JPH04303941A - Container for transportation of semiconductor wafer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a container, for transportation use of semiconductor wafers, which enhances the holding force of housed wafers and which displays an excellent shock-relaxing force by improving the wafer-retaining jig of a wafer case for transportation use. CONSTITUTION:A thin piece whose cross section is nearly L-shaped is divided into many strip shapes at slits in a required length. Recessed parts whose tip parts act as pin parts 23a, 24a coming into contact with the bottom on the side face of each U-shaped groove 3 when they come into contact with the edge parts on both shoulder parts of a wafer 30 and in which the edge parts of the wafer 30 come into contact with their inside are formed. Each pin part creeps by making use of the U-shaped groove in a wafer housing frame as a guide, and surely restains the outer circumferential part of the wafer; an elastic body can be bridged between the rear of a case lid and the bottom of the side faces of the U-shaped groove; both shoulder parts of the wafer can be brought into contact and be supported by an optimum pressure force; the pressure force is not changed even by a vibration; and the wafer can perfectly be held during its transportation.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to the improvement of a resin wafer case for preventing damage and contamination of semiconductor wafers and for safely transporting the wafers. The wafer holding jig consists of a thin support piece that has pins whose tips abut against the bottom of the U-shaped groove when the pins come into contact with the wafer storage frame. The present invention relates to a container for transporting semiconductor wafers that holds the outer periphery of the wafer, prevents rotation and vibration of the stored wafer, and reduces contamination during transport.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, with the advancement of electronics in all technical fields, the demand for semiconductor wafers has increased significantly. Therefore, wafers are transported in large quantities, and during transport, it is of utmost importance to prevent damage and contamination of the expensive wafers.

[0003] The conventional wafer case for transportation is
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-33436, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-39867, etc., it is composed of a resin wafer storage frame, a case body housing the frame, a case lid, and a wafer holding jig.

The case body houses a wafer storage frame with a number of U-shaped grooves for individually supporting a plurality of wafers upright, and the periphery of the case body is large to provide strength. It is bent and has a fitting groove or protrusion around it so that the case lid comes into close contact with the upper end surface of the periphery, and recesses for fixing the case lid on the periphery of both short sides. is formed.

[0005] The case lid has a protrusion or groove on its inner peripheral edge that fits into the upper end surface of the peripheral edge of the main body, and is fixed to the storage main body only on both short sides as described above. , is provided with a convex portion that fits into a concave portion on the storage main body side.

The wafer holding jig is a so-called inner lid, and is supported by the storage body and has the function of preventing vibration of the wafer, dispersing external force to the wafer, and preventing damage. Two thin-walled supporting pieces are provided on the top of the wafer to contact the upper edge of the wafer, and the tips are cut into a V-shape or U-shape to ensure support by contacting both shoulders of the upright wafer. A large number of elastic support pieces are arranged.

[0007]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In particular, wafers stored in a wafer case for transportation become contaminated when they hit various parts inside the case due to vibration, for example, so it is important to minimize the contact area and hold them so that they do not move. There is a need to.

In the conventional wafer case described above,
All wafer holding jigs utilize the elasticity of a resin support piece that is installed in the desired direction on the back of the case lid.
It comes into contact with the wafers stored in each groove of the wafer storage frame to prevent them from rotating or vibrating.

As mentioned above, the wafer holding jig is a thin supporting piece with a V-shaped or U-shaped cut at the tip to securely support the wafer, or a supporting piece with a U-shaped groove by dividing the thin supporting piece. A large number of comb-like elastic pieces are used. However, although the conventional wafer holding jig utilizes the elasticity of the resin support piece, its holding power and impact mitigation power are by no means satisfactory.

Furthermore, when the case lid is placed on and closed, the wafer holding jig may not be able to hold the outer periphery of the wafer if the case body and case lid are not positioned accurately.

The present invention improves the wafer holding jig of such a wafer case for transportation, so that the wafer holding jig can easily and reliably press the outer periphery of the wafer when the case lid is attached, and the wafer holding jig can easily and reliably hold the outer periphery of the wafer. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a container for transporting semiconductor wafers that has increased holding power and exhibits excellent shock mitigation power.

0012

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a wafer storage frame capable of individually supporting a plurality of wafers upright in a U-shaped groove, a case body housing the frame, a case lid, and wafers mounted on the lid. In a container for transporting resin semiconductor wafers made of a holding jig, a thin, narrow support piece with two notches at the tip is provided in the center of the back of the case lid, and each thin and wide support piece is provided on the outside of the support piece. A support piece is provided, and the wide support piece is divided into a number of strips by slits of the required length, and the tip part becomes a pin part that comes into contact with the bottom of the side surface of each U-shaped groove, and the edge part of the wafer is placed inside the pin part. This is a container for transporting semiconductor wafers, characterized in that it is provided with a concave portion that comes into contact with the container.

[0013]

[Function] The container for transporting semiconductor wafers according to the present invention is characterized by using two types of thin supporting pieces for the wafer holding jig, and is particularly attached to the back of the case lid to hold each wafer upright. Utilizes the elasticity of the resin support piece by using a thin support piece with a pin whose tip touches the bottom of the side surface of the U-shaped groove when it tangentially contacts the edges of both shoulders. This greatly improves the holding power and impact mitigation power of the wafer, and prevents damage and contamination during transportation.

In the thin wide support piece of the present invention, each pin portion of the support piece is already attached to the wafer storage frame U from the beginning of closing the case lid.
Since it penetrates into the U-shaped groove, the U-shaped groove acts as a guide and can reliably hold down the outer peripheral portion of the wafer.

[0015] In this invention, the two thin narrow support pieces provided at the center of the back surface of the case lid are arranged so that when the wafer is stored in the wafer storage frame with its orientation flat (hereinafter referred to as OF) facing up, the OF Any structure can be applied as long as it is a thin plate with a V-shaped or U-shaped notch at the tip and can come into contact with the edge.

In the present invention, the thin wide support piece that contacts the edges of both shoulders of each wafer in the tangential direction is provided outside the two thin narrow support pieces on the back surface of the case lid. When it is divided into many strips and comes into contact with the edges of both shoulders of the wafer in the tangential direction, the tip ends in a U shape.
By coming into contact with the bottom of the side of the U-shaped groove, in other words, by spanning between the back of the case lid and the bottom of the side of the U-shaped groove, it is possible to easily set the optimal pressing force to both shoulders of the wafer. Depending on the dimensions of the wafer and the case, the embedded position of the support piece in the back surface of the case lid, the contact position of the tip pin portion, the thickness and cross-sectional shape of the support piece, etc. can be selected as appropriate.

[0017]

[Embodiment] A container for transporting semiconductor wafers according to the present invention includes a case body 1 containing a wafer storage frame 2 that can individually support a plurality of wafers 30 upright in a U-shaped groove 3, and an upper part of the case body 1. It consists of a case lid 10 that fits into the opening, and a wafer holding jig that is attached to the lid. All members are made of known synthetic resins with required low dust generation and low gas dissipation properties, and are manufactured by known resin molding methods such as integral injection molding or assembly molding of different materials.

The case body 1 houses a wafer storage frame 2 having a large number of U-shaped grooves 3 for individually supporting a plurality of wafers upright, and has a highly rigid top surface periphery formed by a large bend. 4 is provided with a groove for fitting around its upper end surface so that a peripheral edge 11 of a case lid 10 (described later) comes into close contact therewith, and a packing 12 made of a desired soft material is disposed thereon. be. In addition, the upper peripheral edge 4 of the case main body 1 is provided with a central lower end of each of the four outer surfaces on the short side and long side of the peripheral edge 4 so that the locking wing-like member 13 of the case lid 10 is fitted into the upper peripheral edge 4 of the case body 1. A notch 5 is formed therein, and a protrusion 6 that fits into the hole of the wing-like member 13 is provided.

The case lid 10 has a groove on its inner circumferential edge that fits into the four end surfaces of the upper circumferential edge of the case body 1, and wing-shaped members on the four outer circumferential sides of the short side and the long side. 13
is provided.

Here, the wafer holding jig is the case lid 1.
The jig frame 20 has a large number of V-shaped or U-shaped grooves in the thickness direction in the center of the rectangular jig frame 20 so as to come into contact with the upper OF edge of the stored wafer 30. Two thin and narrow supporting pieces 21 and 22 are provided.

The thin wide support pieces 23 and 24 are attached to the case lid 1.
The thin piece, which has an approximately L-shaped cross section, is divided into a large number of strips by slits of a required length, and is provided on the outside of the two thin narrow support pieces 21 and 22 on the back side of the wafer 30. When abutting the edge portion in the tangential direction, the tip portion becomes a pin portion 23a, 24a that abuts the bottom of the side surface of each U-shaped groove 3, and a concave portion is provided inside the pin portion 23a, 24a, with which the edge portion of the wafer 30 abuts.

A plurality of wafers 30 are placed in the wafer storage frame 2.
is stored in the case body 1 and the case lid 10 is
is placed, but the peripheral edge is locked by the uneven fitting of the peripheral edges 4, 11 of the case body 1 and the case lid 10, and the fitting of the protrusion 6 in the hole of the wing-shaped member 13 and the notch 5. Part 4, 1
Uniform and stable airtightness can be maintained over the entire surface of the wafer 1, and contamination of the wafer 30 by outside air is significantly reduced.

The wafer holding jig built into the inner back surface of the case lid 10, that is, each wafer 30 can be individually held down from the top toward the bottom of the case body 1 by the thin narrow support pieces 21 and 22. In addition, the thin wide support piece 23,
The tip pin portions 23a and 24a of the wafer 24 contact the bottom of the side surface of the U-shaped groove 3, and press both shoulders of the wafer 30 from diagonal directions to securely support the wafer 30 due to vertical and horizontal vibrations. Wobble can be completely prevented, vibration of the wafer inside the case during transportation is eliminated, and particle adhesion to the wafer can be significantly reduced.

[0024]

Effects of the Invention The container for transporting semiconductor wafers according to the present invention is divided into a large number of strips by a slit, and the tip portion forms a pin portion that comes into contact with the bottom of the side surface of each U-shaped groove. By using a thin wide support piece with a concave part that the edges abut, the elastic body can be spanned between the back of the case lid and the bottom of the side of the U-shaped groove, and the elastic body can be placed between both sides of the wafer with an optimal pressing force. It can be supported in contact with the shoulder, and this pressing force does not fluctuate even when vibrations are applied to the container, allowing the wafer to be completely held during transportation, eliminating vibration of the wafer and greatly reducing particle adhesion.

Further, in the thin wide support piece of the present invention, since each pin portion of the support piece has already entered the U-shaped groove of the wafer storage frame from the beginning of closing the case lid, the U-shaped groove serves as a guide. This has the advantage that the outer circumference of the wafer can be reliably held down.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional perspective view of a container for transporting semiconductor wafers according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional front view of a container for transporting semiconductor wafers according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially longitudinal sectional side view of a container for transporting semiconductor wafers according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1　Case body 2 Wafer storage frame 3 U-shaped groove 4 Peripheral area 5 Notch 6.Protrusion 10 Case lid 11 Peripheral area 12 Packing 13 Wing-shaped member 20 Jig frame 21, 22 Thin narrow width support piece 23 Thin wide support piece 23a, 24a pin part 30 Wafer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A resin comprising a wafer storage frame capable of individually supporting a plurality of wafers upright in a U-shaped groove, a case body housing the frame, a case lid, and a wafer holding jig attached to the lid. In a container for transporting semiconductor wafers manufactured by Manufacturer Co., Ltd., a thin narrow support piece with two notches at the tip is provided in the center of the back of the case lid, and thin wide support pieces are provided on the outside of each thin support piece. is divided into a large number of strips by slits of the required length, the tip part becomes a pin part that comes into contact with the bottom of the side surface of each U-shaped groove, and a recessed part is provided inside which the edge part of the wafer comes into contact. A container for transporting semiconductor wafers.