Entegris, Inc.

Fluoroware, Inc.

Shawn D Eggum

Sanjiv M Bhatt

Russ V Raschke

Matthew A Fuller

Mark Vincent Smith

Robert D Kos

Barry Lee Gregerson

Brian Wiseman

Anthony Mathius Tieben

Huaping Wang

Nicholas T Cheesebrow

Shawn Cheesman

Barry L Gregeron

Randy S Williams

Wayne C Olson

Tracy J Niebeling

Methods of installing a purge fluid conditioning element into an interior space of a semiconductor substrate carrying container are described. The purge fluid conditioning element is installed from outside the semiconductor substrate carrying container through a port formed in one of the walls of the container, where the port is sized to permit the purge fluid conditioning element to be inserted into the interior space of the container by installing the purge fluid conditioning element through the port. The wall may be a bottom wall of the container or another wall of the container. The described methods eliminate the need to install the purge fluid conditioning element from the inside of the container which can cause human contamination of the interior environment of the container.

Methods of installing a purge fluid conditioning element into a semiconductor substrate carrying container

A door of a reticle pod includes a window having a lens, sidewall, and a ledge. The window may be positioned or affixed internally in a door between the housing and a cover. A compressive seal may be used in conjunction with the window. The sidewalls, the ledge and the compressive seal work together to enable a compression fit in the door while maintained the desired level of protection from external contaminants.

Reticle pod with window

A reticle pod includes an outer pod, an inner pod cover and an inner base plate. A reticle is supported on the base and is contained within the environment created by the inner pod cover and the inner pod base. The inner pod cover can include a plurality of reticle retainers configured to contact a side wall of the reticle and limit movement of the reticle in a horizontal direction.

Reticle pod having side containment of reticle

A pod for transporting reticles includes an inner cover and an inner base plate. The inner base plate cooperates with the cover to establish a space for mounting a reticle. The inner base plate includes a hole having a perimeter and first and second flanges extending inward from the perimeter. A window assembly is mounted in the hole. The window assembly includes a transparent plate, a seal and a retainer. The seal contacts the outer or side planar surface of the transparent plate and the perimeter of the hole to seal an interface between the window assembly and the hole. The retainer contacts the second flange to retain the seal and transparent plate within the hole.

Container for holding and transporting reticles having a transparent window assembly

A substrate container including a plate, a shell, a connector, and a seal, where the connector is threaded and secured via a nut, and the seal contacts each of the shell, plate, and connector. The plate has a recess accommodating an end of the connector and the nut. Field-serviceable, removable purge modules including check valves may be used with the substrate container, and may be secured to the substrate container in the recess in the plate. Filters may be secured to the connector or included in the purge modules. These filters may have diameters larger than an internal diameter of the connector.

Purge connectors and modules for a substrate container

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

A wafer container with a door, the door has at least one latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism has a spring member that holds the latching mechanism at one or more desired positions that preferably correspond to latch-open and latch-closed conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the spring member has an over-center condition that urges the latching mechanism towards the favored positions, thereby resisting unintended actuation of the latching mechanism. Moreover, in preferred embodiments, the latching mechanism has soft stops at the latch open or latch closed condition that minimizes abrupt snapping into position of the latching mechanism. Preferred embodiments utilize a rotatable member configured as a cammed member with an elongate rigid plastic member having at least one node, forming a plastic spring. The spring is pivotally mounted on the rotatable member and pivotally mounted to the door structure.

Wafer carrier door and spring biased latching mechanism

A wafer container for supporting semi-conductor wafer disks and for interfacing with processing equipment and methods for constructing the same. Wafer supports are positioned within an enclosure portion, the wafer supports having a plurality of vertically stacked shelves for defining slots. The wafer supports are secured within the enclosure portion rigidly at the bottom margin and resiliently at the top margin. In preferred embodiments resilient plastic spring members extend between the closed top and the wafer supports to substantially constrain lateral or forward-back movement of the wafer supports with respect to the closed top and to permit some vertical movement of the wafer support with respect to the closed top. The spring members may be configured as a leaf spring integral with an extending from the top margin of each wafer support.

Wafer support attachment for a semi-conductor wafer transport container

A fuel cell system has an improved connector assembly to provide for the quick connection of a fuel cartridge and the fuel cell. Two leak resistant connector members with an easy to engage coupling mechanism that stably grips the two connector members to provide for flow between the members. The first connector member is adapted to engage the second connector member to form a unitary structure, which can establish fluid communication between the connector members. Generally, both the first connector member and the second connector member comprise a fluid flow path that can be each sealed/unsealed by a poppet valve or other suitable valve members. In some embodiments, the connector members can be engaged/disengaged by rotating an element of the coupling mechanism. The connector assemblies can be particularly useful for the connection of a fuel cell with a fuel cartridge.

Connector assembly for fluid transfer

A wafer container, and methods of constructing a wafer container. The wafer container has an enclosure portion with at least a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back, an open front, and a door to close the open front. The door includes a door chassis with at least a first latching mechanism. The latching mechanism has a rotatable cam member and at least one latching arm. The latching arm has a bifurcate cam follower portion that engages with the periphery of the cam member.

Wafer carrier door and latching mechanism with c-shaped cam follower

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a wafer retaining arrangement is incorporated into a transport module suitable for 300 mm wafers. The wafer retaining arrangement attaches to an interior of a door of the transport module and includes a framework, and a first and a second plurality of wafer engaging members that secure semiconductor wafers within the transport module and that extend laterally from respective first and second sidewall portions and are preferably parallel to one another. Each of the wafer engaging members includes an arm portion and a wafer engagement head spaced laterally from the respective sidewall portion, wherein the wafer engagement heads of the first plurality of wafer engaging members are in close proximity to the wafer engagement heads of the second plurality of wafer engaging members.

Wafer carrier with wafer retaining system

A wafer container having a door with at least one latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism has a spring member that holds the latching mechanism at one or more favored positions that preferably correspond to latch-open and latch-closed conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the spring member has an over-center condition that urges the latching mechanism towards the favored positions, thereby resisting unintended actuation of the latching mechanism. Moreover, in preferred embodiments, the latching mechanism has soft stops at the latch open or latch closed condition that minimizes abrupt snapping into position of the latching mechanism. Preferred embodiments utilize a rotatable member configured as a cammed member with an elongate rigid plastic member having at least one node, forming a plastic spring. The spring is pivotally mounted on the rotatable member and pivotally mounted to the door structure.

Growing community of inventors

Lonsdale, MN, United States of America

Shawn D Eggum