JP5435577B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container that stores precision substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass wafers, mask glasses, etc., and is used for transportation, transportation, and storage, and in particular, substrate storage provided with a retainer mechanism that holds each precision substrate. Concerning the container.

  Standardized substrate storage containers for performing various types of processing and processing on precision substrates in a local clean environment are those having an opening on the front side and a structure having an opening on the bottom. Among these, the latter substrate storage container is composed of a bottom plate on which a cassette for storing one or a plurality of precision substrates in a horizontal state is stored, and a cylindrical body having an opening at the bottom, and the cassette is covered. It is comprised from the shell which can be engaged with a bottom plate so that sealing is possible.

  As such a substrate storage container, one in which a movable retainer mechanism is attached to an inner wall of a shell is known (see Patent Document 1). When the bottom plate is engaged with the shell, the retainer (substrate pressing tool) of the retainer mechanism comes into contact with the peripheral portion of each precision substrate in the cassette and holds each substrate. Such a retainer mechanism can prevent rotation, damage, or breakage of each substrate when the substrate storage container is transported.

  The precision substrate storage container in which each substrate is held in this way is transported to a number of processing devices arranged in a locally clean environment, for example, in the production process of semiconductor components, and various processing is performed by these processing devices. And processing is repeated.

Japanese Patent No. 3948047

    The retainer mechanism provided in the precision substrate storage container includes, for example, a retainer (substrate presser) supported by a shaft engaged with a guide groove of a hook fixed to the inner wall of the shell, as shown in Patent Document 1. It is prepared for. The guide groove is formed, for example, in a bent shape extending at an angle (acute angle) upward with respect to the inner wall of the shell and further extending in parallel to the inner wall of the shell.

  The retainer comes close to the inner wall of the shell when it is at its lowermost position, moves to each substrate side in the cassette when it is at its uppermost position, contacts each substrate, and holds each substrate. ing. Further, the retainer is arranged at the lowermost position by its own weight, and when the bottom plate is engaged with the shell, the retainer is arranged at the uppermost position by pressing from the bottom plate.

  However, since the above-described retainer mechanism is configured such that the shaft attached to the retainer can move with the guide groove of the hook as a guide, the shaft and the guide groove may be rubbed due to repeated use of the retainer mechanism. It came to.

  Also, when removing the bottom plate from the shell, the retainer is placed at the lowermost position due to its own weight, so the shaft is caught at the bent part of the guide groove, and the retainer does not return to the normal position and stops. The inconvenience that will occur.

  In addition, the conventional substrate storage container is normally used in an environment of atmospheric pressure, but in a processing step of a precision substrate such as plasma CVD, processing may be performed in a vacuum state. In this case, since the substrate storage container is deformed when it is brought into a vacuum state, an apparatus for returning the substrate from the vacuum state to the atmospheric pressure state is necessary, and it takes a long processing time. Therefore, there has been a demand for a substrate storage container that can be directly accessed and used in both vacuum and atmospheric pressure processing apparatuses.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when the bottom plate is attached to the shell, or when the bottom plate is removed from the shell, reliable operation can be achieved, and it can stop halfway. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate storage container having no retainer mechanism.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate storage container having a pressure resistance that can be directly accessed and used in a processing apparatus that performs processing and processing in a vacuum state.

The present invention can be grasped by the following configuration.
(1) A substrate storage container according to the present invention includes a bottom plate, a cassette placed on the bottom plate and arranged in parallel, a shell that covers the cassette and engages the bottom plate, A retainer mechanism attached to an inner wall, and the retainer mechanism includes a slide part and a retainer arranged in contact with each other at an inclined surface, and the slide part can move in a direction away from the bottom plate. The retainer is configured to receive a force from the inclined surface and move in a direction close to the cassette, and the retainer is configured to hold the substrates in contact with the substrates disposed in the cassette. It comprises a part.

(2) In the substrate storage container of the present invention, in (1), when the shell is engaged with the bottom plate, the bottom plate is formed with a convex portion at a position where it abuts on the slide part, The slide part is moved in a direction away from the bottom plate by pressing from the convex portion.

(3) The substrate storage container of the present invention is characterized in that, in (1), the retainer mechanism includes a frame, and the movement of the slide part and the movement of the retainer are guided by the frame. To do.
(4) The substrate storage container of the present invention is characterized in that, in (1), the slide part is disposed on the shell side, and the retainer is disposed on the cassette side.
(5) In the substrate storage container of the present invention, in (4), the retainer is urged toward the shell by an elastic member.
(6) In the substrate storage container of the present invention, in any one of (1) to (4), the precision substrate storage container has a maximum deformation amount of 1 mm or less when changed from an atmospheric pressure environment to a vacuum environment. It is characterized by that.

According to the substrate storage container of the present invention, when the bottom plate is attached to the shell, or when the bottom plate is removed from the shell, a reliable drive can be achieved and a retainer mechanism that does not stop halfway is provided. Can be obtained.

  In addition, according to the substrate storage container of the present invention, it is possible to obtain one having a pressure resistance that can be directly accessed and used in a processing apparatus that performs processing or processing in a vacuum state.

It is an expansion | deployment perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the substrate storage container of this invention. It is a front view which shows the retainer mechanism with which the board | substrate storage container of this invention is equipped. It is a side view which shows the state before mounting | wearing of the shell with respect to a bottom plate in one Embodiment of the substrate storage container of this invention. (A) is the side view of the retainer mechanism with which the board | substrate storage container of this invention is equipped, (b) It is sectional drawing which took the cross section in the surface parallel to a side surface to the retainer mechanism shown to (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the state which started mounting | wearing with the shell with respect to the bottom plate (before engagement) in one Embodiment of the substrate storage container of this invention. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed a part of bottom plate of the board | substrate storage container shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which mounted | wore (after engagement) with respect to the bottom plate in one Embodiment of the substrate storage container of this invention. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed a part of bottom plate of the board | substrate storage container shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the retainer mechanism of the substrate storage container in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the substrate storage container of the present invention from the bottom plate side. It is the perspective view which showed the state which removed the cover plate from the structure shown in FIG. It is simplified explanatory drawing which shows the usage condition of the board | substrate storage container of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same number is assigned to the same element throughout the description of the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a substrate storage container of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate storage container generally has a disk-shaped bottom plate 3 and a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer mounted on the bottom plate 3 arranged in parallel from the mounting surface side to the upper side. And a substantially cylindrical shell 1 that covers the cassette 2 and is engaged with the bottom plate 3, and a movable retainer mechanism 4 that is attached to a part of the inner wall of the shell 1.

  The shell 1 has an opening at one end on the bottom plate 3 side and has a cylindrical shape with the other end closed. The shell 1 also includes a flange 5 that extends in the radial direction from the outer periphery of the shell 1 at the opening end on the bottom plate 3 side. Around this flange 5, for example, four locking holes 6 for engaging with the bottom plate 3 are provided at equal intervals. A robotic flange 7 for transfer is attached to the top surface 1A of the shell 1, and a handle 8 for manually transferring the substrate storage container is attached to a part of the peripheral side surface 1B.

  When the bottom plate 3 is engaged with the shell 1, the retainer mechanism 4 functions to arrange the substrates arranged in parallel in the cassette 2 at a fixed position and prevent the substrates from rotating. To do.

  Here, prior to the description of the retainer mechanism 4, the configuration of the cassette 2 will be briefly described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the shell 1 starts to be attached to the bottom plate 3 (before engagement) in the substrate storage container. As shown in FIG. 5, the cassette 2 includes a circular lower end plate 26 and an upper end plate 27 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and a pair of opposingly arranged in the periphery between the lower end plate 26 and the upper end plate 27. It is comprised from the side wall board 28. FIG. The inner side surfaces of the side wall plates 28 have storage grooves 29 arranged side by side in the vertical direction. By positioning a part of the periphery of the substrate such as a semiconductor wafer in the storage grooves 29, a plurality of substrates can be vertically moved. It can be arranged side by side in the direction.

  As described above, each substrate disposed in the cassette 2 is supported by the storage groove 29 of the pair of side wall plates 28. For this reason, each substrate may not be in a fixed position yet, and can be rotated. Therefore, by contacting and holding a part of the periphery of each substrate by the retainer (substrate pressing tool) of the retainer mechanism 4, each substrate can be arranged at a fixed position and can be prevented from rotating. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 2, which is a front view of the retainer mechanism 4, generally, a frame body 9 fixed to the inner wall of the shell 1, a slide part 10 that is held by the frame body 9 and is movable in the vertical direction, The retainer 11 is held by the frame body 9 and moves in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the slide part 10. In this case, when the slide part 10 is moved upward, the retainer 11 is moved in a direction close to the cassette 2, and when the slide part 10 is moved downward, the retainer 11 is moved away from the cassette 2. It has become. As shown in FIG. 2, a long hole 12 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the front surface of the frame body 9, and a plurality of substrate holding portions 17 attached to the retainer 11 are exposed from the long hole 12. It is like that. The respective substrate holding portions 17 are arranged in the vertical direction, and their height corresponds to the height of each substrate disposed in the cassette 2. That is, each substrate holding portion 17 is configured to contact and hold the periphery of the corresponding substrate when moved in the direction of approaching the cassette 2 together with the retainer 11. For this reason, each board | substrate holding | maintenance part 17 becomes a structure by which V groove | channel 17A was formed in the surface at the side of a board | substrate, as shown, for example in FIG. 4b. FIG. 4B is a view in which the retainer mechanism 4 is cut in a plane parallel to the side surface.

  FIG. 4 a is a view of the retainer mechanism 4 as viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 4a, the slide part 10 is adapted to be guided to move in the vertical direction in the figure by fitting its tab 18A into a groove 14 formed in the frame body 9. Similarly, the retainer 11 is configured such that its tab 18B is fitted into a groove 13 formed in the frame body 9, whereby the horizontal movement in the figure is guided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the retainer 11 includes a plurality of elastic members 16 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction in the drawing so as to connect a frame-like column portion 15 and an opposing portion of the column portion 15. And a substrate holding part 17 provided in the center of the elastic member 16. Here, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the retainer mechanism 4 in a state where the shell 1 is attached (after engagement) to the bottom plate 3 in the substrate storage container. In FIG. 9, the substrate holding portion 17 is formed with the above-described V-groove 17 </ b> A, and contacts and holds each substrate in the cassette 2 by the movement of the retainer 11 toward the cassette 2. Further, an inclined surface 20 is formed on the back side of the support column 15 opposite to the substrate holding portion 17 so that the distance from the substrate holding portion 17 increases from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing. For example, two inclined surfaces 20 are provided in the vertical direction. The inclined surface 20 of the retainer 11 is provided so as to correspond to an inclined surface 22 provided on the slide part 10 to be described later, and contacts the inclined surface 22 even when the slide part 10 moves in the vertical direction. The state is maintained.

  In addition, the retainer 11 is provided so that the elastic member 21 which consists of a compression spring, a leaf | plate spring, etc. may be pinched | interposed between the frames 9. Thereby, when the load from the outside is not applied, the retainer 11 is always in a state of being biased so as to be inside the frame body 9 (slide part 10 side) and not to protrude outside (cassette 2 side). .

  As described above, the slide part 10 is supported by the tabs 18 </ b> A formed on the slide part 10 so as to be guided by the grooves 14 formed in the frame body 9 and movable in the vertical direction. An inclined surface 22 is formed on the surface of the slide part 10 facing the retainer 11 such that the distance from the inner wall of the shell 1 decreases from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing. The inclined surface 22 is provided corresponding to the inclined surface 20 of the retainer 11, and two inclined surfaces 22 are provided in the vertical direction. The inclination angle of the inclined surface 22 of the slide part 10 is the same as that of the inclined surface 20 of the retainer 11. In addition, the inclined surface 22 of the slide part 10 maintains a state where it contacts the inclined surface 20 even when the slide part 10 moves in the vertical direction.

  Thereby, when the slide part 10 moves upward in the figure, the inclined surface 22 of the slide part 10 pushes the inclined surface 20 of the retainer 11, and the retainer 11 moves (moves horizontally) to the cassette 2 side. become. In addition, when the slide part 10 moves downward in the figure, a gap is formed between the inclined surface 20 of the retainer 11 and the inclined surface 22 of the slide part 10, but the retainer 11 is formed by the elastic member 21 described above. It moves to fill the gap. As a result, the retainer 11 moves away from the cassette 2, and the substrate holding part 17 is released from contact and holding with each substrate in the cassette 2.

  Next, the operation of the retainer mechanism 4 configured as described above will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 a, and 4 b, in a state where the shell 1 is separated from the bottom plate 3, the slide part 10 is disposed at the lowest position with respect to the frame body 9. Therefore, as apparent from FIG. 4 a, the tab 18 </ b> A of the slide part 10 is located at the lower end of the groove 14 of the frame body 9.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which the shell 1 is started to be attached to the bottom plate 3 of the substrate storage container. FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of the bottom plate 3 at this time. 5 and 6 are views showing a state where the shell 1 and the bottom plate 3 are not yet engaged. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottom plate 3 is provided with a convex portion 24, and this convex portion 24 is provided at the lower end portion 23 of the slide part 10 of the retainer mechanism 4 when the shell 1 is started to be attached. It is formed in the position which contacts. At this stage, the slide part 10 is only in contact with the convex part 24 at the lower end 23 and has not yet moved.

  FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state where the shell 1 is completely attached (after engagement) to the bottom plate 3 of the substrate storage container. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of the bottom plate 3 at this time. 7 and 8 show that the slide part 10 receives a pressure from the convex portion 24 at the lower end portion 23 and moves upward in the figure.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the retainer mechanism 4 at this time. As shown in FIG. 9, the retainer 11 receives pressure from the inclined surface 22 of the slide part 10 on the inclined surface 20 by the slide part 10 moved in the upward direction in the drawing, thereby moving horizontally to the cassette 2 side. It becomes like this. As described above, the substrate holding unit 17 comes into contact with the periphery of each substrate in the cassette 2 and holds each substrate.

  The retainer 11 is made of, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, polyether ether ketone, polypropylene, or polyethylene, or a thermoplastic elastomer such as polyester, polyolefin, or polystyrene.

  The retainer mechanism 4 configured as described above has a simple structure without using a complicated cam groove, and simply includes members (the slide part 10 and the retainer 11) that move in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. ing. For this reason, the retainer 11 can be moved reliably, and if the external force is removed, the retainer 11 is always urged away from the substrate. Therefore, the inconvenience that the retainer 11 stops halfway, the opening / closing operation of the bottom plate 3 is interrupted, and each substrate is damaged can be solved.

  Next, another configuration of the substrate storage container to which such a retainer mechanism 4 is attached will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the other end of the shell 1 that is closed has a top surface 1A, and the top surface 1A is a dome-shaped curved surface. ing. That is, the top surface 1A is configured to be curved so as to have a convex surface outward. In this case, the periphery of the top surface 1A is configured to be connected to the upper end of the peripheral side surface 1B of the shell 1, and an R-processed corner portion that is convex outward is formed at this connection portion. The purpose is to minimize the portion of the surface of the shell 1 that is flat throughout the entire surface. Therefore, an R-processed corner portion that forms a convex surface on the inner side is also formed at the connection portion between the peripheral side surface 1B of the shell 1 and the surface of the flange 5.

  The curved surface and the corner portion are formed on the surface of the shell 1 in this way, because the pressure applied to the shell 1 when the inside of the substrate storage container is depressurized is a top surface 1A constituted by the curved surface. This is because the strength of the shell 1 can be improved by dispersing along the same. In this case, the deformation of the shell 1 can be designed to a maximum of 1 mm or less even when the inside of the substrate storage container is in a vacuum environment. Since the maximum deformation of the substrate storage container can be 1 mm or less, the substrate storage container can be used without being fatigued even if it is repeatedly used.

  The shell 1 configured as described above is made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel, and the like, and the thickness thereof is formed, for example, approximately equally on the top surface 1A, the peripheral side surface 1B, and the flange 5. ing.

  As described above, the cassette 2 includes the lower end plate 26 and the upper end plate 27 that are arranged in the vertical direction, and the pair of side wall plates 28 that are disposed opposite to each other between the lower end plate 26 and the upper end plate 27. Has been. A storage groove 29 is provided on the inner surface of the side wall plates 28. By positioning a part of the periphery of the substrate in the storage groove 29, a plurality of substrates can be arranged side by side in the vertical direction. ing.

  The cassette 2 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyether ether ketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, liquid crystal polymer, cycloolefin polymer, or the like. In this case, carbon fibers, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, or the like may be added to these resins to impart conductivity. Of the above-described resins, by using a liquid crystal polymer or polyether ether ketone, generation of moisture and outgas under vacuum can be reduced, and the substrate storage container of the present invention can be suitably configured.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom plate 3 includes a bottom plate body 30 disposed on the shell 1 side and a cover plate 31 disposed on the opposite side of the shell 1 with respect to the bottom plate body 30. It is configured. Between the bottom plate main body 30 and the cover plate 31, there are provided a locking mechanism for engaging the bottom plate 3 and the shell 1, and a positioning mechanism for positioning the substrate storage container by a processing device (not shown). Yes. The locking mechanism and positioning mechanism will be described in detail later. A ring-shaped seal gasket 33 is provided around the bottom plate 3 and on the contact surface with the flange 5 of the shell 1. This is to maintain the airtightness inside the substrate storage container.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom plate main body 30 is formed with a concave portion 43 that is curved so that the central portion except the periphery thereof has a convex surface on the opposite side to the shell 1. The bottom plate body 30 has such a shape because the pressure applied to the bottom plate body 30 is dispersed along the curved surface when the inside of the substrate storage container is decompressed, so that the strength of the bottom plate body 30 is increased. This is because it can be improved. In this case, even if the inside of the substrate storage container is in a vacuum environment, the deformation of the bottom plate 3 can be designed to be 3 mm or less, preferably 1 mm or less at maximum. As a result, the deformation of the substrate storage container can be reduced to 3 mm or less, so that it can be used without impairing the sealing performance of the container. Further, since the deformation of the substrate storage container can be reduced to 1 mm or less, the substrate storage container can be used without being fatigued even if it is repeatedly used.

  The cover plate 31 is attached to the bottom plate main body 30 through, for example, a screwing member. As described above, a locking mechanism and a positioning mechanism are provided between the bottom plate body 30 and the cover plate 31. For this reason, the cover plate 31 is formed with a plurality of through-holes as shown in FIG. 10 viewed from the bottom side of the substrate storage container, of which three rectangular holes are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A positioning member 39 of the positioning mechanism is exposed in the hole 34, and an operated portion 36 of the locking mechanism is also provided in the four oval holes 35 provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. It is supposed to be exposed.

  The bottom plate 32 configured as described above is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy, or stainless steel.

  As shown in FIG. 11 with the cover plate removed from the configuration shown in FIG. 10, the locking mechanism includes a ring-shaped elastic member 37 concentrically attached to the bottom plate body 30, and a circular shape on the elastic member 37. It comprises four locking pieces 38 fixed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each locking piece 38 protrudes in the radial direction by the elasticity of the elastic member 37 and is fitted into the locking hole 6 provided in the flange 5 of the shell 1. The elastic member 37 is fixed to the bottom plate main body 30 at a substantially intermediate position between the adjacent locking pieces 38 (a fixing portion is indicated by reference numeral 32). Each locking piece 38 is unlocked from the locking hole 6 due to the elastic deformation of the elastic member 37 when a force in the center direction is applied. When the force applied to each locking piece 38 is removed, the locking piece 38 is returned to a fixed position by the reaction force of the elastic piece 37 and locked again. Each locking piece 38 is provided with an operated portion 36, and the locking piece 38 can be operated through the hole 35 of the cover plate 31 from which the operated portion 36 is exposed. The operated portion 36 can be configured as, for example, a recess, a hole, or a protrusion.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the positioning mechanism, three positioning members 39 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and V-grooves 40 extending in the radial direction are formed on the upper surfaces thereof. The mounting table of the processing apparatus (not shown) is provided with a positioning pin that can be fitted into the V groove 40 of the positioning member 39. When the substrate storage container is mounted on the processing apparatus, the positioning member 39 and the positioning pin By achieving the fitting, the positioning between the substrate storage container and the processing apparatus is uniquely performed. The positioning pin of the processing device is fitted into the positioning member 39 through the hole 34 formed in the cover plate 32.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing an example of a usage mode of the substrate storage container of the present invention. In FIG. 12, there is a vacuum processing chamber (for example, a plasma CVD processing chamber) 45 in which a substrate 44 such as a semiconductor wafer is processed. The substrate 44 processed in the vacuum processing chamber 45 is transferred to the load lock chamber 46. The load lock chamber 46 is not provided with a mechanism for adjusting pressure reduction as in the prior art, and is configured as a chamber in a vacuum environment. Next, the substrate 44 is transported to the cassette placement chamber 47 and arranged in parallel in the cassette (substrate storage cassette) 2. The cassette placement chamber 47 is configured as a chamber in a vacuum environment. The cassette 2 on which the substrates 44 are arranged is stored in a substrate storage container in a vacuum environment of the cassette placement chamber 47, for example. After that, the substrate storage container (indicated by reference numeral 48 in the figure) in which the cassette 2 is stored is moved to an environment under atmospheric pressure in which transfer means is provided, and a vacuum processing chamber (not shown) in the next process is transferred by the transfer means. Are to be transported to.

  In the substrate processing step configured as described above, it is no longer necessary to provide an atmospheric pressure chamber between the load lock chamber and the transfer means under atmospheric pressure as in the prior art. There is an effect that it is not necessary to provide a pressure reducing adjustment mechanism.

  Further, the substrate immediately after the above processing is completed is stored in the substrate storage container and is not exposed to atmospheric pressure for a while, so that the processed state can be maintained. It is possible to avoid the deterioration due to oxidation or the like.

  As described above, the thus configured substrate storage container can increase the strength of the container by dispersing the applied pressure along the surface of the container. Therefore, deformation can be avoided even under a reduced pressure environment, and the stored substrate can be reliably stored.

  The material of the shell 1 and the bottom plate 3 in the above embodiment is made of a metal material such as aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, stainless steel, etc., and the surface of these metal materials is, for example, polyetheretherketone resin or fluorine resin. , Coated with a conductive polymer such as epoxy resin, polythiophene or polypyrrole. Further, diamond-like coating or ceramic coating may be applied. Also in this case, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In addition, it is extremely effective to apply such a surface treatment to the metal material in order to prevent the housed substrate from being contaminated by metal ions. Furthermore, as another modification of such an embodiment, a shell or a bottom plate made of a metal material can be used as a core material, and a thermoplastic resin layer can be formed on the surface of the metal material by insert molding.

  Furthermore, the material of the shell 1 and the bottom plate 3 is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, a titanium alloy, stainless steel, or the like. However, it is not limited to this, For example, you may make it comprise using a synthetic resin. In this case, the Young's modulus of the synthetic resin is desirably 10 GPa or more. By using such a synthetic resin, the deformation of the shell 1 and the bottom plate 3 can be designed to be 3 mm or less even when the inside of the substrate storage container is reduced in pressure to be close to a vacuum. As described above, since the deformation of the substrate storage container can be 3 mm or less at maximum, it can be used without impairing the sealing performance of the container.

  Incidentally, in the case of an aluminum alloy (ADC12), it has been confirmed that the Young's modulus is 73 GPa and the maximum deformation amount is 0.9 mm. In the case of so-called PEEK + carbon filler, it has been confirmed that the Young's modulus is 13 GPa and the maximum deformation amount is 2.5 mm. Further, in the case of LCP (liquid crystal polymer) + carbon filler, it has been confirmed that the Young's modulus is 11 GPa and the maximum deformation amount is 2.8 mm. Therefore, such a material may be used.

  The substrate storage container according to the present invention has been described for storing semiconductor wafers. However, the container is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and may be a container for storing another substrate such as a glass wafer, mask glass, or reticle.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, it cannot be overemphasized that the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. Further, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shell, 1A ... Top surface, 1B ... Circumferential side surface, 2 ... Cassette, 3 ... Bottom plate, 4 ... Retainer mechanism, 5 ... Flange, 6 ... Locking hole, 7 ... Robot Tick flange, 8 ... handle, 9 ... frame, 10 ... slide part, 11 ... retainer, 12 ... long hole, 13 ... groove (guide groove of retainer 11), 14 ... groove (slide part) 10 ... guide groove), 15 ... strut part, 16 ... elastic piece, 17 ... substrate holding part, 17A ... V groove, 18A, 18B ... tab, 20 ... inclined surface (inclined surface of retainer 11) , 21 ... elastic member, 22 ... inclined surface (inclined surface of the slide part 10), 23 ... lower end, 24 ... convex, 26 ... lower end plate, 27 ... upper end plate, 28 ... side wall plate , 29 .. storage groove, 30... Bottom plate body, 31 .. cover plate, 2 …… Fixed portion, 33 …… Seal gasket, 34, 35 …… Hole, 36 …… Operated portion, 37 …… Elastic member 38 …… Locking piece, 39 …… Positioning member, 40 …… V groove, 43... Recessed portion 44... Substrate 45. Vacuum processing chamber 46. Load lock chamber 44. Cassette cassette chamber 48.

Claims (5)

A bottom plate,
A cassette placed on the bottom plate and arranged side by side;
A shell covering the cassette and engaged with the bottom plate;
A retainer mechanism attached to the inner wall of the shell,
The retainer mechanism includes a slide part disposed on the inner wall side and a retainer disposed on a side opposite to the inner wall side of the slide part ,
The retainer includes a substrate holding unit that contacts the substrates arranged in the cassette and holds the substrates, and the substrate holding unit from below to above on the surface opposite to the substrate holding unit. An inclined surface is formed to increase the distance from
On the surface of the slide part that faces the retainer, an inclined surface is formed such that the distance from the inner wall decreases from the bottom upward.
The retainer and the slide part are arranged such that the inclined surface of the retainer and the inclined surface of the slide part abut each other on the inclined surfaces.
The move slide parts away from the bottom plate, during this, the retainer board housing, characterized in that it is configured so as to be movable in a direction close to the cassette receiving a force from the inclined surface container. On the bottom plate, when the shell is engaged with the bottom plate, a convex portion is formed at a location where the shell comes into contact with the slide part,
The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the slide part is moved in a direction away from the bottom plate by pressing from the convex portion. The retainer mechanism includes a frame,
A vertical hole in which the substrate holding part is exposed is formed in a front surface of the frame body facing the cassette, and a vertical direction in which a tab of the slide part is fitted on a side surface of the frame body And a horizontal groove in which the tab of the retainer is fitted is formed.
The movement of the slide part is guided by the vertical direction of the groove of the frame, according to claim 1, movement of the retainer, characterized in that it is guided by the horizontal direction of the groove of the frame Board storage container. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 , wherein the retainer is biased toward the inner wall by an elastic member. The substrate storage container, the substrate container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 the maximum deformation amount when changing from atmospheric environment into a vacuum environment wherein a is 1mm or less.

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