Heat treatment method and heat treatment device

Abstract

The present invention provides a heat treatment method and a heat treatment device capable of adjusting the temperature of a structure in a chamber to a stable temperature in a short time. After the treatment of a preceding batch group is completed, a heating treatment is started. In the heating treatment, the structure in the chamber such as a base is kept at a fixed insulation temperature by light irradiation from a halogen lamp. When a signal indicating that the batch group is moved out is received during the heating treatment, the process moves to the adjustment treatment. In the adjustment treatment, the structure in the chamber such as the base is adjusted to a stable temperature by repeatedly irradiating a dummy wafer held on the base with the same light as that applied to the semiconductor wafers included in the batch group as the treatment object. By performing the adjustment treatment after the heating treatment, the structure in the chamber can be adjusted to a stable temperature in a short time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat treatment method and a heat treatment apparatus for heating a thin plate-shaped precision electronic substrate (hereinafter referred to as "substrate") such as a semiconductor wafer by irradiating the substrate with light. Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, flash lamp annealing (FLA), which heats semiconductor wafers in a very short time, has attracted much attention. Flash lamp annealing is a heat treatment technology that heats only the front surface of the semiconductor wafer in a very short time (less than a few milliseconds) by irradiating the front surface of the semiconductor wafer with a xenon flash lamp (hereinafter referred to as "flash lamp").

[0003] The radiation spectrum distribution of the xenon flash lamp is from the ultraviolet region to the near infrared region, and the wavelength is shorter than that of the conventional halogen lamp, which is roughly consistent with the basic absorption band of the semiconductor wafer of silicon. Therefore, when the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with flash from the xenon flash lamp, less light is transmitted, so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer can be rapidly increased. In addition, it has been found that if the flash irradiation is extremely short, less than a few milliseconds, it is possible to selectively increase the temperature of only the front surface of the semiconductor wafer.

[0004] This flash lamp annealing is applied to processes that require heating in a very short time, such as activation of impurities implanted in semiconductor wafers. If a flash lamp is irradiated on the front side of a semiconductor wafer into which impurities have been implanted by ion implantation, the front side of the semiconductor wafer can be heated to the activation temperature in a very short time, and only activation of the impurities can be performed without deep diffusion of the impurities.

[0005] Typically, semiconductor wafers are processed in batches (a group of semiconductor wafers that are processed with the same content under the same conditions), and the processing is not limited to heat treatment. In a single-wafer substrate processing device, multiple semiconductor wafers constituting a batch are processed continuously and sequentially. In a flash lamp annealing device, multiple semiconductor wafers constituting a batch are also moved into a chamber one by one and heat treated sequentially.

[0006] However, in the process of sequentially processing a plurality of semiconductor wafers constituting a batch, the temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor holding the semiconductor wafer may change. This phenomenon occurs when the processing is restarted in a flash lamp annealing device that was temporarily stopped, or when the processing conditions such as the processing temperature of the semiconductor wafer are changed. If the temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor changes in the process of processing a plurality of semiconductor wafers constituting a batch, the following problem may occur: the temperature records during the processing are different for the semiconductor wafers at the beginning of the batch and the semiconductor wafers at the end.

[0007] In order to solve this problem, before starting the processing of the product batch, a dummy wafer that is not the processing target is moved into the chamber and supported by a susceptor, and the dummy wafer is heated, thereby raising the temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor in advance (dummy operation). Patent document 1 discloses the following content: dummy operation is performed on about 10 dummy wafers to make the temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor reach a stable temperature during processing.

[0008] [Background Technology Literature]

[0009] [Patent Document]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-092102 Summary of the invention

[0011] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0012] However, it takes a considerable amount of time to raise the temperature of the chamber structures such as the susceptor that have been cooled to room temperature to a stable temperature through the dummy operation. As a result, the waiting time before starting the processing of the product batch becomes longer, resulting in a problem of reduced productivity.

[0013] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat treatment method and a heat treatment apparatus which can adjust the temperature of a structure in a chamber to a stable temperature in a short time.

[0014] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0015] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of technical solution 1 is characterized in that: the substrate is heated by irradiating light onto the substrate, and includes: a carrying-in step of carrying the substrate into the chamber; a light irradiation step of irradiating light onto the substrate held on the base in the chamber; a heat preservation step of keeping the structure in the chamber at a fixed heat preservation temperature by irradiating light from a continuously lit lamp before the initial substrate of the batch group is carried into the chamber; and a temperature adjustment step of adjusting the temperature of the structure by repeatedly lighting and extinguishing the continuously lit lamp after the heat preservation step.

[0016] In addition, the invention of technical solution 2 is a heat treatment method according to the invention of technical solution 1, characterized in that: in the temperature adjustment step, the same light irradiation as the light irradiation performed on the substrate included in the batch group from the continuously lit lamp while the dummy wafer is held on the base is repeatedly performed.

[0017] In addition, the invention of technical solution 3 is a heat treatment method according to the invention of technical solution 2, characterized in that: in the heat preservation step, light irradiation is performed from the continuous lighting lamp while the dummy wafer is held on the susceptor.

[0018] In addition, the invention of Technical Solution 4 is a heat treatment method according to the invention of Technical Solution 3, characterized in that: in the insulation step, the output of the continuously lighting lamp is controlled based on the temperature of the base, and in the temperature adjustment step, the output of the continuously lighting lamp is controlled based on the temperature of the virtual wafer maintained on the base.

[0019] In addition, the invention of technical solution 5 is a heat treatment method according to any one of the inventions of technical solutions 1 to 4, characterized in that when a signal to change the processing temperature of the batch group is received during the execution of the insulation step, the insulation temperature is changed.

[0020] In addition, the invention of technical solution 6 is characterized in that: the substrate is heated by irradiating light to the substrate, and comprises: a chamber for accommodating the substrate; a susceptor for holding the substrate in the chamber; a continuously lighting lamp for irradiating light to the substrate held on the susceptor; and a control unit for controlling the output of the continuously lighting lamp; after the insulation stage, a temperature adjustment stage is performed, and the insulation stage is performed before the initial substrate of the batch group is moved into the chamber, and the structure in the chamber is kept at a fixed insulation temperature by irradiating light from the continuously lighting lamp, and the temperature adjustment stage is performed by repeatedly lighting and extinguishing the continuously lighting lamp to adjust the temperature of the structure.

[0021] In addition, the invention of technical solution 7 is a heat treatment device according to the invention of technical solution 6, characterized in that: in the temperature adjustment stage, the same light irradiation as the light irradiation performed on the substrate included in the batch group from the continuously lit lamp while the dummy wafer is held on the base is repeatedly performed.

[0022] In addition, the invention of technical solution 8 is a heat treatment device according to the invention of technical solution 7, characterized in that: in the said heat preservation stage, light irradiation is performed from the said continuous lighting lamp in the state which holds the dummy wafer on the said susceptor.

[0023] In addition, the invention of technical solution 9 is a heat treatment device according to the invention of technical solution 8, characterized in that it also includes: a first thermometer for measuring the temperature of the base; a second thermometer for measuring the temperature of the dummy wafer held on the base; and in the insulation stage, the control unit controls the output from the continuously lighting lamp based on the temperature of the base measured by the first thermometer, and in the temperature adjustment stage, controls the output of the continuously lighting lamp based on the temperature of the dummy wafer held on the base measured by the second thermometer.

[0024] In addition, the invention of technical solution 10 is a heat treatment device according to any one of the inventions of technical solutions 6 to 9, characterized in that when a signal to change the processing temperature of the batch group is received during the execution of the insulation stage, the insulation temperature is changed.

[0025] [Effects of the invention]

[0026] The invention according to technical solutions 1 to 5 includes: a heat preservation step, before the initial substrate of the batch group is moved into the chamber, the structure in the chamber is kept at a fixed heat preservation temperature by irradiating light from a continuously lit lamp; and a temperature adjustment step, after the heat preservation step, the temperature of the structure in the chamber is adjusted by repeatedly lighting and extinguishing the continuously lit lamp, so that the temperature of the structure in the chamber that has been heated to the heat preservation temperature can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the temperature of the structure in the chamber to a stable temperature in a short time.

[0027] According to the invention of technical solutions 6 to 10, after the insulation stage, the temperature adjustment stage is carried out. In this insulation stage, before the initial substrate of the batch group is moved into the chamber, the structure in the chamber is kept at a fixed insulation temperature by irradiating light from the continuous lighting lamp. In this temperature adjustment stage, the temperature of the structure in the chamber is adjusted by repeatedly lighting and extinguishing the continuous lighting lamp. Therefore, the temperature of the structure in the chamber that has been heated to the insulation temperature can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the temperature of the structure in the chamber to a stable temperature in a short time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a top view showing the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Front view of the heat treatment device.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of the heat treatment section.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the holding portion.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a top view of the base.

[0033] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the base.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a top view of the transfer mechanism.

[0035] Figure 8 It is a side view of the transfer mechanism.

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a top view showing the arrangement of a plurality of halogen lamps.

[0037] Fig.10 It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit.

[0038] Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing the procedure of dummy processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0040] First, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a top view showing a heat treatment apparatus 100 of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front view thereof. The heat treatment apparatus 100 is a flash lamp annealing apparatus that irradiates a circular plate-shaped semiconductor wafer W as a substrate with a flash to heat the semiconductor wafer W. The size of the semiconductor wafer W to be processed is not particularly limited, and is, for example, φ300 mm or φ450 mm. Impurities have been injected into the semiconductor wafer W before being transported into the heat treatment apparatus 100, and the injected impurities are activated by the heat treatment performed by the heat treatment apparatus 100. In addition, Figure 1 In the following figures, the size or quantity of each part is exaggerated or simplified as needed for easy understanding. Figure 1 to Figure 3 In order to clarify the directional relationship between them, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is indicated in each figure, in which the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction and the XY plane is the horizontal plane.

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the heat treatment apparatus 100 includes: a transfer unit 101 for transferring an unprocessed semiconductor wafer W from outside into the apparatus and transferring a processed semiconductor wafer W out of the apparatus; an alignment unit 230 for positioning the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W; two cooling units 130 and 140 for cooling the semiconductor wafer W after the heat treatment; a heat treatment unit 160 for performing flash heat treatment on the semiconductor wafer W; and a transfer robot 150 for transferring the semiconductor wafer W to and from the cooling units 130 and 140 and the heat treatment unit 160. In addition, the heat treatment apparatus 100 includes a control unit 3 for controlling the motion mechanisms provided in the above-mentioned processing units and the transfer robot 150 so that they can advance the flash heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer W.

[0042] The transfer and conveying section 101 includes: a loading port 110 for placing a plurality of carriers C in parallel; and a transfer robot 120 for taking out unprocessed semiconductor wafers W from each carrier C and storing processed semiconductor wafers W in each carrier C. Specifically, three loading ports are provided in the transfer and conveying section 101, and the loading port 110 is a general term including the first loading port 110a, the second loading port 110b, and the third loading port 110c (in the case where the three loading ports are not specifically distinguished, they are simply referred to as loading ports 110). The first loading port 110a and the second loading port 110b of the three loading ports are loaded with carriers C containing semiconductor wafers W as products (hereinafter also referred to as product wafers W). On the other hand, the third loading port 110c is a loading port dedicated to a dummy carrier DC containing a dummy wafer DW. That is, only a dummy carrier DC is loaded in the third loading port 110c. Typically, a dummy carrier DC containing a plurality of dummy wafers DW is always placed on the third load port 110 c .

[0043] The carrier C and dummy carrier DC containing unprocessed semiconductor wafers W are transported by an automated transport vehicle (AGV, OHT) and placed on the loading port 110. The carrier C and dummy carrier DC containing processed semiconductor wafers W are also taken away from the loading port 110 by the automated transport vehicle.

[0044] In addition, in the loading port 110, the carrier C and the dummy carrier DC can be Figure 2 The transfer robot 120 moves up and down as shown by the arrow CU, so that the transfer robot 120 can take and place any semiconductor wafer W (or dummy wafer DW) relative to the carrier C and the dummy carrier DC. In addition, as the form of the carrier C and the dummy carrier DC, in addition to the FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that stores the semiconductor wafer W in a closed space, it can also be a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface Face) box, or an OC (Open Cassette) that exposes the stored semiconductor wafer W to the external atmosphere.

[0045] In addition, the transfer robot 120 can perform the following operations: Figure 1The hand 121 slides as shown by the arrow 120S, and the handover and lifting movements as shown by the arrow 120R. Thus, the delivery robot 120 takes and places the semiconductor wafer W relative to the carrier C and the dummy carrier DC, and delivers the semiconductor wafer W to the alignment unit 230 and the two cooling units 130, 140. The handover and placement of the semiconductor wafer W relative to the carrier C (or the dummy carrier DC) by the delivery robot 120 is performed by the sliding movement of the hand 121, and the lifting and lowering movement of the carrier C. In addition, the delivery of the semiconductor wafer W between the delivery robot 120 and the alignment unit 230 or the cooling units 130, 140 is performed by the sliding movement of the hand 121, and the lifting and lowering movement of the delivery robot 120.

[0046] The alignment unit 230 is connected to the side of the transfer and conveying unit 101 along the Y-axis direction. The alignment unit 230 is a processing unit that rotates the semiconductor wafer W in a horizontal plane and faces a direction suitable for flash heating. The alignment unit 230 is arranged inside an alignment chamber 231 which is a shell made of aluminum alloy, and is composed of the following components: a mechanism for supporting the semiconductor wafer W in a horizontal posture and rotating it; and a mechanism for optically detecting the grooves or orientation flat surfaces formed on the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W.

[0047] The delivery of the semiconductor wafer W to the alignment unit 230 is performed by the delivery robot 120. The semiconductor wafer W is delivered from the delivery robot 120 to the alignment chamber 231 in a manner such that the center of the wafer is located at a specified position. In the alignment unit 230, the semiconductor wafer W is rotated around the vertical axis with the center of the semiconductor wafer W received from the transfer unit 101 as the rotation center, and the direction of the semiconductor wafer W is adjusted by optical detection grooves, etc. The semiconductor wafer W after the direction adjustment is completed is taken out from the alignment chamber 231 by the delivery robot 120.

[0048] As a transfer space for the transfer robot 150 to transfer the semiconductor wafer W, a transfer chamber 170 is provided to accommodate the transfer robot 150. The transfer chamber 170 is connected in three directions to the processing chamber 6 of the heat treatment unit 160, the first cooling chamber 131 of the cooling unit 130, and the second cooling chamber 141 of the cooling unit 140.

[0049] The main part of the heat treatment apparatus 100, namely the heat treatment unit 160, is a substrate processing unit that performs flash heating by irradiating flash light from a xenon flash lamp FL onto the preheated semiconductor wafer W. The structure of the heat treatment unit 160 will be described in detail below.

[0050] The two cooling units 130 and 140 have substantially the same structure. The cooling units 130 and 140 are respectively provided with a metal cooling plate and a quartz plate (omitted in the figure) placed on the upper surface thereof in the first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141, which are aluminum alloy shells. The cooling plate is temperature-controlled to room temperature (about 23° C.) by a Peltier element or constant temperature water circulation. The semiconductor wafer W that has been subjected to flash heating treatment in the heat treatment unit 160 is moved into the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141 and placed on the quartz plate for cooling.

[0051] The first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141 are connected to the transfer and conveying section 101 and the transport chamber 170 between the two. Two openings are formed in the first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141 for carrying in and out the semiconductor wafer W. Of the two openings of the first cooling chamber 131, the opening connected to the transfer and conveying section 101 can be opened and closed by a gate valve 181. On the other hand, the opening of the first cooling chamber 131 connected to the transport chamber 170 can be opened and closed by a gate valve 183. That is, the first cooling chamber 131 is connected to the transfer and conveying section 101 via the gate valve 181, and the first cooling chamber 131 is connected to the transport chamber 170 via the gate valve 183.

[0052] When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred between the transfer conveyor 101 and the first cooling chamber 131, the gate valve 181 is opened. When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred between the first cooling chamber 131 and the transfer chamber 170, the gate valve 183 is opened. When the gate valves 181 and 183 are closed, the interior of the first cooling chamber 131 becomes a closed space.

[0053] In addition, of the two openings of the second cooling chamber 141, the opening connected to the transfer and conveying unit 101 can be opened and closed by the gate valve 182. On the other hand, the opening of the second cooling chamber 141 connected to the transfer chamber 170 can be opened and closed by the gate valve 184. That is, the second cooling chamber 141 and the transfer and conveying unit 101 are connected via the gate valve 182, and the second cooling chamber 141 and the transfer chamber 170 are connected via the gate valve 184.

[0054] When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred between the transfer conveyor 101 and the second cooling chamber 141, the gate valve 182 is opened. When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred between the second cooling chamber 141 and the transfer chamber 170, the gate valve 184 is opened. When the gate valves 182 and 184 are closed, the interior of the second cooling chamber 141 becomes a closed space.

[0055] Furthermore, the cooling units 130 and 140 are respectively provided with a gas supply mechanism for supplying clean nitrogen gas to the first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141 and an exhaust mechanism for exhausting the atmosphere in the chamber. These gas supply mechanisms and exhaust mechanisms can also switch the flow rates in two stages.

[0056] The transport robot 150 disposed in the transport chamber 170 can rotate as indicated by arrow 150R with the axis along the vertical direction as the center. The transport robot 150 has two link mechanisms composed of a plurality of arm segments, and transport hands 151a and 151b for holding the semiconductor wafer W are respectively disposed at the front ends of the two link mechanisms. These transport hands 151a and 151b are arranged at a specified interval up and down, and can slide linearly and independently in the same horizontal direction through the link mechanisms. In addition, the transport robot 150 lifts and lowers the base on which the two link mechanisms are disposed, so that the two transport hands 151a and 151b are lifted and lowered in a state of being separated by a specified interval.

[0057] When the transfer robot 150 transfers (takes and places) the semiconductor wafer W with the first cooling chamber 131, the second cooling chamber 141, or the processing chamber 6 of the heat treatment unit 160 as the transfer partner, first, the two transfer hands 151a and 151b rotate to face the transfer partner, and then (or during the rotation) move up and down, and any one of the transfer hands is at a height to transfer the semiconductor wafer W to the transfer partner. Then, the transfer hand 151a (151b) slides linearly in the horizontal direction to transfer the semiconductor wafer W to the transfer partner.

[0058] The semiconductor wafer W can be transferred between the transfer robot 150 and the delivery robot 120 via the cooling units 130 and 140. That is, the first cooling chamber 131 of the cooling unit 130 and the second cooling chamber 141 of the cooling unit 140 also function as a path for transferring the semiconductor wafer W between the transfer robot 150 and the delivery robot 120. Specifically, the semiconductor wafer W transferred to the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141 by one of the transfer robot 150 and the delivery robot 120 is received by the other, and the semiconductor wafer W is transferred. The transfer robot 150 and the delivery robot 120 constitute a transfer mechanism for transferring the semiconductor wafer W from the carrier C to the heat treatment unit 160.

[0059] As described above, gate valves 181 and 182 are provided between the first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141 and the transfer and conveying section 101, respectively. In addition, gate valves 183 and 184 are provided between the transfer chamber 170 and the first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141, respectively. Furthermore, a gate valve 185 is provided between the transfer chamber 170 and the processing chamber 6 of the heat treatment section 160. When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred in the heat treatment apparatus 100, these gate valves are opened and closed as appropriate. In addition, nitrogen gas is also supplied from the gas supply section to the transfer chamber 170 and the alignment chamber 231, and the atmosphere therein is exhausted through the exhaust section (all omitted in the figure).

[0060] Next, the configuration of the heat treatment unit 160 will be described. Figure 3 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of the heat treatment unit 160. The heat treatment unit 160 includes: a processing chamber 6 for accommodating semiconductor wafers W for heat treatment; a flash lamp cabin 5 for housing a plurality of flash lamps FL; and a halogen lamp cabin 4 for housing a plurality of halogen lamps HL. The flash lamp cabin 5 is provided on the upper side of the processing chamber 6, and the halogen lamp cabin 4 is provided on the lower side. In addition, the heat treatment unit 160 includes a holding unit 7 for holding the semiconductor wafer W in a horizontal position inside the processing chamber 6, and a transfer mechanism 10 for transferring the semiconductor wafer W between the holding unit 7 and the transfer robot 150.

[0061] The processing chamber 6 is formed by installing quartz chamber windows on the upper and lower parts of a cylindrical chamber side portion 61. The chamber side portion 61 has a roughly cylindrical shape with upper and lower openings, and the upper opening is blocked by installing an upper chamber window 63, and the lower opening is blocked by installing a lower chamber window 64. The upper chamber window 63 constituting the top wall of the processing chamber 6 is a disk-shaped component formed of quartz, and functions as a quartz window that allows the flash emitted from the flash lamp FL to be transmitted into the processing chamber 6. In addition, the lower chamber window 64 constituting the bottom plate of the processing chamber 6 is also a disk-shaped component formed of quartz, and functions as a quartz window that allows the light from the halogen lamp HL to be transmitted into the processing chamber 6.

[0062] In addition, a reflection ring 68 is installed on the upper part of the inner wall surface of the chamber side portion 61, and a reflection ring 69 is installed on the lower part. The reflection rings 68 and 69 are both formed in a circular ring shape. The upper reflection ring 68 is installed by embedding from the upper side of the chamber side portion 61. On the other hand, the lower reflection ring 69 is installed by embedding from the lower side of the chamber side portion 61 and fixing it with screws omitted in the figure. In other words, the reflection rings 68 and 69 are both installed on the chamber side portion 61 so as to be freely loaded and unloaded. The inner space of the processing chamber 6, that is, the space surrounded by the upper chamber window 63, the lower chamber window 64, the chamber side portion 61 and the reflection rings 68 and 69 is defined as a heat treatment space 65.

[0063] By installing the reflection rings 68 and 69 on the chamber side portion 61, a recessed portion 62 is formed on the inner wall surface of the processing chamber 6. That is, a recessed portion 62 is formed which is surrounded by the central portion of the inner wall surface of the chamber side portion 61 where the reflection rings 68 and 69 are not installed, the lower end surface of the reflection ring 68, and the upper end surface of the reflection ring 69. The recessed portion 62 is formed in a circular ring shape along the horizontal direction on the inner wall surface of the processing chamber 6 and surrounds the holding portion 7 holding the semiconductor wafer W. The chamber side portion 61 and the reflection rings 68 and 69 are formed of a metal material (for example, stainless steel) having excellent strength and heat resistance.

[0064] In addition, a transport opening (furnace port) 66 for carrying in and out the semiconductor wafer W from the processing chamber 6 is formed on the chamber side portion 61. The transport opening 66 can be opened and closed by the gate valve 185. The transport opening 66 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the recess 62. Therefore, when the gate valve 185 opens the transport opening 66, the semiconductor wafer W can be carried in and out of the heat treatment space 65 from the transport opening 66 through the recess 62. In addition, if the gate valve 185 closes the transport opening 66, the heat treatment space 65 in the processing chamber 6 becomes a closed space.

[0065] In addition, a gas supply hole 81 is formed on the upper part of the inner wall of the processing chamber 6 to supply the processing gas to the heat treatment space 65. The gas supply hole 81 is formed and arranged at a position higher than the recess 62, and can also be arranged on the reflection ring 68. The gas supply hole 81 is connected to the gas supply pipe 83 through the buffer space 82 formed in an annular shape inside the side wall of the processing chamber 6. The gas supply pipe 83 is connected to the processing gas supply source 85. In addition, a valve 84 is inserted in the middle of the path of the gas supply pipe 83. If the valve 84 is opened, the processing gas is transported from the processing gas supply source 85 to the buffer space 82. The processing gas flowing into the buffer space 82 flows in a diffused manner in the buffer space 82 where the fluid resistance is smaller than that of the gas supply hole 81, and is supplied from the gas supply hole 81 to the heat treatment space 65. As the processing gas, an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) or a reactive gas such as hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) (in this embodiment, nitrogen) can be used.

[0066] On the other hand, a gas discharge hole 86 for discharging the gas in the heat treatment space 65 is formed at the lower part of the inner wall of the processing chamber 6. The gas discharge hole 86 is formed and arranged at a lower position than the recess 62, and can also be arranged at the reflection ring 69. The gas discharge hole 86 is connected to the gas discharge pipe 88 through the buffer space 87 formed in an annular shape inside the side wall of the processing chamber 6. The gas discharge pipe 88 is connected to the exhaust mechanism 190. In addition, a valve 89 is inserted in the middle of the path of the gas discharge pipe 88. If the valve 89 is opened, the gas in the heat treatment space 65 is discharged from the gas discharge hole 86 to the gas discharge pipe 88 through the buffer space 87. In addition, the gas supply hole 81 and the gas discharge hole 86 can be arranged in a plurality along the circumferential direction of the processing chamber 6, or in a slit shape. In addition, the processing gas supply source 85 and the exhaust mechanism 190 can be a mechanism arranged in the heat treatment device 100, or a facility of a factory where the heat treatment device 100 is arranged.

[0067] In addition, a gas exhaust pipe 191 for exhausting the gas in the heat treatment space 65 is also connected to the front end of the transfer opening 66. The gas exhaust pipe 191 is connected to the exhaust mechanism 190 via a valve 192. When the valve 192 is opened, the gas in the processing chamber 6 is exhausted through the transfer opening 66.

[0068] Figure 4 : is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the holding part 7. The holding part 7 is composed of a base ring 71, a connecting part 72 and a base 74. The base ring 71, the connecting part 72 and the base 74 are all formed of quartz. In other words, the holding part 7 is formed of quartz as a whole.

[0069] The base ring 71 is a quartz component with an arc shape in which a portion of the circular ring is missing. The missing portion is provided to prevent interference between the transfer arm 11 of the transfer mechanism 10 described below and the base ring 71. The base ring 71 is placed on the bottom surface of the recess 62 and is thereby supported by the wall surface of the processing chamber 6 (see Figure 3 ). On the upper surface of the base ring 71, a plurality of connecting parts 72 (four in this embodiment) are vertically provided along the circumferential direction of the annular shape. The connecting part 72 is also a quartz component and is fixed to the base ring 71 by welding.

[0070] The base 74 is supported by four connection parts 72 provided on the base ring 71 . Figure 5 74 is a top view of the base. Figure 6 74. The susceptor 74 includes a holding plate 75, a guide ring 76, and a plurality of substrate support pins 77. The holding plate 75 is a substantially circular flat plate-shaped member formed of quartz. The diameter of the holding plate 75 is larger than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. In other words, the holding plate 75 has a larger plane size than the semiconductor wafer W.

[0071] A guide ring 76 is provided on the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the retaining plate 75. The guide ring 76 is a circular ring-shaped component having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. For example, when the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W is φ300 mm, the inner diameter of the guide ring 76 is φ320 mm. The inner periphery of the guide ring 76 is formed as an inclined surface that expands upward from the retaining plate 75. The guide ring 76 is formed of the same quartz as the retaining plate 75. The guide ring 76 can be fused to the upper surface of the retaining plate 75, or it can be fixed to the retaining plate 75 by a pin or the like obtained by separate processing. Alternatively, the retaining plate 75 and the guide ring 76 can be processed into an integral component.

[0072] The area on the upper surface of the holding plate 75 that is closer to the inner side than the guide ring 76 becomes a planar holding surface 75a for holding the semiconductor wafer W. On the holding surface 75a of the holding plate 75, a plurality of substrate support pins 77 are vertically arranged. In the present embodiment, a total of 12 substrate support pins 77 are vertically arranged at intervals of 30° along the circumference of the holding surface 75a that is concentric with the outer circumference (the inner circumference of the guide ring 76). The diameter of the circle on which the 12 substrate support pins 77 are arranged (the distance between the substrate support pins 77 facing each other) is smaller than the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. If the diameter of the semiconductor wafer W is φ300 mm, the diameter of the circle is φ270 mm to φ280 mm (φ270 mm in the present embodiment). Each substrate support pin 77 is formed of quartz. A plurality of substrate support pins 77 may be arranged on the upper surface of the holding plate 75 by welding, or may be processed into one piece with the holding plate 75.

[0073] Return to Figure 4 , the four connecting parts 72 erected on the base ring 71 are fixedly connected to the peripheral part of the holding plate 75 of the base 74 by welding. That is, the base 74 and the base ring 71 are fixedly connected by the connecting parts 72. By supporting the base ring 71 of the holding part 7 on the wall surface of the processing chamber 6 in this way, the holding part 7 is installed in the processing chamber 6. When the holding part 7 is installed in the processing chamber 6, the holding plate 75 of the base 74 is in a horizontal posture (a posture in which the normal line is consistent with the vertical direction). In other words, the holding surface 75a of the holding plate 75 becomes a horizontal plane.

[0074] The semiconductor wafer W carried into the processing chamber 6 is placed and held in a horizontal position on a susceptor 74 of a holding portion 7 installed in the processing chamber 6. At this time, the semiconductor wafer W is supported by 12 substrate support pins 77 vertically provided on the holding plate 75 and held on the susceptor 74. More precisely, the upper ends of the 12 substrate support pins 77 contact the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer W to support the semiconductor wafer W. The heights of the 12 substrate support pins 77 (the distance from the upper ends of the substrate support pins 77 to the holding surface 75a of the holding plate 75) are equal, so the semiconductor wafer W can be supported in a horizontal position by the 12 substrate support pins 77.

[0075] In addition, the semiconductor wafer W is supported by the plurality of substrate support pins 77 at a predetermined interval from the holding surface 75a of the holding plate 75. The thickness of the guide ring 76 is greater than the height of the substrate support pins 77. Therefore, the guide ring 76 prevents the semiconductor wafer W supported by the plurality of substrate support pins 77 from being displaced in the horizontal direction.

[0076] In addition, if Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the holding plate 75 of the base 74 is formed with an opening 78 extending vertically. The opening 78 is for the edge radiation thermometer 20 (see Figure 3 ) is provided to receive the radiation light (infrared light) radiated from the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer W held on the base 74. That is, the edge radiation thermometer 20 receives the light radiated from the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer W held on the base 74 through the opening 78, and measures the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W. Furthermore, four through holes 79 are provided through the holding plate 75 of the base 74, through which the lift pins 12 of the transfer mechanism 10 described below pass in order to transfer the semiconductor wafer W.

[0077] Figure 7 1 is a top view of the transfer mechanism 10. Figure 8 1 is a side view of the transfer mechanism 10. The transfer mechanism 10 includes two transfer arms 11. The transfer arms 11 are formed into an arc shape along the substantially annular recess 62. Two lifting pins 12 are vertically provided on each transfer arm 11. Each transfer arm 11 can be rotated by a horizontal moving mechanism 13. The horizontal moving mechanism 13 enables a pair of transfer arms 11 to be in a transfer operation position ( Figure 7 The solid line position) and the retreat position ( Figure 7 The transfer action position is a position for transferring the semiconductor wafer W relative to the holding portion 7, and the retreat position is a position that does not overlap with the semiconductor wafer W held by the holding portion 7 when viewed from above. The transfer action position is below the base 74, and the retreat position is further outside than the base 74. As the horizontal moving mechanism 13, each transfer arm 11 can be rotated separately by an individual motor, or a link mechanism can be used to rotate a pair of transfer arms 11 in conjunction with one motor.

[0078] In addition, the pair of transfer arms 11 are moved up and down together with the horizontal moving mechanism 13 by the lifting mechanism 14. When the lifting mechanism 14 raises the pair of transfer arms 11 at the transfer operation position, a total of four lift pins 12 pass through the through holes 79 (see Figure 4 , 5), so that the upper end of the lift pin 12 protrudes from the upper surface of the base 74. On the other hand, the lifting mechanism 14 lowers the pair of transfer arms 11 at the transfer action position and pulls the lift pin 12 out of the through hole 79. If the horizontal moving mechanism 13 moves the pair of transfer arms 11 in an open manner, each transfer arm 11 moves to a retreat position. The retreat position of the pair of transfer arms 11 is directly above the base ring 71 of the holding portion 7. Since the base ring 71 is placed on the bottom surface of the recess 62, the retreat position of the transfer arm 11 is located on the inner side of the recess 62. In addition, near the portion of the transfer mechanism 10 where the drive portion (the horizontal moving mechanism 13 and the lifting mechanism 14) is provided, an exhaust mechanism (not shown) is also provided, and is configured to exhaust the ambient gas around the drive portion of the transfer mechanism 10 to the outside of the processing chamber 6.

[0079] Return to Figure 3 The heat treatment section 160 includes two radiation thermometers, namely an edge radiation thermometer (edge ​​pyrometer) 20 and a center radiation thermometer (center pyrometer) 25. As described above, the edge radiation thermometer 20 is a wafer thermometer that receives infrared light radiated from the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer W through the opening 78 of the base 74, and measures the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W from the intensity of the infrared light. On the other hand, the center radiation thermometer 25 is a base thermometer that receives infrared light radiated from the center of the base 74, and measures the temperature of the base 74 from the intensity of the infrared light. In addition, for the convenience of illustration, in Figure 3 In the figure, the edge radiation thermometer 20 and the center radiation thermometer 25 are described as being inside the processing chamber 6, but they are actually installed on the outer wall surface of the processing chamber 6 and receive infrared light through the through holes provided on the outer wall surface.

[0080] The flash lamp cabin 5 disposed above the processing chamber 6 is inside the housing 51, and is provided with a light source including a plurality of (in the present embodiment, 30) xenon flash lamps FL, and a reflector 52 disposed so as to cover the light source. In addition, a light irradiation window 53 is installed at the bottom of the housing 51 of the flash lamp cabin 5. The light irradiation window 53 constituting the bottom plate portion of the flash lamp cabin 5 is a plate-shaped quartz window formed of quartz. By disposing the flash lamp cabin 5 above the processing chamber 6, the light irradiation window 53 is opposed to the upper chamber window 63. The flash lamp FL irradiates the heat treatment space 65 with flash light from above the processing chamber 6 through the light irradiation window 53 and the upper chamber window 63.

[0081] The flash lamps FL are rod-shaped lamps each having a long cylindrical shape, and are arranged in a plane so that their length directions are parallel to each other along the main surface (that is, along the horizontal direction) of the semiconductor wafer W held by the holding portion 7. Therefore, the plane formed by the arrangement of the flash lamps FL is also a horizontal plane.

[0082] The xenon flash lamp FL includes: a rod-shaped glass tube (discharge tube) in which xenon gas is sealed, and an anode and a cathode connected to a capacitor are arranged at both ends; and a trigger electrode is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the glass tube. Xenon gas is an electrical insulator, so even if there is charge stored in the capacitor, no electricity will flow in the glass tube under normal conditions. However, when a high voltage is applied to the trigger electrode to break the insulation, the electricity stored in the capacitor will instantly flow into the glass tube, and light will be emitted by the excitation of xenon atoms or molecules at this time. In this xenon flash lamp FL, the static electricity stored in the capacitor in advance is converted into an extremely short light pulse of 0.1 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds, so it has the characteristic of being able to emit extremely strong light compared to a continuously lit light source such as a halogen lamp HL. In other words, the flash lamp FL is a pulse light lamp that emits light instantly in an extremely short time of less than 1 second. In addition, the light emission time of the flash lamp FL can be adjusted by the coil constant of the lamp power supply that supplies power to the flash lamp FL.

[0083] In addition, the reflector 52 is provided above the plurality of flash lamps FL in a manner covering the entirety of the plurality of flash lamps FL. The basic function of the reflector 52 is to reflect the flash emitted from the plurality of flash lamps FL toward the heat treatment space 65. The reflector 52 is formed of an aluminum alloy plate, and the front surface (the surface facing the flash lamp FL) is roughened by sandblasting.

[0084] The halogen lamp cabin 4 disposed below the processing chamber 6 has a plurality of (40 in this embodiment) halogen lamps HL built inside a housing 41. The plurality of halogen lamps HL irradiate the heat treatment space 65 with light from below the processing chamber 6 through the lower chamber window 64.

[0085] Fig. 9 It is a top view showing the configuration of a plurality of halogen lamps HL. In the present embodiment, 20 halogen lamps HL are provided in each of the upper and lower sections. Each halogen lamp HL is a rod-shaped lamp having a long cylindrical shape. In the upper section and the lower section, the 20 halogen lamps HL are arranged in parallel with each other along the main surface of the semiconductor wafer W held in the holding portion 7 (that is, along the horizontal direction) in their respective length directions. Therefore, in both the upper section and the lower section, the plane formed by the arrangement of the halogen lamps HL is a horizontal plane.

[0086] In addition, if Fig. 9 As shown, in the upper and lower sections, the arrangement density of the halogen lamps HL in the area opposite to the peripheral portion is higher than the arrangement density in the area opposite to the central portion of the semiconductor wafer W held by the holding portion 7. In other words, in the upper and lower sections, the arrangement spacing of the halogen lamps HL in the peripheral portion is shorter than the arrangement spacing in the central portion of the lamp arrangement. Therefore, the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W, whose temperature is easily reduced when heated by light irradiation from the halogen lamps HL, can be irradiated with a larger amount of light.

[0087] The upper halogen lamps HL and the lower halogen lamps HL are arranged in a grid pattern. That is, a total of 40 halogen lamps HL are arranged so that the length direction of the upper halogen lamps HL is perpendicular to the length direction of the lower halogen lamps HL.

[0088] The halogen lamp HL is a filament-type light source that emits light by energizing a filament disposed inside a glass tube, turning the filament incandescent. A gas obtained by introducing a trace amount of halogen elements (iodine, bromine, etc.) into an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is sealed inside the glass tube. By introducing the halogen elements, the breakage of the filament can be suppressed, and the temperature of the filament can be set to a high temperature. Therefore, the halogen lamp HL has the following characteristics: compared with ordinary incandescent bulbs, it has a longer life and can continuously irradiate strong light. In other words, the halogen lamp HL is a continuously lit lamp that emits light continuously for at least 1 second. In addition, since the halogen lamp HL is a rod-shaped lamp, it has a longer life, and by arranging the halogen lamp HL in the horizontal direction, the radiation efficiency to the semiconductor wafer W above is excellent.

[0089] In addition, a reflector 43 ( Figure 3 ). The reflector 43 reflects the light emitted from the plurality of halogen lamps HL toward the side of the heat treatment space 65 .

[0090] In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the heat treatment section 160 is also provided with various cooling structures to prevent the temperature of the halogen lamp cabin 4, the flash lamp cabin 5, and the processing chamber 6 from excessively rising due to the heat energy generated from the halogen lamp HL and the flash lamp FL when the semiconductor wafer W is heat treated. For example, a water cooling pipe (not shown) is provided on the wall of the processing chamber 6. In addition, the halogen lamp cabin 4 and the flash lamp cabin 5 are formed into an air-cooling structure for dissipating heat by forming an air flow inside. In addition, air is also supplied to the gap between the upper chamber window 63 and the light radiating window 53 to cool the flash lamp cabin 5 and the upper chamber window 63.

[0091] The control unit 3 controls the various operating mechanisms provided in the heat treatment apparatus 100 . Fig.10This is a block diagram showing the structure of the control unit 3. The hardware structure of the control unit 3 is the same as that of an ordinary computer. That is, the control unit 3 has: a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a circuit that performs various calculations; a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only memory that stores basic programs; a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a free read-write memory that stores various information; and a disk that stores control software or data, etc. The processing in the heat treatment device 100 is carried out by the CPU of the control unit 3 executing the specified processing program. In addition, Figure 1 In the figure, the control unit 3 is shown in the transfer and conveying unit 101 , but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the control unit 3 can be arranged at any position in the heat treatment apparatus 100 .

[0092] A touch panel 33 of liquid crystal is connected to the control unit 3. The touch panel 33 is, for example, provided on the outer wall of the heat treatment device 100. The touch panel 33 displays various information and accepts input of various comments or parameters. In other words, the touch panel 33 has the functions of both a display unit and an input unit. The operator of the heat treatment device 100 can input instructions or parameters from the touch panel 33 while confirming the information displayed on the touch panel 33. In addition, a combination of an input unit such as a keyboard or a mouse and a display unit such as a liquid crystal display can be used instead of the touch panel 33.

[0093] The control unit 3 is also connected to the edge radiation thermometer 20, the center radiation thermometer 25, and the lamp power supply 45 of the halogen lamp HL. The control unit 3 controls the lamp power supply 45 based on the measurement results of the edge radiation thermometer 20 or the center radiation thermometer 25 to adjust the output of the halogen lamp HL.

[0094] Furthermore, the control unit 3 of the heat treatment apparatus 100 can communicate with the host computer 39. The host computer 39 is a controller that manages the entirety of the plurality of heat treatment apparatuses 100 installed in the semiconductor manufacturing plant. The host computer 39 also controls the operation of transporting the carrier C to the plurality of heat treatment apparatuses 100 by OHT (Overhead Hoist Transfer) in the semiconductor manufacturing plant. In addition, the communication between the host computer 39 and the control unit 3 can be wired or wireless.

[0095] Next, the processing operation of the heat treatment apparatus 100 of the present invention will be described. Here, the processing operation performed on the semiconductor wafer (product wafer) W as a product will be described first, and then the temperature adjustment process of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74 will be described. The semiconductor wafer W as the processing object is a semiconductor substrate to which impurities (ions) are added by ion implantation. The activation of the impurities is performed by flash irradiation heating treatment (annealing) implemented by the heat treatment apparatus 100.

[0096] First, a plurality of unprocessed semiconductor wafers W injected with impurities are placed in a carrier C and loaded into the first loading port 110a or the second loading port 110b of the transfer and conveying unit 101. Then, the transfer robot 120 takes out the unprocessed semiconductor wafers W from the carrier C one by one and moves them into the alignment chamber 231 of the alignment unit 230. In the alignment chamber 231, the semiconductor wafer W is rotated around a vertical axis in a horizontal plane with its center as the rotation center, and the direction of the semiconductor wafer W is adjusted by optical detection grooves, etc.

[0097] Next, the transfer robot 120 of the transfer and conveying unit 101 takes out the semiconductor wafer W whose direction has been adjusted from the alignment chamber 231 and carries it into the first cooling chamber 131 of the cooling unit 130 or the second cooling chamber 141 of the cooling unit 140. The unprocessed semiconductor wafer W carried into the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141 is carried out to the transfer chamber 170 by the transfer robot 150. When the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the transfer and conveying unit 101 to the transfer chamber 170 through the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141, the first cooling chamber 131 and the second cooling chamber 141 function as a path for transferring the semiconductor wafer W.

[0098] After taking out the semiconductor wafer W, the transfer robot 150 rotates to face the heat treatment unit 160. Then, the gate valve 185 opens the space between the processing chamber 6 and the transfer chamber 170, and the transfer robot 150 moves the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W into the processing chamber 6. At this time, if there is a semiconductor wafer W that has been previously heat-treated and has been processed in the processing chamber 6, one of the transfer hands 151a and 151b takes out the heat-treated semiconductor wafer W, and then moves the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W into the processing chamber 6 to perform wafer replacement. Then, the gate valve 185 closes the space between the processing chamber 6 and the transfer chamber 170.

[0099] After the semiconductor wafer W carried into the processing chamber 6 is preheated by the halogen lamp HL, a flash heating process is performed by flash irradiation from the flash lamp FL. The impurities implanted into the semiconductor wafer W are activated by the flash heating process.

[0100] After the flash heat treatment is completed, the gate valve 185 opens the space between the processing chamber 6 and the transfer chamber 170 again, and the transfer robot 150 transfers the semiconductor wafer W after the flash heat treatment from the processing chamber 6 to the transfer chamber 170. After taking out the semiconductor wafer W, the transfer robot 150 rotates from the processing chamber 6 to the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141. In addition, the gate valve 185 closes the space between the processing chamber 6 and the transfer chamber 170.

[0101] Then, the transfer robot 150 transfers the semiconductor wafer W after the heat treatment into the first cooling chamber 131 of the cooling unit 130 or the second cooling chamber 141 of the cooling unit 140. At this time, if the semiconductor wafer W has passed through the first cooling chamber 131 before the heat treatment, it is still transferred to the first cooling chamber 131 after the heat treatment, and if it has passed through the second cooling chamber 141 before the heat treatment, it is still transferred to the second cooling chamber 141 after the heat treatment. In the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141, the semiconductor wafer W after the flash heat treatment is cooled. The overall temperature of the semiconductor wafer W at the time of being transferred out of the processing chamber 6 of the heat treatment unit 160 is relatively high, so it is cooled to near room temperature in the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141.

[0102] After the specified cooling treatment time, the transfer robot 120 moves the cooled semiconductor wafers W out of the first cooling chamber 131 or the second cooling chamber 141 and returns them to the carrier C. Once the carrier C contains a specified number of processed semiconductor wafers W, the carrier C is moved out from the first loading port 110a or the second loading port 110b of the transfer conveyor 101.

[0103] The heat treatment in the heat treatment unit 160 is further described. Before the semiconductor wafer W is loaded into the processing chamber 6, the valve 84 for gas supply is opened, and the valves 89 and 192 for exhaust are opened to start supplying and exhausting gas in the processing chamber 6. After the valve 84 is opened, nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply hole 81 to the heat treatment space 65. In addition, after the valve 89 is opened, the gas in the processing chamber 6 is exhausted from the gas exhaust hole 86. As a result, the nitrogen gas supplied from the upper part of the heat treatment space 65 in the processing chamber 6 flows downward and is exhausted from the lower part of the heat treatment space 65.

[0104] In addition, by opening the valve 192, the gas in the processing chamber 6 is also exhausted from the transfer opening 66. Furthermore, by omitting the exhaust mechanism shown in the figure, the ambient gas around the driving part of the transfer mechanism 10 is also exhausted. In addition, when the semiconductor wafer W is subjected to heat treatment in the heat treatment part 160, nitrogen gas is continuously supplied to the heat treatment space 65, and its supply amount is appropriately changed according to the processing steps.

[0105] Then, the gate valve 185 is opened to open the transport opening 66, and the semiconductor wafer W to be processed is transported into the heat treatment space 65 in the processing chamber 6 through the transport opening 66 by the transport robot 150. The transport robot 150 advances the transport hand 151a (or the transport hand 151b) holding the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W to a position directly above the holding portion 7 and stops there. Then, the pair of transfer arms 11 of the transfer mechanism 10 horizontally move from the retreat position to the transfer action position and rise, thereby, the lift pins 12 protrude from the upper surface of the holding plate 75 of the base 74 through the through holes 79 to receive the semiconductor wafer W. At this time, the lift pins 12 rise to a position higher than the upper ends of the substrate support pins 77.

[0106] After placing the unprocessed semiconductor wafer W on the lift pins 12, the transport robot 150 withdraws the transport hand 151a from the heat treatment space 65, and the transport opening 66 is closed by the gate valve 185. Then, the pair of transfer arms 11 descends, whereby the semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the transfer mechanism 10 to the base 74 of the holding portion 7 and is held from below in a horizontal posture. The semiconductor wafer W is supported by a plurality of substrate support pins 77 erected on the holding plate 75 and is held on the base 74. In addition, the semiconductor wafer W is held on the holding portion 7 with the front side on which the pattern is formed and impurities are injected as the upper surface. A specified interval is formed between the back side (the main surface on the opposite side to the front side) of the semiconductor wafer W supported by the plurality of substrate support pins 77 and the holding surface 75a of the holding plate 75. The pair of transfer arms 11 that have descended to the bottom of the base 74 retreat to the retreat position, that is, the inner side of the recess 62, through the horizontal moving mechanism 13.

[0107] After the semiconductor wafer W is held horizontally from below by the base 74 of the holding portion 7, 40 halogen lamps HL are lit at the same time to start preheating (auxiliary heating). The halogen light emitted from the halogen lamp HL is irradiated onto the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer W through the lower chamber window 64 and the base 74 formed by quartz. The semiconductor wafer W is preheated by receiving light from the halogen lamp HL, thereby increasing the temperature. In addition, since the transfer arm 11 of the transfer mechanism 10 has retreated to the inner side of the recess 62, it will not hinder the halogen lamp HL from heating.

[0108] When preheating is performed by the halogen lamp HL, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20. That is, the infrared light radiated from the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer W held on the base 74 through the opening 78 is received by the edge radiation thermometer 20 to measure the temperature of the wafer being heated. The measured temperature of the semiconductor wafer W is transmitted to the control unit 3. The control unit 3 controls the output of the halogen lamp HL while monitoring whether the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W heated by the light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL reaches the specified preheating temperature T1. That is, the control unit 3 feedback controls the output of the halogen lamp HL based on the measured value measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20 so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W becomes the preheating temperature T1. The preheating temperature T1 is set to a temperature at which there is no need to worry about the impurities added to the semiconductor wafer W diffusing by heat, that is, about 600°C to 800°C (700°C in the present embodiment).

[0109] After the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W reaches the preheating temperature T1, the control unit 3 temporarily maintains the semiconductor wafer W at the preheating temperature T1. Specifically, at the time point when the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20 reaches the preheating temperature T1, the control unit 3 adjusts the output of the halogen lamp HL to maintain the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W approximately at the preheating temperature T1.

[0110] By preheating with the halogen lamp HL in this way, the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W as a whole is uniformly raised to the preheating temperature T1. In the preheating stage with the halogen lamp HL, there is a tendency that the temperature of the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W, which is more likely to dissipate heat, is lower than that of the central portion. However, in the halogen lamp chamber 4, the arrangement density of the halogen lamp HL in the area opposite to the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W is higher than that in the area opposite to the central portion. Therefore, the amount of light irradiated to the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W, which is more likely to dissipate heat, increases, so that the in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer W in the preheating stage can be uniform.

[0111] At the time point after the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W reaches the preheating temperature T1 and a specified time has passed, the flash lamp FL performs flash irradiation on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer W. At this time, a portion of the flash emitted from the flash lamp FL is directed directly into the processing chamber 6, and the other portion is temporarily reflected by the reflector 52 and then directed into the processing chamber 6. The semiconductor wafer W is flash heated by the irradiation of these flashes.

[0112] Flash heating is performed by irradiating a flash light from a flash lamp FL, so the temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer W can be raised in a short time. That is, the flash light irradiated from the flash lamp FL is an extremely short and strong flash light that is converted from the electrostatic energy stored in the capacitor in advance into an extremely short light pulse and has an irradiation time of about 0.1 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds. Moreover, the temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer W that is flash-heated by the flash light irradiation from the flash lamp FL instantly rises to a processing temperature T2 of more than 1000°C, and after the impurities injected into the semiconductor wafer W are activated, the temperature of the front surface drops rapidly. In this way, in flash heating, the temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer W can be raised and lowered in a very short time, so that the impurities injected into the semiconductor wafer W can be activated while suppressing the diffusion of the impurities by heat. In addition, the time required for the activation of the impurities is extremely short compared to the time required for its thermal diffusion, so the activation can be completed in a short time of about 0.1 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds before diffusion occurs.

[0113] After the flash heating treatment is completed and the specified time has passed, the halogen lamp HL goes out. As a result, the semiconductor wafer W is rapidly cooled from the preheating temperature T1. The temperature of the semiconductor wafer W being cooled is measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20, and the measurement result is transmitted to the control unit 3. The control unit 3 monitors whether the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W has dropped to the specified temperature based on the measurement result of the edge radiation thermometer 20. Then, after the temperature of the semiconductor wafer W has dropped below the specified temperature, the pair of transfer arms 11 of the transfer mechanism 10 are horizontally moved from the retreat position to the transfer action position again and rise, so that the lift pins 12 protrude from the upper surface of the base 74, and the heat-treated semiconductor wafer W is received from the base 74. Then, the transport opening 66 locked by the gate valve 185 is opened, and the processed semiconductor wafer W placed on the lift pins 12 is moved out by the transfer hand 151b (or transfer hand 151a) of the transfer robot 150. The transfer robot 150 moves the transfer hand 151b to a position directly below the semiconductor wafer W lifted by the lift pins 12 and stops there. Then, the semiconductor wafer W after flash heating is transferred and placed on the transfer hand 151b by descending the pair of transfer arms 11. Then, the transfer robot 150 withdraws the transfer hand 151b from the processing chamber 6 and carries out the processed semiconductor wafer W.

[0114] However, it is more typical to process semiconductor wafers W in batches. A batch refers to a group of semiconductor wafers W that are subjected to the same processing under the same conditions. In the heat treatment apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, a plurality of semiconductor wafers W constituting a batch (for example, 25 wafers) are accommodated in a carrier C and loaded on the first loading port 110a or the second loading port 110b of the transfer and conveying section 101, and then the semiconductor wafers W are sequentially moved from the carrier C into the processing chamber 6 one by one for heating processing.

[0115] Here, when batch processing is started in the heat treatment device 100 that has not been processed for a period of time, the first semiconductor wafer W of the batch is moved into the processing chamber 6 at approximately room temperature for preheating and flash heating treatment. This situation is, for example, a situation where the heat treatment device 100 is started after maintenance and then the first batch is processed; or a long time has passed since the previous batch was processed. During the heating treatment, heat is transferred from the heated semiconductor wafer W to the chamber structure such as the base 74, so the base 74, which is initially at room temperature, will slowly heat up through heat storage as the number of semiconductor wafers W processed increases. In addition, a portion of the infrared light emitted from the halogen lamp HL will be absorbed by the lower chamber window 64, so the temperature of the lower chamber window 64 will also slowly rise as the number of semiconductor wafers W processed increases.

[0116] Moreover, when the heat treatment of about 10 semiconductor wafers W is performed, the temperature of the susceptor 74 and the lower chamber window 64 reaches a fixed stable temperature. In the susceptor 74 that has reached the stable temperature, the heat conducted from the semiconductor wafer W to the susceptor 74 is balanced with the heat dissipated from the susceptor 74. Before the temperature of the susceptor 74 reaches the stable temperature, the heat conducted from the semiconductor wafer W is greater than the heat dissipated from the susceptor 74, so the temperature of the susceptor 74 slowly rises through heat storage as the number of processed semiconductor wafers W increases. In contrast, after the temperature of the susceptor 74 reaches the stable temperature, the heat conducted from the semiconductor wafer W is balanced with the heat dissipated from the susceptor 74, so the temperature of the susceptor 74 is maintained at a fixed stable temperature. In addition, the stable temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74 refers to the temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74 when the temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74 rises and becomes fixed when the heat treatment of a plurality of semiconductor wafers W of a batch is continuously performed in the processing chamber 6 without preheating the structure. Furthermore, after the temperature of the lower chamber window 64 reaches the stable temperature, the heat absorbed by the lower chamber window 64 from the irradiation light of the halogen lamp HL is balanced with the heat released from the lower chamber window 64 , so the temperature of the lower chamber window 64 is also maintained at a fixed stable temperature.

[0117] If the processing is started in the processing chamber 6 at room temperature like this, there is the following problem: the temperature records are uneven between the semiconductor wafers W at the beginning of the batch and the semiconductor wafers W at the middle and later stages because the temperature of the structures in the processing chamber 6 is different. In addition, regarding the initial semiconductor wafers W, they are supported on a low-temperature base 74 and flash heated, so there is also the problem of wafer warping. Therefore, in the past, before starting the product batch processing, the following dummy operation (dummy processing) was implemented: a dummy wafer DW that is not the processing object is moved into the processing chamber 6 for heating treatment, and the structures in the chamber such as the base 74 are heated to a stable temperature. However, it takes a considerable amount of time to perform dummy processing on the processing chamber 6 at room temperature and to heat the structures in the chamber such as the base 74 to a stable temperature. During this period, the batch processing cannot be started, so there is a concern about a decrease in production capacity. The following is a description of the dummy processing in this embodiment.

[0118] Fig.11 1 is a flowchart showing the sequence of dummy processing. First, dummy processing is not performed before the processing of the preceding batch group is completed (step S1). When the processing of the last semiconductor wafer W of the preceding batch group is completed and the semiconductor wafer W is moved out of the processing chamber 6, the thermal processing device 100 becomes a standby state, and immediately proceeds from step S1 to step S2 to start heating processing. After the heating processing starts, the dummy wafer DW is transported from the dummy carrier DC placed on the third loading port 110c to the processing chamber 6 of the thermal processing unit 160 through the transfer robot 120 and the transfer robot 150.

[0119] The dummy wafer DW is a silicon wafer in the same disk shape as the semiconductor wafer W as a product, and has the same size and shape as the semiconductor wafer W. However, no pattern is formed or ions are implanted into the dummy wafer DW. In other words, the dummy wafer DW is a so-called bare silicon wafer. In addition, the dummy carrier DC that accommodates the dummy wafer DW has the same form as the carrier C that accommodates the semiconductor wafer W as a product, and is a FOUP in this embodiment. However, the dummy carrier DC is a carrier dedicated to the dummy wafer DW that only accommodates the dummy wafer DW.

[0120] The dummy wafer DW moved into the processing chamber 6 is transferred to the quartz susceptor 74 and maintained in a horizontal position in the same order as the semiconductor wafer W. While the dummy wafer DW is maintained on the susceptor 74, the halogen lamp HL is turned on. The dummy wafer DW is heated by the light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL, and the susceptor 74 is also heated by heat conduction and heat radiation from the heated dummy wafer DW. In addition, a portion of the light emitted from the halogen lamp HL is directly absorbed by the susceptor 74, thereby also heating the susceptor 74. Furthermore, a portion of the light emitted from the halogen lamp HL is also absorbed by the lower chamber window 64, thereby also heating the lower chamber window 64. In this way, during the heating process, the susceptor 74 and other structures in the chamber are directly or indirectly heated by the light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL.

[0121] In addition, when performing the heating treatment, the control unit 3 controls the output of the halogen lamp HL based on the temperature of the susceptor 74 measured by the central radiation thermometer 25. More specifically, the control unit 3 feedback controls the output of the halogen lamp HL based on the temperature measurement result of the susceptor 74 measured by the central radiation thermometer 25 so that the temperature of the susceptor 74 becomes the insulation temperature T3. The insulation temperature T3 is a temperature lower than the stable temperature of the susceptor 74 in the subsequent batch. After the temperature of the susceptor 74 measured by the central radiation thermometer 25 reaches the insulation temperature T3, the control unit 3 controls the output of the halogen lamp HL so that the susceptor 74 maintains a fixed insulation temperature T3. In other words, the heating treatment is a treatment for keeping the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74 at a relatively low fixed insulation temperature.

[0122] The heating treatment is continued until a batch removal signal is received from the host computer 39 (step S3). The host computer 39 manages the plurality of heat treatment apparatuses 100 disposed in the semiconductor manufacturing plant as a whole, and also controls the operation of transporting the carrier C through the OHT in the semiconductor manufacturing plant. When the host computer 39 causes the heat treatment apparatus 100 to process the product batch, the OHT is caused to transport the carrier C containing the unprocessed semiconductor wafers W to the heat treatment apparatus 100. The carriers C containing the unprocessed semiconductor wafers W are centrally placed in a storage warehouse in the semiconductor manufacturing plant, and the host computer 39 instructs the OHT to transport the carrier C containing the unprocessed semiconductor wafers W from the storage warehouse to the heat treatment apparatus 100. Then, while instructing the OHT to transport the carrier C, the host computer 39 sends a batch removal signal to the heat treatment apparatus 100 to remove the unprocessed batch from the storage warehouse.

[0123] Even if the heat treatment apparatus 100 receives a batch removal signal, the carrier C is not immediately moved into the heat treatment apparatus 100. OHT is responsible for transporting the carrier C to the multiple heat treatment apparatuses 100 set up in the semiconductor manufacturing plant. It typically takes several minutes from receiving the instruction from the main computer 39 to moving the carrier C into the heat treatment apparatus 100. In the present embodiment, the main computer 39 performs the adjustment process during the period from instructing OHT to transport the carrier C containing the unprocessed semiconductor wafers W to moving the carrier C into the heat treatment apparatus 100. Specifically, at the time point when the control unit 3 of the heat treatment apparatus 100 receives the batch removal signal sent from the main computer 39, it proceeds from step S3 to step S4 and starts the adjustment process.

[0124] After the adjustment process begins, the dummy wafer DW that has been used in the heating process is moved out of the processing chamber 6, and a new dummy wafer DW is moved from the dummy carrier DC to the processing chamber 6. The dummy wafer DW moved into the processing chamber 6 is transferred to the base 74 and held in a horizontal position. In the adjustment process, the halogen lamp HL is also turned on while the dummy wafer DW is held on the base 74. The dummy wafer DW is heated by the light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL, and the base 74 is also heated by the heat conduction and heat radiation from the heated dummy wafer DW. In addition, a portion of the light emitted from the halogen lamp HL is directly absorbed by the base 74 and the lower chamber window 64, so that they are heated. That is, in the adjustment process, the base 74 and other chamber structures are also directly or indirectly heated by the light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL.

[0125] In addition, when performing the adjustment process, the control unit 3 controls the output of the halogen lamp HL based on the temperature of the dummy wafer DW held on the susceptor 74 measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20. Specifically, the control unit 3 feedback controls the output of the halogen lamp HL in such a way that the temperature of the dummy wafer DW becomes the preheating temperature T1 for the semiconductor wafer W included in the batch group to be processed next, based on the temperature measurement result of the dummy wafer DW measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20. Then, after the temperature of the dummy wafer DW reaches the preheating temperature T1, the halogen lamp HL is temporarily turned off.

[0126] After the halogen lamp HL is turned off, the dummy wafer DW is moved out of the processing chamber 6, and a new dummy wafer DW is moved into the processing chamber 6. In other words, the dummy wafer DW is replaced. Then, after the new dummy wafer DW is held on the susceptor 74, the halogen lamp HL is turned on again, and the dummy wafer DW is heated by the light irradiation from the halogen lamp HL. Thus, as described above, the chamber structures such as the susceptor 74 are heated.

[0127] At this time, the control unit 3 also controls the output of the halogen lamp HL based on the temperature of the dummy wafer DW measured by the edge radiation thermometer 20 so that the temperature of the dummy wafer DW becomes the preheating temperature T1 for the semiconductor wafer W included in the batch group to be processed next. Then, after the temperature of the dummy wafer DW reaches the preheating temperature T1, the halogen lamp HL is turned off again.

[0128] After that, the conditioning process described above is repeatedly performed on a plurality of dummy wafers DW. In short, in the conditioning process, the halogen lamp HL is repeatedly turned on and off, and the same light irradiation as the preheating performed on the semiconductor wafers W included in the batch group to be processed next is repeatedly performed. Through this conditioning process, the temperature of the structure in the chamber such as the susceptor 74 is regulated in such a manner that it repeatedly rises and falls from the holding temperature and gradually approaches the stable temperature.

[0129] Next, after the carrier C containing the batch group to be processed is placed on the first loading port 110a or the second loading port 110b by OHT, the semiconductor wafers W included in the batch group are processed (step S5). The heat treatment of the semiconductor wafers W is performed according to the pre-set processing sequence and processing conditions as described above. As a result, the first semiconductor wafer W of the batch group is maintained on the susceptor 74 that has been temperature-controlled to a stable temperature through the heating process and the conditioning process. Therefore, the heat treatment records of all semiconductor wafers W constituting the batch group can be made uniform.

[0130] In the present embodiment, the dummy treatment of heating the chamber structures such as the susceptor 74 to a stable temperature is performed in two stages. That is, after the processing of the preceding batch group is completed, as the first stage, a heating treatment is performed to keep the chamber structures such as the susceptor 74 at a fixed insulation temperature, and the heat treatment device 100 is on standby. Then, before starting the processing of the subsequent batch group, as the second stage, a conditioning treatment of repeatedly performing the same light irradiation as the light irradiation applied to the semiconductor wafers W included in the batch group is performed to adjust the temperature of the chamber structures to a stable temperature. In this way, after the heating treatment of keeping the chamber structures at the insulation temperature is performed, a conditioning treatment of repeatedly performing the same light irradiation as the light irradiation applied to the semiconductor wafers W included in the batch group is performed, thereby adjusting the temperature of the chamber structures to a stable temperature in a short time compared to the previous dummy treatment. As a result, the reduction in production capacity in the heat treatment device 100 can be suppressed.

[0131] In addition, because the processing of the first semiconductor wafer W in the batch group is started only after the temperature of the structures in the chamber such as the base 74 is adjusted to a stable temperature through heating and adjustment treatments, all semiconductor wafers W that constitute the batch group are maintained on the base 74 at a stable temperature, thereby making the heat treatment record uniform.

[0132] The above is a description of the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention can be modified in various ways beyond the above contents as long as it does not deviate from the main purpose. For example, in the embodiment described above, the dummy wafer DW is held on the base 74 and the heating treatment is performed by irradiating light from the halogen lamp HL, but instead, the dummy wafer DW may be not held on the base 74 and the heating treatment is performed by irradiating light from the halogen lamp HL. In this case, a part of the light emitted from the halogen lamp HL is directly absorbed by the base 74, etc., and thus, the base 74 and other chamber structures are kept warm at the insulation temperature. The base 74 made of transparent quartz does not absorb much light emitted from the halogen lamp HL, so the use of the dummy wafer DW as in the embodiment described above can efficiently heat the base 74 and other chamber structures.

[0133] In addition, in the adjustment process, multiple dummy wafers DW are repeatedly irradiated with light from the halogen lamp HL, but it is also possible not to replace the dummy wafer DW, but to repeatedly light irradiate one dummy wafer DW by repeatedly turning on and off the halogen lamp HL. Alternatively, the adjustment process can be performed by repeatedly irradiating light from the halogen lamp HL without holding the dummy wafer DW on the base 74. In short, the adjustment process is to repeatedly turn on and off the halogen lamp HL, thereby repeatedly irradiating the semiconductor wafers W included in the batch group as the processing object, and adjust the temperature of the chamber structure such as the base 74 to a stable temperature.

[0134] In addition, there is a case where a signal indicating a change in the processing recipe is received from the host computer 39 in the middle of the standby state of the heat treatment device 100 that is performing a heating treatment. The processing recipe specifies the processing sequence and processing conditions for the heat treatment of the semiconductor wafer W. Therefore, if the processing recipe is changed, in most cases, the preheating temperature T1 and the processing temperature T2 of the semiconductor wafer W included in the batch group that is the next processing object will also be changed. When a signal to change the processing recipe is received in the middle of the heating treatment, the control unit 3 can also change the insulation temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74 during the heating treatment. For example, in the case where the preheating temperature T1 and the processing temperature T2 for the semiconductor wafer W are changed in a manner that is higher than the insulation temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74. On the contrary, in the case where the preheating temperature T1 and the processing temperature T2 for the semiconductor wafer W are changed in a manner that is lower than the insulation temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74, the control unit 3 changes it in a manner that is lower than the insulation temperature of the chamber structure such as the susceptor 74. The control unit 3 controls the output of the halogen lamp HL so that the base 74 and the like maintain the changed heat-retaining temperature.

[0135] In the above embodiment, the flash lamp cabin 5 includes 30 flash lamps FL, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the number of flash lamps FL may be any number. In addition, the flash lamp FL is not limited to a xenon flash lamp, and may be a krypton flash lamp. In addition, the number of halogen lamps HL included in the halogen lamp cabin 4 is not limited to 40, and may be any number.

[0136] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a filament-type halogen lamp HL is used as a continuous-lighting lamp that continuously emits light for more than 1 second to preheat the semiconductor wafer W, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a discharge-type arc lamp (e.g., a xenon arc lamp) may be used instead of the halogen lamp HL as a continuous-lighting lamp to preheat the semiconductor wafer W. In this case, the heating process and the conditioning process are also performed by irradiating light from the arc lamp.

[0137] In addition, the substrate to be processed by the heat treatment apparatus 100 is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be a glass substrate used for a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display device or a substrate for a solar cell.

[0138] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0139] 3. Control Unit

[0140] 4 Halogen lamp compartment

[0141] 5 Flash Pod

[0142] 6 Processing Chamber

[0143] 7. Maintaining part

[0144] 10 Transfer mechanism

[0145] 20 Edge radiation thermometer

[0146] 25 Central radiation thermometer

[0147] 33 Touch Panel

[0148] 39 Host Computer

[0149] 65 Heat treatment space

[0150] 74 Base

[0151] 100 Heat treatment device

[0152] 101 Transfer and Conveying Department

[0153] 110 Loading Port

[0154] 110a Loading Port 1

[0155] 110b Loading Port 2

[0156] 110c Loading Port No. 3

[0157] 120 Handover Robot

[0158] 130, 140 Cooling unit

[0159] 150 Transport Robot

[0160] 151a, 151b Carrying hand

[0161] 160 Heat Treatment Department

[0162] C Vehicles

[0163] DC Virtual Vehicle

[0164] DW Dummy Wafer

[0165] FL Flash

[0166] HL halogen lamp

[0167] W Semiconductor Wafer

Claims

1. A heat treatment method, characterized in that: The method heats a substrate by irradiating light onto the substrate, and comprises: A loading step of loading the substrate into the chamber; a light irradiation step of irradiating light to the substrate held on the susceptor in the chamber; A heat preservation step of keeping the structure in the chamber at a fixed heat preservation temperature by irradiating light from a continuously lit lamp before the first substrate of the batch group is moved into the chamber; and a temperature adjustment step, after the heat preservation step, adjusting the temperature of the structure by repeatedly turning on and off the continuous lighting lamp; At the time point when the removal signal of the batch group is received, the process moves from the temperature keeping step to the temperature adjustment step.

2. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the temperature adjustment step, the same light irradiation as the light irradiation performed from the continuously lighting lamp on the substrates included in the lot in a state where the dummy wafer is held on the susceptor is repeatedly performed.

3. The heat treatment method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the heat-retaining step, the dummy wafer is irradiated with light from the continuous lighting lamp while being held on the susceptor.

4. The heat treatment method according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the temperature keeping step, the output of the continuously lighting lamp is controlled based on the temperature of the susceptor, and in the temperature adjustment step, the output of the continuously lighting lamp is controlled based on the temperature of the dummy wafer held on the susceptor.

5. The heat treatment method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When a signal for changing the processing temperature of the batch is received during the execution of the keeping temperature step, the keeping temperature is changed.

6. A heat treatment device, characterized in that: A method for heating a substrate by irradiating the substrate with light, and comprising: a chamber for receiving a substrate; a susceptor to hold a substrate within the chamber; continuously lighting the lamp to irradiate light onto the substrate held on the susceptor; and A control unit, controlling the output of the continuously lit lamp; After the heat preservation stage, a temperature adjustment stage is performed. In the heat preservation stage, before the first substrate of the batch group is moved into the chamber, the structure in the chamber is kept at a fixed heat preservation temperature by irradiating light from the continuously lit lamp. In the temperature adjustment stage, the temperature of the structure is adjusted by repeatedly lighting and extinguishing the continuously lit lamp. At the time point when the removal signal of the batch group is received, the process moves from the temperature keeping stage to the temperature adjustment stage.

7. The heat treatment device according to claim 6, characterized in that: In the temperature adjustment stage, the same light irradiation as the light irradiation performed from the continuously lighting lamp on the substrates included in the lot in a state where the dummy wafer is held on the susceptor is repeatedly performed.

8. The heat treatment device according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the temperature keeping stage, the dummy wafer is held on the susceptor and light is irradiated from the continuous lighting lamp.

9. The heat treatment device according to claim 8, characterized in that Also available: a first thermometer for measuring the temperature of the base; a second thermometer for measuring the temperature of the dummy wafer held on the susceptor; and In the heat preservation stage, the control unit controls the output from the continuous lighting lamp based on the temperature of the base measured by the first thermometer, and In the temperature adjustment stage, the output of the continuous lighting lamp is controlled based on the temperature of the dummy wafer held on the susceptor measured by the second thermometer.

10. The heat treatment device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: When a signal for changing the processing temperature of the batch is received during the execution of the holding stage, the holding temperature is changed.

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