Support structure, wafer box and preparation method thereof

Abstract

This application discloses a support structure, a wafer box, and a method for fabricating the same. The support structure includes a support body and a cover. The support body has a mounting groove and a perforated groove, with the perforated groove disposed on the bottom wall of the mounting groove. The cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting groove and covers the opening of the perforated groove, ensuring uniform shrinkage of all parts of the support structure. This significantly reduces the risk of warping and deformation and greatly improves the dimensional accuracy of the support structure. This high-precision support structure can provide stable and reliable support for the wafer box, ensuring that the wafer maintains a precise position during processing or storage, and effectively guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wafer carrier devices, and more specifically, to a support structure, a wafer box, and a method for fabricating the same. Background Technology

[0002] In the relevant technical field, wafer boxes typically include a box body and a support structure connected to the box body. The support structure is usually a solid structure, but holes for positioning or hoisting are often reserved on the support structure. This can easily create areas with large local wall thickness. Uneven wall thickness can easily generate shrinkage stress due to differences in heat dissipation rate, which can easily lead to surface depressions (shrinkage) or internal shrinkage cavities, resulting in poor quality of the support structure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a support structure, a wafer box, and a method for fabricating the same, which aims to ensure uniform shrinkage of each part of the support structure, greatly reducing the risk of warping and deformation, and significantly improving the dimensional accuracy of the support structure. This high-precision support structure can provide stable and reliable support for the box that carries the wafer, ensuring that the wafer maintains a precise position during processing or storage, and effectively guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

[0004] This application provides a support structure for connecting with a housing to support the housing, which is used to carry a wafer. The support structure includes a support body and a cover. The support body has a mounting groove and a hollow groove. The hollow groove is disposed on the bottom wall of the mounting groove. The cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting groove and covers the opening of the hollow groove.

[0005] Based on the above embodiments, a hollowed-out groove is provided inside the support body, and this groove is located on the bottom wall of the mounting groove. This allows for a uniform distribution of the support body's wall thickness, effectively avoiding inconsistent cooling rates caused by differences in wall thickness, thereby reducing internal stress concentration. During cooling, the uniform wall thickness ensures even shrinkage of all parts of the support body, significantly reducing the risk of warping and deformation, and significantly improving the dimensional accuracy of the support body. This high-precision support body provides stable and reliable support for the wafer-bearing housing, ensuring that the wafer maintains its precise position during processing or storage, and effectively guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

[0006] Furthermore, the support structure can be disassembled into a support body and a cover, allowing the support body and cover to be molded separately. Compared to directly molding the support structure as a whole, this greatly reduces the molding difficulty. Moreover, molding the support body and cover separately allows for the adoption of more suitable molding processes and parameters based on their structural characteristics, thereby better controlling product quality and ensuring high precision of key dimensions. Consequently, when assembling the support structure, it can significantly improve assembly precision, ensuring a tight and accurate connection between the support structure and the housing, and further optimizing the support effect on the housing and wafer.

[0007] The cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting slot and covers the opening of the perforated slot, forming an effective seal that prevents impurities from entering the support structure and negatively impacting its performance and wafer quality. Simultaneously, the cover's excellent sealing prevents moisture residue, significantly reducing corrosion, oxidation, and other contamination problems caused by moisture. This creates a clean and stable support environment for the wafer, helping to extend the lifespan of both the support structure and the wafer, and ensuring high-quality wafer processing or storage.

[0008] In some embodiments, reinforcing ribs are provided inside the hollowed-out groove.

[0009] Based on the above embodiments, the reinforcing ribs provided in the hollow groove further enhance the structural strength of the support body and improve its resistance to compression and bending. This allows the support body to better maintain its shape when bearing the weight of the box and the wafer, reducing the probability of minor deformation caused by force, further ensuring the positional accuracy of the wafer, ensuring the stability of the wafer during processing or storage, and improving the reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wall thickness of the support body is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm.

[0011] Based on the above embodiments, the wall thickness of the support body is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm, which helps to shorten the cooling time of the support body after injection molding, improve production efficiency, and also makes the temperature distribution of the support body more uniform during the injection molding process, further ensuring the molding quality of the support body and improving the structural stability of the support body. This reduces the probability of excessive deformation or damage to the support body when supporting the housing and wafer. Furthermore, due to the moderate wall thickness of the support body, the structural strength of the support body is guaranteed while the weight of the support body is also reduced, realizing the lightweight design of the support body.

[0012] If the wall thickness of the support body is less than 0.5mm, the support body is too thin, resulting in poor structural strength. When supporting the housing and wafer, the support body is prone to excessive deformation or damage. If the wall thickness of the support body is greater than 4.5mm, the support body is too thick. During injection molding, this can easily lead to uneven temperature distribution, affecting the molding quality of the support body. Excessive wall thickness also results in a heavier support body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the thickness of the reinforcing rib is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm.

[0014] Based on the above embodiments, the thickness of the reinforcing rib is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm, which enables a more uniform temperature distribution of the reinforcing rib, further ensuring the forming quality of the reinforcing rib and improving the structural stability of the support body, so as to reduce the probability of excessive deformation or damage to the support body when bearing the box and the wafer.

[0015] Furthermore, because the reinforcing ribs are connected to the inner wall of the hollowed-out grooves, the reinforcing ribs can more effectively distribute the stress generated by external forces evenly to various parts of the support body, avoiding deformation or damage caused by excessive local stress, and ensuring that the support structure can reliably provide support for the box and wafer for a long time.

[0016] In some embodiments, the cover includes a cover body and a boss, the cover body abutting against the bottom of the mounting groove; the boss protrudes from the side of the cover body facing the hollow groove and can abut against the reinforcing rib.

[0017] Based on the above embodiments, since the boss can abut against the reinforcing rib, the boss can transfer the force to the reinforcing rib, and the reinforcing rib can then evenly distribute the force to other parts of the support body. This avoids stress concentration in a certain area, effectively reduces the risk of deformation or damage to the support body due to excessive local stress, improves the structural stability and reliability of the support structure, and gives the support structure a longer service life.

[0018] In some embodiments, the cover has a through hole; the support body is also provided with a connecting rib, which extends from the bottom wall of the hollow groove to the opening of the mounting groove, the connecting rib passes through the through hole, and is at least flush with the surface of the cover away from the hollow groove; wherein, the outer surface of the connecting rib is interference-fitted with the hole wall of the through hole; when the box is formed, the molten connecting rib and the cover are formed as one piece.

[0019] Based on the above embodiments, before forming the housing, the cover is first placed on the opening of the hollowed-out groove, and the connecting ribs are inserted through the through holes. The outer surface of the connecting ribs is press-fitted with the wall of the through holes to achieve the positioning and installation of the cover and the support body. This allows the cover and the support body to be combined into a whole. In the subsequent molding of the housing, the support structure can be moved into the mold as a whole, and then molten material is injected into the cavity to form the housing. When the molten material comes into contact with the cover and the support body, the cover and the support body in contact can melt, and the connecting ribs can also melt, so that the housing and the support structure are formed into one piece, thereby reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the wafer housing, improving the production efficiency of the wafer housing, and also facilitating the individual quality control of each component, which is beneficial to ensuring the overall quality of the wafer housing.

[0020] In some embodiments, the cover is spaced apart from the sidewall of the mounting groove and from the opening of the mounting groove; the sidewall of the mounting groove, the bottom wall of the mounting groove, and the outer surface of the cover form a receiving groove.

[0021] Based on the above embodiments, when molding the box, the receiving groove is used to receive the molten support structure, so that the cover and the support body are molded into one piece, thereby improving the connection stability between the cover and the support body, and thus improving the overall structural stability of the support structure.

[0022] Of course, during the molding of the box, the receiving groove is also used to hold the molten material used to mold the box, so that the support structure and the box are molded as one piece, thereby improving the connection stability between the support structure and the box.

[0023] Furthermore, during the molding of the housing, the receiving groove also serves to accommodate the molten support structure. The sidewalls of the receiving groove obstruct the molten support structure, ensuring it remains within the groove and reducing the probability of it moving with the molten housing. This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of the molten support structure spreading extensively within the housing. Moreover, under the influence of gravity, the molten support structure can deposit on the side of the receiving groove closest to the cover, further reducing the probability of large-area diffusion and thus improving the yield of the finished housing, thereby increasing the overall yield of the wafer housing.

[0024] In some embodiments, the side of the cover facing the mounting groove opening is at a distance greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 1 mm from the mounting groove opening.

[0025] Based on the above embodiments, the distance between the side of the cover facing the mounting groove and the mounting groove is greater than or equal to 0.5mm and less than or equal to 1mm, which allows the receiving groove to accommodate more molten box material, thereby increasing the contact area between the box and the supporting structure and thus improving the connection stability between the box and the supporting structure.

[0026] If the side of the cover facing the mounting groove opening is less than 0.5mm from the opening, the contact area between the box and the supporting structure will be small, resulting in poor connection stability and making the supporting structure prone to detaching from the bottom of the box. If the side of the cover facing the mounting groove opening is greater than 1mm from the opening, a large amount of molten box material will enter the receiving groove, easily causing material waste and increasing costs.

[0027] This application embodiment also provides a wafer box, including a box body and a support structure. The box body is used to carry wafers. When the box body is formed, the support body and the cover body are formed as one piece, and the support body and the side of the cover body near the groove of the mounting slot are both formed as one piece with the box body.

[0028] Based on the above embodiments, when forming the box, the support body and the cover are formed as one piece, and the side of the support body and the cover near the groove of the mounting groove are formed as one piece with the box, so that the support structure can have high structural strength and the connection between the support structure and the box can be stable.

[0029] This application also provides a method for fabricating a wafer wafer, the method comprising: The cover is placed over the opening of the hollowed-out groove, and the cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting groove to form a support structure. The support structure is placed in the fixing groove of the mold; the mold has a cavity for forming the box body and a fixing groove, the fixing groove is located at the bottom of the mold along the direction of gravity and communicates with the cavity, and the opening of the mounting groove faces the cavity; Molten material is injected into the cavity to form the box body within the cavity, thus integrating the box body with the supporting structure.

[0030] In some embodiments, the support structure is provided with a covering layer on at least one side of the groove near the mounting slot; wherein the thickness of the covering layer is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 5 mm.

[0031] Based on the above embodiments, when the molten material at high temperature comes into contact with the cladding layer, at least a portion of the cladding layer can become molten. Since the material of the cladding layer is the same as that of the housing, even if the cladding layer and the molten material are fused together, it will not affect the yield of the finished housing. Furthermore, by consuming the cladding layer, the probability of the support structure melting can be reduced, thereby improving the yield of the wafer housing.

[0032] When the thickness of the coating layer is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 5 mm, the coating layer can protect the support structure when in contact with high-temperature molten material, thereby reducing the probability of the support structure melting. This can improve the yield of the wafer box and reduce the amount of coating layer residue after molding, thereby improving the connection strength between the support structure and the box and improving the stability of the support structure supporting the box.

[0033] If the cladding layer thickness is less than 1mm, the thin cladding layer will cause at least part of the support structure to melt due to the high temperature of the molten material, resulting in the material of the support structure fusing with the material of the housing, thus reducing the yield of the wafer housing. If the cladding layer thickness is greater than 5mm, the thick cladding layer will result in a thicker residual cladding layer after the support structure is bonded to the housing, which will reduce the structural strength of the connection between the support structure and the housing.

[0034] Based on the support structure of this application, a hollowed-out groove is provided inside the support body, and this groove is located on the bottom wall of the mounting groove. This allows for a uniform distribution of the support body's wall thickness, effectively avoiding inconsistent cooling rates caused by differences in wall thickness, thereby reducing internal stress concentration. During cooling, the uniform wall thickness ensures even shrinkage of all parts of the support body, significantly reducing the risk of warping and deformation, and significantly improving the dimensional accuracy of the support body. This high-precision support body provides stable and reliable support for the wafer-bearing housing, ensuring that the wafer maintains its precise position during processing or storage, and strongly guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

[0035] Furthermore, the support structure can be disassembled into a support body and a cover, allowing the support body and cover to be molded separately. Compared to directly molding the support structure as a whole, this greatly reduces the molding difficulty. Moreover, molding the support body and cover separately allows for the adoption of more suitable molding processes and parameters based on their structural characteristics, thereby better controlling product quality and ensuring high precision of key dimensions. Consequently, when assembling the support structure, it can significantly improve assembly precision, ensuring a tight and accurate connection between the support structure and the housing, and further optimizing the support effect on the housing and wafer.

[0036] The cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting slot and covers the opening of the perforated slot, forming an effective seal that prevents impurities from entering the support structure and negatively impacting its performance and wafer quality. Simultaneously, the cover's excellent sealing prevents moisture residue, significantly reducing corrosion, oxidation, and other contamination problems caused by moisture. This creates a clean and stable support environment for the wafer, helping to extend the lifespan of both the support structure and the wafer, and ensuring high-quality wafer processing or storage. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer box in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the support structure in one embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is an exploded structural diagram of the support structure in one embodiment of this application; Figure 4 For along Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of line AA in the middle; Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a wafer box fabrication method in one embodiment of this application.

[0039] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Wafer box; 11. Box body; 12. Support structure; 12A. Receiving groove; 121. Support body; 121A. Mounting groove; 121B. Hollow groove; 1211. Reinforcing rib; 122. Cover; 1221. Cover body; 1222. Boss. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1 This application provides a wafer box 1, which includes a box body 11 and a support structure 12 connected to the box body 11.

[0042] The housing 11 has a receiving cavity for storing wafers.

[0043] The support structure 12 is connected to the housing 11. The support structure 12 is used to connect to external devices to support the housing 11 and also allows the housing 11 to be positioned and connected to external devices via the support structure 12, facilitating the placement and removal of wafers within the housing. For example, the housing 11 can be rectangular, and the projection of the support structure 12 onto the surface of the housing 11 can be elliptical, circular, triangular, or rectangular. In this embodiment, the specific shapes of the housing 11 and the support structure 12 are not limited. For example, the housing 11 can be made of PC (polycarbonate), and the support structure 12 can be made of APC (aliphatic polycarbonate copolymer). It is understood that the housing 11 can also be made of other transparent materials that do not damage the wafers. For example, the number of support structures 12 can be 3, 4, 5, etc. In this embodiment, the number of support structures 12 is not specifically limited.

[0044] In related technologies, the support structure 12 is usually a solid structure. However, holes for positioning or hoisting are often reserved on the support structure 12. This can easily lead to areas with large local wall thickness. Uneven wall thickness can easily generate shrinkage stress due to differences in heat dissipation rate, resulting in surface depressions (shrinkage) or internal shrinkage cavities, which leads to poor quality of the support structure 12.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 1-3 Based on the above, the support structure 12 includes a support body 121 and a cover 122. The support body 121 has an installation groove 121A and a hollow groove 121B. The hollow groove 121B is disposed on the bottom wall of the installation groove 121A. The cover 122 abuts against the bottom wall of the installation groove 121A and covers the opening of the hollow groove 121B.

[0046] In this embodiment, a hollow groove 121B is provided inside the support body 121, and the hollow groove 121B is located on the bottom wall of the mounting groove 121A. This allows for a uniform distribution of the wall thickness of the support body 121, effectively avoiding inconsistent cooling rates caused by differences in wall thickness, thereby reducing internal stress concentration. During cooling, the uniform wall thickness ensures even shrinkage of all parts of the support body 121, significantly reducing the risk of warping and deformation, and significantly improving the dimensional accuracy of the support body 121. This high-precision support body 121 provides stable and reliable support for the wafer-bearing housing 11, ensuring the wafer maintains a precise position during processing or storage, and effectively guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

[0047] Furthermore, the support structure 12 can be disassembled into a support body 121 and a cover 122, so that the support body 121 and the cover 122 can be formed separately. Compared with directly forming the support structure 12 as a whole, this greatly reduces the forming difficulty. Moreover, the separate forming of the support body 121 and the cover 122 also allows for the adoption of more suitable forming processes and parameters according to the structural characteristics, thereby better controlling product quality and ensuring high precision of key dimensions. As a result, when assembling the support structure 12, the assembly precision can be significantly improved, ensuring that the support structure 12 is tightly and accurately connected to the housing 11, and further optimizing the support effect on the housing 11 and the wafer.

[0048] The cover 122 abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting groove 121A and covers the opening of the perforated groove 121B, forming an effective seal. This prevents impurities from entering the support structure 12, avoiding negative impacts on the performance of the support structure 12 and the quality of the wafer. Simultaneously, the excellent sealing of the cover 122 prevents moisture residue, significantly reducing corrosion, oxidation, and other contamination problems caused by moisture. This creates a clean and stable support environment for the wafer, helping to extend the service life of both the support structure 12 and the wafer, and ensuring high-quality completion of wafer processing or storage.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 1-3 In one embodiment, a reinforcing rib 1211 is provided in the hollow groove 121B. The reinforcing rib 1211 further enhances the structural strength of the support body 121 and improves its resistance to compression and bending. This allows the support body 121 to better maintain its shape when bearing the weight of the housing 11 and the wafer, reducing the probability of minor deformation caused by force. This further ensures the positional accuracy of the wafer, ensures the stability of the wafer during processing or storage, and improves the reliability of the entire wafer processing flow.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 1-3 In one embodiment, the wall thickness of the support body 121 is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm, which helps to shorten the cooling time of the support body 121 after injection molding, improve production efficiency, and also makes the temperature distribution of the support body 121 more uniform during the injection molding process, further ensuring the molding quality of the support body 121 and improving the structural stability of the support body 121. This reduces the probability of excessive deformation or damage to the support body 121 when supporting the housing 11 and the wafer. Furthermore, due to the moderate wall thickness of the support body 121, the structural strength of the support body 121 is ensured while the weight of the support body 121 is also reduced, achieving a lightweight design of the support body 121.

[0051] If the wall thickness of the support body 121 is less than 0.5 mm, the support body 121 will be too thin, resulting in poor structural strength. When supporting the housing 11 and the wafer, the support body 121 is prone to excessive deformation or damage. If the wall thickness of the support body 121 is greater than 4.5 mm, the support body 121 will be too thick. During the injection molding process, this will easily lead to uneven temperature distribution of the support body 121, affecting the molding quality of the support body 121. The excessive wall thickness will also result in a heavier support body 121.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1-3 In one embodiment, the thickness of the reinforcing rib 1211 is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm, which enables the temperature distribution of the reinforcing rib 1211 to be more uniform, further ensuring the molding quality of the reinforcing rib 1211 and improving the structural stability of the support body 121, so as to reduce the probability of excessive deformation or damage to the support body 121 when supporting the housing 11 and the wafer.

[0053] Furthermore, since the reinforcing rib 1211 is connected to the inner wall of the hollow groove 121B, the reinforcing rib 1211 can more effectively distribute the stress generated by the external force evenly to various parts of the support body 121, avoid deformation or damage caused by excessive local stress, and ensure that the support structure 12 can reliably provide support for the box 11 and the wafer for a long time.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1-3 In one embodiment, the cover 122 includes a cover body 1221 and a boss 1222. The cover body 1221 abuts against the bottom of the mounting groove 121A. The boss 1222 protrudes from the side of the cover body 1221 facing the hollow groove 121B and can abut against the reinforcing rib 1211, so that the boss 1222 can transmit the force to the reinforcing rib 1211, and the reinforcing rib 1211 can then evenly distribute the force to other parts of the supporting body 121. This avoids stress concentration in a certain area, effectively reduces the risk of deformation or damage to the supporting body 121 due to excessive local stress, improves the structural stability and reliability of the supporting structure 12, and gives the supporting structure 12 a longer service life.

[0055] In one embodiment, the cover 122 has a through hole; the support body 121 is also provided with a connecting rib, which extends from the bottom wall of the hollow groove 121B to the opening of the mounting groove 121A. The connecting rib passes through the through hole and is at least flush with the surface of the cover 122 away from the hollow groove 121B. The outer surface of the connecting rib is press-fitted with the hole wall of the through hole. When the box 11 is formed, the molten connecting rib and the cover 122 are formed as one piece.

[0056] Before molding the housing 11, the cover 122 is placed over the opening of the slot 121B, and the connecting ribs are inserted through the through holes. The outer surface of the connecting ribs is press-fitted with the wall of the through holes to achieve the positioning and installation of the cover 122 and the support body 121. This allows the cover 122 and the support body 121 to be combined into a whole. When molding the housing 11 later, the support structure 12 can be moved into the mold as a whole, and molten material is injected into the cavity to form the housing 11. When the molten material comes into contact with the cover 122 and the support body 121, the contacting cover 122 and the support body 121 can be melted, and the connecting ribs can also be melted, so that the housing 11 and the support structure 12 are formed into a whole. This reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the wafer housing 1, improves the production efficiency of the wafer housing 1, and also facilitates the individual control of the quality of each component, which helps to ensure the overall quality of the wafer housing 1.

[0057] It is understood that the cross-section of the connecting rib can be circular, rectangular, or triangular. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the connecting rib is not specifically limited. It is understood that the number of connecting ribs can be 1, 2, 3, 5, etc. In this embodiment, the specific number of connecting ribs is not specifically limited. The arrangement of multiple connecting ribs is also not specifically limited. For example, when multiple connecting ribs and the support body 121 form a non-axisymmetric structure, the multiple connecting ribs can also serve as a foolproof installation design for the cover 122 to prevent the cover 122 from being installed backwards, thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the support structure 12.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 1-4 In one embodiment, the cover 122 is spaced apart from the sidewall of the mounting groove 121A and from the opening of the mounting groove 121A; the sidewall of the mounting groove 121A, the bottom wall of the mounting groove 121A and the outer surface of the cover 122 form a receiving groove 12A.

[0059] When the box body 11 is formed, the receiving groove 12A is used to receive the molten support structure 12, so that the cover 122 and the support body 121 are formed into one piece, thereby improving the connection stability between the cover 122 and the support body 121, and thus improving the overall structural stability of the support structure 12.

[0060] Of course, when forming the box 11, the receiving groove 12A is also used to receive the molten material used to form the box 11, so that the support structure 12 and the box 11 are formed as one piece, thereby improving the connection stability between the support structure 12 and the box 11.

[0061] Furthermore, during the molding of the housing 11, the receiving groove 12A also serves to accommodate the molten support structure 12. The sidewalls of the receiving groove 12A obstruct the molten support structure 12, causing it to remain within the groove and reducing the probability of it moving with the molten housing 11. This reduces the likelihood of the molten support structure 12 spreading extensively within the housing 11. Moreover, under the influence of gravity, the molten support structure 12 can deposit on the side of the receiving groove 12A closest to the cover 122, further reducing the probability of its extensive spread and thus improving the yield of the housing 11, thereby increasing the overall yield of the wafer housing 1.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 1-4 In one embodiment, the side of the cover 122 facing the opening of the mounting groove 121A has a distance greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 1 mm from the opening of the mounting groove 121A. This allows the receiving groove 12A to accommodate more molten box material 11, thereby increasing the contact area between the box 11 and the support structure 12 and improving the connection stability between the box 11 and the support structure 12.

[0063] If the side of the cover 122 facing the opening of the mounting groove 121A has a distance of less than 0.5mm from the opening, the contact area between the housing 11 and the support structure 12 will be small, resulting in poor connection stability and making the support structure 12 prone to detaching from the bottom of the housing 11. If the side of the cover 122 facing the opening of the mounting groove 121A has a distance of more than 1mm from the opening, a large amount of molten housing 11 material will enter the receiving groove 12A, easily causing material waste and increasing costs.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 1-4 In one embodiment, when the box 11 is formed, the support body 121 and the cover 122 are formed as one piece, and the side of the support body 121 and the cover 122 near the groove of the mounting groove 121A are both formed as one piece with the box 11, so that the support structure 12 can have high structural strength and the connection between the support structure 12 and the box 11 can be stable.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 1-5 This application also provides a method for fabricating a wafer box 1, the method comprising: Step S10: Place the cover 122 on the opening of the hollow groove 121B, and make the cover 122 abut against the bottom wall of the mounting groove 121A to form a support structure 12.

[0066] In this embodiment, the cover 122 is first placed over the opening of the hollow groove 121B, and the connecting rib is inserted through the through hole. The outer surface of the connecting rib is press-fitted with the hole wall of the through hole to achieve the positioning and installation of the cover 122 and the support body 121. This allows the cover 122 and the support body 121 to be combined into a whole, thereby forming the support structure 12.

[0067] Furthermore, since the cover 122 is assembled with the support body 121 through connecting ribs, and the support structure 12 is stable as a whole through interference fit, compared with the need to use adhesive or laser welding for connection, no other equipment is required, which can reduce the assembly cost between the cover 122 and the support body 121, and reduce the assembly process steps. This can improve the assembly efficiency while reducing the assembly cost, thereby improving the overall fabrication efficiency of the wafer box 1.

[0068] Step S20: Place the support structure 12 in the fixing groove of the mold; the mold has a cavity for forming the box body 11 and a fixing groove. The fixing groove is located at the bottom of the mold along the direction of gravity and communicates with the cavity. The opening of the mounting groove 121A faces the cavity.

[0069] In this embodiment, the support structure 12 is placed in the fixing groove by mechanical means or manually, so as to use the fixing groove to position the support structure 12 and improve the connection accuracy between the support structure 12 and the housing 11. This improves the positioning accuracy between the housing 11 and the external device when the support structure 12 is connected to the external device, so as to facilitate the external device to pick up and put in the wafer.

[0070] Step S30: Inject molten material into the cavity to form the box 11 in the cavity, and make the box 11 and the support structure 12 form an integral whole.

[0071] In this embodiment, molten material is injected into the cavity through the injection hole on the mold. When the high-temperature molten material comes into contact with the support structure 12, the part of the support structure 12 near the groove opening of the mounting groove 121A can become molten, so that the box body 11 and the support structure 12 are formed as one piece, thereby reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the wafer box 1, improving the production efficiency of the wafer box 1, and also facilitating the individual control of the quality of each component, which is beneficial to ensuring the overall quality of the wafer box 1.

[0072] Please refer to Figure 1-4In one embodiment, the outer surface of the support structure 12, at least on the side near the opening of the mounting groove 121A, is provided with a coating layer, the material of which is the same as that of the housing 11. When the molten material at high temperature comes into contact with the coating layer, at least a portion of the coating layer can become molten. Since the material of the coating layer is the same as that of the housing 11, even if the coating layer fuses with the molten material, it will not affect the yield of the housing 11. Furthermore, by consuming the coating layer, the probability of the support structure 12 melting can be reduced, thereby improving the yield of the wafer housing 1.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 1-4 In one embodiment, when the thickness of the coating layer is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 5 mm, the coating layer can protect the support structure 12 when in contact with the high-temperature molten material, thereby reducing the probability of the support structure 12 melting, which can improve the yield of the wafer box 1. It can also reduce the amount of coating layer remaining after molding, thereby improving the connection strength between the support structure 12 and the box 11, and improving the stability of the support structure 12 supporting the box 11.

[0074] If the thickness of the cladding layer is less than 1 mm, the thin cladding layer will cause at least a portion of the support structure 12 to melt due to the high temperature of the molten material, resulting in the material of the support structure 12 fusing with the material of the housing 11, thus reducing the yield of the wafer housing 1. If the thickness of the cladding layer is greater than 5 mm, the thick cladding layer will result in a thicker residual cladding layer after the support structure 12 is bonded to the housing 11, which will reduce the structural strength of the connection between the support structure 12 and the housing 11.

[0075] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms used to describe positional relationships in the accompanying drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting this application. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0076] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0077] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0078] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0079] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A support structure, characterized in that, For connection with a housing to support the housing, the housing being used to hold the wafer, the support structure comprising: The support body has a mounting groove and a hollowed-out groove, the hollowed-out groove being disposed on the bottom wall of the mounting groove; and The cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting groove and covers the opening of the hollow groove.

2. The support structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The hollowed-out groove is equipped with reinforcing ribs.

3. The support structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The wall thickness of the support body is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm; and / or The thickness of the reinforcing rib is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 4.5 mm.

4. The support structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The cover includes: The cover body abuts against the bottom of the mounting groove; and A boss is provided on the side of the cover body facing the hollow groove, and can abut against the reinforcing rib.

5. The support structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cover has a through hole; the supporting body is also provided with a connecting rib, the connecting rib extends from the bottom wall of the hollow groove to the opening of the mounting groove, the connecting rib passes through the through hole, and is at least flush with the surface of the cover away from the hollow groove. The outer surface of the connecting rib is press-fitted with the wall of the through hole; when the box body is formed, the molten connecting rib and the cover body are formed into one piece.

6. The support structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cover is spaced apart from the sidewall of the mounting groove and from the opening of the mounting groove; the sidewall of the mounting groove, the bottom wall of the mounting groove, and the outer surface of the cover form a receiving groove. During the molding of the box body, the receiving groove is used to accommodate the molten support structure, so that the cover body and the support body are molded as one piece; and / or During the molding of the box body, the receiving groove is used to accommodate the molten support structure, reducing the probability of the molten support structure spreading over a large area within the box body; and / or When forming the box body, the receiving groove is used to receive the molten material used to form the box body, so that the support structure and the box body are formed as one piece.

7. The support structure as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The distance between the side of the cover facing the mounting groove and the mounting groove opening is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm and less than or equal to 1 mm.

8. A wafer box, characterized in that, include: The housing is used to hold the wafers; as well as According to any one of claims 1 to 7, when the box is formed, the support body and the cover are formed as one piece, and the support body and the side of the cover near the groove of the mounting groove are both formed as one piece with the box.

9. A method for fabricating a wafer box, characterized in that, The method for preparing the wafer box as described in claim 8 includes: The cover is placed over the opening of the hollow groove, and the cover abuts against the bottom wall of the mounting groove to form a support structure. The support structure is placed in the fixing groove of the mold; the mold has a cavity for forming the box body and a fixing groove, the fixing groove is located at the bottom of the mold along the direction of gravity and communicates with the cavity, and the opening of the mounting groove faces the cavity; Molten material is injected into the cavity to form the box body within the cavity, thereby integrating the box body with the supporting structure.

10. The wafer box fabrication method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The support structure is provided with a covering layer on at least one side near the opening of the mounting groove; The thickness of the coating layer is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 5 mm.

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