WO2008032752A1 - Substrate production equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Substrate production equipment in which oxygen concentration in a chamber can be reduced through a simple arrangement. A crucible (2) for storing a melt (11) produced by thermally melting the material of a substrate (12) is provided in a containing space (9) formed by a chamber (3). A buffer chamber (6) forming a buffer space (25) communicates with the containing space (9), and is connected with a communication hole (17) which can pass a cooling body, an exhaust hole (34) for exhausting a gas, and the outer space, and provided with a conveyance hole (23) which can pass the cooling body. The buffer space (25) communicates with the communication hole (17), the exhaust hole (34) and the conveyance hole (23). The conveyance hole (23) can be opened/closed by means of a shutter (33) of an opening/closing means (24), and it is opened when an underlying plate (4) passes. The containing space (9) is supplied with an inert gas by a gas supply means (15). A gas jet means (35) jets the inert gas toward the cooling body when a conveyance means (7) conveys the underlying plate (4) in the buffer space (25).

Description

 Specification

 Board manufacturing equipment

 Technical field

 The present invention relates to a substrate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a thin plate substrate from a metal or semiconductor melt.

 Background art

 [0002] As a method of manufacturing a thin plate-like substrate, a crystal ribbon method and an EFG (Edge-defined Film-fed Growth) method are known. The substrate manufacturing apparatus that realizes these methods has a drive unit provided outside the chamber in which crystal growth is performed, so there is an advantage that the apparatus becomes small! (See, for example, JP-A-2001-322892) . In these methods, the substrate is produced by crystal growth in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the substrate rather than crystal growth in the thickness direction of the substrate! / The problem is low! /, And! /

 FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional substrate manufacturing apparatus 101. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 manufactures a substrate by immersing a plate-like cooling body 103 in a melt 102 of the substrate material and crystal-growing the melt 102 on the surface 103 a in the thickness direction of the cooling body 103. This increases the productivity of the substrate.

 The substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 includes a crucible 111 that accommodates the melt 102, a transport means 104 that holds the cooling body 103 and is immersed in the melt 102, a channel 105 that houses the crucible 111 and the transport means 104, and a load lock. The chamber 106 is configured to include a gate valve 107 and a vacuum pump 108. In FIG. 9, the moving direction of the conveying means 104 is indicated by an arrow 109.

The load lock chamber 106 is a load lock chamber for loading (positioned on the left side in FIG. 9) that passes when the cooling body 103 is loaded into the chamber 105, and is cooled outside the substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 from within the chamber 105. And a load lock chamber (located on the right side in FIG. 9) through which the cooling body 103 passes when the body 103 is unloaded. The load lock chamber 106 for loading and unloading is separated from the chamber 105 by a gate valve 107, and is also shielded from outside air. The gate valve 107 is opened only when the cooling body 103 passes. Inside the chamber 105 and the load lock chamber 106 for loading and unloading The inside is evacuated by a vacuum pump 108 and an inert gas is supplied into the chamber 105. In FIG. 9, the flow direction of the inert gas is indicated by an arrow 110. By using the load lock method in this way, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the chamber 105 and keep the inside of the chamber 105 in an inert gas atmosphere.

 In such a substrate manufacturing apparatus 101, it becomes necessary to provide a driving unit such as a conveying means 104 for transporting the cooling body 103 at a predetermined path and speed in the chamber 105, and the chamber becomes larger. However, since the substrate can be grown in the thickness direction of the substrate from the surface of the cooling body 103, the manufacturing speed of the substrate can be increased. In this way, a substrate manufacturing apparatus with high substrate productivity is realized (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004 161583).

 When the concentration of chemically active oxygen or the like increases in the chamber 105, impurities are mixed into the melt 102, which is a material of the substrate, and a substrate having a high quality in terms of purity and crystallinity can be manufactured. Can not. Therefore, in the conventional substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 described above, the inside of the chamber 105 is evacuated, and an inert gas is supplied into the chamber 105 to eliminate oxygen and the like. Equipment for vacuum environment such as load lock chamber 106, gate valve 107 and vacuum pump 108 is required. Since an apparatus for a vacuum environment is required in this way, there arises a problem that the substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 is complicated and enlarged, the installation area is increased, and the cost of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 is increased.

 In addition, the crucible 111 containing the melt 102 of the metal material or the semiconductor material is formed using quartz glass or carbon in order to prevent contamination of the material forming the crucible 111 with the melt 102. In particular, in the case of the disposable crucible 111, since carbon is lower in cost than quartz glass, it is often formed using carbon. Also, for the same reason, drive devices such as the transport means 104 provided in the chamber 105 are often formed using a single bonnet.

 Since carbon oxidizes and changes to gaseous carbon dioxide when it reaches a high temperature of 400 ° C or higher in an oxygen atmosphere (chemical reaction formula: C + O → CO), the concentration of oxygen in the chamber 105

 twenty two

As the temperature increases, the crucible 111 formed of carbon and the driving device are worn out. There is a problem. Therefore, in the conventional substrate manufacturing apparatus 101, in order to reduce the concentration of oxygen in the chamber 105, oxygen in the chamber 105 is excluded by using a vacuum environment apparatus. The manufacturing apparatus 101 becomes complicated and large, so that the installation area increases, and the cost of the board manufacturing apparatus 101 increases. Disclosure of the invention

 Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate manufacturing apparatus capable of reducing the oxygen concentration in a chamber with a simple configuration.

 The present invention is a substrate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a substrate by immersing a cooling body in a melt obtained by heating and melting a raw material of a substrate, and solidifying and growing the raw material on a surface of the cooling body. A chamber that includes a crucible for storage, and that forms a storage space in which the crucible is stored;

 Gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the accommodation space;

 A communication hole that communicates with the housing space and allows the cooling body to pass therethrough, an exhaust hole that exhausts gas, and a transport hole that communicates with the external space and allows the cooling body to pass therethrough are formed. A buffer chamber that forms a buffer space communicating with the hole and the transport hole; and an opening / closing means that includes a shirter capable of opening and closing the transport hole;

 A conveying means for carrying the cooling body into the accommodation space through the communication hole and the conveyance hole and carrying out the cooling body from the accommodation space;

 A substrate manufacturing apparatus including gas ejection means for ejecting an inert gas toward a cooling body accommodated in the buffer space and conveyed through the buffer space by the conveyance means.

 The present invention also includes a plurality of the buffer chambers,

 The gas supply means supplies the inert gas to the accommodation space so that the flow rates of the inert gas flowing into the buffer spaces through the communication holes of the buffer chambers become equal.

 In the invention, it is preferable that the volume of the buffer chamber is selected to be more than 0% and 10% or less of the volume of the chamber.

Further, according to the present invention, the gas ejection means is provided in the buffer space close to the transport hole. It is characterized by that.

 Further, the present invention is characterized in that the opening / closing means is provided in the vicinity of the transport hole. Also, the invention is characterized in that the gas ejection means ejects an inert gas toward the exhaust hole. To do.

 Further, the present invention is characterized in that the gas jetting means jets gas over the outside of the region into a region surrounded by a virtual surface extending the surface defining the transport hole. The gas ejection means is formed to extend in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the direction in which the inert gas is ejected, and has an ejection hole through which the inert gas is ejected.

 The width dimension of the ejection hole in the gas ejection direction and the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction is selected to be 0.05 mm or more and less than 0.2 mm.

 Further, the present invention is characterized in that the gas jetting means jets an inert gas in a direction parallel to a surface of a cooling body for solidifying and growing the raw material.

 The present invention is characterized in that the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means is selected from at least one of a rare gas and a nitrogen gas.

Brief Description of Drawings

 Objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.

 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of section II of FIG.

 FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the buffer chamber 6 as seen from the section line III-III in FIG.

 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the flow rate of the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means 35 and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9.

 FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the chamber flow rate and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the buffer chamber 6 when the gas ejection means 35 is provided on the one side wall 39 in the first direction X of the buffer chamber body 19. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a buffer chamber 6 of a substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate manufacturing apparatus 51 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional substrate manufacturing apparatus 101.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a crucible 2 and carries a chamber 3 that forms a storage space 9 in which the crucible 2 is stored, and a cooling body (hereinafter also referred to as a base plate) 4 in the storage space 9. Conveying means 5, one or a plurality of buffer chambers 6, a conveying means 7 that conveys the cooling body 4 to the accommodating space 9, or conveys it out of the accommodating space 9, and an exhaust pipe 8. . The substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 immerses the plate-like base plate 4 in the melt 11 to solidify and grow the melt 11 on the one surface 4 a in the thickness direction of the base plate 4 to manufacture the substrate 12. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is used to manufacture a low-cost thin-plate silicon substrate used for, for example, a solar cell.

 The chamber 3 further includes heating means provided so as to surround the crucible 2. The heating means is realized by a resistance heating device, an induction heating device, or the like. The heating means melts the raw material of the substrate 12 by heating the raw material of the solid substrate 12 filled in the crucible 2 to a high temperature equal to or higher than the melting point. The raw material of the substrate 12 is made of, for example, a metal material and a semiconductor material. The crucible 2 contains a liquid melt 11 melted by a heating means. In the present embodiment, crucible 2 is formed containing carbon.

The transport means 5 transports the base plate 4 and immerses it in the melt 11. The transporting means 5 is arranged on one side of the crucible 2 in the vertical direction Z (hereinafter referred to as the upper Z1) when the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is in use. Hereinafter, description will be given based on the usage state of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1. The transport means 5 includes a shaft body 18 that is rotatably supported around a first axis L1 parallel to a predetermined first direction X perpendicular to the vertical direction Z in the storage space 9, and a shaft 18 to the first axis. And a plurality of arms 13 extending outward in the radial direction centered on L1. Multiple arms 13 are centered on the first axis L1. They are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction as the center. In FIG. 1, three arms 13 are shown as an example. An outer end portion in the radial direction around the first axis L1 of each arm 13 constitutes a holding portion 14 that holds the base plate 4. In the present embodiment, the holding portion 14 has a shape that fits with the base plate 4. Specifically, the holding portion 14 is formed with a groove between both end portions in the circumferential direction centered on the first axis L1, and the other surface portion in the thickness direction of the base plate 4 is perpendicular to the thickness direction. A convex groove extending in any direction is formed, and the convex groove and the concave groove are fitted. The cross section perpendicular to the direction in which the groove extends is trapezoidal, and the longer lower base is formed closer to the shaft body 18 than the shorter upper base. In the cross section perpendicular to the direction in which the convex grooves extend, a lower base that is slightly smaller than the cross section of the concave grooves and longer than the upper base is formed at the other end in the thickness direction. The arm 13 holds the base plate 4 by fitting the convex groove of the base plate 4 and the concave groove of the holding portion 14 into each other. In the present embodiment, the transport means 5 is configured to include carbon.

 In a state where the arm 13 holds the base plate 4, the length of the arm 13 is adjusted so that one surface portion in the thickness direction of the base plate 4 is immersed in the melt 11 when the arm 13 is parallel to the vertical direction Z. Is set. Further, when the arm 13 is parallel to the vertical direction Z, the arm 13 holds the base plate 4 so that one surface 4a in the thickness direction of the base plate 4 is parallel to the liquid surface of the melt 11. .

The substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes gas supply means 15 that supplies an inert gas to the accommodation space 9. The inert gas supplied by the gas supply means 15 is selected from rare gases such as argon and helium and nitrogen gas, for example. The gas supply means 15 has a gas supply pipe connected to one or a plurality of inert gas inflow holes 16 formed in the upper wall portion of the upper Z1 of the chamber 3. The gas supply means 15 supplies the inert gas to the chamber 3 through the inert gas inflow hole 16. In the present embodiment, two inert gas inflow holes 16 are provided in the upper wall portion of the chamber 3, and the inert gas is supplied from the two inert gas inflow holes 16. In the present embodiment, the gas supply means 15 supplies an inert gas with an equal flow rate from the inert gas inflow holes 16 to the accommodation space 9. By supplying the inert gas to the chamber 3 by the gas supply means 15, the gas such as oxygen flowing into the accommodation space 9 can be exhausted from the chamber 3, and the substrate 12 can be manufactured in an inert gas atmosphere. like this In addition, since the substrate 12 is manufactured in an inert gas atmosphere, it is possible to prevent the melt 11 from reacting with oxygen in the atmosphere and mixing impurities into the substrate 12. Further, it is possible to suppress the transport means 5 and the crucible 2 from being oxidized and consumed. In FIG. 1, the flow of the inert gas in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is indicated by an arrow F1.

 In the present embodiment, the chamber 3 is formed symmetrically with respect to a predetermined second axis L2 parallel to the vertical direction Z. Accordingly, the two inert gas inflow holes 16 formed in the chamber 3 are also formed symmetrically with respect to the predetermined second axis L2. As described above, the gas supply means 15 supplies the inert gas having the same flow rate from the inert gas inflow holes 16 to the storage space 9, so that the inert gas flowing through the storage space 9 is also determined in advance by the second axis L2 Flows symmetrically with respect to.

 The transport means 5 further includes drive means for rotationally driving the shaft body 18 while angularly displacing the shaft body 18 to one F2 around the first axis L1. Each arm 13 rotates together with the shaft 18 that is driven to rotate by the driving means while holding the base plate 4 that is conveyed by the conveying means 7. In FIG. 1, each arm 13 rotates counterclockwise around the first axis L1. By rotating the arm 13 around the first axis L1, the base plate 4 held by the arm 13 is immersed in the melt 11 while the base plate 4 is immersed in the melt from one surface 4a in the thickness direction. Substrate 12 is formed by solidification growth of 11. When the base plate 4 is separated from the melt 11, the base plate 4 is transported out of the accommodation space 9 by the transport means 7.

 The thickness of the substrate 12 formed on the base plate 4 depends on the temperature of the melt 11 and the rotational speed of the shaft 18. The temperature of the melt 11 and the rotational speed of the shaft 18 are controlled by control means realized including a central processing unit (abbreviated as CPU).

 An opening communicating with the buffer chamber 6 is formed in the chamber 3. The base plate 4 is carried into the accommodation space 9 through this opening or carried out of the accommodation space 9. The gas in the storage space 9 is exhausted out of the storage space 9 through this opening.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of section II in FIG. The buffer chamber 6 includes a first buffer chamber (located on the left side in FIG. 1) through which the base plate 4 passes when the base plate 4 is carried into the storage space 9, and a base plate 4 when the base plate 4 is carried out of the storage space 9. Second buffer chamber (Figure) 1 on the right side). Since the first and second buffer chambers 6 have the same structure and are arranged symmetrically with respect to the above-described predetermined second axis L2, the first and second buffer chambers 6 will be described together.

 The buffer chamber 6 includes a buffer chamber main body 19 that forms a buffer space 25, a communication pipe 20 that extends from the one side wall 29 facing the chamber 3 of the buffer chamber main body 19 to the chamber 3, and a communication pipe 20 of the buffer chamber main body 19. A transfer pipe 21 extending from the other side wall 30 facing the provided side wall 29 to the opposite side of the chamber 3, and an upper wall 31 of the upper Z1 of the buffer chamber body 19 extending from the upper wall 31 to the upper Z1 and connected to the exhaust pipe 8. Connecting pipe 22.

 A pipe line (hereinafter referred to as a communication hole) 17 formed by the communication pipe 20 communicates with the accommodation space 9 through an opening formed in the chamber 3, and the buffer space 25 communicates with the accommodation space 9 through the communication hole 17. . As described above, since the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 flows symmetrically with respect to the predetermined second axis L2, the inert gas flowing into the buffer spaces 25 through the communication holes 17 respectively. The gas flow is equal. When the flow rate of the inert gas flowing through one or more specific communication holes 17 out of the plurality of communication holes 17 is small, the force S that makes it easy for outside air to flow into the accommodation space 9 from the communication holes 17 with a low flow rate. Since the flow rates of the inert gas flowing through the communication hole 17 are the same, it is possible to prevent outside air from flowing into the accommodation space 9 from the buffer space 25. This reduces the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 by the force S.

 The base plate 4 is carried into the buffer space 25 from the outside of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 through the pipe line (hereinafter referred to as “transport hole”) 23 formed by the transport pipe 21, or the buffer space 25 through the transport hole 23. From outside the board manufacturing apparatus 1.

The substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes opening / closing means 24 that can open and close the transport hole 23. The opening / closing means 24 is provided close to the end of the buffer chamber 6 opposite to the chamber 3 side, that is, the end of the transfer tube 21 opposite to the buffer chamber body 19 side. The opening / closing means 24 includes a thin rectangular parallelepiped or plate-shaped shirt 33 capable of opening and closing the transport hole 23, an air cylinder provided above Z1 of the shirt 33, a rod connecting the shirt 33 and the air cylinder, and the shirt 33 And a linear guide that regulates movement. The shirt 33 is formed of a metal material and a resin material. The shirtta 33 is the one that removes the vertical direction Z by the linear guide. Movement in the direction is restricted, and it can be moved only in the vertical direction Z. When the air cylinder presses or pulls the shirt 33 in the vertical direction Z through the mouth, the shirt 33 moves in the vertical direction Z. In this way, the transport hole 23 is opened and closed by moving the shirt 33 in the vertical direction Z. The shirter 33 is formed so that a cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction is at least larger than a cross section of the transport hole 23 perpendicular to the direction in which the transport pipe 21 extends, and when viewed in one of the thickness directions of the shirter 33 when moved downward Z2. It is formed in a shape that covers the transport hole 23. When the base plate 4 passes through the transport hole 23, the shirt 33 moves to the upper Z1 to open the transport hole 23, and otherwise moves to the lower Z2 to close the transport hole 23. . This prevents outside air from flowing into the buffer space 25 as much as possible. Further, since the opening / closing means 24 is provided close to the transport pipe 21, that is, close to the transport hole 23, the gap between the open / close means 24 and the transport hole 23 is narrowed. Therefore, gas such as air can be prevented from flowing into the accommodation space 9 from this gap. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be reduced, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate 4, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 can be extended.

 The connection pipe 22 extends upward Z1 from the end of the upper wall 31 of the buffer chamber body 19 opposite to the chamber 3 side. The exhaust pipe 8 extends from the connecting pipe 22 formed in each buffer chamber 6 to the upper Z1, and is connected to the upper Z1 of the chamber 3 from the end of the upper Z1. It is formed extending horizontally. An opening 27 is formed in the upper wall of Z1 above the connecting portion 26 of the exhaust pipe 8. The inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 to the chamber 3 is formed by the chamber 3, the communication hole 17, the buffer space 25, a pipe line (hereinafter referred to as an exhaust hole) 34 formed by the connection pipe 22, and the exhaust pipe 8. Then, the air is exhausted out of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 through the pipe line and the opening 27 formed in the connecting portion 26 of the exhaust pipe 8 in this order.

In the present embodiment, the volume of the buffer chamber 6, that is, the volume of the buffer space 25, the volume of the communication hole 17, the volume of the transfer hole 23, and the volume of the exhaust hole 34 is the volume of the chamber 3. That is, it is selected to exceed 0% and not more than 10% of the volume of the accommodating space 9. Since the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 flows into the buffer space 25 from the storage space 9, the pressure in the buffer space 25 is at least higher than the atmospheric pressure. If the pressure in the buffer space 25 is higher than atmospheric pressure, the outside air will be in the buffer space 25 when the transfer hole 23 is open. Can be prevented. When the volume of the buffer chamber 6 is larger than 10% of the volume of the chamber 3, the effect of increasing the pressure in the buffer space 25 is reduced, so the difference between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the buffer space 25 is reduced. The effect of preventing outside air from flowing into the buffer space 25 is reduced. If the volume of the buffer chamber 6 is sufficiently smaller than the volume of the chamber 3 as in the present embodiment, the difference between the pressure in the buffer space 25 and the atmospheric pressure is larger than when the volume of the buffer chamber 6 is large. It becomes large and can effectively prevent outside air from flowing into the buffer chamber 6. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the buffer space 25 can be reduced, and accordingly, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be reduced.

 The transport means 7 transports the base plate 4 carried into the buffer chamber 6 to the transport means 5 provided in the accommodation space 9, or transports the base plate 4 transported by the transport means 5 to the buffer chamber 6. The conveying means 7 includes, for example, two rails extending in parallel, a plurality of shafts extending in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the two rails and having both ends pivotally supported by the rails, and shafts on the shafts. A plurality of transport rollers that are supported and are arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction of the shaft, and a drive body that rotationally drives each shaft around the axis. Each shaft is arranged at equal intervals in the extending direction of the two rails. Each shaft is provided with three or more disk-shaped transport rollers, and each transport roller rotates together with the shaft. As will be described later, an inert gas is ejected from the gas ejection means 35 to the transport means 7 from the lower Z2 toward the upper Z1. The conveying roller and the shaft are arranged at a sufficient interval so as not to disturb the flow of the inert gas from the gas ejection means 35. In this way, the conveying means 7 conveys the base plate 4 placed on the conveying roller from the upper Z1 of the conveying means 7 in the direction in which the two rails extend as each shaft rotates. The conveying direction of the base plate 4 is switched depending on the rotation direction of the shaft. The base plate 4 transported to the transport means 5 by the transport means 7 is fitted and held in the holding portion 14 of the transport means 5 as described above, and is immersed in the melt 11 by the transport means 5 and transported by the transport means 7. And is further transported to the buffer chamber 6 by the transport means 7.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the buffer chamber 6 as seen from the section line III III in FIG. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes gas ejection means 35 in the buffer space 25. The gas ejection means 35 is provided in the buffer space 25 close to the transport hole 23. Specifically, in this embodiment, The gas jetting means 35 is provided at the end near the transfer pipe 21 on the lower wall 36 of the lower Z2 of the buffer chamber body 19. The gas ejection means 35 extends along the other side wall 30 between both ends of the first direction X perpendicular to the up-down direction Z of the other side wall 30. An ejection hole extending between both end portions in the first direction X is formed at the end portion of the upper Z1 of the gas ejection means 35. The gas ejection means 35 includes an inert gas supply source that supplies an inert gas to the ejection hole, and ejects the inert gas from the ejection hole toward the upper Z1. In the present embodiment, the ejection hole of the gas ejection means 35 is a long hole that is long in the extending direction of the gas ejection means 35 (first direction X), and the inner peripheral surface facing this ejection hole is a square. It has a cylindrical shape. In FIG. 3, the flow of the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection hole is indicated by an arrow 38. As described above, since the connection pipe 22 is provided at the end of the upper wall 31 of the buffer chamber body 19 near the transport pipe 21, the gas ejection means 35 is located below the exhaust hole 34 at Z2 and is connected to the exhaust hole 34. Inert gas is spouted out.

The transport pipe 21 described above has a rectangular cylindrical shape, and an opening 37 through which the transport hole 23 communicates is formed on the other side wall 30 of the buffer chamber body 19. This opening 37 extends in the first direction X in the same manner as the direction in which the gas ejection means 35 extends, and is located above the gas ejection means 35 when viewed from one of the vertical direction Z and the second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X. Formed in Z1. The opening 37 is formed in the center of the gas ejection hole in the first direction X. The width dimension W1 in the extending direction of the gas ejection holes (hereinafter referred to as the dimension W1 in the longitudinal direction of the gas ejection holes) is the width dimension in the extending direction of the gas ejection means 35 of the opening 37 formed in the other side wall 30. It is selected to be larger than W2 (hereinafter referred to as the dimension W2 in the longitudinal direction of the opening 37), preferably 1.5 times the dimension W2 in the longitudinal direction of the opening 37. That is, the gas ejection means 35 is in a region (a region in the opening 37 in FIG. 3) surrounded by a virtual plane that is an extension of the inner peripheral surface of the transport pipe 21 that faces the transport hole 23, that is, the transport hole 23. The gas is ejected to the outside of the region. Since the flow of the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection hole is disturbed at the end in the extending direction of the gas ejection hole, if the gas is ejected only to the region, the part of the inert gas flow is disturbed. However, the outside air flowing from the transfer hole 23 cannot be effectively exhausted to the exhaust hole 34. Since the gas jetting means 35 jets the gas to the outside of the area, there is no turbulence in the flow of inert gas in the area, and the outside air flowing in from the transfer hole 23 is more effective. The exhaust hole 34 can be exhausted. As a result, the outside air can be prevented from flowing into the accommodation space 9 through the communication hole 17 and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be reduced.

 The base plate 4 passes through the upper Z1 of the gas ejection means 35 when it is carried into the buffer space 25 through the conveyance hole 23 by the conveyance means 7. At this time, since the gas ejection means 35 ejects the inert gas toward the base plate 4 passing through the upper Z1, the outside air that covers and covers the base plate 4 is separated from the base plate 4. In FIG. 2, the oxygen gas 28 is schematically indicated by the symbol “◯”, and the direction in which the oxygen gas 28 flows by the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means 35 is indicated by an arrow 32. In particular, as described above, the gas ejection means 35 is provided in the buffer space 25 close to the transport hole 23. That is, the gas jetting means 35 jets an inert gas to the base plate 4 in the buffer space 25 and in the vicinity of the transport hole 23 that is close to the communication hole 17. In this way, oxygen and other gases covering the base plate 4 are separated from each other at a position away from the communication hole 17, so that it is possible to prevent the separated gas from passing through the communication hole 17 as much as possible, and the outside air enters the accommodation space 9. It can be prevented from flowing. This reduces the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 by the force S.

 Further, as described above, the gas ejection means 35 is located in the lower Z2 of the exhaust hole 34 and ejects the inert gas toward the exhaust hole 34, so that the inert gas swirls in the buffer space 25, The gas flows from the gas jetting means 35 to the exhaust hole 34 without stagnation, and a flow of inert gas is generated. By blowing out the inert gas along the flow of the inert gas, a gas such as oxygen separated from the base plate 4 can be smoothly conveyed to the exhaust hole 34. As a result, it is possible to prevent the gas such as oxygen separated from the base plate 4 from flowing into the accommodation space 9 through the communication hole 17.

Furthermore, since the outside air flowing into the buffer space 25 from the transfer hole 23 when the shirt 33 is in the open state can be conveyed to the exhaust hole 34 along the gas flow from the gas ejection means 35, the outside air is communicated with the communication hole 17 It is possible to prevent the air from flowing into the accommodation space 9 through. That is, a barrier that blocks the outside air from flowing from the transfer hole 23 through the buffer space 25 and the communication hole 17 into the accommodating space 9 by the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means 35 (hereinafter referred to as inert gas' A curtain) is formed. This inert gas curtain has a function of transporting gas passing through itself to the communication hole 17. The dimension in the second direction Y of the gas ejection hole of the gas ejection means 35 is preferably 0.05 mm or more and less than 0.2 mm. If the dimension of the gas injection hole in the second direction Y is less than 0.05 mm, the flow rate will be high when the flow rate is constant, so there will be little! /, And the inert gas will be used to efficiently blow the gas to the cooling body. Force that can be generated The pressure loss becomes large, and it becomes difficult for the inert gas to flow, and the flow rate of the inert gas in the direction in which the ejection holes extend becomes uneven. Also, if the dimension of the gas injection hole in the second direction Y is 0.2 mm or more, the flow rate is low when the flow rate is constant, so the flow rate of the inert gas increases when the flow rate is high. There is a problem that the production cost of the substrate becomes high due to the large amount of inert gas used. In addition to these, considering the tolerances when manufacturing the ejection holes, the flow size of the ejection holes is controlled by setting the width dimension of the ejection holes to 0.05 mm or more and less than 0.2 mm, The force S is used to make the flow rate of the inert gas uniform in the direction in which the jet hole extends.

The effect of the inert gas curtain will be explained based on experimental results. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the flow rate of the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means 35 and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the flow rate of the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means 35 (hereinafter referred to as curtain flow rate), and the vertical axis represents the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9. The measurement results of the oxygen concentration shown in FIG. 4 are measured values when the flow rate of the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 to the accommodation space 9 (hereinafter referred to as the chamber flow rate) is 200 L / min. As shown in Fig. 4, as the curtain flow rate increases, the oxygen concentration in the containment space 9 decreases, so that the inert gas' curtain can function as a barrier to block outside air flowing into the containment space 9. S indicated. In Fig. 4, when the curtain flow rate is less than 20 L / min, the oxygen concentration in the containment space 9 rapidly increases, indicating that the inert gas' curtain blocking effect does not function as effectively as practical. When the curtain flow rate is 20 L / min or more, the oxygen concentration in the storage space 9 can be kept below about 35 ppm, so that the inert gas' curtain functions as a barrier that blocks outside air flowing into the storage space 9. The power S is shown to be noticeable. In particular, when the curtain flow rate is 100 L / min or more, the oxygen concentration in the containing space 9 can be kept at 5 ppm or less, so that the inert gas' curtain functions as a barrier that blocks outside air flowing into the containing space 9. Is shown to be particularly prominent The Therefore, in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the curtain flow rate is selected to be 20 L / min or more, preferably 100 L / min or more.

 In general, if the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 such as the chamber 3, the buffer chamber 6, and each hole is different, the correlation between the curtain flow rate and the oxygen concentration in the accommodating space 9 is different. If the Reynolds number Re and the Schmidt number Sc defined in Eq. (1) and Eq. (2) are equal, the flow velocity distribution and concentration distribution are similar from the flow velocity and concentration distribution similarity rules. Therefore, it is estimated that the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 depends on the Reikarez number Re and the Schmitt number Sc regardless of the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1.

 Re = UL / r… hi)

 Sc = v / O · '· (2)

The Reynolds number Re and the Schmidt number Sc are dimensionless numbers. In formula (1), U represents the representative flow velocity (unit m / s), L represents the representative length {4 X opening area / opening circumference (unit m)}, and V is inert. Indicates the kinematic viscosity coefficient (unit m ² / s) of gas. In equation (2), V represents the kinematic viscosity coefficient (unit m ² / s) of the inert gas, and D represents the diffusion coefficient (unit m ² / s) of oxygen to the inert gas. .

 Even if the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is changed, if the type of the inert gas is not changed, the combination of the inert gas and oxygen does not change, so the Schmitt number Sc is always unchanged and constant. Therefore, if the Reikarezu number Re is the same, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 is estimated to be equal regardless of the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1. That is, even if the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 is different, it is estimated that the correlation between the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 and the Reikarezu number Re is the same. Since the Reikarezu number Re is determined from the oxygen concentration of the target accommodating space 9 and the representative length L is obtained from the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1, the force S for obtaining the representative flow velocity U from the equation (1) can be obtained. When the representative flow velocity U is obtained, the curtain flow rate to be ejected from the gas ejection means 35 can be determined.

In this embodiment, there is one communication hole 17 in each buffer chamber 6, and the size of the gas ejection hole of the gas ejection means 35 is 500 mm X O. 1 mm. For example, the gas ejection when the curtain flow rate is l OOL / min. Reynolds number Re of means 35 (hereinafter referred to as curtain. Reynolds number Re) The curtain Reynolds number Re is 92 when the curtain flow rate is 20L / min. Analyzing the above experimental results based on the curtain 'Reikarez number Re, when the curtain Reynolds number Re is 460 or more, the oxygen concentration in the containment space 9 is kept below 5 ppm due to the shielding effect of the inert gas curtain. It is. Curtain 'When the Reikarez number Re is less than 460, the oxygen concentration in the containment space 9 starts to rise, and as the curtain' Reikarez number Re decreases, the oxygen concentration in the containment space 9 increases, and finally the curtain ' When the Reynolds number Re is less than 92, the oxygen concentration increases rapidly, indicating that the inert gas curtain blocking effect does not function as effectively as practical. Therefore, regardless of the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1, the curtain “Reikarezu number Re” is selected to be 92 or more, and preferably 460 or more.

 Similarly, the effect of supplying the inert gas to the accommodation space 9 by the gas supply means 15 will be described based on the experimental results. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the chamber flow rate and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the chamber flow rate, and the vertical axis indicates the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9. The oxygen concentration measurement results shown in Fig. 5 are measured when the curtain flow rate is 100 L / min.

As shown in FIG. 5, as the chamber flow rate increases, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 decreases, so that the inert gas force S supplied to the accommodation space 9 by the gas supply means 15 and the outside air in the accommodation space 9 It is shown that the outside air flowing into the storage space 9 is exhausted out of the storage space 9 and the oxygen concentration in the storage space 9 is reduced. In FIG. 5, when the chamber flow rate becomes less than 100 L / min, the oxygen concentration in the storage space 9 increases rapidly, and the exhaust effect of the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 does not function effectively to a practical level. Is shown. When the chamber flow rate is 100 L / min or more, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be kept below about 70 ppm, which indicates that the exhaust effect by the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 appears remarkably. In particular, when the chamber flow rate is 300 L / min or more, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be kept at about 10 ppm or less, and the exhaust effect by the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means 15 is particularly noticeable. Is shown. Therefore, in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the chamber flow rate is selected to be 100 L / min or more, preferably 300 L / min or more. The experimental results described above are analyzed based on the Reikarezu number Re according to the similar law of flow velocity distribution and concentration distribution as in the case of the inert gas curtain. In this embodiment, each buffer chamber 6 has one communication hole 17 and the size thereof is 400 mm × 100 mm. For example, when the chamber flow rate is 300 L / min, the Reynolds number Re (hereinafter referred to as “Channo Reynolds”). The Reno's number Re is 734 when the chamber flow rate is 200 L / min, and the Channo Reynolds number Re is 550 when the chamber flow rate is 150 L / min. At the time of 100 L / min, the Cyanno Reynolds number Re is 367. When the Channo Reynolds number Re is 1100 or more, the oxygen concentration is kept at about lOppm by the exhaust effect. When the chamber 'Reikarezu number Re is less than 1100, the oxygen concentration starts to increase, and as the chamber' Reikarezu number Re decreases, the oxygen concentration increases. It is shown that the exhaust effect does not function as effectively as is practical. Therefore, regardless of the shape of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1, the chamber “recalls number Re is selected to be 367 or more, and preferably 1100 or more.

As explained above, once the oxygen concentration in the target containment space 9 is determined, the curtains 'Reynolds number Re and Channo' Reynolds number Re to achieve this oxygen concentration are based on Figs. 4 and 5, respectively. Determined. Using equation (1), from the curtain 'Reikarezu number Re and chamber Reikarezu number Re, from the newly designed substrate manufacturing equipment 1 from the representative flow velocity U of the inert gas flowing from the gas ejection holes and from the accommodation space 9 The typical flow rate U of the inert gas passing through the communication hole 17 can be calculated, and the curtain flow rate and the chamber flow rate can be estimated by multiplying the flow rate by the opening area. In this way, the curtain flow rate and the chamber flow rate can be estimated in advance at the time of design, and the design can be made in consideration of the amount of inert gas used and the oxygen concentration of the storage space 9. According to the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment described above, the inert gas supplied to the accommodation space 9 by the gas supply means 15 flows into the buffer space 25 through the communication hole 17 and passes through the exhaust hole 34. It is exhausted from the buffer space 25 through. Therefore, even if a gas such as oxygen flows into the storage space 9, the gas flowing in along this inert gas flow is stored. The space 9 and the buffer space 25 can be evacuated, and the containing space 9 can be filled with an inert gas.

 The shirt 33 opens the transport hole 23 when the base plate 4 passes through the transport hole 23, and closes the transport hole 23 when the base plate 4 does not pass through the transport hole 23. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the outside air such as air from flowing into the buffer space 25 when the base plate 4 does not pass through the transport hole 23. Even if outside air such as air flows into the buffer space 25 when the transfer hole 23 is open, the inflowing gas flows along with the flow of inert gas flowing from the storage space 9 through the buffer space 25 to the exhaust hole. Since the air is exhausted from the exhaust hole 34, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the housing space 9.

The gas ejection means 35 ejects an inert gas toward the base plate 4 conveyed in the buffer space 25. By injecting an inert gas onto the base plate 4, it moves with the base plate 4 carried into the buffer space 25 from the outside of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1, and gas such as oxygen covering the base plate 4 is separated from the base plate 4. Can do. The gas thus separated from the base plate 4 is exhausted from the exhaust hole 34 together with the flow of the inert gas flowing from the storage space 9 through the buffer space 25 to the exhaust hole 34, so that the base plate 4 is stored in the storage space. It is possible to prevent outside air or the like from flowing into the accommodation space 9 when transported to the housing 9. In this way, it is possible to prevent outside air from flowing into the storage space 9 with a simple configuration without providing a device for a vacuum environment, so that the storage space 9 can be filled with an inert gas, and the oxygen concentration is reduced! The substrate can be manufactured in an inert gas atmosphere kept at a minimum. This prevents impurities from being mixed into the substrate 12 when the melt 11 is solidified and grown. Furthermore, since the oxygen concentration in the storage space 9 can be reduced to a low value by preventing the outside air from flowing into the storage space 9, a device provided in the storage space 9 such as the crucible 2 that is hot. In addition, the chamber can be prevented from being oxidized and consumed, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 can be extended. In particular, in the present embodiment, the crucible 2 and the transporting means 5 are formed to contain carbon, so that the crucible 2 and the transporting means 5 are oxidized and consumed by suppressing the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 to a low value. Can be prevented. Since the oxygen concentration in the housing space 9 can be suppressed to a low value with a simple configuration that does not include an apparatus for a vacuum environment like the substrate manufacturing apparatus 101 of the prior art, the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 can be downsized. The installation area is reduced and the cost is low. The board manufacturing apparatus 1 can be realized.

 In the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the gas jetting means 35 is provided on the lower wall 36 of the lower Z2 of the buffer chamber body 19 and jets an inert gas to the upper Z1. As long as the inert gas is ejected toward the exhaust hole 34, it may be disposed at any position.

 FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the buffer chamber 6 when the gas ejection means 35 is provided on the one side wall 39 in the first direction X of the buffer chamber body 19. When the gas ejection means 35 is provided on one side wall 39 in the first direction X of the buffer chamber body 19, the connecting pipe 22 is connected from the other side wall 40 in the first direction X to the other side in the first direction X of the buffer chamber body 19. It is formed to extend. The gas ejection means 35 ejects an inert gas to the other side in the first direction X toward the exhaust pipe 8. The gas ejection means 35 is provided at the end of the one side wall 39 of the buffer chamber body 19 near the transfer pipe 21 in the first direction X. The gas ejection means 35 extends along the one side wall 39 between both end portions in the vertical direction Z of the one side wall 39. At the other end portion in the first direction of the gas ejection means 35, an ejection hole extending between both end portions in the vertical direction Z is formed. The gas ejection means 35 ejects an inert gas from the ejection hole toward the other side in the first direction X. The ejection hole of the gas ejection means 35 is a long hole that is long in the extending direction (vertical direction Z) of the gas ejection means 35, and the inner peripheral surface facing the ejection hole has a rectangular cylindrical shape. In FIG. 6, the flow of the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection holes is indicated by arrows 41.

As described above, the opening 37 force S is formed on the other side wall 30 in the second direction Y of the buffer chamber body 19 by the transfer hole 23. The opening 37 extends in the first direction X, and is formed in the other of the gas ejection means 35 in the first direction X as viewed from one of the second directions Y. The opening 37 is formed at the center of the gas ejection hole in the vertical direction Z. The width dimension W3 in the extending direction of the gas ejection hole (hereinafter referred to as the dimension W3 in the longitudinal direction of the gas ejection hole) is the width dimension in the extending direction of the gas ejection means 35 of the opening 37 formed in the other side wall 30. It is selected to be larger than W4 (hereinafter referred to as the width dimension W4 of the opening 37), preferably 1.5 times the width W4 of the opening 37 in the width direction. By designing the shape of the gas ejection hole in this way, as described above, the area surrounded by the virtual plane extending the surface defining the transport hole 23, that is, the inner peripheral surface of the transport pipe 21 facing the transport hole 23 (FIG. 6). In the area in the opening 37) In this case, the flow of the inert gas is not disturbed, and the outside air flowing from the transfer hole 23 can be effectively exhausted to the exhaust hole 34. As a result, the outside air can be prevented from flowing into the accommodation space 9 through the communication hole 17 and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be reduced.

 In the present embodiment, the inert gas is generated from the direction parallel to the surface 4a of the base plate 4 on which the substrate 12 is formed, that is, from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate-like base plate 4 having a small area. Will be injected. For this reason, the inert gas is sprayed evenly on the surface 4a of the base plate 4 on which the substrate 12 is formed and the surface facing the surface 4a, and the outside air conveyed over the surface facing the surface 4a. Can be quickly and reliably eliminated. Furthermore, disturbance of the inert gas flow by the base plate 4 is unlikely to occur.

 In the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the chamber 3 and the buffer chamber 6 are formed symmetrically with respect to the second axis L2, but may not be symmetrical. In this case, the gas supply means 15 adjusts the flow rate of the inert gas flowing from each inert gas inflow hole 16, thereby passing through the communication hole 17 of each buffer chamber 6 to each buffer space 25. The inert gas is supplied to the accommodating space 9 so that the flow rate of the inert gas flowing in is equal. As a result, it is possible to prevent outside air from flowing into the accommodation space 9 from the buffer space 25 as described above, and to reduce the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9.

 FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the buffer chamber 6 of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration except for the structure of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 and the buffer chamber 6 according to the above-described embodiment. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

 The communication pipe 20 extends in a tapered shape from the end of the buffer chamber body 19 near the chamber 3 toward the chamber 3. Therefore, the communication hole 17 is also formed in a tapered shape as it approaches the accommodating space 9 from the buffer space 25. In other words, the opening area of the communication pipe 20 is formed so as to decrease as it approaches the accommodation space 9 from the buffer space 25.

The connection pipe 22 is formed so that a cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction Z increases as the distance from the upper wall 31 of the buffer chamber body 19 increases to the upper Z1. Therefore, the area of the cross section of the exhaust hole 34 perpendicular to the up-down direction Z, that is, the opening area of the connection pipe 22 is formed so as to increase as the distance from the buffer chamber body 19 to the upper side Z1 increases. The transport pipe 21 is formed so that a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the transport pipe 21 increases as the distance from the other side wall 30 of the buffer chamber body 19 to the side opposite to the chamber 3 increases. Therefore, the area of the cross section of the transport hole 23 perpendicular to the direction in which the transport pipe 21 extends, that is, the opening area of the transport pipe 21 is formed to increase as the distance from the buffer chamber body 19 increases.

 In the case of a circular pipe, the resistance due to the gas flow path is inversely proportional to the inner diameter and proportional to the square of the flow velocity. Accordingly, in the case of a channel having a tapered shape, the inner diameter is reduced and the flow velocity is increased as the cross-sectional area of the channel is reduced, so that the resistance by the channel is increased. That is, gas flows more easily in the direction in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path becomes larger than in the direction in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases. Since the communication pipe 20 has the tapered shape described above, gas flows from the storage space 9 through the communication pipe 20 to the buffer space 25 rather than from the buffer space 25 through the communication hole 17 to the storage space 9. easy. As a result, it is possible to prevent outside air from flowing into the accommodation space 9 from the buffer chamber main body 19, and to maintain the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 at a low value.

 Further, since the connecting pipe 22 has the tapered shape described above, it is difficult for gas to flow into the buffer space 25 from the pipe line formed by the exhaust pipe 8, and gas containing oxygen or the like exhausted from the nother space 25 is buffered. Can prevent backflow. Further, since the transfer pipe 21 has the above-described tapered shape, it is difficult for outside air to flow into the buffer space 25 through the transfer hole 23. By these, the oxygen concentration in the buffer space 25 can be kept at a low value, and as a result, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be kept at a low value. As a result, it is possible to prevent impurities from being mixed into the substrate 12 as described above, and to extend the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a substrate manufacturing apparatus 51 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 51 of the present embodiment further includes a replenishing means 52 that replenishes the raw material 69 of the substrate 12 in addition to the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of each of the above-described embodiments. The substrate manufacturing apparatus 51 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the replenishing means 52 is added to the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 of each of the above-described embodiments. Only the explanation is omitted, and the duplicate explanation is omitted. In Fig. 8, for ease of understanding, The step 5, the base plate 4, the transfer means 7 and the gas supply means 15 are omitted.

 Since the substrate manufacturing apparatus 51 manufactures the substrate 12 by immersing the base plate 4 in the melt 11 and growing the crystal of the melt 11, the melt that becomes the raw material 69 of the substrate 12 every time the substrate 12 is manufactured. 11 will decrease. When the melt 11 decreases, the replenishing means 52 supplies the crucible 2 with a raw material 69 such as a solid or liquid metal material and a semiconductor material in order to supplement the reduced amount of the raw material 69. In the present embodiment, the replenishing means 52 supplies the solid raw material 69 to the crucible 2. The replenishing means 52 passes through the replenishment buffer chamber 53 provided in the upper Z1 of the chamber 3 and the opening formed in the upper wall 54 of the upper Z1 of the chamber 3 from the replenishing buffer chamber 53 to the accommodation space 9. The replenishment pipe 55, the replenishment transfer chamber 57 extending from the upper Z1 upper wall 56 of the replenishment buffer chamber 53, and the replenishment buffer chamber 53 in the second direction Y from the other side wall 61 in the second direction A connection pipe 62 extending to the other side of Y and connected to the exhaust pipe 8, a gas ejection means 64 disposed on one side wall 63 in the second direction Y of the supply buffer chamber 53, and a supply transport pipe 57 And an opening / closing means provided with a shirt capable of opening and closing a formed pipe line (hereinafter referred to as a replenishment conveying hole) 65.

 The shirter 66 opens the supply transport hole 65 when the raw material 69 is supplied to the crucible 2, and closes the supply transport hole 65 at other times. When the replenishment transport hole 65 is opened, the raw material 69 is supplied to the buffer space 68 formed by the replenishment buffer chamber 53, and further passes through the conduit 70 formed by the replenishment pipe 55, and the crucible 2 To be supplied.

 The gas ejection means 64 is connected to the gas ejection means 64 and the connection pipe by ejecting an inert gas toward the pipe line 71 formed by the connection pipe 63, in the same manner as the gas ejection means 35 of each of the foregoing embodiments. Inert gas is spouted toward the raw material 69 that passes between them. As described above, the gas ejection means 64 ejects the inert gas, so that the outside air can be prevented from flowing into the accommodation space 9, and the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space 9 can be kept at a low value. it can. As a result, it is possible to prevent impurities from being mixed into the substrate 12 as described above, and to further extend the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1.

In addition to the configuration of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 1 described above, the substrate manufacturing apparatus 51 according to still another embodiment of the present embodiment further includes a recovery unit that recovers fragments of the substrate 12. When the substrate 12 formed on one surface 4a of the base plate 4 is separated from the melt 11, the substrate 12 suddenly changes from a high temperature to a low temperature. Because it is cooled extremely, thermal stress is generated and it breaks, and there is a possibility that debris falls on the lower wall of Z2 below chamber 3. The collecting means collects the broken pieces of the substrate 12 that have dropped on the lower wall of the chamber for reuse.

 The collecting means includes a tray disposed at a position where the fragments of the substrate 12 are highly likely to fall, and a transport unit that carries the trays accommodating the fragments of the substrate 12 out of the accommodation space 9. The chamber 3 is formed with an opening through which the recovery means passes, and the buffer chamber 6 having the same configuration as the buffer chamber 6 of each of the above-described embodiments is connected to the opening forming the opening. Further, in the buffer space 25, the gas jetting means 35 and the opening / closing means 24 are provided as in the above-described embodiments.

 As described above, the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means 35 forms a barrier that blocks the outside air from flowing from the transport hole 23 through the buffer space 25 and the communication hole 17 into the accommodation space 9. This prevents the outside air from flowing into the storage space 9 when the tray is carried into or out of the buffer chamber 6, and the oxygen concentration in the storage space 9 can be kept at a low level. it can.

 The present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is shown in the claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the scope of claims are within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

According to the present invention, the inert gas is supplied to the accommodation space by the gas supply means. The inert gas supplied to the storage space flows into the buffer space through the communication hole, and is exhausted from the buffer space through the exhaust hole. Therefore, even if a gas such as oxygen flows into the accommodation space, the gas flowing along the flow of the inert gas can be exhausted from the accommodation space and the buffer space, and the accommodation space is filled with the inert gas. The opening / closing means includes a shirter capable of opening and closing the transport hole. For example, this shatter opens the transport hole when the cooling body passes through the transport hole, and does not pass through the transport hole. Close the transport hole. As a result, when the cooling body does not pass through the transport hole, it is possible to prevent outside air such as air from flowing into the buffer space. Even if outside air such as air flows into the buffer space when the transport hole is open, the inflowed gas is exhausted from the exhaust hole along with the flow of inert gas flowing from the containing space through the buffer space to the exhaust hole. Therefore, outside air can be prevented from flowing into the accommodation space.

 The gas jetting means jets an inert gas toward the cooling body conveyed in the buffer space. By ejecting the inert gas to the cooling body, the gas moves together with the cooling body carried into the buffer space from the outside of the substrate manufacturing apparatus, and the gas such as oxygen covering the cooling body can be separated from the cooling body. The gas thus separated from the cooling body is exhausted together with the flow of the inert gas flowing from the accommodation space through the buffer space to the exhaust hole, so that when the cooling body is transported to the accommodation space, the outside air or the like is exhausted. Can prevent the flow of water into the containment space. In this way, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the storage space with a simple configuration without providing a device for a vacuum environment, so that the storage space can be filled with an inert gas, and the oxygen concentration is suppressed to a low value. The substrate can be manufactured in an active gas atmosphere. As a result, it is possible to prevent impurities from entering the substrate when the melt is solidified and grown. Furthermore, since the outside air can be prevented from flowing into the storage space and the oxygen concentration in the storage space can be kept to a low value, the equipment provided in the chamber such as the crucible and the chamber and the chamber are oxidized and consumed. The ability to extend the life of substrate manufacturing equipment can be prevented. In addition, since there is no need to provide a device for a vacuum environment, it is possible to prevent the substrate manufacturing apparatus from becoming complicated and large in size and to increase the installation area, and to reduce the cost of the substrate manufacturing apparatus.

Further, according to the present invention, the inert gas having the same flow rate flows through the communication hole of each buffer chamber by the gas supply means. If the flow rate of the inert gas flowing through one or more specific communication holes of the plurality of communication holes is small! /, If the flow rate is low, the force that allows outside air to easily flow into the accommodation space from the communication holes. Then, since the flow rate of the inert gas flowing through each communication hole is equal, it is possible to prevent the outside air from flowing into the accommodation space. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space can be reduced, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate as described above, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be extended. According to the present invention, the volume of the buffer chamber is selected to be more than 0% and not more than 10% of the chamber volume. Since the inert gas supplied from the gas supply means flows into the buffer space from the storage space, the pressure in the buffer space is at least higher than atmospheric pressure. If the pressure in the buffer space is higher than atmospheric pressure, it is possible to prevent outside air from flowing into the buffer space when the transfer hole is open. When the volume of the buffer chamber is larger than 10% of the volume of the chamber, the effect of increasing the pressure in the buffer space decreases, so the difference between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the buffer space decreases, and the outside air flows into the buffer space. The effect of preventing the inflow is reduced. If the volume of the buffer chamber is smaller than the volume of the chamber as in the present invention, the difference between the pressure in the buffer space and the atmospheric pressure becomes larger than when the volume of the buffer chamber is large, and the outside air is Can be efficiently prevented. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space can be reduced, as described above, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be extended. According to the invention, the gas jetting means is provided close to the transport hole in the buffer space. That is, the gas jetting means jets an inert gas to the cooling body near the transport hole in the buffer space near the communication hole. Since the gas such as oxygen covering the cooling body is separated at a position away from the transport hole in this way, it is possible to prevent the separated gas from passing through the transport hole as much as possible, and to prevent outside air from flowing into the accommodation space. it can. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the housing space can be reduced, as described above, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be extended. According to the present invention, since the opening / closing means is provided close to the transport hole, the gap between the opening / closing means and the transport hole is narrowed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent gas such as air from flowing into the accommodation space from this gap. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the housing space can be reduced, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate as described above, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be extended.

Further, according to the present invention, since the gas ejection means ejects the inert gas toward the exhaust hole, a flow of inert gas from the gas ejection means to the exhaust hole occurs. By injecting the inert gas along the flow of the inert gas, gas such as oxygen separated from the cooling body can be smoothly conveyed to the exhaust hole. As a result, oxygen away from the cooling body It is possible to prevent any gas from flowing into the accommodation space through the communication hole. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space can be reduced, as described above, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be extended.

 Further, according to the present invention, the gas jetting means jets gas over the outside of the region into a region surrounded by a virtual surface extending the surface defining the transport hole. Since the gas is ejected to the outside of the region, the gas flow is not disturbed at the end of the region in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the gas is ejected, and the outside air flowing from the transfer hole is more effectively exhausted. The holes can be evacuated. As a result, it is possible to reduce the oxygen concentration in the accommodation space by preventing outside air from flowing into the accommodation space through the communication hole, and to prevent impurities from being mixed into the substrate as described above. Use S to extend the life of the board manufacturing equipment.

 According to the invention, the gas ejection means is formed to extend in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the direction in which the gas is ejected, and has an ejection hole through which the gas is ejected, and in the direction in which the gas is ejected and the predetermined direction. The width dimension of the jet hole in the vertical direction is selected to be not less than 0.05 mm and less than 0.2 mm. By setting such dimensions, the flow rate of the inert gas is increased while the flow rate of the inert gas is kept low, and the flow rate of the inert gas in the direction in which the gas ejection holes extend is uniform. Can be.

According to the invention, the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means is selected as at least one of a rare gas and a nitrogen gas. Since the gas ejection means ejects such an inert gas, even if the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means flows into the accommodation space through the communication hole, impurities are not mixed into the substrate. Further, the apparatus provided in the chamber such as a crucible at a high temperature and the chamber do not react with the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means and are not consumed. As a result, as described above, impurities can be prevented from being mixed into the substrate, and the life of the substrate manufacturing apparatus can be extended. Further, according to the present invention, the gas ejection means ejects the inert gas in a direction parallel to the surface of the cooling body for solidifying and growing the raw material. Therefore, even when the cooling body is plate-shaped and the substrate is formed on the surface having the largest surface area, the cooling body hardly disturbs the flow of the inert gas. Also, the surface that forms the substrate and the surface that faces this surface Inert gas is sprayed evenly Thus, the outside air that is transported covering both surfaces is quickly and reliably eliminated.

Claims

The scope of the claims  [1] A substrate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a substrate by immersing a cooling body in a melt obtained by heating and melting a raw material of a substrate, and solidifying and growing the raw material on the surface of the cooling body,  A chamber comprising a crucible for storing the melt, and forming a chamber for accommodating the crucible;  Gas supply means for supplying an inert gas to the accommodation space;  A communication hole that communicates with the housing space and allows the cooling body to pass therethrough, an exhaust hole that exhausts gas, and a transport hole that communicates with the external space and allows the cooling body to pass therethrough are formed. A buffer chamber that forms a buffer space communicating with the hole and the transport hole; and an opening / closing means that includes a shirter capable of opening and closing the transport hole;  A conveying means for carrying the cooling body into the accommodation space through the communication hole and the conveyance hole and carrying out the cooling body from the accommodation space;  A substrate manufacturing apparatus comprising: a gas ejection unit that ejects an inert gas toward a cooling body that is accommodated in the buffer space and is conveyed through the buffer space by the conveyance unit.  [2] having a plurality of the buffer chambers;  The gas supply means supplies the inert gas to the accommodation space so that the flow rates of the inert gas flowing into the buffer spaces through the communication holes of the buffer chambers are equal to each other. The board manufacturing apparatus according to 1. 3. The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the buffer chamber is selected to be greater than 0% and less than or equal to 10% of the volume of the chamber. [4] The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the gas ejection means is provided in the buffer space in the vicinity of the transport hole. [5] The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the opening / closing means is provided in the vicinity of the transport hole. [6] The substrate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gas jetting means jets an inert gas toward the exhaust hole. [7] The gas jetting means jets a gas to the outside of the region in a region surrounded by a virtual surface extending the surface defining the transport hole. Board manufacturing equipment.  [8] The gas ejection means is formed to extend in a predetermined direction perpendicular to the direction in which the inert gas is ejected, and has an ejection hole through which the inert gas is ejected.  The dimension of the width of the ejection hole in the gas ejection direction and the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction is selected to be not less than 0.05 mm and less than 0.2 mm. 8. The board manufacturing apparatus according to any one of 7. [9] The force according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the inert gas ejected from the gas ejection means is selected as at least one of a rare gas and a nitrogen gas. The substrate manufacturing apparatus described above.  [10] The gas jetting means jets an inert gas in a direction parallel to a surface of the cooling body that solidifies and grows the raw material. The board | substrate manufacturing apparatus of description.