Supporting bar for substrate cassette

Abstract

A plate cassette support bar that suppresses the increase in weight of the plate or substrate cassette that increases in size and lessens substrate or plate cassette vibration at the time of loading/unloading the substrates or plates to improve workability. The substrate or plate cassette has the end support parts that support the ends of the substrates or plates stored on both the right and left side of the substrate loading opening and the support bars that are fixed at the opposite side of the substrate loading opening, that have free ends on the substrate loading opening side, that are allotted in one line or multiple lines in the vertical direction, and that support the substrates to be stored between the above-mentioned end support parts of the cassette, and which stores multiple substrates horizontally in multiple levels in the vertical direction, the above-mentioned support bars are formed by the carbon fiber reinforced composite material containing 30% or more of highly elastic carbon fibers having a tensile modulus of 490-950 GPa, and are formed preferably into the shape of a hollow pipe, or more preferably into the shape of a taper that the tip part side becomes narrower.

1 . A plate cassette support bar in a plate cassette, wherein said plate cassette accommodates a multiplicity of plates, each having a center, in a horizontal manner and in multiple levels in the vertical direction, said plate cassette support bar provides support to control warping at the center of each of the plates, said plates characterized by being formed of a carbon fiber reinforced composite material that contains 30% or more by volume ratio of high-elasticity carbon fiber with a tensile modulus of 490-950 GPa.  
     
     
         2 . The plate cassette support bar disclosed in  claim 1 , characterized by said plate cassette support bar having a hollow shape.  
     
     
         3 . The plate cassette support bar disclosed in  claim 1  or  2 , said plate cassette support bar comprising a fixed end that attaches to the plate cassette and a free end opposite the fixed end, said free end having a tip, said plate cassette support bar characterized by a perimeter of the said plate cassette support bar in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the plate cassette support bar being smaller from its fixed end toward the tip at its free end.  
     
     
         4 . The plate cassette support bar disclosed in  claim 3 , characterized by the perimeter at the tip being ⅓- 9/10 the perimeter at the fixed end of the plate cassette support bar.  
     
     
         5 . The plate cassette support bar disclosed in  claim 3  or  4 , characterized by the plate cassette support bar having a hollow square pipe shape with a taper, wherein the width of said plate cassette support bar narrows as the tip is approached.  
     
     
         6 . The plate cassette support bar disclosed in any of claims  1  through  5 , characterized by comprising a heat-cured laminated structure containing a pre-preg sheet in which carbon fibers comprising high-elasticity carbon fibers of tensile modulus 490-950 GPa are unidirectionally oriented at 0±5° to a longitudinal direction of the plate cassette support bar.  
     
     
         7 . The plate cassette support bar disclosed in  claim 6 , characterized by comprising a heat-cured laminated structure wherein a pre-preg sheet having a high-elasticity carbon fibers of tensile modulus 490-950 GPa are unidirectionally oriented at 0±5° to the longitudinal direction of the support bar, is laminated on the outer layer of a pre-preg sheet in which high-elasticity carbon fibers of tensile modulus of less than 490 GPa are unidirectionally oriented at 90±5° to the longitudinal direction of the support bar, and a cross pre-preg sheet containing reinforcing fibers is wrapped around the outermost layer.  
     
     
         8 . A plate cassette comprising edge support members that support the edges of the plates, each plate having a center, said edge support members being positioned on both a right side and a left side of a plate feed opening, and support bars that are attached at a side opposite the plate feed opening, the support bars having free ends opposite thereto, disposed in a line or in a multiplicity of lines in a vertical direction with the free ends at the plate feed opening, and that support said plates to control warping at the center of each of said plates, and which accommodates a multiplicity of plates in a horizontal manner in multiple levels in a vertical direction, wherein which plate cassette is characterized by the support bars being the support bar disclosed in any of claims  1  through  7 .