Circuit board housing container and rear retainer
The substrate storage container with a rear retainer having a flow hole and V-shaped groove addresses the issue of insufficient drying by enhancing airflow and drainage, thus reducing drying time and costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- MIRAIAL CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-01
AI Technical Summary
The existing substrate storage containers face issues with insufficient drying on the inner surface of the rear retainer after cleaning due to poor airflow and difficulty in draining cleaning solutions, leading to prolonged drying times and increased production costs.
A substrate storage container design featuring a rear retainer with a protruding wall portion having a flow hole for circulating liquid and gas, and a V-shaped groove for substrate support, which improves airflow and drainage, ensuring efficient drying.
The design enhances drying efficiency by facilitating the drainage of cleaning solutions and improving airflow, reducing drying time and production costs.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container and a retainer used when storing, storing, transporting, and transporting a substrate made of a semiconductor wafer or the like.
Background Art
[0002] As a substrate storage container for storing and transporting a substrate made of a semiconductor wafer, a configuration including a container body and a lid has been conventionally known.
[0003] The container body has a cylindrical wall portion with a container body opening formed at one end and the other end closed. A substrate storage space is formed inside the container body. The substrate storage space is formed surrounded by the wall portion and can store a plurality of substrates. The lid is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening.
[0004] A front retainer is provided at a portion of the lid that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed. The front retainer can support the edges of a plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid. Also, a rear retainer is provided on the wall portion side of the substrate storage space of the container body so as to be paired with the front retainer. The rear retainer can support the edges of a plurality of substrates. The rear retainer cooperates with the front retainer to support a plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and holds the plurality of substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are spaced apart at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0005]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0006] When cleaning a circuit board storage container, the container may be cleaned with the rear retainer positioned on the back wall side of the circuit board storage space (the rear retainer 6 can be positioned in two ways: either detachably attached or integrally integrated with the container body through insert molding, etc.). In this case, there was a problem that the cleaning solution (including water) located on the inner surface of the rear retainer (the surface on the back wall side of the container body) was difficult to drain (tend to remain). There was also a problem with poor airflow (ventilation) between the inner and outer surfaces of the rear retainer. If the cleaning solution is difficult to drain or the airflow is poor, there is a concern that the inner surface of the rear retainer may not dry sufficiently after cleaning, requiring measures such as extending the drying time. As a result, the drying process time becomes unnecessarily long, increasing production costs.
[0007] The present invention aims to provide a substrate storage container and a rear retainer that can improve insufficient drying on the inner surface of the rear retainer after cleaning, when the rear retainer is positioned on the back wall side of the substrate storage space of the container body and the container is cleaned. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container comprising: a container body having a cylindrical wall portion with a container body opening at one end and a closed end at the other end, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening; a lid-side substrate support portion positioned on the portion of the lid that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid; and a rear retainer, wherein the rear retainer is the substrate storage space The present invention relates to a substrate storage container comprising: a rear substrate support portion arranged in conjunction with the lid-side substrate support portion within the space between the substrates, capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates, and cooperating with the lid-side substrate support portion to support the plurality of substrates in a parallel arrangement when the container body opening is closed by the lid; a protruding wall portion whose outer surface protrudes toward the container body opening and whose inner surface is recessed toward the container body opening, with the rear substrate support portion provided on the protruding side of the protruding wall portion; and a flow hole for circulating liquid and / or gas located on the inner surface side of the protruding wall portion when the protruding side of the protruding wall portion is facing downward.
[0009] Furthermore, when the protruding side of the protruding wall portion is facing downwards, it is preferable that the flow hole extends vertically so as to penetrate the rear substrate support portion.
[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that the rear retainer is fixed to the container body such that there is a gap between the rear retainer and the back wall of the wall portion of the container body.
[0011] Furthermore, when the container body opening is oriented horizontally, the rear substrate support portion is provided with a V-shaped groove having a lower inclined surface positioned on the lower side and an upper inclined surface positioned on the upper side, and when the container body opening is oriented horizontally, a protruding ridge is provided on the inner side of the lower inclined surface in the horizontal direction, projecting upward and extending from the container body opening toward the rear wall of the wall portion.
[0012] Furthermore, the rear retainer is positioned in a portion facing the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and further comprises an auxiliary groove having an opening wider than the thickness of the substrate edge so that the edge of the substrate can be inserted, the auxiliary groove having opposing groove-forming surfaces, and at least when the container body opening is closed by the lid, the edges of the plurality of substrates are inserted one by one, and when the container body opening is closed by the lid, the edges of the substrates are inserted into the auxiliary groove in a non-contact state where a space is formed between the edge of the substrate and the groove-forming surface so that the edge of the substrate does not come into contact with the groove-forming surface, and when the container body opening is oriented sideways, it is preferable that the groove-forming surface of the auxiliary groove is positioned between the V-shaped grooves of the rear substrate support portion which are adjacent in the vertical direction.
[0013] Furthermore, when the container body opening is oriented horizontally, it is preferable that a protruding ridge is provided on the inner side in the horizontal direction of the groove-forming surface located below the auxiliary groove, projecting upward and extending from the container body opening toward the back wall of the wall portion.
[0014] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a substrate storage container comprising: a container body having a cylindrical wall portion with a container body opening at one end and a closed end at the other end, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening; a lid-side substrate support portion that is positioned on the portion of the lid that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid; and a rear retainer, wherein the rear retainer is front The present invention relates to a rear retainer comprising: a rear-side substrate support portion arranged in a pair with the lid-side substrate support portion within the substrate storage space, capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates, and cooperating with the lid-side substrate support portion to support the plurality of substrates in a parallel arrangement when the container body opening is closed by the lid; a protruding wall portion whose outer surface protrudes toward the container body opening and whose inner surface is recessed toward the container body opening, with the rear-side substrate support portion provided on the protruding side of the protruding wall portion; and a flow hole for circulating liquid and / or gas located on the inner surface side of the protruding wall portion when the protruding side of the protruding wall portion is facing downward. [Effects of the Invention]
[0015] According to the present invention, when cleaning is performed with the rear retainer positioned on the back wall side of the substrate storage space of the container body, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container and a rear retainer that can improve insufficient drying on the inner surface side of the rear retainer after cleaning. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0016] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view showing a plurality of substrates W stored in a substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the container body 2 of a substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]It is a perspective view showing the lid 3 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a plan sectional view showing the positional relationship between the substrate storage container 1 and the substrate W in the closed lid state. [Figure 5A] It is a perspective view showing the front retainer 7 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5B] It is a partial front view showing the front retainer 7 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5C] It is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the lid-side substrate support portion 73 of the front retainer 7. [Figure 5D] It is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75 of the front retainer 7. [Figure 6A] It is a perspective view showing the rear retainer 6 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] It is a partial front view showing the rear retainer 6 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] It is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the protruding wall portion 60 on the left side of FIG. 6A. [Figure 7B] It is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the protruding wall portion 60 on the left side of FIG. 6B. [Figure 7C] It is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the back-side substrate support portion 63 and the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 of the rear retainer 6. [Figure 8] It is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the protruding wall portion 60 on the left side of FIG. 4. [Figure 9] It is a sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG. 6B.
Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0017] The following describes a substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment, with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a plurality of substrates W stored in a substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the lid 3 of the substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the substrate storage container 1 and the substrates W in the closed lid state.
[0018] Here, for the sake of explanation, the direction from the container body 2 to the lid 3 (the direction from the upper right to the lower left in Figure 1) is defined as the forward direction D11 or front side D11, and the opposite direction is defined as the rear direction D12 or rear side D12, and these together are defined as the front-to-back direction D1. Also, the direction from the lower wall 24 to the upper wall 23 (the upward direction in Figure 1) is defined as the upward direction D21 or upper side D21, and the opposite direction is defined as the downward direction D22 or lower side D22, and these together are defined as the up-down direction D2. Furthermore, the direction from the second side wall 26 to the first side wall 25 (the direction from the lower right to the upper left in Figure 1) is defined as the left direction D31, and the opposite direction is defined as the right direction D32, and these together are defined as the left-to-right direction D3 or side-to-side direction D3. Some drawings show arrows indicating these directions.
[0019] Furthermore, the substrate W (see Figure 1) stored in the substrate storage container 1 is a disc-shaped silicon wafer, glass wafer, sapphire wafer, etc., and is a thin material used in industry. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a silicon wafer with a diameter of 300 mm.
[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate storage container 1 is used as a shipping container for storing substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above and for transporting the substrates W by means of transport such as land transport, air transport, and sea transport, and comprises a container body 2 and a lid 3. The container body 2 comprises a substrate support plate-like portion 5 as a lateral substrate support portion and a rear retainer 6. The lid 3 comprises a front retainer 7 (see Figures 3 to 5D) having a lid-side substrate support portion 73 and a substrate edge auxiliary portion 75.
[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the container body 2 has a cylindrical wall portion 20 with a container body opening 21 at one end and a closed end at the other end. A substrate storage space 27 is formed inside the container body 2. The substrate storage space 27 is formed by being surrounded by the wall portion 20. As shown in Figure 2, a substrate support plate-like portion 5 is arranged in the part of the wall portion 20 that forms the substrate storage space 27. As shown in Figure 1, multiple substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.
[0022] The substrate support plate-like portions 5 are provided on the wall portion 20 in pairs within the substrate storage space 27. When the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3 (when the lid is open), the substrate support plate-like portions 5 abut against the edges of multiple substrates W, thereby supporting the edges of multiple substrates W in a parallel state with adjacent substrates W spaced apart at a predetermined interval. A rear retainer 6 is provided on the back wall 22 (described later) of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2.
[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the rear retainer 6 (see Figure 2, etc.) is provided on the wall portion 20 in the substrate storage space 27, in conjunction with the front retainer 7, which will be described later. The rear retainer 6 can support the rear portions of the edges of the multiple substrates W by contacting the edges of the multiple substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3 (when the lid is closed).
[0024] The lid 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 (Figure 1, etc.) that forms the opening 21 of the container body, and can close the opening 21 of the container body. The front retainer 7 is provided on the part of the lid 3 that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the opening 21 of the container body is closed by the lid 3. The front retainer 7 is positioned inside the substrate storage space 27 in a pair with the rear retainer 6.
[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the front retainer 7 can support the front portions of the edges of multiple substrates W by contacting the edges of the multiple substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the front retainer 7 works in cooperation with the rear retainer 6 to support the multiple substrates W, thereby holding adjacent substrates W in a parallel state spaced apart at a predetermined interval.
[0026] The substrate housing container 1 is made of a resin such as plastic material. Examples of such resins include thermoplastic resins and alloys thereof, such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone, and liquid crystal polymer. When conductivity is to be imparted to these molding resins, conductive substances such as carbon fibers, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers are selectively added. It is also possible to add glass fibers or carbon fibers to increase rigidity.
[0027] The following describes each part in detail. As shown in Figure 1, the wall portion 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, upper wall 23, lower wall 24, first side wall 25, and second side wall 26 are made of the material described above and are integrally molded.
[0028] 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 ends of the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are all connected to the back wall 22. The front ends of the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are in a positional relationship facing the back wall 22 and constitute an opening periphery 28 that forms a substantially rectangular container body opening 21.
[0029] The opening periphery 28 is provided at one end of the container body 2, and the back wall 22 is located at the other end of the container body 2. The outer shape of the container body 2, formed by the outer surfaces of the wall portions 20, is box-shaped. The inner surfaces of the wall portions 20, namely the inner surfaces of the back wall 22, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26, form a substrate storage space 27 surrounded by these surfaces. The container body opening 21 formed at the opening periphery 28 communicates with the substrate storage space 27 formed inside the container body 2, surrounded by the wall portions 20. The substrate storage space 27 can accommodate a maximum of 25 substrates W.
[0030] As shown in Figure 1, in the portions of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24, near the opening periphery 28, latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, recessed outward toward the substrate storage space 27. A total of four latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, one each near the left and right ends of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24.
[0031] As shown in Figure 1, a top flange 236 is fixed to the center of the upper wall 23. The top flange 236 is a component that is hung and suspended from the substrate storage container 1 when the substrate storage container 1 is suspended in an AMHS (Automatic Wafer Transfer System), PGV (Wafer Substrate Transport Cart), etc.
[0032] The substrate support plate-like portion 5 is integrally molded and provided on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, respectively, and is arranged in pairs in the left-right direction D3. The substrate support plate-like portion 5 may be separate from the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26.
[0033] The substrate support plate-like portion 5 has a plate-like, substantially arc shape. A total of 50 substrate support plate-like portions 5 are provided, 25 each on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, in the vertical direction D2. Adjacent substrate support plate-like portions 5 are spaced 10 mm to 12 mm apart from each other in the vertical direction D2 and are arranged in a parallel position. Above the uppermost substrate support plate-like portion 5, another plate-like member is positioned parallel to the substrate support plate-like portion 5. This member serves as a guide for the substrate W, which is positioned at the top and inserted into the substrate storage space 27.
[0034] Furthermore, the 25 substrate support plate-like portions 5 provided on the first side wall 25 and the 25 substrate support plate-like portions 5 provided on the second side wall 26 are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction D3. Also, the 50 substrate support plate-like portions 5 and the plate-shaped guide members parallel to the substrate support plate-like portions 5 are positioned parallel to the inner surface of the lower wall 24. As shown in Figure 2, etc., protrusions are provided on the upper surface of the substrate support plate-like portions 5. The substrate W supported by the substrate support plate-like portions 5 contacts only the protruding ends of the protrusions and does not contact the substrate support plate-like portions 5 in a planar manner.
[0035] The substrate support plate-like portion 5 is capable of supporting the edges of multiple substrates W such that adjacent substrates W are spaced apart at a predetermined interval and are in a parallel positional relationship with each other.
[0036] The rear retainer 6 is an interior component fixed (attached) to the back wall 22 of the container body 2 and positioned within the substrate storage space 27. Details of the rear retainer 6 will be described later. Alternatively, instead of attaching the rear retainer 6 to the container body 2, the rear retainer 6 and the container body 2 may be integrally formed by insert molding or the like, so that the rear retainer 6 is positioned on the side of the back wall 22 of the container body 2.
[0037] Next, the lid 3 and the front retainer 7 will be described in detail. Figure 5A is a perspective view showing the front retainer 7 of the substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5B is a partial front view showing the front retainer 7 of the substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5C is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the lid-side substrate support portion 73 of the front retainer 7. Figure 5D is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75 of the front retainer 7.
[0038] As shown in Figure 1, the lid 3 has a substantially rectangular shape that roughly matches the shape of the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2. The lid 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2, and when the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the lid 3 can close the opening 21 of the container body. An annular sealing member 4 is attached to the inner surface of the lid 3 (the back surface of the lid 3 as shown in Figure 1). The sealing member 4 is made of various thermoplastic elastomers such as polyester or polyolefin, which are elastically deformable, or made of fluororubber or silicone rubber. The sealing member 4 is arranged to encircle the outer periphery of the lid 3.
[0039] When the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the sealing member 4 is elastically deformed by being sandwiched between the opening periphery 28 and the inner surface of the lid 3, and the lid 3 closes the container body opening 21 in a sealed state. When the lid 3 is removed from the opening periphery 28, the substrate W can be inserted into and removed from the substrate storage space 27 inside the container body 2.
[0040] The lid 3 has a lid body that forms the outer shape of the lid 3, and a latch mechanism is provided on the lid body. The latch mechanism is provided near both the left and right ends of the lid body, and as shown in Figure 1, it comprises two upper latch portions 32A that can protrude upward D21 from the upper edge of the lid body, and two lower latch portions 32B that can protrude downward D22 from the lower edge of the lid body. The two upper latch portions 32A are located near both the left and right ends of the upper edge of the lid body, and the two lower latch portions 32B are located near both the left and right ends of the lower edge of the lid body.
[0041] An operating part 33 is provided on the outer surface of the lid body. By operating the operating part 33 from the front of the lid body, the upper latch part 32A and the lower latch part 32B can be made to protrude from the upper and lower edges of the lid body, or to be made not to protrude from the upper and lower edges. The upper latch part 32A protrudes upward D21 from the upper edge of the lid body and engages with the latch engagement recesses 231A and 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch part 32B protrudes downward D22 from the lower edge of the lid body and engages with the latch engagement recesses 241A and 241B of the container body 2, thereby fixing the lid 3 to the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2.
[0042] As shown in Figure 3, a recess 34 is formed on the inside of the lid body that constitutes the lid 3, recessed outward (forward direction D11) from the substrate storage space 27. A front retainer 7 is fixed (attached) to the portion of the lid body inside the recess 34.
[0043] As shown in Figures 3, 5A, and 5B, the front retainer 7 has a lid-side substrate support portion 73, a substrate edge auxiliary portion 75, a leg portion 72, and a vertical frame 71. The lid-side substrate support portion 73 and the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75 corresponding to the same substrate W are connected via the leg portion 72.
[0044] The lid-side substrate support portions 73 are arranged in pairs, spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction D3. These paired lid-side substrate support portions 73 are arranged in 25 parallel pairs in the up-down direction D2, and each is supported by an elastically deformable leg portion 72. The legs 72 extend outward in the lateral direction D3, spaced apart from each other, and each bends forward in the forward direction D11. A vertical frame 71, which extends parallel to the up-down direction D2, is integrally molded with the leg portion 72 at its outer end in the lateral direction D3. When the substrate W is placed in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the lid-side substrate support portions 73, by the elastic force of the legs 72, clamp and support the edges of the substrate W, biasing them toward the center of the substrate storage space 27.
[0045] As shown in Figure 5C, the lid-side substrate support portion 73 has an upper inclined surface 731 and a lower inclined surface 732.
[0046] The upper inclined surface 731 abuts against the edge of the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The lower inclined surface 732 abuts against the edge of the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W. Specifically, the upper inclined surface 731 is composed of an inclined surface that extends in an upward direction D21 so as it moves toward the center of the substrate storage space 27 in the front-rear direction D1. The lower inclined surface 732 is composed of an inclined surface that extends in an upward direction D21 so as it moves toward the center of the substrate storage space 27 in the front-rear direction D1. The upper inclined surface 731 and the lower inclined surface 732 form a V-shaped groove 74, which is a recessed groove that is spaced away from the center of the substrate storage space 27. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edges of the surface W1 and back surface W2 of the substrate W come into contact with the upper inclined surface 731 and the lower inclined surface 732, respectively.
[0047] Two substrate edge support portions 75 are arranged in pairs, spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction D3. These two pairs of substrate edge support portions 75 are arranged in parallel in the up-down direction D2, and each is supported by a leg portion 72. In this embodiment, the substrate edge support portions 75 are positioned between the lid-side substrate support portion 73 and the vertical frame 71 in the left-right direction D3.
[0048] The substrate edge auxiliary portion 75 is located on the part of the lid 3 that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. As shown in Figure 5D, the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75 has a plurality of auxiliary grooves 76 that are wider than the thickness of the edge of the substrate W, allowing the edge of the substrate W to be inserted. The groove-forming surface that forms the auxiliary grooves 76 has a front-facing surface portion 761, a back-facing surface portion 762, and a bottom surface portion 763.
[0049] When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edge of the substrate W is inserted into the auxiliary groove 76 in a non-contact state, where a space is formed between the edge of the substrate W and the groove-forming surface of the auxiliary groove 76 (front facing surface portion 761, back facing surface portion 762, bottom surface portion 763), so that the edge of the substrate W does not come into contact with the groove-forming surface.
[0050] The auxiliary groove 76 has a substantially rectangular shape in cross-section. The auxiliary groove 76 has opposing groove-forming surfaces (front opposing surface portion 761, back opposing surface portion 762). When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edges of multiple substrates W are inserted into the auxiliary groove 76 one by one. Furthermore, the auxiliary groove 76 is positioned outside the circumferential DC of the edge of the substrate W relative to the lid-side substrate support portion 73 with respect to the central axis J20 (see Figure 4) of the cylindrical wall portion 20.
[0051] The surface-facing surface portion 761 is positioned approximately parallel to the surface W1 of the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, and a portion of the surface-facing surface portion 761 faces the surface W1 in the vertical direction D2, which is the direction connecting the surface W1 and the back surface W2. The back surface-facing surface portion 762 is positioned approximately parallel to the back surface W2 of the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, and a portion of the back surface-facing surface portion 762 faces the back surface W2 in the vertical direction D2, which is the direction connecting the surface W1 and the back surface W2. The bottom surface portion 763 forms the bottom of the auxiliary groove 76 and is connected to the surface-facing surface portion 761 and the back surface-facing surface portion 762, respectively.
[0052] The front surface portion 761 and the back surface portion 762 are substantially perpendicular and planar. The front surface portion 761 and the back surface portion 762 form a pair of slightly inclined surfaces such that the opening 764 widens slightly as you approach the opening 764 of the auxiliary groove 76 from the bottom of the auxiliary groove 76. The angle θ71 between the surface W1 of the substrate W and the front surface portion 761, and / or the angle θ72 between the back surface W2 and the back surface portion 762, is, for example, 30 degrees or less, and preferably 15 degrees or less.
[0053] The auxiliary groove 76 has a depth H76 such that when the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3 and the edges of multiple substrates W are supported by the substrate support plate-like portion 5, which is a lateral substrate support portion, the edges of the substrates W are not inserted into the auxiliary groove 76, while when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edges of the substrates W are inserted into the auxiliary groove 76. The depth H76 of the auxiliary groove 76 is, for example, 3.5 mm or more, preferably 4.5 mm or more, and more preferably 4.5 to 6.0 mm.
[0054] Next, the rear retainer 6 will be described in detail. Figure 6A is a perspective view showing the rear retainer 6 of the substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6B is a partial front view showing the rear retainer 6 of the substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7A is a partially enlarged view of the area around the left protruding wall portion 60 of Figure 6A. Figure 7B is a partially enlarged view of the area around the left protruding wall portion 60 of Figure 6B. Figure 7C is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the rear substrate support portion 63 and the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 of the rear retainer 6. Figure 8 is a partially enlarged view of the area around the left protruding wall portion 60 of Figure 4. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in Figure 6B.
[0055] As shown in Figures 6A to 9, the rear retainer 6 has a protruding wall portion 60, a rear substrate support portion 63, a substrate edge auxiliary portion 65, an inner frame 62, an outer frame 61, and a flow hole 67.
[0056] The protruding wall portion 60 is a wall portion in which the outer surface 605 (see Figure 8) protrudes toward the container body opening 21 (i.e., toward the front side D11) and the inner surface 606 (see Figure 8) is bent so as to be recessed toward the container body opening 21. The inner surface 606 is typically the surface on the side of the back wall 22 of the container body 2, or the surface facing the back wall 22 of the container body 2. The protruding wall portion 60 is an integral wall portion extending in the vertical direction D2. Two protruding wall portions 60 are arranged in pairs, spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction D3. The rear substrate support portions 63 are provided on the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 (i.e., the front side D11), arranged in a line of 25 in the vertical direction D2. The rear substrate support portion 63 on the left side 31 and the rear substrate support portion 63 on the right side 32 are arranged in pairs, spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction D3. The rear substrate support sections 63, which are arranged in pairs in the left-right direction D3, are provided in a parallel arrangement of 25 pairs in the up-down direction D2.
[0057] The protruding wall portion 60 comprises an outer wall portion 601, an inner wall portion 602, and a front wall portion 603. The outer wall portion 601 is the outer wall portion of the protruding wall portion 60 in the lateral direction D3. The inner wall portion 602 is the inner wall portion of the protruding wall portion 60 in the lateral direction D3. The front wall portion 603 is a wall portion connecting the outer wall portion 601 and the inner wall portion 602, and is the front wall portion of the protruding wall portion 60 in the front direction D11. A rear substrate support portion 63 and a substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 are provided on the front side of the front wall portion 603, covering almost the entire surface.
[0058] In this embodiment, the outer wall portion 601, the inner wall portion 602, and the front side wall portion 603 of the protruding wall portion 60 are all flat. However, the shape of the protruding wall portion 60 is not limited. For example, the protruding wall portion 60 may be substantially V-shaped in a top view, with the front side wall portion 603 being substantially absent. The protruding wall portion 60 may be curved instead of flat.
[0059] The inner frame 62 is the part that connects and supports the rear substrate support portion 63 on the left side D31 and the rear substrate support portion 63 on the right side D32. The outer frame 61 is integrally provided on both outer sides of the protruding wall portion 60 in the lateral direction D3. The rear retainer 6 is fixed (attached) to the container body 2 by the outer frame 61 engaging with the wall portion 20 of the container body 2.
[0060] When the substrate W is placed in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the rear substrate support portion 63 grips and supports the edges of the substrate W. As shown in Figures 7A to 7C, the rear substrate support portion 63 has an upper inclined surface 631 and a lower inclined surface 632.
[0061] The upper inclined surface 631 abuts against the edge of the surface (upper surface) of the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The lower inclined surface 632 abuts against the edge of the back surface (lower surface) of the substrate W. Specifically, the upper inclined surface 631 is composed of an inclined surface that extends in an upward direction D21 so as it moves toward the center of the substrate storage space 27 in the front-rear direction D1. The lower inclined surface 632 is composed of an inclined surface that extends in an upward direction D21 so as it moves toward the center of the substrate storage space 27 in the front-rear direction D1.
[0062] With the container body opening 21 oriented horizontally, the rear substrate support portion 63 is provided with a V-shaped groove 64 having a lower inclined surface 632 positioned on the lower side and an upper inclined surface 631 positioned on the upper side. The upper inclined surface 631 and the lower inclined surface 632 form a V-shaped groove 64, which is a recessed groove spaced apart from the center of the substrate storage space 27. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edges of the surface W1 of the substrate W and the back surface W2 of the substrate W come into contact with the upper inclined surface 631 and the lower inclined surface 632, respectively.
[0063] The edge of the back surface W2 of the substrate W slides against the lower inclined surface 632. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the substrate W slides against the lower inclined surface 632 and rises up, and when the substrate W reaches the apex of the V-shaped groove 64, the V-shaped groove 64 supports the edge of the substrate W. The V-shaped groove 64 only needs to be roughly V-shaped when viewed as a whole, and may additionally have surfaces that are roughly parallel to the D1-D3 plane or surfaces that are roughly parallel to the D2-D3 plane.
[0064] A flow hole 67 is provided so as to penetrate the front wall portion 603 and the rear substrate support portion 63 of the protruding wall portion 60. The flow hole 67 is a through hole extending in the front-rear direction D1. The direction in which the flow hole 67 extends is not limited. When cleaning with the rear retainer 6 positioned on the rear wall 22 side of the substrate storage space 27 of the container body 2, and then drying the substrate storage container 1, the opening 21 of the container body 2 is generally turned downwards in order to remove any liquid (such as water) present in the substrate storage space 27 of the container body 2. In this case, the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 of the rear retainer 6 will be turned downwards.
[0065] If the protruding wall portion 60 were not provided with a flow hole 67, even if the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 of the rear retainer 6 were oriented downwards, the liquid located on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 would accumulate on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 (making it difficult to discharge from the inner surface 606 side). The flow hole 67 is a hole for discharging the liquid located on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 when the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 is oriented downwards. When the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 is oriented downwards, the flow hole 67 extends in the vertical direction D2 so as to penetrate the rear substrate support portion 63. Therefore, in this embodiment, some or all of the liquid located on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 is discharged through the flow hole 67.
[0066] Furthermore, if the protruding wall portion 60 does not have a flow-through hole 67, the area in communication between the inner surface 606 and the outer surface 605 of the protruding wall portion 60 is relatively small. Therefore, the inner surface 606 of the protruding wall portion 60 is difficult to dry. The flow-through hole 67 is a hole that increases the area in communication between the inner surface 606 and the outer surface 605 of the protruding wall portion 60, thereby improving ventilation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inner surface 606 of the protruding wall portion 60 dries easily.
[0067] In this embodiment, one flow hole 67 is provided in one rear substrate support portion 63. The area of one flow hole 67 is, for example, 30.5 mm². 2 The above, preferably 30.5 to 40 mm 2 That is the case.
[0068] Two substrate edge support portions 65 are arranged in pairs, spaced apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction D3. The substrate edge support portions 65 are provided on the front side D11 of the rear substrate support portion 63. These substrate edge support portions 65, arranged in pairs in the left-right direction D3, are arranged in a row of 25 in the vertical direction D2, similar to the rear substrate support portion 63.
[0069] As shown in Figures 7A to 9, the rear substrate support portion 63 and the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 are positioned to face the front retainer 7 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 has a plurality of auxiliary grooves 66 formed therein, each having an opening wider than the thickness of the substrate W edge, allowing the substrate W edge to be inserted. The groove-forming surface that forms the auxiliary grooves 66 has a front-facing surface portion 661 and a back-facing surface portion 662.
[0070] When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edge of the substrate W is inserted into the auxiliary groove 66 in a non-contact state, as a space is formed between the edge of the substrate W and the groove-forming surface (front facing surface) 661 and groove-forming surface (back facing surface) 662 of the auxiliary groove 66, so that the edge of the substrate W does not come into contact with the groove-forming surface.
[0071] The surface-facing surface portion 661 is positioned approximately parallel to the surface W1 of the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, and a portion of the surface-facing surface portion 661 faces the surface W1 in the vertical direction D2, which is the direction connecting the surface W1 and the back surface W2. The back surface-facing surface portion 662 is positioned approximately parallel to the back surface W2 of the substrate W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, and a portion of the back surface-facing surface portion 662 faces the back surface W2 in the vertical direction D2, which is the direction connecting the surface W1 and the back surface W2.
[0072] The front surface portion 661 and the back surface portion 662 are substantially perpendicular and planar. The front surface portion 661 and the back surface portion 662 form a pair of slightly inclined surfaces such that the opening 664 of the auxiliary groove 76 widens slightly as it approaches the opening 664 from the bottom (rear side D12) of the auxiliary groove 66. The angle θ61 between the surface W1 of the substrate W and the front surface portion 661, and / or the angle θ62 between the back surface W2 and the back surface portion 662, is, for example, 30 degrees or less, and preferably 15 degrees or less.
[0073] The auxiliary groove 66 has a depth H66 such that when the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3 and the edges of multiple substrates W are supported by the substrate support plate-like portion 5, which is a lateral substrate support portion, the edges of the substrates W are not inserted into the auxiliary groove 66, while when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edges of the substrates W are inserted into the auxiliary groove 66. The depth H66 of the auxiliary groove 66 is, for example, 8 to 10.5 mm, preferably 8 to 20 mm. The depth H66 of the auxiliary groove 66 is preferably longer than the depth H76 of the auxiliary groove 76 of the front retainer 7, and more preferably 14 mm or more longer.
[0074] With the container body opening 21 oriented horizontally, the groove-forming surfaces 661 and 662 of the auxiliary groove 66 are positioned between the V-shaped grooves 64 and 64 of the rear substrate support portion 63, which are adjacent in the vertical direction D2. In other words, the arrangement of groove-forming surface (front facing surface portion) 661, V-shaped groove 64, and groove-forming surface (back facing surface portion) 662 is repeated from top to bottom.
[0075] At a minimum, a protruding ridge 68 is provided on the inner side of the lower inclined surface 632 of the rear substrate support portion 633 in the lateral direction D3, projecting upward D21 and extending from the container body opening 21 toward the rear wall 22 of the wall portion 20 (i.e., in the rearward direction D12). In this embodiment, the protruding ridge 68 is provided across the surface-facing surface 661 of the auxiliary groove 66 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65, the lower inclined surface 632 of the rear substrate support portion 63, and the upper inclined surface 631 of the rear substrate support portion 63.
[0076] The protruding portion 68 projects away from the surface and has a first protruding portion 681, a second protruding portion 682, and a third protruding portion 683.
[0077] The first protrusion 681 is provided on the inner edge of the back surface 662 of the auxiliary groove 66 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 in the lateral direction D3. The first protrusion 681 is a protrusion that protrudes upward D21 and extends from the container body opening 21 toward the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20, on the inside of the back surface 662, which is the groove-forming surface located on the lower side D22 of the auxiliary groove 66, when the container body opening 21 is oriented sideways.
[0078] The second protrusion 682 is provided on the inner edge of the lower inclined surface 632 of the rear substrate support portion 63 in the lateral direction D3. The second protrusion 682 is a protrusion that, when the container body opening 21 is oriented sideways, protrudes upward D21 on the inner side of the lower inclined surface 632 in the lateral direction D3 and extends from the container body opening 21 toward the rear wall 22 of the wall portion 20.
[0079] The third protrusion 683 is provided on the inner edge of the upper inclined surface 631 of the rear substrate support portion 63 in the lateral direction D3. The first protrusion 681, the second protrusion 682, and the third protrusion 683 are continuous. By providing the first protrusion 681, the second protrusion 682, and the third protrusion 683, the contact area between the substrate W and the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65 and the rear substrate support portion 63 can be reduced, thereby reducing sliding resistance.
[0080] As shown in Figure 8, the rear retainer 6 is fixed to the container body 2 such that there is a gap G6 between the rear retainer 6 and the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2. In this embodiment, the back side of the rear retainer 6 (the side facing the back wall 22; rear side D12) is not flat, but has a gap-forming projection 621 that protrudes in the rear direction D12. The gap-forming projection 621 forms a gap G6 between the back wall 22 of the container body 2 and the flat portion of the back surface of the rear retainer 6. The size of the gap G6 is, for example, 4 mm or more, preferably 4 to 6 mm. The configuration for forming the gap G6 is not limited. For example, the gap G6 may be formed by a projection provided on the back wall 22 of the container body 2.
[0081] Next, the operation of storing the substrates W in the substrate storage space 27 and closing the opening 21 of the container body with the lid 3 in the substrate storage container 1 described above will be explained. First, as shown in Figure 1, the container body 2 is positioned such that the front-to-back direction D1 and the left-to-right direction D3 are parallel to the horizontal plane. Next, multiple substrates W are placed on the substrate support plate-like part 5 and the lower inclined surface 632 of the rear substrate support part 63. At this time, the substrates W are not located in the V-shaped groove 74 of the lid-side substrate support part 73 and the auxiliary groove 76 of the substrate edge auxiliary part 75 (they do not overlap in a plan view).
[0082] Next, the lid 3 is brought closer to the container body opening 21, so that the lower inclined surface 732 of the front retainer 7 comes into contact with the edge of the back surface (bottom surface) of the substrate W, and the upper inclined surface 731 of the front retainer 7 comes into contact with the edge of the front surface of the substrate W. As the lid 3 is brought further closer to the container body opening 21, the substrate W is pressed in the rearward direction D12 at the front by the lower inclined surface 732 and the upper inclined surface 731 of the front retainer 7, and at the rear it comes into contact with the rear substrate support part 63 and is pressed in the forward direction D11, and is held between the forward direction D11 and the rearward direction D12. The portion of the substrate W at the rear (rear side D12) moves in the vertical direction D2, while the portion at the opening (front side D11) does not move in the vertical direction D2. At this time, the substrate W is located within the auxiliary groove 76 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75 (overlapping in a plan view).
[0083] Subsequently, the substrate storage container 1 is either rotated 90° so that the container body opening 21 faces vertically upward and then transported, or it is transported without being rotated 90°, with the container body opening 21 facing horizontally.
[0084] If an impact is applied to the substrate storage container 1 from outside the container 1 during transport with the substrate W inside, the substrate W, which was in contact with the V-shaped groove 74 of the lid-side substrate support portion 73, may come loose from the V-shaped groove 74. Even in such a case, the substrate W is not in contact with the auxiliary groove 76 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75, and therefore is unlikely to come loose from the auxiliary groove 76 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 75. Similarly, if an impact is applied to the substrate storage container 1 from outside the container 1, the substrate W, which was in contact with the V-shaped groove 64 of the rear-side substrate support portion 63, may come loose from the V-shaped groove 64. Even in such a case, the substrate W is not in contact with the auxiliary groove 66 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65, and therefore is unlikely to come loose from the auxiliary groove 66 of the substrate edge auxiliary portion 65. As a result, the substrate W will not come loose from the lid-side substrate support portion 73 and / or the rear-side substrate support portion 63, i.e., the occurrence of cross-slots will be suppressed.
[0085] According to the substrate storage container 1 of one embodiment having the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained. A substrate storage container 1 according to one embodiment includes a container body 2 having a cylindrical wall portion 20 with a container body opening 21 at one end and a closed end at the other end, and a substrate storage space 27 formed by the inner surface of the wall portion 20 that can store a plurality of substrates W and communicates 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; a lid-side substrate support portion 73 that is positioned on the part of the lid 3 that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3 and can support the edges of a plurality of substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3; and a rear retainer 6. The rear retainer 6 is arranged in the substrate storage space 27 in a pair with the lid-side substrate support portion 73 and is capable of supporting the edges of multiple substrates W. It includes a rear substrate support portion 63 that cooperates with the lid-side substrate support portion 73 to support the multiple substrates W in a parallel arrangement when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, a protruding wall portion 60 whose outer surface 605 protrudes toward the container body opening 21 and whose inner surface 606 is recessed toward the container body opening 21, and the rear substrate support portion 63 is provided on the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60, and a flow hole 67 for circulating liquid and / or gas located on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 when the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 is facing downwards.
[0086] With the above configuration, liquid located on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 moves through the flow hole 67 in the direction indicated by arrow DF (see Figure 8) and is easily discharged to the outer surface 605 side of the protruding wall portion 60. In addition, there is high air permeability (ventilation) between the inner surface 606 side and the outer surface 605 side of the protruding wall portion 60 in the direction indicated by arrow DG (see Figure 8). Therefore, when cleaning the substrate storage container 1 with the rear retainer 6 positioned on the back wall 22 side of the substrate storage space 27 of the container body 2, insufficient drying on the inner surface 606 side of the rear retainer can be improved after cleaning, eliminating the need to unnecessarily lengthen the drying process and suppressing an increase in production costs.
[0087] Furthermore, when the protruding side of the protruding wall portion 60 is facing downwards, the flow hole 67 extends vertically so as to penetrate the rear substrate support portion 63.
[0088] With the above configuration, the liquid located on the inner surface 606 side of the protruding wall portion 60 moves smoothly through the flow hole 67 directly downwards and is quickly discharged to the outer surface 605 side of the protruding wall portion 60.
[0089] Furthermore, the rear retainer 6 is fixed to the container body 2 such that there is a gap G6 between the rear retainer 6 and the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2.
[0090] With the above configuration, the liquid located between the rear retainer 6 and the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 is less affected by capillary action and easily flows out from between the rear retainer 6 and the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 (and is less likely to remain in this space). In addition, the space between the rear retainer 6 and the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 dries easily.
[0091] Furthermore, when the container body opening 21 is oriented horizontally, the rear substrate support portion 63 is provided with a V-shaped groove 64 having a lower inclined surface 632 located on the lower side D22 and an upper inclined surface 631 located on the upper side D21. When the container body opening 21 is oriented horizontally, a second protruding ridge 682 is provided on the inside of the lower inclined surface 632 in the horizontal direction D3, projecting upward in the D21 direction and extending from the container body opening 21 toward the rear wall 22 of the wall portion 20.
[0092] With the above configuration, the contact area between the back surface W2 of the substrate W and the lower inclined surface 632 of the rear substrate support portion 63 can be reduced. Therefore, when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the substrate W slides against the lower inclined surface 632 and rises up, and in the process in which the edge of the substrate W is supported by the V-shaped groove 64, the sliding resistance between the back surface W2 of the substrate W and the lower inclined surface 632 of the rear substrate support portion 633 can be reduced. The second protrusion 682 is positioned on the inside of the lower inclined surface 632 in the lateral direction D3, and is positioned offset from the flow hole 67 in the lateral direction D3. Therefore, the second protrusion 682 is less likely to obstruct the movement of liquid falling through the flow hole 67. In addition, in the mold splitting for forming the flow hole 67, the second protrusion 682 is less likely to hinder the degree of freedom of the mold splitting.
[0093] Furthermore, the rear retainer 6 is positioned in the portion facing the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, and further includes an auxiliary groove 66 having an opening 664 wider than the thickness of the edge of the substrate W so that the edge of the substrate W can be inserted. The auxiliary groove 66 has opposing groove-forming surfaces (front opposing surface portion 661, back opposing surface portion 662), and when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edges of multiple substrates W can be inserted one by one. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the edge of the substrate W is inserted into the auxiliary groove 66 in a non-contact state, with a space formed between the edge of the substrate W and the groove-forming surfaces 661, 662, so that the edge of the substrate W does not come into contact with the groove-forming surfaces 661, 662. When the container body opening 21 is oriented sideways, the groove-forming surfaces 661, 662 of the auxiliary groove 66 are positioned between the V-shaped grooves 64 of the rear substrate support portion 63, which are adjacent in the vertical direction D2.
[0094] With the above configuration, even if an impact acts on the substrate storage container 1 from outside the container 1 during transport, causing the substrate W, which was in contact with the rear substrate support part 63, to nearly detach from the rear substrate support part 63, the substrate W is not in contact with the auxiliary groove 66, making it difficult for it to detach from the auxiliary groove 66. Therefore, the substrate W can be protected from impacts acting on the substrate storage container 1, and the substrate W can be prevented from detaching from the rear substrate support part 63, i.e., the occurrence of cross-slots can be suppressed.
[0095] Furthermore, when the container body opening 21 is oriented horizontally, a first protruding ridge 681 is provided on the inner side of the groove forming surface 662 located on the lower side D22 of the auxiliary groove 66, projecting upward D21 and extending from the container body opening 21 toward the back wall 22 of the wall portion 20.
[0096] The above configuration reduces the contact area between the back surface W2 of the substrate W and the groove-forming surface 662 located on the lower side D22 of the auxiliary groove 66. Therefore, if the substrate W slides against the groove-forming surface 662 located on the lower side D22, the sliding resistance between the back surface W2 of the substrate W and the groove-forming surface 662 located on the lower side D22 can be reduced. The first protrusion 681 is located on the inside of the groove-forming surface 662 located on the lower side D22 in the lateral direction D3, and is positioned offset from the flow hole 67 in the lateral direction D3. Therefore, the first protrusion 681 is less likely to obstruct the movement of liquid falling through the flow hole 67. In addition, in the mold splitting for forming the flow hole 67, the first protrusion 681 is less likely to hinder the degree of freedom of the mold splitting.
[0097] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified within the technical scope described in the claims.
[0098] For example, the shape of the container body and lid, 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 3, or the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2, as in this embodiment. That is, the configuration of the lateral substrate support portion (substrate support plate-like portion 5), the front retainer 7, and the rear retainer 6 are not limited to the configuration of this embodiment. Also, although the substrate W in this embodiment was a silicon wafer with a diameter of 300 mm, it is not limited to this value. [Explanation of symbols]
[0099] 1. Circuit board storage container 2. Container body 3 Lid 5. Substrate support plate-like part (lateral substrate support part) 6. Rear retainer 21 Container body opening 22 Back wall 27 Circuit board storage space 28 Periphery of the opening 60 Projecting wall part 63 Rear side substrate support section 64 V-shaped groove 65 Substrate edge auxiliary part 66 Auxiliary groove 67 Flow hole 68. Convex part 601 Outer wall 602 Inner wall 603 Front wall 605 External surface 606 Inner Self 631 Upper slope 632 Lower slope 661 Surface facing surface part (groove forming surface) 662 Back facing surface section (groove forming surface) 664 Aperture 681 1st convex part 682 2nd convex part 683 Third convex part 73 Cover side substrate support part 75 Substrate edge auxiliary part 76 Auxiliary groove 761 Surface facing surface part (groove forming surface) 762 Inside, facing the face (groove formation surface) D1 Forward and backward directions D11 Forward direction, front side D12 Rear direction, rear side D2 Up and Down Direction D21 Upwards, Upwards D22 Downward direction, lower side D3 left and right direction, horizontal direction W substrate
Claims
1. A container body having a cylindrical wall portion with an opening at one end and a closed end at the other, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space that can accommodate multiple substrates and communicates with the opening of the container body, A lid that is detachable from the opening of the container body and capable of closing the opening of the container body, A portion of the lid that is positioned facing the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and a lid-side substrate support portion that can support the edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid, A substrate housing container comprising a rear retainer, The aforementioned rear retainer is The rear-side substrate support portion is positioned in the substrate storage space in a pair with the lid-side substrate support portion, capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates, and when the container body opening is closed by the lid, it cooperates with the lid-side substrate support portion to support the plurality of substrates with their edges aligned in parallel, A protruding wall portion having an outer surface that is the side of the container body opening that protrudes toward the container body opening and an inner surface that is the opposite side of the outer surface that is recessed toward the container body opening, wherein the rear side substrate support portion is provided on the protruding side of the protruding wall portion, A substrate storage container comprising a flow hole for circulating liquid located on the inner surface side of the protruding wall when the protruding side of the protruding wall is oriented downwards.
2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein, with the protruding side of the protruding wall facing downwards, the flow hole extends vertically so as to penetrate the rear substrate support portion.
3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear retainer is fixed to the container body such that there is a gap between the rear retainer and the back wall of the wall portion of the container body.
4. With the container body opening facing sideways, the rear substrate support portion is provided with a V-shaped groove having a lower inclined surface positioned on the lower side and an upper inclined surface positioned on the upper side. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the opening of the container body is oriented horizontally, a protruding ridge is provided on the horizontally inward side of the lower inclined surface, projecting upward and extending from the opening of the container body toward the back wall of the wall portion.
5. The rear retainer is positioned in a portion facing the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and further comprises an auxiliary groove having an opening wider than the thickness of the substrate edge so that the edge of the substrate can be inserted. The auxiliary groove has opposing groove-forming surfaces, and when the opening of the container body is closed by the lid, the edges of the plurality of substrates are inserted one by one. When the opening of the container body is closed by the lid, the edge of the substrate is inserted into the auxiliary groove in a non-contact state, where a space is formed between the edge of the substrate and the groove-forming surface, so that the edge of the substrate does not come into contact with the groove-forming surface. The substrate storage container according to claim 4, wherein, with the opening of the container body oriented horizontally, the groove-forming surface of the auxiliary groove is positioned between the V-shaped grooves of the rear substrate support portion which are adjacent in the vertical direction.
6. The substrate storage container according to claim 5, wherein, when the opening of the container body is oriented horizontally, a protruding ridge is provided on the horizontally inward side of the groove-forming surface located below the auxiliary groove, projecting upward and extending from the opening of the container body toward the back wall of the wall portion.
7. A container body having a cylindrical wall portion with an opening at one end and a closed end at the other, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space that can accommodate multiple substrates and communicates with the opening of the container body, A lid that is detachable from the opening of the container body and capable of closing the opening of the container body, A portion of the lid that is positioned facing the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and a lid-side substrate support portion that can support the edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid, A rear retainer in a substrate housing container comprising a rear retainer, The aforementioned rear retainer is The rear-side substrate support portion is positioned in the substrate storage space in a pair with the lid-side substrate support portion, capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates, and when the container body opening is closed by the lid, it cooperates with the lid-side substrate support portion to support the plurality of substrates with their edges aligned in parallel, A protruding wall portion having an outer surface that is the side of the container body opening that protrudes toward the container body opening and an inner surface that is the opposite side of the outer surface that is recessed toward the container body opening, wherein the rear side substrate support portion is provided on the protruding side of the protruding wall portion, A rear retainer comprising a flow hole for circulating liquid located on the inner surface side of the protruding wall when the protruding side of the protruding wall is oriented downwards.
8. The rear retainer according to claim 7, wherein, with the protruding side of the protruding wall portion facing downwards, the flow hole extends vertically so as to penetrate the rear substrate support portion.
9. The rear retainer according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the rear retainer is fixed to the container body such that there is a gap between the rear retainer and the back wall of the wall portion of the container body.
10. With the container body opening facing sideways, the rear substrate support portion is provided with a V-shaped groove having a lower inclined surface positioned on the lower side and an upper inclined surface positioned on the upper side. The rear retainer according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, when the opening of the container body is oriented horizontally, a protruding ridge is provided on the horizontally inward side of the lower inclined surface, projecting upward and extending from the opening of the container body toward the back wall of the wall portion.
11. The rear retainer is positioned in a portion facing the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed by the lid, and further comprises an auxiliary groove having an opening wider than the thickness of the substrate edge so that the edge of the substrate can be inserted. The auxiliary groove has opposing groove-forming surfaces, and when the opening of the container body is closed by the lid, the edges of the plurality of substrates are inserted one by one. When the opening of the container body is closed by the lid, the edge of the substrate is inserted into the auxiliary groove in a non-contact state, where a space is formed between the edge of the substrate and the groove-forming surface, so that the edge of the substrate does not come into contact with the groove-forming surface. The rear retainer according to claim 10, wherein, with the opening of the container body oriented horizontally, the groove-forming surface of the auxiliary groove is positioned between the V-shaped grooves of the rear substrate support portion which are adjacent in the vertical direction.
12. The rear retainer according to claim 11, wherein, when the opening of the container body is oriented horizontally, a protruding ridge is provided on the horizontally inward side of the groove forming surface located below the auxiliary groove, projecting upward and extending from the opening of the container body toward the back wall of the wall portion.