A thermal regulator for controlling temperature of a substantially circular stage comprising a plurality of first segments and a plurality of second segments in a radial direction and in a circumferential direction, each of the first segments and at least two adjacent second segments defining a set of segments, the thermal regulator includes heaters disposed in the first and second segments, respectively, thermal sensors disposed in the first segments, respectively, a controller configured to control the heaters in response to temperatures determined by the thermal sensors, and a segment switch to switch the second segments to be controlled in conjunction with the first segment in each set of segments.

A semiconductor processing system includes a semiconductor processing chamber, a pump, an exhaust line in fluid communication with the chamber through the pump, and a steam generator and reactor. The steam generator and reactor has a process conduit with an inlet in line in the exhaust line for generating superheated steam and effecting transformations of chemicals in the exhaust fluid flowing in exhaust line into the inlet.

Even a radiation thermometer using a quantum infrared sensor appropriately measures the temperature of a substrate irradiated with a flash of light. A heat treatment apparatus includes a quantum infrared sensor configured to measure a temperature of the first substrate and a temperature of the second substrate. The heat treatment apparatus further includes a temperature correction unit configured to correct, using a correction coefficient calculated based on the reference temperature and the shift temperature, a temperature of the second substrate on which second heat treatment having irradiation with the flash of light is performed, the temperature being measured by the quantum infrared sensor.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: an inner tube including a substrate accommodating region where substrates are accommodated along an arrangement direction; an outer tube outside the inner tube; gas supply ports provided on a side wall of the inner tube along the arrangement direction; first exhaust ports provided on the side wall of the inner tube along the arrangement direction; a second exhaust port provided at an end portion of the outer tube along the arrangement direction; and a gas guide controlling gas flow in an annular space between the inner and outer tubes. A first exhaust port A is located farthest from the second exhaust port, and faces a gas supply port A. The gas guide includes a fin provided near the gas supply port A and surrounds at least a part of an outer periphery of the gas supply port A.

An electrostatic chuck includes: a disk-shaped ceramic plate having a wafer placement surface on a surface thereof; an electrostatic electrode embedded in the ceramic plate; and gas grooves that are divided in a plurality of zones when the ceramic plate is seen from above and each of which is independently provided in the wafer placement surface so as to extend from one to the other of a pair of gas supply/discharge openings for a corresponding one of the zones. A pattern in which a gas is supplied to each of the gas grooves provided for a corresponding one of the zones is selectable between a first pattern in which the gas flows from one to the other of the pair of gas supply/discharge openings and a second pattern in which the gas flows from the other to the one of the pair of gas supply/discharge openings.

A sub-fab area installation apparatus capable of reducing a power consumption used in manufacturing of semiconductors is disclosed. The sub-fab area installation apparatus includes: a vacuum pump configured to evacuate a processing gas from a processing chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment; a cooling unit configured to cool a first circulation liquid used in the processing chamber; a heating unit configured to heat a second circulation liquid used in the processing chamber; an abatement device configured to detoxify the processing gas discharged from the vacuum pump; and a cooling-liquid line configured to pass a cooling liquid therethrough. The cooling liquid is supplied from a cooling source. The cooling-liquid line includes: a first downstream line, a second downstream line, and a third downstream line configured to supply the cooling liquid that has passed through the abatement device, the vacuum pump, and the cooling unit to the heating unit.

The present disclosure provides a heating device and heating method for a semiconductor thermal process. The heating device includes: a first heating portion, on which a wafer to-be-heated is placed; a second heating portion, where the first heating portion and the second heating portion are arranged in parallel, and the second heating portion is configured to heat the first heating portion; and an adjustment portion, configured to adjust a vertical distance between the first heating portion and the second heating portion.

A wafer chuck assembly includes a puck, a shaft and a base. The puck includes an electrically insulating material that defines a top surface of the puck; a plurality of electrodes are embedded within the electrically insulating material. The puck also includes an inner puck element that forms one or more channels for a heat exchange fluid, the inner puck element being in thermal communication with the electrically insulating material, and an electrically conductive plate disposed proximate to the inner puck element. The shaft includes an electrically conductive shaft housing that is electrically coupled with the plate, and a plurality of connectors, including electrical connectors for the electrodes. The base includes an electrically conductive base housing that is electrically coupled with the shaft housing, and an electrically insulating terminal block disposed within the base housing, the plurality of connectors passing through the terminal block.

There is provided a technique of cleaning an inside of a process container, including: (a) removing substances adhered in a process container set at a first temperature by supplying a first gas at a first flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container; (b) physically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a second temperature by supplying a second gas at a second flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container; and (c) chemically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a third temperature by supplying a third gas at a third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a heated support pedestal including a body comprising a ceramic material, a support arm extending radially outward from a periphery of the body that is coupled to a shaft, and a vacuum conduit disposed within the shaft and through the body to connect with a surface of the body.