1333923 九、發明說明； 【發明所屬之技’術領域】 本申請案係根據2 0 0 3年1 1月1 6日提出之美國專利第 60/520, 817號申請案主張優先權，並併入該案内容以供參 考。 本發明係關於可密封晶圓容器，更精確言之，本發明係 關於固持單一晶圓用晶圓容器之門閉鎖機構。 【先前技術】 半導體晶圓的尺寸逐漸變大，現在的製造設備通常可處 理3 0 0 m m的晶圓，將其製造成例如積體電路等半導體元 件。積體電路本身已經變得較大且電路密度亦增加。因此， 能夠對電路造成破壞的粒子污染物之大小則顯著地變小， 而在半導體晶圓的製造、加工、運送及儲存階段，嚴格的 粒子控制變得必要。 晶圓一般係以密封之前開口晶圓容器來儲存及運送，此 種容器之前開口具有門，其藉由閉鎖機構而固定。此門通 常係可以人工或機器手臂來拆卸。此種晶圓容器即業界所 知的前開口莢式容器（front-opening unified pod，FOUP) 及前開 口 運輸箱（front-opening shipping box > FOSB)。 此種形式之容器的門係以機器手臂介面來操作，機器手臂 介面具有精確定位的鑰匙，可插入門前以操作閉鎖機構， 而將門安裝於容器部分及從其上拆卸。 理想的晶圓容器閉鎖機構具有下列幾項特性。首先，要 能夠可靠且持續地將門閉鎖及解鎖。其次，閉鎖機構最好 6 312XP/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/93135026 1333923 係設計並製造成能夠將例如在操作期間滑動接觸時所產生 粒子的散發降到’最小。且，閉鎖機構最好能夠輕易地製造、 組裝與清潔。此外，閉鎖機構最好能夠順暢地操作，以使 移動部件的相對速度變化受到控制。許多目前之一般的晶 圓容器閉鎖機構會使元件相對急劇地減速。例如，在此種 閉鎖機構中，移動部件在其移動的極限處，會與一固定止 擋部碰撞。此會造成衝擊與振動而散發粒子，使其附著在 容器的表面，進而使這些粒子稍後附著於晶圓上而造成污 染與損害。 前開口晶圓容器通常係設計成能夠固持2 5片軸向對齊 且平行間隔的晶圓。然而，近來已慢慢出現固持單一晶片 用可密封晶圓容器的需要。習知的單一晶圓容器閉鎖機構 並不能完全滿足所有需求》此種機構易如上述般「發散」 粒子。又，某些習知的機構易於使鬥意外地解鎖或移除。 此外，此種容器閉鎖機構亦需要能夠與大型容器用機器手 臂設備一起操作。 因此，業界需要一種單一晶圓用晶圓容器，其閉鎖機構 具有改良的固定、速度控制與振動特性。 【發明内容】 本發明能夠滿足業界之需求，提供一種單一晶圓用晶圓 容器，其具有改善之固定、速度控制與振動特性的門閉鎖 機構。根據本發明之一實施例，固持單一晶圓用之晶圓容 器係包括殼體部分，其具有頂部、底部、一對相對之側邊 部 '後部及由門框所界定的前開口，門框具有一對界定於 7 312χρ/發明說明書(補件)/94-(B/93 !35〇26 1333923 其内的閉鎖凹槽。屿外，門具有界定門殼體的底座，且門 殼體至少具有一‘可動閉鎖機構。閉鎖機構包括凸輪，其具 有一對自其側向延伸的相對翼部且可選擇性地在第一支持 位置與第二支持位置之間旋轉地切換，其中，在第一支持 位置處，翼部係完全位於門殼體内以使門與門框接合及解 除接合，而在第二支持位置處，翼部係自門殼體向外側向 延伸以在門接合於門框時，能夠接合於門框的閉鎖凹槽内。 凸輪翼部可在其上包括傾斜部分，以在凸輪自第一支持 位置旋轉至第二支持位置時，拉引門使其與門框更緊密地 接合。又，閉鎖機構更可包括彈簧，其係設置以提供偏壓 力將閉鎖機構推向第一及第二支持位置；以及緩制動阻尼 彈簧(soft-stop dampening springs)，其在第一及第二 支持位置使凸輪以受控制的方式減速，並吸收由凸輪碰撞 至門底座上之固定止擋部時所產生的震動。緩制動阻尼彈 簧可與凸輪一體成型為單一部件。凸輪亦可包括浮動轂部 分以及沙漏或其他形狀的鑰匙狹槽，以減少在操作時機器 手臂鑰匙與鑰匙狹槽稍微不對齊所產生的磨耗效應。 本發明之特徵及優點在於緩制動阻尼彈簧，其提供閉鎖 機構之速度控制、定位以及阻尼特性。 本發明之另一特徵及優點在於凸輪翼部閉鎖部分，其可 消除習知晶圓容器閉鎖機構的閉鎖臂，且使得能夠在垂直 尺寸極短的容器門内使用。 本發明之另一特徵及優點在於單一偏壓彈簧，其可使凸 輪偏壓朝向第一及第二支持位置，藉此禁止發生非預期的 8 312XP/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/93135〇26 1333923 旋轉並進而防止門與殼體意外地解除閉鎖。 本發明之特徵及優點在於各凸輪翼部上的傾斜部分，其 可在凸輪自第一支持位置旋轉至第二支持位置時拉引門， 使其與門框更緊密地接合，壓縮門之密封以改善門與殼體 的密封。 本發明之另一特徵及優點在於浮動轂部分與具有降磨 耗形狀的鑰匙狹槽，其可一起將由機器手臂鑰匙與鑰匙狹 槽在操作中因為稍微不對齊所造成的磨耗效應最小化。 本發明之特徵及優點在於閉鎖機構藉由震動阻尼特 徵，可更順暢及安靜地作業且可使閉鎖散發極少的粒子。 【實施方式】 參照圖1及2，根據本發明之固持單一晶圓用前開口晶 圓容器1 0大致包括殼體部分1 2，其具有頂部1 4、秦部1 6、 一對相對之側邊部1 8、2 0、後部2 2及前開口 2 4，而包圍 開放内部2 6。晶圓容器1 0更大致包括用以密封地關閉前 開口 2 4的門2 8。門2 8大致包括底座3 0，其具有前側或外 側3 2及後側或内側3 4。前側3 2包括覆蓋一個以上閉鎖機 構3 8的面板3 6，閉鎖機構3 8係透過面板3 6上的錄匙孔 4 0來操作。密封手段（未圖示）可被設置於門2 8的周邊 4 2以密封地接合於殼體1 2内的門框4 4。閉鎖凹槽4 5係設 置於門框44内。若有需要將門框44之材料厚度最小化， 則可使用外部殼體4 5 a以界定閉鎖凹槽4 5。 參照圖3，圖中係將門28的面板36移除以顯示一閉鎖 -機構3 8。根據本發明實施例之各閉鎖機構3 8大致包括可 9 312XP/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/93135026 1333923 旋轉凸輪4 6及偏壓.彈簧4 8。閉鎖機構3 8大致位於門 50内，其係由底座30之内部表面52及面板36之内 面54所界定。支柱56、58係自内部表面64向外延伸 門殼體5 0。類似之額外支柱（未圖示）係自内部表3 延伸進入門殼體5 0，而凸輪4 6係可旋轉地安裝於其 凸輪46大致包括主體部分66，其具有一對相對凸 部68、70及浮動轂部分72。各凸輪翼部68、70包括 外側7 6上的傾斜部分7 4。壁7 8界定凸輪4 6向外側 凹槽80，且具有界定於其内的凹口 82。浮動轂部分 收容於凹槽80内而調整片84係接合於凹口 82内，以 動轂部分可旋轉地「鎖定」於主體部分6 6，而可以在 角度内在側向浮動。鑰匙狹槽8 6係設置於浮動轂部： 内以收容鑰匙（未圖示）而啟動閉鎖。鑰匙狹槽8 6可J 漏」形狀或為其他形狀以改善磨耗特性，如美國專利 6，7 1 2，2 1 3號所揭示者，該專利係由本案申請人所有 併入於此以供參考。 如圖所示，偏壓彈簧48大致呈C字形且大致包括 一對襯套90的主要部分88。一襯套90係可旋轉地收 支柱56上，而另一襯套90係可旋轉地收容於自凸輪 之下側延伸的支柱（未圖示）上。在操作時，偏壓彈 係偏壓凸輪4 6，使其朝向分別對應於閉鎖位置與解除 位置的第一支持位置與第二支持位置，如共同申請中 國專利第1 0 / 3 1 8 , 3 7 4號申請案「晶圓載具門及彈簧偏 鎖機構」所詳細揭示者，該案亦為本案申請人所有， 312XP/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/93135026 殼體 部表 進入 j 6 4 上。 輪翼 在向 上的 72係 使浮 一定 ^ 72 ^「沙 第 ， 而 連接 容於 46 簧48 閉鎖 之美 壓閉 而併 10 1333923 入於此以供參考。 在圖3所示之；實施例中，一對緩制動阻尼彈簧9 2、9 4 係沿著主體部分6 6的圓周而在相反方向延伸。各阻尼彈簧 92、94具有相切彎曲端96，其係配合支柱58之形狀且在 凸輪46位於第一支持與第二支持位置時接觸地收容於其 上。彈簧9 2、9 4較佳係與主體部分6 6 —體成型為單一部 件，但亦可為獨立結構。 在操作時，當門2 8與殼體部分1 2解除接合時，凸輪4 6 係位於第一支持位置而阻尼彈簧9 2係接觸支柱5 8。在此 位置，彈簧48旋轉地在順時針方向偏壓凸輪46，而凸輪 翼部6 8、7 0係整個位於門殼體5 0内。門2 8接著可與門框 44接合，而凸輪46係在逆時針方向旋轉，使得凸輪翼部 68、70向外延伸通過底座30上的孔98、100而進入門框 4 4之閉鎖凹槽4 5。當凸輪翼部6 8、7 0旋轉進入閉鎖凹槽 4 5時，傾斜部分7 4則接觸閉鎖凹槽4 5之内部表面並在其 上滑動，而將門2 8推至與殼體部分1 2緊密地接合，並且 在設有門密封的情況下則壓縮門密封。在凸輪4 6之旋轉行 程中點處，彈簧48的壓縮量最大，而在通過中點後，彈簧 4 8則在相反之旋轉方向上偏壓凸輪4 6。當到達第二支持位 置時，如圖3所示，彈簧94係與支柱58接觸。彈簧94 之反彈力可以受控制的方式將凸輪46減速至一止擋部，並 且可吸收彈簧94碰撞支柱58時所產生的震動。此外，彈 簧94之相切彎曲端96在接合支柱58周圍時，可作用為一 止擋部以防止凸輪46更進一步在逆時針方向上旋轉。在此 11 312XP/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/93135026 1333923 1 2 . 殼體部分 1 4 頂部 ‘ 16 底部 18 側邊部 2 0 側邊部 22 後部 2 4 前開口 2 6 開放内部 2 8 門 3 0 底座 3 2 前側（外側） v 3 4 後側（内側） 3 6 面板 3 8 閉鎖機構 4 0 鑰匙孔 4 2 門周邊 4 4 門框 4 5 閉鎖凹槽 4 5a 外部殼體 46 凸輪 48 偏壓彈簧 5 0 門殼體 5 2 内部表面 5 4 内部表面 3 ΠΧΡ/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/93135〇26 1333923 56 58 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 支柱 支柱 内部表面 主體部分 凸輪翼部 凸輪翼部 浮動較部分 傾斜部分 向外側 壁 凹槽 凹口 調整片 鑰匙狹槽 主要部分 襯套 緩制動阻尼彈簧 緩制動阻尼彈簧 相切彎曲端 孔 孔 312XP/發明說明書(補件)/94-03/931350261333923 IX. Description of the invention; [Technology of the invention] The present application claims priority based on the application of U.S. Patent No. 60/520, No. 817, filed on Jan. 16, 2003 The content of the case is for reference. The present invention relates to a sealable wafer container, and more particularly to a door latching mechanism for holding a wafer container for a single wafer. [Prior Art] The size of a semiconductor wafer is gradually increased, and current manufacturing equipment can usually process a 300 m m wafer and fabricate it into a semiconductor element such as an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit itself has become larger and the circuit density has also increased. As a result, the size of the particle contaminants that can damage the circuit is significantly reduced, and strict particle control becomes necessary during the fabrication, processing, transportation, and storage of semiconductor wafers. The wafer is typically stored and shipped in an open wafer container prior to sealing. The container has a front opening that has a door that is secured by a latching mechanism. This door can usually be removed manually or by a robotic arm. Such wafer containers are known in the art as front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) and front-opening shipping boxes (FOSB). The door of this type of container is operated by a robotic arm interface having a precisely positioned key that can be inserted into the door to operate the latching mechanism to mount and detach the door from the container portion. The ideal wafer container latching mechanism has the following features. First, it is necessary to lock and unlock the door reliably and continuously. Secondly, the latching mechanism preferably 6 312XP / invention specification (supplement) / 94-03 / 93135026 1333923 is designed and manufactured to minimize the emission of particles generated, for example, during sliding contact during operation. Moreover, the latching mechanism is preferably capable of being easily manufactured, assembled and cleaned. Furthermore, the latching mechanism is preferably capable of smooth operation to control the relative speed variation of the moving parts. Many of the current conventional wafer container latching mechanisms cause the components to decelerate relatively sharply. For example, in such a latching mechanism, the moving member will collide with a fixed stop at the limit of its movement. This causes impact and vibration to dissipate particles that attach to the surface of the container, causing the particles to adhere to the wafer later, causing contamination and damage. The front open wafer container is typically designed to hold 25 axially aligned and parallel spaced wafers. However, the need to hold a wafer container for a single wafer has been slowly emerging recently. The conventional single wafer container latching mechanism does not fully satisfy all the requirements. This mechanism is easy to "diverge" particles as described above. Also, some conventional mechanisms tend to accidentally unlock or remove the bucket. In addition, such a container latching mechanism also needs to be able to operate with a large container robotic arm device. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a single wafer wafer container with improved locking, speed control and vibration characteristics. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is capable of meeting the needs of the industry and provides a single wafer wafer container having a door latching mechanism with improved fixation, speed control and vibration characteristics. According to an embodiment of the invention, a wafer container for holding a single wafer includes a housing portion having a top portion, a bottom portion, a pair of opposite side portions 'a rear portion, and a front opening defined by the door frame, the door frame having a For a locking groove defined in 7 312 χ ρ / invention specification (supplement) / 94- (B / 93 ! 35 〇 26 1333923. The door has a base defining a door housing, and the door housing has at least one a movable latching mechanism. The latching mechanism includes a cam having a pair of opposing wings extending laterally therefrom and selectively rotatably switchable between a first support position and a second support position, wherein the first support At the position, the wings are completely located within the door housing to engage and disengage the door and the door frame, and at the second support position, the wings extend outwardly from the door housing to enable the door to engage the door frame Engaged in the latching recess of the door frame. The cam lobe may include a sloped portion thereon to pull the door closer to engage the door frame when the cam is rotated from the first support position to the second support position. The locking mechanism is more a spring that is configured to provide a biasing force to urge the latching mechanism toward the first and second support positions; and soft-stop dampening springs that cause the cam to be controlled in the first and second support positions The mode decelerates and absorbs the vibration generated by the cam colliding with the fixed stop on the door base. The slow brake damping spring can be integrally formed with the cam as a single component. The cam can also include a floating hub portion and an hourglass or other shape. A key slot to reduce the wear effect caused by a slight misalignment of the robot key with the key slot during operation. A feature and advantage of the present invention is a slow brake damping spring that provides speed control, positioning, and damping characteristics of the latching mechanism. Another feature and advantage of the present invention is the cam wing latching portion that eliminates the latching arms of conventional wafer container latching mechanisms and enables use in container doors of extremely short vertical dimensions. Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that it is a single a biasing spring that biases the cam toward the first and second support positions, thereby inhibiting from occurring The expected 8 312 XP/invention specification (supplement)/94-03/93135〇26 1333923 rotates and thereby prevents the door and the housing from unintentionally unlocking. Features and advantages of the present invention are the inclined portions on each cam lobe, The door can be pulled when the cam is rotated from the first support position to the second support position to engage the door frame more closely, compressing the seal of the door to improve the sealing of the door to the housing. Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that The floating hub portion and the key slot having a reduced wear shape, which together minimize the wear effect caused by the slight misalignment of the robot arm key and the key slot in operation. A feature and advantage of the present invention is that the latching mechanism is The vibration damping feature allows smoother and quieter operation and allows the latching to emit very few particles. [Embodiment] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a front open wafer container 10 for holding a single wafer according to the present invention substantially includes a housing. The portion 12 has a top portion 14 and a lower portion 16 , a pair of opposite side portions 18, 20, a rear portion 2 2 and a front opening 24, and surrounds the open interior 26. The wafer container 10 more generally includes a door 28 for sealingly closing the front opening 24 . Door 28 generally includes a base 30 having a front side or outer side 3 2 and a rear side or inner side 34. The front side 3 2 includes a panel 3 6 that covers more than one latching mechanism 38, and the latching mechanism 38 operates through the keyhole 40 on the panel 36. A sealing means (not shown) may be provided at the periphery 42 of the door 28 to sealingly engage the door frame 44 in the housing 12. The latching recess 4 5 is disposed within the door frame 44. If it is desired to minimize the material thickness of the door frame 44, an outer housing 45a can be used to define the latching recess 45. Referring to Figure 3, the panel 36 of the door 28 is removed to reveal a latching mechanism 38. Each of the latching mechanisms 38 according to an embodiment of the present invention generally includes a 312 XP/invention specification (supplement)/94-03/93135026 1333923 rotating cam 46 and a biasing spring 4. The latching mechanism 38 is generally located within the door 50 and is defined by the interior surface 52 of the base 30 and the inner face 54 of the panel 36. The struts 56, 58 extend outwardly from the interior surface 64 to the door housing 50. A similar additional strut (not shown) extends from the inner watch 3 into the door housing 50, while the cam 46 is rotatably mounted to its cam 46 generally including a body portion 66 having a pair of opposing projections 68, 70 and floating hub portion 72. Each of the cam wings 68, 70 includes an inclined portion 74 on the outer side 76. The wall 738 defines a cam 46 to the outer groove 80 and has a recess 82 defined therein. The floating hub portion is received within the recess 80 and the tab 84 is engaged within the recess 82 such that the hub portion is rotatably "locked" to the body portion 66 and can be laterally floated within an angle. The key slot 8 6 is provided in the floating hub: the lock is activated by a house key (not shown). The key slot 8 6 may be J-shaped or otherwise shaped to improve wear characteristics, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,7, 2, 2, 3, the entire disclosure of reference. As shown, the biasing spring 48 is generally C-shaped and generally includes a major portion 88 of a pair of bushings 90. A bushing 90 is rotatably received on the post 56, and the other bushing 90 is rotatably received on a post (not shown) extending from the underside of the cam. In operation, the biasing spring biases the cams 4 6 toward the first support position and the second support position respectively corresponding to the latched position and the disengaged position, as co-requested Chinese Patent No. 1 0 / 3 1 8 , 3 The detailed application of the No. 4 application "wafer carrier door and spring biasing mechanism" is also disclosed by the applicant of this case. 312XP/Inventive Manual (Repair)/94-03/93135026 6 4 on. The wing is in the upward 72 series so that the float is fixed at 72 ^ "Sand, and the connection is accommodated in the closure of the 46 spring 48. The reference is shown in Fig. 3. In the embodiment, A pair of slow brake damping springs 9, 2, 9 4 extend in opposite directions along the circumference of the body portion 66. Each of the damping springs 92, 94 has a tangent curved end 96 that cooperates with the shape of the post 58 and at the cam 46. The first support and the second support position are received in contact with each other. The springs 9 2, 9 4 are preferably integrally formed with the main body portion 6 6 as a single component, but may also be a separate structure. When the door 28 is disengaged from the housing portion 12, the cam 46 is in the first support position and the damping spring 92 is in contact with the post 58. In this position, the spring 48 rotationally biases the cam 46 in a clockwise direction, The cam wings 68, 70 are all located within the door housing 50. The door 28 can then engage the door frame 44, while the cam 46 rotates in a counterclockwise direction such that the cam wings 68, 70 extend outwardly through The holes 98, 100 in the base 30 enter the latching recess 4 of the door frame 44. When the cam lobe 6 8 , 70 rotates into the latching recess 4 5 , the inclined portion 7 4 contacts and slides on the inner surface of the latching recess 45 , and pushes the door 28 to be close to the housing portion 12 . The ground is engaged and the door seal is compressed with the door seal provided. At the midpoint of the rotational stroke of the cam 46, the amount of compression of the spring 48 is greatest, and after passing the midpoint, the spring 4 8 is rotated in the opposite direction. The cam 46 is biased in the direction. When reaching the second support position, as shown in Figure 3, the spring 94 is in contact with the post 58. The repulsive force of the spring 94 can decelerate the cam 46 to a stop in a controlled manner. Moreover, the shock generated by the spring 94 colliding with the strut 58 can be absorbed. Further, the tangent curved end 96 of the spring 94 acts as a stop to prevent the cam 46 from rotating further counterclockwise when engaging the strut 58. In this 11 312XP / invention manual (supplement) /94-03/93135026 1333923 1 2 . Housing part 1 4 top ' 16 bottom 18 side part 2 0 side part 22 rear part 2 4 front opening 2 6 open interior 2 8 door 3 0 base 3 2 front side (outer side) v 3 4 rear side ( Inside) 3 6 Panel 3 8 Locking mechanism 4 0 Keyhole 4 2 Door perimeter 4 4 Door frame 4 5 Locking groove 4 5a Outer housing 46 Cam 48 Bias spring 5 0 Door housing 5 2 Inner surface 5 4 Internal surface 3 ΠΧΡ/Invention Manual (supplement)/94-03/93135〇26 1333923 56 58 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 Pillar strut internal surface main body part cam wing cam wing Floating part of the inclined part outward side groove groove notch adjustment piece key slot main part bushing slow brake damping spring slow brake damping spring tangent bending end hole 312XP / invention manual (supplement) /94-03/93135026