Kokusai Electric Corporation

Hitachi-kokusai Electric Inc.

Kokusai Electric Co., Ltd.

Sony Corporation

Kokusai Electric Corpoation

Tomoshi Taniyama

Hidenari Yoshida

Takayuki Nakada

Daigi Kamimura

Takashi Nogami

Kenji Shirako

Yoshikazu Takashima

Shigeru Odake

Shuhei Saido

Kiyohiko Maeda

Hironori Shimada

Sadao Hisakado

Shinya Morita

Takashi Ozaki

Takatomo Yamaguchi

Naoya Miyashita

Akira Horii

Hiroshi Unami

Koei Kuribayashi

Kouji Tometsuka

Yasuaki Komae

Hidehiro Yanagawa

Norihiro Yamashima

Takafumi Sasaki

Kenichi Suzaki

Shusaku Yanagawa

Masakazu Shimada

Seiyo Nakashima

Michio Sato

Motoya Takewaki

Akinori Tanaka

Mitsuhiro Hirano

Osamu Morita

Kazuhito Ikeda

Tatsuya Nishino

Shuji Yonemitsu

Takeshi Ito

Satoshi Kakizaki

Hideki Kaihotsu

Hiroyuki Nishiuchi

Kazumi Nikaido

Yoshikazu Hisajima

Yoshikatsu Kanamori

Ken-ichi Suzaki

Kazuma Yoshioka

Mikio Ohno

A substrate processing apparatus includes a boat including plural slots to hold at least one substrate, a process furnace that processes the at least one substrate held in the boat, a boat elevator that raises and lowers the boat, a transfer device that transfers the at least one substrate between plural carriers where the at least one substrate is stored and the boat, and a controller capable of controlling the boat elevator and the transfer device, wherein the controller sets plural positions where the transfer device transfers the at least one substrate to the boat elevator, and select the positions to minimize a number of shifts among the positions of the boat elevator or total time taken during the shifts.

Substrate processing apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

There is provided a technique capable of shortening a temperature stabilization time in a process chamber by improving a heat insulation performance of a lower portion of the process chamber. A heat insulation structure is arranged in a vicinity of a furnace opening of a heat treatment furnace wherein a temperature gradient is formed at the vicinity of the furnace opening. The heat insulation structure includes a plurality of heat insulation plates with predetermined gaps therebetween. Each heat insulation plate includes a heat shield made of metal; and a seal made of quartz or ceramics and configured to cover a front surface and a rear surface of the heat shield. The heat shield is arranged in a vacuum cavity provided in the seal.

Heat insulation structure, substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device and substrate processing method

There is provided a technique capable of reducing a corrosion of a furnace opening shutter. According to one aspect thereof, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a process vessel provided with an opening and a first sealing surface around the opening; and a furnace opening shutter provided with a second sealing surface facing the first sealing surface, and capable of closing the opening. The furnace opening shutter includes: a protective cover provided corresponding to an inner surface of the furnace opening shutter, facing the process vessel and greater than the opening; and a lid provided corresponding to an outer surface of the furnace opening shutter and supporting the protective cover. The second sealing surface is configured by an outer peripheral portion of the protective cover and the lid, and a purge gas is supplied to a gap between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface.

Substrate processing apparatus, furnace opening assembly, substrate processing method, method of manufacturing semiconductor device and non-transitory tangible medium

A technique for reducing cooling time for a substrate includes a substrate processing apparatus that may include: a substrate retainer configured to support a substrate; a heat-insulating unit; a transfer chamber; and a gas supply mechanism to supply a gas into the transfer chamber, the gas supply mechanism including: a first gas supply mechanism to supply the gas into an upper region of the transfer chamber. The substrate retainer is disposed such that the gas flows horizontally through the upper region; and a second gas supply mechanism to supply the gas into a lower region of the transfer chamber. The heat-insulating unit is provided such that the gas flows downward through the lower region. The first gas supply mechanism and the second gas supply mechanism are disposed along a first sidewall of the transfer chamber, and the second gas supply mechanism is disposed lower than the first gas supply mechanism.

Described herein is a technique capable of shortening the time required to reduce the oxygen concentration in a transfer chamber. According to the technique described herein, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a transfer chamber wherein a substrate from a container is transported; a transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate through the transfer chamber; a purge gas supply mechanism configured to supply a purge gas into the transfer chamber; and a pressure control mechanism configured to control an inner pressure of the transfer chamber wherein the pressure control mechanism is provided at an exhaust channel wherethrough an inner atmosphere of the transfer chamber is exhausted, the pressure control mechanism including: an exhaust damper configured to fully open or fully close the exhaust channel; and an adjusting damper provided in the exhaust damper and configured to maintain the inner pressure of the transfer chamber at predetermined pressure.

There is provided a technique that includes: removing a deposit adhering to an inside of a process container by supplying a cleaning gas into the process container after performing a process of forming a film on a substrate in the process container, wherein the act of removing the deposit includes sequentially and repeatedly performing: a first process of supplying the cleaning gas into the process container until a predetermined first pressure is reached in the process container; a second process of stopping the supply of the cleaning gas and exhausting the cleaning gas and a reaction product generated by the cleaning gas remaining in the process container; and a third process of cooling an exhaust pipe that connects the process container and a vacuum pump, while maintaining a pressure inside the process container at a second pressure, which is lower than the first pressure, or lower.

Cleaning method, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate holding member configured to hold a plurality of substrates; a reaction tube configured to accommodate the substrate holding member and process the substrates; a processing gas supply system configured to supply a processing gas into the reaction tube; and an exhaust system configured to exhaust an internal atmosphere of the reaction tube. The reaction tube includes: a cylindrical portion; a gas supply area formed outside one side wall of the cylindrical portion and connected to the processing gas supply system; and a gas exhaust area formed outside the other side wall of the cylindrical portion opposed to the gas supply area and connected to the exhaust system. Each of the gas supply area and the gas exhaust area has an inner wall which partitions the interior of each of the gas supply area and the gas exhaust area into a plurality of spaces.

Substrate processing device, manufacturing method for semiconductor device, and reaction tube

There is provided a technique that includes: a first processing module including a first process container in which at least one substrate is processed, a first utility system including a first supply system which supplies a first processing gas into the first process container and a surface of the first utility system is connected or arranged close to the first processing module; and a first vacuum pump arranged at the same level as a first exhaust port of the first process container. The first vacuum pump exhausts an inside of the first process container and includes a first intake port formed laterally at a position substantially facing the first exhaust port of the first process container. A first exhaust pipe configured to substantially linearly bring the first exhaust port into fluid communication with the first intake port and including a first valve installed in a flow path.

Substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium

Described herein is a technique capable of improving a uniformity of a semiconductor manufacturing process by placing a substrate at an appropriate position on the basis of actual installation dimensions of a reaction tube. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a boat on which substrates are placed; a process furnace including a reaction tube into which the boat is to be inserted, wherein a film is formed on the substrates placed on the boat in the reaction tube; and a substrate transport device configured to transfer the substrates into the boat, wherein the substrates are transferred into the boat by the substrate transport device referring to a virtual center axis of the reaction tube measured in advance.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate retainer configured to support a substrate; a heat-insulating unit; a transfer chamber; and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas into the transfer chamber, the gas supply mechanism including: a first gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas into an upper region of the transfer chamber, where the substrate retainer is disposed such that the gas flows horizontally through the upper region; and a second gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas into a lower region of the transfer chamber, where the heat-insulating unit is provided such that the gas flows downward through the lower region, wherein the first gas supply mechanism and the second gas supply mechanism are disposed along a first sidewall of the transfer chamber, and the second gas supply mechanism is disposed lower than the first gas supply mechanism.

Substrate processing apparatus

Provided is a technique in which a heating-up time inside a process chamber is reduced. The technique includes a substrate processing apparatus including a process chamber where a substrate is processed, a substrate retainer configured to support the substrate in the process chamber, a process gas supply unit configured to supply a process gas into the process chamber, a first heater installed outside the process chamber and configured to heat an inside of the process chamber, a thermal insulating unit disposed under the substrate retainer, a second heater disposed in the thermal insulating unit and configured to heat the inside of the process chamber, and a purge gas supply unit configured to supply a purge gas into the thermal insulating unit to purge an inside of the thermal insulating unit.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing module including a first processing module, a second processing module, a first utility system adjacent to a back surface of the first processing module, and a second utility system adjacent to a back surface of the second processing module, a first exhaust box of the first utility system and a second exhaust box of the second utility system being disposed to face each other across a maintenance area located behind a part of the back surface of the first processing module that is close to the second processing module and behind a part of the back surface of the second processing module that is close to the first processing module, and a first supply box of the first utility system and a second supply box of the second utility system being disposed to face each other across the maintenance area.

There is provided a technique that includes: a first processing module including a first process container in which at least one substrate is processed and a substrate loading port installed at a front side of the first processing module; a first utility system including a first supply system configured to supply a first processing gas into the first process container, a surface of the first utility system is connected or arranged close to a rear surface of the first processing module; and a first vacuum-exhauster arranged behind the first processing module and configured to exhaust an inside of the first process container, wherein the first vacuum-exhauster includes an outer side surface configured such that the outer side surface does not protrude more outward than an outer side surface of the first utility system.

According to the technique of the disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a substrate retainer; a heat insulating assembly; a process chamber; a gas supplier including openings bored toward the wafer; a gas discharger including main exhaust openings bored toward the wafer; an exhaust port; an intermediate exhaust opening provided on a side wall of the process chamber at a position facing the heat insulating assembly; and a supply chamber exhaust port provided on the side wall of the process chamber at a height corresponding to the intermediate exhaust opening. The heat insulating assembly includes a constriction at a position corresponding to the intermediate exhaust opening, wherein its outer diameter is smaller than that of a portion of the heat insulating assembly above the position and that of another portion of the heat insulating assembly below the position.

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Toyama, Japan

Tomoshi Taniyama