KR100532702B1 - Furnace apparatus and heat treatment method using the apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a furnace apparatus for semiconductor manufacture and a heat treatment method thereof, which enables to rapidly cool a high temperature heater in a diffusion and vapor phase thin film forming process (CVD process). A reaction tube in which a quartz boat on which a plurality of substrates are loaded is located; A heater assembly installed to surround the reaction tube to heat the reaction tube; The heater assembly includes a heat insulation block and a heat generating coil installed inside the heat insulation block; Air cooling means for forcibly lowering the temperature inside the insulating block.

Description

Furnace apparatus and heat treatment method using the apparatus {FURNACE APPARATUS AND HEAT TREATMENT METHOD USING THE APPARATUS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing facility, and more particularly, to a furnace apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing and a heat treatment method thereof for rapidly cooling a high temperature heater in a diffusion and vapor phase thin film forming process (CVD process). will be.

As is well known, semiconductor devices are made by selectively repeating a process such as photographing, etching, diffusion, chemical vapor deposition, ion implantation, and the like on a substrate.

The diffusion process, which is one of the above-mentioned processes, is performed to diffuse impurities of a desired conductivity type into a substrate in a high temperature atmosphere. In addition, a diffusion path in which a diffusion process is performed is used to perform a process of forming a deposition or an oxide film on a surface of a substrate at about 800-1250 degrees or more.

Conventional diffusion furnace equipment has a very short time for heating the temperature of the diffusion furnace to a condition for processing (approximately 800-1250 degrees), while cooling the temperature of the diffusion furnace to the standby state (standby state). The time required is very long (average cooling temperature rate 2 ~ 3 ℃ / min). Of course, the cooling water circulation line is installed on the outside of the heater, but the cooling water circulation line is installed on the outside of the insulation, so expect high cooling effect. it's difficult.

As such, the conventional diffusion furnace equipment has a disadvantage that the substrate throughput per unit time is very low because the time taken to cool the temperature of the heater is relatively long compared to the process time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide a heat treatment apparatus and a method of a new type of semiconductor substrate capable of quenching the temperature inside the heater in order to shorten the process time.

Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a reaction tube in which a quartz boat on which a plurality of substrates are placed is located; A heater assembly installed to surround the reaction tube to heat the reaction tube; The heater assembly includes a heat insulation block and a heat generating coil installed inside the heat insulation block; Air cooling means for forcibly lowering the temperature inside the insulating block.

According to the present invention, the air cooling means includes a supply unit for supplying a cooling gas into the adiabatic block; It includes a discharge portion discharged out of the high-temperature cooling gas inside the adiabatic block.

According to the present invention, the supply part includes a plurality of injection holes formed through the lower portion of the insulating block so that the cooling gas can be uniformly supplied into the insulating block through the inlet port.

According to the present invention, the injection holes are formed to be radially disposed on the insulating block.

According to the present invention, the discharge portion is discharged through the cooling gas supplied through the supply portion exit holes disposed radially on top of the insulating block; A discharge port is discharged through the discharge holes.

According to the present invention, the air cooling means further includes a cooling unit for cooling the high temperature cooling gas discharged through the discharge unit to room temperature.

According to the present invention, the cooling unit inlet port connected to the discharge portion; It includes a chiller (chiller) for cooling the high-temperature cooling gas introduced through the inlet port.

According to the present invention, the cooling unit further includes a filter for removing particles contained in the cooling gas discharged through the outlet port.

In order to achieve the above object, a heat treatment method in a furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor comprising a heater assembly installed to surround the reaction tube to heat the reaction tube in which the quartz boat on which a plurality of substrates are loaded is located Heating the reaction tube to a predetermined processing temperature by a heating coil of the heater assembly; A quartz boat loaded with a plurality of substrates is loaded into the reaction tube and heat treated; Unloading the quartz boat after the heat treatment from the reaction tube; Immediately after the quartz boat is unloaded, forced air cooling to rapidly cool the reaction tube.

According to the present invention, in the forced air cooling step, the hot air is discharged to the outside from the upper portion of the reaction tube and the cooling gas is supplied from the outside to the lower portion of the reaction tube.

According to the present invention, the forced air cooling step is to cool the hot gas discharged to the outside through the heater assembly and then discharged to the outside.

Hereinafter, a system for a semiconductor substrate heat treatment process according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Advantages of the present invention over prior art will become apparent from the detailed description and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings. In particular, the present invention is well pointed out and claimed in the claims. However, the present invention may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements throughout the various drawings.

1 is a view showing a furnace apparatus for chemical vapor deposition (Chemical Vapor Deposition) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 2, the furnace apparatus 100 according to the present invention is a heat treatment apparatus that performs a process of diffusing impurities of a desired conductivity type in a substrate under a high temperature atmosphere. The furnace apparatus 100 includes a reaction tube 110 including an inner tube 112 and an outer tube 114, a heater assembly 120, and a quartz boat on which a plurality of substrates w are loaded. 116, a seal cap 118 supporting the boat 116 and coupled to a flange 111 of the reaction tube 110, and connected to the seal cap 118 to react the boat 116 to the reaction. A loader device 119 for loading / unloading the pipe 110 is provided.

The inner tube 112 is a tube made of quartz, where a quartz boat 116 having a substrate w loaded therein is inserted, and chemical vapor deposition proceeds on the substrate w. The outer tube 114 is installed outside the inner tube 112 and serves to seal the inside thereof, and the heater assembly 120 is installed outside the outer tube 114 to set the substrate w at a predetermined temperature. Will be heated.

One side of the flange 111 of the reaction tube is provided with a gas inlet 111a for injecting a chemical source gas into the inner tube 112, and the other side is connected to a pump (not shown) and the outer tube 114. An air inlet 111b for sucking air is provided to depressurize the inside.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the heater assembly shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are views showing an insulating block provided with a supply part and a discharge part.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the heater assembly 120 includes an insulating block 122 including an upper block 122a, a lower block 122b, and a side block 122c. A coil 124 for generating heat is installed inside the insulation block 122, and a cooling water circulation line 126 is installed outside the insulation block. A protective cover 126a is installed to surround the cooling water circulation line 126 to protect the cooling water circulation line 126. In addition, the heater assembly 1200 has an air cooling means 130 for forcibly lowering the temperature inside the insulating block 122.

Looking at the air-cooling means 130 in detail, the supply unit 132 is supplied to the inside of the insulating block, the outside air (or inert gas may be used, hereinafter referred to as external air) as the cooling gas, and the insulating block And a cooling unit 150 for cooling the discharged inert gas to room temperature.

The inlet port 134a connected to the supply unit 132 and the gas introduced through the inlet port 134a are formed to penetrate the lower block 122b so as to be uniformly supplied into the adiabatic block 122. It has a plurality of injection holes (136). The injection holes 136 may be disposed radially in the lower block 122b and may be formed such that their injection angles are vertical.

The discharge unit 140 penetrates the discharge port 142a connected to the upper block 122a of the insulating block 122 and the upper block 122a to discharge high-temperature air inside the insulating block 122. It has a plurality of discharge holes 144 are formed. The discharge holes 144 are disposed radially in the upper block 122a.

On the other hand, the inlet port 152 of the cooling unit 150 for cooling the hot air discharged through the discharge port is connected to the discharge port 142a of the discharge unit 140. The cooling unit 150 has an outlet port 158 through which air passing through a chiller 154 for cooling hot air introduced through the inlet port 152 is discharged to the outside.

As described above, the deposition process in the furnace apparatus having the heater assembly 120 is as follows.

When the reaction tube 110 is heated to a predetermined process temperature (for example, 800-1250 degrees) by the heating coil 124 of the heater assembly 120, a plurality of substrates are loaded quartz boat 116 Is lifted by the loader device 119 is loaded into the reaction tube (110). Then, predetermined reaction gases are supplied into the reaction tube to perform heat treatment such as film formation or diffusion. When the heat treatment process is completed for a predetermined time, the quartz boat 116 is unloaded from the reaction tube 110.

Immediately after the quartz boat 116 is unloaded, forced air cooling is performed to rapidly cool the reaction tube 110. That is, when the cooling unit 150 is operated, air (hot air) between the insulating block 122 and the reaction tube 110 passes through the discharge holes 144 of the discharge unit 140. At the same time, the outside air (air at room temperature) is introduced into the space between the heat insulating block 122 and the reaction tube 110 through the supply part 132. The outside air is injected into the space between the heat insulation block 122 and the reaction tube 110 through a path (inlet port-injection holes) of the supply unit of the heater assembly 120.

As such, since the external air rises in the space between the insulating block 122 and the reaction tube 110, the external air is rapidly quenched as a whole, and thus, there is an advantage in that the rapid quenching of temperature is obtained. As the outside air rises, the temperature of the reaction tube and the coil is dropped, and the hot air is introduced into the cooling unit 150 through the discharge holes 144 of the discharge unit 140.

 The air introduced into the cooling unit is cooled while passing through the chiller 154 and then discharged to the outside through the outlet port 158. On the other hand, the outlet port 158 is provided with a filter 159 for filtering particles (foreign matter) contained in the discharged air. Since the filter 159 is highly likely to be damaged by hot air, it is preferable that the filter 159 is installed at the rear end of the cooling unit rather than being installed before the cooling unit.

Through the air flow, the internal temperature of the heater assembly 120 is rapidly cooled at a rate of 15 to 20 ° C./min from 850 to 1250 degrees to 300 degrees, thereby shortening the cooling time of the reaction tube (or the heater assembly). You can. In addition, since the air flow rises from the bottom of the reaction tube to the top, temperature uniformity can be obtained.

The foregoing detailed description illustrates the present invention. In addition, the foregoing description merely shows and describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. And, it is possible to change or modify within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed in this specification, the scope equivalent to the written description, and / or the skill or knowledge in the art. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the best state in carrying out the present invention, the use of other inventions such as the present invention in other state known in the art, and the specific fields of application and uses of the present invention. Various changes are also possible. Accordingly, the detailed description of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiments. Also, the appended claims should be construed to include other embodiments.

As described above in detail, the present invention can obtain the following effects. By rapidly cooling the temperature inside the heater, the process waiting time can be shortened and the productivity improvement effect can be obtained. Cooling the hot air and then discharging it to the outside does not cause a temperature increase in the room, and in particular, by installing a filter, it is possible to prevent indoor contamination.

1 shows schematically a furnace apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an air flow for cooling the reaction tube in the furnace apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a view showing a lower block of the insulating block in which the supply unit is installed;

4 is a view showing an upper block of the insulating block in which the discharge unit is installed;

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

110: reaction tube

120: heater assembly

122: insulation block

124 coil

130: air cooling means

Claims (11)

In the furnace apparatus for semiconductor manufacturing: A reaction tube in which a quartz boat in which a plurality of substrates are placed is placed; A heater assembly installed to surround the reaction tube to heat the reaction tube; The heater assembly An insulation block and a heat generating coil installed inside the insulation block; Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that it comprises an air cooling means for forcibly lowering the temperature inside the insulating block. The method of claim 1, The air cooling means A supply unit for supplying a gas for cooling into the insulating block; Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that it comprises an outlet for discharging the high-temperature cooling gas inside the insulating block. The method of claim 2, The supply unit includes a plurality of injection holes formed to penetrate the lower portion of the insulating block so that the cooling gas introduced through the inlet port through which the cooling gas flows into the insulating block. Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor. The method of claim 3, Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that the injection holes are radially disposed in the insulating block. The method of claim 2, The discharge portion Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that it comprises discharge holes through which the gas for cooling supplied through the supply portion exits. The method of claim 2, The air cooling means Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that further comprising a cooling unit for cooling the high-temperature cooling gas discharged through the discharge to room temperature. The method of claim 6, The cooling unit is an inlet port connected to the discharge portion; Chiller (chiller) for cooling the high-temperature cooling gas introduced through the inlet port; Furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that it comprises an outlet port for the cooling gas passing through the chiller is discharged to the outside. The method of claim 7, wherein The cooling unit further comprises a filter for removing particles contained in the gas for cooling discharged through the outlet port. A heat treatment method in a furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor comprising a heater assembly installed to surround the reaction tube in order to heat a reaction tube in which a quartz boat on which a plurality of substrates are stacked is placed is heated: Heating the reaction tube to a predetermined processing temperature by a heating coil of the heater assembly; A quartz boat loaded with a plurality of substrates is loaded into the reaction tube and heat treated; Unloading the quartz boat after the heat treatment from the reaction tube; And immediately after the quartz boat is unloaded, forcibly air cooling to rapidly cool the reaction tube. The method of claim 9, The forced air cooling step The hot air is discharged to the outside from the upper portion of the reaction tube, the cooling gas is supplied from the outside from the lower portion of the reaction tube, the heat treatment method in the furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor. The method of claim 9, The forced air cooling step The heat treatment method of the furnace apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor, characterized in that for cooling the hot gas discharged to the outside through the heater assembly and then discharged to the outside.