JP4165554B2 - Board bonding equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate bonding apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate bonding apparatus suitable for assembling a liquid crystal display panel or the like in which substrates to be bonded in a vacuum chamber are held and opposed to each other and bonded at a reduced interval.

  In manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel, two glass substrates provided with a transparent electrode and a thin film transistor array are attached with an adhesive (hereinafter also referred to as a sealing agent) provided on the peripheral edge of the substrate with a very close distance of about several μm. There is a process of bonding (hereinafter, the substrate after bonding is referred to as a cell) and sealing the liquid crystal in the space formed thereby.

  To seal the liquid crystal, liquid crystal is dropped on one substrate drawn in a pattern in which a sealing agent is closed so as not to provide an injection port, and the other substrate is placed on one substrate in a vacuum chamber. There is a method of arranging and bonding the upper and lower substrates close to each other. Patent Document 1 discloses that a preliminary chamber is provided for loading / unloading a substrate into / from the vacuum chamber, and the substrate is loaded / removed in the same atmosphere as the preliminary chamber.

JP 2001-305563 A

  In the above-described prior art, in order to make the preliminary chamber and the vacuum chamber the same atmosphere when the substrate is taken in and out, it takes time to change from the atmospheric state to the vacuum state, and this becomes a bottleneck to increase the productivity of the substrate. ing. Further, in Patent Document 1, the substrate is transported by mounting the substrate on a roller. However, there is a risk that the substrate may be damaged or dust may be generated due to friction due to the substrate moving on the roller. is there. Further, when the substrates are carried in, only one can be carried in at a time, so that it has been necessary to return the atmosphere to the bonding chamber. In addition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to use a substrate having a substrate size exceeding 1 m × 1 m to be bonded and to hold it horizontally on the upper table.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to allow the upper and lower substrates to be carried simultaneously from the preliminary chamber to the bonding chamber and to be held on the upper table surface without bending, so that the bonding of the substrates can be performed with high accuracy and at high speed. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate bonding apparatus that can be performed and has high productivity.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a substrate loading carriage having a two-stage substrate mounting table for loading the upper and lower two substrates , respectively , and when the upper and lower two substrates are loaded, It is set to a state, unloading the upper and lower substrates when unloaded is placed on the substrate carriages, a first Chanban chamber set in the medium vacuum state, from the first chamber compartment with the vacuum state receiving the upper and lower substrates in the substrate carriages being, and a upper table and a lower table for holding respectively the upper and lower substrates in the high vacuum state, either one of the horizontal table moves in the direction, the the alignment of upper and lower substrates, a second chamber compartment above or below by one of the tables is operated up and down perform bonding by narrowing the distance between the upper and lower substrates and, it said in a vacuum state Includes the finished substrate unloading carriage with a mounting table for unloading the second chamber compartment at the upper and lower sheets of the finished board substrate is by bonding a second chamber compartment, in atmospheric conditions, unloading the finished substrate outdoors And the intermediate vacuum state is a degree of vacuum between the high vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state when the upper and lower two substrates are bonded together in the second chamber chamber. a state, on the substrate mounting table of the substrate carriages is provided with a substrate curved holding mechanism on which holds the substrate central portion in the conveying direction of the substrate is curved in a convex state on said table side, wherein The upper table is configured to adsorb the upper substrate by lowering the upper table to the upper substrate on the upper substrate mounting table in the second chamber chamber .

  According to the substrate bonding apparatus of the present invention, the upper substrate to be transported is curved and transported before the start of transport, and can be transferred to the upper table in that state, so that the substrate can be sucked and held on the upper table without distortion, and In the second chamber for bonding, the upper and lower substrates can be transferred to the table almost simultaneously, and the evacuation time from the atmospheric pressure most required for bonding to the high vacuum state can be performed in a short time. Therefore, the throughput of the product is greatly improved, and the substrates can be bonded with high accuracy in a vacuum.

Hereinafter, one Example of the board | substrate bonding conveyance system of this invention is described based on figures.
FIG. 1 shows a cross section of each processing chamber. The substrate bonding apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a first chamber chamber C1 (preliminary preparatory chamber), a second chamber chamber C2 (vacuum bonding chamber), and a bonded substrate (liquid crystal panel) for loading substrates. A three-chamber chamber C3 (rear spare chamber) is provided. In the first chamber chamber C1, an upper and lower substrate loading cart 51 is provided for loading two substrates (upper substrate 30 and lower substrate 31) into the second chamber chamber C2, respectively. The third chamber C3 is provided with an unloading carriage 61 for unloading the bonded substrates. Further, a first door valve 2 is provided on the inlet side of the first chamber chamber C1, and a first gate valve 3 is provided between the first chamber chamber C1 and the second chamber chamber C2. Similarly, a second gate valve 4 is provided between the second chamber chamber C2 and the third chamber chamber C3, and a second door valve 5 is provided on the outlet side of the third chamber chamber C3.

  Further, a vacuum pump 6 for depressurizing the first chamber chamber C1 and a nitrogen supply source 20 for supplying nitrogen to be purged into the first chamber chamber are connected.

  In the second chamber C2, a lower table 8 for placing the lower substrate 31 and an upper table (pressure plate) 9 for sucking and holding the upper substrate 30 are provided inside. Further, a vacuum pump 10 and a turbo molecular pump 11 are provided outside the second chamber chamber C2 for evacuating the second chamber chamber. A third gate valve 21 is provided on the suction side of the turbo molecular pump 11. Furthermore, a vacuum pump 12 for table suction is provided for supplying negative pressure to the upper and lower tables and holding the upper and lower substrates by suction. Each table surface is provided with a plurality of suction ports, and the substrate is sucked by supplying a negative pressure to the supply ports. A nitrogen supply source 20 is also connected to the second chamber chamber C2 in order to purge nitrogen. A holding chuck 17 for applying an electrostatic force or an adhesive force is provided on the lower surface side of the upper table 9 so that the upper substrate 30 can be sucked and held even in a high vacuum state. Similarly, a holding chuck 18 is provided on the lower table 8. In addition, what is necessary is just to comprise so that adhesive force may be acted partially when what was used for the holding chuck 18 used for the lower table 8 applies adhesive force. Further, on the lower table 8 side, in order to receive the lower substrate 31 from the transport carriage 51, a substrate lifter 19 provided with a plurality of receiving claws protruding from the lower substrate placement surface on the lower stage of the substrate transport carriage is provided. Since the substrate lifter 19 delivers the substrate after being bonded to the substrate carry-out carriage 61, the substrate is separated from the table surface, and the fork-shaped substrate receiving portion provided on the substrate carry-out carriage 61 is interposed between the table surface and the substrate. It also has a function to allow insertion. In FIG. 1, the substrate lifter 19 has a configuration in which a plurality of support pins are provided on one mounting plate, and the mounting plate is moved up and down by a driving device (not shown).

  Further, the third chamber chamber C3 is provided with a substrate carrying cart when carrying out the bonded substrates. The substrate receiving portion of the substrate carry-out carriage 61 is formed in a hawk shape as shown in FIG. The configuration of the drive unit and the like is substantially the same as that of the substrate carry-in cart in FIG. Further, a vacuum pump 16 is provided for making the inside of the third chamber C3 have a negative pressure. Further, a nitrogen supply source 20 for purging nitrogen is connected to the third chamber chamber C3.

  Each chamber chamber is provided with pressure gauges P1 to P3. Based on the measurement results of these pressure gauges, the vacuum pumps 6, 10, 16 and the nitrogen purge valves NV1 to NV3 are operated. The vacuum state is controlled.

  In this embodiment, the second chamber chamber C2 to be bonded is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum (about 20 KPa: hereinafter referred to as “medium vacuum”) even when the substrate is carried in and out. The two-chamber chamber C2 is controlled to return to a high vacuum (0.7 Pa). Therefore, when each of the first and second gate valves 3 and 4 is opened, it is returned to a medium vacuum level. Further, the second chamber chamber C2 is purged with nitrogen at all times when being in a medium vacuum so that it is not affected by moisture in the atmosphere.

  Further, in order to control the degree of vacuum in each chamber chamber as described above, exhaust and gas purge are performed in each chamber chamber based on the measurement value of the pressure gauge provided in each chamber chamber. Naturally, when the substrate is carried into the first chamber C1, the first chamber is at atmospheric pressure, and when the substrate is carried from the first chamber C1 to the second chamber C2, a predetermined degree of vacuum (medium vacuum) is obtained. When the bonding is performed in the second chamber chamber, the second chamber chamber is brought into a high vacuum state. In addition, when carrying out the bonded substrate from the second chamber chamber to the third chamber chamber, when carrying out the bonded substrate from the third chamber chamber with the second and third chamber chambers in an intermediate vacuum state. The third chamber chamber is brought into an atmospheric state.

  Next, the state of substrate conveyance by the substrate carrying cart will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view of the first chamber chamber and the second chamber chamber, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the substrate carrying carriage. The substrate carry-in cart 51 is configured in two upper and lower stages, and the lower board 30 is placed on the upper stage and the upper board is placed on the upper stage and transported. As shown in the figure, the lower side is composed of a plurality of cantilevered substrate supports 60. The upper stage is provided with an upper substrate bending holding mechanism so that the upper substrate 30 can be bent and transferred in the transfer direction as shown in the figure. This upper substrate bending holding mechanism is composed of a plurality of substrate edge clamps 59 and a plurality of substrate support mechanisms 58 that support the substrate by pushing it up in a row in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction near the center of the carriage. ing. Further, a curved substrate side support 57 is provided on both end sides of the upper substrate in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction as the upper substrate bending holding mechanism.

  On both sides of the substrate carrying carriage 51, a linear guide drive unit is provided. The carriage is moved on the linear guide provided in the first chamber chamber, and the carriage is supported by a plurality of double support rollers 54 provided at the lower part of the carriage. Is configured to be movable on a guide rail 55 provided in the first chamber chamber C1 and a guide rail 56 provided in the second chamber chamber. That is, the distance between the wheels of the double support roller 54 is longer than the distance between the guide rails 55 and 56 in order to pass through the first gate valve without a rail.

  Further, in FIG. 2, the lower table 21 provided in the second chamber chamber has a structure in which a plurality of pneumatic cylinders and support pins that move up and down are provided as the substrate lifter 19 unlike the structure in FIG. It is shown.

As described above, the lower substrate 31 carried into the second chamber chamber from the first chamber chamber using the substrate loading cart 51 is lifted from the lower mounting table by the substrate lifter 19 provided on the lower table 8, After the movement, the substrate lifter 19 is lowered so that it can be placed horizontally on the lower table surface. Further, the lower table 8 is provided with an electrostatic adsorption mechanism or a partial adhesion mechanism so that the lower substrate does not move in the process of evacuating and bonding the substrates, and these substrate holding mechanisms are mounted on the lower table surface. The placed substrate is prevented from moving.
In addition, the upper substrate 30 that is carried on the upper stage mounting table with the central portion in the transport direction convexly curved comes into contact with and sucks and sucks from the convex portion when the upper table is lowered to the substrate surface. In this way, even if the substrate becomes large and easily bent by being sucked and held from the center of the substrate, it can be sucked and held on the table surface without being bent.

3 to 4 are flowcharts for explaining the substrate bonding operation by the bonding apparatus.
First, the first door valve 2 at the entrance of the first chamber chamber C1 is opened, and the lower substrate 31 to be bonded is mounted on the lower mounting table of the substrate loading cart 51 provided in the room (step 100). Next, the upper substrate 30 is mounted on the mounting table above the substrate carry-in cart 51 (step 101). At this time, the upper substrate is placed on the substrate side support 57, and thereafter held curved by the substrate edge clamp 59 and the plurality of substrate support mechanisms 58.

  When the placement of the upper and lower substrates on the substrate carry-in cart 51 is completed, the first door valve 2 is closed (step 102). Then, the vacuum pump 6 is operated to open the valve LV1, thereby evacuating the first chamber chamber C1 (step 103). Then, it is monitored whether or not the pressure gauge P1 provided in the first chamber C1 is in a medium vacuum state (step 104). When the medium vacuum state is reached, the first gate valve 3 is opened (step 105). At this time, the inside of the second chamber chamber C2 is in an intermediate vacuum state.

  When the first gate valve 3 is opened, the substrate carrying carriage 51 starts to move until the upper and lower substrates 30 and 31 placed on the carrying carriage are positioned at the positions of the upper and lower tables 8 and 9 in the second chamber chamber. Move (step 106). When the upper and lower substrates reach the positions of the upper and lower tables 8 and 9, the substrate lifter 19 is lifted from the lower table 8, and the lower substrate 31 is separated from the mounting surface of the substrate loading carriage 51 (step 107). At the same time, the upper table 9 descends and stops at a position slightly separated from the upper substrate, and is sucked from the curved apex portion of the upper substrate and sucked up to the table surface. Then, the upper substrate is sucked and sucked sequentially toward the upper substrate end, and the upper substrate is sucked and sucked on the upper table surface (step 108). At this time, the upper table 9 is lowered while sucking the upper substrate, and in conjunction with the lowering operation, the substrate edge clamp 59 and the substrate support mechanism 58 are sucked and delivered while being displaced from the convex shape of the substrate. Is also possible.

Thereafter, the substrate carrying carriage 51 is returned to the first chamber chamber C1 (step 109). When the substrate carriage 51 returns to the first chamber, the first gate valve is closed (step 110).
When the upper substrate 9 has been sucked and sucked by the upper substrate, the electrostatic chucking mechanism or the adhesive sucking mechanism provided on the upper substrate is operated to bring the second chamber chamber into a high vacuum state, and the sucking and sucking force is increased. Even if it becomes smaller, the upper substrate is prevented from falling onto the substrate (step 111). In this flowchart, the electrostatic chucking mechanism is operated after the first gate valve is closed for convenience. However, as described above, the electrostatic chucking mechanism may be operated when the substrate suction by the suction chucking is completed.

  In the case of using the adhesive holding mechanism, if the adhesive holding mechanism is provided on the upper table surface, since the adhesive holding works simultaneously with the suction adsorption, no operation is required. However, when the bonding is completed, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for removing the adhesive mechanism on the upper table in order to separate the adhesively held surface and the substrate surface.

  When the first gate valve 3 is closed, the upper and lower substrates are aligned, and then the vacuum pump 10 and the turbo molecular pump 11 are operated to evacuate the second chamber chamber C2 to a high vacuum state ( Step 112 in FIG. When the inside of the second chamber C2 is in a high vacuum state (step 113), the upper and lower substrates are precisely aligned, and then either the upper or lower table is moved in a direction approaching the other table. Is started (step 114). In this bonding process, the distance between the upper and lower substrates is measured or the applied pressure is measured to determine whether or not the pressurization is completed, and the positional deviation of the substrate is measured and corrected even during the pressurization. I am doing so.

  When the pressurization is completed, the valve NV2 is opened in order to purge the nitrogen from the nitrogen supply source 20 into the second chamber chamber to obtain a medium vacuum pressure. Then, when the medium vacuum state is reached, UV light is irradiated to the temporary fixing adhesive of both substrates to temporarily fix them, and the bonding in the second chamber chamber is completed (step 115). Next, the second gate valve 4 is opened so that the substrate can be moved to the third chamber (step 116). Note that, before the second gate valve 4 is opened, the pressure in the third chamber is reduced to a medium vacuum. When the second gate valve is opened, the substrate lifter 19 is raised, and the bonded substrate is separated from the lower table 8 surface. Naturally, by this time, the upper table 9 has been separated from the upper substrate surface. When the second gate valve 4 is opened, the substrate carry-out carriage 61 starts moving to the second chamber chamber, and the fork-like portion at the tip of the substrate carry-out carriage 61 is inserted on the lower surface of the bonded substrate so as to avoid the support pins of the substrate lifter 19. Then, the substrate is transferred to the substrate carry-out carriage 61 by lowering the substrate lifter 19. When the substrate is delivered to the substrate carry-out carriage 61, the substrate carry-out carriage 61 is moved from the second chamber chamber to the third chamber chamber (step 117).

  When the substrate carry-out carriage 61 returns to the third chamber chamber, the second gate valve 4 is closed, and the third chamber chamber is returned to atmospheric pressure (step 119). By opening the third chamber chamber to the atmosphere, atmospheric pressure is applied to the bonded substrate and a final pressure state is reached. Here, the sealing agent is cured by irradiating the sealing agent with UV light. Then, the completed substrate is unloaded from the third chamber chamber (step 120).

  In addition, after the above step 111, the first chamber chamber is returned to atmospheric pressure, and the upper and lower substrates to be bonded next are mounted on the substrate carry-in carriage, and the operation of depressurizing the first chamber chamber to the medium vacuum state is advanced. When the bonded substrate is transferred to the third chamber and the second gate valve is closed, if the upper and lower substrates for the next bonding are prepared in the substrate loading carriage 51 of the first chamber, the first gate valve 105 is prepared. Starting from the opening operation (step 105), the assembly time can be significantly reduced.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the board | substrate bonding apparatus which becomes one Embodiment of this invention. It is the fragmentary sectional view of FIG. 1, and the enlarged view of a board | substrate conveyance trolley. It is a flowchart figure of the operation | movement in the board | substrate bonding apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the continuation of the flowchart of the operation | movement in the board | substrate bonding apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Board | substrate bonding apparatus, C1 ... 1st chamber chamber, C2 ... 2nd chamber chamber (bonding chamber), C3 ... 3rd chamber chamber, P1-P3 ... Pressure gauge, 2 ... 1st door valve, 3 ... 1st Gate valve, 4 ... 2nd gate valve, 5 ... 2nd door valve, 6 ... Vacuum pump for 1st chamber, 8 ... Lower table, 9 ... Upper table, 10 ... Vacuum pump for 2nd chamber, 11 ... Turbo molecular pump, 30 ... Upper substrate, 31 ... Lower substrate, 51 ... Substrate loading cart, 58 ... Substrate support mechanism, 59 ... Substrate edge clamp, 61 ... Substrate carrying cart.

Claims (2)

A substrate carrying carriage having a two-stage substrate placing table for carrying the upper and lower two substrates , respectively , and when the upper and lower two substrates are carried, the atmospheric pressure state is set; A first chamber chamber that is set to an intermediate vacuum state when the substrate is placed on the substrate carrying cart and unloaded ,
Receiving the upper and lower substrates in the substrate carriages carried out of the first chamber chamber in a vacuum state in the, the upper table and the lower table for holding respectively the upper and lower substrates in the high vacuum state has, by moving either one of the tables in the horizontal direction, the aforementioned alignment of the upper and lower substrates, upper and lower one of the tables is operated above and below the upper and lower substrates A second chamber chamber for laminating the gaps, and
Under vacuum in the, with the completed substrate unloading carriage with a mounting table for unloading the second chamber compartment at the upper and lower sheets of the finished board substrate is by bonding a second chamber compartment, at ambient conditions, the complete A third chamber chamber for carrying the substrate out of the room,
The medium vacuum state is a state of a degree of vacuum between a high vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state when the two substrates are bonded together in the second chamber chamber,
Wherein the said substrate mounting table of a substrate carriages, the substrate central portion in the conveying direction on a substrate provided with a substrate curved holding mechanism on hold by curved in a convex state on said table side, wherein the second chamber compartment Then, the upper table attracts the upper substrate by lowering the upper table onto the upper substrate on the upper substrate mounting table . In the board | substrate bonding apparatus of Claim 1,
Since the substrate carry-in carriage and the completed substrate carry-out carriage pass through the gate valves that partition the chamber chambers , two chain port rollers and guide rails are used for the substrate carry-in carriage and the completed substrate carry-out carriage. Substrate pasting device.

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