JP2019102497A - Pod and purge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pod capable of equally introducing a purge gas while suppressing variance in a purge gas supply pressure into the pod.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a pod comprising: a pod body in which a tabular accommodated object is accommodated while being juxtaposed in a height direction; an opening provided on one side face of the pod body; a lid which is attached to the opening in a removable manner so as to seal the pod body; and multiple ventilation holes from which a purge gas is emitted toward the accommodated object juxtaposed in the height direction. The pod also comprises a planar purge part disposed on at least one surface between an inner surface of the pod body opposite to the opening and a pair of inner side faces adjacent thereto, or between the at least one surface and the accommodated object, and a gas supply part erected from a gas supply hole, which is provided on an inner bottom face of the pod body and to which the purge gas is supplied from the outside, toward the inside of the pod body and configured to supply the purge gas through a first passage to the planar purge part. The pod is characterized in that a pressure regulation member is disposed in the first passage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage pod (FOUP) used in transferring a wafer between a plurality of processing apparatuses in a semiconductor manufacturing process. The present invention also relates to a purge device for cleaning the inside of the pod.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing process, wafers are stored in pods called FOUPs and transported to processing devices.

  The environment inside the pod in which the wafer is stored is preferably maintained at a predetermined level of inertness and cleanliness to protect the wafer surface from oxidation and contamination. Here, the inside of the pod in a state in which the wafer is stored is usually filled with nitrogen or the like which is managed to be highly clean, thereby preventing intrusion of contaminants, oxidizing gas, etc. into the inside of the pod. However, there is a risk that the wafer surface in the pod may be contaminated by an external gas that intrudes into the interior of the pod when inserting or removing the wafer in the pod, an outgas released from the processed wafer, or the like. Therefore, in the wafer processing process, it is necessary to purge the inside of the pod appropriately to clean the inside of the pod.

  As a method for purging the inside of the pod, the pod is communicated with the bottom hole disposed on the bottom of the pod, and through the gas supply nozzle (tower type nozzle) formed to protrude into the pod It is known to introduce a purge gas inside. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses that a planar purge member is provided between a pair of tower nozzles in order to more efficiently introduce a purge gas into the pod.

JP, 2015-162531, A

  In recent years, as the miniaturization of wiring in semiconductor devices has progressed, there is a need for a technique for purging the inside of the pod more efficiently and with a high degree of cleanliness in order to protect the wafer surface from oxidation and contamination.

  When using a purge nozzle having a shape that is upright from the bottom to the top of the pod as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the gas supply in the height direction due to the influence of the gradient of the gas supply pressure near the bottom and the top of the pod. Variations in quantity may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a pod capable of uniformly introducing purge gas while suppressing variation in purge gas supply pressure to the inside of the pod.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, a pod concerning the 1st viewpoint of the present invention is provided in the 1 side of the pod main part which can accommodate the flat accommodation thing side by side in the height direction, and can be stored, and the pod main body An opening, a lid removably attached to the opening so as to seal the pod body, and a plurality of vent holes for injecting a purge gas toward the contained items juxtaposed in the height direction, the pod A planar purge portion disposed on at least one of the inner surface opposite to the opening of the main body and the pair of inner surfaces adjacent thereto, or between the at least one surface and the object to be contained And standing upright toward the inside of the pod body from a gas supply hole provided on the inner bottom surface of the pod body and supplied with the purge gas from the outside, and the purge gas is supplied to the planar purge portion through the first passage. Companion And a gas supply unit for, wherein the first passage, the pressure regulating member is disposed.

  In the pod according to the present aspect, when the purge gas flows from the gas supply unit into the planar purge unit, the purge gas passes through the pressure adjustment member having a predetermined air flow resistance. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the variation of the purge gas supply pressure in the height direction of the gas supply unit, and to uniformly supply the purge gas in the height direction to the planar purge unit. This makes it possible to equalize the supply amount of the purge gas supplied from the surface purge unit to the inside of the pod, and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pod body including: a pod main body capable of accommodating a flat-plate-like accommodated object in parallel in the height direction; an opening provided on one side surface of the pod main body; A lid detachably attached to the opening to be sealed, and a plurality of vent holes for injecting a purge gas toward the contained object juxtaposed in the height direction, and an inner surface opposite to the opening of the pod body And a planar purge portion disposed on at least one of the pair of inner side surfaces adjacent thereto, or between the at least one side and the object, and the inner bottom surface of the pod body And a gas supply portion which is erected toward the inside of the pod body from the gas supply hole to which the purge gas is supplied from the outside, and which supplies the purge gas to the planar purge portion through the first passage. And Serial first passage is disposed at a substantially central portion in the height direction of the planar purge unit.

  In the pod according to the present aspect, the purge gas changes its flow direction after flowing in the height direction to the gas supply unit, and flows into the planar purge unit through the first passage in the central portion. Therefore, the variation of the purge gas supply pressure in the height direction of the gas supply unit can be suppressed, and the purge gas can be uniformly supplied to the planar purge unit. This makes it possible to equalize the supply amount of the purge gas supplied from the surface purge unit to the inside of the pod, and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness.

  A pod according to a third aspect of the present invention is a pod main body capable of accommodating a flat-plate-like contained object side by side in the height direction, an opening provided on one side surface of the pod main body, and the pod main body A lid detachably attached to the opening to be sealed, and a plurality of vent holes for injecting a purge gas toward the contained object juxtaposed in the height direction, and an inner surface opposite to the opening of the pod body And a planar purge portion disposed on at least one of the pair of inner side surfaces adjacent thereto, or between the at least one side and the object, and the inner bottom surface of the pod body And a gas supply portion which is erected toward the inside of the pod body from the gas supply hole to which the purge gas is supplied from the outside, and which supplies the purge gas to the planar purge portion through the first passage. And The planar purge portion communicates with the first chamber in communication with the gas supply portion via the first passage, and communicates with the first chamber via the second passage, and has the plurality of vent holes. The second passage is disposed at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the planar purge portion.

  In the pod according to the present aspect, when the purge gas flows from the first chamber to the second chamber of the planar purge portion, the purge gas flows from the substantially central portion in the width direction of the planar purge portion, so the width direction of the planar purge portion It is arranged in the center part, and it can prevent that the gas supply quantity to the vent whose distance from a gas supply part is long becomes relatively small, and can control the gas supply quantity variation of the horizontal direction. This makes it possible to equalize the supply amount of the purge gas supplied from the surface purge unit to the inside of the pod, and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness.

  Also, for example, the planar purge unit communicates with the first chamber in communication with the gas supply unit via the first passage, and communicates with the first chamber via the second passage, and the plurality of passages A second chamber having pores may be provided. Also, for example, the second passage may be disposed at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the planar purge portion.

  When the purge gas flows from the gas supply unit into the planar purge unit, it is possible to suppress the variation in the supply pressure of the purge gas in the height direction of the gas supply unit by passing through the pressure adjustment member having a ventilation resistance. Furthermore, when the purge gas flows from the first chamber to the second chamber of the planar purge unit, the purge gas flows from the substantially central portion in the width direction of the planar purge unit to the vent hole having a long distance from the gas supply unit. Thus, it is possible to prevent the gas supply amount from becoming relatively small, and to suppress the gas supply amount variation in the horizontal direction.

  In addition, for example, a pressure control member may be disposed in the second passage.

  When the purge gas flows from the gas supply unit into the planar purge unit, it is possible to suppress the variation in the supply pressure of the purge gas in the height direction of the gas supply unit by passing through the pressure adjustment member having a ventilation resistance. Furthermore, when the purge gas flows from the first chamber to the second chamber of the planar purge portion, the purge gas passes through the pressure adjusting member having a predetermined ventilation resistance, so the purge gas in the height direction and the width direction of the planar purge portion Variations in supply pressure can be suppressed.

  Further, for example, a pressure control member may be disposed in the first passage.

  When the purge gas flows from the gas supply unit into the planar purge unit, it is possible to suppress the variation in the supply pressure of the purge gas in the height direction of the gas supply unit by passing through the pressure adjustment member having a ventilation resistance. Furthermore, when the purge gas flows from the first chamber to the second chamber of the planar purge portion, the purge gas passes through the pressure adjusting member having a predetermined ventilation resistance, so the purge gas in the height direction and the width direction of the planar purge portion Variations in supply pressure can be suppressed.

  Also, for example, at least two of the gas supply units may be disposed inside the pod body, and the planar purge unit is disposed between a pair of the gas supply units, and a pair of the gas supply units may be disposed. It may be communicated from both of the gas supply units.

  By using two or more gas supply units, variation in purge gas supply pressure can be suppressed more effectively than when one gas supply unit is used.

  The purge apparatus according to the present invention is a purge apparatus for supplying a purge gas to a pod in which two of the gas supply units are disposed inside the pod body, and a gas supply source and a pair of the gas from the gas supply source It has piping connected to a supply part, and the flow volume adjustment means which adjusts the flow volume of the purge gas each supplied to a pair of said gas supply part via said piping.

  By controlling the purge gas supply to the pair of gas supply units, it is possible to more effectively suppress the variation in the purge gas supply pressure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pod according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing how a purge process is performed in the pod according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a purge nozzle of a pod according to the present invention. Fig.4 (a) is a schematic front view of the purge nozzle which the pod which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention has, FIG.4 (b) cut | disconnects the purge nozzle shown to Fig.4 (a) in an AA 'cross section. 1 is a schematic plan sectional view of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the purge apparatus which has a mounting base in which the pod which concerns on this invention was mounted. Fig.6 (a) is a schematic front view of the purge nozzle which the pod which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention has, FIG.6 (b) cut | disconnects the purge nozzle shown to Fig.6 (a) in an AA 'cross section. 1 is a schematic plan sectional view of FIG. Fig.7 (a) is a schematic front view of the purge nozzle which the pod which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention has, FIG.7 (b) cut | disconnects the purge nozzle shown to Fig.7 (a) in an AA 'cross section. 1 is a schematic plan sectional view of FIG. FIG. 7C is a schematic plan cross-sectional view of the purge nozzle shown in FIG. 7A cut along the B-B ′ cross section. FIG. 8 (a) is a schematic front view of a purge nozzle of a pod according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 (b) is a sectional view of the purge nozzle shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic plan sectional view of FIG.

First Embodiment A pod according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pod 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing how the purge process is performed in the pod 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the purge nozzle 10 of the pod 1 according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pod 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a pod body 3 for accommodating a wafer 2, an opening 3 a provided on one side of the pod body 3, and a pod It has a lid 4 for sealing the main body 3 and a surface type purge nozzle 10 for introducing a purge gas into the inside of the pod 1. The wafer 2 is accommodated in the pod body 3 from the outside of the pod 1 through the opening 3 a. Inside the pod body 3, a plurality of flat wafers 2 extend in the horizontal direction (direction parallel to the extending direction of the inner bottom surface 3 c of the pod body 3), and in the height direction (of the opening 3 a). They are accommodated side by side so as to be parallel to each other in the extending direction). After the wafer 2 is accommodated, the removable pod 4 is attached to the opening 3a, whereby the pod body 3 is sealed.

  FIG. 2 shows how a purge process is performed by the purge nozzle 10 provided inside the pod body 3. As indicated by an arrow A in the figure, a purge gas (for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen) is introduced into the pod body 3 substantially parallel to the extending surface of the wafer 2 from the purge nozzle 10. The purge gas introduced into the pod body 3 is exhausted together with the gas present inside the pod body 3 from the opening 3 a or the exhaust hole provided in the pod body 3. Thereby, the gas inside the pod 1 is cleaned. The purge gas is supplied to the purge nozzle 10 through a gas supply port 31 provided on a mounting table 30 for mounting the pod 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the purge nozzle 10 has a gas supply unit 11 and a planar purge unit 13. The gas supply unit 11 supplies the purge gas flowing from the gas supply port 31 of the mounting table 30 to the planar purge unit 13. The planar purge unit 13 introduces the purge gas supplied from the gas supply unit 11 into the inside of the pod body 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the gas supply unit 11 communicates with the gas supply hole 5 provided on the inner bottom surface 3 c of the pod body 3 and stands upright from the gas supply hole 5 toward the inside of the pod body 3. The gas supply holes 5 and the gas supply portion 11 are in the vicinity of the inner surface (opening facing surface 3b) facing the opening 3a of the pod main body 3 and the wafer 2 accommodated in the pod main body 3 is viewed from the opening 3a direction. Arranged in pairs at the corners that you avoided. By connecting the gas supply port 31 of the mounting table 30 to the gas supply hole 5, the gas supply port 31 and the gas supply unit 11 communicate with each other through the gas supply hole 5. The purge gas supplied from the gas supply port 31 through the gas supply hole 5 flows into the hollow portion 12 (see FIG. 4B) provided inside the gas supply portion 11, and then flows into the planar purge portion 13. Supplied.

  Here, a purge apparatus for supplying a purge gas to the purge nozzle 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a purge device 32 having a mounting table 30 on which the pod 1 is mounted. A gas supply port 31 embedded in the upper surface of the mounting table 30 is connected to the gas supply hole 5 of the gas supply unit 11. The gas supply port 31 is a part of the purge device 32 that controls supply and stop of the gas pressure and flow rate, and the gas supply port 31 is supplied with purge gas from other parts of the purge device 32. The purge device 32 includes a gas supply source 33, a pipe 34 connected to the pair of gas supply units 11 from the gas supply source 33, and a flow rate of purge gas supplied to the pair of gas supply units 11 via the pipe 34, respectively. And flow rate adjusting means 35 for adjusting the The pipe 34 has a gas supply port 31 at its upper end, and the pipe 34 of the purge device 32 and the gas supply hole 5 of the pod 1 are airtightly connected by the gas supply port 31. The supply amounts of purge gas to the pair of gas supply units 11 are preferably adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit 35 so as to be equal to each other. In addition, although the case where one gas supply source 33 and the flow volume adjustment means 35 are used with respect to a pair of gas supply part 11 is illustrated in this figure, a purge apparatus is not limited to this. For example, the purge device according to the modification may have one gas supply source 33 and one flow rate adjustment unit 35 for each gas supply unit 11. The above-described purge device 32 may be configured as an independent device, or may be configured as part of a load port device or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the planar purge unit 13 has a plate-like form extending from one of the pair of gas supply units 11 to the other, and has the opening facing surface 3 b and the wafer 2 accommodated in the pod body 3. Placed in between. The planar purge unit 13 includes an internal chamber 17 (see FIG. 4B) in communication with the hollow portion 12 of the gas supply unit 11 via the first passage 20. A plurality of vent holes 15 are formed in the ejection surface 14 facing the opening 3 a in the planar purge portion 13 so as to eject the purge gas in the internal chamber 17 toward the wafer 2 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the ejection surface 14. . The vent holes 15 are arranged on the jet surface 14 so as to form a gas flow A (see FIG. 2) substantially parallel to the extending surface of the wafer 2 toward the opening 3a. Therefore, the purge gas flowing from the hollow portion 12 of the gas supply portion 11 into the internal chamber 17 of the planar purge portion 13 is introduced into the pod body 3 as the gas flow A via the vent hole 15.

  Since the ejection surface 14 in the planar purge portion 13 has a curved shape curved in the edge direction of the wafer 2 as shown in FIG. 4B, the average distance between the wafer 2 and the ejection surface 14 is small, The purge gas can be efficiently supplied to the periphery of the wafer 2. However, the shape of the ejection surface 14 is not limited to this, and the ejection surface 14 may be planar. The length H1 in the height direction of the ejection surface 14 is not particularly limited, but, for example, the length in the height direction from the wafer 2 accommodated in the lowermost stage with respect to the height direction to the wafer 2 disposed in the uppermost stage It is preferable that it is 0.5 to 1.5 times. In particular, in order to supply a purge gas to the periphery of the entire wafer 2, it is preferable that H1 be greater than 1.0 times. Note that if it exceeds 1.0 times, a wafer will not be present in the direction of travel of the supplied purge gas, so that the purge gas may cause turbulence inside the pod. Therefore, it is preferable to make it 1.5 times at the maximum. The length W1 in the width direction of the ejection surface 14 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.3 to 1.3 times the diameter in the width direction of the wafers 2 accommodated side by side in the height direction, for example. . In particular, in order to supply the purge gas to the periphery of the entire wafer 2, it is preferable that W1 be greater than 1.0 times. As in the case of the above H1, from the viewpoint of preventing the generation of turbulent flow in the wafer non-existence area, it is preferable to make the maximum at 1.3 times when making it larger than 1.0 times.

  The vent hole 15 may eject purge gas, and the shape, size, number, and arrangement of the vent hole 15 are not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the vent hole 15 be formed substantially uniformly throughout the jet surface 14 . The vent hole 15 may be a simple opening in which a filter or the like is not disposed, may be an opening in which a filter is disposed, or the entire ejection surface 14 may be a filter vent hole 15. .

  FIG. 4 (a) is a schematic front view of the purge nozzle 10 of the pod 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 (b) is a sectional view of the purge nozzle 10 shown in FIG. It is a schematic plan sectional view.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, in the present embodiment, the first pressure control member 22 is disposed in the first passage 20 which communicates the hollow portion 12 of the gas supply portion 11 and the internal chamber 17 of the planar purge portion 13. It is done. For example, a filter having a predetermined air flow resistance can be used as the first pressure adjustment member 22.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the length in the height direction of the first passage 20 is shorter than that of the hollow portion 12 and substantially the same as the internal chamber 17 of the planar purge portion 13. The first pressure control member 22 is provided in the entire first passage 20, and the shape of the first pressure control member 22 is the same as that of the first passage 20. By providing the first pressure control member 22 in the entire first passage 20, the purge gas supply pressure from the hollow portion 12 to the internal chamber 17 can be surely equalized. The first pressure-adjusting member 22 disposed in the first passage 20 is not limited to a specific filter, and the flow path is disconnected from the non-woven fabric filter, the porous filter, the mesh filter, the inner chamber 17 and the hollow portion 12 A narrow hole, a punching plate or the like having a small area may be mentioned.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the first passage 20 and the first pressure adjustment member 22, the portion on the center side of the planar purge portion 13 in the first pressure adjustment member 22 is the outer side when viewed from above. It is preferable to arrange in an inclined manner so as to be closer to the opening 3a than the part of. As a result, even when the planar purge portion 13 is curved in the edge direction of the wafer 2, the purge gas can be efficiently supplied toward the internal space (flow path cross section) of the internal chamber 17.

  In the pod 1 of the present embodiment, when the purge gas flows from the hollow portion 12 of the gas supply portion 11 into the internal chamber 17 of the planar purge portion 13, the purge gas passes through the first pressure regulating member 22 having a predetermined air flow resistance. . Therefore, the pod 1 can suppress the variation in the purge gas supply pressure in the height direction of the gas supply unit 11, and can uniformly supply the purge gas in the height direction to the inner chamber 17 of the planar purge unit 13. As a result, it is possible to equalize the supply amount of the purge gas supplied from the planar purge unit 13 to the inside of the pod 1 and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness. In addition, it is possible to prevent the problem that the wafer 2 is deteriorated without supplying the purge gas to the periphery of a part of the wafers 2 by spraying the purge gas toward the entire wafers 2 stored side by side in the height direction. .

Second Embodiment FIG. 6 (a) is a schematic front view of a purge nozzle 100 provided in a pod according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 (b) is a diagram showing the purge nozzle 100 shown in FIG. It is a general | schematic plane sectional view cut | disconnected in -A 'cross section. The pod according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the pod 1 according to the first embodiment except that the internal structure of the purge nozzle 100 is different. Therefore, about the component same as the pod 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, in the present embodiment, the inner chamber 17a of the planar purge portion 13a has a first chamber 18 and a second chamber 19. That is, the internal chamber 17a is divided by the second pressure adjusting member 23 into a first chamber 18 disposed on the back surface 16 side of the planar purge portion 13a and a second chamber 19 disposed on the ejection surface 14 side. ing.

  The first chamber 18 is in communication with the hollow portion 12 a of the gas supply unit 11 a via the first passage 20. The first chamber 18 is formed so as to include the back surface 16 on the opening facing surface 3 b side of the planar purge portion 13 a as a part of the side wall of the first chamber 18. Further, the second chamber 19 communicates with the first chamber 18 via the second passage 21 in which the second pressure adjusting member 23 is disposed. The second chamber 19 is formed to include, as a part of the side wall of the second chamber 19, the ejection surface 14 on the opening 3a side of the planar purge portion 13a in which the vent hole 15 for ejecting the purge gas is formed inside the pod. ing. Furthermore, the second pressure regulating member 23 disposed in the second passage 21 has higher air flow resistance than the inside of the first chamber 18 and the inside of the second chamber 19.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the length in the height direction of the second passage 21 is substantially the same as the internal chamber 17a of the planar purge portion 13a. The length in the width direction of the second passage 21 is not particularly limited, but is preferably at least the length in the width direction of the ejection surface 14. The second pressure regulating member 23 is provided in the entire second passage 21, and the shape of the second pressure regulating member 23 is the same as that of the second passage 21. By providing the second pressure adjusting member 23 in the entire second passage 21, the purge gas supply pressure from the first chamber 18 to the second chamber 19 can be surely equalized. The second pressure regulating member 23 disposed in the second passage 21 is not limited to a specific filter like the first pressure regulating member 22. A non-woven fabric filter, a porous filter, a mesh filter, an internal chamber, etc. A throttle hole, a punching plate, etc. whose channel cross-sectional area is narrower than 17a and hollow part 12a are mentioned. Further, the ventilation resistance of the second pressure regulating member 23 may be different from that of the first pressure regulating member 22.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the second pressure regulating member 23 is curved with a curvature equivalent to that of the ejection surface 14 when viewed from above, and in the thickness direction of the planar purge portion 13a, It is disposed at a substantially central portion of the back surface 16. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, a partition 24 is provided between the second chamber 19 and the gas supply unit 11a, and the purge gas is directly supplied to the second chamber 19 from the gas supply unit 11a. It has a structure that can not flow. The partition wall 24 is provided to connect an end portion of the second pressure adjustment member 23 in the width direction and an end portion of the ejection surface 14 in the width direction when viewed from above. The length in the height direction of the partition wall 24 is substantially the same as that of the second pressure regulating member 23. The partition wall 24 is preferably provided outside the ejection surface 14 in the width direction so that the partition wall 24 does not block the supply of the purge gas to the inside of the pod.

  According to the present embodiment, when the purge gas flows from the first chamber 18 to the second chamber 19 of the planar purge portion 13a, the purge gas passes through the second pressure regulating member 23 having a predetermined flow resistance, so that the planar shape It is possible to suppress variations in purge gas supply pressure in the height direction and the width direction of the purge portion 13a. As a result, it is possible to equalize the supply amount of the purge gas supplied from the planar purge unit 13a to the inside of the pod and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the above-described configuration, a pressure control member may be disposed in the first passage 20. Thereby, the above-mentioned effect can be further enhanced.

Third Embodiment FIG. 7 (a) is a schematic front view of a purge nozzle 110 provided in a pod according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 (b) is a plan view of the purge nozzle 110 shown in FIG. It is a general | schematic plane sectional view cut | disconnected in -A 'cross section. FIG. 7C is a schematic plan cross-sectional view of the purge nozzle 110 shown in FIG. 7A taken along the line B-B '. The pod according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the pod 1 according to the first embodiment except that the internal structure of the purge nozzle 110 is different. Therefore, about the component same as the pod 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, in the present embodiment, the partition wall 25 is provided between the hollow portion 12b of the gas supply portion 11b and the internal chamber 17b of the planar purge portion 13b. . A hole is formed in a substantially central portion in the height direction of the planar purge portion 13b of the partition wall 25, and the hole is a first passage 20a communicating the hollow portion 12b with the internal chamber 17b.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the length in the height direction of the partition wall 25 is shorter than that of the hollow portion 12b, and substantially the same as the internal chamber 17b of the planar purge portion 13b. Moreover, the partition 25 is provided in the outer side rather than the ejection surface 14 in the width direction.

  The length in the width direction of the first passage 20a is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 to 150% of the length in the thickness direction of the planar purge portion 13b. The length in the height direction of the first passage 20a is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 to 150% of the length in the height direction of the planar purge portion 13b. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the first passage 20a, the portion on the center side in the planar purge portion 13 is inclined to be closer to the opening 3a than the portion on the outer side when viewed from above. Preferably.

  According to the present embodiment, the purge gas that has reached the upper end of the hollow portion 12b of the gas supply portion 11b collides with the partition 24 and is decompressed, and then the internal chamber 17b of the planar purge portion 13b via the first passage 20a. Flow into Therefore, it is possible to suppress the variation of the purge gas supply pressure in the height direction of the gas supply unit 11b, and to uniformly supply the purge gas to the internal chamber 17b of the planar purge unit 13b. This makes it possible to equalize the amount of supply of the purge gas supplied from the planar purge unit 13b to the inside of the pod, and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness.

  In the embodiment, in addition to the above-described configuration, a pressure control member may be disposed in the first passage 20a. Thereby, the above-mentioned effect can be further enhanced.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 8 (a) is a schematic front view of a purge nozzle 120 provided in a pod according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 (b) is a diagram showing the purge nozzle 120 shown in FIG. It is a general | schematic plane sectional view cut | disconnected in -A 'cross section. The pod according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the pod 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the internal structure of the purge nozzle 120 is different. Therefore, about the component same as the pod 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, the inner chamber 17c of the planar purge portion 13c includes a first chamber 18a disposed on the back surface 16 side of the planar purge portion 13c and a second chamber disposed on the ejection surface 14 side. It is divided by a partition 26 into a chamber 19a.

  The first chamber 18a of the planar purge portion 13c is in communication with the hollow portion 12c of the gas supply portion 11c via the first passage 20. Further, the first chamber 18a includes the back surface 16 on the opening facing surface 3b side of the planar purge portion 13c as a side wall of the first chamber 18a. The second chamber 19a includes, as a side wall of the second chamber 19a, the ejection surface 14 on the opening 3a side of the planar purge portion 13c provided with the vent holes 15 for ejecting the purge gas into the pod.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the partition wall 26 has an L-shaped cross-sectional shape, and a portion thereof is disposed between the first chamber 18a and the second chamber 19a. The portion is disposed between the second chamber 19a and the hollow portion 12c of the gas supply portion 11c. Therefore, the partition wall 26 separates the hollow portion 12c of the gas supply portion 11c and the second chamber 19a in the internal chamber 17c of the planar purge portion 13c. The partition wall 26 constitutes a wall surface through which the purge gas does not pass, and the purge gas of the gas supply unit 11c is supplied to the second chamber 19a via the first chamber 18a instead of flowing directly into the second chamber 19a. .

  The planar purge portion 13 c has two partitions 26 disposed substantially symmetrically in the width direction. A gap is formed between the two partition walls 26, and the gap between the two partition walls 26 is the second passage 21a. The second passage 21 a is disposed substantially at the center in the width direction of the planar purge portion 13 c of the partition wall 26. The second passage 21a communicates the first chamber 18a of the planar purge portion 13c with the second chamber 19a.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the length in the height direction of the second passage 21a is substantially the same as the internal chamber 17c of the planar purge portion 13c. Further, the length in the width direction of the second passage 21 a is not particularly limited, but preferably 5 to 85% of the length W1 in the width direction of the ejection surface 14.

  As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the partition wall 26 disposed between the first chamber 18 a and the second chamber 19 a is curved with a curvature equivalent to that of the ejection surface 14 when viewed from above and is a surface It is arrange | positioned in the approximate center part of the ejection surface 14 and the back surface 16 in the thickness direction of the shape purge part 13a. The length in the height direction of the partition wall 26 is substantially the same as the internal chamber 17 c of the planar purge portion 13 c. The partition wall 26 disposed between the second chamber 19a and the hollow portion 12c is preferably provided outside the ejection surface 14 in the width direction so that a part thereof protrudes.

  According to the present embodiment, when the purge gas flows from the first chamber 18a to the second chamber 19a of the planar purge portion 13c, the purge gas flows from a substantially central portion in the width direction of the planar purge portion 13c. As a result, the purge nozzle 120 is disposed at the center in the width direction of the planar purge portion 13c, and prevents the amount of gas supplied to the vent hole 15 relatively long from the gas supply portion 11c from becoming relatively small. It is possible to suppress the variation of the gas supply amount in the direction. This makes it possible to equalize the amount of supply of the purge gas supplied from the planar purge unit 13c to the inside of the pod, and efficiently purge the inside of the pod to a high degree of cleanliness.

  In the embodiment, in addition to the above-described configuration, a pressure control member may be disposed in the second passage 21a. Thereby, the above-mentioned effect can be further enhanced.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment was shown and explained about the pod and purge device concerning the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modification is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of the present invention .

  For example, although the gas is supplied to the purge nozzle 10 via the pair of gas supply units 11 and the gas supply holes 5 in the above-described embodiment, the number of the gas supply units 11 and the gas supply holes 5 is limited thereto. It may be one or three or more than one.

  Further, the shape and size of the planar purge portion 13 and the shape, number and arrangement of the vent holes 15 provided in the planar purge portion 13 are not limited to those described in the embodiment and the drawings, and the wafer 2 is accommodated. It is possible to change as appropriate according to the number, the internal volume of the pod 1, the required cleanliness, the purge efficiency, the ease of processing, and the like.

  Moreover, although the case where the planar purge part 13 is arrange | positioned between the opening opposing surface 3b of a pod main body and the wafer 2 was illustrated in the above-mentioned embodiment, arrangement | positioning of the planar purge part 13 is not limited to this. For example, an aspect in which the planar purge portion 13 is disposed on the opening facing surface 3b (that is, an aspect in which the vent 15 is directly formed in the opening facing surface 3b) may be employed. The planar purge portion 13 has a pair of inner side surfaces 3d adjacent to the opening facing surface 3b of the pod body (in FIG. 3, the inner bottom surface 3c and the ceiling surface 3e of the surfaces adjacent to the opening facing surface 3b of the pod body). It may be disposed on one surface of the surface except for (1) or between this and the wafer 2. Furthermore, the planar purge portion 13 may be disposed on a plurality of surfaces of the opening facing surface 3b of the pod body and the pair of inner side surfaces 3d, or between them and the wafer 2. In this case, each planar purge portion is configured to eject the purge gas substantially in parallel with the extending surface of the wafer 2 juxtaposed in the height direction from the vent hole 15.

  Moreover, although the above-mentioned embodiment illustrated the case where the gas supply part 11 was arrange | positioned so that it might stand upright toward the inside of a pod from the inner bottom face 3c of a pod main body, the gas supply part 11 is from the ceiling surface 3e of a pod main body. It may be arranged to stand upright toward the inside of the pod. If the purge gas can be supplied uniformly from the vent holes 15 of the planar purge unit 13, the gas supply port 31 of the mounting table is connected to the lower end of the planar purge unit 13 without passing through the gas supply unit 11. It is also possible to introduce a purge gas.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the FOUP which is suitably used for the semiconductor processing apparatus is exemplified as the pod according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the FOUP etc. used for the semiconductor processing apparatus. The present invention is also applicable to pods used in various processing apparatuses that perform processing according to a semiconductor, such as processing apparatuses that handle display panels. Moreover, the to-be-accommodated thing accommodated in a pod may be not only a wafer but a glass substrate used for a display device, a photoelectric conversion device, etc.

1: pod 2: wafer 3: pod body 3a: opening 3b: opening facing surface 3c: inner bottom surface 3d: inner surface 3e: ceiling surface 4: lid 5: gas supply holes 10, 100, 110, 120: purge nozzles 11, 11a 11c: gas supply unit 12, 12a to 12c: hollow portion 13, 13a to 13c: planar purge portion 14: ejection surface 15: air hole 16: rear surface 17, 17a to 17c: internal chamber 18, 18a: first chamber
19, 19a: second chamber 20, 20a: first passage 21, 21a: second passage 22: first pressure regulating member 23: second pressure regulating member 24 to 26: partition wall 30: mounting table 31: gas supply port 32 : Purge device 33: Gas supply source
34: Piping 35: Flow rate adjusting means

Claims (9)

A pod body capable of containing a flat-plate-like contained object side by side in the height direction;
An opening provided on one side of the pod body;
A lid removably attached to the opening to seal the pod body;
A plurality of vent holes for injecting a purge gas toward the contained objects juxtaposed in the height direction, and at least one of an inner surface opposed to the opening of the pod body and a pair of inner side surfaces adjacent thereto. A planar purge section disposed on one side or between the at least one side and the object;
The purge gas is supplied upright to the interior of the pod body from the gas supply hole provided on the inner bottom surface of the pod body and supplied with the purge gas from the outside, and supplies the purge gas to the planar purge portion via the first passage. And a gas supply unit,
A pressure control member is disposed in the first passage. A pod body capable of containing a flat-plate-like contained object side by side in the height direction;
An opening provided on one side of the pod body;
A lid removably attached to the opening to seal the pod body;
A plurality of vent holes for injecting a purge gas toward the contained objects juxtaposed in the height direction, and at least one of an inner surface opposed to the opening of the pod body and a pair of inner side surfaces adjacent thereto. A planar purge section disposed on one side or between the at least one side and the object;
The purge gas is supplied upright to the interior of the pod body from the gas supply hole provided on the inner bottom surface of the pod body and supplied with the purge gas from the outside, and supplies the purge gas to the planar purge portion via the first passage. And a gas supply unit,
The pod characterized in that the first passage is disposed substantially at the center of the planar purge portion in the height direction. A pod body capable of containing a flat-plate-like contained object side by side in the height direction;
An opening provided on one side of the pod body;
A lid removably attached to the opening to seal the pod body;
A plurality of vent holes for injecting a purge gas toward the contained objects juxtaposed in the height direction, and at least one of an inner surface opposed to the opening of the pod body and a pair of inner side surfaces adjacent thereto. A planar purge section disposed on one side or between the at least one side and the object;
The purge gas is supplied upright to the interior of the pod body from the gas supply hole provided on the inner bottom surface of the pod body and supplied with the purge gas from the outside, and supplies the purge gas to the planar purge portion via the first passage. And a gas supply unit,
The planar purge portion communicates with the first chamber in communication with the gas supply portion via the first passage, and with the first chamber and the second passage, and has the plurality of vent holes. Equipped with 2 rooms,
The pod characterized in that the second passage is disposed substantially at the center of the planar purge portion in the width direction.   The planar purge portion communicates with the first chamber in communication with the gas supply portion via the first passage, and with the first chamber and the second passage, and has the plurality of vent holes. The pod according to claim 1 or 2, comprising two rooms.   5. The pod according to claim 4, wherein the second passage is disposed substantially at the center of the planar purge portion in the width direction.   The pod according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a pressure control member is disposed in the second passage.   The pod according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a pressure control member is disposed in the first passage. At least two of the gas supplies are arranged inside the pod body,
The pod according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the planar purge unit is disposed between the pair of gas supply units and communicated from both of the pair of gas supply units. The pod purge apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
A gas supply source,
Pipings respectively connected from the gas supply source to the pair of gas supply units;
And a flow control unit configured to control a flow rate of the purge gas supplied to the pair of gas supply units via the pipe.

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