JP2868653B2 - Substrate support rod and substrate cassette using the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate cassette for separating and supporting substrates such as glass substrates so as not to be in contact with each other, and a substrate support rod used for the cassette.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for plasma displays, ceramic substrates for hybrid ICs,
In the manufacturing process of various substrates such as a glass substrate for a thermal head, in order to process, process, wash, transport, and store the substrates, it is necessary to move the substrates into and out of a cassette without contacting each other.

Conventionally, as a substrate cassette for this purpose,
A cassette is used in which a pair of opposing side surfaces of a box-shaped frame are formed by grooved side plates so that substrates can be moved in and out of the corresponding grooves on both side plates and can be accommodated therein.

As a material of the cassette, for example, polyphenylene sulfide containing glass fiber, perfluoroalkoxy-substituted polytetrafluoroethylene, or the like is used. In addition, it has been proposed to use polyetheretherketone (JP-A-62-2473).
No. 23, JP-A-62-276849).

Although there are various shapes and designs of the grooved side plates, each of them basically has a shape in which a large number of rib-shaped shelf pieces protrude from the back wall portion of the side plate. The space between the adjacent rib-shaped shelf pieces becomes a groove, and the substrate enters and exits and is housed therein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a typical overall shape of a conventional box-shaped substrate cassette. (6) is a frame, (61) is a bottom frame, (62) is a ceiling frame, and (63) is a receiving frame as a stopper for receiving a substrate. (7), (7) are grooved side plates forming a pair of opposing side surfaces.

[0007] This substrate cassette is usually used with the opening side facing sideways when substrates are loaded and unloaded, and with the opening side facing upwards when transporting substrates.

[0008] Substrates can be automatically moved in and out of the cassette having the above structure by means such as running of a conveyor belt lifted from a gap in the bottom frame (61), operation of a shuttle arm from the opening side, and protrusion from behind by a pusher. It is performed manually, but may be performed manually by an operator.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-21586 (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No.
No. 9-19579), a first support member that rises at an appropriate angle is fixed on a base plate, and a rod is formed on the base plate near the lower end of the first support member at a right angle to the first support member. An ultra-thin sheet glass holding device having a structure in which a second support member is provided on the rod so as to be slidable up and down, and corresponding grooves are provided side by side on inner surfaces facing each other. Have been. This holding device,
In short, the two grooved support members are orthogonally arranged in an L-shape in a side view.

[0010]

As described above, the overall shape of the conventional substrate cassette is box-shaped, and the substrates are moved in and out while rubbing against the grooves of the grooved side plates (6) opposed to each other. Also, the shelf surface was scraped off by friction with the substrate to generate cutting chips, and the cutting chips sometimes adhered to the substrate and had an adverse effect.

The box-shaped substrate cassette is immersed in a liquid tank for washing or washing with a large number of substrates inserted and accommodated therein. However, the cassette itself has a complicated shape.
When the cassette is pulled out of the liquid, the liquid runs out poorly, and there is a problem that the next step is adversely affected.

In the ultra-thin glass holding apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-21586, since two support members are arranged in an L-shape, the operation of moving the substrate in and out is greatly improved and the liquid is drained. There is an advantage that the property is also improved.

However, even in this holding device,
The structure is not necessarily simple in terms of the installation of base plates, rods, grooves, etc., the friction between the grooves provided on both support members and the end faces of the substrate cannot be ignored, and the suspension of cassettes on which substrates are set. There are problems that it is difficult to carry out the lowering transfer and that there is room for further improving the liquid drainage.

The present invention employs an L-shaped structure,
An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cassette and a substrate support rod used for the same, which have solved problems such as ease of assembly, reduction of a contact area with a substrate end face, improvement of liquid drainage, and ease of suspension transfer. It is.

[0015]

The substrate support rod of the present invention comprises:
It has a structure in which a metal rod (3) is inserted into a through-hole of a resin rod (2) having a through-hole in the axial direction, and the rod (2) is formed into a dorsal fin shape from its base (21). The overhang (22) has a protruding shape, and its base (21) has grooves at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction.
(21a) and grooves (22a) at a predetermined pitch on the overhang (22).
Is provided.

Further, in the substrate cassette of the present invention, the L-shaped frames (1), (1) in which the substrate support rods (4) are arranged to face each other.
A predetermined number is provided between them.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

The substrate support rod of the present invention has a structure in which a metal rod (3) is inserted into a through hole of a resin rod (2) having a through hole in the axial direction.

The diameter of the through hole and the outer diameter of the metal rod (3)
(3) Set so as to enter the through hole as tightly as possible. At the time of insertion, a method in which the rod (2) is heated and the metal rod (3) is pressed into the through-hole is preferably adopted. As the metal rod (3), a material having corrosion resistance such as SUS is preferably used.

Examples of the resin for the rod (2) include polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy-substituted polytetrafluoroethylene, polyimide, polyetherimide, polyamideimide, polyetheretherketone,
A moldable resin having the required properties (strength, heat resistance, solvent resistance, acid / alkali resistance, etc.), such as polyphenylene sulfide, polyarylate, polysulfone, polyallylsulfone, polyethersulfone, etc., is selected. Ethylene is important.

The rod (2) has a shape in which a protruding portion (22) protrudes in a dorsal fin shape from its base (21). The cross-sectional shape of the base (21) can be circular, oval, oval, or the like. The overhanging portion (22) is often provided on one bar (2), but may be provided on two or more bars. Base of rod (2)
In (21), grooves (21a) are provided at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, and overhangs (22) are also provided with grooves (22a) at a predetermined pitch. These grooves (21a) and (22a) are desirably tapered such that they become narrower toward the base end as shown in FIG. 2 (b), whereby the substrate (B) is stably supported.

Substrate cassette

In the substrate cassette of the present invention, a predetermined number of the substrate support rods (4) are provided between the L-shaped frames (1) and (1) arranged opposite to each other. The number of substrate support rods (4) to be installed is arbitrary as long as it is three or more.

Since the L-shaped frames (1) and (1) play a role of a structural material of the cassette, they are preferably made of metal, and usually stainless steel is used in consideration of corrosion resistance.

The L-shaped frame (1) has a seat (1a) and a back (1).
b), and the angle between the seat (1a) and the back (1b) is usually set to 90 °. The connection between the seat (1a) and the back (1b) may be of a fixed type or may be foldable. The seat portion (1a) of the L-shaped frame (1) is made higher at the free end side than at the base end side so that the substrate is stabilized when the substrate is set.

The free end of the seat (1a) and the free end of the back (1b) of the L-shaped frame (1) and, if necessary, the base of the seat (1a) or the back (1b). Preferably, a handle (5) is provided. The material of the handle (5) is also usually stainless steel.

Various substrates such as a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a metal core substrate, a composite substrate, and a silicon substrate are used as the substrate accommodated in the cassette having the above structure.

[0028]

The substrate cassette of the present invention is basically different in shape from the box-shaped substrate cassette generally used in the past.
In addition, the use of a substrate support rod has resulted in the use of
It is also fundamentally different from the L-shaped ultra-thin glass holding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.

In assembling the substrate cassette of the present invention, a predetermined number of substrate support rods (4) may be provided between the L-shaped frames (1) and (1) and fastened to screws or the like.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the groove (21a) of the base (21) of the rod (2) is oriented upward in the seat (1a), and the rod (2) is oriented in the back (1b). The groove (22a) of the overhang portion (22) may be oriented forward. Substrate support rods of the same shape (4)
In the seat (1a) where most of the force is applied, the base (21) of the rod (2) receives the substrate (B), and the back is applied with a small force. In (1b), one of the features of the present invention is that the overhanging portion (22) of the rod (2) can receive the substrate (B).

When the substrate (B) is set in the cassette, the substrate (B) is simply placed in the groove (21a) and the groove (22a), and rubbing when the substrate (B) is moved in and out hardly occurs.

Further, since the set substrate (B) is firmly supported on the two L-shaped surfaces, the accommodation substrate (B) which is inevitable in the conventional box-shaped cassette is less likely to rattle. The absence of rattling of the accommodated substrate (B) is extremely preferable in terms of preventing damage to the substrate (B) and generation of cutting chips due to friction between the substrate (B) and the cassette.

In addition, the L-shaped structure is suitable for substrates of various sizes.
Since (B) can be supported, it is not necessary to prepare a cassette suitable for each different size of the substrate (B) as in a conventional box-shaped substrate cassette. In addition, since the substrate (B) having a size exceeding the L-shaped frame (1) can be supported, the inspection of the substrate (B) becomes easy.

In the process of processing the substrate (B), the handles (5), (5) provided on the free end of the seat (1a) and the free end of the back (1b) of the L-shaped frames (1), (1) are used. In (5), the appropriate hanging means is locked, the cassette is hung, immersed in the liquid, taken out, and transferred to the next step. Since the adhering liquid flows down quickly,
The liquid drainage is extremely good.

The fact that the cassette is composed of two surfaces is as follows.
Compared to the conventional box-shaped substrate cassette, it means that the member cost and the assembly cost can be reduced, which is extremely advantageous also in terms of the manufacturing cost. 62-2158
Since a base plate and a rod are not required as in the ultra-thin glass holding apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-106, the manufacturing is significantly easier and the manufacturing cost is reduced despite the same L-shape.

[0035]

The present invention will be further described with reference to the following examples.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the substrate cassette of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an example of the substrate support rod (4), (a) is a side view, (b) is a partial front view, and (c) is a cross-sectional view.

Reference numeral (4) denotes a substrate support rod, which has a structure in which a metal rod (3) made of stainless steel is exactly inserted into a through hole of a rod (2) made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

The rod (2) is, as shown in FIG.
One overhang portion (22) protrudes in a dorsal fin shape from 1). The base (21) has grooves (21a) at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction.
The overhang portion (22) is also provided with a sine curve groove (22a) at a predetermined pitch. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the groove (21a) is tapered so that the base end becomes narrower, and its angle is set to 60 °. Similarly, the groove (22a) is also tapered so that the base end side becomes narrower, and its angle is also set to 60 °.

(1) and (1) are a pair of L-shaped frames made of SUS304. The angle between the seat (1a) and the back (1b) of the L-shaped frames (1) and (1) is 90 degrees. Set to ゜. One or both edges of the L-shaped frames (1), (1) are slightly bent to improve the structural strength.

The seat portion (1a) of the L-shaped frame (1) is gradually raised from its base end toward its free end. It is appropriate that the inclination angle is 5 to 10 °.

Reference numeral (11) denotes a cutout hole provided in the seat (1a) for reducing the weight of the L-shaped frame (1). (12) is a screw hole, and (13) is a screw.

The above-mentioned substrate support rod (4) is installed between the L-shaped frames (1) and (1) by screwing. In this case, in the seat (1a), the groove (21a) in the base (21) of the rod (2)
In the back (1b), the groove (22a) of the overhang portion (22) of the rod (2) is fastened so that the groove faces (22a) faces forward.

(5) is a handle, which is an L-shaped frame (1),
A total of three bridges are provided at the free end of the seat (1a), the free end of the back (1b), and the boundary between the seat (1a) and the back (1b).

The loading / unloading operation of the substrate (B) was performed using the substrate cassette assembled as shown in FIG. 1, but since the upper surface is open, the loading / unloading operation can be performed extremely easily.
In addition, no rubbing occurred at that time. Further, the accommodated substrate (B) did not rattle at all when the cassette was handled.

After accommodating a large number of substrates (B) in this cassette, suspending means (not shown) is replaced with L-shaped frames (1), (1).
The hooks (5), (5) provided on the free end side of the seat (1a) and the free end side of the back (1b)
Immersion and removal to the chemical tank, transfer to the primary washing tank, immersion, removal, transfer to the final washing tank, immersion, removal,
Transfer to the dryer was performed sequentially, but the attached liquid quickly flowed down, and the liquid drainage property was extremely preferable.

[0046]

As described in the section of operation, the substrate cassette of the present invention has good assemblability,
(B) Easy entry / exit operation, Substrate (B) Almost no rubbing when entering / exiting, Prevents looseness of stored substrate (B), Prevents damage to substrate (B), (B) to prevent the generation of cutting debris due to friction between the cassette and the cassette, to be able to handle substrates (B) with different dimensions freely with the same cassette, and to exceed the L-shaped frame (1). Can also support the substrate (B), the substrate (B)
It has various advantages, such as easy suspension in the process of (1), and extremely good drainage of the adhering liquid, and reduction in member costs and assembly costs.

Therefore, in comparison with a box-shaped substrate cassette generally used in the related art, a substrate cassette (an ultra-thin sheet glass holding device) in which two conventionally-supported grooved members are arranged in an L-shape. However, it is extremely advantageous.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a substrate cassette of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a substrate support rod (4).
(A) is a side view, (b) is a partial front view, (c)
Is a sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a typical overall shape of a conventional box-shaped substrate cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

(1) ... L-shaped frame, (1a) ... seat, (1b) ... back, (11)
… Notch hole, (12)… Screw hole, (13)… Screw, (2)… Bar, (21)… Base, (21a)… Groove, (22)… Overhang, (22a)…
Groove, (3)… metal bar, (4)… substrate support bar, (5)… handle,
(6)… frame, (61)… bottom frame, (62)… ceiling frame, (63)… receiving frame, (7)… grooved side plate, (B)
…substrate

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A resin rod body having a through hole in an axial direction.
A metal rod (3) inserted in the through hole of
(2) has a shape in which a projecting portion (22) protrudes in a dorsal fin shape from the base (21), and the base (21) is provided with grooves (21a) at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction. A substrate support rod in which grooves (22a) are also provided at a predetermined pitch on the protrusion (22). 2. A substrate cassette comprising a predetermined number of the substrate supporting rods (4) according to claim 1 disposed between opposed L-shaped frames (1), (1).