Wafer support tool for heat treatment and heat treatment apparatus

• US 7,393,207 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. (Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd. (Shin-Etsu Chemical Company Limited)
• Inventors: Imai, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US10/549,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20070006806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• Field of Search: 432/253, 432/258, 432/259, 211/41.18, 148/527, 118/724, 118/725, 118/728, 118/729
• US Class Current: 432/259
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67303 Vertical boat type carrier whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising rod-shaped elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67309 characterized by the substrate support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6875 characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions

Abstract

The present invention provides a wafer support tool for heat treatment easy in working and capable of realizing reduction in cost without generating damages or slip dislocations that would be otherwise caused by high temperature heat treatment and a heat treatment apparatus. The present invention is directed to a wafer support tool for heat treatment comprising: a plurality of wafer support members for supporting a wafer to be heat treated; and a support member holder for holding the wafer support members, wherein the wafer support members each has a contact portion with the wafer, at least one of the contact portions being movable relative to the support member holder.

Claims

1. A wafer support tool for heat treatment comprising:

a support member holder in a form of a flat panel and having a central location point and a flat upper surface, the support member holder extending radially from the central location point, the support member holder having a plurality of slit-shaped pinholes formed into the upper surface, disposed apart from the central location point in a radial direction, angularly spaced apart from one another and extending radially relative to the central location point; and

a plurality of wafer support members, each one of the plurality of wafer support members having a fitting portion sized to be slidably received in a respective one of the plurality of slit-shaped pinholes and a contact portion integrally connected to the fitting portion and sized to contact and project upwardly from the upper surface of the support member holder when respective ones of the fitting portions are slidably received in respective ones of the plurality of slit-shaped pinholes.

2. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein a configuration of the contact portion is a curved surface convex against the wafer to be heat treated.

3. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein a configuration of the contact portion is spherical or ellipsoidal.

4. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of the wafer support members is a pin and the support member holder is a pin holder for holding the plurality of pins.

5. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 4, wherein the pin is removable from the pin holder.

6. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 4, wherein the pin is formed by working a cylindrical body.

7. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 4, wherein raw material of the pin and the pin holder is SiC, silicon or quartz.

8. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 4, wherein the pin holder is disc-shaped or ring-shaped.

9. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 8, wherein the pin holder is disc-shaped and a circular pinhole is formed in the central location position thereof.

10. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1, further comprising:

support poles for holding a plurality of support member holders; and

bases for holding the support poles.

11. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 10, wherein the support member holders are removable from the support poles.

12. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 10, wherein material of the support poles and the bases is SiC, silicon or quartz.

13. A heat treatment apparatus having the wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1.

14. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of slit-shaped pinholes is rectangularly shaped and has a width extending perpendicularly relative to the radial direction, the width of each one of the plurality of slit-shaped pinholes is at least substantially uniform.

15. The wafer support tool for heat treatment according to claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of wafer support members is operative to tilt when received in a respective one of the plurality of slit-shaped pinholes such that, when the fitting portion tilts towards the central location point, the contact portion tilts away from the central location point and, when the fitting portion tilts away from the central location point, the contact portion tilts towards the central location point.