Abstract: In an annealing apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers one by one, a hermetic process chamber has a work table having an upper surface on which a wafer is placed. A shower head is disposed to supply a process gas into the process chamber from a position opposing the upper surface of the work table. An exhaust chamber is connected to the bottom portion of the process chamber through an inlet opening below the work table. The inlet opening has a planar contour smaller than that of the work table. The planar contours of the work table and the opening are arranged almost concentrically with each other. An exhaust mechanism is connected to the exhaust chamber, so the process chamber is exhausted through the exhaust chamber.

Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus comprising a reaction vessel located in a vertical furnace, and a ladder boat for mounting a plurality of semiconductor wafers one above another in parallel with each other. A vertical mounting pitch of mounting the wafers on the ladder boat is set at, e.g., 40 mm. When a treatment temperature is 1000.degree. C., intra-surface temperature differences of the wafers, objects to be treated, can be suppressed to 10.degree. C. at the time of passing 900.degree. C. even when 600.degree. C. is raised to 100.degree. C. at a 100.degree. C./min rate, whereby no slip occurs in large-diameter semiconductor wafers of an above 250 mm diameter even with high temperature increases at high rates in heat treatments, as of oxidation, diffusion, etc.

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 wafer loading and unloading chamber is provided at the bottom of a reaction tube of a heat treatment section, a robot chamber and cassette chamber are coupled via gate valves to the wafer loading and unloading chamber, the robot chamber comprises a first load lock chamber while the wafer loading and unloading chamber comprises a second load lock chamber. These first and second load lock chambers are mutually connected by a pressure balancing gas conduit via pressure balancing valves. During heat treatment of the target objects, the wafer loading and unloading chamber and robot chamber are first set to inert gas atmospheres, then the pressure balancing gas conduit valves are opened to balance the pressures of the robot and cassette chambers. Gate valves between these chambers are then opened, and the cassette is conveyed via the robot chamber to a wafer boat in the wafer loading and unloading chamber.

Abstract: A wafers transferring method in the heat treatment apparatus of the vertical type comprising providing a boat loading/unloading chamber under a process tube, providing an elevator in the boat loading/unloading chamber, providing a wafer loading/unloading chamber communicated with the boat loading/unloading chamber, providing a robot in the wafer loading/unloading chamber, mounting a boat on the elevator, loading wafers one by one into the boat from the bottom to the top by the robot, while lowering the boat every pitch, heat-processing the wafers in the boat in the process tube, and unloading the wafers one by one from the boat from the top to the bottom by the robot, while lifting the boat every pitch.

Abstract: A substrate transfer device containing an arm support member for supporting plural substrate support arms at one ends thereof, said arms having substrate housing areas at the other ends thereof, a structure arranged on a base to freely move in the longitudinal direction of the substrate support arms while holding the arm support member, another arm support member for holding a substrate support arm at the other side of the first arm support member, a structure arranged on the base to freely move in the longitudinal direction of the one substrate support arm while holding the arm support member for one substrate, a structure for moving the base up and down, and a structure for moving the base in a direction perpendicular to the substrate support arms on a plane parallel to the plane in which the substrate support arms are included.

Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices and the like, for treating with a reaction gas substrates placed in a reaction tube of the apparatus. A support table is provided within the reaction tube, for supporting substrates during a treatment process, and is rotated during each treatment by a motor, via a shaft penetrating the reaction tube. That portion of the reaction tube which is penetrated by the shaft is provided with a journal bearing and a magnetic fluid seal member. The seal member is surrounded by an enclosing space which substantially separates the seal member from the reaction space within the reaction tube, the enclosing space and the reaction space communicating with each other via a narrow passage. During a heat treatment, a shield gas is supplied into the enclosing space, the pressure within the enclosing space being maintained at a higher level than that within the reaction space.