Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed which can automatically load semiconductor wafers into a vertical type heat treatment furnace and unload treated semiconductor wafers out of the heat treatment furnace. The semiconductor wafer treating apparatus comprises exchange unit for exchanging the semiconductor wafers between the cassette and the wafer boat in a predetermined exchange position, transfer unit for allowing the wafer-held boat to be transported between the exchange position and a respective, vertical type heat treatment furnace and for allowing the transfer of the wafer boat to be effected between the transfer unit and the respective heat treatment furnace, and an elevator unit provided in the heat treatment furnace and adapted to receive the wafer boat from the transfer unit and to load the wafer boat into a vertically erect process tube and unload the wafer boat from the process tube.

Abstract: A heat-treating apparatus includes a process tube accommodating an object to be heat-treated therein, and a plurality of independent heaters including at least three heaters arranged at both end portions and the central portion of a side wall of the process tube, so as to surround the process tube and, the heating temperatures of the individual heaters being freely adjustable. In this heat-treating apparatus, no direct heat transfer is caused between the heaters, so that the heating temperature of the heater at each end portion of the process tube can be adjusted to a high value, without entailing such an uneven temperature distribution as is caused in the case of a conventional heat-treating apparatus. Thus, uniform temperature distribution can be attained in an area covering the same range for the conventional apparatus, even though the heaters at both end portions are reduced in length.

Abstract: A heat-treating apparatus comprises a heat-treating furnace which include a process tube arranged so as to set its longitudinal direction vertically and having inlet and exhaust ports for a reaction gas, a heater arranged around the process tube, a capping member for capping an opening for allowing an heat-treating object to be loaded therethrough, which is formed in the lower end of the process tube, a case for covering a portion between the process tube and the capping member, and an exhaust nozzle, coupled to the the exhaust port formed in the process tube, for introducing the exhaust waste gas to the outside of the heat-treating apparatus. An exhaust nozzle is arranged in the case so as to introduce the waste gas leaking from between the process tube and the capping member to the outside of the heat-treating apparatus, thereby preventing the leaked gas from being diffused around the heat-treating apparatus.

Abstract: A heat-treating apparatus includes a furnace for heat-treating wafers, installed so as to set its longitudinal direction vertically and having an opening which is formed in its lower end so as to allow a boat having semiconductor wafers mounted thereon to be loaded, a heat-insulating cylinder on which the boat is placed and which is adapted to keep the boat hot, a lifting unit for lifting and loading the boat and the heat-insulating cylinder into the furnace, and for lowering and unloading them from the furnace, a moving unit for pivoting the heat-insulating cylinder and retracting the cylinder from below the boat, and a handler unit for supporting and vertically moving the boat. After the wafers are heat-treated, the boat is moved downward by the lifting unit. The heat-insulating cylinder is retracted from below the boat by the moving unit while the boat is supported by the handler unit. Subsequently, the boat is further lowered by the handler unit so as to completely remove the boat from the furnace.

Abstract: In an apparatus for thermal treatment of semiconductors in a treating gas, a treating tube has a heating portion, an extending portion, and a sealing portion, and convection-preventing plates are disposed within a treating tube, between one end of the heating portion and the sealing portion, so as to interrupt currents of the treating gas. A heating element is arranged so that the quantities of heat generated along the heating portion are largest near a gas-discharging end of the heating portion, intermediate near a gas-discharging end thereof, and smallest therebetween. The plates are mounted to the sealing portion so as to be inserted into the treating tube when the sealing portion is attached and so as to be withdrawn from the treating tube when the sealing portion is detached. The plates may be mounted integrally to the sealing portion.

Abstract: A beam of electrically charged particles for illuminating a specimen is deflected by a deflection means so that the specimen is scanned with the beam bi-dimensionally. The information signal thus produced by the specimen is detected by a detector means and fed to a display apparatus incorporating therein another deflection means. The information signal is deflected by the latter deflection means to scan the display screen and is displayed thereon as an information image. A wave form of a signal produced in the latter deflection means is detected by a wave form detector means, the output of which is applied to the first mentioned deflection means to thereby deflect the electrically charged particle beam with a signal having a wave form similar to the detected one.