Transport container for semiconductor wafer and method of manufacturing semiconductor element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025323076-A1
Application number	US-202519056683-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2025
Priority date	Apr 16, 2024
Publication date	Oct 16, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A transport container includes a housing having an opening through which the semiconductor wafer can be taken in and out from the Y-direction, a pair of thresholds disposed in the housing and supporting the back surface of the circumferential edge portion of the semiconductor wafer in the −X-direction and the X-direction, a lid capable of opening and closing the opening, and a retainer fixed to the inner surface of the lid and holding the end face of the semiconductor wafer in the Y-direction. The retainer includes a fixing portion fixed to the inner surface of the lid, and a left-wing portion and a right-wing portion respectively extending from the fixing portion to the left and right and having elastic force, and the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion hold the end face of the semiconductor wafer by the elastic force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A transport container for a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
a housing having an opening through which a semiconductor wafer is configured to be taken in and out from a first direction; a pair of thresholds disposed in the housing, the pair of thresholds configured to support a back surface of a circumferential edge portion of the semiconductor wafer in a second direction intersecting the first direction and a third direction opposite to the second direction; a lid configured to open and close the opening; and a retainer fixed to an inner surface of the lid, the retainer configured to hold an end face of the semiconductor wafer in the first direction, wherein the retainer includes a fixing portion fixed to the inner surface of the lid, and a left-wing portion and a right-wing portion respectively extending to left and right from the fixing portion and having elastic force, and the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion hold the end face of the semiconductor wafer by the elastic force.

2 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein an angle formed between a perpendicular line extending from a center of the semiconductor wafer to the fixing portion and a line from a contact point at which the retainer is in contact with the semiconductor wafer toward the center of the semiconductor wafer is 80 degrees or less.

3 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 2 , wherein
the angle formed between the perpendicular line extending from the center of the semiconductor wafer to the fixing portion and the line from the contact point at which the retainer is in contact with the semiconductor wafer toward the center of the semiconductor wafer is 45 degrees, and the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion hold the semiconductor wafer in point contact.

4 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein the retainer is detachable from the lid.

5 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein a holding force when the semiconductor wafer is held in the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion is larger than 0 N and 2 N or less.

6 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein a surface on a side holding the semiconductor wafer in each of the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion is provided with a cushion material having conductivity, or is coated with a coating having the conductivity.

7 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein
the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion hold a plurality of the semiconductor wafers arranged along a vertical direction, and both the left-wing portion and the right-wing portion have a structure in which a vertical portion and an inclined portion inclined toward a center side of the semiconductor wafer with respect to the vertical portion are repeated along the vertical direction.

8 . The transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , wherein
the retainer includes a plurality of the left-wing portions and the right-wing portions provided along a vertical direction, one of the semiconductor wafers is held for each of the left-wing portions and each of the right-wing portions, and a gap between the left-wing portion and the other adjacent left-wing portion and a gap between the right-wing portion and the other adjacent right-wing portion do not overlap with each other in a side view.

9 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor element using the transport container for a semiconductor wafer according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
a wafer preparation step of placing the semiconductor wafer on the pair of thresholds, and then closing the lid to hold the end face of the semiconductor wafer with the retainer to store the semiconductor wafer in the transport container; and a wafer processing step of processing the semiconductor wafer in a state where the semiconductor wafer is stored in the transport container to form the semiconductor element.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Nakamura Shotaro
• Mikami Kazuaki
• Tsuchiya Tsuyoshi
• Yasui Satoshi
• Konishi Yasuo

Classifications

• H10P72/1922

  characterised by the construction of the closed carrier · CPC title

• H10P72/1921

  characterised by substrate supports · CPC title

• H10P72/1916 Primary

  characterised by sealing arrangements · CPC title

• H10P72/1914 Primary

  characterised by locking systems · CPC title

• H01L21/67386

  Electricity · mapped topic