JP7491750B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for storing, transporting, and storing substrates such as semiconductor wafers.

As partially shown in FIG. 12, a conventional substrate storage container includes an outer box 10 for storing semiconductor wafers and an upper lid 20 that detachably fits over the open top of the outer box 10. An elastic vertical seal member 30A is interposed between the outer box 10 and the upper lid 20, and the inside is depressurized as necessary (see Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3). The outer box 10 is formed as a top-open box, and a peripheral storage groove 12 for the seal member 30A is provided on the outer surface of the upper periphery 11A. The upper lid 20 also includes a peripheral portion 21A that is thicker than the upper periphery 11A of the outer box 10, and a fitting groove 22 that fits over the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10 from above is provided on the outer surface of the peripheral portion 21A.

The sealing member 30A is integrally formed with an inverted groove-shaped storage base 31 that is stored in the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10, a thick upper lip piece 37 that rises from the surface of the storage base 31 and deforms and presses into the fitting groove 22 of the top cover 20, and a thick side lip piece 38 that extends from the storage base 31 and deforms and presses near the contact point between the upper peripheral edge 11A of the outer box 10 and the peripheral edge 21A of the top cover 20.

When storing semiconductor wafers in such a substrate storage container, the semiconductor wafers are stored in the outer box 10, the top lid 20 is placed over the open top of the outer box 10, and the fitting groove 22 of the top lid 20 is fitted into the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10. Then, the upper lip piece 37 of the seal member 30A is pressed into the fitting groove 22 of the top lid 20, and the side lip piece 38 is pressed against the vicinity of the contact area between the upper peripheral edge 11A of the outer box 10 and the peripheral edge 21A of the top lid 20. This pressing allows the semiconductor wafers to be stored cleanly and safely in the substrate storage container.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-145173 JP 2000-043976 A JP 2014-040848 A

Conventional substrate storage containers are constructed as described above, and when the open top of the outer box 10 is fitted and covered by the top lid 20, the upper lip piece 37 of the seal member 30A may be pressed against and stuck inside the fitting groove 22 of the top lid 20. Therefore, when attempting to remove the top lid 20 from the outer box 10, the seal member 30A may be pulled up by the top lid 20, causing the seal member 30A to come off the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10. In addition, the inside of the substrate storage container may be reduced in pressure, in which case the seal member 30A may stick more strongly, making it difficult to remove the top lid 20.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a substrate storage container that can eliminate the risk of the seal member coming off the peripheral storage groove when the lid is removed from the box.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a substrate-storing device, comprising: covering an opening of a box body capable of storing a substrate with a lid body; and interposing an elastic seal member formed endlessly from a predetermined molding material between the box body and the lid body,
The sealing member includes a stored base that is stored in the peripheral storage groove of either the box body or the lid body, and a lip piece formed on the stored base and sandwiched between the peripheral portions of the box body and the lid body, the lip piece being divided to form first and second lip pieces extending inwardly of the box body and the lid body so as to be able to be bent, the first and second lip pieces being opposed to each other via a cutout having a roughly wedge-shaped cross section, and the second lip piece being provided with an air hole communicating with the notch, so that when the lid body is covered, one of the first or second lip pieces is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the box body, and the other is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the lid body.

The box body is the outer box of a top-open box, and the lid body is an upper lid that covers the open top of the outer box, and a peripheral storage groove portion for a sealing member is provided on the outer surface of the upper peripheral edge of the outer box, so that when the upper lid is fitted and covered, the first lip piece of the sealing member can be brought into contact with the upper peripheral edge of the outer box, and the second lip piece can be brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the upper lid.
Also, a tapered contact portion that contacts the second lip piece of the seal member can be formed on the peripheral edge of the upper cover.

In addition, the box body can be used as the container body of a front-open box, with the lid body being able to be fitted into its open front face, and first and second lip pieces of the sealing member can be sandwiched between the inner periphery of the front face of the container body and the periphery of the lid body, and a peripheral storage groove portion for the sealing member can be provided on the periphery of the lid body.

In addition, the base of the sealing member can be formed to have a generally rectangular cross section, and its bottom surface can be brought into close contact with the inner bottom surface of the peripheral storage groove of either the box body or the lid body.

The substrate in the claims includes at least various semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal glass, reticles, etc. When the substrate is a semiconductor wafer, it includes at least 4, 5, 6, 8 inch, 300 mm, and 450 mm silicon wafers, compound semiconductor wafers such as SiC and GaAs, glass wafers, etc. The box and lid may be transparent, opaque, or translucent. The box may be structured to directly store the substrate, or to indirectly store the substrate via a cassette or the like. The sealing member may have a single vent hole or multiple vent holes.

According to the present invention, when a substrate is removed from a substrate storage container, the crushed notch in the sealing member gradually returns to its original shape when the peripheral edge of the lid body separates from the peripheral edge of the box body, and when the peripheral edge of the lid body completely separates from the peripheral edge of the box body with neither the first nor second lip pieces of the sealing member attached to the peripheral edge of the lid body, the lid body and the sealing member separate, and the first and second lip pieces of the sealing member face each other via the notch.

In contrast, when the peripheral edge of the lid body is completely separated from the peripheral edge of the box body with either the first or second lip piece of the sealing member stuck to the peripheral edge of the lid body, either the first or second lip piece of the sealing member is pulled by the lid body and deformed, forming a predetermined angle between the lid body and the sealing member. By forming this predetermined angle, the adhesion of the sealing member can be eliminated, thereby reducing the risk of the sealing member coming off the peripheral storage groove when the lid body is removed from the box body.

According to the present invention, when the lid is removed from the box, the risk of the seal member coming off the peripheral storage groove can be effectively eliminated. In addition, since the seal member is an easy-to-handle endless single part, the seal member can be easily stored in the peripheral storage groove. In addition, since the first and second lip pieces are opposed to each other via a notch having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section, when the second lip piece is pulled by the lid, for example, the second lip piece can be made to draw a substantially widened V-shape to easily form a predetermined angle between the lid and the seal member, and it is possible to effectively prevent the second lip piece of the seal member from sticking to the peripheral part of the lid. In addition, when the lid is removed, air flows from the outside of the substrate storage container through the vent hole of the seal member into the inside of the substrate storage container, so that the lid can be easily removed from the box even if the inside of the substrate storage container is depressurized.

According to the invention described in claim 2, when the top lid is removed from the outer box, a predetermined angle is formed between the top lid and the sealing member, thereby suppressing the second lip piece of the sealing member from sticking to the peripheral portion of the top lid, and preventing the sealing member from floating or coming off from the peripheral storage groove portion of the outer box when the top lid is removed.
According to the invention described in claim 3, only the contact portion of the top cover contacts the second lip piece of the sealing member, so that it is possible to reduce the contact area between the peripheral portion of the top cover and the second lip piece, thereby preventing the second lip piece from sticking to the peripheral portion of the top cover and making it possible to easily remove the top cover.

According to the invention described in claim 4 , the contact area of the sealing member with the peripheral storage groove portion of the stored base is increased, so that the sealing member can be tightly pressed against the peripheral storage groove portion when the lid body is removed, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the sealing member from falling off from the peripheral storage groove portion.

1 is an overall perspective view that typically illustrates an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view that typically illustrates an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a main portion, illustrating a state in which a seal member is interposed between an outer box and an upper lid in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a seal member in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a main portion of a sealing member in an embodiment of a substrate storing container according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main portion of a sealing member at a stage where the peripheral edge of a separated upper lid approaches the upper peripheral edge of an outer box in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main portion of a sealing member at a stage where the peripheral portion of the top lid closely faces the upper peripheral portion of the outer box in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main portion of a sealing member at a stage where the peripheral edge of the upper lid is to be separated from the upper peripheral edge of an outer box in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a main part of a sealing member at a stage where the peripheral edge of the upper lid is completely separated from the upper peripheral edge of the outer box in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a second embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention, in which (a) is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a key part showing a sealing member at a stage where a protruding portion on the peripheral portion of the upper lid is closely opposed to the upper peripheral portion of the outer box, and (b) is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a key part showing a sealing member at a stage where the protruding portion on the peripheral portion of the upper lid is completely separated from the upper peripheral portion of the outer box. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a third embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention, in which Fig. 11(a) is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a main part that shows a schematic view of a sealing member at a stage where the peripheral portion of a remote upper lid approaches the upper peripheral portion of an outer box, and Fig. 11(b) is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a main part that shows a schematic view of a sealing member at a stage where the peripheral portion of the upper lid faces closely to the upper peripheral portion of the outer box. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of a main portion showing a state in which a seal member is interposed between an outer box and an upper lid of a conventional substrate storage container.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 to 9, the substrate storage container in this embodiment is a storage container in which the upper opening of an outer box 10 capable of storing small-diameter semiconductor wafers W via a cassette 1 is fitted and covered with a transparent top lid 20, and an elastically deformable vertical seal member 30 is interposed between the outer box 10 and the top lid 20. The lip piece 32 of the seal member 30 is divided into first and second lip pieces 33 and 34, and a notch 35 is formed between them. When the top lid 20 is fitted and covered, the first lip piece 33 contacts the upper peripheral edge 11 of the outer box 10, and the second lip piece 34 contacts the peripheral edge 21 of the top lid 20.

As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor wafers W are thin, round silicon wafers, for example, 8 inches in size, and 25 silicon wafers are stored vertically upright in the cassette 1. The semiconductor wafers W are mainly silicon wafers, but are not limited to these, and may be germanium wafers, etc.

As partially shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cassette 1 comprises a pair of opposing left and right walls 2 that sandwich an upright semiconductor wafer W, a horizontally elongated joint piece that is installed and joined between the center of the front ends of the pair of opposing walls 2, and a joint plate that is installed and joined between the rear ends of the pair of opposing walls 2. It is integrally molded into a hollow, roughly rectangular cylinder shape from a molding material that contains polypropylene resin, etc., which helps prevent particle generation, and stores multiple semiconductor wafers W in an aligned manner.

A pair of support pieces 3 for the semiconductor wafers W are provided on the opposing surfaces of the pair of opposing walls 2, and the pair of support pieces 3 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-to-rear direction of the cassette 1, and a storage slot 4 is defined between adjacent support pieces 3, which slide against the lateral peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W. Each opposing wall 2 and each support piece 3 is bent into a roughly vertically long J-shape with a curved lower portion.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 6 to 9, the outer box 10 is molded from a molding material containing polypropylene resin or the like into a rectangular cylindrical top open box with an open top, and the upper surface of the upper rim 11 closely faces the rim 21 of the top cover 20 when the cassette 1 is stored and protected. A rim storage groove 12 with a substantially L-shaped cross section is provided around the outer surface of the upper rim 11 of the outer box 10, and a seal member 30 is stored in the rim storage groove 12. A locking mechanism 13 for the top cover 20 is also provided on the rim of the outer box 10, more specifically on the upper side of both side walls.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 6 to 9, the top cover 20 is molded into a rectangular shape with a low back and a roughly dish-shaped cross section from a molding material containing, for example, polycarbonate resin that helps prevent particle generation, and has a presser 24 for the semiconductor wafer W attached inside, with the underside of the periphery 21 closely facing the upper periphery 11 of the outer box 10. The periphery 21 of this top cover 20 is made to be the same thickness as the upper periphery 11 of the outer box 10 or slightly thicker.

A fitting groove 22 with a cross section of a generally inverted J shape is provided on the outer surface of the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20, surrounding the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20, and this fitting groove 22 functions to fit and cover the open peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10 from above through a gap. In addition, the peripheral wall of the top cover 20, in other words, both side walls, are respectively provided with locking plates 23 for the outer box 10, and each locking plate 23 is formed as a flexible horizontally elongated perforated plate and is detachably locked to the locking mechanism 13 of the outer box 10, thereby preventing the top cover 20 from falling off the outer box 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the clamp 24 has a mounting frame 25 that is detachably attached to the inner top surface of the top cover 20, and a plurality of flexible, generally L-shaped elastic pieces 26 are arranged on both sides of the mounting frame 25, and the tip of each elastic piece 26 presses against the upper edge of the semiconductor wafer W from above to prevent rattling.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 9, the sealing member 30 is molded into an endless frame shape from a specified molding material and is stored in the peripheral storage groove portion 12 of the outer box 10 to function as a seal packing. The molding material of this sealing member 30 is not particularly limited, but examples include a specified thermoplastic elastomer, specifically an olefin-based or styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer. From the viewpoint of ensuring good airtightness, the hardness of the sealing member 30 is preferably A60 to A90, more preferably A65 to A90, and even more preferably A71 to A89, when measured with a hardness meter in accordance with the provisions of JIS K 6253.

As shown in Figures 2 to 9, the sealing member 30 is integrally provided with a storage base 31 with a cross section of a generally inverted groove shape that is stored in the peripheral storage groove portion 12 of the outer box 10, and a lip piece 32 that is formed on the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the storage base 31 and is sandwiched between the upper peripheral edge 11 of the outer box 10 and the peripheral edge portion 21 of the top cover 20, and the lip piece 32 is divided in the thickness direction to form first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 that extend generally horizontally inwardly of the outer box 10 and the top cover 20 and can be bent in the vertical direction.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the storage base 31 of the seal member 30 is formed higher than the height (depth) of the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10, and the non-bifurcated upper end is exposed from the peripheral storage groove 12, and faces the fitting groove 22 of the upper cover 20 with a space therebetween when the upper cover 20 is fitted and covered. The first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 are arranged adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the seal member 30, protrude approximately horizontally from the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10 toward the cassette 1, and are each formed into a tapered approximately trapezoidal cross section with a thickness (height) of about 1 mm. The first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 face each other so that they can come into contact with and separate from each other through a notch 35 with a wedge-shaped cross section that forms a tapered V shape.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, multiple ventilation holes 36 for air inflow that communicate with the cutouts 35 are drilled in the thickness direction of the second lip piece 34, and these multiple ventilation holes 36 (four in this embodiment) are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the seal member 30. Each ventilation hole 36 is formed in a flat circular shape and is located in a position that will not be crushed even if the second lip piece 34 is deformed, specifically, near the boundary between the stored base 31 and the second lip piece 34.

As shown in FIG. 3 etc., such first and second lip pieces 33, 34 are sandwiched between the upper periphery 11 of the outer box 10 and the peripheral portion 21 of the upper cover 20 when the upper cover 20 is fitted and covered, and the lower first lip piece 33 deforms while coming into surface contact with the upper surface of the upper periphery 11 of the outer box 10, while the upper second lip piece 34 deforms while coming into surface contact with the underside of the peripheral portion 21 of the upper cover 20. At this time, the second lip piece 34 may stick to the underside of the peripheral portion 21 of the upper cover 20.

In the above configuration, when storing semiconductor wafers W in the substrate storage container, multiple semiconductor wafers W are inserted into the cassette 1 in sequence to be aligned and stored, and the cassette 1 is stored in the outer box 10 for protection. After that, the top cover 20 is placed over the open top of the outer box 10, and the fitting groove 22 of the top cover 20 is positioned and fitted into the peripheral storage groove 12 of the outer box 10, and the locking plates 23 of the top cover 20 are locked into the pair of locking mechanisms 13 of the outer box 10.

At this time, the first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 protruding laterally from the sealing member 30 face each other across the notch 35 without deformation, forming a V-shape, when the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20 approaches the upper peripheral edge 11 of the outer box 10 (see FIG. 6), but when the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20 comes close to the upper peripheral edge 11 of the outer box 10, they crush the notch 35 and come into deformed contact (see FIG. 7). This deformation and contact of the first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 allows the semiconductor wafers W to be stored cleanly and safely in the substrate storage container.

Next, when removing the semiconductor wafers W from the substrate storage container, the locking plates 23 of the top cover 20 are detached from the pair of locking mechanisms 13 of the outer box 10, the top cover 20 is removed from the outer box 10, the cassette 1 is pulled up and removed from the outer box 10, and multiple semiconductor wafers W are sequentially removed from the cassette 1.

At this time, the first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 protruding laterally from the sealing member 30 form a V shape as the crushed notch 35 gradually recovers (see Figures 7 and 8) when the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20 separates from the upper peripheral edge 11 of the outer box 10, and when the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20 separates completely from the upper peripheral edge 11 of the outer box 10 with the second lip piece 34 no longer attached to the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20, they face each other and separate via the notch 35, forming a complete V shape (see Figure 9).

In contrast, when the second lip piece 34 of the sealing member 30 is attached to the peripheral portion 21 of the top lid 20 and the peripheral portion 21 of the top lid 20 is completely separated from the upper peripheral portion 11 of the outer box 10, the second lip piece 34 is pulled up by the top lid 20 and deformed to form a widening V shape, forming a predetermined angle between the top lid 20 and the sealing member 30. The formation of this predetermined angle makes it easier for air to flow between the peripheral portion 21 of the top lid 20 and the second lip piece 34, so the second lip piece 34 can be released from its attachment and peeled off, effectively eliminating the risk of the sealing member 30 coming off the peripheral storage groove portion 12 of the outer box 10 when the top lid 20 is removed from the outer box 10.

In addition, when the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20 tries to separate from the upper peripheral portion 11 of the outer box 10, air flows from the outside of the substrate storage container through the fitting groove portion 22 of the top cover 20, the vent hole 36 of the sealing member 30, and the notch 35, and then into the inside of the substrate storage container, specifically into the outer box 10. This inflow of air makes it extremely easy to remove the top cover 20, even if the inside of the substrate storage container is at a low pressure.

According to the above configuration, when the top lid 20 is removed, a predetermined angle is formed between the top lid 20 and the seal member 30, which reduces the adhesion of the second lip piece 34 of the seal member 30 to the peripheral portion 21 of the top lid 20, and therefore prevents the seal member 30 from floating or coming off the peripheral storage groove portion 12 of the outer box 10 when the top lid 20 is removed. In addition, when the top lid 20 is removed, air flows from the outside of the substrate storage container into the inside of the substrate storage container through the ventilation hole 36 of the seal member 30, so that even if the inside of the substrate storage container is low-pressure, the top lid 20 can be easily removed and the top of the outer box 10 can be easily opened.

Next, Figures 10(a) and (b) show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a tapered contact portion 27 is formed to protrude downward from the outer underside of the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20, and the curved round tip of this contact portion 27 is made to contact the second lip piece 34 of the seal member 30. The other parts are the same as in the above embodiment, so a description will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be expected, and moreover, since only the tip of the contact portion 27 contacts the second lip piece 34 of the seal member 30, it is expected that the contact area between the peripheral portion 21 of the top cover 20 and the second lip piece 34 will be reduced. Therefore, it is clear that the second lip piece 34 is prevented from sticking, and the top cover 20 can be easily removed.

Next, Figures 11(a) and (b) show a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the storage base 31 of the sealing member 30 is changed from a cross-sectional shape that is roughly an inverted groove to a cross-sectional shape that is roughly rectangular and vertically long, so that its flat bottom surface is in close contact with the flat inner bottom surface of the peripheral storage groove portion 12 of the outer box 10. The other parts are the same as those of the above embodiment, so their explanation will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be expected, and moreover, since the contact area of the seal member 30 with the peripheral storage groove portion 12 of the storage base portion 31 is enlarged, it is clear that the seal member 30 can be tightly attached to the peripheral storage groove portion 12 when the top cover 20 is removed, and the seal member 30 can be more reliably prevented from falling off the outer box 10.

In the above embodiment, the seal member 30 is simply made of elastomer, but the seal member 30 may be made antistatic by adding a conductive filler to the molding material of the seal member 30. The molding material of the seal member 30 is not limited to a specific thermoplastic elastomer, and may be, for example, silicone rubber or fluororubber. At least one of the first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 of the seal member 30 may be formed into a tapered triangular cross section.

The inclination angle, thickness, length, etc. of the first and second lip pieces 33, 34 may be changed to form the first and second lip pieces 33, 34 asymmetrically. Also, the notch 35 between the first and second lip pieces 33, 34 may be formed to have a tapered trapezoidal or U-shaped cross section. Also, the second and third embodiments may be combined as necessary.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a top-open box type substrate storage container is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a front-open box type substrate storage container such as a FOUP may also be used. In this case, the substrate storage container is a storage container that includes a front-open box container body capable of storing a plurality of large-diameter semiconductor wafers W in an aligned manner, and a lid body that is detachably fitted into the open front of the container body, and an elastically deformable horizontal seal member 30 is interposed between the container body and the lid body, and the first and second lip pieces 33 and 34 of the seal member 30 that extend outward from the container body are sandwiched between the inner periphery of the front of the container body and the inner periphery of the lid body, and a peripheral storage groove portion 12 for the seal member 30 is formed in a frame-shaped recess on the inner periphery of the lid body. When the lid body is fitted, the first lip piece 33 of the seal member 30 contacts the vicinity of the inner periphery of the lid body, and the second lip piece 34 adjacent to the first lip piece 33 contacts the inner periphery of the front of the container body.

The substrate storage container of the present invention is used in the field of manufacturing substrates such as semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal glass, and reticles.

1 Cassette 10 Outer box (box)
11 Upper rim (rim portion)
12 Peripheral storage groove portion 20 Upper cover (lid body)
21 Periphery 22 Fitting groove 27 Contact portion 30 Seal member 30A Seal member 31 Storage base 32 Lip piece 33 First lip piece 34 Second lip piece 35 Notch 36 Ventilating hole W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims (4)

A substrate storage container comprising a box body capable of storing substrates, an opening of which is covered with a lid body, and an elastic seal member formed endlessly from a predetermined molding material between the box body and the lid body,
a sealing member including a stored base that is stored in a peripheral storage groove of either the box body or the lid body, and a lip piece formed on the stored base and sandwiched between the peripheral portions of the box body and the lid body, the lip piece being divided to form first and second lip pieces that extend inwardly from the box body and the lid body and can be bent , the first and second lip pieces being opposed to each other via a cutout having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section, and the second lip piece being provided with an air vent that communicates with the cutout, so that when the lid body is covered, one of the first or second lip pieces is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the box body, and the other is brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the lid body. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, in which the box body is the outer box of a top-open box, the lid body is an upper lid that covers the open top of the outer box, a peripheral storage groove for a seal member is provided on the outer surface of the upper peripheral edge of the outer box, and when the upper lid is fitted and covered, a first lip piece of the seal member contacts the upper peripheral edge of the outer box and a second lip piece contacts the peripheral edge of the upper lid. The substrate storage container according to claim 2, in which a tapered contact portion is formed on the periphery of the top lid to contact the second lip piece of the sealing member. 4. A substrate storage container according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the storage base of the seal member is formed to have a substantially rectangular cross section, and the bottom surface of the seal member is brought into close contact with the inner bottom surface of the peripheral storage groove of either the box body or the lid body .

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