JP4256122B2 - Wafer carrier case - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wafer carrier case for storing a wafer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional wafer carrier case 10. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line EE in the figure. A pair of grooves 2a which pairs toward the both side walls 2,2 of the housing 1 of the conventional wafer carrier case 10 is provided with a plurality. The groove 2 a guides the wafer 100. The side wall 2 is formed by a vertical wall that is a vertical wall and an oblique wall that is an oblique wall that receives the wafer 100. In addition, the bottom part of the housing | casing 1 is opened. Furthermore, each slit 2a in the vertical wall and the oblique wall is provided with an opening slit 4 at a position facing each other. The groove width of each groove 2a is formed in dimensions of approximately 6 times the thickness of the wafer 100. The upper opening slit 4 is provided in the upper part and the lower part of the position where the vertical wall of the side wall 2 and the wafer 100 contact. The lower opening slit 4 is formed so as to be connected to the vertical wall and the oblique wall, and is formed up to the position where the oblique wall and the wafer 100 are in contact with each other.
[0003]
The opening slit 4 quickly removes the etchant and the like when performing etching or the like.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the wafer carrier case 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 having the above-described conventional structure, when the wafer 100 is stored in the wafer carrier case 10 and cleaned or wet-etched, the wafer 100 is placed on the upper portion of the wall 2 of the carrier case 10. The contact between the vertical wall side and the oblique wall side or the edge of the wafer 100 becomes a shadow of the groove wall 7 of the groove 2a, so that the front surface, back surface, and side surface of the wafer 100 are not evenly cleaned, the yield decreases, The surface of the wafer becomes non-uniform, causing abnormalities such as film unevenness.
[0005]
Even in the fine opening slit 4, the inside and outside of the wafer carrier case 10 are connected to each other. However, since the fine opening slit 4 is fine, it is difficult to quickly introduce and discharge the etching solution and the like, and the above-described problems exist.
[0006]
In the present invention, when the wafer is accommodated in the wafer carrier case without causing the above problems, and the wafer is cleaned, etched or dried in the wafer carrier case, the wafer surface state is made uniform. Or it aims at improving the uniformity of a back surface state and suppressing the yield fall of a product.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a wafer carrier case in which a plurality of grooves supported by a pair of opposed groove support portions in a housing are opposed to each other at equal intervals. A large opening is formed by removing the groove wall 7 of the groove 2a in a part of the side wall where the groove and the wafer are in contact with each other. It is that the opening part provided in each groove | channel 2a is connected, respectively.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
4 and 5 are a side sectional view and a longitudinal sectional view of the wafer carrier case 10 of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outer shape of the housing is almost the same as the conventional one. As shown in FIG. 5, the groove support portion 2 and the groove wall 7 of the upper and lower opening slits 4 in FIG. 3 are removed. That is, the upper and lower two-stage continuous openings 4a are provided on one side of the housing. In other words, four are provided on both sides. The ceiling and bottom of the housing are also opened.
[0009]
4 and 5, the upper and lower groove support portions 2 and 2 (groove 4 and groove wall 7) of the housing 1 are removed, and the adjacent opening slits 4 are integrated into one side wall. The upper and lower openings 4a are formed. The remaining groove wall 7 is divided into an upper groove wall 7X, an intermediate groove wall 7Z, and a lower groove wall 7Y. Of course, the grooves 4X, 4Z, and 4Y are provided in the groove walls 7X, 7Z, and 7Y, respectively. Furthermore, the vertical direction in FIG. 5 of each groove wall 7X, 7Z, 7Y protrudes so that it may overlap with each opening part 4a.
[0010]
Here, the bottom of the groove 4Z of the middle groove wall 7Z supports the wafer 100 on the left and right. This support is referred to as a lateral support portion 11X. Here, the width of the grooves 4X, 4ZY, 4Y is equal to or greater than the thickness of a commercially available wafer. Further, the bottom portion of the lower groove 4Y also supports the wafer 100 in the vertical direction.
[0011]
According to the wafer carrier case 10 configured as described above, since the wafer 100 is supported, large vibrations of the wafer 100 are reduced, and problems such as wafer misalignment and overlapping of adjacent wafers are prevented. Yes.
[0012]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the height of the groove wall (left-right direction in FIG. 4) is the lowest in the middle groove wall 7Z. This is because the upper groove wall 7X serves as a guide when the wafer 100 is inserted into the wafer carrier 10, and even if it is raised, it does not overlap the wafer 100 and can be raised. The middle groove wall 7Z supports the wafer 100 at a predetermined position at the same time as guiding the wafer 100 when it is inserted into the wafer carrier 10. Once the wafer 100 is disposed at the predetermined position, it does not come off. Therefore, the height may be lowered. When it is lowered, the overlapping area between the middle groove wall 7Z and the wafer 100 is reduced. The lower groove wall 7Y serves as an insertion guide for the wafer 100, and is higher to prevent the position from shifting. The wafer 100 may come off the predetermined lower groove 4Y due to impact or the like.
[0013]
In the conventional wafer carrier case shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, when the wafer 100 is housed in the wafer carrier case 10 and cleaned or wet etched, the wafer is a groove wall on the upper side of the wafer support portion of the carrier case. 7 and the wafer support portion lower groove wall 7 or the edge of the wafer becomes a shadow of the wafer support portion, so that cleaning of the front, back and side surfaces of the wafer becomes uneven, yield decreases, and the wafer surface condition becomes uneven In addition, it causes abnormalities such as film unevenness. Further, when cleaning or wet etching the wafer, the cleaning effect of the cleaning chemical from the side surface of the carrier case or the etching effect of the etching chemical is remarkably reduced by the outer wall 2 of the wafer carrier case. This causes abnormal film unevenness and a decrease in yield.
[0014]
In addition, when drying with a dryer such as a spin dryer, water droplets or chemicals are likely to remain in the groove 4 of the carrier case, and the wafer side wall portion becomes non-uniformly dried, which causes wafer spot anomalies and yield reduction.
[0015]
In the present invention, an opening 4a is partially provided on the upper side or the lower side of the lateral support portion 11X of the side walls 2 and 2 of the housing 10. Accordingly, when the wafer 100 is stored in the wafer carrier case 10 and cleaned or wet etched, the cleaning chemical solution or the wet etching chemical solution also enters the wafer carrier case 10 from the side surface of the wafer carrier case 10. This improves the cleaning uniformity between the wafers 100 in the wafer 100 and the wafer carrier 10 or improves the etching uniformity between the wafers in the wafer surface and the wafer carrier in the wet etching, and the wafer film irregularity abnormality, Abnormalities in the wafer front surface state or back surface state such as a stain abnormality can be reduced. Further, it is possible to suppress a decrease in product yield.
[0016]
Even when the wafer 100 is stored in the wafer carrier case 10 and dried, the uniformity of drying between the wafers in the wafer surface and the wafer carrier is improved, and abnormalities in the wafer surface state or the back surface state such as a stain abnormality are reduced. In addition, a decrease in product yield can be suppressed.
Further, by making the groove bulkiness of the lateral support portion 11X, which is a wafer support portion, lower than the height of other grooves, the wafer 100 is stored in the wafer carrier case 10 and cleaned or wet etched. Etching chemical enters the wafer edge. And improvement of cleaning uniformity between wafers in wafer surface and wafer carrier or improvement of etching uniformity between wafer surfaces in wafer surface and wafer carrier of wet etching, such as wafer film irregularities, spot abnormalities, etc. It is possible to reduce abnormalities in the wafer front surface state or the back surface state and to suppress a decrease in product yield. In addition, even when the wafer is stored in a wafer carrier case and dried, the uniformity of drying between wafers in the wafer surface and in the wafer carrier is improved, and abnormalities in the wafer surface state or back surface state such as a stain abnormality are reduced. Product yield reduction can be suppressed.
[0017]
The lateral supports 11X, by kicking setting the groove walls 7Z projecting into the opening 4a, it is possible to maintain the strength of the lateral support of the wafer 100. Further, due to the presence of the lateral support portion 11X, deformation and distortion of the carrier case 10 can be suppressed, and damage to the wafer can be suppressed.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when a wafer is housed in a wafer carrier case and cleaned or wet etched or dried, the side surface of the carrier case is partially deleted, so that the cleaning effect, etching effect or drying effect of the wafer in the carrier case can be reduced. By improving the uniformity, it is possible to reduce abnormalities in the wafer front surface state or the back surface state such as wafer film irregularities and stain abnormalities, and suppress a decrease in yield.
[0019]
In addition, the carrier case strength can be maintained by partially removing the slit portion on the side surface of the housing with each of the grooves facing each other, leaving one slit portion near the housing frame in the middle step. The deformation and distortion of the case can be suppressed and the wafer is not damaged.
[0020]
Further, by reducing the height from the side of the housing in the middle step groove of each of the opposed grooves, when the wafer is stored in the wafer carrier case and washed, wet-etched or dried, the wafer in the carrier case is removed. By improving the uniformity of the cleaning effect, the etching effect, or the drying effect, it is possible to reduce wafer surface state or back surface state abnormalities such as wafer film irregularities and spot abnormalities, and to suppress a decrease in yield.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conventional plan view.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.
3 is a side sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Housing 2 Side wall 4a Opening
7X, 7Y, 7Z groove wall 10 Wafer carrier case 11X Horizontal support portion 100 Wafer

Claims (2)

A pair of opposing side walls comprising a vertical wall and an oblique wall;
A lateral support part that forms part of each of the pair of side walls and supports the wafer to be stored on the left and right sides;
A continuous opening provided on the side wall above and below the lateral support part by one step along the lateral support part;
An upper groove wall for guiding the stored wafer disposed above the upper opening, which is disposed opposite to the inside of the pair of side walls and is divided by the opening; An intermediate groove wall that supports the stored wafer disposed in the support portion in the left-right direction at the bottom of the groove formed by the groove, and the stored wafer disposed below the lower opening. A lower groove wall supported in the vertical direction at the bottom of the groove to be formed,
A wafer carrier case in which the height of the middle groove wall is lower than the height of the upper groove wall and the lower groove wall . 2. The wafer carrier case according to claim 1 , wherein a lower portion of the upper groove wall, an upper portion and a lower portion of the middle groove wall, and an upper portion of the lower groove wall protrude from the opening .

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