JP4896053B2 - Wafer storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wafer cleaning container, a wafer storage container, a wafer in-process container, or a wafer shipping container, which is a wafer storage container for storing a wafer made of a silicon semiconductor or a compound semiconductor.

  Conventionally, as wafer storage containers for storing wafers made of silicon semiconductors, compound semiconductors, etc., wafer cleaning containers used for batch cleaning of wafers, wafer storage for temporarily storing processed or processed wafers Containers, wafer process containers used for in-process conveyance for wafer processes in a clean room, and wafer shipping containers for conveying wafers between factories are well known.

  In order to minimize the destruction of the elements formed on the surface and the generation of impurity particles, a device for holding only the peripheral edge of the wafer has been made to the wafer storage container for storing these wafers. It was.

For example, a wafer storage container is disclosed in which a plurality of rib pieces for supporting a wafer in multiple stages and at equal intervals are arranged in multiple stages to form a support rib (Patent Documents 1 and 2). FIG. 6 shows the structure of the supporting ribs disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 6, in the conventional wafer storage container, a large number of rib pieces 101 are formed along the inner surface of the storage container main body 100. As a result, only the peripheral edge of the wafer is supported and the wafer is stored. It can be done.
JP-A-9-64161 Registered Utility Model Publication No. 3020287

  In recent years, large-diameter 300 mm wafers have been introduced to improve the yield of devices, and 450 mm wafers with larger diameters have been studied as next-generation wafers. In addition, with the miniaturization and thinning of elements, the thinning of wafers has progressed in compound semiconductors. For this reason, in a wafer storage container that supports the peripheral edge using a conventional method, the deflection due to the weight of the wafer becomes large, and it has become difficult to efficiently store a large number of wafers.

Therefore, a wafer that can be stored efficiently by minimizing wafer wrinkles by holding the wafer peripheral edge at a wider interval than before or holding the back surface of the wafer by a simple and inexpensive method. A need has arisen to provide a storage container.
That is, the conventional wafer storage container has a problem that it cannot efficiently store a large number of wafers by minimizing the wrinkles of a large diameter wafer of 300 mm or more and a thin wafer of 0.3 mm or less. It was.

  The wafer storage container of the present invention is a wafer storage container having a storage container main body having at least one container opening and a wafer support structure provided inside the storage container main body, wherein the wafer support structure includes the wafer support A fixed portion for attaching and fixing the structure to the storage container main body, and a pair of wafer supports connected with the fixed portion at the center and configured to be openable and closable. Slit-like openings for inserting and supporting and fixing the edge of the wafer by closing the body are formed at equal intervals facing each other, and the fixing part is a fixing for attaching the fixing part to the storage container body It has a structure in which a part-side attachment part is provided, and a storage container side attachment part for attaching the fixing part is provided on the inner surface of the storage container body. This makes it possible to hold the wafer at an arbitrarily wide peripheral position simply by changing the length of the slit-shaped openings, and minimizes the amount of wafer wrinkles to an arbitrary number corresponding to the number of slit-shaped openings. The wafer can be accommodated and the above-mentioned problems can be solved.

  The wafer support is divided into a plurality of sub-supports, and at least one slit-like opening is formed in the sub-support, and each of the sub-supports is independent at a connecting portion with the fixing portion. It can be opened and closed freely. Alternatively, the wafer support is divided into a plurality of sub-supports made of an elastic material, and at least one slit-like opening is formed in the sub-support, and each of the sub-supports is independent of each other. It was configured to be elastically deformable and openable. As a result, each wafer can be easily stored and taken out one by one.

The wafer support was configured to maintain an opening angle at a predetermined open position, a closed position, or both. For example, a structure having an open stopper for fixing the position where the wafer support is opened is used. Specifically, the fixed part and the wafer support are connected by a hinge, an elastic hook part is formed on the wafer support side of the fixed part, and the wafer support is opened when the wafer support is open. When the wafer support is to be closed in this state, the fixed portion side adjacent end portion is deformed by the fixed portion side adjacent end portion so that the fixed portion side adjacent end portion is deformed. Detachable structure. Furthermore, a closing stopper for closing the wafer support and fixing the position for supporting and fixing the wafer is formed in the storage container body. In this way, the wafer support can be reliably opened and closed.

  Furthermore, the planar shape of the slit-shaped opening is a pair of side sides formed by two sides that intersect with the two sides at an obtuse angle, or a semi-ellipse on the long axis side. It was set as the shape formed from a pair of side edge formed by. The apex angle formed by the intersection of the two sides forming the side of the slit-shaped opening is an acute angle. By doing so, it becomes possible to hold the wafer stably without dropping when the wafer is inserted into the slit-shaped opening.

  Each of the upper and lower sides constituting the slit-shaped opening was formed at a distance of 0.5 to 24 mm from the closest surface of the wafer. In this way, when the wafer is inserted and held in the slit-shaped opening, the top and bottom sides of the wafer are not affected by the weight of the wafer due to its own weight or due to external impact. No longer gets damaged or contaminated.

  In particular, by forming a convex placement portion at least one of the lower sides of the upper and lower sides constituting the slit-shaped opening, it is possible to support the back surface of the wafer with a minimum area, more It was possible to support the wafer with less wrinkles.

  Furthermore, the storage container body, the lid for closing the container opening of the storage container body, and the storage container when the container opening is closed by the lid body between the lid and the storage container body. By adopting a structure having at least a seal that keeps the inside of the main body airtight from the outside environment, it is possible to store the wafer while avoiding contamination by particles and the like from the outside environment.

  As described above, the wafer storage container of the present invention closes the openable / closable wafer support formed in the wafer support structure attached to the inside of the storage container main body, and forms the slit-shaped opening formed in the wafer support. By inserting the peripheral edge of the wafer to be stored in and holding this wafer, even a wafer with a large diameter exceeding 300 mm or a wafer thinner than 0.3 mm can be safely kept to a minimum. It has an effect that it can be efficiently stored.

  The wafer container of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective perspective view showing the configuration of one embodiment of the wafer storage container of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a storage container body, 2 is a container opening, 3 is a wafer support structure, 4 is a fixing part, 5a and 5b are connecting parts, 6a and 6b are wafer supports, 7a and 7b are slit-like openings, 8 Is a fixing part side attaching part, and 9 is a storage container side attaching part.

  The wafer storage container shown in FIG. 1 is for storing and using one wafer. In the storage container main body shown in FIG. 1, the storage container main body 1 is drawn with a broken line in order to make the drawing easy to see.

  The storage container body 1 has a container opening 2 on the front side of the drawing, and is a storage container used for wafer cleaning and temporary storage. Therefore, the storage container body 1 is often formed of a polymer material having high chemical resistance such as polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, polyether ether ketone, or a fluororesin.

  The wafer support structure 3 has a structure in which a fixed portion 4 and wafer supports 6a and 6b are connected by connecting portions 5a and 5b. The connecting portions 5a and 5b may have an integral hinge structure so that the wafer supports 6a and 6b can be opened and closed by the connecting portions 5a and 5b, or the fixed portions 4 may be connected to the wafer supports 6a and 6b. It may be a hinge structure formed by fitting. Further, as will be described later, when the wafer supports 6a and 6b are elastically deformed and can be opened and closed, the connecting portions 5a and 5b may be connected by fixing the wafer supports 6a and 6b to the fixed portion 4. Good.

  The fixed portion 4 is formed with a fixed portion-side attachment portion 8, and the fixed portion 4 is fixed inside the storage container body 1 in cooperation with the storage container-side attachment portion 9 provided on the inner surface of the storage container body 1. Can be attached. In this embodiment, the fixed part side attaching part 8 is formed by four openings, and the storage container side attaching part 9 has a hook structure that is inserted into and engaged with the fixed part side attaching part 8. Needless to say, a fixing method other than this embodiment may be used, for example, using the fixing portion side mounting portion 8 as a fitting hole and press fitting the storage container side mounting portion 9 into the fitting hole. Further, the number of the fixed portion side attaching portions 8 and the storage container side attaching portions 9 do not have to be the four places shown in FIG. 1, and the number of both attached with sufficient mechanical strength and the arrangement relationship thereof. If so, there is no problem with other quantities.

  A pair of slit-shaped openings 7a and 7b are formed on the wafer supports 6a and 6b so as to face each other. The openings 7a and 7b have an elongated slit shape, and have a function of supporting and fixing the wafer by inserting a peripheral portion of the wafer (not shown) and closing the wafer supports 7a and 7b. In order to insert and support the wafers in the slit-like openings 7a and 7b, the wafer supports 6a and 6b are made of a soft material excellent in slipper so that the wafers can be smoothly taken in and out without being damaged. Is desirable. In addition to polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, polyether ether ketone, or fluororesin, which are the same polymer materials as the storage container, the materials constituting the wafer supports 6a and 6b are polyethylene, polyethylene elastomer, A polyolefin elastomer or the like can be used.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram regarding the position of the slit-shaped opening formed in the wafer support in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a diagram when the slit-shaped opening position is close to the container opening of the storage container body. 7 (b) shows a case where the slit-like opening position is far from the container opening of the storage container body. 7A and 7B, 2 is a container opening, 3 is a wafer support structure, 7a and 7b are slit-shaped openings, and 14 is a wafer. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the slit-like openings 7a and 7b are close to the container opening 2, a part of the wafer 14 on the container opening 2 side protrudes from the container opening 2 and interferes with a lid (not shown). Occurs. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the slit-like openings 7 a and 7 b are far from the container opening 2, a part of the wafer 14 on the container opening 2 side does not protrude from the container opening 2 and interferes with a lid (not shown). There is nothing. In either case, when the slit-like openings 7a and 7b have the same length, the positions at which they support the wafer 14 can be stably supported at approximately the same position.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, only one wafer can be accommodated, but a plurality of wafers can be accommodated by forming a plurality of pairs of slit-like openings 7a, 7b in the wafer supports 6a, 6b. It becomes possible. FIG. 5 shows another embodiment relating to the wafer storage container of the present invention capable of storing a plurality of wafers.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the wafer storage container according to the present invention, wherein 1 is a storage container body, 2 is a container opening, 3 is a wafer support structure, 12 is a lid, and 13 is a seal. The wafer storage container shown in FIG. 5 stores a plurality of wafers inside the storage container main body 1 and seals the container opening 2 of the storage container main body 1 with the lid 12 via the seal 13. A mini-environment can be configured that can store the wafers separated from the external environment in an airtight manner. As such a wafer storage container, a wafer shipping container used for transporting wafers between factories and a wafer process container used for transporting wafers in a clean room process are well known.

  Since the wafer support structure 3 used in the wafer storage container shown in FIG. 5 has a wafer support having a plurality of slit-shaped openings, a plurality of wafers can be stored. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a configuration capable of storing 13 wafers is shown, but the number of wafers that can be stored is 2, 6, 11, 25, or any other number. May be.

  As materials constituting the storage container 1 and the lid 12 in these wafer storage containers, polymer materials such as high-purity polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, and fluororesin that generate less impurity gas are used. In particular, the container in the wafer process generally uses a non-charged or conductive material obtained by mixing the polymer material with a conductive filler such as carbon fiber, carbon powder, or carbon nanotube. Of course, when used as a container in a wafer process, the material used for the wafer support structure 3 is a polymer such as polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, polyether ether ketone, fluororesin, polyethylene, polyethylene elastomer, polyolefin elastomer, etc. It is desirable to use a material in which a conductive filler such as carbon fiber, carbon powder, or carbon nanotube is mixed to impart non-charging property or conductivity.

  Next, a wafer support structure capable of supporting a plurality of wafers as shown in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of the wafer support structure used in the wafer storage container of the present invention. In FIG. 2, elements having the same functions as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The wafer support structure 3 shown in FIG. 2 is different from the wafer support structure shown in FIG. 1 in that a plurality of pairs of slit-like openings 7a and 7b are formed in the wafer supports 6a and 6b. The slit-shaped opening 7a formed in the wafer support 6a and the opening 7b formed in the wafer support 6b are formed so as to face each other, and the wafer supports 6a and 6b are connected to each other. When closing, the opposite slit-like openings 7a and 7b are inserted and sandwiched from both sides to hold the wafer.

  In FIG. 2, the slit supports 6a and 6b are connected to the fixed part 4 by connecting parts 5a and 5b. The connecting portions 5a and 5b have an integral hinge structure so that the wafer supports 6a and 6b can be opened and closed by the connecting portions 5a and 5b, or are formed by fitting the wafer supports 6a and 6b into the fixed portion 4. It has a hinge structure. Therefore, the wafer supports 6a and 6b shown in FIG. 2 can be freely opened and closed by the connecting portions 5a and 5b.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, since a plurality of slit-like openings 7a and 7b are formed in one wafer support 6a and 6b on one side, the wafer insertion or removal operation is performed simultaneously on all the wafers to be processed. Do. That is, with the supports 6a and 6b opened, and holding a plurality of wafers with the placing hand at the same time, the wafers are placed at positions where the peripheral edges of all the wafers can be inserted into the openings 7a and 7b. After that, the wafer supports 6a and 6b are closed at the same time, and a plurality of wafers are held and supported at the same time, and then the placing hand is pulled out. On the other hand, when taking out the wafer from the container, all the wafers are simultaneously grasped by the placing hand, and then the wafer supports 6a and 6b are opened and the peripheral portions of all the wafers are extracted from the slit-like openings 7a and 7b. Pull out the setting hand and take out all the wafers at the same time. In this way, the wafer support structure 3 shown in FIG. 2 is suitable for the operation of simultaneous loading and unloading of wafers.

  However, as shown in FIG. 2, there are limited cases in which all the wafers are taken in and out at the same time, and in many cases, the wafers are taken in and out one by one (the wafer support structure of the present invention shown in FIG. 2). However, in the case of using a mounting hand that operates individually, the wafers can be taken in and out one by one, but there is a problem that the structure of the mounting hand is complicated). Therefore, an embodiment of a wafer support structure used for a wafer storage container capable of storing a plurality of wafers, in which wafers can be taken in and out one by one, will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of the wafer support structure used in the wafer storage container of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 10a and 10b are sub-supports. In addition, the same code | symbol was attached | subjected to the element which has the effect | action similar to FIG. 1, and the description was abbreviate | omitted.

  The wafer support structure 3 shown in FIG. 3 is different from the wafer support structure shown in FIG. 2 in that the wafer supports 6a and 6b are divided into sub-supports 10a and 10b, respectively. The slit openings 7a and 7b are formed for each. As described above, the wafer supports 6a and 6b are divided into the sub-supports 10a and 10b, and the slit-like openings 7a and 7b are formed in the respective sub-supports 10a and 10b. As a result, wafers can be taken in and out of the arbitrary sub-supports 10a and 10b one by one.

  Next, the operation of the wafer support when the wafer is taken in and out when the wafer support shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is used will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a method of putting a wafer into the wafer storage container of the present invention, FIG. 8 (a) is a view showing an initial state, and FIG. 8 (b) is a state in which the wafer support is opened. FIG. 8C is a view showing a state in which a wafer is put in a container, and FIG. 8D is a view showing a state in which the wafer has been put in. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 14 denotes a wafer. In FIG. 8, elements having the same functions as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the initial state shown in FIG. 8A, the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b) are in a closed state. At this time, the connecting portions 5a and 5b are formed of hinges, and the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supporting members 10a and 10b) are directions indicated by arrows in FIG. 8B with the connecting portions 5a and 5b as the rotation centers. Can be opened. Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, with the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b) opened, the wafer 14 is placed at the same height as the slit-like openings 7a and 7b. When the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b) are closed as shown in FIG. 8D, a part of the peripheral edge of the wafer 14 is inserted into the slit-shaped openings 7a and 7b, and further the wafer supports 6a and 6b. By closing the (sub-supports 10a and 10b), the wafer 14 is held and supported and held at both ends of the slit openings 7a and 7b.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the state of the wafer 14 held at the end of the slit opening, 6 (6a, 6b) is a wafer support, and 7 (7a, 7b) is a slit opening. , 14 is a wafer, 15 is a wafer front surface, 16 is a wafer back surface, 17 is a wafer bevel surface, and 18 is a wafer end surface.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the upper and lower wafer bevels 17 are pressed at the ends of the slit-shaped opening 7 by inserting the peripheral edge of the wafer 14 into the slit-shaped opening 7 and being sandwiched between the wafer supports 6. Supported and held. At this time, the area of the wafer bevel 17 that is supported and held is an area area as small as the thickness of the wafer support 6. Further, the force applied to the wafer bevel 17 when being supported and held is as uniform as when pressed and held by the V-groove.

  On the other hand, as can be seen from FIG. 8, the position where the wafer bevel 17 in FIG. 10 is pressed can be set to the vicinity of 90 degrees as the center angle of the string when the slit-like opening 7 is regarded as the string of the circular wafer 17. . In other words, since the entire circumference of the wafer 14 can be supported and held with a wide angular distribution that can be divided into approximately four equal parts, it is possible to minimize the deflection of the held wafer.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the wafer support structure used in the wafer storage container of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 11a and 11b are fixed connection parts. In FIG. 4, elements having the same functions as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The wafer support structure 3 shown in FIG. 4 is different from the wafer support structure 3 shown in FIG. 3 in that notches that divide the wafer supports 6a and 6b into sub-supports 10a and 10b are formed in the connecting portions 11a and 11b. The fixed connecting portions 11a and 11b do not have an openable / closable hinge structure and are fixedly connected.

  The sub-supports 10a and 10b, that is, the wafer supports 6a and 6b are made of an elastically deformable material. Examples of such materials include polymer materials such as polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, polyether ether ketone, fluororesin, and polyethylene, and metal materials having spring properties such as stainless steel and phosphor bronze. The surface can be formed with a structure in which the surface is coated with the polymer material, polyethylene elastomer or olefin elastomer.

  A method for loading / unloading a wafer into / from the wafer storage container of the present invention using the wafer support structure shown in FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a method of putting a wafer into the wafer storage container of the present invention, FIG. 9 (a) is a view showing an initial state, and FIG. 9 (b) is a view showing that the wafer support is opened. FIG. 9C is a diagram showing a state in which a wafer is placed in a container, and FIG. 9D is a diagram showing a state in which the wafer has been placed. In FIG. 9, elements having the same functions as those in FIG. 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the initial state shown in FIG. 9A, the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b) are in a closed state. At this time, the connecting portions 11a and 11b are fixedly configured. Since the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b) are elastically formed of the deformable material, they can be deformed and opened in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. it can. This deformation occurs continuously up to the base of the notch where the wafer supports 6a and 6b are formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, with the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b) opened, the wafer 14 is placed at the same height as the slit-like openings 7a and 7b. When the external force applied to the wafer supports 6a, 6b (sub-supports 10a, 10b) is released and closed in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 9D, a part of the peripheral edge of the wafer 14 becomes slit-like openings 7a, 7b. The wafer 14 is inserted and closed by closing the wafer supports 6a and 6b (sub-supports 10a and 10b), so that the wafer 14 is sandwiched and supported and held at both ends of the slit-like openings 7a and 7b.

  The holding state of the wafer 14 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 9 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Next, the opening shape of the slit-like openings 7a and 7b formed in the wafer supports 6a and 6b will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the basic configuration of the slit-like opening shape formed in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 11 (a) is a schematic view showing the first shape, and FIG. ) Is a schematic diagram showing a second shape. In FIG. 11, 7 is a slit-shaped opening, 19 is an upper and lower side, 19a is an upper side, 19b is a lower side, 20 is a first side, 20a is an upper side of the first side, 20b is a lower side of the first side, and 21 is a second side. A side side, 21a is an upper side of the second side, and 21b is a lower side of the second side.

In the first shape of the slit-shaped opening shown in FIG. 11A, the entire circumference of the opening is formed in a straight line. That is, the upper and lower sides 19 formed by the upper side 19a and the lower side 19b parallel to the radial direction of the wafer, the first side 20 formed by the first side upper side 20a and the first side lower side 20b, and the second side A region surrounded by the second side 21 formed by the side upper side 21a and the second side lower side 21b is formed as an opening. The first side edge upper side 20a and the first side edge lower side 20b intersect each other so that the apex angle of the slit-shaped opening 7 is an acute angle. The second side upper side 21a and the second side lower side 21b cross each other so that the apex angle of the slit-shaped opening 7 is an acute angle.
When the apex angle formed by the first side 20 and the second side 21 becomes an obtuse angle, the pressing force against the wafer bevel surface 17 shown in FIG. 10 is reduced, so that the wafer cannot be stably held. End up.

  The first side upper side 20a and the second side upper side 21a intersect with the upper side 19a at an obtuse angle to form the slit-shaped opening 7. Further, the first side lower side 20b and the second side lower side 21b intersect with the lower side 19b at an obtuse angle to form the slit-shaped opening 7. When these crossing angles become acute, the apex angle formed by the first side 20 and the second side 21 is 180 degrees or more, and the wafer cannot be supported and held at all.

  On the other hand, the second shape of the slit-shaped opening shown in FIG. 11B is formed by two straight lines parallel to the radial direction of the wafer and a pair of semi-ellipses on the long axis side. Here, the semi-ellipse on the long axis side means a half area of the ellipse composed of the half of the ellipse long axis and the short axis. In this case as well, the intersection of the semi-ellipse and the upper and lower sides intersects at an obtuse angle. Further, in this case, in order to firmly support and hold the wafer, the ellipticity of the semi-ellipse is preferably a smaller value. Specifically, it is desirable to be about 2/3 or less.

  Next, a more detailed description will be given regarding the shape of the slit opening. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing various representative shapes of slit-like openings formed in the wafer storage container of the present invention, and FIG. 12 (a) is an explanatory view showing a first detailed shape, 12B is an explanatory view showing the second detailed shape, FIG. 12C is an explanatory view showing the third detailed shape, and FIG. 12D is an explanatory view showing the fourth detailed shape. FIG. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 22 denotes a projecting placement portion. In FIG. 12, elements having the same functions as those in FIGS. 10 and 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 12 shows various representative shapes based on the slit-shaped opening of the second shape shown in FIG. 11B, but the first shape shown in FIG. Even if it is based on the shape, it will not change essentially.

  First, the first detailed shape of FIG. 12 (a) is equivalent to the second shape shown in FIG. 11 (b), and the wafer bevel surface at the semi-elliptical portion of the slit-shaped opening 7 as shown in FIG. The wafer is supported and held by being pressed. This first detailed shape can keep the distance between the front surface of the wafer 14 and the upper side 19a and the distance between the back surface of the wafer 14 and the lower side 19b to a minimum, and can minimize the wafer pitch during storage. Shape. At this time, even if the distance between the front surface of the wafer 14 and the upper side 19a and the distance between the back surface of the wafer 14 and the lower side 19b are reduced to about 0.5 mm, the slit-shaped opening 7 depends on the length of the opening. The amount of deflection at both ends of the wafer can be kept to 0.5 mm or less at the maximum. Therefore, when used in an environment where the mechanical impact force applied from the outside is small, such as a container in the wafer process, the pitch when storing the wafer is 7 mm. It becomes possible to make it as narrow as possible.

  The second detailed shape shown in FIG. 12B is formed by keeping the upper side 19 a of the slit-shaped opening 7 in the first detailed shape shown in FIG. 12A away from the surface of the wafer 14. In applications where the external impact force during transportation is large, such as a wafer shipping container, the external impact may cause the wafer 14 to be greatly elastically bent. The deflection is about 18 to 23 mm at the maximum when an external impact force of 100 G acts on the wafer 14. The distance between the surface of the wafer 14 and the upper side 19a is separated by a maximum of about 25 mm so that the wafer 14 is deformed by the impact force and the surface does not hit the upper side 19a of the slit-shaped opening 7 to be damaged. . In this case, the back surface of the wafer 14 hits the lower side 19b due to an external impact.

  The third detailed shape of FIG. 12C is formed by separating the lower side of the second detailed shape of FIG. By doing so, even if an external impact force of 100 G acts on the wafer 14, both the front surface and the back surface of the wafer 14 do not hit the slit-shaped opening 7 and are not damaged.

  The fourth detailed shape shown in FIG. 12 (d) is used particularly for an in-process container for a super-large diameter wafer such as a 450 mm wafer, and the back surface of the wafer 14 is projected from the beginning with the protruding mounting portion 22. In the supported state, the peripheral edge portion (wafer bevel surface) of the wafer 14 is held. By doing so, it is possible to minimize the wrinkle of the wafer 14. Needless to say, there is an optimum length of the slit-like opening 7 at which the deflection of the wafer 14 is minimized. In the fourth detailed shape, the distance between the upper side 19a and the surface of the wafer 14 is increased so that the surface is not damaged. When used as a 450 mm wafer inner container, the acceleration generated in the process is about 4 G at the maximum, and the required gap between the wafer surface and the upper side 19 a of the slit-like opening 7 may be about 1 mm or less. In this way, even with a very large diameter wafer of 450 mm, the storage pitch in the wafer storage container can be set to 10 mm, which is the same as the storage pitch of the conventional 300 mm wafer storage container.

  The wafer support described above is preferably configured to maintain an opening angle at a predetermined open position, a closed position, or both. This is because the wafer support can be securely inserted and removed from the wafer container by securely fixing the wafer support in the open position or the closed position. In particular, in the wafer support as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 9, if at least the wafer support or the sub-support can not hold the open angle in the open position, the wafer support is elastically elastic. Since it returns to the original position, it becomes difficult to store the wafer. Of course, it is also possible to hold the open position of the wafer support and the open angle of the closed position by a robot hand for taking in and out the wafer.

  Thus, in order to maintain the opening angle of the wafer support in the open position or the closed position, an open stopper or a close stopper may be provided so that the wafer support is fixed at that position when the wafer support is at a predetermined angle. desirable.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory view for explaining the action of the opening stopper formed at the connecting portion in the wafer storage container of the present invention, and FIG. 13 (a) is an explanatory view showing when the wafer support is open, FIG. 13 (b) is an explanatory view showing a state in which the wafer support is closed. In FIG. 13, 4 is a fixing part, 6a is a wafer support, 23 is an elastic hook part, 24 is a fixing part side proximal end part, and 25 is a hinge. In FIG. 13, the wafer support 6a is connected to the fixed part 4 by a hinge 25 and can be opened and closed. On the other hand, an elastic hook part 23 is formed on the wafer support 6a side of the fixed part 4. In FIG. 13A, the fixed portion side adjacent end portion 24 of the wafer support 6 a is fixed by being hooked to the elastic hook portion 23 of the fixed portion 4. When the wafer support 6a is opened and reaches the position shown in FIG. 13A, the elastic hooking portion 23 is deformed so that the fixed portion side adjacent end 24 of the wafer support 6a is caught.

  On the other hand, when the wafer support 6a is closed, as shown in FIG. 13B, the elastic hooking portion 23 is deformed and the fixed portion side proximal end portion 24 of the wafer support 6a is detached, so that the wafer support 6a is connected to the hinge 25. It can be freely opened and closed around. In this way, in the connecting portion shown in FIG. 13, the wafer support 6a is fixed at an open predetermined angular position, and can be opened and closed at other angular positions.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory view for explaining the action of the opening stopper and the closing stopper in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 14 (a) is an explanatory view showing the wafer support being closed, and FIG. ) Is an explanatory view showing a state in which the wafer support is open. In FIG. 14, 4 is a fixing part, 5a and 5b are connecting parts, 6a and 6b are wafer supports, 26a and 26b are closing stoppers, and 27a and 27b are opening stoppers.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, when the wafer support is closed, the end portions of the wafer supports 6a and 6b are engaged with and fixed to the stop grooves of the closing stoppers 26a and 26b. Therefore, the wafer can be stably supported and fixed as long as no large external force is applied so that the wafer supports 6a and 6b are disengaged from the closed stopper.

  Next, the wafer supports 6a and 6b are forcibly removed from the closing stoppers 26a and 26b, the wafer supports 6a and 6b are opened around the hinges provided in the connecting portions 5a and 5b, and the ends thereof are opened. FIG. 14B shows a state in which the stopper 27a is engaged and fixed. In this way, by fixing the end portions of the wafer supports 6a and 6b to the open stoppers 27a and 27b, any external influence is exerted during the operation of taking out the wafer (not shown) with a robot hand (not shown). Accordingly, an accident that the wafer support 6a or 6b interferes with the take-out operation is not caused.

  The closing stoppers 26a and 26b and the opening stoppers 27a and 27b shown in FIG. 14 are attached in the vicinity of the opening of the storage container body (not shown). However, when the engaging portions of the wafer supports 26a, 26b to the closing stoppers 26a, 26b and the opening stoppers 27a, 27b are provided inside the storage container main body, these closing stoppers and opening stoppers correspond thereto. It may be attached to the inside of the storage container body.

  These closed stoppers and open stoppers use polymer materials selected by optimizing the friction coefficient, elastic force and hardness with the material forming the wafer support so that they can be reliably engaged with the wafer support. Is desirable.

  As described above, the wafer storage container of the present invention is a wafer storage container having a storage container body having at least one container opening and a wafer support structure provided inside the storage container body, the wafer support container having the wafer support structure. The structure includes a fixing portion that attaches and fixes the wafer support structure to the storage container main body, and a pair of wafer supports that are connected with the fixing portion at the center and configured to be openable and closable. In the body, slit-like openings for inserting and supporting and fixing the end of the wafer by closing the wafer support are formed at equal intervals so as to face each other, and the fixing part is connected to the storage container. There is a fixed portion side mounting portion for mounting to the main body, and a storage container side mounting portion for mounting the fixed portion is provided on the inner surface of the storage container main body. It was the elephant. As a result, it becomes possible to safely store large-diameter wafers exceeding 300 mm and thin wafers of about 0.3 mm or less while minimizing these wrinkles.

  The present invention can be applied to the semiconductor industry using a wafer container used for transporting or storing semiconductor wafers.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective perspective view showing a configuration of an embodiment relating to a wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the wafer support structure. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the wafer support structure. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the wafer support structure. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a partially broken perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional wafer storage container. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram relating to the position of the slit-like opening formed in the wafer support in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 7A is an explanatory view when the slit-like opening position is close to the container opening of the storage container body, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory view when the slit-like opening position is far from the container opening of the storage container body. is there. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a method of putting a wafer into the wafer storage container of the present invention. 8A is an explanatory view showing an initial state, FIG. 8B is an explanatory view showing a state in which the wafer support is opened, and FIG. 8C is a state in which the wafer is put in a container. FIG. 8D is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the wafer has been inserted. FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a method of putting a wafer into the wafer storage container of the present invention. 9A is an explanatory view showing an initial state in which the wafer support is closed, FIG. 9B is an explanatory view showing a state in which the wafer support is opened, and FIG. 9C is a view showing the wafer. FIG. 9D is an explanatory view showing a state in which the wafer has been inserted. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the state of the wafer held at the end of the slit-shaped opening. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a basic configuration of a slit-like opening formed in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram showing the first shape, and FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram showing the second shape. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing various representative shapes of slit-like openings formed in the wafer storage container of the present invention. 12A is an explanatory view showing the first detailed shape of the slit-shaped opening, FIG. 12B is an explanatory view showing the second detailed shape of the slit-shaped opening, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which showed the 3rd detailed shape of the slit-shaped opening, and FIG.12 (d) is explanatory drawing which showed the 4th detailed shape of the slit-shaped opening. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view for explaining the action of the open stopper formed at the connecting portion in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram showing when the wafer support is open, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing when the wafer support is closed. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the opening stopper and the closing stopper in the wafer storage container of the present invention. FIG. 14 (a) is an explanatory view showing when the wafer support is closed, and FIG. 14 (b) is an explanatory view showing when the wafer support is open.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Storage container main body, 2 ... Container opening, 3 ... Wafer support structure, 4 ... Fixed part, 5a, 5b ... Connection part, 6, 6a, 6b ... Wafer support ,
7, 7a, 7b ... slit-like openings, 10a, 10b ... sub-supports,
12 ... Lid, 13 ... Seal, 14 ... Wafer

Claims (4)

A storage container body having at least one container opening; and a wafer storage container having a wafer support structure provided inside the storage container body,
The wafer support structure is
A fixing portion for attaching and fixing the wafer support structure to the storage container body;
It consists of a pair of wafer supports configured to be openable and closable connected with the fixed part at the center,
In the pair of wafer supports, slit-like openings for inserting and supporting and fixing the end of the wafer by closing the wafer support are formed at equal intervals so as to face each other.
The fixing part has a fixing part side attaching part for attaching the fixing part to the storage container body,
A wafer storage container, wherein an inner surface of the storage container main body is provided with a storage container side mounting portion for mounting the fixing portion. The wafer support is divided into a plurality of sub-supports, and at least one slit-like opening is formed in the sub-support, and each of the sub-supports is independent at a connecting portion with the fixing portion. The wafer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the wafer storage container is configured to be freely openable and closable. The wafer support is divided into a plurality of sub-supports made of an elastic material, and at least one slit-like opening is formed in the sub-support, and the sub-supports are each elastically independent. The wafer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the wafer storage container is configured to be deformable and openable. The fixed part and the wafer support are connected by a hinge, and an elastic hook part is formed on the wafer support side of the fixed part. When the wafer support is in an open state, the wafer support A structure in which the fixed portion side adjacent end portion is caught and fixed to the elastic hook portion, and when the wafer support is to be closed in this state, the elastic hook portion is deformed and the fixed portion side adjacent end portion is detached. 4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the wafer support is configured to maintain an opening angle at a predetermined open position, a closed position, or both. 5. Wafer storage container.

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