JP6491590B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container for storing, storing, transporting, transporting, and the like, substrates made of semiconductor wafers, glass wafers, mask glasses, and the like.

  A conventional substrate storage container is not shown, but a front open box container main body capable of storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers, a lid for detachably closing the open front of the container main body, and the front of the container main body. A deformable gasket is provided that is interposed and sealed between the peripheral portion and the lid, and a mounting groove for the gasket is formed on the peripheral edge of the back surface of the lid (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The container body and the lid are each injection-molded by a dedicated mold having a nested structure. The gasket also has a flat frame-shaped base material portion that is fitted into the mounting groove of the lid, a fixing fitting rib that protrudes from the base material portion and press-contacts with the inner surface of the mounting groove, and protrudes from the base material portion. And a bendable seal piece elastically contacting the front inner peripheral portion of the container body. This gasket is integrated by molding using a predetermined elastic elastomer or the like, and the height from the base material portion to the fitting rib is formed higher than the height of the mounting groove of the lid. The fitting rib is formed in, for example, a triangular shape in section or a blade shape that is curved and has a tapered tip, and protrudes endlessly from the entire surface of the base member.

Japanese Patent No. 3556185 Japanese Patent No. 4916258

  In the conventional substrate storage container, the fitting rib of the gasket is formed in a cross-sectional triangle or blade shape as described above, but the tip of the fitting rib is formed to taper over the entire surface of the base material portion. Is not easy, and a short shot may be partly formed. As a result, the shape of the fitting rib becomes non-uniform.

  In order to solve such a problem, conventionally, a method for preventing a molding defect by forming the tip end portion of the fitting rib of the gasket into a hemispherical round R shape has been proposed and implemented. However, in this method, although the shape of the fitting rib can be made uniform, the tip end portion of the fitting rib is formed in an R shape, so that the fitting rib becomes thick.

  As a result, when the base part is inserted into the mounting groove of the lid, the tip of the fitting rib does not sufficiently follow the inner surface of the mounting groove, and the slight unevenness that occurs in the mounting groove due to the nesting wire of the mold, etc. There is a risk that the airtightness is lowered. If the tip of the fitting rib is not sufficiently in close contact with the inner surface of the mounting groove, and the airtightness is reduced and the sealing performance is impaired, external gas flows into the container body, so that it is stored in the container body. This leads to contamination of the semiconductor wafer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can contribute to the uniformity of the shape of the fitting protrusion of the gasket, and eliminates contamination of the substrate in the container body by preventing deterioration in hermeticity and sealing performance. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container that can be used.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a container body that can store a substrate, a lid that closes the opening of the container body, and a seal interposed between the opening and the lid of the container body A deformable gasket, and a gasket mounting groove is formed on one of the opening of the container body and the lid,
The gasket includes a base portion that is fitted into the mounting groove, a fixing fitting protrusion that protrudes from the base portion and contacts the inner surface of the mounting groove, an inner periphery of the opening of the container body and a lid that protrudes from the base portion A seal piece that contacts any of the peripheral walls of the body,
The fitting protrusion protrudes from the base material portion and inclines in the counter-insertion direction with respect to the mounting groove of the base material portion, and the second inclined side protrudes from the base material portion in the first inclined side direction. The third inclined side extending from the second inclined side while being inclined and connected to the tip of the first inclined side, and the angle formed by the first and third inclined sides is the first It is characterized by being larger than the angle formed by the inclined side and the extended line of the second inclined side.

In addition, it is preferable that the container main body is a front open box having a front opening, and an attachment groove for a gasket is formed on the peripheral edge of the back surface of the lid.
In addition, the gasket can include a contact protrusion that protrudes from at least one of the front and back surfaces of the base portion and contacts the inner surface of the mounting groove of the lid.
Moreover, it is good that the height from the base-material part of a gasket to the connection part of the 1st, 3rd inclination side of a fitting protrusion is 0.3-3.0 mm.
The angle formed by the first and third inclined sides of the fitting protrusion is preferably in the range of 45 ° to 135 °.

  Here, the substrate in the claims includes a necessary number of at least φ200, 300, 450 mm semiconductor wafer, glass wafer, mask glass, and the like. The main body of the container is mainly a front open box having a front opening, but may be a top open box having an upper opening, and may be transparent, opaque, or translucent. Further, the lid is formed from a lid main body fitted into the opening of the container main body, and a surface plate covering the open surface of the lid main body, and the lid body is used for locking the lid between the lid main body and the surface plate. The locking mechanism can be interposed.

  The base material portion of the gasket, the fitting protrusion for fixing, and the seal piece can be formed endlessly such as a flat frame shape. It is preferable that the required number of fixing protrusions protrude from the entire circumference of at least one of the front and back surfaces of the base member.

  According to the present invention, when a gasket is attached to a container body or a lid, the base material portion of the gasket is fitted into the attachment groove of the container body or the lid, and the gasket seal piece can be bent outward. Just do it. At this time, the fitting protrusion of the gasket is strongly brought into contact with the inner surface of the mounting groove and deformed, and the first inclined side of the fitting protrusion and the tip end thereof are uniformly in close contact with the inner surface of the mounting groove.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to contribute to the uniform shape of the fitting protrusion of the gasket, and it is possible to effectively eliminate contamination of the substrate in the container body by preventing a decrease in hermeticity and sealing performance. There is an effect that can be done.

According to invention of Claim 2, the base material part of a gasket is firmly fixed to the attachment groove | channel of a container main body or a cover body, and the position shift and dropping-off of a gasket can be prevented effectively.
According to the invention described in claim 3, since the tip of the tip of the fitting protrusion is thin and the base of the tip is thick, the first inclined side of the fitting protrusion or the tip of the fitting protrusion is attached to the mounting groove of the container body or lid. Can be brought into close contact with no gap.

It is an exploded perspective explanatory view showing typically an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the gasket in the embodiment of the substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is principal part explanatory drawing which shows typically the relationship between the container main body in the embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention, a cover body, and a gasket. It is a principal part expansion explanatory drawing which shows typically the fitting rib of the gasket in embodiment of the board | substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the fitting rib of the gasket in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the fitting rib at the time of fixation of the gasket in embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a substrate main body 1 capable of aligning and storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers is used as a substrate storage container in the present embodiment. And a lid 10 that closes the opened front surface 2 of the container main body 1 and a gasket 20 for sealing and sealing that is interposed between the front inner peripheral portion 3A of the container main body 1 and the lid body 10 for sealing. Provided, the fitting rib 22 of the gasket 20 includes a first inclined side 23 that is inclined in the removing direction of the base material portion 21 and a second inclined side 24 that protrudes in the direction of the distal end portion of the first inclined side 23. The third inclined side 25 extending from the second inclined side 24 and connected to the first inclined side 23 is formed, and the angle θ1 formed by the first and third inclined sides 23 and 25 is defined as The first inclined side 23 and the extended line of the second inclined side 24 are formed. It has to be larger than the degree θ2.

  Although not shown, each semiconductor wafer is made of, for example, a φ300 mm silicon wafer having a thickness of 775 μm, and is subjected to various processing and processing as appropriate in the manufacturing process of semiconductor components (up to 500 to 600 processes). 25 are inserted and stored horizontally in 1 and aligned in the vertical direction of the container body 1.

  The container body 1 and the lid body 10 are each formed by combining a plurality of parts by injection molding with a molding material containing a required resin. Examples of the resin contained in the molding material include thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, cycloolefin copolymer, polyetherimide, polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacetal, and liquid crystal polymer, and alloys thereof. Etc.

  These resins are added with various antistatic agents such as conductive materials made of carbon fibers, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers, and the like, and anions, cations, and nonionics as required. Further, benzotriazole-based, salicylate-based, cyanoacrylate-based, oxalic acid anilide-based, hindered amine-based ultraviolet absorbers are added, and glass fibers, carbon fibers, and the like that improve rigidity are also selectively added.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the container body 1 is formed in a front open box type, and the peripheral portion 3 of the opened front surface 2 is bent outwardly in the width direction so that the opened front surface 2 is horizontal. It is gripped by the ceiling transport mechanism of the semiconductor manufacturing factory in the state of being oriented in the horizontal direction and transported between processes, or positioned and mounted on a load port attached to the semiconductor processing apparatus. The container body 1 is provided with a pair of left and right support pieces 4 for supporting the semiconductor wafer substantially horizontally on the inner sides thereof, in other words, on the inner surfaces of the both side walls, respectively. Position restricting portions that restrict excessive insertion are integrally formed.

  The pair of left and right support pieces 4 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and support the side of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer levitated from the support piece 4 between the support pieces 4 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. A support groove is defined. Each support piece 4 is formed in a long and narrow plate shape that supports the peripheral edge of the side of the semiconductor wafer, and a stepped portion that restricts the forward protrusion of the semiconductor wafer is integrally formed on the front surface.

  Positioning tools for positioning the container body 1 are disposed on both sides of the front part and the center of the rear part on the back of the bottom plate of the container body 1. In addition, a separate bottom plate is screwed horizontally on the back surface of the bottom plate of the container body 1 via a screw tool, and the bottom plate exposes a plurality of positioning tools, respectively.

  A top flange 5 for transportation, which is gripped by a ceiling transportation mechanism of a semiconductor manufacturing factory, is detachably mounted at the center of the divided top plate of the container body 1, and upper and lower parts in the front inner peripheral portion 3 </ b> A of the container body 1. On both sides, a locking hole for the locking mechanism 16 of the lid 10 is drilled. In addition, a pair of left and right rear retainers capable of supporting the rear of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer are formed side by side on the left and right sides of the inner surface of the back wall of the container body 1, and the pair of rear retainers are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction of the container body 1. Arranged. In addition, substantially H-shaped mounting portions 6 are defined in the central portions of both side walls of the container body 1, and grip portions that function for gripping operations are detachably mounted on the mounting portions 6.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the lid body 10 includes a lid body 11 that is press-fitted into the front surface 2 that is opened in the container body 1, and a plurality of covers that cover the front surface of the lid body 11 that is opened. A front inner peripheral portion 3A having a surface plate 14 and a locking mechanism 16 for locking interposed between the lid main body 11 and the plurality of surface plates 14 and having a peripheral wall of the lid main body 11 opened in the container main body 1; To touch. The lid body 11 is basically formed in a substantially dish-shaped cross section with a shallow bottom, and a plurality of reinforcing and mounting ribs are arranged inside, and the center of the inside is raised in a front rectangle in the opening direction. A front retainer 12 that elastically holds the semiconductor wafer is mounted on the back surface, which is the facing surface facing the semiconductor wafer.

  The front retainer 12 includes, for example, a vertically long frame that is attached to the center of the back surface of the lid body 11, and a plurality of elastic pieces are arranged vertically between the left and right sides of the frame. Flexibility and elasticity are imparted to the piece. Each elastic piece is integrally formed with a holding block for holding the front peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer with a V-groove or the like, but this holding block is formed with a U-shaped groove instead of the V-groove as required. .

  A frame-shaped mounting groove 13 is formed in the peripheral edge of the back surface of the lid body 11, and a gasket 20 that press-contacts the front inner peripheral portion 3 </ b> A of the container body 1 is tightly fitted in the mounting groove 13. Further, in both the upper and lower side portions of the peripheral wall of the lid main body 11, recesses and protrusions for the locking mechanism 16 facing the locking holes of the container main body 1 are penetrated and drilled.

  Each surface plate 14 is formed in a vertically long plate, and is provided with a plurality of reinforcing and mounting ribs, screw holes, and the like, and is covered on the front side of the lid body 11. The surface plate 14 is provided with operation holes 15 for the locking mechanism 16.

  The locking mechanism 16 includes a pair of left and right rotating plates 17 that are pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the lid body 11 and are rotated from the outside, and a plurality of sliding mechanisms that slide in the vertical direction of the lid body 10 as each rotating plate 17 rotates. The forward / backward movement plate 18 and a plurality of locking claws 19 that are moved in and out of the opening / recessing hole of the lid main body 11 along with the sliding movement of each of the forward / backward movement plate 18 and that come into contact with and away from the locking hole of the container main body 1. The locking mechanism 16 is injection-molded with the same molding material as the container body 1 and the lid body 10. Each rotating plate 17 is opposed to the operation hole 15 of the surface plate 14 of the lid 10 and is rotated by an operation key of a load port penetrating the operation hole 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the gasket 20 protrudes endlessly from a planar frame-shaped base material portion 21 fitted into the mounting groove 13 of the lid body 10, and from both the front and back surfaces of the base material portion 21. A plurality of fixing ribs 22 that are deformed and pressed against the inner surface of the mounting groove 13, and a bendable endless seal piece 27 that protrudes from the base portion 21 and elastically contacts the front inner peripheral portion 3 </ b> A of the container body 1. Molded. The gasket 20 is injection-molded into a flat frame shape that can be elastically deformed using, for example, a polyester-based, polystyrene-based, polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, silicone rubber, or the like having excellent heat resistance and weather resistance as a molding material.

  The base material portion 21 is formed in a rectangular cross section, and both front and back surfaces face the pair of inner surfaces of the mounting groove 13. The height H (thickness) from the front surface or the back surface of the base material portion 21 to the tip end portion 26 of the fitting rib 22 is formed to be higher than the height (length) in the mounting groove 13 of the lid 10. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, each fitting rib 22 protrudes long from the front surface or the back surface of the base material portion 21, and is opposite to the mounting groove 13 of the base material portion 21, in other words, the seal piece 27 direction. The first inclined side 23 inclined at an angle of about 40 ° to 45 °, and the first inclined side 23 that protrudes from the front surface or the back surface of the base member 21 substantially vertically in the direction of the distal end portion of the first inclined side 23. Two inclined sides 24 and a short third inclined side 25 that extends while tilting from the free end of the second inclined side 24 and is connected to the tip of the first inclined side 23. It is wide and thick, and is formed into a thin and thin cross-sectional substantially saw blade shape (substantially vertical saw blade shape) with the tip 26 cut out.

  The height H from the front surface or the back surface of the base member 21 to the fitting rib 22, more specifically the height H to the connection portion of the first and third inclined sides 23 and 25, is formability and fixability. From the viewpoint of ensuring the thickness, it is in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 mm, preferably 0.4 to 2.0 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

  The first and third inclined sides 23 and 25 are formed such that the tip of the tip portion 26 of the fitting rib 22 is thin and thin, and the root of the tip portion 26 is thick. The apex angle θ1 formed by the first and third inclined sides 23 and 25 is formed larger than the angle θ2 formed by the extended line of the first inclined side 23 and the second inclined side 24. .

  The height of the tip portion (top portion) 26 forming the angle θ1 is formed to be about 0.05 to 0.2 mm. This is because if it is 0.05 mm or more, there is no problem of formability such as short shot, and the maintenance of sealing performance can be expected. Moreover, if it is 0.2 mm or less, since the thickness to the base of the fitting rib 22 does not become large, the softness | flexibility of the fitting rib 22 as shown in FIG. 6 can be ensured, and sealing performance is maintained. Because it can.

  Specifically, the angle θ <b> 1 formed by the first and third inclined sides 23, 25 is a viewpoint that secures sufficient airtightness and sealability of the distal end portion 26 of the fitting rib 22 and obtains good moldability. To 45 ° to 135 °, preferably 80 ° to 100 °, more preferably 85 ° to 95 °. On the other hand, the angle θ2 formed by the first inclined side 23 and the extended line of the second inclined side 24 is 30 ° to 43 °, preferably 33 ° to 42 °, more preferably 35 ° to 40 °. It is considered as a range.

  The seal piece 27 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the base material portion 21 so as to taper while curving slightly in an arc shape outwardly in the width direction, and the lid body 10 is press-fitted into the open front surface 2 of the container body 1 to be fitted. In this case, the sealing function is exhibited by elastically contacting the step receiving surface 7 for supporting the lid 10 of the front inner peripheral portion 3A of the container body 1 while being bent.

  In the above configuration, when the gasket 20 is attached to the lid body 10, the base material portion 21 of the gasket 20 is fitted into the attachment groove 13 of the lid body 11, and the seal piece 27 of the gasket 20 is directed toward the peripheral wall of the lid body 11. If it can be bent, the gasket 20 can be attached to the lid 10. At this time, each of the fitting ribs 22 of the gasket 20 is deformed so as to be crushed by being pressed against the inner surface of the mounting groove 13, and the first inclined side 23 of each fitting rib 22 and its distal end portion are spaced from the inner surface of the mounting groove 13. Keep close contact evenly (see FIG. 6). Due to such deformation of the fitting rib 22, the gasket 20 is fixed to the mounting groove 13 of the lid body 10, and the displacement and dropping of the gasket 20 are effectively prevented.

  According to the above configuration, although the tip end portion 26 of the fitting rib 22 is narrow and thin, the tip portion 26 has a wide root and a thick cross-sectional substantially saw blade shape. Therefore, extremely good moldability can be obtained, and the fitting rib 22 can be obtained. Can be made uniform. Further, the angle θ1 formed by the first and third inclined sides 23 and 25 of the fitting rib 22 is larger than the angle θ2 formed by the extended line of the first inclined side 23 and the second inclined side 24. The tip portion 26 of the fitting rib 22 does not become thick.

  Therefore, since the tip end portion 26 of the fitting rib 22 sufficiently follows the inner surface of the mounting groove 13, there is a possibility that airtightness and sealing performance may be reduced due to slight unevenness generated in the mounting groove 13 by a nesting wire of a mold or the like. It can be reliably excluded. Furthermore, since airtightness and sealing performance can be effectively maintained, external gas does not flow into the container body 1, and contamination of the semiconductor wafer housed in the container body 1 can be prevented. become.

  In the above embodiment, the mounting groove 13 for the gasket 20 is defined in the lid body 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a mounting groove 13 for the gasket 20 is formed in the front inner peripheral portion 3A of the container body 1, and the base material portion 21 of the gasket 20 is fitted into the mounting groove 13 so that the seal piece 27 is attached to the peripheral wall of the lid body 10. You may press-contact in a bending state. Further, the fitting rib 22 may be protruded endlessly from the front surface or the back surface of the base material portion 21 of the gasket 20. In addition, a plurality of contact protrusions having a substantially semicircular cross section that are in pressure contact with the inner surface of the mounting groove 13 may be arranged and arranged on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the base member 21. Furthermore, the tip of the seal piece 27 of the gasket 20 may be curved to have a circular cross section.

  The substrate storage container according to the present invention is used in the field of manufacturing semiconductors and liquid crystal displays.

1 Container body 2 Front (opening)
3 peripheral edge 3A front inner periphery 7 step receiving surface 10 lid 11 lid body 13 mounting groove 14 surface plate 20 gasket 21 base material 22 fitting rib (fitting protrusion)
23 1st inclined side 24 2nd inclined side 25 3rd inclined side 26 tip part 27 sealing piece H Height from the surface or back surface of the base material part to the fitting rib θ1 of the first and third inclined sides Formation angle θ2 Angle formed by the first inclined side and the extension line of the second inclined side

Claims (3)

A container body that can store a substrate, a lid that closes the opening of the container body, and a deformable gasket that is interposed and sealed between the opening and the lid of the container body. A substrate storage container in which a mounting groove for a gasket is formed in either one of the opening and the lid,
The gasket includes a base portion that is fitted into the mounting groove, a fixing fitting protrusion that protrudes from the base portion and contacts the inner surface of the mounting groove, an inner periphery of the opening of the container body and a lid that protrudes from the base portion A seal piece that contacts any of the peripheral walls of the body,
The fitting protrusion protrudes from the base material portion and inclines in the counter-insertion direction with respect to the mounting groove of the base material portion, and the second inclined side protrudes from the base material portion in the first inclined side direction. The third inclined side extending from the second inclined side while being inclined and connected to the tip of the first inclined side, and the angle formed by the first and third inclined sides is the first A substrate storage container characterized by being larger than an angle formed by an inclined side and an extended line of the second inclined side.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein a height from a base material portion of the gasket to a connection portion of the first and third inclined sides of the fitting protrusion is 0.3 to 3.0 mm.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an angle formed by the first and third inclined sides of the fitting protrusion is in a range of 45 ° to 135 °.

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