JP2008203572A - Manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for laminated substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing apparatus for laminated substrates, in which the substrates laminated with a sealing compound are not left as it is in a chamber opened to air for a long period of time. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing apparatus comprises: a plurality of laminating devices 9A to 9C which laminate two substrates together in a pressure-reduced atmosphere; a robot device 10 which supplies the substrates before laminating to the respective laminating devices and carries the laminated substrates out; an input/output unit 47 which decides whether laminating of substrates is completed by each laminating device and then decides whether the robot device supplies the substrates to or carries the substrates out of any other laminating device when deciding that laminating of substrates is completed by at least one laminating device; and a control unit 42 which keeps the laminating device having completed laminating in the pressure-reduced atmosphere until the substrates are completely carried in or carried out when it is decided through a communication unit that the other laminating device supplies or carries the substrates out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a bonded substrate in which two substrates are bonded together with a fluid interposed between these substrates via a sealant.

  In the manufacturing process of a flat display panel typified by a liquid crystal display panel, there is a bonding operation in which two substrates are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval, liquid crystal as a fluid is sealed between the substrates and bonded with a sealant. Done.

  In the laminating operation, the sealing agent is applied in a frame shape to the inner surface of one of the two substrates, and a predetermined amount of the above is applied to a portion corresponding to the inside of the sealing agent frame on the inner surface of the substrate or the other substrate. Liquid crystal is supplied in droplet form. Usually, application of a sealing agent and dropping supply of liquid crystal are often performed on one substrate.

  The two substrates to which the sealant is applied and the liquid crystal is supplied are supplied to the bonding apparatus and bonded together. This bonding apparatus has a chamber that is decompressed by a decompression device. The two substrates supplied into the chamber are held facing each other in the vertical direction. One substrate is held so that it can be positioned in the X and Y directions, and the other substrate is held so that it can be positioned in the vertical direction.

  When the two substrates are supplied and held, the inlet / outlet opened and closed by the shutter formed on one side of the chamber is closed, and the pressure in the chamber is reduced. Then, after the two substrates are positioned in the X and Y directions under a reduced pressure atmosphere, the two substrates are driven in a descending direction in which the other substrate approaches the one substrate, and the two substrates become the sealing agent. Is overlaid.

  When the two substrates are superposed, the chamber is opened, and the inside of the chamber is changed from the reduced pressure atmosphere to the atmospheric pressure. As a result, the two substrates are pressurized by the differential pressure between the internal pressure between the two superimposed substrates and the atmospheric pressure applied to the outer surface, so the sealing agent is compressed and the two substrates are affixed. Combined. Such prior art is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  In the decompressed chamber, it is explained that two substrates are overlaid, and the two substrates overlaid with the chamber open to the atmosphere are pressurized by the differential pressure between the internal pressure and the atmospheric pressure. Although the two substrates are in contact with each other even when they are overlapped, the two substrates will be described below as being bonded.

  In the bonding of substrates performed in this manner, a bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus has been considered in order to improve productivity. For example, a plurality of bonding apparatuses are arranged in a line. In front of these bonding apparatuses, one robot is provided so as to be driven along the arrangement direction of the bonding apparatuses. This robot supplies a substrate before being bonded to each bonding apparatus and carries out the bonded substrate. Thereby, the bonding of the substrates by a plurality of bonding apparatuses is automated, so that the productivity can be improved.

By the way, in the bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus described above, when a substrate before being bonded by a robot is supplied to a plurality of bonding devices, or when the bonded substrates are unloaded, they are sequentially sequentially according to a predetermined order. Will do.
JP 2000-66163 A

  The two substrates supplied into the chamber of the bonding apparatus must be aligned with respect to the horizontal direction with a high accuracy of μm before being bonded. When positioning two substrates with high accuracy, if there is a large amount of misalignment between the two substrates supplied and held in the chamber, the substrates must be aligned before positioning with the desired accuracy is completed. Since it must be repeated a plurality of times, the positioning work takes time.

  There is considerable variation in the positioning accuracy of the substrate supplied into the chamber by the robot. For this reason, in each bonding apparatus, it is inevitable that the time required for aligning the two supplied substrates varies depending on the positioning accuracy of the substrates supplied into the chamber.

  If the alignment time of the substrates in the chamber varies, the two substrates are bonded together in the chamber, then the chamber is opened to the atmosphere, and these substrates are pressurized with a pressure difference between the internal pressure and atmospheric pressure. Variations also occur in the time until the bonding is completed. If variations occur in the time until the bonding is completed, the order in which the substrates are supplied to the respective bonding apparatuses and the order in which the bonding of the substrates is completed may be reversed. After the bonding is completed, the chamber of the bonding apparatus is supplied with gas and is pressurized to atmospheric pressure, and then the shutter is driven to open and close the inlet / outlet. That is, the inside of the chamber is opened to the atmosphere.

  By the way, when a substrate that has been bonded is carried out from the chamber by a robot in accordance with the order in which the substrates are supplied to the plurality of chambers, the substrate is supplied by a bonding apparatus that is later than the previous bonding apparatus. Matching may be completed first.

  In such a case, the substrate of the bonding apparatus that has been bonded later is unloaded from the chamber earlier by the robot than the substrate of the bonding apparatus that has been bonded first, and is irradiated by ultraviolet rays in the next process. It is supplied to an ultraviolet irradiation device that cures the sealant.

  Therefore, the substrate that has been bonded first is exposed to the atmosphere in a state where the sealant is not cured until the substrate that has been bonded later is carried out of the chamber by the robot and delivered to the next process. become.

  Before the sealant is cured, the sealant and the substrate are not securely bonded. Therefore, air enters between the two substrates sealed with liquid crystal from between the substrate and the sealing agent that is insufficiently bonded, and the air remains as bubbles between the two substrates. In some cases, defective products may be caused by causing display defects due to bubbles.

  In the present invention, when substrates are bonded by a plurality of bonding apparatuses, the bonded substrates may be exposed to the air more than necessary even if the time required for bonding in each bonding apparatus varies. An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a bonded substrate which are not provided.

This invention is a bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus for bonding two substrates together with a sealant,
A plurality of laminating apparatuses for laminating the two substrates in a reduced-pressure atmosphere;
Delivery means for supplying the substrate before being bonded to each bonding apparatus and carrying out the bonded substrate;
In each bonding apparatus, it is determined whether or not the bonding of the substrate is completed, and when the bonding of the substrate is completed in at least one bonding apparatus and the determination is made in the other bonding apparatus Determination means for determining whether the substrate is being supplied or unloaded by the transfer means;
When it is determined by this determination means that the substrate is supplied or carried out in another bonding apparatus, the reduced pressure atmosphere state of the bonding apparatus in which the bonding is completed is completed until the loading or unloading is completed. An apparatus for manufacturing a bonded substrate, comprising: a control means.

  It is preferable that the delivery means simultaneously supply the substrate before being bonded to the bonding apparatus and carry out the bonded substrate.

The control means is adapted to control the driving of each bonding apparatus,
It is preferable that the plurality of bonding apparatuses include a communication unit that shares the driving state of the control unit.

This invention is a method for manufacturing a bonded substrate in which two substrates are bonded together with a sealant,
Bonding a plurality of sets of the two substrates under different reduced pressure atmospheres;
Supplying the substrate before being bonded and carrying out the bonded substrate;
It is determined whether or not the bonding of each set of substrates has been completed, and when it is determined that the bonding of at least one set of substrates has been completed, the supply or unloading of another set of substrates is performed. Determining whether or not
Holding a pair of substrates that have been bonded together in a reduced-pressure atmosphere until the loading or unloading is completed when it is determined that another set of substrates is being supplied or unloaded. It is in the manufacturing method of the bonded substrate board characterized.

  When bonding of multiple sets of substrates is completed, the substrates of the set that have been bonded together are released from the reduced pressure atmosphere when the supply or unloading of the other sets of substrates is completed in the order in which the bonding is completed. Is preferred.

  According to this invention, when the bonding of the substrate is completed by at least one of the plurality of bonding apparatuses and the substrate is loaded or unloaded by another bonding apparatus, the loading or unloading is performed. The pressure reduction state was maintained without releasing the bonding apparatus in which the bonding was completed until the completion.

  Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time during which the bonded substrates are exposed to the atmosphere before the sealant is cured, so that air can be prevented from entering between the two bonded substrates.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an assembly apparatus 1 for a liquid crystal display panel. The assembling apparatus 1 includes a sealing agent application apparatus 2. The coating device 2 is supplied with a first substrate 3 that is one of first and second substrates 3 and 4 constituting a liquid crystal display panel.

  The coating apparatus 2 includes a table on which the first substrate 3 is supplied and placed, and a coating nozzle (both not shown) arranged above the table, and the coating nozzle is attached to the first substrate 3. By being driven relatively in the X, Y, and Z directions, an ultraviolet curable sealant made of a viscoelastic material is provided on the inner surface (the surface to be bonded) of the first substrate 3 (see FIG. (Not shown) is applied in a rectangular frame shape.

  The first substrate 3 coated with the sealing agent is supplied to the dropping device 7. The dropping device 7 has a table on which the first substrate 3 is placed and a dropping nozzle (both not shown) disposed above the table, and the dropping nozzle is disposed on the first substrate 3. Driven relatively in X, Y and Z directions. As a result, a plurality of liquid crystals in the form of fluid are dropped and supplied in a predetermined arrangement pattern, for example, in a matrix, in a region surrounded by the sealant on the inner surface of the first substrate 3.

  The first substrate 3 onto which the liquid crystal has been dropped is supplied to a bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus 8 (hereinafter referred to as a manufacturing apparatus). The manufacturing apparatus 8 includes a plurality of bonding apparatuses, and in this embodiment, first to third three bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C are arranged in a line as shown in FIG. In front of these bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C, a robot apparatus 10, which will be described later, is provided as a delivery means that is driven along these arrangement directions.

  Then, the robot apparatus 10 supplies the second substrate 4 together with the first substrate 3 to the bonding devices 9A to 9C, and the substrates 3 and 4 are positioned and bonded as described later. Accordingly, the pair of substrates 3 and 4 are bonded together by the sealing agent, and the liquid crystal is sealed between the substrates 3 and 4.

  The substrates 3 and 4 bonded by the bonding devices 9A to 9C are carried out of the bonding devices 9A to 9C by the robot device 10 and supplied to the sealant curing device 11 in the next process. The sealing agent curing device 11 irradiates the bonded substrates 3 and 4 with ultraviolet rays. As a result, the sealing agent that bonds the two substrates 3 and 4 is cured, and the bonded state of the substrates 3 and 4 is fixed. That is, the space in which the liquid crystal between the two substrates 3 and 4 is sealed is hermetically sealed.

  Each of the bonding devices 9A to 9C has a chamber 12 as shown in FIG. The inside of the chamber 12 is decompressed to a predetermined pressure, for example, about 1 Pa, by a decompression pump 12a. A loading / unloading port 14 that is opened and closed by a shutter 13 is formed on one side of the chamber 12, and the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 are loaded / removed by the robot apparatus 10 through the loading / unloading port 14. ing.

  A lower holding table 15 is provided in the chamber 12. The lower holding table 15 is driven in the X, Y, and θ directions by an XYθ driving source 16. On the holding surface 15a (upper surface) of the lower holding table 15, the first substrate 3 on which the liquid crystal is dropped by the dropping device 7 after the sealant is applied by the coating device 2 is the robot device 10. As described later, the liquid crystal is supplied with the inner surface on which the liquid crystal is dropped facing upward. The outer surface (lower surface) of the substrate 3 supplied to the holding surface 15a is held on the holding surface 15a with a predetermined holding force by, for example, electrostatic force.

  The lower holding table 15 is provided with a delivery pin (not shown) for receiving the first substrate 3 supplied by the robot apparatus 10 on the holding surface 15a so as to protrude and retract with respect to the holding surface 15a. Yes.

  Above the lower holding table 15, there is disposed an upper holding table 18 driven in the vertical direction (Z direction) by the first Z drive source 17 via the first drive shaft 17a. That is, the upper holding table 18 is driven in the Z direction that is in contact with and away from the lower holding table 15. The lower surface of the upper holding table 18 is formed on a holding surface 18a, and the second substrate 4 holds the outer surface of the holding surface 18a by electrostatic force as will be described later.

  Electrodes 15c and 18c constituting an electrostatic chuck are embedded in the holding tables 15 and 18, respectively. When power is supplied to the electrodes 15c and 18c by a power source (not shown), an electrostatic force for holding the substrates 3 and 4 can be generated on the holding tables 15 and 18, respectively.

  The upper holding table 18 is formed with a plurality of, for example, four through holes 21 (only two are shown) penetrating in the thickness direction. A rod-shaped drive member 22 is inserted into each through hole 21 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Each drive member 22 is connected at its upper end by a connecting member 24 having a rectangular shape, and a vacuum pad 23 communicating with a suction pump (not shown) is provided at the lower end so as to be elastically displaced in the vertical direction via a spring (not shown). The lower end portion of the through hole 21 is formed in a large diameter portion 21a into which the vacuum pad 23 is inserted.

  The lower end of the pair of second drive shafts 25 is connected to the upper surface of the connecting member 24. The vacuum pad 23 is driven in the Z direction by a second Z drive source 26 via the second drive shaft 25.

  The first and second drive shafts 17a and 25 penetrate the upper wall of the chamber 12, and the penetrating portion can be moved up and down in an airtight manner with respect to the upper wall by a bellows (not shown). It has become.

  The robot apparatus 10 includes a Z movable body 32 that is driven in the Z direction indicated by an arrow by a Z drive source 31 as shown in FIG. An upper X driving unit 34 and a lower X driving unit 35 made of a linear motor or the like are provided above the Z movable body 32.

  The upper X drive unit 34 drives the upper arm body 36 forward and backward in the direction indicated by X in the figure, and the lower X drive unit 35 drives the lower arm body 37 forward and backward in the X direction. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the upper arm body 36 and the lower arm body 37 are formed in a U-shape in plan view, and the upper arm body 36 and the upper and lower surfaces of the lower arm body 37 are arranged on the upper and lower surfaces. Each is provided with a plurality of suction pads 38. Each suction pad 38 communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown).

  The first substrate 3 is adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the upper arm body 36 with the surface on which the sealant is applied and the liquid crystal is dropped on the upper surface, and the second substrate is disposed on the lower surface of the lower arm body 37. 4 is sucked and held with the inner surface facing downward.

  The robot apparatus 10 configured as described above is provided in the loading / unloading port 14 formed on one side of the chamber 12 where the bonding of the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 is completed among the bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C. The drive is positioned so as to face each other. The first and second substrates 3 and 4 are bonded together when the upper holding table 18 is lowered. The bonded first and second substrates 3 and 4 (shown in FIG. 3) remain on the holding surface 15a of the lower holding table 15 when the upper holding table 18 is raised.

  The robot apparatus 10 is driven and positioned so as to face the chamber 12 where the substrates 3 and 4 are bonded together, as will be described later. When the conditions described later are satisfied, gas is supplied into the chamber 12 and the pressure is increased to atmospheric pressure, and then the shutter 13 is driven to open and close the inlet / outlet port 14, so that the inside of the chamber 12 is opened. Is opened to the atmosphere.

  When the loading / unloading port 14 is opened, the lower arm body 7 of the robot apparatus 10 is positioned at a height that allows the Z-drive source 31 to enter and leave the loading / unloading port 14. Next, the lower arm body 7 is driven by the lower X driving unit 35 with the second substrate 4 held on the lower surface, and enters the chamber 12 from the loading / unloading port 14.

  Next, the connecting member 24 is driven downward in the Z direction by the second Z driving source 26 of the bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C, and is held by the lower arm body 7 with the vacuum pad 23 provided at the lower end of the driving member 22. The portion exposed from the lower arm body 7 on the surface of the second substrate 4 is sucked and held. In this state, the holding state of the second substrate 4 by the lower arm body 37 is released, and then the lower X driving unit is moved to a position where the lower arm body 37 does not interfere with the second substrate 4 held by the vacuum pad 23. It is driven in the backward direction by 35.

  When the lower arm body 37 moves backward, the vacuum pad 23 holding the second substrate 4 is driven in the upward direction by the second Z drive source 26. As a result, the upper surface (outer surface) of the second substrate 4 held by the vacuum pad 23 is sucked and held on the suction surface 18 a of the upper holding table 18.

  When the second substrate 4 is driven in the upward direction, the lower arm body 37 is again driven in the forward direction and then driven downward in the Z direction. Then, the bonded substrates 3 and 4 remaining on the holding surface 15a of the lower holding table 15 are sucked and held by a suction pad 38 provided on the upper surface side of the lower arm body 37. At this time, the bonded substrates 3 and 4 are raised from the holding surface 15a by a predetermined height by a delivery pin (not shown). That is, the lower arm body 37 moves forward so as to enter between the holding surface 15a and the bonded substrates 3 and 4 raised.

  The lower arm body 37 holding the bonded substrates 3 and 4 by suction is retracted from the inside of the chamber 12, and then the upper arm body 36 holding the first substrate 3 on the upper surface is driven by the upper X driving unit 34 to be chamber 12. Enter inside. The upper arm body 36 that has entered the chamber 12 is driven in the downward direction together with the Z movable body 32 by the Z drive source 31.

  When the upper arm body 36 is lowered to a height approaching the holding surface 15a of the lower holding table 15, the holding state of the first substrate 3 by the suction pad 38 of the upper arm body 36 is released, and the first substrate 3 It is delivered to a holding pin (not shown) protruding from the holding surface 15 a of the holding table 15.

  When the first substrate 3 is transferred to the holding pins, the upper arm body 36 is driven in the retracting direction to retract from the chamber 12, and then the holding pins are driven in the downward direction to a position where the holding pins do not protrude from the holding surface 15a. . As a result, the outer surface (lower surface) of the first substrate 3 is sucked and held on the holding surface 15 a of the holding table 15.

  When the first and second substrates 3 and 4 are supplied into the chamber 12 in this way, the inlet / outlet port 14 is closed by the shutter 13 and then the inside of the chamber 12 is decompressed by the decompression pump 12a. One substrate 3 is driven in the X and Y directions by the XYθ drive source 16 and aligned with the second substrate 4 held on the upper holding table 18. Next, the above-described process is repeated, in which the upper holding table 18 is driven downward by a predetermined distance in the Z direction and the two substrates 3 and 4 are bonded together with the sealant.

  The driving of the first to third bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10 is controlled by a control device 41 shown in FIG. The control device 41 includes a control unit 42 as a control unit and a determination unit, an input / output unit 47, and a storage unit 44 that is a part of the control unit and the determination unit.

  The control unit 42 controls driving of the first to third bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C and the robot apparatus 10, and reads and writes data in the storage unit 44 as necessary. The input / output unit 47 outputs a control signal from the control unit 42 to the first to third bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C and the robot apparatus 10, or these first to third bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C. In addition, the control unit 42 is caused to input a signal from the robot apparatus 10. The storage unit 44 stores data related to the control of the bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C and the robot apparatus 10. The control unit 42 reads / writes data stored in the storage unit 44.

  Since the control device 41 includes the control unit 42 and the storage unit 44, it is possible to grasp and determine the driving state of each of the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10, and thus the control unit 42 includes each bonding device. The drive timing of 9A to 9C and the robot apparatus 10 can be controlled.

Next, an operation when the first and second substrates are bonded by the bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in the chambers 12 of the three bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C, the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 are robots as described above based on the control data stored in the storage unit 44 of the control device 41. Supplied by the apparatus 10. This is indicated by step 1 (hereinafter, step is referred to as S). As described above, the first and second substrates 3 and 4 supplied into the chamber 12 by the robot apparatus 10 are sucked and held on the lower holding table 15 and the upper holding table 18, respectively.

  In this embodiment, the first and second substrates 3 and 4 are controlled so as to be supplied in the order of the first bonding apparatus 9A, the second bonding apparatus 9B, and the third bonding apparatus 9C. It is set in the storage unit 44 of the device 41.

  When the first and second substrates 3 and 4 are supplied to the chamber 12, the inlet / outlet port 14 is closed by the shutter 13, and the inside of the chamber 12 is depressurized as indicated by S2. When the inside of the chamber 12 is depressurized to a predetermined pressure, the lower holding table 15 is driven in the X and Y directions, and the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 are aligned as shown in S3. When the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 are aligned, in S4, the upper holding table 18 is driven in the downward direction to perform bonding.

  The bonding of the substrates 3 and 4 in the first to third bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C is usually finished in the order in which the substrates 3 and 4 are supplied to the bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C. Accordingly, the robot apparatus 10 stores the bonded substrates 3 and 4 sequentially from the first to third bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C, and the transfer order is stored in the storage unit 44 of the control apparatus 41 as control-related data. ing.

  However, the time required for the alignment of the first and second substrates 3 and 4 in each bonding apparatus 9A to 9C is not constant depending on, for example, the amount of positional deviation when supplied to the chamber 12, so that bonding is performed. Variations also occur in the end time. Thereby, for example, the bonding in the second bonding apparatus 9B may end earlier than the first bonding apparatus 9A.

  When the bonding of the substrates 3 and 4 is completed by the second bonding apparatus 9B, the robot apparatus 10 may be loading and unloading the substrates 3 and 4 by the third bonding apparatus 9C. Therefore, in S5, when the control unit 42 detects that the bonding of the substrates 3 and 4 in the second bonding apparatus 9B is completed, the robot apparatus 10 moves the substrate 3 and the other bonding apparatuses 9A and 9C. 4 is determined based on the shared data that is communicated via the input / output unit 47 and stored in the storage unit 44.

  That is, whether or not the robot apparatus 10 is in the process of supplying the substrates 3 and 4 to / from the other bonding apparatuses 9A and 9C or carrying out the bonded substrates 3 and 4, or the robot apparatus 10 In order to supply and carry out, it is determined whether or not the chambers 12 of the other bonding apparatuses 9A and 9C are in a standby state until the pressure in the chamber 12 is increased to the atmospheric pressure and the shutter 13 is opened.

  More specifically, each of the substrate bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C outputs a completion signal to the control device 41 when the bonding is completed. When the completion signal is received, the control unit 42 associates with the number of the bonding apparatus in the storage unit 44 and is in the atmosphere for supplying / unloading the substrate, for example, “third bonding apparatus 3C: supply / unloading”. The standby “ON” is stored.

  Therefore, the control unit 42 refers to the data stored in the storage unit 44 when the completion signal is received from one of the bonding apparatuses, and the other bonding apparatus is brought into the supply / carry-out standby “ON” state. It is determined whether or not there is.

  The data indicating that the substrate is being supplied / unloaded is switched to “OFF” when the substrate supply and unloading are completed, for example, when a signal indicating that the shutter 13 is closed is received from the bonding apparatus. It is done.

  In S6, when it is determined that the robot apparatus 10 has not transferred the substrates 3 and 4 with the other bonding apparatuses 9A and 9C, that is, “NO”, the controller 42 changes the second bonding apparatus 9B to the second bonding apparatus 9B. A delivery signal for the substrates 3 and 4 is output. On the other hand, if the substrates 3 and 4 are delivered by the other bonding apparatuses 9A and 9C, that is, if it is determined as “YES”, the operation of S5 is repeated until the delivery is completed. In the meantime, since the inside of the plate 12 of the bonding apparatus 9B is kept in a reduced pressure state, the bonded substrates 3 and 4 are held in a reduced pressure atmosphere.

  In S6, when the control unit 42 outputs a delivery signal to the second bonding apparatus 9B, in S7, gas is supplied into the chamber 12 of the second bonding apparatus 9B, and the pressure in the chamber 12 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. At the same time, the shutter 13 is driven to open the chamber 12 to the atmosphere. Accordingly, in S8, the substrates 3 and 4 bonded by the second bonding apparatus 9B are carried out by the robot apparatus 10 and at the same time, new substrates 3 and 4 that are not bonded are carried in.

  When unloading and loading of the substrates 3 and 4 to and from the chamber 12 of the second bonding apparatus 9B by the robot apparatus 10 is completed and the shutter 13 is closed, the substrates 3 and 4 in the second bonding apparatus 9B are closed in S9. The input / output unit 47 determines that the carry-out and carry-in have been completed, and the signal is read into the control unit 42.

  In S10, it is determined whether or not the operation of the bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus 8 is to be ended. If YES, the operation ends. If NO, the process returns to S1 and the substrates 3 and 4 are repeatedly bonded. Become.

  As described above, while the substrates 3 and 4 are carried in and out by the robot apparatus 10 with respect to the plurality of bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C arranged in a line, the bonded substrates 3 and 4 are sealed in the next step. 11, when the bonding of the substrates 3 and 4 is completed in one of the bonding devices 9A to 9C, the robot device 10 loads the substrates 3 and 4 in another bonding device. The control unit 42 of the control device 41 can determine based on the data stored in the storage unit 44 whether or not it is being carried out.

  Then, only when the robot apparatus 10 is not operating in another bonding apparatus, the chamber 12 of the bonding apparatus that has been bonded is opened to the atmosphere by a drive signal from the control unit 42, and the bonded substrates 3 and 3 are bonded. 4 is carried out and new substrates 3 and 4 which are not bonded are carried in.

  Therefore, when the chamber 12 is opened to the atmosphere, the robot apparatus 10 that is not operating elsewhere unloads the substrates 3 and 4 bonded from the chamber 12 of the bonding apparatus immediately after bonding and seals the next process. It can be conveyed to the agent curing device 11.

  That is, the bonded substrates 3 and 4 are not left in the chamber 12 opened to the atmosphere for a long time in a state where the bonding is incomplete before the sealant is cured. As a result, it is possible to prevent air from entering between the bonded substrates 3 and 4 and causing defective products. Furthermore, the time during which the liquid crystal between the two substrates 3 and 4 is pressed and spread by the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure is prevented from becoming long, and the time for the liquid crystal to contact the uncured sealant is also shortened. Therefore, generation of impurities due to contact between the uncured sealant and the liquid crystal can also be suppressed.

  The robot apparatus 10 has an upper arm body 36 and a lower arm body 37, and the lower arm body 36 can hold a substrate on its upper surface side and lower surface side. Therefore, the lower arm body 37 can carry out the bonded substrates 3 and 4 and supply the second substrate 4 before being bonded, and the arm body 36 carries in the first substrate 3. be able to.

  As a result, unloading of the bonded substrates 3 and 4 and loading of new substrates 3 and 4 before bonding can be performed at the same time, which can improve productivity.

Note that while the robot apparatus 10 is operating with one of the bonding apparatuses, the other two bonding apparatuses may complete the bonding at different timings.
In view of this, the storage unit 44 may store the order in which the signals for which the bonding is completed are received from the bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C.
By doing in this way, the board | substrates 3 and 4 bonded together in order from the bonding apparatus with the early timing of the completion of bonding can be carried out in order.

  Further, it is conceivable that while the robot apparatus is operating with any one of the bonding apparatuses, the other two bonding apparatuses complete the bonding at the same timing.

Therefore, it is preferable to set the priority order for each of the bonding devices 9A to 9C and store them in the storage unit 44.
By doing in this way, even if two bonding apparatuses complete bonding simultaneously, the board | substrates 3 and 4 bonded in order from the bonding apparatus with a high priority can be carried out in order. This example can be applied even when the two bonding apparatuses complete the bonding at different timings.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case where the bonding apparatus 9B completes the bonding has been described as an example, but the same determination is performed when the other bonding apparatuses 9A and 9C complete the bonding. Is done.

  FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, each of the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10 of the bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus 8 is individually controlled by a first control device (first to fourth control devices 41A to 41D). As in the embodiment, the control unit 42A, the communication unit 43A, and the storage unit 44A are included.

  Each communication unit 43A communicates the data stored in the storage unit 44A between the communication units 43A each time the data stored in the storage unit 44A connected thereto is updated, and is the same for all the storage units 44A. A function of sharing data so that data is stored is provided.

  For example, when the third bonding apparatus 9C completes the bonding of the substrates and “third bonding apparatus 9C: supply / unloading standby“ ON ”” is written in the storage unit 44A of the second control apparatus 41B. The communication unit 43A of the second control device 41B communicates with the other communication unit 43A and sends the data stored in the storage unit 44A to the other storage unit 44A. Thereby, the data in all the storage units 44A are rewritten to the same data.

  If the operation states of the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10 are communicated with each other by the communication unit 43A of the control devices 41A to 41C and stored in the storage unit 44A, the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robots are connected. The operating state of the device 10 can be determined.

  Thereby, when the bonding of the substrates 3 and 4 is completed by one of the three bonding apparatuses 9A to 9C, whether or not the chamber 12 of the bonding apparatus is opened to the atmosphere is determined. It can be determined by the operating state.

  Therefore, the effects similar to those of the substitute chin embodiment can be obtained in the individual embodiments.

  In addition, since the communication unit 43A is provided and the data stored in the storage unit 44A is shared by the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10, the control devices 41A to 41D of each device individually perform other bonding. The operating state of the device or the robot device 10 can be determined. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated control device for determining the operating state, and the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 8 can be simplified.

  FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a modification of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10 include first to fourth control devices 41A to 41D, respectively. . Each control device 41A to 41D is provided with an input / output unit 47A similar to the input / output unit 47 used in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 instead of the communication unit 43A.

In this case, data corresponding to each device is stored in each of the bonding devices 9A to 9C and the robot device 10 in the storage unit 44A of each of the control devices 41A to 41D.
Therefore, the control unit 42A of each of the control devices 41A to 41D refers to the data stored in the storage unit 44A of the other bonding device and the robot device 10 via the input / output unit 47A, and the other bonding device and the robot. The operating state of the device 10 is determined.

Accordingly, as in the second embodiment, whether or not the chamber 12 that has been bonded is opened to the atmosphere can be determined based on the operating state of the robot apparatus 10.
Therefore, also in this embodiment, the same effect as in the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, the assembling apparatus including three bonding apparatuses has been described as an example. However, the number of bonding apparatuses may be two or four or more.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic block diagram of the assembly apparatus which shows 1st Embodiment of this invention. The schematic block diagram of the manufacturing apparatus of the bonded substrate board which comprises the assembly apparatus of FIG. The block diagram which shows the chamber and robot apparatus which comprise the said manufacturing apparatus. (A) is a top view which shows the upper arm of a robot apparatus, (b) is a top view which shows a lower arm. The flowchart when supplying and carrying out a board | substrate with respect to a chamber. The schematic block diagram of the manufacturing apparatus of the bonded substrate which shows 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The schematic block diagram of the manufacturing apparatus of the bonded substrate which shows 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... 1st board | substrate, 4 ... 2nd board | substrate, 9A-9C ... 1st thru | or 3rd bonding apparatus, 10 ... Robot apparatus, 11 ... Sealing agent hardening apparatus, 12 ... Chamber, 14 ... In / out port, 15 ... Lower holding table, 18 ... Upper holding table, 36 ... Upper arm body, 37 ... Lower arm body, 41, 41A to 41D ... Control device, 42, 42A ... Control section, 43, 43A ... Communication section, 44, 44A ... Storage unit, 47, 47A, input / output unit.

Claims (5)

An apparatus for manufacturing a bonded substrate for bonding two substrates through a sealant,
A plurality of laminating apparatuses for laminating the two substrates in a reduced-pressure atmosphere;
Delivery means for supplying the substrate before being bonded to each bonding apparatus and carrying out the bonded substrate;
In each bonding apparatus, it is determined whether or not the bonding of the substrate is completed, and when the bonding of the substrate is completed in at least one bonding apparatus and the determination is made in the other bonding apparatus Determination means for determining whether the substrate is being supplied or unloaded by the transfer means;
When it is determined by this determination means that the substrate is supplied or carried out in another bonding apparatus, the reduced pressure atmosphere state of the bonding apparatus in which the bonding is completed is completed until the loading or unloading is completed. An apparatus for manufacturing a bonded substrate, comprising: a control unit.   2. The bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the delivery means simultaneously supplies the substrate before being bonded to the bonding apparatus and carries out the bonded substrate. The control means is adapted to control the driving of each bonding apparatus,
The bonded substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of bonding apparatuses include a communication unit that shares a drive state with the control unit. A method for producing a bonded substrate in which two substrates are bonded together via a sealant,
Bonding a plurality of sets of the two substrates under different reduced pressure atmospheres;
Supplying the substrate before being bonded and carrying out the bonded substrate;
It is determined whether or not the bonding of each set of substrates has been completed, and when it is determined that the bonding of at least one set of substrates has been completed, the supply or unloading of another set of substrates is performed. Determining whether or not
Holding a pair of substrates that have been bonded together in a reduced-pressure atmosphere until the loading or unloading is completed when it is determined that another set of substrates is being supplied or unloaded. A method for producing a bonded substrate as a feature.   When bonding of multiple sets of substrates is completed, the substrates of the set that have been bonded together are released from the reduced pressure atmosphere when the supply or unloading of the other sets of substrates is completed in the order in which the bonding is completed. The manufacturing method of the bonded substrate board of Claim 4 characterized by these.

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