WAFER POD GAS CHARGING APPARATUS
A wafer pod gas charging apparatus includes a machine, on which different types of nozzles are introduced. One type of the nozzles is designed to have an inner tube elastically movable in an outer sleeve. When a wafer pod having gas ports of a specific depth is placed on the machine for charging gas, the exact type of the wafer pod can be detected by a sensor unit on the machine and the gas ports of the wafer pod can properly engage with one matching type of the nozzles on the machine to enable the gas charging. Therefore, by changing the structural designs of the nozzles on the machine, the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost.
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The present invention relates to a wafer pod gas charging apparatus, and more particularly to a wafer pod gas charging apparatus that is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn general semiconductor processing, there are times wafers are placed in a wafer pod according to actual need in the processing, and a type of gas, such as nitrogen, is charged into the wafer pod to protect the wafers in the wafer pod against corrosion or contamination.
Conventionally, the wafer pod is provided with gas ports, via which the nitrogen is charged into the wafer pod. However, currently, there are at least two types of wafer pods available in the market. These two types of wafer pods are different in the number of their gas ports. For example, one type of these wafer pods has two gas ports while the other type has four gas ports. Further, these two types of wafer pods are different in the locations of their gas ports. Therefore, at least two different machines are required for charging gas into different types of wafer pods.
Since each type of wafer pod requires a specific type of machine for gas charging, the machines for charging gas into different wafer pods are not exchangeable in use. As a result, increased costs for gas charging machines are undesirably needed.
It is therefore desirable to have a wafer pod gas charging apparatus that can be used with different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the disadvantage in the conventional non-exchangeable wafer pod gas charging machines, the inventor has developed an improved wafer pod gas charging apparatus adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save costs for different machines.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a wafer pod gas charging apparatus including a machine, which is provided with structurally changed nozzles and is therefore adaptable to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
To achieve the above and other objects, the wafer pod gas charging apparatus according to the present invention includes a machine, a sensor unit, at least two first nozzles, at least two second nozzles, at least three locating modules, a gas charger, and a controller.
The machine includes an operating plate for carrying a wafer pod thereon. The wafer pod includes a bottom, on which a specific zone, at least two gas ports, and at least three locating holes are provided.
The operating plate is in contact with the bottom of the wafer pod placed thereon. The sensor unit, the first nozzles, the second nozzles, and the locating modules all are mounted on the operating plate of the machine. The sensor unit is mounted on the operating plate at a position corresponding to the specific zone on the bottom of the wafer pod. Each of the second nozzles includes an inner tube, an outer sleeve, and an elastic element. The elastic element is fitted in the outer sleeve, and the inner tube is received in the outer sleeve to press against the elastic element, such that the inner tube is axially movable in the outer sleeve due to the elasticity of the elastic element. Each of the locating modules includes a locating pin, and the locating pins of the locating modules are correspondingly inserted into the locating holes on the bottom of the wafer pod.
The gas charger is arranged on the machine for containing a type of gas therein. The gas charger communicates with the at least two first nozzles and the at least two second nozzles, and includes a control unit.
The controller is arranged on the machine to electrically connect to the control unit of the gas charger and the sensor unit. Either the at least two first nozzles or the at least two second nozzles are correspondingly connected to the at least two gas ports on the wafer pod.
When the wafer pod gas charging apparatus of the present invention is in use, the sensor unit is aligned with the specific zone on the wafer pod to detect the type of the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate of the machine. The controller is operated to control the gas charger to charge the gas into the wafer pod via the first nozzles or the second nozzles, depending on the detected wafer pod type, and the gas ports on the wafer pod that are correspondingly connected to the first or the second nozzles. Since wafer pods of different types have nozzles of different depths, the second nozzles are designed to respectively have an inner tube elastically axially movable in the outer sleeve to adapt to the deeper gas ports on the wafer pod.
Therefore, by changing the structural design of the nozzles on the machine, the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods to save the costs for different gas charging machines.
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
The present invention will now be described with a preferred embodiment thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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The machine 2 includes an operating plate 21, on which the sensor unit 8, the first nozzles 4, the second nozzles 4 and the locating modules 5 are mounted. The gas charger 6 and the controller 7 are mounted on the machine 2.
In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit 8 includes a light sensor 81 and a pushbutton-type optical sensor 82; and each of the three locating modules 5 includes a locating pin 51 and a pushbutton-type optical sensor 52 arranged in the vicinity of the locating pin 51.
It is noted the pushbutton-type optical sensor referred to herein includes a protruded portion that moves upward or downward under an external force applied thereto to block the light sensing function in the optical sensor and thereby achieve the effect of turning on/off an electric circuit and accomplish the sensing purpose. Since the above-mentioned structural principle of the pushbutton-type optical sensor is known by one of ordinary skill in the art, it is not repeatedly discussed herein.
All the above-mentioned parts are assembled or mounted to the operating plate 21 or the machine 2 using screws, and
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The gas charger 6 arranged on the machine 2 internally contains a type of gas 62. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the gas 62 is nitrogen. The gas charger 6 communicates with the first nozzles 3 and the second nozzles 4, and includes a control unit 61. The control unit 61 includes a gas pressure sensor 611.
The controller 7 arranged on the machine 2 is electrically connected to the control unit 61 of the gas charger 6, the light sensor 81 and the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8, and the pushbutton-type optical sensors 52 of the locating modules 5.
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Since the specific zone 91 on the bottom 90 does not have any recess formed thereat, the bottom 90 will apply a downward force against the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 once the first-type wafer pod 901 is placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2. The pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 under the force applied by the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 will for example displace and its internal light sensing is interrupted. With this sensing function, the machine 2 can detect that the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate 21 is a first-type wafer pod 901. Further, since the specific zone 91 on the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 does not have any recess formed thereat, the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901 placed on the operating plate 21 is relatively close to the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8. That is, a distance between the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 and the bottom 90 is relatively smaller. Therefore, it is also possible to detect the wafer pod placed on the operating plate 21 is a first-type wafer pod 901 by detecting the smaller distance between the light sensor 81 and the bottom 90 with light. By simultaneously using the light sensor 81 and the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 to perform the sensing function, a double-check effect can be obtained.
After the first-type wafer pod 901 is placed on the operating plate 21, the gas ports 92 are correspondingly aligned with the first nozzles 3 while the second nozzles 4 higher than the first nozzles 3 by a predetermined distance are in contact with the bottom 90 of the first-type wafer pod 901. With the elastic element 45 fitted in each of the second nozzles 4, as shown in
With the first-type wafer pod 901 placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2, the controller 7 can be operated to control the gas charger 6 to charge the gas 62 into the first-type wafer pod 901 via the first nozzles 3 and the gas ports 92. More specifically, the gas 62 enters the first nozzles 3 via the first gas inlets 32 and then leaves the first nozzles 3 via the first gas outlets 31 into the gas ports 92 and the first-type wafer pod 901. In the process of gas charging, the rubber ring members 311 connected to the top of the gas outlets 31 of the first nozzles 3 are tightly engaged with the gas ports 92 of the first-type wafer pod 901 to prevent gas leaking thereat.
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Since the specific zone 96 on the bottom 95 has a recess 961 formed thereat, the bottom 95 does not apply any downward force against the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 of the sensor unit 8 once the second-type wafer pod 902 is placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2. The pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 not subjected to any force from the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 does not displace, for example, and its internal light sensing is not interrupted. With this sensing function, the machine 2 can detect that the wafer pod currently placed on the operating plate 21 is a second-type wafer pod 902. Further, since the specific zone 96 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 has the recess 961 formed thereat, the recess 961 on the bottom 95 of the second-type wafer pod 902 placed on the operating plate 21 is relatively distant from the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 due to a depth of the recess 961. That is, a distance between the light sensor 81 of the sensor unit 8 and the recess 961 at the specific zone 96 of the bottom 95 is relatively longer. Therefore, it is also possible to detect the wafer pod placed on the operating plate 21 is a second-type wafer pod 902 by detecting the longer distance between the light sensor 81 and the bottom 95 with light. Similarly, by simultaneously using the light sensor 81 and the pushbutton-type optical sensor 82 to perform the sensing function, a double-check effect can be obtained.
After the second-type wafer pod 902 is placed on the operating plate 21, the gas ports 97 are correspondingly aligned with and connected to the second nozzles 4 while the first nozzles 3 lower than the second nozzles 4 by a predetermined distance do not interfere with the second-type wafer pod 902.
With the second-type wafer pod 902 placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2, the controller 7 can be operated to control the gas charger 6 to charge the gas 62 into the second-type wafer pod 902 via the second nozzles 4 and the gas ports 97. More specifically, the gas 62 enters the second nozzles 4 via the second gas inlets 42 of the inner tubes 43 and then leaves the second nozzles 4 via the second gas outlets 41 of the inner tubes 43 into the gas ports 97 and the second-type wafer pod 902. In the process of gas charging, the rubber ring members 411 connected to the top of the gas outlets 41 of the second nozzles 4 are tightly engaged with the gas ports 97 of the second-type wafer pod 902 to prevent gas leaking thereat.
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What is to be noted is that the wafer pod gas charging apparatus of the present invention is provided with three locating modules 5, each of which includes a pushbutton-type optical sensor 52. When a wafer pod 9, either the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902, is placed on the operating plate 21 of the machine 2 to correspondingly press against the pushbutton-type optical sensors 52, the same pushbutton-type optical sensors 52 with the above-described sensing function can also be used to detect whether the wafer pod 9, either the first-type wafer pod 901 or the second-type wafer pod 902, is correctly positioned on the operating plate 21 based on the principle that three points define a plane.
Further, the gas pressure sensor 611 included in the control unit 61 of the gas charger 6 serves to detect whether the pressure of the charged gas is in a normal range in the process of gas charging. In the event the detected gas pressure is lower than or higher than a preset range, the gas charger 6 can be immediately turned off in consideration of safety in use.
With the above arrangements, the present invention is novel, improved and industrially valuable. The present invention is novel and improved because it includes a machine provided with structurally changed nozzles, so that the same one machine is adapted to charge gas into different types of wafer pods at reduced cost. The present invention is industrially valuable because products derived from it would no doubt fulfill the current market demands.
The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A wafer pod gas charging apparatus for using with a wafer pod, the wafer pod including a bottom, on which a specific zone, at least two gas ports and at least three locating holes are provided; the wafer pod gas charging apparatus comprising:
- a machine having an operating plate for carrying the wafer pod thereon and correspondingly contacting with the bottom of the wafer pod;
- a sensor unit being mounted on the operating plate of the machine at a position corresponding to the specific zone on the bottom of the wafer pod;
- at least two first nozzles being mounted on the operating plate of the machine at predetermined positions;
- at least two second nozzles being mounted on the operating plate of the machine at other predetermined positions; each of the second nozzles including an inner tube, an outer sleeve, and an elastic element; the elastic element being fitted in the outer sleeve, and the inner tube being received in the outer sleeve to press against the elastic element, such that the inner tube is axially movable in the outer sleeve due to the elasticity of the elastic element;
- at least three locating modules being mounted on the operating plate of the machine; each of the locating modules including a locating pin, and the locating pins of the locating modules being correspondingly inserted into the locating holes on the bottom of the wafer pod;
- a gas charger being arranged on the machine for containing a type of gas therein; the gas charger communicating with the at least two first nozzles and the at least two second nozzles and including a control unit; and
- a controller being arranged on the machine to electrically connect to the control unit of the gas charger and the sensor unit;
- wherein either the at least two first nozzles or the at least two second nozzles are correspondingly connected to the at least two gas ports on the wafer pod.
2. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is a light sensor electrically connected to the controller.
3. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor unit is a pushbutton-type optical sensor electrically connected to the controller.
4. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specific zone is formed with a recess.
5. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gas contained in the gas charger is nitrogen.
6. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit of the gas charger includes a gas pressure sensor.
7. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elastic element in each of the second nozzles is a spring.
8. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first nozzles includes a rubber ring member.
9. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the second nozzles includes a rubber ring member.
10. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the locating modules includes a pushbutton-type optical sensor correspondingly pressed against the bottom of the wafer pod.
11. The wafer pod gas charging apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner tube of each of the second nozzles has a nut screwed thereto.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 9, 2012
Publication Date: Feb 13, 2014
Applicant: SANTA PHOENIX TECHNOLOGY INC. (Hsinchu City)
Inventor: CHUAN-HUA CHOU (Hsinchu City)
Application Number: 13/570,879
International Classification: B65B 17/00 (20060101);