Abstract: Heating treatment is performed on a semiconductor wafer in an ammonia atmosphere formed in a chamber by light irradiation from halogen lamps and flash lamps. For the formation of the ammonia atmosphere in the chamber, pressure in the chamber is once reduced. The pressure in the chamber is also reduced after the heating treatment of the semiconductor wafer. Light irradiation from the halogen lamps is performed to heat the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure in the chamber is reduced by exhausting the atmosphere from the chamber. The heating of the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure reduction activates the thermal motion of gas molecules in the atmosphere and decreases a gas density. As a result, the gas molecules in the chamber are discharged rapidly during the pressure reduction, so that the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a predetermined pressure in a short time.

Abstract: Heating treatment is performed on a semiconductor wafer in an ammonia atmosphere formed in a chamber by light irradiation from halogen lamps and flash lamps. For the formation of the ammonia atmosphere in the chamber, pressure in the chamber is once reduced. The pressure in the chamber is also reduced after the heating treatment of the semiconductor wafer. Light irradiation from the halogen lamps is performed to heat the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure in the chamber is reduced by exhausting the atmosphere from the chamber. The heating of the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure reduction activates the thermal motion of gas molecules in the atmosphere and decreases a gas density. As a result, the gas molecules in the chamber are discharged rapidly during the pressure reduction, so that the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a predetermined pressure in a short time.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is preheated with a halogen lamp, and then is heated by irradiation with a flash of light emitted from a flash lamp. The preheating with the halogen lamp is continued for a short time even after the flash lamp turns off. A radiation thermometer measures a front surface temperature and a back surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer. A temperature integrated value is calculated by integration of temperatures of the semiconductor wafer measured during a period from a start of the flash irradiation to an end of the heating of the semiconductor wafer. It is determined that the semiconductor wafer is cracked at the time of flash irradiation when the calculated temperature integrated value deviates from a preset range between an upper limit value and a lower limit value.

Abstract: A carrier containing a plurality of semiconductor wafers in a lot is transported into a heat treatment apparatus. Thereafter, a recipe specifying treatment procedures and treatment conditions is set for each of the semiconductor wafers. Next, a reflectance of each of the semiconductor wafers stored in the carrier is measured. Based on the set recipe and the measured reflectance of each semiconductor wafer, a predicted attainable temperature of each semiconductor wafer at the time of flash heating treatment is calculated, and the calculated predicted attainable temperature is displayed. This allows the setting of the treatment conditions with reference to the displayed predicted attainable temperature, to thereby easily achieve the setting of the heat treatment conditions.

Abstract: Pressure in a chamber receiving a semiconductor wafer is reduced to a level less than atmospheric pressure. The semiconductor wafer is subjected to heat treatment in a reduced-pressure atmosphere by being irradiated with a flash of light. A leak determination part determines that a leak occurs at the chamber if pressure in the chamber does not reach target pressure while a time period passed since start of reduction of pressure in the chamber exceeds a threshold set in advance. A leak at the chamber is detected by monitoring a time period passed since start of reduction of pressure in the chamber. This makes it possible to determine the presence or absence of a leak at the chamber with a simple structure without requiring installation of a new hardware structure.

Abstract: Dummy running is carried out which performs preheating treatment using halogen lamps and flash heating treatment using flash lamps on a dummy wafer to control the temperature of in-chamber structures including a susceptor and the like. In this process, a wear-and-tear value is calculated by adding up the amounts of electric power inputted to the halogen lamps or the like each time the preheating treatment or the flash heating treatment is performed. The wear-and-tear value is an indicator indicating the degree of deterioration of the dummy wafer. If the wear-and-tear value of the dummy wafer is not less than a predetermined threshold value, an alarm is issued. This allows an operator of a heat treatment apparatus to recognize that the deterioration of the dummy wafer reaches a limit value and to reliably grasp the dummy wafer suffering advanced deterioration.

Abstract: Dummy running is carried out which performs preheating treatment using halogen lamps and flash heating treatment using flash lamps on a dummy wafer to control the temperature of in-chamber structures including a susceptor and the like. In this process, a preheating counter or a flash heating counter is incremented each time the preheating treatment or the flash heating treatment is performed. An alarm is issued, if the preheating counter or the flash heating counter that is a wear-and-tear value of the dummy wafer is not less than a predetermined threshold value. This allows an operator of a heat treatment apparatus to recognize that the deterioration of the dummy wafer reaches a limit value, thereby preventing the erroneous treatment of a dummy wafer suffering advanced deterioration.

Abstract: When a carrier storing a plurality of dummy wafers therein is transported into a heat treatment apparatus, the carrier is registered as a dummy carrier exclusive to the dummy wafers. A dummy database in which a treatment history of each of the dummy wafers is associated with the carrier is held in a storage part. The treatment history of each of the dummy wafers registered in the dummy database is displayed on a display part of the heat treatment apparatus. An operator of the heat treatment apparatus views the displayed information to thereby appropriately grasp and manage the treatment history of each of the dummy wafers.

Abstract: Heating treatment is performed on a semiconductor wafer in an ammonia atmosphere formed in a chamber by light irradiation from halogen lamps and flash lamps. For the formation of the ammonia atmosphere in the chamber, pressure in the chamber is once reduced. The pressure in the chamber is also reduced after the heating treatment of the semiconductor wafer. Light irradiation from the halogen lamps is performed to heat the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure in the chamber is reduced by exhausting the atmosphere from the chamber. The heating of the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure reduction activates the thermal motion of gas molecules in the atmosphere and decreases a gas density. As a result, the gas molecules in the chamber are discharged rapidly during the pressure reduction, so that the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a predetermined pressure in a short time.

Abstract: In a state where an ammonia atmosphere is formed in a chamber for housing a semiconductor wafer, heating treatment is applied to the semiconductor wafer by emitting a flash of light to a front surface of the substrate using a flash lamp. When the semiconductor wafer cracks during flash heating, supplying gas into the chamber as well as exhausting gas therefrom is temporarily stopped. Then, gas in the chamber is exhausted at an exhaust flow rate smaller than a steady exhaust flow rate. The steady exhaust flow rate is an exhaust flow rate when heating treatment is applied to a semiconductor wafer. This enables ammonia in the chamber to be discharged by exhausting gas in the chamber while preventing fragments of the semiconductor wafer from being caught in the vacuum pump.

Abstract: When pressure in a chamber is brought to atmospheric pressure and the chamber is filled with an inert gas atmosphere, the atmosphere in the chamber is sucked into an oxygen concentration analyzer through a sampling line such that oxygen concentration in the chamber is measured by the oxygen concentration analyzer. When the pressure in the chamber is reduced to less than atmospheric pressure, nitrogen gas is supplied to the oxygen concentration analyzer through an inert gas supply line simultaneously with suspending the measurement of oxygen concentration in the chamber. Even when the measurement of oxygen concentration in the chamber is suspended, reverse flow to the oxygen concentration analyzer from a gas exhaust pipe can be prevented, and the oxygen concentration analyzer can be prevented from being exposed to exhaust from the chamber. The configuration results in maintaining measurement accuracy of the oxygen concentration analyzer in a low oxygen concentration range.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer is preheated by halogen lamps; thereafter, the semiconductor wafer is heated by irradiation with flash of light from flash lamps. A radiation thermometer measures the temperature of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer at predetermined sampling intervals and acquires a plurality of temperature measurement values. Of the plurality of temperature measurement values, a temperature integrated value is calculated by integrating a set number of the temperature measurement values acquired from the start point of integration after a start time of irradiation of the flash light. When the calculated temperature integrated value falls out of the range between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the semiconductor wafer is determined to be broken at the time of flash light irradiation.

Abstract: Pressure in a chamber receiving a semiconductor wafer is reduced to a level less than atmospheric pressure. The semiconductor wafer is subjected to heat treatment in a reduced-pressure atmosphere by being irradiated with a flash of light. A leak determination part determines that a leak occurs at the chamber if pressure in the chamber does not reach target pressure while a time period passed since start of reduction of pressure in the chamber exceeds a threshold set in advance. A leak at the chamber is detected by monitoring a time period passed since start of reduction of pressure in the chamber. This makes it possible to determine the presence or absence of a leak at the chamber with a simple structure without requiring installation of a new hardware structure.

Abstract: In a state where an ammonia atmosphere is formed in a chamber for housing a semiconductor wafer, heating treatment is applied to the semiconductor wafer by emitting a flash of light to a front surface of the substrate using a flash lamp. When the semiconductor wafer cracks during flash heating, supplying gas into the chamber as well as exhausting gas therefrom is temporarily stopped. Then, gas in the chamber is exhausted at an exhaust flow rate smaller than a steady exhaust flow rate. The steady exhaust flow rate is an exhaust flow rate when heating treatment is applied to a semiconductor wafer. This enables ammonia in the chamber to be discharged by exhausting gas in the chamber while preventing fragments of the semiconductor wafer from being caught in the vacuum pump.

Abstract: A first mass flow controller is provided in an inert gas pipe for feeding nitrogen gas. A second mass flow controller is provided in a reactive gas pipe for feeding ammonia. A joint pipe communicatively connects a joint portion of the inert gas pipe and the reactive gas pipe to a chamber for treating a semiconductor wafer. The joint pipe is provided with a mass flowmeter. A detector detects gas leakage by comparing a total value of flow rates of nitrogen controlled by the first mass flow controller and of ammonia controlled by the second mass flow controller with a measurement value of a flow rate of a treatment gas, obtained by the mass flowmeter.

Abstract: A front surface of a semiconductor wafer is rapidly heated by irradiation of a flash of light. Temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is measured at predetermined intervals after the irradiation of the flash of light, and is sequentially accumulated to acquire a temperature profile. From the temperature profile, an average value and a standard deviation are each calculated as a characteristic value. It is determined that the semiconductor wafer is cracked when an average value of the temperature profile deviates from the range of ±5? from a total average of temperature profiles of a plurality of semiconductor wafers or when a standard deviation of the temperature profile deviates from the range of 5? from the total average thereof of the plurality of semiconductor wafers.