JP2009272472A - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate storage container such that a support piece is brought into contact with an internal area except a circumferential edge of a reverse surface of a semiconductor wafer of ≥450 mm in diameter, and no adverse influence on moldability of the support piece is exerted. <P>SOLUTION: A container body 10 which contains a plurality of semiconductor wafers 1 of ≥450 mm in diameter is molded in a front open box type whose front portion is open, and support pieces 15 for the semiconductor wafers 1 are provided on both inner sides of the container body 10 opposite each other, respectively. Notches 16 are formed at front and rear parts of each support piece 15, and each notch 16 has a support pin 17 for contacting from below provided afterward in an internal area 3 excluding the circumferential edge 2 of the reverse surface of the semiconductor wafer 1. With this configuration, the support pin 17 is suitably brought into contact with the internal area 3 excluding the circumferential edge 2 of the reverse surface of the semiconductor wafer 1. Further, the support pin 17 is provided afterward to the molded support pin 15, so that there is no hindrance to integral molding of the container body 10 and support pieces 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container for storing a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm or more.

  For thin and round semiconductor wafers, φ200mm and 300mm are the mainstream. However, development of φ450mm was studied from the viewpoint of obtaining a large number of IC chips, and accordingly, substrate storage containers for φ450mm were also discussed and standardized around the world.・ Standardization is progressing.

The substrate storage container for storing the φ450 mm semiconductor wafer is formed into a front open box in which the front portion of the container body is opened in accordance with the type (see Patent Documents 1 and 2) that stores the φ300 mm semiconductor wafer. A plurality of support pieces for semiconductor wafers are provided on both sides of the inside, but when each support piece supports a semiconductor wafer, it is not in the peripheral part on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer but in the inner region excluding the peripheral part on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer. Contact is required.
JP 2006-324327 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-78371

  As described above, since the substrate storage container for a φ450 mm semiconductor wafer is required to contact the inner side of the backside of the semiconductor wafer except for the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer, the type that stores the φ300 mm semiconductor wafer can be used as it is. It cannot be done, and some solution is required. In addition, since the container body and the support piece are usually integrally formed, it is desirable that the solution means that the formability of the support piece is not adversely affected, and specifically, problems such as undercut do not occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the support piece can be brought into contact with the inner region excluding the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm or more, and when the support piece is molded, the moldability is adversely affected. It aims at providing the substrate storage container which does not exert.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a container main body that accommodates a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm or more is configured as a front open box having an open front portion. Each with a piece,
A cutout is formed in the support piece, and a support pin that comes into contact with an inner region excluding the peripheral edge portion of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is attached to the cutout later.

In addition, it is possible to provide a retainer that includes a lid fitted to the opened front portion of the container body, and that holds the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer in contact with the opposing surface of the lid facing the semiconductor wafer.
Moreover, the elastic piece which contacts the peripheral part rear end of a semiconductor wafer can be attached to the inner back surface of a container main body.

In addition, abutting walls for semiconductor wafers can be provided behind both sides of the inside of the container body.
Moreover, it is possible to arrange the several unevenness | corrugation which supports a semiconductor wafer in the contact part which contacts the semiconductor wafer of an abutting wall.

  Here, the required number of semiconductor wafers is stored in the container main body in the claims. The container body is configured to be transparent, translucent, or opaque as required. Further, the container body and the support piece are generally integrally molded using a molding material containing a resin. The elastic piece is mainly a leaf spring, but may be a resin or rubber retainer.

  According to the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is supported by contacting the support pins retrofitted to the notches of the support piece with the inner region excluding the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm or more.

  According to the present invention, a notch is formed in the support piece, and the support pin that comes into contact with the inner region excluding the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is retrofitted to the notch, so that the back surface of the semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm or more is provided. The support piece can be brought into contact with the inner region excluding the peripheral edge of the sheet, and even when the support piece is molded, there is an effect that the moldability is hardly adversely affected.

In addition, if an elastic piece that contacts the rear end of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer is attached to the inner back surface of the container body, the semiconductor wafer can be biased toward the front portion of the container body by the elastic piece. The trouble accompanying the contact with the container body can be prevented.
Furthermore, if a semiconductor wafer abutment wall is provided behind both sides of the inside of the container main body, positional displacement of the semiconductor wafer in the front-rear direction can be suppressed by contact between the semiconductor wafer and the abutment wall.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The substrate storage container in this embodiment is a front for storing a semiconductor wafer 1 having a diameter of 450 mm as shown in FIGS. An open box container main body 10 and a lid 30 that is detachably fitted to the open front portion of the container main body 10 are provided, and support pieces 15 for the semiconductor wafer 1 are respectively paired inside the container main body 10. A notch 16 is formed in each support piece 15, and a support pin 17 that comes into contact with the inner region 3 excluding the peripheral edge 2 on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 is retrofitted to the notch 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the semiconductor wafer 1 is made of, for example, a thin and round silicon type of φ450 mm, and a notch for alignment and identification is selectively formed in a substantially semicircular plane on the peripheral edge 2. The semiconductor wafer 1 is horizontally inserted into the container body 10 and stored or taken out by a dedicated robot (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 6 to 8, the container body 10 is formed by injecting a molding material containing a predetermined resin into a molding die so that 25 semiconductor wafers 1 are moved up and down. It is injection-molded into a front open box type that is arranged and stored side by side, and a lid 30 of the same shape is detachably fitted to the open front portion through an endless gasket. It is detachably fitted to.

  Examples of the predetermined resin of the molding material for molding the container body 10 include polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, polybutylene terephthalate and the like which are excellent in mechanical properties, heat resistance, dimensional stability, and the like. Necessary carbon, carbon fiber, metal fiber, carbon nanotube, antistatic agent, flame retardant and the like are selectively added to these resins.

  As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a plurality of leaf springs 12 elastically contacting the rear end of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 1 are arranged in the vertical direction through rod-shaped attachment pieces 13 at the center of the inner back surface of the container body 10. When the lid 30 is removed from the container main body 10, the plurality of flexible leaf springs 12 are attached to the semiconductor wafer 1 so as to project and urge the front of the front portion of the container main body 10. It functions to prevent defects such as chipping and cracking due to direct contact with the container body 10. Each leaf spring 12 is formed in an elongated line extending in the horizontal direction from the mounting piece 13 oriented in the vertical direction, and a holding portion 14 that holds the rear end of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 1 is integrally formed at the tip.

  As shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, a pair of support pieces 15 facing from the lower side to the side of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 1 are horizontally opposed to the inside of the container body 10, specifically, the opposite inner sides. A plurality of the pair of support pieces 15 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction of the container body 10. As shown in the figure, each support piece 15 is formed in a flat plate shape whose inside is curved in a substantially semicircular arc shape, and a notch 16 such as a plane semicircular shape or a semi-elliptical shape is formed in the front and rear portions inside. Each is notched.

  In each notch 16, support pins 17 that make point contact from below on the inner region 3 excluding the peripheral edge 2 on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 are integrated later by a predetermined method, for example, an ultrasonic fusion method or a caulking method. Is done. As shown in FIG. 9, each support pin 17 is formed of a molding material made of, for example, polyetheretherketone or the like, and is formed into a short pin shape with a rounded upper part or a substantially bowl-shaped cross section. The upper part functions as a point contact and supports the semiconductor wafer 1 horizontally.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the abutting walls 18 for the semiconductor wafer 1 located behind the support pieces 15 are integrally formed on the rear sides of both sides of the container main body 10, and taper in a plan view of each abutting wall 18. Is formed at the contact portion 19 that contacts the side of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 1. In the contact portion 19, a plurality of projections and depressions 20 that support the side of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer 1 are arranged in an up-down direction at intervals, and the plurality of projections and depressions 20 are formed regardless of the bending of the semiconductor wafer 1. The wafer 1 is securely held, and the rattling of the semiconductor wafer 1 in the vertical direction is effectively regulated.

  The plurality of irregularities 20 are arranged in, for example, a vertical row or a staggered pattern, and a plurality of convex portions sandwiching the concave portions from above and below are formed in a block shape, a truncated cone shape, a truncated pyramid shape, a hemispherical shape, a semi-elliptical shape, and the like. A plurality of positioning tools 21 having a substantially V-shaped cross section are disposed on the bottom surface of the container body 10 at intervals. The plurality of positioning tools 21 are fitted to positioning pins of a semiconductor processing apparatus (not shown) from above. The container body 10 is positioned.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the lid 30 includes a housing 31 that is detachably fitted to the opened front portion of the container body 10, and a surface that covers the opened surface of the housing 31. A front retainer 33 is provided in the central portion of the housing 31 to contact and hold the front end of the peripheral edge of the stored semiconductor wafer 1. An elastically deformable gasket that is pressed into the front portion of the container main body 10 is fitted to the peripheral portion or the rear peripheral portion of the casing 31.

  According to the above, since the support pins 17 are integrated with the support piece 15, the plurality of support pins 17 can be appropriately brought into contact with the inner region 3 on the back surface of the semiconductor wafer 1, and the standard of the substrate storage container for φ450 mm Can meet the requirements of standardization and standardization. Further, since the support piece 15 and the support pin 17 are not integrally molded, but the support pin 17 is provided on the molded support piece 15 later, the degree of freedom in molding the container body 10 and the support piece 15 is improved. However, there is no hindrance to these integral moldings.

  Further, the retrofit of the support pins 17 remarkably increases the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the support pins 17, and the height of the support pins 17 can be adjusted individually and easily to facilitate the work of the robot. Furthermore, since the abutting walls 18 are respectively located behind the left and right support pieces 15, it is possible to suppress and prevent rattling and displacement in the front-rear direction of the semiconductor wafer 1 with a simple configuration.

  Although the semiconductor wafer 1 having a diameter of 450 mm is shown in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the semiconductor wafer 1 having a size exceeding φ450 mm may be used. Further, a plurality of screw holes for conveyance may be drilled in the ceiling of the container body 10 or a flange for conveyance may be detachably attached. In addition, although the support piece 15 having a substantially semicircular arc shape on the inside is shown, the support piece 15 may be formed in a substantially cloud-shaped ruler shape or the like in plan view. Further, the lid 30 can incorporate a locking mechanism that can be externally operated to lock the lid 30 fitted to the container body 10.

It is a whole perspective explanatory view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is front explanatory drawing which shows typically embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is side explanatory drawing which shows typically embodiment of the board | substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is back explanatory drawing which shows typically embodiment of the board | substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is bottom explanatory drawing which shows typically embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section top view showing typically a container main part in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is front explanatory drawing which shows typically the container main body in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is principal part explanatory drawing which shows typically embodiment of the board | substrate storage container which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor wafer 2 Peripheral part 3 Inner area | region 10 Container main body 12 Leaf spring (elastic piece)
15 Supporting piece 16 Notch 17 Supporting pin 18 Abutting wall 19 Contact part 20 Concavity and convexity 30 Lid 33 Front retainer

Claims (3)

A substrate storage container in which a container body for storing a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm or more is configured as a front open box having an open front portion, and support pieces for semiconductor wafers are provided on both sides of the container body. ,
A substrate storage container, wherein a notch is formed in a support piece, and a support pin that comes into contact with an inner region excluding the peripheral edge of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is attached to the notch.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein an elastic piece that contacts the rear end of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer is attached to the inner back surface of the container body.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein abutting walls for semiconductor wafers are provided behind both sides of the inside of the container body.

Images