CN211125607U - Wafer carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a wafer carrier, include: the fixing columns can enclose an accommodating space, each fixing column is provided with a plurality of connecting grooves, the connecting grooves are distributed along the extending direction of the fixing column, and each connecting groove of each fixing column can form a group with one connecting groove of other fixing columns; the tray can be positioned in the connecting groove to be positioned in the accommodating space. Each connecting groove of each fixing column can form a group of connecting grooves with one connecting groove of other fixing columns, so that the tray can be positioned on one group of connecting grooves, bearing of wafers is achieved, the number of the wafers can be borne as much as possible by the formed groups of connecting grooves, and therefore production efficiency of the heat treatment process of wafer batch annealing is improved to a certain extent.

Description

Wafer carrier

Technical Field

The utility model belongs to the semiconductor field, concretely relates to wafer carrier.

Background

Compared with the traditional semiconductor silicon wafer, the silicon carbide wafer has the excellent characteristics of drift velocity, breakdown voltage, thermal conductivity, high temperature resistance and the like which are several times higher than those of the traditional silicon wafer, and has irreplaceable advantages in the electronic application fields of high temperature, high pressure, high frequency, high power, photoelectricity, radiation resistance and the like and in the extreme environment application fields of aerospace, military industry, nuclear energy and the like.

In order to obtain better performance of silicon carbide wafers, it is generally necessary to anneal the silicon carbide wafers to refine the grains, to homogenize the texture and composition of the wafers, to eliminate internal defects in the wafers, and the like. In the current wafer annealing process, a wafer to be processed is firstly placed in a wafer carrier, while the existing wafer carrier can only bear one or a plurality of wafers, the quantity of the wafers borne by the existing wafer carrier is limited, and the hearth space of an annealing furnace cannot be fully utilized, so that certain limitation is caused to the production and processing efficiency of the wafer.

It will thus be seen that the prior art is susceptible to further improvements and enhancements.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies, embodiments of the present invention provide a wafer carrier that overcomes or at least partially solves the above-mentioned problems.

As an aspect of the embodiment of the utility model provides, a wafer carrier is related to, include: the fixing columns can enclose an accommodating space, each fixing column is provided with a plurality of connecting grooves, the connecting grooves are distributed along the extending direction of the fixing column, and each connecting groove of each fixing column can form a group with one connecting groove of other fixing columns; the tray can be positioned in the connecting groove to be positioned in the accommodating space.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, a set of attachment slots is formed by one attachment slot for each fixed post.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, the connecting slots face the receiving space.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, the connecting slots face away from the receiving space.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, each fixing column comprises a plurality of fixing blocks inserted along the extending direction of the fixing column; the fixed block is provided with the grafting portion that is used for pegging graft along axial one end, and its other end along the axial is provided with the inserting groove that is used for pegging graft.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, each fixing column comprises a plurality of fixing blocks which are connected in a threaded mode along the extending direction of the fixing column; the fixed block is provided with the external screw thread that is used for threaded connection along axial one end, and its other end along the axial is provided with the internal thread that is used for threaded connection.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, the attachment slots are formed by attachment gaps of the mounting block.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, the connecting slots open in the mounting block.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, the tray is composed of an annular bracket and an extension part extending towards the center of the annular bracket, and the extension part is provided with a plurality of terraces in sequence from high to low along the extending direction of the extension part.

In one embodiment of the wafer carrier, the wafer carrier further comprises a base, wherein the base is provided with fixing holes, and the fixing columns can be inserted into the fixing holes.

Since the technical scheme is used, the utility model discloses the beneficial effect who gains does:

1. the utility model provides a wafer carrier, every spread groove of every fixed column can both form a set of spread groove with a spread groove of other fixed columns to make the tray can be located a set of spread groove, and then realize bearing to the wafer, the multiunit spread groove of formation then can be as much as possible bear the quantity of wafer, thereby promote the wafer annealing in batches's thermal treatment process's production efficiency to a certain extent. In addition, the size of the fixed column can be determined according to the size of the annealing furnace, so that the internal space of the annealing furnace can be fully utilized by reasonably designing the size of the fixed column, and the annealing of a larger number of wafers can be realized in one annealing process. Compared with the prior art, the utility model discloses can simplify the operation flow of annealing process, save manufacturing cost, and then be favorable to the mass processing and the production of product.

2. As an optimized embodiment of the utility model, a set of spread groove comprises one of them spread groove of each fixed column, that is to say, each fixed column all plays the effect of location to the tray that is located the accommodation space to make the tray more firm, with the stability of guaranteeing the wafer among the annealing process, and then make the wafer keep better annealing effect, promote the quality of product.

3. The utility model provides a spread groove, its orientation both can be towards the accommodation space, can also be to deviate from the accommodation space, and there is not the restriction to the orientation mode between the spread groove, and it can make the connected mode of fixed column and tray more nimble to simplify operations such as installation, dismantlement and adjustment.

4. As the utility model discloses a preferred embodiment, each fixed column comprises a plurality of fixed blocks of pegging graft each other, and the mode of pegging graft is convenient for constitute the fixed column with a plurality of fixed blocks fast, also can make things convenient for the dismantlement of fixed block, carries out appropriate adjustment according to the number of piles of actual processing demand to the wafer carrier. In addition, this kind of grafting structure, simple structure, the processing preparation of the fixed block of being convenient for can reduce the manufacturing cost of product simultaneously.

5. As the utility model discloses a preferred embodiment, each fixed column comprises a plurality of threaded connection's each other fixed block, and threaded connection's mode can make the connection between each fixed block inseparabler, increases the stability of connecting. Meanwhile, the internal thread and the external thread are mutually screwed, so that axial and circumferential displacement between the fixing blocks can be limited to a certain extent. In addition, the threaded connection also has the characteristics of simple structure, convenience in assembly and disassembly and the like.

6. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the connecting groove is formed by a gap between two fixing blocks, the upper fixing block is only required to be removed when the connecting groove is replaced, and the tray located above the lower fixing block can be removed at the same time. The mode enables the operations of replacement, disassembly, installation and the like of the tray to be simpler and easier, and can avoid the collision between the tray and the connecting groove caused by improper operation, so as to protect the tray to a certain extent, thereby prolonging the service life of the wafer carrier.

7. As the utility model discloses a preferred embodiment, a plurality of extensions play the effect of support to the wafer jointly, and the step of the high difference that sets up on each extension can fix a position the wafer of different internal diameters size, and the wafer that can satisfy different size demands carries out annealing simultaneously, and then promotes the efficiency of annealing, saves process time.

8. As an embodiment of the present invention, each fixing column is fixed to the base through the fixing hole formed in the base, thereby further increasing the structural stability between the fixing columns, and the base fixes the whole fixing column, and also can prevent the deformation, displacement and separation between the fixing columns in the process of moving, adding and detaching the wafer carrier.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a bottom cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a wafer carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a wafer carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a wafer carrier according to the present invention;

fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fixing block according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a top view of an embodiment of a tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of a second embodiment of the tray according to the present invention;

fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a wafer carrier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In the first embodiment:

10 fixed columns, 11 connecting grooves and 20 trays;

example two:

30 fixing columns, 31 fixing blocks, 311 plugging parts, 312 plugging grooves and 32 top blocks;

40 trays, 41 annular brackets, 42 extensions, 421 terraces;

50 base, 51 fixed orifices.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by a person skilled in the art without creative work belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that the terms of orientation such as left, right, up, down, front and back in the embodiments of the present invention are only relative concepts or are referred to the normal use state of the product, i.e. the traveling direction of the product, and should not be considered as limiting.

In addition, it should be noted that the dynamic terms such as "relative movement" mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention include not only a change in position but also a movement in which a state changes without a relative change in position such as rotation or rolling.

Finally, it is noted that when an element is referred to as being "on" or "disposed" to another element, it can be on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present.

Currently, the annealing temperature of silicon carbide wafers is typically between 1200 ℃ and 1800 ℃. Therefore, the carrier carrying the silicon carbide wafer should also be resistant to high temperatures in the annealing furnace. In view of this, the wafer carrier provided by the embodiment of the present invention may be made of, for example, quartz material capable of withstanding 1200 ℃, or corundum material capable of withstanding 2000 ℃, which is not limited in the embodiment.

In the field of silicon carbide wafer production, the produced silicon carbide wafer is generally circular, and therefore the following embodiments of the present invention will also explain the structure of the wafer carrier by taking a circular wafer as an example. However, the shape of the wafer carrier according to the present invention is not limited to circular, but may be other wafers having a square, trapezoid, or cylindrical shape.

The specific structure of the wafer carrier will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

example one

Referring to fig. 1, the wafer carrier of the present embodiment includes: fixed column 10 and tray 20, all be provided with the spread groove 11 on each fixed column 10, tray 20 then is fixed a position in the accommodation space 12 that the fixed column 10 encloses through a set of spread groove.

Wherein, the quantity of fixed column 10 is two at least, still can be for three or even more, and the quantity of fixed column 10 increases, is favorable to the maintenance of wafer carrier stability, consequently the embodiment of the utility model provides a do not restrict to the quantity of fixed column. In the following embodiments, the plurality of fixed columns refers to three fixed columns unless otherwise specified.

The number of the connecting slots 11 formed in each fixing column 10 can be determined according to the number of wafers actually required to be carried by the wafer carrier in the annealing process, and the greater the number of the connecting slots 11, the more beneficial the carrying of a greater number of trays, that is, the more number of wafers. In addition, the distance between two adjacent connecting slots 11 on the same fixing column 10 can be determined according to the thickness of the wafer. Therefore, the present embodiment does not limit the number of the coupling grooves 11 and the distance between the adjacent coupling grooves.

It should be noted that the group of connecting slots in the present embodiment includes two layers, the first layer means that the group of connecting slots is formed by any connecting slot 11 on each fixed post 10, and the second layer means that the group of connecting slots is formed by any connecting slot 11 on a certain fixed post 10 and any other connecting slot on any other fixed post 10 or any two or even more fixed posts 10.

Wherein, a set of connecting groove under above-mentioned two kinds of meanings all has the condition, and a set of connecting groove can be by lieing in the connecting groove 11 on the different fixed column 10 of coplanar, also can be by lieing in the connecting groove 11 on the different fixed column 10 of different planes and constitute, and under these two kinds of conditions, fixed column 10 all can realize the location to tray 20.

Of course, as a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, the first meaning of the set of connecting slots is that each fixing post 10 can position the tray 20 located in the accommodating space 12, so that the tray 20 is more stable, the stability of the wafer in the annealing process is ensured, the wafer keeps a better annealing effect, and the quality of the product is improved.

The structure of the set of coupling slots, in either sense, can be determined based on the structure of the tray 20. For example, in fig. 1, the tray 20 is an annular member, the connecting groove 11 may have a rectangular groove structure or an arc-shaped groove structure, the structure of the connecting groove 11 shown in fig. 1 is merely an example, other structures may also be a wedge-shaped groove, a U-shaped groove, and the specific structure of the connecting groove 11 is not limited in this embodiment.

In addition, when a plurality of fixing posts 10 are used to position the tray 20, the orientation of the connecting slot 11 can be implemented in a plurality of different ways, which will be described below by taking three fixing posts 10 as an example:

in the first embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, when three fixing posts 10 are located on the same plane and enclose an accommodating space 12, the connecting slot 11 on each fixing post 10 is disposed toward the accommodating space 12.

In the second embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, when the three fixing posts 10 are located on the same plane and enclose an accommodating space 12, the connecting slot 11 on each fixing post 10 is disposed away from the accommodating space 12.

In the third embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, when the three fixed columns 10 are located on the same plane and enclose an accommodating space 12, the connecting groove 11 on one of the fixed columns 10 is disposed toward the accommodating space 12, and the connecting grooves 11 on two fixed columns 10 are disposed away from the accommodating space 12.

In this embodiment, there is no limitation on the orientation between the connection slots 11, and the orientation of the connection slots 11 may be either facing the accommodating space 12 or deviating from the accommodating space 12, as long as it can position the tray 20. In addition, the flexible orientation also enables the fixing column 10 and the tray 20 to be connected more flexibly, thereby simplifying the operations of installation, detachment, adjustment and the like.

Example two

A preferred embodiment of the wafer carrier provided in example two is described in detail below:

referring to fig. 4, the wafer carrier of the present embodiment includes a fixing post 30, a tray 40 and a base 50. The fixing post 30 is composed of a plurality of fixing blocks 31, and as shown in fig. 5, one end of each fixing block 31 is provided with an insertion portion 311, and the other end is provided with an insertion groove 312. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the tray 40 is composed of an annular bracket 41 and an extended portion 42, wherein the extended portion 42 is provided with a step 421 from high to low in its extending direction.

It should be noted that, the fixing block 31 in this embodiment may have various structures, and besides the connection is performed by providing the insertion portion 311 at one end of the fixing block 31 and providing the insertion groove 312 at the other end, the connection may be performed by providing the insertion portions 311 at two ends of a part of the fixing block 31 and providing the insertion grooves 312 at two ends of a part of the fixing block 31. Both of the two structures can realize the connection between the fixing blocks 31, and thus the structure of the fixing blocks 31 is not limited in the present embodiment. In addition, when the fixing blocks 31 are connected by the former structure, as shown in fig. 8, the fixing block 31 positioned at the uppermost portion of the fixing post 30 may be further connected with a top block 32 which can be engaged with the insertion groove 312 of the uppermost fixing block 31 to ensure the consistency and the beauty of the appearance of the fixing post 30.

Each fixed column 30 in this embodiment is composed of a plurality of fixed blocks 31 that peg graft each other, and the mode of pegging graft is convenient for constitute fixed column 30 with a plurality of fixed blocks 31 fast, also can make things convenient for the dismantlement of fixed block 31, carries out suitable adjustment to the number of piles of wafer carrier according to actual processing demand. In addition, this kind of grafting structure, simple structure, the processing preparation of the fixed block of being convenient for can reduce the manufacturing cost of product simultaneously.

As a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the fixing blocks 31 may be connected by a screw connection, in addition to a plug connection. Correspondingly, the thread is opened in two ways:

the first type, that is, the fixed block 31 is provided with an external thread for screw connection at one end in the axial direction, and an internal thread for screw connection at the other end in the axial direction.

In the second type, both ends of the partial fixing block 31 in the axial direction are provided with external threads for screw connection, and both ends of the partial fixing block 31 in the axial direction are provided with internal threads for screw connection.

The threaded connection mode can make the connection between each fixed block 31 tighter, and the stability of the connection is increased. Meanwhile, the internal threads and the external threads are mutually screwed, so that axial and circumferential displacement between the fixing blocks 31 can be limited to a certain extent. In addition, the threaded connection also has the characteristics of simple structure, convenience in assembly and disassembly and the like.

As a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the connecting groove 11 may be formed by a connecting gap of the fixed block 31, for example, or may be directly opened on the fixed block 31, and the opening position of the connecting groove 11 is not limited in the present embodiment. When the connecting groove 11 is formed by a gap between the two fixing blocks 31, only the upper fixing block 31 needs to be removed when the connecting groove is replaced, and the tray 40 located above the lower fixing block 31 can be removed at the same time. The mode enables the operations of replacing, disassembling, installing and the like of the tray 40 to be simpler and easier, and can avoid the collision between the tray 40 and the connecting groove 11 caused by improper operation, thereby protecting the tray 40 to a certain extent and prolonging the service life of the wafer carrier.

As a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, the plurality of extending portions 42 in the tray 40 extend toward the center of the annular bracket 41, and a plurality of steps 421 are sequentially provided from high to low in the extending direction thereof. In order to facilitate the thermal treatment process, a certain heating gap is left between the wafers, so as to facilitate the circulation of hot air, and the number of the extending portions 42 may be four, for example. The four extending parts 42 are uniformly and circumferentially arranged on the annular bracket 41 respectively, and play a supporting role for the wafer placed on the tray 40 together, so that the stability of the wafer in the annealing process can be ensured, and the overturning phenomenon is avoided. Of course, the number of the extension portions 42 is not limited in the present embodiment as long as it can secure the stability of the wafer and facilitate the circulation of the hot air.

The four extending portions 42 are not connected to the inner sidewall of the ring-shaped bracket 41 through the center thereof, but extend only a portion of the inner sidewall of the ring-shaped bracket 41 to support the wafer, so as to increase the contact area between the bottom of the wafer and the hot air in the annealing furnace as much as possible, thereby improving the annealing effect of the wafer. In addition, the dimensions of the tray 40 include the height of the annular bracket 41 and the thickness of its side wall, as well as the length and height of the extension 42. Wherein the height of the ring-shaped bracket 41 depends on the height of the coupling slots 11, and the thickness of the side wall thereof also depends on the depth of the coupling slots 11; the length and height of the extension 42 is dependent on the size of the wafer. The present embodiment is not limited to the dimensions of the above-described components.

The extending portion 42 and the annular bracket 41 may be designed to be integrally formed, or a clamping groove may be formed in the inner wall of the annular bracket 41, so that the extending portion 42 is connected to the annular bracket 41 through the clamping groove.

In addition, the terraces 421 with different heights arranged on the extension part 42 can position wafers with different inner diameters, so that the wafers with different size requirements can be simultaneously annealed, the annealing efficiency is improved, and the processing time is saved. The number of steps in the step 421 can be determined according to the size specification of the wafer to be carried by the tray 40, and if the sizes of the wafer to be annealed are 3mm, 4mm, 5mm and 6mm, the step 421 needs to be provided with 4 steps with different height levels to carry the wafer.

As a preferred embodiment of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, a fixing hole 51 is formed on the base 50, and the fixing post 30 can be inserted into the fixing hole 51. The number of the fixing holes 51 is determined according to the number of the fixing posts 30, and may be, for example, three, four, six, and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment. Besides the above structure, the base 50 may also have a locking protrusion disposed on the surface thereof, and the locking protrusion is connected to the insertion groove 312 of the fixing block 31, so as to position the fixing post 30; or a raised stud may be arranged on the surface of the base 50, and the stud is connected with the external thread of the fixing block 31, so as to position the fixing column 30, and the connection mode between the base 50 and the fixing column 30 is not limited in this embodiment. The base 50 further increases the structural stability between the fixed columns 30, and the base 50 fixes the whole fixed columns 30 and can also prevent the fixed columns 30 from deforming, shifting, separating and the like in the process of moving, adding and detaching the wafer carrier.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. A wafer carrier, comprising:

the fixing columns can enclose an accommodating space, each fixing column is provided with a plurality of connecting grooves, the connecting grooves are distributed along the extending direction of the fixing column, and each connecting groove of each fixing column can form a group with one connecting groove of other fixing columns;

a tray positionable in the set of connecting slots to be positioned in the receiving space.

2. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the set of attachment slots is formed by one attachment slot for each of the fixed posts.

3. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment slot faces the receiving space.

4. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment slots face away from the receiving space.

5. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the fixing posts comprises a plurality of fixing posts inserted along an extension direction thereof;

the fixed block is provided with the grafting portion that is used for pegging graft along axial one end, and its other end along the axial is provided with the inserting groove that is used for pegging graft.

6. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the fixing posts includes a plurality of fixing blocks threaded along an extension thereof;

the fixed block is provided with the external screw thread that is used for threaded connection along axial one end, and its other end along the axial is provided with the internal thread that is used for threaded connection.

7. A wafer carrier as claimed in any one of claims 5 or 6 wherein the attachment slots are constituted by attachment gaps of the fixed block.

8. A wafer carrier as claimed in any one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the attachment slots open to the mounting block.

9. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tray is comprised of an annular bracket and a plurality of extensions extending toward a center of the annular bracket, each of the extensions having a plurality of steps sequentially arranged from high to low along a direction of extension thereof.

10. A wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a base, the base having a securing hole, the securing post being insertable into the securing hole.

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