TW201709386A - Wafer container - Google Patents

Abstract

A front open wafer container has a container portion and a door sized to close an open front portion of the container portion. The container portion has a plurality of shelves for holding a plurality of wafers and defining a shelf seating position, and has a forward wafer support and a rear wafer support for placing a plurality of wafers in the shelf A transport placement location above the location is suspended between the forward wafer support and the rear wafer support. The transport location adjacent the wafers is provided with a plurality of impact state protrusions for protecting the wafers during an impact condition. The projections may be integral with the underframe of the front door and the rear wall of the container portion.

Description

Wafer container with cross protection groove [Priority statement]

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. Ser.

The semiconductor wafer is processed into an integrated circuit wafer. The wafer container is used to hold the wafer during the processing of the wafer from the original manufacturer to the fabrication facility and during the processing steps in the fabrication facility. These wafers undergo tens or hundreds of processing steps to become the final integrated circuit product. These wafers are extremely fragile and expensive. The more processing steps a wafer undergoes, the greater the input, the greater the value of the wafer, and the greater the loss if damaged.

Wafers can be of various sizes up to 300 mm in diameter and devices are being developed for processing 450 mm wafers. Wafer containers are required to protect the wafer from contamination and damage during transport of the wafer containing container and during the wafer loading and unloading steps and during wafer sealing. The wafers are typically supported in a container that supports the wafer only by the edges of the wafer. The wafer containers used in particular for 300 mm wafers are called FOUP and FOSB, which are abbreviations of "front opening unified pod" and "front opening shipping box". The front open container has a front open container portion and a door that closes the front opening and latches onto the container portion. The wafer is supported by a shelf in the container portion that is positioned at the two sides of the container. The wafers are also supported forward and backward by a wafer support (also referred to as a wafer restraint), wherein the wafer edges are placed in a plurality of V-shaped or U-shaped members in the forward and backward supports. The shaped grooves provide a compressive force on the forward and rear edges. The wafer support can be a cushion having a plurality of thin polymer springs coupled to a plurality of wafer edge engagement portions to provide resilient support to the wafer edges. In a front open unified standard box, the wafer will typically be lifted off the shelf during shipment and supported only by the forward and rear supports. The wafer edge engaging portions are "spring supported". According to industry practice, an xyz coordinate system is applied to the front open unified standard box and the front open transport box, wherein the insertion direction and the extraction direction are associated with the z direction, the vertical direction is associated with the y direction, and the lateral direction, the left direction and the right direction are associated. Associated with the x direction. At the time of shipment, the front open transport case can be rotated 90 degrees rearward to vertically hang the wafer between the forward wafer support and the backward wafer support.

Demand from consumer and product manufacturers, as well as manufacturing efficiencies, have driven the reduction in size and thickness of integrated circuits. This is reflected in the wafer processing level by the increase in "circuit density" and the decrease in thickness. In particular for large size (e.g., 300 mm) wafers, the reduction in thickness is equivalent to the need to protect the wafer, particularly during shipping of the loaded wafer container. For example, a thinner wafer will deflect more during the impact state than a thicker wafer and have a greater friability. This creates greater demand for the forward and backward supports. For example, it may require a larger orientation and a range of movement away from the wafer ( z- direction) and require more careful support, including the need to make the compression force on the wafer smaller.

In general, improvements in the ability of the forward wafer support and/or the backward wafer support to effectively support thinner wafers are preferred in front open wafer containers. this In addition, improvements in wafer support for preventing wafer damage and intersecting grooves in an impact state will also be popular.

People always want to find solutions that are cost effective and provide the best performance. These solutions are less desirable because the enhanced buffer system is too expensive or can cause other problems (such as difficulty cleaning).

Recently, extremely thin wafers that cannot be effectively supported by themselves are bonded to a carrier substrate so that the extremely thin wafers can be processed and handled. Therefore, a "bonded wafer" has a carrier substrate side and a carrier substrate surface, and a thinned wafer side and a thinned wafer surface. In such bonded wafers, the very thin wafer is finally separated from the carrier substrate and then eventually becomes an integrated circuit. The edges of the carrier substrate can be supported such that the thinned wafer edges are offset inward relative to the edges of the carrier substrate. It is particularly desirable to support and protect such bonded wafers to the wafer support and/or the back wafer support.

A front open wafer container includes a container portion and a door portion having a plurality of inner shelves and a rear wall or a rearward facing wafer edge at or behind the wafer shelves supporting item. The front door is sized to be received in the front of the opening and latched to the container portion, and the front door has a door chassis with a detachable forward main wafer support disposed on the inner surface of the door. Each of the wafer supports has two rows of overhanging spring fingers, each of the fingers having a wafer edge receiving portion having a V-shaped recess. The spring fingers are each connected to a base portion that is attached to the inner surface of the front door. When the door is latched onto the container portion, the forward wafer support provides a compressive force to the wafer in the container whereby the wafer is placed in the V-shaped recess in a primary transport seating position (primary transport seating) Positioned in a first wafer edge engagement portion, the first wafer edge The rim meshing portion is formed of a first polymer. In some embodiments, a second wafer engagement portion is positioned intermediate the two rows of overhanging spring portions. The second wafer engaging portion includes a plurality of protrusions, each of the protrusions being linearly aligned and each of the protrusions being positioned intermediate the groove defined by the V-shaped grooves. The projections are positioned to prevent the wafer from escaping from the grooves in an impact state or other state in which the wafers may be driven out of their respective V-shaped grooves and ejected from the transport position. In some embodiments, the second wafer engagement portion is formed from a polymer softer than the first wafer support. The impact state cushion can be an elastic material and can have an I shape. In some embodiments, the second wafer engagement portion has a vertical strip attached to one of the forward main wafer supports, and the projections extend from the vertical strip. The strip can be used to engage the wafers when they are in their normal transport position in the V-shaped grooves. Alternatively, the strip can be used to not engage the wafers when they are in their normal transport position in the V-groove. The front open container can be a 300 mm front open transport case (referred to as a "FOSB") so that after the wafer is horizontally loaded, the door is applied and latched, and the container is rotated 90 degrees backward to make the wafer Oriented vertically for shipment.

In various embodiments particularly suitable for use in a bonded wafer, the wafer edge receiving portion defines a V-shaped groove and has an edge placement location at a bottommost region of the groove and defining a transport placement location, and The second wafer engagement portion is displaced relative to the transport mounting position and is formed from a material that is softer than the material at the primary location. In some embodiments of the invention, the V-shaped forward wafer support or the V-shaped rearward wafer support has a first surface that forms a first angle with the carrier substrate side of the bonded wafer and A second angle is formed on the side of the thinned wafer. The second angle is greater than the first angle. In some embodiments, the wafer edge receiving groove has four legs in an end view or a cross-sectional view, each leg corresponding to one surface or one side of the groove. The wafer edge receiving recess has a first leg facing the carrier substrate surface, the first leg being coupled to a second leg, wherein the joint defines a deepest receiving area; the second leg, Facing the thinned wafer face; and a third leg connected to the second leg and also facing the thinned wafer face, the junction of the second leg and the third leg defining an impact event Restricted area. In some embodiments, the rear wafer support has two rows of wafer engaging portions having wafer edge receiving recesses with four legs (and faces). In some embodiments, the wafer edge receiving portion does not rely on the fingers to spring, that is, the receiving portions are not supported by discrete spring members of each of the wafer engaging portions.

In some embodiments, a wafer container has a plurality of wafer engaging portions, each of the wafer engaging portions having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface being joined at a joint for defining Receiving a groove at a wafer edge of a bonded wafer, the bonded wafer having a carrier substrate side surface and a thinned wafer side surface, the first being mounted when the bonded wafer is received in the wafer edge receiving recess The face defines a first converging region with the carrier substrate side surface, and the second face and the thinned wafer side surface define a second converging region. The first converging area is "sharp" and "narrower" than the second converging area. The second converging area is "blurred" and "wider" than the first converging area. The wafer engaging portions may be formed of a rigid polymer such as polycarbonate.

In some embodiments, a bonded wafer container has a plurality of wafer engaging portions, each of the wafer engaging portions having a groove having a first margin and a second edge, wherein each of the first One side of the wafer carrier side facing one of the wafers received in the recess, and the second edge facing the one of the recesses through the thinned wafer side, the wafer edge receiving portion being positioned in height from the first One side is closer to the second edge, thereby providing a larger gap for the thinned wafer side of the bonded wafer in an impact state. In some embodiments, a plurality of auxiliary wafer engaging portions configured to be in an impact state wafer engaging portion are disposed outside a normal transport seating position to engage the bonded wafer in an impact state. In some embodiments, the auxiliary crystals The sheet engaging portion achieves a resilient engagement with the mating wafer.

In various embodiments of the invention, a front open wafer container has a plurality of impact state wafer engaging portions axially displaced relative to a wafer transport mounting position. In some embodiments of the invention, a front open wafer container has a plurality of impact state wafer engaging portions that do not engage the wafer except in an impact state. In some embodiments of the invention, a front open wafer container has a plurality of impact state wafer engaging portions supported by spring fingers. In some embodiments of the invention, a front open wafer container has a plurality of impact state wafer engaging portions that are elastic. In some embodiments of the present invention, a front open wafer container has a plurality of impact state wafer engaging portions, and the respective main engaging portions of the impact state wafer engaging portions are overmolded by each other. form.

In various embodiments of the invention, a wafer container having a forward main wafer support has a central base strip having opposed overhanging spring fingers arranged in a plurality of pairs of two rows And the fingers extend outwardly toward the wafer and laterally toward each side of the wafer container, each of the spring fingers being integrally connected to a wafer edge receiving portion configured as a pad. In some embodiments, the forward wafer support has a central aperture that extends substantially the vertical length of the wafer support. The door has a chassis to which the main wafer support is attached. The chassis has a plurality of projections integral with the chassis and positioned intermediate the wafer pocket defined by the V-shaped grooves of the spring fingers. The projections extend inwardly toward the interior of the central portion of the container portion and extend over the surface of the wafer that is engaged by the forward main wafer support, the projections being positioned to not engage the wafer except in an impact condition. Traditionally, the chassis of the door can be formed from polycarbonate, and the integral projections are similarly formed from polycarbonate. Rigid polycarbonate surfaces are not considered suitable for providing impact protection and/or cross-slot prevention for bonded wafers.

In some embodiments, the wafers are bonded wafers having a thinned wafer side, and the protrusions extend over the thinned wafer side. In some embodiments, the protrusions each have one of the widest portions of the thinned wafer side facing the wafer. The widest portion is configured as a flange with a central narrower portion opposite the widest portion. In some embodiments, the protrusion is I-shaped and extends from an integral base portion having a plurality of bumps for attachment to a primary wafer support or door bottom frame.

A wafer container having: a container portion having an open front portion; and a door for closing the front portion of the opening, the wafer container having a forward wafer support or a rear wafer support, the forward wafer support or The back wafer support has a plurality of wafer edge engagement portions, each of the wafer edge engagement portions defining a static wafer placement location for one of the wafers. A plurality of other auxiliary wafer impact event engagement portions are positioned outside of the static wafer seating position to engage the wafer only in an impact condition and are typically used to prevent intersection grooves. In some embodiments, the auxiliary wafer impact engagement portion is resilient and has an I shape. In some embodiments, the auxiliary wafer impact engagement portions are portions of a strip having a plurality of projections that extend along a length of one of the forward wafer support or the rear wafer support. In some embodiments, the auxiliary wafer impact engagement portions include a plurality of protrusions extending inwardly in one direction.

In some embodiments, a wafer container for a bonded wafer has a forward wafer support or a backward wafer support, the forward wafer support or the backward wafer support having a first wafer support, The first wafer support has a bonded wafer edge receiving portion having a recess for receiving an edge of the bonded wafer, the wafer container further having an auxiliary wafer support portion, the auxiliary wafer support portion A plurality of first engaging portions that engage the bonded wafer in a static state and a plurality of second engaging portions positioned outside a normal transport wafer seating area and in contact with the wafer in only one impact state. The first meshing portion and the The second engagement portion can be located in an integral elastic strip attached to one of the first wafer supports.

In some embodiments, when the current open wafer carrier is loaded, the wafer is mounted horizontally to be placed on the shelf. The door is applied and latched to allow the wafer to straddle the ramps on the forward wafer support and the rear wafer support for placement in the wafer edge receiving recess. In the forward support, the ramps are part of a wafer edge receiving portion that is configured as a pad and integral with the spring fingers. When the door is applied, the wafer edge first engages the pad, and the pads and respective spring fingers are deflected, and then the wafer edges can engage an auxiliary wafer support that is configured as an elastic impact cushion. After the cushion is engaged, the cushion deflects as the mat and the spring fingers continue to deflect. The pad has a deflection distance that is less than a deflection distance of the pad and the spring finger. The container is then rotated 90 degrees to allow the wafer to be vertically aligned.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide enhanced protection for wafers in a wafer carrier in an impact state.

20‧‧‧ wafer container

30‧‧‧ Container Department

32‧‧‧ front door

33‧‧‧open interior

34‧‧‧ wafer

36‧‧‧ door frame

38‧‧‧ Opening front

42‧‧‧left side

44‧‧‧right

45‧‧‧ Back side

46‧‧‧ top side

48‧‧‧ bottom side

52‧‧‧Left wall

54‧‧‧ right wall

56‧‧‧ top side wall

57‧‧‧ Back wall

58‧‧‧ bottom wall

59‧‧‧ feet

60‧‧‧Latch mechanism

62‧‧‧Latch mechanism

63‧‧‧Latch housing

64‧‧‧Seal

Around 66‧‧

68‧‧‧ Chassis

70‧‧‧ inner surface

72‧‧‧ outer surface

80‧‧‧ wafer shelf

82‧‧‧Backward wafer support system

84‧‧‧ Impact event protection features

88‧‧‧ forward wafer support

100‧‧‧ Bonded wafer

102‧‧‧ Carrier substrate/wafer

104‧‧‧Thin thinned wafer

106‧‧‧Adhesive layer

108‧‧‧ Thinned wafer side

110‧‧‧ Carrier substrate side

112‧‧‧ wafer edge

114‧‧‧Edge corner

120‧‧‧Main wafer support

122‧‧‧Impact event wafer mating cushion

124‧‧‧Rectangular frame

126‧‧‧Latch Department

128‧‧‧Long track

130‧‧‧ window

134‧‧‧Center base strip

136‧‧‧Overhanging spring fingers

140‧‧‧ wafer edge receiver

141‧‧‧V-shaped groove

144‧‧‧Slim ribs

146‧‧‧Center Attachment Department

152‧‧‧Bumps

154‧‧‧孔口

160‧‧‧ center strip

162‧‧‧arm pair

164‧‧‧ Arm

168‧‧‧ Spring finger and pad pair

172‧‧‧Inwardly extending projections

176‧‧‧Main transport location

180‧‧‧ protruding parts or bumps

182‧‧‧ aperture

186‧‧‧ cushion

188‧‧‧Main wafer support

189‧‧‧Meshing structure

191‧‧‧Auxiliary wafer support

192‧‧‧Auxiliary wafer support/extension

193‧‧‧ undulation

194‧‧‧Inward projection

196‧‧‧Bumps

197‧‧‧孔口

198‧‧‧ Impact deflection contact area

199‧‧‧ Groove

200‧‧‧Main wafer support

202‧‧‧ Shock event cushion

205‧‧‧ strips

206‧‧‧ wavy

207‧‧‧I-shaped protrusion

208‧‧‧Flange

209‧‧‧General flat mating surface

210‧‧‧Bumps

222‧‧‧ wafer edge meshing

226‧‧‧ components

228‧‧‧Internal V-groove

232‧‧‧ Non-impact placement

237‧‧‧ facing the side of the carrier substrate side of the wafer

238‧‧‧ Faced with thinned wafer side

242‧‧‧ legs

246‧‧‧ joints

248‧‧‧ vertex

250‧‧‧An angle between the wafer and the side facing the wafer carrier substrate

252‧‧‧ facing the angle between the surface of the thinned wafer side and the wafer

260‧‧ ‧spring pad

270‧‧‧A region defined by the carrier substrate and the V-shaped groove surface facing the carrier substrate

272‧‧‧A region defined by a thinned wafer and a V-shaped groove surface facing the thinned wafer

273‧‧‧ wafer deflection area

283‧‧‧ Impact state buffer insert

300‧‧‧Front open wafer container

302‧‧‧ Container Department

304‧‧‧ front door

306‧‧‧ wafer shelf

310‧‧‧ wafer shelf placement

314‧‧‧ forward wafer support

318‧‧‧Backward wafer support

320‧‧‧ Spring

324‧‧‧ wafer

326‧‧‧ front opening

327‧‧‧Transportation location

330‧‧‧ wafer meshing

333‧‧‧ Impact state cushion

350‧‧‧ Impact state cushion

353‧‧‧Main non-impact transport placement

356‧‧‧ wafer edge meshing

360‧‧‧chip

364‧‧‧Spring Department

420‧‧‧Front open wafer container

430‧‧‧ Container Department

432‧‧‧

438‧‧‧door frame

440‧‧‧ inner wall

442‧‧‧Latch mechanism

443‧‧‧Latch mechanism

450‧‧‧ forward main wafer support

454‧‧‧A line formed by a plurality of overhanging spring fingers

456‧‧‧A line formed by a plurality of overhanging spring fingers

469‧‧‧Overhanging spring fingers

470‧‧‧Slim spring part

472‧‧‧ wafer edge receiver

476‧‧‧V-shaped groove

480‧‧‧ Spring latch/structure

482‧‧‧Protruding/cooperative structure

485‧‧‧ facing the inner side

490‧‧‧ forward crossing groove prevention protrusion/rear wall extension

492‧‧‧ nodes

502‧‧‧Shell

504‧‧‧Whole wall

505‧‧‧left side

506‧‧‧right

507‧‧‧ top

508‧‧‧ bottom

509‧‧‧ Back side

510‧‧‧Robot flange

512‧‧‧ top

516‧‧‧Formed by a plurality of wafer shelves

517‧‧‧Formed by a plurality of wafer shelves

518‧‧‧ wafer shelf

520‧‧‧ inner surface

526‧‧‧Motion coupling components

532‧‧‧ Attachment structure

536‧‧‧ forward door frame

537‧‧‧Backward rear wall structure

538‧‧‧ sidewall structure

540‧‧‧Backward main wafer support

546‧‧‧Lower slope

550‧‧‧V-shaped groove

600‧‧‧Front Open Wafer Container

602‧‧‧ Container Department

604‧‧‧ front door

606‧‧‧ wafer shelf

610‧‧‧ wafer shelf placement

614‧‧‧ forward wafer support

617‧‧‧A line of multiple shelves

618‧‧‧Backward wafer support

619‧‧‧ slope

620‧‧ ‧ spring arm

621‧‧‧Ramp Department

624‧‧‧ wafer

626‧‧‧ front opening

627‧‧‧Transportation location

654‧‧‧Intersection of the trough prevention

655‧‧‧cross groove prevention protrusion

1 is a perspective view of a 300 mm wafer container according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the front open wafer container shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a first view of FIG. A front view of the container portion of the wafer carrier; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the inner surface of the front door of the wafer container shown in Fig. 1, illustrating a wafer support system with impact protection; Fig. 5 is a view of Fig. 1 a perspective view of the inner surface of the front door of the wafer container, wherein the forward wafer support system is not in place; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the wafer support of the door shown in Figure 5; Figure 7 is an elevational view of the rear side of the wafer support shown in Figure 1, the rear side is the door; Figure 8 is the fourth The exploded view of the wafer support system is shown in Fig. 9A is a detailed perspective view of the wafer support member on the inner side of the front door of the wafer container shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 9B is the wafer support member shown in Fig. 9A. A more detailed perspective view in which a wafer is displayed in phantom form; Figure 9C is a cross-sectional view through two adjacent wafer edge engaging portions, the wafer edge engaging portions being shown engaged with a plurality of bonded wafers; A perspective view of the back side of the impact event wafer mating cushion, the back side facing away from the wafer; the 10th drawing is the elevation of the rearward wafer support shown in FIG. 3; and the 11th drawing is the 10th drawing FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the front side of the wafer support system with impact protection shown in FIG. 3; and FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the wafer support system shown in FIG. 12; The figure is to have a punch suitable for the bonded wafer One of the features to protect the rear side elevational view of the wafer support system; FIG. 15 is a schematic system of a front opening wafer container portion, wherein the wafer is mounted on a plurality of resting The upper and lower doors are displaced relative to the front opening; Fig. 16 is a schematic view of the front open wafer container shown in Fig. 15, wherein the front door is closed in position; and Fig. 17 is directed to transport one of the wafers vertically. Figure 15 is a schematic view of the front open wafer container shown in Figure 15; Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of the wafer support and the backward wafer support before the wafer is suspended in the middle in a vertical transport orientation; Figure 19A a perspective view of a forward wafer container having one of the impact state cushions, the impact state cushion having an undulation extending downward along a center of a main wafer support; the 19B is unattached Fig. 19C is a perspective view of the main wafer support shown in Fig. 19A of the auxiliary wafer support portion; Fig. 19C is a perspective view of the elastic auxiliary wafer support portion shown in Fig. 19A; and Fig. 19D is suitable for attachment to Fig. 19B. A perspective view showing another elastic auxiliary wafer support portion of the main wafer support; FIG. 19E is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary wafer support portion attached to a main wafer support member shown in FIG. 19D, wherein the bonded wafer is in a static state State (non-impact); FIG. 19F is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary wafer support portion attached to a main wafer support member in FIG. 19D, wherein the wafer is in an impact state, and the thin wafer is engaged with the elastic impact engagement portion; Figure 19G is a perspective view of an elastic auxiliary wafer support portion having a plurality of intersecting groove preventing protrusion portions, the intersecting groove preventing protrusion portion having an I shape; and the 19H pattern being the auxiliary crystal shown in Fig. 19G Fig. 19I is a front elevational view of the I-shaped projection shown in Figs. 19G and 19H; and Fig. 20 is a bonded wafer and the wafer support shown in Fig. 19. Figure 21 is a side cross-sectional view of a wafer edge engaging portion, the wafer edge engaging portion is deflected after a compressive load on a wafer to enable the impact state cushion to be exposed to the wafer; The figure is a cross-sectional view of the wafer edge engaging portion shown in Fig. 19, wherein the impact cushion is exposed and the associated wafer container is in a transport position for vertical wafer orientation; and Fig. 23 is an embodiment in accordance with the present invention. a perspective view of a container portion and a front open wafer container having a plurality of internal components; and Fig. 24 is a perspective view of the inner wall of the chassis of the front door of the container shown in Fig. 23; According to this In the embodiment, a perspective view of a wafer cushion attached to one of the door frames shown in Fig. 24; Fig. 26 is a detailed perspective view of the inner surface of the chassis shown in Fig. 24; Figure 28 is a front perspective view of the container portion of the wafer container; Figure 28 is a top perspective view of the container portion shown in Figure 27; Figure 28A is a perspective view of a row of wafer shelves and a rearward main wafer support; Figure 29 is a perspective view of the housing of the container portion shown in Figures 27 and 28; Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view of the housing shown in Figure 29; and Figure 31 is the 29th and 30th drawings. A detailed view of the rearward projection of the housing; Fig. 32 is a schematic plan view of a wafer container in which the wafer is placed on the shelf before the door is placed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 33 is normal In the transport position, a schematic plan view of the wafer container shown in Fig. 32, in which the door is placed and the wafer is lifted off the shelf; Fig. 34 is a schematic side view of the wafer container shown in Fig. 32 before the door is placed a cross-sectional view in which the wafer is in a normal shelf seating position; and Figure 35 is a schematic side elevational cross-sectional view of the wafer container in the normal shipping position, as claimed in claim 34, wherein the door is placed and the wafer is lifted Leaving the shelf.

Referring to Figures 1 through 6, a wafer container 20 generally includes a container portion 30 and a door 32 defining an open interior 33 for holding a plurality of wafers 34. The container portion has a door frame 36 defining a front opening portion 38, a left side 42, a right side 44, a rear side 45, a top side 46, and a bottom side 48, each of which has a left side wall 52, A right side wall 54, a top side wall 56, a rear wall 57, and a bottom wall 58, each having a respective inwardly facing surface and an outer surface. The rear wall 57 has a flat surface configured as a leg 59 adjacent the top and bottom walls for placing the container in a quarter turn (90 degrees) after, for example, transporting the container Back side.

The front door 32 has a pair of latch mechanisms 60, 62 and a plurality of latch housings (containment) 63, and a seal 64 surrounding the perimeter 66 of the door. The door has a chassis 68, an inner surface 70 and an outer surface 72.

The wafer container has a plurality of wafer engagement features on the container portion and on the inner surface of the front door. In the container portion, the wafer is placed over a plurality of wafer shelves 80 at the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls and engages a back wafer support system 82 having an impact event protection feature 84. The rearward wafer support system cooperates with a forward wafer support system to constrain the wafer in a compressed manner between the two systems, as exemplified in U.S. Patent No. 6,267,245; This patent is owned by the owner of the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference. The wafer containers exemplified herein and in the '245 patent are within the scope of the front open transport case. These wafer containers are used to receive and transport a plurality of 300 mm wafers. The wafer can be received by the front of the opening, then the door is attached and latched to the container portion, and the container can then be rotated 90 degrees rearward to orient the wafer vertically, such as shown in Figures 17 and 18. Similar wafer containers for 300 mm wafers that are more specifically used in fabrication facility scenarios (rather than shipping) are referred to as FOUPS or front opening unified pods. The various embodiments disclosed herein may be suitable for use in a front open unified standard box and may also be suitable for containers of other wafer sizes. For example, wafer opening containers for 450 mm wafers are also being developed, and the embodiments disclosed herein are suitable for incorporation into such containers.

In the illustrated embodiment, each of the forward wafer support and the rear wafer support can be provided with an impact event protection and is particularly suitable for use in a bonded wafer. In some embodiments, the impact protection portion or the intersecting groove protection portion can be displaced relative to the wafer support. Referring to Figures 14, 18 and 20, the bonded wafer 100 has a carrier substrate 102, a thinned wafer 104 and an adhesion layer 106. During processing, the adhesion layer 106 is fixed to the carrier substrate via the thinned layer. . The bonded wafer has a thinned wafer side 108, a carrier substrate side 110, a wafer edge 112, and A plurality of edge corners 114.

Details of a plurality of forward wafer supports are provided in Figures 4 through 9D and 19A through 20. Referring first to Figures 7 through 9D, the forward wafer support 88 has two components: a primary wafer support member 120 and an auxiliary wafer support portion configured as an impact event wafer engagement cushion 122. The primary wafer support has a rectangular frame 124 having a plurality of latches 126 on the elongated rails 128. A window 130 defined by the rectangular frame forms a frame for a central base strip 134 having a plurality of opposing opposed integral overhanging spring fingers 136 that are outwardly directed toward the wafer And extending laterally toward each side of the wafer container, each of the spring fingers being connected and integral with a wafer edge receiving portion 140, the wafer edge receiving portion 140 being configured to have a pad of a V-shaped groove 141 for use The edge of the wafer 100 is received. The rectangular frame 124 engages a plurality of elongated ribs 144 on the inner surface 70 of the door 32, and the central base strip 134 is seated on the central attachment portion 146, which is configured as a rib and a plurality of structures The projections are provided with a plurality of projections 152 that engage a plurality of apertures 154 in the base strip. The base strip is attached to the rectangular frame at the top and bottom of the strip, and when engaged with the wafer in the container portion, the spring fingers and pads on the left side provide a moment to the center base strip to the right The torque provided by the spring fingers and pads is offset. This balance of forces enables the use of less structure to support the compressive force provided by the forward wafer support.

The impact event wafer mating cushion 122 shown in Figures 7 through 9D includes a center strip 160 having a plurality of pairs 162 of arms 164 extending therefrom, arms 164 of each pair 162 and each pair 168 spring fingers and pads correspond. A plurality of inwardly extending projections 172 are positioned axially and/or circumferentially offset relative to the primary transport seating location 176. In some embodiments, the primary wafer support 120 is formed from a polymer that is more rigid than the polymer of the impact event cushion 122 (eg, polycarbonate, nylon, or polyethylene), impact event cushion 122 It can be a thermoplastic elastomer or other elastic material. The impact event cushion can be attached, for example, by a tab or bump 180 that is inserted into the aperture 182 in the primary wafer support 120. In other embodiments, individual discrete impact event cushions may be provided on the wafer support for each of the wafers, such as illustrated by cushion 186 in FIG. In other embodiments, the impact event cushion can be overmolded onto the primary wafer support (or vice versa). The impact event cushion can be positioned to be engaged only in an impact state, that is, not engaged in a non-impact condition, or the impact event cushion can be positioned such that its meshing degree is non-impact The state is smaller during an impact state. Alternatively, the impact event cushion may have one portion that is engaged in a normal non-impact condition and another portion that is engaged in an impact state. Referring to Figures 19A through 20, a primary wafer support 188 has an auxiliary wafer support 192 for attachment to one of the front door engagement features 189 and having one of the impact state cushions configured. Fig. 19D illustrates another embodiment of an auxiliary wafer support portion 191. The auxiliary wafer support portion can be a strip extending along the length of the main wafer support member, the strip having a plurality of undulations 193 and a plurality of inwardly projecting portions 194. A cooperating engagement structure, such as a bump 196 of the auxiliary wafer support, can be secured into the aperture 197 in the main wafer support. During a non-impact condition, the wafer edge 112 can engage, slightly engage the impact state cushion, or be spaced apart from the impact condition cushion. The protrusion 194 can be positioned to engage the thinned wafer side 108 of the bonded wafer when in an impact condition, thereby preventing the thinned wafer side from contacting other surfaces that would be more likely to damage the thinned wafer. Figure 19E illustrates a bonded wafer in a recess 199 in a static normal seating position and illustrates a wafer deflection region 273. FIG. 19F illustrates an impact state in which one of the thinned wafer portion engagement projections 192 of the bonded wafer 100 impacts the deflection contact region 198. In the impact state, the wafer may still engage the pad or may no longer engage the pad. In some embodiments, the auxiliary wafer support can be overmolded onto the main wafer support.

19G, 19H, and 19I are shown in Fig. 19E and 19F. To the other auxiliary wafer support. A strip 205 has a plurality of undulations 206 and an I-shaped projection 207. Each of the projections has a pair of flanges 208 that provide a generally flat engagement surface 209 for each wafer face in an impact condition or an approximately intersecting groove event. The I shape provides improved molding performance with minimal shrinkage and less polymer. In general, a thermoplastic elastomer system having a Shore D hardness of from 30 to 35 is suitable. In certain embodiments, a Shore D hardness of 28 to 38 is suitable. A plurality of bumps 210 are located on the rear surface for attachment to the apertures of the main wafer support or the inner wall of the door.

Referring to Figure 3 and Figures 10 through 14, various embodiments of a rearward wafer support 82 are illustrated. The rear wafer support includes a primary wafer support 200 and an impact event cushion 202. The primary wafer support has a rectangular structural frame 210 having a plurality of rails 212 that snap-in or otherwise engage the rear wall 57 to retain the rear wafer support attached to the rear Wall 57. The impact state cushion may be one of the strips illustrated in Figures 12 and 13, or may be a plurality of discrete cushions positioned for each of the wafers. In a non-impact condition, the impact state cushion can engage, partially engage, or be separated from the edge of the wafer as a forward impact cushion. In an impact state, the degree of engagement will increase or engagement will occur. The impact state cushion can be an elastic material or other material that is softer than the material of the main rearward wafer support. These materials are usually polymers.

Referring to Figures 13, 14, and 18, the rear main wafer support has a plurality of wafer edge engaging portions 222 which collectively assume a U shape (see element 226) and have an internal V shape. The recess 228, the inner V-shaped recess 228 includes a non-impact mounting location 232 for the wafer 102. The V-shaped groove has a pair of faces 238, 239 or a pair of legs 242, 244 in cross section, with a joint 246 joining the opposite face or the pair of legs. The joint essentially defines the non-impact transport location of the wafer and has a vertex 248. Wafer and facing wafer carrier substrate side The angle 250 between the faces 237 of 110 is less than the angle between the face 238 facing the thinned wafer side 108 and the wafer. In other words, the region 270 defined by the carrier substrate and the V-shaped groove surface facing the carrier substrate faces the transport placement position as compared to the region 272 defined by the thinned wafer and the V-shaped groove face facing the thinned wafer. The line is sharper or narrower. A wafer deflection region 273 is defined which is expected to extend into the region in the event of an impact. As illustrated in other views, an impact state cushion is suitably positioned to contact the wafer as it extends into the wafer deflection region. The above configuration provides a larger gap for the thinned wafer in an impact state, making it less likely that the thinned wafer will engage the primary wafer support. This configuration can also be provided for the spring pad 260 of the forward wafer support, as also shown in FIG.

The wafer edge engagement portion 222 of the primary rearward wafer support has a plurality of apertures 280 that can help to accurately mold the assembly and help control the interface between the thinned wafer and the wafer edge engagement portion. In some embodiments, the aperture can receive an insert for providing an impact condition buffer insert 283. The impact state buffer insert can be molded and inserted or joined to the main wafer support by an overmolding process. In some embodiments, the impact state buffer insert is a polymeric material that is softer than the polymeric material of the wafer edge engagement portion. While the wafer edge engagement apertures are illustrated in the rearward wafer support, such wafer edge engagement apertures can also be used in the forward wafer support.

Referring to Figures 15 through 17, a front open wafer container 300 is schematically illustrated having a container portion 302, a front door 304, a plurality of wafer shelves 306 defining a wafer shelf seating location 310, and a plurality of front The wafer support 314 and the plurality of backward wafer supports 318. The forward wafer supports have a spring 320. In a horizontal position in which the door is opened, the wafer 324 is placed on the shelves. When the door is latched to the front opening 326, the wafers are lifted by the wafer engaging portion 330 of the wafer supports 314, 318 to the transport position 327 shown in FIG. In transport At this time, the wafer container can be partially rotated to the position shown in Fig. 17. Figure 17 illustrates an impact condition in which a force impacts one of the lower corners of the container to cause displacement of the wafer, causing the wafers to engage the impact condition cushion 333. The impact state cushion can be secured to the wafer support or can be attached to the front door wall or rear wall. The illustrated wafer 324 can be one of the bonded wafers described herein, and wherein the thinned wafer side faces up in the 15th and 16th views and faces the right in the 17th figure, causing the impact The state is engaged with the thinned wafer side.

Referring to Figures 21 and 22, various embodiments of the present invention can have an impact condition cushion 350 on either side of the primary non-impact transport mounting position 353 of the wafer edge engaging portion 356. In a front loading wafer carrier, the wafer 360 can engage a lower slope of the wafer engaging portion, across the ramp to the primary transport seating location 353, and deflect the spring portion 364 and the pad 366 after the door is fully closed, causing the impact The status cushion 350 is exposed. In an impact state, the impact state cushions can be used to protect the wafer (e.g., prevent detachment from the wafer edge engagement portion) and provide shock absorption.

Referring to Figures 23 through 31, in one embodiment, a front open wafer container 420 generally includes a container portion 430 and a door 432. Referring specifically to Figures 23 through 26, the door includes a door chassis 438 having an inner wall 440 to which a pair of latching mechanisms 442, 443 are mounted and exposed to the outer side 445 of the door. A forward main wafer support 450 can be mounted to the inner wall 440 and has a pair of rows 454, 456 formed by a plurality of overhanging spring fingers 469 having an elongated spring portion 470 and A plurality of wafer edge receiving portions 472 integral with the spring portions. Each of the wafer edge receiving portions 472 has a V-shaped recess 476 for receiving the edge of a wafer. The forward main wafer support further has a structure 480 configured as a plurality of spring latches 480 for attachment to an inner wall configured as a cooperative structure of a plurality of bosses 482 482, in turn, securing the forward main wafer support to the inwardly facing side 485 of the door.

The inner wall 440 of the door frame 438 further has a plurality of integrally formed projections 490 extending from the inner wall 440 for preventing the intersecting grooves. The projections are integrally molded with the chassis and positioned to be intermediate the wafer pocket defined by the shelf position of the wafer on the shelf and located in the wafer by the forward main wafer support and The middle of the normal transport placement position when the rear wafer support is supported. In a conventional shipping container such as a front-opening transport case, the wafer will be lifted above the transport placement position on the shelf when supported by the front main wafer support and the corresponding rear support, such as Figures 34 and 35. Illustrated.

The forward intersecting groove prevention projection 490 can have a tapered portion that narrows in a direction away from one of the doors, and can have a plurality of nodes 492 that protrude away from the door. The nodes permit the use of a minimum amount of polymer in the projections, which helps to minimize distortion during the molding process, while providing a plurality of wafers adapted to be engaged from the transport position. One of the upper contact surface and the lower contact surface. Three nodes are suitable.

Referring to Figures 27 through 31, the details of the container portion 430 of the front open wafer container shown in Figure 23 are shown. The container portion includes a housing 502 (indicated separately in FIG. 29) that provides an integral wall 504 that extends around the left side 505, the right side 506, the top 507, the bottom 508, and the rear side 509 . The container portion further includes: a robotic flange 510 attached to the top 512 of the housing; a pair of rows 516, 517 formed by a plurality of wafer shelves 518 attached to an inner surface 520 of the housing; A plurality of kinematic coupling components 526 are attached to the outer surface 528 at the bottom 508 of the housing. The integral wall 504 is provided with an attachment structure 532 for receiving the handles on the left and right sides, and the housing includes a forward door frame 536. The shelves are attached to a rearward rear wall structure 537 and a side wall structure 538. In some embodiments, the wafer shelves 518 of the rows 516, 517 include a plurality of rearward main wafer supports 540 integral with the shelves 518. Each of the wafer support members includes a row of wafer engaging portions 544, each of the wafer engaging portions The 544 has a lower ramp portion 546 and a V-shaped recess 550 in the normal transport placement position. When the door is placed in the door frame 536, the ramps lift the wafer back up the edge away from the wafer shelf.

In an impact state or other state in which one or more wafers may be ejected from their normal transport position, the rear wall projections 490 may be crossed at the wafer support after being integrated with the shelves of the rows. . Since the projections are expected to be barely in contact with the wafer, the projections are not subject to wear or other deformations common to conventional wafer supports. Therefore, the projections need not be replaceable. This provides the advantage of having fewer particulate capture areas and less problematic drying after cleaning, as compared to an attachable member having a projection.

Referring to Figures 32 through 35, a front open wafer container 600 is schematically illustrated having a container portion 602, a front door 604, a plurality of wafer shelves 606 defining a wafer shelf seating position 610, and a plurality of front Wafer support 614, and a plurality of backward wafer supports 618. In this embodiment, the rearward wafer supports are located at a row 617 formed by a plurality of shelves, and the wafer supports comprise a plurality of ramps 619 positioned adjacent the last portion of each row of shelves. The forward wafer support 614 has a spring arm 620 depicted by a helical spring symbol and a ramp portion 621. In a horizontal position in which the door is opened, as shown in Figs. 32 and 34, the wafer 624 is placed on the shelf. When the door is latched to the open front portion 626, the wafer is lifted by the wafer engaging portion 630 of the wafer support members 614, 618 to the transport mounting position 627 shown in Figures 33 and 35. For transport, the wafer container can be rotated partially back a quarter turn to allow the wafer to be oriented vertically (not shown). The intersecting groove prevention projections 654, 655 extend from the front door and may be integral with the front door inner wall or the housing rear wall or may be attached to the front door inner wall or the housing rear wall.

As used herein, "impact state buffer" may refer to a discrete component, or a portion or section of a component. The impact state cushion, the impact state buffer and the protrusion may be composed of more than one polymer (for example, a rigid polymer and a softer and/or elastic polymer) Formed as one coating or overmolded. In certain embodiments, a softer coating can be molded first, and a more rigid support polymer can be molded second.

The above references in all of the sections of this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. In order to facilitate the interpretation of the scope of the patent application, unless a specific term "a component for" or "a step for" is described in a request, it is expressly intended not to invoke 35 USC section 112, section 6. The provisions of the item.

All of the features disclosed in the specification (including any of the accompanying claims, including the accompanying claims, the abstract, and the drawings) and/or all of the methods or processes disclosed herein may be Combinations are combined, but do not include combinations of such features and/or steps, at least some of which are mutually exclusive.

Every feature disclosed in this specification (including the contents of the accompanying claims, including the accompanying claims, the disclosure and the drawings) Replacement features are replaced. Therefore, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is merely an example of a series of generic equivalents or similar features.

The invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing embodiments, but may be extended to any of the features disclosed in the specification, including any of the accompanying claims, including any accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings. A novel feature or any novel combination of such features, or any novel step or any novel combination of steps of any of the methods or processes disclosed herein. The above references in all of the sections of this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Although specific examples have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any configuration that is intended to achieve the same purpose can be substituted for the particulars shown. Example. This application is intended to cover alternative or variations of the subject matter. Accordingly, the invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims The above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and should not be considered as limiting. Other retouchings of the embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and all such refinements are considered to be within the scope of the invention.

30‧‧‧ Container Department

33‧‧‧open interior

34‧‧‧ wafer

36‧‧‧ door frame

38‧‧‧ Opening front

42‧‧‧left side

44‧‧‧right

46‧‧‧ top side

48‧‧‧ bottom side

54‧‧‧ right wall

56‧‧‧ top side wall

57‧‧‧ Back wall

58‧‧‧ bottom wall

80‧‧‧ wafer shelf

82‧‧‧Backward wafer support system

84‧‧‧ Impact event protection features

Claims (18)

A front open wafer container for receiving and transporting a plurality of wafers, the wafer container comprising: a container portion having an open front; and a door closing the front of the opening and defining an opening Internally, the door has an inner surface, and the wafer container further includes a forward primary wafer support. The front main wafer support is used for the wafer in a normal orientation. The plurality of wafers axially aligned in the container are fixed such that the wafers are oriented horizontally. In a transport orientation, the wafer container can be rotated a quarter turn backward and can be placed in the container portion. a plurality of flattened portions of the rear wall to make the wafers perpendicular to each other; each of the wafers to be received and transported has an upper side and a lower side, and includes a carrier at the lower side a substrate and a thinned wafer at the upper side and adhered to the carrier substrate, the carrier substrate having an edge, and the thinned wafer has a relative to the carrier base The edge of the plate is radially inwardly displaced from one of the edges, the forward main wafer support being formed from a polymer and attached to one of the inner surface of the front door and the rear wall of the container portion, The wafer support has a plurality of pairs of wafer edge engaging portions, each of the wafer edge engaging portions having a normal wafer seating region, the normal wafer seating region providing a normal transport wafer placement location, A secondary wafer cushion includes an elongate strip centrally attached to the forward main wafer support and a plurality of protrusions aligned in the middle of the normal transport placement area ( Projection), each of the protrusions is radially inward Extending beyond the radial position of the wafer edge engaging portion of the forward main wafer support, each of the protrusions exhibits an I shape and has an upward flange portion and a downward flange portion, the auxiliary wafer The cushion is formed from the polymer soft polymer of the primary wafer support. The front open wafer container of claim 1, wherein the shock deflection contact region comprises a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore D hardness of from 30 to 35. A front open wafer container for receiving and transporting a plurality of wafers, the wafer container comprising: a container portion having an open front portion; and a front door closing the front portion of the opening and defining an open interior, the door having a bottom Chassis and having an inner surface, the wafer container further comprising a forward main wafer support for aligning the axially aligned wafer holders in a normal orientation The wafers are fixed such that the wafers are oriented horizontally. In a transport orientation, the wafer container can be rotated a quarter turn backward and can be placed on one of the back walls of the container portion to make the wafers vertical. Each of the wafers has a circular shape and has an edge; the forward main wafer support is formed of a polymer and attached to an inner surface of the front door, the wafer support having a plurality of pairs of wafer edge engagement The wafer edge engaging portions define two rows of wafer edge receiving portions, each of the wafer edge engaging portions having a normal wafer mounting region, the normal wafer mounting region defining and the crystal The shape corresponds to a normal wafer transport placement position; the front door further includes a plurality of protrusions aligned in a single row and positioned in the middle of the normal wafer transport placement positions, each of the protrusions Projecting inward beyond the forward direction One of the wafer edge engaging portions of the main wafer support is radially inwardly positioned, and each of the projections is integrally formed with the front door chassis. The wafer container of claim 3, wherein the container portion has a row of protrusions extending from the rear wall of the wafer container and integrally formed with the rear wall, each of the protrusions being positioned The normal wafer transport mounting areas are intermediate in the normal wafer transport mounting position and project radially inward relative to the normal wafer transport mounting areas of the wafers. The wafer container of claim 4, further comprising a pair of rearward main wafer supports, each of the pair of main wafer supports being integral with a row of wafer shelves, the row of wafers A shelf is attached to the side wall of the container portion. The wafer container of claim 4, wherein each of the protrusions of the row of protrusions is tapered in a direction away from one of the walls, and the plurality of protrusions have three nodes. A front open wafer container for receiving and transporting a plurality of wafers, the wafer container comprising a container portion having an open front portion and a front door closing the front portion of the opening, the container portion comprising: a housing having an integral body a pair of rows formed by a plurality of wafer shelves mounted to the housing in one of the housings and defining a plurality of wafer slots; a three-groove kinematic assembly Coupling, located at a bottom side of the housing; and a robot flange positioned at the top of one of the housings, the integral wall having a row integrally forming a rearward projection, the rearward The protrusions extend inwardly and wherein the protrusions are positioned in the middle of a continuous pair of the wafer slots, the door comprising: a chassis having an inner wall; a pair of latching mechanisms mounted to the chassis And a main wafer cushion mounted to the inner wall of the door, the inner wall of the chassis having a row of forward projections corresponding to the row of rearward projections, And wherein each of the protrusions is positioned in a continuous manner Paired in the middle of the wafer slots. A bonded wafer container comprising: a container portion; and a door for closing the container portion; a wafer support assembly positioned on the door and one of the rear walls of the container portion, the wafer support assembly Having: a first polymer assembly for engaging a plurality of bonded wafers in a non-impact condition; and a second polymer assembly position for engaging the bonded wafers in an impact state, the second The polymer is softer than the first polymer and the second polymer component comprises a row of I-shaped wafer impact engaging members. A bonded wafer container comprising: a container portion; and a door for closing the container portion; a wafer support assembly positioned on the door and one of the rear walls of the container portion, the wafer support assembly Having: a first polymer assembly for engaging a plurality of bonded wafers in a non-impact condition; and a second polymer assembly position for engaging the bonded wafers in an impact state, the second The polymer is softer than the first polymer and the second polymer component comprises a row of I-shaped wafer impact engaging members. A wafer container comprising: a container portion having a front opening for receiving a plurality of wafers, wherein the wafers are placed in a horizontal orientation in the container portion; and a door sized to fit the front opening, the door having a latch attached to the container portion; and a forward wafer support member on an inwardly facing door surface having a vertical polymer strip centered on an inner side of the front door The strip has a plurality of opposing finger members and a wafer engagement pad that are integral with the strip and vertically aligned, each pair being configured to be a vertical plane mirroring each other, the vertical plane being perpendicular to the gate and passing through the vertical polymer strip; the vertical polymer strip having a plurality of side perimeters, and wherein the pair of opposing fingers Extending from the side perimeters; wherein the vertical polymeric strips are attached to a flat surface on the door, and each of the fingers extends at an acute angle relative to the flat plane; wherein each of the alignments Each of the individual finger members and the wafer mating pad provides a moment to the central polymer strip that is offset by the other finger member and the wafer mating pad of each of the pair. The wafer container further includes an elastic strip having a row of I-shaped projections extending from the strip and positioned to perform cross-slot protection. A wafer container having: a first wafer support having a plurality of primary wafer edge engaging portions; and an opposite second wafer support having a plurality of primary wafer edge engaging portions, the first wafer support and the The second wafer support is configured to suspend a plurality of wafers between the first wafer support and the second wafer support in a normal wafer placement position, the wafer container having a front door bottom at a front door A plurality of impact state protrusions are formed as a whole. The wafer container of claim 11, wherein one of the impact state protrusions is softer than a material of at least one of the first wafer support and the second wafer support. The wafer container of claim 11, wherein the plurality of impact state protrusions are integral with a rear wall of the wafer container. The wafer container of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the impact state protrusions of the first wafer support or the second wafer support are integral with each other. The wafer container of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the impact state buffers are formed of an elastomer. The wafer container of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the impact state buffers are overmolded on a main wafer support. The wafer container of any one of claims 1 to 16 for holding a plurality of 300 mm wafers, and wherein the container has a plurality of legs on the rear wall for positioning the container to The door is facing up. The wafer container of claim 17 is combined with a plurality of 300 mm bonded wafers contained in the wafer container.