JPH11354624A - Board container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a board container which enables identification part of a board container which is accessible to a processing device to be compact and common, restrains investment amount, and cuts management processes. SOLUTION: This container has a container body 1 for containing a board, covering body for sealing and covering an opening front of the container body 1 and a bottom plate 22 which is fixed by screwing to a bottom of the container body 1. Both the rear sides of the bottom of the container body 1 are made a plurality of process identifying regions 24 and ribs 25, 25A are formed projectingly in each process identification region 24. An identification projection of another part which shows a use process of the container body 1 is selectively fit and fixed to either of a plurality of ribs 25, 25A. Furthermore, the bottom plate 22 is formed into almost a Y-shape and an avoidance part 31 for each process identification region 24 is divided and formed in both sides of a rear part thereof. Since an identification projection is fit and fixed to either of a pair of ribs 25, 25A according to the use process of a board container 100, it is not necessary to manufacture plural kinds of board containers 100 which correspond to the plural use processes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for storing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter abbreviated as "wafer") therein, transporting the substrate, positioning the substrate with respect to a processing apparatus for processing and processing, and controlling the distance between processing apparatuses. The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for transport and / or storage, and more particularly, to an identification member for distinguishing a process of using a substrate storage container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Substrates, such as wafers and mask glass, involved in the manufacture of semiconductors have been increased in diameter (for example, 250 mm, 300 mm to 400 m, etc.) for the purpose of cost reduction by improving yield due to severe price competition for semiconductor devices.
m or more) at a rapid pace. At the same time, as semiconductor circuits are being miniaturized more and more, not only factories for processing substrates, but also substrate storage containers used for transporting substrates are required to be highly clean. As a method to fulfill such demands, a method is adopted in which only the processes required for substrate processing are performed in a highly clean environment, and the substrate is transported using a closed substrate storage container between the clean environments. Have been. Under these circumstances, development of a substrate storage container capable of transporting stored substrates without contaminating them and allowing direct access to a processing apparatus is being promoted.

A conventional substrate container 100 used for transporting a substrate and positioning the substrate with respect to a processing apparatus 32 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (b), a container body 1 for aligning and storing a plurality of substrates (not shown), a lid 15 for sealing and covering the front of the opening of the container body 1, and a bottom surface of the container body 1 A bottom plate or a bottom plate portion (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a bottom plate) 22 which is mounted or integrally formed and covers the entire bottom surface is provided, and is positioned and connected to the processing device 32.

[0004] A latch mechanism (not shown) and a latch plate (not shown) that slides by the operation of the latch mechanism are connected to and built in the lid 15, and the latch mechanism is operated by locking or unlocking from outside. The opening front of the container main body 1 and the not-shown locking claws of the latch plate are fitted and disengaged, and the lid 15 is attached or detached. On the bottom surface of the bottom plate 22, an identification protrusion 27 and a concave portion 43 are formed at an interval from each other.

The processing apparatus 32 includes a load board 33 on which the substrate storage container 100 is mounted.
A detection sensor 34 for an identification protrusion and one or a plurality of interlock pins 35 for preventing incorrect mounting and connection of the substrate storage container 100 are arranged at an interval from each other.

In the above configuration, when processing and processing a substrate, first, the substrate storage container 100 is positioned and connected to the load board 33 of the processing device 32 via the bottom plate 22. Is unlocked, the locking claw is released from the front (not shown) of the container body 1 (the rear surface perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 15A and 15B), and the lid 15 is opened from the front of the container body 1. Removed. At this time, the detection sensor 34 of the load board 33 detects and confirms the identification protrusion 27 to detect the presence or absence of the substrate storage container. Further, the concave portion 43 of the bottom plate is loosely fitted to the interlock pin 35 to effectively avoid the interference. When the lid 15 is removed in this manner, the substrate is loaded from the inside of the substrate storage container 100 into the processing device 32 and taken in.
After that, it is processed and processed.

In semiconductor device manufacturers, for example, contamination of the substrate storage container 100 used before and after the formation of a thin film on a wafer: particles, organic molecules, which adversely affect processing accuracy and device characteristics on the surface of the wafer. Or a metal deposition film or the like is attached), the substrate storage container 100A for taking in the substrate before metal deposition and the substrate storage container 100B for taking in the processed substrate are particularly distinguished. Used separately. In view of this point, the substrate storage container 100A used on the substrate supply side for metal deposition processing (hereinafter, referred to as a pre-process), and the substrate storage container 100B used after metal deposition (hereinafter, referred to as a post-process), Fig. 15 (a), (b)
As shown in (2), the identification protrusion 27 and the concave portion 43 are provided at different positions to facilitate the identification.

As related prior art documents of this kind,
JP-T-61-502994, JP-T-63-50325
No. 9, Tokuyo Sho 63-500691, Tokuhei 6-384
No. 43, JP-B-7-46694, and JP-A-8-27
No. 9546 and the like.

[0009]

The conventional substrate container is constructed as described above, but the substrate diameter is increased.
(For example, a 300 mm wafer), the size of the wafer becomes extremely large, and an increase in equipment and equipment investment is caused. In order to improve these points, in recent years, the substrate storage container 100 and the processing apparatus 3
Standardization of No. 2 is in progress.

However, in semiconductor device manufacturers, the processing and processing steps of the substrate are complicated and diversified. For example, in the post-process of forming a thin film by metal vapor deposition, the substrate storage container 100B is unnecessarily contaminated by the substrate to be stored. It will be. Therefore, when storing the substrate in the previous process, the substrate storage container 100A that is not contaminated is used.
Must be used separately from the contaminated substrate storage container 100B. For this reason, even if the main part of the substrate storage container 100 is configured to be the same, the specifications such as the identification protrusions 27 for distinguishing the pre-process and the post-process of the substrate are different. Either two types of molding dies must be manufactured and separately molded, or a method must be adopted in which identification portions such as identification projections are nested so that they can be replaced.

However, in such a method, since a plurality of dies must be formed, the investment amount of the dies increases. Also, the substrate storage container 100 obtained by molding, if the identification portion is smaller than the whole, or if the identification portion is provided at the bottom,
Since it is very difficult to distinguish them in appearance, there arises a problem of complicating product management and inventory management. In addition, in the assembling process and the inspecting process of the substrate storage container 100, there is a problem that the product is mixed with or mixed with other types or a contamination occurs.

Further, in a semiconductor device maker using the substrate storage container 100, a substrate storage container 100A used in a previous process and a substrate storage container 10
It is very difficult to know which one of 0B is missing because of the complicated process. Therefore, in the case of shortage of the substrate storage containers 100, an order must be placed with a short delivery time, or two types of substrate storage containers 100 must be stocked.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has been made to reduce the size and commonality of an identification portion of a substrate storage container accessible to various types of processing apparatuses, to reduce the amount of investment, and to reduce the number of management steps. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive substrate storage container.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a container body for accommodating a substrate and a lid for sealing and covering one end face of an opening of the container body are provided. Wherein a plurality of process identification areas are formed on a part of the bottom surface of the container body, and attachment means are provided in each of the process identification areas, and the container is provided at one or more locations of the plurality of attachment means. It is characterized in that an identification member of another component indicating a use process of the main body is selectively provided, and an avoidance portion for each process identification region is formed on the bottom surface. The identification member can be detachably attached to the attachment means.

Here, the substrate in the claims includes at least one or more liquid crystal cells, quartz glass, semiconductor wafers (such as silicon wafers), or mask glass used in the field of manufacturing electric, electronic, or semiconductor products. Etc. are included. Further, the bottom of the container includes both the bottom itself and, if necessary, a bottom plate integrally formed with the bottom. It does not matter whether the bottom plate is detachable. The number of the process identification areas is not particularly limited, but it is sufficient that at least one area is provided, and usually two areas are provided. Each attachment means is preferably a boss, but is not particularly limited to this, and may be a projection such as a column or a prism, or a recess such as a hole. Further, it is also possible to provide a plurality of projections, screws, grooves, or the like on the inner peripheral surface and / or the outer peripheral surface of the attachment means corresponding to the identification member.

The shape of the identification member may be the same or different for each process. In this identification member, a portion provided in all or a part of the attachment means is formed in a boss, a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, or the like, and a single or plural protrusions, fasteners such as screws, or grooves are provided in the remaining portion. . The attachment means and the identification member can be integrally formed using heat welding, ultrasonic welding, an adhesive, hot melt, or the like, or can be detachably attached using a fitting such as fitting or a screw. It is also possible to adopt a different configuration. Further, the avoiding portion may be formed in a shape such that the bottom plate does not interfere with each process identification area, or a plurality of cutouts, through holes, etc., exposing the mounting means may be formed on the bottom plate substantially corresponding to the bottom surface of the container body. Is formed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate storage container and the identification member are not integrated from the beginning of manufacture, but may be attached to any of the plurality of mounting means of the container main body in accordance with the process in which the substrate storage container is used. Since an identification member, which is a separate component, is provided as required at the time of receiving an order or assembling, and the substrate storage container corresponding to the use process is assembled, there is no need to manufacture the substrate storage container corresponding to each of the plurality of use processes. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the increase in the amount of equipment and its investment, etc., and to reduce the cost.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the identification member is detachable, if the identification member is detached from one attachment means of the substrate storage container and the identification member is attached to the other attachment means, it is possible to achieve the following. The substrate storage container used in the step can be used in another step.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5, FIG. 6, etc., the substrate storage container according to the present embodiment includes a container main body 1 for aligning and storing a plurality of substrates W (see FIG. 3) made of, for example, 400 mm wafers, and this container main body. 1. A lid 15 for sealing and closing the front surface, which is one end face of the opening, and a bottom plate 22 mounted on the bottom surface of the container body 1, a pair of process identification areas 24 on the bottom surface of the container body 1, Are provided, and an identification protrusion 27 (see FIG. 9) of another component, which is an identification member, is provided, and an avoidance portion 31 for each process identification region 24 is formed on the bottom plate 22. ing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 1 is made of a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin, and is formed into an open box structure in which at least a portion where the aligned and stored state of the substrates W can be visually recognized is transparent. Strength, rigidity, and transparency are ensured, and are standardized based on SEMI standards. Antistatic treatment is performed as necessary. The container main body 1 has a grip handle 2 to be gripped by the ceiling transporter screwed at the center of the ceiling via a fastener, and a plurality of bosses formed on the bottom surface at predetermined intervals so as to protrude. I have.

The peripheral edge of the front of the opening of the container body 1 is formed to bulge outward to form a rim portion 3, and a step surface inside the rim portion 3 forms a sealing surface 4. Above and below the inner peripheral surface of the rim 3, a plurality of locking recesses 3a (a total of four in this embodiment) are formed at predetermined intervals.
Further, a pair of manual grippers 1a are preferably detachably attached to both side walls of the container body 1, respectively.

FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) show the inner rear surface of the container body 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a rear retainer 5 is integrally or detachably mounted and fixed, and a pair of substrate support plates 6 facing each other are disposed on both inner sides of the container body 1.
As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) and FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the rear retainer 5 is formed by molding a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin, a thermoplastic elastomer or the like which has little contamination and has elasticity. It is formed into a plate shape as a material. The rear retainer 5 is usually subjected to an antistatic treatment, and a plurality of (for example, 25) U-shaped or V-shaped shelf grooves 7 for resiliently holding the peripheral portion of the substrate W are provided at the center.
Book) are arranged side by side, with recesses 8 for mounting on both sides
Is fixed to the container main body 1 by the concave portion 8 or the mounting material.

As shown in FIG. 4, each substrate support plate 6 includes a shelf plate 9 for supporting the substrate W in a horizontal state.
A top plate 10 is provided above the shelf plate 9, and a substantially semi-circular under plate 11 is provided below the shelf plate 9.
Are provided respectively. The shelf plate 9 is formed to have a uniform thickness, and a plurality of shelf grooves (for example, 25) 12 having a U-shaped or V-shaped cross section are formed on the wall surface in a vertical direction. The peripheral portions of the substrate W are elastically supported on the respective substrates 12.

The top plate 10 is slightly curved in a semicircular arc, and is formed to have a substantially inverted hat-shaped cross section.
A plurality of mounting holes 13 (two in FIG. 4) to be inserted into the uppermost pin of the shelf plate 9 are formed in the central concave portion, and through holes 14 for mounting the container body 1 are formed at both free ends. Each through hole 14 and a projection (not shown) on the inner surface of the ceiling of the container body 1 are fitted to each other. In the present embodiment, the shelf plate 9 and the top plate 10 have different structures, but a molded integral structure is preferable.

The lid 15 has an outer surface plate 16 and an inner surface plate 17 formed of the same or different synthetic resin as the container body 1 facing each other, and a latch mechanism 18 is provided in a space between these plates 16 and 17. Is built-in. Rectangular keyholes 16 for the latch mechanism are provided on both sides of the surface of the outer plate 16.
are punched at intervals, and the latch mechanism 18 operates using the pair of keyholes 16a. Further, a front retainer 19 of the same configuration facing the rear retainer 5 is detachably mounted and fixed to the inner surface plate 17. A frame-shaped gasket 20 made of various thermoplastic elastomers, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, or the like is removably fitted through projections, grooves, and the like. The sealing surface 4 is pressed against the sealing surface 4 for sealing.

As shown in FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b), the latch mechanism 18 is rotatably supported by protrusions on both sides of the inner surface of the inner plate 17 so as to be rotatable. Oscillating pins 18 are provided on the outer peripheral portion of each disk 180.
And a plurality of latch plates 182 connected to each other through the first latch plate 182. The disk 180 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a hole at the center is used for locking and unlocking. Also,
Each latch plate is located on each of the upper and lower sides of the inside of the lid 15, and a locking claw 183 that penetrates a through hole on the outer periphery of the lid 15 protrudes from a tip portion thereof.
83 fits into and engages with the locking recess 3 a of the rim 3.

The bottom plate 22 is formed in a substantially Y-shape using a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, acrylic resin, polyetheretherketone, or polybutylene terephthalate, and is connected to a plurality of bosses on the bottom surface of the container body 1 with fasteners. It is screwed. A buoy group 23 made of polyetheretherketone, polybutylene terephthalate, or polycarbonate, which is excellent in wear resistance, is screwed to each side of the front portion (upward in FIG. 5) and the rear portion of the bottom plate 22 via fasteners. ing. The plurality of buoy groups 23 are formed to have a substantially V-shaped cross section based on the SEMI standard, and the load board 33 of the processing apparatus 32 (see FIG. 15).
When the substrate storage container 100 is mounted on the substrate, the substrate storage container 100 is positioned. Although the bottom plate 22 and the plurality of buoy groups 23 may be integrally formed, it is most preferable that the bottom plate 22 and the plurality of buoy groups 23 are detachable separately.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each process identification area 24 is provided on both sides behind the bottom surface of the container body 1 based on the SEMI standard. Also, each rib 25, 25A is shown in FIG.
And the container body 1 based on the SEMI standard as shown in FIG.
Are formed integrally with each other in the process identification region 24 in a boss shape. The SEMI standard is described in detail below.
According to the X22 and Y9 dimensions of FIG. 04 of FIG. 5, the identification protrusion 27 and the recess 43 for identifying the container body 1 are required at the positions of A and B on both sides behind the bottom surface of the container body 1 (FIG. 5). reference).

That is, in the case of the substrate storage container 100A used in the pre-process of the substrate processing, the horizontal position of the processing device 32 is set at the position B in the fourth quadrant of the XY coordinate centered on the center of the bottom surface of the container body 1. An identification protrusion 27 for avoiding interference with the interlock pin 35 is required at a position at a height of 9 mm or more from the reference plane, and at a position A in the third quadrant,
An identification protrusion 27 for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate storage container 100 is required at a position at a depth of 2 mm or more from the horizontal reference plane of the processing device 32.

On the other hand, in the case of the substrate storage container 100B used in the post-process of the substrate processing, on the contrary, at the position B in the fourth quadrant, at least 2 mm downward from the horizontal reference plane of the processing device 32. The position requires the identification protrusion 27, and the third
At the position A in the quadrant, the identification protrusion 27 is required at a position at a height of 9 mm or more from the horizontal reference plane of the processing device 32. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in view of the SEMI standard,
Ribs 25 and 25A are integrally formed at positions A and B in the process identification area 24, respectively. Each rib 25
As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9 (a), it has a cylindrical shape, and an annular groove 26 is formed in the inner peripheral surface thereof so as to be recessed over the entire circumference.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the identification projection 27
It is basically formed in a pin shape using a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin. The identification protrusion 27
The upper part is the fitting part 28 with a reduced diameter, and the lower part is the detection sensor 34.
The protrusions 29 are respectively formed on the enlarged diameter protrusions 29 and are formed on the peripheral surface of the fitting portion 28.
Are formed over the entire circumference. In addition, the identification protrusion 2
7 can be made of a material other than polycarbonate or acrylic resin, as long as it does not hinder mounting and detection.

Further, the avoidance section 31 is provided for each process identification area 2.
The bottom plate 22 is formed into a substantially Y-shape so that the bottom plate 22 does not overlap with the base plate 4. The other parts are the same as in the conventional example, and the description is omitted. In this connection, as shown in FIG. 7, a reduced rectangular bottom plate 22 may be fixed only to the center of the required bottom surface of the container body 1, and the buoy groups 23 may be independently arranged. .

In the above configuration, when an order is received for the substrate storage container 100, the order depends on whether the substrate storage container 100 is used in a preceding process or a subsequent process.
The identification projection 27 may be fitted and fixed to one of the pair of ribs 25 and 25A of the substrate storage container 100 and assembled.

When performing predetermined processing and processing on the substrate W stored in the substrate storage container 100, first, the substrate storage container 100 is positioned on the load board 33 of the processing device 32 via the bottom plate 22. Connected
The latch mechanism 18 of the lid 15 is unlocked and the container body 1 is opened.
The locking claw 183 is removed from the front of the container body 1, and the lid 15 is removed from the front of the container body 1. At this time, load board 33
The detection sensor 34 detects the identification protrusion 27 and detects the presence or absence of the substrate storage container 100. Also free ribs
(Either of 25 and 25A) is the interlock pin 35.
To avoid the interference effectively. When the lid 15 is removed in this manner, the substrate W is placed in the substrate storage container 1.
00 and loaded into the processing device 32, and then processed and processed.

According to the above configuration, according to the process of using the substrate storage container 100, the identification projection 27 can be fitted and fixed to one of the pair of ribs 25 and 25A.
There is no need to manufacture any type of substrate storage container 100. Therefore, there is no need to mold a plurality of dies at all, and an increase in the investment amount of the dies can be prevented very effectively to reduce costs. In addition, the substrate storage container 1
With the common use of 00, remarkable simplification of product management and inventory management can be expected. Also, there is no risk of contamination or mixing with other types even in the assembly process and the inspection process of the substrate storage container 100. In addition, since it becomes very easy to grasp the insufficient substrate storage container 100, it is possible to place an order with a short delivery time or to use the two types of substrate storage containers 100.
It is possible to reliably eliminate the necessity of holding zero inventory.

Further, since the container body 1 is integrally formed using a polycarbonate resin or the like, the weight can be reduced and the moldability can be significantly improved. When the substrate storage container 100 storing the substrate W is used as a transport container, the front retainer 19 and the rear retainer 5 hold the front and rear peripheral portions of the substrate W, so that the adverse effect of vibration on the substrate W is effectively eliminated. And the breakage of the substrate W can be prevented very effectively. In addition, since a pair of substrate support plates 6 as separate parts are used, and each substrate support plate 6 is formed into a small and simple shape using resin having excellent moldability, the occurrence of dimensional variation due to warpage or the like is prevented. Can be expected.

Further, when antistatic treatment or conductivity is given to the container body 1, the substrate support plate 6, the front retainer 19, the rear retainer 5, and the like, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering due to static electricity and prevent contamination of the substrate W. In addition, the production yield can be greatly improved. Furthermore,
Since the rear retainer 5, the substrate support plate 6, the front retainer 19, and the bottom plate 22 are replaceable, if there is a concern that parts may be contaminated or worn, the target part may be replaced and cleaned. The main body 1 can be used any number of times.

Next, FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b) show a second embodiment of the present invention.
An annular convex portion 30 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of 5A so as to protrude over the entire circumference.
An annular groove 26 that fits tightly is recessed over the entire circumference. Other parts are the same as in the above embodiment. Also in the present embodiment, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be expected with a simple configuration.

Next, FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) show a third embodiment of the present invention.
A female screw 36 is formed by screwing over the entire circumference on the inner peripheral surface of 5A,
On the peripheral surface of the fitting portion 28 of the identification projection 27, a male screw 37 screwed into the female screw 36 is formed by threading over the entire circumference. Other parts are the same as in the above embodiment. In addition,
The female screw 36 is appropriately processed at the time of molding or after molding on the inner peripheral surface of each rib 25.

In this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiment can be expected with a simple configuration, and the identification projection 27 can be set in a detachable manner. The identification protrusion 27 is removed from the rib (25A or 25A), and the other rib (25A
25), the substrate storage container 100A used in the previous step can be used in the subsequent step.

Next, FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) show a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
A female screw 36 is formed by screwing over the entire circumference on the inner peripheral surface of 5A,
The identification projection 27 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a screw 38 is detachably screwed onto the female screw 36 at the center thereof. Other parts are the same as in the above embodiment. In this embodiment, it is apparent that the same operation and effect as in the above embodiment can be expected with a simple configuration.

FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b) show a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this case, instead of the ribs 25 and 25A, the process identification areas 24 of the container body 1 are provided. The fitting pin 39 is integrally formed in a protruding state, and a plurality of key grooves 4 pointing radially outward are formed on the peripheral surface of the fitting pin 39.
0 are formed in the circumferential direction at predetermined intervals, and the identification protrusions 27 are formed.
Is formed in a pin shape, and a fitting hole 41 for tightly fitting with the fitting pin 39 is formed in the upper portion thereof, and a plurality of fittings fitted in the respective key grooves 40 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole 41. The grooves 42 are circumferentially recessed at predetermined intervals. Other parts are the same as in the above embodiment. In this embodiment, it is apparent that the same operation and effect as in the above embodiment can be expected with a simple configuration.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of locking recesses 3a are formed on the upper and lower inner peripheral surfaces of the rim 3, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of locking recesses 3a may be formed on both left and right sides of the inner peripheral surface of the rim portion 3, respectively. Also, corresponding to this, the latch mechanism 18
Can be changed. Further, the compressive strength of the front retainer 19 and the compressive strength of the rear retainer 5 may be the same or different, or the compressive strength may be made different by a filler such as glass fiber using the same molding material. In particular, when the compressive strength of the rear retainer 5 is larger than the compressive strength of the front retainer 19, no repulsive force acts on the substrate W every time the lid 15 is opened and the front retainer 19 is removed.
It is possible to effectively prevent the substrate W from jumping out and causing a displacement, or the substrate W from being damaged.

Although the front retainer 19 and the rear retainer 5 have the same structure, as shown in FIG. 14, a reinforcing member 44 made of a metal component may be vertically inserted into the rear retainer 5 for reinforcement. . In addition, each rib 2
It is also possible to dispose the 5.25A and the identification protrusion 27 in a spigot state in which the identification protrusion 27 is loosely fitted. Further, when the container main body 1 and the bottom plate 22 are integrally formed, a plurality of concave holes are formed in the bottom surface of the container main body 1, and the ribs 25
It is also possible to provide attachment means such as.

[0045]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the identification portion of the substrate storage container accessible to various types of processing apparatuses can be reduced in size and shared. Further, it is possible to effectively suppress an increase in equipment and its investment amount, and to reduce the number of management steps.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention,
(a) is a front view of the opening of the container body, and (b) is a perspective view showing the retainer.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention,
(a) is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a retainer, and (b) is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing another retainer.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a substrate support plate in the embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing another bottom plate in the embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention,
(a) is an explanatory view showing a latch mechanism, and (b) is a view of VI in (a).
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line II-VIII.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention,
(a) is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a rib, and (b) is an explanatory view showing an identification protrusion.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a second embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 10A is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a rib, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory view showing an identification projection.

11A and 11B show a third embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 11A is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a rib, and FIG. 11B is an explanatory view showing an identification protrusion.

12 shows a fourth embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 12 (a) is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a rib, and FIG. 12 (b) is an explanatory view showing an identification projection.

13A and 13B show a fifth embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 13A is a partially enlarged sectional view showing a fitting pin, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory view showing an identification protrusion.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing a modified example of the rear retainer in the embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing a conventional substrate storage container and a processing apparatus therefor, and FIG. 15 (a) is an explanatory view showing a state where a substrate storage container used in a previous process is mounted on a load board of the processing apparatus;
(b) is an explanatory view showing a state in which a substrate storage container used in a later process is mounted on a load board of the processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container main body 6 Substrate support plate 15 Lid 18 Latch mechanism 20 Gasket 22 Bottom plate (bottom surface) 23 Buoy group 24 Process identification area 25 Rib (mounting means) 25A Rib (mounting means) 27 Identification protrusion (identification member) 28 Fitting Part 29 Projection part 30 Annular convex part 31 Avoidance part 39 Fitting pin 100 Substrate storage container 100A Substrate storage container 100B used in previous process Substrate storage container W used in post-process W Substrate

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A substrate storage container comprising: a container main body for storing a substrate; and a lid for sealing and covering one end surface of an opening of the container main body. The process identification area is formed, and each step identification area is provided with an attachment means, and an identification member of another part indicating a use process of the container body is selectively provided at one or a plurality of positions of the plurality of attachment means, A substrate storage container, wherein an avoidance portion for each process identification area is formed on a bottom surface. 2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein said identification member is detachably attached to said attachment means.