Photomask storage case, and method for manufacturing photomask storage case

Abstract

To solve the problem that a conventional large-sized resin photomask storage case cannot be integrally molded by injection molding, and accordingly respective components are created by bonding.SOLUTION: A photomask storage case is composed of a lower case part made of a synthetic resin, and an upper case part blocking the lower case part, wherein the lower case part is composed of a photomask fixing frame which has a fixing part for mounting and fixing a stored photomask, and is composed of a metal frame body, and a lower case body in which the fixing frame is detachably provided. The lower case body is integrally molded by vacuum molding.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] In particular, the present invention relates to a case for storing a large glass photomask and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] (1.1. Description of conventional storage cases)

[0003] 3 to 7 show a conventional photomask storage case 1 made of synthetic resin.

[0004] A conventional photomask storage case 1 comprises, for example, a lower case part 3 made of synthetic resin and shaped like a rectangular box with an open top for storing a glass photomask 2, and an upper case part 4 made of synthetic resin that covers the opening of the lower case part 3 in an openable and closable manner.

[0005] In order to facilitate movement of the storage case 1 when it is upright, a moving means 5 such as casters is provided on the lower side wall portion 1a of the storage case 1.

[0006] Further, the lower case portion 3 and the upper case portion 4 are provided with one connecting and fixing portion 3b and the other connecting and fixing portion 4b for fixing the upper case portion 4 to the lower case portion 3, respectively.

[0007] The storage case 1 is generally used in a tilted or laid-down position when storing a photomask and in an upright position when storing or transporting the photomask. For example, the storage case 1 is approximately 1000 mm in height, 1200 mm in width, and 250 mm in thickness, and can store a rectangular glass photomask 2, for example, 800 mm in height, 945 mm in width, and 8.0 mm or 10.0 mm in thickness.

[0008] (1.2. Description of the lower case part 3)

[0009] In the case of a large storage case, the lower case portion 3 is too large to be manufactured by injection molding, so for example, as shown in Figure 5, it is manufactured by gluing four rectangular side wall portions 3a to the top, bottom, left and right sides of a rectangular bottom plate portion 3c.

[0010] The lower case portion 3 has a fixing portion for placing and fixing the photomask to be stored, and the fixing portion is, for example, a photomask positioning and placing portion 6 having a placing surface 6a provided at the four corners of the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 3c of the lower case portion 3 for placing each corner of the photomask 2 to be stored, and an L-shaped cutout portion 6b for abutting against the end surfaces of two sides of the corners to position the photomask; one and other photomask vertical movement regulating means provided on the upper and lower sides of the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 3c of the lower case portion 3 for regulating (fixing) the vertical movement of the placed photomask; and one and other photomask horizontal movement regulating means provided on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 3c of the lower case portion 3 for regulating (fixing) the horizontal movement of the placed photomask.

[0011] Each of the placement surfaces 6a is provided with an elastic cushion member 6c made of, for example, synthetic resin.

[0012] In addition, the one and the other photomask vertical movement regulating means, for example, consist of a photomask lower support and placement portion 7 fixed to the bottom plate portion 3c, and a photomask upper clamping portion 8 that is freely movable up and down relative to the bottom plate portion 3c, and by clamping the photomask 2 between the lower support and placement portion 7 and the upper clamping portion 8, the vertical movement of the photomask 2 is regulated (fixed).

[0013] In addition, the one and the other photomask left-right movement regulating means are, for example, composed of a photomask left clamping portion 9 and a photomask right clamping portion 10 which are freely movable left-right relative to the bottom plate portion 3c, and the photomask 2 is clamped between the left clamping portion 9 and the right clamping portion 10 to regulate (fix) the left-right movement of the photomask 2.

[0014] (1.3. Description of upper case part 4)

[0015] Furthermore, in the case of a large storage case, the upper case portion 4 is too large to be manufactured by injection molding, so for example, as shown in FIG. 6, four rectangular side wall portions 4a are attached by adhesive to the top, bottom, left and right sides of a rectangular ceiling plate portion 4c.

[0016] In addition, at the four corners of the underside of the ceiling plate portion 4a of the upper case portion 4 corresponding to the mounting surfaces 6a of each positioning mounting portion 6 of the lower case portion 3, pressing portions 11 are provided to clamp the photomask 2 between the mounting surfaces 6a of each positioning mounting portion 6.

[0017] Further, the tip of the pressing portion 11 is provided with an elastic cushion member made of, for example, synthetic resin.

[0018] When the lower case portion 3 is covered with the upper case portion 4, the photomask 2 is sandwiched and fixed between the cushion members.

[0019] (1.4. Explanation of how to use conventional storage cases)

[0020] In the conventional storage case 1, first, the connection between each of the one connecting and fixing parts 3b and each of the other connecting and fixing parts 4b is released, and the upper case part 4 is removed from the lower case part 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the photomask 2 is placed on the mounting surface 6a of the positioning mounting part 6 at the four corners of the lower case part 3. The photomask 2 is then clamped between the lower support mounting part 7 and the upper clamping part 8 to restrict movement in the vertical direction, and is also clamped between the left clamping part 9 and the right clamping part 10 to restrict movement in the horizontal direction.

[0021] Then, by closing the upper case part 4 on the lower case part 3 and connecting each of the connecting and fixing parts 3b and each of the other connecting and fixing parts 4b, the photomask 2 is clamped and fixed between the cushion members.

[0022] The storage case portion 2 can be stood with the lower side wall portion facing downward and moved by the moving means 5 such as the casters.

[0023] For example, a conventional photomask storage case is disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0024] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3171687 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0025] (1.5. Issues with conventional storage cases)

[0026] The conventional large resin photomask storage cases described above are too large to be manufactured by injection molding depending on the size of the glass to be stored, so each part had to be manufactured separately and assembled by gluing.

[0027] However, production using adhesives requires an increased number of parts and processes, is costly and time-consuming, and the adhesive may adversely affect the photomask.

[0028] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT The present invention is intended to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and has an object to provide a photomask storage case that is easy to manufacture and has sufficient strength. [Means for solving the problem]

[0029] The photomask storage case of the present invention comprises a lower case part made of synthetic resin and an upper case part that covers the lower case part, and is characterized in that the lower case part comprises a photomask fixing frame made of a metal frame body having a fixing part for placing and fixing a photomask to be stored, and a lower case main body to which the fixing frame is attached in a removable manner.

[0030] The frame is characterized in that it is formed by connecting rods.

[0031] The rod body is characterized in that it comprises a rod-shaped aluminum profile having a groove extending longitudinally from one end to the other end, a pipe that closes the groove, and a cap that closes an end face opening of the groove on the end face of the aluminum profile.

[0032] The lower case body is characterized in that it is integrally formed by vacuum molding.

[0033] The upper case portion is characterized in that it is integrally formed by vacuum molding.

[0034] The metal photomask fixing frame is made of aluminum.

[0035] The fixing frame is also characterized by being provided with a handle.

[0036] In addition, the manufacturing method of the photomask storage case of the present invention is characterized in that the lower case body of the photomask storage case comprises a metal photomask fixing frame having a fixing portion for placing and fixing a photomask to be stored, a lower case portion comprising a lower case body to which the fixing frame is detachably attached, and an upper case portion covering the lower case portion, and is integrally formed by vacuum molding.

[0037] The upper case portion is formed integrally by vacuum molding. Effect of the Invention

[0038] According to the present invention, the number of parts can be reduced and a large photomask can be accommodated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view of a lower case part of the photomask storage case of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a fixing frame has been removed from a lower case part of the photomask storage case of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional photomask storage case. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional photomask storage case. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a lower case part of a conventional photomask storage case. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of an upper case part of a conventional photomask storage case. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional photomask storage case with a photomask placed therein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0041] The same parts as those in the above-mentioned conventional example are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted. EXAMPLES

[0042] 2. Description of the Invention

[0043] In the present invention, the lower case portion 3 of the photomask storage case is composed of a rectangular photomask fixing frame 12 formed by connecting four rod bodies made of a metal such as aluminum, and having a fixing portion for placing and fixing the photomask to be stored, and a rectangular box-shaped lower case body 13 made of synthetic resin with an open top, which is integrally manufactured by vacuum molding and has the photomask fixing frame 12 attached so as to be freely attached and detached.

[0044] The photomask fixing frame 12 is fixed to the lower case body 13 by screws or the like, and the fixing frame 12 can be removed from the lower case body 13 by removing the screws.

[0045] Furthermore, the frame body of the photomask fixing frame 12 may be provided with reinforcing members 12e such as diagonal braces.

[0046] In addition, the fixing portion of the photomask fixing frame 12, as in the conventional case, comprises a photomask positioning and mounting portion 14 having mounting surfaces 14a provided at the four corners of the photomask fixing frame 12 for placing each corner of the stored photomask 2, and L-shaped cutout portions 14b abutting against the end faces of two sides of the corners to position the photomask, one and the other photomask vertical movement regulating means 15a, 15b provided on the upper and lower sides 12a, 12b of the photomask fixing frame 12, respectively, and one and the other photomask horizontal movement regulating means 16a, 16b provided on the left and right sides 12c, 12d of the photomask fixing frame 12, respectively.

[0047] Further, each of the placement surfaces 14a and each of the cutout portions 14b is provided with an elastic cushion member 14c made of, for example, synthetic resin.

[0048] The cushion member 14c is fixed by being fitted into a groove formed in the placement surface or the cutout portion.

[0049] Furthermore, handles 17 may be provided on opposing sides of the fixed frame 12 to facilitate removal from the lower case body.

[0050] The photomask fixing frame 12 may be formed, for example, by using a commercially available rod-shaped aluminum profile (aluminum frame) having an attachment groove extending longitudinally from one end to the other end, which is produced by extruding a cylindrical block called a billet, and cutting the aluminum profile to the desired length and assembling (welding) the cut aluminum profiles.

[0051] In such a case, the longitudinal mounting groove may be plugged by inserting a pipe, such as a tubular heat-shrinkable pipe made of synthetic resin, along the groove, and the end face opening of the groove on the end face of the aluminum profile may be plugged with a cap to prevent the intrusion of dirt, etc.

[0052] In addition, in the present invention, the upper case portion 4 made of synthetic resin of the photomask storage case is configured by a rectangular box-shaped upper case body (not shown) made of synthetic resin with an open bottom, which is integrally molded, for example, by vacuum molding.

[0053] In addition, at the four corners of the underside of the ceiling plate portion of the upper case portion 4, at positions corresponding to the mounting surfaces of each positioning mounting portion of the lower case portion, pressing portions are provided for clamping the photomask between the mounting surfaces 6a of each positioning mounting portion 6.

[0054] The tip of the pressing portion 11 may be provided with an elastic cushion member made of synthetic resin, for example.

[0055] The cushion member is fixed, for example, by being fitted into a groove provided at the tip portion.

[0056] When the lower case portion 3 is covered with the upper case portion 4, the photomask 2 is sandwiched and fixed between the cushion members.

[0057] The pressing portion may be molded integrally with the upper case portion 4 by vacuum molding, or may be a separate body that is fixed to the upper case portion 4 by screws or the like.

[0058] The pressing portion may be omitted.

[0059] In the present invention, even if the strength of the lower case body manufactured integrally by vacuum molding is weak, the stored photomask is fixed to a fixing frame 12 having high strength, so that even if an external force is applied to the case, the glass photomask is held and will not break.

[0060] Moreover, even if the upper case part 4 has a low strength, it does not affect the photomask itself.

[0061] (2.2. Description of the manufacturing method of the storage case of the present invention)

[0062] In manufacturing the lower case part 3, first, a frame-shaped photomask fixing frame 12 to which rod bodies are connected is manufactured, and then a fixing part consisting of, for example, a photomask positioning and mounting part 14, one and the other photomask vertical movement regulating means, and one and the other photomask horizontal movement regulating means 16a, 16b is fixed to the fixing frame, and a rectangular box-shaped lower case main body 13 with an open top is formed by integral molding, to which the photomask fixing frame can be attached and detached.

[0063] Then, the fixed frame 12 is fixed to the lower case main body 13 by fixing means such as screws, thereby manufacturing the lower case portion 3.

[0064] Moreover, the upper case portion 4 that closes the upper surface of the lower case portion 3 is formed by integral molding.

[0065] The lower case portion 3 and the upper case portion 4 are then connected together with a connector to complete the photomask storage case.

[0066] (2.3. Description of how to use the storage case of the present invention)

[0067] Next, a method for storing and removing a photomask in the photomask storage case of the present invention will be described.

[0068] First, the upper case part 4 is removed from the lower case part 3 in the same manner as in the conventional method.

[0069] Then, the aluminum fixed frame 12 is removed from the lower case portion 3 by removing screws, etc., and the photomask to be stored is placed on the positioning mounting portion 14 of the fixed frame 12, and the photomask is fixed in place by the vertical movement regulating means and the horizontal movement regulating means.

[0070] Then, the fixing frame 12 on which the photomask 2 is mounted is fixed to the lower case portion 3 by means of screws or the like.

[0071] It is also possible to place the photomask on the fixing frame 12 and fix it therein without removing the fixing frame 12 from the lower case 3 .

[0072] Then, by closing the upper case part 4 on the lower case part 3 and connecting each of the connecting and fixing parts 3c and each of the other connecting and fixing parts 4c, the photomask 2 is clamped and fixed between the cushion members.

[0073] The photomask storage case can then be stored and moved.

[0074] Next, when the photomask is to be removed, the upper case portion 4 is removed from the lower case portion 3 in the same manner as in the conventional method.

[0075] Then, the screws and the like are removed from the fixing frame 12, and the fixing frame 12 with the photomask 2 attached thereto is removed from the storage case 1.

[0076] At this time, the photomask 2 is removed from the lower case 3 by holding the handle 17. Then, the photomask 2 is removed from the fixing frame 12 after the fixing frame 12 with the photomask 2 attached thereto is carried to a required location.

[0077] According to the present invention, even if the strength of the lower case part and the upper case part integrally formed by vacuum molding is weak, the strength of the fixing frame is sufficient, so that the stored photomask is not affected.

[0078] Therefore, it is possible to produce a large integrated lower case portion and upper case portion made of resin, which has the advantage of reducing the number of parts and eliminating the need for adhesives. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1 Photomask storage case 1a Side wall part 2. Photomask 3 Lower case part 3a Side wall part 3b One of the connecting and fixing parts 3c Bottom plate part 4 Upper case part 4a Side wall part 4b The other connecting and fixing part 4c Ceiling panel 5. Transportation 6 Photomask positioning and placement unit 6a Placement surface 6b L-shaped cutout 6c Cushion material 7 Lower support rest 8 Upper clamping part 9 Left side clamping part 10 Right side clamping part 11 Presser section 12 Photomask fixing frame Side 12a Side 12b 12c side 12d side 12e Reinforcement members 13 Lower case body 14 Positioning and placement section 14a Placement surface 14b Cutout 14c Cushion section 15a: Means for restricting vertical movement of one photomask 15b Means for restricting the vertical movement of the other photomask 16a: Means for restricting left-right movement of one photomask 16b Other photomask lateral movement restriction means 17 Handle

Claims

1. The housing is made of a synthetic resin and has an upper case portion that closes the lower case portion. The photomask storage case is characterized in that the lower case portion comprises a photomask fixing frame made of a metal frame body having a fixing portion for placing and fixing the photomask to be stored, and a lower case main body to which the fixing frame is attached in a removable manner.

2. 2. The photomask storage case according to claim 1, wherein the frame is formed by connecting rods.

3. The rod body is A rod-shaped aluminum profile having a groove extending longitudinally from one end to the other end; A pipe for blocking the groove; 3. The photomask storage case according to claim 2, further comprising a cap for closing an end opening of said groove on the end surface of said aluminum profile.

4. 2. The lower case portion of the photomask storage case according to claim 1, wherein the lower case body is integrally formed by vacuum molding.

5. 2. The lower case part of the photomask storage case according to claim 1, wherein the upper case part is integrally formed by vacuum molding.

6. 2. The photomask storage case according to claim 1, wherein the metal photomask fixing frame is made of aluminum.

7. 2. The photomask storage case according to claim 1, wherein the fixing frame is provided with a handle.

8. A method for manufacturing a photomask storage case, comprising: a metal photomask fixing frame having a fixing portion for placing and fixing a photomask to be stored; a lower case portion comprising a lower case body to which the fixing frame is detachably attached; and an upper case portion covering the lower case portion, the lower case body of the photomask storage case being integrally formed by vacuum molding.

9. 8. The method for manufacturing a photomask storage case according to claim 7, wherein the upper case part is integrally formed by vacuum molding.

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