TWI400766B - A wafer container with at least on restraint which integrated with the door - Google Patents

Description

Open wafer cassette with integrated wafer limiter module

The present invention relates to a front open type wafer cassette, and more particularly to a method for integrally forming a door body and a wafer restricting member on a protruding platform on both sides of a recessed surface of a door inner surface, except that the wafer can be placed in the body of the entry. The recessed area can be used to shorten the size of the front open wafer cassette, and the wafer can be firmly held by the wafer restraint to prevent the wafer from moving during transportation.

Semiconductor wafers are transported to different workstations because they need to be processed through various processes and need to be matched with process equipment. In order to facilitate the handling of wafers and to avoid external pollution, a sealed container is often used for automated equipment transportation. Please refer to Figure 1 for a schematic view of a wafer cassette of the prior art. The wafer cassette is a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) having a box body 10 and a door body 20. The box body 10 is internally provided with a plurality of slots 11 for horizontally accommodating a plurality of crystals. The circle has an opening 12 on one side of the casing 10 for loading and loading of the wafer, and the door body 20 has an outer surface 21 and an inner surface 22, and the door body 20 is supported by the inner surface 22 The opening 12 of the casing 10 is combined to protect a plurality of wafers inside the casing 10. In addition, at least one latch opening 23 is disposed on the outer surface 21 of the door body 20 for opening or closing the front opening wafer cassette. In the above-mentioned front-opening wafer cassette, since the semiconductor wafer is horizontally placed inside the casing 10, a wafer restriction member is required during the front opening wafer cassette transportation process to prevent the wafer from being different due to vibration. The position moves toward the opening 12 of the casing 10.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a schematic structural view of a door body 20 of a front opening wafer cassette disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,736,268. As shown in Fig. 2, the inner side 22 of the door body 20 is provided with a recessed area 24 extending from the top end 221 of the inner side surface 22 to The bottom end 222 is disposed between the left and right latching mechanisms 230 (inside the door body), and the recessed area 24 is further configured with a wafer constraining module, which is defined by the left and right The wafer limiting member 100 is composed of a plurality of wafer contacts 110 on each of the wafer limiting members 100 to use the wafer contact head 110 to hold the opposite wafers to prevent the wafers from being transferred. During the process, it is ectopic due to vibration or moves toward the opening of the casing. However, the wafer constraining module is disposed in the recessed area 24 of the inner surface 22 of the door body 20, so that the wafer can only be flattened to the inner surface 22 of the door body 20 or can only fall slightly into the recessed area 24, It is not possible to effectively drop the wafer into the recessed area 24 to shorten the size of the front and rear diameter of the front open wafer cassette. In addition, the particulate dust generated by the friction between the wafer limiter module and the wafer is easily accumulated in the recessed area 24, and the wafer limiter module is separated from the recessed area 24 of the inner surface 22 of the door body 20 in cleaning. Such repeated separation and assembly are likely to cause loosening of the wafer limiter module.

According to the prior art wafer cassette, the wafer restriction member is liable to cause the wafer cassette size to be reduced, the particulate dust cleaning is not easy to be loosened, and the like. One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide a door body formed by integral molding. Therefore, each groove of the wafer limiter module on the protruding surface of the door body surface on the convex platform on both sides of the recessed area can be relatively aligned with the groove of the wafer component module on the other protruding platform. It can improve the correct rate when the wafer is in contact with the groove.

A further main object of the present invention is to provide a front open wafer cassette having a wafer limiting member module, and the wafer limiting member module is disposed on the protruding platform on both sides of the recessed surface of the door inner surface, so that the recessed area can Effectively accommodates wafers, reducing the size of front-opening pods.

Another main object of the present invention is to provide an open wafer cassette having a wafer restriction member module, and the wafer restriction member module is disposed on the protruding platform on both sides of the recessed surface of the inner surface of the door, so that the crystal can be crystallized. The circle is held by the wafer limiter module Short, in addition to allowing the door to be smoothly closed, it also reduces the generation of particles in the homing process.

Another main object of the present invention is to provide a front open wafer cassette having a wafer limiter module, and the wafer limiter module is disposed on a protruding platform on both sides of the recessed surface of the inner surface of the door. The particulate dust generated by the friction between the limiting member and the wafer can be collected at the corner of the recessed area, and when the wafer cassette is cleaned, the particulate dust can be easily removed without removing the wafer restriction module.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention discloses a front-opening wafer cassette, which mainly comprises a box body, and a plurality of slots are arranged inside the box body for accommodating a plurality of wafers, and are arranged on one side of the box body. Forming an opening for inputting and outputting a plurality of wafers, and a door body having an outer surface and an inner surface, the door system combining the inner surface with the opening of the box body for protecting a plurality of crystals inside the box body The round front, wherein the front open type wafer cassette is characterized in that: the door system is integrally formed with a recessed area on the inner surface to divide the inner surface into two protruding platforms, and each of the two protruding platforms forms a limiting piece module. Each of the limiting component modules includes a pedestal, and a plurality of spaced-apart grooves are disposed on the pedestal to contact the wafers by the plurality of grooves.

For a more complete and clear disclosure of the technical content, the purpose of the invention and the effects thereof achieved by the present invention, the following is a detailed description, and the drawings and drawings are also referred to: First, please refer to Figure 3 is a schematic view of a front opening wafer cassette of the present invention. The front open type wafer cassette mainly comprises a box body 10 and a door body 20, and a plurality of slots 11 are arranged inside the box body 10 for accommodating a plurality of wafers, and one of the side faces of the box body 10 is provided. The opening 12 provides input and output of the wafer, while the door 20 has an outer surface 21 and an inner surface 22. At the inner surface 22 of the door body 20 and approximately at the center, a recessed area 24 is disposed; therefore, the recessed area 24 can cover the inner surface of the door body 20. 22 is divided into two protruding platforms 25. Since the recessed area 24 is not provided with other components, it can be used to store a plurality of wafers inside the casing 10, that is, a portion of the wafer can protrude into the recessed area 24. Therefore, by the design of the recessed region 24, the front and rear diameter of the entire wafer cassette can be reduced. In order to effectively fix the wafer, the present invention is configured with a wafer limiter module 30 on each of the two protruding platforms 25 of the door body 20, so that the door body 20 can be closed during the process of closing the door body 20. Each wafer is pushed to a fixed position and fixed, which has the advantage of controlling the amount of wafer entering the recessed area 24, in addition to limiting the movement of the wafer in the direction of the opening. Further, inside the two projecting platforms 25 of the present invention, a latching device (not shown) is disposed, and each of the latching devices forms a latching opening in the corresponding outer surface 21.

The length of the recessed area 24 in the inner surface 22 of the door body 20 is related to the spacing of the slots 11 inside the casing 10 and the number of wafers. For 12-inch or 18-inch wafers, there is a standard between industries for the spacing between wafers in order to achieve maximum wafer load density while accommodating the robot arm for wafer input and output. However, the current conventional wafer cassette can accommodate about 25 wafers, and therefore, the length of the recessed region 24 is relatively fixed. However, the width and depth of the recessed region 24 of the present invention may be more flexible. When the thickness of the gate body 20 is maintained, the depth of the recessed region 24 is set to be larger, thereby allowing the wafer to enter the recessed region 24 more. At this time, the width of the recessed area 24 also needs to increase.

Next, referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, it is a schematic view and an enlarged schematic view of an integrally formed door body of a front open type wafer cassette of the present invention. The door body 20 of the present invention is formed by integral molding. Therefore, while the door body 20 is formed, the recessed area 24 on the door body 20, the two protruding platforms 25, and the wafer stopper module 30 are simultaneously formed. The door body 20 and the wafer stopper module 30 disposed on the inner surface 22 of the door body 20 may be formed by injection molding or injection molding using a polymer plastic material. As described above, each of the wafer limiter modules 30 is integrally formed with the door body 20, that is, the inner surface of the door body 20 The face 22 extends and protrudes with an elongated base 31. The base of the elongated base 31 is integrally formed with the inner surface 22 of the door body 20 and the base 31 is formed with a plurality of spaced grooves 32. At the same time, each of the grooves 32 of the wafer limiter module 30 on one of the protruding platforms 25 is aligned with the groove 32 of the wafer module 30 on the other protruding platform 25 so that Each of the corresponding recesses 32 can be relatively aligned with the recessed area 24 and in contact with a wafer to limit the movement of the wafer inside the casing 10 toward the opening during transportation. Since the door body 20 and the wafer limiter module 30 are integrally formed, the wafer limiter module 30 on the two protruding platforms 25 can be accurately aligned with each of the grooves 32. The plurality of grooves 32 are approximately a "V" shaped or curved channel structure to allow the wafer to be smoothly introduced and firmly secured therein. In addition, the surface of the groove 32 may also be coated with a wear resistant material, such as PEEK material, to reduce friction on the wafer. Further, as shown in Fig. 5, the integrally formed wafer restriction member 30 of the door body 20 of the present invention may have a slope 311 to reduce the material required for injection molding. Of course, the wafer restriction member 30 may have a rectangular or elongated cross section, which is not limited by the present invention.

Next, please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram of a front access wafer cassette of the present invention with a wafer limiter module in contact with the wafer. Since the wafer restriction member module 30 on both sides of the recessed region 24 is symmetrical, when the wafer stopper module 30 is in contact with the wafer, a resultant force can be generated only in the direction of the center point of the wafer. It will not cause the wafer to shake around. Moreover, since no other components are disposed in the recessed region 24, a portion of the wafer may protrude into the recessed region 24. Therefore, by designing the recessed region 24, the size of the entire wafer cassette can be reduced, and the center of gravity of the front open wafer cassette can be very close to the center of the entire front open wafer cassette, so the open wafer cassette is moved before the robot arm is moved. In the process, it is not easy to produce tilt. In addition, the present invention can also control the distance of the wafer into the recessed area 24 by the shape of the pedestal 31 or the angle of the recess 32. Therefore, the size of the wafer cassette of the present invention can be fine-tuned. Further, the wafer restriction member module 30 and the door body of the present invention 20 is integrally formed on the protruding platform 25 on both sides of the recessed area 24 of the inner surface 22 of the door body 20, so that the distance at which the wafer is held by the wafer limiting member module 30 can be shortened, except that the door can be smoothed. In addition to closing, it also reduces the particles generated during wafer homing.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, but it is not intended to limit the invention, and the invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of patent protection shall be subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

10‧‧‧Box

11‧‧‧Slot

12‧‧‧ openings

20‧‧‧

21‧‧‧ outer surface

22‧‧‧ inner surface

24‧‧‧ recessed area

25‧‧‧ protruding platform

30‧‧‧Restriction Module

31‧‧‧ Pedestal

311‧‧‧Bevel

32‧‧‧ Groove

1 is a schematic view of a front open type wafer cassette; FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a structure of a front open type wafer cassette; FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a front open type wafer cassette of the present invention; 4 is a schematic view of an integrally formed door body of a front opening type wafer cassette of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view of an integrally formed door body of a front opening type wafer cassette of the present invention; and FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the present invention A schematic diagram of a front open wafer cassette with a wafer limiter module in contact with the wafer.

20‧‧‧

21‧‧‧ outer surface

22‧‧‧ inner surface

24‧‧‧ recessed area

25‧‧‧ protruding platform

30‧‧‧Restriction Module

31‧‧‧ Pedestal

32‧‧‧ Groove

Claims (14)

A front open type wafer cassette mainly comprises a box body, wherein the box body is provided with a plurality of slots for accommodating a plurality of wafers, and an opening is formed on one side of the box body for the plurality of crystals a circular input and output, and a door having an outer surface and an inner surface, the door system combining the inner surface with the opening of the casing, and protecting the plurality of wafers inside the casing The front open type wafer cassette is characterized in that the door system integrally forms a recessed area on the inner surface to divide the inner surface into two protruding platforms, and form one on each of the two protruding platforms. a limiting module, each of the limiting module includes a base and a plurality of spaced grooves are disposed on the base to contact the wafers by the plurality of grooves; wherein the recess The area is for the wafers to enter, the amount of the wafers entering the recessed area is proportional to the distance between the two limiting pieces, and the distance between the two limiting parts is the width of the recessed area In direct proportion. For example, the open wafer cassette described in the first paragraph of the patent application, wherein the door body is made of a polymer plastic material. The open wafer cassette of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves each have an approximately V-shaped channel structure. The open wafer cassette of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves each have an approximately curved channel structure. The open wafer cassette of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves are coated with a wear resistant material. The open wafer cassette as described in claim 5, wherein the wear resistant material is made of PEEK. The open wafer cassette of claim 1, wherein the two protruding platforms are internally provided with a latch device. A front open type wafer cassette mainly comprises a box body, and the box body is internally provided with a plurality of a slot for accommodating a plurality of wafers, and an opening is formed on one side of the box for inputting and outputting the plurality of wafers, and a door having an outer surface and an inner surface, the door The system combines the inner surface with the opening of the casing and protects the plurality of wafers inside the casing, wherein the front opening wafer cassette is characterized in that the door system is integrally formed on the inner surface Configuring a recessed area to divide the inner surface into two protruding platforms, and forming a limiting component module on each of the protruding platforms, each of the limiting component modules including a base having a sloped surface, and Having a plurality of spaced-apart grooves disposed on the slope to contact the wafers by the plurality of recesses; wherein the recessed regions are for the wafers to enter, and the wafers enter the recessed regions The quantity is proportional to the distance between the two limiting modules, and the distance between the two limiting modules is proportional to the width of the recessed area. . For example, the open wafer cassette described in the eighth aspect of the patent application, wherein the door body is made of a polymer plastic material. The open wafer cassette of claim 8, wherein the plurality of grooves each have a substantially V-shaped channel structure. The open wafer cassette of claim 8, wherein the plurality of grooves each have an approximately curved channel structure. The open wafer cassette of claim 8, wherein the plurality of grooves are coated with a wear resistant material. The open wafer cassette as described in claim 12, wherein the wear resistant material is made of PEEK material. The open wafer cassette of claim 8, wherein the two protruding platforms are internally provided with a latch device.