WO1996009787B1 - Semiconductor wafer cassette - Google Patents
Semiconductor wafer cassetteInfo
- Publication number
- WO1996009787B1 WO1996009787B1 PCT/US1995/012073 US9512073W WO9609787B1 WO 1996009787 B1 WO1996009787 B1 WO 1996009787B1 US 9512073 W US9512073 W US 9512073W WO 9609787 B1 WO9609787 B1 WO 9609787B1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- cassette
- semiconductor wafer
- supporting
- columns
- recited
- Prior art date
Links
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 title claims abstract 73
- 235000012431 wafers Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract 86
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract 10
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims abstract 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims 6
- 230000014759 maintenance of location Effects 0.000 claims 3
- 230000035882 stress Effects 0.000 claims 2
- 239000004809 Teflon Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminum Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 230000000881 depressing Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 229920001343 polytetrafluoroethylene Polymers 0.000 claims 1
- 230000003068 static Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 230000036633 rest Effects 0.000 abstract 1
Abstract
A cassette (114) for supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers (25) for storage and transport through a plurality of semiconductor fabrication processes. The cassette includes top (156) and bottom plates (158), and support columns (160, 162, 164 and 166) extending between and attached to the top and bottom plates. Each of the plates and support columns is formed from a rigid material to resist warpage. A lower surface of the bottom plate includes three mounts (170a, 170b, 170c) spaced from each other around the periphery of the bottom plate. Each mount includes a trough (171) having angled side walls. Each surface on which the cassette is to be supported includes three pins (174a, 174b, 174c), oriented so as to align with the mounts. The cassette (114) is positioned on a support surface such that each of the pins rests against the lower surface of the bottom plate (158) within the troughs of each mount. Dut to the rigidity of the cassette and the pin/mount registration system, a cassette (114) is precisely and repeatably positioned on all supporting surfaces and a high degree of dimensional control is obtained.
Claims
1. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability, comprising: a rigid, warp-resistant, substantially circular bottom plate; a rigid, warp-resistant, substantially circular top plate; and a plurality of rigid, warp-resistant columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates, at least two columns of said plurality of columns including a plurality of shelves, with a shelf from each of said at least two columns supporting the semiconductor wafer.
2. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said top and bottom plates are comprised of aluminum.
3. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of columns are comprised of polyetheretherkeytone .
4. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of protrusions on an upper surface of said top plate for aligning with and for being received within a plurality of mounts on a bottom plate of a second cassette said plurality of protrusions enabling said second cassette to be stacked on top of the cassette with a high degree of dimensional stability.
5. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of columns comprise four columns.
6. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of columns comprise two columns for supporting the semiconductor wafer and two columns for positioning the semiconductor wafer within the cassette.
7. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said top plate and said bottom plate are comprised of teflon.
8. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said top plate, said bottom plate, and said columns comprise a group of components, at least two components from said group of components being comprised of a different materials.
9. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said top plate and said bottom plate are comprised of a different materials.
10. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said top plate, said bottom plate, and said plurality of columns are capable of being detached from and reattached to the cassette.
11. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of columns comprise a first group of columns, said first group of columns capable of being detached from the cassette and replaced by a second group of columns. 27
12. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 11 , said second group of columns having a different size than said first group of columns.
13. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of columns include means for receiving means for supporting the cassette from said plurality of columns.
14. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 13, said means for receiving means for supporting the cassette from said plurality of columns comprising at least a pair slots, one slot of said pair of slots being formed in each of first and second columns of said plurality of columns.
15. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of columns include means for allowing automated support of the cassette from said plurality of columns.
16. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 15, said automated support allowing means comprising at least a pair slots for receiving automated support means, one slot of said pair of slots being formed in each of first and second columns of said plurality of columns.
17. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability, comprising: a bottom plate; a top plate; 28
a pair of support columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates, each support column of said pair of support columns including a plurality of shelves, with a group of shelves, one from each support column, supporting the semiconductor wafer; and at least one positioning column extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates for positioning the semiconductor wafer within the cassette.
18. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein said top and bottom plates, said pair of support columns and said at least one positioning column are comprised of a rigid, warp-resistant material.
19. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein said pair of support columns and said at least one positioning column are comprised of a conductive material for dissipating static electrical charge.
20. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein said top plate, said bottom plate, said pair of support columns and said at least one positioning column comprise a group of components, at least two components from said group of components being comprised of different materials.
21. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein said top plate and said bottom plate are comprised of a different materials. 29
22. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein said pair of support columns and said at least one positioning column are comprised of a different materials.
23. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of said top plate, said bottom plate, said pair of support columns and said at least one positioning column are capable of being detached from and reattached to the cassette.
24. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, wherein said pair of support columns comprise a first pair of support columns and said at least one positioning column comprises a first positioning column, said first pair of support columns and said first positioning column capable of being detached and replaced by a second pair of support columns and a second positioning column, respectively, said second pair of support columns and a second positioning column having a different size than said first pair of support columns and said first positioning column.
25. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, said top and bottom plates including means for allowing the cassette to be stably supported with said top and bottom plates and the semiconductor wafer residing in a vertically oriented plane.
26. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, further comprising a cutout section in at least one of said top and bottom plates for exposing a portion of the semiconductor wafer to a sensing means. 30
27. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, further comprising means provided on said top plate for allowing both automated and manual lifting of the cassette from a top of the cassette.
28. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, further comprising: a hub mounted on said top plate; and a handle manually fitted over said hub, said handle allowing manual transport of the cassette, and said handle including means for firmly affixing said handle to said hub and means for detaching said handle from said hub.
29. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 28, said means for detaching said handle from said hub comprising at least two steps, said two steps preventing accidental detachment of said handle from said hub by performance of one of said two steps alone.
30. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 28, said means for detaching said handle from said hub comprising the steps of:
(a) depressing a button on said handle; and
(b) rotating said handle, performance of said steps (a) or (b) alone being insufficient to detach said handle from said hub.
31. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 17, further comprising: a hub mounted on said top plate; and 3 1
an adaptor manually fitted over said hub, said adaptor including means for firmly affixing said adaptor to said hub and means for detaching said adaptor from said hub, and said adaptor capable of being gripped by an automated top-grip transport system.
32. A first cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability, comprising: a bottom plate; a top plate; a plurality of columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates, at least two columns of said plurality of columns including a plurality of shelves, with a shelf from each of said at least two columns supporting the semiconductor wafer; a plurality of mounts on a bottom surface of said bottom plate for aligning with and for receiving a plurality of protrusions on a top plate of a second cassette, said plurality of mounts enabling the first cassette to be stacked on top of said second cassette with a high degree of dimensional stability; and a plurality of protrusions on an upper surface of said top plate for aligning with and for being received within a plurality of mounts on a bottom plate of a third cassette, said plurality of protrusions enabling said third cassette to be stacked on top of the first cassette with a high degree of dimensional stability.
33. A first cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 32, a centerline of a first shelf of the plurality of shelves having a predetermined distance from a centerline of a second shelf of the plurality of shelves immediately adjacent said first shelf, said plurality of mounts of the first cassette capable of receiving said plurality of protrusions of said second cassette such that a distance 32
between a centerline of a shelf of the plurality of shelves in the first cassette and a centerline of a shelf of a plurality of shelves in said second cassette is substantially a whole number multiple of said predetermined distance.
34. A first cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 32, a centerline of a first shelf of the plurality of shelves having a predetermined distance from a centerline of a second shelf of the plurality of shelves immediately adjacent said first shelf, said plurality of protrusions of the first cassette capable of being received within said plurality of mounts of said third cassette so that a distance between a centerline of a shelf of the plurality of shelves and a centerline of a shelf in said third cassette is substantially a whole number multiple of said predetermined distance.
35. A first cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 32, said bottom plate including an opening in a center portion of said bottom plate for preventing contact of said bottom plate and a gripping device protruding from a top surface of said second cassette when the first cassette is stacked on said second cassette.
36. A cassette for supporting a 300mm semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability, comprising: a rigid, warp-resistant, substantially circular bottom plate having a diameter of approximately 12.75 inches; a rigid, warp-resistant, subtantially circular top plate having a diameter of approximately 12.75 inches; and a plurality of rigid, warp-resistant columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates, at least two columns of 33
said plurality of columns including a plurality of shelves, with a shelf from each of said two columns supporting the semiconductor wafer; wherein said diameter of said bottom and top plates define a maximum overall circular footprint of the cassette, said maximum footprint being less than 125% of the area of the semiconductor wafer.
37. A cassette for supporting a 300mm semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 36, said plurality of columns each having a height of approximately 209 mm.
38. A cassette for supporting a 300mm semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 37, adjacent shelves of said plurality of shelves capable of supporting semiconductor wafers at a distance of approximately 7.5 mm from each other.
39. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability, comprising: a bottom plate; a top plate; a pair of support columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates, each support column of said pair of support columns including a plurality of shelves, with a group of shelves, one from said each support column, supporting the semiconductor wafer, said top and bottom plates, and said pair of support columns defining an opening in the cassette through which the semiconductor wafer is transferred into and out of the cassette; a pair of positioning columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates for positioning the semiconductor wafer within the cassette; and 34
wafer retention means for retaining the semiconductor wafer in position within the cassette.
40. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 39, wherein said wafer retention means comprise a protrusion at a front end of at least one shelf of said plurality of shelves for abutting against the semiconductor wafer to restrain the semiconductor wafer within the cassette.
41. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 39, wherein said wafer retention means comprise at least one gate having a first end mounted within said top plate, a second end mounted in said bottom plate, and a retaining portion having an axis substantially perpendicular to a plane of the semiconductor wafer and connected between said first and second ends, said first and second ends being mounted along a common axis of rotation so that said at least one gate pivots between a first position where said retaining portion does not block said opening, and a second position where said retaining portion blocks said opening.
42. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 41, wherein said retaining portion includes means for preventing relative contacting movement between said retaining portion and the semiconductor wafer as said gate moves between said first and second positions.
43. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 41 , urther comprising means for automatically moving said gate between said first and second positions. 35
44. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability on a support surface, comprising: a rigid, warp-resistant, substantially circular bottom plate; a rigid, warp-resistant, subtantially circular top plate; a plurality of rigid, warp-resistant columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates, at least two columns of said plurality of columns including a plurality of shelves, with a shelf from each of said two columns supporting the semiconductor wafer; and a mounting system for accurately orienting the cassette on the support surface, the mounting system including a plurality of mounts on an underside of said bottom plate, a mount of said plurality of mounts having a first raised section and a second raised section, said first and second raised sections defining a trough therebetween, said plurality of mounts capable of receiving a plurality of protrusions on the support surface such that a protrusion of said plurality of protrusions is received in said trough and lies in contact with said underside of said bottom plate to vertically align the cassette with respect to the support surface with a high degree of dimensional stability, said raised sections substantially preventing horizontal movement of said plurality of mounts with respect to said plurality of protrusions.
45. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer as recited in claim 44, wherein said plurality of mounts comprise three mounts and said plurality of protrusions comprise three protrusions.
46. A cassette for supporting a semiconductor wafer with a high degree of dimensional stability on a support surface, comprising: a bottom plate; 36
a top plate; a plurality of columns extending between and attached to said top and bottom plates; a plurality of shelves provided in at least two columns of said plurality of columns, one shelf from each column of said at least two columns comprising a group of shelves; three raised points provided on said group of shelves for supporting the semiconductor wafer.
37
STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19
Original claims 1-4 have been said to lack an inventive step over Quememoen in view of Boutet. In semiconductor fabrication, semiconductor wafers are withdrawn from and returned to a wafer cassette via a wafer handling robot. The robot includes and end effector or similar device having a thin profile which slides into the cassette under a wafer to be withdrawn, rises up to lift the cassette off of its support, and removes the wafer from within the cassette. The process is reversed for returning the wafer to the cassette. The wafers are closely stacked within the cassette, and it is extremely important that the precise elevation of the wafers be known so that the wafer handling robot may be properly aligned for wafer extraction and wafer return.
Quememoen discloses a plurality of rigid, warp-resistant support columns. However,
Quememoen fails to disclose a rigid, warp-resistant bottom plate or a rigid, warp-resistant top plate as recited in Claims 1-3 and S of the application. The end components disclosed in
Quememoen are formed of plastic. However, as explained above, in the context of semiconductor wafer cassettes where precise alignment is an absolute requirement, plastic is not a rigid or warp-resistant material. As stated in the Background of the Invention:
During the injection molding process, stresses form within the plastic while hardening, which stresses inevitably result in some degree of warping of the cassette. Similarly, the plastic cassettes tend to warp at higher temperatures. Warping of the cassette adversely effects performance of the cassette in two ways. First, if the cassette is twisted or slanted, the wafers within the cassette will be misaligned, and it is possible that they will be missed or damaged during mechanical accessing of the wafers. Second, even if die wafers are perfectly aligned with each other within the cassette, warping of the cassette prevents the bottom surface of the cassette from repeatably and precisely registering against its supporting surface, e^, the pod baseplate and the indexing plates.
That plastic may not be considered a rigid, warp resistant material in the context of the present invention appears to be admitted in Quememoen itself, which discloses the need to add rigid material within the plastic rails to prevent them from warping.
Thus, Applicants respectfully submit that Quememoen does not teach or suggests a cassette having a rigid or warp resistant bottom plate or rigid or warp resistant top plate. Therefore, applicants respectfully submit that claims 1-4 present patentable subject matter.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US31195494A | 1994-09-26 | 1994-09-26 | |
| US08/311,954 | 1994-09-26 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1996009787A1 WO1996009787A1 (en) | 1996-04-04 |
| WO1996009787B1 true WO1996009787B1 (en) | 1996-06-13 |
Family
ID=23209214
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US1995/012073 WO1996009787A1 (en) | 1994-09-26 | 1995-09-20 | Semiconductor wafer cassette |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| IL (1) | IL115433A0 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1996009787A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (12)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5788082A (en) * | 1996-07-12 | 1998-08-04 | Fluoroware, Inc. | Wafer carrier |
| US6776289B1 (en) | 1996-07-12 | 2004-08-17 | Entegris, Inc. | Wafer container with minimal contact |
| GB2348634B (en) * | 1996-07-12 | 2000-12-06 | Fluoroware Inc | Wafer carrier |
| JP3538204B2 (en) * | 1998-02-06 | 2004-06-14 | 三菱住友シリコン株式会社 | Thin plate support container |
| US6871741B2 (en) | 1998-05-28 | 2005-03-29 | Entegris, Inc. | Composite substrate carrier |
| US6428729B1 (en) | 1998-05-28 | 2002-08-06 | Entegris, Inc. | Composite substrate carrier |
| US6216874B1 (en) * | 1998-07-10 | 2001-04-17 | Fluoroware, Inc. | Wafer carrier having a low tolerance build-up |
| US7230702B2 (en) | 2003-11-13 | 2007-06-12 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Monitoring of smart pin transition timing |
| KR20070048649A (en) * | 2004-09-04 | 2007-05-09 | 어플라이드 머티어리얼스, 인코포레이티드 | Substrate carrier having reduced height |
| DE102010012976A1 (en) * | 2010-03-22 | 2011-09-22 | Schmid Technology Systems Gmbh | Transportation cassette in transport device, used for holding and transporting substrate e.g. round wafer, stacks substrates provided one above the other and parallel to each other in substrate-stacking direction |
| TWI735115B (en) * | 2019-12-24 | 2021-08-01 | 力成科技股份有限公司 | A wafer storage cassette and a wafer carrier plate |
| CN113345822B (en) * | 2021-07-16 | 2023-12-01 | 江苏天芯微半导体设备有限公司 | Wafer support frame and load-lock chamber for batch processing |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4153164A (en) * | 1978-06-13 | 1979-05-08 | Kasper Instruments, Inc. | Carrier for semiconductive wafers |
| US4872554A (en) * | 1987-07-02 | 1989-10-10 | Fluoroware, Inc. | Reinforced carrier with embedded rigid insert |
| US5186338A (en) * | 1991-07-11 | 1993-02-16 | Eastman Kodak Company | Pallet for holding a cassette |
| JP3194209B2 (en) * | 1992-11-10 | 2001-07-30 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Cleaning equipment |
| US5370243A (en) * | 1993-06-10 | 1994-12-06 | John C. Toves | Storage device for compact disc cases |
-
1995
- 1995-09-20 WO PCT/US1995/012073 patent/WO1996009787A1/en active Application Filing
- 1995-09-27 IL IL11543395A patent/IL115433A0/en unknown
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