Abstract: The present invention has an object to obtain a small-size, high-temperature and high-pressure treatment device adapted to treat semiconductor wafers. The high-temperature and high-pressure device of the invention is intended to treat semiconductor wafers in an atmosphere of high-temperature and high-pressure gas, and comprises a pressure vessel having at a lower portion thereof an opening for putting the semiconductor wafers in and out, a lower lid disposed so as to be vertically movable for opening and closing the lower opening, wafer transfer means for stacking and unstacking the semiconductor wafers onto and from the lower lid, and a heater attached to the lower lid for heating the semiconductor wafers.

Abstract: This invention provides a filming method for covering the surface of the insulating film of a semiconductor substrate with a copper interconnect film free from pores. The surface of the insulating film 2 of a semiconductor substrate 1 is filmed with a copper or copper alloy 3 by any one of plating, CVD and PVD, and the whole body is then heated under a high-pressure gas atmosphere to cover the surface with an interconnect film 4 free from pores.

Abstract: A hot isostatic pressing treatment is conducted for a single crystal body (11) in an atmosphere where the single crystal body (11) is stable, under a pressure of 0.2 to 304 MPa at a temperature which is 0.85 or more times the melting point in an absolute temperature unit of the single crystal body (11), for 5 minutes to 20 hours; and the single crystal body (11) is annealed. It is preferable that the atmosphere where the single crystal body (11) is stable is an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere containing vapor of a high vapor pressure element, and it is more preferable that the HIP treatment is conducted under a pressure of 10 to 200 MPa. Further, the single crystal body (11) may be an ingot of a silicon single crystal, a GaAs single crystal, an InP single crystal, a ZnS single crystal or a ZnSe single crystal, or a block or wafer obtained by slicing the ingot.

Abstract: An inner vessel 16 capable of hermetically surrounding a portion for disposing works W is disposed to the inside of a pressure vessel 4, the inner vessel 16 is provided with a gas introducing portion 18 at a lower position thereof free from the effect a high temperature atmosphere formed by heaters 11 and 12, a filter 20 is disposed to the gas introducing portion 18 and a check valve 19 is disposed to the inner vessel 16 for allowing a gas to flow unidirectionally from the inside to the outside thereof.

Abstract: A method of forming an intact wiring film by applying a filling treatment with a metal material with no pores to holes/trenches, the method comprising forming a barrier layer 3 to an insulation film 2 having holes/trenches 2A, forming a seed layer by a PVD method on the surface of the barrier layer and laminating a wiring film 5A by a electrolytic plating method and heat treating the same under a high temperature/high pressure gas atmosphere.

Abstract: This invention provides a method of forming a metal wiring film excellent in EM resistance and low electric resistance. In a method of forming a wiring structure by filming and covering the surface of the insulating film of a substrate to be treated having a hole or groove formed thereon with a metallic material such as copper, aluminum, silver or the like, thereby filling the hole or groove inner part with the metallic material to form a wiring structure, the substrate to be treated is exposed to a high temperature under a high-pressure gas atmosphere after the continuous filming and covering with the metallic material along the inner surface profile of the hole or groove, whereby the surface diffusion phenomenon of the metallic material is promoted to reform the metal film into a film structure as the surface area of the metal film is minimized.

Abstract: In a high-temperature, high-pressure treatment method for semiconductor wafer for charging a wafer-like semiconductor material in a pressure vessel, forcing and pressurizing an inert gas such as argon thereto, and raising the temperature by heating by use of an electric resistance type heater, wafers are vertically stacked in the treatment chamber, and the heater is arranged within the treatment chamber to perform the treatment while supplying a heating power by DC to the heater, whereby generation of particles from the heater is suppressed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for processing a substrate in which crystal defects occurring according to ion implantation can be prevented from being integrated to form defects such as dislocation or large vacancies in the manufacture of a SIMOX substrate by implanting oxygen atom to a Si base by ion implantation and reacting it with Si to form a buried oxide film. The annealing after ion implantation is performed under a gas atmosphere pressurized to, for example, about 100 MPa. In the pressurized state, a structure having a smaller volume is thermodynamically more stable, and a behavior as increases crystal distortion is arrested in the annealing. Thus, crystal defects can be laid in uniformly dispersed state, vacancies can be also extinguished, and a Si base of good quality suitable for manufacture of ULSI in which defects such as dislocation are reduced can be provided.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a piston type gas compressor capable of replacing a seal ring of a piston with a new one while preventing incorporation of metallic particles into a processing gas. A gas suction port 9 and a gas discharge port 10 are formed in a flange 2 of a cylinder 3 in communication with a gas compressing space H. With a plug 7 removed from an internally threaded hole 6A, a free piston 5, together with a seal ring 4, can be inserted into and removed from the cylinder 3 through the internally threaded hole 6A.

Abstract: A heating pressure processing apparatus in which gas sealing property and safety can be ensured, and economic property can be improved in heating pressure processing of workpieces such as Si wafers sheet by sheet. A processing vessel 1 formed of vessel components 2, 3 is divided into at least two parts or more in the axial direction thereof and has a seal ring 9 provided in the divided parts of the vessel components 2, parts 3 in such a manner as to be replaceable. The vessel components 2, 3 have shaped parts forming a processing space 5 for a workpiece 4 when the divided parts are sealed through the seal ring 9, the vessel components 2, 3 also having cooling means 10 for the seal ring 9. A ram is provided 18 for pressing the vessel components 2, 3 in the axial direction of the vessel in order to ensure the sealing in the divided parts; and a gas introducing device 20 is provided for introducing a pressurized gas to the processing space 5 in order to process the workpiece.

Abstract: The present invention provides a processing apparatus for eliminating pores in via holes of a silicon semiconductor. The apparatus includes a high-pressure vessel divided into at least two vessel component members in the axial direction thereof, at least one of which has a cooling unit, a frame for holding a load acting in the axial direction of the high-pressure vessel in processing a workpiece to be processed in the high-pressure vessel, an actuator for moving the vessel component members of the high-pressure vessel in the axial direction thereof so as to load and unload the workpiece, a sealing unit fitted to a portion for loading and unloading the workpiece, which is formed when the vessel component members are moved in the axial direction of the vessel, and a retractable cotter unit for transmitting a load acting in the axial direction of the high-pressure vessel to the frame.

Abstract: A sealing device for preventing leakage of pressure in pressure-processing a workpiece to be processed under isostatic pressure in a high pressure vessel, includes a ring member fitted to the opening/closing end of the vessel. When a cover is closed, an axial seal ring and a plane seal ring are mounted, with the plane seal ring adhered to the cover.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for supplying a high-pressure medium gas suitable for processing a semiconductor to be processed by heating under isostatic pressure in a short cycle.The system includes a gas holder containing a high-pressure medium gas, a compressor for pressurizing the high-pressure medium gas supplied from the gas holder, a high-pressure vessel having a heater, an accumulator for storing the high-pressure medium gas pressurized by the compressor, a first evacuation unit for evacuating the inside of a pipeline for the high-pressure medium gas, a vacuum casing for holding the opening of the high-pressure vessel in a vacuum, a second evacuation unit for evacuating the inside of the vacuum casing, and a valve unit for connecting the high-pressure vessel and the accumulator so that series connection and parallel connection can be switched on the outlet side of the compressor.

Abstract: A high-pressure container 1 as a furnace casing is equipped with insulating cylinder 2 of an inverted glass shape, and heater elements 18 individually mounted on heater mounting plates 16 arranged in parallel to section vertically the space for arranging the heater elements 18 at a given interval in the insulating cylinder 2.For the procedures of single crystal growth by heating in a high-pressure gas atmosphere, the insulating cylinder 2 and the heater mounting plates 16 can suppress the effects of spontaneous convection of a high-pressure gas and the effects of the radiation heat from an adjacent heater element, as less as possible, so that the temperature controllability of each heating zone can be improved whereby the vertical temperature distribution in the furnace can be controlled appropriately. Also, a heater element 18 of a larger aperture size can be maintained at a stably supported state, whereby a single crystal of a larger dimension can be grown.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the preparation of single crystals of group II-VI compounds such as ZnSe and CdTe and group III-V compounds such as InP and GaP or of ternary compounds thereof, from which some of their components are likely to be dissociated and evaporated during crystal growth at high temperatures. Single crystals are prepared which enable the preparation of high quality compound single crystals and prevent the contamination of furnace structures. The method includes melting a source material in a container by heating in a furnace body and solidifying the melt by cooling from the bottom to grow a single crystal. The container is enclosed by an airtight chamber communicating to the outside with a pressure equalizing passage. Heating is performed while the passage is held at a low temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of a high-dissociation-pressure component of the source material.

Abstract: The specification describes a method for producing high density sintered silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) having a relative density of at least 98%. In a first step, silicon nitride powder is compacted into a desired shape. It is then pre-sintered in a second step, generally, under normal pressure to obtain a presintered body having a relative density of at least 92%. In a third step, the presintered body is subjected to a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) in an inert gas atmosphere of 1500.degree.-2100.degree. C. and of nitrogen gas partial pressure of at least 500 atm. Since the presintering does not require any capsule, it is possible to produce high density sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 of complex configurations. As a sintering aid, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 --Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 --MgO system sintering aid is particularly effective. To improve the strength of sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, it is effective to add a heat treatment step after the HIP and maintain the temperature of the sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 above 500.degree. C.

Abstract: The specification describes a method for producing high density sintered silicon nitride(Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) having a relative density of at least 98%. In a first step, silicon nitride powder is compacted into a desired shape. It is then presintered in a second step, generally, under normal pressure to obtain a presintered body having a relative density of at least 92%. In a third step, the presintered body is subjected to a hot isostatic pressing(HIP) in an inert gas atmosphere of 1500-2100.degree. C. and of nitrogen gas partial pressure of at least 500 atm. Since the presintering does not require any capsule, it is possible to produce high density sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 of complex configurations. As a sintering aid, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 -Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 -MgO system sintering aid is particularly effective. To improve the strength of sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, it is effective to add a heat treatment step after the HIP and maintain the temperature of the sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 above 500.degree. C. for a while.

Abstract: The specification describes a method for producing high density sintered silicon nitride(Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) having a relative density of at least 98%. In a first step, silicon nitride powder is compacted into a desired shape. It is then presintered in a second step, generally, under normal pressure to obtain a presintered body having a relative density of at least 92%. In a third step, the presintered body is subjected to a hot isostatic pressing(HIP) in an inert gas atmosphere of 1500-2100.degree. C. and of nitrogen gas partial pressure of at least 500 atm. Since the presintering does not require any capsule, it is possible to produce high density sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 of complex configurations. As a sintering aid, Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 --Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 --MgO system sintering aid is particularly effective. To improve the strength of sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, it is effective to add a heat treatment step after the HIP and maintain the temperature of the sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, above 500.degree. C.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for producing a sintered body of calcium carbonate without permitting thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate during sintering, and to the sintered body. A powder material primarily comprising calcium carbonate is subjected to a cold powder pressing process to prepare a green compact, which is then heated in a high-pressure gas atmosphere consisting essentially of an inert gas at a temperature t.degree. C. of900.ltoreq.t<1200and at a high gas pressure P kgf/cm.sup.

Abstract: A process for preparation of capsule for use in isostatic pressing treatment, the process comprising a first step of enclosing a material to be treated, such as ceramic, metal, resin, etc. with metallic foil having a thickness of from 30 to 300 .mu.m, and a second step of welding the metallic foil so as to seal the material to be treated in the metallic foil thus welded, thereby preparing a capsule, wherein the welding is carried out by means of TIG welding. Alternatively, the welding may be carried out by means of seam resistance welding. It is posible, by the process, to seal the material to be treated in a capsule easily and economically. The capsule thus obtained is in a good sealed condition, permits effective isostatic pressing treatment, and enables the treated material to be taken out easily. A ceramic or metal layer covers the material to be treated to prevent adhesion between the material and the metallic foil.