Silicon shelf towers
US7713355B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 27, 2006 |
| Grant date | May 11, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 18, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67309
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A silicon shelf tower for hatch thermal processing of silicon wafers in a vertical furnace. The tower includes at least three silicon legs joined to bases and having a vertical arrangement of slots. Silicon shelves are detachably loaded by sliding them through the slots in the side legs and into the slot of the back leg. A interlocking mechanism detachably locks the shelves to the back leg while the slots in the two side legs laterally constrains the shelves. The shelves include cutouts to allow a robot paddle to load and unload wafers to the shelves. Circular holes in the shelves relieve stress and prevent wafer sticking Preferably, the shelves are formed from randomly oriented polycrystalline silicon. The shelves and towers can alternatively be made of other materials such as quartz and silicon carbide.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.