JP5999698B2 - Method for packing substrate storage container and packing body used therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a packaging method for a substrate storage container and a packaging body used therefor, for example, a packaging method for a substrate storage container that accommodates semiconductor wafers, and a packaging body used therefor.

  For example, a substrate storage container for storing semiconductor wafers is used for transporting semiconductor wafers in a semiconductor manufacturing factory.

  Such a substrate storage container has a container main body provided with an opening through which a semiconductor wafer is taken in and out, and a lid for closing the opening, and a robotic robot for transporting on the top surface of the container main body A flange is provided, and the lid is provided with a locking mechanism for locking the container body.

  In addition, the semiconductor wafers are stored in a horizontal state in the substrate storage container so as to be juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and these semiconductor wafers are formed on the support portion formed on the inner wall surface of the container body and on the back surface of the lid. It is designed to be held by a retainer.

  And when conveying the substrate storage container in which the semiconductor wafer is stored in this way outside the factory, for example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, the substrate storage container is sealed with a packing bag. The packing material is packed by being housed in an outer box with a cushioning material interposed therebetween. In this case, each operation such as packing and taking out the substrate storage container from the outer box has been performed manually.

Patent No. 4916864 JP 2010-132331 A

  However, in recent years, the size of the substrate storage container has been increased, and for example, about 25 semiconductor wafers having a diameter of about 450 mm can be stored. For this reason, there is a concern that the substrate storage container increases in weight (about 20 kg), making it difficult for workers to carry it.

  When the substrate storage container is increased in size as described above, the weight of the substrate storage container is increased and handling of the worker becomes difficult. Therefore, a packaging method and a packaging body that can be easily handled by an automatic machine are required.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and despite the simple configuration, a packaging method for a substrate storage container that enables packaging of a large substrate storage container and facilitates handling and handling, and It is in providing the package used for it.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention includes a step of storing a substrate storage container in an outer box via a cushioning material, and taking out the substrate storage container from the outer box so that its handling means faces upward. And a process.

  When configured in this way, the substrate storage container taken out from the outer box is arranged with its handling means facing upward, so that the handling means of the substrate storage container can be held by the ceiling transfer device. . For this reason, handling can be performed by an automatic machine instead of human hands, and the load on the worker can be reduced.

The present invention is grasped by the following composition.
(1) A packaging method for a substrate storage container according to the present invention includes a container main body having an opening for storing a substrate through the opening, a lid for closing the opening of the container main body, and a top surface of the container main body. And a handling means that can be gripped by the ceiling transfer device, the method comprising: packaging the substrate storage container in an outer box via a buffer material; and handling the substrate storage container with the handling means And taking out from the outer box so as to face upward.
(2) In the method for packing a substrate storage container according to the present invention, in the configuration of (1), the outer box is provided with an opening / closing part for taking the substrate storage container into and out of the top surface, and the substrate storage container is the handling The means is housed in the outer box so as to face the top surface of the outer box.
(3) In the method for packing a substrate storage container according to the present invention, in the configuration of (1), the outer box includes an opening / closing portion that allows the substrate storage container to be taken in and out of the top surface and one side surface adjacent to the top surface. The substrate storage container is stored in the outer box so that the handling means faces the other side opposite to the one side.
(4) In the method for packing a substrate storage container according to the present invention, in the configuration of (1), the outer box is provided with an opening / closing part for taking in and out the substrate storage container on one side surface adjacent to the top surface thereof. The container is housed in the outer box by being inserted through the opening / closing part of the outer box with its top face facing upward.
(5) In the method for packing a substrate storage container of the present invention, in the configuration of (3), the top surface of the outer box and the opening / closing part on the one side surface are opened, and the substrate storage container is placed with the top surface upward. After being placed on the opening / closing part of the one side of the outer box so that it faces, the cover of the substrate storage container is turned upward by rotating it by 90 °, and stored in the outer box. It is characterized by doing.
(6) In the method for packing a substrate storage container according to the present invention, in the configuration of (4), the substrate storage container is placed on the drawer means through the cushioning material, and the drawer means is put in and out of the outer box together with the drawer means. It is characterized by that.
(7) The packaging body of the present invention is a packaging body used for the packaging method of the substrate storage container having the configuration of (3), and the outer box is configured such that one side surface adjacent to the top surface is an opening / closing portion. It is characterized by being.
(8) The packaging body of the present invention is a packaging body used for the packaging method of the substrate storage container having the configuration of (2), and the top surface of the outer box is configured as an opening / closing portion, and the substrate storage container Is characterized in that it can be taken in and out with its top surface facing upward.
(9) The packaging body of the present invention is a packaging body used in the packaging method of the substrate storage container having the configuration of (3), and is characterized by being provided with a pulling means for placing the substrate storage container. To do.

  According to the packaging method of the substrate storage container and the packing body used therefor, the large-sized substrate storage container can be packaged and handled and handled easily despite the simple configuration. .

It is a block diagram which shows Embodiment 1 of the packaging method of the board | substrate storage container of this invention, and the packing body used for it, and is the figure which showed the state by which the board | substrate storage container was packed with the packing body. It is a block diagram which shows Embodiment 1 of the packaging method of the board | substrate storage container of this invention, and the packing body used therein, The figure which showed the state which opened the opening-and-closing part of this outer box at the time of taking out a board | substrate storage container from an outer box It is. It is a block diagram which shows Embodiment 1 of the packaging method of the substrate storage container of this invention, and the packing body used therewith, and is the figure which showed the state which took out the substrate storage container from the outer box. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the board | substrate storage container which accommodates a semiconductor wafer. It is a block diagram which shows Embodiment 2 of the packing method of the board | substrate storage container of this invention, and the package used for it. It is a block diagram which shows Embodiment 3 of the packing method of the board | substrate storage container of this invention, and the package used for it.

  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.

(Embodiment 1)
Prior to the description of the package of the substrate storage container of the present invention, first, an outline of the substrate storage container will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the substrate storage container 10 that stores, for example, a semiconductor wafer.
In FIG. 4, the substrate storage container 10 includes a container body 11 having an opening (not shown) on the front surface, and a lid 12 that closes the opening of the container body 11.

  The container main body 11 has a pair of support parts (indicated by reference numeral 2 in FIG. 1; one support in FIG. 1) that horizontally supports a substrate (indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1) made of a semiconductor wafer on the opposing inner walls at regular intervals. Part 2 is drawn). A handling means 13 made of a robotic flange is attached to the top surface of the container body 11, and a plurality of positioning means (not shown) for positioning the device are provided on the bottom surface. The handling means 13 is held by a ceiling transfer device (Over Head Transfer) 14 attached to a factory ceiling. The lid body 12 has a configuration in which a locking mechanism is disposed therein, and the lid body 12 can be hermetically closed with respect to the container body 11 by the locking mechanism. Although not shown, a retainer is attached to the center of the inner surface of the lid 12 that faces the container body 11, and the retainer comes into contact with each substrate 1 housed in the container body 11. 1 is provided with a groove for holding 1. Thereby, each board | substrate 1 is hold | maintained in a fixed position with the above-mentioned pair of support part 2 formed in the inner wall of the container main body 11, and this retainer.

  FIGS. 1A and 1B show a state in which the above-described substrate storage container 10 is packed by the packing body 20. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the substrate storage container 10 shown through the packing body 20, in which only the outer box 21 that is one of the packing bodies 20 is shown, and a packing bag that is another packing member ( The buffer material (indicated by reference numeral 22 in FIG. 1B) and the cushioning material (indicated by reference numeral 23 in FIG. 1B) are not shown. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 1A, and illustrates the packaging bag 22 and the cushioning material 23 that are not shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the substrate storage container 10 is rotated 90 ° from the state shown in FIG. 4 so that the lid 12 faces upward, and the substrate 1 in the substrate storage container 10 is in the vertical direction. (See FIG. 1B). As a result, as compared with the case where the substrate 1 is stored in a horizontal state, fluttering of the substrate due to vibration is reduced, and friction with the container body 11 and damage due to vibration are reduced.

  The substrate storage container 10 is sealed by a packing bag 22 made of, for example, aluminum laminate, and stored in the outer box 21 via a cushioning material 23. The outer box 21 is made of plastic cardboard or the like, for example. The buffer material 23 is made of, for example, a foam material or a plastic sheet. The cushioning material 23 includes a first cushioning material 23A and a second cushioning material 23B that are separated from each other, and the first cushioning material 23A is disposed so as to fit the bottom surface portion of the substrate storage container 10, and The two cushioning materials 23 </ b> B are disposed so as to fit the top surface portion of the substrate storage container 10. Each of the first cushioning material 23A and the second cushioning material 23B has a protruding portion 23P that protrudes toward the substrate storage container 10 around the portion that contacts the substrate storage container 10, and thereby the substrate storage container. In FIG. 10, vibrations in the up and down, left and right, and front and rear directions can be buffered.

  FIGS. 2A and 2B show a state in which the opening / closing part of the outer box 21 is opened when the substrate storage container 10 is taken out from the outer box 21. FIG. 2A corresponds to FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B corresponds to FIG. 1B.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the outer box 21 includes opening / closing portions 25 </ b> A and 25 </ b> B for taking in and out the substrate storage container 10 on the top surface and one side surface adjacent to the top surface, respectively. Configured. Here, one side surface (side surface on which the opening / closing part 25B is formed) adjacent to the top surface is a surface facing the bottom surface of the stored substrate storage container 10. The open / close portion 25A formed on the top surface is provided so as to be openable / closable with each of the other three sides excluding the side adjacent to the one side surface as a bent portion. By opening the opening / closing portion 25A, the lid 12 of the substrate storage device 10 is exposed. The opening / closing part 25B formed on the one side surface is provided so as to be openable / closable with a side facing the side adjacent to the top surface, that is, one side of the bottom surface as a bent part. By opening the opening / closing part 25B, the first cushioning material 23A fitted to the bottom part of the substrate storage device 10 is exposed.

  3A and 3B show a state in which the substrate storage container 10 is taken out from the outer box 21. FIG. 3A corresponds to FIG. 2A, and FIG. 3B corresponds to FIG. 2B.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the substrate storage container 10 is rotated by 90 ° together with the packing bag 22, the first cushioning material 23A, and the second cushioning material 23B (in the direction of the arrow in the drawing), thereby The cushioning material 23A is placed on the opening / closing part 25B of the outer box 21, and the second cushioning material 23B is directed upward. In this case, the rotation of the substrate storage container 10 can be easily performed using an automatic machine. Here, when the substrate storage container 10 is rotated, the portion of the first cushioning material 23A serves as the rotation axis, so that the impact can be reduced. As a result, the substrate storage container 10 is arranged at a position shifted from the outer box 21 with its top surface (the surface to which the handling means 13 is attached) facing upward.

  Then, by removing the second buffer material 23B from the substrate storage container 10 and opening the packing bag 22, the handling means (robotic flange) 13 of the substrate storage container 10 is exposed. As a result, in the factory, the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 can be held by the ceiling transfer device (indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 4) arranged on the ceiling. It is possible to reduce the load on the worker.

When the substrate storage container 10 is stored in the outer box 21 and packed, the operation opposite to the above-described operation may be performed.
That is, in the outer box 21, the opening / closing part 25A and the opening / closing part 25B are opened, and the first cushioning material 23A is placed on the opening / closing part 25B. The substrate storage device 10 conveyed by the ceiling conveyance device (indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 4) is fitted into the first cushioning material 23A. In this case, the packaging bag 22 is disposed on the first cushioning material 23 </ b> A, and the substrate storage device 10 is fitted into the first cushioning material 23 </ b> A by being inserted from the opening of the packaging bag 22.

Next, the packing bag 22 is deaerated as necessary to seal the opening. Subsequently, the second cushioning material 23B is attached so that the top surface of the substrate storage container 10 is fitted.
The substrate storage container 10 in this state is rotated by 90 ° so that the lid 12 of the substrate storage container 10 faces upward while the first buffer material 23A and the second buffer material 23B are attached. The container 10 is arranged in the outer box 21. Thereby, the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 is stored in the outer box 21 so as to face the other side face facing the one side face (the face on which the opening / closing part 25B is formed). After that, the substrate storage container 10 is packed by closing the opening / closing part 25B and the opening / closing part 25A of the outer box 21.

(Embodiment 2)
5 (a) and 5 (b) are configuration diagrams showing Embodiment 2 of the method for packing a substrate storage container of the present invention and the packing body used therefor.
FIG. 5A shows a state in which the substrate storage container 10 is packed by the packing body 20, and is drawn in association with FIG. 5A is different from FIG. 1B in that a drawing means 30 is interposed between the outer box 21 and the first impact material 23A.
The pulling means 30 includes a recessed portion 31 into which the first cushioning material 23A can be fitted, for example, and a grip portion 32 made of, for example, a recessed portion is provided on the end side arranged on the top surface side of the outer box 21.

The outer box 21 has an opening / closing portion 25C formed on the top surface thereof, and a bent portion when the opening / closing portion 25C is opened / closed at a connection portion between each side surface facing the first cushioning material 23A and the second cushioning material 23B. Is configured.
As in the case of FIG. 1B, the substrate storage container 10 is rotated 90 ° from the state shown in FIG. 4 so that the lid 12 faces upward, and the substrate 1 in the substrate storage container 10 is in the vertical direction. To be placed in. This is because, as described above, the fluttering of the substrate 1 due to vibration is reduced and the friction with the container body 11 and the damage due to vibration are reduced as compared with the case where the substrate 1 is stored in a horizontal state.
5B, the substrate storage container 10 is rotated together with the package 20 (rotation in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5A) so that the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 faces upward. It is the figure which showed the state which carried out.

  Up to now, the opening / closing part 25C provided on the top surface of the outer box 21 faces in the lateral direction, and the opening / closing part 25C can be opened in this state. By opening the opening / closing portion 25C, the end of the pulling means 30 provided with the grip portion 32 is exposed.

  FIG. 5C shows a state in which the substrate storage container 10 in the outer box 21 is taken out from the outer box 21 by holding the holding part 32 by an unillustrated automatic machine and pulling the pulling means 30 forward. It is a figure. Thereafter, the second buffer material 23B is removed from the substrate storage container 10 and the packing bag 22 is opened, whereby the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 is exposed. As a result, in the factory, the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 can be held by the ceiling transfer device (indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 4) arranged on the ceiling. It is possible to reduce the load on the worker.

When the substrate storage container is stored in the outer box and packed, the operation opposite to that described above may be performed.
In this case, the outer box 21 is provided with an opening / closing portion 25C for taking in and out the substrate storage container on one side surface adjacent to the top surface, and the substrate storage container 10 is placed outside with its top surface facing upward. By being inserted through the opening / closing part 25 </ b> C of the box 21, it is stored in the outer box 21.

(Embodiment 3)
FIGS. 6A and 6B are configuration diagrams showing Embodiment 3 of the method for packing a substrate storage container and the packing body used therefor according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the substrate storage container 10 is stored in the outer box 21. The top surface of the outer box is formed as an opening / closing part 25D. The substrate storage container 10 is stored in the outer box 21 with the top surface provided with the handling means 13 facing upward. As a result, the substrates 1 in the substrate storage container 10 are horizontally arranged in the vertical direction. The substrate storage container 10 is sealed with a packing bag 22, a first buffer material 23 </ b> A is interposed between the bottom surface of the outer box 21, and a second buffer material 23 </ b> B is interposed between the top surface of the outer box 21. ing.

  FIG. 6B shows a case where the substrate storage container 10 is taken out from the outer box 21, and an opening / closing part 25 </ b> D is formed on the top surface of the outer box 21. The opening / closing part 25D is opened / closed by bending of a bent part between the top surface of the outer box 21 and a side surface intersecting with it. As shown in FIG. 6B, by opening the opening / closing part 25D of the outer box 21, the second buffer material 23B is exposed, and the second buffer material 23B can be easily detached from the substrate storage container 10. It has become.

  Then, the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 is exposed by removing the second buffer material 23B and opening the package 22. As a result, in the factory, the handling means 13 of the substrate storage container 10 can be held by the ceiling transfer device (indicated by reference numeral 14 in FIG. 4) arranged on the ceiling, so that the handling means is automatically operated instead of manually. This can be performed by a machine and has the effect of reducing the load on the worker.

When the substrate storage container 10 is stored in the outer box 21 and packed, the operation opposite to the above-described operation may be performed.
In this case, the outer box 21 is provided with an opening / closing part 25D for taking the substrate storage container 10 in and out of the top surface, and the substrate storage container 10 has the outer box 21 so that the handling means 13 faces the top surface of the outer box 21. It is designed to be stored in.

  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 10 ... Substrate storage container, 11 ... Container body, 12 ... Lid, 13 ... Handling means (robotic flange), 14 ... Ceiling transport device, 20 ... Packing body, 21 ... Outer box, 22 ...... Packing bag, 23 ....... cushioning material, 23A... First cushioning material, 23B... Second cushioning material, 23P... Projection, 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D. , 31 ... recessed part, 32 ... grip part.

Claims (6)

A container body that has an opening and accommodates a substrate through the opening; a lid that closes the opening of the container body; and handling means that is attached to the top surface of the container body and can be gripped by a ceiling transport device. A packaging method for a substrate storage container,
Storing the substrate storage container in an outer box via a cushioning material;
See containing and a step for taking out the substrate storage container from said outer box so that the handling means are directed upward,
The outer box includes an opening / closing portion that allows the substrate storage container to be taken in and out of the top surface and one side surface adjacent to the top surface, and the substrate storage container includes the other side surface where the handling means faces the one side surface. A method for packing a substrate storage container, wherein the substrate storage container is stored so as to face each other. A container body that has an opening and accommodates a substrate through the opening; a lid that closes the opening of the container body; and handling means that is attached to the top surface of the container body and can be gripped by a ceiling transport device. A packaging method for a substrate storage container,
Storing the substrate storage container in an outer box via a cushioning material;
See containing and a step for taking out the substrate storage container from said outer box so that the handling means are directed upward,
The outer box is provided with an opening / closing portion for taking in and out the substrate storage container on one side surface adjacent to the top surface, and the substrate storage container is opened and closed with the top surface facing upward. A method for packing a substrate storage container, wherein the substrate storage container is stored in the outer box by being inserted through a portion . After opening the top surface and the open / close portion on the one side surface of the outer box, and placing the substrate storage container on the open / close portion on the one side surface of the outer box with the top surface facing upward The method for packing a substrate storage container according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate storage container is stored in the outer box by rotating 90 ° so that the lid of the substrate storage container faces upward. 3. The method of packing a substrate storage container according to claim 2 , wherein the substrate storage container is placed on a drawer means via the cushioning material, and the drawer means is put in and out of the outer box together with the drawer means. A packing body used in the method for packing a substrate storage container according to claim 1 ,
The outer box has a side surface adjacent to the top surface thereof configured as an opening / closing part. It is a packing body used for the packing method of the substrate storage container of Claim 2 , Comprising: The drawer means to which the said substrate storage container is mounted is provided, The packing body characterized by the above-mentioned.

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