JP6560198B2 - Laser annealing apparatus, continuous conveyance path for laser annealing treatment, and laser annealing treatment method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a laser annealing apparatus, a laser annealing method and continuous conveyance path Contact laser annealing to the irradiated to anneal the laser beam on the target object.

In the annealing treatment of the object to be processed, for example, an amorphous semiconductor provided on a silicon substrate or a glass substrate is crystallized by irradiating laser light, or a polycrystalline semiconductor is irradiated with laser light to be single-crystallized, Annealing treatment is performed to irradiate a semiconductor with a laser beam for modification or to activate or stabilize impurities.
Note that the purpose of the annealing treatment is not limited to the above, and includes all treatments in which heat treatment is performed by irradiating the target object with laser light.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a laser annealing apparatus that performs an annealing process has a stage 31 disposed in a processing chamber 30 so as to be reciprocally movable (X-axis direction) along a scanning direction. In this example, the stage 31 can move in the X direction by floating movement with nitrogen gas. Further, the inside of the processing chamber 30 is adjusted to a nitrogen gas atmosphere during the process, and the laser irradiation position has a seal portion 34 that blows out and shields nitrogen gas with a lower oxygen concentration around the object to be processed. Yes.

  In the annealing process, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, a plate-like object 100 in which a semiconductor film is formed on a substrate is prepared near the processing chamber 30, and a gate provided in the processing chamber 30. The stage 31 is moved to the side 35, the workpiece 100 is carried into the processing chamber 30 through the gate 35, and the workpiece 100 is placed on the stage 31. Thereafter, the gate 35 is closed to maintain the inside of the processing chamber 30 in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. As the stage 31 moves, the object to be processed 100 is moved, and the semiconductor film of the object to be processed 100 is irradiated with the laser beam 42, so that the object 100 is irradiated while relatively scanning the laser beam 42. Annealing. In addition, there is a type in which the processability of the workpiece 100 is improved by rotating the stage 31 in a direction orthogonal to the X-axis (Y-axis direction) or rotating the stage 31 (θ-axis rotation).

  When the annealing process is performed on the entire surface of the target object 100, the stage 31 is returned to the loading position, the gate 35 is opened, and the target object 100 subjected to the annealing process is taken out from the processing chamber 30 and moved to a predetermined position. . Next, a new target object 100 that has not been annealed is prepared in the vicinity of the processing chamber 30, and the same processing as described above is repeated.

Although the above apparatus has been described as having one carry-in and carry-out gate, an apparatus in which a carry-in gate and a carry-out gate are provided on opposite walls of the processing chamber is also known (for example, Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, the semiconductor substrate that has been annealed can be taken out from the gate for unloading. However, when loading the next object to be processed, the stage is moved to the loading side, and a new object to be processed is loaded from the gate on the loading side.
As described above, in a conventional laser annealing apparatus, one object to be processed is carried into the apparatus from the carry-in port, and is carried out from the carry-out port (in most cases, the same as the carry-in port) after the annealing treatment ( Batch processing).

JP 09-139355 A

As described above, the annealing treatment of the object to be processed is performed as a batch process for each object to be processed. This is due to the fact that the object to be processed is moved together with the movement of the stage holding the object to be processed, and is determined by the structure of the apparatus. In this case, completion of processing of the object to be processed including loading / unloading is a condition for starting processing of the next object to be processed. Therefore, the time required for loading and unloading and the time for transporting through the apparatus are required for each object to be processed.
The loading / unloading time / transport time is not related to the process, and is required to be reduced as much as possible from the viewpoint of improving the tact time. Although the loading / unloading time / transporting time varies depending on the apparatus, it is several tens of seconds or more, which takes a fraction of the time required for the process time, which causes a reduction in production efficiency.

The present invention has been made with the above circumstances as a background, the process process to minimize the time other than the time, the production efficiency laser annealing apparatus capable of enhancing the laser annealing process and a continuous conveying path Contact laser annealing It aims to provide a method.

Among the laser annealing apparatuses of the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention is a laser annealing apparatus for performing an annealing process by irradiating an object to be processed with laser light.
A continuous transport path capable of continuously transporting the object to be processed in one predetermined transport direction and arranging a plurality in parallel with the transport direction at the same time;
A laser beam irradiation means for irradiating the object to be processed conveyed in the continuous conveyance path with the laser beam that continuously oscillates other than the irradiation process;
The continuous conveyance path supports the object to be processed, and further supports the object to be processed on both sides of the support means and supported by the support means, and moves along the conveyance direction. And a moving means having an elevating part capable of adjusting the elevating position of the support position on both sides,
It said support means, characterized in the gas levitation means der Rukoto for supporting by floating the the object to be processed by the balloon above the gas.

According to the present invention, an annealing process can be performed by irradiating a laser beam to the object to be processed conveyed by the continuous conveyance path. The processed object to be processed can be carried out without causing any trouble in the carrying-in work of the next object to be processed.
Further, in the present invention, the means for supporting the object to be processed and the means for moving the object to be processed are configured separately, so that it is easy to stably support the object to be processed and ensure flatness during continuous conveyance. Accordingly, the depth of focus when the laser beam is irradiated is appropriately maintained, and good annealing property can be ensured.
According to the present invention, since the object to be processed is lifted and supported by the upward blowing of gas, the attitude of the semiconductor substrate can be easily controlled and can be moved without impairing the stable holding of the semiconductor substrate.

  A laser annealing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the processing chamber according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the processing chamber is irradiated with the laser light, and the inlet provided in the processing chamber on the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path. And a carry-out port provided in the processing chamber located downstream of the continuous transfer path, wherein the continuous transfer path is located from the carry-in port to the carry-out port. To do.

  In the present invention, the object to be processed can be continuously conveyed by the continuous conveyance path in the processing chamber independent of the carry-in and carry-out, the stable support of the object to be treated becomes easy, and good annealing properties can be ensured. .

In the laser annealing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the continuous conveyance path is an irradiation region in which the object to be processed is conveyed while the object to be processed is irradiated with the laser beam. A conveyance path, and a carry-in / out conveyance path located upstream and downstream of the irradiation area conveyance path,
The carry-in / out conveyance path is capable of conveying the object to be processed at a conveyance speed larger than the conveyance speed of the irradiation area conveyance path.

  According to the present invention, carrying-in and carrying-out operations can be performed without being limited to the carrying speed during the process by carrying out the conveyance other than the annealing process at a higher speed, and workability is improved.

  The laser annealing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect of the present invention, the carry-in / out conveyance path has a variable conveyance speed.

  According to the present invention, more efficient work can be performed by changing the conveyance speed depending on the conveyance timing.

  In the laser annealing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the carry-in / out conveyance path can be conveyed at least at the same conveyance speed as the irradiation area conveyance path and a conveyance speed larger than the conveyance speed. It is characterized by

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform conveyance at this conveyance speed when it is necessary to match the conveyance speed during the process, and it is possible to perform high-speed conveyance at other periods.

A laser annealing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the gas levitation means uses an inert gas as the gas.

  According to the present invention, the effect of maintaining the irradiation area of the object to be processed in an inert atmosphere by the blown inert gas can be increased along with the gas floating of the object to be processed.

The laser annealing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the laser annealing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the invention, wherein the moving means transports the object to be processed to the downstream side of the continuous transport path, and then performs the continuous transport. It is possible to return to the upstream side of the road.

According to the above-mentioned present invention, the moving means can return and move so that the object to be processed can be continuously conveyed. At this time, by making the return movement of the moving means larger than the conveyance speed of the objects to be processed, the interval between the objects to be processed can be reduced and the production efficiency can be improved.
The return movement of the moving means may be returned by moving in an annular shape, or may be moved by reciprocating movement, and the movement form is not particularly limited.

A laser annealing apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the laser annealing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, wherein the local region covers at least a surface region of the object to be processed that is irradiated with the laser light in the continuous conveyance path. It has the local gas seal part which injects gas, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the present invention, the local gas is an inert gas.

  According to each of the above-mentioned present inventions, the area irradiated with the laser light or the surrounding area can be placed in a clean environment, and environmental control over the entire processing chamber is facilitated.

A laser annealing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the eighth or ninth aspect of the present invention, the atmosphere excluding the local gas is air.

According to the present invention, the atmosphere can be adjusted easily and inexpensively .

The continuous conveyance path for laser annealing of the eleventh aspect of the present invention is a laser annealing process capable of continuously conveying a plurality of objects to be processed in one predetermined conveyance direction and simultaneously arranging a plurality of objects in parallel in the conveyance direction. A continuous conveyance path to be performed,
A carry-in conveyance path that is a part of the continuous conveyance path and carries the object to be processed to the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path;
A part of the continuous conveyance path, and continuously oscillates to the object to be processed other than the irradiation process while conveying the plurality of objects to be processed on the downstream side of the carry-in conveyance path. An irradiation region conveyance path for performing annealing treatment by irradiating laser light to be
A part of the continuous conveyance path, and a carry-out conveyance path for carrying out the object to be processed that has undergone the annealing treatment on the downstream side of the irradiation region conveyance path,
The continuous conveyance path further includes the object to be processed supported by the support means on both sides of the support means while the object is floated by blowing the gas upward by the support means at least in the irradiation region conveyance path. It is supported and moved along the conveying direction by a moving means having an elevating part capable of adjusting the elevating positions of the support positions on both sides .

The continuous transfer path for laser annealing treatment of the twelfth aspect of the present invention is the same as that of the eleventh aspect of the present invention, wherein the transfer speed in the carry-in transfer path and the carry-out transfer path is set higher than the transfer speed in the anneal transfer transfer path. The object to be processed can be conveyed.

In the laser annealing method of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of objects to be processed are conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction at the same time in parallel with the continuous conveying path arranged in parallel with the conveying direction at the same time. A laser annealing method for performing an annealing process by irradiating the object to be processed with laser light,
A carry-in conveyance step of carrying in and carrying the object to be processed on the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path which is a part of the continuous conveyance path;
Irradiating the laser beam that is a part of the continuous conveyance path and that oscillates continuously outside the irradiation process while conveying the object to be processed on the downstream side of the continuous conveyance path where the carry-in conveyance process is performed. An annealing process step for performing an annealing process,
A part of the continuous transport path, and a transporting and transporting step of transporting the object to be processed on the downstream side of the continuous transport path on which the annealing treatment has been performed,
The continuous conveyance path is supported by the support means on both sides of the support means while floating the object to be processed by upward blowing of gas by the support means in at least the annealing process among the steps. It is characterized in that it is moved along the transport direction by a moving means having an elevating part capable of adjusting the elevating position of the support position on both sides while further supporting the object to be processed .

In the laser annealing treatment method of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, the conveyance speed of the continuous conveyance path in the carry-in conveyance process and the carry-out conveyance process is set to the conveyance speed of the continuous conveyance path in the annealing process. It is characterized in that it can be conveyed at a speed higher than the speed.

  According to the present invention described above, the time other than the annealing process of the object to be processed can be reduced as much as possible to greatly improve the productivity.

It is a front sectional view showing the outline of the laser annealing apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, it is the plane schematic (A figure) inside a processing chamber, and the front view (B figure) which expanded a part. Similarly, it is a flowchart of a laser annealing process. Similarly, it is the flowchart which showed the operation | movement of the adsorption | suction part in detail. Similarly, it is a perspective view at the time of a process. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the laser oscillation at the time of operation | movement and carrying in / out in a prior art example. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the laser oscillation at the time of operation | movement and carrying in / out in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view at the time of the process in other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the top view and side view in further another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the conventional laser annealing apparatus. Similarly, it is a flowchart of a laser annealing process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a laser annealing apparatus. FIG. 1A shows an enlarged view of a processing chamber, and FIG. 1B shows an outline of the entire system. In this embodiment, an object to be processed 100 is a target object to be processed in which a semiconductor film is formed on a glass substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing chamber 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped wall portion, and is provided with a carry-in port 1 a (the left side in the drawing) and a carry-out port 1 b (the right side in the drawing) on opposing walls in the longitudinal direction. . The carry-in port 1a and the carry-out port 1b may be opened, or may be configured to be openable and closable. As a structure that can be opened and closed, a simple sealing structure can be used. Note that the carry-in port and the carry-out port are not limited to specific ones as long as the carry-in port and the carry-out port are provided along a certain conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path.

In the processing chamber 1, a continuous conveyance path 2 is provided from the inside of the carry-in port 1a to the inside of the carry-out 1b. A gas levitation device 20 is disposed in the continuous conveyance path 2. The gas levitation device 20 jets gas from below to above and supports the object 100 to be levitated above, and corresponds to the gas levitation means, that is, the support means of the present invention.
Note that the gas levitation device 20 can adjust the posture, deflection, and the like of the workpiece 100 by having a plurality of ejection positions (not shown).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, guides 28 and 29 are arranged along the longitudinal direction on both sides of the gas levitation device 20, and the guides 28 and 29 have slide portions that can move along the guides. 21 and 25 are provided. The slide parts 21 and 25 can change the moving speed according to their positions. On the slide parts 21 and 25, a plurality of elevating parts 22 and 26 that can be vertically adjusted by changing their positions in the longitudinal direction are provided. In this example, each of the slide parts 21 and 25 has two lift parts 22 and 22 and lift parts 26 and 26, respectively. The plurality of elevating units 22 and 22 or elevating units 26 and 26 may be configured to adjust the support state of the workpiece 100 by changing the ascending positions.

Adsorption parts 23 and 27 are provided on the elevating parts 22 and 26, and the object 100 that is levitated by the gas levitation device 20 is adsorbed. The guide 28, the slide part 21, the lifting part 22, the suction part 23 and guide 29, the slide part 25, the lifting part 26, and the suction part 27 cooperate to constitute the moving means of the present invention.
The gas levitation device 20, the guide 28, the slide unit 21, the lifting unit 22, the suction unit 23 and the guide 29, the slide unit 25, the lifting unit 26, and the suction unit 27 constitute the continuous conveyance path 2 of the present invention. Yes.

  In this embodiment, the continuous conveyance path 2 is described as being provided over the processing chamber 1. However, the continuous conveyance path 2 may be extended outside the processing chamber 1. Further, the processing chamber 1 is not essential as the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a laser light source 40 that outputs laser light is provided outside the processing chamber 1. In the present invention, the type of laser light is not particularly limited, and may be either continuous wave or pulse wave. An optical system member 41 composed of a mirror, a lens, and the like is disposed in the optical path of the laser beam. In this example, a laser beam 42 having a line beam shape is introduced into the processing chamber 1 and is on the continuous conveyance path 2. The object 100 to be processed is irradiated. The laser light source 40 and the optical system member 41 constitute the laser light irradiation means of the present invention.

  In the continuous conveyance path 2, during conveyance, the leading end in the conveyance direction of the object to be processed 100 reaches the irradiation position of the laser light 42, and the rear end in the conveyance direction of the object to be processed 100 leaves the irradiation position of the laser light 42. Up to the position immediately before is the irradiation area, and as shown in FIG. 1, a part of the continuous conveyance path 2 during this period constitutes the irradiation area conveyance path 2b. A part of the continuous conveyance path 2 on the upstream side of the irradiation area conveyance path 2b constitutes a carry-in conveyance path 2a, and a part of the continuous conveyance path 2 on the downstream side of the irradiation area conveyance path 2b constitutes a carry-out conveyance path 2c. doing. In FIG. 1, the boundary line on the left side in the drawing is based on the rear end side of the object to be processed 100, and the boundary line on the right side in the drawing is based on the tip side of the object to be processed 100. Note that the irradiation area conveyance path includes at least the range of the above-described conveyance path, and a wider conveyance path range may be used as the irradiation area conveyance path.

In the irradiation region conveyance path 2b, the workpiece 100 needs to move at the conveyance speed in the process process, and the above-described moving unit moves at a conveyance speed corresponding to the scanning speed in the process process. In the case where the irradiation position of the laser beam 42 can be changed, the conveyance speed by the moving unit is determined so that the laser beam 42 moves relatively at the scanning speed including the irradiation position of the laser beam 42. .
In the carry-in conveyance path 2a and the carry-out conveyance path 2c, the workpiece 100 can move faster than the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, and the moving means can be moved at a relatively high speed during this time. In addition, in the carry-in conveyance path 2a and the carry-out conveyance path 2c, in the range close to the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, in order to prepare for the adjustment of the conveyance interval or the irradiation of the laser beam, the covered area at the same speed as the irradiation area conveyance path 2b. The processing body 100 may be transported.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the laser annealing apparatus 1 is adjacent to a carry-in chamber 10 so as to communicate with the carry-in port 1a side of the processing chamber 1, and the interior of the carry-in chamber 10 can be sealed. Yes. In the carry-in chamber 10, the cleaning chamber 12 in which a plurality of objects to be processed 100 before the annealing process are stored, the cleaning unit 12 that cleans the processing target 100 taken out from the storage chamber 11, and the cleaning unit 12 are cleaned. It has a loading device 13 capable of continuously loading the workpiece 100 into the processing chamber 1 through the loading port 1a at a predetermined interval. The predetermined interval when carrying in the object 100 is not limited to a specific range as long as it does not overlap with the preceding object 100 and does not interfere with the carry-in. Further, the predetermined intervals may be different between the semiconductor substrates.
The accommodation method of the accommodation chamber 11 is not particularly limited as long as the object to be processed 100 can be accommodated by an appropriate method such as vertical placement or horizontal placement. The cleaning unit may be either a batch type or a single wafer type, and the cleaning method may be wet cleaning, dry cleaning, or a combination thereof.

Furthermore, the unloading chamber 15 is adjacent to the unloading port 1b side of the processing chamber 1, and the interior of the unloading chamber 15 communicates with the unloading port 1b and can be sealed.
In the carry-out chamber 15, a carry-out device 14 for continuously taking out the workpiece 100 that has been annealed from the continuous conveyance path of the processing chamber 1 is installed.

Further, in the processing chamber 1, air delivery sections 4 and 5 for taking in air from the outside of the processing chamber 1 and blowing the air into the processing chamber 1 are provided close to the carry-in port 1a and the carry-out port 1b, respectively.
Furthermore, the local gas seal part 3 which injects the local gas which covers a laser beam irradiation area | region and its circumference | surroundings below is provided above the area | region where the laser beam 42 is irradiated. The local gas injection region can be set to an appropriate range on the assumption that at least the region irradiated with the laser beam is included.

In this example, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is used as the local gas. Further, the laser beam 42 passes through the local gas seal portion 3 and is irradiated to the object 100 to be processed.
In the gas levitation apparatus 20, it is desirable to use an inert gas, for example, nitrogen gas, as the levitation gas at least in a range equivalent to the local gas seal portion 3. Outside this range, levitation gas may be used and inexpensive air may be used.

Next, a laser annealing process using the laser annealing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
A plurality of objects to be processed 100 are accommodated in the accommodation chamber 11 and can be supplied. The storage chamber 11 may be replenished with a new object 100 during the laser annealing process. 3 and 4, the objects to be processed 100a, 100b, and 100c are displayed in the order of loading in order to distinguish the objects to be sequentially loaded into the processing chamber.

The object to be processed 100 in the storage chamber 11 is cleaned in a wet or dry manner in a cleaning unit 12 by a batch type or a single wafer type. In the processing chamber 1, in the continuous conveyance path 2, the gas levitation device 20 prepares for gas injection or gas injection, and at least one of the slide portion 21 and the slide portion 25 is moved along the guide 28 or the guide 29 to the carry-in entrance 1 a side. Move it to.
On the other hand, the laser light source 40 outputs laser light, and the optical system member 41 generates a line beam. In the standby state, the laser beam 42 is retracted to an appropriate location outside the processing chamber without irradiating the processing chamber 1 with a beam by a part of the optical system member 41.

  First, the movement of the workpieces 100a and 100b will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

  In the carry-in chamber 10, the object to be processed 100 a cleaned by the cleaning unit 12 is carried into the process chamber 1 from the carry-in entrance 1 a and is conveyed at a relatively high speed by the carry-in conveyance path 2 a of the continuous conveyance path 2. When the object to be processed 100 reaches the irradiation area of the laser beam 42, the object to be processed 100 is introduced into the processing chamber 1 while being conveyed at a predetermined conveyance speed (relatively low speed) by the irradiation area conveyance path 2b of the continuous conveyance path 2. The laser beam 42 is irradiated on the surface. When the object to be processed 100a passes through the irradiation region, the laser beam 42 is scanned relative to the object to be processed 100a, and a predetermined region of the object to be processed 100a is annealed. The to-be-processed object 100 subjected to the annealing treatment passes through the irradiation region conveyance path 2b and is conveyed to the vicinity of the unloading port 1b at a relatively high speed by the unloading conveyance path 2c of the continuous conveyance path 2, and immediately the processing chamber 1 by the unloading device 14. Is carried out to the carry-out chamber 15.

  Further, during the above process, the next object to be processed 100b is carried into the processing chamber 1 during the annealing process of the object to be processed 100a, and is conveyed at a high speed through the carry-in conveyance path 2a, and has a predetermined distance from the object to be processed 100a. As a result, the irradiation area conveyance path 2b is reached. The object 100b is annealed while being transported at a predetermined speed in the irradiation region transport path 2b as described above. When the annealing process is completed, similarly to the above, it is transported at a relatively high speed through the unloading / conveying path 2 c and is unloaded from the processing chamber 1 to the unloading chamber 15 by the unloading device 14. Although not shown in the figure, a new semiconductor substrate can be carried into the processing chamber 1 and continuously processed in the same manner.

Next, the operation in the continuous conveyance path 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the initial state, the slide portions 21 and 25 are positioned along the guides 28 and 29 at the initial position on the carry-in entrance 1a side. Description will be made assuming that the moving means on the guide 28 side operates on the workpiece 100a.

  When the object to be processed 100 a is carried into the processing chamber 1, the elevating part 22 is raised to a proper position, and the suction part 23 adsorbs the back side of the object to be processed 100 a. When the workpiece 100a is sucked by the suction portion 23, the slide portion 21 moves to the carry-out port 1b side at a predetermined speed. As a result, the workpiece 100a moves along the continuous conveyance path 2. The movement speed is relatively high in the carry-in conveyance path 2a and the carry-out conveyance path 2c, and is relatively low in the irradiation area conveyance path 2b according to the scanning speed during the process.

  The object to be processed 100a is irradiated while being relatively scanned with the laser beam 42 in the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, and the necessary area of the object to be processed 100a is annealed. When the object to be processed 100a after being annealed is conveyed to the vicinity of the carry-out port 1b by the continuous conveyance path 2, the adsorption by the adsorption unit 23 is released and the elevating unit 22 is lowered. The workpiece 100a is immediately carried out from the processing chamber 1 to the carry-out chamber 15 by the carry-out device 14 as described above.

  At this time, the slide portion 21 returns to the initial position on the carry-in entrance 1a side along the guide 28 by reciprocation, and is used for holding the semiconductor substrate later. The moving speed at the time of return movement is set to the next object to be processed by moving the object to be processed at a speed higher than the speed at which the object is conveyed.

During the series of operations, when the next object to be processed 100b is carried into the processing chamber 1, the gas levitation device 20 levitates the air, and the elevation unit 26 on the slide unit 25 is appropriately raised. The workpiece 100b is sucked from the back surface side by the suction portion 27 and put into a cantilever state. In the slide part 25, when the workpiece 100b is sucked by the suction part 27, the slide part 25 is moved toward the carry-out port 1b at a predetermined speed in the same manner as described above. As a result, the workpiece 100b moves along the continuous conveyance path 2 and is annealed by the laser light 42. The to-be-processed object 100b is conveyed by the continuous conveyance path 2 to the vicinity of the carrying-out exit 1b, the adsorption | suction by the adsorption | suction part 27 is cancelled | released, the raising / lowering part 26 is lowered | hung from the processing chamber 1 immediately by the carrying-out apparatus 14. It is carried out to the carry-out chamber 15.
The slide portion 25 moves back and forth along the guide 29 to the initial position on the carry-in port 1a side, and is used to hold the object to be processed later. The moving speed at the time of return movement is set to the next object to be processed by moving the object to be processed at a speed higher than the speed at which the object is conveyed.

After the next object to be processed is carried into the processing chamber 1, it is adsorbed by the adsorption part 23 on the slide part 21 side and conveyed to the carry-out port 1b side. By repeating the above procedure, as shown in FIG. 5, the objects to be processed 100a and 100b can be continuously carried into the treatment chamber, and annealing treatment and carry-out treatment can be performed.
Each of the above operations can be controlled by a control unit (not shown), and the operation can be controlled by the control unit while synchronizing the carry-in device, the carry-out device, and the moving means. The control unit can be configured by a CPU, a program for causing the CPU to execute a predetermined operation, a storage unit storing operation parameters, and the like.
Conventionally, the time required for loading and unloading a semiconductor substrate with respect to the annealing process is about 1/4 of the annealing process time. In the present embodiment, productivity is improved by about 25% by reducing the time required for carry-in and carry-out to almost zero.
As described above, by providing a plurality of moving means and moving each of them at different times, it becomes possible to efficiently transport a plurality of objects to be processed without waiting.

In the present invention, efficient processing is possible as described above, but there is an effect that efficiency is improved also in the oscillation operation of laser light.
FIG. 6 shows the oscillation operation of the laser light source in the conventional apparatus. During the irradiation process, it is necessary to carry in and out the semiconductor substrate into the processing chamber.
In laser oscillation, it is necessary to maintain a continuous oscillation state in order to operate stably. Therefore, the laser must continue to oscillate during times that do not contribute to production, such as transport time. For this reason, in the laser annealing apparatus, laser oscillation is continued, and the laser beam 42 is introduced into the processing chamber 1 through the optical system member when necessary. On the other hand, since the gas enclosed in the excimer laser or the like deteriorates depending on the number of times of laser oscillation, the gas must be periodically replaced.

  In the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, it takes time for loading and unloading during the irradiation process, and the laser light source continues to oscillate during that time, resulting in increased useless oscillation and poor productivity.

  FIG. 7 shows a time chart of the present embodiment, and shows an example of processing three substrates. However, the semiconductor substrates are mostly carried out and carried in during the irradiation process of other semiconductor substrates. It is possible to increase the productivity by minimizing the dead time.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the long width of the laser light has one side of the substrate has been described. Therefore, by moving the semiconductor substrate in one direction, the annealing process can be completed by relatively scanning the laser beam. However, the laser beam length may not reach one side of the substrate.
Hereinafter, the case where the laser beam length is ½ side length of the substrate will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the processing chamber 1, a continuous transfer path 200a for transferring a semiconductor substrate in one direction and a continuous transfer path 200b for transferring a semiconductor substrate in the opposite direction are provided in parallel. In this example, a carry-in port 1a is provided on the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path 200a in the conveyance direction. The upstream side in the transport direction of the continuous transport path 200b is located on the downstream side in the transport direction of the continuous transport path 200a, and the carry-out port 1b is located on the downstream side in the transport direction of the continuous transport path 200b. Between the downstream side in the transport direction of the continuous transport path 200a and the upstream side in the transport direction of the continuous transport path 200b, there is a continuous transport path over which both transport paths are transported. In this embodiment, in order to distinguish the target object 100 carried into the processing chamber 1, the target objects 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d are displayed in that order.

On the continuous conveyance path 200a, the laser beam 42a is irradiated on the left side with reference to the conveyance direction of the loaded object 100. Above the irradiation region of the laser light 42a, a local gas seal portion 3a for injecting and sealing nitrogen gas or the like around the irradiation region of the laser light 42a is provided.
On the continuous conveyance path 200b, the laser beam 42b is irradiated on the right side with reference to the conveyance direction of the loaded object 100. Above the irradiation region of the laser beam 42b, a local gas seal portion 3b that seals the irradiation region of the laser beam 42b and its surroundings by jetting nitrogen gas or the like is provided.

  In the figure, the object to be processed 100a first carried into the carry-in port 1a by a carry-in device (not shown) is conveyed by the continuous conveyance path 200a and locally by the local gas seal portion 3a, like the object to be processed 100d in the figure. While the gas is injected and sealed, the laser beam 42a is irradiated, and the left side in the transport direction is annealed. The object to be processed 100a reaches the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the conveyance path 2a in the same manner as the object to be processed 100c in the figure, and is conveyed upstream in the conveyance direction of the continuous conveyance path 200b, similarly to the object to be processed 100b in the figure. Then, it is conveyed downstream by the continuous conveyance path 200b.

The object to be processed 100a conveyed through the continuous conveyance path 200b is irradiated with the laser beam 42b while being irradiated with the local gas by the local gas seal portion 3b and sealing the laser light irradiation region and its periphery. The right side of the direction is annealed. The necessary region of the workpiece 100a is annealed by the annealing process on the continuous conveyance path 200a and the annealing process on the continuous conveyance path 200b.
As shown in FIG. 8, the workpiece 100a reaches the downstream end in the transport direction of the continuous transport path 200b, and is unloaded from the processing chamber 1 through the unloading device (not shown) through the unloading port 1b.

By the above procedure, the objects to be processed 100b, 100c, and 100d are sequentially carried in and conveyed, and the annealing process is continuously performed. Even when the long laser beam width does not reach the length of one side of the semiconductor substrate, the annealing process can be performed over the entire width of the substrate.
In addition, when the continuous conveyance path cannot process the length of one side of the substrate with two conveyance paths, the number of parallel movements of the continuous conveyance path can be increased to cope with the problem.
In the above embodiment, the continuous conveyance path 200a is passed to the continuous conveyance path 200b without changing the direction of the object to be processed, but the object may be conveyed with its direction changed.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the continuous conveyance path includes the gas levitation device over the entire length. However, the present invention does not necessarily include the gas levitation device. For example, gas floating may be performed only in the irradiation region conveyance path 2b.

FIG. 9 shows the continuous conveyance path 2d of this embodiment. In the carry-in conveyance path 2a and the carry-out conveyance path 2c, for example, idle rotation rollers 20a having a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction are arranged at intervals in the conveyance direction to enable support of the object to be processed. . Therefore, the rotating roller 20a constitutes the support means of the present invention. The rotating roller 20a can be driven to rotate, but it is preferable to have the moving means described above separately.
The object to be processed carried into the carry-in conveyance path 2a is supported by the rotating roller 20a and moved in the conveyance direction by the moving means. The object to be processed is supported by the gas levitation device 20 when it reaches the irradiation area conveyance path 2b, and thereafter, when it reaches the carry-out conveyance path 2c, it is supported by the rotating roller 20a and is moved by the moving means, like the carry-in conveyance path 2a. Be transported.

  The support of the object to be processed is different from the support of the object to be processed in the irradiation region transport path 2b because the support and flatness other than the irradiation region transport path 2b are not required except for the irradiation region transport path 2b. You may make it support a to-be-processed object.

  As described above, the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, but appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing chamber 2 Continuous conveyance path 2a Carry-in conveyance path 2b Irradiation area conveyance path 2c Unload conveyance path 2d Continuous conveyance path 3 Local gas seal part 4 Air delivery part 5 Air delivery part 10 Carry-in room 11 Storage room 12 Cleaning part 13 Carry-in apparatus 14 Unloading device 15 Unloading chamber 20 Gas levitation device 20a Rotating roller 21 Slide unit 22 Lifting unit 23 Suction unit 25 Slide unit 26 Lifting unit 27 Suction unit 40 Laser light source 41 Optical system member 42 Laser light 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d Processing body

Claims (14)

In a laser annealing apparatus that performs annealing by irradiating a workpiece with laser light,
A continuous transport path capable of continuously transporting the object to be processed in one predetermined transport direction and arranging a plurality in parallel with the transport direction at the same time;
A laser beam irradiation means for irradiating the object to be processed conveyed in the continuous conveyance path with the laser beam that continuously oscillates other than the irradiation process;
The continuous conveyance path supports the object to be processed, and further supports the object to be processed on both sides of the support means and supported by the support means, and moves along the conveyance direction. And a moving means having an elevating part capable of adjusting the elevating position of the support position on both sides,
It said support means, a laser annealing apparatus, wherein the gas levitation means der Rukoto for supporting by floating the the object to be processed by the balloon above the gas. A processing chamber irradiated with the laser beam;
A carry-in port provided in the processing chamber on the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path;
An outlet provided in the processing chamber located downstream of the continuous conveyance path, and
The laser annealing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous conveyance path is located from the carry-in port to the carry-out port. The continuous conveyance path includes an irradiation area conveyance path through which the object to be processed is conveyed while being irradiated with the laser beam, and a carry-in / out conveyance path located on the upstream side and the downstream side of the irradiation area conveyance path. And having
The laser annealing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carry-in / out conveyance path is capable of conveying the object to be processed at a conveyance speed larger than a conveyance speed of the irradiation region conveyance path.   4. The laser annealing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the carry-in / out conveyance path has a variable conveyance speed.   5. The laser annealing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the carry-in / out conveyance path can be conveyed at least at the same conveyance speed as the irradiation region conveyance path and a conveyance speed larger than the conveyance speed. The gas levitation means, laser annealing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an inert gas as the gas. Said moving means, after transporting the object to be processed on the downstream side of the continuous conveying path, any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said it is possible to continuously moved back to the upstream side of the conveying path 1 The laser annealing apparatus according to item. Any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it has a local gas seal portion for injecting at least covering local gas the surface area of the object to be processed, wherein the laser light be in the continuous conveying path is irradiated The laser annealing apparatus described in 1. The laser annealing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the local gas is an inert gas. The laser annealing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9 , wherein the atmosphere excluding the local gas is air. A continuous conveyance path for performing laser annealing treatment in which a plurality of objects to be processed can be continuously conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction and arranged in parallel in the conveyance direction at the same time,
A carry-in conveyance path that is a part of the continuous conveyance path and carries the object to be processed to the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path;
A part of the continuous conveyance path, and continuously oscillates to the object to be processed other than the irradiation process while conveying the plurality of objects to be processed on the downstream side of the carry-in conveyance path. An irradiation region conveyance path for performing annealing treatment by irradiating laser light to be
A part of the continuous conveyance path, and a carry-out conveyance path for carrying out the object to be processed that has undergone the annealing treatment on the downstream side of the irradiation region conveyance path,
The continuous conveyance path further includes the object to be processed supported by the support means on both sides of the support means while the object is floated by blowing the gas upward by the support means at least in the irradiation region conveyance path. A continuous transfer path for laser annealing treatment, which is supported and moved along a transfer direction by a moving means having an elevating part capable of adjusting the elevating positions of the support positions on both sides . 12. The laser annealing process according to claim 11, wherein the object to be processed can be transported with a transport speed in the carry-in transport path and the carry-out transport path higher than a transport speed in the annealing process transport path. Continuous conveyance path. A plurality of objects to be processed are arranged in one predetermined conveying direction at the same time in parallel with the conveying direction, and the objects to be processed are irradiated with laser light while being conveyed by a continuous conveying path that continuously conveys the objects. A laser annealing method for performing an annealing process,
A carry-in conveyance step of carrying in and carrying the object to be processed on the upstream side of the continuous conveyance path which is a part of the continuous conveyance path;
Irradiating the laser beam that is a part of the continuous conveyance path and that oscillates continuously outside the irradiation process while conveying the object to be processed on the downstream side of the continuous conveyance path where the carry-in conveyance process is performed. An annealing process step for performing an annealing process,
A part of the continuous transport path, and a transporting and transporting step of transporting the object to be processed on the downstream side of the continuous transport path on which the annealing treatment has been performed,
The continuous conveyance path is supported by the support means on both sides of the support means while floating the object to be processed by upward blowing of gas by the support means in at least the annealing process among the steps. A laser annealing treatment method, wherein the object to be processed is further moved along a conveying direction by a moving means having an elevating part capable of adjusting the elevating position of the support position on both sides while further supporting the object to be processed . Wherein the transport speed of the continuous conveyance path in conveying-in conveyance process and the unloading conveying step, of claim 13, wherein the set larger than the conveying speed of the continuous conveyance path can be conveyed in the annealing process Laser annealing method.

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