FRONT OPENING LARGE SUBSTRATE CONTAINER

摘要

A flat panel substrate container provides a microenvironment for safely storing and allowing horizontal removal through a front door. In an embodiment of the invention, a robust shelf system has a plurality of stacked shelves that have a cantilevered state with the door open and a non-cantilevered state with the door closed. The container may be generally rectilinear in shape and conforming to the shape of the substrate panels. The container has an open front with a closed top wall, closed bottom wall, closed left side wall, closed right side wall, and closed back side wall. A plurality of shelves are secured to the back side wall and extend forwardly in a cantilevered fashion. In an embodiment of the invention, the shelves may be generally elongate slender shelf members formed of aluminum extrusions or assemblies that are arranged in two columns with a pair of such members provided for each substrate and defining a slot. Also inwardly extending edge supports are provided at the left side wall and right side wall for edge support of the substrates. In an embodiment of the invention, the elongate shelf members each have one of a pair of male and female portion that join as the door is closed to effectively "uncantilever" the elongate shelf members as the door closes the open front. All of the shelf members and the substrates thereon may be fixed into position at the end opposite the cantilevered connection to the container portion. The container may have a feature for overhead transport, such as lifting brackets, static dissipation features, and latching features.