The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 09, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 02, 1998
Larry S. Wingo, Rhome, TX (US);
Union Oil Company of California, El Segundo, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for holding a plurality of semiconductor wafers during heat treatment of the wafers in a furnace comprises a plurality of rails extending essentially vertically between a top and bottom plate. Each rail contains a plurality of teeth arranged such that the space between adjacent teeth can receive a portion of a single semiconductor wafer. Each tooth contains a raised support structure, typically a ledge, located on the top surface of each tooth for supporting the wafer, usually from the edge of the wafer inward to a point located from the center of the wafer a distance equal to between about 25% and about 75% of the wafer's radius. Such an apparatus with its relatively long teeth is especially designed to uniformly support larger wafers, i.e., wafers having a nominal diameter greater than about 200 millimeters, such that their own weight does not cause the wafers to sag and thereby produce crystal dislocations or slip when the wafers are heated to high temperatures.