KR100489623B1 - Processing equipment for a substrate of liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus for an LCD device in which a fixing means of a fluid ejection device and a fluid supply pipe are integrated. A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is fixed to a substrate conveying apparatus, a substrate conveying apparatus, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a fluid to a substrate to be conveyed, fixing means for fixing the fluid ejecting apparatus to a substrate conveying apparatus, and a fluid. And a fluid supply tubing, which is connected to the injector and is a passage for supplying the supply fluid to the fluid injector, wherein the fluid supply tubing is integral with the fixing means.

Description

Processing equipment for a substrate of liquid crystal display device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for a liquid crystal display (hereinafter, referred to as an LCD) device, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus for spraying a fluid onto a substrate for an LCD device to perform a predetermined process. will be.

Currently, LCD devices have large panels and support for high resolution at large screens. In addition, the technical problems such as high contrast (contrast) and wide viewing angle are solved, replacing the existing cathode ray tube. This trend is accelerating as an active matrix driving thin film transistor ("TFT") LCD has been developed and its application field has been expanded. The active matrix drive type TFT-LCD makes a switch element called TFT in each pixel and can control each pixel individually.

Glass is used as a material of a substrate in a process of manufacturing a transistor or the like formed in each pixel of a TFT-LCD device, that is, a thin film transistor process. Since the glass has a low melting point, the thin film transistor process is limited to a process temperature of 300 to 500 ° C. This is different from the semiconductor manufacturing process which generally uses a silicon substrate.

However, the thin film transistor process is not different from using a silicon substrate in that a predetermined circuit is formed on a glass substrate by repeating a conventional semiconductor manufacturing unit process. Therefore, there are many processes using a fluid in the thin film transistor process. For example, a fluid is used for a washing process, a wet etching process, a peeling process or a developing process.

1 shows a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus for an LCD device according to the prior art. The substrate processing apparatus 100 for an LCD device includes a substrate transfer device 110, a fluid injection device 120, a fixing device 130, a fluid supply pipe 140, and an outer wall 150 surrounding them. Although not shown in the drawings, a fluid supply device including a bath, a storage tank, a pump, a heater, and various piping components is installed under the substrate transport apparatus 110.

Referring to FIG. 1, a substrate (not shown) for an LCD device to which a predetermined process is to be processed is more specifically inside the substrate processing apparatus 100 by the substrate transfer apparatus 110, and more specifically, to a lower portion of the fluid ejection apparatus 120. It moves at a constant speed. The processing on the substrate is performed during the movement of the substrate. A schematic plan view of an example of a substrate transfer device 110 used herein is shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, the substrate transfer device 110 includes a driving motor 112, a driving gear 114, a roller 116, and an axis to which the roller 116 is attached. When power is transmitted from the driving motor 112, the plurality of driving gears 114 operate simultaneously. As a result, when the shaft connected to each drive gear 114 rotates, the roller 116 attached to it rotates and advances the board | substrate for LCD apparatus located in the upper part forward.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, fluid is injected from the fluid ejection device 120 onto the LCD device substrate while advancing the substrate for the LCD device forward. The fluid to be injected differs depending on the type of process being performed, for example, may be a process fluid such as cleaning chemicals or deionized water. The injected fluid is supplied from a fluid supply device (not shown) through the fluid supply pipe 140. The fluid used in the process is collected in a fluid collection bath (not shown) located under the substrate transport apparatus.

The fluid ejection apparatus 120 is fixed to the substrate conveyance apparatus 110 by the fixing means 130 comprised, for example by a block, a fastening mechanism, etc. The fluid ejection apparatus 120 is installed in a part of the entire plane of the substrate transport apparatus 110 of FIG. 2, and its size, structure, and number may vary according to the type of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Typically, two to four fluid injectors 120 are installed.

3 is an enlarged view of a portion A indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the configuration of the fluid injection device 120, the fixing unit 130, and the fluid supply pipe 140 of the LCD apparatus substrate processing apparatus 100 ′ according to the related art will be described in detail. .

Referring to FIG. 3, in the substrate processing apparatus 100 ′ according to the related art, the fluid ejection apparatus 120 is fixed to the substrate transport apparatus 110 by a predetermined fixing means 130. The fixing means 130 shown is an example, and there are other types of fixing means. For example, the fixing means 130 may be attached to a portion of the side and the lower surface of the fluid injector 120 to fix the fluid injector 120, or may be connected to and attached to all of the sides of the fluid injector 120. Can be.

The fluid supply pipe 140 is connected to the fluid injector 120 separately from the fixing means 130. The fluid supply pipe 140 is generally attached to one end of the fluid injector 120, and is typically connected through a side of the fluid injector 120 to supply fluid. Therefore, when the fixing means 130 is installed on all of the side surfaces of the fluid injector 120, unlike in FIG. 3, the fluid supply pipe 140 penetrates through the fixing means 130 to provide a fluid injector ( 120).

However, in the LCD apparatus substrate processing apparatus 100 ′ according to the related art, the fluid supply pipe 140 is installed separately from other components, and the entire piping of the LCD apparatus substrate processing apparatus 100 is complicated. In particular, in the case of a device in which a plurality of fluid injection devices 120 are installed, the pipes become much more complicated because the number of pipes increases according to the number thereof. If the piping becomes complicated, not only the process of manufacturing the substrate processing apparatus 100 is complicated, but also the manufacturing cost is high.

In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the related art, the structure is more complicated because the connecting pipe must be provided outside the outer wall 150 in order to install the fluid supply pipe 140 as shown. In this case, a gap may occur in the outer wall 150 through which the fluid supply pipe 140 passes, and the working fluid may flow out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a substrate processing apparatus for an LCD device having a simplified pipe installation structure and a low manufacturing cost.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus for an LCD device that can prevent the fluid from leaking to the outer wall of the process unit.

The substrate processing apparatus for an LCD device according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above technical problem is fixed to a substrate transfer device, substrate transfer device, fluid injection for injecting fluid to the substrate to be conveyed A fluid injection device, a fixing means for fixing the fluid injection device to the substrate conveying device, and a fluid supply piping, which is connected to the fluid injection device, is a passage through which the supply fluid is supplied to the fluid injection device. Wherein said fluid supply tubing is integral with said securing means.

According to one aspect of the above embodiment, the fluid supply pipe includes a suction port for connecting with the fluid injection device and a fluid supply port connected with the suction port. And, the inlet port and the fluid supply port may be arranged to vertically intersect.

According to another aspect of the above embodiment, the fluid supply pipe is preferably located inside the fixing means.

According to another aspect of the above embodiment the fluid supply pipe may be connected to one end of the fluid injection device.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments to which the present invention is specifically applied will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided by way of example so that the technical spirit of the present invention can be thoroughly and completely disclosed, and to fully convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, each component is shown briefly to the extent necessary for the understanding of the present invention. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Figure 4 shows a schematic configuration of one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus 200 'for an LCD device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The part shown is a part of the whole substrate processing apparatus similarly to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the substrate processing apparatus 200 ′ for an LCD device includes a substrate conveying device 210, a fluid ejecting device 220, a fixing means 230, a fluid supply pipe 240, and an outer wall 250. In addition, a fluid supply device and the like are installed at a lower portion of the substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. As can be seen with reference to the drawings, the substrate conveying apparatus 210, the fluid ejecting apparatus 220, the outer wall 250, the fluid supplying apparatus, etc. constituting the substrate processing apparatus 200 'for an LCD apparatus are known in the art. It may be the same as the components by.

However, in the LCD device substrate processing apparatus 200 ′ according to the present invention, the fixing means 230 and the fluid supply pipe 240 are integrated. In this case, the fixing means 230 and the fluid supply pipe 240 are integral with each other, meaning that these components 230 and 240 may be realized as a single structure.

For example, the fixing means 230 and the fluid supply pipe 240 are formed in one structure as a whole, this structure can serve both roles. That is, the fluid can be supplied through the inside of the fixing means by arranging the fluid supply pipe inside the conventional fixing means. Alternatively, the outer wall of the fluid supply pipe such as a pipe may be made of a material having a high hardness, and the fluid supply pipe may also serve to support the fluid injector 220. In the case of the substrate processing apparatus for the LCD device including such a component, the fluid supply pipe 240 may be a fixing means integral fluid supply piping or the fixing means 230 may be a fluid supply piping integral fixing means. .

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the fluid supply pipe 240 of the substrate processing apparatus 200 ′ for the LCD device illustrated in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 5, the fluid supply pipe 240 includes an inlet port 241 for connecting the fluid supply pipe 240 to the fluid injector 220, and a fluid supply port 242 connected to the inlet port 241. The other end of the fluid supply port 242 is connected to a fluid supply device (not shown) located under the substrate transport device 210.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, in order to supply the process fluid supplied from the bottom to the fluid injection device 220 disposed in the horizontal direction, the inlet 241 and the fluid supply port 242 is arranged to be perpendicular to each other It may be.

According to the present invention, since the fluid supply pipe and the fixing means are integrated, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus for the LCD device can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be saved because the configuration is simplified.

In addition, unlike the related art, since the fluid supply pipe is not disposed outside the outer wall of the substrate processing apparatus, there is no unnecessary connection on the outer wall, and thus there is no fear that the working fluid may flow out through the connection.

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the substrate conveying apparatus as one component of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing an enlarged portion of a component (dashed line portion in FIG. 1) of a substrate processing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device according to the prior art; FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing an enlarged view of a part (corresponding to a portion shown in FIG. 3) of components of a substrate processing apparatus for a liquid crystal display according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a fluid supply tubing that is one component of FIG. 4. FIG.

(Description of reference numerals for the main parts of the drawings)

100, 100 ', 200': substrate processing apparatus

110, 210: substrate transfer device 120, 220: fluid injection device

130, 230: fixing means 140, 240: fluid supply piping

150, 250: outer wall 241: fluid supply port

242: suction port

Claims (5)

Substrate transfer device; A fluid injection device which is fixed to the substrate conveying apparatus and injects fluid to the substrate to be conveyed; Fixing means for fixing the fluid ejection device to the substrate transport device; And A substrate processing apparatus for a liquid crystal display device comprising fluid supply piping, which is connected to the fluid injection device and is a passage for supplying a supply fluid to the fluid injection device, wherein the fluid supply pipe is integrally formed with the fixing means. The substrate processing apparatus for liquid crystal display elements characterized by the above-mentioned. According to claim 1, The fluid supply pipe, A suction port for connecting with the fluid injection device; And And a fluid supply port connected to the suction port. The liquid crystal display element substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction port and the fluid supply port intersect so as to be vertical. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid supply pipe is located inside the fixing means. The liquid crystal display substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid supply pipe is connected to one end of the fluid injection device.