JP3904909B2 - Storage container - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a storage container for storing, storing, and transporting a precision substrate made of a semiconductor wafer or a mask glass, and more particularly to a control body that blocks and diffuses an air flow from a filter of the storage container.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIG. 9, a conventional storage container which is a precision substrate storage container has a front open box type container main body 1 that stores a plurality of precision substrates W aligned in a vertical direction, and a front opening of the container main body 1 is a gasket. And a detachable lid 10 that is fitted and closed via 11.
[0003]
By the way, the storage container is used for transporting the precision substrate W in an environment where the ambient pressure and temperature change. At this time, when the airflow including dust (see the arrow in FIG. 9) flows, the precision substrate W Is contaminated with dust. For example, the external pressure of the storage container may become higher than the internal pressure due to sudden pressure fluctuations when the storage container is transported by aircraft or transported at high speed, or due to temperature changes during transportation or storage. In this case, the contaminated airflow outside the storage container flows into the storage container. Further, when the air in the storage container is replaced with nitrogen, an inert gas, dry air, or the like, dust also flows into the storage container when gas or air is injected.
[0004]
As described above, in the related art, there is a high possibility that the precision substrate W is contaminated as airflow including dust flows into the storage container.
In view of this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-59778 discloses that a through hole 2 is formed on the bottom opening side of the container body 1 and a filter 20 is fitted into the through hole 2 so that dust in the airflow flowing in the filter 20 can be removed. A storage container with an internal pressure adjustment mechanism that removes and allows a clean airflow to flow in is proposed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The conventional storage container removes dust in the airflow by the filter 20 as described above. However, the filter 20 completely cleans the dust in the airflow because the performance of the filter 20 and the cleanliness of the filter 20 itself are not necessarily perfect. Cannot be removed. Further, it is extremely difficult to completely remove dust from the inner surface of the container body 1, so that when the airflow flows in, the dust remaining in the container body 1 is rolled up by the airflow, and this dirty airflow is applied to the precision substrate W. There is a big problem of spraying directly and contaminating. Furthermore, when a large amount of airflow flows into the filter 20 at once, there is a high possibility that this airflow will directly and strongly collide with the precision substrate W and vibrate, thereby generating new dust and particles.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to suppress a dirty fluid from directly contacting an article, and to reduce the possibility of newly generating dust even when a large amount of fluid flows into the filter at once. It is intended to provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the opening of the container main body for storing the article is fitted and closed with a detachable lid,
A filter attached to at least one of the container main body and the lid, and a control body interposed between the filter and an article in the container main body,
A through hole is provided in at least one of the container main body and the lid, and a storage cylinder for a filter is attached to the through hole. The control body is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and connected to the upper part of the storage cylinder. An outflow port is formed in the side wall of the container, and the flow of the fluid that has flowed into the container body through the filter is changed by the control body so that the fluid is guided below the container body .
[0008]
In addition, a through-hole can be provided in the bottom part of a container main body, and the outflow port of a control body can be formed in a planar substantially funnel shape.
[0009]
Here, the articles in the claims include those used in the fields of a single or a plurality of precision substrates made of at least a semiconductor wafer or a mask glass, machinery, electricity, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, material chemistry, and miscellaneous goods. The container main body is mainly a front open box type, but may be a top open box type or the like. Further, the filter and the control body may be either a single or plural. The control body can be provided in a horizontal, vertical, or inclined state. When the control body is configured to be detachable, a plurality of locking portions may be formed. The fluid includes at least a gas such as air, nitrogen, inert gas, or dry air. Furthermore, when attaching the storage cylinder for filters to the through-hole of the container body, it can be attached directly or indirectly.
[0010]
According to the present invention, although a part of the foreign matter such as dust is removed by the filter, the fluid flows into the inside of the container body closed by the lid without removing the remaining part of the foreign matter. However, the fluid containing the foreign matter collides with the control body and diffuses in a direction that does not adversely affect the article. As a result, the foreign matter is prevented from being scattered and adheres to the inside of the container body, thereby suppressing the contamination of the article. In addition, since the fluid speed is reduced, the roll-up of foreign matter remaining in the container body is reduced.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A storage container, which is a precision substrate storage container in the present embodiment, is a container body 1 for storing a plurality of precision substrates W as shown in FIG. A detachable lid 10 that fits and closes the opening front of the container body 1 in a sealed state via an endless gasket 11, a filter 20 attached to the container body 1, the filter 20 and the precision substrate W. A control body 30 interposed therebetween, and the flow of the airflow (see arrow) flowing through the filter 20 and flowing into the container body 1 is changed by the control body 30 toward the inner back side of the container body 1, An air flow is guided below the container body 1.
[0012]
The container body 1 is formed into a front open box type using a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, or cyclic olefin resin, for example, and a plurality of (for example, 25 or 26) precision pieces. The substrates W are lined up and down and stored. The container body 1 has a plurality of round through holes 2 for adjusting atmospheric pressure on the front side of the bottom (also on the side of the bottom opening), and the front of the opening bulges into a wide rim 3. A plurality of recess holes (not shown) are respectively drilled at predetermined intervals on the upper and lower inner circumferences of 3.
[0013]
The lid 10 is formed in a hollow structure having a substantially rectangular front surface using a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, or cyclic olefin resin. The lid 10 has a locking / unlocking locking mechanism (not shown) inside, and a plurality of locking claws constituting the locking mechanism are formed in the recesses of the container body 1 based on an external operation. By fitting and locking, the container body 1 is firmly locked in a closed state, and the container body 1 and the outside are shut off.
[0014]
The filter 20 includes, for example, a dust removing filter such as HEPA and ULPA, various chemical filters (for example, activated carbon, anion filter, and cation filter), and one or a plurality of types are used. The filter 20 is formed in a thin disk shape and is detachably fitted in the through hole 2 of the container body 1 and functions to equalize the internal and external pressure of the storage container.
In addition, although the disk-shaped filter 20 is shown in the present embodiment, the size and outer dimensions of the filter 20 are not particularly limited, and are changed according to the size and outer dimensions of the through hole 2.
[0015]
The control body 30 is formed into a linear plate shape using a predetermined material, is mounted horizontally on the lid body 10, and is positioned at the lowest position with the lower filter 20 when the lid body 10 is closed. It is interposed between the front part of the precision substrate W. As the material of the control body 30, transparent or colored plain polyolefin such as PE and PP, thermoplastic resin such as ABS, PS, PC, and PBT, and thermoplastic elastomer such as polyester, polyolefin, and polystyrene are used. .
[0016]
The control body 30 is formed to have an area at least equal to or more than three times the opening area of the filter 20, and is detachably or fixedly supported on the lower inner surface of the lid body 10. An interval of 1 to 30 mm is formed. The lower surface of the control body 30, in other words, the facing surface 31 that faces the filter 20 is usually formed as a flat surface, but a plurality of ribs, irregularities, or an adsorbent layer made of activated carbon, ceramics, or the like is necessary. Are appropriately formed.
In addition, in this embodiment, although the linear plate-shaped control body 30 is shown, it is not limited to this at all. For example, the control body 30 may be formed in a corrugated shape or a porous shape that easily traps dust.
[0017]
In the above configuration, when the external pressure of the storage container becomes higher than the internal pressure, the airflow passes through the filter 20 and flows into the container body 1 at a high speed, and tries to keep the internal and external air pressure constant. At this time, a part of the dust is removed by the filter 20, but the airflow flows into the container body 1 without removing the remaining dust.
[0018]
However, the air flow containing dust collides with the control body 30 immediately above and is blocked and evenly dispersed, and the flow velocity is reduced in a direction that does not adversely affect the precision substrate W, in other words, below the inner back side of the container body 1. It is diffused and guided while decreasing. Due to the decrease in the flow velocity of the airflow, dust is prevented from being scattered and adhered to the inner surface of the container body 1 without adhering to the precision substrate W, and contamination of the precision substrate W is extremely effectively suppressed and prevented. Further, since the flow velocity of the airflow is reduced, the dust remaining in the container main body 1 is not wound up by the airflow, and there is no possibility that the dirty airflow is directly blown onto the precision substrate W to be contaminated. Furthermore, even if a large amount of airflow flows into the filter 20 at a time, it is blocked and deflected by the control body 30, so that the precision substrate W above the control body 30 does not vibrate, and new dust such as particles is generated. There is no risk of it occurring.
[0019]
According to the above configuration, it is possible to extremely effectively suppress and prevent the airflow contaminated by the control body 30 from directly blowing on the precision substrate W. Thereby, the contamination of the precision substrate W can be reduced by 75 to 85% under a certain condition. Moreover, even if a large amount of airflow flows into the filter 20 at once, there is very little possibility that dust will be newly generated. Furthermore, if the control body 30 is formed with ribs, continuous irregularities, an adsorbent layer, or the control body 30 is formed in a corrugated or porous shape, dust can be captured by electrostatic force or the like. Explaining this point in detail, although depending on the size of the dust particles, when an air current collides with the control body 30, dust can be captured on the surface of the control body 30 by electrostatic force or the like. Therefore, if a rib, unevenness, and an adsorbent layer are formed on the control body 30, or the control body 30 is formed in a corrugated or porous shape, such a capturing effect can be obtained.
[0020]
Next, FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a plurality of through holes 2 are drilled on the bottom back side of the container body 1, and the filter 20 is inserted into the through holes 2. The plate-like control body 30 interposed between the lower filter 20 and the rear portion of the precision substrate W positioned at the lowest position is supported substantially horizontally below the inner back surface of the container body 1. I am doing so. The other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.
In this embodiment, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be expected, and the airflow is guided to the lower side on the inner front side of the container body 1, so that there is a problem in guiding the airflow to the lower side on the inner back side of the container body 1. This is significant when it is difficult to cause the lid 10 to support the control body 30.
[0021]
Next, FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this case, a plurality of through holes 2 are perforated in the lid 10 and the filter 20 is detachably fitted into the through holes 2. In addition, a control body 30 having a substantially inverted L-shaped cross section interposed between the filter 20 and the front portion of the precision substrate W located above is integrally formed on the inner surface of the lid body 10. The other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.
In this embodiment, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be expected, and the airflow is guided to the lower side on the inner front side of the container body 1, so that there is a problem in guiding the airflow to the lower side on the inner back side of the container body 1. This is convenient when it is difficult to cause the container body 1 to support the control body 30.
[0022]
Next, FIGS. 4 to 8 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this case, through holes 2 are formed on both the front and rear sides of the bottom of the container body 1, The storage cylinder 43 for storing the filter 20 is closely fitted and screwed through a sealing O-ring 45 so that the pair of filters 20 located at the front is used for inflow of air and the pair of filters 20 located at the rear are arranged. For the outflow, the control body 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape and integrally formed on the upper part of each front storage cylinder 43, and the outlet 32, which is the opening of each control body 30, is expanded into a substantially trumpet shape. 1 is directed downward on the inner back side.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical joint 41 is closely fitted from below to each through hole 2 having a cylindrical shape of the container body 1, and a female screw 42 is threaded on the inner peripheral surface of the joint 41. The housing cylinder 43 is screwed into the female screw 42 of the joint 41 via the male screw 44. Each storage cylinder 43 is formed in a cylindrical shape longer than the joint 41, and a thin disk-shaped filter 20 is fitted to the upper part of the opening via a holding collar 46. Flange 47, 48 is formed radially inward and outward of the upper peripheral surface of the storage cylinder 43, and the inner flange 47 is placed between the holding collar 46 and the filter 20 via an O-ring 45 A for sealing. The outer flange 48 is locked to the upper peripheral edge of the through hole 2.
[0024]
Each holding collar 46 is formed into a ring shorter than the storage cylinder 43. The holding collar 46 is formed with a reduced diameter at the top, and an O-ring 45A that presses against the inner peripheral surface of the storage cylinder 43 is fitted into the stepped portion, and a plurality of locking projections 49 are provided at the lower portion of the outer peripheral surface. Are protruded in the circumferential direction at predetermined intervals, and each locking projection 49 is fitted and locked to a locking recess 50 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the storage cylinder 43.
[0025]
The control body 30 is basically formed into a cylindrical shape having a hollow inside, one end portion is connected to the storage cylinder 43, and the outlet 32 portion provided above is formed into a planar substantially funnel shape. The outlet 32 of the control body 30 discharges the airflow flowing through the filter 20 while bending the airflow about 90 ° while applying the airflow to the inner wall of the cavity of the control body 30, particularly the top surface. It is formed on the peripheral wall of the body 30. The outlet 32 may be expanded from the central portion in the radial direction at an angle of 1 ° to 180 °, preferably 60 ° to 90 °.
[0026]
Materials for the joint 41, the storage cylinder 43, the holding collar 46, and the control body 30 include thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polybutylene terephthalate, polyester, polyolefin, polystyrene, and the like. A plastic elastomer is used. The other parts are the same as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0027]
In the above configuration, when the external pressure of the storage container becomes higher than the internal pressure, the airflow passes through the airflow inflow filter 20 and flows into the container body 1 at a high speed, and tries to adjust the internal and external air pressure to be constant. At this time, although a part of the dust is removed by the airflow inflow filter 20, the airflow flows into the container body 1 without removing the remaining dust.
[0028]
However, the airflow containing dust is blocked and dispersed by colliding with the control body 30 that is a duct, while reducing the flow velocity in a direction that does not adversely affect the precision substrate W, that is, below the inner back side of the container body 1. Guided by diffusion. Due to the decrease in the flow velocity, the dust is prevented from being scattered, passes through the airflow outflow filter 20 without adhering to the precision substrate W, and flows out of the container body 1, and contamination of the precision substrate W is extremely effective. While being suppressed, the air in the container body 1 is efficiently replaced in a short time.
[0029]
Further, since the flow velocity of the airflow is reduced, the dust remaining slightly in the container body 1 is not wound up by the airflow, and there is no possibility that the dirty airflow is directly blown onto the precision substrate W to be contaminated. Furthermore, even if a large amount of airflow flows into the filter 20 at a time, it is blocked and deflected by the control body 30, so that the precision substrate W above the control body 30 does not vibrate and new dust may be generated. Absent.
[0030]
In this embodiment, the same effect as the above embodiment can be expected, and the storage cylinder 43 is attached to the through hole 2 of the container body 1 not directly but via the joint 41, and the storage cylinder 43 is attached to the joint 41. Since it is attached via a screw, there is no need to screw a screw into the through hole 2. Therefore, a significant improvement in the productivity of the container body 1 can be greatly expected. In addition, since the filter 20 is fitted to the storage cylinder 43 via the holding collar 46 instead of directly, the fall of the filter 20 can be effectively suppressed and prevented. Further, since the holding collar 46 is not simply fitted to the storage cylinder 43 but is attached by the concave-convex friction fitting of the locking convex portion 49, a strong fitting of the holding collar 46 can be greatly expected.
[0031]
In the above-described embodiment, the filter 20 and the control body 30 are provided on either the container body 1 or the lid body 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the container body 1 and the lid body 10 may be provided with the filter 20 and the control body 30, respectively. The control body 30 is also effective when replacing the inside of the storage container with an inert gas, dry air, or the like, so that gas is injected from the outside through the lower opening of the control body 30 and the inside of the storage container Alternatively, a flow of replacement gas directed in a certain direction through the duct may be generated, and this may be circulated inside the storage container by a rectifying plate or the like, and the internal gas may be exhausted sequentially from the exhaust hole. In this case, gas replacement can be performed efficiently in a short time without contaminating the precision substrate W. Furthermore, the positions of the control body 30 and the exhaust holes and the number of installation are not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate. However, it is preferable to install the precision substrate W other than the portion projected onto the bottom surface of the container body 1.
[0032]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent dirty fluid from directly contacting an article, and even if a large amount of fluid flows into the filter at a time, there is less possibility of newly generating dust. There is.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing an embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional side view showing a second embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing a third embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view showing a fourth embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional side view showing a fourth embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of an essential part showing a fourth embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a front view of an essential part showing a fourth embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a fourth embodiment of a storage container according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view showing a conventional storage container.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container body 2 Through-hole 10 Cover body 11 Gasket 20 Filter 30 Control body 31 Opposite surface 32 Outlet (opening part)
41 Joint 43 Storage cylinder 46 Holding collar W Precision substrate (article)

Claims (2)

A storage container in which an opening of a container body for storing articles is fitted and closed with a detachable lid,
A filter attached to at least one of the container main body and the lid, and a control body interposed between the filter and an article in the container main body,
A through hole is provided in at least one of the container main body and the lid, and a storage cylinder for a filter is attached to the through hole. The control body is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and connected to the upper part of the storage cylinder. An outlet is formed in the side wall of the container, and the flow of the fluid that has flowed into the container body through the filter is changed by the control body to guide the fluid below the container body. . The storage container according to claim 1 , wherein a through hole is provided in a bottom portion of the container body, and an outlet of the control body is formed in a substantially planar funnel shape .

Images