Substrate holding assembly and door device

Abstract

To provide a substrate retaining assembled body and a door device.SOLUTION: A door device includes a door and a substrate retaining assembled body provided on one side of the door, the substrate retaining assembled body including: a retaining tool body; and a plurality of retaining members provided in the retaining tool body and arranged at intervals. Each retaining member includes: two elastic arms; and a clamping structure including a clamping body connected between the two elastic arms, a clamping trench located in the clamping body and in communication with adjacent ends of the elastic arms, and at least one relief portion made to communicate with the clamping trench.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate holding assembly and a door apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] A container for storing and placing a substrate may be called a substrate container. The substrate may be a semiconductor element such as a printed circuit board (PCB) or a wafer. For example, a substrate container for storing and placing a wafer is generally called a wafer cassette. A commonly seen wafer cassette includes a cassette and a door, the door is attached to the cassette, and a support member capable of storing a plurality of wafers is provided within the cassette, and the support member supports the plurality of wafers arranged horizontally at intervals.

[0003] Generally, when the wafers are transported by the wafer cassette, the wafers are displaced or move toward the door due to vibration, which may cause further damage. To solve this problem, a wafer retainer is usually provided on the door to hold multiple wafers and provide a more stable support effect, and further solve the problem of unstable movement and damage caused by vibration during the transportation of multiple wafers. However, the contact between the wafer retainer and the wafers also needs to consider many factors, such as friction, support, and vibration damping.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a substrate holding assembly and door device that can provide wafer stability and solve the problem of wafer damage is one of the problems that the industry is currently urgently trying to solve by investing research and development resources. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In view of this, one object of the present disclosure is to propose a substrate holding assembly and a door device that can effectively solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a substrate holding assembly includes a holder body and a plurality of holding members provided on the holder body and arranged at intervals, each of the holding members including two elastic arms, a clamping body connected between the two elastic arms, a clamping groove located on the clamping body and communicating with adjacent ends of the two elastic arms, and a clamping structure including at least one retraction portion communicating with the clamping groove.

[0007] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping groove has two opposing clamping surfaces, and the retracted portion is recessed with respect to at least one of the two clamping surfaces.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping structure further includes two wall portions provided on the clamping body, and the clamping groove and the retreated portion are formed between the two wall portions.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamping groove and the retreated portion are laterally connected, and the vertical cross-sectional width of the clamping groove is smaller than the vertical cross-sectional width of the retreated portion.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the retraction portion is a recessed groove, a through hole penetrating the clamping body, or a combination thereof.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, when there are multiple evacuation sections, the evacuation section includes at least one first evacuation section and at least one second evacuation section spaced apart from the first evacuation section, and the first evacuation section and the second evacuation section have a structure having different depths.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, each of the elastic arms has a first end connected to the retainer body and a second end connected to the clamping structure, and the thickness of the first end is greater than the thickness of the second end.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness of each resilient arm tapers from the first end to the second end.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the second end of each elastic arm is connected to a clamping body of the clamping structure, and the thickness of the second end is smaller than the thickness of the clamping body.

[0015] In order to achieve the above object, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a substrate holding assembly is provided on one side of the door. Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, in the substrate holding assembly and door device disclosed herein, the clamping structure of the holding member is provided with the clamping groove and the retracting portion which are connected to each other, so that the direct contact area when the clamping structure holds a substrate such as a wafer can be effectively reduced, and the effect of sufficient elasticity and structural strength can be achieved in accordance with the design of the elastic arms of the holding member with different thicknesses. As a result, the entire substrate holding assembly can effectively avoid problems such as cracking and damage of the wafer caused by excessive preload.

[0017] The above is merely intended to describe the problems that the present invention aims to solve, the means for solving the problems, and the effects of the invention, and specific details of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] The following description of the accompanying drawings will make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure more comprehensible. [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective exploded schematic diagram illustrating a portion of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the door device in FIG. 1, in which a substrate holding assembly is disposed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the substrate holding assembly of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 2 after it has been cut along line 4-4, with the substrate holding assembly holding the wafer. [Diagram 5] 3 is a partial enlarged view showing the substrate holding assembly of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view showing region 6-6 of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 5 after it has been cut along line 7-7, with the substrate holding assembly holding the wafer. [Figure 8] 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 5 after it has been cut along line 8-8, with the substrate holding assembly holding the wafer. [Figure 9] 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 5 after it has been cut along line 9-9, with the substrate holding assembly holding the wafer. [Figure 10] 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate holding assembly of FIG. 2 taken along line 4-4. [Figure 11] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] In the following, in order to disclose and clearly explain several embodiments of the present disclosure in the drawings, many practical details are described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details are not applied to limit the contents of the present disclosure. That is, in some embodiments of the contents of the present disclosure, these practical details are not necessarily required. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, some conventional structures and elements are simply and diagrammatically shown in the drawings.

[0020] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a perspective schematic diagram of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the substrate container is a standard front-opening wafer cassette (Front Opening Unified Pod; FOUP). The substrate container includes a cassette 100 and a door device 200, and the door device 200 is used to seal or open the cassette 100. The inside of the cassette 100 is used to place a plurality of wafers, and a support member (support) 110 for supporting the plurality of wafers at intervals is provided on the inner part, which will be described in detail later. The door device 200 includes a door 210 and a substrate holding assembly 300. The door 210 has an inner surface 211 and an outer surface 212. A recessed area 211a is disposed approximately at the center of the inner surface 211 of the door 210. The recessed area 211 a can be used to position a substrate holding assembly 300 , which is used to hold edge portions of multiple wafers within the cassette 100 .

[0021] In practical use, the substrate container may be a Standard Mechanical Interface (SMIF) or a Front Opening Shipping Box (FOSB), etc. Any door device 200 to which the present disclosure is applicable should be included in the scope of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure does not limit the type of substrate container.

[0022] When the door 210 covers the cassette 100, the substrate holding assembly 300 can press and restrict each wafer into the cassette 100, providing a more stable support effect and preventing the wafers from moving unstably due to vibration during transportation, which can result in particle generation and damage problems.

[0023] It should be noted that in some embodiments, the door apparatus 200 may be provided with at least one latch structure (not shown) adjacent the exterior surface 212 of the door 210 for opening or sealing the substrate container.

[0024] Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a front view of the door device 200 in Figure 1, in which a substrate holding assembly 300 is disposed. Figure 3 is a front view of the substrate holding assembly 300 in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the substrate holding assembly 300 includes a holder body 310 and a plurality of holding members 320. Specifically, the holder body 310 is mounted on the inner surface 211 of the door 210, and the plurality of holding members 320 are provided on the holder body 310 and are sequentially arranged at intervals along the direction D1. The holder body 310 and the plurality of holding members 320 are disposed in the direction D2 of the door 210 with a width sufficient to hold the wafers.

[0025] In some embodiments, direction D1 and direction D2 are perpendicular to each other, although the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0026] The substrate holding assembly 300 can be fixed to the door 210 by butt assembly or embedding, as shown in FIG. 2. Butt assembly is taken as an example. The door 210 further includes a plurality of first butt portions 211b (e.g., engagement blocks). The first butt portions 211b are provided on the inner surface 211 of the door 210 and located in the recessed area 211a. The substrate holding assembly 300 further includes a plurality of second butt portions 311 (e.g., engagement hooks). The second butt portions 311 are provided on one side of the holder body 310 and disposed on the opposite side of the plurality of holding members 320. The first butt portions 211b and the second butt portions 311 are butted together and fixed (e.g., the engagement blocks and the engagement hooks are engaged with each other and fixed), so that the substrate holding assembly 300 can be fixed to the door 210. The present disclosure is not limited to the structural design of the first butt portion 211b and the second butt portion 311, and any structure that can be fitted together and fixed to each other falls within the scope of protection of the present patent.

[0027] Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate holding assembly 300 holding a wafer after the structure of Figure 2 is cut along the line 4-4. Figure 5 is a partial enlarged view of the substrate holding assembly 300 of Figure 2. As shown in Figures 2 to 5, in this embodiment, the holding member 320 includes two elastic arms 321 and a clamping structure 322. The elastic arms 321 provide an elastic buffer margin according to the holding force of the wafer WF received by the clamping structure 322, and conversely, when the clamping structure 322 does not hold the wafer WF, the elastic arms 321 are in an elastic return state. The elastic properties of the elastic arms 321 can absorb the interference amount of the contact position between the substrate holding assembly 300 and the wafer WF.

[0028] The clamping structure 322 includes a clamping body 322a, a clamping groove 322c, and at least one retracted portion. In this embodiment, a plurality of retracted portions 322d1 and 322d2 are taken as an example for description. The clamping structure 322 includes two retracted portions 322d1 and one retracted portion 322d2. The retracted portion 322d2 is located between the two retracted portions 322d1 and spaced apart from them. The clamping body 322a is connected between the two elastic arms 321 and connected to the holder body 310 via the two elastic arms 321, respectively. The clamping groove 322c is located in the clamping body 322a and communicates with the adjacent ends of the two elastic arms 321. The clamping groove 322c is located on one side of the clamping body 322a (i.e., toward the inside of the cassette 100) and is arranged to clamp the wafer WF. The retracted portions 322d1, 322d2 are arranged at intervals along the direction D2, and the retracted portions 322d1, 322d2 and the clamping groove 322c are connected laterally along the direction D2 of the clamping body 322a.

[0029] Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 together. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view showing the region 6-6 in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the clamping groove 322c of the clamping structure 322 has two opposing clamping surfaces 322c1. The two clamping surfaces 322c1 are arranged to clamp two opposite surfaces of the edge of the wafer WF, respectively. The retreating portions 322d1 and 322d2 are recessed relative to the two clamping surfaces 322c1. The retreating portion 322d1 is recessed upward along the direction D1 relative to the upper clamping surface 322c1, and recessed downward along the direction D1 relative to the lower clamping surface 322c1. As a result, the retreating portions 322d1 and 322d2 form a wider retreating space relative to the clamping groove 322c and do not directly contact the wafer WF.

[0030] In actual use, the recesses 322d1, 322d2 may be recessed upward along the direction D1 only relative to the upper clamping surface 322c1, or may be recessed downward along the direction D1 only relative to the lower clamping surface 322c1, which can similarly achieve the effect of avoiding damage to the wafer WF due to excessive pre-pressure.

[0031] Please refer to FIG. 7, which is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate holding assembly holding a wafer after the structure of FIG. 5 is cut along the line 7-7. In this embodiment, the contour of the clamping groove 322c is substantially V-shaped, so that when the wafer WF contacts the clamping surface 322c1 of the clamping groove 322c, the wafer WF can be smoothly introduced into the clamping groove 322c, and the phenomenon of the wafer WF moving up and down due to shaking or vibration during transportation can be avoided. The clamping surface 322c1 that contacts the wafer WF can be coated with a wear-resistant consumable material, such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) material, to reduce the problem of dust caused by friction.

[0032] 5 to 7, in this embodiment, the clamping structure 322 further includes two walls 322b. The two walls 322b are provided on one side of the clamping body 322a (i.e., toward the inside of the cassette 100). The clamping groove 322c and the retracted portions 322d1 and 322d2 are formed between the two walls 322b. Therefore, the two clamping surfaces 322c1 are part of the surfaces where the two walls 322b form the clamping groove 322c.

[0033] Please refer to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of Figure 5 after it is cut along the line 8-8, in which the substrate holding assembly holds a wafer. Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the structure of Figure 5 after it is cut along the line 9-9, in which the substrate holding assembly holds a wafer. As shown in Figures 7 to 9, in this embodiment, the width W2 between the two walls 322b of the retreating portion 322d1 is larger than the width W1 between the two walls 322b of the clamping groove 322c. The width W3 between the two walls 322b of the retreating portion 322d2 is larger than the width W1 between the two walls 322b of the clamping groove 322c. Specifically, the widths W1, W2, and W3 can be measured along the direction D1 on the longitudinal section P of the clamping groove 322c and the retreating portions 322d1 and 322d2, and the longitudinal section P is parallel to the directions D1 and D2 (see Figure 5). For example, width W1 is the maximum width in vertical cross section P between two walls 322b of sandwiching groove 322c. Width W2 is the maximum width in vertical cross section P between two walls 322b of retreating portion 322d1. Width W3 is the maximum width in vertical cross section P between two walls 322b of retreating portion 322d2.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 8, in this embodiment, the retreated portion 322d1 is designed as a groove structure. Also, as shown in Fig. 9, in this embodiment, the retreated portion 322d2 is designed as a through-hole structure, and the through-hole penetrates the clamping body 322a of the clamping structure 322 along the direction D3. The direction D3 is perpendicular to at least one of the directions D1 and D2, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0035] In addition, since the retraction portion 322d2 is located in the central region of the clamping structure 322 relative to the two retraction portions 322d1 in the direction D2, and this central region is also the location where the contact area when the clamping structure 322 contacts the wafer WF is the largest, the retraction portion 322d2 in the form of a through hole can provide a greater retraction effect in this central region than the retraction portion 322d1 in the form of a groove, thereby solving the problem of damage to the wafer WF caused by an excessive preload. For example, when the clamping structure 322 contacts the wafer WF, the preload amount of the retraction portion 322d2 located in the central region of the clamping structure 322 on the wafer WF is minimum or almost zero.

[0036] In actual use, at least one of the recesses 322d1 in the form of a groove can be changed to a recess 322d2 in the form of a through hole. The recess 322d2 in the form of a through hole can also be changed to the recess 322d1 in the form of a groove. The number of the recesses 322d1, 322d2 of the clamping structure 322 and the design of the grooves and through holes can be flexibly modified or changed and combined according to actual needs.

[0037] Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate holding assembly 300 of FIG. 2 taken along line 4-4. In this embodiment, the two recesses 322d1 are not recessed in the direction D3 relative to the clamping body 322a, and the recesses 322d2 penetrate the clamping body 322a of the clamping structure 322 in the direction D3. In other words, the depth of the two recesses 322d1 relative to the clamping body 322a in the direction D3 is 0, and the depth of the recesses 322d2 relative to the clamping body 322a in the direction D3 is equal to the thickness T3 of the clamping body 322a (see FIG. 11), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The recesses 322d1 and 322d2 are structures having different depths.

[0038] With the above-mentioned structure design, when the clamping structure 322 holds the wafer WF, the area of ​​direct contact with the wafer WF can be effectively reduced by the recesses 322d1 and 322d2, thereby effectively avoiding problems such as cracking or damage to the wafer WF caused by an excessive preload.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a partially enlarged view of Figure 4. In this embodiment, the elastic arm 321 has a first end 321a and a second end 321b. The first end 321a is connected to the holder body 310. The second end 321b is connected to the clamping structure 322. The thickness T1 of the first end 321a of the elastic arm 321 is greater than the thickness T2 of the second end 321b. With this structural arrangement, the thinner second end 321b can increase the elastic margin of the entire holding member 320, and the thicker first end 321a can enhance the structural strength when the substrate holding assembly 300 is assembled to the door 210.

[0040] The second end 321b of the elastic arm 321 is connected to the clamping body 322a of the clamping structure 322. The thickness of each of the elastic arms 321 from the first end 321a to the second end 321b is gradually reduced. In other words, the thickness of the elastic arm 321n changes smoothly and gradually, and the thickness T1 at the first end 321a and the thickness T2 at the second end 321b are the maximum thickness and the minimum thickness of the elastic arm 321, respectively, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0041] In this embodiment, the thickness T1 of the first end 321a of the elastic arm 321 is smaller than the thickness T3 of the clamping body 322a of the clamping structure 322. This structural arrangement can enhance the structural strength of the position where the clamping body 322a of the clamping structure 322 contacts the wafer WF.

[0042] As described above, in the substrate holding assembly and door device disclosed herein, the clamping structure of the holding member is provided with the clamping groove and the retracting portion which are connected to each other, so that the clamping structure can effectively reduce the direct contact area when holding a substrate such as a wafer, and can achieve both sufficient elastic margin and structural strength effects according to the design of the elastic arms of the holding member with different thicknesses. As a result, the entire substrate holding assembly can effectively avoid problems such as cracking and damage of the wafer caused by excessive preload.

[0043] In the present disclosure, the embodiments are disclosed as described above, but the embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure is based on the contents specified in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 100 cassettes 110 Support member 200 Door device 210 Door 211 Inside 211a Concave area 211b First butt 212 Exterior 300 Board holding assembly 310 Holder body 311 Second joint 320 Retaining member 321 Elastic Arm 321a First end 321b Second End 322 Clamping structure 322a Clamping body 322b wall 322c clamping groove 322c1 Clamping surface 322d1, 322d2 Evacuation section 4-4, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 line segments 6-6 area D1, D2, D3 direction P longitudinal section T1, T2, T3 thickness W1, W2, W3 width WF Wafer

Claims

1. A holder body, A plurality of holding members provided on the holder body and arranged at intervals; Including, Each of the holding members is Two elastic arms; a clamping structure including a clamping body connected between the two elastic arms, a clamping groove located on the clamping body and communicating with adjacent ends of the two elastic arms, and at least one evacuation portion communicating with the clamping groove.

2. 2. The substrate holding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the clamping groove has two opposing clamping surfaces, and the retracted portion is recessed relative to at least one of the two clamping surfaces.

3. The substrate holding assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the clamping structure further includes two wall portions provided on the clamping body, and the clamping groove and the retreating portion are formed between the two wall portions.

4. 4. The substrate holding assembly according to claim 3, wherein the clamping groove and the retreating portion are laterally connected, and the vertical cross-sectional width of the clamping groove is smaller than the vertical cross-sectional width of the retreating portion.

5. The substrate holding assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the retraction portion is a recessed groove, a through hole penetrating the clamping body, or a combination thereof.

6. When the evacuation section is multiple, At least one first evacuation section; at least one second evacuation section provided at a distance from the first evacuation section; Including, The substrate holding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first recess and the second recess are structures having different depths.

7. Each resilient arm has a first end connected to the retainer body and a second end connected to the clamping structure; The substrate holding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first end is greater than the thickness of the second end.

8. 8. The substrate holding assembly of claim 7, wherein each resilient arm has a gradually tapering thickness from the first end to the second end.

9. The substrate holding assembly of claim 7 , wherein the second end of each resilient arm is connected to the clamp body of the clamp structure, and the thickness of the second end is less than the thickness of the clamp body.

10. Doors and a substrate holding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9 provided on one side of the door; A door device comprising:

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