Substrate carrier and substrate carrier stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10573545-B2
Application number	US-201816185541-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A substrate carrier stack includes substrate carriers which are stacked or stackable on each other and carry substrates within an inner accommodation space of the substrate carrier stack. The substrate carrier stack includes at least one first purging channel and at least one second purging channel, which extend vertically parallel to the inner accommodation space at opposing sides thereof, and purging structures which enable horizontal purging flows within the substrate carrier stack through spaces between substrates held by the substrate carriers. The substrate carriers each include an outer carrier frame provided with a seat to carry a substrate, wherein the outer carrier frame extends around the first and second purging channels and the inner accommodation space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate carrier stack comprising:
a plurality of substrate carriers stacked in a vertical direction such that, for each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers, a lower substrate carrier supports an upper substrate carrier; wherein
each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes an outer carrier frame extending in a horizontal frame plane around an inner zone that includes an inner opening;
each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a substrate seat to accommodate and carry a substrate within an inner accommodation space of the substrate carrier stack, the inner accommodation space being defined by the inner openings of the plurality of substrate carriers;
each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes, at the outer carrier frame, an upper supporting formation and a lower supporting formation, the upper supporting formation of the lower substrate carrier supporting the lower supporting formation of the upper substrate carrier;
the outer carrier frame of each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a first frame web extending along a first frame web axis, a second frame web extending along a second frame web axis, a third frame web extending along a third frame web axis, and a fourth frame web extending along a fourth frame web axis;
the first frame web axis intersects the fourth frame web axis at a right angle at a first vertex of the first frame web and the fourth frame web, the first frame web and the fourth frame web are connected at a first frame vertex region of the outer carrier frame;
the first frame web axis intersects the second frame web axis at a right angle at a second vertex of the first frame web and the second frame web, the first frame web and the second frame web are connected at a second frame vertex region of the outer carrier frame;
the third frame web axis intersects the fourth frame web axis at a right angle at a fourth vertex of the third frame web and the fourth frame web, the third frame web and the fourth frame web are connected at a fourth frame vertex region of the outer carrier frame;
the third frame web axis intersects the second frame web axis at a third vertex of the third frame web and the second frame web, the third frame web and the second frame web are connected at a third frame vertex region of the outer carrier frame;
each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a plurality of substrate holding arms that extend inwardly and upwardly from the outer carrier frame, overlap the inner zone, and define the substrate seat;
the substrate seat is located at a distance above the outer carrier frame in the vertical direction;
each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a plurality of partition webs that extend from the outer carrier frame through the inner zone to define the inner opening and two auxiliary openings of the inner zone;
a first arc-shaped portion of the plurality of partition webs extends in a first space between the fourth frame web and the inner opening to define a first of the two auxiliary openings;
a second arc-shaped portion of the plurality of partition webs extends in a second space between the second frame web and the inner opening to define a second of the two auxiliary openings;
the first auxiliary openings and the second auxiliary openings of the inner zones of the plurality of substrate carriers collectively define a first purging channel and a second purging channel that extend vertically parallel or substantially parallel to the inner accommodation space at opposing sides of the inner accommodation space; and
the plurality of substrate carriers include purging structures that create horizontal purging flows within the substrate carrier stack through spaces between substrates held by the substrate seats of the plurality of substrate carriers.

2. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cover that is stacked on the plurality of substrate carriers and is supported by an uppermost substrate carrier of the plurality of substrate carriers; and
a base on which the plurality of substrate carriers are stacked, the base supports a lowermost substrate carrier of the plurality of substrate carriers.

3. The substrate carrier stack according claim 2 , wherein
the upper supporting formation includes an upper sealing formation, and the lower supporting formation includes a lower sealing formation;
the upper sealing formation of the uppermost substrate carrier of the plurality of substrate carriers engages with a sealing formation of the cover; and
the lower sealing formation of the lowermost substrate carrier of the plurality of substrate carriers engages with a sealing formation of the base to seal the inner accommodation space, the first purging channel, and the second purging channel from an area surrounding the substrate carrier stack.

4. The substrate carrier stack according claim 2 , wherein
one of the cover and the base includes a first port connected to the first purging channel;
one of the cover and the base includes a second port connected to the second purging channel; and
a purging gas is supplied into the substrate carrier stack via one of the first port and the second port that defines a supply port and is discharged from the substrate carrier stack via the other of the first port and the second port that defines a discharge port such that the purging gas flows through the inner accommodation space via the first purging channel, the second purging channel, and purging passages defined by the purging structures.

5. The substrate carrier stack according claim 4 , wherein
the first port is connected to the first purging channel via a first laminarisator included in the one of the cover and the base that includes the first port;
the second port is connected to the second purging channel via a second laminarisator included in the one of the cover and the base that includes the second port; and
each of the first laminarisator and the second laminarisator includes a gas filtering medium and/or a gas distribution manifold that suppresses turbulences in the purging gas that passes therethrough.

6. The substrate carrier stack according claim 2 , wherein
the cover includes purging formations connected to the first purging channel and the second purging channel and provide purging passages in which purging gas flows to the substrate seat of the uppermost substrate carrier or the substrate seats of a predetermined number of uppermost substrate carriers of the plurality of substrate carriers; and
the purging passages provided by the purging formations connect a portion of the inner accommodation space with the first purging channel and the second purging channel.

7. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein
the purging structures define purging passages, and the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers is provided with the purging passages which pass through the first arc-shaped portions and the second arc-shaped portions of the partition webs of the substrate carriers;
a first portion of the inner accommodation space is connected with the first purging channel through a first purging passage such that purging gas flows between the first purging channel and the first portion of the inner accommodation space; and
a second portion of the inner accommodation space is connected with the second purging channel through a second purging passage such that the purging gas flows between the second purging channel and the second portion of the inner accommodation space.

8. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 7 , wherein the purging passages are defined by an upper surface of the first arc-shaped portion or the second arc-shaped portion of the l

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Schober Thomas
• Rahrbach Bernd
• Wohanka Christian
• Fenner Yves
• Dovids Gerhard
• Fiddes John

Classifications

• H10P72/1926

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

• H10P72/1924

  characterised by atmosphere control · CPC title

• H10P72/1916

  characterised by sealing arrangements · CPC title

• H10P72/18 Primary

  characterised by being specially adapted for supporting a single substrate or by comprising a stack of such individual supports · CPC title

• H01L21/67393

  Electricity · mapped topic