JP2010199189A - Substrate storage container and method to pick out substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate storage container capable of floating a substrate from the shelf board of the container body in an appropriate manner, and of suppressing pressure increase when press-fitting a cover into the front surface portion of the container body that has been opened; and to provide a method to pick out a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate storage container includes a container body to accommodate semiconductor wafers W, and a cover that is interfitted and press-fitted into the front surface of the container body. On the back surface wall 2 of the container body, a support groove 3 of nearly U type cross section is formed that supports loose engagement in the back surface peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer W. Inside walls on both sides of the container body, teeth that support the side of the peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer W are formed. In the inner surface of the cover that counters the back surface wall 2 of the container body, a front retainer that holds the front of the peripheral part of the semiconductor wafer W is equipped. The support groove 3 is formed of a first inclined bottom surface 4 of moderate slope that guides levitation from the teeth of the semiconductor wafer W at the time of the interfit and press fit of the cover, and of a second inclined bottom surface 5 of steep slope that guides slipping down of the semiconductor wafer W to the teeth, when the cover is removed from the container body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for storing, transporting, and transporting a substrate made of a semiconductor wafer or the like and a method for taking out the substrate.

  Although not shown, a conventional substrate storage container is configured to include a container main body for aligning and storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers, and a lid body that opens and closes the front portion of the container main body through a gasket. It is used for storing, storing, transporting and transporting semiconductor wafers (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The container body is formed into a front open box type, and a plurality of substantially V-shaped support grooves are formed in the back wall so as to loosely support the periphery of the semiconductor wafer. A plurality of pairs of left and right teeth that support the side of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer are formed. In addition, the lid is provided with an elastic front retainer that holds the front side of the peripheral edge of the plurality of semiconductor wafers on the opposite inner surface facing the back wall of the container body.

  In the above, when a semiconductor wafer is stored and transported in a substrate storage container, the semiconductor wafer is first stored in the container body, and a lid is fitted to the opened front portion of the container body by a lid opening / closing device. Press fit.

  Then, the semiconductor wafer is pressed and sandwiched from the front and rear direction between the support groove of the container body and the front retainer of the lid, and floats from the pair of teeth of the container body while being guided by the inclined bottom surface of the support groove, and becomes non-contact, The risk of rubbing and wearing due to contact with each tooth, or damage and breakage is prevented. When the semiconductor wafer is lifted and supported from a pair of teeth, the substrate storage container is wrapped in a packaging bag and directed upward. In this state, the semiconductor wafer is stored and transported in the cardboard box. can do.

  On the other hand, when the semiconductor wafer is taken out from the transported substrate storage container, the container main body taken out from the cardboard box and the packaging bag is placed on the stage, and the lid body is removed from the container main body by the lid opening / closing device.

  Then, the semiconductor wafer is slid down while being guided by the inclined bottom surface of the support groove by the pressure release of the front retainer, and is horizontally supported by the pair of teeth of the container body. When the semiconductor wafer is thus supported by the pair of teeth and the posture of the semiconductor wafer is stabilized, the semiconductor wafer is taken out from the open front portion of the container body.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-120791 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-5525

  The conventional substrate storage container is configured as described above, and the semiconductor wafer is guided and slid down on the inclined bottom surface of the support groove, and the slid down semiconductor wafer is supported by the pair of teeth of the container body. In order to ensure sliding, the slope of the bottom surface of the support groove must be steeply distributed.

  However, if the bottom surface of the support groove is steeply arranged, the semiconductor wafer can be surely slipped, but the semiconductor wafer is guided to the bottom surface of the support groove and may not float sufficiently from the teeth or may not float. In order to eliminate such an adverse effect, it is only necessary to press-fit the lid body into the open front portion of the container body. However, this causes an increase in pressure when the lid body opening / closing device presses the lid body. A new problem arises that the value exceeds the specification of the lid opening / closing device and stops during the lid opening / closing operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a substrate capable of appropriately floating a substrate from a shelf plate of a container main body and suppressing pressure increase when a lid is press-fitted into an open front portion of the container main body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage container and a method for taking out a substrate.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the present invention, a container main body for storing a substrate, and a detachable lid that is press-fitted (pressed in by applying pressure) by fitting (fitting) to the open front portion of the container main body. With body,
A support groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section that loosely supports the peripheral edge of the substrate is formed in at least one of the back wall and the side walls of the container body, and the peripheral edge of the substrate is formed in the both side walls of the container body. Forming a shelf plate that supports the side of each part, and provided with an elastic front retainer that holds the front of the peripheral edge of the substrate on the opposing inner surface of the lid facing the inside of the back wall of the container body,
When the lid is fitted and press-fitted into the open front portion of the container body, the support groove of the container body and the front retainer of the lid are supported in a non-contact state in which the substrate is lifted from the shelf plate. ,
The support groove guides the first inclined bottom surface having a gentle height to guide the floating of the substrate from the shelf when the lid is fitted and press-fitted, and guides the sliding of the substrate to the shelf when the lid is removed from the container body. And a steeply arranged second inclined bottom surface, and the first and second inclined bottom surfaces are arranged in the vertical direction.

A bottom plate is attached to the bottom plate of the container body, a plurality of first positioning tools are attached to either the bottom plate or the bottom plate of the container body, and a plurality of second positioning members are attached to the top plate of the container body. A tool can be attached.
The first inclined bottom surface may be inclined at an angle of 45 ° or less, and the second inclined bottom surface may be inclined at an angle of 60 ° to 85 °.

Further, in the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a method for taking out a substrate, wherein the lid is removed from the container main body of the substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, and the substrate is taken out from the container main body,
The container body is inverted upside down so that the second inclined bottom surface of the support groove is positioned downward, the lid body is removed from the container body upside down, and the substrate is slid down by the second inclined bottom surface of the support groove to The substrate is supported by a plate, and then the substrate is taken out from the open front portion of the container body.

  Here, the substrate in the claims includes at least φ200, φ300, φ450 mm semiconductor wafer, glass substrate, mask glass, and the like. This board | substrate does not ask | require especially the amount of bending, or the number of one or more. Further, the container body and the lid may be transparent, opaque, or translucent. A transparent window for substrate observation, an IC tag for physical distribution management, and the like can be attached to the upper, rear and side portions of the container body.

  According to the present invention, when a substrate is stored and transported in a substrate storage container, the substrate is stored in the container main body, and a lid is fitted into the open front portion of the container main body and press-fitted. Then, the substrate comes into pressure contact with the support groove of the container body and the front retainer of the lid body from the front-rear direction, and floats from the shelf of the container body while being guided by the first inclined bottom surface of the support groove. It becomes a contact relationship. When the substrate is lifted and supported from the shelf board, it can be transported with the substrate stored in the substrate storage container.

  On the other hand, when the substrate is taken out from the substrate storage container, the container body is inverted upside down so that the upper part is the lower part, and the lid body is removed from the upside down container body. Then, the substrate is slid down while being guided by the second inclined bottom surface of the support groove, which is supported by the shelf of the container body, by releasing the pressure of the front retainer. When the substrate is supported by the shelf and the posture of the substrate is stabilized, the substrate can be taken out from the opened front portion of the container body.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that the substrate can be appropriately levitated from the shelf plate of the container main body, and the pressure increase when the lid body is press-fitted into the opened front portion of the container main body can be effectively suppressed. .
Further, if the first inclined bottom surface is inclined at an angle of 45 ° or less, the substrate can be easily levitated from the shelf board. Further, if the second inclined bottom surface is inclined at an angle of 60 ° to 85 °, the substrate can be reliably slid down on the shelf plate.

It is a section explanatory view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is an expansion explanatory view showing typically a support groove in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention.

  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 this embodiment stores a plurality of semiconductor wafers W as shown in FIGS. A container body 1 that can be reversed upside down and a detachable lid body 10 that is press-fitted into the open front portion of the container body 1 are provided. Among them, a plurality of support grooves 3 for loosely supporting the semiconductor wafer W are formed in at least one of them, and a plurality of teeth 6 for supporting the semiconductor wafer W are formed on both side walls of the container body 1, respectively. The support groove 3 of the container body 1 is formed from first and second inclined bottom surfaces 4 and 5 having different inclination angles.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the semiconductor wafer W is made of, for example, a thin and brittle silicon wafer having a diameter of 450 mm, and a notch for alignment and identification (not shown) is notched in a flat semicircular shape at the periphery. 1 is stored in an order of 25 or 26 sheets.

  The container body 1 and the lid body 10 are each injection-molded with a molding material containing a predetermined resin. Examples of the predetermined resin of the molding material include polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, cyclic olefin resin, and alloy resins thereof having excellent mechanical properties and heat resistance. Carbon, carbon fiber, metal fiber, carbon nanotube, conductive polymer, antistatic agent, flame retardant and the like are appropriately added to this resin as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 1 is formed in a front open box whose front portion opens horizontally, and a lid opening / closing device, semiconductor processing device, gas replacement (not shown) with the front portion facing in the horizontal horizontal direction. Positioned and mounted on the device or transported. The container body 1 is formed such that a part of both side walls, specifically, the back sides of both side walls are inclined inward, and the side of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer W contacts the inner surface of each inclined side wall. , Positioning is regulated. A plurality of support grooves 3 are selectively formed side by side in the vertical direction on the inner surface of each inclined side wall.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of support grooves 3 that loosely support the rear edge of the semiconductor wafer W through a gap are formed on the inner surface of the back wall 2 of the container body 1 in the vertical direction. Teeth 6 that horizontally support the side of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W are provided on the inner surfaces of the both side walls of the two sides. The pair of left and right teeth 6 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction of the container body 1. The

  As shown in FIG. 2, each support groove 3 has a first inclined bottom surface 4 with a gentle and high profile that guides the floating of the semiconductor wafer W from the teeth 6 when the lid 10 is press-fitted, and a container body of the lid 10. The first and second inclined bottom surfaces 4 are formed in a substantially U-shaped section having a steeply inclined second inclined bottom surface 5 that guides the sliding of the semiconductor wafer W onto the teeth 6 when removed from the semiconductor wafer W. 5 are integrally formed adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, and the deepest valley portion is defined between the first and second inclined bottom surfaces 4 and 5.

The first inclined bottom surface 4 is inclined at an angle θ ₁ of 45 ° or less, preferably 15 ° to 45 °, more preferably 15 ° to 30 °, from the viewpoint of smoothly floating the semiconductor wafer W away from the tooth 6. Is done. The second inclined bottom surface 5, from the viewpoint of ensuring the sliding of the semiconductor wafer W, 60 ° to 85 ° angle theta _2, is preferably inclined at 80 ° to 85 ° angle theta ₂ formed, the container body When 1 is not inverted, it is positioned immediately above the first inclined bottom surface 4 (state of FIG. 2), and when the container body 1 is inverted, it is positioned immediately below the first inclined bottom surface 4.

  In addition, when a plurality of support grooves 3 are formed on the inclined inner wall of the container body 1, they are formed in the same manner as the support grooves 3 of the back wall 2. Further, when a plurality of support grooves 3 are formed on the inclined side wall inner surface of the container body 1, the support grooves 3 on the back wall 2 can be omitted.

  Each tooth 6 is not particularly limited. For example, the teeth 6 are curved and formed into a substantially semi-circular flat plate along the peripheral side of the semiconductor wafer W. Similarly, the non-contact relationship with the semiconductor wafer W that has been in contact is obtained.

  A bottom plate 7 is attached to the bottom plate of the container body 1, and a plurality of exposed first positioning tools 8 are screwed to either one of the bottom plate and the bottom plate 7. The tool 8 functions to position the substrate storage container on the positioning pin of the stage of the lid opening / closing device.

  The plurality of first positioning tools 8 are screwed into a plurality of locations on the bottom plate of the container body 1 or the bottom plate 7, for example, three locations such as both sides of the front portion and the center of the rear portion, and are fitted to the positioning pins of the stage from above. To do. The first positioning tool 8 includes, for example, a groove such as a V-groove that fits into a positioning pin of a stage whose upper end is rounded, and a pair of surfaces that divide the groove are formed as inclined surfaces or curved surfaces.

  A plurality of second positioning tools 8A for positioning the substrate storage container to the positioning pins of the stage of the lid opening / closing device are screwed to the top plate of the container body 1. The plurality of second positioning tools 8A are screwed into a plurality of locations on the top plate of the container body 1, for example, three locations such as both the front side and the rear center, and are fitted to the positioning pins of the stage from above. The second positioning tool 8A includes, for example, a groove such as a V-groove that fits into a positioning pin of a stage whose upper end is rounded, and a pair of surfaces that divide the groove are formed as inclined surfaces or curved surfaces.

  The first and second positioning tools 8 and 8A can be provided integrally with the container body 1. Moreover, the same shape may be sufficient and a different shape may be sufficient. In addition, when the first and second positioning tools 8 and 8A have the same shape, the interval at which the first and second positioning tools 8 and 8A are fitted to the positioning pins of the stage can be appropriately changed.

  A rim flange 9 bulging outward is formed at the peripheral edge of the front portion of the container body 1, and a lid 10 is automatically fitted into the rim flange 9 by a lid opening / closing device (not shown). Further, gripping operation handles (not shown) are respectively attached to the outer surfaces of both side walls of the container body 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 10 includes a horizontally long casing 11 that is detachably fitted into a rim flange 9 in the front part of the container body 1 that is open, and an open surface (front face) of the casing 11. And an elastic front retainer 14 that elastically holds a plurality of semiconductor wafers W is mounted on the back surface, which is the opposing inner surface 13 facing the semiconductor wafer W of the housing 11. The

  The housing 11 is basically formed in a shallow bottom cross-sectional substantially dish shape, and a frame-shaped seal gasket is fitted to the peripheral edge of the back surface which is the opposed inner surface 13, and this seal gasket is the container body 1. The sealing performance of the substrate storage container is ensured by being pressed into the rim flange 9.

  The molding material for the front retainer 14 includes, for example, synthetic resins such as polyether ether ketone, cyclic olefin resin, and polybutylene terephthalate, alloy resins thereof, polyester-based, polyolefin-based, and polystyrene-based thermoplastic elastomers. Carbon, carbon fiber, metal fiber, carbon nanotube, conductive polymer, antistatic agent, flame retardant, or the like is added to the resin as necessary.

  The front retainer 14 includes a support frame 15 attached to the opposed inner surface 13 of the housing 11, and elastic holding pieces 16 approaching the front of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W are vertically arranged on both sides of the support frame 15. A holding groove 17 having a substantially V-shaped cross section for holding the front end of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W is integrally formed at the front end portion of each holding piece 16.

  In the above configuration, when the semiconductor wafer W is aligned and stored in the container main body 1 of the substrate storage container, the semiconductor wafer W is first aligned and stored in the container main body 1 by the clamp hand of the robot. The lid body 10 may be fitted and press-fitted into the opened front portion by a lid opening / closing device. At this time, it is preferable that the semiconductor wafer W is accommodated in a state in which not the front surface but the back surface on which the circuit pattern is not formed is directed upward.

  When the lid 10 is fitted and press-fitted, the semiconductor wafer W is pressed between the support groove 3 of the container body 1 and the holding groove 17 of the front retainer 14 from the front-rear direction, and the first inclined surface of the support groove 3 is inclined. While being guided by the inclined bottom surface 4 of the container body 1, the container body 1 is lifted away from the pair of teeth 6 to form a non-contact relationship, and there is a risk that the contact with each tooth 6 causes rubbing and wear or damage and breakage. Is prevented. At this time, since the first inclined bottom surface 4 positioned below is gently inclined, the semiconductor wafer W slides upward reliably while being smoothly guided by the first inclined bottom surface 4.

  When the semiconductor wafer W floats from the pair of teeth 6 and is supported by the valleys of the support grooves 3, the substrate storage container is wrapped with a packaging bag and the lid 10 is directed upward, and stored in the cardboard box in this state. Thus, the semiconductor wafer W can be stored in the substrate storage container and transported.

  On the other hand, when the semiconductor wafer W is taken out from the container main body 1 of the transported substrate storage container, the container main body 1 sequentially taken out from the cardboard box and the packaging bag is turned upside down when the semiconductor wafer W is stored. The container body 1 may be horizontally positioned and arranged on the stage using the top plate of the container body 1 as a bottom plate, and the lid body 10 may be removed from the container body 1 by the lid opening / closing device.

  Then, the semiconductor wafer W slides down under its own weight while being guided by the second inclined bottom surface 5 inclined from the valley of the support groove 3 by releasing the pressure contact of the front retainer 14, and horizontally on the pair of teeth 6 of the container body 1. Supported. At this time, since the second inclined bottom surface 5 positioned below is abruptly inclined, the semiconductor wafer W slides down reliably while being smoothly guided by the second inclined bottom surface 5.

  When the semiconductor wafer W is supported by the pair of teeth 6 and the posture of the semiconductor wafer W is stabilized, the semiconductor wafers W can be sequentially taken out from the open front portion of the container body 1 by a clamp hand of the robot.

  According to the above configuration, the first inclined bottom surface 4 of the support groove 3 does not incline abruptly but inclines gently, so that it is effective that the semiconductor wafer W may be levitated sufficiently away from the teeth 6 or not levitated. Can be eliminated. In addition, since the semiconductor wafer W surely floats from the teeth 6, it is not necessary to press the lid 10 into the front portion of the container body 1 strongly, which causes an increase in pressure or the improvement of the existing lid opening / closing device. There is no.

  In addition, since the second inclined bottom surface 5 of the support groove 3 is sharply inclined, the semiconductor wafer W can be reliably slid down and supported by the pair of teeth 6 without being stopped halfway. Further, since the first and second inclined bottom surfaces 4 and 5 of the support groove 3 are formed at different inclination angles, the support groove 3 can be formed deeper than in the prior art, and the semiconductor wafer W is held stably. It becomes possible to transport by.

  Furthermore, if the shape and position of the first and second positioning tools 8 and 8A are changed, the vertical direction when the semiconductor wafer W is stored in the container main body 1 of the substrate storage container or when the semiconductor wafer W is taken out can be simplified. In addition, it is possible to prevent mistakes when the substrate storage container is mounted on the stage of the lid opening / closing device.

  In the above embodiment, the bottom plate 7 is attached to the bottom plate of the container body 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the bottom plate 7 may be removed from the bottom plate of the container body 1 and omitted. Alternatively, the first and second positioning tools 8 and 8A may be formed on cylindrical, square tube, hemispherical or other protruding portions and positioned on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Moreover, you may provide the flange for conveyance in the bottom plate and top plate of the container main body 1, respectively. Further, the side wall of the container body 1 may be provided with a transport side rail or a manual handle accessible from both sides. Moreover, you may fix suitably the cover body 10 fitted to the front part of the container main body 1 with a magnet.

  Further, a locking mechanism for the lid body 10 can be incorporated between the housing 11 of the lid body 10 and the surface plate 12. In this case, the locking mechanism is connected to a pair of left and right rotating plates that are pivotally supported on both inner sides of the housing 11 and rotated from the outside, and the upper and lower peripheral portions of each rotating plate. A plurality of slide plates that slide linearly inward and outward of the body 10, and a peripheral portion of the housing 11 and a tip end portion of each slide plate are pivotally supported, and the container body 1 is projected by the protrusion of the slide plate. The rim flange 9 can be configured with a retractable locking claw or the like that interferes with the locking hole on the inner peripheral surface of the rim flange 9.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Back wall 3 Support groove 4 1st inclined bottom face 5 2nd inclined bottom face 6 Teeth (shelf board)
8 First positioning tool 8A Second positioning tool 10 Lid 11 Housing 13 Opposing inner surface 14 Front retainer 16 Holding piece 17 Holding groove W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims (3)

A container main body for storing the substrate, and a detachable lid that is press-fitted into the front surface of the container main body,
A support groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section that loosely supports the peripheral edge of the substrate is formed in at least one of the back wall and the side walls of the container body, and the peripheral edge of the substrate is formed in the both side walls of the container body. Forming a shelf plate that supports the side of each part, and provided with an elastic front retainer that holds the front of the peripheral edge of the substrate on the opposing inner surface of the lid facing the inside of the back wall of the container body,
A substrate storage container that supports a substrate in a non-contact state in which the substrate is levitated from the shelf plate to the support groove of the container body and the front retainer of the lid body when the lid body is fitted and press-fitted into the open front portion of the container body There,
The support groove guides the first inclined bottom surface having a gentle height to guide the floating of the substrate from the shelf when the lid is fitted and press-fitted, and guides the sliding of the substrate to the shelf when the lid is removed from the container body. A substrate storage container including a steeply arranged second inclined bottom surface, wherein the first and second inclined bottom surfaces are arranged in the vertical direction.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the first inclined bottom surface is inclined at an angle of 45 ° or less, and the second inclined bottom surface is inclined at an angle of 60 ° to 85 °. A method for removing a substrate, wherein the lid is removed from the container body of the substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, and the substrate is removed from the container body
The container body is inverted upside down so that the second inclined bottom surface of the support groove is positioned downward, the lid body is removed from the container body upside down, and the substrate is slid down by the second inclined bottom surface of the support groove to A method for removing a substrate, comprising: supporting the substrate, and then removing the substrate from the open front portion of the container body.

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