U.S. patent application number 11/504594 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-21 for wafer carrier.
This patent application is currently assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Pu-Fang Chen, Hui-Wen Chou, Wen-Yu Ku, Tung-Li Lee, Yen-Fei Lin, Jih-Hwa Wang.
Application Number | 20080041758 11/504594 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39100360 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080041758 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lin; Yen-Fei ; et
al. |
February 21, 2008 |
Wafer carrier
Abstract
A wafer carrier. The wafer carrier includes a container and a
plate, wherein the container has an inner wall and the plate is
disposed in the vicinity of the inner wall of an upper portion of
the container.
Inventors: |
Lin; Yen-Fei; (Pingtung,
TW) ; Chou; Hui-Wen; (Hsinchu, TW) ; Ku;
Wen-Yu; (Hsinchu, TW) ; Chen; Pu-Fang;
(Hsinchu, TW) ; Lee; Tung-Li; (Hsinchu, TW)
; Wang; Jih-Hwa; (Hsinchu, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH, STEWART, KOLASCH & BIRCH, LLP
PO BOX 747, 8110 GATEHOUSE RD, STE 500 EAST
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING
CO., LTD.
|
Family ID: |
39100360 |
Appl. No.: |
11/504594 |
Filed: |
August 16, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/710 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/67393 20130101;
H01L 21/67366 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/710 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/00 20060101
B65D085/00 |
Claims
1. A wafer carrier, comprising: a container having an inner wall;
and a plate disposed in the vicinity of the inner wall of an upper
portion of the container.
2. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container
is a front opening unified pod.
3. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the container
contains up to twenty-five wafers.
4. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plate
comprises quartz.
5. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plate
comprises PVDF.
6. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plate
comprises silicon.
7. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plate
comprises ceramic.
8. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container
comprises poly carbonate.
9. A wafer carrier, comprising: a container having an inner wall;
and a layer coated on at least an upper portion of the inner
wall.
10. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer is a
TiO.sub.2 film.
11. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the container
comprises poly carbonate.
12. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the container
is a front opening unified pod.
13. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 12, wherein the container
contains up to twenty-five wafers.
14. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer is
coated by chemical vapor deposition process.
15. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 9, wherein the layer is
coated by sputtering process.
16. A wafer carrier, comprising: a container, having an inner wall,
holding a wafer; and a plate disposed in the container and located
between the inner wall and the wafer.
17. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plate
comprises quartz.
18. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plate
comprises PVDF.
19. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plate
comprises silicon.
20. The wafer carrier as claimed in claim 17, wherein the container
comprises poly carbonate.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The invention relates to a wafer carrier, and in particular
to a wafer carrier having a top plate or a coated layer within the
carrier preventing release of organic materials.
[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing includes many processes such as
oxidation, diffusion, lithography, etching, CVD, and others. Each
product wafer produced by CMOS process has many critical layers
functioning to avoid yield loss. Currently, in order to prevent
external contamination, wafers are put into wafer carriers for
transportation during the semiconductor processes.
[0003] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional wafer carrier. As
shown, a conventional wafer carrier 10 comprises a container 11 to
hold two wafers 121,122. The wafers 121, 122 are arranged inside
the wafer carrier 10, protected from external contamination.
However, the container 11, comprising poly carbonate (PC), may
release organic material or powder to chemically interact with the
product wafers, inducing serious yield loss within some critical
layers such as gate-oxide layers, poly layers, and others.
[0004] To ensure the product yield of the product wafers, it is
important to develop a wafer carrier generating no harmful organic
materials.
SUMMARY
[0005] Accordingly, the invention provides a wafer carrier. The
wafer carrier includes a container and a plate, wherein the
container carries at least one wafer, and the plate is disposed in
the vicinity of the upper portion of the container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The invention can be more fully understood by reading the
subsequent detailed description and examples with references made
to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 depicts a conventional wafer carrier;
[0008] FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a wafer carrier;
[0009] FIG. 3A depicts another embodiment of the wafer carrier;
and
[0010] FIG. 3B is a cross-section along A-A line in FIG. 3A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] A wafer carrier is described in greater detail in the
following. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an embodiment showing a wafer
carrier. In this embodiment, the wafer carrier 20 comprises a
container 22 holding two wafers 221, 222 and a plate 21, having an
inner wall (not shown). The wafer carrier 20 is a front opening
unified pod (FOUP). Moreover, the container 22 is for carrying
twenty-five wafers, to execute semiconductor processes and usually
holds product wafers 221, 222. Since the container 22 comprises
poly carbonate (PC), the container 22 may release organic material
or powder which may interact with the product wafers, inducing
serious yield loss of the product wafers. Because the wafer 221 is
placed in the highest position of the container 22, the top wafer
221 receives more debris than other wafers. This circumstance can
result in serious yield loss of the top wafer 221, particularly in
some critical layers of the wafer such as gate-oxide, poly layer
deposition, etc.
[0012] Thus, the plate 21 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper
portion of the container 22 to protect the product wafers from
contamination by the organic materials of the container 22,
especially the top wafer 221. As shown in FIG. 2, the plate 21 is
mounted in the upper portion of the container 22. Preferably, the
plate 21 is longer than the diameter of the wafer to fully cover
the top wafer 221. Furthermore, the plate 21 may comprise quartz,
PVDF, silicon, ceramic, or any other suitable materials not
releasing organic materials.
[0013] FIG. 3A is a diagram of another embodiment of a wafer
carrier. Referring to FIGS. 3A, a wafer carrier 30 comprises a
container 11' holding two wafers 321,322, having an inner wall (not
shown). FIG. 3B is a cross-section along A-A line in FIG. 3A.
Referring to FIG. 3B, the container 11' is a two-layered structure
and comprises an inner wall 31 and a layer 32. As mentioned before,
since the inner wall 31 of the container 11' is made of poly
carbonate, the inner wall 31 may release organic materials,
damaging the product wafers 321,322. By coating the layer 32 on the
inner wall 31, the organic debris from the inner wall 31 is
properly controlled.
[0014] Moreover, the layer 32 is coated at least on the inner wall
31, at the upper portion of the container 11', preferably the layer
32 is fully coated on the inner wall 31 of the interior of the
container 11'. Additionally, in this embodiment, the layer 32 is a
TiO.sub.2 film. When water exists on the surface of TiO.sub.2 with
sufficient light, Hydroxyl Radical (OH.) can be produced,
decomposing organic matter that attaches to TiO.sub.2. Preferably,
the TiO.sub.2 layer is coated by chemical vapor deposition process
or sputter process. In other words, the inner wall 31 is fully
covered by the layer 32, whereby organic materials of the inner
wall 31 can be decomposed, avoiding yield loss of the product
wafers. When fully covered with the layer 32, the container 11'
fully protects the product wafers from top to bottom.
[0015] As previously described, the invention provides a wafer
carrier having a plate on the inner top portion of the carrier or
an inner layer coated within the carrier preventing organic
material release therefrom. Additionally, through the arrangement
of the wafer carrier of the invention, organic contamination is
effectively restrained so that the production yield is improved
during all kinds of processes.
[0016] While the invention has been described by way of example and
in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended
to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would
be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of
the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation
so as to encompass all such modifications and similar
arrangements.
* * * * *