JPH07115123A - Substrate housing rack - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a substrate housing rack which is suitable for storing, transferring, and handling substrates in a manufacturing process and easily changed in pitch corresponding to its use. CONSTITUTION:A substrate housing rack is composed of racks 13 each formed of a cylindrical body where a large number of grooves 13a which supports the peripheral edges of substrates 12 are cut at a prescribed pitch and moreover can be changed in pitch by expanding or contracting the cylindrical body, supports 14 and 15 provided to both the lengthwise ends of the racks 13, and a guide 16 used for fixing the supports 14 and 15 separate from each other by a certain distance corresponding to the length of the racks 13 in a direction of expansion and contraction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate storage rack for storing a large number of glass substrates or semiconductor substrates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a substrate storage rack for storing a large number of glass substrates or semiconductor substrates has been used for temporary storage and transportation of substrates, or for various handling such as automatic insertion machines and substrate cleaning magazines in the manufacturing process. Is used for. This type of substrate storage rack has, for example, a flat plate surface with a fixed pitch of about 5 to 10 mm and a depth of 3 to 10 m.
The racks having a large number of grooves each having a width of 3 to 20 mm are faced in parallel with each other, and the peripheral edge of the substrate is locked and supported between the facing grooves. This substrate storage rack generally uses a small groove pitch when temporarily storing or carrying the substrate, and a large groove pitch when handling during the manufacturing process. Target.

[0003]

However, since the conventional rack for storing a substrate has a fixed groove pitch and a groove pitch suitable for various uses is used. It is necessary to prepare a substrate storage rack with a small groove pitch used for storage and transportation, and a substrate storage rack with a large groove pitch handled in the manufacturing process, and they must be transferred to each other according to each use. However, the work was complicated and required extra steps.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage rack that can easily change the pitch interval of the substrates to be stored according to use and is suitable for various handling in storage, transportation, and manufacturing processes. To do.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate storage rack of the present invention comprises a cylindrical body having a large number of grooves for supporting the peripheral edge of the substrate formed at a predetermined pitch.
A rack portion in which the pitch of the groove is variable by expanding and contracting the tubular body, support portions provided at both end portions in the expansion and contraction direction of the rack portion, and a distance between the support portions at both end portions is defined as a rack portion. And a guide portion that is fixed according to the length in the expansion and contraction direction.

The rack portion is composed of a plurality of tubular bodies that support the three sides of the peripheral portion of the rectangular substrate, and the telescopic rod and its telescopic length are fixed in the tubular body. A guide portion having means is inserted, and a groove supporting two opposite sides of a peripheral edge of a rectangular substrate is formed, and a cross-sectional shape is a slender rectangular tubular shape along the two sides. It has a tubular body having a body and further a groove for supporting a peripheral portion of a substrate formed in a disc shape and having a U-shaped cross section.

[0007]

In the present invention, by supporting the peripheral portion of the substrate in the corresponding groove formed in the rack portion, a large number of substrates can be accommodated at the intervals determined by the groove pitch, and the guide portion provides a space between the supporting portions. By changing the distance, the rack part can be expanded and contracted together to change the groove pitch, and the interval can be easily changed according to the use while the boards are stored, making it suitable for various handling in storage, transportation, and manufacturing processes. Suitable.

[0008] The rack part is inserted into a retractable rod and a guide part having a means for fixing the expansion / contraction length of the rod, so that the expandable rod guides the tubular body and bends during expansion and contraction. In addition, by forming a groove on the surface of a tubular body formed in an elongated rectangular shape along two opposing sides of the substrate, the substrate can be easily taken in and out, and further, the tubular shape has a U-shaped cross section. By having a body, a disc-shaped semiconductor substrate or the like can be stored.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. 1 to 5 are views for explaining the substrate storage rack of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the substrate storage rack with the groove pitch expanded, and FIG. 2 shows the groove pitch narrowed. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the substrate storage rack, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the substrate storage rack, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the rack portion and the guide portion, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the guide portion.

In these figures, a rack 1 for storing substrates is shown.
The reference numeral 1 stores, for example, a large number of glass substrates 12 formed in a fixed rectangular shape. A large number of grooves for supporting the peripheral edge of the glass substrate 12 are formed and the grooves are formed by expanding and contracting in the longitudinal direction. A tubular rack portion 13 having a variable pitch, support portions 14 and 15 provided at both end portions of the rack portion 13 in the expansion and contraction direction, and a support portion 1 at these both end portions.
The guide portion 16 fixes the distance between 4 and 15 according to the length of the rack portion 13 in the extension / contraction direction.

The rack portion 13 is made up of four elongated cylindrical plastic tubes arranged in parallel and having the same shape. The rack portion 13 has a cylindrical surface excluding a short distance cylindrical portion 13a on both ends. The grooves 13b having a predetermined shape are formed at a constant pitch, and can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction. Such a rack portion 13 is formed, for example, in a bellows body having a corrugated cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 4, and a part of the peripheral portion of the glass substrate 12 is engaged with the groove portions 13b formed at a constant pitch. Be stopped. The shape of the rack portion 13 is such that the groove portion 13b is
For example, the groove pitch is about 5 to 10 mm in a natural state and the depth is about 3 to 5 mm, and the groove pitch is formed to be uniformly small when contracted along the longitudinal direction. The rack portion 13 has four portions on three sides of the peripheral edge of the rectangular glass substrate 12 in the groove portion 13b (one on each of two opposing sides and two on the other side). ) Consists of four tubes of the same shape so that they can be stably supported.

The supporting portions 14 and 15 are made of rectangular plates having the same shape and arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rack portion 13 made of four tubes. Screw holes 14a are respectively formed at four locations corresponding to the ends of the rack portion 13 of the one support portion 14, and the other support portion 1 is formed.
An end portion of a guide portion 16 described later is fixed to the corresponding position of 5.

The guide portion 16 is composed of four telescopic rods 17 having the same shape and four bolts 18 for fixing the length of the telescopic rods 17 to a fixed length. Telescopic rod 17
Has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tube of the rack portion 13 (the inner diameter of the portion corresponding to the groove portion 13b).
3, a pipe 17a having a length of about half in the longitudinal direction, and a rack portion 1 which is elastically inserted into the inner diameter of the pipe 17a.
3 and a pipe 17b that is longer than half in the longitudinal direction.
Several slits 17c are formed in the longitudinal direction on the cylindrical surface of the end of the pipe 17b which is inserted into the pipe 17a. The bolt 18 has a taper portion 18a formed on one end side of the rod which is slightly longer than the pipe 17b. Screw part 18b
Has a washer 18c and a nut 18d which are fixed to the screw portion 18b by welding or the like after being formed.
These telescopic rods 17 have a taper portion 1 of the bolt 18.
8a is inserted so as to slightly project from the tip end side of the pipe 17b where the slit portion 17c is formed. The end side of the pipe 17 a of each telescopic rod 17 is fixed to a predetermined surface of the support portion 15. These telescopic rods 17
The inner diameter portion of the rack portion 13 is inserted to the outside of the. Each of the bolts 18 has a screw portion 18b screwed into the screw hole 14a of the support portion 14, and then a washer 18c and a nut 18d are attached to the end portion of the bolt 18 and fixed by welding or the like. afterwards,
The end of the pipe 17b is fixed to the surface of the support plate 14 by welding or the like. That is, the telescopic rod 17 has one pipe 17
By allowing the other pipe 17b to be inserted into a, it can be expanded and contracted like a rod antenna, for example, and by rotating the nut 18d of the bolt 18, the tapered portion 18a can be drawn into the pipe 17b and the slit By expanding the inner diameter of the pipe 17b in which the portion 17c is formed by the taper portion 18a and pressing the outer diameter of the pipe 17b at that portion against the inner diameter of the pipe 17a, the length in the expanded / contracted state can be fixed fixedly. It is like this. Further, by rotating the nut 18d of the bolt 18 in the opposite direction, the telescopic rod 17 can be expanded and contracted.

In the substrate storage rack 11 having the above-described structure, the peripheral groove of the glass substrate 12 is provided at four locations in the corresponding groove 13b formed in the rack portion 13 (one location on each of two facing sides and one location on the other side). By locking (at two places), a large number of glass substrates 12 can be housed at intervals determined by the respective groove pitches. Further, when the glass substrate 12 is housed at a constant groove pitch, the nut 18d provided on the bolt 18 of the guide portion 16 is turned to make the telescopic rod 17 expandable and contractable, and the support plates 14 and 15 are supported. By changing the distance between the rack portion 13 and the telescopic rod 1
The groove pitch can be changed by expanding and contracting together with 7, and the intervals can be changed while accommodating a large number of glass substrates 12, and in that state, the nut 18d can be rotated and fixed again in the opposite direction. The rack portion 13 is made of an elongated plastic tube or the like and has a large number of grooves 13b formed on the cylindrical surface, so that the rack portion 13 can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction, and an expandable rod 17 having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the tube is inserted therein. Since this telescopic rod 17 guides the tube, the tube will not be bent during expansion and contraction. Therefore, since the groove pitch can be easily changed by one substrate storage rack 11 as needed, the groove pitch can be reduced when the glass substrate 12 is stored or carried, and the glass substrate 12 can be handled easily in the manufacturing process. The groove pitch can be increased for ease.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a substrate storage rack according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this figure, the substrate storage rack 21
Is a stretchable rectangular rack portion 22 having a large number of grooves for supporting two opposite sides of the peripheral edge of the glass substrate.
And a cylindrical rack portion 13 that supports the other side of the peripheral edge portion of the glass substrate at two places, and a rack portion 2.
2 and the expansion / contraction part 23 inserted into the inside of the rack part 13, the guide part 16 inserted into the inside of the rack part 13 as in the first embodiment, and the support parts 24 and 2 provided on the end side of the rack parts 22 and 13.
It consists of 5.

The rack portion 22 is composed of two cylindrical bodies made of plastic or the like and having an elongated rectangular cross section. The rack portion 22 has grooves having a constant pitch in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction on the surface excluding the short distance portions on both end sides. A large number of 22a are formed, and the groove pitch is changed by expanding and contracting in the longitudinal direction. The groove pitch of the rack portion 22 is formed to have the same dimension as the groove pitch of the rack portion 13. One rack portion 22 is arranged so that the surfaces of the two cylindrical bodies face each other in parallel so as to support two opposite sides of the rectangular glass substrate, and the other rack portion 13 is arranged on the other side of the glass substrate. It is arranged to support in two places. The expansion / contraction part 23 is formed so as to be expandable / contractible from a rectangular tubular body that is inserted into the inner diameter of the rack portion 22 and a plate that is inserted inside the tubular body. The guide portion 16 is composed of a telescopic rod 17 and bolts 18 similar to those in the first embodiment.

In the substrate storage rack 21 having the above structure, the corresponding grooves 22a, 13 formed in the rack portions 22, 13 are formed.
It is possible to accommodate a large number of glass substrates by locking b at two points on the peripheral edge of the glass substrate, the two sides facing each other and the other one side, and, similarly to the first embodiment, a guide portion. The nut 18d of 16 is rotated so that it can be expanded and contracted, and the distance between the support parts 24 and 25 is changed to expand and contract the rack parts 22 and 13 together with the expansion and contraction part 23 and the guide part 16 to change the groove pitch for storage. It is possible to change the storage interval of a large number of glass substrates while keeping the same. In this embodiment, by engaging the two opposite sides of the glass substrate with the grooves 22a of the rack portion 22, the two opposite sides of the glass substrate are guided in the grooves 22a, which facilitates taking in and out.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a substrate storage rack according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this figure, this substrate storage rack 31
Is for accommodating a semiconductor substrate formed in a disk shape, and is a cylindrical rack having a U-shaped cross-sectional shape that expands and contracts and has a large number of grooves for supporting the peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate. It comprises a portion 32, three guide portions 16 formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and support portions 33, 34.

The rack portion 32 is a tubular body made of plastic or the like and having a substantially U-shaped cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and is a tubular body, and is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction on the surface excluding the short distance portions on both end sides. A large number of grooves 32a having a constant pitch are formed in a predetermined direction, and the groove pitch is changed by expanding and contracting in the longitudinal direction.

In the substrate storage rack 31 having the above structure, a large number of semiconductor substrates can be stored by locking the peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate in the groove 32a formed in the rack portion 32. By changing the distance between the supporting portions 33 and 34 as in the embodiment, the rack portion 32 is moved to the guide portion 1.
The groove pitch can be changed by expanding and contracting together with 6, and the storage interval of a large number of semiconductor substrates can be changed while they are stored. In this embodiment, since the rack portion 32 is formed in a U shape, it does not bend even if the guide portion 16 is not inserted into the inside of the tubular body, and the semiconductor substrate is not grooved in the rack portion 32. By engaging with 32a, it is easy to take in and out.

In each of the above embodiments, the rack unit 1
3, 22, and 32, at least on the surface, a groove is formed in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the groove pitch can be variably formed by expanding and contracting in the longitudinal direction. The groove shape, depth, The width, pitch, etc. can be arbitrarily formed according to the substrate to be housed, and the material can also be made of plastic having excellent heat resistance or chemical resistance or other material that can be easily expanded and contracted by forming a groove. it can. Further, although the rack portion 13 of the first embodiment is composed of four tubes and accommodates the rectangular glass substrate 12, three tubes having the same shape are used to form a disc-shaped semiconductor substrate. 3 on the periphery
It may be supported in some places.

It is sufficient that the guide portion 16 can fix at least the length in the extension / contraction direction, and any fixing means other than the mechanism of the extension / contraction rod 17 can be used.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, by supporting the peripheral edge portion of the substrate in the corresponding groove formed in the rack portion, a large number of substrates can be accommodated at the intervals determined by the groove pitch, and the guide is provided. By changing the distance between the support parts depending on the part, the rack part can be expanded and contracted together to change the groove pitch, and it is possible to easily change the interval according to the use while storing the boards, so storage and transportation The effect of facilitating various handling in the manufacturing process is.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate storage rack showing a state in which a groove pitch of the first embodiment of the present invention is expanded.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the substrate storage rack showing a state where the groove pitch is narrowed according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a substrate storage rack according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a rack portion and a guide portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a guide unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a substrate storage rack according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a substrate storage rack according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Board Storage Rack 12 Glass Substrate 13 Rack Section 13b Grooves 14 and 15 Support Section 16 Guide Section 17 Telescopic Rod 18 Bolt 21 Board Storage Rack 22 Rack Section 22a Groove 23 Telescopic Section 24, 25 Support Section 31 Board Storage Rack 32 Rack Section 32a groove 33, 34 support portion

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A rack portion, which has a plurality of grooves for supporting a peripheral portion of a substrate and is formed at a predetermined pitch, and a rack portion in which the pitch of the grooves can be varied by expanding and contracting the cylindrical body, A substrate storage rack comprising: support portions provided at both ends of the rack portion in the extension / contraction direction; and guide portions that fix the distance between the support portions at both ends according to the length of the rack portion in the extension / contraction direction. 2. The rack portion is composed of a plurality of cylindrical bodies that support three sides of a peripheral portion of a rectangular substrate.
2. The substrate storage rack according to claim 1, wherein a retractable rod and a guide portion having a means for fixing the stretchable length are inserted into the tubular body. 3. The rack portion is formed with grooves for supporting two opposite sides of a peripheral portion of a rectangular substrate.
The substrate storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the substrate storage rack has a tubular body having a rectangular cross section along the two sides. 4. The substrate storage rack according to claim 1, wherein the rack portion is formed with a groove for supporting a peripheral portion of a disk-shaped substrate and has a tubular body having a U-shaped cross section.