JPS6146030A - Heating oven - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable semiconductor wafers to be stably held in a heating oven without a fear of the wafers coming out of or moving in the oven, by placing a heating oven at an angle of inclination in its axial direction, and mounting semiconductor wafers with an inclination. CONSTITUTION:A heating oven 12 is able to be inclined within a variable range, and a wafer basket 14 inserted in a heating tube 11 is inclined in the same manner as the heating oven 12, so that semiconductor wafers 5 accommodated inside the basket 14 are also inclined. Semiconductor wafer supporting pins 15 are provided in the wafer basket 14 at a predetermined pitch. Since these pins 15 suppot inclined wafers 5, it becomes possible to lessen damages and improve the supporting performance. Since the wafers 5 are mounted on the basket 14 in an inclined state, loading an unloading of the wafers 5 are facilitated, and safety in handling the wafers 5 is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a heating furnace having a normal structure, but in which the inclination angle of the heating furnace in the furnace axis direction is variable.

Recently, heating furnaces have been widely used in manufacturing processes in many industrial fields, including semiconductor device manufacturing processes.

For example, these heating furnaces are used when oxidizing semiconductor wafers in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices or when performing CVD on semiconductor wafers.

However, conventional heating furnaces are limited to use when the furnace axis angle is held approximately horizontally or approximately vertically. Heating furnaces have many disadvantages, such as workability when storing semiconductor wafers in wafer baskets such as when inserting them into heating tubes of the furnace, and stability of semiconductor wafers against vibrations when operating the heating furnace.

For example, in the case of vertical heating furnaces, which have recently been widely adopted, a plurality of semiconductor wafers are usually arranged in a wafer basket horizontally and in parallel at a predetermined pitch, and this wafer basket is inserted into a heating tube. , the wafer basket is heated by the heating furnace body.

Therefore, semiconductor wafers may slip from the wafer basket due to mechanical vibrations caused by handling when inserting the wafer basket into the heating tube or when moving the heating tube and inserting it into the heating furnace body. There are problems such as misalignment, resulting in damage to the semiconductor wafer, and damage to other semiconductor wafers due to the broken pieces, and improvements are desired.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram explaining the outline of mounting semiconductor wafers in a conventional vertical heating furnace. 1 is a moving heating tube, 2 is a heating furnace body, 3 is a basket stand, 4 is a wafer basket, and 5 is a semiconductor wafer.

The heating furnace body is fixed vertically, and after a wafer basket 4 containing a semiconductor wafer 5 therein is loaded onto a heating tube 1 pulled out downward from the heating furnace body 2 onto a basket stand 3, It is pushed up and inserted into the heating furnace body.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a wafer basket. The wafer basket 4 is provided with semiconductor wafer insertion grooves 6 at a predetermined pitch, and the semiconductor wafers 5 are accommodated one by one. 1a+ whose width is the thickness of the semiconductor wafer
211III, semiconductor wafers stored horizontally in a wafer basket are often damaged due to vibrations caused by displacement or falling during handling such as insertion. be.

In addition, in the structure of a vertical heating furnace, the total length of the heating furnace body and heating tube is long, which occupies a large space in the vertical direction, and even in the case of a horizontal heating furnace, the space of the equipment is similarly occupied in the horizontal direction. There is a disadvantage.

From this point of view, there is a need for a heating furnace that is easy to handle, provides a stable object to be heated, and has a small device space.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The problem with the above configuration is that the semiconductor wafers may be damaged due to vibration when inserting the wafer basket into the heating furnace or when moving the heating tube. The objective is to realize a heating furnace in which semiconductor wafers are stable and, at the same time, occupy a small space.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides a variable inclination angle heating furnace that solves the above-mentioned problems, and is characterized in that the inclination angle of the heating furnace in the furnace axis direction is set between approximately horizontal and approximately vertical. This can be achieved using a heating furnace.

[For 1 sea] In other words, this design is designed to prevent the semiconductor wafer from moving or being damaged by vibration when inserting the wafer basket into the heating tube, which often occurs with conventional vertical heating furnaces. In the invention, the heating furnace has an inclination angle in the furnace axis direction, so that the wafer basket is held in the heating tube with an inclination, and the semiconductor wafers are also mounted in an incline. It is designed to be held stably without falling off or moving.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mounting of semiconductor wafers in the heating furnace of the present invention, where 11 is a heating tube and 12
1 is a heating furnace body, 13 is a basket stand, 14 is a wafer basket, and 5 is a semiconductor wafer.

As an example of an embodiment, a case where the heating furnace is tilted within a freely variable range is shown. The wafer basket inserted into the heating tube is also tilted in the same way as the superheating furnace, and the semiconductor wafers stored inside the basket are also tilted. tilt.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a wafer basket supported by fixing pins. Fixing pins 15 for supporting semiconductor wafers are provided at a predetermined pitch on the wafer bus care 14, and the semiconductor wafers 5 are supported. The characteristics of the basket make it possible to reduce damage and improve support performance when supporting tilted wafers.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the ease of handling when mounting the semiconductor wafer 5 on the wafer basket 14, but if the semiconductor wafer is mounted on the wafer basket at an angle, the insertion of the semiconductor wafer will be difficult. Easier to pull out and safer handling.

As an example of handling semiconductor wafers, a vacuum chuck 16
The semiconductor wafer 5 is suctioned and positioned above the wafer basket, and the vacuum guide chuck 17 is raised from below in that position to suction the semiconductor wafer.

The wafer supported by the vacuum chuck and the vacuum guide chuck is completely held by the fixing pins at predetermined positions of the wafer basket, and the semiconductor wafer is always in contact with the guide bar in the wafer basket and the groove Since there is no contact as in the case of a structure, it is possible to prevent uneven distribution that occurs on the wafer due to a-contact, and it also becomes easier to handle.

Such an inclined heating furnace apparatus occupies an equal space both horizontally and vertically, making it possible to realize an economical space.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above in detail, the heating furnace having an inclination angle according to the present invention is highly effective in ensuring the safety and ease of handling of semiconductor wafers and the economy of space occupied by the apparatus.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the heating furnace of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wafer basket used in the heating furnace of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining handling of semiconductor wafers, FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional vertical heating furnace, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional wafer basket. In the figure, 11 is a heating tube, 12 is a heating furnace body, 13 is a basket stand, 14 is a wafer basket, 15 is a fixing pin, 16 is a vacuum chuck, and 17 is a vacuum guide chuck. Figure 2 3WJ 1B Figure 4 5WJ

Claims (1)

[Claims] A heating furnace characterized in that the angle of inclination in the axial direction of the heating furnace is set between approximately horizontal and approximately vertical.