Substrate storage container

Abstract

Provided is a substrate storage container 1 comprising: a container body 2 in which a substrate storage space 27 is formed; a lid body 3 capable of occluding a container body opening 21; a groove forming portion 2450b having a downwardly opening groove; a fixed portion 2450a that is engaged with a fixing portion 2401 of a lower wall 24; a groove member 245 supported and fixed to the lower wall 24; and a bottom plate 244 that is fixed to the lower wall 24 and constitutes a bottom portion of the container body 2 together with the lower wall 24, where a part of the groove member 245 is supported and fixed to the lower wall 24 in a state of being covered by the bottom plate 244.

Description

Substrate storage container

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for storing, preserving, transporting, and shipping substrates such as semiconductor wafers, reticles, and printed circuit boards.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Substrate storage containers for storing various types of substrates have been known which are configured to include a container body and a lid (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] One end of the container body has a container body opening. The other end of the container body has a closed cylindrical wall. A substrate storage space is formed within the container body. The substrate storage space is surrounded by the wall and is capable of storing substrates. The lid is detachable from the container body opening and is capable of closing the container body opening. The side substrate support portions are provided on the wall in pairs within the substrate storage space. When the container body opening is not closed by the lid, the side substrate support portions are capable of supporting the edges of adjacent substrates in a state where they are arranged side by side and spaced a predetermined distance apart.

[0004] A front retainer (lid-side substrate support portion) 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 edge of the substrate 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 edge of the substrate. When the container body opening is closed by the lid, the rear-side substrate support portion cooperates with the front retainer to support the substrate, thereby supporting the substrates in a state in which adjacent substrates are spaced apart and aligned in parallel at a predetermined distance.

[0005] Patent No. 6652232 Patent No. 4921429

[0006] A slider (kinematic slider) is fixedly provided on the lower wall that forms the lower part of the wall portion of the container body. When the container body is set in a processing device that performs a predetermined process on wafers as substrates stored in the container body, the slider is supported by abutting against a guide pin (positioning pin) of the processing device.

[0007] Specifically, the substrate storage container is placed on the processing equipment, and operations from opening and closing the lid to inserting and removing substrates are carried out automatically. For this purpose, a positioning stage is provided on the processing equipment and is fixed in place by three positioning pins. A kinematic slider made of a material with good sliding properties is provided separately from the container body at the part of the substrate storage container that comes into contact with the positioning pins. The kinematic slider is attached to the container body by insert molding or assembly and fixing using hooks, etc.

[0008] However, in a structure where the kinematic slider is assembled and fixed using hooks, etc., there is a problem that the kinematic slider can rattle or become dislodged due to external interference. If it becomes dislodged, it can become misaligned on the device, causing problems such as problems with opening and closing the lid and making it impossible to insert or remove the board.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container having a configuration that makes it difficult for a kinematic slider to come off from the container body.

[0010] the container body has a cylindrical wall portion having a container body opening at one end and a closed end at the other end, the wall portion having a rear wall, an upper wall, a lower wall, and a pair of side walls, the container body opening being formed by one end of the upper wall, one end of the lower wall, and one end of the side walls, and the inner surfaces of the upper wall, the lower wall, the side walls, and the rear wall form a substrate storage space capable of storing a plurality of substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening; a groove member that has a groove forming portion formed with a groove that opens downward, and a fixed portion that engages with a fixing portion of the lower wall, the groove member being supported and fixed to the bottom wall; and a bottom plate that is fixed to the bottom wall and forms the bottom of the container body together with the bottom wall, and a portion of the groove member being supported and fixed to the bottom wall while being covered by the bottom plate.

[0011] Preferably, the groove member is fixed to the bottom wall by screws. Preferably, a portion of the groove member is a part of the peripheral edge of the groove member, and at least half of the peripheral edge of the groove member on the other end side of the container body is covered by the bottom plate. Preferably, a portion of the groove member is a part of the peripheral edge of the groove member, and the entire peripheral edge of the groove member is covered by the bottom plate.

[0012] The groove of the groove member is preferably a V-shaped groove that conforms to the shape of the tip of a kinematic pin for positioning the container body. The groove member is preferably made of at least one thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of POM, PBT, and PEEK. The thermoplastic resin is preferably doped with at least one of fluorine, PE, CF, CP, and CNT.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container having a configuration in which the kinematic slider is unlikely to come off from the container body.

[0014] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of substrates W are stored in a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view showing a container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a lower perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 taken along line A-A in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 taken along line B-B in FIG.

[0015] [Overall Configuration of Substrate Storage Container 1] The substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of substrates W are stored in the substrate storage container 1. Fig. 2 is an upper perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Fig. 3 is a lower perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 taken along line A-A in Fig. 3.

[0016] For ease of explanation, the direction from the container body 2 (described below) toward the lid 3 (the 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 collectively defined as the front-to-rear direction D1. Furthermore, the direction from the lower wall 24 (described below) toward the upper wall 23 (the 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 collectively defined as the up-down direction D2. Furthermore, the direction from the second side wall 26 (described below) toward the first side wall 25 (the 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 collectively defined as the left-right direction D3. Arrows indicating these directions are shown in the main drawings.

[0017] The substrates W (see FIG. 1) stored in the substrate storage container 1 are disc-shaped silicon wafers, glass wafers, sapphire wafers, etc., and are thin wafers used in industry. In this embodiment, the substrates W are silicon wafers with a diameter of 300 mm.

[0018] 1 to 4, substrate storage container 1 is used to store substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above and transport them in processes within a factory, or as a shipping container for transporting substrates by land, air, sea, or other transportation means, and is composed of a container body 2 and a lid 3. Container body 2 includes substrate support plate-shaped portions 5 serving as side substrate support portions, and a rear substrate support portion 6. Lid 3 includes a front retainer (not shown) serving as a lid-side substrate support portion.

[0019] 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. 1 , the substrate storage space 27 can store a plurality of substrates W.

[0020] The substrate support plate parts 5 are interior components arranged in pairs within the substrate storage space 27, and are removably fixed to the wall part 20. The substrate support plate parts 5 abut against the edges of the substrates W, thereby supporting the edges of the substrates W while arranging adjacent substrates W in parallel with a predetermined distance between them. A rear substrate support part 6 is provided on the rear side of the substrate support plate part 5 and is molded integrally with the substrate support plate part 5.

[0021] The rear substrate support portion 6 is provided on the wall portion 20 so as to form a pair with a front retainer (not shown) described later within the substrate storage space 27. The rear substrate support portion 6 can support the rear portions of the edges of the plurality of substrates W by abutting against the edges of the plurality of substrates W.

[0022] 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. A front retainer (not shown) 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 is disposed inside the substrate storage space 27 so as to form a pair with the rear substrate support portion 6.

[0023] When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the front retainer can support 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, the front retainer supports the substrates W in cooperation with the rear substrate support portion 6, thereby holding adjacent substrates W in a parallel arrangement with a predetermined distance between them.

[0024] The substrate storage container 1 is made of a resin such as a plastic material, and unless otherwise specified, examples of the resin material include thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone, and liquid crystal polymer, as well as alloys of these. To impart conductivity to these molding material resins, conductive materials such as carbon fiber, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers are selectively added. Glass fiber, carbon fiber, and the like can also be added to increase rigidity.

[0025] 1 to 4, the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 has a rear wall 22, an upper wall 23, a lower wall 24, a first side wall 25, and a second side wall 26. The rear wall 22, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are made of the above-mentioned materials and are integrally molded.

[0026] 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 form an opening periphery 28 that defines the container body opening 21, which has a substantially rectangular shape.

[0027] The opening periphery 28 is provided at one end of the container body 2, and the rear wall 22 is located at the other end 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 thereby. 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] Ribs 235 are formed integrally with the upper wall 23 on the outer surface of the upper wall 23. The ribs 235 increase the rigidity of the container body 2. A top flange 236 is fixed to the center of the upper wall 23. The top flange 236 is a member that is hung on and suspended from the substrate storage container 1 when the substrate storage container 1 is suspended in an AMHS (automated wafer transport system), PGV (wafer substrate transport vehicle), or the like.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, a bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 has a plate shape and is disposed opposite the lower surface that constitutes the outer surface of the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24 and, together with the lower wall 24, constitutes the bottom of the container body 2. In Fig. 3, the bottom plate 244 is shown by a solid line for easy understanding, and other members are shown by two-dot chain lines.

[0031] Specifically, the bottom plate 244 has a portion extending from a central portion facing the center of the lower wall 24 in a direction toward a pair of exhaust holes 243 described below, a portion facing the rear of the lower wall 24 rearward of the central portion, and a portion extending in the front-to-rear direction D1 along the edge of the left and right lower wall 24.

[0032] The bottom plate 244 has a portion extending from a central portion facing the center of the lower wall 24 toward a pair of exhaust holes 243 (described later) and a portion facing the rear portion of the lower wall 24 behind the central portion, which cover a part of a kinematic slider 245 (described later) as a groove member. As a result, the kinematic slider 245 is supported and fixed to the lower wall 24.

[0033] 5, the edge of the bottom plate 244 has a supported portion 2443 having a portion extending parallel to the lower wall 24 and a portion extending upward (downward in FIGS. 5 and 6) from one end thereof to abut against the lower wall 24, and an inclined wall 2442 extending diagonally upward (downward in FIG. 5) from the edge of the supported portion 2443. Also, as shown in FIG. 6, the edge of the bottom plate 244 has a supported portion 2448 having a portion extending parallel to the lower wall 24 and a portion extending upward (downward in FIG. 6) from one end thereof to abut against the lower wall 24, and an inclined wall 2447 extending diagonally upward (downward in FIG. 6) from the edge of the supported portion 2448.

[0034] Two types of through-holes, air supply holes 242 and exhaust holes 243, are formed near the four corners of the bottom wall 24. In this embodiment, the two through-holes in the front part of the bottom wall 24 are exhaust holes 243 for discharging gas from inside the container body 2, and the two through-holes in the rear part are air supply holes 242 for supplying gas into the container body 2.

[0035] An air supply filter 98 serving as an additional component is disposed in the through-hole serving as the air supply hole 242, and an exhaust filter 99 is disposed in the through-hole serving as the exhaust hole 243. That is, the gas flow paths inside the air supply filter 98 and the exhaust filter 99 form part of an air passage that can communicate between the substrate storage space 27 and the space outside the container body 2. The air supply filter 98 and the exhaust filter 99 are disposed on the wall 20, and gas can pass through the air supply filter 98 and the exhaust filter 99 between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27 via a filter (not shown). Purge gas supplied to the air supply filter 98 is configured to be supplied to the substrate storage space 27. The exhaust filter 99 is configured to allow gas to pass from the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2.

[0036] [Kinematic Slider 245] The kinematic slider 245 as a groove member is a member fixed to the bottom wall 24 so as to abut against positioning pins on a processing device (not shown) when the substrate storage container 1 is placed in the processing device, which automatically performs processes from opening and closing the lid 3 to loading and unloading the substrates W. The kinematic slider 245 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with the center at the center when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the groove member 245 shown in FIG.

[0037] 3 and other figures, the kinematic slider 245 includes a fixed portion 2450a that is made up of both end portions in the longitudinal direction and is fixed and supported by screws 247 to a fixing portion 2401 that is part of the bottom wall 24 and fixes the kinematic slider 245 to the bottom wall 24, and a groove forming portion 2450b that is made up of the portion between the both end portions and has a gable-shaped portion 2454 in which a groove that opens downward is formed. The fixed portion 2450a and the groove forming portion 2450b are integrally molded and connected.

[0038] The gable-shaped portion 2454 has a gable roof shape. The lower surface (the pair of upper inclined surfaces in FIGS. 5 and 6 ) of the gable-shaped portion 2454 forms a V-shaped groove that opens downward (upward in FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The shape of this V-shaped groove follows the shape of the tips of three positioning pins (kinematic pins) of a positioning stage in a processing apparatus (not shown) on which the substrate storage container 1 is placed. The bottom of the V-shaped groove is formed by a part of the lower wall 24.

[0039] 5 and 6 , horizontal portions 2453 are integrally molded with and connected to the gable-shaped portions 2454 on both sides in the width direction of the kinematic slider 245. The horizontal portions 2453 extend apart from both ends of the gable-shaped portion 2454 in the width direction, and constitute the peripheral portion of the gable-shaped portion 2454 of the kinematic slider 245. In addition, a part of the fixed portion 2450a other than the part of the fixed portion 2450a connected to the gable-shaped portion 2454 constitutes the peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245. The other end of the horizontal portion 2453, opposite to the end connected to the gable-shaped portion 2454, is integrally molded and connected to the vertical portion 2452.

[0040] The vertical portions 2452 extend upward (downward in FIGS. 5 and 6) from both widthwise ends of the horizontal portion 2453, and the upper end portions (lower end portions in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the vertical portions 2452 are positioned to coincide with the upper end portions (lower end portions in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the gable-shaped portions 2454 in the up-down direction. Abutment portions 2451 are integrally molded with and connected to the upper end portions of the vertical portions 2452.

[0041] The abutment portion 2451 has a portion that extends horizontally from the vertical portion 2452 so as to be spaced apart from each other, and a portion that extends upward (downward in Figures 5 and 6) from a part of the horizontal portion, and abuts against the lower wall 24.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3, the upper end 2441 (lower end in Fig. 5) of the inclined wall 2442 of the bottom plate 244 around the rearmost kinematic slider 245 of the three kinematic sliders 245 is located below (above in Fig. 5) the horizontal portion 2453. The abutment portion 2451, the vertical portion 2452, and a part of the horizontal portion 2453 are covered from below (from above in Fig. 5) by the inclined wall 2442 and the supported portion 2443 of the bottom plate 244.

[0043] Furthermore, a part of the fixed portion 2450a other than the part of the fixed portion 2450a connected to the gable portion 2454 is also covered by the inclined wall 2442 and the supported portion 2443 of the bottom plate 244. As a result, the entire peripheral portion of one of the three kinematic sliders 245 provided in FIG. 3 that is located on the rear side is covered by the inclined wall 2442 and the supported portion 2443 of the bottom plate 244.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the peripheral edges of the two front kinematic sliders 245 are covered over half their circumferences by the inclined walls 2447 and the supported portions 2448 of the bottom plate 244.

[0045] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper end 2446 (lower end in FIG. 6) of the inclined wall 2447 of the bottom plate 244 around the two kinematic sliders 245 located at the front of the three kinematic sliders 245 is located below the horizontal portion 2453 (upper in FIG. 6), as shown in FIG. The abutment portion 2451, the vertical portion 2452, and part of the horizontal portion 2453, which are located on the rear side (the portion located to the left of the bottom of the V-shaped groove of the kinematic slider 245 in Figure 6), are covered from below (from above as shown in Figure 6) by the inclined wall 2447 and the supported portion 2448 of the bottom plate 244, but the portion located on the front side (the portion located to the right of the bottom of the V-shaped groove of the kinematic slider 245 in Figure 6) is not covered by the inclined wall 2447 and the supported portion 2448 of the bottom plate 244.

[0046] Furthermore, a part of the fixed portion 2450a other than the part of the fixed portion 2450a connected to the gable portion 2454 is also covered by the inclined wall 2447 and the supported portion 2448 of the bottom plate 244. Specifically, of the three kinematic sliders 245 provided as shown in FIG. 3, the rear half of each of the fixed portions 2450a of the two kinematic sliders 245 located at the front is covered by the inclined wall 2447 (see FIG. 6) and the supported portion 2448 (see FIG. 6) of the bottom plate 244, but the front half of the fixed portion 2450a is not covered by the inclined wall 2447 and the supported portion 2448 of the bottom plate 244.

[0047] As a result, the peripheral portions of the two kinematic sliders 245 located at the front of the three kinematic sliders 245 shown in Figure 3 are covered by the inclined wall 2447 and the supported portion 2448 of the bottom plate 244 over half of the circumference on the rear side, which is the other end side of the container body 2.

[0048] The kinematic slider 245 is made of a thermoplastic resin, which is a material with good sliding properties, separate from the container body 2. Specifically, in this embodiment, the kinematic slider 245 is made of at least one thermoplastic resin selected from the group consisting of POM (polyacetal resin), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate resin), and PEEK (polyether ether ketone resin). Furthermore, these thermoplastic resins may contain at least one of fluorine, PE (polyethylene), and CF (carbon filler; specifically, CF (carbon fiber), CP (carbon powder), and CNT (carbon nanotube)).

[0049] [Protrusions 8] The rear wall 22 has protrusions 8 serving as gas ejection nozzles. Two protrusions 8 are provided in pairs. Two protrusions 8 are fixed to the bottom wall 24 of the container body 2 by inserting them, one at a time, into holes formed in the bottom wall 24 of the container body 2 near the two air inlet holes 242 so that the bases of the protrusions are airtightly connected to the air passage inside the air supply filter section 98. In addition, the upper part of the protrusion 8, which is the tip side of the protrusion 8, is fixed to the rear wall 22 constituting the wall section 20 by snap fitting, welding, or the like.

[0050] With this configuration, the pair of protrusions 8 protrude from the rear wall 22 in a rib-like manner toward the container body opening 21, and extend parallel to each other from the upper end to the lower end of the rear wall 22. The protrusions 8 have a hollow columnar shape.

[0051] The protrusion 8 supplies gas that has flowed into the air passage, which is a gas flow path inside the air supply filter section 98 and which can connect the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2, to the substrate storage space 27.

[0052] 1 , the lid body 3 has a generally rectangular shape that generally matches the shape of the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2. The lid body 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2, and by attaching the lid body 3 to the opening periphery 28, the lid body 3 can close the container body opening 21 in a positional relationship in which it is surrounded by the opening periphery 28.

[0053] An annular sealing member 4 is attached to the inner surface of the lid 3 (the back surface of the lid 3 shown in FIG. 1 ), which faces the surface of a step (sealing surface 281) formed immediately in the rear direction D12 of the opening peripheral edge 28 when the lid 3 is closing the container body opening 21, so as to go around the outer periphery of the lid 3. The sealing member 4 is arranged so as to go around the lid 3. The sealing member 4 is made of various thermoplastic elastomers such as elastically deformable polyesters and polyolefins, fluororubber, silicone rubber, etc.

[0054] When the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the sealing member 4 is sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the lid 3 and elastically deforms. That is, with the sealing member 4 interposed between the lid 3 and the container body 2, the lid 3 can close the container body opening 21 while the lid 3 and the opening periphery 28 are spaced apart without coming into contact with each other. 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 within the container body 2.

[0055] 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 Fig. 1, includes two upper latch portions 32A, 32A that can protrude in an upward direction D21 from the upper edge of the lid 3, and two lower latch portions 32B, 32B that can protrude in a downward direction D22 from the lower edge of the lid 3. The two upper latch portions 32A, 32A are located near both left and right ends of the upper edge of the lid 3, and the two lower latch portions 32B, 32B are located near both left and right ends of the lower edge of the lid 3.

[0056] An operating portion 33 is provided on the outer surface of the lid body 3. By operating the operating portion 33 from the front side of the lid body 3, the upper latch portions 32A, 32A and the lower latch portions 32B, 32B can be made to protrude from the upper and lower edges of the lid body 3, or can be made to not protrude from the upper and lower edges. The upper latch portions 32A, 32A protrude in the upward direction D21 from the upper edge of the lid body 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch portions 32B, 32B protrude in the downward direction D22 from the lower edge of the lid body 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 241A, 241B of the container body 2, thereby fixing the lid body 3 to the container body opening 21 of the container body 2.

[0057] A recess (not shown) is formed on the inside of the cover 3 (the rearward direction D12 side of the cover 3 in FIG. 1 ) and recessed outward (in the forward direction D11) from the board storage space 27. A front retainer (not shown) is fixed to the recess.

[0058] The front retainer (not shown) has a front retainer board receiving portion (not shown). The front retainer board receiving portion (not shown) is arranged in a single central location in the left-right direction D3. The front retainer board receiving portion is not limited to a single central location in the left-right direction D3, but may be arranged in multiple locations, for example, two pairs spaced a predetermined distance apart. Twenty-five pairs of front retainer board receiving portions arranged in this manner are provided in parallel in the vertical direction. When a substrate W is stored in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the front retainer board receiving portion supports the edge of the edge of the substrate W.

[0059] Effects of the embodiment The substrate storing container 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above can provide the following effects. The substrate storing container 1 according to the present embodiment has a cylindrical wall portion 20 having an opening periphery 28 at one end where a container body opening 21 is formed and the other end is closed, the wall portion 20 having a back wall 22, an upper wall 23, a lower wall 24, and a pair of side walls 25, 26, and the container body opening 21 is formed by one end of the upper wall 23, one end of the lower wall 24, and one end of the side walls 25, 26. The inner surfaces of the upper wall 23, the inner surface of the lower wall 24, the inner surfaces of the side walls 25, 26, and the inner surface of the back wall 22 form a substrate storing space 27 capable of storing a plurality of substrates W and communicating with the container body opening 21. the container body 2; a lid body 3 that is detachable from the container body opening 21 and can close the container body opening 21; a groove forming portion 2450b in which a groove that opens downward is formed; a fixed portion 2450a that is engaged with a fixing portion 2401 of the bottom wall 24; a kinematic slider 245 as a groove member that is supported and fixed to the bottom wall 24; and a bottom plate 244 that is fixed to the bottom wall 24 and forms the bottom of the container body 2 together with the bottom wall 24, and a portion of the kinematic slider 245 is supported and fixed to the bottom wall 24 while being covered by the bottom plate 244.

[0060] With this configuration, even if another object outside the substrate storage container 1 collides with the kinematic slider 245 and a force acts on it, a part of the kinematic slider 245 that is about to come off the lower wall 24 will abut against the inclined walls 2442, 2447 of the bottom plate 244 that covers the kinematic slider 245, thereby preventing the slider from coming off and making it less likely to come off.

[0061] As a result, when the container body 2 is set in a processing device (not shown) that performs a predetermined process on wafers as substrates W stored in the container body 2, the container body 2 is fixed by three positioning pins on a positioning stage provided on the processing device. At this time, it is possible to prevent the container body 2 from shifting position relative to the processing device, which can cause problems such as malfunctions in opening and closing the lid 3 or inability to insert or remove the substrates W.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 according to the present embodiment, the kinematic slider 245 serving as a groove member is fixed to the bottom wall 24 by screws. This configuration makes it possible to fix the kinematic slider 245 to the bottom wall 24 more firmly.

[0063] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment, a portion of the kinematic slider 245 serving as a groove member is part of the periphery of the kinematic slider 245, and is covered by the bottom plate 244 over half the periphery of the periphery of the kinematic slider 245 on the other end side of the container body 2. With this configuration, even if the kinematic slider 245 is about to come off the bottom wall 24, the bottom plate 244 covers half the periphery of the kinematic slider 245, and the periphery of the kinematic slider 245 and the bottom plate 244 come into contact with each other at this portion, thereby making it possible to prevent the kinematic slider 245 from coming off the bottom wall 24.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the substrate storage container 1 of the present embodiment, a part of the kinematic slider 245 as a groove member is the peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245, and the entire peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245 is covered by the bottom plate 244. With this configuration, even if the kinematic slider 245 is about to come off the bottom wall 24, the entire peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245 is covered by the bottom plate 244, and the entire peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245 abuts against the bottom plate 244, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the kinematic slider 245 from coming off the bottom wall 24.

[0065] In addition, in the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment, the groove of the kinematic slider 245 serving as a groove member is configured as a V-shaped groove following the shape of the tip of a kinematic pin (not shown) for positioning the container body 2. This makes it possible for the tip of the kinematic pin to maintain a stable contact state with the valley bottom of the groove formed by a pair of upper inclined surfaces in Figures 5 and 6 that configure the lower surface of the gable-shaped portion 2454 of the kinematic slider 245 in the groove.

[0066] Furthermore, in a state where the tip of the kinematic pin abuts against the kinematic slider 245 in the groove, the kinematic slider 245 can be easily moved relative to the tip of the kinematic pin. As a result, it becomes possible to easily position the container body 2 including the kinematic slider 245 by the tip of the kinematic pin.

[0067] Furthermore, in the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment, the kinematic slider 245 serving as a groove member is made of at least one thermoplastic resin selected from POM, PBT, and PEEK, which provides high sliding characteristics to the kinematic slider 245, enabling smoother positioning when the tip of the kinematic pin abuts against the kinematic slider 245.

[0068] Furthermore, in the substrate storage container 1 according to this embodiment, which includes resin parts such as the kinematic slider 245, at least one of fluorine, PE, CF, CP, and CNT may be added to the thermoplastic resin. This allows the kinematic slider 245 to have high heat resistance, high chemical resistance, low friction and slipperiness, high non-stickiness (non-stickiness), and high conductivity (high anti-static effect). Furthermore, CF (carbon filler, specifically, CF (carbon fiber), CP (carbon powder), and CNT (carbon nanotube)) can increase the strength of the thermoplastic resin constituting the substrate storage container 1, including the kinematic slider 245.

[0069] [Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0070] For example, the configurations of the bottom plate and the groove member are not limited to the configurations of the bottom plate 244 and the kinematic slider 245 in this embodiment. Also, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, the peripheral portions of the two front kinematic sliders 245 are covered over half their circumferences by the inclined walls 2447 and the supported portions 2448 of the bottom plate 244, but this configuration is not limiting. The peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245 may be covered over at least half its circumference by the inclined walls 2447 and the supported portions 2448 of the bottom plate 244.

[0071] Similarly, the peripheral portion of the kinematic slider 245 located at the rear of the three kinematic sliders 245 is covered over the entire circumference by the inclined wall 2442 and the supported portion 2443 of the bottom plate 244, but this is not limited to this, and it may be covered over at least half of the circumference by the inclined wall 2442 and the supported portion 2443 of the bottom plate 244.

[0072] Furthermore, the shapes of the container body and lid body, and the number and dimensions of substrates W that can be stored in the container body are not limited to the shapes of the container body 2 and lid body 3, and the number and dimensions of substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2 in this embodiment.

[0073] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Substrate storage container 2 Container body 3 Lid 20 Wall 21 Container body opening 22 Back wall 23 Upper wall 24 Lower wall 25 First side wall (side wall) 26 Second side wall (side wall) 27 Substrate storage space 244 Bottom plate 245 Kinematic slider (groove member) 247 Screw 2401 Fixing portion 2450a Fixed portion (periphery) 2450b Groove-forming portion 2451 Contact portion (periphery) 2452 Vertical portion (periphery) 2453 Horizontal portion (periphery) W Substrate

Claims

1. A tubular wall portion having a container body opening formed at one end and the other end closed, having a back wall, an upper wall, a lower wall, and a pair of side walls, and the container body opening is formed by one end of the upper wall, one end of the lower wall, and one end of the side wall. A container body capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates by the inner surface of the upper wall, the inner surface of the lower wall, the inner surface of the side wall, and the inner surface of the back wall, and having a substrate accommodation space communicating with the container body opening; A lid that is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening; A groove forming portion in which a groove opening downward is formed; A fixed portion locked to the fixed portion of the lower wall; A groove member supported and fixed to the lower wall; A bottom plate fixed to the lower wall and constituting the bottom of the container body together with the lower wall; A substrate storage container, wherein a part of the groove member is supported and fixed to the lower wall in a state covered by the bottom plate.

2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the groove member is fixed to the lower wall by screwing.

3. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein a part of the groove member is a part of the peripheral edge of the groove member, and is covered by the bottom plate over at least half a circumference of the peripheral edge of the groove member on the other end side of the container body.

4. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein a part of the groove member is the peripheral edge of the groove member, and is covered by the bottom plate over the entire circumference of the peripheral edge of the groove member.

5. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the groove of the groove member is formed by a V-shaped groove following the shape of the tip of a kinematic pin for positioning the container body.

6. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the groove member is made of at least one thermoplastic resin among POM, PBT, and PEEK.

7. The substrate storage container according to claim 6, wherein at least one of fluorine, PE, CF, CP, and CNT is added to the thermoplastic resin.

Images