JP3395092B2 - Color filter inspection device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color filter inspection device for visually inspecting a color filter used in a color liquid crystal display device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A transparent substrate such as glass or plastic is provided with a colored layer such as a resin or a vapor deposition film colored with a dye or a pigment,
A color filter with a transparent electrode formed on this is
A color liquid crystal display device in which a certain gap is provided with a substrate on which T or a transparent electrode is formed, and a twisted nematic liquid crystal or the like is enclosed in the gap is widely used in televisions, laptop personal computers, and the like.

The color filter used here has a light-shielding layer (black matrix) for partitioning adjacent pixels and improving the contrast of a display image on a transparent substrate, which is not formed on a resin or resin relief in which chrome or a black pigment is dispersed. A method in which a resin layer is formed by applying electrolytic plating, and then a colored layer is formed by exposing and developing a photosensitive resin, and the resin relief is sequentially dyed with dyes of each color (dyeing method). The resin is formed by patterning by photolithography (pigment dispersion method), the color ink is transferred by intaglio offset, and the ink layer is cured by heat (printing method). Provided with a transparent protective film that improves resistance, chemical resistance, etc.
In the case of the active matrix method by depositing or sputtering ITO etc., the common electrode, ST
In the case of the N method, a striped electrode is formed to obtain a color filter substrate on which a color filter for one surface or a multi-sided color filter is formed, and then cut into a desired size if necessary. Are manufactured.

As described above, the manufacture of the color filter requires a great number of steps, but various defects which adversely affect the subsequent cell assembling step and the quality of the final color liquid crystal display device occur. There is. For example, the following may be mentioned. (1) Protrusion defect: Caused by foreign substances mixed in the coloring material, ink, etc., or foreign substances mixed in when applying these materials, because the cell gap of the liquid crystal cell becomes uneven at the protrusions. Adversely affect the image. (2) Dirt: Adhesion such as reattachment of the removed portion of the photosensitive resin during development, stain due to poor cleaning, and uneven drying. (3) Scratches: There are scratches on the surface where the colored layer and the transparent electrode are formed (hereinafter referred to as the film surface) and scratches on the glass substrate on the back surface. (4) Unevenness: uneven application of coloring material or uneven dyeing. (5) White spots: Missing colored layer. For example, when the colored photosensitive resin is exposed and then developed, chipping may occur. (6) Defective light-shielding film: defective black matrix. For example, when a chrome film is formed on a substrate, a positive resist is applied and mask exposure is performed, and foreign matter adheres to the mask, the chrome remains in the portion where the chrome film should be removed as a black defect. It is also called a chrome defect. (7) ITO defect: crack or chip of transparent electrode. Or the film thickness is not uniform (it can be identified by looking at the interference color). It may cause cracks and cracks in the heating process of the cell assembly and the like.

[0005]

As a method for inspecting such defects, an operator holds each color filter substrate one by one and uses it for illumination of a floodlight or the like using a halogen lamp or a metal halide lamp. On the other hand, the present condition is to rely solely on the method of visually recognizing defects by using reflected light or transmitted light while changing the angle of the color filter substrate, and the defect inspection process is carried out by complicated manual work. Defects such as scratches and stains were generated.

As a device for performing visual inspection, there is an inspection device for a TFT (thin film transistor) substrate used in a liquid crystal display device, but only a TFT formation surface is subjected to reflection inspection by dark field illumination using a projector such as a halogen light. Since it is a device of the above, when it is used for the inspection of the color filter substrate, in addition to unevenness, white spots, defective light shielding layer, etc., defects such as scratches, stains, glass breakage, etc. occurring on the back surface of the color filter substrate However, there is a problem that there is no visual inspection device that can inspect defects that cannot be detected only by such a reflection inspection of the color filter film surface.

Further, in such a visual inspection apparatus, for one inspection stage (that is, one worker), the inspection object is conveyed from the cassette storing the inspection object to the stage, and the inspection object is inspected after the inspection. There is a combination of a transfer robot that carries out the stage from the stage to the cassette, but the inspected object is taken out from the stage and placed in the cassette that stores the inspected object, and then the uninspected object is placed. There is a problem that a sequence of going to pick up, transporting it, and mounting it on a stage is required, and a waiting time when the object to be inspected is exchanged becomes very long, resulting in low inspection efficiency.

Further, since it takes a relatively long time to inspect many defects such as a color filter, allocating one transfer robot to one worker makes the robot play for a long time. Therefore, there is a problem that the efficiency in terms of cost and space is poor.

As another problem, whether the color filter is manually inspected or visually inspected, a line inspection is performed in each manufacturing process before such final inspection. Although a rough process inspection for common defects etc. is performed using a device etc., the means for transmitting the result of the process inspection to the final inspection process is to mark the position directly on the back surface of the color filter, etc. The method of is adopted. For this reason, even if the defect level of the color filter substrate as a whole clearly exceeds the allowable value, the operator must take out the color filter substrate and inspect it to confirm the defect. Even if the defect level of only some of the color filters in the multi-sided color filter substrate clearly exceeds the allowable value, the worker should check all the color filters multi-sided on the color filter substrate. It was necessary to confirm the defect level.

First of the color filter inspection apparatus of the present invention
The purpose of is to make it possible to detect defects that cannot be detected only by the film surface reflection inspection, and the second purpose is to automate the transfer of the color filter substrate and speed it up in addition to the first purpose. The third purpose is to realize space saving and cost reduction in addition to the first or second purpose, and the fourth purpose is to clearly reduce defects in addition to the first to third purposes. The purpose of the present invention is to improve the inspection efficiency by automatically and easily identifying and omitting the inspection of the color filter to be removed as the fifth objective. It is an object of the present invention to provide a color filter inspection device having a function of providing defect information that facilitates selection.

[0011]

The first invention of the present application for solving the above-mentioned problems is a color filter inspection device for visually inspecting a defect of a color filter substrate having at least a colored layer formed on the substrate. Wherein, with respect to the stage that holds the color filter substrate in a reversible manner, the color filter substrate is colored so that the surface on which the colored layer is formed faces the operator. When holding the color filter substrate so that the light source for transmission inspection that irradiates light from the back side of the surface on which the layer is formed and the back surface of the surface on which the colored layer is formed face the worker, A backside reflection inspection light source for irradiating the backside with light from a person side is disposed, and the color filter inspection device is provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a first arm for transporting an uninspected color filter substrate from a cassette accommodating a plurality of uninspected color filter substrates to a stage and a plurality of inspected color filter substrates can be accommodated from the stage. The second arm for transporting the inspected color filter substrate to a different cassette is equipped with a substrate transport robot mounted on a rotatable support, and the first arm holds the uninspected color filter substrate and stands by. 2. The color filter inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second arm pulls out the inspected color filter substrate, and immediately after that, the first arm conveys the uninspected color filter substrate to the stage.

A third invention of the present application comprises two sets of stages on which a light source for back surface reflection and a light source for transmission inspection are arranged, the two sets of stages, a cassette accommodating an uninspected color filter substrate, and an inspected color filter. 3. The color filter inspecting device according to claim 1, wherein a cassette capable of accommodating the substrate is arranged around the substrate transfer robot, and the substrate transfer robot is shared by two sets of stages. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a substrate number corresponding to each color filter substrate in the cassette corresponding to optical reading information provided for each cassette containing a plurality of untested color filter substrates, Data storage means for storing defect level information up to the previous process corresponding to the board number, optical reading means for reading optical reading information provided in the cassette, and the board according to the read optical reading information The defect level information corresponding to the number is read, and the defect level of the entire color filter substrate in the defect level information for each color filter substrate and the defect level in each area obtained by dividing the color filter substrate into a predetermined area have a predetermined allowable value. If the overall defect level exceeds the allowable value, the If the number of the color filter substrate is not transferred to the stage, and if it is within the allowable value, the color filter substrate corresponding to the substrate number is transferred to the stage by the transfer robot, and the color filter substrate in the stage is transferred to the stage. When the defect level of any of the divided areas exceeds the allowable value, the control means for displaying the position of the divided area and the position of the divided area having the defective level exceeding the allowable value are displayed. claims 1, characterized in that a display means for to three
It is the color filter inspection device described in any one of the above.

The fifth aspect of the present invention comprises means for inputting the defect level information and means for updating the defect level information up to the previous process stored in the data storage means by the input defect level information. The color filter inspection device according to claim 4.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the cassette in which the uninspected color filter substrate is stored and the cassette in which the inspected color filter substrate can be stored are the same cassette . One of
It is the color filter inspection device described in No. 2.

[0017]

The present inventors have found that in order to detect all the defects of the above-mentioned color filter, the following three kinds of inspection methods are necessary. (1) Defects on the film surface, dirt, scratches, defective ITO,
Broken glass → Reflection inspection on the film surface (film surface reflection inspection) (2) Scratches and dirt on the back surface, glass breakage → Reflection inspection on the back surface (back surface reflection inspection) (3) Unevenness, white spots, defective light shielding film, dirt , Scratches → transmitted light inspection with light incident from the back surface (transmission inspection) Of these, the defects corresponding to (2) and (3) are
No visual inspection device was proposed. Therefore, in the first invention of the present application, a stage capable of holding the front and back of the color filter substrate in a reversible manner is provided,
A light source that emits inspection light from the surface (back surface) opposite to the film surface when the color filter substrate is held with the surface (film surface) on which the colored layer or transparent electrode is formed facing toward the operator. Since it is arranged, the transmission inspection can be performed, and when the back side is held toward the worker side, the light source that irradiates the back side with the inspection light from the upper side or the worker side is arranged, so the back surface reflection inspection is possible. It is possible to perform visual inspection for all defects that fall under (2) and (3) above.

In the second invention of the present application, two arms of the substrate transfer robot are provided, one is dedicated to the transfer of the uninspected color filter substrate and the other is dedicated to the transfer of the inspected substrate to hold the uninspected substrate. In this state, the inspected substrate can be unloaded from the stage in the standby state, and the uninspected substrate can be loaded into the stage immediately afterwards, so the waiting time associated with substrate exchange in automatic substrate transfer can be shortened. You can

In the third invention of the present application, since two substrate transfer robots are shared by two sets of stages (two workers), the idle time of the substrate transfer robot is reduced,
It is possible to reduce the cost of the inspection device and save space.

In the fourth invention of the present application, the defect level information in the previous step is read to determine whether the defect level exceeds the allowable value. If the defect level exceeds the allowable value, it is transferred to the stage of the color filter substrate. By skipping the inspection without transporting the defective parts, or by displaying the defective part, the operator is notified that the defective part may be skipped. Can be improved.

In the fifth invention of the present application, the defect level information of the previous process can be updated based on the inspection result. Therefore, by using this information in the subsequent defect selection process, the efficiency of defect selection can be improved. Automation is possible.

In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the cassette in which the uninspected color filter substrate is stored and the cassette in which the inspected color filter substrate can be stored are the same cassette, and the cassette is inspected at the position where the uninspected color filter is removed. By returning the completed color filter substrate, the inspection device can be made more compact.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a perspective view conceptually showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In order to avoid a complicated description, a mechanism for holding the color filter substrate and a mechanism for reversing the stage are omitted in FIG. 1, which will be described later. In FIG. 1, when the color filter inspection apparatus 1 holds the colored layer 11 of the color filter substrate 10 toward the operator side indicated by the arrow, with respect to the stage 2 for holding the color filter substrate 10, The back surface 1 of the surface 12 (front side in the figure) on which the colored layer 11 and the transparent electrode of the color filter substrate 10 are formed.
The light source 4 for transmission inspection, which irradiates light from the 3 side, and the color filter substrate 10, the surface 12 on which the colored layer 11 is formed.
When the back surface 13 is held toward the worker side, the back surface reflection inspection light source 5 is arranged to irradiate the back surface with light from above or from the worker side.

Stage 2 is, in this embodiment, xx '.
A substrate holding plate 15 rotatable about the yy ′ axis is attached to an arm 14 rotatable about an axis, and the color filter substrate 10 can be held by a substrate holder (not shown) provided on the substrate holding plate 15. Is configured as follows. Therefore, the stage 2 is the color filter substrate 1
It has a biaxial rotation mechanism so that 0 can be rotated. In the present invention, it suffices if the front and back of the color filter substrate can be reversed, for example, it can rotate on either the xx ′ axis or the yy ′ axis. It is preferable to make it possible to adjust the angle of the color filter substrate and obtain the illumination condition in which the operator can most easily detect the defect.

As the light source 4 for transmission inspection, it is preferable to irradiate light from a fluorescent lamp or the like through a white diffusion plate, and a so-called color viewer or a surface using a light guide path, a light guide plate or the like for the light of the fluorescent lamp. A light source, a surface light source using EL, or the like can be used. It is preferable to use an area of the transmission inspection light source 4 that is large enough to inspect the end portion of the color filter substrate 10. The transmission inspection light source 4 is used when the front and back of the color filter substrate are reversed.
If it is necessary to provide it at a position where it does not interfere with the stage 2, or if it is necessary to further improve the brightness of the illumination, it is necessary to provide a mechanism that retracts to the rear part when the stage rotates and approaches the color filter substrate 10 during the transmission inspection. There is.

A light projector using a halogen lamp or the like is used as the light source 5 for the back surface reflection inspection, and the back surface of the color filter substrate 10 with the back surface 13 facing the operator with the color filter substrate 10 inverted. It is installed above the stage 2 so as to be able to illuminate 13 or near the position of the eyes (head) of the operator as necessary.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a mode of visual inspection of a color filter substrate using the color filter inspection apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 (a) shows a transmission inspection, and FIG.
(B) has each shown the back surface reflection inspection. Figure 2
In (a), when performing the transmission inspection of the color filter substrate 10, the color filter substrate 10 is held by the stage 2 in a state of being inclined with respect to the operator with the film surface 12 facing upward. Inspection light emitted from the color filter substrate 4 (color viewer) passes through the transparent substrate from the back surface 13 of the color filter substrate 10, and the film surface 1
2 is transmitted through the colored layer 11 and the transparent electrode and is visually recognized by an operator who is observing the color filter substrate 10 from diagonally above. For example, when stains 22 are attached to the film surface 12, transmitted light Is recognized as a defect by weakening.
Here, the transmission inspection light source 4 is retracted rearward (on the left side in the drawing) so as not to hinder the rotation of the stage 2 when not in use. Configured to move forward.

In FIG. 2B, when inspecting the back surface 13 of the color filter substrate 10 on which the colored layer is not formed, the color filter substrate 10 is inverted from the above-described state of the transmission inspection by the stage 2 and the operator Is held in an inclined state with the back surface 13 facing up,
The entire back surface 13 is illuminated by the inspection light emitted from the back surface inspection light source 5 arranged above the operator. In this state, the worker 20 observes the back surface 13 of the color filter substrate 10 from diagonally above and inspects for defects. The light source used for these various inspections may be switched by providing a "transmission" switch and a "rear surface reflection" switch on the operation panel and operating the operator.

FIG. 3 shows the stage 2 in the first embodiment.
It is a perspective view explaining the detail of. Stage 2 is x-
A substrate holding plate 15 rotatable about the y-y 'axis is attached to the arm 14 rotatable about the x'-axis, and the substrate holding plate 15 is provided with an opening so as to face the color filter substrate 10. In order to hold the two sides, two substrate holders 31 that are attachable to and detachable from the color filter substrate 10 are provided toward the inside of the opening, two groups per side. The tip of the substrate holder 31 has a V-groove shape, and the contact area with the color filter substrate 10 is made as small as possible to prevent the occurrence of contamination and the like. The substrate holding plate 15 is rotated by the power of the pulse motor 33 transmitted by a belt 35 that connects the gear 32 provided at one end of the rotation shaft to the gear 34 attached to the pulse motor 33, and the color filter substrate 10 is rotated. Is reversed and a small angle is adjusted. Also,
The arm 14 is also provided with a gear 36 at one end of its rotation shaft, and is rotated by transmitting power from a motor (not shown) through a belt 37. These rotations are performed by the operator operating a switch or joystick provided on the operation panel to transmit a control signal to the motor, and in particular, inversion of the color filter substrate 10 is performed.
If a reversing switch is provided so that the reversing switch is operated to automatically reverse the reversing switch, workability is improved.

The transfer of the color filter substrate to the stage 2 is preferably performed by a substrate transfer robot. In FIG. 3, the substrate transfer robot 41 is a substrate holding chuck 44,
A first arm 42 and a second arm 43, which are provided with 45 and are extendable and retractable in the front-rear direction, are attached vertically with a predetermined interval, and both the first arm 42 and the second arm can move up and down and can swivel. , Is mounted on a support base (not shown). Suction holes 46 for vacuum-sucking the color filter substrate 10 are provided on the upper surfaces of the substrate holding chucks 44 and 45. The operation of the substrate transfer robot will be described in detail in the second embodiment.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 4 is a plan view conceptually showing the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, a color filter inspection device 101
Centering around the turning axis of the substrate transfer robot 141, a cassette 150 that can store a plurality of untested color filter substrates, a cassette 151 that stores inspected color filter substrates, and a stage 102 are arranged. In the transfer robot 141, two robot arms, which can be extended and retracted forward and backward, are mounted on a support base 147 that can be swung and can be raised and lowered at a predetermined interval with the first arm 142 as the upper side and the second arm 143 as the lower side. Each arm is provided with a substrate holding chuck 144, 145 at the tip thereof, and the color filter substrate 10 is attached by vacuum suction.
Is chucked and conveyed. Also,
The transmission inspection light source 4 and the back surface reflection inspection light source 5 are arranged on the stage 102 as in the first embodiment.

An example of the operation of the substrate transfer robot 141 when the color filter substrate 10 is transferred is shown below. Here, the position of the substrate holding chuck of each arm is
A: position of uninspected color filter substrate cassette 150, B: standby position retracted from uninspected color filter substrate cassette 150, C: position of inspected color filter substrate cassette 151, D: retracted from uninspected color filter substrate cassette 151 The standby position is indicated by E, the position of the stage 102 is indicated by E, and the standby position retracted from the stage 102 is indicated by F. Step 1st arm 2nd arm (1) Initial state B Initial state B (2) Ascending B Ascending B (3) Stopping B Forwarding A (4) Ascending B Ascending A (5) Stopping B Uninspected substrate chuck A (6) Ascending B Ascending A (7) Stopping B Retreating B (8) Descent B descending B (9) Turning F Turning F (10) Forward E Stopping F (11) Ascending E Ascending F (12) On-stage tested E Stopping F Chuck the board (13) Down E Down F (14) Backward F Forward E (15) Up F F Up E (16) Stop F Place the uninspected board on the stage E. (17) Down F Down E (18) Stop F Backward F (19) Swing D Swing D (20) Up D Swing D (21) Forward C Stop D (22) Down C Down D (23) C Stop D Enter (24) Ascend C Ascend D (25) Retreat D Stop D (26) Turn (to initial state) B Turn (to initial state) B In the above operation, from step 19 to the next step 9 Is performed during the inspection on the stage, and from step 10 to step 17, the inspection on the stage is stopped because the color filter substrate is replaced. The retreat of the inspected color filter substrate by the first arm from step 10 to step 14 is performed in a standby state with the uninspected color filter held by the second arm, so that it starts at the same time as the retreat of the first arm. Loading of the uninspected color filter on the stage by the second arm (steps 14 to 18) can be performed very quickly, and the time loss associated with substrate replacement can be reduced. In this embodiment, the first arm is exclusively used for exiting the inspected color filter substrate, and the second arm is exclusively used for mounting the uninspected color filter substrate, but it is of course possible to use these interchangeably. is there. Also,
The case where the uninspected color filter substrate cassette 150 and the inspected color filter cassette 151 are separate bodies has been described, but these are regarded as the same cassette, and the uninspected color filter substrate in the cassette is removed at the position where
If the same color filter substrate is returned after the inspection is completed, the device can be made compact, which is effective in saving space.

Third Embodiment FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the color filter inspection apparatus 201 includes a cassette 250 capable of accommodating a plurality of uninspected color filter substrates, centering on the turning axis of the substrate transfer robot 241.
Cassette 25 for storing the inspected color filter substrate
One or two sets of stages 202 and 202a are arranged. Since the configuration of the transfer robot 241 is the same as that of the second embodiment, its explanation is omitted. Transfer robot 241
Is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, but the color filter inspection device has two sets of stages 202, 202.
In addition, a "board exchange" switch is provided on the operation panel used by each worker so that the inspection can be performed by two workers, and the operator who has issued the signal for requesting the substrate exchange by pressing the switch first Substrate exchange is performed on the stage.
By thus sharing the transfer robot between the two sets of stages, even during the inspection of the color filter substrate, which takes a relatively long time, the transfer robot is less likely to play, and the space and cost of the device can be saved. Is also effective. Further, the uninspected color filter substrate cassette 250 and the inspected color filter substrate cassette 251 may be the same cassette.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a color filter substrate transport control system for explaining a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the conveyance control system 300 includes an optical reading unit 360,
Data storage means 370, control means 380, display means 39
The control means 380 stores a program executed by a central control unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 381, an optical reading means control circuit 382, a transfer robot control circuit 383, a display means control circuit 384, and a CPU 381. The optical reading means 360 is connected to the CPU 31 via the optical reading means control circuit 382, and the display means 39 is included.
0 is connected to the CPU 381 via the display control circuit 384, and the external transfer robot 341 is connected to the CPU 381 via the transfer robot control circuit 383. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure realized by executing the program stored in the program memory 385 by the CPU 381.

The optical reading means 360 is for optical reading of a bar code or the like provided in an uninspected color filter substrate cassette 350 that contains a plurality of uninspected color filter substrates that have been conveyed to the color filter inspection device. The information 361 is read, and various line sensors and hologram scanners can be used.
The optical reading unit 360 is connected to a central controller 381 (hereinafter referred to as CPU) in the control unit 380 via an optical reading unit control circuit 382, and the uninspected color filter substrate cassette 350 is mounted at a predetermined position. Then, the reading of the optical reading information 361 attached to the cassette 350 is started. (S1) Further, the CPU 381 is connected to the data storage means 370, and the data storage means 370 includes a server 375 including a host computer that controls the color filter production line and a LAN (Local Area Ne).
The CPU 381 reads information (cassette information) about the cassette 350 corresponding to the read optical reading information 361 and stores the information in the data storage unit 370. (S2) The cassette information is information about each color filter substrate stored in the cassette 350, and the substrate number, the substrate size, and the product type that indicate which substrate in the cassette the color filter substrate is. ,Lot number,
The defect level information is related to the defects found in the previous process.The defect level information includes information such as the type, degree, and quantity of defects in the entire color filter substrate, and the color filter substrate divided into predetermined areas. Information such as the type, degree, and quantity of defects in the area is included. In this example,
When a plurality of color filters are attached to one substrate in a multi-faceted manner, it is divided into regions corresponding to the respective multi-faceted color filters, and the type, degree of defects in each region,
It contains a number of information.

Next, the CPU 381 first determines from the first color filter substrate (substrate number 1) whether or not the defect level information of the color filter substrate is within the range of the required specifications. Specifically, this determination process is performed in two stages. For example, taking the case of processing the n-th (filter number n) color filter substrate in the cassette 350 as an example, in the determination process of the first stage, the degree of defect or the defect of the entire color filter substrate of the substrate number n. Whether or not the number is within the range of a predetermined preset allowable value is determined according to the type of defect. (S3) In the first-stage determination, if the defect level is within the allowable range, then the second-stage determination processing is performed in S4. When the defect level exceeds the allowable value, the color filter substrate of the substrate number n is not transported to the stage, and the transport robot 341 is driven to transport the color filter substrate to the inspected color filter cassette and store it. Perform (S5), then the board number (n +
The procedure moves to the first-stage determination processing for 1).

In the second-stage judgment processing, for each area divided into a predetermined area in the color filter substrate of the substrate number n, the degree of defects contained in the area or the number of defects is within a predetermined allowable range. It is determined whether or not it is within the range according to the type of defect. (S6) Here, it is assumed that the color filter substrate of substrate number n has four color filters attached thereto and is divided into regions A, B, C, and D corresponding to the respective color filters. For each of A, B, C, and D, it is determined whether the degree of defects or the number of defects is within a range of a predetermined allowable value. (S7) When the defect levels in all the areas are within the allowable range, the CPU 381 drives the transfer robot 341 by the transfer robot control circuit 383 to drive the cassette 350.
The color filter substrate with the substrate number n in the inside is taken out from the cassette and made to stand by (S8), and the operator operates the operation panel 4
The color filter substrate is placed on the stage after waiting for a signal from 00 to request placing the substrate on the stage (S9). (S10) Further, for example, when only the number of defects in the area A exceeds the allowable value and the defects in the areas B, C, and D are within the allowable value range, the CPU 381 causes the transfer robot control circuit 383 to cause the transfer robot to operate. 341 is driven to take out the color filter substrate of the substrate number n in the cassette 350 from the cassette and make it stand by (S11).
Waiting for a signal requesting that the substrate be mounted on the stage from 0 (S12), the color filter substrate is mounted on the stage (S14), and the display means control circuit 384 displays a liquid crystal display or the like. The position corresponding to the area A on the means 390 is displayed. (S
13) With this, the operator can confirm that the area A of the color filter substrate is already defective and does not need to be inspected.

The color filter substrate placed on the stage was visually inspected as described above, and defect level information such as the type, degree, and quantity of defects newly found here was recorded on the operation panel. Input from the input device to add and update the cassette information in the data storage means 370. (S15, S16) Next, the board number (n +
The process shifts to 1). In this way, the cassette 35
When the processing is repeated for all the color filter substrates in 0 (S17), the updated cassette information is saved in the virtual disk of the server 375 or the information recording medium of the communication personal computer. (S18)

In this embodiment, all defective color filter substrates are also transported to the inspected cassette and sent from the inspection step to the next defect selection step. The non-defective product and the defective product in the defect selection process can be sorted without human intervention by using a sorting robot that operates based on the updated cassette information.

[0040]

The color filter inspection apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention enables visual inspection of various defects that could not be detected by the conventional film surface reflection inspection alone, without complicated manual work. In addition to the effect of the first invention, the color filter inspection device of the second invention of the present application can automate the transfer of the color filter substrate and can speed it up. The color filter inspection device of the third invention of the present application can realize space saving and cost reduction in addition to the effects of the first or second invention. In addition to the effects of the first to third inventions, the color filter inspection device of the fourth invention of the present application improves the inspection efficiency by automatically and easily identifying and omitting the inspection of the color filter to be removed as a defect obviously. can do. In addition to the effects of the first to fourth inventions, the color filter inspection device of the fifth invention of the present application can provide defect information that facilitates defect selection in a subsequent process. The color filter inspection device of the sixth invention of the present application can realize space saving of the device in addition to the effects of the second to fifth inventions.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view conceptually showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a mode of visual inspection using the inspection device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating details of a stage in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view conceptually showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a transfer control system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a program executed in a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 101, 201 Color filter inspection device 2, 102, 202, 202a Stage 4 Light source for transmission inspection 5 Light source for backside reflection inspection 10 Color filter substrate 11 Color layer 12 Film surface (surface on which the color layer is formed) 13 Back surface ( Rear surface of the surface on which the colored layer is formed) 14 Arm 15 Substrate holding plate 20 Worker 31 Substrate holder 41, 141, 241 Substrate transfer robot 42, 142 First arm 43, 143 Second arm 44, 45, 144, 145 Substrate holding chuck 147 Supports 150, 250, 350 Uninspected color filter substrate storage cassettes 151, 251 Inspected color filter substrate storage cassette 300 Transport control system 360 Optical reading means 361 Optical reading information 370 Data storage means 375 Server (upper computer ) 376 LAN 380 control means 381 CPU 382 optical reading means control circuit 383 transfer robot control circuit 384 display means control circuit 385 program memory 390 display means 400 operation panel

Front page continuation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 21/84 G01N 21/896 G01M 11/00 G02B 5/20 101

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A color filter inspecting apparatus for visually inspecting a color filter substrate having at least a colored layer formed on the substrate for defects, which comprises: A light source for transmission inspection that irradiates light from the back side of the surface on which the colored layer is formed, when the color filter substrate is held so that the surface on which the colored layer is formed faces the operator side. When the color filter substrate is held so that the back surface of the surface on which the colored layer is formed faces the operator side, a back surface reflection inspection light source that irradiates the back surface from above or from the worker side is arranged. A color filter inspection device characterized in that 2. A first arm for transporting an uninspected color filter substrate from a cassette accommodating a plurality of uninspected color filter substrates to a stage, and an inspected cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of inspected color filter substrates from the stage. The second arm for transporting the color filter substrate is equipped with a substrate transport robot mounted on a swivelable support, and the first arm holds the uninspected color filter substrate and stands by while the second arm moves. 2. The color filter inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the inspected color filter substrate is taken out, and immediately after that, the first arm conveys the uninspected color filter substrate to the stage. 3. A stage comprising two sets of a light source for transmission inspection and a light source for backside reflection is provided, and a cassette containing the two sets of stages, an uninspected color filter substrate and an inspected color filter substrate can be stored. The color filter inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cassette is arranged around the substrate transfer robot, and the substrate transfer robot is shared by two sets of stages. 4. A substrate number corresponding to each color filter substrate in the cassette corresponding to optical reading information provided for each cassette containing a plurality of untested color filter substrates, and a corresponding substrate number. The data storage means for storing the defect level information up to the preceding step, the optical reading means for reading the optical reading information provided in the cassette, and the one corresponding to the substrate number according to the read optical reading information. Read the defect level information, and the defect level of the entire color filter substrate in the defect level information for each color filter substrate,
It is judged whether the defect level in each area where the color filter substrate is divided into a predetermined area exceeds a predetermined allowable value. If the overall defect level exceeds the allowable value, the color filter of the substrate number If the substrate is not transported to the stage and it is within the allowable value, the color filter substrate corresponding to that substrate number is transported to the stage by the transport robot, and one of the above-mentioned sections in the color filter substrate transported to the stage is transported. Control means for displaying the position of the divided area when the defective level of the area exceeds the allowable value, and display means for displaying the position of the divided area having the defective level exceeding the allowable value. The color filter inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising: 5. A means for inputting defect level information, and means for updating the defect level information up to the previous process stored in the data storage means by the inputted defect level information. Item 4. The color filter inspection device according to item 4. One either wherein to the claims 2, characterized in that untested color filter substrate capable of accommodating the inspected color filter substrate and housed cassette cassette identical cassette 5 the color filter inspection apparatus according to.