JPH05154923A - Substrate assembling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a device, by which substrates can be pasted together with sealant with no introduction of dust during assembling work. CONSTITUTION:A table 4, which travels between sealant drawing station S1 and substrate pasting station S2, is provided. Further, first substrate 13 is mounted on a stage 5, which travels on the table 4 normal to the travelling direction of the table 4, so as to emit sealant from an emitter, on which a downward directing nozzle tip is provided, and simultaneously move the stage to normal direction in order to draw pattern in S1. Second substrate 14 is horizontally hung with suction table 15 in S2. By moving the table 4 to S2, the first substrate is arranged below the second substrate. Finally, by narrowing the opposing interval between both the substrates, the substrates are pasted together.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate assembling apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate assembling apparatus such as a liquid crystal display panel which can bring two substrates into close proximity to each other and attach them without taking in dust during assembly. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional liquid crystal display panel has two glass substrates each having a transparent electrode and a thin film transistor array of several μm.
The liquid crystal is sealed in a hermetically sealed space formed by sticking together with a sealant at extremely close intervals. As a means for providing the sealant for the liquid crystal display panel on the glass substrate, it is possible to use a technique of forming a resistance pattern by drawing a predetermined pattern by moving the substrate while discharging the resistance paste from the nozzle onto the substrate. As such a conventional technique, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-5
There is one described in Japanese Patent No. 2742. Further, when assembling a substrate of a conventional liquid crystal display panel, a glass substrate provided with a sealing agent is transferred to a work table by a transfer means, and then two glass substrates are manually aligned in the plane direction, Particles to be spacers are included in the sealant, so that two glass substrates are bonded to each other at an extremely close interval of about several μm.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned liquid crystal display panel of the prior art, fine transparent electrodes and thin film transistor arrays are provided on the glass substrate, and the pixels formed by them are extremely small. Therefore, if dust accumulates on the glass substrate during the assembly work and is taken into the enclosed space, the place where the dust exists becomes a pixel defect, the defective part becomes a black spot in the monochrome display panel, and the defective part in the color display panel. Becomes red, green, or blue, making it difficult to see the image on the screen. As a means for providing the sealant for the liquid crystal display panel on the glass substrate, the one described in JP-A-2-52742 is used, in which the resistance paste is discharged in a state where the substrate and the nozzle are not in contact with each other, and the substrate is The predetermined resistance pattern is drawn by moving the nozzle, and the fixed nozzle prevents dust from accumulating on the substrate. However, no special mention is made here of how to handle the substrate after drawing the resistance pattern. Further, when assembling the above-mentioned substrates of a conventional liquid crystal display panel, a glass substrate provided with a sealant is moved to a work table for bonding by a conveying means, and the two glass substrates are manually positioned and then bonded. Therefore, there is a problem that dust is accumulated on the glass substrate during the assembling work, and the dust is taken into the enclosed space to a very high degree.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to collect dust during the assembly work in which the two substrates are brought very close to each other after the sealant is provided on the substrates as in a liquid crystal display panel and then bonded. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate assembling device having a simple structure that can be bonded without being attached.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate assembling apparatus of the present invention is provided with a table movable between a sealant drawing station and a substrate bonding station, and the sealant drawing station. A nozzle whose tip for discharging the sealant is directed downward, a stage provided on the table and movable in at least an orthogonal direction, and a stage for discharging the sealant from the nozzle A means for drawing a sealant in a desired pattern on the first substrate by moving in the orthogonal direction, and a second substrate mounted on the stage when the table is moved to the substrate bonding station. A means for supporting the first substrate in parallel to and above the first substrate, and the first means arranged in parallel by the supporting means. It is obtained by such and means for bonding both substrates with a sealing agent by narrowing the opposing interval between the second of the two substrates. In the above board assembly apparatus, the first board mounted on the stage is further movable in the vertical direction, and the ceiling and a part of the side circumference of the apparatus are covered with a net cover. Is.

[0006]

In the substrate assembling apparatus, the sealing agent drawing station discharges the sealing agent from the nozzle and moves the stage in the orthogonal direction to draw a sealing agent pattern on the first substrate. Since there is no moving object, dust does not drop on the first substrate, and after drawing the sealant, the first substrate moves to the substrate bonding station together with the stage and is arranged below the second substrate. Due to the absence of another transfer means and the fact that there is nothing moving above the first substrate, dust does not drop onto the first substrate even in the step of moving the first substrate, and further the bonding of both substrates is prevented. In the aligning step, since the two substrates, which are vertically arranged in parallel with each other, are narrowed to face each other so that the two substrates are bonded together, there is no moving object between the two substrates. Since dust does not fall onto the plate and thus does not fall onto the first substrate in any step of the assembly work, dust may be taken into the space formed by bonding the two substrates with the sealant. Also, the configuration of the device can be simplified. In addition, the stage can further simplify the device configuration by moving the mounted first substrate further in the vertical direction, and further, the ceiling part and a part of the side circumference of the device are screened. By being covered with the cover, the device is placed in a downflow type clean room, and dust inside the device is discharged to the outside by an air flow.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of a liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus showing an embodiment of a substrate assembling apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 1
In FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus 1 is composed of two parts, a sealant drawing station S1 and a substrate bonding station S2. Both stations S1 and S2.
Are adjacent to each other. A pedestal 3 supported by a column 2a is provided above the base 2, and a rail 7 extending over both stations S1 and S2 is provided on the upper surface of the base 2. On the rail 7, the stage moving table 4 is moved by the stage drive motor 6 to the left and right in the drawing, that is, both stations S1, S.
You can move between the two. The XYθ stage 5 and the first glass substrate 1 on the upper surface of the XYθ stage 5 are placed on the table 4.
A lower suction table 8 that supports 3 by vacuum suction or the like is placed. Here, the XYθ stage 5 will be described. If the first glass substrate 13 is mounted horizontally, the first glass substrate 13 is moved horizontally in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and the first glass substrate 13 is moved. The substrate 13 is rotated horizontally, that is, moved by the θ axis, and if the first glass substrate 13 is accurately arranged in the XY directions, then θ
No axis movement is required.

A Z-axis moving table 10 which moves up and down by a Z-axis drive motor 9 is provided on the pedestal 3 of the sealing agent drawing station S1 portion facing the rail 7. An optical non-contact displacement gauge 11 and a sealant ejector 12 having a nozzle are attached to the table 10.
The tip of the nozzle faces the first glass substrate 13 below. On the upper part of the pedestal 3 of the substrate bonding station S2 portion facing one of the rails 7, there is a support 2b.
The pressurizing drive mechanism 17 is mounted on the gantry 18 supported by the. The pressurizing suction table 15 provided on the lower side of the gantry 3 is vertically moved by the drive mechanism 17 via the ball screw 17a extending downward. To move to. The pressure adsorption table 15 supports the second glass substrate 14 on its lower surface so as to be horizontally suspended by vacuum adsorption or the like so as to be parallel to the first glass substrate 13. The table 15 has holes 15a, 15 at two locations.
Image recognition cameras 16a and 16b with built-in CCDs are attached to the sections of the gantry 3 corresponding to the holes 15a and 15b formed in the table 15. Both cameras 16a and 16b face downwards,
Therefore, the cameras 16a and 16b are installed in both holes 15 of the table 15.
Objects existing under the second glass substrate 14 or the like can be confirmed through a and 15b. The liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus is provided with a control device (not shown) for each of the drive units described above.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus of FIG. The operation and function of the liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in FIG. 2, the case where the XYθ stage 5 and the lower suction table 8 are moved to the bonding station S2 is shown by a chain double-dashed line, and the symbols 5φ and 8φ are assigned to each of them. Figure 2
First, when the stage moving table 4 is first moved to the bonding station S2 on the rail 7 on the base 2 by the stage drive motor 6 of FIG. 1, the adapter 14a is placed on the lower suction table 8φ on the XYθ stage 5φ. The second glass substrate 14 is placed via the. This adapter 14a is for preventing the lower surface of the second glass substrate 14 from coming into contact with the lower suction table 8φ, and is a frame-shaped one that supports the peripheral edge of the second glass substrate 14.
Here, the second glass substrate 14 is used by both cameras 16a and 16b.
XYθ stage 5φ so that the second glass substrate 14 is placed at a predetermined position of the bonding station S2 while reading the alignment mark (not shown) provided in
To control. Then, the pressurization drive mechanism 17 of FIG. 1 moves the pressurization adsorption table 15 downward to adsorb and support the second glass substrate 14 so that the second glass substrate 14 is horizontally suspended by the table 15, and the drive mechanism 17 pressurizes the second glass substrate 14 horizontally. The second glass substrate 14 is moved upward through the suction table 15 to stand by, and the adapter 14a is removed. Even if dust is released by this operation, it does not need to avoid the dust and only falls onto the upper surface of the second glass substrate 14, which causes no problem.

Next, the first glass substrate 13 is placed on the lower suction table 8φ, and the XYθ stage 5φ is controlled so that the first glass substrate 13 is placed at a predetermined position of the bonding station S2. When the alignment of the first glass substrate 13 is completed, the XYθ stage 5φ is moved to the sealant drawing station S1 this time.
Next, in the sealant drawing station S1, the Z-axis drive motor 9 of FIG. 1 is controlled by the output of the optical non-contact displacement gauge 11 on the Z-axis movable table 10, and the sealant ejector on the Z-axis movable table 10 is controlled. A gap between the tip of the nozzle 12 and the upper surface of the first glass substrate 13 on the lower suction table 8 is set. With this operation, the sealant ejector 1 for setting the gap
The nozzle moving distance of 2 is small, and dust is hardly released due to this. Further, in the case where the release of dust is extremely disliked, the sealant ejector 12 is used as indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG.
The drive unit including the Z-axis moving table 10 may be sealed, and the sealed space may be evacuated. And XYθ stage 5
While moving in the XY directions in accordance with a predetermined drawing pattern, the sealant is discharged from the nozzle of the sealant discharger 12 to apply the sealant to the first glass substrate 13. The sealant pattern to be drawn is not shown.
Further, by storing and storing a so-called personal computer drawing pattern in a control device (not shown), it is possible to apply the same drawing pattern to many first glass substrates 13 and change stored data. Various drawing patterns can be obtained with. With this operation, there is no object that moves above the first glass substrate 13 during the discharge drawing of the sealant, so that dust does not drop onto the upper surface of the first glass substrate 13.

Next, after the application of the sealing agent is completed, the XYθ stage 5 is moved again to the bonding station S2,
First, the second glass substrate 14 is positioned immediately below the pressure adsorption table 15 holding the second glass substrate 14. Even in this operation, the first glass substrate 13 is arranged below the second glass substrate 14 together with the XYθ stage 5 and the lower suction table 8, so that another transport means is not interposed and the first glass substrate 13 is provided above the first glass substrate 13. Since there is no moving object, dust does not drop on the upper surface of the first glass substrate 13 even when the first glass substrate 13 moves. Further, since another transport means is not required, the device configuration is simple. Next, both cameras 16
The focal points of a and 16b are aligned with an alignment mark (not shown) of the first glass substrate 13 and the two cameras 16a and 16b are aligned.
The XYθ stage 5φ is driven and controlled while the mark is read by b, and the first glass substrate 13 and the second glass substrate 1 are controlled.
Approximately align with 4. Then, the pressurizing drive mechanism 17 of FIG. 1 gradually moves the pressurizing / sucking table 15 downward so that the second glass substrate 1 is moved by the cameras 16a and 16b.
4, when the alignment mark (not shown) can be read, the XYθ stage 5φ is drive-controlled to perform accurate alignment between the first glass substrate 13 and the second glass substrate 14 and pressurize and adsorb. The table 15 is further gradually lowered to bond the two glass substrates 13 and 14 with a sealant. With this operation, when the two glass substrates 13 and 14 are bonded together, since there is nothing moving between the two glass substrates 13 and 14, dust does not drop on the upper surface of the first glass substrate 13. As described above, since dust does not fall onto the upper surface of the first glass substrate 13 in any step of the assembling work, dust may be taken into the space formed by bonding the glass substrates 13 and 14 with the sealant. Absent. Further, since the above-mentioned sealing agent drawing step, substrate bonding step, and moving step between the sealing agent drawing and substrate bonding stations can be performed by simple sequence control, a series of operations can be performed by a controller (not shown). The operation may be programmed and controlled by a personal computer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the net covers 19 and 2 are provided on the lower portions of the front and back surfaces of the liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus 1 of FIG.
0, the cover covers 21 and 22 are provided on both sides, and the control panel 23 of the control device (not shown) for each drive unit is installed beside the cover cover 22. Further, a net cover 24 is provided on the ceiling, and an acrylic transparent cover 25 is provided on the upper part of the front surface so that the inside can be seen. The liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus 1 is placed in a downflow type clean room, and when the air shown by the arrow A is flowed, the air that has entered the apparatus 1 from the net cover 24 of the ceiling is shown by the arrows B and C. Out of the net covers 19 and 20 at the lower part of the front and back surfaces of the device, and the dust in the device 1 is discharged to the outside by the air flow.

The substrate assembly apparatus can be implemented in the following modes. In the first mode, a Z-axis moving table 10 is provided on the XYθ stage 5 instead of the Z-axis moving table 10 of FIG. 1, and a sealant ejecting machine 12 having a nozzle on the frame 3 of the sealant drawing station S1 and an optical non-contact type. The displacement meter 11 is directly fixed, and the gap between the tip of the nozzle of the sealant discharger 12 and the first glass substrate 13 on the lower suction table 8 is set by the Z-axis moving table. In this mode, in the sealant drawing station S1, there is no movable portion above the first substrate 13 placed on the lower suction table 8, so that no dust is dropped onto the first substrate 13. In the second mode, the pressing drive mechanism 17 and the gantry 18 in the substrate bonding station S2 of FIG. 1 are omitted, the suction table 15 of the second substrate 14 is directly fixed to the gantry 3, and the Z-axis moving table is changed to XYθ. The second substrate 14 is provided on the stage 5 and is raised by the Z-axis moving table to be fixed to the suction table 15 by suction.
14 is attached. In this mode, the suction table 15 is used in the substrate bonding station S2.
No moving parts above the first substrate 13
There is no drop into the device, and the device structure can be further simplified by omitting the pressurizing drive mechanism 17 and the gantry 18. In the third mode, the substrate suction function is provided on the XYθ stage 5, and the lower suction table 8 is omitted. In this mode, the number of members placed on the stage moving table 4 is reduced, and the traveling of the stage moving table 4 becomes lighter due to the weight reduction. In the fourth aspect, an ultraviolet irradiation means for solidifying the sealant or the like is provided in either the sealant drawing station S1 or the substrate bonding station S2 according to the fixing specification of the sealant. This mode does not require a separate device for solidifying the sealant, and can simplify the device configuration.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, like a liquid crystal display panel, two substrates are brought close to each other and pasted with a sealant without sticking dust during assembly work in a substrate assembling apparatus. There is an effect that they can be combined and the structure of the board assembling apparatus can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a liquid crystal display panel assembling apparatus showing an embodiment of a substrate assembling apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

S1 ... Sealing agent drawing station, S2 ... Substrate bonding station, 4 ... Stage moving table, 5 ... XY
θ stage, 7 ... Rail, 8 ... Lower suction table, 10
... Z-axis moving table, 11 ... Optical non-contact displacement meter, 12
... Sealant ejector with nozzle, 13 ... First substrate, 1
4 ... 2nd board | substrate, 15 ... Pressure adsorption table, 16a, 1
6b ... Camera, 17 ... Pressure drive mechanism, 19, 20, 2
4 ... Net cover.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Shigeru Ishida 5-2 Koyodai, Ryugasaki-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi Techno Engineering Co., Ltd. Research & Development Laboratory (72) Haruo Sankai 5-2 Koyodai, Ryugasaki-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi Techno Engineering Co., Ltd. Research & Development Laboratory (72) Inventor Katsumi Kondo 4026, Kuji Town, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A table movable between a sealing agent drawing station and a substrate bonding station, a nozzle provided in the sealing agent drawing station, the tip of which discharges the sealing agent facing downward, and the table above the table. A stage provided with the first substrate, which is movable in at least an orthogonal direction, and a desired pattern of the sealing agent on the first substrate by moving the stage in the orthogonal direction while discharging the sealing agent from the nozzle. And a means for supporting the second substrate so as to be parallel to and above the first substrate mounted on the stage when the table is moved to the substrate bonding station. By narrowing the facing interval between the first and second substrates arranged in parallel by the supporting means, both substrates are bonded with a sealant. A substrate assembling apparatus comprising: a unit for aligning. 2. The board assembling apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate assembling apparatus, wherein the stage is capable of further moving the mounted first substrate in the vertical direction. 3. The board assembly apparatus according to claim 1,
A board assembling apparatus characterized in that a ceiling cover and a part of a side periphery are covered with a net cover.