Granted Patent B2

US 12,476,128 · App. 18/350,546 · Granted Nov 18, 2025

Inventor: Bum Je Woo (Seongnam-si, KR)

H01L21/67393H01L21/67383H01L21/67386

Abstract

Claims (32)

1 . A wafer storage container, the wafer storage container comprising:

a storage chamber having a front opening at a front side thereof, configured to store therein, through the front opening, a plurality of wafers, and having an inside divided in a vertical direction into a first purging region and a second purging region located above the first purging region;

a plurality of shelves provided in the vertical direction inside the storage chamber to support the plurality of wafers;

first and second injection chambers forming an inner side surface of the storage chamber, corresponding to the first and second purging regions, respectively, having a plurality of first injection holes and a plurality of second injection holes on respective inner surfaces thereof, respectively, and configured to individually receive a purge gas and individually inject the purge gas into the first and second purging regions, through the plurality of first injection holes and the plurality of second injection holes, respectively;

first and second exhaust chambers forming a side surface of the storage chamber, corresponding to the first and second purging regions, respectively, having a plurality of first exhaust holes and a plurality of second exhaust holes on respective inner surfaces thereof, respectively, and configured to individually exhaust a purge gas from the first and second purging regions, respectively, through the plurality of first exhaust holes and the plurality of second exhaust holes, respectively;

first and second exhaust chamber communication spaces being located at heights corresponding to the first and second exhaust chambers, respectively, disposed on a side of the respective exhaust chambers, and in fluid communication with the respective exhaust chambers;

a hopper disposed on an outer side surface of the storage chamber and connected to an external exhaust line; and

first and second valves located at first and second heights corresponding to the first and second exhaust chambers, respectively, and configured to selectively connect the respective exhaust chamber communication spaces to the hopper, and to selectively transmit suction force of the external exhaust line to the first and second exhaust chambers by opening and closing.

2 . The wafer storage container of claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller configured to control an injection pressure of the purge gas injected from each of the first and second injection chambers, according to which purging region a wafer is stored in among the first and second purging regions,

wherein the inside of the storage chamber is divided into the first purging region, the second purging region, and a third purging region located above the second purging region,

the wafer storage container further comprises a third injection chamber forming an inner side of the storage chamber, corresponding to the third purging region, having a plurality of third injection holes on an inner surface thereof, and configured to individually receive the purge gas and individually inject the purge gas to the third purging region through the plurality of third injection holes, and

the controller controls an injection pressure of the purge gas injected from each of the first to third injection chambers, according to which purging region the wafer is stored in among the first to third purging regions.

3 . The wafer storage container of claim 2 , wherein when the wafer is stored only in the first purging region among the first to third purging regions, the purge gas is not injected from the third injection chamber to the third purging region, and the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the first injection chamber to the first purging region is higher than that of the purge gas injected from the second injection chamber to the second purging region.

4 . The wafer storage container of claim 2 , wherein when the wafer is stored only in the second purging region among the first to third purging regions, the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the second injection chamber to the second purging region is higher than that of the purge gas injected from the first injection chamber to the first purging region and that of the purge gas from the third injection chamber to the third purging region.

5 . The wafer storage container of claim 2 , wherein when the wafer is stored only in the third purging region among the first to third purging regions, the purge gas is not injected from the first injection chamber to the first purging region, and the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the third injection chamber to the third purging region is higher than that of the purge gas injected from the second injection chamber to the second purging region.

6 . The wafer storage container of claim 2 , wherein when the wafer is not stored in the third purging region but stored only in the first purging region and the second purging region among the first to third purging regions, the following relationship is satisfied: the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the second rear injection chamber to the second purging region>the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the first rear injection chamber to the first purging region>the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the third rear injection chamber to the third purging region.

7 . The wafer storage container of claim 2 , wherein when the wafer is not stored in the first purging region but stored only in the second purging region and the third purging region among the first to third purging regions, the following relationship is satisfied: the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the second rear injection chamber to the second purging region>the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the third rear injection chamber to the third purging region>the injection pressure of the purge gas injected from the first rear injection chamber to the first purging region.

8 . The wafer storage container of claim 1 ,

wherein the first and second injection chambers are provided on a left surface of the storage chamber, and

wherein the wafer storage container further comprises a controller configured to control an injection pressure of the purge gas injected from each of the first and second injection chambers and an exhaust pressure of the purge gas exhausted through each of the first and second exhaust chambers, according to which purging region the wafer is stored in among the first and second purging regions.

9 . The wafer storage container of claim 8 , wherein the inside of the storage chamber is divided into the first purging region, the second purging region, and a third purging region located above the second purging region,

the wafer storage container further comprises:

a third injection chamber forming a left surface of the storage chamber, corresponding to the third purging region, having a plurality of third injection holes on an inner surface thereof, and configured to individually receive the purge gas and individually inject the purge gas to the third purging region through the plurality of third injection holes; and

a third exhaust chamber forming a right surface of the storage chamber, corresponding to the third purging region, having a plurality of third exhaust holes on an inner surface thereof, and configured to individually exhaust the purge gas in the third purging region through the plurality of third exhaust holes, and

the controller controls an injection pressure of the purge gas injected from each of the first to third injection chambers and an exhaust pressure of the purge gas exhausted through each of the first to third exhaust chambers, according to which purging region the wafer is stored in among the first to third purging regions.

10 . The wafer storage container of claim 9 , further comprising:

first to third left rear chambers forming a left rear surface of the storage chamber, corresponding to the first to third purging regions, respectively, having a plurality of first left rear holes, a plurality of second left rear holes, and a plurality of third left rear holes on respective inner surfaces thereof, respectively, and configured to individually receive the purge gas and individually inject the purge gas to the first to third purging regions, respectively, through the plurality of first left rear holes, the plurality of second left rear holes, and the plurality of third left rear holes, respectively; and

first to third right rear chambers forming a right rear surface of the storage chamber, corresponding to the first to third purging regions, respectively, having a plurality of first right rear holes, a plurality of second right rear holes, and a plurality of third right rear holes on respective inner surfaces thereof, respectively, and configured to individually receive the purge gas and individually inject the purge gas to the first to third purging regions, respectively, through the plurality of first right rear holes, the plurality of second right rear holes, and the plurality of third right rear holes, respectively, and

the controller controls an injection pressure of the purge gas injected from each of the first to third left rear chambers and an injection pressure of the purge gas injected from each of the first to third right rear chambers, according to which purging region the wafer is stored in among the first to third purging regions.

11 . The wafer storage container of claim 10 , wherein the left rear chamber has a shape inclined right toward a rear side of the storage chamber, and the right rear chamber has a shape inclined left toward the rear side of the storage chamber.

12 . The wafer storage container of claim 1 , wherein the first and second exhaust chambers form a right side surface of the storage chamber, and the first and second exhaust chamber communication spaces are disposed on a right side of the respective exhaust chambers.

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (13)