A wafer boat for supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers in a furnace is disclosed. The wafer boat includes a set of fingers each having a contact protuberance which contacts and supports a semiconducting wafer. The contact protuberances may be arranged in a rotationally symmetric pattern about the wafer boat.

A substrate processing apparatus includes an inner tube configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates and having a first opening portion; an outer tube surrounding the inner tube; a movable wall movably provided in the inner tube or between the inner tube and the outer tube and having a second opening portion; a gas supply part configured to supply a processing gas into the inner tube; an exhaust part provided outside the movable wall and configured to exhaust the processing gas supplied into the inner tube through the first opening portion and the second opening portion; and a pressure detection part configured to detect a pressure inside the inner tube.

A cassette which receives a substrate, and a substrate receiving system including a chamber which receives a cassette in which a substrate is loaded are provided. The cassette which receives a substrate includes: a plurality of slot supports stacked in a first direction; and a frame connected to the plurality of slot supports and extending in the first direction, wherein the plurality of slot supports and the frame are opened in an outward direction to receive the substrate, and are closed in an inward direction after the substrate is received.

Described herein is a technique capable of reducing the time necessary for stabilizing the inner temperature of the processing furnace. A substrate processing apparatus may include: a wafer retainer configured to support a plurality of wafers; a upright cylindrical process vessel; a seal cap configured to cover an opening at a lower end of the process vessel; a first heater configured to heat an inside of the process vessel from a lateral side thereof; an insulating unit disposed between the seal cap and the wafer retainer; and a second heater facing at least one of the plurality of wafers and configured to heat the at least one of the plurality of wafers, the second heater including: a pillar penetrating centers of the seal cap and the insulating unit; an annular member connected to and concentric with the pillar; a pair of connecting parts connecting end portions of the annular member to the pillar; and an heating element disposed inside the annular member.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction tube defining a substrate processing chamber; a gas inlet provided at a lower portion of the reaction tube to supply a process gas; a first buffer unit for temporarily retaining the process gas, the first buffer unit at a first side of an inner surface of the reaction tube and includes a plurality of gas supply holes; and a gas outlet provided at a second side of the inner surface of the reaction tube opposite to the first side, to exhaust the process gas from the process chamber. The gas supply holes are provided from an upper end portion of the first buffer unit to a lower end portion of the first buffer unit, and the process gas is supplied through the plurality of gas supply holes into the process chamber, passes through the process chamber, and exhausted through the gas outlet.

Methods and apparatus for supporting substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support for supporting a plurality of substrates includes: a plurality of substrate support elements having a ring shape configured to support a plurality of substrates in a vertically spaced apart relation; and a plurality of substrate lift elements interfacing with the plurality of substrate support elements and configured to simultaneously selectively raise or lower substrates off of or onto respective substrate support elements.

Disclosed are a substrate treating apparatus and a substrate transporting method for the substrate treating apparatus. Two treating blocks are arranged so as not to be stacked, and a first treating block, an ID block, and a second treating block are linearly connected horizontally. Accordingly, the number of treatment layers is increasable while a height of the substrate treating apparatus is suppressed. The first and second treating blocks are each connected to the ID block directly. This enables suppression in step of passing a substrate through a treating block without performing any treatment on the substrate, leading to prevention of decrease in throughput. In addition, a substrate buffer is placed in the middle of the two treating blocks. The two treating blocks enable transportation of substrates W with the substrate buffer. Thus, reduction in footprint of the substrate treating apparatus is obtainable.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber in which one or more substrates are processed; and a substrate support configured to support the one or more substrates in the process chamber. The substrate support includes one or more plate-shaped structures arranged in the substrate support in a manner corresponding to the one or more substrates, and a thickness of a central portion of a plate-shaped structure among the one or more plate-shaped structures is different from a thickness of an outer peripheral portion of the plate-shaped structure located outer of the central portion.

A tray of an automated handling system for transporting semiconductor devices includes: a receiving region that is configured to receive a boat, the boat carrying one or more semiconductor devices thereon; and a clamping mechanism that selectively clamps the boat, residing in the receiving region, to the tray. Suitably, the clamping mechanism is automatically disengaged when the tray is positioned in a designated location and automatically engaged when the tray is not positioned in the designated location, such that, when engaged, the clamping mechanism holds the boat, residing in the boat receiving region, securely within the tray, and when disengaged, the clamping mechanism releases the boat residing in the boat receiving region.

A wafer boat structure as well as a wafer boat assembly and a diffusion furnace with the wafer boat structure are provided. The wafer boat structure includes a supporting frame and a wafer supporting part. The supporting frame includes an upper supporting member and a lower supporting member. A plurality of supporting rods are arranged between the upper supporting member and the lower supporting member. An opening for access of wafers is formed between each two adjacent supporting rods. The wafer supporting part is arranged on the supporting rods for supporting the wafer. The wafer supporting part comprises a supporting plate and at least one wafer board. The wafer board is arranged on the inner side of the supporting rod so as to support the edge of the wafer.