Substrate storage container, filter unit, and aggregated filter

Abstract

A substrate storage container 1 comprises: a container body 2; a lid body; a seal member; and a filter unit 80 that has a ventilation path 801 capable of establishing communication between a substrate storage space 27 and a space outside the container body 2, a filter 85 that is disposed in the ventilation path 801, and housings 81, 82, 83, and 84 that form the ventilation path 801, the filter unit being disposed in the container body 2 and allowing gas to pass between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27 through the filter 85, wherein an opening 802 of the housings 81–84 that is open toward the outside of the container body 2 has a fitted recess formation portion that forms a recess 847 that is recessed toward the inside of the container body 2, and an aggregated filter 8441 is provided fitted into the recess 847.

Description

Substrate storage container, filter unit, and lump filter

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for storing, preserving, transporting, and shipping substrates such as semiconductor wafers, a filter unit provided in the substrate storage container, and a lump filter provided in the filter unit.

[0002] Conventionally, substrate storage containers for storing substrates made of semiconductor wafers and transporting them during processes within a factory have been known that include a container body and a lid (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5).

[0003] One end of the container body has an opening periphery where a container body opening is formed. 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 opening periphery and is capable of closing the container body opening. The side substrate support portions are provided on the wall portions 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 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 holding the substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are spaced apart and aligned in parallel at a predetermined distance.

[0005] The container body is also provided with a check valve. Gas purging is performed through the check valve with an inert gas such as nitrogen or dry air with moisture removed (1% or less) (hereinafter referred to as purge gas) from the outside of the container body into the substrate storage space. The check valve prevents the gas filled into the substrate storage space by gas purging from leaking out.

[0006] The check valve is also provided with a filter that removes particles, organic matter, moisture, etc. contained in the gas that flows in through the filter from outside the container body. The vent hole where the check valve is provided is used separately as an inlet and an exhaust hole. The inlet is provided with an air intake filter section that includes the above-mentioned filter, and the exhaust hole is provided with an exhaust filter section that includes the above-mentioned filter.

[0007] JP 2008-282982 A JP 2017-147372 A JP 2021-40089 A JP 2009-105205 ​​A JP 2019-21717 A

[0008] In the filter portion constituting the check valve described above, when the container body in which the filter portion is provided is washed, the cleaning liquid seeps into the inside of the filter portion, and even after the container body and filter portion have been dried after washing, it has been difficult to remove the liquid from inside the filter portion.

[0009] Specifically, in the air intake filter unit, when gas purging is performed, a compression spring with a small spring constant must be used to design the valve body that constitutes the check valve so that it opens easily to facilitate the flow of gas in. For this reason, the valve body is easily opened by the liquid pressure during cleaning, allowing liquid to enter the interior, but when drying, the valve body closes, making it impossible to remove the liquid that has entered the interior of the air intake filter unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the exhaust filter section has an opening facing the outside of the container body that is left open, making it easy for liquid to enter the inside of the exhaust filter section during cleaning. Furthermore, because the internal structure of the exhaust filter section is complex, it is difficult to remove liquid remaining between the internal parts of the exhaust filter section during drying.

[0011] Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 4, in a configuration in which the opening of the exhaust filter section that opens toward the outside of the container body is covered with a filter, there is a risk that the filter will peel off due to the gas pressure during gas purging or the liquid pressure during cleaning.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container, a filter unit, and a block filter in which cleaning water is less likely to enter the inside of the filter unit and the filter does not peel off.

[0013] The present invention provides a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall portion having a closed other end, the inner surface of the wall portion forming a substrate storage space capable of storing substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the opening periphery and can close the container body opening in a position surrounded by the opening periphery; and a lid body that is attached to the lid body and can abut against the lid body and the opening periphery, and that is interposed between the opening periphery and the lid body and abuts tightly against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby forming a container body together with the lid body. The present invention relates to a substrate storage container having a sealing member that closes the main body opening, an air passage that can connect the substrate storage space to the space outside the container main body, a filter arranged in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, and a filter section that is arranged in the container main body and allows gas to pass between the space outside the container main body and the substrate storage space through the filter, wherein the opening of the housing that opens toward the outside of the container main body has a mating recess forming section that forms a recess that is recessed toward the inside of the container main body, and a block filter is fitted into the recess.

[0014] Here, it is preferable that the fitting recess forming portion has a convex portion that protrudes into the recess, and that the block filter has a recess that fits into the convex portion. Also, it is preferable that the block filter is fitted into the recess by any of press fitting, adhesive, fusion, and insert molding.

[0015] The present invention also provides a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall portion having a closed other end, the inner surface of the wall portion forming a substrate storage space capable of storing substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the opening periphery and can close the container body opening in a position surrounded by the opening periphery; and a lid body that is attached to the lid body and can abut against the lid body and the opening periphery, and that is interposed between the opening periphery and the lid body and abuts tightly against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid body. and a sealing member for blocking the space, the filter section having an air passage that can communicate the substrate storage space with the space outside the container body, a filter disposed in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, the filter section being disposed in the container body and allowing gas to pass between the space outside the container body and the substrate storage space through the filter, the opening of the housing that opens toward the outside of the container body having a fitted recess forming portion that forms a recess that is recessed toward the inside of the container body, and a lump filter being fitted into the recess.

[0016] Here, it is preferable that the fitting recess forming portion has a convex portion that protrudes into the recess, and that the block filter has a recess that fits into the convex portion. Also, it is preferable that the block filter is fitted into the recess by any of press fitting, adhesive, fusion, and insert molding.

[0017] The present invention also provides a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall portion having a closed other end, the inner surface of the wall portion forming a substrate storage space capable of storing substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the opening periphery and can close the container body opening in a position surrounded by the opening periphery; and a lid body that is attached to the lid body and can abut against the lid body and the opening periphery, and that is interposed between the opening periphery and the lid body and abuts closely against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid body. a sealing member; and a block filter attached to a filter section provided in a substrate storage container, the filter section having an air passage that can connect the substrate storage space with the space outside the container body, a filter arranged in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, the block filter being arranged in the container body, allowing gas to pass between the space outside the container body and the substrate storage space through the filter, the opening of the housing that opens toward the outside of the container body having a mating recess forming section that forms a recess that is recessed toward the inside of the container body, and the block filter being mated with the recess.

[0018] Preferably, the recess-forming portion has a protruding portion that protrudes inward from the recess, and a recess that fits into the protruding portion is formed. Furthermore, it is preferable that the recess-forming portion is fitted into the recess by any of press-fitting, adhesion, fusion, and insert molding.

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container, a filter unit, and a block filter in which cleaning water is less likely to enter the inside of the filter unit and the filter does not peel off.

[0020] 1 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. 2 is an upper perspective view showing a container body 2 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a lower perspective view showing the container body 2 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing an air supply filter unit 80 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view showing a state before a clump filter 8441 is attached to the air supply filter unit 80 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the air supply filter unit 80 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an upper perspective view showing a clump filter 8441 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing an exhaust filter unit 90 of a substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a substrate storage container 1 storing a plurality of substrates W. Fig. 2 is an upper perspective view showing a 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 of the substrate storage container 1.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 1, substrate storage container 1 is used to store substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above and to 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. The container body 2 has substrate support plate-shaped portions 5 and a rear-side substrate support portion 6 (see FIG. 2, etc.) as side substrate support portions, and lid 3 has a front retainer (not shown) as a lid-side substrate support portion.

[0025] 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.

[0026] The substrate support plate portions 5 are provided on the wall portion 20 in pairs within the substrate storage space 27. When the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3, the substrate support plate portions 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 portion 6 is provided on the rear side of the substrate support plate portion 5 and is molded integrally with the substrate support plate portion 5.

[0027] The rear substrate support portion 6 (see FIG. 2 etc.) 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. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the rear substrate support portion 6 abuts against the edges of the substrates W, thereby being able to support the rear portions of the edges of the substrates W.

[0028] The lid 3 is detachable from an opening rim 28 (see FIG. 1, etc.) 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] Each part will be described in detail below. As shown in Fig. 1, the wall 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 1, 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.

[0035] 1, 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.

[0036] 3, a bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 is disposed opposite to the front portion of the lower wall 24 that constitutes the outer surface of the lower wall 24 over substantially the entire area except for portions on the left and right sides, and is fixed to the lower wall 24.

[0037] 3, two types of through-holes, namely, air supply holes 242 and exhaust holes 243, are formed in 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.

[0038] An air intake filter 80 serving as an additional component is disposed in the through-hole serving as the air intake hole 242, and an air exhaust filter 90 is disposed in the through-hole serving as the air exhaust hole 243. That is, the gas flow paths inside the air intake filter 80 and the air exhaust filter 90 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 intake filter 80 and the air exhaust filter 90 are disposed on the wall 20, and gas can pass between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27 through the air intake filter 80 and the air exhaust filter 90. The air intake filter 80 communicates with the internal space of the gas ejection nozzle 8, and the purge gas supplied to the air intake filter 80 through the internal space of the gas ejection nozzle 8 is configured to be supplied to the substrate storage space 27.

[0039] 5 to 7 , the air intake filter section 80 includes an inner opening forming section 81, a first housing section 82, an inner cylindrical section 83, and a second housing section 84 as filter section housings, a filter 85, a valve body 86, a spring 87 as a biasing member, and a contact pad 88. The inner opening forming section 81, the first housing section 82, the inner cylindrical section 83, and the second housing section 84 are each configured as separate bodies made up of separate, independent parts. Therefore, the inner opening forming section 81, the first housing section 82, and the second housing section 84 are configured as separate bodies from the inner cylindrical section 83.

[0040] The filter section housing, which is composed of the inner opening forming section 81, the first housing section 82, the inner cylindrical section 83, and the second housing section 84, forms an air passage 801 having a valve body accommodating chamber 804 that accommodates the valve body 86, and which can communicate between the substrate accommodating space 27 and the space outside the container body 2. In the air supply filter section 80, gas can pass through the filter 85 from the space outside the container body 2 to the substrate accommodating space 27.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 7, the inner opening forming portion 81 has a disk shape. As shown in Fig. 5, the central portion of the inner opening forming portion 81 has a circular protruding portion 811 that protrudes in the upward direction D21. The peripheral portion of the inner opening forming portion 81 has a flat, annular peripheral portion 812.

[0042] 7 , the circular protrusion 811 has a large number of through holes 806 formed radially from the center of the circular protrusion 811. The large number of through holes 806 form an air passage 801. Openings at the upper ends of the large number of through holes 806 open into the substrate storage space 27 and form substrate storage space-side openings 807 connected to the substrate storage space 27. Therefore, the air passage 801 has the substrate storage space-side openings 807.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5 , the first housing portion 82 has a tubular portion 821, an end flange portion 822, and an end plate portion 823. The tubular portion 821 has a cylindrical shape, and a disk-shaped end plate portion 823 is integrally molded and connected to the upper end of the tubular portion 821. A male thread is threaded into the side surface (outer peripheral surface) of the tubular portion 821. A small flange portion 824 is integrally molded with the tubular portion 821 on a portion of the side surface of the tubular portion 821 above the male thread portion. The end flange portion 822 is integrally molded with the tubular portion 821 at the upper end of the tubular portion 821 above the portion of the tubular portion 821 where the small flange portion 824 is located.

[0044] The end flange portion 822 has a protrusion 825 extending in the upward direction D21. The protrusion 825 and the portion of the annular circumferential edge portion 812 where the recess 815 is formed in the inner opening forming portion 81 are welded together, thereby fixing the end flange portion 822 to the annular circumferential edge portion 812. As a result, the first housing portion 82 is connected to the inner opening forming portion 81 in a coaxial positional relationship with the inner opening forming portion 81.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5 , the inner cylindrical portion 83 has a cylindrical portion 831. The cylindrical portion 831 has a cylindrical shape. The inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 831 forms an inner peripheral sliding surface on which a side protrusion 864 of a valve body main body 860 of the valve body 86 (described later) slides. The central portion of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 831 in the up-down direction D2 has a large outer diameter portion 833 with a large outer diameter. An annular groove is formed in the outermost diameter portion of the large outer diameter portion 833, and an O-ring 832 is fitted in the annular groove. The O-ring 832 abuts against the cylindrical portion 821 and provides an airtight seal between the cylindrical portion 831 and the cylindrical portion 821.

[0046] The lower end of the large outer diameter portion 833 is integrally molded and connected to a reduced diameter portion 834 that is provided to reduce the inner diameter of the lower end of the large outer diameter portion 833. A through hole is formed in the center of the reduced diameter portion 834, and this through hole constitutes the external space side accommodation chamber opening 803 as an outer opening. The upper surface of the reduced diameter portion 834 constitutes a valve seat against which an O-ring 866 of the valve body 86 abuts.

[0047] 5 , the second housing portion 84 has a tubular portion 841, an end inward protruding portion 842, an end axial protruding portion 843, and an outward protruding portion 844. The tubular portion 841 has a cylindrical shape. The inner diameter of the tubular portion 841 is larger than the outer diameter of the tubular portion 821 of the first housing portion 82. As a result, the first housing portion 82 is disposed in a space formed by the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 841 of the second housing portion 84, in a coaxial positional relationship with the tubular portion 841 of the second housing portion 84.

[0048] A female thread is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 841. A male thread of the cylindrical portion 821 of the first housing portion 82 is threadedly engaged with the female thread. This fixes the second housing portion 84 to the first housing portion 82. The end inward protrusion 842 is integrally molded with the lower end of the cylindrical portion 841. The end inward protrusion 842 protrudes radially inward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 841 and has an annular plate shape.

[0049] The end axial protrusion 843 has an annular shape and protrudes in the downward direction D22 from the lower surface of the end inward protrusion 842. As shown in Fig. 6 and other figures, the end axial protrusion 843 is provided with rib portions 846 that protrude from the end axial protrusion 843 toward the outside of the cylindrical portion 841. Four rib portions 846 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 841.

[0050] The external protruding portion 844 is connected to the end inward protruding portion 842 by integral molding, and has a cylindrical shape with a short axial length. The inner diameter of the external protruding portion 844 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 831. An opening at the lower end of the external protruding portion 844 forms the external space side opening 802. The external space side opening 802 forms the ventilation path 801. Therefore, the ventilation path 801 has the external space side opening 802.

[0051] The space formed by the inner surface of the cylindrical external protrusion 844 constitutes a recess 847 recessed toward the inside of the container body 2. Therefore, the external protrusion 844 forming the opening of the second housing part 84 that opens toward the outside of the container body 2 has a fitted recess-forming part that forms the recess 847. A lump filter 8441 is provided in the recess 847.

[0052] The lump filter 8441 is made of a material that does not allow liquid to pass through but allows gas to pass through. In this embodiment, the lump filter 8441 is made of a hydrophobic material that does not change its flow resistance even when it gets wet when cleaning the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Specifically, the lump filter 8441 is made of a porous material that is breathable and hydrophobic, or a coated product that has hydrophobic properties, and in this embodiment, it is made of a lump of a PTFE membrane filter.

[0053] As shown in Figures 6 and 8, the lump filter 8441 has a cylindrical shape. As shown in Figure 8, four rectangular cutouts 8442 are formed at the upper end of the lump filter 8441 at equal intervals around the circumference of the lump filter 8441, recessed downward. Four convex portions 845 (see Figure 5) that protrude from the inner surface of the external protrusion 844 that constitutes the recess 847 toward the inside of the recess 847 fit into the cutouts 8442, whereby the lump filter 8441 is fixed to the recess 847 while being fixed to the external protrusion 844. Note that only two convex portions 845 are shown in Figure 5.

[0054] In the block filter 8441, the four convex portions 845 are fitted into the cutouts 8442 in the recess 847 by, for example, press-fitting, bonding, fusion, or insert molding. In this embodiment, the four convex portions 845 are fitted into the cutouts 8442 by press-fitting.

[0055] The portion of the external protrusion 844 surrounding the external space side opening 802, i.e., the lower end of the external protrusion 844, extends in the downward direction D22, which is the direction in which the ventilation path 801 opens at the external space side opening 802. The lower end of the external protrusion 844 and the end axial direction protrusion 843 form a U-shaped portion that opens downward, and the contact pad 88 is fitted into this U-shaped portion.

[0056] The contact pad 88 is formed in a ring shape that is coaxial with the external space side opening 802, and the surface of the outer tip of the contact pad 88 (the lowermost surface of the contact pad 88 in Figure 7) is located lower than the outer tip of the second housing part 84 facing the storage space 27 (the lowermost end of the external protrusion 844 of the second housing part 84 in Figure 5).

[0057] The tip of the contact pad 88 facing outward from the storage space 27 (the bottom surface of the contact pad 88 in FIG. 5) forms a sealing surface that comes into close contact with a purge port (gas injection port) described below. The contact pad 88 prevents gas leakage between the purge port (not shown) and the sealing surface.

[0058] The first housing part 82 is fixed to the bottom wall 24 via an O-ring 89 fitted in a groove formed in the side surface of the first housing part 82. When the first housing part 82 is fixed to the bottom wall 24, the O-ring 89 is used between the first housing part 82 and the bottom wall 24 to seal the gap between the first housing part 82 and the bottom wall 24.

[0059] In the air supply filter section 80, an air passage 801 is formed by the inner opening forming section 81, the first housing section 82, the inner cylindrical section 83, and the second housing section 84 that constitute the filter section housing. More specifically, the air passage 801 continues from an opening 807 on the substrate accommodating space side of the through hole 806 in the inner opening forming section 81, through the valve body accommodating chamber 804 and the inner cylindrical section 83, to an opening 802 on the external space side.

[0060] The valve body 86 may be made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyacetal or polypropylene, and in this embodiment, for example, polyacetal is used as a preferable material.

[0061] The valve element 86 has a substantially cylindrical valve element main body 860 and a seal wall 861. One end of the valve element main body 860 of the valve element 86 is closed by the seal wall 861, which serves as a seal that constitutes the valve element main body 860. An O-ring 866 is provided on the periphery of the seal wall 861. The outer surface of the seal wall 861 constitutes a seal surface 862.

[0062] 5 , the O-ring 866 can close the external-space-side storage chamber opening 803 by abutting against the upper surface of the reduced-diameter portion 834, which serves as a valve seat. Furthermore, the O-ring 866 moves away from the upper surface of the reduced-diameter portion 834, which serves as a valve seat, to open the external-space-side storage chamber opening 803. The external-space-side storage chamber opening 803 is configured to be slightly wider than the external-space-side opening 802, and therefore the opening area of ​​the external-space-side storage chamber opening 803 is larger than the opening area of ​​the external-space-side opening 802.

[0063] As shown in Figure 7, notches 863 are formed in a portion of the valve body 86 that extends from the central position in the axial direction of the valve body 86 to the other end (the lower end in Figure 7). Four notches 863 are formed at equal intervals around the circumference of the valve body 86. A side surface of the valve body 86 is provided with a side surface protrusion 864 as a rib-like portion that protrudes outward from the side surface of the valve body 86 in a semicircular shape.

[0064] The side surface protrusions 864 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the side surface of the valve body 86. Specifically, the side surface protrusions 864 are provided at positions between adjacent notches 863 and at the positions of the notches 863. The side surface protrusions 864 extend on the side surface of the valve body 86 from the lower end in FIG. 7 , which is one end of the valve body 86, to the upper end in FIG. 7 , which is the other end, or to the notch 863.

[0065] The overall length of the valve body 86 in the axial direction is shorter than the distance in the up-down direction D2 from the upper end to the lower end of the tubular portion 831 of the inner tubular portion 83. The protruding end of the side convex portion 864 is slidable along the inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 831 of the inner tubular portion 83 in the axial direction of the tubular portion 831 of the inner tubular portion 83.

[0066] This sliding movement allows the valve body 86 to move between a position (blocking position) where the O-ring 866 abuts against the reduced diameter portion 834 and blocks the external-space-side accommodation chamber opening 803, and a position (uppermost position) where the upper end of the valve body 86 abuts against the end plate portion 823 of the first housing part 82. Therefore, the valve body 86 is movable between a communication position where the valve body accommodation chamber 804 communicates between the substrate accommodation space 27 and the space outside the container body 2, and a communication blocking position where the valve body accommodation chamber 804 blocks communication between the substrate accommodation space 27 and the space outside the container body 2.

[0067] Furthermore, because the side surface protrusion 864 is formed, a space that forms an air passage is secured between the side surface of the valve body 86 and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 831 of the inner cylindrical portion 83. Furthermore, because the valve body 86 has a notch 863, a space that forms the air passage 801 is secured even when the upper end portion of the valve body 86 abuts against the end plate portion 823 of the first housing part 82.

[0068] The filter 85 has a disk shape as shown in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 5, the peripheral edge of the filter 85 is fixed to the end flange portion 822 of the first housing portion 82 and the annular peripheral edge portion 812 of the inner opening forming portion 81 in a positional relationship where the filter 85 is sandwiched between the end flange portion 822 and the annular peripheral edge portion 812. In this way, the filter 85 is disposed in the air passage 801.

[0069] Therefore, the valve body accommodating chamber 804 is located in a portion of the ventilation path 801 closer to the space outside the container body 2 than the filter 85. The filter 85 prevents particles and the like from passing through the through hole 806 of the inner opening forming portion 81.

[0070] The spring 87 serving as a biasing member is a compression spring. The lower end of the spring 87 abuts against the inner surface of the seal wall 861 of the valve body 86. The upper end of the spring 87 abuts against the end plate portion 823 of the first housing portion 82.

[0071] Therefore, when the valve body 86 is in a position blocking the air passage 801, the spring 87 abuts the O-ring 866 against the reduced diameter portion 834 to prevent gas from flowing into the valve body accommodating chamber 804 from the external space side accommodating chamber opening 803, and urges the valve body 86 so that the sealing surface 862 of the valve body 86 blocks the external space side accommodating chamber opening 803.

[0072] 9, the exhaust filter unit 90 differs from the intake filter unit 80 in that the valve body 86 is upside down and the spring 87 is positioned below the valve body 86. Other than this, the exhaust filter unit 90 is the same as the intake filter unit 80, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] 2 and other figures, the substrate support plate-like portions 5 are provided on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, respectively, and are provided in pairs in the left-right direction D3 in the container body 2 within the substrate storage space 27. Specifically, as shown in FIG.

[0074] The plate portions 51 have a generally arcuate plate shape. 25 plate portions 51 are provided on each of the first side walls 25 and the second side walls 26 in the vertical direction D2, for a total of 50 plate portions 51. Adjacent plate portions 51 are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart by 10 mm to 12 mm in the vertical direction D2. Above the topmost plate portion 51, another plate-like member is arranged parallel to the plate portion 51. This plate-like member is located at the top and serves as a guide for the substrate W being inserted into the substrate storage space 27.

[0075] The 25 plate portions 51 provided on the first side wall 25 and the 25 plate portions 51 provided on the second side wall 26 are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction D3. Protrusions 511 and 512 are provided on the upper surfaces of the plate portions 51. The substrate W supported by the plate portions 51 comes into contact only with the protruding ends of the protrusions 511 and 512, and does not come into contact with the plate portions 51 on their surfaces.

[0076] A substrate support plate-like portion 5 configured in this manner is capable of supporting the edges of multiple substrates W while keeping adjacent substrates W spaced apart at a predetermined distance and parallel to each other.

[0077] 4, the rear substrate support portion 6 has a rear edge support portion 60. The rear edge support portion 60 is integrally molded with the container body 2 at the rear end of the plate portion 51 of the substrate support plate portion 5.

[0078] The number of rear edge support portions 60 provided is specifically 25, corresponding to each substrate W that can be stored in the substrate storage space 27. The rear edge support portions 60 arranged on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 are positioned in a positional relationship in the front-to-rear direction D1 so as to form pairs with front retainers, which will be described later. When a substrate W is stored in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the rear edge support portions 60 clamp and support the edge of the substrate W.

[0079] 1, the lid 3 has a generally rectangular shape that generally matches the shape of the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2. The lid 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 of the container body 2, and by attaching the lid 3 to the opening periphery 28, the lid 3 is surrounded by the opening periphery 28, thereby being able to close the container body opening 21.

[0080] 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.

[0081] When the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the sealing member 4 is sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 (see FIG. 1 ) 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.

[0082] 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 upward from the upper edge of the lid 3, and two lower latch portions 32B, 32B that can protrude downward 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.

[0083] 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 portions 32A, 32A and the lower latch portions 32B, 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 portions 32A, 32A protrude upward from the upper edge of the lid 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B of the container body 2, and the lower latch portions 32B, 32B protrude downward from the lower edge of the lid 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 241A, 241B of the container body 2, thereby securing the lid 3 to the opening peripheral edge 28 of the container body 2.

[0084] A recess (not shown) is formed on the inside of the lid 3 (the rearward D12 side of the lid 3 in FIG. 1 ) and recessed outward (in the forward direction D11) from the storage space 27. A front retainer (not shown) is fixed to the recess (not shown) and to the portion of the lid 3 outside the recess.

[0085] The front retainer (not shown) has front retainer board receiving portions (not shown). The front retainer board receiving portions (not shown) are arranged in pairs, two apart at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. Twenty-five pairs of front retainer board receiving portions arranged in parallel in the up-down direction are provided. When a substrate W is stored in the storage space 27 and the lid 3 is closed, the front retainer board receiving portions clamp and support the edge of the substrate W.

[0086] According to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the following effects can be obtained: As described above, the opening of the second housing portion 84 that opens toward the outside of the container body 2 has a fitting recess forming portion that forms a recess 847 that is recessed toward the inside of the container body 2, and the lump filter 8441 is fitted into the recess 847.

[0087] This makes it difficult for cleaning water to enter the air intake filter section 80 and the exhaust filter section 90, and also makes it possible to prevent peeling of the filter 85. In particular, by constructing the block filter 8441 from a material that does not allow liquid to pass through but allows gas to pass through, it becomes possible to prevent cleaning water from entering the air intake filter section 80 and the exhaust filter section 90.

[0088] Furthermore, when the four convex portions 845 of the lumpy filter 8441 are removably fitted into the notches 8442 in the recess 847 by press-fitting or the like, it becomes possible to use a lumpy filter 8441 with a mesh size that corresponds to the type of purge gas or cleaning liquid, such as cleaning water, used.

[0089] Furthermore, according to this embodiment having the above configuration, the fitted recess forming portion that forms the recess 847 has a convex portion 845 that protrudes inward of the recess 847, and the lump filter 8441 is formed with a notch 8442 as a recess that fits into the convex portion 845. This makes it possible to configure the lump filter 8441 so that it can be easily removed from the recess 847.

[0090] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment having the above configuration, the block filter 8441 is fitted into the recess 847 by any of press-fitting, adhesion, fusion, and insert molding. This makes it possible for the block filter 8441 to remain stably installed in the recess 847 without coming off.

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications are possible within the technical scope defined in the claims.

[0092] For example, the configurations of the substrate storage container, the air intake filter section, the exhaust filter section, and the lumpy filter are not limited to the configurations of the substrate storage container 1, the air intake filter section 80, the exhaust filter section 90, and the lumpy filter 8441 in this embodiment. For example, in this embodiment, the convex section 845 is fitted into the cutout 8442 of the lumpy filter 8441, but the cutout 8442 and the convex section 845 may not be provided, and the lumpy filter may be provided in the filter section by adhesion, fusion, insert molding, or the like.

[0093] Furthermore, the shapes of the container body and the lid, and the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body are not limited to the shapes of the container body 2 and the lid 3 in this embodiment, and the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2. Furthermore, although the substrates W in this embodiment are silicon wafers with a diameter of 300 mm, they are not limited to this value.

[0094] In addition, in this embodiment, the rear-side substrate support portion has the rear-side edge support portion 60 that is integrally molded with the container body 2 at the rear end of the plate portion 51 of the substrate support plate portion 5, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the rear-side substrate support portion may not be integrally molded with the container body, but may be configured as a separate body.

[0095] In addition, in this embodiment, the two through-holes in the front part of the lower 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, but this configuration is not limiting. For example, at least one of the two through-holes in the front part of the lower wall may also be an air supply hole for supplying gas into the container body.

[0096] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 substrate storage container 2 container body 3 lid 4 seal member 20 wall portion 21 container body opening 27 substrate storage space 28 opening periphery 80 air supply filter portion (filter portion) 81 inner opening forming portion (housing) 82 first housing portion (housing) 83 nozzle portion (housing) 84 second housing portion (housing) 85 filter 90 exhaust filter portion (filter portion) 844 external protrusion portion (fitted recess forming portion) 847 recess 801 ventilation path 802 external space side opening (opening) 8441 block filter 8442 notch

Claims

1. A container body having a cylindrical wall with an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and the other end closed, the inner surface of which defines a substrate storage space capable of storing substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the opening periphery and can close the container body opening in a position surrounded by the opening periphery; a seal member that is attached to the lid and can abut against the lid and the opening periphery, and is interposed between the opening periphery and the lid to abut tightly against the opening periphery and the lid, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid; an air passage that can communicate the substrate storage space with a space outside the container body, a filter arranged in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, the filter section being arranged on the container body and allowing gas to pass between the space outside the container body and the substrate storage space through the filter, The opening of the housing, which opens toward the outside of the container body, has a mating recess forming portion that forms a recess recessed toward the inside of the container body, and a block filter is fitted into the recess.

2. A substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the mating recess forming portion has a convex portion that protrudes inward of the recess, and the block filter is formed with a recess that fits into the convex portion.

3. A substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the block filter is fitted into the recess by any one of press-fitting, adhesion, fusion, and insert molding.

4. A filter unit provided in a substrate storage container comprising: a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall portion having the other end closed, the inner surface of which forms a substrate storage space capable of storing substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the opening periphery and can close the container body opening in a position surrounded by the opening periphery; and a seal member that is attached to the lid body and can abut against the lid body and the opening periphery, and is interposed between the opening periphery and the lid body and abuts tightly against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid body, the filter unit having an air passage that can communicate the substrate storage space with a space outside the container body, a filter arranged in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, the filter being arranged on the container body and allowing gas to pass between the space outside the container body and the substrate storage space through the filter, The opening of the housing, which opens toward the outside of the container body, has a fitting recess forming portion that forms a recess recessed toward the inside of the container body, and a filter portion in which a block filter is fitted.

5. A filter section according to claim 4, wherein the fitting recess forming section has a convex portion that protrudes inward of the recess, and the block filter is formed with a recess that fits into the convex portion.

6. The filter section according to claim 4, wherein the block filter is fitted into the recess by any one of press-fitting, adhesion, fusion, and insert molding.

7. A block filter attached to a filter unit provided in a substrate storage container comprising: a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall portion having the other end closed, the inner surface of which forms a substrate storage space capable of storing substrates and communicating with the container body opening; a lid body that is detachable from the opening periphery and capable of closing the container body opening in a position surrounded by the opening periphery; and a seal member that is attached to the lid body and can abut against the lid body and the opening periphery, and is interposed between the opening periphery and the lid body and abuts tightly against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid body, wherein the filter unit has an air passage that can communicate the substrate storage space with a space outside the container body, a filter arranged in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, and is arranged in the container body, and gas can pass between the space outside the container body and the substrate storage space through the filter, The opening of the housing, which opens toward the outside of the container body, has a fitting recess forming portion that forms a recess recessed toward the inside of the container body, and the block filter is fitted into the recess.

8. A block filter according to claim 7, wherein the fitting recess forming portion has a convex portion that protrudes inward of the recess, and a recess that fits into the convex portion is formed.

9. The block filter according to claim 7, which is fitted into said recess by any one of press-fitting, adhesive bonding, fusion bonding and insert molding.

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