JP4488255B2 - Closed container lid opening / closing system, container insertion / removal system including the lid opening / closing system, and substrate processing method using the lid opening / closing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system, so-called FIMS (Front-Opening Interface Mechanical Standard), which is used when transferring a reticle, wafer or the like held inside a transfer container called a pod between semiconductor processing apparatuses in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like. ) It relates to one form of system. More specifically, it corresponds to a plurality of pods called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod), which is a thin sealed container that accommodates several reticles and the like, and simultaneously opens and closes the lid of the pod to provide a reticle for the pod. In particular, the present invention relates to a FIMS system that performs transfer, ie, a lid opening / closing system, and a substrate processing method using the system.

  Previously, semiconductor manufacturing processes were performed in a so-called clean room in which the interior of a room for handling semiconductor wafers was highly cleaned. However, from the viewpoint of dealing with the increase in wafer size and cost reduction required for clean room management, in recent years, only the inside of the processing apparatus, the pod (wafer container), and the minute space for transferring the substrate from the pod to the processing apparatus. Has been adopted to maintain a highly clean state.

  The pod is a main body having a substantially cubic shape having a shelf that can hold a plurality of wafers in parallel and spaced apart from each other, and an opening used for taking in and out of the wafer on one of the surfaces constituting the outer surface. It is comprised from the lid | cover which closes the opening. The pod in which the surface where the opening is formed is located not on the bottom surface of the pod but on one side surface (the surface facing the minute space) is collectively referred to as FOUP (front-opening unified pod). The configuration to be used is the main target. Conventionally, from the viewpoint of production efficiency, etc., pods that accommodate ten or more wafers per pod have been used. However, the number of pods per pod is rather increased due to the increase in the diameter of wafers or the increase in the number of processes for a single wafer. It has begun to be considered that a method of accommodating a single wafer and supplying the wafers to individual apparatuses in a small lot state is becoming more preferable. The details of such a thin pod specialized for several wafers and the handling thereof are described in Patent Document 1.

  Here, the minute space described above includes a first opening facing the opening of the pod, a door for closing the first opening, and a second opening on the processing apparatus side provided on the semiconductor processing apparatus side. And a transfer robot that enters the inside of the pod from the first opening on the pod side and holds the wafer and transports the wafer to the processing apparatus side through the second opening on the processing apparatus side. is doing. The configuration that forms the minute space has a mounting table that supports the pod so that the pod opening faces the front of the door at the same time. Usually, the mounting table can move back and forth a predetermined distance with respect to the door direction. When the wafer in the pod is transferred to the processing apparatus, the pod is moved until the lid of the pod comes into contact with the door while the pod is placed, and after the contact, the lid is removed from the pod opening by the door. By these operations, the inside of the pod and the inside of the processing apparatus communicate with each other through a minute space, and the wafer transfer operation is repeated thereafter. The lid opening / closing system according to the present invention, including the mounting table, the door, the first opening on the pod side, the door opening / closing mechanism, a wall constituting a part of a minute space in which the first opening is formed, and the like. That is, it is generically called a FIMS (front-opening interface mechanical standard) system.

  As described above, conventionally, a configuration that supports only a single pod containing ten or more wafers has been the mainstream. However, in the case of the thin pod described above, from the viewpoint of shortening the process time, a plurality of pods can be supplied almost simultaneously, or the time in which the pods are placed can be overlapped to supply wafers to the minute space. It is required to be possible. Such wafer handling can also be used for transporting reticles used for exposure processing and the like. Here, when dealing with a plurality of thin pods, a configuration in which a plurality of pods are vertically stacked is conceivable from the viewpoint of reducing the ground contact area. An apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 has been devised as a lid opening / closing system corresponding to such a pod arrangement. In this configuration, there is a mechanism required to open and close the door by forming a plurality of the above-described pod-side openings vertically and rotating the door that closes each of them around an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular opening. The space occupied is small.

JP 2004-262654 A JP 2000-286319 A JP 2004-153281 A

  Conventional pods that accommodate a large number of wafers at a time are transported between the apparatuses so that all the wafers accommodated in the pods are subjected to predetermined processing in each processing apparatus. However, in each processing step, a wafer that does not satisfy a predetermined standard may be generated after the processing, and such a wafer is usually removed from the pod. Accordingly, the storage shelf in the pod that has been filled with wafers at the beginning of production is missing each time each processing step is performed. Here, the various processing apparatuses are almost automated, and when the above-described missing wafer is detected, the missing wafer is detected and an operation for appropriately carrying out and carrying in the wafer is performed in consideration of this. There is a need. For this reason, in a conventional pod that accommodates a large number of wafers at a time, an operation called so-called mapping is performed to detect for each processing apparatus which storage shelf in the pod stores the wafer. Necessary. (See Patent Document 3)

  It is the same that the mapping operation is required to be performed in a small number of pods targeted by the present invention. However, in the conventional mapping operation, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, for example, a so-called mapping sensor composed of a pair of light projecting portions and light receiving portions is actually inserted into the pod, and the wafer is juxtaposed with the sensor. The presence or absence of a wafer is detected by scanning in the direction. Here, for example, when trying to apply the mapping sensor disclosed in Patent Literature 3 to the configuration disclosed in Patent Literature 2, the mapping sensor and the pod are intruded into the pod and in a specific direction. It is necessary to arrange the configuration to be moved. However, in the case of a configuration in which pods as shown in the cited document 2 are stacked in multiple stages, it is difficult to secure a space for arranging such a mapping sensor. In addition, even if space can be secured, it is inherently recognized that a plurality of such configurations are arranged in a minute space that should not be driven as much as possible from the viewpoint of keeping the minute space clean. Absent. Therefore, there is a demand for construction of a mapping sensor suitable for a pod, a load port, etc. for a small number of wafers different from such a configuration.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a lid opening / closing system for a hermetic container as a pod corresponding to a small number of sheets and a substrate processing method using the system, and mapping a wafer accommodated in a pod. It is an object to provide a system and a substrate processing method that can be performed.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a lid opening / closing system according to the present invention includes a substantially box-shaped main body having an opening on one side and capable of accommodating an object to be contained therein, and being separable from the main body. A lid opening / closing system that opens and closes an object by removing the lid from a storage container that is closed to form a sealed space together with a main body, A storage container support mechanism capable of supporting and moving the storage container in a predetermined direction; a micro space that is separated from the external space and accommodates a mechanism for transporting an object to be stored by managing dust; and a storage container support mechanism A tunnel having an external space side opening which is an opening on the external space side in the vicinity of the loading position of the storage container and having a micro space side opening which communicates with the micro space and opens to the micro space side; and a lid Abut the lid The holding container has a holding mechanism, and the holding container supporting mechanism moves in a posture in which the tunnel is substantially closed perpendicular to the extending direction of the tunnel, and is movable relative to the receiving container along a predetermined direction. And a door capable of opening and closing the opening on the minute space side, and the tunnel receives the detection light and a light projecting unit that irradiates the detection light to the object held in the storage container. It is characterized by having a mapping sensor that comprises a light receiving portion and detects the presence or absence of an object to be contained.

  In the lid opening / closing system described above, the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are disposed inside the container of the container in a state where the container is disposed at a position where the container is inserted into and removed from the container. It is preferable to be arranged corresponding to. In addition, there are a plurality of objects to be accommodated, mapping sensors are arranged according to the objects to be accommodated, and the mapping sensors are different in at least one of a wavelength region and an irradiation frequency in which detection light used by each mapping sensor exists. Is preferred. Here, when there are a plurality of objects to be accommodated, the mapping sensor is arranged according to each object to be accommodated, and one mapping unit of the plurality of mapping sensors and a mapping sensor having the one light projecting unit The light receiving part of the mapping sensor directly above or directly below is preferably arranged at a position corresponding to one side surface of the receiving container on the inner wall of the tunnel. Alternatively, when there are a plurality of objects to be accommodated, the mapping sensors are arranged according to the objects to be accommodated, and one light projecting portion of the plurality of mapping sensors and a mapping sensor having the one light projecting portion are directly above or directly below. The second light projecting portion of the mapping sensor is arranged on the inner wall of the tunnel at a position corresponding to one side surface of the receiving container, and two optical axes of the detection light emitted from the one light projecting portion. It is preferable that the distance from the optical axis of the detection light emitted from the light projecting unit increases as the distance from the light projecting unit increases. More preferably, the light projecting side end portion of the detection light of the light projecting portion and the light receiving side end portion of the detection light of the light receiving portion are arranged so as to form a recess from the same surface as the inner wall of the tunnel or from the inner wall of the tunnel. .

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a lid opening / closing system according to the present invention includes a substantially box-shaped main body having an opening on one side and capable of accommodating an object to be contained therein, and being separable from the main body. A lid opening / closing system that opens and closes an object by removing the lid from a storage container that includes a lid that forms a sealed space together with the main body. A storage container support mechanism capable of supporting the container and moving the storage container in a predetermined direction; a micro space that is separated from the external space and that stores a mechanism for transporting an object to be stored by managing dust; and a storage container A tunnel having an external space side opening which is an opening on the external space side in the vicinity of a position where the storage container is loaded on the support mechanism and having a micro space side opening which communicates with the micro space and opens to the micro space side; In contact with the lid A holding mechanism for holding the shaft, and can be rotated around a rotation axis that is arranged in the tunnel and is orthogonal to a predetermined direction and parallel to the extending surface of the object to be stored, and is orthogonal to the extending direction of the tunnel. And a door that is relatively movable along a predetermined direction with respect to the storage container moved by the storage container support mechanism in a posture in which the tunnel is substantially closed. The opening of the storage container can be positioned in the tunnel when the cover is separated from the storage container by relative movement, and the storage container can be moved when the door rotates around the rotation axis while holding the cover. The tunnel has a size including an accommodation space that can accommodate a door and a lid without hindering movement in a predetermined direction, and the tunnel projects light to irradiate the object to be held held in the accommodation container. And an object to be received comprising a light receiving portion for receiving the detection light It is characterized by having a mapping sensor for detecting the presence or absence.

  In the lid opening / closing system described above, the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are disposed inside the container of the container in a state where the container is disposed at a position where the container is inserted into and removed from the container. It is preferable to be arranged corresponding to. In addition, there are a plurality of objects to be accommodated, mapping sensors are arranged according to the objects to be accommodated, and the mapping sensors are different in at least one of the wavelength region and the irradiation frequency in which the detection light used by each is present. Is preferred. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the light projecting side end portion of the detection light of the light projecting portion and the light receiving side end portion of the detection light of the light receiving portion are arranged so as to form a recess from the same surface as the inner wall of the tunnel or from the inner wall of the tunnel. .

  Furthermore, in order to solve the said subject, the insertion / extraction system of the to-be-contained object which concerns on this invention is the to-be-contained object insertion / extraction system which inserts / removes the to-be-contained object with respect to the inside of the storage container using the lid | cover opening / closing system mentioned above. And the detection light which has either of the lid | cover opening-and-closing system mentioned above and this storage container, and the storage container enables the detection light irradiated from a light projection part to reach the corresponding to-be-contained object And a second detection window that can transmit the detection light that allows the detection light to reach the light receiving unit from the inside of the housing container. Furthermore, in the said structure, it is preferable that a 1st detection window and a 2nd detection window are arrange | positioned separately according to each to-be-contained object.

  In addition, in order to solve the above-described problem, the processing method of the object to be stored according to the present invention is capable of storing the object to be stored therein, and has a substantially box-shaped main body having an opening on one side and separable from the main body. A lid that forms a sealed space together with the main body by closing the opening, and the lid is removed from the housing container so that the opening can be opened and the object can be inserted into and removed from the housing container. Is a processing method for a stored object in which a predetermined process is performed on the stored object outside the storage container, and a minute space in which dust is controlled, and a transport mechanism of the stored object disposed in the minute space And a door capable of substantially closing the opening provided in the minute space and holding the lid, a support mechanism for supporting the storage container, driving the storage container in a predetermined direction, and holding the cover on the door; A lid opening / closing system having a container and supporting machine The container is fixed to the support mechanism, the support mechanism is driven, the cover is brought into contact with the door, the door is held by the door, and the support mechanism and the door are relatively driven in a predetermined direction. The container and the lid are separated, and the lid and the door are retracted from the drive region of the container by rotating the lid and the door around an axis perpendicular to a predetermined direction and included in the extending surface of the object to be stored. The container is driven in a predetermined direction to be disposed at the insertion / removal position of the object to be stored, the container when the cover is separated from the container, the cover and the door after rotation, and the object to be stored The storage container at the insertion / removal position of the object is located inside a tunnel connecting the minute space and a space for performing an operation of supporting the storage container with respect to the support mechanism, and is stored at the insertion / removal position of the storage object. A first detection window provided on the container and capable of transmitting predetermined detection light; The inside of the container is irradiated with detection light that reaches the object to be received, and whether or not the detection light is received through the object through the second detection window that can transmit the predetermined detection light provided in the container. It is characterized by determining the presence or absence of an object to be contained.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect at any time the wafer accommodation state during the lid opening / closing operation for a small number of pods. Moreover, in the sensor according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a reliable detection result because it corresponds to each wafer and can prevent erroneous detection due to interaction. Further, according to the present invention, in the load port that opens and closes the lid of the pod, the sensor is arranged in a so-called inset manner inside a tunnel in which an air flow that always flows from the minute space side to the outer space side is generated. It becomes possible to reliably prevent deterioration of the cleanliness of the minute space due to the arrangement of the sensor.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the embodiment, the main configuration other than the sensor will be described first in order to facilitate the description of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A schematically shows a configuration of a part of a thin pod targeted by the present invention and a main part of a lid opening / closing system capable of dealing with each pod when the configuration is viewed from the side. . In practice, a plurality of configurations shown in FIG. 1A and the like are arranged so as to be stacked. However, for ease of explanation, a single configuration will be described in the following description of embodiments. FIG. 1B shows a configuration when the configuration shown in FIG. 1A is viewed from a cross-section along line 1B-1B in the drawing, and FIG. 1C shows a configuration when these configurations are viewed from the direction of arrow 1C (microspace side). FIG. 1D shows a configuration when the configuration excluding the pod is viewed from the direction of the arrow 1D (external space side).

  1A shows a state where the pod is placed at a predetermined position on the mounting table, which will be described later, and FIG. 2A shows a state where the pod is once driven forward to reach a position where the lid is held by the door. 3A shows a state in which the pod is once driven backward, and the lid is removed from the pod. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the mechanism and the lid are moved to these accommodation spaces inside the tunnel by the operation of the lid opening / closing mechanism. Shows a state where the pod has reached a predetermined position for inserting / removing the wafer further driven forward. 3B, 4B, 5B, and 5C show the respective configurations in the same manner according to the relationship between FIGS. 1A and 1B to 1C. Note that FIG. 5C is shown excluding the pod and the lid for easy understanding.

  Here, the pod placed on the lid opening / closing system and the wafer accommodated in the pod will be described first. In the present embodiment, a space for accommodating two wafers to be processed is formed inside the main body 2 a of the pod 2. The main body 2a has a thin, substantially box-like shape having an opening on any one surface that exists in the horizontal direction. The pod 2 includes a lid 4 for sealing the opening 2b of the main body 2a. A shelf (not shown, two levels in the present embodiment) having a plurality of stages for vertically stacking the wafers 1 held horizontally inside the main body 2a is disposed, and each of the wafers 1 placed thereon is arranged. Is accommodated inside the pod 2 with a constant interval. The wafer 1 is an object to be accommodated in the present invention, the pod 2 is an accommodation container, the main body 2a is a main body defined as having a substantially box shape since the basic shape is a box, and the pod 2 The opening 2b corresponds to an opening defined as a substantially rectangular shape because the basic shape is rectangular.

  A lid opening / closing system 10 according to the present invention constitutes an outer wall of a mounting table 13, a door 15, a tunnel member 21 constituting a tunnel 20, a door opening / closing mechanism 30, and a minute space 25 (a transfer chamber described later) through which the tunnel communicates. A wall 11 as one member. The mounting table 13 is provided with a movable plate 14 having a flat surface on the top, on which the pod 2 is actually mounted and capable of moving the mounted pod toward or away from the first opening 10. Including. Positioning pins 14a are embedded in the flat surface of the movable plate 14, and the positioning pins 14a are fitted into positioning recesses (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the pod body 2a, so that the pod 2, the movable plate 14, and the like. Is uniquely determined. The movable plate 14a is connected to a known drive mechanism (not shown) made up of a stepping motor, a ball screw, and the like, and in a state where the pod 2 is placed, a loading position, a lid holding position, and a lid removal position, which will be described later. In addition, the plate can be stopped at the four positions of the wafer insertion / removal position. In addition, the structure which consists of the mounting base 13 or the movable plate 14 acts as an accommodation container support mechanism or a support mechanism which supports a pod etc. and moves this in a predetermined direction in the present invention.

  The tunnel member 21 includes a peripheral wall portion 21a that forms a space perpendicular to the external space side from the wall 11, that is, along the driving direction of the movable plate 14, and that has a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the rising direction. And an end wall portion 21b that restricts the outer space side opening of the wall portion 21a. The lateral length of the tunnel 20 constituted by the tunnel member 21 (the longitudinal length of the facing surface of the pod 2 when the pod 2 faces the tunnel 20, that is, the horizontal length) is the pod. 2 is set larger than the length of the pod 2 facing the tunnel in the longitudinal direction. The tunnel 20 has two openings, a minute space side opening 20a and an external space side opening 20b. That is, the tunnel 20 functions as a tunnel that opens near the space where the pod 2 is placed (i.e., loaded) on the movable plate 14 and connects the external space and the minute space.

  The external space side opening 20b has a length in the vertical direction that is set slightly longer than the lateral length of the tunnel 20 described above and the length in the short direction of the facing surface of the pod 2. Accordingly, the pod 2 can enter the external space side opening 20b. The minute space side opening 20a has a lateral length in addition to the above-described lateral length of the tunnel 20 through which the pod 2 can pass, so that an L-shaped arm 16 to be described later can be arranged avoiding the pod 2. It has a length that takes into account the width of the arm. Further, as described above, the length in the vertical direction is sufficient to form the accommodation space 20c in which the door 15 holding the lid 4 of the pod 2 and a part of the door opening / closing mechanism arranged in the tunnel 20 are accommodated. The pod 2 has a longitudinal length consisting of a length that is slightly longer than the longitudinal direction of the facing surface of the pod 2.

  The depth of the tunnel 20 (the distance from the external space side opening 20b to the minute space side opening 20a) is the length of both straight portions of the L-shaped arm 16 that supports the door 15 described later and the length of the pod lid 4 in the short direction. Alternatively, it is set based on the relationship with the length of the door 15 in the short direction. Specifically, when the door 15 is in the retracted position (wafer insertion / removal position), the portion of the door 15 or the lid 4 that is closest to the minute space side does not protrude into the minute space, and the lid 4 extends from the pod 2. The depth is set so that the opening of the pod 2 can be present inside the tunnel 20 at the position where the cover is removed (the lid removal position). Further, the end wall portion 21b limits the opening in order to make the size of the external space side opening 20b described above, and the length in the short direction is the size of the facing surface of the pod 2, It is determined from the relationship with the minute space side opening 20a. Further, the end wall portion 21b defines the accommodation space 20c described above.

  The door 15 can be opposed to the lid 4 of the pod 2 and has a flat plate-like contact member 15b having a facing surface substantially similar to the lid 4, and holds the contact member 15b on a flat plate surface. A door main body portion 15a that adds strength to the contact member. The door main body 15a has a length in the longitudinal direction that is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the minute space side opening 20a, and there is a risk of contact with the periphery of the opening when rotating when the lid 4 is opened and closed. Is missing. The contact member 15b is disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the door main body 15a. The abutting member 15b is opposed to the pod 2 on the surface facing the pod 2, and a suction pad 15c for vacuum-sucking and holding the lid 4 and a positioning pin 15d for defining the positional relationship between the lid 4 and the abutting member 15b. Is placed. Note that the positioning pin 15d may also have a function of holding the lid, and in this case, it also functions as a so-called latch key. On both sides of the contact member 15b in the door main body 15a, slits 15e that penetrate from the minute space side surface (back surface) to the outer space side surface (front surface) and extend in the short direction of the door main body portion 15a are formed. Has been. Further, one end portion (fixed end portion described later) of an L-shaped arm 16 having an L-shape is connected to both side portions of the contact member 15b in the door main body portion 15a. The suction pad 15c acts as a holding mechanism for a wafer as an object to be accommodated together with an exhaust system (not shown) that is connected to the suction pad 15c to generate suction force on the pad.

  The L-shaped arm 16 includes a rotary shaft-side straight portion 16a connected to the door opening / closing mechanism 30 via a rotary shaft 30a described later at the end, and a door-side straight portion 16b connected to the door main body 15a at the end. Consists of. The end portion of the door-side straight portion 16b acts as a fixed end portion that is fixed to the door body portion 15a, and the straight portion extends in parallel with the extending surface of the door body portion 15a. The rotating shaft 30a is connected to the drive mechanism main body 30b of the door opening / closing mechanism 30 that passes through the tunnel member 21 and is disposed outside the member. The drive mechanism body 30b is composed of a known air cylinder, link mechanism, and the like, and rotationally drives the rotary shaft 30a between two predetermined angles. The rotating shaft 30a is set to be parallel to a plane perpendicular to the predetermined direction which is the driving direction of the movable plate 14 and perpendicular to the pod opening 2b (the extending surface of the wafer as the object to be accommodated).

  Here, with reference to FIG. 6, the relationship between each dimension in the space in the tunnel 20 and each dimension in the L-shaped arm 16 will be described. Here, t1 is the thickness of the lid 4, w1 is the length of the lid 4 in the short direction, and l1 is the suction surface of the suction pad 15c from the end surface of the rotating shaft side linear portion 16a in the L-shaped arm. , L1 ′ is the distance from the opening surface of the external space side opening 20b to the plane including the suction surface, and t2 is the door 15 (including the suction pad, the contact member, and the door main body. ), L1 is a value obtained by adding these l1 and t2, d1 is the depth of the tunnel 20, and l2 is the length of the door-side straight portion 16b (from the side surface of the door 15 different from the fixed end portion). W2 is the length in the short direction of the door 15 (including the abutment member and the main body), the distance from the fixed end at the portion connected to the shaft-side straight portion 16a to the end surface located on the opposite side L2 is the value obtained by adding these l2 and w2, and d2 is the tunnel 20 The distance from the inner wall of the lower peripheral wall 21a on the side where the door 15 is rotatably accommodated and extending in the longitudinal direction to the lower side of the outer space side opening 20b limited by the end wall 21b, d3 The lateral lengths of the space side opening 20b are shown respectively. Further, when the pod 2 moves forward and the door facing surface of the lid 4 comes back from the position where it comes into contact with the suction pad 15c, the receding distance until the lid 4 is separated from the pod 2 and stopped is m1, and the lid 4 The moving distance from the position where the pod 2 is separated and stopped until the pod 2 moves from the wafer insertion / removal position is m2.

  The distance m1 from the position where the pod 2 holds the lid 4 to the separation position of the lid 4 is smaller than the distance l1 ′ from the surface of the suction pad 15c to the opening 20b on the outer space side of the tunnel, and the thickness t1 of the lid 4 is It is set smaller than the distance m1. Thereby, the opening / closing operation of the lid 4 is always performed inside the tunnel 20, and it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the pod during the operation. In addition, by generating an air flow from the inside of the tunnel 20 toward the external space, dust and the like entering the pod from the external space through the tunnel can be greatly reduced before and after the opening / closing operation. The moving distance m2 to the wafer insertion / removal position is set smaller than the depth of the tunnel 20. Therefore, the pod opening always exists inside the tunnel 20 even when the wafer is inserted and removed. This can prevent the pod opening from being directly exposed to the downflow in the minute space.

  The short direction length w2 of the door 15 is set smaller than the short direction width d3 of the external space side opening 20b of the tunnel 20. Further, by arranging the door substantially at the center in the width direction of the opening, the door 15 linearly extends from the minute space side opening 20a to the outer space side opening 20b above and below the upper side of the door 15. A gas flow path is configured. By the gas flow path and the slit 15e described above, it is possible to form an airflow that flows around the door 15 toward the external space. Further, the short direction length w1 of the cover 4 is set to be equal to or smaller than the short direction length w2 of the door 15 so that the gas flow path is secured even when the door 15 holds the cover 4. The

  The door 15 rotates around the rotation shaft 30a while holding the lid 4, and is accommodated in the accommodation space 20c. Accordingly, the various dimensions described above are set so as to enable this accommodation operation. Specifically, the height obtained by adding the dimension l2 and the dimension w2 and adding the L-shaped arm 16 and the door 15 before the rotation (when the door holds the lid, the end face of the highest member in these configurations and the L The distance L2 from the lowermost surface of the character arm 16 is set smaller than the dimension obtained by removing the thickness of the end wall portion 21b from the depth d1. Thereby, when the door 15 and the lid | cover 4 stop in an accommodation space, it can prevent that these structures protrude from the inside of the tunnel 20 to the micro space side.

Further, the dimension t1 + t2 obtained by adding the thickness t1 of the lid 4 and the thickness t2 of the door 15 is preferably set smaller than the dimension d2 which is also the depth of the accommodation space. Also, the dimension L1 is preferably set smaller than the dimension d2. Thereby, even if the pod 2 is moved to a position where the wafer insertion / removal operation is performed, the lid and the door do not affect the movement of the pod 2 at all. In the present embodiment, the L-shaped arm 16 is installed so as to be out of the movement range of the pod 2 from the viewpoint of keeping the collection space as small as possible, and the end wall portion 21b is also connected to the L-shaped arm 16. A notch 21c is provided to avoid contact. By adopting this configuration, the accommodation space is reduced, and the space in which the airflow stays in the space is reduced. In fact, when the door 15 rotates, there is a moment when a part of the door 15 or the lid 4 protrudes from the inside of the tunnel 20 to the minute space 25 side. However, the downflow is disturbed in a very short time. In this embodiment, only the positional relationship at the time of stopping is considered because the influence is small and the effect of preventing the dust from being wound or generated is larger when the accommodation space 20c is made smaller.

  In the present invention, a so-called mapping sensor is further provided for mapping the wafer in the pod to the pod and the lid opening / closing system for the pod described above. Hereinafter, FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C show a configuration in which mapping sensors are arranged in the same manner as FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C. Further, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, and the descriptions thereof are omitted. In the present embodiment, as described above, a pod that accommodates two wafers stacked in the upper and lower stages will be described as an example. In the present invention, as a basic idea, when the pod 2 stops at a predetermined position, detection light in a transmission type or reflection type optical sensor is introduced into the pod through the side wall of the pod, and the optical sensor The presence or absence of a wafer is confirmed. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7A, the pod 2 to which the present invention is applied is made of a member that can transmit the detection light to the side wall of the pod body 2a in accordance with the arrangement of sensors in an embodiment described later. The detection window 2c is arranged corresponding to a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit of a sensor which will be described later. The detection window 2c for guiding detection light from the light projecting part to the corresponding wafer 1 in the pod 2 is a first detection window, and the detection window 2c for guiding detection light from the pod 2 to the light receiving part is a second detection window. Acts as a window.

  In the form shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, a transmissive sensor is used. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a first sensor which is a mapping sensor including a first sensor light projecting unit 22a and a first sensor light receiving unit 22b is used for detecting the upper wafer 1 in the pod 2. In addition, a second sensor including a second sensor light projecting unit 24a and a second sensor light receiving unit 24b is provided for detecting the lower wafer 1. In this embodiment, the sensor light projecting portions 22 a and 24 a and the sensor light receiving portions 22 b and 24 b are respectively fixed to opposite side walls 21 d and 21 e in the tunnel member 21 that forms the tunnel 20. The sensor light projecting units 22a and 24a and the sensor light receiving units 22b and 24b are arranged so that the optical axes of the sensor light irradiated between them are obliquely intersected with the wafer to be detected. Specifically, in this embodiment, each of the first sensor 22 and the second sensor 24 is placed on the wafer 1 to be detected so that the wafer 1 is sandwiched in the thickness direction of the pod 2. Either one of the light part and the light receiving part is disposed above and the other is disposed below.

  More specifically, the first sensor light projecting portion 22 a is disposed above the extending surface of the upper wafer 1, and the detection light from the first sensor light projecting portion 22 a is directed toward the extending surface of the wafer 1. Irradiated obliquely downward. The corresponding first sensor light receiving portion 22b is present below the surface of the wafer 1 extending. When the wafer 1 does not exist, the detection light is received. When the wafer 1 exists, the detection light is received. It is arranged so that it cannot be received by being reflected by the wafer 1. Further, in the second sensor light projecting unit 24a and the second sensor light receiving unit 24b, the optical axis of the detection light between them is between the first sensor light projecting unit 22a and the first sensor light receiving unit 24b. It arrange | positions so that it may become parallel with the optical axis of detection light. Further, regarding the distance from the wall 11 of these configurations, the pod 2 exists in the wafer insertion / removal position (the positions shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C), and is an area where the wafer 1 is present inside the pod 2. The position inside the tunnel 20 is set as close to the wall 11 as possible. Further, the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion of these sensors are arranged so that the light projecting side end portion and the light receiving side end portion end (tunnel inner side end portion) of each member do not protrude into the tunnel 20. It is fixed with respect to 21e. In other words, the light projecting side end and the light receiving side end are arranged with respect to the tunnel member 21 so as to form the same plane or recess with respect to the inner wall surface on the tunnel 20 side.

  In this embodiment, the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are merely optical members for stabilizing the directivity of light, and are separated from the light projecting element that actually emits light and the light receiving element that receives the light itself. It arrange | positions and is each connected with these light projection elements and light receiving elements via the optical fiber not shown. With this configuration, it is possible to make the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion more compact, facilitating the arrangement of these configurations with respect to the side walls 21d and 21e, simplification of mounting, and further, the inside of the tunnel described later. The effect of facilitating the maintenance of clean latitude can be obtained. However, as long as the configuration of the tunnel member 21 is not significantly changed, the light projecting element and the light receiving element may be directly arranged in the arrangement of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit of the present embodiment. Thereby, there is a possibility that the merit of this embodiment cannot be enjoyed as it is, but there is an advantage that the stability at the time of light projection and light reception on the intensity of the sensor light is increased. In the present embodiment, the detection window 2c on the pod side is individually provided so as to correspond to each wafer 1. In the case of this configuration, the wall around the detection window 2c is effective in preventing unexpected light from entering the light receiving unit, but the structure is complicated and the inside of the tunnel such as dust accompanying the increase in the irregularities on the pod surface is obtained. There is also a demerit of increasing the possibility of bringing it into the city. Therefore, the detection window 2c is composed of two windows, a large first detection window and a second detection window, which can accommodate all the wafers 1 accommodated in the pod 2, thereby simplifying the structure. May be.

  As described above, by disposing the sensor light projecting unit and the light receiving unit for wafer mapping, when the wafer 1 is inserted into and removed from the pod 2, the robot actually performs the wafer 1 removal operation. The presence / absence of the wafer 1 can be confirmed before. Further, as described above, these sensors are arranged so as not to protrude into the tunnel 20 on the side walls 21 d and 21 e facing the tunnel member 21 constituting the tunnel 20. Therefore, the addition of these configurations does not cause a further configuration to protrude into the minute space 25, and ensures the certainty of movement of the pod 2. In addition, it is possible to obtain a mapping function simply by adding a sensor or the like to the side walls 21d and 21e of the tunnel member having a relatively large space, and the lid of the pod 2 can be opened and closed regardless of the addition of these sensors. It is possible to stack related structures in the thickness direction at a minimum necessary interval. In addition, a clean gas flow always exists from the micro space 25 that is a managed clean space toward the external space inside the tunnel 20. Accordingly, there is no possibility of contamination from the sensor to the minute space 25 side, and the sensor itself is also maintained in a clean environment, so that it is possible to prevent performance deterioration and false detection due to adhesion of so-called dust, dust, etc. .

  In the embodiment described above, the optical axes are set to be parallel to each other from the viewpoint of preventing the detection lights for individual wafers from interfering with each other. However, in this embodiment, for example, when the lower wafer is not present, the detection light emitted from the second sensor light projecting unit 24a is reflected by the wafer 1, and this reflected light is partially reflected by the state of the wafer 1 surface. May reach the first sensor light-receiving part 22b, resulting in erroneous detection. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show a configuration with the suppression of the possibility of such erroneous detection in mind. In addition, these drawings are the states which looked at the external space side opening part 20b from the micro space side opening part 20a in the same manner as FIG. 7C, and are a figure which shows only these opening parts and a sensor typically.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged so that the direction of the optical axis of the second sensor 24 is opposite to the optical axis of the first sensor 22. When the arrangement is adopted, the arrangement of the optical fiber wiring and the light projecting element and the light receiving element may be complicated with respect to the above-described embodiment. However, the possibility that reflected light from an unexpected region is incident on a desired light receiving portion is significantly lower than that in the above-described embodiment, and the effect of preventing erroneous detection is considered to be great. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the first sensor light projecting unit 22a is disposed below the upper wafer 1, and the first sensor light receiving unit 22b is disposed above the upper wafer. The sensor light projecting unit 24a and the second sensor light receiving unit 24b are arranged as described above. As a result, the first sensor light projecting unit 22a and the second sensor light projecting unit 24a are arranged close to each other, and conversely, the first sensor light receiving unit 22b and the second sensor light receiving unit 24b are separated from each other than the above configuration. Will be placed. In this arrangement, it is difficult to secure a space for installing the first sensor light projecting unit 22a and the second sensor light projecting unit 24a that are adjacent to each other. However, compared with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, the possibility that the reflected light from the unexpected region is incident on the desired light receiving portion is reduced, and it seems that the effect of preventing erroneous detection can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, the same light is used for the first sensor 22 and the second sensor 24 as the detection light. However, the wavelength of the detection light used by the first sensor 22 and the wavelength of the detection light used by the second sensor 24 in order to prevent the possibility that the reflected light from the unexpected region described above enters the desired light receiving unit. It is also effective to change According to this method, even when the detection light emitted from another light projecting unit is received, it is determined that the predetermined detection light is not actually received because the wavelength of the detection light is different. Is possible. It is also effective to change the projection frequency of the detection light. According to this method, it is possible to determine that the reflected light is from an unexpected region other than the detection light received at a predetermined period, and based on the determination, whether or not the appropriate detection light is received is determined. It becomes possible to judge. In the present embodiment, the light projecting end and the light receiving end of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are present in substantially the same plane as the inner wall of the tunnel member 21. However, for example, a recess may be provided in the side walls 21d and 21e, and the light projecting end and the light receiving end may be arranged at the bottom of the recess. In such a configuration, the peripheral wall of the recess serves as a so-called partition, and an effect of reducing the possibility that the reflected light from the unexpected region described above is incident on a desired light receiving unit can be obtained. That is, a partition plate that acts as a partition around the light projecting end and the light receiving end may be arranged to improve the directivity of the detection light.

  Further, although the use of a transmission type sensor has been described in the above embodiment, a reflection type sensor can also be used. FIG. 10 shows a case where a reflective sensor is used in the same manner as FIG. In the case of this configuration, since the region that reflects the detection light is only the end surface of the wafer 1, it is a practical problem whether or not the reflected light having a sufficient amount of light or having an appropriate direction can be stably obtained. There is a possibility. However, with this method, it is possible to reduce the number of detection windows 2c received by the pod 2 as well. Further, the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit can be disposed adjacent to each other, and can be easily applied even when the space for arranging these components is small.

  Next, the actual operation of the lid opening / closing mechanism having the above configuration will be described. The first sensor 22 and the second sensor 24 are assumed to be in the form shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C. First, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1D, the door 15 is in a state in which the tunnel 20 is substantially closed, and the pod 2 is placed on the movable plate 14 existing at the load position. After the pod 2 is placed at a predetermined position on the movable plate 14 by the action of the positioning pin 14a or the like, the movable plate 14 is advanced toward the door 15 by a drive mechanism (not shown). The movement of the movable plate 15 by the drive mechanism stops at a position where the lid 4 that closes the pod 2 comes into contact with the suction pad 15c. At this time, the positioning pin 15d is fitted into a positioning recess (not shown) provided in the lid 4, and the lid 4 and the door 15 are prevented from coming into contact with each other due to an abnormal arrangement. After the contact, the suction pad 15 performs suction holding of the lid 4 by an exhaust mechanism (not shown). This state is shown in FIG. 2A.

  When the lid 4 is held by the door 15 via the suction pad 15c, the movable plate 14 moves backward to a predetermined lid removal position with the pod 2 placed thereon. By this backward movement, the lid 4 held by the door 15 is separated from the opening 2 b of the pod 2. At the time of separation, the pod body 2a may be attached to the lid 4 by a seal member (not shown) or by a pressure difference between the inside of the pod 2 and its external space. For this reason, the pod body 2a is preferably fixed to the movable plate 14 by various configurations. In the present embodiment, the length of the positioning pin 14a is set to a certain level or more to resist the force acting on the pod body 2a from the lid 4 when the movable plate is retracted by the pin 14a. 3A and 3B show a state where the movable plate 14 is moved back to a predetermined position and thus the lid 4 is separated from the pod main body 2a and exists at the lid removal position.

  The door 15 is rotated by the door opening / closing mechanism 30 while the movable plate 14 remains in this stopped state. The rotation of the door 15 stops in the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, and the door 15 and the lid 4 are accommodated in the accommodation space 21. Subsequently, the movable plate 14 moves forward, and is stopped when the pod 2 reaches the wafer insertion / removal position as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. In this state, the first sensor 22 and the second sensor 24 are operated to perform a so-called mapping operation for detecting the presence or absence of the upper and lower wafers 1 in the pod 2. As a result of the operation, the presence of the wafer 1 is unloaded from the pod 2 and subjected to predetermined processing. In this state, the lid 4, the door 15, etc. enter the lower side of the pod 2 with the movable plate 14 interposed therebetween. For this reason, coupled with the effect of the downflow generated in the minute space 25, dust or the like adhering to the structure such as the lid cannot easily enter the pod 2. Further, the inside of the minute space is maintained at a higher pressure than the outer space by the generation of the downflow. Accordingly, a flow of airflow is always generated in the tunnel 20 from the minute space side to the outer space side, and the possibility that dust or the like adhering to the lid 4 or the like is directed to the opening 2b of the pod 2 is further reduced. The In the present invention, from the viewpoint of obtaining the effect, an appropriate distance between the inner wall of the tunnel 20 and the periphery of the door and the outer periphery of the pod (without excessively reducing the differential pressure between the minute space and the outer space). And an interval for generating an airflow flowing through the gap without causing an excessive flow velocity).

  Note that in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of separating the micro space 25 and the external space to some extent and limiting the area where these spaces communicate with each other, it is not possible to form an air flow linearly from the inside of the accommodation space 21 toward the external space. It has a configuration. However, for example, the front surface of the lid 4 facing the door 15 forms a minute gap with the contact member 15b in a region other than the region in contact with the suction pad 15c. If dust or the like is present in the gap, it is difficult to efficiently discharge these to the external space with the current configuration. When the management state of dust and the like in the external environment is not so high, it is considered that there is a high possibility that dust and the like will remain on the facing surface of the lid 4. Under such an environment, for example, a slit is provided at a position where this gap is projected onto the end wall portion 21b, and a gas flow path that is continuous with the minute space 25-the gap-slit is formed, so that the airflow flowing through the gap It is preferable to promote the discharge of dust and the like. Moreover, in the said embodiment, the wafer 1 which the pod 2 accommodates is made into two sheets, and the structure corresponding to this is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the number of sensors used for mapping is preferably increased or decreased according to the number of wafers 1 accommodated in the pod 2.

  By providing the lid opening / closing system configured as described above, when removing the lid of the pod from the pod body, the position where the lid and the mechanism for opening and closing the lid are avoided from the downflow, specifically, a minute space. It is possible to detect the presence or absence of a wafer or the like by arranging it at a position inside the tunnel that does not form a protruding portion, and to perform insertion and removal operations on the pod of the wafer or the like based on the detection result. Therefore, dust or the like is not blown off from the lid of the pod or the opening / closing mechanism of the lid by the downflow. In addition, other pods, lids, mapping sensors, and their drive mechanisms are also located in each tunnel, so that dust and other components from one lid can reattach to other lids and other components. The performance will also be reduced. Further, by using the minimum necessary space, it is possible to perform mapping accommodated in the pod without deteriorating the cleanliness of the load port having the basic configuration.

  Next, a substrate processing apparatus that actually uses the lid opening / closing system described above will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus (substrate processing apparatus) 40 corresponding to a so-called mini-environment system. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus 40 mainly includes a load port unit (FIMS system, lid opening / closing device) 10, a transfer chamber (microspace) 25, and a processing chamber 29. Each joint portion is separated and divided by a load port side wall 11 and a processing chamber side communication passage 28. In order to discharge dust in the transfer chamber 25 in the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus 40 and maintain high cleanliness, an air flow (down flow) is directed downward from above the transfer chamber 25 by a fan filter unit 33 provided on the upper portion thereof. Is generated. Further, the lower surface of the transfer chamber 25 is made of a mesh or the like, thereby forming a down-follow discharge path. With the above configuration, air in which dust or the like is controlled is always introduced into the transfer chamber 25, and dust or the like that is present in the chamber or is brought in from a pod or the like is always carried downward by the downflow, Will be discharged.

  On the load port unit 10, the pod 2 as a storage container for a silicon wafer or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) is installed on the mounting table 14. In the apparatus according to the present embodiment, three pods are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction, and two wafers 1 are held inside the pod 2. As described above, the inside of the transfer chamber 25 is kept highly clean in order to process the wafer 1, and a transfer robot 35 that can actually hold the wafer is provided as a transfer mechanism. It has been. The transfer robot 35 can move in the overlapping direction (vertical direction) of the pod 2, and the robot arm 35 a can be rotated 360 degrees around the same axis. By the robot 35, the wafer 1 is transferred between the inside of the pod 2 and the inside of the processing chamber 29. The processing chamber 29 normally includes various mechanisms for performing processing such as thin film formation and thin film processing on the wafer surface and the like, but these configurations are not directly related to the present invention. Description is omitted.

  As described above, the pod 2 has a space for accommodating the wafers 1 to be processed in two sheets therein, and has a box-shaped main body 2a having an opening on either side, and a lid for sealing the opening. 4 is provided. A shelf having a plurality of steps for stacking the wafers 1 in one direction is arranged inside the main body 2a, and each of the wafers 1 placed therein is accommodated in the pod 2 with a constant interval. In the example shown here, the tunnel member 21 has a plurality of (three systems) tunnels 20 inside, but the tunnel 20 described above is merely formed according to the arrangement of the movable plate 14. The details are the same as those described above. That is, the main configuration according to the present invention such as the tunnel 20 is described in the above embodiment, and the description and detailed illustration thereof are omitted from the viewpoint of facilitating understanding of the drawings.

  FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the lid opening / closing system 10 in FIG. In the conventional FIMS system corresponding to the pod that holds a large number of wafers, since the lid had to have a size larger than a certain extent, the door that removes the lid and closes the opening of the minute space is I had to move in the minute space and stop in that space. In the present invention, since the door has an elongated plate shape, the pod and the door can be moved relative to each other in an amount corresponding to the width of the lid, and the lid and the door are rotated outside the movement area of the pod. Thus, a state in which the wafer can be inserted and removed from the pod is obtained. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the door opening / closing mechanism can be disposed in a tunnel independent of the minute space 25.

  For example, when a robot is driven by a combination of three systems such as XYZ, if there are obstacles when driving in each direction and it is required to operate avoiding them, the robot operates safely. To achieve this, it is necessary to construct a fairly complicated safety circuit. In the present invention, there is no configuration that protrudes into the minute space 25 which is a problem in driving the robot in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Therefore, the safety circuit or the like is actually required only when the wafer insertion / removal operation is performed, and the circuit configuration becomes much easier. Further, since the configuration other than the robot 35 is not included in the minute space 25, the configuration that disturbs the downflow, in particular, the configuration that disturbs the downflow around the pod opening does not exist. Increases efficiency. Similarly, the possibility that dust is generated from the door or the like due to disturbance of the downflow is also reduced. In addition, according to the SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials international) standard in the semiconductor industry, it is recognized that protrusions are arranged around the opening for wafer insertion / removal on the inner wall on the minute space side of the wall constituting the minute space. Not. The present invention also conforms to the standard.

  In the above-described embodiment, the movable plate 14 is disposed on the mounting table 13, and the pod 2 is mounted on these. However, the application example of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and for example, the pod 2 may be suspended from above. This embodiment is shown in FIG. 13 in the same manner as FIG. When the pod 2 is transported by so-called automatic handling, the pod 2 is transported by using the upper flange 2c fixed to the upper surface of the pod 2 and suspending the flange. In this embodiment, the pod 2 conveyed by the suspension member 17 is held, and the pod 2 is transferred together with the suspension member 17 by the suspension member drive mechanism 19.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to eliminate the movable plate 14 in the above-described embodiment, and it is possible to eliminate the situation where the plate enters the tunnel 20 together with the pod 2. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the space required for the entry of the plate, which has been required for the accommodation space 20c. However, in the above-described embodiment, the pod body 2a can be held on the movable plate 14 with a strength that resists the force applied to the pod body 2a to some extent when the lid 4 is separated. In the case of the present embodiment, there is a possibility that the holding power of the pod main body 2a at the time of separation of the lid may be insufficient with mere suspension, and there is a possibility that construction for that purpose or addition of a further configuration is required. However, since this configuration can be used, the container support mechanism or the support mechanism according to the present invention should be interpreted as including such a configuration.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a lid opening / closing system that can perform wafer mapping simultaneously with opening and closing of a wafer accommodated in a thin pod and eliminates a configuration protruding into a minute space. In this system, since there is no configuration that protrudes toward the pod loading side, it is possible to make maximum use of the effect of the downflow formed in the minute space. Concerning transfer robots used for wafer insertion / removal operations, there is no structure in the micro space that the robot should avoid when moving in the Z axis, which requires high-speed movement. It becomes easy to move at high speed. Further, by separating the pod openings by the tunnels, it is possible to reduce the possibility that dust or the like brought in by each pod or generated from the pod enters another pod. In addition, when an actual wafer is inserted and removed, the lid, the door, and the driving mechanism thereof are arranged below the lower surface of the pod and covered with the lower surface, so that dust or the like based on these configurations enters the pod. The possibility can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment and examples, FOUP and FIMS are described, but application examples of the present invention are not limited to these. The lid opening and closing device according to the present invention is applied to a front open type container that accommodates a plurality of objects to be held therein and a system that opens and closes the lid of the container and inserts and removes the objects to be held from the container. Is possible.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the state which looked at the principal part of the lid | cover opening / closing system which is a premise of this invention, and the pod mounted in the said system from the side surface side. It is a figure which shows the schematic structure which cut | disconnects the structure shown to FIG. 1A in the surface shown to the line 1B-1B in the figure. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the state which looked at the structure shown to FIG. 1A from the arrow 1C direction in the figure. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the state which looked at the structure shown to FIG. 1A from the arrow 1D direction in the figure. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1A, the pod 2 is driven and the lid 4 is in contact with and held by the door 15 in a manner similar to FIG. 1A. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1A, the pod 2 is once retracted and the lid 4 is separated from the pod body 2a in the same manner as in FIG. 1A. It is a figure which shows schematic structure which cut | disconnects the structure shown to FIG. 3A in the surface shown to the line 3B-3B in the same figure. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1A, the door 15 rotates and the lid 4 and the door 15 are accommodated in the accommodation space 20c in the same manner as in FIG. 1A. It is a figure which shows schematic structure which cut | disconnects the structure shown to FIG. 4A in the surface shown to the line 4B-4B in the figure. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the pod 2 has moved to the insertion / removal position of the wafer 1 and the insertion / removal operation can be executed in the configuration shown in FIG. 1A in the same manner as FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic structure which cut | disconnects the structure shown to FIG. 5A in the surface shown to the line 5B-5B in the figure. It is the state which looked at the composition shown in Drawing 5A from the direction of arrow 5C in the figure, and is a figure showing other schematic composition except a lid and a pod main part. FIG. 4 shows the definition of individual dimensions for one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention in which a wafer mapping sensor is arranged in the configuration shown in FIG. 1A, where the pod 2 has moved to the insertion / removal position of the wafer 1 and the insertion / removal operation can be executed. It is a figure which shows this in the format similar to FIG. 5A. It is a figure which shows schematic structure which cut | disconnects the structure shown to FIG. 7A in the surface shown by the line 7B-7B in the figure. It is the state which looked at the composition shown in Drawing 7A from the direction of arrow 7C in the figure, and is a figure showing other schematic composition except a lid and a pod main part. FIG. 7D shows another embodiment of the present invention in the same manner as FIG. 7C. FIG. 7D shows another embodiment of the present invention in the same manner as FIG. 7C. FIG. 7D shows another embodiment of the present invention in the same manner as FIG. 7C. It is a figure which shows typically schematic structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which expands and shows the principal part of this invention in the structure shown in FIG. FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the present invention in the same manner as FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1: Wafer, 2: Pod, 4: Lid, 10: Lid opening / closing system, 13: Mounting table, 14: Movable plate, 15: Door, 17: Suspension member, 18: Suspension member drive mechanism, 20: Tunnel, 21: Tunnel member, 22: first sensor, 24: second sensor, 25: minute space, 28: communication path, 29: processing chamber, 30: door opening / closing mechanism, 33: fan filter unit, 35: transfer robot, 40 : Substrate processing equipment

Claims (8)

A storage container comprising: a box-shaped main body capable of accommodating an object to be contained therein and having an opening on one side; and a lid which is separable from the main body and which closes the opening and forms a sealed space together with the main body. An opening and closing system for the lid that enables the insertion and removal of the object to be accommodated by opening the opening by removing the lid from
A storage container support mechanism that supports the storage container and is capable of moving the storage container in a predetermined direction;
A micro space that is separated from the external space and in which dust is managed and a mechanism for transporting the object to be stored is stored;
The storage container support mechanism has an external space side opening which is an opening on the side of the external space that opens toward a position where the storage container is loaded, and communicates with the micro space and opens to the micro space side. A tunnel having a minute space side opening,
A holding mechanism that holds the lid in contact with the lid, and is disposed within the tunnel and is rotatable about a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction and parallel to an extending surface of the object to be stored; A door that is relatively movable along the predetermined direction with respect to the storage container that is moved by the storage container support mechanism in a posture to close the tunnel perpendicular to the extending direction of the tunnel; Have
The tunnel is configured such that when the door moves relative to the storage container and the lid is separated from the storage container, an opening of the storage container can be positioned in the tunnel, and the door When holding the lid and rotating around the rotation axis, the storage container has a size including an accommodation space that can accommodate the door and the lid without hindering movement of the accommodation container in the predetermined direction,
The tunnel includes a mapping sensor configured to detect the presence or absence of the object to be stored, which includes a light projecting unit that irradiates detection light to the object held in the container and a light receiving unit that receives the detection light. And
The door is connected to each of the main body portions on both sides of the contact member, a flat plate-shaped contact member that contacts the lid, a main body portion that holds the contact member in a central portion in the longitudinal direction, and A pair of L-shaped arms that rotatably support the door about the rotation axis,
The main body portion has a longitudinal length shorter than a longitudinal length of the minute space side opening and a short length shorter than a short length of the outer space side opening, and the main body is the contact member. Having a pair of slits extending in the lateral direction on both sides of the main body, so that the upper side and the lower side of the main body and the both sides of the main body are combined, and the minute space side around the door An opening / closing system for the lid, wherein a gas flow path extending from the opening to the opening on the external space side is formed . The light projecting unit and the light receiving unit correspond to the arrangement of the object to be stored inside the container in a state where the container is disposed at a position where the container is inserted into and removed from the container. The lid opening / closing system according to claim 1 , wherein the lid opening / closing system is arranged. There are a plurality of the objects to be accommodated, the mapping sensors are arranged according to the objects to be accommodated, and the mapping sensors are different in at least one of a wavelength region and an irradiation frequency in which the detection light used by each of the mapping sensors is present. The lid opening / closing system according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that The light projecting side end of the detection light of the light projecting unit and the light receiving side end of the detection light of the light receiving unit are arranged so as to form the same surface as the inner wall of the tunnel or a recess from the inner wall of the tunnel. The lid opening / closing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . A to-be-contained object insertion / removal system for inserting / removing the to-be-contained object with respect to the inside of the container using the lid opening / closing system,
The lid opening / closing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
And containing the container,
The storage container includes a first detection window capable of transmitting the detection light that allows the detection light emitted from the light projecting unit to reach the corresponding object, and the inside of the storage container. A contained object insertion / removal system comprising a second detection window that allows the detection light to pass through the detection light. 6. The to-be-contained object insertion / removal system according to claim 5 , wherein the first detection window and the second detection window are individually arranged in accordance with each to-be-contained object. A storage container comprising: a box-shaped main body capable of accommodating an object to be contained therein and having an opening on one side; and a lid which is separable from the main body and which closes the opening and forms a sealed space together with the main body. The opening is opened by removing the lid from the container so that the object can be inserted / removed. The object is inserted into / removed from the container, and the object is placed outside the container. A method for treating an object to be treated,
A minute space in which dust is controlled,
A transporting mechanism of the object to be disposed in the minute space;
A door capable of closing the opening provided in the minute space and holding the lid;
Using a lid opening / closing system having a support mechanism that supports the container and drives the container in a predetermined direction to hold the lid on the door;
The support container is supported by a support mechanism, and the storage container is fixed to the support mechanism.
Driving the support mechanism to bring the lid into contact with the door and holding the lid on the door;
The support mechanism and the door are relatively driven in the predetermined direction to separate the storage container and the lid,
Rotating the lid and door around an axis perpendicular to the predetermined direction and included in the extending surface of the object to be retracted from the drive region of the container,
The step of driving the container in the predetermined direction and disposing the container in the insertion / removal position;
The storage container when the cover is separated from the storage container, the cover and the door after the rotation, and the storage container at the insertion / removal position of the object to be stored are in contact with the minute space and the support mechanism. Located inside the tunnel connecting the space for performing the operation of supporting the container to be accommodated,
At the insertion / removal position of the object to be stored, the detection light reaching the object to be stored is irradiated through a first detection window that can transmit predetermined detection light provided in the container, Determining the presence or absence of the object in the container by the presence or absence of the detection light passing through the object through a second detection window capable of transmitting the predetermined detection light provided ;
The door extends in the short side direction on both sides of the gas flow path formed on the upper side and the lower side extending in the longitudinal direction of the front and upper sides with the inner wall of the tunnel in a state where the opening is closed. Through the pair of slits, an air flow directed from the periphery of the door to the external space is generated by a differential pressure between the minute space and the external space,
The determination of the presence / absence of the container to be stored is performed in a state where the airflow is generated . A storage container comprising: a box-shaped main body capable of accommodating an object to be contained therein and having an opening on one side; and a lid which is separable from the main body and which closes the opening and forms a sealed space together with the main body. The opening is opened by removing the lid from the container so that the object can be inserted / removed. The object is inserted into / removed from the container, and the object is placed outside the container. A method for treating an object to be treated,
A minute space in which dust is controlled,
A transporting mechanism of the object to be disposed in the minute space;
A door capable of closing the opening provided in the minute space and holding the lid;
Using a lid opening / closing system having a support mechanism that supports the storage container, drives the storage container in a predetermined direction, and holds the lid on the door;
The support container is supported by a support mechanism, and the storage container is fixed to the support mechanism.
Driving the support mechanism to bring the lid into contact with the door and holding the lid on the door;
The support mechanism and the door are relatively driven in the predetermined direction to separate the container and the lid,
Rotating the lid and door around an axis perpendicular to the predetermined direction and included in the extending surface of the object to be retracted from the drive region of the container,
The step of driving the container in the predetermined direction and disposing the container in the insertion / removal position;
The storage container when the cover is separated from the storage container, the cover and the door after the rotation, and the storage container at the insertion / removal position of the object to be stored are in contact with the minute space and the support mechanism. Located inside the tunnel connecting the space for performing the operation of supporting the container to be accommodated,
At the insertion / removal position of the object to be stored, the detection light reaching the object to be stored is irradiated through a first detection window that can transmit predetermined detection light provided in the container, Determining the presence or absence of the object in the container by the presence or absence of the detection light passing through the object through a second detection window capable of transmitting the predetermined detection light provided;
A gap is maintained between the outer periphery of the container and the inner wall of the tunnel in a state where the lid is separated, and the gap is separated from the minute space by a differential pressure between the minute space and the outer space. An air flow toward the external space is generated,
The determination of the presence / absence of the container to be stored is performed in a state where the airflow is generated.

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