Entegris, Inc.

Jason T Steffens

Russ V Raschke

Barry Lee Gregerson

Eric S Olson

Michael Shawn Adams

Eric A Kirkland

Ryan Mushel

Matthew A Fuller

Mark Vincent Smith

Michael C Zabka

Andrew Mitchell Harris

Christian Andersen

Karen Anderson

B Jorden Lundgren

Bryant L Lymburn

A handle for a wafer carrier that includes an insertable member configured to be inserted into an aperture of the wafer carrier, and a locking mechanism moveable relative to the insertable member. A tab of the insertable member retains the insertable member in the aperture when in an engaged state. When in a locked state, the locking mechanism maintains the tab in the engaged state and a flexible member of the locking mechanism is positioned to maintain the locking mechanism in the locked state. A wafer carrier includes the detachable handle and the locking mechanism.

Handle for wafer carrier

Environmental control material holders can retain environmental control material within wafer carriers, allowing the environmental control material to protect wafers from moisture while also securing the environmental control material. The environmental control material holders may include a baseplate and tabs defining spaces to hold environmental control material, and can be configured to engage a handle of a wafer cassette. The environmental control material holders may retain one or more environmental control materials. Additionally, the environmental control material holders can be configured to also retain a humidity indicator.

Environmental control material holder

A substrate container that utilizes a rocker linkage or a linear cam arrangement in latch mechanism that is actuated by a rotary cam. The rocker linkage or linear cam is mounted to an interior panel of a door of the substrate container and may be disposed proximate an edge portion of the interior panel. The rocker linkage or linear cam may be configured to exert an axial force component on a housing of the substrate container to seat the door against a seal member. The rocker linkage or linear cam also transfers the axial latching forces to the door to reduce transfer of forces to the cam. The rocker linkage or linear cam may be arranged to transfer axial forces in a radially outward direction when the latch mechanism is engaged, to prevent push back on the rotary cam.

Latching mechanism for a substrate container

A reticle container for containing a reticle including a base plate having one or more windows. Each of the windows can include mounting recess having a recess sidewall including an undercut defined therein. A transparent substrate can be disposed in the mounting recess and is retained therein by a retention member having an arcuate portion extending between a first end portion and a second end portion. At least the first end portion of the retention member can be positioned in the undercut defined in the recess sidewall such that the arcuate portion of the retention member contacts the transparent substrate to retain the transparent substrate in the mounting recess.

Substrate container with window retention spring

Apparatuses and methods providing a ballast system for adjusting the center of gravity of a standardized front opening wafer container. Various embodiments of the disclosure present ballast systems that are low profile, do not require modifications to the shell of the wafer container, and can be retrofit to existing wafer carriers. In some embodiments, these capabilities are accomplished by a ballast that mounts to a kinematic coupling plate of the wafer container. In one embodiment, the ballasting can also provide sufficient counter force to the lifting forces associated with purging of the wafer container, thereby preventing 'lift off' of the wafer container during purging operations. The ballasts can be removed for shipping of the wafer container, thereby decreasing shipping costs.

Front opening wafer container with weight ballast

An improved wafer support mechanism in a wafer container useful for carrying a plurality of axially aligned thin mostly circular wafer substrates. The container includes a cassette that has a plurality of adjacently disposed teeth for receiving the substrates, wherein each rib member is continuous from the cassette open top to the cassette open bottom, a removable top cover portion, a removable bottom cover portion, a cushion assembly removably attached to the container top cover, and another cushion assembly removably located in the container bottom cover and held in place by the weight of the wafer cassette. The top cushions are formed of individual segments having an extended lead-in feature at the end of each segment, spring sections in each segment and each segment has a V-shaped cross section to receive the wafer edge. The top and bottom cushions are installed in the top and bottom container covers, respectively, and extend the wafer support to approximately the entire circumference of each wafer.

Thin wafer shipper

A front opening wafer container has a container portion and a door sized to close an open front of the container portion. The container portion has shelves for holding wafers defining a seating position and has forward and rearward wafer supports to suspend wafers therebetween in a transport position above the seating position. Shock condition cushion portions are arranged adjacent the transport position for protecting the wafers during a shock condition. The wafers may be bonded wafers having a thinned wafer side and a carrier substrate side. Wafer engagement pads and finger members extend in opposing directions from a central strip on the door providing a balance wafer engagement. When closing the door, a primary wafer support portion engages the wafers first and a secondary elastomeric wafer support engages the wafer secondly. A V-groove for receiving the wafers in the wafer supports has a greater angle defined between the V-groove and the thinned wafer side than the angle defined between the V-groove and carrier substrate side providing enhanced protection for the bonded wafers.

Wafer container with shock condition protection

A front semiconductor opening wafer container for large diameter wafers includes a container portion and a door. The container portion includes a left closed side, a right closed side, a closed back, an open front, and an open interior including a plurality of slots for receiving and containing the wafers. The door is attachable to the container portion to close the open front and selectively latchable to the container portion. Optimized sag control is provided as well as enhanced structural rigidity, and wafer seating features.

Methods and apparatus for large diameter wafer handling

A wafer container for holding a spaced stack of thin wafers, comprising an H-bar carrier, a base portion for receiving same, a base wafer cushion attached at the bottom wall positioned below the H-bar carrier, the cushion having a plurality of ribs defining slots each with a bottom wafer seating region having a curvature and a pair of ends, each of the ends having a flare whereby the seating region flares outwardly at the ends, a cover portion that connects with the base portion to form a closed interior. The cover portion having an uppermost wall a wafer cushion secured thereto. The cover wafer cushion having a row of wafer engaging finger portions, the finger portions Y shaped and having two legs extending from a support portion and alternatingly extending from opposing support portions, the finger portions may be S shaped with a wafer pad flared in two direction.

Wafer shipper

An improved wafer support mechanism in a wafer container useful for carrying a plurality of axially aligned thin mostly circular wafer substrates. The container includes a cassette that has a plurality of adjacently disposed teeth for receiving the substrates, wherein each rib member is continuous from the cassette open top to the cassette open bottom, a removable top cover portion, a removable bottom cover portion, a cushion assembly removably attached to the container top cover and another cushion assembly removably located in the container bottom cover and held in place by the weight of the wafer cassette. The top cushions are formed of individual segments having an extended lead-in feature at the end of each segment, spring sections in each segment and each segment has a V-shaped cross section to receive the wafer edge. The top and bottom cushions are installed in the top and bottom container covers respectively, and extend the wafer support to approximately the entire circumference of each wafer.

Wafer carrier ring

Wafer support ring

A front semiconductor opening wafer container for large diameter wafers includes a container portion and a door. The container portion includes a left closed side, a right closed side, a closed back, an open front, and an open interior including a plurality of slots for receiving and containing the wafers. The door is attachable to the container portion to close the open front and selectively latchable to the container portion. The container portion can accommodate large diameter wafers, particularly 450 mm wafers. Optimized sag control is provided as well as enhanced structural rigidity, and wafer seating features.

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Shakopee, MN, United States of America

Jason T Steffens