Wafer box module with anti-rotation support

Abstract

The utility model relates to a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket. The wafer box module comprises a bottom plate, an upper cover and a wafer bearing frame, the upper cover comprises a cover body, an anti-rotation support, a wafer fixing frame and a rotation connecting piece. The anti-rotation support comprises a main frame, a first fixing unit and a second fixing unit. The first fixing unit comprises two fixing screws, two fixing holes and two mounting holes. The main frame is installed on the cover body through the fixing screws. The second fixing unit comprises a notch formed in the main frame and a convex rib arranged on the cover body. And the convex ribs are inserted into the notches and are in interference fit with the notches, so that secondary fixation is formed between the main frame and the cover body. Therefore, even if the fixing screw is aged or fatigued and fractures due to long-time use, the second fixing unit can temporarily ensure that the position of the main frame body is fixed, so that the wafer fixing frame is prevented from deflecting towards the fractured side of the fixing screw.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of wafer boxes, in particular to a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket. Background Art

[0002] Wafer cassettes, also known as wafer trays or wafer boats, are containers used to store and transport semiconductor wafers. They are typically made of plastic or metal and are used to protect wafers from damage during the production process or during transportation from one process step to the next. Wafer cassettes typically have internal dividers to ensure each wafer is securely positioned and prevent them from bumping or scratching each other during transport.

[0003] In existing wafer cassette mounting systems, the wafer cassette anti-rotation bracket is typically secured to the top of the cassette with two screws. To prevent metal contamination, the screws and nuts used to secure the anti-rotation bracket are typically made of plastic.

[0004] Screws and nuts made of plastic will age or fatigue after long-term use, and may break during use. As a result, the wafer fixing bracket in the wafer box is fixed with only one screw, causing the fixing bracket to be unevenly stressed and deflected toward the side where the screw is broken. As a result, the deflected and tilted wafer fixing bracket may cut the wafer during the opening and closing process of the wafer box. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a wafer box module with a double fixing unit and an anti-rotation bracket to solve the above problem.

[0006] A wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket comprises a base plate, an upper cover mounted on the base plate, and a wafer carrier housed within the upper cover. The upper cover comprises a housing, an anti-rotation bracket fixedly connected to the top of the housing, a wafer holder rotatably connected to the anti-rotation bracket, and a rotatable connector for connecting the anti-rotation bracket to the wafer holder. The anti-rotation bracket comprises a main frame, a first fixing unit for connecting the main frame to the housing, and a second fixing unit disposed on one side of the first fixing unit. The first fixing unit comprises two fixing screws, two fixing holes on the main frame for receiving the fixing screws, and two mounting holes on the housing corresponding to the fixing holes. The fixing screws are inserted from one side of the main frame into the fixing holes and the mounting holes to mount the main frame to the housing. The second fixing unit comprises two notches on the main frame and two ribs on the housing corresponding to the notches. The convex rib is inserted into the notch and forms an interference fit with the notch, thereby forming a secondary fixation between the main frame and the cover body.

[0007] Furthermore, the wafer carrier includes a frame body fixedly arranged on the base plate, and a wafer placement opening arranged on one side of the frame body.

[0008] Furthermore, the wafer fixing frame is located at one side of the wafer placement opening. When the upper cover and the bottom plate are closed, the wafer fixing frame and the wafer accommodated on the frame body abut against each other.

[0009] Furthermore, the surface of the wafer holder in contact with the wafer is made of rubber.

[0010] Furthermore, the fixing hole and the mounting hole are both matched with the fixing screw.

[0011] Furthermore, the notch is arranged corresponding to the fixing hole and is located on a side of the main frame facing the side wall of the cover body.

[0012] Furthermore, an end of the notch opposite to the fixing hole passes through the main frame.

[0013] Furthermore, the fixing screw is made of plastic.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket provided by the present invention has an anti-rotation bracket that fixes the main frame to the cover body through a dual connection fixing device, namely the first fixing unit and the second fixing unit. The first fixing unit fixes the main frame to the cover body of the wafer box through the fixing screw. The second fixing unit includes the notch provided on the main frame, and the rib provided on the cover body and matched with the notch. During installation, the rib is inserted into the notch and forms an interference fit therewith, thereby forming a secondary reinforcement for the main frame. Therefore, even if one of the fixing screws ages or fatigues and breaks during use, when the main frame is fixed by only one fixing screw, the second fixing unit can temporarily ensure that the position of the main frame does not change, thereby avoiding the main frame from deflecting toward the side where the fixing screw breaks during the opening and closing of the upper cover, and the wafer fixing frame also deflects accordingly, making it easy to cut the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket provided by the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an anti-rotation fixing bracket of a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket.

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the partially enlarged structure of the wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket at position A.

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a cover body of a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket.

[0019] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the partially enlarged structure of the wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket at position B.

[0020] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket.

[0021] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the partially enlarged structure of the wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket at position C.

[0022] Figure 8 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following is a further detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the description of the present invention herein is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] like Figures 1 to 8 , which is a schematic structural diagram of a wafer cassette module with an anti-rotation bracket provided by the present invention. The wafer cassette module with an anti-rotation bracket comprises a base plate 10, an upper cover 20 disposed on the base plate 10, and a wafer carrier 30 housed within the upper cover 20. It is conceivable that the wafer cassette module with an anti-rotation bracket also includes other functional components, such as mounting components and connection components, all of which are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be further described here.

[0025] The base plate 10 may be square in shape, and its size is adapted to the size of the wafer carrier 30, and is used to carry and transport the wafer carrier 30, thereby transporting wafers from one process to the next. The base plate 10 itself is a prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0026] The upper cover 20 includes a cover body 21, an anti-rotation bracket 22 fixedly connected to the top of the cover body 21, a wafer fixing frame 23 movably connected to the anti-rotation bracket 22, and a rotating connector 24 for connecting the anti-rotation bracket 22 and the wafer fixing frame 23.

[0027] The open end of the cover body 21 is adapted to the base plate 10. When the wafer box is closed, the cover body 21 is covered on the base plate 10, thereby forming a sealed accommodation space with the base plate 10. When transporting wafers, the wafers are placed on the wafer carrier 30 and accommodated in the accommodation space formed by the base plate 10 and the cover body 21 to provide protection and prevent the wafers from being damaged during transportation. When the wafer box is closed, the base plate 10 and the cover body 21 can be fixed to each other by screwing, snapping or other fixing methods, and a seal such as a sealing ring can be used to seal the connection to improve the sealing of the wafer box module. The cover body 21 itself is a prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0028] The anti-rotation bracket 22 includes a main frame 221 , a first fixing unit 222 for connecting the main frame 221 and the cover body 21 , and a second fixing unit 223 disposed on one side of the first fixing unit 222 .

[0029] The main frame 221 is fixedly mounted to the top of the housing 21 via the first fixing unit 222. The main frame 221 may be a frame structure, such as a rectangle, and its dimensions may be specifically tailored to the dimensions of the wafer cassette module to facilitate assembly of the upper housing 20 with the base plate 10. It is contemplated that mounting holes for the rotating connector 24 may be provided on both sides of the connecting frame 221 to facilitate installation of the rotating connector 24.

[0030] The first fixing unit 222 is used to fix the main frame 221 on the cover body 21, and includes two fixing screws 2221, two fixing holes 2222 provided on the main frame 221 and used to set the fixing screws 2221, and two mounting holes 2223 provided on the cover body 21 corresponding to the fixing holes 2222. The fixing screws 2221 are used to fix the main frame 221 on the cover body 21. In order to prevent ordinary metal screws from causing metal contamination to the wafer, the fixing screws 2221 are usually made of plastic. The two fixing holes 2222 are symmetrically provided at both ends of the main frame 222 facing the top of the cover body 21. The two mounting holes 2223 are provided corresponding to the two fixing holes 2222. The fixing holes 2222 and the mounting holes 2223 are both provided to match the fixing screws 2221. The fixing screw 2221 is inserted into the fixing hole 2222 and the mounting hole 2223 from one side of the main frame 221 , thereby mounting the main frame 221 on the cover body 21 .

[0031] The second fixing unit 223 includes two notches 2231 defined in the main frame 221 and two ribs 2232 corresponding to the notches 2231 on the cover 21. The notches 2231 and the fixing holes 2222 are located on the side of the fixing holes 2222 facing the side wall of the cover 21, facilitating installation. The end of the notch 2231, opposite the fixing hole 2222, extends through the main frame 221, allowing the ribs 2232 to be smoothly inserted and retained within the notches 2231. The rib 2232 is matched with the notch 2231. When installed, the rib 2232 is inserted into the notch 2231 and forms an interference fit with the notch 2231, thereby forming a secondary fixation between the main frame 221 and the cover body 21. Therefore, even if the fixing screw 2221 is aged or fatigued due to long-term use and breaks, resulting in the failure of the first fixing unit 222, the second fixing unit 223 can also temporarily fix the main frame 221, thereby avoiding one of the fixing screws 2221 being broken during use. After the fixing screw 2221 breaks due to aging or fatigue, the main frame 221 is fixed by only one screw, causing the main frame 221 to deflect toward the side where the fixing screw 2221 is broken due to gravity when the upper cover 20 is opened and closed. The wafer holder 23 also deflects synchronously with the main frame 221. Since the wafer holder 23 and the wafers on the wafer carrier 30 abut against each other when the upper cover 20 and the base plate 10 are fully closed, the tilted wafer holder 23 is prone to friction with the wafers and shattering them. It is understandable that the next time the wafer box is used, it can be checked whether the fixing screw 2221 has aged or broken and can be replaced.

[0032] The wafer fixing frame 23 is movably connected to the anti-rotation bracket 22 through the rotating connecting member 24 and is used to fix the wafers carried in the wafer carrier 30 to prevent the wafers from moving and being damaged during transportation. The wafer fixing frame 23 can be a frame structure adapted to the wafer carrier 30, such as a rectangular shape. Figure 8As shown, when the upper cover 20 is not closed, the wafer holder 23 falls vertically under the action of gravity and approaches the main frame 221. As the upper cover 20 and the base plate 10 close, the wafer holder 23 first abuts against the base plate 10 and then moves toward the top of the upper cover 20 under the abutment of the base plate 10. Simultaneously, the rotatable connector 24, driven by the wafer holder 23, rotates from a position close to the main frame 221 to a position perpendicular to the main frame 221. At this point, the wafer holder 23 abuts against the wafer held in the wafer carrier 30, thereby securing the wafer within the wafer carrier 30 together with the wafer carrier 30. It will be appreciated that to prevent damage to the wafer from abutting against the wafer, the surface of the wafer holder 23 that contacts the wafer can be made of a soft material, such as rubber. Therefore, if the main frame 221 falls off the cover 21 and deflects, the wafer holder 23 will also deflect, causing damage to the wafer held by the wafer holder 23. In addition, to facilitate the movement of the wafer holder 23, a roller 231 is provided on the side of the wafer holder 23 facing the base plate 10. The wafer holder 23 itself is a prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0033] The rotating connector 24 includes a rotating shaft 241 and a connecting clip 242 fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 241. The rotating connector 24 is rotatably mounted on the main frame 221 via the rotating shaft 241. One side of the connecting clip 242 is fixedly locked with the wafer holder 23, thereby rotatably mounting the wafer holder 23 on the main frame 221. A limit clip is provided on the main frame 221 to limit the rotation angle of the rotating connector 24, so that the rotation angle of the rotating connector 24 is within 90 degrees, that is, from the point where the connecting clip 242 and the main frame 221 are close to 0 degrees to the point where it rotates 90 degrees to the side of the top of the cover body 21 until the connecting clip 242 is perpendicular to the main frame 221. As the connecting clip 242 rotates toward the top of the housing 21, the distance between the wafer holder 23 and the main frame 221 increases, and the wafer holder 23 gradually approaches the wafer carrier 30 until the wafer holder 23 abuts against the wafer in the wafer carrier 30, thereby securing the wafer in the wafer carrier 30. The rotating connector 24 itself is a conventional art and will not be described in detail here.

[0034] The wafer carrier 30 includes a frame body 31 fixedly disposed on the base plate 10 and a wafer placement opening 32 disposed on one side of the frame body 31 .

[0035] One side of the frame 31 can be fixed to the base plate 10 by means of screw fasteners or structural clamping, and is used to support wafers and ensure the stability of the wafers during transportation. The structure and size of the frame 31 are compatible with the structure and size of the wafers, thereby facilitating the placement of wafers within the frame 31 for transportation.

[0036] The wafer placement port 32 is provided on one side of the frame 31 so as to facilitate placing the wafer on the frame 31 from the wafer placement port 32. The wafer carrier 30 itself is a prior art and will not be described in detail here. The wafer fixing frame 23 is located on one side of the wafer placement port 32. When the upper cover 20 is closed, one end of the wafer fixing frame 23 abuts against the bottom plate 10 and the rotating connector 24 is driven to rotate, so that the wafer fixing frame 23 continuously approaches the wafer carrier 30 until the upper cover 20 and the bottom plate 10 are completely closed. At this time, the connecting card 242 and the bottom plate 10 are parallel to each other, and the wafer fixing frame 23 abuts against the wafer on the frame 31, thereby fixing the wafer on the frame 31.

[0037] Compared with the prior art, the wafer cassette module with an anti-rotation bracket provided by the present invention has an anti-rotation bracket 22 that secures the main frame 221 to the cover 21 via a dual connection fixture, namely, a first securing unit 222 and a second securing unit 223. The first securing unit 222 secures the main frame 221 to the cover 21 of the wafer cassette via the securing screws 2221. The second fixing unit 223 includes the slot 2231 provided on the main frame 221, and the rib 2232 provided on the cover body 21 and matching the slot 2231. During installation, the rib 2232 is inserted into the slot 2231 and forms an interference fit therewith, thereby forming a secondary reinforcement for the main frame 221. Therefore, even if one of the fixing screws 2221 ages or fatigues and breaks during use, when the main frame 221 is fixed by only one fixing screw 2221, the second fixing unit 223 can also temporarily ensure that the position of the main frame 221 does not change, thereby preventing the main frame 221 from deflecting toward the side where the fixing screw 2221 breaks during the opening and closing of the upper cover 20, and the wafer fixing frame 23 also deflects accordingly, making it easy to cut the wafer.

[0038] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements or improvements within the spirit of the present invention are included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket, characterized in that: The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket includes a base plate, an upper cover arranged on the base plate, and a wafer carrier accommodated in the upper cover, the upper cover includes a cover body, an anti-rotation bracket fixedly connected to the top of the cover body, a wafer fixing frame movably connected to the anti-rotation bracket, and a rotating connection piece for connecting the anti-rotation bracket and the wafer fixing frame, the anti-rotation bracket includes a main frame, a first fixing unit for connecting the main frame and the cover body, and a second fixing unit arranged on one side of the first fixing unit, the first fixing unit The fixing unit includes two fixing screws, two fixing holes arranged on the main frame and used to set the fixing screws, and two mounting holes arranged on the cover body corresponding to the fixing holes. The fixing screws are inserted into the fixing holes and the mounting holes from one side of the main frame to install the main frame on the cover body. The second fixing unit includes two slots opened on the main frame and two convex ribs arranged on the cover body corresponding to the slots. The convex rib is inserted into the slot and forms an interference fit with the slot, thereby forming a secondary fixation between the main frame and the cover body.

2. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 1, wherein: The wafer carrier comprises a frame body fixedly arranged on the base plate, and a wafer placement opening arranged on one side of the frame body.

3. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 2, wherein: The wafer fixing frame is located at one side of the wafer placement opening. When the upper cover and the bottom plate are closed, the wafer fixing frame and the wafer accommodated on the frame body abut against each other.

4. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 3, wherein: The side of the wafer fixing frame in contact with the wafer is made of rubber.

5. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 1, wherein: The fixing holes and the mounting holes are both arranged to match the fixing screws.

6. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 1, wherein: The notch is arranged corresponding to the fixing hole and is located on a side of the main frame facing the side wall of the cover body.

7. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 1, wherein: An end of the notch opposite to the fixing hole passes through the main frame.

8. The wafer box module with an anti-rotation bracket according to claim 1, wherein: The fixing screw is made of plastic.

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