JP2005268244A - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A process time for removing a natural oxide film from a wafer is shortened.
An oxide film removing apparatus includes a frustoconical holder 30 installed in a removal chamber 12 and moved up and down by a cylinder device 21, and a wafer 1 held by the holder 30 with an etching solution and a rinse solution. A chemical nozzle 39 to be supplied, a steam nozzle 42 for spraying steam onto the rinsed wafer 1, an exhaust duct 40 for exhausting the sprayed steam, and a motor 25 for rotating the holder 30 are provided. At the transfer position where the holder 30 is raised, the male taper surface 31 of the holder 30 is fitted to the female taper surface 32 of the removal chamber 12 to divide the removal chamber 12 into an upper space and a lower space. Since the space to be purged with the inert gas, which is a transfer space where the wafer is transferred, can be narrowed, the inert gas purge time can be shortened.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for removing an oxide film from a substrate to be processed. For example, in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device (hereinafter referred to as IC), a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as IC) is fabricated. It relates to a wafer that is effective for diffusing impurities into a wafer and forming a CVD film such as an insulating film or a metal film.

As a document describing this type of conventional substrate processing apparatus, for example, there is Patent Document 1. This Patent Document 1 discloses the following vertical diffusion / CVD apparatus. That is, this vertical diffusion / CVD apparatus stores a cassette (wafer carrier) containing a plurality of wafers and stores a wafer between the cassette and the boat in an airtight structure for storing and removing the wafers. A load lock chamber (wafer transfer chamber) having a wafer transfer device for transfer, and a reaction chamber (processing chamber) into which a boat in the load lock chamber is loaded and unloaded; a cassette chamber, a load lock chamber, And the load lock chamber and the reaction chamber are connected to each other through a gate valve, and the load lock chamber is configured to replace the atmosphere in the load lock chamber with nitrogen gas without evacuation. Yes.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-101675

  The above-described vertical diffusion / CVD apparatus has a problem in that a natural oxide film is formed on the wafer because it is inevitable that the wafer is exposed to the atmosphere before being loaded into the load lock chamber.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of removing a natural oxide film grown on the surface of a substrate and shortening the process time for removing the oxide film.

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a processing chamber for processing a substrate, and a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate to the processing chamber, and the space in the processing chamber transfers the substrate. The space of time is smaller than the space when processing the substrate.
Representative examples of other inventions disclosed in the present application are as follows.
(1) A substrate transfer chamber in which a processing chamber for processing a substrate, a preliminary chamber adjacent to the processing chamber, a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate adjacent to the preliminary chamber is installed, and the substrate transfer A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a cleaning chamber adjacent to the chamber for cleaning the substrate; and a moving mechanism configured to move a partition section that divides the space of the cleaning chamber into a plurality of spaces.
(2) A process chamber for processing a substrate, an oxide film removal chamber for removing an oxide film on the substrate, and a partition section that divides a space of the oxide film removal chamber into a plurality of portions can be moved, and the oxide film removal A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a moving mechanism capable of moving the holding portion of the chamber.
(3) The substrate processing apparatus according to (2), wherein the partitioning section is partitioned when the substrate is transferred to the oxide film removal chamber, and the atmosphere on the partitioned substrate transfer side can be replaced.
(4) In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using a substrate processing apparatus including a processing chamber for processing a substrate and a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring the substrate to the processing chamber.
Transferring the substrate to the processing chamber;
Processing the substrate;
Making the space of the processing chamber smaller than the space when processing the substrate, the space when transferring the substrate;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:
(5) A substrate transfer chamber in which a processing chamber for processing a substrate, a spare chamber adjacent to the processing chamber, a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate adjacent to the spare chamber is installed, and the substrate transfer A substrate processing apparatus provided with an oxide film removal chamber for removing an oxide film on the substrate adjacent to the chamber and a moving mechanism capable of moving a partition that divides the space of the oxide film removal chamber into a plurality of spaces is used. In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device,
The moving mechanism moving the partition to partition the oxide film removal chamber into a plurality of spaces;
Replacing the partitioned substrate loading / unloading atmosphere;
Carrying the substrate into the oxide film removal chamber;
A step in which the moving mechanism moves the partition portion to form one space (not partition) in the oxide film removal chamber;
Processing the substrate in the oxide film removal chamber;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

  According to the present invention, the oxide film on the substrate can be removed in the processing chamber. Since the space in the processing chamber when transferring the substrate after removing the oxide film from the substrate is made smaller than the space when processing the substrate, the atmosphere in the processing chamber space can be easily replaced. The process time for removing the oxide film can be shortened.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured as an oxide film removing apparatus for removing a natural oxide film formed on a wafer in an IC manufacturing method. This oxide film removing apparatus is a cleaning / drying apparatus in the sense that the surface of the wafer is cleaned and dried.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, an oxide film removing apparatus (also referred to as a cleaning / drying apparatus) 10 according to the present embodiment is an oxidation chamber that is a processing chamber for removing a natural oxide film on the upper surface of a wafer 1. A housing (hereinafter referred to as a removal chamber housing) 11 in which a film removal chamber (hereinafter referred to as a removal chamber) 12 is formed is provided. The removal chamber 12 has an airtight performance capable of maintaining a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as negative pressure). The removal chamber casing 11 is formed in a cylindrical hollow body whose upper and lower surfaces are closed, and the surface of the removal chamber 12 is formed into a surface having good water repellency by a coating treatment with a fluorine resin. A wafer loading / unloading port 13 is opened at the front portion of the side wall of the removal chamber casing 11, and the wafer loading / unloading port 13 is configured to be able to load / unload the wafer 1 to / from the removal chamber 12. A gate valve 14 is installed at the wafer loading / unloading port 13, and the gate valve 14 is configured to open and close the wafer loading / unloading port 13 without sliding. A shower head 15 for blowing an inert gas into the removal chamber 12 in a shower shape is installed on the ceiling of the removal chamber casing 11, and an inert gas supply device (not shown) is connected to the shower head 15. . An exhaust pipe 16 for exhausting the removal chamber 12 is connected to the bottom wall and the upper part of the side wall of the removal chamber casing 11, and the exhaust pipe 16 is connected to an exhaust device (not shown).

  A support plate 17 is coaxially disposed below the removal chamber housing 11 and installed horizontally, and a plurality of guide posts 18 are disposed on the support plate 17 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and vertically. It is erected. The upper ends of the guide posts 18 are fixed to the lower surface of the removal chamber casing 11. A guide 19 is fitted to each guide post 18 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and a mounting plate 20 is installed horizontally between the guides 19. A cylinder device 21 as a lifting drive device is installed upward on the lower surface of the support plate 17, and a lifting plate 23 is horizontally fixed to the upper end of the piston rod 22 of the cylinder device 21. The lifting plate 23 and the mounting plate 20 are connected by a plurality of connecting rods 24, and the mounting plate 20 moves up and down as the lifting plate 23 moves up and down. A motor 25 as a rotational drive device is installed upward on the center line of the mounting plate 20, and a rotating shaft 26 of the motor 25 is rotatably supported by a bearing device 27 with a seal mechanism. An inert gas supply pipe 28 is connected to the bearing device 27 with a seal mechanism. The bearing device 27 with the seal mechanism passes through the bottom wall of the removal chamber housing 11 and is inserted into the removal chamber 12. Between the upper end of the bearing device 27 with the seal mechanism and the bottom surface of the removal chamber 12, A bellows 29 that secures the lifting and lowering of the bearing device 27 with a seal mechanism while maintaining the hermeticity of the removal chamber 12 is disposed concentrically.

  A holder 30 for holding the wafer 1 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 26 of the motor 25 so as to be horizontally arranged and rotate integrally. The holder 30 has a truncated conical shape (the cross-sectional shape is trapezoidal). Disk shape). The upper circular surface (circular surface formed by the upper side of the trapezoid), which is the smaller diameter side, is set to have a slightly smaller diameter than the wafer 1, so that scooping of the wafer 1 by the tweezer of the wafer transfer device is ensured. . The lower circular surface (the circular surface formed by the lower side of the trapezoid) that is the large diameter side is set to have a larger diameter than the wafer 1. The conical surface of the holder 30 forms a male taper surface 31, and the male taper surface 31 is set so as to be fitted to a female taper surface 32 formed in an intermediate portion of the removal chamber 12. A seal ring 33 is laid concentrically on the middle portion of the male tapered surface 31, and the seal ring 33 is set so as to press against the middle portion of the female tapered surface 32. A cylindrical skirt 34 is suspended concentrically on the periphery of the lower surface of the holder 30, and the skirt 34 constitutes a mechanical seal that prevents an etchant or the like from entering the bearing device 27 with a seal mechanism. ing.

  A chemical nozzle insertion port 35 that is opened and closed by a gate valve 36 and an exhaust duct insertion port 37 that is opened and closed by a gate valve 38 are arranged at substantially the same height as the wafer loading / unloading port 13 on the side wall of the removal chamber casing 11. Each is opened at intervals in the direction. A chemical nozzle 39 for dropping an etching solution and ultrapure water as a chemical solution is inserted into the chemical nozzle insertion port 35 so as to freely advance and retract. The chemical nozzle 39 is configured such that the dropping port 39 a is positioned on the center line of the holder 30, and drops the etching solution and ultrapure water on the center of the wafer 1. One end of a liquid supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the chemical liquid nozzle 39, and a chemical liquid that supplies an etching liquid such as hydrofluoric acid as a cleaning liquid and ultrapure water as a rinse liquid to the other end of the liquid supply pipe. A supply device (not shown) is connected.

On the other hand, an exhaust duct 40 formed in a cylindrical shape is inserted into the exhaust duct insertion port 37 so as to be able to advance and retreat. The exhaust duct 40 can have a front end opening on the center line of the holder 30. It is like that. The front end portion of the exhaust duct 40 is bent downward, and a suction port 41 is formed by the front end opening. An exhaust device (not shown) is connected to the proximal end side of the exhaust duct 40. A nozzle (hereinafter referred to as “steam nozzle”) 42 that blows out water vapor (steam) as a drying gas is laid on the center line of the flow path of the exhaust duct 40, and the outlet 43 of the steam nozzle 42 is connected to the exhaust duct 40. Are arranged concentrically in the suction port 41. One end of an air supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the proximal end side of the steam nozzle 42, and a steam supply device for supplying steam (H ₂ O) as a drying gas to the other end of the air supply pipe. (Not shown) is connected.

  Hereinafter, an oxide film removing process in the IC manufacturing method using the oxide film removing apparatus 10 according to the above configuration will be described.

  When the wafer 1 to be processed is transferred to the oxide film removing apparatus 10, the wafer loading / unloading port 13 is opened by the gate valve 14. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the holder 30 is lifted by the cylinder device 21 to the transfer position in a state where the male tapered surface 31 is fitted to the female tapered surface 32. Subsequently, the wafer 1 is loaded into the removal chamber 12 through the wafer loading / unloading port 13 by the wafer transfer device and transferred onto the holder 30. When the wafer 1 is held by the holder 30, the wafer loading / unloading port 13 is closed by the gate valve 14.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the holder 30 is lowered to a processing position of a predetermined height by the cylinder device 21, and the wafer 1 held by the holder 30 is rotated by the motor 25. The height of the processing position can be appropriately adjusted by the cylinder device 21. 2 and 3, the chemical nozzle insertion port 35 is opened by the gate valve 36, the chemical nozzle 39 is moved from the chemical nozzle insertion port 35 to the removal chamber 12, and the dropping port 39 a is on the center line of the wafer 1. It is inserted so that it is located. Subsequently, the etching solution 44 is supplied to the chemical solution nozzle 39 from the chemical solution supply device through the supply pipe, and is dropped from the dropping port 39 a of the chemical solution nozzle 39 to the center of the wafer 1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, an inert gas 45 is sprayed from the shower head 15 onto the wafer 1.

  The etching solution 44 dripped at the center of the wafer 1 is uniformly diffused to the peripheral portion by the centrifugal force of the rotating wafer 1, thereby contacting the entire surface of the wafer 1 uniformly. The formed natural oxide film is uniformly etched throughout and removed. The excess etching solution 44 shaken off by the wafer 1 is reflected downward by the female tapered surface 32 formed on the upper portion of the removal chamber 12 and is pushed away together with particles by the inert gas 45 toward the bottom of the removal chamber 12. And collected by the bottom of the removal chamber 12. When a preset time has elapsed, the supply of the etching solution 44 is stopped.

  Next, ultrapure water (not shown) as a rinsing liquid is supplied from the chemical liquid supply device to the chemical liquid nozzle 39 through the liquid supply pipe, and is dropped from the dropping port 39 a of the chemical liquid nozzle 39 to the center of the wafer 1. Since the ultrapure water dropped on the center of the wafer 1 is diffused to the peripheral portion by the centrifugal force of the rotating wafer 1, the ultrapure water contacts the entire surface of the wafer 1 uniformly. Rinse evenly throughout. The extra ultrapure water shaken off by the wafer 1 is reflected downward by the female tapered surface 32 formed at the top of the removal chamber 12 and is pushed away together with the particles toward the bottom of the removal chamber 12 by the inert gas. And collected by the bottom of the removal chamber 12. When a preset time elapses, the supply of ultrapure water is stopped. When rinsing is completed, the chemical nozzle 39 is pulled out from the chemical nozzle insertion port 35, and the chemical nozzle insertion port 35 is closed by the gate valve 36.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the exhaust duct insertion port 37 is opened by the gate valve 38, the exhaust duct 40 is moved from the exhaust duct insertion port 37 to the removal chamber 12, and the suction port 41 is on the center line of the wafer 1. It is inserted so that it is located. Subsequently, the steam 46 is supplied to the steam nozzle 42 from the steam supply device through the air supply pipe, blown to the wafer 1 from the outlet 43 of the steam nozzle 42, and the suction port 41 of the exhaust duct 40 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe by the exhaust device. As a result, the steam 46 is sucked from the suction port 41 and exhausted. The steam 46 in contact with the wafer 1 heats and vaporizes the ultrapure water as the rinse liquid remaining on the surface of the wafer 1 to dry the wafer 1. As the steam 46, high-temperature steam at around 200 ° C. obtained by heating ultrapure water is used. However, it is preferably around 200 ° C., but may be 100 ° C. or more.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the steam 46 sprayed from the outlet 43 of the steam nozzle 42 onto the surface of the wafer 1 is reflected at an acute angle on the upper surface of the wafer 1 and is sucked into the suction port 41 of the exhaust duct 40. In order to be sucked in immediately, it is sucked in a steam state (gas state) without being liquefied. That is, it is possible to prevent the steam 46 that has dried the wafer 1 from being liquefied to form water droplets, and the water droplets reattaching to the wafer 1 to cause a phenomenon that causes a watermark.

  During the steam spraying step and the exhausting step, the steam nozzle 42 and the exhaust duct 40 are moved back and forth by a reciprocating device (not shown). By this advance / retreat operation, the steam 46 blown out from the outlet 43 of the steam nozzle 42 comes into contact with the entire surface of the wafer 1 together with the rotation of the wafer 1. Evenly dried. At this time, since the wafer 1 is dried by the vaporization force of the steam 46, the wafer 1 does not need to be rotated at a high speed, and may be rotated at a low speed such that the steam 46 is uniformly sprayed on the wafer 1.

  When a preset time has elapsed, the supply of the steam 46 by the steam nozzle 42 and the exhaust by the exhaust duct 40 are stopped. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust duct 40 is pulled out from the exhaust duct insertion port 37, and the exhaust duct insertion port 37 is closed by the gate valve 38. After the rotation of the holder 30 by the motor 25 is stopped, the holder 30 is raised by the cylinder device 21 to a transfer position where the male taper surface 31 is fitted to the female taper surface 32 of the removal chamber 12. When the male taper surface 31 of the holder 30 is fitted to the female taper surface 32, the seal ring 33 is pressed against the female taper surface 32, so that the removal chamber 12 is divided into an upper space and a lower space by the holder 30. It becomes a state. That is, the holding tool 30 constitutes a separation part that divides the removal chamber 12 as a processing chamber into a plurality of parts, and the cylinder device 21 that moves the holding tool 30 up and down constitutes a moving mechanism that moves the separation part.

After the removal chamber 12 is vertically divided by the holder 30, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper space of the removal chamber 12 is inactive in the upper space of the removal chamber 12 while being exhausted by the exhaust pipe 16. Gas 45 is supplied from the shower head 15. As a result, the upper space of the removal chamber 12 is replaced (purged) by the inert gas, so that reoxidation of the wafer 1 from which the natural oxide film has been removed and contamination by particles can be reliably prevented. Since the removal chamber 12 is partitioned by the holder 30, the space to be replaced (purged) by the inert gas is reduced very narrowly, and can be purged in a short time.
After purging, the upper space may be kept at a reduced pressure by exhausting through the exhaust pipe in the upper space, or may be replaced with a reduced pressure without purging.

  Thereafter, the wafer loading / unloading port 13 is opened by the gate valve 14. Subsequently, the natural oxide film removed and dried wafer 1 held by the holder 30 is picked up by the wafer transfer device and carried out through the wafer loading / unloading port 13.

  Thereafter, the natural oxide film removing process is performed one by one on the wafer 1 by repeating the above-described operation.

  According to the embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

1) Since the natural oxide film formed on the wafer is removed before the main process such as the formation of a CVD film, the accuracy of the main process can be improved, so that the manufacturing yield of the entire IC manufacturing method is improved. be able to.

2) By separating the removal chamber with a holder, the space to be replaced (purged) by this inert gas and the space to be depressurized can be reduced very narrowly. Can be purged with an inert gas in a short time.

3) By performing purging or depressurization with an inert gas in a short time, it is possible to improve the throughput of the natural oxide film removal process as a whole, so that the throughput of the IC manufacturing method can be improved.

4) Etching solution, rinse solution, ultrapure water, particles, etc. after processing by forming the inner wall of the processing chamber housing at a height to process the wafer into a female taper shape that spreads downward. Is reflected on the inner wall surface and is easily pushed away into the space below, so that reattachment to the wafer can be prevented.

5) By forming the upper end of the holder into a male taper shape that spreads downward, etching solution, rinse liquid, ultrapure water, particles, etc. after processing do not collect on the surface of the holder, Since it becomes easy to be pushed away into the space, reattachment to the wafer can be prevented.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  For example, the female tapered surface of the upper portion of the removal chamber and the male tapered surface of the holder are not limited to being formed as flat conical surfaces, but as shown in FIG. ) And a male tapered surface 31A having a convex saddle curved surface (convex spherical surface).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a stepped female taper surface 32 </ b> B and a male taper surface 31 </ b> B that are fitted to each other may be formed. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the seal ring 33 on the horizontal plane of the staircase because it exhibits good sealing performance.

  The moving mechanism that raises and lowers the holder is not limited to the cylinder device, but may be constituted by another moving mechanism such as a motor.

  The moving drive device that moves the chemical nozzle, the steam nozzle, and the exhaust duct with respect to the holder is not limited to a reciprocating linear motion device, but may be a swivel (arc motion) drive device or the like.

  The chemical nozzle, the steam nozzle and the exhaust duct are not limited to be installed outside the removal chamber, but may be installed in the removal chamber.

7, 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is a batch type used in a process of diffusing impurities on a wafer or forming a CVD film such as an insulating film or a metal film in an IC manufacturing method. It is configured as a vertical diffusion / CVD apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a batch type CVD apparatus). In batch type CVD apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, FOUP (front opening unified pod, hereinafter referred to as pod) is used as a wafer carrier for wafer transfer. In the following description, front, rear, left and right are based on FIG. That is, the front casing 51 side is the front side, the pressure-resistant casing 81 side, which is the opposite side, is the rear side, the boat elevator 100 side is the left side, and the seal cap 103 side, which is the opposite side, is the right side.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the batch type CVD apparatus 50 includes a front casing 51, and a pod storage chamber 52 is formed by the front casing 51. A pod loading / unloading port 53 is opened on the front wall of the front housing 51, and a pod stage 54 is constructed in front of the pod loading / unloading port 53 of the front housing 51. The pod 2 is supplied to and discharged from the pod stage 54 by an in-process transfer device such as RGV. A front pod shelf 55 and a rear pod shelf 56 are respectively installed in the upper part of the front casing 51, and these pod shelves 55 and 56 are configured to temporarily store a plurality of pods 2. ing. A pod transfer device 57 configured by a linear actuator, an elevator, a SCARA robot, or the like is installed in the front portion of the front casing 51. The pod transfer device 57 includes a pod stage 54, front and rear pod shelves 55 and 56, and a pod. It is comprised so that the pod 2 may be conveyed between openers.

A casing (hereinafter referred to as a pod opener casing) 61 that forms a pod opener chamber 60 is installed adjacent to the rear wall of the front casing 51, and a wafer is carried into the rear wall of the pod opener chamber 60. A gate valve 62 that opens and closes the outlet 73 is provided. A gas supply pipe 63 for supplying nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas to the pod opener chamber 60 and an exhaust pipe 64 for exhausting the pod opener chamber 60 to a negative pressure are provided on the side wall of the pod opener casing 61. It is connected. The supply of nitrogen gas is not provided by the gas supply pipe 63, but the nitrogen gas filled in the wafer transfer chamber 72 may flow by opening the gate valve 62, or the exhaust pipe. Instead of providing 64, the air may be exhausted from the gap between the pod 2 and the pod opener chamber housing. A wafer loading / unloading port 65 is opened on the front wall of the pod opener casing 61, and a mounting table 66 on which the pod 2 is placed is placed horizontally at the lower end side of the wafer loading / unloading port 65 in front of the pod opener casing 61. It is projecting. A cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67 for attaching / detaching the cap of the pod 2 placed on the placing table 66 is installed inside the pod opener chamber 60, and the cap of the pod 2 placed on the placing table 66 is attached to the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67. By attaching / detaching, the wafer loading / unloading opening of the pod 2 is opened and closed.

  The back wall of the pod opener casing 61 is connected to a pressure-resistant casing 71 having airtightness capable of maintaining a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as negative pressure), and the wafer transfer chamber 72 has a pressure resistance. A housing (hereinafter referred to as a transfer chamber housing) 71 is formed. A wafer loading / unloading port 73 is opened in the wafer transfer chamber 72, and the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is configured to be opened and closed by a gate valve 62. A wafer transfer device 74 for transferring the wafer 1 under a negative pressure is horizontally installed in the wafer transfer chamber 72, and the wafer transfer device 74 is constituted by a SCARA robot (selective compliance assembly robot arm). ing. In order to prevent foreign matter from entering the wafer transfer chamber 72 and the standby chamber 82, a motor 75 that is a drive unit of the wafer transfer device 74 is installed outside the bottom wall of the wafer transfer chamber 72. An exhaust pipe 76 for exhausting the wafer transfer chamber 72 to a negative pressure is connected to the side wall of the transfer chamber casing 71. A pressure adjusting device and a pressure sensor (not shown) are connected to the wafer transfer chamber 72, and the pressure adjusting device is configured to adjust the pressure of the wafer transfer chamber 72 based on the detection of the pressure sensor. ing.

  On the opposite side of the wafer transfer chamber 72 from the wafer transfer device 74, a pair of stockers 77A and 77B as temporary substrate holders are arranged side by side. Both stockers 77A and 77B have the same structure as a boat described later, and are configured to hold the number of wafers 1 that is greater than or equal to the maximum number that can be held by the boat. A shielding plate 78 as a shielding means is vertically installed between the front stocker 77A and the rear stocker 77B of the wafer transfer chamber 72, and the shielding plate 78 is located between the front stocker 77A and the rear stocker 77B. It is comprised so that the heat | fever may be interrupted | blocked. A front gas blowing pipe 79A and a rear gas blowing pipe 79B for blowing out nitrogen gas are respectively installed in the vicinity of the front stocker 77A and the rear stocker 77B on the opposite side of the wafer transfer device 74. The pipe 79A and the rear gas outlet pipe 79B are configured to blow nitrogen gas to the front stocker 77A and the rear stocker 77B, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pressure-resistant housing 81 having an airtight performance capable of maintaining a negative pressure is provided adjacent to the rear side of the transfer chamber housing 71. A standby chamber 82, which is a load lock type spare chamber having a volume capable of accommodating a boat, is formed. Note that the load lock method uses a gate valve or other gate valve to isolate the processing chamber from the spare chamber, preventing inflow of air into the processing chamber, and reducing disturbances such as temperature and pressure. It is a method to stabilize. A wafer loading / unloading port 83 and a wafer loading / unloading port 80 are respectively provided on the front wall of the pressure-resistant housing (hereinafter referred to as a standby chamber housing) 81 and the rear wall of the transfer chamber housing 71. The loading / unloading ports 83 and 80 are configured to be opened and closed by a gate valve 84. A gas supply pipe 85 for supplying nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas to the standby chamber 82 and an exhaust pipe 86 for exhausting the standby chamber 82 to a negative pressure are respectively provided on the pair of side walls of the standby chamber casing 81. It is connected.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a boat loading / unloading port 87 is largely opened on the ceiling wall of the standby chamber 82, and the boat loading / unloading port 87 is opened and closed by a shutter 88 as a gate valve. It is configured. A heater unit 90 is installed in a vertical direction inside a casing 89 constructed on the standby chamber casing 81, and a process tube 92 forming a processing chamber 91 is installed inside the heater unit 90. Yes. The process tube 92 is made of quartz (SiO ₂ ) and has an outer tube 93 formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened, and a cylindrical shape made of quartz or silicon carbide (SiC) and opened at both upper and lower ends. The outer tube 93 is concentrically covered with the inner tube 94. An annular exhaust path 95 is formed between the outer tube 93 and the inner tube 94 by a gap therebetween. The process tube 92 is supported on the ceiling wall of the standby chamber casing 81 via a manifold 96, and the manifold 96 is arranged concentrically at the boat loading / unloading port 87. An exhaust pipe 98 for exhausting the inside of the process tube 92 is connected to the manifold 96, and the exhaust pipe 98 communicates with the exhaust path 95. A thermocouple 99 is inserted into the process tube 92, and feedback control of the heater unit 90 is performed by the side temperature of the thermocouple 99. A raw material gas, a purge gas or the like is introduced into the processing chamber 91 through a gas introduction pipe 97.

  The waiting room 82 is provided with a boat elevator 100 for raising and lowering the boat, and the boat elevator 100 is constituted by a feed screw device, a bellows, or the like. An arm 102 protrudes horizontally on the side surface of the elevator 101 of the boat elevator 100, and a seal cap 103 is installed horizontally at the tip of the arm 102. The seal cap 103 is configured to hermetically seal the boat loading / unloading port 87 of the standby chamber casing 81 serving as the furnace port of the process tube 92 and is configured to vertically support the boat 104 serving as a substrate holder. Has been. The boat 104 lifts and lowers the seal cap 103 by the boat elevator 100 in a state where a plurality of wafers 1 (for example, 25 sheets, 50 sheets, 100 sheets, 125 sheets, 150 sheets, etc.) are horizontally supported with their centers aligned. Accordingly, the process tube 92 is configured to be carried into and out of the processing chamber 91. The boat 104 is configured to be rotated by a rotary actuator 105 installed on the seal cap 103.

  As shown in FIG. 7, an oxide film removing device 10 is installed adjacent to the right side of the transfer chamber casing 71, and between the wafer transfer chamber 72 and the oxide film removing device 10. The wafer 1 can be loaded and unloaded. That is, a communication port 13A is opened on the right side wall of the transfer chamber casing 71, and the communication port 13A is opposed to the wafer loading / unloading port 13 of the oxide film removing apparatus 10. The communication port 13A and the wafer loading / unloading port are opened and closed by a gate valve 14 of the oxide film removing apparatus 10.

  Hereinafter, a film forming process in an IC manufacturing method using the batch type CVD apparatus according to the above configuration will be described. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which batch processing (batch processing) of up to 25 wafers 1 housed in one pod 2 is performed.

  The wafer 1 to be deposited is transported to the pod stage 54 of the batch type CVD apparatus 50 by the in-process transport apparatus in a state where up to 25 wafers 1 are accommodated in the pod 2. The pod 2 that has been transported is transported from the pod stage 54 to a designated location on the front pod shelf 55 or the rear pod shelf 56 by the pod transport device 57 and stored.

  The pod 2 in which the wafer 1 is stored is transferred onto the mounting table 66 by the pod transfer device 57 and mounted thereon. Nitrogen gas is supplied to the pod opener chamber 60 through the gas supply pipe 63 and exhausted through the exhaust pipe 64, so that the nitrogen gas is filled (nitrogen gas purge). At this time, the oxygen concentration in the pod opener chamber 60 is preferably 20 ppm or less. The cap of the placed pod 2 is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67, and the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 2 is opened. Nitrogen gas is blown into the wafer inlet / outlet of the pod 2 from a nitrogen gas supply nozzle laid in the pod opener chamber 60, and the atmosphere of the wafer storage chamber of the pod 2 is purged with nitrogen gas. At this time, the oxygen concentration in the wafer storage chamber of the pod 2 is preferably 20 ppm or less. Thereafter, the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is opened by the gate valve 62. At this time, the wafer transfer chamber 72 is filled with nitrogen gas (nitrogen gas purge).

  When the pod 2 is opened, the wafer 1 is picked up from the pod 2 by the wafer transfer device 74 through the wafer loading / unloading port 73 and loaded into the wafer transfer chamber 72. The wafer 1 loaded into the wafer transfer chamber 72 is transferred by the wafer transfer device 74 to the front stocker 77A, which is one stocker of the wafer transfer chamber 72. When all the wafers 1 in the pod 2 are transferred to the front stocker 77A and loaded (wafer charging), the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is closed by the gate valve 62. When the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is closed, the supply of nitrogen gas to the pod opener chamber 60 is stopped. Incidentally, the empty pod 2 is temporarily returned from the mounting table 66 to the pod shelf 55 or 56 by the pod transfer device 57.

  Next, the communication port 13 </ b> A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13 are opened by the gate valve 14. Subsequently, the wafer 1 loaded in the front stocker 77 </ b> A is picked up by the wafer transfer device 74, loaded into the removal chamber 12 of the oxide film removing device 10 through the communication port 13 </ b> A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13, and into the holder 30. Reprinted. The wafer 1 transferred to the holder 30 is held by the holder 30. When the wafer 1 is held, the communication port 13 </ b> A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13 are closed by the gate valve 14.

  Thereafter, in the oxide film removing apparatus 10, a natural oxide film removing step (cleaning step, rinsing step, and drying step) of the wafer 1 is performed by the same operation as in the above embodiment. When the natural oxide film removal step of the wafer 1 is completed, the communication port 13A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13 are opened by the gate valve 14. Subsequently, the natural oxide film-removed wafer 1 held by the holder 30 is picked up by the wafer transfer device 74 and transferred into the wafer transfer chamber 72 through the communication port 13A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13, and the front stocker. 77A. When the transfer of the wafer 1 is completed, the communication port 13A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13 are closed by the gate valve 14.

  Thereafter, by repeating the operation described above, the natural oxide film removal step is performed one by one for all the wafers 1 of the front stocker 77A, and the natural oxide film removal step is completed for all the wafers 1 of the front stocker 77A. The

  When the natural oxide film removal step is completed for all the wafers 1 in the front stocker 77A, the wafer transfer chamber 72 is evacuated by the exhaust pipe 64 so that the pressure in the wafer transfer chamber 72 is equal to the pressure in the standby chamber 82. Depressurized. At this time, since the volume of the wafer transfer chamber 72 is smaller than that of the standby chamber 82, the decompression time can be short. When the wafer transfer chamber 72 is decompressed in the same manner as the standby chamber 82, the wafer loading / unloading ports 80 and 83 are opened by the gate valve 84.

  Subsequently, the natural oxide film-removed wafer 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A is picked up by the wafer transfer device 74 and loaded into the waiting chamber 82 through the wafer loading / unloading ports 80 and 83, and the boat in the waiting chamber 82 is loaded. 104.

  Thereafter, the transfer operation of the wafer 1 from the front stocker 77A to the boat 104 by the wafer transfer device 74 is repeated. During this time, since the wafer transfer chamber 72 and the standby chamber 82 are depressurized to a negative pressure, a phenomenon in which the wafer 1 from which the natural oxide film has been removed is naturally oxidized during the transfer can be prevented. Further, since the boat loading / unloading port 87 is closed by the shutter 88, the high temperature atmosphere of the process tube 92 is prevented from flowing into the standby chamber 82. Therefore, the wafer 1 being transferred and the transferred wafer 1 are not exposed to the high temperature atmosphere, and the occurrence of harmful effects such as natural oxidation due to the wafer 1 being exposed to the high temperature atmosphere is prevented.

  When all the wafers 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A are loaded into the boat 104, the boat loading / unloading port 87 is opened by the shutter 88. Subsequently, the seal cap 103 is lifted by the elevator 101 of the boat elevator 100, and the boat 104 supported by the seal cap 103 is moved into the processing chamber 91 of the process tube 92 as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. Carry in (boat loading). When the boat 104 reaches the upper limit, the periphery of the upper surface of the seal cap 103 that supports the boat 104 closes the boat loading / unloading port 87 in a sealed state, so that the processing chamber 91 is closed in an airtight manner. When the boat 104 is loaded into the processing chamber 91, the standby chamber 82 is maintained at a negative pressure, so that external oxygen and moisture enter the processing chamber 91 as the boat 104 is loaded into the processing chamber 91. Is definitely prevented. In addition, after loading the wafer 1 of the front stocker 77A into the boat 104, the boat 104 can be loaded into the processing chamber 91 without evacuating the standby chamber 82 or purging with nitrogen gas. Can be improved.

  Thereafter, the process chamber 91 of the process tube 92 is hermetically closed, and is exhausted by the exhaust pipe 98 so as to have a predetermined pressure, heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater unit 90, and a predetermined source gas is introduced into the gas. The pipe 97 supplies a predetermined flow rate. As a result, a desired film corresponding to preset processing conditions is formed on the wafer 1.

  In turn, when all the wafers 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A are loaded into the boat 104, the wafer loading / unloading ports 83 and 80 are closed by the gate valve 84, and the wafer transfer chamber 72 is moved to the gas blowing pipe 79A, 79B is purged with nitrogen gas. On the other hand, the pod 2 in which the next (second) batch of wafers 1 is stored is transferred onto the mounting table 66 by the pod transfer device 57 and mounted thereon. The pod opener chamber 60 is purged with nitrogen gas by supplying nitrogen gas through the gas supply pipe 63 and exhausting it through the exhaust pipe 64. Thereafter, the cap of the placed pod 2 is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67, and the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 2 is opened. Subsequently, nitrogen gas is blown into the wafer inlet / outlet port of the pod 2 from a nitrogen gas supply nozzle installed in the pod opener chamber 60, and the atmosphere of the wafer storage chamber of the pod 2 is purged with nitrogen gas. Thereafter, the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is opened by the gate valve 62. At this time, the wafer transfer chamber 72 is filled with nitrogen gas (nitrogen gas purge).

  When the pod 2 is opened, the wafer 1 is picked up from the pod 2 by the wafer transfer device 74 through the wafer loading / unloading port 73 and loaded into the wafer transfer chamber 72. The wafer 1 loaded into the wafer transfer chamber 72 is transferred to the rear stocker 77B of the wafer transfer chamber 72 by the wafer transfer device 74. When all the wafers 1 in the pod 2 are transferred and loaded on the rear stocker 77B, the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is closed by the gate valve 62. When the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is closed, the supply of nitrogen gas to the pod opener chamber 60 is stopped. Incidentally, the empty pod 2 is temporarily returned from the mounting table 66 to the pod shelf 55 or 56 by the pod transfer device 57.

  When the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is closed by the gate valve 62, the communication port 13A and the wafer loading / unloading port 13 are opened by the gate valve 14, and the wafer 1 loaded in the rear stocker 77B is loaded by the wafer transfer device 74. After being picked up, it is carried into the removal chamber 12 through the communication port 13 </ b> A and the wafer carry-in / out port 13, and transferred to the holder 30.

  Thereafter, the natural oxide film removal step described above is repeated for the wafer 1 of the front stocker 77A, so that the natural oxide film removal step is performed for all the wafers 1 of the rear stocker 77B. Is performed for all the wafers 1 of the rear stocker 77B. The loading step and the natural oxide film removal step of the wafer 1 group on the pod 2 of the next batch and the natural oxide film removal step can proceed simultaneously with the film formation step of the previous batch, thereby preventing a decrease in throughput. be able to.

  On the other hand, when the processing time set for the film forming step on the wafer 1 for the previous batch elapses, the boat 104 is lowered by the boat elevator 100 as shown in FIGS. Then, the boat 104 holding the processed wafer 1 is unloaded into the standby chamber 82 (boat unloading).

  When the boat 104 is discharged to the standby chamber 82, the boat loading / unloading port 87 is closed by the shutter 88 and the wafer loading / unloading ports 83 and 80 are opened by the gate valve 84. Subsequently, the processed wafer 1 of the boat 104 that has been unloaded is unloaded (discharged) by the wafer transfer device 74, loaded into the wafer transfer chamber 72 that has been decompressed in advance, and loaded into the front stocker 77A. When all the processed wafers 1 in the boat 104 are loaded into the front stocker 77A by the wafer transfer device 74, the next batch of wafers 1 preloaded in the rear stocker 77B is transferred to the boat 104. It is transferred and loaded by the loading device 74. In this way, the wafer transfer chamber 72 in which the processed wafer 1 unloaded from the process chamber 91 to the standby chamber 82 is decompressed to the same pressure as the standby chamber 82 without purging the standby chamber 82 having a large capacity with nitrogen gas. Immediately after being transferred to the standby chamber 82, the wafer is transferred to the front stocker 77A, and then the next batch of wafers 1 is loaded from the rear stocker 77B of the wafer transfer chamber 72 into the boat 104 of the standby chamber 82. Since the time for purging the standby chamber 82 having a large capacity with nitrogen gas can be omitted, the throughput can be greatly increased.

  When the next batch of wafers 1 loaded in the rear stocker 77B is completely loaded into the boat 104, the boat loading / unloading port 87 is opened by the shutter 88. Subsequently, the seal cap 103 is raised by the elevator 101 of the boat elevator 100, and the boat 104 supported by the seal cap 103 is carried into the processing chamber 91 of the process tube 92. When the boat 104 reaches the upper limit, the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the seal cap 103 that supports the boat 104 closes the boat loading / unloading port 87 in a sealed state, so that the processing chamber 91 of the process tube 92 is airtightly closed. become. Even when the boat 104 is carried into the processing chamber 91, the standby chamber 82 is maintained at a negative pressure, so that external oxygen and moisture enter the processing chamber 91 as the boat 104 is carried into the processing chamber 91. This is definitely prevented. Furthermore, after loading the wafer 1 of the rear stocker 77B into the boat 104, the boat 104 can be carried into the processing chamber 91 without evacuating the standby chamber 82 or purging with nitrogen gas, so that the throughput is greatly increased. Can be improved.

  Thereafter, as in the case of the wafer (1) of the previous (first) batch, the processing chamber 91 of the process tube 92 is evacuated by the exhaust pipe 98 so as to have a predetermined pressure while being hermetically closed. Heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater unit 90, a predetermined source gas is supplied by the gas introduction pipe 97 by a predetermined flow rate. As a result, a desired film corresponding to the processing conditions for the wafer 1 is formed on the wafer 1 as in the previous batch.

  On the other hand, when all the wafers 1 loaded in the rear stocker 77B are loaded into the boat 104, the wafer loading / unloading ports 80 and 83 are closed by the gate valve 84, and the cooled fresh nitrogen gas as the cooling medium is fed to the front side. The processed wafer 1 loaded in the stocker 77A is directly blown by the front gas blowing pipe 79A. By blowing this nitrogen gas, the hot wafer 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A is forcibly cooled effectively. Since the forced cooling time for the processed wafer 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A can be sufficiently ensured corresponding to the processing time of the film forming step for the next (second) batch, (first) The processed wafer 1 can be sufficiently cooled. In addition, since the forced cooling step of the processed wafer 1 is performed at the same time as the film forming step for the next (second) batch of wafers 1, the cooling waiting time is absorbed. The overall throughput of the CVD apparatus 50 is not lowered.

  When the processed wafer 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A is forcibly cooled by blowing nitrogen gas and cooled to a temperature (for example, 80 ° C. or lower) that can be stored in the pod 2, the wafer loading / unloading port 73 is a gate. Opened by valve 62. At this time, the wafer transfer chamber 72 and the pod opener chamber 60 are purged with nitrogen gas. Subsequently, the cap of the empty pod 2 mounted on the mounting table 66 is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67, and the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 2 is opened. When the empty pod 2 is opened, nitrogen gas is blown into the wafer inlet / outlet port of the pod 2 from a nitrogen gas supply nozzle installed in the pod opener chamber 60, and the atmosphere of the wafer storage chamber of the pod 2 is purged with nitrogen gas. Subsequently, the processed wafer 1 in the front stocker 77 </ b> A is stored in the empty pod 2 of the mounting table 66 by the wafer transfer device 74. At this time, since the processed wafer 1 is lowered to a temperature that can be stored in the pod 2, the processed wafer 1 can be safely stored in the pod 2 even when the pod 2 is made of resin. Can do.

  When all the processed wafers 1 loaded in the front stocker 77A are stored in the pod 2, the cap is mounted on the pod 2 by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67, and then the front pod shelf 55 or the rear pod shelf 56 is mounted from the mounting table 66. Is transported by the pod transport device 57. At this time, the wafer loading / unloading port 65 is closed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 67. When the pod 2 containing the processed wafer 1 is transferred from the mounting table 66, the next (third) batch of pods 2 is transferred to the mounting table 66 by the pod transfer device 57. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, whereby the above-described film formation is performed on the next (third) batch of wafers 1.

  On the other hand, the pod 2 containing the processed wafers 1 of the last batch (first) batch is transported from the front pod shelf 55 or the rear pod shelf 56 to the pod stage 54, and the process from the pod stage 54 to the next processing step. It is transported by the inner transport device. The operation of storing the processed wafer 1 in the empty pod 2 can proceed at the same time during the film forming step for the wafer 1 in the subsequent batch.

  Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and, for example, 25 wafers 1 are batch processed by the batch type CVD apparatus 50.

  According to the embodiment, the following effects are obtained in addition to the embodiment.

  After removing the natural oxide film on the wafer in advance by the oxide film removing apparatus, the wafer is transferred to the standby chamber and then loaded into the processing chamber, so that the natural oxide film on the wafer can be reduced or impurities are regenerated. Adhesion can be reduced. Therefore, good main processing can be ensured. For example, it is possible to form a high-quality capacitor film, suppress the breakdown voltage degradation of the capacitor insulating film, and the like.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The pair of stockers is not limited to be used alternately, but one of them may be used as a dedicated stocker before processing and the other may be used as a dedicated stocker after processing. The stocker is not limited to being loaded with so-called product wafers as products, but may be loaded with so-called dummy wafers that are not products.
When the gate valve between the upper space of the oxide film removal chamber and the wafer transfer chamber is opened, the pressure may be reduced or a nitrogen gas atmosphere may be used as long as the same pressure is obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the case of a batch type CVD apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to all substrate processing apparatuses.

It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the transfer step of the oxide film removal apparatus which is one embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows an etching step. FIG. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows a drying step. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the oxide film removal apparatus which is 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the oxide film removal apparatus which is 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a plane sectional view showing a batch type CVD apparatus which is a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VII-VII line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wafer (substrate), 2 ... Pod (wafer carrier), 10 ... Oxide film removal apparatus (substrate processing apparatus), 11 ... Removal chamber housing, 12 ... Oxide film removal chamber (processing chamber), 13 ... Carrying in wafer Outlet, 13A ... Communication port, 14 ... Gate valve, 15 ... Shower head, 16 ... Exhaust pipe, 17 ... Support plate, 18 ... Guide post, 19 ... Guide, 20 ... Mounting plate, 21 ... Cylinder device, 22 ... Piston rod , 23 ... Elevating plate, 24 ... Connecting rod, 25 ... Motor, 26 ... Rotating shaft, 27 ... Bearing device with seal mechanism, 28 ... Inert gas supply pipe, 29 ... Bellows, 30 ... Holder, 31 ... Male tapered surface 32 ... Female taper surface, 33 ... Seal ring, 34 ... Skirt, 35 ... Chemical solution nozzle insertion port, 36 ... Gate valve, 37 ... Exhaust duct insertion port, 38 ... Gate valve, 39 ... Chemical solution nozzle, 39a ... Dropping , 40 ... exhaust duct, 41 ... suction port, 42 ... steam nozzle, 43 ... air outlet, 44 ... etching solution, 45 ... inert gas, 46 ... steam (drying gas), 50 ... batch type CVD apparatus (substrate processing) Equipment), 51 ... front housing, 52 ... pod storage room, 53 ... pod loading / unloading outlet, 54 ... pod stage, 55, 56 ... pod shelf, 57 ... pod transfer device, 60 ... pod opener room, 61 ... pod opener Housing (pressure-resistant housing), 62 ... Gate valve, 63 ... Gas supply pipe, 64 ... Exhaust pipe, 65 ... Wafer loading / unloading port, 66 ... Mounting table, 67 ... Cap attaching / detaching mechanism, 71 ... Transfer chamber housing ( Pressure-resistant housing), 72 ... wafer transfer chamber, 73 ... wafer loading / unloading port, 74 ... wafer transfer device, 75 ... motor, 76 ... exhaust pipe, 77A, 77B ... stocker (substrate holder), 78 ... shielding plate ( Shielding means), 79A, 79B ... gas blowing pipe (gas blowing means), 80 ... wafer loading / unloading outlet, 81 ... standby chamber housing (pressure-resistant housing), 82 ... standby chamber (preliminary chamber), 83 ... wafer loading / unloading Outlet, 84 ... Gate valve, 85 ... Gas supply pipe, 86 ... Exhaust pipe, 87 ... Boat loading / unloading outlet, 88 ... Shutter, 89 ... Housing, 90 ... Heater unit, 91 ... Processing chamber, 92 ... Process tube, 93 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Outer tube, 94 ... Inner tube, 95 ... Exhaust passage, 96 ... Manifold, 97 ... Gas introduction pipe, 98 ... Exhaust pipe, 99 ... Thermocouple, 100 ... Boat elevator, 101 ... Lifting platform, 102 ... Arm, 103 ... Seal cap, 104 ... boat (substrate holder), 105 ... rotary actuator.

Claims (1)

  A processing chamber for processing a substrate and a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate to the processing chamber are provided, and the space of the processing chamber is a space when the substrate is transferred. A substrate processing apparatus, which is smaller than the space of time.

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