Electronic substrate processing system using portable closed containers and its equipments

A purging station comprising:

• an independent casing having a container or cassette carry-in/carry-out opening;
• a container stand provided in said casing;
• a portable closed container, including a container body and a bottom lid, for storing and conveying and a cassette which accommodates electronic substrates, said cassette being placed on said container stand;
• a container lid opening and dosing mechanism for opening said bottom lid;
• purging pipes first ends of which are opened in said casing;
• and
• a purging control unit for controlling said purging station,
• said portable closed container being purged with one of a gas which is inactive with said electronic substrates in said cassette, an inert gas being heated, an inert gas after said container has been evacuated and a heated inert gas after said container has been evacuated.

A gas-purging equipment comprising;

• a portable closed container for accommodating and conveying electronic substrates;
• a gas purging unit for evacuating and subsequently purging said portable closed container with a gas which is inactive with said electronic substrates, said gas-purging unit being connected through pipes to a vacuum source and an inert gas source, and said gas-purging unit being divided with a wall to form a gas-purging unit body and a container accommodating section, said wall having a through-hole through which said gas purging unit body section and said Container accommodating section are communicated with each other,
• wherein after said portable closed container is set on said wall, said bottom lid of said container is opened so as to communicate said inside of said container with said inside of said gas-purging unit body, whereby said inside of said portable closed container is evacuated and purged with one of an inert gas and a heated inert gas,
• said gas-purging equipment corresponding to a box, and said container accommodating section being in the form of a semi-spherical cover setting on said box.

A purging station comprising

• a purging chamber provided in a purging unit having an opening, a periphery of said purging unit serving a container stand on which a portable closed container is set;
• purging pipes, first ends of which are opened in said purge chamber;
• a purging control unit for controlling said purge unit;
• and
• a purging mechanism for opening and closing said bottom lid of said container on said container stand to selectively communicate an inside of said container with an inside of said purging chamber,
• wherein said purging chamber is defined in said purging unit, which includes an independent casing, by a skirt that said skirt gas-tightly covers aid opening of said purging unit from inside, and said casing includes a cassette carry-in/carry-out opening, and
• wherein said portable closed container is purged with one of a gas which is inactive with said electronic substrates in said cassette, an inert gas being heated, an inert has after said container has been evacuated and a heated inert gas after said container has been evacuated.