Reticle Pod Spacers for Shipping Gap and Surface Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reticle containers face damage and particle generation during shipping due to shock and vibration, which affects their cleanliness and performance.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating spacers within the reticle container to maintain a gap between contact surfaces, reducing wear and damage by using thermoplastic materials like polycarbonate, polyether ether ketone, or high-density polyethylene, which can be sized to maintain a gap of 20 μm to 1 mm, allowing complete assembly and shipping without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reticle containers are shipped in complete assembled state with contact surfaces in direct contact, then the container structure is compact and easy to handle, but the contact surfaces are subject to shock and vibration leading to wear, damage, and particle generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spacers as intermediary elements between the contact surfaces of the reticle container. These spacers physically separate the sealing surface of the lid from the contact surface of the base, preventing direct contact between hard surfaces. The spacers act as a mediator that absorbs shock and vibration during shipping, thereby protecting the contact surfaces from wear and damage while maintaining the compact assembled state for easy handling.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If spacers are added to maintain gap between contact surfaces, then wear and damage from shock and vibration is reduced, but the container assembly becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are pre-installed into recesses formed in the base or lid during the manufacturing process, before the final assembly of the reticle container. This preliminary action ensures that when the lid and base are brought together during assembly, the spacers are already in position to maintain the protective gap between contact surfaces. The recesses are specifically designed to receive the spacers, making the assembly process straightforward despite the additional component.
3Reliability
If gap between contact surfaces is increased to prevent damage, then protection from shock and vibration is improved, but the reticle container cannot be completely assembled
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are strategically placed at specific locations where they are most needed to prevent damage during shipping. The recesses for the spacers are formed at precise positions on the base or lid, allowing the gap to be maintained only where necessary for protection, while other areas of the contact surfaces remain in direct contact to ensure proper sealing and structural integrity of the assembled container.
Data Source
AI summary
Spacers include a base configured to be placed within depressions of one of a cover or a baseplate of a reticle pod, and a contact surface configured to contact the other of the cover and the baseplate. The spacers are configured to space the cover and the baseplate apart from one another such that sealing surfaces of the cover and the baseplate are separated by a gap. The depressions can be gripper pockets of the baseplate. Multiple spacers can be used in a reticle pod to provide the gap between sealing surfaces. The spacers can be installed to prepare a reticle pod for shipment.