VERTICAL HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS HAVING BOAT TRANSFER MECHANISM

摘要

A vertical heat treatment apparatus heat-treats wafers horizontally carried in a boat while keeping the boat vertical in a reaction tube. The apparatus includes a system for transferring the wafers between the boat and wafer carriers, a system for loading and unloading the wafer-carried boat into and out of the reaction tube, and a system for waiting the boat in which not-treated wafers are carried. An arm is provided to move the boat while supporting the boat vertically. The boat is moved by the arm among a first position where the wafer transferring system is located, a second position where the load and unload system is located and a third position where the boat waiting system is located. A system for engaging with the top of the boat is further located at the first position to fix the top of the boat when the wafers are transferred to and out of the boat by the wafer transfer system.