JPH0997782A - Semiconductor wafer carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor wafer carrier which is capable of preventing a semiconductor wafer from deteriorating in evenness at etching by a method wherein the semiconductor wafer is set large in area exposed to etching solution and coming uniformly into contact with etching solution. SOLUTION: A wafer carrier main body 1 possessed of an open top and a bottom and inner sides provided with opposed support grooves where a large number of semiconductor wafers are placed separate from each other is formed into a shape of low profile. Side plates 2 and 3 are provided in the carrier main body 1 extending vertically downwards, ribs 2a to 2n and ribs 3a and 3n are provided to the inner surfaces of the side plates 2 and 3 extending both inwards and vertically downwards and confronting each other, and wafer support rods 8 and 9 are provided below the ribs 2a to 2n and ribs 3a and 3n and in parallel with and adjacent to the side plates 2 and 3 bridging a space between a front plate 4 and a rear plate 5. Semiconductor wafers inserted into opposed wafer support grooves made up with the ribs 2a to 2n, and 3a to 3n are supported by the support, rods 8 and 9 in a two-point support manner.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a component part of a carrier for a wet process for etching a semiconductor wafer with a wet process such as an etching solution such as an alkaline solution in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor wafer constituting an integrated circuit. The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer carrier characterized by.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process for forming electronic circuit components, a processing layer is removed by etching with an alkaline solution after an ingot cutting process and a chamfering process for slicing a semiconductor ingot to obtain a wafer. A so-called wafer carrier, which is a transfer cassette used in the etching process, has been designed as a normal PFA carrier, a skeleton PFA carrier, or the like in consideration of transfer between processes and drying (spin dryer, etc.).

[0003]

However, when used in an etching process using a high etching rate chemical, the conventional wafer carrier described above has a high-profile multi-point support structure, so that the wafer accommodated and covered by the carrier is covered. Of the semiconductor wafer during etching because the coating area is large, and the etching solution cannot evenly contact and advance in the wafer surface due to the shape with extra curved protrusions that block the flow of the etching solution. There was a problem such as promoting deterioration of flatness.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and reduces the flow resistance so as not to obstruct the flow of a high etching solution as much as possible, reduces the contact fulcrum when stored in a carrier, and holds the semiconductor held. It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor wafer carrier capable of preventing deterioration of flatness during etching by increasing the exposed area of the wafer with respect to the etching solution and promoting uniform contact.

[0005]

For this reason, in the present invention, in a wafer carrier in which opposed support grooves for spacing a large number of semiconductor wafers are provided on the inner side surface and the top and bottom are opened,
The wafer carrier body is composed of an upright symmetric side plate and a front plate and a rear plate which are integrally formed in a low profile form, and the side plates are vertically extended downward and extend vertically on the inner surface of the side plate. Is a series of spaced ribs that project inwardly in a fold shape and face each other and extend vertically downward, and are installed between the front plate and the rear plate so as to be parallel and adjacent to the side plates below each of the spaced ribs. And a wafer supporting rod, the semiconductor wafer being inserted into the opposing supporting groove formed between the separating ribs is held on the wafer supporting rod by two-point support.

Further, the front plate of the wafer carrier main body has a pair of flat projecting portions which vertically project downward and outward, and an arcuate cutout recessed in the upper center of the front plate. The rear plate is characterized by narrowing the vertical width of the central portion, and has side windows each having a lattice-shaped window hole formed by the continuous shape of the separating ribs.

According to the semiconductor wafer carrier of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is held by the two-point support on the wafer support rod so that the wafer contact is minimized, and the semiconductor wafer carrier is integrally molded in the low profile form. The side plate, the front plate, and the rear plate that are provided to reduce the wafer covered area accommodated in the semiconductor wafer carrier as much as possible.
A side plate extending vertically downward and a series of spaced ribs protruding inward inward on the inner surface of the side plate facing each other and extending vertically downward are extra protrusions having a straight structure. Therefore, the flatness is maintained by uniformly contacting the wafer surface without obstructing the flow of the etching solution and preventing the flatness from deteriorating during etching. Also, an arcuate notch recess provided in the upper center of the front plate,
The rear plate having a narrowed vertical width in the central portion increases the exposed area of the accommodated semiconductor wafer and does not obstruct the flow of the etching solution. Furthermore, the lattice-shaped window holes provided on the outer surfaces of the side plates respectively reinforce and reduce the weight of the entire wafer carrier,
It is also possible to prevent distortion or the like from occurring during injection molding.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, in order to explain embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings, reference numeral 1 shown in the drawings indicates
For example, a wafer carrier body as a container for holding a semiconductor wafer used in an etching process of a disk type semiconductor wafer such as silicon with an alkaline solution. As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer carrier body 1 is an upright and symmetric side plate. 2 and 3, the front plate 4 and the rear plate 5 are integrally molded in a low profile form, and the bottom thereof is open. The side plates 2 and 3 extend vertically downwardly thereof, and the inner surfaces of the side plates 2 and 3 are provided with a series of ribs 2a-2n and 3a-
3n are provided so as to face each other, and the semiconductor wafers are inserted into the wafer supporting grooves 6a to 6n and 7a to 7n formed therebetween, so that the respective semiconductor wafers can be held separately without contacting each other. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer carrier body 1 has a wafer support groove 6 because the whole structure is a low profile form and the top and bottom are open.
It facilitates wet processing, etching processing, cleaning / drying, etc. of the semiconductor wafers inserted in a to 6n and 7a to 7n. The separating ribs 2a to 2n and 3a to 3n extend vertically downward as a whole, and the wafer supporting rods 8 and 9 are arranged below the separating ribs so as to be parallel and adjacent to the side plates 2 and 3, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor wafer, which is erected on the wafer supporting grooves 6a to 6n and 7a to 7n, is held on the wafer supporting rods 8 and 9 by two-point support. Side plates 2 and 3
Flanges 10a and 11a are provided on the upper edge of the box, and box-shaped handshake portions 10 and 11 are formed by flange side plates 10b and 11b continuously provided vertically downward from the ends of the side walls. The wafer carrier body 1 is reinforced and can be easily pulled up manually or by a robot. Also, the flange 10a
Numerical values for confirming the position and number of the accommodated semiconductor wafers are drawn on the surfaces of and 11a.

The front plate 4 of the wafer carrier body 1 is provided with plane-shaped projecting portions 4a and 4b which vertically project downward and are reinforced. Further, an arcuate notch recess 12 is provided in the upper center of the front plate 4, and the rear plate 5 has a narrowed vertical width at the central portion to increase the exposed area of the semiconductor wafers housed therein. It does not block the flow of liquid. Further, the outer surface of each of the side plates 2 and 3 is formed with a lattice-shaped window hole 13 formed by a continuous shape of the separating ribs 2a to 2n and 3a to 3n, so that the wafer carrier body 1 is reinforced and the weight thereof is reduced. It is possible to prevent distortion and the like from occurring during injection molding. In the illustrated example, the lattice-shaped window holes 13 may be replaced with rectangular through holes, or the window holes 13 may be deleted to provide a flush structure.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the process of etching a sliced semiconductor wafer, the use of a wafer carrier allows the etching solution to uniformly advance in the wafer surface in order to remove the processed layer of the semiconductor wafer and maintain the flatness. This is essential, and according to the wafer carrier body 1 of the present invention, the flow of the etching solution can uniformly contact the wafer surface to maintain the flatness. Amount of change in processing layer between after processing and TTV
It was confirmed that (μm) decreased from 1.57 μm in the related art to 1.00 μm.

[0012]

[Table 1]

[0013]

The present invention is configured as described above.
In particular, the side plate, the front plate and the rear plate integrally formed in the low profile form, and the side plate vertically extend downwardly thereof, and the inner surface of the side plate protrudes inward in a pleated shape. Since it has a series of spaced ribs provided facing each other and extending vertically downward, and a wafer support rod installed between the front plate and the rear plate below each of the spaced ribs,
The flow resistance is reduced so as not to disturb the flow of the etching solution as much as possible, the contact fulcrum when stored in the carrier is reduced, and the exposed area of the held semiconductor wafer with respect to the etching solution is increased to promote uniform contact. As a result, it is possible to prevent deterioration of flatness during etching.

Further, the arcuate notch recess provided in the upper center of the front plate and the rear plate having a narrowed vertical width in the central portion increase the exposed area of the semiconductor wafer housed and do not disturb the flow of the etching solution. Further, the lattice-shaped window holes provided on the outer surface of each of the side plates reinforces and reduces the weight of the entire wafer carrier, and can prevent the occurrence of distortion or the like during injection molding.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Wafer carrier body 2, 3 ... Side plate 4 ... Front plate 5 ... Rear plate 2a to 2n, 3a to 3n ... Separation ribs 6a to 6n, 7a to 7n ... Wafer supporting groove 8, 9 ... Wafer supporting rod 12 ... Notch Recessed portion 13 ... Window hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a wafer carrier in which opposed support grooves for separating a large number of semiconductor wafers are provided on an inner side surface, and a top and a bottom are opened, a wafer carrier body is integrally formed in a low profile form and is upright. The left and right symmetrical side plates, the front plate, and the rear plate, and the side plates extend vertically downwards, and are provided on the inner surface of the side plates so as to project inwardly in a fold shape and face each other vertically downward. A series of spaced ribs and a wafer support rod installed between the front plate and the rear plate so as to be parallel and adjacent to the side plates below each of the spaced ribs, and formed between the spaced ribs. A semiconductor wafer carrier characterized in that a semiconductor wafer to be inserted into a facing supporting groove is held on the wafer supporting rod by supporting at least two points. 2. A front plate of the wafer carrier body has a pair of planar projections which vertically project downward and outward, and an arcuate cutout recessed in the upper center of the front plate. 2. The semiconductor wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein the rear plate has a narrowed vertical width at its central portion. 3. The semiconductor wafer carrier according to claim 1, wherein each side surface of the side plate is provided with a lattice-shaped window hole formed by the continuous shape of the separation ribs.