200523187 九、發明說明： 【發明所屬之技術領域】 本發明係關於晶圓裝載容器，其用於基板之輸送、裝運 和儲存。 【先前技術】 在半導體處理過程中，晶圓於不同機器和不同的地點中 依循多個處理步驟。晶圓必須於工作站至工作站之間和於 設備至設備之間進行輸送，以完成其等眾多之步驟。已知 多種裝運設備係用於半導體晶圓儲存和裝運之處理。一般 而論，此等設備承裝晶圓，使其依軸向之線形排列。在晶 圓於設備至設備間之裝運過程中，晶圓可能受到相當長時 間之日光曝照。日光中包含大量位於紫外線波長範圍内之 電磁射線。而晶圓並可能受到其他來源之紫外光曝照。 當前，先進技術中，半導體蝕刻生產過程係採用深紫外 線雷射以使電路顯像，其臨界特徵之尺寸範圍相當小的由 1 3 0至1 5 0奈米。於短暫之未來内，將可預期臨界特徵縮 小至約70奈米之尺寸範圍。 於生產過程中，轉動晶圓以塗上一光阻劑，而後烘烤光 阻劑使其附著於晶圓。其次，利用電磁射線將所期望電路 之影像投映於晶圓之上。現今，其普遍為雷射中之深紫外 線射線。藉由紫外光之曝照，光阻劑材料將行化學變化， 以根據所採用之處理過程，產生一負向或正向之電路顯 像。而不必要之光阻劑材料即為蝕刻去除，於晶圓上留下 積體電路圖樣。 5 326\專利說明書(補件)\94-02\93132150 200523187 如前述所探討，用於半導體處理過程之光阻劑係對於紫 外線波長範圍内之光線敏感，由於現代積體電路之臨界元 素之微小尺寸，僅受到一非常小之不可控制紫外線射線之 曝照，其將可導致晶圓之損壞。因此，在生產過程中，將 期望僅於謹慎控制之條件下，使光阻劑受到紫外線波長之 光線曝照。非意圖所致之曝照將破壞受曝照晶圓之可用性。 因此，用以處理、儲存和裝運晶圓之晶圓裝運容器，其 製造材料典型為塑膠係阻絕紫外光，以防止其影響塗覆光 阻材料之晶圓，並期望晶圓裝運容器至少部分為透明而可 見光的，以使作業員可判定裝運容器内部為空或是裝滿。 因此，裝運容器之製造材料至少部分地為透明而可見光 的，而對於紫外光則相對為不透明。 然而，對於紫外線之阻絕無法完全，並期望晶圓裝載容 器受紫外線射線之曝照儘可能地少。因此，若是晶圓裝載 容器本身可對於作業員發出信號，告知晶圓裝載容器正受 到紫外線射線之曝照，此對於半導體產業將為一助益。此 將發出信號告知作業員以移動晶圓裝載容器至一紫外線遮 蔽地點。 此外，關於電腦硬碟之驅動的磁碟之儲存和處理，以及 用於光蝕刻作業之線網，亦同樣存在類似之議題。 【發明内容】 藉由提供一半導體晶圓、基板、線網儲存或是包含一紫 外線曝照之光致變色指示器之裝運設施，本發明係解決了 上述之問題。 6 326\專利說明書(補件)\94-02\93132150 200523187 光致變色材料在受到日光或其他紫外線來源之曝照時 會變暗。光致變色材料於兩種狀態之間轉變，在一低能量 狀態下，材料呈透明、無色，而於一活性化狀態下，材料 則帶有顏色。在適當能量水平之電磁射線曝照下，即致使 光致變色材料達相應之能量狀態。 本發明包含併入光致變色材料於塑膠之中，其係用以製 造半導體晶圓、磁碟、線網裝運或儲存之容器。 在作業中，光致變色容器係用以輸送和儲存半導體晶 圓，並以類似於其他半導體裝運容器。然而，若是容器經 充足時間受到日光或是其他紫外光射線來源之曝照，其係 於對紫外光射線敏感之光阻層有所影響，則裝運容器之顏 色將會變暗。此顏色之變暗將提供裝運作業員一立即之指 示，告知容器正受到紫外光之曝照，而應將其儘快自該狀 態移開，以避免對光阻材料形成負面之影響。 已知於先前技術中，其引入具光致變色性質之有機分子 於若干光傳輸物品之中。 光致變色聚合體之製造係已知於聚合體技術之中。將染 液導入譬如晶圓載運裝置之聚合物物品中，其一些可行之 選擇例如：（1 )浸泡或是自接觸聚合物表面之流體介質的吸 收，（2 )將染液混入塗覆於表面之樹脂之中，（3 )浸泡或是 自與聚合物表面接觸之固體或膠體擴散性地轉移，（4 )自物 品製造中，散佈染液於單體或熱塑性物質之中。 在作業中，光致變色容器係用以輸送和儲存半導體晶 圓、磁碟或線網，並以類似於其他已知基板裝載容器。然 7 326\專利說明書(補件)\94-02\93132150 200523187 而，若是容器經充足時間受到日光或是其他紫外光射線來 源之曝照，其係於對紫外光射線敏感之光阻層將有所影 響，則裝運容器之顏色將會變暗。此顏色之變暗將提供裝 運作業員一立即之指示，告知容器正受到紫外光之曝照， 而應將其儘快自該狀態移開，以避免對光阻材料形成負面 之影響。 此外，顏色之變暗可提供功能性之影響，以減少紫外線 (U V )進入容器。 【實施方式】 參照圖1，一部分透明之晶圓裝載容器1 0 —般包含一箱 體1 2和一門1 4。箱體1 2包含一把手1 6用以攜運、和該 箱體1 2圍繞一晶圓支持物1 8，晶圓支持物1 8係用以支承 若干晶圓，使其依軸向之線形排列。 於此範例中，箱體1 2包含一透明部位2 0和不透明部位 2 2。較佳狀況下，透明部位2 0係由光致變色材料所構成， 其將依受紫外光曝照而改變顏色或暗度。透明部位2 0亦可 為門1 4之一部分，或為晶圓裝載容器1 0之一較小型窗戶。 現參照圖2，實質透明之晶圓裝載容器2 4 —般包含一箱 體2 6和一門2 8，晶圓裝載容器2 4包圍晶圓陣列3 0，其包 含多個軸向排列之晶圓，箱體2 6或門2 8中之一者可支承 把手3 2。於此範例實施例之中，晶圓裝載容器2 4遍及其 結構之大部分為實質透明。至少晶圓裝載容器2 4之一部分 係由光致變色材料所製成，其將因應受紫外光曝照而改變 顏色和暗度。 8 326\專利說明書(補件)\94-02\93132150 200523187 在作業中，部分透明之晶圓裝載容器1 〇或實質透明之 晶圓裝載容器2 4係用以於工作地點之間輸送晶圓，若是部 分透明之晶圓裝載容器1 0或實質透明之晶圓裝載容器2 4 經一長時間受到紫外光之曝照，容器之光致變色部位將變 暗或改變顏色，以將此告知處理容器之作業員。因此，作 業員在接受此一即刻而明顯之信號，指示容器受紫外光之 曝照，其即可改換容器之所在位置，以防止大量受到紫外 線曝照所導致對晶圓之破壞，或是容器本身變暗而可減少 紫外線（U V )射線之進入，以及對於基板或線網之損害可防 止或最小化。 本發明包含線網載運裝置中之光致變色材料，線網載運 裝置係於美國專利案第6，5 1 3，6 5 4和6，2 1 6，8 7 3字號並含 參考資料中說明。同樣地，本發明包含磁碟裝運設備，其 係如美國專利案第4，5 5 7，3 8 2和5，2 5 3，7 5 5字號並含其中 參考資料所說明。 本發明可實施於其他特定形式而不偏離其重要之相關 屬性，因此，所說明之實施例應以所有觀點加以考量，以 其為示例說明而非應用上之限制，相較前文所述，隨附申 請專利範圍之參考資料係指示本發明之範疇。 【圖式簡單說明】 圖1描述一範例之部分透明之晶圓裝載容器；和 圖2描述一範例之實質透明之晶圓裝載容器。 【主要元件符號說明】 10 部分透明之晶圓裝載容器 9 326\專利說明書(補件)\94-02\93132150 200523187 12 箱體 14 門 16 把手 18 晶圓支持物 2 0 透明部位 2 2 不透明部位 24 實質透明之晶圓裝載容器 26 箱體200523187 IX. Description of the invention: [Technical field to which the invention belongs] The present invention relates to a wafer loading container, which is used for the transportation, shipment and storage of substrates. [Previous Technology] During semiconductor processing, wafers follow multiple processing steps in different machines and different locations. Wafers must be transported from workstation to workstation and from device to device to complete many of these steps. A variety of shipping equipment is known for the processing and storage of semiconductor wafers. Generally, these devices carry wafers so that they are aligned in an axial line. During wafer-to-device shipments, wafers may be exposed to sunlight for a significant amount of time. Sunlight contains a large amount of electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet wavelength range. The wafer may not be exposed to UV light from other sources. Currently, in advanced technology, the semiconductor etching production process uses deep ultraviolet lasers to visualize circuits, and the critical feature size range is quite small from 130 to 150 nanometers. In the short-term future, it is expected that the critical features will be reduced to a size range of about 70 nm. During the production process, the wafer is rotated to apply a photoresist, and the photoresist is baked to adhere to the wafer. Secondly, an image of a desired circuit is projected on a wafer using electromagnetic radiation. Today, it is generally deep ultraviolet rays in lasers. By exposure to ultraviolet light, the photoresist material will undergo a chemical change to produce a negative or positive circuit image depending on the process used. The unnecessary photoresist material is removed by etching, leaving the integrated circuit pattern on the wafer. 5 326 \ Patent Specification (Supplement) \ 94-02 \ 93132150 200523187 As discussed above, the photoresist used in semiconductor processing is sensitive to light in the ultraviolet wavelength range. Because the critical elements of modern integrated circuits are tiny The size is only exposed to a very small amount of uncontrollable ultraviolet radiation, which can cause damage to the wafer. Therefore, during the production process, it will be desirable to expose the photoresist to light with ultraviolet wavelengths only under carefully controlled conditions. Unintentional exposure will destroy the availability of the exposed wafer. Therefore, wafer shipping containers used to process, store, and ship wafers are typically made of plastics that block UV light to prevent them from affecting wafers coated with photoresist materials. Transparent and visible so that the operator can determine whether the inside of the shipping container is empty or full. Therefore, the manufacturing materials of the shipping container are at least partially transparent and visible, and relatively opaque to ultraviolet light. However, it is impossible to completely block ultraviolet rays, and it is desirable that the wafer loading container be exposed to ultraviolet rays as little as possible. Therefore, if the wafer-loading container itself can signal the operator that the wafer-loading container is being exposed to ultraviolet rays, this will help the semiconductor industry. This will signal the operator to move the wafer loading container to a UV shielding location. In addition, similar issues also exist regarding the storage and handling of computer hard disk drive-driven magnetic disks and the wire nets used in photolithography operations. [Summary of the Invention] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing a semiconductor wafer, a substrate, a wire net storage, or a shipping facility including a photochromic indicator exposed to ultraviolet light. 6 326 \ Patent Specification (Supplement) \ 94-02 \ 93132150 200523187 Photochromic materials will darken when exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet sources. The photochromic material transitions between two states. In a low-energy state, the material is transparent and colorless, and in an activated state, the material is colored. Exposure to electromagnetic energy at an appropriate energy level causes the photochromic material to reach a corresponding energy state. The present invention includes a photochromic material incorporated in plastic, which is a container used to manufacture semiconductor wafers, magnetic disks, wire netting, or storage. In operation, photochromic containers are used to transport and store semiconductor wafers and are similar to other semiconductor shipping containers. However, if the container is exposed to sunlight or other UV-ray sources for a sufficient period of time, and its effect is on a photoresist layer that is sensitive to UV-rays, the color of the shipping container will become darker. The darkening of this color will provide immediate instructions to the shipping operator that the container is being exposed to UV light and should be removed from this state as soon as possible to avoid negatively affecting the photoresist material. It is known in the prior art that it introduces organic molecules with photochromic properties into several light transmitting articles. The manufacture of photochromic polymers is known in polymer technology. The dyeing solution is introduced into a polymer article such as a wafer carrying device. Some feasible options are: (1) soaking or absorption from the fluid medium contacting the polymer surface, and (2) mixing the dyeing solution and coating it on the surface. Among the resins, (3) immerse or diffusely transfer from solid or colloids in contact with the polymer surface, and (4) from the manufacture of articles, disperse the dyeing liquid in the monomer or thermoplastic material. In operation, photochromic containers are used to transport and store semiconductor wafers, disks or wire meshes, and to load containers in a manner similar to other known substrates. Ran 7 326 \ Patent Specification (Supplement) \ 94-02 \ 93132150 200523187 However, if the container is exposed to sunlight or other sources of ultraviolet light for a sufficient period of time, it is a photoresist layer that is sensitive to ultraviolet light. If affected, the color of the shipping container will become darker. The dimming of this color will provide immediate instructions to the shipping operator that the container is being exposed to UV light and should be removed from this state as soon as possible to avoid negatively affecting the photoresist material. In addition, the darkening of the color can provide a functional impact to reduce UV (U V) from entering the container. [Embodiment] Referring to FIG. 1, a part of a transparent wafer loading container 10 generally includes a box body 12 and a door 14. The case 12 includes a handle 16 for carrying, and the case 12 surrounds a wafer support 18, and the wafer support 18 is used to support a plurality of wafers, so that they are arranged in an axial line. . In this example, the box body 12 includes a transparent portion 20 and an opaque portion 2 2. In a preferred situation, the transparent portion 20 is composed of a photochromic material, which changes color or darkness according to exposure to ultraviolet light. The transparent portion 20 may also be a part of the door 14 or a smaller window of the wafer loading container 10. Referring now to FIG. 2, a substantially transparent wafer loading container 24 generally includes a box 26 and a door 28, and the wafer loading container 24 surrounds a wafer array 30, which includes a plurality of axially aligned wafers. One of the box body 2 6 or the door 2 8 can support the handle 3 2. In this exemplary embodiment, the wafer loading container 24 and most of its structure are substantially transparent. At least a part of the wafer loading container 24 is made of a photochromic material, which will change color and darkness in response to exposure to ultraviolet light. 8 326 \ Patent Specification (Supplement) \ 94-02 \ 93132150 200523187 During operation, partly transparent wafer loading container 10 or substantially transparent wafer loading container 2 4 is used to transport wafers between work sites If a partially transparent wafer loading container 10 or a substantially transparent wafer loading container 2 4 is exposed to ultraviolet light for a long time, the photochromic part of the container will darken or change color to inform this process. Container operator. Therefore, when the operator receives this immediate and obvious signal indicating that the container is exposed to ultraviolet light, he can change the location of the container to prevent damage to the wafer caused by a large amount of ultraviolet exposure, or the container. Darkening itself can reduce the entry of ultraviolet (UV) rays, and damage to the substrate or wire mesh can be prevented or minimized. The present invention includes photochromic materials in a wire net carrying device, which is in the US Patent Nos. 6,5 1 3, 6 5 4 and 6, 2 1 6, 8 7 3 and contains the description in the reference materials. . As such, the present invention includes magnetic disk shipping devices such as those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,5 5 7,3 8 2 and 5,2 5 3,7 5 5 and the references therein. The present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its important related attributes. Therefore, the illustrated embodiment should be considered from all points of view, and it should be taken as an example rather than an application limitation. References with patent application scope indicate the scope of the invention. [Brief Description of the Drawings] Figure 1 depicts an example of a partially transparent wafer loading container; and Figure 2 depicts an example of a substantially transparent wafer loading container. [Description of main component symbols] 10 partially transparent wafer loading containers 9 326 \ Patent Specification (Supplement) \ 94-02 \ 93132150 200523187 12 Box 14 Door 16 Handle 18 Wafer Support 2 0 Transparent part 2 2 Opaque part 24 Substantially transparent wafer loading container 26 Box
28 門 30 晶圓陣列 32 把手28 doors 30 wafer arrays 32 handles
326\專利說明書(補件)\94-02\93132150 10326 \ Patent Specification (Supplement) \ 94-02 \ 93132150 10