JP3813658B2 - Semiconductor wafer storage container - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention can transport and store a semiconductor wafer (simply referred to as a “wafer” in the present specification) using the same storage body and lid, even in the case of different diameters. The present invention also relates to an excellent semiconductor wafer storage container (hereinafter simply referred to as “wafer storage container”).
[0002]
[Technical background]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a wafer storage container suitable for transporting and storing wafers, a wafer storage container (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-69328) according to the application of the present inventors is known. This type of storage container includes a storage main body portion in which a cylindrical portion stands from a base, and a lid portion that covers the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion of the storage main body portion. By the way, the diameter of the wafer varies from about 2 to 8 inches, and conventionally, wafers having different specifications must be used for transporting and storing wafers having different diameters.
[0003]
The storage main body portion and the lid portion are usually integrally formed of a conductive resin material using a mold. Therefore, a mold for the storage main body and a mold for the lid must be prepared in accordance with the size of the diameter of the wafer. For this reason, there is a problem that the cost for manufacturing the mold rises, and as a result, the price of the wafer container itself increases.
[0004]
On the other hand, normally, in the wafer manufacturing process, the wafer is stored in the storage body using a pickup device, and in the semiconductor device manufacturing process, the pickup arm device is also used to remove the wafer from the storage body. Such storage and removal of wafers are often performed using a robot.
For this reason, when the wafer is picked up, the orientation of the wafer storage container relative to the robot must be specified. However, conventionally, there is a problem that uniform handling cannot be performed, for example, the direction of the storage container cannot be specified because the size of the container is different if the diameter of the wafer is different.
[0005]
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention has been proposed to solve the above-described problems, and even if the diameter of the wafer is different, the wafer can be transported or transferred using the same storage body and lid. It is an object to provide a wafer storage container that can be stored and is excellent in economy.
[0006]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a uniform wafer storage container for storing wafers of any diameter when storing and taking out wafers using a pickup arm. It is to provide a wafer storage container that can be handled.
[0007]
Summary of the Invention
The wafer storage container of the present invention comprises a storage main body, a wafer holder, and a lid. These storage main body part, wafer holder and lid part are integrally molded using a metal mold with a conductive plastic material to which a conductive filler is added or a polymer alloy-treated conductive plastic material.
[0008]
The storage main body is configured with a cylindrical portion for a large-diameter wafer standing on a base.該径the cylindrical portion for a large wafer plurality of slits which open at its upper end that is formed in the cylinder axis direction. The number of slits is usually four, and of course, the number of slits is not limited to this, and one or more slits can be formed. The width of the slit is determined in consideration of visual observation of the stacked state of the wafer or in consideration of the pickup arm entering.
[0009]
The base may have a circular shape in plan view or may have a rectangular shape. However, assuming that the robot pick arm performs storage and removal of the wafer through the slit, it is preferable to give direction to the base in consideration of a transport mechanism such as a conveyor. The base is preferably configured in a square shape in plan view.
[0010]
The wafer holder, circular cylindrical portion for small diameter wafer is constituted by upright on the bottom plate, the circular cylindrical portion for該径small wafer plurality of slits Hairikomeru pickup arm of the robot, and open at its upper end a cylindrical It is formed in the axial direction. This wafer holder can be placed in the cylindrical portion for a large diameter wafer so as to be installed and removed. The number of slits formed in a circular cylindrical portion for the small-diameter wafer is not limited.
The width of the slit formed in a circular cylindrical portion for small diameter wafers as well, similar to the slit formed in the cylindrical portion for large diameter wafers, considering that visible stacking state of the wafer, or the pickup arm Hairikomeru that like Determined in consideration of
[0011]
Furthermore, the lid portion is configured to cover the storage main body portion from above. The shape of the lid portion may be a cylindrical shape having a top surface or a polygonal cylinder shape having a top surface. The lid portion is preferably a square cylinder in order to prevent the wafer storage container from rolling when it is laid down.
[0012]
When a wafer having a large diameter is stored, the wafer holder is removed from the cylindrical portion for the large diameter wafer. A plurality of wafers having a small diameter are stacked in a cylindrical portion for the small diameter wafer via an appropriate intervening sheet or the like.
[0013]
When a wafer having a small diameter is stored in the wafer storage container, it is not preferable that the wafer holder rattles in the large diameter cylindrical portion of the wafer because it may cause damage to the wafer.
Various means for preventing the rattling or making the rattling so small that it can be ignored are conceivable. For example, a concave portion or a convex portion may be provided at a contact portion of the bottom plate material of the wafer holder with the storage main body portion, and a convex portion or a concave portion may be provided at a portion corresponding to the contact portion of the storage main body portion. In the present invention, a projection piece is formed around the bottom plate material of the wafer holder, and the projection piece is inserted into the slit at a lower portion of the slit formed in the cylindrical portion for the large-diameter wafer, thereby storing the wafer holder. characterized by configured to position the main body portion.
[0014]
When storing a plurality of wafers having a small diameter, the wafer holder is first installed in the cylindrical portion for the large-diameter wafer of the storage main body, but after the wafer is stored in the wafer holder, it is installed in the storage main body of the wafer storage container. Also good. Further, when the wafer is taken out from the container, the whole wafer holder in which the wafer is stored can be taken out.
In consideration of storing and taking out the wafer by the robot pick-up arm with the wafer holder installed in the wafer storage container, the slit formed in the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion and the small-diameter wafer cylindrical portion are formed. slit and is, it is not preferable to be arranged in the same cylindrical radially.
[0015]
In the wafer storage container of the present invention, the wafer storage container can be handled uniformly regardless of the diameter of the wafer.
Further, in the wafer storage container of the present invention, the wafer holder can be designed so that even a wafer holder having a different diameter of the small-diameter wafer cylindrical portion can be accommodated in the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion of the same storage main body portion. . Therefore, the same storage body and lid are used regardless of the diameter of the wafer, so that the mold for the storage body and the mold for the lid can be selected according to the diameter of the wafer. There is no need to prepare. In particular, since the wafer holder is usually simple in shape, the cost for manufacturing the mold is extremely low, and the cost is excellent.
[0016]
【Example】
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a storage main body portion, a wafer holder, and a lid portion separately, showing an embodiment of a wafer storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing a state in which these are integrated. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA 'in FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the wafer holder, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB ′ in FIG. 4, FIG. 6A is a view of the cylindrical portion of the wafer holder viewed from the outside, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the CC 'line in (A).
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer storage container includes a storage main body 1, a wafer holder 2, and a lid 3.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the storage main body 1 has a large-diameter wafer cylinder having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of a wafer to be stored in a base 11 having a predetermined height in a square shape in plan view. The portion 12 is configured upright. The base 11 and the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 12 are formed of a material having a predetermined thickness. The upper and lower surfaces of the base 11 are formed in concentric asperities as is apparent with reference to FIG.
In this embodiment, one side of the rectangular base 11 is about 150 mm and has a height of about 25 mm. The diameter of the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 12 is about 130 mm, and the thickness of the base 11 and the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 12 is about 2 mm.
[0018]
On the bottom surface of the base 11, a circular convex portion 13 having a knurl 13R on the surface and having reinforcing ribs 13L toward the inside is formed, and a circular concave portion is formed outside the convex portion 13. 14 is formed, and a convex portion 15 is formed in a circular shape outside the concave portion 14.
In this embodiment, the convex portion 13 has a diameter of about 65 mm, the concave portion 14 has a width of about 15 mm, and the convex portion 15 has a width of about 15 mm.
[0019]
The large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 12 is composed of cylindrical partial pieces 12a to 12d having a circular arc shape formed at four equal positions (in the present embodiment, the positions of the four corners of the base 11), and adjacent cylinders. Slits 16a to 16d are formed between the partial pieces.
An inclined protrusion 17 having a predetermined length, a predetermined width, and a predetermined thickness is formed at the upper center of the outer surface of each cylindrical part piece, and has a predetermined length, a predetermined width, and a predetermined thickness. Reinforcing ribs 18a and 18b rising from 11 are formed.
In the present embodiment, the width of the cylindrical partial pieces 12a to 12d is about 60 ° in terms of the cylindrical central angle. The inclination angle of the inclined protrusion 17 is about 6.5 °, the horizontal length is about 20 mm, the width is about 2 mm, the thickness is about 2 mm, the depth of the reinforcing ribs 18a and 18b is about 5 mm, and the thickness is about 2 mm.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lid 3 is formed in a square tube shape having a top surface 31, and the top surface 31 is formed substantially symmetrically with the shape of the bottom surface of the base 11. That is, the top surface 31 is formed with a circular convex portion 32 having a knurl 32R on the surface and a reinforcing rib 32L facing inward, and the outer surface of the convex portion 32 has a circular shape. A recess 33 is formed. Further, a circular convex portion 34 having a reinforcing rib 34L facing inward is formed on the outer side of the concave portion 33.
In this embodiment, one side of the quadrilateral view of the lid 3 is about 150 mm, the height is about 80 mm, and the thickness of each part of the lid 3 is about 2 mm. The diameter of the convex portion 32 is about 65 mm, the width of the concave portion 33 is about 15 mm, and the width of the convex portion 34 is about 25 mm.
[0021]
The side part of the cover part 3 reaches the upper surface 19 of the base 11, and is integrated with the storage main body part 1 by a partial screw described below to form a rectangular parallelepiped.
An inclined step portion 37 is formed at a portion of the lid portion 3 corresponding to the inclined protrusion 17. The inclined protrusion 17 and the inclined step portion 37 constitute a partial screw.
In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the inclined step portion 37 is about 6.5 °, the same as the inclination angle of the inclined protrusion 17, the horizontal length is about 35 mm, and the width is about 2.5 mm.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 7, the inclined protrusion 17 enters the inclined step portion 37 from the vertically lower side into the opening 37 a, and the inclined protrusion 17 becomes the guide groove portion by the relative rotation of the storage main body portion 1 and the lid portion 3. Enter 37b. This rotation angle is determined by the relative positional relationship between the inclined protrusion 17 and the inclined stepped portion 37, the length of each, and the like, and is usually about 15 to 45 °.
Accordingly, the wafer storage container can be easily attached to and detached from the storage main body 1 and the lid 3.
[0023]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the wafer holder 2 includes a bottom plate material 21 and a small-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 22 erected on the bottom plate material 21. Bottom plate 21 forms a substantially disk-shaped, with inscribed in the cylindrical portion piece 12 a to 12 d, protruding pieces 21a~2 1 d is formed in the portion corresponding to the slit 16 a to 16 d. Reinforcing ribs 23 a and 23 b are formed in a circular shape on the back surface of the bottom plate material 21. The projecting pieces 21a to 21d enter the slits 16a to 16d, and the wafer holder 2 is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 12 for a large diameter wafer so as to be installed and removed. In this case, the protruding pieces 21a to 21d do not necessarily need to be firmly fitted into the slits 16a to 16d.
[0024]
The small-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 22 is formed in four equal positions (cylindrical partial pieces respectively corresponding to the cylindrical partial pieces 1 2 a to 1 2 d erected on the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 12). The slits 26a to 26d are formed between adjacent cylindrical part pieces. Reinforcing ribs 28a and 28b rising from the bottom plate 21 are formed in the vicinity of the lateral end of the outer surface of each cylindrical piece. The tip of the cylindrical piece is preferably a length that abuts against the inner surface of the convex portion 34 of the lid portion 3 when the storage main body portion and the lid portion 3 are integrated, but of course it is shorter than this length. Also good.
In this embodiment, the wafer holder 2 is made of a material having a thickness of about 2 mm, and the central angle of the cylindrical piece pieces 22a to 22d is about 45 ° in terms of the cylindrical central angle. The diameter of the small-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 22 is about 100 mm, the depth of the reinforcing ribs 28a and 28b is about 5 mm, and the thickness is about 2 mm.
[0025]
In the wafer storage container described above, when storing a 5-inch wafer (a wafer having a large diameter), the wafer holder 2 is removed from the cylindrical portion 12 for a large diameter wafer. The 5-inch wafer is stacked in the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion 12 via an appropriate intervening sheet or the like.
When a 4-inch wafer (a wafer having a small diameter) is stored, the wafer holder 2 is installed in the cylindrical portion 12 for a large diameter wafer. 4 inches wafer are stacked via an appropriate intervening sheets in diameter small wafer for cylindrical portion 22 of the wafer holder 2.
[0026]
As described above, in this embodiment, partial screws are provided in the wafer storage container. Storage container main body portion 1 of the cylindrical section piece 1 2 a to 1 2 d slope the protrusion 17, inclined stepped portion 37 is provided on the lid 3. For this reason, a complicated mechanism (for example, a slide mold) must be used as the mold for the storage main body 1 and the lid 3. On the other hand, the wafer holder 2 can be easily manufactured with a normal mold. Therefore, the manufacturing cost is remarkably reduced as compared with the conventional technique in which the wafer storage container must be manufactured according to the size of the diameter of the wafer.
[0027]
In the wafer storage container of the present invention, as long as the storage main body 1 and the lid 3 having the same specifications are used, the outer shape of the container storing wafers of any diameter is exactly the same. Therefore, when a wafer is stored in the wafer storage container in the wafer manufacturing factory, or when a wafer is taken out from the wafer storage container in the semiconductor device manufacturing factory, a transfer device (conveyor or the like) for the wafer storage container is used. There is no need to change it according to the appearance of the wafer container. Even when the wafer storage container is transported, stored, etc., the same conditions (for example, conditions such as the number that can be arranged vertically and horizontally in one container) can always be stacked.
[0028]
The wafer holder 2 used in the present invention can be taken out from the storage main body 1 and can be set alone on the transfer device of the wafer storage container. Since the wafer holder 2 in this embodiment has directionality, it is suitable for storing and taking out a wafer by a robot (pickup arm). Some wafers are obtained by cutting out a part of a circular wafer with a straight line. In order to store such a wafer, one of the cylindrical part pieces 2 2 a to 2 2 d is formed in a flat plate shape so that the wafer can be stored with a direction.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
Even if the diameters of the wafers are different, it is possible to provide a wafer storage container that can be transported and stored using the same storage body and lid, and that is excellent in economic efficiency.
Also, when a wafer is stored or taken out using a pickup arm, the wafer storage container can be handled uniformly regardless of the diameter of the wafer, regardless of the diameter of the wafer. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a wafer storage container according to the present invention, and is an explanatory view showing a storage main body portion, a wafer holder, and a lid portion separately.
2 is a partial plan view of a plane showing a state in which a storage main body, a wafer holder, and a lid in FIG. 1 are integrated.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of a wafer holder.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ in FIG.
6A is a view of a cylindrical piece of a wafer holder as viewed from the outside, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ in FIG.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a partial screw composed of an inclined stepped portion and an inclined protrusion.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage body part 2 Wafer holder 3 Cover part 11 Base 12 Cylindrical part 12a-12d for large diameter wafers Cylindrical piece 13 Convex part 13R Knurl 13L Reinforcement rib 14 Concave part 15 Convex part 16a-16d Slit 17 Inclination protrusion 18a, 18b Reinforcement Rib 19 Upper surface 21 of base plate Bottom plate materials 21a to 21d Projection piece 22 Cylindrical portions 22a to 22d for small diameter cylindrical portions 23a and 23b Reinforcement ribs 26a to 26d Slits 28a and 28b Reinforcement ribs 31 Top surface 32 of lid Part 32R Knurl 32L Reinforcement rib 33 Concave part 34 Convex part 37 Inclined step part 37a Opening part 37b Guide groove part

Claims (2)

A storage main body portion in which a cylindrical portion for a large diameter wafer for storing a large diameter wafer is erected on a base;
Cylindrical portion for small diameter wafers for diameter for accommodating the small wafer erected on the bottom plate, the circular cylindrical portion for該径small wafer plurality of slits which open at its upper end is formed in a cylindrical axis direction A wafer holder which can be installed and removed in the cylindrical portion for large diameter,
A lid that covers the storage body from above;
A semiconductor wafer storage container comprising :
The large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion is formed by forming a plurality of slits opened at the upper end of the large-diameter wafer in the direction of the cylindrical axis. Projection pieces formed around the bottom plate material of the wafer holder are formed in the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion. A semiconductor wafer storage container, wherein the wafer holder is positioned on the storage main body by entering the slit at a lower portion of the formed slit . When the wafer holder is installed in the storage main body, the slit formed in the large-diameter wafer cylindrical portion and the slit formed in the small-diameter wafer cylindrical portion are arranged in the same cylindrical radial direction. The semiconductor wafer storage container according to claim 1 , wherein:

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