US20140041755A1 - Wafer pod gas charging apparatus - Google Patents
Wafer pod gas charging apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20140041755A1 US20140041755A1 US13/570,879 US201213570879A US2014041755A1 US 20140041755 A1 US20140041755 A1 US 20140041755A1 US 201213570879 A US201213570879 A US 201213570879A US 2014041755 A1 US2014041755 A1 US 2014041755A1
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- gas
- wafer pod
- nozzles
- machine
- charging apparatus
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/673—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere using specially adapted carriers or holders; Fixing the workpieces on such carriers or holders
- H01L21/6735—Closed carriers
- H01L21/67389—Closed carriers characterised by atmosphere control
- H01L21/67393—Closed carriers characterised by atmosphere control characterised by the presence of atmosphere modifying elements inside or attached to the closed carrierl
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a wafer pod gas charging apparatus, and more particularly to a wafer pod gas charging apparatus that is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost.
- the wafer pod is provided with gas ports, via which the nitrogen is charged into the wafer pod.
- gas ports via which the nitrogen is charged into the wafer pod.
- wafer pods available in the market. These two types of wafer pods are different in the number of their gas ports. For example, one type of these wafer pods has two gas ports while the other type has four gas ports. Further, these two types of wafer pods are different in the locations of their gas ports. Therefore, at least two different machines are required for charging gas into different types of wafer pods.
- the inventor has developed an improved wafer pod gas charging apparatus adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save costs for different machines.
- a primary object of the present invention is to provide a wafer pod gas charging apparatus including a machine, which is provided with structurally changed nozzles and is therefore adaptable to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
- the wafer pod gas charging apparatus includes a machine, a sensor unit, at least two first nozzles, at least two second nozzles, at least three locating modules, a gas charger, and a controller.
- the machine includes an operating plate for carrying a wafer pod thereon.
- the wafer pod includes a bottom, on which a specific zone, at least two gas ports, and at least three locating holes are provided.
- the operating plate is in contact with the bottom of the wafer pod placed thereon.
- the sensor unit, the first nozzles, the second nozzles, and the locating modules all are mounted on the operating plate of the machine.
- the sensor unit is mounted on the operating plate at a position corresponding to the specific zone on the bottom of the wafer pod.
- Each of the second nozzles includes an inner tube, an outer sleeve, and an elastic element.
- the elastic element is fitted in the outer sleeve, and the inner tube is received in the outer sleeve to press against the elastic element, such that the inner tube is axially movable in the outer sleeve due to the elasticity of the elastic element.
- Each of the locating modules includes a locating pin, and the locating pins of the locating modules are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes on the bottom of the wafer pod.
- the gas charger is arranged on the machine for containing a type of gas therein.
- the gas charger communicates with the at least two first nozzles and the at least two second nozzles, and includes a control unit.
- the controller is arranged on the machine to electrically connect to the control unit of the gas charger and the sensor unit. Either the at least two first nozzles or the at least two second nozzles are correspondingly connected to the at least two gas ports on the wafer pod.
- the sensor unit When the wafer pod gas charging apparatus of the present invention is in use, the sensor unit is aligned with the specific zone on the wafer pod to detect the type of the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate of the machine.
- the controller is operated to control the gas charger to charge the gas into the wafer pod via the first nozzles or the second nozzles, depending on the detected wafer pod type, and the gas ports on the wafer pod that are correspondingly connected to the first or the second nozzles. Since wafer pods of different types have nozzles of different depths, the second nozzles are designed to respectively have an inner tube elastically axially movable in the outer sleeve to adapt to the deeper gas ports on the wafer pod.
- the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a general wafer pod
- FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a first type of currently available wafer pod
- FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a second type of currently available wafer pod
- FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is an assembled view of FIG. 4 ;
- FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a first nozzle for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is an assembled view of FIG. 6 ;
- FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 7 ;
- FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a second nozzle for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 is an assembled view of FIG. 9 ;
- FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 12 shows the movement of the second nozzle.
- FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a general wafer pod 9 used in semiconductor processing.
- FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a first type of currently available wafer pod 901
- FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a second type of currently available wafer pod 902 .
- the wafer pod 9 shown in FIG. 1 may be the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902 .
- the first-type wafer pod 901 includes a bottom 90 , on which there are provided a specific zone 91 , four gas ports 92 and three locating holes 93 .
- the specific zone 91 on the first-type wafer pod 901 is a virtual zone with respect to the second-type wafer pod 902 , and will be described in more details below.
- the four gas ports 92 are divided into gas inlet ports and gas outlet ports. In practical use thereof, the four gas ports 92 are provided in pairs.
- the second-type wafer pod 902 also includes a bottom 95 , on which there are also provided a specific zone 96 , two gas ports 97 and three locating holes 98 .
- the specific zone 96 on the second-type wafer pod 902 is provided with a recess 961 . Therefore, the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 is different from the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 in having the recess 961 at the specific zone 96 .
- the two gas ports 97 include a gas inlet port and a gas outlet port. In the illustrated examples of the wafer pods 901 and 902 , the two gas ports 97 on the second-type wafer pod 902 have a depth larger than that of the four gas ports 92 on the first-type wafer pod 901 .
- FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- the wafer pod gas charging apparatus includes a machine 2 , a sensor unit 8 , four first nozzles 3 , two second nozzles 4 , three locating modules 5 , a gas charger 6 , and a controller 7 .
- the machine 2 includes an operating plate 21 , on which the sensor unit 8 , the first nozzles 4 , the second nozzles 4 and the locating modules 5 are mounted.
- the gas charger 6 and the controller 7 are mounted on the machine 2 .
- the sensor unit 8 includes a light sensor 81 and a pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 ; and each of the three locating modules 5 includes a locating pin 51 and a pushbutton-type optical sensor 52 arranged in the vicinity of the locating pin 51 .
- the pushbutton-type optical sensor referred to herein includes a protruded portion that moves upward or downward under an external force applied thereto to block the light sensing function in the optical sensor and thereby achieve the effect of turning on/off an electric circuit and accomplish the sensing purpose. Since the above-mentioned structural principle of the pushbutton-type optical sensor is known by one of ordinary skill in the art, it is not repeatedly discussed herein.
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the machine 2 and other parts of FIG. 4 in an assembled state.
- FIGS. 6 and 7 are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of a first nozzle 3 for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the first nozzle 3 .
- the first nozzles 3 are mounted to predetermined positions on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 .
- Each of the first nozzles 3 has a first gas outlet 31 and a first gas inlet 32 , and includes a rubber ring member 311 connected to a top of the first gas outlet 31 .
- FIGS. 9 and 10 are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of a second nozzle 4 for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the second nozzle 4 .
- the second nozzles 4 are mounted to predetermined positions on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 .
- Each of the second nozzles 4 includes an inner tube 43 , an outer sleeve 44 , and an elastic element 45 .
- the elastic element 45 is a spring fitted in the outer sleeve 44 , and the inner tube 43 is received in the outer sleeve 44 to press against the elastic element 45 , such that the inner tube 43 is axially movable in the outer sleeve 44 due to the elasticity of the elastic element 45 .
- the inner tube 43 has a second gas outlet 41 and a second gas inlet 42 .
- Each of the second nozzles 4 further includes a rubber ring member 411 connected to a top of the second gas outlet 41 of the inner tube 43 , and a nut 46 externally screwed to the second gas inlet 42 of the inner tube 43 .
- the second nozzles 4 are designed to be higher than the first nozzles 3 by a predetermined distance after they are mounted on the operating plate 21 .
- the gas charger 6 arranged on the machine 2 internally contains a type of gas 62 .
- the gas 62 is nitrogen.
- the gas charger 6 communicates with the first nozzles 3 and the second nozzles 4 , and includes a control unit 61 .
- the control unit 61 includes a gas pressure sensor 611 .
- the controller 7 arranged on the machine 2 is electrically connected to the control unit 61 of the gas charger 6 , the light sensor 81 and the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 , and the pushbutton-type optical sensors 52 of the locating modules 5 .
- FIGS. 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 and 8 Please refer to FIGS. 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 and 8 at the same time.
- To charge gas into the first-type wafer pod 901 first place the first-type wafer pod 901 on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 . That is, the operating plate 21 carries the first-type wafer pod 901 and is in contact with the bottom 90 .
- the sensor unit 8 is aligned with the specific zone 91 on the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 , the locating pins 51 of the locating modules 5 are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes 93 on the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 , and the pushbutton-type optical sensors 52 of the locating modules 5 are correspondingly pressed against the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 .
- the bottom 90 will apply a downward force against the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 once the first-type wafer pod 901 is placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 .
- the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 under the force applied by the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 will for example displace and its internal light sensing is interrupted. With this sensing function, the machine 2 can detect that the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate 21 is a first-type wafer pod 901 .
- the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 placed on the operating plate 21 is relatively close to the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 . That is, a distance between the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 and the bottom 90 is relatively smaller. Therefore, it is also possible to detect the wafer pod placed on the operating plate 21 is a first-type wafer pod 901 by detecting the smaller distance between the light sensor 81 and the bottom 90 with light. By simultaneously using the light sensor 81 and the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 to perform the sensing function, a double-check effect can be obtained.
- the gas ports 92 are correspondingly aligned with the first nozzles 3 while the second nozzles 4 higher than the first nozzles 3 by a predetermined distance are in contact with the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 .
- the elastic element 45 fitted in each of the second nozzles 4 as shown in FIG. 11 , the protruded second nozzles 4 can be elastically moved downward by a distance under the weight of the first-type wafer pod 901 , as shown in FIG. 12 .
- the controller 7 can be operated to control the gas charger 6 to charge the gas 62 into the first-type wafer pod 901 via the first nozzles 3 and the gas ports 92 . More specifically, the gas 62 enters the first nozzles 3 via the first gas inlets 32 and then leaves the first nozzles 3 via the first gas outlets 31 into the gas ports 92 and the first-type wafer pod 901 . In the process of gas charging, the rubber ring members 311 connected to the top of the gas outlets 31 of the first nozzles 3 are tightly engaged with the gas ports 92 of the first-type wafer pod 901 to prevent gas leaking thereat.
- FIGS. 3 , 4 , 5 and 9 to 12 Please refer to FIGS. 3 , 4 , 5 and 9 to 12 at the same time.
- To charge gas into the second-type wafer pod 902 first place the second-type wafer pod 902 on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 . That is, the operating plate 21 carries the second-type wafer pod 902 and is in contact with the bottom 95 .
- the sensor unit 8 is aligned with the specific zone 96 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 , the locating pins 51 of the locating modules 5 are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes 98 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 , and the pushbutton-type optical sensors 52 of the locating modules 5 are correspondingly pressed against the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 .
- the bottom 95 does not apply any downward force against the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 once the second-type wafer pod 902 is placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 .
- the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 not subjected to any force from the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 does not displace, for example, and its internal light sensing is not interrupted. With this sensing function, the machine 2 can detect that the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate 21 is a second-type wafer pod 902 .
- the recess 961 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 placed on the operating plate 21 is relatively distant from the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 due to a depth of the recess 961 . That is, a distance between the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 and the recess 961 at the specific zone 96 of the bottom 95 is relatively longer. Therefore, it is also possible to detect the wafer pod placed on the operating plate 21 is a second-type wafer pod 902 by detecting the longer distance between the light sensor 81 and the bottom 95 with light. Similarly, by simultaneously using the light sensor 81 and the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 to perform the sensing function, a double-check effect can be obtained.
- the gas ports 97 are correspondingly aligned with and connected to the second nozzles 4 while the first nozzles 3 lower than the second nozzles 4 by a predetermined distance do not interfere with the second-type wafer pod 902 .
- the controller 7 can be operated to control the gas charger 6 to charge the gas 62 into the second-type wafer pod 902 via the second nozzles 4 and the gas ports 97 . More specifically, the gas 62 enters the second nozzles 4 via the second gas inlets 42 of the inner tubes 43 and then leaves the second nozzles 4 via the second gas outlets 41 of the inner tubes 43 into the gas ports 97 and the second-type wafer pod 902 . In the process of gas charging, the rubber ring members 411 connected to the top of the gas outlets 41 of the second nozzles 4 are tightly engaged with the gas ports 97 of the second-type wafer pod 902 to prevent gas leaking thereat.
- the same one machine 2 can be used for charging gas into different types of wafer pods, that is, the first-type and the second-type wafer pod 901 , 902 .
- the second nozzles 4 are designed to respectively have an inner tube 43 elastically movable upward and downward in the outer sleeve 44 , so that the first nozzles 3 and the second nozzles 4 can correspondingly engage with the gas ports 92 of the first-type wafer pod 901 and the deeper gas ports 97 of the second-type wafer pod 902 , respectively.
- the same one machine 2 is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods 9 , i.e. the first-type and the second-type wafer pod 901 , 902 .
- the increased adaptability of the machine 2 a large amount of cost for charging gas into the wafer pods 9 can be saved.
- the wafer pod gas charging apparatus of the present invention is provided with three locating modules 5 , each of which includes a pushbutton-type optical sensor 52 .
- a wafer pod 9 either the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902
- the same pushbutton-type optical sensors 52 with the above-described sensing function can also be used to detect whether the wafer pod 9 , either the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902 , is correctly positioned on the operating plate 21 based on the principle that three points define a plane.
- the gas pressure sensor 611 included in the control unit 61 of the gas charger 6 serves to detect whether the pressure of the charged gas is in a normal range in the process of gas charging. In the event the detected gas pressure is lower than or higher than a preset range, the gas charger 6 can be immediately turned off in consideration of safety in use.
- the present invention is novel, improved and industrially valuable.
- the present invention is novel and improved because it includes a machine provided with structurally changed nozzles, so that the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost.
- the present invention is industrially valuable because products derived from it would no doubt fulfill the current market demands.
Abstract
A wafer pod gas charging apparatus includes a machine, on which different types of nozzles are introduced. One type of the nozzles is designed to have an inner tube elastically movable in an outer sleeve. When a wafer pod having gas ports of a specific depth is placed on the machine for charging gas, the exact type of the wafer pod can be detected by a sensor unit on the machine and the gas ports of the wafer pod can properly engage with one matching type of the nozzles on the machine to enable the gas charging. Therefore, by changing the structural designs of the nozzles on the machine, the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost.
Description
- The present invention relates to a wafer pod gas charging apparatus, and more particularly to a wafer pod gas charging apparatus that is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost.
- In general semiconductor processing, there are times wafers are placed in a wafer pod according to actual need in the processing, and a type of gas, such as nitrogen, is charged into the wafer pod to protect the wafers in the wafer pod against corrosion or contamination.
- Conventionally, the wafer pod is provided with gas ports, via which the nitrogen is charged into the wafer pod. However, currently, there are at least two types of wafer pods available in the market. These two types of wafer pods are different in the number of their gas ports. For example, one type of these wafer pods has two gas ports while the other type has four gas ports. Further, these two types of wafer pods are different in the locations of their gas ports. Therefore, at least two different machines are required for charging gas into different types of wafer pods.
- Since each type of wafer pod requires a specific type of machine for gas charging, the machines for charging gas into different wafer pods are not exchangeable in use. As a result, increased costs for gas charging machines are undesirably needed.
- It is therefore desirable to have a wafer pod gas charging apparatus that can be used with different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
- In view of the disadvantage in the conventional non-exchangeable wafer pod gas charging machines, the inventor has developed an improved wafer pod gas charging apparatus adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save costs for different machines.
- A primary object of the present invention is to provide a wafer pod gas charging apparatus including a machine, which is provided with structurally changed nozzles and is therefore adaptable to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
- To achieve the above and other objects, the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the present invention includes a machine, a sensor unit, at least two first nozzles, at least two second nozzles, at least three locating modules, a gas charger, and a controller.
- The machine includes an operating plate for carrying a wafer pod thereon. The wafer pod includes a bottom, on which a specific zone, at least two gas ports, and at least three locating holes are provided.
- The operating plate is in contact with the bottom of the wafer pod placed thereon. The sensor unit, the first nozzles, the second nozzles, and the locating modules all are mounted on the operating plate of the machine. The sensor unit is mounted on the operating plate at a position corresponding to the specific zone on the bottom of the wafer pod. Each of the second nozzles includes an inner tube, an outer sleeve, and an elastic element. The elastic element is fitted in the outer sleeve, and the inner tube is received in the outer sleeve to press against the elastic element, such that the inner tube is axially movable in the outer sleeve due to the elasticity of the elastic element. Each of the locating modules includes a locating pin, and the locating pins of the locating modules are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes on the bottom of the wafer pod.
- The gas charger is arranged on the machine for containing a type of gas therein. The gas charger communicates with the at least two first nozzles and the at least two second nozzles, and includes a control unit.
- The controller is arranged on the machine to electrically connect to the control unit of the gas charger and the sensor unit. Either the at least two first nozzles or the at least two second nozzles are correspondingly connected to the at least two gas ports on the wafer pod.
- When the wafer pod gas charging apparatus of the present invention is in use, the sensor unit is aligned with the specific zone on the wafer pod to detect the type of the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate of the machine. The controller is operated to control the gas charger to charge the gas into the wafer pod via the first nozzles or the second nozzles, depending on the detected wafer pod type, and the gas ports on the wafer pod that are correspondingly connected to the first or the second nozzles. Since wafer pods of different types have nozzles of different depths, the second nozzles are designed to respectively have an inner tube elastically axially movable in the outer sleeve to adapt to the deeper gas ports on the wafer pod.
- Therefore, by changing the structural design of the nozzles on the machine, the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
- The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a general wafer pod; -
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a first type of currently available wafer pod; -
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a second type of currently available wafer pod; -
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is an assembled view ofFIG. 4 ; -
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a first nozzle for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is an assembled view ofFIG. 6 ; -
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view ofFIG. 7 ; -
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a second nozzle for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 10 is an assembled view ofFIG. 9 ; -
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view ofFIG. 10 ; and -
FIG. 12 shows the movement of the second nozzle. - The present invention will now be described with a preferred embodiment thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a general wafer pod 9 used in semiconductor processing. - Please refer to
FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 at the same time, whereinFIG. 2 is a bottom view of a first type of currentlyavailable wafer pod 901 andFIG. 3 is a bottom view of a second type of currently available wafer pod 902. Thewafer pod 9 shown inFIG. 1 may be the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902. - As can be seen in
FIG. 2 , the first-type wafer pod 901 includes abottom 90, on which there are provided aspecific zone 91, fourgas ports 92 and three locatingholes 93. Thespecific zone 91 on the first-type wafer pod 901 is a virtual zone with respect to the second-type wafer pod 902, and will be described in more details below. The fourgas ports 92 are divided into gas inlet ports and gas outlet ports. In practical use thereof, the fourgas ports 92 are provided in pairs. - As can be seen in
FIG. 3 , the second-type wafer pod 902 also includes abottom 95, on which there are also provided aspecific zone 96, twogas ports 97 and three locatingholes 98. Thespecific zone 96 on the second-type wafer pod 902 is provided with arecess 961. Therefore, thebottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 is different from thebottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 in having therecess 961 at thespecific zone 96. The twogas ports 97 include a gas inlet port and a gas outlet port. In the illustrated examples of thewafer pods gas ports 97 on the second-type wafer pod 902 have a depth larger than that of the fourgas ports 92 on the first-type wafer pod 901. - Please refer to
FIG. 4 that is an exploded perspective view of a wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the wafer pod gas charging apparatus includes amachine 2, a sensor unit 8, fourfirst nozzles 3, twosecond nozzles 4, three locatingmodules 5, agas charger 6, and acontroller 7. - The
machine 2 includes anoperating plate 21, on which the sensor unit 8, thefirst nozzles 4, thesecond nozzles 4 and the locatingmodules 5 are mounted. Thegas charger 6 and thecontroller 7 are mounted on themachine 2. - In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit 8 includes a
light sensor 81 and a pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82; and each of the three locatingmodules 5 includes a locatingpin 51 and a pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 52 arranged in the vicinity of the locatingpin 51. - It is noted the pushbutton-type optical sensor referred to herein includes a protruded portion that moves upward or downward under an external force applied thereto to block the light sensing function in the optical sensor and thereby achieve the effect of turning on/off an electric circuit and accomplish the sensing purpose. Since the above-mentioned structural principle of the pushbutton-type optical sensor is known by one of ordinary skill in the art, it is not repeatedly discussed herein.
- All the above-mentioned parts are assembled or mounted to the operating
plate 21 or themachine 2 using screws, andFIG. 5 is a perspective view showing themachine 2 and other parts ofFIG. 4 in an assembled state. -
FIGS. 6 and 7 are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of afirst nozzle 3 for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of thefirst nozzle 3. Please refer toFIG. 4 along withFIGS. 6 to 8 . Thefirst nozzles 3 are mounted to predetermined positions on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2. Each of thefirst nozzles 3 has afirst gas outlet 31 and afirst gas inlet 32, and includes arubber ring member 311 connected to a top of thefirst gas outlet 31. -
FIGS. 9 and 10 are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of asecond nozzle 4 for the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of thesecond nozzle 4. Please refer toFIG. 4 along withFIGS. 9 to 11 . Thesecond nozzles 4 are mounted to predetermined positions on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2. Each of thesecond nozzles 4 includes aninner tube 43, anouter sleeve 44, and anelastic element 45. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, theelastic element 45 is a spring fitted in theouter sleeve 44, and theinner tube 43 is received in theouter sleeve 44 to press against theelastic element 45, such that theinner tube 43 is axially movable in theouter sleeve 44 due to the elasticity of theelastic element 45. Theinner tube 43 has asecond gas outlet 41 and asecond gas inlet 42. Each of thesecond nozzles 4 further includes arubber ring member 411 connected to a top of thesecond gas outlet 41 of theinner tube 43, and anut 46 externally screwed to thesecond gas inlet 42 of theinner tube 43. - Please refer to
FIGS. 4 and 5 again. In view that thegas ports 97 on the second-type wafer pod 902 (seeFIG. 3 ) are deeper than thegas ports 92 on the first-type wafer pod 901 (seeFIG. 2 ), thesecond nozzles 4 are designed to be higher than thefirst nozzles 3 by a predetermined distance after they are mounted on the operatingplate 21. - The
gas charger 6 arranged on themachine 2 internally contains a type ofgas 62. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, thegas 62 is nitrogen. Thegas charger 6 communicates with thefirst nozzles 3 and thesecond nozzles 4, and includes acontrol unit 61. Thecontrol unit 61 includes agas pressure sensor 611. - The
controller 7 arranged on themachine 2 is electrically connected to thecontrol unit 61 of thegas charger 6, thelight sensor 81 and the pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8, and the pushbutton-typeoptical sensors 52 of the locatingmodules 5. - Please refer to
FIGS. 2 , 4, 5, 7 and 8 at the same time. To charge gas into the first-type wafer pod 901, first place the first-type wafer pod 901 on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2. That is, the operatingplate 21 carries the first-type wafer pod 901 and is in contact with the bottom 90. At this point, the sensor unit 8 is aligned with thespecific zone 91 on the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901, the locating pins 51 of the locatingmodules 5 are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes 93 on the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901, and the pushbutton-typeoptical sensors 52 of the locatingmodules 5 are correspondingly pressed against the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901. - Since the
specific zone 91 on the bottom 90 does not have any recess formed thereat, the bottom 90 will apply a downward force against the pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 once the first-type wafer pod 901 is placed on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2. The pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 under the force applied by the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 will for example displace and its internal light sensing is interrupted. With this sensing function, themachine 2 can detect that the wafer pod currently placed on the operatingplate 21 is a first-type wafer pod 901. Further, since thespecific zone 91 on the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 does not have any recess formed thereat, the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 placed on the operatingplate 21 is relatively close to thelight sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8. That is, a distance between thelight sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 and the bottom 90 is relatively smaller. Therefore, it is also possible to detect the wafer pod placed on the operatingplate 21 is a first-type wafer pod 901 by detecting the smaller distance between thelight sensor 81 and the bottom 90 with light. By simultaneously using thelight sensor 81 and the pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 to perform the sensing function, a double-check effect can be obtained. - After the first-
type wafer pod 901 is placed on the operatingplate 21, thegas ports 92 are correspondingly aligned with thefirst nozzles 3 while thesecond nozzles 4 higher than thefirst nozzles 3 by a predetermined distance are in contact with the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901. With theelastic element 45 fitted in each of thesecond nozzles 4, as shown inFIG. 11 , the protrudedsecond nozzles 4 can be elastically moved downward by a distance under the weight of the first-type wafer pod 901, as shown inFIG. 12 . - With the first-
type wafer pod 901 placed on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2, thecontroller 7 can be operated to control thegas charger 6 to charge thegas 62 into the first-type wafer pod 901 via thefirst nozzles 3 and thegas ports 92. More specifically, thegas 62 enters thefirst nozzles 3 via thefirst gas inlets 32 and then leaves thefirst nozzles 3 via thefirst gas outlets 31 into thegas ports 92 and the first-type wafer pod 901. In the process of gas charging, therubber ring members 311 connected to the top of thegas outlets 31 of thefirst nozzles 3 are tightly engaged with thegas ports 92 of the first-type wafer pod 901 to prevent gas leaking thereat. - Please refer to
FIGS. 3 , 4, 5 and 9 to 12 at the same time. To charge gas into the second-type wafer pod 902, first place the second-type wafer pod 902 on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2. That is, the operatingplate 21 carries the second-type wafer pod 902 and is in contact with the bottom 95. At this point, the sensor unit 8 is aligned with thespecific zone 96 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902, the locating pins 51 of the locatingmodules 5 are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes 98 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902, and the pushbutton-typeoptical sensors 52 of the locatingmodules 5 are correspondingly pressed against the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902. - Since the
specific zone 96 on the bottom 95 has arecess 961 formed thereat, the bottom 95 does not apply any downward force against the pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 once the second-type wafer pod 902 is placed on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2. The pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 not subjected to any force from the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 does not displace, for example, and its internal light sensing is not interrupted. With this sensing function, themachine 2 can detect that the wafer pod currently placed on the operatingplate 21 is a second-type wafer pod 902. Further, since thespecific zone 96 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 has therecess 961 formed thereat, therecess 961 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 placed on the operatingplate 21 is relatively distant from thelight sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 due to a depth of therecess 961. That is, a distance between thelight sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 and therecess 961 at thespecific zone 96 of the bottom 95 is relatively longer. Therefore, it is also possible to detect the wafer pod placed on the operatingplate 21 is a second-type wafer pod 902 by detecting the longer distance between thelight sensor 81 and the bottom 95 with light. Similarly, by simultaneously using thelight sensor 81 and the pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 82 to perform the sensing function, a double-check effect can be obtained. - After the second-
type wafer pod 902 is placed on the operatingplate 21, thegas ports 97 are correspondingly aligned with and connected to thesecond nozzles 4 while thefirst nozzles 3 lower than thesecond nozzles 4 by a predetermined distance do not interfere with the second-type wafer pod 902. - With the second-
type wafer pod 902 placed on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2, thecontroller 7 can be operated to control thegas charger 6 to charge thegas 62 into the second-type wafer pod 902 via thesecond nozzles 4 and thegas ports 97. More specifically, thegas 62 enters thesecond nozzles 4 via thesecond gas inlets 42 of theinner tubes 43 and then leaves thesecond nozzles 4 via thesecond gas outlets 41 of theinner tubes 43 into thegas ports 97 and the second-type wafer pod 902. In the process of gas charging, therubber ring members 411 connected to the top of thegas outlets 41 of thesecond nozzles 4 are tightly engaged with thegas ports 97 of the second-type wafer pod 902 to prevent gas leaking thereat. - As can be seen from
FIGS. 1 to 12 , the same onemachine 2 can be used for charging gas into different types of wafer pods, that is, the first-type and the second-type wafer pod second nozzles 4 are designed to respectively have aninner tube 43 elastically movable upward and downward in theouter sleeve 44, so that thefirst nozzles 3 and thesecond nozzles 4 can correspondingly engage with thegas ports 92 of the first-type wafer pod 901 and thedeeper gas ports 97 of the second-type wafer pod 902, respectively. In brief, by changing the structural designs of thefirst nozzles 3 and thesecond nozzles 4 on themachine 2, the same onemachine 2 is adapted to charge gas into different types ofwafer pods 9, i.e. the first-type and the second-type wafer pod machine 2, a large amount of cost for charging gas into thewafer pods 9 can be saved. - What is to be noted is that the wafer pod gas charging apparatus of the present invention is provided with three locating
modules 5, each of which includes a pushbutton-typeoptical sensor 52. When awafer pod 9, either the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902, is placed on the operatingplate 21 of themachine 2 to correspondingly press against the pushbutton-typeoptical sensors 52, the same pushbutton-typeoptical sensors 52 with the above-described sensing function can also be used to detect whether thewafer pod 9, either the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902, is correctly positioned on the operatingplate 21 based on the principle that three points define a plane. - Further, the
gas pressure sensor 611 included in thecontrol unit 61 of thegas charger 6 serves to detect whether the pressure of the charged gas is in a normal range in the process of gas charging. In the event the detected gas pressure is lower than or higher than a preset range, thegas charger 6 can be immediately turned off in consideration of safety in use. - With the above arrangements, the present invention is novel, improved and industrially valuable. The present invention is novel and improved because it includes a machine provided with structurally changed nozzles, so that the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost. The present invention is industrially valuable because products derived from it would no doubt fulfill the current market demands.
- The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
Claims (11)
1. A wafer pod gas charging apparatus for using with a wafer pod, the wafer pod including a bottom, on which a specific zone, at least two gas ports and at least three locating holes are provided; the wafer pod gas charging apparatus comprising:
a machine having an operating plate for carrying the wafer pod thereon and correspondingly contacting with the bottom of the wafer pod;
a sensor unit being mounted on the operating plate of the machine at a position corresponding to the specific zone on the bottom of the wafer pod;
at least two first nozzles being mounted on the operating plate of the machine at predetermined positions;
at least two second nozzles being mounted on the operating plate of the machine at other predetermined positions; each of the second nozzles including an inner tube, an outer sleeve, and an elastic element; the elastic element being fitted in the outer sleeve, and the inner tube being received in the outer sleeve to press against the elastic element, such that the inner tube is axially movable in the outer sleeve due to the elasticity of the elastic element;
at least three locating modules being mounted on the operating plate of the machine; each of the locating modules including a locating pin, and the locating pins of the locating modules being correspondingly inserted into the locating holes on the bottom of the wafer pod;
a gas charger being arranged on the machine for containing a type of gas therein; the gas charger communicating with the at least two first nozzles and the at least two second nozzles and including a control unit; and
a controller being arranged on the machine to electrically connect to the control unit of the gas charger and the sensor unit;
wherein either the at least two first nozzles or the at least two second nozzles are correspondingly connected to the at least two gas ports on the wafer pod.
2. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is a light sensor electrically connected to the controller.
3. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit is a pushbutton-type optical sensor electrically connected to the controller.
4. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the specific zone is formed with a recess.
5. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gas contained in the gas charger is nitrogen.
6. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control unit of the gas charger includes a gas pressure sensor.
7. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elastic element in each of the second nozzles is a spring.
8. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the first nozzles includes a rubber ring member.
9. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the second nozzles includes a rubber ring member.
10. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the locating modules includes a pushbutton-type optical sensor correspondingly pressed against the bottom of the wafer pod.
11. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inner tube of each of the second nozzles has a nut screwed thereto.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US13/570,879 US20140041755A1 (en) | 2012-08-09 | 2012-08-09 | Wafer pod gas charging apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/570,879 US20140041755A1 (en) | 2012-08-09 | 2012-08-09 | Wafer pod gas charging apparatus |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20140041755A1 true US20140041755A1 (en) | 2014-02-13 |
Family
ID=50065275
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/570,879 Abandoned US20140041755A1 (en) | 2012-08-09 | 2012-08-09 | Wafer pod gas charging apparatus |
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US (1) | US20140041755A1 (en) |
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US20150000789A1 (en) * | 2013-06-26 | 2015-01-01 | Daifuku Co., Ltd. | Processing Facility |
US9550219B2 (en) * | 2014-12-29 | 2017-01-24 | Daifuku Co., Ltd. | Apparatus of inhalation type for stocking wafer at ceiling and inhaling type wafer stocking system having the same |
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