JP2019099407A - Substrate aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

To align a plurality of substrates to be supplied to a parting step.SOLUTION: A substrate aligning device 1 for aligning an end faces 111a of a plurality of substrates 111 to a straight line includes a conveyor 3, an aligning member 5, and an alignment driving unit 7. The conveyor 3 has a conveying face 3a for conveying a plurality of the substrates 111. The aligning member 5 is installed above the conveying face 3a and has an aligning end face 5a of a straight line at the downstream side of conveying. The alignment driving unit 7 can move the aligning member 5 between a first position upward distant from the conveying face 3a and a second position touching or near the conveying face 3a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate alignment apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate alignment apparatus for aligning a plurality of substrates.

The following method is known as a method of dividing a glass substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the first step, a plurality of scribe lines are formed in the X direction and the Y direction orthogonal to each other of the mother substrate.
In the second step, division is performed along a scribe line extending in the X direction to form a plurality of strip-shaped (long rectangular shape on one side) substrates.
In the third step, the strip substrate is divided along a scribe line extending in the Y direction to form a unit substrate.

JP, 2013-71335, A

  In order to improve the productivity, in the third step, it has been desired to simultaneously cut a plurality of strip substrates at the same time. However, in this case, if the plurality of strip-like substrates are not aligned with one another, the positions of the scribe lines extending in the Y direction shift from one another, and accurate division can not be performed.

  An object of the present invention is to align a plurality of substrates, which are then awaiting the dividing step.

  Below, a plurality of modes are explained as a means to solve a subject. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

The substrate alignment apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for aligning the end faces of a plurality of substrates linearly, and includes a conveyor device, an alignment member, and a drive unit.
The conveyor apparatus has a transport surface for transporting a plurality of substrates.
The alignment member is disposed above the transport surface and has a linear alignment end face on the first side in the transport direction.
The drive unit is capable of moving the alignment member between a first position spaced upward from the transport surface and a second position in abutment or proximity to the transport surface.
In this apparatus, when the alignment member is in the second position, the conveyor device conveys the plurality of substrates and brings the end faces of the plurality of substrates into contact with the alignment end faces of the alignment member to convey the end faces of the plurality of substrates Align in the machine transport direction.

The substrate alignment apparatus may further include a controller.
The controller performs the following steps:
配置 arranging the alignment member at the first position by the drive unit.
A step of passing the plurality of substrates below the alignment member from the second side in the transport direction to the first side in the transport direction by the conveyor device.
ス テ ッ プ moving the alignment member to the second position by the drive unit.
Step of bringing the end faces of the plurality of substrates into contact with the alignment end surface of the alignment member by moving the plurality of substrates to the second side in the transport direction by the conveyor device.
In this apparatus, after the conveyor device passes the plurality of substrates below the alignment member, the alignment member is brought into contact with or close to the transport surface of the conveyor device, and then the conveyor device transports the plurality of substrates to The end faces of the plurality of substrates are aligned in the conveyance direction of the conveyor device by bringing the end faces of the substrates into contact with the alignment end faces of the alignment member.

  The substrate alignment apparatus may further include a substrate holding unit that fixes the positions of the plurality of substrates by holding the plurality of substrates on the transport surface. The controller may further perform the step of fixing the positions of the plurality of substrates by holding the plurality of substrates on the transport surface.

  In the substrate alignment apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to align a plurality of substrates which are next to be divided.

The side view of the substrate alignment device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a substrate alignment apparatus. 6 is a flowchart showing an alignment control operation of the substrate alignment apparatus. The side view of the substrate alignment apparatus which shows one state of alignment operation. The side view of the substrate alignment apparatus which shows one state of alignment operation. The side view of the substrate alignment apparatus which shows one state of alignment operation. The side view of the substrate alignment apparatus which shows one state of alignment operation. The side view of the substrate alignment apparatus which shows one state of alignment operation. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the substrate alignment device showing one state of alignment operation. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the substrate alignment device showing one state of alignment operation. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the substrate alignment device showing one state of alignment operation. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the substrate alignment device showing one state of alignment operation.

1. First Embodiment (1) Configuration of Substrate Alignment Device The substrate alignment device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view of a substrate alignment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The substrate alignment apparatus 1 is an apparatus for aligning the end faces 111a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 in a straight line. The plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are formed by dividing the bonded substrate along the plurality of first scribe lines. As shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 have a unit substrate and an end material, and are later divided along a plurality of scribe lines to become a plurality of unit substrates.
In FIG. 1, the direction orthogonal to the sheet is the first direction (arrow X), and the horizontal direction is the second direction (arrow Y). The transport direction of the plurality of strip-shaped substrates 111 is the second direction, and the plurality of strip-shaped substrates 111 are processed while being transported from the left to the right in the second direction. Therefore, the left side in the second direction in FIG. 1 is the upstream side of conveyance, and the right side in the second direction in FIG. 1 is the downstream side in the conveyance direction.
The substrate alignment device 1 includes a conveyor device 3 (an example of a conveyor device), an alignment member 5 (an example of an alignment member), and an alignment drive unit 7 (an example of a drive unit, FIG. 2).

The conveyor device 3 has a transport surface 3 a for transporting a plurality of strip-like substrates 111. Specifically, the conveyor device 3 is a belt conveyor extending in the transport direction. In FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of strip-shaped substrates 111 are arranged in the first direction at intervals, and extend in the second direction (the transport direction). And the end surface 111a of the several strip-shaped board | substrate 111 has faced the conveyance direction upstream.
The alignment member 5 is disposed above the transport surface 3a and has a linear alignment end face 5a. The alignment end face 5a is a flat surface extending along the first direction and facing the downstream side in the transport direction.

The alignment drive unit 7 can move the alignment member 5 between a first position (FIG. 1) spaced upward from the transport surface 3a and a second position (FIG. 4) in contact with or close to the transport surface 3a. It is. Specifically, the alignment drive unit 7 is a fluid cylinder that drives the alignment member 5 in the vertical direction. The alignment drive 7 may be another linear drive.
In the substrate alignment device 1, when the alignment member 5 is at the second position, the conveyor device 3 conveys the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 and sets the end faces 111a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 to the alignment end face 5a of the alignment member 5. By bringing them into contact, the end faces 111a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are aligned in the transport direction.

The substrate alignment device 1 further includes a suction holding device 9 (an example of a substrate holding unit). The suction holding device 9 is a device for holding the plurality of aligned strip substrates 111 on the transport surface 3 a. Thereby, the position on the conveyance surface 3a of the strip-like substrate 111 is fixed. The suction holding device 9 is disposed downstream of the alignment member 5 in the transport direction. The suction holding device 9 has a suction unit 11, a holding drive unit 13 (FIG. 2), and a suction device 15 (FIG. 2).
The suction unit 11 is a member that has a suction port facing downward and is movable in the vertical direction. The holding drive unit 13 (FIG. 2) is a device that moves the suction unit 11 in the vertical direction. The suction device 15 (FIG. 2) is a device that supplies a negative pressure to the suction unit 11.

(2) Control Configuration of Substrate Alignment Device The control configuration of the substrate alignment device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the substrate alignment apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate alignment apparatus 1 has a controller 50.

  The controller 50 is a computer having a processor (for example, CPU), a storage device (for example, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (for example, A / D converter, D / A converter, communication interface, etc.) It is a system. The controller 50 performs various control operations by executing the program stored in the storage unit (corresponding to a part or all of the storage area of the storage device).

The controller 50 may be configured by a single processor, but may be configured by a plurality of independent processors for each control.
Some or all of the functions of the components of the controller 50 may be implemented as a program that can be executed by a computer system that constitutes the controller 50. In addition, some of the functions of each element of the controller 50 may be configured by a custom IC.

The conveyor device 3, the alignment drive unit 7, the holding drive unit 13, and the suction device 15 are connected to the controller 50.
Although not shown, the controller 50 is connected with sensors for detecting the size, shape and position of an object, sensors and switches for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.

(3) Alignment Operation of Substrate Alignment Device The alignment operation of the substrate alignment device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the alignment control operation of the substrate alignment apparatus. 4-8 are side views of the substrate alignment apparatus showing one state of alignment operation. 9 to 12 are schematic plan views of the substrate alignment device showing one state of alignment operation.

The control flowchart described below is an example, and each step can be omitted and replaced as necessary. Also, multiple steps may be performed simultaneously, or some or all may be performed overlapping.
Furthermore, each block of the control flowchart is not limited to a single control operation, and can be replaced with a plurality of control operations represented by a plurality of blocks.
Note that the operation of each device is the result of a command from the controller 50 to each device, and these are represented by each step of the software application.

In FIG. 3, the controller 50 performs the following steps.
In step S1, the alignment driving unit 7 arranges the alignment member 5 at the first position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the alignment member 5 is disposed away from the transport surface 3a.
In step S2, the conveyor device 3 passes the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 below the alignment member 5 from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side in the transport direction. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are positioned downstream of the alignment member 5 in the transport direction. In FIG. 9, it is emphasized that the transport direction positions of the end surfaces 111 a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are shifted from each other.

In step S3, the alignment driving unit 7 moves the alignment member 5 to the second position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the alignment member 5 is disposed at a position in contact with or close to the transport surface 3a.
In step S 4, the end faces 111 a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are brought into contact with the alignment end face 5 a of the alignment member 5 by moving the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 upstream in the transport direction by the conveyor device 3. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the transport direction positions of the end faces 111a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 become the same. In this manner, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are aligned in the transport direction.

In step S5, the alignment drive unit 7 moves the alignment member 5 to the first position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the alignment member 5 separates upward from the transport surface 3a.
In step S6, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are moved downstream in the transport direction by the conveyor device 3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 11, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are arranged at the positions separated from the alignment member 5 on the downstream side in the transport direction. Also in this case, the alignment state of the plurality of strip substrates 111 is maintained.
In step S7, the suction holding device 9 holds the strip substrate 111 by suction. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are fixed on the transport surface 3a. Specifically, the suction holding device 9 sucks the end material portions of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111. In this state, a substrate cutting device (not shown) divides the scribe line of the strip-like substrate 111 to form a plurality of unit substrates. At this time, since the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are aligned, the scribe lines are also aligned, and therefore the accuracy of the division is improved.

  As described above, in the substrate alignment device 1, after the conveyor device 3 passes the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 below the alignment member 5, the alignment member 5 abuts on the conveying surface 3 a of the conveyor device 3 or Next, the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are brought close by conveying the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 and bringing the end faces 111 a of the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 into contact with the alignment end faces 5 a of the alignment member 5. Is aligned in the second direction (substrate transfer direction). As a result, when dividing to form a plurality of unit substrates next, since the plurality of strip-like substrates 111 are aligned, the scribe lines are also aligned, and therefore the accuracy of the division is improved.

2. Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the embodiments and modifications described herein may be arbitrarily combined as needed.

(1) Modification of Substrate A bonded brittle material substrate in which two brittle material substrates are bonded together is a liquid crystal panel in which a glass substrate is bonded, a flat display panel such as a plasma display panel, an organic EL display panel, and silicon The substrate includes a semiconductor substrate in which a substrate, a sapphire substrate or the like is bonded to a glass substrate.
The type of substrate is not particularly limited. The substrate includes a single plate glass, a semiconductor wafer, and a ceramic substrate.

(2) Modifications of Various Devices In the first embodiment, the suction holding device 9 holds the strip-like substrate after alignment, but the holding operation may not necessarily be performed.
The adsorption holding device may not be provided.
Substrates other than the strip substrate may be aligned.

  The present invention is broadly applicable to a substrate alignment apparatus for aligning a plurality of substrates.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Substrate alignment device 3: Conveyor device 3a: Conveying surface 5: Alignment member 5a: Alignment end surface 7: Alignment drive part 9: Suction holding device 11: Suction part 13: Holding drive part 15: Suction device 50: Controller 111: Strip Substrate 111a: End face

Claims (3)

A substrate alignment apparatus for aligning the end faces of a plurality of substrates in a straight line, comprising:
A conveyor apparatus having a transport surface for transporting a plurality of substrates;
An alignment member disposed above the transport surface and having a linear alignment end face on the first side in the transport direction;
A driving unit capable of moving the alignment member between a first position spaced upward from the transport surface and a second position in contact with or close to the transport surface;
Substrate alignment device equipped with. Further equipped with a controller,
The controller
Placing the alignment member in the first position by the drive unit;
Passing the plurality of substrates below the alignment member from the second side in the transport direction to the first side in the transport direction by the conveyor device;
Moving the alignment member to the second position by the drive unit;
Moving the end surfaces of the plurality of substrates to the alignment end surface of the alignment member by moving the plurality of substrates to the second side in the transport direction by the conveyor device;
The substrate alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate processing apparatus further includes a substrate holding unit that fixes the positions of the plurality of substrates by holding the plurality of substrates on the transport surface.
The substrate alignment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller further executes the step of fixing the positions of the plurality of substrates by holding the plurality of substrates on the transport surface.

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