JP4227137B2 - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) system that accommodates a wafer in a box and transports it between process devices, and more particularly to a semiconductor wafer carrying pod used in the SMIF system.

  Improving product yield is a very important issue in semiconductor production lines. The main cause of the decrease in yield is particles such as dust and organic matter existing in the production environment. Conventionally, particle countermeasures have been realized by performing LSI production in a clean room. However, with the miniaturization and high integration of LSIs, the size of particles to be removed is reduced. On the other hand, higher cleanliness of the clean room itself is not easy due to problems such as an increase in cost. Therefore, a SMIF system using a sealed box (pod) instead of the open cassette conventionally used for transporting semiconductor wafers has been proposed. If this pod is used, the wafer can be stored in a sealed container and can be transported and stored, so that the wafer can be maintained in a dust-free state. Further, even if the environment around the apparatus is not necessarily highly clean, wafer transfer between the apparatuses can be performed in a highly clean environment.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state in which a conventional semiconductor wafer carrying pod is installed on the pod mounting table 20 and the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried in or out. As shown in FIG. 16, in a conventional semiconductor wafer carrying pod, when the wafer 10 is unloaded and transferred to a process apparatus (not shown), the pod lid 14b is removed from the pod body 12. . The removal of the pod lid 14b is performed by the lid opening / closing means 22 provided with the pod lid switch 16b. Conversely, when the processing of the wafer 10 is completed and the wafer 10 is loaded into the pod body 12 again, the pod lid 14b is fixed to the pod body 12 and the pod body 12 is sealed.

In recent years, as a role of a semiconductor wafer transport pod, not only the above-described particle countermeasures but also the protection of the semiconductor wafer surface from the generation of a natural oxide film has been required. The natural oxide film is detrimental to unexpected process failures and should not be formed as much as possible. In particular, LSIs with advanced miniaturization have a great adverse effect. For this reason, in order to prevent the formation of a natural oxide film, a proposal has been proposed in which an inert gas such as nitrogen (N ₂ ) or argon (Ar) is sealed in the pod and the pod is conveyed as it is. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, after the pod lid 14 b is tightly fixed, an inert gas such as nitrogen is sealed in the pod main body 12 through the attachment 18. Then, the inside of the pod main body 12 is set to an inert gas atmosphere, and the pod is transported as it is. During transfer between process devices, the surface of the semiconductor wafer 10 is only exposed to nitrogen and not exposed to oxygen. Therefore, the surface of the wafer 10 can be protected from the generation of a natural oxide film. Even when the pod is temporarily stored in a stocker or the like in a state in which the semiconductor wafer 10 is stored, generation of a natural oxide film is similarly prevented. An example of the substrate storage device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-65370

  When an inert gas is sealed in the pod main body 12, for example, if a semiconductor wafer carrying pod capable of storing 25 300 mm wafers is required, the sealing takes approximately 10 minutes.

  For this reason, (1) the pod cannot be transferred to the next process apparatus immediately after the semiconductor wafer 10 is collected. That is, the transfer start of the pod is delayed by the gas filling time. At present, the number of semiconductor manufacturing processes is about 200. For example, if it takes 10 minutes to fill the gas per process, the entire 200 processes require about 33 hours. Therefore, there is a problem that the semiconductor manufacturing period is surely lengthened by that amount, resulting in a decrease in production efficiency and an increase in production cost.

  Further, (2) the next pod cannot be installed on the pod mounting table 20 while the previous pod is filled with gas. That is, the start of the process processing of the next pod is delayed by the gas filling time of the previous pod. On the other hand, the process apparatus is idling during this period, and the use of the apparatus is inefficient. The loss due to the stacking is very large.

Moreover, even if it is a case where the some pod mounting base 20 is provided, all the mounting bases 20 may be used. In this case, the processing of the transported pod is in a standby state until the gas filling operation of any pod is completed. Therefore, as in the above (1), there is a risk of prolonging the production period, lowering production efficiency, and raising production cost.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage container that can solve such problems and can realize shortening of the manufacturing period, improvement of production efficiency, and reduction of production cost.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized in that a main body in which a semiconductor wafer is stored, a lid body that is movable between an open position that seals the inside of the main body and an open position that opens the inside of the main body, A vacuum vessel provided on the lid, and the vacuum vessel is in a vacuum state between the time when the semiconductor wafer is taken out from the main body after the lid is located at the open position and the semiconductor wafer is stored in the main body. While the lid is in the closed position and the inside of the main body is sealed and the semiconductor wafer is transferred, the gas in the main body is taken into the vacuum container in the vacuum state, and the substrate is stored in the vacuum state. It is a container.

According to a feature of the present invention, a vacuum container provided in the main body or the lid, previously vacuum vessel interior was somewhat lower than atmospheric pressure (vacuum), vacuum state within the body by connecting the vacuum container body And That is, according to the feature of the present invention, the vacuum chamber is first evacuated after the substrate is unloaded and before the substrate is loaded again. And after a conveyance start, this inside of a main body is exhausted with a vacuum vessel. Thereby, it is possible to apparently eliminate the exhaust work in the main body . Therefore, the time required for the exhaust work in the main body is not required. As a result, the entire semiconductor manufacturing period can be shortened, and the production efficiency can be improved and the production cost can be reduced. Furthermore, according to the feature of the present invention, the sealing property of the main body can be maintained for a longer time, and thereby the stored substrate can be held in a highly clean environment for a long period of time.
In the embodiments described later, “main body” is also referred to as “pot main body”, “lid” is also referred to as “pot lid”, and “vacuum container” is also referred to as “gas enclosure”.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the board | substrate storage container which can implement | achieve shortening of a manufacturing period, improvement of production efficiency, and reduction of production cost can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and repeated description thereof is omitted.

  (First Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, when a semiconductor wafer transport pod according to the present invention is transported to or from a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26 is provided. Is installed on a pod mounting table 20 arranged on the front side. Usually, two to four pod mounting tables 20 are assigned to one semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26. The semiconductor wafer carrying pod transferred from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26 in the previous step is first installed on the pod mounting table 20. After the pod is installed, the pod lid 14 is removed from the pod body 12. Removal of the pod lid 14 is performed by the lid opening / closing means 22. Similarly, the lid opening / closing means 22 also fixes the pod lid 14 to the pod body 12. In some cases, it may be manual. The lid opening / closing means 22 includes a pod lid opening / closing device 16, and the pod lid opening / closing device 16 and the pod lid 14 are overlapped to be removed and fixed.

  When the removal of the pod lid 14 is completed, the wafer transfer means 24 provided in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26 transfers the semiconductor wafers 10 accommodated in the pod main body 12 one by one into the semiconductor apparatus 26. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26 is an apparatus that performs semiconductor manufacturing processes such as an ion implantation process, a diffusion process, a photolithography process, a thin film formation process, and an etching process. After the processing of the semiconductor wafer 10 is completed, the wafer transfer means 24 transfers the semiconductor wafer 10 from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 26 into the pod main body 12. When the processing of all the wafers 10 is completed and the transfer into the pod main body 12 is completed, the pod lid 14 is firmly fixed to the pod main body 12 by the lid opening / closing means 22 again. The pod is transported to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in the next process by, for example, transport by an operator, transport on the floor using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle), or transport by ceiling using OHT (Overhead Transpotation). Done.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the semiconductor wafer carrying pod according to the first embodiment of the present invention is installed on the pod mounting table 20 and the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried in or out. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows a mode in the case of conveying the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention between process apparatuses.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the semiconductor wafer carrying pod according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a pod main body 12 that stores and stores the semiconductor wafer 10 and carries the wafer between the process apparatuses, and the pod main body 12. And a pod lid 14a that seals the inside of the pod main body 12 tightly. The pod body 12 is a container having an opening for loading and unloading the semiconductor wafer 10 on its side surface, and the material thereof is made of a material that generates little dust. The opening is a fitting type, and the pod lid 14a is tightly fixed to the opening. Although not shown, the pod main body 12 is provided with a groove for horizontally storing a plurality of wafers 10 such as 13, 25, etc. at regular intervals so that the wafers 10 can be directly stored. . In addition, a handling portion is provided on the other side surface, upper surface, or lower surface of the pod body 12. When carrying the pod, the operator or the carrying robot can hold the pod by this handling unit.

  The pod lid 14a contains a gas enclosure 28 which is an important part of the present invention. The gas-sealed container 28 temporarily holds a sealing gas to be sealed in the pod main body 12 later. Sealing of the sealing gas into the gas sealing container 28 is performed by the lid opening / closing means 22. The lid opening / closing means 22 connects the attachment 18 to the pod lid 14a via the pod lid switch 16a after removing the pod lid 14a containing the gas enclosure 28 from the pod body 22. The sealing gas is supplied to the pod lid 14a via the attachment 18, and the sealing gas is sealed in the gas sealing container 28 through the piping inside the pod lid 14a. The gas sealing container 28 temporarily holds an amount of sealing gas that can completely replace the inside of the pod body 12 with the sealing gas. Usually, the sealing gas is compressed and held under a certain pressure. An inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is used as the sealing gas.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the sealing gas in the gas-sealed container 28 is sealed in the pod main body 12 during the pod conveyance. The sealing gas is supplied into the pod main body 12 through the piping 30 inside the pod lid 14a, while the gas present in the pod main body 12 is discharged outside the pod through the piping 32 inside the pod lid 14a. As a result, the inside of the pod body 12 is completely replaced with the sealing gas after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The operation of the first embodiment of the present invention is roughly divided into the following two operations.

(1) Sealing gas sealing work for the gas sealing container 28 (2) Sealing gas sealing work for the pod body 12 First, as shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried out. During the process of the semiconductor wafer 10 and the carry-in of the semiconductor wafer 10, a sealing gas sealing operation (1) for the gas sealing container 28 is performed. Conventionally, during this wafer unloading → process processing → wafer loading, the pod lid 14a is in a standby state while being held by the pod lid switch 16a. In the present embodiment, this period is used to perform the parallel processing of sealing the sealing gas in the gas sealing container 28. The sealing operation can be sufficiently performed within the processing time. Therefore, the sealing gas sealing operation time for the gas sealing container 28 is not apparent.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a sealing gas sealing operation (2) is performed on the pod main body 12 during the pod conveyance. After the semiconductor wafer 10 is loaded, the pod is transferred to the next process apparatus by a transfer system (not shown). During this conveyance, the sealing gas in the gas enclosure 28 is now supplied into the pod body 12. Since the sealing gas is compressed and held in the gas sealing container 28 at a constant pressure, it naturally flows into the pod body 12 through the pipe 30 when a predetermined valve is opened. At the same time, the gas in the pod body 12 is discharged out of the pod through the pipe 32, so that the inside of the pod body 12 is in a sealed gas atmosphere. The gas filling time in the pod main body 12 is about 10 minutes for a semiconductor wafer carrying pod capable of accommodating 25 300 mm wafers. Therefore, as a whole, it can be considered that the enclosing operation is completed immediately after the start of the pod conveyance. Conventionally, the sealing operation into the pod main body 12 has been performed before the pod is transported. For this reason, the start of pod conveyance is delayed by the amount of the enclosing operation time, and the accumulation of the pods causes an increase in the entire semiconductor manufacturing period. In the present embodiment, the sealing gas temporarily held in the gas sealing container 28 during pod conveyance is sealed in the pod main body 12. Thereby, the sealing work time for the pod body 12 is not apparent.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the sealing gas sealing operation into the pod main body 12 is performed by (1) sealing gas sealed in a gas sealing container 28 built in the pod lid 14a. This operation is performed separately for the operation of holding, and (2) the operation of supplying the sealing gas held in the gas enclosure 28 to the pod main body 12 and replacing the inside of the pod main body 12. Further, in the present embodiment, the gas filling operation for the gas filling container 28 of (1) is performed while the semiconductor wafer 10 unloading operation, the wafer 10 process processing, and the wafer 10 loading operation are performed, The gas filling operation for the pod main body 12 in (2) is performed while the pod is being transported. Therefore, the time required for the operations (1) and (2) is apparently not added to the semiconductor manufacturing period. Thereby, the semiconductor manufacturing period is shortened, and it is possible to improve the production efficiency and reduce the production cost.

  The pod lid 14a according to the first embodiment of the present invention may be configured as shown in FIG. 4, for example. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the pod lid 14a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the pod lid 14 a according to the present embodiment includes a gas sealing container 28, a pipe 30 for sealing the gas in the gas sealing container 28 in the pod main body 12, and a pipe 30. The open / close valve 34 and the filter 36, the pipe 40 for supplying gas into the gas enclosure 28, the open / close valve 42 inserted into the pipe 40, and the pipe connecting the pod main body 12 side and the opposite side of the pod lid 14a. 32 and a pressure valve 38 inserted into the pipe 32. In FIG. 4, when the open / close valve 42 is in an open state, the gas sealing container 28 is supplied with the sealing gas through the pipe 40. The pipe 40 is connected to the attachment 18 provided in the lid opening / closing means 22 via the pod lid switch 16a, and seals the sealing gas supplied from the attachment 18 in the gas sealing container 28. Needless to say, these operations are performed in a state where the pod lid 14a is separated from the pod body 12 and fixed to the pod lid switch 16a.

  On the other hand, when the opening / closing valve 34 is in the open state, the gas sealing container 28 seals the sealing gas held therein into the pod body 12 through the pipe 30. As described above, since the sealing gas is confined in the gas sealing container 28 in a compressed state, the sealing gas flows into the pod main body 12 through the pipe 30 when the opening / closing valve 34 is opened. Further, by providing the filter 36 in the pipe 30, the sealing gas once held in the gas filled container 28 can be supplied into the pod body 12 with higher cleanliness. Thereby, the cleanliness of the semiconductor wafer 10 in the pod body 12 can be further improved. As the filling progresses, the pressure inside the pod body 12 rises due to the filling of the sealing gas, but the pressure valve 38 is opened when the pressure becomes constant. When the pressure valve 38 is opened, the gas in the gas enclosure 28 is discharged to the outside of the pod through the pipe 32. As a result, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the inside of the pod body 12 is completely replaced with the sealing gas. Note that these operations are performed in a state where the pod lid 14 a is closely fixed to the pod body 12.

  The above-described operation is preferably performed in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the pod lid 14a. That is, when the pod lid 14a is removed from the pod body 12, the opening / closing valve 42 is opened, the opening / closing valve 34 is closed, and the sealing gas filling operation for the gas filling container 28 is started. It is efficient for the work to open the on-off valve 34 and close the on-off valve 42 and start the sealing gas filling operation on the pod main body 12 at the time when the pod body 12 is fixed. Therefore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is proposed in which the opening / closing of the opening / closing valves 34 and 42 can be controlled in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the pod lid 14a.

  Actually, the pod lid switch 16a for attaching and detaching the pod lid 14a may be configured as shown in FIG. 5, for example. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a configuration of a pod lid switch 16b conventionally used. FIGS. 6A and 6B are front views showing the configuration of the pod lid, in which FIG. 6A relates to the prior art, and FIG. 6B relates to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the pod lid switch 16b has a lock opening / closing mechanism 44, a gas supply connection port 48 to which the attachment 18 is connected, a gas discharge connection port 50 for discharging the gas in the pod body 12, and a gas. A gas supply valve opening / closing mechanism 46 for controlling opening / closing of the supply connection port 48 and the gas discharge connection port 50 is provided. In the pod lid switch 16a according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the gas exhaust connection port 50 is not necessary.

  Conventionally, the opening / closing operation of the pod lid 14a has been performed by the lock opening / closing mechanism 44 of the pod lid switch 16b. When the pod lid switch 16b overlaps the pod lid 14b, in FIG. 6A, the lock opening / closing mechanism 44 is connected to the lock mechanism 54 of the pod lid 14b. Then, by rotating the lock opening / closing mechanism 44, the lock mechanism 54 is rotated in conjunction with the same direction. The link 56 moves the lock pin 58 up and down by the rotation of the lock mechanism 54. When the lock pin 58 jumps out of the pod lid 14 a, the pod lid 14 b is tightly fixed to the pod body 12. On the other hand, when removing the pod lid 14b from the pod body 12, the lock pin 58 is accommodated in the pod lid 14b.

  In the present embodiment, the lock mechanism 54 is used to open and close the open / close valves 34 and 42 of the pod lid 14a. As shown in FIG. 6, in the pod lid 14 a according to this embodiment, the link 62 opens and closes the opening and closing valves 34 and 42 by the rotation of the lock mechanism 54. Specifically, when the link 56 stores the lock pin 58 in the pod lid 14 a by the rotation of the lock mechanism 54, the link 62 simultaneously closes the open / close valve 34 and opens the open / close valve 42. On the other hand, when the link 56 takes out the lock pin 58 from the pod lid 14a by the rotation of the lock mechanism, the link 62 simultaneously opens the open / close valve 34 and closes the open / close valve 42. Therefore, when the pod lid 14a is removed from the pod body 12, the opening / closing valve 42 is opened and the opening / closing valve 34 is closed, and the sealing gas filling operation for the gas filling container 28 is started. At this time, the opening / closing valve 34 is opened, the opening / closing valve 42 is closed, and the sealing gas filling operation for the pod body 12 is started.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, a gas sealing container 28 is provided on the pod lid 14a, and a sealing gas is sealed in the gas sealing container 28 before the semiconductor wafer 10 is unloaded and before it is loaded again. Then, after the start of conveyance, the sealing gas held in the gas sealing container 28 is sealed in the pod body 12. Thereby, the sealing gas filling operation on the pod body 12 can be apparently eliminated. Therefore, the time required for the sealing gas filling operation becomes unnecessary, and the start of pod conveyance can be accelerated by that much. As a result, the entire semiconductor manufacturing period can be shortened, and the production efficiency can be improved and the production cost can be reduced.

  Next, a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. This modification shows an example of improving the sealing performance of the pod by improving the adhesion between the pod body 12 and the pod lid 14a in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the semiconductor wafer carrying pod according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention is installed on the pod mounting table 20 and the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried in or out. As shown in FIG. 7, the present modification has a configuration in which the pod lid 14 a of the first embodiment is replaced with a pod lid 14 c in which two rubber gaskets are provided on the contact surface with the pod body 12. . In this modification, the space surrounded by the two rubber gaskets and the contact surface is set to a pressure slightly lower than atmospheric pressure (“vacuum state” in the technical sense), so that the pod body 12 and the pod lid 14c are It improves the adhesion. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, “vacuum state” means a low pressure.

  FIG. 8 shows a state in which the semiconductor wafer carrying pod according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention is installed on the pod mounting table 20 and the space surrounded by the two rubber gaskets and the contact surface is exhausted. FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, in this modification, after the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried in and before the pod conveyance is started, the space surrounded by the two rubber gaskets and the contact surface is exhausted. The space is evacuated by a vacuum pump P provided in the lid opening / closing means 22. The vacuum pump P is connected to the attachment 18, and the attachment 18 is connected to piping in the pod lid 14c via the pod lid switch 16c. The gasket is most commonly an O-ring having a circular cross section, but sometimes it may be a round ring or a square ring.

  The pod lid switch 16c and the pod lid 14c according to this modification may be configured as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example. FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration of a pod lid switch 16c according to this modification, and FIG. 10 is a front view showing a configuration of a pod lid 14c according to this modification. As shown in FIG. 9, the pod lid switch 16c according to the present modification is provided with a lock opening / closing mechanism 44 as in the first embodiment, and further includes an intake port 66, a vent port connection portion 68, an intake air A valve opening / closing mechanism 70 for controlling opening / closing of the port 66 and the vent port connection portion 68 is provided. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the pod lid 14c according to the present modification is provided with a lock mechanism 54, a link 56, and a lock pin 58, as in the first embodiment, and an intake port. A connecting portion 72 and a vent port 74 are provided. Further, a rubber gasket composed of an O-ring is attached to the close contact surface with the pod body 12. When the pod lid 14c and the pod lid switch 16c overlap, the inlet connection portion 72 of the pod lid 14c and the inlet 66 of the pod lid switch 16c are connected, and the vent port 74 of the pod lid 14c and the pod lid switch 16c A vent port connection portion 68 is connected. The space is evacuated by the vacuum pump P from the intake port 66 through the attachment 18. On the other hand, when removing the pod lid 14 c, it is necessary to vent the space. This is done by putting air into the space from the vent port 74 via the vent port connection portion 68.

  In the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the adhesion between the pod lid 14c and the pod main body 12 can be made stronger. Therefore, the sealing property of the pod is improved, and the cleanliness in the pod can be increased. In addition, the sealed sealing gas can be prevented from flowing out. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer 10 accommodated can be kept in a higher clean environment, and the protection from the generation of a natural oxide film is further strengthened.

  (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment of the present invention shows an example in which the inside of the pod in the first embodiment is in a vacuum state, thereby improving the sealing performance of the pod and improving the leak resistance. Is.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the semiconductor wafer carrying pod according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed on the pod mounting table 20 and the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried in or out. Moreover, FIG. 12 is a figure which shows a mode in the case of conveying the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention between process apparatuses. As shown in FIG. 11, a semiconductor wafer carrying pod according to the second embodiment of the present invention is obtained by replacing the pod lid 14a with a pod lid 14d having a different configuration in the first embodiment. .

  The pod lid 14d according to the second embodiment of the present invention contains a vacuum vessel 76 therein. The vacuum container 76 exhausts the pod main body 12 by making the inside of the vacuum state in advance. The vacuum container 76 is evacuated by the lid opening / closing means 22. The lid opening / closing means 22 removes the pod lid 14d containing the vacuum vessel 76 from the pod main body 22, and then connects the attachment 18 to the piping inside the pod lid 14d via the pod lid switch 16d. The attachment 18 is connected to a vacuum pump P included in the lid opening / closing means 22, and the vacuum container 76 is evacuated by the vacuum pump P. By this work, the inside of the vacuum vessel 76 is in a vacuum state. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the inside of the pod body 12 is evacuated by the vacuum container 76 during the pod conveyance. As a result, the inside of the pod main body 12 is in a vacuum state after a certain period of time.

  Next, the operation of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and FIG. The operation of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is roughly divided into the following two operations.

(1) Exhaust operation in the vacuum vessel 76 (2) Exhaust operation in the pod main body 12 First, as shown in FIG. 11, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer 10 is unloaded and the semiconductor wafer 10 is The evacuation operation (1) of the vacuum vessel 76 is performed during the process and the semiconductor wafer 10 is carried in. Conventionally, the pod lid 14d is in a standby state while being held by the pod lid switch 16d during this wafer unloading → process processing → wafer loading. In the present embodiment, the exhaust work in the vacuum vessel 76 is processed in parallel using this period. The exhausting operation can be sufficiently performed within the process processing time. Therefore, the evacuation work time in the vacuum vessel 76 is apparently lost.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the evacuation operation (2) in the pod main body 12 is performed during pod conveyance. After the semiconductor wafer 10 is loaded, the pod is transferred to the next process apparatus by a transfer system (not shown). During this transfer, the vacuum container 76 whose inside is in a vacuum state evacuates the inside of the pod body 12 this time. Since the vacuum container 76 is in a vacuum state, the gas in the pod main body 12 naturally flows into the vacuum container 76 from a predetermined pipe when a predetermined valve is opened. The evacuation time in the pod body 12 is about several seconds to several minutes for a semiconductor wafer carrying pod capable of accommodating 25 300 mm wafers. Therefore, as a whole, it can be considered that the exhaust operation is completed immediately after the start of the pod conveyance.

  In the modification of the first embodiment, the exhaust operation in the pod body 12 is performed before the pod is transported. Therefore, the start of pod conveyance is delayed by the exhaust work time. In the second embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust operation in the pod body 12 is performed during pod conveyance. Thereby, the exhaust work time in the pod main body 12 is not apparent.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the inside of the pod main body 12 is in a vacuum state, the leakage resistance can be improved. In general, the pressure P ₁ (t) after evacuation of the sealed container is determined by the volume V of the container, the leak amount Q, and the pressure change P ₀ (t) of the container due to evacuation.
P ₁ (t) = (Q / V) × t + P ₀
Can be expressed as From the above formula, it can be seen that the larger the volume V of the sealed container, the smaller the increase in the pressure P ₁ (t) in the container, even when a large amount of leak occurs. That is, the larger the volume of the sealed container, the better the leak resistance, and the vacuum holding time can be extended. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a leak resistance characteristic of the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention and the second embodiment of the present invention. In the modification of the first embodiment, the space in a vacuum state is a small space surrounded by the two rubber gaskets and the contact surface shown in FIG. 8, but in the second embodiment of the present invention, Since the inside of the vacuum vessel 76 and the pod main body 12 is in a vacuum state, higher leak resistance can be obtained. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the hermeticity of the pod can be maintained for a longer time, whereby the stored semiconductor wafer 10 can be maintained in a highly clean environment even when the transfer time is increased. . Even when temporarily storing in a stocker or the like, the semiconductor wafer can be similarly stored in a highly clean environment.

  The pod lid 14d according to the second embodiment of the present invention may be configured as shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a pod lid 14d according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14, the pod lid 14 d according to the present embodiment includes therein a vacuum container 76, a pipe 78 for exhausting the gas in the vacuum container 76, an open / close valve 80 inserted into the pipe 78, A pipe 84 for sucking gas into the vacuum vessel 76, an open / close valve 86 inserted into the pipe 84, a pipe 90 connecting the pod main body 12 side of the pod lid 14d and the opposite side, and an open / close valve inserted into the pipe 90. 92 and a filter 96. In FIG. 14, when the opening / closing valve 80 is in the open state, the inside of the vacuum vessel 76 is exhausted by the vacuum pump P through the pipe 78. The vacuum container vacuum suction port 82 connected to the pipe 78 is connected to the attachment 18 provided in the lid opening / closing means 22 via the pod lid switch 16d. Needless to say, these operations are performed in a state where the pod lid 14d is separated from the pod body 12 and fixed to the pod lid switch 16d.

  On the other hand, when the open / close valve 86 is open, the vacuum vessel 76 exhausts the inside of the pod main body 12 through the pipe 84. As described above, since the inside of the vacuum vessel 76 is in a vacuum state, the gas in the pod body 12 flows into the vacuum vessel 76 through the pipe 84 when the opening / closing valve 86 is opened.

  When removing the pod lid 14d, venting in the pod main body 12 and the vacuum vessel 76 is required, and this is performed using the pipe 90. When the open / close valve 96 is opened, air is introduced into the pod from the vent port 94 through the pipe 90. Further, by providing the filter 96 in the pipe 90, it is possible to supply air with a high degree of cleanness into the pod body 12. Thereby, the semiconductor wafer 10 in the pod main body 12 can be maintained in a highly clean environment.

  The above-described operation is preferably performed in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the pod lid 14d. That is, when the pod lid 14d is removed from the pod body 12, the evacuation operation in the vacuum vessel 76 is started, and when the pod lid 14d is fixed to the pod body 12 again, the evacuation operation in the pod body 12 is performed. It is efficient to start work. Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, an example is proposed in which two operations are performed in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the pod lid 14d.

  Actually, the pod lid 14d may be configured as shown in FIG. 15, for example. FIG. 15 is a front view showing a configuration of a pod lid 14d according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 15, in the pod lid 14d according to the present embodiment, the locking mechanism 54 is used to open and close the open / close valves 80, 86, and 92 of the pod lid 14d. The link 98 opens and closes the opening / closing valves 80, 86 and 92 by the rotation of the locking mechanism 54. Specifically, when the link 56 stores the lock pin 58 in the pod lid 14d by the rotation of the lock mechanism 54, the link 98 simultaneously closes the on-off valve 86 and the link 100 opens the on-off valves 80 and 92. To do. On the other hand, when the link 56 takes out the lock pin 58 from the pod lid 14d by the rotation of the lock mechanism, the link 98 simultaneously opens the opening / closing valve 86 and the link 100 closes the opening / closing valves 80 and 92. Therefore, when the pod lid 14d is removed from the pod body 12, the opening and closing valves 80 and 92 are opened, the opening and closing valve 86 is closed, and the venting operation in the pod body 12 and the exhausting operation in the vacuum container 76 are started. When the lid 14d is fixed to the pod body 12, the opening / closing valve 86 is opened, the opening / closing valves 80 and 92 are closed, and the exhaust operation in the pod body 12 is started.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, a vacuum container 76 is provided on the pod lid 14d, and the vacuum container 76 is evacuated in advance before the semiconductor wafer 10 is unloaded and then loaded again. This time, the inside of the pod body 12 is evacuated by the vacuum vessel 76. As a result, the exhaust operation in the pod body 12 can be apparently eliminated. Therefore, the time required for the exhaust work in the pod body 12 is not required. As a result, the entire semiconductor manufacturing period can be shortened, and the production efficiency can be improved and the production cost can be reduced. Furthermore, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the sealing performance of the pod can be maintained for a longer time, whereby the stored semiconductor wafer 10 can be held in a highly clean environment for a long period of time.

  Other Embodiments As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the first and second embodiments, but it is understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure specify the present invention. should not do. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  For example, in the first and second embodiments, the gas sealed container built in the pod lid and the semiconductor wafer transport pod using the vacuum container have been described, but the gas sealed container and the vacuum container are built in other parts. Of course, it is also possible to adopt a special structure. Of course, it can be built into the pod. Furthermore, the structure is not limited to a built-in structure, and a gas-sealed container and a vacuum container may be freely attached to and detached from a predetermined position of the pod.

  Thus, it should be understood that the present invention includes various embodiments and the like not described herein. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the invention-specific matters according to the description of the scope of claims reasonable from this disclosure.

It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of transferring a semiconductor wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus from the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the mode in the case of transferring a semiconductor wafer from the semiconductor wafer conveyance pod which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of conveying the semiconductor wafer conveyance pod which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention between process apparatuses. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the pod cover which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the pod lid switch used conventionally. It is a front view which shows the structure of a pod cover, (a) is based on a prior art, (b) is based on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of transferring a semiconductor wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus from the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of exhausting the space enclosed by two rubber gaskets and the contact | adherence surface of the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the pod cover switch which concerns on the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the pod cover which concerns on the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of transferring a semiconductor wafer to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus from the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of conveying the pod for semiconductor wafer conveyance which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention between process apparatuses. It is a figure which shows the leak-proof characteristic of the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the pod cover which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the pod cover which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode in the case of transferring a semiconductor wafer from the conventional semiconductor wafer conveyance pod to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the mode of the gas filling operation | work with respect to the inside of the pod for the conventional semiconductor wafer conveyance.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Semiconductor wafer 12 Pod body 14 Pod lid 16 Pod lid switch 18 Attachment 20 Pod mounting base 22 Lid opening / closing means 24 Wafer transfer means 26 Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 28 Gas enclosure 30, 32, 40, 78, 84, 90 Piping 34 , 42, 80, 86, 92 Open / close valve 36 Filter 38 Pressure valve 44 Lock open / close mechanism 46 Gas supply valve open / close mechanism 48 Gas supply connection port 50 Gas discharge connection port 52 Gas supply port 54 Lock mechanism 56, 62, 98, 100 Link 58 Lock Pin 60 Gas Exhaust Port 64 Gas Inlet Port 66 Intake Port 68 Vent Port Connection Portion 70 Valve Opening and Closing Mechanism 72 Inlet Port Connection Portions 74, 94 Vent Port 76 Vacuum Vessel 82 Vacuum Vent Vacuum Port 88 Pod Vent Vacuum Port

Claims (5)

A main body for storing a semiconductor wafer;
A lid movable between an open position for sealing the inside of the main body and an open position for opening the main body;
A vacuum vessel provided on the main body or the lid,
The vacuum chamber is evacuated between the time when the semiconductor wafer is stored in the main body after the semiconductor wafer is taken out from the main body with the lid positioned at the open position,
While the lid is located at the closed position and the inside of the main body is sealed and the semiconductor wafer is transported, the gas in the main body is taken into the vacuum container in the vacuum state, and the inside of the main body is in a vacuum state a substrate storage container characterized in that it is in.   A first pipe for taking the gas in the main body into the vacuum container; a second pipe for exhausting the gas in the vacuum container to the outside; a first valve for opening and closing the first pipe; The substrate storage container according to claim 1, further comprising a second valve that opens and closes the second pipe.   When the lid is located at the closed position, the first pipe is opened by the first valve, and the gas in the main body is taken into the vacuum container in the vacuum state. 2. The substrate storage container according to claim 1, wherein the inside is evacuated.   The said 2nd piping is made into an open state by the said 2nd valve, and the inside of the said vacuum vessel is made into a vacuum state according to the said cover body having been located in the said open position. Board storage container.   The substrate storage container according to claim 2, further comprising a third pipe for taking outside air into the main body in the vacuum state, and a third valve for opening and closing the third pipe.

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