Substrate storage container

Abstract

A substrate storage container 1 comprises: a container body 2; and a lid 3. The lid 3 has a seal member 4 which is interposed between an opening peripheral edge part 28 and a peripheral edge part-facing part 331 and which comes into close contact with the opening peripheral edge part 28 and the peripheral edge part-facing part 331 to close a container body opening part 21 in an airtight state. The front end of an upper wall 23 of the container body 2, the front end of a lower wall 24, the front end of a first side wall 25, and the front end of a second side wall 26 constitute the opening peripheral edge part 28. The opening peripheral edge part 28 has a seal surface 281 on which the seal member 4 abuts at a position on a rear side D12 of an opening edge of the opening peripheral edge part 28. The container body 2 has, at a location P281 on the seal surface 281, a first rib 81 standing in a direction (D2-D3) orthogonal to a front-rear direction D1, and has, at a location spaced apart from the first rib 81 to the rear side D12, a second rib 82 standing in a direction (D2-D3) orthogonal to the front-rear direction D1. The second rib 82 extends at least over the first side wall 25, the upper wall 23, and the second side wall 26.

Description

Substrate storage container

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container for storing substrates such as semiconductor wafers.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, containers for storing substrates such as semiconductor wafers have been known that include a container body and a lid.

[0003] The container body has a cylindrical wall portion at one end of which an opening rim portion that forms the container body opening is formed, and the other end of which is closed. A substrate storage space is formed within the container body. The substrate storage space is formed by being surrounded by the wall portion and is capable of storing multiple substrates. The lid body is detachable from the container body opening and is capable of closing the container body opening.

[0004] A front retainer is provided on a portion of the lid that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed. The front retainer is capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates when the container body opening is closed by the lid. A rear-side substrate support portion is provided on the wall portion so as to form a pair with the front retainer. The rear-side substrate support portion is capable of supporting the edges of the plurality of substrates. When the container body opening is closed by the lid, the rear-side substrate support portion cooperates with the front retainer to support the plurality of substrates, thereby holding the plurality of substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are spaced apart at a predetermined interval and arranged side by side.

[0005] The lid is also provided with a sealing member. The sealing member is attached to the lid and arranged around the outer periphery of the lid. When the lid is attached to the opening of the container body, the sealing member is sandwiched between the sealing surface of the container body and the inner surface of the lid and elastically deforms, causing the lid to close the opening of the container body in a sealed state. By removing the lid from the opening periphery, substrates can be inserted into and removed from the substrate storage space within the container body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Patent No. 3916342

[0007] When transporting substrates to each process, substrate storage containers are sometimes transported by overhead hoist transport (OHT) devices such as AMHSs (Automated Wafer Transport Systems) and PGVs (Primary Ground Vehicles). During this transport, the substrate storage container is suspended by gripping a top flange provided on the upper wall of the container body. When suspended, the weight of the substrates and the substrate storage containers stored in the container body causes the upper wall of the container body to bend. This causes the sealed state provided by the sealing member at the top of the substrate storage container to be lost, making it more likely that a gap will form between the container body and the lid. In this case, particles can enter the substrate storage space in the container body through the gap, causing contamination.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a substrate storage container that can prevent the sealed state maintained by a sealing member at the top of the substrate storage container from being lost due to the substrate storage container being suspended.

[0009] (1) A first aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container comprising: a container body having a substrate storage space formed therein capable of storing a plurality of substrates, a container body having an opening periphery at one end on the front side where a container body opening communicating with the substrate storage space is formed, and a rear end closed by a back wall; and a lid body that is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening, the lid body having a periphery facing portion that faces the opening periphery, wherein the lid body further has a sealing member interposed between the opening periphery and the periphery facing portion and tightly abutting against the opening periphery and the periphery facing portion, thereby airtightly closing the container body opening, and the container body has opposing upper and lower walls and opposing first walls. a side wall and a second side wall, and a rear wall to which the rear end of the upper wall, the rear end of the lower wall, the rear end of the first side wall, and the rear end of the second side wall are connected, wherein the front end of the upper wall, the front end of the lower wall, the front end of the first side wall, and the front end of the second side wall constitute the opening peripheral portion, and the opening peripheral portion has a sealing surface at a position rearward of the opening edge of the opening peripheral portion against which the sealing member abuts, and the container body has a first rib at the position of the sealing surface that stands in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, and a second rib at a position spaced rearward from the first rib that stands in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, and the second rib extends at least over the first side wall, the upper wall, and the second side wall.

[0010] (2) A second aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container according to (1), wherein the container body further has a hanging portion that becomes the portion of the substrate storage container that is hung when the substrate storage container is suspended, and the second rib is positioned between the first rib and the hanging portion in the front-to-back direction.

[0011] (3) The third present invention is a substrate storage container according to (1) or (2), in which the upper wall located at the base of the second rib has a step that recesses inward toward the rear in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

[0012] (4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container according to any one of (1) to (3), in which the position of the top of the first rib and the position of the top of the second rib are the same in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction.

[0013] (5) A fifth aspect of the present invention is the substrate storage container according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the distance between the first rib and the second rib in the front-rear direction is 10 to 50 mm.

[0014] (6) A sixth aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the second rib extends across the first side wall, the upper wall, the second side wall, and the lower wall.

[0015] According to the present invention, a substrate storage container can be provided that can prevent the sealed state maintained by the sealing member at the top of the substrate storage container from being lost due to the substrate storage container being suspended.

[0016] FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view showing a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view showing substrates W stored in the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing the lid body 3 with a seal member 4 and a front retainer 7 attached in the substrate storing container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a perspective view showing the seal member 4 of the lid body 3 of the substrate storing container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a top view showing a container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a rear view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken at the center in the left-right direction of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a partially enlarged view of the periphery of the seal member 4 in FIG.

[0017] A substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing substrates W stored in the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the lid 3 of the substrate storage container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with a seal member 4 and a front retainer 7 attached. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the seal member 4 of the lid 3 of the substrate storage container 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a top view showing a container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a rear view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a vertical cross-sectional view taken at the center in the left-right direction of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is a partial enlarged view of the periphery of the seal member 4 in FIG. 7A.

[0018] For ease of explanation, the direction from the container body 2 (described below) to the lid body 3 (direction from the upper right to the lower left in FIG. 1 ) is defined as the front direction D11, and the opposite direction is defined as the rear direction D12, and these are defined as the front-rear direction D1. Furthermore, the direction from the lower wall 24 (described below) to the upper wall 23 (upward direction in FIG. 1 ) is defined as the upward direction D21, and the opposite direction is defined as the downward direction D22, and these are defined as the up-down direction D2. Furthermore, the direction from the second side wall 26 (described below) to the first side wall 25 (direction from the lower right to the upper left in FIG. 1 ) is defined as the leftward direction D31, and the opposite direction is defined as the rightward direction D32, and these are defined as the left-right direction D3 or the lateral direction D3. The word "direction" may also be referred to as "side."

[0019] The substrates W (see FIG. 2) stored in the substrate storage container 1 are disc-shaped silicon wafers, glass wafers, sapphire wafers, etc., and are thin wafers used in industry. The substrates W in this embodiment are silicon wafers with a diameter of 200 mm to 450 mm.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 7A, the substrate storage container 1 is for storing substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above, and has a container body 2, a lid 3, a substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 as a side substrate support portion, a rear substrate support portion 6 (see Figure 7A), and a front retainer 7 as a lid-side substrate support portion.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the container body 2 has a cylindrical wall portion 20 with a container body opening 21 formed at one end and a closed other end. A substrate storage space 27 is formed within the container body 2. The substrate storage space 27 is surrounded by the wall portion 20. A substrate support plate-shaped portion 5 is disposed in the portion of the wall portion 20 that forms the substrate storage space 27. As shown in Fig. 2, the substrate storage space 27 can store a plurality of substrates W.

[0022] The substrate support plate-like portions 5 are provided on the wall portion 20 in pairs in the left-right direction D3 within the substrate storage space 27. When the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3, the substrate support plate-like portions 5 abut against the side edges of the plurality of substrates W, thereby supporting the side edges of the plurality of substrates W while arranging adjacent substrates W in parallel with a predetermined distance between them. A rear-side substrate support portion 6 is provided on the rear side of the substrate support plate-like portions 5.

[0023] The rear substrate support portion 6 is provided on the wall portion 20 so as to form a pair with the front retainer 7 within the substrate storage space 27. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid body 3, the rear substrate support portion 6 can support the rear portions of the edges of the plurality of substrates W by abutting against the rear portions of the edges of the plurality of substrates W.

[0024] The lid 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 that forms the container body opening 21, and is capable of closing the container body opening 21. The front retainer 7 is provided on the lid 3 at a portion that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The front retainer 7 is disposed inside the substrate storage space 27 so as to form a pair with the rear substrate support part 6 in the front-to-rear direction D1.

[0025] The front retainer 7 is capable of supporting the front portions of the edges of the substrates W by abutting against the edges of the substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the front retainer 7 supports the substrates W in cooperation with the rear substrate support part 6, thereby holding the substrates W in a state in which adjacent substrates W are spaced apart at a predetermined interval and arranged side by side. Each part will be described in detail below.

[0026] 1 and other figures, 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, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are made of a plastic material or the like, and in this embodiment, are integrally molded from polycarbonate.

[0027] The first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 face each other, and the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 face each other. The rear end of the upper wall 23, the rear end of the lower wall 24, the rear end of the first side wall 25, and the rear end of the second side wall 26 are all connected to the rear wall 22. The front end of the upper wall 23, the front end of the lower wall 24, the front end of the first side wall 25, and the front end of the second side wall 26 are positioned opposite the rear wall 22 and constitute an opening periphery 28 that forms the container body opening 21, which has a substantially rectangular shape.

[0028] The opening periphery 28 is provided at one end of the front side D11 of the container body 2, and the rear wall 22 is located at the other end of the rear side D12 of the container body 2. The container body 2 has a box-like outer shape formed by the outer surfaces of the walls 20. The inner surfaces of the walls 20, i.e., the inner surfaces of the rear 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. The container body opening 21 formed in the opening periphery 28 is surrounded by the walls 20 and communicates with the substrate storage space 27 formed inside the container body 2. A maximum of 25 substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.

[0029] 1 and 2, latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B recessed outward from the board storage space 27 are formed in the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 near the opening periphery 28. A total of four latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, one near each of the left and right ends of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24.

[0030] On the outer surface of top wall 23, flange fixing portion 235 (see FIG. 7A ) and ribs 235A, 235B are provided and molded integrally with top wall 23. Flange fixing portion 235 is disposed in the center of top wall 23. A top flange 236 serving as a suspending portion is fixed to flange fixing portion 235. Top flange 236 is disposed in the center of top wall 23. Top flange 236 is a member that is hung on and suspended from substrate storage container 1 when suspending substrate storage container 1 by an overhead hoist transport (OHT) such as an AMHS (automated wafer transport system) or a PGV (wafer substrate transport vehicle).

[0031] A plurality of ribs 235A extend from the top flange 236 generally in the left direction D31 and a plurality of ribs 235B extend from the top flange 236 generally in the right direction D32. A plurality of ribs 235B extend from the top flange 236 generally in the front direction D11 and a plurality of ribs 235B extend from the top flange 236 generally in the rear direction D12.

[0032] 1 and 7A, container body legs 243 are provided on the outer surface of the bottom wall 24. The container body legs 243 are integrally molded with both left and right edge portions of the bottom wall 24 and extend in the front-to-rear direction D1 along both left and right edge portions of the bottom wall 24. When the container body 2 is placed on a horizontal flat surface with the bottom wall 24 facing downward D22, the container body legs 243 abut against the flat surface to stably support the container body 2.

[0033] A latch mechanism is provided in the lid 3. The latch mechanism is provided near both left and right ends of the lid 3, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes two upper latch portions 32A that can protrude in an upward direction D21 from the upper edge of the lid 3, and two lower latch portions 32B that can protrude in a downward direction D22 from the lower edge of the lid 3. The two upper latch portions 32A are located near both left and right ends of the upper edge of the lid 3, and the two lower latch portions 32B are located near both left and right ends of the lower edge of the lid 3.

[0034] An operating portion 33 is provided on the outer surface of the lid 3. By operating the operating portion 33 from the front side of the lid 3, the upper latch portion 32A and the lower latch portion 32B can be made to protrude from the upper and lower edges of the lid 3, or can be made not to protrude from the upper and lower edges. The upper latch portion 32A protrudes in the upward direction D21 from the upper edge of the lid 3 and engages with the latch engagement recesses 231A and 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch portion 32B protrudes in the downward direction D22 from the lower edge of the lid 3 and engages with the latch engagement recesses 241A and 241B of the container body 2, thereby fixing the lid 3 to the opening peripheral edge 28 of the container body 2.

[0035] A front retainer 7 is fixed to the inside of the lid body main body 30 of the lid body 3. In this embodiment, the front retainer 7 is configured to be separated in the left-right direction D3. The front retainer 7 has front retainer board receiving portions 73. The front retainer board receiving portions 73 are arranged in pairs in the left-right direction D3, spaced a predetermined distance apart in the left-right direction D3, with two in each pair. Twenty-five pairs of front retainer board receiving portions 73 arranged in pairs in the up-down direction D2 are arranged side by side. When a substrate W is stored in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid body 3 is closed, the front retainer board receiving portions 73 clamp and support the edge of the substrate W.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the lid 3 has a generally rectangular shape that generally matches the shape of the opening peripheral edge 28 of the container body 2. The lid 3 is detachable from the opening peripheral edge 28 of the container body 2, and when the lid 3 is attached to the opening peripheral edge 28, the lid 3 can close the container body opening 21. A ring-shaped seal member 4 is attached to a peripheral edge facing portion 331 that constitutes the inner surface 301 (the back surface of the lid 3), and that faces a surface (sealing surface 281) of a step (first step 86 described below) formed at a position immediately behind the opening edge of the opening peripheral edge 28 at a position D12 when the lid 3 is closing the container body opening 21. In other words, the opening peripheral edge 28 has a sealing surface 281 that the seal member 4 abuts against at a position behind the opening edge of the opening peripheral edge 28 at a position D12.

[0037] 7B , when the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the lip portion 42 of the seal member 4 is sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 of the opening periphery 28 and the periphery facing portion 331 constituting the inner surface 301 of the lid 3 and elastically deforms, so that the lid 3 hermetically closes the container body opening 21. 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.

[0038] More specifically, the lid 3 has a lid body 30. The lid body 30 forms the outer casing of the lid 3, which is approximately rectangular. Therefore, the lid body 30 has an approximately rectangular shape. The lid body 30 has an inner surface 301 and an outer surface 302. The inner surface 301 faces the substrate storage space 27 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The outer surface 302 is exposed to the outside of the substrate storage container 1 when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. The lid body 30 is made of a plastic material or the like, and in this embodiment, is molded from polycarbonate.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 7B , the peripheral portion of the lid body 30 facing the sealing surface 281 that constitutes the opening peripheral portion 28 of the container body 2 has a seal member attachment portion 311 and a peripheral portion facing portion 331. A retaining groove 321 is formed in the seal member attachment portion 311. The seal member attachment portion 311 is formed to surround the peripheral portion of the lid body 30, and the retaining groove 321 also surrounds the peripheral portion of the lid body 30 along the seal member attachment portion 311. The peripheral portion facing portion 331 is formed by the portion of the peripheral portion of the lid body 30 facing the sealing surface 281 that constitutes the opening peripheral portion 28, which is located further outward from the retaining groove 321. The peripheral portion facing portion 331 is a peripheral portion of the lid body 30 and is formed by a plate-shaped portion that extends in the D2-D3 plane (perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1).

[0040] A base 41 (described later) of the seal member 4 is inserted into the holding groove 321. As a result, the seal member 4 is attached to the seal member attachment portion 311 of the lid 3, and the lip portion 42 of the seal member 4 can abut against the seal surface 281 of the opening periphery 28 and the periphery facing portion 331.

[0041] The sealing member 4 is made of various thermoplastic elastomers such as elastically deformable polyesters and polyolefins, fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc. As shown in Fig. 4, the sealing member 4 has a rectangular ring shape and is disposed so as to go around the outer periphery of the lid 3.

[0042] The sealing member 4 has a base 41 and a lip 42. The base 41 is inserted into the retaining groove 321. The lip 42 is integrally molded at the base end of the base 41. The lip 42 extends from the base end of the base 41 in a direction oblique to the extension direction of the base 41. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7B , the lip 42 branches into two at a midpoint to form a peripheral edge contact lip 421 and a facing portion contact lip 422. When the lid 3 closes the container body opening 21, the peripheral edge contact lip 421 abuts against the seal surface 281 of the opening peripheral edge 28 of the container body 2, and the facing portion contact lip 422 abuts against the peripheral edge facing portion 331.

[0043] 7B , the peripheral edge contact lip portion 421 extends in a diagonal direction between the rearward direction D12 and the upward direction D21 (outward from the D2-D3 plane) so as to abut against the seal surface 281 of the opening peripheral edge portion 28. The opposing portion contact lip portion 422 extends in a diagonal direction between the forward direction D11 and the upward direction D21 (outward from the D2-D3 plane) so as to abut against the peripheral edge opposing portion 331. Note that although the extending directions of the peripheral edge contact lip portion 421 and the opposing portion contact lip portion 422 differ depending on the position of the seal member 4 on the lid 3, the extending directions can be generally regarded as being outward from the D2-D3 plane.

[0044] By the abutment of the peripheral edge contact lip portion 421 against the opening peripheral edge portion 28 and the abutment of the opposing edge contact lip portion 422 against the peripheral edge opposing portion 331, the lip portion 42 of the sealing member 4 is interposed between the opening peripheral edge portion 28 and the peripheral edge opposing portion 331 and abuts closely against the opening peripheral edge portion 28 and the peripheral edge opposing portion 331, thereby sealing the container body opening 21 in an airtight state together with the lid body 3.

[0045] Next, the ribs provided on the outer surface of the container body 2 will be described. Using the upper side D21 of the lid 3 shown in FIG. 7B as an example, the container body 2 includes a third rib 83, a first rib 81, and a second rib 82 on its outer surface, in this order from the front side D11 to the rear side D12. The first rib 81 rises outward in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1 (a direction along the D2-D3 plane) at a position P281 of the sealing surface 281 of the opening peripheral portion 28. The first rib 81 extends over at least the first side wall 25, the top wall 23, and the second side wall 26. In this embodiment, the first rib 81 extends circumferentially around the entire circumference of the first side wall 25, the top wall 23, the second side wall 26, and the bottom wall 24. The rising directions are typically the upward direction D21, the leftward direction D31, the rightward direction D32, and the downward direction D22.

[0046] 7B , the phrase "the first rib 81 is located at position P281 on the sealing surface 281," i.e., "the container body 2 has the first rib 81 at position P281 on the sealing surface 281," means that, in the front-to-rear direction D1, the distance t81 between (the center position of) the base 811 of the first rib 81 and position P281 on the sealing surface 281 is within a range of, for example, 10 mm on both the front and rear sides, and preferably within a range of 5 mm on both the front and rear sides. The height h81 of the first rib 81 is, for example, 0.5 mm to 15 mm, and preferably 3 mm to 8 mm.

[0047] The second rib 82 rises outward in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1 (a direction along the D2-D3 plane) at a position spaced further rearward D12 than the first rib 81. The second rib 82 extends over at least the first side wall 25, the upper wall 23, and the second side wall 26, and in this embodiment, extends circumferentially around the entire periphery of the first side wall 25, the upper wall 23, the second side wall 26, and the lower wall 24. The rising directions are typically an upward direction D21, a leftward direction D31, a rightward direction D32, and a downward direction D22.

[0048] In the front-rear direction D1, the distance t8 (center-to-center distance) between the first rib 81 and the second rib 82 is, for example, 5.0 mm to 60 mm, preferably 10 mm to 50 mm, and more preferably 15 mm to 30 mm. The height h82 of the second rib 82 is, for example, 10 mm to 30 mm, and preferably 15 mm to 25 mm.

[0049] The upper wall 23 located at the base 811 of the first rib 81 has a first step 86 that is recessed inward toward the rear side D12 in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1 (a direction along the D2-D3 plane). That is, the upper wall 23 on the rear side D12 of the first rib 81 is provided with a first step 86 having a height difference h86. The step directions (recess directions) are typically the downward direction D22, the rightward direction D32, the leftward direction D31, and the upward direction D21. The height difference h86 of the first step 86 is, for example, not less than 5.0 mm and not more than 25 mm, and preferably not less than 10 mm and not more than 20 mm.

[0050] A second step 87 having a height difference h87 is provided on the upper wall 23 of the rear side D12 of the second rib 82. The step directions (recess directions) are typically downward D22, rightward D32, leftward D31, and upward D21. The height difference h87 of the second step 87 is, for example, 1.0 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and preferably 3.0 mm or more and 7.0 mm or less.

[0051] In a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction D1 (direction along the D2-D3 plane), the position P812 of the apex 812 of the first rib 81, the position P822 of the apex 822 of the second rib 82, and the position P832 of the apex 832 of the third rib 83 are the same. Here, "the same" means that the difference in position in the up-down direction D2 is, for example, 5.0 mm or less, and preferably 1.0 mm or less.

[0052] The third rib 83 rises outward in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction D1 (a direction along the D2-D3 plane) at the frontmost part of the container body 2. The third rib 83 extends over at least the first side wall 25, the top wall 23, and the second side wall 26, and in this embodiment, extends circumferentially around the entire periphery of the first side wall 25, the top wall 23, the second side wall 26, and the bottom wall 24. The rising directions are typically an upward direction D21, a leftward direction D31, a rightward direction D32, and a downward direction D22.

[0053] The above-described first rib 81, second rib 82, third rib 83, first step 86, and second step 87 are described with respect to the upper side D21 of the container body 2. However, the left side D31, right side D32, and lower side D22 of the container body 2 also include the first rib 81, second rib 82, third rib 83, first step 86, and second step 87, which have basically the same configurations. The description of the upper side D21 regarding the configuration and numerical ranges also applies to the left side D31, right side D32, and lower side D22. Note that the lower side D22 is provided with container body legs 243, and to avoid interference with the container body legs 243, the shapes of the first rib 81 and second rib 82 on the lower side D22 are different from the shapes of the first rib 81 and second rib 82 on the upper side D21.

[0054] 7A , the second rib 82 is disposed between the first rib 81 and the top flange 236 (hanging portion) in the front-rear direction D1. In other words, the second rib 82 does not overlap with the top flange 236 in a top view.

[0055] The substrate storage container 1 according to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration can provide the following effects: The substrate storage container 1 according to the first embodiment is a substrate storage container 1 including: a container body 2 having a substrate storage space 27 formed therein capable of storing a plurality of substrates W, a container body opening 21 communicating with the substrate storage space 27 formed at one end on the front side D11 having an opening periphery 28 formed therein and having an opening periphery 28 at the other end on the rear side D12 closed by a back wall 22; and a lid 3 that is detachable from the container body opening 21 and can close the container body opening 21, the lid 3 having a periphery opposing portion 331 opposing the opening periphery 28. The lid body 3 further has a sealing member 4 that is interposed between the opening peripheral portion 28 and the peripheral portion opposing portion 331 and abuts tightly against the opening peripheral portion 28 and the peripheral portion opposing portion 331, thereby sealing the container body opening 21 in an airtight state, and the container body 2 further has opposing upper and lower walls 23 and 24, opposing first and second side walls 25 and 26, and a rear wall 22 to which the rear end of the upper wall 23, the rear end of the lower wall 24, the rear end of the first side wall 25, and the rear end of the second side wall 26 are connected, and the front end of the upper wall 23, the front end of the lower wall 24, the front end of the first side wall 25, and the front end of the second side wall 26 constitute the opening peripheral portion 28, and the opening peripheral portion 28 has a sealing surface 281 against which the sealing member 4 abuts, at a position D12 behind the opening edge of the opening peripheral portion 28. The container body 2 has a first rib 81 that stands in a direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-back direction D1 at position P281 of the sealing surface 281, and has a second rib 82 that stands in a direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-back direction D1 at a position D12 rearward of the first rib 81, and the second rib 82 extends at least over the first side wall 25, the upper wall 23 and the second side wall 26.

[0056] When the substrates in the substrate storage container 1 are transported to each process by an overhead hoist transport (OHT), the top flange 236 (hanging portion) provided on the top wall 23 of the container body 2 is gripped and suspended. The substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment has a second rib 82 standing in a direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1 at a position spaced rearward D12 from the first rib 81, and the second rib 82 extends over at least the first side wall 25, the top wall 23, and the second side wall 26. Therefore, the second rib 82 reinforces (increases rigidity of) the top wall 23 at the opening periphery 28, making it less likely to bend. Therefore, when the substrate storage container 1 is suspended, the upper wall 23 of the container body 2 is unlikely to bend (deform) due to the weight of the substrates W stored in the container body 2 and the substrate storage container 1. Therefore, a gap is unlikely to occur between the opening periphery 28 and the seal member 4, and the sealed state by the seal member 4 at the top of the substrate storage container 1 is likely to be maintained. This prevents particles from entering the substrate storage space 27 of the container body 2 through the gap and causing contamination. ２ The environment inside the substrate storage space 27 improved by purging with (nitrogen) is more likely to be maintained. That is, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the sealed state by the seal member 4 at the upper part of the substrate storage container 1 from being lost due to the substrate storage container 1 being suspended.

[0057] The second rib 82 is disposed between the first rib 81 and the top flange 236 (hanging portion) in the front-rear direction D1. If a rib were disposed on the lower side D22 of the top flange 236, the top flange 236 would need to be disposed significantly higher (D21) than the upper wall 23 to avoid interference with the rib. However, such a disposition would increase the overall height of the container body 2, including the top flange 236, and would unnecessarily increase the overall size of the substrate storage container 1. In contrast, in this embodiment, the second rib 82 is disposed between the first rib 81 and the top flange 236 (hanging portion). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the overall substrate storage container 1 from becoming unnecessarily large, which would be caused by disposing the top flange 236 on the upper side D21 to avoid the second rib 82.

[0058] In this embodiment, the upper wall 23, located at the base 821 of the second rib 82, has a first step 86 recessed inward toward the rear side D12 in the direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1. In other words, the base 821 of the second rib 82 is located more inward in the direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1 than the base 811 of the first rib 81. Due to the size of the cover 3 and the size of the opening periphery 28, the base 811 of the first rib 81 often needs to be positioned closer to the outside in the direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1. Therefore, the height h81 of the first rib 81 may not be very large. In contrast, the base 821 of the second rib 82 can be positioned closer to the inside in the direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction D1. This allows the height h82 of the second rib 82 to be increased, and the aforementioned reinforcing (improving rigidity) effect and bending resistance effect of the second rib 82 can be improved.

[0059] In this embodiment, in the direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-rear direction D1, the position P812 of the top 812 of the first rib 81 and the position P822 of the top 822 of the second rib 82 are the same. This positional relationship holds true at least on the upper side D21, left side D31, and right side D32. This allows the height h82 of the second rib 82 to be increased without unnecessarily increasing the overall height or width in the lateral direction D3 of the container body 2.

[0060] In this embodiment, the second rib 82 extends across the first side wall 25, the upper wall 23, the second side wall 26, and the lower wall 24. Therefore, the second rib 82 becomes a rib that goes around once (closed) in the direction (D2-D3) perpendicular to the front-rear direction D1. This makes the second rib 82 even less likely to deform, thereby improving the reinforcing (rigidity improvement) effect and bending resistance effect of the second rib 82.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications are possible within the technical scope of the claims. The number of second ribs 82 is one in the embodiment, but is not limited thereto and may be two or more.

[0062] For example, in the embodiment, the base 41 of the seal member 4 is held by the seal member mounting portion 311 by being inserted into the holding groove 321, but the manner in which it is held by the seal member mounting portion 311 is not limited to this. For example, the base 41 of the seal member 4 may be held by the seal member mounting portion 311 by being clamped or engaged.

[0063] Furthermore, the shapes of the container body 2 and the lid body 3, and the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2 are not limited to the shapes of the container body 2 and the lid body 3, and the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2 in this embodiment.

[0064] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate storage container 2 Container body 21 Container body opening 22 Back wall 23 Top wall 236 Top flange (hanging portion) 24 Bottom wall 25 First side wall 26 Second side wall 27 Substrate storage space 28 Opening periphery 281 Sealing surface 3 Lid 331 Peripheral edge facing portion 4 Sealing member 81 First rib 811 Top 812 Base 82 Second rib 821 Top 822 Base 86 First step (step) P281 Position P811 Position P812 Position D1 Front-to-rear direction D11 Front side D12 Rear side D2-D3 Direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction W Substrate

Claims

1. A container body having a circuit board storage space formed inside capable of accommodating multiple circuit boards, an opening peripheral portion formed at one end of the front side that communicates with the circuit board storage space, and the other end at the rear side being closed by a back wall, A substrate storage container comprising: a lid that is detachable from the opening of the container body and capable of closing the opening of the container body, the lid having a peripheral edge facing portion that faces the peripheral edge of the opening, The lid further includes a sealing member that is interposed between the opening periphery and the opposing periphery, and that adheres tightly to the opening periphery and the opposing periphery, thereby sealing the opening of the container body in an airtight manner. The container body further comprises an opposing upper wall and a lower wall, an opposing first side wall and a second side wall, and a rear wall to which the rear end of the upper wall, the rear end of the lower wall, the rear end of the first side wall, and the rear end of the second side wall are connected. The front end of the upper wall, the front end of the lower wall, the front end of the first side wall, and the front end of the second side wall constitute the opening periphery. The opening periphery has a sealing surface that the sealing member contacts at a position behind the opening edge of the opening periphery, The container body has a first rib that stands upright in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction at the position of the sealing surface, and a second rib that stands upright in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction at a position spaced further back than the first rib. A substrate storage container wherein the second rib extends continuously at least across the first side wall, the upper wall, and the second side wall.

2. The container body further includes a suspension portion which becomes the part of the circuit board storage container that is suspended when the circuit board storage container is suspended, The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the second rib is positioned between the first rib and the suspension portion in the front-rear direction.

3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the upper wall located at the base of the second rib has a step that is recessed inward toward the rear in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

4. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the position of the top of the first rib and the position of the top of the second rib are the same in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction.

5. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the distance between the first rib and the second rib in the front-to-back direction is 10 to 50 mm.

6. The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second rib extends across the first side wall, the upper wall, the second side wall, and the lower wall.