JPH0465856A - Substrate accommodation vessel and substrate processing equipment using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a pressing member from being scraped off by the edge of a substrate, and prevent the contamination of a substrate and a vessel, by preventing the shaking of a substrate by clamping the substrate surface with a fixed protruding ridge and a protruding ridge of a movable member. CONSTITUTION:When a free end 12C of the operation arm 12 is at a broken line position, a movable member 5 engaging an operation arm 12 in a hook 14 is called to be in a released position, and the detaching of the substrate 1 from a vessel 2 is free, because a protruding ridge 16 of the movable member 5 is at a position Qf. Next, the free end 12C of the operation arm 12 is pressed down in the arrow A1 direction as far as a real line position P1, so as to resist the repulsive forces of plate springs 6F, 7F, 6R, 7R, and made to engage with an engaging protrusion 15A of an engaging part 15. Then a protruding ridge 16 of the movable member 5 moves as far as the broken line position Q1, presses the substrate 1 and puts it into a gap to a fixed protruding ridge 4. When the operation arm 12 and the movable member 5 are in this state, they are called to be in a pressed position, and the shaking of the substrate 1 in the vessel 2 on account of vibration during transportation can be avoided.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Field of Application The present invention relates to a substrate storage container for storing and transporting a plurality of rectangular or circular substrates such as glass, ceramic holder, metal holder, resin semiconductor, etc., and a substrate using the substrate storage container. Conventional technology Substrate storage containers (hereinafter referred to as "containers") are used to isolate and store substrates from contaminated environments.Also, they are used to carry multiple substrates as needed, but they can be damaged by vibrations, etc. when carried. If the substrate rattles inside the container, the edge of the substrate may be chipped, or the container may be scraped at the part that comes into contact with the edge of the substrate, generating fine powder. To prevent this from contaminating the substrate or container, for example, The conventional container shown in Publication No. 23655 "Semiconductor Wafer Storage Container" will be explained using FIG. 20 showing its main parts. In FIG. 20, 1 is a plurality of circular silicon substrates. The substrate supporting members 2 and 3 are formed with a plurality of grooves 2G and 3G having a sawtooth cross section into which the outer peripheral edge IA of the substrate 1 is fitted, and a plurality of substrate supporting members 2 and 3 each having a V-shaped tip 4A for pressing the outer peripheral edge IA are formed. It is composed of a substrate presser 5 having elastic presser pieces 4 in a comb-teeth shape, a main body and a lid provided with them (not shown), and even if the lid is closed, the elastic presser pieces 4 can be removed.
The tip 4A presses the outer peripheral edge IA of the substrate 1 to push the substrate 1 into the plurality of grooves 2G and 3G having sawtooth cross sections in the substrate support members 2 and 3.
However, in order to prevent the substrate 1 from wobbling, the above-mentioned conventional method prevents the substrate 1 from wobbling. When pressing the outer peripheral edge IA of the substrate 1 with the tip 4A, since the elastic pressing piece 4 is usually made of resin, the tip 4A of the elastic pressing piece 4 is scraped by the edge of the outer peripheral edge IA of the substrate 1, and the fine powder is removed. If the substrate 1 is relatively expensive, such as a silicon wafer, and has the problem of contamination of the substrate or container, the edge of the outer peripheral end IA is rounded, and as mentioned above, the edge is difficult to scrape. Therefore, the generation of fine powder is small.For example, the cost is high for relatively inexpensive substrates such as glass substrates for liquid crystal displays.8 The R processing mentioned above is rarely performed, and only a slight chamfering is performed. In such a case, there is a big problem that the tip 4A of the elastic pusher piece 4 is easily scraped by the sharp edge left on the outer peripheral edge IA of the substrate l, generating fine powder, which contaminates the substrate and the container. Therefore, in order to prevent the substrate from wobbling, the present invention prevents the pressing member from being scraped by the edge of the substrate even when the substrate is pressed, thereby preventing contamination of the substrate and container, and improving the cleanliness of the substrate. The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container that can maintain and store and transport substrates, and a substrate processing apparatus using the substrate storage container.Means for solving the problems and claims for solving the above problems. Invention 1 as described in Item 1: A casing capable of housing a plurality of substrates; a plurality of fixing protrusions protruding from the casing between the plurality of substrates to prevent the substrates from coming into contact with each other; A member provided on the casing so as to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the board, and having protrusions formed between the member and between the plurality of boards at substantially the same pitch as the plurality of fixing protrusions. a movable member;
Provided on the casing and engaged with the movable member to form a gap between the protrusion of the movable member and the fixed protrusion when the movable member is viewed from the direction in which the board is inserted into the casing, allowing the board to be inserted and removed. a release position where the movable member moves and the protrusion of the movable member is held in a pressed position where the board is sandwiched between the adjacent fixed protrusions, and an operating means that supports the movable member so as to be movable between the two positions. A substrate storage container comprising: (a) a casing capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; and a casing protruding between the plurality of substrates from the casing to prevent the substrates from contacting each other A member provided on the casing so as to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the board, the member having a plurality of fixing protrusions provided at
A movable member having protrusions formed to protrude at substantially the same pitch as the plurality of fixed protrusions, and the movable member being biased in a direction in which the substrate is sandwiched between the protrusions of the movable member and an adjacent fixed protrusion. This is a substrate storage container comprising movable member biasing means.

The invention according to claim 9 engages with the movable member biasing means of the substrate storage container according to claim 3, which is mounted on at least the aircraft body, so that the protrusion of the movable member holds the substrate between the protrusion and the fixed protrusion. This substrate processing apparatus includes a pinch release means for releasing pinching by urging a movable member in a direction opposite to the pinching direction.

As described above, the invention according to claim 1 prevents rattling of the board by sandwiching the surface of the board between the fixed protrusion and the protrusion of the movable member, instead of pressing the outer peripheral edge of the board as in the conventional example. This prevents the sharp edges on the outer edge of the board from scraping the member that presses the board and generating fine powder.
,% Therefore, it is possible to store and transport the substrate while maintaining its cleanliness higher than before. Also, with the above structure, it is possible to easily insert and release the substrate by simple operation of the operating member. Even if the switching is possible, the invention as claimed in claim 3 is similar to the invention as claimed in claim 1, since the member that presses the substrate is not scraped by the sharp edges of the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, so the cleanliness of the substrate is improved. It is possible to store and transport the board with better maintenance than ever before. Since the substrate can be removed from the substrate storage container, the pinching can be easily and automatically released in a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing such as photolithography and resist peeling.

The invention according to claim 9 (by the above configuration, it is possible to easily and automatically release the sandwiching of the substrate in the substrate storage container of the invention according to claim 3, and to make it possible to take out the substrate. An embodiment in which the invention is applied to a storage container for a large glass substrate such as a liquid crystal display will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1st @ 2nd @ Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a plurality of glass substrates (hereinafter abbreviated as substrates), and containers 2! , - The movable member 5 includes two sets of leaf springs 6F from the housing 3;
7F (6R17R) is supported movably in the directions of arrows Af and Al by a parallel spring mechanism.
10 is a screw for fixing the leaf spring to the casing 3; 11 is a screw for fixing the leaf spring to the movable member 5; 12 is an operating arm made of a linear elastic body; and 12A is an arm holder provided on the casing 3. 13, and the central part is fixed to the movable member 5 with screw 1.
1 engages with the hook 14 fixed by the free end 12C.
2B, 2C, and 2D are notches formed in the casing 3. These notches can be used to remove the board from the container 2. It is related to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processes such as photolithography and resist stripping, and a resistor in which a container 2 is placed on the body 51 of the substrate processing apparatus is used. It enters the notch and comes into contact with the substrate 1, and the substrate 1 is opened to the opening width W of the container 2.
provided to align with the center of the

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 16 denotes a plurality of protrusions, which may be formed on the movable member 5 at a pitch between the fixed protrusions 4 and the grooves.
When the movable member 5 moves in the direction of the arrow AI, the plurality of protrusions 16 uniformly press the plurality of substrates 1 even if the pitches are slightly different, and the plurality of protrusions 16 press the plurality of substrates 1 evenly, and the substrate 1 is separated between the plurality of fixed protrusions 4. It is preferable to design the protrusion 16 so that the bending rigidity in the direction of the arrow is smaller than that of the fixed protrusion 4, so that the protrusion 16 can be sandwiched between the
When the thickness of each of the protrusion 16 and the fixed protrusion 4 is TrrK Tf, and the respective lengths are Lm and Lf, at least Tm
<Tf, or Lm>Lf (~ Also, the edge IA force of the substrate l (contacts the base of the fixed protrusion 4 and the protrusion 16 of the movable member 5 and scrapes them off to generate fine powder) 16 Tips of each 4-16
Both A and A are larger than Tf and Tm.Next, we will explain how to handle this container 2.Operating arm 1
When the free end 12c of 2 is at the position Pf in FIG. 4 (the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 1), the hook 14
The movable member 5 engaged at is said to be in the released position;
X. At this time, the protrusion 16 of the movable member 5 is at the solid line position Qf in FIG. 3, so the substrate 1 can be inserted and removed from the container 2 freely.

Next, in FIG. 1, the free end 12C of the operating arm 12
Push down in the direction of arrow AI to solid line position P1 against the repulsive force of leaf springs 6F, 7F, 6R17R, and locking part 1.
5, the protrusion 16 of the movable member 5 moves to the broken line position Q and l in FIG. When the operating arm 12 and the movable member 5 are in this state, the board 1 can be prevented from shaking inside the container 2 due to vibrations during transportation. Also, when the movable member 5 is in the released position as shown in FIG. If the board 1 is not protruded in the surface direction, when the board 1 is manually inserted into the housing 3, the board 1 can be prevented from colliding with the protrusion 16 and scraping the protrusion, thereby generating fine powder. After transporting the container 2 and placing it on, for example, a substrate processing device, the movable member 5 is moved to the release position in order to take out the substrate from the container 2 and perform processing such as photolithography, etching, and resist stripping. Free end 12c of operating arm 12
1 from the engagement protrusion 15A of the locking portion 15 shown in FIG. 4 @ As shown in Fig. 5, leaf springs 6F and 7F (
6R17R) mounting position e on the housing 3 and movable member 5,
4 points of flgr h and el, fl, g
l.

The four points of hl are arranged in the form of a parallelogram, and the mounting position is arranged so that when the movable member 5 is in the release position and in the pressed position, the parallelogram shape is closer to a rectangle than the latter. Therefore, the movable member 5 is always biased in the direction of the arrow Af by the plate springs 6F and 7F (6R, 7R), and even if the movable member 5 is held in the released position by the biasing force, it is held in the released position by the board 11 (not shown). The substrate is mechanically extracted from the container 2 by a well-known robot hand or the like installed in the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate is stored. The surface of the board is pressed by the protrusion of the movable member and the board is sandwiched between the fixed protrusion to prevent the board from wobbling. The strips will not be scraped and fine powder will not be generated (- Therefore, it is possible to store and transport the substrate while maintaining the cleanliness of the substrate better than before.) Next, the second embodiment of the present invention 6th plate No. 7 @ No. 8 @ Explanation will be given based on FIG. 9. Components that are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are given the same numbers.

This second embodiment (see FIG. 6) shows an embodiment of a structure in which the movable member is mechanically operated in the substrate processing apparatus to automatically release the sandwiching of the substrate. 2a differs from that of FIG. 1 in that a compression spring 20 is provided instead of the operating arm 12 to constantly bias the movable member 5 in the direction of the force indicated by the arrow AI. Also, as shown in FIG. , 7F (6R17R)
The direction of the repulsive force in Fig. 4 (arrow A
The force of the compression spring 20 can be reduced by setting the force direction of the arrow AI opposite to the direction of the f force.With the above configuration, as shown in FIG.
L Fig. 7 shows that this container 2a is sandwiched between the protrusion 16 of the constantly movable member 5 and the fixed protrusion 4.
It shows the state where it is placed. In Figure 7, 55
is a vertical board provided on the fuselage 51, and this board 55 has an air cylinder 56 and a shaft 5 fixed to a release lever 57.
8 and a shaft 61 that rotatably supports the lever 60, the central part of the release lever 57 is connected to the rod 56A of the air cylinder 56.
63 is a connecting plate, and one end rotatably engages with the pin 60A set on the lever 60, and the center part is the pin of the release lever 57. 62 through an elongated hole 63A, and a tension spring 64 is stretched from the other end to the release lever 57. 60
457A is a release pin formed on the release lever 57, and in FIG. 7, the air cylinder 56 is driven to release the rod. 5
When the lever 6A is moved in the direction of the force indicated by the arrow Af, the release lever 57 is guided by the linear guide 59 and moves in the direction of the force indicated by the arrow Af, and the tension spring 64 pushes the lever 60 via the connecting plate 63 and rotates. Pressure roller 60B
presses the collar 2aF of the container 2 against the fuselage 51. When the air cylinder 56 is further driven to move the rod 56A in the direction of the arrow Af force, the release lever 57 stretches the tension spring 64 as shown in FIG. Operates in the direction of the arrow Af force.
The release pin 57A passes through holes 51H and 2aH provided in the body 51 and container 2a, respectively, and pushes up the movable member 5 against the compression spring 20 via its protrusion 5A. Since it is pressed against the body 51 by 1, or the processed substrate can be stored in the container 2a.

In the above configuration, the movable member 5 by the compression spring 20 etc.
If the weight of the container 2a is greater than the biasing force in the direction of the arrow AI force, the release pin 57A will not lift the container 2a even if the movable member 5 is pushed up. , Lever 6
0. The connecting plate 63, tension spring 64, etc. may be omitted (~ According to the above configuration, the sandwiching of the substrate can be automatically released by mechanically operating the movable member in the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to easily build an automated processing system.By automating processing, it is possible to prevent the generation of dust caused by human intervention and the occurrence of defects due to the adhesion of dust, and to produce LCDs with higher pixel density. Further, other embodiments of the container of the present invention, which can be produced at a high yield, will be described.

Fig. 10 @ Fig. 11 shows the third embodiment, with the same components as in Fig. 5 of the fourth medical treatment being given the same numbers. Compared to the housing 3 of leaf springs 6F and 7F (6R17R)
and attachment positions e, f, g to the movable member 5.

h, el, fl, gl, and hl remain in the parallelogram arrangement, and their mounting positions are changed so that when the movable member 5 is in the release position, the movable member 5 is moved from the leaf spring toward the release position (in the direction of the arrow Af). The movable member 5 is modified so that when it is in the pressed position, the movable member 5 is urged by the leaf spring in the direction of the pressed position (in the direction of arrow AI). Since it is held by the repulsive force of 6F and 7F (6R, 7R) in the direction of the arrow A1, the engaging protrusion 15A that was necessary in the configuration shown in FIG. 4 can be omitted.

Next, in the fourth and fifth embodiments of the twelfth doctor in Fig. 13,
A configuration example of a parallel spring mechanism for supporting the movable member 5 from the housing 3 is shown.

In FIG. 12 showing the fourth embodiment, a spring member is integrally formed of a resin with excellent repeated bending resistance such as 21+1 polypropylene, and a portion 21A is a bending hinge 21B.
is the ring spring part that generates repulsive force. In this figure, the spring member 21 is attached to the housing 3 and the movable member 5 using screws 10 and 11 in the same way as in Figure 1. Containers can be manufactured at low cost.

Also, by doing this, when the spring is displaced compared to the configuration shown in Fig. 1, the bending resistance of the spring at the spring attachment part becomes smaller, so when applied to the configuration shown in Fig. 10 @ Fig. 12, the repulsive force of the spring is reduced. It can be effectively converted to the direction of the arrows Af and AI, and the operation feel and the clamping force of the board 1 can be improved. A shaft 23 forming a circular ring 22A and rotatably loosely fitted into the ring 22A is attached to the housing 3 with a screw 24 (the bent portion 22B at the center is attached to the movable member 5 with a screw 25). By doing this, when the leaf spring 22 is displaced, the leaf spring 22 rotates freely on the shaft 23, so if it is applied to the structure of the 10th doctor in the same way as the structure of FIG. , the repulsive force of the spring can be effectively converted in the directions of the arrows Af, A!, and the operating feel and the force for inserting the substrate l can be improved.

Other configuration examples of fixed protrusions and movable part protrusions are shown in Parts 6 and 7.
As an example, Fig. 15 @ Fig. 16 and Fig. 17, respectively.
This is shown in Figure 18.

In the configuration of the fixed protrusion 4 and the protrusion 16 of the movable part 5 in Fig. 2,
Since there is no fixed protrusion 4 directly below the protrusion 16, when the board 1 is sandwiched between the protrusion 16 and the fixed protrusion 4 as shown in FIG. 14, a bending force acts on the board 1, and if the board 1 is thin. is board 1
Even if a warp occurs, if you dislike this warp, then C. No. 15@
As in the sixth embodiment shown in FIG.
The notch 4 is formed in the fixed protrusion 4 without dividing it at the part where it interferes with 6.
B and the protrusion 1 located in the release position in the notch 4B
6 (t) Then, similarly to the configuration shown in FIG. When inserting the board l into the housing 3, it is possible to prevent the board l from colliding with the protrusion 16 and scraping the protrusion to generate fine powder.Inserting and removing the board from the container cannot be done manually. If you do not do this, but do it mechanically with a robot hand or the like, which has much higher insertion/removal accuracy than manually There is no need to prevent the board from protruding, but if the protrusion 16 is in the release position, as in the seventh embodiment shown in Fig. 171fi18, a sufficient clearance G required for the operating accuracy of the robot hand, etc. can be provided. In the above embodiment, the fixed protrusion 4 and the protrusion 16 are made to protrude perpendicularly from the housing 3 and the movable member 5. If we take the configuration shown in FIG. 18 as an example, the fixed protrusion 4 as in the eighth embodiment shown in FIG.
and the protrusion angle α of the protrusion 16 from the housing 3 and the movable member 5,
Keep each β below 90° +i'! As shown in FIG.
, 16A is not made larger than Tf and Tm, the edge IA of the substrate l will not come into contact with the bases of the fixed protrusion 4 and the protrusion 16 of the movable member 5 and scrape them off to generate fine powder. % Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to rectangular glass substrates but also to circular or other shaped substrates by shaping the protrusions to follow the shape of the substrate. With the above structure of the storage container, the sharp edges on the outer edge of the substrate will not scrape the member that presses the substrate and generate fine powder, so the cleanliness of the substrate can be maintained better than before when storing and transporting the substrate. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention using the substrate storage container has the above-described configuration, and can easily and automatically release the substrate from the substrate storage container to allow insertion and removal of the substrate. It is possible to easily build an automated processing system. Therefore, by automating the process, it is possible to prevent the generation of dust caused by manual intervention and the occurrence of defects due to its adhesion, and to produce liquid crystal displays with higher pixel density at a higher yield.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a substrate storage container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing main parts of the internal structure of a substrate storage container according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the container of the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanation of the operation of the container of the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external appearance of the substrate storage container according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Strabismus @ 7th
The figure is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of a container according to the second embodiment and a substrate processing apparatus using the same; Side view a of the example 12 @ Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention Figure 14 is a side view of the main part for explaining the fixed state of the board in the configuration of Figure 3 Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing a sixth embodiment in which the fixed protrusion and the protrusion of the movable member have a different configuration. Fig. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 15.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a seventh embodiment in which the fixed protrusion and the protrusion of the movable member have a different configuration. Fig. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 17. Fig. 19 is the fixed protrusion and the protrusion of the movable member. FIG. 20 is a vertical sectional view showing an eighth embodiment having a different configuration. FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing main parts of a conventional substrate storage container.・Case 4
...Fixed protrusion 5...Movable member, 6F, 7F,
6R17R...board bar tree 14...fuku 15.
...Locking part 16... Protrusion of movable member 5 & 20...
Compression bar tree 51... fuselage 56... air cylinder,
57...Release lever 57A...Release pin, 58...
・$llL 59... Name of Straight Guy's agent Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and one other person Figure 4 Figure A-J :X6 Figure 2-fjJ \ Figure Figure 10 Figure E R Kuzu 12 Figure 14 Figure 1A Figure 15 Figure 19D

Claims (10)

[Claims] (1) A housing capable of storing a plurality of substrates, a plurality of fixing protrusions provided between the plurality of substrates to protrude from the housing to prevent the substrates from coming into contact with each other, and A member provided on the housing so as to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane, and protruding from the member between the plurality of substrates at a pitch substantially equal to that of the plurality of fixed protrusions. a movable member provided on the housing and engaged with the movable member, and a movable member that is provided on the housing and engages with the movable member, and the movable member is arranged so that the protrusion of the movable member and the fixed protrusion are connected to each other when viewed from the direction in which the board is inserted into the housing. a release position in which a gap is formed between which the substrate can be inserted and removed; and a pressing position in which the movable member moves and the protrusions of the movable member sandwich the substrate between adjacent fixed protrusions; , and an operating means that supports the substrate so as to be movable between both positions. (2) When the movable member is in the release position, the protrusion of the movable member has a shape that does not protrude further in the plane of the board than the fixed protrusion when viewed from the direction in which the board is inserted into the housing. The board storage container described. (3) a housing capable of storing a plurality of substrates; a plurality of fixing protrusions protruding from the housing between the plurality of substrates to prevent the substrates from coming into contact with each other; A member provided on the housing so as to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane, and protruding from the member between the plurality of substrates at a pitch substantially equal to that of the plurality of fixed protrusions. A substrate storage container comprising: a movable member; and movable member biasing means for biasing the movable member in a direction in which the substrate is sandwiched between a protrusion of the movable member and an adjacent fixed protrusion. (4) The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the movable member is supported by a parallel spring mechanism on the housing. (5) The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the rigidity of the protrusion of the movable member in the substrate pressing direction is smaller than that of the fixed protrusion. (6) The four points at which the spring members constituting the parallel spring mechanism are attached to the movable member and the case are arranged in a parallelogram, and when the movable member is in the released position and in the pressed position. 5. The substrate storage container according to claim 4, wherein the mounting positions are arranged so that the latter of the parallelograms has a shape closer to a rectangle. (7) The four points of attachment of the spring member constituting the parallel spring mechanism to the movable member and the attachment position to the housing are arranged in a parallelogram, and when the movable member is in the release position, the movable member is attached to the spring. 5. The substrate storage container according to claim 4, wherein the mounting position is arranged so that the movable member is biased toward the release position by the member, and when the movable member is in the pressing position, the movable member is biased by the spring member toward the pressing position. (8) Claim in which the operating means is constituted by an elastic member whose one end is supported by the casing, engages with a movable member at the center, and whose other end engages with a locking portion provided on the casing. 1. The substrate storage container according to 1. (9) The direction in which the protrusion of the movable member engages with the movable member biasing means of the substrate storage container according to claim 3, which is placed on at least the aircraft body, and the protrusion of the movable member sandwiches the substrate between the fixed protrusion. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a pinch release means for releasing the pinch by urging a movable member in the opposite direction. (10) The jamming releasing means is composed of a means for pressing the board storage container against the fuselage body, and a means for pressing the storage container against the fuselage body by the means and then urging a movable member to release the jamming. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9.