JP2013105931A - Substrate housing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate housing container which efficiently substitutes a gas and can increase the speed and improve the efficiency of the substitution operation, facilitates detachment of a lid from a container body, can smoothly process a substrate, and the like.SOLUTION: The substrate housing container includes: a container body 1 for housing a semiconductor wafer; a lid 20 fitted into an opened front surface 7 of the container body 1; and a deformable seal gasket 30 interposed between the container body 1 and the lid 20. A seal formation surface 8 for the seal gasket 30 is formed in the inner periphery of the front surface of the container body 1, and an attachment groove 25 for the seal gasket 30 is formed in the peripheral edge of the rear surface of the lid 20. The seal gasket 30 is formed of a base 31 fitted into the attachment groove 25, an extending piece 33 projecting from the base 31, a first seal piece 35 which extends from the tip portion of the extending piece 33 and is brought into pressure contact with the seal formation surface 8, and a second seal piece 37 projecting from the extending piece 33, and the second seal piece 37 is orthogonal to the extending piece 33 and is brought into contact with an adjacent surface 9 adjacent to the seal formation surface 8.

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate storage container used for storing, storing, transporting, and transporting a substrate made of a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, or the like, and more particularly to improvement of a seal structure.

  Although the substrate storage container in the prior art is not shown, a container main body for arranging and storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers in an up-and-down manner, a lid that is detachably fitted to the open front of the container main body, and the container main body, Equipped with an elastically deformable seal gasket that is interposed between the lid and seals, temporarily stores semiconductor wafers on the surface where electronic circuits are formed, and is transported between factory processes, Or it is transported by an airplane etc. (refer patent documents 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

  The container body is molded into a front open box with a predetermined molding material, and a plurality of supply / discharge valves that replace the gas inside the container body from air to inert gas such as nitrogen gas or dry air are mounted on the bottom plate. The supply / discharge action of the plurality of supply / discharge valves prevents deterioration of the surface of the semiconductor wafer such as oxidation and corrosion.

  The open front of the container body has a peripheral edge bent into a substantially Z-shaped cross section and projecting outward, and a seal forming surface for a seal gasket is formed on the shoulder surface of the inner periphery of the peripheral edge. The lid is formed in a front rectangular shape corresponding to the open front of the container body, and a mounting groove for a seal gasket is provided around the periphery.

  The seal gasket includes a frame-shaped base that is fitted into the mounting groove of the lid, a fitting protrusion that protrudes from the base and is pressed against the inner surface of the mounting groove, and a seal piece that is formed on the base and protrudes from the mounting groove. The base, the fitting protrusion, and the seal piece are integrally formed of a predetermined molding material. From the viewpoint of reliably preventing particles and the like from flowing from the outside to the inside of the substrate storage container, this seal gasket extends while curving outward from the container body and comes into close contact with the seal forming surface of the container body. In addition, particles and the like are prevented from flowing into the substrate storage container.

JP 2002-68364 A JP 2009-272371 A JP 2010-129765 A JP 2009-170591 A Japanese Patent No. 4201583

The conventional substrate storage container is configured as described above, and the seal gasket is formed mainly to prevent the inflow of particles and the like into the container body. Therefore, there are the following problems.
First, since the seal piece of the seal gasket extends while curving on the outside of the container body, it is possible to effectively prevent particles and the like from flowing into the container body, but if the internal pressure of the container body increases, The tip portion may be deformed, and the gas in the container body may easily leak.

  In this case, if the air in the substrate storage container is replaced with an inert gas, the inert gas may leak outside in a short time as the internal pressure increases, so that the gas replacement work is delayed, There arises a problem that the work efficiency cannot be improved. Specifically, it takes a long time for the oxygen concentration and the amount of moisture in the substrate storage container to decrease to predetermined values, and the working efficiency deteriorates. In order to solve this problem, if an attempt is made to operate the substrate storage container with incomplete gas replacement, there is a possibility that a new problem arises that the yield of the product decreases due to the deterioration of the semiconductor wafer.

  Further, when the substrate storage container is transported by aircraft, if the external atmospheric pressure decreases due to the altitude of the aircraft, the internal pressure of the substrate storage container increases relatively with this decrease, and the gas in the substrate storage container There is a risk of leakage. At this time, when the aircraft is landed, the internal pressure of the substrate storage container is lower than the external pressure and the pressure is reduced, and the lid body is adsorbed to the container body via the seal gasket, making it difficult to remove the lid body.

  Further, in the conventional substrate storage container, a long seal piece of the seal gasket is firmly in close contact with the seal forming surface of the container main body to ensure a certain sealing property, but when the lid is removed from the container main body, The seal piece may stick as it is. The sticking of the seal piece depends on the material of the seal gasket, but is mainly caused by the pressure contact of the seal piece with the seal forming surface. If the seal piece sticks to the seal forming surface, the removal of the lid is hindered. As a result, there arises a problem that processing of the semiconductor wafer and interruption of the processing are caused.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can efficiently replace the gas to speed up and improve the efficiency of the operation, and also facilitates the removal of the lid from the container body, thereby smoothing the substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate storage container that can be processed into a substrate.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the present invention, a container main body for storing a substrate, a lid fitted to the opening surface of the container main body, and a deformable seal interposed between the container main body and the lid. With a gasket,
A mounting groove for a seal gasket is formed on one of the inner periphery of the opening surface of the container body and the lid body, and on the other side, a seal forming surface that contacts the seal gasket is formed,
The seal gasket includes a base that is fitted in the mounting groove, an extended piece that protrudes from the base, a first seal piece that extends while bending from a tip portion of the extended piece and contacts the seal forming surface, and an extended piece And a second seal piece projecting from a portion other than the tip of the first seal portion, and the second seal piece is substantially orthogonal to the extending piece and is brought into contact with an adjacent surface adjacent to the seal forming surface. It is said.

In addition, the locking mechanism which locks the cover body fitted by the front of the container main body can be provided.
In addition, a supply / discharge valve for replacing gas is attached to either the container main body or the lid, and the container main body is formed in a front open box having a front opening, and the front peripheral edge is bent into a substantially Z-shaped cross section, The step shoulder surface on the inner periphery of the peripheral edge is used as a seal forming surface, and the rear surface adjacent to the step shoulder surface is used as an adjacent surface.
An attachment groove can be formed endlessly on the peripheral surface of the facing surface of the lid that faces the back surface of the container body.

Also, ribs that contact the inner surfaces of the mounting grooves facing each other can be formed on the base of the seal gasket so that protrusions that contact the seal forming surface can be formed at the tip of the first seal piece.
Moreover, it is possible to form the softness | flexibility provision groove | channel adjacent to a 2nd seal piece in the extension piece of a seal gasket.
Further, the second seal piece of the seal gasket is bent toward the base, the tip of the second seal piece is directed toward the base, and the vicinity of the center of the second seal piece is directed toward the first seal piece. Can be directed.

  Here, the substrate in the claims includes at least one or more semiconductor wafers (φ200, 300, 450 mm type silicon wafer, reclaimed wafer, etc.), liquid crystal substrate, liquid crystal cell, quartz glass, and the like. The container body is mainly a front open box type, but may be a top open box type or a bottom open box type. The container main body is not particularly required to be transparent, opaque or translucent like the lid. When the seal gasket mounting groove is formed on the lid, it is formed on the peripheral edge of the lid, specifically on the peripheral edge of the back surface of the lid or on the peripheral wall of the lid.

  The seal gasket may be an endless frame shape, but may be a necessary number of strips having flexibility. The second seal piece of the seal gasket is substantially orthogonal to the extended piece, and the substantially orthogonal includes both a strictly orthogonal and a state recognized as being approximately orthogonal. Moreover, it is preferable that the adjacent surface adjacent to the seal forming surface is a surface located below or behind the seal forming surface. Furthermore, although there are types of substrate storage containers such as FOUP and FOSB, there is no particular question and any may be used.

  According to the present invention, when the lid is fitted to the opening surface of the container main body, the first seal piece of the seal gasket bends to contact the seal forming surface, and a seal is formed between the container main body and the lid. Thus, inflow of dust and the like from the outside to the inside of the container body is regulated. At this time, the second seal piece comes into contact with an adjacent surface adjacent to the seal forming surface and restricts gas from leaking from the inside of the container main body to the outside. When the internal pressure of the container body increases, the second seal piece comes into strong contact with the adjacent surface of the container body and improves the sealing performance.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the gas in the substrate storage container can be efficiently replaced to speed up and increase the efficiency of the work. In addition, the substrate can be processed smoothly by facilitating the removal of the lid from the container body.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the lid is fitted deeply into the open front surface of the container body, the first seal piece of the seal gasket is bent and the tip portion thereof becomes the seal forming surface of the container body. Since the second sealing piece is inclined and comes into contact with the adjacent surface of the container body, it is possible to prevent gas from leaking from the inside of the container body to the outside.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, it is possible to expect an increase in the amount of deflection and the amount of deformation of the second seal piece by forming the flexibility imparting groove.
Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the contact area can be expanded by further bending the second seal piece relative to the adjacent surface, and the shape of the second seal piece can be diversified. It becomes possible.

1 is an overall perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a substrate storage container according to the present invention. It is a perspective explanatory view showing typically the seal gasket in the embodiment of the substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the seal gasket in the embodiment of the substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the state just before a lid body is fitted in a container main part in an embodiment of a substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the state where the lid body was fitted to the container main part in the embodiment of the substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is a section explanatory view showing typically the seal gasket in a 2nd embodiment of the substrate storage container concerning the present invention. It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows typically the state by which the cover body was fitted by the container main body in 2nd Embodiment of the substrate storage container which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a substrate storage container in the present embodiment includes a container main body 1 for aligning and storing a plurality of semiconductor wafers W; A lid 20 fitted to the open front surface 7 of the container body 1, an elastically deformable seal gasket 30 interposed between the container body 1 and the lid body 20, and a front surface 7 of the container body 1 A locking mechanism 40 for locking the fitted lid body 20, and an extension piece 33 is projected from the base 31 of the seal gasket 30, and the first and second seal pieces 35 and 37 are provided on the extension piece 33. By integrally forming each, particles and gas are prevented from flowing inside and outside the container body 1 in which the lid 20 is fitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor wafer W is made of, for example, a thin and round silicon wafer having a diameter of 300 mm, and a notch for positioning is selectively cut out at the peripheral edge, and is handled by a dedicated robot (not shown). The semiconductor wafers W are stored horizontally in the container body 1 and 25 or 26 wafers are aligned at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction of the container body 1.

  The container body 1, the lid 20, the locking mechanism 40, and these components are molded from a predetermined molding material, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, etc. Is done. If necessary, a conductive agent made of conductive carbon, conductive fiber, metal fiber, conductive polymer or the like, various antistatic agents, ultraviolet absorbers, and the like are appropriately added to the molding material.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container body 1 is formed in a front open box having an opening on the front surface 7, and the left and right sides that horizontally support the semiconductor wafer W on the inner sides, in other words, the inner surfaces of the side walls that form the peripheral wall. A pair of support pieces 2 are provided opposite to each other, and the pair of support pieces 2 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction, and each support piece 2 is formed in a flat plate shape elongated in the front-rear direction. Is done.

  Through holes 3 shown in FIG. 1 are formed in the thickness direction on both the front side and the back side of the bottom plate of the container body 1, and the gas inside the container body 1 is transferred from air to nitrogen gas in each through hole 3. A supply / exhaust valve 4 that replaces the inert gas such as dry air or the like is detachably mounted. The supply / exhaust action of the plurality of supply / exhaust valves 4 prevents the semiconductor wafer surface from being oxidized or corroded. Is done.

  Each supply / discharge valve 4 is not particularly limited. For example, the supply / discharge valve 4 includes a cylindrical body cylinder that is screwed into the through hole 3 of the container body 1 via an O-ring. A seat is formed, and a valve body that contacts and separates from the valve seat is inserted through a coil spring so as to be movable up and down, and particles and the like are removed from at least one end portion of the open end portions of the main body cylinder. A filter is attached through a cover cap.

  A bottom plate 5 having a substantially Y-shape, a triangle, a polygon or the like is mounted on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the container body 1 from below. V-grooves are provided on both the front side and the rear center of the bottom plate 5. Positioning tools are respectively mounted, and each positioning tool functions to fit the positioning pin of the semiconductor processing apparatus (not shown) from above to position the substrate storage container with high accuracy. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a flat rectangular robotic flange 6 is detachably attached to the center of the ceiling of the container body 1, and this robotic flange 6 is gripped by a factory ceiling transport mechanism (not shown). .

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the front surface 7 of the container body 1 has a peripheral edge bent into a substantially Z-shaped cross-section and protruding outward in the width direction or the height direction. Is formed on the flat seal forming surface 8 for the seal gasket 30, and the rear surface of the container body 1 that is adjacent to the seal forming surface 8, that is, the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the container body 1. Is formed on the adjacent surface 9 for sealing. As shown in FIG. 1, locking holes 10 for the locking mechanism 40 are respectively formed in the recesses on both the upper and lower sides of the inner peripheral surface of the front peripheral edge of the container body 1.

  A plurality of rear retainers that can interfere with the rear edge of the periphery of the semiconductor wafer W in an emergency are selectively formed on the inner surface of the back wall of the container body 1 as needed. In addition, a gripping operation handle 11 is detachably mounted on the outer surface of both side walls of the container body 1, and a transport side rail 12 is selectively mounted on the lower part of the outer surface of each side wall.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the lid 20 includes a substantially rectangular lid body 21 corresponding to the front surface 7 of the container body 1 and a surface plate 28 that covers the open surface (front face) of the lid body 21. Provided with a locking mechanism 40 interposed between the lid body 21 and the surface plate 28, and press-fitted into the open front surface 7 of the container body 1 by a lid opening / closing device (not shown) so as to be detachable. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lid main body 21 is formed in a substantially dish-shaped cross section, and a recess and a protrusion hole 22 for the locking mechanism 40 that opposes the locking hole 10 of the container main body 1 is provided on both upper and lower sides of the peripheral wall. A vertically long front retainer 24 that is horizontally held by the elastic piece 23 is detachably attached to the center of the back surface of the container body 1 facing the back wall of the container body 1. Is done.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the peripheral edge of the back surface of the lid body 21 is opposed to the seal forming surface 8 of the container body 1, and a mounting groove 25 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided around the frame shape. A seal gasket 30 is inserted into the mounting groove 25. An elongated locking projection 27 for the seal gasket 30 is selectively formed on one inner surface (for example, the inner surface near the back surface of the lid main body 21) of the pair of opposing inner surfaces of the mounting groove 25. The locking protrusion 27 prevents the seal gasket 30 from falling off.

As shown in the figure, the surface plate 28 is formed in a substantially rectangular front surface, and is held by the lid opening / closing device when the lid 20 is attached and detached. A pair of left and right operation holes 29 are drilled through the center of both side portions of the surface plate 28, and the operation key of the lid opening / closing device is inserted into each operation hole 29 to lock or unlock the locking mechanism 40. Manipulate.
The surface plate 28 is selectively vacuum-sucked by a plurality of suction pads of the lid opening / closing device as necessary.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the seal gasket 30 includes a base 31 fitted into the mounting groove 25 of the lid 20, a deformable extending piece 33 protruding from the base 31, and the extending piece 33. Are integrally provided with a first seal piece 35 that is bent while being bent and deformed in pressure contact with the seal forming surface 8, and a deformable second seal piece 37 that protrudes from the extended piece 33. The protruding piece 33 and the first and second sealing pieces 35 and 37 are formed in an endless frame shape.

  The seal gasket 30 is molded from a predetermined molding material, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer made of a polyester-based elastomer, a polyolefin-based elastomer, a fluorine-based elastomer, a urethane-based elastomer, etc., fluororubber, EPDM, or silicone-based rubber.

  In the molding material, carbon fiber, metal fiber, metal oxide, and various antistatic agents are added as necessary when it is desired to impart conductivity and antistatic property to the seal gasket 30. When it is desired to improve the surface adhesion of the seal gasket 30, a filler such as carbon, glass fiber, mica, talc, silica, calcium carbonate, polyethylene, polyamide, polyacetal, fluorine-based resin, silicone resin, etc. are appropriately blended. Is done.

  The base 31 of the seal gasket 30 is formed in a rectangular cross section that fits into the mounting groove 25 of the lid body 21, the inner peripheral surface contacts the bottom surface of the mounting groove 25, and the outer peripheral surface is exposed from the mounting groove 25. . Of the front and back surfaces of the base 31, a plurality of positioning ribs 32 are juxtaposedly formed on the surface of the mounting groove 25 that does not face the locking projection 27, and the plurality of positioning ribs 32 are opposed to the other of the mounting grooves 25. Since the seal gasket 30 is deformed by being pressed against the inner surface, it is possible to effectively prevent the positional deviation and dropout of the seal gasket 30. Each positioning rib 32 is formed in a cross-sectional triangle, a cross-sectional semicircle, etc. as needed.

  The extending piece 33 linearly protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the base 31 and extends perpendicularly to the seal forming surface 8 direction of the container body 1. In the extended piece 33, a pair of flexibility-imparting grooves 34 adjacent to the base end portion of the second seal piece 37 are cut out in a semicircular cross section, and each flexibility-giving groove 34 is a second seal. It functions to improve the flexibility and softness of the piece 37.

  The first seal piece 35 is curved in a substantially arc shape and is integrally formed at the distal end portion of the extending piece 33, and is oriented while spreading in the direction of the back wall of the container body 1 and the seal forming surface 8 direction. A spherical protrusion 36 having a circular cross section is integrally formed on the portion. The spherical projections 36 are pressed against the seal forming surface 8 of the container body 1 and sealed to prevent particles and the like (see thin arrows in FIG. 5) from flowing into the container body 1 from the inside.

  The second seal piece 37 linearly protrudes from a portion other than the distal end portion of the extending piece 33, for example, near the intermediate portion, and is adjacent to the seal forming surface 8 perpendicular to the seal forming surface 8 or the extending piece 33. While contacting the surface 9, a corner between the seal forming surface 8 and the adjacent surface 9 is sandwiched between the first seal piece 35. This second seal piece 37 is in contact with the adjacent surface 9 for sealing, thereby preventing leakage of gas such as inert gas (see thick arrows in FIG. 5) from the inside of the container body 1 to the outside. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the locking mechanism 40 is rotatably supported on both inner sides of the lid main body 21, and is a pair of left and right rotating plates that are rotationally operated from the surface side of the lid 20 by the operation keys of the lid opening / closing device. 41, a plurality of power transmission plates 42 built in the lid main body 21 and reciprocating in the vertical direction in conjunction with the rotation of each rotary plate 41, the vicinity of the retracting hole 22 of the lid main body 21, and the tips of the respective power transmission plates 42 And a plurality of locking claws 43 protruding and retracting from the retracting hole 22 of the lid main body 21.

  Such a locking mechanism 40 is such that when the lid 20 fitted to the front surface 7 of the container body 1 is locked, each rotating plate 41 rotates in one direction and the power transmission plate 42 is slid in the circumferential wall direction of the lid 20. Each locking claw 43 swings and protrudes from the retracting hole 22 of the lid body 21 and engages with the locking hole 10 of the container body 1, so that the lid body 20 is firmly locked. On the other hand, when the lid 20 is unlocked, each rotating plate 41 rotates in the opposite direction to return the power transmission plate 42 to the original position, and each locking claw 43 is separated from the locking hole 10 of the container body 1. Then, it swings and retreats into the intrusion hole 22 of the lid main body 21, and the lid 20 is unlocked and becomes removable.

  In the above configuration, when the lid 20 is fitted and sealed to the front surface 7 of the container body 1 that is opened, the lid body 20 is first held by the lid body opening / closing device on the front surface 7 of the container body 1 that is opened. In the state, it is shallowly fitted (see FIG. 4). At this time, since the lid 20 is not completely fitted, the spherical protrusion 36 of the seal gasket 30 does not contact the seal forming surface 8 of the container body 1 as shown in FIG. The second seal piece 37 is not in contact with the adjacent surface 9.

  Next, when the lid body 20 is deeply press-fitted and fitted by the lid body opening / closing device and the locking mechanism 40 is locked, the first seal piece 35 of the seal gasket 30 is bent outward and the spherical protrusion 36 is formed in the container. Closely in contact with the seal forming surface 8 of the main body 1, a seal is formed between the seal forming surface 8 of the container main body 1 and the lid 20, and effectively prevents particles and the like from flowing into the container main body 1 from the outside. (See FIG. 5).

  At this time, the second seal piece 37 inclines obliquely outward as the first seal piece 35 bends, contacts the adjacent surface 9 of the container body 1, and does not move from the inside of the container body 1 to the outside. Prevent leakage of gas such as active gas (see FIG. 5). When the internal pressure of the container main body 1 increases, the second seal piece 37 is pressed against the adjacent surface 9 of the container main body 1 so as to improve the sealing performance. By such contact of the second seal piece 37, the lid 20 is fitted to the open front surface 7 of the container body 1, and an appropriate sealing state is obtained.

  According to the above configuration, even if the internal pressure of the container body 1 increases, the second seal piece 37 of the seal gasket 30 is pressed against and properly sealed, so that the gas leakage from the container body 1 is effectively prevented. Can be prevented. Therefore, when the air in the substrate storage container is replaced with an inert gas, the inert gas is not leaked to the outside in a short time, and the gas can be replaced quickly to improve work efficiency. . Specifically, the oxygen concentration and water content in the substrate storage container can be reduced to a predetermined value in a short time.

  Further, since it is not necessary to operate the substrate storage container with incomplete gas replacement, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor wafer W from being altered and the product yield from being lowered. Further, when the substrate storage container is transported by aircraft, even if the internal pressure of the substrate storage container is relatively increased, it is possible to effectively eliminate the possibility that the gas in the substrate storage container leaks.

  Further, instead of providing a single seal piece with a function of preventing inflow of particles and the like and a function of preventing gas leakage, the first and second seal pieces 35 and 37 are formed according to these functions. Since the first and second seal pieces 35 and 37 are individually sealed, the length of the first seal piece 35 can be shortened as compared with the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lid 20 from adsorbing to the container body 1 via the seal gasket 30, and simple removal of the lid 20 can be greatly expected.

  Furthermore, since the first seal piece 35 can be shortened to an appropriate length, it is possible to prevent the situation where the first seal piece 35 is stuck, and to prevent the opening / closing trouble of the lid 20, It is possible to eliminate the interruption of the processing or processing of the semiconductor wafer W.

  Next, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the second seal piece 37 of the seal gasket 30 is not formed linearly, but the second seal piece 37 is not formed linearly. The seal piece 37 is tapered and slightly bent in the direction of the base 31, the tip of the second seal piece 37 is slightly directed in the direction of the base 31, and the central portion 38 of the second seal piece 37 and the vicinity thereof. The vicinity is directed toward the first seal piece 35. The other parts are substantially the same as those in the above embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Also in this embodiment, the same effect as the above embodiment can be expected, and the second seal piece 37 is slightly curved inward, so that the second seal piece with respect to the adjacent surface 9 of the container body 1 is used. 37 can be bent more and the press-contact range can be expanded. In addition, diversification of the shape of the second seal piece 37 can be expected.

  In the above embodiment, the plurality of supply / discharge valves 4 are mounted on the bottom plate of the container body 1, but the plurality of supply / discharge valves 4 may be mounted on the lid 20. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the seal formation surface 8 and the adjacent surface 9 were each formed in the container main body 1, and the attachment groove | channel 25 was formed in the back surface peripheral part of the cover 20, the back surface and peripheral surface of the cover 20 were formed. The seal forming surface 8 and the adjacent surface 9 may be formed, the mounting groove 25 may be formed in the container main body 1, and the seal gasket 30 may be inserted.

  In addition, a single positioning rib 32 may protrude from at least one of the front and back surfaces of the base 31 of the seal gasket 30. Further, in the above embodiment, the extension piece 33 is notched with the pair of flexibility imparting grooves 34 so as to be sandwiched between the end portions of the second seal piece 37, but the single piece adjacent to the end portion of the second seal piece 37 is not provided. One softening groove 34 can be cut out.

  The substrate storage container according to the present invention can be used in the manufacturing field of handling semiconductor wafers, glass substrates and the like.

1 Container body 4 Supply / discharge valve 7 Front (opening surface)
8 Seal forming surface 9 Adjacent surface 20 Lid 21 Lid main body 25 Mounting groove 26 Inner surface 27 Locking protrusion 28 Surface plate 30 Seal gasket 31 Base 32 Positioning rib 33 Extension piece 34 Flexibility imparting groove 35 First seal piece 36 Spherical shape Protrusion 37 Second seal piece 38 Central portion 40 Locking mechanism W Semiconductor wafer (substrate)

Claims (4)

A substrate storage container comprising a container main body for storing a substrate, a lid fitted to the opening surface of the container main body, and a deformable seal gasket interposed between the container main body and the lid. ,
A mounting groove for a seal gasket is formed on one of the inner periphery of the opening surface of the container body and the lid body, and on the other side, a seal forming surface that contacts the seal gasket is formed,
The seal gasket includes a base that is fitted in the mounting groove, an extended piece that protrudes from the base, a first seal piece that extends while bending from a tip portion of the extended piece and contacts the seal forming surface, and an extended piece And a second seal piece projecting from a portion other than the tip of the first seal portion, and the second seal piece is substantially orthogonal to the extending piece and is brought into contact with an adjacent surface adjacent to the seal forming surface. A substrate storage container. A supply / discharge valve for replacing gas is attached to either the container body or the lid, and the container body is formed in a front open box having a front opening, and the front peripheral edge is bent into a substantially Z-shaped cross section. The shoulder surface on the inner periphery of the part is the seal-forming surface, and the rear surface adjacent to the shoulder surface is the adjacent surface.
The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein an attachment groove is formed endlessly at a peripheral portion of the facing surface of the lid body facing the back surface of the container body.   The substrate storage container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a flexibility imparting groove adjacent to the second seal piece is formed in the extended piece of the seal gasket.   Bend the second seal piece of the seal gasket toward the base, direct the tip of the second seal piece toward the base, and direct the vicinity of the center of the second seal piece toward the first seal piece. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, 2, or 3.

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