JP2010034146A - Sealed container, and lid opening/closing system of sealed container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pod which suppresses diffusion of extremely fine dust or the like attached on a lid of the pod to a mini-environment, and to provide an FIMS system corresponding to the pod. <P>SOLUTION: The sealed container includes an engaged part arranged in a cover outer circumferential surface of the pod 1, and incorporates an engagement system 5 which is arranged on a flange part around an opening of the pod and can engage with the engaged part. The engagement system can be operated from a front of the flange part. When the engagement system is in a non operation state, the engagement system is engaged with the engaged part, and acts biasing force for facilitating adhesion to the pod body on the cover. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called FIMS (Front-Opening Interface Mechanical Standard) system used when a wafer internally held in a transfer container called a pod is transferred between semiconductor processing apparatuses in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like. More specifically, a so-called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) used in the FIMS system, which is a hermetically sealed container for accommodating a wafer, and a wafer is transferred to the pod by opening and closing the lid of the pod. The present invention relates to a lid opening / closing system as a FIMS system.

  In recent years, the semiconductor manufacturing process keeps the inside of a processing apparatus, a pod (wafer container), and a very small space for transferring a substrate from the pod to the processing apparatus in a highly clean state, and the cleanliness of other spaces is to some extent. Has been done to maintain the level. The pod has a substantially cubic body having a shelf that can hold a plurality of wafers in parallel and spaced apart from each other, and an opening used for loading and unloading the wafer on one of the surfaces constituting the outer surface. And a lid that closes the opening. The pod where the opening is formed is not the bottom surface of the pod but on one side surface (the surface facing the minute space) and is collectively referred to as FOUP.

  In addition, the above-described minute space enters the inside of the pod through the opening facing the opening of the pod, the door for closing the opening, the other opening on the side of the processing apparatus provided on the semiconductor processing apparatus side, and the opening. And a transfer robot that holds the wafer and passes the other opening on the processing apparatus side to convey the wafer to the processing apparatus side. Moreover, the structure which forms minute space has the mounting base which supports a pod so that a pod opening may face in front of a door. On the upper surface of the mounting table, a positioning pin that is fitted into a positioning hole provided on the lower surface of the pod and defines the mounting position of the pod, and a clamped portion provided on the lower surface of the pod are engaged with the pod. A clamp unit that is fixed to the mounting table is disposed. Usually, the mounting table can move back and forth a predetermined distance with respect to the door direction. When the wafer in the pod is transferred to the processing apparatus, the pod is moved with the pod being placed until the lid of the pod comes into contact with the door, and after the contact, the lid is removed from the pod opening by the door. . By these operations, the inside of the pod and the inside of the processing apparatus communicate with each other through a minute space, and the wafer transfer operation is repeated thereafter. The mounting table, the door, the opening, the opening / closing mechanism of the door, the wall that forms part of the minute space in which the opening is configured, and the like are collectively referred to as the FIMS system described above.

JP 2001-077177 A Japanese Patent No. 34178821

  For example, as disclosed in detail in Patent Document 1, a conventional pod lid is provided with a pawl that can extend and retract outward from the outer periphery of the lid. We are going to get each state. The expansion and contraction of the claw is performed by fitting a so-called key member from the outside of the lid surface to an operated part that is connected to the claw and disposed at a predetermined position in the central region of the lid. Has been done. Due to such contact and rotation of the members, sliding that occurs at that time, dust that is normally regarded as a problem in semiconductor manufacturing is generated. However, these dusts are moved from the minute gap between the surface of the lid and the surface of the door into the minute space where the downflow is formed before diffusing outside the gap. For this reason, the diffusion of the dust into the minute space or the pod has not reached the level considered as a problem, and no countermeasure has been particularly taken against the dust. Further, since the space is usually transported in a poorly clean space, dust adhering in the space or, for example, hydrocarbon contained in the outside air is adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the pod body and the surface of the lid. Also regarding these, it was thought that the suppression effect by a downflow was functioning suitably like the dust generated from the key member etc. which were mentioned above.

  Here, semiconductor devices have been gradually improved in functionality and size. For this reason, the wiring width, design rule, etc. used for the element are narrowed, and it has become necessary to pay attention to the presence of smaller dust that was not a problem in the past. Unlike the dust for which countermeasures have been conventionally prepared, such extremely fine dust moves in the space by operations different from the conventional one, such as so-called Brownian motion and the influence of minute static electricity. Specifically, even if such extremely fine dust is pushed down the minute space by the downflow described above and further exhausted to the outside space, it is not simply flowed by the air current but drifts into the minute space. there is a possibility. In Patent Document 2, a claw is not disposed on the lid side, but a lever is disposed from the lid surface side in a state where a rotary lever is disposed outside the opening on the pod side and the lid closes the opening. The structure which presses down is disclosed. In this configuration, dust generation due to the key member in Patent Document 1 occurs around the opening, and the degree of dust diffusion from the lid and the door that holds the lid can be reduced as compared with the configuration of Reference Document 1. There is sex. However, there is a need to operate the lever in advance before opening and closing the lid, and since the configuration for the operation exists around the opening, very fine dust existing in the external space is very small. There is a risk of spreading to the space side.

  There is also a request at the semiconductor manufacturing factory to lower the level of cleanliness of the space for transporting pods and the like from the present level. Therefore, the amount of dust that adheres to the lid and the like and reaches the inside of the FIMS system will increase in the future. For this reason, future pods or FIMS systems are required to cope with dust that is increasing and difficult to deal with only by downflow.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, suppresses the influence of extremely fine dust adhering to the surface of the lid that closes the pod opening, and generates dust when the lid is opened and closed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pod that is a sealed container that suppresses diffusion of generated dust into a minute space or inside the pod, and a lid opening / closing system corresponding to the sealed container.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sealed container according to the present invention includes a lid having a substantially flat plate shape, an opening that is closed by the lid on one side, and a main body having an accommodation space for accommodating an object to be contained therein. The lid has a recess disposed on the substantially flat outer peripheral surface and an engaged portion provided in the recess, and the main body is in a position where the lid closes the opening. An engaging system having an engaging claw that protrudes into the recess and engages with the engaged part, and a driving operation unit that causes the engaging claw to protrude and retract. Is accommodated in an engagement system accommodation space different from the accommodation space provided in the housing, and the engagement system accommodation space protrudes from the first communication hole for operating the drive operation portion from the external space and the engagement claw. It communicates with the external space through the second communication hole To have.

  In the above-described closed container, it is preferable that the engaging claw and the engaged portion generate a biasing force that causes the lid to closely contact the main body. In addition, the engaging system applies a biasing force in a predetermined direction to the engaging claw so that the engaging claw is engaged with the engaged portion when the drive operation unit is not operated. It is preferable to further have. The main body has a flat surface parallel to the opening surface of the opening around the opening, the flat surface has a sealing surface that can be sealed by contact with the sealing member, and the first communication hole is outside the sealing surface. It is more preferable that they are arranged in the direction.

  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the lid | cover opening / closing system which concerns on this invention is a lid | cover opening / closing system which enables the insertion / extraction of the to-be-contained object to the inside of a sealed container by opening / closing a cover with respect to the sealed container mentioned above. And a minute space having an opening, a door movable between a position where the opening is substantially closed and a position where the opening is opened, and an operation means capable of operating a drive operation unit disposed around the opening. The door has a sealing member for sealing a space sandwiched between the lid and the door in a state where the lid is held. In the lid opening / closing system, the door preferably further includes an exhaust path for exhausting a space sandwiched between the lid and the door.

  According to the present invention, the surface of the lid becomes a flat surface when the lid is fixed to the pod. Further, there are no members that are accessed and operated from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to completely eliminate dust generation due to operation of a so-called latching claw on the door surface as in the conventional configuration. Further, unlike the conventional case, the lid does not have various configurations inside, and is merely a flat plate member. Therefore, dust can be easily removed by washing, and dust can be prevented from adhering to the lid when it is difficult to remove, so that the cleanliness against dust can be kept high even when considered as a single lid. Is possible.

  Further, according to the present invention, the lid is always biased in the direction of sealing the pod opening in a state where the lid is fixed to the pod body. Therefore, it is possible to improve the airtightness of the pod itself and reduce the possibility of dust generation due to the vibration of the lid during transportation. Furthermore, by placing a seal member on either the lid or the facing surface of the door, these spaces are completely separated from the surrounding space, and the lid ensures diffusion of dust, outside air, etc. brought into the minute space. Can be prevented. Further, in addition to the door holding the lid by suction, the closed space by the seal member can be decompressed to increase the holding force of the door. In addition, the arrangement of the configuration for performing the operation when the lid is opened and closed and the operation area of the configuration are basically performed outside the pod and outside the minute space. Therefore, even if dust generation occurs due to these configurations, the frequency of diffusion of the dust into the pod or the minute space is greatly reduced as compared with the conventional configuration.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a pod as a sealed container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a diagram showing a partially expanded internal structure in a state where the pod shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the direction of arrow 2A in FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the region 2B shown in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a diagram showing a schematic configuration when viewed from the cut surface 2C-2C in FIG. 2A.

  A pod 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a pod body 2 and a lid 3. The pod body 2 has a substantially cubic shape, and has an accommodation space 2b for accommodating a wafer and the like, and an opening 2a communicating with the accommodation space 2b on one side surface of the cube shape. A flange portion 2c is further formed on the one side surface so as to surround the periphery of the opening 2a. The flange portion 2c has a side end surface parallel to the one side surface, and the side end surface opposes an opening peripheral wall of a load port as a lid opening / closing system described later. The flange portion 2c has an accommodating space 2d for accommodating the lid engaging system 5 therein. The accommodation space 2d is accompanied by a first communication hole 2e that communicates from the side end surface of the flange portion 2c and is accessible to the operation end portion of the lid engaging system 5. Further, it is possible for the engaging claw 13 of the lid engaging system 5 to protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 2c to the inside of the opening 2 beyond the inner peripheral surface. A second communication hole 2f is also attached.

  The lid engaging system 5 includes a drive bar 7, a guide member 9, a biasing member 11, and an engaging claw 13. The drive bar 7 is composed of a rod-like member extending in the extending direction of the accommodation space 2d. One end portion 7a of the drive bar 7 is provided with an operation pin receiving hole 7b, and access to the operation pin receiving hole 7b can be made from the direction perpendicular to the side end surface of the flange portion 2c via the first communication hole 2e. The one end 7a is arranged so as to be possible. The operation pin receiving hole 7b is operated from the outside and acts as a drive operation unit for operating the lid engaging system 5. The other end portion 7c of the drive bar 7 is connected to one end portion 13a of an engaging claw 13, which will be described later, by a connecting pin 15 so as to be rotatable with respect to each other. Further, the drive bar 7 has a restriction flange 7d that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction at a predetermined position substantially in the center. The guide member 9 is made of a ring-shaped member, and the ring-shaped through hole is arranged along the drive direction of the drive bar 7 and fixed to the pod body 2. The drive bar 7 is disposed so as to penetrate the through hole of the guide member 9, and the biasing member 11 is disposed between the guide member 9 and the restriction flange 7d. The urging member 11 is made of, for example, a spring, and normally applies an urging force to the restriction flange 7d so that the drive bar 7 is moved in the direction in which the engagement claw 13 exists.

  The engaging claw 13 is a member having a substantially U shape, and an inner portion of the shape engages with an engaged portion disposed on the lid 3 side described later to fix the lid 3 to the pod body 2. An engagement surface 13b is provided. The engaging claw 13 is fixed to the pod body 2 by a claw fixing pin 17 at a substantially central portion so as to be rotatable in a plane parallel to the extending direction of the flange portion 2c. Accordingly, one end 13 a of the engaging claw 13 is driven by the driving bar 7 in a predetermined direction that is the extending direction of the driving bar 7. As a result, the engaging claw 13 rotates about the claw fixing pin 17, and the engaged state and the disengaged state of the engaging surface 13 b of the engaging claw 13 with respect to the engaged portion, that is, the protrusion and retraction to the inside of the recess. Each state is formed. The first communication hole 2e described above corresponds to a drive region when the drive bar 7 is driven by the operation pin receiving hole 7b, and is a long hole extending in the drive direction. In addition, the second communication hole 2f operates when rotating from the state in which the engagement surface 13b of the engagement claw 13 is accommodated in the accommodation space 2d to the state of being engaged with the engaged portion on the lid 3 side. It is configured to ensure space.

  In the pod according to the present embodiment, the opening of the storage space for storing the wafer or the like is the same size as the opening when viewed from the outside of the pod with respect to one side surface of the pod body 2 when going from the outside to the storage space. However, actually, a step is provided at the connection portion of these openings. The lid 3 has a size that can be accommodated in the larger opening when viewed from the side and cannot be accommodated in the smaller opening, and the lid 3 closes the opening when the lid 3 closes the opening. The step 3 prevents the lid 3 from entering the housing space unnecessarily. However, since the structure such as the step is not directly related to the present invention and the present invention can be applied to a pod having a different form, a detailed description thereof is omitted, and in this specification The lid 3 is described as an opening 2a that closes the accommodation space 2b of the pod 2 by fitting.

  As described above, the lid 3 has a substantially flat plate shape that can be accommodated in the pod opening 2a. In this embodiment, the aforementioned engaged portions 3a are arranged at the four corners of the flat plate-shaped outer peripheral surface. The engaged portion 3a corresponds to the arrangement of the engaging claws 13 described above, and is provided in the recess 3b into which the engaging claws 13 can enter. More specifically, the engaged portion 3a is made of a substantially cylindrical member extending in the thickness direction of the lid 3, and the engaging surface 13b of the engaging claw 13 can be engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical shape. The diameter is such that In the present embodiment, the engaged portion 3a is moved from the front surface side of the lid 3 (the surface side where the lid 3 is disposed on the external space side in a state where the pod body 2 is sealed) to the rear surface side (the accommodation space 2b side). It is set as the cone shape which a shape expands as it goes to the surface side to arrange | position. Further, the engagement surface 13b of the engagement claw 13 is also a predetermined angle with respect to a so-called tapered surface corresponding to the conical outer peripheral surface, more specifically, a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis of the engagement claw 13. The surface is inclined. Therefore, in a state where the engaging surface 13b is engaged with the engaged portion 3a, a load for urging the lid 3 toward the pod 2 is always applied to the lid 3 by the interaction between the conical surface and the tapered surface. Will act.

  Further, on the surface side of the lid 3, a seal surface 3c is formed in a region that comes into contact with a seal member disposed on the door surface described later. The sealing surface 3c is in contact with and in close contact with the sealing member, thereby forming a sealed space including the lid 3, the door 115a, and the sealing member 115m (see FIG. 5). The space prevents dust, etc. existing on the lid surface from confining inside, thereby preventing diffusion of extremely fine dust, etc. to the periphery. In the present embodiment, the engaged portion has a conical shape and the engaging claw has a tapered surface. However, the shapes of the engaged portion 3a and the engagement surface 13b are not limited to the shapes, and the structures include structures other than the shapes as long as they interact with each other to obtain the engaged state and the urging force described above. It is also possible to use one. That is, the engaged portion may be, for example, a prismatic shape, or may be configured as a simple surface. Moreover, although the engaging claw is U-shaped, for example, it may be a so-called L-shaped shape. In this case, a tapered surface is provided on at least one of the engaged portion and the engaging claw, and the addition of urging the lid 3 toward the pod 2 from the engaging portion is generated by the action of the tapered surface. Just do it.

  Here, in this embodiment, the pod is driven with respect to a housing in a minute space that is fixed like a lid opening / closing system, and the operation member provided on the housing side with respect to the operated member provided on the pod. The operation member is operated by the operation member after being fitted. In order to easily maintain the cleanliness of the surrounding environment, if such an operation unit structure is made into a simple pin, etc., the pin on the operated member side is usually used because of the pod stop position accuracy, etc. It is necessary to increase the size of the receiving part to a certain extent. Here, when the engaging claw 13 is disposed in the flange portion 2c, the range in which the engaging claw can actually be operated is greatly limited in space. For this reason, with respect to the operation pin receiving hole 7b of the drive bar 7 serving as the operated member, practically only slight play is allowed between the operation pin 115e and the operation pin 115e. In the present embodiment, the first communication hole 2e through which the operation pin receiving hole 7b communicates with the outside is formed on the flange portion 2c and the facing surface on the housing side where the highest positional accuracy is ensured between the pod and the housing. By arranging this, it is possible to effectively minimize the size of the operation pin receiving hole 7b. In the present embodiment, the driving amount of the operation pin 115e is substantially directly applied to the tip of the engaging claw 13 by a combination of only the axial movement of the driving bar 7 and the rotation of the engaging claw 13 around the claw fixing pin 17. Communicating. Therefore, it becomes possible to transmit the driving operation of the operation pin 115e to the engaging claw 13 with good response and reliability.

  According to the pod 1 described above, the lid 3 is a flat plate member having only the concave portion 3b and the engaged portion 3a on the outer peripheral surface. Therefore, even when the dust is left in an uncontrolled space, the so-called latch key receiving hole in the conventional configuration does not exist, so the probability that these dust will adhere or the dust etc. is stored inside the lid. The probability of being reduced. Moreover, since the adhesion of dust etc. is mainly on the surface of a flat surface, it becomes possible to remove this easily under washing or downflow. Further, since it is not necessary to arrange the operation member for the latch key on the door surface in the conventional configuration, it is possible to simplify the door structure and improve the environmental cleanliness associated with this simplification.

  Next, the lid opening / closing system for the hermetic container corresponding to the above-described pod will be described below. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the system showing a schematic configuration, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the pod mounting portion, door, pod, lid, and the like in the system 101 in the same manner. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the pod placement portion, the door, and the like in a state where the opening of the pod is closed by the lid. The FIMS system 101 includes a housing 105 that forms a minute space 103 and a pod placement unit 121 that is disposed adjacent to the housing 105. The housing 105 further includes a fan 107, a robot 109, a first opening 111, a second opening 113, and a door system 115. The fan 107 is disposed above the minute space 103 by the housing 105 and introduces gas existing in the external space of the housing 105 into the minute space. The fan 107 is accompanied by a filter that removes contaminants such as dust from the gas introduced from the space according to the cleanliness of the external space. A structure that allows airflow to flow out is arranged at the lower part of the housing 105, and dust generated in the minute space 103 is carried by the airflow and discharged from the lower part of the housing 105 to the external space. . The robot arm 109a in the robot 109 can project outside the minute space through the first opening 111 and the second opening 113. Although the first opening 111 is seemingly closed by the door 115a in the door system 115, a gap is formed between the outer periphery of the door 115a and the inner peripheral surface of the first opening 111. The door 115a is described as being capable of substantially closing the first opening 111. Although the second opening 113 is connected to the inside of the wafer processing apparatus 117, the details of the wafer processing apparatus 117 are not directly related to the present invention, and thus the description in this specification is omitted. .

  The pod placement unit 121 includes a docking plate 123, a pod fixing system 125, and a docking plate drive system 127. The upper surface of the docking plate 123 is substantially flat, and a part of the pod fixing system 125 is disposed on the upper surface. The pod 1 according to the present invention is placed on the upper surface of the docking plate 123, and is engaged with a part of the pod fixing system 125, specifically, an engaged portion (not shown) in which a pin is disposed on the lower surface of the pod 1. By joining, it is fixed at a predetermined position on the docking plate 123. The docking plate 123 is arranged so that the main body opening 2a of the pod 1 faces the first opening 111 described above when the pod 1 is placed on the upper surface. The docking plate drive system 127 uses the guide rail 127a and the drive cylinder 127b to drive the pod 1 fixed at the predetermined position together with the docking plate 123 in a direction toward the first opening 111 and a direction away from the first opening 111.

  One end of the driving cylinder 127b is fixed to the mounting table main body 121a, and the extending and contracting cylinder end serving as the other end is fixed to the docking plate 123. The docking plate 123 is slidably supported with respect to the guide rail 127a, and slides on the guide rail 127a according to the expansion and contraction of the cylinder end portion of the drive cylinder 127b. Here, the docking plate 123 has a position where the pod 1 is mounted (loaded) or removed (unloaded) from the outside on the docking plate 123 at a position farthest from the micro space 103. The position where the lid 3 is removed is the position closest to the minute space 103.

  An operation pin 115e, which is the operation means shown in FIG. 1, is disposed on the outer side surface (the surface facing the outer space) of the peripheral wall that defines the first opening 111. The operation pin 115e is disposed at a position where the operation pin 115e can be inserted into the operation pin receiving hole 7b of the drive bar 7 in a state where the pod 1 exists at the opening / closing position of the lid 3 by the door 115a. These operation pins 115e are driven in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1 by an operation pin drive system 115f (see FIG. 6) described later. The operation pin drive system 115 f can be configured by a normal servo motor, an air cylinder, or the like, or a so-called link mechanism or the like arranged so as to respond to the operation of the docking plate 123. When the pod 1 reaches the open / close position of the lid 3, the operation pin 115e is inserted into the operation pin receiving hole 2b. From this state, when the operation pin 115e is driven in the direction of the arrow by the operation pin drive system 115f, the drive bar 7 is driven in a direction away from the engaging claw 13. As a result, the driving claw 13 rotates around the claw fixing pin 17, the engaging surface 13b is separated from the engaged portion 3a, and the engaged state is released, so that the lid 3 can be detached from the pod 1. Note that the operation range of the operation pin 115e is preferably set so that the engaging claw 13 is completely accommodated in the accommodation space 2d and does not hit the inner wall of the accommodation space 2d. For this configuration, a further guide member or a stopper may be added to the drive bar 7. In the present embodiment, the lid engaging system 5 and related configurations are arranged corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the first opening 111. However, the arrangement of the lid engaging system 5 and the like is not limited to this form, and the lid engaging system 5 and the operation pin 115e are flange portions 2c corresponding to both sides of the first opening 111 or the opening 2a of the pod 1. You may arrange | position according to the position of.

In addition, the first side of the first opening 111 is located on the outer side surface of the peripheral wall that defines the first opening 111 and is located further inward toward the center of the first opening 111 than the position where the operation pin 115e is disposed. A seal member may be added so as to surround the opening 111. In this case, a seal surface corresponding to the seal member is formed on the flange portion 2c of the pod body 2 facing the surrounding wall and inside the first communication hole 2e. When the sealing member and the sealing surface are brought into close contact with each other, dust generated from the operation pin 115e and the configuration cooperating with the operation pin 115e is prevented from entering and diffusing into the pod internal space 2b and the minute space 103. . Since the inside of the minute space is maintained at a pressure higher than that of the outer space, when the pod 1 is in the open / close position of the lid 3 by the door 115a, the accommodation space 2d that accommodates the lid engagement system 5 has a second space. An air flow is formed from the communication hole 2f toward the first communication hole 2e located on the outer space side. The airflow also contributes to prevention of entry or diffusion of dust into the minute space. Further, by providing a sealing material that seals the gap generated between the accommodation space 2d and the drive bar 7 and shielding the accommodation space 2d from the external space, there is also an effect of suppressing the influence of dust generation from the operation pin 115e. I can expect. In this case, it is preferable that an elastic member exhibiting elastic deformation equivalent to the seal member along the insertion direction of the operation pin is added to the operation pin 115e. This prevents unnecessary load from being applied to the drive bar 7 when the operation pin 115e is inserted into the operation pin receiving hole 7b. Here, the specific structure of the operation pin 115e is shown as a bar-shaped member in the present embodiment, but the operation pin 115e can be expanded and contracted along its insertion direction, and is indicated by an arrow in FIG. Any structure that can withstand the load applied when the operation in the direction of driving the bar 7 is performed may be used.
Further, the operation pin 115e and the first communication hole 2e are connected to the seal member provided so as to surround the first opening 111 and the seal surface formed on the flange portion 2c corresponding to the seal member. You may arrange | position so that it may be located inside. In this case, since the storage space 2d for storing the lid engaging system 5 is partitioned from the external space by the seal member, the path connecting the external space and the minute space side is blocked, and the dust etc. Intrusion and diffusion into the minute space will be prevented.

  The suction pad 115k is in contact with the lid 3 and sucks the lid 3 by supplying negative pressure from a negative pressure supply source 108 (see FIG. 6) through a pipe (not shown), and the lid 3 is attached by the door 115a. It is possible to hold. The door system 115 includes a door arm 115b, a door opening / closing actuator 115c, and a door up / down mechanism 115d. The door arm 115b is made of a rod-shaped member, supports the door 115a at one end, and is connected to the door opening / closing actuator 115c at the other end, and is pivotally supported around the position at an appropriate position in the intermediate portion. . The door arm 115b is rotated about the rotation center by the door opening / closing actuator 115c, and one end of the door arm 115b and the door 115a supported by the door arm 115b move toward or away from the first opening 111. The door up-and-down mechanism 115d supports the door opening / closing actuator 115c and the rotating shaft of the door arm 115b described above, and the actuator and the door arm 115b and the door 115a supported by the actuator along a guide extending in the vertical direction by the vertical movement actuator. Is driven vertically.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a substantially annular seal member 115m is arranged around the surface of the door 115a facing the lid 3 so as to correspond to the seal surface 3c provided with the lid 3. . The seal member 115m comes into contact with and closely contacts the seal surface 3c in a state where the lid 3 is sucked and held by the suction pad 115k disposed on the surface of the door 115a. By sealing minute dust or the like adhering to the surface of the lid 3 in the sealed space formed thereby, diffusion of these dusts to the surroundings is prevented. In the present embodiment, the lid 3 is held only by the suction pad 115k. However, for example, a further suction / exhaust port may be provided on the door surface to exhaust the space inside the door 115a, the lid 3 and the seal member 115m sealed by the seal member 115m. With this configuration, it is possible to forcibly remove minute dust and the like, and it is possible to increase the holding force for holding the lid 3 by the door 115a. Further, the suction pad 115k may be eliminated, and the seal member 115m may be used as a kind of suction pad.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of the FIMS system 101 as a block diagram. The above-described fan 107, robot 109, door system 115, pod fixing system 125, and docking plate drive system 127 are controlled by the control device 102, respectively. The door system 115 can independently control the operation pin drive system 115f, the door opening / closing actuator 115c, and the door up / down mechanism 115d. In practice, each of these components operates according to a series of time charts. These configurations are controlled as follows. Note that the control device 102 performs operations of supplying negative pressure from the negative pressure supply source 108 to the suction pad 115k and stopping supply (breaking of negative pressure). The docking plate drive system 127 turns on and off the drive of the drive cylinder 127b. The operation of the drive cylinder 127 ensures that the docking plate 123 exists at two predetermined positions, that is, when the pod 1 is loaded. It is necessary to detect the case where the wafer exists at the dock position where the wafer can be inserted and removed.

  For this reason, the load sensor 127d that detects that the pod 1 is placed on the docking plate 123 and that the docking plate 123 exists at a position where the pod 1 should be loaded / unloaded with respect to the docking plate 123 is provided. , Connected to a docking plate drive system 127. In addition, a dock sensor 127 c that detects whether or not the docking plate 123 is present at the dock position described above is also connected to the docking plate drive system 127. In the present embodiment, the engagement state of the engagement claw 13 with respect to the lid 3 is detected by analogy by the placement of the operation pin 115e.

  Here, the operation of the FIMS system 101 when actually performing the wafer processing operation will be described. In the wafer processing operation, the pod 1 containing a predetermined number of wafers and filled with a clean gas is placed on the docking plate 123. When placing the docking plate 123, the pod fixing system 125 operates to set the placement position of the pod 1 relative to the docking plate 123 to a predetermined one. Subsequently, the docking plate drive system 127 is operated to drive the pod 1 toward the first opening 111. Specifically, the drive cylinder 127 b moves the pod 1 integrated with the docking plate 123 by the pod fixing system 125 in a manner through the docking plate 123. At that time, the door 115a stops at a position where the first opening 111 is substantially closed. The driving operation ends when the lid 3 of the pod 1 comes into contact with the contact surface of the door 115a and the docking plate 123 and the first opening 111 are in a predetermined positional relationship. At this time, the operation pin 115e is inserted through the operation pin receiving hole 7b through the first communication hole 2e provided in the pod body 2. The operation pin 115e is driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 by the operation pin drive system 115f at a predetermined timing according to the stop of the operation of the docking plate 123. Along with this, the engaging claw 13 is rotated by the drive bar 7 and the holding of the lid 3 by the engaging claw 13 is released. At the same time, the suction pad 115k sucks the lid 3, the lid 3 is held by the door 115a, and the space sandwiched between the surface of the lid 3 and the surface of the door 115a is sealed by the seal member 115m.

  From this state, the door opening / closing actuator 115 c starts operating, and the door arm 115 b rotates to carry the door 115 a holding the lid 3 from the first opening 111 toward the inside of the minute space 103. After the door arm 115b stops rotating at a predetermined angle, the door up-and-down mechanism 115d starts operating, and moves the door 115a together with the door opening / closing actuator 115c. By this operation, the first opening 111 is fully opened, and the minute space 103 is in communication with the inside of the pod main body 2 through the first opening 111. In this state, the robot 109 starts operating, and the wafer 4 is transferred from the inside of the pod 1 to the wafer processing apparatus 117 through the second opening 113 by the robot arm 109a. Further, while maintaining this state, the robot 109 transports the wafer that has been subjected to the predetermined processing in the wafer processing apparatus 117 to the pod 1. When the lid 3 is attached to the pod 1 and the pod 1 can be removed from the FIMS system 101, these operations are basically performed in reverse.

  By using the pod described above and the FIMS system that is a lid opening / closing system corresponding to the pod, the influence of extremely fine dust adhering to the surface of the lid that closes the pod opening is suppressed, and when the lid is opened and closed It is possible to suppress the generation of dust accompanying the opening / closing operation and the diffusion of the generated dust into the minute space or inside the pod. More specifically, the lid 3 is fixed to the pod body 2 and released from the operation pin 115e located at a position away from the opening corresponding to the pod flange portion 2c. For example, by forming an air flow from the vicinity of the outer periphery of the first opening 111 to the external space, the possibility of diffusing minute dust or the like into the pod or the minute space that is reduced in terms of arrangement is further reduced. It becomes possible to do. In the embodiment described above, the lid engaging system 5 is arranged so as to correspond to the four corners of the lid 3 in order to effectively fix the lid 3 to the pod body 2. However, when the lid 3 cannot be suitably fixed to the pod body 2 only by fixing the current four corners, for example, when the lid 3 is enlarged, for example, the lid engaging system is further provided at the center of the long side of the opening. 5 may be arranged. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which detects the appropriateness | suitability of an engagement state by directly detecting the operation | movement of the engagement nail | claw 13 using an optical sensor etc., for example.

  In the embodiments described above, the present invention is mainly described with respect to the FIMS system for wafers. However, the application target of the present invention is not limited to the system, and can be applied to, for example, a sealed container that accommodates a display panel, an optical disk, or the like.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the pod which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure containing a partial see-through | perspective area | region about the state which looked at the pod shown in FIG. 1 from the arrow 2B direction in the same figure. It is a figure which expands and shows the structure of the area | region 2B shown by FIG. 2A. It is a figure which shows the cut surface in the line 2C-2C in FIG. 2A. It is a sectional side view showing the schematic structure of the load port device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is an expanded sectional side view which shows the principal part schematic structure of the load port apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the style similar to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state where a pod is present at a loading position with respect to the configuration shown in FIG. 4. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the FIMS system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Pod, 2: Pod body, 3: Lid, 4: Wafer, 5: Lid engaging system, 7: Drive bar, 9: Guide member, 11: Energizing member, 13: Engaging claw, 15: Connecting pin 17: Claw fixing pin, 101: Load port device, 102: Control device, 103: Micro space, 105: Housing, 107: Fan, 108: Negative pressure supply source 109: Robot, 111: First opening, 113: Second opening, 115: Door system, 117: Wafer processing apparatus, 121: Pod placement unit, 123: Docking plate, 125: Pod fixing system, 127: Docking plate drive system

Claims (6)

A sealed container comprising a lid having a substantially flat plate shape and an opening closed by the lid on one side surface and a main body having an accommodating space for accommodating an object to be contained therein,
The lid has a recess disposed on the substantially flat outer peripheral surface, and an engaged portion provided in the recess,
The main body includes an engaging claw that protrudes into the recess and engages with the engaged portion in a state where the lid is located at a position closing the opening, and a driving operation that causes the engaging claw to protrude and retract. And an engagement system having a portion,
The engagement system is accommodated in an engagement system accommodation space different from the accommodation space provided in the main body,
The engagement system accommodating space communicates with the external space through a first communication hole for operating the drive operation unit from the external space and a second communication hole for projecting the engagement claw. Characterized closed container.   The sealed container according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw and the engaged portion generate a biasing force that causes the lid to closely contact the main body in cooperation.   The engagement system applies a biasing force in a predetermined direction to the engagement claw so that the engagement claw is engaged with the engaged portion when the drive operation unit is not operated. The airtight container according to claim 1, further comprising an urging member.   The main body has a flat surface parallel to the opening surface of the opening around the opening, the flat surface has a seal surface that can be sealed by contact with a seal member, and the first communication hole has the first communication hole The airtight container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the airtight container is disposed outside the sealing surface. A lid opening / closing system capable of opening and closing the lid with respect to the sealed container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and allowing the contained object to be inserted into and removed from the sealed container.
A minute space having an opening;
A door movable between a position where the opening is substantially closed and a position where the opening is opened;
Operating means capable of operating the drive operation unit disposed around the opening,
The said door has a sealing member which seals the space clamped by the said lid | cover and the said door in the state holding the said lid | cover, The lid opening / closing system characterized by the above-mentioned.   The lid opening / closing system according to claim 5, wherein the door further includes an exhaust path for exhausting a space sandwiched between the lid and the door.

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