Appeal No. 2006-1377 Page 2
Application No. 10/621,031
BACKGROUND
The appellants’ invention relates to a method of storing a plurality of wafer
assemblies, which may be either wafers or wafers secured to wafer frames, in a
container, wherein the wafer assemblies are provided with at least one alignment
artifact that engages at least one alignment artifact disposed within the container.
Claims 15 and 19 are illustrative of the claimed invention and read as follows:
15. A method of storing a plurality of wafers in a stack
within a wafer storage container, the method
comprising the steps of:
placing each wafer of said plurality of wafers on a
corresponding wafer frame to obtain a plurality of wafer
assemblies, each wafer frame including at least one
alignment artifact disposed thereon, the step of placing
resulting in adhesion between each wafer and
corresponding wafer frame sufficient to prevent
substantial movement of the wafer relative to the
corresponding wafer frame;
sequentially placing each wafer assembly into a
wafer storage chamber to form a stack wherein each
wafer assembly has a known orientation that is visible
when the chamber is uncovered, the step of sequentially
placing including the step of engagement of the at least
one alignment artifact disposed on each wafer frame with
at least one orientation artifact disposed within the wafer
storage container, thereby orienting each wafer frame in
the wafer storage container and preventing substantial
rotational movement of each wafer frame and the wafer
disposed thereon within the storage chamber; and
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