Vertical batch furnace components

Abstract

A vertical batch processing furnace assembly for processing wafers includes a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and a first wall separating the cassette handling space from the wafer handling space. The first wall has at least one wafer transfer opening, and a wafer transfer position for a wafer cassette is provided in front of the at least one wafer transfer opening. The cassette handling space includes a cassette holder and a cassette handling mechanism. The cassette holder has multiple cassette storage positions and is configured to store multiple wafer cassettes. The cassette handling mechanism includes a first cassette manipulator configured to transfer wafer cassettes between a first set of cassette storage positions and the wafer transfer position. The cassette handling mechanism also includes a second cassette manipulator configured to transfer wafer cassettes between a second set of cassette storage positions and the wafer transfer position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to a vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers. Background Technology

[0002] Most vertical batch furnace assemblies are equipped with a cassette handling space for receiving and storing wafer cassettes. This cassette handling space typically includes a cassette handling mechanism for transferring wafer cassettes between the cassette in / out port, cassette holder, and wafer transport position. At the cassette in / out port, wafer cassettes can be exchanged between the vertical batch furnace assembly and the cleanroom environment housing the assembly. Received wafer cassettes can be placed at the wafer transport position, from which wafers can be unloaded from the cassettes and loaded into wafer boats for processing.

[0003] A cassette holder can have multiple cassette storage positions, where wafer cassettes can be stored. The cassette storage positions can be arranged in a storage rack, which is equipped with, for example, a storage turntable. To access the in / out ports, wafer transfer positions, and all wafer storage positions, a typical cassette manipulation mechanism can include a lifting mechanism and a robotic arm. The lifting mechanism provides vertical movement for the cassette manipulation mechanism to reach cassette storage positions at different vertical heights. The robotic arm provides two-dimensional horizontal movement to reach at least some of the storage positions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This overview is provided to present some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. This overview is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] It has been recognized that it may often be necessary to unload multiple wafer cassettes to load them into a single wafer boat. It has also been recognized that it may be desirable to store as many wafer cassettes as possible within the cassette handling space. The cassette handling space may have a rectangular coverage area. A complex cassette handling mechanism with sufficient range may be required to reach the cassette storage locations within the cassette handling space. The speed at which the cassette handling mechanism can move cassettes within the cassette handling space may be important for the efficiency of the vertical batch furnace assembly.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a vertical batch processing furnace assembly whose box operating mechanism has improved conveying speed and / or improved operating range.

[0007] Therefore, a vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 can be provided. More particularly, a vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers can be provided. The vertical batch furnace assembly may include a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and a first wall separating the cassette handling space and the wafer handling space. The first wall may have at least one wafer transfer opening, and a wafer transfer position for a wafer cassette may be provided on the side of the first wall facing the cassette handling space in front of the at least one wafer transfer opening. The cassette handling space may include a cassette holder and a cassette handling mechanism. The cassette holder may have multiple cassette storage positions and may be configured to store multiple wafer cassettes containing multiple wafers. The cassette handling mechanism may include a first cassette manipulator configured to transfer wafer cassettes between a first set of cassette storage positions and a wafer transfer position. The cassette handling mechanism may include a second cassette manipulator configured to transfer wafer cassettes between a second set of cassette storage positions and a wafer transfer position.

[0008] To summarize the invention and the advantages obtained compared to the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. It should be understood, of course, that not all of these objects or advantages may necessarily be achieved according to any particular embodiment of the invention. Therefore, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be practiced or performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or more advantages taught or presented herein, without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages that may be taught or presented herein.

[0009] Various embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims, and these embodiments will be further illustrated with reference to the examples shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments may be applied in combination or separately from each other.

[0010] All these embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Although the specification concludes with claims that specifically point out and expressly claim protection for embodiments of the invention, the advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be readily determined from the description of certain examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0012] Figure 1 A partial top cross-sectional view of an example of a vertical batch furnace assembly according to this specification is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 Example of a top-view sectional view of the box manipulation space; and

[0014] Figure 3 A side sectional view of another example of a box manipulation space according to this specification is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] In this application, similar or corresponding features are indicated by similar or corresponding reference numerals. The description of various embodiments is not limited to the examples shown in the drawings, and the reference numerals and claims used in the detailed description are not intended to limit the description of the embodiments, but rather to illustrate the embodiments by referring to the examples shown in the figures.

[0016] Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention encompasses the specific disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention and their obvious modifications and equivalents. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited to the specific disclosed embodiments described below. The illustrations presented herein are not intended to be actual views of any particular material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations used to describe embodiments of this disclosure.

[0017] As used herein, the term “wafer” can refer to any one or more of the following materials that can be used, or materials on which devices, circuits or films can be formed.

[0018] In the most general sense, this disclosure provides a vertical batch furnace assembly 10 for processing wafers. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may include a cassette handling space 12, a wafer handling space 14, and a first wall 16 separating the cassette handling space 12 from the wafer handling space 14. The first wall 16 may have at least one wafer transfer opening 18, and a wafer transfer position 20 for a wafer cassette 22 may be provided on the side of the first wall 16 facing the cassette handling space 12 in front of the at least one wafer transfer opening 18. The cassette handling space 12 may include a cassette holder and cassette handling mechanisms 26, 28. The cassette holder may have multiple cassette storage positions 24 and may be configured to store multiple wafer cassettes 22 on which multiple wafers are disposed. The cassette handling mechanisms 26, 28 may include a first cassette manipulator 26 configured to transfer wafer cassettes 22 between the cassette storage positions 24 and the wafer transfer positions 20 of a first group 30. The box manipulation mechanisms 26 and 28 may be provided with a second box manipulator 28, which is configured to transfer the wafer box between the second group of 32 box storage positions 24 and the wafer transfer position 20.

[0019] The advantage of the aforementioned vertical batch processing oven assembly is that each box manipulator 26, 28 can reach at least a portion of the box storage positions 24 within the box handling space. A single robotic arm is not required to reach each box storage position. It is sufficient to have the first box manipulator 26 move to and from the first group 30 box storage positions 24, and the second box manipulator 28 move to and from the second group 32 box storage positions 24, as long as the first and second groups 30, 32 together encompass all box storage positions 24 of the box holders. By carefully selecting the positions of the first box manipulator 26 and the second box manipulator 28 relative to the box storage positions 24 within the box handling space 12, although each box manipulator may have a limited reach within the entire box handling space 12, their combined reach still covers all box storage positions 24 within it. The first box manipulator 26 can be positioned, for example, at or near a first end of the box manipulator space 12, while the second box manipulator 28 can be positioned at or near a second end of the box manipulator space 12 opposite to the first end. The first set of 30 box storage locations 24 will then cover approximately half of the box manipulator space 12 near the first end, and the second set of box storage locations 24 will cover approximately the other half of the box manipulator space 12 near the second end. Because both the first box manipulator 26 and the second box manipulator 28 only need to cover approximately half the area compared to known box manipulators, the effective range can be much smaller. A smaller effective range means that less complex equipment can be used, thus allowing for the use of cheaper box manipulators.

[0020] Secondly, by having two cassette manipulators 26 and 28, both cassette manipulators 26 and 28 can transport wafer cassettes toward the wafer transport position. They can do this simultaneously. This means that while the first cassette manipulator 26 is placing a wafer cassette 22 in the wafer transport position 20, the second wafer manipulator 28 can have already retrieved another wafer cassette 22 from the cassette storage position 24 of the cassette holder. By cleverly selecting where to store the wafer cassette 22 and the order in which to transport the wafer cassette 22 from the wafer cassette holder to the wafer transport position 20, a high overall transport capacity of the cassette manipulators 26 and 28 can be achieved. With this scheme, the total transport capacity of the cassette manipulators can simply be the sum of the transport capacities of the first and second cassette manipulators 26 and 28. To increase the total transport capacity of the cassette manipulators 26 and 28, the transport speed of both the first and second cassette manipulators 26 and 28 only needs to be greater than half the transport speed of prior art cassette manipulators. The lower transport speed means that a less robust and therefore cheaper cassette manipulator can be used. Due to the lower transfer speed, the wafer cassette 22 can also transfer more smoothly, thereby reducing the risk of chip release that could damage the wafer.

[0021] By using the first and second box manipulators 26, 28, the range of action and the conveying capacity can be improved compared to the existing box manipulator mechanisms of vertical batch furnaces.

[0022] In one embodiment, the first box manipulator 26 and the second box manipulator 28 may each be provided with a box manipulator arm 34 and a lifting mechanism 36. The lifting mechanism 36 may be configured to reach the wafer box 22 located at different vertical heights in the wafer box manipulation space 12 at the wafer box storage position 24.

[0023] In one embodiment, the lifting mechanism 36 of the first box manipulator 26 may be arranged on or near the second wall 38, and the lifting mechanism 36 of the second box manipulator 28 may be arranged on or near the third wall 40. The second wall 38 and the third wall 40 may define the box manipulator space 12 at their opposite ends.

[0024] When the lifting mechanisms 36 of the first box manipulator 26 and the second box manipulator 28 are arranged at or near the opposite ends of the box manipulator space 12, the box manipulators 26 and 28 themselves are also arranged at or near the opposite ends of the box manipulator space 12. Then, the first and second sets of box storage positions 30 and 32 will also be arranged at or near the opposite ends of the box manipulator space 12. The first set of box storage positions 24 can be arranged on or near the second wall 38, while the second set of box storage positions 24 can be arranged on or near the third wall 40. The first set of box storage positions 24 will cover approximately half of the box manipulator space 12 closest to the first end, while the second set of box storage positions 24 will cover approximately the other half of the box manipulator space 12 closest to the second end. Because the first box manipulator 26 and the second box manipulator 28 only need to cover approximately half the area compared to known box manipulators, the effective range of each box manipulator can be much smaller. A smaller range of action means that less complex and less robust box manipulators 26, 28 are feasible, which is advantageous considering manufacturing costs.

[0025] In one embodiment, the cassette holder can be configured to hold 10 to 50 wafer cassettes 22. The cassette holder can, for example, be configured to hold at least 30 wafer cassettes 22. The cassette holder can also be configured to hold at least 40 wafer cassettes 22. This means the cassette holder has at least 40 cassette storage locations 24. Typically, approximately 50 to 250 wafers are needed to fill a wafer boat 58. Typically, approximately 25 wafers are provided in a wafer cassette 22. This means that typically 2 to 10 wafer cassettes 22 are needed to fill one wafer boat 58. By having at least 40 wafer cassette storage locations 24, sufficient wafer cassettes 22 can be stored to fill at least two wafer boats 58, particularly approximately four wafer boats. Therefore, when the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 is processing wafers from the wafer cassettes 22 stored in the wafer cassette manipulation space 12, the loading and unloading of wafer cassettes 22 into and from the wafer cassette manipulation space 12 can be delayed for a considerable period of time.

[0026] In one embodiment, the wafer cassette 22 may be embodied as a front-opening wafer transfer cassette (FOUP). FOUP is a standardized wafer cassette for industrial wafers. Using a FOUP facilitates the interchangeability of the wafer cassette 22 between the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and other wafer manipulators.

[0027] In one embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may further include at least one cassette in / out port 42, 44 disposed in the walls 16, 38, 40, 46 defining the cassette handling space 12. This may be the first, second, or third walls 16, 38, 40 already mentioned, but may also be a different fourth wall 46. Cassette handling mechanisms 26, 28 may be configured to additionally convey and exit the wafer cassette 22 to and from at least one cassette in / out port 42, 44. At least one cassette in / out port 42, 44 provides an inlet to the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and an outlet to the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 for exchanging wafer cassettes 22 between the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and the outside environment, particularly with a cleanroom environment.

[0028] At least one box access port 42, 44 may be included in a first and second box access port 42, 44 in a fourth wall 46, which may define a box manipulation space 12 at an end opposite to the first wall 16. The first box access port 42 may be reached by a first box manipulator 26. The second box access port 44 may be reached by a second box manipulator 28.

[0029] By associating the first and second box entry / exit ports 42, 44 with the first and second box manipulators 26, 28 respectively, and thus with the first and second groups 30, 32 of box storage locations 24, a clear separation is formed within the box manipulation space 12. Each box manipulator 26, 28 can have its own entry / exit ports 42, 44 and box storage location 24. This means they can operate independently of each other without waiting for or interfering with each other. This can improve the processing efficiency of the wafer cassette 22 within the wafer box manipulation space 12.

[0030] In one embodiment, the vertical batch processing oven assembly 10 may include a storage rack 48 having at least a portion of the box storage positions 24. The storage rack 48 may have all of the box storage positions 24. The box handling space 12 is accessible through a closable maintenance opening through which at least one storage rack 48 can be removed from the box handling space 12.

[0031] The storage rack 48 is essentially a shelf on which wafer cassettes 22 can be placed. It is a basic design without moving parts. By arranging the wafer cassettes 22 on the storage rack 48, sufficient cassette storage positions 24 can be created. When such a storage rack 48 is removable from the cassette manipulator space 12, it can be easily removed, for example, by a trolley, when such removal is required or desired. For example, one or more storage racks 48 can be removed to make it easy for maintenance personnel to access, for example, the first wall 16, where the cassette door opening device 54 may require maintenance. The cassette manipulator arm 34 of the second cassette manipulator 28 can be moved to a higher position, for example by means of a lifting mechanism 36, so that maintenance personnel can pass under the cassette manipulator arm 34. For example, by removing three storage racks 48 from the area holding the second set 32 ​​cassette storage positions 24, the cassette door opening device 54 can be easily accessed.

[0032] In one embodiment, the vertical batch processing furnace assembly 10 may have a generally rectangular coverage area having two opposing short sides defining a width 50 of the vertical batch processing furnace assembly 10, and two opposing long sides defining a length 52 of the vertical batch processing furnace assembly 10. The width 50 of the vertical batch processing furnace assembly 10 may be 2.2 meters or less, or preferably 1.7 meters or less. The length 52 of the vertical batch processing furnace assembly 10 may be 5 meters or less, preferably 4 meters or less.

[0033] Multiple vertical batch furnace assemblies 10 can be arranged adjacent to each other by having a generally rectangular coverage area, thereby making optimal use of the available floor space. There can be no unused space between adjacent vertical batch furnace assemblies 10 with rectangular coverage areas. A width 50 of less than 2.2 meters is advantageous given interchangeability with other vertical batch furnace assemblies, for example, from other manufacturers / brands. A length 52 of 5 meters or less, preferably 4 meters or less, is beneficial for reducing the overall coverage area.

[0034] In one embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may include a cassette door opening device 54. The cassette door opening device 54 may be located at or near the wafer transfer position 20. The cassette door opening device 54 may be disposed on the first wall 16. The cassette door opening device 54 may be configured to open the cassette door of the wafer cassette 22 placed in the wafer transfer position 20. The cassette door opening device 54 can therefore automatically open the cassette door of the wafer cassette 22 placed in the wafer transfer position 20.

[0035] In one embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may further include a wafer manipulator 56, a processing chamber 60, and a wafer boat manipulator located below the processing chamber 60. The wafer manipulator 56 may be positioned within the wafer manipulation space 14 and configured to transfer wafers between a wafer boat 58 and a wafer cassette 22 in the wafer transfer position 20. The processing chamber 60 may be configured to process wafers housed in the wafer boat 58. The wafer boat manipulator may be located near the wafer manipulation space 14. The wafer boat manipulator may have a wafer boat 58 positioned at the wafer boat transfer position and may be configured to transport the wafer boat 58 to the processing chamber 60 and the wafer boat transfer position.

[0036] When the wafer boat 58 is in the wafer boat transfer position, the wafer manipulator 56 can transfer unprocessed wafers from the wafer cassette 22 in the wafer transfer position 20 to the wafer boat 58, and transfer processed wafers from the wafer boat 58 to the wafer cassette 22 in the wafer transfer position 20. When the wafer boat 58 is loaded with one or more wafers, the wafer boat manipulator can transport the loaded wafer boat 58 to the processing chamber 60. In the processing chamber 60, wafers can be processed. After processing, the wafer boat manipulator can transfer the processed wafer boat from the processing chamber 60 back to the wafer boat transfer position, where the wafer manipulator 56 can transfer one or more processed wafers from the wafer boat 58 to the wafer cassette 22 in the wafer transfer position 20, and transfer unprocessed wafers from the wafer cassette 22 in the wafer transfer position 20 to the wafer boat 58, thereby completing the batch processing of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10.

[0037] In one embodiment, the first group 30 and the second group 32 of the box storage locations 24 can be different. This means that the first group 30 and the second group 32 of the box storage locations 24 are not equal groups and do not overlap. The first group 30 and the second group 32 can be mutually exclusive groups. Alternatively, they can also be overlapping groups. The advantage of mutually exclusive groups is that each box storage location 24 is associated with only one box manipulator 26, 28. This minimizes interference between the two box manipulators 26, 28, which can improve the efficiency and reliability of the box manipulators 26, 28 and reduce the chance of failure.

[0038] In one embodiment, the cassette holder may be provided with a rotatable cassette storage turntable having at least a portion of the cassette storage positions 24. The cassette storage turntable may include a central vertical support rotatable about a vertical turntable axis. The cassette storage turntable 18 may also include multiple platform stages connected to the central vertical support and having cassette storage positions 24. The cassette storage turntable may further include a drive assembly operably connected to the central vertical support to rotate the central vertical support having multiple platform stages about the vertical turntable axis. This cassette storage turntable is an efficient method of storing wafer cassettes 22 in a limited space. Because the platform stages are rotatable, the cassette storage turntable can rotate unused or unoccupied cassette storage positions 24 in the general direction of the associated cassette manipulators 26, 28. The cassette manipulators 26, 28 can therefore always place the wafer cassette on the nearest cassette storage position 24. Therefore, a smaller range of operation is sufficient for the cassette manipulators 26, 28 compared to the case where they themselves need to reach all cassette storage positions 24.

[0039] Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described above in part with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments. By studying the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art will understand and implement variations of the disclosed embodiments in practicing the claimed invention.

[0040] Throughout this specification, references to "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the phrases "in an embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0041] Furthermore, it should be noted that one or more specific features, structures, or characteristics in the various embodiments described above can be used independently of each other and can be combined in any suitable manner to form new, undescribed embodiments. The reference numerals used in the detailed description and claims do not limit the description of the embodiments, nor do they limit the claims. Reference numerals are used for clarity only.

[0042] Figure Labels

[0043] 10 – Vertical Batch Processing Furnace Assembly

[0044] 12-box manipulation space

[0045] 14 – Chip Manipulation Space

[0046] 16 – First Wall

[0047] 18 – Chip Transfer Opening

[0048] 20 – Chip Delivery Location

[0049] 22-Chip Box

[0050] 24 – Box storage location

[0051] 26 – First Box Manipulator

[0052] 28 – Second Box Manipulator

[0053] 30 – First group (box storage location)

[0054] 32 – Second group (box storage location)

[0055] 34-box manipulator arm

[0056] 36 – Lifting Mechanism

[0057] 38 – Second Wall

[0058] 40 – Third Wall

[0059] 42 – First box inlet / outlet port

[0060] 44 – Second box inlet / outlet port

[0061] 46 – Fourth Wall

[0062] 48 – Storage rack

[0063] 50 – Width

[0064] 52 – Length

[0065] 54 – Box door opening device

[0066] 56 – Chip Manipulator

[0067] 58 – Chip Boat

[0068] 60 – Processing Room

Claims

1. A vertical batch processing furnace assembly (10) for processing wafers, comprising: - Box manipulation space (12); - Chip manipulation space (14); - A first wall (16) that separates the cassette manipulation space (12) from the wafer manipulation space (14) and has at least one wafer transfer opening (18), and a wafer transfer position (20) for the wafer cassette (22) is provided on the side of the first wall (16) facing the cassette manipulation space (12) in front of the at least one wafer transfer opening (18). The box manipulation space (12) includes: - A cassette holder having multiple cassette storage locations (24), said cassette holder being configured to store multiple wafer cassettes (22) containing multiple wafers; and - A cassette manipulation mechanism includes a first cassette manipulator (26) configured to transfer a wafer cassette (22) between a first set of cassette storage positions (30) and a wafer transfer position (20), wherein the cassette manipulation mechanism is provided with a second cassette manipulator (28) configured to transfer a wafer cassette between a second set of cassette storage positions (32) and a wafer transfer position (20). The first set of box storage positions (30) covers half of the box manipulation space near the first end, while the second set of box storage positions (32) covers the other half of the box manipulation space near the second end, wherein the second end is opposite to the first end. The vertical batch furnace assembly further includes a storage rack (48) having at least a portion of box storage space, wherein the box handling space (12) is accessible through a closable maintenance opening, and at least one storage rack (48) is accessible from the box handling space (12) through the maintenance opening.

2. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The first and second box manipulators (26, 28) are respectively provided with a box manipulator arm (34) and a lifting mechanism (36), the lifting mechanism (36) being configured to reach the wafer box (22) placed at different vertical heights in the box manipulator space (12) at different box storage positions (24).

3. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The lifting mechanism (36) of the first box manipulator (26) is arranged on or near the second wall (38), and the lifting mechanism (36) of the second box manipulator (28) is arranged on or near the third wall (40), wherein the second and third walls (40) define the box manipulator space (12) at opposite ends.

4. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The cassette holder is configured to hold at least 30 wafer cassettes (22).

5. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The cassette holder is configured to hold at least 40 wafer cassettes (22).

6. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The wafer cassette (22) is implemented as a front-opening wafer transfer cassette (FOUP).

7. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3 further comprises: At least one cassette entry / exit port (42, 44) is disposed in the wall defining the cassette manipulation space (12), wherein the cassette manipulation mechanism is configured to additionally transfer the wafer cassette (22) to and from the at least one cassette entry / exit port (42, 44).

8. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to claim 7, wherein, The at least one box entry / exit port (42, 44) includes a first and a second box entry / exit port (42, 44) in a fourth wall (46), the fourth wall (46) defining a box manipulation space (12) at one end opposite to the first wall (16), wherein a first box manipulator (26) is accessible to the first box entry / exit port (42) and a second box manipulator (28) is accessible to the second box entry / exit port (44).

9. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein a rectangular coverage area is provided, the coverage area having two opposing short sides defining the width (50) of the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) and two opposing long sides defining the length (52) of the vertical batch furnace assembly (10), wherein the width (50) of the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) is 2.2 meters or less.

10. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to claim 9, wherein, The width (50) of the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) is 1.7 meters or less.

11. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to claim 9, wherein, The length (52) of the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) is 5 meters or less.

12. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to claim 11, wherein, The length (52) of the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) is 4 meters or less.

13. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, For each wafer transfer opening (18), the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) includes: - A box door opening device (54) configured to open the box door of a wafer box (22) placed in the wafer transfer position (20).

14. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The vertical batch furnace assembly (10) also includes: - A wafer manipulator (56) is located in the wafer manipulator space (14) and configured to transfer wafers between the wafer boat (58) and the wafer cassette (22) in the wafer transfer position (20); - A processing chamber (60) configured to process wafers housed in a wafer boat (58); and - A wafer boat maneuvering device, located below the processing chamber (60) and adjacent to the wafer maneuvering space (14), wherein the wafer boat maneuvering device has a wafer boat (58) at a wafer boat transfer position, and the wafer boat maneuvering device is configured to transport the wafer boat (58) to the processing chamber (60) and the wafer boat transfer position.

15. The vertical batch processing furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The box holder is provided with a rotatable box storage turntable having at least a portion of the box storage positions (24).

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