Wafer container with removable sidewalls
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsShin-Chi Shih, Tzu-Yen Lin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wafer container suitable for the storage and/or transport of multiple IC wafers. The container includes a wafer holder provided with multiple, upward-standing sidewalls, at least one of which is removable to enable horizontal as well as vertical removal of the IC wafers from the wafer holder and prevent collisions which may otherwise occur between the wafer being removed and the sidewalls. The inner, wafer-engaging surface of each of the sidewalls may include a flexible material or pad for preventing scratching and/or chipping of the wafers during wafer storage, transport and/or removal.
Claims16
A container for containing wafers, comprising:
- a wafer holder having a wafer support surface for supporting the wafers;
- a plurality of sidewalls carried by said wafer support surface, wherein at least one of said plurality of sidewalls is removable from said wafer support surface for removal of the wafers from said wafer holder along a generally horizontal axis;
- at least one sidewall groove provided in said wafer support surface and wherein said at least one of said plurality of sidewalls is removably inserted in said at least one sidewall groove, respectively;
- and
- an enclosure removably carried by said wafer holder for enclosing the wafers.
A container for containing wafers, comprising:
- a wafer holder having a wafer support surface for supporting the wafers;
- a pair of fixed sidewalls fixedly carried by said wafer support surface and defining a wafer removal opening having a width greater than a diameter of the wafers;
- a pair of removable sidewalls removably carried by said wafer support surface and normally closing said wafer removal opening for containing the wafers;
- a pair of sidewall grooves provided in said wafer support surface and wherein said pair of removable sidewalls is removably inserted in said pair of sidewall grooves, respectively;
- and
- an enclosure removably carried by said wafer holder for enclosing the wafers.
A container for containing wafers, comprising:
- a wafer holder having a base;
- a wafer support surface provided on said base for supporting the wafers;
- a pair of fixed sidewalls fixedly carried by said wafer support surface and defining a wafer removal opening having a width greater than a diameter of the wafers;
- a pair of removable sidewalls removably carried by said wafer support surface and normally closing said wafer removal opening for containing the wafers;
- a pair of sidewall grooves provided in said wafer support surface and wherein said pair of removable sidewalls is removably inserted in said pair of sidewall grooves, respectively;
- and
- an enclosure removably carried by said wafer holder for enclosing the wafers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.