Substrate storage container

Abstract

To provide a substrate storage container capable of reducing adhesion of many foreign matters to a substrate stored in a body, especially to a substrate on the uppermost stage by controlling a flow of an air current.SOLUTION: The latch mechanism includes an operation reel (21) supported by the door set, a plurality of upper and lower coupling bars that move up and down by rotation of the operation reel (21), and a plurality of upper and lower locking claws that appear and disappear by up and down movement of each coupling bar, first and second guide grooves (24) and a side 24A having a substantially semicircular arc shape are formed in a disk portion (22) of the operation reel (21), and a pin that fits into the first guide groove (24) is formed in the upper coupling bar. A pin that fits into the 24A of the second guide groove is formed on the lower connecting bar, and when the length from the central portion of operating reel 21 to the 24c of the inner side of first guide groove 24 is A and the length from the central portion of operating reel 21 to the 24c of the inner side of the 24A of the second guide groove is B, a portion that satisfies A> B on the same line is partially formed on the 24c of the inner side of at least one of first and second guide grooves 24 and 24A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for storing, transporting, and storing substrates such as semiconductor wafers. [Background technology]

[0002] When semiconductor wafers are stored, transported, kept, etc. in a semiconductor factory, a substrate storage container called a FOUP is used. As partially shown in FIG. 9, this substrate storage container comprises a body 1 that stores a plurality of semiconductor wafers W (e.g., 25 wafers) aligned vertically, and a door set 10 that fits into the open front 3 of the body 1, and this door set 10 has a built-in latch mechanism for locking (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The body 1 is formed as a front-opening box with an opening at the front face 3, and is mounted on an opener 40 of a mini-environment EFEM installed in a semiconductor factory. A pair of support pieces 2 for supporting a semiconductor wafer W are provided facing each other on both sides inside the body 1, and these support pieces 2 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction. In addition, locking pockets for a latch mechanism are recessed and formed on both the top and bottom sides of the inner periphery of the front face of the body 1. The opener 40 is a semiconductor modular device in which an atmospheric transfer wafer robot is installed within a frame equipped with an EFEM (FFU (Fan Filter Unit)), and which has a load port on the front face.

[0004] The door set 10 is tightly fitted into the open front 3 of the body 1 by the opener 40 under the downflow of clean air by the EFEM, and is removed from the front 3 of the body 1 after the latch mechanism is unlocked. The downflow of clean air removes particles, corrosive gases, etc., creating a local clean environment.

[0005] The latch mechanism includes a pair of operating reels rotatably supported inside the door set 10, multiple upper and lower connecting bars that move up and down in response to the rotation of each operating reel, and multiple upper and lower locking claws that appear and disappear in response to the up and down movement of the connecting bars, and is configured with a vertically symmetrical structure in which the multiple upper and lower locking claws operate simultaneously. Connecting bars are arranged above and below each operating reel, and a locking claw is swingably connected to the tip of each connecting bar. The locking claws are rotatably supported at the top and bottom inside the door set 10, and swing in the thickness direction of the door set 10, protruding outside the door set 10 or retracting inside the door set 10.

[0006] In the above, when the door set 10 is fitted into the open front 3 of the body 1 and locked, the door set 10 is pressed into the open front 3 of the body 1 by the opener 40 of the EFEM, the operating reel of the latch mechanism rotates in one direction by the opener 40, causing multiple locking claws to advance from within the peripheral wall of the door set 10 to the inner periphery of the front of the body 1, and each locking claw engages with a locking pocket on the inner periphery of the front of the body 1 to lock, thereby locking the door set 10.

[0007] In contrast, when the door set 10 is unlocked and removed from the front 3 of the body 1, the operating reel of the latch mechanism is rotated in the other direction by the opener 40 of the EFEM, causing the multiple locking claws to retract from the locking pockets on the inner periphery of the front of the body 1 into the peripheral wall of the door set 10, and after each locking claw unlocks the door set 10 and makes it removable, the door set 10 is pulled out and removed from the front 3 of the body 1 by the opener 40. When the latch mechanism is unlocked, a negative pressure is created inside the body 1 due to a change in volume. Therefore, when the door set 10 is unlocked or removed, clean air flows into the negative pressure inside the body 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-368074 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2023 / 067877 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Conventional substrate storage containers are configured as described above, and air currents are generated when the latch mechanism is unlocked or the door set 10 is removed. This air current causes particles to adhere to the surfaces of the semiconductor wafers W stored in the body 1, and in particular, a serious problem occurs in that many particles adhere to the surface of the 25th semiconductor wafer W located on the top row, resulting in a deterioration in quality.

[0010] To explain this problem in more detail, when the latch mechanism is unlocked, an air current is generated, and this air current flows from between the body 1 and the top of the door set 10 into the upper part of the negative pressure inside the body 1. As a result, dust generated inside the body 1 due to wear caused by the opening and closing of the door set 10, and particles floating near the outside of the body 1, are mixed in with the air current and carried to the upper part of the inside of the body 1, where they adhere in large numbers to the surface of the semiconductor wafer W on the top row, causing a decrease in quality. This problem is serious because the amount of inflow air increases due to the downflow of clean air by the EFEM (see the arrow in Figure 9).

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a substrate storage container that can control the flow of air and reduce the adhesion of a large amount of foreign matter to substrates stored in the body, particularly to the substrates on the top row. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a device that includes a body that can store a plurality of circuit boards arranged vertically, and a door set that fits into the open front of the body, and a latch mechanism for locking the door set, The latch mechanism includes a disc operating member rotatably supported on the door set, multiple upper and lower connecting members that move up and down in response to the rotation of the disc operating member, and multiple upper and lower locking claws that appear and disappear in response to the up and down movements of the multiple upper and lower connecting members.When the door set is locked, the disc operating member rotates in one direction, causing the multiple upper and lower locking claws to advance from the peripheral wall of the door set to the inner front periphery of the body, and when the door set is unlocked, the disc operating member rotates in the other direction, causing the multiple upper and lower locking claws to retreat from the inner front periphery of the body to the peripheral wall of the door set. The latch mechanism is characterized in that first and second guide grooves, each approximately semicircular, are formed at a predetermined distance in the disk portion of the disk operating member of the latch mechanism, a pin that fits into the first guide groove of the disk operating member is formed on the connecting member located above, and a pin that fits into the second guide groove of the disk operating member is formed on the connecting member located below, and where A is the distance from the center of the disk operating member to the inner edge of the first guide groove and B is the distance from the center of the disk operating member to the inner edge of the second guide groove, a portion is partially formed on the same straight line on the inner edge of at least one of the first and second guide grooves such that A > B, thereby causing the lower locking claw to retract before the upper locking claw when the latch mechanism is unlocked.

[0013] In addition, the range from approximately the center of the inner edge of the first guide groove to the other end can be made close to the outer edge direction of the first guide groove, and the range from approximately the center of the outer edge of the first guide groove to the other end can be made close to the circumferential edge direction of the disc portion of the disc operating member. In addition, the range from approximately one end of the inner edge of the second guide groove to the other end can be brought close to the center of the disc portion of the disc operating member, and the range from approximately one end of the outer edge of the second guide groove to the other end can be brought close to the center of the disc portion of the disc operating member.

[0014] The angle based on the straight line passing through the center of the pin of the connecting member loosely fitted in one end of the first guide groove is defined as θ The length from the center of the disk operating member to the inner side of the first guide groove is A. The length from the center of the disc operating member to the inner side of the second guide groove is B. A and B at angle θ are Aθ and Bθ respectively A0=B0 (A=B at 0°) The minimum θ such that A0>Aθ is a When the minimum θ at which B0>Bθ is b, it is preferable that the ranges at which a>b are 10≦a≦80 and 3≦b≦30.

[0015] The substrate storage container can also be used as an in-process container used in at least one of a semiconductor factory, a clean room, and semiconductor module equipment where clean air is downflowed.

[0016] Here, the substrate in the claims includes semiconductor wafers made of silicon wafers of at least φ300 mm or φ450 mm, compound wafers, glass substrates, mask substrates, etc. Furthermore, the body and door set may be transparent, opaque, or translucent. When changing the shapes of the first and second guide grooves, the shape of the first guide groove may be changed, the shape of the second guide groove may be changed, or the shapes of the first and second guide grooves may be changed individually.

[0017] The substrate storage container according to the present invention is primarily a FOUP (in-process container), but may also be a FOSB (folded sack) for shipping. The up / down, front / rear, left / right directions of this substrate storage container are directions based on the drawings and can be appropriately changed as needed. Furthermore, although the subject of the present invention is a substrate storage container, if the configuration of another use is the same as the configuration of the present invention and can be converted into a substrate storage container, and the effects of the present invention are achieved, the configuration of the other use falls within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0018] According to the present invention, when the door set is removed from the front of the body, the disk operating member of the latch mechanism rotates in the other direction, moving the multiple connecting members toward the disk operating member, causing the multiple locking claws to retract from the inner periphery of the front of the body toward the periphery of the door set, unlocking the door set and making it removable. At this time, by changing the shape of at least one of the first and second guide grooves, the locking claws located below the door set are unlocked before the locking claws located above, allowing gas to flow into the negative pressure inside the body through the gap created between the body and the lower part of the door set, and relieving the negative pressure inside the body before the upper part of the door set is unlocked. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, if the distance from the center of the disc operating member to the inner edge of the first guide groove is A and the distance from the center of the disc operating member to the inner edge of the second guide groove is B, by partially forming a portion on the same straight line on the inner edge of at least one of the first and second guide grooves where A>B, when the latch mechanism is unlocked, the locking claw located at the bottom retracts before the locking claw located at the top, and gas is allowed to flow into the body prior to the unlocking of the lower part of the door set, thereby controlling the flow of air and having the effect of reducing the adhesion of large amounts of foreign matter to the boards stored in the body, especially the board on the top row.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 2, the inner and outer edges of the first guide groove are extended further than the second guide groove, so that when the latch mechanism is unlocked, the lower part of the door set can be unlocked before the upper part of the door set. According to the invention described in claim 3, the inner and outer sides of the second guide groove are shorter than those of the first guide groove, so that when unlocking the latch mechanism, the lower part of the door set can be unlocked before the upper part of the door set.

[0021] According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, it is possible to easily form a portion where A>B on the same straight line on the inner sides of the first and second guide grooves. According to the invention of claim 5, the inflow path of the clean air is changed from the upper direction to the lower direction of the door set, so that the influence of the downflow of the clean air on the recovery of the negative pressure inside the body of the in-process container can be reduced, and it becomes possible to eliminate the risk of a large number of particles adhering and accumulating on the surface of the uppermost substrate. In addition to particles, it is also expected to suppress the intrusion of corrosive gases and the like. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which a lower locking claw of a latch mechanism is unlocked first in an embodiment of a substrate storing container according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are explanatory views schematically showing a locked state of a part of a latch mechanism in an embodiment of a substrate storing container according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional side view. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are explanatory views schematically showing an unlocked state of a part of a latch mechanism in an embodiment of a substrate storing container according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional side view. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a front explanatory view schematically showing a general operation reel in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are explanatory views schematically showing states in which the first and second guide grooves of the operation reel are modified in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory side view of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is an explanatory bottom view of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which only the first guide groove of the operation reel is modified in an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a state in which a plurality of locking claws of a latch mechanism in a conventional substrate storage container are unlocked simultaneously, and the upper and lower parts of a door set are opened simultaneously. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the substrate storage container in this embodiment is a FOUP that includes a body 1 capable of storing multiple semiconductor wafers W in an aligned manner, and a door set 10 that is detachably fitted to the open front 3 of the body 1, and has a locking latch mechanism 20 built into the door set 10. When the latch mechanism 20 is unlocked, the lower part of the door set 10 is unlocked before the upper part of the door set 10, thereby controlling the flow of air, thereby contributing to the achievement of Goal 9 of the SDGs adopted at the United Nations Summit.

[0024] The semiconductor wafers W are made of thin, brittle, high-quality silicon wafers, for example, 300 mm in diameter, with a roughly semicircular alignment notch cut into the periphery. They are stored inside the body 1, and 25 of them are aligned vertically at predetermined intervals.

[0025] The body 1, door set 10, and latch mechanism 20 of the substrate storage container are molded from a molding material containing a predetermined resin, or are composed of a combination of multiple parts molded from a molding material containing a predetermined resin. Examples of resins contained in the molding material include thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate resin, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide resin, polyether ketone resin, polyether ether ketone resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polyacetal resin, and liquid crystal polymer, as well as alloys of these resins.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the body 1 is injection molded into a front-open box with a roughly rectangular opening on the front 3, and is positioned and mounted on an opener 40 of an EFEM of the same type installed in a mini-environment semiconductor factory. On both sides inside the body 1, a pair of left and right support pieces 2 are provided opposite each other to horizontally support the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W. These left and right support pieces 2 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction, and each support piece 2 is formed as a long, thin, curved plate extending in the front-to-rear direction of the body 1.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the front face 3 of the body 1 is formed by bending and projecting outward in the width direction from the peripheral wall of the body 1 via a stepped portion, and the flat shoulder surface of the stepped portion defines a seal-forming surface for the door set 10. Locking pockets 4 for the latch mechanism 20 are recessed and formed on both the top and bottom sides of the inner peripheral portion of the front face of the body 1, and each locking pocket 4 has a rectangular planar shape. In addition, as shown in Figure 1, a robotic flange 5 with a rectangular planar shape is detachably attached as an option to approximately the center of the ceiling of the body 1, and this robotic flange 5 is gripped by the ceiling transport mechanism of a semiconductor factory.

[0028] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the door set 10 comprises a door body 11 that is press-fitted into the open front face 3 of the body 1, and a door cover 13 that covers the open surface of the door body 11. A latch mechanism 20 is interposed between the door body 11 and the door cover 13, and the door set 10 is press-fitted tightly into the open front face 3 of the body 1 by an opener 40 under the downflow of clean air by the EFEM, and is removed by pulling it out from the front face 3 of the body 1 after the latch mechanism 20 is unlocked.

[0029] The door main body 11 is formed, for example, with a generally tray-shaped cross section, and has holes 12 drilled through both the upper and lower sides of the peripheral wall for a latch mechanism 20 that faces the locking pocket 4 of the body 1, and a vertically long front retainer that holds the front peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W horizontally with elastic pieces is removably attached to the center of the back surface that faces the rear wall of the body 1. Also, a frame-shaped fitting groove that faces the seal-forming surface of the body 1 is formed around the periphery of the back surface of the door main body 11, and an elastically deformable seal gasket that presses against the seal-forming surface of the body 1 is fitted into this fitting groove.

[0030] The door cover 13 is formed, for example, from a transparent or opaque plate, and has operation holes for the latch mechanism 20 drilled through each of the center of both sides. A T-shaped operation key of the opener 40 standardized by the SEMI standard passes through each operation hole, and when this operation key is rotated by a predetermined angle, the latch mechanism 20 is operated to perform a locking or unlocking operation.

[0031] As partially shown in Figures 2(a) and (b) to Figure 4, the latch mechanism 20 comprises a pair of left and right operating reels 21 rotatably fitted and supported at the center of both sides of the surface of the door main body 11, multiple upper and lower connecting bars 26 that move up and down in accordance with the rotation of each operating reel 21, and multiple upper and lower locking claws 29 that appear and disappear in accordance with the up and down movement of each connecting bar 26.When the door set 10 is locked, the operating reel 21 rotates in one direction to fit and lock the multiple upper and lower locking claws 29 from within the peripheral wall of the door main body 11 into the locking pockets 4 on the front inner peripheral part of the body 1, and when the door set 10 is unlocked, the operating reel 21 rotates in the other direction to retract the multiple upper and lower locking claws 29 from the locking pockets 4 of the body 1 into the peripheral wall of the door main body 11.

[0032] Each operating reel 21 is formed as a roughly convex disk with a reel set 23 attached to the center of a disk portion 22, with the front surface facing the door cover 13 and the back surface facing the surface of the door body 11. The center of the front surface of this operating reel 21 faces the operating opening of the door cover 13, and when the operating key of the opener 40 that passes through this operating opening is inserted, the operating reel 21 is rotated in one direction or the other by a predetermined rotation angle of about 90°.

[0033] The operating reel 21 basically has first and second guide grooves 24, 24A cut out and arranged diagonally above and below at 180° intervals in the disk portion 22, and these first and second guide grooves 24, 24A are curved and formed in a roughly semicircular arc shape extending in the circumferential direction, and the ends of the connecting bar 26 are slidably connected to the first and second guide grooves 24, 24A.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4, the first and second guide grooves 24, 24A have a circular one end 24a that comes into contact with the end of the connecting bar 26 when the latch mechanism 20 is locked, in other words, when the door set 10 is closed, a circular other end 24b that comes into contact with the end of the connecting bar 26 when the latch mechanism 20 is unlocked, in other words, when the door set 10 is open, a substantially semicircular inner side 24c that is formed between the one end 24a and the other end 24b and located toward the center of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21, and a substantially semicircular outer side 24d that is formed between the one end 24a and the other end 24b and located toward the periphery of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21, and the one end 24a and the other end 24b are arranged at an angle of approximately 90°.

[0035] 6 and 7, a rotation prevention pin 25 is formed to protrude from the periphery of the back surface of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21, which faces the front surface of the door body 11. This rotation prevention pin 25 functions to prevent excessive rotation of the operating reel 21.

[0036] A plurality of upper and lower connecting bars 26 are slidably arranged via a plurality of guides on both sides of the surface of the door body 11, and a pair of connecting bars 26 are arranged so as to sandwich the operating reel 21 from above and below. Each connecting bar 26 is formed in a generally elongated plate shape with a guide slot oriented in the up and down direction of the door body 11, and a pair of tubular portions 27 are formed at the tip thereof so as to protrude side by side at a distance from each other, each tubular portion 27 being formed in a cylindrical shape, and the connecting pin of the locking claw 29 is inserted into the pair of tubular portions 27.

[0037] A cylindrical pin 28 is formed integrally with the rear end of the connecting bar 26, and this pin 28 is loosely fitted into the first guide groove 24 or the second guide groove 24A of the operation reel 21. Specifically, when the connecting bar 26 is arranged above the operation reel 21, it is slidably fitted with looseness into the first guide groove 24 located above the operation reel 21, and when the connecting bar 26 is arranged below the operation reel 21, it is slidably fitted with looseness into the second guide groove 24A located below the operation reel 21. Due to this loose fitting of the pin 28, the connecting bar 26 moves up and down in the vertical direction of the door set 10 while being guided by a guide in the door main body 11 as the operation reel 21 rotates.

[0038] Each locking claw 29 is bent, for example, into a substantially L-shaped cross section, with its tip pointing in the vertical direction facing the recessed hole 12 of the door body 11 so as to be able to pass through, and its end is rotatably supported within the peripheral wall of the door body 11 and positioned near the recessed hole 12, with the bent portion connected to a pair of tubular portions 27 at the tip of the connecting bar 26 via a connecting pin so as to be able to swing in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction) of the door set 10. The tip of this locking claw 29 is bifurcated and formed into a substantially groove-shaped recess, and a support pin is axially mounted in this substantially groove-shaped recess so as to be able to rotate freely, and a cylindrical pressure roller 30 that slides within the locking pocket 4 of the body 1 is fitted onto this support pin.

[0039] In this embodiment, in order to control the flow of air, when the latch mechanism 20 is unlocked, the lower part of the door set 10 is unlocked before the upper part of the door set 10. In consideration of this, the shape of at least one of the first and second guide grooves 24 and 24A of the operating reel 21 shown in Figure 4 is changed along with the length of the sides, so that when the latch mechanism 20 is unlocked, the locking claw 29 located at the lower part of the door set 10 retracts and is unlocked before the locking claw 29 located at the upper part of the door set 10 (see Figure 5).

[0040] Specifically, if the distance from the center of the operating reel 21 to the inner side 24c of the first guide groove 24 is A and the distance from the center of the operating reel 21 to the inner side 24c of the second guide groove 24A is B, a portion where A > B is partially formed on the same straight line (= 180°) on the inner side 24c of at least one of the first and second guide grooves 24·24A, and an inflection point 24f where the curve of the arc switches is formed on the inner side 24c of at least one of the first and second guide grooves 24·24A. When a portion where A > B is partially formed on the inner sides 24c of the first and second guide grooves 24·24A on the same straight line, it is preferable to quantify the angle of the inflection point 24f where the distance from the center of the operating reel 21 to the first and second guide grooves 24·24A becomes shorter than the closed position of the door set 10 as follows:

[0041] The angle based on the straight line passing through the center of the pin of the connecting bar loosely fitted in one end of the first guide groove is defined as θ The length from the center of the operating reel to the inner side of the first guide groove is A. The length from the center of the operating reel to the inner side of the second guide groove is B. A and B at angle θ are Aθ and Bθ respectively A0=B0 (A=B at 0°) The minimum θ (the inflection point angle of the first guide groove) where A0>Aθ is a When the minimum θ (the inflection point angle of the second guide groove) where B0>Bθ is b, From experimental results, the ranges where a>b are 10≦a≦80, 3≦b≦30, preferably 10≦a≦70, 4≦b≦20, and more preferably 10≦a≦65, 5≦b≦10.

[0042] The optimum angle a is 65° when only the first guide groove 24 is changed, 10° when only the second guide groove 24A is changed, and 65° when both the first and second guide grooves 24·24A are changed. On the other hand, the optimum angle b is 10° when only the first guide groove 24 is changed, 5° when only the second guide groove 24A is changed, and 5° when both the first and second guide grooves 24·24A are changed.

[0043] Based on the above numerical conditions, in the case of Figure 5, in which the first and second guide grooves 24 and 24A are respectively changed, the first guide groove 24 is partially shifted toward and close to the outer side 24d in the range including the inflection point 24f from approximately the center 24e of the inner side 24c to the other end 24b, thereby functioning to suppress the radial movement of the pin 28 of the connecting bar 26.

[0044] Furthermore, the area from approximately the center 24e to the other end 24b of the outer side 24d of the first guide groove 24 is partially offset in the circumferential direction of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21 and comes into close contact with the pin 28 when the connecting bar 26 moves. In the area from approximately the center 24e of this outer side 24d to the other end 24b, an arc of R28 is drawn from the center of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21. From the viewpoint of reliably delaying the operation of the locking pawl 29 located above the door set 10, the length from approximately the center 24e of the outer side 24d to the circumferential edge of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21 should be 0.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less, preferably 1 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less, and more preferably 1.2 mm or more and 2 mm or less.

[0045] The inner side 24c and outer side 24d of the first guide groove 24 are partially shifted in the circumferential direction of the disc portion 22 of the operating reel 21 and approach each other, thereby extending together, and due to this extension, the movement time of the connecting bars 26 arranged above the operating reel 21 is extended compared to the movement time of the connecting bars 26 arranged below, and the locking claws 29 located above the door set 10 operate with a delay compared to the locking claws 29 located below, so the lower locking claws 29 operate relatively quickly.

[0046] 5, where the first and second guide grooves 24·24A are respectively changed, the range including the inflection point 24f of the inner side 24c from approximately near one end 24a to the other end 24b of the second guide groove 24A is slightly partially offset toward and gently approaches the center of the operating reel 21. The outer side 24d of this second guide groove 24A is also slightly partially offset toward and gently approaches the center of the operating reel 21 in the range from approximately near one end 24a to the other end 24b.

[0047] In the above configuration, when the door set 10 is unlocked and removed from the front 3 of the body 1 mounted on the opener 40, as shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), first, each operating reel 21 of the latch mechanism 20 is rotated 90° in the other direction by the EFEM opener 40, moving the multiple connecting bars 26 toward the operating reel 21, and the multiple locking claws 29 pass through the recessed holes 12 from the locking pockets 4 on the inner front periphery of the body 1 and retreat while swinging within the peripheral wall of the door set 10, and each locking claw 29 unlocks the door set 10, making it ready for removal.

[0048] At this time, the second guide groove 24A is shorter than the first guide groove 24, and the locking claw 29 located at the bottom of the door set 10 retreats and unlocks before the locking claw 29 located at the top, so a small gap is created between the body 1 and the bottom of the door set 10, and a flow of clean air flows into the negative pressure inside the body 1 through this gap (see the arrow in Figure 1).

[0049] The clean air flows in under a downflow, which reduces the amount of particles that flow in. After the locking claw 29 located below the door set 10 is unlocked, the locking claw 29 located above the door set 10 moves back to unlock, but because the inside of the body 1 is already under positive pressure rather than negative pressure, the inflow of air is suppressed even under a downflow of clean air.

[0050] When all the locking claws 29 are unlocked and the door set 10 can be removed, the door set 10 is vacuum-sucked by the opener 40 and pulled out from the front surface 3 of the body 1, so that the door set 10 can be properly removed from the front surface 3 of the body 1.

[0051] When the door set 10 is fitted into the open front 3 of the body 1 mounted on the opener 40 and locked, as shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), the door set 10 is pressed into the open front 3 of the body 1 by the EFEM opener 40, the operating reel 21 of the latch mechanism 20 is rotated 90° in the other direction by the opener 40, moving the multiple connecting bars 26 in the direction opposite to the operating reel 21, and the multiple locking claws 29 pass through the recessed holes 12 from within the peripheral wall of the door set 10 and advance while swinging to the inner periphery of the front of the body 1, and the pressing rollers 30 of each locking claw 29 engage with the locking pockets 4 on the inner periphery of the front of the body 1 to lock, thereby locking the door set 10.

[0052] According to the above configuration, the timing for unlocking the lower and upper parts of door set 10 is staggered, and clean air is allowed to flow in before the lower part of door set 10 is unlocked, so that the negative pressure inside body 1 can be eliminated before the upper part of door set 10 is unlocked. This elimination of negative pressure makes it possible to suppress the amount of airflow flowing upward into the interior of body 1 from between body 1 and the upper part of door set 10, effectively eliminating the problem of particles mixed in the airflow adhering in large numbers to the surfaces of semiconductor wafers W, particularly the surfaces of the uppermost semiconductor wafers W, resulting in a decrease in quality.

[0053] In addition, by changing the inflow path of the clean air downward and using the door set 10 as a barrier against the downflow of clean air, the effect of the downflow on the recovery of negative pressure inside the body 1 can be reduced, effectively eliminating the risk of particles adhering to and accumulating on the surface of the uppermost semiconductor wafer W. Furthermore, it is expected that the intrusion of corrosive gases such as chlorine can also be significantly suppressed, in addition to particles. Furthermore, rather than significantly changing the shape of the operation reel 21, the inner and outer edges of the first guide groove 24 are simply brought closer to the periphery of the disc portion 22 in the radially outward direction, thereby eliminating the need for significant changes to the configuration of the door set 10 or the latch mechanism 20.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the open surface of the door body 11 is covered with a single door cover 13, but it may be covered with multiple door covers 13. Furthermore, while the latch mechanism 20 typically has a pair of left and right operating reels 21, this is not particularly limited and the number may be reduced to one. Furthermore, straight lines may be formed on at least one of the inner and outer edges of the first and second guide grooves 24 and 24A of the operating reel 21. Furthermore, the inner and outer edges of the second guide groove 24A may be shorter than those of the first guide groove 24, but as shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible to change only the inner and outer edges of the first guide groove 24 and leave the inner and outer edges of the second guide groove 24A unchanged.

[0055] Furthermore, a cylindrical anti-wear roller can be freely rotatably fitted onto the pin 28 of the connecting bar 26 of the latch mechanism 20, and this anti-wear roller can be slidably fitted loosely into the first and second guide grooves 24 and 24A. The locking claw 29 can also be formed with a substantially Y-shaped or V-shaped cross section. The substrate storage container can also be used in semiconductor factories and clean rooms that use a full downflow system where clean air is downflowed. Furthermore, all of the technologies described in this specification are subject to patent protection through amendments, divisional applications, etc. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The substrate storage container according to the present invention is used in the fields of manufacturing precision parts and semiconductors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Body 2 Support piece 3 front 4 Lockable pockets 10 Door Set 11 Door body 13 Door Cover 20 Latch mechanism 21 Operating reel (disk operating member) 22 Disc section 24 First guide groove 24A Second guide groove 24a One end 24b Other end 24c inner side 24d outer edge 24e center 24f Inflection point 26 Connecting bar (connecting member) 28-pin 29 Locking claw 30 pressure roller 40 Opener W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims

1. A substrate storage container comprising a body capable of storing a plurality of substrates arranged vertically, and a door set fitted to the open front of the body, the door set being fitted with a locking latch mechanism, The latch mechanism includes a disc operating member rotatably supported on the door set, multiple upper and lower connecting members that move up and down in response to the rotation of the disc operating member, and multiple upper and lower locking claws that appear and disappear in response to the up and down movements of the multiple upper and lower connecting members.When the door set is locked, the disc operating member rotates in one direction, causing the multiple upper and lower locking claws to advance from the peripheral wall of the door set to the inner front periphery of the body, and when the door set is unlocked, the disc operating member rotates in the other direction, causing the multiple upper and lower locking claws to retreat from the inner front periphery of the body to the peripheral wall of the door set. A substrate storage container characterized in that first and second guide grooves of approximately semicircular arc shape are formed at a predetermined interval in the disk portion of the disk operation member of the latch mechanism, a pin that fits into the first guide groove of the disk operation member is formed on a connecting member located above, and a pin that fits into the second guide groove of the disk operation member is formed on the connecting member located below, and where A is the distance from the center of the disk operation member to the inner side of the first guide groove and B is the distance from the center of the disk operation member to the inner side of the second guide groove, a portion is partially formed on the same straight line on the inner side of at least one of the first and second guide grooves such that A > B, thereby causing the lower locking claw to retract before the upper locking claw when the latch mechanism is unlocked.

2. A substrate storage container as described in claim 1, wherein the range from approximately the center of the inner side of the first guide groove to the other end is close to the outer side of the first guide groove, and the range from approximately the center of the outer side of the first guide groove to the other end is close to the circumferential edge of the disk portion of the disk operating member.

3. 3. A substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the range from approximately one end to the other end of the inner side of the second guide groove is close to the center of the disk portion of the disk operating member, and the range from approximately one end to the other end of the outer side of the second guide groove is close to the center of the disk portion of the disk operating member.

4. The angle based on the straight line passing through the center of the pin of the connecting member loosely fitted in one end of the first guide groove is defined as θ The length from the center of the disk operating member to the inner side of the first guide groove is A. The length from the center of the disk operating member to the inner side of the second guide groove is B. A and B at the angle θ are Aθ and Bθ, respectively. A0 = B0 (A = B when 0°) The minimum θ such that A0>Aθ is a 3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein when the minimum θ at which B0>Bθ is b, the ranges at which a>b are 10≦a≦80 and 3≦b≦30.

5. 3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, which is an in-process container used in at least one of a semiconductor factory, a clean room, and a semiconductor module device where clean air is down-flowed.

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