Wafer container with tubular environmental control components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10043696-B2
Application number	US-201414337039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2008
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A wafer container utilizes a rigid polymer tubular tower with slots and a “getter” therein for absorbing and filtering moisture and vapors within the wafer container. The tower preferably utilizes a purge grommet at the base of the container and may have a check valve therein to control the flow direction of gas (including air) into and out of the container and with respect to the tower. The tower is sealingly connected with the grommet. The tower may have a getter media piece rolled in an elongate circular fashion forming or shaped as a tube and disposed within the tower and may have axially extending. The media can provide active and/or passive filtration as well as having capabilities to be recharged. Front opening wafer containers for 300 mm sized wafers generally have a pair of recesses on each of the left and right side in the inside rear of the container portions. These recesses are preferably utilized for elongate towers, such towers extending substantially from a bottom wafer position to a top wafer position. In alternative embodiment, a tubular shape of getter material is exposed within the front opening container without containment of the getter other than at the ends. The tubular getter form is preferably supported at discrete locations to maximize exposure to the internal container environment. A blocker member can selectively close the apertures. An elastomeric cap can facilitate securement of the tubular component in the container portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A front opening wafer container comprising:
a container portion having a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of side walls, and back wall, the walls defining a door frame defining an open front;
a purge port defined in the bottom wall of the container portion;
a door to fit in the open front and latchable to the door frame; and
at least one elongate environmental control component configured for the introduction of gas into an interior of the container portion, the elongate environmental control component having a length extending substantially a distance between the top wall and the bottom wall, wherein the elongate environmental control component has an axis that is upright and the elongate environmental control component is connected to the bottom wall of the container portion at the purge port, the purge port having an axis that is offset from the axis of the environmental control component.

2. The front opening wafer container of claim 1 , wherein the elongate environmental control component is comprised of two elongate portions, each elongate portion connected by a plurality of latches for securing the elongate portions together, the two portions defining a containment region.

3. The front opening wafer container of claim 1 , wherein the environmental control component comprises at least one of a filtration material or a vapor absorbent material.

4. The front opening wafer container of claim 1 , wherein the elongate environmental control component has a containment portion with an interior and a plurality of apertures providing communication between the interior of the containment portion and the open interior of the container portion.

5. The front opening wafer container of claim 1 , wherein the elongate environmental control component is comprised of two elongate portions defining a containment portion, and wherein the elongate environmental control component further comprises an elastomeric cap that resiliently expands to adheringly cover the top of the containment portion.

6. The front opening wafer container of claim 1 , further comprising an additional elongate environmental control component and wherein the two elongate environmental control components are both connected to a purge port defined in the bottom wall of the container portion, and wherein the container portion has a further outlet on the bottom wall of the container portion proximate the door frame.

7. A front opening wafer container comprising:
a container portion having container wall that extends around a closed left side, a closed right side, a closed bottom, a closed top, and a closed backside defining an open interior, a door frame defining an open front, wherein the container portion wall at the back side has a pair of corner regions extending from the top of the container portion to the bottom of the container portion;
a door to fit in the open front and latchable to the door frame;
a pair of elongate environmental control components configured for introducing a gas into the open interior of the container portion, the pair of elongate environmental control components positioned in the corner regions, wherein each of the elongate environmental control component has an axis that is upright and wherein each of the elongate environmental control components is connected to the bottom of the container portion at a purge port defined in the bottom closed bottom and having an axis that is offset from the axis of the environmental control component.

8. The front opening wafer container of claim 7 , the pair of elongate environmental control are spaced from the wall portions and the back side and each of the elongate environmental control components having a length, the length extending substantially a distance between the top wall portion and the bottom wall portion.

9. The front opening wafer container of claim 7 , wherein each elongate environmental control component is comprised of two elongate portions, each elongate portion connected to the other by at least one of a plurality of latches and hinges, the two portions defining a containment portion.

10. The front opening wafer container of claim 9 , further comprising an elongate blocking member that is positionable on at least one of the elongate environmental control components to selectively obstruct the communication between the interior of the containment portion and the open interior of the container portion.

11. The front opening wafer container of claim 7 , wherein the elongate environmental control components are each comprised of two elongate portions defining a containment portion, and wherein each of the elongate-environmental control components further comprises an elastomeric cap that resiliently expands to adheringly cover the top of the containment portion.

12. The front opening wafer container of claim 7 , wherein each of the elongate environmental control components has therein at least one of a filter material and an absorbent material.

Assignees

• Entegris Inc

Inventors

• Watson James A
• Burns John
• Forbes Martin L
• Fuller Matthew A
• Smith Mark V

Classifications

• H10P72/1926 Primary

  characterised by the presence of atmosphere modifying elements inside or attached to the closed carrier · CPC title

• H01L21/67393 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10P72/1922

  characterised by the construction of the closed carrier · CPC title

• H10P72/1918

  characterised by coupling elements, kinematic members, handles or elements to be externally gripped · CPC title

• H10P72/1911

  characterised by materials, roughness, coatings or the like · CPC title