JP4175697B2 - Glass substrate holder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a holder for holding a glass substrate when manufacturing and inspecting a liquid crystal glass substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-189441 has been disclosed as a “substrate holder” for a holder for holding a large glass substrate such as a liquid crystal glass substrate. This technique will be described with reference to FIG. The substrate holder 116 holds a part of the glass substrate 118 so as to remove the bending and vibration generated in the glass substrate 118 without damaging the glass substrate 118 and a suction holding mechanism that sucks and holds the glass substrate 118 in a predetermined position. And a support mechanism that can be supported. The suction holding mechanism includes a suction mechanism 120 that sucks the glass substrate 118 onto the substrate holder 116, and a pressing pin 124 that presses the glass substrate 118 in the direction of the contact pin 122 to position and hold the glass substrate 118 in a predetermined position. The support mechanism lifts and lowers a pair of transparent plates 126 arranged so as to cross the transmitted illumination light opening 116a and a pair of support pins 128 made of a transparent material projecting from the transparent plates. And a lifting device for bringing the support pins 128 into contact with and separating from the back surface of the glass substrate 118.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above prior art has the following problems. That is, recent glass substrates are becoming larger and larger, and have a thickness of 0.7 to 1.1 mm and a width and length of almost 1 m. In the structure in which the glass substrate 118 is supported by the pair of transparent plates 126 arranged in place, the rigidity of the transparent plate 126 is low. It was difficult to find by a substrate inspection apparatus.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to maintain the flatness of the glass substrate, and to prevent the occurrence of bending and vibration without damaging the substrate surface. It is to provide a glass substrate holder.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a glass substrate holder of the present invention includes a holding frame in which a rectangular opening for mounting a peripheral portion of a rectangular glass substrate is formed, and a lower portion of the opening of the holding frame is closed. And a base member made of a transparent member that is fixed to the holding frame and that transmits transmitted illumination light, and a plurality of support pins that are arranged on the upper surface of the base member and support the glass substrate horizontally. .
[0006]
The glass substrate holder of the present invention has a plurality of support pins arranged on a base member made of a transparent member that is fixed to the holding frame so as to close the lower part of the opening of the holding frame and that transmits transmitted illumination light. By supporting the glass substrate, the flatness of the glass substrate can be maintained, and the occurrence of bending and vibration can be suppressed.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described.
[0008]
(Embodiment 1)
1 to 3 show Embodiment 1, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass substrate holder, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of a support pin of the glass substrate holder, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support pin. .
[0009]
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the glass substrate holder is disposed so as to move in the horizontal direction by, for example, a stage (not shown) of the substrate inspection apparatus and to be positioned above the transmission illumination device (not shown). The holding frame 1 of the glass substrate holder is provided with a transmission illumination opening 1a so that the glass substrate 3 as an inspection object can be illuminated by illumination light emitted from the transmission illumination device. A thick base glass 2 as a rigid transparent member is attached to the lower portion of the holding frame 1 with reference to the upper surface 2a so as to close the transmission illumination opening 1a. In this case, in order to increase the rigidity of the base glass 2, it is desirable to fix the entire circumference of the base glass 2 to the holding frame 1 by bonding means such as adhesion or fitting. A plurality of support pins 4 that support the glass substrate 3 are arranged and bonded to the upper surface 2 a of the table glass 2. In the present embodiment, the number is 11, but the number and positions to be bonded are changed depending on the thickness and size of the glass substrate 3 to be supported.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 3, the support pin 4 is embedded in the caulking portion 4a at the tip so that the Teflon ball 5 as an anti-friction member can roll and does not protrude. The Teflon sphere 5 may normally be white, but if the Teflon sphere 5 is made black together with the support pins 4, it does not hinder observation during macro observation. When the glass substrate 3 is aligned, the lower surface of the glass substrate 3 contacts the surface of the Teflon sphere 5, and the Teflon sphere 5 rolls. Further, a pedestal 4 b is formed below the support pins 4, and stability can be maintained when the support pins 4 are bonded to the base glass 2. The pedestal 4b is desirably formed as small as possible within the range where the mounting strength of the support pins 4 is allowed, and is preferably black or transparent so as not to hinder observation.
[0011]
In FIG. 1, two reference pins 6 are projected on the front side of the upper surface of the holding frame 1, and one reference pin 6 is projected on the left side of the upper surface, and three side surfaces of the glass substrate 3 placed on the support pins 4 are provided. Positioning is performed by contacting the side surface of the reference pin 6. In addition, one alignment pin 7 is disposed on each of the upper right side and upper rear side of the holding frame 1 so as to be movable in the center direction of the holding frame 1. The alignment pin 7 presses the side surface of the glass substrate 3 placed on the support pin 4 toward the center of the holding frame 1 by a drive mechanism (not shown) connected to the lower portion of the alignment pin 7. Further, suction pads 8 are disposed at eight peripheral edges of the transmitted light illumination opening 1 a of the holding frame 1, and the glass substrate 3 positioned by the reference pins 6 and the alignment pins 7 is sucked and fixed.
[0012]
Next, the operation of the glass substrate holder configured as described above will be described. The alignment pins 7 are retracted so that the distance between the alignment pins 7 and the reference pins 8 is larger than the width and length of the glass substrate 3, and the glass substrate 3 is supplied onto the support pins 4. The alignment pins 7 are advanced by the drive mechanism, and the glass substrate 3 is brought into contact with the reference pins 6 and positioned. At this time, the glass substrate 3 slides on the support pins 4, but the Teflon sphere 5 embedded at the tip of the support pins 4 rolls, so that the lower surface of the glass substrate 3 is not damaged. Further, the glass substrate 3 is fixed by the suction pad 8 so that it can be inspected. In this state, since the weight of the glass substrate 3 is supported by the plurality of support pins 4 on the thick glass plate 2, the glass substrate 3 does not bend. Therefore, vibration does not occur, and the glass substrate can be inspected by the substrate inspection apparatus without any trouble.
[0013]
According to the present embodiment, the glass substrate is supported by the thick base glass as the rigid transparent member via the plurality of support pins, so that the flatness of the glass substrate can be maintained. Further, since the transmission illumination opening 1a is closed by the base glass 2, a support pin can be arranged at an arbitrary position of the transmission illumination opening 1a, and it corresponds to a portion of the vibration belly obtained by simulation or the like in advance. Thus, the support pins can be arranged, and as a result, the vibration of the glass substrate 3 can be satisfactorily suppressed. Further, since the Teflon ball as the anti-friction member is embedded at the tip of the support pin so as to be able to roll, the substrate surface is not damaged, and the occurrence of bending and vibration can be suppressed. Furthermore, if the pedestal 4b is formed of a transparent material, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the amount of transmitted illumination light.
[0014]
In the present embodiment, the Teflon sphere is used as the anti-friction member, but instead, a sphere made of engineering plastic such as polyamide resin or polycarbonate resin or a sphere made of metal may be used. Moreover, although the thick base glass is used as a rigid transparent member, you may replace with the transparent member which consists of thin tempered glass. Further, it may be replaced with a transparent member made of a transparent plastic material having a high transmittance of transmitted illumination light and having increased rigidity with ribs or the like. Furthermore, in consideration of the bending of the base glass 2 or the like, a spacer can be interposed at the joint portion with the base 4 b in order to maintain the flatness of the tip of each support pin 4.
[0015]
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 shows the second embodiment and is a perspective view showing a first modification of the support pin. In the present embodiment, only the support pins are different from those in the first embodiment, and therefore only the different portions will be described, and the drawings and descriptions of other portions will be omitted. In FIG. 4, a Teflon cylinder 15 as an antifriction member is fitted into the tip 14 a of the support pin 14. In this case, the Teflon cylinder 15 is fixed without rolling, and the glass substrate 3 slides on the surface 15a. However, since Teflon belongs to ethylene tetrafluoride and has a very low friction coefficient, the glass substrate 3 is not damaged. Further, a pedestal 14b is formed in the lower part of the support pin 14 as in the first embodiment, and stability can be maintained when the support pin 14 is bonded to the base glass 2. That is, the support pin 14 is bonded on the base glass 2 instead of the support pin 4 of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
[0016]
According to the present embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the unit price of the Teflon cylinder is low, and the Teflon cylinder 15 can be easily replaced because it is detachably fitted to the support pin. And the variation in the height of the entire support pin can be reduced. If the friction with the glass substrate 3 is to be reduced, the tip of the Teflon cylinder 15 can be formed in a hemispherical shape. If no replacement is required, the Teflon cylinder 15 can be crimped and fixed. is there.
[0017]
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5 shows the third embodiment and is a perspective view showing a second modification of the support pin. In the present embodiment, only the support pins are different from those in the first embodiment, and therefore only the different portions will be described, and the drawings and descriptions of other portions will be omitted. In FIG. 5, a teflon ball 5 is embedded in the caulking portion 24 a at the tip of the support pin 24 so as to be able to roll and not protrude, and a compression spring 9 is mounted below the Teflon ball 5. The teflon ball 5 is urged upward by the elastic force. Further, a pedestal 24b is formed in the lower portion of the support pin 24, as in the first embodiment, so that stability can be maintained when the support pin 24 is bonded to the base glass 2. That is, the support pin 24 is bonded on the base glass 2 instead of the support pin 4 of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.
[0018]
According to the present embodiment, in addition to the same effect as in the first embodiment, when a force in the vertical direction is applied to the support pin, the Teflon ball 5 rolls well away from the caulking portion 24a. The rubbing is reduced and the glass substrate is hardly damaged.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the flatness of the glass substrate can be maintained, and the occurrence of bending and vibration can be suppressed without damaging the substrate surface.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass substrate holder according to Embodiment 1. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vicinity of a support pin of the glass substrate holder of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a support pin according to the first embodiment.
4 is a perspective view showing a first modification of the support pin of Embodiment 2. FIG.
5 is a perspective view showing a second modification of the support pin of Embodiment 3. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a prior art substrate holder.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Holding frame 1a Transmission illumination opening 2 Base glass 3 Glass substrate 4 Support pin 6 Reference pin 7 Alignment pin 8 Suction part

Claims (3)

A holding frame formed with a rectangular opening for mounting the peripheral edge of a rectangular glass substrate;
A base member made of a transparent member that is fixed to the holding frame so that the lower part of the opening of the holding frame is closed , and transmits transmitted illumination light ;
A plurality of support pins arranged on the upper surface of the base member to horizontally support the glass substrate;
A glass substrate holder, comprising: The glass substrate holder according to claim 1 , wherein the support pin is disposed on the base member so as to correspond to a vibration antinode portion of the glass substrate. 3. The glass substrate holder according to claim 1 , wherein the support pin is detachably provided at a tip of the support pin in contact with the glass substrate, and has a friction reducing member that aligns the height of the support pin .

Images