Front opening type wafer conveying box

Abstract

The invention discloses a front open type wafer conveying box which comprises a box body with an opening in one side. The door plate is matched with the opening of the box body, and the door plate switch assembly is arranged on the door plate; and the air pressure balance unit is arranged on the door plate and / or the door plate switch assembly, and the door plate switch assembly is controlled to adjust the air pressure balance unit so as to adjust the internal air pressure and the external air pressure of the front open type wafer conveying box. According to the invention, the original air tightness of the FOUP is ensured, the internal and external air pressures of the FOUP are ensured to be consistent before the door is opened, the air holes are communicated only when the FOUP port is adsorbed on the machine table, and the outside is a dust-free environment in the machine table, so that the air holes are prevented from being directly exposed in the air, the possibility that external particles enter from the air holes is greatly reduced, and the service life of the FOUP is prolonged. The problem that an FOUP door cannot be opened due to thermal expansion and cold contraction of an existing FOUP is solved, and the wafer processing efficiency is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more specifically to a front-opening wafer transfer box. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, existing FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) are designed with high airtightness to prevent external particles from entering and contaminating the wafer. However, when transitioning from a high-temperature environment to a room-temperature environment, due to thermal expansion and contraction, the external pressure of the FOUP is greater than that inside, which may cause the machine to be unable to open the FOUP door.

[0003] When the FOUP door cannot be opened, wafer processing will be delayed, requiring the machine to be stopped and the solenoid valve manually activated, which will affect the overall processing efficiency of the machine. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a front-opening wafer transfer box. This aims to solve the problem in existing front-opening wafer transfer boxes where, after transitioning from a high-temperature environment to a normal-temperature environment, the external pressure of the FOUP (front-opening wafer transfer box) is greater than the internal pressure due to thermal expansion and contraction. This can cause the machine to be unable to open the FOUP door, affecting wafer processing and overall machine throughput efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0006] The present invention provides a front-opening wafer transfer box, comprising: a box body with an opening on one side; a door panel that mates with the opening of the box body; and further comprising: a door panel switch assembly disposed on the door panel; and an air pressure balancing unit disposed on the door panel and / or the door panel switch assembly, wherein the air pressure balancing unit is adjusted by controlling the door panel switch assembly to adjust the internal and external air pressure of the front-opening wafer transfer box.

[0007] Preferably, the pressure balancing unit includes:

[0008] Several first air holes are respectively spaced out on the door panel switch assembly;

[0009] Several second air holes are respectively opened on the door panel at intervals. Each second air hole is corresponding to a first air hole. The up and down movement of the door panel switch assembly causes the first air holes and the second air holes to be connected or misaligned and closed, so as to control the internal and external air pressure of the box.

[0010] Preferably, it further includes: a plurality of first connecting components disposed in the inner cavity of the door panel, each of the first connecting components having a through hole, and each of the first connecting components being used to connect a first air hole and a corresponding second air hole.

[0011] Preferably, the door panel switch assembly includes:

[0012] Turntable assembly;

[0013] A latch assembly connected to the turntable assembly, the latch assembly including two latch units located on the upper and lower sides of the turntable assembly, respectively;

[0014] Two latch openings are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the housing, and are respectively provided with corresponding latch units.

[0015] The turntable assembly drives the two latch units to move up and down, controlling the engagement or disengagement of each latch unit with the corresponding latch opening to close or open the door panel.

[0016] Preferably, the turntable assembly has two sliding grooves, which are arranged at an arc-shaped interval. The corresponding position of each sliding groove is equidistant from the center of the turntable assembly, and the distance from each point in each sliding groove to the center of the turntable assembly changes continuously from far to near.

[0017] One end of each of the two latch units is respectively disposed in the two slide grooves. The rotation of the turntable assembly drives the latch units to move along the corresponding slide grooves, thereby realizing the up and down movement of the two latch units.

[0018] Preferably, the turntable assembly is provided with two limiting connectors spaced apart, and the door panel is provided with two fixing members that respectively cooperate with the two limiting connectors.

[0019] When the turntable assembly rotates to the maximum preset counterclockwise angle, one of the two limiting connectors connects to the corresponding fixing member.

[0020] When the turntable assembly rotates to the maximum preset angle clockwise, the other of the two limiting connectors connects to the corresponding fixing member.

[0021] Preferably, both limiting connectors are snap fasteners, and the two snap fasteners are spaced apart on the inner sidewall of the turntable assembly.

[0022] Preferably, an adjustment knob is provided at the center of the outer side wall of the turntable assembly, and the adjustment knob drives the turntable assembly to rotate.

[0023] Preferably, the first connecting component is a cylindrical column with one end disposed on the door panel, and the first connecting component is located outside the second air hole and is disposed corresponding to the second air hole.

[0024] Preferably, the outer side of the door panel is also provided with an outer cover that cooperates with it. The outer cover has a plurality of third air holes, and each of the third air holes is provided in correspondence with the first air hole and the second air hole.

[0025] Preferably, the inner side of the outer cover is provided with a plurality of second connecting components, each of which has a through hole and is used to connect a first air hole and a corresponding third air hole.

[0026] Preferably, two door panel switch assemblies and two air pressure balance units are provided respectively, and the two door panel switch assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the door panel.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] This invention provides a front-opening wafer transfer box that ensures the original airtightness of the FOUP while maintaining consistent air pressure inside and outside the FOUP before opening. Since the air vents are only open when the FOUP port is attached to the machine, the outside environment is a dust-free environment inside the machine, preventing the air vents from being directly exposed to the air. This greatly reduces the possibility of external particles entering through the air vents, solves the problem of existing FOUPs being unable to open due to thermal expansion and contraction, and ensures wafer processing efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are one embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort:

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a front-opening wafer transfer box structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure for sealing the vents of a front-opening wafer transfer box according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a front-opening wafer transfer box with the air holes open according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a first connected component provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-box body, 2-door panel, 201-first connecting component, 202-latch opening, 3-outer cover, 301-third air hole, 302-second connecting component, 4-door panel switch component, 401-turntable component, 4011-slide groove, 4012-adjusting knob, 402-latch component, 4021-latch unit, 5-air pressure balance unit, 501-first air hole, 502-second air hole. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-4 The front-opening wafer transfer box proposed in this invention will be further described in detail below with specific embodiments. The advantages and features of this invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, only for the purpose of conveniently and clearly illustrating the embodiments of this invention. Please refer to the accompanying drawings to make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable. It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this invention. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportional relationships, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives achieved by this invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this invention.

[0036] refer to Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a front-opening wafer transfer box, including: a box body 1 with an opening on one side; a door panel 2 that mates with the opening of the box body 1; and further including: a door panel switch assembly 4 disposed on the door panel 2; and an air pressure balancing unit 5 disposed on the door panel 2 and / or the door panel switch assembly 4. By controlling the door panel switch assembly 4 to adjust the air pressure balancing unit 5, the internal and external air pressures of the front-opening wafer transfer box are adjusted. An outer cover 3 that mates with the door panel 2 is also provided on the outer side of the door panel 2.

[0037] Specifically, in this embodiment, the air pressure balancing unit 5 includes: a plurality of first air holes 501, which are respectively spaced apart on the door panel switch assembly 4; and a plurality of second air holes 502, which are respectively spaced apart on the door panel 2. Each second air hole 502 is correspondingly arranged with a first air hole 501. The up and down movement of the door panel switch assembly 4 causes the first air holes 501 and the second air holes 502 to be connected or staggered and closed, so as to control the internal and external air pressure of the box 1.

[0038] The outer cover 3 has a plurality of third air holes 301, each of which is corresponding to the first air hole 501 and the second air hole 502.

[0039] The front-opening wafer transfer box provided in this embodiment further includes: a plurality of first connecting components 201 disposed in the inner cavity of the door panel 2, each first connecting component 201 having a through hole, and each first connecting component 201 being used to connect a first vent 501 and a corresponding second vent 502. (Reference) Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the first connecting component 201 is a cylindrical column with one end disposed on the door panel 2, and the first connecting component 201 is located outside the second air hole 502 and is disposed corresponding to the second air hole 502.

[0040] Specifically, the door panel switch assembly 4 includes: a turntable assembly 401; a latch assembly 402 connected to the turntable assembly 401, the latch assembly 402 including two latch units 4021, the two latch units 4021 being located on the upper and lower sides of the turntable assembly 401 respectively; and two latch openings 202, which are respectively opened on the upper and lower sides of the housing 1 and are respectively corresponding to the two latch units 4021. The turntable assembly 401 drives the two latch units 4021 to move up and down, controlling the engagement or disengagement of each latch unit 4021 with the corresponding latch opening 202 to close or open the door panel 2.

[0041] The turntable assembly 401 has two sliding grooves 4011, which are arranged in an arc shape. The corresponding position of each sliding groove 4011 is equidistant from the center of the turntable assembly 401. The distance from each point in each sliding groove 4011 to the center of the turntable assembly 401 changes continuously from far to near. One end of each of the two latch units 4021 is respectively disposed in the two sliding grooves 4011. The rotation of the turntable assembly 401 drives the latch units 4021 to move along the corresponding sliding grooves 4011, so as to realize the up and down movement of the two latch units 4021.

[0042] The turntable assembly 401 is provided with two limiting connectors spaced apart. The door panel 2 is provided with two fixing members that respectively cooperate with the two limiting connectors. When the turntable assembly 401 rotates to the maximum preset counterclockwise angle, one of the two limiting connectors connects to the corresponding fixing member. When the turntable assembly 401 rotates to the maximum preset clockwise angle, the other of the two limiting connectors connects to the corresponding fixing member. Both limiting connectors are snap-fit ​​fasteners, and the two snap-fit ​​fasteners are spaced apart on the inner sidewall of the turntable assembly 401. The two limiting connectors are used to limit the turntable assembly 401. When the turntable assembly 401 rotates to the maximum preset clockwise or counterclockwise angle, the limiting connectors and fixing members cooperate to snap-fit, preventing the turntable assembly 401 from swinging arbitrarily when rotating to the maximum preset clockwise or counterclockwise angle.

[0043] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, an adjustment knob 4012 is provided at the center of the outer side wall of the turntable assembly 401, and the adjustment knob 4012 drives the turntable assembly 401 to rotate.

[0044] The inner side of the outer cover 3 is provided with a plurality of second connecting components 302. Each second connecting component 302 has a through hole and is used to connect a first air hole 501 and a corresponding third air hole 301.

[0045] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, there are two door panel switch assemblies 4 and two air pressure balance units 5, and the two door panel switch assemblies 4 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the door panel 2.

[0046] The following combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 The front-opening wafer transfer box of this embodiment will be described in detail below:

[0047] refer to Figure 2 As shown, the adjustment knob 4012 is in the initial position, and the two latch units 4021 on the latch assembly 402 are located in the upper and lower latch openings 202 of the door panel, respectively. The first vent 501 is offset from both the first connecting component 201 and the second connecting component 302. The gas inside the box 1 is not connected to the outside. The second vent 502 and the first connecting component 201 are blocked, isolating the gas inside and outside the FOUP and ensuring the airtightness of the FOUP.

[0048] refer to Figure 3As shown, rotating the adjustment knob 4012 clockwise by 90° causes the two latch units 4021 on the latch assembly 402 to move towards the center of the turntable assembly 401 under the drive of the turntable assembly 401. This disengages the two latch units 4021 from the upper and lower latch openings 202, respectively. The second vent 502, the first connecting component 201, the first vent 501, the second connecting component 302, and the third vent 301 on the front-opening wafer transfer box are all connected from the inside out, allowing external gas to flow into the FOUP to balance the internal and external air pressure, facilitating the opening of the FOUP door. This solves the problem of existing FOUPs being unable to open due to thermal expansion and contraction, ensuring wafer processing efficiency.

[0049] In summary, the front-opening wafer transfer box provided in the above embodiments ensures the original airtightness of the FOUP while also ensuring that the air pressure inside and outside the FOUP remains consistent before opening the door. Since the air vents are only open when the FOUP port is adsorbed onto the machine, the outside environment is a dust-free environment inside the machine, preventing the air vents from being directly exposed to the air. This greatly reduces the possibility of external particles entering through the air vents, solves the problem of existing FOUPs being unable to open the FOUP door due to thermal expansion and contraction, and ensures wafer processing efficiency.

[0050] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0051] It should be noted that the apparatus and methods disclosed in the embodiments herein can also be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatus, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments herein. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, program, or part of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those marked in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system to perform the specified function or action, or can be implemented using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0052] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this article can be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module can exist independently, or two or more modules can be integrated to form an independent part.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A front-opening wafer transfer box, comprising: A box with an opening on one side; The door panel that mates with the opening of the box body is characterized in that it further includes: A door panel switch assembly, which is disposed on the door panel; An air pressure balancing unit is installed on the door panel and / or the door panel switch assembly. The air pressure balancing unit is adjusted by controlling the door panel switch assembly to adjust the internal and external air pressure of the front-opening wafer transfer box.

2. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The pressure balancing unit includes: Several first air holes are respectively spaced out on the door panel switch assembly; Several second air holes are respectively opened on the door panel at intervals. Each second air hole is corresponding to a first air hole. The up and down movement of the door panel switch assembly causes the first air holes and the second air holes to be connected or misaligned and closed, so as to control the internal and external air pressure of the box.

3. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: A plurality of first connecting components are disposed in the inner cavity of the door panel. Each first connecting component has a through hole and is used to connect a first air hole and a corresponding second air hole.

4. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The door panel switch assembly includes: Turntable assembly; A latch assembly connected to the turntable assembly, the latch assembly including two latch units located on the upper and lower sides of the turntable assembly, respectively; Two latch openings are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the housing, and are respectively provided with corresponding latch units. The turntable assembly drives the two latch units to move up and down, controlling the engagement or disengagement of each latch unit with the corresponding latch opening to close or open the door panel.

5. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The turntable assembly has two sliding grooves, which are arranged at an arc-shaped interval. The corresponding position of each sliding groove is equidistant from the center of the turntable assembly, and the distance from each point in each sliding groove to the center of the turntable assembly changes continuously from farthest to nearest. One end of each of the two latch units is respectively disposed in one of the two slides. The rotation of the turntable assembly drives the latch units to move along the corresponding slides, thereby realizing the up and down movement of the two latch units.

6. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The turntable assembly has two spaced-apart limiting connectors, and the door panel has two fixing members that respectively cooperate with the two limiting connectors. When the turntable assembly rotates to the maximum preset counterclockwise angle, one of the two limiting connectors connects to the corresponding fixing member. When the turntable assembly rotates to the maximum preset angle clockwise, the other of the two limiting connectors connects to the corresponding fixing member.

7. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Both of the limiting connectors are snap fasteners, and the two snap fasteners are spaced apart on the inner sidewall of the turntable assembly.

8. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 4, characterized in that, An adjustment knob is provided at the center of the outer side wall of the turntable assembly, and the adjustment knob drives the turntable assembly to rotate.

9. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first connecting component is a cylindrical column with one end disposed on the door panel, and the first connecting component is located outside the second air hole and is disposed corresponding to the second air hole.

10. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The outer side of the door panel is also provided with an outer cover that cooperates with it. The outer cover has a number of third air holes, and each of the third air holes is provided in correspondence with the first air hole and the second air hole.

11. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The inner side of the outer cover is provided with a plurality of second connecting components, each of which has a through hole and is used to connect a first air hole and a corresponding third air hole.

12. The front-opening wafer transfer box as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Two door panel switch assemblies and two air pressure balance units are provided respectively, and the two door panel switch assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the door panel.

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