Semiconductor Wafer Container Structure for Shrinkage and Movement Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional semiconductor wafer containers made of synthetic resin face issues where the body side walls shrink during molding, causing wafers to come into contact with the container walls and potentially get damaged, and large inner diameters create gaps that allow wafers to move horizontally, leading to damage during transport.

Innovation Solution

A container design featuring arc-shaped body side walls with auxiliary walls that fold inward to prevent shrinkage and serve as guide elements, combined with a cover that maintains concentricity with the container body, ensuring wafers are securely housed and protected from damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the inner diameter of the housing is designed to be large to prevent contact between body side walls and wafers during shrinkage, then wafers are protected from damage due to contact, but gaps are generated between wafers and body side walls allowing horizontal movement and potential damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewafer protection from contact damageVSAvoidwafer positional stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The body side wall is divided into two functional segments: an upper arc-shaped portion that provides a large diameter for wafer protection, and a lower straight portion that extends downward to prevent horizontal movement. This segmentation allows each segment to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The body side wall transitions from a purely radial (horizontal) dimension to include a vertical dimension by extending straight downward. This dimensional extension into the vertical direction provides the anti-horizontal movement function while maintaining the protective upper diameter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the body side walls are molded with a smaller inner diameter to prevent horizontal movement of wafers, then wafer positional stability is improved, but wafers come into contact with body side walls during shrinkage causing damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewafer positional stabilityVSAvoidwafer protection from contact damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The body side wall is divided into two functional segments: an upper arc-shaped portion that provides a large diameter for wafer protection, and a lower straight portion that extends downward to prevent horizontal movement. This segmentation allows each segment to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the body side wall are given different geometric qualities: the upper portion has a large arc-shaped diameter for protection, while the lower portion has a straight configuration for stabilization. This local differentiation allows each region to optimize its function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Manufacturing precision

If the body side walls are designed with arc shape to fit wafer outer diameters, then wafer housing precision is improved, but shrinkage during molding causes the walls to lean inward toward the center creating contact and damage risks

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewafer housing fit precisionVSAvoidwafer protection from shrinkage-induced contact

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The body side wall is divided into two functional segments: an upper arc-shaped portion that provides a large diameter for wafer protection, and a lower straight portion that extends downward to prevent horizontal movement. This segmentation allows each segment to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The straight lower portion is designed in advance to compensate for the inward leaning that will occur during molding shrinkage. By extending the side wall straight downward before the shrinkage effect fully manifests, the design pre-establishes a structure that maintains proper spacing and prevents contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

The design effectively prevents wafers from moving horizontally and reduces the risk of damage during housing and transport by maintaining concentricity and preventing contact with the container walls, ensuring reliable protection and secure stacking.

Implementation Method 1

due to shrinkage after the molding, the body side walls tend to shrink to lean toward an inner side

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectShrinkage: Thermal Contraction

Data Source

PatentUS12159799B2Container for transporting semiconductor wafer

Publication Date: 2024.12.03 ACHILLES CORP

AI summary

A container (1) for transporting a semiconductor wafer includes: a container body (10) having one end provided with an opening (11) and the other end provided with a mounter (12) that faces the opening (11) and on which stacked wafers are housed; and a cover (20) that closes the opening (11). The container body (10) includes: body side walls (14) having an arc shape, disposed upright on the mounter (12), sectioning a housing (13) that houses the wafers; and auxiliary walls (14a) that are disposed upright and folded toward a back surface on both edges of the body side walls (14).