support device includes plurality of holders stacked one upon the others, each of the holders has recesses on those two faces thereof which are contacted with faces of its adjacent ones, and when the holders are stacked one upon the others in a pole, the recesses of the two adjacent holders stacked form a hole through which the heating unit is passed. The support device has support members each supporting a pole of the holders stacked and each of the holders is engaged with its corresponding support member.

Abstract: A wafer counter device comprising a system for aligning the orientation flats of plural wafers in a cassette with one another and a system provided with optical sensors for detecting whether or not the wafers are present in the cassette and serving to count the number of the wafers in the cassette on the basis of the result detected by the optical sensors. The wafers aligning system includes aligning rollers contacted with the rims of the wafers to rotate the wafers, a system for lifting the aligning rollers in such a way that the rollers can be contacted with the rims of the wafers, and a motor for rotating the aligning rollers.

Abstract: A semiconductor processing apparatus comprises a main body having an air passage, a plurality of filter units connected in series with the air passage in the main body, each filter unit having an air intake port, an air otlet port and an air blower, the air intake port of each filter unit communicating with the air outlet ports of the filter units disposed upstream side of the air passage, and a mechanism for arranging articles to be processed close to the air outlet port of each filter unit such that air is supplied to the articles to be processed after the air has passed through the corresponding filter units.

Abstract: A vertical heat-treating apparatus which is effective for preventing dust or fine particles from being attached to a wafer during the loading/unloading or transport of the wafer thereby to manufacture a high-quality wafers. This apparatus comprises a carrier stocker storing a plurality of wafer carriers, a loading/unloading mechanism for transferring the wafers between the wafer carriers and a heat-treating vessel, a plurality of heat-treating furnaces for heat-treating the wafers, a transport mechanism for transporting the heat-treating vessel to and from the vertical heat-treating furnace, and gas supply means for forming a clear gas stream passing exclusively through the loading/unloading mechanism and/or the transport mechanism.

Abstract: A heat treating furnace has a reaction tube for accommodating an object to be treated, a heating device arranged to surround the reaction tube, a heat-insulating member arranged outside the heating device, a tubular member arranged outside the heat-insulating member, and a coolant circulating pipe arranged in a space between the tubular member and the heat-insulating member. According to the heat treating furnace of the present invention, a heat treatment can be performed while accurately performing temperature control.

Abstract: A vertical heat-treating apparatus which allows effective use of an installation space and improved productivity is disclosed. In this system, a plurality of housings, each accommodated with a vertical reactor, are aligned with each other. A gas feed unit and the like are arranged in front of each housing with a space disposed therebetween for conducting maintenance work. A rail is installed along the rear side of the housings. A boat liner is located on the rail for carrying a boat to the housings. An interface mechanism including a horizontal-vertical conversion handling unit for supplying the boat in a vertical state to the boat liner is disposed near the rail.

Abstract: According to this invention, a method of transferring a plurality of semiconductor wafers between a carrier and a support ring type boat comprises the steps of picking up the semiconductor wafer from the carrier on a station by an arm in a substantially horizontal state, positioning the wafer supported by the arm above a support ring of the boat, positioning a receiver below the support ring, moving the receiver upward to a position where a pin of the receiver reaches the arm through an opening of the support ring, lifting the wafer from the arm by the pin, moving the arm backward from the boat, moving the receiver downward to a position where the wafer is transferred from the receiver to the support ring, and then loading the boat into a heat treatment furnace.

Abstract: A sealing device of this invention is designed to prevent entering of the open air through a coupling of a process tube of a CVD apparatus. The sealing device includes a first flange having a mirror-finished face, a second flange having a face which is brought into contact with the face of the first flange, at least one gas guide which is open to at least one of the faces of the first and second flanges and an evacuation system for evacuating a region, in which the first and second flanges are brought into contact with each other, through the gas guide.