Wafer groove annealing device and annealing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a wafer groove annealing device and an annealing method. The wafer groove annealing device comprises a forming piece and a fastening piece, the forming piece is used for bearing the wafer groove and fixing and forming the wafer groove; the fastener is arranged on the forming piece and is used for connecting the forming piece to press the wafer groove so as to prevent the wafer groove from deforming in the annealing process; the upper forming piece is used for fixing and forming the lower contour of the wafer groove; the upper profile of the wafer groove is fixedly formed by the lower part; the upper shape piece and the lower shape piece are provided with deformation spaces, and the deformation spaces are used for providing spaces for wafer groove material recrystallization in the wafer groove annealing process. The wafer groove is fixed through the upper shape piece and the lower shape piece, so that the wafer groove 3 is prevented from deforming in the annealing process, and meanwhile, the deformation space provides a space for recrystallization of a material of the wafer groove 3; the device reduces the deformation of the wafer groove and improves the yield of the wafer groove. Meanwhile, three times of annealing at different temperatures are adopted, so that deformation caused by stress and pollution caused by gas emission are further reduced, and the dryness and the humidity protection effect are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wafer box manufacturing, and in particular to a wafer slot annealing device and an annealing method. Background Art

[0002] Wafer boxes are used to store and transport wafers. Since wafers are easily contaminated and damaged, they must be fixed in the wafer box to avoid collision or friction during transportation to generate particles and avoid contamination and damage caused by not drying. Figure 5 The solid line portion shown) is set in the wafer box (such as Figure 5 The wafer slots (shown as dotted lines) are located on opposite sidewalls and are used to secure and support wafers during storage and transport, preventing damage. Wafer surfaces are easily contaminated and damaged, so they must be protected from collision with the cassette and from friction with each other. Therefore, high dimensional accuracy is required for the wafer slots. Furthermore, the wafer slots directly contact the wafers, so to prevent contamination, they must ensure effective humidity protection and meet gas emission standards.

[0003] The material of the wafer groove is generally a mixture of COP (Cyclic Olefin Polymer) and CNT (Carbon Nanotube), or a mixture of PC (Polycarbonate), CF (Carbon Fiber) and PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), or one of the crystalline materials such as PEEK (Polyetheretherketone). Because the production environment requirements of wafers are extremely harsh, special engineering materials with high requirements such as high temperature resistance, wear resistance, and water absorption resistance must be selected. During the injection molding process of engineering materials, the crystalline material is rapidly cooled from a high-temperature molten state to room temperature, and its molecular chain will produce residual stress due to the uneven cooling rate. For example, when the wafer groove is implanted in the mold for molding, the product has uneven thickness, the thick part cools slowly, and the thin part cools quickly, resulting in uneven shrinkage, which in turn produces stress concentration, leading to dimensional deformation or decreased mechanical properties. Figure 6 As shown, after injection molding, the wafer slots are prone to deformation due to stress, making them unsuitable for use. Furthermore, crystalline materials release TVOCs (total volatile organic compounds) at high temperatures, which can cause pores in the wafer slots and contaminate wafers in subsequent wafer cassettes, resulting in a decrease in yield. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to reduce the deformation and stabilize the size of a wafer slot, the present invention provides a wafer slot annealing device and an annealing method.

[0005] Based on the above-mentioned purpose, on the one hand, the present invention provides a wafer slot annealing device, comprising: a forming part and a fastener; the forming part is used to carry the wafer slot and fix and shape the wafer slot; the fastener is installed on the forming part and is used to connect the forming part to press the wafer slot to prevent the wafer slot from deforming during the annealing process; the forming part comprises: an upper forming part and a lower forming part; the upper forming part is formed on the upper surface of the forming part, and is used to fix and shape the lower contour of the wafer slot; the lower forming part is formed on the lower surface of the forming part, and is used to fix and shape the upper contour of the wafer slot; the upper forming part and the lower forming part are provided with deformation space, and the deformation space is used to provide space for recrystallization of the wafer slot material during the wafer slot annealing process.

[0006] Optionally, the upper forming member includes: a plurality of arc-shaped surfaces; a first gap is provided between the plurality of arc-shaped surfaces and the wafer slot, and the first gap is a deformation space of the upper forming member.

[0007] Optionally, the upper forming member further includes: a plurality of planes and a plurality of inclined surfaces; the plurality of planes, the plurality of inclined surfaces and the plurality of arcuate surfaces form a multi-step structure; the multi-step structure substantially matches the lower profile 31 of the wafer slot.

[0008] Optionally, the multiple curved surfaces include: a first curved surface and a second curved surface; the multiple planes include: a first plane and a second plane; the multiple inclined surfaces include: a first inclined surface, a second inclined surface and a third inclined surface; the first plane, the first inclined surface, the first curved surface, the second plane, the second inclined surface, the second curved surface and the third inclined surface are connected in sequence to form a multi-step structure; the first gap is set between the first curved surface and the second curved surface and the wafer groove.

[0009] Optionally, the upper forming member further includes: a limiting plate; the limiting plate is arranged on both sides of the multi-step structure, and is used to limit both sides of the wafer slot.

[0010] Optionally, the lower-shaped member includes: a plurality of inclined planes; the plurality of inclined planes are connected to form a multi-inclined structure; and the multi-inclined structure substantially matches the upper contour of the wafer slot.

[0011] Optionally, there is a second gap between at least one of the inclined planes and the wafer slot, and the second gap is a deformation space of the lower forming part.

[0012] Optionally, the multiple inclined planes include: a first inclined plane, a second inclined plane and a third inclined plane; the first inclined plane, the second inclined plane and the third inclined plane are sequentially connected to the multi-inclined structure; and a second gap is formed between the first inclined plane and the wafer slot.

[0013] Optionally, the fastener includes: a screw and a nut; the screw is passed through the forming part; the nut is passed through the screw and is used to connect the upper forming part and the lower forming part to fix the wafer groove between the upper forming part and the lower forming part.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention provides a wafer trench annealing method, characterized in that it includes the steps of: S1: The wafer tank after the initial injection molding is removed from the injection mold and naturally cooled at room temperature until the wafer tank reaches room temperature; S2: placing the wafer slot between an upper forming member and a lower forming member of a wafer slot annealing device, and connecting a plurality of upper forming members and a plurality of lower forming members to each other and fixing the wafer slot by fasteners; S3: Place the wafer slot annealing device in a baking oven, bake for 240 minutes, then take it out and allow it to cool naturally to release internal stress in the wafer slot and stabilize its size; the baking temperature is 80°C; S4: The wafer slot annealing device is placed back into the baking oven, baked for 120 minutes, then taken out and allowed to cool naturally to eliminate internal stress in the wafer slot and stabilize the dimensions again; the baking temperature is 120°C; S5: The wafer slot annealing device is placed in the baking oven again, baked for 30 minutes, then taken out and naturally cooled to release gas and dehydrate the surface of the wafer slot material; the baking temperature is 150°C; S6: The wafer slot is taken out from the wafer slot annealing device and is implanted into a secondary injection mold for beer injection molding to complete the wafer box injection molding process; the temperature of the secondary injection mold is 100°C.

[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: The wafer slot annealing device of the present invention fixes the wafer slot by an upper forming part and a lower forming part to prevent the wafer slot 3 from deforming during the annealing process. At the same time, a deformation space is provided on the upper forming part 11 and the lower forming part 12. The deformation space is used to provide space for recrystallization of the wafer slot 3 material during the annealing process of the wafer slot 3; thereby reducing the deformation of the wafer slot and improving its yield.

[0016] The upper part of the wafer slot annealing device of the present invention is provided with multiple arcuate surfaces, and a first gap is provided between the multiple arcuate surfaces and the wafer slot. The wafer slot 3 allows a certain tolerance for the corresponding structure of the arcuate surface. Therefore, the first gap is provided at the arcuate surface to provide space for the recrystallization of the material of the wafer slot, so that the wafer slot material is rearranged during recrystallization, thereby reducing deformation caused by stress.

[0017] The upper and lower forming parts of the wafer slot annealing device of the present invention respectively form a multi-step structure and a multi-slope structure, which can basically match the upper and lower contours of the wafer slot respectively, so that the wafer slot is fixed during the annealing process to reduce deformation caused by thermal stress.

[0018] According to the wafer slot annealing method of the present invention, the wafer slot that has been initially injection-molded is subjected to constant-temperature baking three times at 80°C, 120°C and 150°C and then cooled. The use of the above-mentioned temperatures during the annealing process can effectively reduce deformation caused by stress. At the same time, gas is effectively released during the annealing process, which reduces deformation caused by stress and pollution caused by gas emissions during beer injection molding, improves dryness and humidity protection effects, ensures that gas emissions meet standards and the wafer slot size is stable, and reduces the possibility of wafer contamination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer slot annealing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional structure of a wafer trench annealing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the upper forming member and wafer slot structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the lower forming member and wafer slot structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer box provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a photo of the wafer slot before annealing; Figure 7 This is a photo of a wafer groove after annealing using the annealing method provided by the present invention.

[0020] Description of Figure Numbers: 1. Forming member; 11. Upper forming member; 111. First gap; 112. First curved surface; 113. Second curved surface; 114. First plane; 115. First inclined surface; 116. Second plane; 117. Second inclined surface; 118. Third inclined surface; 119. Third plane; 1120. Limiting piece; 12. Lower forming member; 121. Second gap; 122. First inclined plane; 123. Second inclined plane; 124. Third inclined plane; 125. Fourth plane; 126. Fifth plane; 2. Fastener; 21. Screw; 22. Nut; 3. Wafer slot; 31. Lower contour; 32. Upper contour; 4. Handle; 41. Horizontal bar; 42. Vertical bar. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more readily apparent, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth numerous specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0022] Reference Figure 1-2 , a wafer slot annealing device, comprising: a forming part 1 and a fastener 2; the forming part 1 is used to carry the wafer slot 3 and fix and shape the wafer slot 3; the fastener 2 is installed on the forming part 1 and is used to connect the forming part 1 to press the wafer slot 3 to prevent the wafer slot 3 from deforming during the annealing process; the forming part 1 comprises: an upper forming part 11 and a lower forming part 12; the upper forming part 11 is formed on the upper surface of the forming part 1, and is used to fix and shape the lower contour 31 of the wafer slot 3; the lower forming part 12 is formed on the lower surface of the forming part 1, and is used to fix and shape the upper contour 32 of the wafer slot 3; the upper forming part 11 and the lower forming part 12 are provided with deformation space, and the deformation space is used to provide space for recrystallization of the wafer slot 3 material during the annealing process of the wafer slot 3.

[0023] Reference Figure 3 The upper forming member 11 includes: multiple curved surfaces; a first gap 111 is defined between the multiple curved surfaces and the wafer slot 3, and the first gap 111 provides a deformation space for the upper forming member 11. During the injection molding process, the wafer slot 3 deforms due to stress. During the annealing process, the wafer slot is placed in the annealing device. Since the wafer slot contour is fixed and restricted, the wafer slot material recrystallizes and rearranges, reducing deformation caused by stress. At the same time, since the corresponding structure of the wafer slot 3 on the curved surface allows a certain tolerance, a first gap is provided on the curved surface to provide space for the wafer slot material to recrystallize.

[0024] The upper member 11 further includes: multiple planes and multiple inclined surfaces; the multiple planes, multiple inclined surfaces, and multiple curved surfaces form a multi-step structure; the multi-step structure substantially matches the lower profile 31 formed by the side projection of the wafer slot 3, so that the wafer slot 3 is fixed during the annealing process to reduce deformation caused by stress. Specifically, the upper member 11 includes: a first plane 112, a first inclined surface 113, a first curved surface 114, a second plane 115, a second inclined surface 116, a second curved surface 117, and a third inclined surface 118; the first plane 112, the first inclined surface 113, the first curved surface 114, the second plane 115, the second inclined surface 116, the second curved surface 117, and the third inclined surface 118 are sequentially connected to form the multi-step structure. The multi-step structure substantially matches the lower profile 31 formed by the side projection of the wafer slot 3, so that the wafer slot 3 is fixed during the annealing process to reduce deformation caused by stress. A first gap 111 is defined between the first arc surface 114 , the second arc surface 117 and the wafer slot 3 .

[0025] Furthermore, the upper member 11 further includes a third plane 119 ; the third plane 119 is connected to the third inclined surface 118 via a vertical surface, and the third plane 119 is used for installing the fastener 2 .

[0026] The upper member 11 further includes a limiting piece 1120 , which is disposed on both sides of the multi-step structure to limit both sides of the wafer slot 3 . Furthermore, the limiting piece 1120 is disposed on both sides of the first plane 112 and the third inclined surface 118 .

[0027] Reference Figure 4 The lower member 12 includes: multiple inclined planes; these planes are connected to form a multi-bevel structure; the multi-bevel structure substantially matches the upper profile 32 of the wafer slot 3, thereby securing the wafer slot 3 during the annealing process and reducing deformation caused by stress. A second gap 121 is defined between at least one of the inclined planes and the wafer slot 3; this second gap 121 provides space for the lower member 12 to deform. Specifically, the lower member 12 includes: a first inclined plane 122, a second inclined plane 123, and a third inclined plane 124; the first, second, and third inclined planes 122, 123, 124 sequentially connect the multi-bevel structure; the multi-bevel structure substantially matches the upper profile 32 of the wafer slot 3, thereby securing the wafer slot 3 during the annealing process and reducing deformation caused by stress. The first inclined plane 122 is higher than the corresponding profile of the wafer slot 3, thereby forming a second gap 121 between the first inclined plane 122 and the wafer slot 3; this second gap 121 provides space for the lower member 12 to deform.

[0028] The lower member 12 further includes: a fourth plane 125 and a fifth plane 126 ; the fourth plane 125 and the fifth plane 126 are connected to the first inclined plane 122 and the third inclined plane 124 respectively through a vertical plane; the fourth plane 125 and the fifth plane 126 are used to install the fastener 2 .

[0029] The fastener 2 includes: a screw 21 and a nut 22; the screw 21 is passed through the forming part 1; the nut 22 is passed through the screw 21, and is used to connect the upper forming part 11 and the lower forming part 12 to fix the wafer slot 3 between the upper forming part 11 and the lower forming part 12.

[0030] The wafer slot annealing device also includes: a handle 4; the handle 4 is arranged on the side of the forming part 1 and is used to move the annealing device; the handle 4 includes: a horizontal rod 41 and a vertical rod 42; the vertical rod 42 is arranged on the forming part 1 and is passed through the horizontal rod 41.

[0031] A wafer trench annealing method comprises the following steps: S1: The wafer tank 3 after the initial injection molding is removed from the injection mold and naturally cooled under normal temperature until the wafer tank 3 reaches room temperature; S2: placing the wafer slot 3 between the upper forming member 11 and the lower forming member 12 of the wafer slot annealing device, and connecting the plurality of upper forming members 11 and the plurality of lower forming members 12 to each other and fixing the wafer slot 3 by means of the fastener 2; S3: Place the wafer slot annealing device in a baking oven, bake for 240 minutes, then take it out and allow it to cool naturally to release internal stress and stabilize the size of the wafer slot 3; the baking temperature is 80°C; S4: The wafer slot annealing device is placed back into the baking oven, baked for 120 minutes, then taken out and naturally cooled to eliminate internal stress in the wafer slot 3 and stabilize the dimensions again; the baking temperature is 120°C; S5: The wafer slot annealing device is placed in the baking oven again, baked for 30 minutes, then taken out and naturally cooled to release gas from the surface of the wafer slot 3 material and dehydrate it; the baking temperature is 150°C; this step releases gas from the wafer slot 3 material to prevent the formation of bubbles or gaps during the secondary injection molding, which may cause deformation of the wafer slot; S6: Take the wafer slot 3 out of the wafer slot annealing device and insert it into the secondary injection mold for beer injection molding. Figure 5 As shown in FIG, the wafer box injection molding process is completed; wherein, the temperature of the secondary injection mold is 100 ℃.

[0032] During the annealing process of steps S3-S5 of the wafer slot annealing method of the present invention, the wafer slot releases gas, thereby reducing the possibility of bubble generation during the beer injection molding in step S6, while also ensuring that the gas emissions of the wafer box meet the standards during the beer injection molding and use and that the wafer slot size is stable. At the same time, the gas is effectively released during the annealing process, reducing the deformation caused by stress and the pollution caused by gas emissions during the beer injection molding, improving the dryness and humidity protection effects, and thus reducing the possibility of contamination caused by wafers subsequently stored in the wafer box.

[0033] In this embodiment, the wafer groove after the initial injection molding is completed, such as Figure 6 As shown, the wafer slot before annealing is deformed due to stress; the wafer slot completed by the initial injection molding is placed in a wafer slot annealing device, and the annealing method of this embodiment is used to anneal the wafer slot three times at different temperatures (80°C, 120°C and 150°C) to obtain the corresponding annealed wafer slot; as shown Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the deformation of the wafer groove caused by stress is basically eliminated after annealing.

[0034] Table 1 shows humidity test data for wafer cassettes at different annealing stages. Five front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) made of a mixture of COP and CNT were tested at different annealing stages. The FOUPs were filled with nitrogen at a rate of 30 lpm. The internal humidity (final RH) was measured 30 minutes after the filling period. The internal humidity was also measured 960 minutes after the filling period (recovery time), also known as the recovery RH. The recovery times (h1) and h2) for the FOUP internal humidity to reach 10%-15% and 15% respectively were calculated. The ambient RH in the experiment ranged from 40% to 50%. Test data shows that the FOUP's recovery time is relatively short before annealing. This time increases after the first annealing stage (step S3, 80°C, 240 minutes). It also increases after the second annealing stage (step S4, 120°C, 120 minutes), and further after the third annealing stage (step S5, 150°C, 30 minutes). The test results show that annealing the wafer cassette using the annealing method of this embodiment effectively improves the dryness and humidity protection inside the cassette.

[0035] Table 1. Humidity test data of wafer cassette at different annealing stages.

[0036]

[0037] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0038] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wafer slot annealing device, characterized in that: include: A forming part (1) and a fastener (2); the forming part (1) is used to carry the wafer slot (3) and fix and shape the wafer slot (3); the fastener (2) is installed on the forming part (1) and is used to connect the forming part (1) to press the wafer slot (3) to prevent the wafer slot (3) from deforming during the annealing process; the forming part (1) includes: an upper forming part (11) and a lower forming part (12); the upper forming part (11) is formed on the upper surface of the forming part (1) and is used to fix and shape the lower contour (31) of the wafer slot (3); the lower forming part (12) is formed on the lower surface of the forming part (1) and is used to fix and shape the upper contour (32) of the wafer slot (3); the upper forming part (11) and the lower forming part (12) are provided with deformation spaces, and the deformation spaces are used to provide space for recrystallization of the wafer slot (3) material during the annealing process of the wafer slot (3).

2. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 1, wherein: The upper forming member (11) comprises: a plurality of arcuate surfaces; a first gap (111) is provided between the plurality of arcuate surfaces and the wafer slot (3); the first gap (111) is a deformation space of the upper forming member (11).

3. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper member (11) further comprises: a plurality of planes and a plurality of inclined surfaces; the plurality of planes, the plurality of inclined surfaces and the plurality of arcuate surfaces form a multi-step structure; the multi-step structure substantially matches the lower profile 31 of the wafer slot (3).

4. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The multiple curved surfaces include: a first curved surface (114) and a second curved surface (117); the multiple planes include: a first plane (112) and a second plane (115); the multiple inclined surfaces include: a first inclined surface (113), a second inclined surface (116) and a third inclined surface (118); the first plane (112), the first inclined surface (113), the first curved surface (114), the second plane (115), the second inclined surface (116), the second curved surface (117) and the third inclined surface (118) are sequentially connected to form a multi-step structure; the first gap (111) is provided between the first curved surface (114) and the second curved surface (117) and the wafer slot (3).

5. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 3, wherein: The upper forming member (11) further comprises: a limiting piece (1120); the limiting piece (1120) is arranged on both sides of the multi-step structure and is used to limit the two sides of the wafer slot (3).

6. The wafer slot annealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The lower shaped member (12) comprises: a plurality of inclined planes; the plurality of inclined planes are connected to form a multi-inclined structure; the multi-inclined structure substantially matches the upper contour (32) of the wafer slot (3).

7. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: There is a second gap (121) between at least one of the inclined planes and the wafer slot (3), and the second gap (121) is a deformation space of the lower forming member (12).

8. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 7, wherein: The multiple inclined planes include: a first inclined plane (122), a second inclined plane (123) and a third inclined plane (124); the first inclined plane (122), the second inclined plane (123) and the third inclined plane (124) are sequentially connected to form a multi-inclined structure; a second gap (121) is formed between the first inclined plane (122) and the wafer slot (3).

9. The wafer slot annealing device according to claim 1, wherein: The fastener (2) comprises: a screw (21) and a nut (22); the screw (21) is passed through the forming part (1); the nut (22) is passed through the screw (21) and is used to connect the upper forming part (11) and the lower forming part (12) to fix the wafer slot (3) between the upper forming part (11) and the lower forming part (12).

10. A wafer trench annealing method, characterized in that: Including steps: S1: taking the wafer tank (3) after the initial injection molding out of the injection mold and cooling it naturally under a normal temperature environment until the wafer tank (3) reaches normal temperature; S2: placing the wafer slot (3) between the upper forming member (11) and the lower forming member (12) of the wafer slot annealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and connecting the plurality of upper forming members (11) and the plurality of lower forming members (12) to each other and fixing the wafer slot (3) by means of fasteners (2); S3: placing the wafer slot annealing device into a baking furnace, baking for 240 minutes, then taking it out and letting it cool naturally, so that the wafer slot (3) releases internal stress and stabilizes its size; wherein the baking temperature is 80°C; S4: placing the wafer slot annealing device into the baking furnace again, baking for 120 minutes, taking it out and cooling it naturally, so that the wafer slot (3) can eliminate internal stress again and stabilize its size again; wherein the baking temperature is 120° C.; S5: placing the wafer slot annealing device into the baking furnace again, baking for 30 minutes, taking it out and letting it cool naturally, so that the wafer slot (3) releases gas on the surface of the material and dehydrates; wherein the baking temperature is 150°C; S6: taking the wafer slot (3) out of the wafer slot annealing device and inserting it into a secondary injection mold for beer injection molding to complete the wafer box injection molding process; the temperature of the secondary injection mold is 100°C.

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