JPH08191101A - Semiconductor substrate container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To keep a substrate from damage or dusts due to the vibration or the shock in transit causing neither notable bending nor straining. CONSTITUTION: The semiconductor substrate container 10 is provided with a pair of upper and lower containers 10 comprising a lower container 3 and an upper container 2 capable of being sealed up and a substrate supporting member 4 contained in the containers 10 elastically supporting the periphery and rear surface of the substrate with gas pressure. This substrate supporting member 4 in a bag shape is expanded by injecting a gas thereinto while the upper part thereof in an opened and bottomed cylindrical shape so that a semiconductor substrate 1 may be supported by the bottom part 4b and a trench 4c provided inside the sidewall 4a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor substrate container for packing and transporting semiconductor substrates, and more particularly to a single-wafer semiconductor substrate container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor substrate used for manufacturing an electronic device such as an IC, an LSI or a memory is required to have a larger diameter in view of the chip size and cost of the electronic device. In order to increase the diameter of the substrate, it is important to consider not only the manufacturing technology but also the protection of the substrate in terms of handling, packing, and transportation.

Above all, with the progress of mobile communication,
It is strongly desired to increase the diameter of GaAs substrates, and φ6
There is also a demand for inch diameter substrates. However, GaA
The s substrate has a problem that it is heavier and more brittle than the Si substrate which has been widely used conventionally. Therefore, thickness 70
G that weighs 60g or more per sheet although it is about 0μm
An important issue is how to protect an aAs substrate during packaging and transportation.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Single-wafer type or multiple-type substrate storage containers have been used as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a single-wafer type storage container in which a mirror-finished semiconductor substrate 1 is stored in a tray 3 with its mirror surface facing down, and is fixed by being pressed by a spring 5 and a lid 2 from the back side. . Generally, the spring 5 is mounted so as to press the vicinity of the outer periphery of the semiconductor substrate 1 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a multi-type vertical substrate storage container,
A large number of semiconductor substrates 1 are vertically housed in parallel in a box-shaped substrate storage container 6 with the lower part closed, and the substrate support part 7 from the upper part.
The periphery of the substrate is pressed and fixed by closing the lid with.

[0007]

However, in the structure shown in FIG. 3, since the spring 5 presses the vicinity of the outer periphery of the semiconductor substrate 1, the substrate 1 becomes a beam having a fixed end and largely bends in the central portion. Large distortion occurs near the fixed end. The current mainstream Φ3 inch and Φ4 inch diameter substrates do not have problems such as cracking caused by this method, but if the size is further increased, there is a concern that the substrate will be damaged due to vibration or shock during transportation. It It is possible to mount the spring 5 in the direction opposite to that of FIG. 3, that is, in contact with the center of the back surface of the substrate 1, but in this case, the center of the substrate is forcibly continued to be loaded, and However, it cannot be said that it is in a preferable state.

Further, in the structure shown in FIG. 4, a large number of substrates can be accommodated at the same time, so that there is an advantage that the transportation efficiency is remarkably higher than that of the single-wafer type. We have experienced that dust may be generated or damaged due to vibration during transportation at the contact part with, and this tendency increases in proportion to the substrate weight. In other words, it is a very risky packing method in that dusting or damage of one board affects all other boards, and is not a suitable method for handling a large-diameter board. .

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to prevent the stored semiconductor substrate from being greatly bent or distorted, so that the substrate may be damaged or dusted due to vibration or impact during transportation. It is to provide a semiconductor substrate storage container that does not do so.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first invention is a semiconductor substrate storage container for storing a mirror-finished semiconductor substrate, and a pair of upper and lower sealable storage containers and a semiconductor which is stored in the storage container. The substrate support member elastically supports the periphery of the substrate and the back surface of the substrate by gas pressure without touching the mirror surface side of the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the substrate supporting member is in the shape of a bag, and is inflated by injecting gas into the inside thereof to form a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open upper portion. It is designed to be supported on the inside. The fluid to be injected into the inside may be liquid, but in consideration of leakage and the like, air or inert gas is preferable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a groove having a thickness of the semiconductor substrate is provided inside the side wall of the cylindrical substrate supporting member.
In addition, the side wall is provided with one or more notches extending from the upper opening to a position deeper than the groove, and the bottom of the bag-like substrate supporting member and the side wall are individually partitioned so that gas can be injected. Before the gas is injected, the side wall is inclined outward.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is that polypropylene has heat resistance, tensile strength, wear resistance, and low density as compared with other resins and can be easily produced by an injection molding method. Both the supporting members are made of polypropylene.

[0014]

In the first aspect of the invention, when the semiconductor substrate is elastically supported by the substrate support member not only on the periphery of the substrate but also on the substrate backside by the gas pressure without touching the mirror surface side of the semiconductor substrate, a large deflection or There is no distortion and no damage or dust generation. In addition, since the substrate supporting member supporting the semiconductor substrate is housed in the storage container and hermetically sealed, it is possible to block the external atmosphere, the intrusion of dust, and the like.

In the second aspect of the present invention, gas is injected into the inside of the bag-shaped substrate supporting member to inflate it so that the substrate supporting member has a cylindrical shape. The semiconductor substrate is supported on the bottom of the cylindrical substrate support member and the inside of the side wall. In supporting the semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate may be set on the substrate supporting member before gas injection, or may be set on a cylindrical substrate supporting member after gas filling. Since the gas serves as a buffer member against vibration and shock, the semiconductor substrate is effectively protected from vibration and shock.

In the third invention, first, gas is injected into the bottom of the substrate support member to swell the bottom. A mirror-finished semiconductor substrate is placed on the bottom of the semiconductor substrate with the mirror surface side facing up. Next, gas is injected into the side wall that is tilted outward to inflate the side wall. After inflating all the side walls to make the substrate support member into a cylindrical shape, the bottom is further inflated, and the height of the bottom is adjusted so that the semiconductor substrate fits in the groove formed inside the side walls. After the adjustment, the cylindrical substrate supporting member supporting the semiconductor substrate is placed in a pair of storage containers and hermetically sealed. The semiconductor substrate is taken out by inserting vacuum tweezers or the like into the back side of the substrate through a notch provided in the side wall.

In the fourth invention, the pair of storage containers and the substrate supporting member are manufactured by injection molding. Since polypropylene has abrasion resistance, it does not generate dust.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a single-wafer type semiconductor substrate storage container for storing a GaAs substrate according to this embodiment.

The semiconductor substrate accommodating container is composed of a pair of upper and lower accommodating containers 10 and a substrate supporting member 4 accommodated therein. The pair of upper and lower storage containers 10 is composed of a lower cylindrical lower storage container 3 and a cylindrical upper storage container 2 corresponding to the lid of the lower storage container 3. A male screw is attached to the lower storage container 3 in order to maintain a sealed state. A female screw is cut on the storage container 2, and the upper storage container 2 can be sealed by rotating the upper storage container 2.

The substrate supporting member 4 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open upper portion, is provided with a bottom portion 4b and a side wall 4a, and is housed in a state fitted to the inner diameter of the lower housing container 3. The substrate 1 is placed with the mirror surface side up so that the back surface side is in contact with and supported by the bottom portion 4b of the substrate supporting member 4.
The periphery of is supported by a groove 4c provided inside the side wall 4a of the substrate supporting member 4. This substrate support member 4
Is a bag made by injection-molding polypropylene, and swells when gas is injected into the bag, resulting in a cylindrical shape with a bottom and an open top as described above.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the substrate support member 4
A groove 4c having a thickness of the semiconductor substrate is formed around the inside of the side wall 4a for supporting the substrate periphery.
In addition, a cutout 4d that reaches a portion deeper than the groove 4c from the upper opening is provided in a part of the side wall 4a so that vacuum tweezers or the like can be inserted when the substrate 1 is taken out. The notch 4d may be one, but a plurality (4 in the illustrated example
Individual pieces may be provided. The side wall 4a and the bottom portion 4b are respectively partitioned gas chambers, which are inflated by injection of air or an inert gas to have a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. A gas injection port (not shown) is provided in each of the gas chambers, and gas is injected from there when the substrate is stored. The groove 4c is provided at such a height that it comes into contact with the back surface of the substrate when the bottom portion 4b expands to the maximum extent.

Prior to the accommodation of the substrate 1, nitrogen gas is injected into the bottom portion 4b of the substrate supporting member 4 so that the maximum amount of 80 to 9 is reached.
Inflate about 0%. The φ6 inch GaAs substrate 1 whose device manufacturing surface is mirror-finished is placed on the bottom portion 4b of the substrate supporting member 4 with the mirror surface side up after the mirror surface inspection.
At this time, the side wall 4a is in a state where no gas is injected, and the bottom 4
It has fallen outside b. After the substrate 1 is placed on the support member 4, nitrogen gas is sequentially injected into the side wall 4a to inflate it. After inflating all the side walls 4a, the bottom portion 4b is inflated to the maximum extent, and the substrate 1 is adjusted so as to fit in the groove 4c. After the substrate support member 4 supporting the substrate 1 in the bottom portion 4b and the groove 4c inside the side wall 4a is put in the lower storage container 3, the upper storage container 2
Cover and twist to seal.

In this way, 10 storage containers 10 each containing one GaAs substrate 1 are put together in an aluminum laminated bag and sealed with nitrogen, and then placed in a cardboard box provided with a cushioning material such as Styrofoam and subjected to a vibration test. Was carried out.

The vibration conditions were: amplitude: 1.5 mm = frequency: 10 to 55 Hz = frequency fluctuation collection period: 1 minute = test time: 2 hours, and evaluation was made by the measured values of the mirror surface cleanliness of the substrate before and after the test. As a result, the mirror surface cleanliness increased by a maximum of 10 particles / wafer, an average of 5 particles / wafer, before and after the test. Also, no damage such as cracking occurred at all. This was at a level comparable to the result when the same test was carried out by putting φ3 inch and φ4 inch in the commonly used single-wafer type substrate storage container as shown in FIG.

As described above, according to this embodiment, as the single-wafer type semiconductor substrate storage container, the bag-shaped substrate support member 4 having a gas buffering member is used to cover the periphery of the substrate 1 without touching the mirror surface of the substrate 1. Since the back surface of the substrate is supported, the semiconductor substrate 1 can be effectively protected from vibration and impact, and the substrate is not largely bent or deformed, and dust is not generated. The device can be manufactured with high yield.

Further, since the substrate 1 is automatically supported by inflating the substrate supporting member 4 by injecting gas after placing the substrate and adjusting the amount of gas, the substrate 1 can be easily set. Moreover, it is possible not to touch the substrate 1 at all after placing the substrate. Further, since the notch 4d is formed in the substrate supporting member 4 to a position deeper than the groove 4c, if vacuum tweezers are inserted from the notch 4d to the back surface side of the substrate 1, the substrate surface is not touched. 1 can be easily grasped, and in order to take it out from the substrate supporting member 4, the gas injected from the gas injection port can be released to shrink the substrate supporting member 4.

Although the bottom and side walls of the substrate support member are partitioned in the above embodiment, they may be integrated without partitioning. Further, the semiconductor substrate may be supported only by the groove around the side wall, and in that case, the substrate supporting member may be upside down and accommodated in the accommodating container, or the accommodating container and the substrate supporting member. Both may be made vertical and may be accommodated in the vertical direction.

[0028]

According to the invention described in claim 1, even when a large-diameter, heavy-weight substrate such as a φ6 inch GaAs substrate is stored, the substrate is not largely bent or distorted, and There is no damage or dust.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the semiconductor substrate is supported by the cylindrical substrate supporting member which is inflated by the gas, the shock can be softened, and the semiconductor due to vibration, shock or the like during transportation. No damage to the board.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the groove having the thickness of the substrate is provided inside the side wall, the substrate can be reliably supported without moving, and the side wall has a notch deeper than the groove. By providing the semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate can be easily gripped from the back side by inserting vacuum tweezers or the like into the notch.

According to the invention of claim 4, both the storage container and the substrate supporting member are made of polypropylene.
It can be easily manufactured into a predetermined shape, and since polypropylene is abrasion resistant, it can eliminate dust generation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a semiconductor substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a substrate support member that constitutes the semiconductor substrate storage container of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional semiconductor substrate storage container.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional semiconductor substrate storage container.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Semiconductor Substrate 2 Upper Storage Container 3 Lower Storage Container 4 Substrate Support Member 4a Side Wall 4b Bottom 4c Groove 4d Notch 10 Storage Container

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A semiconductor substrate storage container for storing a mirror-finished semiconductor substrate, comprising a pair of upper and lower sealable storage containers, and a substrate periphery that is housed in the storage container and does not touch the mirror surface side of the semiconductor substrate. And a substrate supporting member that elastically supports the back surface of the substrate with a gas pressure. 2. The substrate supporting member is in the shape of a bag, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape that swells by injecting gas into the inside and has an open top, and the semiconductor substrate is supported on the bottom and the inside of the side wall. The semiconductor substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A groove having a thickness of the semiconductor substrate is provided inside the side wall of the cylindrical substrate supporting member, and one or two notches are formed in the side wall to reach a position deeper than the groove from the upper opening. It is characterized in that the bottom portion and the side wall of the bag-like substrate supporting member provided above are partitioned so that gas can be injected individually, and the side wall is inclined outward before the gas is injected. Item 2. A semiconductor substrate storage container according to item 2. 4. The pair of upper and lower circular storage containers and the substrate supporting member are made of polypropylene.
The semiconductor substrate storage container according to any one of 1 to 3.