JP7638739B2 - Handling fixture - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a handling jig.

A transport jig has been known in the past in which a substrate holder that holds a substrate is sandwiched from the sides by a pair of divided members, and the substrate holder can be transported using a handle provided on the ceiling (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-139424 A

The present disclosure aims to provide a handling jig that makes it easier to handle a substrate holder.

In order to achieve the above object, a handling jig according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a handling jig that is composed of a top plate, a bottom plate, and a plurality of support columns connected to the top plate and the bottom plate, and that holds a substrate holder that holds a substrate with the plurality of support columns to facilitate handling,
a top plate holding jig that holds the top plate so as to cover an outer edge portion of the top plate;
a bottom plate holding jig for holding the bottom plate so as to cover an outer edge portion of the bottom plate ,
The top plate holding jig and the bottom plate holding jig have a plurality of arc-shaped members that open and close by a hinge structure, and when attached to the top plate and the bottom plate, they form an annular shape to hold the top plate and the bottom plate .

This disclosure makes it easy to handle the substrate holder.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a vertical heat treatment apparatus. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a vertical heat treatment apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a wafer boat and a handling jig according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of a top plate holding jig and a bottom plate holding jig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a lock structure on the opposite side of the hinge structure portion of the top plate holding jig. FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a wafer boat equipped with a handling jig; FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a wafer boat equipped with a handling jig; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of components for transporting a wafer boat to a loading position of a vertical heat treatment apparatus. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer boat 38 equipped with the handling jig is transferred to the boat setting jig. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining removal of the handling jig. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer boat is placed on an attachment of the boat setting jig. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of the tube cart before it is moved. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer boat is transported to the vicinity of the heat retention table by a tube cart. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer boat is set in front of the heat retention table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a boat positioning jig. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer boat has been moved to directly above the heat retention table. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer boat is removed and the boat setting jig is removed. FIG.

Below, we will explain the form for implementing the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[Vertical heat treatment device]
First, a configuration example of a vertical heat treatment apparatus having a reaction tube unit that can be transported by a transport method according to an embodiment will be described. A vertical heat treatment apparatus having a double-tube structure will be described below, but a vertical heat treatment apparatus having a single-tube structure may also be used. Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views showing a configuration example of the vertical heat treatment apparatus, where Figure 1 shows a vertical cross section and Figure 2 shows a horizontal cross section.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical heat treatment apparatus 1 includes a reaction tube 34 that contains semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as "wafers W") as substrates, a lid 36 that airtightly closes the opening at the bottom of the reaction tube 34, a wafer boat 38 that is a substrate holder that can be contained within the reaction tube 34 and holds multiple wafers W at a predetermined interval, a gas supply means 40 that introduces gas into the reaction tube 34, an exhaust means 41 that exhausts gas from within the reaction tube 34, and a heating means 42 that heats the wafers W.

The reaction tube 34 has a cylindrical inner tube 44 with a ceiling that is open at the bottom end, and a cylindrical outer tube 46 with a ceiling that is open at the bottom end and covers the outside of the inner tube 44. The inner tube 44 and the outer tube 46 are made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz, and are arranged coaxially to form a double tube structure.

The ceiling portion 44A of the inner tube 44 is, for example, flat. A nozzle accommodating portion 48 that accommodates a gas supply pipe is formed on one side of the inner tube 44 along its longitudinal direction (vertical direction). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a part of the side wall of the inner tube 44 protrudes outward to form a convex portion 50, and the inside of the convex portion 50 is formed as the nozzle accommodating portion 48. A rectangular opening 52 of width L1 is formed along its longitudinal direction (vertical direction) on the opposite side wall of the inner tube 44 facing the nozzle accommodating portion 48.

The opening 52 is a gas exhaust port formed so that gas in the inner tube 44 can be exhausted. The length of the opening 52 is the same as the length of the wafer boat 38, or is formed so as to extend vertically longer than the length of the wafer boat 38. That is, the upper end of the opening 52 is positioned at a height that is equal to or higher than the position corresponding to the upper end of the wafer boat 38, and the lower end of the opening 52 is positioned at a height that is lower than the position corresponding to the lower end of the wafer boat 38. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the height-wise distance L2 between the upper end of the wafer boat 38 and the upper end of the opening 52 is within a range of about 0 mm to 5 mm. Also, the height-wise distance L3 between the lower end of the wafer boat 38 and the lower end of the opening 52 is within a range of about 0 mm to 350 mm.

The lower end of the reaction tube 34 is supported by a cylindrical manifold 54 made of, for example, stainless steel. A flange portion 56 is formed at the upper end of the manifold 54, and the lower end of the outer tube 46 is placed on the flange portion 56 to support it. A seal member 58 such as an O-ring is interposed between the flange portion 56 and the lower end of the outer tube 46 to make the inside of the outer tube 46 airtight.

A circular support 60 is provided on the inner wall of the upper part of the manifold 54, and the lower end of the inner tube 44 is placed on the support 60 to support it. A lid 36 is airtightly attached to the opening at the lower end of the manifold 54 via a sealing member 62 such as an O-ring, so as to airtightly close the opening at the lower end of the reaction tube 34, i.e., the opening of the manifold 54. The lid 36 is made of, for example, stainless steel.

A rotating shaft 66 is provided in the center of the lid 36, passing through the magnetic fluid seal 64. The lower part of the rotating shaft 66 is rotatably supported by an arm 68A of a lifting means 68 consisting of a boat elevator.

A rotating plate 70 is provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 66, and the wafer boat 38 that holds the wafers W is placed on the rotating plate 70 via a quartz heat retention stand 72. Therefore, by raising and lowering the lifting means 68, the lid 36 and the wafer boat 38 move up and down as a unit, allowing the wafer boat 38 to be inserted into and removed from the reaction tube 34.

The gas supply means 40 is provided in the manifold 54 and introduces gases such as film-forming gas, etching gas, and purge gas into the inner tube 44. The gas supply means 40 has a plurality of (e.g., three) quartz gas supply pipes 76, 78, and 80. Each gas supply pipe 76, 78, and 80 is provided in the inner tube 44 along its longitudinal direction, and its base end is bent into an L-shape and supported so as to pass through the manifold 54.

As shown in FIG. 2, the gas supply pipes 76, 78, 80 are arranged in a row along the circumferential direction in the nozzle housing portion 48 of the inner pipe 44. A plurality of gas holes 76A, 78A, 80A are formed in each gas supply pipe 76, 78, 80 at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction, and each gas can be discharged from each gas hole 76A, 78A, 80A in the horizontal direction. The predetermined interval is set to be the same as the interval between the wafers W supported by the wafer boat 38, for example. In addition, the height direction positions of each gas hole 76A, 78A, 80A are set so that each gas hole 76A, 78A, 80A is located at the middle between the wafers W adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, so that each gas can be efficiently supplied to the space between the wafers W. The types of gas used are film formation gas, etching gas, and purge gas, and each gas can be supplied through each gas supply pipe 76, 78, 80 as necessary while controlling the flow rate of each gas.

A gas outlet 82 is formed on the upper side wall of the manifold 54, above the support portion 60, so that the gas in the inner tube 44 can be exhausted from the opening 52 through the space 84 between the inner tube 44 and the outer tube 46. An exhaust means 41 is provided in the gas outlet 82. The exhaust means 41 has an exhaust passage 86 connected to the gas outlet 82, and a pressure adjustment valve 88 and a vacuum pump 90 are sequentially provided in the exhaust passage 86, so that the reaction tube 34 can be evacuated.

A cylindrical heating means 42 is provided on the outer periphery of the outer tube 46 so as to cover the outer tube 46. The heating means 42 heats the wafer W contained in the reaction tube 34.

The overall operation of the vertical heat treatment device 1 is controlled by a control means 95 such as a computer. In addition, the computer program that controls the overall operation of the vertical heat treatment device 1 is stored in a storage medium 96. The storage medium 96 may be, for example, a flexible disk, a compact disk, a hard disk, a flash memory, a DVD, etc.

[Handling jig]
3A and 3B are perspective views showing the wafer boat and the handling jig according to the present embodiment, and FIG 3A is a perspective view showing the wafer boat and the handling jig according to the present embodiment as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), the wafer boat 38 includes a top plate 381, a bottom plate 382, support columns 383, and a ring member 384. The ring member 384 is a ring-shaped (annular) plate-like member for placing the wafer W, and is arranged parallel to the top plate 381 and the bottom plate 382 with a gap between them, and its outer periphery is supported by the support columns 383. The wafer boat 38 is also called a substrate holder because it holds the substrates. Among the wafer boats 38, the wafer boat 38 having the ring member 384 as shown in FIG. 3 may also be called a ring boat.

The wafer boat 38 can be configured to carry any number of wafers W, but may be configured to carry, for example, 50 to 200 wafers W. Generally, it is common for the boat to carry around 100 or 150 wafers W.

The ring members 384 of the wafer boat 38 are spaced very close together, leaving no space to insert fingers, making it difficult to grasp the supports 383, top plate 381, bottom plate 382, etc., and the shape of the wafer boat 38 makes it very difficult to transport and handle as is. In addition, the material is often quartz, which will break if dropped, so handling and transporting it entails physical and mental stress.

Therefore, by attaching the handling jig 30 according to this embodiment to the top plate 381 and bottom plate 382, handling of the wafer boat 38 is made easier.

The handling jig 30 can be made of various materials, but may be made of resin, for example. As mentioned above, the wafer boat 38 is generally made of quartz, which is hard and prone to breaking. By making the handling jig 30 out of resin, it becomes soft and there is no risk of breaking, so it becomes very easy to handle in terms of material as well. Note that the resin may be, for example, a fluorine-based resin, and as one example, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride).

The handling jig 30 has a top plate holding jig 10 and a bottom plate holding jig 20. In other words, the handling jig 30 has a top plate holding jig 10 and a bottom plate holding jig 20 as a pair.

The tabletop holding jig 10 has a first holding member 11, a second holding member 12, a hinge structure 13, and a lock pin 14. The first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 are arc-shaped members and have a shape suitable for covering the outer periphery of the tabletop 381 from the outside. The number of arc-shaped members is not limited to two, and it can be configured with three or more members, but this will complicate the mechanism and weaken the strength, so it is preferable to configure it with two members, that is, the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 as shown in FIG. 3.

The first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 are connected at one end by a hinge structure 13, making the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 rotatable. This allows the ends on the opposite sides of the hinge structure 13 to be freely opened and closed, as shown in FIG. 3.

The ends of the first retaining member 11 and the second retaining member 12 on the opposite side to the hinge structure 13 are configured to be connected and fixed together by a lock pin 14. The details of this structure will be described later.

The first holding member 11 has a notch 112, and the second holding member 12 has notches 124 and 125. The notches 112, 124 and 125 are provided in a position corresponding to the position where the support 383 is provided. In other words, when the top plate holding jig 10 is attached to the top plate 381, the support 383 is aligned with the notch portions 112, 124 and 125, and is provided so that the support 383 does not interfere with the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12.

The bottom holding jig 20 includes a first holding member 21, a second holding member 22, a hinge structure 23, and a lock pin 24. The bottom holding jig 20 has a shape suitable for holding the bottom plate 382, but is substantially similar in structure and function to the top plate holding jig 10.

Notches 213 and 214 are shown in the first holding member 21 of the bottom holding jig 20. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the cutouts 213 and 214 are configured to encompass the portion of the support 383 that protrudes outward, preventing the outer surface of the support 383 from coming into contact with the inner surface of the first holding member 21, which would prevent the bottom holding jig 20 from closing.

Figure 3(b) is a diagram showing the wafer boat and the lower part of the handling jig according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3(b), the notches 213 and 214 can be made not to contact the support 383.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the top plate holding jig and the bottom plate holding jig. Figure 4(a) is an exploded view showing the detailed configuration of the top plate holding jig 10.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the tabletop holding jig 10 has a first holding member 11, a second holding member 12, a hinge structure 13, a lock pin 14, and a leaf spring 15. The first holding member 10 has an engagement hole 111. The second holding member 12 has engagement holes 121, 122, a notch 125, and a connecting hole 123. The hinge structure 13 has a hinge fulcrum 131, a screw 132, and a press-in member 133.

The first holding member 11 has an engagement hole 111 that engages with the engagement holes 121, 122 of the second holding member 12 by a hinge fulcrum 131, and the engagement holes 111 and 121, 122 engage with each other so that the engagement holes 111, 121, 122 overlap each other to form a through hole, and the hinge fulcrum 131 is passed through the through hole and screwed into the screw 132 to form a hinge structure. In other words, the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 can be structured to rotate around the hinge fulcrum 131 to open and close.

The first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 have an arc shape and are shaped to cover the outer edge of the top plate 381. In addition, both the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 have a two-stage configuration in the height direction, with holding sections 11a and 12a in the first stage and handling sections 11b and 12b in the second stage, respectively. The holding sections 11a and 12a are parts that hold the top plate 381, and their inner circumferential surfaces have a recessed shape consisting of three surfaces like a rail. In other words, they have a rail shape that can cover the three surfaces of the side, top, and bottom of the top plate 381 so that they can hold the top plate 381.

The second-level handling sections 11b and 12b are handles that are used to transport the wafer boat 38. In other words, the wafer boat 38 can be easily transported by inserting fingers through the central openings of the handling sections 11b and 12b and gripping the handling sections 11b and 12b.

The tips of the first and second holding members 11 and 12 on the opposite side of the hinge structure 13 are provided with a structure that allows the tips to be connected and fixed to each other. The tip of the second holding member 12 is provided with a connecting hole 123. Although the connecting hole is hidden and cannot be seen at the tip of the first holding member 11, a connecting hole is formed that can overlap with the connecting hole 123 to form a single through hole, and by inserting the lock pin 14 with these connecting holes overlapping, the tips of the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 can be connected and fixed.

Furthermore, the leaf spring 15 is fixed to the second holding member by means of a screw 151. The leaf spring 15 is provided so as to apply a biasing force to the lock pin 14 to prevent the lock pin 14 from falling off. In other words, the leaf spring 15 is provided so as to straddle the connecting portion between the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 and to contact the lock pin 14, and applies a biasing force to the lock pin 14 toward the center, providing a force to prevent the lock pin 14 from falling off.

In this embodiment, the leaf spring 15 is used as an example of the biasing means, but any biasing means other than the leaf spring 15 may be used as long as the biasing force can be applied in the direction in which the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12 are closed.

As described in FIG. 3, the first holding member 11 has a notch 112 and is configured not to come into contact with the support 383. Similarly, the second holding member 12 also has notches 124 and 125.

Figure 4(b) is an exploded perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the bottom holding jig 20.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the bottom holding jig 20 has a first holding member 21, a second holding member 22, a hinge structure 23, a lock pin 24, and a leaf spring 25.

The first retaining member 21 has an engagement hole 211 at the end on the hinge structure 23 side, and a connection hole 212 at the tip opposite the hinge structure 23. The second retaining member 22 has engagement holes 221, 222 at the end on the hinge structure 23 side, and connection holes 223, 224 at the tip opposite the hinge structure 23.

The first holding member 21 has an engagement hole 211 that engages with the engagement holes 221, 222 of the second holding member 22 by a hinge fulcrum 231, and the engagement holes 211 and 221, 222 engage with each other so that the engagement holes 211, 221, 222 overlap each other to form a through hole, and the hinge fulcrum 231 is passed through the through hole and screwed into the screw 232 to form a hinge structure. In other words, the first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22 can be structured to rotate around the hinge fulcrum 231 to open and close.

The first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22 have an arc shape and are shaped to cover the outer edge of the bottom plate 382. In addition, both the first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22 have a two-stage configuration in the depth direction, with holding sections 21a, 22a in the first stage and handling sections 21b, 22b in the second stage, respectively. The holding sections 21a, 22a are parts that hold the bottom plate 382, and their inner circumferential surfaces have a recessed shape consisting of three surfaces like a rail. In other words, they have a rail shape that can cover the three surfaces of the side, top, and bottom of the bottom plate 382 so that they can hold the bottom plate 382.

The second-level handling units 21b and 22b are handles that are used to transport the wafer boat 38. In other words, the wafer boat 38 can be easily transported by inserting fingers through the central openings of the handling units 21b and 22b and gripping the handling units 21b and 22b.

The tips of the first and second holding members 21 and 22 on the opposite side of the hinge structure 23 are provided with a structure that allows the tips to be connected and fixed to each other. The tip of the second holding member 22 is provided with connecting holes 223 and 224. The tip of the first holding member 21 has a connecting hole 212 formed in the part where the tip protrudes, and the tips of the first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22 can be connected and fixed by inserting the lock pin 24 with the connecting holes 212, 223, and 224 overlapping.

Furthermore, the leaf spring 25 is fixed to the second holding member by means of a screw 251. The leaf spring 25 is provided so as to apply a biasing force to the lock pin 24. In other words, the leaf spring 25 is provided so as to straddle the connecting portion between the first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22 and to contact the lock pin 24, and applies a biasing force toward the center to the lock pin 24, providing a force to prevent the lock pin 24 from falling off.

In this embodiment, the leaf spring 25 is used as an example of the biasing means. However, as long as the biasing force can be applied in the direction in which the first holding member 21 and the second holding member 22 are closed, a biasing means other than the leaf spring 25 may be used.

As described in FIG. 3, the first holding member 21 has notches 213 and 214 and is configured not to cushion the support 383. The second holding member 22 also has notches 225 and 226 and is configured not to cushion the support 383.

Figure 5 shows an example of a locking structure on the opposite side of the hinge structure of the tabletop holding jig. As shown in Figure 5, the locking pin 14 is removable, but the leaf spring 15 is inserted into a groove 14a formed on the outer surface of the locking pin 14 to apply a biasing force, preventing the locking pin 14 from falling off and providing a secure, fixed connection between the first holding member 11 and the second holding member 12.

The bottom plate holding jig also has a similar configuration, and is designed to prevent the lock pin 24 from falling off.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a wafer boat 38 equipped with a handling jig 30. As shown in Figure 6, by attaching the handling jig 30 to the wafer boat 38, it becomes possible to insert a hand from the center and grasp the handling portion 10b. This improves the handleability of the wafer boat 38.

Figure 7 is a side view showing an example of a wafer boat 38 equipped with a handling jig 30. As shown in Figure 7, by mounting the handling jig 30, i.e., the top plate holding jig 10 and the bottom plate holding jig 20, on the top plate 381 and the bottom plate 382, respectively, the handling sections 10b and 20b are provided with a space between them and the bottom plate 381 and the bottom plate 382, resulting in a shape that is easy to transport.

In addition, FIG. 7 shows that a support base 100 is provided that engages with the bottom plate holding jig 20, and that it engages with the step of the bottom plate holding jig 20 to support the wafer boat 38 in a stable state. In this way, by attaching the bottom plate holding jig 20, the wafer boat 38 can also be stably placed.

In this way, the handling jig according to this embodiment reliably holds the wafer boat 38 with a pair of the top plate holding jig 10 and the bottom plate holding jig 20, and also forms spaces above the top plate 381 and below the bottom plate 382 that are easy to grasp, improving the handling of the wafer boat 38, including transportation. In addition, by using a material that is softer and less likely to break than quartz, such as resin, the handling of the wafer boat 38 can be further improved.

[How to set up the boat]
Next, a method for setting the wafer boat at a position for carrying it into the vertical heat treatment apparatus, that is, above the heat retention table 72, using the handling jig according to this embodiment will be described.

Figure 8 shows an example of components for transporting the wafer boat 38 to the loading position of the vertical heat treatment device. As shown in Figure 8, the wafer boat 38 is transported using a handling jig 30, a boat setting jig 160, and a tube cart 170.

The boat set jig 160 includes a transfer jig 161 and an upper plate 162.

Figure 9 shows the state in which the wafer boat 38 equipped with the handling jig 30 is transferred to the boat setting jig 160. First, the wafer boat 38 equipped with the handling jig 30 is placed on the transfer jig 161 of the boat setting jig 160.

This work is performed by a human being. That is, the wafer boat 38 with the handling jig 30 attached is carried by a human being and placed on the transfer jig 161.

Once the wafer boat 38 is placed on the transfer jig 161, the handle 166 is rotated to raise the upper plate 162 so that the wafer boat 38 is placed on the U-shaped attachment 163. The attachment 163 has a stepped structure on which the wafer boat 38 can be placed, and is structured to receive the wafer boat 38 on the lower step of the step.

The boat set jig 160 includes a side plate 164 and a guide 165.

Figure 10 is a diagram for explaining the removal of the handling jig 30. Before placing the wafer boat 38 on the attachment 163, the handling jig 30 is removed from the wafer boat 38. For example, in the case of the bottom plate holding jig 20, the handling jig 30 can be removed by opening and removing the bottom plate holding jig 20 by removing the lock pin 24.

Similarly, the top plate holding jig 10 can be easily removed from the wafer boat 38 by removing the lock pin 14.

Figure 11 shows the wafer boat 38 placed on the attachment 163 of the boat setting jig 160.

As shown in FIG. 11, the wafer boat 38 from which the handling jig 30 has been removed is placed on the attachment 163. At this time, the bottom plate 382 of the wafer boat 38 is fixed by the holder 167. In this state, the height of the upper plate 162 is adjusted. At this time, the appropriate height may be clarified by inserting the positioning pin 173 into the pin hole 173a.

When the wafer boat 38 is placed on the attachment 163, the marking position of the attachment 163 is aligned with the circumferential position of the columns of the wafer boat 38.

The height of the upper plate 162 is determined appropriately for each model of vertical heat treatment device, so the height of the upper plate 162 is adjusted to match that height.

The boat set jig 160 is placed on the tube cart 170.

Figure 12 shows the state of the tube cart before movement. With the wafer boat 38 placed at a specified height on the tube cart 170, the tube cart 170 is moved forward to transport the wafer boat 38.

Figure 13 shows the state in which the wafer boat has been transported to the vicinity of the heat retention table 72 by a tube cart. As shown in Figure 13, the heat retention table 72 is disposed below the reaction tube 34. The heat retention table 72 is placed on the lid 36. The wafer boat 38 is placed on the heat retention table 72, and the lid 36 is raised to be disposed inside the reaction tube 34.

Therefore, in order to load the wafer boat 38 into the reaction tube 34, the wafer boat 38 is transported near the heat retention table 72 by the tube cart 170.

Figure 14 shows the wafer boat 38 set in front of the warming table 72. In this way, the tube cart 170 can transport it to the side of the warming table 72. A boat positioning jig 180 is placed on the top surface of the warming table 72.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of a boat positioning jig. As shown in Figure 15, the boat positioning jig 180 is placed on the heat retention table 72 and has multiple (e.g., three) protrusions 181 on its surface. The wafer boat 38 can be positioned by engaging the protrusions 181 with recesses (not shown) on the bottom surface of the wafer boat 38. For example, the wafer boat 38 may be positioned using such a boat positioning jig 180.

Figure 16 shows the state in which the wafer boat 38 has been moved to directly above the heat retention table 72. By further advancing the tube cart 170 from the state shown in Figure 14, the wafer boat 38 can be positioned directly above the heat retention table 72. In this state, the wafer boat 38 is positioned using the boat positioning jig 180.

Figure 17 shows the state in which the wafer boat is lifted and the boat setting jig 160 is retracted. After the boat setting jig 160 is retracted, the boat positioning jig 180 is removed and the wafer boat 38 is moved again to directly above the heat retention table 72. The handle 166 is then turned to lower the attachment 162. Once the wafer boat 38 has been positioned and placed on the heat retention table 72, the boat setting jig 160 is retracted to the position of the tube cart 200, and the tube cart 200 is retracted. This allows the wafer boat 38 to be positioned and placed on the heat retention table 72.

After this, the lid 36 is raised and the wafer boat 38 is loaded into the reaction tube 34, where film formation processing can be performed.

In this way, by using the handling jig 30, boat setting jig 160, and tube cart 170, the wafer boat 38, which is difficult to grasp, can be easily handled, and it can be easily transported to the heat retention table 72 and placed on the heat retention table 72.

As described above, the handling jig according to this embodiment makes it possible to easily grasp and transport a wafer boat 38, particularly a type of wafer boat 38 called a ring boat, which has multiple circular plates at predetermined intervals as plates for placing wafers, and thus significantly improves handling.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

10 Top plate holding jig 11, 21 First holding member 12, 22 Second holding member 13, 23 Hinge structure 14, 24 Lock pin 15, 25 Leaf spring 20 Bottom plate holding jig 30 Handling jig 34 Reaction tube 38 Wafer boat 44 Inner tube 46 Outer tube 76, 78, 80 Gas supply tube

Claims (7)

A handling jig that is composed of a top plate, a bottom plate, and a plurality of support columns connected to the top plate and the bottom plate, and that holds a substrate holder that holds a substrate with the plurality of support columns, and that facilitates handling,
a top plate holding jig that holds the top plate so as to cover an outer edge portion of the top plate;
a bottom plate holding jig for holding the bottom plate so as to cover an outer edge portion of the bottom plate ,
The top plate holding jig and the bottom plate holding jig are handling jigs consisting of multiple arc-shaped members that open and close using a hinge structure, and when attached to the top plate and the bottom plate, form a circular ring shape to hold the top plate and the bottom plate . The handling jig according to claim 1, wherein the top plate holding jig and the bottom plate holding jig each have a holding portion that holds the outer edge of the side surface and flat surface of the top plate and the bottom plate. The handling jig according to claim 2, wherein the top plate holding jig and the bottom plate holding jig have a handling portion that is raised one step higher than the holding portion and does not come into contact with the top plate and the bottom plate. The handling jig according to claim 1 , wherein a fixing structure portion for fixing the connection between the plurality of arc-shaped members is provided at the tip of the plurality of arc-shaped members opposite the hinge structure. The fixing structure includes a lock pin that fixes the engagement portion, and
5. The handling jig according to claim 4 , further comprising a biasing member for preventing the lock pin from falling off. A through hole is provided in the engagement portion where the arc-shaped members overlap each other,
The handling jig according to claim 5 , wherein the lock pin is inserted into the through hole. A handling jig as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the inner surfaces covering the side portions of the top plate holding jig and the bottom plate holding jig have notches at locations that maintain the positions of the supports of the substrate holder.

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