JPH03192005A - Material keeping facilities built-in clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the rise of temperature at shelves at material keeping facilities built-in a clean room for semiconductors, by providing a carrying in/out device on the front sides of shelves forming a plurality of divided housing spaces, and generating the circulation current of clean air from the rear side toward the front through filters, and also discharging part of it to the lower part of the outsides of main bodies. CONSTITUTION:Clean air 4 is blown out of the ceiling of a clean room 1 through a filter, and sucking is made by means of air supply devices 46 provided underneath a floor, and delivery is made to the rear sides of shelves 6, and blowing out to the fronts of shelves is made via filters 45 through the respective divided housing spaces 11 of shelves 6. And circulation is made with blowing out clean air 4. At this time, dust accompanying the action of a forklift 43 is also carried out by means of air 4. Simultaneously, air staying at a square pipe body 21 is sucked together with clean air 4 into an sucking device 26, and discharged to the outsides of shelf 6 main bodies.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cargo storage equipment in a clean room, which is installed in a clean room and used for storing articles (cargos) such as semiconductors that are extremely sensitive to dust or temperature changes. .

In general, cargo storage facilities are
As seen in Publication No. 03, a storage shelf having a plurality of compartment storage spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions, a door provided in the front thereof, and a storage shelf disposed between the storage shelf and the door,
The conveyance means is configured to have a handler that can freely travel on a fixed path along the storage shelf and can be moved up and down as well as laterally. A filter is attached to the back surface of the storage shelf, and a duct is provided to blow air downward through the filter to supply clean air to the storage shelf.

According to this conventional method, the air that is blown downward through the duct passes through a filter to become clean air, and the clean air is supplied from the back side of the storage shelf to the travel area of the conveyance means, thereby improving the product quality. It is said that it can be stored without foreign matter adhering to it.

However, in this conventional type of cargo storage equipment, clean air supplied from the back side of the storage shelf toward the travel area of the conveying means collides with a door provided on the front side of the main body, resulting in a thinly coiled state. As a result, dust generated from the transport means placed between the storage shelves and the door, and dust attached to the transport means, may fly up and adhere to the products stored in the storage shelves, resulting in products being damaged. In the case of semiconductors, their properties are impaired.

Furthermore, the clean air that flows out from the back side of the storage shelf toward the travel area of the conveyance means is thought to be exhausted from the opening of the product receiving section, but in that case, dust generated from the conveyance means may fall onto the floor along the way. It falls on the surface and collects. This accumulated dust may be blown up by the thinly curled air or the running of the conveyance means and adhere to the products on the storage shelves, or the air flow may flow toward the openings, causing the parts of the storage shelves near the openings to There is a risk that dust will adhere to products stored near the receiving area.

Furthermore, although it is not explicitly stated in the specification of JP-A-57-156903, if the air discharged from the storage shelf enters the air supply device again, the air will be in a circulating state and the temperature of the air will rise. .

Furthermore, since the air supply duct is disposed above the shelf, the rising temperature causes air to stay in the upper part of the shelf, and as a result, the temperature of the entire clean room gradually rises.

If the products stored on the shelves are semiconductors such as wafers, they are sensitive to minute temperature changes, which will have a very negative effect on yield.

As described above, conventional cargo storage equipment does not take into account the temperature rise of the air.

The purpose of the present invention is to generate a clean air flow from the rear side to the front side facing the loading/unloading device in each compartment storage space of the shelf, so that dust generated in the loading/unloading device is removed from the shelf. To provide cargo storage equipment in a clean room that can prevent air from moving to the side and replace at least a part of the clean air being used with air from outside.

In order to achieve the above object, the cargo storage equipment in a clean room according to the present invention includes a shelf having a plurality of compartment storage spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions in the clean room, and a shelf that can freely travel along a fixed path along the shelf. A loading/unloading device is provided that has a loading/unloading mechanism for raising and lowering the loading/unloading structure to input and unload cargo into and out of the plurality of compartment storage spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the shelf has a front surface facing the loading/unloading device. is opened, and a filter is placed on the entire rear surface side, and the air in the clean room is sucked into the main body from the rear surface side of the filter and passed through the filter to each compartment storage space on the front side facing the loading equipment. An air supply device for discharging clean air toward the storage space is provided in the old city under the shelf, and at least a portion of the air discharged from each compartment storage space is discharged downward outside the main body.

According to the configuration of the present invention, at least a portion of the clean air whose temperature has slightly increased and which has come out from the front side of the shelf is discharged to the outside by the operation of the air supply device, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the entire device. I can do it. The clean air generated through the filter is then flowed from the rear side of each compartment storage space of the shelf toward the front side facing the loading/unloading device, so that the dust generated in the loading/unloading device is transferred to the shelf side. This can be prevented. This makes it possible to mechanize and automate cargo storage in clean rooms.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. 1
This is a clean room, and is configured so that clean air 4 is blown downward from the ceiling 2 side through a filter 3, and the descending air is sucked into the bottom of the floor through a mesh-type floor 5. Reference numeral 6 denotes shelves which are arranged in parallel with a predetermined passage 7.

These shelves 6 have a box-shaped main body 8 that is open from the middle to the top of the front, a large number of vertical partition plates 9 that are arranged horizontally in the open part, and a large number of vertical partition plates 9 that are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction. A plurality of divided storage spaces 11 are formed in the vertical and horizontal directions by both the partition plates 9 and 10.
form. A pair of left and right arms 12 are provided in each compartment storage space 11, and these arms 12 support a load 13 made of semiconductors or the like. Reference numeral 14 denotes a carry-out device disposed in the passageway 7, which is movable along a fixed path 15 along the shelf 6.

That is, a pair of rails 17 are disposed at the bottom of the passageway 7 via a machine frame 16, and the main body 18 of the loading/unloading device 14 is placed on the rails 17 via a plurality of wheels 19. The main body 18 is provided with a travel drive device 20 that is linked to the wheels 19. It is arranged to suit the location.

A rectangular cylindrical body 21 is erected from the center of the main body 18, and the upper end of the rectangular cylindrical body 21 is closed by a top plate 22, and the lower end is formed into a lower end open portion 23, and the front end is closed by a top plate 22. A vertical slit 24 is formed in the center.

The main body 18 is formed with a vertically extending penetrating portion 25 that communicates with the lower end open portion 23, and a suction device 26 such as an intake fan is arranged to face the penetrating portion 25 from below.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a movable body located inside and outside of the rectangular cylinder 21 through the slit 24, and is arranged so as to be movable up and down along the rectangular cylinder 21. That is, an LM guide type lifting guide device 28 is disposed inside the square tube body 21, and this lift guide device 28 includes a guide rail 29 vertically attached to the rear inner surface of the square tube body 21, and a guide rail 29 that is attached to the rear inner surface of the square tube body 21. 29 and a guided body 30 attached to the rear of the movable body 27. Furthermore, inside the rectangular cylinder 21 is a lifting drive device 31.
will be placed. That is, the elevating drive device 31
an upper transport body 32 disposed near the lower end open portion 23; a lower wheel body 33 disposed near the lower end open portion 23; and a cable body 34 suspended between the two wheel bodies 32 and 33 and fixed to the movable body 27. , and an inverter-controlled motor 35 which is interlocked with the lower wheel body 33 and mounted on the main body 18. The cord body 34
The rear passage is located within a protector 36 attached to the rear outer surface of the rectangular tube body 21, and this protector 36 is also open only at its lower end. Note that the inverter control motor 35 and the travel drive device 20
A protective cover 37 is provided above. Said square cylinder body 2
Drums 38 and 39, each of which is biased for winding by a spring, are disposed at the upper and lower ends of the interior of the drum 1, respectively, and a sheet curtain (made of nylon, etc.) 4 is wound onto these drums 38 and 39.
The lower and upper ends of 0 and 41 are fixed to the movable body 27. An elevating table 42 is integrated with the front part of the movable body 27, and a fork 43, which is an example of a loading/unloading mechanism that can be moved in and out in the lateral direction, is disposed on the upper part of the elevating table 42. Note that the lifting platform 42 is provided with a loading/unloading a-phase drive device 44 consisting of an inverter-controlled motor or the like.

In the main body 8 of the shelf 6, a filter (chemical filter) 45 is disposed on the rear side of the entire compartment storage space 11, and an air supply device 46 consisting of a fan or the like supplies air to the rear side of the filter 45 from below. is arranged in the old capital under the shelf in the main body 8. 47 is an earth leakage breaker
shows.

The action will be explained below. Using the loading/unloading device 14,
Loading and unloading of the cargo 13 into and out of the storage space 11 targeted by the shelf 6 is accomplished by the traveling movement of the loading/unloading device 14 on the fixed path 15, the lifting/lowering movement of the lifting platform 42, and the lateral movement of the forks 43 into and out. This can be done by combining operations. At that time, when dust is generated and falls from the load 13 supported by the arm 12 and the fork 43 for loading and unloading the load 13, this dust is transferred to the horizontal partition plate located below.
Therefore, falling and accumulating on the cargo 13 stored in the lower compartment storage space 11 is prevented.

During such work, inside clean room 1,
The clean air 4 that is blown down through the filter 3 descends and the descending air is sucked under the floor 5, so that its cleanliness is ensured. Furthermore, when the movable body 42 supporting the fork 43 and the like is raised and lowered, one of the sheet curtains 40 and 41 is automatically fed out and the other is wound up, so the slit 24 through which the movable body 27 passes is It is always sealed from the inside. Therefore, dust generated from the elevating guide device 28 and the elevating drive device 31 disposed within the rectangular tube body 21 can be prevented from remaining within the rectangular tube body 21 and moving toward the shelf 6 side. Since the suction device 26 that is activated at that time applies suction force to the lower end open part 023, the dust remaining in the rectangular cylinder body 21 is carried by the suction flow to the lower end open part 023 as described above. 23 and is discharged toward the floor 5 through the penetration part 25, and all of it is suctioned and removed under the floor 5. Also,
During such action, the inside of the rectangular cylinder body 21 tends to be under negative pressure, but this can be eliminated by the inflow of clean air 4 through the slits 24. Furthermore, the inflow of clean air 4 from the outside to the inside can reliably prevent dust from flowing out through the slits 24. At this time, the inflow of clean air 14 is almost uniform in the length direction of the slit 24 due to the regulation by the sheet curtains 40 and 41, so that dust generated at any position in the vertical direction inside the rectangular tube body 21 can be reliably removed. can be removed.

In the shelf 6, the air in the clean room 1 is sucked into the main body 8 by the operation of the air supply device 46, and is also supplied to the filter 45 from the rear side. As a result, the air passes through the filter 45 and becomes clean air 48, and can be discharged from the rear side of each compartment storage space 11 toward the front side facing the loading/unloading device 141.

When the air from the clean room 1 is sucked into the main body 8, for example, when the suction port is provided at the lower front of the shelf 6,
The clean air 48 flowing out from the divided storage space 11 flows downward between the passages 7 and is absorbed into the intake port at the lower front of the shelf, so that the air flowing down between the passages 7 becomes a strong downflow without being sloppy. However, since the air sucked in from the intake port provided at the lower front of the shelf 6 is sent out to the shelf again by the fan, which is the air supply device 46, the air passing through the fan becomes a circulating state, and consideration must be given to removing the heat generated by the fan. If not, the temperature of the air will gradually rise. For this reason, if the goods 13 stored on the shelves 6 are semiconductors, they are very sensitive to minute temperature changes, and this temperature rise has a great effect on the yield.

In addition, when the fan intake ports are provided at the lower front and rear surfaces of the shelf, a portion of the clean air 48 flowing out from the divided storage space 11 goes to the intake port at the lower front surface of the shelf, and the rest goes to the intake port at the lower rear surface of the shelf. Therefore, some of the air that descends down the passage 7 and is sucked into the intake port at the bottom of the front of the shelf remains unchanged and flows down, but is sent back to the shelf 6 by the fan. Therefore, the air passing through the fan is circulated, and the temperature of the air gradually rises due to the heat generated by the fan.

On the other hand, the remaining air sucked into the intake port at the bottom of the rear surface of the shelf also becomes circulating air, so the temperature of the air passing through the fan gradually rises. Therefore, the yield rate of semiconductors stored on the shelves 6 is greatly affected.

Furthermore, even if the fan inlet is provided at the lower rear of the shelf 6, the clean air 48 flowing out from the divided storage space 11 is sucked into the inlet at the lower rear of the shelf and becomes circulating air, so the temperature of the air passing through the fan increases. gradually increases. Therefore, even in this case, the yield of semiconductors stored on the shelves 6 is greatly affected.

According to the configuration of the present invention described above, the following effects can be expected. That is, by operating the air supply device, the temperature rises slightly at the front side of the shelf, and at least a portion of the lean air is discharged to the outside, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the entire device.

In addition, since the structure is configured so that the air flowing out from each compartment storage space is sucked downward, the air flowing out from each compartment storage space does not become curled up in the passage, and the dust generated from the loading/unloading device is not raised. This prevents dust from adhering to the products stored in the storage shelves.Furthermore, since dust does not accumulate on the floor of the aisle, the air flowing out of each compartment storage space will cause dust to fly up from the floor and prevent the storage shelves from getting dusty. There is no possibility of dust adhering to products stored in the

Therefore, the cargo storage equipment of the present invention can prevent adverse effects on articles such as semiconductors, which are extremely sensitive to temperature changes and dust, and can perform cargo storage suitable for yield.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, the first being a side view and the second being a side view.
The figure is a plan view, Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway front view, Fig. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the loading/unloading device, Fig. 5 is a partially cutaway plan view of 4, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the shelf. . 1...Clean room, 2...Ceiling, 3...Filter, 4...Clean air, 5...Floor, 6...
・Shelf, 8...Main body, 9...Vertical partition plate, 10...Horizontal partition plate, Moon...Divided storage space, 12...Archive, 13
... Load, 14... Loading/unloading device, 15... Fixed path, 43... Fork (an example of loading/unloading mechanism), 45.
...Filter, 46...Air supply device, 48...
・Clean air

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A shelf that has a plurality of compartment storage spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions in a clean room, and a shelf that can move freely on a fixed path along this shelf, and a loading/unloading mechanism that can be raised and lowered to store multiple storage spaces in the vertical and horizontal directions. A loading/unloading device having a loading/unloading mechanism for loading/unloading goods into/out of the divided storage space is provided, and the shelf has an open front facing the loading/unloading device, a filter is provided on the entire rear side, and a clean room An air supply device is provided at the lower part of the shelf to draw clean air into the main body from the rear side of the filter and flow the clean air through the filter to each compartment storage space toward the front side facing the loading/unloading device. In addition, at least a part of the air flowing out from each storage space is discharged downward outside the main body.