JPH0679152U - Structure of semiconductor wafer transport container - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] The purpose is to eliminate wafer damage accidents in the wafer transport container. [Structure] At the bottom of a wafer carrying container 1 for loading and storing a wafer carrier in which semiconductor wafers are aligned and loaded,
Inverted concave shape with a hollow top plate and V-shaped groove array 5 on the upper surface
b, 5b support the wafer W, and the elastic support rods 4c, 4 having the upper peripheral edge of the wafer mounted on the lower surface of the lid 3
The structure of the wafer transport container that holds the wafer in a buffered manner by pressing it with c.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer transport container for safely storing and transporting a semiconductor wafer without damaging or contaminating the semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Containers for storing and transporting semiconductor wafers include wafer carriers for aligning and loading the wafers, containers for loading the wafers, and buffers for the purpose of preventing or reducing damage to the wafers due to vibrations and shocks that occur during transportation. It is customarily composed of a combination of a supporting rod and a lid (for example, application for utility model registration No. 56060 in 1992).

The wafer carrier referred to here is a container in which a large number of semiconductor wafers are aligned and loaded at regular intervals, and is an inner container of a so-called double-structured container that is loaded in a wafer transport container (outer box). Is. The semiconductor wafer alignment pitch is required to match the pitch of a carrier (not shown) for processing wafers made of fluororesin, which is convenient for semiconductor manufacturers, and the pitch is internationally determined. 4.76 mm for containers with a diameter of 3 to 6 inches, and 6. for 8 inch wafers. The pitch of the wafer carrier, the buffer support rod, etc. according to the present invention is in conformity with this. In such a wafer carrier and container, the wafer is damaged by vibration or impact during transportation or work, or the contact surface is scraped by the edge of the wafer carrier due to the vibration of the wafer, and the shavings are removed. It is often the case that it adheres to the wafer and causes contamination, and for this reason, various wafer cushioning supports are provided on the lid of the container, and as a preventive measure therefor, it is still not complete. The current situation.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The wafer transport container is mainly made of plastic, but it has a double structure consisting of an outer box and a wafer carrier, and the wall thickness is made as thick as possible in order to have sufficient strength. Therefore, the weight is heavy, and the weight of the semiconductor wafer to be stored is also added, and the total weight of the container becomes considerably large. When a container with a large mass such as this collides with another object for some reason, or falls, very large energy is generated, which causes a large distortion in the container and This will damage the wafer. It is not such a big accident, but in the normal work, a slight mistake such as a light collision of the transport container with a workbench is often made, but even with such a light impact, the total energy is not enough. It is large, and as a result, a semiconductor wafer, which is a brittle material, is often damaged. The present invention is intended to eliminate such a wafer damage accident in a wafer transport container.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 A wafer carrier for loading wafer carriers loaded with semiconductor wafers arranged side by side has an arcuate cross section in which the top plate has an inverted concave shape and the top plate has a V-shaped top surface. By mounting a buffer mounting table in which two rows of groove rows are formed in parallel, the lower part of the wafer accommodated in the wafer carrier is supported by these two rows of V-shaped groove rows, and the wafer is slightly lifted from the bottom of the carrier to form a wafer. Vibration and impact applied to the container by sandwiching the wafer with an elastic support rod that has the function of cutting the contact with the wafer carrier and mounting it on the inner surface of the lid of the transport container to press the upper peripheral edge of the wafer. The buffer is kept so that does not directly affect the wafer.

[0006]

【Example】

 The structure of the wafer container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, in a container 1 for transporting a wafer, a wafer W is loaded in a wafer carrier 2, the wafer carrier 2 is loaded in a container body 1, and then the wafer W is subjected to carrier vibration by vibration or the like. The structure in which the buffer support rod 4 mounted on the inner surface of the lid 3 so as not to slide or damage the inside is pressed from the upper portion of the wafer has the same structure as that of a conventional wafer container, but the present invention has a reverse concave shape. In the shape, the top plate has an arch-shaped cross section curved in the shape of a hollow, and the buffer mounting table 5 in which two V-shaped groove rows are formed in parallel on the top surface of the top plate is attached to the bottom of the container body 1. It has characteristics.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a wafer container according to the present invention. The buffer mounting table 5 of the wafer is an arched rectangular shape with an inverted concave cross section made of a relatively thin flat plate made of a soft or semi-rigid material such as polyethylene, and its top plate 5a is almost the same as the circular arc of the wafer. An arcuate surface is formed, and both ends thereof are suspended to form legs 5c, 5c, and moreover, a plurality of aligned wafers W are arranged on the top plate 5a so that they can be aligned and placed in a stable state. V-shaped groove rows 5b and 5b are provided. The width of the buffer mounting table 5 is set to be smaller than the width of the opening 2a at the bottom of the wafer carrier 2 described later. The legs 5c and 5c are fitted into the positioning engagement grooves 1a and 1a provided at the bottom of the container body 1 to be mounted. Since the mounting table 5 has an arch type in which the legs 5c and 5c are erected only on the two side surfaces, the legs 5c and 5c are opened in response to the impact and deformation applied to the container, or the curved top plate 5a. It is intended to obtain the effect of absorbing and absorbing the shock by easily elastically deforming due to distortion. The V-shaped groove shown in the figure has different left and right inclination angles for the purpose of aligning the wafers at a predetermined interval, but the left and right sides may have the same angle.

The wafer carrier 2 is a box body in which wafers are aligned and stored. One of the opposing side walls 2a, 2a is curved inward so that the lower side follows the circumference of the semiconductor wafer, the lower end thereof is brought close to the wafer so that the wafer to be stored does not fall, and the end thereof is an opening 2b. It is arranged so as not to come into contact with the buffer mounting table 3 mounted inside 1. Then, the semiconductor wafers are aligned and loaded between the ridges by vertically arranging the ridges 2c, 2c facing each other on the inner surfaces of the both side walls 2a, 2a with a spacing according to the international standard. The grooves 2d and 2d are formed. One of the other side surfaces 2e is entirely a wall surface, and the opposing surface is open to the extent that a part of the side wall 2f is left in the middle. The open structure like this allows the stored wafer W to be pushed up from the lower end surface of the wafer W and protrudes above the carrier so that the wafer can be easily taken out from above. It is intended to improve cleanliness and workability that can be handled without touching the fingers, and its shape is not particularly limited.

The support 4 for pressing and holding the upper portion of the semiconductor wafer loaded in the container body has wall surfaces 4b and 4b hanging from the facing surface of the frame rod 4a, bends from the lower end thereof, and extends upward again. Support rods 4c, 4c and pressing arms 4d, 4d which extend further upward and whose tip portion is close to the inner surface of the lid 3 when the supporting tool 4 is mounted on the inner surface of the lid 3. Is. The supporting rods 4c, 4c and the pressing arms 4d, 4d are partially divided by the slits 4f, 4f into the same number as the number of storable wafers, and thus the supporting rods 4c, 4c and the pressing arms 4d, 4d are flexible. It is giving sex. Moreover, each support rod 4c has a groove-shaped lower surface 4e carved in a mountain shape, and abuts the diagonally upper peripheral edge of the housed wafer to prevent swaying from side to side and presses it for stable holding. It is an eggplant. Such a support tool 4 is mounted on the back surface of the lid 3 by a suitable method, for example, by engaging the illustrated fitting holes 4g, 4g with the fitting bosses 3a, 3a protruding from the lid 3. Note that 4h and 4h are pointed projections.

The semiconductor wafer carrying container body 1 of the present invention having the above-described structure has a buffer mounting table 5 preliminarily mounted on the bottom thereof, and a wafer carrier 2 in which wafers are aligned and loaded is mounted from above. Be entered. Immediately before the wafer carrier 2 reaches the bottom of the container 1, the lower peripheral edge of the wafer W abuts on the V-shaped grooves 5b and 5b on the buffer mounting table 5 so that the wafers 1 are housed one by one. Descend to. Therefore, the wafer W is stable in a state where the contact with the lower part of the groove 2d of the wafer carrier 2 is broken and floats up, and when the wafer W is accommodated in the V-shaped grooves 5b and 5b, the contact with the ridges 2c and 2c is also broken. Since the distance between the bottoms of the grooves 3d and 3d facing each other formed on the side walls 2a and 2a of the wafer carrier 2 is larger than the diameter of the wafer, there is no contact between the wafer and the wafer carrier. Is configured to be.

When the lid 3 is covered and fitted to the container 1 in which the wafer is stored as described above, the pointed projections 4h protruding from the support rods 4c and 4c of the buffer support 4 mounted on the back surface of the lid 3 are formed. First, the inclination of each of the wafers is corrected so that the wafers are upright, and then the grooves 4e and 4e on the lower surfaces of the supporting rods 4c and 4c are brought into contact with the respective wafers. By this abutment, the pressing arms 4d, 4d extending upward are pushed up, and the tips thereof come into contact with the back surface of the lid 3. Further, when the lid 3 is completely fitted, the tips of the pressing arms 4d and 4d are pushed down, and therefore, the force for pressing and supporting the wafers of the supporting rods 4c and 4c continuous to the pressing arms 4d and 4d is increased, and more reliable holding is achieved. Will be possible. The engagement protrusions 3b and 3b provided in series on the lid 3 are stoppers fitted into the engagement recesses 1b and 1b of the main body 1. Although not shown, a stopper may be provided on the other side surface.

[0012]

【The invention's effect】

 As described above, the semiconductor wafer transporting container of the present invention has an inverted concave shape and its top plate has an arch-shaped cross section curved in the shape of a hollow, and two V-shaped groove rows are arranged in parallel on the top face of the top plate. The buffer mounting table 5 thus formed is provided on the bottom surface, and the supporting rods 4c, 4c having a cushioning property are mounted on the back surface of the lid 3, and the wafer is sandwiched and held between them. The wafer accommodated in is cut off from the direct contact with the container body 1, the lid 3 and the wafer carrier 2. Therefore, even if the container is deformed by some impact, the elastic support rods 4c and 4c and the buffer mounting table 5 absorb the impact and the deformation, and the wafer is affected by the impact. No damage and no damage. Further, since the wafer is buffer-held by the support rods 4c, 4c and the mounting table 5, even if the container is vibrated, the contact surface between the wafer and the support rod and the mounting table does not slide, and therefore the abrasion debris is not generated. It did not occur and no longer contaminates the wafer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a central cross-sectional view of a wafer transportation container of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wafer transport container of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a wafer support.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

5 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a buffer mounting table.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container 1a Engagement groove 1b Engagement recess 2 Wafer carrier 2d Wafer storage groove 3 Lid 3a Fitting boss 4 Support tool 4a Frame rod 4c Support rod 4d Pressing arm 4f Slit 4g Fitting hole 4h Pointed protrusion 5 Buffer mount 5a Top plate 5b V-shaped groove array 5c Leg

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A wafer carrier for loading and storing wafer carriers in which semiconductor wafers are aligned and loaded, wherein the top plate has an inverted concave shape and has an arch-shaped cross section curved in a concave shape, and the top surface of the top plate. A buffer mounting table in which two V-shaped groove rows are formed in parallel is attached to the inner bottom portion of the container body for transportation, and the lower portion of the wafer loaded on the wafer carrier is supported by the two V-shaped groove rows to support the wafer. Float a little from the wafer carrier and cut off contact with the wafer carrier,
A structure for a wafer carrying container, characterized in that the wafer is aligned and held with an elastic supporting rod mounted on an inner surface of a lid of the carrying container for pressing the peripheral edge of the wafer.