Abstract: A gas distribution system for a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus includes a main gas supply pipe for receiving gas from a gas supply, a manifold communicated to the main gas supply pipe and having a plurality of sub-pipes, a plurality of gas metering valves provided at each of the sub-pipes so as to control gas amount flowing therein from each of the sub-pipes, a gas distribution head communicating with each of the sub-pipes so as to collectively jet gas therefrom, a control unit for outputting control signals to each of the gas control valves, and an N-point scanner electrically connected to input terminals of the control unit. The gas distribution system improves deposition uniformity by adjusting the thickness of a film deposited on a wafer in accordance with scanning information from the N-point scanner.

Abstract: A gap is defined between an inner region of an end face of a first container member of a container and an inner region of an abutting portion of a second container member, the inner regions being situated inside a seal member. The respective inner regions of the end face of the first container member and the abutting portion of the second container member, which are situated inside the seal member, are prevented from coming into contact with each other when the interior of the container is decompressed. Even though the second container member is bent inward by atmospheric pressure when the container is decompressed to a predetermined degree of vacuum, therefore, the abutting portion thereof cannot come into contact with the inner edge of the end face of the first container member.

Abstract: A heat treating device including a processing vessel for exposing objects to be treated (e.g., semiconductor wafers) held in a wafer boat for a heat treatment, processing gas introduction nozzles for introducing processing gases, a cap for openably closing tightly an opening of the processing vessel; a heat retention cylinder on which the boat is mounted; and a gas introduction opening, a gas passage, and a gas release opening opened in the heat retention cylinder. Processing gases introduced from the introduction nozzles are taken into the heat retention cylinder through the gas introduction opening and released radially from the gas release opening in the top thereof. The heat retention cylinder has the function of introducing the processing gases, whereby high intra-plane film thickness uniformity can be retained without rotating the wafer boat.