Substrate storage container

Abstract

A substrate container 1 includes: a container body 2; a lid 3; a gas passage 98, 99 that enables a substrate housing space 27 to communicate with a space outside of the container body 2; a gas ejection nozzle part 8 having multiple openings 841 for supplying a gas flowed into the gas passage 98, 99 to the substrate housing space 27; and a gas flow equalization part 801, 803, 804 that enables the gas to flow out from the multiple openings 841 at an equalized flow rate. The gas flow equalization part includes a gas retention chamber 801, a pre-outflow gas retention chamber 804, and an inter-chamber partition 812, 822 that prevents the gas retention chamber 801 and the pre-outflow gas retention chamber 804 from linearly communicating with each other and forms an inter-chamber flow path 806 through which the gas retention chamber 801 and the pre-outflow gas retention chamber 804 communicate with each other.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, substrate storage containers for storing various substrates have been known that 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 substrates. 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 in pairs 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 the edges of adjacent substrates in a state where they are arranged side by side and spaced a predetermined distance apart.

[0004] A front retainer (lid-side substrate support portion) is provided on a portion of the lid 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. A rear-side substrate support portion is provided on the wall portion so as to form a 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, 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 spaced apart and aligned in parallel at a predetermined distance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2016-538732 [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-17264 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2016-004949 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a substrate storage container having a scavenging hole, which is a vent that connects the substrate storage space with the outside of the substrate storage container, clean dry air (CDA) or nitrogen (N2) is used as a purge gas when the lid is removed. The purge gas is supplied from a load port outside the substrate storage container through a through-hole from the bottom (outer surface) of the container body to a gas ejection nozzle unit installed on the inner surface of the substrate storage container. This gas purge is performed. In this case, to ensure replacement of the purge gas by gas purging, it is necessary for the purge gas to be supplied uniformly from multiple openings in the gas ejection nozzle unit.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container that can uniformly supply gas into a substrate storage space from a plurality of openings of a gas ejection nozzle portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container comprising: a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall portion having a closed other end, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space capable of storing 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; an air passage that can communicate the substrate storage space with a space outside the container body; a gas ejection nozzle portion having a plurality of openings that supply gas that has flowed into the air passage to the substrate storage space; and a gas flow rate equalization portion that can discharge gas at a uniform flow rate from the plurality of openings, wherein the gas flow rate equalization portion has a gas retention chamber, a pre-gas-outflow holding chamber, and an inter-chamber partition that blocks linear communication between the gas retention chamber and the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber and forms an inter-chamber flow path that communicates the gas retention chamber and the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber.

[0009] The gas flow rate equalizing unit preferably has a partition wall that divides the pre-gas outflow holding chamber into a plurality of pre-gas outflow holding chambers. The plurality of pre-gas outflow holding chambers preferably have a uniform volume. The gas retention chamber is preferably divided into a plurality of gas retention chambers by partitions. A gas supply flow path is preferably formed that communicates with all of the gas retention chambers.

[0010] The gas ejection nozzle preferably has a nozzle chamber communicating with an opening, and the nozzle chamber preferably communicates with the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber via a hydrophobic membrane. The nozzle chamber preferably communicates with all of the openings and all of the pre-gas-outflow holding chambers. The gas ejection nozzle preferably has a predetermined direction outflow portion that causes the gas to flow out of the opening in a predetermined direction.

[0011] The openings are preferably formed corresponding to the plurality of substrates stored in the substrate storage space. The container further includes a columnar protrusion having the gas ejection nozzle and the gas flow rate equalizer, and the base of the protrusion is inserted into a hole formed in the wall of the container body, the hole forming the air passage, and the hole is provided with a seal member, and the tip of the protrusion is fixed to the container body by being fixed to the wall of the container body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container that can uniformly supply gas into a substrate storage space from a plurality of openings of a gas ejection nozzle portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [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. [Figure 2] 1 is a top perspective view showing a container body 2 of a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a bottom perspective view showing a container body 2 of a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a protrusion 8 of the substrate storage container 1. [Figure 6] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a protrusion 8 of the substrate storage container 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the flow of purge gas inside a protrusion main body 81 that constitutes a protrusion 8 of a substrate storage container 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a rear perspective cross-sectional view showing a protrusion 8 of the substrate storage container 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a front perspective cross-sectional view showing a protrusion 8 of the substrate storage container 1. FIG. [Figure 10]10 is a side view showing a nozzle chamber forming portion 84 that constitutes the protruding portion 8 of the substrate storage container 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] [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. Fig. 2 is an upper perspective view showing a container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Fig. 3 is a lower perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 taken along line AA in Fig. 3.

[0015] For ease of explanation, the direction from the container body 2 to the lid 3 (described later) (the direction from the upper right to the lower left in FIG. 1) is defined as the front direction D11, and the opposite direction is defined as the rear direction D12, and these are collectively defined as the front-rear direction D1. Furthermore, the direction from the lower wall 24 to the upper wall 23 (described later) (the upward direction in FIG. 1) is defined as the upward direction D21, and the opposite direction is defined as the downward direction D22, and these are collectively defined as the up-down direction D2. Furthermore, the direction from the second side wall 26 to the first side wall 25 (described later) (the direction from the lower right to the upper left in FIG. 1) is defined as the leftward direction D31, and the opposite direction is defined as the rightward direction D32, and these are collectively defined as the left-right direction D3. Arrows indicating these directions are shown in the main drawings.

[0016] The substrates W (see FIG. 1) stored in the substrate storage container 1 are disc-shaped silicon wafers, glass wafers, sapphire wafers, etc., and are thin wafers used in industry. In this embodiment, the substrates W are silicon wafers with a diameter of 300 mm.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, substrate storage container 1 is used to store substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above and transport them in processes within a factory, or as a shipping container for transporting substrates by land, air, sea, or other transportation means, and is composed of a container body 2 and a lid 3. Container body 2 includes substrate support plate-shaped portions 5 as side substrate support portions, and a rear substrate support portion 6. Lid 3 includes a front retainer (not shown) as a lid-side substrate support portion.

[0018] 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 within the container body 2. The substrate storage space 27 is surrounded by the wall portion 20. A substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 is disposed in the portion of the wall portion 20 that forms the substrate storage space 27. As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate storage space 27 can store a plurality of substrates W.

[0019] The substrate support plate portions 5 are interior components arranged in pairs within the substrate storage space 27, and are removably fixed to the wall portion 20. The substrate support plate portions 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 portion 6 is provided on the rear side of the substrate support plate portion 5 and is molded integrally with the substrate support plate portion 5.

[0020] The rear substrate support portion 6 is provided on the wall portion 20 so as to form a pair with a front retainer (not shown) described later within the substrate storage space 27. The rear substrate support portion 6 can support the rear portions of the edges of the plurality of substrates W by abutting against the edges of the plurality of substrates W.

[0021] The lid 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 the lid 3 at a portion that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The front retainer is arranged inside the substrate storage space 27 so as to form a pair with the rear substrate support part 6.

[0022] 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 holding adjacent substrates W in a parallel arrangement with a predetermined distance between them.

[0023] The substrate storage container 1 is made of a resin such as a 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 of these. To impart conductivity to these molding material resins, conductive materials such as carbon fiber, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers are selectively added. Glass fiber, carbon fiber, and the like can also be added to increase rigidity.

[0024] [Container body 2] Each part will be described in detail below. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the wall part 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.

[0025] 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 rear 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 form an opening periphery 28 that forms the container body opening 21, which has a substantially rectangular shape.

[0026] The opening periphery 28 is provided at one end of the container body 2, and the rear wall 22 is located at the other end of the container body 2. The container body 2 has a box-like outer shape formed by the outer surfaces of the wall 20. The inner surfaces of the wall 20, i.e., the inner surface of the rear 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 in 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 25 substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.

[0027] Latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B recessed outward from the board storage space 27 are formed in the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 near the opening periphery 28. A total of four latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, one near each of the left and right ends of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24.

[0028] Ribs 235 are formed integrally with the upper wall 23 on the outer surface of the upper wall 23. The ribs 235 increase the rigidity of the container body 2. Furthermore, a top flange 236 is fixed to the center of the upper wall 23. The top flange 236 is a member that is hung on and suspended from the substrate storage container 1 when suspending the substrate storage container 1 in an AMHS (automated wafer transport system), PGV (wafer substrate transport vehicle), or the like.

[0029] A bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 has a substantially rectangular plate shape and is arranged facing substantially the entire lower surface that constitutes the outer surface of the lower wall 24.

[0030] 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.

[0031] An air intake filter 98 serving as an additional component is disposed in the through-hole serving as the air intake hole 242, and an exhaust filter 99 is disposed in the through-hole serving as the exhaust hole 243. That is, the gas flow paths inside the air intake filter 98 and the exhaust filter 99 constitute part of an air passage that can communicate between the substrate storage space 27 and the space outside the container body 2. The air intake filter 98 and the exhaust filter 99 are disposed on the wall 20, and gas can pass through the air intake filter 98 and the exhaust filter 99 between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27 via a filter (not shown). Purge gas supplied to the air intake filter 98 is configured to be supplied to the substrate storage space 27. The exhaust filter 99 is configured to allow gas to pass from the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2.

[0032] [Protrusion 8] The rear wall 22 has a protrusion 8 (see FIG. 5) that serves as a gas ejection nozzle. As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusion 8 has a protrusion main body 81, an inner wall 82, a hydrophobic membrane 83, and a nozzle chamber forming portion 84, which are fixed to each other in this order to form the protrusion 8.

[0033] Two protrusions 8 are provided as a pair. A base 819 of the protrusion main body 81, in which an annular groove 8191 is formed and an O-ring, which is a sealing member (not shown), is fitted, is inserted into holes formed in the bottom wall 24 of the container body 2 near the two air inlet holes 242, one for each, by an insertion structure, so that the base 819 is fixed to the bottom wall 24 of the container body 2 so as to airtightly communicate with the air passage inside the air intake filter section 98. A sealing member (not shown) that seals the base 819 is also provided in the holes formed in the bottom wall 24 of the container body 2. In addition, an upper part of the protrusion 8, which is the tip side of the protrusion 8, is fixed to the rear wall 22 that constitutes the wall section 20 by snap fitting, welding, or the like.

[0034] With this configuration, the pair of protrusions 8 protrude in a rib-like manner toward the container body opening 21 and extend parallel to each other from the upper end to the lower end of the back wall 22. The protrusions 8 have a hollow columnar shape.

[0035] The protrusion 8 has a plurality of openings 841 that supply gas that has flowed into the air passage, which is a gas flow path inside the air supply filter section 98 and can connect the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2, to the substrate storage space 27, and a gas flow rate equalization section that allows gas to flow out from the plurality of openings 841 at a uniform flow rate.

[0036] Specifically, the gas flow rate equalizing section is located between an air passage (a gas flow path inside the air supply filter section 98) that can communicate between the substrate storage space 27 and the space outside the container main body 2, and the opening 841. The gas flow rate equalizing section has a gas retention chamber 801, a pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804, inter-chamber partitions (a main body-side partition 812, an inner wall-side partition 822) that form an inter-chamber flow path 806 that communicates the gas retention chamber 801 and the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804 by blocking linear communication between the gas retention chamber 801 and the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804, and a nozzle chamber 803.

[0037] 8 and 9, the gas retention chamber 801 is formed by a space surrounded by the protrusion main body 81, the inner wall 82, and inter-chamber partitions (the main body-side partition 812 and the inner wall-side partition 822). The pre-gas outflow holding chamber 804 is formed by a space surrounded by the protrusion main body 81, the inner wall 82, a hydrophobic film 83 provided to block the through-holes formed in the inner wall 82, and the inter-chamber partitions (the main body-side partition 812 and the inner wall-side partition 822). The nozzle chamber 803 is formed by a space surrounded by the inner wall 82, the hydrophobic film 83 provided to block the through-holes formed in the inner wall 82, and the nozzle chamber forming portion 84.

[0038] 6 and 7, the gas retention chamber 801 is divided into a plurality of gas retention chambers by inter-chamber partitions 811 provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The inter-chamber partitions 811 do not completely separate the gas retention chamber 801 so that the purge gas cannot flow between the plurality of gas retention chambers, but form a gas flow space 8011 between the partitions 811 and the internal wall portion 82. This allows the purge gas to flow between vertically adjacent gas retention chambers.

[0039] In the gas flow space 8011, the gas retention chambers 801 are not linearly connected in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top of the protruding portion 8. Specifically, an inter-chamber partition 823 extending from the interior wall portion 82 toward the inside of the gas retention chamber 801 is provided on the interior wall portion 82. Therefore, the purge gas that flows into the gas retention chamber 801 from the air passage of the air supply filter portion 98 passes through the portion of the gas retention chamber 801 that is connected to all of the gas retention chambers, which is formed as a crank-shaped gas supply flow path 8011 by the inter-chamber partitions 811 and 823, and flows from the bottom to the top of the gas retention chamber 801.

[0040] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804 is divided into multiple pre-gas-outflow holding chambers by partition walls 813 provided at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. The partition walls 813 completely divide the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804, preventing the purge gas from flowing between the multiple pre-gas-outflow holding chambers. Therefore, the purge gas that has flowed into each pre-gas-outflow holding chamber flows into the nozzle chamber 803 through the hydrophobic membrane 83. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the multiple pre-gas-outflow holding chambers divided by the partition walls 813 have a uniform volume.

[0041] The hydrophobic membrane 83 is fixed in a state where it is fitted into a recess formed on the front side of the inner wall portion 82 around a plurality of through-holes 821 formed in the inner wall portion 82. The hydrophobic membrane 83 is made of a hydrophobic membrane that does not change its flow resistance even when it gets wet when cleaning the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Specifically, the hydrophobic membrane 83 is made of a porous membrane or sheet that is breathable and hydrophobic, or a coated product with hydrophobic properties, and in this embodiment, a PTFE membrane is used.

[0042] No partitions or partition walls are provided inside the nozzle chamber 803. Therefore, it is formed as a single chamber that continues continuously from the lower end to the upper end. As shown in Figure 10, a plurality of openings 841 are formed in front of the nozzle chamber forming section 84 in which the nozzle chamber 803 is formed. The number of openings 841 corresponds to the number of substrates W that can be stored in the substrate storage space 27; specifically, 25 openings 841 are formed. The nozzle chamber 803 communicates with all of the openings 841 and, via the hydrophobic membrane 83, communicates with all of the pre-gas-outlet holding chambers that are partitioned by the partition walls 813.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 10, above the opening 841, inclined eaves 842 that incline in the downward direction D22 as they proceed in the forward direction D11 are provided so as to protrude further in the forward direction D11 than the lower side of the opening 841. The inclined eaves 842 extend parallel to each other. When cleaning the container body 2, the inclined eaves 842 prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing from the opening 841 into the nozzle chamber 803. The inclined eaves 842 also constitute a predetermined direction outflow portion that causes gas to flow out from the opening 841 in the downward direction D22.

[0044] [Cover 3] 1, the lid body 3 has a generally rectangular shape that generally matches the shape of the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2. The lid body 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2, and by attaching the lid body 3 to the opening periphery 28, the lid body 3 can close the container body opening 21 in a positional relationship in which it is surrounded by the opening periphery 28.

[0045] An annular sealing member 4 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 (sealing surface 281) formed in a position in the rear direction D12 immediately behind the opening peripheral edge 28 when the lid 3 is closing the container body opening 21, so as to go around the outer periphery of the lid 3. The sealing member 4 is arranged so as to go around the lid 3. The sealing member 4 is made of various thermoplastic elastomers such as elastically deformable polyesters and polyolefins, fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc.

[0046] When the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the sealing member 4 is sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the lid 3 and elastically deforms. That is, with the sealing member 4 interposed between the lid 3 and the container body 2, the lid 3 can close the container body opening 21 while the lid 3 and the opening periphery 28 are spaced apart without coming into contact with each other. By removing the lid 3 from the opening periphery 28, the substrate W can be inserted into and removed from the substrate storage space 27 within the container body 2.

[0047] 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 as shown in Fig. 1, includes two upper latch portions 32A, 32A that can protrude in an upward direction D21 from the top edge of the cover 3, and two lower latch portions 32B, 32B that can protrude in a downward direction D22 from the bottom edge of the cover 3. The two upper latch portions 32A, 32A are located near both left and right ends of the top edge of the cover 3, and the two lower latch portions 32B, 32B are located near both left and right ends of the bottom edge of the cover 3.

[0048] 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 edges of the lid body 3, or can be made to not protrude from the upper and lower edges. The upper latch portions 32A, 32A protrude upward from the upper edge of the lid body 3 in the upward direction D21 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch portions 32B, 32B protrude downward from the lower edge of the lid body 3 in the downward direction D22 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.

[0049] 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) so as to be recessed outward (in the front direction D11) of the board storage space 27. A front retainer (not shown) is fixed to the recess.

[0050] 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 apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. 25 pairs of front retainer board receiving portions are arranged in parallel in the up-down direction. When a board W is stored in the board storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the front retainer board receiving portions support the edge of the edge of the board W.

[0051] [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 an opening periphery 28 at one end where a container body opening 21 is formed and a cylindrical wall 20 with the other end closed, the inner surface of the wall 20 forming a substrate storage space 27 capable of storing a substrate W and communicating with the container body opening 21, a lid 3 that is detachable from the container body opening 21 and can close the container body opening 21, an air passage (a gas flow path inside the air supply filter part 98 and the exhaust filter part 99) that can communicate the substrate storage space 27 with the space outside the container body 2, and a gas that has flowed into the air passage and a gas flow rate equalization section (gas retention chamber 801, pre-gas outflow holding chamber 804) that enables gas to flow out at a uniform flow rate from the plurality of openings 841. The gas flow rate equalization section has the gas retention chamber 801, the pre-gas outflow holding chamber 804, and inter-chamber partitions (main body side partition 812, inner wall side partition 822) that form an inter-chamber flow path 806 that connects the gas retention chamber 801 and the pre-gas outflow holding chamber 804 by blocking linear communication between the gas retention chamber 801 and the pre-gas outflow holding chamber 804.

[0052] With this configuration, the purge gas retained in the gas retention chamber 801 flows through the inter-chamber flow path 806 into the multiple pre-gas outflow holding sub-chambers of the pre-gas outflow holding chamber 804, flows into the nozzle chamber 803 where it is retained, and can be uniformly discharged from each of the multiple openings 841 of the nozzle chamber forming portion 84. As a result, the purge gas can be uniformly supplied from the multiple openings 841 to the substrates W stored in the substrate storage space 27.

[0053] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, the gas flow rate equalizing unit has a partition wall 813 that divides the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804 into multiple pre-gas-outflow holding chambers. With this configuration, the purge gas that flows into the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804 can be divided among the multiple pre-gas-outflow holding chambers and temporarily retained therein. As a result, even if there is a difference in the amount of purge gas that flows into the multiple pre-gas-outflow holding chambers, the purge gas is temporarily retained therein, and the temporarily retained purge gas that has been uniformized among the pre-gas-outflow holding chambers then flows into the nozzle chamber 803. This makes it possible to prevent the purge gas that flows into the nozzle chamber 803 from strongly flowing out of the predetermined opening 841.

[0054] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, the plurality of pre-gas-outflow holding chambers have a uniform volume, which makes it possible to minimize differences in the amount of purge gas flowing from a predetermined pre-gas-outflow holding chamber through the hydrophobic membrane 83 into the nozzle chamber 803.

[0055] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment, the gas retention chamber 801 is partitioned into a plurality of gas retention chambers by inter-chamber partitions 811. This configuration can prevent the purge gas that has flowed into the lower end of the gas retention chamber 801 from reaching the upper end of the gas retention chamber 801 with great force. This makes it possible to prevent a large amount of purge gas from flowing to the upper end of the gas retention chamber 801.

[0056] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, a gas flow space 8011 is formed as a gas supply flow path that communicates with all of the gas retention chambers. With this configuration, the purge gas that has flowed into the gas retention chamber 801 can be communicated with all of the gas retention chambers, and can flow from each gas retention chamber to each pre-gas-outflow holding chamber that constitutes the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, the protrusion 8 serving as the gas ejection nozzle has a nozzle chamber 803 that communicates with the opening 841, and the nozzle chamber 803 communicates with the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804 via the hydrophobic membrane 83. With this configuration, when the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 is cleaned, the hydrophobic membrane 83 does not change the flow resistance and can prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing into the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment, the nozzle chamber 803 communicates with all of the openings 841 and all of the pre-gas-outflow holding compartments that make up the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804. This configuration allows the purge gas that has flowed into all of the pre-gas-outflow holding compartments that make up the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber 804 to flow into the nozzle chamber 803 that communicates with all of the openings 841.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, the protrusion 8 serving as the gas ejection nozzle has an inclined eaves 842 serving as a predetermined direction outflow portion that causes gas to flow in a predetermined direction from the opening 841. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing into the nozzle chamber 803 from the opening 841 when the container body 2 is cleaned.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, the openings 841 are formed corresponding to each of the multiple substrates W stored in the substrate storage space 27. With this configuration, the purge gas flowing out from one opening 841 is allocated to one substrate W, making it possible to reliably flow the purge gas to each substrate W.

[0061] Furthermore, the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a columnar protrusion 8 having a gas ejection nozzle portion and a gas flow rate equalizer portion, and the base 819 of the protrusion 8 is inserted into a hole formed in the wall portion 20 of the container body 2, which hole forms an air passage and is provided with a sealing member, and the tip side portion of the protrusion 8 is fixed to the wall portion 20 of the container body 2, thereby fixing the protrusion 8 to the container body 2. With this configuration, the protrusion 8 can be fixed to the container body 2 easily and reliably.

[0062] [Modification] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications are possible within the technical scope defined in the claims.

[0063] For example, in the embodiment, the configuration of the protrusion main body, internal wall, hydrophobic membrane, nozzle chamber forming portion, etc. that constitute the protrusion is not limited to the configuration of the protrusion main body 81, internal wall 82, hydrophobic membrane 83, nozzle chamber forming portion 84, etc. that constitute the protrusion 8.

[0064] Furthermore, the shapes of the container body and 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 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]

[0065] 1. Substrate storage container 2 Container body 3 Lid 5 Side board support part 6 Rear board support 8 Protrusion 20 Wall 21 Container body opening 25 First side wall (side wall) 26 Second side wall (side wall) 27 Circuit board storage space 83 Hydrophobic Membrane 801 Gas retention chamber (gas flow rate equalization section) 803 Nozzle Club Room 804 Gas pre-flow holding chamber (gas flow rate equalization section) 811 Partition between separate rooms 812 Main body partition (room partition) 813 Compartment wall 819 base 822 Inner wall partition (room partition) 841 Opening 842 Inclined eaves (specified direction outflow part) 8011 Gas distribution space W substrate

Claims

1. a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed, and a cylindrical wall portion having a closed other end, the inner surface of the wall portion forming a substrate storage space capable of storing a substrate and communicating with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the container body opening and that can close the container body opening; an air passage that can communicate the substrate storage space with a space outside the container body; a gas ejection nozzle portion having a plurality of openings for supplying the gas that has flowed into the ventilation path to the substrate storage space; a gas flow rate equalizer that allows gas to flow out of the plurality of openings at a uniform flow rate, the gas flow rate equalizing unit includes a gas retention chamber, a pre-gas-outflow holding chamber, and an inter-chamber partition that blocks linear communication between the gas retention chamber and the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber and forms an inter-chamber flow path that communicates between the gas retention chamber and the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber, The inter-chamber flow path opens in a direction opposite to a direction toward the plurality of openings in the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber.

2. 2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow rate equalizing section has a partition wall that partitions the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber into a plurality of pre-gas-outflow sub-chambers.

3. The substrate storage container according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of pre-gas-outflow holding chambers have a uniform volume.

4. 4. The substrate storage container according to claim 3, wherein the gas retention chamber is divided into a plurality of gas retention compartments by compartment partitions.

5. 5. The substrate storage container according to claim 4, wherein a gas supply flow path is formed in communication with all of the gas retention chambers.

6. the gas ejection nozzle portion has a nozzle portion chamber communicating with the opening portion, 6. The substrate storage container according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle chamber communicates with the pre-gas-outflow holding chamber via a hydrophobic membrane.

7. The substrate storage container according to claim 6 , wherein the nozzle chamber communicates with all of the openings and all of the pre-gas-outflow holding chambers.

8. 8. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the gas ejection nozzle portion has a predetermined direction outlet portion that causes the gas to flow out from the opening in a predetermined direction.

9. 9. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the openings are formed corresponding to the plurality of substrates stored in the substrate storage space.

10. a columnar protrusion having the gas ejection nozzle portion and the gas flow rate equalizing portion, A substrate storage container as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the base of the protrusion is inserted into a hole formed in the wall of the container body, which hole forms the air passage and is provided with a sealing member, and the tip side portion of the protrusion is fixed to the wall of the container body, thereby fixing the protrusion to the container body.

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