Graphite columnar heating body for semiconductor wafer heating

Claim 2

A heating apparatus for heating a substrate, said heating apparatus comprising: an electric heater made of graphite and having an approximately columnar body with a top and a bottom, the top defining a flat surface part having a region thereon on which the substrate is placed, and a pair of legs which extend downwardly from the flat surface part to the bottom, said legs being defined by a central opening in the columnar body extending from the bottom and toward the top thereof and defining an interior bottom surface opposite to the flat surface part of the top, cross-sectional areas of the flat surface part at successive spaced positions in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the current flow through the flat surface part being approximately constant at least within the region, so that the resistance of the flat surface part within the region is uniformly distributed along the direction of the current flow therethrough; and power supplying means, coupled to said legs at the bottom of said electric heater, for supplying a voltage across the legs of the columnar body so that a current flows from one leg to the other leg of the pair thereof, thereby generating heat at the flat surface part to heat the substrate.

Claim 3

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat surface part has a shape which is selected in correspondence with the shape of the substrate.

Claim 4

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said columnar body has an approximately cylindrical shape.

Claim 5

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said columnar body has an approximately hexagonal shape.

Claim 6

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central opening in the columnar body as a curved upper end defining a curved interior bottom surface, opposite to the flat surface part of the top, so that the cross-sectional areas of the flat surface part, at successive spaced positions in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the current flow in the flat surface part, are approximately constant.

Claim 7

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein outer surfaces of said electric heater, excluding parts of the legs which are coupled to said power supplying means, are coated with silicon carbide.

Claim 8

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each leg is of successively larger cross-sectional areas, in progressing from the top and towards the bottom, where the leg is coupled to said power supplying means, so that heating by the current flow is generated mainly at the flat surface part of the top of the columnar body.

Claim 9

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat surface part has a plurality of holes for adjusting the temperature distribution on the flat surface part.

Claim 10

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises a process chamber, first means for supplying at least one kind of gas into said process chamber, and second means for exhausting the gas inside said process chamber, said electric heater being provided within said process chamber.

Claim 11

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said power supplying means includes a pair of power supplying parts connected to the respective legs at the bottom of the columnar body and located within said process chamber, and a pair of electrodes which connect to the respective power supplying parts by penetrating into said process chamber from outside said process chamber, said power supplying parts being made of graphite.

Claim 12

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each leg has a bottom surface provided with at least one first engaging part, and each power supplying part has a top surface provided with at least one second engaging part which is provided in correspondence with the first engaging part, said first and second engaging parts being corresponding groove and rail parts which fit together to connect the corresponding leg and power supplying part.

Claim 13

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of each leg and corresponding power supplying part has an overhanging part which covers the corresponding electrode.

Claim 14

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each leg and corresponding power supplying part are connected via a volt, said bolt being made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon carbide coated carbon, silicon carbide, amorphous carbon, boron nitride and other non-metals.

Claim 15

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, which further comprises a plurality of pins which are movable between a rest position and a raised position, and the flat surface part of the columnar body includes a plurality of first holes for permitting penetration of said pins in the raised position for lifting the substrate from the flat surface part.

Claim 16

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the flat surface part of the columnar body further includes second holes for adjusting the temperature distribution on the flat surface part.

Claim 17

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, which further comprises temperature sensor means for detecting the temperature of the interior bottom surface of the top of the columnar body.

Claim 18

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein said temperature sensor means optically detects the temperature of the interior bottom surface.

Claim 19

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein outer surfaces of said electric heater are coated with silicon carbide, excluding the parts of the legs which are coupled to said power supplying means and the part of the interior bottom surface of the top, the temperature of which is sensed by the temperature sensor means.

Claim 20

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises a sub heater which generally surrounds an outer periphery of the columnar body of said electric heater.

Claim 21

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which further comprises a sub heater which is provided inside the columnar body of said electric heater in the vicinity of the flat surface part.

Claim 22

A heating apparatus for heating a substrate, said heating apparatus comprising: a process chamber, first means for supplying at least one kind of gas into said process chamber, and second means for exhausting the gas inside said process chamber; an electric heater provided within said process chamber, and having an approximately columnar body which is made of graphite, said columnar body with a top and bottom, the top defining a flat surface part on which the substrate is placed and a pair of legs which extend downwardly from the flat surface part to the bottom, said legs being defined by a central opening in the columnar body extending from the bottom and toward the top thereof and defining an interior bottom surface opposite to the flat surface part of the top; power supplying means for supplying a voltage across the legs of the columnar body so that a current flows from one leg to the other leg of the pair thereof, thereby generating heat at the flat surface part to heat the substrate, said power supplying means having a pair of power supplying parts made of graphite and connected to the respective legs at the bottom of the columnar body and located within said process chamber, and a pair of electrodes which connect to the respective power supplying parts by penetrating into said process chamber from outside said process chamber; and each leg having a bottom surface provided with at least one first engaging part, and each power supplying part having a top surface provided with at least one second engaging part which is provided in correspondence with the first engaging part, said first and second engaging parts being corresponding groove and rail parts which fit together to connect the corresponding leg and power supplying part.

Claim 23

A heating apparatus for heating a substrate, said heating apparatus comprising: a process chamber, first means for supplying at least one kind of gas into said process chamber, and second means for exhausting the gas inside said process chamber; an electric heater provided within said process chamber, and having an approximately columnar body which is made of graphite, said columnar body with a top and bottom, the top defining a flat surface part on which the substrate is placed and a pair of legs which extend downwardly from the flat surface part to the bottom, said legs being defined by a central opening in the columnar body extending from the bottom and toward the top thereof and defining an interior bottom surface opposite to the flat surface part of the top; power supplying means for supplying a voltage across the legs of the columnar body so that a current flows from one leg to the other leg of the pair thereof, thereby generating heat at the flat surface part to heat the substrate, said power supplying means having a pair of power supplying parts made of graphite and connected to the respective legs at the bottom of the columnar body and located within said process chamber, and a pair of electrodes which connect to the respective power supplying parts by penetrating into said process chamber from outside said process chamber; and each leg having a bottom surface provided with at least one first engaging part, and each power supplying part having a top surface provided with at least one second engaging part which is provided in correspondence with the first engaging part, said first and second engaging parts being corresponding groove and rail parts which fit together to connect the corresponding leg and power supplying part.

Claim 24

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein at least one of each leg and corresponding power supplying part has an overhanging part which covers the corresponding electrode.

Claim 25

The heating apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein each leg and corresponding power supplying part are connected via a bolt, said bolt being made of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon carbide coated carbon, silicon carbide, amorphous carbon boron nitride and other non-metals.