Wafer storage container cleaning device

Abstract

To provide a wafer housing container cleaning device which suppresses contamination of a wafer housing container cleaned by a cleaning tank.SOLUTION: A wafer housing container cleaning device comprises: a cleaning tank main body 5a that has an open part on an upper surface, and can house a wafer housing container 20 therein; a lid part 5b that opens / closes the open part of the cleaning tank main body 5a; a mounting part 5c that can mount a shell 20a thereon in a state where a shell open part of the shell 20a is directed below; a first cleaning liquid discharge part 5d that discharges a cleaning liquid to an inner surface of the shell 20a in a shell mounting state; and a second cleaning liquid discharge part 5e that is provided on an outside of the shell 20a, and discharges the cleaning liquid to an outer surface of the shell 20a. A discharge port of a nozzle 5m for discharging the cleaning liquid in a horizontal direction of the first cleaning liquid discharge part 5d and a discharge port of a nozzle 5o of the second cleaning liquid discharge part 5e face each other so as to be able to discharge the cleaning liquid toward the other discharge port from one discharge port in a shell non-mounting state that is a state where the shell 20a is not mounted on the mounting part 5c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a wafer storage container cleaning device.

Background Art

[0002] There are wafer storage containers such as FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) and FOSB (Front Opening Shipping Box) that house wafers (semiconductor wafers). For example, a FOUP includes a shell having an opening and a door attached to the opening. Inside the shell, a plurality of shelves are formed to hold a plurality of wafers.

[0003] By the way, semiconductor elements are formed on wafers through various processes. Wafers are transported while being housed in a wafer storage container when moving between processes. When the wafer storage container is repeatedly used in a plurality of processes, particles and chemical contaminants may adhere to the inside of the wafer storage container (for example, inside the shell). If these contaminants reattach to the wafers housed in the wafer storage container, as a result, the yield of the semiconductor elements will decrease. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the wafer storage container and return it to a clean state after the wafer storage container has been used repeatedly several times.

[0004] For example, as a technique for cleaning a FOUP, a device has been proposed that houses the shell and the door in a single cleaning tank and performs cleaning and drying on the shell and the door. The cleaned and dried shell and door are carried out of the cleaning tank after cleaning and drying, and the next shell and door are carried into the cleaning tank.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] As mentioned above, contaminants adhere to the inside of the wafer storage container. Therefore, when cleaning the inside of the wafer storage container, there is a risk that contaminants may adhere to the cleaning fluid supply unit that supplies cleaning fluid to the inside of the wafer storage container. If the next wafer storage container is cleaned with contaminants still attached to the cleaning fluid supply unit, the contaminants that were attached to the cleaning fluid supply unit may adhere to the wafer storage container, potentially contaminating the wafer storage container.

[0007] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus that can suppress contamination of wafer storage containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a wafer storage container having a shell having a shell opening and a door fitted to the shell opening, comprising: a cleaning tank body which is a container having an opening on its upper surface and capable of housing the wafer storage container inside; a lid portion provided on the opening side of the cleaning tank body which opens and closes the opening of the cleaning tank body; a mounting portion provided inside the cleaning tank body which can place the shell with the shell opening of the shell facing downward; a first cleaning liquid discharge portion provided inside the shell in a shell mounting state in which the shell is placed on the mounting portion above which cleaning liquid is discharged onto the inner surface of the shell; and a second cleaning liquid discharge portion provided on the outside of the shell in the shell mounting state which cleaning liquid is discharged onto the outer surface of the shell. A control unit that controls the first cleaning fluid discharge unit and the second cleaning fluid discharge unit, The first cleaning liquid discharge port and the second cleaning liquid discharge port are arranged to face each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one discharge port toward the other. The control unit controls the second cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid discharge unit when the shell is not placed on the aforementioned mounting unit, i.e., when the shell is not placed on the mounting unit. Furthermore, a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a wafer storage container having a shell having a shell opening and a door fitted to the shell opening, comprising: a cleaning tank body which is a container having an opening on its upper surface and capable of housing the wafer storage container inside; a lid portion provided on the opening side of the cleaning tank body for opening and closing the opening of the cleaning tank body; a mounting portion provided inside the cleaning tank body on which the shell can be placed with the shell opening of the shell facing downward; a first cleaning liquid discharge portion provided inside the shell in a shell mounting state in which the shell is placed on the mounting portion above, for discharging cleaning liquid onto the inner surface of the shell; and a second cleaning liquid discharge portion provided outside the shell in the shell mounting state, for discharging cleaning liquid onto the outer surface of the shell.The lid portion has a holding mechanism for holding the door, and in the state in which the shell is placed and the door is held in place by the holding mechanism, a third cleaning fluid discharge portion discharges cleaning fluid to the upper surface of the outer surface of the shell and to the inner surface of the door facing the upper surface of the shell. and, Furthermore, The discharge port of the first cleaning liquid discharge unit and the discharge port of the second cleaning liquid discharge unit face each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one discharge port toward the other. The discharge port of the first cleaning fluid discharge unit includes a discharge port for discharging the cleaning fluid onto the upper surface of the inner surface of the shell when the shell is placed on it, and the third cleaning fluid discharge unit is rotatably provided to a cleaning position in which the cleaning fluid is discharged onto the upper surface of the shell and the inner surface of the door, and a retracted position in which it does not interfere when the shell is loaded into or out of the cleaning tank body, and of the discharge ports of the first cleaning fluid discharge unit, The inside of the shell Discharge port for discharge to the upper surface and discharge port of the third cleaning fluid discharge section Among them, the discharge port discharges to the upper surface of the outer surface of the shell. When positioned in the aforementioned cleaning position, the devices are arranged to face each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one outlet to the other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus can be provided that can suppress contamination of the wafer storage container. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a plan view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the washing tank 5 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3A] Figure 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of the position of the third cleaning liquid supply unit during shell unloading, loading, and drying according to the embodiment. [Figure 3B] Figure 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of the position of the third cleaning fluid supply unit during cleaning of the shell according to the embodiment. [Figure 4]Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the self-cleaning process in the cleaning tank 5 performed by the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus disclosed in this application will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus disclosed in this application is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, each embodiment and each modification can be appropriately combined to the extent that no inconsistencies arise. In the following embodiments, the case in which the wafer storage container to be cleaned is a FOUP will be described, but the wafer storage container to be cleaned is not limited to this. For example, the wafer storage container to be cleaned may be an FOSB.

[0012] (Embodiment) Figure 1 is a plan view showing an example of the schematic configuration of a wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 is installed, for example, in a factory that manufactures semiconductor wafers and cleans wafer storage containers. As shown in Figure 1, the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 includes a load port 2, a robot 3, a disassembly / connection stage 4, a cleaning tank 5, a vacuum tank 6, an unload port 7, and a control unit 8.

[0013] The robot 3, disassembly / combination stage 4, cleaning tank 5, vacuum tank 6, and control unit 8 are located inside the casing 1a of the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1. On the other hand, the load port 2 and unload port 7 are located across both the inside and outside of the casing 1a of the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1.

[0014] The load port 2 loads the FOUP 20 to be cleaned, which is placed on the external part of the casing 1a of the load port 2, into the interior of the casing 1a. The FOUP 20 comprises a shell (FOUP body) 20a and a door (lid) 20b. The shell 20a has an opening (shell opening) and a storage space for housing semiconductor wafers. The storage space is located inside the shell opening and communicates with the shell opening. The door 20b can be separated from / connected to the shell 20a. be Furthermore, the shell 20a is provided with a flange 20c. The flange 20c is the part that is gripped (held) when the FOUP 20 is transported by an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport) or robot 3, etc.

[0015] For example, on the external part of the casing 1a of the load port 2, the FOUP 20 transported in a state where the flange 20c is gripped by the OHT is placed. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the FOUP 20 is placed such that the door 20b of the FOUP 20 faces the shutter 2a provided at the opening 1b of the casing 1a. When the FOUP 20 is placed on the load port 2 in this way, the shutter 2a rises. As a result, the FOUP 20 can be carried into the inside of the casing 1a from the opening 1b. That is, the FOUP 20 can be carried into the inside of the wafer storage container cleaning device 1. Then, the FOUP 20 is slid in the direction of the arrow 2b by the slide device of the load port 2. As a result, the FOUP 20 is carried into the inside of the casing 1a. The slide by the slide device will be described. For example, the pin provided in the slide device is inserted into the hole provided in the bottom (placement surface) of the FOUP 20, whereby the placement surface of the FOUP 20 is fixed to the slide device. In this state, when the slide device is slid in the direction of the arrow 2b, the FOUP 20 is also slid along with it. As a result, the FOUP 20 is placed on a predetermined portion inside the casing 1a of the load port 2. When the FOUP 20 is carried into the inside of the casing 1a in this way, the shutter 2a descends and the opening 1b of the casing 1a is closed. The slide device descends together with the pin to a position lower than the lower end of the shutter 2a (the placement surface of the FOUP 20) and returns to the original position outside the casing 1a.

[0016] The robot 3 transports the FOUP 20 to each part while gripping the flange 20c of the FOUP 20. The robot 3 includes a robot arm 3a and a robot hand 3b. The robot 3 transports the FOUP 20 to each part by expanding and contracting or rotating the robot arm 3a while the robot hand 3b grips the flange 20c.

[0017] The disassembling / connecting stage 4 disassembles the FOUP 20 into the shell 20a and the door 20b, or connects the shell 20a and the door 20b. A latch key 4a is provided on the disassembling / connecting stage 4. By rotating the latch key 4a while it is inserted into the keyhole formed in the door 20b of the FOUP 20, the FOUP 20 is disassembled (separated) into the shell 20a and the door 20b, or the shell 20a and the door 20b are connected. For example, the FOUP 20 carried into the interior of the casing 1a is conveyed by the robot 3 to the disassembling / connecting stage 4. In this case, the disassembling / connecting stage 4 disassembles the FOUP 20 into the shell 20a and the door 20b. Note that disassembling can be rephrased as unlocking, and connecting can be rephrased as locking.

[0018] The cleaning tank 5 is a tank for cleaning the FOUP 20. The cleaning tank 5 is an example of a cleaning unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the cleaning tank 5 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the cleaning tank 5 includes a cleaning tank main body 5a, a lid portion 5b, a placement portion 5c, a first cleaning liquid supply portion (first cleaning liquid discharge portion) 5d, a second cleaning liquid supply portion (second cleaning liquid discharge portion) 5e, a drying portion 5f, a first discharge portion 5g, a second discharge portion 5h, a third cleaning liquid supply portion (third cleaning liquid discharge portion) 5p, a fixing portion 5s, and a hollow portion 5t.

[0019] The cleaning tank body 5a is a container capable of housing the FOUP 20 inside. The cleaning tank body 5a has an opening at the top (body opening) and a cleaning space that communicates with the body opening. The cleaning space is a space located inside the body opening. The robot 3 carries the shell 20a into the cleaning space via the body opening. In this way, the shell 20a is carried into the interior of the cleaning tank body 5a. The carried-in shell 20a is then placed on the mounting section 5c provided in the cleaning space of the cleaning tank body 5a. The mounting section 5c is provided inside the cleaning tank body 5a and is a platform (mounting platform) on which the shell 20a can be placed with its shell opening facing downwards, as shown in Figure 2. Positioning pins are provided on the mounting section 5c. The positioning pins determine the mounting position of the shell 20a. As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of through holes 5c_1 are formed in the mounting section 5c. The through-hole 5c_1 is connected to the first discharge section 5g. An opening is also provided in the center of the mounting section 5c.

[0020] The hollow section 5t is connected to an opening in the center of the mounting section 5c and is configured to rotate around the fixed section 5s with a vertically extending shaft 5l as the axis of rotation. As the hollow section 5t rotates, the mounting section 5c also rotates in conjunction. The fixed section 5s is a component fixed to the washing tank body 5a. The fixed section 5s is provided so as to penetrate the hollow section 5t vertically and supports the hollow section 5t so that it can rotate. The fixed section 5s comprises a fixed base 5s_1 and a fixed shaft 5s_2.

[0021] The outer dimensions of the fixed base 5s_1 are larger than the outer dimensions of the hollow section 5t. This prevents the cleaning fluid that has cleaned the inside of the shell 20a from flowing onto the upper surface of the fixed base 5s_1 and into the hollow section 5t. Furthermore, in the self-cleaning process in the cleaning tank 5 described later, this prevents the cleaning fluid that has cleaned the first cleaning fluid supply section 5d or the third cleaning fluid supply section 5p from flowing onto the upper surface of the fixed base 5s_1 and into the hollow section 5t.

[0022] Furthermore, a protrusion extending downwards may be provided on the outer circumference of the fixed base 5s_1. In this case, it is preferable to position the upper end of the hollow section 5t higher than the upper surface of the mounting section 5c. By doing so, a labyrinth structure can be formed between the protrusion of the fixed base 5s_1 and the upper end of the hollow section 5t. As a result, it is possible to further prevent the cleaning water used to clean the inside of the shell 20a or the cleaning water used during the self-cleaning process from flowing into the hollow section 5t. If the hollow section 5t is connected to the lower surface of the mounting section 5c, a protrusion may be provided around the opening of the mounting section 5c so as to surround the opening. In that case, the outer shape of the fixed base 5s_1 should be larger than the outer shape of the protrusion.

[0023] The lid 5b is located above the cleaning tank body 5a (on the side with the opening of the body) and opens and closes relative to the opening of the cleaning tank body 5a when an air cylinder is operated. Inside the lid 5b, there is a holding part (holding mechanism) 5i that is capable of suctioning and holding the door 20b.

[0024] In this embodiment, when the FOUP 20 is cleaned in the cleaning tank 5, the robot 3 transports the shell 20a and door 20b on the disassembly / connection stage 4 separately to the cleaning tank 5. For example, the robot 3 transports the shell 20a into the interior of the cleaning tank body 5a through the opening of the cleaning tank body 5a with the opening of the shell 20a facing downwards. Then, as shown in Figure 2, the shell 20a is placed on the mounting section 5c with the opening of the shell 20a facing downwards. The robot 3 also transports the door 20b to the holding section 5i so that the outer surface of the door 20b is held by the holding section 5i of the lid section 5b. As a result, as shown in Figure 2, when the lid section 5b is closed, the inner surface (inner surface) of the door 20b faces downwards.

[0025] Furthermore, the cleaning space of the cleaning tank body 5a is provided with a first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, a second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e, and a third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p. The first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e, and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p are supplied with a cleaning fluid (for example, pure water such as DI water (deionized water)) used when cleaning the shell 20a and the door 20b. The first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d cleans the inside of the storage space (inner surface of the shell 20a) by supplying (discharging) the cleaning fluid into the storage space (inner surface of the shell 20a). The second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e cleans the outer surface of the shell 20a by supplying (discharging) the cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the shell 20a. Furthermore, the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p cleans the outer upper surface of the shell 20a and the inner surface of the door 20b, which is held by the holding part 5i of the lid 5b, by supplying (discharging) cleaning fluid to the outer upper surface of the shell 20a and the inner surface of the door 20b.

[0026] The first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d is positioned to supply cleaning fluid to the storage space of the shell 20a placed on the mounting unit 5c. For example, the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d comprises at least one rod-shaped pipe extending upward from the upper surface of the base 5s_1 on the fixing unit 5s, at least one rod-shaped pipe extending horizontally, and a plurality of nozzles 5m provided on each pipe. The nozzles 5m are, for example, two-fluid nozzles. When the nozzles 5m are two-fluid nozzles, the nozzles 5m mix air (an example of a gas) with the cleaning fluid, atomize the cleaning fluid with the airflow, and supply the atomized cleaning fluid to the storage space of the shell 20a. However, such nozzles 5m can supply cleaning fluid to the storage space without mixing air and cleaning fluid. That is, the nozzles 5m can supply unatomized cleaning fluid to the storage space without atomizing the cleaning fluid. The air and cleaning fluid are supplied to the nozzle 5m via piping located within the fixed shaft 5s_2, which is connected to a rod-shaped pipe extending upward from the upper surface of the base 5s_1 in the aforementioned fixed section 5s.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d has a nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid horizontally and a nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid upward. The nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid horizontally cleans the inner side surface of the shell 20a. The nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid upward cleans the inner upper surface of the shell 20a. In other words, the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d is installed inside the shell 20a in the shell-mounted state, where the shell 20a is mounted on the mounting unit 5c, and discharges cleaning fluid onto the inner surface of the shell 20a.

[0028] The second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e is positioned to supply cleaning fluid to the outer side surface of the shell 20a. For example, the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e comprises at least one rod-shaped pipe extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of nozzles 5o provided on the pipe. The nozzles 5o are, for example, single-fluid nozzles. When the nozzles 5o are single-fluid nozzles, the nozzles 5o supply cleaning fluid to the outer side surface of the shell 20a. That is, in the shell-mounted state described above, the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e is provided on the outside of the shell 20a and discharges cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the shell 20a.

[0029] In this embodiment, in the shell-free state, where the shell 20a is not placed on the mounting section 5c (the shell 20a is not present in the cleaning tank 5), the discharge port of the nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning liquid horizontally from the first cleaning liquid supply section 5d and the discharge port of the nozzle 5o of the second cleaning liquid supply section 5e face each other. That is, in the shell-free state described above, the discharge ports of the first cleaning liquid supply section 5d and the second cleaning liquid supply section 5e face each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one discharge port to the other.

[0030] The third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p is positioned to supply cleaning fluid to the outer upper surface of the shell 20a and to the inner surface of the door 20b, which is held by the holding portion 5i of the lid 5b. For example, the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p comprises at least one rod-shaped pipe that extends horizontally and is rotatable, and a plurality of nozzles 5r or nozzles 5n provided on the pipe. Nozzle 5n is, for example, a two-fluid nozzle similar to nozzle 5m, which is provided to discharge toward the inner surface of the door 20b. When nozzle 5n is a two-fluid nozzle, nozzle 5n supplies atomized cleaning fluid to the inner surface of the door 20b. Nozzle 5r is, for example, a one-fluid nozzle. When nozzle 5r is a one-fluid nozzle, nozzle 5r supplies cleaning fluid to the outer upper surface of the shell 20a. Thus, when the shell is in the state described above and the door is held in place by the holding portion 5i of the lid portion 5b, the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p discharges cleaning fluid onto the upper surface of the outer surface of the shell 20a and onto the inner surface of the door 20b that faces the upper surface of the shell 20a.

[0031] Figure 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of the position of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p during unloading, loading, and drying of the shell 20a according to the embodiment. Figure 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of the position of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p during cleaning of the shell 20a according to the embodiment. Note that in Figure 3A, the drying unit 5f shows the position of the shell 20a during unloading and loading according to the embodiment. For example, in Figure 2, the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p, which is located between the shell 20a and the door 20b, is retracted to a position that does not interfere with the shell 20a (retracted position) during unloading, loading, and drying of the shell 20a, as shown in Figure 3A. Then, the shell 20a is brought into the cleaning space, and after the lid 5b is closed with the door 20b held in place by the holding part 5i, the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p rotates to a position (cleaning position) above the shell 20a placed on the mounting part 5c and below the door 20b held in place by the holding part 5i. When cleaning is complete, the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p rotates back to the retracted position. The nozzle 5n is not shown in Figures 3A and 3B, but it moves in the same way as the nozzle 5r.

[0032] In this embodiment, in the state described above where the shell is not mounted and the door 20b is not held by the holding part 5i, when the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p is in the cleaning position, the discharge port of nozzle 5r and the discharge port of nozzle 5m, which discharges cleaning fluid upward, face each other. That is, in the state described above where the shell is not mounted and the door is not held, the discharge ports of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p face each other so that cleaning fluid can be discharged from one discharge port to the other.

[0033] The drying section 5f is positioned to supply hot air (hot blow) to the inner surface of the shell 20a, the outer surface of the shell 20a, and the inner surface of the door 20b. For example, the drying section 5f includes at least two rod-shaped pipes extending vertically, at least two rod-shaped pipes extending horizontally, and a plurality of hot blow nozzles provided on each pipe. In this embodiment, when the shell 20a is placed, at least one pipe extending upward from the upper surface of the base 5s_1 in the fixing section 5s is provided to supply hot air to the inner surface of the shell 20a, and at least one pipe extending horizontally is connected to the upper surface of the base 5s_1 in the fixing section 5s. In addition, at least one pipe extending vertically and at least one rotatable pipe extending horizontally are provided to supply hot air to the outer part of the shell 20a. The hot blow nozzles provided on these pipes supply hot air to the inner surface of the shell 20a, the outer surface of the shell 20a, and the inner surface of the door 20b.

[0034] For example, in Figure 2, the drying unit 5f, positioned between the shell 20a and the door 20b, is retracted to a position that does not interfere with the shell 20a (retracted position) when the shell 20a is being removed, brought in, or cleaned. When cleaning is complete, it rotates to a position (drying position) above the shell 20a placed on the mounting unit 5c and below the door 20b held by the holding unit 5i. When drying is complete, the drying unit 5f rotates back to the retracted position.

[0035] Furthermore, the cleaning tank body 5a is equipped with a first rotating part including a motor 5k. The first rotating part rotates the mounting part 5c by rotating the hollow part 5t around a shaft 5l that extends vertically during cleaning and drying of the shell 20a. As the mounting part 5c rotates, the shell 20a placed on the mounting part 5c also rotates. Furthermore, the lid part 5b is equipped with a second rotating part including a motor 5j. The second rotating part rotates the holding part 5i around a shaft 5l during cleaning and drying of the door 20b. As the holding part 5i rotates, the door 20b held by the holding part 5i also rotates. Therefore, during cleaning of the FOUP 20, cleaning fluid is supplied evenly to the FOUP 20. Also, during drying of the FOUP 20, hot air is supplied evenly to the FOUP 20. Alternatively, the liquid adhering to the shell 20a and door 20b may be dried by rotation by the first and second rotating parts, without supplying hot air from the hot air nozzle.

[0036] The first discharge section 5g discharges the cleaning fluid supplied (discharged) into the storage space of the shell 20a. As described above, the first discharge section 5g is in communication (connected) to the through hole 5c_1. Therefore, the cleaning fluid supplied into the storage space of the shell 20a flows into the first discharge section 5g via the through hole 5c_1.

[0037] The second discharge section 5h discharges the cleaning fluid that has passed over the outside of the shell 20a. The cleaning fluid that has passed over the outside of the shell 20a is the cleaning fluid supplied (discharged) to the outer surface of the shell 20a and the inner surface of the door 20b. For example, the second discharge section 5h is an outlet provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank body 5a.

[0038] When the cleaning of the FOUP 20 is completed in the cleaning tank 5, the robot 3 transports the shell 20a and door 20b from the cleaning tank 5 separately to the vacuum chamber 6.

[0039] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1, the vacuum chamber 6 is a chamber for vacuum drying the FOUP 20. Inside the vacuum chamber 6 are a holding section for holding the shell 20a and door 20b that have been transported into the vacuum chamber 6, a halogen lamp, and a vacuum pump such as a dry pump or a mechanical booster pump that can evacuate the inside of the vacuum chamber 6. With the shell 20a and door 20b held by the holding section, the vacuum chamber 6 evacuates the inside of the vacuum chamber 6 using the vacuum pump and heats with the halogen lamp to vacuum dry the shell 20a and door 20b.

[0040] Once the vacuum drying of the FOUP 20 is complete in the vacuum chamber 6, the robot 3 transports the shell 20a and door 20b separately onto the disassembly / connection stage 4. The disassembly / connection stage 4 then connects the shell 20a and door 20b.

[0041] The unload port 7 unloads the cleaned and vacuum-dried FOUP 20, which has been placed inside the casing 1a of the unload port 7 by the robot 3, to the outside of the casing 1a.

[0042] For example, after vacuum drying, the FOUP 20, with its shell 20a and door 20b connected in the disassembly / connection stage 4, is transported and placed inside the casing 1a of the unload port 7 by the robot 3. When the FOUP 20 is placed in the unload port 7 in this way, the shutter 7a provided at the opening 1c of the casing 1a rises. This makes the FOUP 20 ready to be transported out of the casing 1a through the opening 1c. In other words, the FOUP 20 is ready to be transported out of the wafer storage container cleaning device 1. Then, the FOUP 20 is slid in the direction of arrow 7b by the sliding device of the unload port 7 (which has a mechanism similar to the sliding device of the load port 2), and the FOUP 20 is transported out of the casing 1a. Once the FOUP 20 has been transported out of the casing 1a in this way, the shutter 7a descends, and the opening 1c of the casing 1a is closed.

[0043] The control unit 8 controls the operation of the entire wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 8 controls the load port 2, robot 3, disassembly / combination stage 4, cleaning tank 5, vacuum tank 6, and unload port 7, thereby operating the load port 2, robot 3, disassembly / combination stage 4, cleaning tank 5, vacuum tank 6, and unload port 7 as described above.

[0044] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit 8 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 8 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 8a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 8b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 8c, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 8d, and a communication interface 8e. These are connected via an internal bus.

[0045] The CPU 8a executes various processes while using the memory area of ​​RAM 8c as a temporary storage area for data used in various processes. The processes executed by CPU 8a will be described later. ROM 8b and HDD 8d store programs for executing various processes, as well as various databases and tables used when executing these processes. For example, ROM 8b or HDD 8d stores a program for executing the self-cleaning process in the cleaning tank 5.

[0046] The communication interface 8e is an interface for communicating with the aforementioned parts of the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1, as well as for communicating with external devices connected to the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 via a network. For example, the communication interface 8e is a network interface card.

[0047] Next, the self-cleaning process in the cleaning tank 5 performed by the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the self-cleaning process in the cleaning tank 5 performed by the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The self-cleaning process shown in Figure 5 is performed when the control unit 8 receives an instruction from the user to perform the self-cleaning process via an input interface such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel provided by the control unit 8 during the maintenance period of the wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1. The self-cleaning process is performed when the shell 20a and door 20b have been removed from the cleaning tank 5 and the shell 20a and door 20b are not inside the cleaning tank 5.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the CPU 8a of the control unit 8 moves the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p to the cleaning position. (See Figure 3B) Move it to (step S101). This causes the discharge port of nozzle 5r and the discharge port of nozzle 5m, which discharges the cleaning fluid upward, to face each other.

[0049] Next, the CPU 8a controls the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d to start cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p with the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d (step S102). As a result, the nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid horizontally from the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d starts cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e. Also, the nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid upward from the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d starts cleaning the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p.

[0050] In step S102, the CPU 8a controls the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d so that the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzle 5m when cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p is greater than the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzle 5m when cleaning the shell 20a. The reason for this is explained below. For example, when cleaning the shell 20a, it is sufficient for the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzle 5m to reach the inner surface of the shell 20a. On the other hand, when cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p, the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzle 5m needs to reach the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p, which are further away from the shell 20a. For this reason, the flow rate is increased so that the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzle 5m reaches the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p.

[0051] Next, the CPU 8a determines whether a first cleaning time has elapsed since the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d started cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p in step S102 (step S103). The first cleaning time is a predetermined time, determined by experiment or simulation, during which it is expected that the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p will be sufficiently cleaned.

[0052] If the first cleaning time has not elapsed since the start of cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p (step S103: No), the CPU 8a performs the determination in step S103 again. On the other hand, if the first cleaning time has elapsed since the start of cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p (step S103: Yes), the CPU 8a controls the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d to terminate the cleaning of the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p (step S104). That is, the CPU 8a controls the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d to stop the discharge of cleaning fluid from the nozzle 5m of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d. In this way, the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d cleans the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p for the first cleaning time.

[0053] Next, the CPU 8a controls the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p to start cleaning the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d with the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p (step S105). As a result, the nozzle 5o of the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e starts cleaning the portion of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d that includes the nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid horizontally. Also, the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p starts cleaning the portion of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d that includes the nozzle 5m that discharges cleaning fluid upwards.

[0054] In step S105, the CPU 8a controls the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p so that the flow rate of cleaning fluid discharged from nozzles 5o and 5r when cleaning the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d is greater than the flow rate of cleaning fluid discharged from nozzles 5o and 5r when cleaning the shell 20a. The reason for this is the same as the reason described above for the flow rate of cleaning fluid discharged from nozzle 5m when cleaning the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p being greater than the flow rate of cleaning fluid discharged from nozzle 5m when cleaning the shell 20a.

[0055] Next, the CPU 8a determines whether a second cleaning time has elapsed since the cleaning of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d with the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p began in step S105 (step S106). The second cleaning time is a predetermined time, determined by experiment or simulation, during which it is expected that the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d will be sufficiently cleaned.

[0056] If the second cleaning time has not elapsed since the start of cleaning the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d (step S106: No), the CPU 8a performs the determination in step S106 again. On the other hand, if the second cleaning time has elapsed since the start of cleaning the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d (step S106: Yes), the CPU 8a controls the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p to terminate the cleaning of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d (step S107). That is, the CPU 8a controls the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p to stop the discharge of cleaning fluid from the nozzle 5o of the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p. In this way, the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p clean the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d for the second cleaning time.

[0057] Then, the CPU 8a moves the nozzle 5r of the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p to the retracted position (step S108), and terminates the self-cleaning process.

[0058] The wafer storage container cleaning apparatus 1 according to this embodiment has been described above. In this embodiment, in step S105, the control unit 8 controls the second cleaning liquid supply unit 5e to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid supply unit 5d in the shell-less state described above. More specifically, in step S105, the control unit 8 controls the second cleaning liquid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning liquid supply unit 5p to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid supply unit 5d in the shell-less state described above and the door-not-held state described above. As a result, In step S102 Contaminants adhering to the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d In step S105 This allows for removal from the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d. Therefore, contamination of the FOUP 20, which is cleaned in the cleaning tank 5 after the self-cleaning process, can be suppressed.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, before controlling the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e to discharge cleaning fluid to the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, the control unit 8 controls the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d to discharge cleaning fluid to the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e in step S102. More specifically, before controlling the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p to discharge cleaning fluid to the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, the control unit 8 controls the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d to discharge cleaning fluid to the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p in step S102. As a result, even if contaminants adhere to the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, particularly when cleaning fluid containing contaminants drips onto the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d from the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p located above the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d is subsequently cleaned, thus suppressing contamination of the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d. Furthermore, from this perspective, contamination of the FOUP 20, which is cleaned in the cleaning tank 5 after the self-cleaning treatment, can be suppressed.

[0060] Furthermore, when cleaning the inside of the shell 20a, there is a risk that contaminants may adhere to the drying section 5f connected to the fixed section 5s. Therefore, in the self-cleaning process, the CPU 8a may clean the hot blow nozzle of the drying section 5f connected to the fixed section 5s in addition to the first cleaning fluid supply section 5d by oscillating the third cleaning fluid supply section 5p. This can suppress contaminants adhering to the hot blow nozzle from adhering to the FOUP 20, thereby suppressing contamination of the FOUP 20.

[0061] Furthermore, during the self-cleaning process, when the CPU 8a oscillates the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p, the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d is located near the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed unit 5s. Multiple It may be provided. That is, multipleThe first cleaning fluid supply units 5d may be positioned at a distance from each other. By oscillating the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p, even if the first cleaning fluid supply units 5d are positioned at a distance from each other, multiple first cleaning fluid supply units 5d are cleaned by the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p. Furthermore, by positioning multiple first cleaning fluid supply units 5d near the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed unit 5s, the distance to the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e is shortened. Therefore, the increase in the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzle 5m or nozzle 5o during the self-cleaning process can be suppressed.

[0062] The area near the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed part 5s is defined as the range from a position inside the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed part 5s by a length equal to the diameter of the rod-shaped pipe constituting the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d, compared to the outer edge of the hollow part 5t. Furthermore, the rod-shaped pipe constituting the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d may extend not only upward but also horizontally. For example, even if the rod-shaped pipe constituting the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d is not near the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed part 5s, and the nozzle 5m is near the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed part 5s, this is still included in providing multiple first cleaning fluid supply units 5d near the outer edge of the base 5s_1 of the fixed part 5s.

[0063] Furthermore, on the fixed portion 5s, in addition to the first cleaning fluid supply portion 5d facing the second cleaning fluid supply portion 5e, a second first cleaning fluid supply portion 5d facing the drying portion 5f that supplies hot air to the outer side surface of the shell 20a may also be provided. In this case, the drying portion 5f on the fixed portion 5s should be provided between the first cleaning fluid supply portions 5d. By doing so, the drying portion 5f that supplies hot air to the outer side surface of the shell 20a can also be cleaned during the self-cleaning process.

[0064] Furthermore, a particle counter may be provided in the flow path of the cleaning liquid downstream of the first discharge section 5g, where the cleaning liquid flows as waste liquid. The particle counter measures the number of particles contained in a predetermined unit volume (e.g., 10 ml) of waste liquid at predetermined time intervals. The CPU 8a may, instead of making the determination in step S106, determine whether the number of particles is below a threshold each time the particle counter measures the number of particles contained in the predetermined unit volume of waste liquid. If the number of particles is not below the threshold, the CPU 8a will determine again whether the number of particles is below the threshold. If the number of particles is below the threshold, the CPU 8a may proceed to step S107.

[0065] Next, we will explain the case in which FOUP20 to be cleaned are successively brought into the wafer storage container cleaning device 1. In this case, the CPU8a determines the time at which vacuum drying begins in the vacuum chamber 6 ( timing The time T1 is compared with the time T2 at which cleaning of the shell 20a and door 20b is completed in the cleaning tank 5. If the time T3 (T1-T2), obtained by subtracting time T2 from time T1, is longer than the time T4 required for the self-cleaning process, the shell 20a and door 20b may be removed from the cleaning tank 5 and the self-cleaning process may be automatically executed. Note that the time T2 at which cleaning of the shell 20a and door 20b is completed in the cleaning tank 5 also includes the time at which the shell 20a and door 20b are removed from the cleaning tank 5.

[0066] As mentioned above, when the self-cleaning process is performed automatically, the shell 20a and door 20b removed from the cleaning tank 5 are transported to the disassembly / connection stage 4 and remain there until the vacuum drying of another FOUP 20 in the vacuum chamber 6 is completed. In this way, the robot 3 can transport other FOUP 20s during the self-cleaning process. Alternatively, although the robot 3 cannot be used to transport other FOUP 20s, the door 20b removed from the cleaning tank 5 may be transported to the disassembly / connection stage 4, and the shell 20a removed from the cleaning tank 5 may remain held by the robot 3. Alternatively, the shell 20a may be transported to the disassembly / connection stage 4, and the door 20b may remain held by the robot 3.

[0067] Furthermore, the self-cleaning process may be performed by the user operating an input interface such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel to activate each component within the cleaning tank 5. In other words, the self-cleaning process may not be performed under the control of the control unit 8.

[0068] Furthermore, in step S102, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from nozzle 5m may be the same as the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from nozzle 5m when cleaning the shell 20a. For example, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from nozzle 5m that reaches the second cleaning fluid supply unit 5e and the third cleaning fluid supply unit 5p may be determined in advance. Then, the shell 20a may be cleaned with the determined flow rate.

[0069] Furthermore, in step S105, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzles 5o and 5r when cleaning the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d may be the same as the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzles 5o and 5r when cleaning the shell 20a. For example, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid discharged from the nozzles 5o and 5r that reaches the first cleaning fluid supply unit 5d may be determined in advance. Then, the shell 20a may be cleaned with the determined flow rate.

[0070] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1. Wafer storage container cleaning device 5. Washing tank 5a Washing tank body 5b Lid 5c Mounting section 5d First cleaning fluid supply unit 5e Second cleaning fluid supply unit 5p Third cleaning fluid supply unit

Claims

1. A wafer storage container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a wafer storage container having a shell having a shell opening and a door fitted into the shell opening, A cleaning tank body having an opening on its top surface and capable of housing the wafer storage container inside, A lid portion is provided on the opening side of the washing tank body and opens and closes the opening of the washing tank body, A mounting section is provided inside the washing tank body, on which the shell can be placed with the shell opening of the shell facing downwards, In the shell-mounted state, where the shell is placed on the mounting portion, a first cleaning liquid discharge unit is provided inside the shell and discharges cleaning liquid onto the inner surface of the shell, In the state in which the shell is placed, a second cleaning fluid discharge unit is provided on the outside of the shell and discharges cleaning fluid onto the outer surface of the shell, A control unit that controls the first cleaning fluid discharge unit and the second cleaning fluid discharge unit, Equipped with, The discharge port of the first cleaning liquid discharge unit and the discharge port of the second cleaning liquid discharge unit face each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one discharge port toward the other. A wafer storage container cleaning apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the second cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid discharge unit when the shell is not placed on the aforementioned storage unit, i.e., when the shell is not placed on the storage unit.

2. The wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the second cleaning liquid discharge unit before controlling the second cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid discharge unit.

3. A wafer storage container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a wafer storage container having a shell having a shell opening and a door fitted into the shell opening, A cleaning tank body having an opening on its top surface and capable of housing the wafer storage container inside, A lid portion is provided on the opening side of the washing tank body and opens and closes the opening of the washing tank body, A mounting section is provided inside the washing tank body, on which the shell can be placed with the shell opening of the shell facing downwards, In the shell-mounted state, where the shell is placed on the mounting portion, a first cleaning liquid discharge unit is provided inside the shell and discharges cleaning liquid onto the inner surface of the shell, In the state in which the shell is placed, a second cleaning liquid discharge unit is provided on the outside of the shell and discharges cleaning liquid to the outer surface of the shell, The lid portion has a retaining mechanism for holding the door, In the state in which the shell is mounted and the door is held in place by the holding mechanism, the device further comprises a third cleaning fluid discharge section that discharges cleaning fluid onto the upper surface of the outer surface of the shell and the inner surface of the door facing the upper surface of the shell. The discharge port of the first cleaning liquid discharge unit and the discharge port of the second cleaning liquid discharge unit face each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one discharge port toward the other. The discharge port of the first cleaning fluid discharge unit includes a discharge port that discharges the cleaning fluid onto the upper surface of the inner surface of the shell when the shell is placed on it. The third cleaning fluid discharge unit is rotatably provided to a cleaning position in which the cleaning fluid is discharged onto the upper surface of the shell and the inner surface of the door, and a retracted position in which it does not interfere when the shell is loaded into or unloaded from the cleaning tank body. A wafer storage container cleaning apparatus wherein, when positioned in the cleaning position, the discharge ports of the first cleaning liquid discharge unit, which discharge to the upper surface of the inner surface of the shell, and the discharge ports of the third cleaning liquid discharge unit, which discharge to the upper surface of the outer surface of the shell, are facing each other so that cleaning liquid can be discharged from one discharge port to the other.

4. The system further comprises a control unit that controls the first cleaning fluid discharge unit, the second cleaning fluid discharge unit, and the third cleaning fluid discharge unit. The wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the second cleaning liquid discharge unit and the third cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid discharge unit when the shell is not placed on the aforementioned storage unit and the door is not held by the holding mechanism.

5. The wafer storage container cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the first cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the second cleaning liquid discharge unit and the third cleaning liquid discharge unit before controlling the second cleaning liquid discharge unit and the third cleaning liquid discharge unit to discharge cleaning liquid to the first cleaning liquid discharge unit.

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