JPH0534110Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer container. The container of the present invention can be used, for example, as a container for storing or transporting semiconductor wafers.

[Summary of the idea]

The semiconductor wafer container of the present invention is a semiconductor wafer container in which members for placing semiconductor wafers are stacked in two or more stages and the semiconductor wafers are stored between the members, in which the above members are engaged with the orientation flat of the semiconductor wafer. The engaging portion is provided with a notch for taking out the wafer, and the periphery of the member is provided with positioning means, and the wafer placed on the lower member is pressed and fixed at multiple locations. A plurality of spring parts are integrally formed on the lower surface side by cutting out the above-mentioned member, and the cross-sectional shape of the part of the spring part that contacts the wafer is circular, and with this structure, the above-mentioned member can be aligned in a certain direction. By stacking and storing them, workability is improved.

[Conventional technology]

Containers for storing and transporting semiconductor wafers must be able to store the wafers stably without damaging them, but it is also desirable to minimize the volume and size of the containers, as well as to reduce the workability of the manufacturing process and the wafers. Good workability is required when storing or taking out.

Traditionally, one form of container for semiconductor wafers has been to form a concave groove in a plate body to fit the wafer exactly, and to fit the wafer into the concave groove for storage, or to surround the wafer. It is known that a plurality of pins are formed on a plate, and a wafer is placed inside the plate surrounded by the pins to support the periphery of the wafer and regulate its position for storage.
No. 94039). However, this structure does not provide sufficient protection of the wafer from dust and foreign objects. Moreover, with this structure, only the periphery of the wafer is positioned, so
The vertical position regulation is not always good, and storage may become unstable. If the surrounding position is tightly controlled in an attempt to stabilize storage, stress will be applied to the wafer, which may cause defects. There is also a greater possibility that the pins and the inner wall of the groove will damage the wafer. Further, since the wafer must be properly fitted into the groove or the pin, the workability of storing the wafer is poor, and if the wafer is stored too tightly, the workability of removing the wafer is also poor. Automating work is extremely difficult.

On the other hand, two or more cone-shaped bottoms with protrusions on the back surface are overlapped, the periphery of the lower surface of the wafer is supported by the periphery of the bottom plate, and the center of the upper surface of the wafer is pressed by the protrusion of the upper bottom plate, thereby supporting the wafer around the periphery. A structure has been proposed that elastically holds and fixes the base and the center. (Utility Model Publication No. 58-46437). However, this technology
Since the wafer is held elastically by being curved, there is a risk that the wafer may be damaged. At least, it is unavoidable that stress is applied to the wafer, which poses a problem because there is a risk of defects occurring. In particular, in the case of large diameter wafers, there is a large possibility that crystal defects will be induced. Furthermore, this technology does not have particularly good workability and is not suitable for work automation.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
It has been proposed to use a combination of a radial leaf spring d for holding down the wafer c placed in the container from above, and a lid e for pressing the leaf spring d and sealing the container (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 48-28953). (see publication). This technology does not damage the wafer or put excessive stress on the wafer, and provides good storage stability.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, the container having the above structure has the following problems.

That is, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, the direction of the wafer c cannot be aligned with the direction of the container b that supports it, and the wafer is simply stored in the container. It is not possible to align the direction of c. Therefore, if it is necessary to align the orientations, the work must be done each time, which is extremely complicated and time-consuming.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and satisfies the basic requirements of stable storage without the risk of damaging wafers, while simplifying the work and enabling automation. The present invention aims to provide a semiconductor wafer container of various types.

[Means for solving problems and their effects]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the semiconductor wafer container of the present invention is a semiconductor wafer container in which members for placing semiconductor wafers are stacked in two or more stages, and semiconductor wafers are stored between the members. An engaging part for the orientation flat is provided, and the engaging part is provided with a notch for taking out the wafer, and a positioning means is provided on the periphery of the member, and the lower part is provided with a positioning means. A plurality of spring parts that press and fix wafers placed on the member at a plurality of locations are integrally formed on the lower surface side by cutting out the above member, and the cross-sectional shape of the part of the spring parts that comes into contact with the wafer is circular. Configure.

With this mechanism, as a result of the engaging portion for the orientation flat of the semiconductor wafer being provided, the members and the wafer can be stacked and stored in the same direction. Since the wafers can be aligned in the same direction, and the wafers can be transported in such a fixed direction,
Improves workability.

In addition, since the spring part is integrally formed by cutting out the member, it can be easily formed, the number of parts can be reduced, and the generation of dust due to friction between the spring material and the above member can be suppressed. This prevents the wafer from being damaged by movement of the material.

Further, by pressing and fixing the wafer at a plurality of locations using the spring portion, the wafer can be securely fixed, there is no risk of stress being applied to the wafer, and there is no fear of damage caused by movement of the wafer.

Furthermore, since the member is provided with an engaging portion for engaging with the orientation flat and a positioning means, even in the case of automation, the position of the orientation flat relative to the automatic device can be specified.

In addition, since the engaging portion is provided with a notch for taking out the wafer, the wafer can be easily taken in and taken out, and workability is further improved.

Furthermore, since the cross-sectional shape of the portion of the spring portion that contacts the wafer is circular, the wafer will not be damaged.

Therefore, the semiconductor wafer container of the present invention fully satisfies the basic requirements of not damaging the wafers, protecting the wafers from foreign objects, and storing them stably, and also has good workability due to its easy-to-form structure. It is possible to achieve the effect of automation.

The structure of the present invention will be explained as follows with reference to the illustration of FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of the present invention which will be described in detail later. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
The reference numeral 1 indicates the above-mentioned member, and it is shown in Fig. 1a.
As shown in FIG. 2, this member 1 is formed with an engaging portion 16 for engaging the orientation flat of the wafer 2. As shown in FIG. The engaging portion 16 is provided with a notch 16a for taking out the wafer so that the wafer can be taken out easily. Positioning means (holes 15a) are provided around the periphery of the member 1 to position the member, and the positioning means 15a greatly contributes to improving work efficiency in cases of automation and the like. In addition, a plurality of spring parts 14 are cut out from the member 1 and integrally formed on the lower surface side for pressing and fixing the wafer placed on the lower member (see also FIG. 2) at a plurality of locations, and the spring parts 1
4 has a circular cross-sectional shape at the portion that contacts the wafer (see the portion indicated by reference numeral 14c in FIG. 1c). At least two such members 1 are stacked one on top of the other as shown in FIG. 2 to form a container for wafers 2.

〔Example〕

An example of implementing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, as a matter of course, the present invention is not limited only to the following examples.

The member 1 in this embodiment has a wafer mounting portion 13 having a concave center and a surface in contact with the vicinity of the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer 2 as shown in FIG.
In particular, as shown in Figure 1b, it has a gentle conical shape. Also, a spring portion 14 that presses the wafer 2
As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, a part of the surface constituting the wafer mounting portion 13 is cut out, and specifically, leaf springs are provided at seven locations. Since the member 1 of this example is made by injection molding, the spring portion 13 can be easily formed by cutting it out.
That is, such a cutout spring portion can be easily formed during injection molding. The spring portion 14 of this example has a first
As shown in FIG. b, the wafer placement part 13 is concave.
It is formed diagonally downward as an extension of the part corresponding to the bottom of. Therefore, the wafer mounting section 13 of this member 1 is capable of mounting the wafers 2 so that the wafers 2 are supported by contacting the surface 12 near the outer periphery of the wafers, and stacking them as shown in FIG. The spring portion 14 formed on the bottom surface of the upper member 1 acts to hold down the wafer 2 housed in the lower member 1.

FIG. 2 shows an example of use in which the member 1 and the semiconductor wafer 2 are stacked to accommodate wafers. FIG. 3 is a sectional view thereof.

When the container with the above structure is used, the wafers 2 are placed on the member 1, stacked in 10 layers, for example, and transported easily and stably in a box that fits the wafers comfortably and without any large play. You can do it like this.

In the figure, reference numeral 16 indicates an engaging portion for the wafer orientation flat. Thereby, by aligning the orientation of the member 1 during processing steps or in other cases, the orientation of the wafer 2 can also be aligned. That is, for example, after being conveyed on a conveyor, the next step may be to attach it to an adhesive tape, and at this time it is necessary to align the orientation, which is extremely convenient. Further, when this member 1 is assembled as a completed product with wafers stored therein, it is advantageous because the directions can be aligned.

In the present invention, a notch is provided for taking out the wafer, but in this embodiment, the engaging portion 16 has a first cutout.
This was realized by forming a notch 16a as shown in the figure. The presence of this notch 16a is extremely convenient when taking out the wafer with appropriate means such as tweezers.

16b is an engagement protrusion.

Further, in this example, the member 1 and the wafer 2 are housed in a box 3 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The box body 3 consists of a box body 3a and a lid 3b.
This box body 3 is made of relatively soft resin.
This is because if it is a hard material, it will rub and powder will come out, making the clearing worse and potentially having an adverse effect on the wafer. In this example, for example, polypropylene resin can be used.

The state in which it is housed in the box body 2 is shown in a sectional view in FIG.

In order to hold down the topmost wafer 2, another member 1 is placed on top of it without any wafers, and if a plate-shaped cushion, for example, is placed on the top and bottom of the stored member 1, it will prevent vibrations. However, in this example as well, such a top-class container and a plate-shaped sponge cushion 4 are arranged.

As understood from FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the spring portion 14 of the member 1 is in line contact with the upper surface of the wafer 1 (see section A in FIG. 3), so contamination can be minimized. . Although it is desirable that nothing touches the surface of the wafer 1 as much as possible, this embodiment is designed so that only a line contact at the periphery is required.

In addition, the member 1 is concave and the spring portion 1
4, distance B prevents contact with the top surface of the wafer 1, and distance C is provided with the slope to prevent contact with the bottom surface of the wafer 1, taking into account safety during transportation, etc., and preventing damage etc. This ensures the prevention of

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the box body 3 is provided with a convex portion 31 that is a protrusion running vertically on the inside of the box body 3a. The protrusion 31 is thick at the top and has a pointed shape that tapers downward. This protrusion 31 allows the container and the semiconductor wafers contained therein to be tightly fitted into the box body 3a, despite the draft angle during molding. In addition, since the container is put in and taken out in contact with the upper end of the protrusion 31, the frictional force is small and containers, etc. can be easily taken in and taken out.

Further, the outer side of the upper end of the box body 3a is formed into a notch 32, into which the lid 3a is fitted.

In the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the part of the spring part that contacts the wafer is circular, but the spring part 14 of the member 1 in this embodiment has a part 14c that contacts the wafer, as shown in FIG. 1c. This is achieved by giving the wafer a rounded shape, which prevents the wafer from being scratched.

In this embodiment, the spring portion 14 of the member 1 is configured to extend radially outward from the center, but any spring portion may be formed as long as it is cut out and integrally formed on the lower surface side of the member, as shown in FIG. It can also be provided along the circumference as shown in a. Also, as shown in Figure 4b, along the circumference, adjacent springs 14
The configuration may be such that the directions of a and 14b are changed. Fourth
In contrast to the example shown in Figure 4, where the springs extend in the same direction and the springs 14 are pressed in the same direction, this Figure 4b
In the configuration, the spring portions 14a, 14b in different directions
Since four sets are provided, it is possible to prevent the pressure contact force from being applied in only one direction.

In the example in Figure 1, by changing the notch,
The direction of pressure contact may be reversed, and the spring portions may be formed facing inward, or spring portions having opposite directions may be mixed.

In the present invention, a positioning means is provided at the periphery of the member, and in this embodiment, a hole 15a at one corner of the member 1 is provided as this positioning means. This hole 15a can be used for positioning when the member 1 is conveyed by a belt conveyor or the like, and when used for positioning, means for protruding pins toward the belt or the like can be adopted.
Therefore, it is extremely effective for automation. Positioning may be possible using notches or the like instead of holes.
The elongated holes 16b located at the opposite corners are elongated so as to absorb any manufacturing errors, and may be formed in rough positions to some extent. Therefore, with the above structure,
The advantage is that automation can be easily achieved.

The other corner has a notch 15c, and when taking out the member 1, since this is the notch, it can be held by the notch, which is convenient for handling.

[Effect of idea]

The semiconductor wafer container of the present invention solves the problems of the conventional technology by adopting the above-described structure, and satisfactorily satisfies the basic requirements of not damaging the wafers, protecting the wafers from foreign objects, and storing them stably. With a structure that satisfies the above requirements and is easy to form, it is possible to improve workability, thereby realizing the effects of simplifying the work and making automation possible. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1a is a plan view, FIG. 1b is a sectional view taken along line B--B of a, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire configuration in a stored state, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view similarly showing the stored state. FIGS. 4a and 4b show modified examples of the structure of the spring portion. FIG. 5a is a plan view of the box body, and FIG. 5b is a sectional view taken along line bb--b of a. FIG. 6 shows a conventional example. 1... member, 15a... positioning means (hole),
16... Engagement portion for orientation flat, 16a... Notch portion, 2... Semiconductor wafer.

Claims (1)

[Claim for Utility Model Registration] A semiconductor wafer container in which two or more members for placing semiconductor wafers are stacked and the semiconductor wafers are stored between the members, the members having a structure that engages with the orientation flat of the semiconductor wafer. A notch for taking out the wafer is provided in the engaging portion, and a positioning means is provided in the periphery of the member, and the wafer placed on the lower member is A semiconductor wafer container characterized in that a plurality of spring parts for pressing and fixing the semiconductor wafer at a plurality of locations are integrally formed on the lower surface side by cutting out the above member, and the cross-sectional shape of the part of the spring parts that comes into contact with the wafer is circular. .