JP5406475B2 - Heat treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus that heats or cools a substrate such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel.

  Such heat treatment apparatuses include a dehydration bake unit that performs dehydration processing, adhesion strengthening processing, and cooling processing on a cleaned substrate, and pre-baking that causes a chemical change by heating a solvent component after applying a photoresist to the substrate. There is a unit, or a post-bake unit that performs a dehydration process or a taper forming process after the substrate is developed.

  Such a heat treatment apparatus includes a heat treatment plate that heats or cools a substrate placed thereon and heat-treats the substrate, moves up and down through the heat treatment plate, and separates the substrate from the heat treatment position and the heat treatment plate. And a support pin that moves up and down between the loading and unloading positions.

  By the way, in such a heat treatment apparatus, when the substrate is lowered from the loading / unloading position to the heat treatment position by lowering the support pins, if the bottom surface of the substrate is a horizontal body, In some cases, the substrate is in a floating state due to the presence of air existing between the substrate and the substrate is displaced. In addition, when the substrate is raised from the heat treatment position to the loading / unloading position by raising the support pins, if the lower surface of the substrate is a horizontal body, air is easily generated between the lower surface of the substrate and the heat treatment plate. The substrate may be damaged because it does not enter the substrate.

  For this reason, in the conventional heat treatment apparatus, in order to support the substrate in a slightly bent state, the support height of the substrate by the support pins is low in the central portion of the substrate, and high in the vicinity of the edge of the substrate. The height of each support pin is adjusted.

  By the way, when such a configuration is adopted, in a state where the support pins are lowered, when the upper ends of the support pins arranged near the edge of the substrate are arranged near the surface of the heat treatment plate, The upper end of the support pin arranged near the center is arranged at a position lower than the surface of the heat treatment plate. In general, in the heat treatment apparatus, it is preferable that the temperature distribution of the substrate on the heat treatment plate is uniform. However, when the upper end of the support pin disposed near the center of the substrate is disposed at a position lower than the surface of the heat treatment plate, the temperature distribution is caused by the action of the space formed between the support pin and the lower surface of the substrate. There is a problem of non-uniformity.

For this reason, in the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, even when the support pins are lowered, the upper ends of the support pins arranged near the center of the substrate are arranged near the surface of the heat treatment plate. A configuration is employed in which a support pin disposed near the center of the substrate is supported by a fixed plate disposed separately from the raising member and the heat treatment plate.
JP 2006-332587 A

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 1 described above, the support pin is supported by a support member disposed separately from the heat treatment plate in a state where the support pin is lowered. For this reason, when the support member or the heat treatment plate is deformed due to the heat generated by the heat treatment plate, the height of the upper end of the support pin when the support pin is lowered varies with respect to the surface of the heat treatment plate. . For this reason, when the height positions of the support pins are adjusted in advance so that the upper ends of all the support pins are arranged near the surface of the heat treatment plate, the upper ends of some of the support pins are A phenomenon occurs that it protrudes further upward or is disposed below the surface of the heat treatment plate.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a heat treatment apparatus capable of accurately arranging the upper end of a support pin near the surface of a heat treatment plate even when the heat treatment plate or the like is deformed. For the purpose.

The invention according to claim 1 is disposed at a position facing a heat treatment plate that heats or cools a substrate placed thereon by heating or cooling, and near the center of the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated. A first support pin that can be lifted and lowered in a penetrating state, and a first support pin that is suspended and supported from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate so that an upper end of the first support pin is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate. 1 suspension support mechanism, a second support pin disposed at a position outside the first support pin on the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated and capable of moving up and down while penetrating the heat treatment plate, and an upper end of the second support pin A second hanging support mechanism for hanging and supporting the second support pin from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate, so that is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate, 2 After contacting the support pins, by contacting the first support pins, the upper ends of the first support pins and the upper ends of the second support pins are disposed above the surface of the heat treatment plate, and the substrate is in the center portion. And a lift mechanism that raises the first support pin and the second support pin to a substrate support position that is supported so that the outside of the first support pin and the second support pin are high. The first support pin and the second support pin are respectively The first suspension support mechanism and the second suspension support mechanism include a suspension member fixed to a lower surface of the heat treatment plate, and a support portion that supports the flange portion. The support portion is adjusted so that upper ends of the first support pin and the second support pin are arranged near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a heat insulating member is interposed between the first hanging support mechanism, the second hanging support mechanism, and the heat treatment plate.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the support portion is fixed to a long hole formed in the hanging member with a screw.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat treatment plate that heats or cools a substrate placed thereon, and a heat treatment plate that is disposed at a position facing the vicinity of the center of the lower surface of the substrate to be heat treated. A first support pin that can be lifted and lowered in a penetrating state, and a first support pin that is suspended and supported from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate so that an upper end of the first support pin is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate. 1 suspension support mechanism, a second support pin disposed at a position outside the first support pin on the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated and capable of moving up and down while penetrating the heat treatment plate, and an upper end of the second support pin A second hanging support mechanism for hanging and supporting the second support pin from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate, so that is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate, 2 After contacting the support pins, by contacting the first support pins, the upper ends of the first support pins and the upper ends of the second support pins are disposed above the surface of the heat treatment plate, and the substrate is in the center portion. An elevating mechanism that raises the first support pin and the second support pin to a substrate support position that is supported so that the outer side of the first support pin and the second support pin are high. Each of the plurality of elevating mechanisms includes a plurality of abutting portions that can abut on the plurality of first support pins and the plurality of second support pins. At least a part of them is movable between an elevating position that contacts the first support pin or the second support pin and a retracted position that does not contact the first support pin or the second support pin. is there.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, the driving unit moves at least a part of the plurality of contact portions between the lifted position and the retracted position.

According to the first to fifth aspects of the invention, even when the heat treatment plate or the like is deformed, the upper end of the support pin can be accurately arranged near the surface of the heat treatment plate.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the heat energy of the heat treatment plate can be prevented from being absorbed by the first suspension support mechanism and the second suspension support mechanism, and the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate is not uniform. Can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to raise and lower only the necessary support pins in correspondence with the chamfering on the substrate.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to automatically execute selection of the support pin that moves up and down.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are schematic side views showing the main part of the heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 shows a state where each support pin 2 is lowered, and FIG. 2 shows a state where each support pin 2 is raised. In FIG. 1, only three of the plurality of support pins 2 are illustrated, and in FIG. 2, only three of the plurality of support pins 2 are indicated by solid lines, The tip is illustrated by a virtual line.

  This heat treatment apparatus heat-treats a large-sized rectangular liquid crystal display panel glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) 1, and includes a heat treatment plate 3 disposed in a chamber 4 and a resin A plurality of support pins 2 that go up and down through the heat treatment plate 3 while being guided by the housing 39, a suspension support mechanism that supports the support pins 2 in a suspended state, and a support pin 2 that will be described later. An abutting portion 31 that abuts the lower end portion 14 is provided, and an elevating rack 5 that elevates and lowers the support pin 2 is provided. The elevator 5 is raised and lowered by driving an air cylinder (not shown).

  This heat treatment plate 3 is formed of, for example, a metal material having good heat conductivity, such as aluminum, and includes a heater as a heating means therein. A plurality of spheres made of a low heat transfer member such as alumina or material are arranged on the surface of the heat treatment plate 3. The upper end of the sphere is arranged so as to protrude by a small amount from the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 3, and a so-called proximity gap called a proximity gap is maintained between the substrate 1 and the surface of the heat treatment plate 3. In this state, the substrate 1 is placed on and supported on the sphere of the heat treatment plate 3, and the substrate 1 is heated. Note that the substrate 1 may be placed on the heat treatment plate 3 in direct contact with the surface of the heat treatment plate 3.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the support pins 2 and the like.

  The support pin 2 includes a resin tip portion 11 and a metal base portion 12. A flange 13 is disposed at the lower end of the base portion 12, and the lower end portion 14 described above is attached to the flange 13 on the side opposite to the base portion 12.

  The support pin 2 is loosely fitted in a housing 39 mounted in a hole formed in the heat treatment plate 3 and can move in the vertical direction. The flange portion 17 in the housing 39 is fixed to the lower surface of the heat treatment plate 3 by screws 21 together with the support portion 18 of the suspension member 15. At the lower end of the suspension member 15, a support portion 19 for supporting the flange 13 disposed on the support pin 2 from its lower surface is disposed. For this reason, the support pin 2 is suspended and supported from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate 3 by the action of the suspension support mechanism including the suspension member 15 and the support portion 19. Reference numeral 16 denotes a deformation preventing support for restricting the position of the suspension member 15.

  The support portion 19 is fixed to the suspension member 19 with a screw 23 using a long hole 24 formed in the suspension member 15. For this reason, the height position of the support portion 19 can be adjusted within the size of the long hole 24 by the screw 23. Thereby, it becomes possible to change the position of the upper end of the support pin 2 by changing the height position of the support part 19 with respect to the suspension member 15.

  A heat insulating material 22 is interposed between the flange portion 17 and the suspension member 15 in the housing 39 and the heat treatment plate 3. The action of the heat insulating material 22 can prevent the heat energy of the heat treatment plate 3 from being absorbed by the suspension support mechanism, and can prevent the temperature distribution of the heat treatment plate 3 from becoming uneven. Become.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the contact portion 31 that contacts the lower end portion 14 of the support pin 2 together with the support pin 2 and its flange 13, and FIG. 5 is a side view thereof.

  An abutting portion 31 for abutting the lower end portion 14 of the support pin 2 to raise and lower the support pin 2 is fixed to the elevating rack 5 with a screw 33. The contact portion 31 can be rotated 90 degrees around the axis of the screw 33 from the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 by loosening the screw 33. For this reason, this contact part 31 is movable between the raising / lowering position which contacts the lower end part 14 of the support pin 2 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. It has become.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the length of the base 12 in the central support pin 2 disposed at a position facing the vicinity of the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate 1 among the three support pins 2 shown in FIG. Is shorter than the length of the base 12 of the support pin 2 disposed outside the support pin 2. For this reason, the position of the lower end part 14 in the center support pin 2 is arranged above the position of the lower end part 14 of the support pin 2 arranged outside. And the position of the support part 19 in each suspension support mechanism is adjusted so that the upper end of each support pin 2 may be arrange | positioned near the upper surface of the heat processing plate 3. FIG.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, when the elevator 5 is lowered together with the contact portion 31, the upper end of each support pin 2 is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 3. By heat-treating the substrate 1 in this state, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the problem that the temperature distribution becomes non-uniform due to the action of the space formed between the support pins 2 and the lower surface of the substrate 1.

  From this state, when the lifting rack 5 rises together with the contact portion 31, due to the difference in length of the support pin 2, the lower end portion 14 of the support pin 2 disposed on the outside first contacts the contact portion 31, Thereafter, the lower end portion 14 of the support pin 2 disposed in the center comes into contact with the contact portion 31. If the elevator 5 further rises together with the contact portion 31 in this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the support height of the substrate 1 by the support pins 2 is low at the center portion of the substrate 1, and the edge of the substrate 1 In the vicinity, the height becomes high, and the substrate 1 is supported in a slightly bent form.

  By adopting such a configuration, when the support pin 2 is lowered, the substrate 1 floats due to the presence of air existing between the lower surface of the substrate 1 and the heat treatment plate 3, and is positioned on the substrate 1. It is possible to effectively prevent the substrate 1 from being damaged because the air does not easily enter between the lower surface of the substrate 1 and the heat treatment plate 3 when the displacement occurs or the support pins 2 rise. It becomes.

  Further, since each support pin 2 is supported by being suspended from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate 3, even when the heat treatment plate 3 is deformed, the support pin 2 moves following the deformation. 2 can be accurately arranged near the surface of the heat treatment plate 3.

  Of the three support pins 2 shown in FIG. 1, the central support pin 2 disposed at a position facing the vicinity of the center of the lower surface of the substrate 1 functions as the first support pin in the present invention. The suspension support mechanism that supports the suspension functions as the first suspension support mechanism of the present invention. Further, the two support pins 2 arranged on the outer side among the three support pins 2 shown in FIG. 1 function as the second support pins in the present invention, and the suspension support for supporting the support pins 2 by suspension. The mechanism functions as the second suspension support mechanism of the present invention. Similarly, the contact portion 31 that contacts the central support pin 2 functions as the first contact portion in the present invention, and the contact portion 31 that contacts the two support pins 2 arranged on the outside is This functions as the second contact portion in the present invention.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the support pins 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6 and indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 2, nine rows of support pins 2 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the heat treatment plate 3 (left and right directions in FIGS. 2 and 6). The total number of 2 is 36. As shown in FIG. 7, when processing the 8-chamfered substrate 1, the support pins 2AB and 2A out of the 36 support pins 2 are used so that the effective area of the substrate 1 and the support pins 2 do not come into contact with each other. The On the other hand, when processing the 6-chamfered substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 8, the support pin 2AB among the 36 support pins 2 is provided so that the effective area of the substrate 1 and the support pin 2 do not contact each other. And 2B are used.

  At this time, the abutment portion 31 of the suspension support mechanism corresponding to the support pin 2 that is not used is rotated 90 degrees around the axis of the screw 33 from the position shown in FIGS. It moves to a retracted position where it does not contact the lower end 14. Instead of moving the contact portion from the lift position to the retracted position by rotating the contact portion 31, the contact portion 31 can be removed from the lift 5 by removing the screw 33 and removing the contact portion 31 itself. May be moved to the retracted position. In any case, in order to clearly indicate the contact portion 31 to be moved to the retracted position, a special color or mark may be attached to the contact portion 31 to prevent an operation error.

  Of the 36 support pins 2 shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the central support pin 2AB constitutes the first support pin according to the present invention, and the other support pins 2A, 2B correspond to the second support pin 2 according to the present invention. Configure the support pin. However, the lengths of the support pins 2A and 2B are set longer as they are arranged on the left and right ends of the substrate 1. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, the support height of the substrate 1 by the support pins 2 is low at the central portion of the substrate 1 and increases as it approaches the edge of the substrate 1, and the substrate 1 is slightly It will be supported in a bent shape.

  In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the support pin 2 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the heat treatment plate 3 (left and right direction in FIGS. 2 and 6) is shortened as the first support pin. The support pin 2 arranged outside the support pin 2 is set long as the second support pin. However, by using the support pin 2 positioned at the center of the substrate 1 as a first support pin and the support pin 2 positioned at the outer periphery of the substrate 1 as a second support pin, the substrate 1 is placed at the center of the substrate 1. It may be supported in a mortar shape with a low end edge.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the contact portion 35 of the heat treatment apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment described above, the contact portion 31 is moved between the lift position and the retracted position by manually rotating or removing the contact portion 31. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the contact portion 35 is moved between the lifted position and the retracted position by driving the air cylinder 34 disposed on the lift rack.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the cylinder rod of the air cylinder 34 is contracted, the contact portion 35 is disposed at the retracted position retracted from below the support pin 2. In this state, the support pin 2 does not move up and down even when the elevator 5 is raised and lowered. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, in the state where the cylinder rod of the air cylinder 34 is extended, the contact portion 35 is disposed at the lift position below the support pin. In this state, when the lifting rack 5 is raised and lowered, the support pin 2 is also raised and lowered by the contact portion 35 coming into contact with the lower end portion 14 of the support pin 2. For this reason, selection of the support pin 2 to be used can be automatically executed.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the contact portion 32 of the heat treatment apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment described above, the length of the support pins 2 is different between the center portion and the outside thereof, so that the support height of the substrate 1 by the support pins 2 is low at the center portion of the substrate 1 and the end of the substrate 1 is. It gets higher as it gets closer to the edge. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the lengths of the support pins 2 are the same, and the contact positions of the contact portions 31 and 32 are different between the central portion of the substrate 1 and the outside thereof, so that the support pins 2 The support height of the substrate 1 is low in the central portion of the substrate 1 so as to increase as it approaches the edge of the substrate 1.

  That is, in this embodiment, the lengths of the support pins 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are the same. Then, support pins other than the central support pin shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are supported by the abutment portion 31 shown in FIG. 3. Further, the contact position of the central support pin 2 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 with the lower end portion 14 of the support pin 2 is lower than the elevator frame 5 as compared with the contact portion 31 as shown in FIG. It supports by the contact part 32 arrange | positioned in this. Thus, the height of the support 1 supported by the support pin 2 is set so that the support pin 2 has the same length and is lower in the center of the substrate 1 and closer to the edge of the substrate 1. It becomes possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, all the abutting portions 31 are movable between a lift position where the abutting portion 31 abuts on the support pin 2 and a retreat position where the abutting portion 31 does not abut on the support pin 2. However, it is not necessary to make all the contact portions 31 movable. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the substrate is heat-treated in two forms of the eight chamfers shown in FIG. 7 and the six chamfers shown in FIG. 8, the contact part 31 that contacts the support pin 2AB located at the center is It may be fixed.

  That is, according to the chamfered state with respect to the substrate 1, the contact portion 31 that contacts the first support pin disposed at a position facing the vicinity of the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate may be moved, or may be moved outside the first support pin. A part or all of the abutting portion 31 that abuts on the second support pin arranged at the position may be fixed. What support pin 2 is in contact with which the contact portion 31 is moved may be changed according to the form of chamfering on the substrate 1.

It is a side surface schematic diagram which shows the principal part of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side surface schematic diagram which shows the principal part of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view which shows the support pin 2 grade | etc.,. It is a top view which shows the contact part 31 contact | abutted with the lower end part 14 of the support pin 2 with the support pin 2 and its flange 13. FIG. It is a side view which shows the contact part 31 contact | abutted with the lower end part 14 of the support pin 2 with the support pin 2 and its flange 13. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of support pins 2. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the board | substrate 1 of 8 chamfering. It is explanatory drawing which shows the board | substrate 1 of 6 chamfering. It is a top view which shows the contact part 35 vicinity of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the contact part 32 vicinity of the heat processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate 2 Support pin 3 Heat processing plate 4 Chamber 5 Lifting frame 11 Tip part 12 Base part 13 Flange 14 Lower end part 15 Suspension member 18 Support part 22 Heat insulating material 24 Long hole 31 Contact part 32 Contact part 33 Screw 34 Air cylinder 35 Contact part 39 housing

Claims (5)

A heat treatment plate for heat treatment by heating or cooling the substrate placed thereon; and
A first support pin which is disposed at a position facing the vicinity of the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated, and can be lifted and lowered while penetrating the heat-treatment plate;
A first suspension support mechanism that suspends and supports the first support pin from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate such that an upper end of the first support pin is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate;
A second support pin disposed at a position outside the first support pin on the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated, and capable of moving up and down while penetrating the heat treatment plate;
A second hanging support mechanism for hanging and supporting the second support pin from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate such that the upper end of the second support pin is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate;
After contacting the second support pin, by contacting the first support pin, the upper end of the first support pin and the upper end of the second support pin are disposed above the surface of the heat treatment plate, and the substrate is An elevating mechanism that raises the first support pin and the second support pin to a substrate support position that is supported so that the center portion is low and the outside thereof is high ,
Each of the first support pin and the second support pin has a flange portion,
The first suspension support mechanism and the second suspension support mechanism include a suspension member fixed to the lower surface of the heat treatment plate, and a support portion that supports the flange portion,
The heat treatment apparatus is characterized in that the support portion is adjusted so that upper ends of the first support pin and the second support pin are arranged near an upper surface of the heat treatment plate . The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1,
A heat treatment apparatus in which a heat insulating member is interposed between the first suspension support mechanism, the second suspension support mechanism, and the heat treatment plate. In the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The said support part is the heat processing apparatus currently fixed to the long hole formed in the said suspension member with the screw | thread. A heat treatment plate for heat treatment by heating or cooling the substrate placed thereon; and
A first support pin which is disposed at a position facing the vicinity of the central portion of the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated, and can be lifted and lowered while penetrating the heat-treatment plate;
A first suspension support mechanism that suspends and supports the first support pin from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate such that an upper end of the first support pin is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate;
A second support pin disposed at a position outside the first support pin on the lower surface of the substrate to be heat-treated, and capable of moving up and down while penetrating the heat treatment plate;
A second hanging support mechanism for hanging and supporting the second support pin from the lower surface of the heat treatment plate such that the upper end of the second support pin is disposed near the upper surface of the heat treatment plate;
After contacting the second support pin, by contacting the first support pin, the upper end of the first support pin and the upper end of the second support pin are disposed above the surface of the heat treatment plate, and the substrate is An elevating mechanism that raises the first support pin and the second support pin to a substrate support position that is supported so that the center portion is low and the outside thereof is high,
A plurality of the first support pins and the second support pins are provided, respectively, and the elevating mechanism has a plurality of contacts that can contact the plurality of first support pins and the plurality of second support pins. A contact portion,
At least a part of the plurality of abutting portions includes a lift position that abuts on the first support pin or the second support pin, and a retreat position that does not abut on the first support pin or the second support pin. Heat treatment equipment that can move between The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
The heat processing apparatus provided with the drive means which moves at least one part of these contact parts between the said raising / lowering position and the said retracted position.

Images