JPH09139421A - Thin plate storage container with internal pressure adjustment mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To adjust the internal pressure optimally and to facilitate reuse and recycling. A container body (13) for housing and supporting a large number of semiconductor wafers (12) and a lid body (14) for covering the semiconductor wafers (12) in the container body (13) to keep the inside clean. It is a thin plate container with an internal pressure adjusting mechanism provided. An opening 26 is provided in either the container body 13 or the lid 14 or the boundary thereof, and a filter 27 is detachably attached to the opening 26. The filter 27 adjusts the internal pressure of the carrier box 11 by allowing the passage of gas while removing dust and the like inside and outside the carrier box 11.
The opening 26 and the filter 27 form an internal pressure adjusting mechanism 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an internal pressure adjustment which adjusts the internal pressure according to changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature when the thin plates such as semiconductor wafers are accommodated and supported in the interior for storage and transportation. A thin plate storage container with a mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various measures have been taken to overcome the problems that occur when transporting a thin plate container in a state in which ambient pressure and temperature change. For example, in the case of transportation by airplane, the air pressure inside the cargo compartment drops significantly while flying in high altitudes. For this reason, if the thin plate container is kept airtight, the internal pressure will be significantly higher than the external pressure, and the container will expand, or the lid will be opened when the air in the container flows out and descends to the ground. I couldn't do anything. The same was true when the ambient temperature became high during transportation.

As one of measures for overcoming such a problem, a semiconductor wafer storage container described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-49721 has been proposed.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, this semiconductor wafer storage container 1 is provided with a container body 3 for storing and supporting a large number of semiconductor wafers 2, and an upper side of the container body 3 is covered to hermetically seal the inside. And a molecular filtration filter 5 that is integrally provided on the side wall 3A of the container body 3 and that allows air to flow in and out of the container body 3.

[0005] By providing this molecular filtration filter 5,
Air can enter and exit through the filter 5 between the inside and the outside of the semiconductor wafer container 1. As a result, even when a change in the air pressure occurs inside and outside the storage container 1 due to a change in the external air pressure or the like, the internal pressure of the storage container 1 can be maintained at the same value as the external pressure, and the semiconductor wafer storage container 1 expands. And the like can be prevented.

[0006]

However, in the case of the molecular filtration filter 5, since the passing speed of the air is extremely low, it is impossible to follow the speed of the change in the air pressure generated in the cargo compartment of the airplane or the like. To be able to follow quickly,
The area of the molecular filtration filter 5 must be increased.
However, there is a natural limit in mounting the semiconductor wafer container 3 on the container body 3, and as a result, the semiconductor wafer container 1 equipped with the molecular filtration filter 5 has not been put to practical use.

Further, the entire semiconductor wafer container 1 must be cleaned before the semiconductor wafer 2 is stored therein. In this case, if the storage container 1 is cleaned while the molecular filtration filter 5 is mounted on the semiconductor wafer storage container 1, foreign matter such as dust adheres to the molecular filtration filter 5. If the semiconductor wafer storage container 1 is used while dust and the like are attached to the molecular filtration filter 5, the impurities attached to the molecular filtration filter 5 are scattered in the storage container 1 and cannot be used in this state. . For this reason, the semiconductor wafer container 1 must be cleaned in advance, and thereafter, the molecular filtration filter 5 must be attached and provided for transportation.

Further, since a large amount of dust and the like adhere to the semiconductor wafer container 1 once used for transporting the semiconductor wafer 2, it must be cleaned when reused. However, if washed, the molecular filtration filter 5 cannot be used as described above. On the other hand, since the molecular filtration filter 5 is provided integrally with the container main body 3, it cannot be removed. As a result, the semiconductor wafer container 1 could not be reused as a result.

Further, a used semiconductor wafer storage container 1
When discarding or recycling waste, it is necessary to separate members made of different materials. At this time, even if the container body 3 and the lid 4 are formed of different materials, they can be easily separated, and the subsequent processing can be performed. However, since the molecular filtration filter 5 is integrally attached to the container main body 3, it is not easy to separate them. For this reason, there is a problem that subsequent disposal and recycling are difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a thin plate with an internal pressure adjusting mechanism, which can quickly follow the changing speed of the external atmospheric pressure to perform optimum internal pressure adjustment, and can be easily reused and recycled. The purpose is to provide a storage container.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention is to cover a container main body which accommodates and supports a large number of thin plates therein, and to cover the thin plates housed in the container main body. In a thin plate container provided with a lid that keeps the inside clean, an opening provided in the container body or lid or at the boundary between them to communicate the inside and outside to allow gas to flow in and out and adjust the internal atmospheric pressure And an internal pressure adjusting mechanism including a filter that is detachably attached to the opening and removes dust and the like to allow easy passage of gas.

In a second aspect of the present invention, the filter has a cylindrical body fitted in the opening and one side surface of an edge portion of the opening with the cylindrical body provided in one of the cylindrical bodies fitted in the opening. A flange portion that comes into airtight contact with the flange portion provided on the other side of the tubular body together with the flange portion in a state where the tubular body is fitted into the opening, and holds the edge portion of the opening from both sides to put the tubular body into the opening. It is characterized in that it is composed of a locking claw that is fixedly supported, and a filter material that is mounted in the cylinder body to remove dust and the like and allow easy passage of gas.

In the first aspect of the invention, since the inside and the outside of the container are communicated with each other through the opening provided in the container body or the like, gas is allowed to flow in and out, and the atmospheric pressure inside and outside the container is adjusted to be the same. It At this time, since a filter is attached to the opening, dust and the like in the gas that goes in and out of the container is removed by this filter, and the dust and the like will not enter the container. As the filter, a filter that allows gas to easily pass therethrough and that can remove dust and the like in the gas is used, so that it quickly follows changes in the external atmospheric pressure. This optimally adjusts the internal pressure of the container.

When the container is washed for reuse, the filter detachably attached to the opening is removed, only the container is washed, and then the filter is attached to the opening again. When recycling, remove the filter and separate the members made of different materials.

In the second invention, when the filter is mounted in the opening, the cylindrical body of the filter is fitted in the opening. At this time, the locking claw provided on the tubular body is fitted into the opening and locked to the other side surface of the edge portion of the opening. As a result, the filter is fixed to the opening in a state where the collar portion is in airtight contact with one side surface of the edge portion of the opening.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The thin plate storage container with the internal pressure adjusting mechanism of the present invention is a container for storing and supporting a plurality of thin plates in parallel. This thin plate is a semiconductor wafer, a storage disk, a liquid crystal plate or the like, and it is a thin plate that needs to prevent dust and the like from adhering to its surface. Since the thin plate storage container with the internal pressure adjusting mechanism of the present application is a container for storing the above-described thin plates, the inside has a sealed structure. Here, a case where a semiconductor wafer is used as a thin plate and a carrier box for a semiconductor wafer that accommodates a wafer carrier supporting a large number of semiconductor wafers therein is used as a thin plate storage container with an internal pressure adjusting mechanism will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier box 11 of this embodiment mainly has a container body 13 for accommodating a wafer carrier 21, which will be described later, in which a semiconductor wafer 12 is supported.
And a lid 14 for closing the upper side of the container body 13 with the wafer carrier 21 stored in the container body 13;
In order to keep the inside airtight and keep it clean, the container body 13
And a packing 15 mounted between the lid 14 and the lid 14.

The container body 13 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape as a whole. An annular groove 13A is formed at the upper edge of the peripheral edge of the container body 13 so that the packing 15 fits therein to keep the inside of the carrier box 11 airtight. Locking claws 16 are provided on two opposite side surfaces of the upper side of the container body 13. The locking claw 16 constitutes a fixing means 19 for fixing the lid 14 to the container body 13 together with a locking piece 18 of the lid 14 described later.

The lid 14 is formed in a shallow dish shape, and the packing 15 is fitted to the lower end of the peripheral edge of the lid 14 to form the carrier box 1.
An annular groove 14A for keeping the inside of the airtight 1 is formed. Locking pieces 18 that form the fixing means 19 together with the locking claws 16 are provided at positions of the lid body 14 that face the locking claws 16 of the container body 13.

The semiconductor wafer 12 is supported by the wafer carrier 21. The wafer carrier 21 supports a large number of semiconductor wafers 12 at equal intervals. This wafer carrier 2
1 is stored in a container body 13 in a state of supporting a large number of semiconductor wafers 12, a thin plate pressing member 22 is attached from the upper side, and a lid 14 is applied. Then, the locking piece 18 of the lid 14 is locked to the locking claw 16 of the container body 13, so that the lid 14 is fixed to the container body 13. As a result, the wafer carrier 21 and the thin plate pressing member 22 are supported by the container body 13 and the lid body 14.
Each semiconductor wafer 12 is supported by 1 and the thin plate pressing member 22. As a result, each semiconductor wafer 12 is stably transported without vibrating even if an external impact is applied to the carrier box 11.

An internal pressure adjusting mechanism 25 is provided on the side wall 13B of the container body 13. This internal pressure adjusting mechanism 25
Is an opening 26 provided in the side wall 13B of the container body 13.
And a filter 27 detachably attached to the opening 26.
It is composed of

As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 26 is formed by circularly piercing the side wall 13B of the container body 13 and connects the inside and outside of the container body 13 to each other. As a result, the gas is allowed to enter and leave the inside and outside of the container body 13, and the internal pressure and the external pressure are adjusted to be the same. A notch 26A for fitting a locking claw 30 of a filter 27, which will be described later, is provided above and below the opening 26. The gas flowing in and out of the container body 13 through the opening 26 is the air around the carrier box 11 and the gas sealed inside the carrier box 11. As a gas sealed in the carrier box 11, there is nitrogen gas or the like.

When the gas enters and leaves the container body 13 through the opening 26, the filter 27 removes dust and the like contained in the outside gas to allow only the gas to pass. The filter 27 has a performance capable of removing dust and the like and is set so as to allow gas to pass smoothly. That is, when the gas flows in and out of the container body 13 through the opening 26, the resistance is not so great, and the performance is set such that the gas can easily pass through. Specifically, the filter 27, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is composed of a tubular body 28, a collar portion 29, a locking claw 30, and a filter medium 31.

The cylindrical body 28 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the diameter thereof is set to be substantially the same as the inner diameter of the opening 26, and the cylindrical body 28 is fitted into the opening 26.

The collar portion 29 is provided on one side of the tubular body 28 (downward in the figure) so that it is in contact with one side surface of the edge portion of the opening 26 when the tubular body 28 is fitted in the opening 26. It is An annular packing 33 is provided on the inner surface of the collar portion 29. In this packing 33, the tubular body 28 has an opening 26.
With the flange 29 abutting on one side surface of the edge of the opening 26, the flange 29 and the edge of the opening 26 are pressed against each other to hermetically seal between them.

Two locking claws 30 are provided on the other side of the cylindrical body 28 in directions opposite to each other. Each locking claw 30 has a wedge-shaped cross section. That is, the surface of the locking claw 30 on the side of the collar portion 29 is formed to be inclined. This inclination is for fixing the filter 27 to the side wall 13B of the container body 13. That is, each locking claw 30 is opened 26
When the tubular body 28 is fitted into the opening 26 and rotated as a whole in a state where it is aligned with the notch 26A of FIG.
It is pressed against the other side surface of the edge portion of 6. As a result, the brim portion 29 and the locking claw 30 hold the edge portion of the opening 26, and the filter 2
7 is fixed to the side wall 13B of the container body 13.

The filter medium 31 is mounted in the cylindrical body 28 so as to remove dust and the like from the gas passing through the cylindrical body 28. That is, when the gas around the carrier box 11 flows into the carrier box 11 through the opening 26, dust or the like in the gas is removed and only the gas is allowed to pass. As described above, the filter medium 31 is set to have such a performance as to remove dust and the like and allow gas to pass smoothly. That is, when the gas flows in and out of the container body 13 through the opening 26, the filter medium 31 does not have a great resistance and the gas can easily pass therethrough. Then, the gas easily passes through the filter medium 31, and even if the atmospheric pressure around the carrier box 11 changes suddenly, it is possible to quickly respond.

[Operation] The carrier box 11 constructed as described above is used for carrying the semiconductor wafer 12 as follows.

First, the container body 13 and the lid 14 are molded and then washed to remove foreign substances and the like adhering to the surface. The filter 27 is attached after the container body 13 is washed. The filter 27 is attached as follows. Each locking claw 30 of the cylindrical body 28 of the filter 27
Is aligned with the notch 26A of the opening 26,
Is inserted into the opening 26. When the collar portion 29 comes into contact with the side wall 13B of the container body 13, the whole is rotated.

As a result, the flange portion 29 and the locking claw 30 hold the edge portion of the opening 26, and the filter 27 is fixed to the side wall 13B of the container body 13 in a state fitted in the opening 26.

Next, a large number of semiconductor wafers 12 are inserted into the wafer carrier 21, and the wafer carrier 21 is inserted into the container body 13 of the carrier box 11. Further, on the upper side of each semiconductor wafer 12, a thin plate pressing member 22 for supporting and supporting the semiconductor wafers from above is placed, and the lid 14 is put on from above. Further, the lid 14 is pressed from above, and the locking piece 18 of the lid 14 is locked by the locking claw 16 of the container body 13.
To lock. As a result, the container body 13 and the lid 14 are fixed to each other while supporting the semiconductor wafer 12 therein.

In this state, the carrier box 11 is transported by an airplane or the like. At this time, when the pressure around the carrier box 11 decreases, the carrier box 11
Internal pressure increases. Along with this, the gas in the carrier box 11 flows out from the filter 27 of the internal pressure adjusting mechanism 25, and the internal pressure and the external atmospheric pressure of the carrier box 11 are maintained at substantially the same value.

Next, when the airplane descends to the ground, the internal pressure of the carrier box 11 becomes relatively low. In this case, the external gas flows into the carrier box 11 via the filter 27. At this time, dust and the like in the gas are removed by the filter 27. As a result, the internal pressure and the external atmospheric pressure of the carrier box 11 are maintained at substantially the same value.

Next, the carrier box 11 used for carrying the semiconductor wafer 12 is washed before reuse. In this case, the filter 27 is first removed. Specifically, the filter 27 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned mounting to align the locking claw 30 and the notch 26A of the opening 26, and the filter 27 is pulled out. The removed filter 27 is stored in a place free from dust. And the remaining container body 1
3, the lid 14 and the like are washed. After cleaning, the filter 27 is attached in the same manner as described above, and the semiconductor wafer 1
It is used for carrying 2.

The used carrier box 11 is recycled or discarded. that time,
Each part is divided according to the difference in material.

Particularly when recycling, the filter 27, which is made of a material different from that of the container body 13, must be strictly classified, but can be easily removed from the container body 13 by the above-described operation. Then, the material is sorted according to the difference in material and the subsequent processing is performed.

[Effect] As described above, the performance of the filter material 31 of the filter 27 is set to such an extent that a large resistance does not occur when gas flows in and out of the carrier box 11, so that the air pressure around the carrier box 11 is reduced. Will be able to respond quickly even if changes occur rapidly. As a result, the internal pressure of the carrier box 11 quickly follows the changing speed of the external atmospheric pressure, and the optimum internal pressure can be adjusted.

Further, since the filter 27 can be easily removed from the container body 13, the processing such as reuse and recycling becomes easy.

[Modification] In the above embodiment, the filter 2 is used.
Two locking claws 30 for fixing 7 to the opening 26 are provided so as to extend outward in the diametrical direction of the cylindrical tubular body 28.
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, three pieces may be provided.

Here, three locking claws 43 are provided at the tip (upper end in FIG. 5) of the cylindrical body 42 of the filter 41. The locking claw 43 is composed of a foot portion 44 formed by rising from the tubular body 42 to the upper side, and a claw portion 45 formed at the upper end portion of the foot portion 44 so as to project outward.
Each foot portion 44 has elasticity so that it can be bent inward. Other configurations are the same as those of the above embodiment. The opening 46 is formed in a circular shape as shown in FIG. 7.

With the above structure, when the filter 41 is attached, the three locking claws 43 are fitted into the openings 46 and pushed in. As a result, the three locking claws 43 bend inwardly and fit into the opening 46.

At the time of removal, the three locking claws 43 are bent inward toward each other and pushed out from the opening 46. This allows
The filter 41 can be easily removed from the opening 46.

As described above, the same operation and effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[Other Modifications] Although the tubular body 28 of the filter 27 is formed in a cylindrical shape in the above-described embodiments and the like, it goes without saying that other shapes such as a square tubular shape may be used. In this case, the opening 26 is also formed in a shape such as a square tube shape.

Further, in the above embodiment, the internal pressure adjusting mechanism 2
Although the opening 26 of No. 5 is provided in the side wall 13B of the container body 13, the position of the opening 26 may be anywhere in the container body 13 and the lid 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the container body 13 and the lid body 14 have semicircular cutouts 51,
52 is provided, and a filter 53 similar to the above embodiment is provided between them.
May be provided. Also by this, the same operation and effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0046]

As described above in detail, according to the thin plate container with the internal pressure adjusting mechanism of the present invention, the performance of the filter of the internal pressure adjusting mechanism can be improved by removing dust and the like and not much when passing gas. Since the resistance is set so as not to give a large resistance, it is possible to quickly follow up even if the atmospheric pressure around the container suddenly changes. As a result, the thin plate container can be adjusted to the optimum internal pressure.

Further, since the filter can be easily removed from the container body or the like, the processing such as reuse and recycling becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the entire configuration of a carrier box according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a filter according to the present invention.

3 is a side sectional view showing the filter of FIG. 2. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an opening formed in a side wall of a container body.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a filter according to a modified example.

6 is a side sectional view of the filter of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an opening formed in a side wall of the container body.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view showing a second modified example.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional thin plate container.

FIG. 10 is a front sectional view of the thin plate container of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: carrier box, 12: semiconductor wafer, 13:
Container body, 14: lid, 26: opening, 27: filter.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A thin plate storage container comprising: a container main body for accommodating and supporting a large number of thin plates therein; and a lid body for covering the thin plates in the container main body to keep the inside clean. An opening provided in the container main body or the lid or a boundary between them for allowing the inside and outside to communicate with each other to allow the gas to flow in and out and to adjust the internal air pressure; and a gas detachably attached to the opening to remove dust and the like. A thin plate container with an internal pressure adjusting mechanism, comprising an internal pressure adjusting mechanism comprising a filter that allows easy passage of the internal pressure. 2. The thin plate container with an internal pressure adjusting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the filter is fitted in the opening, and a tubular body provided on one side of the tubular body is fitted in the opening. And a flange portion that airtightly contacts one side surface of the opening edge portion, and the edge portion of the opening together with the flange portion when the tubular member is provided on the other side of the tubular body and is fitted into the opening. A locking claw that holds the cylinder from both sides to fix and support the cylinder in the opening, and a filter material that is mounted in the cylinder to remove dust and the like and allow easy passage of gas. Thin plate storage container with internal pressure adjustment mechanism.