Substrate carrier and substrate carrier stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10643876-B2
Application number	US-201816185546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

A substrate carrier stack includes substrate carriers of only one type which are stacked or stackable on each other and carry a respective plate-shaped substrates within an inner accommodation space of the substrate carrier stack. The substrate carriers each include positioning formations. Positioning formations of each pair of an upper substrate carrier and a lower substrate carrier are mutually engaged or engageable, if the upper substrate carrier and the lower substrate carrier are properly positioned relative to each other.

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 is 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; and
each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a first positioning formation and a second positioning formation such that, for the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers, the first positioning formation of the lower substrate carrier engages with the second positioning formation of the upper substrate carrier.

2. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein
the upper supporting formation includes an upper sealing formation, and the lower supporting formation includes a lower sealing formation;
a first of the upper sealing formation and the lower sealing formation includes a continuous sealing lip that extends continuously around the inner zone, and a second of the upper sealing formation and the lower sealing formation includes a continuous sealing surface strip that extends continuously around the inner zone;
for the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers, the lower sealing formation of the upper substrate carrier engages with the upper sealing formation of the lower substrate carrier to seal the inner zone and the inner accommodation space from an area surrounding the substrate carrier stack.

3. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein
all of the plurality of substrate carriers have a same structure or substantially a same structure; and
the substrate carriers of the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers are stacked such that:
the first frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the third frame web of the upper substrate carrier, the second frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the fourth frame web of the upper substrate carrier, the third frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the first frame web of the upper substrate carrier, and the fourth frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the second frame web of the upper substrate carrier.

4. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein
the first positioning formation and the second positioning formation are located at identical or substantially identical diametrically opposing portions of the outer carrier frame of each of the plurality of substrate carriers;
the first positioning formation of the lower substrate carrier of the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers engages with the second positioning formation of the upper substrate carrier of the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers only when the two substrate carriers of the each pair of vertically adjacent substrate carriers are stacked on each other such that the first frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the third frame web of the upper substrate carrier, the second frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the fourth frame web of the upper substrate carrier, the third frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the first frame web of the upper substrate carrier, and the fourth frame web of the lower substrate carrier supports the second frame web of the upper substrate carrier.

5. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a vertical protrusion defining a first of the first positioning formation and the second positioning formation, and a recess or opening defining a second of the first positioning formation and the second positioning formation.

6. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of substrate holding arms include pairs of substrate holding arms provided at diametrically opposed frame web portions of two of the first web frame, the second web frame, the third web frame, and the fourth web frame that are parallel or substantially parallel to each other.

7. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of substrate holding arms of each of the plurality of substrate carriers include:
a first substrate holding arm and a second substrate holding arm provided at one of the first frame web and the second frame web; and
a third substrate holding arm and a fourth substrate holding arm provided at the frame web of one of the third frame web or the fourth frame web that has the frame web axis thereof extending parallel or substantially parallel to the frame web axis of the first frame web and the second frame web at which the first substrate holding arm and the second substrate holding arm are provided.

8. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes projections that project horizontally from an outer peripheral surface of the outer carrier frame.

9. The substrate carrier stack according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of substrate carriers includes a first pair of projections that project from an outer peripheral surface of the outer carrier frame in a first horizontal direction and a second pair of projections that project from the outer peripheral surface of the outer carrier frame in a second horizontal direction that is different from the first horizontal direction.

10. The substrate carrier

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

• H01L21/67389

  Electricity · mapped topic