Entegris, Inc.

Fluoroware, Inc.

Sanjiv M Bhatt

Shawn D Eggum

Wayne C Olson

A composite wafer carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an operative portion formed of a first thermoplastic material and a support portion formed of a second different thermoplastic material. One of the operative portion and support portion is overmolded onto the other to form a gapless hermitic interface that securely bonds the portions together. The operative portion may be a transparent window, a portion of a latching mechanism or a wafer contact portion. Preferred embodiments of the invention include wafer carriers with said features, process carriers with said features and a process for manufacturing wafer carriers with said features.

Composite substrate carrier

Substrate containers formed from improved compositions comprise a polymer and carbon nanotubes to provide enhanced characteristics. In some embodiments, the carbon fibers, e.g., nanotubes, can be mechanically blended or incorporated into the polymer, while in some embodiments carbon nanotubes also may be covalently bonded to the polymer to form corresponding covalent materials. In particular, the polymer can be covalently bonded to the side walls of the carbon nanotubes to form a composite with particularly desirable mechanical properties. The processing of the nanotubes can be facilitated by the dispersion of the nanotubes in an aqueous solution comprising a hydrophylic polymer, such as ethyl vinyl acetate. A dispersion of nanotubes can be combined with a polymer in an extrusion process to blend the materials under high shear, such as in an extruder.

Method of forming substrate carriers and articles from compositions comprising carbon nanotubes

A process for manufacturing a wafer carrier including injection molding a wafer support structure. The wafer support structure has a plurality of wafer support shelves extending therefrom. The process further includes molding a wafer contact portion on each of the wafer support shelves. The wafer contact portions bond with the wafer support shelves without mechanical fasteners between the wafer contact portions and the wafer support shelves. The process also includes overmolding a shell over the wafer support structure to form the wafer carrier. The shell bonds with the wafer support structure without mechanical fasteners between the shell and the wafer support structure. The wafer contact portions define a plurality of slots for holding a plurality of wafers.

Process for fabricating composite substrate carrier

A wafer carrier is formed from at least two different melt processable plastic materials in which the two plastic materials are strategically positioned for optimal performance and have a thermophysical bond created during an overmolding process. The invention includes carriers made of such different melt processable plastic materials and includes the process for manufacturing such carriers. In a preferred embodiment a H-bar wafer carrier will have a first structural portion molded of polycarbonate in a first mold cavity and will then have the polycarbonate molded portion placed in a second mold cavity and polyetheretherketone will be injection molded to form wafer contact portions on the H-bar carrier. Process temperatures and mold temperatures are controlled to provide optimal bonding between the dissimilar materials. Thus, an integral wafer carrier of composite materials is formed. An additional embodiment utilizes components such as shelves or sidewall inserts for holding wafers molded of two dissimilar plastics and said components are assembled within a disk enclosure such as a transport module.

A composite wafer carrier for holding and restraining circular semiconductor wafer disks during their transport, storage, and processing. The composite wafer carrier generally comprising an open top and bottom for insertion and removal of wafer disk, an upright front end member having an interface portion such as an H-bar, an upright back end member, and a pair of sidewall members with vertical sidewall slots extending rearwardly from the front end member to said back end member. At least one of said members separately molded and joined to the other members of the wafer carrier by cooperating engagement portions without external fasteners. The wafer carrier may be snapped together. A separate second interface at the back end member may be provided to allow the carrier to interface with equipment with the wafer top side up or inverted. The separately formed members permit different materials to be used or the same basic material with different formulations for example, for differing static dissapative characteristics.

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Minnetonka, MN, United States of America

Sanjiv M Bhatt