Abstract: This invention is an oxynitride film forming method including: a reaction chamber heating step of heating a reaction chamber to a predetermined temperature, the reaction chamber containing an object to be processed; a gas heating step of heating a process gas to a temperature not lower than a reaction temperature at which an oxynitride film can be formed, the process gas consisting of dinitrogen oxide gas; and a film forming step of forming an oxynitride film on the object to be processed by supplying the heated process gas into the heated processing chamber. The temperature to which the reaction chamber is heated in the reaction chamber heating step is set at a temperature below a temperature at which the process gas undergoes a reaction.

Abstract: A vertical processing unit 10 for semiconductor wafers has; a cylindrical processing chamber 2 having an opening 18 in an inside of an annular bottom surface, and a disk-shaped cap 6 having an annular abutting-surface 32 abutting on the annular bottom surface of the chamber. A mounting-surface 6p formed on the inside of the annular abutting-surface 32. A wafer-boat 8 for holding a wafer W to be processed is mounted on the mounting-surface 6p of the cap 6. The abutting-surface 32 has an annular groove 34A formed therein. An inert gas supply passgeway 38 is provided in communication with the annular groove 34A for supplying an inert gas into the annular groove 34A through a header 16. An ejection opening 36 for ejecting an inert gas is provided on the inner side of the annular groove 34A for communicating the annular groove 34A and the interior of the processing chamber 2. Owing to the active leaking of the nitrogen (N.sub.

Abstract: A boat includes a boat body, a top plate mounted on one end and a bottom plate mounted on the other end of the boat body. The boat body has a prop section and the prop section has a plurality of support portions provided parallel to each other along its longitudinal direction and each having a substantially circular arc-like configuration. The support portion has an opening at a front side to allow the forward end of an arm to be entered into an inside of the support portion to transfer a wafer W. Another opening is provided in a back section of a prop section at an area corresponding to the opening to allow the forward end of the arm to extend through it. The support portion supports the wafer W with the wafer edge portion set on its rest surface. The support portion and its rest surface are so formed as to have a substantially circular arc-configuration. By doing so, the rest surface of the support portion supports the wafer edge portion over as greater a length as possible.

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: In the internal grinding machine intended to perform the concentric bore processing, rotatably supporting the workpiece of which bore is processed in the previous processing step, a workpiece centerless support device for use in the internal grinding machine, comprises of an internal shoe which penetrates the internal bore of the workpiece and contacts with two points internally thereof so as to rotatably support the workpiece; a couple of drive rolls arranged on both side portion of the internal shoe; a couple of spring means which energizes each drive rolls toward the circumference of the workpiece and of which spring pressure is determined in alternatively differential rate so that the contacting location against the internal shoe of the workpiece is always preserved in the side of two contact points; a pusher plate which is inserted from end portion of the workpiece to surround the circumference of the workpiece; an outlet of coolant which is provided on the pusher plate in a manner of being opposed to th