JP2619811B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate storage container,
In particular, without impairing the ease of taking in and out of the stored board,
The present invention also relates to a substrate storage container capable of preventing the substrate from being damaged due to vibration during dust proofing or transportation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, substrates such as reticles, masks, and wafers for manufacturing semiconductor devices such as ICs, LSIs, and VLSIs are housed in containers one by one and taken out when necessary to manufacture ICs. To an exposure apparatus or an inspection process.

Incidentally, the containers for accommodating the substrates are usually stacked in multiple stages in a state where the taken-out ports are aligned on one side and the accommodated substrates are held horizontally, and are mounted on a holding device. The container is automatically transported when the container is attached to or detached from the holding device. Therefore, at this time, vibration is applied to the container, and the stored substrate may collide with the inner wall of the container, causing a problem such that the end is chipped or damaged.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-36255 discloses an improved container for solving the above-mentioned problems. This improved container has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and includes a container body having an open top surface and one of four side surfaces, a top cover covering the open top surface, and a door covering the front surface. . Further, a holding member that moves up and down in conjunction with opening and closing of the door is provided on the lower surface of the upper lid, that is, inside the container. The holding member is configured to be urged downward while the door is closed, and to retract upward when the door is open. That is, when the container is transported with the door closed, the substrate in the container is pressed and fixed by the pressing member, while the door is opened to take out the substrate from the container,
When a substrate is inserted into the container, the holding member is retracted so that the substrate can be taken in and out.

[0005]

The above-mentioned container has the following technical problems to be solved. That is, since the pressing member is pressed against the upper surface of the substrate, the substrate may be damaged by the pressing member. Therefore, the pressing member is positioned so as to abut the substrate while avoiding, for example, the drawing area of the circuit pattern on the substrate. In other words, there is a problem that a pattern cannot be drawn in an area where the pressing member contacts.

In addition, a link mechanism for moving the holding member up and down in conjunction with opening and closing of the door is required, which complicates the structure and operates the link mechanism every time the door is opened and closed. Dust may be generated in moving parts.

Further, since the upper lid is a flat plate, the overlapping portion between the container body and the contact portion is small, and there is a possibility that dust may enter the inside of the container from the gap.

On the other hand, in order to facilitate the management of the substrates, the types and lot numbers are given to the substrates housed in the container. However, in the conventional container, it was difficult to externally identify the lot number and the like of the substrate stored in the container, and in the state where the substrate was mounted on the holding device, even the presence or absence of the substrate in the container was confirmed. It was not easy to do. Therefore, conventionally, an identification code is added to the container itself,
Although the substrate in the container was managed, there was a problem that the compatibility of the container was lost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to fix a substrate in a container with a simple structure, and to easily confirm the presence of the substrate in the container. The point is to do so.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To solve the above problems,
In order to achieve the object, the present invention includes a supporting member provided on the container body corresponding to the lower surface edge of the substrate for mounting the substrate, and a front door covering the front surface of the container body, A first feature is that a projection having a surface for pressing the substrate at least in the depth direction of the container is formed corresponding to the left and right corners of the front door side among the corners of the substrate accommodated in the container. .

[0011] The present invention is also directed to a position of the substrate, which is located at a position corresponding to a rear end surface in the container so that when the front door is closed, the rear end surface is brought into contact with the substrate, and is located on the front door side. A second feature is that a standing plate having an upper portion inclined is provided.

[0012] Further, the present invention provides a method wherein the edge of the upper lid or the back surface of the front door is protruded downward or protruded into the container main body. There is a third feature in that they are configured to fit.

Further, the present invention has a fourth feature in that at least a portion necessary for confirming the presence of the substrate is formed of a transparent member on a side surface of the container body.

Further, the present invention has a fifth aspect in that the lower surface of the container body is formed of a transparent member at least for a portion necessary for identifying management information of the substrate attached to the substrate contained in the container. There are features.

[0015]

According to the first feature, when the front door is closed, the board placed on the support member and housed in the container is brought into contact with the left and right corners of the board by the surfaces of the protrusions. It is pushed into the back of the container. As a result, the end face of the substrate comes into contact with the inner wall on the back side of the container body, and is held between the projection of the front door and the inner wall.

Further, according to the second feature, when the front door is closed, the rear end face of the substrate is held in a state pressed against the standing plate. And since the upper part of the standing plate is inclined toward the front door, the substrate is restricted from moving upward. as a result,
Even when vibration is applied to the container or the container is tilted, the substrate is held in the container without being shaken.

According to the third feature, when the container is closed, the edge of the upper lid projecting downward is fitted to the inner surface of the side wall of the container body, or the back surface of the front door is fitted to the opening of the container body. In this case, the overlapping portion between the upper lid and the front door and the container body becomes larger than in the case where the upper lid and the front door are merely flat plates, so that dust is less likely to enter.

Further, according to the fourth or fifth feature,
The presence of the substrate and management information can be confirmed from outside through the transparent portion. In particular, according to the fourth feature, the presence of the substrate can be confirmed from the side even when the containers are stacked in multiple stages.

[0019]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container showing an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which an upper lid is opened. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part showing the back side of the front door provided on the upper lid. 1 and 2, the container is a container body 1 and the container body 1.
, And an upper lid 2 attached to the end of the upper lid 2 by a hinge mechanism. The upper lid 2 is rotatable in the direction of arrow A, and the front door 3 is rotatable in the direction of arrow B. Edges 4 and 5 projecting downward from the upper cover 2 are formed on the upper cover 2.

The front door 3 is provided with pins 6 and 7, and the upper lid 2 is provided with pins 8 and 9. A tension coil spring 10 having both ends fixed by pins 6 and 8
And a tension coil spring 11, both ends of which are fixed by pins 7 and 9, are stretched between the front door 3 and the upper lid 2.
As a result, the front door 3 is urged by the tension coil springs 10 and 11 in a direction in which the angle with the upper lid 2 decreases, that is, in a closing direction. However, the angle is regulated so as not to be smaller than approximately 90 °. As the angle restricting means, for example, the edges 4 and 5 protruding from the upper lid 2 can be used.

The outer shape of the container body 1 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped box, and one of the four side surfaces and the upper surface are open. Side wall 1 adjacent to the open portion of the side walls excluding the open portion
2 and 13 have a double wall structure. Spaces 121, 13 formed in side walls 12, 13 of this double wall structure, respectively.
1, the tension coil springs 10 and 11 provided on the upper lid 2 and the edges 4 and 5 projecting downward from the upper lid 2 are accommodated in a state where the upper lid 2 is closed.

Inside the container main body 1 formed by the side walls 12 and 13 of the double-wall structure and the other side walls 26 and the bottom plate 14 connected thereto, a block 16 for supporting a substrate 15 indicated by an imaginary line is provided. 17, 18, and 19 (see FIG. 5 for the position of the block 19). Of the blocks 16 to 19, the blocks 16, 17 arranged on the front side, that is, on the open side, have support pins 16a,
17a, stopper pins 16b, 17b taller than the support pins 16a, 17a are formed to prevent the substrate 15 from slipping out of the container.

On the other hand, other blocks 18 and 19 are disposed at the back of the container, that is, on the side opposite to the open side, and support pins 18a and 18a for supporting the substrate 15 are provided above the blocks, similarly to the support pins 16a and 17a. 19a is provided. Also,
Stands 20 and 21 are formed on the blocks 18 and 19, respectively.

The rear surface of the front door 3 conforms to the shape of the side opening portion of the container body 1 and
Steps 22a and 22b are provided in portions that interfere with the surface of the container main body 1, and the shape of the open side surface of the container body 1 matches the contour of the stepped surface 2
3 are formed. The substrate 1 is located at a position where the corner of the substrate 15 abuts when the front door 3 is closed at both ends of the step surface 23.
The projections 24 and 25 having surfaces for receiving the corners, holding the substrate 15 and guiding them to the center of the container body 1 are formed.

With the upper cover 2 closed and the front door 3 closed, the substrate 15 is pressed in the depth direction of the container by the projections 24 and 25, and the upright plates 20 and 21 provided on the blocks 18 and 19, respectively. Is pressed against.

A latch 28 for fixing the upper cover 2 after closing the upper cover 2 is provided on the side wall 12 so as to be rotatable in the direction of arrow C. The latch 28 is formed by shaping a metal wire such as spring steel into a crank shape. Consists of At the time of fixing, the lock portion 28a is rotated upward to engage with the upper lid 2, and at the time of release, the release portion 28b is lowered downward to release the engagement between the lock portion 28a and the upper lid 2.
The latch 28 is also provided on the side wall 13 side.

Next, the shapes of the blocks 18 and 19 will be described in more detail. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the block 18. In the figure, the block 18 is
Alternatively, it is fixed to one of the side walls 12 and 26 or molded integrally. The upright plate 20 has a slight inclination in the direction of the front door. That is, the angle α between the upper surface of the block 18 and the upright plate 20 is set to 90 ° or less. Due to this inclination, it is placed on the support pin 16a,
The upward movement of the end of the substrate 15 pressed to zero is suppressed. The upright plate 20 is formed with a convex portion 20 a in the vertical direction, and the top of the convex portion 20 a actually contacts the end surface of the substrate 15. Therefore, the standing plate 20
It is possible to have the same function as tilting the upright 20 by lowering the height of the raised portion 20a in the upward direction and lowering the height of the raised portion 20a instead of providing the inclined portion itself. it can.

Next, the holding state of the substrate 15 in the container will be described. 4 is a front view of a main part when the container is viewed from the front door side, FIG. 5 is a plan view, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a positional relationship between a protrusion provided on the back surface of the front door and a corner of the substrate. FIG.

In FIG. 4, the edge 4 of the upper lid 2 is
Of the double wall, is inserted into the space 121 in the double wall structure while being in contact with the inside of the outer wall 12a.
The step 27 provided inside is in contact with the upper surface of the inner side wall 12 b of the side wall 12. In the space formed in the side wall 12 of the double wall structure thus formed, the tension coil spring 10
Fits.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the substrate 15 is supported by support pins 16a, 17a, 18a, and 19a and housed in a container, and is sandwiched between the projections 24 and 25 and the standing plates 20 and 21. Is held. In FIG. 6, the projections 24 and 25 are formed with inclined surfaces 24a and 25a that come into contact with the substrate 15 at an angle that matches the chamfered angle. The inclination angle of the inclined surface may be arbitrary, but preferably coincides with the chamfer angle of the substrate 15. Therefore, when the front door 3 is closed, the substrate 15
Guided by 4a and 25a, it is moved to the center position in the width direction in the container and positioned. The projections 24 and 25 have surfaces 24b and 25 for pressing the corners of the substrate 15 from above.
Since b is formed (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the substrate 15 is also prevented from floating from the support pins 16a and 17a.

The bottom plate 14 and the side walls 12, 13, 2
Although an example is shown in which the parts are separate from the parts 6, they may be integrally molded products made of a resin material. Also, the side walls 12, 1
It is desirable that at least one surface of the substrates 3 and 26 be made a transparent member so that the presence or absence of the substrate 15 in the container can be confirmed. Further, in general, it is preferable that the bottom plate 14 is formed of a transparent member at least in a portion where the management information can be displayed so that management information such as a lot number displayed on the back surface of the substrate 15 can be confirmed.

The step 27 of the upper lid 2 and the container body 2
4 is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 4, and the shape of the end surface of the step 27 and the inner side wall 12 b may be set in a stepped manner so as to meet on a stepped surface. Similarly to the above, the step 27 may be fitted into the space 121.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate 15 housed in the container is provided with the support pins 16a, 17a, 18
a, 19a, and the vertical movement is restricted by the projections 24, 25 of the front door 3 and the standing plates 20, 21. In addition, the presence of the substrate 15 stored in the container and management information of the substrate 15 can be confirmed from the outside through the side walls 12, 13, 26, the bottom plate 14, and the like.

[0034]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (A) According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the substrate accommodated in the container is supported by being sandwiched between the front door or the projection of the front door and the standing plate, and the substrate is vibrated by the container. Can be prevented from moving. In particular, according to the invention of claim 3 or 4, since the upright plate is inclined toward the front door, even when the container is inclined, the upward movement of the substrate is restricted by the upright plate. . In this way, even when the container is vibrated or tilted, the substrate is securely held at a predetermined position in the container, and the corners and edges do not collide with the inner wall of the container and are not damaged. (B) According to the invention of claim 5 or 6, the edge of the upper lid is projected downward, or the back surface of the front door is projected into the container body, and the edge is the container body when the container is closed. Since the front door is fitted to the inner surface of the side wall and the front door is fitted to the open side surface of the container body, the container body is better sealed, and intrusion of dust from the outside can be effectively prevented. (C) According to the seventh or eighth aspect of the present invention, management information such as the presence of a substrate and a lot number can be confirmed through the side surface and the bottom surface of the container main body, and the management of the substrate becomes reliable and easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate storage container showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a substrate storage container showing a structure of a back surface of a front door.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a substrate holding block.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view showing a main part of the substrate storage container.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the substrate storage container.

FIG. 6 is an essential part enlarged view showing engagement between the substrate holding block and the substrate.

[Description of Signs] 1 ... container body, 2 ... top lid, 3 ... front door, 4, 5 ... edge of top lid, 12, 13 ... side wall, 14 ... bottom plate, 15 ...
Board, 16, 17, 18, 19 ... block, 16a,
17a, 18a, 19a ... support pins, 20, 21 ... standing plates, 24b, 25b ... projections

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A container main body having one of its upper surface and one of four side surfaces opened for inserting and removing a substrate, and an upper lid rotatably supported by a hinge mechanism provided at an upper end of the container main body. And a front door rotatably supported by a hinge mechanism at an end of the upper lid opposite to the supported side. A lower surface of the substrate for placing the substrate thereon A support member provided on the container body corresponding to the edge; provided on the back surface of the front door, and corresponding to the left and right corners of the front door side among the corners of the substrate housed in the container; A projection having a surface for pressing downward and in the depth direction of the container; and a standing plate disposed near the depth of the container main body and receiving the substrate pressed by the projection when the front door is closed. A substrate storage container, characterized in that: 2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the projection has an inclined surface for guiding the substrate to a central portion of the container main body. 3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein at least a contact surface of the standing plate with the substrate has an upper part inclined toward the front door. 4. A container body having one of its upper surface and one of four side surfaces opened for access to a substrate, and an upper lid rotatably supported by a hinge mechanism provided at an upper end of the container body. And a front door rotatably supported by a hinge mechanism at an end of the upper lid opposite to the supported side. A lower surface of the substrate for placing the substrate thereon A support member provided on the container body corresponding to the edge, comprising a standing plate disposed near the container body and receiving the substrate pressed by the front door when the front door is closed, A substrate storage container, wherein at least a contact surface of the standing plate with the substrate has an upper part inclined toward the front door. 5. The container according to claim 1, wherein an edge of the upper lid is extended downward, and the edge is fitted to an inner surface of a side wall of the container body in a state where the upper lid is closed. The substrate storage container according to any one of the above. 6. A stepped surface of the front door that matches the shape of the opening on the side of the container main body opened for taking in / out a substrate and that fits into the opening of the opened side when the front door is closed. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the substrate storage container is formed on a back surface. 7. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the side surface of the container main body necessary for confirming the presence of the substrate is a transparent member. 8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the container body is made of a transparent member at least for a portion necessary for identifying management information of the substrate attached to the substrate housed in the container. 8. The substrate storage container according to any one of 1 to 7.