Fluoroware, Inc.

Entegris, Inc.

The Futurestar Corporation

David L Nyseth

Dennis J Krampotich

Gregory W Bores

Todd M Ulschmid

A front-opening wafer transport module has a container portion with transparent shell and a central support structure which includes a machine interface exposed at the bottom of the module and integral wafer support columns extending upwardly in the container portion for supporting wafers. Additionally, the side walls of the shell have recessed portions with engagement members that cooperate with engagement members on removable handles. The handles utilize detents to lock into place in the recesses on the side walls of the carrier. Attachment of the handles to the side walls is accomplished without breaks between the interior and exterior of the module and without separate fastners.

Transport module

A wafer carrier for transporting or holding wafers in a horizontal axially aligned arrangement has minimal four point regions of wafer support at the edge portion of the wafers. A preferred embodiment is an H-bar carrier with a plurality of slots defined by elongate wafer guides on the carrier sidewalls. Upwardly extended protrusions support the wafers with minimal contact with the carrier. The protrusions are sufficient in number and configuration to preclude contact with the top surface of the guides.

Wafer container with minimal contact

A semiconductor wafer carrier has an enclosure with a door frame defining an opening for insertion and removal of wafers, a door for closing and sealing said opening, and separately formed door guides for controlling the interface between said door and the enclosure. In a preferred embodiment, the door guides each comprise a first body and a second body connected to each other by a web. Each body includes a door contacting portion and a door frame contacting portion. The door frame contacting portion has a sloped segment configured to a slidingly, progressively, and cooperatively engage the door frame to properly position the door within the door frame during closure with minimal particle generation by such contact. In this preferred embodiment, the guide is configured to be attached onto a corner edge of a door. In this arrangement, as the door is inserted into the door frame in the z-direction, the first and second bodies exert centering forces as needed in the x and y directions on corner portions of the door. Such centering forces are provided with minimal particle generation due to low particle generating characteristics of the guides.

Door guide for a wafer container

A semiconductor wafer carrier has an enclosure with a door frame defining an opening for insertion and removal of wafers, a door for closing and sealing said opening, and separately formed door guides for controlling the interface between said door and the enclosure. In a preferred embodiment, the door guides each comprise a first body and a second body connected to each other by a web. Each body includes a door contacting portion and a door frame contacting portion. The door frame contacting portion has a sloped segment configured to slidingly, progressively, and cooperatively engage the door frame to properly position the door within door frame during closure with minimal particle generation by such contact. In this preferred embodiment, the guide is configured to be attached onto a corner edge of a door. In this arrangement, as the door is inserted into the door frame in the z-direction, the first and second bodies exert centering forces as needed in the x and y directions on corner portions of the door. Such centering forces are provided with minimal particle generation due to low particle generating characteristics of the guides.

A module with an openable and closeable door has a central support structure which includes a machine interface exposed at the bottom of the module and integral wafer support columns extending upwardly in the module for supporting wafers. An advantage and feature of the invention is that a non-interrupted path-to-ground extends from each wafer support shelf to the machine interface. Additionally, the side walls of the shell have a recess portion with engagement members that cooperate with engagement members on removable handles. The handles utilize detents to rotatably lock such handles into place on the side walls of the carrier.

A wafer container has an open front defined by a door receiving frame and a door sized for the door receiving frame. The door receiving frame has slots on opposite sides and the door utilizes latching linkages and lifting linkages cooperate to extend, lift, lower and retract the latching portions from the door into and out of latch receptacles on the door receiving frame. The door may also have passive wafer cushions or active wafer engaging arms which extend inwardly toward the wafers to secure said wafers when the door is in place. The latching linkages, lifting linkages, and where desired the retaining arms are linked to rotatable cammed members in the interiors if the door. The cammed member utilizes cammed surfaces configured to first extend the latching portions in a first direction into the latching receptacles and to then move the latching portions in a second direction normal to the first direction to pull the door inwardly and to seal the door to the container portion.

Transport module with latching door

The present invention is a shipping container for safely storing articles such as semiconductor wafers. The shipping container has two sidewalls sealingly connected to two end walls to form a generally rectangular interior wafer confinement area. A top cover and a bottom cover are removably attached to the container to protect the wafers during shipping and storage and provide access to the wafers for processing. The wafers are securely held in place in the carrier by a cushioning means to prevent damage to the wafers. Furthermore, the wafers are locked into place to prevent contamination by the wafers generating particles in the wafer confinement area by rubbing against the carrier. The cushioning means for accommodating the flexing of the cover supports and suspends wafers in the wafer confinement area. The cushioning means extends from the top cover and has a plurality of wafer engaging edges. Each edge is formed in a convex arcuate shape with respect to a centerline of the carrier. The arcuate shape may be formed by an initial arcuate shape in the cover of the shipping device or an arcuate shaped fin extending from the cover of the shipping device. The cushioning means has a configuration to compress when engaged by the wafer to secure the wafer while spacing it from the top cover. The cushioning means may have a continuous wafer engaging edge along the length of the fin or it may be separated into wafer engaging tabs or fingers, each tab or finger individually engaging a wafer. The bottom cover may also have a cushioning means engaging and spacing the wafers from the bottom cover. The structure of the cushioning means on the bottom cover is designed to bend outwardly to lock the wafers from rotating in the shipping device.

Wafer cushions for wafer shipper

A wafer container for transporting or holding wafers in a horizontal axially aligned arrangement has minimal four point regions of wafer support at the edge portion of the wafers. A preferred embodiment has a first container portion and a closeable door. The first container portion has a first molded portion of a static dissipative material having an upright door frame with integral planar top portion. An integral bottom base portion with an equipment interface also extends from the door frame. A second molded portion has a transparent shell which connects to the door frame, to the planar top portion, and to the bottom base portion. Separately molded wafer support columns connect to the top planar portion and to the bottom base portion and include vertically arranged shelves with upwardly facing projection providing minimal point or point region contact with the wafers. The shelves include wafer stops to interfere with forward or rearward movement of the wafers when supported by the projections and to prevent insertion beyond a seating position. A side handle engaging both the first molded portion and the second molded portion operates to secure the molded portions together. A robotic handle connects to the planar top portion. The robotic handle, the wafer shelves, the side handles, and the door frame have a conductive path to ground through the machine interface.

Wafer carrier

A wafer container has an open front defined by a door frame and a door sized for the door frame. The door receiving frame has slots on opposite sides and the door utilizes latching portions that extend and retract from the edge portion of the door into and out of the slots for latching and unlatching the door on the door receiving frame. The door also has wafer engaging arms which extend inwardly toward the wafers to secure said wafers when the door is in place. The retractable latching portions and wafer retaining arms are linked to a rotatable cammed member in the interior of the door. The cammed member utilizes cammed surfaces configured to first latch the door and to then extend the wafer retaining arms.

Wafer carrier with door

A plastic container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers comprising a wafer carrier of substantially rigid and transparent material supporting the wafers and maintaining the wafers in spaced relation to each other, top and bottom covers for the wafer carrier formed of stiff but resiliently flexibly yieldable material, the wafer carrier having upper and lower enlarged rim portions extending around the peripheries of the top and bottom of the wafer carrier and being embraced by enlarged peripherally extending rim portions of the top and bottom covers, the top and bottom covers having partially cylindrical panels with elongate beads or ridges formed thereon to engage and maintain the edges of the wafers spaced from the partially cylindrical surfaces, offset tabs on the wafer carrier and top and bottom covers facilitating of flexibly lifting small portions of the covers off the wafer carriers and then progressively disengaging the covers from the wafer carriers; a package comprising a multiplicity of cover trays with compartments receiving the shipping containers therein, the cover trays supporting the containers at the tab portions on the wafer carriers and the cover trays also bearing downwardly on the side edge portions of the cover to maintain the covers in closed condition on the wafer carrier.

Wafer shipper and package

A plastic container for handling, storing and shipping semiconductor wafers comprising a wafer carrier supporting the wafers and maintaining the wafers in spaced relation to each other, a plurality of rows of resiliently flexible tabs of progressively increasing and decreasing widths formed on the partially cylindrical top and bottom surfaces of the wafer carrier, the top and bottom surfaces formed of stiff but resiliently flexibly yieldable material, supporting ribs on the bottom surface extending longitudinally of the bottom and parallel to the rows thereon, the width of the tabs being shorter at the ends of the rows and wider in the middle to engage and maintain the edges of the wafers spaced from the top and bottom surfaces while allowing for flexing and bowing of the top and bottom surfaces from the pressure of the covers and weight of the wafers.

The apparatus (10) includes a metering tube (18) and a sight tube (22) intersecting the metering tube (18). Fluid communication between a bore (68) formed axially in the sight tube (22) and a passage (38) in the metering tube (18) is provided through an orifice (64). Flow through the meter (10) is regulated by a valve member (40) which moves in passage (38) and across the orifice (64). The bore (68) in the sight tube (22) is tapered upwardly and outwardly, and a flow sensitive element (72) rises and lowers within the bore, depending upon the flow induced. As the element (72) rises, an annular space (86) defined between the inner wall of the bore (68) and the determinant diameter (74) of the flow sensitive element (72) increases to define an annulus having a greater area than when the flow sensitive element (72) is in a lower position.

Growing community of inventors

Plymouth, MN, United States of America

David L Nyseth