KR20160009317A - Wafer cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer cassette. Especially, the present invention is to provide a semiconductor wafer cassette capable of opening and closing a door by selecting the door of a hinged type or a sliding type. For this, according to the present invention, disclosed is the wafer cassette including: a cassette main body which has a number of slots supporting an edge part of both sides of the wafer on opposite inner walls of side plates arranged at a fixed interval on a side with an open front; and the door for opening and closing an aperture of the cassette main body. Guide grooves are formed on an upper part of the opposite inner walls of the side plates along a horizontal direction respectively. A roller is installed at both ends of an upper part of the door so that the door is opened or closed as being slid along the guide groove. A first stopper groove confining the roller is formed on the guide groove at an upper side of the aperture of the cassette main body in order for the door to maintain the aperture of the cassette main body to be closed. A first and a second holding pin are comprised on a lower part of the opposite inner walls of the side plates at a fixed interval. A second stopper groove confining the roller is formed on the guide groove at a fixed interval from the first stopper groove in order for the door to maintain the aperture of the cassette main body to be opened.

Description

Wafer cassette {WAFER CASSETTE}

The present invention relates to a wafer cassette, and more particularly, to a semiconductor wafer cassette capable of opening and closing a door by a hinged door or by a sliding door, if necessary, with good hermeticity and shielding for preventing contamination of the wafer.

Today, semiconductor wafers are becoming larger and denser in order to improve productivity, reduce defects, and reduce manufacturing costs. As the size of the wafer becomes larger and the thickness becomes thinner, the productivity can be increased and the manufacturing cost can be lowered, but also various problems are accompanied.

For example, scratches, bending and breakage due to mechanical contact during storage or transportation, or contamination by particles are typical examples.

Particularly in the semiconductor industry, particle contamination is perceived as the single most serious cause of yield loss.

In recent years, as the degree of integration of semiconductors increases, the size of particles causing contamination is also minimized to nano units.

Generally, wafers are transported or transported in a wafer cassette in 20 to 25 units in a semiconductor manufacturing line in a clean room environment. When the wafer is processed with particles attached thereto, The etch pattern is poor and the reliability of the product is deteriorated. Therefore, it is very important to design the wafer cassette so as to minimize contamination by particles.

Various wafer cassettes having a structure for lowering the possibility of contamination by particles or the like by making the wafer isolated, and for preventing the wafer from being released to the outside during transportation have been proposed.

For example, the opening and closing type substrate loading cassette disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1166704 includes a shutter receiving space (not shown) in which the remaining portion except the first inlet 131 at the front is shielded as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 A cassette main body 100 having a substrate storage space 140 which is isolated at a lower portion of the shutter storage space 130 and in which a remaining portion except for the second inlet 141 at the front is shielded, A shutter 200 accommodated in the shutter accommodating space 130 or capable of blocking the first and second inlets of the shutter accommodating space 130; A guide rail 300 formed on both sides for guiding movement of the shutter, and a shutter driving unit 400 for automatically opening and closing the shutter 200.

However, this is disadvantageous in that the structure is very complicated due to the nature of the shutter system, which leads to a disadvantage that the manufacturing cost is high, and that the operation time for opening and closing is considerably long.

As another example, the sealed cassette for a substrate disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-145269 includes a support having a holding groove (9) for holding a substrate (wafer) at predetermined intervals as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, A cassette body 1 in which a member 4 is provided so as to face the inner wall surface and on the front surface of which a tray opening 3 is formed and a lid 2 for opening and closing the opening 3 of the cassette body by sliding operation A slide rail 5 for guiding the opening and closing operation of the lid 2 in the vertical direction on both side surfaces of the opening 3 of the cassette body and a slide rail 5 for supporting the slide rail 5 on both sides of the lid 2. [ And a roller bearing 16 that rolls along the roller bearing 16.

4, when the lid body 2 is lifted and lowered along the guide groove 15 of the slide rail 5 by the roller bearing 16 and the opening 3 of the cassette body is opened and closed by a sliding door There is an inconvenience and limitation in the use of the lid body 2 that can not be opened or closed in case of inserting or inspecting wafers in a state in which a plurality of cassette bodies 1 are stacked in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2003-0061638 (July 22, 2003) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2004-0016977 (Feb. 25, 2004) Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1166704 (July 19, 2012) Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1229042 (Feb. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-145269 (May 28, 1999)

Accordingly, the present inventor has considered the above-mentioned matters and emphasized the limitations and problem solving of the existing technology, so that the door has excellent hermeticity and shielding ability to prevent contamination of the wafer by the particles, and the door can be opened / So that the wafer can be easily and easily inserted and removed according to the working environment or the conditions. As a result, the inventors of the present invention have invented the present invention as a result of diligent research.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wafer cassette which can be opened or closed by a hinged or sliding door.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) And a door which selectively opens and closes the opening of the cassette main body, wherein guide grooves are formed horizontally on upper portions of the inner wall surfaces of the side plates opposite to each other, The roller is mounted on both ends of the upper portion of the door so as to be opened and closed while being slid along the guide groove of the cassette body so that the door is kept closed with the opening of the cassette body, A first stopper groove for selectively restricting the side plates is formed, The first and second holding pins for selectively restricting both ends of the lower portion of the door 20 at regular intervals below the inner wall surface of the door 20, And a second stopper groove for selectively restricting the movement of the roller at a predetermined interval from the first stopper groove is formed on the groove.

As a result, the door can be easily and easily opened and closed by sliding the opening of the cassette main body while the door is slidingly moved in accordance with the guide of the roller and the guide groove, and also can be opened / can do.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the door is provided at both ends of the lower portion of the door such that the door is rotated about the roller and both lower ends of the door are inserted between the first holding pin and the second holding pin, An interference preventing groove is formed to prevent contact interference with the first holding pin when the first holding pin is rotated about the first stopper groove, and a holding guide groove is formed on the guide groove above the first stopper groove so that the roller can be elevated at a predetermined height .

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the roller is mounted at both ends of the upper portion of the door so as to be slid along the guide groove perpendicularly to the side plates and at a predetermined distance from the rotary shaft, The first and second stopper grooves are positioned inward at a predetermined distance from the inner wall surface of the side plates, and the guide groove, the first and second stoppers A shaft guide having a width smaller than that of the roller and larger than a diameter of the rotation shaft may be formed.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove, the first and second stopper grooves, and the shaft guide may be formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the cassette body so that the door is horizontally placed on the upper surface of the cassette body have.

The present invention having the means and components for solving the above technical problems is characterized in that the door can be opened or closed in a hinged manner or a sliding door type according to a need for a working environment or conditions, The door stably maintains the open state without protruding from the cassette body, so that convenience and usability as well as efficiency can be greatly improved in the semiconductor manufacturing process due to the receipt and confirmation of wafers and the like.

1 and 2 are perspective views showing an example of a wafer cassette according to a conventional technique.
3 is a perspective view showing another example of a wafer cassette according to a conventional technique.
Fig. 4 is a local sectional view showing the operating state of Fig. 3. Fig.
5 is a perspective view showing a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention, partially exploded. FIG.
7 is a front sectional view showing a local portion of a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a local portion of a door of a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention in a closed state.
9 is a side cross-sectional view showing a local portion of a door of a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention in an open state.
10 is a local sectional view showing an operating state for opening the door of the wafer cassette in a closed state according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Prior to this, the following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and they are to be construed to mean concepts that are consistent with the technical idea of the present invention and interpretations that are commonly or commonly understood in the technical field of the present invention.

In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

The accompanying drawings are exaggerated or simplified to illustrate and explain the structure and operation of the present invention in order to facilitate understanding and clarity, and it should be understood that each component does not exactly coincide with the actual size.

In the following description, the direction of the opening of the cassette main body in which the wafer is put in and out is defined as the front, and the direction opposite to the opening is defined as the rear.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the wafer cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a cassette body 10 and a door 20.

In the cassette body 10, openings are formed to open and close the wafers, and slots 12 for supporting both side edges of the wafers are formed on opposite inner wall surfaces of the side plates 11, And a large number of them are formed at regular intervals in the vertical direction.

For example, the slots 12 may be formed in pairs of 20 to 25 on each of the opposite inner wall surfaces of the side plates 11.

The cassette body 10 includes an upper frame 17 for connecting and fixing upper portions of the opposite inner wall surfaces of the side plates 11 and a lower frame 14 for connecting and fixing the lower portions of the opposite inner wall surfaces of the side plates 11 And a cover plate 19 integrally formed with the upper surface and the lower surface and the rear surface is coupled and fixed between the side plates 11 and the upper and lower frames 17 and 14. Thus, And the remaining surface is formed as a hermetically closed, square cylinder.

The upper frame 17 is provided with a knob 18 for allowing the cassette body 10 to be easily and easily lifted up and down relative to the upper frame 17.

Here, the cover plate 19 is preferably formed of a polycarbonate material or an anti-static acryl which has characteristics such as mechanical properties, impact resistance, weather resistance, heat resistance and transparency, and is excellent in flexibility and workability, It may be formed of an engineering plastic material such as polyamide resin in which carbon fiber and glass fiber are combined to prevent the wafer from being visually recognized from the outside and to prevent the generation of metal dust or adhesion of particles due to static electricity.

A guide groove 13 guiding the opening and closing of the opening of the cassette main body 10 is formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the cassette main body 10 at the upper portion of the inner wall surface of the side plates 11, Respectively, so as to have a predetermined length in the horizontal direction.

In other words, the guide groove 13 serves as a rail for guiding the load of the door 20 to be guided by the rolling motion of the roller 21 in a smooth rolling motion.

The door 20 is formed in a flat plate shape corresponding to the opening of the cassette body 10 so as to selectively open and close the opening of the cassette body 10. Slides along the guide groove 13 at both ends of the door 20, And a roller 21 is mounted so as to be operable.

That is, the door 20 is formed so as to be in tight airtight contact with the opening of the cassette body 10 in order to ensure the sealing and shielding properties of the inside of the cassette body 10 when the opening of the cassette body 10 is closed.

The roller 21 is spaced at a predetermined interval by both ends of the upper portion of the door 20 and the rotary shaft 25 so that the door 20 can be slidably moved along the guide groove 13 perpendicularly to the side plates 11 And is mounted.

Here, the roller 21 may adopt a structure in which a lubricant metal bearing is inserted in the outer surface of the synthetic resin by means of insert injection or the like so that the roller 21 can roll freely against the door 20 by bearing action for smooth sliding movement.

The door 20 is preferably formed of a polycarbonate material which is projected from the outside so as to facilitate visual confirmation of the wafer from the outside, and which prevents adhesion of particles due to static electricity.

The front surface of the door 20 may be provided with a door knob 29 for facilitating the opening and closing operations.

5 to 10, the height of the door 20 is shown as being larger than the distance between the upper surface of the cassette body 10 and the upper surface of the side plate 11. However, It is of course possible to stably stack other wafer cassettes by forming the door 20 so that the height of the door 20 is smaller than the distance between the upper surface of the cassette body 10 and the upper surface of the side plate 11. [

7 to 9, the door 20 is vertically erected so as to stably maintain the closed state of the opening of the cassette main body 10, and is positioned above the opening of the cassette body 10 A first stopper groove 13a for selectively restricting the movement of the roller 21 is formed on the guide groove 13 and is provided at a lower portion of the inner wall surface of the side plate 11 opposite to the door plate 11, And first and second holding pins 31 and 32 for selectively restricting both ends of the lower portion.

That is, the first stopper groove 13a restricts the movement of the roller 21 so that the roller 21 is rotated and can only move up to a certain range, and the first and second holding pins 31 ( 32 are brought into contact with both sides of both lower end edges of the door 20 so that the door 20 is prevented from moving in the front and rear direction of the cassette body 10 in the state where the opening of the cassette body 10 is closed, .

A second stopper groove (not shown) for selectively restraining the movement of the roller 21 is provided on the guide groove 13 in order to stably maintain the state in which the door 20 is laid horizontally and the opening of the cassette body 10 is opened. 13b are formed at regular intervals from the first stopper groove 13a.

The second stopper groove 13b is formed below the end of the guide groove 13 in the direction opposite to the first stopper groove 13a in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 13 and restricts the movement of the roller 21, The door 20 is moved in the front and rear direction of the cassette body 10 in a state in which the opening of the cassette body 10 is opened and horizontally placed on the upper surface of the cassette body 10 .

It is also possible to rotate the roller 21 around the roller 21 to open the door 20 in a state where the roller 21 is restrained in the first stopper groove 13a as shown in Fig. So that both ends of the lower portion are inserted between the first holding pin 31 and the second holding pin 32 when the roller 20 is rotated about the roller 21 to close the door 20, An interference preventing groove 22 for preventing contact interference with the first holding pin 31 is formed and on the guide groove 13 on the upper side of the first stopper groove 13a, A holding guide groove 13c is formed.

The guide grooves 13 and the first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b are formed in the side plate 11 so that the door 20 is slidably moved along the guide grooves 13 in the vertical direction with respect to the side plates 11. [ Guide grooves 13 are formed in the inner wall surfaces of the side plates 11 opposite to both sides of the door 20 so as to guide the movement of the rotary shaft 25, A shaft guide 40 communicating with the first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b and having a vertical width smaller than the diameter of the roller 21 and larger than the diameter of the rotary shaft 25 is formed.

That is, when the door 20 is slid obliquely without being perpendicular to the side plates 11 when slidingly opening and closing the door 20, contact and frictional interference due to collision between the roller 21 and the guide groove 13 Since the opening and closing operation is not performed smoothly, it can be minimized through guidance between the rotary shaft 25 and the shaft guide 40. [

The first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b and the shaft guide 40 are formed at positions higher than the upper surface of the cassette body 10 so that the door 20 is horizontally placed on the upper surface of the cassette body 10. [ .

As shown in FIG. 10, the door 20 may be separated from the door 20 in a state in which the roller 21 of the door 20 is inserted into the guide groove 13 so that the opening / closing operation of the door 20 may be more stably performed. It is of course also possible to fix the releasing-preventing region 50 to the side plates 11 in such a manner as to close the open end of the guide groove 13.

A door opening / closing operation of the wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

8, when the door 20 is opened in a closed state in a closed state, the door knob 29 is held as shown in FIG. 10, and the door 20 is slightly lifted upward from the cassette body 10, The roller 21 is positioned out of the first stopper groove 13a and both ends of the lower portion of the door 20 are positioned outside the first and second holding pins 31 and 32. Therefore, 20 can be quickly released from being restrained by the first stopper groove 13a and the first and second holding pins 31,

At this time, the interference preventing groove 22 formed at the lower both end corner portion of the door 20 and the holding guide groove 13c formed at the position facing the first stopper groove 13a on the guide groove 13, Smoothly and smoothly rotates frontward about the roller 21, so that the state of being restrained by the first stopper groove 13b and the first and second holding pins 31 and 32 can be easily Can be released.

On the other hand, when the door 20 is closed in the open state, the door 20 is rotated around the roller 21 in a state where the roller 21 is positioned to be inserted into the first stopper groove 13b The door 20 is pushed rearward while slightly lifting up the cassette body 10 by holding the door knob 29 before the both ends of the lower portion are brought into contact with the first holding pin 31, The state constrained by the groove 13a and the first and second holding pins 31 and 32 can be naturally maintained.

At this time, it passes through the interference preventing groove 22 formed at the lower both end corner of the door 20 without interference with the first holding pin 31. When the door knob 29 is placed thereafter, The lower portion of the door 20 is restrained by the first and second holding pins 31 and 32.

Therefore, the door 20 is vertically erected so as to close the opening of the cassette body 10, and in this way, the locked state is stably maintained, so that the door 20 can be prevented from opening automatically without the intention of the operator.

On the other hand, when the door 20 is opened in a slidable manner in a closed state, the door 20 is pulled upward while slightly lifting up the cassette body 10 by holding the door knob 29 as shown in FIG. 10, The first stopper groove 13b and the first and second holding pins 31 and 32 can be released.

In this state, when the door 20 is rotated about the roller 21 and is lifted slightly upward to be horizontal with the upper surface of the cassette body 10, the door 20 is pushed rearward of the cassette body 10, So that the roller 21 is restrained in the second stopper groove 13b.

At this time, the roller 21 smoothly slides along the guide groove 13 and is inserted into the second stopper groove 13b. At the same time, the door 20 is rotated about the roller 21 by its own weight And is naturally held on the upper surface of the cassette body 10 while rotating.

Thereafter, when the door 20 is closed normally, the roller 21 is released from the second stopper groove 13b when the door 20 is slightly lifted by holding the door knob 29. In this state, when the door 20 is pulled forward The roller 21 is slid along the guide groove 13 and positioned on the first stopper groove 13a so that the roller 21 is naturally inserted into the first stopper groove 13a by its own weight .

In this state, the door 20 is rotated backward around the roller 21 and the door knob 29 is held by the door knob 29 before both ends of the lower portion are brought into contact with the first holding pin 31, The door 20 can naturally hold the restrained state by the first stopper groove 13a and the first and second holding pins 31 and 32. [

At this time, it passes through the interference preventing groove 22 formed at the lower both end corner of the door 20 without interference with the first holding pin 31. When the door knob 29 is placed thereafter, The lower portion of the door 20 is restrained by the first and second holding pins 31 and 32.

As described above, the wafer cassette according to the embodiment of the present invention is excellent in hermeticity and shielding property and can effectively prevent contamination of wafers by particles and the like, and the operator can open or close the door 20 by a hinged or sliding door Therefore, it can be changed appropriately according to the situation or conditions. Therefore, not only the convenience and usability of the wafer inserting and confirming operations in the semiconductor manufacturing process can be greatly improved, but also a plurality of wafers can be conveniently stacked and stacked, thereby improving the work and space efficiency as well as the convenience.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments or constructions. Various changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be widely applied to other embodiments.

Therefore, it is to be understood that modifications and variations of the features of the present invention are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

10: cassette body 11: side plate
12: Slot 13: Guide groove
13a: first stopper groove 13b: second stopper groove
13c: Holding guide groove 14: Lower frame
17: upper frame 18: handle
19: cover plate 20: door
21: roller 22: interference prevention groove
25: rotation shaft 29: door knob
31: first holding pin 32: second holding pin
40: Axis guide 50: Release room earth

Claims (4)

A cassette body 10 in which a plurality of slots 12 for supporting both edge portions of the wafer are formed on opposed inner wall surfaces of side plates 11 which are open at the front and spaced laterally at predetermined intervals, And a door (20) for opening and closing the opening of the wafer cassette,
Guide grooves 13 are formed in the horizontal direction above the opposite inner wall surfaces of the side plates 11,
The rollers 21 are mounted on both ends of the upper portion of the door 20 so that the doors 20 open and close while sliding along the guide grooves 13,
The movement of the roller 21 is selectively restrained on the guide groove 13 on the upper side of the opening of the cassette body 10 so that the door 20 keeps the opening of the cassette body 10 closed The first and second holding pins 13a and 13b are formed at the lower end of the door 20 so as to selectively restrict the lower ends of the doors 20 31) 32,
The movement of the roller 21 at a predetermined interval from the first stopper groove 13a is performed on the guide groove 13 so that the door 20 keeps the opening of the cassette body 10 open And a second stopper groove (13b) for selective restraint is formed.
The method according to claim 1,
When the door 20 rotates around the roller 21 and both lower ends of the door 20 are inserted between the first holding pin 31 and the second holding pin 32, Interference preventing grooves 22 are formed at both lower ends of the door 20 to prevent contact interference,
Wherein a holding guide groove (13c) is formed on the guide groove (13) above the first stopper groove (13a) such that the roller (21) can be moved upward at a predetermined height.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The roller 21 is rotated by the upper end of the door 20 and the rotating shaft 25 by a predetermined amount so that the door 20 is slid along the guide groove 13 perpendicularly to the side plates 11. [ Which are mounted at intervals,
The guide groove 13 and the first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b are positioned inward at a predetermined interval from the inner wall surface of the side plates 11,
The first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b are communicated with the guide groove 13 and the first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b to guide the movement of the rotation shaft 25 to the inner wall surface of the side plates 11, 21. The wafer cassette according to claim 1, wherein the shaft guide (40) is smaller than the diameter of the rotary shaft (25).
The method of claim 3,
The guide groove 13, the first and second stopper grooves 13a and 13b and the shaft guide 40 are fixed to the cassette body 10 such that the door 20 is horizontally placed on the upper surface of the cassette body 10. [ Is formed at a position higher than the upper surface of the main body (10).

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