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US 5,507,639 AGranted
Heat treatment apparatus and method thereof
AssigneesTokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo Electron Tohoku Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorOsamu Monoe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Nozzles that blow an air are disposed in a space between an outer wall of a process tube and a heat generating resistor. The openings of the nozzles are oriented to the process tube corresponding to an arrangement area of semiconductor wafers. An air blowing angle and alignment of the openings of the nozzles are designated corresponding to the length of the arrangement area of the semiconductor wafers. Thus, since a portion where natural heat radiation is weak is forcedly cooled, the cooling effect can become equal in the entire region of the process tube, thereby reducing temperature drop time.
Claims30
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube having at least one opening and for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces accommodated in a boat;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube;
- a heat generating resistor disposed between said heat insulator and said upright type process tube and for heating the workpieces disposed in said upright type process tube through heat radiation;
- a vertically movable conveying device for loading and unloading the boat accommodating the workpieces, into and from the opening of said upright type process tube;
- a temperature keeping member for supporting the boat;
- and
- a nozzle having a nozzle opening disposed between said upright type process tube and said heat generating resistor and for blowing a cooling air,
- wherein the nozzle blows the cooling air to a wall surface portion of said upright type process tube corresponding to an arrangement area of the workpieces.
5 more elements
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces;
- a cylindrical heat generating resistor disposed outside said upright type process tube;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said heat generating resistor;
- and
- a pipe for supplying a process gas into said upright type process tube,
- wherein said heat generating resistor has a thin wire heater whose diameter is in the range of 1.5 mm to 6 mm, and wherein
- the thin wire heater is disposed in a meander pattern.
4 more elements
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces;
- a cylindrical heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube;
- a heat generating resistor disposed on an inner wall surface of said heat insulator, said heat generating resistor having a plurality of vertical portions peripherally spaced and a plurality of bend portions disposed alternately at upper and lower positions of the vertical portions, the vertical portions being connected to each other through the bend portion;
- and
- a detecting device for detecting the temperature inside said heat insulator,
- wherein said detecting device penetrates said heat insulator, the distal end of said detecting device extends inside said heat insulator, and the distal end is disposed between the adjacent vertical portions of said heat generating resistor.
3 more elements
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube and peripherally divided into two portions;
- a heat generating resistor disposed on an inner wall surface of each of divided portions of said heat insulator, both end portions of each heat generating resistor extending outward from the corresponding divided portions of said heat insulator;
- and
- a joint terminal member disposed outside and in the vicinity of each of the divided portions of said heat insulator, said joint terminal member having electrode terminals opposed to the both end portions of said heat generating resistor,
- wherein the electrode terminals of said joint terminal member and terminal portions of said heat generating resistor are connected by flat woven members.
3 more elements
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube and vertically divided into a plurality of heating zones;
- and
- heat generating resistor disposed on an inner wall surface of each heating zone of said heat insulator, said heat generating resistor having a plurality of vertical portions peripherally spaced and a plurality of bend portions disposed alternately at upper and lower positions of the vertical portions, the vertical portions being connected to each other through the bend portion,
- wherein the bend portions of each of said heat generating resistors extend beyond the boundary of the heating zones so that the bend portions are engaged with each other at the boundary of the adjacent heating zones, and
- wherein both end portions of each heat generating resistor protrude outward from said heat insulator at the upper end of the corresponding heating zone, the bend portions adjacent to both end portions being disposed at the lower end of the corresponding heating zone.
3 more elements
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube;
- and
- a first heat generating resistor and a second heat generating resistor peripherally divided and disposed on an inner wall surface of said heat insulator, both end portions of each of said first and second heat generating resistors extending outward from said heat insulator,
- wherein one end portion of said first heat generating resistor is adjacent to one end portion of said second heat generating resistor member, the current direction of the one end portion of said first heat generating resistor being reverse to that of the one end portion of said second heat generating resistor member.
2 more elements
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube and having a plurality of heating zones disposed in vertical direction of said upright type process tube;
- and
- a heat generating resistor disposed on an inner wall surface of each heating zone of said heat insulator, both end portions of each heat generating resistor extending outward from said heat insulator,
- wherein an end portion of said heat generating resistor in one heating zone is adjacent to an end portion of said heat generating resistor in the other heating zone adjacent to the one heating zone, the current direction at the end portion of the heat generating resistor in the one heating zone is reverse to that at the end portion of the heat generating resistor in the other heating zone.
2 more elements
A heat treatment method for performing a heat treatment for a plurality of workpieces coaxially and vertically disposed in an upright type process tube in an airtight atmosphere, said method comprising the steps of:
- performing a heat treatment;
- and
- blowing a cooling air toward a wall surface portion of the process tube corresponding to a center portion of an arrangement area of the workpieces or a higher portion thereof.
A heat treatment apparatus, comprising:
- an upright type process tube having at least one opening and for performing a batch treatment for a plurality of workpieces accommodated in a boat;
- a heat insulator disposed outside said upright type process tube;
- a heat generating resistor disposed between said heat insulator and said upright type process tube and for heating the workpieces disposed in said upright type process tube through heat radiation;
- a vertically movable conveying device for loading and unloading the boat accommodating the workpieces, into and from the opening of said upright type process tube;
- and
- a nozzle having a nozzle opening disposed between said upright type process tube and said heat generating resistor and for blowing a cooling gas,
- wherein the nozzle blows the cooling gas against a wall surface portion of said upright type process tube corresponding to an arrangement area of the workpieces, and wherein
- the heat insulator has an exhaust opening portion for exhausting a waste gas blown to the wall surface of said upright type process tube, and said exhaust opening and said nozzle are connected by a circulation line.
5 more elements
A heat treatment method for performing a heat treatment for a plurality of workpieces coaxially and vertically disposed in an upright type process tube in an airtight atmosphere, said method comprising the steps of:
- performing a heat treatment;
- and
- blowing a cooling gas toward a wall surface portion of the process tube which wall surface portion forms part of a surface which is external to an interior surface of said process tube and which wall surface portion corresponds to a center portion of an arrangement area of the workpieces or a higher portion thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.