Vertical heat treatment apparatus and method for operating same

Abstract

A vertical heat treatment apparatus is provided with at least one of carrying in / out parts (3, 4) for carrying in and out a transporting container (2) storing a plurality of sheets of works (W) to be treated to and from the vertical heat treatment apparatus; a first storing part (5) for storing a plurality of transporting containers carried into the vertical heat treatment apparatus through the carrying in / out part; a heat treatment furnace (7) for performing prescribed heat treatment to the works by storing a holding tool (6) holding a multitude of sheets of works at a multitude of levels; and a transfer part (8) for placing the transporting container to transfer the works between the holding tool and the transporting container. The vertical heat treatment apparatus is provided with an upper level carrying in / out part (3) and a lower level carrying in / out part (4) as the carrying in / out part; and a second storing part (20) for storing the transporting container between the upper level and the lower level carrying in / out parts. One of the carrying in / out parts (3, 4) is permitted to be a third storing part (30) for storing the transporting container (2). The number of transporting containers to be stored can be increased without increasing the footprint, and a throughput can be improved.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a vertical heat treatment device and a using method thereof. Background technique [0002] In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, various processing apparatuses (semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses) are used to perform treatments such as oxidation, diffusion, chemical vapor deposition (CVD: Chemical Vapor Deposition), and annealing on an object to be processed (for example, a wafer). As one of them, there is known a vertical heat treatment apparatus of a batch processing type that can heat process a plurality of wafers at one time. [0003] The vertical heat treatment device includes: it is arranged on the front part of the vertical heat treatment device, and a carrier (called a transfer container, FOUP) containing a plurality of wafers is carried into the vertical heat treatment device through it and carried out from the vertical heat treatment device. A load port (load port) (loading and unloading part) that is car...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, in the conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus, only storage racks are provided as space for storing carriers, so the number of carriers that can be stored is limited.

Moreover, the loading table also only has the function of loading the carrier into the vertical heat treatment device and taking it out from the vertical heat treatment device

In addition, it is not preferable to increase the vertical heat treatment device in order to expand the space for storing the carrier, that is, to increase the occupied area (occupied planar area) (footprint).

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