JP2011025337A - Belt conveying type polishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a belt conveying type polishing device having a mechanism easily performing a tension adjustment of a conveying belt in a short time. <P>SOLUTION: In this belt conveying type polishing device, a substrate is mounted on a belt conveyed by a belt conveying motor and a belt conveying roller, the surface of the substrate is polished, while conveying the substrate by adhering and holding the substrate, and tension of the belt is adjusted by changing the position of a conveying roller stage provided with the belt conveying roller when the tension of the belt is changed. The belt conveying type polishing device has: a tension measuring means for measuring the tension of the belt; and a conveying roller stage position adjusting means for adjusting the position of the belt conveying roller stage by driving a motor by a measuring result of the tension. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a belt-conveying polishing apparatus used for polishing and removing projections, photoresist residues and aggregates on the surface of a color filter substrate used in, for example, a color liquid crystal display device.

  As an object to be polished, a color filter used in a color liquid crystal display device will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a color filter used in a color liquid crystal display device. The color filter 1 includes a black matrix (hereinafter referred to as BM) 3, a red R colored pixel (hereinafter referred to as R pixel) 4-1, a green G colored pixel (hereinafter referred to as G pixel) 4-2, blue on a glass substrate 2. B colored pixels (hereinafter referred to as B pixels) 4-3, a transparent electrode 5, a photo spacer (hereinafter referred to as PS) 6, and a vertical alignment (hereinafter referred to as VA) 7 were sequentially formed. Is.

  As a method for manufacturing a color filter having the above structure, a photolithography method, a printing method, and an ink jet method are known. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing steps of a commonly used photolithography method. In the color filter, first, a step of forming BM on the glass substrate (C-1), a step of cleaning the glass substrate (C-2), and a step of applying and pre-drying a colored photoresist (C-3) ), A pre-baking step (C-4) for drying and curing the colored photoresist, a step (C-5) for exposing, a step (C-6) for developing, and a step (C-) for curing the colored photoresist. 7) is performed. For example, when pixels are formed in the order of R pixel, G pixel, and B pixel, from the step (C-2) of cleaning the color filter glass substrate to the step of curing the colored photoresist (C- In 7), the color resist is changed in the order of red R, green G, and blue B, and the process is repeated three times to form R, G, and B pixels. Further, the step of polishing (C-8), the step of forming a transparent electrode (C-9), and the step of forming PS and VA (C-10) are performed in this order.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which R pixels, G pixels, and B pixels are formed. Each colored pixel of the R pixel 4-1, G pixel 4-2, and B pixel 4-3 in FIG. 1 is provided in the opening of the BM 3, but in order to avoid white spots due to a gap between the BM 3 and each colored pixel, In general, the end of the colored pixel is mounted on the BM 3, and for this purpose, the protrusion 11 and each colored portion are formed at the end of the R pixel 4-1, G pixel 4-2, and B pixel 4-3. A level difference d is caused by the non-uniformity of the pixel thickness (in the case of FIG. 3, the G pixel 4-2 is thicker than the R pixel 4-1 and the B pixel 4-3).

  When a color filter having such protrusions or steps is assembled in a liquid crystal color display device, it causes light leakage due to poor alignment of the liquid crystal. For this reason, there is a method of separately providing a planarization layer (overcoat layer) after forming colored pixels in order to fill the protrusions and steps.

  However, since this leads to an increase in process and cost, the surface of the color filter has been conventionally polished in order to improve the flatness of the surface of the color filter without providing a flattening layer. For example, on the circular table of a flat plate polishing machine, the color filter is placed, fixed, and the polishing pad surface bonded to the surface plate is brought into pressure contact with the surface of the color filter to be polished, while rotating the circular table, There is a method of removing protrusions on the surface of the color filter by swinging a circular platen while dropping the polishing liquid.

Furthermore, with the recent increase in size of liquid crystal display devices, the glass substrate of the color filter is also 2 m on a side.
In order to cope with this, a belt conveyance type polishing apparatus has been proposed.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a belt-conveying type polishing apparatus used for the purpose of surface polishing of a color filter for a large size liquid crystal display that has been conventionally used, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view seen from the side, FIG. Is a schematic view seen from above.

  4 and 5, a substrate transport belt (also referred to as a polishing belt) 21 that transports the color filter substrate 10 while keeping the back surface of the color filter substrate 10 in close contact is indicated by 23 by a belt transport motor 22. It is transported in the transport direction. A lower surface plate 24 is provided below the substrate transport belt 21 to support the substrate transport belt 21 from below, while an upper surface plate 25 provided with a polishing pad (not shown) rotates above the color filter substrate 10. Then, the surface of the color filter substrate 10 is polished.

  The substrate transport belt 21 needs to maintain a constant tension in order to prevent the vibration of the color filter substrate 10 during polishing and the meandering of the belt itself. A resin belt is generally used as the substrate transport belt 21. If the tension is continuously applied, the belt gradually elongates, and the tension gradually decreases with time. For this reason, it is necessary to constantly monitor the tension of the substrate transport belt 21. For example, a load cell 26 is generally used as a belt tension measuring instrument, and the indicated value of the measuring instrument is out of the control value range. In other words, the position of the transport roller 27 is adjusted by adjusting the transport roller stage 30 in the direction indicated by the arrows 37 and 38 by the transport roller position adjusting mechanism 36. In order to adjust the transport roller 27 by the transport roller position adjusting mechanism 36, the position of the transport roller 27 to which the substrate transport belt 21 is attached is turned by using a tool or the like, and the screw 29 is turned by the adjusting nut 28 to transport the transport roller stage 30. Is adjusted so that the tension of the substrate transport belt 21 falls within the control value. The transport roller stage 30 is adjusted in position by moving a transport block 32 on a transport guide 31 provided with a moving groove. After the position of the transport roller stage 30 is adjusted, the position of the transport roller stage 30 is fixed by tightening the fixing nut 33.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-118904 JP 2005-288649 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-36132

  However, the belt tension adjustment has the following problems. The first problem is that the conveyance roller position adjustment for belt tension adjustment needs to be performed by both the conveyance roller position adjustment mechanism a (34a) and the conveyance roller position adjustment mechanism b (34b) shown in FIG. When one of the values is adjusted, the other value fluctuates. Therefore, repeated adjustment is required to keep the tension within the control value, and adjustment work takes time, resulting in a reduction in the operating rate of the apparatus.

  The second problem is that when the resin substrate transport belt is just in use, the initial tension of the belt is large, so the belt tension value frequently deviates from the control value. Tension adjustment must be performed by the above adjustment method, resulting in a reduction in the operating rate of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems. For example, in a belt conveyance type polishing apparatus used for surface polishing in a color filter for a large size liquid crystal display, the tension of the conveyance belt can be easily adjusted. It is an object to provide a belt-conveying polishing apparatus having a mechanism that can be performed in a short time.

  In the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention, the substrate is placed on the belt conveyed by the belt conveyance motor and the belt conveyance roller, the surface of the substrate is polished while being conveyed while being closely adhered, and the belt tension is changed. In this case, in a belt conveyance type polishing apparatus that adjusts the belt tension by changing the position of the conveyance roller stage provided with the belt conveyance roller, the belt conveyance roller according to the tension measurement means for measuring the belt tension and the tension measurement result A belt-conveying polishing apparatus, comprising: a conveyance roller stage position adjusting unit that adjusts a stage position by driving a motor.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the belt-conveying polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying roller stage position adjusting means is provided at both ends of the conveying roller.

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveyance roller stage position adjusting means provided at both ends of the conveyance roller are simultaneously controlled.

  In the invention according to claim 4 of the present invention, when the tension of the belt is always measured by the tension measuring means, and the tension threshold value is set in advance and the tension value obtained by the measurement exceeds the threshold value, 4. The belt conveyance type polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance roller stage position adjusting means is controlled.

  A conventional tool is provided by providing conveyance roller stage position adjustment means for adjusting the tension of the conveyance belt on both sides of the conveyance roller, and using an electric motor for the conveyance roller stage position adjustment means and simultaneously controlling both ends of the roller. Compared with the adjustment using the power, it is possible to perform the tension adjustment in a short time with less labor, and as a result, an improvement in the operating rate of the apparatus can be expected.

  In addition, the belt tension value is constantly measured, and if the measured value deviates from a preset threshold value, the control value is deviated so far by automatically controlling the roller position adjustment mechanism so that it automatically enters the control value. In such a case, the adjustment work which is performed by stopping the apparatus each time is eliminated, so that the operating rate of the apparatus can be further improved.

The figure which showed an example of the color filter used for a color liquid crystal display device in a cross section. The flowchart of the process of the photolithographic method generally used. The figure for demonstrating the processus | protrusion and level | step difference which need grinding | polishing in the figure which shows the state in which R pixel, G pixel, and B pixel were formed. The figure which shows the outline which looked at an example of the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus conventionally used from the side. The figure which shows the outline which looked at an example of the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus conventionally used from the upper surface. The figure which shows the outline which looked at an example of the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention from the side surface. The figure which shows the outline which looked at an example of the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention from the upper surface. The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out a belt conveyance type polishing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example the case of polishing a color filter substrate.

  6 is a schematic view seen from the side, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view seen from the top. In the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the substrate conveyance belt 41 that conveys the color filter substrate 20 while keeping the back surface of the color filter 20 in close contact is conveyed by a belt conveyance motor 42 in the conveyance direction indicated by 43. . A lower surface plate 44 is provided below the substrate conveyance belt 41 to support the substrate conveyance belt 41 from below, while an upper surface plate 45 provided with a polishing pad (not shown) rotates above the color filter substrate 20. Then, the surface of the color filter substrate 20 is polished.

  The tension of the substrate transport belt 41 is measured by the load cell 46a and the load cell 46b which are tension measuring means. The motor A (60a) and the motor B (60b) are driven according to the measurement result of the tension. When the motor A (60a) and the motor B (60b) are driven, the positions of the transport roller stage 50a and the transport roller stage 50b are adjusted with the transport roller position adjusting mechanism A (56a) which is a transport roller stage position adjusting unit. This is performed by the roller position adjusting mechanism B (56b).

  The positions of the transport roller stage 50a and the transport roller stage 50b are adjusted by moving the transport guide 51a provided with the movement groove and the transport block 52 on the transport guide 51b in the directions indicated by the arrows 48a and 48b. The motor A (60a) and the motor B (60b) are connected to the ball screw 49a and the ball screw 49b through the coupling 61a and the coupling 61b, and the transport block 52 is rotated by the rotation of the motor A (60a) and the motor B (60b). Move. In this case, a pulse motor is used for the motor A (60a) and the motor B (60b), and further, the ball screw 49a and the ball screw 49b are used, and the motor A (60a) and the motor B (60b) are used according to the measured tension values. ) Can be finely adjusted by controlling the number of pulses applied to the transfer roller stage 50a and the transfer roller stage 50b.

  Further, as described above, the present invention is provided with the transport roller position adjusting mechanism A (56a) and the transport roller position adjusting mechanism B (56b), which are transport roller position adjusting means, at both ends of the transport roller 47, respectively. The tension of the substrate transport belt 41 can be kept uniform with respect to the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  FIG. 8 shows an operation flow of the belt conveying polishing apparatus according to the present invention. The operation flow will be described with reference to FIGS. The transport roller position adjustment mechanism A (56a) and the transport roller position adjustment mechanism B (56b) perform the following operation steps. First, the conveyance roller position adjustment mechanism A (56a) side will be described. After the start (S-1), the tension of the substrate transport belt 41 is measured by the load cell 46a (S-2a). If the obtained measurement value a is y ≧ a ≧ z with respect to a preset threshold value (upper limit value: y, lower limit value z) (YES in (S-3a)), then all the substrates are finished. If all the substrates are finished (YES in (S-5)), the process is finished immediately (S-6). If all the substrates have not been completed (NO in (S-5)), the process returns to step (S-2a) to enter the tension measurement.

  If y ≧ a ≧ z is not satisfied in step (S-3a) (NO in (S-3a)), the motor 60a is driven (S-4a), and as a result, the transport roller stage 50a is moved to transport the substrate. The tension of the belt 41 is adjusted.

  On the other hand, the transport roller position adjustment mechanism B (56b) side is the same as the operation flow on the transport roller position adjustment mechanism A (56a) side, that is, (S-2b), (S-3b), (S- 4b), (S-5), and (S-6) are performed, and the tension of the substrate transport belt 41 is adjusted.

  As described above, by simultaneously controlling the transport roller position adjusting mechanism A (56a) and the transport roller position adjusting mechanism B (56b) provided at both ends of the transport roller, the tension of the substrate transport belt 41 is orthogonal to the transport direction. Maintaining uniformity with respect to the direction can be performed in a short time.

  As an embodiment for carrying out the present invention, the belt conveyance type polishing apparatus for the color filter substrate is applied to the color filter substrate. However, the embodiment is not limited to the color filter substrate, and is widely used for polishing thin glass. It can be applied.

  As described above, a conventional tool is provided by providing the conveyance roller stage position adjusting means on both sides of the conveyance roller, and simultaneously controlling the conveyance roller stage positions at both ends of the roller using an electric motor for the conveyance roller stage position adjustment means. Compared with the manual adjustment using the robot, it is possible to reduce the labor of the manpower and perform the tension adjustment in a short time. As a result, an improvement in the operating rate of the apparatus can be expected.

  Furthermore, when the belt tension value is measured and the measured value deviates from a preset threshold value, the position of the transport roller stage is controlled so as to be within the threshold value, so that the apparatus is conventionally stopped each time. The adjustment work that has been carried out is eliminated and further improvement in the operating rate of the apparatus can be expected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Color filter 2 ... Glass substrate 3 ... BM
4-1 ... R pixel 4-2 ... G pixel 4-3 ... B pixel 5 ... transparent electrode 6 ... PS
7 ... VA
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Color filter substrate 11 ... Protrusion 20 ... Color filter substrate 21 ... Substrate conveyance belt 22 ... Belt conveyance motor 23 ... Arrow 24 indicating the direction in which the belt is conveyed ... Lower surface plate 25 ... Upper surface plate 26 ... Load cell 27 ... Transfer roller 28 ... Adjustment nut 29 ... Screw 30 ... Transport roller stage 31 ... Transport guide 32 ..Conveying block 33: Fixing nuts 34a, 34b ... Conveying roller position adjusting mechanism a, b
37, 38 ... Arrow 41 indicating the direction of movement of the transfer roller stage 41 ... Substrate transfer belt 42 ... Belt transfer motor 43 ... Arrow 44 indicating the transfer direction in which the substrate is transferred ... Lower limit Panel 45 ... Upper surface plates 46a, 46b ... Load cell 47 ... Conveying rollers 48a, 48b ... Arrows 49a, 49b indicating the direction in which the conveying block moves Ball screws 50a, 50b ... Conveying Roller stage 51a, 51b ... conveyance guide 52 ... conveyance block 56a, 56b ... conveyance roller position adjustment mechanism A, B
60a, 60b ... Motors A, B
61a, 61b ... Coupling

Claims (4)

  The substrate is mounted on a belt conveyed by a belt conveyance motor and a belt conveyance roller, and the surface of the substrate is polished while holding and conveying the substrate, and when the belt tension changes, the conveyance roller provided with the belt conveyance roller In a belt-conveying polishing apparatus that adjusts the belt tension by changing the stage position, the tension measuring means for measuring the belt tension and the position of the belt-conveying roller stage are adjusted by driving the motor according to the tension measurement result. A belt conveyance type polishing apparatus, comprising: a conveyance roller stage position adjusting unit.   2. The belt conveyance type polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein conveyance roller stage position adjusting means are provided at both ends of the conveyance roller.   The belt conveyance type polishing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein conveyance roller stage position adjusting means respectively provided at both ends of the conveyance roller are simultaneously controlled.   The belt tension is measured by the tension measuring means, and the threshold value of the tension is set in advance. When the tension value obtained by the measurement exceeds the threshold value, the conveying roller stage position adjusting means is controlled. The belt conveyance type polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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