KR20050041614A - Packing container for semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

In the wafer storage container according to the present invention, the upper container, a lower container coupled to the lower end of the upper container, and a wafer receiving container comprising a carrier seated in the lower container to contain a single sheet, the upper container A plurality of first elastic parts disposed on an inner surface of the substrate to support the top of the wafer; And a second elastic part disposed on an inner surface of the lower container and supporting a lower part of the wafer exposed through the opening of the lower part of the carrier.

Description

Wafer Storage Container {Packing Container For Semiconductor Wafer}

The present invention generally relates to a structure of a wafer storage container for wafer storage and transportation, and more particularly, to a structure of a wafer storage container including an elastic portion for protecting a wafer from vibration and impact.

In the manufacture and fixing of semiconductor devices, for example, memories and LSIs, a single crystal manufacturing process for producing single crystal silicon ingots from polycrystalline silicon is generally used, and wafer processing for slicing the ingots and mirror polishing thin wafers. Process and a device manufacturing process for manufacturing various devices on the mirror polished wafer. Each of these processes is divided into several batch processes. Each of these treatments is carried out in batches and over time. Therefore, the wafer may be stored, stored or conveyed in a container between the processing steps.

In particular, the wafer fabrication process for mirror-polishing the wafer and the device fabrication process for manufacturing various devices on the wafer are in most cases performed by completely different companies. Here, after carrying out the wafer processing step of mirror polishing the wafer, when the wafer is conveyed to the device manufacturer, the wafer is stored and shipped in a storage container for storing a plurality of wafers simultaneously.

Many storage containers for storing and transporting such wafers are known.

Such a conventional container for storing and transporting wafers generally includes a carrier that can hold a single sheet of wafer, a completely sealed upper container and a lower container to prevent contamination from the outside, and each wafer to be individually fixed. It includes an elastic portion for protecting the wafer from external vibration and impact.

In order to contain the wafer in a container for storing and transporting the wafer, the wafer is first contained in a wafer receiving groove of a carrier that can individually hold the wafer. After that, a carrier containing several wafers is placed in a lower container, the upper container is covered, and the container is sealed with adhesive tape. In this case, when the carrier is not placed in the correct position when the carrier is placed in the lower container, the elastic portion and the wafer, or the upper container and the carrier interfere with each other, making it difficult to fasten the storage container. In order to minimize this problem, a rib is generally installed inside the lower container to guide the carrier to be seated in place.

In addition, in a conventional storage container for silicon wafer storage and transport, when all of the carrier lower plate, which is the part supporting the carrier of the lower container, touches the floor, the impact delivered to the wafer when the impact is applied to the storage and transport container from the outside The impact is very large. Accordingly, in the conventional storage and transport container, the carrier support ribs are installed to reduce the contact area between the carrier and the lower container, thereby reducing the impact transmitted from the storage container to the carrier and minimizing the impact on the wafer.

In addition, after the carrier is contained in the lower container, the upper container in which the elastic part is symmetrically disposed with respect to the wafer center line is closed. Before the upper container is completely fastened to the lower container, the wafer first touches the wafer fixing groove of the elastic part installed individually in the upper container, and as the container joins, the cantilever-shaped elastic part is perpendicular to the top of the wafer contained in the carrier. The force is applied so that the wafers are individually fixed after the container is fully engaged. At this time, the wafer may be separated between the wafer fixing groove and the wafer fixing groove or two wafers may be simultaneously seated in one wafer fixing groove. Therefore, the wafer is normally checked while checking whether the wafer is normally seated in the wafer fixing groove of the elastic portion. The storage container is fastened.

When the fastening groove of the upper container and the fastening protrusion of the lower container are fastened, a part of the upper container is in close contact with the carrier upper plate and ultimately the carrier is fixed by the upper container and the lower container. That is, the upper container, the carrier, and the lower container are completely in contact with each other, and in this state, the wafer is placed in the wafer receiving groove of the carrier, and the upper edge of the wafer is pressed down by the elastic part installed in the upper container. Protects wafers from direct impact from impact.

Finally, when the upper container and the lower container are fastened, a gasket is used between them, or the joint surfaces of the upper container and the lower container are completely sealed with adhesive tape. By doing so, in the conventional wafer storage container, it is possible to safely protect from vibrations, shocks, and contamination transmitted from the outside when the wafers are stored or transported.

In the related art related to the shape of the elastic portion associated with the silicon wafer storage container described above, the most representative shapes formed integrally with the wafer storage container are '│' shapes (US Pat. Nos. 4,793,488 and 5,520,925) and 'b' shapes. (US Pat. No. 4,966,284 and Korean Patent Application No. 95-5130), and '-' shapes (US Pat. No. 4,966,284).

Looking at the operation method of the elastic portion, in the case of the '|' shape, the force of the elastic portion initially acts in the vertical direction, and as the wafer is placed in the V-shaped groove and the container is fastened, the elastic portion is inclined horizontally and the force in the horizontal direction is also increased. Will be added together. However, the horizontal force is relatively small compared to the vertical force. When the wafer storage container is stored for a long time, the elastic force is deformed and the vertical force is normal but the horizontal force is very small. You lose. The 'b' and '-' shapes work in much the same way. As the silicon wafer container is fastened, the horizontal cantilever is fixed while pressing the wafer in the vertical direction, so there is little horizontal force. Therefore, the wafer storage container is strong to vibration in the vertical direction, but weak to vibration in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, a common disadvantage of these elastic parts is that the elastic parts function properly, and when the wafer storage container is fastened, the elastic fixing parts of the wafer fixing grooves are prevented from escaping from the wafer fixing grooves between the wafer fixing grooves and the wafer fixing grooves. Since the width is designed to be the maximum, the gap between the wafer holding grooves is usually too narrow, such as 0.5 mm, so that it is difficult to remove residual moisture when cleaning the foreign matter located between them or drying after cleaning.

On the other hand, in the molding of the elastic portion, when integrally molding the elastic portion, the molding and assembly is convenient, but there are many restrictions in design and mold manufacturing.

In the elastic part of the wafer storage container according to the prior art, a wafer fixing groove corresponding to each wafer is formed to fix the wafer. At this time, when the thin wafer is accommodated, the gap between the carrier slot on which the wafer is seated and the gap between the wafer fixing grooves can be narrowed, but since the alignment between the wafer and the wafer fixing grooves is difficult, it is difficult to align the carrier slots. There is a limit in narrowing the gap between the gap and the wafer holding groove. Therefore, when storing a thin wafer, the seated wafer is moved because the spacing of the carrier slot is wider than the thickness of the wafer, and it is difficult to accurately align the wafer to the wafer fixing groove of the elastic portion.

In addition, the elastic portion of the wafer storage container according to the prior art is mainly attached to the upper container. When the storage container is fastened in this structure, the force is mainly applied to the wafer in the elastic part to fix the wafer. That is, since a force is applied to the wafer in a specific direction, the wafer is bent in one direction.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems in the prior art, to provide a new structure of the elastic portion in the wafer storage container consisting of the upper container and the lower container. In addition, the present invention is to provide a wafer storage container that is easy to design and mold manufacturing of the wafer storage container.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, the present invention is a wafer storage container including an upper container, a lower container coupled to the lower end of the upper container, and a carrier seated in the lower container to contain a wafer sheet. A plurality of first elastic portion disposed on the inner surface of the upper container for supporting the upper portion of the wafer; And an elastic part disposed on an inner surface of the lower container, the elastic part including a second elastic part supporting the lower part of the wafer exposed through the opening of the lower part of the carrier.

The second elastic portion is disposed in the vertical lower portion of the wafer, the first elastic portion is disposed at a position of about 120 ° with respect to the second elastic portion with respect to the support center line of the wafer, respectively, when the wafer is fastened to the container It is preferable to be supported in three directions by the said elastic part.

The elastic portion is preferably made of a thermoplastic material.

Preferably, at least one elastic portion of the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion is formed in a plane contacting the wafer.

Preferably, the carrier comprises a slot, by which the wafer is divided into sheets.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be introduced in order to enable those skilled in the art to more easily implement the present invention. Referring to the drawings of the present invention, like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the figures.

1 is a perspective view of an assembly shape of an upper container, a lower container, and a carrier of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the wafer storage container 100 includes an upper container 10, a lower container 20, and a carrier 30. And, a plurality of elastic parts 50, 60, 70 are coupled to the upper container 10 and the lower container 20, respectively.

The upper container 10, the lower container 20, and the carrier 30 may be made of plastics such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyester, or the like.

The lower end of the upper vessel 10 and the upper end of the lower vessel 20 are combined to seal the carrier 30 on which the wafer is seated. The carrier 30 is seated in the lower container 20, and a slot is formed inside to accommodate the wafer in a sheet. Regarding the carrier 30, in the technical field of the present invention, such as a company that manufactures a wafer or a company that manufactures a semiconductor using the material as a raw material, the operation of placing or removing the wafer in the carrier is mostly performed by an automated process. Therefore, because the carrier is standardized by the SEM-conductor equipment and materials institute, SEMI standard products can be applied to the silicon wafer storage and transport container of the present invention.

In addition, when the vibration in the horizontal or vertical direction is applied to the wafer container 100 from the outside, by supporting the edge of the wafer to protect the wafer seated on the carrier 30 inside the wafer container 100 Elastic portions 50, 60, and 70 that minimize impacts from the outside are formed around the wafer.

3 is a front view illustrating a cross section of a shape in which an upper container, a lower container, and a carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention are assembled. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the coupling shape of the wafer and the elastic portion seated on the carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the elastic parts 50, 60, and 70 may include the first elastic parts 50 and 60 supporting the upper portion of the wafer 40, and the second elastic parts 50 and 60 supporting the lower portion of the wafer 40. It is composed of an elastic portion (70). In one embodiment of the present invention, the first elastic portion 50, 60 is an elastic portion 50 for supporting the upper left portion of the wafer 40 and the elastic portion 60 for supporting the upper right portion of the wafer 40 ) At this time, the first elastic portion (50, 60) is divided into two for convenience of processing of the elastic portion and the coupling of the elastic portion and the upper container 10, but is not limited to the number.

The elastic parts 50, 60, and 70 are made of an elastic material such as a flexible elastomer or a thermoplastic material.

5A and 5B are side cross-sectional views showing the shape before and after the elastic portion installed in the wafer storage container according to the present invention for fixing the wafer.

Looking at the operation method of the elastic portion 50, 60, 70 of the present invention with reference to Figures 3 to 5b. The first elastic parts 50 and 60 are arranged at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the support center line of the wafer 40. The second elastic portion 70 is disposed below the vertical portion of the wafer 40. That is, the second elastic part 70 supports the lower part of the wafer 40 exposed through the opening 350 (see FIG. 15) formed under the carrier 30.

3, the angle θ formed by each of the first elastic parts 50 and 60 and the second elastic part 70 is preferably about 120 °.

As such, when the wafer is fixed and supported by three elastic parts, the influence on the vertical vibration as well as the horizontal vibration can be reduced. That is, since the first elastic portions 50 and 60 are disposed on the upper side of the wafer 40 and press the wafer 40 in the vertical direction and apply force in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction applied to the wafer 40. Reduces the effects of vibration and horizontal vibration. Also. The second elastic part 70 is disposed below the vertical portion of the wafer 40 to apply a force in the vertical direction to the wafer 40, thereby reducing the influence of the vertical vibration applied to the wafer 40.

Since the action force of the elastic portion is mostly directed in the vertical direction and the action force is weak in the horizontal direction, the problem of the prior art, which is advantageous for the vibration in the vertical direction but disadvantageous in the vibration in the horizontal direction, is solved by the above-described structure of the present invention.

In addition, the elastic portion of the wafer storage container according to the prior art is mainly attached to the upper container. When the storage container is fastened in this structure, the force is mainly applied to the wafer in the elastic part to fix the wafer. That is, since a force is applied to the wafer in a specific direction, the wafer is bent in one direction. However, in the elastic part of the wafer storage container according to the present invention, the wafer is supported by applying a uniform force to the wafer in three directions, thereby preventing the wafer from bending in a specific direction.

In the elastic part of the wafer storage container according to the prior art, a wafer fixing groove corresponding to each wafer is formed. However, in the case of a wafer storage container having a narrow slot spacing of a carrier capable of storing a thin wafer, there is a problem that each wafer 40 is difficult to accurately align with the wafer fixing groove formed in the elastic portion. That is, in the related art, when the upper container is fastened, the wafer may be separated between the wafer fixing groove and the wafer fixing groove without being normally seated in the wafer fixing groove of the elastic portion, and thus the packaging of the container is inconvenient because the wafer is contaminated.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the elastic portions 50, 60, and 70 of the wafer storage container according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention are not provided with wafer fixing grooves corresponding to each wafer 40. However, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the container is fastened, the wafer 40 pushes the elastic parts 50, 60, and 70 outward, and naturally the elastic parts 50 corresponding to each wafer 40. , 60, 70 to form a predetermined wafer fixing groove. Here, the elastic portions 50, 60, and 70 have high elasticity, so that each wafer fixing groove hardly affects other neighboring wafer holding grooves.

In addition, in the conventional case, the width of the wafer holding groove is designed to maximize the width of the elastic portion to prevent the wafer from being seated between the wafer holding groove and the wafer holding groove when the container is fastened. The gap between the wafer holding groove and the wafer holding groove is usually too narrow, such as 0.5 mm, so that there is a problem that the residual moisture must be removed during cleaning or drying after cleaning. In order to solve the problems of the prior art, the elastic parts 50, 60, and 70 of the present invention do not make a wafer fixing groove in advance, and naturally wafer using the high elasticity of the elastic parts 50, 60, and 70 when the container is fastened. By allowing the fixing grooves to be formed, problems caused during cleaning and drying can be solved.

In addition, when the elastic portion having a complicated structure is integrally molded to the wafer storage container, there is a difficulty in manufacturing a mold of the wafer storage container. In the present invention, the elastic portion (50, 60, 70) is formed separately and the elastic portion (50, 60, 70) to be bonded to the upper container 10 and the lower container 20 to be generated during the mold manufacturing Difficulty is reduced.

Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the upper container of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the upper container of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a bottom view of an upper container of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the first elastic parts 50 and 60 are attached to the inner upper cylindrical shape of the upper container 10. The portion where the first elastic portions 50 and 60 contact the wafer is formed in a plane. Here, the first elastic parts 50 and 60 may be formed to have a predetermined curvature in consideration of the curvature of the wafer in contact with the first elastic part 50 and 60.

In order to fasten the upper container 10 and the lower container 20, a lower portion of the upper container 10 is formed with a container coupling portion 120 of the upper container. The container fastening protrusion 110 of the upper container is formed on the inner surface of the container coupling part 120 of the upper container.

9 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the lower container of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a plan view of a lower container of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 and 10, the second elastic portion 70 is attached to the inner lower cylindrical shape of the lower container 20. The portion where the second elastic portion 70 and the wafer contact is formed in a plane. Here, the second elastic portion 70 is preferably formed to have a predetermined curvature in consideration of the curvature of the wafer in contact with it.

In addition, in order to fasten the upper container 10 and the lower container 20, the upper container of the lower container 20 is formed with a container coupling portion 240 of the lower container. The container fastening protrusion 210 of the lower container is formed on the outer surface of the container coupling portion 240 of the lower container.

In addition, the lower container 20 is formed with a carrier guide groove 250 corresponding to the position of the lower plate 330 (see FIG. 14) of the carrier 30. In addition, a carrier guide protrusion 260 is formed at a predetermined portion of the carrier guide groove 250 in order to set the correct position of the carrier 30. A predetermined groove formed in the carrier lower plate 330 and the carrier guide protrusion 260 are engaged to set an accurate position of the carrier 30.

In addition, a container carrying handle 220 is installed at a lower portion of the container coupling part dismantling operation groove 220 in the lower container 20 to facilitate the transport of the wafer storage container 100.

11 to 13 are partial cross-sectional views showing the shape of the container coupling portion of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 to 13, the container fastening protrusion 110 of the upper container and the container fastening protrusion 210 of the lower container face each other by pressing the upper container 10 in the direction of the lower container 20 to fasten the container. Both are fastened. When opening the wafer storage container 100, put a finger into the container coupling part dismantling operation groove 220 designed in the lower container 20 to loosen the fastener and pull out the container coupling part 120 of the upper container to the upper container. (10) is pushed open.

14 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 15 is a plan view illustrating a carrier in a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The carrier 30 is formed of a slot 320 for separating a wafer into sheets, a carrier upper plate 310, and a carrier lower plate 330. A wafer accommodating groove 340 is formed between the slot 320 and the slot 320 where the edge of the wafer is located. A lower carrier opening 350 is formed in the lower part of the carrier 30 so that the second elastic part 70 can support the wafer from the lower part.

As mentioned above, although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention discloses a wafer storage container including an elastic portion having a new structure. The new structure of the present invention makes it easy to design and manufacture molds for wafer storage containers, to effectively protect wafers from external shocks, and to prevent misalignment when storing thin wafers with narrow gaps between slots. When the container is fastened, a force can be applied to the wafer in a uniform direction to prevent warpage in a specific direction of the wafer.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view of a shape in which the upper container, the lower container, and the carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention are assembled.

3 is a front view illustrating a cross section of a shape in which an upper container, a lower container, and a carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention are assembled.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the coupling shape of the wafer and the elastic portion seated on the carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are side cross-sectional views showing the shape before and after the elastic portion installed in the wafer storage container according to the present invention for fixing the wafer.

Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the upper container of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the upper container of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a bottom view of an upper container of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the lower container of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a plan view of a lower container of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 to 13 are partial cross-sectional views showing the shape of the container coupling portion of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the carrier of the wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a plan view illustrating a carrier in a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawing)

10: upper container 20: lower container

30: carrier 40: wafer

50, 60: first elastic portion 70: second elastic portion

100: wafer storage container 110: container fastening protrusion of the upper container

120: container engaging portion of the upper container 210: container fastening protrusion of the lower container

220: container dismantling operation groove 230: container carrying handle

240: container coupling portion of the lower container 250: carrier guide groove

260: carrier guide protrusion 310: carrier top plate

320: slot 330: carrier lower plate

340: wafer receiving groove 350: carrier lower opening

Claims (5)

In a wafer storage container comprising an upper container, a lower container coupled to the lower end of the upper container, and a carrier seated in the lower container to hold a wafer in a sheet, A plurality of first elastic parts disposed on an inner surface of the upper container to support an upper portion of the wafer; And And an elastic part disposed on an inner surface of the lower container, the elastic part including a second elastic part supporting the lower part of the wafer exposed through the opening in the lower part of the carrier. The method of claim 1, The second elastic portion is disposed in the vertical lower portion of the wafer, the first elastic portion is disposed at a position of about 120 ° with respect to the second elastic portion with respect to the support center line of the wafer, respectively, when the wafer is fastened to the container A wafer holding container, characterized in that supported by the elastic portion in three directions. The method of claim 2, The elastic container is a wafer storage container, characterized in that made of a thermoplastic material. The method of claim 3, wherein At least one elastic portion of the first elastic portion and the second elastic portion is a wafer storage container, characterized in that the surface in contact with the wafer is formed in a plane. The method of claim 4, wherein And the carrier comprises a slot, wherein the wafer is divided into sheets by the slot.