JP2006056522A - Packing method of substrate, package, and substrate with protective layer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packing method of a substrate capable of simply packing, carrying a lot of objects at a time and inexpensive, the substrate to be packed, and a package of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: Since an active surface 4f of the substrate 4a can be protected against flaws or contamination only by forming a protective layer 4c on the active surface 4f of the substrate 4a having a wiring pattern 4b or the like formed, a troublesome process of packaging substrates one by one and then packing or the like is not necessary, and automatic packing can be done in a conveyer-line method. In addition, since only the protective layer 4c is thus formed on the active surface 4f of the substrate 4a, the substrate is not bulky and numerous substrates 4 with the protective layer can be packed at a time. The cost can be also reduced without the need of packing in a box formed of an expensive foamed material or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate packaging method for packaging a substrate such as a glass substrate or a quartz substrate, a packaging body for packaging a substrate, a packaging method for the substrate, and a substrate with a protective layer used for the packaging body.

For a display unit such as a liquid crystal device or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) device, a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate is used. A wiring pattern such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or metal is formed on one glass substrate by a method such as photolithography, and the liquid crystal is sandwiched and bonded to another substrate on which a color filter is formed. For example, regarding a substrate on which a wiring pattern is formed, the step of forming the wiring pattern and the step of bonding the substrates are often performed in different factories. For this reason, the substrate on which the wiring pattern is formed must be temporarily stored and transported to the factory. In order to prevent the glass substrate from being damaged or contaminated by vibration or moisture during storage / transportation, for example, a method of packaging the glass substrate with a film (see Patent Document 1), or foamed PP (Poly Propylene) A packaging box is formed by the above method, and the glass substrate is packed, stored and transported by a method of storing the glass substrate in the box (see Patent Document 2) or the like.
JP 2003-237833 A JP 2004-149166 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, since the glass substrates are packaged one by one, the work is complicated. Further, in the method of Patent Document 2, an expensive foam material is used as a raw material of the box, so the cost of the box is high, and the empty box is returned from the transport destination without making the box once transported disposable. Therefore, labor and transportation costs are required. Further, when the glass substrate is accommodated in the box, there are many useless gaps, and a large amount of boxes are required to carry a certain amount of the glass substrate, so that the cost of the box becomes higher.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate packaging method, a packaging substrate, and a substrate packaging body that can be easily packaged and do not cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, a substrate packaging method according to the present invention is characterized in that a protective layer is formed on at least an active surface of a substrate for an electro-optical device, and the substrate on which the protective layer is formed is packaged. .

  According to the present invention, since the active surface of the substrate can be protected from scratches and contamination by providing a protective layer on the active surface of the substrate having a wiring pattern, a functional layer, etc., the substrates are packaged one by one. There is no need for a complicated process such as packing afterwards, and for example, packing can be performed automatically by a flow operation. In addition, a large number of substrates can be packed at a time due to a non-bulky configuration in which a protective layer is provided on the active surface of the substrate. Moreover, since it is not necessary to pack using the box formed with the expensive foaming material etc., it can suppress to low cost.

  The protective layer is preferably made of a resist. Examples of the “resist” include a photoresist used when a wiring is patterned on a substrate by photolithography. When wiring is formed on the substrate by photolithography, the resist used for forming the wiring can be used as it is as a protective film, so that an existing resist coating apparatus can be used as it is, and a protective film is provided. The process can be easily incorporated into the glass substrate production line. In addition, the photoresist can block the influence of moisture, oxygen, etc., is easily dissolved in an alkaline solution, does not remain as a residue when unpacking, and the resist itself may be altered even if stored for a long time. Therefore, it can be said that it is an excellent material for the protective layer of the present invention.

  In addition, it is preferable that the plurality of substrates on which the protective layer is formed be overlapped with each other via a spacer, and the plurality of substrates stacked via the spacer are packed. Since the protective layer is provided on the active surface of the substrate, the active surface of the substrate is not directly scratched or contaminated even if a plurality of substrates are overlapped via the spacer. When stacked with spacers, the number of substrates that can be packed at one time can be increased depending on the thickness of the spacers, so that the efficiency of transportation can be improved and the cost can be reduced. is there. As the spacer, a spacer having a shape along the edge of the substrate may be used, or a slip sheet or the like may be used as the spacer.

  A packaging body according to another aspect of the present invention includes a substrate for an electro-optical device having a protective layer on at least an active surface, and a packaging container for packaging the substrate.

  According to the present invention, since the protective layer is provided on the active surface of the substrate, it is possible to protect the active surface from being damaged or contaminated without being packed in a box made of an expensive foam material. Thereby, the cost of a package can be held down. In addition, an optimal packing means can be freely selected according to the transportation method and the like.

  In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of substrates provided with the protective layer are overlapped with each other via a spacer, and the packing container packs the plurality of substrates overlapped with the spacer.

  Since the substrate itself is not bulky, for example, by suppressing the thickness of the spacer, it is possible to increase the number of substrates that can be stacked at one time. Alternatively, the height of the overlapping of the substrates may be lowered without increasing the number of the substrates to be overlapped at a time, and in this case, it can be transported in a compact manner. Thereby, when transporting the package, it is possible to reduce the cost regardless of whether a large number of substrates are transported at a time or transported in a compact manner.

  A substrate with a protective layer according to another aspect of the present invention includes a substrate for an electro-optical device having at least one surface as an active surface, and a protective layer provided on at least the active surface of the substrate and having a spacer portion on the surface. It is characterized by comprising.

  When packing substrates in close contact with each other, if the substrates are peeled off when unpacking, static electricity is generated, and a large current may flow through the wiring and functional layers formed on the substrates, deteriorating the quality of the substrates. There is danger. According to the present invention, the spacer portion is provided so that the substrates do not adhere to each other, and the substrates are separated from each other by the spacer portion.

  This spacer portion can be formed, for example, by providing a protective layer thicker than other portions and providing a step with other portions. Thus, when the substrates are overlapped, the thick portion of the protective layer comes into contact with another substrate, so that the substrates can be prevented from coming into close contact with each other, and can be prevented from being affected by static electricity.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a packaging body according to the present embodiment.
The packing body 1 is configured in such a manner that the substrate group 3 is packed in the packing container 2. The packing container 2 is a box-shaped container formed of, for example, cardboard or polystyrene foam, and is used as a packing means for packing the substrate group 3. In addition, the substrate group 3 is configured such that the substrates 4 with protective layers are superimposed, for example, and the spacers 5 are interposed between the substrates 4 with protective layers. When packing the substrate group 3, the substrate group 3 may be wrapped with a wrap film (not shown) and then packed in the packing container 2.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate 4 with a protective layer.
The substrate 4 with a protective layer includes a substrate 4a, a wiring pattern 4b formed on the substrate 4a, and a protective layer 4c provided so as to cover the active surface 4f on which the wiring pattern 4b is formed in the substrate 4a. . The substrate 4a on which the wiring pattern 4b is formed constitutes a wiring substrate of a panel of a light emitting device represented by, for example, a liquid crystal device or an organic EL device.

  The substrate 4a is a transparent substrate made of a material such as glass or quartz. The wiring pattern 4b is a wiring that transmits a signal to a display region such as a liquid crystal device or an organic EL device, and is patterned on the substrate 4a by a method such as photolithography using a conductive material such as ITO, copper, or aluminum.

  The protective layer 4c is made of, for example, the same resist as that used in the photolithography process at the time of patterning, and is provided on the entire active surface 4f so that the layer thickness is, for example, 1 μm to 1000 μm. As the resist, a material that does not alter the resist itself even after long-term storage, for example, a positive resist such as TRF-H (manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.) is used. By providing the protective layer 4c on the active surface 4f, it is possible to block the influence of moisture, oxygen, etc. on the active surface 4f and prevent, for example, deterioration of wiring, formation of an oxide film, adhesion of particles, and the like. Yes.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the spacer 5.
The spacer 5 is made of, for example, polycarbonate, has a frame shape, and includes a frame member 5a that supports the substrate 4 with a protective layer, and a window portion 5b. The thickness t ₀ of the frame member is 0.5 to 1.5 mm, the size of the outer periphery of the frame member 5a is substantially equal to the size of the outer periphery of the protective layer with the substrate 4, the outer shape is easily aligned when superposing It has become. The spacers 5 are interposed between the substrates 4 with protective layers so that the substrates 4 with protective layers do not adhere to each other when the substrates 4 with protective layers are overlapped.

Next, a method for forming the package 1 thus formed, that is, a packing method for packing the substrate 4a will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method for packing the substrate 4a according to the present embodiment.
First, as a step of forming a wiring substrate such as a liquid crystal device, for example, a wiring pattern 4b is formed on the glass substrate 4a by photolithography (step 400). For example, ITO or the like is sequentially formed, a resist is applied in a film shape, and each process of exposure, development, etching, resist peeling, and cleaning is performed. By repeating these series of steps, the wiring pattern 4b is formed.

  Next, the resist solution used in step 400 is applied to the active surface of the substrate 4a (step 401). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 4 a is placed on the substrate holding table 20, and the substrate 4 a is attracted to the substrate holding table 20 and fixed firmly. When the rotating shaft 21 is rotated and the resist solution 4c is discharged from the nozzle 22 (spin coating method), the resist solution 4c spreads over the entire substrate 4a by the rotational centrifugal force, and the active surface 4f is covered with the resist solution 4c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the substrate 4a coated with the resist solution 4c is baked (step 402). It is placed on the hot plate 26 in the heating device 25 and heated at about 120 ° C. for about 20 minutes. By this heating, the water in the resist solution 4c is evaporated, and the resist solution 4c is cured to form a resist film 4c. Thus, the substrate 4 with a protective layer is formed by forming the resist film 4c on the active surface 4f of the substrate 4a. By repeatedly performing Step 401 and Step 402, the protective layer 4c is formed on the plurality of substrates 4a.

  Next, the plurality of substrates 4 with protective layers formed in step 402 are overlaid (step 403). Spacers 5 are interposed between the substrates 4 with protective layers so that the substrates 4 with protective layers do not adhere to each other. While aligning the outer shape so that the spacer 5 does not protrude from the substrate 4 with the protective layer, the substrate 4 with the protective layer and the spacer 5 are sequentially overlapped.

When a predetermined number of substrates 4 with protective layers are stacked, the substrate group 3 is wrapped with, for example, a wrap-like film, and the substrate group 3 is packed in the packing container 2 (step 404).
Note that the above-described steps 401 to 404 may be performed automatically in accordance with the flow from step 400.

  After step 404, it is stored and transported in a packaged state. When unpacking, the substrate group 3 is taken out of the packaging container 2 and the film is peeled off. As shown in FIG. 7, the protective layer 4c formed on the protective layer-attached substrate 4 is, for example, a potassium hydroxide solution or the like. It removes with the alkaline solution 30. Since the resist constituting the protective layer 4c is easily dissolved in an alkaline solution, it can be removed without generating a residue. If the substrate 4a from which the protective layer 4c has been removed is a substrate 4a for a liquid crystal device, for example, a sealing agent is formed and the liquid crystal is injected, then the substrate 4a is used for bonding the substrates 4a together.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the active surface 4f can be protected from scratches and contamination by providing the protective layer 4c on the active surface 4f of the substrate 4a having the wiring pattern 4b. There is no need for complicated processes such as packaging one by one, and packing can be performed automatically by a flow operation, for example. Moreover, it is also possible to pack many substrates 4 with a protective layer at a time by the non-bulk structure which provided the protective layer 4c in the active surface 4f. Moreover, since it is not necessary to pack using the box 50 formed with an expensive foaming material etc., it can suppress to low cost.

Furthermore, if the superposed protective layer-attached substrate 4 by inserting a spacer 5, it is possible to increase the number of protective layer with the substrate 4 can be packed at a time by reducing the thickness t ₀ of the spacer 5, The efficiency of transportation is improved. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, that's when the substrate 51 in a container 50 formed of a foamed PP is housed, it is necessary to space t ₁ for accommodating 10 sheets, as in the present invention when accommodating overlapping the spacer 5 protective layer with the substrate 4 requires only a space of t ₂ at 10 sheets. If the upper thinner t ₀ of the spacer 5, requires only a t ₂ is smaller. Alternatively, the height of the superposition may be lowered without increasing the number of the protective layer-coated substrates 4 to be superposed at one time, and in this case, it can be transported in a compact manner. Whether it is transported at once or compactly, the cost can be reduced.

  Further, since the protective layer 4c is formed on the active surface 4f of the substrate 4a, as shown in FIG. 9, even if the plurality of substrates 4 with protective layers are overlapped via the spacer 5, the protective layer 4c is cushioned. Or it acts as a cover, and the active surface 4f is not directly scratched or contaminated.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the protective layer may be formed as a protective layer 4d from gelatin such as glue. Gelatin is water-soluble and, like resists, is easily dissolved in an alkaline solution and does not remain as a residue when dissolved. Even when the protective layer 4d is formed, the protective layer 4d can be formed by a process similar to the above-described embodiment by a process such as spin coating or baking.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the protective layer 4c is formed on the substrate 4a, the spacer portion 4e may be formed along the peripheral edge of the protective layer 4c. Specifically, the thickness t ₃ of the periphery of the protective layer 4c is formed thicker than the thickness t ₄ of the other part to form a step. When the substrate 4 with protective layer is overlaid, as shown in FIG. 12, the spacer portion 4 e comes into contact with the substrate 4 with protective layer, and the portion of the protective layer 4 c does not contact the substrate 4 with protective layer. Thus, it can prevent that the board | substrates 4 with a protective layer closely_contact | adhere.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the package which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the board | substrate with a protective layer which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the spacer which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the packing which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of one process of the packing which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of one process of the packing which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows a mode that a packing is cancelled | released. It is a figure which shows the comparative example with a prior art. It is a figure which shows a part of package body which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Packing body 2 ... Packing container 3 ... Board group 4 ... Board | substrate 4a with a protective layer 4a ... Board | substrate 4b ... Wiring pattern 4c ... Protective layer 4e ... Spacer part 4f ... Active surface 5 ... Spacer

Claims (6)

  A substrate packaging method comprising: forming a protective layer on at least an active surface of a substrate for an electro-optical device, and packaging the substrate on which the protective layer is formed.   The method for packing a substrate according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer is made of a resist.   The plurality of substrates on which the protective layer is formed are overlapped with each other through a spacer, and the plurality of substrates stacked with the spacer are packed. 2. The method for packing a substrate according to 2. A substrate for an electro-optical device having a protective layer at least on an active surface;
And a packing container means for packing the substrate. A plurality of substrates provided with the protective layer are overlapped between each substrate through a spacer,
The packaging body according to claim 4, wherein the packaging container means packages a plurality of substrates stacked via the spacer. A substrate for an electro-optical device having at least one surface as an active surface;
And a protective layer provided on at least the active surface of the substrate and having a spacer portion on the surface.

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