Patent ID: 6703589
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
An apparatus for heat-treating at least one material being processed under a specific process-gas atmosphere of at least one process gas with the aid of a heat-treatment unit, comprising:a heat-treatment chamber; a shroud arranged in the heat-treatment chamber so as to define an intermediate space and a buffer space; a heat-treatment container arranged in the buffer space, said heat-treatment container defining a heat-treatment space for keeping the material being processed under the process-gas atmosphere during the heat treatment; at least one energy source for making the material being processed take up an amount of energy; and means for producing in the intermediate space a further gas atmosphere of a further gas, different from the process-gas atmosphere, wherein the heat-treatment space, the buffer space and the intermediate space are connected with each other by gaps in such a way that a pressure gradient can be set between the heat-treatment space and the intermediate space.