JP2000281171A - Wafer press member and wafer storing container provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wafer press member which can press the upper edge of a wafer to smoothly and surely hold it and which has a simple construction and can be fabricated at a low cost and to provide a wafer storing container provided with the wafer press member. SOLUTION: When a wafer is guided to a locking groove 8a formed from a pair of locking pieces 8f, 8g, the wafer is guided by an inclined surface 8j of a guide piece 8k provided adjacent to one of the locking pieces 8f (8g) to lead the wafer to an inclined surface 8d (8e) of the piece 8f (8g), whereby the wafer is prevented from being simultaneously brought into contact with both the adjoining elastic pieces so that the wafer is not smoothly guided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer holding member attached to an upper lid of a wafer holding container for holding a plurality of wafers and holding an upper edge of the wafer, and a wafer holding container provided with the wafer holding member. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer) is obtained by slicing a single crystal ingot of silicon or the like thinly in a direction perpendicular to the axis, but this is thin and brittle, and furthermore, because it extremely dislikes contamination, Careful consideration is necessary for the transport. In other words, in order to transport the wafers in a clean state, the wafers are stored in a wafer storage container (transportation wafer shipping box) with the wafers placed in a wafer storage in-line basket (inner box), and an airtight cover is placed on the wafer. It is sealed in a state, and further, the outside of the wafer storage container is wrapped and packed in a cardboard box with a cushioning material to reduce impact, and then transported. In order to prevent the wafer from moving with respect to the wafer storage container due to vibration or the like during the transportation or storage, the upper lid includes an upper edge portion of each of the plurality of wafers stored in the wafer storage container. Wafer holding members (upper cushioning members) are provided to press the wafer with elastic pieces.

A conventional example of this kind of wafer storage container will be described below with reference to two examples (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-2272 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-63065).

As shown in FIG. 10, the wafer container described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-2272 has an upper lid 51 and a container 5.
2 and the inner box 53, and there are strip-shaped steps 54 and 55 around the opening edges of the upper lid 51 and the container 52, respectively.
They can be engaged and closed with each other via a packing 56. The inner box 53 has a bowl-shaped cross section, and a number of folds 58... Are provided symmetrically in the arrangement direction of the wafer W inside the upper side walls 57, 57 corresponding to the sides of the bowl. And each adjacent pleat 58, 58
The wafers W... Can be individually accommodated between the left and right side edges thereof. On the other hand, an upper buffer plate 60 is detachably mounted on the lower surface of the upper lid 51 so as to elastically hold the upper edge of each wafer W... To prepare for vibration during transportation.

FIG. 11 shows details of the upper cushioning plate 60, which is, for example, a rectangular frame 61 and a pair of hanging members parallel to the upper side walls 57 of the inner box 53. Each of the descending walls 62, 62 and a plurality of strip-like elastic pieces 63 extending inward from the lower edge of each of the elastic pieces 63. Locking pieces 64 for locking the upper edge of each wafer W... Are provided on the lower surface. The locking piece 64 is composed of a pair of side walls 65 and 66 having a symmetrical cross section.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the side surface is M
It is shaped like a letter. A pair of side walls 65, 66 constituting the locking piece 64 are provided opposite to each other on both sides of each elastic piece 63..., And one side wall 65 of the elastic piece 63a is provided.
a is provided adjacent to a position where a part thereof overlaps with the other side wall 66b of the elastic piece 63b adjacent thereto when viewed from the side, and the side walls 65 and 66 have a planar staggered shape as a whole elastic piece. It is arranged as follows.

In the above configuration, when a large number of wafers W are individually inserted along the folds 58 of the inner box 53,
As shown in FIG. 11 (c), there is no possibility that the upper edge portion Wc gets stuck in the gap P between the elastic pieces 63a and 63b. Can be. On the other hand, the upper edge Wc of the wafer W supported by the upper cushioning plate 60 is fixed by the locking pieces 64 of the upper cushioning plate 60 provided on the inner lower surface of the upper lid 51, and the left and right side edges of the wafer W .. Provided on both side walls 57, 57 are individually supported, so that they sufficiently cope with vibration during transportation or handling of the wafer W. From the locking pieces 64 and contact with other parts to generate fine powder,
No risk of damage.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, a wafer storage container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-63065 has an outer box 71 and an inner box 72 housed in the outer box 71.
And a wafer presser 73. The outer box 71 is composed of a main body 71A and an upper lid 71B.
Although it is overlaid on 1A and joined and integrated with the main body 71A,
Since packing is interposed between the two, the outer box 71 is kept in a sealed state when the upper lid 71B is closed. Further, the inner box 72 is for accommodating a plurality of wafers W in an orderly manner. The upper part of the inner box 72 is open, and a plurality of vertically long ribs are provided inside the opposing side walls in the arrangement direction of the wafers. The ribs are projected at an appropriate pitch, and partition grooves are formed between these ribs. Thus, the wafer is fitted and accommodated in a pair of opposing partition grooves respectively formed in the side walls.

Here, the configuration of the wafer holder 73 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12 is a front sectional view of the wafer holder 73, FIG. 13 is a right side view of FIG. 12, FIG. 14 is a bottom view of FIG. 12, FIG. 15 is an enlarged detailed view of an XV portion of FIG. 14, and FIG. FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in FIG. 15. The wafer retainer 73 is integrally formed of a thermoplastic elastomer (polyester) or the like having a large coefficient of friction and has a rectangular frame 75. A plurality of elastic pieces 76 are bent and arranged in two rows on the left and right in the arrangement direction of the wafers W (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 12). An orienting flat presser 77 long in the direction in which the wafers W are arranged is provided at the center of the row of the pair of left and right elastic pieces 76. The orientation flat presser 77 is used to hold the orientation flat (orientation flat) Wa of the wafer W.
It is for holding down.

As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the lower surfaces of the free ends (contact portions with the wafer W) of the elastic pieces 76.
.., 79b facing downward in the direction of arrangement of the wafers W (the left-right direction in FIG. 15) and the locking pieces 79a,. It protrudes so that it spreads toward). That is, three locking pieces 78a,..., 78b are formed on one elastic body 76A shown in FIG.
The elastic pieces 76B, 76C adjacent to 6A are formed with four locking pieces 79a,..., 79b, respectively. As shown in FIG. 15, one of the locking pieces 78a... Of the elastic piece 76A and the locking piece 79b of the elastic piece 76B and the other locking piece 78b. Piece 76
C are engaged with each other, and as shown in FIG. 17, these engagement pieces 78a.
... and the locking pieces 78b ... 79a ... overlap each other in side view.

Further, as shown in FIG.
, The locking pieces 78b, and the locking pieces 79a,..., And the locking pieces 79b,... Oppose each other to form inclined surfaces, and these locking pieces 78a,. And the locking piece 78b and the locking piece 79a ... and the locking piece 79b.
There are formed grooves (grooves into which the wafer W is to be fitted) 82... Which spread downward (upward in FIG. 17).

As shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of wafers W
.. inner box 72 for housing .. arranged in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing
Is housed in the main body 71A of the outer box 71, and then the upper cover 71B is covered and fixed on the main body 71A as shown in FIG. 19, and the wafer presser 73 attached to the upper cover 71B .. Hold the wafers W... Elastically by pressing the upper edge. That is, the pair of left and right elastic pieces 76 of the wafer retainer 73 abut against the upper edge of the wafer W, and press the wafer W downward with its elastic force to elastically support the wafer W. At this time,
The wafer W has locking pieces 78a... 78b.
, 79b ... are fitted in and supported by the grooves 82, 82, as described above.
And the locking pieces 78b... And the locking pieces 79a... Are engaged with each other and overlap each other in a side view. 1 is formed at the center between the elastic pieces 76, 76, the wafer W does not fall into the gap between the elastic pieces 76, 76 when the upper lid 71B is closed.
The wafer W located at the position indicated by the chain line of FIG.
are automatically located at the center of the groove 82 along a. As a result, all the wafers W.
Are fitted into the grooves 82, and the upper edges thereof are held, and are not sandwiched between the elastic pieces 76.
No damage.

[0012]

However, in the conventional example described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-2272, the locking piece is composed of a set of M-shaped side walls, so that the shape of the side walls is complicated. In addition, in the conventional example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-63065, the locking pieces are formed in a comb-tooth shape and mesh with each other.
The structure becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases. Further, in each of the above conventional examples, the locking piece provided only at the tip of the elastic piece serves not only as a guide for mounting the wafer in the groove but also as a part for forming the groove. In order to securely hold the upper edge of the wafer, the direction of the groove must be accurately formed over the entire length of the locking piece, and a high precision as a mold for manufacturing a wafer holding member. It is necessary to use expensive ones, and as a result,
There will be a further increase in manufacturing costs.

In order to solve the above problem, the present applicant has proposed a new wafer holding member for a wafer container (see Japanese Patent Application No. 8-31046). This wafer storage container will be described with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20B are a front view and a side view, respectively, of the wafer container. FIG. 21 shows FIG.
FIG. 9 is a view showing a locking structure of the wafer storage container shown in FIG. 0, and shows a state in which both first and second hook members 19 and 20 are locked to the upper lid 24. FIG. 22 is a front view of the wafer holding member shown in FIG. 21, and FIG.
2, FIG. 24 is a view taken along line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 23, FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of each elastic piece which is a main part of FIG.
FIG. 26 is a view for explaining a process until the upper edge portion of the wafer is held in the locking groove.

First, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21,
The upper lid 24 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view is locked to the outer box main body 25 by a pair of locking mechanisms A, A described later at positions facing each other. The upper lid 24 and the outer box main body 25 form a wafer storage container, which stores a plurality of wafers W in an orderly state.

The plurality of wafers W are neatly contained in an inner box (basket) 33 called a partition provided in the outer box body 25. The upper part of the inner box 33 is open, and a plurality of vertically long ribs 34 project inside the pair of opposed side walls at an appropriate pitch in the arrangement direction of the wafers W (the direction perpendicular to the drawing in FIG. 21). A plurality of partition grooves are formed between the ribs 34. And
Each of the wafers W is fitted into a pair of opposing partition grooves formed on the side wall, and is arranged in order. When the upper lid 24 is in close contact with the outer box main body 25, the lower surface of the top plate 24 c of the upper lid 24 is in contact with and presses the upper edge of each of the wafers W arranged in order. Wafer holding member (upper cushioning member) having a plurality of elastic pieces (wafer holding pieces) 36
35 are mounted. Thus, even when the wafer container is transported, the wafer W is stably held and does not move.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the peripheral edge of the lower end opening of the upper lid 24 is formed on an inner side wall 24b forming an inner / outer double wall.
(Flange portion) 24e having an outer wall 24a
Are formed. In addition, an inner wall 25b and an outer wall 25a, which also form an inner / outer double wall, are formed at the opening peripheral edge at the upper end of the outer box main body 25. Note that reference numeral 25c
Indicates a large-diameter side wall surrounding the upper part of the outer box main body 25. As shown in the drawing, in a state where the upper lid 24 is covered and locked on the upper end opening of the outer box main body 25, the outer walls 24a and 25a of the upper lid 24 and the outer box main body 25 are fitted to each other. With the upper lid 24 and the outer box body 2
The inner walls 24a, 25a of the fifth 5 are also fitted to each other. The annular space surrounded by the inner and outer walls 25b and 25a of the outer box main body 25 is a seal member mounting groove 28 for mounting a seal member (for example, an O-ring) 26. On the other hand, on the lower surface of the protruding portion 24e of the upper lid 24, the sealing member 26
A protrusion 27 having an inverted chevron shape in section is formed in an annular shape. The lower end of the projection 27 presses the sealing member 26 in line contact, and the upper lid 2 is pressed by the sealing action with the sealing member 26.
The outside air is prevented from entering the wafer container from the joint between the outer box body 4 and the outer box body 25.

The locking mechanism A will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 21. Brackets 31 are integrally provided on opposing side walls of the outer box body 25, respectively.
The lower end of the first hook member 19 is rotatably provided on each bracket 31 via a pin member 32 (see the arrow B direction). The first hook member 19 is substantially concave in side view (illustrated in FIG. 20B), and the lower end of the second hook member 20 has a pin member 30 in its upper concave portion.
(See arrow C direction). An air circulation hole 40 is formed in the side wall 24 d of the upper lid 24, and the air circulation hole 40 is sealed by the side wall 24 d being pressed by the second hook member 20 in the state shown in FIG. 21.

On both sides of the upper end of the first hook member 19 are formed projections 24f and 24g which can be engaged with the upper surface of the projection (flange) 24e of the upper lid 24 (see FIG. 20 (b)). On the other hand, the second hook member 20 is formed so as to be bent in a substantially "U" shape, and can be locked to the top plate portion 24c of the upper lid 24 at its upper end. Reference numeral 37 denotes a push-up protrusion provided on the upper lid 24. The push-up protrusion 37 is provided integrally with the side wall 24d of the upper lid 24 at a position overlapping with the second hook member 20 so as to protrude to the side. The second hook member 20 includes
A recess 20a into which the push-up projection 37 is inserted is formed in a state in which the push-up projection 37 is engaged with the top plate 24c.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 22 to 26, the wafer holding member 35 detachably mounted on the lower surface of the upper lid 24 is provided vertically downward from both sides of the main body 35a and has a substantially "C" -like shape. A plurality of strip-shaped elastic pieces 36 are provided. On one side of the wafer holding member 35 (for example, the left side in FIGS. 22 and 23), the number of the elastic pieces 36 is equal to the number of the wafers W to be accommodated. Since it is provided on both sides, the total number of elastic pieces 36 is equal to twice the maximum number of wafers accommodated. Note that the upper lid 24 is made of an outer box body (container body) 25
2, each elastic piece 36 receives a force from each wafer W, and the angle θ between the elastic pieces 36 on both sides (FIG. 2).
2) is approximately 90 °. The wafer holding member 35 is formed integrally with a resin having a large friction coefficient, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer (polyester).

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26,
A pair of guide pieces 41 each having inwardly inclined surfaces 48a and 48b for guiding the upper edge of the wafer W at both ends in the width direction of the lower surface of the distal end of each elastic piece 36.
a, 41b are provided alternately in the length direction of the elastic pieces 36, and the adjacent guide pieces 41 of the adjacent elastic pieces 36 are provided.
Part of b, 41a overlaps in the width direction of the elastic piece. In this example, the overlap amount (overlap amount) H
(See FIG. 25) is equal to the gap amount between the elastic pieces 36. The lower surfaces on both sides in the width direction of the guide pieces 41a and 41b are flat portions 43 and 44, respectively.

A pair of locking pieces 42a, 42b having inwardly inclined surfaces 49a, 49b for holding the upper edge of the wafer W on the lower surface of the elastic piece 36 on the base side of the guide pieces 41a, 41b. Is provided. A wafer mounting groove (locking groove) 47 is formed between the pair of locking pieces 42a and 42b. In addition, each locking piece 42a, 4
The lower surfaces of both sides in the width direction of 2b are flat portions 45, 46, and the inclination angles of the inclined surfaces 49a, 49b are inclined surfaces 48a,
48b.

In the above-configured wafer storage container, when the inner box 33 accommodating a plurality of wafers W is mounted in the outer box body 25 and the outer box body 25 is covered with the upper lid 24, As shown in FIG.
The upper edge portion (indicated by a two-dot chain line) abuts one of the inclined surfaces 48a, 48b of the corresponding pair of guide pieces 41a, 41b. Adjacent guide pieces 41 of adjacent elastic pieces 36
b and 41a overlap in the width direction of the elastic piece 36, so that the upper edge of the wafer W
There is no risk of being inserted between the six. In this state, since the force exerted on the elastic piece 36 from the wafer W is small, the elastic piece 36 is not largely deformed, and the angle θ (see FIG. 22) formed by the elastic pieces 36 on both sides becomes smaller than 90 °. ing. The first hook member 19 is rotated to the storage container side, and is locked by the projection 24f (24g) of the first hook member 19 to the projection 24e of the upper lid 24 and pressed downward to seal the upper lid 24 to the outer box main body 25. I do. At this time, the upper lid 24 is slightly lowered, and the wafer W
The upper edge portion (shown by a solid line) is guided by the guide pieces 41a and 41b, and is held in contact with the locking groove 47 between the pair of locking pieces 42a and 42b. In this state, the elastic piece 3
6 is greatly deformed, and the angle θ (see FIG. 22) formed by the elastic pieces 36 on both sides is substantially 90 °. Then, the second hook member 20 is locked to the top plate portion 24c of the upper lid 24 (the state of FIG. 21).

As described above, a pair of guide pieces 41a and 41b are provided alternately at the end of each elastic piece 36, and a pair of locking pieces 42a and 4b are provided behind the guide pieces 41a and 41b.
By providing the locking groove 47 with the 2b, a simple configuration can be achieved. When lowering the upper lid 24 and attaching it to the outer box main body 25, first, each elastic piece 36
The upper edge of the wafer W enters between the pair of guide pieces 41a and 41b, and the inclined surface 48a and 48b guides the wafer W to move to the middle between the pair of guide pieces 41a and 41b. , The wafer W is the locking groove 4
7 and smoothly held.

As described above, the functions of guiding and holding the guide pieces 41a and 41b and the locking pieces 42a and 42b, which are simple in shape, respectively, are shared.
Even when the length and length of the locking pieces 42a and 42b required for the direction and width of the locking groove 47 with high precision are short, the upper edge portion of the wafer W is first guided by the guide pieces 41a and 41b. Can be put in. Since the wafer holding member 35 is integrally formed by a mold, and the length of the locking pieces 42a and 42b requiring high precision may be short, the precision of the mold may be low. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In the wafer container described in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-31046, since the guide pieces 41a and 41b adjacent to each other are overlapped, the inclined wafer W is formed by the guide pieces 41a and 41b. At the same time, the wafer W is not guided smoothly.
In some cases, thereby damaging the wafer W. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to hold down the upper edge portion of a wafer smoothly and reliably, and to have a simple structure and a low manufacturing cost, and a wafer holding member. And a wafer storage container provided with the wafer holding member.

[0026]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an elastic piece presses each upper edge of a plurality of wafers attached to the inside of an upper lid of a wafer container and accommodated in the wafer container. In the wafer holding member configured to hold the wafer, the tip of the elastic piece is formed with a locking groove into which the upper edge of the wafer enters when the upper lid is closed. A pair of locking pieces each having a surface and facing each other are provided, and on the tip side of each of the locking pieces of the elastic piece,
In the process of closing the upper lid, one guide piece having an inclined surface for guiding the upper edge of the wafer to the locking groove is provided on one of the pair of locking pieces facing each other. The guide pieces are provided adjacent to each other, and the tips of the guide pieces are formed in a convex curved surface. According to the first aspect, when guiding the wafer into the locking groove formed by the pair of locking pieces, the wafer is guided by the inclined surface of the guide piece provided adjacent to one of the locking pieces. To the inclined surface of the locking piece. As a result, unlike the related art, a situation in which the wafer simultaneously contacts the guide pieces of the adjacent elastic pieces and is not guided smoothly does not occur. In addition, the wafer is less likely to be damaged by smoothly guiding the wafer in a predetermined direction by the distal end portion of the guide piece formed on the convex curved surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a pair of elastic pieces for locking the upper end of one wafer in the locking groove are provided apart from each other, and the guide pieces provided on these elastic pieces are These are provided on both sides of the locked wafer, respectively. According to the second aspect, one guide piece provided on each of the pair of elastic pieces includes:
Since the wafer is positioned on both sides of the wafer, the wafer is guided by these guide pieces, so that the wafer can be transferred to the inclined surface of the locking piece and guided smoothly to the locking groove.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a pair of elastic pieces for locking the upper end of one wafer in the locking groove are provided apart from each other, and the guide pieces provided on these elastic pieces are It is provided on one side of the locked wafer, respectively. According to the third aspect of the present invention, one guide piece provided on each of the pair of elastic pieces is located on one side of the wafer. It can be delivered to the inclined surface of the locking piece and smoothly guided to the locking groove.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the wafer pressing member according to the first, second or third aspect is mounted inside the upper lid. According to the fourth aspect, the wafer is reliably held by the wafer holding member having the above configuration, so that the wafer can be handled smoothly without swinging during transportation or the like.

[0030]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a wafer container according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the wafer container of FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a front view of a wafer holding member showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. 3, and FIG. View, FIG.
7 is a front view showing the outer box main body, FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a left side view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a wafer holding member showing another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wafer container according to the present embodiment includes an outer box 1 and an inner box 2 housed in the outer box 1. It is divided into an outer box body 3 and an upper lid 4 that can be opened and closed with respect to the outer box body 3. The outer box body 3 is provided with a seal groove 5 having a U-shaped cross section over the entire periphery of the opening having a substantially rectangular cross section in a plan view, and a packing 6 as a seal member is arranged by fitting into the seal groove 5. ing. The outer box main body 3 is self-supporting with four vertical legs 3a provided at four corners, and a main body concave portion 3b is provided between a pair of opposing outer side legs 3a, 3a. A hook / lever member 7 is detachably attached to the upper portion of the side wall forming the concave portion 3b, and transport concave portions 3c and 3d (FIGS. 6 and 8) used for carrying the wafer storage container are provided on the other opposing outer surfaces.
Reference).

A wafer holding member 8 having a plurality of wafer mounting grooves (locking grooves) 8a is removably mounted inside the upper lid 4, while a plurality of wafers W In order to store the wafers in an orderly manner, a plurality of storage grooves 2a facing the wafer mounting grooves 8a are provided. In the hook lever member 7, a hook portion 9 having a pair of engagement recesses 11 and a lever portion 10 having a finger hook portion 15 are connected so as to be separable. The lever portion 10 is rotatably supported by the outer box main body 3, while the engaging protrusion 17 formed on the upper lid 4 enters the engaging concave portion 11 of the hook portion 9 so that the hook -The outer box main body 3 and the upper lid 4 are configured to be locked via the lever member 7.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the wafer holding member 8 is provided with a plurality of pairs of elastic pieces 8c which extend vertically downward from both sides of the main body 8b and spread in a substantially "L" shape. Have been. On one side of the wafer holding member 8, the number of elastic pieces 8c is equal to the number of wafers W to be accommodated. The elastic pieces 8c are provided on both sides of the main body 8b of the wafer holding member 8, and 2 at the upper end of W
Since each position is held, the total number of elastic pieces 8c is set to twice the maximum number of wafers W that can be accommodated. The wafer holding member 8 is integrally formed of a resin having a large coefficient of friction, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer (polyester).

A pair of locking pieces 8f having inwardly inclined surfaces 8d and 8e for pressing the upper edge of the wafer W are provided at both ends in the width direction of the lower surface of the tip of each elastic piece 8c. 8 g are provided. The wafer mounting groove (locking groove) 8 is located between the pair of locking pieces 8f and 8g.
a is formed. The lower surfaces on both sides in the width direction of the locking pieces 8f and 8g connected to the inclined surfaces 8d and 8e are arcuate convex curved surfaces 8h and 8i.

Each of the locking pieces 8f and 8g of the elastic piece 8c
One guide piece 8k having an inclined surface 8j for guiding the upper edge portion of the wafer w to the locking groove 8a is provided at a more distal end side with the pair of locking pieces 8f and 8 facing each other.
g is provided adjacent to one of the locking pieces 8f and 8g. That is, in FIG. 4, in the left elastic piece 8c, the guide piece 8k is provided on the distal end side of the locking piece 8f along with the locking piece 8f, and in the right elastic piece 8c, A guide piece 8k is provided on the distal end side of the locking piece 8g alongside the locking piece 8g.

The distal end surface (lower surface) of each guide piece 8k connected to the inclined surface 8j is a convex curved surface 8m having an arc shape. Further, the guide piece 8k is formed to protrude toward the adjacent elastic piece 8c. Furthermore,
The inclination angles of the inclined surfaces 8d and 8e are larger than those of the inclined surface 8j.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the outer box body 3 has the transfer recesses 3c and 3d formed on the outer surface thereof.
A hanging wall 3e hanging from the upper edge is formed on the upper edge. As shown in FIG. 8, the hanging wall 3e is formed by cutting out a portion 3f where the hook lever 7 is mounted.

The hanging wall 3e and the transfer recess 3
c, 3d, the gap between the fingers 3g, 3g at the time of conveyance.
h. The finger hook portion 3h is formed deeper than the finger hook portion 3g, so that the front and back of the wafer W in the inner box 2 accommodated therein can be distinguished from each other due to the difference in how the finger hooks when carrying. Can be used as a guide. The upper transfer recess 3d is formed with a step 3i at an intermediate portion thereof, and the step 3i can be used as a guide for visually observing the front and back of the wafer W in the inner box 2 with the step 3i.

In the wafer container configured as described above, the inner box 2 in which a plurality of wafers W are accommodated in the accommodating groove 2a is mounted in the outer box body 3 as in the conventional case, and The top cover 4 is put on the box body 3. in this case,
When the upper lid 4 is put on the outer box body 3, the upper end of the wafer W comes into contact with the inclined surfaces 8j of the guide pieces 8k of the corresponding pair of elastic pieces 8c, and moves along these inclined surfaces 8j, Inclined surfaces 8d, 8e of each pair of locking pieces 8f, 8g
And smoothly guided to the locking groove 8a between the locking pieces 8f and 8g to be reliably held.

When the upper lid 4 is firmly brought into close contact with the outer box body 3 to make the inside hermetically sealed, the elastic piece 8c is deformed, and the elastic force causes the wafer W mounted in the locking groove 8a to be deformed. To the storage groove 2 of the inner box 2
a.

The guide piece 8k and the locking piece 8
f, 8g are those whose front end surfaces (lower end surfaces) are convex curved surfaces 8m,
8h and 8i, these convex curved surfaces 8
When the wafer W contacts the m, 8h, and 8i, the contact with the wafer W is soft, the wafer W is not damaged, and the wafer W is
h and 8i are easily led to the inclined surfaces 8j, 8d and 8e.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the guide piece 8k is provided on the left elastic piece 8c, the guide piece 8k is aligned with the lock piece 8f and located on the distal end side with respect to the lock piece 8f. In the case of the elastic piece 8c on the right side, the guide piece 8k, 8k forming a pair with the guide piece 8k, which is provided alongside the lock piece 8g and provided on the distal end side with respect to the lock piece 8g, Although the configuration has been described in which it is arranged on both sides with W interposed therebetween, the arrangement is not limited to this, and it may be arranged as shown in FIG.

That is, both the left and right elastic pieces 8c are provided with the guide pieces 8k, which are arranged side by side with the locking pieces 8f and on the distal end side with respect to the locking pieces 8f.
It may be arranged so as to be located on one side of the wafer W to be guided.

When the inner box 2 accommodating a plurality of wafers W is mounted in the outer box body 3 and the upper lid 4 is put on the outer box body 3, the outer box body 3 By inclining the box 2) and keeping the internal wafer W in a biased state (a state in which the wafer surface is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical plane), the upper edges of the wafers W are aligned in one direction. The upper edge of the wafer W, the guide piece 8k of the elastic piece 8c and the locking pieces 8f and 8g are easily and smoothly engaged.

[0045]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the upper edges of a plurality of wafers mounted in the wafer storage container and held in the wafer storage container are respectively pressed by elastic pieces to press the wafers. In the wafer holding member configured to hold, the front end of the elastic piece has an inclined surface inclined inward to form a locking groove into which the upper edge of the wafer enters when the upper lid is closed. And a pair of locking pieces facing each other are provided, and the upper edge portion of the wafer is formed in the locking groove in the process of closing the upper lid on the tip side of each of the locking pieces of the elastic piece. One guide piece having an inclined surface for guiding is provided adjacent to one of the pair of locking pieces facing each other, and the tip of the guide piece is formed in a convex curved surface. Because When guiding the wafer to the locking groove formed by the pair of locking pieces, the wafer is guided by the inclined face of the guide piece provided adjacent to one locking piece and guided to the inclined face of the locking piece. As a result, unlike the related art, a situation in which the wafer simultaneously contacts adjacent guide pieces of the elastic pieces and is not guided smoothly does not occur. Also, by smoothly guiding the wafer in a predetermined direction by the tip of the guide piece formed on the convex curved surface,
The wafer is less likely to be damaged. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly and surely hold the wafer by pressing the upper edge portion of the wafer, and to achieve an excellent effect that the configuration is simple and the manufacturing cost is low.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a pair of elastic pieces for locking the upper end of one wafer in the locking groove are provided apart from each other, and the guide pieces provided on these elastic pieces are Since the wafer is provided on both sides of the locked wafer, the wafer is guided by these guide pieces, so that the wafer is transferred to the inclined surface of the locked piece, It can be guided smoothly to the groove.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a pair of elastic pieces for locking the upper end of one wafer in the locking groove are provided apart from each other, and the guide pieces provided on these elastic pieces are Since the wafer is provided on one side of the locked wafer, the wafer is guided by these guide pieces, so that the wafer is transferred to the inclined surface of the locking piece and smoothly inserted into the locking groove. Can be guided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, since the wafer holding member according to the first, second, or third aspect is attached to the inside of the upper lid, the wafer is reliably held by the wafer holding member having the above configuration. Accordingly, the wafer can be handled smoothly without being shaken during transportation or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of the wafer storage container of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a wafer holding member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrows VV in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the outer box main body.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a left side view of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a wafer holding member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of a conventional wafer storage container having an upper buffer plate.

11 is a diagram related to the upper cushioning plate of FIG. 10,
(A) is a plan view, (b) is a partially enlarged plan view thereof, (c)
Indicates the operation at the time of wafer insertion, and XII-X in FIG.
It is II sectional drawing.

FIG. 12 is a front sectional view of another conventional wafer retainer.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the wafer holder of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the wafer press of FIG.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged detailed view of an XV part in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 15;

17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a front cross-sectional view of the wafer container before the upper lid is attached to the container main body for explaining the operation of the wafer presser.

FIG. 19 is a front sectional view of the wafer storage container after the upper lid is attached to the storage container main body, for explaining the operation of the wafer presser.

20 (a) and (b) are a front view and a side view of a wafer storage container proposed by the present applicant, respectively.

21 is a view showing a locking structure of the wafer storage container shown in FIG. 20, and shows a state in which both first and second hook members are locked to the upper lid.

FIG. 22 is a front view of a wafer holding member.

FIG. 23 is a bottom view of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a view taken along line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of a main part (a tip of an elastic piece) of FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is an explanatory view showing a process of mounting a wafer in a groove.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W wafer 3 outer box body 4 top lid 8 wafer holding member 8a wafer mounting groove (locking groove) 8c elastic piece 8d, 8e inclined surface 8f, 8g locking piece 8j inclined surface 8k guide piece 8m convex curved surface

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Ueno 3-1, Koganecho, Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture Niigata Works, Mitsubishi Materia Real Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuhiro Endo 5-1-1 Otemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) in Mitsubishi Materials Silicon Corporation 3E096 AA06 BA16 BB04 CA02 CB03 DA05 DA17 DA25 DB06 DB08 DC02 EA02Y FA09 FA10 FA30 GA13 5F031 CA02 DA09 EA10 EA12 EA14 EA19 NA18 PA26

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A wafer holding member which is attached to the inside of an upper lid of a wafer storage container and holds the wafers by holding respective upper edges of a plurality of wafers stored in the wafer storage container with elastic pieces. In order to form a locking groove at the tip of the elastic piece into which the upper edge of the wafer enters when the upper lid is closed, a pair of engagement members each having an inwardly inclined surface and facing each other are formed. A stop piece is provided, and an inclined surface for guiding an upper edge portion of the wafer to the lock groove in a process of closing the upper lid is provided on the distal end side of the elastic piece with respect to each of the lock pieces. A wafer guide, wherein one guide piece is provided adjacent to one of the pair of mutually opposed locking pieces, and the tip of the guide piece is formed in a convex curved surface. Element. 2. A pair of elastic pieces for locking an upper end portion of one wafer in a locking groove are provided separately from each other, and a guide piece provided on these elastic pieces is used as a guide for the locked wafer. 2. The wafer holding member according to claim 1, wherein the member is provided on both sides of the wafer holding member. 3. A pair of elastic pieces for locking an upper end portion of one wafer in a locking groove are provided apart from each other, and a guide piece provided on these elastic pieces is used as the locked wafer. 2. The wafer holding member according to claim 1, wherein said member is provided on one side of the wafer holding member. 4. A wafer storage container, wherein the wafer holding member according to claim 1, 2 or 3 is mounted inside an upper lid.