Substrate Storage Container Dual-Material Support for Particle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate storage containers face issues with substrate sliding and wear resistance, leading to particle generation during delivery, as materials with improved sliding properties have poor wear resistance.
Innovation Solution
A substrate storage container design featuring a container main body with a tubular wall and a lid body, utilizing polycarbonate resin for the substrate support portions and polybutylene terephthalate resin for the lower side inclined face, which provides a lower static friction coefficient and wear resistance, ensuring smooth substrate sliding and reducing particle generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a material with improved sliding property is used for the wafer supporting groove, then the substrate can slide smoothly on the inclined face, but the material has poor wear resistance and generates particles during delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different materials to different regions of the substrate support structure. The inclined face is made of a material with low friction coefficient for smooth sliding, while the horizontal support surface is made of a material with high wear resistance to prevent particle generation during delivery. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between sliding smoothness and wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate support structure uses composite construction with at least two different materials: one material for the inclined face optimized for sliding properties, and another material for the horizontal support portion optimized for wear resistance. This composite approach allows each region to have the optimal material properties for its specific function, eliminating the need to choose between sliding smoothness and wear resistance.
2Ease of operation
If a material with improved sliding property is used for the wafer supporting groove, then the substrate can be elevated smoothly when the container main body is formed, but the material is worn during delivery and particles are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent differentiates material properties across different regions: the inclined face uses low-friction material for smooth substrate elevation during container formation, while the horizontal support surface uses high-wear-resistance material to minimize particle generation during subsequent delivery operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure employs composite materials where the inclined portion is made of material optimized for substrate elevation (low friction coefficient) and the horizontal support portion is made of material optimized for delivery durability (high wear resistance), thereby preventing particle generation while maintaining elevation functionality.
3Device complexity
If the substrate support portions are made from the same material, then the structure is simple, but either sliding property or wear resistance cannot be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality differentiation by using different materials for different functional regions of the substrate support structure. The inclined face uses material optimized for sliding, while the horizontal support uses material optimized for wear resistance, achieving superior overall performance without excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate support structure uses composite materials with at least two different material compositions tailored to specific functional requirements: low-friction material for the inclined face and high-wear-resistance material for the horizontal support surface, thereby optimizing both sliding property and wear resistance simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The container effectively prevents particle generation and supports substrates during delivery, suppressing damage by ensuring smooth sliding and high wear resistance, particularly when using polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate materials.
Implementation Method 1
the second member has a lower maximum static friction coefficient and lower wear resistance than the first member
Implementation Method 2
a material having improved sliding property has poor wear resistance, and thus, it is assumed that such a material is worn during the delivery of the substrate storage container, and thus particles are generated
Data Source
AI summary
A back side substrate support portion 6 includes a lower side inclined face 622 on which an end of a back face of a substrate W slides, and a substrate support portion 632 that is located above the lower side inclined face 622 and can support an edge portion of the substrate W. When a container main body opening portion 21 is closed by a lid body 3, the edge portion of the substrate W slides on the lower side inclined face 622 and reaches the substrate support portion 632. At least a portion of the lower side inclined face 622 is configured from a second member that is different from a first member that configures the substrate support portion 632, and the second member has a lower maximum static friction coefficient and lower wear resistance than the first member.