Vertical batch furnace assembly

Abstract

To provide a vertical batch furnace assembly with improved wafer cassette handling.SOLUTION: A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprises a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space 14, and a first wall 16 separating the cassette handling space from the wafer handling space. The wall has a wafer transfer opening 18, 20. The wafer transfer opening is associated with a cassette carousel 28, 30 comprising a carousel stage 32 having a plurality of cassette support surfaces 34 each supporting a wafer cassette 26. The carousel stage is rotatable by an actuator around a substantially vertical axis to transfer each cassette support surface to a wafer transfer position in front of the wafer transfer opening. The vertical batch furnace assembly is configured to load or retrieve a wafer cassette onto or from a cassette support surface of the carousel stage which is in at least one load / retrieve position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers.

Background Art

[0002] A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers includes a cassette operation space, a wafer operation space, and a wall separating these two spaces. The wall has a wafer transfer opening provided with a cassette door opening device, and a wafer transfer position for a wafer cassette is provided on its front surface. The cassette operation space includes a cassette operation mechanism capable of transferring a wafer cassette between the wafer transfer position and a cassette storage section where the wafer cassette can be stored. The cassette operation space may also include a transfer mechanism for moving the wafer cassette from the wafer transfer position towards the cassette door opening device so that the cassette door opening device can engage with the wafer cassette and open the cassette lid of the wafer cassette. The wafer operation space of the vertical batch furnace assembly may also include a wafer handler capable of removing wafers from a wafer cassette engaged with the cassette door opening device and transferring these wafers through the transfer opening to a wafer boat for applying a process in a process chamber. After processing the wafers, the wafer handler can also return the wafers into the wafer cassette engaged with the cassette door opening device. The cassette door opening device can release the engaged wafer cassette, and the transfer mechanism can move the wafer cassette back to the wafer transfer position. Thereafter, the cassette operation mechanism can transfer the wafer cassette to the cassette storage section and exchange it with another wafer cassette from the cassette storage section.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce the concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are described in more detail in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the following disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key features 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] It can be appreciated that typically, in order to fill an entire wafer boat, the loading of a plurality of wafer cassettes needs to be released. While the wafer cassette is being transferred to and from the wafer transfer position, the wafer handler may not be able to transfer the wafers and may remain in an idle state. While the wafer cassette is engaged with the cassette door opening device, the cassette operating mechanism cannot transfer the wafer cassette to and from the wafer transfer position and remains in an idle state. This idle time may be unfavorable for the efficiency of the vertical batch furnace assembly.

[0005] Accordingly, an object may be to provide a vertical batch furnace assembly with improved wafer cassette operation.

[0006] Therefore, a vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 can be provided. More specifically, a vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers can be provided. The vertical batch furnace assembly can include a cassette operation space, a wafer operation space, and a first wall. The first wall can separate the cassette operation space from the wafer operation space and can have at least one wafer transfer opening. A wafer transfer position for the wafer cassette can be provided on the side surface of the first wall that is in front of at least one wafer transfer opening and faces the cassette operation space. At least one wafer transfer opening can be associated with at least one cassette carousel. The at least one cassette carousel can include a carousel stage having a plurality of cassette support surfaces that can be configured to each support a wafer cassette. The carousel stage can be rotatable by an actuator about a substantially vertical axis so as to transfer each cassette support surface to at least one cassette loading / unloading position and to the wafer transfer position in front of the wafer transfer opening. The vertical batch furnace assembly can be configured to load or unload a wafer cassette onto or from the cassette support surface of the carousel stage that is at at least one cassette loading / unloading position.

[0007] To summarize the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, some of the objects and advantages of the present invention have been described above in this specification. It should of course be understood that not all of such objects or advantages necessarily can be achieved by any particular embodiment of the present invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention can be practiced or carried out without necessarily achieving one advantage, or a group of advantages, taught or suggested herein, without achieving other objects or advantages taught or suggested herein.

[0008] Various embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims, which will be further clarified with reference to the examples shown in the figures. The embodiments can be combined or applied separately from each other.

[0009] All of these embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description of some embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures. The invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.

[0010] This specification identifies and particularly claims, as embodiments of the invention, what is considered to be the invention, but the advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure can be more readily confirmed from a description of some examples of the embodiments of this disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] In this application, like or corresponding features are denoted by like or corresponding reference symbols. The description of the various embodiments is not limited to the examples shown in the figures, and the reference numbers used in the detailed description and claims are not intended to limit the description of the embodiments, but are included to clarify the embodiments by reference to the examples shown in the figures.

[0013] Although several embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments, and / or the uses of the present invention, and obvious modifications and equivalent forms thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the present invention disclosed should not be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described below. The figures presented in this specification are not meant to be actual diagrams of any specific material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations used to describe the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0014] As used herein, the term "wafer" can refer to any one or more of the underlying materials that can be used, on which devices, circuits, or films can be formed.

[0015] In the most general terms, the present disclosure can provide a vertical batch furnace assembly 10 for processing wafers. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can include a cassette operation space 12, a wafer operation space 14, and a first wall 16. The first wall 16 can separate the cassette operation space 12 from the wafer operation space 14 and can have at least one wafer transfer opening 18, 20. Wafer transfer positions 22, 24 for the wafer cassette 26 can be provided on the side of the first wall 16 that faces the cassette operation space 12 and is in front of at least one wafer transfer opening 18, 20. At least one wafer transfer opening 18, 20 can be associated with at least one cassette carousel 28, 30. At least one cassette carousel 28, 30 can include a carousel stage 32 having a plurality of cassette support surfaces 34 configured to each support a wafer cassette 26. The carousel stage 32 can be rotatable by an actuator substantially around a vertical axis 36 so as to transfer each cassette support surface 34 to at least one cassette loading / unloading position 38, 40 and to a wafer transfer position 22, 24 in front of the wafer transfer openings 18, 20. The vertical batch furnace assembly, particularly the cassette operating mechanism, can be configured to load or unload the wafer cassette 26 onto or from the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at at least one loading / unloading position 38, 40.

[0016] For at least one of the cassette carousels 28, 30 according to this description, the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46 are in positions different from the position where the wafer cassette 26 is placed on the carousel stage 32 and the position where the wafer is transferred to the wafer boat. This means that the vertical batch furnace assembly 10, particularly its wafer handler, can transfer wafers from the wafer cassettes 26 arranged at the wafer transfer positions 22, 24, and that the vertical batch furnace assembly 10, particularly its cassette handler mechanisms 44, 46, can simultaneously transfer another wafer cassette 26 to the loading / unloading positions 38, 40. The opening and closing of the wafer cassette 26 and the loading / unloading of the wafers only need to stop while the carousel stage 32 is rotated by the actuator. Doing so, and vice versa, can take much less time than the time normally required to transfer the wafer cassette 26 from the wafer transfer positions 22, 24 to the cassette storage section and to transfer a new wafer cassette 26 using the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46. Therefore, this solution can be beneficial compared to a solution that only increases the operating speed of the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46. Operating the wafer cassette 26 at high speed can cause all kinds of other problems, such as an increased risk of particulate emissions that can result in a higher defect rate of the wafers produced. The cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46 can transfer the wafer cassette 26 to and / or from the cassette loading / unloading positions 38, 40, and at the same time, the wafers are transferred to the wafer boat, so such problems can be reduced. This means that the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46 can use more time for this transfer and that the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46 can move relatively slowly and thus smoothly. Therefore, the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46 can be made relatively simple and thus inexpensive, and the wafer cassette 26 can be transferred smoothly so that particulate emissions can be reduced.

[0017] Another advantage of this configuration is that the cassette can remain empty on the carousel stage after the wafer has been transferred by the wafer handler to the wafer boat for processing. Thus, if the next operation is to unload the processed wafer boat, an empty cassette is already present on the carousel stage. By leaving an empty cassette on the carousel stage, the "work" to be done by the cassette handler is halved because there is no need to move and store the empty cassette. When this is done on two carousel stages, this method can use six cassettes corresponding to boats that are almost filled with 150 wafers.

[0018] Yet another advantage is that in the case of a filler or dummy wafer, the cassette for the filler or dummy wafer can always remain on the carousel stage while the filler wafer is continuously transferred between the filler cassette and the boat.

[0019] In an embodiment, each carousel stage 32 can include three cassette support surfaces 34. At least one cassette loading / unloading position 38, 40 can include a first loading / unloading position 38 and a second loading / unloading position 40. The carousel stage 32 can be rotatable to transfer each of the three cassette support surfaces 34 to the first loading / unloading position 38, to the second loading / unloading position 40, and to the wafer transfer positions 22, 24.

[0020] By having the first loading / unloading position 38 and the second loading / unloading position 40, a plurality of wafer cassettes 26 can be placed on the carousel stage 32 simultaneously. This ensures that an available wafer cassette 26 can always be present on the carousel stage 32 and can be rotated to the wafer transfer positions 22, 24.

[0021] In an embodiment, at least one of the wafer transfer openings 18, 20 includes a first wafer transfer opening 18 provided with a first wafer transfer position 22 on its front surface, and a second wafer transfer opening 20 provided with a second wafer transfer position 24 on its front surface.

[0022] At least one of the cassette carousels 28, 30 can include a first cassette carousel 28 and a second cassette carousel 30. The first cassette carousel 28 can be associated with the first wafer transfer opening 18, and the second cassette carousel 30 can be associated with the second wafer transfer opening 20. The first and second cassette carousels 28, 30 can have a vertical axis that is in a straight line.

[0023] The cassette operation space 12 can include a cassette storage section. The cassette storage section can have a plurality of cassette storage positions 42 and can be configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes 26. The cassette storage section can include, for example, several racks each having several cassette storage positions 42 one above the other and / or adjacent to each other. Alternatively, or in addition, the cassette storage section can include a storage carousel having a storage carousel stage on which the cassette storage positions 42 are provided. The first cassette carousel 28 and the second cassette carousel 30 can be vertically spaced apart. The cassette storage section can include at least one cassette storage carousel between the first cassette carousel 28 and the second cassette carousel 30.

[0024] In addition to the first wafer transfer opening 18, by having the second wafer transfer opening 20, the wafer can be transferred to the wafer boat through both openings. This will increase the throughput of the vertical batch furnace assembly and thus its efficiency. By having cassette carousels 28, 30 associated with each wafer transfer opening 18, 20, the advantages of at least one of the cassette carousels 28, 30 are applied to each transfer opening 18, 20, making the vertical batch furnace assembly even more efficient. By having a cassette storage position 42 between the first cassette carousel 28 and the second cassette carousel 30, optimal use of all available space is made in the cassette operation space 12.

[0025] In an embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can further include a blower having an elongated, slit-shaped nozzle that substantially extends over the height range of the cassette lid of the wafer cassette 26 when supported on the support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 of at least one of the cassette carousels 28, 30. The blower can be configured to blow a curtain-shaped jet of gas against the cassette lid substantially over the height range of the cassette lid when at least one of the cassette carousels 28, 30 transfers the wafer cassette 26 from at least one of the cassette loading / unloading positions 38, 40 to the wafer transfer positions 22, 24. The blower can be provided near at least one of the cassette carousels 28, 30. The blower can be attached to the first wall 16.

[0026] By blowing gas onto the cassette lid, any contaminants or debris on the cassette lid can be blown off. By using a jet stream, a strong blast of air is ensured to reach the cassette lid, thereby enabling the contaminants / debris to be reliably blown off. The blower blows a curtain-shaped jet stream substantially over the height range of the cassette lid, so that from the entire height of the cassette lid, and thus, the contaminants / debris are removed. When the cassette carousels 28, 30 transfer the wafer cassette 26 from at least one cassette loading / unloading position 38, 40 to the wafer transfer positions 22, 24, the entire width of the cassette lid is transferred past the blower. This means that the blower also blows off contaminants / debris over the entire width of the cassette lid.

[0027] In an embodiment, the cassette storage section that can include a storage rack and / or a storage carousel can have 10 to 50 cassette storage positions 42. The cassette storage section can have, for example, at least 40 cassette storage positions 42.

[0028] Normally, about 50 to 250 wafers are required to fill a wafer boat. Usually, about 25 wafers are stored in a wafer cassette. This means that usually, 2 to 10 wafer cassettes are required to fill one wafer boat. By having at least 40 cassette storage positions 42, sufficient wafer cassettes 26 can be stored to fill at least two wafer boats, particularly about four wafer boats. Thus, the loading and unloading with the cassette operation space 12 can be extended over a fairly long period, during which the vertical batch furnace processes wafers from the cassettes stored in the cassette operation space 12.

[0029] In an embodiment, the wafer cassette 26 can be implemented as a front-opening unified pod (FOUP). The FOUP is considered a standard container for wafers in the industry. Using the FOUP is advantageous regarding the replaceability of the wafer cassette between the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and other wafer processing machines.

[0030] In an embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can further include at least one cassette input / output port 48 and cassette handler mechanisms 44, 46. The at least one cassette input / output port 48 provides an entrance to and an exit from the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 for exchanging the wafer cassette between the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and the outside world. The at least one cassette input / output port 48 can be provided in a second wall 58 that forms the boundary of the cassette operation space 12. The cassette operation mechanisms 44, 46 can be configured in the same manner as the other cassette operation mechanisms 44, 46 described above. The cassette handler mechanisms 44, 46 can be configured to transfer the wafer cassette 26 to and from at least one cassette input / output port 48. Such cassette handler mechanisms 44, 46 can operate all of the wafer cassette transfers within the cassette operation space 12. This can provide an efficient and cost-effective way to transfer the wafer cassette 26.

[0031] In an embodiment, the cassette operating mechanisms 44, 46 can include a first cassette handler 44 and a second cassette handler 46. The first cassette handler 44 can be configured to place the wafer cassette 26 on the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the first loading / unloading position 38 and to remove the wafer cassette 26 from the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the first loading / unloading position 38. The second cassette handler 46 can be configured to place the wafer cassette 26 on the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the second loading / unloading position 40 and to remove the wafer cassette 26 from the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the second loading / unloading position 40.

[0032] Alternatively, both the first cassette handler 44 and the second cassette handler 46 can be configured to place the wafer cassette 26 on the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the first loading / unloading position 38 and to remove the wafer cassette 26 from the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the first loading / unloading position 38, and also to place the wafer cassette 26 on the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the second loading / unloading position 40 and to remove the wafer cassette 26 from the cassette support surface 34 of the carousel stage 32 at the second loading / unloading position 40.

[0033] Each cassette handler 44, 46 can include a cassette handler arm 50 and an elevator mechanism 52 configured to reach cassette storage positions 42 at various vertical heights within the cassette operating space 12.

[0034] The elevator mechanism 52 of the first cassette handler 44 and the elevator mechanism 52 of the second cassette handler 46 can be respectively disposed at or adjacent to a third wall 60 and a fourth wall 62 that form boundaries at both ends of the cassette operating space 12.

[0035] By having two cassette handlers 44, 46 respectively associated with the first or second loading / unloading positions 38, 40, both cassette handlers 44, 46 can transfer the wafer cassette 26 to and from at least one cassette carousel 28, 30 simultaneously. This means that the wafer cassette 26 can be transferred more quickly from the cassette storage section, which means an improvement in efficiency. By arranging the elevator mechanism 52 of the first cassette handler 44 on the opposite side of the elevator mechanism 52 of the second cassette handler 46, the arms 50 of both cassette handlers 44, 46 can cover different parts of the cassette operation space 12. Both can operate simultaneously without interfering with each other. Further, both can be provided with relatively short arms 50, but when combined, they can still cover the entire cassette operation space 12.

[0036] In an embodiment, at least one cassette carousel 28, 30 can include a transfer mechanism 54. The transfer mechanism 54 can be configured to move the wafer cassette 26 supported on the cassette support surface 34 at the wafer transfer positions 22, 24 in the direction of and / or away from the first wall 16 having at least one wafer transfer opening 18, 20.

[0037] For each wafer transfer opening 18, 20, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can include a cassette door opening device 56. The cassette door opening device 56 can be arranged on the first wall 16 and can be configured to engage the wafer cassette 26 moving in the direction of the first wall 16 by the transfer mechanism 54 and open the cassette door of the engaged wafer cassette 26.

[0038] The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 further includes a wafer handler, a process chamber, and a wafer boat operation device. The wafer handler can be located within the wafer operation space 14 and can be configured to transfer wafers between the wafer cassette 26 engaged with the cassette opening device 56 and the wafer boat. The process chamber can be configured to process the wafers housed in the wafer boat. The wafer boat operation device can be located under the process chamber and adjacent to the wafer operation space 14. The wafer boat operation device can be provided with the wafer boat at the wafer boat transfer position and can be configured to carry the wafer boat to the process chamber and also to the wafer boat transfer position.

[0039] At least one cassette carousel 28, 30 can rotate the wafer cassette 26 to the wafer transfer positions 22, 24 in front of at least one of the wafer transfer openings 18, 20. Thanks to the transfer mechanism 54, the wafer cassette 26 can move towards and / or away from the cassette door opening device 56 arranged on the first wall, and thus the wafers in the wafer cassette 26 can be loaded onto / loaded off the wafer cassette 26 by the wafer handler.

[0040] Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings in part, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. By considering the drawings, the present disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement variations to the disclosed embodiments in the practice of the claimed invention.

[0041] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0042] Furthermore, it should be noted that one or more of the particular features, structures, or characteristics of the various embodiments described above may be implemented independently of each other or may be combined in any suitable way to form new, explicitly described embodiments. The reference numbers used in the detailed description and claims do not limit the description of the embodiments nor the claims. The reference numbers are used solely for clarity.

Explanation of Reference Signs

[0043] 10 Vertical batch furnace assembly 12 Cassette operation space 14 Wafer operation space 16 First wall 18 First wafer transfer opening 20 Second wafer transfer opening 22 First wafer transfer position 24 Second wafer transfer position 26 Wafer cassette 28 First cassette carousel 30 Second cassette carousel 32 Carousel stage 34 Cassette support surface 36 Vertical axis 38 First loading / unloading position 40 Second loading / unloading position 42 Cassette storage position 44 First cassette handler 46 Second cassette handler 48 Cassette input / output port 50 Cassette handler arm 52 Elevator mechanism 54 Transfer mechanism 56 Cassette door opening device 58 Second wall 60 Third wall 62 Fourth wall

Claims

1. A vertical batch furnace assembly (10) for processing wafers, comprising: - a cassette operation space (12); - a wafer operation space (14); - a first wall (16) separating the cassette operation space (12) from the wafer operation space (14) and having at least one wafer transfer opening (18, 20), wherein on the front surface of the wafer transfer opening (18, 20), on the side surface of the first wall (16) facing the cassette operation space (12), wafer transfer positions (22, 24) for a wafer cassette (26) are provided, the first wall (16); and the at least one wafer transfer opening (18, 20) is associated with at least one cassette carousel (28, 30) having a carousel stage (32) with a plurality of cassette support surfaces (34) each configured to support a wafer cassette (26), the carousel stage (32) moving each cassette support surface (34) between: - at least one cassette loading / unloading position (38, 40) at which the vertical batch furnace assembly is configured to load or unload a wafer cassette (26) onto or from the cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the at least one loading / unloading position (38, 40); - a wafer transfer position (22, 24) in front of the wafer transfer opening (18, 20); and is rotatable by an actuator substantially about a vertical axis (36) for transferring to; the at least one cassette carousel (28, 30) comprises a transfer mechanism (54) configured to move a wafer cassette (26) supported on a cassette support surface (34) at the wafer transfer position (22, 24) in the direction of and / or away from the first wall (16) having the at least one wafer transfer opening (18, 20). A vertical batch furnace assembly (10).

2. Each carousel stage (32) includes three cassette support surfaces (34), the at least one cassette loading / unloading position (38, 40) includes a first loading / unloading position (38) and a second loading / unloading position (40), and the carousel stage (32) is rotatable to transfer each of the three cassette support surfaces (34) to the first loading / unloading position (38), the second loading / unloading position (40), and the wafer transfer position (22, 24). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1.

3. The at least one wafer transfer opening (18, 20) includes a first wafer transfer opening (18) provided with a first wafer transfer position (22) on its front surface, and a second wafer transfer opening (20) provided with a second wafer transfer position (24) on its front surface. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The at least one cassette carousel (28, 30) includes a first cassette carousel (28) and a second cassette carousel (30). The first cassette carousel (28) is associated with the first wafer transfer opening (18), the second cassette carousel (30) is associated with the second wafer transfer opening (20), and the first and second cassette carousels (28, 30) have a vertical axis on the same straight line. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 3.

5. The cassette operation space (12) has a plurality of cassette storage positions (42) and includes a cassette storage section configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes (26). The first cassette carousel (28) and the second cassette carousel (30) are vertically spaced apart, and the cassette storage section has a cassette storage position (42) between the first cassette carousel (28) and the second cassette carousel (30). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 4.

6. When supported on the support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) of the at least one cassette carousel (28, 30), further comprising a blower having an elongated, slit-shaped nozzle that substantially spans the height range of the cassette lid of the wafer cassette (26), the blower being configured to direct a curtain-shaped jet of gas that substantially spans the height range of the cassette lid onto the cassette lid when the at least one cassette carousel (28, 30) transfers the wafer cassette (26) from the at least one cassette loading / unloading position (38, 40) to the wafer transfer position (22, 24). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 6, wherein the blower is provided near the at least one cassette carousel (28, 30).

8. The cassette operation space (12) - has a plurality of cassette storage positions (42) and includes a cassette storage section configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes (26), - and a cassette operation mechanism (44, 46) configured to transfer the wafer cassette (26) within the cassette operation space (12) to and from the cassette storage positions (42). comprising The vertical batch furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cassette storage section has 10 to 50 cassette storage positions (42).

9. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the wafer cassette (26) is implemented as a front-opening integrated pod (FOUP).

10. Comprising a second wall (58) forming a boundary of the cassette operation space (12) and having at least one cassette access port (48), The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 8, wherein the cassette operation mechanism (44, 46) is further configured to transfer the wafer cassette (26) to and from the at least one cassette access port (48).

11. A cassette operating mechanism (44, 46) including a first cassette operating mechanism (44) and a second cassette operating mechanism (46), wherein the first cassette operating mechanism (44) places a wafer cassette (26) on a cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the first loading / unloading position (38), and is configured to remove the wafer cassette (26) from the cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the first loading / unloading position (38), and the second cassette operating mechanism (46) places a wafer cassette (26) on a cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the second loading / unloading position (40), and is configured to remove the wafer cassette (26) from the cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the second loading / unloading position (40). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 2.

12. A cassette operating mechanism (44, 46) including a first cassette operating mechanism (44) and a second cassette operating mechanism (46), wherein both the first cassette operating mechanism (44) and the second cassette operating mechanism (46) place a wafer cassette (26) on a cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the first loading / unloading position (38), and are configured to remove the wafer cassette (26) from the cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the first loading / unloading position (38), and place a wafer cassette (26) on a cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the second loading / unloading position (40), and are configured to remove the wafer cassette (26) from the cassette support surface (34) of the carousel stage (32) at the second loading / unloading position (40). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 2.

13. The cassette operation space (12) includes a cassette storage section having a plurality of cassette storage positions (42) and configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes (26). Each cassette operation mechanism (44, 46) includes a cassette handler arm (50) and an elevator mechanism (52) configured to reach the cassette storage positions (42) at different vertical heights within the cassette operation space (12). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 11 or 12.

14. The elevator mechanism (52) of the first cassette operation mechanism (44) and the elevator mechanism (52) of the second cassette operation mechanism (46) are respectively disposed on or adjacent to a third wall (60) and a fourth wall (62) that form a boundary on both sides of the cassette operation space (12). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 13.

15. For each wafer transfer opening (18, 20), the vertical batch furnace assembly (10) - A cassette door opening device (56) disposed on the first wall (16), which engages with a wafer cassette (26) moving in the direction of the first wall (16) by the transfer mechanism (54) and is configured to open the cassette door of the engaged wafer cassette (26). The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 1.

16. The vertical batch furnace assembly (10) - A wafer handler located in the wafer operation space (14), configured to transfer wafers between a wafer cassette (26) engaged with the cassette door opening device (56) and a wafer boat. - A process chamber configured to process wafers accommodated in the wafer boat. - A wafer boat operation device located below the process chamber and adjacent to the wafer operation space (14), configured to transfer the wafer boat to the process chamber or a wafer boat transfer position. The vertical batch furnace assembly according to claim 15, further comprising.

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