Expanded Wafer Transport Packaging with Foam Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor wafers face challenges during transportation due to breakage, chipping, and scratching, especially when using metal cassettes or paper packaging methods, which are costly or ineffective for expanded laser diced wafers.
Innovation Solution
A container housing with a foam structure that supports and secures stacked wafer assemblies, including a first and second frame to expand and separate individual dies, and a separator structure to protect the active circuitry, providing a stable and protective environment for transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal cassette is used to individually ship wafers, then the wafers are protected during transport, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive metal cassettes with a disposable foam structure that provides adequate protection for expanded wafers during transport. The foam structure is成本低廉 and can be discarded after single use, eliminating the need for costly metal cassette infrastructure while maintaining sufficient protection for the fragile expanded wafer components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential protective function from the metal cassette and implements it through a simplified foam-based structure. By removing unnecessary metal components and retaining only the critical cushioning and positioning functions through foam material, the solution achieves protection at a fraction of the cost.
2Ease of manufacture
If lint free paper and moisture barrier bag are used to pack the wafer, then the packaging is simple and low cost, but the risk of wafer scratches, chipping and damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite packaging structure combining foam material with separator structures. The foam provides cushioning and shock absorption, while the separator structures (such as foam inserts or rigid separators) prevent direct contact between wafers and other objects, thereby preventing scratches and chipping. This composite approach maintains low cost and simplicity while significantly improving protection reliability.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple expanded laser diced wafers are mounted on a flex frame, then the transport capacity increases, but the stability of wafer position decreases due to high gaps between slots
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using separator structures positioned at specific locations within the foam packaging. These separators are placed where wafers need additional support and positioning stability, filling the gaps between wafer slots locally rather than requiring a completely rigid structure. This maintains the flexibility and capacity of the foam structure while providing targeted stability where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus to store singulated wafers for transport, including multiple wafer assemblies stacked in the interior of a container housing, the individual wafer assemblies including an expanded laser diced wafer singulated into dies, a first frame spaced outward from the wafer on a carrier structure, a second frame spaced outward from the wafer and inward from the first frame on the carrier structure, and a foam structure that supports the second frame and the carrier structure.