JPH04113447U - wafer carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] By providing a wafer support rod at the bottom between the two sides to support the lower end of the inserted wafer, it is possible to move the wafer stored in the wafer carrier in a direction parallel to the wafer surface. The present invention relates to a wafer carrier that eliminates misalignment, ensures reliable positioning during automatic wafer transfer, and prevents wafer dust from being generated when the wafer carrier is carried. [Structure] A wafer is inserted from one direction, and the lower part of the inserted wafer is inserted into a box-shaped wafer carrier with an open top surface that has many grooves on two opposing sides to support the peripheral edge of the wafer. A wafer support rod for supporting the wafer is provided at a lower portion between the two sides. Then, a positioning groove wider than the wafer thickness is formed in the wafer support rod. Additionally, protrusions are formed at the bottom of the two sides with grooves for supporting the peripheral edge of the wafer, and wafer support rods are provided on the protrusions, making the distance between the wafer support rods larger than the distance between the protrusions. do.

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

0001

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a box-shaped wafer carrier with an open top surface. By providing a wafer support rod at the bottom between the two sides to support the bottom end of the wafer. , eliminates misalignment of wafers stored in wafer carriers in the direction parallel to the wafer surface. , to ensure reliable positioning during automatic wafer transfer, as well as wafer carrier This invention relates to a method for preventing dust generation from wafers during transportation.

0002

[Conventional technology]

Generally, the wafer carriers 1 are arranged facing each other as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. side wall members 2, 2, and a wafer support member 6 provided at the bottom of the side wall members 2, 2; 6, and end members 3, 3 that connect both ends of these side wall members 2, 2. It is shaped like a box with an open top. And the inner surface of the side wall members 2,2 A large number of grooves 5 are provided on the upper surface of the wafer support members 6, 6 to support the wafers 4, 4. The wafer 4 is housed in surface contact with the inside of the groove 5 from above, It is supported by wafer support members 6, 6.

0003 By the way, the wafer carrier 1 does not allow metals, organic compounds and other substances to be transferred to the wafer 4. Fluorine is highly effective in preventing contamination and has excellent corrosion resistance against chemicals. It is molded from base resin.

0004

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, the wafer carrier 1 made of this fluororesin is shown in FIG. During molding, the resin may be deformed while it is removed from the mold and completely solidified. there was. This amount of deformation depends on the position of the wafer support 6 and the solid state of the wafer carrier 1. It also differed by difference. Therefore, most wafer carriers 1 do not support the wafer. The amount of deformation was greatest at the center of the holding portion 6.

[0005] Due to this deformation of the wafer support portion 6, the wafer 4 can be accurately positioned within the wafer carrier 1. I couldn't locate it. Also, the wafer 4 in the wafer carrier 1 Problems occurred during wafer transfer because accurate positioning was not possible.

[0006] Take out the wafers 4 one by one from the wafer carrier 1 and place them on a data stand or other wafer. When using a wafer transfer machine of the type that transfers wafers to carrier 1, wafers 4 Because accurate positioning within the wafer carrier 1 is not possible, the wafer must be placed in the center during transfer. A ring process is required, and all wafers must be centered. This had the disadvantage of reducing throughput.

[0007] In FIG. 7, multiple wafers 4 are transferred to the data stand 20 or other wafer carrier at once. A schematic diagram of the transfer state when using a type of wafer transfer machine 21 is shown. The figure shows a state in which wafers are being transferred from a plurality of wafer carriers 1 to a document stand 20). cormorant The wafer 4 that cannot be accurately positioned within the wafer carrier 1, that is, the direction A. The misaligned wafer 4 is transferred as it is, and the wafer 4 is held on the document table 20. 22 (not shown in the figure, but a groove for holding the wafer is provided). The wafer 4 may fall without reaching the wafer 4 and be damaged, or the wafer 4 may be damaged. There were cases where the wafer 4 collided with the table 20 and was damaged.

[0008] Such an accident caused severe damage, and up to 4 undamaged wafers were damaged. The document table became unusable due to contamination with debris and dust generated from wafer 4. 20. There is a serious drawback that cleaning and adjustment of peripheral equipment such as transfer equipment is required. Ta.

[0009] Further, in the conventional wafer carrier 1, the distance between the wafer support parts 6 is small and the wafer 4 The element supporting the wafer from below is large, and when the wafer carrier 1 is tilted, the wafer 4 will move in the direction B. There was a risk that the wafer carrier 1 and the wafer 4 would rub against each other due to rolling, and dust would be generated.

0010 The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and it Eliminates misalignment of the wafer in the direction parallel to the wafer surface and positions it during automatic wafer transfer. In addition to ensuring that the The purpose of this invention is to provide a wafer carrier that can

[0011]

[Means to solve the problem]

The wafer carrier according to claim 1 of the present invention has the wafer carrier inserted from one direction, An open top surface with multiple grooves on two opposing sides to support the peripheral edge of the wafer. In a box-shaped wafer carrier, the wafer is used to support the lower part of the inserted wafer. (c) A support rod is provided between the two sides.

0012 Further, in the wafer carrier according to claim 2, the wafer support rod has a width larger than the wafer thickness. It is characterized by having a large positioning groove.

[0013] Furthermore, the wafer carrier according to claim 3 is provided with a groove for supporting the peripheral edge of the wafer. a protrusion is formed at the lower part of the two side surfaces having a wafer support rod, and a wafer support rod is provided on the protrusion. The distance between the wafer support bars is set larger than the distance between the protrusions. It is something.

[0014]

[Effect]

In the wafer carrier according to claim 1, since the wafer is supported by the wafer support rod, Accurate positioning of the wafer within the wafer carrier regardless of wafer carrier deformation I can do it.

[0015] In the wafer carrier according to claim 2, a positioning groove is formed in the wafer support rod. This improves positioning accuracy.

[0016] The wafer carrier according to claim 3 has a groove for supporting the peripheral edge of the wafer. Since the wafer support rod is provided on the protrusion at the bottom of the two sides, the rigidity of the wafer carrier is improved. This allows for more accurate positioning of the wafer within the wafer carrier. Further The distance between the wafer support bars is molded to be larger than the distance between the parts, making it easier to move the wafer carrier. Sometimes, the wafer is stored stably and the wafer rubs against the wafer carrier. This prevents dust generation.

[0017]

【Example】

An embodiment of the wafer carrier of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Ru. Note that the same components as those explained in FIGS. 4 and 6 are designated by the same reference numerals. The explanation will be omitted.

[0018] Two wafer support rods 11, 11 are arranged in the wafer carrier 10 of the present invention. ing. These wafer support rods 11, 11 are made of the same material as the wafer carrier 10. A protrusion 1 is formed of a certain fluororesin and is provided at the lower part of the side wall members 2, 2. 6, 16 are arranged at the lower part of the end face members 3, 3 so as to be parallel to the side wall members 2, 2. ing. The distance between the wafer support rods 11 and 11 is larger than the distance between the protrusions 16 and 16. . Further, side members 2, 2 are provided on the upper surface portion of the wafer support rod 11 that contacts the wafer 4. The grooves are set slightly wider than the thickness of the wafer 4 at a position that approximately coincides with the grooves 5, 5 provided in the wafer 4. The positioning groove 12 is formed with high precision.

[0019] The wafer carrier 10 having the above configuration is provided with support rods 11, 11. Since the wafer 4 is held by the support rods 11 and 12, the wafer 4 is placed in direction A shown in FIG. It will not shift in the opposite direction. That is, the wafer 4 is placed within the wafer carrier 10 at a precise position. Since it is held in position, it is suitable for automatic transfer work.

[0020] Further, the wafer carrier 4 is inserted into the positioning groove 12 of the wafer support rod 11 and supported. Since the wafer 4 is held in place, the positioning of the wafer 4 becomes more accurate.

[0021] Furthermore, the distance between the wafer support rods 11 and 11 is made larger than the distance between the protrusions 6 and 6. Since the wafer 4 is formed in the direction B shown in FIG. The wafer 4 is stored stably without rolling, and the wafer 4 does not rub against the wafer carrier 10. This prevents dust generation.

[0022] Moreover, the wafer support rod 1 does not have to have a high-precision structure as a whole. 1, the formation position of the positioning groove 12, and the arrangement of the wafer support rods 11, 11. Since it is only necessary to arrange the wafer support rods 11 by increasing the attachment accuracy, it is possible to achieve high precision and manufacture. A wafer carrier with reduced manufacturing cost can be obtained.

[0023]

[Effect of the idea]

As explained above, according to the wafer carrier according to claim 1 of the present invention, Since the wafer is supported by the carrier support rod, the wafer can be The wafer can be accurately positioned within the carrier, and automatic wafer transfer work can be performed correctly. I can.

[0024] Further, in the wafer carrier according to claim 2, a positioning groove is formed in the wafer support rod. Therefore, the accuracy of wafer positioning can be improved.

[0025] Furthermore, in the wafer carrier according to claim 3, a Since the wafer support rod is installed on the protrusion at the bottom of the two sides with grooves, the inside of the wafer carrier is This enables more accurate positioning of the wafer.

[0026] Furthermore, since the distance between the wafer support bars is molded to be larger than the distance between the protrusions, the wafer Even when the wafer carrier is moved, the wafer is stored stably and the wafer remains in the wafer carrier. Dust generation due to friction with the rear can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a wafer carrier of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow III-III in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a conventional wafer carrier.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a conventional wafer carrier.

6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional automatic wafer transfer operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

2... Side wall member (two side surfaces), 4... Wafer, 5... Groove provided on two side surfaces, 10... Wafer carrier, 11... Wafer carrier support rod, 12... Positioning groove, 16... Protrusion.

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Claim 1: A wafer is inserted from one direction, and a box-shaped wafer carrier with an open top surface is provided with a large number of grooves on two opposing sides to support the circumferential edge of the wafer. A wafer carrier characterized in that a wafer support rod for supporting the lower part is provided at the lower part between the two sides. 2. The wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the wafer support rod has a positioning groove wider than the wafer thickness. 3. A protrusion is formed at the lower part of two side surfaces having a groove for supporting the peripheral edge of the wafer, a wafer support rod is provided on the protrusion, and the distance between the protrusions is larger than the distance between the wafer support rods. 3. The wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the wafer carrier has a large distance between the wafer carriers.