ANNEALING APPARATUS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER

PURPOSE:To prevent reverse annealing on taking out a semiconductor wafer, by providing with a cooling apparatus for flowing cooling medium near the inlet and a gas jetting apparatus thereby to interrupt invasion of an outside atmosphere when taking out the semiconductor wafer and to cool it rapidly. CONSTITUTION:After annealing in an N2 atmosphere is finished, a cap 7 having an opening window 8 is mounted in place of the sealing cap to the inlet of a quartz tube 1, and through the opening window 8, a taking out rod is inserted to take out a quartz boat 5 to near the inlet. At the same time, cooling water is flowed through the cooling tube 9 and N2 gas is jetted from a gas jetting apparatus 10. The semiconductor wafer 4 on the quartz boat 5 left near the inlet is cooled forcibly by flowing cooling water. Moreover, since the N2 gas is jetted near the inlet, the outside atmosphere can be prevented from invading therein by the curtain of this N2 gas. Thus the semiconductor wafer can be cooled rapidly and the outside atmosphere can be prevented from invading therein. Accordingly it can be prevented that reverse annealing may be produced owing to oxygen in the outside atmosphere on taking out the semiconductor wafer.