JP7526110B2 - Substrate storage container, load port and valve opening and closing jig - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate storage container, a load port, and a valve opening/closing jig equipped with a valve body that controls the flow of gas.

As seen in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2, a substrate storage container for storing substrates comprises a container body, a lid that closes the opening of the container body, and a valve body 40A, 50A that controls the flow of gas to the container body. The valve body 40A, 50A has a check valve function and includes a valve rod 442A that opens and closes a valve hole 441 and an elastic member 444 that biases the valve rod 442A (see Figures 6 and 7).

To store the substrates in an airtight state, the substrate storage container supplies purge gas from the air supply nozzle 150 through the air supply valve body 50A, and exhausts the gas inside the container from the exhaust valve body 40A. The flow rate, pressure, humidity, etc. of the exhausted gas are measured to manage the internal condition.

In addition, if high-temperature processed substrates are stored in an airtight substrate storage container, the internal pressure may become negative as the substrates are gradually cooled.

JP 2008-066330 A JP 2004-179449 A

However, in conventional valve bodies 40A and 50A with this structure, opening and closing is dependent only on elasticity and gas pressure, so the valve may not open unless the internal negative or positive pressure reaches a certain value. Even if the pressure reaches the certain value, the valve hole 441 and the valve rod 442A may stick together or the valve rod 442A may be in an abnormal position due to internal humidity or valve closing time, and the valve may not open.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a substrate storage container, a load port, and a valve opening/closing jig that improve the reliability of the valve opening operation of the valve body that controls the flow of gas.

(1) One aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container comprising a container body capable of storing substrates, a lid body that closes an opening of the container body, and a valve body that is attached to the container body and controls the flow of gas to the container body, wherein the valve body has a valve rod that closes a valve hole, and the valve rod is biased in a valve closing direction by elastic force and is biased in a valve opening direction by the application of magnetic force.
(2) In the above aspect (1), the valve body may be for exhausting gas, and the valve rod may be biased in a valve opening direction by magnetic attraction.
(3) In the above aspect (1), the valve body may be for supplying gas, and the valve rod may be biased in a valve opening direction by a magnetic repulsive force.
(4) In any one of the above aspects (1) to (3), the valve body may have a filter for filtering gas.
(5) Another aspect of the present invention is a load port comprising a mounting table for mounting a substrate storage container thereon, a port door for opening and closing an opening window facing the substrate storage container, and a nozzle connected to a valve body attached to the substrate storage container and allowing gas to flow, wherein when the nozzle is connected to the valve body, a magnetic force is applied to the valve stem of the valve body to bias the nozzle in a valve opening direction.
(6) Yet another aspect of the present invention is a valve opening/closing jig for a load port as described above in (5) that is equipped with a nozzle through which gas can flow, the jig being formed to be attachable to the nozzle and including a magnetic source that generates magnetic force.

The present invention provides a substrate storage container, a load port, and a valve opening/closing jig that improve the reliability of the valve opening operation of a valve body that controls the flow of gas.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a substrate storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention is placed on a load port. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a lid of a substrate storing container according to an embodiment of the present invention has been removed at a load port. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a mounting table of the load port. 2 is a schematic top view showing a mounting table of the load port. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an exhaust valve body. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an exhaust valve body in an open state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an air supply valve body. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an air supply valve body in an open state. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a valve opening and closing jig. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional exhaust valve body. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional air supply valve body.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments of this specification, identical components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout.

Before describing a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a load port 100 on which the substrate storage container 1 is placed will be described.
Fig. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is placed on a load port 100, and Fig. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a lid 20 of the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is removed from the load port 100. Fig. 2 shows a mounting table 110 of the load port 100, with Fig. 2A being a schematic front view and Fig. 2B being a schematic top view.

As shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the load port 100 is installed adjacent to the side wall of a semiconductor manufacturing device installed in a clean room, and is configured to transport substrates between the inside and outside of the semiconductor manufacturing device.

The load port 100 includes a mounting table 110 on which the substrate storage container 1 is placed, an opening window 120 facing the substrate storage container 1 placed on the mounting table 110, and a port door 130 for opening and closing the opening window 120.

As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the mounting table 110 has a positioning mechanism 111 that positions the substrate storage container 1 on the mounting table 110. The positioning mechanism 111 positions the substrate storage container 1 at a predetermined position relative to the opening window 120 by engaging (contacting) with three positioning recesses 13 formed on the bottom surface of the container body 10 of the substrate storage container 1 or a bottom plate attached to the bottom surface (see Figures 1A and 1B).

The mounting table 110 also has an exhaust nozzle 140 and an air supply nozzle 150 that are connected to the exhaust valve body 40 and the air supply valve body 50 of the substrate storage container 1, but these will be described in detail together with the valve bodies 40 and 50 below.

Returning to Figures 1A and 1B, the port door 130 allows the opening window 120 to be opened and closed (opened and closed) by a swinging means (not shown). This port door 130 has a lid opening and closing mechanism 131 that releases the locking mechanism (not shown) of the lid 20 of the substrate storage container 1 and removes the lid 20 from the container body 10 when opening the opening window 120. Note that when attaching the lid 20 to the container body 10, the lid opening and closing mechanism 131 conversely locks the locking mechanism to secure the lid 20 to the container body 10.

However, if necessary, the opening window 120 may be provided with a shutter 160 that quickly closes the opening window 120 in place of the port door 130 when the port door 130 removes the lid body 20 from the container body 10 to open the opening window 120.

A transport robot 300 for transporting substrates is installed on the semiconductor device side through the port door 130, and a transport arm 310 enters the container body 10 from which the lid 20 has been removed to load and unload the substrates. Note that the substrate loading and unloading process is the same as in the past, so a description of the specific operation of the load port 100 and the transport robot 300 will be omitted.

Next, a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment comprises a container body 10 for storing substrates, a lid body 20 for closing the opening of the container body 10, and an annular gasket (not shown) provided between the container body 10 and the lid body 20 (see Figures 1A and 1B).

The container body 10 is a box-shaped body, and is a front-open type with an opening formed at the front. The opening of the container body 10 is bent and stepped so that it widens outward, and the surface of the stepped part is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the front of the opening as a sealing surface with which the packing comes into contact. The container body 10 is preferably a front-open type, as this makes it easy to insert substrates with a diameter of 300 mm or 450 mm.

Support bodies (not shown) are arranged on both the left and right sides inside the container body 10. The support bodies have the function of placing and positioning the substrate. The support bodies have multiple grooves formed in the height direction, constituting so-called groove teeth. The substrate is placed on the two groove teeth on the left and right at the same height. The material of the support bodies may be the same as that of the container body 10, but a different material may be used to improve cleaning properties and sliding properties.

The substrate is supported by this support and stored in the container body 10. An example of the substrate is a silicon wafer, but is not limited thereto and may be, for example, a quartz wafer, a gallium arsenide wafer, etc.

A robotic flange (not shown) is detachably attached to the center of the ceiling of the container body 10. The substrate storage container 1, which contains clean substrates stored airtight, is grasped by the robotic flange by another transport robot in the factory and transported to the processing equipment for each process that processes the substrates.

In addition, manual handles (not shown) that can be gripped by an operator are detachably attached to the center of the outer surface of both sides of the container body 10.

The inside bottom surface of the container body 10 is provided with an air supply section and an exhaust section, and the outside bottom surface of the container body 10 is provided with valve bodies 40, 50 that communicate with these air supply section and exhaust section. The valve bodies 40, 50 supply inert gas such as nitrogen gas or dry air from the air supply section to the inside of the substrate storage container 1 closed by the lid body 20, and exhaust it from the exhaust section as necessary, thereby replacing the gas inside the substrate storage container 1, maintaining a low humidity airtight state, and blowing away impurities on the substrate, thereby maintaining the cleanliness of the inside of the substrate storage container 1. When exhausting from the exhaust section, in addition to supplying gas from the air supply section, the exhaust section may also be connected to a negative pressure (vacuum) generating device to forcibly exhaust the gas from the exhaust section.

Furthermore, by detecting the gas exhausted from the exhaust section, it is possible to confirm whether the inside of the substrate storage container 1 has been replaced with the introduced gas. Note that it is preferable that the gas supply section and exhaust section are located at a position that is different from the position where the substrate is projected onto the bottom surface, but the number and positions of the gas supply section and exhaust section are not particularly limited, and they may be located at the four corners of the bottom surface of the container body 10, for example.

The lid 20, on the other hand, is attached to the front of the opening of the container body 10 and is generally rectangular in shape. The lid 20 has a locking mechanism (not shown) and is locked by fitting a locking claw into a locking hole (not shown) formed in the container body 10. In addition, a resilient front retainer (not shown) that holds the front edge of the substrate horizontally is detachably attached to the center of the lid 20 or is integrally formed therewith.

This front retainer, like the groove teeth and substrate holding portion of the support, is a part that comes into direct contact with the wafer, so it is made of a material that is easy to clean and has good sliding properties.

The lid 20 is formed with an attachment groove (not shown) for attaching a packing. This attachment groove is formed, for example, on the outer peripheral surface of the lid 20 or on the surface facing the container body 10, and has a generally U-shaped annular shape in cross section.

Materials for the container body 10 and the lid 20 include, for example, thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetherimide, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, and liquid crystal polymer. This thermoplastic resin may further contain conductive agents such as conductive carbon, conductive fiber, metal fiber, and conductive polymer, various antistatic agents, and ultraviolet absorbing agents, as appropriate.

On the other hand, the packing is annular in shape to correspond to the front shape of the lid body 20 (and the shape of the opening of the container body 10), and in this embodiment, is rectangular frame-shaped. However, the annular packing may be annular (ring-shaped) before being attached to the lid body 20.

The gasket is disposed between the sealing surface of the container body 10 and the lid body 20, and when the lid body 20 is attached to the container body 10, it adheres closely to the sealing surface of the container body 10 to ensure the airtightness of the substrate storage container 1, reducing the intrusion of dust, moisture, etc. from the outside into the substrate storage container 1, and reducing the leakage of gas from the inside to the outside.

Materials that can be used for the packing include thermoplastic elastomers such as polyester-based elastomers, polyolefin-based elastomers, fluorine-based elastomers, and urethane-based elastomers, as well as elastic materials such as fluororubber, ethylene propylene rubber, and silicone-based rubber. Carbon fibers, metal fibers, metal oxides, and various antistatic agents may be added to these materials as appropriate to impart electrical conductivity and antistatic properties.

Here, first the exhaust valve body 40 will be described, and then the intake valve body 50 will be described.
Fig. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing the exhaust valve body 40, and Fig. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing the exhaust valve body 40 in an open state. Fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the intake valve body 50, and Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the intake valve body 50 in an open state.

The valve body 40 controls the flow of gas to the container body 10, and when attached to the container body 10, it is connected to the exhaust section via a gas flow passage (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3B, the valve body 40 has a fixed tube 41 that is fitted from below into the through hole 12 formed by the rib 11 of the container body 10, and a retaining tube 42 that is fitted from above into the through hole 12 via a sealing member 45 and is detachably assembled to the fixed tube 41 by screwing.

The fixed tube 41 is formed as a cylinder with a bottom that opens to the inside of the container body 10, and the inner peripheral surface of the fixed tube 41 is threadedly formed with a screw groove 412 for mounting the retaining tube 42. In addition, a ring-shaped flange 413 that extends radially outward is provided around the outer peripheral surface of the fixed tube 41, and is adapted to come into contact with the opening peripheral portion of the rib 11.

Furthermore, the fixed cylinder 41 has a vent hole 411 for gas flow formed at the center of the bottom surface. Also, a first cylinder portion 410 is formed at the bottom of the fixed cylinder 41, rising from the periphery of the vent hole 411 and extending toward the retaining cylinder 42.

The retaining tube 42 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape that opens to the outside of the container body 10, and a ring-shaped flange 423 that extends radially outward is provided around the outer circumferential surface of the retaining tube 42 and is in contact with the opening periphery of the through-hole 12. Furthermore, a screw groove 422 for attaching the fixed tube 41 is threadedly formed on the outer circumferential surface of the retaining tube 42, and this screw groove 422 is screwed into the screw groove 412 of the fixed tube 41. However, the fixed tube 41 and the retaining tube 42 may be attached to each other by other methods such as press-fitting or locking instead of screwing.

The retaining tube 42 also has partition ribs arranged in a lattice or radial pattern on the inside of the container body 10 (bottom surface) that separate multiple vents for gas flow, and a storage space is formed on the back surface of the partition ribs to store the filter 46 described below.

The retaining tube 42 has a seal member 45 attached to its outer circumferential surface, which prevents outside air and cleaning liquid from entering the inside of the container body 10 between the retaining tube 42 and the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 12, and also prevents gas from leaking from inside the container body 10.

The valve body 40 also has an inner lid tube 43 that is attached to the inner wall of the retaining tube 42 via a seal member 47 and holds the filter 46 between the retaining tube 42 and the inner lid tube 43.

The inner lid tube 43 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom that is open on the outside of the container body 10, and a flange 433 is formed on the top surface that protrudes toward the inside of the container body 10. The filter 46 is sandwiched between this flange 433 and the retaining tube 42.

In addition, a protrusion is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner lid tube 43, and the inner lid tube 43 is connected and attached to the retaining tube 42 by engaging with an engagement groove formed on the inner circumferential surface of the retaining tube 42.

The inner lid cylinder 43 has a vent hole 431 for gas flow formed at the center of the top surface. The top surface of the inner lid cylinder 43 also has a second cylinder portion 430 that rises from the periphery of the vent hole 431 and extends toward the fixed cylinder 41. In this embodiment, the outer diameter and inner diameter of the first cylinder portion 410 are formed to be equal to the outer diameter and inner diameter of the second cylinder portion 430.

The fixed tube 41, the retaining tube 42 and the inner lid tube 43 described above are molded using a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, or liquid crystal polymer.

Here, in this embodiment, the exhaust valve body 40 has a valve body 440 that is sandwiched between the first cylindrical portion 410 and the second cylindrical portion 430. This valve body 440 controls the flow of gas to the container body 10 by moving a valve rod 442, and functions as a one-way check valve that prevents the supply of gas to the inside of the container body 10 but allows the exhaust of gas from the container body 10 to the outside.

The valve body 440 is generally cylindrical, with a conical valve seat and valve hole 441 formed from one end (the lower end of the valve body 40 in this embodiment) toward the middle, and a space that expands in a generally conical shape from the valve hole 441 toward the other end.

The valve rod 442 has a mushroom-shaped tip and a rod-shaped rear end so that it can seat on the valve seat and close the valve hole 441. The valve rod 442 also has a magnetic source 443 embedded therein that can urge the valve rod 442 in the valve opening direction by magnetic repulsion or attraction. Examples of this magnetic source 443 include a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, but when urging the valve rod 442 in the valve opening direction by magnetic attraction, it may be a ferromagnetic material (e.g., iron) that is magnetized when exposed to a magnetic field.

The magnetic source 443 is inserted into the cavity of the valve stem 442, for example, from the rear end side, and is arranged so that, for example, the tip end side is the north pole and the rear end side is the south pole, and then the insertion opening is sealed with resin to prevent the metal material from being exposed to the outside.

The elastic member 444 is capable of biasing the valve rod 442 in the valve closing direction, and may be a resin coil spring, but may also be a support member made of elastic synthetic resin foam, various rubbers, or thermoplastic elastomers. Depending on the application of the substrate storage container 1 (the substrates stored therein), a metal spring such as SUS may be used for the elastic member 444, but even in this case, it is desirable to resin coat the surface. In this way, by not exposing the metallic member to the surface, the problem of metal corrosion can be avoided even if corrosive residual substances are present.

The elastic member 444 is attached from the rear end side of the valve rod 442 after being inserted into the valve body 440 so that the tip of the valve rod 442 seats on the valve seat, and is fixed by attaching a stopper 445 to the valve rod 442. The attachment means of the stopper 445 may be, for example, fitting, gluing, welding, etc., or a male thread may be engraved on the rear end of the valve rod 442 and a female thread may be engraved on the stopper 445, and the elastic force of the elastic member 444 may be adjusted by changing the amount of screwing.

The filter 46 filters the gas being supplied or discharged, and is selected from porous membranes made of tetrafluoroethylene, polyester fiber, fluororesin, etc., molecular filtration filters made of glass fiber, etc., and chemical filters in which a chemical adsorbent is supported on a filter material such as activated carbon fiber.

Such filters 46 are held in one or more sheets between the retaining tube 42 and the inner lid tube 43. When multiple filters 46 are used, they may be of the same type, but it is more preferable to combine filters with different properties, since this can prevent organic contamination in addition to particles. For example, the filter 46 also functions to suppress the passage of liquids so that liquids such as water and cleaning liquid do not remain when cleaning the container body 10, so the filter 46 may be made of a hydrophobic or hydrophilic material to further suppress the passage of liquids.

The sealing members 45 and 47 are made of O-rings made of materials such as fluororubber, NBR rubber, urethane rubber, EPDM rubber, and silicone rubber.

On the other hand, the air supply valve body 50 controls the flow of gas to the container body 10, and when attached to the container body 10, it communicates with the air supply section via a gas flow passage (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4B, the air supply valve body 50 has a valve body 440 including a valve rod 442 fixed upside down relative to the valve body 40, and similarly functions as a one-way check valve, preventing the exhaust of gas from the container body 10 to the outside but allowing the supply of gas into the container body 10.

In this way, the valve bodies 40 and 50 can easily reverse the gas flow direction simply by changing the mounting direction of the valve body 440. In other words, the gas supply and exhaust can be switched.

Returning now to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the mounting table 110 of the load port 100 will be described again.
The mounting table 110 has an exhaust nozzle 140 and an air supply nozzle 150 .

As shown in Figures 3B and 4B, the nozzles 140, 150 include nozzle tubes 141, 151 that can move up and down within cylindrical nozzle supports 143, 153. The nozzle tubes 141, 151 are pipe-shaped, allowing gas to flow through the central cavity, and their ends are connected to a gas supply source and an exhaust source (a suction source or vacuum source, or open to the atmosphere), respectively.

On the other hand, a buffer member 142, 152 is usually provided at the upper end of the nozzle pipe 141, 151. The buffer member 142, 152 is made of an elastic material with cushioning properties, such as fluororubber, ethylene propylene rubber, or silicone-based rubber, and is formed in a roughly annular shape to absorb shocks and deviations in the raised position when the nozzle 140, 150 is connected to the valve body 40, 50.

Next, the valve opening and closing jig 200 attached to these nozzles 140, 150 will be described.
FIG. 5A is a top view showing the valve opening and closing jig 200, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing the valve opening and closing jig 200. As shown in FIG.

The valve opening and closing jig 200 includes a magnetic source 210, a buffer member 220, and a ring member 230.

The magnetic source 210 applies a magnetic force to the valve stem 442 of the valve bodies 40, 50, causing the magnetic forces to repel or attract each other, thereby generating a magnetic force (magnetic field) that is greater than the elastic force of the elastic member 444 that urges the valve stem 442 in the valve closing direction and is capable of urging the valve stem 442 in the valve opening direction. Such a magnetic source 210 is configured, for example, by arranging permanent magnets or electromagnets in a substantially circular ring shape.

The magnetic source 210 is arranged, for example, so that the upper surface side is the south pole and the lower surface side is the north pole, and a magnetic force sufficiently larger than the elastic force of the elastic member 444 acts on the magnetic source 443 of the valve rod 442. If an electromagnet is used for the magnetic source 210, it is advisable to control the driving power supply of the electromagnet so that a magnetic force is generated in conjunction with the rise of the nozzles 140, 150 and demagnetized when the nozzles 140, 150 descend.

The buffer member 220 covers the magnetic source 210 and comes into direct contact with the valve bodies 40, 50. The buffer member 220 is formed in a substantially annular shape from an elastic material such as fluororubber, ethylene propylene rubber, or silicone-based rubber that has cushioning properties in order to absorb shocks and deviations in the upward movement of the nozzles 140, 150 (the nozzle tubes 141, 151). The magnetic source 210 and buffer member 220 formed in such an annular shape allow gas supplied or exhausted from the nozzles 140, 150 (the nozzle tubes 141, 151) to pass through the center side.

The ring member 230 is substantially cylindrical, and a flange 231 is formed on the inner peripheral surface so as to protrude toward the center. The flange 231 functions to prevent the nozzles 140, 150 (the nozzle supports 143, 153) from falling out when fitted and attached to them, and also functions as a stopper to prevent the magnetic source 210 and the buffer member 220 from descending when the nozzles 140, 150 (the nozzle pipes 141, 151) descend. The upper end surface of the buffer member 220 is located above the upper end surface of the ring member 230.

The valve opening and closing jig 200 is configured so that it can be detachably attached to the nozzles 140, 150 so that it can be applied to existing load ports 100. However, it is also possible to integrate the jig with the nozzles 140, 150 in advance when manufacturing the load port 100, in which case the cushioning members 142, 152 may be omitted.

Finally, we will explain the valve opening and closing operations of the valve bodies 40 and 50.

In FIG. 3A, when no positive pressure is applied to the vent 431 side of the valve body 40, the valve rod 442 biased by the elastic force of the elastic member 444 closes the valve hole 441, blocking the flow of gas to both the inside and the outside. Also, in FIG. 4A, when no positive pressure is applied to the vent 411 side of the valve body 50, the valve rod 442 biased by the elastic force of the elastic member 444 closes the valve hole 441, blocking the flow of gas to both the inside and the outside.

For example, when a positive pressure of a predetermined value or more is applied to the vent 431 side of the valve body 40 (or the vent 411 side of the valve body 50) and exceeds the elastic force of the elastic member 444, the valve rod 442 normally moves to open the valve hole 441. However, since there are cases where the valve rod 442 does not move due to some abnormality, the substrate storage container 1 of this embodiment is designed to forcibly move the valve rod 442 in the valve opening direction by using an external magnetic force.

As shown in Figures 3B and 4B, when the nozzles 140, 150 of the load port 100 are close to and connected to the valve bodies 40, 50, the magnetic force of the magnetic source 443 of the valve body 40 and the magnetic source 210 of the nozzle 140 are opposite polarities of north and south poles, so that the magnetic forces attract each other and the valve rod 442 is biased in the valve opening direction, forming a gap G between the valve seat and the valve rod 442, and the valve hole 441 opens.

When a ferromagnetic material is used for the magnetic source 443 of the valve body 40, it is magnetized by the magnetic source 210 of the nozzle 140, and the magnetic source 443 becomes a north pole, and similarly to the above, the magnetic forces attract each other and the valve hole 441 opens. When a ferromagnetic material is used for the magnetic source 443 of the valve body 40, the polarity of the magnetic source 210 of the nozzle 140 may be either a north pole or a south pole.

On the other hand, in the valve body 50, the opposing polarities of the magnetic source 443 and the magnetic source 210 of the nozzle 150 are S poles and S poles, so the magnetic forces repel each other and the valve stem 442 is urged in the valve opening direction, forming a gap G between the valve seat and the valve stem 442, and the valve hole 441 opens.

As described above, the substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a container body 10 capable of storing substrates, a lid body 20 that closes the opening of the container body 10, and valve bodies 40, 50 that are attached to the container body 10 and control the flow of gas through the container body 10. The valve bodies 40, 50 have a valve rod 442 that closes a valve hole 441, and the valve rod 442 is biased in the valve closing direction by elastic force and is biased in the valve opening direction by the application of magnetic force.

In this way, in the valve bodies 40, 50 in which the valve rod 442 is urged in the valve closing direction by the elastic force of the elastic member 444, the pressure on one side is higher than the other side, and even if it exceeds the elastic force urging in the valve closing direction, the valve bodies 40, 50 may not open the valve. However, by applying a magnetic force from the outside in addition to the gas pressure, the valve rod 442 is urged in the valve opening direction, improving the reliability of the valve opening operation of the valve bodies 40, 50 that control the flow of gas.

The valve body 40 of the embodiment is for exhausting gas to flow out, and the valve rod 442 is biased in the valve opening direction by magnetic attraction. As a result, by including a magnetic source 443 of polarity S (or N) opposite to the polarity N (or S) of the magnetic force applied to the valve rod 442 so as to face the external magnetic source 210, or by including the valve rod 442 in a ferromagnetic material, the valve body 40 can be opened by magnetic attraction.

The valve body 50 of the embodiment is for supplying gas to flow in, and the valve rod 442 is biased in the valve opening direction by the repulsive force of magnetic force. As a result, by including a magnetic source 443 of the same polarity N (or S) as the polarity N (or S) of the magnetic force applied to the valve rod 442 so as to face the external magnetic source 210, the valve body 50 can be opened by the repulsive force of magnetic force.

The valve body 40, 50 of the embodiment has a filter 46 that filters gas. This allows the gas flowing through the valve body 40, 50 to be filtered.

The load port 100 of the embodiment includes a mounting table 110 on which the substrate storage container 1 is mounted, a port door 130 that opens and closes an opening window 120 facing the substrate storage container 1, and nozzles 140, 150 that are connected to the valve bodies 40, 50 attached to the substrate storage container 1 and allow gas to flow through. When the nozzles 140, 150 are connected to the valve bodies 40, 50, they apply a magnetic force to the valve stem 442 of the valve bodies 40, 50 to bias them in the valve opening direction. This improves the reliability of the valve opening operation of the valve bodies 40, 50 in the load port 100 on which the substrate storage container 1 is mounted, the valve bodies 40, 50 having the valve stem 442 biased in the valve opening direction by the application of a magnetic force.

The valve opening/closing jig 200 of the embodiment is for a load port 100 equipped with nozzles 140, 150 through which gas can flow, and is formed so as to be attachable to the nozzles 140, 150, and includes a magnetic source 210 that generates a magnetic force. This makes it possible to improve the reliability of the valve opening operation of the valve bodies 40, 50 having a valve rod 442 that is biased in the valve opening direction by the application of a magnetic force, even in an existing load port 100.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the substrate storage container 1 is provided with one each of the valve bodies 40, 50, but two of each may be provided, or there may be one valve body 40 and three valve bodies 50, and the positions thereof may be on the rear side rather than on the lid body 20 (opening) side of the container body 10. The number of nozzles 140, 150 of the load port 100 may be the same as or greater than the number and positions of the valve bodies 40, 50.

In the above embodiment, for example, a rear retainer (not shown) may be disposed at the rear (rear side) inside the container body 10. When the lid body 20 is closed, the rear retainer can pair with a front retainer, which will be described later, to hold the substrate. Alternatively, the support body may have, for example, a V-shaped or linear substrate holding portion at the rear side of the groove teeth, so that the substrate is held by the front retainer and the substrate holding portion.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Substrate storage container 10 Container body, 11 Rib, 12 Through hole, 13 Positioning recess 20 Lid body 40, 50 Valve body 41 Fixed cylinder, 410 First cylinder portion, 411 Vent hole, 412 Screw groove, 413 Flange 42 Retaining cylinder, 422 Screw groove, 423 Flange 43 Inner lid cylinder, 430 Second cylinder portion, 431 Vent hole, 433 Flange 440 Valve body, 441 Valve hole, 442 Valve stem, 443 Magnetic source, 444 Elastic member, 445 Stopper 45 Sealing member (O-ring)
46 Filter 47 Sealing member (O-ring)
100 Load port 110 Placement table 111 Positioning mechanism 120 Opening window
130 Port door, 131 Lid opening/closing mechanism 140, 150 Nozzle, 141, 151 Nozzle tube, 142, 152 Cushioning member, 143, 153 Nozzle support 160 Shutter 200 Valve opening/closing jig 210 Magnetic source, 220 Cushioning member, 230 Ring member, 231 Flange 300 Transport robot, 310 Transport arm 40A, 50A Valve body, 442A Valve stem

Claims (6)

A container body capable of storing a substrate;
A lid that closes the opening of the container body;
a valve body attached to the container body and controlling the flow of gas to the container body,
The valve body has a valve stem that closes a valve hole,
The valve rod has a magnetic source disposed inside so as not to be exposed to the surface, and is biased in a valve closing direction by elastic force, and is biased in a valve opening direction by gas pressure and the application of a magnetic force from the outside of the container body .
A substrate storage container comprising: The valve body is for exhausting gas from the container body ,
The valve rod is biased in the valve opening direction by magnetic attraction.
The substrate storage container according to claim 1 . The valve body is for supplying gas to the container body ,
The valve rod is biased in the valve opening direction by the magnetic repulsion force.
The substrate storage container according to claim 1 . The valve body has a filter for filtering gas.
The substrate storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3. a mounting table for mounting the substrate storage container;
a port door for opening and closing an opening window facing the substrate storage container;
a nozzle connected to a valve body attached to the substrate storage container, capable of passing a gas therethrough, and movable up and down;
the nozzle has a buffer member that contacts the valve body and covers a magnetic source,
When the nozzle is connected to the valve body, gas pressure and magnetic force are applied to the valve stem of the valve body to bias the valve in an opening direction.
A load port characterized by: 6. The valve opening and closing jig for a load port according to claim 5, further comprising a nozzle through which a gas can flow,
A magnetic source that is formed to be attachable to the nozzle and generates a magnetic force;
A valve opening and closing jig characterized by the above.