JP7514974B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a substrate storage container.

A substrate storage container (FOUP) used in semiconductor manufacturing processes comprises a container body that stores substrates, and a lid that can be attached and detached to the open front of the container body. The lid has a locking means for engaging with the container body to close the opening of the container body, and a locking means opening is formed on the side of the lid, through which the locking means can move freely back and forth.

This type of substrate storage container is washed after use and reused. When the lid is washed, cleaning water flows into the inside of the lid. At this time, the cleaning water flows into the inside of the lid mainly through the four locking means openings formed on the side of the lid. Also, when drying after cleaning, the cleaning water mainly flows out from the four locking means openings.

However, when washing and drying the lid, if the drying is insufficient, some of the washing water may remain inside the lid. This can be prevented by extending the drying time, but in recent years, there has been a demand to shorten the drying time in order to improve the cycle of the washing and drying process. In addition, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, gases used (such as chlorine) may flow into and remain inside the lid, corroding metal parts, so there is also a demand to improve the breathability of the lid.

Therefore, a substrate storage container has been proposed in which multiple flow ports are formed on the front part of the lid, and cleaning water and the like are allowed to flow in and out through these flow ports (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 4321950

However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, water is likely to remain on the inside of the side of the lid, especially on the inside of the lower of the four side of the lid when the lid is propped up to dry.

Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention aims to provide a lid for a substrate storage container that can prevent water from remaining inside the lid when the lid is washed and dried.

In one aspect, a substrate storage container for use in a semiconductor manufacturing process is provided, which comprises a container body for storing substrates, and a lid that can be attached and detached to the open front of the container body, the lid having a side portion and a locking means for engaging with the container body to close the opening of the container body, the side portion having a locking means opening through which the locking means can be moved back and forth, and a ventilation opening.

In one aspect, the present invention makes it possible to prevent water from remaining inside the lid when the lid is washed and dried.

1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a main portion of the cover showing a second embodiment of the ventilation opening. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a main portion of a cover showing a third embodiment of a ventilation opening.

Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that since at least the front surface of the lid in this embodiment is made of a transparent material, the drawings show a see-through view of the internal components of the lid.

Figure 1 is an exploded schematic perspective view showing a substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lid body 20, Figure 3 is a front view of the lid body 20, Figure 4 is a plan view of the lid body 20, and Figure 5 is a side view of the lid body 20.

(Substrate storage container)
As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate storage container 1 includes a container body 10 for storing substrates W, and a lid 20 for closing an opening 11 of the container body 10 .

(Container body)
The container body 10 is a box-shaped body and is of a front-open type with an opening 11 formed on the front. The opening 11 is bent with a step so as to widen outward, and the surface of the step is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the front of the opening 11 as a sealing surface 12. The container body 10 is preferably of a front-open type because it is easy to insert a substrate W with a diameter of 300 mm or 450 mm, but may also be of a bottom-open type with the opening 11 formed on the bottom surface.

Support bodies 13 are arranged on both the left and right sides inside the container body 10. The support bodies 13 have the function of placing and positioning the substrate W. The support body 13 has multiple grooves formed in the height direction, constituting so-called groove teeth. The substrate W is placed on the two groove teeth on the left and right at the same height. The material of the support body 13 may be the same as that of the container body 10, but a different material may be used to improve heat resistance, cleanability, and sliding properties.

In this embodiment, as an example, the substrate storage container 1 is a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod), but may be a container used for other purposes such as a FOSB (Front Opening Shipping Box). In the case of a FOSB, the support 13 may have a substrate holding portion, for example, a "L"-shaped or linear-shaped, at the rear side of the groove teeth, so that the front retainer 30 and the substrate holding portion hold the substrate W. These support 13 and rear retainer are provided in the container body 10 by insert molding or fitting. However, in a modified example, a rear retainer (not shown) may be disposed at the rear (rear side) inside the container body 10. In this case, the rear retainer may hold the substrate W in a pair with the front retainer 30 described later when the lid body 20 is closed. These supports 13 and rear retainers are attached to the container body 10 by insert molding, fitting, etc.

The substrate W is supported by the support 13 and stored in the container body 10. An example of the substrate W is a silicon wafer, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, a quartz wafer, a gallium arsenide wafer, a glass wafer, a resin wafer, etc.

A robotic flange 14 is detachably attached to the center of the ceiling of the container body 10. The substrate storage container 1 containing the substrates W in a clean state is grasped by the robotic flange 14 by a transport robot in the factory and transported to a processing device for each process that processes the substrates W.

In addition, manual handles 15 that can be gripped by the operator are detachably attached to the center of the outer surface of both sides of the container body 10.

The bottom surface of the container body 10 is provided with, for example, an intake valve 18 and an exhaust valve 19 having a check valve function. These valves supply an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or dry air to the inside of the substrate storage container 1 closed by the lid 20 through the intake valve 18 and exhaust the gas through the exhaust valve 19 to replace the gas inside the substrate storage container 1 and maintain an airtight state. Note that the intake valve 18 and the exhaust valve 19 are preferably located at a position away from the position where the substrate W is projected onto the bottom surface, but the number and positions of the intake valves 18 and the exhaust valves 19 are not limited to those shown in the figure. In addition, the intake valves 18 and the exhaust valves 19 have filters for filtering gas. Note that at least one of the intake valves 18 and the exhaust valves 19 may be in the form of a two-way valve instead of a check valve.

The internal gas is replaced for the purposes of blowing away impurities on the stored substrates W and lowering the internal humidity, thereby maintaining the cleanliness of the inside of the substrate storage container 1 during transport. Whether the gas is being replaced reliably can be confirmed by detecting gas on the exhaust valve 19 side. When the internal gas is replaced or when the lid 20 is attached to the container body 10 and closed, the inside of the substrate storage container 1 becomes positive pressure, and conversely, when the lid 20 is removed from the container body 10, the inside of the substrate storage container 1 becomes negative pressure.

(Lid)
The lid body 20 has a generally rectangular shape and is attached to the front of the opening 11 of the container body 10. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the lid body 20 includes a lid body 21 and a pair of locking mechanisms 24 (an example of a locking means) that are installed on the lid body 21 and lock the lid body 21, and is detachably fitted to the front of the opening of the container body 10.

The lid body 21 includes a surface plate 22 that constitutes the front surface 21a of the lid body 21, and a back surface plate 23 that constitutes the rear surface 21b and four side surfaces 21c to 21f of the lid body 21.

A pair of locking operation holes 21g for operating the locking mechanism 24 are formed on the front surface 21a of the lid body 21.

Of the four side surfaces 21c to 21f of the lid body 21, the upper side surface 21c and the lower side surface 21d are each formed with a pair of recesses 21h (an example of a locking mechanism opening) through which the locking claws 25 of the locking mechanism 24 emerge and retract.

Multiple reinforcing ribs 21i, 21j are provided on the back side of the rear surface 21b of the lid body 21 (the inside side of the lid body 20). The reinforcing ribs 21i are provided radially on the back surface of the rear surface 21b to reinforce the rear surface 21b. The reinforcing ribs 21j (an example of a rib) are provided between the peripheral edge of the back surface of the rear surface 21b and the back surfaces of the side surfaces 21c to 21f, mainly reinforcing the side surfaces 21c to 21f. In a modified example, the reinforcing ribs 21i may be omitted.

Each locking mechanism 24 is rotatably supported by the lid body 21 and includes a rotating plate 26 that engages with a locking operation key (not shown), a pair of connecting plates 27 that are connected to the rotating plate 26 and slide up and down as the rotating plate 26 rotates, and a locking claw 25 that is provided at the tip of each connecting plate 27 and appears and disappears from the recessed hole 21h as the connecting plate 27 slides. The locking claw 25 protruding from the recessed hole 21h fits into the locking hole 10a formed in the container body 10, thereby locking the locking mechanism 24 and restricting removal of the lid body 20.

In addition, the lid body 21 has an elastic front retainer 30 that holds the front edge of the substrate W horizontally attached or integrally formed in the center of the rear surface 21b in a removable manner.

The front retainer 30, like the groove teeth and substrate holding portion of the support 13, is a part that comes into direct contact with the wafer, so a material with good washability and sliding properties is used. The front retainer 30 can also be provided in the lid 20 by insert molding or fitting.

Materials for the container body 10 and the lid 20 include, for example, thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, and liquid crystal polymer. This thermoplastic resin may further contain conductive agents such as conductive carbon, conductive fiber, metal fiber, and conductive polymer, various antistatic agents, and ultraviolet absorbing agents, as appropriate.

(Ventilation opening)
Next, the ventilation openings 21m, 21n, which are a main part of the present disclosure, will be described with reference to FIGS.

The cover 20 has ventilation openings 21m, 21n on at least one of the side portions 21c to 21f. When the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are provided on the side portions 21c, 21d of the cover 20, the side portions 21c, 21d are provided with not only the exit hole 21h through which the locking claw 25 of the locking mechanism 24 exits, but also the ventilation openings 21m, 21n. The ventilation openings 21m, 21n, like the exit hole 21h, connect the inside and outside of the cover 20. Therefore, when washing the cover 20, in addition to the four exit holes 21h formed on the side portions 21c, 21d of the cover 20, washing water flows into the inside of the cover 20 from the ventilation openings 21m, 21n, and also when drying after washing, washing water flows out from the ventilation openings 21m, 21n in addition to the four exit holes 21h.

These ventilation openings 21m, 21n increase the opening area that connects the inside and outside of the lid body 20, which not only promotes the inflow and outflow of cleaning water when cleaning the lid body 20, but also improves the breathability of the lid body 20. In addition, the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are formed on one of the side portions 21c to 21f, rather than on the front portion 21a of the lid body 20, which prevents water from remaining inside the side portions 21c to 21f of the lid body 20. In particular, when drying the lid body 20 by standing it upright, the side portions 21c to 21f on which the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are formed can be placed downward to allow cleaning water remaining inside the lid body 20 to flow out quickly.

It is preferable that the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are provided on at least one of the upper side portion 21c and the lower side portion 21d of the four side portions 21c to 21f. In this way, the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are formed on the upper side portion 21c or the lower side portion 21d, which are likely to be on the lower side when the lid body 20 is leaned up to dry, so that the efficiency of water drainage can be improved when the lid body 20 is leaned up to dry. In addition, the upper side portion 21c and the lower side portion 21d are provided with the exit hole 21h, so that the opening area of the side portions 21c, 21d can be expanded together with the exit hole 21h, and the efficiency of water drainage and breathability can be further improved.

It is preferable that the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are provided in the upper side portion 21c and the lower side portion 21d of the four side portions 21c to 21f, and/or in the left side portion 21e and the right side portion 21f. In other words, it is preferable that the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are provided in at least two opposing side portions 21c to 21f of the four side portions 21c to 21f. In this way, air passes linearly from the inside to the outside of the lid body 20, further improving the breathability of the lid body 20.

The opening ratio of the ventilation openings 21m, 21n of one of the side portions 21c to 21f on which the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are provided is preferably 30 to 80%. In other words, when the area of one of the side portions 21c to 21f on which the ventilation openings 21m, 21n are provided is S1, and the opening area of the ventilation openings 21m, 21n on the one of the side portions 21c to 21f is S2, it is preferable that S2/S1 is between 0.3 and 0.8. The reason is that if S2/S1 is less than 0.3, the water drainage efficiency and breathability of the lid body 20 are not sufficiently improved, and conversely, if S2/S1 exceeds 0.8, the strength of the lid body 20 is reduced.

The ventilation openings 21m, 21n in this embodiment have a rectangular opening shape, and are provided in multiple locations on each of the side sections 21c to 21f. Specifically, the upper side section 21c and the lower side section 21d have one ventilation opening 21m between a pair of ventilation holes 21h that is wider than the ventilation holes 21h, and two ventilation openings 21n that are narrower than the ventilation holes 21h. In this way, it is possible to prevent a decrease in strength compared to when the same opening area is achieved with a single ventilation opening.

The ventilation openings 21m and 21n are formed at positions that avoid the reinforcing rib 21j mentioned above. In this way, the reinforcing effect of the reinforcing rib 21j can be maintained while ensuring the necessary opening area.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or some of the components of the above-mentioned embodiments.

For example, the opening shape of the ventilation openings is not limited to the rectangular ventilation openings 21m and 21n as in the above embodiment. For example, it may be a circular ventilation opening 21p as shown in FIG. 6 or a slit-shaped ventilation opening 21q as shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, the number of ventilation openings formed in one side portion 21c to 21f is not limited to three as in the above embodiment, and may be two or less. It may also be four or more as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. In this case, the rigidity of the lid can be increased more efficiently than in other embodiments.

1 Substrate storage container 10 Container body 10a Locking hole 11 Opening 12 Sealing surface 13 Support body 14 Robotic flange 15 Manual handle 18 Air intake valve 19 Exhaust valve 20 Lid body 21 Lid body 21a Front surface 21b Rear surface 21c Side surface 21d Side surface 21e Side surface 21f Side surface 21g Locking operation hole 21h Access hole (locking means opening)
21i Reinforcement rib 21j Reinforcement rib (rib)
21m Ventilation opening 21n Ventilation opening 21p Ventilation opening 21q Ventilation opening 22 Surface plate 23 Back plate 24 Locking mechanism (locking means)
25: locking claw 26: rotating plate 27: connecting plate 30: front retainer W: substrate

Claims (3)

A substrate storage container used in a semiconductor manufacturing process,
A container body for storing the substrate;
a lid body that can be detachably attached to the open front surface of the container body,
the lid body has a side surface and a locking means for engaging with the container body to close the opening of the container body,
The side surface portion has a locking means opening through which the locking means can freely move forward and backward;
A ventilation opening that communicates the inside and outside of the lid body and improves the breathability of the lid body ,
A pair of locking means openings are provided on the upper and lower sides of the side surface,
A plurality of the ventilation openings are provided between the pair of the locking means openings,
When the area of the upper and lower side portions is S1 and the opening area of the plurality of ventilation openings in the upper and lower side portions is S2, S2/S1 is between 0.3 and 0.8;
The substrate storage container further comprises a ventilation opening on each of the left and right sides of the side portion . The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the opening shape of the ventilation opening is round, rectangular, or slit-shaped. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation openings are provided in multiple locations on the left and right side surfaces.