JP6025239B2 - Transport container and seal member for transport container door - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport container and a seal member for a transport container door.

  Containers are required to be light and small, and simple in order to ensure ease of transport. In order to fulfill this requirement, some ideas are required for the container opening and closing method, particularly the door storage method when opening the container door. Specifically, it must be noted that the method of storing the container door in the wafer container at the time of connection with the front chamber is contrary to this requirement because it requires a storage space for the door. . From this, the door of the wafer container has an appropriate connection structure to be housed in the front chamber. HP has obtained one patent (Patent Document 1) for a connection method that takes this point into consideration.

  In this patent, there are three subsystems: (1) the front chamber, (2) the wafer transfer container, (3) the wafer transfer mechanism in the front chamber, and “clean interior space by combining two doors The main feature is. The patent name, “Standard Mechanical InterFace: SMIF”, later became the name of this method. The reason for combining the two doors is as follows. Fine particles adhere to the outer surfaces of the two doors that are in contact with the outside including the fine particles. By combining them, the fine particles can be confined between the doors and stored in the front chamber, preventing the fine particles from diffusing into the local clean environment.

  In addition, it is necessary to use a sealing member for blocking the outside air in these containers, but only a gasket or an O-ring having a circular cross section has been used. When such a seal member is used, particles are generated between the seal member and a groove in which the seal member is accommodated when the container is opened / closed, and the seal member seals with a counterpart to be sealed. Particles may be generated by the interaction in

JP 2010-212644 A JP 2010-10259 A JP 2006-228808 A

As a transport container for semiconductor wafers, etc., when the lid of the transport container is opened and closed, considering the structure of the seal member, particles are generated from the seal member, the cover, and the main body, assuming that communication with the outside air is prevented. The problem is to prevent this.
Further, in manufacturing semiconductors and the like, when wafers and the like are moved between the process apparatuses, particles and the like are prevented from entering the containers during the movement, and each manufacturing apparatus and the container are docked, and the wafers inside It is an object of the present invention to prevent the generation of particles due to rubbing of each part inside the container when delivering the etc.

1. A transport container having a transport container body and a transport container door, which is an annular seal member, the section of which is basically a sheet-like material, and wall portions are provided in both ends in the same direction, both sides of the sheet An annular seal member, each of which is provided with a bulging portion, is installed in a groove provided in the transfer container door, thereby forming a seal structure that can be sealed by tightly connecting the transfer container body and the transfer container door. Transport container.
2. 2. The transport container according to 1, wherein the transport container body and the transport container door are fixed by a magnetic force.
3. Of the bulging portions provided on both sheet-like surfaces of the annular seal member, the bulging portion in the direction in which the wall portion is provided is higher than the bulging portion provided on the other surface 1 or 2 The transport container described.
4). An annular seal member used in a transport container having a transport container main body and a transport container door, and provided in a groove provided in the transport container or the transport container door, the cross section of which is basically a sheet-like material, at both ends thereof An annular seal member in which wall portions are provided in the same direction, and bulge portions are provided on both sides of a sheet.
5). 5. The bulging portion in the direction in which the wall portion is provided among the bulging portions provided on both sheet-like surfaces of the annular seal member is higher than the bulging portion provided on the other surface. Transport container.

  A transfer container such as a wafer can be reliably sealed, and particles can be prevented from being generated from the cover, main body, and seal member of the container when the cover is opened and closed.

Schematic diagram of connection between transport container and front chamber of device (a) (b) Schematic diagram of the connection system of the transport container and apparatus of the present invention Transport container Container body Cross section of transport container Cross section of container body Top view of sealing member of the present invention Cross-sectional view of the seal member of the present invention Cross-sectional explanatory drawing of the seal member of the present invention

When the contents that are the object to be transported are taken in and out between the transport container and the apparatus, it is necessary to provide doors in both the transport container and the apparatus so that the inside of the transport container and the interior of the apparatus can be isolated from the outside world. It is clear.
The transport container of the present invention is a container for exclusively connecting the transport container and the apparatus main body in an airtight manner and moving the contents between them. At that time, at least two doors are required. One is the door of the container, and the other is the door of the apparatus main body. These two doors have such a shape that a connection chamber can be formed only when the transfer container and the apparatus are connected in an airtight manner. Since the inner surface of the connecting chamber is originally the outer surface of the two doors, it is a surface that may have been contaminated by exposure to the external space. Therefore, when a connection chamber is formed and a cleaning mechanism for the inside of the connection chamber is provided, further cleanliness can be secured, and separation between the inside of the transfer container, the inside of the apparatus, and the internal space consisting of the connection chamber and the outside can be realized. .

The transport container of the present invention solves the incomplete inside / outside blocking performance of the conventional local clean production system. In the present invention, a connection chamber that is hermetically sealed from the outside is formed when the apparatus and the transport container are connected. For this purpose, the following seal member is employed.
Specifically, in the present invention, a seal member having a special cross-sectional shape is employed.

First, the transport container has the first seal structure (seal 1) of the present invention that can be sealed by tightly connecting the transport container body and the transport container door.
A known means such as a latch can be adopted as a mechanism used for connecting the transport container and the apparatus, and at least the following second and third seal structures are required.
The apparatus has a second seal structure (seal 2) that can be sealed by tightly connecting the apparatus main body and the apparatus door. Finally, the transport container main body and the apparatus main body have a third seal structure (seal 3) that can be hermetically sealed by the hermetic connection between them. When the transfer container and the apparatus are connected, in addition to the first two seals, the third seal is established, so that these three seals form one sealed connection chamber that is not divided. .

  A wall forming a connection chamber formed when the apparatus and the transport container are combined is configured by a part of each of the transport container main body, the transport container door, the apparatus main body, and the apparatus door. In a state where the apparatus and the transport container are not combined, the surface of the portion that becomes the inner wall of the connection chamber is in contact with the outer space, and the contaminants and gas molecules in the outer space are adhered and contaminated. The surfaces exposed to these external spaces are still contaminated, even when they form the internal walls of the connecting chamber when combined. The adhesion contamination of the inner wall of the connection chamber is caused by discharging the clean gas from the clean gas introduction port provided in the connection chamber so that the fine particles adhering to the wall are desorbed from the surface by the wind of the gas, and exhausted. Can be discharged from the port. In addition, by introducing clean gas, gas molecules chemically adsorbed on the surface can also be desorbed from the surface by substituting with clean gas.

The important thing is that the fixed substances that cannot be excluded by introducing clean gas and the molecules that remain on the surface with a strong binding force integrate the transport container and the device, so even after opening the transport container door and the device door, Since it does not leave the surface, it can be ignored. Furthermore, since the transport container and the apparatus are in physical contact with each other at the time of coalescence, fine particles and gas molecules generated due to friction or the like can be removed from the connection chamber by introducing clean gas before opening the two doors. In this way, contamination in the connecting chamber caused by the formation of the seal 3 can be eliminated by this method.
Further, when the atmosphere in the connection chamber is controlled to the same atmosphere as the atmosphere inside the apparatus, the composition of the atmosphere in the apparatus does not change before and after opening the transfer container door and the apparatus door.

After the connection chamber is cleaned with clean gas, the seal 1 and the seal 2 are released, that is, the transfer container door and the apparatus door are opened toward the inside of the apparatus, so that the space in the transfer container and the apparatus is integrated. Can be conveyed between the two. When physically separating the seal 1 and the seal 2 from each other, there is a possibility that some fine particles and gas molecules are generated from the portions where the seal portion and the two doors face the conveyance container and the member of the apparatus. There is. When these generated contaminants enter the transfer container and the apparatus, they cause contamination of the object to be transferred. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a way for the contaminants generated in the seal portion to move to the connection chamber side. The movement of the pollutant into the connection chamber is made possible by setting the pressure in the connection chamber to be lower than both the pressure inside the transfer container and inside the apparatus. This is because the substance flows to the lower pressure side. The contaminant sucked into the connection chamber is discharged to the outside through the exhaust hole. It is only possible to eliminate contaminants generated in such a connecting portion by providing a connecting chamber.
However, when the pressure in the connection chamber has a certain pressure difference with respect to the pressure inside the transfer container or inside the apparatus, it may be difficult to open the transfer container door or the apparatus door against the pressure difference. There is sex.

  As apparent from the structure and operation described above, the connection chamber formed temporarily can be evacuated. Therefore, even when the apparatus main body and the inside of the transport container are at a vacuum pressure, the connection chamber can be opened in a state where there is almost no pressure difference between both sides of the door by making the connection chamber a vacuum. In general, in a vacuum device, the vacuum device body is often kept in a vacuum at all times in order to avoid the time for returning the vacuum of the vacuum device body to the atmosphere and the resulting contamination. Therefore, a vacuum chamber is usually provided with a front chamber. This anterior chamber goes back and forth between atmosphere and vacuum. For this reason, this front room may be called an air-lock room. In the present invention, since the connecting chamber serves as the air-lock chamber, that is, to move back and forth between the atmosphere and the vacuum, a conventional fixed front chamber is not required. Usually, since the front chamber itself has a door and a conveyance mechanism, the volume of the front chamber is relatively large. For this reason, it takes a considerable time to exhaust the front chamber. On the other hand, in the present invention, since the connection chamber needs only a small space that can be formed when the container and the apparatus are united, cleaning at the time of connection of the connection chamber itself does not take much time, and the apparatus required for the connection chamber is small. Just do things. However, even in the present invention, provision of the anterior chamber is not excluded.

  In the case where contamination of the product with fine particles becomes a problem, in particular, the operation of cleaning the connection chamber is necessary. On the other hand, when particulate contamination is not a problem and gas molecule contamination is a problem, there is a possibility that the gas introduction and gas exhaust ports in the connection chamber can be omitted when the influence of the contamination is relatively insignificant. Since the volume of the connection chamber is extremely small compared to the conventional front chamber, the absolute amount of pollutants inside it is also small, and if it diffuses into the volume of the transfer container and the manufacturing equipment, it is diluted For example, the density decreases by 4 digits or more. In applications where there is no problem with this dilute contamination concentration, there is no need to evacuate the connection chamber or install a port for introducing clean gas.

Next, a method for opening and closing the transport container will be described.
The door of the transport container can have a structure that is opened inside the apparatus after being combined with the apparatus. If the container door is opened to the outside of the container before uniting, another door is required to prevent the inside of the container from being exposed to the outside, which is disadvantageous in terms of space saving and mechanism efficiency. . In the method in which the door of the transport container is stored inside the container, the volume used for moving the door of the transport container increases as it is pulled in the back direction, which is not desirable because the container to be transported becomes larger. Therefore, the door of the transport container is stored inside the apparatus.

  In the storage structure of the door of the transport container, there is a possibility of adopting a method adopted for a residential door that opens and closes with a hinge attached to the door. However, since a large amount of fine particles are generated from the sliding part of the hinge, this is not an appropriate method. In this invention, it is preferable that a conveyance container door is separately stored in an apparatus main body. The seal 1 that seals the transport container door and the transport container body is located between the transport container door and the transport container body. Specifically, a groove may be provided on the surface of the conveyance container door that contacts the conveyance container body, and a seal member may be provided in the groove. Conversely, a groove is provided on the surface of the conveyance container body that contacts the conveyance container door, and the groove A seal member may be provided. In any case, when the transfer container door is vertically retracted to the apparatus main body, there is no lateral displacement with respect to the seal, so that the friction between the door and the main body is kept to a minimum.

The container door is opened and closed by a hook mechanism of the door provided in the apparatus door.
In the present invention, a magnetic body (at least one of which is a magnet) may be provided on the transport container main body and the transport container door, and the transport container door and the transport container may be closed by an attractive force between the magnetic bodies. Alternatively, the transfer container door may be opened by incorporating a magnet into the apparatus door and attracting the transfer container door to the apparatus door by its magnetic force. At this time, in order to adjust the acting magnetic force, it is necessary to prevent the electromagnet, the magnetic body, and the like from being in close contact with each other.

[Transport container]
The transport container in the present invention is a hermetically sealed container for transporting an object that causes some trouble such as contamination or reaction by directly touching the outside air. This "thing" includes semiconductor substrates, sensor substrates, microorganisms, culture media, genes, unstable compounds, metals that are easily oxidized, toxic substances, etc. Substances to be used in various applications such as substances that should be treated and substances that are highly reactive, and those that should be handled in devices such as clean rooms and glove boxes are now widely covered. Among them, widely used applications are semiconductor wafers of various diameters ranging from half-inch during processing to large diameters such as 450 mm, and transportation of semiconductor chips.

  Depending on the characteristics of the material being transported, the material and characteristics of the main body and door of the transport container can be selected. For example, moisture resistance of poly (meth) acrylate, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, quartz, glass, etc. It is preferable to use a material excellent in dimensional stability. When the opening and closing of the transfer container door is based on magnetic force as described above, it is possible to arrange a member having a magnetic body and a magnet at least at a location to be sealed with the door of the transfer container body made of these materials.

  Of course, the size of the transfer container is determined in relation to the size of the object to be transferred, and it is also possible to provide a plurality of chambers for storing a plurality of objects in one transfer container. For example, one door is provided on each of the front and back surfaces of one transport container, and an independent chamber is provided therein, or a plurality of doors are provided adjacent to each other on the surface of the disk-shaped transport container, The door can be provided with a corresponding chamber.

  Provided with a mechanism for locking the door so that the door does not open carelessly when the transport container is used alone as a container, such as during the transport of the transport container, and the lock is a transport container It is preferable from the viewpoint of usability to provide a mechanism that is automatically released when the apparatus is closely connected.

  If the items stored in the transport container move inadvertently, it will be difficult to open the door of the transport container and introduce it into the device, and the stored product itself is more likely to be damaged. In the container, it is necessary to provide some means such as a pressing member for fixing the stored item.

[Transport container and equipment interface]
Although the door side surface of the transfer container is connected to the apparatus door, the transfer container door needs to be positioned with high accuracy without being displaced with respect to the apparatus door. This point is the same even when the transport container is manually connected to the apparatus door or when the transport container is transported and connected.
Moreover, if there is a part that rubs between the transport container and the apparatus door, particles will be generated from that part, and then the inside of the apparatus may be contaminated and the articles in the transport container may be contaminated. Absent. For this reason, it is necessary to give a specific structure to the door side of the transport container.

First, the door of the transport container is installed so as to be embedded in the transport container body. In addition, an inclined portion extending to the side surface of the transport container is provided at the peripheral edge of the door side surface of the transport container body. This inclined part is made to coincide with the inclined part provided in the peripheral part of the port of the apparatus main body toward the center of the port.
Further, the transport container main body around the transport container door is provided with a plurality of protrusions, and the protrusions are fitted into recesses provided in the port of the apparatus main body.
Three tips are provided as hemispherical protrusions on the outer surface of the door of the transport container, and three V-shaped grooves are provided radially on the surface of the apparatus door corresponding to the protrusions.

Using the transport container main body, the transport container door, the apparatus main body, and the apparatus door having such a structure, the transport container is connected to the apparatus door with high accuracy as follows.
First, the transport container approaching the apparatus main body is inserted so that the inclined portion provided at the peripheral edge portion of the door-side surface of the above-described transport container main body is aligned with the inclined portion provided at the peripheral edge portion of the port of the apparatus main body. start. Inserted halfway, the transport container is positioned to some extent with respect to the apparatus body.

  Next, the plurality of protrusions provided on the transfer container main body around the door of the transfer container are fitted into the corresponding recesses provided in the port of the apparatus main body. At this time, the above-mentioned slight play is reduced and the rotation of the transport container relative to the vertical axis is suppressed.

In this state, when the transport container body further approaches the apparatus door, the three hemispherical projections provided at the front end of the transport container enter the above three V-shaped grooves provided on the door of the apparatus body. Become. At this time, each of the two opposed slopes constituting one V-shaped groove is in contact with the hemispherical projection, and the hemispherical projection is in contact with the two opposed slopes at two locations.
As a result, the transport container is free from shaking in the rotation direction with respect to the vertical axis, and the shaking in the horizontal direction is also eliminated by the three radial V-shaped grooves.
With such a mechanism, the transfer container is fixed and cannot be moved except in the vertical direction with respect to the apparatus main body.

[apparatus]
The device closely connected to the transport container may be various devices that handle the “object” transported as described above. If the “object” is a semiconductor substrate, it may be a semiconductor manufacturing device or a sensor substrate. For example, a device for sensor production, a culture device or an analysis device for microorganisms, culture media, or genes, a reaction device or an analysis device for unstable compounds or oxidizable metals, and an analysis device for harmful substances. Various known devices that need to be operated with the outside air shut off, such as devices to be handled, can be selected.
Among these, as the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a series of various apparatuses used in the semiconductor manufacturing process can be adopted.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram in which the transport container 1 and the apparatus 2 of the present invention are closely connected. Although not shown, the transport container 1 including the transport container body 3 and the container door 4 is connected to the apparatus body 5. The transport container 1 and the device 2 are in close contact with each other based on a known means for fixing to the device 2 including the device door 6 and closely connecting them.
The front chamber provided in the device is used to connect the outside air and the inside of the device in different environments, such as the atmosphere and reduced pressure, or the atmosphere and a specific atmosphere, in order to carry articles stored in the transport container into the device. It functions.

  On the other hand, when there is a connection chamber formed by the transfer container and the apparatus without providing the front chamber, the environment in the connection chamber is immediately after the close connection as if it were the front chamber. From the same environment as the outside, the container door 4 and the device door 6 move together into the device and the two gas doors 14 and the gas are connected to the connection chamber until the two doors are opened. It can be adjusted so as to have an atmosphere similar to the atmosphere in the apparatus via the discharge port 15. FIG. 1B shows a case where an intake port is used.

The thing attached to the process processed like a semiconductor like a semiconductor especially needs supply and discharge | emission of such cleaning gas. In this case, in a manufacturing facility that uses different devices for each of a plurality of steps, the connection system of the present invention is required for each device used in each step.
If the atmosphere in the apparatus is vacuum, the gas in the connection chamber 10 is discharged from the gas discharge port 15 by a vacuum pump or the like. If necessary, an inert gas is subsequently discharged from the gas supply port 14 in the connection chamber. After the introduction, the environment in the connection chamber 10 containing fine particles and the like is made to be the same as the environment in the apparatus by performing an operation of exhausting the gas from the gas exhaust port 15 any number of times. It is possible.

Of course, according to the cleanliness and atmosphere in the target apparatus, if necessary, the environment in the connection chamber 10 can be brought close to the environment in the apparatus.
As described above, the present invention can directly connect the transport container to the apparatus 8 instead of the front chamber. For this purpose, the connection chamber 10 formed by the close connection includes a gas introduction port 14 and a gas discharge port. The device 8 can be provided with these ports so that 15 is connected.
In order to clean the gas through the connection chamber 10 through these ports, it is necessary for the gas to flow through the entire connection chamber 10, and the transfer container door 12 and the apparatus door 9 are in close contact with each other. It is also necessary for the gas to circulate so that particles and the like attached to the opening of the transfer container 7 and the opening of the apparatus 8 can be removed.

  In the state shown in FIG. 2, the transport container body 11 is firmly in close contact with the transport container door 12 by a magnetic force or the like in the transport container 7, and the inside of the transport container body 11 is reliably cut off from the outside air. Further, the device door 9 of the device 8 is in close contact with the device main body 13 by some means, and the device main body 13 is also in a state of being surely blocked from the outside air.

  From such a state of FIG. 2, the transport container 7 is placed so as to be superimposed on the apparatus door 9 of the apparatus 8 having the apparatus door 9 provided on the upper surface with the transport container door 12 facing downward. The At this time, a positioning pin is provided in one of the transport container 7 and the apparatus 8 and a hole for fitting the positioning pin is provided in the other so that the transport container 7 and the apparatus 8 are accurately overlapped. It is important to. The positioning mechanism is not limited to the pin, and a known positioning means can be employed.

The apparatus main body 13 and the apparatus door 9 are also hermetically sealed by known sealing means.
After placing the transport container 7 on the apparatus 8 at an accurate position, an operation for tightly connecting the two is performed. When the tight connection is not performed, the transport container 7 and the device 8 are not hermetically sealed, and a gap is formed between them. When the door is opened in this state, outside air is transferred into the transport container 7 and the device. 8 enters and is contaminated with outside air and fine particles.
As a means for the close connection, a known means such as a latch mechanism may be used. As the close contact strength, sealing by a known sealing means such as a gasket interposed between the transport container main body 11 and the apparatus main body 13 is effective. It should be strong enough to function.

After the transport container 7 is brought into close contact with the apparatus 8, an airtight seal structure is formed between the transport container main body 11 and the apparatus main body 13 by known sealing means provided on either one or both. And in order to make the connection chamber 10 formed between the transfer container door 12 and the apparatus door 9 partitioned by the sealing means the same environment as the environment in the apparatus, a gas supply port 14 provided in the apparatus in advance. Further, the environment in the connection chamber 10 may be adjusted by using the gas discharge port 15.
As a specific adjustment method, initially, the air in the connection chamber 10 having the same environment as the outside air is exhausted from the gas discharge port 15 to reduce the pressure. Next, for example, a dry nitrogen gas is introduced from the gas supply port 14 and then exhausted from the gas discharge port 15 to reduce the pressure.

  According to such a method, the connection chamber 10 which is initially in the same environment as the outside air and contains contaminants such as fine particles in addition to the reactive gas such as oxygen is removed by the air flow due to the exhaust and supply of the gas. The fine particles that can be removed are removed, and the reactive gas such as oxygen is exhausted. Thereafter, if the inside of the apparatus 8 is the same environment, that is, if the inside of the apparatus 8 is under reduced pressure, the connecting chamber 10 is also under reduced pressure, and if the inside of the apparatus 8 is under an inert gas atmosphere, the connecting chamber 10 is also inactive. The gas atmosphere is adjusted. Of course, the environment of the connection chamber 10 may be adjusted by other processes.

  Such adjustment of the environment of the connection chamber 10 is not particularly different from the adjustment made in the front chamber in the conventional apparatus, but the connection chamber defined by the doors of both the transfer container 7 and the apparatus 8 is conventionally used. Therefore, a smaller apparatus is sufficient for supplying and exhausting gas, and the required time is short.

A method for moving the wafer 16 accommodated in the transfer container 7 into the apparatus 8 will be described.
Although not shown, an apparatus such as an elevator for opening and closing the apparatus door 9 is provided in the apparatus 8, and the wafer fixed to the container door of the transfer container 7 is transferred to the transfer container door 12 and the apparatus door 9. It is transferred into the apparatus 8 and subjected to processing by the processing means in the apparatus.
When the integrated transport container door 12 and the apparatus door 9 are both moved into the apparatus 8, the close contact between the transport container door 12 and the transport container 7 is released by a known means. In this way, the wafer is introduced into the apparatus.

  In order to hermetically seal between the transfer container main body 11 and the transfer container door 12 in order to introduce the wafer housed inside using the transfer container as described above into the apparatus, a sealing member (not shown) is used. It is provided and seals between the conveyance container main body 11 and the container door 12 airtightly. Further, a sealing member such as an O-ring for hermetically sealing the transport container main body 11 and the apparatus main body 13 is provided. By these sealing members, the container 7 and the apparatus main body 13 are separated from each other by the container 7. It is possible to keep the inside shielded from the outside air not only when connected to the main body 13 but also when not.

  A specific example of such a transport container is the transport container having the appearance shown in FIG. 3, and in this figure, the transport container body is sealed by a transport container door. The transfer container 7 shown in FIG. 3 has a surface facing the apparatus door facing upward. It is positioned with respect to the apparatus door by four pins to be directed to the apparatus side, three rectangular grooves provided on the container door, and a convex part provided on the container side.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the transport container body in a state where the transport container door of the transport container shown in FIG. 3 is opened and removed, and a wafer or the like is placed inside so as not to be damaged by vibration or the like. In addition, a mechanism for fixing is provided.
By providing a convex portion or the like inside the container main body, it is possible to close the container door while positioning the container door.

3 and 4 do not show a seal member provided in the transport container, but a sectional view of the transport container 7 with the transport container door 12 shown in FIG. 5 closed, and the transport container door shown in FIG. As can be seen from comparison of the transport container body 11 with the opening 12 open, a groove M is provided in the transport container door 12 in contact with the interior of the transport container body 11, and the seal member S of the present invention is installed therein. Yes.
The sealing member S may be annular as shown in FIG. 7 or may have a polygonal shape with rounded corners depending on the shape of the container. In any case, it is necessary that the transfer device door and the transfer container main body can be hermetically sealed.
Moreover, the groove | channel which installs the sealing member S can also be provided in a conveyance container main body instead of a conveyance container door.

Further, FIG. 8 is a side view from the cut surface side of the portion cut along line II in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the sealing member of the present invention basically has a sectional view of the sheet member 20. The wall portions 21 are provided at both ends in the same direction, and the bulging portions 22 and 23 are provided on both surfaces of the sheet member 20, respectively. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the direction in which the wall portion 21 is provided is directed downward.
Furthermore, the surface including the bulging portion 22 of the seal member S is treated with a coating C made of a fluororesin or the like, so that the adhesiveness of the surface is reduced. As a result, the surface smoothness is improved and the adhesiveness is lowered, so that it is possible to reduce the amount of particles generated slightly each time the transport container door is opened and closed.

The concept for explaining the cross-sectional shape of the sealing member of the present invention is as follows. FIG. 9 is not a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the seal member of the present invention, but is a diagram for explaining each part in order to explain a cross-sectional shape of the seal member of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 9A, based on the sheet member 20, as shown in FIG. 9B, wall portions 21 are provided at both ends in the same direction. The height of the wall portion 21 is provided in the seal portion to be used, and is smaller than the depth of the groove in which the seal member of the present invention is accommodated.
Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, a bulging portion 22 is provided on the surface of the sheet member 20 that is not the surface on which the wall portion 21 is formed, and the bulging portion faces the seal member. It will be a part in close contact with the other member to be in close contact. At the same time, a bulging portion 23 is provided on the surface of the sheet member 20 on which the wall portion 21 is formed so that the sheet member 20 can be brought into close contact with the bottom of the groove portion where the sealing member of the present invention is installed.
At this time, the direction in which the wall portion 21 is provided is higher than the height h1 of the bulging portion 22 provided in the direction opposite to the direction in which the wall portion 21 is provided on both surfaces of the sheet member 20. The state where the height h2 of the bulging part 23 provided in the same direction is high is shown. Further, the height h2 of the bulging portion 23 can be the same as the height of the wall portion 21, and is lower than the height of the wall portion 21 or higher than the height of the wall portion 21. Can do.
Further, depending on the object to which the seal member of the present invention is used, h1 and h2 can be set to the same height, or h1 can be set higher than h2.

The shape of the wall portion 21 may be rounded at the tip as shown in FIG. 9, but it is not necessarily required. However, it becomes easy to install in the groove | channel provided in the container door in order to provide a sealing member by rounding a front-end | tip.
Further, the cross-sectional shape of the bulging portions 22 and 23 may be semicircular or arcuate, but may be bulged or may be a part of an elliptical shape. It is also possible to present a mountain shape with a straight line.

The seal member S is installed inside a groove provided on the transport container door side. At this time, when the transfer container door is closed, the surface of the seal member S on the bulging portion 22 side is installed so as to be in contact with the transfer container body.
When the transport container door is in contact with the transport container body and is in close contact with the transport container body, the surface on the bulging portion 22 side of the seal member S comes into contact with the transport container body first, and the pressure is transmitted to the entire seal member. By moving the tip of the wall portion 21 of the seal member S so as to open, the inner wall surface of the groove provided in the transport device door and the seal member are brought into close contact with each other.

In addition, the bulging portion 23 of the seal member S is also pressed and deformed in contact with the bottom surface of the groove provided in the transport container door, so that the transport container door and the transport container main body are tightly sealed.
In addition, although said example is an example which provided the sealing member in the conveyance container door, you may provide the sealing member of this invention in the conveyance container main body side conversely.
According to the present invention, the sealing member located in the groove can sufficiently exhibit the sealing performance, and the reason is that the pressure for sealing is the sealing by the sealing member in the direction in which the pressure is applied. In addition to contributing, the sealing performance can be similarly exerted on the inner side and the outer side of the annular seal member, so that the transfer container door and the transfer container body can be more reliably sealed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transport container 2 ... Device 3 ... Transport container main body 4 ... Container door 5 ... Device main body 6 ... Device door 7 ... Transport container 8 ... Device 9 ... -Device door 10-Connection chamber 11-Transport container body 12-Transport container door 13-Device body 14-Gas supply port 15-Gas discharge port 16-Wafer 20-Sheet member 21-・ Wall part 22 ・ ・ bulging part 23 ・ ・ bulging part S ... seal member M ... groove C ... coating

Claims (5)

A transport container having a transport container body and a transport container door, which is an annular seal member, the section of which is basically a sheet-like material, and wall portions are provided in both ends in the same direction, both sides of the sheet An annular seal member, each of which is provided with a bulging portion, is installed in a groove provided in the transfer container door, thereby forming a seal structure that can be sealed by tightly connecting the transfer container body and the transfer container door. Transport container.
(However, the annular seal member is a gasket that is attached to the lid member of the wafer carrier and seals between the lid member and the box member, and a first seal portion that comes into contact with and separates from the box member; A lip type that has a second seal portion that prevents a sealing object from entering the gasket mounting groove of the lid member, and in which the first seal portion is in close contact with and away from the box member (It is a seal, except that the second seal portion is a gasket characterized in that it is a lip type seal that is elastically in close contact with the lid member on both sides of the gasket mounting groove.)   The conveyance container of Claim 1 which fixes a conveyance container main body and a conveyance container door with magnetic force.   2. The bulging portion in the direction in which the wall portion is provided among the bulging portions provided on both sheet-like surfaces of the annular seal member is higher than the bulging portion provided on the other surface. Or the conveyance container of 2.   An annular seal member used in a transport container having a transport container main body and a transport container door, and provided in a groove provided in the transport container or the transport container door, the cross section of which is basically a sheet-like material, at both ends thereof An annular seal member in which wall portions are provided in the same direction, and bulge portions are provided on both sides of a sheet.   5. The bulging portion in the direction in which the wall portion is provided among the bulging portions provided on both sheet-like surfaces of the annular seal member is higher than the bulging portion provided on the other surface. The annular seal member as described.