Substrate storage container

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a container body 2; a lid 3; a lid-side substrate support capable of supporting edges of substrates W when a container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3; a rear-side substrate support 6 that is disposed as a counterpart of the lid-side substrate support in a substrate housing space 27, is capable of supporting the edges of the substrates W, and supports the substrates W in a state in which the edges of the substrates W are arranged parallel to each other by the rear-side substrate support 6 together with the lid-side substrate support while the container body opening 21 is closed; a pair of lateral substrate supports 5 that are disposed to face each other in a lateral direction D3 in the substrate housing space 27 and are configured to contact the edges of the substrates W to be able to support the edges of the substrates W in a state in which the adjacent substrates W are arranged parallel to each other at predetermined intervals; and support constituent parts 4 that are disposed to face the inner surfaces of side walls 25, 26 of a wall 20 of the container body 2. The lateral substrate supports 5 are provided in the support constituent parts 4, and a dehumidifying agent 9 is placeable between the support constituent parts 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls 25, 26 of the wall 20 of the container body 2.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally known substrate storage containers for storing various substrates include a container body and a lid.

[0003] One end of the container body has a container body opening. The other end of the container body has a closed cylindrical wall. A substrate storage space is formed within the container body. The substrate storage space is surrounded by the wall and is capable of storing a substrate. The lid is detachable from the container body opening and is capable of closing the container body opening. The side substrate support portions are provided on the wall portions in a pair within the substrate storage space. When the container body opening is not closed by the lid, the side substrate support portions are capable of supporting edges of adjacent substrates in a state in which the substrates are arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance between them.

[0004] A front retainer (lid body side substrate support portion) is provided on a portion of the lid body that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed. The front retainer is capable of supporting the edge of the substrate when the container body opening is closed by the lid body. A rear side substrate support portion is provided on the wall portion so as to pair with the front retainer. The rear side substrate support portion is capable of supporting the edge of the substrate. When the container body opening is closed by the lid body, the rear side substrate support portion cooperates with the front retainer to support the substrate, thereby supporting the substrates in a state in which adjacent substrates are arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance between them.

[0005] Substrates stored in the substrate storage space of a substrate storage container are often very vulnerable to moisture (humidity). The substrate storage space can be dehumidified by purging the substrate storage space, but purging is difficult during transportation, etc. Thus, a substrate storage container equipped with a dehumidifying function for the substrate storage space is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] In the substrate storage container described in Patent Document 1, a case (dehumidifying agent storage case) that stores a dehumidifying agent is attached to the outside of the container body. A communication hole is provided in the container body, and the substrate storage space of the container body and the inside of the dehumidifying agent storage case are connected through this communication hole. This allows the dehumidifying function of the dehumidifying agent stored in the dehumidifying agent storage case to be exerted in the substrate storage space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 1,073,424 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, when the desiccant storage case is attached to the outside of the container body, it is difficult to completely achieve airtightness between the container body and the desiccant storage case, and the dehumidifying function is only fully exerted in the vicinity of the communication hole, resulting in a low dehumidifying effect.

[0009] It is also possible to arrange the desiccant in the substrate storage space of the container body. However, in this arrangement, unless the arrangement of the desiccant is devised, it is considered that the space in the substrate storage space cannot be effectively utilized.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container having a dehumidifying function for its substrate storage space, which can effectively utilize the space within the substrate storage space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention relates to a container body having a cylindrical wall portion having a container body opening at one end and a closed other end, wherein an inner surface of the wall portion defines a substrate storage space capable of storing a plurality of substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening; a lid body side substrate support portion that is a part of the lid body and is arranged in a portion that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid body and is capable of supporting edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid body; and a lid body side substrate support portion that is arranged in the substrate storage space to form a pair with the lid body side substrate support portion and is capable of supporting edges of the plurality of substrates, the container body opening is closed by the lid body, the container body comprising: a rear side substrate support portion which cooperates with the lid body side substrate support portion to support the multiple substrates with their edges aligned in a parallel state when the container body opening is closed by the lid body; side substrate support portions which are arranged in pairs laterally within the substrate storage space and abut against the edges of the multiple substrates, thereby supporting the edges of the multiple substrates in a parallel state with adjacent substrates spaced a predetermined distance apart; and a support portion component which is arranged opposite the inner surface of a side wall of the wall portion of the container body, the side substrate support portions being provided on the support portion component, and a desiccant can be placed between the support portion component and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body.

[0012] The substrate storage container preferably includes an agent holding member for holding the desiccant between the support component and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body.

[0013] It is also preferable that the agent holding member is configured to be inserted between the support portion component arranged opposite the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body from the side of the container body opening, and to be removable to the side of the container body opening.

[0014] In addition, it is preferable that the agent holding member is configured to store the dehumidifying agent from the side of the container body opening and to be removable to the side of the container body opening when the agent holding member is positioned between the support part component and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body.

[0015] The support component preferably includes a communication hole that connects the substrate supported by the side substrate support portion or the rear substrate support portion to the agent holding member. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container having a dehumidifying function for the substrate storage space, which can effectively utilize the space within the substrate storage space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of substrates W are stored in a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the substrate storage container 1 in a state in which no substrates W are stored. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing the substrate storage container 1 with a support component 4 and an agent holding member 8 removed. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a right-side support component 4 and an agent holding member 8. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a dehumidifying agent 9 is disposed outside an agent holding member 8. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a right side view of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4 as seen from the left side. [Figure 8] 11 is a perspective view of the right support portion component 4 as viewed from the right side. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a cross-sectional view passing through the right-side support component 4, the agent holding member 8 and the desiccant 9. FIG. [Figure 10]1 is a vertical cross-sectional view passing through the right-side support component 4, the agent holding member 8 and the desiccant 9. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] [Overall configuration of substrate storage container 1] Hereinafter, a substrate storage container 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of substrates W are stored in a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the substrate storage container 1 in a state in which no substrates W are stored. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the substrate storage container 1 in a state in which a support component 4 and an agent holding member 8 have been removed.

[0019] For the sake of convenience, the direction from the container body 2 to the lid 3 (from the upper right to the lower left in FIG. 1) is defined as the front direction D11, the opposite direction is defined as the rear direction D12, and these are collectively defined as the front-rear direction D1. The direction from the lower wall 24 to the upper wall 23 (upward in FIG. 1) is defined as the upward direction D21, the opposite direction is defined as the downward direction D22, and these are collectively defined as the up-down direction D2. The direction from the second side wall 26 to the first side wall 25 (from the lower right to the upper left in FIG. 1) is defined as the leftward direction D31, the opposite direction is defined as the rightward direction D32, and these are collectively defined as the left-right direction D3 or the lateral direction D3. Arrows indicating these directions are illustrated in the main drawings.

[0020] The substrate W (see FIG. 1) stored in the substrate storage container 1 is a thin substrate used in industry, such as a disk-shaped (disk-shaped) semiconductor wafer such as a silicon wafer, a glass wafer, or a sapphire wafer, a reticle, or a rectangular (quadrilateral) plate-shaped printed circuit board. The substrate W in this embodiment is a rectangular plate-shaped printed circuit board.

[0021] 1 to 3, substrate storage container 1 is used as an in-process container for storing substrates W and transporting them in processes within a factory, or as a shipping container for transporting substrates by land, air, sea or other transport means, and includes a container body 2, a lid 3, a support component 4, side substrate support components 5, a rear substrate support component 6, a front retainer (not shown) as a lid-side substrate support component, and an agent holding member 8. The side substrate support components 5 and the rear substrate support component 6 are provided on the support component 4.

[0022] The container body 2 has a cylindrical wall portion 20 with a container body opening 21 formed at one end and a closed other end. A substrate storage space 27 is formed inside the container body 2. The substrate storage space 27 is surrounded by the wall portion 20. A support portion component 4 is disposed in the portion of the wall portion 20 that forms the substrate storage space 27. A plurality of substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0023] The side substrate support parts 5 are provided on the support part component 4 so as to form a pair within the substrate storage space 27. The side substrate support parts 5 abut against the edges of the substrates W, thereby supporting the edges of the substrates W while arranging adjacent substrates W in parallel with a predetermined distance between them. A rear substrate support part 6 is provided on the rear side of the side substrate support parts 5, and is integrally molded with the support part component 4.

[0024] The rear-side substrate support part 6 is provided on the support part component 4 so as to pair with a front retainer (not shown) in the substrate storage space 27. The rear-side substrate support part 6 is capable of supporting rear portions of the edges of the substrates W by abutting against the edges of the substrates W.

[0025] The lid body 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 that forms the container body opening 21, and is capable of closing the container body opening 21. A front retainer (not shown) is provided on a portion of the lid body 3 that faces the substrate accommodating space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid body 3. The front retainer is disposed inside the substrate accommodating space 27 so as to form a pair with the rear substrate support part 6.

[0026] When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the front retainer can support the front portions of the edges of the substrates W by abutting against the edges of the substrates W. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the front retainer supports the substrates W in cooperation with the rear substrate support portion 6, thereby supporting adjacent substrates W in a juxtaposed state with a predetermined distance between them.

[0027] The substrate storage container 1 is made of resin such as plastic material, and unless otherwise specified, examples of the resin material include thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone, and liquid crystal polymer, as well as alloys thereof. When imparting electrical conductivity to the resin of these molding materials, conductive substances such as carbon fiber, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers are selectively added. It is also possible to add glass fiber, carbon fiber, and the like to increase rigidity.

[0028] [Container body 2] Each part will be described in detail below. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the wall 20 of the container body 2 has a back wall 22, an upper wall 23, a lower wall 24, a first side wall 25, and a second side wall 26. The back wall 22, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are made of the above-mentioned materials and are integrally molded.

[0029] The first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 face each other, and the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 face each other. The rear end of the upper wall 23, the rear end of the lower wall 24, the rear end of the first side wall 25, and the rear end of the second side wall 26 are all connected to the back wall 22. The front end of the upper wall 23, the front end of the lower wall 24, the front end of the first side wall 25, and the front end of the second side wall 26 constitute an opening periphery 28 that forms the container body opening 21 having a substantially rectangular shape.

[0030] The opening periphery 28 is provided at one end of the container body 2, and the back wall 22 is located at the other end of the container body 2. The outer shape of the container body 2 formed by the outer surfaces of the wall 20 is box-shaped. The inner surfaces of the wall 20, i.e., the inner surfaces of the back wall 22, the inner surface of the upper wall 23, the inner surface of the lower wall 24, the inner surface of the first side wall 25, and the inner surface of the second side wall 26, form a substrate storage space 27 surrounded thereby. The container body opening 21 formed at the opening periphery 28 is surrounded by the wall 20 and communicates with the substrate storage space 27 formed inside the container body 2. A maximum of 16 substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.

[0031] Latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B recessed toward the outside of the board storage space 27 are formed in the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 in the vicinity of the opening periphery 28. A total of four latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, one each near the left and right ends of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24.

[0032] Ribs 235 are provided on the outer surface of upper wall 23 and are molded integrally with upper wall 23. Ribs 235 increase the rigidity of container body 2. Furthermore, a top flange 236 is fixed to the center of upper wall 23. Top flange 236 is a member that becomes a part that is hung and suspended in substrate storage container 1 when suspending substrate storage container 1 in an AMHS (automated wafer transport system), PGV (wafer substrate transport vehicle), or the like.

[0033] A bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 has a substantially rectangular plate shape disposed opposite to substantially the entire lower surface constituting the outer surface of the lower wall 24, and is fixed to the lower wall 24.

[0034] Two types of through holes, air supply holes 242 and exhaust holes 243, are formed near the four corners of the bottom wall 24. In this embodiment, the two through holes in the front part of the bottom wall 24 are exhaust holes 243 for discharging gas from inside the container body 2, and the two through holes in the rear part are air supply holes 242 for supplying gas into the container body 2.

[0035] An air supply filter section 98 as an additional part is disposed in the through hole serving as the air supply hole 242, and an exhaust filter section 99 is disposed in the through hole serving as the exhaust hole 243. That is, the gas flow paths inside the air supply filter section 98 and the exhaust filter section 99 constitute a part of an air passage capable of communicating the substrate storage space 27 with the space outside the container body 2. The air supply filter section 98 and the exhaust filter section 99 are disposed in the wall section 20, and the air supply filter section 98 and the exhaust filter section 99 allow the gas to pass between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27 via a filter (not shown). The purge gas supplied to the air supply filter section 98 is configured to be supplied to the substrate storage space 27. The exhaust filter section 99 is configured to allow the gas to pass from the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2.

[0036] [Support portion component 4] Next, the details of the support part component 4 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the right support part component 4 and the agent holding member 8. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a dehumidifying agent 9 is disposed outside the agent holding member 8. Fig. 6 is a right side view of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 4 as viewed from the left. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the right support part component 4 as viewed from the right. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view passing through the right support part component 4, the agent holding member 8, and the dehumidifying agent 9. Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view passing through the right support part component 4, the agent holding member 8, and the dehumidifying agent 9.

[0037] As shown in Figs. 4 to 10, the support component 4 includes a vertical plate main body 40, a horizontal plate portion 41, a side board support portion 5, a rear board support portion 6, a communication hole 42, a front wall portion 43, a holding hole 44, a guide piece 45, a front engagement portion 46, and a rear engagement portion 47. As shown in Fig. 2, the support component 4 is disposed in pairs in the left-right direction D3, facing the inner surfaces of the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2. In Fig. 4 and subsequent figures, the support component 4 on the right side (the side of the second side wall 26) is shown as a representative, but the description of the support component 4 also applies to the support component 4 on the left side (the side of the first side wall 25) (basically, the left and right are reversed).

[0038] The vertical plate body 40 is a flat plate extending in the D1-D2 plane. Between the vertical plate body 40 and the inner surface of the second side wall 26, an agent holding member 8 that stores and holds a desiccant 9 is disposed.

[0039] The horizontal plate portion 41 is a plate-like portion that protrudes inward in the horizontal direction D3 from the inner surface of the vertical plate main body 40 in the horizontal direction D3. The horizontal plate portion 41 extends in the D1-D3 plane. For example, 17 horizontal plate portions 41 are provided in the vertical direction D2. Adjacent horizontal plate portions 41 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction D2 and are arranged in a parallel positional relationship. As shown in FIG. 2, the multiple horizontal plate portions 41 provided on the right support component 4 and the multiple horizontal plate portions 41 provided on the left support component 4 are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction D3.

[0040] [Side board support part 5] As shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the side board support parts 5 are arranged in pairs in the horizontal direction D3 in the board storage space 27, and can support the edges of the boards W by abutting against the edges of the boards W while arranging adjacent boards W in parallel with a predetermined distance between them. The side board support parts 5 are protruding parts provided on the front side of the vertical plate main body 40, spanning the inner surface of the vertical plate main body 40 in the horizontal direction D3 and the upper surface of the horizontal plate part 41. The side board support parts 5 contact the boards W in a substantially point-like manner, and do not contact the boards W in a planar manner. The side board support parts 5 are not provided on the uppermost horizontal plate part 41. That is, the uppermost horizontal plate part 41 is not directly involved in supporting the boards W.

[0041] [Back side board support part 6] 2 and 7, the number of rear board support parts 6 is provided to correspond to each board W that can be stored in the board storage space 27, specifically 16 boards. The rear board support parts 6 arranged on the support part components 4 on the right and left sides are positioned in a paired relationship in the front-to-rear direction D1 with a front retainer, which will be described later. When a board W is stored in the board storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the rear board support parts 6 support the edge of the edge of the board W.

[0042] The rear board support part 6 is provided at the rear end of the vertical plate main body 40. The rear board support part 6 includes a rear protrusion part 61 and a rear abutment part 62. The rear protrusion part 61 has the same configuration as the lateral board support part 5 and performs the same function. The rear abutment part 62 is integrally provided at the rear end part of the horizontal plate part 41 and extends in the D2-D3 plane. The rear protrusion part 61 is located near the rear abutment part 62 and on the front side. The rear board support part 6 is not provided on the uppermost horizontal plate part 41. In other words, the uppermost horizontal plate part 41 is not directly involved in supporting the board W.

[0043] [Communication hole 42] 4 to 10, the communication hole 42 communicates between the substrate W supported by the side substrate support parts 5 or the rear substrate support part 6 and the agent holding member 8. The communication hole 42 is provided in a position between the horizontal plate parts 41, 41 adjacent in the up-down direction D2 in the vertical plate main body 40. Two communication holes 42 are provided spaced apart in the front-rear direction D1 in the shape of elongated holes extending in the front-rear direction D1.

[0044] The front wall portion 43 is a wall portion that extends outward in the lateral direction D3 from a front portion (forward of the communication hole 42) of the lateral plate portion 41. The front wall portion 43 extends on the D2-D3 plane.

[0045] Two retaining holes 44 are provided in the front wall portion 43, spaced apart in the up-down direction D2. The retaining holes 44 penetrate in the front-rear direction D1. Each retaining hole 44 holds a front portion of one agent retaining member 8. The retaining hole 44 also functions as an insertion hole for moving the agent retaining member 8 to the rear side of the front wall portion 43 when placing the agent retaining member 8 at a predetermined position in the support portion constituent member 4.

[0046] The guide piece 45 is a piece extending outward in the lateral direction D3 from the outer surface in the lateral direction D3 of a portion of the lateral plate portion 41 rearward of the front wall portion 43. The guide piece 45 extends in the D1-D3 plane. The guide piece 45 guides, holds, and supports at least a lower portion (preferably a lower portion and an upper portion) of a portion (rear side, middle portion) of the agent holding member 8 held in the holding hole 44.

[0047] The front engagement portion 46 is provided on the front wall portion 43, and in this embodiment, is configured as a hole portion. The front engagement portion 46 engages with a front engagement portion 251 (see FIG. 2) and a front engagement portion 261 (see FIG. 3) provided on the front side of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the container body 2. Note that, although the front engagement portion 46 and the front engagement portions 251 and 261 only engage with each other in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured to be fixed.

[0048] The rear engagement portion 47 is provided on the vertical plate main body 40. The rear engagement portion 47 engages with and is fixed to a rear engagement portion (not shown) provided on the rear side of the first side wall 25 of the container main body 2 and a rear engagement portion 262 (see FIG. 3) provided on the rear side of the second side wall 26. Note that, although the rear engagement portion 47 and the rear engagement portion are fixed to each other in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto and may simply be configured to engage with each other.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the support portion component 4 is fixed to the container body 2 by the front engagement portion 46 and the rear engagement portion 47, in a state in which the support portion component 4 faces the inner surfaces of the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 of the container body 2, respectively, and is arranged in a pair in the left-right direction D3.

[0050] In this embodiment, the vertical plate body 40 of the support part component 4 is flat along the edge shape (straight in the front-rear direction) of the substrate W. Therefore, originally, the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the container body 2 may be flat along the shape of the vertical plate body 40 of the support part component 4. However, in this embodiment, the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the container body 2 bulges outward in the horizontal direction D3. That is, the container body 2 and the lid body 3 are for a disk-shaped substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. In general, there is a higher demand for substrate storage containers for disk-shaped substrates than for substrate storage containers for rectangular plate-shaped substrates. Therefore, the substrate storage container for disk-shaped substrates can be manufactured at a lower cost than the substrate storage container for rectangular plate-shaped substrates. Therefore, the container body 2 and the lid body 3 of this embodiment are reused as the container body and the lid body of the substrate storage container for disk-shaped substrates. The substrate storage container 1 for rectangular plate-shaped substrates W is constructed by adopting the support component 4 having a structure for supporting the rectangular plate-shaped substrates W as the support component 4. When such a configuration is adopted, not only can the manufacturing cost of the container body 2 and the lid 3 be reduced, but also the following effects are achieved. Specifically, a space is inevitably generated between the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the container body 2, which bulges outward in the horizontal direction D3 for a disk-shaped substrate, and the vertical plate body 40 (the outer surface in the horizontal direction D3) of the flat support component 4 for a rectangular plate-shaped substrate. The substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment effectively utilizes this space as an arrangement space for the agent holding member 8 and the desiccant 9.

[0051] [Agent holding member 8] As shown in FIG. 2, the agent holding member 8 is disposed between the support component 4 and the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 10, the agent holding member 8 is a member that holds the desiccant 9. The agent holding member 8 holds the desiccant 9 by storing it therein. The desiccant 9 is stored in the agent holding member 8, but may not be fixed to the agent holding member 8. The agent holding member 8 includes an agent storage main body 81, an agent insertion port 82, an agent lid body 83, a communication hole 84, and a spring piece 85.

[0052] 2, the agent holding members 8 are arranged in pairs in the left-right direction D3, facing the inner surfaces of the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2. In Fig. 4 and subsequent figures, the agent holding member 8 on the right side (the side of the second side wall 26) is shown as a representative, but the description of the agent holding member 8 also applies to the agent holding member 8 on the left side (the side of the first side wall 25) (basically, the left-right positions are simply reversed).

[0053] As shown in Figs. 4 to 10, the agent storage body 81 has a space for storing the dehumidifying agent 9. The agent insertion opening 82 is an opening provided on the front side of the agent storage body 81. When the communication hole 84 is not considered, the agent storage body 81 has a shape in which the front side (agent insertion opening 82) is open. When the communication hole 84 is not considered, the agent cover body 83 can close the agent insertion opening 82. The agent cover body 83 is rotatably connected to the agent storage body 81 by a hinge structure on the inside in the horizontal direction D3. In a state in which the agent cover body 83 does not close the agent insertion opening 82, the agent storage body 81 allows the dehumidifying agent 9 to be inserted from the front side (agent insertion opening 82) and the dehumidifying agent 9 to be removed from the front side (agent insertion opening 82).

[0054] The communication hole 84 is a hole that communicates between the inside and the outside of the agent holding member 8. In the present embodiment, the communication hole 84 has an inner communication hole 84A provided in an inner part of the agent storage body 81 in the horizontal direction D3, an outer communication hole 84B provided in an outer part of the agent storage body 81 in the horizontal direction D3, and a lid side communication hole 84C provided in the agent lid body 83.

[0055] It is preferable that the inner communication hole 84A and the communication hole 42 of the support part component 4 overlap in the horizontal direction D3 when the agent holding member 8 is supported by the support part component 4. This makes it possible to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the communication path between the storage space of the agent holding member 8 and the inner region of the support part component 4 in the horizontal direction D3.

[0056] The spring piece 85 is connected to the front side of the agent accommodating body 81 and is a piece that exhibits spring properties in the lateral direction D3. When the agent holding member 8 is arranged at a predetermined position of the support portion constituent member 4, the contracted spring piece 85 presses the agent insertion port 82 outward in the lateral direction D3, thereby restricting the movement of the agent holding member 8 relative to the support portion constituent member 4.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 2, the agent holding member 8 is inserted between the support part component 4 arranged so as to face the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall part 20 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall part 20 of the container body 2 from the side of the container body opening 21, and is configured to be removable to the side of the container body opening 21. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, the agent holding member 8 is inserted between the support part component 4 arranged so as not to face the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall part 20 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall part 20 of the container body 2 from the side of the container body opening 21, and is configured to be removable to the side of the container body opening 21.

[0058] The agent holding member 8 is configured to store the dehumidifying agent 9 from the container body opening 21 side and to be removable to the container body opening 21 side when the agent holding member 8 is disposed between the support part component 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall part 20 of the container body 2. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, the agent holding member 8 is configured to store the dehumidifying agent 9 from the container body opening 21 side and to be removable to the container body opening 21 side when the agent holding member 8 is not disposed between the support part component 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall part 20 of the container body 2.

[0059] [Dehumidifier 9] The dehumidifying agent 9 is an agent having a dehumidifying (moisture absorbing, drying) function. There are no limitations on the shape or configuration as long as it can be held in the agent holding member 8. The dehumidifying agent 9 may be held immovably in the agent holding member 8, or may be held movably. For example, the dehumidifying agent 9 may be one size smaller than the storage space of the agent holding member 8.

[0060] [Cover 3] 1, the lid body 3 has a generally rectangular shape that generally matches the shape of the opening peripheral portion 28 of the container body 2. The lid body 3 is detachable from the opening peripheral portion 28 of the container body 2, and by attaching the lid body 3 to the opening peripheral portion 28, the lid body 3 can close the container body opening 21 in a positional relationship in which it is surrounded by the opening peripheral portion 28.

[0061] An annular seal member (not shown) is attached to the inner surface of the lid 3 (the back surface of the lid 3 shown in FIG. 1), which faces the surface of a step (seal surface 281) formed in a position in the rear direction D12 immediately behind the opening periphery 28 when the lid 3 closes the container body opening 21, so as to go around the outer periphery of the lid 3. The seal member is disposed so as to go around the lid 3. The seal member is made of various thermoplastic elastomers such as elastically deformable polyesters and polyolefins, fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc.

[0062] When the lid body 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the sealing member is sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the lid body 3 and elastically deforms. That is, by interposing the sealing member between the lid body 3 and the container body 2, the lid body 3 can close the container body opening 21 with the lid body 3 and the opening periphery 28 spaced apart without abutting each other. By removing the lid body 3 from the opening periphery 28, the substrate W can be inserted into and removed from the substrate storage space 27 in the container body 2.

[0063] A latch mechanism is provided in the cover 3. The latch mechanism is provided near both left and right ends of the cover 3, and includes two upper latch portions 32A, 32A capable of protruding in an upward direction D21 from the upper side of the cover 3, and two lower latch portions 32B, 32B capable of protruding in a downward direction D22 from the lower side of the cover 3, as shown in Fig. 1. The two upper latch portions 32A, 32A are disposed near both left and right ends of the upper side of the cover 3, and the two lower latch portions 32B, 32B are disposed near both left and right ends of the lower side of the cover 3.

[0064] An operating portion 33 is provided on the outer surface of the lid body 3. By operating the operating portion 33 from the front side of the lid body 3, the upper latch portions 32A, 32A and the lower latch portions 32B, 32B can be made to protrude from the upper and lower sides of the lid body 3, or can be made not to protrude from the upper and lower sides. The upper latch portions 32A, 32A protrude in the upward direction D21 from the upper side of the lid body 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch portions 32B, 32B protrude in the downward direction D22 from the lower side of the lid body 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 241A, 241B of the container body 2, thereby fixing the lid body 3 to the container body opening 21 of the container body 2.

[0065] A recess (not shown) is formed on the inside of the cover 3 (the rear direction D12 side of the cover 3 in FIG. 1) recessed outward (in the front direction D11) of the board storage space 27. A front retainer (not shown) is fixed to the recess.

[0066] The front retainer (not shown) has a front retainer board receiving portion (not shown). The front retainer board receiving portions (not shown) are arranged in pairs, two at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The front retainer board receiving portions arranged in pairs in this manner are provided in 16 pairs in parallel in the up-down direction. When the board W is stored in the board storage space 27 and the cover 3 is closed, the front retainer board receiving portion supports the edge of the edge of the board W.

[0067] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment having the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained. The substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment includes a container body 2 having a cylindrical wall 20 with a container body opening 21 formed at one end and a closed other end, in which a substrate storage space 27 capable of storing a plurality of substrates W and communicating with the container body opening 21 is formed by the inner surface of the wall 20; a lid 3 that is detachable from the container body opening 21 and capable of closing the container body opening 21; a lid-side substrate support section that is a part of the lid 3 and is arranged in a portion facing the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, and that is capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3; The container includes a rear-side substrate support section 6 that is disposed to form a pair with the lid-side substrate support section and is capable of supporting the edges of the substrates W, and cooperates with the lid-side substrate support section to support the substrates W in a state in which the edges of the substrates W are aligned in parallel when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, a side substrate support section 5 that is disposed to form a pair in the horizontal direction D3 in the substrate storage space 27 and is capable of supporting the edges of the substrates W in a state in which adjacent substrates W are aligned in parallel and spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval by abutting the edges of the substrates W, and a support section component 4 that is disposed opposite the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall section 20 of the container body 2. The side substrate support section 5 is provided on the support section component 4, and a desiccant 9 can be disposed between the support section component 4 and the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall section 20 of the container body 2.

[0068] Therefore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, by disposing a desiccant 9 between the support component 4 arranged opposite the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the side wall (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2, the space within the substrate storage space 1 can be utilized effectively.

[0069] Moreover, the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment includes an agent holding member 8 that holds a desiccant 9 between the support component 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2. Therefore, according to the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment, the desiccant 9 can be easily held between the support component 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2.

[0070] In this embodiment, the agent holding member 8 is inserted between the support component 4 arranged facing the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 from the side of the container body opening 21, and is configured to be removable towards the side of the container body opening 21. Therefore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, after the support component 4 is arranged at a predetermined position in the substrate storage space 27 of the container body 2, the agent holding member 8 can be easily inserted into the predetermined position and easily removed from the predetermined position.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the agent holding member 8 is configured to store the desiccant 9 from the side of the container body opening 21 and to be able to remove it to the side of the container body opening 21 when the agent holding member 8 is disposed between the support component 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2. Therefore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, after the support component 4 and the agent holding member 8 are disposed at predetermined positions in the substrate storage space 27 of the container body 2, the desiccant 9 can be easily stored in the predetermined position and easily removed from the predetermined position.

[0072] In this embodiment, the support component 4 has a communication hole 42 that communicates the substrate W supported by the side substrate support parts 5 or the rear substrate support part 6 with the agent holding member 8. The agent holding member 8 and the substrate W are disposed on opposite sides in the horizontal direction D3 with the support component 4 (vertical plate body 40) in between. However, since the support component 4 (vertical plate body 40) has the communication hole 42, the dehumidifying (moisture absorbing, drying) function of the dehumidifying agent 9 held and stored in the agent holding member 8 disposed on the opposite side in the horizontal direction D3 with the support component 4 (vertical plate body 40) in between is easily exerted in the atmosphere around the substrate W.

[0073] [Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0074] For example, in the above embodiment, the support component 4 is provided with the side substrate support parts 5 and the rear substrate support part 6, but is not limited thereto. The rear substrate support part 6 may not be provided on the support component 4, but may be integrally formed with the container body 2.

[0075] When the substrate is disk-shaped, the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) are formed so that the desiccant 9 can be placed between the support component 4 and the inner surfaces of the side walls (first side wall 25, second side wall 26) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2.

[0076] The configuration of the support portion constituent member 4, for example, the shape, configuration, number, and presence / absence of the vertical plate body 40, the horizontal plate body 41, the communication hole 42, the front wall portion 43, the holding hole 44, the guide piece 45, the front engagement portion 46, and the rear engagement portion 47, are not limited to the example of this embodiment. The configuration of the agent holding member 8, for example, the shape, configuration, number, and presence / absence of the agent storage body 81, the agent insertion port 82, the agent lid body 83, the communication hole 84, and the spring piece 85, are not limited to the example of this embodiment.

[0077] Furthermore, the shapes of the container body and the lid body, and the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body are not limited to the shapes of the container body 2 and the lid body 3, and the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2 in this embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1. Substrate storage container 2 Container body 20 Wall 21 Container body opening 25 First side wall (side wall) 26 Second side wall (side wall) 27 Board storage space 3 Lid 4 Support component 40 Vertical board body 41 Horizontal plate part 42 Communication hole 43 Front wall 44 Retention hole 45 Guide piece 5 Side board support part 6 Back side board support 8. Agent holding member 81 Drug storage body 82 Agent insertion port 83 Agent cover 84 Communication hole 84A Inner communication hole 84B Outside communication hole 84C Lid side communication hole 85 Spring piece 9. Dehumidifier D3 Horizontal, left and right W substrate

Claims

1. a container body including a cylindrical wall portion having a container body opening at one end and a closed other end, the inner surface of the wall portion defining a substrate storage space capable of storing a plurality of substrates and communicating with the container body opening; A lid body that is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening; a lid-side substrate support portion that is disposed in a portion of the lid that faces the substrate accommodating space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and that is capable of supporting edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid; a rear-side substrate support portion that is disposed in the substrate storage space so as to form a pair with the lid-side substrate support portion, is capable of supporting edge portions of the plurality of substrates, and cooperates with the lid-side substrate support portion to support the plurality of substrates with their edge portions aligned in parallel when the container body opening is closed by the lid; side substrate support parts that are arranged in pairs in the horizontal direction within the substrate storage space and that can support the edges of the substrates by abutting the edges of the substrates while arranging adjacent substrates in parallel with a predetermined distance apart from each other; a support component arranged to face an inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body, The side substrate support portions are provided on the support portion component, A substrate storage container, wherein a desiccant can be disposed between the support component and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body.

2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 , further comprising an agent holding member for holding the desiccant between the support component and an inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body.

3. The substrate storage container of claim 2, wherein the agent holding member is inserted between the support component member arranged opposite the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body from the side of the container body opening, and is configured to be removable to the side of the container body opening.

4. The substrate storage container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the agent holding member is configured to store the desiccant from the side of the container body opening and to be removable to the side of the container body opening when the agent holding member is positioned between the support component and the inner surface of the side wall of the wall portion of the container body.

5. A substrate storage container as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the support component has a communication hole that connects the substrate supported by the side substrate support portion or the rear substrate support portion to the agent holding member.

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