Substrate storage container and filter unit

Abstract

A substrate storage container 1 comprises: a container body; a lid body; a seal member; and a filter unit 80 that has a ventilation passage 801 capable of establishing communication between a substrate storage space and a space outside the container body, a filter 85 disposed in the ventilation passage 801, and housings 81, 82, 83 forming the ventilation passage 801, the filter unit 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 85. The container body 2 has an insertion recess into which the housings 81, 82, 83 are inserted, and a securing portion 2401 for securing the housings 81, 82, 83. The housings 81, 82, 83 have a secured portion 8343 that is secured to the securing portion 2401 and have a non-cylindrical outline shape that cannot be screwed into the container body 2 by rotating the housings 81, 82, 83.

Description

Substrate storage container and filter unit

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

[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 4).

[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 by flowing an inert gas such as nitrogen or dry air with moisture removed (1% or less) (hereinafter referred to as purge gas) from outside the container body into the substrate storage space. The check valve prevents leakage of the gas filled into the substrate storage space by gas purging. The check valve is also provided with a filter, which removes particles, organic matter, moisture, etc. contained in the gas flowing in through the filter from outside the container body.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-066330 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-246154 Special Publication No. 2014-160783 International Publication No. 2023 / 230090 Pamphlet

[0007] The filter part that constitutes the above-mentioned check valve has a cylindrical outer shape with a male thread on its circumferential surface, and when attaching the filter part to the container body, the filter part is rotated around its axis and the male thread on its circumferential surface is screwed into the female thread formed on the container body to perform the attachment.

[0008] However, with this type of configuration, the filter part is rotated around its axis and the male thread on the circumferential surface of the filter part is tightened to the container body, so there is a risk that the filter part may come off the container body or the filter parts may be damaged due to excessive or insufficient tightening torque.

[0009] Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 4 above, when the filter part has a cylindrical outer shape and has a locking structure in which the filter part is fixed to the container body by engaging the protrusion with the protrusion receiving part, it is difficult to align the protrusion with the protrusion receiving part when attaching the filter part to the container body.

[0010] The present invention aims to provide a substrate storage container and a filter unit that can prevent the filter unit from coming off the container body or the filter components from being damaged due to excessive or insufficient tightening torque, and that facilitates alignment when attaching the filter unit to the container body.

[0011] 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, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion 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 to abut tightly against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid body. the container body has an insertion recess into which the housing is inserted and a fixing portion for fixing the housing, the housing has a fixing portion fixed to the fixing portion, and the housing has a non-cylindrical outer shape that prevents the housing from being rotated and screwed to the container body.

[0012] Preferably, the housing has a rectangular cylindrical outer shape that can be inserted into the insertion recess. The rectangular cylindrical shape is preferably a square cylindrical shape.

[0013] The present invention also provides a substrate storage device comprising: a container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed, a cylindrical wall portion having a closed other end, the inner surface of the wall portion forming a substrate storage space capable of storing a substrate 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 positional relationship 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 to abut tightly against the opening periphery and the lid body, thereby closing the container body opening together with the lid body. The present invention relates to a filter section provided in a storage container, the filter section having an air passage that can communicate between the substrate storage space and the space outside the container body, a filter arranged in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, the filter being arranged 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 container body having an insertion recess into which the housing is inserted and a fixing part that fixes the housing, the housing having a fixing part that is fixed to the fixing part, and the filter section having a non-cylindrical outer shape that prevents the housing from being rotated and screwed onto the container body.

[0014] The housing preferably has a rectangular cylindrical outer shape that can be inserted into the insertion recess. The rectangular cylindrical shape is preferably a square cylindrical shape.

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate storage container and a filter unit that can prevent the filter unit from coming off the container body or the filter components from being damaged due to excessive or insufficient tightening torque, and that facilitates alignment when attaching the filter unit to the container body.

[0016] FIG. 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 the 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 the 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 the 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 the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the air supply filter unit 80 of the 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 the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing how the air supply filter unit 80 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the container body 2. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing an exhaust filter unit 90 of the substrate storing container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] A substrate storing 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 storing container 1. Fig. 2 is an upper perspective view showing a container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1. Fig. 3 is a lower perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1. Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storing container 1.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] The first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 face each other, and the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 face each other. The rear 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] A bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 has a substantially rectangular plate shape that is arranged facing substantially the entire lower surface that constitutes the outer surface of the lower wall 24, and is fixed to the lower wall 24.

[0033] 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.

[0034] An air supply filter part 80 as an additional part is disposed in the through-hole serving as the air supply hole 242, and an exhaust filter part 90 is disposed in the through-hole serving as the exhaust hole 243. The gas flow paths inside the air supply filter part 80 and the exhaust filter part 90 form part of an air passage that can communicate between the substrate storage space 27 and the space outside the container body 2.

[0035] The air intake filter section 80 and the air exhaust filter section 90 are disposed on the wall section 20, and the air intake filter section 80 and the air exhaust filter section 90 allow gas to pass between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27. The air intake filter section 80 communicates with the internal space of a gas ejection nozzle section (not shown) attached to the bottom wall 24, and the purge gas supplied to the air intake filter section 80 is supplied to the substrate storage space 27 through the internal space of the gas ejection nozzle section.

[0036] 5 to 8, the air supply filter section 80 has an inner opening forming section 81 as a filter section housing, a first housing section 82, a nozzle section 83, 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, and the nozzle section 83 are each configured as separate bodies made up of separate and independent parts.

[0037] The filter section housing, which is composed of the inner opening forming section 81, the first housing section 82, and the nozzle section 83, 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.

[0038] 7, the inner opening forming portion 81 has a lid shape with edge portions 812 extending downward from each side of the uppermost rectangular upper wall 811. An annular protrusion 8121 is provided around the edge portion 812, and an annular seal member 8122 has an annular groove formed on its inner circumferential surface and is fitted around the annular protrusion 8121 by engaging with the annular groove of the annular seal member 8122.

[0039] The sealing member 8122 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the filter unit accommodating portion 2401, which protrudes downward in the downward direction D22 from the bottom wall 24 and has a rectangular cylindrical shape with rounded corners as shown in Fig. 8. This provides an airtight seal between the filter unit accommodating portion 2401 and the edge portion 812 of the inner opening forming portion 81, as shown in Fig. 5. Also, as shown in Fig. 7, a pair of opposing edge portions 812 are each provided with a hook-shaped protrusion 8113 that protrudes outward from the edge portions 812. Note that only one of the pair of hook-shaped protrusions 8113 is visible in Fig. 7.

[0040] 6 , the inner opening forming portion 81 has a large number of through holes 806 formed radially from the center of the inner opening forming portion 81. 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.

[0041] 5, the first housing portion 82 has a tubular portion 821, an end flange portion 822, and a plate-like portion 823. The tubular portion 821 has a cylindrical shape, and a rectangular plate-like portion 823 with rounded corners is integrally molded and connected to the upper end of the tubular portion 821. The end flange portion 822 is integrally molded with the tubular portion 821 and connected to the upper end of the tubular portion 821.

[0042] The portion of the disk-shaped plate-like portion 823 connected to the upper end of the cylindrical portion 821 has a protrusion 825 extending in the upward direction D21. The protrusion 825 and the portion of the upper wall 811 of the inner opening forming portion 81 in which the recess 815 is formed are fitted together, thereby fixing the upper wall 811 of the inner opening forming portion 81 to the plate-like portion 823 of the first housing portion 82. 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.

[0043] 5, the nozzle portion 83 has a tubular portion 831 and an external protrusion 832. The tubular portion 831 has a cylindrical shape. The inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 831 constitutes an inner circumferential sliding surface on which a side protrusion 864 provided on the outer circumferential surface of a valve body main body 860 of the valve body 86 (described later) slides. The lower end of the outer circumferential surface of the tubular portion 831 is integrally molded and connected to a large outer diameter portion 833 that extends like a rectangular plate with rounded corners.

[0044] An upwardly rising outer peripheral wall 834 is integrally molded and connected to each side of the periphery of the rectangular plate-shaped large outer diameter portion 833. The outer peripheral wall 834 has a rectangular tubular shape with rounded corners, more specifically, a square tubular shape, and forms the outer shell of the air supply filter unit 80. As a result, the air supply filter unit 80 has a non-cylindrical outer shell shape that prevents the filter unit housing from being rotated and screwed onto the container body 2. As shown in FIG. 7 , a pair of opposing wall portions of the outer peripheral wall 834 each have a long through hole 8344 formed in a direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral wall 834. The hook-shaped protrusions 8113 engage with the through holes 8344, thereby fixing the inner opening forming portion 81 to the nozzle portion 83.

[0045] A pair of opposing wall portions of the outer peripheral wall 834 are each formed with a notch 3841 that is shaped like a notch cut downward from the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 834. The lower ends of a pair of upper protruding portions 8342, each having a cylindrical protrusion 8343 that extends upward and further protrudes in a direction away from the cylindrical portion 831, are integrally molded and connected to the notch 3841.

[0046] The pair of cylindrical protrusions 8343 engage with through holes 2402 formed in the filter unit accommodating portion 2401, thereby fixing the air supply filter unit 80 to the bottom wall 24. The portion of the filter unit accommodating portion 2401 in which the through holes 2402 are formed constitutes a fixing portion that fixes the nozzle portion 83 of the filter unit housing. The cylindrical protrusions 8343 constitute a fixed portion that is fixed to the portion of the filter unit accommodating portion 2401 in which the through holes 2402 are formed.

[0047] The lower end of the cylindrical portion 831, which is integrally molded and connected to the large outer diameter portion 833, is integrally molded and connected to the upper portion of an external protrusion 832, which is provided so as to reduce the inner diameter of the lower end of the large outer diameter portion 833. The upper portion of the external protrusion 832 constitutes a valve seat against which a seal wall 861, which serves as a seal portion of the valve element 86, abuts, and also forms an external space-side accommodation chamber opening 803, which is the lower end opening of the valve element accommodation chamber 804 that accommodates the valve element 86.

[0048] The lower part of the external protrusion 832 has a cylindrical shape with a short axial length that expands downward. An opening at the lower end of the external protrusion 832 forms the external space side opening 802. The external space side opening 802 forms the air passage 801. Therefore, the air passage 801 has the external space side opening 802. The part of the nozzle part 83 surrounding the external space side opening 802, i.e., the lower end of the external protrusion 832, protrudes in the downward direction D22, which is the direction in which the air passage 801 opens at the external space side opening 802.

[0049] The lower end of the external protrusion 832 has a plurality of locking protrusions 8321 that protrude radially outward from the external protrusion 832. The locking protrusions 8321 engage with a plurality of engaging recesses 881 formed in the contact pad 88 one by one, thereby fixing the contact pad 88 so that it goes around the lower end of the external protrusion 832.

[0050] The contact pad 88 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate. The bottom end of the contact pad 88 is located slightly below the bottom end of the external protrusion 832. 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 contact with a purge port (gas injection port) (not shown). The contact pad 88 prevents gas leakage between the purge port (not shown) and the sealing surface.

[0051] In the air supply filter section 80, an air passage 801 is formed by an inner opening forming section 81, a first housing section 82, and a nozzle section 83 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 an accommodating chamber opening 803 on the external space side, to an opening 802 on the external space side of the nozzle section 83.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 5 , the valve element 86 has a substantially cylindrical valve element main body 860. One end of the valve element 86 is closed by a seal wall 861 serving as a seal portion constituting the valve element main body 860. The outer surface of the seal wall 861 forms a seal surface 862. The seal wall 861 serving as a seal portion of the valve element 86 abuts against the upper part of the external protrusion 832 constituting the valve seat, thereby allowing the seal wall 861 to close the external space-side storage chamber opening 803, and the seal wall 861 moves away from the upper part of the external protrusion 832, thereby opening the external space-side storage chamber opening 803.

[0054] 5 , a side surface of the valve body 86 is provided with a side surface protrusion 864 as a rib-shaped portion that protrudes semicircularly from the side surface of the valve body 86 outward from the valve body 86. The side surface protrusion 864 extends in the up-down direction D2 on the side surface of the valve body 86. The side surface protrusion 864 abuts against the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 831, and the portion of the side surface (circumferential surface) of the valve body 86 where the side surface protrusion 864 is not provided is configured not to abut against the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 831.

[0055] The total length of the valve body 86 in the axial direction of the valve body 86 is shorter than the distance in the vertical direction D2 from the upper end to the lower end of the cylindrical portion 831 of the nozzle portion 83. The side protrusion 864 of the valve body 86 is slidable in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 831 of the nozzle portion 83 relative to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 831 of the nozzle portion 83. Therefore, the valve body 86 is movable between a position (blocking position) where the sealing surface 862 abuts against the upper part of the external protrusion 832 to close 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 portion 82. That is, the valve body 86 is movable between a communication position in the valve body accommodating chamber 804 that connects the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2, and a communication blocking position in the valve body accommodating chamber 804 that blocks communication between the substrate storage space 27 and the space outside the container body 2.

[0056] Furthermore, because the side surface protrusion 864 is formed, a space that forms an air passage is secured between the portion of the side surface of the valve body 86 where the side surface protrusion 864 is not formed and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 831 of the nozzle portion 83. Therefore, even when the upper end of the valve body 86 abuts against the end plate portion 823 of the first housing portion 82, a space that forms the air passage 801 is secured.

[0057] The filter 85 has a rectangular plate shape with rounded corners. The peripheral edge of the filter 85 is fixed to the end flange portion 822 of the first housing portion 82 by welding to the end flange portion 822. As a result, the filter 85 is disposed in the ventilation path 801. Therefore, the valve body accommodating chamber 804 is located in a portion of the ventilation path 801 that is 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] Therefore, when the valve body 86 is in a position blocking the air passage 801, the spring 87 biases the valve body 86 so that the sealing surface 862 of the valve body 86 blocks the external space side storage chamber opening 803, thereby preventing gas from flowing from the external space side storage chamber opening 803 into the valve body storage chamber 804.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] The plate portions 51 have a generally arcuate plate shape when viewed in the vertical direction D2. A total of 50 plate portions 51 are provided, 25 on each of the first side walls 25 and the second side walls 26 in the vertical direction D2. Adjacent plate portions 51 are spaced apart from each other by 10 mm to 12 mm in the vertical direction D2 and are positioned parallel to each other. Above the topmost plate portion 51, another plate-like member is positioned parallel to the plate portion 51. This plate-like member is positioned at the top and serves as a guide for the substrate W being inserted into the substrate storage space 27.

[0063] 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. The substrate support plate portion 5 configured in this manner can support the edges of the plurality of substrates W while keeping adjacent substrates W among the plurality of substrates W spaced apart at a predetermined interval and parallel to each other.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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 not to protrude from the upper and lower edges. The upper latch portions 32A, 32A protrude upward 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 downward 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 opening periphery 31 of the container body 2.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 8, when the air supply filter part 80 having the above-described configuration is attached to the container body 2, the outer peripheral wall 834 of the square cylindrical nozzle part 83 is inserted into the square cylindrical filter part accommodating part 2401, which forms an insertion recess that is a space for inserting the air supply filter part 80, in a positional relationship where the corners of the R-chamfered shape are aligned with each other. At this time, the insertion is performed in a positional relationship where the positions of the pair of cylindrical protrusions 8343 of the nozzle part 83 and the positions of the pair of through-holes 2402 formed in the filter part accommodating part 2401 face each other as a result of the insertion.

[0074] The pair of cylindrical protrusions 8343 are then engaged with the through holes 2402 formed in the filter unit accommodating portion 2401, thereby fixing the air intake filter unit 80 to the lower wall 24. The exhaust filter unit 90 is attached to the container body 2 in the same manner as when the above-described air intake filter unit 80 is attached to the container body 2.

[0075] The substrate storage container 1 according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration can provide the following effects: In the present embodiment, the container body 2 has an insertion recess into which the outer peripheral wall 834 of the nozzle portion 83 of the filter portion housing is inserted, and a portion of the filter portion accommodating portion 2401 that forms the through hole 2402 and serves as a fixing portion that fixes the outer peripheral wall 834, and the filter portion housing has a cylindrical convex portion 8343 that serves as a fixed portion that is fixed to the fixing portion, and has a non-cylindrical outer shape that prevents the outer peripheral wall 834 of the nozzle portion 83 of the filter portion housing from being rotated and screwed into the container body 2.

[0076] This eliminates the need to rotate the air intake filter part 80 to tighten it against the container body 2, and as a result, it is possible to avoid the air intake filter part 80 coming off the container body 2 or damage to the air intake filter part 80 due to an excessive or insufficient tightening torque. Furthermore, by aligning the cylindrical convex part 8343, which serves as the fixed part, with the through-hole 2402 and inserting the air intake filter part 80 into the filter part accommodating part 2401, the air intake filter part 80 can be aligned with the container body 2, and therefore it is possible to provide a substrate storage container and a filter part that are easy to align when installing.

[0077] Furthermore, when the intake air filter part is configured to be rotated to engage, the engagement may be released due to misalignment of the engaging portion caused by the rotation, but because the intake air filter part 80 is not rotated, it is possible to prevent the cylindrical convex part 8343 from coming off the through-hole 2402 of the filter part accommodating part 2401. Furthermore, because there is no longer a need to configure the intake air filter part 80 to be rotated to tighten it, it is possible to reduce the number of parts.

[0078] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 834 of the nozzle part 83 of the filter part housing has a rectangular cylindrical outer shape that can be inserted into the insertion recess formed by the filter part accommodating part 2401. This makes it possible to easily align the air supply filter part 80 with the container body 2 by aligning the corners of the outer peripheral wall 834 with the corners of the filter part accommodating part 2401.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the angular tube shape is a square tube shape, which makes it possible to easily align the corners of the filter unit accommodating portion 2401 with the corners of the outer peripheral wall 834 by visual inspection, making it easier to align the air supply filter unit 80 with the container body 2.

[0080] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications are possible within the technical scope defined in the claims.

[0081] For example, the configurations of the substrate storage container, the air intake filter section, and the exhaust filter section are not limited to the configurations of the substrate storage container 1, the air intake filter section 80, and the exhaust filter section 90 in this embodiment.

[0082] For example, in the present embodiment, the outer peripheral wall 834 of the nozzle portion 83 of the filter housing that forms the outer shell of the intake filter portion 80 and the exhaust filter portion 90 is a square tube shape, but is not limited to this. The outer shell shape of the filter housing may be any rectangular tube shape, such as a pentagonal tube shape or a hexagonal tube shape.

[0083] Furthermore, for example, in this embodiment, the filter unit accommodating portion 2401 of the container body 2 is formed with a through-hole 2402, and the outer peripheral wall 834 of the nozzle portion 83 of the filter unit housing has a cylindrical protrusion 8343, but this is not limiting. A through-hole may be formed in the filter unit housing, and a protrusion that engages with the through-hole may be provided in the filter unit accommodating portion of the container body. That is, it is sufficient that the container body has a fixing portion that fixes the filter unit housing, and the filter unit housing has a fixed portion that is fixed to the fixing portion.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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.

[0086] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Substrate storage container 2 Container body 3 Lid 4 Sealing member 20 Wall portion 21 Container body opening 27 Substrate storage space 28 Opening periphery 80 Air supply filter portion 81 Inner opening forming portion (housing) 82 First housing portion (housing) 83 Nozzle portion (housing) 85 Filter 86 Valve body 87 Spring (biasing member) 90 Exhaust filter portion 2401 Filter portion accommodating portion (fixing portion) 2402 Through hole 8343 Columnar protrusion (fixed portion) W Substrate

Claims

1. A container body having an opening periphery at one end where a container body opening is formed and a cylindrical wall having a closed other end, the inner surface of which defines a substrate storage space capable of storing a substrate and communicating with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the opening periphery and capable of closing 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 disposed in the air passage, and a housing that forms the air passage, the filter portion being disposed 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 container body comprising: an insertion recess into which the housing is inserted; A substrate storage container having a fixing portion for fixing the housing, wherein the housing has a fixed portion fixed to the fixing portion, and the housing has a non-cylindrical outer shape that prevents the housing from being rotated and screwed into the container body.

2. A substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a rectangular cylindrical outer shape that can be inserted into the insertion recess.

3. The substrate storage container according to claim 2, wherein the angular tubular shape is a square tubular shape.

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, and is arranged in the container body so that gas can pass between the space outside the container body and the substrate storage space through the filter, the container body comprising: an insertion recess into which the housing is inserted; a fixing portion for fixing the housing, the housing having a fixed portion fixed to the fixing portion, and a filter portion having a non-cylindrical outer shape that prevents the housing from being rotated and screwed onto the container body.

5. The filter section according to claim 4, wherein the housing has a rectangular cylindrical outer shape that can be inserted into the insertion recess.

6. The filter section according to claim 5, wherein the angular tube shape is a square tube shape.

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