JP2001196446A - Holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To chuck and hold an LCD substrate with high surface accuracy even when it is in any state and to receive and deliver an LCD substrate without affecting the substrate. SOLUTION: When an inspected LCD substrate 2 is contained in a cassette after the LCD substrate 2 is inspected, air is blown from a first groove 3 to break vacuum chucking to a chuck plate 1 from the center of the substrate 2, then the air is blown from a second groove 4 to break the vacuum chucking from the periphery of the substrate 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a holder device for vacuum-holding and holding a thin plate-shaped object such as a glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as an LCD substrate) used for a liquid crystal display. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a holder device for an LCD substrate, a groove is formed concentrically on a suction plate, and one vacuum circuit,
For example, one vacuum source such as a vacuum pump is connected via one vacuum solenoid valve. Of these, the vacuum solenoid valve has a function of connecting the air circuit inside the solenoid valve to the atmosphere when the power is turned off (OFF).

In such a holder device, before the inspection of the LCD substrate, the transport operation by the transport robot is started, and the uninspected LCD substrate is taken out of the cassette and placed on the suction plate. At this time, the plurality of delivery pins are raised above the suction plate surface, and the LCD
The substrate is received, the pins are lowered, and the LCD substrate is placed on the suction plate. When the LCD substrate is placed on the suction plate, the power of the vacuum solenoid valve is turned on (O
In the state N), air is sucked from the groove on the suction plate, and the LCD substrate is vacuum-sucked on the suction plate.

After the inspection of the LCD substrate, the inspected LC
When the power supply of the vacuum solenoid valve is turned off when storing the D substrate in the cassette, the air circuit inside the vacuum solenoid valve is connected to the atmosphere. Thereafter, the transfer operation is started after the vacuum pressure reaches the atmospheric pressure, and the inspected LCD substrate is lifted from the suction plate by raising a plurality of transfer pins, taken out by the transfer robot, and taken out of the cassette. Is stored.

[0005]

However, since the air is sucked from the groove on the suction plate to suck the LCD substrate under vacuum, if a part of the LCD substrate is warped,
Vacuum leakage may occur from the gap between the suction plate and the LCD substrate, and the entire surface of the LCD substrate may not be able to be sucked on the suction plate. If the suction is incomplete, the LCD substrate is displaced from the suction plate during the inspection and the coordinates of the measurement points are displaced, so that the LCD substrate cannot be inspected. In particular, LCD substrates tend to be large, and with this increase in size, it has become difficult to satisfactorily adsorb the entire surface of the LCD substrate onto an adsorption plate.

[0006] In an LCD substrate inspection apparatus, the LCD substrate is subjected to epi-illumination to perform a macro inspection or a micro inspection on the LCD substrate, to inspect the LCD substrate for defects such as scratches, dirt, and unevenness, and to measure line width and the like. Are doing. Therefore, the holder device used in the inspection device is required to have the entire surface of the LCD substrate sucked onto the suction plate and to have high-accuracy surface accuracy and positioning.

After the inspection of the LCD board is completed, the power supply of the vacuum solenoid valve is turned off to connect the air circuit inside the vacuum solenoid valve to the atmosphere, so that the pressure between the LCD board and the suction plate becomes atmospheric pressure. It will take some time. For this reason, the waiting time of the transfer robot becomes longer, making it difficult to reduce the tact time.
When the transfer operation of the substrate is started, the LCD substrate that has not been opened to the atmosphere between the suction plate and the suction plate may be lifted from the suction plate by the transfer pins, which may be a factor of damaging the LCD substrate.

Therefore, the present invention provides an LCD substrate (substrate).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a holder device which can suck and hold a surface with high precision in any state and can be transferred by a transfer robot in a short time without affecting an LCD substrate.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holder device for holding a thin plate-shaped object to be mounted on a suction plate by vacuum suction by blowing gas from the suction plate. A holder device provided with vacuum breaking means for forcibly breaking a state of vacuum suction of a body to a suction plate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the holder device according to the first aspect, the suction plate has a plurality of divided suction structures formed from a central portion to a peripheral portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the holder device according to the second aspect, of the suction structures formed on the suction plate, the gas is sucked and blown out in order from the central portion to the peripheral portion. is there.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a holder device used in an LCD inspection device. On the suction plate 1, as a thin plate-shaped mounted body, for example, a thickness of about 2 mm and a size of 55
0x650mm, 680x880mm, 750x950
mm large-sized LCD substrate 2 is placed.

The suction plate 1 has a suction structure as shown in FIG.
The first groove 3 is formed in the center as shown in FIG.
A second groove 4 is formed around the first groove 3. Each of the first and second grooves 3 and 4 is formed to have a width of 4 mm and a depth of 4 mm, for example.

The first groove 3 has a rectangular inner groove 3a and an outer groove 3b formed in a double shape, and the inner groove 3a and the outer groove 3b.
And four connecting grooves 3c connecting the two. Second
Like the first groove 3, the groove 4 includes a rectangular inner groove 4a and an outer groove 4b, and four connecting grooves 4c connecting the inner groove 4a and the outer groove 4b.

A plurality of suction holes 5 are formed in the inner groove 3a and the outer groove 3b of the first groove 3, and each of the connecting grooves 3c is formed.
Are formed with blowout holes 6 respectively. Second groove 4
A plurality of suction holes 7 are formed in the inner groove 4a and the outer groove 4b, and a blowout hole 8 is formed in each connection groove 4c. The suction holes 5, 7 and the blowing holes 6, 8 are
It is not limited to the above position, and it may be formed at any other position, and the suction holes 5, 7 and the blowout holes 6, 8 may be formed at the same position.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vacuum source 9 is connected to the first and second grooves 3 and 4 through separate on-off valves in separate vacuum circuits. That is, a vacuum source 9 such as a vacuum pump is provided, and the first and second vacuum solenoid valves 10 and 11 are connected to the vacuum source 9. From the first solenoid valve 10, a pipe 12 as a first vacuum system is connected to a plurality of suction holes 5 formed in the inner groove 3 a and the outer groove 3 b of the first groove 3. From the second solenoid valve 11, a pipe 13 as a second vacuum system is connected to a plurality of suction holes 7 formed in the inner groove 4a and the outer groove 4b of the second groove 4.

A first delay timer 14 is connected to the first and second solenoid valves 10 and 11. The first delay timer 14 first turns on the power of the first solenoid valve 10 in order to perform the suction operation of gas (air) in the order from the first groove 3 to the second groove 4. The second solenoid valve 11 has a function of turning on the power of the second solenoid valve 11 with a delay of, for example, 0.5 seconds.

Further, a compressed air source 14 is connected to the first and second grooves 3 and 4 through separate on-off valves to blowout circuits of different systems. That is, a compressed air source 14 such as an accumulator for sending air at a predetermined pressure is provided, and the first and second compressed air solenoid valves 15 and 16 are connected to the compressed air source 14. From the first solenoid valve 15, the pipe 17, which is the first compressed air system, is connected to the connection 3 c in the first groove 3.
Are connected to a plurality of blow-out holes 6 formed at the bottom.
From the second solenoid valve 16, the pipe 1 as the second compressed air system
8 are connected to a plurality of blowout holes 8 formed in the connection 4c in the second groove 4. The compressed air source 14
May to send out the clean air or N ₂ gas.

A second delay timer 19 is connected to the first and second solenoid valves 15 and 16. The second delay timer 19 first turns on the power of the first solenoid valve 15 in order to perform the blowing operation of gas (air) in the order from the first groove 3 to the second groove 4. For example, the second solenoid valve 16 has a function of turning on the power supply with a delay of 0.5 seconds.

The board transfer pins 20 are moved up and down through the pin lifting holes 21 of the suction plate 1 when the LCD board 2 is transferred.

Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described.

Before the inspection of the LCD substrate, the transfer operation by the transfer robot is started, and the untested LCD substrate 2 is taken out of the cassette and placed on the suction plate 1. At this time, the plurality of substrate transfer pins 20 are raised above the surface of the suction plate 1 to receive the LCD substrate 2, and thereafter, the substrate transfer pins 20 are lowered to place the LCD substrate 2 on the suction plate 1. .

When the LCD substrate 2 is placed on the suction plate 1, the power of the first solenoid valve 10 is first turned on by the operation of the timer 14, and the first solenoid valve 10 is opened. . Thereby, the suction action of the vacuum source 9 is transmitted from the first solenoid valve 10 to the plurality of suction holes 5 formed in the inner groove 3a and the outer groove 3b of the first groove 3 via the pipe 12. The suction of the air from the suction holes 5 is transmitted to the entire inner groove 3a, outer groove 3b, and connection groove 3c in the first groove 3, and the central portion of the LCD substrate 2 is sucked by the suction plate 1.

Next, by the operation of the timer 14, for example, 0.5 seconds after the opening of the first solenoid valve 10, the second solenoid valve 1
1 is turned on, and the second solenoid valve 11 is opened. At this time, the open state of the first solenoid valve 10 continues, and the central portion of the LCD substrate 2 is sucked by the suction plate 1. When the second solenoid valve 11 is opened, the suction effect of the vacuum source 9 is transmitted from the second solenoid valve 11 to the pipe 1.
3 through a plurality of suction holes 7 formed in the inner groove 4a and the outer groove 4b of the second groove 4. The suction of the air from the suction holes 7 is performed by the inner grooves 4 in the first grooves 3.
a, the outer groove 4b and the entirety of the connection hole 4c are transmitted, and the peripheral portion of the LCD substrate 2 is adsorbed to the adsorbing plate 1 following the central portion thereof.

After the inspection of the LCD substrate 2 is completed, the inspected L
When the CD substrate 2 is stored in the cassette, the power supplies of the first and second solenoid valves 10 and 11 are both turned off, and the power supply of the first pneumatic solenoid valve 15 is first turned on by the action of the timer 19. Then, the first electromagnetic valve 15 is opened. As a result, the clean air blowing action of the compressed air source 14 is transmitted from the first solenoid valve 15 via the pipe 17 to the plurality of blow holes 6 formed in the connection groove 3c of the first groove 3. The clean air blown out from these blowout holes 6 is transmitted to the entire inner groove 3a, outer groove 3b, and connection groove 3c in the first groove 3, and a vacuum state between the central portion of the LCD substrate 2 and the suction plate 1 is formed. Is forcibly destroyed.

Next, the operation of the first solenoid valve 1 is started, for example, 0.5 seconds after the opening of the first solenoid valve 15 by the action of the timer 19.
6 is turned on, and the second solenoid valve 16 is opened. At this time, the open state of the first solenoid valve 15 continues, and the vacuum state between the central portion of the LCD substrate 2 and the suction plate 1 is opened. When the second electromagnetic valve 16 is opened, the clean air blowing operation of the compressed air source 14 is performed from the second electromagnetic valve 16 via the pipe 18 to the plurality of connection grooves 4 c formed in the second groove 4. It is transmitted to the blowing hole 8. The clean air blown out from these blowout holes 8 is supplied to the inner groove 4a and the outer groove 4b in the second groove 4.
And the entirety of the connection hole 4c, and the vacuum state between the peripheral portion and the suction plate 1 following the central portion of the LCD substrate 2 is forcibly broken.

Thereafter, the transfer operation is started, and the inspected LCD substrate 2 is lifted from the suction plate 1 by raising the plurality of substrate transfer pins 20, taken out by the transfer robot, and stored in the cassette.

As described above, in one embodiment,
After the inspection of the LCD substrate 2 is completed, when the inspected LCD substrate 2 is stored in the cassette, clean air is blown out from the plurality of blowout holes 6 and 8 of the suction plate 1 to change the vacuum suction state of the LCD substrate 2 to the suction plate 1. Since the LCD substrate 2 is forcibly destroyed, when the LCD substrate 2 is taken out by the transfer robot, the space between the LCD substrate 2 and the suction plate 1 is instantaneously released to the atmospheric pressure. The standby time can be shortened and the tact time can be improved, and the board transfer pin 20 is
Since the suction of the LCD substrate 2 can be released before reaching the CD substrate 2, there is no possibility that the LCD substrate 2 will be lifted from the suction plate 1 and damaged.

In this case, the vacuum suction from the central portion of the LCD substrate 2 to the suction plate 1 is released by blowing clean air from the first groove 3 so that the timing of the substrate transfer pins 20 is shifted and the LCD substrate Even if the 2 is pushed up, the central portion which is most likely to be broken is in a free state, so that the LCD substrate 2 is broken without breaking the LCD substrate 2 in two stages from the central portion to the peripheral portion. The substrate 2 can be gently separated from the suction plate 1, and the LCD substrate 2 can be separated from the suction plate 1.
The reliability when detaching from the device can be improved.

If N ₂ is blown out instead of clean air, the LCD substrate 2 can be prevented from being damaged by peeling and charging.

First, air is sucked from the first groove 3 to be sucked on the suction plate 1 from the center of the LCD substrate 2, and then air is sucked from the second groove 4.
Since the suction plate 1 is sucked from the periphery of the CD substrate 2, the entire surface of the LCD substrate 2 can be reliably sucked without applying a flat and unreasonable load to the suction plate 1. In particular, even if the LCD substrate 2 becomes large or thin, the entire surface of the LCD substrate 2 can be sucked onto the suction plate 1. Therefore, high-accuracy surface accuracy required for the holder device used in the inspection device can be achieved. Thus, the macro inspection or the micro inspection performed by the LCD substrate inspection apparatus enables highly accurate inspection of the LCD substrate 2 for defects such as scratches, dirt, and unevenness, and measurement of the line width and the like.

Further, since the vacuum circuit and the blowing circuit are provided separately for each of the first and second grooves 3 and 4, the suction force and the blowing force of the LCD substrate 2 can be increased. Further, the width of the first and second grooves 3, 4 confirmed experimentally is 4 mm, and the depth is 4 mm.
Thus, the suction force and blowing force of the LCD substrate 2 can be increased.

Further, the first and second grooves 3 and 4 are formed on the suction plate 1 and the suction holes 5 and 7 and the blowout holes 6 and 8 are formed in these grooves 3 and 4, so that all of them are used for suction and suction. The structure is simpler than that of forming with a hole for blowing.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be modified as follows.

For example, the grooves formed on the suction plate 1 are not limited to the first and second grooves 3 and 4, but may be
Forming a plurality of grooves from the center of the
Of these grooves, air may be sucked and blown out in the order from the center to the periphery.

The grooves formed on the suction plate 1 are not limited to an annular shape, but linear grooves may be formed in a lattice or radial form, and a plurality of holes for suction and blowing may be formed. .

An LCD used for a liquid crystal display
The present invention is not limited to the one that holds the substrate by vacuum suction for inspecting the substrate, but can be applied to a wafer or a sheet-like substrate as long as the substrate holds a thin plate-shaped mounted body.

[0039]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the vacuum state between the suction plate and the object to be mounted is forcibly destroyed, so that the state of suction of the object to the suction plate is reduced. It is possible to provide a holder device which can be released in a short time, and as a result, the waiting time of the transfer robot can be shortened and can be transferred without affecting the object to be mounted.

Further, according to the present invention, by performing the suction stepwise from the central portion to the peripheral portion of the mounted body, a highly accurate surface accuracy and positioning can be achieved in any state of the mounted body. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a holder device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a specific configuration diagram of a suction plate in one embodiment of the holder device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: suction plate 2: LCD substrate 3: first groove 4: second groove 3a: inner groove 3b: outer groove 3c: connecting groove 4: second groove 4a: inner groove 4b: outer groove 4c: connecting groove 5: suction hole 6: blowout hole 7: suction hole 8: blowout hole 9: vacuum source 10: first vacuum solenoid valve 11: second vacuum solenoid valve 12, 13: piping 14: first delay timer 15: First pneumatic solenoid valve 16: Second pneumatic solenoid valve 17, 18: Piping 19: Second delay timer 20: Board transfer pin 21: Pin elevating hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A holder device for holding a thin plate-shaped object to be mounted on a suction plate by vacuum suction, wherein a gas is blown out from the suction plate to force a vacuum suction state of the object to be mounted on the suction plate. 1. A holder device, comprising: 2. The holder device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of divided suction structures are formed on the suction plate from a central portion to a peripheral portion. 3. The holder device according to claim 2, wherein the gas is sucked and blown out in the order from the central portion to the peripheral portion in each of the suction structures formed on the suction plate.