Wafer boat handling apparatus, vertical batch furnace and method

Abstract

To provide a vertical batch furnace assembly with a wafer boat handling device, and a method of handling the wafer boat.SOLUTION: A wafer boat handling device 10 comprises a rotatable table 16 comprising first and second wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20. Each of the wafer boat support surfaces supports a wafer boat 12. The rotatable table is rotatable by an actuator to rotate both the first and second wafer support surfaces to a load / receive position, a cooldown position, and a transfer position. At the cooldown position 26, the wafer boat handling device cools down the wafer boat. At the transfer position, wafers are transferred to and / or from the wafer boat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a wafer boat handling apparatus, which may be configured to be disposed below a processing chamber of a vertical batch furnace. The present disclosure further relates to a vertical batch furnace assembly including the wafer boat handling apparatus. The present disclosure also relates to a method for handling a wafer boat. [Background technology]

[0002] The wafer boat handling device may be located below a process chamber of a vertical batch furnace. The wafer boat handling device may be part of the vertical batch furnace and configured to vertically transport a wafer boat to the process chamber of the batch furnace and to receive the wafer boat from the process chamber. The wafer boat received from the vertical batch furnace may be at a high temperature and may be cooled before the processed wafers are removed from the wafer boat. The wafer boat handling device may be used to transfer wafers to and from the apparatus, in particular to and from the wafer boats housed in the apparatus. Some of the functions of the wafer boat handling device may be realized by a wafer boat carousel that transports the wafer boats. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a concise manner that are further described below in the Detailed Description of Example Embodiments of the Disclosure. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] The purpose may be to improve wafer boat handling equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To this end, the present disclosure provides a wafer boat handling apparatus according to claim 1. More specifically, the wafer boat handling apparatus may be configured to be disposed below a processing chamber of a vertical batch furnace. The wafer boat handling apparatus includes a rotatable table having only first and second wafer boat support surfaces as wafer boat support surfaces. Each wafer boat support surface may be configured to support a wafer boat. The rotatable table may be rotatable about a central substantially vertical axis and may be rotatable by an actuator to rotate both the first and second wafer support surfaces to an input / receive position, a cooling position, and a transfer position. At the input / receive position, the wafer boat handling apparatus may be configured to vertically load a wafer boat from the rotatable table to the processing chamber and to receive a wafer boat from the processing chamber to the rotatable table. At the cooling position, the wafer boat handling apparatus may be configured to cool the wafer boat. At the transfer position, the wafer boat handling apparatus may be configured to transfer wafers to and / or from the wafer boat.

[0006] The time required for processing, cooling, and transfer may not be the same. If the cooling is completed in a short time and the transfer is efficient, both operations can be performed within the time required to process the wafer in the processing chamber. Therefore, the wafer boat handling device may have only two wafer boat support surfaces that can be transported to three rotational positions, specifically, the loading / receiving position, the cooling position, and the transfer position.

[0007] The advantage of having only two wafer boat support surfaces is that the rotatable table can be made smaller than if the rotatable table had three wafer boat support surfaces. With each wafer boat support surface being able to move to three possible rotational positions, the wafer boat cooling apparatus can perform the required functions of loading / receiving, cooling and transport while still reducing the diameter of the wafer boat handling apparatus compared to known wafer boat handling apparatuses with three wafer boat support surfaces on the rotatable table. Furthermore, the manufacturing costs of the wafer boat handling apparatus can be reduced compared to the manufacturing costs of a wafer boat handling apparatus with three wafer boat support surfaces.

[0008] The present disclosure further relates to a vertical batch furnace assembly as set forth in claim 13. More specifically, the vertical batch furnace assembly comprises a process chamber for processing wafers contained in a wafer boat and a wafer boat handling apparatus according to the present disclosure. The wafer boat handling apparatus may be disposed below the process chamber and may include a wafer boat lift assembly configured to transport the wafer boat from the wafer boat handling apparatus to the process chamber and vice versa.

[0009] The advantages of a vertical batch furnace may be similar to those discussed above with respect to the wafer boat handling apparatus.

[0010] The present disclosure further provides a method for handling a wafer boat according to claim 15. The method includes providing a vertical batch furnace assembly having a processing chamber and a wafer boat handling apparatus disposed below the processing chamber. The wafer boat handling apparatus is the wafer boat handling apparatus according to the present disclosure. The method further includes providing a first wafer boat loaded with wafers associated with a first wafer boat support surface, providing a second wafer boat loaded with wafers associated with a second wafer boat support surface, and vertically loading the first wafer boat from the first wafer boat support surface at the loading / receiving position into the processing chamber. The method further includes processing the wafers contained in the first wafer boat in the processing chamber, while simultaneously cooling the second wafer boat at the second wafer boat support surface at the cooling position, and rotating the rotatable table to a position where the second wafer boat support surface is at the transfer position after cooling. The wafers are then transferred to and / or from the second wafer boat, after which the rotatable table rotates to a position where the first wafer boat support surface is in the input / receive position.

[0011] The advantages of the method may be similar to those discussed above with respect to the wafer boat handling apparatus and vertical batch furnace assembly.

[0012] For purposes of summarizing the advantages and the present invention over the prior art, the objects and advantages of the present invention have been described above. Of course, it is to be understood that not all such objects or advantages may necessarily be achieved in any particular embodiment of the present invention. Thus, for example, one skilled in the art will recognize that in making or practicing the present invention, one or more of the advantages taught or suggested herein will be realized or optimized, but not necessarily other objects or advantages taught or suggested herein will be realized.

[0013] Various embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims and will be further described with reference to the examples shown in the drawings, which may be combined or may be applied separately from one another.

[0014] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments may become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the embodiments set forth below, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] While the claims at the conclusion of this specification particularly point out and distinctly claim what are regarded as embodiments of the invention, the advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be more readily understood from the following description of exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic top view of an example wafer boat handling apparatus as described herein, in which a first wafer boat is placed on a first wafer boat support surface in a load / receive position and a second wafer boat is placed on a second wafer boat support surface in a cool down position.

[0017] [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic top view of an example of a wafer boat handling apparatus according to Fig. 1, in which a first wafer boat is disposed in a processing chamber and a second wafer boat resting on a second wafer boat support surface is in a transfer position.

[0018] [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example vertical batch furnace assembly.

[0019] [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of an example of a vertical batch furnace assembly according to FIG. 3.

[0020] [Diagram 5] For example, this is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of vertical batch furnace assemblies as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are arranged in a semiconductor manufacturing plant. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] In the present application, like or corresponding features are designated with like or corresponding reference numerals. The description of the various embodiments is not limited to the examples shown in the drawings, and the reference numerals used in the detailed description and claims are not intended to limit the description of the embodiments, but are provided for clarity of the embodiments with reference to the examples shown in the drawings.

[0022] Although specific embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of the present invention is broader than the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the present invention, and the variations and equivalents that are obvious therefrom. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited by the specifically disclosed embodiments described below. The drawings presented in this application are not meant to be the actual appearance of any specific material, structure or device, but are merely idealized representations used to describe the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] As used herein, the terms "substrate" or "wafer" may refer to one or more raw materials that may be utilized or have a device, circuit, or film formed thereon.

[0024] 1 is a schematic top view of an example wafer boat handling apparatus 10 configured to be positioned below a processing chamber 56 of a vertical batch furnace for processing wafers contained in wafer boats 12, 14. The wafer boat handling apparatus 10 includes a rotatable table 16 having only first and second wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20. Each wafer boat support surface 18, 20 is configured to support a wafer boat 12, 14. The rotatable table 16 may be rotatable about a central, generally vertical axis 22 and may be rotatable by an actuator to rotate both the first and second wafer support surfaces 18, 20 to a loading / receiving position 24, a cooling position 26, and a transfer position 28.

[0025] The wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may be configured to vertically load the wafer boats 12, 14 from the rotatable table into the processing chamber 56 and to receive the wafer boats 12, 14 from the processing chamber 56 onto the rotatable table 16 at the load / receive position 24. The wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may be configured to cool the wafer boats 12, 14 at the cool down position 26. Wafers may be transferred to and / or from the wafer boats 12, 14 at the transfer position 28.

[0026] The advantages and benefits of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 are discussed in the Summary of the Invention section, which are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0027] In one embodiment, an example of which is shown in FIG. 2, the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may be configured such that when the wafer boat 12, 14 is loaded into the processing chamber 56 from the first wafer boat support surface 18, the second wafer boat support surface 20 of the rotatable table 16 may be rotated by an actuator from the cooling position 26 to the transfer position 28.

[0028] This configuration of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 allows the first wafer boat 12 to enter the processing chamber 56 while the second wafer boat 14 is cooled in the cooling position 26 and then rotated to the transfer position 28 where wafers can be loaded into and unloaded from the second wafer boat 14. This eliminates the need for the second wafer boat 14 to wait until the first wafer boat 12 is processed before rotating to the transfer position 28. In this way, even though only two wafer boat support surfaces are available, valuable time can be saved because the wafer boats can be cooled and the wafers in the cooled wafer boat can be transferred while the wafers contained in the other wafer boat in the processing chamber 56 are being processed. In addition to the advantage of a smaller diameter of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10, productivity may be increased.

[0029] In one embodiment, the rotation angle of the rotatable table 16 for rotating the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20 from the cooling position 26 to the transfer position 28 is sufficient to inhibit heat transfer from the wafer boats 12, 14 in the cooling position 26 to the portion of the outer peripheral wall 32 of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 adjacent the transfer position 28 such that the temperature of the portion of the outer peripheral wall 32 adjacent the transfer position 28 is maintained below 70 degrees Celsius, preferably below 50 degrees Celsius.

[0030] The peripheral wall 32 adjacent to the transfer position 28 may have a transfer opening 36 and / or a transfer door 38 for passing the wafers through the peripheral wall 32. If the transfer position 28 is too close to the cooling position 26, the hot wafer boats 12, 14 at the cooling position 26 may adversely affect the transfer door configuration. To withstand the hot wafer boats 12, 14, the transfer door 38 may be very complicated and therefore expensive. Optionally, the transfer door 38 may be actively cooled, i.e., the wafer boats may be hot during transfer and then cooled at the transfer position 28. By providing a rotation angle between the cooling position 26 and the transfer position 28, the temperature of the peripheral wall 32 adjacent to the transfer position 28 is not too high, and therefore the transfer door configuration may be simplified. The rotation angle of the rotatable table 16 for rotating the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20 from the cooling position 26 to the transfer position 28 may be in the range of 1 to 80 degrees, preferably in the range of 40 to 50 degrees, and more preferably approximately 45 degrees.

[0031] 1, the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may be configured such that when the first wafer boat support surface 18 is in the input / receive position 24, the second wafer boat support surface 20 is in the cooling position 26. This means that the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 cools the wafer boat 12, 14 in the cooling position 26 while simultaneously processing the wafer boat 12, 14 in the processing chamber 56.

[0032] The rotation angle of the rotatable table 16 for rotating the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20 from the loading / receiving position 24 to the cooling position 26 may be within the range of 120 degrees to 240 degrees, preferably within the range of 170 degrees to 190 degrees, and more preferably approximately 180 degrees.

[0033] This means that when the first wafer boat support surface 18 is rotated from the loading / receiving position 24 to the cooling position 26, the second wafer boat support surface 20 is rotated from the cooling position 26 to the loading / receiving position 24. In other words, the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20 swap positions, as do the wafer boats 12, 14 resting on these support surfaces 18, 20.

[0034] In one embodiment, the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 is configured as follows. loading the first wafer boat 12 vertically into the processing chamber 56 from the first wafer boat support surface 18 at the loading / receiving position 24; cooling the second wafer boat 14 on the second wafer boat support surface 20 in the cooling position 26; Rotating the rotatable table 16 to a rotational position where the second wafer boat support surface 20 is in the transfer position 28; transferring wafers to and / or from the second wafer boat 14 and rotating the rotatable table 16 to a rotated position where the first wafer boat support surface 18 is at the input / receive position 24; receiving the first wafer boat 12 from the processing chamber 56 onto the first wafer boat support surface 18; The rotatable table is rotated to a rotational position where the second wafer boat support surface 20 is at the loading / receiving position 24 .

[0035] Of the three functions of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10, the processing of wafers in the processing chamber 56 is usually the most time-consuming function. The efficiency of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may be increased by configuring the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 so that cooling and transport are performed simultaneously with the processing. Providing the transport position 28 at a different location from the cooling position 26 has the added advantage that heat from the hot wafer boats 12, 14 does not increase the temperature of the portion of the perimeter wall 32 adjacent to the transport position 28 too much. This may result in a simplified configuration of the transport door 38 in the transport position, as described above in relation to the other embodiments, and the same applies here.

[0036] In one embodiment, the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may further include a main housing having a perimeter wall 32. The perimeter wall 32 may define a transfer opening 36 at the transfer position 28 through which wafers may be transferred to and from the wafer boats 12, 14 housed on the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20 at the transfer position 28. The wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may further include a transfer door 38 configured to open the transfer opening 36 during wafer transfer and to close the transfer opening 36 when no wafers are present for transfer.

[0037] In one embodiment, the wafer boat handling apparatus includes a wafer boat lift assembly having vertically movable lift support members. The rotatable table 16 may have lift support openings on both the first and second wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20. The lift support openings allow the lift support members to pass through the rotatable table 16 and accommodate the lift support members in the space between the lower surface of the rotatable table 16 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 34 of the main housing. The wafer boat lift assembly may transport the wafer boats 12, 14 to and from the processing chamber 56. The lift support members may pass through the rotatable table 16 to lift the wafer boats 12, 14. Once the wafer boat lift assembly places the wafer boats 12, 14 on the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20, the lift support members may again pass through the rotatable table, allowing the rotatable table to rotate freely without being impeded by the lift support members. The wafer boat lift assembly may be part of the wafer boat handling apparatus 10.

[0038] In one embodiment, the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may further include a vertically extending wall structure 46 mounted to the rotatable table 16. The vertically extending wall structure 46 may define and at least partially define a corresponding vertically extending first wafer boat chamber 48 at the first wafer boat support surface 18 and a corresponding vertically extending second wafer boat chamber 50 at the second wafer boat support surface 20.

[0039] These wafer boat chambers 48, 50 may form a mini-environment in which the wafer boats 12, 14 are protected from flying debris from each other.

[0040] In some embodiments, the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 may further include a gas circulation system that supplies gas to and removes gas from at least the first and / or second wafer boat chambers 48, 50. The gas circulation system may be configured to cool the gas supplied to the wafer boat chambers 48, 50. In this manner, cooling of the wafer boats 12, 14 in the cooling position 26 may be achieved.

[0041] The present disclosure further provides a vertical batch furnace assembly 54 including a process chamber 56 for processing wafers contained in a wafer boat, and a wafer boat handling apparatus 10 according to the present disclosure. The wafer boat handling apparatus 10 has a wafer boat lift assembly disposed below the process chamber 56 and configured to transport the wafer boats 12, 14 from the wafer boat handling apparatus 10 to the process chamber 56 and vice versa.

[0042] The benefits and advantages of the vertical batch furnace assembly are discussed in the Summary of the Invention section, and these benefits and advantages are incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] In one embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the vertical batch furnace assembly 54 has a generally rectangular footprint with two opposing short sides 66 defining a width of the vertical batch furnace assembly and two opposing long sides 68 defining a length of the vertical batch furnace assembly. The vertical batch furnace assembly 54 may further include at least one cassette entry / exit port 58. The cassette entry / exit port 58 may be located on one of the short sides 66 of the vertical batch furnace assembly 54. The vertical batch furnace assembly 54 preferably includes two cassette entry / exit ports 58. In this case, the cassette entry / exit ports 58 may be located adjacent to one another. The vertical batch furnace assembly 54 may further include a cassette receiving portion 60 configured to receive a plurality of substrate cassettes containing a plurality of wafers. The batch furnace assembly may include a cassette door opening device 70 and a cassette handling portion 62 configured to transfer substrate cassettes between the cassette entry / exit port 58, the cassette receiving portion 60, and the door opening device 70. The cassette receiving portion 60 may be embodied as a cassette receiving carousel. The vertical batch furnace assembly 54 may include one or more cassette receiving carousels as shown in FIG. 3. The vertical batch furnace assembly 54 may further include a wafer handling portion 64 configured to transfer wafers between the cassettes in the door opening device 70 and the boats in the wafer boat handling apparatus 10.

[0044] With a generally rectangular footprint and cassette entry / exit ports 58 located on the short sides 66 of the vertical batch furnace, multiple vertical batch furnaces 54 can be positioned adjacent to one another, as shown in FIG. 5. Cassettes with wafers to be processed can be transferred to and from the assembly at the short sides 66 of the vertical batch furnaces 54. The remainder of the assembly 54 can be positioned in a vertical row behind the entry / exit ports 58 such that the maximum width of the vertical batch furnace assembly 54 is predetermined. A width of less than 1.1 meters is preferred to allow for interchangeability with other vertical batch furnace assemblies.

[0045] Finally, the present disclosure provides a method for handling the wafer boat 10. The method comprises the following steps. The method includes providing a vertical batch furnace assembly 54 having a process chamber 56 and a wafer boat handling apparatus 10 disposed below the process chamber 56. The wafer boat handling apparatus 10 is a wafer boat handling apparatus 10 according to the present disclosure. The method further includes providing a corresponding first wafer boat 12 having wafers loaded thereon on the first wafer boat support surface 18, and providing a corresponding second wafer boat 14 having wafers loaded thereon on the second wafer boat support surface 20. The method further includes loading the first wafer boat 12 vertically from the first wafer boat support surface 18 at the loading / receiving position 24 into the processing chamber 56 . The process further includes a step of processing the wafers contained in the first wafer boat 12 in the processing chamber 56. Simultaneously with this processing step, the following steps are performed. The second wafer boat 14 on the second wafer boat support surface 20 in the cooling position 26 is cooled. After cooling, the rotatable table 16 is rotated to a position where the second wafer boat support surface 20 is in the transfer position 28 . The wafers are transferred to and / or from the second wafer boat 14 . After transfer, the rotatable table 16 is rotated to a position where the first wafer boat support surface 18 is at the loading / receiving position 24 .

[0046] The benefits and advantages of the method are discussed in the Summary of the Invention section, and these benefits and advantages are incorporated herein by reference.

[0047] In one embodiment, the method may further comprise the steps of: The method includes receiving the first wafer boat 12 onto the first wafer boat support surface 18 from the processing chamber 56 . This is followed by the step of rotating the rotatable table 16 to a rotated position in which the second wafer boat support surface 20 is at the loading / receiving position 24 .

[0048] After performing these steps, the wafer boat support surfaces 18, 20 are swapped relative to the start of the method described above, i.e., the method described herein can be performed again. By repeating these steps over and over, the wafer boat handling equipment continues to receive wafers, process the wafers, cool the wafers, and transport the processed wafers.

[0049] Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above, in part with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art may conceive and realize variations to the disclosed embodiments by studying the drawings, the specification, and the appended claims when implementing the claimed invention.

[0050] When reference is made herein to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment," it is meant that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0051] Furthermore, it should be noted that the particular features, structures or characteristics of one or more of the various embodiments described above can be used and implemented separately and may be combined in any suitable manner to create new embodiments not expressly described. The reference numbers used in the detailed description and claims do not limit the description of the embodiments or the scope of the claims. The reference numbers are used for clarity of description only. Explanation of Reference Numbers

[0052] 10-Wafer boat handling device 12-First wafer boat 14-Second wafer boat 16-Rotary table 18—first wafer boat support surface 20—second wafer boat support surface 22-Center vertical axis 24-Input / Receive Position 26-Cooling position 28-Transportation position 32-Outer wall 34-Bottom wall 36-Transportation opening 38-Transportation Door 46-Vertically extending wall structure 48-First wafer boat chamber 50-Second wafer boat chamber 54-Vertical Batch Furnace Assembly 56-Processing chamber 58-Cassette in / out port 60-Cassette storage section 62-Cassette handling section 64-Wafer handling section 66-Longitudinal end

Claims

1. 1. A wafer boat handling apparatus configured to be positioned below a processing chamber of a vertical batch furnace, the wafer boat handling apparatus comprising: a rotatable table having only first and second wafer boat support surfaces as wafer boat support surfaces, each of the first and second wafer boat support surfaces configured to support a wafer boat configured to accommodate a plurality of wafers, the rotatable table being rotatable by an actuator about a central substantially vertical axis to rotate the first and second wafer boat support surfaces into a loading / receiving position, a cooling position, and a transfer position; the wafer boat handling device is configured at the input / receive location 24 to vertically input the wafer boat from the rotatable table to the processing chamber and to receive the wafer boat from the processing chamber to the rotatable table; the wafer boat handling apparatus is configured to cool a wafer boat at the cooling position; the wafer boat handling device is configured to enable transfer of wafers to and / or from the wafer boat at the transfer position; a rotation angle of the rotatable table for rotating the wafer boat support surface from the cooling position to the transfer position is sufficient to inhibit heat transfer from the wafer boat in the cooling position to a portion of an outer perimeter wall of the wafer boat handling apparatus adjacent to the transfer position such that a temperature of the portion of the outer perimeter wall adjacent to the transfer position is maintained below 70 degrees Celsius. Wafer boat handling equipment.

2. 2. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wafer boat handling apparatus is configured such that when a wafer boat is loaded into the processing chamber from the first wafer boat support surface, the second wafer boat support surface of the rotatable table can be rotated from the cooling position to the transfer position by the actuator.

3. 3. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein a rotation angle of the rotatable table for rotating the wafer boat support surface from the cooling position to the transfer position is within a range of 1 to 80 degrees.

4. 4. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wafer boat handling apparatus is configured such that when the first wafer boat support surface is in the loading / receiving position, the second wafer boat support surface is in the cooling position.

5. 5. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 4, wherein the rotatable table and the wafer boat support surface are rotatable from the loading / receiving position to the cooling position within a range of 120 degrees to 240 degrees.

6. The wafer boat handling device includes: loading a first wafer boat into the processing chamber in a vertical direction from the first wafer boat support surface at the loading / receiving position; cooling the second wafer boat on the second wafer boat support surface in the cooling position; rotating the rotatable table to a rotational position where the second wafer boat support surface is at the transfer position; transferring wafers to and / or from the second wafer boat; rotating the rotatable table to a rotational position where the first wafer boat support surface is in the loading / receiving position; receiving the first wafer boat from the processing chamber onto the first wafer boat support surface; rotating the rotatable table to a rotational position where the second wafer boat support surface is at the loading / receiving position; 6. The wafer boat handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer boat handling apparatus is configured as follows:

7. 7. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a main housing having an outer peripheral wall, the outer peripheral wall having a transfer opening at the transfer position, through which wafers are transferred to and from the wafer boat housed on the wafer boat support surface at the transfer position.

8. 8. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a transfer door configured to open the transfer opening when the wafer is being transferred and to close the transfer opening when no wafer is being transferred.

9. 9. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wafer boat lift assembly having a vertically movable lift support member, the rotatable table having lift support openings on both the first and second wafer boat support surfaces, the lift support members passing through the rotatable table and accommodated in a space between a lower surface of the rotatable table and an upper surface of a bottom wall of a main housing.

10. 10. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a vertically extending wall structure mounted to the rotatable table, the vertically extending wall structure forming and at least partially defining a corresponding vertically extending first wafer boat chamber in the first wafer boat support surface and a corresponding vertically extending second wafer boat chamber in the second wafer boat support surface.

11. 11. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a gas circulation system that supplies gas to at least the first wafer boat chamber and / or the second wafer boat chamber and removes the gas from at least the first wafer boat chamber and / or the second wafer boat chamber, the gas circulation system configured to cool the gas supplied to the wafer boat chamber.

12. a processing chamber for processing the wafers contained in the wafer boat; 12. The wafer boat handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wafer boat lift assembly disposed below the processing chamber and configured to transport a wafer boat from the wafer boat handling apparatus to the processing chamber and vice versa.

1. A vertical batch furnace assembly comprising:

13. the vertical batch furnace assembly having a generally rectangular footprint with two opposing short sides defining a width of said vertical batch furnace assembly and two opposing long sides defining a length of said vertical batch furnace assembly; The vertical batch furnace assembly further comprises: at least one cassette entry / exit port located on one of the short sides of the vertical batch furnace assembly; a cassette housing configured to house a plurality of substrate cassettes each containing a plurality of wafers; A cassette door opening device; a cassette handling unit configured to transport a substrate cassette between the cassette input / output port, the cassette storage unit, and the door opening device; a wafer handling section configured to transfer wafers between a cassette in the door opening apparatus and a boat in the wafer boat handling apparatus; Equipped with The width of the vertical batch furnace assembly is 1.1 meters or less.

13. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 12.

14. 1. A method for handling a wafer boat, comprising: providing a vertical batch furnace assembly having a process chamber and a wafer boat handling apparatus disposed below the process chamber, the wafer boat handling apparatus being the wafer boat handling apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11; providing a corresponding first wafer boat having wafers loaded thereon on the first wafer boat support surface and providing a corresponding second wafer boat having wafers loaded thereon on the second wafer boat support surface; loading the first wafer boat into the processing chamber in a vertical direction from the first wafer boat support surface at the loading / receiving position; processing the wafers contained in the first wafer boat in the processing chamber; Equipped with Concurrent with the step of processing the wafer, cooling the second wafer boat on the second wafer boat support surface in the cooling position; rotating the rotatable table after the cooling step to a position where the second wafer boat support surface is at the transfer position; transferring wafers to and / or from the second wafer boat; rotating the rotatable table after the transferring step to a position where the first wafer boat support surface is at the loading / receiving position; A method for performing.

15. receiving the first wafer boat from the processing chamber onto the first wafer boat support surface; rotating the rotatable table after the receiving step to a rotational position where the second wafer boat support surface is at the loading / receiving position; The method of claim 14 further comprising:

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