JPH09306982A - Clamp structure of wafer housing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a clamp structure of a wafer housing container which can increase a clamp strength between an upper lid and an outer box body, thereby improving its sealing. SOLUTION: The wafer housing container comprises an outer box body 5 incorporating a wafer W or an inner box 33 for housing the wafer W therein, and an upper lid 4 joined to an upper part of the outer box body 5 so as to cover it. A clamp mechanism A for the upper lid 4 with the outer box body 5 is provided in pair at opposing positions of the wafer housing container. The upper lid 4 is provided at its lower end with a projection 4e extruded in its side direction. The clamp mechanism comprises a first hook member 9 and a second hook member 10. The first hook member 9 is pivotably supported at its one end by the outer box body 5 and is engageably supported at the other end by the projection 4e of the upper lid 4. The second hook member 10 is pivotably supported at its one end by the other end of the first hook member 9 and is engageably supported at the other end by a ceiling part 4c of the upper lid 4. Since the mechanism is of a double hook type in this example, the strength of a joint part between the upper lid 4 and outer box body 5 becomes high.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wafer storage container suitable for storing and transporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereinafter referred to as wafers), and more particularly, to a relationship between an upper lid and an outer box body. Regarding stop structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wafer is obtained by thinly slicing a single crystal ingot of silicon or the like in a direction perpendicular to the axis, but this is thin and fragile, and contamination is extremely disliked. is there. In other words, in order to transport the wafers in a clean state, the wafers are stored in a wafer storage container (transportation wafer shipping box) with the wafers placed in a wafer storage in-line basket (inner box), and the upper lid is put on the wafer and airtight. It is sealed in a state, and further, the outside of the wafer storage container is wrapped and packed in a cardboard box with a cushioning material to reduce impact, and then transported. As described above, the wafer storage container is generally composed of an outer box body that stores the inner box and an upper lid that encloses the outer box body, and in order to always keep the inside in a clean state, the outer box body is It is necessary to completely seal the joint between the lid and the lid. In such a wafer storage container, it is required that the upper lid is fixed to the outer box body and that the upper lid is unlocked from the outer box body by a simple operation.

Here, as a conventional wafer storage container capable of storing and transporting wafers in an orderly manner, for example, those shown in FIGS. 6 to 13 are known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-63066). ). That is, FIG. 6 is a cutaway front view of a wafer container having a conventional locking structure,
7 is a side view of FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is an enlarged detailed view of part A of FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a front view of the upper lid, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 shows a locking structure. Front view of the hook part, FIG. 12 is FIG.
1 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 1, and FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 showing the action of the hook when closing the upper lid.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the wafer container comprises an outer box 1 and an inner box 2 housed in the outer box 1. The outer box 1 includes an outer box body 1A and an upper lid 1B.
The upper lid 1B covers the upper opening of the outer box body 1A and is locked by the outer box body 1A. Since the packing 3 is interposed between the two, the upper lid 1B is formed as shown in the figure. In the closed state, the inside of the outer box 1 is kept sealed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the inner box 2 houses a plurality of wafers W in an orderly manner, the upper part of which is opened, and the pair of side walls 2a, 2a facing each other are vertically provided inside. A plurality of ribs 2b that are long in the direction are provided so as to project at an appropriate pitch in the arrangement direction of the wafers W (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 6), and a plurality of partition grooves are formed between these ribs 2b. Then, each wafer W is housed in an orderly manner by being fitted into a pair of partitioning grooves formed on the side walls 2a, 2a and facing each other.

By the way, as shown in detail in FIG. 8, the inner side wall 1 constituting the inner and outer double walls is provided at the peripheral edge of the opening of the upper lid 1B.
1 and the outer wall 12 are formed. Further, an inner side wall 13 and an outer side wall 14 that also form an inner and outer double wall are formed at the peripheral edge of the opening of the outer box body 1A. As shown in the figure, in a state in which the upper lid 4 is covered and locked on the upper end opening of the outer box body 1A, the upper lid 1B and the outer box body 1 are
The outer side walls 12 and 14 of A are fitted to each other, and the outer side walls 12 and 14 in the fitted state, the upper lid 1B, and the outer box body 1A.
The packing 3 is interposed in the space surrounded by the inner side walls 11 and 13, and the sealing action of the packing 3 prevents outside air from entering the storage container from the joint between the upper lid 1B and the outer box body 1A. Has been done.

Here, the locking structure of the upper lid 1B will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. As shown in FIG.
On the left and right sides of the upper lid 1B, a pair of hooks 16 and 16 that integrally hang down from the peripheral edge of the opening are formed so as to face each other, and locking pieces 17 and 17 are provided at both ends of the hooks 16 and 16, respectively.
Is formed, and a rectangular operation port 18 is formed in the center. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the hook 16 is provided at a portion of the outer box body 1A corresponding to the hook 16.
Is formed with a rectangular concave portion 21, and the locking piece 1 of the hook 16 is provided on the peripheral edge of the opening of the outer box body 1A.
Locking tools 22 and 22 to be engaged with the tops of 7 and 17 are projected. Each locking member 22 is formed with an inclined surface 22a that spreads downward. Also, the outer box body 1A
As shown in FIG. 12, the projections 23, which come into contact with the intermediate portions of the rear surfaces of the locking pieces 17, 17 of the hook 16 when the upper lid 1B is in the locked state, 23
Is protruding.

In the wafer container having the above structure, to close the upper lid 1B, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper lid 1B is put on the upper end opening of the outer box body 1A and the upper lid 1B is pressed downward. Then, as shown by the solid line in FIG.
The lower edge of each hook 16 of the upper lid 1B abuts the slope 22a of the locking tool 22 of the outer box body 1A, and the hook 16 is spread outward by sliding along the slope 22a. After the lower end edge of the hook 16 is disengaged from the locking tool 22, the hook 16 is further spread by contacting the back surface of the hook 16 with the locking tool 22, as shown by the chain line in FIG. At the same time when the upper edge of the stop piece 17 passes through the locking tool 22, the hook 16 returns to its original position by the elastic force, and at this time, the upper ends of the respective locking pieces 17 engage the locking tool 22, so that the upper lid 1B is It is locked on the outer box body 1A.

Next, when opening the upper lid 1B, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the lower ends of the hooks 16 of the upper lid 1B may be pushed in from the outside toward the inside. Then, each locking piece 17 of the hook 16 is, as shown by a chain line in FIG.
Since the protrusion 23 on the outer box body 1A side is rotated as a fulcrum,
The engagement of the locking piece 17 with the locking tool 22 is released. After that, by lifting the upper lid 1B upward, the upper lid 1B can be removed from the outer box body 1A. Hook 1 as described above
Since the work of pushing 6 inward is easier to apply the force than the work of spreading it from the inner side to the outer side, the engagement between the upper lid 1B and the outer box body 1A can be released with good workability.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the one locking piece 17 of the upper lid 1B and the one locking tool 22 of the outer box body 1A are locked at one location, the upper lid is not provided. There is a problem that the force for compressing and sealing the joint portion between 1B and the outer box body 1A is weak. Further, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, the upper lid can be fixed to the outer box body and the locking of the upper lid to the outer box body can be released by a simple operation, but the upper lid is removed from the outer box body (open the upper lid). It's not easy. That is, in order to open the upper lid, it is necessary to lift the upper lid at the same time while pressing the hook portion by hand so that the hook portion does not return to its original position, which results in poor workability. Especially when a temperature difference occurs or after a long time elapses, a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the storage container occurs, and the top lid is sucked by the outer box body and cannot be easily lifted. There is a fear that staff will be needed.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and has good locking strength of the joint portion between the upper lid and the outer box main body, and thus good compressibility, and the relationship between the upper lid and the outer box main body. An object of the present invention is to provide a locking structure for a wafer storage container, which can both release the stopper and lift the upper lid to improve workability when opening the upper lid.

[0011]

According to the present invention for achieving the above object, an outer box main body for accommodating a wafer or an inner box accommodating a wafer and an upper part of the outer box main body are covered and bonded. In a wafer storage container including an upper lid, at least one pair is provided at opposing portions of the wafer storage container, and has a locking structure for locking or unlocking the upper cover to the outer box body. A protrusion protruding laterally is formed at the lower end of the upper lid, one end of which is rotatably supported by the outer box body, and the other end of which can be locked to the protrusion of the upper lid. A first hook member, and a second hook whose one end is rotatably supported by the other end of the first hook member and which can be locked to the top plate of the upper lid at the other end. And a member.

The second hook member pushes the upper lid upward at its lower end after the engagement with the top plate portion of the upper lid is released. Further, an air circulation hole is formed in a side wall of the upper lid, and the air circulation hole is provided when the second hook member is locked to the top plate portion of the upper lid. Is blocked by.

The operation of the present invention will be described below. According to the first aspect of the invention, in order to release the lock from the state in which the upper cover is locked to the outer box body, first, the second hook member is rotated in a direction away from the upper cover to move the upper cover. The engagement with the top plate is released, and then the first hook member is also rotated in the direction away from the upper lid to release the engagement with the protruding portion at the lower end of the upper lid. Finally, lift the top lid by hand to release the adhesion with the outer box body. Since the locking structure of the present invention is a double hook structure in which the upper lid is locked at the same time by the first and second hook members, the adhesive force of the joint portion between the upper lid and the outer box body is reliably maintained. be able to.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the second hook member is further rotated while the first and second hook members are unlocked, the lower end of the second hook member is lowered. The upper lid can be pushed up by the side of the unit, and the upper lid that was in close contact with the outer box body can be pushed up by a small amount upward, and as a result, the close contact force of the upper lid with the outer box body can be released. Finally,
If you lift the top lid with a small force, you can remove it from the outer box body and open the top lid. Thus, in the present invention, the second
The contact force for confining the outer box body is removed by the hook member, that is, the upper lid is lifted by at least the pair of second hook members to release the close contact state between the upper lid and the outer box body. And, in particular, even if there is a temperature difference or after a lapse of a long time, a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the storage container occurs, and the upper lid may be sucked by the outer box body as in the conventional case and the upper lid may be difficult to open. , The at least one pair of second hook members are operated with both hands to easily lift the upper lid.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the second hook member is rotated to release the engagement with the top plate portion of the upper lid, the air circulation hole of the upper lid is released. The pressure inside the box body becomes equal to the external pressure (for example, atmospheric pressure), and the adhesion of the upper lid to the outer box body can be more easily released.

[0016]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (A), (b) of FIG.
2A and 2B are respectively a front view and a side view of a wafer storage container according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a locking structure of the wafer storage container according to the present invention. Both the first and second hook members 9, 10 shows a state in which 10 is locked to the upper lid 4, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams showing respective steps from the state of FIG. 2 to releasing the adhesion force of the outer box body 5 of the upper lid 4. .
The embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the present invention includes modifications such as design changes without departing from the scope of the claims.

First, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the upper lid 4 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view is placed at a position facing each other by a pair of locking mechanisms A, A, which will be described later.
It is designed to be locked in. The upper lid 4 and the outer box main body 5 constitute a wafer storage container, and stores a plurality of wafers W in an orderly manner.

The plurality of wafers W are stored neatly in an inner box (basket) 33 called a partition provided in the outer box body 5. The upper part of the inner box 33 is open, and a plurality of longitudinally long ribs 3 are provided inside a pair of opposed side walls.
4 are provided so as to project at an appropriate pitch in the arrangement direction of the wafers W (direction perpendicular to the drawing in FIG. 2).
Between the four, a plurality of partition grooves are formed. The wafers W are fitted in a pair of opposing partition grooves formed in the side wall, and are arranged in order. Then, in a state where the upper lid 4 is in close contact with the outer box body 5, a plurality of lower surfaces of the top plate portion 4c of the upper lid 4 are brought into contact with and press the upper ends of the wafers W arranged in order. A wafer pressing member 35 having a wafer pressing piece 36 is mounted. Thus, even when the wafer container is transported, the wafer W is stably held and does not move. The present invention described below is not limited to the case in which the inner box 33 for accommodating a plurality of wafers W is accommodated in the outer box body 5, and the plurality of wafers W can be directly exposed without passing through the inner box. It can also be applied to a wafer storage container stored in the box body 5. Further, the upper lid 4 and the outer box body 5 are not limited to being rectangular in plan view, but may be circular in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 2, a peripheral portion of the lower end opening of the upper lid 4 is formed with a projecting portion (flange portion) 4e having an inner side wall 4b and an outer side wall 4a forming an inner and outer double wall.
Further, an inner side wall 5b and an outer side wall 5a, which also form an inner and outer double wall, are formed on the opening peripheral edge portion of the upper end of the outer box body 5. Reference numeral 5c denotes a large-diameter side wall surrounding the upper part of the outer box main body 5. As shown in the drawing, in a state where the upper lid 4 is covered by the upper end opening of the outer box main body 5 and locked, the outer walls 4a, 5 of the upper lid 4 and the outer box main body 5 are provided.
are fitted together, and the inner walls 4a, 5a of the upper lid 4 and the outer box body 5 are also fitted together. The annular space surrounded by the inner and outer walls 5b and 5a of the outer box body 5 is
A seal member mounting groove 8 for mounting a seal member (for example, an O-ring) 6 is provided. On the other hand, the protrusion 4 of the upper lid 4
On the lower surface of e, a projection 7 having an inverted chevron cross section for pressing against the seal member 6 is formed in an annular shape. The lower end of the projection 7 is pressed against the sealing member 6 by line contact, and the sealing action with the sealing member 6 prevents the outside air from entering the wafer container from the junction between the upper lid 4 and the outer box body 5. I have.

Next, a pair of locking structures of the wafer container will be described. Since the pair of locking mechanisms A and A have the same structure, one locking mechanism A will be described as an example. Brackets 31 are integrally provided on opposite side walls of the outer box body 5, and each bracket 31 has a first hook member 9 via a pin member 32.
The lower end of the is rotatably provided (see the arrow B direction). The first hook member 9 is of a substantially concave shape in a side view (shown in FIG. 1B), and the upper concave portion thereof has a second concave shape.
The lower end of the hook member 10 is rotatably supported (see the arrow C direction) via the pin member 30. An air flow hole 41 is formed in the side wall 4d of the upper lid 4, and the air flow hole 41 is sealed by the side wall 4d being pressed by the second hook member 10 in the state of FIG.

On both sides of the upper end of the first hook member 9, there are formed protrusions 4f and 4g which can be engaged with the upper surface of the protrusion (flange) 4e of the upper lid 4. On the other hand, the second hook member 10 is formed to be bent in a substantially “U” shape, and can be locked to the top plate 4 c of the upper lid 4 at the upper end. Reference numeral 37 denotes a push-up protrusion provided on the upper cover 4.
The push-up protrusion 37 is provided integrally with the side wall 4 d of the upper lid 4 at a position overlapping with the second hook member 10 so as to protrude to the side. The second hook member 10 has a concave portion 1 into which the push-up protrusion 37 is inserted when the second hook member 10 is locked to the top plate portion 4c.
0a is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the second hook member 10 can be rotated to slightly push up the upper lid 4 at its lower end. Thereby, the adhesive force of the upper lid 4 to the outer box main body 5 can be released. At this time, the push-up protrusion 37 of the upper lid 4 and the second hook member 10
A convex portion 38 and a groove portion 39 which are respectively fitted to each other are formed.

The locking of the wafer storage container of this embodiment will be described below.
The operation of mechanism A will be described. In the state of FIG. 2, the first
The hook member 9 and the second hook member 10 of the
The protrusion (flange) 4e of the upper lid 4 and the top plate 4c
And the sealing member 6 causes the upper lid 4 and
The joint portion of the outer box body 5 is sealed. In this example
Is a pair of locking mechanisms A and A for the wafer container.
Then, operate with both hands as follows. Shown in FIG.
To release the seal from the state shown in Fig. 2,
Without moving the second hook member 10 away from the upper lid 4.
The upper lid 4 is rotated to release the engagement with the top plate portion 4c,
In addition, the first hook member 9 is also rotated in a direction away from the upper lid 4.
The upper lid 4 is moved to unlock the protrusion 4e at the lower end of the upper lid 4.
You. Upper lid 4 closed by the second hook member 10
The air circulation hole 41 of the
There is no pressure difference. In the state of FIG. 3, the first
Inclination angle θ of hook member 9 ₁Is about 10 °
You.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the second hook member 10 is further rotated to fit the groove portion 39 thereof into the convex portion 38 of the push-up protrusion 37 of the upper lid 4. At this time, the inclination angle θ ₂ of the first hook member 9 is about 8 °. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the second hook member 10 is further rotated, and the upper lid 4 is slightly pushed up by the convex portion 40 at the lower end thereof. At this time, as described above, since the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the wafer storage container is equal, the adhesive force of the upper lid 4 to the outer box main body 5 can be easily released. In addition, the inclination angle θ ₃ of the first hook member 9 is 7.5.
゜ It is about. Finally, the first and second hook members 9 and 10 are rotated until they are completely separated from the upper lid 4, and the upper lid 4 is lifted by hand and removed from the outer box body 5.

As described above, this embodiment has a double hook structure in which the first and second hook members 9 and 10 simultaneously lock the upper lid 4 (state of FIG. 2). It is possible to reliably maintain the adhesion of the joint between the outer box body 5 and the outer box body 5.

Also, the first and second hook members 9, 1
In the state where the lock of the second hook member 1 is released,
When the pivot 0 is further rotated, the upper lid 4 is pushed up at the lower end side of the second hook member 10, and the upper lid 4 which has been in close contact with the outer box body 5 can be pushed upward by a small amount. As a result,
The adhesion of the upper lid 4 to the outer box body 5 can be released. Finally, if the upper lid 4 is lifted with a small force, the upper lid 4 can be detached from the outer box main body 5 and the upper lid 4 can be easily opened. Thus, when releasing the close contact state between the upper lid 4 and the outer box body 5,
Workability and reliability are improved. In particular, when a temperature difference occurs or after a long period of time, a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the wafer storage container occurs, and the upper lid 4 is sucked by the outer box body 5 and the upper lid 4 is difficult to open as in the related art. However, since the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the wafer storage container is previously equalized, the workability and reliability are greatly improved.

By the way, in order to mount and lock the upper lid 4 on the outer box body 5, a process substantially reverse to that of FIGS. 2 to 5 is performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper lid 4 is covered on the outer box body 5, the first hook member 9 is rotated toward the storage container, and the protrusion 4f (4g) of the first hook member 9 is used to project the protrusion 4e of the upper lid 4. Is pressed downward to close the upper lid 4 to the outer box body 5. And the first
The hook member 9 and the second hook member 10 are locked to the projecting portion 4e and the top plate portion 4c of the upper lid 4 (state of FIG. 2).

[0028]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects. In the invention according to claim 1, since at least the pair of locking mechanisms each include two hook members, the adhesive force of the joint portion between the upper lid and the outer box body is reliably retained, and a stronger adhesive force is achieved. The joint between the upper lid and the outer box body can be compressed and sealed by force, and as a result, the sealing property is improved.

[0029] The invention described in claim 2 has the above-described effect,
With both hands, lift the upper lid with the pair of second hook members,
Since the close contact between the upper lid and the outer box body is released, the workability and certainty of opening the upper lid are improved. In particular, even if there is a difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the storage container when a temperature difference occurs or after a long time elapses, the upper lid may be sucked by the outer box body and the upper lid may be difficult to open. The name of the worker can easily lift the upper lid to eliminate the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the storage container.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the above effects,
When the second hook member is rotated to release the engagement with the top plate portion of the upper lid, the air circulation hole of the upper lid is released, so that the pressure inside the outer box main body is equal to the external pressure (for example, a large pressure). Atmospheric pressure). In this way, before the adhesive force of the upper lid is released, the adhesive force can be easily released by making the pressure in the outer box body equal to that of the outside world in advance.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A and 1B are respectively a front view and a side view of a wafer storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a locking structure of the wafer storage container of the present invention, showing a state in which both the first and second hook members are locked to the upper lid.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which both the first and second hook members are rotated from the state of FIG. 2 to release the lock with the upper lid.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a second hook member is further rotated from the state of FIG. 3 and a concave portion 39 thereof is fitted to a convex portion 38 of the upper lid.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the second hook is rotated from the state of FIG. 4 and the upper lid thereof is slightly pushed up to release the close contact with the outer box body.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway front view of a wafer container having a conventional locking structure.

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail view of a portion A in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the upper lid.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a hook portion showing a locking structure.

12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a view showing the action of the hook when closing the upper lid.
FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Locking structure W Wafer 4 Upper lid 4a Outer side wall 4b Inner side wall 4c Top plate 4d Side wall 4f, 4g Projection 5 Outer box body 5a Outer side wall 5b Inner side wall 5c Large diameter side wall 6 Sealing member 7 Cross-section inverted mountain-shaped protrusion 8 Seal member mounting groove 9 First hook member 10 Second hook member 10a Recessed portion 30 Pin member 31 Bracket 32 Pin member 33 Inner box (basket) 34 Rib 35 Wafer holding member 36 Wafer holding piece 37 Push-up protrusion 38 Convex portion 39 Groove 40 Convex 41 Air circulation hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A wafer container comprising an outer box main body for accommodating a wafer or an inner box for accommodating a wafer, and an upper lid for covering and joining the upper part of the outer box main body, wherein At least one pair is provided in a facing portion, and is a locking structure for locking or unlocking the upper lid to the outer box main body, and a protruding portion laterally protruding to a lower end of the upper lid. A first hook member that is formed and has one end rotatably supported by the outer box body and the other end that can be locked to the protrusion of the upper lid; A wafer storage container comprising: a second hook member, one end of which is rotatably supported by the other end, and the other end of which is engageable with a top plate of the upper lid. Locking structure. 2. The wafer storage according to claim 1, wherein the second hook member pushes the upper lid upward at its lower end after the engagement with the top plate portion of the upper lid is released. Container locking structure. 3. An air circulation hole is formed in a side wall of the upper lid, and the air circulation hole is formed when the second hook member is locked to the top plate portion of the upper lid. 3. The wafer storage container locking structure according to claim 1, wherein the hook structure is closed by the hook member.