JP4338467B2 - Large pellicle storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photomask used in a lithography process when manufacturing an LSI or the like, and a pellicle storage container used to prevent foreign matter from adhering to a reticle, and particularly to a large pellicle storage container. is there.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the manufacture of semiconductor circuit patterns and the like, it has been practiced to prevent foreign matter from adhering to a photomask or reticle using a dust-proof means generally called a pellicle (for example, Patent Document 1). The pellicle is a transparent polymer film (hereinafter referred to as a pellicle film) such as nitrocellulose or a cellulose derivative having a thickness of 10 μm or less on the upper edge surface of a frame of about several millimeters thick having a shape matched to the shape of a photomask or reticle. The adhesive is applied to the lower edge surface of the frame body, and a protective film is adhered to the adhesive material with a predetermined adhesive force. The pressure-sensitive adhesive is for fixing the pellicle to a photomask or reticle, and the protective film is used to maintain the adhesive strength of the pressure-sensitive adhesive until the pressure-sensitive adhesive is used for that purpose. It protects the adhesive surface.

  When transporting this pellicle from the manufacturer to the user, in order to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the pellicle film or the like or to prevent the pellicle from being damaged, the pellicle is stored in a storage container composed of a tray and a lid. Further, it is generally stored in a dustproof bag or the like and transported (see Patent Document 2).

  FIG. 7A shows a schematic perspective view of a conventional pellicle storage container. As shown in the figure, the pellicle 50 is installed on an installation surface 52 that is a flat surface of the tray 51. Then, the lid 60 is covered from above, and the tray 51 and the lid 60 are fixed using a clip or an adhesive tape. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, rising edges 53 and 63 are formed on the outer edges of the tray 51 and the lid 60, respectively. Accordingly, mutual positioning when the lid 60 is fitted to the tray 51 is performed, and sealing with an adhesive seal can be performed by aligning the edges of the edge portions 53 and 63.

FIG. 8 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a conventional lid. As shown in the figure, knobs 62 are respectively formed at the centers of both side surfaces of the housing portion 61 in which the lid 60 is raised. If the lid is to be opened when the pellicle is used, the container 61 is sandwiched and lifted with both hands as shown in FIG. 9 (a), or the knob 62 is held as shown in FIG. 9 (b). Te are lifted.

Japanese Patent Publication No.54-28718 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-1000039

  However, as the size of the pellicle has increased in recent years, the size of the storage container has also increased, so that there is a problem that the lid becomes heavy or the interval for sandwiching is widened, making it difficult to lift. In addition, large pellicle cases are often formed by vacuum forming because they are thin and can be easily formed into a large integral molded product, but they are slippery because they have a draft angle from the mold. If the lid slips and falls onto the pellicle on the tray when the lid is opened, the pellicle is damaged and cannot be used.

In other words, there is no problem if it is a 5 inch or 6 inch small pellicle storage container, but if the pellicle storage container has a pellicle area exceeding 1000 cm ² , the lid should be securely grasped and opened. Means to do this are required.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pellicle storage container that can reliably open and hold a lid in a storage container for a large pellicle.

In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a pellicle storage container according to the present invention is a pellicle storage container manufactured by vacuum forming used to store, store, and transport a pellicle, The tray includes a tray to be stored and a lid that covers the tray, and a gripping portion that is exposed without overlapping with the edge of the tray is provided on at least one edge of the lid. If it is this structure, it can form integrally with a lid | cover by vacuum forming, and an operator can hold | grip a holding part reliably and can open a lid | cover.

  Further, the grip portion is exposed without overlapping with the end side of the tray by protruding at least a part of the end side of the lid. It is an example of the structure which exposes a holding part. In addition, one part of the four sides of the lid, a further part of the one side, two opposing sides, a part opposing the two sides, and the like are suitable arrangements.

  Moreover, the said holding | grip part protrudes in a parallel or orthogonal direction with respect to the edge of the said lid | cover. Parallel means that the edge of the lid is extended and exposed from the edge of the tray, and the orthogonal direction means that the edge of the extended lid is bent and the extension direction of the edge of the tray is blocked. Refers to the arrangement.

  Further, a thread chamfer is provided at an edge of the grip portion, and a round is provided at a corner portion. Considering the handling of the operator, workability can be improved.

  In addition, the grip portion is characterized in that the end side of the lid is exposed by retreating the end side of the tray.

  The length of the gripping part exposed from the edge of the lid is 10 mm or more and 200 mm or less. This is because if it is too small, it is not sufficient for gripping, and if it is too large, it becomes an obstacle when the storage container is stored in the dustproof bag. When the end of the tray is retracted, it is desirable that the width of the retracted portion is 5 mm to 200 mm and the depth is 5 mm to 100 mm. The retreating part may be provided up to the bottom surface of the tray.

  Further, the grip portion is provided with a hole. Thereby, a finger | toe and a jig | tool can be hung on a hole, and it can hold | grip more easily and reliably.

  Further, the tray or the lid is manufactured by vacuum forming. This is because the present invention is particularly effective in such a case.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pellicle storage container capable of reliably grasping and opening a lid in a storage container for a large pellicle. Therefore, the lid of the storage container can be easily opened, and the possibility of damaging the pellicle by removing the lid at the time of opening can be significantly reduced.

[First embodiment]
An embodiment of a pellicle storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a pellicle storage container, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part for explaining a gripping part, and FIG. 3 is a view for explaining how a lid is opened.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the pellicle storage container stores the pellicle 1 therein, and includes a tray 2 and a lid 3. The pellicle 1 includes a pellicle film 11, a frame 12 to which the pellicle film 11 is attached, and an adhesive material 13 for attaching the frame 12 to a mask or a reticle. Here, in this embodiment, the pellicle 1 is a large pellicle in which the area of the pellicle film 11 exceeds 1000 cm ² .

  A raised portion 21 on which the pellicle 1 is placed is formed along the periphery of the tray 2, and a plurality of protrusions that restrain the lateral movement of the frame 12 of the pellicle 1 are formed on the raised portion 21. 22 stands upright. Further, an end surface 23 is formed on the end side of the tray 2 so as to stand in a direction orthogonal to the pellicle installation surface.

  The lid 3 is formed with an accommodating portion 31 that is largely raised as a whole, and an end surface 33 that is erected in a direction orthogonal to the pellicle installation surface is formed at the end side. The lid 3 covers the pellicle 1 in the accommodating portion 31 by covering the tray 2 as shown in FIG. At this time, the end surface 33 of the lid 3 is in principle coincident with the inner side of the end surface 23 of the tray 2 to position the tray 2 and the lid 3. After the tray 2 and the lid 3 are put together, the adhesive tape (not shown) is sealed by covering the joints of the end faces 23 and 33.

  The materials of the tray 2 and the lid 3 are not particularly specified, but acrylic resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene resin, or the like may be used. In addition to the above resins, polyester resins other than polyethylene terephthalate, olefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polystyrene resins such as polystyrene, acrylonitrile / styrene resins, and the like can also be used.

Here, the tray 2 and the lid 3 are generally manufactured by injection molding or vacuum molding using the resin material. However, 5 inch and 6 inch semiconductor pellicle storage containers are often formed by injection molding, but large pellicle storage containers having an area of 1000 cm ² or more are often vacuum-molded. This is because the vacuum forming is thinner and a large integrated product can be easily formed.

  When vacuum forming is used, as described in the conventional example, it is necessary to form a draft from the mold. Therefore, the side surface 32 of the accommodating portion 31 of the lid 3 has a width in the protruding direction (upward in the figure). It is easy to slip when it is lifted with both hands.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, one grip portion 34 is formed on one side of the lid 3. As shown in FIG. 2A, the grip portion 34 is obtained by extending the end surface 33 that is the end side of the lid 3 as it is, that is, parallel to the end surface 33. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the tray 2 and the lid 3 are combined, the end surface 33 of the lid 3 is hidden so as to coincide with the end surface 23 of the tray 2, but the gripping portion 34 is The second end face 23 protrudes and is exposed. As shown in FIG. 2C, a thread chamfer 34a is provided at the edge of the gripping portion 34, and a rounded corner portion 34b is provided. As a result, the handling of the operator can be improved, and the dust-free bag can be prevented from being rubbed or damaged.

  In opening the lid 3 in the pellicle storage container having the above-described configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the operator first holds the grip portion 34 with one hand and pulls up the lid 3, and the lid 3 is removed from the tray 2. It can be supported from the bottom with the other hand when lifted. That is, by providing the grip portion 34, the operator can securely grip this to open the lid 3, and can significantly reduce the possibility of removing the lid 3 and damaging the pellicle.

[Other Embodiments]
Besides the description in the above embodiment, the pellicle storage container according to the present invention may have various forms in the configuration of the gripping portion. Several examples will be described below. That is, the gripper according to the present invention may be exposed on at least one side of the lid without overlapping with the end of the tray.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another arrangement of the gripping portion. In the embodiment described above, one grip portion 34 is provided on one side. However, in FIG. 4A, two grip portions 34 are provided, one at each facing position on two opposing sides. Yes. As a result, the operator can lift the lid 3 while holding the two holding portions with both hands. In FIG. 4B, four gripping portions 34 are provided, one at each of the four opposing positions. As a result, the grip portion 34 can be easily used from different directions, and the degree of freedom of work can be improved. In the above embodiment, the grip portion 34 is configured by exposing a part of one side. However, as shown in FIG. 4C, the grip portion 35 may be provided over the entire length of the side.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another form of the gripping portion. In the above embodiment, the gripping portion 34 is parallel to the end surface 33 of the lid 3, but as shown in FIG. 5A, the gripping portion 34 is projected in the orthogonal direction to the end surface 33. But you can. That is, the portion protruding from the end surface 33 is bent at a substantially right angle so as to block the end surface 23 of the tray 2. Thereby, when an operator grasps, it is hard to slip and it can grasp more certainly.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the grip portion 34 is configured by causing the end side of the lid to protrude from the end side of the tray, but the end surface 23 of the tray 2 as in the grip portion 37 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the receding portion 23a may be formed. At this time, considering the workability for grasping the gripping portion 37 and the strength of the tray, it is desirable that the width of the retreating portion 23a is 5 mm to 200 mm and the depth is 5 mm to 100 mm. The receding portion 23a may be provided up to the bottom surface of the tray.

  Further, like the grip portion 38 shown in FIG. 5 (c), the end surface 33 of the lid 3 may be protruded and the retracted portion 23 a may be formed on the end surface 23 of the tray 2. . With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the protrusion amount while securing the exposed area of the grip portion 38, and to reduce the decrease in strength of the tray 2.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a hole is provided in the grip portion. In the above embodiment, the gripping portion 34 is plate-shaped, but the handling can be further improved by providing a hole 41 for hooking a finger like the gripping portion 39 shown in FIG. Further, since the strength of the gripping portion decreases when the hole 41 becomes large, a small hole 42 for the jig 43 may be provided as in the gripping portion 40 shown in FIG. A jig-like jig can be suitably used.

It is sectional drawing explaining a pellicle storage container. It is a principal part expansion perspective view explaining a holding part. It is a figure explaining a mode that a lid is opened. It is a figure explaining other arrangement | positioning of a holding part. It is a figure explaining the other form of a holding part. It is a figure which shows the example which provided the hole in the holding part. It is a figure which shows the schematic perspective view of the conventional pellicle storage container. It is the top view and sectional drawing of the conventional lid | cover. It is a figure explaining the state which lifts the conventional lid | cover.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Pellicle 2 ... Tray 3 ... Lid
11… Pellicle membrane
12 ... Frame
13… adhesive material
21… Uplift
22 ... Protrusions
23… end face
23a ... Retreat part
31… containment section
32… Side
33… End face
34… gripping part
34a ... thread chamfering
34b ... Corner
35-40 ... gripping part
41, 42… holes
43 ... Jig
50… Pellicle
51… Tray
52… Installation surface
53… Edge
60 ... lid
61… Container
62… Knob
63… Edge

Claims (7)

A pellicle storage container manufactured by vacuum forming used to store, transport and store pellicles,
It consists of a tray that houses the pellicle and a lid that covers the tray,
A pellicle storage container, characterized in that a gripping portion is provided on at least one side of the end of the lid so as not to overlap the end of the tray.   2. The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the edge of the lid protrudes and the gripper is exposed without overlapping the edge of the tray. 3.   The pellicle storage container according to claim 2, wherein the grip portion protrudes in a direction parallel or perpendicular to an end side of the lid.   3. A pellicle storage container according to claim 2, wherein a thread chamfer is provided at an edge of the gripping portion, and a corner is provided at a corner portion.   2. The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein an end side of the lid is exposed by retreating an end side of the tray.   2. The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein a length of the gripping part exposed from an end side of the lid is 10 mm or more and 200 mm or less.   The pellicle storage container according to claim 1, wherein a hole is provided in the grip portion.