JP2014110350A - Substrate housing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an identification body easily detachable in a semiconductor manufacturing process that is a substrate housing container for housing substrates such as semiconductor wafers and transporting and storing the substrates in a semiconductor production process.SOLUTION: By inserting a jig into a pair of cutouts 26A, 26B provided at a periphery of a flange part 23 at a lower end part of an identification body 19 composed of a bottomed cylinder 20 including a flange part 21 at an upper end part and a flange part 23 at a lower end part, and by extracting a bottom of the bottomed cylinder 20, the identification body 19 may be easily detached from through-holes 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D provided in an identification area of a bottom plate 15.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container, and more specifically to a substrate storage container that stores a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and transports and stores the substrate in a semiconductor production process.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a substrate storage container, a container having a container body having an opening on the front surface and a lid for closing the opening of the container body so as to be sealed, that is, a front open box is known. The container body is provided with a pair of support portions disposed so as to face the inner wall surface, and by supporting a part of the periphery of the substrate in each groove arranged in parallel along the vertical direction with these support portions. The substrate is stored in the container body in a horizontal state. This substrate storage container is used for temporarily storing semiconductor wafers between processes, transporting between processes in a factory, or transporting them by an aircraft or the like in manufacturing a semiconductor.

  A bottom plate is provided on the bottom surface of the substrate storage container. By this bottom plate, it is possible to convey, convey, and identify, position, or fix the substrate storage container at the place where each processing apparatus is installed. Yes.

  The bottom plate includes at least a pair of conveyor rails, a place (identification area) where a detachable identification member is attached, a guide member for positioning the substrate storage container, a processing apparatus for the substrate storage container, and the like. And a fixing portion for fixing to the head.

  A plurality of through holes are provided in a region where the identification member of the bottom plate is attached, and the through holes are closed by selectively attaching a cylindrical identification member having a bottom portion to these through holes. ing. That is, by selectively closing the through hole by the identification member, the presence or absence of the through hole is made to correspond to the specification of the substrate storage container. On the processing apparatus side, the specification of the substrate storage container can be confirmed by detecting and identifying the presence or absence of these through holes with a contact type detection sensor (limit switch) or the like. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  When attaching this identification body to the through hole of the bottom plate, it is necessary to push in a collar portion provided at the top of the cylinder of the identification body and having an outer shape larger than the inner diameter of the through hole. When removing from the through hole, it is necessary to remove the collar from the through hole by pushing it out in the reverse direction from the back side of the bottom plate.

Japanese Patent No. 3556519 JP 2012-114371 A

  However, the gap between the main body of the substrate storage container and the bottom plate is narrow, and the fitting with the through hole is hardened to prevent the identification body from falling off in the process. There was a problem that it was difficult to put on and take off. In addition, forming the identification body from a highly elastic material has a problem that deformation or the like is likely to occur when the contact type detection sensor (limit switch) of the processing apparatus presses the identification body, and cannot be detected correctly. It was.

  For this reason, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, by providing a slit in the height direction from the top of the cylindrical identification body to facilitate elastic deformation of the vicinity of the collar of the top of the identification body, the identification body is attached to the bottom plate. A method for facilitating attachment / detachment from a through hole is disclosed. However, this method still causes a problem that the identification body is too hard to be attached to the through hole of the bottom plate, or the identification body is dropped from the through hole.

  Also, in Patent Document 2, when removing the identification body from the through hole of the bottom plate, a jig is inserted into a through hole separately provided in the bottom plate, and the bottom of the identification body is pushed from the back side of the bottom plate to penetrate the collar. Although a method of removing from the hole is disclosed, the above problem has not been solved.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an identification body that can be easily attached and detached within a semiconductor manufacturing process.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the substrate storage container of the present invention is characterized by a container body having an opening and storing a substrate through the opening, a lid for closing the opening of the container body, and a bottom surface of the container body. A substrate storage container that includes a bottom plate having an identification area that is detachably attached, and an identification body that is detachably attached to the identification area, the identification area having a plurality of through holes, The identification body comprises a bottomed column body having a flange portion at the upper and lower end portions, an upper end being released, and a bottom portion at the lower end portion, and a jig on the outer peripheral portion of the collar portion at the lower end portion of the bottomed column body The substrate storage container is provided with at least one pair of notches that are detachably attached to the plurality of through holes provided in the identification region, and the identification bodies having the same shape are selectively attached thereto.

  The column includes at least a cylinder, a prism, a polygonal column, a bottomed bottomed cylindrical shape, a bottomed rectangular tube shape, a bottomed elliptical shape, a bottomed oval shape, or the like. Most of the pillars may be embedded in the through holes, or may protrude from the through holes. In addition, the collar portion may project outward from the entire periphery of the peripheral wall of the column body, or may project a plurality of flange portions outward from a part of the peripheral wall of the column body. Furthermore, it may project outward from the peripheral wall of the end of the column, or may project outward from the peripheral wall other than the end. Furthermore, the end portion of the column body may be flat or may be configured to be uneven.

  At least one pair of notches provided in the outer peripheral portion of the flange portion at the lower end portion of the bottomed column body acts as an insertion hole for the identification body attaching / detaching jig. By inserting a discriminating tool attaching / detaching jig into the notch and pulling out the bottom of the lower end of the column body, the discriminating body can be easily removed from the through hole of the discriminating region.

  Furthermore, the discriminating body is a column that fits in the through hole of the discriminating region, and a pair of collar portions that stop from the peripheral wall to the peripheral portion of the through hole are projected outwardly at intervals, and a column body is formed on one brim portion. An inclined insertion surface that gradually narrows from one end direction to the other end direction can be formed, and a column body can be fitted from above and below the identification region.

  The identification body can be molded using various materials such as metals and synthetic resins, but from the viewpoint of cost, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate or polypropylene as the molding material.

  A plurality of through holes of various shapes can be provided in the identification region. The through hole and the identification body may be in a close fitting relationship or in a loose fitting relationship. A plurality of identification bodies can be configured according to the number of through holes, and can be colored to facilitate detection of various sensors.

  The identification region may be a member having a through hole or may be provided in the bottom plate.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the identification body which can be attached or detached easily within a semiconductor manufacturing process can be provided.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the substrate storage container which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) It is a bottom view of the substrate storage container of FIG. (B) It is an enlarged view of the identification area of (a). It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which mounted the board | substrate storage container of this invention in the load port. (A) It is a perspective view of the identification body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (B) It is a side view of the identification body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (C) It is a bottom view of the identification body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the identification body which concerns on embodiment of this invention inserted in the through-hole of the identification area | region of a bottom plate. It is sectional drawing showing the state which removes the identification body inserted in the through-hole of the identification area | region of a bottom plate using a jig | tool.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate storage container in this embodiment stores a plurality of (for example, 13 or 25) wafers W in alignment, and the front of the opening is closed in a sealed state by a lid 12 via a gasket 11. 2, and a bottom plate 15 that is detachably screwed to the bottom surface of the container body 2, and a through-hole 18 A shown in FIG. 18B, 18C, and 18D, and the removable identification body 19 shown in FIG. 4 that is selectively inserted into the plurality of through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18D.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 2 is made of a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin, and is molded into an open box structure in which at least a portion where the alignment state of the wafers W accommodated therein can be visually confirmed is transparent. Strength, rigidity, and transparency are ensured, and standardized based on the SEMI standard, and antistatic treatment is performed as necessary. The container body 2 has a rim portion 3 formed by bulging the peripheral edge of the front face of the opening in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the inner step surface of the rim portion 3 forms a sealing surface.

  A plurality of shelf grooves 7 arranged in the vertical direction are respectively formed on both inner side surfaces of the container body 2, and the plurality of shelf grooves 7 on one inner side face the plurality of shelf grooves 7 on the other inner side surface. Yes. Each shelf groove 7 is formed in a U-shaped or V-shaped cross section, and elastically and horizontally supports the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W. A back side position regulating wall (not shown) for regulating the position of the back side of the wafer W stored in each shelf groove 7 is formed on the back side of each shelf groove 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), V-grooves 8 based on the SEMI standard are integrally projected in a substantially V-shaped cross section on the front side and the rear center of the bottom surface of the container body 2, and the plurality of V-grooves 8 are formed. However, as shown in FIG. 3, it engages with a plurality of positioning pins on the surface of the load port 31 of the processing apparatus 30 to exert a positioning function. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a robotic flange 9 is detachably screwed to the top surface of the container body 2, and this robotic flange 9 is gripped by a conveying means such as an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport) (not shown). The In addition, gripping tools 10 are detachably mounted on both outer side surfaces of the container body 2 as necessary, and this pair of gripping tools 10 is used in an emergency or the like.

  The gasket 11 is formed into a frame shape using various thermoplastic elastomers, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, or the like, and is detachably fitted to the container body 2 or the lid body 12 through grooves or protrusions. Then, the cover body 12 is sandwiched between the rim portion 3 of the container body 2 and the lid body 12 when fitted and covered, and is pressed against a seal surface (not shown) of the rim portion 3 to be sealed.

  The lid body 12 is molded using the same or different synthetic resin as the container body 2, and locking pieces (not shown) are pivotally supported on both sides so as to be swingable. 3 is firmly fitted. A plurality of front retainers 14 are detachably attached and fixed to the inner surface of the lid 12, and the front retainers 14 hold the wafer W between the rear side position regulating walls when the wafer W is transported or transferred. Hold.

  The lid body 12 is formed into a hollow shape, and the lid body 12 has a built-in lock mechanism (not shown) including a latch mechanism that is manually operated or automatically operated. The lid 12 may be fitted to the rim portion 3 of the container body 2 by fitting the claws into a plurality of locking holes provided on the inner periphery of the rim portion 3.

  The front retainer 14 is formed using a flexible polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, various thermoplastic elastomers such as polyester and polyolefin, thermoplastic resins such as polyether ether ketone resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, and the like. .

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the bottom plate 15 is molded into a substantially Y-shaped plate using a synthetic resin such as polyether ether ketone, polybutylene terephthalate, or polycarbonate resin with good wear resistance. Projections are formed on the entire upper and lower portions of the outer periphery. The bottom plate 15 is formed with engaging bodies (not shown) that fit into a plurality of V-grooves 8 on both sides of the front part and the center of the rear part, and the inclined surface of each engaging body has a positioning pin on the V-groove 8. Induce. A through-hole 17 is formed in the center of the bottom plate 15, and the container body 2 is detachably fixed to the processing apparatus 30 using the through-hole 17 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the rear side of the bottom plate 15 has a plurality of identification areas based on the SEMI standard. Each identification area has a circular through hole 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D. Is perforated. This SEMI standard will be described. SEMI standards E1.9, E47.1, M31 corresponding to positions X21 and Y10, and A and B positions on both sides behind the bottom of the container body 2, and X22 and Y9 positions. Identification protrusions or recesses are required at positions C and D on both sides of the bottom of the container main body 2 to be identified.

  The position A indicates the number of wafers W to be stored. Specifically, when there is a protrusion at a height of 9 mm or more from the reference surface of the load port 31, it represents the substrate storage container 1 containing 25 sheets. When there is a protrusion at a height of 2 mm or less, it functions to represent the substrate storage container 1 containing 13 sheets. Further, the position of B shows the difference in the form of the substrate storage container 1. Specifically, as in the case of A, if there is a protrusion at a height of 9 mm or more from the reference surface of the load port 31, the position of FOUP or FOSB A representative substrate storage container 1 is shown, and an open cassette is shown when there is a protrusion at a height of 2 mm or less from the reference plane.

  Further, the positions of C and D indicate the difference in the process in which the substrate storage container 1 is used, and an identification recess and protrusion are attached. That is, in the case of the substrate storage container 1A used in the previous process of wafer processing, the position of D in the fourth quadrant of the XY coordinates centered on the center of the bottom surface of the container body 2 and the load port 31A of the processing apparatus 30 An identification projection that avoids interference with the interlock pin 33 is required at a height of 9 mm or more from the horizontal reference plane, and the substrate is stored at a position C in the third quadrant and at a height of 2 mm or less from the horizontal reference plane. An identification protrusion for detecting the presence / absence of the container 1A is required.

  On the bottom surface of the substrate storage container 1A used in the wafer processing pre-process, the container body 2 is placed at a position C in the third quadrant of the XY coordinates with the center of the container body 2 in FIG. An interlock pin provided on the load port 31 of the processing device 30 is located at a position D in the fourth quadrant of the same Y coordinate at a position of 2 mm or less in height from the horizontal reference plane. In order to avoid interference with 33, an identification protrusion for detecting the presence or absence of the container body 2 is required at a position 9 mm or higher from the horizontal reference plane of the processing apparatus 30.

  On the other hand, in the case of the substrate storage container 1B used in the post-process of wafer processing, contrary to the above, the position of D in the fourth quadrant and the position of 2 mm or less downward from the horizontal reference plane of the processing apparatus 30 The identification protrusion is required at the position C in the third quadrant and at a height of 9 mm or more from the horizontal reference plane of the processing apparatus 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in view of the SEMl standard, the through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18D are formed by punching at positions corresponding to the plurality of identification regions of the bottom plate 15, and the plurality of through holes 18A and 18B are formed. The discriminating body 19 is selectively inserted and locked to 18C and 18D.

As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, the identification body 19 includes a bottomed column body 20 made of a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or polypropylene resin, and the bottomed column body 20 is a bottom plate. 15 is inserted into the through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18D from one of the upper and lower sides, and the push type sensor or the optical sensor of the processing apparatus 30 identifies and acquires information about the substrate storage container 1 based on this insertion mode. At the lower end of the bottomed column 20, a flange portion 21 that extends from the outer periphery to the peripheral portion of each of the through holes 18 </ b> A, 18 </ b> B, 18 </ b> C, and 18 </ b> D is formed in a radially outward direction to form a flat detected rim 22. ing. From the outer periphery of the opening upper end portion of the bottomed columnar body 20, an elastically deformable collar portion 23 that locks to the peripheral edge portion of the through holes 18 </ b> A, 18 </ b> B, 18 </ b> C, 18 </ b> D is formed to project outward in the radial direction. Is formed with an inclined insertion surface 24 that gradually narrows while being inclined from the lower end direction toward the upper end portion of the opening, and this inclined insertion surface 24 facilitates insertion into the through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, and 18D.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4 </ b> B, and 4 </ b> C, the identification body 19 of the present embodiment includes a bottomed column body 20 having a flange portion 21 at an upper end portion and a flange portion 23 at a lower end portion. A pair of notches 26A and 26B are provided symmetrically on the outer periphery of the flange 23 at the lower end. A plurality of pairs of notches may be provided. The upper surface of the flange portion 21 at the upper end portion forms an inclined insertion surface 24 that is inclined downward from the upper end. In the drawing, the lower surface of the collar portion 21 is also an inclined surface, but this lower surface may not be inclined. Further, slits 25A, 25B, 25C, and 25D are provided on the column wall of the bottomed columnar body 20. Of these, the slit 25A communicates with the notch 26A, and the slit 25C communicates with the notch 26B.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the identification body 19 is fitted into the through hole in the identification region of the bottom plate 15. The discriminator 19 is formed into a hollow bottomed column 20 having flange portions 21 and 23 at the upper and lower end portions, the upper surface of the collar portion 21 is an inclined insertion surface 24, and further, a slit 25A, By providing 25B, 25C, and 25D, the peripheral wall in the vicinity of the flange portion 21 at the upper end of the bottomed columnar body 20 is easily elastically deformed in the radial inner and outer directions. For this reason, the discriminating body 19 can be easily fitted and fixed by pushing the bottomed column 19 serving as the discriminating body 19 into the through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D of the bottom plate 15 from the bottom of the figure. it can.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the identification body 19 fitted into the through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D in the identification region of the bottom plate 15 is removed using a jig 27. A pair of claws of a jig 27 is inserted into a pair of notches 26A and 26B provided on the outer periphery of the flange 23 at the lower end of the bottomed columnar body 20 as shown in the figure, on the back side of the detected rim 22. By hooking and pulling the bottomed column body 20 downward, the flange portion 21 at the upper end of the bottomed column body 20 is elastically deformed radially inward, so that the bottomed column body 20, that is, the identification body 19 is formed on the bottom plate 15. It is easily removed from the through holes 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D.

  In the present embodiment, the bottom plate 15 is fitted to the plurality of V grooves 8 formed integrally with the container body 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the bottom plate 15 may be fixed to the bottom surface of the container body 2 and / or the plurality of V grooves 8 or may be screwed. Further, the bottom plate 15 and the plurality of engaging bodies may be an integral structure or separate bodies. In addition to the above, various information can be provided by forming an identification region and attaching a plurality of identification bodies 19 in combination. Furthermore, a pair of notches 26A, 26B is provided in the flange portion 23 of the bottomed column body 20, and the slits 25A among the slits 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D provided in the column wall of the bottomed column body 20 are provided. 25C, but the number and shape of notches and slits can be increased or decreased as appropriate.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, it cannot be overemphasized that the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. Further, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention. For example, a pair of rear supports arranged at intervals may be fixed integrally or detachably on the inner back surface of the container body 2 to restrict the position.

1, 1A, 1B Substrate storage container 2 Container body 3 Rim part 7 Shelf groove 8 V groove 9 Robotic flange 10 Grip 11 Gasket 12 Lid 13 Locking piece 14 Front retainer 15 Bottom plate 18A Through hole 18B Through hole 18C Through Hole 18D Through-hole 19 Identification body 20 Bottomed column 21 Collar part 22 Detected rim 23 Collar part 24 Inclined insertion surfaces 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D
Slit 26A, 26B Notch 27 Jig 30 Processing device 31 Load port 32 Detection means 33 Interlock pin W Wafer (substrate)

Claims (4)

A container body that has an opening and accommodates a substrate through the opening; a lid that closes the opening of the container body; a bottom plate that is detachably attached to the bottom surface of the container body; An identification body removably attached to the identification area, and a substrate storage container comprising:
The identification region has a plurality of through holes,
The identification body comprises a bottomed column body having a flange portion at the upper and lower end portions, an upper end being released, and a bottom portion at the lower end portion,
At least one pair of notches for removably attaching a jig is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the collar portion at the lower end of the bottomed column body,
The substrate storage container, wherein the identification body having the same shape is selectively attached to a plurality of through holes provided in the identification region.   The discriminating body is a column that fits into the through hole of the discriminating region, and a pair of collar portions that stop at the peripheral edge of the through hole are extended outwardly from the peripheral wall of the pillar, respectively. In the collar portion, an inclined insertion surface that gradually narrows from one end direction to the other end direction of the column body is formed, and the column body can be fitted from above and below the identification region. The substrate storage container according to claim 1.   3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the identification body is formed of a thermoplastic resin.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the identification region of the substrate storage container is a bottom plate that is detachably provided on a bottom surface of the container main body.

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