Heat treatment apparatus which emits flash of light
View Patent ↗In a heat treatment apparatus, a reflector is provided to cover a plurality of flash lamps arranged in an array for emitting a flash of light, and a cooling box is provided over the reflector. The cooling box has a buffer space incorporated therein, and a plurality of jet openings in communication with the buffer space are formed through a bottom surface of the cooling box and the reflector. The plurality of jet openings are positioned just over gaps between the plurality of flash lamps in the lamp array. Nitrogen gas ejected from the plurality of jet openings passes through the gaps between adjacent ones of the flash lamps in the lamp array, and is then blown against a lamp light radiation window. The flash lamps are effectively cooled down by the direct cooling using the nitrogen gas and the decrease in temperature of the lamp light radiation window.
1. A heat treatment apparatus for exposing a substrate to a flash of light to heat the substrate, comprising:
a chamber configured for receiving a substrate therein, said chamber including
a holding part configured for holding the substrate, said holding part including a preheating mechanism configured for preheating the substrate held by said holding part before the substrate is exposed to a flash of light, and
a chamber window configured for allowing a flash of light to pass therethrough into said holding part; and
a lamp house configured for emitting a flash of light, said lamp house including
a light source including a plurality of flash lamps arranged in an array and each having a rodlike discharge tube configured for directing a flash of light from the discharge tubes toward the substrate held by said holding part within said chamber,
a radiation window provided in opposed relation to said chamber window configured for allowing a flash of light emitted from said light source to pass therethrough toward said chamber, and
a gas ejection part configured for causing a gas to pass through gaps between said plurality of flash lamps arranged in the array and to be blown against said radiation window; wherein said gas ejection part includes:
a buffer space divided into a plurality of compartments, and
a plurality of jet openings extending through wall surfaces of said plurality of compartments toward the gaps between said plurality of flash lamps,
said heat treatment apparatus further comprising:
a gas supply element configured for individually supplying a gas to said plurality of compartments of said buffer space; and
a flow rate adjustment element configured for individually adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied from said gas supply element to each of said plurality of compartments.
2. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said lamp house includes
a plurality of exhaust elements disposed symmetrically with respect to said gas ejection part for exhausting the gas blown from said gas ejection part against said radiation window to the outside.
3. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said lamp house includes
an exhaust element disposed only on one side of said gas ejection part for exhausting the gas blown from said gas ejection part against said radiation window to the outside, and
the number of jet openings disposed on said one side of said gas ejection part is greater than the number of jet openings disposed on the other side of said gas ejection part opposite from said one side.
4. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said lamp house includes
an exhaust element disposed only on one side of said gas ejection part for exhausting the gas blown from said gas ejection part against said radiation window to the outside, and
said flow rate adjustment element adjusts the flow rate of the gas supplied to each of said plurality of compartments so as to reduce nonuniformity of a temperature distribution across said radiation window resulting from the exhausting of the gas by said exhaust element.
5. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said plurality of compartments are arranged symmetrically with respect to a central axis of said gas ejection part.
6. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said plurality of jet openings are arranged in the form of a square-lattice.
7. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said plurality of jet openings are arranged in the form of a triangular-lattice.