JP2010003948A - Substrate storing container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate storing container that properly seals the inside of a container body and prevents gas containing contamination from flowing into the container body, thereby, reduces the possibilities of causing trouble for the opening and closing of a lid. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate storing container includes: a container body which stores a semiconductor wafer W; a lid 50 which opens and closes an opened front rim flange 26 of the container body 1; and a deformable gasket which intervenes between the opened rim flanges 26 of the container body 1 and the lids 50. The gasket is formed of: a gasket 28 which is fit into the inner periphery of the rim flange 26 of the container body 1 to be in close contact with the peripheral wall of the lid 50; and a gasket 64 which is fit into the lid 50 to be in close contact with the inner periphery of the rim flange 26 of the container body 1. Double seal structure is made by equipping with lip type gaskets 28 and 64, thereby the inside of the container body 1 can be sealed properly and securely, and, when the lid 50 is fit, there is no risk of increasing resistance and causing trouble for opening and closing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container that supports a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

  A conventional substrate storage container for storing semiconductor wafers is not shown, but for example, a front open box container body for aligning and storing a plurality of thin semiconductor wafers having a diameter of 300 mm, and an open front portion of the container body are opened and closed via a gasket. And a removable lid that replaces the air in the container body with nitrogen gas or the like, thereby preventing surface oxidation of the semiconductor wafer.

The gasket is generally classified into a compression type and a lip type. Among these, the lip type gasket is formed into a deformable frame shape using, for example, a predetermined molding material, the protruding piece is formed to protrude, and a plurality of lip type gaskets are fitted into the container body or the lid. Such a gasket press-contacts while protruding pieces are bent to the container main body or the lid body to ensure airtightness (see Patent Documents 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6).
WO99 / 39994 JP 2000-306988 A JP 2004-214269 A JP 2006-128461 A JP 2002-68364 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-174080

  The conventional substrate storage container is configured as described above, and the protruding piece simply protrudes from the gasket. Therefore, when the air in the container body is replaced with nitrogen gas or the like, nitrogen gas or the like leaks to the outside of the container body. As a result, there is a problem that the effect of preventing the surface oxidation of the semiconductor wafer cannot be maintained for a long time. There is also a problem that air containing contaminants easily flows into the container body from the outside. Further, when a plurality of compression type gaskets are fitted to the container body or the lid, the resistance increases when the lid is automatically fitted to the open front portion of the container body. There is a risk of hindrance to opening and closing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can appropriately seal the inside of the container body, prevent a gas containing contaminants from flowing into the container body, and possibly cause trouble in opening and closing the lid. The object is to provide a small number of substrate storage containers.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a container body for storing a substrate, a lid body for opening and closing the opening of the container body, and a deformable body interposed between the opening and the lid body of the container body With a special gasket,
The gasket includes first and second gaskets that are attached to at least one of the container main body and the lid, and projecting pieces for forming a seal are obliquely projected from the first and second gaskets, respectively. The second gasket is characterized in that the projecting direction of the projecting piece is the opposite direction.

Note that either one of the first and second gaskets can be directed inward from the opening of the container body, and the other protrusion can be directed outward from the opening of the container body.
In addition, the first gasket is attached to the inner periphery of the opening of the container body, the protruding piece is brought into contact with the lid, the second gasket is attached to the lid, and the protruding piece is brought into contact with the inner periphery of the opening of the container main body. Can do.

The lid body is fitted to the opening of the container main body, and a locking claw that is installed in the housing and can protrude and retract from the casing by the rotation of the rotating body to project the inner periphery of the opening of the container main body. And a locking mechanism for locking the locking mechanism to the first and second gaskets.
Furthermore, a through hole for projecting the locking claw of the locking mechanism may be provided in the peripheral wall of the housing, and the through hole may be positioned between the first and second gaskets.

  Here, the substrate in the claims includes at least φ200, φ300, φ450 mm semiconductor wafer, glass substrate, mask glass, and the like. Further, the container body is not particularly limited to transparent, opaque, translucent, front open box type, top open box type, and bottom open box type. Furthermore, the first and second gaskets may be attached only to the container body, may be attached only to the lid, or may be attached to the container body and the lid, respectively. Moreover, endless may be sufficient and what consists of a several filament may be sufficient. These projecting pieces may be endless or may be composed of a plurality of pieces.

According to the present invention, when the lid is fitted to the opening of the container body, the inclined protrusions of the first and second gaskets facing in opposite directions contact the opening of the container body or the lid, respectively. Exhibits the sealing function.
Further, according to the present invention, when the lid is fitted to the opening of the container body, the projecting piece inclined inward of the first gasket contacts the lid, and the second inner periphery of the opening of the container body A projecting piece that is inclined outward from the gasket comes into contact.

  According to the present invention, the projecting pieces for forming the seal are respectively projected obliquely from the first and second gaskets, and the directing directions of the projecting pieces of the first and second gaskets are reversed. The effect that the contained gas can be prevented from flowing into the container main body, the gas in the substrate storage container is prevented from leaking, and the substituted inert gas or the like can be maintained for a long time. There is. Further, the inside of the container main body can be properly sealed, and there is an effect that there is little risk of hindering the opening and closing of the lid.

In addition, if the locking mechanism is positioned between the first and second gaskets, contaminants generated from the locking mechanism can be regulated by the first and second gaskets, and the outflow of contaminants can be prevented. it can.
Furthermore, if a through hole for projecting the locking claw of the locking mechanism is provided in the peripheral wall of the housing, and this through hole is positioned between the first and second gaskets, the through hole in the peripheral wall of the housing is provided from the locking mechanism. The first and second gaskets can regulate the dust that is about to flow out through the first and second gaskets.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The substrate storage container in the present embodiment is a front for storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers W as shown in FIGS. An open box container main body 1 and a lid body 50 for opening and closing the open front portion 25 of the container main body 1 are provided, and gaskets 28 and 64 are mounted on the container main body 1 and the lid body 50, respectively. A separate support body 40 capable of horizontally supporting the semiconductor wafer W is mounted on both sides of each of the above.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 9, 10 and the like, the semiconductor wafer W is made of, for example, a thin and heavy silicon wafer having a thickness of 925 μm and having a thickness of φ450 mm, and a notch for alignment and identification (not shown) is formed on the periphery. For example, 25 pieces are aligned and stored in the container body 1.

  The container main body 1 and the lid 50 are each injection-molded with a molding material containing a predetermined resin. Examples of the predetermined resin of the molding material include polycarbonate, polyether ether ketone, polyether imide, and cyclic olefin resin, which are excellent in mechanical properties and heat resistance. Carbon, carbon fiber, metal fiber, carbon nanotube, conductive polymer, antistatic agent, flame retardant, or the like is selectively added to these resins as necessary.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 7, the container body 1 includes a bottom plate 2 that is larger than the semiconductor wafer W and a top plate that is opposed to the bottom plate 2 from above with a storage space for the semiconductor wafer W. 16, a back wall 21 that connects the bottom plate 2 and the rear portion of the top plate 16 up and down, and a pair of left and right side walls 23 that connect the left and right side portions of the bottom plate 2 and the top plate 16 up and down. It is formed in a front open box type, and is positioned and mounted on a semiconductor processing device or a gas replacement device in a state where the horizontally long front portion 25 that is open is oriented in the horizontal horizontal direction, or is cleaned with a cleaning liquid in a cleaning tank.

  The bottom plate 2 is provided with a large number of screw bosses 3 each having a bottomed cylindrical shape, and cylindrical filter bosses 4 are provided in the vicinity of the four corners. An air supply filter 5 and an exhaust filter 6 communicating between the inside and the outside of the container body 1 are detachably fitted via O-rings. The supply filter 5 and the exhaust filter 6 include, for example, a one-way valve. In this case, the supply filter 5 and the exhaust filter 6 are connected to a gas replacement device to replace the air in the container body 1 with nitrogen gas. It functions to prevent surface oxidation and the like.

  A plurality of elongate height adjustment plates 7 are juxtaposed at predetermined pitches on both sides of the front portion and the center of the rear portion of the bottom plate 2, and a substrate storage container, specifically a container, is provided on the plurality of height adjustment plates 7. Positioning tools 8 for positioning the main body 1 are respectively screwed through fastening screws and screw bosses 3 of the bottom plate 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, each positioning tool 8 includes a pair of positioning blocks 9 that are in contact with a plurality of height adjusting plates 7, and the pair of positioning blocks 9 occupy a slight draining space 10. And face each other.

  Each positioning block 9 is basically formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section having a substantially square plane, and a concave portion having a pair of inclined surfaces is directed downward, and mounting flanges 11 project horizontally on both sides. The concave portion is fitted and slidably contacted with the positioning pins of the semiconductor processing apparatus and the gas replacement apparatus from above to function to position the container body 1 with high accuracy.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6, the screw boss 3 of the bottom plate 2 covers the bottom plate 2 and exposes a plurality of air supply filters 5, exhaust filters 6 and positioning tools 8, respectively. 12 is screwed horizontally through a fastening screw. The bottom plate 12 is formed in a similar shape that is slightly smaller than the bottom plate 2, and is reinforced by raising the peripheral edge.

  A plurality of cylindrical screw bosses 3A and positioning bosses 13 are disposed together with linear reinforcing ribs on the inner surface of the bottom plate 12 facing the bottom plate 2, and the screw bosses 3A and positioning bosses 13 are connected to each other. The bottom screw 12 is positioned on the bottom plate 2 with high precision by screwing the penetrating fastening screws into the screw bosses 3 of the bottom plate 2. Further, circular or semi-circular exposure holes 14 for exposing the air supply filter 5 and the exhaust filter 6 in close proximity to each other are formed in the vicinity of the four corners of the bottom plate 12, respectively. A rectangular exposure hole 14 </ b> A that exposes the positioning tool 8 close to each other is formed in the center of the rear part.

  A plurality of identification holes 15 located in the vicinity of the exposure holes 14A are drilled in the rear portion of the bottom plate 12, and a detachable information identification pad (not shown) is selectively inserted into the plurality of identification holes 15, The type of substrate storage container, the number of semiconductor wafers W, and the like are identified by a semiconductor processing apparatus or the like.

  A pair of screw bosses 3B positioned on the upper surface of the side wall 23 are respectively provided in the front and rear sides of the top plate 16 and the side wall 23 in the vicinity of the ridge line where bending is difficult, in other words, as shown in FIG. The top flanges 19 for transportation, which are arranged side by side and are gripped by the factory ceiling transportation mechanism, are horizontally screwed onto the plurality of pairs of screw bosses 3B via fastening screws. The pair of screw bosses 3B are provided with reinforcing connecting ribs 17 in contact with or close to the back surface of the top flange 19, each screw boss 3B is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the outer peripheral surface has a center of the container body 1 Reinforcing ribs 18 that are inclined and extend in the front direction are integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the top flange 19 is formed in a flat polygonal flat plate that is wide and long on the front portion 25 side of the container body 1 and narrow on the back wall 21 side. A holding hole 20 penetrating through the pair of holding claws of the mechanism and held by interference is drilled into a flat rectangular shape.

  As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the rear wall 21 has a transparent viewing window 22 formed vertically in the center by a two-color molding method or the like, and the inside of the container body 1 is visually viewed from the outside by the viewing window 22. Observed and grasped.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, each side wall 23 is formed in a substantially straight plate shape on the front side according to the shape of the bottom plate 2 and the top plate 16, and the rear side is the inside of the bottom plate 2 and the top plate 16. The rear part is integrally connected to the side part of the back wall 21. In addition to reinforcing and preventing deformation, a substantially trapezoidal grip portion 24 that can interfere with a finger or the like extends in the front-rear direction on the surface of each side wall 23 to form a recess.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 7, and the like, the front portion 25 of the container main body 1 is formed with a rim flange 26 projecting outward on the peripheral edge through a triangular holding rib, A detachable lid 50 is fitted into the rim flange 26 by a lid opening / closing device. The rim flange 26 has a front frame-shaped mounting groove 27 cut out on the inner peripheral surface thereof, and a lip-type gasket 28 that press-contacts the lid 50 is fitted in the mounting groove 27. On both upper and lower sides, locking holes 31 located behind the gasket 28 are respectively drilled.

  As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the gasket 28 includes, for example, a front frame-shaped base 29 that is tightly fitted in the mounting groove 27 and surrounds the lid 50, and an endless protrusion 30 that protrudes from the base 29. It is molded to be elastically deformable by a predetermined molding material. The protruding piece 30 of the gasket 28 is formed in a taper extending from the inner periphery of the opposing surface of the base 29 facing the lid 50 toward the front portion 25 of the container main body 1 and toward the front portion 25 of the container main body 1. In accordance with the function, the container body 1 is gradually inclined inwardly, sealed tightly while being bent on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall of the lid 50, and prevents air leakage from the inside of the substrate storage container to ensure airtightness. To do.

  The gas leaking from the inside of the substrate storage container to the outside when the pressure in the substrate storage container is increased by such a gasket 28 presses the protruding piece 30 of the gasket 28 in the seal forming direction. Leakage of gas from the can be prevented. However, when gas flows in from the outside to the inside of the substrate storage container, the protruding piece 30 of the gasket 28 is pressed in a direction away from the seal forming direction, so that the sealing property is easily lost.

  Examples of the predetermined molding material for the gasket 28 include fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, various thermoplastic elastomers (for example, olefin-based, polyester-based, polystyrene-based, etc.) that are excellent in heat resistance and weather resistance.

  Of the outer peripheral surface of the rim flange 26, a pair of front and rear frame ribs 32 having a substantially frame shape are formed at intervals on at least the upper part and the left and right side parts. A plurality of X ribs 33 for securing strength are connected and installed side by side. A plate-shaped strength retaining rib 34 that bisects the plurality of X ribs 33 in the front and rear directions is selectively and integrally formed on at least both sides of the upper part between the pair of frame ribs 32 and the left and right side parts. The holding rib 34 further improves the rigidity of the rim flange 26. In addition, a conveyor rail 35 for conveyance positioned in alignment with the front of the bottom plate 12 is provided at the lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the rim flange 26.

  Each support 40 is injection-molded with a molding material containing a predetermined resin, for example, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, COP or the like having excellent slipperiness. Carbon fibers, metal fibers, carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers, resins imparted with conductivity, and the like are selectively added to the molding material as necessary.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 9, 10, and the like, each support body 40 protrudes in a state in which the frame body 41 is opposed to the inner surface of the side wall 23 of the container body 1 and is vertically aligned from the frame body 41. A plurality of support pieces 42 that support W, and each support piece 42 projects horizontally from the frame body 41 to horizontally support at least the front side of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W. And a rear support piece 44 that protrudes horizontally from the frame body 41 and horizontally supports at least the rear side of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer W, and is attached to the inner surfaces of the side walls 23 of the container body 1 respectively. Can be installed freely.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 8, 11 to 14, and the like, the lid 50 includes a horizontally long casing 51 that fits into the opened rim flange 26 of the container body 1, A surface plate 68 that covers the opened surface (front surface) of the housing 51 and a locking mechanism 80 interposed between the housing 51 and the surface plate 68 are provided.

  The casing 51 is basically formed in a shallow bottom cross-sectional plate shape having a frame-shaped peripheral wall, and a central portion 52 is formed so as to protrude from the back side to the front side in a substantially box shape. An installation space for the locking mechanism 80 is partitioned and formed together with a plurality of screw bosses between the central portion 52 and the left and right side portions of the peripheral wall. A plurality of door guides 53 for facilitating the attachment and detachment of the lid 50 are respectively provided in the vicinity of the rounded four corners of the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall of the casing 51, and for the locking mechanism 80 on both the upper and lower sides of the peripheral wall. The through holes 54 are respectively perforated, and each through hole 54 faces the locking hole 31 of the rim flange 26.

  A plurality of reinforcing ribs 55 oriented in the vertical direction are juxtaposed on the raised surface of the central portion 52 of the casing 51 at a predetermined pitch, and the recessed back surface of the central portion 52 is horizontally aligned in the horizontal direction. Oriented protective shelf plates 56 are arranged in parallel in a vertical direction at a predetermined pitch, and function to partition the front sides of the peripheral portions of the plurality of semiconductor wafers W in which the respective protective shelf plates 56 are stored in a non-contact manner. A plurality of small triangular interference ribs 57 capable of interfering with the front of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W that is displaced are formed on the front and back surfaces of the protective shelf board 56.

  On both sides of the back surface of the casing 51, lattice ribs 58 that give rigidity to the casing 51 and prevent warpage are integrally formed in a vertically long manner, and between the respective lattice ribs 58 and the plurality of protective shelf boards 56. The front retainers 59 that elastically hold the semiconductor wafer W are detachably mounted.

  Each front retainer 59 is detachably mounted between the grid ribs 58 and the protective shelf board 56 via pressing claws, and is positioned behind the locking mechanism 80 to prevent the lid body 50 from being deformed. 60, elastic pieces 61 extending in an inclined manner in the direction of the protective shelf plate 56 are integrally formed in the vertical cross section adjacent to the protective shelf plate 56 of the frame body 60. A small holding block 62 that holds the front of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W with a V-groove is integrally formed at the tip.

  A frame-shaped fitting groove 63 is formed on the peripheral edge of the rear surface of the casing 51, and a lip that sandwiches the plurality of through holes 54 and the locking mechanism 80 between the fitting groove 63 and the gasket 28 of the rim flange 26. A type of gasket 64 is fitted (see FIG. 8 and the like), and the gasket 64 is pressed into the rim flange 26.

  As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, the gasket 64 includes, for example, a frame-shaped base 65 that is tightly fitted in the fitting groove 63 and surrounds the locking mechanism 80, and an endless bent protrusion 66 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the base 65. And is molded so as to be elastically deformable by a predetermined molding material. A plurality of protrusions 67 that are pressed into the fitting groove 63 are formed on the inner peripheral surface and the end surface of the base body 65, and the plurality of protrusions 67 function to prevent the gasket 64 from being displaced or dropped. Further, the bent protrusion 66 is formed in a substantially square shape in cross section directed toward the back wall 21 of the container main body 1 and extends obliquely from the inner direction to the outer direction of the container main body 1 and closely contacts the inner peripheral surface of the rim flange 26. And seal to ensure airtightness.

  In such a gasket 64, the bent protruding piece 66 extends obliquely outwardly from the front portion 25 of the container body 1, and the bent protruding piece 66 forms a seal due to the pressure of gas that tends to flow out from the inside of the substrate storage container. Since the internal gas tends to flow out because it is pressed away from the direction, the bent protrusion 66 is pressed in the seal forming direction when the gas flows into the inside from the outside of the substrate storage container. The inflow of gas from outside the storage container can be effectively prevented.

  Examples of the predetermined molding material include fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, various thermoplastic elastomers (for example, olefin-based, polyester-based, polystyrene-based, etc.) that are excellent in heat resistance and weather resistance.

  The surface plate 68 is formed in a horizontally long flat plate so as to correspond to the opened surface of the casing 51, and a plurality of mounting holes are drilled in the left and right sides together with the operation ports 69 for the locking mechanism 80. The fastening screws penetrating through the plurality of mounting holes are screwed into the screw bosses of the casing 51, so that they are positioned and fixed on the surface of the casing 51. A plurality of engagement ribs 70 that are engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall of the housing 51 are arranged at a predetermined pitch on the peripheral portion of the surface plate 68, and the projecting piece 30 of the gasket 28 serves as the peripheral wall of the lid 50. Closely.

  The locking mechanism 80 includes a pair of left and right rotating plates 81 that are rotated by operating pins of the lid opening / closing device that penetrates the operation port 69 of the surface plate 68, and a plurality of slides that slide in the vertical direction as each rotating plate 81 rotates. The slide plate 84 includes a plurality of locking claws 87 that protrude from the housing 51 as the slide plates 84 slide and are locked to the locking holes 31 of the rim flange 26. To position.

  Each rotary plate 81 is basically formed in a disc having a substantially convex cross section, and a pair of engaging groove holes 82 are cut out in a substantially semicircular shape at intervals in the vicinity of the peripheral edge, It is pivotally supported on both the left and right sides of the surface of the casing 51 and is located in the vicinity of the front of the front retainer 59. At the center of the rotating plate 81 projecting to the surface side, a front oblong operation hole 83 facing the operation port 69 of the surface plate 68 is formed, and an operation pin of the lid opening / closing device is provided in the operation hole 83. Removably inserted.

  Each slide plate 84 is formed as a vertically long plate oriented in the vertical direction of the housing 51, and is supported by a plurality of guide pins 85 on the left and right sides of the surface of the housing 51, and is positioned in the vicinity of the front of the front retainer 59. The end portion faces the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the surface of the rotary plate 81. An insertion pin protrudes from the end of the slide plate 84, and a roller 86 loosely fitted in the engagement groove hole 82 of the rotary plate 81 is rotatably fitted to the insertion pin.

  Each latching claw 87 is pivotally supported in the vicinity of the through hole 54 of the housing 51 so as to be swingable, and is pivotally supported at the distal end portion of the slide plate 84, and the through hole 54 is slid by sliding of the slide plate 84. Protrusions or retreats from. A cylindrical roller 88 is rotatably supported by the locking claw 87, and the roller 88 projects from the through hole 54 and is slidably contacted and locked in the locking hole 31 of the rim flange 26.

  In the above configuration, when the semiconductor wafer W is supported on the pair of supports 40 of the container body 1, the semiconductor wafer W is horizontally inserted between the pair of supports 40 of the container body 1 by a dedicated robot, When the semiconductor wafer W is lowered and the front support piece 43 and the rear support piece 44 of each support body 40 support the back surface of the semiconductor wafer W, the semiconductor wafer W is horizontally placed on the pair of support bodies 40 of the container body 1. Can be supported.

  At this time, the front support piece 43 and the rear support piece 44 of each support piece 42 extend not only in the vicinity of the maximum diameter on the side of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W but also on both sides of the back surface of the semiconductor wafer W over a wider range than before. Support from the side.

  When the semiconductor wafer W is supported on the pair of supports 40 of the container body 1, the lid body 50 is fitted into the rim flange 26 opened in the container body 1, and the gasket 28 is fitted to the peripheral wall of the lid body 50. The inclined protruding piece 30 is pressed and the bent bent piece 66 of the gasket 64 is pressed into the rim flange 26, and the locking mechanism 80 is locked.

  At this time, since the protrusions 30 of the gasket 28 and the bent protrusions 66 of the gasket 64 are opposite to each other, gas leakage from the inside of the substrate storage container and gas inflow from the outside of the substrate storage container are effective. Can be prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inflow of contaminants into the substrate storage container and to surely maintain the gas in the replaced substrate storage container.

  Further, regarding a specific locking operation of the locking mechanism 80, when each rotary plate 81 is rotated, for example, in the clockwise direction, which is the locking direction, by the operation pin of the lid opening / closing device, each slide plate 84 is attached to the lid 50. It slides linearly up and down, and each locking claw 87 protrudes from the through hole 54 of the casing 51 and locks into the locking hole 31 of the rim flange 26 via a roller 88, so that the rim of the container body 1 is The lid 50 fitted in the flange 26 is firmly locked.

  Further, when each rotating plate 81 is rotated by an operation pin in a counterclockwise direction, for example, the unlocking direction, each protruding slide plate 84 linearly slides back and forth in the up and down direction of the lid 50, and each engagement The roller 88 of the pawl 87 retracts and returns from the inside of the locking hole 31 of the rim flange 26 into the through hole 54 of the housing 51, and the lid 50 can be removed from the inside of the rim flange 26 of the container body 1.

  According to the above configuration, since the lip type gaskets 28 and 64 are respectively attached to the container body 1 and the lid body 50 to form a double seal structure, the inside of the container body 1 can be properly and reliably sealed, In addition, when the lid 50 is fitted, there is no possibility that resistance increases and obstructs opening and closing. Further, since the projecting piece 30 inclined inward of the gasket 28 exerts an excellent effect on the pressure from the inside of the container body 1, when the air in the container body 1 is replaced with nitrogen gas or the like, the nitrogen gas or the like is contained in the container. It is difficult to leak outside the main body 1. Therefore, the effect of preventing the surface oxidation of the semiconductor wafer W can be maintained for a long time.

  Further, since the outwardly inclined bent protrusion 66 of the gasket 64 exerts an excellent effect on the pressure from the outside of the container body 1, it is possible to prevent the air containing contaminants from flowing into the container body 1. can do. Further, since the plurality of through holes 54 and the locking mechanism 80 are interposed between the gaskets 28 and 64, the contaminants generated from the locking mechanism 80 can be regulated by the gaskets 28 and 64, and the outflow and diffusion of the contaminants can be prevented. Prevention can be greatly expected.

  Next, FIG. 15 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the projecting piece 30 of the gasket 28 is gradually removed from the container body 1 toward the front portion 25 of the container body 1. The bent protrusion 66 of the gasket 64 is tapered toward the rear wall 21 of the container body 1 so as to be inward from the outer side of the container body 1. The rim flange 26 is sealed in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the rim flange 26. The other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be expected, and it is obvious that diversification of the shapes of the gaskets 28 and 64 sandwiching the plurality of through holes 54 and the locking mechanism 80 can be expected.

Next, FIG. 16 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this case, frame-shaped fitting grooves 63 are respectively formed on the peripheral wall of the housing 51 and the peripheral edge of the back surface of the housing 51. These are positioned in the front-rear direction of the container body 1 and the gaskets 28 and 64 are tightly fitted in the pair of front and rear fitting grooves 63 so that the plurality of through holes 54 and the locking mechanism 80 are sandwiched therebetween.
The projecting pieces 30 of the gasket 28 gradually incline inward of the container main body 1 toward the back wall 21 of the container main body 1 and function to tightly seal the inner peripheral surface of the rim flange 26. The other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, it is obvious that the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be expected, and that the shape and the mounting position of the gasket 28 can be expected to be diversified.

  In addition, although the container main body 1 and the top flange 19 in the said embodiment may be shape | molded by the molding material containing resin, you may form using metals, such as aluminum, SUS, and a titanium alloy. Moreover, you may provide the handle | steering-wheel for grip operation in the outer surface of the side wall 23 of the container main body 1 as needed. Moreover, you may form the attaching part for attaching RF tag of a barcode or RFID system in the bottom plate 12, for example, the rear part.

  Further, instead of the X rib 33, a plate rib or a V rib may be used as appropriate. Further, the projecting piece 30 of the gasket 28 may have an abbreviated cross-sectional shape or the like as long as the same effect can be expected. Further, the bent projecting piece 66 of the gasket 64 may have a substantially J-shaped cross section, a substantially L-shaped cross-section, a substantially Z-shaped shape, or the like as long as the same effect can be expected. Further, the roller 88 of the locking mechanism 80 is formed in a polygonal cylindrical shape instead of a cylindrical shape, and its flat surface is locked in the locking hole 31 to stabilize and ensure locking of the lid 50. You can also.

It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a bottom view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a front view showing typically a container main part in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section side view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the baseplate of the container body turned upside down in the embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the inside of the bottom plate in the embodiment of the substrate storage container according to the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically a top board of a container main part in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional explanatory view showing typically a relation of a rim flange, a gasket, and a lid in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the support state of a semiconductor wafer in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a front view which shows typically the support body and semiconductor wafer in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concern on this invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the surface side of a case in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the back side of the lid in the embodiment of the substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a top view which shows typically the cover body in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is side surface explanatory drawing which shows typically the cover body in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing typically a relation of a rim flange, a gasket, and a lid in a 2nd embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing typically a relation of a rim flange, a gasket, and a lid in a 3rd embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Bottom plate 16 Top plate 21 Back wall 23 Side wall 25 Front part (opening part)
26 Rim flange (opening)
27 Mounting groove 28 Gasket (first gasket)
29 Substrate 30 Projection piece 32 Frame rib 33 X rib 40 Support body 50 Cover body 51 Housing 54 Through hole 63 Fitting groove 64 Gasket (second gasket)
65 Base 66 Bent protrusion (projection)
68 Surface plate 80 Locking mechanism 81 Rotating plate (Rotating body)
84 Slide plate 87 Locking claw W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims (5)

A substrate storage container comprising a container main body for storing a substrate, a lid for opening and closing the opening of the container main body, and a deformable gasket interposed between the opening of the container main body and the lid. And
The gasket includes first and second gaskets that are attached to at least one of the container main body and the lid, and projecting pieces for forming a seal are obliquely projected from the first and second gaskets, respectively. The substrate container is characterized in that the direction of the projecting piece of the second gasket is the opposite direction.   The protruding piece of either one of the first and second gaskets is directed inward from the opening of the container body, and the other protruding piece is directed outward from the opening of the container body. Board storage container.   A first gasket is attached to the inner periphery of the opening of the container body, and the protrusion is brought into contact with the lid, and a second gasket is attached to the cover, and the protrusion is brought into contact with the inner periphery of the opening of the container body. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2.   The lid body is engaged with the inner periphery of the opening of the container body by projecting a housing fitted into the opening of the container main body and a locking claw installed in the housing and retractable from the housing by the rotation of the rotating body. A substrate storage container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a locking mechanism for stopping, wherein the locking mechanism is positioned between the first and second gaskets.   The substrate storage container according to claim 4, wherein a through hole through which a locking claw of the locking mechanism protrudes is provided in a peripheral wall of the housing, and the through hole is positioned between the first and second gaskets.

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