Semiconductor wafer transport container

Abstract

To provide a semiconductor wafer transport container that does not damage wafers at the time of being stored in a storage portion or taken out from the storage portion.SOLUTION: A semiconductor wafer transport container 1 includes a container body 10 having an opening 11 at one end and a mounting portion 12 facing the opening 11 and accommodating wafers stacked at the other end, and a lid body that closes the opening 11, and the container body 10 has a plurality of main body side wall portions erected on the mounting portion 12 to partition a storage portion 13 for accommodating wafers, and the main body side wall portion 14 includes an arcuate main body side wall main portion 14a whose center of curvature coincides with the center of the storage portion 13, and an arcuate main body side wall end portion 14b whose center of curvature is opposite to the main body side wall main portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer transport container. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a semiconductor wafer transport container that stores and transports semiconductor wafers is the wafer storage container disclosed in Patent Document 1. The wafer storage container disclosed in Patent Document 1 is molded from a synthetic resin material. The wafer storage container has a storage section defined by a plurality of arc-shaped side walls of the main body that form a roughly cylindrical shape on the container body. Cushioning materials or the like are placed on the top and bottom levels of the storage section, and wafers and interlayer sheets (synthetic resin sheets, dust-free paper, synthetic resin molded products, etc.) are alternately interposed between the upper and lower cushioning materials to store them. The wafer storage container has a lid with a roughly cylindrical lid side wall that is placed on the container body, and the two are held together by a holding mechanism to store and transport wafers in a sealed state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-174177 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a synthetic resin wafer container, the container body that contains the wafers has a container section that is formed into a generally cylindrical shape with multiple side walls that stand upright on the bottom surface to fit the outer diameter of the wafers. However, in resin molding, shrinkage after molding tends to cause the main body sidewalls to collapse inward (toward the center) as they move away from the bottom of the container main body toward the opening. In particular, the ends of the main body sidewalls are prone to collapse inward, and this collapse of the main body sidewalls may cause wafers to come into contact with the main body sidewalls when placing wafers in the storage section or when removing wafers, which may result in damage to the wafers. In order to prevent contact between the side wall of the main body and the wafer, it is possible to design the inner diameter of the storage section to be larger, taking into account the shrinkage of the side wall of the main body in advance. However, this would result in a gap between the wafer and the side wall of the main body, especially at the bottom of the container body, making it impossible to prevent the wafer from moving horizontally, which could result in damage to the wafer.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a semiconductor wafer transport container that reliably prevents horizontal movement of wafers and prevents damage to wafers when they are placed in or removed from a storage section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the semiconductor wafer transport container according to the present invention comprises: a container body having an opening at one end and a mounting portion at the other end facing the opening and configured to accommodate stacked wafers; a lid that closes the opening, The container body is provided on the mounting portion. a plurality of main body side walls that define a storage section for storing the wafers; The body side wall portion comprises an arc-shaped main body side wall portion whose center of curvature coincides with the center of the storage portion, and an arc-shaped main body side wall end portion whose center of curvature faces in the opposite direction to the main body side wall portion. It is characterized by:

[0007] It is preferable that the main body side wall portion has a reinforcing wall portion formed continuously with the end edge of the main body side wall end portion and protruding toward the rear side.

[0008] The main body side wall portion and the end body side wall portion preferably have reinforcing ribs on their respective rear surfaces. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a semiconductor wafer transport container can be provided that reliably prevents horizontal movement of wafers and prevents damage to wafers when they are placed in or removed from a container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container body according to one embodiment of the semiconductor wafer transport container of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial plan view of an end portion of a side wall of a main body according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a holding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state where the cover is turned upside down; [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the lid according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are explanatory views of the operation of the guide member according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is an explanatory view of the state in which guidance starts, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory view of the state after guidance is completed. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pressing portion according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic perspective view of an exploded state according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a semiconductor wafer transport container according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The semiconductor wafer transport container (hereinafter simply referred to as the wafer transport container) 1 of the present invention is molded from a synthetic resin material and has a container body 10 and a lid 20. The container body 10 has an opening 11 at one end and a mounting portion 12 at the other end facing the opening 11, which serves as the bottom portion and accommodates semiconductor wafers (hereinafter simply referred to as wafers) W stacked thereon. The lid 20 is placed over the container body 10 to close the opening 11. The wafer transport container 1 has a holding mechanism 30 that fits between the container body 10 and the lid 20 in an openable and closable manner to hold them. The holding mechanism 30 has, at least two locations, a locking member 32 with locking claws 31 provided on the container body 10 and locking holes 33 provided on the lid 20 into which the locking claws 31 are engaged. The wafer transport container 1 has a guide member 40 on the lid side wall 21 that contacts the locking member 32 and guides the container body 10 and lid 20 while maintaining them concentric when the lid 20 is fitted to the container body 10. As a result, when the lid body 20 is placed on the container body 10, the guide members 40 on the lid body side wall 21 contact the locking members 32 provided on the container body 10 at least at two points, maintaining a concentric state and guiding the lid body 20, so that the lid body 20 can be placed on the stored wafers W without causing damage to the lid body side wall 21.

[0012] The wafer transport container 1 has a plurality of body side wall portions 14 erected on the loading portion 12 of the container body 10, which define a storage portion 13 for storing wafers W. The body side wall portions 14 are composed of an arc-shaped body side wall main portion 14a whose center of curvature coincides with the center of the storage portion 13, and an arc-shaped body side wall end portion 14b whose center of curvature faces in the opposite direction to the body side wall main portion 14a. In this way, the main body side wall main portion 14a, which is the main part of the main body side wall portion 14 excluding the end portion, is prevented from collapsing toward the center due to shrinkage deformation after molding, and the opposite main body side wall end portion 14b is arranged to shrink and deform outward, thereby offsetting the collapse and preventing damage caused by contact with the main body side wall portion 14 when storing or removing the stored wafers W (see Figures 1 and 2). In this specification, the boundary between the main portion 14a and the end portion 14b of the main body side wall portion 14 is referred to as an inflection point 14d. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the opening 11 of the container body 10 opens upward and the wafers W are stacked horizontally on the mounting portion 12 that serves as the bottom surface. After the wafers W are stacked and stored in the wafer transport container 1 and the lid 20 is placed over them, the wafers W can be transported in any state (for example, the orientation of the wafers W is horizontal or vertical, etc.).

[0013] The container body 10 is molded from a synthetic resin material and includes a mounting portion 12 that serves as the bottom surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting portion 12 is formed in a substantially square quadrangle with the four corners cut out in an arc shape. The mounting portion 12 accommodates wafers W stacked on the top surface of the bottom surface. The outer shape of the mounting portion 12 is not limited to a substantially square shape and may be other shapes. The mounting portion 12 is formed by erecting a main body sidewall portion 14 that defines a storage portion 13 for the wafer W so that the main body sidewall portion 14 protrudes upward. The main body sidewall portion 14 is formed in the shape of a plurality of arcs, for example, two arcs, that form part of a cylinder. A main body sidewall portion 14a, which is the main portion of the main body sidewall portion 14 excluding the end portion, is configured to fit the shape of the wafer W. The main body sidewall portion 14 is erected with a gap D along the circumference and is molded integrally with the mounting portion 12. As a result, the upper end portion of the main body sidewall portion 14 becomes the opening 11 of the container body 10, and the approximately cylindrical space defined by the main body sidewall portion 14 becomes the storage portion 13 for the wafer W. The inner diameter of the substantially cylindrical storage section 13 defined by the main body side wall 14 is formed to a size that does not interfere with the storage and removal of the wafers W, and is larger (for example, about 1 to 2 mm in diameter) than the size (diameter) of the wafers W, for example, 5 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, 12 inches, etc. The main body side wall 14 has a gap D, for example, provided at two equally spaced locations, which serves as an insertion opening for a robot arm or an operator's hand when storing or removing the wafers W.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the main body side wall 14 has an arc-shaped main body side wall portion 14a whose center of curvature coincides with the center of the storage portion 13, and an arc-shaped end portion 14b whose center of curvature faces in the opposite direction to that of the main body side wall portion 14a. The end portion 14b is formed so as to be offset outward from the circumference of the main body side wall 14 toward the edge. For example, if the diameter of the main body side wall 14 is approximately 300 mm, the maximum offset of the outer edge of the end portion 14b is approximately 1.5 mm. The main body side wall 14 is molded integrally with the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10. As a result, main body sidewall portion 14a, whose center of curvature coincides with the center of storage portion 13, shrinks and deforms due to cooling after molding, causing it to collapse toward the center, while main body sidewall end portion 14b shrinks and deforms so that it collapses toward the center of curvature on the outside opposite side from main body sidewall portion 14a. The directions of shrinkage and deformation of main body sidewall portion 14a and main body sidewall end portion 14b are opposite to each other, canceling out the deformations and preventing the tip edge of main body sidewall portion 14 from collapsing inward. This prevents damage caused by contact with main body sidewall portion 14 when storing or removing wafers W.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the main body sidewall end 14b has a reinforcing wall 14c formed contiguous with the edge and protruding toward the rear side. The reinforcing wall 14c is continuous with the edge of the main body sidewall end 14b, is positioned toward the center of curvature of the arc of the main body sidewall end 14b, and is formed over the same overall height as the main body sidewall portion 14a and the main body sidewall end 14b. The main body sidewall end 14b and the reinforcing wall 14c are molded integrally with the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10. The reinforcing wall 14c reinforces the edge of the main body sidewall end 14b and prevents it from tipping over, more reliably offsetting the tipping of the main body sidewall 14 and preventing damage caused by contact with the main body sidewall 14 when loading or unloading wafers W.

[0016] Furthermore, main body sidewall main portion 14a and end body sidewall portion 14b each have reinforcing ribs 14e on their back surfaces, and end body sidewall portion 14b is formed from inflection point 14d between reinforcing ribs 14e. As a result, inflection point 14d, where deformation stress in the opposite direction acts, is reinforced by reinforcing rib 14e, reliably offsetting tilt of main body sidewall portion 14 and preventing damage caused by contact with main body sidewall portion 14 when wafers W are placed in or removed from the container. The reinforcing ribs 14e provided on both sides of the inflection point 14d are effective for reinforcement when they are disposed on both sides close to the inflection point 14d.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the container body 10 has an annular sealing surface 15 formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of the body side wall 14 so as to protrude upward with the lid 20 (see Figures 4 to 6). A recess 15a is formed in the space D of the body side wall 14 on the outer periphery of the mounting portion 12, reducing the amount of protrusion. In addition, an annular sealing surface 16 is formed on the outer periphery of the approximately square container body 10, with the bottom surface cut out in a stepped shape. These two sealing surfaces 15, 16 surround the entire periphery of the container body 10 with a double sealing surface 15, 16.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the lid body 20 is fitted over the container body 10 so as to close the opening 11 (see FIG. 1). The lid body 20 has an outer shape that is the same as the mounting portion 12, a substantially square shape with the four corners cut out in an arc shape, and is provided with a lid body top surface 23 that closes the top surface. The lid body top surface 23 has four arc-shaped lid body side walls 21 that are divided into four to correspond to the main body side walls 14 of the container body 10 and are formed at the four corners so as to protrude downward. The lid body 20 has a substantially square lid body outer wall 22 that protrudes downward and is formed integrally with the arc-shaped lid body side wall 21 from the outer side. Both ends of the lid body side wall 21 are connected to the inside of the lid body outer wall 22, and the lid body side wall 21 and the lid outer wall 22 form a continuous ring that surrounds the entire circumference of the lid body 20. When the lid 20 is placed on the container body 10 of the wafer transport container 1, the inner surfaces of the four lid side walls 21 of the lid 20 come into contact with the arc-shaped sealing surface 15 of the container body 10. At the same time, the linear inner surfaces of the lid outer walls 22 of the lid 20 come into contact with the sealing surface 16 on the outer periphery of the container body 10. This seals the inside of the accommodation section 13 of the wafer transport container 1, allowing it to be in a hermetically sealed state.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the wafer transport container 1 is equipped with a holding mechanism 30 that holds the container body 10 and the lid 20 in an openable and closable engagement. The holding mechanism 30 has locking members 32 formed on the container body 10 and locking holes 33 formed on the lid 20 in at least two locations. The locking members 32 are formed to extend from the other end to one end of the container body 10 and are equipped with locking claws 31 at one end. The locking holes 33 are provided in the lid 20 and are engaged with the locking claws 31 of the container body 10. 1, 3, and 6, the container body 10 has locking members 32 formed integrally with the mounting portion 12 at four locations on the outside of the body side wall 14 at the four corners of the mounting portion 12, each of which has a locking claw 31 on the inside of its tip, protruding upward (toward the opening 11 at one end). The locking claw 31 of the locking member 32 locks into a locking hole 33 in the lid 20, thereby maintaining the connection between the container body 10 and the lid 20. The locking claw portion 31 of the container body 10 is formed as an inclined surface that is high at the top and low toward the center, and the lower end of the inclined surface is a horizontal surface that is recessed outward. The locking claw portion 31 has an L-shaped notch cut out in the center of the inclined surface, which serves as an operating portion 31a for release.

[0020] The lid 20 has locking holes 33 formed at four corners of the lid top surface 23, at four locations corresponding to the arrangement of the locking members 32 of the container body 10 (see Figures 6, 8, etc.). After the locking claws 31 of the locking members 32 protruding upward from the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10 climb over the locking holes 33, the lower horizontal surfaces of the locking claws 31 are locked and placed in a held state. 5, the locking hole 33 is formed in a recess 24 formed on the top surface of the lid top surface 23. The recess 24 prevents the locking claw 31 of the locking member 32 from protruding from the surface of the lid 20. The surface of the recess 24 serves as a locking surface 34 with which the locking claw 31 is locked. As a result, the lid body 20 is placed over the container body 10, and the four locking claw portions 31 of the locking members 32 on the container body 10 side are caused to climb over the locking hole portions 33 on the lid body 20 side, and the lower horizontal surface of the locking claw portions 31 is locked onto the locking surface 34 on the surface of the recess 24. In this locked state, the container body 10 and the lid 20 hold the accommodation portion 13 for the wafers W in a sealed state. On the other hand, the locked and held state can be released by pushing back the operating portion 31a of the locking claw portion 31 from the center side to the outside along the surface of the recess 24 of the lid body 20. The number of holding mechanisms 30 is not limited to four, but may be at least two, for example, two diagonally opposite positions, as long as they can hold the container body 10 and the lid body 20 in an engaged state.

[0021] The lid 20 is provided with pressing portions 25 that press against the outer sides of the wafers W (see Figures 4, 7, etc.). The pressing portions 25 press at least two locations on the outer sides of the wafers W, two locations corresponding to the distance D between the main body side walls 14 of the container body 10. In this wafer transport container 1, the pressing portions 25 are formed at four locations on the lid outer wall 22 so that the wafers W can be pressed down no matter what position (position rotated 90 degrees) the lid 20 is in. The pressing portion 25 is provided on the inner wall surface of the linear portion in the center of the lid outer wall 22. The pressing portion 25 has two rib-like pressing ribs 26 formed integrally with the lid outer wall 22, and is formed as an inclined surface with a large protrusion amount on the lid top surface 23 side and a small protrusion amount on the opening side of the lid 20. The maximum protrusion amount on the top surface side of the pressing ribs 26 is set to a position that matches the outer diameter of the wafers W that are stacked and stored. In addition, an upper pressing portion 27 for pressing the wafers W stored in the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10 from above and below is formed integrally with the top surface portion 23 of the lid, and as before, the stacked wafers W are pressed from above and below between the mounting portion 12. The pressing portion 25 may be a separate body from the lid outer wall portion 22 or may be formed from a different material and attached, as long as it can reliably press the outer periphery of the wafer W.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the container body 10 has the mounting portion 12, the reinforcing rib 14e on the body side wall portion 14, and other members have uneven portions and ribs formed as necessary for reinforcement or handling in other processes, thereby improving reinforcement and rigidity, etc. In addition, square-shaped recesses and protrusions for positioning when stacking wafer transport containers 1 are formed on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the container body 10 (recesses not shown) and on the outer surface of the lid top portion 23 of the lid body 20, and protrusions 28 are formed (see Figure 4, etc.).

[0023] In the wafer transport container 1, when the lid 20 is placed on the container body 10, sealed, and locked, two of the four holding portions 25, which correspond to the spacing D of the body side wall portion 14, hold down the outer peripheries of the stacked wafers W at positions corresponding to the outer diameter of the wafers W, thereby reliably preventing horizontal movement of the wafers W. Furthermore, even when the lid 20 is placed on the container body 10 in a position rotated by 90 degrees, the wafers W can be held down by the other two holding portions 25. Furthermore, since the pressing portion 25 does not exist in the container body 10 when the lid 20 is removed, the wafers W can be stored in the container body 10 as before without being hindered by the pressing portion 25, with the gap D of the body side wall portion 14 in an open state.

[0024] As shown in Figures 4 to 8, the lid body 20 has uneven parts and ribs formed on components such as the lid body side wall part 21, the lid body outer wall part 22, and the lid body top surface part 23, as necessary, for reinforcement and handling in other processes, etc., to reinforce and improve rigidity, etc. In addition, an upper pressing portion 27 for pressing the wafers W stored in the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10 from above and below is formed integrally with the top surface portion 23 of the lid, and as before, the stacked wafers W are pressed from above and below between the mounting portion 12.

[0025] The wafer transport container 1 is provided with guide members 40 at at least two locations to prevent damage to the wafers W stored in the storage section 13 when the lid 20 is placed on the container body 10. The guide members 40 are provided to guide the lid 20 while maintaining a concentric state in which the central axis of the container body 10 and the central axis of the lid 20 are aligned, and in the illustrated example, the guide members 40 are provided at four locations, one at each of the four corners of the lid 20 (see FIGS. 1, 3, 6, etc.). The guide members 40 are provided on the lid side wall 21 and guide the container body 10 and lid 20 while maintaining their concentricity while contacting the four locking members 32 provided on the container body 10. Each guide member 40 is composed of a rib-shaped guide portion 41. The guide portions 41 are formed, for example, with two guide portions 41 formed parallel to each other on the outside of the lid side wall 21, with a gap between them, so that they protrude outward toward the center. The guide portions 41 are formed as inclined surfaces with a small protrusion amount on the opening side of the tip and a large protrusion amount on the lid top surface 23 side of the base end. The guide portions 41 are guide surfaces formed from the opening side of the tip to the locking hole 33 in the recess 24 in the lid top surface 23 at the base end.

[0026] The guide portion 41 of the lid body 20 contacts the inclined surface (higher on the outside and lower towards the center) at the upper end of the locking claw portion 31 of the container body 10, thereby maintaining a concentric state. As a result, the locking claw portion 31 of the locking member 32 of the container body 10 and the guide portion 41 of the guide member 40 of the lid body 20 are guided while maintaining a concentric state from the start of placing the lid body 20 until the end of placing and the locking claw portion 31 of the container body 10 is locked into the locking hole portion 33 of the lid body 20, until they are held by the holding mechanism 30 (see Figure 6, etc.). Furthermore, by forming the guide portion 41 into an inclined surface in which the opening side is low and the lid top surface portion 23 side is high, it is possible to improve the ease of removal from the mold during molding.

[0027] The wafer transport container 1 has a lid body 20 that is provided with two rib-shaped guide portions 41 that constitute the guide member 40, so that when the lid body 20 is placed over the container body 10, the tips of the two guide portions 41 come into contact with the upper surface of the locking claw portions 31 of the locking member 32 of the container body 10 at four locations. In this state, when the lid body 20 is pushed in while the inclined surfaces of the guide portion 41 and the locking claw portion 31 are in contact with each other, the misalignment of the central axis of the lid body 20 relative to the container body 10 is corrected by the inclined surfaces of the guide portion 41 and the locking claw portion 31, and the lid body 20 becomes concentric. Furthermore, as the guide portions 41 of the lid body 20 at four locations come into contact with the locking claw portions 31 of the locking members 32 at four locations and are pushed in, the lid body 20 is placed concentrically with the container body 10, and once the placement is complete, the locking claw portions 31 are locked into the locking hole portions 33 of the lid body 20, and the lid body 20 and container body 10 are sealed concentrically and held in place by the holding mechanism 30.

[0028] In the wafer transport container 1, two guide portions 41 are formed on the outside of the lid side wall portion 21 as the guide member 40, but the width of the guide portion 41 may be increased so that the guide member 40 is constituted by one guide portion 41. In addition, the guide member 40 may be formed by removing the lid body side wall portion 21 between the two guide portions 41, and forming a guide portion 41 with a U-shaped cross section that is continuous with the wall surface at the tip side of the guide portion 41 and protruding outward from the lid body side wall portion 21, as long as it can be brought into contact with the locking member 32 of the container body 10 and the lid body 20 can be placed on it in a concentric state.

[0029] In the wafer transport container 1, when the lid body 20 is placed on the container body 10, a concentric state is ensured, so that the lid body side wall portion 21 of the lid body 20 is prevented from hitting the wafer W stored in the container body 10 and damaging the wafer W. Furthermore, when the lid body 20 of the wafer transport container 1 is placed on the container body 10, the locking member 32 is higher than the main body side wall portion 14 of the container body 10, so that the guide portion 41 of the guide member 40 first comes into contact with the locking claw portion 31 of the locking member 32, thereby more reliably preventing damage to the wafers W in the storage portion 13 from the very start of placing the lid body 20 on the container body 10. The lid body 20 is provided with a pressing part 25 for pressing the outside of the wafer W, so that the lid body 20 can be placed concentrically and the wafer W can be securely pressed by the pressing part 25 to maintain the concentric state of the container body 10 and the lid body 20. As a result, the wafer transport container 1 can be reliably sealed without misalignment of the central axes of the container body 10 and the lid body 20, even when the lid body 20 is manually placed on the container by an operator without using an automated device such as a robot arm. Furthermore, the body side wall end portion 14b and the reinforcing wall portion 14c prevent the body side wall portion 14 of the container body 10 from collapsing inward, so that contact with the wafer W due to the body side wall portion 14 collapsing can also be prevented, and the wafer can be stored and transported without being damaged.

[0030] In the wafer transport container 1, the container body 10 and the lid 20 are preferably made of conductive plastic. Examples of conductive plastic include plastic with conductive filler added and plastic treated with a polymer alloy. Examples of conductive fillers include carbon black, graphite carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, metal powder, metal fiber, metal oxide powder, metal-coated inorganic fine powder, organic fine powder or fiber, etc.

[0031] 8, in the wafer transport container 1 configured in this manner, a ring spacer 51 serving as the lowest cushioning material is placed in the storage section 13 on the mounting section 12 surrounded by the two main body side walls 14 of the container body 10, and wafers W and interlayer sheets 52 are alternately stacked on top of that, with the ring spacer 51 serving as the highest cushioning material being placed thereon. When the wafers W are stored in the storage section 13 of the main body side walls 14, the main body side walls 14 are prevented from tipping inward, so that the wafers W can be stored without being damaged by contact with them. After a predetermined number of wafers W are stacked and accommodated in the container body 10, the lid 20 is placed on the container body 10.

[0032] When the lid body 20 is placed over the container body 10, as shown in Figure 6(a), the tips of the two guide portions 41 at each of four points (four corners) of the wafer transport container 1 come into contact with the upper surface of the locking claw portion 31 of the locking member 32 of the container body 10. In this state, when the lid body 20 is pushed in to cover the container body 10, the misalignment of the central axis of the lid body 20 with respect to the container body 10 is corrected by the inclined surfaces of the guide portion 41 and the locking claw portion 31, and the lid body 20 is made concentric. As a result, the lid body 20 is guided in the orthogonal diagonal direction and the orthogonal left-right and front-rear directions, maintaining the concentric state. Furthermore, as the lid body 20 is pushed in while the guide portions 41 of the four locations come into contact with the inner surfaces and locking claw portions 31 of the four locking members 32, the lid body 20 is placed concentrically with the container body 10, and once the placement is complete, the locking claw portions 31 are locked into the locking hole portions 33 of the lid body 20, the lid body 20 and the container body 10 are placed concentrically, and are sealed by the sealing surfaces 15, 16 to form an airtight and retained state (see Figure 6(b)). When the lid 20 is completely placed on the container body 10, the inner surface of the pressing portion 25 is in a position where it contacts the outer diameter of the wafer W, as shown in FIG. As a result, the outer periphery of the stacked wafers W is pressed by the two pressing portions 25, preventing horizontal movement.

[0033] In such a wafer transport container 1, even if the lid 20 is placed on the container body 10 while the wafers W are contained therein, the guide member 40 ensures that the central axes of the container body 10 and the lid 20 are concentric and do not shift, thereby preventing the lid side wall portion 21 and the pressing portion 25 of the lid 20 from hitting the wafers W and causing damage. The stacked wafers W are also held down by the upper surface of the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10 and the upper holding portion 27 of the lid top surface 23 of the lid 20, preventing vertical movement. Furthermore, when the lid body 20 is completely placed over the container body 10, the lid body side wall portion 21 and the lid body outer wall portion 22 of the lid body 20 come into contact with the annular sealing surfaces 15 and 16 of the container body 10, creating a sealed state. In this way, after the wafers W are stacked and stored in the container body 10 and the lid 20 is placed on top of each other, the wafers W stored in the storage section 13 are held down in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, even if the wafer transport container 1 is transported in any direction, the wafers W will not move, and problems such as friction with interlayer sheets and the like that come into direct contact with the wafers W, damage due to scratches or cracks, dust generation, or contamination of the wafers W by chemical components can be eliminated.

[0034] As specifically explained above in conjunction with the embodiments, the wafer transport container 1 of the present invention is a wafer transport container 1 comprising a container body 10 having an opening 11 at one end and a mounting section 12 at the other end facing the opening 11 and in which wafers W are stacked and stored, and a lid 20 that covers the opening 11. The container body 10 has a plurality of body side wall sections 14 erected on the mounting section 12, which define a storage section 13 that stores wafers W, and the body side wall sections 14 are composed of an arc-shaped body side wall main section 14a whose center of curvature coincides with the center of the storage section 13, and an arc-shaped body side wall end section 14b whose center of curvature faces in the opposite direction to that of the body side wall main section 14a. According to this configuration, the body side wall portion 14 erected on the mounting portion 12 of the container body 10 can prevent the body side wall portion 14 from collapsing inward due to contraction deformation, by reversing the direction of deformation with the body side wall end portion 14b formed in an arc shape opposite to that of the body side wall main portion 14a, thereby canceling out the deformation. This makes it possible to prevent the body side wall portion 14 and the wafer W from coming into contact with each other and being damaged when the wafer W is placed in or removed from the storage portion 13.

[0035] In the wafer transport container 1 of the present invention, the main body side wall end portion 14b is formed with a reinforcing wall portion 14c that is continuous with the edge of the main body side wall end portion 14b and protrudes toward the rear side. Therefore, the reinforcing wall portion 14c reinforces the edge of the main body side wall end portion 14b and prevents it from falling over, thereby more reliably offsetting the falling over of the main body side wall portion 14 and preventing damage caused by contact with the main body side wall portion 14 when storing or removing the stored wafers W.

[0036] In wafer transport pod 1 of the present invention, main body sidewall portion 14a and end body sidewall portion 14b each have reinforcing ribs 14e on their rear surfaces. According to this configuration, the inflection points 14d where deformation stress in the opposite direction acts are reinforced by the respective reinforcing ribs 14e, which more reliably offsets the collapse of the main body side wall portion 14 and prevents damage to the wafers W due to contact with the main body side wall portion 14 when storing or removing the stored wafers W.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Wafer transport container (semiconductor wafer transport container) 10 Container body 11 Opening 12 Mounting section 13 Storage section 14 Main body side wall 14a Main body side wall 14b Main body side wall end 14c Reinforced wall 14d Inflection point 14e Reinforcement rib 15 Annular sealing surface 15a Recess 16 Sealing surface 17 Recess 20 Lid 21 Lid side wall 22 Lid outer wall 23 Lid top section 24 recess 25 Presser foot 26 Presser rib 27 Upper presser foot 28 Convex part 30 Retention mechanism 31 Locking claw 31a Operation section 32 Locking member 33 Locking hole 34 Locking surface 40 Guide member 41 Information Department 51 Ring spacer 52 Interlayer Sheet D interval W wafer

Claims

1. a container body having an opening at one end and a mounting portion at the other end facing the opening and configured to accommodate stacked wafers; a lid that closes the opening, The container body is provided on the mounting portion. a plurality of main body side walls that define a storage section for storing the wafers; The body side wall portion comprises an arc-shaped main body side wall portion whose center of curvature coincides with the center of the storage portion, and an arc-shaped main body side wall end portion whose center of curvature faces in the opposite direction to the main body side wall portion. A semiconductor wafer transport container characterized by:

2. The main body side wall portion has a reinforcing wall portion formed continuously with the end edge of the main body side wall end portion and protruding toward the rear side.

2. The semiconductor wafer transport container according to claim 1.

3. The main body side wall portion and the end portion of the main body side wall each have a reinforcing rib on their back surface.

3. The semiconductor wafer transport container according to claim 1 or 2.

Images