Substrate storage pod with replacement function of clean gas
AssigneeTDK Corporation
InventorsTsutomu Okabe, Toshihiko Miyajima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The substrate storage pod includes a pod case which includes a hollow inner space for storing a substrate, and an opening; a lid member which is capable of sealing the opening; an exhaust port for exhausting a replacement gas in the hollow inner space of the pod case; and an exhaust space which is defined in the hollow inner space so as to communicate to the exhaust port. The exhaust space is defined in the hollow inner space by a multi-hole partition member including multiple holes and by an inner surface of the pod case. In the substrate storage pod, back pressure on an exhaust side can be lowered, and hence dust in the pod can be collected to the exhaust side.
Claims8
A substrate storage pod, comprising:
- a pod case including an opening and a hollow inner space for storing a substrate;
- a lid member which is to be fit-inserted into the opening to close and seal the opening;
- at least two exhaust ports arranged in the pod case so as to exhaust a replacement gas in the hollow inner space;
- and
- an exhaust volume extending in a direction of a width of the opening of the pod case, all sides of the exhaust volume being surrounded by a multi-hole partition member including multiple holes, wherein said exhaust volume fluidically communicates to the at least two exhaust ports,
- wherein said exhaust volume fluidically communicates to the hollow inner space only through the multiple holes of the multi-hole partition member to keep a pressure in the exhaust volume lower than a pressure in the hollow inner space, and
- wherein said exhaust volume includes a bottom area that includes the at least two exhaust ports and is partitioned on the inner bottom surface of the pod case by the multi-hole partition member, the bottom area being larger than cross sectional areas of flow paths of the exhaust ports in each of flow directions of gas flow being exhausted from the hollow inner space, so that said exhaust volume causes a major flow to invite dust into said exhaust volume from the hollow inner space through the multi-hole partition member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.