JP2006128461A - Substrate storing container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate storing container which is capable of preventing a locking failure caused by the distortion of a lid from occurring in a lid closing unit that locks the lid, and protecting a substrate against contamination caused by operation troubles or particle-containing gas penetrating into a container main body. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate storing container is composed of the container main body 1 which stores semiconductor wafers W inserted through its open front, the lid 20 which is fitted to the open front of the container main body 1, and a locking mechanism 40 which locks up the lid 20 fitted to the container main body 1. The lid 20 is composed of a case 21 fitted to the open front of the container main body 1 and a surface plate 28 which covers both the sides of the open front of the case 21, and a recess 24 which recedes in the direction of the surface plate 28 is provided at the center of the case 21. A distance from the recess 24 provided to the lid 20 fitted to the container main body 1 to FDP of SEMI standard is set shorter than that from the surface 29 of the surface plate 28 to FDP. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container for storing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate, and more particularly to improvement of a lid that opens and closes a container body.

In recent years, the diameter of semiconductor wafers has increased from 200 mm to 300 mm, and accordingly, the substrate storage container has also shifted from the top open box type to the front open box type.
The front open box type substrate storage container is not shown, but the container main body for aligning and storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers inserted from the opened front face, and the front open face of the container main body is fitted and closed in a sealed state. And a detachable lid body, and a locking mechanism that locks the lid body that is built in the lid body and is fitted in the open front of the container body (see Patent Document 1).

  The container body is formed into a front open box, and a rear retainer for holding the rear periphery of each semiconductor wafer is mounted on the inner back wall. The lid is composed of a housing that is fitted in the front of the container body that is open, and a surface plate that covers the front of the opening of the housing, and the housing includes a front peripheral edge of each semiconductor wafer accommodated therein. A front retainer that holds the

  The locking mechanism is pivotally supported by the casing and rotated by an operation of a latch key from the outside. The locking mechanism moves forward and backward based on the rotation of the rotating plate and moves into a locking hole at the inner peripheral edge of the opening of the container body. It is composed of a plurality of forward and backward moving bars to be fitted, and is automatically handled by the lid opening / closing device from the viewpoint of preventing mixing of particles.

  Such a front open box type substrate storage container has a SEMI standard. For example, SEMI standards E47.1 and M31 are rules relating to standardization of the basic shape and dimensions of the substrate storage container. In addition, the SEMI standard has two rules for a reference surface that passes through the center of a semiconductor wafer and serves as a reference for dimensions.

  Specifically, the semiconductor wafer is divided into two equal parts, and the horizontal and vertical surfaces (surface parallel to the semiconductor wafer insertion direction) are defined as BDP (Bilateral Data Plane). A vertical plane (a plane perpendicular to the insertion direction of the semiconductor wafer) that bisects and is parallel to the front surface of the substrate storage container is defined as FDP (Facial Data Plane).

  In this regard, SEMI standards E47.1 and M31 define the maximum dimension (Y52) from the FDP of the substrate storage container closed by the lid to the front surface of the substrate storage container as less than 166 mm. Furthermore, E62 of the same standard stipulates the standardization of the dimensions of the interface part between the lid body incorporating the locking mechanism and the lid body opening / closing device.

As described above, Y52 is set to be less than 166 mm based on SEMI standards E47.1 and M31 as described above. This is because the substrate storage container is mounted on the lid opening / closing device and positioned on the surface of the lid. This is to ensure positional accuracy when docking with the wall surface to be sealed. If the substrate storage container and the lid opening / closing device are not docked accurately, the detection sensor of the lid opening / closing device on the surface facing the lid will not detect correctly, causing an operation error of the lid opening / closing device, and the work will be interrupted. is there.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-174081

  The conventional substrate storage container is configured as described above, but when the lid is attached to the container body in which the semiconductor wafers are aligned and stored, the semiconductor wafer is pushed into the rear side of the container body by the front retainer on the inner surface of the lid body. Due to the repulsive force at this time, the lid body, particularly the central portion thereof, may be bent convexly toward the surface plate together with the front retainer.

  If the lid is bent, the front side of the lid, in particular, Y52 at the center of the lid will not meet the SEMI standard, and it will come into partial strong contact when docked with the lid opening / closing device. There is a problem that the rotating plate is rotated without being inserted to a predetermined depth. In addition, if the rotating plate is rotated without the lid key of the lid opening / closing device being inserted to a predetermined depth, an operation trouble may occur, or the lid may not be closed sufficiently and the sealing performance may be hindered. May enter the container body and contaminate the semiconductor wafer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and suppresses and prevents a docking failure with the lid opening / closing device due to the bending of the lid, so that an operation trouble or gas containing particles enters the container body and contaminates the substrate. The aim is to provide no substrate storage container.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a container main body for storing a substrate inserted from the opened front, a lid fitted into the opened front of the container main body, a container main body provided on the lid, And a locking mechanism for locking the lid fitted in
The lid is composed of a housing that can be fitted into the open front of the container body, and a surface plate that covers the opening surface of the housing, and the housing and the surface plate are provided in a partial region of the surface of the housing and the surface plate. Forming a recess recessed in the direction of the back surface of
The lid body in which the recess is not formed by dividing the distance between the concave portion of the lid body fitted in the container main body and the orthogonal surface orthogonal to the substrate insertion direction substantially in half. It is characterized by being shorter than the distance from the surface to the orthogonal plane.

In addition, it is preferable that a locking mechanism is provided on each side portion of the housing, and a recess is formed with the space between the pair of locking mechanisms as a partial region of the housing.
Moreover, the depth of the recess can be maximized at the center line portion of the lid.
Furthermore, the distance from the orthogonal surface to the concave portion of the lid body can be made 0.1 to 5 mm shorter than the dimension from the orthogonal surface to the surface of the lid body on which no concave portion is formed.

  Here, the substrate in the claims includes at least a semiconductor wafer made of a silicon wafer having a diameter of 200 mm, 300 mm, and 450 mm, a glass wafer, a photomask, a substrate for a recording medium, and liquid crystal glass. The container body may be transparent, translucent, or opaque. The back surface of the container body can be a see-through window. Further, the surface plate may cover the entire front surface of the housing that is opened, may cover the front side portion of the housing that is opened, and may not ask for a plurality.

  The concave portion can be formed into a substantially mortar shape, a substantially semicircular shape, a substantially semielliptical shape or the like by an inclined surface, a curved surface, or a stepped surface. In addition, the term “substantially orthogonal” includes both strictly orthogonal and approximate orthogonal. Further, the substrate storage container according to the present invention includes both FOSB type and FOUP type as long as it is a front open box.

  According to the present invention, when the lid is attached to the container body containing the substrate, the substrate is pushed behind the container body by the lid, and the lid is bent toward the surface plate by the reaction force at this time. However, even if the lid body bends and swells in the direction of the surface plate, the concave portion recessed toward the housing from the surface of the surface plate does not bulge outward from the surface plate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress or prevent a docking failure with the lid opening / closing device due to the bending of the lid, and there is an effect that the operation trouble and the gas containing particles do not enter the container body and contaminate the substrate. is there.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the substrate storage container in the present embodiment is a plurality of sheets inserted in the direction of the back wall from the opened front. A container body 1 for aligning and storing the semiconductor wafers W, a detachable lid 20 fitted in a sealed state on the opened front surface of the container body 1, and a container body 1 fitted on the basis of an external operation. A pair of left and right locking mechanisms 40 that lock the lid 20 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each semiconductor wafer W is made of, for example, a round disk-shaped silicon wafer having a diameter of 300 mm. Both front and back surfaces are formed as mirror surfaces. In and out. At the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W, a notch for facilitating discrimination and alignment of the crystal direction is cut out into a substantially semicircular plane.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the container body 1 is molded into a front open box having a front opening using a predetermined resin such as polycarbonate having excellent transparency and high rigidity. 25) semiconductor wafers W function to be aligned and housed in the vertical direction.

  The container main body 1 has a pair of left and right rear retainers 2 formed on the inner back wall thereof at intervals, and the pair of rear retainers 2 hold the rear peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each rear retainer 2 includes a holder 3 having a substantially U-shaped cross section extending in the vertical direction, and the rear periphery of the semiconductor wafer W is elastically held on the front surface of the holder 3. A plurality of holding grooves 4 having a substantially U-shaped cross section are formed side by side in the vertical direction.

  A pair of left and right teeth 5 are formed on the inner surfaces of both side walls of the container body 1 so as to oppose each other and support and mount the semiconductor wafer W substantially horizontally. A plurality of pairs of left and right teeth 5 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. Is done.

  Each of the teeth 5 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, a generally rectangular shape, or a substantially semicircular shape, and is formed integrally with a flat plate 6 along the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W and on the inner side of the front portion of the flat plate 6. A front middle thickness region, and a flat front thick region that is integrally formed on the front outer side of the flat plate 6 and located outside the front middle thickness region, in other words, on the side wall side of the container body 1; A rear middle thickness region integrally formed at the rear portion of the flat plate 6 and a flat rear thickness portion formed in the rear portion of the flat plate 6 and positioned in front of the rear middle thickness region and positioned in a small area near the side wall of the container body 1 Formed from the meat region.

  Between the front middle wall region and the front thick wall region, a slight vertical step contacting the side edge of the semiconductor wafer W is formed. The front thick region is formed to a height corresponding to the thickness of the semiconductor wafer W, specifically, a height of about 0.3 to 0.7 mm, and when the lid 20 is removed, the semiconductor wafer W is placed in the container body 1. Jumping out of the door is regulated as a stopper. A slightly recessed thin region is formed between the front middle region and the rear middle region, and this thin region is opposed to the peripheral edge of the side of the semiconductor wafer W with a slight gap.

  The teeth 5 having such a structure horizontally support the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W in a flat front middle region and rear middle region while maintaining high accuracy, and the semiconductor wafer W is inclined in the vertical direction. Thus, it functions to prevent the robot fork from being taken in and out.

  Positioning tools 7 that are positioned by a processing apparatus on which the substrate storage container is mounted are integrally formed on both the front side and the rear center of the bottom surface of the container body 1. Each positioning tool 7 is formed in a substantially M-shaped cross section, a substantially inverted V shape, a substantially inverted Y shape, or a concave oval shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a flat rectangular robotic flange 8 is integrally or detachably attached to the center of the ceiling of the container body 1, and this robotic flange 8 is called an OHT (overhead hoist transfer). By being held by an automatic conveyance mechanism (not shown), the substrate storage container conveys the inside of the process.

  The peripheral part of the front of the opening of the container main body 1 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section so that it protrudes outward to form a rim part 9 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In this case, a plurality of recesses 10 for locking the lid are formed. Thick disc-shaped, substantially L-shaped, or inverted U-shaped transport handles (not shown) are selectively mounted on both side walls of the container body 1, and the transport handles are gripped by the operator. As a result, the substrate storage container is conveyed.

  The container body 1, the positioning tool 7, the robotic flange 8, and the transport handle are molded using, for example, polycarbonate, polyetherimide, cyclic olefin resin, or the like. Carbon black, acetylene black, carbon fiber, carbon nanotube, metal fiber, antistatic agent and the like can be appropriately added to these materials.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lid body 20 covers a housing 21 that is detachably fitted into the opened rim portion 9 of the container body 1 and both open sides of the front surface of the housing 21. A pair of left and right surface plates 28 are pressed into the rim portion 9 of the container body 1 and closed in a sealed state.
The casing 21 is basically formed in a horizontally long shape with a substantially hat-shaped cross section and a frontal rectangular shape. A peripheral wall 22 is bent and integrally formed at the peripheral edge, and the container body 1 and the bent portion of the peripheral wall 22 are formed. A seal gasket 23 interposed between the lid 20 and the lid 20 is detachably fitted.

  The seal gasket 23 is formed endlessly using, for example, various types of thermoplastic elastomers such as fluoro rubber, silicone rubber, polyester, and polyolefin, and is pressed and deformed to the inner periphery of the rim portion 9 when the lid 20 is fitted. It functions to suppress and prevent air containing dust from flowing into the inside of the container body 1 from the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the central portion of the housing 21 is recessed in the direction from the back surface toward the surface plate 28 (from the upper direction to the lower direction in FIG. 4). A plurality of front retainers 25 for holding the front peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W are mounted on the front. As shown in FIG. 5, each front retainer 25 is formed into a horizontally elongated groove shape using an elastic material, and a plurality of holding blocks 27 that elastically hold the front peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W are spaced apart from each other. Are integrally formed.

  A concave portion 24 is formed on the opposite surface (outer surface) of the inner concave portion, and an adsorption region 26 adsorbed by a lid opening / closing device (not shown) is formed in a substantially semicircular shape. The recess 24 is formed in a groove shape, and is a distance to an FDP defined by SEMI standards (an orthogonal plane that passes through the center of the semiconductor wafer W inserted into the container body 1 and is orthogonal to the insertion direction of the semiconductor wafer W). P1 is set to be shorter than the distance P2 from the surface 29 of the lid 20 where the recess 24 is not formed to the FDP (see FIG. 4).

  The depth of the recess 24 is defined as the difference between the distance from the FDP of the container body 1 closed by the lid 20 to the surface 29 of the lid 20 where the recess 24 is not formed, and the distance from the FDP to the recess 24. It is calculated | required and set in the range of 0.1-5 mm. The depth of the recess 24 is preferably set in the range of 0.3 to 3 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 1 mm.

  The reason why the recess depth of the recess 24 is in the range of 0.1 to 5 mm is that when the recess depth is less than 0.1 mm, it is not possible to eliminate the adverse effect of the deflection of the lid 20. On the other hand, when the distance exceeds 5 mm, the internal space of the lid 20 becomes narrow, and there is a risk that strength may be reduced due to interference with the locking mechanism 40.

  The reason why the preferable depth of the recess 24 is in the range of 0.3 to 3 mm is that if it is within this range, there is no hindrance to the detection of the lid 20 by the sensor. Further, the more preferable recess depth of the recess 24 is in the range of 0.5 to 1 mm, as long as it is within this range, the deflection of the lid 20 can be sufficiently corrected, and any part of the lid 20 can be corrected. This is because the measurement does not deviate from the dimensions of the SEMI standard.

  Each of the pair of surface plates 28 is formed in a shape corresponding to the opening surface of the housing 21, covers the locking mechanism 40, and the through operation hole 30 for the locking mechanism 40 is drilled in a front rectangle. A pair of left and right penetrating operation holes 30 are penetrated by the latch key of the lid opening / closing device. A pair of lines 28 </ b> L extending in the vertical direction through the through operation holes 30 of the pair of surface plates 28 divides a central portion, which is a partial region of the housing 21, from the left and right. Alternatively, a recess 24 is formed in a part (a part excluding the seal formation area, the suction area 26, and the sensor detection area of the lid 20) (see FIG. 2). Each surface plate 28 is attached to the front surface of the housing 21 via a plurality of locking pieces 31.

  The casing 21 and the surface plate 28 of the lid 20 are molded using, for example, polycarbonate, polycarbonate containing fluorine, polybutylene terephthalate, polyether ether ketone, polyether imide, polyacetal, cyclic olefin resin, or the like. The

  The pair of locking mechanisms 40 are respectively installed on both open side portions of the front surface of the housing 21, and divide a central portion that is a partial region of the housing 21 from the left and right. The recess 24 is located in all.

  Each locking mechanism 40 is pivotally supported on the front side portion of the casing 21 and is slidably supported by the casing 21 and a rotating plate 41 that is rotated by an external operation of the lid opening / closing device that penetrates the through operation hole 30. A plurality of advancing / retracting bars that are coupled to the rotating plate 41 and linearly slide in the inner and outer vertical directions of the lid 20 based on the rotation of the rotating plate 41, and formed at the front end of each advancing / retracting bar. The lid 20 that is formed by a locking claw that protrudes and protrudes from the opening of the peripheral wall 21 and fits and locks into the locking hole 10 of the rim portion 9 is firmly locked. To do.

  According to the above configuration, the semiconductor wafer W is pushed into the rear side of the container body 1 by the front retainer 25 on the inner surface of the lid, and the lid 20 together with the front retainer 25 protrudes toward the surface plate 28 by the repulsive force at this time. The distance from the concave plate 24 to the FDP is smaller than the distance from the surface 29 of the surface plate 28 to the FDP, and the depth of the concave portion 24 is the surface 29 of the lid 20 where the concave portion 24 is not formed. Therefore, even if the semiconductor wafer W is fully loaded in the container body 1, the Y52 dimension at the center of the lid conforms to the SEMI standard. It won't be overfilled.

  That is, the difference between Y52 before the semiconductor wafer W is stored and Y52 after the semiconductor wafer W is stored is the bending of the lid body 20. In this embodiment, the bending of the lid body 20 occurs and the lid body 20 is bent. Even when the surface plate 28 bulges in a convex shape in the direction of the surface 29, the recess 24 is formed in advance so as to absorb (release) the amount of bending and satisfy the SEMI standard. Accordingly, when the substrate storage container is docked with the lid opening / closing device and the lid 20 is opened / closed, the substrate storage container is not detected at a fixed position due to the bending of the lid 20, and the opening / closing operation is interrupted halfway. In addition, the rotation key 41 is not rotated without the latch key of the lid opening / closing device being inserted to a predetermined depth.

  Further, it is possible to effectively eliminate the possibility that an operation trouble occurs, the closure of the lid 20 is insufficient and the sealing performance is hindered, and air containing particles enters the container body 1 and contaminates the semiconductor wafer W. be able to. Moreover, since the recessed part 24 is formed in the center part of the housing | casing 21, it becomes possible to correct | amend the bending of the cover body 20 effectively, and to fully cope with dimension variation.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the concave portion 24 of the lid 20 is formed to be recessed by 0.5 mm in the back surface direction, and the surface 29 of the surface plate 28 is A step 32 which is a recess 24 of 5 mm is formed.
The step 32 of the surface plate 28 is formed from the center line of the lid 20 to a line 28L that passes through the through operation hole 30 of the surface plate 28 and extends in the vertical direction. The step 32 of the surface plate 28 is formed as necessary in consideration of the amount of bending of the lid 20. Other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, it is possible to expect the same effect as the above embodiment, and it is obvious that the SEMI standard can be expected while diversifying the recess 24 and the surface plate 28.

  Next, FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the recess 24 has a substantially arc shape so that the recess depth of the center line portion in the width direction of the housing 21 is deepest. A pair of left and right front retainers 25A that are opposed to each other with a gap therebetween are mounted on both sides of the recess 24, respectively. The other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be expected, and since the recess 24 is formed so that the recess depth of the center line portion is deepest, the deflection amount is the largest and tends to be convex. It is obvious that the deflection can be offset by the central portion of the lid 20 and the recess 24.

  In the above embodiment, the step 32 is formed on the surface 29 of the surface plate 28, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an inclined surface that decreases in distance from the FDP toward the center of the lid 20 may be formed.

  Further, the locking mechanism 40 is supported by the lid 20 and rotated by an external operation, and is supported by the lid 20 so as to be slidable and coupled to the rotary body, and the lid based on the rotation of the rotary body. A plurality of advance / retreat bars 20 that advance / retreat in and out of the cover 20, and are rotatably supported in the vicinity of the opening of the peripheral wall of the lid 20 and connected to the tip of the advance / retreat bar. It can be configured from a locking roller that protrudes and retracts from the opening of the body 20.

  Moreover, you may integrate a guide groove in the inner surface of the both-sides wall of the container main body 1 by methods, such as heat welding of an attachment boss | hub, and ultrasonic welding. Further, a texture may be formed on all or part of the rear retainer 2 and the teeth 5 to form a low friction resistance region.

It is a perspective explanatory view showing an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is front explanatory drawing which shows the cover body in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is the III-III sectional view explanatory drawing of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1. It is a section explanatory view showing a 2nd embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing a 3rd embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Rear retainer 9 Rim part 20 Lid body 21 Case 24 Recess 25 Front retainer 25A Front retainer 28 Surface plate 28L Line 29 which passes through the through hole of the surface plate and extends vertically 29 Surface surface 30 of the surface plate Through hole 32 Step 40 Locking mechanism FDP An orthogonal plane passing through the center of the semiconductor wafer inserted into the container body and orthogonal to the insertion direction of the semiconductor wafer (passing through the substantially center of the substrate inserted into the container body and inserting the substrate (Orthogonal plane approximately perpendicular to direction)
P1 Distance from the recess to the FDP P2 Distance from the surface of the lid body where no recess is formed to the FDP W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims (4)

A container main body for storing a substrate inserted from the opened front, a lid fitted into the opened front of the container main body, and a lock provided on the lid for locking the lid fitted into the container main body A substrate storage container comprising a mechanism,
The lid is composed of a housing that can be fitted into the open front of the container body, and a surface plate that covers the opening surface of the housing, and the housing and the surface plate are provided in a partial region of the surface of the housing and the surface plate. Forming a recess recessed in the direction of the back surface of
The lid body in which the recess is not formed by dividing the distance between the concave portion of the lid body fitted in the container main body and the orthogonal surface orthogonal to the substrate insertion direction substantially in half. A substrate storage container characterized in that it is shorter than the distance from the surface to the orthogonal plane.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein a locking mechanism is provided on each side portion of the housing, and a recess is formed with the space between the pair of locking mechanisms as a partial region of the housing.   3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the recess is maximized at the center line portion of the lid.   The substrate storage according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein a distance from the orthogonal surface to the concave portion of the lid body is 0.1 to 5 mm shorter than a dimension from the orthogonal surface to the surface of the lid body on which the concave portion is not formed. container.

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