JPH01243539A - Housing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the damage due to a shock by a method wherein a body is formed to be a multiple structure and an inside tank is supported by an outside tank in a floating manner in order to stop that the shock during transport is propagated to an object to be housed. CONSTITUTION:A body 3 is constituted of a first tank 4 and a second tank 5 which have been formed individually to be a box shape whose shape is similar to each other. An elastic member 6 such as a rubber, a soft resin or the like is stretched and installed between the first tank 4 and the second tank 5 in such a way that a suitable air tank 7 can be partitioned and formed. The first tank 4 as an inside tank is supported by the second tank 5 as an outside tank in a floating manner by using the member 6 and the air tank 7. The first tank 4 and the second tank 5 are connected electrically by using a conductive member 8. By this setup, it is possible to stop that a shock during transport is propagated to an object 1 to be housed; it is possible to prevent the damage due to the shock.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a storage container, and particularly to a storage container that includes a main body and a lid that is placed over the main body. This invention relates to a tool that is useful for storing jigs holding objects in a dust-proof state.

[Conventional technology]

In the semiconductor device manufacturing process, transporting wafers between processes and storing work-in-progress is carried out by placing a wafer jig holding up to 25 wafers into a box-shaped body and placing it over the opening of this body. This is done by storing the container in a storage container consisting of a lid and a lid that closes the opening.

An example of a wafer storage technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-60481.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the present inventors have discovered that storage containers that simply consist of a main body and a lid for closing the main body have the following problems as storage containers have recently become highly integrated.

The first is the impact during transportation.

The wafer is made of silicon and has a diameter of 125 mm.
It is approximately 150 mm long and 0.7 mm thick, and is hard and brittle in terms of material, and is prone to chipping around the periphery due to its shape, with pieces on the order of microns easily occurring. On the other hand, the number of processing steps for a wafer is as large as approximately 250 steps, and each step is performed manually and by a transport vehicle. For this reason, the wafer is exposed to nearly 250 i! I! During transport, small shocks and vibrations are applied, which generates a large amount of micron-order fragments. Some of the fragments generated in this way adhere to the wafer surface, causing a defective appearance due to foreign matter.

The second problem is the degree of sealing.

Wafer processing is done using HEPA (H4gh Effic
ency Particulate Airri
Although the process is carried out directly under the ILer, that is, in a place of high cleanliness, there are passages between each group of manufacturing equipment, and the cleanliness of these passages is 1.2 steps lower. Wafers are transported between each manufacturing equipment group by storing the wafer jigs together in a storage container, but when passing through areas with low cleanliness such as passageways, the cleanliness can be detected from the gap between the main body of the storage container and the lid. Low outside air tends to enter, and dust in the outside air tends to adhere to the wafer surface, resulting in defects.

The third problem is static electricity.

The wafer is usually housed in a wafer jig made of fluororesin or polypropylene resin. Such materials are easily charged with static electricity, and naturally the wafer is also charged, and the surrounding dust is attracted by the force of static electricity, which causes it to adhere to the wafer and become defective.

An object of the present invention is to provide a storage container that can solve the above problems.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Means to solve the problem]

An overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, it includes a main body formed in a box shape and a lid that is placed over the opening of the main body to close the opening, and the main body is formed in a multi-tank structure, and the inner tank is connected to the outer tank. The inner tank and the outer tank are electrically connected to each other, and a plurality of mating surfaces are arranged concentrically between the main body and the lid, and are each formed in an annular shape. There is.

[Effect]

According to the above-mentioned means, since the main body has a multilayer structure and the inner tank is floatingly supported by the outer tank, it is possible to block the impact during transportation from being transmitted to the stored items. , it is possible to prevent damage caused by impact.

Further, since the inner tank and the outer tank are electrically connected, electrostatic damage to the stored items can be avoided even though the inner tank is supported in a floating manner.

Furthermore, since a plurality of mating surface portions are formed between the main body and the lid, the barrier against intrusion of dust is increased, and dustproofness can be improved.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a wafer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the storage container according to the present invention is configured to store the carrier jig 2 holding the wafer 1 in a dust-proof state, and is formed into a substantially square box shape in plan view. The device includes a main body and a lid that is placed over the opening of the main body to close the opening.

The main body 3 is composed of a first tank 4 and a second tank 5, each of which is formed into a box shape that mirrors the other. They are arranged concentrically. An elastic member 6 made of an elastic material such as rubber or soft resin is placed between the first tank 4 and the second tank 5, and an appropriate air layer 7 is provided between the first tank 4 and the second tank 5. The elastic member 6 and the air layer 7 allow the first tank 4 as an inner tank to be floatingly supported by the second tank 5 as an outer tank.

first! Both i4 and the second tank 5 are integrally molded using a hard resin mixed with a conductive material, and are thus configured to have conductivity. A conductive member 8 made of copper wire or the like is bridged between the first tank 4 and the second tank 5.
and the second tank 5 are electrically connected.

At the opening of the second tank 5 in the main body 3, a main body side first mating surface part 9 and a main body side second mating surface part 10 are arranged on the inner circumferential side and the outer circumferential side, respectively, and protrude horizontally. , these mating surfaces 9 and 10 are each formed into a substantially angle rail shape, and are laid annularly along the opening of the second tank 5 so as to surround it.

On the other hand, the lid 11 is formed in a box shape between the second tank 5 of the main body 3 and the lid 11 is also integrally molded using a hard resin mixed with a conductive material. In the opening of the lid 11, a first lid-side mating surface portion 12 and a second lid-side mating surface portion 13 are arranged on the inner circumferential side and the outer circumferential side, respectively, and the cross section is formed into a U-shape and extends along the opening edge. It is laid out in a ring.

Next, the effect will be explained.

When the wafer 1 is stored in this storage container, the lid 11 is removed from the main body 3 and the main body 3 is opened.

A plurality of wafers 1 are aligned and held on the carrier jig 2, and the carrier jig 2 and the wafers 1 are placed on the bottom surface of the first tank 4 of the main body 3. Subsequently, the lid body 11 is attached to the main body 3.
The main body 3 is sealed.

In this state, the first and second mating surfaces 12 and I3 of the lid body 11 are mated with the first and second mating surfaces 9 and 10 of the main body 3, respectively, so as to double surround the opening at two locations, inside and outside. The dust resistance inside the container is maintained well. That is, since the two mating surfaces, the inner and the outer, serve as a barrier to dust intrusion, the possibility that dust will infiltrate into the container is reduced.

By the way, if the storage container is moved or placed with wafers stored therein, a shock is applied to the wafers stored in the storage container, so there is a risk that the wafers may be chipped or cracked.

However, in this embodiment, the main body 3 has a double tank structure, and the first tank 4 as an inner tank is floatingly supported by the second tank 5 as an outer tank, and the carrier is placed in the first tank 4. By placing the jig 2, the application of impact to the wafer 1 is suppressed, thereby suppressing the risk of chipping, cracking, etc. of the wafer. That is, even if an impact is applied to the second tank 5 and the lid 11, the impact will be absorbed by the air layer 7 and will not be transmitted to the first tank 4, which supports the wafers l. Therefore, impact on the wafer is suppressed.

Further, since the wafer jig 2 is placed in the first tank 4 which is floatingly supported via the air layer 7, there is a risk that electrostatic damage may occur in the wafer 1.

However, in this embodiment, both the first tank 4 and the second tank 5 are manufactured to have conductivity, and the first tank 4 and the second tank 5 are electrically connected by a conductive member 8. This prevents accidents caused by electrostatic damage.

In other words, the static electricity that would otherwise be charged on the first tank 4, carrier jig 2, and wafer 1 is discharged without charging as it is grounded through the first tank 4, conductive member 8, and second tank 5. It is.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) By configuring the main body in a multi-tank structure and floatingly supporting the inner tank by the outer tank, it is possible to prevent shocks during transport from being transmitted to the inner tank. Damage to articles can be prevented.

(2) By electrically connecting the inner and outer tanks with a conductive member, it is possible to prevent static electricity from building up inside the inner tank, thereby preventing the occurrence of static electricity damage to the items stored in the inner tank. Can be done.

(3) By forming a plurality of mating surfaces between the main body and the lid, it is possible to increase the barrier against the intrusion of dust, so that the dustproofness of the storage container can be improved.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on Examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Nor.

For example, the main body is not limited to a double tank structure, but may have a triple tank or more multiple tank structure. In the case of a multiple tank structure, the intermediate tank constitutes an outer tank or an inner tank, respectively, corresponding to its inner tank and its outer tank.

The means for floating support is not limited to a structure in which an air layer is formed between the inner and outer tanks using an elastic member, but also a structure in which a cushioning material such as a sponge is used between the inner and outer layers. You may use the structure etc. which interpose.

The mating surface portion between the main body and the lid body is not limited to be configured to double surround the opening, but may be configured to have a triple or more multiple structure.

The above explanation has mainly been about the application of the invention made by the present inventor to wafer storage technology, which is the background field of application, but the invention is not limited to this, and is not limited to this. Can be applied to all stages of storage containers.

〔Effect of the invention〕

A brief explanation of the effects obtained by typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

The main body has a multi-tank structure, and the inner tank is floatingly supported by the outer tank, which prevents shocks from being transmitted to the inner tank during transportation, thereby preventing damage to items stored in the inner tank. can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a storage container that is an embodiment of the present invention. 111. Wafer (object to be stored), 2... jig, 3...
Main body, 4... First tank (inner tank), 5... Second tank (outer tank), 6... Elastic member, 7... Air layer, 8...
Conductive member, 9, ■0...Main body side mating surface part, 11...
- Lid body, 12.13... Lid body side mating surface part. Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The main body is formed into a box shape, and the lid body is placed over the opening of the main body to close the opening, and the main body is formed in a multi-tank structure. , the inner tank is floatingly supported on the outer tank, the inner tank and the outer tank are electrically connected, and a plurality of mating surfaces are arranged concentrically between the main body and the lid body. A storage container characterized in that each container is formed in an annular shape. 2. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the inner tank is floatingly supported by the outer tank by an air layer defined by an elastic member. 3. The mating surface part on the main body side is formed in the outermost tank, and the lid body is configured to be supported by the outermost tank by matching the mating surface part on the lid body side to this mating surface part. A storage container according to claim 1.