KR102385329B1 - Wafer storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wafer storage container that removes fumes or moisture from a wafer by supplying a purge gas to a wafer accommodated in a storage room, and in particular, minimizes dead areas through uniform spraying of purge gas At the same time, it prevents the formation of turbulence inside the storage chamber to increase the efficiency of wafer purging, and promotes compactness of the injection member that injects the purge gas into the storage chamber, thereby achieving the overall compactness of the wafer storage container. is about

Description

Wafer storage container {WAFER STORAGE CONTAINER}

The present invention relates to a wafer storage container, and to a wafer storage container that supplies a purge gas to a wafer accommodated in a storage chamber to remove fumes from the wafer or to remove moisture from the wafer.

In general, a semiconductor device is manufactured by selectively and repeatedly performing a deposition process, a polishing process, a photolithography process, an etching process, an ion implantation process, a cleaning process, an inspection process, and a heat treatment process on a wafer, and thus formed into a semiconductor device. For this purpose, wafers are transported to specific locations required for each process.

Wafers are high-precision items and are stored or transported in a wafer storage container such as a Front Opening Unifie Pod (FOUP) to prevent contamination or damage from external contaminants and impacts.

In this case, the process gas used in the process and fume, which is a by-product of the process, are not removed and remain on the wafer surface. There is a problem in that the reliability of the wafer is deteriorated due to the occurrence of pattern) defects.

Recently, in order to solve this problem, purging technologies have been developed to supply a purge gas to a wafer accommodated in a wafer storage container to remove fumes remaining on the surface of the wafer or to prevent oxidation of the wafer.

As described above, as a wafer storage container capable of supplying a purge gas, the one described in Korean Patent No. 10-1637498 (hereinafter referred to as 'Patent Document 1') is known.

The wafer storage container of Patent Document 1 includes a storage room in which a wafer is accommodated, a first gas injection room communicating with the storage room, and a storage room and a first gas injection room separated into separate spaces independent from each other, but a plurality of communicating gases A first partition wall having a first hole formed therein, a second gas injection room communicating with the storage room, and a storage room and a second gas injection room are separated into separate spaces independent of each other, and a plurality of second holes for communicating with the gas are formed A second partition wall, a gas exhaust room communicating with the storage room, and a third partition wall that separates the storage room and the gas exhaust room into separate spaces independent of each other, provided with a plurality of third holes through which gas communicates, and a wafer supporting the wafer It consists of a plurality of plates.

Accordingly, the gas introduced into the first and second gas injection chambers is injected into the storage chamber through the first and second holes, respectively, and is exhausted into the gas exhaust chamber through the third hole together with the fume remaining on the surface of the wafer. Fume removal can be achieved.

However, in the case of the wafer storage container of Patent Document 1, when the gas introduced into each of the first and second gas injection chambers through the gas inlet hole is injected into the storage chamber through the first and second holes, the gas is uniformly introduced into the storage chamber. There is a limit to how much it can be injected.

In detail, since the first and second gas injection chambers have a simple chamber shape, the injection force of the gas injected into the storage chamber through the first and second holes in the lower region of the first and second gas injection chambers, and the first , 2 The gas injection force is inevitably different from the upper region of the gas injection chamber to the storage chamber through the first and second holes. Therefore, there is a limit in that the removal of fume from the wafers accommodated in the storage chamber cannot be performed evenly.

In addition, there is a possibility that unevenness of the gas injection force may occur not only in the above-described upper and lower regions of the first and second gas injection chambers, but also in the region relatively far from the gas inlet hole. That is, unevenness of the gas injection force is generated depending on both the vertical and horizontal positions of the first and second gas injection chambers, which contributes to the formation of turbulence of the gas injected into the storage chamber.

As described above, as the gases injected into the storage chamber form a kind of turbulence, there is a limitation in that purging cannot be performed evenly over the entire area of the wafer.

In addition, in terms of the above-described gas injection force, since the gas is introduced into the first and second gas injection chambers having a relatively large volume through the relatively small diameter gas inlet hole, the flow rate of the gas when flowing into the gas inlet hole There is a limit in that power, that is, the flow rate of gas cannot be maintained as it is, and this significantly weakens the injection force (flow rate of gas) of the gas injected into the storage chamber through the first and second holes. Accordingly, there is a problem in that there may be many dead areas in which the purging of the wafer is not performed.

Korean Patent No. 10-1670383.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problem, and it minimizes the occurrence of dead areas through uniform purge gas injection and at the same time prevents the formation of turbulence inside the storage chamber to increase the efficiency of wafer purging, and An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer storage container capable of achieving compactness of the entire wafer storage container by achieving compactness of an injection member for spraying a purge gas.

A wafer storage container according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage chamber in which the wafer accommodated through the front opening is accommodated; and an injection member disposed on at least a partial surface of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber to inject the purge gas into the storage chamber, wherein the injection member is arranged on the partial surface to inject the purge gas into the storage chamber a plurality of nozzles; and a branch flow path part having at least one branching section to flow the purge gas introduced through the inlet to the plurality of injection ports, wherein the branch flow path part is provided on a surface that is moved in parallel from the partial surface, and the injection port includes a lower area injection port for spraying a purge gas to a lower area inside the storage room and an upper area injection port for spraying a purge gas to an upper area inside the storage room, wherein the branch flow path includes a lower area branch flow passage part; an upper region branch flow path part, wherein the purge gas flowing through the lower region branch flow path part is injected into the lower region through the lower region injection port, and the purge gas flowing through the upper region branch flow path part flows through the upper region injection port. The purge gas injected into the upper region and injected from the lower region injection port and the upper region injection port is injected into each of the lower region and the upper region inside the storage chamber, and the lower region and the upper region inside the storage chamber. It is characterized in that the purging of the can be controlled.

In addition, the injection port further includes a central area injection port for injecting a purge gas to a central area inside the storage room, the branch flow path part further comprising a central area branch flow path part, and the purge gas flowing through the central area branch flow path part is The purge gas injected into the central region through the central region jet port, and the purge gas injected from the central region injection port, is injected into the central region inside the storage chamber, so that purging of the central region inside the storage chamber can be controlled. characterized in that

In addition, the inlet includes a lower region inlet for introducing a purge gas into the lower region branch flow path part, and an upper region inlet for introducing a purge gas into the upper region branch passage part, and branched from the main flow path of the lower region branch flow path part. The branch flow path is branched symmetrically with respect to the main flow path of the sub-region branch flow path part to form the branching section, and the lower-region inlet is located at the center of the vertical length of the main flow path of the sub-region branch flow path part, and the The branching flow path branched from the main flow path of the upper region branch flow path part is branched symmetrically with respect to the main flow path of the upper region branch flow path part to form the branching section, and the upper region inlet is the main flow path of the upper region branch flow path part. It is characterized in that it is located at the center of the vertical length of the

In addition, the flow distance of the purge gas flowing from the inlet to each of the plurality of injection holes through the branch flow passage is the same.

In addition, the branching sections of the branch flow path are branched in opposite directions to each other and branched into two branch flow paths.

In addition, the injection member may include: an injection plate in which the plurality of injection ports and the branch flow passage are formed; and an inlet plate coupled to the spray plate and having the inlet formed thereon, wherein the plurality of spray holes are formed on one side of the spray plate, and the branch flow path part is formed on the opposite side of the spray plate characterized.

The injection member may further include an additional passage plate disposed between the injection plate and the inlet plate and having an additional passage communicating the inlet and the branch passage portion.

According to the wafer storage container of the present invention as described above, there are the following effects.

The flow rate of the purge gas supplied from the external supply unit can be maintained through the flow path structure of the injection member, compared to the conventional injection member in the form of a chamber of the wafer storage container, so that the injection speed of the purge gas injected from the injection port is increased, which results in , it is possible to minimize the occurrence of dead areas inside the storage room.

Purging to the lower area, the center area and the upper area inside the storage room can be individually controlled.

It is possible to achieve efficient wafer purging while achieving compactness of the jetting member and the wafer storage container.

Since the flow rate of the purge gas injected through the injection port of the injection member is uniform, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of turbulence inside the storage chamber caused by the uneven injection of the purge gas, and thus, it is possible to smoothly form the airflow inside the storage chamber. can do.

Since the spray member can be easily combined/detached, when the wafer storage container is used for a long period of time and contaminants are accumulated on the spray member, it can be easily replaced and maintenance is easy.

By changing the position and opening area of the injection holes of the injection member according to the arrangement position of the injection member disposed in the wafer storage container, it is possible to achieve an optimized airflow of the purge gas inside the storage chamber, thereby reducing the generation of dead areas can be effectively prevented.

By selectively blocking the exhaust of the exhaust member, fume removal from the wafer is achieved through purge gas injection and evacuation of purge gas and fume inside the storage room, or humidity control inside the storage room is controlled by filling the inside of the storage room with purge gas. can be achieved

1 is a perspective view of a wafer storage container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 1;
Fig. 3 is a bottom view of Fig. 1;
Figure 4 is a view showing the flow of the purge gas flowing from the lower plate of Figure 1 to the injection members.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the left front injection member of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 5;
7 is a view showing the branch flow path plate of FIG.
FIG. 8 is a view showing the flow of the purge gas flowing through the branch passage plate of FIG. 7;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the exhaust member of Fig. 1;
10 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.
11 is a view illustrating a flow of a purge gas injected to the wafer supported on the support of FIG. 1 and a flow of the purge gas and fume exhausted to an exhaust member;
12 is a view showing a branch flow path portion plate of the left front injection member according to the first modified example.
13 is a view illustrating a flow of a purge gas flowing through the branch flow path plate of FIG. 12 .
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a left front injection member according to a second modified example;
15 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 14;
Figure 16 (a) is a view showing the front of the injection plate of Figure 15.
Figure 16 (b) is a view showing the back side of the injection plate of Figure 15.
Figure 17 is a view showing the flow of the purge gas flowing through the injection plate of Figure 16 (b).
18 is a view showing the front side of the additional flow path plate of FIG.
Fig. 19 (a) is a view showing the front side of the injection plate of the left front injection member according to the third modified example;
19 (b) is a view showing the rear surface of the injection plate of the left front injection member according to the third modified example.
Fig. 20 (a) is a view showing the front side of the injection plate of the right front injection member according to the third modified example;
Fig. 20 (b) is a view showing the rear surface of the injection plate of the right front injection member according to the third modified example;
Fig. 21 (a) is a view showing the front side of the injection plate of the central rear injection member according to the third modified example;
Fig. 21 (b) is a view showing the rear surface of the injection plate of the central rear injection member according to the third modified example;
22 is a view illustrating a flow of a purge gas injected to a wafer supported on a support of a wafer receiving container having injection members and a flow of a purge gas and fume exhausted to an exhaust member according to a third modified example;

The 'purge gas' referred to below is a generic term for an inert gas for removing fumes from a wafer, and in particular, nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas, which is one of the inert gases, may be used.

In addition, 'purging' is a generic term for preventing oxidation of the wafer by spraying a purge gas on the wafer to remove fumes remaining on the wafer surface or removing humidity inside the storage room.

A wafer storage container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a storage chamber in which a wafer accommodated through a front opening is accommodated, a support provided in the storage chamber to support a wafer, a lower plate forming a lower surface of the wafer storage container; The upper plate constituting the upper surface of the wafer storage container, the injection member disposed on at least a partial surface of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber to spray the purge gas, and at least the remaining surface of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber on which the injection member is not disposed and an exhaust member for exhausting the purge gas.

A front opening is formed in the front of the storage chamber, and the wafer enters and exits the storage chamber through the front opening.

The support is provided inside the storage room to support the wafer, and the wafer is accommodated in the support through the front opening formed in the front of the storage room.

The upper plate and the lower plate form an upper surface and a lower surface of the wafer storage container, respectively. Accordingly, the storage chamber is closed with the upper and lower surfaces of the storage chamber by the upper plate and the lower plate.

A supply port and a supply passage communicating with the supply port are formed in the lower plate. When an external purge gas is supplied through the supply port and flows into the lower plate, the purge gas introduced through the supply passage flows to the injection member.

The injection member is disposed on at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber in which the wafer is accommodated, and functions to spray the purge gas introduced through the lower plate flow path formed in the lower plate into the storage chamber.

The injection member communicates with the supply flow path and includes an inlet for introducing the purge gas into the injection member, a plurality of injection holes arranged on a part of the peripheral surface of the storage chamber on which the injection member is disposed so as to inject the purge gas into the storage chamber, and the inlet. It includes a branch flow path part having at least one branching section so as to flow the introduced purge gas to the plurality of injection ports, and in this case, the branch flow path part is on the peripheral surface of the storage room that is moved in parallel with a partial surface on which the injection member is disposed. It is available.

The exhaust member is disposed on at least the remaining surface on which the injection member is not disposed, that is, at least a part of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber in which the wafer is accommodated, and exhausts the purge gas injected into the storage chamber and the fume of the wafer. function.

As such, as the wafer storage container is provided with an injection member for spraying a purge gas into the storage chamber and an exhaust member for exhausting the purge gas, it is possible to achieve fume removal and humidity control of the wafer accommodated in the storage chamber.

In other words, the injection member injects a purge gas into the storage chamber, and the exhaust member exhausts the purge gas injected into the storage chamber by the injection member and the fume of the wafer, thereby achieving fume removal of the wafer or evacuation by the exhaust member. After preventing this from happening, the humidity control of the wafer can be achieved by spraying the purge gas into the storage chamber from the spraying member.

A plurality of the injection member and the exhaust member as described above may be provided according to the size and use of the wafer storage container.

For example, the front opening of the storage room is provided with an open front opening, and the circumferential surface of the storage room is, in order from left to right, left front, left rear, center rear, right rear and right front. In this case, the plurality of jetting members include a left front jet member disposed on a left front surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room, a right front jet member disposed on a right front side of the circumferential surface of the storage room, and a circumferential surface of the storage room. It may consist of a central rear injection member disposed on the central rear surface.

In addition, the plurality of exhaust members may be disposed on a left rear surface and a right rear surface on which the injection member is not disposed among the circumferential surfaces of the storage chamber.

Hereinafter, as one embodiment of the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of injection members 500 are left front, right front, and center rear of the circumferential surfaces of the storage chamber 100 . It consists of a left front injection member (500LF), a right front injection member (500RF) and a central rear injection member (500MR) disposed in each direction, and the exhaust member 600 is one exhaust member 600, a storage room ( It will be described on the basis of the wafer storage container 10 made of the exhaust member 600 disposed on the right rear surface on which the injection member 500 is not disposed among the circumferential surface of the 100).

In this case, the left front spraying member 500LF indicates that the spraying member 500 is disposed in the left front (LEFT FRONT), and the right front spraying member 500RF is the spraying member 500 in the right front (RIGHT FRONT). is disposed, and the central rear jetting member 500MR indicates that the jetting member 500 is disposed at the center rear (MIDDLE REAR).

In other words, the left front jet member 500LF, the right front jet member 500RF, and the center rear jet member 500MR differ only in their arrangement positions, and their configurations are the same. Therefore, in the following description, the description will be based on the left front spray member 500LF, and the description overlapping in the remaining right front spray member 500RF and the center rear spray member 500MR will be described with the left front spray member 500LF. substitute

In addition, as above, the left front injection member (500LF), the right front injection member (500RF), and the center rear injection member (500MR) have their arrangement positions designated for ease of explanation, so the left front injection member (500LF), the right front Regardless of the terms of the injection member (500RF) and the central rear injection member (500MR), both may be understood as the term of the injection member (500).

In addition, the flow paths and holes corresponding to each of the lower region, the central region, and the upper region appearing in the following description are 'B (BOTTOM), M (MIDDLE), and T (TOP)' to the reference numerals for better understanding. Explain. Accordingly, even if the reference numerals 'B, M, and T' are not indicated in each drawing, as described above, it may be understood as flow paths and holes corresponding to each of the lower region, the central region, and the upper region.

Wafer container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention

Hereinafter, the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 .

1 is a perspective view of a wafer storage container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a spraying member in the lower plate of FIG. It is a view showing the flow of the purge gas flowing into FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the purge gas flowing through the branch flow path plate of FIG. 7 , FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the exhaust member of FIG. 1 , FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 9 , and FIG. 11 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a purge gas sprayed to the wafer supported by the support of FIG. 1 and a flow of the purge gas and fume exhausted to the exhaust member.

1 to 3, the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a storage chamber 100 in which the wafer W received through the front opening 110 is accommodated; A support 200 provided in the storage chamber 100 to support the wafer W, a lower plate 300 constituting the lower surface of the wafer storage container 10, and the upper surface of the wafer storage container 10 The upper plate 400 forming the upper plate 400 , the left front injection member 500LF disposed on the left front surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 and spraying the purge gas into the storage room 100 , and the circumference of the storage room 100 . A right front injection member 500RF disposed on the right front side of the surface to spray a purge gas into the storage room 100, and a central rear surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 to purge the storage room 100 The central rear injection member 500MR for spraying gas and the purge gas and wafer W of the storage chamber 100 are disposed on the right rear surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 where the injection member 500 is not disposed. It is configured to include an exhaust member 600 that exhausts the fume.

storage room (100)

Hereinafter, the storage room 100 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11 , the storage room 100 functions to accommodate the wafer W therein, and includes a left front jet member 500LF, a right front jet member 500RF, and a central rear jet member. (500MR), the left rear wall (130LR, 130 LEFT REAR), and the exhaust member 600 is defined as the inner space surrounded by the peripheral surface is arranged.

A front opening 110 is formed in front of the storage room 100 , and the wafer W enters and exits through the front opening 110 .

The upper surface of the storage room 100 is made of an upper plate 400 , the lower surface of the storage room 100 is made of a lower plate 300 , and the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 is in order from left to right. It consists of a left front surface, a left rear surface, a center rear surface, a right rear surface, and a right front surface.

In this case, the left front injection member 500LF is disposed on the left front surface, the left rear wall body 130LR is disposed on the left rear surface, the central rear injection member 500MR is disposed on the central rear surface, and the right rear surface The exhaust member 600 is disposed, and the right front jet member 500RF is disposed on the right front surface.

Accordingly, the storage room 100 has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a peripheral surface excluding the front opening 110 , the upper plate 400 , the lower plate 300 , the left front injection member 500LF, and the right rear injection member 500 . ), the central rear injection member (500MR), the left rear wall (130LR) and the exhaust member (600) is closed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11 , the purge gas is the left front surface and right side of the storage room 100 in which the left front injection member 500LF, the right rear injection member 500 and the center rear injection member 500MR are disposed. The purge gas and the fume of the wafer W sprayed into the storage chamber 100 from the front and center rear surfaces of the storage chamber 100 are exhaust members disposed on the right rear surface of the storage chamber 100 . Exhaust through 600.

Support (200)

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 11 , the support 200 for supporting the wafer W is provided inside the storage room 100 .

A plurality of supports 200 are provided in the vertical direction according to the number of wafers W accommodated in the storage chamber 100 .

For example, when 30 wafers W are accommodated in the storage room 100 , 30 supports 200 supporting each of the 30 wafers W are provided.

As described above, the plurality of supports 200 are fixedly coupled to the left front surface, left rear surface, right front surface and right rear surface of the storage room 100 by the support coupling part 210 .

In addition, the support 200 is provided with a step 230 stepped downward so that a partial area in the outer direction of the wafer W overlaps, and the step 230 is provided with three protruding pins 250 . Accordingly, the wafer W is placed on the protruding pin 250 to be supported by the support 200 .

As described above, since the wafer W is placed on the protruding pin 250 and supported by the support 200 , the contact area between the wafer W and the support 200 can be minimized, and thereby, the wafer by contact The damage of (W) can be minimized.

Lower plate 300 and upper plate 400

Hereinafter, the lower plate 300 and the upper plate 400 will be described.

1 to 4 , the lower plate 300 forms the lower surface of the wafer storage container 10 , and closes the lower portion of the storage chamber 100 from the outside of the wafer storage container 10 at the same time. The supplied purge gas is passed through the supply port formed on the lower surface of the lower plate 300, that is, the supply passage formed inside the lower plate 300, the left front injection member 500LF, the right rear injection member 500, and It functions to flow to the central rear injection member (500MR).

The supply port 311 serves to introduce the gas supplied from the outside of the wafer storage container 10 into the lower plate 300 .

The supply port 311 is formed on the lower surface of the lower plate 300 , that is, the lower surface of the lower plate 300 , and is a vertical region inside the storage room 100 , that is, the lower region, the central region, and the upper region. Depending on which region the purge gas is supplied to, the left and right lower region supply ports 311B, the left and right central region supply ports 311M, the left and right upper region supply ports 311T, the rear lower region supply port 313B, and the rear side It consists of a central region supply port 313M and a rear side upper region supply port 313T.

The supply passage 331 communicates with the supply port 311 to flow the purge gas supplied from the outside of the wafer storage container 10 , that is, the purge gas supplied from the external supply unit (not shown) to the injection member 500 . It serves as a pathway to

This supply flow path 331 communicates with the left and right lower region supply ports 311B, the left and right central region supply ports 311M, and the left and right upper region supply ports 311T, so that the left front injection member 500LF and the right front injection member ( 500RF), the left and right lower region supply passages 331B, the left and right central region supply passages 331M and the left and right upper region supply passages 331T, the rear lower region supply port 313B, and the rear central region A rear lower region supply passage 333B and a rear central region supply passage 333M communicating with the supply port 313M and the rear side upper region supply port 313T to flow a purge gas to the rear front injection member 500 . and a rear side upper region supply passage 333T.

In this case, the left and right lower region supply passages 331B have one end and the other end of the lower region communication port 511B of the left front injection member 500LF and the lower region communication port 511B of the right front injection member 500RF, respectively. The left and right central area supply passages 331M have one end and the other end of the central area communication port 511M of the left front injection member 500LF and the central area communication port 511M of the right front injection member 500RF, respectively. The left and right upper region supply passages 331T have one end and the other end of the upper region communication port 511T of the left front injection member 500LF and the upper region communication port 511T of the right front injection member 500RF, respectively. ) is connected with

Further, the rear-side lower region supply passage 333B has one end in communication with the lower region communication port 511B of the central rear jet member 500MR, and the rear-side central region supply passage 333M has one end of the central rear It communicates with the central area communication port 511M of the injection member 500MR, and the rear-side upper area supply passage 333T has one end in communication with the upper area communication port 511T of the central rear injection member 500MR. .

1 and 2 , the upper plate 400 forms the upper surface of the wafer storage container 10 and functions to close the upper portion of the storage chamber 100 . In this case, it is preferable that the overall shape of the upper plate 400 has the same shape as the overall shape of the lower plate 300 .

spraying member (500)

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and 11 , the spraying member 500 includes a left front spraying member 500LF disposed on the left front surface among the circumferential surfaces of the storage room 100 , and the storage room 100 . It consists of a right front spraying member 500RF disposed on the right front surface of the circumferential surface, and a central rear spraying member 500MR disposed on the central rear surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 .

The left front injection member 500LF is, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, an inlet plate 510 in which a communication port 511 and an inlet 513 communicating with the supply passage of the lower plate 300 are formed; The left front wall 530LF, which is coupled to the inlet plate 510 and forms the left front surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100, and the left front wall 530LF, and a branch flow passage 551 communicating with the inlet are The formed branch flow path part plate 550 and the branch flow path part plate 550 and the injection hole plate 570 having a plurality of injection holes 571 communicating with the branch flow path part 551 are formed, and the inlet plate 510. It is configured to include a provided heater rod (590).

A communication port 511 communicating with the supply passage 331 of the lower plate 300 is formed at a lower portion of the inlet plate 510 .

The communication port 511 has a lower area communication port 511B communicating with one end of the left and right lower area supply passage 331B of the lower plate 300, and a central area communication port communicating with one end of the left and right central area supply passage 331M. It consists of a sphere 511M and an upper area communication port 511T communicating with one end of the left and right upper area supply passages 331T.

In addition, an inlet 513 communicating with the branch flow passage portion 551 of the branch passage portion plate 550 is formed in the inlet plate 510 .

The inlet 513 includes a lower area inlet 513B communicating with the lower area communication port 511B, a central area inlet 513M communicating with the central area communication port 511M, and an upper area communication port 511T communicating with the inlet 513. It consists of an upper area inlet (513T).

In this case, each communication port 511 and each inlet port 513 are communicated by an internal flow path (not shown) formed inside the inlet plate 510 .

In addition, each of the lower region inlet 513B, the central region inlet 513M, and the upper region inlet 513T includes three inlets 513 .

The left front wall 530LF is coupled to the front direction (the right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the inlet plate 510 so as to be interposed between the inlet plate 510 and the branch passage plate 550, and the storage chamber 100 ) is a wall that forms the front left side of the circumferential surface.

By coupling the inlet plate 510, the branch passage plate 550 and the injection hole plate 570 to the left front wall 530LF, the left front spray member 500LF is placed on the left front surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100. ) can be easily arranged.

In addition, due to the above coupling structure, when contaminants such as fumes of the wafer W are accumulated on the left front spraying member 500LF as the wafer receiving container 10 is used for a long time, the left front spraying member 500LF is separated. By replacing it, the lifetime of the wafer storage container 10 can be maintained for a long time.

In addition, when contaminants do not accumulate in the left front wall 530LF and contaminants are accumulated only in the flow paths of the left front spray member 500LF, the inlet plate 510 except for the left front wall 530LF, the branch passage plate (550) and the nozzle plate 570 can be removed and replaced. As such, the coupling/separation structure of the left front wall 530LF has the effect that replacement of only the components desired to be replaced can be achieved very easily.

Of course, the above-described coupling/separation structure may also be applied to the right front injection member 500RF and the central rear injection member 500MR.

In this case, if necessary, replace the right front injection member 500RF itself, or replace the inlet plate 510 excluding the right front wall 530RF, the branch flow passage plate 550 and the injection hole plate 570 by separating them. can

In addition, in the case of the central rear injection member (500MR), the central rear injection member (500MR) itself is replaced if necessary, or the inlet plate 510, the inlet plate 510, and the branch flow path except for the central rear wall body (530MR). The plate 550 and the injection hole plate 570 can be removed and replaced.

The branch flow path plate 550 is coupled to the front direction (right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the left front wall 530LF so as to be interposed between the left front wall 530LF and the injection hole plate 570, and the branch flow path part The plate 550 has a branch flow path portion 551 communicating with the inlet 513 of the above-described inlet plate 510 is formed.

The branch flow path portion 551 communicates with the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510 as described above, and has three regions, namely, the lower region branch passage portion 551B, the central region branch passage portion 551M, and the upper portion. It may be formed of an area branch flow path part 551T.

In addition, the lower region branch passage portion 551B, the central region branch passage portion 551M, and the upper region branch passage portion 551T each have a main passage 561 communicating with the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510 and, It is configured to include a branch flow path 563 communicating with a plurality of injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 .

Three holes 565 are formed in each of the main flow passages 561 of the lower region branch passage portion 551B, the central region branch passage portion 551M, and the upper region branch passage portion 551T, and the three holes 565 ) communicates with the three lower area inlets 513B, the central area inlets 513M and the upper area inlets 513T, respectively.

In this case, it is preferable that at least one of the three holes 565 is disposed and formed to be positioned at the center of the vertical length of the main flow path 561 . In this case, when the hole 565 is located at the center of the vertical length of the main flow path 561 , the purge gas flowing along the main flow path 561 through the hole 565 located at the center moves upward or downward. This is because the flow distance is the same when flowing Therefore, unlike the above, even if only one hole 565 is formed in the main flow path 561, it is possible to ensure a uniform flow of the purge gas to some extent (however, the flow amount and the injection speed according to the flow distance difference of the purge gas) Differences may occur to some extent).

The branch flow path 563 is branched symmetrically with respect to the main flow path 561 to form a branch section, and is provided in plurality to provide a plurality of injection holes 571 and the main flow path 561 of the injection hole plate 570, respectively. communicate

The nozzle plate 570 is coupled to the front direction (the right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the branch flow path plate 550, and the injection hole plate 570 has a plurality of branch flow paths 563 that communicate with each other. An injection port 571 is provided. In this case, the plurality of injection holes 571 has a plurality of rows and columns (30 rows and 4 columns, a total of 120 injection holes 571 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the lower part of the 30 rows is shown. As a starting point, 10 rows may be referred to as the lower area nozzle 571B, 11 to 20 rows may be referred to as the central area nozzle 571M, and rows 21 to 30 may be referred to as the upper area nozzle 571T. ).

The plurality of injection holes 571 functions to inject the purge gas flowing through the branch flow path 563 into the storage chamber 100, and as above, when the plurality of injection holes 571 has 30 rows , by spraying a purge gas on the upper surface of each of the 30 wafers (W), it is possible to achieve fume removal and humidity control of the wafer (W).

The main flow path 561 of the above-described branch flow path plate 550 is formed perpendicular to the ground, or parallel to the surface moved in parallel on some of the circumferential surfaces of the storage chamber 100 in which the jetting member 500 is disposed. It is formed to extend or is formed to extend along the height or up-down direction.

When described with reference to the left front jet member 500LF, a partial surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 may be defined as the left front side on which the left front jet member 500LF is disposed, and is parallel in some surfaces. The moved surface may be defined as the front side (the right side surface in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the branch passage plate 550 on which the main passage 561 is formed.

For example, assuming that the front surface of the injection hole plate 570, which is the innermost surface of the left front injection member 500LF, is the left front surface, the front surface of the branch flow passage plate 550 is the front surface of the injection hole plate 570 in the outward direction. Since it is a surface that is moved in parallel, the front surface of the branch passage plate 550 on which the main passage 561 is formed may be a surface that is moved in parallel in some surfaces.

Therefore, when this is applied, the main flow path 561 of the branch flow path part 551 formed on the branch flow path part plate 550 of the right front jet member 500RF is formed perpendicular to the ground or around the storage room 100 . A branch flow path portion 551 formed on the branch flow path plate 550 of the central rear jet member 500MR, which is formed to extend in parallel with the right front side of the plane or to extend in the vertical direction or in the vertical direction. ) of the main flow path 561 is formed perpendicular to the ground, formed to extend parallel to the central rear surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100, and to extend parallel to the surface of the storage room 100, or to extend along the height or up-down direction. can

As described above, the main flow path 561 of the branch flow path plate 550 of the jetting member 500 is formed perpendicular to the ground, or on some of the circumferential surfaces of the storage chamber 100 in which the jetting member 500 is disposed. By being formed to extend in parallel with the parallel surface or to extend along the height or up and down direction, the branch flow path plate 550 may be formed to have a small thickness, through which the injection member 500 and the wafer storage container The compactness of (10) can be achieved.

In detail, the wafer W supported by the support 200 is supported in several layers in the vertical direction, and the branch flow path including the main flow path 561 of the branch flow path part plate 550 of the jetting member 500 and the like. Due to the shape of the portion 551, unlike the conventional wafer storage container, the purge gas supply from the lower part to the upper part through the injection member 500 having a small thickness, that is, the compact injection member 500, is facilitated. It is made possible to achieve injection of the purge gas into the storage chamber 100 .

In addition, the above concept is different from that shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 in which each injection member 500, that is, the left front injection member 500LF, the right front injection member 500RF, and the central rear injection member 500MR, is flat The same can be applied even to a case in which a surface other than this is curved. This is because a part of the surface on which the left front jet member is disposed, that is, the circumferential surface of the storage room is formed in a curved surface similar to a circle, so that even when the left front surface among the circumferential surfaces of the storage room has a curved shape, the left front surface is This is because, when it is moved in parallel, it has a surface that coincides with the front surface of the branch passage plate having a curved surface. can be said.)

Due to the above structure, the main flow paths 561 of each injection member 500, that is, the left front injection member 500LF, the right front injection member 500RF, and the central rear injection member 500MR, are stored in the storage room 100. The branch flow path plate 550 of each of the left front jet member 500LF, the right front jet member 500RF, and the central rear jet member 500MR so as to be parallel to the receiving direction of the wafer W accommodated in the vertical direction, that is, parallel to the vertical direction. is formed in

The branch flow path 563 of the above-described branch flow path part plate 550 is branched from the main flow path 561 to have a right angle, that is, an angle of 90°. Accordingly, it can be said that the branch flow path 563 is formed in the length or left and right direction of a surface moved in parallel from some of the circumferential surfaces of the storage chamber 100 on which the injection member 500 is disposed.

This is, as described above, the main flow path 561 is formed perpendicular to the ground, or is formed to extend in parallel with a surface shifted in parallel from some of the circumferential surfaces of the storage chamber 100 in which the injection member 500 is disposed. or is formed to extend along the height or the vertical direction, and the branch flow path 563 is branched from the main flow path 561 at a right angle, that is, an angle of 90°, so the branch flow path 563 is a jetting member 500 is disposed. It can be said that it is formed in the length or left and right direction of the surface moved in parallel from some of the circumferential surfaces of the storage room 100 .

The heater rod 590 is inserted into the inlet plate 510 and provided, and functions to increase the temperature by heating the purge gas flowing into the internal flow path of the inlet plate 510 and at the same time heat the inside of the storage chamber 100 . function to raise the temperature.

In other words, since the heater rod 590 is inserted and provided inside the inlet plate 510 to be close to the internal flow path of the inflow plate 510, when the heater rod 590 generates heat by itself, it flows into the internal flow path. The purge gas is heated. Accordingly, as the purge gas, which is an inert gas, is heated, the flow of the purge gas becomes more active, so that injection into the storage chamber 100 can be performed smoothly.

In addition, when the heater rod 590 is self-heating, since the injection member 500 itself is heated, heat is transferred to the inside of the storage chamber 100 and the temperature inside the storage chamber 100 rises. Accordingly, as the internal temperature of the storage chamber 100 rises, a dehumidifying effect is achieved in which the moisture inside the storage chamber 100 decreases, and through this, the wafer storage container 10 is purged with the purge gas. dehumidification can be achieved.

The right front injection member (500RF) is coupled to the inlet plate 510 in which the communication port 511 and the inlet 513 communicating with the supply passage 331 of the lower plate 300 are formed, and the inlet plate 510, and , the right front wall 530RF forming the right front surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 and the right front wall 530RF, coupled to the branch flow path portion 551 communicating with the inlet 513 is formed. The sub plate 550, coupled to the branch passage plate 550, and provided in the injection hole plate 570 having a plurality of injection holes 571 communicating with the branch passage portion 551, and the inlet plate 510 It is configured to include a heater rod (590).

In addition, the central rear injection member (500MR), the inlet plate 510, the inlet plate 510 and the inlet plate 510 having a communication port 511 and an inlet 513 communicating with the supply passage 331 of the lower plate 300 are formed. Combined, the central rear wall (530MR) forming the central rear surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100, and the central rear wall (530MR), coupled to the branch flow path portion 551 communicating with the inlet (513) is formed The branch passage plate 550 and the branch passage plate 550 are coupled to the injection hole plate 570 having a plurality of injection holes 571 communicating with the branch passage portion 551 , and the inlet plate 510 . It is configured to include a provided heater rod (590).

That is, the right front spraying member 500RF and the central rear spraying member 500MR are different from the left front spraying member 500LF in their arrangement positions, and they include the right front wall 530RF and the center rear wall 530MR, respectively. There is only a difference in point, and it has the same configuration as the left front injection member 500LF.

exhaust member (600)

Hereinafter, the exhaust member 600 will be described.

1, 2, and 9 to 11, the exhaust member 600 is disposed on the right rear side of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100, on which the injection member 500 is not disposed, and at the bottom An exhaust hopper 610 having an exhaust hole 611 formed thereon, an exhaust plate 650 having a plurality of exhaust ports 651 coupled to the exhaust hopper 610 and communicating with the exhaust hole 611, and an exhaust hopper 610 ) and the exhaust plate 650, and is configured to include a blocking plate 630 for blocking the exhaust of the purge gas of the exhaust member 600 and the fume of the wafer (W).

An exhaust hole 611 communicating with an external exhaust portion (not shown) of the wafer storage container 10 is formed in the lower portion of the exhaust hopper 610 , that is, the exhaust hopper 610 .

The exhaust plate 650 is coupled to the front direction (left direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the exhaust hopper 610, and a plurality of exhaust ports 651 communicating with the exhaust hole 611 are formed.

In this case, the opening area of the plurality of exhaust ports 651 may be increased from the lower part to the upper part of the exhaust port plate 650 . As a result, the upper exhaust ports 651 are relatively far from the exhaust hole 611 . ) in the purge gas and the fumes of the wafer W can be evacuated smoothly.

The blocking plate 630 is placed between the exhaust hopper 610 and the exhaust plate 650, and a plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 corresponding to the plurality of exhaust ports 651 of the exhaust plate 650 are formed. .

The blocking plate 630 and the exhaust hopper 610 are connected by a driving unit 631 , and the driving unit 631 functions to raise and lower the blocking plate 630 .

Due to the above configuration, the blocking plate 630 may block the exhaust of the exhaust member 600 by moving up and down relative to the exhaust hopper 610 and the exhaust plate 650 according to the operation of the driving unit 631. .

In detail, when the blocking plate 630 is in the normal position, that is, in the lowered position, a plurality of exhaust ports 651 of the exhaust plate 650 and a plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 of the blocking plate 630 are provided. becomes connected. This is because the plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 are formed in the same shape to correspond to the plurality of exhaust ports 651 .

Therefore, when the blocking plate 630 is in the correct position, the fan of the external exhaust unit is operated and suction force is generated, the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100 and the fume of the wafer W are discharged from a plurality of exhaust ports 651 . , is exhausted to the external exhaust unit through a plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 and exhaust holes 611 .

However, when the blocking plate 630 is in the blocking position, that is, in the raised position, communication between the plurality of exhaust ports 651 and the plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 is blocked.

This is because the area on the front side of the blocking plate 630 in which the exhaust communication port 633 is not formed (that is, the area between the plurality of exhaust communication ports 633) blocks the plurality of exhaust ports 651, The communication between the plurality of exhaust ports 651 and the plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 is blocked.

Therefore, even if the fan of the external exhaust unit operates and suction force is generated, the purge gas of the storage chamber 100 and the fume of the wafer W are formed by the exhaust communication port 633 in the area of the front surface of the blocking plate 630 . It is blocked by the non-exhaust area and the exhaust is blocked.

As described above, the blocking plate 630 blocks the exhaust of the exhaust member 600, thereby having the following advantages.

If the blocking plate 630 is not provided and it is possible to selectively control the exhaust of the exhaust member 600 by controlling a valve provided in the communication part with the external exhaust part, the inside of the storage room 100 is Contaminant gases such as fume of the wafer W may be mixed.

In detail, when the exhaust of the exhaust member 600 is stopped by closing the valve while exhaust is in progress through the exhaust member 600 by the operation of a fan of the external exhaust unit, the purge gas and the fume of the wafer W is trapped in a space in which the exhaust hole 611 and the external exhaust unit communicate (that is, a passage between the exhaust hole 611 and the communication passage of the external exhaust unit from the passage to the valve).

Therefore, until the valve is switched to the open state and the exhaust member 600 is exhausted again, the purge gas trapped in the space and the fume of the wafer W are mixed with the purge gas sprayed from the spray member 500, For this reason, there is a risk that the inside of the storage room 100 is contaminated.

In addition, since the fume of the wafer W, ie, the contaminated gas, continues to stay in the space, the space is easily polluted, which may cause a problem in that the entire exhaust line needs to be replaced. However, as described above, when the blocking plate 630 is provided in the exhaust member 600 , the blocking plate 630 blocks the storage chamber 100 and the exhaust line itself, so that the pollutant gas remains in the above-described space. Not only does it not do it, but it is possible to achieve the exhaust blocking of the exhaust member 600 in a faster time.

The blocking plate 630 of the exhaust member 600 may block only a partial area of the exhaust port 651 without completely blocking the exhaust port 651 depending on the position thereof.

In other words, when the blocking plate 630 is raised by a position slightly lower than the above-mentioned elevated position, the exhaust communication port 633 is not formed in some areas of the exhaust port 651 among the areas on the front side of the blocking plate 630 . Although blocked by the non-exhaust area (ie, the area between the plurality of exhaust communication ports 633 ), the remaining area of the exhaust port 651 is still in communication with the exhaust communication port 633 .

Therefore, although exhaust can be achieved by the communication between the exhaust port 651 and the exhaust communication port 633, the communication area of the exhaust port 651 is reduced, so the exhaust port 651 and the exhaust communication port 633 are completely in communication. Exhaust power will be weaker than when it was.

In this way, the communication area between the exhaust port 651 and the exhaust communication port 633, that is, the opening area of the exhaust port 651 can be adjusted by adjusting the rising position of the blocking plate 630, that is, the rising height, and through this , the exhaust force of the exhaust unit 600 can be controlled as desired.

Of course, the above-described exhaust member 600 may be disposed on the left rear surface of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber 100 as necessary according to the purpose, size, etc. of the wafer storage container 10 .

In addition, in the above description, the blocking plate 630 of the exhaust member 600 is raised and lowered by the driving unit 631 to block the exhaust of the exhaust member 600 , but the wafer storage container 10 It is also possible to block the exhaust of the exhaust member 600 even by movement such as horizontal slide movement, rotation, etc. as necessary depending on the use, size, etc.

In addition, the above blocking plate 630 is between the back side of the injection hole plate 570 of the injection member 500, that is, the front right injection member 500, the left front injection member 500LF, and the center rear injection member 500MR. It is provided in the above-described configuration and function, it is also possible to block the purge gas injection of the injection member (500).

Flow of the purge gas in the wafer storage container (10)

Hereinafter, the flow of the purge gas in the wafer storage container 10 having the above-described configuration will be described.

First, the flow of the purge gas injected into the storage chamber 100 through the injection member 500, that is, the left front injection member 500LF, the right front injection member 500RF, and the central rear injection member 500MR. Explain.

When the purge gas is supplied from the external supply unit of the wafer receiving container 10 , the supplied purge gas flows into the lower plate 300 through the supply port 311 of the lower plate 300 .

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4 , the purge gas flowing into the left and right lower region supply ports 311B of the supply ports 311 flows into the left front injection member 500LF through the left and right lower region supply passages 331B. The flow is divided into the lower area communication port 511B of the plate 510 and the lower area communication port 511B of the inlet plate 510 of the right front jet member 500RF.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the left and right central region supply ports 311M among the supply ports 311 passes through the left and right central region supply passages 331M through the central region communication port of the inlet plate 510 of the left front injection member 500LF. (511M) and the central area communication port (511M) of the inlet plate 510 of the right front injection member (500RF) is divided into flow.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the left and right upper region supply ports 311T among the supply ports 311 passes through the left and right upper region supply passages 331T through the upper region communication port of the inlet plate 510 of the left front injection member 500LF. (511T) and the flow is divided into the upper area communication port (511T) of the inlet plate 510 of the right front injection member (500RF).

The purge gas that has flowed into the lower area communication port 511B of the inlet plate 510 of the left front injection member 500LF flows to the lower area inlet 513B through the internal flow path, and is a branch of the branch flow path plate 550 . As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch passage portion 551B of the flow passage portion 551, it flows to the main passage 561 of the lower region branch passage portion 551B. .

The purge gas flowing into the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path part 551B flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path part 551B, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563 , it is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the lower area injection hole 571B.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the central area communication port 511M of the inlet plate 510 of the left front injection member 500LF flows to the central area inlet 513M through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the central region branch flow path part 551M among the branch flow path parts 551 of will do

The purge gas flowing into the main flow path 561 of the central area branch flow path part 551M flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the central area branch flow path part 551M, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563, the injection hole is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the central area injection hole 571M.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the upper area communication port 511T of the inlet plate 510 of the left front injection member 500LF flows to the upper area inlet 513T through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path portion 551T of the branch flow path portion 551 of will do

The purge gas that has flowed into the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path part 551T flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path part 551T, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563 , it is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the upper area injection hole 571T.

The flow of the purge gas of the left front jet member 500LF described above may also be applied to the flow of the purge gas of the right front jet member 500RF.

That is, the purge gas flowing into the lower area communication port 511B of the inlet plate 510 of the right front injection member 500RF flows to the lower area inlet 513B through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path portion 551B of the branch flow path portion 551 of will do

The purge gas flowing into the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path part 551B flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path part 551B, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563 , it is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the lower area injection hole 571B.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the central area communication port 511M of the inlet plate 510 of the right front injection member 500RF flows to the central area inlet 513M through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the central region branch flow path part 551M among the branch flow path parts 551 of will do

The purge gas flowing into the main flow path 561 of the central area branch flow path part 551M flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the central area branch flow path part 551M, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563, the injection hole is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the central area injection hole 571M.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the upper area communication port 511T of the inlet plate 510 of the right front injection member 500RF flows to the upper area inlet 513T through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path portion 551T of the branch flow path portion 551 of will do

The purge gas that has flowed into the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path part 551T flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path part 551T, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563 , it is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the upper area injection hole 571T.

In the case of the central rear injection member 500MR, unlike the above-described left front injection member 500LF and right front injection member 500RF, of the supply ports 311 of the lower plate 300 , the rear lower region supply port 313B ), the purge gas is introduced through the rear-side central region supply port 313M and the rear-side upper region supply port 313T.

Accordingly, the purge gas flowing into the rear lower region supply port 313B among the supply ports 311 of the lower plate 300 passes through the rear lower region supply passage 333B to the inlet plate of the central rear injection member 500MR. The purge gas flowing into the lower region communication port 511B of 510 and flowing to the rear central region supply port 313M among the supply ports 311 of the lower plate 300 is the rear central region supply passage 333M. ) through the central region communication port 511M of the inlet plate 510 of the central rear injection member 500MR, and to the rear side upper region supply port 313T among the supply ports 311 of the lower plate 300 The flowed purge gas flows to the upper area communication port 511T of the inlet plate 510 of the central rear injection member 500MR through the rear side upper area supply passage 333T.

The purge gas flowing into the lower area communication port 511B of the inlet plate 510 of the rear central injection member 500 flows to the lower area inlet 513B through the internal flow path, and the branch of the branch passage plate 550 is As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch passage portion 551B of the flow passage portion 551, it flows to the main passage 561 of the lower region branch passage portion 551B. .

The purge gas flowing into the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path part 551B flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the lower region branch flow path part 551B, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563 , it is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the lower area injection hole 571B.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the central area communication port 511M of the inlet plate 510 of the rear central injection member 500 flows to the central area inlet 513M through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the central region branch flow path part 551M among the branch flow path parts 551 of will do

The purge gas flowing into the main flow path 561 of the central area branch flow path part 551M flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the central area branch flow path part 551M, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563, the injection hole is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the central area injection hole 571M.

In addition, the purge gas flowing into the upper region communication port 511T of the inlet plate 510 of the rear central injection member 500 flows to the upper region inlet 513T through the internal flow path, and the branch passage plate 550. As shown in FIG. 8 , through the hole of the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path portion 551T of the branch flow path portion 551 of will do

The purge gas that has flowed into the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path part 551T flows along the branch flow path 563 branched from the main flow path 561 of the upper region branch flow path part 551T, and then flows into the branch flow path. Among the injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 communicating with the 563 , it is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the upper area injection hole 571T.

As such, the purge gas introduced into each of the left front injection member 500LF, the right front injection member 500RF, and the central rear injection member 500MR is the lower area injection port 571B and the central area injection port 571M of the injection port plate 570. And it flows into the storage chamber 100 through the upper area injection hole (571T). Accordingly, the purge gas injected from the lower region injection hole 571B, the central region injection hole 571M, and the upper region injection hole 571T is to be injected into each of the lower region, the central region, and the upper region inside the storage chamber 100 .

In other words, in each of the left front injection member 500LF, the right front injection member 500RF and the central rear injection member 500MR, the flow path of the inlet plate 510, the branch flow passage plate 550 and the injection hole plate 570, and As described above, the holes are divided into three regions in the lower region, the central region and the upper region, that is, in the upper and lower directions, so that the lower region, the central region and the upper region, that is, in the storage room 100 as well. , a purging area divided into three areas in the upper and lower directions (or vertical direction) is formed.

As described above, since flow paths and holes to the purging areas of each purging area, that is, the lower area, the central area, and the upper area, are formed inside the left front jet member 500LF, the conventional chamber type of the wafer storage container The flow rate of the purge gas supplied from the external supply unit rather than the injection member may be maintained. Accordingly, the injection speed of the purge gas injected from the injection port becomes higher than that of the conventional wafer storage container, and the generation of the dead area inside the storage chamber 100 is suppressed by that much.

In addition, the three purging areas, that is, the purging area of the lower area, the central area, and the upper area, each have 10 wafers W (when 30 wafers W are accommodated in the storage room 100 as described above) are purged, respectively, so that uniform purging of the wafer W can be achieved.

In addition, by selectively blocking the flow paths connected to the three purging areas, that is, selectively blocking the flow paths flowing through the supply port of the lower plate 300 , the purge gas is limited to a desired area inside the storage chamber 100 . can be achieved, and thus, it is possible to easily control the purging of the three purging areas inside the storage room 100 .

That is, if a valve is provided in the external supply unit, and the valve controls the flow of the purge gas flowing to the left and right lower region supply ports 311B, left and right central region supply ports 311M, and left and right upper region supply ports 311T , it is possible to easily control the purging of the lower region, the central region and the upper region inside the storage room 100 .

Meanwhile, unlike the above, it is not divided into three purging areas, ie, a lower area, a central area, and an upper area, but may be divided into more purging areas.

As described above, the wafer storage container 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention can achieve the purge gas injection control in the vertical direction inside the storage chamber 100 .

In addition, the supply of the purge gas to the left front injection member 500LF and the right front injection member 500RF is the left and right lower region supply passages 331B, the left and right central region supply passages 331M and the left and right upper regions of the lower plate 300 . The supply flow path 331T provides the supply of the purge gas to the central rear injection member 500MR, the rear lower region supply passage 331B, the rear central region supply passage 331M, and the rear of the lower plate 300 . By being separately formed by the side upper region supply passage 331T, it is possible to achieve an equal injection amount of the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100 .

In detail, the left and right lower region supply passages 331B, left and right central region supply passages through the left and right lower region supply ports 311B, left and right central region supply ports 311M, and left and right upper region supply ports 311T from the external supply unit Assume that the flow amount of the purge gas supplied to each of the 331M and the left and right upper region supply passages 331T is '2'.

In this case, the purge flowing into the left front injection member 500LF and the right front injection member 500RF through the left and right lower region supply passages 331B, left and right central region supply passages 331M, and left and right upper region supply passages 331T The gas flow rate becomes '1', respectively (since the left and right lower region supply passages 331B, left and right central region supply passages 331M, and left and right upper region supply passages 331T are divided)

Accordingly, the rear side lower region supply passage 333B, the rear central region through the rear side lower region supply port 313B, the rear side central region supply port 313M, and the rear side upper region supply port 313T from the external supply section When the flow amount of the purge gas supplied to the supply passage 333M and the rear side upper region supply passage 333T is set to '1', the flow amount of the purge gas flowing into the central rear injection member 500MR is set to '1'. can

Therefore, as described above, by adjusting the flow amount of the purge gas supplied to the left and right supply passages and the rear supply passage among the supply passages 331 of the lower plate 300 from the external supply unit, the purge gas flowing into the injection member 500 is The flow amount may be equalized, and thus, the flow amount of the purge gas injected into the storage chamber 100 may also be adjusted to be the same.

As such, by making the flow amount of the purge gas injected into the storage chamber 100 the same, the flow of the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100 can be made smoothly, and as a result, the injection of the purge gas is biased toward one side. It is possible to minimize the occurrence of turbulence, etc.

The flow of the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100 and the fume of the wafer W, which are exhausted through the exhaust member 600 , will be omitted since the description of the exhaust member 600 has been described above.

As such, the flow of the purge gas in the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG. 11 , the left front injection member 500LF, the front right injection member 500 and the central rear injection member. (500MR), the purge gas is injected from the front left side, front right side, and center rear surface among the circumferential surfaces of the storage room 100, and from the rear right side of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100 by the exhaust member 600 The purge gas and the fume of the wafer W are exhausted.

Accordingly, the purging of the wafer W may be performed without dead areas from which the fumes of the wafer W cannot be removed, and through this, the fumes generated through the wafer W manufacturing process may be uniformly removed.

In addition, as described above, by operating the blocking plate 630 of the exhaust member 600, the exhaust of the exhaust member 600 can be blocked, and in this case, the purge gas is injected so that the inside of the storage chamber 100 is full. Therefore, it is possible to lower the humidity inside the storage chamber 100 through the purge gas, thereby achieving moisture removal of the wafer (W).

In addition, as above, when the wafer storage container 10 controls the humidity inside the storage room 100, the above-described heater rod 590 heats the inside of the storage room 100, thereby helping to control the humidity, Due to this, the efficiency of humidity control can be increased.

The aforementioned injection member 500, that is, the left front injection member 500LF, the front right injection member 500, and the central rear injection member 500MR may have various modifications.

Therefore, in the following description, the first to third modified examples of the injection member will be described in order.

However, the injection members according to the first to third modifications to be described later will also be described based on the left front injection member 500LF of each modification, and this will be described with other injection members, that is, the front right injection member 500 and the center rear. It can also be applied to the injection member (500MR).

In addition, overlapping descriptions in the description of the above-described spray member 500 will be omitted, and the overlapped description will be replaced with the contents mentioned in the above description.

Accordingly, the same components as those of the aforementioned injection member 500 are represented by the same reference numerals, and the deformed components are denoted by adding (') to the reference numerals in the case of the first modified example, and the second modified example. In this case, (") is attached to the reference numerals, and in the case of the third modified example, ("') is attached.

according to the first modification spraying member (500')

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, the left front spray member 500'LF according to the first modification that can be applied to the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

12 is a diagram illustrating a branch flow path plate of the left front injection member according to a first modified example, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a purge gas flowing through the branch flow passage plate of FIG. 12 .

The left front injection member 500 'LF according to the first modified example includes an inlet plate 510 having a communication port 511 and an inlet 513 communicating with the supply passage of the lower plate 300 formed therein, and an inlet plate ( 510) and coupled to the left front wall 530LF and the left front wall 530LF forming the left front surface among the circumferential surfaces of the storage room 100, and a branch flow path portion 551 communicating with the inlet 513. ') is formed with a branched flow path plate 550', and a branched flow path plate 550' coupled with a plurality of injection holes 571 communicating with the branched flow path portion 551'. , including a heater rod 590 provided on the inlet plate 510 .

The inlet plate 510, the left front wall 530LF, the injection hole plate 570, and the heater rod 590 of the left front injection member 500'LF according to the first modified example are the above-described left front injection member 500LF. of the inlet plate 510, the left front wall 530LF, the injection hole plate 570 and the heater rod 590 and the same configuration, so the description thereof will be omitted.

That is, the left front jetting member 500'LF according to the first modified example is a jetting member 500' in which the shape of the branching flow path part 551' of the branching flow path part plate 550' is different.

However, in the case of the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510, since four holes 565' of the main flow path 561' to be described later are formed, it is preferable to form four holes 565' and the same. In this case, any one of the lower region inlet 513B, the central region inlet 513M, and the upper region inlet 513T may be formed of two inlets 513 .

A branch flow passage portion 551 ′ communicating with the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510 is formed on the branch passage plate 550 ′, and the branch passage portion 551 ′ is, as shown in FIG. 12 , A main passage 561 ′ communicating with the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510 , and a branch passage 563 communicating with the main passage 561 ′ and communicating with a plurality of injection ports 571 of the injection port plate 570 . ') is included.

The main flow path 561' is formed perpendicular to the ground, or is formed to extend in parallel with a surface moved in parallel from some of the circumferential surfaces of the storage room 100 in which the injection member 500' is disposed, or in a height or vertical direction. is formed to extend along the

Therefore, the main flow path 561' of the branch flow path plate 550' of the left front jet member 500'LF is formed perpendicular to the ground, or a storage room in which the left front jet member 500'LF is disposed ( 100) of the circumferential surface of the left front surface is formed to extend parallel to the surface moved in parallel or is formed to extend along the height or up and down direction (for detailed description of this, the description of the left front injection member 500' above) As described above, it is omitted).

A hole 565 ′ communicating with the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510 is formed in the center of the main flow path 561 ′, so that the purge gas is supplied through the inlet 513 and the hole of the inlet plate 510 . It flows into the main flow path 561 through (565'). In this case, as described above, a total of four holes 565' are formed, one for each branch flow path part 551'.

The branch flow path 563' is branched in opposite directions from both ends of the main flow path 561', and is branched into two branch flow paths 563'.

Accordingly, a total of four branch passages 563' are formed in one main passage 561' based on one branch passage portion 551', two at each of the upper and lower ends.

In this case, the angle between the main flow path 561 ′ and the branch flow paths 563 ′ is formed at a right angle, that is, 90°, and has a kind of 'T' shape.

At the ends of the branch flow paths 563' as described above, other branch flow paths 563' are continuously formed, and each branch flow path 563' is split in a 'T' shape to reduce the flow of the purge gas. flow in opposite directions.

As described above, the continuous branch flow paths 563' form a continuous branch flow path 567', and the continuous branch flow path 567' has an overall shape in which five 'I's are connected (large 'I' shape). The 'I' branch flow path is continuously connected to each end of the branch flow path).

Even in the case of the continuous branch flow path 567' as described above, in order to flow the purge gas in opposite directions, each branch flow path 563' can be said to be formed to be split in a 'T' shape.

The section in which the purge gas last arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567' is the communication flow path 569'.

These communication passages 569 ′ are arranged at positions corresponding to the plurality of injection holes 571 of the injection hole plate 570 . Therefore, the purge gas flowing through the main flow path 561 ′, the branch flow path 563 ′, and the continuous branch flow path 567 ′ through the inlet 513 and the hole 565 ′ in order is in the communication flow path 569 ′. It is injected into the storage chamber 100 through the injection hole 571 .

The left front injection member 500'LF according to the first modified example having the above configuration has the following advantages.

Due to the structure of the branch flow path portion 551 ′ described above, the purge gas is injected through each of the plurality of injection ports 571 from the hole 565 ′ of the branch flow passage plate 550 ′ through the communication passage 569 ′. , the flow distance of the purge gas is the same.

Accordingly, the flow amount of the purge gas injected through the plurality of injection holes 571 may all be kept constant, and thus, the purge gas may be uniformly injected into the storage chamber 100 .

In addition, due to the uniform injection of the purge gas in the storage chamber 100 as described above, the occurrence of turbulence due to the uneven injection of the purge gas in the storage chamber 100 can be minimized.

In detail, if the flow amount of the purge gas injected into the storage chamber 100 is not relatively uniform and is sprayed too much to one side, the flow of the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100 forms a kind of turbulence. can do.

Accordingly, the flow of the purge gas flowing on the upper surface of each wafer W may not be made smoothly, and the flow of the purge gas may be concentrated only in any one area. The flow of the purge gas promotes the generation of dead areas that cannot remove fumes from the wafer W, which may cause failure to achieve fume removal and humidity control of the wafer W.

However, when the injection member 500 ′ according to the first modification is applied to the wafer storage container 10 , as shown in FIG. 13 , the flow distance of the purge gas from the inlet 513 to the injection hole 571 . are all the same, and for this reason, a uniform flow amount of the purge gas injected through the injection hole 571 may be ensured. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent turbulence in the storage chamber 100 that may occur in the conventional wafer storage container, and thereby, the efficiency of purging the wafer W is significantly increased.

In addition, since the branching sections of the branch flow path 563' and the continuous branch flow path 567' have a right angle, that is, a 'T' shape is continuous, the branch flow path portion ( The branch flow path part 551' can be formed without wasting the area of the surface on which 551' is formed.

Therefore, it can be manufactured by minimizing the size of the branch flow path plate 550 ′, and thereby, the size of the spray member 500 ′ can also be minimized, so that the compactness of the wafer storage container 10 can be achieved. .

According to the second modification spraying member (500")

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18, the left front spray member 500"LF according to a second modification that can be applied to the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the left front spraying member according to a second modified example, Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 14, Figure 16 (a) is a view showing the front of the spray plate of Figure 15, Figure 16 (b) ) is a view showing the rear side of the injection plate of FIG. 15, FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the flow of purge gas flowing through the injection plate of FIG. 16(b), and FIG. 18 is a front side of the additional flow path plate of FIG. is a diagram showing

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the left front injection member 500 "LF according to the second modified example is an inlet plate 510 having a communication port and an inlet communicating with the supply flow path of the lower plate 300 . And, coupled to the inlet plate 510, the left front wall (530LF) and the left front wall (530LF) forming the left front surface of the circumferential surface of the storage room 100, coupled to the branch flow path portion communicating with the inlet and the injection plate 580 ″, in which a plurality of injection ports 571 ″ communicating with the branch flow path part are formed, and the inlet plate 510 and the injection plate 580 ″ are disposed between the inlet port 513 and the branch flow path part. It is configured to include an additional flow path plate 540 ″ in which an additional flow path 541 ″ communicating 551″ is formed, and a heater rod 590 provided in the inlet plate 510 .

The inlet plate 510, the left front wall 530LF and the heater rod 590 of the left front spray member 500 "LF according to the second modified example are the inlet plate 510 of the left front spray member 500LF. , since it is the same as the left front wall (530LF) and the heater rod 590, the overlapping description will be omitted.

That is, in the left front injection member 500 "LF according to the second modified example, the branch flow path plate 550 and the injection hole plate 570 of the aforementioned left front injection member 500LF are one injection plate 580 "). It can be said that the injection member 500" is configured by being deformed.

However, in the case of the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510, since a total of 13 holes 565" of the additional flow path 541" to be described later are formed, 13, which is the same number as the holes 565". it is preferable

In this case, any one of the lower region inlet 513B, the central region inlet 513M, and the upper region inlet 513T may be formed of five inlets 513, and the remainder may be formed of four inlets 513. (In Fig. 15, there are five lower region inlets 513B)

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the injection plate 580 ″ and the additional flow path plate 540 ″ are formed in plurality and are coupled to the left front wall 530LF.

14 and 15, the injection plate 580" and the additional flow path plate 540" are each composed of 13 pieces as an embodiment, and as such, the injection plate 580" and the additional flow path plate 540" are the same number. It is preferable to consist of

In the case of the injection plate 580 ", as shown in FIG. 16(a), a plurality of injection holes 571" are formed on one side (front) of the injection plate 580", FIG. 16(b) As shown, a branch flow path portion 551 ″ is formed on the opposite side (rear surface) of the injection plate 580 ″.

That is, the injection plate 580 ″ has injection holes 571 ″ and branch passage portions 551 ″ formed on each of both sides thereof, and through this, only one injection plate 580 ″ is used for the injection hole plate 570 and the branch passage portion plate. The functions of 550 can be achieved at the same time.

The branch flow path portion 551″ formed on the opposite side of the injection plate 580″ includes a main flow path 561″ that communicates with the additional flow path 541″ of the additional flow path plate 540″, and the main flow path 561″. It is configured to include a continuous branching flow path 567 " that is continuously branched from both ends of the .

The continuous branch flow path 567" is similar to the continuous branch flow path 567' of the left front jet member 500'LF according to the first modified example, so that the branch flow paths are continuously divided in a 'T' shape. and the overall shape has a form in which five 'I's are connected (a form in which 'I' branch channels are continuously connected to each end of a large 'I'-shaped branch flow path).

In this case, it can be said that the branch flow paths of the continuous branch flow path 567 ″ are formed to be split in a 'T' shape in order to cause the flow of the purge gas to flow in opposite directions.

In the section where the purge gas reaches the last in the continuous branch flow path 567 ″, a plurality of injection holes 571 ″ opened in one side direction are formed.

As shown in FIG. 18, the additional flow path plate 540" has an additional flow path 541" formed on one side (front) thereof, and a hole 565" is formed in the additional flow path 541". The hole 565 ″ serves to communicate the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510 with the main flow path 561 ″ of the branch flow path portion 551 ″ of the spray plate 580 ″. In this case, the additional flow path 541" is formed to have the same length, height, and width, that is, the same volume as the main flow path 561", and the hole 565" is located at the center point in the longitudinal direction of the additional flow path 541". Located.

The left front injection member 500"LF according to the second modified example having the above configuration has the following advantages.

First, since the plurality of injection holes 571 ″ and the branch passage portion 551 ″ are all formed in the injection plate 580 ″, unlike the left front injection member 500 ′LF according to the first modification, one injection The function of the injection hole plate 570 and the branch passage plate 550' of the left front injection member 500'LF according to the first modified example can be achieved only by the plate 580", and through this, the manufacturing cost is reduced. Saving and compactness of the left front injection member 500"LF can be achieved.

In addition, since the plurality of injection plates 580" and the additional flow path plate 540" are coupled to the left front wall 530LF, the left front injection member 500"LF using the wafer storage container 10 for a long period of time. ), easy maintenance can be achieved because only heavily contaminated parts can be easily replaced when contaminants are accumulated on the flow path.

In addition, looking at the flow and injection of the purge gas, the left front injection member 500 "LF according to the second modified example is the purge gas through the hole 565" communicating with the inlet 513 of the inlet plate 510. When introduced, as shown in FIG. 17 , the purge gas flows along the additional flow path 541 ″ and the main flow path 561 ″ to pass through each continuous branch flow path 567″ communicated with the main flow path 561″. will flow through Accordingly, the purge gas flowing into the continuous branch flow path 567 ″ is finally injected into the storage chamber 100 through the plurality of injection holes 571 ″.

As described above, even when the purge gas flows and is sprayed along the branch flow path portion 551 ″ of the left front injection member 500 “LF according to the second modified example, the left front injection member 500 according to the first modified example When the purge gas is injected from the hole 565" of the additional flow path 541" to each of the plurality of injection holes 571", like the branch passage portion 551' of the 'LF), the flow distance of the purge gas is all formed in the same way

Accordingly, the uniform purge gas can be sprayed into the storage chamber 100 , thereby suppressing the formation of turbulence inside the storage chamber 100 , and through this, the efficiency of purging the wafer W of the wafer storage container 10 . This will increase significantly.

In addition, as described above, since the shapes of the additional flow path 541" and the main flow path 561" are identical to each other, the widths of the additional flow path 541" and the main flow path 561" are the same as in the first modified example. It becomes larger than the main flow path 561' of the branch flow path part 551' of the left front injection member 500'LF.

As described above, since the width of the additional flow path 541" and the main flow path 561" becomes larger, when the purge gas flows into the continuous branch flow path 567" communicated with the main flow path 561", the The flow rate of the purge gas may be increased due to the volume difference, and thus, the injection speed of the purge gas injected through the injection hole 571 ″ is also increased.

This is because the flow velocity of the gas is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area, so when the purge gas flows from the main passage 561" and the additional passage 541" with a relatively large cross-sectional area to the continuous branch passage 567" with a relatively small cross-sectional area, , this is because the flow rate of the purge gas may increase instantaneously.

As described above, since the injection speed of the purge gas injected into the storage chamber 100 through the injection hole 571 ″ is increased, the flow rate of the purge gas is also increased, and more and more purge gas is contained in the storage chamber 100 . Wow, the purge gas flowing over a longer distance is increased (or it can be said that the purge gas is sprayed over a larger area).

Therefore, the left front injection member 500"LF according to the second modification can achieve higher efficiency of purge gas injection than the left front injection member 500'LF according to the first modification.

According to the third modification spraying member (500"')

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22 , a left front jet member 500″′LF and a right front jet member according to a third modification that can be applied to the wafer storage container 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. (500"'RF) and the central rear injection member (500"MR) will be described.

However, in the following description, the plurality of nozzles 571"' is a small nozzle (571"'S, 571"' SMALL), a normal injection hole (571"'R, 571"' REGULAR), a large The injection holes 571"'L, 571"' LARGE will be divided and described.

In this case, the ratio of the opening areas of the small jet opening 571"'S, the normal jet opening 571"'R, and the large jet opening 571"'L is '1:2:4'.

19 (a) is a view showing the front side of the injection plate of the left front injection member according to the third modified example, Figure 19 (b) shows the rear surface of the injection plate of the left front injection member according to the third modified example 20 (a) is a view showing the front side of the spray plate of the right front spray member according to the third modified example, and FIG. 20 (b) is the spray plate of the right front spray member according to the third modified example. 21 (a) is a view showing the front side of the injection plate of the central rear injection member according to the third modified example, Figure 21 (b) is the central rear injection according to the third modified example It is a view showing the rear side of the injection plate of the member, and FIG. 22 is a flow of a purge gas injected to a wafer supported on a support of a wafer storage container having injection members according to a third modified example and a purge gas exhausted to the exhaust member And it is a diagram showing the flow of fume.

The injection member 500"' according to the third modified example, that is, the left front injection member 500"'LF, the right front injection member 500"'RF, and the center rear injection member 500"'MR, respectively, , an inlet plate 510 having a communication port 511 and an inlet 513 in communication with the supply passage of the lower plate 300 , coupled to the inlet plate 510 , and on the left side of the circumferential surface of the storage chamber 100 . Left front wall (530LF), right front wall (530RF) and center rear wall (530MR) and (left front spraying member (500LF) forming each of the front surface, right front spraying member 500RF and central rear spraying member 500MR) In the case of including the left front wall (530LF), in the case of the right front spraying member (500RF), including the right front wall (530RF), in the case of the central rear spraying member (500MR), including the central rear wall (530MR) ), an additional flow path plate 540 disposed between the inlet plate 510 and the injection plate 580 "', in which an additional flow path 541"' for communicating the inlet 513 and the branch flow path part 551"' is formed. "') and a heater rod 590 provided on the inlet plate 510 is configured.

In this case, the left front injection member 500"'LF, the right front injection member 500"'RF, and the center rear injection member 500"'MR according to the third modification are the left front injection members according to the second modification. Since only the shape of the injection hole 571" of the injection member 500"LF and the injection plate 580" is different, the rest are the same (of course, the arrangement positions are different), and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

That is, the left front injection member 500"'LF, the right front injection member 500"'RF, and the center rear injection member 500"'MR according to the third modified example are left front injection members according to the second modification. In the member 500"LF, it can be said that the injection member 500"' is configured by deforming only the shape of the injection hole 571".

First, the shape of the injection hole 571"' of the injection plate 580"LF of the left front injection member 500"'LF will be described.

Based on that shown in FIG. 19(a), the injection holes 571"' corresponding to the first to third rows among the plurality of injection holes 571"' of the injection plate 580"'LF are the normal injection holes 571" 'R), and the injection port 571"' corresponding to the fourth row is formed as a large injection port 571"'L.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 19(b), the normal injection port 571"'R has an 'I'-shaped end at which the purge gas finally arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567"' on one side (FIG. 19). Only the right side of (b) is open.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 19(b), the large jet opening 571"'L has all of the 'I'-shaped ends where the purge gas finally arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567"' open.

Hereinafter, the shape of the injection hole 571"' of the injection plate 580" of the right front injection member 500"'RF will be described.

Based on that shown in FIG. 20(a), the injection holes 571"' corresponding to the second to fourth rows among the plurality of injection holes 571"' of the injection plate 580"'RF are the normal injection holes 571" 'R), and the injection hole 571"' corresponding to the first row is formed as a large injection hole 571"'L.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 20(b), the normal injection port 571"'R has an 'I'-shaped end at which the purge gas finally arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567"' on one side (Fig. 20). Only the left side of (b) is open.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 19(b), the large jet opening 571"'L has all of the 'I'-shaped ends where the purge gas finally arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567"' open.

Hereinafter, the shape of the injection port 571"' of the injection plate 580"' of the central rear injection member 500"'MR will be described.

Based on the reference shown in FIG. 21(a), the injection holes 571"' corresponding to the first and sixth rows among the plurality of injection holes 571"' of the injection plate 580"'MR are the normal injection holes 571 It is formed with "'R, and the injection holes 571"' corresponding to the second to fifth rows are formed with small injection holes 571"'S.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 21(b), the normal injection port 571"'R has an 'I'-shaped end at which the purge gas finally arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567"' on one side (FIG. 21). Only the left or right side of (b) is open.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 19(b), the small jet openings 571"'S are half-opened on both sides of the 'I'-shaped end where the purge gas finally arrives in the continuous branch flow path 567"'. (Half of the opening area of the above-mentioned ordinary injection port 571"'R is opened one by one on both sides of the end)

Hereinafter, the flow of the purge gas injected through the injection member 500″′ according to the third modified example will be described with reference to FIG. 22 .

However, as described above, since the ratio of the opening areas of the small nozzle 571"'S, the normal nozzle 571"'R, and the large injection hole 571"'L is '1:2:4', the small nozzle (571"'S), the normal injection port 571"'R, and the ratio of the injection amount of the purge gas injected through each of the large injection ports 571"'L is also '1:2:4'.

The large, located in the first row of the jetting plates 580"'LF of the left front jetting member 500"'LF and the fourth row of the jetting plates 580"'RF of the right front jetting member 500"'RF, respectively. The purge gas injected through the injection hole 571"'L is injected toward the wafer W in a straight line.

The second to fourth rows of the injection plate 580"'LF of the left front injection member 500"'LF and the second to fourth rows of the injection plate 580"'RF of the right front injection member 500"'RF The purge gas injected through the normal injection ports 571"'R respectively located in the fourth row is injected obliquely in the rear direction of the storage chamber 100. This is the 'I'-shaped end of the branch flow path part 551"'. Since the normal injection port 571"'R is formed only on one side, an inclination is generated in the flow of the purge gas.

The purge gas sprayed through the common injection ports 571"'R located in the first and sixth rows of the injection plate 580"'MR of the central rear injection member 500"'MR is, respectively, of the storage room 100. It is sprayed obliquely in the left front direction and right rear direction, and is sprayed through the small spray holes 571"'S located in the second to fifth rows of the spray plate 580"'MR of the central rear injection member 500"'MR. The purge gas used is sprayed toward the wafer W in a straight line.

As described above, the second to fourth rows of the injection plate 580"'LF of the left front injection member 500"'LF and the injection plate 580"'RF of the right front injection member 500"'RF The purge gas injected through the ordinary injection ports 571"'R located in the second to fourth rows, respectively, and the first and sixth rows of the injection plate 580"'MR of the central rear injection member 500"'MR The purge gas injected through the normal injection port 571"'R located in the row is injected and flows in the left rear and right rear directions of the upper surface of the wafer W, and thus fills the dead area of the wafer W ( 11).

In other words, as shown in FIG. 22 , on both sides of the central rear injection member 500"'MR, that is, on the left and right, the purge gas is injected in the left and right directions, respectively, and the left front injection member 500"'LF ) and the right front injection member 500"'RF, respectively, by spraying the purge gas in the rearward direction, purge of the left rear surface and the right rear surface of the storage room 100 in which the injection member 500"' is not disposed. The flow of gas can be filled, and through this, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of dead areas on the left rear surface and the right rear surface of the storage room 100 .

In addition, in view of the ratio of the opening area of the injection hole 571"' described above, the first row of the injection plate 580"'LF of the left front injection member 500"'LF and the right front injection member 500 Since the flow amount of the purge gas injected through the large injection ports 571"'L located in the fourth row of the injection plate 580"'RF of "'RF" becomes '4', the front opening of the storage chamber 100 is A large amount of purge gas is injected in the (110) direction, thereby having an effect of blocking the inflow of external gas into the storage chamber 100 .

In addition, the purge gas sprayed through the common injection ports 571"'R located in the first and sixth rows of the injection plate 580"'MR of the central rear injection member 500"'MR are each stored in the storage chamber 100 ) is sprayed obliquely in the left front direction and right rear direction, and the flow amount is '2', so when the purge gas and fume are exhausted through the exhaust unit 600, the flow of the purge gas is It helps to evacuate, and through this, it is possible to achieve smooth purging of the wafer storage container.

As described above, the injection members 500"' according to the third modified example change the shape of the injection hole 571"' to a small injection hole 571"'S, a general injection hole 571"'R, and a large injection hole 571"'L. ) to control the injection direction and flow rate of the purge gas, and through this, by controlling the flow of the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100, the fume of the wafer W cannot be removed. While minimizing the occurrence, it is possible to achieve the formation of an airflow inside the storage room 100 .

Of course, according to the arrangement position of the injection member disposed in the above-described wafer storage container 10, it is possible to give a deformation to the position and the opening area of the injection hole differently from the injection member 500"' according to the third modified example, Through this, it is possible to manufacture the wafer storage container 10 capable of achieving an optimized airflow of the purge gas inside the storage chamber 100 to be suitable for the arrangement position of the injection member of the wafer storage container 10 .

As described above, although it has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention and modified examples of the injection member, those of ordinary skill in the art will not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. The present invention can be practiced with various modifications or variations.

10: wafer storage container 100: storage room
110: front opening 130LR: left rear wall
200: support 210: support coupling part
230: step 250: protruding pin
300: lower plate 311: supply port
311B: left and right lower area supply port 311M: left and right center area supply port
311T: left and right upper area supply port 313B: rear side lower area supply port
313M: Rear side central area supply port 313T: Rear side upper area supply port
331: supply flow path 331B: left and right lower area supply flow path
331M: left and right central area supply passage 331T: left and right upper area supply passage
333B: rear-side lower area supply passage 333M: rear-side central area supply passage
333T: rear side upper area supply passage 400: upper plate
500, 500', 500", 500"': injection member
500LF, 500'LF, 500"LF, 500"'LF: Left front injection member
500RF, 500'RF, 500"RF, 500"'RF: Left front injection member
500MR, 500'MR, 500"MR, 500"'MR: Central rear injection member
530: wall 530LF: left front wall
530RF: Right front wall 530MR: Central rear wall
540": Additional EuroPlate 541": Additional Euro
550, 550': Branch Eurobu Plate
551, 551', 551", 551"': Basin Eurobu
551B: lower area branch flow path part 551M: central area branch flow path part
551T: upper area branch flow passage part
561, 561', 561", 561"': Main Euro 563, 563' Branch Euro
565, 565', 565": Holes
567', 567", 567"': continuous branched Euro
569': communication channel 570: nozzle plate
571, 571", 571"': Nozzle 571B: Lower Area Nozzle
571M: Central area nozzle 571T: Upper area nozzle
571"'S: Small nozzle 571"'R: Normal nozzle
571"'L: large nozzle
580", 580"', 580"'LF, 580"'RF, 580"'MR:Spray plate
590: heater rod 600: exhaust member
610: exhaust hopper 611: exhaust hole
630: blocking plate 631: driving unit
633: exhaust vent 650: exhaust plate
651: exhaust port

Claims (7)

a storage chamber in which the wafer received through the front opening is accommodated; and
Including; a spray member disposed on at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the storage room to spray a purge gas into the storage room;
The spray member,
a plurality of injection holes arranged on the partial surface to inject the purge gas into the storage chamber; and
Including; and a branch passage having at least one branching section to flow the purge gas introduced through the inlet to the plurality of injection ports,
The branch flow path portion is provided on a surface that is moved in parallel from the partial surface,
The injection port includes a lower area injection port for injecting a purge gas to a lower area inside the storage room, and an upper area injection port for spraying a purge gas to an upper area inside the storage room,
The branch flow passage includes a lower region branch passage portion and an upper region branch passage portion,
The purge gas flowing through the lower region branch flow passage is injected into the lower region through the lower region jet port,
The purge gas flowing through the upper region branch flow passage is injected into the upper region through the upper region jet port,
The purge gas injected from the lower area injection port and the upper area injection port is sprayed to each of the lower area and the upper area inside the storage chamber, so that purging of the lower area and the upper area inside the storage chamber can be controlled. there is,
The inlet includes a lower region inlet for introducing a purge gas into the lower region branch passage, and an upper region inlet for introducing a purge gas into the upper region branch passage,
The branch flow passages branched from the main flow path of the lower region branch flow passage part are branched symmetrically with respect to the main flow path of the lower region branch flow passage part to form the branching section,
The branch flow path branched from the main flow path of the upper region branch flow path part is branched symmetrically with respect to the main flow path of the upper region branch flow path part to form the branching section. According to claim 1,
The injection port further includes a central area injection port for injecting a purge gas to a central area inside the storage room,
The branch flow passage further includes a central region branch flow passage,
The purge gas flowing through the central region branch flow passage is injected into the central region through the central region jet port,
The purge gas injected from the central area injection port is sprayed to the central area inside the storage chamber, so that purging of the central area inside the storage chamber can be controlled. According to claim 1,
The lower area inlet is located at the center of the vertical length of the main flow path of the lower area branch flow path part,
The upper region inlet is located at the center of the vertical length of the main flow path of the upper region branch flow path part. According to claim 1,
The wafer storage container, characterized in that all of the flow distances of the purge gas flowing from the inlet to each of the plurality of injection ports through the branch flow path portion are the same. delete According to claim 1,
The spray member,
a spray plate in which the plurality of spray holes and the branch flow passage are formed; and
It is coupled to the injection plate, the inlet plate is formed in the inlet; further comprising,
The wafer storage container, characterized in that the plurality of injection holes are formed on one side of the injection plate, and the branch flow passage portion is formed on the opposite side of the injection plate. 7. The method of claim 6,
The spray member,
and an additional flow path plate disposed between the injection plate and the inlet plate and having an additional flow path communicating the inlet and the branch flow path part.

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