A substrate container equipped with a stabilizing support and smooth tray connection.

Abstract

To provide a substrate container equipped with a stabilizing support and a smooth tray connection.SOLUTION: The present invention discloses a substrate container which includes at least one support used for substrate. The support comprises a plurality of convex ribs. The plurality of convex ribs are separated, with an interval, from each other, and define a plurality of grooves and a mounting surface for receiving the substrate. Each of the plurality of convex ribs includes a front end and a rear end. Rear ends of two neighboring ones of the convex ribs are connected via closing part so that the rear end of a slot defined by the two neighboring ones of the convex ribs is closed. and the closing part includes an inwardly concaved surface. A clamping position for confining the substrate is defined between the inwardly concaved surface and the mounting surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5B

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate container or a wafer container, and particularly to a substrate container provided with a tray having improved stability and being difficult to slip.

Background Art

[0002] For example, as the size of a semiconductor substrate, such as a wafer, increases, the density of circuits formed on the substrate also increases, and such circuits are more likely to have defects caused by particles and other contaminants. Also, as the size of the substrate increases, the weight of the substrate and the size of the substrate container also increase. Therefore, when the substrate and the container collide, the possibility of generating particles becomes high. As the size and weight of the substrate increase, it has been necessary to strengthen the support stability of the substrate container. In order to reduce the contamination risk of a large substrate container, it has been necessary to improve the substrate container.

[0003] In addition, since the friction area between a conventional substrate container and the mounting interface portion of a mounting device is too large, excessive adhesion occurs between the substrate container and the mounting interface portion, which affects the smoothness of loading and unloading of the substrate container. Thus, when it is impossible to change the design of a conventional mounting device, it has been necessary to improve the substrate container.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] The present invention provides a substrate container comprising a housing having side walls, and at least one support connected to the side walls of the housing, the support comprising a plurality of spaced-apart convex ribs, the plurality of convex ribs defining a plurality of grooves for housing a substrate and a mounting surface. Each of the plurality of convex ribs has a front end and a rear end, and the rear ends of two adjacent convex ribs are connected via a closing portion such that the groove defined by the two adjacent convex ribs is closed at the rear end, the closing portion having an inwardly concave surface, and a clamping position for restraining the substrate is defined between the inwardly concave surface and the aforementioned mounting surface.

[0005] In one specific embodiment, the clamping position is used to restrain at least the upper edge of the substrate, and the aforementioned support surface supports the bottom of the substrate, thereby holding the substrate in place.

[0006] In one specific embodiment, the inwardly concave surface is used to restrain the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate at the clamping position, and the aforementioned support surface supports the bottom of the substrate, thereby holding the substrate in place.

[0007] In one specific embodiment, the inwardly concave surface is formed by connecting a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface define an inwardly concave angle.

[0008] In one specific embodiment, the two adjacent convex ribs are an upper convex rib and a lower convex rib, respectively, and the bottom of the upper convex rib, the top of the lower convex rib, and the inwardly concave surface define the groove.

[0009] In one specific embodiment, the bottom of the upward-convex rib has a guide slope, and the guide slope is connected to a first slope of a surface that is concave toward the inside of the closing portion.

[0010] The present invention also provides a substrate container comprising a housing and a tray detachably connected to the bottom of the housing, such that the housing is placed on the mounting interface portion of a mounting device via the tray. The tray comprises a top, a bottom, and a guide opening, the top of which is provided with a guide surface, the guide surface being close to the guide opening and used to receive a regulating mechanism from the mounting interface portion. The guide surface is formed with a textured structure suitable for reducing frictional force between the guide surface and the regulating mechanism.

[0011] In one specific embodiment, the guide opening is a rectangular guide opening that penetrates the top and bottom of the tray, and a convex edge is formed on the top of the tray that extends along the four sides of the guide opening, and the convex edge has the guide surface.

[0012] In one specific embodiment, the guide surface has a slope, and the slope is adjacent to the edge of the guide opening.

[0013] In one specific embodiment, the tray further comprises three positioning grooves, the three positioning grooves being symmetrically arranged at the bottom of the tray, and the guide opening being located between two symmetrical positioning grooves of the three positioning grooves.

[0014] The aforementioned and other embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent by being described in detail below based on non-limiting specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] To better understand the present invention, you may refer to the following drawings and description. Non-limiting and non-exclusive embodiments will be described with reference to the following drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to actual size, but are drawn to focus on explaining the structure and principle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]It is a three-dimensional exploded view of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] It is a front view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 3B] It is a rear view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 4A] It is a top view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 4B] It is a left side view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 4C] It is a right side view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 5A] It is a partially enlarged view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 5B] [[ID=**21]]It is a partially enlarged view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 5C] It is a partially enlarged view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 5D] It is a partially enlarged view of the support of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a three-dimensional exploded view of a substrate container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] It is a three-dimensional view of the tray of the present invention. [Figure 9A] It is a top view of the tray of the present invention. [Figure 9B] It is a bottom view of the tray of the present invention. [Figure 10A] It is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 9A. [Figure 10B] It is a partially enlarged view of the cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 9A. [Figure 11A] It is a diagram showing a texture structure according to different embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 11B] It is a diagram showing a texture structure according to different embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 12A] They are different patterns of the texture structure of the present invention. [Figure 12B] They are different patterns of the texture structure of the present invention.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] The following will provide a more complete description of the present invention with reference to the drawings and will illustrate specific embodiments. However, the claimed subject matter may be specifically implemented in a variety of different forms, and therefore the configuration of the claimed subject matter in the application or application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. The specific embodiments are merely illustrative. Similarly, the present invention is intended to provide a reasonably broad scope for the subject matter of the application or claims covered. Also, for example, the claimed subject matter may be specifically implemented as a method, apparatus or system.

[0018] As used herein, the term "in one embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment, and as used herein, the term "in several other / specific embodiments" does not necessarily refer to different specific embodiments. The claimed subject matter is intended to include all or some combinations of specific embodiments.

[0019] As mentioned in the background technology section, increasing the size of the substrate also increases its weight. To accommodate this type of substrate, it is necessary to enhance the stabilization capabilities of the substrate container.

[0020] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an exploded view of a substrate container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] The substrate container 1 includes a housing 11 and a door (not shown) that can be coupled to the housing 11. The housing 11 basically consists of a ceiling, a bottom, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, and is used to define a housing space and to house multiple internal components and multiple substrates. The ceiling, bottom, and side walls of the housing 11 define an opening 12 at the front end, through which the tip of a robot arm can enter and exit the housing space to load and unload substrates. The substrate container 1 includes a pair of supports 13 that are detachably connected to the inside of the side walls and define multiple grooves that can house multiple substrates.

[0022] In addition to the components shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate container 1 actually includes other components. For example, the top may be provided with a coupling structure compatible with overhead transport vehicles (OHTs), a gas diffusion tower for supplying gas to the containment space may be assembled at the bottom, and an exhaust passage may be provided near the opening 12 for exhaust. One or more supply and exhaust modules may be attached to the bottom and connected to the gas diffusion tower and exhaust passage, respectively. The door may be equipped with a latch mechanism for connecting the door to the housing 11 by fitting into a hole near the opening 12.

[0023] Figures 3A and 3B are front and rear views of the support 13, respectively, and in particular show the support 13 on the left side of Figure 2. Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C are top, left, and right side views of the support 13, respectively. The support 13 basically includes a continuous wall 131, which is basically shaped based on the shape of the side wall of the housing 11 and exhibits a substantially curved continuous wall (Figure 3A), with the outer surface of the continuous wall 131 adhering to the side wall of the housing 11 as much as possible. The continuous wall 131 has a height extending between the top and bottom of the housing 11 and a length extending between the rear and the opening 12. The continuous wall 131 has a top 135 and a bottom 136 as the upper and lower boundaries of the support 13. Multiple convex ribs 133 are a continuous structure extending horizontally between the top and bottom of the continuous wall 131. Multiple protruding ribs 133 are located on the inner surface of the continuous wall 131 at predetermined intervals. The support 13 may be provided with multiple positioning members 137 at its top 135 and bottom 136, respectively, to restrict the support 137 and position it against the side wall of the housing 11. The support 13 may be integrally molded or assembled from multiple components.

[0024] Figures 5A to 5D are enlarged views of parts of the support 13, and in particular show the support 13 on the right side of Figure 2. One end of each of these convex ribs 133 is connected to each other to form a closed structure, while the other end is left open and unconnected. A groove 5 and a mounting surface are defined between two adjacent convex ribs 133 to accommodate a single substrate. The two adjacent convex ribs 133 are separated by an appropriate gap so that the substrate can enter and exit the groove 5 from the open ends of the two adjacent convex ribs 133. The mounting surface refers to the top structure of the lower convex rib 133 of the two adjacent convex ribs 133 and is used to support the bottom of the substrate.

[0025] Figure 5B shows a series of closures 1321, each closure connecting the ends of two adjacent convex ribs 133 so as to close the end of the groove 5. The edges of the substrate housed in the groove 5 are confined between the closure 1321 and the two adjacent convex ribs 133. As shown in Figure 5C, the closure 1321 has an inwardly concave surface 50, which is defined by a first bevel 51 and a second bevel 52, the first bevel 51 being connected to a guide bevel 1331 at the bottom of the upper convex rib 133, and the second bevel 52 being connected to a descending bevel 1332 at the top of the lower convex rib 133.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5C, the inwardly concave surface defined by the first bevel 51 and the second bevel 52 has a concave peak 53, and this concave peak is at approximately the same height (as shown by the dashed line) as the mounting surface at the top of the downward convex rib 133, i.e., the bump 1334 formed on the plane 1333. This allows the side surface of the substrate (including the edges and the top and bottom surfaces) to abut against the concave peak 53 of the inwardly concave surface 50, and is restricted and held by the first bevel 51 and the second bevel 52, while the bump 1334 on the mounting surface simultaneously supports the bottom of the substrate. In other embodiments, the position of the concave vertex 53 is slightly lower than the position of the plane 1333 or bump 1334, so that when the edge of the substrate contacts the inwardly concave surface 50, at least the upper edge of the substrate is restricted by the first bevel 51, the bump 1334 on the mounting surface supports the bottom of the substrate, and the substrate is held in place by the interaction between the first bevel 51 and the bump 1334 on the plane 1333. In some embodiments, the bump 1334 may be omitted. The advantage of the concave vertex 53 being at the same height as the plane 1333 or bump 1334 is that the edge of the substrate can be kept as horizontal as possible while the edge of the substrate is held between the first bevel 51 and the second bevel 52, otherwise the bottom of the substrate may sag without being close to the plane 1333.

[0027] The guide slope 1331 of the upper convex rib 133 has the function of guiding the edge of the substrate to move toward a surface 50 that is concave inward, and the downward slope 1332 and the second slope 52 of the lower convex rib 133 form a sunken 54, thereby reducing the probability of the lower edge of the substrate colliding during the movement process. As shown in Figure 5C, the sunken 54 formed by the downward slope 1332 and the second slope 52 has a valley peak 55, and the valley peak 55 is lower than the concave peak 53 of the surface 50 that is concave inward, that is, the valley peak 55 is lower than the top plane 1333 of the lower convex rib 133. In this embodiment, the first slope 51 and the second slope 52 define an angle θ1 that is concave inward, and the second slope 52 and the downward slope 1332 define a sunken angle θ2, where θ2 is greater than θ1. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other possible embodiments, the first slope 51, the second slope 52, the guide slope 1331, and the descending slope 1332 may be curved surfaces, so it is not possible to clearly define the numerical values ​​of the inward concave angle θ1 and the recessed angle θ2. However, in order to prevent the lower edge of the substrate from being impacted and generating particles, the valley apex 55 of the recess 54 must be lower than the concave apex 53 of the inwardly concave surface 50.

[0028] The connection of the first inclined surface 51 to the guide inclined surface 1331 at the bottom of the upper convex rib 133 and the connection of the second inclined surface 52 to the descending inclined surface 1332 at the top of the lower convex rib 133 define the clamping range. Figure 5D shows that the outer surface of the continuous wall 131 has a plurality of recesses 132, and the position of each recess 132 corresponds to the clamping range. The purpose of this structural design is to match the wall thickness of the continuous wall 131 and maintain the original characteristics of the plurality of convex ribs 133 that support the weight of the substrate.

[0029] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional view of a substrate container according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is an exploded view of a substrate container according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] The substrate container 1 includes a housing 11 and a door (not shown) that can be attached to the housing 11. The housing 11 basically consists of a top, a bottom, a pair of side walls and a rear wall, and is used to define a housing space and to house multiple internal components and multiple substrates. The top, bottom and side walls of the housing 11 define an opening 12 at the front end, through which the tip of a robot arm can enter and exit the housing space to load and unload substrates. The substrate container 1 further includes a tray 14 that is detachably attached to the outside of the bottom and serves as the base of the substrate container 1.

[0031] Figure 8 is a three-dimensional view of the tray 14. Figures 9A and 9B are top and bottom views of the tray 14, respectively. The tray 14 is basically a plate, with the top of the tray 14 mainly containing a configuration for connecting to the bottom of the substrate container 1, and the bottom containing a configuration for connecting to the mounting device. For example, two round holes 81 for an air supply module (not shown) are formed at the rear end of the tray 14, and two round holes 82 for an exhaust module (not shown) are formed at the front end. The gas supply nozzle and exhaust port on the mounting device are connected to the air supply module and exhaust module at the bottom of the substrate container via the round holes 81 at the rear end and the round holes 82 at the front end, respectively, to enable gas operation.

[0032] As shown in Figure 9B, the bottom surface of the tray 14 has three positioning grooves 83 formed on the bottom surface of the tray 14 in a symmetrical distribution, one of which is close to the round hole 81 at the rear end, and the other two positioning grooves 83 are close to the round hole 82 at the front end. The mounting interface portion of the mounting device has a plurality of positioning pins that can be fitted into these positioning grooves 83 to position the substrate container 1 on the mounting interface portion.

[0033] As shown in Figure 9A, the tray 14 has a guide opening 84 at its top. This guide opening 84 is designed to work with a regulating mechanism (not shown) provided by the mounting interface of the mounting device, which will be described below. The regulating mechanism enters the tray 14 from the mounting interface through the guide opening 84 and holds the tray 14 by locking, pressing, hooking, or suction. The guide opening 84 is located between a round hole 82 at the front end or two symmetrical positioning grooves 83 and is rectangular, but the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified according to the design of the mounting interface. As shown in Figure 8, the edge of the guide opening 84 has a raised convex edge or boss, and the convex edge has a guide surface 85. The guide surface 85 is an elongated surface, a rectangular edge adjacent to the guide opening 84, in particular a rectangular edge close to the center of the tray 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0034] The guide surface 85 is designed to work in cooperation with the regulating mechanism. Figures 10A and 10B are a cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view thereof along line AA in Figure 9A, respectively. As shown in the figures, the guide surface 85 is located at the rear end of the guide opening 84. The schematic regulating mechanism 9 enters the guide opening 84 from the mounting interface portion of the mounting device and contacts the guide surface 85. The regulating mechanism 9 has a roller at its end, which contacts the guide surface 85. As shown in Figure 10B, the guide surface 85 has a slope 851 near the guide opening 84 at its front edge, and the slope 851 is used to reduce the obstruction when the roller rides up onto the guide surface 85. The regulating mechanism 9 can apply pressure to the guide surface 85 so that the tray 14 on which the housing is mounted is in close contact with the mounting interface portion of the mounting device. The regulating mechanism 9 can move horizontally away from the guide surface 85 and retract from the guide opening 84 to return to the mounting interface portion. The roller contacts the guide surface 85, but as the downward pressure applied by the regulating mechanism 9 increases, the friction between the roller and the guide surface 85 increases, causing the movement of the regulating mechanism 9 to become less smooth.

[0035] The present invention proposes technical means for reducing friction by reducing the contact area. Specifically, a special textured structure is formed on the guide surface 85. Figures 11A and 11B show different embodiments of the textured structure, respectively. Figure 11A shows that the guide surface 85A has multiple ridges formed on a flat surface, such as circular ridges, elongated ridges, or meandering ridges. Figure 11B shows that the guide surface 85B has recesses or grooves formed on a flat surface, such as circular recesses or elongated grooves. Therefore, the contact area when the roller contacts the guide surfaces 85A, 85B is relatively smaller than the contact area when the roller contacts the flat surface, effectively reducing friction between the roller and the guide surfaces 85A, 85B, and thus the mechanical interaction between the regulating mechanism 9 and the tray 14 becomes smoother. In other embodiments, the textured structure may be a rough surface defined by a specific roughness or a rough surface formed by coating with a specific material. The textured structure may be a rough surface formed by laser surface treatment, machined surface treatment, or chemical treatment.

[0036] Figures 12A and 12B each show different patterns of the texture structure. Figure 12A shows that the texture structure pattern consists of a plurality of elongated patterns 100A arranged along the longitudinal direction of the guide surface 85. In different modifications, the elongated patterns 100A may extend along the width direction of the guide surface or diagonally. Raised or recessed areas of the texture structure may be formed by the distribution of the elongated patterns 100A. Figure 12B shows that the texture structure pattern consists of a plurality of circular patterns 100B arranged evenly distributed on the guide surface 85. In different modifications, the circular patterns 100B may be replaced with squares, triangles, or other polygons. Raised or recessed areas of the texture structure may be formed according to the distribution of the circular patterns 100B.

[0037] However, it should be understood that each specific embodiment of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and a wide variety of modifications can be made without departing from the claims of the present invention, and that these modifications are within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, each specific embodiment described herein is not a limitation of the present invention, and the true scope and spirit of the present invention are disclosed in the claims below. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 100A Long and narrow pattern 100B Circular Pattern 1. Substrate container 11 cabinets 12 Openings 13 Support 131 Continuous Walls 132 recess 1321 Closing part 133 Convex Rib 1331 Guide Slope 1332 Downhill slope 1333 plane 1334 Bump 135 Top 136 Bottom 137 Positioning member 14 trays 5 grooves 50 A surface that is concave inward 51 First Slope 52 Second Slope 53 Concave vertex 54. Indentation 55 Valley apex 81 Round hole 82 round holes 83 Positioning groove 84 Information Entrance 85, 85A, 85B guide surface 851 Slope 9 Regulatory bodies θ1 Angle that is concave inward θ2 angle of recess

Claims

1. The casing and A tray is detachably connected to the bottom of the housing, causing the housing to be placed on the loading interface of the loading apparatus via the tray, A substrate container including, The tray comprises a top, a bottom, and a guide opening, with a guide surface provided on the top of the tray, the guide surface being close to the guide opening and used to receive the regulating mechanism from the mounting interface section. The guide surface is formed with a texture structure suitable for reducing the frictional force between the guide surface and the regulating mechanism. The guide opening is a rectangular guide opening that penetrates the top and bottom of the tray, and a convex edge is formed on the top of the tray, extending along the four sides of the guide opening, and the convex edge has the guide surface. Circuit board container.

2. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the guide surface has an inclined surface, and the inclined surface is adjacent to the edge of the guide opening.

3. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the tray further comprises three positioning grooves, the three positioning grooves being symmetrically arranged at the bottom of the tray, and the guide opening being located between two symmetrical positioning grooves of the three positioning grooves.

4. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the texture structure is defined by a plurality of ridges or a plurality of depressions.

5. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the texture structure is comprised of an arrangement of elongated patterns extending along the longitudinal direction of the guide surface.

6. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the texture structure comprises a plurality of circular patterns evenly distributed on the guide surface.

7. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the texture structure is configured to reduce the contact area between the regulating mechanism and the guide surface in order to reduce the frictional force between the regulating mechanism and the guide surface.

8. The substrate container according to claim 1, wherein the guide surface is formed by machining or chemical treatment.

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