Purge system for a product container and table for use in the purge system

Abstract

For the purpose of preventing a pressure difference from occurring between an interior of an FOUP and an exterior at the time of purging the interior of the FOUP, a communication path that communicates with the exterior of the FOUP and the interior of an outlet path is provided with respect to the outlet path that extends from a table side outlet port which is disposed on a table on which the FOUP is placed, and an external atmosphere is introduced to the outlet path through the communication path when a pressure difference starts occurring between the interior and the exterior of the FOUP.

1 . A purge system in which a container that receives a product therein is placed on a table, and the interior of the container is purged by a predetermined gas, the purge system comprising: 
 a gas inlet port that is disposed on a facing surface of the container with respect to the table and used when supplying the predetermined gas to the interior of the container;    a gas outlet port that is disposed on the facing surface of the container with respect to the table and used when discharging the gas within the container to the exterior of the container;    a table side gas supply port that is disposed on a facing surface of the table with respect to the container and has a gas inlet system that supplies the predetermined gas to the interior of the container in association with the gas inlet port; and    a table side gas outlet port that is disposed on the facing surface of the table with respect to the container and has a gas outlet system that discharges the gas within the container to the exterior of the container from the interior of the container in association with the gas outlet port,    wherein the interior of the gas inlet system is closed from the exterior of the gas inlet system, and wherein the interior of the gas outlet system communicates with the exterior of the gas outlet system through a communication path.    
   
   
       2 . A purge system according to  claim 1 , 
 wherein the gas inlet system forms a closed state with respect to the exterior by provision of a member having a sealing action between the gas inlet port and the table side gas inlet port, and    wherein the gas outlet system forms the communication path between the gas outlet port and the table side gas outlet port by provision of no member having the sealing action between the gas outlet port and the table side gas outlet port.    
   
   
       3 . A purge system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a valve shaped member that introduces the gas into the interior of the gas outlet system from the exterior of the container through the communication path when a given pressure difference occurs between an internal pressure of the gas outlet system and an external pressure of the gas outlet system.  
   
   
       4 . A purge operation table which faces a container that receives a product therein and comprises one surface having a gas inlet port which is used when a predetermined gas is supplied to the interior of the container, and a gas outlet port which is used when a gas which exists in the interior of the container is discharged to the exterior, in which the one surface of the container is placed on the table to purge the interior of the container by the predetermined gas, the purge operation table comprising: 
 a table side gas supply port that is disposed on a facing surface of the table with respect to the container and has a gas inlet system that supplies the predetermined gas to the interior of the container in association with the gas inlet port; and    a table side gas outlet port that is disposed on the facing surface of the table with respect to the container, and has a gas outlet system that discharges the gas within the container to the exterior of the container from the interior of the container in association with the gas outlet port,    wherein the interior of the gas inlet system is closed with respect to the exterior of the gas inlet system when the container is placed on the table to form the gas inlet system, and    wherein the content of the gas outlet system which is formed at the same time communicates with the exterior of the gas outlet system through a communication path.    
   
   
       5 . A purge operation table according to  claim 4 , wherein the gas inlet system forms a closed state with respect to the exterior by provision of a member having a sealing action between the gas inlet port and the table side gas inlet port, and 
 wherein the gas outlet system forms the communication path between the gas outlet port and the table side gas outlet port by provision of no member having the sealing action between the gas outlet port and the table side gas outlet port.    
   
   
       6 . A purge operation table according to  claim 4 , further comprising a valve shaped member that introduces the gas into the interior of the gas outlet system from the exterior of the container through the communication path when a given pressure difference occurs between an internal pressure of the gas outlet system and an external pressure of the gas outlet system.