Wafer handling is the process of transporting a wafer and keeping it safe throughout construction of the semiconductor. The wafer is placed into a wafer carrier, an environment that is kept immaculately clean so to avoid defects. This is where the wafer stays for a majority of the time, whether during processing or packaging. It is very important to keep the wafer protected, as it is the keystone for the entire semiconductor device.

There are several types of containers that can be used for wafer handling. Carriers, made for the purpose of keeping wafers pure and sterile, must be made to a precise specifications. An absolute must is walls with openings that allow solutions to move through in an even way while allowing in minimal detrimental particles. For this reason, they must also be resistant to chemicals. There is also the need to hold a variety of different quantities and sizes of wafer. Carriers must be specifically designed to meet the specifications and requirements of different wafers.

Canisters are also an essential part of wafer handling and protection. They are designed in order to transport wafers safely from one location to another and keeps out harmful and deleterious defects. That being said, it must also be easy to be able to remove the wafer from the container as well, so lids that can be tightly attached but easily removable are essential. There are other requirements for an ideal wafer canister, but, much like wafer carriers, must be designed to fit the specifications of a variety of different wafers, typically ranging from 150mm diameter to 300mm diameter. With the responsibility of keeping the wafer safe, wafer canisters are very important for wafer handling and making sure damage does not occur in the process of semiconductor manufacturing.

For the process of transferring the wafer once outside of its container, wafer handling can lose its complexity. Because they are so small, wafers must be transferred with tiny instruments. Though robots have been created for the purpose of this, the more common ways of wafer transferring are much more low tech. For the first method, a handler uses a pair of tweezers to transport the wafer from one container to another. The wafer must be grasped at its edge to prevent damage or defects to the whole body of the wafer. Another method is to simply take two containers and flip the wafer into the empty one by connecting the openings. These techniques must be carried out in a clean and sterile environment as all wafer handling techniques must be. Though the equipment involved is not often as high tech as most equipment in the semiconductor industry, handling the wafer during transport can be easily done and allow the wafer to make it from place to place unharmed.

Wafer handling has several different aspects to it. No matter what method or for what purpose of handling the wafer, they all must have a few things in common: they should be carried out in a sterile environment, whether in a clean room or the container holding the wafer itself, and they should be done precisely. Even if exact specifications are not made, it is still important to handle the wafer with the utmost of care. Wafer handling, though it does not build upon the semiconductor directly, protects the wafer throughout manufacturing, which makes sure it can function once apart of the device.

Wafer handling is the process of transporting a wafer and keeping it safe throughout construction of the semiconductor. The wafer is placed into a wafer carrier, an environment that is kept immaculately clean so to avoid defects. This is where the wafer stays for a majority of the time, whether during processing or packaging. It is very important to keep the wafer protected, as it is the keystone for the entire semiconductor device.

There are several types of containers that can be used for wafer handling. Carriers, made for the purpose of keeping wafers pure and sterile, must be made to a precise specifications. An absolute must is walls with openings that allow solutions to move through in an even way while allowing in minimal detrimental particles. For this reason, they must also be resistant to chemicals. There is also the need to hold a variety of different quantities and sizes of wafer. Carriers must be specifically designed to meet the specifications and requirements of different wafers.

Canisters are also an essential part of wafer handling and protection. They are designed in order to transport wafers safely from one location to another and keeps out harmful and deleterious defects. That being said, it must also be easy to be able to remove the wafer from the container as well, so lids that can be tightly attached but easily removable are essential. There are other requirements for an ideal wafer canister, but, much like wafer carriers, must be designed to fit the specifications of a variety of different wafers, typically ranging from 150mm diameter to 300mm diameter. With the responsibility of keeping the wafer safe, wafer canisters are very important for wafer handling and making sure damage does not occur in the process of semiconductor manufacturing.

For the process of transferring the wafer once outside of its container, wafer handling can lose its complexity. Because they are so small, wafers must be transferred with tiny instruments. Though robots have been created for the purpose of this, the more common ways of wafer transferring are much more low tech. For the first method, a handler uses a pair of tweezers to transport the wafer from one container to another. The wafer must be grasped at its edge to prevent damage or defects to the whole body of the wafer. Another method is to simply take two containers and flip the wafer into the empty one by connecting the openings. These techniques must be carried out in a clean and sterile environment as all wafer handling techniques must be. Though the equipment involved is not often as high tech as most equipment in the semiconductor industry, handling the wafer during transport can be easily done and allow the wafer to make it from place to place unharmed.

Wafer handling has several different aspects to it. No matter what method or for what purpose of handling the wafer, they all must have a few things in common: they should be carried out in a sterile environment, whether in a clean room or the container holding the wafer itself, and they should be done precisely. Even if exact specifications are not made, it is still important to handle the wafer with the utmost of care. Wafer handling, though it does not build upon the semiconductor directly, protects the wafer throughout manufacturing, which makes sure it can function once apart of the device.