A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprising a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and an internal wall separating the cassette handling space and the wafer handling space. The cassette handling space is provided with a cassette storage configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes provided with a plurality of wafers. The cassette handling space is also provided with a cassette handler configured to transfer wafer cassettes between the cassette storage and a wafer transfer position. The wafer handling space is provided with a wafer handler configured to transfer wafers between a wafer cassette in the wafer transfer position and a wafer boat in a wafer boat transfer position. The internal wall is provided with a wafer transfer opening adjacent the wafer transfer position for a wafer cassette from or to which wafers are to be transferred. The cassette storage comprises two cassette storage carousels.

A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprising a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and a first wall separating the cassette handling space from the wafer handling space. The wall having a wafer transfer opening. The wafer transfer opening is associated with a cassette carrousel comprising a carrousel stage having a plurality of cassette support surfaces each configured for supporting a wafer cassette. The carrousel stage is rotatable by an actuator around a substantially vertical axis to transfer each cassette support surface to a wafer transfer position in front of the wafer transfer opening and to at least one cassette load/retrieve position, wherein the vertical batch furnace assembly is configured to load or retrieve a wafer cassette on or from a cassette support surface of the carrousel stage which is in the at least one load/retrieve position.

Disclosed is a firing furnace for firing an electrode of a solar cell element, which is provided with: a transfer member, which transfers a substrate having a conductive paste applied thereto; a heating section, which heats the substrate and fires the conductive paste; and a cooling section, which cools the heated substrate. The furnace is also provided with a heating means for heating the transfer member. Specifically, at the time of firing the electrode paste using the wire-type firing furnace, since a wire is fired at a temperature substantially equivalent to the ambient temperature of the heating section, deterioration of yield due to having the electrode damaged by a deposited material of the metal component of the conductive paste is suppressed, said deposited material being deposited on the wire, and the wire-type firing furnace can be continuously used.

Disclosed is a firing furnace for firing an electrode of a solar cell element, which is provided with: a transfer member, which transfers a substrate having a conductive paste applied thereto; a heating section, which heats the substrate and fires the conductive paste; and a cooling section, which cools the heated substrate. The furnace is also provided with a heating means for heating the transfer member. Specifically, at the time of firing the electrode paste using the wire-type firing furnace, since a wire is fired at a temperature substantially equivalent to the ambient temperature of the heating section, deterioration of yield due to having the electrode damaged by a deposited material of the metal component of the conductive paste is suppressed, said deposited material being deposited on the wire, and the wire-type firing furnace can be continuously used.

A modular industrial energy transfer system includes a shell and at least one energy transfer unit coupled to the shell. The shell includes a plurality of sidewalls, a ceiling member coupled thereto, and a plurality of mounting structures disposed along the shell. The plurality of sidewalls and the ceiling member cooperate to define an interior volume to accommodate a work product. The at least one energy transfer unit is coupled to the shell via at least one of the plurality of mounting structures and is partially disposed through the shell to generate an airflow pattern through the interior volume of the shell.

The present application discloses a diffusion furnace, including: a furnace tube structure including a furnace tube body and a furnace bottom, a bottom of the furnace tube body being connected to the furnace bottom to form a reaction chamber; and a carrying structure including a pedestal and a plurality of cassettes disposed on the pedestal, the pedestal being disposed on the furnace bottom. By disposing the plurality of the cassettes, a height of the furnace tube body can be decreased and a width of the furnace tube body can be increased, thus enlarging a space of equipment repair and maintenance, which is favorable for the repair and maintenance of the equipment.

An apparatus for heat-treating a substrate includes: a stage where the substrate is disposed; a heating part configured to change an output; a first temperature measurement part configured to measure a temperature at which the substrate is heated; a second temperature measurement part configured to measure the temperature, and having a level of measurement accuracy which is lower than that of the first temperature measurement part in a first temperature region and is higher than that of the first temperature measurement part in a second temperature region; a temperature calculator configured to calculate a weighted average temperature of the temperatures measured by the first and second temperature measurement parts if a reference temperature is in a temperature range between the first and second temperatures, and configured to change a weight of the weighted average temperature; and a controller configured to control the output based on the weighted average temperature.

There is provided a technique capable of capable of preventing a substrate from being metal-contaminated by a component constituting a furnace opening. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a furnace opening structure including: an upper inlet structure connected to a first protrusion provided at a lower portion of a reaction tube via a first seal, and configured to support the reaction tube; a lower inlet structure connected to the upper inlet structure via a second seal; and a fixing structure connected to the upper inlet structure and configured to fix the first protrusion, wherein the upper inlet structure is provided below an exhaust pipe provided at the lower portion of the reaction tube, and wherein the first protrusion is configured to be capable of being cooled by circulating a cooling medium through flow paths provided inside the upper inlet structure and the fixing structure, respectively.

A semiconductor processing tool is disclosed, the tool having a frame forming at least one chamber with an opening and having a sealing surface around a periphery of the opening, a door configured to interact with the sealing surface for sealing the opening, the door having sides perpendicular to the door sealing surface and perpendicular to a transfer plane of a substrate, and at least one drive located on the frame to a side of at least one of the sides that are substantially perpendicular to the door sealing surface and substantially perpendicular to the transfer plane of the substrate, the drive having actuators located at least partially in front of the sealing surface and the actuators being coupled to one of the sides of the door for moving the door from a sealed position. The at least one drive is located outside of a substrate transfer zone.

An apparatus for processing a substrate includes a reaction tube, a side cover, a heater, a first gas supplier, a second gas supplier and a controller. The reaction tube is configured to receive a substrate boat in which a plurality of the substrate is received to process the substrate. The side cover is configured to receive the reaction tube. The heater lines the interior of the side cover. The first gas supplier is provided to an upper portion of the side cover to supply a cooling gas at a first supplying rate to a space between the side cover and the reaction tube. The second gas supplier is provided to a lower portion of the side cover to supply the cooling gas at a second supplying rate different from the first supplying rate to the space between the side cover and the reaction tube. The controller controls the reaction tube.