Wafer carrier device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose a wafer bearing device to improve the problem of damage and contamination of a wafer caused by direct contact of a hand with the wafer in a wafer detection process. The wafer bearing device comprises a plastic table body, an annular protrusion and a notch. The annular protrusion is located on the plastic table body and is arranged along the edge of the plastic table body. The radial notch along the plastic table body extends from the edge of the plastic table body to the center of the plastic table body, and the notch penetrates the annular protrusion and the plastic table body along the thickness direction of the plastic table body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular to a wafer carrier device. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing industry, the detection of microscopic defects in wafers is a crucial step in ensuring product quality. Microscopes, as key tools in the field of wafer inspection auxiliary equipment, are typically used to observe the structure and defects on the surface or back of wafers using high-magnification microscopes. During wafer inspection using a microscope, the wafer needs to be adjusted to reverse its orientation or its placement angle to expose the back side, often requiring operators to manually lift and handle the wafer. However, manually lifting and handling wafers carries a significant risk of wafer damage and contamination. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides a wafer carrier device to improve the problem of damage and contamination to the wafer caused by direct hand contact during wafer inspection, thereby at least partially solving the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, according to a first aspect of this application, a wafer carrier device is provided, comprising a plastic stage body, an annular protrusion, and a notch. The annular protrusion is located on the plastic stage body and is disposed along the edge of the plastic stage body. The notch extends radially from the edge of the plastic stage body toward the center of the plastic stage body, and the notch penetrates the annular protrusion and the plastic stage body along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body.

[0005] Optionally, the radius of the plastic stage body is larger than the radial dimension of the notch along the plastic stage body.

[0006] Optionally, the wafer carrier is used to carry the target wafer, and the difference between the inner diameter of the annular protrusion and the diameter of the target wafer is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 9 cm.

[0007] Optionally, the plastic platform body includes a first side, a second side, and a third side. The first side, the second side, and the third side are adjacent to the notch. The first side and the second side are disposed opposite to each other. The third side is connected between the first side and the second side and is close to the center of the plastic platform body.

[0008] Optionally, the distance between the first side and the second side is 40 cm to 50 cm.

[0009] Optionally, along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body, the size of the plastic stage body is larger than the size of the annular protrusion.

[0010] Optionally, along the thickness direction of the plastic platform body, the size of the plastic platform body is greater than or equal to 8 cm and less than or equal to 12 cm, and the size of the annular protrusion is greater than or equal to 4.5 cm and less than or equal to 5.5 cm.

[0011] Optionally, the wafer carrier is used to carry a target wafer, the thickness of which is less than the dimension of the annular protrusion along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body.

[0012] Optionally, the annular protrusion includes an inner annular side and an outer annular side, the inner annular side being located inside the inner annular side, and the distance between the outer annular side and the inner annular side being greater than or equal to 4 cm and less than or equal to 6 cm.

[0013] Optionally, the wafer carrier further includes: an antistatic elastic layer located on the plastic stage body; the annular protrusion is also disposed around the antistatic elastic layer.

[0014] In the wafer carrier device of this application embodiment, during wafer inspection, a notch is used to place the wafer onto the plastic stage body. The plastic stage body's load-bearing capacity and relatively low surface hardness mitigate the problem of damage and contamination caused by direct hand contact with the wafer during inspection. Furthermore, the annular protrusion acts as a limiting feature for the wafer, reducing the risk of wafer movement during inspection. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a planar structure of a wafer carrier device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 2 The exemplary embodiments provided in this application are along Figure 1 The sectional view of the section intercepted by the tangent line A-A' shown; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another planar structure of the wafer carrier device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is another planar structural schematic diagram of the wafer carrier device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0016] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 100. Wafer carrier device; 1. Plastic platform body; 11. First surface; 12. Second surface; 13. First side surface; 14. Second side surface; 15. Third side surface; 2. Annular protrusion; 21. Inner annular surface; 22. Outer annular surface; 3. Gap; 4. Antistatic elastic layer; 5. Buffer components; 6. Fasteners; 7. Receiving groove. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the protection scope of this application.

[0018] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 This application provides a wafer carrier device 100, which can be used as a carrier when performing defect detection on a target wafer or as a carrier when transferring a target wafer, thereby improving the problem of damage and contamination to the target wafer caused by direct hand contact during the detection or transfer of the target wafer.

[0019] The wafer carrier device 100 includes a plastic stage body 1, an annular protrusion 2, and a notch 3.

[0020] The plastic stage body 1 includes a first surface 11 for supporting a target wafer. The target wafer can be any size of 6 inches, 8 inches, or 12 inches. The plastic stage body 1 can be made of thermoplastic plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyvinyl chloride to reduce the hardness of the first surface 11 and lower the risk of the target wafer being scratched by the plastic stage body 1 when it is placed on it. In some embodiments, conductive material can be dispersed inside the plastic stage body 1. Since the conductive material can quickly release static electricity, it reduces the risk of the target wafer being damaged by electrostatic discharge. Conductive materials include, but are not limited to, toner and metal powder. Of course, the plastic stage body 1 can also be made antistatic through copolymerization technology.

[0021] The annular protrusion 2 is located on the plastic stage body 1 and is disposed along the edge of the plastic stage body 1. The annular protrusion 2 serves to limit the target wafer disposed on the plastic stage body 1, reducing the risk of the target wafer moving during the inspection process.

[0022] In some embodiments, the annular protrusion 2 can be integrally formed with the plastic stage body 1, so that the plastic stage body 1 and the annular protrusion 2 can be formed in one injection molding or molding process, thereby reducing the forming process of the wafer carrier device 100. When the annular protrusion 2 can be integrally formed with the plastic stage body 1, the annular protrusion 2 may include plastic.

[0023] In some embodiments, the annular protrusion 2 can be detachably mounted on the first surface 11 of the plastic stage body 1 via a connecting structure. In some embodiments, the connecting structure may include a slot that is recessed into the interior of the plastic stage body 1 from the first surface 11 and is disposed along the edge of the plastic stage body 1. The annular protrusion 2 is inserted into the slot. When the annular protrusion 2 can be detachably mounted on the first surface 11 of the plastic stage body 1 via the connecting structure, the annular protrusion 2 may include rigid plastic or elastic rubber, etc.

[0024] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 The thickness of the target wafer is less than the dimension h1 of the annular protrusion 2 along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body 1. In this way, the height of the annular protrusion 2 is greater than the thickness of the target wafer, ensuring the limiting function of the annular protrusion 2.

[0025] In some embodiments, along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body 1, the size h1 of the annular protrusion 2 is greater than or equal to 4.5 cm and less than or equal to 5.5 cm, such that the thickness of the target wafer is less than the size of the annular protrusion 2 along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body 1.

[0026] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 Along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body 1, the dimension h2 of the plastic stage body 1 is larger than the dimension h1 of the annular protrusion 2, resulting in a larger thickness for the plastic stage body 1 and improving its support performance. In some embodiments, along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body 1, the dimension h2 is greater than or equal to 8 cm and less than or equal to 12 cm, resulting in a suitable thickness for the plastic stage body 1, ensuring its support performance for the target wafer while reducing its overall mass.

[0027] In some embodiments, the difference between the inner diameter D1 of the annular protrusion 2 and the diameter of the target wafer is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 9 cm. This not only facilitates the placement and removal of the target wafer, but also ensures that there is a gap between the annular protrusion 2 and the target wafer when the target wafer is placed on the plastic stage body 1, reducing the risk of the target wafer being damaged by collision due to direct contact between the annular protrusion 2 and the target wafer.

[0028] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1Along the radial direction of the plastic stage body 1, the notch 3 extends from the edge of the plastic stage body 1 towards its center O, penetrating the annular protrusion 2 and the plastic stage body 1 along its thickness direction. Thus, after a wafer pick-up device such as a vacuum pick-up pen holds the front or back of the target wafer, the device is inserted into the notch 3, and then the target wafer is placed on the plastic stage body 1. Furthermore, after inspecting the target wafer, the device can be inserted back into the notch 3 to remove it.

[0029] It should be noted that the plastic platform body 1 can be the remaining structure after the cylindrical platform forms the notch 3, and the annular protrusion 2 can be the remaining structure after the annular structure forms the notch 3.

[0030] In some embodiments, the radius of the plastic stage body 1 (which is also equal to half the outer diameter of the annular protrusion 2) is greater than the radial dimension D2 of the notch 3 along the plastic stage body 1. This improves the problem that an excessively large radial dimension of the notch 3 along the plastic stage body 1 leads to too much insertion of wafer pick-up devices such as vacuum pick-up pens into the notch 3, making it difficult to pick up the target wafer.

[0031] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 The plastic stage body 1 includes a first side surface 13, a second side surface 14, and a third side surface 15. All three sides are adjacent to the notch 3 and connected to the first surface 11. The first side surface 13 and the second side surface 14 are positioned opposite each other, and the third side surface 15 connects the first side surface 13 and the second side surface 14 and is close to the center of the plastic stage body 1. Thus, the notch 3 is defined by the first side surface 13, the second side surface 14, and the third side surface 15. The notch 3 has a regular shape, facilitating the insertion of regularly shaped vacuum pens or similar devices into the notch 3 to place or remove the target wafer.

[0032] In some embodiments, the distance between the first side 13 and the second side 14 is 40 cm to 50 cm to provide sufficient space for inserting wafer pick-up devices such as vacuum pick-up pens.

[0033] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 The annular protrusion 2 includes opposing inner annular surfaces 21 and outer annular surfaces 22. The inner annular surface 21 is located inside the outer annular surface 22, and the distance between the outer annular surface 22 and the inner annular surface 21 is greater than or equal to 4 cm and less than or equal to 6 cm. This spacing between the outer annular surface 22 and the inner annular surface 21 has a suitable dimension, ensuring the limiting function of the annular protrusion 2 while reducing the mass of the annular protrusion 2 and thus reducing the overall mass of the wafer carrier device 100.

[0034] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 The wafer carrier 100 also includes an antistatic elastic layer 4, which is located on the plastic stage body 1. An annular protrusion 2 is also disposed around the antistatic elastic layer 4. Thus, when the wafer carrier 100 carries the target wafer, the target wafer is placed on the antistatic elastic layer 4, which provides antistatic protection, reducing the risk of electrostatic discharge damage to the target wafer. Furthermore, the antistatic elastic layer 4 is elastic, providing cushioning and protection for the target wafer. In some embodiments, the antistatic elastic layer 4 may include an elastic layer and conductive particles embedded in the elastic layer. The elastic layer may include a rubber material such as silicone.

[0035] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 The wafer carrier 100 may further include multiple buffers 5. These buffers 5 may be located on the inner annular surface 21 of the annular protrusion 2 to isolate the target wafer from the inner annular surface 21 of the annular protrusion 2, reducing the risk of damage from collisions between the target wafer and the inner annular surface 21. In some embodiments, the multiple buffers 5 are arranged at equal intervals along the inner annular surface 21 of the annular protrusion 2, reducing the risk of the target wafer colliding with the annular protrusion 2 in multiple directions on the horizontal plane. Furthermore, one or more buffers 5 and the notch 3 are located on a diameter of the plastic stage body 1, reducing the risk of the target wafer colliding with the annular protrusion 2 opposite the notch 3 when placed onto the plastic stage body 1.

[0036] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4 The wafer carrier 100 may further include one or more fixing members 6, which are located on the second surface 12 of the plastic stage body 1. The second surface 12 is disposed opposite to the first surface 11. This allows the plastic stage body 1 to be fixed to other structures such as metal plates during the testing process by the fixing members 6, reducing the risk of movement of the plastic stage body 1. In some embodiments, the one or more fixing members 6 may be arranged in an arc shape. In some embodiments, the fixing members 6 may include, but are not limited to, magnetic blocks.

[0037] In some embodiments, the plastic platform body 1 may be provided with a receiving groove 7, which is recessed into the interior of the plastic platform body 1 from the second surface 12, and one or more fasteners 6 are disposed in the receiving groove 7.

[0038] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4 At least one fixing member 6 and the notch 3 are located on one diameter of the plastic stage body 1, reducing the risk that the wafer pick-up device will collide with the plastic stage body 1 after extending into the notch 3, causing the plastic stage body 1 to be displaced significantly.

[0039] In summary, in the wafer carrier device of this application embodiment, during wafer inspection, the notch is used to place the wafer onto the plastic stage body. The support capacity of the plastic stage body and its relatively low surface hardness mitigate the problem of damage and contamination to the wafer caused by direct hand contact during inspection. Furthermore, the annular protrusion acts as a limiting element for the wafer, reducing the risk of wafer movement during inspection.

[0040] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0041] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0042] The embodiments, implementation methods, and related technical features of this application can be combined and substituted for each other without conflict.

[0043] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application in any way. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this application without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this application.

Claims

1. A wafer carrier device, characterized in that, include: Plastic platform body; An annular protrusion, the annular protrusion being located on the plastic stage body and disposed along the edge of the plastic stage body; and gap; The notch extends radially from the edge of the plastic platform body toward the center of the plastic platform body, and the notch penetrates the annular protrusion and the plastic platform body along the thickness direction of the plastic platform body.

2. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radius of the plastic platform body is greater than the radial dimension of the notch along the plastic platform body.

3. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer carrier is used to carry the target wafer, and the difference between the inner diameter of the annular protrusion and the diameter of the target wafer is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 9 cm.

4. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plastic platform body includes a first side, a second side, and a third side. The first side, the second side, and the third side are adjacent to the notch. The first side and the second side are disposed opposite to each other. The third side is connected between the first side and the second side and is close to the center of the plastic platform body.

5. The wafer carrier device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The distance between the first side and the second side is 40 cm to 50 cm.

6. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the thickness direction of the plastic platform body, the size of the plastic platform body is larger than the size of the annular protrusion.

7. The wafer carrier device according to claim 6, characterized in that, Along the thickness direction of the plastic platform body, the size of the plastic platform body is greater than or equal to 8 cm and less than or equal to 12 cm, and the size of the annular protrusion is greater than or equal to 4.5 cm and less than or equal to 5.5 cm.

8. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wafer carrier is used to carry a target wafer, the thickness of which is less than the dimension of the annular protrusion along the thickness direction of the plastic stage body.

9. The wafer carrier device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular protrusion includes an inner annular side and an outer annular side, the inner annular side being located inside the inner annular side, and the distance between the outer annular side and the inner annular side being greater than or equal to 4 cm and less than or equal to 6 cm.

10. The wafer carrier device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Also includes: An antistatic elastic layer is located on the plastic platform body; the annular protrusion is also arranged around the antistatic elastic layer.

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