JP7488738B2 - Vacuum lamination device and method for manufacturing laminate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention particularly relates to a vacuum lamination device equipped with a removable conveyor plate and a method for manufacturing a laminate.

The vacuum stacking device stacks multiple workpieces that make up electronic components, and is equipped with an alignment means and a stacking means. The alignment means aligns each workpiece before the workpieces are stacked by the stacking means, thereby preventing misalignment between the workpieces in the stack that is formed. In addition, when stacking the workpieces, the stacking means stacks them under a vacuum, thereby preventing air from getting between the layers of the workpieces. In order to adsorb and fix the workpieces under such a vacuum, a means other than negative pressure suction, such as electrostatic fixation, is used.

Patent document 1 describes a vacuum stacking device that is equipped with a charging means and an alignment means within a vacuum chamber, in which one workpiece is charged and fixed to the charging means, while the other workpiece is placed on the alignment means, and alignment and stacking operations are performed within the vacuum chamber under vacuum.

JP 2013-167712 A

However, in Patent Document 1, there was a risk of increased costs being incurred by implementing vacuum measures to maintain the sealing and sliding properties of the charging means and alignment means, which are made up of many parts.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a vacuum stacking device and a method for manufacturing a stack that can perform alignment and stacking operations while reducing the number of parts that require vacuum measures.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vacuum stacking device for stacking multiple workpieces in sequence, comprising a conveying plate for holding the workpieces, an alignment means for aligning the workpieces held on the conveying plate while fixing and supporting the conveying plate, a stacking means for stacking the aligned workpieces on a stacking stage under vacuum, and a conveying means for moving between the alignment means and the stacking means and, while the workpieces are held on the conveying plate, for conveying the workpieces from the alignment means to the stacking means while fixing and supporting the conveying plate, the conveying plate is detachable from both the alignment means and the conveying means, the workpieces are charged and fixed to one side, and the other side is magnetically fixed to the conveying means.

In the above vacuum lamination device, the conveying plate may be made of a magnetic material, and an insulator may be provided on one side of the conveying plate.

In addition, in the above-mentioned vacuum lamination device, the conveying plate may be configured to charge and fix a non-adhesive second surface opposite to the adhesive first surface of the workpiece.

In addition, in the above vacuum lamination device, the alignment means may include an alignment stage and a mounting block on the alignment stage, and the conveying plate may be placed on the mounting block so that the workpiece and the alignment stage are not in contact with each other.

In addition, in the above vacuum stacking device, the conveying means may be brought into contact with the stacking means to form an enclosed space, and the conveying means may move the conveying plate within the enclosed space under vacuum to stack the workpieces.

The vacuum stacking device may further include a conveying plate recovery means that discharges electricity from the conveying plate to enable the conveying plate to be peeled off from the workpiece and recovers the conveying plate.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a stack in which multiple workpieces are stacked in sequence, comprising the steps of: charging and fixing the workpiece to one side of a conveying plate; aligning the workpiece charged and fixed to the conveying plate while the conveying plate is fixed and supported on an alignment stage; magnetically fixing the other side of the conveying plate while the workpiece is charged and fixed to one side of the conveying plate, and transporting the aligned workpiece from the alignment stage to the stacking stage; and stacking the aligned workpieces on the stacking stage under vacuum.

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the laminate, the step of transporting the workpiece may involve magnetically fixing the transport plate in a vacuum chamber having an upper wall and side walls, and forming an enclosed space by abutting the vacuum chamber against the stacking stage.

The present invention provides a vacuum stacking device and a method for manufacturing a stack that can perform alignment and stacking operations while reducing the number of parts that require vacuum measures.

1 is a schematic plan view showing a vacuum lamination apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vacuum lamination apparatus shown in FIG. 1 cut in an XZ plane. 1A to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the steps from the charging operation to the alignment operation in the work stacking process, showing (a) the charging operation, (b) the peeling off of the protective layer and the inversion operation by the inversion unit, (c) the transport operation by the inversion unit, and (d) the alignment operation. 1A to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the transport operation by the transport unit during the work stacking process, showing (a) a transport preparation state, (b) a magnetically fixed state of the transport plate, (c) a state separated from the alignment stage, and (d) a state in contact with the stacking stage. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the stacking operation under vacuum during the work stacking process, showing (a) a vacuum state, (b) a stacked state, (c) an extended state of the peel-off piston, (d) a state in which the magnetic fixation of the conveying plate is released, and (e) a retracted state of the peel-off piston. Schematic cross-sectional views (a)-(c), (e) and a schematic plan view (d) illustrating the recovery operation of the conveying plate during the work stacking process, showing respectively (a) an atmospheric open state, (b) a state separated from the stacking stage of the conveying unit, (c), (d) the recovery operation of the conveying plate, and (e) the completed state of the recovery operation of the conveying plate.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an example of a specific realization of the present invention. Therefore, the configuration of the embodiment described below should be appropriately modified or changed depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

<Terminology>
In this specification and the claims, the terms are defined as follows: "Laminate" refers to bonding multiple sheets (including two sheets). "Laminate" refers to bonding multiple sheets (including two sheets) of workpieces W. "Movement in the XYθ axes" refers to movement in the X-axis and Y-axis directions and rotation in the θ direction.

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing a vacuum lamination apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vacuum lamination apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1 cut in the XZ plane. Here, the X-axis direction indicates the direction in which the workpiece W moves when each processing step is performed on the workpiece W, and the Y-axis direction indicates a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction. The Z-axis direction is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and indicates the direction in which the workpiece W faces when each processing step is performed on the workpiece W.

<About the vacuum lamination device>
The vacuum lamination apparatus 100 laminates a plurality of workpieces W, which are various thinned substrates of electronic components, with high accuracy and high speed. The vacuum lamination apparatus 100 includes a conveying plate 1, an inversion unit (inversion means) 10, a charging unit (charging means) 20, an alignment unit (alignment means) 30, a conveying unit (conveying means) 40, a lamination unit (lamination means) 50, and a conveying plate recovery unit (conveying plate recovery means) 60. These will be described in order below. The vacuum lamination apparatus 100 further includes a control means (not shown) for controlling the driving of the inversion unit 10, the charging unit 20, the alignment unit 30, the conveying unit 40, the lamination unit 50, and the conveying plate recovery unit 60.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the workpiece W has an adhesive layer a on one side (first side) and a protective layer p to prevent dust and the like from adhering to the adhesive layer a. However, this is not limited to this, and various types of workpieces W can be used, such as a workpiece W having an adhesive layer a and a protective layer p on both sides, or a workpiece W having neither an adhesive layer a nor a protective layer p on either side.

<About the conveyor plate>
The conveying plate 1 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the Z-axis direction so that the workpiece W can be placed without protruding, and is made of a magnetic material such as iron and SUS440. An insulator (not shown), for example, a silicon-based material such as silicon rubber, is provided on at least the area on one side 1a (see FIG. 3(a)), which is the surface of the conveying plate 1, where the workpiece W is placed. The workpiece W is charged and fixed to the one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 through this insulator. On the other hand, the other side 1b (see FIG. 3(a)), which is the back surface of the conveying plate 1 located opposite to the one side 1a, is magnetically fixed by a conveying plate chuck 42 (see FIG. 4(b)).

The conveying plate 1 of this embodiment is made of a magnetic material, and an insulator is provided on one side 1a, so that different fixing means (charge fixing on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 and magnetic fixing on the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1) can be applied to the same conveying plate 1. In addition, in this embodiment, the conveying plate 1 is made detachable from each unit (reversal unit 10, alignment unit 30, conveying unit 40), so that the workpiece W can move to each unit via the conveying plate 1. In this way, since each unit can be physically separated, instead of arranging the charging unit and alignment unit in the vacuum chamber as in Patent Document 1, only the conveying plate 1 to which the workpiece W is charged and fixed can be arranged. This reduces the number of members that need to be subjected to vacuum measures, and allows alignment and stacking operations to be performed.

<About the reversing unit>
The reversal unit 10 includes an inversion stage 11 and an inversion unit drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the inversion unit 10 in the X-axis direction (arrow III direction: charging/inversion position A, alignment stage position B), moves in the Z-axis direction (arrow IV direction), and rotates around the Y-axis (arrow II direction). The inversion stage 11 includes a conveying plate fixing mechanism (not shown) that fixes the conveying plate 1 in a state in which it is placed on the inversion stage 11. This conveying plate fixing mechanism may be configured by vacuum suction using a plurality of suction ports provided on the inversion stage 11, a mechanical chuck, a magnetic force, or a combination of these. The holding force of the conveying plate fixing mechanism is preset to a value that prevents the conveying plate 1 from falling from the inversion stage 11 when the inversion stage 11 to which the conveying plate 1 is fixed is inverted.

<About the charging unit>
The charging unit 20 includes a charged particle irradiation section 21 that irradiates charged particles c, and a charging unit drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the charging unit 20 in the X-axis direction (direction of arrow I), and is disposed above the inversion unit 10 in the Z-axis direction. The charged particle irradiation section 21 irradiates the charged particles c vertically downward, and may be, for example, an ionizer that irradiates negative ions or positive ions. As shown in FIG. 1, the charged particle irradiation section 21 extends in the Y-axis direction so as to cover the inversion stage 11.

<About the alignment unit>
The alignment unit 30 includes an alignment stage 31, a mounting block 32 provided on the alignment stage 31, and an XYθ-axis electric actuator 33 that moves the alignment stage 31 along the X, Y, and θ axes. The alignment unit 30 further includes an alignment imaging unit 34 that images, from below, an alignment mark that is a reference mark for aligning the workpiece W. Each of these will be described in turn below.

The alignment stage 31 has multiple windows (not shown) made of a transparent material, which extend from each corner of the alignment stage 31 toward the center.

When viewed from the Z-axis direction, multiple installation blocks 32 are arranged along the outer periphery of the alignment stage 31 so as to be point symmetrical with respect to the center of the alignment stage 31. Furthermore, the installation blocks 32 have multiple suction ports (not shown) on the upper surface for vacuum-adsorbing the conveying plate 1. In this embodiment, multiple installation blocks 32 are arranged so as to be point symmetrical with respect to the center of the alignment stage 31, but this is not limiting, and the installation blocks 32 may be arranged to surround the entire outer periphery of the alignment stage 31.

The XYθ-axis electric actuator 33 can move along the XYθ-axis, that is, move and rotate within the XY plane, to align the workpiece W to a reference position.

The alignment imaging unit 34 is equipped with an alignment camera (not shown) and alignment lighting (not shown), and captures an image of the alignment mark of the workpiece W from below the alignment stage 31 through multiple windows.

<About the transport unit>
The transport unit 40 includes a vacuum chamber 41, a transport plate chuck 42, and a transport unit drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the transport unit 40 in the X-axis direction (direction of arrow V: alignment stage position B, standby position C, stacking stage position D) and the Z-axis direction (direction of arrows IV and VI). Each of these will be described in turn below.

The vacuum chamber 41 has a generally rectangular upper wall 41t and a peripheral wall 41s that hangs down so as to continuously surround each outer edge of the upper wall 41t.

The upper wall 41t of the vacuum chamber 41 is provided with a drive mechanism that is composed of a lifting piston 43, a pair of guide shafts 44, and a pair of peeling pistons 45, and drives the vacuum chamber 41. First, the lifting piston 43 has its lower end fixed to the conveying plate chuck 42, and moves the conveying plate chuck 42 in the Z-axis direction (arrow VII direction) by expanding and contracting between a standby state in which it is contracted in the Z-axis direction and an extended state in which it is extended in the Z-axis direction (arrow VII direction). In addition, the pair of guide shafts 44 have their lower ends fixed to the conveying plate chuck 42, and when the lifting piston 43 expands and contracts in the Z-axis direction, they expand and contract in sync with the lifting piston 43 to maintain the horizontality of the conveying plate chuck 42. Furthermore, the pair of peeling pistons 45 expand and contract between a standby state in which it is contracted in the Z-axis direction and a movement restriction state in which it is extended in the Z-axis direction (arrow VIII direction) through the through hole 42h of the conveying plate chuck 42. In addition, when the pair of peeling pistons 45 are in a restricted movement state in which they are extended in the Z-axis direction (the direction of arrow VIII), the lower ends of the peeling pistons 45 are set to be flush with the lower surface of the conveying plate chuck 42 (see FIG. 5(c)).

In this embodiment, the lifting piston 43 and the pair of peeling pistons 45 are configured to be freely expandable and contractible, for example, by air cylinders or hydraulic cylinders. In addition, the drive mechanism in the vacuum chamber 41 in this embodiment employs a guide block structure with a seal member interposed therebetween, thereby preventing fluid communication between the internal space and the external space of the vacuum chamber 41 via the drive mechanism. Note that the arrangement and number of drive mechanisms in the vacuum chamber 41 in this embodiment are merely examples, and the optimal arrangement and number can be selected as appropriate.

A sealing member (not shown) is provided continuously at the lower end of the peripheral wall 41s of the vacuum chamber 41 so as to form a closed area when viewed from below in the Z-axis direction. The internal space of the vacuum chamber 41 can be kept sealed by abutting and closely adhering the sealing member of the vacuum chamber 41 onto the stacking stage 51 (see FIG. 4(d)).

The conveying plate chuck 42 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the Z-axis direction so that it can hold the conveying plate 1 without it protruding, and is equipped with a pair of through holes 42h and multiple magnetic parts 42m. The pair of through holes 42h are disposed at positions corresponding to the peeling piston 45, and the diameter of the through holes 42h is set to be larger than the diameter of the peeling piston 45 so that the peeling piston 45 can be inserted in a non-contact state. The multiple magnetic parts 42m are for magnetically fixing the conveying plate 1 to the conveying plate chuck 42, and are made of permanent magnets.

The conveying plate chuck 42 of this embodiment has a through hole 42h to allow the peeling piston 45 to expand and contract in the Z-axis direction, but is not limited to this, and for example, a continuous notch may be provided on the outer periphery of the conveying plate chuck 42. In addition, the magnetic force portion 42m of this embodiment is made of a permanent magnet, but is not limited to this, and for example, an electromagnet that performs ON/OFF control according to instructions from a control means may be used. Note that the arrangement and number of the through holes 42h and magnetic force portions 42m in the conveying plate chuck 42 of this embodiment are merely examples, and the optimal arrangement and number can be selected as appropriate.

The transport unit drive mechanism can move the transport unit 40 in the X-axis direction (arrow V direction: alignment stage position B, standby position C, stacking stage position D) and the Z-axis direction (arrows IV and VI direction). In particular, by moving the transport unit 40 in the Z-axis direction (arrows IV and VI direction), the transport unit drive mechanism can recover the transport plate 1 (see Figures 4(b) and 4(c)) and form an airtight space used for vacuuming (see Figure 4(d)), which will be described in detail later.

<About the stacked unit>
The stacking unit 50 includes a stacking stage 51 on which the workpieces W are stacked. The stacking stage 51 has a substantially rectangular shape that is set so that the vacuum chamber 41 of the transport unit 40 can be installed without protruding when viewed from the Z-axis direction, and a sealed space is formed by seating the peripheral wall 41s of the vacuum chamber 41 on the stacking stage 51. The stacking stage 51 also includes an exhaust port (not shown) and an opening port (not shown) for evacuating and opening the sealed space formed by the vacuum chamber 41 and the stacking stage 51 to the atmosphere. The stacking stage 51 also includes a workpiece fixing mechanism (not shown) for fixing the workpiece W in a state in which it is placed on the stacking stage 51.

In this embodiment, the exhaust port and the release port are provided in the stacking stage 51, but are not limited thereto and may be provided in the vacuum chamber 41, for example. Furthermore, the workpiece fixing mechanism in this embodiment may be in any form as long as the workpiece W is fixed on the stacking stage 51, and for example, vacuum suction or attachment with an adhesive may be used. Here, when the workpiece fixing mechanism is vacuum suction, the degree of vacuum in vacuum suction of the workpiece W is set to be greater than the degree of vacuum in the sealed space formed in the vacuum chamber 41.

<About the conveyor plate recovery unit>
The transport plate recovery unit 60 includes a gripping means 61, a charge removing means 62, and a transport plate recovery unit drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the transport plate recovery unit 60 in the X-axis direction (the direction of the arrow IX). Each of these will be described below in order.

The gripping means 61 grips the conveying plate 1 from above and below, and can move the conveying plate 1 within the XY plane (XY axis direction and θ direction) (see FIG. 6(d)). This gripping means 61 may be in any form as long as it can grip the conveying plate 1, and may be, for example, a mechanical hand or pusher driven by an electric actuator or air actuator.

The charge neutralizing means 62 is an ionizer that generates the charge necessary for charge neutralization and supplies this charge as charge neutralizing air i to the charged object (insulator provided on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1). As shown in FIG. 6(c), the charge neutralizing means 62 actively reduces the electrostatic adsorption force between the conveying plate 1 and the top of the laminate L by blowing charge neutralizing air i into the insulator provided on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1.

In this embodiment, the charge removal means 62 employs an ionizer, but in addition to this, for example, an insulator provided on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 may be formed wider than the area on which the workpiece W is placed, and the outer edge of this insulator may be directly gripped by the conductive gripping means 61. This allows charge neutralization in the insulator via the outer edge of the insulator and the gripping means 61, so that the electrostatic adsorption force between the conveying plate 1 and the top of the stack L can be more actively reduced.

The conveying plate recovery unit drive mechanism can move the gripping means 61 close to the conveying plate 1 and the static electricity removal means 62 close to the stacking stage 51 in the X-axis direction (direction of arrow IX).

<About the work stacking process>
3 to 6, the stacking process of the workpieces W in the vacuum stacking device 100 will be described in order. The driving of each unit (the inversion unit 10, the charging unit 20, the alignment unit 30, the transport unit 40, the stacking unit 50, and the transport plate recovery unit 60) is mainly performed by the control means and is executed by instructions from the control means. Here, in this stacking process of the workpieces, the transport plate 1 is always fixed to one of the units, so that the alignment and transport of the workpieces W can be performed in a stable state.

<About charging operation>
First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the conveying plate 1 is placed on the inversion stage 11 arranged at the charging and inversion position A by a conveying plate supply unit (not shown) so that the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1 is in contact with the inversion stage 11, and the conveying plate 1 is fixed to the inversion stage 11 by a conveying plate fixing mechanism. Next, the workpiece W is placed on the insulator provided on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 by a work supply unit (not shown) so that the surface (second surface) on which the adhesive layer a and the protective layer p are not provided is in contact with the insulator. Furthermore, the charging unit drive mechanism moves the charging unit 20 in the X-axis direction (arrow I(1) direction) so as to cross above the inversion stage 11. At this time, the charged particles c are irradiated downward from the charged particle irradiation unit 21, so that the insulator provided on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 is charged in a planar manner, and the workpiece W is charged and fixed to the one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 through the insulator. Here, as shown in Figure 1, when one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 on which the workpiece W is placed is viewed from the Z-axis direction, an area on which the workpiece W is not placed is formed so as to surround the workpiece W.

In the charging operation in this embodiment, the workpiece W is placed on the conveying plate 1 fixed to the inversion stage 11, and then the charging unit 20 charges and fixes the workpiece W to the insulator, but this is not limited to the above. For example, before placing the workpiece W on the conveying plate 1 fixed to the inversion stage 11, the charging unit 20 may charge the insulator of the conveying plate 1, and then the workpiece W may be charged and fixed to the insulator. In addition, by charging and fixing the workpiece W to the insulator after placing it on the conveying plate 1 fixed to the inversion stage 11 as in the charging operation in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the workpiece W on the conveying plate 1 and the occurrence of wrinkles, and to suppress the risk of discharge from the insulator and the occurrence of contamination of the insulator.

<About the reversing and conveying operations by the reversing unit>
First, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the protective layer p provided on the workpiece W charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1 is peeled off by a peeling unit (not shown). As a result, the workpiece W charged and fixed on the conveying plate 1 becomes a workpiece W (hereinafter referred to as "adhesive-attached workpiece Wa") having an adhesive layer a having adhesiveness provided only on one side. After that, the reversing unit 10 is rotated 180° around the Y axis (in the direction of the arrow II(2)) by the reversing unit driving mechanism, and the adhesive layer a of the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa is arranged so as to face downward. Here, the fixing and holding force of the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1 to the reversing stage 11 by the conveying plate fixing mechanism and the electrostatic adsorption force of the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa to the one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 by the charging fixation are preset to values such that the conveying plate 1 and the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa do not fall from the reversing stage 11 when the reversing stage 11 is reversed.

In this embodiment, the work W to be charged and fixed on the conveying plate 1 is a work W having an adhesive layer a and a protective layer p on only one side, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a work W having an adhesive layer a and a protective layer p on both sides, or a work W not having an adhesive layer a and a protective layer p on both sides may be used. When a work W having an adhesive layer a and a protective layer p on both sides is used as the work W to be charged and fixed on the conveying plate 1, the protective layer p on one side of the work W is placed directly on the insulator on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the reversal unit 10 is moved by the reversal unit drive mechanism from the charging/reversal position A to the alignment stage position B in the X-axis direction (arrow III(3) direction), and then moved downward in the Z-axis direction (arrow IV(4) direction). As a result, the area on one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 where the workpiece Wa is not placed is brought into contact with the upper surface of the installation block 32 of the alignment unit 30. Then, after the conveying plate 1 is adsorbed and fixed to the upper surface of the installation block 32, the fixation of the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1 to the reversal stage 11 by the conveying plate fixing mechanism is released. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the reversal unit 10 is moved by the reversal unit drive mechanism upward in the Z-axis direction (arrow IV(5) direction), and then moved from the alignment stage position B to the charging/reversal position A in the X-axis direction (arrow III(6) direction).

<About alignment operation>
As shown in FIG. 3(d), the alignment imaging unit 34 captures an image of a pair of alignment marks provided on the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa from below. The captured image is sent to an image processing device (not shown), and the positions of the pair of alignment marks are calculated by image processing, and the error between the calculated positions of the pair of alignment marks and a predetermined reference position is calculated. If the error is within a predetermined range, it is determined that the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa has been properly aligned, and the alignment operation of the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa is terminated. On the other hand, if the error is outside the predetermined range, it is determined that the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa has not been properly aligned. At this time, the XYθ-axis electric actuator 33 moves the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa to the XYθ-axis via the alignment stage 31, the installation block 32, and the conveying plate 1 so as to minimize the error. This alignment to the predetermined reference position is continued until the error falls within a predetermined range.

In this embodiment, the alignment operation is performed in a non-contact state between the adhesive-coated workpiece Wa and the alignment stage 31, so it can be performed smoothly without dust or other particles adhering to the adhesive layer a.

<Transport operation by the transport unit>
The conveying operation by the conveying unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D, with the conveying plate being in two states, a magnetically fixed state and a conveying state.

(Transport plate magnetically fixed state)
The transport unit 40 is stopped at the standby position C in a standby state in which the lift piston 43 and the peeling piston 45 are contracted. First, when it is determined that the alignment of the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa has been properly performed in the alignment unit 30, the transport unit 40 is moved from the standby position C to the alignment stage position B in the X-axis direction (arrow V (7) direction) by the transport unit drive mechanism, as shown in FIG. 4(a). Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the transport unit 40 is moved downward in the Z-axis direction (arrow IV (8) direction) by the transport unit drive mechanism, and the transport plate chuck 42 is brought into contact with the other side 1b of the transport plate 1. At this time, the transport plate 1 made of a magnetic material is magnetically fixed to the transport plate chuck 42 by a plurality of magnetic force parts 42m made of permanent magnets. Here, in the transport plate 1, the attraction and holding force acting on the installation block 32 downward in the Z-axis direction is set to be greater than the magnetic force acting on the magnetic force part 42m upward in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the conveying plate 1 is magnetically fixed to the conveying plate chuck 42 while being adsorbed and fixed to the mounting block 32 without floating up from the mounting block 32, thereby preventing the position of the adhesive-covered workpiece Wa charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1 from shifting.

In this embodiment, the magnetic section 42m uses a permanent magnet, but if an electromagnet that performs ON/OFF control is used instead, the magnetic force may be generated by switching from OFF control to ON control around the time when the conveying plate chuck 42 abuts against the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1.

(Transportation state)
First, after releasing the suction fixation of one side 1a of the conveying plate 1 from the upper surface of the installation block 32, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the conveying unit 40 is moved upward in the Z-axis direction (arrow IV(9) direction) by the conveying unit drive mechanism. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(d), the conveying unit 40 is moved in the X-axis direction (arrow V(10) direction) from the alignment stage position B to the stacking stage position D by the conveying unit drive mechanism, and then moved downward in the Z-axis direction (arrow VI(11) direction). As a result, the seal member provided at the lower end of the peripheral wall 41s of the vacuum chamber 41 abuts and adheres to the stacking stage 51, forming an enclosed space (internal pressure is atmospheric pressure Pa) in the vacuum chamber 41. At this time, the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1 and the stacked body L stacked on the stacking stage 51 are arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction in a non-contact state.

Here, in the laminate L stacked on the stacking stage 51, only the bottom workpiece W is a workpiece W that does not have an adhesive layer a and is fixed to the stacking stage 51 by the workpiece fixing mechanism, while the other workpieces W are made of adhesive-attached workpieces Wa and are fixed to each other by their adhesive force. In this embodiment, the pressure of the vacuum chamber 41 against the stacking stage 51 is adjusted by the transport unit driving mechanism to a desired value, thereby increasing the airtightness of the sealed space formed in the vacuum chamber 41.

<About stacking operation>
From now on, the stacking operation will be explained in three states, namely, a vacuum state, a stacking state, and a magnetic fixation release state of the conveying plate, with reference to Fig. 5(a) to Fig. 5(e). In Fig. 5(b) to Fig. 5(e), the members in the operating state are shown in gray to make it easier to understand the operation of the lifting piston 43 or the pair of peeling pistons 45.

(Vacuum state)
5A, the gas in the sealed space formed in the vacuum chamber 41 is exhausted through an exhaust port provided in the stacking stage 51, thereby drawing a vacuum (see the dotted area in the figure). The vacuum pressure Pv in this sealed space is set to, for example, about -100 (kPa). Here, the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa is charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1, and the conveying plate 1 is magnetically fixed to the conveying plate chuck 42, so that the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa and the conveying plate 1 do not fall from the conveying plate chuck 42 even under vacuum.

(Laminated state)
After the vacuum pressure Pv in the vacuum chamber 41 reaches a desired value, the lifting piston 43 transitions to an extended state, and the conveying plate chuck 42 is moved downward in the Z-axis direction (in the direction of the arrow VII (12)), as shown in FIG. 5(b). Then, the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1 is abutted against the top of the stack L stacked on the stacking stage 51. From this state, the lifting piston 43 further moves the conveying plate chuck 42 downward in the Z-axis direction (in the direction of the arrow VII (12)) by a pressing amount that is preset depending on the type of adhesive used in the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa. As a result, the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1 is stacked integrally with the stack L by the adhesive force.

In this embodiment, after the space between the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa charged and fixed to the conveying plate 1 and the laminate L stacked on the stacking stage 51 is evacuated, the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa is stacked integrally with the laminate L, thereby preventing air from entering between the layers of the laminate L. In addition, in this embodiment, the conveying unit 40 not only transports the conveying plate 1, but also forms a sealed space and stacks the workpieces W, so that each unit constituting the vacuum stacking device 100 can be simplified and costs can be reduced. In addition, in order to further improve the stacking accuracy of the laminate L in the stacking operation of this embodiment, for example, a pin guide stacking method, that is, a method of stacking by engaging pins and guide holes provided on the stacking stage 51 and the conveying plate chuck 42 with each other, may be adopted.

(Transport plate magnetically released)
First, as shown in Fig. 5(c), a pair of peeling pistons 45 are extended downward in the Z-axis direction (in the direction of arrow VIII (13)) and are inserted in a non-contact state through the through-holes 42h provided in the conveying plate chuck 42. Then, when the lower ends of the peeling pistons 45 reach a position where they are flush with the lower surface of the conveying plate chuck 42, that is, a position where they abut against the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1, the extension of the peeling pistons 45 is stopped. Here, the lower ends of the peeling pistons 45 abut against the conveying plate 1 and are firmly fixed in a movement restricted state, so that the upward movement of the conveying plate 1 in the Z-axis direction is restricted.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the lifting piston 43 moves the conveying plate chuck 42 upward in the Z-axis direction (in the direction of the arrow VII (14)) and places it in a retracted standby state. At this time, a force greater than the magnetic force of the magnetic part 42m acting on the conveying plate 1 is applied to the conveying plate chuck 42 by the lifting piston 43, and the magnetic fixation between the conveying plate chuck 42 and the conveying plate 1 is released. In addition, since the peeling piston 45 restricts the upward movement of the conveying plate 1 in the Z-axis direction, no external force that would peel off the layers of the laminate L is applied between the layers, and the stacking accuracy of the laminate L can be maintained. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(e), the pair of peeling pistons 45 are moved upward in the Z-axis direction (in the direction of the arrow VIII (15)) and placed in a retracted standby state.

In this embodiment, the magnetic section 42m uses a permanent magnet, but if an electromagnet that performs ON/OFF control is used instead, the magnetic force may be switched from ON control to OFF control around the time when the lower end of the peeling piston 45 abuts against the other side 1b of the conveying plate 1, thereby causing the magnetic force to disappear.

<About the collection operation of the transport plate>
The recovery operation of the conveying plate will be described in two states, a recovery preparation state and a recovery state, with reference to Fig. 6(a) to Fig. 6(e). Fig. 6(a) to Fig. 6(c) and Fig. 6(e) are schematic cross-sectional views explaining the recovery operation of the conveying plate 1, and Fig. 6(d) is a schematic plan view showing only the conveying plate 1 and the laminate L in Fig. 6(c).

(Ready for collection)
First, as shown in Fig. 6(a), gas is supplied into the sealed space formed in the vacuum chamber 41 via an opening port provided in the stacking stage 51, and the space is opened to the atmosphere so that the internal pressure becomes atmospheric pressure Pa. Then, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the transport unit 40 is moved upward in the Z-axis direction (in the direction of arrow VI (16)) by the transport unit drive mechanism, and then moved in the X-axis direction (in the direction of arrow V (17)) from the stacking stage position D to the standby position C.

(Recovery status)
As shown in Fig. 6(c), the conveying plate recovery unit 60 is moved in the X-axis direction (direction of arrow IX) by the conveying plate recovery unit drive mechanism, so that the gripping means 61 approaches the conveying plate 1 and the static electricity removing means 62 approaches the stacking stage 51. Then, after the conveying plate 1 is gripped from above and below at the gripping position G by the gripping means 61, the conveying plate 1 is moved within the XY plane (XY-axis direction and θ direction) as shown in Fig. 6(d). In addition, the static electricity removing means 62 flows static electricity removing air i between the conveying plate 1 and the stack L.

Here, the static elimination mechanism using the gripping means 61 and the static elimination means 62 will be described. First, the charge fixation between the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa stacked on the top of the stack L and the conveying plate 1 is strong against tensile forces in the Z-axis direction, but is relatively easy to shift sideways against shear forces parallel to the XY plane. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6(d), the position of the stack L remains fixed, and the conveying plate 1 is slid into the XY plane relative to the stack L by the gripping means 61. At this time, static elimination air i is poured between the conveying plate 1 and the stack L by the static elimination means 62, so that the electrostatic adsorption force between the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa stacked on the top of the stack L and the conveying plate 1 weakens in sequence from the outside to the inside of the insulator. By repeating this sliding and the pouring of static elimination air i, the conveying plate 1 is separated from the stack L and collected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(e), the adhesive-attached workpiece Wa is stacked integrally on the top of the stack L on the stacking stage 51.

In this embodiment, when the conveying plate 1 is separated from the laminate L and collected, no external force that would cause the layers of the laminate L to be peeled off is applied between the layers, so that air can be prevented from being mixed between the layers. In addition, the workpiece W in this embodiment has been described using an adhesive-attached workpiece Wa, but instead, when a workpiece W having an adhesive layer a and a protective layer p on both sides is used, the protective layer p located on the upper surface side of the workpiece W may be peeled off after the workpiece W is stacked on the laminate L. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the adhesive strength between the layers of the laminate L is relatively greater than the electrostatic adsorption force between the laminate L and the conveying plate 1, the conveying plate 1 may be moved by the gripping means 61 in the Z-axis direction in addition to being moved within the XY plane. This is because, even if an external force in the Z-axis direction is applied to the laminate L by the gripping means 61, the layers of the laminate L are not peeled off, so that air can be prevented from being mixed between the layers and the stacking accuracy can be maintained.

As described above, the stacking process for stacking one workpiece W into the laminate L has been described. However, if it is necessary to stack additional workpieces W into the laminate L, the stacking process (Figures 3 to 6) can be repeated for the required number of workpieces to form the desired laminate L.

100 Vacuum lamination device 1 Conveyor plate 10 Reversal unit (reversal means)
11 Inversion stage 20 Charging unit (charging means)
30 Alignment unit (alignment means)
31 Alignment stage 32 Installation block 40 Transport unit (transport means)
41 Vacuum chamber 42 Conveyor plate chuck 43 Lifting piston 44 Guide shaft portion 45 Peeling piston 50 Stacking unit (stacking means)
51 Stacking stage 60 Carrying plate recovery unit (carrying plate recovery means)
61 gripping means 62 charge removing means A charging/reversing position B alignment stage position C standby position D stacking stage position L stacked body W work Wa adhesive-attached work

Claims (8)

A vacuum stacking apparatus for stacking a plurality of workpieces in sequence,
A conveying plate for holding the workpiece;
an alignment means for aligning the workpiece held on the conveying plate while fixing and supporting the conveying plate;
A stacking means for stacking the aligned workpieces on a stacking stage under vacuum;
a conveying means that moves between the alignment means and the stacking means , which are always spaced apart from each other, and conveys the workpiece from the alignment means to the stacking means while fixing and supporting the conveying plate in a state in which the workpiece is held by the conveying plate;
A vacuum lamination apparatus, characterized in that the conveying plate is detachable from each of the alignment means and the conveying means, the workpiece is charged and fixed to one side, and the other side is magnetically fixed to the conveying means. The vacuum stacking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying plate is made of a magnetic material and an insulator is provided on one side of the conveying plate. The vacuum lamination device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conveying plate charges and fixes a non-adhesive second surface opposite to the adhesive first surface of the workpiece. The alignment means includes an alignment stage and a mounting block on the alignment stage;
4. The vacuum lamination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying plate is placed on the mounting block so that the workpiece and the alignment stage are in a non-contact state. The vacuum stacking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the conveying means is brought into contact with the stacking means to form an enclosed space, and the conveying means moves the conveying plate within the enclosed space under vacuum to stack the workpieces. Further comprising a conveying plate collecting means,
6. The vacuum lamination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying plate recovery means removes electricity from the conveying plate to enable the conveying plate to be peeled off from the workpiece, and recovers the conveying plate. A method for manufacturing a laminate in which a plurality of workpieces are sequentially laminated, comprising the steps of:
charging and fixing the workpiece to one side of a conveying plate;
aligning the workpiece charged and fixed to the conveying plate while the conveying plate is fixed and supported on an alignment stage;
A step of transporting the aligned workpiece from the alignment stage to a stacking stage, in which the workpiece is charged and fixed to one side of the transport plate, the other side of the transport plate is magnetically fixed, and the workpiece is always spaced apart from the other side of the transport plate;
stacking the workpieces aligned on the stacking stage under vacuum;
A method for producing a laminate, comprising: The method for manufacturing a laminate described in claim 7, characterized in that the step of transporting the workpiece involves magnetically fixing the transport plate in a vacuum chamber having an upper wall and side walls, and forming an enclosed space by abutting the vacuum chamber against the stacking stage.

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