Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a durability improving agent for a cement composition that improves the freezing-thawing resistance of the cement composition and also exhibits a sufficient shrinkage reducing performance as well, and a cement composition including such a durability improving agent. Specifically, the present invention provides a durability improving agent for a cement composition, characterized by comprising a hydrocarbon-based compound having an average molecular weight of 150 to 600 and a pour point of 20° C. or less as an active ingredient, and a cement composition including such durability improving agent.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a durability improving agent for a cement composition that improves the freezing-thawing resistance of the cement composition and also exhibits a sufficient shrinkage reducing performance as well, and a cement composition including such a durability improving agent. Specifically, the present invention provides a durability improving agent for a cement composition, characterized by comprising a hydrocarbon-based compound having an average molecular weight of 150 to 600 and a pour point of 20° C. or less as an active ingredient, and a cement composition including such durability improving agent.

Abstract: An edge remover is provided in the vicinity of an edge portion of a wafer subjected to copper plating. An aqueous hydrogen peroxide is supplied to the edge portion of the wafer from a first nozzle provided at an inner side for a radial direction of the wafer. Next, diluted hydrofluoric acid is supplied to the edge portion of the wafer from a second nozzle provided at an outer side for the radial direction thereof.

Abstract: An edge remover is provided in the vicinity of an edge portion of a wafer subjected to copper plating. An aqueous hydrogen peroxide is supplied to the edge portion of the wafer from a first nozzle provided at an inner side for a radial direction of the wafer. Next, diluted hydrofluoric acid is supplied to the edge portion of the wafer from a second nozzle provided at an outer side for the radial direction thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus, specifically a valve device for use in an exhaust system of a low pressure heat treatment furnace, which comprises urging device for urging a valve body in a valve closing direction, and a drive unit for opening/closing the valve body against an urging force of the urging device. An interconnection releasing mechanism is provided between the driving unit and the valve rod of the valve body, the interconnection releasing mechanism connecting both with each other, and releasing their connection in an emergency. Thus, an exhaust system of the low pressure heat treatment furnace is instantaneously shut off in an emergency to prevent reverse flow of exhaust gas into the furnace. An evacuation fine adjustment gap is defined between the periphery of the valve body and that of the valve casing for facilitating evacuation control.

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 heat treatment boat for mounting a number of disc-shaped objects to be treated at a vertical interval for heat treatment thereof in a vertical heat treatment furnace comprises arcuate or ring-shaped support members provided on support rods at a vertical interval for supporting the objects to be treated in surface contact with the undersides of peripheral parts of the objects to be treated. The heat treatment boat is disposed on a ring-shaped intermediate member of high radiant heat absorption disposed on a heat insulating cylinder. The heat treatment boat comprises support rods which are planted on an annular support member circumferentially in accordance with a contour of the objects to be treated and whose upper ends are secured to an annular fixation member. The heat treatment boat of such constitution can reduce occurrences of slips in the disc-shaped objects when heat treated.

Abstract: A wafer boat rotating apparatus is disclosed, which includes a boat holding portion for holding both ends of the wafer boat, a vertical rotation drive mechanism for rotating the boat holding portion on a vertical plane, and a horizontal rotation drive mechanism for rotating the boat holding portion on a horizontal plane. A wafer holding member is disposed on the boat holding portion and adapted to keep the wafers held in the wafer boat apart from a bottom portion of the wafer boat by a small distance. Thus, compensation for the difference of coefficients of thermal expansion between the wafers and wafer boat during heat treatment can be made easily.

Abstract: A plurality of ring trays supporting loaded treatment objects are arranged in parallel at predetermined spacing in the vertical axis direction and are supported by rods at a minimum of three locations separated from the rod couplings. Cutouts are provided in each ring tray that do not extend to the ring tray center open area. Supporting teeth are provided on the arms driven by drive devices and are inserted via the cutouts. The supporting teeth straddle the ring tray and are shifted relatively on both sides of the vertical direction, and can exchange the wafers between the ring tray and the supporting teeth. By this, problems occurring with regard to various types of heat treatment of the treatment objects, such as treatment object slippage, can be prevented. In addition, a plurality of treatment objects can be exchanged at one time, thereby allowing the exchanging time to be shortened.

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: 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 wafer transferring method for transferring wafers between a cassette and a boat having grooves to hold the wafers, comprises the steps of providing an identification mechanism for positional alignment on the boat in advance, detecting the identification mechanism, and aligning the boat to a predetermined position based on a detection result and transferring the wafers from the cassette to the boat. A wafer transferring apparatus comprises a loading device for extracting wafers from a cassette and transferring the wafers onto a boat, a detection device for detecting an identification section provided on the boat in order to identify a wafer transferring position on the boat, a control device for acquiring the wafer transferring position on the boat based on a detection result attained from the detection device and controlling a mutual position between the boat and the cassette to come to a predetermined position.

Abstract: A wafer transferring method for transferring wafers between a cassette and a boat having grooves to hold the wafers, comprises the steps of providing an identification mechanism for positional alignment on the boat in advance, detecting the identification mechanism, and aligning the boat to a predetermined position based on a detection result and transferring the wafers from the cassette to the boat. A wafer transferring apparatus comprises a loading device for extracting wafers from a cassette and transferring the wafers onto a boat, a detection device for detecting an identification section provided on the boat in order to identify a wafer transferring position on the boat, and a control device for acquiring the wafer transferring position on the boat based on a detection result attained from the detection device and controlling a mutual position between the boat and the cassette to come to a predetermined position.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring wafers comprises a turntable for orienting a plurality of wafers which are loaded in a cassette, a lifting mechanism for lifting the wafers away from the cassette, a plurality of opening/closing chuck mechanisms, and a slide movement mechanism for conveying the wafers which are held by the opening/closing mechanism onto a boat. The cassette on the turntable is turned selectively through an angle of 180.degree. and wafers are lifted by the link mechanism all at a time and selectively held by the opening/closing chuck mechanism. The wafers thus held are conveyed to a location of a boat where they are loaded onto the boat in a face-to-face relation.