Embodiment
Below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of base plate bonding device of the present invention is described.
Fig. 1 is the vertical view of the configured in one piece of expression base plate bonding device of the present invention.As shown in Figure 1, be provided with that the rotating room 2 of the substrate handled has been carried out in interim keeping in preceding operation and begin from the rotating room linearity configuration be used to make transport that robot 4 moves transport road 3.Transporting road 3 along this, is the center with the load-lock chambers 5 that is used to be transported into infrabasal plate, about respectively by family of power and influence G2~G5, degas chamber 6, bonding chamber 7 are set, become the chamber structure, so that can be to each room decompression.In addition, in the direction relative family of power and influence G1, G5, G6 are set also in load-lock chambers and bonding chamber 7 with transporting road 3.Have again,, be provided for transporting forwarder 5C, 6C, the 7C of infrabasal plate respectively in load-lock chambers, degas chamber 6, bonding chamber 7.This forwarder uses the roller forwarder in the present embodiment, but also can be to use the formation of belt conveyer.Transporting road 3 and end rotating room's opposition side, the panel storeroom 8 of the panel 9 of the bonding end of interim keeping is being set.When taking care of in storeroom 8, panel is incorporated in keeping in the box (accepting rack).If taken in the panel of regulation sheet number in the box, then transported according to each box operation rearwards.
In the rotating room 2, squarely become the colour filtering chip basic board of color filter (back is called CF substrate or upper substrate) 1a and be formed with TFT one, and smeared annularly and be used for bonding sealant, and substrate (back is called TFT substrate or the infrabasal plate) 1b of the liquid crystal agent of the only amount of having dripped in by the sealant area surrounded is transported into rotating room 2.At this moment, CF substrate 1a is transported in bonding supine mode, and TFT substrate 1b is transported in face (adhesive surface) mode up of the liquid crystal that drips.Therefore, CF substrate 1a rotates in bonding ventricumbent mode and is taken care of.
Fig. 2 is the cut-open view of expression load-lock chambers.The TFT substrate 1b that is transported in the substrate of rotating room 2 is maintained at the mechanical hand that transports robot 4, is transported to load-lock chambers 5.Be provided for forwarder 5C that TFT substrate 1b is transported to degas chamber 6 in load-lock chambers 5.In addition, be provided for receiving TFT substrate 1b, hand to the reception pin 11 on the forwarder 5C from the mechanical arm that transports robot 4.This reception pin 11 is incorporated in the bottom of forwarder 5C usually, when receiving TFT substrate 1b, makes drive unit 5M action, and reception pin 11 is risen, and receives TFT substrate 1b from the mechanical arm that transports robot 4.If TFT substrate 1b handed to receives pin 11, then transport the mechanical arm of robot and keep out of the way outside the family of power and influence G1, simultaneously, will receive the bottom that pin pawl 11 is accommodated in forwarder 5C, in view of the above, TFT substrate 1b is handed to forwarder 5C go up and constitute.If TFT substrate 1b is received on the forwarder 5C, then close family of power and influence G1, relief valve 5B1 is by the vacuum pump 5P1 that has driven, to reducing pressure in the load-lock chambers 5.At this moment, relief valve 5B1~5B3.Then, in the moment of the decompression power that reaches regulation, shut-off valve 5B1, relief valve 5B2,5B3 further reduce pressure by the vacuum pump 5P2 that has driven.If become the decompression state of regulation, then open family of power and influence G2, drive forwarder 5C, 1b transports to degas chamber 6 with the TFT substrate.
Fig. 3 is the cut-open view of expression degas chamber 6.At degas chamber 6 accommodating mechanism 30 is set, that this accommodating mechanism 30 has is multistage (maximum five in the present embodiment) substrate maintaining part (frame substrate) 30a is so that can devices spaced apart take in multi-disc TFT substrate 1b.In addition, in degas chamber 6, be retained as the decompression state (vacuum state) that in device work, is always regulation.
The drive member 30M that accommodating mechanism 30 has multistage substrate maintaining part 30a and is made of motor.Fig. 4 is the details of this accommodating mechanism of expression.Fig. 4 (a) is forwarder portion is seen in expression from the top figure, (b) is expression A-A cut-open view.Shown in Fig. 4 a, the substrate maintaining part 30a that constitutes accommodating mechanism 30 rises by making accommodating mechanism 30 between forwarder 6C, can keep the TFT substrate by substrate maintaining part 30a.That is, it is only roughly the same with forwarder 6C to constitute substrate maintaining part 30a, is provided with highlightedly to the inside, can deliver substrate effectively from forwarder.
If on forwarder 6C, transport TFT substrate 1b, then at first carry out contraposition by contraposition mechanism, the position of the waterside direction of TFT substrate 1b is positioned on the substrate maintaining part 30a.This contraposition mechanism as shown in Figure 3, the substrate block 13 that drives up and down by the cylinder 13D of the position of the direct of travel that is used for involutory TFT substrate 1b, with have the drive member 14D that constitutes by cylinder and motor, and move up and down by cylinder, and the rotating cam 14 by motor rotation, and having the drive member 15D that constitutes by cylinder and motor equally, the rotating cam 15 that is used for the position of contraposition left and right directions constitutes.If contraposition finishes, accommodating mechanism 30 is risen, TFT substrate 1b is received substrate maintaining part 30a.If TFT substrate 1b is received substrate maintaining part 30a, then make about forwarder 6C and keep out of the way, make drive member 30M action, accommodating mechanism 30 is risen, by forwarder 6C, make the position of the TFT substrate of taking in be located at the lower position that substrate maintaining part 30a that the top constitutes the next stage of accommodating mechanism 30 does not contact forwarder 6C.After this, forwarder 6C is turned back to common transporting position.Like this, can successively the TFT substrate be run up in the accommodating mechanism 30.
Though above-mentioned formation is to make forwarder keep out of the way the outside, receive the mode of substrate, also accommodating mechanism 30 can be constituted, in a plurality of post of the arranged outside of forwarder 6C portion (4 more than the position), by post portion, substrate maintaining part 30a is extended to forwarder 6C side, receive and the maintenance substrate.But, in this case, need form substrate maintaining part 30a long, need the material of selected aptly formation substrate maintaining part etc., so that when having kept substrate, can not produce deflection.
With multi-disc TFT substrate reception behind this accommodating mechanism 30, close family of power and influence G2, G3, the standby stipulated time,, eliminate the bubble that liquid crystal agent on the TFT substrate that drips in advance etc. is contained with this.
Fig. 5 is the cut-open view of expression base plate bonding device.
Open in advance family of power and influence G6 by transporting the mechanical arm of robot 4, is transported into bonding chamber 7 down with CF substrate (upper substrate) 1a adhesive surface.The CF substrate 1a that is transported into since with negative pressure feeding to the adsorption hole that on upper table, is provided with, so relief valve 7B1 by the vacuum pump 7TP that drives in advance, utilizes to attract absorption, adhesive surface is maintained on the upper table 7UT down.In addition, though in this figure, do not illustrate, but attract the absorption layer in hole to be arranged under the situation of upper table 7UT side at the band that can move up and down, make absorption layer be lowered to the CF real estate, after having kept the CF substrate by absorption layer, rise to upper table 7UT face,, can adsorb maintenance with this.In addition, Electrostatic Absorption member or adhesion retaining member are set, so that can under vacuum state, keep CF substrate 1a on upper table 7UT.By attracting absorption, CF substrate 1a is remained on upper table 7UT after, make the action of Electrostatic Absorption member or by attracting adsorption element to adsorb, until work top, in view of the above, the motion of adhesion retaining member, even the bonding indoor vacuum state that becomes also can keep substrate.
If the maintenance of CF substrate 1a finishes, then under the situation of the panel 9 after having bonding end on the lower table 7DT, keep panel 9 by the mechanical arm that transports robot, be transported to outside the bonding chamber 7.After this, close family of power and influence G6, relief valve 7B2, by the vacuum pump 7P1 of driving, making in the bonding chamber 7 becomes the specified vacuum state in advance.Then, shut-off valve 7B2, relief valve 7B3,7B4 further reduce pressure by the 7P2 that drives in advance.If become the specified vacuum state in the bonding chamber 7, then open family of power and influence G3, a slice TFT substrate 1b is transported to the lower table position of the bonding chamber 7 of same vacuum state from the degas chamber 6 of vacuum state by forwarder 7C.In bonding chamber, be positioned in the TFT substrate 1b that is transported on the forwarder 7C and stop at the position that lower table 7DT carries out mounting.If forwarder 7C stops, the side shifting that then lower table 7DT or the reception pawl that is arranged on lower table 7DT side made progress is from forwarder 7DT reception TFT substrate.If TFT substrate 1b is received lower table 7DT, then keep by electrostatic chuck or adhesion mechanism, TFT substrate 1b can not moved.After this, move in the horizontal direction, carry out contraposition with the CF substrate 1a that remains on upper table 7UT by making lower table 7DT.Constitute on TFT substrate 1b and CF substrate 1a and be respectively equipped with the mark that contraposition is used,, observe this mark, obtain the position amount of staggering by the not shown camera that goes out.If obtain the position amount of staggering, then use to be configured in the outer contraposition mechanism in bonding chamber (vacuum chamber of bonding usefulness), lower table is moved, carry out contraposition.
Above, the formation and the action thereof of each device is illustrated, then, molar behavior is described.
The molar behavior of native system then, is described.Here, the CF substrate is called upper substrate 1a, the TFT substrate is called infrabasal plate 1b describes.
At first, be transported into rotating room 2, the upper substrate 1a counter-rotating that is necessary to rotate is taken care of.In addition, do not need the infrabasal plate 1b that rotates to keep original state to take care of.Then, make and transport robot 4 actions, keep a slice infrabasal plate 1b, move to load-lock chambers 5.Open the family of power and influence G1 of the entrance side of load-lock chambers 5, a slice infrabasal plate 1b is handed to the forwarder 5C (because the details of delivering is illustrated in front, so omit explanation here) of load-lock chambers 5.If infrabasal plate 1b then closes family of power and influence G1 to the end of delivering of forwarder 5C.In addition, this moment load-lock chambers 5 other family of power and influence G2, G4 keeping closed condition.Then, with the decompression state that reduces pressure in the load-lock chambers 5 and stipulate.If decompression finishes, then open family of power and influence G2, drive forwarder 5C and 6C, make infrabasal plate 1b to degas chamber 6 side shiftings.If infrabasal plate 1b moves to degas chamber 6, then make accommodating mechanism 30 actions, will take care of transporting on the forwarder 6C on the substrate maintaining part 30a that the infrabasal plate 1b that comes is positioned in accommodating mechanism 30.
If infrabasal plate 1a is transported into degas chamber 6, then close family of power and influence G2.If family of power and influence G2 is closed, then after making load-lock chambers 5 turn back to atmospheric pressure, open family of power and influence G1.Transport robot 4 and get back to the rotating room,, keep a slice TFT substrate (infrabasal plate 1), before load-lock chambers 5, move, infrabasal plate is handed on the forwarder 5C of load-lock chambers 5 with before identical.If infrabasal plate 1b delivers end on forwarder 5C, the mechanical arm that transports robot 4 is kept out of the way outside the family of power and influence G1.After mechanical arm is kept out of the way, transport robot 4 and get back to rotating room 2, with before identical, keep a slice TFT substrate 1b, before load-lock chambers 5, move.
Then, close family of power and influence G1, to reducing pressure in the load-lock chambers 5.If reach the decompression state of regulation, then, open family of power and influence G2 with before identical, infrabasal plate 1b is accommodated on the shelf of sky of accommodating mechanism 30 of degas chamber 6.If infrabasal plate 1b is transported into degas chamber 6 fully, then close family of power and influence G2.Equally, successively infrabasal plate 1b is being transported into degas chamber 6, when the 4th infrabasal plate is stored in accommodating mechanism 30, transporting robot and take out upper substrate 1a and infrabasal plate 1b from the rotating room from load-lock chambers 5.Then, standby under the state before two substrates is remained on load-lock chambers 5.
If the 4th infrabasal plate 1b is transported into degas chamber 6, then close family of power and influence G2, the substrate of opening load-lock chambers 5 is transported into the family of power and influence G1 of usefulness, and infrabasal plate 1b is handed to forwarder 5C.As if the end of delivering of infrabasal plate 1b, then mechanical arm is kept out of the way outside the load-lock chambers 5, transports robot to bonding chamber 7 side shiftings.
At this moment, simultaneously the 5th infrabasal plate 1b remained on accommodating mechanism 30, with of the control member transmission of its signal to bonding chamber 7 sides.Bonding chamber 7 to be transported into side door valve G6 open, remain on the upper table 7UT that the upper substrate 1a on the mechanical arm that transports robot 4 is set in the bonding chamber 7 and attract absorption (order that upper table 7UT keeps is set forth in front, omitted explanation here).
If upper substrate is delivered to upper table 7UT, the mechanical arm that transports robot is kept out of the way outside the bonding chamber 7, close family of power and influence G6.Then, begin decompression in the bonding chamber 7.If confirm the indoor decompression pressure that reaches regulation, and after the 5th infrabasal plate is transported into degas chamber 6 through the stipulated time, then open the family of power and influence 3 indication to the control member instruction of degas chamber 6 from the control member of bonding chamber 7.The open family of power and influence G3 of the control member of degas chamber 6, simultaneously with a slice infrabasal plate (being accommodated in the infrabasal plate of accommodating mechanism at first) from accommodating mechanism 30 mountings to forwarder 6C, drive forwarder 6C, infrabasal plate 1b is transported to bonding chamber 7.Simultaneously, drive the forwarder 7C of bonding chamber 7, receive infrabasal plate 1b from forwarder 6C, if infrabasal plate is come the mounting position of lower table 7DT, forwarder 7C is stopped, mounting keeps to lower table 7DT, makes it motionless.The maintenance of infrabasal plate 1b is also same with upper substrate 1a, uses Electrostatic Absorption member or adhesion member etc. to keep.
If infrabasal plate 1b is remained on the lower table, then close family of power and influence G3, G6, carry out the contraposition of upper substrate and infrabasal plate simultaneously.The not shown camera that goes out is used in contraposition, and observation is arranged on the alignment mark of each substrate, obtains the position amount of staggering, and uses the horizontal pushing mechanism that has drive source in the outside of bonding chamber, moves in the horizontal direction, and lower table is carried out contraposition.
If contraposition finishes, then with the bonding indoor pressure that reduces pressure to and stipulate.Then, make upper table drop to the lower table side, carry out bonding.In this is bonding, carry out the several times contraposition.
If bonding end, then open family of power and influence G6.Transport robot and keep next upper substrate 1a by the rotating room in advance, standby before family of power and influence G6,1a hands to upper table 7UT with this upper substrate.As if the end that is transported into of upper substrate 1a, then transport the panel 9 that robot keeps bonding end, transport to storeroom 8, be accommodated on the accepting rack.
In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, across load-lock chambers 5, at opposition side the bonding chamber of degas chamber is set also, undertaken between bonding operational period by the bonding chamber on one-sided (right side of figure), carry out supply,, can improve the single products production time with this to the substrate of the device in the left side of figure.
As mentioned above, by load-lock chambers, degas chamber, the configuration of bonding chamber linearity that substrate is transported into usefulness, can the mode of transporting robot movement being configured with this configuration, in view of the above, the layout of device integral body be simple.In addition,, use forwarder to transport, therefore, there is no need to use vacuum robot, can also safeguard simply owing to transport infrabasal plate via degas chamber to bonding chamber from load-lock chambers.