Inflation head and inflation module comprising same

Abstract

The utility model relates to an inflation head and an inflation module comprising the inflation head, which are applied to a semiconductor container and used for filling a storage space of the semiconductor container with gas. The inflation head is provided with an installation cylinder, a through circulation hole is formed in the axis of the installation cylinder, the inflation head further comprises a first filter disc and a second filter disc, and the first filter disc and the second filter disc are selected from particle filter materials and chemical filter materials respectively. The inflating head is detachably locked to the bottom of the semiconductor container, so that the inflating head can be easily mounted and dismounted, maintenance and cleaning are facilitated, and meanwhile, residual particles or harmful chemical pollutants in gas are effectively filtered by utilizing the first filter disc and the second filter disc.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to a kind of container inflation technical field, specifically it is a kind of inflation head for reticle container and inflation module containing inflation head. BACKGROUND

[0002] Electronic products continue to develop towards light, thin, small, high frequency, high performance and other characteristics, so that the core semiconductor components used in electronic products need to be miniaturized and have high performance, so the circuit pattern line diameter of existing semiconductor components has developed from the early micron level to the nanometer level. Generally in the process, wafers or reticles must be placed in a semiconductor container with high cleanliness, good air tightness, low gas emission and high antistatic protection, to avoid particle contamination of wafers or reticles by providing a dust-free environment.

[0003] Taking the protection of reticle as an example, modern semiconductor technology develops rapidly, and optical lithography technology plays an important role. As long as it is about pattern definition, it needs to rely on optical lithography technology, so the application of reticle is the essence of lithography technology. Since the reticle uses exposure principle to project light source and shadow with corresponding pattern onto semiconductor components, and then obtains semiconductor layer with required pattern through etching technology. However, there are many harmful substances such as particles, moisture, gas and chemical solvent molecules in the process, which can adhere to the surface of the reticle, causing contamination of the reticle surface, and any particles or contamination on the reticle can cause quality degradation of the semiconductor component pattern.

[0004] In order to avoid particle contamination of wafers or reticles, semiconductor containers such as transfer boxes are used to transport or store wafers or reticles. In order to improve the cleanliness inside the reticle container, the prior art is to connect a gas filling system to the semiconductor container, which can fill the semiconductor container with inert gas. The gas filling system allows inert gas to be introduced into the semiconductor container, so as to avoid particle adhesion and contamination of wafers or reticles in the semiconductor container.

[0005] However, how to ensure that the gas does not leak during the gas inlet or exhaust process, and reduce the particles generated by the gas filling system and the particles in the pipeline of the gas filling system from entering the semiconductor container through the gas filling module has always been a very important problem in this technical field, and is also the problem to be solved by the utility model.

[0006] In view of the above shortcomings, the inventor believes that it is necessary to correct, and based on many years of experience in related technology and product design and manufacturing, and adhering to the excellent design concept, the above shortcomings are studied and improved, and after continuous efforts, a gas filling head and a gas filling module containing the gas filling head are successfully developed, so as to overcome the inconvenience caused by the exposed pipeline of the existing gas filling disc and the difficulty in positioning the reticle container. Utility Model Content

[0007] The main purpose of this invention is to provide an inflation head that will not generate dust particles due to wear and tear during inflation, and can further filter particles in the pipeline, effectively reducing pollution sources.

[0008] The main purpose of this utility model is to provide an inflation head that can be easily installed and disassembled, and is easy to maintain and clean, thereby improving its practicality.

[0009] The main purpose of this utility model is to provide an inflation module that can automatically guide and accurately position during docking, while improving the tightness of the docking inflation and effectively enhancing the cleanliness inside the semiconductor container.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an inflation head, which can be selectively placed in a semiconductor container to fill a storage space within the semiconductor container with gas. The inflation head includes a mounting cylinder, a first filter, and a second filter. The mounting cylinder is detachably locked to the bottom of the semiconductor container and has a flow hole penetrating a central axis. The first filter is disposed within the flow hole of the mounting cylinder to filter at least one particulate matter contained in the gas. The second filter is disposed above the first filter within the flow hole to filter at least one chemical contaminant contained in the gas.

[0011] In one embodiment of the inflation head of this utility model, the mounting cylinder is detachably locked to a mounting hole corresponding to the bottom of the semiconductor container, and the mounting hole can be connected to the storage space by gas.

[0012] In one embodiment of the inflation head of this utility model, the mounting cylinder has a flange located at the bottom end of the mounting cylinder, which serves to limit the inflation head when it is locked in the mounting hole.

[0013] In one embodiment of the inflation head of this utility model, the mounting cylinder further includes a tool driving part, which cooperates with an installation tool to drive the mounting cylinder to lock in the mounting hole.

[0014] In one embodiment of the inflation head of this utility model, the mounting cylinder further includes a partition and a locking part. The partition is located in the middle section inside the mounting cylinder, and the locking part is located at the top of the mounting cylinder for selective locking by a locking block. The partition and the locking block clamp a first filter and a second filter.

[0015] In one embodiment of the inflation head of this utility model, the mounting cylinder has an upwardly constricted inner oblique cone edge, so that the inflation head can be tightly engaged with an air nozzle.

[0016] To achieve the above object, the utility model provides a kind of inflation module, it is arranged between a gas filling disc and the semiconductor container that can be selectively placed on the gas filling disc, to connect a gas filling system to fill a gas in the storage space inside semiconductor container. Inflation module includes at least one inflation head as described above and at least one gas nozzle, wherein the inflation head is detachably locked in semiconductor container, and gas communicates storage space. Gas nozzle is arranged on the gas filling disc, can be closely relative to engage at least one inflation head, so that gas can be introduced into the storage space inside semiconductor container via at least one gas nozzle and at least one inflation head.

[0017] In an embodiment of the utility model inflation module, at least one gas nozzle has an outer inclined taper edge, so that at least one gas nozzle can be closely relative to engage at least one inflation head.

[0018] In an embodiment of the utility model inflation module, at least one gas nozzle is detachably locked and airtightly fixed on the gas filling disc.

[0019] After referring to the accompanying drawings and the subsequently described embodiments, other purposes of the utility model can be understood by those skilled in the art, and the technical means and implementation of the utility model. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is the architecture schematic diagram of the inflation module of the utility model applied to gas filling disc and semiconductor container;

[0021] Figure 2 It is the three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of inflation head in the inflation module of the utility model, for explaining the state of its elements and its relative relationship;

[0022] Figure 3 It is the cross-sectional schematic diagram of inflation head in the inflation module of the utility model, for explaining the state of its internal composition;

[0023] Figure 4 It is the three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of gas nozzle in the inflation module of the utility model, for explaining the state of its elements and its relative relationship;

[0024] Figure 5 It is the cross-sectional schematic diagram of gas nozzle in the inflation module of the utility model, for explaining the state of its internal composition;

[0025] Figure 6 It is the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the utility model actual use gas filling disc and semiconductor container to fill gas, for explaining the state of its inflation.

[0026] 100:inflation module

[0027] 10:inflation head

[0028] 11:mounting cylinder

[0029] 110: locking portion

[0030] 111: abutting rim

[0031] 112: tool driving portion

[0032] 12: flow-through hole

[0033] 13: partition

[0034] 130: through hole

[0035] 14: locking portion

[0036] 15: locking block

[0037] 150: polygonal driving hole

[0038] 16: first filter disc

[0039] 17: second filter disc

[0040] 18: grommet

[0041] 19: counter portion

[0042] 190: inner beveled rim

[0043] 20: air nozzle

[0044] 21: mounting body

[0045] 22: counter-cylinder

[0046] 220: outer beveled rim

[0047] 23: mounting cavity

[0048] 24: opening

[0049] 240: lip

[0050] 25: air guide seat

[0051] 26: ring-embedding groove

[0052] 27: second sealing ring

[0053] 28: through hole

[0054] 200: semiconductor container

[0055] 201: base body

[0056] 202: mounting hole

[0057] 203: locking portion

[0058] 205: cover body

[0059] 208: storage space

[0060] 300: inflation system

[0061] 400: inflation tray

[0062] 401: carrier tray

[0063] 402: placement area

[0064] 403: gas return circuit

[0065] 405: mounting slot

[0066] 406: recessed ring slot

[0067] 407: first sealing ring DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The present application will be explained below by way of examples, which are not intended to limit the present application to any particular environment, application, or special way of implementation as described in the examples. Therefore, the description of the examples is only for the purpose of illustrating the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. It should be noted that in the following examples and the accompanying drawings, elements not directly related to the present application have been omitted and not shown, and the dimensional relationships among the elements in the drawings are for easy understanding and are not intended to limit the actual proportions.

[0069] As shown in Figure 1 , the inflation module 100 can be applied to a semiconductor container 200 storing a wafer or a reticle and an inflation tray 400 for placing the semiconductor container 200, and can be connected to an external inflation system (not shown) to fill the semiconductor container 200 with inert gas or clean gas. The inflation tray 400 can be applied to a storage cabinet, an in-out work station, or a transportation device for storing or transporting a reticle or a wafer. The semiconductor container 200 of the present embodiment is a reticle standard mechanical interface transfer box (RSP) for accommodating a 150mm or 200mm size reticle. In other embodiments of the present application, the semiconductor container 200 can also be a front opening unified pod (FOUP). The inflation module 100 of the present application includes at least one inflation head 10 and at least one gas nozzle 20, wherein the inflation head 10 can be selectively arranged at the bottom of the semiconductor container 200, the gas nozzle 20 can be detachably arranged on the inflation tray 400, and can be airtightly connected to the inflation head 10.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 2 and 3As shown, the semiconductor container 200 comprises a base 201 and a cover 205. The base 201 is selectively placed on the gas charging tray 400, and the cover 205 is selectively placed on the base 201 (as shown). The cover 205 and the base 201 form a storage space 208 for receiving and supporting at least one semiconductor component (e.g. a mask or a wafer) after being placed on the semiconductor container 200. Figure 6 As shown, the semiconductor container 200 comprises a base 201 and a cover 205. The base 201 is selectively placed on the gas charging tray 400, and the cover 205 is selectively placed on the base 201 (as shown). The cover 205 and the base 201 form a storage space 208 for receiving and supporting at least one semiconductor component (e.g. a mask or a wafer) after being placed on the semiconductor container 200.

[0071] In addition, the gas charging head 10 comprises a mounting cylinder 11 having a flow-through hole 12 passing through the center of the mounting cylinder 11. The mounting cylinder 11 has a locking portion 110 on the outer edge of the mounting cylinder 11, such as external threads, a locking block for an L-shaped screw groove, etc. The mounting cylinder 11 is selectively locked to the mounting hole 202 on the bottom of the semiconductor container 200. The outer edge of the bottom of the mounting cylinder 11 has a limiting edge 111 for limiting the locking of the gas charging head 10 to the mounting hole 202. The bottom surface of the mounting cylinder 11 has a tool driving portion 112, such as a letter-shaped groove, for cooperating with a mounting tool to drive the locking of the mounting cylinder 11 to the mounting hole 202. Furthermore, the mounting cylinder 11 has a partition plate 13 in the middle of the flow-through hole 12, and the partition plate 13 has a plurality of through holes 130. The mounting cylinder 11 has a locking portion 14 adjacent to the top end of the flow-through hole 12, and a locking block 15 is selectively locked to the locking portion 14. The locking of the locking block 15 to the locking portion 14 can be selected from internal and external threads. The center of the locking block 15 has a through multi-angle driving hole 150 for a driving tool to act on the locking block 15. In particular, the partition plate 13 and the locking block 15 of the mounting cylinder 11 are clamped with a first filter 16 and a second filter 17, wherein the first filter 16 and the second filter 17 can be selected from particle filters and chemical filters, respectively.

[0072] In the preferred embodiment of the present application, the first filter 16 is selected from a particulate filter material to filter harmful substances such as particulates from the gas, and the second filter 17 is selected from a chemical filter material to filter moisture and chemical contaminants such as sulfides, ammonia, etc. from the gas, but not limited thereto. It should be noted that the first filter 16 and the second filter 17 are preferably selected from materials that do not easily generate dust. The locking block 15 further utilizes a grommet 18 to press the first filter 16 and the second filter 17. The mounting cylinder 11 is formed with a connecting portion 19 below the partition 13 of the flow hole 12, and the inner edge of the connecting portion 19 is an upwardly converging inner tapered edge 190 for the abovementioned gas nozzle 20 to be connected.

[0073] Referring to Figures 1 to 5 , the inflation disc 400 is formed by a unitary carrier disc 401, and the carrier disc 401 has a placement area 402 for selectively placing the semiconductor container 200. The gas nozzle 20 is arranged within the placement area 402 of the carrier disc 401, and the carrier disc 401 has a gas return circuit 403 as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1 , which is connected to the gas nozzle 20 and the external inflation system 300.

[0074] Furthermore, the gas nozzle 20 can be integrally formed or detachably locked on the placement area 402 of the carrier disc 401. The gas nozzle 20 has a mounting body 21 with a connecting cylinder 22 protruding from the surface of the carrier disc 401 for connecting to the connecting portion 19 of the mounting cylinder 11 of the abovementioned inflation head 10. The connecting cylinder 22 is provided with an outer tapered edge 220 corresponding to the inner tapered edge 190, so that the gas nozzle 20 can be tightly connected to the connecting portion 19 of the inflation head 10. The gas nozzle 20 of the present application is preferably a detachable structure that can be locked on the carrier disc 401 according to the use requirements. The carrier disc 401 is provided with a mounting groove 405 for embedding the gas nozzle 20, and the mounting groove 405 is further provided with a recessed ring groove 406 surrounding an air outlet passage 31 opening, which can accommodate a first sealing ring 407 with the top edge slightly protruding from the surface of the mounting groove 405 to generate an airtight effect when the gas nozzle 20 is locked in the mounting groove 405. Furthermore, the locking method of the gas nozzle 20 can be selected from the combination of bolts and screw holes, but is not limited thereto.

[0075] According to other embodiments of the present application, the air nozzle 20 is provided with an installation cavity 23 penetrating through the inside of the docking cylinder 22, and the installation cavity 23 is provided with an opening 24 at the top end of the docking cylinder 22, and the inner edge of the opening 24 is provided with a lip 240 towards the center. The docking cylinder 22 is provided with a gas guide seat 25 in the installation cavity 23, and the bottom surface of the gas guide seat 25 can be attached to the installation groove 405 of the carrier plate 401 when the air nozzle 20 is locked, and the first sealing ring 407 is attached to the opposite side. The gas guide seat 25 is provided with an embedded ring groove 26 at the top end, and a second sealing ring 27 is provided, and when the gas guide seat 25 is arranged in the installation cavity 23 of the docking cylinder 22, the second sealing ring 27 can be limited by the lip 240 of the opening 24 of the installation cavity 23. Furthermore, the gas guide seat 25 is provided with a through hole 28 in the center, corresponding to the opening 24 of the docking cylinder 22. In this way, the gas of the inflation system 300 can be guided into the semiconductor container 200 through the gas guide circuit 403 of the carrier plate 401 by using the air nozzle 20 and the inflation head 10 locked in the semiconductor container 200, thereby forming an inflation head and an inflation module using the same which can not generate particles and can filter pollutants in the pipeline.

[0076] In the practical application of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6 shown, when the semiconductor container 200 is placed in the placement area 402 of the carrier plate 401 corresponding to the inflation plate 400, the air nozzle 20 can be completely combined with the inflation head 10, so that the inflation system can selectively inflate the semiconductor container 200. The gas of the inflation system can be filled into the semiconductor container 200 through the gas guide circuit 403 of the carrier plate 401 and the air nozzle 20 and the inflation head 10 of the inflation module 100, and the problem of affecting the inflation speed and easily generating abrasive particles due to the failure of the components to be tightly locked can be avoided. The present application can not only maintain the cleanliness of the internal environment of the semiconductor container 200, but also avoid the contamination of the mask or wafer in the semiconductor container 200 by particles.

[0077] In particular, when the inflation gas passes through the first filter 16 and the second filter 17 in the inflation head 10, the residual particles or harmful chemical pollutants in the gas can be filtered, respectively, and when the inflation head 10 of the semiconductor container 200 leaves the air nozzle 20 of the inflation plate 400, the first filter 16 and the second filter 17 in the inflation head 10 can be used to delay the discharge of the gas filled in the storage space 208 of the semiconductor container 200. According to the experimental results, the semiconductor container 200 using the present application has the characteristics of fast inflation speed and slow gas outflow rate, so as to effectively maintain the dryness and cleanliness of the semiconductor container 200.

[0078] Via the implementation of the foregoing technical means, the inflation module utilizes the design that the inflation head 10 can be locked at the bottom of the semiconductor container 200, so that the inflation module can be simply installed and disassembled, and maintenance and cleaning are facilitated. Meanwhile, the first filter 16 and the second filter 17 in the inflation head 10 are used to generate a filtering effect, so that the residual particles or harmful chemical pollutants in the gas can be effectively filtered, and the time for discharging the gas in the semiconductor container 200 can be delayed. When inflating, the problem that the conventional gas valve member has moving parts and affects the inflation speed and is prone to generate abrasive particles can be avoided, and the pollution source can be effectively reduced.

[0079] The mounting cylinder 11 of the inflation head 10 has an inner inclined conical edge 190 that can be correspondingly and tightly engaged with an outer inclined conical edge 220 of the butt joint cylinder 22 of the gas nozzle 20, so that when the semiconductor container 200 is placed on the inflation disc 400, automatic guiding and accurate positioning during butt joint can be achieved, and the tightness of the butt joint inflation can be improved, which will be helpful to the utilization and practicality of the industry.

[0080] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the implementation of the present application and to explain the technical features of the present application, and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any changes or equivalent arrangements that can be easily completed by those skilled in the art belong to the scope claimed by the present application, and the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the patent application range.

Claims

1. An inflation head, selectively placeable in a semiconductor container for filling a storage space within the semiconductor container with gas, characterized in that, The inflation head comprises: a mounting cylinder separably locked to a bottom of the semiconductor container, the mounting cylinder having a flow-through hole penetrating an axial center of the mounting cylinder; a first filter disposed in the flow-through hole of the mounting cylinder for filtering at least one particle contained in the gas; and a second filter disposed above the first filter in the flow-through hole for filtering at least one chemical contaminant contained in the gas.

2. The inflatable head according to claim 1, wherein The mounting cylinder is separably locked to a mounting hole corresponding to the bottom of the semiconductor container, and the mounting hole is in gas communication with the storage space.

3. The inflatable head according to claim 2, wherein, The mounting cylinder has a stopper disposed at a bottom end of the mounting cylinder for limiting the inflation head when locked to the mounting hole.

4. The inflatable head according to claim 2, wherein The mounting cylinder has a tool driving portion for driving the mounting cylinder to be locked to the mounting hole by a mounting tool.

5. The inflatable head according to claim 1, wherein The mounting cylinder has a partition disposed at a middle section inside the mounting cylinder and a locking portion disposed at a top end of the mounting cylinder for selectively locking a locking block, wherein the first filter and the second filter are clamped between the partition and the locking block.

6. The inflatable head according to claim 1, wherein The mounting cylinder has an inner tapered edge converging upward, so that the inflation head can be tightly and oppositely engaged with a gas nozzle.

7. An inflation module disposed between an inflation tray and a semiconductor container selectively placed on the inflation tray for connecting an inflation system to fill a storage space inside the semiconductor container with a gas, characterized in that, The inflation module comprises: at least one inflation head as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, separably locked to the semiconductor container and in gas communication with the storage space; and at least one gas nozzle disposed on the inflation disc, tightly and oppositely engaged with the at least one inflation head, so that the gas can be introduced into the storage space inside the semiconductor container through the at least one gas nozzle and the at least one inflation head.

8. The inflatable module of claim 7, wherein, The at least one gas nozzle has an outer tapered edge, so that the at least one gas nozzle can be tightly and oppositely engaged with the at least one inflation head.

9. The inflatable module of claim 7, wherein, The at least one gas nozzle is separably locked and airtightly fixed on the inflation disc.

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