JP6185268B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container, and more particularly to a substrate storage container that stores, for example, a semiconductor wafer.

  This type of substrate storage container includes, for example, a container body in which an opening is formed and a lid that closes the opening, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.

  When the container body is in a horizontally placed state, a support member for placing a plurality of semiconductor wafers horizontally and vertically on the inner side walls on both sides of the opening, and from the opening A rear retainer capable of locking each semiconductor wafer placed on the support member is provided on the inner wall in the depth direction.

  The rear surface of the lid is provided with a front retainer for locking the semiconductor wafer together with the rear retainer so that the semiconductor wafer is lifted from the support member when the lid closes the opening of the container body.

  Here, when the lid is closed to the opening of the container body, each semiconductor wafer is lifted from the support member and locked by the front retainer and the rear retainer to prevent damage to the semiconductor wafer. It is to do.

  Further, the substrate storage container configured as described above may be transported in a factory, for example, in a vertically placed state so that the lid body is directed upward. As described above, the semiconductor wafers stored in the substrate storage container are arranged in the vertical state by being locked to the rear retainer, thereby preventing the semiconductor wafers from being damaged.

JP 2000-159288 A

  However, in the above-described substrate storage container, when the lid is removed after being placed from the vertical position to the horizontal position, the front retainer of the substrate is released and the front end portion of the substrate is placed on the support member. However, the friction with the support member is large, and in the next step, the semiconductor wafer cannot move (slide) on the support member to a position where the semiconductor wafer can be transferred by another apparatus. It was.

  Such an inconvenience occurs not only in the semiconductor wafer but also in other substrates such as mask glass.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when the cover is removed, the substrate whose front retainer is released can be smoothly moved to a predetermined position on the support member. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container.

The present invention is grasped by the following composition.
(1) The substrate storage container of the present invention includes a container main body having an opening in a part of a side surface and a lid for closing the opening, and the opening side is provided on inner walls on both sides of the opening of the container main body. A support member that extends from the depth to the depth side and places a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel in the vertical direction in a horizontal state, and the depth side of the opening of the support member that can lock the substrates A depth-side support portion provided on the back surface of the lid body, and when the lid body closes the opening, each substrate is engaged with the depth-side support portion so as to be lifted from the support member. And the support member is formed such that a static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate on the opening side is smaller than a static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate on the depth side support portion of the opening. And
(2) In the substrate storage container of the present invention, in the configuration of (1), the static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate on the opening side of the support member and the static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate of the depth side support portion of the opening are respectively It is set by the roughness of the embossing process formed on the surface of the support member.
(3) The substrate storage container of the present invention is the configuration of (2), wherein the roughness of the embossing on the opening side of the support member is set in a range of 0.5 to 3 μm, and the depth side support of the opening The graining roughness of the part is set in a range of 2 to 10 μm.
(4) The substrate storage container of the present invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of (1), the end surface on the opening side of the support member is a chamfered curved surface.
(5) The substrate storage container according to the present invention is the structure of (2), wherein the depth-side support portion of the opening of the support member has an inclined portion whose height is increased in the depth direction, and the inclined portion is textured. It is characterized by being made.
(6) The substrate storage container of the present invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of (5), the roughness of the embossing varies depending on the height of the inclined portion.
(7) The substrate storage container of the present invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of (1), a rear retainer is provided on the inner wall in the depth direction from the opening of the container body and can lock the substrates. The substrate storage container according to claim 1.

  According to the substrate storage container configured in this manner, when the lid is removed, the substrate whose front retainer is released can be smoothly moved to a predetermined position on the support member.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of Embodiment 1 of the substrate storage container of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the substrate storage container in which a board | substrate is in a horizontal state. It is sectional drawing of the board | substrate storage container in which a board | substrate is in a perpendicular state. It is those sectional drawings in case a board | substrate is in the horizontal state supported by the front retainer and the depth side support part. (A), (b) is the top view and sectional drawing of a board | substrate supported by the supporting member, respectively. (A), (b), (c) is the fracture | rupture perspective view of the substrate storage container in which a board | substrate is in a horizontal state, the enlarged view of the front-end part of a shelf board, and the enlarged view of the rear-end part of a shelf board. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the part by which the embossing of the front-end part of the shelf board of a supporting member was made | formed. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of Embodiment 2 of the substrate storage container of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the substrate storage container in which a board | substrate is in a horizontal state. It is sectional drawing of the board | substrate storage container in which a board | substrate is in a perpendicular state. It is those sectional drawings in case a board | substrate is supported by the front retainer and a rear retainer, and exists in a horizontal state.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter, 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)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the substrate storage container of the present invention. The substrate storage container 100 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in a horizontal state. In FIG. 1, the substrate storage container 100 includes a container body 10 and a lid body 30 that is attached to and detached from the container body 10.

  The container body 10 is provided with an opening 11 that is closed by a lid body 30 at a part of the side surface. A pair of support members 20 for supporting the plurality of semiconductor wafers W (one support member is not shown) are provided on the inner side surfaces on both sides of the opening 11 of the container body 10.

  The diameter of the semiconductor wafer W is, for example, 300 mm, and for example, 25 sheets can be stored in the container body 10.

  Each support member 20 is formed by arranging a shelf plate 21 extending in the depth direction (y direction in the figure) from the opening 11 of the container body 10 in the vertical direction (z direction in the figure). The number of shelf plates 21 is provided according to the number of semiconductor wafers W to be stored (for example, 25).

  A robotic flange 13 is attached to the upper surface of the container body 10, and gripping handles 14 are attached to the outer surfaces on both sides of the opening 11 of the container body 10. In addition, a positioning member (not shown) for placing the substrate storage container 100 close to a processing apparatus (not shown) for processing the semiconductor wafer W is formed on the lower surface of the container body 10.

In FIG. 2, for example, three semiconductor wafers W are shown, and the semiconductor wafers W are horizontally supported in the container body 10 by being placed on a predetermined shelf plate 21 of the support member 20. Then, it is placed on a predetermined shelf 21 of the support member 20.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a case where the container body 10 is tilted so that the opening 11 is upward. The substrate storage container 100 in which the semiconductor wafer W is stored in the container main body 10 and the lid 30 is mounted may be transferred in an inclined state as shown in FIG.

  In this case, each semiconductor wafer W accommodated in the container main body 10 is locked in the vicinity of the inflection point of the two inclined portions 21 </ b> B serving as the grooves of the depth-side support portion 18 and is arranged in a vertical state.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the lid 30 that closes the opening 11 of the container body 10 is provided with a front retainer 32 extending in the vertical direction (z direction in the figure) on the back surface (the surface facing the opening 11). ing. The front retainer 32 has a plurality of grooves 32 </ b> A arranged in parallel in the vertical direction (z direction in the drawing) on the surface facing the semiconductor wafer W accommodated in the container body 10 when the lid 30 is attached to the container body 10. Has been formed. The groove 32A has a substantially V-shaped cross section having inclined portions on the top and bottom (y direction in the figure).

  Each groove 32A of the front retainer 32 is formed such that the height from the reference horizontal plane when the substrate storage container 100 is mounted on the processing apparatus is equal to the groove 21C of the depth-side support portion 18. FIG. 4 shows a state in which a part of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer W is locked in the groove 32A of the front retainer 32 attached to the lid 30 when the lid 30 is attached to the container body 10. . Each groove 32 </ b> A of the front retainer 32 and each groove 21 </ b> C of the depth-side support portion 18 are higher than the upper surface of each shelf plate 21 of the support member 20 in height from the reference horizontal plane when the substrate storage container 100 is mounted on the processing apparatus. Since the semiconductor wafer W is formed slightly higher, as shown in FIG. 4, when the semiconductor wafer W is locked in the grooves 32 </ b> A of the front retainer 32 and the grooves 21 </ b> C of the depth-side support portion 18, The semiconductor wafer W placed on each shelf board 21 is slightly lifted from each shelf board 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lid 30 includes a fitting plate (lid body) 8 that is detachably fitted in the rim portion 5 of the container body 10 and closes the opening 3, and a pair of left and right cover plates 9. And have. The fitting plate 8 has a peripheral wall 8a erected from the peripheral edge portion, and has a dish shape with a depressed center. On the peripheral wall 8a of the fitting plate 8, an opening 8b for allowing the locking claw 6 to appear and disappear is formed. The recess of the fitting plate 8 is provided with a plurality of arc-shaped ribs which are arranged on a concentric circumference and project outward. Furthermore, the fitting plate 8
The above-described front retainer 32 that contacts the semiconductor wafer W is installed on the surface of the container main body 10, and the front retainer 32 moves the semiconductor wafer W in the direction of the opening 11 of the container main body 10, and the semiconductor wafer W. The semiconductor wafer W is held by restricting movement in the circumferential direction.

  A seal gasket 34 is provided around the back surface of the lid 30. When the lid 30 is attached to the container body 10, the seal gasket 34 is brought into contact with the periphery of the opening 11 of the container body 10, and the substrate storage container 100. The airtightness of can be secured.

  FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the shelf plate 21 constituting the support member 20. Moreover, FIG.5 (b) is the side view which looked at the shelf board 21 from the side surface. 5A and 5B, the semiconductor wafer W placed on one of the shelf boards 21 is drawn together.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the upper surface of the shelf board 21 is formed to have a stepped portion 21A that is close to the periphery of the semiconductor wafer W placed thereon and has a high height outside the semiconductor wafer W. ing.

  Further, the depth side support portion 18 of the container body 20 of the shelf plate 21 is configured so that the semiconductor wafer W moves in the y direction in the drawing (moves due to the contact of the front retainer 32 when the lid 30 is attached). An inclined portion 21B for slightly lifting the rear end portion of the wafer W is provided. The vicinity of the inflection point of the inclined portion 21B and the inclined portion 21B is a groove 21C of the depth side support portion.

  The above-described inclined portion 21 </ b> B of the shelf plate 21 has a function of slightly lifting the semiconductor wafer W placed on each shelf plate 21 of the support member 20 from each shelf plate 21.

  6A is a perspective view of the cross section of the container body 10 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the front end of the support member 20 on the side of the opening 11 of the shelf 21. FIG. 6C shows an enlarged view of the depth side support portion 18 of the shelf plate 21 of the support member 20.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, in each shelf plate 21 of the support member 20, the top surface of the front end portion is embossed at a place (indicated by a dotted area Q in the drawing) where the semiconductor wafer W is placed. Processing has been done. The roughness of the embossing in this case is set in the range of 0.5 to 3 μm, for example. The region subjected to the texture processing (region Q in the drawing) has a smaller coefficient of static friction with respect to the semiconductor wafer W than the region where the texture processing is not performed. As shown in FIG. 7, the end surface 21 </ b> T on the side of the opening 11 having the surface subjected to the texture processing of the shelf plate 21 has a curved surface R that is chamfered.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.6 (c), in each shelf board 21 of the support member 20, it is the upper surface of these depth side support parts 18, Comprising: The location (spot area P in a figure) where the semiconductor wafer W is mounted. (Shown with). The roughness of the texture processing in this case is set in the range of 2 to 10 μm, for example. The area subjected to the textured process (area P in the figure) can have a smaller static friction coefficient with respect to the semiconductor wafer W than the area not subjected to the textured process.

  As described above, the depth side support portion 18 of each shelf board 21 is formed with the inclined portion 21B, but the embossing is also performed on the surface of the inclined portion 21B, and the roughness thereof is as follows. For example, it is set in the range of 2 to 10 μm. In this case, the embossing on the surface of the inclined portion 21B may be different depending on the height of the inclined portion 21B.

  As described above, the roughness of the embossing is set in the range of 0.5 to 3 μm on the surface of the front end portion of each shelf plate 21 and in the range of 2 to 10 μm on the surface of the depth side support portion 18 of each shelf plate 21. Therefore, the support member 20 has a static friction coefficient with respect to the semiconductor wafer W on the opening 11 side (front end portion) smaller than a static friction coefficient with respect to the semiconductor wafer W on the depth side (depth side support portion 18) of the opening 11. Will be formed.

  The surface of the mold used for forming the support member 20 can be formed by partially applying a texture such as satin or leather to the surface and transferring it to the surface of the support member 20 at the time of molding. . The embossing on the mold is performed by sandblasting, electric discharge machining, etching, or the like.

  According to the thus configured substrate storage container, when the lid 30 is removed, the semiconductor wafer W slides from the depth-side support 18 to the shelf 21 of the support member 20, but the surface of the shelf 21 is textured. The formed regions P and Q, that is, the regions having a small frictional resistance are formed, so that the semiconductor wafer W is not stopped in the middle of the inclined portion 21B of the depth-side support portion 18, and the semiconductor wafer W is formed by another device. The semiconductor wafer W can move (slide) on the shelf plate 21 to a position where it can be transferred.

  In this case, in each shelf plate 21 of the support member 20, the static friction coefficient of the front end portion with respect to the semiconductor wafer W is formed smaller than the static friction coefficient of the depth side support portion 18 with respect to the semiconductor wafer W. Since it is possible to set such that the slip in the portion can be moderately suppressed in the depth-side support portion 18, the semiconductor wafer W can be moved (slid) on the shelf plate 21 to an appropriate position.

(Embodiment 2)
In the above-described embodiment, a rear retainer may be provided instead of the depth side support portion. The form at that time is as follows.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the substrate storage container in the second embodiment. Note that the substrate storage container 100 shown in FIG. 8 is shown in a horizontally placed state. In FIG. 8, the substrate storage container 100 is provided on the inner wall in the depth direction from the opening 11 of the container body 10, the lid body 30 that is attached to and detached from the container body 10, and the opening of the container body 10. The rear retainer 15 is configured to lock each semiconductor wafer W in a vertical state when the head 11 is tilted upward. The bottom plate 40 attached to the bottom of the container body 10 is drawn separately from the container body 10 in order to show the shape of the bottom plate 40 in an easily understandable manner.

  The rear retainer 15 is formed by arranging a plurality of grooves 15 </ b> A in the vertical direction (z direction in the drawing) on the surface on the opening 11 side.

  Further, the groove 15A has a shape in which a cross section having inclined portions on the upper and lower sides (y direction in the drawing) is substantially V-shaped.

  Each groove 15A of the rear retainer 15 is formed such that the height from the reference horizontal plane when the substrate storage container 100 is mounted on the processing apparatus is slightly higher than the upper surface of each shelf 21 of the corresponding support member 20. ing. FIG. 11 shows one semiconductor wafer W supported by the support member 20 and the rear retainer 15. In order for these semiconductor wafers W to be horizontally supported in the container body 10, they are placed on a predetermined shelf 21 of the support member 20 and stored in a predetermined groove 15 </ b> A of the rear retainer 15. Here, as described above, the height of the groove 15A of the rear retainer 15 from the reference horizontal plane when the substrate storage container 100 is mounted on the processing apparatus is slightly higher than the upper surface of the shelf board 21 corresponding to the support member 20. Therefore, the rear retainer 15 is slightly warped upward.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing a case where the container body 10 is tilted so that the opening 11 is directed upward. In this case, each semiconductor wafer W accommodated in the container body 10 is locked in the groove 15A of the rear retainer 15 and arranged in a vertical state. In FIG. 11, the groove 15A of the rear retainer 15 is positioned on one side from the center line in the horizontal direction (y direction in the drawing) of the groove 15A so that the semiconductor wafer W locked in the groove 15A can be prevented from falling. And an inclined surface (indicated by reference numeral 15AH) located on the other side from the center line.

  The inclined portion formed below the V shape of the rear retainer 15 has the same function as the inclined portion formed on the depth side support portion.

  Returning to FIG. 8, the lid 30 has locking pieces 33 attached to both sides thereof, and the locking portions 16 to which the locking pieces 33 are attached to both sides of the opening 11 of the container body 10. The lid 30 is attached to the container main body 10 by being locked to.

(Embodiment 3)
In the two embodiments described above, the substrate storage container 100 that stores the semiconductor wafer W has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a substrate storage device for storing other substrates such as mask glass.

  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 description of the scope of claims that embodiments with such changes or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Substrate storage container, 6 ... Locking claw, 8 ... Fitting plate (lid body), 8a ... Peripheral wall, 8b ... Opening, 9 ... Cover plate, 10 ... Container body, 11 ... ... Opening, 13 ... Robotic flange, 14 ... Grip handle, 15 ... Rear retainer, 15A ... Groove, 16 ... Locking part, 18 ... Depth side support part, 20 ... Support member, 21 ... Shelf plate, 21A: Stepped portion, 21B ... Inclined portion, 21C ... Groove, 30 ... Lid, 32 ... Front retainer, 32A ... Groove, 33 ... Locking piece, 34 ... Seal gasket, 40: Bottom plate, 41: Positioning member.

Claims (5)

A container body having an opening in a part of the side surface;
A lid that closes the opening;
A support member that is provided extending from the opening side to the depth side on the inner side walls on both sides of the opening of the container body, and that supports a plurality of substrates arranged in parallel in a vertical direction in a horizontal state;
A depth-side support provided on the inner side wall in the depth direction from the opening of the container body, provided on the depth side of the opening of the support member capable of locking the substrates; and
A front retainer provided on the back surface of the lid, and formed with grooves for locking the substrates so as to be lifted from the support member together with the depth-side support when the lid closes the opening; Have
The support member is formed such that the static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate on the opening side is smaller than the static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate of the inclined portion whose height increases in the depth direction which the depth side support portion of the opening has. It is,
The static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate on the opening side of the support member and the static friction coefficient with respect to the substrate of the depth side support portion of the opening are respectively set by the roughness of the embossing process formed on the surface of the support member. ,
The inclined portion is formed in a lower portion of a groove formed in the depth side support portion,
The groove formed in the front retainer is formed so that the height from the reference horizontal plane is equal to the groove formed in the depth side support portion.
A substrate storage container. The roughness of the embossing on the opening side of the support member is set in a range of 0.5 to 3 μm, and the roughness of the embossing on the depth side support portion of the opening is set in a range of 2 to 10 μm. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 , wherein: 3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 , wherein an end surface of the support member on the opening side is a chamfered curved surface. 4. The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the roughness of the texture is different depending on the height of the inclined portion. 5. The substrate storage according to claim 1 , further comprising a rear retainer that is provided on an inner wall in a depth direction from the opening of the container main body and can lock the substrates. container.