Patent · US Expired

Vertical heat-treatment apparatus having a wafer transfer mechanism

US5110248A · kind A · utility

71Cited by
9References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 11, 1990
Grant dateMay 5, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 11, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/67781
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A vertical heat-treatment apparatus is provided with a mechanism for automatically transferring semiconductor wafers from carriers to a boat for a vertical type furnace. The automatic transferring mechanism comprises a port for receiving a plurality of carriers arranged in series in an upright state, a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of wafers in the carriers from the upright state to the horizontal state, a parallel transfer mechanism for transferring the carriers on the boat to the posture change mechanism, a carrier loading/unloading mechanism for loading the carriers on a station, a wafer loading/unloading mechanism for taking out the wafers from the carriers on the station in turn and transferring the taken-out wafers to the boat in turn, and a mounting mechanism for mounting the boat in the furnace. The carrier loading/unloading mechanism and the wafer loading/unloading mechanism are mounted on a common frame and are rotated and lifted at the same time.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.