Split Wafer Hand Geometry for Deflection-Safe Wafer Transfer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wafer hands often cause unintended contact with semiconductor wafers during transfer due to deflection, especially with thin or stepped wafers, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage.

Innovation Solution

A wafer hand design with two carry portions and a joint portion, featuring specific dimensions and orientations to minimize overlap and deflection, ensuring sufficient clearance for safe handling and transfer.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a conventional wafer hand is used to transfer thin or stepped wafers, then the wafer hand can be inserted between wafers in the carrier, but the wafer hand comes into contact with the wafers at unintended locations due to deflection

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewafer insertion capabilityVSAvoidcontact control accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The wafer hand is divided into two separate carry portions (first and second carry portions) connected by a joint portion. This segmentation allows each carry portion to independently support wafers at different locations, preventing unintended contact while maintaining insertion capability between deflected wafers in the carrier

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces specific dimensional constraints on the carry portions (interval between side surfaces of 170 mm or more, length L satisfying L≥(300²-A²)⁰.⁵) to operate in the spatial dimension, ensuring that the carry portions maintain sufficient distance from the wafer surface to avoid contact while still fitting between deflected wafers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If the gap between wafers is reduced due to deflection, then the wafer hand can access the wafers, but contact occurs at unintended locations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewafer transfer efficiencyVSAvoidunintended contact

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The carry portions are designed with specific local dimensional characteristics (side surface intervals and lengths) that are optimized for the local condition of inserting between deflected wafers. The dimensions ensure that only the intended outer peripheral portions of the wafers are contacted, while the central deflected portions are avoided

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12622216B2Wafer hand, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

Publication Date: 2026.05.05 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP

AI summary

In a wafer hand, two carry portions are arranged in line in a first direction, the two carry portions are connected via a joint portion, each of the two carry portions extends from the joint portion in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, an interval between inner side surfaces of the two carry portions is 170 mm or more, an interval between outer side surfaces of the two carry portions is 280 mm or less, and when a distance between inner side surfaces of the two carry portions is A (mm), and a length of the inner side surfaces of the two carry portions in the second direction is L (mm), a relationship of L≥(3002−A2)0.5 is satisfied.