Load port, storage container, and side substrate support part
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- MIRAIAL CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-30
Smart Images
Figure JP2025002095_30072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Load Port, Storage Container, and Lateral Substrate Support Portion
[0001] The present invention relates to a load port for loading and unloading an object to be stored such as a semiconductor wafer, a reticle, or a printed circuit board, a storage container for storing, preserving, transporting, or shipping the object to be stored, and a lateral substrate support portion provided on the storage container.
[0002] As a storage container for storing an object to be stored such as various substrates, a substrate storage container having a container body and a lid has been conventionally known, and a load port for loading and unloading a substrate or the like with respect to the substrate storage container has been conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 6).
[0003] For example, one end portion of a container body of a substrate storage container as a storage container capable of storing a substrate as an object to be stored has a container body opening. The other end portion of the container body has a closed cylindrical wall portion. A substrate storage space is formed inside the container body. The substrate storage space is formed surrounded by the wall portion and can store a substrate. The lid is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening. The lateral substrate support portion is provided on the wall portion so as to face each other inside the substrate storage space. The lateral substrate support portion can support the edge portions of the substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are separated from each other at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel when the container body opening is not closed by the lid.
[0004] A front retainer (lid-side substrate support portion) is provided at a portion of the lid that faces the substrate storage space when the container body opening is closed. The front retainer can support the edge portion of the substrate when the container body opening is closed by the lid. Further, a rear substrate support portion is provided on the wall portion so as to face the front retainer. The rear substrate support portion can support the edge portion of the substrate. The rear substrate support portion supports the substrate in a state where adjacent substrates are separated from each other at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel by cooperating with the front retainer to support the substrate when the container body opening is closed by the lid.
[0005] The container body is placed on the mounting section of the load port. Inside the load port, there is a transport robot with an arm equipped with a handle at its tip for transporting circuit boards as the contents to be stored. The transport robot transports the circuit boards, unloading them from the container body and loading them into the container body.
[0006] Japanese Patent Publication No. 6212292, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7082274, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-057119, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4091380, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4487302, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4428147
[0007] Conventional load ports use lifting pins or optical sensors to identify the type of substrate storage container. However, this identification is limited to identifying the type of substrate storage container. Even if the type of substrate storage container is the same, if the lateral substrate support sections on the container body are different, the position of the lowest plate among the multiple plate sections that support each individual substrate, and the pitch (spacing) between the multiple plate sections will differ depending on the lateral substrate support section. Therefore, even if the load port can identify the type of substrate storage container when loading and unloading substrates from the container body, there is a risk that the substrate may collide with the lateral substrate support sections, etc., when the arm is inserted into the container body, potentially causing damage to the substrate.
[0008] The present invention aims to provide a load port, a storage container placed on the load port, and a lateral substrate support portion provided on the storage container, which can prevent damage to the substrate when the arm is inserted into the container body.
[0009] The present invention relates to a load port that enables the removal of an object to be stored from and into a storage container, wherein the object to be stored is a substrate or a substrate support device that supports the substrate, and the load port comprises a mapping arm that detects the presence or absence of the object to be stored in the storage container, the mapping arm comprising a shape detection unit capable of detecting the internal shape of the storage container.
[0010] Furthermore, the storage container comprises a container body having an opening peripheral portion at one end with a container body opening formed thereon, and a cylindrical wall portion closed at the other end, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space that can accommodate substrates and communicates with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the container body opening and can close the container body opening; and lateral substrate support portions provided on the container body in pairs within the substrate storage space, which can support the edges of a plurality of substrates when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, with adjacent substrates spaced vertically at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel; the shape detection unit has a sensor that detects the shape of the lateral substrate support portion or the shape of the inner wall of the container body, and it is preferable to perform detection on one or both of the pair of lateral substrate support portions within the substrate storage space.
[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the sensor is composed of at least one of the following: a contact sensor, a laser sensor, an image recognition sensor, and an RFID sensor.
[0012] Furthermore, the storage container is preferably either a substrate storage container for storing the substrate, or a substrate support device cassette for storing the substrate support device that supports the substrate.
[0013] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a storage container capable of storing an object to be stored, wherein the object to be stored is loaded and unloaded from the storage container and into the storage container via a load port, the storage container having an opening peripheral portion at one end with an opening for the container body formed thereon, and a cylindrical wall portion closed at the other end, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space capable of storing a substrate and communicating with the opening for the container body, The present invention relates to a storage container comprising: a lid that is detachable from the opening of the container body and capable of closing the opening of the container body; and lateral substrate support parts provided on the container body in a pair within the substrate storage space, which are capable of supporting the edges of a plurality of substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are spaced apart vertically at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel when the opening of the container body is not closed by the lid; the load port comprises a mapping arm that detects the presence or absence of the substrates in the container body; the mapping arm comprises a shape detection unit capable of detecting the internal shape of the container body; the shape detection unit has a sensor that detects the shape of the lateral substrate support parts or the shape of the inner wall of the container body; the detection is performed on one or both of the pair of lateral substrate support parts within the substrate storage space; and the inner surface of the container body is provided with a detectable part for recognizing the shape of the lateral substrate support parts, which can be detected by the sensor.
[0014] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a storage container capable of storing an object to be stored, and a load port that enables the loading and unloading of the object to be stored into the storage container, wherein the storage container is provided with a lateral substrate support portion provided with a storage container from which the object to be stored is loaded and unloaded, the storage container having an opening peripheral portion at one end with a container body opening formed thereon and a cylindrical wall portion closed at the 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 that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening, and a pair provided on the container body within the substrate storage space, which when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, The present invention relates to a side substrate support, comprising: a side substrate support capable of supporting the edges of a plurality of substrates, wherein adjacent substrates among a number of substrates are spaced apart vertically at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel, the load port comprises a mapping arm for detecting the presence or absence of the substrates in the container body, the mapping arm comprises a shape detection unit capable of detecting the internal shape of the container body, the shape detection unit has a sensor for detecting the shape of the side substrate support or the shape of the inner wall of the container body, and the detection is performed on one or both of the pair of side substrate support units in the substrate storage space, and the side substrate support unit is provided with a detectable part for recognizing the shape of the side substrate support unit, which can be detected by the sensor.
[0015] This is an exploded perspective view showing a plurality of substrates W stored in a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an upper perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a lower perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a side cross-sectional view showing the container body 2 cut along line A-A in Figure 3. This is a front perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 placed on a load port according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a rear perspective view showing the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 placed on a load port according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a rear perspective view showing the mounting portion L22 of the load port according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the substrates W of the substrate storage container 1, the substrate support plate-like portion 5, and the mapping arm L30 placed on a load port according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a front perspective view showing the lateral substrate support portion 5A of the substrate storage container 1 according to a first modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. This is an enlarged upper container body 2B of the substrate storage container 1 according to a second modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. This is a front perspective view showing the container body 2B of a substrate storage container 1 according to a second modified embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] [Overall Configuration of the Substrate Storage Container 1] The substrate storage container 1, which is a storage container into which substrates W, as the stored items, are loaded or unloaded via the load port L1 according to this embodiment, will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of explanation, the direction from the container body 2 toward the lid 3 (the direction from the upper right to the lower left in Figure 1) will be defined as the forward direction D11, and the opposite direction will be defined as the rear direction D12, and these together will be defined as the front-rear direction D1. Also, the direction from the lower wall 24 toward the upper wall 23 (the upward direction in Figure 1) will be defined as the upward direction D21, and the opposite direction will be defined as the downward direction D22, and these together will be defined as the up-down direction D2. Furthermore, the direction from the second side wall 26 to the first side wall 25 (the direction from the lower right to the upper left in Figure 1) is defined as the left direction D31, the opposite direction is defined as the right direction D32, and these two together are defined as the left-right direction D3. Arrows indicating these directions are shown in the main drawings.
[0017] Furthermore, the substrate W (see Figure 1) stored in the substrate storage container 1 is a disc-shaped silicon wafer, glass wafer, sapphire wafer, etc., and is a thin material used in industry. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a silicon wafer with a diameter of 300 mm.
[0018] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the substrate storage container 1 is used as a process container for storing substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above and transporting them in the factory process, or as a shipping container for transporting substrates by means of transport such as land transport, air transport, and sea transport, and consists of a container body 2 and a lid 3. The container body 2 is equipped with a substrate support plate-like part 5 as a lateral substrate support part and a rear substrate support part 6. The lid 3 is equipped with a front retainer (not shown) as a lid-side substrate support part.
[0019] The container body 2 has a cylindrical wall portion 20 with a container body opening 21 formed at one end and a closed end at the other end. A substrate storage space 27 is formed inside the container body 2. The substrate storage space 27 is formed by being surrounded by the wall portion 20. A substrate support plate-like portion 5 is arranged in the part of the wall portion 20 that forms the substrate storage space 27. As shown in Figure 1, multiple substrates W can be stored in the substrate storage space 27.
[0020] The substrate support plate-like portion 5 is an interior component arranged in pairs within the substrate storage space 27 and is detachably fixed to the wall portion 20. When the container body opening 21 is not closed by the lid 3, the substrate support plate-like portion 5 abuts against the edges of multiple substrates W, thereby supporting the edges of multiple substrates W in a parallel state with adjacent substrates W spaced apart at a predetermined interval. On the rear side of the substrate support plate-like portion 5, the rear substrate support portion 6 is integrally molded with the substrate support plate-like portion 5.
[0021] The rear substrate support portion 6 is provided on the wall portion 20 in the substrate storage space 27, in conjunction with a front retainer (not shown) which will be described later. The rear substrate support portion 6 can support the rear edges of multiple substrates W by contacting the edges of multiple substrates W.
[0022] The lid 3 is detachable from the opening periphery 28 that forms the opening 21 of the container body, and can close the opening 21 of the container body. A front retainer (not shown) is provided on the part of the lid 3 that faces the substrate storage space 27 when the opening 21 of the container body is closed by the lid 3. The front retainer is positioned inside the substrate storage space 27 in conjunction with the rear substrate support portion 6.
[0023] The front retainer can support the front portions of the edges of multiple substrates W by contacting the edges of the multiple substrates W when the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3. When the container body opening 21 is closed by the lid 3, the front retainer cooperates with the rear substrate support portion 6 to support the multiple substrates W, thereby holding adjacent substrates W in a parallel state spaced apart at a predetermined interval.
[0024] The substrate housing container 1 is made of a resin such as plastic material. 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 thereof. When conductivity is to be imparted to these molding resins, conductive substances such as carbon fibers, carbon powder, carbon nanotubes, and conductive polymers are selectively added. It is also possible to add glass fibers or carbon fibers to increase rigidity.
[0025] [Container Body 2] The following describes each part in detail. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the wall portion 20 of the container body 2 has a back wall 22, an upper wall 23, a lower wall 24, a first side wall 25, and a second side wall 26. The back wall 22, upper wall 23, lower wall 24, first side wall 25, and second side wall 26 are made of the above-mentioned material and are integrally molded.
[0026] The first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 face each other, and the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24 face each other. The rear ends of the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 are all connected to the back wall 22. The front ends of the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26 form an opening periphery 28 that forms a roughly rectangular container body opening 21.
[0027] The opening periphery 28 is provided at one end of the container body 2, and the back wall 22 is located at the other end of the container body 2. The outer shape of the container body 2, formed by the outer surfaces of the wall portions 20, is box-shaped. The inner surfaces of the wall portions 20, namely the inner surfaces of the back wall 22, the upper wall 23, the lower wall 24, the first side wall 25, and the second side wall 26, form a substrate storage space 27 surrounded by these surfaces. The container body opening 21 formed at the opening periphery 28 communicates with the substrate storage space 27 formed inside the container body 2, surrounded by the wall portions 20. The substrate storage space 27 can accommodate a maximum of 25 substrates W.
[0028] In the portions of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24, near the opening periphery 28, latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, recessed outward toward the substrate storage space 27. A total of four latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B, 241A, and 241B are formed, one each near the left and right ends of the upper wall 23 and the lower wall 24.
[0029] On the outer surface of the upper wall 23, ribs 235 are integrally molded with the upper wall 23. The ribs 235 increase the rigidity of the container body 2. In addition, a top flange (not shown) is fixed to the central part of the upper wall 23. The top flange is a component that is hung and suspended on the substrate storage container 1 when the substrate storage container 1 is suspended in an AMHS (Automatic Wafer Transfer System), PGV (Wafer Substrate Transport Cart), etc.
[0030] A bottom plate 244 is fixed to the lower wall 24. The bottom plate 244 has a plate-like shape that is positioned opposite to almost the entire lower surface of the lower wall 24, except for a portion on each side of the center in the front-rear direction D1, and is fixed to the lower wall 24.
[0031] Two of the four corners of the lower wall 24, specifically the front two, have through-holes 243 formed, which constitute two types of through-holes: an air intake hole and an exhaust hole. An air intake filter section and an exhaust filter section (not shown) are arranged in the through-holes 243 as additional components. The gas flow paths inside the air intake filter section and the exhaust filter section constitute part of a ventilation passage that can connect the substrate storage space 27 with the space outside the container body 2.
[0032] Furthermore, the air intake filter section and the exhaust filter section (not shown) are located in the wall section 20, and gas can pass through the air intake filter section and the exhaust filter section between the space outside the container body 2 and the substrate storage space 27 via a filter (not shown). The purge gas supplied to the air intake filter section is configured to be supplied to the substrate storage space 27. The exhaust filter section is configured to allow gas to pass from the substrate storage space 27 to the space outside the container body 2.
[0033] The portion of the bottom plate 244 that extends from the central part facing the center of the lower wall 24 toward the pair of through holes 243, and the portion that is behind the central part and facing the rear of the lower wall 24, covers a part of the kinematic slider 245, which is a groove member. As a result, the kinematic slider 245 is supported and fixed by the lower wall 24.
[0034] [Substrate support plate-like portion 5] The substrate support plate-like portion 5 is provided on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, respectively, and is an interior component arranged in the substrate storage space 27 in pairs in the left-right direction D3. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the substrate support plate-like portion 5 has a plate portion 51 and a support wall 52 as a plate portion support. The plate portion 51 and the support wall 52 are constructed by integrally molding a resin material, and the plate portion 51 is supported by the support wall 52.
[0035] The plate portion 51 has a plate-like, substantially arc shape. A total of 50 plate portions 51 are provided, 25 each on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, in the vertical direction D2. Adjacent plate portions 51 are spaced 10 mm to 12 mm apart from each other in the vertical direction D2 and are arranged in a parallel position. Above the uppermost plate portion 51, another plate-shaped member 59 is arranged parallel to the plate portion 51. This member serves as a guide for the substrate W, which is positioned at the top and inserted into the substrate storage space 27.
[0036] Furthermore, 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. Also, the 50 plate portions 51 and the plate-shaped guide members 59 parallel to the plate portions 51 are positioned parallel to the inner surface of the lower wall 24. The upper surfaces of the plate portions 51 are provided with protrusions 511 and 512. The substrate W supported by the plate portions 51 contacts only the protruding ends of the protrusions 511 and 512, and does not contact the plate portions 51 over a surface area.
[0037] The support wall 52 has a plate-like shape that extends in the vertical direction D2 and approximately in the front-rear direction D1. As shown in Figure 4, the support wall 52 has a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the plate portion 51 and includes a support wall 52-1 at the front end of the substrate support plate-like portion 5, a support wall 52-2 slightly forward of the center, and a support wall 52-3 at the rear end of the substrate support plate-like portion 5, and is connected to the side edge of the plate portion 51. The plate-like support wall 52 curves along the outer edge of the plate portion 51 toward the substrate storage space 27.
[0038] Specifically, the 25 plate sections 51 provided on the first side wall 25 are connected to a support wall 52 provided on the first side wall 25 side. Similarly, the 25 plate sections 51 provided on the second side wall 26 are connected to a support wall 52 provided on the second side wall 26 side. The support walls 52 are fixed to the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26, respectively.
[0039] The substrate support plate-like portion 5 with this configuration can support the edges of multiple substrates W such that adjacent substrates W are spaced apart at a predetermined interval and are in a parallel positional relationship with each other.
[0040] The container body 2 can be detachably fitted with substrate support plate-like parts (such as substrate support plate-like parts 5) of different types and shapes. For example, the container body 2 can be fitted with a substrate storage container having a different number of plate-like parts 51 than the substrate support plate-like parts 5 in this embodiment, or a substrate storage container having a different external shape than the substrate support plate-like parts 5 in this embodiment, by removing the substrate support plate-like parts 5 and replacing them with these containers.
[0041] [Rear Substrate Support Section 6] As shown in Figure 4, the rear substrate support section 6 has a rear edge support section 60. The rear edge support section 60 is formed by integrally molding the plate portion 51 and the support wall 52 at the rear end of the plate portion 51 of the substrate support plate-shaped section 5. Therefore, the substrate support plate-shaped section 5 as a lateral substrate support section and the rear substrate support section 6 constitute a single connected interior component that is fixed to the container body 2 inside the container body 2. Note that the rear substrate support section 6 may be a separate part from the substrate support plate-shaped section 5, that is, the rear edge support section 60 may be a separate part from the plate portion 51 of the substrate support plate-shaped section 5.
[0042] The rear edge support portions 60 are provided in a number corresponding to each substrate W that can be stored in the substrate storage space 27, specifically, 25 portions. The rear edge support portions 60 arranged on the first side wall 25 and the second side wall 26 have a positional relationship in the front-rear direction D1 such that they are paired with a front retainer (not shown), 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 grip and support the edges of the substrate W.
[0043] [Lid 3] As shown in Figure 1, the lid 3 has a substantially rectangular shape that substantially 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 when the lid 3 is attached to the opening periphery 28, the lid 3 can close the opening 21 of the container body in a positional relationship surrounded by the opening periphery 28.
[0044] On the inner surface of the lid body 3 (the back surface of the lid body 3 shown in FIG. 1), on the surface facing the stepped portion (sealing surface 281) formed at a position in the immediately rearward direction D12 of the opening peripheral edge portion 28 when the lid body 3 closes the opening of the container body, an annular sealing member 4 is attached so as to surround the outer peripheral edge of the lid body 3. The sealing member 4 is arranged so as to surround the lid body 3. The sealing member 4 is made of various thermoplastic elastomers such as polyester-based and polyolefin-based that can be elastically deformed, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, etc.
[0045] When the lid body 3 is attached to the opening peripheral edge portion 28, the sealing member 4 is elastically deformed by being sandwiched between the sealing surface 281 of the container body 2 and the inner surface of the lid body 3. That is, by the interposition of the sealing member 4 between the lid body 3 and the container body 2, the lid body 3 can close the opening of the container body 2 in a state where the lid body 3 and the opening peripheral edge portion 28 are separated from each other without contacting each other. By removing the lid body 3 from the opening peripheral edge portion 28, the substrate W can be taken in and out of the substrate storage space 27 in the container body 2.
[0046] In the lid body 3, a latch mechanism is provided. The latch mechanism is provided near both the left and right ends of the lid body 3. As shown in FIG. 1, it includes two upper latch portions 32A, 32A that can project upward in the direction D21 from the upper side of the lid body 3, and two lower latch portions 32B, 32B that can project downward in the direction D22 from the lower side of the lid body 3. The two upper latch portions 32A, 32A are arranged near both the left and right ends of the upper side of the lid body 3, and the two lower latch portions 32B, 32B are arranged near both the left and right ends of the lower side of the lid body 3.
[0047] On the outer surface of the lid body 3, an operation part 33 is provided. By operating the operation part 33 from the front side of the lid body 3, the upper latch parts 32A, 32A and the lower latch parts 32B, 32B can be made to project from the upper side and the lower side of the lid body 3, or can be made to be in a state of not projecting from the upper side and the lower side. When the upper latch parts 32A, 32A project upward in the direction D21 from the upper side of the lid body 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 231A, 231B of the container body 2, and when the lower latch parts 32B, 32B project downward in the direction D22 from the lower side of the lid body 3 and engage with the latch engagement recesses 241A, 241B of the container body 2, the lid body 3 is fixed to the container body opening 21 of the container body 2.
[0048] On the inner side of the lid body 3 (the side in the rearward direction D12 of the lid body 3 in FIG. 1), a recess (not shown) recessed outward (in the forward direction D11) of the substrate storage space 27 is formed. A front retainer (not shown) is fixedly provided in the recess.
[0049] The front retainer (not shown) has a front retainer substrate receiving part (not shown). The front retainer substrate receiving part (not shown) is arranged at one place in the center in the left-right direction D3. The front retainer substrate receiving part is not limited to one place in the center in the left-right direction D3, and may be provided at a plurality of places. For example, two of them may be arranged in pairs at a predetermined interval. The front retainer substrate receiving parts arranged in this way are provided in a state of being arranged in 25 pairs in parallel in the up-down direction. When the substrate W is stored in the substrate storage space 27 and the lid body 3 is closed, the front retainer substrate receiving part supports the edge of the edge of the substrate W.
[0050] 〔Load Port L1〕The load port L1 is a device configured to be capable of carrying out the unloading of the substrate W from the container body 2 of the above-described substrate storage container 1 and a later-described container body 2B and the loading of the substrate W into the container body 2 and the container body 2B. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the load port L1 includes a device main body L10, a table L20, and a mapping arm L30.
[0051] The main body L10 of the device constitutes the front part of the load port L1 and is formed as a rectangular plate with a front surface. The main body L10 has a rectangular through hole L11 and a vertically elongated through hole L12 formed on the lower left side of the through hole L11. A table L20 is attached to the rear side of the main body L10. With the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1 placed on the table L20, it is possible to unload the substrate W stored in the container body 2 and load it into the container body 2 through the through hole L11 of the main body L10.
[0052] The table L20 has a main body L21 having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a mounting portion L22 which is integrally connected to the upper end of the main body L21 and whose upper end surface forms a roughly rectangular mounting surface L221. As shown in Figure 7, three kinematic pins L222 are provided on the mounting surface L221, protruding upward. The kinematic sliders 245 of the container body 2 engage with each of the kinematic pins L222, thereby positioning and mounting the container body 2 and the bottom plate 244 of the substrate storage container 1 on the mounting surface L221.
[0053] As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the main body L21 is provided with a mapping arm L30 that detects the presence or absence of a substrate W as an object to be stored in the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. The mapping arm L30 is configured to be movable between a non-mapping position, where the mapper L32, equipped with a mapping sensor L321 (see Figure 8, etc.) at its tip, is set back from the main body L10, and a mapping position, where the mapper L32 is set closer to the inside of the container body 2 than the non-mapping position through the through hole L11 of the main body L10.
[0054] More specifically, the mapping arm L30 has an arm base L31 that extends forward D11 from the through hole L12 (see Figure 5) beyond the main body L10 of the device, and further extends upward D21. A mapper L32 equipped with a mapping sensor L321 is connected to the tip of the mapping arm L30. As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the mapper L32 extends backward D12, and further extends to the right D32, branching into two, with the pair of mappers L32 each extending parallel to the backward D12.
[0055] With the mapper L32 maintained in a mapping-capable position, the arm base L31 is moved vertically D2 along the through hole L12, making it possible to detect whether or not a substrate W is supported by each of the multiple plate portions 51 of the substrate support plate-like portion 5 for each individual plate portion 51. As shown in Figure 8, at the tip of the mapper L32, a mapping sensor L321 is provided on the opposing surfaces L3201 of a pair of mappers L32 that face each other, which is capable of detecting the presence or absence of a substrate W supported by the multiple plate portions 51 of the substrate support plate-like portion 5.
[0056] This pair of mapping sensors L321 are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction D3. Each mapping sensor L321 includes a transmitter that emits a beam (ray of light) as a signal and a receiver that receives it. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of a substrate W supported by the plate portion 51 inside the container body 2, as well as the storage orientation of the substrate W.
[0057] The mapping arm L30 is equipped with a shape detection unit capable of detecting the internal shape of the container body 2. Specifically, the tip of the mapper L32, the outer portion in the left-right direction D3 relative to the opposing surfaces L3201 of a pair of mappers L32 facing each other, has a slope L3202 that makes a predetermined angle with respect to the front-rear direction D1.
[0058] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the inclined surface L3202 is composed of a flat surface connecting the outer side surface in the left-right direction D3 with respect to the opposing surface L3201 of a pair of mappers L32 facing each other, and the tip surface of the pair of mappers L32. The predetermined angle is specifically between 30° and 85°, and in this embodiment, the angle with respect to the front-rear direction D1 and the left-right direction D3 is 45°.
[0059] A sensor L322 capable of detecting the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion 5 provided inside the container body 2 is provided on the inclined surface L3202. The sensor L322 constitutes a shape detection unit that identifies the type and shape of the substrate support plate-like portion 5 by detecting the shape of the front end portion 501 of the substrate support plate-like portion 5. The sensor L322 is composed of at least one of the following: a contact sensor, a laser sensor, an image recognition sensor, or an RFID sensor, and in this embodiment, a laser sensor is used.
[0060] More specifically, the sensor L322 detects the front ends of the pair of substrate support plate-like parts provided in the substrate storage space 27, thereby enabling it to identify whether the pair of substrate support plate-like parts attached to the container body 2 are each substrate support plate-like parts 5, or substrate support plate-like parts of a different type or shape from the substrate support plate-like parts 5. For example, in this embodiment, by detecting the shape of the front end 501 of the pair of substrate support plate-like parts 5, it is possible to identify that the pair of substrate support plate-like parts attached to the container body 2 are each substrate support plate-like parts 5.
[0061] A transport robot is provided in the load port L1. When the transport robot's arm (not shown), which has a hand (not shown) at its tip, is used to transport a substrate W out of the container body 2, a sensor L322 identifies whether the substrate support plate-like part attached to the container body 2 is a substrate support plate-like part 5, or a substrate support plate-like part of a different type or shape from the substrate support plate-like part 5. Based on this identification, the arm (not shown) is positioned at an appropriate location that will not damage the substrate W supported by the substrate support plate-like part or collide with the substrate W, and the substrate W is transported out of the container body 2.
[0062] Furthermore, when the transport robot's arm (not shown) is used to load the substrate W into the container body 2, the sensor L322 identifies whether the substrate support plate-like portion attached to the container body 2 is the substrate support plate-like portion 5, or a substrate support plate-like portion of a different type or shape from the substrate support plate-like portion 5. Based on this identification, the arm (not shown) supporting the substrate W is positioned appropriately so as not to collide with the substrate support plate-like portion (such as the substrate support plate-like portion 5), and the substrate W is loaded into the container body 2.
[0063] [Effects of the Embodiment] According to the load port L1 of this embodiment with the above configuration, the mapping arm L30 is equipped with a sensor L322 as a shape detection unit capable of detecting the internal shape of the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. This makes it possible to detect the internal shape of the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1. Based on this, for example, when inserting an arm (not shown) of the load port L1 into the container body, if the object to be stored is a substrate W, the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 can be positioned in an appropriate location that does not damage the substrate W, that is, the arm does not collide with the substrate W when the substrate W is unloaded, or the substrate W supported by the arm does not collide with the inside of the container body 2 or internal components, such as the substrate support plate-like part 5, when the substrate W is loaded, thereby making it possible to unload the substrate W from the container body 2 of the substrate container body 1 or load the substrate W into the container body 2.
[0064] Furthermore, according to the load port L1 of this embodiment with the above configuration, the shape detection unit has a sensor L322 that detects the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion (substrate support plate-like portion 5, etc.), and detects the shape of the front end portion 501 of both of the pair of substrate support plate-like portions (substrate support plate-like portion 5, etc.) that are located within the substrate storage space 27. This makes it possible to identify whether the pair of substrate support plate-like portions attached to the container body 2 are each substrate support plate-like portions 5, or substrate support plate-like portions of a different type and shape from the substrate support plate-like portion 5.
[0065] As a result, depending on the type and shape of the substrate support plate-like part, when inserting the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 into the container body 2, if the object to be stored is a substrate W, the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 can be positioned in an appropriate location that does not damage the substrate W, that is, when the substrate W is unloaded, the substrate W does not collide with the arm, and when the substrate W supported by the arm is loaded, the substrate W does not collide with the substrate support plate-like part (substrate support plate-like part 5, etc.), making it possible to unload the substrate W from the container body 2 or load it into the container body 2.
[0066] Furthermore, according to the load port L1 of this embodiment with the above configuration, the sensor L322 is composed of at least one of a contact sensor, a laser sensor, an image recognition sensor, and an RFID sensor. This makes it possible to easily detect the internal shape of the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1, and more specifically, the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion (substrate support plate-like portion 5, etc.).
[0067] Furthermore, according to the load port L1 of this embodiment with the above configuration, the storage container is a substrate storage container 1 for storing substrates. This makes it possible to avoid damage to the substrates W when loading or unloading the substrates W into and out of the container body 2 of the substrate storage container 1.
[0068] [Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified within the technical scope described in the claims.
[0069] For example, in this embodiment, the lateral substrate support portion is composed of a substrate support plate-like portion 5, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, as a first modification, the lateral substrate support portion may have the following configuration.
[0070] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, a rectangular plate-shaped detection portion 502A having a predetermined uneven shape is provided at the upper part of the front end portion 501A of the substrate support plate-like portion 5A, at a position 1 / 4 of the way down from the top in the vertical direction D2 of the front end portion 501A of the substrate support plate-like portion 5A, which can be detected by the sensor L322, for recognizing the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion (substrate support plate-like portion 5A, etc.).
[0071] One detection unit 502A is provided on each substrate support plate-like portion 5A that is of the same type and shape as the substrate support plate-like portion 5A on which the detection unit 502A is provided. Similarly, on substrate support plate-like portions of a different type and shape from the substrate support plate-like portion 5A, one detection unit with a different shape from the detection unit 502A is provided for each substrate support plate-like portion.
[0072] As a result, by detecting the shape of the detected part (detected part 502A, etc.) with the sensor L322, it is possible to recognize the type and shape of the substrate support plate-like part (substrate support plate-like part 5A, etc.). As a result, depending on the type and shape of the substrate support plate-like part (substrate support plate-like part 5A, etc.), when inserting the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 into the container body 2, if the stored item is a substrate W, the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 can be positioned in an appropriate location that does not damage the substrate W, that is, the substrate W does not collide with the arm when the substrate W is unloaded, or the substrate W supported by the arm does not collide with the substrate support plate-like part (substrate support plate-like part 5A, etc.) when the substrate W is loaded, thereby enabling the substrate W to be unloaded from or loaded into the container body 2.
[0073] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the container body is composed of a container body 2, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as a second modification, the container body may have the following configuration.
[0074] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, on the inner surface of the second side wall 26B of the container body 2B behind the opening periphery 28, a detectable portion 201B is provided for recognizing the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion (substrate support plate-like portion 5A, etc.), which can be detected by the sensor L322. More specifically, the detectable portion 201B is located between the opening periphery 28 and the front end portion 501 of the substrate support plate-like portion 5 in the front-rear direction D1, and is positioned at a position 1 / 4 of the way down the length of the second side wall 26B in the vertical direction D2, and has a rectangular plate shape with a predetermined uneven shape.
[0075] The detection unit 201B is provided on the inner surface of the second side wall 26B of the container body 2B so as to recognize the type and shape of the substrate support plate-like portion 5 attached to the container body 2B. One detection unit 201B is provided for each container body 2B that is provided with a substrate support plate-like portion 5 of the same type and shape as the one provided with the detection unit 201B. In addition, for container bodies that are provided with a substrate support plate-like portion of a different type and shape than the substrate support plate-like portion 5, one detection unit with a different shape from the detection unit 201B is provided for each container body.
[0076] As a result, by detecting the shape of the detected part (detected part 201B, etc.) provided on the inner wall of the container body (container body 2B, etc.) using the sensor L322, it is possible to recognize the type and shape of the substrate support plate-like part (substrate support plate-like part 5, etc.) provided on the container body (container body 2B, etc.). Consequently, when inserting the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 into the container body 2, if the object to be stored is a substrate W, the arm (not shown) of the load port L1 can be positioned in an appropriate location that does not damage the substrate W, that is, the substrate W does not collide with the arm when the substrate W is unloaded, or the substrate W supported by the arm does not collide with the substrate support plate-like part (substrate support plate-like part 5, etc.) when the substrate W is loaded, thereby enabling the substrate W to be unloaded from or loaded into the container body (container body 2B, etc.).
[0077] Furthermore, in the embodiment, for example, the storage container is a substrate storage container 1 for storing substrates W, and the substrate storage container 1 is used as a process container for storing substrates W made of silicon wafers as described above and transporting them in the process within the factory, or as a shipping container for transporting substrates by means of transport such as land transport, air transport, or sea transport, but is not limited to this.
[0078] For example, the storage container may be a frame carrier or a cassette instead of the circuit board storage container 1. If the storage container is a frame carrier, the frame supporting the circuit board W is stored in the frame carrier as the stored item. If the storage container is a cassette, the tray on which the circuit board W is placed is stored in the cassette as the stored item.
[0079] In other words, in the embodiment, the object to be stored was a substrate W, but it is not limited to this. For example, instead of a substrate W, it may be a frame as a substrate support device that supports the substrate W, or a substrate tray (chip tray) as a substrate support device that places the substrate W on. It may also be a frame in which the substrate W is supported, or a substrate tray in which the substrate W is placed.
[0080] Furthermore, in the embodiment, for example, the sensor L322 detected the shape of the front end portion 501 of both of the pair of substrate support plate-like portions 5 that are located within the substrate storage space 27, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the sensor L322 may detect the shape of the front end portion 501 of only one of the pair of substrate support plate-like portions 5 that are located within the substrate storage space 27.
[0081] In this embodiment, the detectable part for recognizing the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion as a lateral substrate support, which is detectable by the sensor L322 and is provided on the inner surface of the container body 2B, is configured as the detectable part 201B. In addition, the detectable part for recognizing the shape of the substrate support plate-like portion as a lateral substrate support, which is provided on the front end portion 501A of the substrate support plate-like portion 5A as a lateral substrate support, is configured as the detectable part 502A and is detectable by the sensor L322, but the embodiment is not limited to these. For example, as the detectable part for recognizing the shape of the lateral substrate support portion as the internal shape of the storage container, a detectable part with a different configuration that can be detected by the shape detection unit may be used.
[0082] Furthermore, the shape of the container body and lid, and the number and dimensions of the substrates that can be stored in the container body are not limited to the shape of the container body 2 and lid 3, or the number and dimensions of the substrates W that can be stored in the container body 2, as in this embodiment.
[0083] 1. Circuit board storage container (storage container) 2. Container body 3. Lid 5. Circuit board support plate-like part (lateral circuit board support part) 20. Wall part 21. Container body opening 27. Circuit board storage space 28. Peripheral part of the opening 201B, 502A. Detected part L1. Load port L30. Mapping arm L322. Sensor (shape detection part) W. Circuit board (storage item)
Claims
1. A load port that enables the removal of an object to be stored from and into a storage container, wherein the object to be stored is a substrate or a substrate support device that supports the substrate, and the load port comprises a mapping arm that detects the presence or absence of the object to be stored in the storage container, and the mapping arm comprises a shape detection unit that can detect the internal shape of the storage container.
2. The storage container comprises: a container body having an opening peripheral portion at one end with a container body opening formed thereon, and a cylindrical wall portion closed at the 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 that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening; and lateral substrate support portions provided on the container body in pairs within the substrate storage space, capable of supporting the edges of a plurality of substrates when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, with adjacent substrates spaced vertically at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel, wherein the shape detection unit has a sensor that detects the shape of the lateral substrate support portion or the shape of the inner wall of the container body, and performs detection on one or both of the pair of lateral substrate support portions within the substrate storage space, as described in claim 1.
3. The load port according to claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a contact sensor, a laser sensor, an image recognition sensor, and an RFID sensor.
4. The load port according to claim 1, wherein the storage container is a substrate storage container for storing the substrate, or a cassette for a substrate support device for storing the substrate support device for supporting the substrate.
5. A storage container capable of storing an object to be stored, wherein the object to be stored is loaded and unloaded from the storage container and loaded into the storage container via a load port, the storage container comprising: a container body having an opening peripheral portion at one end with a container body opening formed thereon, and a cylindrical wall portion closed at the other end, wherein the inner surface of the wall portion forms a substrate storage space capable of storing a substrate and communicating with the container body opening; a lid that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening; and lateral substrate support portions provided on the container body in pairs within the substrate storage space, capable of supporting the edges of a plurality of substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are spaced apart vertically at a predetermined interval when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, the load port comprises a mapping arm for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate in the container body, and the mapping arm comprises a shape detection portion capable of detecting the internal shape of the container body. The shape detection unit has a sensor that detects the shape of the lateral substrate support portion or the shape of the inner wall of the container body, and performs detection on one or both of the pair of lateral substrate support portions within the substrate storage space, and the inner surface of the container body is provided with a detection portion for recognizing the shape of the lateral substrate support portion that can be detected by the sensor, in a storage container.
6. A storage container capable of storing an object to be stored, and a load port that enables the loading and unloading of the object to be stored into the storage container, wherein the storage container is provided with a lateral substrate support portion, the storage container having an opening peripheral portion at one end with a container body opening formed thereon and a cylindrical wall portion closed at the 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 that is detachable from the container body opening and capable of closing the container body opening, and the lateral substrate support portion provided on the container body in pairs within the substrate storage space, capable of supporting the edges of a plurality of substrates in a state where adjacent substrates are spaced apart vertically at a predetermined interval and arranged in parallel when the container body opening is not closed by the lid, the load port is provided with a mapping arm that detects the presence or absence of the substrate in the container body. The mapping arm comprises a shape detection unit capable of detecting the internal shape of the container body, the shape detection unit has a sensor that detects the shape of the lateral substrate support unit or the shape of the inner wall of the container body, and performs detection on one or both of the pair of lateral substrate support units in the substrate storage space, and the lateral substrate support unit is provided with a detectable portion for recognizing the shape of the lateral substrate support unit, which can be detected by the sensor, in the lateral substrate support unit.