JP5705717B2 - Heat exchanger for heat treatment apparatus and heat treatment apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment apparatus including the heat exchanger.

  In the manufacture of a semiconductor device, a heat treatment apparatus that performs processing such as CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) on an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer, is used. The heat treatment apparatus includes a processing container that accommodates a semiconductor wafer and a heater provided so as to cover the periphery of the processing container, and the semiconductor wafer is heat-treated while the inside of the processing container is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater. The In such a heat treatment apparatus, since the air discharged from the processing container after the heat treatment is at a high temperature, a heat exchanger that lowers the temperature of the released air is used to protect the equipment.

  Since such a heat exchanger repeats a rapid temperature change from room temperature to a high temperature, it is required to be resistant to heat load, and various proposals have been made to improve durability against heat load. ing. For example, in Patent Document 1, a water-cooled pipe connection for connecting a core formed by laminating corrugated thin plates to form alternately adjacent air passages and cooling water passages, and a water-cooling pipe for circulating cooling water through the cooling water passages of the core. And a case having an exhaust pipe connecting part for connecting an exhaust pipe for accommodating the core and circulating air in the air passage, and the core is accommodated in the case to absorb the difference in thermal expansion between the core and the case. It is provided movably to prevent fatigue breakage of the core and water leakage from the core due to fatigue breakage, thereby improving durability.

Japanese Patent No. 4411341

  By the way, such a heat exchanger is required to be more resistant to heat load. In addition, there is a demand for a material that is resistant to vibration and shock loads during transportation and mounting of heat exchangers.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus that is resistant to heat load and load caused by vibration and impact, and a heat treatment apparatus including the heat exchanger. .

In order to achieve the above object, a heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
A core formed by laminating thin plates to alternately form air passages and cooling water passages;
A case for housing the core;
A plurality of water cooling pipes that are inserted into the core and distribute and supply cooling water to the cooling water passages of the respective layers formed in the core;
A pipe welded portion welded so that the plurality of water-cooled pipes become one connected pipe,
The pipe weld is provided outside the case ,
The case is characterized in that a slit that is notched is provided at an end of the case.

The core, it is not preferable which is held in a state of suspended within the case.

It is preferable that a current plate is disposed on the upstream side of the core.
It is preferable that the cooling water in the cooling water passage flows from the downstream side to the upstream side of the air passage.

The heat treatment apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention is:
The heat exchanger for heat processing apparatuses concerning the 1st viewpoint of this invention is provided, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  It is preferable to have a measurement port for measuring the temperature of air discharged from the heat exchanger on the downstream side of the heat exchanger.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the heat exchanger for heat processing apparatuses strong against the load by a heat load and a vibration and an impact, and the heat processing apparatus provided with the same can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the heat processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a heat exchanger. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of a heat exchanger. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of a case. It is a figure which shows the structure of a control part. It is a figure which shows the difference in case temperature by arrangement | positioning of water cooling piping. It is a figure which shows the heat processing apparatus of other embodiment. It is a figure which shows the heat processing apparatus of other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus of the present invention and a heat treatment apparatus including the heat exchanger will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where a batch type vertical heat treatment apparatus is used as the heat treatment apparatus. FIG. 1 is a view showing a heat treatment apparatus of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a reaction tube 2 that forms a reaction chamber. The reaction tube 2 is formed in, for example, a substantially cylindrical shape whose longitudinal direction is directed in the vertical direction. The reaction tube 2 is made of a material excellent in heat resistance and corrosion resistance, for example, quartz.

  At the upper end of the reaction tube 2 is provided a top portion 3 formed in a substantially conical shape so as to reduce in diameter toward the upper end side. An exhaust port 4 for exhausting the gas in the reaction tube 2 is provided at the center of the top 3, and an exhaust tube 5 is connected to the exhaust port 4 in an airtight manner. The exhaust pipe 5 is provided with a pressure adjusting mechanism such as a valve or a vacuum pump (not shown), and controls the inside of the reaction pipe 2 to a desired pressure (degree of vacuum).

  A lid 6 is disposed below the reaction tube 2. The lid 6 is made of a material excellent in heat resistance and corrosion resistance, for example, quartz. The lid 6 is configured to be movable up and down by a boat elevator (not shown). When the lid 6 is raised by the boat elevator, the lower side (furnace port portion) of the reaction tube 2 is closed, and when the lid 6 is lowered by the boat elevator, the lower side (furnace port portion) of the reaction tube 2 is opened. Is done.

  A wafer boat 7 that accommodates an object to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer W, is provided above the lid 6. The wafer boat 7 is configured to accommodate a plurality of semiconductor wafers W at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. The wafer boat 7 is made of a material excellent in heat resistance and corrosion resistance, for example, quartz. Further, the wafer boat 7 has a support column 8 in the lower center portion, and the support column 8 is connected to a rotation introducing mechanism 9 provided in the center portion of the lid body 6. A thermo plug 10 provided with a planar heater or a heat shield as a means for suppressing heat radiation from the furnace port portion is provided in a central portion of the lid 6 so as not to interfere with the support column 8.

  Further, around the reaction tube 2, for example, a temperature raising heater 11 made of a resistance heating element is provided so as to surround the reaction tube 2. The inside of the reaction tube 2 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 11 for heating, and as a result, the semiconductor wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature. The temperature raising heater 11 includes a cylindrical heater body made of a metal (for example, SUS) water-cooled jacket, and a carbon wire heater element (not shown) disposed on the inner periphery of the heater body. May be provided.

  A plurality of processing gas introduction pipes 12 are inserted (connected) into the side wall near the lower end of the reaction tube 2. A processing gas supply source (not shown) is connected to the processing gas introduction pipe 12, and a desired amount of processing gas is supplied into the reaction tube 2 from the processing gas supply source via the processing gas introduction pipe 12. Examples of such a processing gas include a film forming gas and a purge gas.

  The heat treatment apparatus 1 is provided with a forced air cooling mechanism 20. In the present embodiment, the forced air cooling mechanism 20 forcibly cools the temperature raising heater 11 and the reaction tube 2 in the temperature raising heater 11. The forced air cooling mechanism 20 includes a blower 21, an exhaust pipe 22, a factory exhaust system 23, an exhaust fan 24, and a heat exchanger 25. The blower 21 blows air at normal temperature (room temperature) into the heater 11 for raising temperature. The exhaust pipe 22 is connected in the heater 11 for raising temperature. The factory exhaust system 23 is connected to the exhaust pipe 22. The exhaust fan 24 is disposed between the exhaust pipe 22 and the factory exhaust system 23. Then, by driving the exhaust fan 24, the air exhausted from the exhaust pipe 22 is sucked, for example, at a slightly reduced pressure and exhausted to the factory exhaust system 23.

  The heat exchanger 25 is disposed between the exhaust pipe 22 and the factory exhaust system 23 and upstream of the exhaust fan 24. The heat exchanger 25 cools a large amount of high-temperature air exhausted from the exhaust pipe 22 by heat exchange with cooling water at normal temperature (for example, about 25 to 30 ° C.). FIG. 2 is a view showing the structure of the heat exchanger 25. FIG. 3 is a view showing the internal structure of the heat exchanger 25. FIG. 4 is a view showing the appearance of the case 252 of the heat exchanger 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heat exchanger 25 includes a case 252 that houses the core 251, and a protection unit 254 that includes water-cooled pipe connection portions 253 a and 253 b and protects the case 252 and the like. Yes.

  The case 252 includes a rectangular tube-shaped body portion 252a having both ends opened, and a truncated pyramid-shaped air inlet header portion (distribution pipe) 252b and an air outlet header portion (collection pipe) provided at both ends of the body portion 252a. 252c. The header portions 252b and 252c are provided with exhaust pipe connection portions (flanges) 256a and 256b for connecting the exhaust pipe 22. A core 251 is accommodated in the body 252a. For this reason, the hot air from the exhaust pipe 22 is cooled by being supplied to the trunk part 252a (core 251) via the exhaust pipe connection part 256a and the header part 252b. Then, the cooled air is exhausted out of the case 252 via the header portion 252c and the exhaust pipe connection portion 256b.

  Here, it is preferable that rectifying plates (buffer plates) are disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the core 251. This is because the hot air flowing in the core 251 can be efficiently cooled by arranging the current plate. In particular, by arranging the current plate on the upstream side of the core 251, the high-temperature air from the exhaust pipe 22 is evenly supplied to each air passage of the core 251, and can be efficiently cooled.

  The core 251 has a structure in which thin plates (fins) 255 are stacked to alternately form air passages and cooling water passages. Hot air from the exhaust pipe 22 is supplied to the air passage, and cooling water from a water-cooling pipe 257 (to be described later) is supplied to the cooling water passage, and both of them exchange heat so that high-temperature air in the air passage of the core 251 is obtained. Is cooled. The thin plate 255 is preferably made of a material having a thickness of, for example, about 0.3 mm and excellent in heat resistance and corrosion resistance, such as SUS316L. Since the case 252 does not require as much corrosion resistance as the core 251, for example, the case 252 is preferably formed of SUS304. Moreover, it is preferable that the thin plate 255 is a corrugated thin plate. In this case, the thin plates 255 adjacent in the stacking direction are arranged at different angles so that the waves intersect each other, and the intersecting portions are joined by brazing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of water cooling pipes 257 that supply and distribute cooling water to the cooling water passages of the respective layers are inserted (press-fitted) into the core 251 and the case 252. The plurality of water-cooled pipes 257 are welded so as to become one connected pipe by the pipe welded part 257a, one end of the welded pipe is connected to the water-cooled pipe connecting part 253a, and the other end is connected to the water-cooled pipe connecting part 253b. Has been. It is preferable that the water cooling pipe connection part 253a is connected to a cooling water inlet (not shown), and the water cooling pipe connection part 253b is connected to a cooling water outlet (not shown). In this case, the cooling water is distributed from the cooling water inlet to the cooling water passages of the respective layers through the water cooling pipe connection portion 253a and the water cooling piping 275, and the distributed cooling water is connected to the cooling water passages of each layer, the water cooling piping 257, and the water cooling piping. It is discharged to the cooling water outlet through the portion 253b. As described above, the cooling water in the cooling water passage flows from the downstream side to the upstream side of the air passage to which the high temperature air is supplied, so that the high temperature air flowing in the air passage can be efficiently cooled. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the protection part 254 is formed so as to cover the body part 252 a of the case 252. The protection unit 254 includes water-cooled pipe connection parts 253a and 253b, and protects the water-cooled pipe 257 and the pipe welded part 257a. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the pipe welded part 257 a of the water-cooled pipe 257 is disposed outside the case 252 (core 251) and inside the protective part 254. For this reason, the pipe welded portion 257a does not come into contact with the high-temperature air of the core 251 and the deterioration of the pipe welded portion 257a that is generally susceptible to thermal degradation is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent water leakage and the like due to thermal deterioration from the pipe welded portion 257a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the protective portion 254 is provided with a plurality of water-cooled pipes 257 and a press-fit rod 258 that is press-fitted into the case 252 and the core 251. The core 251 is held in the body 252 a of the case 252 by the press-fit rod 258 and the plurality of water-cooled pipes 257. As described above, the core 251 is accommodated in the body 252 a of the case 252 in a state of being suspended from the water-cooled pipe 257 and the press-fit rod 258. As described above, since the core 251 is housed in the case 252 while being suspended from the water-cooled pipe 257 and the press-fit rod 258, it is possible to reduce the influence of stress due to the difference in thermal expansion between the core 251 and the case 252. . Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the load on the core 251 due to vibrations and shocks in the transfer and attachment work of the heat exchanger 25.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the water-cooled pipe 257 is press-fitted (arranged) into the case 252 so as to have a zigzag shape when the case 252 is viewed from the side. For this reason, the high-temperature air flowing in the air passage of the core 251 can be efficiently cooled.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the case 252 is provided with a slit 259 formed so as to extend from the upper end to the center. Therefore, for example, the water cooling pipe 257 and the thin plate 255 can absorb a large force such as cracking and deformation due to thermal stress when the slit 259 is further torn, and the water cooling pipe 257 and the thin plate 255 can be protected. The slit 259 only needs to be formed at the end of the case 252 so as to be cut out, and the shape and length thereof are not particularly limited.

  Further, the heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a control unit (controller) 50 for controlling processing parameters such as a gas flow rate in the reaction tube 2, a pressure, and a processing atmosphere temperature. The control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the MFC, the pressure adjustment unit, the power controller of the heater 11 for temperature increase, and the like. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the control unit 50.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 50 includes a recipe storage unit 51, a RAM 52, an I / O port 53, a CPU 54, and a bus 55 that connects these components to each other.

  The recipe storage unit 51 includes an EEPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, and the like, and stores a process recipe for determining a control procedure and an operation program for the CPU 54 according to the type of film forming process executed by the heat treatment apparatus 1. Has been. The recipe storage unit 51 stores a process recipe for determining a control procedure according to the type of processing executed in the heat treatment apparatus 1. The process recipe is a recipe prepared for each process (process) actually performed by the user. Each process from loading of the semiconductor wafer W to the reaction tube 2 until unloading of the processed semiconductor wafer W is performed. A change in temperature, a change in pressure in the reaction tube 2, start and stop timing of gas supply, supply amount, and the like are defined.

  The RAM 52 functions as a data area for the CPU 54. Further, the operation program is often placed while the CPU 54 is operating.

  The I / O port 53 supplies measurement signals related to temperature, pressure, and gas flow rate to the CPU 54, and also outputs control signals output from the CPU 54 to each unit (pressure adjustment unit, power controller for the heater 11 for heating, MFC, etc.). Output.

A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 54 constitutes the center of the control unit 50, executes an operation program stored in the recipe storage unit 51, and performs a heat treatment apparatus along the process recipe stored in the recipe storage unit 51. 1 operation is controlled.
The bus 55 transmits information between the units.

  Next, the heating heater 11 and the forced cooling of the reaction tube 2 in the heating heater 11 using the heat treatment apparatus 1 including the heat exchanger 25 configured as described above will be described. In addition, operation | movement of each part which comprises the heat processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control part 50 (CPU54).

  The CPU 54 supplies power to a power controller (not shown), heats the temperature raising heater 11 to a desired temperature, and executes a predetermined process on the semiconductor wafer W in the reaction tube 2. When the predetermined processing is completed, the CPU 54 drives the blower 21 to blow normal temperature air into the heater 11 for raising temperature and drives the exhaust fan 24 to drive the air exhausted from the exhaust pipe 22. Is sucked, for example, at a slightly reduced pressure and exhausted to the factory exhaust system 23. Thereby, the high-temperature air exhausted from the exhaust pipe 22 is supplied to the air passages of the respective layers of the core 251 through the exhaust pipe connection part 256a and the header part 252b of the heat exchanger 25.

  Further, for example, the CPU 54 controls a mass flow controller (MFC) connected to a cooling water inlet (not shown) to supply a predetermined flow rate of cooling water from the cooling water inlet. Thereby, the cooling water from the cooling water inlet is distributed and supplied to the cooling water passages of the respective layers of the core 251 through the water cooling pipe connection portion 253a and the water cooling pipe 275 of the heat exchanger 25.

  As a result, the high-temperature air supplied to the air passages in each layer of the core 251 and the cooling water supplied to the cooling water passages in each layer of the core 251 are in thermal contact, and the high-temperature air flowing through the air passages becomes the cooling water passages. Heat is exchanged with the cooling water flowing through and cools. This cooled air is exhausted out of the heat exchanger 25 via the header portion 252c and the exhaust pipe connection portion 256b. The cooling water flowing through the cooling water passage is discharged to the cooling water outlet via the water cooling pipe 257 and the water cooling pipe connection portion 253b.

  A high load test was carried out a plurality of times for the forced cooling of the temperature raising heater 11 and the reaction tube 2 in the temperature raising heater 11 to confirm the effect. Up to now, there has been no trouble such as water leakage from the pipe welded portion 257a, etc., and it is a heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus that is resistant to heat load, vibration and shock, and a heat treatment apparatus equipped with the heat exchanger. It was confirmed.

  In addition, when the water-cooled pipe 257 is press-fitted into the case 252 in a zigzag shape with the case 252 viewed from the side (FIG. 6A), the water-cooled pipe 257 is pressed into the case 252 so as to be in parallel. In this case (FIG. 6B), the temperature of the case 252 was measured. As a result, it is possible to efficiently cool the high-temperature air flowing in the air passage of the core 251 by press-fitting the water-cooled pipe 257 into the case 252 so as to form a staggered shape with the case 252 viewed from the side. It could be confirmed.

  Furthermore, when the rectifying plates are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the core 251 and the temperature of the air discharged from the heat exchanger 25 is measured, the air discharged from the heat exchanger 25 by arranging the rectifying plates is measured. It was confirmed that the temperature was greatly reduced. In particular, it was confirmed that the temperature of the air discharged from the heat exchanger 25 was greatly reduced by arranging the rectifying plate on the upstream side of the core 251. In addition, when the shape of the current plate and the distance from the core 251 are changed, a circular current plate is disposed on the upstream side of the core 251 and in the vicinity of the core 251, so that the current plate can be separated from other shapes of current plates and the core 251. It was confirmed that the temperature of the air discharged from the heat exchanger 25 can be reduced by about 40 ° C. at maximum as compared with the case where the rectifying plates are arranged at a distance of. For this reason, it is preferable that the baffle plate arrange | positioned in the upstream of the core 251 is arrange | positioned in the core 251 vicinity, and it is preferable that the shape is circular.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the pipe welded portion 257a of the water-cooled pipe 257 is disposed outside the core 251, the pipe welded portion 257a does not contact the hot air of the core 251; Deterioration of the pipe welded portion 257a is suppressed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent water leakage or the like due to thermal deterioration from the pipe welded portion 257a.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the core 251 is housed in the case 252 while being suspended from the water-cooled pipe 257 and the press-fit rod 258, so that stress due to a difference in thermal expansion between the core 251 and the case 252 is caused. The impact can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the load on the core 251 due to vibrations and shocks in the transfer and attachment work of the heat exchanger 25.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the slit 259 is provided in the case 252, the water-cooled pipe 257 and the thin plate 255 can be protected.

  Moreover, according to this Embodiment, since the baffle plate is arrange | positioned at the upstream and downstream of the core 251, the temperature of the air discharged | emitted from the heat exchanger 25 can be reduced significantly.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the water-cooled piping 257 is press-fitted into the case 252 so as to form a zigzag shape when the case 252 is viewed from the side, so that the high temperature flowing in the air passage of the core 251 is high. Air can be efficiently cooled.

  Thus, according to this Embodiment, since the thermal load concerning the heat exchanger 25 can be reduced, the freedom degree of the material of the heat exchanger 25 increases. Moreover, the lifetime of the heat exchanger 25 can be extended. Furthermore, since the high-temperature air supplied to the heat exchanger 25 does not come into contact with the case 252, heat release to the outside air is suppressed.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and application are possible. Hereinafter, other embodiments applicable to the present invention will be described.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the case where the forced air cooling mechanism 20 forcibly cools the temperature raising heater 11 and the reaction tube 2 in the temperature raising heater 11 as an example. For example, as shown in FIG. The forced air cooling mechanism 20 may be connected to the exhaust pipe 5, and the heat exchanger 25 may forcibly cool the high-temperature air discharged from the exhaust pipe 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a precooler 30 may be provided on the upstream side of the heat exchanger 25. In this case, the heat exchanger 25 and the exhaust fan 24 can be protected. The precooler 30 simply cools the high-temperature air from the exhaust pipe 22, and the basic structure thereof is, for example, a structure in which thin plates (fins) are stacked to alternately form air passages and cooling water passages. The basic structure of the heat exchanger 25 is the same.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, a measurement port 29 that measures the temperature of the air discharged from the heat exchanger 25 may be provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 25. In this case, by making the control unit 50 hood back the temperature measured by the measurement port 29, the air volume of the blower 21 and the exhaust fan 24 can be adjusted, and efficient forced cooling can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking as an example the case of a batch-type heat treatment apparatus having a single tube structure as the heat treatment apparatus 1, but for example, a double pipe in which the reaction tube 2 is composed of an inner tube and an outer tube It is also possible to apply the present invention to a batch type vertical heat treatment apparatus having a structure. Further, the object to be processed is not limited to the semiconductor wafer W, and can be applied to, for example, a glass substrate for LCD.

  The control unit 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be realized using a normal computer system, not a dedicated system. For example, by installing the program from a recording medium (such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM) that stores the program for executing the above-described process in a general-purpose computer, the control unit 50 that executes the above-described process is configured. be able to.

  The means for supplying these programs is arbitrary. In addition to being able to be supplied via a predetermined recording medium as described above, for example, it may be supplied via a communication line, a communication network, a communication system, or the like. In this case, for example, the program may be posted on a download page of a communication network and provided by superimposing it on a carrier wave via the network. Then, the above-described processing can be executed by starting the program thus provided and executing it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS.

  The present invention is useful for a heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus and a heat treatment apparatus including the heat exchanger.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat processing apparatus 2 Reaction tube 3 Top part 4 Exhaust port 5 Exhaust tube 6 Lid body 7 Wafer boat 8 Prop 9 Rotation introduction mechanism 10 Thermo plug 11 Heating heater 12 Process gas introduction pipe 20 Forced air cooling mechanism 21 Blower 22 Exhaust piping 23 Factory Exhaust system 24 Exhaust fan 25 Heat exchanger 251 Core 252 Case 252a Body 252b Air inlet header 252c Air outlet header 253a, 253b Water-cooled pipe connection 254 Protection part 255 Thin plate 256a, 256b Exhaust pipe connection 257 Water-cooled pipe 257a Piping Welding part 258 Press-fit rod 259 Slit 50 Control part 51 Recipe storage part 52 RAM
53 I / O port 54 CPU
55 bus W semiconductor wafer

Claims (6)

A core formed by laminating thin plates to alternately form air passages and cooling water passages;
A case for housing the core;
A plurality of water cooling pipes that are inserted into the core and distribute and supply cooling water to the cooling water passages of the respective layers formed in the core;
A pipe welded portion welded so that the plurality of water-cooled pipes become one connected pipe,
The pipe weld is provided outside the case ,
The heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus , wherein the case is provided with a slit that is cut out at an end thereof .   The heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the core is held in a state of being suspended in the case. Heat exchanger for thermal processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the rectifier plate upstream of the core are disposed. The heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the cooling water in the cooling water passage flows from the downstream side to the upstream side of the air passage. A heat treatment apparatus comprising the heat exchanger for a heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a measurement port for measuring a temperature of air discharged from the heat exchanger on a downstream side of the heat exchanger.