JP3832922B2 - Large board inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a large substrate inspection apparatus suitable for inspecting and observing a substrate such as a large liquid crystal substrate.
[Prior art]
In the manufacture of a large liquid crystal substrate, a defect inspection using a microscope apparatus is performed. In the conventional defect inspection, as shown in FIG. 7, the large-sized liquid crystal glass substrate 1 to be inspected is held in a horizontal state and the substrate 1 is inspected for defects. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 2 denotes a substrate storage unit that stores a plurality of substrates 1, 3 denotes a transfer unit that transfers the substrates 1 one by one, and 4 denotes an inspection unit that inspects the substrate 1, all of which are operated by the control unit 5 It is controlled.
[0003]
In the substrate storage unit 2, a cassette 7 is placed on the cassette table 6. The cassette 7 stores a plurality of stages of the substrates 1, and the substrates 1 are taken out one by one from the cassette 7 and inspected.
[0004]
The transfer unit 3 includes a transfer robot 8 having a transfer arm 8a. The transfer robot 8 moves up and down as indicated by an arrow A and rotates as indicated by an arrow B. Further, as indicated by an arrow C, the transfer arm 8 a moves back and forth in the horizontal direction, takes out a predetermined stage of the substrate 1 in the cassette 7, and supplies it to the inspection unit 4.
[0005]
The inspection unit 4 includes a Y stage 9 that is supported horizontally on a fixed base and moves in the Y direction (paper surface penetrating direction), and an X stage that is supported horizontally on the Y stage 9 and moves in the X direction (left and right direction). 10 and a sample holder 12 supported in a horizontal state on the X stage 10. The sample holder 12 has an opening for transmitted illumination light formed in the center, and an adsorption mechanism is provided around the opening to hold a glass substrate used for liquid crystal in a horizontal state by vacuum adsorption. Reference numeral 13 denotes a microscope apparatus that inspects the substrate held by the sample holder 12.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the liquid crystal substrate tends to increase in size from the viewpoint of increasing the size of the liquid crystal display used and improving the production efficiency. In the conventional inspection apparatus shown in FIG. 7, since the substrate 1 is supported on the XY stage 11 that moves in the horizontal direction, the area occupied by the movement of the XY stage needs to be four times or more that of the substrate 1. For this reason, a problem has arisen that the inspection apparatus is increased in size as the liquid crystal substrate to be inspected is increased in size. In addition, since the large-sized liquid crystal glass substrate 1 is supported horizontally, the center portion of the substrate 1 is bent by its own weight, which not only increases the distortion, but also generates vibration due to the downflow of clean air blown out from the ceiling. It becomes easy. For this reason, when the amount of bending of the glass substrate 1 becomes larger than the depth of focus of the microscope, a focus shift occurs at the time of inspection, and it becomes difficult to perform the inspection. descend.
[0007]
For this reason, the device of Japanese Patent Application No. 2-107700 describes an apparatus for inspecting a large substrate by tilting it. In this apparatus, by tilting the substrate, the amount of movement in the horizontal direction is reduced, the occupied area used for inspection is reduced, and distortion due to the weight of the substrate itself is eliminated, so that inspection can be performed satisfactorily. It has become.
[0008]
However, the structure shown in FIG. 7 in which the substrate stored horizontally in the storage unit 2 and taken out horizontally by the transfer unit 3 cannot be applied as it is to the above-described structure that is held and inspected in an inclined state. This is because the angle of the substrate must be changed in order to change the substrate from the horizontal state to the inclined state. Therefore, it is necessary to newly arrange such an angle conversion device between the transport unit 3 and the inspection unit, and a problem arises in that the occupied area increases due to the addition of a new device.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, adding a swing function to the sample holder, and changing a large substrate from a horizontal state to an inclined state without increasing the occupied area. An object of the present invention is to provide a large-sized substrate inspection apparatus that can be delivered.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a large substrate inspection apparatus comprising a large substrate stage mounted so as to be movable in at least one direction along an inclined surface of a base inclined backward. A sample holder that is swingably attached to the stage and holds a large substrate to be transferred, and a lock mechanism that engages with the sample holder to lock the swing of the holder and releases the lock by releasing the engagement. And a swing mechanism for applying a swinging force to the sample holder so that the sample holder swings between the support positions of the delivery position of the large substrate, and the large size is applied to the holder from the back side of the large substrate stage. The substrate is delivered.
[0011]
In this structure, when the lock mechanism locks the sample holder, the sample holder is inclined at the same angle as the base. Accordingly, the substrate held by the sample holder is also inclined, and inspection can be performed in this inclined state.
[0012]
On the other hand, when the lock mechanism releases the lock and the swing mechanism operates in the unlocked state, the sample holder rotates downward and swings to the delivery position of the large substrate. A large substrate is transferred to the sample holder in this state, and a new large substrate is held. Then, when the swing mechanism is actuated again, the sample holder swings upward, the lock mechanism is locked, and the large substrate is held in an inclined state.
[0013]
In such a structure, by swinging the sample holder to the rear of the stage, a substrate angle changing device for transferring and tilting the substrate in a horizontal state at the substrate inspection position becomes unnecessary. For this reason, a space can be reduced.
[0014]
The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the sample holder is swingably supported by a support shaft at the lower end portion in the inclined surface direction, and the swing mechanism applies a swing force to the support shaft or the sample holder, Thereby, since the sample holder rotates around the support shaft, the swing mechanism becomes simple and the structure can be simplified.
[0015]
According to a third aspect of the present invention , the lower end of the sample holder is rotatably supported by the stage, and the swing mechanism is configured such that the sample holder is placed between the large substrate transfer position and the stage support position. A guide roller that swingably guides is disposed behind the stage, and the sample holder swings along the guide roller to the delivery position of the large substrate and the support position of the stage in conjunction with the movement of the stage. The swinging mechanism swings the sample holder along the guide roller to the delivery position of the large substrate and the support position of the stage in conjunction with the movement of the stage. Is no longer necessary.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the large substrate inspection apparatus according to the second aspect, the swing mechanism is attached to the stage with a rotational drive source for rotating the support shaft forward and backward, and the sample holder is mounted on the support shaft. The sample holder is rocked by engaging and rotating the support shaft forward and backward by the rotational drive source.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the large-sized substrate inspection apparatus according to the second aspect, the swing mechanism includes a support roller that swings while rotating along the back surface of the sample holder, and a support roller provided at a tip portion. It is characterized by comprising an expansion / contraction member that expands and contracts in the vertical direction and applies a swinging force to the sample holder.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(Embodiment 1)
1 and 2 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an inspection apparatus for a large-sized liquid crystal substrate, and the same elements as those in FIG. That is, the inspection apparatus includes a substrate storage unit 2 and a transfer unit 3, and an inspection unit 20 including a large substrate stage is disposed on the downstream side of the transfer unit 3. The substrate storage unit 2, the transport unit 3, and the inspection unit 20 are controlled by the control unit 5.
[0017]
The substrate storage unit 2 includes a cassette 7 that stores a plurality of large substrates 1 such as a large liquid crystal glass substrate in a horizontal state, and a cassette table 6 on which the cassettes 7 are placed. The transfer unit 3 includes a transfer robot 8 that moves up and down as indicated by an arrow A and a rotation as indicated by an arrow B, and a transfer arm 8 a that is attached to the transfer robot 8 and moves forward and backward in the horizontal direction indicated by an arrow C.
[0018]
In the inspection unit 20, as shown in FIG. 2, a base 21 tilted rearward is supported by a mount 26, and a stage 22 is supported by the base 21. Accordingly, the stage 22 is inclined rearward similarly to the base 21. Further, the linear guide 27 of the stage 22 is engaged with the linear guide 21 a of the base 21, and the stage 22 moves linearly along the inclined surface of the base 21.
[0019]
In the present embodiment, since the stage 22 is moved only in the vertical direction (X direction), a microscope (not shown) is moved in the direction (Y direction) intersecting the moving direction (X direction) of the stage 22. The entire surface of the large substrate can be observed microscopically. In the case of only visual macro inspection, a micro inspection microscope can be omitted.
[0020]
A base end portion of a sample holder 24 that holds the substrate 1 is attached to the hollow portion of the stage 22 via a support shaft 23 so as to be swingable rearward. A stopper 24a whose lower surface is a wedge surface is integrally provided on the upper portion of the sample holder 24, and a lock mechanism 25 described later is detachably engaged with the stopper 24a. The stopper 24a abuts against the lower surface of the stage 22, and the abutment stops the swing of the sample holder 24 more than necessary. The substrate 1 is held by the sample holder 24 by vacuum suction. For this reason, a plurality of suction holes (not shown) are opened on the upper surface of the sample holder 24 facing the outer periphery of the substrate 1, and these suction holes are connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).
[0021]
A lock mechanism 25 is attached to the upper part of the stage 22. The lock mechanism 25 has a lock pin 25 a that can be moved freely. The lock pin 25 a advances and engages with a stopper 24 a of the sample holder 24, so that the sample holder 24 is closely attached to the stage 22 and fixed. . Further, when the lock pin 25 a is retracted and the engagement with the stopper 24 a is released, the sample holder 24 can swing around the support shaft 23.
[0022]
The sample holder 24 is swung by a rotation drive source 28 including a motor as a swing mechanism. The rotational drive source 28 is attached to the stage 22 and uses the support shaft 23 as an output shaft, and rotates the support shaft 23 forward and backward by forward and reverse drive. The sample holder 24 is engaged with the support shaft 23 through a key (not shown) and the like, and reciprocally swings together with the support shaft 23 by forward and reverse rotation of the support shaft 23.
[0023]
Further, an alignment device 29 is attached to the gantry 26. When the substrate 1 is transported with respect to the sample holder 24 in the horizontal position, the aligning device 29 comes into contact with both side surfaces of the substrate 1 to align the substrate 1 with the normal position. And an alignment roller 29a that is in rolling contact with the roller. Further, in order to align the substrate 1, the alignment devices 29 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the sample holder 24.
[0024]
In such an embodiment, when the substrate 1 is inspected, the sample holder 24 is locked by engaging the lock mechanism 25, and the sample holder 24 is at the same angle as the stage 22 by this lock. Therefore, the entire surface of the substrate 1 can be inspected by moving the stage 22 linearly in the X direction with respect to the inclined surface of the base 21 and moving the micro inspection microscope in the Y direction. Because of the inclination, the occupied space for inspection can be reduced.
[0025]
When the substrate 1 is delivered, the stage 22 moves to a predetermined coordinate position that is a loading standby position of the substrate 1. Then, the lock pin 25a of the lock mechanism 25 is released from the engagement with the stopper 24a of the sample holder 24, and the lock is released. As a result, the sample holder 24 can swing rearward of the stage 22, and the sample holder 24 is tilted by driving the rotational drive source 28, that is, the substrate delivery position indicated by the chain line from the support position of the stage 22, in the illustrated example, the horizontal position. Oscillate until it stops. The transfer robot 8 takes out the substrate 1 on the sample holder 24 from the holder 24 and stores it in the cassette 7 and takes out a new substrate 1 from the cassette 7. The transfer robot 8 delivers a new substrate 1 to the sample holder 24 waiting in a horizontal state when the transfer arm 28a advances. At the time of delivery, the aligning device 29 aligns the substrate 1 at the normal position.
[0026]
After receiving the aligned substrate 1, the sample holder 24 sucks and holds the substrate 1 by vacuum suction. Thereafter, the rotation drive source 28 is reversely driven, and the sample holder 24 swings in the tilt direction. This swinging is stopped when the stopper 24a comes into contact with the lower surface of the stage 22, and then the lock pin 25a of the lock mechanism 25 is engaged with the stopper 24a. Thereby, the sample holder 24 is supported at the same angle as the base 21 and the stage 22, and the substrate 1 can be inspected.
[0027]
Therefore, in such an embodiment, by providing the sample holder 24 with the function of transferring the substrate 1, a dedicated device for changing the angle of the substrate from the horizontal state to the inclined state or vice versa becomes unnecessary, and the occupied space is reduced. Can be reduced, and the space under the stage 22 can be effectively utilized to further reduce the occupied space.
[0028]
Further, by tilting the stage 22 backward, the problem of bending in the direction of gravity due to the weight of the large substrate 1 and the problem of vibration and bending due to downflow can be solved. Furthermore, as the tilt angle of the stage 22 is made closer to the vertical, the above problem can be reduced, and the large substrate 1 becomes parallel to the observer, so that dust generated during observation is less likely to fall on the substrate 1. .
[0029]
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and the same elements as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and correspond to each other. Reference numeral 31 denotes a swing mechanism according to this embodiment, which includes a power source 32, an elastic member 33 that expands and contracts in the vertical direction when the power source 32 is driven, and a support roller 34 that is attached to the upper part of the elastic member 33. Yes. The support roller 34 is in rolling contact with the lower surface of the sample holder 24, and slides while rotating along the lower surface of the sample holder 24 by the expansion / contraction operation of the expansion / contraction member 33. The sample holder 24 is rotatable with respect to the support shaft 23. With the above configuration, the entire swing mechanism 31 can be disposed outside the stage 22.
[0030]
In this embodiment, when the substrate 1 is inspected, the sample holder 24 is held in an inclined state by the lock mechanism 25, but the support roller 34 of the swing mechanism 31 is placed on the lower surface of the sample holder 24 for delivery of the substrate 1. After the contact, the lock mechanism 25 is unlocked. When the power source 32 is driven and the telescopic member 33 expands and contracts, the sample holder 24 swings between the tilt position and the horizontal position.
[0031]
In such a structure, the swing mechanism 31 can be arranged separately from the stage 22, the stage 22 can be reduced in size and weight, and the load when the stage 22 moves on the base 21 can be reduced.
[0032]
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. Also in this embodiment, the swing mechanism 41 is provided separately from the stage 22. The swing mechanism 41 includes a power source 42, a moving block 44 that moves up and down along a guide rod 43 erected on the power source 42, a link 45 that rises with a lower end supported by the moving block 44, and a link 45. And a support roller 47 is attached to the upper end of the lever 46. The support roller 47 is in rolling contact with the lower surface of the sample holder 24. When the support roller 47 moves along the sample holder 24, the holder 24 swings between an inclined position and a horizontal position.
[0033]
In this embodiment, since the sample holder 24 swings when the support roller 47 draws a circular locus, the load on the power source 42 can be reduced.
[0034]
(Embodiment 4)
Figure 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the lower end of the sample holder 24 is connected to serve the stage 20 as a linear guide provided on the inclined surface Direction of the base, the sample in the rear of the stage 20 A swing mechanism is configured by including a plurality of guide rollers 51 for guiding the free end of the holder 24 so as to be swingable. The connection imaginary line connecting the plurality of guide rollers 51 is formed in an arc shape, and the guide rollers 51 are arranged along the arc locus. The lower surface of the sample holder 24 is in contact with the guide roller 51. The lowermost guide roller 51a corresponds to a position where the sample holder 24 is locked to the stage 22 by the lock mechanism 25, and the uppermost guide roller 51b is provided corresponding to a position where the sample holder 24 is supported in a horizontal state. ing.
[0035]
In this embodiment, the substrate 1 is inspected with the sample holder 24 locked by the lock mechanism 25 as indicated by the solid line. On the other hand, when the stage 22 moves upward with the lock mechanism 25 unlocked, the lower end portion of the sample holder 24 moves upward together with the stage 22, and the free end of the sample holder 24 sequentially moves to the upper guide roller 51. While contacting, it swings in the horizontal direction and finally comes into contact with the guide roller 51b, so that the substrate 1 is transferred in a horizontal state. In this embodiment, the free end of the sample holder 24 is guided to be swingable by a plurality of guide rollers 51, but the tip end portion of the sample holder 24 is supported so as to be movable by a linear guide provided in the horizontal direction. By doing so, the free end of the sample holder 24 can also be swung.
[0036]
Therefore, in this embodiment, since the sample holder 24 is swung together with the power of the driving source that moves the stage 22, the power of the rocking mechanism itself becomes unnecessary, and the power mechanism can be simplified.
[0037]
(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment, and 52 is an actuator attached to a side surface portion of the base 21. The actuator 52 is provided corresponding to a position where the sample holder 24 transfers the substrate. On the other hand, on the side surface of the stage 22 to which the sample holder 24 is attached, a sensor 53 that is pressed by the operating pin 52a of the actuator 52 is provided. The sensor 53 detects that the operating pin 52a is pressed, and the lock pin 25a of the lock mechanism 25 is retracted by this detection, so that the lock of the sample holder 24 is released.
[0038]
In such a configuration, the sample holder 24 is not unlocked by the lock mechanism 25 unless the sample holder 24 is in a specific coordinate position and the operating pin 52a of the actuator 52 is pressed. Therefore, inadvertent unlocking at positions other than a specific coordinate position is eliminated, and malfunction can be prevented.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, since the sample holder has a function of swinging between the inclined position and the horizontal position, a dedicated device for changing the angle for delivering the substrate is not required, and the occupied space can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the second embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the third embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a side view of a conventional inspection apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 20 Inspection part 21 Base 22 Stage 23 Support shaft 24 Sample holder 25 Lock mechanism

Claims (5)

A large substrate inspection apparatus comprising a large substrate stage that is mounted so as to be movable in at least one direction along an inclined surface of a base inclined backward,
A sample holder that is swingably attached to the stage and holds a large substrate to be transferred, and a lock mechanism that engages with the sample holder to lock the swing of the holder and releases the lock by releasing the engagement. And a swing mechanism for applying a swinging force to the sample holder so that the sample holder swings between the delivery position of the large substrate and the support position of the stage, the holder from the back side of the large substrate stage Large board inspection device characterized by delivering a large board to The sample holder is swingably supported by a support shaft at a lower end portion in the inclined surface direction, and the swing mechanism applies a swing force to the support shaft or the sample holder. The large substrate inspection apparatus according to 1. The lower end of the sample holder is rotatably supported by the stage, and the swing mechanism guides the sample holder so as to be swingable between a delivery position of the large substrate and a support position of the stage. A roller is disposed behind the stage, and the sample holder is swung along the guide roller to a delivery position of the large substrate and a support position of the stage in conjunction with the movement of the stage. Item 1. A large substrate inspection apparatus according to Item 1. The swing mechanism attaches to the stage a rotational drive source that rotates the support shaft forward and backward, engages the sample holder with the support shaft, and drives the support shaft forward and backward by the rotational drive source. 3. The large substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sample holder is swung. The swing mechanism includes a support roller that swings while rotating along the back surface of the sample holder, and an expansion / contraction member that includes the support roller at a tip portion and expands and contracts in the vertical direction to apply a swing force to the sample holder. The large substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

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