HK1025298B - Wafer shipper and package - Google Patents

Description

Wafer shipping container and enclosure

The present invention relates to containers and enclosures for transporting semiconductor wafers and the like.

Semiconductor wafers are subjected to many steps in their manufacture. Semiconductor wafers are subjected to various process steps in various equipment and at various locations. In order to accommodate the necessary processing. The wafer must be transported from one place to another. And stored for a certain time. Many of the previously known transfer devices for wafer carrier frames, primarily directed to protecting semiconductor wafers from physical damage, are known in the prior art and transfer containers and enclosures are known from U.S. patent nos. u.s 4,248,346; 4,557,382, respectively; 5,253,755, respectively; 5,273,159. These devices, which employ wafer carrier frames adapted to handle wafers, do not provide any degree of sealing to protect the wafers from contamination due to moisture, various atmospheric conditions, and particles during actual processing of the wafers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shipping container for safely storing large-sized semiconductor wafers and minimizing contamination of the wafers by particles, moisture and other contaminating agents.

One feature of the present invention is a wafer carrier frame having a top opening and a bottom opening, including wafer-separating ribs on sidewalls, all sidewalls and end walls having a uniform height, one of the end walls having an outer transverse marking (indexing) rail for adjusting the position of the carrier frame in a processing tool. The top and bottom edges of the side and end walls are substantially coplanar for placing the top and bottom covers on the carrier frame.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide cooperating bead or rim portions on the carrier frame and on the sealing cover to snap tightly into engagement with each other to achieve a substantial seal that minimizes any migration of airborne particles, moisture and gases into and out of the carrier frame.

Another feature is to provide the sealing cover molded of a rigid but relatively flexible plastic by bending the corners of the cover to disengage the corners from the carrier frame and then progressively disengaging other adjacent portions of the cover from the carrier frame. This bends the cover, simulating the disengagement of the cover from the carrier frame.

Another feature is that a lifting tongue is provided on one side of the snap-on lid and a tongue is provided on an adjacent part of the carrier frame, for meeting the basic requirement of always lifting the lid on said one side.

When the cover is tilted upwardly, the cover on the side opposite the tongue is in a hinged relationship with the adjacent top edge of the carrier frame and presses downwardly on the tongue portion of the carrier frame to move the cover away from the carrier frame.

Still another feature of the present invention is directed to a pod for transporting semiconductor wafers wherein a plurality of transport containers containing semiconductor wafers are stacked in a lidded tray positioned above and below the plurality of transport containers and each carrying a respective transport container from a storage compartment of the lidded tray. The shipping container is provided with outwardly projecting tabs adjacent the top cover and the lidded container supports the shipping container by engaging and supporting the tabs located in the storage compartment to effectively suspend the container. Another lidded tray is positioned above the shipping container in the storage compartment and presses downwardly on the edge portion of the lid to retain the lid on the wafer carrier to maintain the sealed condition in the shipping container.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a plastic shipping container.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the shipping container showing three basic components, including the wafer carrier frame components broken away for clarity of detail.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the shipping container taken along the chain line 3-3 in fig. 1, wherein the section is taken from the center line indicated by the chain line in fig. 3.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately along line 4-4 of fig. 1 and showing several semiconductor wafers stored in the container.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 5-5 of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 6-6 of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an exploded enlarged detail view showing the lower edge portion of the side walls of the carrier frame and the adjacent portion of the bottom cover.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 8-8 of fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a capsule for shipping a plurality of shipping containers as shown in fig. 1-8.

Fig. 10 is a top view of the stack of lidded trays shown in fig. 9.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 11-11 of FIG. 10 for clarity and detail.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 12-12 of fig. 10, partially in section for clarity and detail.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 13-13 of fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken approximately along line 14-14 of fig. 12.

Generally designated by the reference numeral 15, the shipping container includes a wafer carrier frame 16, a top cover 17, and a bottom cover 18.

The wafer carrier frame 16 is preferably molded from a substantially rigid and transparent plastic material, such as polycarbonate, but may be molded from other similar or equivalent plastics. The top and bottom covers 17, 18 are made of a substantially rigid, resilient and soft yieldable plastic material, for example, under the trademark Hytrel registered by DuPont^Are molded from known thermoplastic elastomers. All Hytrel thermoplastic elastomers are block copolymers consisting of hard (crystalline) segments of polybutylene terephthalate and soft (amorphous) segments based on long-chain polyether diols. The particular material used for the top cover 17 and the bottom cover 18 has a hardness, measured by durometer D, ranging from 45 to 55 to 63, is elastic and tacky at the surface, providing maximum adhesion and minimum plastic deformation and high abrasion resistance. In addition, the rigid and resilient yieldable material in the top and bottom caps resists deterioration due to many industrial chemicals, oils and solvents.

The wafer carrier frame 16 includes four surrounding walls, which are specifically identified as sidewalls 19, 20 and end walls 21, 22. The side walls 19, 20 and end walls 21, 21 are integrally molded together so that the plastic wafer carrier frame 16 is integral. The upper edges 19.1, 20.1, 21.1, 22.1 of the side and end walls are in a substantially linear relationship with respect to each other and lie in a plane forming a top opening 23 of the carrier frame for loading and unloading wafers W into and from the carrier frame.

The side walls 19 and 20 have a plurality of upstanding ribs or teeth 24 and 25 integrally formed therewith and slots or notches 25.1 defined therebetween for receiving and retaining semiconductor wafers W in spaced relation. The transparent polycarbonate sidewalls 19, 20 facilitate viewing of the wafers to determine their presence and location. The sidewalls 19 and 20 also have rounded offset portions 26 and 27 to generally conform to the shape of the wafer W to be carried therein. The offset portion additionally has spaced tabs 28 and 29 for maintaining the wafers W in spaced and relatively smooth relation to one another.

The side walls 19 and 20 each rest on parallel strips 30 and 31 that define lower edge portions 32 and 33 of the side walls 19 and 20.

The end walls 21 and 22 are substantially planar or flat and have lower edge portions 34 and 35 disposed in substantially the same plane as the lower edge portions 32 and 33 of the side walls 19 and 20. The interconnected lower edge portions 32, 33, 34, 35 of the side and end walls collectively define a carrier frame bottom opening 36 between the support plates 30 and 31 to provide access to the wafer W at the bottom of the carrier frame 16.

The side walls 19 and 20 have outwardly projecting tongues 37 and 38 integrally moulded with the upper edges 19.1 and 20.1 of the side walls, the tongues 37 and 38 extending longitudinally of the side walls and being elongate and located substantially intermediate the ends of the side walls, as shown substantially in figure 1. The side walls 19 and 20 also have lower tongues 39 and 40 projecting outwardly from the lower edge portions 32 and 33 of the side walls, and in particular from their legs 30 and 31. The tongues 39 and 40 are arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to each other, the tongue 39 being shown in fig. 1 and the tongue 40 being shown in broken lines in fig. 4.

The upper and lower tongues 37-40 are particularly suitable for manually lifting and handling the carrier frame 16 and the container 15, the upper tongues 37, 38 also serving to suspend the container 15 during storage and shipment, see fig. 9-14. This tongue also serves to cover the covers 17, 18 on the carrier frame 16.

The side wall upper edge portions 19.1, 20.1 and the end wall upper edge portions 21.1, 22.1 define outwardly flared upper rim portions 41, 42 which overlie the side walls 19 and 20, respectively, and upper rim portions 43, 44 overlying the end walls 21, 22. The enlarged upper rim portions 41-44 are interconnected, thus providing a rim portion extending along the periphery of the entire carrier frame 16, i.e. along the side and end walls. The rim portions 41-44 extending at the periphery lie substantially in one plane.

The side walls 19, 20 and end walls 21 and 22 define outwardly tapering lower rim portions 45, 46, 47, 48, respectively, which are integrally interconnected to effectively provide a lower rim portion of the entire periphery of the carrier frame 16. The lower edge portions are located substantially in the same plane.

Each of the plates 30 and 31 has an index notch 49 for cooperating with an index beam or mechanism in a processing apparatus to accurately position the wafer carrier frame 16 in such processing apparatus. The two lower rim portions 45 and 46 on the strips 30 and 31 of the side walls 19 and 20 are deflected upwardly at 50 and pass over the identification notch 49. The shape of the enlarged lower rim portion 45 is shown in figure 6 and represents the shape of all of the enlarged lower rim portions 45, 46, 47, 48 except for the enlarged lower rim portion 45, 46 at 50 where it is out of the plane of the rim portion and passes over the indexing recess 49.

It is to be specifically recognized that all portions of the end walls 21 and 22 are of substantially uniform height and of the same height as the side walls 19 and 20. End wall 22 has a pair of widely spaced support bars 51 and 52 integrally formed therewith and projecting into close proximity with the upper and lower edges 22.1 and 35, respectively, of end wall 22. The support rods 51 have coplanar outer edges 53 that lie in a plane of the processing apparatus for the purpose of accurately positioning the wafer carrier frame and the wafer relative to the other components of the processing apparatus. The end wall 22 also has an identification rail 54, sometimes referred to as an "H-rail," formed integrally therewith and which is also formed as a transverse extension of the support rails 51, 52. The indexing beam 54 cooperates with its positioning device to precisely position the wafer carrier frame 16 within the processing apparatus. Although the cross bar is shown as extending fully to the support bars 51, 52, it may only partially clear the end wall 22 between the support bars. The cross bar 54 may also be integrally formed and integral with the end wall 22.

It is particularly noted that the end walls 21 and 22 are of sufficient height and of the same height as the side walls 19, 20, and that the end walls 21 and 22, like the side walls, have enlarged upper and lower rim portions which effectively extend around the entire periphery of the carrier frame 16. In particular, the end wall 22 has panel portions 55 and 56 which extend upwardly from the identification rail to the enlarged upper rim portion 44 and downwardly from the identification rail 54 to the enlarged lower rim portion 48, respectively. The panel portions 55 and 56 occupy the entire area between the support bars 51, 52 and are integrally formed with the end wall 22.

When the top cover 17 and the bottom cover 18 are attached to the top and lower portions of the carrier frame to close the top opening 23 and the bottom opening 36 thereof, respectively, the carrier frame is sealed to substantially prevent migration of air, moisture, and contaminant particles into and out of the carrier frame interior opening 57 of the storage wafer W. In addition, because the top and bottom covers 17, 18 are formed or molded from a substantially rigid, yet resilient, soft, yieldable plastic material, the top and bottom covers 17, 18 may be slightly flexed upon removal to effect substantial removal of the cover from the carrier frame by initially lifting a corner of the cover away from the carrier frame and then progressively detaching the remainder of the cover from the carrier frame.

The top cover 17 includes a partially cylindrical plate or protective plate portion 58 that is curved substantially the same as the shape of the edge of the wafer W being stored in the container 15. In one example of a well-behaved container, the wafers may have a diameter of about 8 inches (20.3cm), with the curvature of the plate 58 generally conforming to the curvature of the edges of the plate of the size described above. The container is adapted to store 6 inch (15cm), 12 inch (30cm) or larger sheets by sizing the container appropriately. The partially cylindrical plate 58 has a convex inner surface facing the inner opening 57 of the wafer carrier frame, and the plate 58 has a plurality of elongated support strips or ridges 60 extending longitudinally along the partially cylindrical inner surface and projecting slightly toward the inner opening 57 of the carrier frame to engage the edge of the wafer W and maintain a distance between the wafer edge and the convex surface 59 of the plate 58. As shown in fig. 4, elongated support strip 60 extends the entire length of cover 17 and plate 58 so as to overlie and engage all of the wafers stored in the container.

The top cover 17 has substantially flat and planar side edge portions 61, 62, 63, 64. It will be appreciated that the side edge portions 61, 62 adjacent the carrier side walls 19 and 20 provide resilience to the lid and are much wider than the edge portions 63, 64 adjacent the carrier end walls 21 and 22, the edge portions 61-64 being located just above the carrier upper edge portions 19.1, 20.1, 21.1 and 22.1 to assist in maintaining a seal between the carrier and the top cover.

The top cover 17 has a deformed or overlapping offset 65 in the panel 58 to facilitate stacking of containers on top of each other.

The top cover 17 has enlarged top cover rim portions extending around the top cover periphery, and more specifically, the top cover has enlarged top cover rim portions 66, 67 extending along the top cover side edge portions 61, 62 and projecting inwardly; there are also roof edge portions 68, 69 extending and enlarged along the edge portions 63, 64. All of the enlarged header edge portions 66, 67, 68, 69 are interconnected and integrally formed with one another and lie in the same plane. When the top cover 17 is covered on the carrier frame 16, the rim portions 66 to 69 are engaged with the rim portions 41 to 44 of the carrier frame 16 in a sealed state and surround the rim portions 41 to 44. The edge portions 66-69 of the cover 17 and the edge portions 41-44 of the carrier frame 16 snap into one another to secure the cover 17 to the carrier frame 16. The cooperating rim portions 66-69 of the cover 17 and the rim portions 41-44 of the carrier frame provide a separate means of securing the cover 17 to the carrier frame 16, i.e., mounting the cover 17 onto the carrier frame 16 without the use of additional latches.

The cover 17 also has a pair of tabs 70, 71 projecting outwardly from the rim portion 67 and extending longitudinally along the rim portion 67 and the side edge portion 62 adjacent the terminal end of the cover so as not to coincide with the tabs 38 adjacent the carrier frame 16. The tabs 70, 71 are used to enclose the cover 18 to the carrier frame 16. At the final stage of the lid top, the tongues 70 and 71 can be manually pressed towards the tongues 38 of the carrier frame, in order to ensure that the bottom can be assembled and that a tight snap-fit is ensured.

Although the skilled person using the container 16 can devise various procedures for applying and moving the lid 17, it has been found that good results are obtained by first placing the lid 17 on the upper edge portions of the side and end walls. The corners of the cover are initially pressed by the palm or heel of the hand into the edge portions of the side and end walls and the side edge portions 61, 62 of the cover are then progressively pressed against the edge portions 41, 42 of the side walls of the carrier frame until the entire edge portion 66-69 of the cover is pressed fully tightly into abutment against the edge portions 41-44 of the carrier frame.

To remove the cover 17, the corner portions, such as the adjacent rim portions 67 and 69, are first lifted off the adjacent rim portions 42, 44 of the carrier frame and then the corner portions of the cover are bent upwardly to progressively disengage the rim portions by lifting the cover until the cover is fully disengaged from the rim portions 41-44 of the carrier frame.

The particular material forming the carrier frame 16 and cover 17 is highly resistant to abrasion and deformation, thereby minimizing the presence of particles when the cover is peeled or applied to the carrier frame.

The bottom cover 18 has side edge portions 72 and end edge portions 73 which underlie the carrier lower edge portions 32, 33, 34, 35, respectively, and engage the carrier end and side wall lower edge portions to greatly facilitate providing a seal between the bottom cover 18 and the carrier 16. The bottom cover 18 has a central wafer support portion 74 that is misaligned with the edge portions 72, 73 so as to project upwardly into the bottom opening 36 of the carrier frame 16. More specifically, the wafer support portion 74 includes a partially cylindrical plate 75 having a convex inner surface, which faces the inner surface 57 of the wafer carrier frame and the edge of the wafer W enclosed therein. The plate 75 is curved in conformity with the shape of the wafer W. The plate 75 also has a pair or plurality of elongated support bars or ridges 77 integral with the plate 75 and projecting from the convex surface toward the interior 57 of the carrier frame for engaging and supporting the edges of the wafer W. The support bars 77 actually lift the wafer W off the offset portions 26, 27 at the side walls 19, 20, with the result that the wafer is lifted off the side walls and fully supported on one or both support bars 77 regardless of the position of the flat edge portions of the wafer. Elongated support bars 77 extend longitudinally along the partial cylindrical plate 75 and extend generally to the ends of the bottom cover 18.

The bottom cover also has a rim portion extending along the entire perimeter of the bottom cover, and more particularly, the bottom cover includes enlarged rim portions 78, 79 extending along the bottom cover side edge portions 72 and which also surround the rim portions 45, 46 of the carrier frame side walls 19, 20. The bottom cover also has enlarged bottom cover rim portions 80, 81 extending along the bottom cover end edge portion 73 and which surround the enlarged rim portions 47, 48 of the end walls of the carrier frame 16. The edge portions 78, 79, 80 and 81 are interconnected, substantially in the same plane, to snugly surround the edge portions 45, 46, 47 and 48 of the wafer carrier frame to hermetically seal the bottom cover and the wafer carrier frame. The bottom cover edge portions 78-81 and the wafer carrier edge portions 45-48 constitute a single means for securing the bottom cover to the wafer carrier, i.e., the bottom cover is secured to the wafer carrier without the need for additional latch members.

The seals between the carrier frame 16 and the top and bottom covers 17, 18 prevent air, other gases, moisture and particles from entering and exiting the container 15, and prevent the carrier frame from deflating or drawing in when the atmospheric pressure changes.

The bottom cover 18 also has a pair of elongated tongue portions 82, 83 extending longitudinally along one of the side edge portions 72 and abutting the bottom cover edge portion 79. The tabs 82, 83 are adjacent but not coincident and adjacent the tabs 40 on the lower edge portion of the wafer carrier frame so that one can easily engage and compress the tabs 83 and 40 simultaneously to ensure that the bottom cover is tightly snapped onto the carrier frame. Typically, the bottom cover 18 is placed on the carrier frame by the following method: the bottom cover 18 is placed on the support table and then the carrier frame 16 is placed on the bottom cover and pressed to ensure that the carrier frame 16 and the bottom cover 18 are tightly locked together. If the wafer W has been placed on the carrier frame, the wafer is lifted off the offset portions 26, 27 of the side walls 19, 20 by the bottom cover 18.

In removing the bottom cover 18 from the wafer carrier frame, as described above for the top cover, a corner portion of the bottom cover is first bent to completely remove the bottom cover, and then the bottom cover is gradually peeled away from the enlarged lower edge portion 45-48 of the wafer carrier frame. The edge portions 78-81 of the bottom cover engage and surround the edge portions 45-48 of the wafer carrier frame to seal between the bottom cover 18 and the wafer carrier frame to prevent migration of air, moisture, and particles into and out of the interior 57 of the wafer carrier frame. Wherein the bottom cover edge portions 78-81 lie substantially in the same plane, and portions 78.1, 79.1 of the edge portions 78, 79 extending along the bottom cover side edge portion 72 are offset from the remaining plane of the bottom cover edge portion, conforming to the shape of portion 50 of the edge portions 45, 46, which is offset from the plane of the wafer carrier frame edge portion and passes over the identified notches 49 in the legs 30, 31 of the wafer carrier frame.

The bottom cover 18 also has an outwardly projecting edge portion 84 which projects outwardly around the periphery of the bottom cover except at the tongue portions 82, 83 to increase the strength of the bottom cover. Similarly, the top cover 17 has an outwardly projecting edge portion 85 which projects outwardly from the edge portion of the top cover at all peripheral portions of the top cover except for the tabs 70, 71 to provide additional strength to the top cover.

The edge portion 85 extending along the edge portion 66 and the side edge portion engages the tongue 37 of the carrier frame when the cover is tilted upwardly during removal to assist in lifting the edge portion 66 away from the edge portion 41 of the carrier frame.

Fig. 10 to 14 show the shipping container 15 packaged in groups for transporting the semiconductor wafer W at the time of processing. The capsule is generally designated by the reference numeral 84 and comprises a plurality of lidded trays 85 nested together and in overlying relationship to one another. The lidded box 85 is molded from a foam, particularly foamed polypropylene, to provide cushioning for the container 15. Of course, other foams may be used to provide the necessary cushioning for the container 15. The foam of the lidded box 85 is capable of absorbing shock in view of the compressibility of the material and its particular resilience. Each lidded tray has an upper portion 86 and a lower portion 87.

Fig. 9 shows a stack of 9 trays, i.e., 8 layers of containers 15, and the capsule 84 can have a smaller number of stacks. Typically, there are only 5 trays in the capsule 84.

The upper portion 86 of each tray 85 has a plurality of open-topped compartments 88, shown in rows and columns, with 16 compartments for lidded trays. Each storage compartment 88 is shaped to hold a plastic shipping container therein. The storage compartment 88 is shaped so that the side wall 89 is the same shape as the side walls 19 and 20 of the container 15. Similarly, the lidded compartment 88 is shaped so that its end walls 90 are substantially flat and substantially conform to the shape of the end walls 21, 22 of the carrier frame 16. The bottom surface 91 of each storage compartment 88 is substantially flat and conforms to the flat shape of the side and end edge portions 72, 73 of the bottom cover 18 of each container 15.

The upper portion 86 of each lidded tray 85 also defines a support 92 adjacent each of the plurality of side walls 89 for supporting the tongue portions 37, 38 of the wafer carrier frame 16 in each container 15. Thereby supporting the upper tabs 37, 38 of the wafer carrier frame on the upper portion 86 of the cassette. Each container 15 is suspended from a bracket 92 in the magazine storage compartment. As shown in fig. 13 and 14, the container 15 is suspended by the tabs 37, 38 resting on the brackets 92 such that the bottom cover 18 is slightly spaced from the bottom surface 91 of the storage compartment 88. As a result, no pressure is applied to the wafers in the container 15 through the bottom cover.

Each lower portion 87 of the lidded cassettes 85 is located above its lower lidded cassette upper portion 86; each lower portion 87 of the lidded tray has a floor 93 forming the bottom surface 91 of the storage compartment 88, the floor 93 also being located above the compartment below it. The base plate 93 is shaped with a lower surface conforming to the shape of the top cover 17 of the container 15, as shown in figure 11, the surface 93.1 being generally part-cylindrical like the plate 58 of the top cover 17. With respect to surface 93.1, if the bottom plate 93 is removed from the top cover 17 of the container 15, there is no pressure on the partially cylindrical plate 58 of the top cover 17.

The lid-carrying box lower portion 87 defines an elongate seat 94 which presses downwardly on the side edge portions 61, 62 of the top cover 17, as shown particularly in figure 13. The abutments 94 are formed adjacent to the side walls 88 of each storage compartment and press down on the side edge portions 61 and 62 of each cover 17 and extend along the entire length of the cover and side edge portions 61, 62. The cassette with cover 85 is thereby pressed down over the side edge portions 61, 62 of all of the containers 15 to continuously secure the cover tightly to the wafer carrier frame 16, maintaining a seal between the top cover 17 and the wafer carrier frame 16.

To provide a set of lidded cassettes that are stacked on top of each other while maintaining vertical alignment, as shown in FIG. 9, both the upper 86 and lower 87 portions of the lidded cassettes have interfitting offsets 95 and 96. When the trays are stacked on top of each other, the offset portions 95 and 96 cooperate to prevent any lateral movement of the trays, thereby ensuring that the trays are vertically aligned with each other, as shown in FIGS. 9, 11, and 12.

After the containers 15 are loaded into the trays in all of the storage compartments, the trays are stacked on top of each other, as shown in fig. 9, and the entire array of trays is preferably sealed together by shrink wrap 97. The shrink wrap is simply a plastic film that is heated and then shrunk so that it tightly encloses the trays.

By means of which a pallet 98 can support a stack of trays or enclosures 84. The capsule 84 and many other identical capsules 84 are assembled in a group and supported by a tray 98. The capsule 84 is heat shrink wrapped for robustness and ease of handling.

It will be appreciated that because the containers 15 are supported above the brackets 92 by the tongues 37, 38, the cushioning effect of the expanded polypropylene plastic in the lidded box can be used to create a separate cushioning effect for each container. Thus, if the entire enclosure 84 is subjected to some sort of mechanical shock, this minimizes the shock imparted to the wafer carrier frame in the container 15. Although the bottom cover 18 of the container 15 may be temporarily engaged with the bottom surface 91 of the storage compartment 88, the wafer carrier frame is held in place by the elongated support straps or ridges 77 at a distance from the partial cylindrical plate 75 of the bottom cover, while providing additional cushioning to prevent damage to the wafers within the container 15. The entire set of capsules 84, as shown in fig. 9, may be shrink wrapped together on a pallet 98. After the containers are transported to their destination, they can be cleaned and reused.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, and it is intended that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims rather than to the scope of the invention as indicated in the foregoing description.

Claims (19)

1. A capsule for transporting semiconductor wafers, comprising:

a plurality of shipping containers for enclosing and engaging the semiconductor wafers, supporting and holding the wafers apart from each other, each of the enclosed containers for isolating the enclosed wafers from contamination,

a plurality of overlapping and nested lidded cassettes molded from cushioned foam and including an upper portion with an upper open storage compartment, each storage compartment containing and conforming to the shape of a single shipping container, the lidded cassettes supporting the shipping containers in the storage compartments, the lidded cassettes including upper and lower panels in which interfitting nesting deformations are formed to receive adjacent lidded cassettes in a stacked configuration,

the lidded container also includes a lower portion having a bottom plate that is positioned below the storage compartment so as to overlie and enclose the shipping container in the storage compartment of the lidded container below the bottom plate.

2. A semiconductor wafer shipper enclosure as in claim 1 wherein each shipping container includes a wafer carrier frame with a sealing wall, an upper edge portion of which defines a top opening of the carrier frame, a top cover closing said top opening and including a central retaining portion opposite the wafer edge portion of the carrier frame, the top cover further including side edge portions on the upper edge portion of the sealing wall, each lidded cassette including a pedestal adjacent the base plate pressing downwardly on the side edge portions of the top cover.

3. A package for transporting semiconductor wafers as recited in claim 2, wherein the base of the lidded cassette is spaced from the central retaining portion of the lid.

4. A package for transporting semiconductor wafers as recited in claim 2, wherein the top cover is molded of a substantially rigid and resiliently yieldable plastic material, the central retention portion of the top cover being of a partial cylindrical shape defining a convex inner surface opposite the top opening of the wafer carrier frame, the convex inner surface having an elongated ledge extending longitudinally therealong for engaging the edge of the wafers stored within the carrier frame.

5. A semiconductor wafer transport enclosure as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the transport containers includes a wafer carrier frame having a sealing wall, an upper edge portion of which defines a top opening of the carrier frame, a top cover closing said top opening and positioned over an upper edge of the sealing wall, a pair of sealing walls of said carrier frame facing each other and including outwardly projecting support tabs adjacent said upper edge portion, and an upper portion of said lidded carrier box including a shelf adjacent each of the storage compartments which engages and supports the support tabs of the carrier frame for suspending the transport container in said storage compartments.

6. The capsule according to claim 5, wherein the upper portion of the lidded tray defines a bottom surface of the storage compartment, the shipping container being spaced from said bottom surface.

7. The capsule according to claim 6, wherein the foam of the lidded box is compressible to dampen physical shock.

8. The enclosure of claim 6 wherein the shipping containers include wafer carrier frames molded of a substantially rigid plastic material including side walls with offset portions for supporting the wafers, each shipping container having a bottom cover formed of a substantially rigid yet resilient yieldable plastic material that supports the wafers and lifts the wafers away from the offset portions of the side walls.

9. The enclosure of claim 8 wherein the bottom cover of the shipping container has partial cylindrical panels with convex surfaces extending toward the interior of the wafer carrier frame, each of said partial cylindrical panels having a pair of elongated support bars integral with the panels and extending along the convex surfaces for supporting the wafers.

10. A capsule for transporting semiconductor wafers, comprising:

a plurality of shipping containers, each shipping container including a top cover and a bottom cover, the shipping containers engaging the semiconductor wafers, supporting and holding the wafers apart from each other, each enclosed container for isolating the wafers from contamination,

a plurality of overlapping lidded cassettes molded of foam, each of the lidded cassettes including a top and a bottom, an upper portion adjacent the top of the lidded cassette having an open upper storage compartment sized for one of the shipping containers, a shipping container support in each storage compartment, each open upper storage compartment surrounding and supporting one shipping container, and a lower portion on the lidded cassette adjacent the bottom of each lidded cassette, the lower portion having a bottom panel with a bottom surface in the open upper storage compartment and a surface spaced from the bottom surface, a surface spaced from the bottom surface being positioned above a shipping container in an adjacent underlying overlapping lidded cassette.

11. A pod for transporting semiconductor wafers as recited in claim 10, wherein said tote support includes a plurality of tabs extending outwardly from each tote and a bracket located in each upper open storage compartment for aligning and engaging the tabs on the totes.

12. A semiconductor wafer shipper enclosure as in claim 11 wherein said shipping container bottom is spaced relative to said bottom surface of said bottom panel.

13. A semiconductor wafer shipper package as in claim 10 wherein each overlapping lidded cassette further comprises side edge portions, a support extending from a lower portion of each overlapping lidded cassette adjacent said side edge portions and located between adjacent bottom panels of said lower portion.

14. A package for transporting semiconductor wafers as recited in claim 13, further comprising an offset portion formed on a bottom of the overlapping lidded cassettes adjacent said side edge portions.

15. A package for transporting semiconductor wafers as recited in claim 14, further comprising an offset portion formed on a top of said overlapping lidded cassettes that aligns with and interfits with an offset portion on a bottom of an adjacent overlapping lidded cassette to prevent lateral movement of the overlapping lidded cassette relative to the adjacent overlapping lidded cassette.

16. A semiconductor wafer shipper enclosure as claimed in claim 13 wherein said carrier is spaced relative to a bottom panel of a lower portion of said overlying lidded cassette to engage said lid of said shipping container such that the shipping container is held closed by the carrier.

17. A package for transporting semiconductor wafers as recited in claim 10, further comprising a packaging member surrounding a plurality of overlapping lidded cassettes to hold said overlapping lidded cassettes in fixed relation to one another.

18. A semiconductor wafer shipper enclosure as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a plurality of elongated support straps on a bottom cover of a shipping container supporting said semiconductor wafers.

19. A capsule for transporting semiconductor wafers, comprising:

a plurality of lidded cassettes molded from compressible foam, each of the lidded cassettes having an upper portion, a lower portion, side edge portions, nesting offsets formed on the upper portion, nesting offsets formed on the lower portion, upper open storage compartments on the upper portion, a plurality of base plates on the lower portion adjacent each upper open storage compartment, and supports extending from the lower portion adjacent each base plate, the overlapping lidded cassettes with the lower portion of an upper lidded cassette above the upper portion of an adjacent lower lidded cassette, the offsets into which the upper portion of the lower lidded cassette and the lower portion of the upper lidded cassette interfit with each other, and supports in each storage compartment;

a plurality of receptacles, each receptacle having a top and a bottom, each receptacle supported by a support frame in the storage compartment, the bottom of each receptacle being spaced from the bottom of the lidded tray;

a support plate for supporting the covered support box; and

a packaging element securing said lidded tray and said pallet to each other.