JP2007129160A - Pod-shell cleaning apparatus and pod-shell cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pod-shell cleaning apparatus and a method therefor whereby metal contamination of a pod shell can be removed. <P>SOLUTION: The pod-shell cleaning apparatus has a cleaning vessel 4 for cleaning a pod shell, a base 36 disposed in the cleaning vessel and for so holding the pod shell as to orient its opening portion downward, a motor 34 for rotating the base via a driving gear 45, and nozzles disposed on the base and for jetting respectively a chemical liquid and a pure water onto the inner surface of the pod shell held on the base. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pod shell cleaning device and a pod shell cleaning / drying method, and more particularly to a pod shell cleaning device and a pod shell cleaning method capable of removing dirt due to metal of a pod shell by chemical cleaning, and a space for opening and closing an upper lid. The present invention relates to a pod shell cleaning device that is not required.

  Semiconductor manufacturing requires many processes to be performed under a very high degree of cleanness, but there is a limit in terms of cost to keep a large environment in all processes at a high degree of cleanliness. For this reason, development of means for keeping only the local environment (mini-environment) at a high degree of cleanliness is underway. For example, a wafer is transported in a sealed container called FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), the wafer is put into the semiconductor manufacturing process together with the sealed container, and the work is performed by directly docking the sealed container with the manufacturing equipment. By managing the environment inside the mold container, it is possible to maintain a high degree of cleanness of the wafer in the manufacturing process.

  By the way, such a sealed container accommodates and transports a large number of wafers. At that time, the wafer and the inner surface of the container are rubbed to cause contamination such as particles, and the container has a low cleanliness. However, since it is transferred, the outer surface is easily contaminated, and when the lid is removed, the wafer housed inside may be contaminated. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the container.

As shown in FIG. 17, the FOUP 80 has a pod shell 82 that is a container body that has an opening 81 on the front surface and accommodates a substrate in a horizontal state, and the opening 81 is closed so as to be sealed. The door shell 83 which is a lid body to be engaged is provided. The door shell 83 includes a packing 84 for closing the opening 81 so that it can be sealed.
When the door shell 83 and the pod shell 82 are assembled and assembled, the door shell 83 is installed so that the inner surface 85 of the door shell faces the inner surface of the pod shell, and the door shell and the pod shell are fastened by a lock portion (fastener) 86 to form a FOUP. . The FOUP 80 is disassembled into a pod shell 82 and a door shell 83 as necessary, and is separately cleaned.

  FIG. 18 is a top view schematically showing a conventional FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus. FIG. 19 is a side view of the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus viewed from the direction of the arrow 101 shown in FIG. FIG. 20 is a side view of the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus viewed from the direction of the arrow 102 shown in FIG. FIG. 21 is a side view of the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus viewed from the direction of the arrow 103 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, the conventional FOUP cleaning and drying apparatus includes a door shell cleaning tank 104, a door shell drying tank 105, a pod shell cleaning tank 106, a pod shell drying tank 107, a pod shell transfer machine 108, and a door shell transfer machine 109. The electric box 110 and the clean unit 111 are provided.

  First, a method for cleaning the pod shell will be described. The pod shell with the opening facing downward is accommodated in the pod shell cleaning tank 106, and the air in the pod shell is exhausted while introducing pure water for cleaning into the pod shell cleaning tank 106. Thus, pure water is efficiently introduced from the opening into the pod shell, and the cleaning tank 106 is also filled with pure water, and the pod shell is immersed in the cleaning water in the cleaning tank. Next, ultrasonic cleaning is performed by applying ultrasonic vibration to the pod shell and the cleaning water.

  Next, a method for drying the pod shell will be described. The pod shell cleaned by the pod shell cleaning tank 106 is transferred to the pod shell drying tank 107 by the pod shell transfer device 108 and stored in the drying tank 107. Next, in the pod shell drying tank 107, hot air is blown by blowing hot air on the outer and inner surfaces of the cleaned pod shell. After drying for a predetermined time, the inside of the pod shell drying tank is decompressed and dried under reduced pressure. After depressurizing for a predetermined time, the pod shell drying tank is opened to the atmosphere, and after returning to normal pressure, hot air drying and reduced pressure drying are repeated again. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Next, a method for cleaning the door shell will be described. The inner surface of the door shell is fixed toward the door shell cleaning tank 104 side, and pure water for cleaning is sprayed on the inner surface of the door shell. Thereby, the inner surface of the door shell, the packing, and the vicinity thereof are cleaned.

  Next, the washed door shell is transferred from the door shell cleaning tank 104 to the door shell drying tank 105 by the door shell transfer device 109. Next, in the door shell drying tank 105, clean high-pressure air is sprayed on the inner surface of the door shell, and the pure water remaining on the inner surface of the door shell is blown off (for example, see Patent Document 2). As another door shell drying method, hot air drying using a hot air generator for heating and drying air is also used.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the pod shell cleaning tank 106 shown in FIG.
The pod shell cleaning tank 106 is configured such that two upper lids 112a and 112b open and close. The upper lids 112a and 112b are opened above the pod shell cleaning tank 106, and a motor (not shown) as a drive source is connected to each of the two upper lids.

Next, the operation of the pod shell cleaning tank will be described.
First, the upper lids 112a and 112b are opened by the driving force of the motor, the pod shell 82 is accommodated in the pod shell cleaning tank 106, and the upper lid is closed by the driving force of the motor. Next, after the pod shell is cleaned by the cleaning method as described above, the upper lid is opened as shown in FIG. 22, and the cleaned pod shell 82 is taken out from the pod shell cleaning tank 106 by the transfer device and transferred to the pod shell drying tank. To do.

Japanese Patent No. 3494293 (FIG. 1) JP 2002-334863 A (paragraphs 0028 to 0030)

  By the way, in the pod shell cleaning tank of the conventional FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus, since the pod shell is cleaned with pure water, it is difficult to remove metal contamination. Further, in the conventional pod shell cleaning method, since the pod shell is immersed in pure water in the cleaning tank and cleaning is performed by ultrasonic waves, the amount of pure water used is increased, and the running cost of cleaning is increased. In addition to this, since the operation of introducing and discharging pure water into the cleaning tank is repeated, it takes time to introduce and discharge pure water, resulting in poor throughput.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22, since the upper lid has a structure that opens to the upper outside of the pod shell cleaning tank, the pod shell is taken out by the pod shell transporter with the upper lid opened, and as a result, the pod shell cleaning is performed. It is necessary to make a large space for conveyance above the tank. That is, since not only the size of the pod shell but also the space of the opened upper lid is necessary, the space for the transfer is increased. Therefore, it has been a factor that hinders downsizing of the FOUP cleaning and drying apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pod shell cleaning apparatus and a pod shell cleaning method capable of removing dirt from the metal of the pod shell. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pod shell cleaning device that does not require a space for opening and closing the upper lid.

In order to solve the above problems, a pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes a cleaning tank for cleaning a pod shell,
A base disposed in the cleaning tank and holding the pod shell with its opening facing downward;
A rotation mechanism for rotating the base;
A nozzle that is disposed on the base and injects a chemical solution and pure water onto the inner surface of the pod shell held by the base;
It is characterized by comprising.

According to the above pod shell cleaning device, the pod shell can be held on the base with its inner surface facing downward, and the base can be cleaned by spraying a chemical solution from the nozzle to the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the base by a rotating mechanism. . Therefore, the metal contamination of the pod shell can be removed with the chemical solution.
The nozzle may be divided into a chemical solution dedicated nozzle and a pure water dedicated nozzle, or a nozzle capable of injecting both a chemical solution and pure water. In this case, it is preferable to have a mechanism capable of switching the chemical liquid and pure water and injecting from the nozzle.

  The pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention may further include a pure water nozzle that injects pure water onto the outer surface of the pod shell. Thereby, the rinse effect by a pure water can be heightened.

The pod shell cleaning method according to the present invention holds the pod shell on the base in the cleaning tank with its opening facing downward,
The inner surface of the pod shell is washed with the chemical solution by spraying the chemical solution onto the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell by rotating the base.
The inner surface of the pod shell is rinsed with the pure water by spraying pure water onto the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell by rotating the base.

  Further, in the pod shell cleaning method, when pure water is sprayed on the inner surface of the pod shell, the pure water is also sprayed on the outer surface of the pod shell, thereby rinsing both the inner surface and the outer surface of the pod shell. Is also possible.

The pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes a cleaning tank for cleaning the pod shell,
An upper lid provided at the top of the washing tank;
A drive mechanism for opening and closing the upper lid in the cleaning tank;
It is characterized by comprising.

  Further, in the pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the drive mechanism is configured such that one end of the upper lid is moved along the upper surface of the cleaning tank, and the other end of the upper lid is on the side surface of the cleaning tank. It is preferably moved along.

Further, in the pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, a first roller provided at one end of the upper lid,
A second roller provided at the other end of the upper lid;
A third roller provided between the one end and the other end of the upper lid;
A horizontal guide rail for guiding the first roller in a substantially horizontal direction;
A vertical guide rail for guiding the second roller in a substantially vertical direction;
A drive arm having a rotary shaft to which a rotational force is applied by the drive mechanism on one side and a long hole combining the third roller on the other side;
Further comprising
The rotating shaft is disposed on the side near the corner where the horizontal guide rail and the vertical guide rail are close to each other,
It is preferable that the first roller, the second roller, the third roller, the horizontal guide rail, the vertical guide rail, and the drive arm are disposed in the cleaning tank.

Further, in the pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, an arm arranged outside the cleaning tank,
A connecting link disposed outside the washing tank and attached to one side of the arm;
Further comprising
The rotating shaft extended outside the washing tank is attached to the other side of the arm,
It is preferable that a rotational force is applied to the rotating shaft via the arm by moving the connecting link in a direction along the connecting link by the driving mechanism.

Further, in the pod shell cleaning device according to the present invention, a gear to which a rotational force is applied by the drive mechanism,
A cam follower provided on the gear;
A slot provided in the connecting link;
Further comprising
The cam follower is preferably combined with the long hole.

  In the pod shell cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the upper lid is composed of two lids.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pod shell cleaning apparatus and a pod shell cleaning method that can remove dirt from the metal of the pod shell. According to another aspect of the present invention, a pod shell cleaning device that does not require a space for opening and closing the upper lid can be provided.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a top view schematically showing a FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus viewed from the direction of the arrow 21 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus viewed from the direction of the arrow 22 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus has a door shell cleaning rinse tank 1, and a door shell draining tank 2 is arranged next to the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1. Next to the door shell draining tank 2, a door shell drying tank 3 is arranged. The washing rinsing tank 1, draining tank 2 and drying tank 3 are arranged in a horizontal row, and the door shell to be washed is conveyed between the cleaning rinsing tank 1, draining tank 2 and drying tank 3 by the door shell conveyor 8. It is configured to be.

  The door shell cleaning rinsing tank 1 is a tank for cleaning the door shell with a chemical solution and rinsing with pure water. The door shell draining tank 2 is a tank for draining the door shell after washing. The door shell drying tank 3 is a tank for drying the door shell after draining.

  Further, the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus has a pod shell cleaning tank 4, and this pod shell cleaning tank 4 is arranged at a position facing the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1. Next to the pod shell washing tank 4, a pod shell draining tank 5 is arranged, and this pod shell draining tank 5 is arranged at a position facing the door shell draining tank 2. A pod shell drying tank 6 is arranged next to the pod shell draining tank 5, and this pod shell drying tank 6 is arranged at a position facing the door shell drying tank 3. These washing tank 4, draining tank 5 and drying tank 6 are arranged in a horizontal row, and the pod shell to be washed is transported between the washing tank 4, draining tank 5 and drying tank 6 by the pod shell conveyor 7. It is configured to be.

  The pod shell cleaning tank 4 is a tank for cleaning the pod shell with a chemical solution and rinsing with pure water. The pod shell draining tank 5 is a tank for draining the washed pod shell. The pod shell drying tank 6 is a tank for drying the pod shell after draining.

  The FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus has two door shell tank-pod shell tank transfer machines 9, and one transfer machine 9 is a door shell or pod shell between the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1 and the pod shell cleaning tank 4. The other transport device 9 transports the door shell or pod shell between the door shell dryer 3 and the pod shell dryer 6.

  In the vicinity of the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1, disassembling means (not shown) for disassembling the FOUP to be cleaned into a door shell and a pod shell is arranged. Also, in the vicinity of the door shell dryer 3, assembly means (not shown) for assembling the FOUP by assembling the pod shell and the door shell that have been cleaned is arranged.

  The FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus includes a chemical solution supply unit 10, and this chemical solution supply unit 10 supplies chemical solutions to the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1 and the pod shell cleaning tank 4. Further, the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus has a power supply box 11 for supplying electric power to each tank and each transfer machine. The FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus has a clean unit 12 for cleaning the atmosphere in the apparatus as shown in FIG.

Next, a FOUP cleaning / drying method using the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described.
First, a FOUP to be cleaned is prepared, and this FOUP is decomposed into a door shell and a pod shell by a disassembling means. Specifically, the door shell and the pod shell are disassembled by removing the fasteners connecting the door shell and the pod shell.

  Subsequently, the door shell is placed in the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1 with the door shell conveyor 8 facing the inner surface of the door shell downward, and the pod shell opening is directed downward by the door shell tank-pod shell tank conveyor 9. The shell is transferred into the pod shell cleaning tank 4.

  Next, in the door shell cleaning rinsing tank 1, the door shell is cleaned with the chemical by spraying the chemical on the inner surface of the door shell, and then the door shell is rinsed with pure water by spraying pure water on the inner surface of the door shell. In addition, the pod shell cleaning tank 4 cleans the pod shell with a chemical solution by spraying the chemical solution onto the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell. After that, pure water is applied to the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell. The pod shell is rinsed with pure water by spraying. By rotating the pod shell, pure water can be sprayed evenly on the inner surface of the pod shell. Further, by adopting a method in which pure water is sprayed on the inner surface of the pod shell, the amount of pure water used can be reduced as compared with the case of immersing in pure water as in the prior art.

  Next, the door shell after the cleaning rinse is transferred from the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1 to the door shell draining tank 2 by the door shell transfer device 8. Next, by blowing a gas such as air onto the door shell in the door shell draining tub 2, the pure water remaining on the inner surface of the door shell is blown off to drain the water. In addition, the pod shell after the cleaning rinse is transferred from the pod shell cleaning tank 4 to the pod shell draining tank 5 by the pod shell transfer device 7. Next, by blowing a gas such as air while rotating the pod shell in the pod shell draining tank 5, the remaining pure water adhering to the pod shell is blown to drain the water.

  Next, the door shell after draining is conveyed from the door shell draining tank 2 to the door shell drying tank 3 by the door shell conveyor 8. Next, hot air is blown onto the door shell in the door shell drying tank 3 to dry the door shell. Further, the pod shell after draining is transported from the pod shell draining tank 5 to the pod shell drying tank 6 by the pod shell conveyor 7. Next, heated air is blown onto the pod shell in the pod shell drying tank 6 to perform centrifugal drying. The rotational speed of centrifugal drying is approximately 600 rpm.

  Next, the dried pod shell is transported from the pod shell drying tank 6 to the upper part of the door shell drying tank 3 or near the door shell drying tank 3 by the door shell tank-pod shell tank transfer machine 9, and the door shell dried tank is transferred to the door shell drying machine 3 is conveyed above or in the vicinity. Next, the door shell and the pod shell are joined by a fastener by assembling means to assemble the FOUP.

  According to the above embodiment, the door shell can be cleaned with the chemical by the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1, and the pod shell can be cleaned with the chemical by the pod shell cleaning tank 4. Therefore, it is possible to remove metal contamination which has been difficult with the prior art.

  In this embodiment, the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1, the door shell draining tank 2, and the door shell drying tank 3 are arranged in a horizontal row, and the pod shell cleaning tank 4, the pod shell draining tank 5 and the pod shell drying tank 6 are arranged in a horizontal row. The door shell cleaning rinse tank 1 is disposed facing the pod shell cleaning tank 4, the door shell draining tank 2 is disposed facing the pod shell draining tank 5, and the door shell drying tank 3 is coupled with the pod shell drying tank 6. They are placed facing each other. By disposing in this way, cleaning, rinsing, draining and drying of the door shell after disassembly and cleaning, rinsing, draining and drying of the pod shell after disassembly can be performed in parallel without wasteful operations. Therefore, the apparatus can be reduced in size with a small footprint and the throughput of the apparatus can be improved.

  In addition, since the method of ultrasonic cleaning by immersing the pod shell in pure water as in the prior art is not employed, the cleaning time can be shortened as compared with the prior art. That is, in the prior art, it takes time to supply and drain pure water and it is difficult to improve the throughput, but in this embodiment, the cleaning time can be shortened.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the drying time in each of the door shell drying tank 3 and the pod shell drying tank 6 can be shortened by providing the door shell draining tank 2 and the pod shell draining tank 5.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, since it dries after fully draining in each of the door shell draining tank 2 and the pod shell draining tank 5, it can dry easily even if it does not perform reduced pressure drying like a prior art. it can. In order to perform drying under reduced pressure, it is necessary to provide a thick drying tank, but in this embodiment, such a thick drying tank is not necessary. Therefore, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

  FIG. 4 is a top view showing a specific configuration of the pod shell cleaning tank shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the pod shell cleaning tank as viewed from the direction of the arrow 13 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the pod shell cleaning tank as viewed from the direction of the arrow 14 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a top view showing the configuration of the cleaning mechanism in the pod shell cleaning tank shown in FIGS. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaning mechanism viewed from the direction of the arrow 15 shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaning mechanism as viewed from the direction of the arrow 16 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the pod shell cleaning apparatus includes a pod shell cleaning tank 4, and two upper lids 32 a and 32 b are disposed on the pod shell cleaning tank 4. A rotary actuator 33 is connected to the upper lid, and this rotary actuator 33 functions as a drive source when the upper lid is opened and closed. The details of the upper lid and its operation will be described later.

  A cleaning mechanism 44 is disposed in the pod shell cleaning tank 4. The cleaning mechanism 44 has a base 36 on which a pod shell to be cleaned is placed with its opening portion facing downward, as shown in FIGS. A driven gear 37 is attached below the base 36, and the driven gear 37 and the base 36 constitute a rotary table. A floor plate 38 for supporting the rotary table is disposed under the driven gear 37. On the base 36, nozzles 39a and 39b for injecting a chemical solution or pure water in a shower shape are arranged. The nozzle is provided with a plurality of injection holes so that the chemical liquid or pure water is injected in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle and in all directions. Also, one nozzle 39a may inject chemical liquid, the other nozzle 39b may inject pure water, and both nozzles 39a and 39b can inject chemical liquid and pure water. It is good also as what switches and uses water. The nozzles 39 a and 39 b extend below the base 36 and the driven gear 37, and further extend to the outside of the pod shell cleaning tank 4.

  The driven gear 37 is connected to a drive gear 45 shown in FIG. 4, and the drive gear 45 is applied with a rotational force by a motor 34. That is, the base on which the pod shell is placed is rotated by transmitting the rotational force of the motor 34 to the drive gear 45 and the driven gear 37. The pod shell cleaning tank 4 is provided with a thin cylinder 35 with a guide.

Next, a pod shell cleaning method using the pod shell cleaning tank will be described.
First, the upper lid is opened, and the pod shell to be cleaned is accommodated in the pod shell cleaning tank 4 by the transporter with the opening facing downward, the pod shell is fixed on the base 36, and the upper lid is closed.

  Next, the rotational force of the motor 34 is transmitted to the drive gear 45 and the driven gear 37, and the pod shell is rotated by rotating the base 36. At the same time, the chemical liquid is ejected from a plurality of ejection holes of the nozzle. In this way, the pod shell is washed with the chemical solution by spraying the chemical solution over the entire inner surface of the pod shell. This chemical solution cleaning is performed for a predetermined time, and then the injection from the nozzle is switched from the chemical solution to pure water, and pure water is sprayed on the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell. At this time, pure water is sprayed on the outer surface of the pod shell by a nozzle (not shown). Thereby, both the inner surface and the outer surface of the pod shell are rinsed with pure water. The reason for rotating the pod shell is to spray the chemical solution and pure water uniformly on the inner surface of the pod shell. The reason for spraying the chemical only on the inner surface of the pod shell is to reduce the amount of chemical used as much as possible, and the fact that metal contamination actually occurs only inside the pod shell in contact with the wafer, rinsing with pure water Is completed in a short time. The reason for rinsing with pure water on the inner surface and the outer surface of the pod shell is to keep the cleaning ability sufficiently.

  After rinsing with pure water for a predetermined time, the injection of pure water from the nozzle is stopped, the rotation of the motor 34 is stopped, and the rotation of the pod shell is stopped. Next, the upper lid is opened, and the pod shell that has been cleaned and rinsed with the chemical solution is taken out from the pod shell washing tank by the pod shell transporter, and the upper lid is closed.

  According to the pod shell cleaning tank, since the pod shell is cleaned with a chemical solution, it is possible to remove metal contamination that has been difficult in the prior art.

  Further, since the conventional technique employs a method of immersing in pure water and cleaning with ultrasonic waves, the amount of pure water used is large, the running cost of cleaning is high, and the throughput is also poor. On the other hand, the above pod shell cleaning method can reduce the amount of pure water used and improve the throughput because it is not necessary to introduce and discharge pure water into the cleaning tank as in the prior art. Can be made.

  Next, the structure of the upper lid will be described. The upper lid is a lid that opens and closes the opening at the top of the pod shell cleaning tank 4, and the upper lid is completely located inside the pod shell cleaning tank 4 even during the opening and closing operation of the upper lid. That is, the upper lid is not positioned outside the pod shell cleaning tank 4 during the opening / closing operation.

  FIG. 10 is a top view specifically showing the upper lid of the pod shell cleaning tank shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and its driving mechanism. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 12 is a side view of the pod shell cleaning tank as viewed from the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the upper lid shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a front view of the pod shell cleaning tank as viewed from the direction of arrow D shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 13, two upper lids 32 a and 32 b are attached to the upper opening of the pod shell cleaning tank 4. The two upper lids 32a and 32b have a symmetrical structure. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the first and third rollers 50 to 52 are attached to the upper lids 32 a and 32 b in the front-rear direction. That is, a total of six rollers are attached to the upper lid. The first roller 50 is disposed near the end surface (one end portion 54) on the upper side when the upper lid is opened. The second roller 51 is disposed near an end surface (the other end portion 55) that becomes a lower portion when the upper lid is opened. The third roller 52 is disposed at a position where the perpendicular is lowered from the vicinity of the center of the end face to which the first and second rollers of the upper lid are attached and at a position away from the end face.

  The first rollers 50 are attached to the front and rear of the upper lid, and are combined on the horizontal guide rail 53 as shown in FIG. The horizontal guide rails 53 are attached at four positions on the front and rear of the inner upper portion of the pod shell cleaning tank 4 and serve to guide the first roller 50 and move the one end portion 54 of the upper lid in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The second rollers 51 are attached to the front and rear of the upper lid, and are combined on the vertical guide rail 56 as shown in FIG. The four vertical guide rails 56 are attached to the upper part of the inner side portion of the pod shell cleaning tank 4 and serve to move the other end portion 55 of the upper lid in a substantially vertical direction by guiding the second roller 51. Yes.

  The third roller 52 is attached to the front and rear of the upper lid, and is combined with the elongated hole 57a of the drive arm 57 as shown in FIG. The driving arm 57 is attached at four positions on the front and rear of the upper part inside the pod shell cleaning tank 54, and has a function of guiding the third roller 52 to move the one end 54 of the upper lid in a substantially horizontal direction. Further, the drive arm 57 has a long hole 57a and a surrounding plate-like portion disposed near the inner wall of the pod shell cleaning tank so that it does not interfere with the pod shell that is the object to be cleaned inside the cleaning tank. In addition, a rotating shaft 57b is attached in the vicinity of the end of the drive arm 57 opposite to the long hole 57a. The rotation shaft 57 b is provided at a position closer to the corner where the horizontal guide rail 53 and the vertical guide rail 56 are closer than the third roller 52.

  By rotating the drive arm 57 as indicated by the arrow by the rotation shaft 57b, the upper lid is pulled down in a state where the third roller 52 can freely move in the elongated hole 57a of the drive arm, and is perpendicular to the horizontal guide rail 53. The upper lid can be moved along the guide rail 56.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 15, the left and right connecting links 59 are attached to the front and rear sides of the pod shell cleaning tank. Two arms 58 are attached to one left and right connecting link 59 by pins. One arm 58 has a left and right connecting link 59 attached to the upper end by a pin, and the other arm 58 has a left and right connecting link 59 attached to the lower end. The rotating shaft 57b is attached to the end of each of the two arms 58 opposite to the side where the left and right connecting links 59 are attached. Each of the two arms 58 is located outside the pod shell cleaning tank 4 and is connected to the drive arm 57 by a rotating shaft 57b. The rotating shaft 57b is supported by an arm bearing 60 provided outside the pod shell cleaning tank 4 as shown in FIGS. The inside of the arm bearing 60 has a seal structure (not shown) so that the cleaning liquid in the pod shell cleaning tank does not leak to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a long hole 59a is provided on the opposite side of the left and right connecting link 59 to the side where the two arms 58 are attached, and a cam follower 48 is inserted into the long hole 59a. . This cam follower 48 is attached to the front and rear spur gears 46b as shown in FIG. By moving the cam follower 48 by 180 °, the left and right connecting links 59 can be moved left and right.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the spur gear 46 b is attached to one end of the front / rear connecting shaft 47, and the spur gear 46 c is attached to the other end of the front / rear connecting shaft 47. The front-rear connecting shaft 47 is disposed outside the pod shell cleaning tank 4 as shown in FIG. The front / rear connecting shaft 47 is a rotating shaft for driving the two upper lids 32a and 32b from the spur gear 46b side and the spur gear 46c side. The front / rear connecting shaft 47 is supported by a bearing 49 fixed to the outside of the pod shell cleaning tank 4.

  The spur gear 46b is arranged so as to mesh with the spur gear 46a as shown in FIG. The spur gear 46a and the spur gear 46b are gears having the same number of teeth. The spur gear 46a is attached to one end of the rotating shaft 33a, and the rotary actuator 33 is attached to the other end of the rotating shaft 33a. The rotary actuator 33 is fixed to the outside of the pod shell cleaning tank 4 as shown in FIG. The rotary actuator 33 is a driving force source for opening and closing the two upper lids 32a and 32b, and has a function of rotating 180 ° with a rotary air cylinder, and opens and closes the upper lid by the rotational force. It has become.

Next, the opening / closing operation of the upper lid will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the opening / closing operation of the upper lid.
The rotational driving force of the rotary actuator 33 shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 33a, spur gears 46a and 46b, and the cam follower 48, and as shown in FIG. 15, the cam follower 48 is rotated 180 ° as shown by an arrow. The left and right connecting links 59 are pulled and moved in the direction of the arrow 61. Thereby, the two arms 58 attached to the left and right connecting links 59 are rotated as shown by arrows. This rotational force is transmitted to the rotary shaft 57b and the drive arm 57, and as shown in FIG. 13, the drive arm 57 is moved as shown by an arrow, and the upper lid is opened. Such a continuous movement of the drive arm 57 is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 16 shows a continuous movement of one drive arm, with the upper lid closed state 62 with one upper lid 32a closed, the upper lid open state 65 with the upper lid 32a opened, and the upper lid 32a being opened. 63, 64. Further, although the movement of the other drive arm is not shown in FIG. 16, it moves symmetrically with the movement of one drive arm as shown in FIG. For this reason, the upper lid closed state, the upper lid open state, and the state in which the upper lid 32b is being opened are also symmetrical with the respective upper lids 32a.

  That is, when the drive arm 57 is moved in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the rotating shaft 57b as shown in FIG. 13, the state moves from the upper lid closed state 62 to the states 63 and 64 where the upper lid is opening as shown in FIG. Finally, it stops in the upper lid open state 64. Specifically, according to the movement of the drive arm 57, the first roller 50 is moved along the horizontal guide rail 53 toward the vertical guide rail 56 and the second roller 51 is moved downward along the vertical guide rail 56. As a result, the upper lid 32a is opened. In other words, the upper lid is opened by changing the rotational force of the drive arm 57 to the linear drive force applied to the first and second rollers 50 and 51.

  Further, the other upper lid 32b moves in conjunction with the movement of the one upper lid 32a and symmetrically. That is, the two upper lids 32a and 32b are operated in contrast with each other by the rotational driving force of one rotary actuator 33, and are opened.

  Further, the upper lid can be closed by performing the reverse operation of opening the upper lid described above. That is, the upper lid can be closed by rotating the rotary actuator 33 in the reverse direction.

  According to the structure and operation of the upper lid described above, the upper lid is opened and closed while the one end 54 of the upper lid is along the upper surface of the pod shell cleaning tank and the other end 55 of the upper lid is along the inner surface of the pod shell cleaning tank. Can do. That is, when the upper lid is opened and closed, the upper lid is not positioned above the pod shell cleaning tank. That is, since the upper lid can be stored in the cleaning tank, no space above the cleaning tank is required to open and close the upper lid. For this reason, the height of the pod shell cleaning tank including the opening and closing operation of the upper lid can be reduced, and as a result, the overall size of the FOUP cleaning and drying apparatus can be reduced. Therefore, the cost of the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus can be reduced.

  Further, as described above, the upper lid opening / closing operation can be completed only by not requiring the space above the cleaning tank to open and close the upper lid, that is, in the pod shell cleaning tank. For this reason, there is no fear that the upper lid interferes with a transport machine or the like on and around the pod shell cleaning tank, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the FOUP cleaning / drying apparatus. In addition, by adopting a structure in which the upper lid does not interfere with the transporter or the like as described above, the transporter can be put on standby immediately above the podshell cleaning tank, thereby shortening the time required for transport.

  Further, the driving force of one rotary actuator 33 is transmitted to the two upper lids 32 a and 32 b by the left and right connecting links 59. Therefore, it is possible to open and close the two upper lids with one drive source.

  In addition, the opening and closing operation of the upper lid is not a structure that lifts or swings the heavy upper lid directly, but a structure that moves the upper lid while one end of the upper lid is on the horizontal guide rail. The force can be reduced, and as a result, the drive source can be reduced and a stable opening / closing operation of the upper lid can be realized. On the other hand, when the upper lid is opened and closed by swinging the upper lid directly with the rotation shaft, the inertial load becomes large and it is difficult to obtain a stable operation.

  Moreover, even if shower mist or vapor adheres to the upper lid when cleaning the pod shell, it can be hung out or diffused outside the washing tank by completing the upper lid opening / closing operation only in the pod shell washing tank as described above. Can be suppressed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the FOUP cleaning / drying method according to the above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. After disassembling the door shell and the pod shell, the pod shell is placed in the pod shell cleaning tank 4 with the pod shell opening facing downward by the pod shell transporter 7, and the door shell tank-pod shell tank transporter 9 The door shell is conveyed to the door shell cleaning rinse tank 1 with the inner surface of the door shell facing downward. Further, the dried door shell is conveyed from the door shell drying tank 3 to above or in the vicinity of the pod shell drying tank 6 by the door shell tank-pod shell tank transfer device 9, and the dried pod shell is transferred to the pod shell by the pod shell transfer device 7. It is conveyed above or in the vicinity of the drying tank 6.

It is a top view which shows typically the FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the specific structure of the pod shell washing tank shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of the pod shell washing tank shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of the pod shell washing tank shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the washing | cleaning mechanism in the pod shell washing tank shown in FIG. 4 thru | or FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of the washing | cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the structure of the washing | cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a top view specifically showing an upper lid of the pod shell cleaning tank shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and its driving mechanism. It is sectional drawing along the AA line shown in FIG. It is a side view of the pod shell washing tank seen from the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the CC line shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the upper cover shown in FIG. It is a front view of the pod shell washing tank seen from the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the opening / closing operation | movement of an upper cover. It is a perspective view which shows the state which decomposed | disassembled FOUP which is going to wash | clean into a door shell and a pod shell. It is a top view which shows the conventional FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus typically. It is a side view of the FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the FOUP washing | cleaning drying apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the pod shell washing tank shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Door shell washing rinse tank 2 ... Door shell draining tank 3 ... Door shell drying tank 4 ... Pod shell washing tank 5 ... Pod shell draining tank 6 ... Pod shell drying tank 7 ... Pod shell conveyance machine 8 ... Door shell conveyance machine 9 ... Door shell tank- Transfer device between pod shell tanks 10 ... Chemical solution supply unit 11, 110 ... Power supply box 12, 111 ... Clean unit 13-16, 21, 22, 61, 101-103 ... Arrow 32a, 32b ... Upper lid 33 ... Rotary actuator 33a ... Rotation Shaft 34 ... Motor 35 ... Thin cylinder with guide 36 ... Base 37 ... Drive gear 38 ... Base plate 39a, 39b ... Nozzle 44 ... Cleaning mechanism 45 ... Drive gear 46a, 46b, 46c ... Spur gear 47 ... Front / rear connecting shaft 48 ... Cam follower 49 ... Bearing 50 ... First roller 51 ... Second Roller 52 ... Third roller 53 ... Horizontal guide rail 54 ... One end of the upper lid 55 ... Other end of the upper lid 56 ... Vertical guide rail 57 ... Drive arm 57a ... Long hole 57b ... Rotary shaft 58 ... Arm 59 ... Left and right coupling Link 59a ... Long hole 60 ... Arm bearing 62 ... Upper lid closed state 63, 64 ... Upper lid opening state 65 ... Upper lid open state 80 ... FOUP
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 81 ... Opening part 82 ... Pod shell 83 ... Door shell 84 ... Packing 85 ... Inner surface 86 ... Lock part 104 ... Door shell washing tank 105 ... Door shell drying tank 106 ... Pod shell washing tank 107 ... Pod shell drying tank 108 ... Pod shell conveyance machine 109 ... Door shell conveyor

Claims (10)

A washing tank for washing the pod shell,
A base disposed in the cleaning tank and holding the pod shell with its opening facing downward;
A rotation mechanism for rotating the base;
A nozzle that is disposed on the base and injects a chemical solution and pure water onto the inner surface of the pod shell held by the base;
A pod shell cleaning apparatus comprising:   2. The pod shell cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pure water nozzle for injecting pure water onto an outer surface of the pod shell. Hold the pod shell on the base in the washing tank with its opening facing down,
The inner surface of the pod shell is washed with the chemical solution by spraying the chemical solution onto the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell by rotating the base.
A pod shell cleaning method, comprising: rinsing the inner surface of the pod shell with the pure water by spraying pure water onto the inner surface of the pod shell while rotating the pod shell by rotating the base.   In Claim 3, when injecting pure water into the inner surface of the pod shell, both the inner surface and the outer surface of the pod shell are rinsed by injecting pure water onto the outer surface of the pod shell. How to clean the pod shell. A washing tank for washing the pod shell,
An upper lid provided at the top of the washing tank;
A drive mechanism for opening and closing the upper lid in the cleaning tank;
A pod shell cleaning apparatus comprising:   6. The drive mechanism according to claim 5, wherein one end of the upper lid is moved along the upper surface of the cleaning tank, and the other end of the upper lid is moved along the side surface of the cleaning tank. A pod shell cleaning device. In Claim 5 or 6, the 1st roller provided in one end of the upper lid,
A second roller provided at the other end of the upper lid;
A third roller provided between the one end and the other end of the upper lid;
A horizontal guide rail for guiding the first roller in a substantially horizontal direction;
A vertical guide rail for guiding the second roller in a substantially vertical direction;
A drive arm having a rotary shaft to which a rotational force is applied by the drive mechanism on one side and a long hole combining the third roller on the other side;
Further comprising
The rotating shaft is disposed on the side near the corner where the horizontal guide rail and the vertical guide rail are close to each other,
The first roller, the second roller, the third roller, the horizontal guide rail, the vertical guide rail, and the drive arm are arranged in the cleaning tank, and the pod shell cleaning device . The arm disposed outside the cleaning tank according to claim 7,
A connecting link disposed outside the washing tank and attached to one side of the arm;
Further comprising
The rotating shaft extended outside the washing tank is attached to the other side of the arm,
The pod shell cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a rotational force is applied to the rotating shaft through the arm by moving the connecting link in a direction along the connecting link by the driving mechanism. The gear according to claim 8, wherein a rotational force is applied by the drive mechanism;
A cam follower provided on the gear;
A slot provided in the connecting link;
Further comprising
The pod shell cleaning device, wherein the long cam hole is combined with the cam follower. The pod shell cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the upper lid includes two lids.

Images