WO2020136741A1

WO2020136741A1 - Substrate storage container

Info

Publication number: WO2020136741A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/047769
Authority: WO
Inventors: 聴子甲斐
Original assignee: ミライアル株式会社
Priority date: 2018-12-26
Filing date: 2018-12-26
Publication date: 2020-07-02
Also published as: TW202032700A

Abstract

A substrate storage container according to the present invention is configured such that at least one of a lateral substrate support 5, a back-side substrate support 6, and a lid-side substrate support 7 has, in a quantity corresponding to each of a plurality of substrates W stored in a substrate storage space 27, edge support parts 60 for supporting the edges of the substrates W. When viewed in the juxtaposed direction D2 of the substrates W, each of the edge support parts 60 has a contactable region 61 that projects in a direction toward the center of the substrate storage space 27 and that is capable of making contact with a substrate W, and uncontactable regions 62 that are adjacent to the contactable region 61, that are recessed as compared with the contactable region 61 in a direction away from the center of the substrate storage space 27, and that cannot make contact with the substrate W.

Description

Substrate storage container

The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used when storing, storing, transporting, transporting, etc. substrates made of semiconductor wafers and the like.

As a substrate storage container for storing and transporting a substrate made of a semiconductor wafer, a configuration including a container body and a lid has been conventionally known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

 A board storage space is formed inside the container body. The substrate storage space is formed so as to be surrounded by the wall portion, and can store a plurality of substrates. A substrate supporting portion (a groove formed between opposing supporting pieces) is provided inside the container body. The substrate supporting portion can support the edge portions of the plurality of substrates.

JP, 2009-283537, A JP, 2011-060877, A

　When the lid is open, the substrate is designed to be point contact (line contact when viewed three-dimensionally) even if it contacts the deep part of the substrate support. However, when the lid is closed, the substrate is pressed into the deep portion of the substrate supporting portion in order to suppress vibration during transportation. In that case, the substrate comes into line contact with the substrate supporting portion, and the contact area increases. If transportation or the like is performed in this state, the substrate and the substrate supporting portion are strongly rubbed by the vibration generated at that time, and as a result, particles are likely to be generated in the contact portion. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the generation of particles in the contact portion.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container that can reduce the generation of particles at the contact portion between the substrate and the substrate support portion.

The present invention includes a cylindrical wall portion having an opening peripheral edge portion in which a container body opening portion is formed at one end portion and the other end portion closed, and a plurality of substrates can be accommodated by the inner surface of the wall portion. And a container body in which a substrate storage space communicating with the container body opening is formed, a lid that is attachable to and detachable from the container body opening, and that can close the container body opening, and the substrate storage The substrates are arranged in pairs in the space, and when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, adjacent substrates of the plurality of substrates are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. A side substrate support portion capable of supporting the edge portions of the plurality of substrates and a portion of the lid body facing the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid body. And a lid-side substrate support portion capable of supporting the edge portions of the plurality of substrates and a lid-side substrate support portion in the substrate storage space, the edge of the plurality of substrates being arranged in pairs. A back side substrate support portion capable of supporting the plurality of substrates, in cooperation with the lid body side substrate support portion when the container body opening is closed by the lid body. At least one of the side substrate support portion, the back side substrate support portion, and the lid side substrate support portion corresponds to each of the plurality of substrates stored in the substrate storage space. A plurality of edge support portions, each having an edge support portion for supporting an edge portion of each substrate, the edge support portion, when viewed in a parallel direction of the plurality of substrates, Protruding in a direction approaching the center of the substrate storage space, a contactable area capable of contacting the substrate, adjacent to the contactable area, recessed from the contactable area in a direction away from the center of the substrate storage space, The present invention relates to a substrate storage container having an uncontactable region that cannot contact the substrate.

Moreover, it is preferable that the contactable region is recessed in a direction away from the center of the substrate housing space in a cross-sectional view taken along the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates. In addition, it is preferable that the contactable area is provided over the entire area of the edge support portion in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates. The center side of the substrate housing space in the contactable area is preferably linear, bump-shaped, or arc-shaped when viewed in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates. It is preferable that all or part of the edge supporting portion is made of a polybutylene terephthalate resin or an alloy of a polybutylene terephthalate resin and a polycarbonate resin. Further, the edge support portion is formed by insert molding or two-color molding with respect to at least one main body of the side substrate support portion, the back substrate support portion, and the lid side substrate support portion having the edge support portion. It is preferably integrally molded. Further, it is preferable that a surface of the contactable region facing the substrate is roughened.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container capable of reducing the generation of particles in the contact portion between the substrate and the substrate support portion.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where a plurality of substrates W are stored in the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the container main body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing lid 3 of substrate stowage container 1 concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the board|substrate support plate-shaped part 5 of the board|substrate storage container 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of a B part in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4. It is a C arrow line view of FIG. It is a partial expanded sectional view of a comparative example (FIG. 6 corresponding figure). It is a C arrow line view (FIG. 7 corresponding figure) of FIG. It is a photograph which shows the result of the test which confirms the effect of substrate storage container 1 concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a photograph which shows the result of the test of a comparative example.

Hereinafter, the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of substrates W are stored in a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the lid body 3 of the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Here, for convenience of description, the direction from the container body 2 to be described later to the lid body 3 (the direction from the upper right to the lower left in FIG. 1) is defined as the front direction D11, and the opposite direction is defined as the rear direction D12, These are collectively defined as the front-rear direction D1. A direction from the lower wall 24 to the upper wall 23 (upward direction in FIG. 1) is defined as an upward direction D21, and the opposite direction is defined as a downward direction D22, which are collectively referred to as a vertical direction D2. Define. Further, the direction from the second side wall 26 to the first side wall 25 described later (the direction from the lower right to the upper left in FIG. 1) is defined as the left direction D31, and the opposite direction is defined as the right direction D32. Are collectively defined as the left-right direction D3. The main figures show arrows indicating these directions.

Further, the substrate W (see FIG. 1) accommodated in the substrate accommodating container 1 is a disk-shaped silicon wafer, glass wafer, sapphire wafer, or the like, which is thin used in industry. The substrate W in this embodiment is a silicon wafer having a diameter of 300 mm.

As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate storage container 1 stores a substrate W made of a silicon wafer as described above, and is a shipping container for transporting the substrate W by transportation means such as land transportation means, air transportation means, and sea transportation means. The container main body 2 and the lid 3 are used. The container body 2 includes a substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 as a side substrate support portion and a back substrate support portion 6 (see FIG. 2 and the like). The lid 3 includes a front retainer 7 (see FIG. 3 and the like) as a lid-side substrate support portion.

The container body 2 has a cylindrical wall portion 20 in which a container body opening 21 is formed at one end and the other end is closed. A substrate storage space 27 is formed inside the container body 2. The substrate storage space 27 is formed so as to be surrounded by the wall portion 20. The substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 is arranged in a portion of the wall portion 20 that forms the substrate storage space 27. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.

The board supporting plate portions 5 are provided on the wall portion 20 so as to form a pair inside the board housing space 27. When the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid body 3, the substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 abuts the edge portions of the plurality of substrates W to separate adjacent substrates W from each other at a predetermined interval. The edge portions of the plurality of substrates W can be supported in a state where they are arranged side by side. On the back side of the substrate support plate-shaped portion 5, a back side substrate support portion 6 is provided integrally with the substrate support plate-shaped portion 5.

The back side substrate support portion 6 (see FIG. 2 etc.) is provided in the wall portion 20 inside the substrate storage space 27 so as to make a pair with a front retainer 7 (see FIG. 3 etc.) described later. The back side substrate support portion 6 can support the rear portion of the edge portions of the plurality of substrates W by contacting the edge portions of the plurality of substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. Is.

The lid 3 is attachable to and detachable from an opening peripheral portion 28 (FIG. 1 and the like) that forms the container body opening 21, and can close the container body opening 21. The front retainer 7 is provided in a portion of the lid body 3 that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid body 3. The front retainer 7 is arranged inside the substrate storage space 27 so as to form a pair with the back side substrate support portion 6.

The front retainer 7 can support the front portions of the edges of the plurality of substrates W by contacting the edges of the plurality of substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The front retainer 7 cooperates with the back-side substrate supporting portion 6 to support the plurality of substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid body 3, thereby predetermining the adjacent substrates W from each other. It is held in a state of being separated from each other and arranged in parallel.

The substrate storage container 1 is made of a resin such as a plastic material. Examples of the resin of the material include polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone, liquid crystal. Examples include thermoplastic resins such as polymers and alloys thereof. When imparting conductivity to the resins of these materials, conductive substances such as carbon fibers, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers are selectively added. Further, it is possible to add glass fiber, carbon fiber or the like to increase the rigidity.

Hereinafter, each part will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 of the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of portion B of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 7 is a view on arrow C of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 has an inner wall 22, an upper wall 23, a lower wall 24, a first side wall 25, and a second side wall 26. The inner wall 22, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are made of the above-mentioned materials and are integrally formed.

The first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 face each other, and the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 face each other. The rear end of the upper wall 23, the rear end of the lower wall 24, the rear end of the first side wall 25, and the rear end of the second side wall 26 are all connected to the back wall 22. The front end of the upper wall 23, the front end of the lower wall 24, the front end of the first side wall 25, and the front end of the second side wall 26 have a positional relationship facing the back wall 22 and have a substantially rectangular container body opening 21. Forming an opening peripheral edge portion 28 that forms

The opening peripheral edge portion 28 is provided at one end portion of the container body 2, and the back wall 22 is located at the other end portion of the container body 2. The outer shape of the container body 2 formed by the outer surface of the wall portion 20 is box-shaped. The inner surface of the wall portion 20, that is, the inner surface of the back wall 22, the inner surface of the upper wall 23, the inner surface of the lower wall 24, the inner surface of the first side wall 25, and the inner surface of the second side wall 26 are the substrate storage space surrounded by these. 27 is formed. The container body opening 21 formed in the opening peripheral portion 28 is surrounded by the wall 20 and communicates with the substrate storage space 27 formed inside the container body 2. A maximum of 25 substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the portions of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 in the vicinity of the opening peripheral edge portion 28, latch engagement concave portions 231A, 231B recessed outward of the substrate storage space 27. , 241A, 241B are formed. Four latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed near the left and right ends of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the outer surface of the upper wall 23, a rib 235 is provided integrally with the upper wall 23. The rib 235 enhances the rigidity of the container body 2. A top flange 236 is fixed to the center of the upper wall 23. The top flange 236 is a member that is a portion that is hung and hung in the substrate storage container 1 when suspending the substrate storage container 1 in an AMHS (automatic wafer transfer system), a PGV (wafer substrate transfer carriage), or the like.

The board support plate-shaped portions 5 are interior parts that are provided on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, respectively, and are arranged in the board storage space 27 so as to form a pair in the left-right direction D3. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the substrate supporting plate-shaped portion 5 has a plate portion 51 and a support wall 52 as a plate portion supporting portion. The plate portion 51 and the support wall 52 are formed by integrally molding a resin material, and the plate portion 51 is supported by the support wall 52.

The plate portion 51 has a plate-like substantially arc shape when viewed in the vertical direction D2. The plate portion 51 is provided on each of the first side wall 25 and the

second side wall

26, 25 sheets in total in the vertical direction D2, 50 sheets in total. Adjacent plate portions 51 are arranged in parallel with each other at intervals of 10 mm to 12 mm in the vertical direction D2. It should be noted that another plate-shaped member 59 is arranged in parallel with the plate portion 51 above the plate portion 51 located at the uppermost position. It is a member that plays a role of a guide for the substrate W to be inserted therein.

Further, the 25 plate portions 51 provided on the first side wall 25 and the 25 plate portions 51 provided on the second side wall 26 have a positional relationship of facing each other in the left-right direction D3. Further, the 50 plate portions 51 and the member 59 that functions as a plate-shaped guide parallel to the plate portion 51 have a positional relationship parallel to the inner surface of the lower wall 24. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like,

convex portions

511 and 512 are provided on the upper surface of the plate portion 51. The substrate W supported by the plate portion 51 contacts only the protruding ends of the

protrusions

511 and 512, and does not contact the plate portion 51 on the surface.

The support wall 52 has a plate shape extending in the vertical direction D2 and the substantially front-back direction D1. As shown in FIG. 4, the support wall 52 has a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the plate portion 51 and is connected to the side edge of the plate portion 51. The plate-shaped support wall 52 is curved to the substrate storage space 27 along the outer edge of the plate portion 51.

That is, the 25 plate portions 51 provided on the first side wall 25 are connected to the support wall 52 provided on the first side wall 25 side. Similarly, the 25 plate portions 51 provided on the second side wall 26 are connected to the support wall 52 provided on the second side wall 26 side. The support wall 52 is fixed to the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, respectively.

The substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 having such a configuration has a plurality of substrates W in a state where adjacent substrates W of the plurality of substrates W are separated from each other at a predetermined interval and are in a parallel positional relationship with each other. Can support the edges of the.

[Back edge support 60]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the back substrate support portion 6 has a back edge support portion 60 as an edge support portion and a main body other than the back edge support portion 60. .. The back side edge portion support portion 60 is formed integrally with the main body of the back side substrate support portion 6, the plate portion 51, and the support wall 52 on the rear side of the plate portion 51 of the substrate support plate-shaped portion 5. Therefore, the substrate supporting plate-shaped portion 5 as the side substrate supporting portion and the back side substrate supporting portion 6 constitute one combined interior component fixed to the container body 2 inside the container body 2. .. The integral molding is performed by insert molding or two-color molding, for example.

The back side edge support portions 60 are provided in a number corresponding to each of the substrates W that can be stored in the substrate storage space 27, specifically, 25 pieces. The rear side edge portion support portions 60 arranged on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 have a positional relationship in the front-rear direction D1 so as to form a pair with a front retainer 7 described later.

As shown in FIG. 5, the back side edge portion support portion 60 has a lower contact surface 63, a lower inclined portion 601, a groove top portion 603, and an upper inclined portion 602 in the vertical direction D2. ing.
The lower contact surface 63 contacts the edge of the back surface of the substrate W and supports the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3.
The lower sloped portion 601, the groove top 603, and the upper sloped portion 602 are arranged above the lower contact surface 63 in this order toward the upper direction D21, and the edge portion of the substrate W is engageable. A V-shaped groove, which is a concave groove that is recessed so as to be separated from the center of the substrate housing space 27, is formed. The groove top portion 603 constitutes the deepest portion of the V-shaped groove.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the back side edge portion support portion 60 has a contactable area 61 and a contactless area 62 when viewed in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, the vertical direction D2). And. The contactable area 61 is an area that protrudes in a direction approaching the center of the substrate housing space 27 and can contact the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed. The uncontactable region 62 is adjacent to the contactable region 61, is recessed from the contactable region 61 in the direction away from the center of the substrate housing space 27, and does not contact the substrate W when the container body opening is closed. This is a possible area.

Since the non-contact area 62 is an area that cannot contact the substrate W, it does not directly contribute to the support of the substrate W. However, the region supporting the substrate W is required to have high strength and a certain size (width) in the D1-D3 plane direction is required, and thus the non-contactable region 62 is required.

In the present embodiment, when viewed in the up-down direction D2, the contactable region 61 is formed in a convex shape at the center of the back side edge support portion 60 in the circumferential direction of the substrate in the substrate supported state. There is. The non-contactable regions 62 are provided on both sides in the circumferential direction with respect to one convex (partially protruding) contactable region 61 (two in total).
Note that a plurality of contactable areas 61 may be provided in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the contactable area 61 is a substrate storage space in a cross-sectional view taken along the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, a cross-sectional view taken along a plane including the vertical direction D2). It is recessed in a direction away from the center of 27.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the contactable area 61 is provided over the entire area of the back side edge support portion 60 in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, the vertical direction D2). The contactable area 61 does not have to be provided over the entire area of the back side edge support portion 60.

As shown in FIG. 6, the center side of the substrate housing space 27 in the contactable area 61 is linear when viewed in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, the vertical direction D2).
The center side of the substrate housing space 27 in the contactable area 61 may have a bump shape or an arc shape. The bump-like contactable area 61 supports the substrate W on the contactable area 61 in a form of contacting only the protruding end of the bump. The arc shape is widely understood and may be any shape that forms one convex shape as a whole.

At least the surface of the contactable area 61 facing the substrate W is roughened. As a result, the coefficient of friction can be made relatively lower than that of the portion that has been roughened, as compared to the portion that has not been roughened. The rough surface processing may be performed on a surface other than the surface facing the substrate W.

In the vertical direction D2, portions of the contactable area 61, which are respectively located on the lower sloped portion 601, the groove top 603, and the upper sloped portion 602, are respectively included in the lower contactable area 611, the rear side contactable area 613, and It is referred to as the upper contactable area 612. Of the non-contactable area 62, the portions located on the lower sloped portion 601, the groove top 603, and the upper sloped portion 602 are respectively referred to as a lower contactless area 621, a rear contactless area 623, and an upper contact. It is called impossible area 622.

Specifically, the lower contactable area 611 of the contactable area 61 is inclined from the lower contact surface 63 so as to be separated from the center (left side in FIG. 7) of the substrate storage space 27 as it goes in the upward direction D21. The back end of the substrate W slides. The inner contactable area 613, which is a connecting portion connecting the inclined portions of the lower contactable area 611 and the upper contactable area 612, has a substantially V shape connected to the upper end of the lower contactable area 611. It has a supporting surface that bends to support the edge of the substrate W. The upper contactable area 612 is configured by an inclined portion that extends obliquely from the upper end of the rear contactable area 613 so as to approach the center (left side in FIG. 7) of the substrate storage space 27 as it moves in the upward direction D21. Has been done.

When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid body 3, the substrate W slides up against the lower contactable region 611, and the substrate W is positioned at the top of the V-shaped groove (groove top 603). Edge of the front surface of the substrate W and the edge of the back surface of the substrate W respectively abut on the back-side contactable area 613, the back-side contactable area 613 forms an edge portion of the substrate W in the V-shaped groove. To support.

The uncontactable region 62 does not support the substrate W, but is in contact with the contactable region 61 in a cross-sectional view taken along the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, a cross-sectional view taken along a plane including the vertical direction D2). It has a similar shape.

The non-contact area 62 is recessed in a direction away from the center of the substrate housing space 27 in a cross-sectional view taken along the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, a cross-sectional view taken along a plane including the vertical direction D2). I'm out. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the non-contact area 62 is provided over the entire area of the back side edge support portion 60 in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates W (that is, the vertical direction D2).

The lower uncontactable area 621 of the uncontactable area 62 is inclined from the lower contact surface 63 so as to be separated from the center (the left side in FIG. 7) of the substrate housing space 27 as it goes in the upward direction D21. It is composed of an extending inclined portion. The rear uncontactable region 623, which is a connecting portion connecting the inclined portions of the lower uncontactable region 621 and the upper uncontactable region 622, is connected to the upper end of the lower uncontactable region 621. It has a surface that bends in a V shape. The upper uncontactable region 622 is inclined to extend from the upper end of the inner rear uncontactable region 623 so as to approach the center of the substrate storage space 27 (left side in FIG. 7) as it advances in the upward direction D21. It is composed by.

The contact width T1 (see FIG. 6) between the substrate W and the back side edge portion support portion 60 (contactable area 61) is, when the container body opening portion 21 is closed and in a state where there is no displacement due to vibration or the like, For example, it is 10 mm or less, preferably 1 to 2 mm.

The back side edge support portion 60 may be made of the same material as a whole, or may be made of different materials. For example, the entire back side edge support portion 60 may be made of polybutylene terephthalate resin (PBT) or an alloy of polybutylene terephthalate resin and polycarbonate. Regarding the contactable area 61, the lower contactable area 611 is made of polybutylene terephthalate resin (PBT) or an alloy of polybutylene terephthalate resin and polycarbonate resin, and the upper contactable area 612 and the back side contactable area 612 are formed. 613 may be made of a polycarbonate resin (PC) having higher abrasion resistance than PBT.

[Cover 3]
As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the lid 3 has a substantially rectangular shape that substantially matches the shape of the opening peripheral edge portion 28 of the container body 2. The lid body 3 is attachable to and detachable from the opening peripheral edge portion 28 of the container body 2, and the lid body 3 can close the container body opening portion 21 by mounting the lid body 3 on the opening peripheral edge portion 28. .. At the position of the inner surface of the lid body 3 (the surface on the back side of the lid body 3 shown in FIG. 1) in the direction D12 immediately behind the opening peripheral edge portion 28 when the lid body 3 closes the container body opening portion 21. An annular seal member 4 is attached to the surface facing the surface of the formed step (sealing surface 281). The sealing member 4 is made of elastically deformable polyester-based or polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomer, fluororubber, silicon rubber, or the like. The seal member 4 is arranged so as to go around the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid body 3.

When the lid body 3 is attached to the opening peripheral edge portion 28, the sealing member 4 is sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 and the inner surface of the lid body 3 and elastically deforms, and the lid body 3 seals the container body opening portion 21. Closed in a closed state. By removing the lid body 3 from the opening peripheral edge portion 28, the substrate W can be taken in and out of the substrate housing space 27 in the container body 2.

The lid 3 is provided with a latch mechanism. The latch mechanism is provided in the vicinity of both left and right ends of the lid body 3, and as shown in FIG. 1, two upper latch portions 32A capable of protruding from the upper side of the lid body 3 in the upward direction D21, and the lid body 3 of the lid body 3. Two lower latch portions 32B that can project from the lower side in the downward direction D22 are provided. The two upper latch portions 32A are arranged near the left and right ends of the upper side of the lid body 3, and the two lower latch portions 32B are arranged near the left and right ends of the lower side of the lid body 3.

An operation part 33 is provided on the outer surface of the lid 3. By operating the operation portion 33 from the front side of the lid body 3, the upper side latch portion 32A and the lower side latch portion 32B can be made to project from the upper side and the lower side of the lid body 3, and in a state where they are not made to project from the upper side and the lower side. can do. The upper latch portion 32A projects from the upper side of the lid body 3 in the upward direction D21 and engages with the latch engagement recesses 231A and 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch portion 32B extends downward from the lower side of the lid body 3. The lid body 3 is fixed to the opening peripheral edge portion 28 of the container body 2 by projecting to D22 and engaging with the

latch engagement recesses

241A and 241B of the container body 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the lid body 3, a recess 34 is formed which is recessed outward of the substrate storage space 27. A front retainer 7 is fixedly provided on a portion of the lid 3 inside the recess 34.

The front retainer 7 has a front retainer board receiving portion 73. Two front retainer board receiving portions 73 are arranged in pairs in the left-right direction D3 so as to be separated from each other at a predetermined interval. The two front retainer board receiving portions 73, which are arranged two by two in such a pair, are provided in parallel with each other in the vertical direction D2, and are supported by elastically deformable legs. .. When the substrate W is stored in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the front retainer substrate receiving portion 73 causes the edge of the edge of the substrate W to move toward the substrate storage space 27 due to the elastic force of the legs. It is clamped and supported while being urged toward the center of.

[Closing operation]
Next, in the substrate storage container 1 described above, an operation when the substrate W is stored in the substrate storage space 27 and the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the container body 2 is arranged such that the front-rear direction D1 and the left-right direction D3 are in a positional relationship parallel to the horizontal plane. Next, the plurality of substrates W are placed on the

convex portions

511 and 512 of the plate portion 51 of the substrate supporting plate-shaped portion 5 and the lower contact surface 63 of the inner edge supporting portion 60, respectively.

Next, the lid 3 is moved closer to the container body opening 21, and the substrate W is brought into contact with the front retainer substrate receiving portion 73 of the front retainer 7. Then, when the lid 3 is further brought closer to the container body opening 21, the rear edge of the edge of the substrate W in contact with the lower contact surface 63 has a rear edge support 60. The lower contactable area 611 of the contactable area 61 is abutted, and the lower contactable area 611 slides and rises.

When the substrate W reaches the position of the groove top 603 which is the top of the V-shaped groove, the front edge and the back edge of the substrate W are brought into contact with and supported by the groove top 603.

[Effect confirmation test]
Next, a test was conducted to confirm the effect of this embodiment. In the test, the rear side edge support portion 60 (Example) having the contactable area 61 and the non-contactable area 62 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and the contact area P61 shown in FIGS. It was compared with the back side edge portion support portion P60 (comparative example) which does not have a contactable region protruding to the inside. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged sectional view (corresponding to FIG. 6) of the comparative example. FIG. 9 is a view taken in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 8 (corresponding to FIG. 7). FIG. 10 is a photograph showing a result of a test for confirming the effect of the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a photograph showing the results of the test of the comparative example.

A particle adhesion amount comparison test was conducted for each of the example (n=25) and the comparative example (n=25). A substrate edge inspection machine was used as a test machine. The constituent material of the back side edge support portion is polybutylene terephthalate resin. Surfaces facing the substrate in the contactable area 61 of the example and the contact area P61 of the comparative example are roughened. The surface roughness is about 50 μm (rough medium). The center side of the substrate storage space 27 in the contactable area 61 of the embodiment is linear. The center side of the substrate housing space in the contact area P61 of the comparative example is linear. The areas P611, P612, and P613 in FIG. 9 correspond to the

areas

611, 612, and 613 in FIG. 7, respectively. Substrates were respectively stored in the substrate storage containers of Examples and Comparative Examples, and given vibrations were given for a given time to compare the amount of particles generated. Specifically, the substrate storage container in which the substrate W is stored was vibrated at an acceleration of 0.35 G for 5 minutes in the front-back direction when the lid side was directed to the top surface.

Thereby, the adhesion range of particles generated in the contact portion between the back side edge support portion 60 of the example or the back side edge support portion P60 of the comparative example and the substrate is quantified in the following three stages (level conversion). did.
Level 1: (indicating the inspection result) Adhesion of less than 1/3 of the width of the screen of the monitor Level 2: Adhesion of 1/3 or more and less than 2/3 of the width of the screen of the monitor Level 3: of the screen of the monitor Adhesion of 2/3 or more in the width direction The results of Examples and Comparative Examples (each of which is an average when n=25) are as follows.
Example: Level 1
Comparative Example: Level 3

As shown in the above results, in the comparative example including the back side edge support portion P60 having the contact area P61 (no partially protruding contactable area), the amount of adhered particles is large (Level 3). On the other hand, it can be seen that the amount of adhered particles is reduced (Level 1) in the embodiment including the back side edge support portion 60 having the contactable area 61 and the contactless area 62.

For example, in the comparative example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, since the contactable area 61 in the embodiment is not provided, the contact width T2 between the substrate W and the back side edge support portion P60 (contact area P61). (Contact area) becomes large. On the other hand, in the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, since the contactable area 61 is provided, the contact width T1 (contact) between the substrate W and the back side edge supporting portion 60 (contactable area 61) is set. Area) is small.

[Effect of Embodiment]
According to the substrate storage container 1 according to the embodiment having the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
The substrate storage container 1 of the embodiment includes an opening peripheral portion 28 having a container body opening 21 formed at one end and a cylindrical wall portion 20 closed at the other end, and an inner surface of the wall portion 20. The container body 2 in which a plurality of substrates W can be stored and the substrate housing space 27 communicating with the container body opening 21 is formed, and the container body 2 can be attached to and detached from the container body opening 21. Of the plurality of substrates W, which are arranged so as to form a pair with the lid body 3 capable of closing the inside of the substrate housing space 27 and the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid body 3. The container main body opening 21 is formed by the side substrate support portion (substrate support plate-shaped portion 5) capable of supporting the edge portions of the plurality of substrates W and the lid body 3 in a state where they are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. When the substrate is closed, the lid-side substrate support portion (front retainer 7), which is arranged in the portion of the lid 3 facing the substrate storage space 27 and can support the edge portions of the plurality of substrates W, and the substrate storage. It is arranged so as to form a pair with the lid-side substrate supporting portion (front retainer 7) in the space 27, can support the edge portions of the plurality of substrates W, and the lid body 3 closes the container body opening 21. And a back side substrate support portion 6 capable of supporting a plurality of substrates W in cooperation with the lid side substrate support portion (front retainer 7). The back side substrate support portion 6 is an edge support portion (back side edge support portion 60) provided in a number corresponding to each of the plurality of substrates W accommodated in the substrate accommodation space 27, and each of the edge side support portions 60 is provided. It has an edge support portion (back side edge support portion 60) that supports the edge portion of the substrate W. The edge support portion (back side edge support portion 60) protrudes in a direction approaching the center of the substrate storage space 27 and comes into contact with the substrate W when viewed in the parallel direction (vertical direction D2) of the plurality of substrates W. A contactable area 61 that can be contacted and a contactable area 62 that is adjacent to the contactable area 61, is recessed from the contactable area 61 in a direction away from the center of the substrate housing space 27, and cannot contact the substrate W. Have.

In the substrate storage container 1 of the embodiment, the substrate W does not come into contact with the non-contactable region 62 of the back side edge support portion 60, so that the contact between the substrate W and the back side substrate support portion 6 can come into contact with the substrate W. Only contact with the area 61 is made. As a result, the contact area between the substrate W and the backside substrate supporting portion 6 can be reduced, and as a result, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container that can reduce the generation of particles at the contact portion between the substrate and the substrate supporting portion. ..

Further, the contactable area 61 is provided over the entire area of the edge supporting portion (back side edge supporting portion 60) in the parallel direction (vertical direction D2) of the plurality of substrates W. Therefore, it is possible to further ensure that the contact between the substrate W and the back side substrate supporting portion 6 is only the contact between the substrate W and the contactable area 61.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified within the technical scope described in the claims.

For example, the shapes of the container body and the lid, the number and size of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body are the shapes of the container body 2 and the lid 3 in this embodiment, the number of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2, The size is not limited. That is, the configurations of the side substrate support portion, the lid side substrate support portion, and the back side substrate support portion are not limited to the configurations of the substrate support plate-shaped portion 5, the front retainer 7, and the back side substrate support portion 6. The substrate W in this embodiment is a silicon wafer having a diameter of 300 mm, but the value is not limited to this value.

Further, in the embodiment, the configuration of the “edge support portion” in the present invention is applied to the rear edge support portion 60 of the rear substrate support portion 6, but the configuration is not limited to this. The "edge support portion" in at least one of the side substrate support portion (substrate support plate portion 5), the back side substrate support portion (back side substrate support portion 6), and the lid side substrate support portion (front retainer 7). The configuration of the "edge support portion" in the present invention may be applied to ".
The back side substrate support portion is configured by the back side substrate support portion 6 in the present embodiment, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the rear side substrate support portion may be configured by a rear retainer integrally formed on the container body.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to both a substrate storage container for shipping (FOSB) and a substrate storage container for inside process (FOUP).

1 Substrate Storage Container 2 Container Main Body 3 Lid 5 Substrate Support Plate-Shaped Part (Side Side Substrate Support)
6 Back side substrate support 7 Front retainer (cover side substrate support)
20 Wall Part 21 Container Main Body Opening 28 Opening Perimeter 27 Substrate Storage Space 60 Back Side Edge Support (Edge Support)
61 contactable area 62 contactless area D2 vertical direction (parallel direction of substrates)
W board

Claims

The container has an opening peripheral portion having a container body opening formed at one end and a cylindrical wall portion having the other end closed, and the inside surface of the wall portion can accommodate a plurality of substrates. A container main body in which a substrate storage space communicating with the main body opening is formed,
A lid that is attachable to and detachable from the container body opening, and that can close the container body opening.
The substrates are arranged in pairs in the substrate storage space, and when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, the adjacent substrates of the plurality of substrates are separated from each other at a predetermined interval. A side substrate support part capable of supporting the edge parts of the plurality of substrates in a juxtaposed state,
A lid-side substrate support portion that is arranged at a portion of the lid body facing the substrate storage space and can support the edge portions of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid body. When,
It is arranged so as to form a pair with the lid-side substrate support portion in the substrate storage space, is capable of supporting the edge portions of the plurality of substrates, and when the container body opening portion is closed by the lid body. A back side substrate support part capable of supporting the plurality of substrates in cooperation with the lid side substrate support part;
At least one of the side substrate support portion, the back side substrate support portion, and the lid side substrate support portion is provided in a number corresponding to each of the plurality of substrates stored in the substrate storage space. An edge support, each having an edge support that supports an edge of each substrate,
The edge support portion protrudes in a direction approaching the center of the substrate storage space when viewed in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates, and is adjacent to the contactable region that can contact the substrate and the contactable region. A substrate storage container having a contact-impossible region that is recessed from the contact-possible region in a direction away from the center of the substrate storage space and that cannot contact the substrate.
The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the contactable region is recessed in a direction away from the center of the substrate storage space in a cross-sectional view taken along the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates.
The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contactable region is provided over the entire area of the edge support portion in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates.
4. The center side of the substrate housing space in the contactable area has a linear shape, a bump shape, or an arc shape when viewed in the parallel direction of the plurality of substrates. Board storage container.
The substrate storage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein all or part of the edge support portion is made of a polybutylene terephthalate resin or an alloy of a polybutylene terephthalate resin and a polycarbonate resin. container.
The edge support part is integrally formed by insert molding or two-color molding with at least one main body of the side substrate support part, the back side substrate support part, and the lid side substrate support part having the edge support part. The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is provided.
The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a surface of the contactable area facing the substrate is roughened.