JP2005153963A - Storage container, and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storage container for precise substrates in which a section requiring high function of the storage container is integrally mounted on the storage container without using any complicated locking mechanism or die structure as a separate mounting member formed of different materials, or without damaging the mounting member, and a method for manufacturing the same. <P>SOLUTION: In the storage container, a mounting member on the storage container 1 for precise substrates comprising a container body 2 and a lid body 3 is integrally mounted on and fixed to the storage container by staking projecting tip portions of a plurality of projections 12 provided on the mounting member 4 or the storage container 1 which are fitted in a plurality of through holes formed in the storage container 1 or the mounting member 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage container for a precision substrate such as a mask glass made of a semiconductor wafer such as silicon or glass or quartz, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Conventionally, a storage container that stores precision substrates and is used for transportation and storage includes a container body that horizontally stores a plurality of precision substrates, a lid that seals an opening of the container body, and a container body and a lid. What consists of the sealing member pinched | interposed between is known.
In the container main body of such a storage container, support members for horizontally supporting a plurality of precision substrates with a vertical interval are integrally provided on the left and right side wall surfaces of the container main body.

The container body can be stored without contaminating the precision substrate, and the storage state of the precision substrate can be confirmed, and it can be safely stored without being damaged or deformed even if there is an impact or pressure fluctuation during transportation. It is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, or polypropylene resin that is translucent or transparent and has impact strength and flexural strength so that it can be held.
However, with the recent miniaturization (0.13 μm or less) of the wiring pitch of electronic circuits formed on semiconductor components, there has been a demand for storage containers that are less likely to contaminate precision substrates. In particular, it has become important to prevent contamination of the precision substrate by selecting a material for the support portion that is in direct contact with the precision substrate.

Therefore, the container body support portion is formed of a different material separately from the container body, and a storage container (see Patent Document 1) attached to the inner wall of the container body, or a support member formed of a different material from the container body. A storage container (see Patent Document 2) formed integrally with a container body using a two-color molding method or an insert molding method has been proposed.
JP-A-8-26380 JP 2000-12673 A

However, when a support member made of a material different from that of the container body is attached to the container body, dimensional accuracy varies due to errors in the attachment work, and a gap is likely to be formed in the attachment part. Further, the container body is washed and dried. If it does, a water drop will accumulate in the said attaching part, and there existed a problem that removal work took time.
Also, if the container body and the support member are integrally formed of different materials by two-color molding or insert molding, the container body and the support member forming material are sufficient at the interface due to differences in the melting points of the materials used and compatibility issues. In addition, there is a problem that the strength of the container is not fused and the container body and the support member are integrally formed of different materials, so that the molding machine and mold used for production become complicated and expensive. was there.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a storage container for a precision substrate and a method for manufacturing the same, which can attach a high-function attachment member integrally with a simple structure at a low cost.

In order to solve the above problems, the storage container for precision substrates of the present invention comprises a container body and a lid, and an attachment member to the storage container is fitted into a plurality of through holes provided in the storage container or the attachment member. The tips of the plurality of protrusions provided on the mounting member or the storage container are staking and fixed to the storage container.
In the storage container of the present invention, the support member that supports the precision substrate in the container has a plurality of protrusions provided on the back surface of the support member inserted into a plurality of through holes provided in the side wall of the storage container. The protruding tip is staking and fixed to the storage container.
Further, in the storage container of the present invention, the through hole is formed in an elliptical or oval through hole oriented in three directions, and the protrusion provided on the mounting member has a cylindrical shape, the ellipse, Alternatively, the cylindrical protrusion is engaged with the oval through hole and positioned. The staking of the tip of the protrusion is preferably performed by heat welding.

  The method for manufacturing a storage container according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of through holes in a storage container for a precision substrate comprising a container body and a lid, or an attachment member of the storage container, and the attachment of the storage container to these through holes. A plurality of protrusions provided on the member or the storage container are fitted, and the tip of the protrusion protruding from the through hole is staking to fix the attachment part to the storage container.

According to the present invention, a portion of the storage container that requires high functionality can be attached to the storage container as a separate member from the storage container, with a simple structure, easily and inexpensively. Therefore, the portion of the storage container that requires high function can be formed of a different material from the storage container so that the function can be easily achieved, and can be a part of the storage container.
In addition, since the mounting member is integrally attached to the storage container via a seal member, water droplets do not easily enter the gap between the mounting part and the storage container during cleaning, and workability in the drying process after cleaning the storage container is improved. Get better.
Furthermore, since the portion requiring high functionality of the storage container can be formed of a different material and can be easily made a part of the storage container, the workability can be improved and the manufacturing cost of the storage container can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, an attachment member that separates the problem of attaching a high-functional part of a storage container as a separate body and mounting it integrally to the storage container at a low cost with a simple structure is attached to the substrate storage container. The problem was solved by attaching it to the substrate storage container using a nail stopper.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an open state of a storage container of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a support member holding a precision substrate that is integrally attached to the storage container of the present invention as an attachment member. is there.
The storage container 1 of the present invention is composed of a container body 2 having an opening and a lid 3 that can seal the opening, and holds the substrate W horizontally on the left and right side wall surfaces inside the container body 2. A pair of support members 4 are integrally attached.

  A robotic handle 5 for automatically transporting the storage container 1 is attached to the outer top surface of the container body 2, and a positioning member having a V-groove for positioning the storage container 1 on the processing device at the bottom. Are provided. In addition, a plurality of holes 6 for locking the lid 3 are provided on the peripheral edge of the opening of the container body 2.

The lid 3 is formed in a dimension that can be locked to the opening of the container main body 2, and a seal member 7 is provided at the peripheral edge for ensuring the hermeticity of the container.
The lid 3 includes a casing and a surface plate, and a pair of latch mechanisms for locking to the container body 2 are built in the casing.
Although not shown in the drawings, this latch mechanism is engaged with the rotating plate and the rotating plate and can move in a linear direction in conjunction with the rotating plate, and a locking portion that is pivotally fixed to the front end of the connecting plate and the back side of the surface plate. The locking portion is operated so as to be able to appear and retract from the through hole 8 provided on the side surface of the lid 3. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the locking portion protrudes from the through hole 8.
The operation of the latch mechanism is performed by locking and unlocking operations by inserting the operation member of the lid opening / closing device into the through hole 9 provided in the surface plate and rotating the rotation member.

First, an example in which the mounting member is a precision substrate support member will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of support members 4 includes a vertical wall 10 and a plurality of substrate support ribs 11 that protrude horizontally from the vertical wall 10 with a vertical interval.
The substrate support rib 11 has a flat surface whose upper surface is substantially horizontal, and the lower surface is slightly inclined downward from the tip toward the vertical wall 10.
The front end portion of the substrate support rib 11 is formed to be slightly curved along the outer peripheral shape of the precision substrate that connects the upper surface and the lower surface with a rounded shape and is accommodated from the opening to the back of the container body. The precision substrate W is horizontally mounted and held on the upper surface of the substrate support rib 11.

The container body 2 and the support member 4 of the present invention are formed of different materials, and the support member 4 is integrally attached to the container body 2 by staking.
In the staking, columnar protrusions 12 provided on the back surface of the support member 4 are inserted into oval through holes 13 provided in the left and right side walls inside the container body 2, respectively. A head larger than the diameter of the through hole is formed and fixed to the tip of the protrusion 12 protruding from the outer wall surface by heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like.

In order to allow the cylindrical protrusion 12 provided on the back surface of the support member 4 to smoothly engage with the oval through-hole 13 provided on the side wall of the container body 2 during the staking, the penetration is performed. The holes 13 are provided so as to be oriented in three directions extending radially at approximately 120 ° (FIGS. 1 and 6).
Moreover, when attaching the support member 4 to the side wall of the container main body 2, it is necessary to position the support member and the side wall of the container main body in the XY direction before engaging them. Positioning in the Z direction, which is the direction, is also necessary.
In this case, each of the three protrusions provided on the back surface of the support member is provided with step portions 14 (FIG. 4) that are thicker than the through-holes and are formed at the same height, thereby positioning in the Z direction. It can be performed.
By fitting cylindrical protrusions into elliptical or oval through-holes having a V-shaped cross section provided at three locations, the attachment position of the attachment component is determined at one point.
Contrary to the illustrated example, three protrusions may be provided on the side wall surface inside the container body, and an oval or oval through hole having a V-shaped cross section may be provided on the support member side.

Next, the manufacturing method of the storage container according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 in which an example in which the support member of the container body is integrally attached to the container body.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a state before the protrusion 12 of the support member 4 is inserted into the through hole 13 of the container body 2, and FIG. 4 shows the protrusion 12 of the support member 4 inserted into the through hole 13. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where staking is performed on the protruding tip portion of the protrusion 12 of the support member 4.

First, the cylindrical projections 12 provided on the back surface of the support member 4 are inserted into the through holes 13 provided on the left and right side walls inside the container body 2 after being positioned and engaged using the step portions 14 respectively. Then, the back surface of the support member 4 is applied to the inner wall surface of the container body 2.
In that case, if the plate-shaped sealing material 15 is interposed between the support member 4 and the inner wall surface of the container body 2, the sealed state of the storage container is improved after the support member is attached.

  Each of the protrusions 12 of the support member 4 is fitted into the through hole 13, and the tip of the protrusion 12 protrudes appropriately from the through hole 13 with the support member 4 applied to the inner wall surface of the container body 2. is required. The appropriate amount of protrusion is preferably 2 mm or more and less than the radius of the cylindrical protrusion 12.

Next, after the support member 4 is applied to the left and right inner wall surfaces of the back surface of the container body 2, the receiving jig 16 is disposed between the support members 4 and 4 as shown in FIG. When the heat welding jig 17 is brought into contact with the protruding tip 12 from the left and right outer sides of the container body 2, the tip of the protrusion 12 is instantaneously melted to form the tip shape of the heat welding jig 17. In addition, the support member 4 is integrated with the side wall of the container body 2 by solidifying the swelled from the side peripheral surface thereof.
Since the container body 2 and the support member 4 are locally melted and integrated in this manner, the support member can be attached to the container body 2 with high accuracy without causing deformation due to heat distortion or the like. it can.
In addition, although the example which staking the protrusion front-end | tip part of the processus | protrusion 12 in hemispherical shape was shown in FIG. 5, you may stake in flat plate rivet shape and another shape.

As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the example whose attachment member is a supporting member of a precision board | substrate has been demonstrated, the attachment member of this invention is not restricted to this.
The container body of the present invention is formed of a transparent material such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, or polyetherimide. However, the mounting member of the present invention does not have to be the same as the above-described material, and fully exhibits its function. It can be made of a material that can.

  In addition to the support member described above, the storage container mounting member of the present invention is attached to the inside or the outside of the storage container using various locking mechanisms, or is integrally formed by welding, insert molding, or the like. A member is included. For example, robotic flange attached to the top of the container body, side rail attached to the side wall, manual handle, positioning member attached to the bottom of the container body, clamping member for fixing the container body, identification member and positioning member attachment Bottom plate, ID transponder, identification member holder (ID tag holder), a pop-out prevention member attached to the opening of the container body, a stopper or rear retainer attached to the inner side of the container, or a lid Any member such as a retainer for holding the substrate and a seal member attached to the body is included in the attachment member of the storage container of the present invention.

7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention and show an example in which an identification plate is integrally attached to a container main body. FIG. 7 shows the bottom of the container body according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the protrusions provided on the container body and the identification plate. In addition, in FIG. 8, the front-end | tip of a processus | protrusion has shown the state staking in the flat plate rivet shape.
The bottom part of the container main body 2 shown in FIG. 7 is a part that becomes an interface with the processing apparatus, and in this part, in addition to the identification plate 20, a positioning having a V groove for positioning the storage container 1 in the processing apparatus. A member 21, a fixing member 23, and the like are arranged.

Three cylindrical projections 22 are provided on the bottom surface of the container body 2, and a stepped portion formed narrower than the body portion of the projection 22 is formed on the distal end side of the projection 22. .
In addition, the identification plate 20 of the container body 2 that is an attachment member of the present invention is provided with two oval through holes 25 and one circular through hole 26 into which the protrusions 22 of the container body 2 can be fitted. The through holes 25 and 26 are positioned and engaged with the protrusions 22 of the container body 2, respectively, and then inserted, and heat welding is applied to the tip portions of the protrusions 22 protruding from the through holes 25 and 26. The identification plate 20 is attached and fixed integrally to the container body 2 by staking with a tool or the like.
When fixing, if the tip of the cylindrical protrusion 22 has a split pin shape and is slightly larger than the diameter of the through holes 25 and 26, positioning with higher dimensional accuracy can be achieved.

9 to 11 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In addition to the support member 4 of the precision substrate W attached to the left and right side walls inside the container body 2, the inside of the container body 2 is shown. The example which attaches and fixes to a storage container integrally is shown as a retainer which supports a precision board | substrate before and after as an attachment member of a storage container.
FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the storage container in the present invention in which the substrate is stored in a horizontal state, and FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which the rear retainer is welded to the back surface of the storage container of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the through holes and columnar protrusions of the storage container shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of rear retainers 30 that support right and left peripheral edge portions on the back side of the stored substrate are provided on the back side facing the opening of the container body 2. Are provided with a pair of front retainers 31 for holding the outer peripheral edge of the substrate in contact with each other at a position facing the rear retainer 30 when the cover is closed.
The pair of rear retainers 30 are provided with holding grooves 32 that come into contact with the left and right outer peripheral edges on the back side of the stored substrate W. When the lid is closed, the substrate W is provided in a pair provided on the lid 3. The holding groove 33 of the front retainer 31 and the holding grooves 32 of the pair of rear retainers 30 provided on the back side of the container body 2 are lifted and held from the support member 4.

In the present embodiment, the pair of rear retainers 30 are made of a polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer, and a plurality of columnar protrusions 35 are formed on the back surface. The protrusions 35 are formed on the back surface of the container body 2 made of polycarbonate resin. The rear retainer 30 is integrated with the container body by staking it into a semicircular shape by ultrasonic welding to the tip of the projection 35 protruding from the through hole 34. The one attached to is shown.
Further, the peripheral edge of the through-hole 34 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, among the plurality of through-holes, the dimensions are adjusted so that the pair of through-holes 37 and the pair of columnar projections 35 opposite to each other are fitted, and the other pair of through-holes. The 38 and the protrusion 35 can be positioned with high accuracy by forming them so that there is a margin in size.
Also in this case, the mold structure of the container body can be simplified, and the attachment member can be easily attached and fixed integrally to the container body.

12 and 13 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which shows an example in which an ID tag holder for identifying the substrate storage container 1 is integrally attached and fixed to the storage container.
The ID tag holder 40 accommodates a barcode label 41 on its upper surface and a transponder or the like inside, and is formed in a cylindrical shape or a card shape.
In accordance with the specification of the process using the ID tag holder 40, the through hole 43 provided in the ID tag holder 40 is fitted into the tip of the columnar protrusion 42 provided on the outer wall of the substrate storage container 1, and the through hole The ID tag holder 40 can be integrally attached and fixed to the container body 2 by staking the tip end portion of the protrusion 42 protruding from 43 into a flat plate rivet shape by heat welding.
Further, since only the tip of the protrusion 42 is spot-welded, the electronic component housed in the ID tag holder 40 is not damaged.

In the above-described embodiment, the projection and the through hole into which the projection is inserted are divided into the attachment member or the storage container. However, even if the attachment member forming the projection and the through hole and the storage container are reversed. Alternatively, they may be mixed and formed.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, a recess 45 can be provided on the side where staking of the through hole is performed, and the tip of the protrusion can be staking in the recess 45. In this case, there is an advantage that no protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the storage container.

    INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a storage container for a recording medium substrate such as a liquid crystal substrate and a hard disk and a method for manufacturing the same.

The perspective view which shows the cover open state of the storage container of this invention. The fragmentary perspective view which shows the supporting member of the storage container of this invention. The typical sectional view of the state before making the projection of a support member fit in the penetration hole of a container main part. The typical sectional view of the state where the projection of the support member was inserted in the penetration hole. The typical sectional view showing the state where staking stop is given to the tip part of the projection of a support member. Explanatory drawing which shows arrangement | positioning of the column-shaped protrusion provided in the through-hole provided in the storage container of this invention, and the attachment member. The bottom view of the storage container concerning this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the protrusion provided in the container main body concerning this invention, and an identification plate. Sectional drawing of the horizontal direction of the storage container in this invention which accommodated the board | substrate in the horizontal state. Sectional drawing of the perpendicular direction which shows the state which welds a rear retainer to the back surface of the storage container of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed arrangement | positioning of the through-hole and cylindrical protrusion of a storage container shown in FIG. The side view which shows the state which attached and fixed the ID tag holder to the storage container 1 integrally on the back surface of the storage container of this invention. Weld Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the protrusion provided in the container main body concerning this invention, and an ID tag holder. The typical sectional view of the fixed part of the container main part and attachment member concerning the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage container 2 Container main body 3 Cover body 4 Support member 5 Robotic handle 6 Hole part 7 Seal member 8 Through hole 9 Through hole 10 Vertical wall 11 Substrate support rib 12 Protrusion 13 Through hole 14 Step part 15 Sealing material 16 Receiving jig 17 Heat melting jig 20 Identification plate 21 Positioning member 22 Cylindrical protrusion 23 Fixing member 25 Oval through hole 26 Circular through hole 30 Rear retainer 31 Front retainer 32, 33 Holding groove 34 Through hole 35 Protrusion 36 O-ring 37 Pair of through holes 38 Other pair of through holes 39 Through hole 40 ID tag holder 41 Barcode label 42 Protrusion 43 Through hole 45 Recess W Substrate

Claims (5)

A precision substrate storage container comprising a container main body and a lid, wherein the attachment member to the storage container is fitted into a plurality of through holes provided in the storage container or the attachment member, A storage container comprising a plurality of protrusions provided on the storage container, the tips of which are staking and fixed to the storage container. A storage container for a precision substrate comprising a container body and a lid, wherein the support member for supporting the precision substrate within the container has a plurality of protrusions provided on the back surface of the support member provided on a side wall of the storage container. A storage container comprising a plurality of through-holes that are fixed to the storage container by staking a protruding tip portion. The through hole is formed in an elliptical or oval through hole oriented in three directions, and a protrusion provided on the mounting member has a cylindrical shape, and the oval or oval through hole has the circle. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the columnar protrusion is engaged and positioned. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein staking of the tip portion of the protrusion is performed by heat welding. A method of manufacturing a storage container for a precision substrate comprising a container body and a lid, wherein a plurality of through holes are provided in the storage container or a mounting member of the storage container, and the mounting member of the storage container is provided in these through holes. Alternatively, a method of manufacturing a storage container, wherein a plurality of protrusions provided on the storage container are fitted, a tip portion of the protrusion protruding from the through hole is staking, and an attachment component is fixed to the storage container.

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