Substrate container with a support for stabilization and smooth tray connection
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023108122
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-06-30
- Filing Date
- 2023-06-30
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2043-06-30
AI Technical Summary
As semiconductor substrates increase in size and weight, they become more susceptible to defects from particles and contaminants, and the conventional substrate containers face issues with excessive adhesion and stability, leading to contamination and loading/unloading problems.
The substrate container features a housing with spaced convex ribs and grooves for secure substrate accommodation, and a tray with a textured guide surface to reduce friction, enhancing stability and ease of handling.
The solution provides improved stability and reduced contamination risk by securely holding substrates, minimizing particle generation, and facilitating smooth loading and unloading processes.
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to substrate or wafer containers, and more particularly to substrate containers with improved stability and non-slip trays. [Background technology]
[0002] As the size of a semiconductor substrate, for example a wafer, increases, the density of circuits formed on the substrate also increases, and such circuits are more susceptible to defects caused by particles and other contaminants. In addition, as the size of the substrate increases, the weight of the substrate and the size of the substrate container also increase. Therefore, the possibility of particles being generated when the substrate and the container collide increases. As the size and weight of the substrate increase, the support stability of the substrate container also needs to be strengthened. To reduce the risk of contamination of the large substrate container, the substrate container needs to be improved.
[0003] In addition, the friction area between the conventional substrate container and the mounting interface of the mounting device is too large, which causes excessive adhesion between the substrate container and the mounting interface, affecting the smooth loading and unloading of the substrate container, and therefore, in cases where it is not possible to change the design of the conventional mounting device, it is necessary to improve the substrate container. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]
[0004] The present invention provides a substrate container including a housing having a sidewall, and at least one support connected to the sidewall of the housing, the support having a plurality of convex ribs spaced apart from one another, the at least one support having a plurality of convex ribs defining a mounting surface and a plurality of grooves for accommodating substrates, each of the plurality of convex ribs having a front end and a rear end, the rear ends of two adjacent convex ribs among the plurality of convex ribs being connected via a closing portion such that the grooves defined by the two adjacent convex ribs are closed at the rear ends, the closing portion having an inwardly concave surface, and a clamping position for restraining the substrate is defined between the inwardly concave surface and the mounting surface.
[0005] In one specific embodiment, the clamping position causes the inwardly concave surface to be used to restrain at least the upper edge of the substrate, and the placement surface to support the bottom of the substrate, thereby holding the substrate.
[0006] In one specific embodiment, the clamping position causes the inwardly concave surfaces to be used to restrain the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, and the placement surface to support the bottom of the substrate, thereby holding the substrate.
[0007] In one specific embodiment, the inwardly concave surface comprises a first sloping surface and a second sloping surface connected together, the first sloping surface and the second sloping surface defining an inwardly concave included angle.
[0008] In one specific embodiment, the two adjacent convex ribs are an upper convex rib and a lower convex rib, respectively, and the bottom of the upper convex rib, the top of the lower convex rib and the inwardly concave surface define the groove.
[0009] In one specific embodiment, the bottom of the upper convex rib has a guide bevel, which is connected to a first bevel of an inwardly concave surface of the closure portion.
[0010] The present invention also provides a substrate container including a housing and a tray detachably connected to a bottom of the housing so that the housing is placed on a mounting interface of a mounting device via the tray. The tray has a top, a bottom, and a guide opening, and a guide surface is provided on the top of the tray, the guide surface being close to the guide opening and used to receive a restriction mechanism from the mounting interface. The guide surface has a texture structure formed thereon that is suitable for reducing a frictional force between the guide surface and the restriction mechanism.
[0011] In one specific embodiment, the guide opening is a rectangular guide opening penetrating the top and bottom of the tray, and a convex edge is formed on the top of the tray extending along the four sides of the guide opening, and the convex edge has the guide surface.
[0012] In one specific embodiment, the guide surface has a bevel, the bevel being adjacent to an edge of the guide opening.
[0013] In one specific embodiment, the tray further comprises three positioning grooves, the three positioning grooves being symmetrically arranged on the bottom of the tray, and the guide opening is located between two symmetrical positioning grooves of the three positioning grooves.
[0014] The above and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting specific embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0015] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the following drawings and description, in which non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, in which components are not necessarily drawn to scale, with the focus being on explaining the structures and principles. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2]1 is an exploded view of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a front view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a top view of a support of the present invention. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 4C] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a support of the present invention. [Figure 5B] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a support of the present invention. [Figure 5C] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a support of the present invention. [Figure 5D] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a support of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is an exploded view of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a tray of the present invention. [Figure 9A] FIG. 2 is a top view of the tray of the present invention. [Figure 9B] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the tray of the present invention. [Figure 10A] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 9A. [Figure 10B] FIG. 9B is a partially enlarged view of the cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 9A. [Figure 11A] 1A-1D show texture structures according to different embodiments of the present invention; [Figure 11B] 1A-1D show texture structures according to different embodiments of the present invention; [Figure 12A] 2 shows different patterns of the texture structure of the present invention. [Figure 12B] 2 shows different patterns of the texture structure of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] The present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the drawings, and specific embodiments will be illustrated. However, the claimed subject matter may be specifically embodied in a variety of different forms, and therefore the configuration of the claimed subject matter of the cover or application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. The specific embodiments are merely exemplary. Similarly, the present invention is intended to provide a reasonable breadth of scope for the subject matter of the application or covered claims. Also, for example, the claimed subject matter may be specifically embodied as a method, device, or system.
[0018] The term "in one embodiment" as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment, and the term "in some other / specific embodiments" as used herein does not necessarily refer to different specific embodiments. It is intended that claimed subject matter include all or any combination of the specific embodiments.
[0019] As mentioned in the background, as the size of the substrate increases, the weight of the substrate also increases, and the stabilizing capability of the substrate container needs to be increased to accommodate this type of substrate.
[0020] Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the substrate container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] The substrate container 1 includes a housing 11 and a door (not shown) that can be coupled to the housing 11. The housing 11 is basically composed of a ceiling, a bottom, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, and is used to define a storage space and to accommodate a number of internal components and a number of substrates. The top, bottom, and side walls of the housing 11 define an opening 12 at a front end, through which a tip of a robot arm can enter and exit the storage space to load and unload substrates. The substrate container 1 includes a pair of supports 13 that are detachably coupled to the inside of the side walls to define a number of grooves that can accommodate a number of substrates.
[0022] In addition to the components shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate container 1 actually includes other components. For example, a coupling structure that fits an overhead guided vehicle (OHT) can be provided on the top, a gas diffusion tower that supplies gas to the storage space can be assembled on the bottom, and an exhaust passage can be provided near the opening 12 for exhaust. One or more air supply modules and exhaust modules can be attached to the bottom and connected to the gas diffusion tower and the exhaust passage, respectively. In addition, the door can include a latch mechanism for coupling the door to the housing 11 by fitting into a hole near the opening 12.
[0023] 3A and 3B are respectively front and rear views of the support 13, particularly showing the support 13 on the left side of FIG. 2. FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are respectively top, left, and right side views of the support 13. The support 13 basically includes a continuous wall 131, which is basically shaped based on the shape of the side wall of the housing 11 to present a substantially curved continuous wall (FIG. 3A), and the outer surface of the continuous wall 131 is attached to the side wall of the housing 11 as much as possible. The continuous wall 131 has a height extending between the top and bottom of the housing 11 and a length extending between the rear side and the opening 12. The continuous wall 131 has a top 135 and a bottom 136 as upper and lower boundaries of the support 13. A plurality of convex ribs 133 are continuous structures extending horizontally between the top and bottom of the continuous wall 131. A plurality of protruding ribs 133 are positioned at predetermined intervals on the inner surface of the continuous wall 131. The support 13 can be provided with a plurality of positioning members 137 at the top 135 and bottom 136 for restricting the support 137 and positioning it on the side wall of the housing 11. The support 13 can be formed as a single unit or assembled from a plurality of members.
[0024] 5A to 5D are partial enlarged views of the support 13, and in particular show the support 13 on the right side of FIG. 2. One end of each of these convex ribs 133 is connected to each other and closed, and the other end is not connected and is open. One groove 5 and one mounting surface are defined between two adjacent convex ribs 133, and accommodate a single substrate. The two adjacent convex ribs 133 are separated by an appropriate interval so that the substrate can enter and exit the groove 5 from the open ends of the two adjacent convex ribs 133. The mounting surface refers to the top structure of the lower convex rib 133 of the two adjacent convex ribs 133, and is used to support the bottom of the substrate.
[0025] 5B shows a series of closure parts 1321, each of which connects the ends of two adjacent convex ribs 133 so that the ends of the grooves 5 are closed. The edge of the substrate accommodated in the grooves 5 is restricted between the closure part 1321 and the two adjacent convex ribs 133. As shown in FIG. 5C, the closure part 1321 has an inwardly concave surface 50, which is defined by a first inclined surface 51 and a second inclined surface 52, the first inclined surface 51 being connected to a guide inclined surface 1331 at the bottom of the upper convex rib 133, and the second inclined surface 52 being connected to a descending inclined surface 1332 at the top of the lower convex rib 133.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 5C , the inwardly concave surface defined by the first inclined surface 51 and the second inclined surface 52 has a concave peak 53, which is approximately the same height (as shown by the dashed line) as the mounting surface at the top of the downward convex rib 133, i.e., the bump 1334 formed on the flat surface 1333, so that the side of the substrate (including the edge and the upper and lower surfaces) can abut against the concave peak 53 of the inwardly concave surface 50 and is regulated and clamped by the first inclined surface 51 and the second inclined surface 52, and at the same time the bump 1334 on the mounting surface supports the bottom of the substrate. In other embodiments, the position of the concave apex 53 is slightly lower than the position of the flat surface 1333 or the bump 1334, so that when the edge of the substrate abuts against the inwardly concave surface 50, at least the upper edge of the substrate is restricted by the first inclined surface 51, the bump 1334 on the placement surface supports the bottom of the substrate, and the substrate is held in place by the interaction between the first inclined surface 51 and the bump 1334 on the flat surface 1333. In some embodiments, the bump 1334 may be omitted. The advantage of the concave apex 53 having the same height as the flat surface 1333 or the bump 1334 is that the edge of the substrate can be kept as horizontal as possible while the edge of the substrate is sandwiched between the first inclined surface 51 and the second inclined surface 52, otherwise the bottom of the substrate may droop without approaching the flat surface 1333.
[0027] The guide slope 1331 of the upper convex rib 133 has a function of guiding the edge of the substrate to move toward the inwardly concave surface 50, and the descending slope 1332 and the second slope 52 of the lower convex rib 133 form a sunken 54, thereby reducing the probability of the lower edge of the substrate being hit during the movement process. As shown in FIG. 5C, the sunken 54 formed by the descending slope 1332 and the second slope 52 has a valley peak 55, which is lower than the concave peak 53 of the inwardly concave surface 50, i.e., the valley peak 55 is lower than the flat surface 1333 at the top of the lower convex rib 133. In this embodiment, the first slope 51 and the second slope 52 define an inwardly concave included angle θ1, and the second slope 52 and the descending slope 1332 define a sunk included angle θ2, which is greater than θ1. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. In another possible embodiment, the first inclined surface 51, the second inclined surface 52, the guide inclined surface 1331 and the descending inclined surface 1332 may be curved surfaces, so that the numerical values of the inwardly concave included angle θ1 and the recess included angle θ2 cannot be clearly defined, but the valley apex 55 of the recess 54 must be lower than the recess apex 53 of the inwardly concave surface 50 in order to prevent the lower edge of the substrate from being impacted and generating particles.
[0028] The first inclined surface 51 is connected to the guide inclined surface 1331 at the bottom of the upper convex rib 133, and the second inclined surface 52 is connected to the descending inclined surface 1332 at the top of the lower convex rib 133, which defines a clamping range. Figure 5D shows that the outer surface of the continuous wall 131 has multiple recesses 132, and the position of each recess 132 corresponds to the clamping range. The purpose of this structural design is to match the wall thickness of the continuous wall 131 and maintain the original characteristics of the multiple convex ribs 133 that support the weight of the substrate.
[0029] 6 and 7 are three-dimensional views of a substrate container according to another embodiment of the present invention, respectively.
[0030] The substrate container 1 includes a housing 11 and a door (not shown) that can be coupled to the housing 11. The housing 11 is basically composed of a top, a bottom, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, and defines a storage space used to store a number of internal components and a number of substrates. The top, bottom, and side walls of the housing 11 define an opening 12 at the front end, through which a tip of a robot arm can enter and exit the storage space to load and unload substrates. The substrate container 1 further includes a tray 14 that is detachably attached to the outside of the bottom and serves as a base for the substrate container 1.
[0031] FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of the tray 14. FIGS. 9A and 9B are top and bottom views of the tray 14, respectively. The tray 14 is basically a plate, and the top of the tray 14 mainly includes a structure for connecting with the bottom of the substrate container 1, and the bottom mainly includes a structure for connecting with the mounting device. For example, the rear end of the tray 14 is formed with two round holes 81 for an air supply module (not shown), and the front end is formed with two round holes 82 for an exhaust module (not shown). The gas supply nozzle and exhaust port on the mounting device can be connected to the air supply module and exhaust module at the bottom of the substrate container through the rear end round hole 81 and the front end round hole 82, respectively, to realize gas manipulation.
[0032] 9B, the bottom surface of the tray 14 has three positioning grooves 83 formed on the bottom surface of the tray 14 in a symmetrical manner, one of which is close to the round hole 81 at the rear end and the other two are close to the round hole 82 at the front end. The loading interface of the loading device has a plurality of positioning pins that can be fitted into these positioning grooves 83 to position the substrate container 1 on the loading interface.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 9A, the top of the tray 14 has a guide hole 84. The guide hole 84 is designed to cooperate with a regulating mechanism (not shown) provided by the loading interface of the loading device, and the regulating mechanism will be described below. The regulating mechanism enters the tray 14 from the loading interface through the guide hole 84 and holds the tray 14 by a locking, pressing, hooking or suction method. The guide hole 84 is located between the round hole 82 at the front end or the two symmetrical positioning grooves 83, and has a rectangular shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified according to the design of the loading interface. As shown in FIG. 8, the edge of the guide hole 84 is formed with a raised convex edge or boss, and the convex edge has a guide surface 85. The guide surface 85 is an elongated surface, and is a rectangular edge adjacent to the guide hole 84, particularly a rectangular edge close to the center of the tray 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0034] The guide surface 85 is designed to cooperate with the regulating mechanism. Figures 10A and 10B are a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 9A and a partially enlarged view thereof, respectively. As shown in the figures, the guide surface 85 is located at the rear end of the guide opening 84. The schematic regulating mechanism 9 enters the guide opening 84 from the loading interface of the loading device and abuts against the guide surface 85. The end of the regulating mechanism 9 has a roller, which contacts the guide surface 85. As shown in Figure 10B, the front edge of the guide surface 85 has a slope 851 near the guide opening 84, which is used to reduce the obstacle when the roller rides on the guide surface 85. The regulating mechanism 9 can apply pressure to the guide surface 85 so that the tray 14 with the housing placed thereon is in close contact with the loading interface of the loading device. The regulating mechanism 9 can move horizontally away from the guide surface 85 and retreat from the guide opening 84 to return to the loading interface. The rollers contact the guide surface 85, but as the downward pressure applied by the regulating mechanism 9 increases, the friction between the rollers and the guide surface 85 increases, causing the movement of the regulating mechanism 9 to become less smooth.
[0035] The present invention proposes a technical means for reducing friction by reducing the contact area. Specifically, the guide surface 85 is formed with a special texture structure. Figures 11A and 11B respectively show different embodiments of the texture structure. Figure 11A shows that the guide surface 85A has a plurality of ridges, such as circular ridges, elongated ridges, or serpentine ridges, formed on a flat surface. Figure 11B shows that the guide surface 85B has a recess or groove, such as a circular recess or elongated groove, formed on a flat surface. Therefore, the contact area when the roller contacts the guide surfaces 85A and 85B is relatively smaller than the contact area when the roller contacts the flat surface, effectively reducing the friction between the roller and the guide surfaces 85A and 85B, and thus the mechanical interaction between the regulating mechanism 9 and the tray 14 becomes smoother. In other embodiments, the texture structure may be a rough surface defined by a specific roughness or a rough surface formed by coating a specific material. The texture structure may be a rough surface formed by laser surface treatment, mechanical surface treatment, or chemical treatment.
[0036] 12A and 12B respectively show different patterns of the texture structure. FIG. 12A shows that the pattern of the texture structure is formed by arranging a plurality of elongated patterns 100A extending along the longitudinal direction of the guide surface 85. In different variations, the elongated patterns 100A may extend along the width direction of the guide surface or may extend obliquely. The protuberances or depressions of the texture structure may be formed according to the distribution of the elongated patterns 100A. FIG. 12B shows that the pattern of the texture structure is formed by arranging a plurality of circular patterns 100B evenly distributed on the guide surface 85. In different variations, the circular patterns 100B may be replaced by squares, triangles or other polygons. The protuberances or depressions of the texture structure may be formed according to the distribution of the circular patterns 100B.
[0037] It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments of the present invention are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is to be included in the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the specific embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the present invention, with the true scope and spirit of the present invention being set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]
[0038] 100A long and narrow pattern 100B Circular Pattern 1. Substrate container 11. Cabinet 12 Opening 13 Support 131 Continuous wall 132 Recess 1321 Closing part 133 Convex rib 1331 Guide Slope 1332 Downhill slope 1333 plane 1334 Bump 135 Top 136 Bottom 137 Positioning member 14 Tray 5 grooves 50 Inwardly concave surface 51 First Slope 52 Second Slope 53 Concave vertex 54 Depression 55 Valley Peak 81 Round Hole 82 Round Hole 83 Positioning groove 84 Information Gate 85, 85A, 85B Guideway 851 Slope 9. Regulatory Mechanisms θ1 Angle that is concave toward the inside θ2 recess angle
Claims
1. a housing having a side wall; at least one support coupled to a side wall of the housing, the at least one support having a plurality of spaced apart convex ribs defining a plurality of grooves and a mounting surface for receiving a substrate; A substrate container comprising: a substrate container in which each of the plurality of convex ribs has a front end and a rear end, the rear ends of two adjacent convex ribs among the plurality of convex ribs are connected via a closing portion so that a groove defined by the two adjacent convex ribs is closed at the rear end, the closing portion has an inwardly concave surface, and a clamping position for restraining the substrate is defined between the inwardly concave surface and the placement surface.
2. The substrate container of claim 1 , wherein the clamping position causes the inwardly concave surface to be used to restrain at least the upper edge of the substrate, and the placement surface supports the bottom of the substrate, thereby holding the substrate.
3. The substrate container of claim 1, wherein the clamping position causes the inwardly concave surface to be used to restrain the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, and the placement surface supports the bottom of the substrate, thereby holding the substrate.
4. 2. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the inwardly concave surface is formed by connecting a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface define an inwardly concave included angle.
5. The substrate container according to claim 4, wherein the two adjacent convex ribs are an upper convex rib and a lower convex rib, respectively, and the bottom of the upper convex rib, the top of the lower convex rib, and the inwardly concave surface define the groove.
6. 6. The substrate container according to claim 5, wherein a bottom of the upper convex rib has a guide slope, the guide slope being connected to a first slope of a surface of the closing portion that is concave toward the inside.
7. A housing and a tray detachably connected to a bottom of the housing so that the housing is placed on a loading interface of a loading apparatus via the tray; A substrate container comprising: the tray has a top, a bottom, and a guide opening, and a guide surface is provided on the top of the tray, the guide surface being proximate to the guide opening and used to receive a restriction mechanism from a placement interface; The guide surface is formed with a texture suitable for reducing friction between the guide surface and the restriction mechanism. Substrate container.
8. The substrate container of claim 7, wherein the guide opening is a rectangular guide opening penetrating the top and bottom of the tray, the top of the tray is formed with a convex edge extending along the four sides of the guide opening, and the convex edge has the guide surface.
9. The substrate container according to claim 7 , wherein the guide surface has a slope, the slope being adjacent to an edge of the guide opening.
10. The substrate container of claim 7, wherein the tray further comprises three positioning grooves, the three positioning grooves being symmetrically arranged on the bottom of the tray, and the guide opening is located between two symmetrical positioning grooves of the three positioning grooves.