Door body lock catch mechanism and semiconductor carrier

Abstract

The application discloses a door lock mechanism and a semiconductor carrier. The door lock mechanism comprises a door plate, a cover and a lock module. The door plate is provided with a first stop structure. The cover is assembled with the door plate correspondingly to define a containing space for the lock module. The lock module comprises a rotating assembly, a retaining assembly and an elastic assembly. The retaining assembly is arranged on the rotating assembly and is provided with a second stop structure corresponding to the position of the first stop structure. The elastic assembly is arranged between the retaining assembly and the rotating assembly. The elastic assembly is elastically compressed according to the force received by the retaining assembly. The second stop structure is separated from the limiting of the first stop structure, thereby controlling the rotating operation of the rotating assembly. When the retaining assembly is not subjected to the force, the elastic assembly is elastically reset. The first stop structure is in a limiting state to the second stop structure, thereby controlling the rotating assembly to be unable to rotate and operate, avoiding the problem of accidental falling of the door body, and achieving the effect of containing the semiconductor assembly.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 346,426, filed May 27, 2022, entitled “DOOR LATCH MECHANISM OF SUBSTRATE POD,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification

[0002] The present application relates to a door latch mechanism, and more particularly, to a door latch mechanism and a semiconductor carrier applied to the field of semiconductors.

BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of semiconductor technology, the size of semiconductor wafers, PCB boards, and reticles is constantly evolving, and the density of circuit patterns on them is also increasingly high. In related processing of semiconductor manufacturing, any particles or other contaminants attached to semiconductor components can not only damage the surface of semiconductor components, but also cause problems in process quality when different semiconductor process steps are performed. As the pattern density increases, the wavelength of the light source used in optical lithography becomes shorter, and the requirements for particle count and spatial cleanliness in semiconductor manufacturing become more stringent.

[0004] In such a situation, it is a very important issue for containers or carriers used to transport and store semiconductor components to maintain the high cleanliness of the internal space. The industry has developed a front opening wafer cassette (FOUP), which has a latch mechanism on the door to lock the door and the box body, and a keyhole on the outside of the door for the key to be inserted to control the locking and unlocking of the latch mechanism. Such a latch mechanism is known to use a turntable to move the latch to lock or unlock the box.

[0005] During the manufacturing process or during the transportation of the wafer cassette, the wafer cassette may be shaken due to the automated transfer machine or other external forces. When the wafer cassette is shaken, the turntable in the latch mechanism may rotate slightly. When the rotation angle of the turntable is not large, the key cannot be correctly inserted into the keyhole, causing the door of the wafer cassette to be unable to be normally opened and closed. When the rotation angle of the turntable is too large, the latch will be unlocked, causing the door to fall off. In addition to the above problems of the wafer cassette, the same problems may also occur when the latch mechanism is applied to a reticle cassette or a PCB carrier.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new door latch mechanism and a semiconductor carrier to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.

SUMMARY

[0007] The present application provides a door lock mechanism and a semiconductor carrier, which utilizes the stop structure on the door plate and the stop mechanism on the retaining assembly to limit each other, so that the rotating assembly cannot be rotated, thereby avoiding many problems caused by unexpected rotation of the rotating assembly due to vibration during the manufacturing process or the conveying process of the carrier.

[0008] The door lock mechanism of the present application for a semiconductor carrier comprises a door plate, a cover and a lock module. The door plate has at least one first stop structure. The cover is assembled with the door plate to define a receiving space. The lock module is arranged in the receiving space. The lock module comprises a rotating assembly, a retaining assembly and an elastic assembly. The retaining assembly is arranged on the rotating assembly and has a second stop structure corresponding to the position of the first stop structure. The elastic assembly is located between the retaining assembly and the rotating assembly. The elastic assembly is elastically compressed according to the stress of the retaining assembly, so that the second stop structure of the retaining assembly is disengaged from the limitation of the first stop structure, thereby controlling the rotating operation of the rotating assembly. When the retaining assembly is not stressed, the elastic assembly is elastically reset, and the first stop structure limits the second stop structure, thereby controlling the rotating operation of the rotating assembly.

[0009] The semiconductor carrier of the present application comprises a carrier body and the aforementioned door lock mechanism. The carrier body has a bearing space for accommodating semiconductor components and at least one latch located at the opening adjacent to the bearing space. The door lock mechanism is arranged on the carrier body. The receiving space defined by the door plate and the cover is provided with a latch assembly. According to the operation of the lock module, the latch assembly is unlocked and locked relative to the latch of the carrier body, thereby controlling the door lock mechanism to cover and open the bearing space.

[0010] The door lock mechanism and the semiconductor carrier of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0011] The first stop structure is protruded on the surface of the door plate, and the retaining assembly arranged on the rotating assembly has a second stop structure. When the retaining assembly is not stressed, the elastic assembly is elastically reset, and at this time the second stop structure is limited by the first stop structure, thereby controlling the rotating operation of the rotating assembly. When the retaining assembly is stressed and the elastic assembly is elastically compressed, the second stop structure is disengaged from the limitation of the first stop structure, thereby controlling the rotating operation of the rotating assembly. The door lock mechanism and the semiconductor carrier of the present application have the effects of simple structure and maintaining the position of the rotating assembly. During the manufacturing process or the conveying process, the rotating assembly will not be unexpectedly rotated due to vibration, thereby avoiding the problem that the keyhole is misaligned and the mechanical arm cannot normally open and close the door, and also avoiding the problem that the door is accidentally detached, thereby achieving the effect of accommodating semiconductor components.

DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a semiconductor carrier according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic view of an internal structure of a door lock mechanism.

[0014] Figure 3 is an exploded view of a door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a retaining assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 5 is an exploded view of a lock module.

[0017] Figure 6 is a schematic view of Figure 5 from another perspective.

[0018] Figure 7 is an assembled view of a lock module.

[0019] Figure 8 is a schematic view of Figure 7 from another perspective.

[0020] Figure 9 is a partial exploded view of a door lock mechanism of Figure 2 .

[0021] Figure 10 is a schematic view of a second stop structure in a position limiting a first stop structure.

[0022] Figure 11 is a side view of a door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 12 is a schematic view of a second stop structure disengaging from a position limiting a first stop structure.

[0024] Figure 13 is a schematic view of Figure 11 a retaining assembly pushed away from a door panel by a distance.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] door lock mechanism 10

[0027] carrier body 20

[0028] latch 21

[0029] key 50

[0030] Door plate 110 Lock hole 110a

[0031] First stop structure 111 Abutting surface 111a

[0032] Elastic assembly 130 Retaining assembly 150

[0033] Second stop structure 151 Body 153

[0034] Mounting portion 155 Elastic pin 156

[0035] Flange 157 Pivot assembly 160

[0036] Rotary assembly 170 Mounting groove 170a

[0037] Through hole 170b Inner bottom surface 171

[0038] Latching assembly 180 Cover 190

[0039] Pivot seat 191 Height H

[0040] Direction Z

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present application is further explained with reference to the drawing and specific embodiments of the application. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the directional terms used in the description of the specific embodiments of the application, such as upper, lower, left, right, front or rear, are only used with respect to the orientation of the drawing and are not used to limit the application. In addition, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, it is to be understood that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described and shown herein. In addition, it is to be understood that the present application is not limited to the particular examples described and shown herein. In addition, it is to be understood that the present application is not limited to the particular examples described and shown herein.

[0042] The door lock mechanism of the present application and the semiconductor carrier, which can be a wafer carrier, a reticle box, a carrier plate carrier, or any container capable of carrying semiconductor components. The door lock mechanism is installed at the opening of the semiconductor carrier, and the main feature is that the first stop structure on the door plate and the second stop structure on the retaining assembly are in a limiting state, and the rotary assembly cannot rotate. Thus, the problem of the door body not being able to normally open and close or falling off is solved. When the retaining assembly is stressed, the elastic assembly is stressed and compressed, the second stop structure is separated from the limiting of the first stop structure, and the rotary assembly can rotate. Thus, the key alignment accuracy and the convenience of simple operation are achieved, and the semiconductor components can be well accommodated. The door lock mechanism of the present application and the semiconductor carrier using the same are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0043] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 ,Figure 1 is a schematic view of a semiconductor carrier according to an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a door lock mechanism, Figure 3 is an exploded view of a door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] The semiconductor carrier 30 of the present embodiment comprises a carrier body 20 and a door lock mechanism 10. The carrier body 20 has a carrying space 20a for accommodating semiconductor components and at least one latch portion 21 located adjacent to an opening of the carrying space 20a. The door lock mechanism 10 is arranged on the carrier body 20, wherein the accommodating space 10a defined by the door plate 110 and the cover 190 is provided with the latch assembly 180. In the present embodiment, the number of latch assemblies 180 is two, arranged on opposite sides of the lock module 100. According to the unlocking and locking operation of the lock module 100, the latch assembly 180 will correspondingly retract inward from the latch portion 21 of the carrier body 20 to present an unlocked state, or the latch assembly 180 will correspondingly protrude outward from the latch portion 21 of the carrier body 20 to present a locked state, thereby controlling the door lock mechanism 10 to cover and open the carrying space 20a. The number of latch assemblies 180 is not limited and can be adjusted according to requirements. The semiconductor components can be, for example but not limited to, wafers, masks or other semiconductor substrates required in semiconductor processes, to prevent water vapor, particles and the like from entering, maintain the cleanliness of the semiconductor components, and facilitate transportation.

[0045] The door lock mechanism 10 comprises a door plate 110, a cover 190 and a lock module 100. The door plate 110 has at least one first stop structure 111, and the cover 190 is correspondingly assembled with the door plate 110 to define the accommodating space 10a. The lock module 100 is arranged in the accommodating space 10a. The door lock mechanism 10 is locked with the carrier body 20 in a separable manner through the lock module 100 and the latch assembly 180 coupled thereto, so that the door lock mechanism 10 can be separated from the carrier body 20 when needed, allowing a robot arm to pick up semiconductor components (not shown in the figure) carried in the semiconductor carrier 30. The door plate 110 has a lock hole 110a penetrating the upper and lower surfaces, and the first stop structure 111 is located at the periphery of the lock hole 110a. The lock hole 110a is used for inserting a key. The lock module 100 and the latch assembly 180 of the present embodiment provide reliable locking, allowing the door lock mechanism 10 and the carrier body 20 to be reliably locked, while the key can correctly enter the lock hole 110a and the lock module 100 to perform the door opening and closing action.

[0046] The lock module 100 of the present embodiment is disposed in the accommodation space 10a. The lock module 100 includes a rotating assembly 170, a retaining assembly 150, and an elastic assembly 130. The retaining assembly 150 is disposed on the rotating assembly 170, and the retaining assembly 150 has a second stop structure 151 corresponding to the position of the first stop structure 111. The elastic assembly 130 is located between the retaining assembly 150 and the rotating assembly 170. The elastic assembly 130 is elastically compressed according to the force applied to the retaining assembly 150, so that the second stop structure 151 of the retaining assembly 150 is disengaged from the position limitation of the first stop structure 111, thereby controlling the rotating operation of the rotating assembly 170. Conversely, when the retaining assembly 150 is not under stress, the elastic assembly 130 is elastically reset, and the first stop structure 111 limits the second stop structure 151, thereby controlling the rotating assembly 170 to be unable to rotate.

[0047] The door lock mechanism 10 of the present embodiment has a pair of lock modules 100 as an example, which are respectively located on the left and right sides of the door lock mechanism 10, as shown in Figure 2 The pair of lock modules 100 have the same components and structures. In order to clearly show the features of the present application, one lock module 100 will be described below as an example.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a perspective view of a retaining assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] The retaining assembly 150 includes a body 153 and at least one mounting portion 155 disposed on the body 153. The second stop structure 151 is connected to the end of the body 153 and protrudes towards the door plate 110 (that is, extends along the direction Z in Figure 3 and Figure 4 The mounting portion 155 is used to mount the elastic assembly 130, and the protruding direction of the mounting portion 155 is opposite to the protruding direction of the second stop structure 151. In the present embodiment, the body 153 is a flat plate structure, and each end of the two sides is connected with one second stop structure 151. The second stop structure 151 includes a pair of vertical standing arms perpendicular to the body 153. It is worth noting that the shape and size of the second stop structure 151 in the present application are not limited to those shown in Figure 4 As long as the design has sufficient structural strength, it can be applied to the retaining assembly 150 of the present embodiment.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figures 5 to 8 , Figure 5 is an exploded view of a lock module, Figure 6 isFigure 5 A diagram from another perspective. Figure 7 This is an assembly diagram of the locking module. Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A schematic diagram from another perspective.

[0051] In this embodiment, the retaining component 150 further includes a mounting portion 155 connected to the body 153, the mounting portion protruding in the opposite direction to the second stop structure 151. The retaining component 150 is movably mounted on the rotating component 170 via the mounting portion 155. The rotating component 170 has a mounting groove 170a, which corresponds to a locking hole 110a (the locking hole 110a is marked as...). Figure 3 The mounting groove 170a is used to mount the retaining assembly 150. The rotating assembly 170 also includes at least one through hole 170b located in the mounting groove 170a. The body 153 of the retaining assembly 150 is disposed in the mounting groove 170a, a portion of the mounting part 155 is installed in the through hole 170b, and the elastic component 130 is located between the inner bottom surface 171 of the mounting groove 170a and the surface of the body 153.

[0052] The elastic component 130 is sleeved on the mounting portion 155, with its two ends abutting against the surface of the body 153 of the retaining component 150 and the inner bottom surface 171 of the mounting groove 170a, respectively. The elastic component 130 is, for example, a steel coil spring, or other components that can be elastically compressed and elastically returned to their original position.

[0053] Furthermore, the distal end of the mounting portion 155 has a resilient foot 156 with a flange 157. The outer diameter of the flange 157 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 170b, allowing the resilient foot 156 to pass through the through hole 170b and be fixed to the outer bottom surface of the mounting groove 170a. The resilient foot 156 is used for detachment and installation in the mounting groove 170a. When the mounting portion 155 passes through the through hole 170b, the resilient foot 156 is first compressed through the through hole 170b and then elastically returns, causing the flange 157 to abut against the outer bottom surface of the mounting groove 170a. The retaining component 150 is detachably mounted on the rotating component 170 via the resilient foot 156.

[0054] The components of the locking module 100 in this embodiment will now be described in more detail. Please refer to... Figure 2 and Figure 9 , Figure 9 yes Figure 2 An exploded view of part of the door locking mechanism.

[0055] The housing space 10a of the door body locking mechanism 10 is provided with a latch assembly 180, which is coupled to the locking module 100. The rotating assembly 170 of the locking module 100 is used to rotate and control the latch assembly 180, so as to protrude outwardly from the cover body 190 or retract inwardly into the cover body 190, thereby performing the unlocking and locking operations of the door body locking mechanism 10. Please refer to Figure 1 In an embodiment, the latch assembly 180 can move between the retracted position and the locking position. When the latch assembly 180 is in the locking position, one end of the latch assembly 180 protrudes into the latch portion 21 of the carrier body 20 to perform the clamping locking. When the latch assembly 180 is in the retracted position, the clamping locking with the latch portion 21 of the carrier body 20 is released, and at this time the door body locking mechanism 10 can be detached from the carrier body 20 and removed from the carrier body 20.

[0056] The door body locking mechanism 10 of the embodiment further includes a pivot assembly 160, which is used to pivotally connect the locking module 100 and provide the pivoting operation of the locking module 100. The cover body 190 further includes a pivot seat 191, which is coupled to the pivot assembly 160, so that the locking module 100 can be fixed to the pivot seat 191 through the pivot assembly 160. One side of the pivot assembly 160 is connected to the pivot seat 191, and the other side is connected to the rotating assembly 170, which is used to rotatably arrange the locking module 100 on the cover body 190.

[0057] The following describes the limiting state of the second stop structure 151 and the first stop structure 111.

[0058] Please refer to Figures 10 to 13 , Figure 10 is a schematic view of the second stop structure and the first stop structure in the limiting state, Figure 11 is a side view of the door body locking mechanism of an embodiment of the present application, Figure 12 is a schematic view of the second stop structure and the first stop structure in the limiting state, Figure 13 is Figure 11 is a schematic view of the retaining assembly of

[0059] As Figure 10 and Figure 11As shown, when the retaining component 150 is not under force, the elastic component 130 elastically resets. Since the elastic component 130 is located between the rotating component 170 and the retaining component 150, it elastically supports the retaining component 150, which is then adjacent to the door panel 110. At this time, the second stop structure 151 is limited by the first stop structure 111, thereby preventing the rotating component 170 from rotating. In this embodiment, the first stop structure 111 on the door panel 110 is a protrusion, protruding above the surface height H of the door panel 110. The first stop structure 111 has an abutment surface 111a, which is used for the second stop structure 151 to abut against and achieve a limiting effect. More specifically, the first stop structure 111 is a pair of protrusions, respectively disposed at positions that can limit the second stop structure 151.

[0060] like Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, when the retaining component 150 is pushed away from the door panel 110 by a force in the opposite direction of the Z direction, exceeding the height H of the protrusion, the elastic component 130 is elastically compressed, and the first stop structure 111 and the second stop structure 151 disengage from their limiting state. At this time, the retaining component 150 and the rotating component 170 linked to it can be controlled to rotate without being limited by the first stop structure 111. In actual operation, when a robotic arm or key 50 is inserted into the lock hole 110a and pushes the retaining component 150 to move away from the door panel 110 (in the opposite direction of the Z direction), the second stop structure 151 disengages from the first stop structure 111 and is in a non-limiting state. Then, the rotating component 170 is rotated by applying a rotational force with the key 50. At this time, the elastic component 130 is in an elastically compressed state and stores potential energy. After the key 50 is removed from the lock hole 110a, the elastic component 130 elastically resets, allowing the retaining component 150 to return to the locked position, and the first stop structure 111 returns to the second stop structure 151 as if... Figure 10 and Figure 11 The limit state.

[0061] In summary, the door latching mechanism and semiconductor carrier of this invention utilize the first stop structure on the door panel and the second stop structure of the retaining component in the latching module to maintain the position of the rotating component. During the manufacturing process or transmission, the rotating component will not rotate unexpectedly due to vibration, allowing the key to be inserted correctly. This avoids the problem of the robotic arm being unable to open and close the door properly due to keyhole misalignment, and also avoids the problem of the door accidentally falling off. It can also effectively accommodate the semiconductor component.

[0062] The above merely describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application in any form. Although the preferred embodiments of the present application have been disclosed as above, they are not intended to limit the present application. Any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present application, can make some changes or modifications to the equivalent embodiments of the equivalent changes by using the disclosed technical content, as long as they do not deviate from the content of the technical solutions of the present application. Any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the essential core technology of the present application still belongs to the scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. A door latching mechanism suitable for semiconductor carriers, characterized in that, include: The door panel has at least one first stop structure; The cover body is assembled to match the door panel to define the accommodating space; as well as The latching module disposed in the accommodating space includes: Rotating components; A retaining component is disposed on the rotating component, the retaining component having a second stop structure corresponding to the position of the first stop structure; and An elastic component is located between the retaining component and the rotating component. The elastic component is elastically compressed according to the force applied to the retaining component, causing the second stop structure of the retaining component to disengage from the limit of the first stop structure, thereby controlling the rotation of the rotating component. Conversely, when the retaining component is not subjected to force, the elastic component is elastically reset, and the first stop structure limits the second stop structure, thereby preventing the rotating component from rotating.

2. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The door panel has a lock hole that penetrates the upper and lower surfaces, and the first stop structure is located around the lock hole.

3. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The rotating assembly includes a mounting slot corresponding to the position of the lock hole, and the mounting slot is used to mount the retaining assembly.

4. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The retaining component includes a body and at least one mounting portion disposed on the body. The second stop structure is connected to the end of the body and protrudes toward the door panel. The mounting portion is used to mount the elastic component, and the protrusion direction is opposite to that of the second stop structure.

5. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The rotating assembly includes a mounting groove and at least one through hole located in the mounting groove. The body of the retaining assembly is disposed in the mounting groove, a portion of the mounting part is installed in the through hole, and the elastic component is located between the inner bottom surface of the mounting groove and a surface of the body.

6. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 5, characterized in that: One end of the mounting part has an elastic joint with a flange. The outer diameter of the flange is larger than the diameter of the through hole, so that the elastic joint passes through the through hole and is fixed to the outer bottom surface of the mounting groove. The elastic joint is used for disassembly and installation in the mounting groove.

7. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The accommodating space is provided with a latch assembly, which is coupled to the latch module. The rotating component of the latch module is used to rotate and control the latch assembly to unlock and unlock the latch part of the vehicle body.

8. The door locking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The cover further includes a pivot seat coupled to the latching module, the pivot seat providing pivotal operation of the latching module.

9. A semiconductor carrier, comprising: The carrier body has a carrying space for accommodating a semiconductor component and at least one latch located at an adjacent opening of the carrying space; as well as The door latching mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is disposed on the carrier body, wherein the accommodating space defined by the door panel and the cover is provided with a latch assembly, wherein the latch assembly performs unlocking and unlocking operations corresponding to the latch portion of the carrier body according to the operation of the latch module, thereby controlling the door latching mechanism to cover and open the carrying space.

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