US Patent 10580667 Light-irradiation heat treatment method and heat treatment apparatus

A heat treatment apparatus is provided with two cool chambers, that is, a first cool chamber and a second cool chamber. A semiconductor wafer before treatment is alternately carried into the first cool chamber or the second cool chamber and then transported to a heat treatment part by a transport robot after a nitrogen purge is performed. The semiconductor wafer after being heat-treated in the heat treatment part is alternately transported to the first cool chamber or the second cool chamber to be cooled. A sufficient cooling time is secured for the independent semiconductor wafer, and a reduction in throughput as the whole heat treatment apparatus can be suppressed.