JP2015113886A - Holder for seal member - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a holder for a seal member capable of effectively holding the seal member by suppressing a risk of contaminating a seal member and the like by dusts generated in association with rubbing, and preventing fracture of the holder by improving its strength.SOLUTION: A holder for a seal member includes a pair of backing plates 10, 10A larger than a seal gasket 1 of a substrate storage container, and a plurality of sleeve poles 20 supported by the backing plates 10, 10A and fitted to an inner peripheral face of the seal gasket 10. The backing plates 10, 10A are provided with a plurality of mounting holes 11 penetrating through the sleeve poles 20, the mounting holes 11 are formed into a pentagon shape on a plane, and provided with a plurality of locking claws 13 on peripheral edge portions, the sleeve poles 20 are formed into a pentagon cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of the mounting hole 11 by bending a bendable plate material 21, and further provided with a plurality of locking holes 22 to which the locking claws 13 of the backing plates 10, 10A are inserted on their peripheral walls, and inclined walls 23 kept into contact with corner portions 2 of the inner peripheral face of the seal gasket 1, of the sleeve poles 20 are formed to be curved.

Description

  The present invention relates to a holder for a seal member used for cleaning, storing, transporting, and the like of a seal member of a substrate storage container.

  Although not shown, a substrate storage container for storing a large semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 300 mm or more is detachably fitted to a front open box container body for aligning and storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers and an open front of the container body. And an endless seal gasket is interposed between the container body and the lid.

  The seal gasket is formed into a frame shape with, for example, a predetermined elastomer or rubber, and is detachably attached to the rear peripheral edge of the lid, and is compressed and deformed by the inner peripheral edge on the front of the container body and the lid. As a result, outside dirty air is prevented from flowing into the container body, and the semiconductor wafer is prevented from being contaminated.

  By the way, the substrate storage container is disassembled and cleaned when cleaning with cleaning water, but if the sealing gasket is still attached to the lid, the cleaning water near the mounting portion of the sealing gasket may be completely removed. As a result, the sealing gasket and the semiconductor wafer may be contaminated or the quality of the semiconductor wafer may be deteriorated. In view of this point, the seal gasket is removed from the lid and held by a dedicated holder when the substrate storage container is cleaned. Moreover, it is managed by the holder in a single item, or is conveyed while being held in the holder.

  There are various types of holders of this type. For example, a sleeve type is known in which an octagonal cylinder is formed by corrugated cardboard, and a central portion of the corrugated cardboard plate is cut out by the outer shape of the cylinder. In addition, a pair of long plates that are combined in a substantially X-shape to fit and hold the seal gasket, a plurality of fins that are formed at both ends of each long plate and that contact the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket, A type that includes a plurality of locking plates that are installed at both ends of the fin to prevent the seal gasket from falling off is known (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-362678

  Since the conventional holder for the seal member is configured as described above, there is a possibility that the seal gasket and the semiconductor wafer may be contaminated by rubbing against the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket and generating dust. In addition, the positions of the long plate and the fins are not fixed, and their joint strength is not necessarily strong. Therefore, if the holder falls and an impact is applied, the holder is damaged, and as a result, the seal gasket is held. It may be possible to cause trouble.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and suppresses the possibility of contamination of the seal member or the like due to dust generated by rubbing, and further improves the strength to prevent breakage of the holder and effectively hold the seal member. An object of the present invention is to provide a holder for a seal member that can be used.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a receiving plate larger than the endless seal member of the substrate storage container, and a plurality of fittings that are supported by the receiving plate and are fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the seal member With pillars,
The receiving plate is provided with a plurality of mounting holes penetrating the mating pillars at intervals, and each mounting hole is formed in a substantially polygonal plane, and a plurality of locking claws are spaced around the periphery. A plurality of engagement members are formed by bending a plate material that can be bent to form a substantially polygonal cross section corresponding to the shape of the mounting hole, and the peripheral wall of the column to be fitted to the engaging claws of the receiving plate. A stop hole is provided, and a part of the contact surface that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the seal member of the column to be fitted is formed in a shape substantially corresponding to the inner peripheral surface of the seal member.

  In addition, each mounting hole of the receiving plate is formed in a plane substantially pentagonal shape, the outer oblique side thereof is brought close to the corner of the receiving plate, and the column to be fitted is formed in a hollow pentagonal substantially pentagonal shape, and the outer inclined wall And the inclined wall of the fitted column can be brought into contact with the oblique side of the mounting hole and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member, respectively.

In addition, by forming a plate material that forms the fitting column into a flat rectangular shape, and arranging a plurality of folding lines at intervals on the plate material, the first wide wall, a plurality of narrow walls on the plate material, Each of the second wide wall and the folded joint wall is partitioned and formed with a locking hole at each end of the first and second wide walls, and the folded joint wall is adjacent to the second wide wall. The first wide wall may be overlapped from the inside, and notches that avoid interference with the locking holes of the first wide wall may be formed at both ends of the folded joint wall.
In addition, at least one of the plate member that forms the receiving plate and the fitted column can be made of thermoplastic resin or cardboard.

  Here, the substrate storage container in the claims may be a front open box type for storing semiconductor wafers having a diameter of 300 mm or 450 mm or a top open box type for storing semiconductor wafers having a diameter of 200 mm or less. The endless seal member can be formed in a ring shape or a substantially frame shape in a plan view.

  The receiving plate and the fitted column can be formed to be transparent, opaque, or translucent. Although a plurality of receiving plates are preferable, a single receiving plate may be used, and attachment holes may be provided in the vicinity of the four corners. When there are a plurality of receiving plates, at least one receiving plate can be provided with a gripping opening for gripping. The mounting hole can be formed in a substantially rectangular plane, pentagon, hexagon, or the like. The fitted column can be formed in a substantially quadrangular cross section, pentagon, hexagon, or the like.

  According to the present invention, when the holder for the seal member is assembled and the seal member is held, the fitting column is inserted into the mounting hole of the receiving plate, and the locking claw of the mounting hole and the fitting column are inserted. The locking holes are fitted together, and the fitting columns are supported by the mounting holes of the receiving plate. If the to-be-fitted columns are respectively supported by the plurality of mounting holes of the receiving plate, the sealing members are fitted through the to-be-fitted columns. At this time, a predetermined column to be fitted is tilted inwardly of the receiving plate, and after inserting a seal member into a plurality of columns to be fitted so as not to generate dust, a predetermined column to be fitted is inclined. Is returned to its original position, the inner circumferential surface of the seal member is brought into contact with a part of the contact surface with few edges of each fitted column, and the sealing member is held by a plurality of fitted columns. be able to.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to effectively suppress the possibility that the sealing member or the like is contaminated by dust generation due to rubbing. Further, there is an effect that the strength can be improved to prevent the holder from being damaged, and the seal member can be effectively held.

  According to the invention of claim 2, instead of contacting the outer corner of the fitted column with the inner peripheral surface of the seal member, the curved slope wall of the fitted column is made to correspond and contact, It is possible to reduce dust generated by rubbing the inner peripheral surface of the seal member.

  According to the invention of claim 3, if the plate material is folded along a plurality of folding lines, it becomes possible to easily assemble a deformable hollow fitting column. Further, when the plate member is bent, the folded joint wall is overlapped on the first wide wall from the inside, whereby the strength of the fitted column can be improved and the form of the fitted column can be easily maintained. Further, when the plate material is bent, the notch of the folded joint wall avoids interference with the locking hole of the first wide wall, so that the receiving plate can be penetrated into the locking hole.

  According to the invention of claim 4, if at least one of the receiving plate and the plate material forming the fitting column is made of a thermoplastic resin, it can contribute to weight reduction, mass production, and recycling, and And dust generation accompanying a contact with a seal member can be controlled. Furthermore, if at least one of the plate material that forms the receiving plate and the mating column is made of inexpensive corrugated cardboard, light weight, mass productivity, and safety can be improved, and further, by providing printing and barcodes, Product management is really easy.

It is a whole perspective view showing typically an embodiment of a holder for seal members concerning the present invention. It is a plane explanatory view showing typically the receiving plate in the embodiment of the holder for seal members concerning the present invention. It is an expanded view which shows typically the board | plate material of the sleeve pillar in embodiment of the holder for sealing members which concerns on this invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the sleeve pillar in the embodiment of the holder for seal members concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the deformed sleeve pillar in the embodiment of the holder for seal members concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically a mounting hole of a receiving plate and a deformed sleeve pillar in an embodiment of a holder for seal members concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the attachment hole and sleeve pillar of the receiving plate in the embodiment of the holder for seal members concerning the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the holding state of the seal gasket in embodiment of the holder for seal members which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the packaging state packaged with the packaging bag in embodiment of the holder for sealing members which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, a holder for a seal member in this embodiment is a seal gasket 1 of a large-sized substrate storage container. A large pair of upper and lower receiving plates 10 and 10A, and a plurality of sleeve pillars 20 that are penetrated and supported by the respective receiving plates 10 and 10A and fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the plurality of sealing gaskets 1, Used for cleaning, storage and transportation of 1.

  Although not shown, a substrate storage container (for example, FOSB) is press-fitted into the front body of a front open box that stores large semiconductor wafers with a diameter of 300 mm or more arranged in the vertical direction and the front of the container body that is open. A detachable lid body to be joined is provided, and a mounting groove for the endless seal gasket 1 is formed in a recessed manner on the peripheral edge of the back surface of the lid body.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 8, and 9, the seal gasket 1 is made of, for example, a predetermined thermoplastic elastomer (polyester-based thermoplastic elastomer, polystyrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, etc.) or rubber (fluororubber, Silicone rubber or the like is formed into an elastic substantially frame shape with four corners 2 curved, and a flexible tongue piece projects obliquely outward, and the inner peripheral edge and lid on the front of the container body It is interposed between the back surface of the body so that it can be compressed and deformed. Such a seal gasket 1 is inserted into a plurality of sleeve pillars 20 from above, and a plurality of (for example, 20 to 60) are laminated together.

  The pair of upper and lower receiving plates 10 and 10A and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) sleeve pillars 20 are formed of a predetermined thermoplastic resin, paper or resin corrugated cardboard that contributes to weight reduction and mass production, Antistatic treatment is performed as necessary. Examples of the predetermined thermoplastic resin include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and the like. Among these, polypropylene having excellent rigidity, impact resistance, and heat resistance is optimal. When using cardboard, resin cardboard is preferable from the viewpoint of preventing contamination of the work environment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 6, and 7, the pair of receiving plates 10, 10 </ b> A is formed of a flat plate having four corners obliquely chamfered, and is formed in the same size and shape. Of the pair of receiving plates 10 and 10A, the upper receiving plate 10A is not particularly limited, but is selectively used when the seal gasket 1 is transported to another factory. Each of the receiving plates 10 and 10A is provided with mounting holes 11 penetrating through the sleeve pillars 20 in the vicinity of the four corners thereof, and from the viewpoint of firmly fixing the sleeve pillars 20 with the mounting holes 11, each of the receiving plates 10 and 10A has a large number of plane squares or more. It is divided into squares, specifically, planar pentagons.

  Out of the five sides of the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 11, a pair of adjacent inner straight sides 12 are respectively formed with locking claws 13 for the sleeve pillars 20 oriented in the center direction so as to project into a flat trapezoidal shape, and the outer oblique sides 14 approaches the outer corners of the receiving plates 10 and 10A. In addition, a gripping port 15 for gripping surrounded by a plurality of sleeve pillars 20 is perforated in a substantially rectangular shape at the center of the receiving plates 10 and 10A, and the four corners of the gripping port 15 are oblique. Chamfered.

  1, 3, 8, and 9, the plurality of sleeve pillars 20 are formed in the same size and shape by bending a bendable plate material 21, and the deformation when the seal gasket 1 is laminated is formed. From the viewpoint of prevention, the plurality of seal gaskets 1 are slightly tensioned and held from the inside. Each sleeve column 20 is partitioned and formed into a polygon having a hollow section square or more corresponding to the shape of the mounting hole 11, specifically a pentagon section by folding the plate material 21.

  The sleeve column 20 has a plurality of horizontally long locking holes 22 inserted into the locking claws 13 of the mounting hole 11 at both upper and lower ends of the peripheral wall, and an outer slope wall 23 is formed on the oblique side 14 of the mounting hole 11. Contact. The slope wall 23 of the sleeve column 20 bulges slightly outward (represented by a straight line in FIGS. 4 to 7) so as to correspond to the rounded corner 2 of the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket, and is chamfered. As (C surface), contact is made along the corner 2 of the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket 1 to prevent dust generation due to sliding contact.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plate member 21 forming the sleeve column 20 is formed in a plane rectangular shape, and a plurality of folding lines 24 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. The wide wall 25, the plurality of narrow walls 26, the second wide wall 25A, and the folded joint wall 27 are partitioned and formed in a horizontal row. The first and second wide walls 25 and 25 </ b> A are respectively provided with locking holes 22 at both upper and lower ends, and one narrow wall 26 of the plurality of narrow walls 26 contacts the oblique side 14 of the mounting hole 11. A slope wall 23 is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the folded joint wall 27 is connected adjacent to the second wide wall 25 </ b> A, folded back to the first wide wall 25 when the plate member 21 is folded, and overlapped from the inside. The strength of the sleeve column 20 is improved. Rectangular cutouts 28 are formed on the upper and lower ends of the folded joint wall 27 so as to be horizontally long, and the cutouts 28 avoid interference with the locking holes 22 of the first wide wall 25 when the plate member 21 is bent. Thus, the catching plate 22 can be penetrated into the catching hole 22 of the catching claw 13.

  In the above configuration, when assembling the holder for the seal member and holding the plurality of seal gaskets 1 in the holder, first, a plurality of plate members 21 for forming the sleeve column 20 are prepared. The hollow sleeve column 20 is assembled by folding along the folding line 24.

  When the sleeve column 20 is assembled in this way, the sleeve column 20 is deformed (see FIG. 6) by pushing the narrow wall 26 of the sleeve column 20 inward, and the lower end portion of the sleeve column 20 is inserted into the mounting hole 11 of the receiving plate 10. The sleeve column 20 is inserted into the mounting hole 11 of the receiving plate 10 by inserting the locking claw 13 of the mounting hole 11 and the locking hole 22 of the sleeve column 20 and returning the sleeve column 20 to its original shape. The support is penetrated (see FIG. 7). When the sleeve column 20 is supported by the receiving plate 10, the bendable slope wall 23 of the sleeve column 20 is rounded and slightly bulges outward and comes into close contact with the hypotenuse 14 of the mounting hole 11. Can be firmly supported so as not to fall off.

  When the sleeve pillars 20 are respectively penetrated and supported in the plurality of mounting holes 11 of the receiving plate 10, the seal gaskets 1 are fitted into the plurality of sleeve pillars 20 from above, and a plurality of the seal gaskets 1 are stacked (see FIG. 8). . At this time, a predetermined sleeve column 20 is inclined in the direction of the gripping opening 15 of the receiving plate 10, and after loosely fitting the plurality of sleeve columns 20 with a gap so as not to generate dust, the inclined predetermined sleeve is formed. When the column 20 is returned to the original position, the inclined wall 23 of each sleeve column 20 and the rounded corner 2 of the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket are brought into close contact with each other, and the seal gasket 1 is attached to the plurality of sleeve columns 20. Can be held in tension.

  Next, when transporting the seal gasket 1 held by the holder to another factory, the sleeve column 20 is deformed by pushing the narrow wall 26 at the top of the sleeve column 20 inward, so that the sleeve column 20 is deformed. The mounting hole 11 of another receiving plate 10A is inserted into the upper end of the sleeve, the locking claw 13 and the locking hole 22 of the sleeve column 20 are fitted, and the sleeve column 20 is restored to its original shape. The mounting hole 11 of the plate 10A and the plurality of sleeve pillars 20 are positioned and fixed.

  When the receiving plate 10A and the plurality of sleeve pillars 20 are fixed and the seal gasket 1 is prevented from dropping, a required number of holders are stored in a packing bag 30 such as a polyethylene bag (see FIG. 9). If the holder packed in (1) is housed in a packing box together with a cushioning material and packed, the seal gasket 1 held by the holder can be transported to another factory.

  According to the above configuration, the sharp corners of the sleeve column 20 are not brought into contact with the corners 2 of the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket 1, but the rounded slope wall 23 of the sleeve column 20 is made to correspond and closely contact. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the seal gasket 1 is not rubbed to generate dust, and the possibility of causing contamination of the seal gasket 1 or the semiconductor wafer can be effectively eliminated.

  Further, since the locking claw 13 of the mounting hole 11 and the locking hole 22 of the sleeve column 20 are fitted and the receiving plates 10 and 10A and the sleeve column 20 are fixed extremely firmly, for example, the holder drops and impacts Even if this works, the holder is not damaged, and the holding of the seal gasket 1 is not hindered. Further, by using the holder, the seal gasket 1 can be smoothly detached and attached, the convenience of work can be greatly improved, and the deformation of the seal gasket 1 can be reliably prevented. Further, since no adhesive or adhesive tape is used for assembling the sleeve column 20, the contamination of the seal gasket 1 due to chemical components is not caused.

  In the above embodiment, the pair of receiving plates 10 and 10A are formed in the same size and shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the receiving plate 10 and the receiving plate 10A are formed in different sizes and shapes. You may do it. Further, the mounting holes 11 may be drilled in the left and right side portions and the front and rear end portions of each of the receiving plates 10 and 10A. Further, the plurality of sleeve pillars 20 may be two, six, eight, etc. instead of four. Furthermore, the plate member 21 of the sleeve column 20 may be configured in a bellows structure by connecting a plurality of hollow cylinders having a long and narrow rectangular section in parallel with a flexible connecting member.

  The holder for a seal member according to the present invention is used in the field of manufacturing semiconductors and substrate storage containers.

1 Seal gasket (seal member)
2 corner 10 receiving plate 10A receiving plate 11 mounting hole 12 straight side 13 locking claw 14 oblique side 20 sleeve column (fitting column)
21 Plate material 22 Locking hole 23 Slope wall 24 Folding line 25 First wide wall (peripheral wall)
25A Second wide wall (peripheral wall)
26 Narrow wall 27 Folded joint wall 28 Notch

Claims (4)

A holder for a seal member, comprising: a receiving plate larger than the endless seal member of the substrate storage container; and a plurality of fitted columns that are supported by the receiving plate and fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the seal member. Because
The receiving plate is provided with a plurality of mounting holes penetrating the mating pillars at intervals, and each mounting hole is formed in a substantially polygonal plane, and a plurality of locking claws are spaced around the periphery. A plurality of engagement members are formed by bending a plate material that can be bent to form a substantially polygonal cross section corresponding to the shape of the mounting hole, and the peripheral wall of the column to be fitted to the engaging claws of the receiving plate. A holder for a seal member, characterized in that a stop hole is provided and a part of the contact surface that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the seal member of the fitting column is formed in a shape substantially corresponding to the inner peripheral surface of the seal member .   Each mounting hole of the receiving plate is formed in a substantially pentagonal plane, the outer hypotenuse is brought close to the corner of the receiving plate, the fitting column is formed in a hollow pentagonal substantially pentagonal shape, and the outer inclined wall is curved The holder for a seal member according to claim 1, wherein the sloped wall of the fitted column is brought into contact with the oblique side of the mounting hole and the inner peripheral surface of the seal member.   The plate material for forming the mating columns is formed in a flat rectangular shape, and a plurality of folding lines are arranged on the plate material at intervals, whereby the first wide wall, the plurality of narrow walls, the second Each of the first and second wide walls is formed with a locking hole, and the first and second folded walls are adjacent to the second wide wall. 3. A seal member for a sealing member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a notch for avoiding interference with the locking hole of the first wide wall is formed at both ends of the folded joint wall so as to overlap the wide wall of the inner wall. Retaining tool.   The holder for a seal member according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein at least one of the receiving plate and the plate material forming the fitting column is made of thermoplastic resin or cardboard.

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