KR100762059B1 - Insulating Wall, Heating Structure, Heating Device, Substrate Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

By preventing the heating element from being caught, deformation of the heating element is prevented.

Tapered surfaces 40b and 40c which are inclined away from the heating element 42 are provided on the sidewall of the attachment groove 40 in which the heating element 42 is provided, as it moves toward the center direction of the heat insulation wall 33. When the heating element 42 moves radially outward in the attachment groove 40 due to thermal expansion, the heating element 42 can be prevented from being caught by the tapered surfaces 40b and 40c of the attachment groove 40. Therefore, even if the heating element 42 shrinks due to the temperature drop, the heating element 42 can move radially inward in the attachment groove 40 to return to the original position. By preventing deformation due to thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element, disconnection of the heating element generated due to thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element can be prevented in advance, thus extending the life of the heating element.

Description

Heat Insulation Wall, SUPPORTING STRUCTURE OF A HEATING ELEMENT, HEATING DEVICE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS}

1 is a front sectional view showing a CVD apparatus which is one embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a plan sectional view showing main parts of a heater unit which is one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 shows a main part of the holding structure of the heating element which is one embodiment of the present invention, (a) is an exploded view from the inside, (b) is a plan sectional view taken along line bb of (a), (c) is (a) It is a side cross-sectional view along the cc line of ().

(A) is a perspective view which shows an outer insulator, (b) is a perspective view which shows an inner insulator similarly.

5 is a perspective view of a heater unit.

Fig. 6 is a schematic cross sectional view of each outer surface showing the effect of deformation prevention, (a) shows a case of a comparative example, and (b) shows a case of this example, respectively.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

1: wafer (substrate) 11: process tube

12: outer tube 13: inner tube

l4: treatment chamber 15: brazier

6: manifold 17: exhaust pipe

18: exhaust passage 19: heater base

20: sealing cap 21: boat elevator

22: boat 23: gas introduction pipe

24: temperature sensor 25: rotating mechanism

30: heater unit (heating device) 31: case

32: gap 33: insulation wall

34: ceiling wall portion 35: side wall portion

36: heat insulation block 37: main body

37a: protrusion 38: coupling male portion (convex portion)

39: coupling recessed part (recessed part) 40: attachment groove (recessed part)

40a: groove bottom 40b, 40c: tapered surface

41: holder 42: heating element

43: interval 44: both ends

45, 46: power supply part 47, 48: connection part

49, 50: insert-through groove 51: cylindrical portion

52: outer insulator (insulation structure) 53, 54: holding groove

55: inner insulator (insulation structure) 56, 57: holding groove

58: partition 61: power supply terminal

62: bridge wire 63: terminal case

64: insulation 65: insulator

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat insulating wall, a holding structure of a heating element, a heating apparatus, and a substrate processing apparatus. For example, an insulating film is formed on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) into which a semiconductor integrated circuit device (hereinafter referred to as IC) is created and put. Or a CVD apparatus for depositing (depositing) metal and semiconductor films, an oxide film forming apparatus, a diffusion apparatus, and a heat treatment apparatus used for thermal treatment such as reflow or annealing for carrier activation or planarization after ion implantation. It is related with what is effective for using for semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, such as these.

In the IC manufacturing method, a batch type hotwall diffusion / CVD apparatus is widely used to perform a film forming process and a diffusion process on a wafer.

In general, a batch vertical hotwall diffusion / CVD apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a CVD apparatus) includes a process tube which is vertically formed by an inner tube forming a process chamber into which a wafer is carried and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube, A boat which holds a plurality of wafers as a substrate to be processed and carries them into a processing chamber of an inner tube, a gas introduction tube which introduces raw material gas into the inner tube, an exhaust pipe exhausting the inside of the process tube, and a process tube provided outside the process tube It is provided with the heater unit which heats.

Then, after a plurality of wafers are loaded (boat-loaded) from the brazier at the lower end in the inner tube in a state of being kept aligned in a vertical direction by the boat, the source gas is introduced from the gas introduction tube into the inner tube, and at the same time, the heater The inside of the process tube is heated by the unit. As a result, a CVD film is deposited on the wafer and a diffusion process is performed.

In the conventional CVD apparatus of this kind, the heater unit, which is a heating device, has a long cylindrical shape in which a heat insulating material such as alumina or silica is used to cover the process tube as a whole by a vacuum foam (vacuum adsorption formation) method. The formed heat insulating wall is provided with a long and large heating element formed by using an iron-chromium-aluminum (Fe-Cr-Al) alloy or molybdenum silicide (MoSi ₂ ), and a case covering the insulating wall. It is provided in the inner circumference and is comprised.

In such a heater unit, when rapid heating, for example, 30 degrees C / min or more, the heat generating body formed in the plate shape is used in order to enlarge the heat generating effective area.

As a holding structure of the conventional heating element which provided this plate-shaped heat generating body in the inner periphery of a heat insulation wall, there exist some in which the heat generating body was provided in the state which separated | separated from the groove bottom surface in each of the some attachment groove provided in the inner periphery of a heat insulating wall. See, eg, patent document l.

(Patent Document 1) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-39967

In the above-mentioned heat insulation wall body, since the heat generating body is provided in the attachment groove, respectively, the contact of the heat generating bodies adjacent to each other up and down can be prevented.

However, since it is necessary to cope with thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element, the heating element can move in the radial direction.

Therefore, during thermal expansion, the heating element moves radially outward in the attachment groove, and during thermal contraction, the heating element moves radially inward in the attachment groove and returns to its original position.

However, the heating element is caught by the side wall surface of the attachment groove at the time of thermal expansion, and the affected portion acts as a fixed end, thereby deforming the heating element. Similarly, when the heating element catches on the side wall surface of the attachment groove during thermal expansion, and the heating element falls and contracts as it is, the heating element deforms by acting as a fixed end.

In the case where such deformation is accumulated or when deformation is large, there is a problem that the heating element is disconnected.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a heat insulation wall that can prevent the heating element from being caught and prevent deformation of the heating element in advance.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a holding structure of a heating element which can prevent the heating element from being caught and prevent deformation of the heating element in advance.

It is a third object of the present invention to provide a heating apparatus that can prevent a jam of a heating element and prevent deformation of the heating element in advance.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing the heating element from being caught and preventing deformation of the heating element in advance.

Typical examples of the means for solving the above problems are as follows.

(1) A cylindrical heat insulating wall of a heating device used in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising a pair of sidewalls having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element along the cylindrical inner circumferential surface and forming the attachment groove. An insulated wall formed so that the gap becomes smaller as it approaches the bottom of the groove.

(2) A cylindrical heat insulation wall of a heating device used in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising a pair of side walls having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element along the cylindrical inner circumferential surface, and forming the attachment groove. A heat insulation wall is formed such that the gap gradually increases from the bottom of the attachment groove toward the top of the side wall.

(3) A cylindrical heat insulating wall of a heating device used in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising a pair of sidewalls having an attachment groove for accommodating a flat heating element along the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and forming the attachment groove. The heat insulation wall body which is formed so that a space | interval becomes gradually larger from the bottom of the said attachment groove toward the radial center side of the said cylindrical shape.

(4) A cylindrical heat insulating wall of a heating device used in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a pair of sidewalls having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element along the cylindrical inner circumferential surface, and forming the attachment groove. The side wall located above the heating element in the vertical direction gradually widens upward in the vertical direction toward the radial center side of the cylindrical shape, and is located below the heating element in the vertical direction of the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove. The side wall is formed so as to gradually widen downward in the vertical direction toward the radial center side of the cylindrical shape.

(5) A cylindrical heat insulating wall of a heating apparatus used in a substrate processing apparatus, having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element along the cylindrical inner circumferential surface, wherein the width in the vertical direction of the attachment groove is at least as described above. It is formed larger than the upper and lower ends of the heating element in the vertical direction, and the said heat insulation wall is formed so that it may become large gradually toward the radial center side of the said cylindrical shape.

(6) A cylindrical heat insulating wall of a heating device used in a substrate processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of cylindrical heat insulating blocks having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element along an inner circumferential surface are laminated, and in one of the heat insulating blocks. A first side wall is formed, which is one side of the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove, and the insulation block stacked adjacent to the insulation block on which the first side wall is formed is opposed to the first side wall. A second side wall, which is the other side of the pair of side walls forming the groove, is formed, and the distance between the first side wall and the second side wall gradually increases from the bottom of the attachment groove toward the top of the attachment groove. Insulation wall formed to be large.

(7) A cylindrical heat insulating wall of a heating device used in a substrate processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of cylindrical heat insulating blocks having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element are stacked along an inner circumferential surface thereof, A coupling male part is formed in a state in which a portion of the inner circumference of the insulating block is cut into a circular ring shape, and a coupling recess is formed in a state in which a portion of the outer circumference of the insulating block is cut in a circular ring shape in an upper end of the insulating block. The attachment groove is formed between an upper end on the inner circumferential surface of the heat insulating block and an upper end on the inner circumferential surface of the heat insulating block adjacent to the heat insulating block, and the interval between the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove is A heat insulation wall formed to gradually increase from the bottom of the attachment groove toward the top of the side wall.

(8) The heat insulation wall according to any one of the above (1) to (7), wherein a plurality of the attachment grooves are formed in the vertical direction.

(9) A holding structure for a heating element used in a substrate processing apparatus, wherein a flat mounting groove is formed along an inner circumferential surface of a heat insulating wall formed in a cylindrical shape, the heating element is provided in the mounting groove, and the mounting groove is formed. The holding structure of the heating element which is formed so that the space | interval of a pair of side walls may become small as it approaches a bottom of a groove | channel.

(10) The heating apparatus which has a heat insulation wall in any one of said (1)-(7).

(11) The heating apparatus which has a heat insulation wall of said (8).

(12) A substrate processing apparatus having the heating device of (10).

(13) A substrate processing apparatus having the heating device of (11).

(14) a process tube forming a process chamber for processing a substrate, and a heating device surrounding the process tube and heating the inside of the process tube, wherein the heating device is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the cylindrical shape It has an insulating groove for accommodating the plate-shaped heating element along the inner circumferential surface of the, and has a heat insulating wall is formed so that the distance between the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove becomes smaller as the bottom of the groove closer Substrate processing apparatus.

(15) A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which is processed using the substrate processing apparatus of (14), wherein the step of loading a substrate into the process tube, and the heating device heats the inside of the process tube, And a step of carrying out the heat treatment of the substrate and a step of carrying out the substrate from the inside of the process tube.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, one Embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing.

In the present embodiment, the heat insulation wall according to the present invention is a heater unit which is one embodiment of the heating apparatus according to the present invention installed in a CVD apparatus (batch-type vertical hotwall pressure reduction CVD apparatus) which is one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is used for.

The CVD apparatus, which is one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, has a vertical process tube 11 arranged vertically and fixedly supported as shown in FIG. 1, and the process tube 11 is an outer tube. It consists of 12 and the inner tube 13.

The outer tube 12 is formed of a cylindrical shape using quartz (SiO ₂ ), and the inner tube 3 is formed of a cylindrical shape using quartz (SiO ₂ ) or silicon carbide (SiC).

The outer tube 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the inner tube 13 and the upper end is closed and the lower end is opened, and the inner tube 13 is covered with concentric circles so as to surround the outer side thereof.

The inner tube 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape with upper and lower ends open, and the hollow portion of the inner tube 13 is a process chamber into which a plurality of wafers held in a vertically aligned state by the boat 22 are loaded. (14) is formed. The lower end opening of the inner tube 13 constitutes a furnace opening 15 for taking in and out of the wafer.

The lower end portion between the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 13 is hermetically sealed by a manifold 16 formed in a circular ring shape, and the manifold 16 has an inner tube 13 and an outer tube 12. Removably attached to the inner tube 13 and the outer tube 12, for example, for exchange for).

By the manifold 16 being supported by the heater base 19 of the CVD apparatus, the process tube 11 is in a vertically installed state.

An exhaust pipe 17 is connected to an upper portion of the side wall of the manifold 16, and the exhaust pipe 17 is connected to an exhaust device (not shown) so that the process chamber 14 can be evacuated to a predetermined vacuum degree. have. The exhaust pipe 17 is in a state of communicating with the gap formed between the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 13, and the exhaust path 18 is closed by the gap between the outer tube 12 and the inner tube 13. Consists of. The cross-sectional shape of the exhaust path 18 is a circular ring shape of a predetermined width.

Since the exhaust pipe 17 is connected to the manifold 16, the exhaust pipe 17 is in a state in which a cylindrical hollow body is formed and is arranged at the lowermost end of the exhaust path 18 formed long in the vertical direction.

In the manifold 16, the sealing cap 20 which closes the lower end opening comes into contact with the lower side in the vertical direction. The sealing cap 20 is formed in a disk shape approximately equal to the outer diameter of the outer tube 12, and is lifted in the vertical direction by a boat elevator 21 (only a part of which is shown) installed on the outside of the process tube 11. It is configured to be.

On the centerline of the sealing cap 20, the boat 22 for holding the wafer 1 as a substrate to be processed is vertically supported.

The boat 22 is arranged to hold a plurality of wafers horizontally and aligned with each other at a center.

A gas introduction tube 23 is connected to the sealing cap 20 so as to communicate with the furnace 15 of the inner tube 13, and the gas introduction tube 23 is provided with a source gas supply device and a carrier gas supply device (both shown). Not connected). The gas introduced into the furnace port 15 from the gas introduction pipe 23 flows through the process chamber 14 of the inner tube 13 and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 17 through the exhaust path 18.

Outside the outer tube 12, a heater unit 30, which is a heating device for heating the inside of the process tube 11, is provided in a concentric manner so as to surround the outer tube 12.

The heater unit 30 is provided with a case 31 formed of a cylindrical shape of a lower end opening and closed at the top by using stainless steel (SUS), and the inner diameter and the total length of the case 31 are the outer diameter of the outer tube 12. And larger than the total length.

Inside the case 31, a holding structure for the heating element, which is an embodiment of the present invention, is provided. The holding structure of the heating element according to the present embodiment includes a heating element and a heat insulating wall 33.

The heat insulation wall 33 which is one Embodiment of this invention is formed in cylindrical shape larger than the outer diameter of the outer tube 12, and is provided concentrically with the outer tube 12. As shown in FIG. The space | interval 32 between the heat insulation wall 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the case 31 is a space for air cooling.

The heat insulating wall 33 has a disk-shaped ceiling wall portion 34 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the case 31, an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the outer tube 12, and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the case 31. The cylindrical side wall part 35 is provided.

The ceiling wall part 34 is covered so that the opening of the upper end of the side wall part 35 may be closed, and the upper end surface of the ceiling wall part 34 is provided in contact with the lower surface of the ceiling wall of the case 31.

In addition, an exhaust port penetrating the ceiling wall 34 and the ceiling wall of the case 3l may be provided so as to forcibly air-cool the atmosphere between the heat insulation wall 33 and the outer tube 12.

Since the outer diameter of the side wall part 35 is set smaller than the inner diameter of the case 31, the space | interval 32 as an air cooling space is formed between the side wall part 35 and the case 31.

In addition, a through hole is provided in the side wall part 35 of the heat insulating wall 33 so as to allow a space between the gap 32 and the heat insulating wall 33 and the outer tube 12 to pass through the heat insulating wall 33 and the heat insulating wall 33. The atmosphere between the outer tube 12 and the outer tube 12 may be forced to be air cooled.

The side wall part 35 of the heat insulating wall 33 is constructed as a single cylinder by stacking a plurality of heat insulating blocks 36 in the vertical direction.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the insulating block 36 has a donut-shaped main body 37 which is a short cylindrical shape, and the main body 37 is made of fibrous or spherical alumina, silica or the like. A heat insulating material which also functions as an insulating material is used, and is integrally formed by the molding form of the foaming method.

In addition, the heat insulation block 36 and the main body 37 may be shape | molded in the state which divided into several in the cylindrical circumferential direction, for example, divided into several in the cylindrical shape at predetermined angle, and, after that, you may make it assemble into a cylindrical shape. .

In this case, since a free space (easy movement) is formed also in the heat insulation block 36, even if a stress is applied to the heat insulation block 36, it will become hard to be broken. Preferably, it is also good in size if it is divided into four.

A coupling male part (convex part) 38 is formed at the lower end of the main body 37 in a state in which a part of the inner circumference of the main body 37 is cut into a circular ring shape. An engaging concave portion (concave portion) 39 is formed at the upper end of the main body 37 in a state in which a part of the outer circumference of the main body 37 is cut into a circular ring shape.

Further, a protruding portion 37a protruding inward is formed on the inner circumferential side of the upper end of the main body 37.

Between the protruding portions 37a of the adjacent upper and lower insulating blocks 36, the attachment grooves (concave portions) 40 for attaching the heating element are formed so that the inner circumferential surface of the side wall portion 35 is cut into a circular ring shape. It is formed to have a certain depth. The attachment grooves 40 are formed one by one for each insulating block 36, and have one closed circular shape.

As shown in Fig. 3 (b), a plurality of clasp-shaped holding mechanisms 41 for positioning and holding the heating element are attached to the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40 at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

The attachment groove 40 is formed such that its width is gradually narrowed as the width of the attachment groove 40 approaches the outer diameter direction (the direction opposite to the center of the cylinder) of the cylindrical side wall portion 35, that is, the groove bottom 40a. That is, tapered surfaces 40b and 40c are formed on a pair of upper and lower sidewalls of the attachment groove 40, and the distance between both tapered surfaces 40b and 40c becomes smaller as the groove bottom 40a gets closer. Lose.

In other words, the distance between the pair of side walls in the vertical direction of the attachment groove 40 is the bottom of the attachment groove 40 (on the bottom of the groove 40a) from the top of the side wall (on the inner circumferential surface of the protrusion 37a). The closer to the inner circumference), the smaller it becomes.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3C, the tapered surface 40b is formed on the upper sidewall of the pair of sidewalls in the vertical direction of the attachment groove 40 and is accommodated in the attachment groove 40. It is located above the heating element 42 in the vertical direction, and gradually widens upward in the vertical direction toward the cylindrical radial direction center side of the attachment groove 40.

Further, the tapered surface 40c is formed on the lower sidewall of the pair of sidewalls in the vertical direction of the attachment groove 40, and is located below the heating element 42 stored in the attachment groove 40 in the vertical direction. Toward the cylindrical radial direction center side of the attachment groove 40, it is gradually spreading downward in the vertical direction.

As the heat generating element 42, a resistive heat generating material such as Fe—Cr—Al alloy or MOSi ₂ and SiC is used. The heat generating element 42 has a wavy flat plate shape, as shown in Fig. 3A. Further, the upper wave portion 42a, the upper gap 43a, and the lower wave portion 42b and the lower interval 43b are alternately formed. These are integrally formed by press working, laser cutting, or the like.

The heating element 42 is provided in a circular ring shape along the inner circumference of the heat insulating block 36. The outer ring-shaped outer diameter formed by the heating element 42 is only slightly smaller than the inner diameter (diameter of the inner circumferential surface) of the attachment groove 40 of the heat insulating block 36.

In addition, the inner diameter of the circular ring shape formed by the heating element 42 is only slightly larger than the inner diameter of the protrusion 37a of the heat insulating block 36.

As described above, the cylindrical portion 51 of the heat generating element 42 having a circular ring shape is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the cylindrical part 51 of the heat generating body 42 is provided for every attachment groove 40 of the heat insulation block 36. As shown in FIG. At the upper and lower ends, cylindrical portions 51 of adjacent other heat generating elements 42 are provided in isolation.

As shown in Figs. 3A and 3B, a plurality of holding mechanisms 41 and 41 are disposed so as to extend from the lower end of the upper gap 43a to the upper end of the lower gap 43b, respectively, and the thermal insulation block It is inserted in 36. In this manner, the heating element 42 is held in a state away from the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40.

As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, a pair of feed portions 45, 46 is provided at both ends 44, 44 of the cylindrical portion 51 of the heat generating element 42 in the circumferential direction of the circular ring shape. They are formed at right angles and bent in radial outward directions, respectively. The front end portions of the pair of feed sections 45 and 46 are bent at right angles to the feed sections 45 and 46 so that the pair of connecting sections 47 and 48 are opposite to each other. .

In order to suppress the fall of the heat generation amount in the pair of power supply parts 45 and 46, the space | interval of the pair of power supply parts 45 and 46 is set small.

Preferably, the portions where the pair of feed portions 45 and 46 are bent at right angles in the radially outward direction from the circumferential direction of the circular ring shape are near the uppermost portion of the upper wave portion 42a of the heating element 42 or What is necessary is just to make it the lowest vicinity of the lower wave part 42b.

By doing in this way, the heat generating body 42 can be spread | discovered further on the pair of power supply parts 45 and 46 without space | interval.

A pair of insertion through grooves 49 and 50 are formed in the cylindrical insulating block 36 corresponding to the positions of the pair of feed sections 45 and 46, respectively. Both insertion through grooves 49 and 50 are formed to reach from the attachment groove 40 side to the outer circumferential side of the main body 37 in the radial direction of the cylindrical shape. Both feed sections 45 and 46 are inserted through the insertion slots 49 and 50, respectively.

In addition, the insertion through grooves 49 and 50 include the space between the insertion grooves 49 and 50 before the feed portions 45 and 46 are inserted. (49) and (50) are formed so as to be one insertion through groove, and after inserting both feed portions 45 and 46, a fibrous or spherical shape is formed between the feed portions 45 and 46. The heat insulating material 33 and the insertion through grooves 49 and 50 may be formed by embedding a heat insulating material which also functions as an insulating material such as alumina or silica having a shape.

Insulators (hereinafter referred to as outer insulators) 52 are provided in the portions of the both insertion through grooves 49 and 50 on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 37.

As the outer insulator 52, a ceramic as an insulating material having water resistance such as alumina or silica is used, and the hardness, bending strength and density can be made higher than that of the insulating block 36 by a suitable manufacturing method such as sintering method. For example, the outer insulator 52 can increase the hardness, the bending strength, and the density by making the content of the alumina component higher than that of the insulating block 36.

As shown in Fig. 4A, the outer insulator 52 is substantially square, integrally molded into a flat plate shape having a slight curved surface R1 so as to correspond to the curved surface of the outer circumferential surface of the insulating block 36, and the main body ( It is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of 37).

The outer insulator 52 has at least equivalent hardness, equivalent or greater bending strength, and equivalent or greater density to the insulating block 36.

In addition, preferably, if the hardness of the outer insulator 52 is made higher than the hardness of the heat insulating block 36, it is possible to effectively prevent the heating element 42 from jumping.

In addition, preferably, when the bending strength and / or density of the outer insulator 52 is higher than the bending strength and / or density of the insulating block 36, the jumping of the heating element 42 can be effectively prevented.

On the upper side of the outer insulator 52, a pair of retaining grooves 53 and 54 are formed as insertion inserting portions for inserting a pair of feed sections. The positions of the two holding grooves 53 and 54 correspond to the positions of the two insertion through grooves 49 and 50, and are made to be substantially the same position. In both retaining grooves 53 and 54, both feed passages 45 and 46 inserted through the insertion grooves 49 and 50 are inserted and held, respectively.

Preferably, as shown in Figure 4 (a), the retaining grooves 53, 54 may be formed so as to be cut until the top of the outer insulator 52. This is because after the pair of feed sections are provided, the outer insulator 52 can be attached or replaced. However, the holding grooves 53 and 54 can also be formed in a hole shape without cutting out to the top of the outer insulator 52.

The holding grooves 53 and 54 of the outer insulator 52 hold the feed portions 45 and 46 of the heat generating element 42, thereby suppressing the skipping of the heat generating element 42. The space | interval of both holding grooves 53 and 54 corresponds to the space | interval of both insertion groove | channel 49 and 50 of the main body 37, and is made the same space | interval.

Here, the skipping of the heating element 42 means that the heating element 42 causes thermal expansion by feeding the heating element 42 or thermal contraction by stopping the feeding, and shifts from the originally arranged position, It refers to a phenomenon of moving or twisting.

Insulators (hereinafter referred to as inner insulators) 55 abut against and are fixed to portions corresponding to both insertion through grooves 49 and 50 on the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40.

The inner insulator 55 is made of a ceramic as an insulating material having heat resistance such as alumina or silica, and can be made to have higher hardness, bending strength and density than the insulating block 36 by a suitable manufacturing method such as sintering method.

For example, the inner insulator 55 can make hardness, bending strength, and density high by making content of an alumina component higher than the heat insulation block 36. As shown in FIG.

As shown in Fig. 4 (b), the inner insulator 55 is substantially square and integrally formed into a flat plate shape having a slight curved surface R2 so as to correspond to the curved surface of the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40 of the insulating block 36. It is.

The inner insulator 55 is provided with at least the hardness equivalent to the heat insulation block 36 at least.

In addition, preferably, if the hardness of the inner insulator 55 is higher than the hardness of the heat insulation block 36, it is possible to effectively prevent the heating of the heating element 42.

In addition, if the bending strength and / or density of the inner insulator 55 is higher than the bending strength and / or density of the thermal insulation block 36, it is possible to effectively prevent the heating of the heating element 42.

On the upper portion of the inner insulator 55, a pair of retaining grooves 56, 57 are formed, respectively, as insertion passage portions for inserting a pair of feed sections. The positions of the two retaining grooves 56 and 57 correspond to the positions of the both insertion through grooves 49 and 50, and are made to be substantially the same position. In both holding grooves 56 and 57, both feed passage portions 45 and 46 inserted through the insertion grooves 49 and 50 are inserted and held, respectively.

Preferably, as shown in Figure 4 (b), the retaining grooves 56, 57 may be formed so as to be cut to the top of the inner insulator 55. This is because the inner insulator 55 can be attached or replaced after the pair of feed sections 45 and 46 are provided. However, the holding grooves 56 and 57 can also be formed in a hole shape without cutting out to the top of the inner insulator 55.

Both holding grooves 56 and 57 of the inner insulator 55 can suppress the heating of the heating element 42 by holding the power feeding portions 45 and 46 of the heating element 42. The space | interval of both holding | maintenance groove | channels 56 and 57 corresponds to the insertion through groove | channel 49 and 50 of the main body 37, and is made the same space | interval.

An inner end face of the inner insulator 55 (an end face opposite to the heat insulation block 36, that is, an end face of the cylindrical portion 51 side of the heat generating element 42) is formed between the holding grooves 56 and 57. The partition wall part 58 which isolate | separates the pair of power supply parts 45, 46, and the cylindrical part 51 of 42 is provided. The partition wall portion 58 has a thickness t provided at least up to a position on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 51 of the heat generating element 42 when the partition wall 58 abuts against and fixes the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, when the partition wall 58 is provided to be in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40 and fixed, the partition wall 58 extends over the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 51 of the heating element 42. What is necessary is just to set it as the thickness t provided to the inner side of the part 51. By doing in this way, the pair of power supply parts 45, 46, and the cylindrical part 51 of the heat generating body 42 can be separated effectively.

In addition, when the height h of the partition 58 is in contact with and fixed to the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40, at least the height h is equal to or larger than the plate width of the heat generating element 42. In addition, both holding grooves 56 allow the pair of feed portions 45 and 46 to be disposed at the same height so as to separate the pair of feed portions 45 and 46 of the heating element 42. ) Are provided at the same height position as (57).

Preferably, the height h of the partition wall portion 58 is the cylindrical portion 51 of the heating element 42 when the height h of the partition wall portion 58 is provided and fixed to contact the inner circumferential surface of the attachment groove 40. What is necessary is just to make it larger than the value h1 between the height of the uppermost part of the upper side wavy part 42a, and the height of the lowest part of the lower side wavy part 42b. By doing in this way, the pair of power supply parts 45, 46, and the cylindrical part 51 can be separated effectively.

The partition 58 is formed by forming bent portions R3 on both sides from an inner end face of the inner insulator 55. By providing the bent portion R3, the inner insulator 55 can be easily formed, the strength of the inner insulator 55 increases, and the cylindrical portion 51 of the heating element 42 expands and extends. In addition, the inner insulator 55 is hardly broken even when the partition wall 58 is in contact with the partition wall 58.

In addition, the bent portion R3 may be not only curved, but also tapered.

2 and 3, a feed terminal 61 is welded to one connection portion (hereinafter referred to as a positive side connection portion 47) of the heating element 42 on the upper end side, and the other connection portion ( Hereinafter, the upper end of the bridge wire 62 is welded to the negative side connection part 48. The lower end part of the bridge wire 62 is connected to the positive side connection part 47 of the heat generating body 42 of the lower end side.

Therefore, the positive side connecting portion 47 of the heat generating element 42 on the lower end side is located just below the negative side connecting portion 48 of the heat generating element 42 on the upper end, and the cylindrical portion of the heat generating element 42 on the lower side as much. Both ends 44 and 44 of 51 are shifted in the circumferential direction than the both ends 44 and 44 of the cylindrical part 51 of the heat generating body 42 of the upper end side.

The bridge wire 62 is made of a resistive heating material such as Fe-Cr-A1 alloy or MOSi ₂ and SiC in order to reduce heat radiation from the surface of the bridge wire 62 in a small round rod shape. Formed. However, depending on the current capacity of the bridge wire, the bridge wire 62 may be formed in an angled rod shape having a rectangular cross section.

As shown in FIG.2 and FIG.5, both connection parts 47 and 48 are located in the position corresponding to the installation place of the feed terminal 61 in the outer peripheral surface of the case 31 of the heater unit 30. As shown in FIG. The terminal case 63 covering the bridge wire 62 is covered, and a heat insulating material 64 such as glass wool is filled in the terminal case 63. The plurality of power supply terminals 61 are inserted into the terminal case 63 via the insulator 65.

Next, the film formation process in the manufacturing method of semiconductor devices, such as IC by the CVD apparatus concerning the said structure, is demonstrated easily.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the plurality of wafers 1 are loaded (wafer charged) into the boat 22, the boat 22 holding the plurality of wafers 1 is transferred to the boat elevator 21. Is lifted up and brought into the processing chamber 14 (boat loading).

In this state, the sealing cap 20 is in a state of sealing the lower end opening of the manifold 16.

The inside of the process tube 11 is evacuated through the exhaust pipe 17 so as to have a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree).

In addition, the inside of the process tube 11 is heated by the heater unit 30 to a predetermined temperature. At this time, the electricity supply state of the heater unit 30 to the heat generating element 42 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 24 so that the process chamber 14 may become predetermined temperature distribution.

Subsequently, the wafer 1 is rotated by the boat 22 being rotated by the rotating mechanism 25.

Next, the source gas controlled at a predetermined flow rate is introduced into the processing chamber 14 through the gas introduction pipe 23.

The introduced source gas rises in the processing chamber 14, flows out of the upper end of the inner tube 13 into the exhaust path 18, and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 17.

The source gas is in contact with the surface of the wafer 1 when passing through the process chamber 14, and at this time, a thin film is deposited (deposition) on the surface of the wafer 1 by the thermal CVD reaction.

When a predetermined processing time elapses, an inert gas is supplied from an inert gas supply source (not shown), the process chamber 14 is replaced with an inert gas, and the pressure in the process chamber 14 is returned to normal pressure.

Thereafter, the sealing cap 20 is lowered by the boat elevator 21, the lower end of the manifold 16 is opened, and the manifold is maintained in the boat 22 while the wafer 1 being processed is held in the boat 22. It is carried out (bottom unloaded) out of the process tube 11 from the lower end of the fold 16.

Thereafter, the processed wafer 1 is taken out of the boat 22 (wafer discharge).

By the way, since the heat generating body 42 of the heater unit 30 expands by thermal expansion when temperature rises, the cylindrical part 51 of the circular ring-shaped heat generating body 42 becomes large in diameter. When the diameter of the heat generating element 42 becomes large, since the heat generating element 42 is restricted only to the center direction of the heat insulation wall 33 by the holding mechanism 41, the heat generating element 42 is formed in the attachment groove 40. Is moving radially outward.

For example, as shown in Fig. 6A, in the case of the attachment groove 40 'where the upper and lower side walls are formed in parallel with each other, the heating element 42 moves radially outward in the attachment groove 40'. Is caught by the side wall surface of the attachment groove 40 ', and a part which acts like a fixed end may deform a heating element.

Similarly, when the heating element catches on the side wall surface of the attachment groove 40 'at the time of thermal expansion, and the heating element 42 decreases in temperature as it is caught, the corresponding portion acts as a fixed end, thereby generating the heating element 42. Will transform. When such deformation accumulates or the deformation is large, there is a possibility that the heating element 42 is disconnected. In addition, since the upper wave portion 42a extends upward and the lower wave portion 42b extends downward due to thermal expansion, the distance between both side walls of the attachment groove 40 and the heating element 42 becomes narrower. Becomes remarkable.

However, in this embodiment, since the tapered surfaces 40b and 40c are formed in both side walls of the attachment groove 40, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), in the attachment groove 40, as shown in FIG. Therefore, when moving radially outward, the heating element 42 can be prevented from being caught by the side wall surface of the attachment groove 40. Moreover, even if the heat generating body 42 has shifted to one side wall side at the time of thermal expansion, the heat generating body 42 may slide on a taper surface, and it may be placed in a predetermined up-down position.

Therefore, even if the heating element 42 shrinks due to the temperature drop, the heating element 42 moves radially inward in the attachment groove 40 to return to the original position. That is, deformation, deterioration, and disconnection accompanying thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element 42 can be prevented in advance.

Preferably, the width in the vertical direction (up and down direction) of the groove bottom 40a of the attachment groove 40 is at least the height of the uppermost part of the upper wave portion 42a of the cylindrical portion 5l of the heating element 42a. And the width larger than the value hl between the height of the lower wave 42b and the lowermost part of the lower wave 42b. By doing in this way, the heat generating body 42 can thermally expand to the groove bottom 40a of the attachment groove 40, without being caught by the side wall surface.

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

l) By inclining the side wall of the attachment groove to which the heating element is attached such that the distance between the side walls becomes smaller as the distance between the side walls becomes closer to the bottom of the groove, when the heating element moves radially outward in the attachment groove due to thermal expansion, It can prevent you from hanging on the wall. As a result, even if the heating element shrinks due to the temperature drop, the heating element can move radially inward in the attachment groove to return to the original position.

2) By preventing deformation or stress load of the heating element due to thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element, deterioration or disconnection of the heating element generated by thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element can be prevented in advance, thereby extending the life of the heating element. Can be.

3) Up and down direction when heating the wafer spread in the up and down direction (vertical direction) to the boat in the process tube by setting the desired range of the vertical direction (vertical direction) movement of the heating element due to thermal expansion and thermal contraction of the heating element. Since the temperature between the wafers can be prevented from deteriorating the temperature distribution to the wafer or the need for readjustment to the proper temperature distribution due to the movement of the heating element in the vertical direction, the heater unit and the CVD apparatus Can improve the performance.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the form of the said Example, Needless to say that various changes are possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

For example, the heat insulating wall is not limited to a plurality of heat insulating blocks stacked in a vertical direction to form an integral cylindrical body, and may be formed integrally.

The outer insulator and the inner insulator are not limited to those of the above embodiment, and may be omitted.

The heat insulating wall according to the present invention is not limited to being applied to the holding structure of the heating element in the heater unit of the CVD apparatus, but is applied to the whole heat insulating wall of the heating apparatus such as the oxide film forming apparatus, the diffusion apparatus, and the heater unit of the annealing apparatus. can do.

Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention can be applied not only to a CVD apparatus but also to a substrate processing apparatus such as an oxide film forming apparatus, a diffusion apparatus, and an unwinding apparatus.

According to the present invention, since the heating element can be prevented from being caught by the side wall surface of the attachment groove even when the heating element moves radially outward in the attachment groove during thermal expansion, the heating element is radially inward in the attachment groove at the time of thermal contraction. To return to its original position.

Claims (15)

As a cylindrical heat insulation wall of the heating apparatus used for a substrate processing apparatus, It has an attachment groove for accommodating a flat heating element along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface, The gap between the pair of sidewalls forming the attachment grooves is formed to become smaller as the grooves approach the bottom of the grooves. Insulation Wall. delete As a cylindrical heat insulation wall of the heating apparatus used for a substrate processing apparatus, It has an attachment groove for accommodating a flat heating element along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface, The space | interval of a pair of side wall which forms the said attachment groove is formed so that it may become gradually larger toward the radial center side of the said cylindrical shape from the bottom of the said attachment groove. Insulation Wall. As a cylindrical heat insulation wall of the heating apparatus used for a substrate processing apparatus, It has an attachment groove for accommodating a flat heating element along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface, Among the pair of sidewalls forming the attachment groove, the sidewall located above the heating element in the vertical direction gradually widens upward in the vertical direction toward the radial center side of the cylindrical shape, Of the pair of sidewalls forming the attachment groove, the sidewall located downward in the vertical direction from the heating element is formed to gradually widen downward in the vertical direction toward the radial center side of the cylindrical shape. Insulation Wall. As a cylindrical heat insulation wall of the heating apparatus used for a substrate processing apparatus, It has an attachment groove for accommodating a flat heating element along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface, The width in the vertical direction of the attachment groove is formed at least larger than the upper and lower ends in the vertical direction of the heating element, the width is formed to gradually increase toward the radial center side of the cylindrical shape. Insulation Wall. As a cylindrical heat insulation wall of the heating apparatus used for a substrate processing apparatus, A plurality of cylindrical insulating blocks having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element are laminated along the inner circumferential surface, The first side wall which is one side of a pair of side wall which forms the said attachment groove is formed in one of the said heat insulation blocks, In the heat insulation block laminated | stacked adjacent to the heat insulation block in which the said 1st side wall is formed, the 2nd side wall which becomes the other side of a pair of side wall which forms the said attachment groove facing the said 1st side wall is formed, The distance between the first side wall and the second side wall is formed to gradually increase from the bottom of the attachment groove toward the top of the attachment groove. Insulation Wall. As a cylindrical heat insulation wall of the heating apparatus used for a substrate processing apparatus, A plurality of cylindrical insulating blocks having an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element are laminated along the inner circumferential surface, The lower end of the insulating block is formed with a coupling male part in a state in which a part of the inner circumference of the insulating block is cut into a circular ring shape, A coupling recess is formed at an upper end of the insulating block in a state in which a part of the outer circumference of the insulating block is cut into a circular ring shape. The attachment groove is formed between an upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the heat insulating block and an upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the insulating block adjacent to the insulating block, The gap between the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove is formed to gradually increase from the bottom of the attachment groove toward the top of the side wall. Insulation Wall. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 7, The plurality of attachment grooves are formed in the vertical direction Insulation Wall. As a holding structure of a heating element used for a substrate processing apparatus, As the plate-shaped mounting groove is formed along the inner circumferential surface of the heat insulating wall formed in a cylindrical shape, the heating element is provided in the mounting groove, and the distance between the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove approaches the bottom of the groove. Formed to be small Retention structure of the heating element. The heating apparatus which has a heat insulation wall of any one of Claims 1-7. The heating apparatus which has a heat insulation wall of Claim 8. The substrate processing apparatus which has a heating apparatus of Claim 10. The substrate processing apparatus which has a heating apparatus of Claim 11. A process tube forming a processing chamber for processing the substrate, A heating device that surrounds the process tube and heats the interior of the process tube Including; The heating device is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has an attachment groove for accommodating a plate-shaped heating element along the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape, and as the distance between the pair of side walls forming the attachment groove approaches the bottom of the groove. With insulating walls formed to be small Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that. In the manufacturing method of the semiconductor device which processes using the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 14, Bringing a substrate into the process tube; The heating device heating the inside of the process tube and heat treating the substrate; Process of carrying out the substrate from the inside of the process tube The manufacturing method of the semiconductor device which has.

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