JP2012216703A - Substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent breakage due to an earthquake and the like.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device has a heat insulation cylinder 218 supporting a boat 217. The heat insulation cylinder 218 comprises an upper cylinder 10 fastened under the boat 217, and a lower cylinder 20 fastened under the upper cylinder 10. The upper cylinder 10 is formed into a cylindrical shape made of silicon carbide and having a diameter same as those of the boat 217, and is fastened to a lower end plate 217a of the boat by a silicon carbide bolt 18. The lower cylinder 20 is made of quartz and formed into a cylindrical shape with the same diameter as that of the upper cylinder 10, and externally coupled on the upper cylinder 10 and fastened by bolts 26. The bolt 26 is formed of quartz, and has a screw part 27 at a base end and a contact part 28 without a screw part at a tip. The screw parts 27 of the bolts 26 are screwed in screw holes 25 of stationary pieces 24 projecting at equal intervals on the lower cylinder 20, and the contact parts 28 are brought into contact with inner peripheries of heat passage holes 13 on a side wall 11 of the upper cylinder 10.

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus.
For example, the present invention relates to an effective substrate used for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (a wafer on which a semiconductor integrated circuit device is manufactured) and a glass substrate (a substrate on which a liquid crystal display device is manufactured).

As a substrate processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), there is a batch type substrate processing apparatus for processing a plurality of wafers at a time.
In a batch type substrate processing apparatus, a plurality of wafers are aligned in a horizontal posture and aligned with each other and held in a boat, and are held in a boat and carried into a processing chamber by a boat elevator, and remain as they are. In this state, the processing is performed in the processing chamber and is carried out of the processing chamber by the boat elevator.
Under the boat, a heat insulating cylinder that cuts off heat transfer inside and outside the processing chamber is provided to support the boat. The boat is made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and the heat insulating cylinder is also formed in a cylindrical shape made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide.
The boat of such a batch type substrate processing apparatus and the wafer held by the boat are extremely expensive. If the boat falls down due to an earthquake that cannot predict when the boat will occur, a great deal of damage occurs.
Therefore, the conventional batch type substrate processing apparatus is provided with a toppling prevention mechanism for preventing the boat from toppling over. For example, see Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-100188

  However, in the conventional fall prevention mechanism, since the consideration for fixing the boat and the heat insulating cylinder is insufficient, the boat is rattled or lifted up due to an earthquake or the like, and the boat or wafer in the processing chamber There is a risk of damage.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing the occurrence of damage due to an earthquake or the like.

Typical means for solving the above-described problems are as follows.
A holder for holding the substrate;
An upper tube fastened by a first fastener under the holder;
A lower cylinder fastened by a second fastener under the upper cylinder;
A substrate processing apparatus.

  According to the above-described means, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of damage due to an earthquake or the like.

1 is a partially omitted perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a processing furnace. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a heat insulation cylinder. It is a plane sectional view showing a heat insulation cylinder. The heat insulation cylinder is shown, (a) is front sectional drawing, (b) is a side view which follows the bb line of (a).

In the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured to handle a semiconductor wafer, and is configured to perform processing such as oxide film formation, diffusion, and CVD on the semiconductor wafer.
In this embodiment, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) 200 as a substrate is made of a semiconductor such as silicon, and a carrier (container) for storing and transporting the wafer 200 is FOUP (front opening unified pod). 110) is used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a processing apparatus) 100 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 111. A front maintenance port 103 as an opening provided for maintenance is opened at the front front portion of the front wall 111a of the housing 111, and front maintenance doors 104 and 104 for opening and closing the front maintenance port 103 are provided. It is built.
A pod loading / unloading port (substrate container loading / unloading port) 112 for loading / unloading a FOUP (hereinafter referred to as a pod) 110 is opened on the front wall 111a of the housing 111 so as to communicate between the inside and the outside of the housing 111. The pod loading / unloading port 112 is opened and closed by a front shutter (substrate container loading / unloading opening / closing mechanism) 113.
A load port (substrate container delivery table) 114 is installed in front of the front side of the pod loading / unloading port 112, and the load port 114 is configured so that the pod 110 is placed and aligned. The pod 110 is loaded on the load port 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown), and is also unloaded from the load port 114.

A rotary pod shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at an upper portion of the casing 111 in a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. The rotary pod shelf 105 stores a plurality of pods 110. It is configured. In other words, the rotary pod shelf 105 is vertically arranged and intermittently rotated in a horizontal plane, and a plurality of shelf boards (supported by a substrate container) that are radially supported by the support 116 at each of the upper, middle, and lower positions. And a plurality of shelf plates 117 are configured to hold the pods 110 in a state where a plurality of pods 110 are respectively placed.
A pod transfer device (substrate container transfer device) 118 is installed between the load port 114 and the rotary pod shelf 105 in the housing 111. The pod transfer device 118 includes a pod elevator (substrate container lifting mechanism) 118a that can be moved up and down while holding the pod 110, and a pod transfer mechanism (substrate container transfer mechanism) 118b as a transfer mechanism. The pod transfer device 118 transfers the pod 110 between the load port 114, the rotary pod shelf 105, and the pod opener (substrate container lid opening / closing mechanism) 121 by continuous operation of the pod elevator 118a and the pod transfer mechanism 118b. Is configured to do.

A sub-housing 119 is constructed across the rear end of the lower portion of the housing 111 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. A pair of wafer loading / unloading ports (substrate loading / unloading ports) 120 for loading / unloading the wafer 200 into / from the sub-casing 119 are arranged on the front wall 119a of the sub-casing 119 in two vertical stages. A pair of pod openers 121 and 121 are installed at the wafer loading / unloading ports 120 and 120 at the upper and lower stages, respectively.
The pod opener 121 includes mounting bases 122 and 122 on which the pod 110 is placed, and cap attaching / detaching mechanisms (lid attaching / detaching mechanisms) 123 and 123 for attaching and detaching caps (lids) of the pod 110. The pod opener 121 is configured to open and close the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 by attaching / detaching the cap of the pod 110 placed on the placing table 122 by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123.

The sub-housing 119 constitutes a transfer chamber 124 that is fluidly isolated from the installation space of the pod transfer device 118 and the rotary pod shelf 105. A wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 125 is installed in the front region of the transfer chamber 124. The wafer transfer mechanism 125 includes a wafer transfer device (substrate transfer device) 125a and a wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer device lifting mechanism) 125b. The wafer transfer device 125a holds the wafer 200 by a tweezer (substrate holder) 125c and rotates or linearly moves the wafer 200 in the horizontal direction. The wafer transfer device elevator 125b moves the wafer transfer device 125a up and down. The wafer transfer mechanism 125 is operated with respect to the boat (substrate holder) 217 using the tweezers 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a as a mounting portion of the wafer 200 by continuous operation of the wafer transfer device elevator 125b and the wafer transfer device 125a. The wafer 200 is loaded (charging) and unloaded (discharged).
As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer transfer device elevator 125 b is installed between the right end portion of the pressure-resistant casing 111 and the right end portion of the front area of the transfer chamber 124 of the sub casing 119.

  In the rear region of the transfer chamber 124, a standby unit 126 that accommodates and waits for the boat 217 is formed. A processing furnace 202 is provided above the standby unit 126. The lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port shutter (furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 147.

As shown in FIG. 1, a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) for raising and lowering the boat 217 between the right end of the pressure-resistant casing 111 and the right end of the standby section 126 of the sub casing 119. 115 is installed. A seal cap 129 as a lid is installed horizontally on the arm 128 as a connecting tool connected to the elevator platform of the boat elevator 115, and the seal cap 129 supports the boat 217 vertically, and It is comprised so that a lower end part can be obstruct | occluded.
The boat 217 includes a plurality of holding members so that a plurality of (for example, about 50 to 125) wafers 200 are horizontally held in a state where their centers are aligned in the vertical direction. It is configured.

As shown in FIG. 1, a clean unit 134 is installed at the left end of the transfer chamber 124 opposite to the wafer transfer device elevator 125b side. The clean unit 134 includes a supply fan and a dustproof filter, and supplies clean air 133 that is a cleaned atmosphere or an inert gas. Although not shown, a notch aligner as a substrate aligner for aligning the circumferential position of the wafer is installed between the wafer transfer device 125a and the clean unit 134.
The clean air 133 blown out from the clean unit 134 is circulated through the notch aligning device and the wafer transfer device 125a and then sucked in by a duct (not shown) to be exhausted to the outside of the housing 111, or the clean unit It is circulated to the primary side (supply side) which is the suction side of 134, and is blown out again into the transfer chamber 124 by the clean unit 134.

Next, the operation of the processing apparatus 100 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the pod 110 is supplied to the load port 114, the pod loading / unloading port 112 is opened by the front shutter 113, and the pod 110 above the load port 114 is connected to the pod transfer device. 118 is carried into the housing 111 from the pod loading / unloading port 112.
The loaded pod 110 is automatically transported and delivered by the pod transport device 118 to the designated shelf 117 of the rotary pod shelf 105, temporarily stored, and then one pod opener from the shelf 117. It is conveyed to 121 and transferred to the mounting table 122, or directly transferred to the pod opener 121 and transferred to the mounting table 122. At this time, the wafer loading / unloading port 120 of the pod opener 121 is closed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123, and the transfer chamber 124 is filled with clean air 133.
For example, the transfer chamber 124 is filled with nitrogen gas as clean air 133, so that the oxygen concentration is set to 20 ppm or less, which is much lower than the oxygen concentration inside the casing 111 (atmosphere).

The pod 110 mounted on the mounting table 122 has its opening-side end face pressed against the opening edge of the wafer loading / unloading port 120 on the front wall 119a of the sub-housing 119, and the cap is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123. The wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 is opened.
When the pod 110 is opened by the pod opener 121, the wafer 200 is picked up from the pod 110 by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a through the wafer loading / unloading port, aligned with the notch by the notch aligning device, and then sent to the standby unit 126. It is loaded, transferred to the boat 217, and loaded (wafer charging). The wafer transfer device 125 a that has delivered the wafer 200 to the boat 217 returns to the pod 110 and loads the next wafer 110 into the boat 217.

  During the loading operation of the wafer into the boat 217 by the wafer transfer mechanism 125 in the one (upper or lower) pod opener 121, the other (lower or upper) pod opener 121 receives another pod from the rotary pod shelf 105. 110 is transported by the pod transport device 118, and the opening operation of the pod 110 by the pod opener 121 proceeds simultaneously.

  When a predetermined number of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217, the lower end of the processing furnace 202 closed by the furnace port shutter 147 is opened by the furnace port shutter 147. Subsequently, the seal cap 129 is lifted by the elevator platform of the boat elevator 115, and the boat 217 supported by the seal cap 129 is loaded into the processing furnace 202.

After loading, the wafer 200 is processed in the processing furnace 202.
After the processing, the boat 217 is carried out (boat unloading) by the boat elevator 115.
Thereafter, except for the wafer alignment process by the notch aligning apparatus, the wafer 200 and the pod 110 are discharged to the outside of the casing 111 in a generally reverse procedure.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the processing furnace 202 according to the present embodiment, and is shown as a longitudinal sectional view.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing furnace 202 includes a heater 206 as a heating mechanism. The heater 206 has a cylindrical shape and is vertically installed by being supported by a heater base 251 as a holding plate.

A heat equalizing tube (outer tube) 205 is disposed concentrically with the heater 206 inside the heater 206. The heat equalizing tube 205 is made of a heat resistant material such as silicon carbide (SiC), and is formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened. A reaction tube (inner tube) 204 is disposed concentrically with the soaking tube 205 inside the soaking tube 205. The reaction tube 204 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz (SiO ₂ ), and is formed in a cylindrical shape with the upper end closed and the lower end opened. A cylindrical hollow portion of the reaction tube 204 forms a processing chamber 201, and the processing chamber 201 is configured to be able to accommodate the wafers 200 in a state of being aligned in multiple stages in a horizontal posture and in a vertical direction by a boat 217.

  A gas introduction unit 230 is provided at the lower end of the reaction tube 204, and a narrow tube 234 as a gas introduction tube is arranged along the outer wall of the reaction tube 204 from the gas introduction unit 230 to the ceiling 233 of the reaction tube 204. It is installed. The gas introduced from the gas introduction unit 230 circulates in the narrow tube 234 and reaches the ceiling 233, and is introduced into the processing chamber 201 from a plurality of gas introduction ports 233 a provided in the ceiling 233. In addition, a gas exhaust unit 231 for exhausting the atmosphere in the reaction tube 204 from the exhaust port 231a is provided at a position different from the gas introduction unit 230 at the lower end of the reaction tube 204.

A gas supply pipe 232 is connected to the gas introduction unit 230. On the upstream side of the gas supply pipe 232 opposite to the connection side to the gas introduction unit 230, a processing gas supply source, a carrier gas supply source (not shown) via an MFC (mass flow controller) 241 as a gas flow rate controller, An inert gas source is connected. A gas flow rate control unit 235 is electrically connected to the MFC 241 and is configured to control at a desired timing so that the flow rate of the supplied gas becomes a desired amount.
In addition, when it is necessary to supply water vapor | steam in the process chamber 201, the water vapor | steam generator which is not shown in figure is provided in the downstream of the MFC241 of the gas supply pipe 232.

A gas exhaust pipe 229 is connected to the gas exhaust part 231. An exhaust device 246 is connected to the downstream side of the gas exhaust pipe 229 opposite to the connection side with the gas exhaust part 231 via a pressure sensor 245 and a pressure adjustment device 242 as a pressure detector. It is comprised so that it can exhaust, so that the pressure in 201 may become predetermined pressure.
A pressure control unit 236 is electrically connected to the pressure adjustment device 242 and the pressure sensor 245, and the pressure control unit 236 is installed in the processing chamber 201 by the pressure adjustment device 242 based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 245. Control is performed at a desired timing so that the pressure becomes a desired pressure.

At the lower end of the reaction tube 204, a base 257 as a holding body capable of hermetically closing the lower end opening of the reaction tube 204 and a seal cap 129 as a furnace port lid are provided. The seal cap 129 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and has a disk shape. The base 257 is made of, for example, quartz, is formed in a disk shape, and is attached on the seal cap 129. An O-ring 220 is provided on the upper surface of the base 257 as a seal member that contacts the lower end of the reaction tube 204.
A rotation mechanism 254 for rotating the boat is installed on the side of the seal cap 129 opposite to the processing chamber 201. The rotating shaft 255 of the rotating mechanism 254 passes through the seal cap 129 and the base 257 and is connected to the heat insulating cylinder 218 and the boat 217 so that the wafer 200 is rotated by rotating the heat insulating cylinder 218 and the boat 217. It is configured.
The seal cap 129 is configured to be lifted vertically by a boat elevator 115 as a lifting mechanism vertically installed outside the reaction tube 204, and thereby the boat 217 is carried into and out of the processing chamber 201. Is possible. A drive control unit 237 is electrically connected to the rotation mechanism 254 and the boat elevator 115, and is configured to control at a desired timing so as to perform a desired operation.

  A boat 217 as a substrate holder is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and is configured to hold a plurality of wafers 200 aligned in a horizontal posture with their centers aligned. . Below the boat 217, a heat insulating cylinder 218 as a cylindrical heat insulating member made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide is provided to support the boat 217, and heat from the heater 206 reacts. The tube 204 is configured to be difficult to be transmitted to the lower end side.

  A temperature sensor 263 as a temperature measuring instrument is installed between the soaking tube 205 and the reaction tube 204. A temperature control unit 238 is electrically connected to the heater 206 and the temperature sensor 263, and the temperature in the processing chamber 201 is adjusted by adjusting the power supply to the heater 206 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263. Is controlled at a desired timing so as to have a desired temperature distribution.

  The gas flow rate control unit 235, the pressure control unit 236, the drive control unit 237, and the temperature control unit 238 also constitute an operation unit and an input / output unit, and are electrically connected to a main control unit 239 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus. ing. These gas flow rate control unit 235, pressure control unit 236, drive control unit 237, temperature control unit 238, and main control unit 239 are configured as a controller 240.

Next, a description will be given of a method for performing processing such as oxidation and diffusion on the wafer 200 as one step of the semiconductor device manufacturing process using the processing furnace 202 having the above configuration.
In the following description, the operation of each unit constituting the processing apparatus is controlled by the controller 240.

  When a plurality of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217 (wafer charging), as shown in FIG. 3, the boat 217 holding the plurality of wafers 200 is lifted by the boat elevator 115 and processed in the processing chamber. It is carried into 201 (boat loading). In this state, the seal cap 129 seals the lower end of the reaction tube 204 via the base 257 and the O-ring 220.

The processing chamber 201 is exhausted by the exhaust device 246 so as to have a desired pressure. At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is measured by the pressure sensor 245, and the pressure regulator 242 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure.
In addition, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is heated by the heater 206 so as to have a desired temperature. At this time, the power supply to the heater 206 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263 so that the inside of the processing chamber 201 has a desired temperature distribution.
Subsequently, the wafer 200 is rotated by rotating the heat insulating cylinder 218 and the boat 217 by the rotation mechanism 254.

Next, the gas supplied from the processing gas supply source and the carrier gas supply source and controlled to have a desired flow rate by the MFC 241 flows from the gas supply pipe 232 through the gas introduction part 230 and the narrow pipe 234 to the ceiling part 233. Thus, the gas is introduced into the processing chamber 201 from a plurality of gas inlets 233a in a shower shape.
The introduced gas flows down in the processing chamber 201, flows through the exhaust port 231 a, and is exhausted from the gas exhaust unit 231. The gas contacts the surface of the wafer 200 when passing through the processing chamber 201, and the wafer 200 is subjected to processing such as oxidation and diffusion.
Note that, when processing using water vapor is performed on the wafer 200, the gas controlled to have a desired flow rate by the MFC 241 is supplied to the water vapor generator, and the water vapor (H _A gas containing ₂ O) is introduced into the processing chamber 201.

  When a preset processing time has passed, an inert gas is supplied from an inert gas supply source, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is replaced with an inert gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is returned to normal pressure. .

  Thereafter, the seal cap 129 is lowered by the boat elevator 115, the lower end of the reaction tube 204 is opened, and the processed wafer 200 is held by the boat 217. The boat is unloaded (boat unloading). Thereafter, the processed wafer 200 is taken out by the boat 217 (wafer discharging).

As processing conditions for processing a wafer in the processing furnace of the present embodiment, for example, in oxidation processing, processing temperature: 150 to 1050 ° C., processing pressure: 0 to 101300 Pa, gas type: H ₂ O, A gas supply flow rate: 20 sccm is exemplified. The wafer is processed by keeping these processing conditions constant at certain values within the respective ranges.

  Hereinafter, the heat insulation cylinder shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 will be described.

In this embodiment, the boat 217 is formed using silicon carbide, and has a lower end plate 217a formed in a disc shape.
The heat insulating cylinder 218 according to the present embodiment includes an upper cylinder 10 that is fastened under the boat 217 and a lower cylinder 20 that is fastened under the upper cylinder 10.
The upper cylinder 10 is made of silicon carbide, which is the same material as the boat 217, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the lower end plate 217a, with the upper end closed and the lower end opened. A female fitting portion (see FIG. 6) 12 for coupling with the lower tube 20 is formed at a constant depth and a constant width at the inner peripheral lower end portion of the side wall (cylinder wall) 11 of the upper tube 10.
The side wall 11 of the upper cylinder 10 has a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of heat passage holes 13 in the circumferential direction that smoothes the temperature gradient by passing heat into and out of the upper cylinder 81 and suppresses damage due to thermal expansion. It is arranged so that it is arranged at equal intervals and penetrates in the radial direction.
A window hole 15 is formed in a concentric circle at the center of the closing wall 14 of the upper cylinder 10, and a plurality of screw holes 16 (two in this embodiment) are arranged around the periphery at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Has been established to penetrate in the thickness direction.
When the upper cylinder 10 is fastened to the lower end plate 217a of the boat 217, the blocking wall 14 is brought into contact with the lower end plate 217, and a plurality of screw holes 16 are formed in the lower end plate 217a. The bolts 18 as fasteners are inserted into the respective through holes 17 and screwed into the respective screw holes 16. The bolt 18 is preferably formed of silicon carbide which is the same quality as the material for forming the upper tube 10.

The lower cylinder 20 is made of quartz, and has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the upper cylinder 10. The lower cylinder 20 is configured in a vertically divided structure, and the upper end of the upper divided body 20a of the lower cylinder 20 is closed. At the upper end of the outer periphery of the side wall 21 of the lower cylinder 20, a male fitting part 22 for coupling with the upper cylinder 10 is formed at the same depth and constant width as the female fitting part 12 of the upper cylinder 10. Yes.
A plurality of fixing pieces 24 (four in the present embodiment) are arranged on the periphery of the blocking wall 23 of the lower cylinder 20 and are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction so as to protrude vertically. It is provided so as to face each of the heat through holes 13. Each fixing piece 24 is provided with a screw hole 25 into which a bolt 26 as a fastener is screwed. The bolt 26 is formed using quartz, and has a screw portion 27 at the base end portion and a contact portion 28 without a screw portion at the tip end portion. The outer diameter of the contact portion 28 is set to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the heat through hole 13 of the upper cylinder 10.

When the upper cylinder 10 is attached to the lower cylinder 20, first, the upper cylinder 10 in a state where the boat 217 is not fastened is put on the lower cylinder 20. At this time, the female fitting portion 12 and the male fitting portion 22 are fitted, and each fixing plate 24 is aligned with the predetermined heat-passing hole 13.
Next, the bolt 26 is inserted into the upper cylinder 10 from the window hole 15 of the upper cylinder 10 and screwed into the screw hole 25 of the fixing plate 24. When the screw portion 27 formed at the base end portion of the bolt 26 is screwed into the screw hole 25 as far as it will go, the contact portion 28 without the screw portion is formed in the heat passage hole 13 as shown in FIG. Contact the inner surface. In this state, the tip end surface of the contact portion 28 of the bolt 26 does not protrude from the heat through hole 13. When the bolts 26 are attached to the plurality of fixing plates 24, the plurality of bolts 26 are in a state in which the lower cylinder 20 is fastened from four directions. In this state, the bolt 26 is brought into contact with the contact portion 28 without the screw portion. Since the lower cylinder 20 is fastened, the screw portion 27 made of quartz is not damaged.
On the other hand, the front end surface of the contact portion 28 of the bolt 26 does not protrude from the heat-passing hole 13, so that the phenomenon that the front end portion of the bolt 26 protrudes from the outer periphery of the heat insulating cylinder 128 adversely affects the flow of the processing gas. Can be prevented.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the inner diameter of the heat through hole 13 is larger than the outer diameter of the bolt 26, the heat through hole 13 into which the bolt 26 is inserted. In addition, since the passage of heat can be secured, it can function as the heat through hole 13.

  According to the above embodiment, at least one of the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The upper cylinder is fastened to the lower cylinder with a bolt having a contact portion without a threaded portion at the tip, and the boat is fastened to the upper cylinder with a bolt so that the upper cylinder is separated from the heat insulating cylinder composed of the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder. Since rattling and lifting can be prevented, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of damage due to an earthquake or the like.

(2) By fastening the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder with a bolt having a contact portion without a threaded portion, it is possible to prevent the threaded portion of the bolt from being damaged, so that a fastening state can be ensured.

(3) A phenomenon in which the flow of the processing gas is adversely affected by the fact that the tip of the bolt protrudes from the outer periphery of the heat insulating cylinder by setting the tip of the bolt with the upper cylinder connected to the lower cylinder so as not to protrude from the outer periphery of the upper cylinder. Can be prevented in advance.

(4) By utilizing the heat-passing hole established in the upper cylinder as a fastening partner for the bolt contact portion, it is not necessary to establish a through-hole dedicated for fastening in the upper cylinder, thereby avoiding an increase in processing man-hours. In addition, it is possible to prevent the strength of the heat insulating cylinder, the heat insulating characteristics, the decrease in flow path resistance, and the like.

(5) By setting the outer diameter of the contact portion of the bolt to be less than the inner diameter of the heat-passing hole, the heat-passing hole into which the bolt is inserted can also secure a passage for heat, so use it as a heat-passing hole. be able to.

(6) Since the boat can be formed of silicon carbide by forming the upper cylinder from silicon carbide, the heat resistance performance of the boat can be improved.

(7) Since the lower cylinder can be formed of quartz by forming the upper cylinder with silicon carbide which is the same quality as the boat, the cost of the heat insulating cylinder and the cost of the processing furnace and the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. Can do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above embodiment, It cannot be overemphasized that it can change variously in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, as a fastener that fastens the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder and / or a fastener that fastens the upper cylinder to the boat, not only bolts but also rivets may be used.

  Not only the heat through hole established in the upper cylinder is used as a fastening partner for fastening the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder, but a through hole dedicated for fastening may be established in the upper cylinder. Depending on the conditions of the heat insulating cylinder, the heat through hole can be omitted.

  The outer diameter of the contact portion of the fastener that fastens the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder is not limited to be set to be less than the inner diameter of the heat through hole, but can be set to be greater than or equal to the inner diameter of the heat through hole.

  The upper tube may be provided with a female fitting portion and the lower tube with a male fitting portion. Alternatively, the upper tube may be provided with a male fitting portion, and the lower tube may be provided with a female fitting portion. The seal coupling between the female fitting portion and the male fitting portion between the lower cylinder may be omitted.

The upper cylinder is not limited to being formed from silicon carbide, but may be formed from quartz.
The lower cylinder is not limited to being formed of quartz, but may be formed of silicon carbide.

  The upper cylinder is not limited to the upper and lower parts, but may be divided into three or more parts, or may be integrally formed without being divided.

  In the above embodiment, the case of processing a wafer has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to all substrate processing apparatuses for processing a substrate such as a glass substrate of a liquid crystal panel, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to oxide film formation, and can be applied to all processes such as diffusion, CVD, annealing, and ashing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Upper cylinder, 11 ... Side wall (cylinder wall), 12 ... Female fitting part, 13 ... Heat through hole, 14 ... Closure wall, 15 ... Window hole, 16 ... Screw hole, 17 ... Through-hole, 18 ... Bolt ( Fasteners),
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Lower cylinder, 21 ... Side wall, 22 ... Male fitting part, 23 ... Closure wall, 24 ... Fixed piece, 25 ... Screw hole, 26 ... Bolt, 27 ... Screw part, 28 ... Contact part,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Processing apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) 110 ... Pod (carrier), 118 ... Pod conveyance apparatus, 125 ... Wafer transfer mechanism, 125a ... Wafer transfer apparatus, 125b ... Wafer transfer apparatus elevator, 115 ... Boat elevator, 129 ... seal cap,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 200 ... Wafer (substrate), 202 ... Processing furnace, 217 ... Boat (holding tool), 217a ... Lower end plate, 218 ... Thermal insulation cylinder.

Claims (1)

A holder for holding the substrate;
An upper tube fastened by a first fastener under the holder;
A lower cylinder fastened by a second fastener under the upper cylinder;
A substrate processing apparatus.

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