JP2000216175A - Sealed container, atmosphere replacer, and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize contamination or moisture absorption of an object housed within a sealed container and caused by deposition of fine particles on the object. SOLUTION: Contact parts between a casing 12 of a portable sealed container 11, a shutter/lid member 14 and a holder 15, a contact part between the casing 12 and an atmosphere replacer 21, an inner surface of the casing 12, and at least a part of the shutter/lid member 14 facing the inner surface of the casing 12 have surface roughnesses of a maximum height of 10 μm or of an average central line of 1 μm or less. For this reason, even when an air flow takes place within the casing 12 upon replacement of an atmosphere within the casing 12, it becomes difficult for fine particles to be detached from constituent components of the container 11 or atmosphere replacer 21. Further, the components of the container 11 less absorbs moisture and thus a moisture concentration within the container 11 is kept at a low level.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an airtight container for accommodating objects to be accommodated, a method for manufacturing the same, an atmosphere replacing device for replacing the atmosphere in the airtight container, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic substrates such as semiconductor devices, liquid crystal devices, and magnetic disks are manufactured in a dust-free clean room.
Electronic substrates are transported between processes in a clean room by placing the holder that holds the electronic substrates in a portable closed container to prevent contamination due to the adsorption of molecules such as organic substances, boron, and phosphorus to the electronic substrates. It is carried out in a state where it is accommodated in

Further, in recent years, in order to prevent not only contamination due to molecules of organic substances and the like adsorbed on the electronic substrate, but also to prevent a natural oxide film from growing on the surface of the electronic substrate, atmosphere replacement is performed. The holder is housed in a portable airtight container whose oxygen concentration has been reduced by replacing the internal atmosphere with an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon or evacuating by means of a device, and transporting the electronic substrate in this state. I have to.

[0004] Incidentally, since it is necessary to carry the holder in and out of the portable closed container for processing in each process in the clean room, an opening is provided in the housing of the portable closed container. A lid for closing the opening is also provided in the portable closed container. Such a portable closed container is hermetically sealed by causing the lid to be vacuum-sucked to the housing or mechanically pressing the lid against the housing via a packing such as an O-ring.

[0005] A portable closed container in which the atmosphere in the housing is evacuated to vacuum is made of metal, and the inner surface and the lid of the housing have been generally finished by mechanical polishing. In addition, a portable sealed container in which the atmosphere in the housing is replaced with an inert gas is often made of plastic, but even in such a portable sealed container, a contact portion between the housing and the lid is conventionally used. Generally, finishing by mechanical polishing was performed.

[0006]

However, even if mechanical polishing is performed, the maximum height (R _max ) is several tens to hundreds of μm and the center line average roughness (R _a ) is several tens of μm. Large roughness. For this reason, in the conventional portable closed container, an airflow occurs in the housing when the atmosphere in the housing is replaced, or each part of the portable closed container or when the portable closed container is replaced when the electronic substrate is loaded / unloaded or the atmosphere is replaced. When it comes into contact with an atmosphere replacement device, fine particles having a size of several to several tens of μm are easily detached from each part of the portable closed container.

[0007] When the fine particles are detached from each part of the portable closed container, the fine particles adhere to the electronic substrate, causing contamination, thereby lowering the yield of the electronic substrate itself and the articles manufactured using the electronic substrate. Therefore, the invention of the present application is intended to provide a sealed container, a method for manufacturing the sealed container, and a method for manufacturing the sealed container, in which contamination due to fine particles adhering to the object is small, and the yield of articles manufactured using the object itself or the object is high. It is an object of the present invention to provide an atmosphere replacement device for replacing an atmosphere inside the device and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a closed container, wherein a contact portion between a housing, a lid and a holder, a contact portion between a housing and an atmosphere replacement device, an inner surface of the housing and a cover. At least a part of the surface of the body facing the inside of the housing has a surface roughness of a maximum height of 10 μm or less or a center line average roughness of 1 μm or less, and these surface roughnesses are small. For this reason, even when airflow occurs in the housing when replacing the atmosphere in the housing, or when each part of the closed container or the closed container and the atmosphere replacement device come into contact with each other when carrying in / out the stored object or replacing the atmosphere. In addition, the fine particles are hardly detached from each part of the closed container. In addition, moisture hardly adsorbs to each part of the closed container, and the inside of the closed container is kept at a low water concentration.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a sealed container, comprising: a contact portion between a housing, a lid and a holder; a contact portion between a housing and an atmosphere replacement device; Since at least a part of the surface facing the inside of the housing is subjected to electrolytic polishing, chemical polishing or alumite treatment, the surface roughness thereof is small, especially when the alumite treatment is performed, it is difficult for the fine particles to separate from the part to be treated. . For this reason, even when airflow occurs in the housing when replacing the atmosphere in the housing, or when each part of the closed container or the closed container and the atmosphere replacement device come into contact with each other when carrying in / out the stored object or replacing the atmosphere. , It is difficult for particles to come off from each part of the closed container,
In addition, it is difficult for moisture to adsorb to each part of the closed container,
It is possible to produce a closed container in which the inside is kept at a low moisture concentration.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the contact portion with the closed container has a surface roughness of a maximum height of 10 μm or less or a center line average roughness of 1 μm or less. Small roughness. For this reason, even if the atmosphere replacement device and the closed container come into contact with each other when replacing the atmosphere in the closed container, the fine particles are unlikely to be detached from the contact portion of the atmosphere replacement device with the closed container.

In the method for manufacturing an atmosphere replacement device according to claim 4, any one of electrolytic polishing, chemical polishing and alumite treatment is applied to the contact portion with the closed container, so that the surface roughness of this contact portion is small. When the alumite treatment is performed, it is difficult for the fine particles to be separated from the portion to be treated. For this reason, even if the atmosphere replacement device and the closed container come into contact with each other when replacing the atmosphere in the closed container, it is possible to manufacture an atmosphere replacement device in which the fine particles are less likely to be detached from the contact portion with the closed container among the atmosphere replacement devices. it can.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention applied to a portable sealed container for semiconductor wafers and an atmosphere replacement device mounted on a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus will be described below with reference to FIGS. It will be described with reference to FIG. In the portable closed container 11 of the present embodiment, an opening 13
Are provided, and a flange portion 12 a is provided around the opening 13.
Is provided. The opening 13 is closed by a shutter / lid 14, and an annular groove 14 a and a positioning pin 14 b are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the shutter / lid 14, respectively, and an O-ring 14 c for ensuring airtightness is formed by an annular groove 14 a.
It is fitted inside.

A holder 15 is mounted on the shutter / lid 14, and a semiconductor wafer 16 is held by the holder 15.
Lid chuck 17 entirely annular and L-shaped in cross section
Is vacuum-adsorbed to the flange portion 12a and the shutter / cover lid 14 so that the shutter / cover lid 14 is opened.
Close. Flange 12a and shutter / lid 1
The annular grooves 1 are provided on the upper surface of the lid
7a and 17b are provided, and O for ensuring airtightness is provided.
Rings 17c and 17d are fitted in the annular grooves 17a and 17b, respectively.

On the other hand, in the atmosphere replacement device 21 of the present embodiment, the inside of the airtight container 22 is a wafer elevating unit 23, and a cylindrical block 24 is attached to the open upper surface of the airtight container 22. The upper part of the block 24 is an opening 25, and a triple annular groove 24 is formed on the upper surface of the block 24.
a, 24b and 24c are provided. O-rings 24d and 24e for ensuring airtightness are provided in annular grooves 24a and 24, respectively.
c is inserted into the annular groove 24b.
Are connected. A valve 27 connected to a vacuum exhaust pump and a valve 28 connected to an inert gas supply pump are connected to the ventilation path 26.

The block 24 has an air passage 3 penetrating the wall.
1 is provided, and a valve 32 connected to an evacuation pump and a valve 33 connected to an inert gas supply pump are connected to the ventilation path 31. In the wafer elevating part 23, a lid receiving elevating base 34, a chuck receiving elevating base 35, and a shutter / elevating base 36 which can be raised and lowered independently of each other are provided coaxially.
An annular groove 36a is provided on the upper surface of the shutter / lifting platform 36, and an O-ring 36b for ensuring airtightness is fitted in the annular groove 36a.

The contact portion between the housing 12 of the portable closed container 11, the shutter lid 14, and the lid chuck 17, the contact portion between the housing 12 and the atmosphere replacement device 21, the housing 1
Electrolytic polishing, chemical polishing, or alumite treatment is applied to the surface of the inner surface 2 and the shutter lid 14 facing the inside of the housing 12, and these surfaces have a maximum height of 10 μm or less or 1 μm. It has a surface roughness of the following center line average roughness.

In order to process the semiconductor wafer 16 conveyed in the portable closed container 11 by the processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. The portable closed container 11 is placed on the atmosphere replacement device 21 in pressure contact with the container.
Then, the inside of the annular groove 24b is evacuated through the ventilation path 26 and the valve 27, and the flange portion 12 is formed on the upper surface of the block 24.
The opening 25 is air-tightly closed by the flange portion 12a and the shutter lid 14 by vacuum-sucking a.

In the portable closed container 11 at this time,
The lid chuck 17 is vacuum-adsorbed to the flange portion 12a and the shutter / lid 14 and the airtight housing 12 is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen. Therefore, the space 37 surrounded by the block 24, the shutter-operating elevating table 36, the lid receiving elevating table 34, the lid chuck 17 and the flange portion 12a is evacuated through the ventilation path 31 and the valve 32, and The pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the body chuck 17 is eliminated, and the vacuum chuck of the lid body chuck 17 to the flange portion 12a and the shutter and lid body 14 is released.

Thereafter, the chuck receiving elevating table 35 is lowered to lower the lid chuck 17 by its own weight, and then an inert gas is supplied into the space 37 through the valve 33 and the ventilation path 31, and The pressure difference between the inside and the space 37 is eliminated. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the shutter / lifting platform 36, the chuck receiving / lifting platform 35, and the lid receiving / lifting platform 34 are moved to the wafer
The lid chuck 17, the shutter / lid 14, and the holder 15 are lowered by their own weight while only the housing 12 is left on the block 24. Since the pressure difference between the inside of the housing 12 and the space 37 is eliminated at the time of the lowering as described above, the airflow accompanying the lowering of the holder 15 and the like is less likely to be generated in the housing 12.

Thereafter, although not shown, the semiconductor wafer 16 is taken out of the holder 15 on the shutter / lid 14, and the semiconductor wafer 16 is transported to the processing apparatus.
Necessary processing is performed on the semiconductor wafer 16. After this processing is completed, the holder 15 on the shutter / lid 14 is
When the semiconductor wafer 16 is returned to the inside, the lid receiving elevating table 34,
The chuck receiving elevator 35 and the shutter elevator 36 are raised in the wafer elevating unit 23, and the holder 15 is moved to the housing 12.
And the shutter / lifting platform 36 is pressed against the lower surface of the block 24 in an airtight manner.

However, the shutter / lid 14 and the lid chuck 17 are not pressed against the lower surface of the flange portion 12a yet,
The interior of the housing 12 and the space 37 are communicated. by the way,
During processing on the semiconductor wafer 16, an atmosphere having a high concentration of impurities such as oxygen and moisture has penetrated into the housing 12.
For this reason, an inert gas is supplied into the space 37 and the housing 12 through the valve 33 and the ventilation path 31 to replace the atmosphere in the housing 12 with an inert gas having a low impurity concentration.

Thereafter, the lid receiving / lifting table 34 is raised, and the shutter / lid 14 is pressed against the lower surface of the flange portion 12a in an airtight manner. Then, after evacuating the space 37 through the ventilation path 31 and the valve 32, the chuck receiving elevating table 35
And the lid chuck 17 is pressed against the flange portion 12a and the lower surface of the shutter / lid lid 14 in an airtight manner. Then, the inert gas is supplied into the space 37 through the valve 33 and the ventilation path 31, and the inert gas is supplied into the annular groove 24 b through the valve 28 and the ventilation path 26.

When the inert gas is supplied into the space 37, the lid chuck 17 is vacuum-sucked to the flange portion 12a and the shutter / lid 14, and when the inert gas is supplied into the annular groove 24b, the block 24 is closed. Flange part 12 for upper surface
The vacuum suction of a is released. Therefore, the portable airtight container 11 in which the semiconductor wafer 16 is housed in an airtight state in the housing 12 filled with the inert gas is removed from the atmosphere replacing device 21 and the oxidizing device, the film forming device, etc. It is conveyed to the processing device of the next process. Also in the processing apparatus in the next step, the processing of the semiconductor wafer 16 and the replacement of the atmosphere in the housing 12 are performed by the same method as the method shown in FIGS.

The portable closed container 11 and the atmosphere replacing device 21 of the present embodiment having the above-described surface roughness and the portable closed container and the atmosphere replacing device of a conventional example only subjected to mechanical polishing. Then, the above-described release of the vacuum suction, replacement of the atmosphere, and vacuum suction are repeated 50 times, and the semiconductor wafer 1
The average value was obtained by measuring the number of fine particles having a diameter of 0.16 μm or more attached to 6 using a laser scattering type fine particle counter. 0.92 pieces, which was very small.

In the above embodiment, the atmosphere in the housing 12 of the portable closed container 11 is replaced with an inert gas. However, the portable closed container and the atmosphere replacing device for evacuating the inside of the housing 12 are used. The invention of the present application can also be applied to the present invention. In the above embodiment, the portable closed container 1
1, a shutter / lid 14 and a lid chuck 1
7, the contact portion between the housing 12 and the atmosphere replacement device 21, the inner surface of the housing 12, and the surface of the shutter / cover 14 facing the inside of the housing 12. Although it has roughness, only some of these may have the surface roughness described above.

In the above embodiment, the semiconductor wafer 1
The invention of the present application is applied to a portable sealed container 11 for 6 and an atmosphere replacement device 21 mounted on a processing device for the semiconductor wafer 16, and a portable sealed container other than for the semiconductor wafer 16, Non-portable closed containers,
The invention of the present application can be applied to an atmosphere replacement device used together with an apparatus other than the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

[0027]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the atmosphere in the housing is replaced, an air current is generated in the housing, and when the stored object is carried in or out or the atmosphere is replaced, each part of the closed container or the closed container is replaced. Even if it comes into contact with the atmosphere replacement device, the fine particles are hardly detached from each part of the closed container. In addition, moisture hardly adsorbs to each part of the closed container, and the inside of the closed container is kept at a low water concentration. For this reason, contamination due to fine particles adhering to the object and moisture absorption of the object are small, and the yield of the object itself or an article manufactured using the object is high.

In the method for manufacturing a sealed container according to the second aspect, an air flow is generated in the housing when the atmosphere in the housing is replaced, or each part of the sealed container or the sealed container is replaced when carrying in / out of an object or replacing the atmosphere. Even if the air and the atmosphere replacement device come into contact with each other, it is difficult for fine particles to separate from each part of the closed container, and it is difficult for moisture to be adsorbed to each part of the closed container, and the inside is kept at a low moisture concentration. Containers can be manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an airtight container with low contamination due to fine particles adhering to the object and less moisture absorption of the object, and a high yield of the object itself or an article manufactured using the object. .

In the atmosphere replacement device according to the third aspect, even if the atmosphere replacement device and the closed container come into contact with each other when replacing the atmosphere in the closed container, the fine particles are separated from the contact portion of the atmosphere replacement device with the closed container. Hard to do. For this reason, there is little contamination due to the adhesion of the fine particles to the object to be stored in the closed container, and the yield of the object to be stored and articles manufactured using the object to be stored is high.

[0030] In the manufacturing method of the atmosphere replacement method according to the fourth aspect, even if the atmosphere replacement device and the closed container come into contact with each other when replacing the atmosphere in the closed container, the contact portion of the atmosphere replacement device that contacts the closed container. It is possible to manufacture an atmosphere replacement device in which the fine particles are hardly detached. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an atmosphere replacement device in which contamination due to fine particles adhering to the object to be stored in the closed container is small, and the yield of the object to be stored and articles manufactured using the object to be manufactured is high.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a main part of an embodiment of the present invention,
It is a sectional side view in the state where the case of the portable closed container was closed.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a main part of the embodiment and showing a state where a housing of the portable closed container is opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Portable closed container (closed container), 12 ... Housing, 13 ... Opening, 14 ... Shutter / lid (lid), 1
5 holder (holding body), 21 atmosphere replacement device

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A housing having an opening, a lid for closing the opening, and a holder for holding the lid in the closed state. In the sealed container to be replaced, the inner surface of the housing, the lid, the contact portion of the holding body and the atmosphere replacement device, and the surface of the lid facing the inside of the housing, Whether at least a portion of the contact portion between the housing and the holder and the portion of the holder that contacts the housing and the lid has a maximum height of 10 μm or less or a center line average roughness of 1 μm or less. A closed container characterized by having a surface roughness of: 2. A housing having an opening, a cover for closing the opening, and a holding body for holding the cover in the closed state, wherein the housing is loaded into an atmosphere replacement device and an atmosphere in the housing is provided. In the method for manufacturing a closed container, the inner surface of the housing, the lid, the contact portion between the holding body and the atmosphere replacement device, and the surface of the lid facing the housing. And a contact portion between the housing and the holding body, and at least a part of the holding body and a contact portion between the housing and the lid, which is subjected to any one of electrolytic polishing, chemical polishing, or anodizing. A method for producing a closed container, comprising: 3. An atmosphere replacement device for loading an airtight container and replacing the atmosphere in the airtight container, wherein a contact portion with the airtight container has a maximum height of 10 μm or less or a center line average roughness of 1 μm or less. An atmosphere replacement device having roughness. 4. A method of manufacturing an atmosphere replacing device for loading an airtight container and replacing the atmosphere in the airtight container, wherein the contact portion with the airtight container is subjected to any one of electrolytic polishing, chemical polishing, and alumite processing. A method for manufacturing an atmosphere replacement device, comprising: