KR20240132006A - Method for packing and transporting a bag, a sealed container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packing body for packing a sealed storage container comprising a container body in which wafers are stored and a cover body, comprising: a light body in which the sealed storage container is stored; a container box having a cover of the light body; and a cushioning material disposed in the container box and used to hold the sealed storage container, the cushioning material having a plurality of protruding retaining portions for holding the periphery of the upper surface of the cover body of the sealed storage container. Accordingly, when storing a wafer in a sealed storage container and further packing and transporting the sealed storage container in the container box, a packing body, a packing method for a sealed storage container, and a transport method for a sealed storage container are provided, which minimize the influence of a shock applied to the container box on the wafer.

Description

Method for packing and transporting a bag, a sealed container

The present invention relates to a packaging body used when additionally storing and packaging a sealed container for storing wafers such as semiconductor wafers, a packaging method for the sealed container, and a transportation method.

For example, when transporting semiconductor wafers such as silicon, the wafers are stored in sealed containers such as FOSB (Front Opening Shipping Box) or FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), and these sealed containers are then transported by additionally placing them in an outer packaging material such as a container box.

The sealed storage container has a structure that is not affected by the outside air by having a lid body, a container body, and a resin packing between them. These sealed storage containers are sealed and stored in a polyethylene bag or a moisture-proof bag that is additionally laminated with an aluminum layer. The sealed storage container is stored in a container box that is formed with an outer perimeter made of paper or resin cardboard by sandwiching a structure formed by molding a resin sheet or a cushioning material formed by molding a resin foam material (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

The problem with transportation using conventional container boxes is that, as a means of transportation, means such as airplanes, ships, and trucks are combined, and shocks and vibrations are applied during these transportations. When semiconductor wafers are actually checked at the customer's location and stored in these sealed containers, some of the wafers are damaged or come out of a predetermined groove in the sealed container, and this is because the container box may have received a strong shock such as a collision or drop. In addition, there are cases where the number of particles on the surface of semiconductor wafers in the sealed container abnormally increases compared to the time of shipment, and there are cases where resin from the wafer holding portion of the sealed container sticks to the edge of the wafer.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-055794 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-016549 International Publication No. 2015/037136

The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has as its object the provision of a packaging body, a packaging method for a sealed storage container, and a transportation method for a sealed storage container, which minimize the impact on wafers caused by a shock applied to a container box when storing wafers in a sealed storage container and further packing and transporting the sealed storage container in a container box.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a packaging body for packaging a sealed storage container comprising a container body in which wafers are stored and a cover body,

A container box having a light body in which the above sealed storage container is stored and a cover for the light body,

It is placed inside this container box and has a cushioning material for maintaining the sealed container.

The above-mentioned cushioning material provides a bag having a plurality of protruding retaining portions for retaining the periphery of the upper surface of the cover of the sealed storage container.

With this type of packaging, when storing wafers in a sealed container and further packing and transporting the sealed container in a container box, the impact of the impact applied to the container box on the wafer can be minimized. Therefore, it is possible to prevent breakage or detachment of the wafer, and to reduce an abnormal increase in particles on the wafer surface or adhesion of resin of the wafer holding portion to the wafer edge portion compared to the time of shipment.

In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable to additionally provide a first vibration absorbing material made of a foamed urethane sheet arranged between the cushioning material and the cover within the container box, and a second vibration absorbing material made of a gel-like sheet arranged between the cushioning material and the bottom of the light body.

With this type of packaging, when storing wafers in a sealed container and further packaging and transporting the sealed container in a container box, the influence of vibrations applied to the container box on the wafers can be minimized.

In addition, in the present invention, a method for packing a sealed storage container comprising a container body in which a wafer is stored and a cover body is provided,

A container box having a light body in which the above sealed storage container is stored and a cover for the light body,

Prepare a cushioning material that is placed inside the container box and maintains the sealed container,

A method for packing a sealed container is provided, in which the upper surface of the lid of the sealed container is maintained by a plurality of protruding retaining portions of the cushioning material within the container box.

With this method of packing a sealed container, when storing a wafer in a sealed container and further packing and transporting the sealed container in a container box, the impact applied to the container box on the wafer can be minimized. In addition, breakage or detachment of the wafer can be prevented, and compared to the time of shipment, an abnormal increase in particles on the surface of the wafer and adhesion of resin of the wafer holding portion to the edge of the wafer can be reduced.

In addition, in the present invention, a first vibration absorbing material made of a foamed urethane sheet is additionally placed between the cushioning material and the cover within the container box,

It is preferable to place a second vibration absorbing material made of a gel sheet between the above-mentioned cushioning material and the bottom of the light body.

With this method of packing a sealed container, when storing a wafer in a sealed container and further packing and transporting the sealed container in a container box, the influence of vibrations applied to the container box on the wafer can be minimized.

In addition, in the present invention, a method for transporting a sealed container comprising a container body in which a wafer is stored and a cover body is provided,

A method for transporting a sealed storage container is provided, which comprises packing the sealed storage container by the packing method described above and transporting the packed sealed storage container.

This method of transporting a sealed container is a method of transporting a sealed container that can minimize the impact and vibration on the wafers applied to the container box when transporting the sealed container.

In the case of the bale of the present invention, since the protruding holding portion of the cushioning material is arranged at a position to hold the periphery of the sealed storage container, when storing a wafer in the sealed storage container and further packing and transporting the sealed storage container in a container box, the influence of the impact applied to the container box on the wafer can be minimized, and breakage or detachment of the wafer, abnormal increase in particles, and adhesion of resin to the edge of the wafer can be prevented.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bag of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the cushioning material of the bag of the present invention as viewed from below.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the side retaining portion of the cushioning material of the bag of the present invention.
Figure 4 is an explanatory drawing showing the positional relationship between the protrusion-shaped retaining portion and the side retaining portion as seen from time point P of Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 5 is a drawing showing an example of a sealed storage container.
Figure 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a packing method and a transport method of a bale of an embodiment.
Figure 7 is a graph showing wafer surface defect evaluation.
Figure 8 is a graph showing wafer edge defect evaluation.
Figure 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional bag.

As described above, when storing wafers in a sealed container and further packing and transporting the sealed container in a container box, there has been a demand for the development of a packing body, a packing method for the sealed container, and a transport method for the sealed container that minimize the impact on the wafers caused by the impact applied to the container box.

The inventors of the present invention, after careful examination of the above-mentioned problem, have discovered that if the cushioning material inside the container box is a package having a plurality of protruding retaining portions for retaining the periphery of the upper surface of the cover of the sealed storage container, impact on the wafer can be suppressed, thereby completing the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 5 is a typical sealed storage container (FOSB or FOUP) that is a target for packaging with the present invention. The sealed storage container (5) is composed of a container body (5a) in which wafers are stored and a cover body (5b).

[Gonpoche]

Fig. 1 shows a package (10) according to the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the package (10), and here, a sealed container (5) to be packaged is also shown. The package (10) shown in Fig. 1 is a package (10) for packaging a sealed container (5), and comprises a light body (3b) in which the sealed container (5) is stored, a container box (2) having a cover (3a) of the light body (3b), and a cushioning material (1) arranged in the container box (2) and holding the sealed container (5). The cushioning material (1) has a plurality of protruding retaining portions (6a) for holding the periphery of the upper surface of the cover body of the sealed container (5). Here, furthermore, it is preferable to provide a first vibration absorbing material (4b) made of a foamed urethane sheet arranged between the cushioning material (1) and the cover (3a) within the container box (2), and a second vibration absorbing material (4a) made of a gel-like sheet arranged between the cushioning material (1) and the bottom of the light body (3b).

The cushioning material (1) used in the bale (10) of the present invention may have the above-described protruding retaining portion at the location where the cover of the sealed storage container (5) is held. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, in the bale arrangement of two tiers of sealed storage containers (5) in the upper and lower tiers, a first cushioning material (1a) having a plurality of protruding retaining portions for the upper sealed storage container (5), a second cushioning material (1b) having a plurality of protruding retaining portions for the lower sealed storage container and further having a wall facing the cover of the upper sealed storage container (the bottom wall of the container body that becomes the lower side when packed), and a third cushioning material (1c) holding the wall facing the cover of the lower sealed storage container are provided, and these are held by interposing from the upper and lower sides.

Here, the effectiveness of the protruding retaining portion of the buffer material (1) in the present invention is described in detail while explaining the conventional bales and their problems.

The inventors of the present invention have conducted thorough studies on a method for preventing, when transporting wafers manufactured by a wafer manufacturer to a shipping destination, wafer breakage such as cracking or breaking, or groove separation, an increase in particles on the wafer surface, and resin sticking due to contact friction with a holding portion of a resin wafer pressed against a sealed storage container due to impact from dropping or collision within a sealed storage container.

When transporting wafers, it is thought that the shock that causes cracks, breaks, etc. of the wafers or causes them to come off the groove within the sealed container is a force received from all six sides (up, down, left, right, front, back, and forth) of the sealed container. Accordingly, by maintaining the sealed container with a cushioning material (in particular, by inserting it from above and below with the cushioning material and maintaining the six sides in the up, down, left, right, front, and back), even if an impact is received from the six sides in the up, down, left, right, front, and back, the cushioning material can absorb the impact.

A conventional package (110) is shown in Fig. 9. The conventional package (110) comprises a sealed container (15), a body (13) in which the sealed container (15) is stored, a container box having a cover (12) of the body (13), a cushioning material (11), a first vibration absorbing material (14b) arranged between the cushioning material (11) and the cover (12), and a second vibration absorbing material (14a) arranged between the cushioning material (11) and the bottom of the body (13). In the conventional package (110) shown in Fig. 9, when the retaining portion of the cushioning material (11) is arranged on the entire surface of the cover of the sealed container (15) or on the center side of the cover, the resin cover is deformed and bent when the vicinity of the center of the cover is pressed by the aforementioned impact. It was found that a sealed structure is formed by packing between the lid of the sealed storage container (15) and the main body of the container, and that the lid is pressed and bent, causing the pressure inside the sealed storage container (15) to fluctuate, causing air to enter and exit, and causing an increase in particles on the surface of the wafer. Furthermore, a resin press is provided as a retaining member on the inside of the lid of the sealed storage container (15) so that the wafer to be stored does not move, and the wafer is structured to be pressed by this resin press. It was found that the resin lid of the sealed storage container (15) is deformed and bent by the aforementioned impact, causing the resin to stick to the retaining member at the edge of the wafer by pressing the resin press.

In contrast, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of protruding retaining members (6a) for supporting the door (upper surface of the lid) of the sealed storage container are arranged on the periphery of the lid of the sealed storage container (5) (for details, refer to the explanation using FIG. 4 described later). FIG. 2 is an explanatory drawing of the cushioning material (1a) (buffering material (1b)) as viewed from below. With respect to the cushioning material, diagonal lines are drawn only on the lower surface thereof, the protruding retaining members (6a) for supporting the periphery of the lid of the sealed storage container, and the side retaining members (6b) for supporting the side surfaces of the container body and the lid described later. The part where the vicinity of the lid of the sealed storage container is inserted is formed as a concave part (white in FIG. 2), and the black part at the center of this concave part is a cut-out space for reducing the material and weight of the cushioning material. A line showing the position of the side of the container body at the time of packing is also drawn so that the positional relationship with the sealed storage container can be easily understood.

In this way, the plurality of protruding retaining members (6a) that maintain the upper surface of the door (lid) of the sealed storage container prevent the resin door of the sealed storage container from deforming and warping by maintaining the peripheral portion of the lid, so that the resin pressing of the door portion of the sealed storage container does not excessively press the wafer, and the sticking of the resin of the pressing to the edge of the wafer is reduced.

Furthermore, in the cushioning material, since the protruding retaining portion is positioned not at the position (inner) for retaining the door on the door (upper) surface of the sealed storage container, but at the position (outer) for retaining the peripheral edge (container body side) of the sealed storage container, the impact is not transmitted to the vicinity of the center of the door of the sealed storage container, so the door is not pressed or returned, and since there is no entry or exit of air due to pressure fluctuations inside the sealed storage container caused by the door being pressed, the attachment of particles to wafers accommodated in the sealed storage container is reduced.

As is clear from the above description, the bag of the present invention is characterized in that the protruding retaining portion of the cushioning material is arranged at a position to retain the periphery of the upper surface of the lid of the sealed storage container on the upper surface of the lid of the sealed storage container. Therefore, other configurations are not particularly limited, and conventionally known configurations can be used.

Meanwhile, the number of protruding retaining members (6a) may be plural and is not particularly limited. In the example shown in Fig. 2, one (total of four) is provided to contact each side of the upper surface of the cover body. It can be determined according to the size of the sealed storage container, etc., and the upper limit is not determined. Furthermore, the size and shape of the protruding retaining members (6a) are not limited and can be determined appropriately.

Below, other components are described in more detail.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the cushioning material (1) used in the bag of the present invention may have a plurality of side retaining portions (6b) (protruding) for retaining the side surface of the sealed storage container (5). Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the side retaining portions of the cushioning material (1a). The container body of the sealed storage container is also illustrated for reference. Here, the side retaining portions (6b) are two per side (a total of eight), but their number, size, and shape are not particularly limited. Due to retention by these side retaining portions, the sealed storage container can be suppressed from moving horizontally.

The positional relationship of the protruding retaining portion (6a) and the side retaining portion (6b) is shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an explanatory drawing as viewed from point P of Figs. 1 and 2. More specifically, it is an enlarged view of the vicinity of an example (6a1) of the protruding retaining portion (6a) and an example (6b1) of the side retaining portion (the location surrounded by the ellipse in Fig. 2) as viewed from point P. As shown in Fig. 4, the present invention comprises a protruding retaining portion (6a) that supports a peripheral portion of the upper surface of a lid body of a sealed storage container (5), and a side retaining portion (6b) that supports the peripheral portions of the sides of the container body (5a) and the lid body (5b) of the sealed storage container (5).

Meanwhile, in Fig. 1, the protruding retaining portion appears to be in a position to hold the central portion of the cover body. However, it is holding the front peripheral portion of the cover body. That is, Fig. 1 corresponds to a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the location of the protruding retaining portion (6a1) in Fig. 2, and is actually in a position to hold the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the cover body as shown in Fig. 2.

The body and cover of the container box for transportation can be formed into a box shape using, for example, a plastic corrugated board in which a flat sheet (liner) and a wavy sheet (medium) are bonded using a resin such as polypropylene. The cover of the container box can have a structure in which a groove is formed and fitted into the body, or the cover can be formed to have a size slightly larger than the body, and a surface fastener bonded to the outer surface of the body and the inner side of the cover can be placed at the same time as the cover is put on. In addition, in order to prevent the cover of the container box from coming off when an impact or the like is applied, the cover and body of the container box can be tied together with a string or a resin belt.

Buffering materials are materials that cushion the impact on sealed containers and, further, wafers. As buffering materials, materials molded from foam materials using resins such as polyethylene or polystyrene as raw materials can be used.

The first vibration absorber and the second vibration absorber are members that absorb vibration to a sealed storage container and, further, to a wafer. As the first vibration absorber and the second vibration absorber, a member formed of a foam material using a resin such as polyurethane as a raw material, or a member formed of a gel-like vibration absorber in a sheet shape can be used. The gel-like vibration absorber can be a rubber gel such as viscoelastic rubber or silicone rubber, a silicone gel in which quartz particles, glass particles, alumina particles, etc. are mixed and dispersed in silicone oil, or a cellulose gel in which cellulose fibers are mixed and dispersed in water, oil, or silicone oil. In addition, the second vibration absorber is formed of a gel-like vibration absorber in a sheet shape, and the thickness can be made thin due to the height of its vibration absorbing property, but since the specific gravity is much heavier than that of polyurethane, it is preferable to arrange it between the bottom of the body and the cushioning material. The first vibration absorbing material is preferably made of a polyurethane material, particularly a foamed urethane sheet, and is placed between the cover and the cushioning material due to the lightness of the material, thereby reducing the work required to store and remove the sealed container. By using these vibration absorbing materials, vibrations can be absorbed, and abnormal increases in particles, etc., and adhesion of resin to the wafer holding portion at the edge can be suppressed.

In addition, the thickness of the polyurethane, gel-like vibration absorber is preferably 5 mm or more. In addition, the area of the vibration absorber that comes into contact with the cushioning material and the container box is preferably at least half the area of the cushioning material, the bottom part of the body, and the cover (top surface), and it is more preferably the same area.

In particular, with respect to the first vibration absorber placed between the cushioning material and the cover, the height inserted by the cushioning material may vary with respect to the height of the light body depending on the type of sealed container used. Therefore, by appropriately combining vibration absorbers with different thicknesses and appropriately adjusting the thickness of the entire vibration absorber, it is possible to achieve a state where there is no gap or protrusion.

In the bag, as shown in Fig. 1, it is preferable that no space (gap) be provided between the cushioning material and each vibration absorbing material, between each vibration absorbing material and the light body (bottom) and cover, and between the cushioning material and the light body side surface. Accordingly, shock and vibration to the sealed storage container and further to the wafer can be further suppressed.

The type and number of sealed containers to be packed in the bag according to the present invention, and the wafers to be stored in the sealed containers are not particularly limited. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the sealed container may be FOSB, the number of wafers to be stored may be 12, and the wafers may be silicon wafers having a diameter of 300 mm.

[Packing method for sealed containers]

In addition, a method for packaging the sealed storage container of the present invention is described.

First, prepare a container box having a light body and a cover, as shown in Fig. 1-4, and cushioning materials (1a to 1c). At this time, it is good to additionally prepare a first vibration absorbing material and a second vibration absorbing material.

Then, in the container box, a first vibration absorbing material is placed between the cushioning material and the cover, and a second vibration absorbing material made of a gel-like sheet is placed between the cushioning material and the bottom of the body, while the upper peripheral part of the cover of the sealed storage container is held by a plurality of protruding retaining parts (6a) of the cushioning material (1a, 1b), and the sealed storage container is packed.

[Transportation method of sealed containers]

In addition, a method for transporting the sealed storage container of the present invention is described.

A sealed storage container can be packed using the packing method described above, and the packed sealed storage container can be transported.

There is no particular limitation on the means of transportation for sealed containers, and for example, trucks or aircraft can be used.

Example

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described using examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[Example]

Based on the flow chart shown in Fig. 6, the manufactured wafers were stored in sealed storage containers, and the sealed storage containers were packaged. Specifically, 300 silicon wafers having a diameter of 300 mm were prepared, 25 wafers were stored in one sealed storage container (FOSB), and a total of 300 wafers were stored in 12 sealed storage containers. A second vibration absorbing material (4a) and a third cushioning material (1c) were arranged inside the light body of the container box, and six sealed storage containers were arranged as the lower part thereon. Then, on the structure of the second cushioning material (1b) having a thickness of 25 mm or more, six sealed storage containers were arranged as the upper part, and further, a first cushioning material (1a) and a first vibration absorbing material (4b) were arranged, so that a total of 12 sealed storage containers were packaged, and a cover (3a) was placed on the light body (3b), thereby packaging as shown in Fig. 1. A cushioning material having a structure in which a plurality of protruding retaining members supporting the cover of the sealed storage container are arranged at the periphery of the sealed storage container was used. Specifically, one having four protruding retaining members (6a) as shown in Fig. 2 was used. Furthermore, the second vibration-absorbing material (4a) between the bottom of the light body of the container box and the cushioning member was composed of a gel-like sheet member, the first vibration-absorbing material between the cover and the cushioning member was composed of foamed urethane, the cushioning member was composed of foamed styrene, and the light body of the container box was composed of plastic cardboard of polypropylene, respectively. The second vibration-absorbing material between the bottom of the light body of the container box and the cushioning member was composed of a gel-like sheet of silicone rubber, had a thickness of 30 mm, and had an area the same as that of the bottom of the light body. The first vibration-absorbing material between the cover and the cushioning member was composed of a foamed urethane sheet (polyurethane), had a thickness of 45 mm, and had an area the same as that of the cover.

[Comparative example]

As in the example, the manufactured wafer was packaged. However, the support member supporting the cover of the sealed container used a buffer material having a structure that supports the entire surface of the cover of the sealed container, as shown in Fig. 9. All other conditions are the same as in the example.

[Transport Test]

As for the examples and comparative examples prepared as described above, truck transportation between the factory and Haneda Airport and air transportation between Haneda Airport and Naha Airport were performed using trucks and aircraft.

[Wafer surface defect evaluation]

For wafers prepared for examples and comparative examples, the number of surface defects before and after the transport test was measured for 300 sheets each using a particle counter SP5 manufactured by KLA for the number of defects with a particle size of 22 nm or more, and the average value of the difference in the number of defects was calculated and compared. Fig. 7 shows the results of the wafer surface defect evaluation. The results were compared by exponentiating the average value of the increase in surface particles of 300 sheets of the examples based on the average value of the increase in surface particles of the comparative examples.

[Wafer edge defect (attachment) evaluation]

For wafers prepared for examples and comparative examples, the number of edge defects before and after the transport test was measured for 300 sheets each using an edge defect inspection device RXM from Nano System Solutions, and the difference in the average value of the defect area was calculated and compared. Fig. 8 shows the results of the wafer edge defect evaluation. The results were compared by exponentiating the average value of the defect increase area (difference) of 300 sheets of the examples based on the average value of the defect increase area (difference) of the comparative examples.

As is clear from Fig. 7, the Example had a smaller increase (difference) in the number of particles on the wafer surface before and after the transport test than the Comparative Example. In addition, as is clear from Fig. 8, the Example had a smaller increase (difference) in the defect area at the wafer edge than the Comparative Example.

According to the present invention, when transporting a manufactured wafer, it is possible to suppress the transmission of shock applied during transport to a sealed storage container packed in a container box, and further to the wafer, so that it is useful in the wafer manufacturing industry.

Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments are examples, and any thing that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the scope of the claims of the present invention and exhibits the same operational effect is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

A packaging body for packaging a sealed storage container comprising a main body of a container storing wafers and a cover body,
A container box having a light body in which the above sealed storage container is stored and a cover for the light body,
It is placed inside this container box and has a cushioning material for maintaining the sealed container.
A bag characterized in that the above-mentioned cushioning material has a plurality of protruding retaining portions for maintaining the periphery of the upper surface of the cover of the sealed storage container.
In the first paragraph,
Additionally, a package body characterized in that it comprises a first vibration absorbing material made of a foamed urethane sheet arranged between the cushioning material and the cover within the container box, and a second vibration absorbing material made of a gel-like sheet arranged between the cushioning material and the bottom of the light body.
A method for packing a sealed storage container comprising a main body of a container storing wafers and a cover body,
A container box having a light body in which the above sealed storage container is stored and a cover for the light body,
Prepare a cushioning material that is placed inside the container box and maintains the sealed container,
A method for packing a sealed container, characterized in that the upper surface of the lid of the sealed container is maintained by a plurality of protruding retaining portions of the cushioning material while packing the container in the container box.
In the third paragraph,
Additionally, a first vibration absorbing material made of a foamed urethane sheet is placed between the cushioning material and the cover within the container box.
A method for packing a sealed storage container, characterized in that a second vibration absorbing material made of a gel sheet is placed between the above-mentioned cushioning material and the bottom of the light body.
A method for transporting a sealed container comprising a main body of a container storing wafers and a cover body,
A method for transporting a sealed storage container, characterized by packing the sealed storage container by the packing method described in claim 3 or claim 4 and transporting the packed sealed storage container.