JP4170886B2 - Coin stack carrier - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin stack carrier, and more particularly, to a coin stack carrier that accommodates a wafer such as a semiconductor wafer in a stacked state so that it can be inserted and removed freely.

  A semiconductor wafer in which a plurality of semiconductor chips such as IC and LSI are formed on the front surface is ground to a predetermined thickness by grinding the back surface by a grinding device.

  The grinding apparatus includes: a cassette mounting unit on which a cassette containing a plurality of wafers is mounted; a wafer loading / unloading unit that enters the cassette mounted on the cassette mounting unit and loads / unloads the wafer; and a wafer loading / unloading unit The position adjusting means for adjusting the center position of the unloaded wafer, the loading means for conveying the wafer adjusted by the position adjusting means, the chuck table for holding the wafer loaded by the loading means, and the chuck table Grinding means for grinding the wafer, unloading means for unloading the wafer ground by the grinding means from the chuck table, cleaning means for cleaning the wafer unloaded by the unloading means, and transporting the wafer cleaned by the cleaning means A wafer carrying means for loading and unloading and a cassette for storing a cleaned wafer. The back surface of Eha are automatically efficiently grinding (e.g., see Patent Document 1).

  However, when the back surface of the semiconductor wafer is ground and the thickness of the semiconductor wafer is reduced to 100 μm or less and 50 μm or less, if the semiconductor wafer is accommodated in a normal cassette having support grooves formed on both sides, the wafer is bent and the wafer is bent. There is a problem that it cannot be accommodated.

  Therefore, a technique for housing a semiconductor wafer in a special case called a coin stack carrier has been developed and put into practical use.

  This coin-stack carrier is a case where semiconductor wafers and partition paper wafers are alternately stacked and stored as if to store coins, and it can be safely stored and transported no matter how thin the semiconductor wafer is processed. It becomes possible to do.

JP 2003-59872 A

However, the coin stack carrier is composed of a cylindrical body having a loading / unloading opening for loading and unloading the wafer and a bottom portion for supporting the wafer via a cushioning material, and the wafer is alternately accommodated with the paper wafer. For example, when the circuit surface on which the semiconductor chip of the wafer is formed is accommodated facing toward the bottom, when the wafer circuit surface is directed toward the loading / unloading opening, all the wafers are unloaded from the coin stack carrier, The front and back of the wafer must be reversed and accommodated again in the coin stack carrier, which is cumbersome and may damage the wafer. In addition, there are problems that it is not easy to carry the wafer in and out, and that the presence or absence of the wafer cannot be confirmed from the outside.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned facts, and the first technical problem thereof is that the front and back of the wafer housed in a stacked state in the coin stack carrier are taken out of the coin stack carrier and turned over again. To provide a coin stack carrier that can be easily reversed without being accommodated, and can be easily put in and out of a wafer even though the wafer can be held in an aligned state. .
The second technical problem of the present invention is to easily reverse the front and back of the wafer accommodated in a stacked state in the coin stack carrier without taking out the wafer from the coin stack carrier and reversing and accommodating it again. In addition to being able to do this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin stack carrier in which a wafer can be taken in and out easily and the presence or absence of a wafer can be confirmed from the outside.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as a coin stack carrier that achieves the first technical problem, a cylindrical body that supports the outer periphery of a wafer and accommodates a plurality of wafers in a stacked state, and both ends of the cylindrical body A pair of carry-in / out openings formed in the portion, and a pair of bottom portions that are detachably attached to the carry-in / out openings and support the surface of the wafer that is accommodated directly or via a cushion material , The cylindrical body includes a restricting portion that restricts movement of the accommodated wafer in the diameter direction, and a funnel-shaped portion that gradually spreads from the restricting portion toward each of the carry-in / out openings at both ends. A coin stack carrier is provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, as a coin stack carrier that achieves the second technical problem, a cylindrical body that supports the outer periphery of the wafer and accommodates a plurality of wafers in a stacked state, and both ends of the cylindrical body A pair of carry-in / out openings formed in the part, and a pair of bottom parts that support the surface of the wafer that is detachably attached to the carry-in / out openings and directly or via a cushion material, On the outer periphery of the cylindrical body, a pair of notches extending from the end of each of the pair of carry-in / out openings to the portion where the wafer is accommodated is provided facing each of the carry-in / out openings at least in the diameter direction of the cylinder. A coin stack carrier is provided.

According to the coin stack carrier provided by the first aspect of the present invention, the wafer loading / unloading openings are provided at both ends of the housing for accommodating the wafers, and the bottoms are detachably attached to the respective ends. When the wafer is carried into and out of the cylinder through the opened loading / unloading opening without attaching the bottom to the loading / unloading opening at the other end and the bottom is not mounted at the other loading / unloading opening, Attach the bottom to the opening / unloading opening, that is, attach the bottom to the loading / unloading opening at both ends, invert the coin stack carrier in this state, and remove the bottom that was originally attached to remove the wafer. It can be easily reversed while being accommodated in the coin stack carrier. In addition, the cylindrical body that accommodates the wafer is provided with a restricting portion and a funnel-shaped portion that restrict the movement of the wafer in the radial direction. Although the wafer can be held in an aligned state by the restricting portion, the wafer can be taken in and out through the funnel-shaped portion sufficiently easily.
Further, according to the coin stack carrier provided by the second aspect of the present invention, the wafer loading / unloading openings are provided at both ends of the housing for accommodating the wafer, and the bottoms are detachably attached to the respective ends. The bottom is attached to the loading / unloading opening of the other end, and the bottom is not attached to the loading / unloading opening of the other end. The wafer is carried into and out of the cylinder through the opened loading / unloading opening, and the front and back sides of the stored wafer are reversed. In that case, attach the bottom also to the opened loading / unloading opening, that is, attach the bottom to the loading / unloading opening at both ends, in this state, flip the coin stack carrier, remove the bottom that was originally attached, The wafer can be easily reversed while being accommodated in the coin stack carrier. In addition, since the outer periphery of the cylindrical body is provided with a notch that leads from the portion in which the wafer is accommodated to the carry-in / out opening, the passage for the means for holding the wafer to the wafer and carrying it in / out through the carry-in / out opening Or the operator can put a finger on the wafer through the notch when carrying the wafer into and out of the cylinder, thus allowing the wafer to be taken in and out easily, and also whether the wafer is present through the notch. It can be confirmed from the outside.

  Hereinafter, a coin stack carrier configured according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment.

  First, an outline of the coin stack carrier will be described with reference to FIG. 1 which is a side sectional view of the coin stack carrier in a state where a wafer is accommodated, and FIG. 2 which is a perspective view showing the coin stack carrier itself in an exploded manner. . The coin stack carrier generally indicated by numeral 2 has a cylindrical body 4 that supports the outer periphery of the wafer W and accommodates a plurality of wafers W in a stacked state, and a pair of carry-outs that are formed at both ends of the cylindrical body 4 and take in and out the wafer W. There are provided a pair of bottom portions 10a and 10b for supporting the surfaces of the wafers W which are detachably attached to the entrance openings 6a and 6b and the carry-in and exit openings 6a and 6b, respectively, via cushioning materials 8. .

  The carry-in / out openings 6a and 6b and the bottoms 10a and 10b are formed in substantially the same shape. Therefore, in the following description, it may only be called the carry-in / out opening 6 and the bottom 10.

  A description will be given with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 which are detailed views of the coin stack carrier 2 together with FIGS. The cylindrical body 4 is formed of a stainless steel plate or plastic, and is directed to a straight cylindrical restriction portion 12 that restricts movement of the accommodated wafer in the diameter direction, and from the restriction portion 12 to the loading / unloading openings 6a and 6b at both ends. And funnel-like portions 14a and 14b that gradually expand.

  The funnel portions 14a and 14b are formed in substantially the same shape. Therefore, in the following description, it may be simply referred to as a funnel portion 14.

  On the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 4, a notch S extending from the end of each of the carry-in / out openings 6 a, 6 b to the regulation part 12 in which the wafer W is accommodated, including the regulation part 12, respectively A total of 2 pairs of 4 pieces are provided, with 4 pieces equally in the circumferential direction and 2 pieces facing each other in the diameter direction of the cylinder 4. Therefore, with respect to the four notches S extending from the carry-in / out opening 6a at one end, the four cut-outs S extending from the carry-in / out opening 6b at the other end are circumferential with respect to the notch S at the one end side. The phase is shifted by 45 °.

  The circumferential width of the notch S is determined by cutting a wafer loading / unloading means (not shown) that holds and holds the wafer W when the wafer W is loaded into and unloaded from the restricting portion 12 through the loading / unloading opening 6. The size of the wafer W is set so that it can be moved along the notch S, or can be supported and carried in and out by a pair of notches S and S facing the ends of the wafer W.

The bottom portion 10 is formed of a stainless steel plate, plastic, or the like, and a circular recess 16 is formed on one surface side of the rectangular plate shape so as to fit and receive the carry-in / out opening 6 of the cylindrical body 4.
On the inner peripheral surface of the recess 16, four pins 18 as engaging portions for detachably fixing the carry-in / out opening 6 of the cylindrical body 4 are erected inward at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Yes.

  The cushion material 8 is formed of a sponge formed of a synthetic resin such as urethane in a truncated cone shape. The cushion material 8 is inserted into the funnel-shaped portion 14 of the cylindrical body 4 and is formed in a size having an appropriate crushing allowance as a cushion for supporting the wafer W by the bottom portion 10.

  Each of the carry-in / out openings 6a and 6b of the cylindrical body 4 has an engagement groove 20 as an engaged portion that removably engages with each of the four pins 18 that are the engagement portions of the bottom portion 10. Four are formed at equal intervals in the direction. The engaging groove 20 has an L shape having a straight portion 20a extending from the end of the carry-in / out opening 6 toward the regulating portion 12 of the cylindrical body 4 and a horizontal portion 20b bent at right angles to the circumferential direction from the tip thereof. (FIG. 3). The L-shaped engagement groove 20 has a horizontal portion 20b in the direction of the horizontal portion 20b, with the bottom portion 10 covering the recess 16 with the loading / unloading opening 6 and the four pins 18 inserted through the straight portions 20a of the engagement groove 20, respectively. The cylinder 4 and the bottom 10 are formed to be locked by rotating the bottom 10 clockwise. Therefore, when the bottom portion 10 in the locked state is rotated counterclockwise with respect to the cylindrical body 4, the locking between the cylindrical body 4 and the bottom portion 10 can be released and the bottom portion 10 can be removed. In addition, it is preferable to provide the stopper which controls rotation in the state which the pin 18 and the engagement groove | channel 20 engaged.

  The reversal of the wafer by the coin stack carrier 2 as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 5 showing the reversal procedure.

  The procedure (a) shows a state in which the wafer is accommodated with the “front” side positioned on the side of the carry-in / out opening which is located above and opened by removing one bottom of the coin stack carrier. The “front” and “back” of the wafer in this state are reversed by the following procedure. In FIG. 5, the side of the carry-in / out opening that is initially opened in the coin stack carrier is identified by “1”, and the side of the carry-in / out opening that is closed is “1”.

  In the procedure (b), a cushion material and a bottom portion to be attached to the opened carry-in / out opening portion are prepared.

  In step (c), a cushion material is inserted into the carry-in / out opening, the bottom is covered, and the bottom is fixed to the carry-in / out opening.

  The coin stack carrier of this procedure (c) is reversed to the state of procedure (d). In the state of step (d), the “front” side of the wafer is positioned below and the “back” side is positioned above.

  In step (e), the bottom and the cushion material are removed from the carry-in / out opening located above.

  Thus, as shown in step (f), the “back” side of the wafer is positioned on the side of the loading / unloading opening that is opened by removing the bottom of the coin stack carrier. Inversion is complete.

  Therefore, the front and back sides of the wafers housed in a stacked state in the coin stack carrier can be easily reversed without taking out the wafer from the coin stack carrier and reversing and re-accommodating it.

  The description of the operation of the coin stack carrier 2 as described above will be continued.

Regulatory part and funnel-shaped part:
Since the cylindrical body 4 that accommodates the wafer W is provided with the restricting portion 12 and the funnel-shaped portion 14, the wafer W can be securely held in an aligned state, and the carry-in / out opening 6 from the restricting portion 12. The wafer W can be easily put in and out by the funnel-like portion 14 that gradually spreads out.

Notch:
Since the notch S connected to the carry-in / out opening 6 from the portion in which the wafer W is accommodated is provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 4, the cut-out S is carried out through the carry-in / out opening 6 while adsorbing and holding the wafer. It can be used as a passage for entering means. Further, by providing the pair of notches S opposed to each other in the diameter direction of the cylindrical body 4, the operator supports both ends of the wafer W with fingers passing through the notches S and carries it in and out of the cylindrical body 4. Can do. Furthermore, the presence or absence of the internal wafer W can be easily confirmed from the outside by the notch S even when the bottom portion 10 is attached to both ends of the cylindrical body 4.

  As described above, the present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications or corrections may be made within the scope of the present invention, for example, as described below. It is something that can be done.

Engagement part, engaged part:
In the present embodiment, the pin 18 is provided as the engaging portion for detachably fixing the carry-in / out opening 6 and the bottom portion 10 and the engaging groove 20 is provided as the engaged portion. Other appropriate means such as a combination of a female screw and a male screw may be used as long as the carry-in / out opening 6 and the bottom portion 10 are detachably attached as a joint portion.

Cushion material:
In the present embodiment, the surface of the housed wafer W is supported by the bottom portion 10 via the cushion material 8. However, depending on the type of the wafer W, the shape of the bottom portion 10 is changed, and the bottom portion 10 directly You may support.

The side sectional view showing the coin stack carrier constituted according to the present invention in the state where the wafer was stored. The perspective view which showed the coin stack carrier itself shown in FIG. 1 in the disassembled state. Sectional drawing which showed the coin stack carrier shown in FIG. 1 in the state except a wafer. Sectional drawing which showed the part of the cylinder and the bottom part seeing in the AA arrow direction of FIG. Explanatory drawing which showed the inversion procedure of the wafer by the coin stack carrier which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2: Coin stack carrier 4: Cylinder 6, 6a, 6b: Loading / unloading opening 8: Cushion material 10, 10a, 10b: Bottom 12: Restricting part 14, 14a, 14b: Funnel-shaped part 16: Recess 18: Pin ( Engagement part)
20: Engagement groove (engaged part)
S: Notch W: Wafer

Claims (5)

A cylinder that supports the outer periphery of the wafer and accommodates a plurality of wafers in a stacked state, a pair of carry-in / out openings formed at both ends of the cylinder, and a detachably attached to each of the carry-in / out openings A pair of bottoms that support the wafer surface directly or through a cushioning material ,
The cylindrical body includes a restricting portion that restricts movement of the accommodated wafer in the diameter direction, and a funnel-shaped portion that gradually spreads from the restricting portion toward the carry-in / out openings at both ends. Coin stack carrier. On the outer periphery of the cylindrical body, a pair of notches extending from the end of each of the pair of carry-in / out openings to the portion where the wafer is accommodated is provided facing each of the carry-in / out openings at least in the diameter direction of the cylinder. and it has a coin stack carrier of claim 1, wherein. A cylinder that supports the outer periphery of the wafer and accommodates a plurality of wafers in a stacked state, a pair of carry-in / out openings formed at both ends of the cylinder, and a detachably attached to each of the carry-in / out openings A pair of bottoms that support the wafer surface directly or through a cushioning material,
On the outer periphery of the cylindrical body, a notch extending from the end of each of the pair of loading / unloading openings to a portion where the wafer is accommodated is opposed to each of the loading / unloading openings at least in the diameter direction of the cylinder. A coin stack carrier characterized by having . The bottom portion includes a concave portion that receives the carry-in / out opening portion of the cylindrical body and an engaging portion that fixes the carry-in / out opening portion, and the carry-in / out opening portion includes an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion. The coin stack carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The engaging portion includes a plurality of pins standing inwardly on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion of the bottom portion, and the engaged portion includes a plurality of engaging portions that engage with each of the pins. The coin stack carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising a groove.

Images