Substrate storage container

Abstract

A substrate accommodating container according to the present invention comprises a container main body capable of accommodating a substrate (W), a lid (20) for closing an opening in the container main body, a retainer (50) installed in the lid (20), and a left and right pair of substrate supporting portions (55) which are formed in the retainer (50), and which hold the substrate (W) by sandwiching the same against the container main body, wherein the substrate supporting portions (55) have an arcuate shape in a cross-sectional view from a vertical direction perpendicular to a closing direction of the lid (20). Further, the substrate supporting portions (55) form U-shaped slots together with a pair of substrate guide portions (56) which are provided upright from both upper and lower edges. It is thus possible to provide a substrate accommodating container capable of holding substrates stably, even if the substrate thicknesses differ.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container having a retainer for holding substrates. [Background technology]

[0002] A substrate storage container for storing substrates such as semiconductor wafers comprises a container body capable of storing multiple substrates and a lid body for closing the opening of the container body, as seen in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0003] A retainer that supports the substrates is attached to the lid, and the substrate storage container supports the substrates by sandwiching them between the retainer and a support provided on the container body. The retainer has a substrate support portion that is V-shaped in cross section, and the substrates are guided to the bottom of the V (see Figure 10 of Patent Document 1 and Figure 13 of Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2009 / 131016 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-153434 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in recent years, the types and thicknesses of substrates have become more diverse, and there are also substrates made by bonding multiple substrates together (stack substrates).If a retainer appropriate for the thickness of the substrate is not used, the substrate cannot be held properly, and the substrate cannot be held securely, resulting in scratches, damage, or cracks due to vibration or impact.

[0006] Furthermore, when a thick substrate is held by the V-shaped substrate support section, the substrate cannot be held evenly on the inclined surface of the V at the innermost part, and the substrate ends up being held in an inclined position relative to the horizontal, which causes a twisting force to act on the substrate and can cause it to crack.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a substrate storage container that can stably hold substrates of different thicknesses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container comprising a container body capable of storing substrates, a lid body that closes the opening of the container body, a retainer attached to the lid body, and a pair of left and right substrate support portions formed on the retainer that clamp and hold the substrate between the retainer and the container body, wherein the substrate support portions have an arc shape when viewed in cross section from a top-bottom direction perpendicular to the closing direction of the lid body. (2) In the above aspect (1), the difference between the first contact position where the substrate first contacts the substrate support portion when the lid body is closed and the holding contact position where the substrate is held by the substrate support portion when the lid body is completely closed may be 1.0 mm or less. (3) In the above aspect (1) or (2), the substrate support portion may form a U-shaped slot together with a pair of substrate guide portions erected from both upper and lower ends. (4) In any one of the above aspects (1) to (3), the retainer may have an arm on which the substrate support portion is formed, and the arm may include a holding force adjustment portion that can adjust the holding force that holds the substrate. (5) In the above aspect (4), the holding force may be 0.15 N or more and 10 N or less. (6) In any one of the above aspects (1) to (5), the retainer may have an arm on which the substrate support portion is formed, the arm having a contact base that can contact the lid body, and the spring constant may change when the contact base contacts the lid body. (7) In any one of the above aspects (1) to (6), the retainer may have a base frame attached to the lid, and the base frame may have an opening formed therein. (8) In any one of the above aspects (1) to (7), the retainer may have a base frame attached to the lid body, and the base frame may be formed with a restricting protrusion that restricts movement of the substrate in the vertical direction. (9) In any one of the above aspects (1) to (8), the retainer may be formed with a mis-installation prevention protrusion that can identify the up-down direction when installed or the specifications of the retainer itself. (10) In the above aspect (4) or (5), the holding force adjusting portion adjusts the holding force by changing the length of the rib within a range of 0.6 mm to 19 mm, The holding force preferably satisfies the following formula (1) when the displacement of the substrate support part when holding the substrate is in the range of 1 mm to 4 mm. Formula (1) 0.15X≦Y≦2.5X where Y is the holding force (N) and X is the displacement of the substrate support part (mm). [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container that can stably hold substrates of different thicknesses. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] 1 is a front view showing a lid and a retainer used in a substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2B] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a lid and a retainer used in a substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3A] FIG. [Figure 3B] FIG. [Figure 3C] FIG. [Figure 3D] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the retainer taken along line AA. [Figure 3E] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the retainer taken along line BB. [Figure 3F] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the retainer taken along line CC. [Figure 4] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an arm in which the thickness of the holding force adjustment portion is changed. FIG. [Figure 5A] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an arm having a tongue portion at its end. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an arm having a tongue portion at its end. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an arm having a rib as a holding force adjustment portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a base frame having an opening hole. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a base frame having a restricting protrusion. [Figure 9A] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating a contact state between a substrate and a substrate support portion. [Figure 9B] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing the trajectory of the contact position between the substrate and the substrate support part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments of this specification, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout.

[0012] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a lid 20 and a retainer 50 used in the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, with Fig. 2A being a front view and Fig. 2B being a partial cross-sectional view. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate storage container 1 is capable of storing a plurality of substrates W (for example, 25 substrates W), and includes a container body 10 and a lid body 20.

[0013] The container body 10 is box-shaped, with the surfaces excluding the front opening being the top, bottom, left side, right side, and back, respectively, and is a so-called front-open box type. The direction connecting the front opening and the back is the "front-to-back" direction, the direction connecting the left side and right side is the "left-to-right" direction or "horizontal" direction, and the direction connecting the top and bottom is the "up-down" direction.

[0014] The container body 10 also has a plurality of support bodies 11 on its left and right sides for supporting the substrates W. The support bodies 11 are provided on the shelves at equal intervals in the vertical direction, in a number corresponding to the maximum number of substrates W that can be stored in the substrate storage container 1, and the same number of substrates W are supported by a pair of left and right support bodies 11 provided at the same height, so that the substrates W are stored horizontally inside the container body 10.

[0015] Here, the substrates W stored in the substrate storage container 1 are, for example, semiconductor wafers or mask glasses having a diameter of 200 mm (8 inches) or 300 mm (12 inches) and having various thicknesses, made of silicon, quartz, gallium / arsenic, or other materials, or bonded together. The substrates W may have a notch or orientation flat formed on the periphery.

[0016] On the other hand, the lid body 20 closes the opening of the container body 10, and as shown in Fig. 2A, has a tray-shaped door body 21 and a door cover 25 (see Fig. 1) that covers the door body 21. Between the door body 21 and the door cover 25, a locking mechanism (not shown) is provided that detachably fixes the lid body 20 to the container body 10.

[0017] The door body 21 has a recessed center to form a fixing recess 22 for mounting and fixing a retainer 50 (described later) (see FIG. 2B). The fixing recess 22 has a plurality of engagement portions 23 (for example, a total of 10 on the left and right) on the left and right inner surfaces.

[0018] Furthermore, the door body 21 is provided with a gasket 30 to maintain the airtightness of the substrate storage container 1. The material of this gasket 30 can be an elastic material such as a thermoplastic elastomer made of a polyester-based elastomer, a polyolefin-based elastomer, a fluorine-based elastomer, a urethane-based elastomer, or the like, fluororubber, ethylene propylene rubber, or silicone-based rubber.

[0019] The container body 10 and the lid 20 are injection molded using a molding material such as a thermoplastic resin, such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polypropylene, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polyacetal, or liquid crystal polymer, or an alloy thereof. The molding material may contain additives such as an antistatic agent, a conductive additive, an ultraviolet absorber, or an antioxidant, as needed.

[0020] Next, the retainer 50 will be described. Fig. 3 shows retainer 50, with Fig. 3A being a plan view, Fig. 3B being a side view, and Fig. 3C being a bottom view. Fig. 3D is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA, Fig. 3E is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB, and Fig. 3F is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line CC.

[0021] The retainer 50, together with the support 11 of the container body 10, clamps and holds the substrate W in the front-to-back direction when the container body 10 is closed with the lid body 20, and as described above, is removably attached to the lid body 20.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3A, the retainer 50 is formed by a rectangular base frame 51 consisting of an upper side 511, a lower side 512, a left side 513, and a right side 514, and a pair of left and right arms 52 extending inward from the left side 513 and the right side 514.

[0023] The base frame 51 has multiple (e.g., 10) engaged portions 57 on the outside of the left side 513 and the right side 514 (see Figure 3B), and these engaged portions 57 engage with the engaging portions 23 of the door main body 21 of the lid body 20.

[0024] The base frame 51 also has a plurality of (e.g., eight) positioning protrusions 58 that protrude at least 1 mm or more on the outside of the left side 513 and the right side 514, and these positioning protrusions 58 abut against the inner surfaces of the fixing recess 22 of the lid 20 to perform positioning. Note that the positioning protrusions 58 may be formed on the upper side 511 and the lower side 512 in addition to the left side 513 and right side 514, or conversely, the side peripheral surfaces of the base frame 51 may abut directly against the inner surfaces of the fixing recess 22 without having the positioning protrusions 58.

[0025] In this way, the retainer 50 is positioned relative to the fixing recess 22 of the cover body 20 by the positioning protrusion 58 or the side surface of the base frame 51, and is removably fixed to the cover body 20 by the engaging portion 23 and the engaged portion 57.

[0026] Furthermore, the base frame 51 has a plurality of (e.g., 50) spacer protrusions 59 protruding at least 1 mm or more on the back surfaces of the left side 513 and right side 514 (the surfaces facing the door body 21 of the lid body 20) (see Figure 3B), and the retainer 50 is raised (has a gap) from the lid body 20 by the height of these spacer protrusions 59 (see Figure 2B).

[0027] On the other hand, the number of arms 52 is the same as the number of substrates W that can be stored in the substrate storage container 1, and they are provided at height positions corresponding to the substrates W stored in each of the multiple tiers. For example, when storing 25 substrates W, the arms 52 are formed at a predetermined pitch of 25 rows on the left side and 25 rows on the right side. Note that the arms 52 are symmetrical between the left and right rows, and therefore, only one arm 52 will be described below.

[0028] Each arm 52 is provided with a holding force adjustment section 54 extending from the base end to the tip end, which is capable of adjusting the holding force with which the arm 52 presses and holds the substrate W. In this embodiment, the holding force adjustment section 54 is configured so that its thickness decreases from the base end to the tip end, i.e., it is configured to have an adjustable thickness (see FIGS. 3C and 3D). The thickness of the holding force adjustment section 54 is preferably approximately 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0029] The holding force adjustment unit 54 preferably adjusts the spring constant k of the arm 52 to between 0.15 N / mm and 2.5 N / mm. This allows the holding force of each arm 52 to be adjusted within a range of between 0.15 N (15 gf) and 10.0 N (1020 gf). For example, for a substrate W with a diameter of 300 mm, the holding force (reference value) of each arm 52 should be set to about 3 N (294 gf) (a total holding force of 6 N for a pair of left and right arms 52). The holding force of the arm 52 is determined when the substrate support unit 55, described later, is deflected 2.5 mm from an unloaded state.

[0030] Here, we will show a specific example in which the thickness of the holding force adjustment portion 54 has been changed to be thinner. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the arm 52 in which the thickness of the holding force adjustment portion 54 has been changed. The dashed dotted line in Figure 4 indicates the thickness before the change, and the solid line indicates the thickness after the change.

[0031] By changing the thickness of the holding force adjustment portion 54 in this way, it is possible to prepare retainers 50 with standard specifications, high-load specifications (low-load specifications), and the like depending on the application. The holding force of the holding force adjustment portion 54 can also be varied (made different) by adjusting dimensions other than the thickness (width and overall shape). For example, in a plan view, the entire arm 52 may be shaped to gradually taper toward the tip end (in front of the substrate support portion 55 described below), so that the cross-sectional area (width × thickness) of the tip end of the arm 52 is 30% or more smaller than the cross-sectional area of the base end of the base frame 51. In this case, the width of the arm 52 is preferably approximately 2.5 mm to 4 mm.

[0032] Furthermore, the holding force adjustment section 54 may be changed for each different retainer 50, such as a standard specification or a high-load specification, or may be changed for each stage of the arm 52 within the same retainer 50. For example, in the injection mold that molds the retainer 50, the ease of flow of the molding material varies depending on the position from the gate position, which can cause deviations in the dimensions of the arms 52 of each stage. This can result in different holding forces, but the holding force adjustment section 54 can be used to ensure that the arms 52 of each stage have a uniform holding force.

[0033] Furthermore, when the holding force of the arms 52 of each stage is adjusted, if the retainer 50 is attached to the lid body 20 upside down, the holding force may differ from the intended one, or the vertical contact position between the substrate W and the substrate support parts 55 may differ from the design value (in the worst case, the substrate W may be positioned between adjacent substrate support parts 55 and may not be able to be held). Therefore, to prevent the top and bottom of the retainer 50 from being confused, letters or symbols (for example, "up", "↑", etc.) may be engraved on the base frame 51, or one or more anti-misattachment protrusions 51A may be provided on the base frame 51 so that it cannot be attached to the lid body 20.

[0034] Furthermore, to prevent mis-attachment of different retainers 50, such as standard specifications and high-load specifications, letters or symbols (such as "H" or "L") may be engraved on mis-attachment prevention protrusion 51A (in FIG. 3A, an "H" indicating a high-load specification is engraved on triangular mis-attachment prevention protrusion 51A), or another identification protrusion (not shown) with an external shape different from that of mis-attachment prevention protrusion 51A may be provided near mis-attachment prevention protrusion 51A, so that the specifications of retainer 50 can be distinguished by the presence or external shape of the identification protrusion. In this case, the identification protrusion may also be called a second mis-attachment prevention protrusion 51A.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 3, the arm 52 further has a substrate support portion 55 at its tip that contacts and supports the substrate W, and a substrate guide portion 56 that guides the substrate W against positional deviation in the vertical direction.

[0036] The substrate support portion 55 contacts and supports the side surface (edge surface) of the substrate W, and is pressed by the substrate W that it contacts, causing the entire arm 52 to elastically deform. The substrate support portion 55 (the support surface) is formed in an arc shape (semicircular shape) when viewed in cross section from the top-bottom direction perpendicular to the closing direction of the lid 20 (see FIG. 3D). The radius of curvature of the substrate support portion 55 is preferably 2.0 mm or more and 4.0 mm or less.

[0037] On the other hand, the substrate guide portions 56 are erected from both the upper and lower ends of the semi-cylindrical substrate support portion 55 (see FIG. 3E), and function as guides that regulate (prevent) vertical positional deviation of the substrate W. The pair of upper and lower substrate guide portions 56 have an arc shape (semicircular shape) when viewed in cross section from the vertical direction perpendicular to the closing direction of the lid 20, and protrude toward the container body 10 beyond the substrate support portions 55 (see FIG. 3D).

[0038] In this way, when viewed from the left and right side, the substrate support portion 55 and the pair of upper and lower substrate guide portions 56 form a U-shaped slot with the substrate support portion 55 at the bottom. The vertical length of the substrate support portion 55, i.e., the distance between the substrate guide portions 56, depends on the number of substrates W that can be stored in the substrate storage container 1, the storage pitch, and the thickness of the substrates W, but is preferably 5 mm or more.

[0039] Retainer 50 having these configurations is molded using molding materials such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetherimide, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, liquid crystal polymer, alloys of these, thermoplastic elastomers, etc. As with the container body and lid, the molding material that forms the retainer may also contain antistatic agents, conductive additives, ultraviolet absorbers, antioxidants, etc. as needed.

[0040] As mentioned above, in an injection mold, the flowability of molding material varies depending on the gate position, which can cause the shape of semi-cylindrical substrate support portion 55 to not conform to the design (within the tolerance range), resulting in sink marks and mold release problems. Therefore, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, a tongue portion 55a may be provided at the tip of substrate support portion 55 to prevent substrate support portion 55 from becoming the end of the flow path, or the surface opposite the support surface of substrate support portion 55 may be concave to prevent it from becoming too thick, thereby ensuring and improving moldability. Note that Figure 5 shows arm 52 having tongue portion 55a at its end, with Figure 5A being a plan view and Figure 5B being a cross-sectional view.

[0041] Finally, the state in which the substrate W is sandwiched and held between the retainer 50 of the lid 20 and the support 11 of the container body 10 will be described. Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram showing the contact state between the substrate W and the substrate support part 55. In Fig. 9A, the upper part (A) shows a conventional V-shaped substrate support part, and the lower part (B) shows the substrate support part 55 of the embodiment, and the dashed lines indicate the contact points with the substrate W when the displacement amount (push amount) is changed from left (1) to right (3) to 0 mm, 2.5 mm, and 3.5 mm. 9B is a schematic diagram showing the trajectory of the contact position between the substrate W and the substrate support part 55. In FIG. 9B, the V-shaped substrate support part of the conventional product is shown by a dashed line. The substrate W when the displacement amount (push amount) is changed to 0 mm, 2.5 mm, and 5.0 mm is shown by a solid line (1) and dashed lines (2) and (3), and the dashed line (1') shows the substrate W with a displacement amount of 0 mm that comes into contact with the substrate support part of the conventional product.

[0042] When the lid body 20 is closed, it is pushed toward the container body 10, and when the substrate W comes into contact with a pair of left and right substrate support portions 55 of the retainer 50, each arm 52 is pressed by a reaction force from the substrate W and begins to deform (bend).When the arms 52 deform to a predetermined position, the substrate W is clamped and held between the support 11 of the container body 10 and the substrate support portions 55.

[0043] 9B shows the contact state between the substrate W and the substrate support members 55, i.e., the trajectory of the contact position. Here, let us assume that the contact position where the substrate W first comes into contact with the substrate support members 55 is a first contact position C1, and let us assume that the contact position where the substrate W is held by the substrate support members 55 when the substrate support members 55 are pushed in by 2.5 mm after the lid 20 is completely closed is a holding contact position C2. The difference in the left-right direction between the first contact position C1 and the holding contact position C2 is preferably 1.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.5 mm or less. At this time, the arm 52 bends around a base located outside the substrate support members 55 as a fulcrum, and the extending direction of the arm 52 coincides with the left-right direction perpendicular to the closing direction of the lid 20.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the substrate support portion 55 is pushed in by 2.5 mm, the difference between the first contact position C1 and the holding contact position C2 is 0.46 mm, and when the substrate support portion 55 is pushed in by 5.0 mm, the difference between the first contact position C1 and the holding contact position C3 is 0.66 mm. On the other hand, in the conventional product, the difference between the first contact position C1' and the holding contact position C2' is 0.75 mm, and the difference between the first contact position C1' and the holding contact position C3' is 1.57 mm.

[0045] 9A and 9B, in the case of the substrate support part 55 of this embodiment, the contact point does not move significantly, so it can be said that the substrate W is stably held and is hardly scraped. On the other hand, in the case of the conventional V-shaped product, the contact point moves significantly, so it cannot be said that the substrate W is stably held and the substrate W is scraped.

[0046] As described above, the substrate storage container 1 of an embodiment of the present invention is a substrate storage container 1 comprising a container body 10 capable of storing a substrate W, a lid body 20 that closes the opening of the container body 10, a retainer 50 attached to the lid body 20, and a pair of left and right substrate support portions 55 formed on the retainer 50 that clamp and hold the substrate W between the retainer 50 and the container body 10, and the substrate support portions 55 have an arc shape when viewed in cross section from the top and bottom direction perpendicular to the closing direction of the lid body 20.

[0047] As a result, when the container body 10 is closed with the lid 20 to hold the substrate W, the arms are elastically deformed and displaced by pressure due to the reaction force from the substrate W, but even if the amount of displacement (push-in amount) varies, the contact position (contact point) between the substrate support part 55 and the substrate W does not shift significantly, and the substrate W can be held in a stable position and with a stable holding force. Furthermore, because the substrate W can be held with an appropriate clamping force, vibrations and impacts can be absorbed, and damage to the substrate W can be reduced.

[0048] Furthermore, the difference between the first contact position C1 where the substrate W first contacts the substrate support portion 55 when the lid body 20 is closed, and the holding contact position C2 where the substrate W is held by the substrate support portion 55 when the lid body 20 is completely closed, can be made 1.0 mm or less.

[0049] The substrate support portion 55 of the embodiment forms a U-shaped slot with a pair of substrate guide portions 56 erected from both the upper and lower ends. This allows even thick substrates such as stack substrates to be supported by the substrate support portion 55, which is larger (higher) than the thickness of the substrate W, and since the substrate guide portions 56 are located above and below, excessive vertical movement can be restricted, allowing the substrate W to be held stably.

[0050] The arm 52 of the embodiment includes a holding force adjustment unit 54 that can adjust the holding force for holding the substrate W. This increases the degree of freedom in designing the arm 52, and the holding force can be set to 0.15 N or more and 10 N or less.

[0051] The retainer 50 of the embodiment has an erroneous attachment prevention protrusion 51A and / or an identification protrusion. This allows an operator to identify the up-down direction and load specifications of the retainer 50, thereby preventing erroneous attachment to the lid body 20. Furthermore, a robot equipped with an imaging device such as a CCD camera can capture an image of the lid body 20 removed from the container body 10 and automatically recognize (identify) it, thereby making it possible to discover erroneous attachment before the substrate W is stored.

[0052] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as set forth in the claims.

[0053] (Variation) Modifications of the retainer 50 of the above embodiment will be described. Note that the various modifications can be applied independently and can also be combined. Furthermore, reference numerals may be omitted for components that are the same as those in the above embodiment.

[0054] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an arm 152 having a rib as a holding force adjusting portion 154. As shown in FIG. 6, the modified arm 152 has a rib (hereinafter referred to as "rib 154") added as a holding force adjusting portion 154.

[0055] The holding force of the rib 154 can be adjusted by changing the length without changing the thickness. For example, when the length L of the rib 154 is changed within a range of 0.6 mm to 19 mm and the displacement X of the substrate support portion 55 when holding the substrate W is set within a range of 1 mm to 4 mm, the holding force Y (N: Newton) preferably satisfies the following formula (1):

[0056] Formula (1) 0.15X≦Y≦2.50X

[0057] In other words, it is preferable that the spring constant k of arm 152 be 0.15 N / mm or more and 2.5 N / mm by adjusting the length L of rib 154. In this case as well, the holding force of arm 152 can be adjusted within the range of 0.15 N (15 gf) or more and 10.0 N (1020 gf) or less.

[0058] Furthermore, it is preferable to change the length L of the rib 154 within a range of 8 mm or more and 14 mm or less. For example, by setting the length L of the rib 154 to 11 mm and adjusting the spring constant k to 1.2 N / mm, the holding force when the displacement X of the arm 152 is 2.5 mm can be set to 3 N (294 gf).

[0059] Furthermore, when arm 152 having rib 154 is sufficiently bent, rib 154 comes into contact with lid body 20, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 6. Hereinafter, the contact portion of rib 154 with lid body 20 will be referred to as contact base portion 153.

[0060] Normally, arm 152 is structured to bend using the entire arm 152, but in an emergency such as when a strong impact is applied during transportation or transfer of substrate storage container 1, contact base 153 comes into contact with lid body 20 (door main body 21), and the starting point (fulcrum) of deformation of arm 152 shifts from the connection with left side 513 to contact base 153, thereby shortening the apparent length of the part of arm 152 that bends, and allowing the spring load or spring constant to be increased.

[0061] That is, the spring load or spring constant can be increased by providing arm 152 with contact base 153. Contact base 153 may be provided in an area other than the tip of rib 154, or may be provided separately from rib 154. Furthermore, arm 152 may be provided with only contact base 153 that comes into contact with lid 20 when arm 152 is sufficiently bent.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the base frame 151 having the opening hole 1513a. 7, the base frame 151 has a plurality of opening holes 1513a formed therethrough along the entire length of the left side 1513 (however, the same is true for the right side, not shown), penetrating from the front to the back surface. By providing the opening holes 1513a in this manner, together with the spacer protrusions 59 described above, it is possible to discharge any remaining liquid such as cleaning liquid or clean water when cleaning the substrate storage container 1.

[0063] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the base frame 251 having the restricting protrusion 2516. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the base frame 251 has an intermediate side 2515 connecting an upper side 2511 and a lower side (not shown) between a left side 1513 and a right side 1514.

[0064] A plurality of restricting protrusions 2516 that restrict the vertical movement of the substrate W are provided on this intermediate side 2515. However, the restricting protrusions 2516 may be arranged as shown in FIG.

[0065] This regulating protrusion 1516 does not dynamically support the substrate W like the substrate support portion 55 provided at the tip of the elastically deformable arm 52, but can clamp the substrate W fixedly (statically) and regulate positional deviation by inserting the substrate W into the gap between adjacent regulating protrusions 2516. The gap between the regulating protrusions 2516 is located at the same height as the slot formed by the substrate support portion 55 and the substrate guide portion 56. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Substrate storage container 10 container body, 11 support 20 lid body, 21 door body, 22 fixing recess, 23 engagement portion, 25 door cover 30 gaskets 50 retainer 51 base frame, 511 upper edge, 512 lower edge, 513 left edge, 514 right edge, 51A mis-insertion prevention protrusion 52 arm, 54 holding force adjustment portion, 55 board support portion, 55a tongue portion, 56 board guide portion 57 Engaged part 58 Positioning protrusion 59 Spacer protrusion 152 arm, 153 contact base, 154 rib 151 base frame, 1513 left side, 1513a opening hole 251 base frame, 2511 upper edge, 2513 left edge, 2514 right edge, 2515 middle edge, 2516 restricting protrusion W substrate

Claims

1. a container body capable of storing a substrate; a lid that closes the opening of the container body; a retainer attached to the lid; A substrate storage container comprising: The retainer has a pair of arms extending inward from left and right sides of the retainer, each of the pair of arms has a substrate support portion formed at a tip of the arm and configured to sandwich and hold the substrate between the arm and the container body; the substrate support portion has an arc shape that is convex toward the container body when viewed in a cross section from a top-bottom direction perpendicular to the closing direction of the lid, The tips of the substrate support portions of the pair of arms face each other in the left-right direction. A substrate storage container characterized by:

2. a difference between a first contact position where the substrate first contacts the substrate support portion during the closing operation of the lid body and a holding contact position where the substrate is held by the substrate support portion upon completion of closing of the lid body is 1.0 mm or less; The substrate storage container according to claim 1 .

3. The substrate support portion and a pair of substrate guide portions erected from both upper and lower ends form a U-shaped slot.

3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Each of the pair of arms includes a holding force adjustment portion that can adjust the holding force that holds the substrate.

4. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the substrate storage container is a container for storing a substrate.

5. The holding force is 0.15 N or more and 10 N or less.

5. The substrate storage container according to claim 4.

6. Each of the pair of arms has a contact base that can come into contact with the lid body, and the spring constant changes when the contact base comes into contact with the lid body. The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the retainer has a base frame attached to the lid, The base frame has an opening formed therein.

7. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the substrate storage container is a container for storing a substrate.

8. the retainer has a base frame attached to the lid, The base frame is formed with a restricting protrusion that restricts movement of the board in the up-down direction. The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The retainer is formed with a mis-installation prevention protrusion that can identify the up-down direction when installed or the specifications of the retainer itself. The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The holding force adjusting portion adjusts the holding force by changing the length of the rib within a range of 0.6 mm to 19 mm, The holding force satisfies the following formula (1) when the displacement of the substrate support part when holding the substrate is in the range of 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less:

6. The substrate storage container according to claim 4 or 5. Formula (1) 0.15X≦Y≦2.5X where Y is the holding force (N) and X is the displacement (mm) of the substrate support portion.

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