Patent ID: 7973266

Claim:
A heat treatment apparatus for exposing a substrate to a flash of light to heat the substrate, comprising: a chamber configured for receiving a substrate therein, said chamber including a holding part configured for holding the substrate, said holding part including a preheating mechanism configured for preheating the substrate held by said holding part before the substrate is exposed to a flash of light, and a chamber window configured for allowing a flash of light to pass therethrough into said holding part; and a lamp house configured for emitting a flash of light, said lamp house including a light source including a plurality of flash lamps arranged in an array and each having a rodlike discharge tube configured for directing a flash of light from the discharge tubes toward the substrate held by said holding part within said chamber, a radiation window provided in opposed relation to said chamber window configured for allowing a flash of light emitted from said light source to pass therethrough toward said chamber, and a gas ejection part configured for causing a gas to pass through gaps between said plurality of flash lamps arranged in the array and to be blown against said radiation window; wherein said gas ejection part includes: a buffer space divided into a plurality of compartments, and a plurality of jet openings extending through wall surfaces of said plurality of compartments toward the gaps between said plurality of flash lamps, said heat treatment apparatus further comprising: a gas supply element configured for individually supplying a gas to said plurality of compartments of said buffer space; and a flow rate adjustment element configured for individually adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied from said gas supply element to each of said plurality of compartments.