Storage container, shutter opening/closing unit of storage container, and wafer stocker using storage container and shutter opening/closing unit

• US 9,437,466 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rorze Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rorze Corporation
• Inventors: Sakiya, Fumio, Sakata, Katsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): JOERGER, KAITLIN S
• Application Number:
  US14/513,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20150030416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0095 Manipulators transporting wafers
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/47 responsive to changes in fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/50 using fluid-pressure actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/603 using rotary electromotors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/78 using light beams
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67265 of substrates stored in a container, a magazine, a carrier, a boat or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67346 characterized by being specially adapted for supporting a single substrate or by comprising a stack of such individual supports
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67379 characterised by coupling elements, kinematic members, handles or elements to be externally gripped
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67383 characterised by substrate supports
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67386 characterised by the construction of the closed carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67393 characterised by the presence of atmosphere modifying elements inside or attached to the closed carrierl
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67769 Storage means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67772 involving removal of lid, door, cover
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67775 Docking arrangements

Abstract

Provided is a wafer stocker that can prevent the inflow of an external atmosphere, maintain a wafer storage space at a desired atmosphere with a relatively small amount of gas, and prevent dust from being attached to a wafer surface. A shutter portion, including multiple shield plates having the same height as an interval between shelf plates disposed in a storage container, is disposed with a slight space from a body portion, and by supplying clean gas into the storage container, a clean atmosphere of a higher pressure than an external environment is maintained, and a shutter portion is opened and closed by moving up and down the shield plate independently from the shelf plate that supports a wafer.

Claims

1. A storage container comprising:

a body portion that has multiple shelf plates, each having an opening portion in one surface thereof and being disposed at a regular interval in a vertical direction so as to support a tabular object to be stored thereon, a spacer that is disposed between the multiple shelf plates and maintains the interval between the shelf plates vertically adjacent to each other, and a nozzle to supply clean gas internally;

a cover member that covers a side surface, a top surface and a bottom surface other than the opening portion of the body portion; and

a shutter portion that has multiple shield plates arranged to cover the opening portions corresponding to the multiple shelf plates, and moving up and down separately from the shelf plates to access the objects supported and stored on the shelf plates,

wherein the shutter portion is disposed apart from the body portion to form a minute space therebetween so as to flow out the gas supplied from the nozzle to the outside by a proper quantity while maintaining an inner pressure of the body portion, and

the shield plates are accumulated to contact each other and disposed to be vertically moved individually.

2. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the shelf plates are disposed at the intervals through which a robot finger accesses and holds the object to be stored on each of the shelf plates.

3. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein each of the shield plates of the shutter portion has a height equal to the interval between the shelf plates.

4. The storage container according to claim 1, further comprising a position restriction member fixing the shield plates movably thereto,

wherein each of the shield plates of the shutter portion is vertically moved in a surface restricted by the position restriction member.

5. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the body portion includes a detection window configured to transmit light emitted from an optical sensor that detects presence of the object to be stored supported on the shelf plate.

6. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein a flow rate of the gas supplied from the nozzle into the body portion is switched between when each of the shield plates is opened and when each of the shield plates is closed.

7. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein a space between the shutter portion and the body portion forms a labyrinthine structure.

8. The storage container according to claim 1, wherein the cover member has positioning members formed on an upper surface and a lower surface thereof such that the storage containers are accumulated and disposed in a vertical direction.

9. A shutter opening/closing unit that opens and closes the shutter portion included in the storage container according to claim 1, wherein the shutter opening/closing unit comprises:

a hook engaging a notch portion formed in the shield plate;

a shutter support mechanism; and

a lift drive portion that moves up and down the shutter support mechanism in parallel to a direction in which the storage containers are accumulated.

10. The shutter opening/closing unit according to claim 9, wherein the shutter support mechanism includes an optical sensor having a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion.

11. A wafer stocker comprising:

a clean booth;

an FOUP opener joined to an outer surface of the clean booth;

at least two storage containers according to claim 1, vertically accumulated and disposed in the clean booth;

the shutter opening/closing unit comprising,

a hook engaging a notch portion formed in the shield plate,

a shutter support mechanism, and

a lift drive portion that moves up and down the shutter support mechanism in parallel to a direction in which the storage container is accumulated;

a wafer conveyance portion that conveys a wafer between the FOUP and the storage container; and

a stocker control portion.

12. The wafer stocker according to claim 11, wherein the stocker control portion has a function to adjust a flow rate of gas supplied into the storage container according to operation of opening and closing the shutter portion by the shutter opening/closing unit.

13. The wafer stocker according to claim 11, further comprising:

a storage shelf formed by accumulating the storage containers in a vertical direction;

a storage unit in which multiple storage shelves are disposed at equal intervals; and

a rotation drive portion that rotates and operates the storage unit;

wherein the shutter opening/closing unit disposed in a position adjacent to the storage unit; and

the wafer conveyance portion that conveys the wafer between the FOUP and the storage container.

14. The wafer stocker according to claim 13, wherein the storage unit includes a round placement table on which the multiple storage shelves are placed at equal intervals.

15. The storage container according to claim 4, wherein the cover member includes an upper plate covering the top surface of the body portion, an lower plate covering the bottom surface of the body portion and a cover covering the side surface of the body portion;

the position restriction member includes two positioning shafts, each connecting the upper plate and the lower plate;

each of the shield plates includes through holes at two ends thereof, the two positioning shafts being respectively inserted in the through holes formed at the two ends such that the shield plates are slidably fixed to the position restriction member; and

the shield plates are arranged such that when a hook is engaged to one shield plate and moved upwardly to access the object to be conveyed outside, the one shield plate is moved upwardly integrally with the shield plates arranged above the one shield plate to form an opening between the shield plates moving upwardly and the shield plates arranged below the one shield plate.

16. The storage container according to claim 15, wherein each of the shield plates has an elongated portion and side portions to form a substantially U-shape, and the cover is arranged apart from the elongated portion inside the side portions to form the minute space in which the gas supplied from the nozzle is meandered to discharge outside.

17. A wafer stocker comprising:

the storage container according to claim 15, and

a shutter opening/closing unit that opens and closes the shutter portion included in the storage container, the shutter opening/closing unit including a hook engaged to the shield plate.