JP2018140783A - Storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To store a substrate for processing as an abnormality after judging whether the cleanliness of the inside of the storage container is good or bad when the power supply to the storage container is interrupted or when an abnormality occurs temporarily in a fan filter unit. Provide a storage container. SOLUTION: The storage container 20 includes a fan filter unit 23 for blowing a purified gas into a container main body 21 for storing a substrate, and the fan filter unit 23 supplies power to the fan filter unit 23. While the container body 21 is provided with an abnormality monitoring unit 61 that starts outputting an effective signal regarding the cleanliness of the container body 21, the abnormality monitoring unit 61 is provided with a timer 62, and while power is being supplied to the abnormality monitoring unit 61. The output state of the active signal is maintained, and when the power supply is interrupted and the timer 62 clocks a predetermined set time, the maintenance of the output state of the active signal is released. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage container for storing a substrate, which includes a fan filter unit that blows a purified gas into a container body that stores the substrate.

Conventionally, a glass substrate used in the manufacturing process of a flat panel display or a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer used in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor element is stored in a storage container that can be stored in multiple stages in a clean room. Transported or stored.
In this type of storage container for storing substrates, a fan filter unit for maintaining cleanliness in the storage container is provided at an opening on one side of the container body. The fan filter unit maintains the cleanliness in the storage container by continuing to blow the air (gas) purified through the filter into the container body.
Here, in order for the fan filter unit to continuously blow air into the container body, it is necessary to supply power to the fan filter unit for driving the fan provided in the fan filter unit.
Therefore, the storage container for storing a substrate shown in Patent Document 1 includes a power receiving unit of a non-contact power supply device for supplying power to the fan filter unit in a non-contact manner, and storage for storing the storage container. Driving power of the fan filter unit is secured by supplying power in a non-contact manner from a power feeding unit of a non-contact power feeding device provided on the shelf.
In addition, the storage container for storing substrates in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a battery so that the supply of electric power can be continued while being transported by a stacker crane that travels through the storage device. Is driven.

JP 2008-94494 A

  However, in the conventional storage container for storing substrates, when the power from the power supply unit provided on the storage shelf is cut off, or the power from the battery is cut off, it is uniformly abnormal. However, even though the cleanliness in the storage container is maintained, there is a problem that it is processed as an abnormality. Further, when a temporary failure occurs in the fan filter unit, there is a problem that the abnormality is similarly processed. That is, whether power supply to the storage container is interrupted, or if a temporary failure occurs in the fan filter unit, whether or not the cleanliness in the storage container has deteriorated to such an extent that it affects the conveyed object. I couldn't judge it.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a substrate that performs processing as an abnormality after determining whether the cleanliness in the storage container is good or not when power supply to the storage container is interrupted or when an abnormality occurs temporarily in the fan filter unit. An object is to provide a storage container for storage.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

That is, the storage container for storing a substrate according to the present invention is a storage container for storing a substrate including a fan filter unit that blows a purified gas into a container body that stores the substrate, and the fan filter unit includes: An abnormality monitoring unit that starts outputting an effective signal related to cleanliness in the container body while power is being supplied to the fan filter unit, and the abnormality monitoring unit stops supplying power to the abnormality monitoring unit And a timing unit that counts the time during which the interruption occurs, and stops the output of the valid signal when the timing unit counts a predetermined set time.
In the above configuration, the output of the effective signal regarding the cleanliness in the container main body is continued until the time measuring unit times the predetermined set time.

The storage container for storing a substrate according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, wherein the abnormality monitoring unit includes a relay having an off-delay timer function as a time measuring unit.
In the above configuration, the relay excitation state continues as it is until the off-delay timer counts the predetermined set time, and when the off-delay timer counts the predetermined set time, the relay excitation state is released.

The storage container for storing substrates according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, wherein the abnormality monitoring unit includes a reset switch, a normally closed contact that opens when an abnormality occurs in the fan filter unit, a relay having an off-delay timer function, A normally open contact of a relay having an off-delay timer function connected in parallel to a reset switch is provided.
In the above configuration, when power supply to the fan filter unit is interrupted or an abnormality occurs in the fan filter unit, power supply to the abnormality monitoring unit is interrupted and the off-delay timer starts timing, and the off-delay timer counts the predetermined set time. Until it is done, the excitation state of the relay continues.

The storage container for storing a substrate according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, wherein the storage container includes an output unit, and the output unit includes a display device, which is switched depending on whether the valid signal is output.
In the above configuration, the quality of the cleanliness in the container main body can be determined by switching the display in the output unit.

The storage container for storing a substrate according to the present invention has an output unit in the above-described configuration, and the output unit is a storage device that stores the container body or a communication device that is disposed in a transport unit that transports the container body. The optical transmission device is configured to be communicable, and the optical transmission device switches transmission contents with respect to the communication device depending on the presence or absence of the valid signal.
In the above configuration, the quality of the cleanliness in the container main body can be determined based on the transmission content transmitted from the optical transmission device provided in the storage container to the communication device provided in the storage facility or the transport unit.

  According to the storage container for storing a substrate of the present invention, power is not supplied to the storage container because the timing unit waits for a predetermined set time to cancel the maintenance of the output state of the valid signal. The state is not determined to be a state in which the cleanliness in the container body is poor. Therefore, when the power supply to the storage container is interrupted, it can be appropriately dealt with after determining the cleanliness of the container body.

It is a top view of the storage facility which stores the storage container for board | substrate storage based on this invention. It is a side view of the storage facility which stores the storage container for board | substrate storage based on this invention. It is a perspective view of the storage container for board | substrate storage based on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the judgment mechanism of the cleanliness in the container main body of the storage container which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the control circuit of the effective signal maintenance apparatus provided in the storage container for board | substrate storage based on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the effective signal maintenance apparatus provided in the storage container for board | substrate storage which concerns on this invention.

First, the storage facility 10 for storing the substrate storage container 20 according to the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the storage facility 10 is a facility for storing the storage container 20 that is transported by a transport carriage 50 (an example of “transport means”) such as a stacker crane. In the storage facility 10, a rail 19 on which the transport carriage 50 travels is provided in the center, and a pair of storage shelves 11 are provided along the rail 19.
The storage shelf 11 is a shelf for storing the storage container 20 and is provided facing each other so as to sandwich the rail 19.
The storage shelf 11 is provided with a plurality of storage units 13 arranged along the rails 19 (traveling direction of the transport carriage 50), and the storage containers 20 are stored in the storage units 13, respectively.
The storage unit 13 includes a plurality of columns 16 extending in the vertical direction, and a shelf plate 17 provided so as to span between a pair of columns 16 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rail 19 (the traveling direction of the transport carriage 50). Delimited.
Each storage unit 13 is provided with a storage shelf pad 18 for non-contact power feeding at one end of the shelf 17 on which the storage container 20 is placed. The storage shelf pad 18 is a power supply unit on the storage unit 13 side, and is formed of a plate embedded with a coil that generates a magnetic flux when a current from an external power source flows.

  Next, the substrate storage container 20 according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, the storage container 20 is a substrate storage container for storing substrates in multiple stages. A board | substrate is a glass substrate used in the manufacture process of a flat panel display, for example.
The storage container 20 includes a container main body 21 constituting the main body of the storage container 20, a lid body 22 that opens and closes an opening on one end side of the container main body 21, and an opening on one end side from the opening on the other end side of the container main body 21. And a fan filter unit 23 that ventilates toward the part.

The container main body 21 is formed in a rectangular tube shape in a sideways posture in which two opposing surfaces of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape are open. The container main body 21 is provided with an entrance / exit 21a for taking in and out the substrate at an opening on one end side thereof. The container main body 21 holds a plurality of substrates in a state in which the substrates are accommodated from the entrance / exit 21a, and the substrates are arranged in the vertical direction with an interval therebetween. The container body 21 includes a fan filter unit attachment port 21b for attaching the fan filter unit 23 to the opening on the other end side.
The lid body 22 is composed of a plate-like member. The lid body 22 is configured such that the upper end portion and the left and right end portions thereof are bent substantially vertically and can be fitted to the entrance / exit 21 a of the container body 21.
The fan filter unit 23 is a blower, is fixed to the fan filter unit frame 23a, and ventilates from the fan filter unit attachment port 21b toward the entrance / exit 21a.
The fan filter unit frame 23 a is a frame for attaching the fan filter unit 23 to the fan filter unit attachment port 21 b of the container body 21. The fan filter unit frame 23a is a plate-like member and is configured to cover the fan filter unit attachment port 21b of the container body 21. The left and right end portions of the fan filter unit frame 23a are bent vertically, and can be fitted to the fan filter unit mounting opening 21b of the container body 21.
The fan filter unit frame 23a is provided with a container pad 24 for non-contact power feeding at one end portion on the lower side thereof. The container pad 24 is a power receiving unit on the storage container 20 side, and is formed of a plate embedded with a coil that generates a current in accordance with an external magnetic flux fluctuation. The container pad 24 receives the driving power of the fan filter unit 23 from the outside by a non-contact power feeding method.
The lid body 22 and the fan filter unit frame body 23a include a plurality of engaging portions 22a and 23b, respectively. The lid 22 and the fan filter unit frame 23a are engaged with the engaging portions 22a and 23b on the locking portions 21c and 21d provided on the side surface of the container main body 21 while descending downward. The filter unit attachment port 21b is closed.

Next, the transport cart 50 that transports the storage container 20 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport carriage 50 is a traveling device such as a stacker crane that can travel along a traveling direction W on a rail 19 provided in the storage facility 10. The transport carriage 50 includes a pair of masts 52, a lift 54 that moves up and down along the mast, a swivel 53 that is mounted on the lift 54, and a fork 51 that is attached to the swivel 53 via a retractable arm 55. Is provided. The transport carriage 50 transports the storage container 20 in the storage facility 10 by traveling on the rail 19 with the storage container 20 placed and supported on the fork 51. The lifting platform 54 is configured to be movable up and down in the vertical direction H along the mast 52, and lifts and lowers the fork 51 in a state in which the storage container 20 is placed and supported in the vertical direction H. On the other hand, the vertical position of the storage container 20 is adjusted.
The swivel base 53 can be transferred to any of the storage shelves 11 provided on the left and right sides of the rail 19 by swiveling the extendable arm 55 and the fork 51 in a horizontal plane.
The fork 51 is composed of a substantially rectangular plate, and is formed so that its short dimension is smaller than the interval between the two shelf plates 17 of the storage shelf 11. The fork 51 can move in the horizontal direction by bending and stretching the bendable arm 55. The fork 51 is moved between the transfer position on the swivel base 53 (on the transfer means side) and the storage position in the storage shelf 11 (on the storage unit side) by the bending and stretching of the bending and extending type arm 55.

Next, a transfer operation when the storage container 20 is transferred to the storage shelf 11 will be described. First, the fork 51 supporting the storage container 20 is raised and lowered to a position slightly above the shelf plate 17 in the vertical direction H, and the fork 51 is turned to a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the fork 51 coincides with the transfer direction Y. It is assumed that the storage container 20 faces the entrance of the storage shelf 11. Thereafter, the bendable arm 55 is extended to move the fork 51 from the transfer position to the storage position. Further, when the fork 51 is lowered below the shelf board 17, the fork 51 passes between the shelf boards 17, while the storage container 20 is placed on the shelf board 17.
Before the transfer is started, the transport carriage pad 56 serving as the power supply side of the non-contact power feeding and the container pad 24 serving as the power receiving side are kept close to each other. Driving power is continuously supplied. Therefore, the fan filter unit 23 continues to send the cleaned air into the container body 21. In this state, air is sent into the container main body 21 by the fan filter unit 23, so that the internal pressure of the storage container 20 is higher than that in the surrounding environment, and external substances such as dust are transferred from the surrounding environment into the container main body 21. I can't get in. For this reason, the cleanliness in the container main body 21 is kept high, and dust or the like does not adhere to the substrate stored in the storage container 20.
On the other hand, while the fork 51 is moved from the transport position to the storage position for transfer, the container pad 24 attached to the storage container 20 on the fork 51 is separated from the transport cart pad 56. The fan filter unit 23 can no longer be supplied with driving power, and air blowing stops.
However, the storage container 20 has a structure in which the entrance / exit 21a and the fan filter unit mounting opening 21b are closed and sealed by the lid 22 and the fan filter unit frame 23a, respectively. If it is within a predetermined time after the stop, the air in the container body 21 will not immediately escape to the outside. Therefore, the internal pressure in the container main body 21 increased by the fan filter unit 23 blowing air on the fork 51 at the transfer position before the transfer starts is maintained in a state higher than the surrounding environment.
Since the internal pressure of the container body 21 is higher than that of the surrounding environment, even if the fan filter unit 23 stops blowing during the transfer, the external substance is transferred from the surrounding environment to the container within a predetermined time after the stop. It cannot enter into the main body 21, and the cleanliness in the container main body 21 is kept high.
In the state where the transfer is completed and the storage container 20 is supported on the shelf plate 17 of the storage shelf 11, the storage shelf pad 18 on the power supply side of the non-contact power supply approaches the container pad 24. Driving power is supplied to the unit 23 again. Therefore, after the transfer is completed, the fan filter unit 23 resumes blowing air into the container main body 21, so that the internal pressure of the container main body 21 continues to be kept high, and the cleanliness within the container main body 21 is maintained.

Next, a cleanliness determination mechanism in the container body 21 of the storage container 20 will be described.
When the cleanliness in the container body 21 is good, the storage container 20 is configured to output an effective signal related to the cleanliness. That is, in the storage container 20, the cleanliness in the container body 21 is determined based on whether or not an effective signal related to the cleanliness is output. An output state of the effective signal related to the cleanliness is maintained by the abnormality monitoring unit 61 that starts outputting while power is supplied to the fan filter unit 23. In other words, while the power supply to the fan filter unit 23 is being performed, the fan filter unit 23 blows air into the container main body 21 so that the cleanliness within the container main body 21 is maintained well. While the abnormality monitoring unit 61 can monitor that the power supply to the filter unit 23 is being performed, the output state of the effective signal regarding the cleanliness is maintained.
As shown in FIG. 4, the abnormality monitoring unit 61 is connected to the control device 60 that controls the fan filter unit 23 and is controlled by the control device 60. The abnormality monitoring unit 61 maintains the output state of the effective signal related to the cleanliness while the power supply to the fan filter unit 23 is being performed. For example, the abnormality monitoring unit 61 includes a circuit 40 as shown in FIG. . In the circuit 40, the contact 41 (normally open contact) functioning as a reset switch, the off-delay timer relay 42, the contact 43 (normally open contact) of the off-delay timer relay 42, and the fan filter unit 23 such as a fan stop are abnormal. And a contact 44 (normally closed contact) that operates when the above occurs.
The circuit 40 forms a self-holding circuit by a contact 41 and a contact 43 that closes when the off-delay timer relay 42 is excited. That is, in the circuit 40, once the contact 41 is closed for resetting, the off-delay timer relay 42 is energized and at the same time the contact 43 is closed, so that the excitation state of the off-delay timer relay 42 is maintained even if the contact 41 is opened. The And while the excitation state of the off-delay timer relay 42 is maintained, the effective signal regarding the said cleanliness is output.
On the other hand, when power supply to the fan filter unit 23 is stopped, or when an abnormality occurs in the fan filter unit 23, the contact 44 is opened, and when the predetermined time is counted by the timer, the off-delay timer relay 42 is excited. At the same time, the contact 43 is opened, so that the self-holding of the off-delay timer relay 42 is released. That is, the output of the effective signal regarding the cleanliness is turned off. Once the self-holding of the off-delay timer relay 42 is released and the output of the effective signal relating to the cleanliness is turned off, the output remains off until the contact 41 is closed.

Here, the off-delay timer relay 42 is a relay having a timer function, and is mounted on the control board of the control device 60 when power supply to the fan filter unit 23 is interrupted or when an abnormality occurs in the fan filter unit 23. The timer 62 (an example of a “timer”) is activated by energization from the capacitor 45 to be operated. The off-delay timer relay 42 maintains an excited state while the timer 62 is operating. When the timer 62 times a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds), the off-delay timer relay 42 releases the excited state and opens the contact 43.
As described above, in the storage container 20, the air supply to the fan filter unit 23 is stopped to stop the blowing, but the fan filter unit 23 is within a predetermined time after the blowing by the fan filter unit 23 is stopped. If the air blow by is recovered, the cleanliness in the container body 21 is maintained satisfactorily. Therefore, in the storage container 20, the power supply to the fan filter unit 23 is stopped, so that the timer 62 of the off-delay timer relay 42 starts measuring time, and is turned off while the timer 62 does not measure the predetermined time. The excitation state of the delay timer relay 42 is maintained and the effective signal regarding the cleanliness is continuously output. When the timer 62 counts the predetermined time, the off-delay timer relay 42 is released from the excited state and turns off the output of the effective signal relating to the cleanliness. Here, the predetermined time is a time in which the cleanliness in the container main body 21 can be satisfactorily maintained without air blowing when the fan filter unit 23 stops blowing when the cleanliness in the container main body 21 is good. For example, 30 seconds. A specific control method will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the contact 41 is closed for reset (S1), the off-delay timer relay 42 is excited (S2) and the contact 43 is closed (S3). Here, even if the contact 41 is opened, the contact 43 remains closed, and the excitation state of the off-delay timer relay 42 is maintained. That is, the output of the effective signal regarding the cleanliness is maintained.
When the contact 44 which is a normally closed contact opens due to an abnormality or a stop of the fan filter unit 23, or when all energization to the circuit 40 is cut off (power is cut off) due to a power failure or the like (SE), the timer 62 of the off-delay timer relay 42 is turned on. Time measurement is started (S4). That is, the power supply to the off-delay timer relay 42 is stopped due to the abnormality or stop of the fan filter unit 23 or the power supply of the circuit 40, but the off-delay timer relay 42 is immediately brought into a non-excited state by its own timer function. The self-holding is continued for the predetermined time.
When the timer 62 measures a predetermined time (S4—Yes), the excitation state of the off-delay timer relay 42 is released (S5), and the contact 43 is opened. That is, the self-holding of the off-delay timer relay 42 is released, and the output of the valid signal regarding the cleanliness is turned off (S6).
On the other hand, when the timer 62 does not measure the predetermined time (S4-No), that is, when the abnormality or stoppage of the fan filter unit 23 is recovered or the power supply to the circuit 40 is resumed while the timer 62 is counting, The contact 43, the contact 44, and the off-delay timer relay 42 are energized in this order, the excitation state of the off-delay timer relay 42 is maintained (S7), and the output of the effective signal regarding the cleanliness is maintained (S8). At the same time, the count of the timer 62 is reset (S9).

Next, determination of the quality of the cleanliness in the storage container 20 will be described.
The storage container 20 includes an output unit 63 that informs the outside whether or not an effective signal related to the cleanliness is output. The quality of the cleanliness in the container body 21 can be determined based on whether or not the effective signal is output from the output unit 63.
The output unit 63 is formed by a visually recognizable display device such as an LED, and the display is switched depending on the presence or absence of the valid signal. Alternatively, the output unit 63 is formed by a voice notification unit, and when the output state of the valid signal is canceled, the output unit 63 notifies the fact that the cleanliness in the container body 21 is poor by voice.
Alternatively, the output unit 63 is configured by the optical transmission device 64, and the optical transmission device 64 is attached to the container body 21 or the fan filter unit 23. In this case, the communication device 65 that can communicate with the optical transmission device 64 is provided in the storage facility 10 that stores the storage container 20 or the transport carriage 50 that transports the storage container 20, and the communication device 65 transmits from the optical transmission device 64. The contents are received and the presence / absence of an output of the above-mentioned effective signal, that is, whether or not the cleanliness in the container body 21 is good is monitored.
Here, when optical transmission from the optical transmission device 64 is interrupted (when communication between the optical transmission device 64 and the communication device 65 becomes impossible), the cause may be due to a failure of the communication device 65. For example, the fan filter unit 23 is not abnormal or stopped, or the circuit 40 is not turned off, and the cleanliness in the container main body 21 is good. By confirming that the above-mentioned effective signal is output from 64, it can be recognized that the cleanliness in the container body 21 is good.
On the other hand, when the cause is due to the fact that the energization of the storage container 20 is interrupted, the cleanliness in the container body 21 becomes poor when the energization is interrupted for the predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) or longer. By confirming that the energization of the storage container 20 is resumed and the optical transmission from the optical transmission device 64 is restored, and that the above-mentioned effective signal is not output by the content of transmission from the optical transmission device 64, the container main body 21 It can be recognized that the cleanliness is poor. Further, when the energization is restored within the predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds), the cleanliness in the container body 21 is good, and therefore energization to the storage container 20 is resumed and light transmission from the optical transmission device 64 is performed. It can be recognized that the cleanliness in the container main body 21 is good by confirming that the effective signal is output based on the content of transmission from the optical transmission device 64 after recovery.

Thus, in the storage container 20, since the maintenance of the output state of the effective signal is canceled after the timer 62 times the predetermined set time, the power supply to the storage container 20 is not performed. Are not judged as being in a state where the cleanliness in the container body 21 is poor. Therefore, when power supply to the storage container 20 is interrupted, it is possible to appropriately deal with it after determining whether the cleanliness in the container body 21 is good or bad.
In the storage container 20, whether or not the cleanness of the container body 21 can be determined based on whether or not an effective signal related to the cleanliness is output, so that the fan filter unit 23 is not supplied with power. However, the quality of the cleanliness of the container body 21 can be determined appropriately.

  In the present embodiment, the off-delay timer relay 42 is provided in the circuit 40 of the abnormality monitoring unit 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the time during which power supply to the fan filter unit 23 is not performed. For example, a transistor may be provided as long as it has a function of measuring time.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Storage equipment 20 Storage container 21 Container body 23 Fan filter unit 42 Off-delay timer relay 61 Abnormality monitoring part 62 Timer (time measuring part)
63 Output unit 64 Optical transmission device 65 Communication device

Claims (5)

A storage container for storing a substrate comprising a fan filter unit that blows a purified gas into a container body that stores the substrate,
The fan filter unit includes an abnormality monitoring unit that starts outputting an effective signal related to cleanliness in the container body while power is being supplied to the fan filter unit.
The abnormality monitoring unit
When the power supply to the abnormality monitoring unit is interrupted, it has a time measuring unit that measures the time when the power supply is interrupted.
The storage container for storing a substrate, wherein the output of the valid signal is stopped when the time measuring unit measures a predetermined set time. The storage container for storing substrates according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality monitoring unit includes a relay having an off-delay timer function as a time measuring unit. The abnormality monitoring unit
A reset switch,
A normally closed contact that opens when an abnormality occurs in the fan filter unit;
A relay having an off-delay timer function;
The storage container for storing a substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a normally open contact of a relay having an off-delay timer function connected in parallel to the reset switch. The storage container includes an output unit,
The output unit comprises a display device,
The storage container for storing a substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the storage container is switched depending on whether or not the effective signal is output. The storage container includes an output unit,
The output unit is configured by an optical transmission device capable of communicating with a communication device disposed in a storage facility for storing the container body or a transport unit for transporting the container body,
4. The circuit board storage device according to claim 1, wherein the optical transmission device changes the transmission content depending on whether the effective signal is output to the communication device. 5. Storage container.

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