JP2002252278A - Semiconductor wafer housing/shipping vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve workability and safety in carrying wafers as well as workability in cleaning and drying the wafers. SOLUTION: This wafer housing vessel 1 is used for shipping and carrying semiconductor wafers housed in a vessel body 2. On both sides of the vessel body 2, handles 4 are provided so as to grab them in lifting the vessel body 2. Each handle 4 has a circular shape so as to be able to grab it from an arbitrary direction, and has a certain clearance S between the vessel body 2. In periphery rim of each handle 4, depressed portions 16 are formed so as to be able to grab the handle 4 by fingers easily and steadily from an arbitrary direction. Additionally, a water drain 18 penetrating the handle 4 is arranged and the whole shape of the handle 4 is formed using a curved surface which makes water flow easily so that a cleaning liquid, etc., can smoothly flow in the center and the periphery of the handle to clean wafers effectively in cleaning and it is possible to dry up wafers in a short time without stagnation of the liquid on surfaces of the handles 4 in drying.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer storage and shipping container for storing, transporting and shipping semiconductor wafers, and more particularly to a semiconductor wafer storage and shipping container provided with a handle for carrying by a worker. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Storage containers used for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers are generally known. A plurality of semiconductor wafers are stored in this storage container, and in a processing step, an operator holds the storage container by hand or transfers it by a transfer device. At the time of shipment, semiconductor wafers are stored in containers and packaged, and then shipped in secondary packaging materials such as cardboard.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show examples of the storage container.
Handle portions B are provided on both sides of the storage container A, and an operator carries the storage container A by holding the handle portion B by hand.

[0004] The present applicant has previously disclosed a thin plate supporting container having a handle portion which is easy to handle (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-540230).
(PCT / JP98 / 00489)). This thin plate supporting container C is shown in FIG. Here, the handle D is attached in a state of being inclined at 45 degrees. Thus, the operator holds the handle D with the wrist bent at 45 degrees and rotates the wrist to bend 45 degrees to the opposite side, thereby changing the thin plate supporting container C from a vertical state to a horizontal state, Or from a horizontal state to a vertical state.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned container A, when the semiconductor wafer has a small diameter (for example, a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 200 mm or less), the weight of the container A is also two.
There was no particular inconvenience at the handle B because it was as light as about kg.

However, as the diameter of the semiconductor wafer increases, the size and weight of the storage container A also increases,
In the conventional handle portion B, when changing the angle and direction of the storage container A during the work, the worker is forced to take an unreasonable posture, which makes the work difficult.

In a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, a semiconductor wafer that has undergone a certain process or inspection is stored in a plastic storage container. Then, as described above, when transporting in a process, it is transported by a worker or a transport device between processes. When shipping, the semiconductor wafer is further packaged and put in a secondary packing material in a state of being stored in the storage container. When an operator performs these operations, the user holds the handle with his / her hand and lifts or moves the storage container.

The work performed by the worker includes lifting the storage container A from one stage, moving the stage from one stage to another, and changing the direction from a horizontal state to a vertical state or the opposite direction. There is.

At this time, in the case of a storage container for storing a semiconductor wafer having a large diameter of 300 mm or more, the weight is approximately four times and the volume is five times as large as a storage container for a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 200 mm. It is difficult to perform the above operation in the same manner as a small diameter semiconductor wafer storage container.

In the operation of changing the direction of the storage container A from the horizontal state to the vertical state or vice versa, there are cases where the wrist must be bent 90 degrees from the straight state. In addition, when the storage container A is lifted from various stages having different heights, or when the storage container A is moved between stages having steps, the storage container A must be held from various angles. In this case, it is difficult for the handle portion B to hold the work. That is,
In the conventional handle portion B, the direction in which the handle portion B is gripped is limited to a specific direction, so that not only the operator is forced to exert an unreasonable posture, but also a heavy load is imposed on the operator's arm and wrist.

In the case of the thin plate supporting container C, the handle portion D is inclined at 45 degrees, so that the work is not hindered when the thin plate supporting container C is set in the vertical state or the horizontal state. . However, when the thin plate supporting container C is lifted from various stages having different heights, or when the thin plate supporting container C is moved between stages having steps, the thin plate supporting container C must be held at an angle other than 45 degrees. Sometimes you have to. In this case, work becomes difficult at the handle portion D.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor wafer storage / shipment container that facilitates a worker's work such as carrying a container.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor wafer storage / shipment container for solving the above-mentioned problems.
In the container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers used for storing, shipping, and transporting semiconductor wafers in the container body, the container body has a handle that can be gripped from any direction, and the handle is It is characterized by having a gap with the container body.

With the above structure, the handle can be gripped from any direction, so that the operator can easily and reliably grip the handle from any angle. Thus, the operation of changing the storage / shipping container for semiconductor wafers from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction or from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction can be easily performed. further,
Even when the angle of holding the handle by hand is slightly changed, such as when the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container is moved between a high stage and a low stage, the handle can be easily and securely gripped to carry and move. It can be performed.

The handle may be round, elliptical, polygonal, somewhat distorted round, round like three- or four-leaf, star-shaped or gear-shaped so that it can be gripped from any direction. Use a round shape close to.

Further, due to the partial clearance of the handle, the finger of the hand holding the handle wraps around the partial clearance. Thus, the operator can reliably grasp the handle by wrapping the handle by hand.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container according to the first aspect, wherein a concave portion is provided on an outer peripheral edge of the handle to fit a finger. I do.

According to the above configuration, when the operator grips the handle, the finger fits into the concave portion on the outer peripheral edge, so that the operator can reliably grip the handle. This allows
Combined with the round or polygonal handle, it is possible to easily and surely carry out and move the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container according to the first or second aspect, wherein the handle is provided with a penetrating drain hole, and is entirely formed of water. Is characterized by a curved surface that easily flows.

With the above structure, when cleaning the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container for reuse, the handle is also cleaned at the same time. Water does not accumulate in the handle. That is, at the time of washing, washing water or the like flows smoothly between the center and the periphery of the handle, thereby washing efficiently. When the water is lifted from the cleaning liquid or the like, the cleaning water or the like flowing into the inside of the handle flows out through the drain hole, and the cleaning water or the like attached to the handle surface flows down along the curved surface of the handle surface. Thereby, washing and drying can be performed efficiently.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show an example of a container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to the present embodiment. The semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container (hereinafter, referred to as “wafer storage container”) 1 mainly includes a container main body 2 for storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers (not shown) therein, and a lid for closing an upper opening of the container main body 2. It comprises a body 3 and carrying handles 4 provided on both sides (left and right sides in FIG. 8) of the container body 2.

The whole container body 2 is formed in a substantially cubic shape. The container main body 2 is composed of four side walls 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, which are peripheral walls, and a bottom plate 2E in a state of being vertically placed in the vertical direction (the state of FIGS. 1 and 2). ing. The container main body 2 is placed horizontally in a horizontal direction as necessary in a semiconductor wafer production line or the like. Positioning means 5 including three fitting grooves 2F is provided on the outer surface of the side wall 2A serving as the bottom in the horizontal state. A flange (not shown) for a wafer transfer device is attached to the outer side surface of the side wall portion 2B serving as a ceiling portion in a horizontal state as necessary. A handle mounting portion 6 is provided on the outer side surfaces of the side wall portions 2C and 2D which become horizontal wall portions in the horizontal state.
The handle 4 is detachably attached to the handle attachment portion 6.

The lid 3 is formed in the shape of a square dish, and is attached to the container body 2 from above to seal the inside of the container body 2.

The handle 4 is a handle that is gripped when an operator lifts or carries the wafer storage container 1 by hand. This handle 4 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in (1), it mainly comprises a gripping portion 8 that is gripped by a worker with a hand, and a detachable mechanism 9 that is detachably attached to both sides of the container body 2.

The grip portion 8 comprises a disk portion 11 which the operator directly grips with a hand, and a cylindrical connecting portion 12 for integrally fixing the disk portion 11 to the attaching / detaching mechanism 9.

The disk portion 11 comprises a circular plate portion 14 and a rising wall 15, and is formed in a round dish shape as a whole. The circular plate portion 14 is formed in a substantially perfect circular shape. Further, the circular plate portion 14 is provided with a gentle inclination toward the center thereof, and is formed as a substantially obtuse cone as a whole. At the center of the circular plate portion 14, a drain hole 18 of the cylindrical connecting portion 12 is located. The size of the disk portion 11 is set so that its diameter is 8 cm or more. More specifically, the setting is made according to the average hand size of the worker, but an operator with particularly small hands is considered. In the case of a worker with a large hand, even if the disk portion 11 is slightly smaller, it does not cause much trouble.
If 1 is too large, it may cause trouble.

The outer peripheral edge of the circular plate portion 14 has an upper portion (FIG. 1).
A folded up wall 15 is formed on the inner side (on the front side of the paper). The rising wall 15 is curved so as to undulate over its entire circumference, and the wavy concave portion 1 into which the operator's finger fits.
6 are formed. Desirably, the width of the recess 16 is 1.5 cm or more and the depth is 0.3 cm or more. This dimension is also set according to the average hand size of the worker, as in the case of the disk portion 11.

Further, the boundary between the circular plate portion 14 and the rising wall 15 is formed by a gentle curved surface both inside and outside. In particular, the outer surface 17 of the boundary is formed as a curved surface having a curvature corresponding to the bending of the operator's finger gripping the handle 5. This curvature is set according to the size of the circular plate portion 14. That is, the average value of the bending of the operator's finger, which changes according to the circular plate portions 14 having different dimensions, is measured and set to a curved surface having a curvature corresponding to the average value. This curved surface may be formed by extending the concave portion 16.

The cylindrical connecting portion 12 is attached between the circular plate portion 14 and the attaching / detaching mechanism 9, and integrally fixes the disk portion 11 and the attaching / detaching mechanism 9. Cylindrical connecting part 12
Is formed in a conical shape whose diameter decreases toward the attachment / detachment mechanism 9 side. The inside of the cylindrical connecting portion 12 is penetrated,
A drain hole 18 is provided. The boundary between the circular plate portion 14 and the cylindrical connecting portion 12 is formed with a gentle curved surface both inside and outside.

Further, the cylindrical connecting portion 12 has a circular plate portion 14.
A fixed gap is formed between the mounting mechanism 9 and the attachment / detachment mechanism 9. The attachment / detachment mechanism 9 becomes a part of the container main body 2 side when attached to the container main body 2, and a gap formed by the cylindrical connecting portion 12 forms a partial gap S between the handle 4 and the container main body 2. Due to the partial gap S, the finger holding the handle 4 goes around the partial gap S. Thus, the operator can securely grasp the handle 4 by wrapping it by hand.

The grip portion 8 having the above-described configuration is provided with the circular plate portion 1.
4. The entire surface of the rising wall 15, the cylindrical connecting portion 12, and the boundary between them has a gentle curved surface through which water can easily flow. Further, when the handle 4 is placed vertically or horizontally, all surfaces are inclined so that a liquid pool cannot be formed. Thereby, the washing water and the like smoothly flow in the central portion and the periphery of the handle 4 at the time of washing, and when the handle 4 is pulled up, all of the washing water flows down without remaining on the surface.

The attachment / detachment mechanism 9 has a fitting plate 20 fitted on the container body 2 side, and a lock pin which is locked and fixed on the container body 2 side in a state where the fitting plate 20 is fitted on the container body 2 side. 2
And 1.

The fitting plate 20 is formed in a V-shape as a whole.
Folding portions 20A for locking are formed at both ends and a central portion. The locking folded portion 20A is formed by folding so as to hold the handle mounting plate 6 of the container body 2.

One end of the fitting plate 20 has a lock pin 2
1 is provided. The lock pin 21 has an elastic supporting plate portion 22, a locking claw 23 provided at the tip of the supporting plate portion 22, and a locking claw 23 provided beside the locking claw 23 and locked by a finger. And a holding plate portion 24 for removing the claw 23 from the container body 2 side.

Since the handle 4 needs to have strength enough to withstand the weight of the wafer storage container 1 and the weight of the semiconductor wafer stored therein, it is desirable to use a material such as polycarbonate which can secure sufficient strength. .

[Operation] The wafer container 1 configured as described above is used as follows.

First, the handle 4 is mounted on the handle mounting portions 6 on both sides of the container body 2. Specifically, the fitting plate 20
The fitting folded back portion 20A is fitted into the handle mounting portion 6 from below and slid upward. This allows
The locking claw 23 of the lock pin 21 is locked on the handle mounting portion 6 side, and the handle 4 is fixed on the container body 2 side.

When the operator transports the wafer storage container 1 or the like, the operator grips the handles 4 on both sides of the container main body 2 by hand. At this time, since the grip portion 8 of the handle 4 is round, the operator can easily grip the handle 4 from any angle. Further, the operator's finger gets stuck in the concave portion 16 of the rising wall 15 while holding the handle 4. Thereby, the handle 4 can be surely grasped without slipping. Further, since the finger holding the handle 4 has a gap S, the finger goes around the back side of the holding portion 8 and wraps the handle 4 by hand to support it from the back. That is, the circular plate portion 1
Since the outer side surface 17 at the boundary between the upright wall 4 and the rising wall 15 is formed as a curved surface having a curvature corresponding to the bending of the finger, the five fingers wrapped around the back side of the grip portion 8 by the gap S are partially curved. The handle 4 is wrapped by hand in contact with the back surface of the handle 4 along the line and supported from the back surface.

As described above, the handle 4 is round and partially has a gap S, the recess 16 is provided around the handle S, and the back surface of the handle 4 is formed into a curved surface having a curvature matching the curvature of the finger. Therefore, even when the angle of holding the handle 4 by hand changes, the handle can be easily and reliably grasped. That is, the operator can easily and reliably grip the handle 4 from any angle.

In this state, the wafer container 1 is lifted and changed from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction, from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction, to move between stages, or to move between a high stage and a low stage. Or let it. Since the wafer storage container 1 is designed on the assumption that it is lifted and transported in a vertical state, the carrying or the like is performed in a vertical state. on the other hand. In the case of inspection of a semiconductor wafer or the like, the inspection is performed with the wafer container 1 kept in a horizontal state. In such a case, the wafer storage container 1 is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction or from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction, but the operator simply grasps the handle 4 and turns it 90 degrees with the wrist. Can be. Further, at this time, since the five fingers are stuck in the concave portions 16 and are in close contact with the outer side surface 17, the fingers do not shift during the rotation of the wafer storage container 1, and can be safely and securely performed. The direction of the wafer container 1 can be changed.

Further, the operator can grasp the wafer storage container 1 from any of the front and rear sides. That is, the wafer storage container 1 can be lifted by easily and reliably grasping the handle 4 from the side wall 2A serving as the bottom and the side wall 2B serving as the ceiling in the horizontal state. For example, as shown by arrows A, B, and C in FIG. 1, the user can grab at an arbitrary angle from one of the front and rear sides. In addition, as indicated by arrows D, E, and F, the user can also grasp at an arbitrary angle from the front and rear other sides. Further, since the human hand is flexible, the arrow A,
It can be grasped even from the direction of the intermediate position between the directions of B, C, D, E and F.

At this time, since the operator can easily and surely grasp the handle 4 from any angle, the operator is not forced to take an excessive posture.

The wafer container 1 that has transported the semiconductor wafer is subjected to a cleaning process for reuse. At this time, the handle 4 is also cleaned at the same time. At this time,
The handle 4 is slid downward in a state where the holding claw 23 is unlocked by holding down the holding plate portion 24 of the lock pin 21 and is detached from the container body 2. Next, the handle 4 is washed. When the handle 4 is washed with washing water, the washing water flows through the drain hole 18 penetrating therethrough. further,
Since the entire handle 4 is formed of a curved surface through which water easily flows, the cleaning liquid flows smoothly on the outer surface of the handle 4. As a result, the washing water sufficiently flows to the corners of the periphery and the center of the handle 4, and the whole is efficiently washed. That is, the cleaning effect is improved.

Similarly, in the rinsing process, the rinsing liquid sufficiently flows to the periphery and the center of the handle 4 to efficiently rinse the whole, thereby preventing the detergent and the like from remaining.

After the washing, the handle 4 is pulled out of the liquid and dried. The handle 4 has a penetrating water drain hole 18 and the entire surface has a curved surface through which water easily flows. When the liquid is pulled up, almost all of the liquid flows down and does not stay on the surface of the handle 4.

Thus, the subsequent drying is completed in a short time.

[Effects] As described above, the handle 4 is provided on both sides of the container main body 2 so as to be gripped from any direction, and the handle 4 has a gap with the container main body 2. Therefore, the operator can easily grasp the handle 4 from any angle. In particular, since there is a gap between the handle 4 and the container body 2, the fingers of the hand holding the handle 4 partially go around the gap and wrap the handle 4 by hand to securely grip the handle 4. Will be able to

This makes it possible to carry out the work of transporting and moving the wafer storage container 1 without burdening the operator.

Also, since the handle 4 is round and the recess 16 is provided, the operator can easily and surely grasp the handle 4 from any angle as described above, and put a burden on the wrist of the operator. It is possible to safely and accurately turn the wafer storage container 1 to change the direction and transport the wafer without any trouble. Further, the direction of the wafer storage container 1 can be changed or transported in the same manner from the front or the rear of the wafer storage container 1.

As a result, the operability and safety of the wafer storage container 1 when the operator transports the wafer storage container 1 are greatly improved.

Further, the drain hole 1 penetrating through the handle 4
8 and the entire surface is formed of a curved surface on which water easily flows, so that the cleaning liquid or the like flows smoothly at the center and the periphery of the handle 4 and the liquid does not stay on the surface when the handle 4 is pulled up.

As a result, workability during washing and drying is greatly improved.

[Modifications] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the handle 5 has been described as an example of a true circle, but the handle 5 of the present invention is not limited to a true circle. In the case of an approximately round shape, the same operation and effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. If it is a shape that can be grasped from any direction, besides a true circular handle 5, an elliptical shape, a somewhat distorted round shape, a round shape close to three leaves or four leaves, a star shape or a gear shape Includes almost all round shapes such as round shapes.

Further, the shape is not limited to a round shape but may be a polygon.
In the case of a triangular, quadrangular, pentagonal or hexagonal or more (preferably pentagonal or more) polygonal handle, it can be grasped from any direction, and the same operation and effect as in the above embodiment can be achieved. This polygon may be a regular polygon or a slightly deformed polygon. Furthermore, as in the case of the above-mentioned round shape, any shape that can be grasped from any direction, even if it is a slightly distorted polygon, a polygon with rounded corners, or a polygon deformed so that it can not be called a polygon Are included in the polygonal handle 5 here.

(2) In the above embodiment, the corrugated concave portion 16 is formed in the rising wall 15 of the disk portion 11 of the handle 5, but the shape is not limited to the corrugated shape and may be other shapes. The shape may be a shape in which the finger does not slip and slip, or a convex shape. In this case, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

(3) The wafer storage container 1 described in the above embodiment is an example, and it goes without saying that the wafer storage container 1 may have another shape. If the wafer storage container 1 has a configuration to which the handle 5 can be attached,
The same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

(4) In the above embodiment, a container for storing and transporting a semiconductor wafer is described as an example, but a container for storing and transporting other thin plates such as a storage disk and a liquid crystal glass substrate in addition to the semiconductor wafer. The present invention can be generally applied. In this case, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

(5) In the above embodiment, the handle 4
The attachment / detachment mechanism 9 including the fitting plate 20 and the lock pin 21 is used. However, the attachment / detachment mechanism is not particularly limited to the attachment / detachment mechanism 9 of the above-described embodiment. Can be used. In this case, the same operation and effect as the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0060]

As described in detail above, the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container of the present invention has the following effects.

(1) The container body has a handle that can be gripped from any direction, and the handle has a gap with the container body, so that the operator can hold the handle from any angle. It can be grasped easily and securely. This makes it possible to safely and accurately transport the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container without placing a burden on the worker's wrist.

As a result, the workability and safety are greatly improved when the worker transports the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container.

(2) Since a concave portion is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the handle so that a finger can fit therein, an operator can securely grasp the handle, and can safely and securely transport the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container. Can be.

As a result, the workability and safety are greatly improved when the operator transports the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container.

(3) The handle is provided with a drain hole penetrating therethrough, and the entire handle is formed of a curved surface through which water easily flows, so that the cleaning liquid and the like can smoothly flow at the center and the periphery of the handle for cleaning. The liquid does not stagnate on the surface when it is lifted from the surface.

As a result, workability during washing and drying is greatly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a storage and shipping container for semiconductor wafers according to an embodiment of the present invention in an upright state.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the semiconductor wafer storage / shipping container according to the embodiment of the present invention in an upright state.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a handle of the container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a conventional semiconductor wafer storage container.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a conventional semiconductor wafer storage container.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional thin plate supporting container.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a handle of the container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a handle of the container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a rear view showing the handle of the container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a handle of the semiconductor wafer storage / shipment container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: semiconductor wafer storage and shipping container (wafer storage container), 2: container body, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D: side wall, 2E: bottom plate, 3: lid, 4: handle, 5: positioning means, 6 : Handle mounting portion, 8: gripping portion, 9: detachable mechanism portion, 11: disk portion, 12: cylindrical connecting portion, 14: circular plate portion, 15: rising wall, 16: concave portion, 17: outer surface, 18 : Water drain hole, 20: fitting plate, 20A: folded part for locking, 21: lock pin, 22: support plate, 23:
Locking claw, 24: presser plate, S: partial clearance.

Continued on front page F term (reference) 3E062 AA01 AB10 BA20 BB06 HA02 HB02 HB07 3E096 BA16 BB03 CA01 CB03 DA02 DB07 DC01 FA19 GA10 5F031 CA02 DA08 EA20 PA24

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers used for shipping, transporting and the like by storing semiconductor wafers in a container body, wherein the container body has a handle that can be gripped from any direction. And a container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers, wherein the handle has a gap with the container body. 2. The container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion into which a finger fits is provided on an outer peripheral edge of the handle. 3. The container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers according to claim 1, wherein the handle has a penetrating drain hole.
A container for storing and shipping semiconductor wafers, the entire surface of which has a curved surface through which water easily flows.