Entegris, Inc.

Ryan Mushel

Jason T Steffens

Barry Lee Gregerson

Eric A Kirkland

Eric S Olson

Christian Andersen

Karen Anderson

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

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

Growing community of inventors

Chaska, MN, United States of America

Ryan Mushel