TWI715624B - Nozzle unit - Google Patents

Abstract

Provide a nozzle unit that prevents the intrusion of the atmosphere when filling gas into the FOUP.

It is equipped with: a nozzle body (71) with a gas supply port (72) connected to the container (7) containing the contents, and a gas flow path (77) connected to the gas supply port (72); and The supply nozzle (78) is connected to the gas flow path (77) and supplies gas to the container (7) through the gas supply port (72); and the exhaust nozzle (83) is connected to the gas flow path ( 77) Make connections and exhaust the gas flow path (77).

Description

Nozzle unit

The present invention relates to a nozzle unit that is filled with nitrogen gas into a storage container that contains wafers being transported.

Since the prior art, semiconductors have been manufactured by applying various processing processes to wafers as substrates. In recent years, the high integration of components and the miniaturization of circuits have progressed. In order to prevent the adhesion of particles or moisture on the surface of the wafer, it is required to maintain high-definition clarity around the wafer. Furthermore, in order not to change the surface properties such as oxidation of the surface of the wafer, a process of setting the periphery of the wafer into a nitrogen atmosphere which is an inert gas or into a vacuum state is also performed.

In order to properly maintain the gas atmosphere around the wafers, the wafers are loaded into a closed pod called FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod) and managed, and stored there. The inside of the bag is filled with nitrogen. Furthermore, in order to transfer wafers between the processing device that processes the wafers and the FOUP, EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) is used. EFEM is a wafer transfer chamber that is slightly sealed inside the frame and is opposite to One of the wall surfaces is provided with a load port that functions as an interface with the FOUP, and on the other side is connected a load lock chamber that is a part of the processing device. In the wafer transfer chamber, a wafer transfer device for transferring wafers is installed. Using this wafer transfer device, wafers are moved in and out between the FOUP connected to the load port and the load lock chamber. In the wafer transfer chamber, a downflow of a clean atmosphere flows constantly from the fan filter unit arranged in the upper part of the transfer chamber.

Furthermore, in recent years, in the state-of-the-art wafer manufacturing process, even the oxygen and moisture contained in the clean atmosphere used as a downflow may change the properties of the wafer. Therefore, there is a demand for the practical application of the technique of injecting inert gas into the FOUP by setting the periphery of the wafer into a nitrogen atmosphere as in Patent Document 1.

[Prior technical literature] 〔Patent Literature〕

[Patent Document 1] JP 2011-187539 A

However, in the nozzle unit described in Patent Document 1, air or particles still remain in the flow path in the injection nozzle. As a result, in the FOUP, which requires lower oxygen concentration and lower humidity, these remaining atmosphere or particles will be mixed, which will cause wafers The question of the fear of changing the traits.

Therefore, the present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a nozzle unit that prevents the intrusion of the atmosphere when the inert gas is filled in the FOUP.

The nozzle unit of the first invention is characterized in that it is provided with: a nozzle body having a gas supply port connected to a container containing the contents, and a gas flow path connected to the gas supply port; and a supply nozzle, It is connected to the gas flow path and supplies gas to the container through the gas supply port; and an exhaust nozzle is connected to the gas flow path to exhaust the gas flow path.

In this nozzle unit, the air is exhausted by the exhaust nozzle. Therefore, after the container is in contact with the nozzle body, the atmosphere in the nozzle unit including the nozzle body, the supply nozzle, and the exhaust nozzle is exhausted, and the supply nozzle supplies gas to the container. By this, it is possible to prevent the air in the nozzle unit from flowing into the inside of the container. In addition, here, the “atmosphere” refers to substances that may oxidize the wafers contained in the container, such as oxygen, moisture, and particles, which may cause changes in the properties of the wafers, and contain these substances. The gas. Since this atmosphere is prevented from flowing into the container, it is possible to prevent the properties of the wafer contained in the container from changing.

The nozzle unit of the second invention has the following characteristics: that is, the nozzle body is provided with the gas supply The carcass part of the mouth, the first peripheral wall rising from the upper end surface of the carcass part, and the upper space formed by the upper end surface of the carcass part and the first peripheral wall, the gas flow path is through the gas supply The mouth is connected to the aforementioned upper space.

At this nozzle unit, the exhaust nozzle exhausts the atmosphere in the supply nozzle, gas flow path, upper space, and exhaust nozzle. Therefore, after the container is in contact with the nozzle body, when the supply nozzle supplies gas to the container, the air is surely prevented from flowing into the container. By this, it is possible to prevent the properties of the wafer contained in the container from changing.

The nozzle unit of the third invention has the following feature: that is, the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle are integrally formed.

In this nozzle unit, the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle are integrated to simplify the structure and reduce the manufacturing cost.

The nozzle unit of the fourth invention has the following characteristics: that is, it is equipped with pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the nozzle body, and when replacing the nozzle body with gas, the pressure adjusting means , The pressure in the nozzle body is controlled below a specific value.

At this nozzle unit, the pressure adjustment means controls the pressure in the nozzle body below a specific value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inert gas from flowing into the container when the atmosphere in the nozzle body is exhausted and the inert gas is supplied, that is, when the nozzle body is replaced from the atmosphere with the inert gas.

The nozzle unit of the fifth invention has the following characteristics: that is, it is provided with: the nozzle body, an opening and closing mechanism that seals the gas supply port, and a closed mechanism by the opening and closing mechanism The opening means for opening the aforementioned gas supply port.

In this nozzle unit, after the container and the nozzle body are in contact, the opening means opens the gas supply port sealed by the opening and closing mechanism, and the exhaust nozzle exhausts the atmosphere in the nozzle unit. Therefore, since the exhaust nozzle is used to exhaust the atmosphere in the nozzle unit first, and then the supply nozzle is used to supply inert gas to the container, it is possible to prevent the atmosphere in the nozzle unit from flowing into the container.

The nozzle unit of the sixth invention has the following characteristics: that is, the opening and closing mechanism is provided with an elastic sealing member that is located in the upper space and has an outer peripheral edge portion to seal the peripheral edge of the gas supply port, And the fixing part for fixing the elastic sealing member to the carcass part, the opening means is an inert gas that releases the sealing by pressing the elastic sealing member to elastically deform it.

At this nozzle unit, by setting the pressure of the inert gas to a specific value or higher, the inert gas system pushes and deforms the elastic sealing member, thereby releasing the sealing of the gas supply port. With this, it is possible to supply gas with an easy configuration.

In the first invention, the air is exhausted by the exhaust nozzle. Therefore, after the container is in contact with the nozzle body, the system will contain the spray The nozzle body, the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle are exhausted from the atmosphere in the nozzle unit, and the supply nozzle supplies inert gas to the container. By this, it is possible to prevent the air in the nozzle unit from flowing into the inside of the container. In addition, the term “atmosphere” here refers to oxygen, moisture, particles, etc., which may oxidize the wafer contained in the container, etc., which may change the properties of the wafer. Since this atmosphere is prevented from flowing into the container, it is possible to prevent the properties of the wafer contained in the container from changing.

In the second invention, the exhaust nozzle exhausts the atmosphere in the supply nozzle, the gas flow path, the upper space, and the exhaust nozzle. Therefore, after the container is in contact with the nozzle body, when the supply nozzle supplies gas to the container, the air is surely prevented from flowing into the container. By this, it is possible to prevent the properties of the wafer contained in the container from changing.

In the third invention, the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle are integrally provided to simplify the structure and reduce the manufacturing cost.

In the fourth invention, the pressure adjusting means controls the pressure in the nozzle body to be below a specific value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inert gas from flowing into the container when the atmosphere in the nozzle body is exhausted and the inert gas is supplied, that is, when the nozzle body is replaced from the atmosphere with the inert gas.

In the fifth invention, after the container and the nozzle body are brought into contact, the opening means opens the gas supply port sealed by the opening and closing mechanism, and the exhaust nozzle exhausts the atmosphere in the nozzle unit. Therefore, because the exhaust nozzle is used to exhaust the atmosphere in the nozzle unit first, and then The supply nozzle supplies an inert gas to the container, so it can prevent the atmosphere in the nozzle unit from flowing into the container.

In the sixth invention, by setting the pressure of the inert gas to a specific value or more, the inert gas system presses and deforms the elastic sealing member, thereby releasing the sealing of the gas supply port. With this, the inert gas can be supplied with an easy configuration.

7: FOUP (container)

24: Mounting table

33: Gas supply valve

70: nozzle unit

71: Nozzle body

72: Gas supply port

73: Carcass

74: Week 1 Wall

75: Week 2 Wall

76: Flow controller (pressure adjustment means)

77: Gas flow path

78: Supply nozzle

79: supply flow path

81: No. 1 exhaust nozzle

82: Exhaust flow path

86: card stop

87: Space above

88: Protruding Wall

89: Space below

90: Pedestal

92: Opening and closing mechanism

93: Lid

94: Extension

96: Open Means

97: Support member (support department)

98: Wall

99: Through hole

101: Air cylinder

102: Spring (pushing member)

111: Elastic sealing member

112: Fixed part

W: Wafer (container)

[Figure 1] is a side view showing the state where the side wall of EFEM is removed.

[Figure 2] is a perspective view of the load port shown in Figure 1.

[Figure 3] is a side cross-sectional view showing FOUP and load port.

[Figure 4] is an enlarged perspective view of the important parts of the window unit and door that constitute EFEM.

[Figure 5] is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the positioning sensor.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle unit of the first embodiment.

[Fig. 7] is a cross-sectional view showing that the nozzle unit of Fig. 6 is moved toward the FOUP.

[Fig. 8] is a sectional view showing the state where the nozzle unit of Fig. 6 is installed in the FOUP.

[Figure 9] is a block diagram showing the connection status of the control unit.

[Figure 10] It is a demonstration of the gas injection action for FOUP Flow chart.

[Fig. 11] is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle unit of the second embodiment.

[Fig. 12] is a cross-sectional view showing that the nozzle unit of Fig. 11 is moved toward the FOUP.

[Fig. 13] is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle unit of Fig. 12 further moved toward the FOUP.

[Fig. 14] is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the nozzle unit of Fig. 12 is installed in the FOUP.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the nozzle unit of the second embodiment.

[Fig. 16] is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the nozzle unit of the modification of Fig. 15 is mounted on the FOUP.

[Fig. 17] is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the nozzle unit of the modified example of Fig. 15 is installed in the FOUP and gas is injected.

[FIG. 18] is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle unit using an elastic sealing member different from that in FIG. 15.

[FIG. 19] is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the elastic sealing member of FIG. 18 is opened.

Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle unit according to a modification of the second embodiment in which a pressure chamber is used instead of a spring.

[Fig. 21] is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle unit according to a modification of the second embodiment that uses a regulator for opening and closing the gas supply port.

[Fig. 22] is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the mounting table in a modified example where the gas displacement mechanism is not raised and lowered but fixed.

[Fig. 23] is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the mounting table using a modification of the pressure sensor as the positioning sensor.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side view that can observe the inside by removing the side wall of EFEM1. As shown in FIG. 1, EFEM1 is composed of a wafer transfer device 2 that transfers wafers W between specific receiving and receiving positions, and a box-shaped frame set to surround the wafer transfer device 2 The body 3, the loading port 4 connected to the outer side of the wall on the front side of the frame body 3, and the control means 5 are constituted. Here, in the present invention, the direction of the side connected to the loading port 4 when viewed from the frame 3 is defined as the front, and the opposite of the side connected to the loading port 4 when viewed from the frame 3 The direction of the side is defined as the rear.

By controlling the operation of the wafer transfer device 2 by the control means 5, it is possible to transfer the wafer (container) W contained in the FOUP (container) 7 placed on the load port 4 to In the transfer space 9 inside the frame 3, the wafer W that has been processed is transferred into the FOUP 7 again.

The loading port 4 is provided with a door 51 (refer to FIG. 2). By connecting the door 51 and the cover 32 provided at the FOUP 7 and moving together, the FOUP 7 is made relative to the conveying space 9 open. In FOUP7, there are a lot of placement parts in the up and down direction, by Therefore, most wafers W can be accommodated. In addition, the FOUP7 is usually filled with nitrogen, and it is also possible to replace the atmosphere in the FOUP7 with nitrogen through the load port 4 under the control of the control means 5.

The control means 5 is configured as a control unit provided in the upper space of the housing 3. In addition, the control means 5 controls the drive of the wafer transfer device 2, the nitrogen replacement control of the FOUP 7 by the load port 4, the opening and closing control of the door 51, and the nitrogen circulation control in the housing 3, etc. The control means 5 is composed of a general microprocessor with a CPU, memory, and interface. In the memory, the programs needed for processing are pre-stored. The CPU becomes a step-by-step The necessary programs are read and executed, and coordinated with the peripheral hardware resources to achieve the desired function. In addition, the nitrogen cycle control will be described later.

The internal space of the frame 3 is partitioned by the partition member 8 into a transfer space 9 which is a space driven by the wafer transfer device 2 and a gas return path 10. The conveying space 9 and the gas return path 10 are connected to each other only at the gas delivery port 11 and the gas suction port 12. The gas delivery port 11 is formed on the upper part of the conveying space 9 and extends in the width direction. The gas suction port 12 is installed in the lower part of the conveying space 9 to extend in the width direction. In addition, by causing the gas delivery port 11 and the gas suction port 12 to generate a descending airflow in the conveying space 9 and an ascending airflow in the gas return path 10, nitrogen is circulated. In addition, in the present embodiment, although nitrogen, which is an inert gas, is circulated in the frame 3, the gas system for circulating is not limited to this, and other gases may be used. .

At the upper part of the back side of the return path 10, a gas supply means 16 for introducing nitrogen into the frame 3 is connected. The gas supply means 16 is capable of controlling the supply of nitrogen and the stop of the supply based on the command from the control means 5. Therefore, when a part of nitrogen flows out to the outside of the frame 3, the gas supply means 16 supplies the amount of nitrogen corresponding to the amount of outflow, so that the nitrogen atmosphere in the frame 3 can be kept constant. In addition, a gas discharge means 17 for discharging nitrogen gas in the frame 3 is connected to the lower part of the back side. The gas discharge means 17 is operated based on a command from the control means 5, and can communicate with the inside of the housing 3 and the nitrogen discharge target set outside by opening a gate not shown in the figure . However, by using it together with the supply of nitrogen by the aforementioned gas supply means 16, it becomes possible to replace the inside of the frame 3 with a nitrogen atmosphere or to control the pressure in the frame 3. In addition, in this embodiment, the gas supply means 16 supplies nitrogen in order to circulate the gas to be nitrogen. However, when other gases are circulated, the gas supply means 16 supplies the gas Circulating gas.

In addition, at the gas outlet 11, a fan filter unit 13 (FFU 13) composed of a fan 13a and a filter 13b as a first air blowing means is installed. The fan filter unit 13 removes particles contained in the nitrogen gas circulating in the frame 3 and blows air downward in the conveying space 9 to generate downflow in the conveying space 9. In addition, the FFU 13 is supported by a support member 18 that is connected to the partition member 8 and extends in the horizontal direction.

With the fan 13a and the fan 15 of the FFU 13 described above, the nitrogen gas in the frame 3 descends in the conveying space 9 and rises in the gas return path 10 to circulate. Since the gas delivery port 11 is opened toward the downward direction, the nitrogen gas is delivered downwardly by the FFU13. Since the gas suction port 12 opens upwards, it is possible to suck the nitrogen directly downwards without disturbing the downflow generated by the FFU13. With this configuration, it is possible to make a smooth nitrogen flow. airflow. In addition, by generating a downflow in the transport space 9, particles attached to the upper part of the wafer W or released gas temporarily released from the processed wafer are removed, and it is prevented from being caused in the transport space 9 The movement of the wafer transfer device 2 and other devices causes the released gas or particles to float.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the loading port 4. Hereinafter, the structure of the load port 4 will be described.

The loading port 4 has a base 21 standing upright from the rear of the foot 25 on which the casters and feet are installed, and a horizontal base 23 is provided from a position of about 60% of the height of the base 21 toward the front. . Furthermore, at the upper part of the horizontal base 23, a mounting table 24 for mounting the FOUP 7 is provided.

FOUP7, as shown schematically in FIG. 3, consists of a main body 31 provided with an internal space Sf useful for accommodating wafer W (refer to FIG. 1), and a main body 31 that serves as a loading and unloading port for wafer W. The opening 31a on one side of the main body 31 is constituted by a cover 32 that opens and closes. FOUP7, when it is correctly placed on the mounting table 24, The cover 32 is opposed to the base 21.

Returning to FIG. 2, on the mounting table 24, a positioning pin 24 a for positioning the FOUP 7 is provided, and a locking claw 24 b for fixing the FOUP 7 to the mounting table 24 is provided. The locking pawl 24b can fix the FOUP7 by locking the FOUP7 after properly positioning the FOUP7 on the mounting table 24, and can make the FOUP7 detachable from the mounting table 24 by unlocking status. In addition, the mounting table 24 is capable of moving in the front-rear direction by the mounting table driving section (not shown) in a state where the FOUP 7 is placed. Here, being properly positioned means that the height of the bottom surface of the FOUP 7 relative to the mounting table 24 is within a specific range from the upper surface of the mounting table 24.

Regarding whether the FOUP 7 is positioned in the proper position, it is detected by the positioning sensor 60 (refer to FIG. 5) arranged near the positioning pin 24a. The positioning sensor 60 is provided with a sensor 61 formed by a leaf spring, a flag plate 62 protruding downward at the sensor 61, and a transmissive type disposed below the flag plate 62 The light sensor 63 and the sensor cable 64 connected to the light sensor 63. The positioning sensor 60 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of each positioning pin 24a.

If the FOUP7 is placed on the mounting table 24, the positioning groove (not shown) of the FOUP7 is inserted into the positioning pin 24a, and the bottom of the FOUP7 is in contact with the sensor 61. In this way, due to the weight of FOUP7, the flag plate 62 is lowered and the light sensor 63 is covered. Light, so FOUP7 can be identified (detected). The detection result is sent to the controller through the sensor cable 64. In this way, when the flag plate 62 shields the light sensor 63, it is possible to detect that the FOUP 7 is properly positioned at the mounting table 24. Specifically, in order to detect whether FOUP7 is properly positioned, the flag plate 62 will shield the light sensor 63 as long as FOUP7 is properly positioned. The method can be designed in advance. In addition, the light shielding amount of the flag 62 detected by the light sensor 63 can be compared with a specific threshold value and detected.

In addition, the mounting table 24 is provided with a nozzle unit 70 for supplying nitrogen gas into the FOUP 7 and a second exhaust nozzle 104 for discharging nitrogen gas from the FOUP 7 at two locations, respectively. The nozzle unit 70 and the second exhaust nozzle 104 are usually located below the bottom surface of the FOUP7 when they are properly positioned. When in use, they are moved upwards and are connected to each other. The gas supply valve 33 (refer to FIG. 3) and the gas discharge valve 34 included in the FOUP7.

When in use, the upper end of the nozzle unit 70 is in contact with the gas supply valve 33 of the FOUP7. Similarly, the upper end of the second exhaust nozzle 104 is in contact with the gas exhaust valve 34 of the FOUP7. After that, it becomes possible to supply a gas such as dry nitrogen gas to the internal space Sf of the FOUP 7 through the nozzle unit 70 through the gas supply valve 33, and to close the internal space Sf through the second exhaust nozzle 104 through the gas discharge valve 34. The gas is discharged. In addition, by setting the nitrogen supply amount to be larger than the nitrogen discharge amount, the pressure relative to the outside or the conveyance space 9 of the frame 3 can also be performed to reduce the internal pressure. The pressure of the internal space Sf has been increased positively.

Here, generally, when the gas supply valve 33 of the FOUP 7 placed at the load port 4 is an elastic member called a so-called Grommet type, the corresponding nozzle unit 70 The upper end of the grommet is made of a material such as metal or plastic that is more rigid than the gas supply valve 33, or is made of an elastic member of the same type as the grommet. In this embodiment, the upper end of the nozzle unit 70 is made of plastic.

The base 21 constituting the loading port 4 constitutes a part of the front wall which isolates the conveying space 9 from the external space. As shown in FIG. 2, the base 21 is made up of pillars 21a, 21a that stand on both sides, and a base body 21b supported by these, and is mounted on the base body 21b. The window unit 40 at the window 21c opened into a substantially rectangular shape is constructed. Here, the so-called “slightly rectangular” in the present invention refers to a shape in which a rectangle with four sides is used as the basic shape and the four corners are connected smoothly by arcs.

The window unit 40 is arranged at a position opposite to the cover 32 of the aforementioned FOUP 7 (refer to FIG. 3). The window unit 40, as it will be described in detail later, is provided at the substantially rectangular opening 42 (refer to FIG. 4), so that the conveying space 9 of the frame 3 can be opened through the opening 42 .

The window unit 40 is composed of a window frame portion 41, a first O-ring 43 and a second O-ring 44 as elastic materials installed thereon, and a first O-ring 43 for interposing the FOUP 7 relative to The window frame 41 comes close The clamping unit 45 of the drawing means constitutes it.

The window frame 41 has a frame shape in which a substantially rectangular opening 42 is formed on the inside. The window frame portion 41 is a component of the window unit 40 and constitutes a part of the above-mentioned base 21 (refer to FIG. 2 ). Therefore, the opening portion 42 can open the front wall of the frame body 3. On the front surface of the window frame portion 41, a first O-ring 43 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the opening portion 42. On the rear surface of the window frame portion 41, a second O-ring 44 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the opening portion 42.

The opening 42 is slightly larger than the outer circumference of the cover 32 of the FOUP 7, and the cover 32 can move through the opening 42. In addition, in the state where the FOUP7 is placed on the mounting table 24, the front surface of the main body 31 around the lid 32 is used as the contact surface 31b with the first O-ring 43 interposed between the front surface of the window frame 41 Butt up. As a result, when the FOUP 7 is installed at the window unit 40, the 1st O-ring 43 seals (closes) the periphery of the opening 42 (base 21) and the FOUP 7.

In addition, on the rear surface of the window frame portion 41, the aforementioned door portion 51 is brought into contact with the second O-ring 44 interposed therebetween. In this way, the second O-ring 44 seals between the periphery of the opening 42 and the door 51.

The clamp unit 45 is provided in a total of four places separated in the vertical direction on both sides of the window frame portion 41. Each clamp unit 45 is roughly composed of an engaging piece 46 and a cylinder 47 that makes it operate, and presses the FOUP 7 toward the base 21 side in a state where the FOUP 7 is mounted on the window unit 40.

In addition, when the engaging piece 46 pops out toward the front, its front end is toward the upward direction, and when it is pulled in to the rear, the front end is toward the inner FOUP7. By the clamp operation, the front end of the engaging piece 46 faces the inner side, and by this, it becomes possible to engage with the flange part protruding in the lateral direction rather than the FOUP7.

In addition, the loading port 4 is provided with an opening and closing mechanism 50 for opening and closing the window unit 40 configured to be able to install the FOUP7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening and closing mechanism 50 is provided with a door 51 for opening and closing the opening 42, and a support frame 52 for supporting this, and the support frame 52 can be moved forward and backward through a sliding support means 53 The movable block 54 is supported so as to move in the direction, and the sliding rail 55 is supported so that the movable block 54 can move in the vertical direction with respect to the base body 21b.

Furthermore, in each of the directions, an actuator (not shown) for performing the movement of the door 51 in the front-rear direction and the movement in the up-down direction is provided, and these are provided by the control unit The drive command from Cp makes it possible to move the door 51 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. In this way, the load port 4 is operated by the control unit Cp to give drive commands to each unit.

The door 51 is provided with a suction portion 56 (refer to FIG. 4) for sucking the lid 32 of the FOUP 7 and a connecting means 57 for performing a latch operation for opening and closing the lid 32 of the FOUP 7 and holding the lid 32. The door 51 is used to fix and release the cover 32 and become a It is sufficient to remove the cover 32 from the FOUP 7 or to install it. At the connecting means 57, the lid 32 can be opened by unlatching the lid 32, and the lid 32 can be connected to the door 51 to be integrated. . On the contrary, it is also possible to release the connection between the lid body 32 and the door portion 51 and to attach the lid body 32 to the main body 31 to be in a sealed state.

Hereinafter, the nozzle unit 70 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>

As shown in Fig. 6, the nozzle unit 70 of the first embodiment is provided with a nozzle body 71 having a gas supply port 72 for supplying nitrogen gas to the FOUP 7, and a driving means 96 for driving the nozzle body 71 up and down. .

The nozzle body 71 is provided with a body portion 73 forming a gas supply port 72, a first peripheral wall 74 that rises upward from the outer periphery of the upper end surface of the body portion 73, and a first peripheral wall 74 from the outer periphery of the lower end surface of the body portion 73 And the second peripheral wall 75 hanging downward.

The body portion 73 has a cylindrical shape extending along the axial direction of the nozzle body 71. The body portion 73 includes a gas flow path 77 communicating with the gas supply port 72 and an annular locking portion 86 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 73 toward the outside in the radial direction.

The gas flow path 77 extends linearly inside the body portion 73 in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the nozzle body 71, It communicates with the gas supply port 72 at the center. One of the openings of the gas flow path 77 is connected to the supply nozzle 78 to form a supply flow path 79. The supply nozzle 78 is connected to a nitrogen supply source (not shown) via a supply valve 80 (refer to FIG. 3), and supplies nitrogen to the FOUP7. The other opening of the gas flow path 77 is connected to the first exhaust nozzle 81 to form an exhaust flow path 82. The first exhaust nozzle 81 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via an exhaust valve 83, and exhausts the atmosphere of the gas flow path 77 and the upper space 87 described later.

Between the first peripheral wall 74 and the upper end surface of the carcass portion 73, an upper space 87 above the carcass portion 73 is formed. At the front end of the first peripheral wall 74, a protruding wall 88 protruding toward the FOUP 7 is formed.

Between the second peripheral wall 75 and the lower end surface of the carcass portion 73, a lower space 89 below the carcass portion 73 is formed. The lower end of the second peripheral wall 75 is supported by a pedestal 90 which is fixed to the placing table 24.

In addition, the nozzle body 71 is provided with a contact detection sensor (not shown) and a flow controller 76 as a pressure adjustment means connected to the supply valve 80 (refer to FIG. 3) .

The contact detection sensor detects the contact between the FOUP7 and the nozzle unit 70. This detection can be performed based on the stroke amount of the air cylinder 101 or indirectly based on the pressure of the air cylinder 101.

The flow controller 76 is based on the opening of the supply valve 80 Adjustments are made to control the flow of nitrogen to be supplied and to adjust the pressure in the nozzle unit 70. Specifically, when exhausting the atmosphere in the nozzle unit 70 and supplying nitrogen gas, the pressure in the nozzle unit 70 is controlled below a specific value. Here, the nozzle unit 70 includes the inside of the gas flow path 77, the upper space 87, the supply nozzle 78, and the first exhaust nozzle 81.

The driving means 96 is provided with a disc-shaped support member (support portion) 97 and an annular standing wall 98 that rises upward from the upper surface of the support member 97. A through hole 99 penetrating the supporting member 97 in the thickness direction is formed inside the standing wall 98 of the supporting member 97, and the second peripheral wall 75 is inserted through the through hole 99.

The radially outer side of the support member 97 is connected to the lower end of the air cylinder 101 arranged at the mounting table 24. In this way, the support member 97 is driven up and down by the air cylinder 101, and the nozzle body 71 is driven up and down.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the input side of the control unit Ct is connected with the positioning sensor 60 and the contact detection sensor. The positioning sensor 60 properly positions the FOUP 7 Once detected, the contact detection sensor detects the contact between the FOUP 7 and the nozzle body 71. The output side of the control unit Ct is connected to the supply valve 80 and the exhaust valve 83 and the air cylinder 101. The control unit Ct is installed at EFEM1, and contains various memories and a controller for operation input caused by the user.

Below, using Figure 6 to Figure 10, for the first implementation The operation example in the case of the nozzle unit 70 of the form will be described. In addition, in the initial state, the supply valve 80 and the exhaust valve 83 are closed.

As shown in FIG. 10, at step S1, the positioning sensor 60 detects that the FOUP 7 is properly positioned at the mounting table 24, and proceeds to step S2.

At step S2, after positioning the FOUP7 at the mounting table 24, the air cylinder 101 raises the nozzle unit 70 toward the FOUP7 via the supporting member 97 (refer to FIG. 7). At this time, the lower end of the second peripheral wall 75 is separated from the base 90.

At step S3, the contact between the FOUP 7 and the protruding wall 88 of the nozzle body 71 is detected by the contact detection sensor. In addition, when the contact detection sensor is not used, the rising position of the nozzle body 71 is set in advance by using the bottom surface of the FOUP 7 in a state where it is properly positioned on the mounting table 24 as a reference. can. By this, the contact between the FOUP 7 and the protruding wall 88 of the nozzle body 71 can be detected indirectly by detecting the stroke amount of the air cylinder 101 or the pressure of the air cylinder 101.

In step S4, the exhaust valve 83 is opened, and the atmosphere is exhausted from the inside of the gas flow path 77, the upper space 87, the supply nozzle 78, and the first exhaust nozzle 81. If the exhaust is completed, the exhaust valve 83 is closed. However, the system is not limited to this. When the first exhaust nozzle 81 is used to exhaust the atmosphere in the nozzle unit 70, the supply nozzle 78 may simultaneously supply nitrogen gas to the nozzle unit 70 including the upper space 87. The atmosphere is replaced. In addition, in the supply nozzle 78 to the upper space 87 When nitrogen is supplied, the flow controller 76 controls the pressure in the nozzle unit 70 below a specific value. In addition, the "specific value" here refers to a pressure that does not open a check valve (not shown) provided at the gas supply port 72 like a check valve. This on-off valve seals the gas supply port 72 in a closed state to prevent the gas in the FOUP 7 from flowing out of the FOUP 7, and to prevent the atmosphere outside the FOUP 7 from flowing into the FOUP 7. However, this on-off valve is opened by receiving a specific pressure, and enables the inflow of nitrogen gas in the FOUP 7 through the gas supply port 72.

After that, in step S5, the supply valve 80 is opened, and the nitrogen gas flows from the supply nozzle 78 through the supply flow path 79, the gas supply port 72, and the upper space 87 in this order, and is supplied to the FOUP7. With this, the FOUP7 is filled with nitrogen, and the process of replacing it with nitrogen is performed. If this replacement ends, the supply valve 80 is closed.

In step S6, if the load port 4 receives a nitrogen stop command, the supply valve 80 is closed, and the supply of nitrogen from the nozzle unit 70 is stopped. After that, in step S7, by moving the supporting member 97 downward by the air cylinder 101, the nozzle unit 70 moves downward and is separated from the FOUP 7 (refer to FIG. 7). After that, if the lower end of the second peripheral wall 75 abuts the pedestal 90, the descending system of the nozzle unit 70 ends (refer to FIG. 6).

[Features of the nozzle unit of this embodiment]

The nozzle unit 70 of this embodiment has the following features Levy.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the first embodiment, the air is exhausted by the exhaust nozzle 83. Therefore, after the FOUP 7 comes into contact with the nozzle body 71, the air in the nozzle unit 70 including the nozzle body 71, the supply nozzle 78 and the first exhaust nozzle 81 is first exhausted, and then the supply nozzle 78 supplies nitrogen to the FOUP 7 . By this, it is possible to prevent the air in the nozzle unit 70 from flowing into the FOUP 7. Since the atmosphere is prevented from flowing into FOUP7, it is possible to prevent the properties of wafers contained in FOUP7 from changing.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the first embodiment, the first exhaust nozzle 81 exhausts the atmosphere in the supply nozzle 80, the gas flow path 77, the upper space 87, and the first exhaust nozzle 81. Therefore, after the FOUP 7 comes into contact with the nozzle body 71, when the supply nozzle 78 supplies nitrogen to the FOUP 7, the air is surely prevented from flowing into the FOUP 7. By this, it is possible to prevent the properties of the wafer contained in FOUP7 from changing.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the first embodiment, the flow controller 76 controls the pressure in the nozzle body 71 to be below a specific value. Therefore, it is possible to prevent nitrogen from flowing into the FOUP 7 when the atmosphere in the nozzle body 71 is exhausted and nitrogen is supplied, that is, when the atmosphere in the nozzle body 71 is replaced with nitrogen.

<Second Embodiment>

Hereinafter, the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment will be described. In addition, the same elements are added to the same elements as those of the first embodiment. Symbol, and its description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the nozzle unit 70 is provided with: a nozzle body 71 having a gas supply port 72 for supplying nitrogen to the FOUP 7; an opening and closing mechanism 92 that seals the gas supply port 72; and an opening means 96 The gas supply port 72 sealed by the opening and closing mechanism 92 is opened.

The carcass portion 73 includes a gas flow path 77 communicating with the gas supply port 72, a first sealing portion 85 provided at the upper side edge of the gas supply port 72, and a direction from the outer peripheral surface of the carcass portion 73 An annular locking portion 86 protruding outward in the radial direction.

The opening and closing mechanism 92 has a T-shaped cross-section, and includes a disc-shaped lid 93 and a cylindrical extension 94 extending downward from the center of the lower surface of the lid 93. The cover 93 is located in the upper space 87, and the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface is in contact with the first sealing portion 85 and seals the peripheral edge of the gas supply port 72. The extension portion 94 penetrates the body portion 73 from the cover portion 93 and extends to the lower space 89. The extension portion 94 and the body portion 73 are sealed by a second sealing portion 95 arranged at the lower end of the body portion 73.

The opening means 96 is connected to the lower end of the extension portion 94 and pushes the extension portion 94 upward to move the opening and closing mechanism 92 upward. The opening means 96 is provided with a disc-shaped support member (support portion) 97 and an annular standing wall 98 that rises upward from the upper surface of the support member 97. Inside the standing wall 98 of the supporting member 97, a through hole 99 penetrating the supporting member 97 in the thickness direction is formed. By The second peripheral wall 75 is inserted into the through hole 99, and the opening means 96 is attached to the lower space 89 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the carcass portion 73. In addition, the opening means 96 of the second embodiment is the same element as the driving means 96 of the first embodiment, and the name of the member is changed based on the difference in the function of each embodiment.

The radially outer side of the support member 97 is connected to the lower end of the air cylinder 101 arranged at the mounting table 24. With this, the support member 97 is driven up and down by the air cylinder 101, and the nozzle body 71 is driven up and down via the spring 102 (refer to FIGS. 12 and 13).

Between the body part 73 and the supporting member 97, a spring 102 as a pressing member is arranged. The opening means 96 counteracts the elastic force caused by the spring 102 to push the opening and closing mechanism 92 upward. In addition, the opening means 96 and the opening and closing mechanism 92 are integrally formed.

[Features of the nozzle unit of this embodiment]

The nozzle unit 70 of this embodiment has the following characteristics.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment, after the gas flow path 77 is exhausted, the gas supply port 72 sealed by the opening and closing mechanism 82 is opened (refer to FIG. 14). Therefore, the atmosphere in the gas flow path 77 is prevented from flowing into the inside of the FOUP 7 that receives the supply of nitrogen, and the properties of the wafer contained in the FOUP 7 can be prevented from changing. In addition, since the opening means 96 opens the gas supply port 72 sealed by the opening and closing mechanism 92, nitrogen gas can be easily supplied from the gas supply port 72.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment, it is only necessary to move the opening means 96 upward, and the opening and closing mechanism 92 also moves upward, and the sealing of the gas supply port 72 by the lid 93 can be released. Therefore, nitrogen gas can be easily supplied from the gas supply port 72.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment, the opening means 96 is urged downward with respect to the nozzle body 71 by the spring 102, so that the opening and closing mechanism 92 connected to the opening means 96 can be made The lid portion 93 of the valve surely seals the gas supply port 72. In addition, even if the opening means 96 is moved upward, the spring 102 pushes the body portion 73 toward the lid portion 93. Therefore, the sealing of the gas supply port 72 by the lid portion 93 can be reliably maintained.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment, before the upper end of the nozzle body 71 is brought into contact with the FOUP 7 and the nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply port 72, the gas flow path 77 can be removed by the first exhaust nozzle 81 The atmospheric exhaust. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the atmosphere in the gas flow path 77 from flowing into the inside of the FOUP 7 receiving the nitrogen supply when the nitrogen is supplied.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment, the air in the gas flow path 77 is exhausted by the first exhaust nozzle 81, and the upper end of the nozzle body 71 is brought into contact with the FOUP 7, and then the gas supply port 72 opened and started nitrogen injection for FOUP7. Therefore, it can prevent When the nitrogen gas injection into the FOUP 7 is started, the atmosphere in the gas flow path 77 flows into the FOUP 7. By this, it is possible to prevent the properties of the wafer contained in FOUP7 from changing. Here, it is desirable that after the upper end of the nozzle body 71 is brought into contact with the FOUP 7, when the gas supply port 72 is opened, the opening means 96 is moved upward while exhausting the nozzle body. The atmosphere in the upper space is exhausted. In addition, for the nitrogen injection of FOUP7, it is ideal to perform it after exhausting the atmosphere in the upper space as described above. With this structure, the atmosphere in the upper space can be prevented from entering the FOUP.

In the nozzle unit 70 of the second embodiment, after the nitrogen gas injection to the FOUP 7 is completed, the opening and closing mechanism 92 seals the gas supply port 72. After that, the nozzle body 71 is cut away from the FOUP7. Therefore, it is possible to prevent nitrogen from leaking from the gas supply port 72 after the nitrogen injection is completed. In addition, it is also possible to cut the nozzle body 71 from the FOUP7 while maintaining the nozzle body 71 at a positive pressure state below a specific value after the nitrogen injection for FOUP7 is completed. After the separation, or simultaneously with the separation, the gas supply port is sealed (sealed) by the opening and closing mechanism 92. In addition, the “specific value” here refers to a pressure that does not open the check valve (not shown) provided at the gas supply port 72.

The above description is based on the drawings for the embodiments of the present invention, but the specific configuration should not be regarded as limited by these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is not only by the description of the above-mentioned embodiment, but also by the description of the scope of patent application. Definition, and further includes the meaning equivalent to the scope of the patent application and all changes within the scope.

In the second embodiment, the gas supply port 72 is sealed and the seal is released by moving the opening and closing mechanism 92 up and down. However, the system is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 15, it is also possible to adopt an elastic seal that is provided with a position in the upper space 87 and seals the periphery of the gas supply port 72 by the outer periphery of the lower surface. The member 111 and the opening and closing mechanism 110 that fixes the elastic sealing member 111 to the fixing portion 112 at the body portion 73. In addition, in the following modification examples, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements as those in the foregoing embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

At the opening and closing mechanism 110, an air cylinder, not shown, moves the body portion 73 upward (refer to FIG. 16), and brings the protruding wall 88 into contact with the gas supply valve 33 of the FOUP7. In this state, if the nitrogen gas flows from the supply nozzle 78 toward the upper space 87, as shown in FIG. 17, the elastic sealing member 111 is elastically deformed and the gas supply port 72 is elastically deformed by the pressure of the nitrogen gas. The seal is lifted. In this way, by setting the pressure of the nitrogen gas to a specific value or more, the nitrogen gas presses the elastic sealing member 111 and deforms it elastically, and the sealing of the gas supply port 72 is released. The specific value here refers to a pressure value that can elastically deform the elastic sealing member 111 and release the sealing of the gas supply port 72 caused by the check valve. With this, it is possible to supply nitrogen gas to the FOUP 7 from the supply flow path 79 through the upper space 87 with an easy configuration. In addition, in this case, the system does not need to be exhausted as in the above-mentioned embodiment. In the air flow path 82, the supply nozzle 78 and the first exhaust nozzle 81 are integrated and used in common. For example, before the nozzle body 71 is separated from the FOUP 7, the supply of nitrogen is stopped and the gas supply port 72 is sealed by the elastic sealing member 111. With this, even after the nozzle body 71 is separated from the FOUP 7, it is possible to substantially prevent the air remaining in the supply flow path 79. As the opening and closing mechanism 110, it functions as a check valve, and a known check valve can be used.

As a further modification of the opening and closing mechanism 110, as shown in FIG. 18, it is also possible to adopt an elastic sealing member 113 that seals the gas supply port 72 by contacting and adhering the central part and a blanket. The opening and closing mechanism 110 is formed on the outer side of the elastic sealing member 113 in the radial direction and fixing the elastic sealing member 113 to the fixing portion 114 at the carcass portion 73.

At this opening and closing mechanism 110, if nitrogen gas flows from the supply nozzle 78 toward the upper space 87, as shown in FIG. 19, the elastic sealing member 113 is elastically deformed and directed outward by the pressure of the nitrogen gas. By bending, the seal of the gas supply port 72 is released. With this, it is possible to supply nitrogen to FOUP7 with an easy configuration.

In the second embodiment, by pressing the nozzle body 71 upward with respect to the support member 97 by the spring 102, the sealing system of the gas supply port 72 by the opening and closing mechanism 92 is maintained. However, the system is not limited to this, and the pressure chamber 115 may be used as a pressing member instead of the spring 102 to seal or release the seal of the gas supply port 72. As shown in Figure 20, the pressure chamber 115 is shaped It is formed between the supporting member 97 integrated with the nozzle body 71 and the body portion 73. In addition, the pressure chamber 115 is connected to a pressure adjusting nozzle 116 that supplies or exhausts gas.

The pressure adjustment nozzle 116 increases the pressure by supplying gas to the pressure chamber 115, and pushes the lower end 117 of the opening and closing mechanism 92 downward and the opening and closing mechanism 92 downward. In this way, the cover 93 seals the gas supply port 72. On the other hand, the pressure adjustment nozzle 116 reduces the pressure by exhausting the gas from the pressure chamber 115, and pulls the lower end 117 downward by the negative pressure to move the opening and closing mechanism 92 upward. By this, the sealing of the gas supply port 72 by the cover 93 is released.

In the second embodiment, as the gas supply valve 33 of the FOUP 7, an elastic member called a Grommet type is used. However, as the gas supply valve 33, a material with high rigidity such as metal or plastic, which is called a so-called lip shape, may be used. In this case, the upper end of the corresponding nozzle unit 70 is formed by an elastic member 37 (refer to FIG. 20) which is a grommet type. In this way, the upper end of the gas supply valve 33 and the nozzle unit 70 is set to a relationship between an elastic member and a rigid member, or a relationship in which both are elastic members. With this, when the upper end of the gas injection device 70 is brought into contact with the gas supply valve 33, the protrusion 33a of the gas supply valve 33 can be brought into contact with the elastic member 37, and the airtightness can be achieved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the nitrogen supplied into the FOUP 7 from leaking to the outside.

In the second embodiment, the opening means 96 and the opening and closing The mechanism 92 is formed integrally. However, in order to make the assembly easy, the system can also be set as mutually independent components, and for example, it can be attached and detached as a relationship between the male screw 133 and the female screw 134 that restrict the relative position of the opening and closing mechanism 92 with respect to the opening means 96 The ground constitutes it. With this, assembly and exchange of the valve mechanism 92 become easy.

In addition, by adjusting the pressure of the nitrogen gas in the gas flow path 77, the gas supply port 72 may be sealed or released. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, at the supply nozzle 78, the first regulator 121 and the second regulator 122 connected in parallel with the flow controller 120 are connected. As a result, by driving the first regulator 121 that discharges high-pressure nitrogen gas, high-pressure nitrogen gas flows through the supply nozzle 78. With the pressure of the nitrogen gas, the opening and closing mechanism 92 is moved upward, and the sealing of the gas supply port 72 by the cover 93 is released. At this time, the exhaust valve 83 is closed. On the other hand, by driving the second regulator 122 that discharges low-pressure nitrogen gas, low-pressure nitrogen gas flows through the supply nozzle 78. With this low-pressure nitrogen gas, the opening and closing mechanism 92 is moved downward, and the gas supply port 72 is sealed by the lid 93.

In the first and second embodiments, the nozzle unit 70 is raised and lowered by the air cylinder 101. However, the system is not limited to this, and a configuration that does not raise and lower the nozzle unit 70 may be adopted. As shown in FIG. 22, the gas replacement mechanism 125 is equipped with a gas supply device (not shown) filled with inert gas, and supplies the inert gas into the FOUP 7 arranged at the mounting table 24. The gas replacement mechanism 125 is provided with a gas supply port 126 and a gas exhaust port 127. gas The supply port 126 is connected to the flushing port 128 for introduction of the mounting table 24, and the gas outlet 127 is connected to the flushing port 129 for exporting of the mounting table 24. With these members, the gas supply port 126 and the gas exhaust port 127 are fixed with respect to the mounting table 24, and have a structure that does not move up and down.

In the first and second embodiments, whether the FOUP 7 is fixed at an appropriate position is detected by the positioning sensor 60. However, the system is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 23, by detecting that the protrusion 130 provided at the bottom of the FOUP 7 will be provided at the upper part of the mounting table 24, the pressure feeling The pressing part 131a of the detector 131 performs the pressing to detect the proper positioning of the FOUP7.

In the foregoing embodiment, nitrogen is taken as an example as the inert gas, but the system is not limited to this, and a desired gas such as dry gas and argon may be used.

In the foregoing embodiment, although the positioning sensor is an optical sensor or a pressure sensor as an example, it is not limited to this, and a mechanical sensor or an electrical sensor can also be used.器等。

In the foregoing embodiment, although it is applied to the load port, the system is not limited to this. For example, it is also applicable to a flushing station (flushing device) device used to supply inert gas to the FOUP, a FOUP storage device equipped with a plurality of stages for storing a plurality of FOUPs, or a buffer device for temporarily placing FOUPs. Can be used.

7‧‧‧FOUP (container)

24‧‧‧Settable

33‧‧‧Gas supply valve

70‧‧‧Nozzle unit

71‧‧‧Nozzle body

72‧‧‧Gas supply port

73‧‧‧Carcass

74‧‧‧1st week wall

75‧‧‧2nd week wall

77‧‧‧Gas flow path

78‧‧‧Supply nozzle

79‧‧‧Supply flow path

81‧‧‧The first exhaust nozzle

82‧‧‧Exhaust flow path

86‧‧‧Locking part

87‧‧‧Above space

88‧‧‧Protruding Wall

90‧‧‧Pedest

96‧‧‧Open Means

97‧‧‧Supporting member (support department)

98‧‧‧Wall

99‧‧‧Through hole

101‧‧‧Air cylinder

Claims (6)

A nozzle unit is characterized in that it is provided with: a nozzle body, which has a gas supply port connected to a container containing the contents, and a gas flow path connected to the gas supply port; and a supply nozzle, which is connected to The gas flow path is connected, and the gas is supplied to the container through the gas supply port; and the exhaust nozzle is connected to the gas flow path and exhausts the gas flow path. The nozzle body faces The valve at the bottom of the aforementioned container forms a lift. The nozzle unit described in claim 1, wherein the nozzle body is provided with a body part forming the gas supply port, a first peripheral wall rising from the upper end surface of the body part, and In the upper space formed by the upper end surface of the body portion and the first peripheral wall, the gas flow path communicates with the upper space via the gas supply port. The nozzle unit described in item 1 or item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the supply nozzle and the exhaust nozzle are integrally formed. Such as the nozzle unit described in item 1 or item 2 of the scope of patent application, which is equipped with a pressure regulator for adjusting the pressure in the nozzle body. The adjustment means is to control the pressure in the nozzle body below a specific value when replacing the inside of the nozzle body with gas. For example, the nozzle unit described in item 1 or item 2 of the scope of patent application is provided with: the nozzle body, an opening and closing mechanism for sealing the gas supply port, and the opening and closing mechanism to be sealed by the opening and closing mechanism The opening means for opening the aforementioned gas supply port. A nozzle unit is characterized in that it is provided with: a nozzle body, which has a gas supply port connected to a container containing the contents, and a gas flow path connected to the gas supply port; and a supply nozzle, which is connected to The gas flow path is connected, and gas is supplied to the container through the gas supply port; and the exhaust nozzle is connected to the gas flow path and exhausts the gas flow path; and the opening and closing mechanism is It is provided with an elastic sealing member that is located in the upper space of the nozzle body and has an outer circumferential portion to seal the periphery of the gas supply port, and a fixing portion that fixes the elastic sealing member to the body of the nozzle body; and The means is to press the elastic sealing member to elastically deform it to release the sealed inert gas, and the nozzle body is raised and lowered relative to the valve at the bottom of the container.

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