Wafer Preserving Container Purge Layout for Humidity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum processing apparatuses fail to adequately reduce humidity and contamination in wafer preserving containers, leading to potential corrosion and contamination of semiconductor wafers due to the interaction of residual halogen-based substances with moisture, despite the use of inert gases and airflow management systems.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates vertical gas purging ports and horizontal exhaust ports in the wafer preserving container, combined with purging manifolds, to manage airflow and humidity levels, ensuring effective purging and reducing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the preserving container communicates with the EFEM interior to allow wafer transfer, then wafer accessibility is improved, but the container interior is exposed to high humidity gas flows
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the humidity removal function from the general gas exchange system by adding dedicated exhaust ports specifically positioned at the opening region. This extraction allows the communication opening to remain open for wafer transfer accessibility while the exhaust ports specifically target and remove the harmful humidity component from the intruding gas flows.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively decreases humidity and minimizes contamination within the preserving container, enhancing processing yields and maintaining wafer quality.
Implementation Method 1
exhausts gas in the stacking space to outside
Implementation Method 2
has gas outlets to supply certain gas into the stacking space
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum processing apparatus including a vacuum processing unit embracing a vacuum vessel into which a wafer to be processed is transferred and processed; a lock chamber into which the wafer is transferred; an atmospheric transfer unit embracing an atmospheric transfer chamber maintained at atmospheric pressure and inside which the wafer is transferred; and a wafer preserving container for stacking a processed wafer. The wafer preserving container is provided inside with an exhaust port which is placed behind the opening, in front of the stacking space, and in an upper and a lower edge regions relative to the stacking space and exhausts gas in the stacking space to outside and a manifold which is placed behind the stacking space, towards the opening between the upper edge region and the lower edge region, and has gas outlets to supply certain gas into the stacking space.