Patents by Inventor Shawn D. Eggum

Shawn D. Eggum has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6712213
    Abstract: A door for a wafer carrier having a latching mechanism with a rotatable actuating member. The rotatable actuating member is actuated from outside the wafer carrier using a key inserted into a key slot in the rotatable actuating member. The key slot is formed in an hourglass shape and comprised of abrasion resistant material to reduce generation of particulate contaminants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030188990
    Abstract: A fitting for aligning wafer carriers as part of an automated manufacturing process may be referred to as a kinematic coupling. The kinematic coupling of the present invention may comprise a base plate of a first material and contact components of a second material. The contact components may be provided to the base plate as part of an overmolding operation and may be held in place by either chemical fastening or mechanical fastening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Publication date: October 9, 2003
    Inventors: Sanjiv M. Bhatt, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030146218
    Abstract: A wafer container and improved door. The wafer container door has a latch mechanism cover adapted to retain and guide the latch mechanism components. The latch mechanism cover is form fitted to the latch mechanism components and may have apertures, creating a cover with an open architecture. The open architecture is of benefit for making the area under the mechanism cover more easily cleanable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Applicant: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030137151
    Abstract: A wafer container, and methods of constructing a wafer container. The wafer container has an enclosure portion with at least a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back, an open front, and a door to close the open front. The door includes a door chassis with at least a first latching mechanism. The latching mechanism has a rotatable cam member and at least one latching arm. The latching arm has a bifurcate cam follower portion that engages with the periphery of the cam member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Publication date: July 24, 2003
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030132232
    Abstract: A wafer container having a door with at least one latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism has a spring member that holds the latching mechanism at one or more favored positions that preferably correspond to latch-open and latch-closed conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the spring member has an over-center condition that urges the latching mechanism towards the favored positions, thereby resisting unintended actuation of the latching mechanism. Moreover, in preferred embodiments, the latching mechanism has soft stops at the latch open or latch closed condition that minimizes abrupt snapping into position of the latching mechanism. Preferred embodiments utilize a rotatable member configured as a cammed member with an elongate rigid plastic member having at least one node, forming a plastic spring. The spring is pivotally mounted on the rotatable member and pivotally mounted to the door structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Applicant: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030132136
    Abstract: A door for a wafer carrier having a latching mechanism with a rotatable actuating member. The rotatable actuating member is actuated from outside the wafer carrier using a key inserted into a key slot in the rotatable actuating member. The key slot is formed in an hourglass shape and comprised of abrasion resistant material to reduce generation of particulate contaminants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Applicant: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030132133
    Abstract: In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a wafer retaining arrangement is incorporated into a transport module suitable for 300 mm wafers. The wafer retaining arrangement attaches to an interior of a door of the transport module and includes a framework, and a first and a second plurality of wafer engaging members that secure semiconductor wafers within the transport module and that extend laterally from respective first and second sidewall portions and are preferably parallel to one another. Each of the wafer engaging members includes an arm portion and a wafer engagement head spaced laterally from the respective sidewall portion, wherein the wafer engagement heads of the first plurality of wafer engaging members are in close proximity to the wafer engagement heads of the second plurality of wafer engaging members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2002
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Inventors: Shawn Cheesman, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030106831
    Abstract: A wafer container comprises a housing with a door frame, defining an opening for insertion and removal of wafers, and a door for insertion into the door frame. The door includes a wafer enclosure sealing arrangement for hermetically sealing the door with the door frame of the housing. The wafer enclosure sealing arrangement includes a first groove disposed about a perimeter of the interior surface of the door and a second groove disposed adjacent to the first groove and spaced laterally from the perimeter of the door. The sealing arrangement includes a support member disposed between the first and second grooves. The sealing arrangement also includes an elastomeric seal member having a first portion that is frictionally inserted into the second groove and extends around the door and a second portion that cantilevers downward into the second groove when the door and housing are joined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Applicant: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030106830
    Abstract: A wafer container for supporting semi-conductor wafer disks and for interfacing with processing equipment and methods for constructing the same. Wafer supports are positioned within an enclosure portion, the wafer supports having a plurality of vertically stacked shelves for defining slots. The wafer supports are secured within the enclosure portion rigidly at the bottom margin and resiliently at the top margin. In preferred embodiments resilient plastic spring members extend between the closed top and the wafer supports to substantially constrain lateral or forward-back movement of the wafer supports with respect to the closed top and to permit some vertical movement of the wafer support with respect to the closed top. The spring members may be configured as a leaf spring integral with an extending from the top margin of each wafer support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Applicant: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030029765
    Abstract: The kinematic coupling of the present invention may comprise a wafer carrier or carrier base plate comprising a first material. The base plate or carrier is provided with a contact component comprising a second material having a lower co-efficient of friction than the first material. The contact component may be provided to the base plate or directly to the bottom of a wafer carrier as part of an overmolding, snap-in-place, staking, ultrasonic weld or adhesive operation and may additionally be held in place by mechanical interlocking of the respective components. The method of manufacturing may include providing a contact component comprised of a first material to a carrier component comprised of a second material via one or more of the processes listed above, wherein the second material has a higher coefficient of friction than the first.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Inventors: Sanjiv M. Bhatt, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030025245
    Abstract: A composite wafer carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an operative portion formed of a first thermoplastic material and a support portion formed of a second different thermoplastic material. One of the operative portion and support portion is overmolded onto the other to form a gapless hermitic interface that securely bonds the portions together. The operative portion may be a transparent window, a portion of a latching mechanism or a wafer contact portion. Preferred embodiments of the invention include wafer carriers with said features, process carriers with said features and a process for manufacturing wafer carriers with said features.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjiv M. Bhatt, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Publication number: 20030025244
    Abstract: A process for manufacturing a wafer carrier including injection molding a wafer support structure. The wafer support structure has a plurality of wafer support shelves extending therefrom. The process further includes molding a wafer contact portion on each of the wafer support shelves. The wafer contact portions bond with the wafer support shelves without mechanical fasteners between the wafer contact portions and the wafer support shelves. The process also includes overmolding a shell over the wafer support structure to form the wafer carrier. The shell bonds with the wafer support structure without mechanical fasteners between the shell and the wafer support structure. The wafer contact portions define a plurality of slots for holding a plurality of wafers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventors: Sanjiv M. Bhatt, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Patent number: 6428729
    Abstract: A wafer carrier is formed from at least two different melt processable plastic materials in which the two plastic materials are strategically positioned for optimal performance and have a thermophysical bond created during an overmolding process. The invention includes carriers made of such different melt processable plastic materials and includes the process for manufacturing such carriers. In a preferred embodiment a H-bar wafer carrier will have a first structural portion molded of polycarbonate in a first mold cavity and will then have the polycarbonate molded portion placed in a second mold cavity and polyetheretherketone will be injection molded to form wafer contact portions on the H-bar carrier. Process temperatures and mold temperatures are controlled to provide optimal bonding between the dissimilar materials. Thus, an integral wafer carrier of composite materials is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Entegris, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjiv M. Bhatt, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Patent number: 6164530
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring the progress of a plurality of batches of semiconductor wafer or memory disks through a multiplicity of processing operations at various locations within a plant facility and maintaining information regarding the progress of each batch at the respective batch. The method includes the step of inserting each of the batches of wafers or memory disks in a carrier constructed and arranged for supporting the wafers or disks in parallel, axially arranged, spaced arrays. A transponder is embedded in a planar wall portion within each carrier by way of a recess extending inwardly from a lower edge of the wall portion. The transponder has a code to identify the carrier and a batch of wafers or disks contained therein and to further identify the various processing operations to which the batch has been subjected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Fluoroware, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas T. Cheesebrow, Shawn D. Eggum, Robert D. Kos, Randy S. Williams
  • Patent number: 6039186
    Abstract: A composite wafer carrier for holding and restraining circular semiconductor wafer disks during their transport, storage, and processing. The composite wafer carrier generally comprising an open top and bottom for insertion and removal of wafer disk, an upright front end member having an interface portion such as an H-bar, an upright back end member, and a pair of sidewall members with vertical sidewall slots extending rearwardly from the front end member to said back end member. At least one of said members separately molded and joined to the other members of the wafer carrier by cooperating engagement portions without external fasteners. The wafer carrier may be snapped together. A separate second interface at the back end member may be provided to allow the carrier to interface with equipment with the wafer top side up or inverted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Fluoroware, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjiv M. Bhatt, Shawn D. Eggum, Wayne C. Olson
  • Patent number: 5248033
    Abstract: A container for storing and transporting a wafer carrier filled with wafers and comprising a box with an openable lid, the box bottom having an inclined bottom panel portion and an inclined sidewall panel portion, supporting the bottom of the carrier and the H-bar end wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1993
    Assignee: Fluoroware, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Kos, Tracy J. Niebeling, Shawn D. Eggum
  • Patent number: 5123681
    Abstract: A silicon wafer storage box must be secured by a functional and convenient latch during the fabrication and transportation of silicon wafers. The present invention encompasses such a functional, convenient latch adaptable for either manual or automated manipulation. The invention includes a rigid upper tab having a peg adapted for interaction with a robot arm of an automated process. The invention also includes a resiliently flexible bottom bight having a horizontally extending rigid lower tab, adapted for manual manipulation. The invention permits convenient, efficient manipulation of the latch by either a person or by an automated process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignee: Fluoroware, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Kos, Tracy J. Niebeling, Shawn D. Eggum