JP2002347061A - Holding vessel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a holding vessel which can be manufactured inexpensively with no limitation on a molding sequence, by a method wherein portions to be molded earlier as components are inserted into a mold for molding a vessel main body and the vessel main body is molded later and integrated with the portions, on the occasion when the vessel main body is partially molded out of a resin different in properties from the portions. SOLUTION: The holding vessel has the vessel main body 1 opening in the front, a plurality of support members 30 juxtaposed on the opposite sides of the inside of the vessel main body 1, and connection supplementing pieces 31 interposed between the vessel main body 1 and the individual support members 30. The vessel main body 1 is molded of a first resin, and each support member 30 is molded of a second resin different from the first. Each connection supplementing piece 31 is molded of a resin compatible with at least either the first or the second resin, and each support member 30 is integrated with the vessel main body 1 by the connection supplementing piece 31.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage container used for storing, transporting, transporting and storing substrates made of semiconductor wafers and mask glass, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional storage container, a container main body and a cassette are formed of a single material, and a plurality of substrates made of silicon wafers are aligned and stored at a predetermined pitch, and are used for transportation and the like. However, in recent years, the container body and the support member of the substrate have been required to have different material characteristics, not the same material characteristics. Specifically, rigidity, cost, and weight reduction are required for the container body, and a material that minimizes contamination of the substrate is required for the substrate support member. In view of this point, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-012673 proposes a method of forming the side wall portion of the container body 1 and the support member 30 of the substrate with different materials instead of the same material as shown in FIG. ing.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A container body 1 of a storage container
And the support member 30 of the substrate are formed of different materials, a two-color molding method in which different resins are continuously injection-molded in the same mold, and a support member 30 which is a separate part is a molded product. And an insert molding method in which the container body 1 is inserted into a mold at the time of molding to integrate. In the case of molding by such a method, of the two resins, a means is employed in which the resin having the higher melting point is molded later, and a part of the resin having the lower melting point formed first is melted and integrated. Such means has no particular problem when the resins having similar melting points are fused together.

However, in recent years, storage containers for substrates have been used not only for transporting and storing substrates, but also for performing various processes and processes for forming electronic circuits on the surface of the substrates. It has become to. In such a process, the substrate is often subjected to heat treatment or chemical treatment. Therefore, as a material of the storage container, a heat-resistant, polyetheretherketone or polyetherimide having good chemical resistance and abrasion resistance is used. The use of such a resin group called a super engineering plastic has been studied.

However, since the super engineering plastic is very expensive, it is necessary to form only the functionally necessary parts and integrate the remaining part of the container body 1 except for the support member 30 by using a general-purpose resin. It is convenient. For example, if the support member 30 of the substrate is formed of polyetheretherketone and the remainder of the container body 1 is formed of a thermoplastic resin such as a polycarbonate resin, which is a general-purpose engineering plastic, production costs can be reduced.

However, in such a case, the previously molded container body 1 (see FIG. 8 (a)) must be inserted into a mold for molding the support member (see FIG. 8 (b)). The mold for molding the members must be as large as the mold for molding the container body. The difference in the molding order is not so significant in the case of a storage container storing a small-diameter substrate, but in the case of a large storage container storing a large-diameter substrate exceeding 300 mm, in consideration of production efficiency. , A big problem. As described above, conventionally, when the container body 1 is molded from two different materials, the molding order is limited due to the difference in compatibility and melting point of the resin.

The weight of the support member 30 is about 500 g, and can be sufficiently molded by a 300-ton class injection molding machine (screw diameter: 45 to 68 mm) in ordinary molding. Since the insert is inserted, the size of the mold becomes as large as the mold of the container body (weight of about 3 kg) 1.
A large injection molding machine of 0 ton class (screw diameter is 90 to 120 mm) is required. In the case of such molding, a large mold is used and a large mold clamping device is required.However, an unbalance occurs in that the injection device can be a screw provided as standard equipment in a medium-sized machine. It is rough compared to the size of, and the control becomes very difficult.

[0008] Since the range of the injection device installed in a large machine is determined to some extent, small parts such as the support member 30 must be formed with a thick screw of the large machine.
Fine control of molding is difficult. As described above, in the conventional method, since it is necessary to use a large molding machine, it is very difficult to control the molding, and as a result, the quality and production such as a decrease in product yield and an increase in cost are increased. There is a problem. Furthermore, extra investment is required for equipment such as a mold and a molding machine, and the initial investment becomes enormous.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and when a part of a container body is molded with a resin having a different property, a part to be molded as a part is not limited to a molding order. It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage container that can be manufactured at low cost by inserting it into a metal mold, and subsequently forming and integrating the container main body, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a container body having at least one open surface, a component provided in a part of the container body, And a connection auxiliary piece interposed between the component and the container main body, wherein the container body is molded with a first resin, and the component is molded with a second resin different from the first resin. And, the connection auxiliary piece is the first,
It is characterized by being molded with a resin compatible with at least one of the second resin and integrating the part with a part of the container body by the connection auxiliary piece. In addition, the component may be a plurality of support members that support the substrate by being positioned on both sides inside the container body.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a container body having at least one open side, a part provided in a part of the container body, and a part between the container body and the part are provided. And a connection auxiliary piece interposed in the container, wherein the container body is formed of a first resin, and the component is formed of a second resin different from the first resin. Is molded with a resin compatible with at least one of the first and second resins, the connection auxiliary piece and the component are integrated, and these are inserted into a mold for molding the container body. The component is integrated with a part of the container body by the connection auxiliary piece. Preferably, the melting point of the first resin is lower than the melting point of the second resin.

Here, the container body in the claims may have at least one surface such as a front or a top open, and may be a cassette or the like having a plurality of surfaces open. This container body may or may not be transparent.
Miscibility; Compatibi
(Lity) resin, when integrated with the first resin under normal molding conditions, separation and dissociation etc. do not occur at the boundary surface, integrated with sufficient strength by melting with the first resin Resin. The substrate includes at least one or more (eg, 13, 25, or 26) semiconductor wafers or glass substrates. The storage container mainly stores a precision substrate made of a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, or the like, but is not limited to this. For example, it may store articles in the fields of machinery, electricity, electronics, and chemistry, or houseware, miscellaneous goods, and the like.

According to the first and third aspects of the present invention, the connection assisting piece is formed of a resin compatible with the first resin and / or the second resin, and the connection assisting piece is used as a mold for parts. Integrate the connection auxiliary piece made of a heterogeneous material and the part by inserting it into the mold, and insert this part into the mold for molding the container body to mold the container body with the first resin. The container body is melted, and the parts and the container body are integrated via the connection auxiliary piece. Even if the melting points of the first and second resins are different, since the connection auxiliary piece made of a resin that is mixed at least approximately homogeneously with the first resin is used, the molding order is not particularly limited. Further, since there is no need to insert the container body into the mold for parts, the mold can be made smaller.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A storage container according to the present embodiment is shown in FIGS. As described above, a container body 1 for vertically storing a plurality of substrates W made of a semiconductor wafer (for example, a 300 mm silicon wafer), a bottom plate 10 detachably mounted on the bottom of the container body 1, a container A detachable lid 20 that closes the front of the main body 1 through an endless seal gasket 13, a pair of rear retainers 26 installed on the inner back of the container main body 1, and a predetermined pitch on both sides inside the container main body 1. Support members 3 arranged vertically above and below
0, and a connection auxiliary piece 31 interposed between the container body 1 and each support member 30 and used as a storage and transport container.

The container body 1 is, as shown in FIGS.
Using a thermoplastic resin having sufficient strength and rigidity, such as polycarbonate or polybutylene terephthalate, in other words, using a first resin, it is formed into a transparent front open box type having an open front. The container main body 1 whose inside can be viewed is provided at the front sides of the bottom and the center of the rear,
V-grooves 2 functioning as positioning means for the processing apparatus are formed, and the bottom plate 10 is fitted and held in the plurality of V-grooves 2. At the center of the ceiling of the container body 1, a robotic handle 3 gripped by a transfer robot (not shown) is selectively mounted. Further, a bottom rail for transport is selectively attached to a lower portion of both side walls of the container body 1, and a manual handle 4 for manual operation is selectively attached to an upper portion of both outer side walls of the container body 1, respectively. You.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom plate 10 is basically formed in a substantially Y-shaped plane using polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate resin, or the like. The bottom plate 10 is formed with positioning guides 11 fitted around the V-groove 2 at both sides of the front part and the center of the rear part which are divided into right and left parts. Are perforated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 20 has a rectangular back case 21 and a front plate 22 which are fitted to face each other, and a seal gasket 13 for hermetically closing is fitted around the cover. The lid body 20 has flexible clamp plates 23 pivotally attached to the left and right sides thereof so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction, respectively.
Is fitted into the clamped portion of the container body 1 or the like,
The open front of the container body 1 is firmly closed. A front retainer 25 for holding front peripheral edges of a plurality of substrates W is mounted on the back case 21 via engaging means.
Safety is ensured by holding through a groove or a V-shaped groove.

The structure of the lid 20 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the back case 21
A latch mechanism operable from the outside of the front surface is built in between the and the surface plate 22. When the lid 20 is fitted to the container main body 1, the latch mechanism can be put in and out of a plurality of locking holes in the front of the container main body 1. The engaging claws can be protrudingly engaged with each other to secure the airtight state of the storage container.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the rear retainers 26 is formed in a plate shape or a rod shape, and is installed on the inner back surface of the container body 1. The supporting member is horizontally supported through the supporting groove, and functions as a stopper when the substrate is stored. The rear retainer 26 supports the substrate W in the vertical direction when the opening of the container body 1 is arranged upward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the plurality of support members 30 are made of a material having excellent abrasion resistance and heat resistance for minimizing contamination of the substrate W, in other words, a second material for the container body 1. Each support member 30 is formed of a second resin different from the one resin in a substantially comb-shaped cross section, and a side edge of the substrate W is formed in a U-shaped groove or a V-shaped groove.
It functions so as to be horizontally supported through a support groove composed of a character groove. Specific examples of the material of the support member 30 as this component include a polyetheretherketone resin, a polyetherimide resin, and a material in which a conductive material such as a carbon filler or carbon black or an antistatic material is added to these resins. used. Such a supporting member 30 is molded as a separate member in advance, is inserted into a mold for molding the container main body when the container main body 1 is molded, and then the mold is filled with a resin such as polycarbonate to form a container. It is molded by an insert molding technique integrated with the main body 1.

However, if the support member 30 is first molded using a resin having a high melting point, such as polyetheretherketone resin, and the support member 30 is to be integrated with the container body 1 made of general-purpose polycarbonate, etc. 30
And the container body 1 are fused only in a very weak state.
That is, their melting points are 334 ° C. for the previously molded polyetheretherketone resin, and 230 ° C. for the subsequently molded polycarbonate resin,
The temperature difference is really large. Therefore, even if a resin having a low melting point is molded later, fusion at the interface between the support member 30 and the container body 1 becomes extremely weak.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion between the container main body 1 and each support member 30 is not made to be a direct molten integral structure, but is connected to the container main body 1 and each support member 30. A separate connecting auxiliary piece 31 is interposed between the connecting auxiliary piece 31 and the member 30. The connecting auxiliary piece 31 is inserted into a mold to integrally mold the support member 30 later. The end is firmly fused. The connection assisting piece 31 is formed of a first resin or a resin having excellent compatibility with the first resin into a substantially plate-shaped cross section, and is formed as a very small part of the end of each support member 30. In this case, since the support member 30 is molded later with a resin having a high melting point, the container body 1 and the connection auxiliary piece 31 can be melted without any trouble.

Therefore, the size of the connection assisting piece 31 and the mold for the support member 30 can be significantly reduced as compared with the mold for molding the container body, and the connection assisting piece can be made smaller than the equipment for molding the container body. The investment in the molding machine for the pieces 31 and the support members 30 can also be kept relatively low. As described above, when the support member 30 integrated with the connection auxiliary piece 31 is inserted into the mold for forming the container body and molded, the melting point of the resin of the connection auxiliary piece 31 and the melting point of the resin of the container body 1 are substantially the same. And the container body 1 are easily melted and firmly integrated.

Next, a method for manufacturing the storage container will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a), 4 (b) and 4 (c). The connection auxiliary piece 31 is formed by filling (see FIG. 4A). After the connection auxiliary piece 31 is formed in this way, the connection auxiliary piece 31 is inserted into another mold for the support member 30 and filled with the second resin, and the connection auxiliary piece 31 and the support member 30 made of different materials are separated. It is integrally molded (see FIG. 4B). And the connection auxiliary piece 31
When the first resin is filled by inserting the support member 30 integrated with the first resin into another mold for molding the container body, the support member 3
The connection auxiliary piece 31 of 0 and the side wall portion of the container body 1 are melted and firmly integrated (see FIG. 4C). Thereby, a storage container having the high-performance heat-resistant and abrasion-resistant support member 30 can be manufactured.

According to the above, even if there is a great difference between the melting points of the first and second resins, since the resin-made auxiliary connection piece 31 that fits into the container body 1 is used, the molding order is not limited at all. And can be changed as appropriate. Also,
Since there is no need to insert the container body 1 into the mold for the support member 30 as in the related art, the necessary mold can be made small and simple in configuration, and a large mold clamping device is not required. In addition, fine control during molding is also possible. Further, it is possible to reduce the deterioration of the product yield and the cost, and it is possible to effectively solve the problems of quality and production.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, one or more recesses 32 are provided in one of the support members 30 and the connection auxiliary pieces 31 and the other is provided. Are formed with a plurality of projections 33, respectively.
2 and the convex portion 33 are fitted to each other. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 33 is formed at the end of the support member 30, and the recess 32 is formed on the surface of the connection assisting piece 31. The other parts are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiment can be expected, and furthermore, not only melting but also mechanical asperity fitting is used, so that each support member 30 and connection auxiliary piece 31 can be further firmly connected. Obviously, it can be fused.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a plurality of connection auxiliary pieces 31 are arranged in a line, and the plurality of connection auxiliary pieces 31 are connected to a plurality of connection pieces. 34
To form a single part, and insert the integrated connection auxiliary piece 31 into a mold for molding the container body at a time to integrate the connection auxiliary piece 31 of the support member 30 with the side wall portion of the container body 1. It is trying to become. The connection piece 34 may be a single piece or a plurality of pieces, and may be made flexible or extendable. When a plurality of connecting pieces 34 are provided,
The plurality of connection pieces 34 can be arranged in a parallelogram, an eight-shape, or the like to connect the plurality of connection auxiliary pieces 31. Each connecting piece 34 may be bar-shaped, corrugated, or S-shaped. The other parts are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the above embodiment can be expected, and since there is no need to individually insert the connection auxiliary pieces 31 into the mold for molding the container body, the productivity is greatly improved. It is clear that it can be expected. Further, if the connecting piece 34 is provided with a spring property so that it can be slightly expanded and contracted, even if there is a dimensional error between the adjacent support members 30, the dimensional error between the adjacent support members 30 can be easily reduced with a simple configuration. Can be absorbed.

In the above embodiment, the support member 30 is a component, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, V-groove 2, robotic handle 3, bottom rail, manual handle 4, and / or rear retainer 26 can be selected as components as needed.
Further, a concave portion 32 may be formed in one of the container body 1 and the connection auxiliary piece 31, and a convex portion 33 may be formed in the other, and the concave portion 32 and the convex portion 33 may be fitted to each other.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the molding order is not particularly limited when a part of the container body is molded with a resin having different properties. In addition, by inserting a part to be molded as a relatively small part into a mold for molding the container body, and subsequently molding and integrating the container body, the storage container can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a storage container according to the present invention, in which FIG. 4 (a) shows a state in which a first resin is filled in a mold for a connection auxiliary piece to form the connection auxiliary piece. A sectional view showing the
(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the connection auxiliary piece is inserted into a support member mold and filled with a second resin, and the connection auxiliary piece and the support member are integrated, and FIG. A cross-sectional view showing a state in which a support member integrated with an auxiliary piece is inserted into a mold for molding a container body, filled with a first resin, and a connection auxiliary piece of the support member and a side wall portion of the container body are integrated. It is.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory sectional view of a main part of a storage container according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory sectional view showing a main part of a storage container according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory sectional view of a main part showing a state in which a container body and a support member of a conventional storage container are formed of different materials.

8A and 8B are explanatory views showing a conventional method of manufacturing a storage container. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the container main body is formed first, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where a support member is integrally molded by being inserted into a mold for use.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container main body 2 V groove (part) 3 Robotic handle (part) 4 Manual handle (part) 10 Bottom plate 20 Lid 26 Rear retainer (part) 30 Support member (part) 31 Connection auxiliary piece 32 Depression 33 Convex part 34 Connection Single W board

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A container body having at least one open side,
A storage container comprising a part provided in a part of the container body and a connection auxiliary piece interposed between the container body and the part, wherein the container body is formed of a first resin. Molding the component with a second resin different from the first resin, molding the connection auxiliary piece with a resin compatible with at least one of the first and second resins, A storage container characterized in that the above-mentioned parts are integrated into a part of the container body by the connection auxiliary piece. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the component is a plurality of support members positioned on both sides inside the container body to support a substrate.
The storage container as described. 3. A container body having at least one open side,
Including a part provided in a part of the container body and a connection auxiliary piece interposed between the container body and the part, the container body is made of a first resin, and the part is made of a resin different from the first resin. It is a manufacturing method of a storage container which is molded with each of the two resins, wherein the connection auxiliary piece is formed of a resin compatible with at least one of the first and second resins, and the connection auxiliary piece is formed. And a method for manufacturing a storage container, comprising: integrating the above-mentioned parts with the above-mentioned parts, inserting them into a mold for molding the container body, and integrating the parts into a part of the above-mentioned container body by the connection auxiliary pieces. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the melting point of the first resin is lower than the melting point of the second resin.