KR100606569B1 - Apparatus for attaching substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to flat panel display manufacturing equipment, and more particularly, to a substrate combiner capable of bonding two substrates simultaneously using a central stage and side stages in a chamber.

In the present invention, the substrate joining machine includes a frame forming an outer appearance, a chamber for attaching the substrate, a stage for mounting the substrates, and a moving means for driving the chamber and the stage, wherein the substrate A chamber structure includes a center stage mounted on both sides, and two side stages disposed to face each other with the center stage interposed therebetween, and the substrate mounted on a side adjacent to the center stage, respectively.

Adapter

Description

Board Bonder {APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING SUBSTRATE}

1 is a block diagram showing a structure in a conventional chamber.

2 is a structure in a chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a structure in a chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

1, 10, 20: chamber 2: upper stage

3: lower stage 4, 14, 16, 24, 27: color filter substrate

5, 15, 17, 25, 26: TFT array substrate

12, 13, 22, 23: side stage 11, 21: center stage

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to flat panel display manufacturing equipment, and more particularly, to a substrate combiner capable of bonding two substrates simultaneously using a central stage and side stages in a chamber.

As the information society develops, the demand for display devices is increasing in various forms. In response, various flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal devices (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs) have been studied. It is used as a display device in various equipments.

Among the above display devices, LCD is the most widely used as a substitute for the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) for the use of a mobile image display device because of the advantages of excellent image quality, light weight, thinness, and low power consumption. In addition to mobile applications such as monitors, various types of monitors have been developed for television and computer monitors for receiving and displaying broadcast signals.

As described above, although various technical advances have been made in order to serve as screen display devices in various fields, the improvement of image quality as screen display devices is often arranged with the above characteristics and advantages. . Therefore, in order for a liquid crystal display device to be used in various parts as a general screen display device, development of high quality images such as high brightness and large area while maintaining the characteristics of light weight, thinness, and low power consumption is at stake. have.

In order to manufacture the liquid crystal display device as described above, a lot of equipments are required, and among these, a bonding device for bonding two substrates is also an important equipment.

The conventional substrate joining machine is composed of a frame forming an external appearance, a stage portion attaching the substrate, a chamber portion which is a space for bonding the substrate, and moving means for driving the chamber portion and the stage portion.

Since the structure of the substrate bonding machine corresponds to a structure generally used in a liquid crystal display manufacturing process, only the structure of the stage portion in the chamber portion will be described without omitting the overall structure.

1 is a block diagram showing a stage structure in a conventional chamber.

As shown in FIG. 1, the structure of the stage portion in the chamber 1 is such that two substrates (TFT array substrate and color filter substrate) 4, 5 are arranged horizontally on the upper stage 2 and the lower stage 3. After that, it is designed to be joined up and down.

That is, in the conventional substrate combiner, the upper stage 2 and the lower stage 3 constituting the combiner are installed in the upper space and the lower space in the chamber 1 of the combiner, respectively, by substrate loading means (not shown). The substrates 4 and 5 loaded on the stages 2 and 3 can be joined together up and down.

Brief description of the bonding process known in the prior art is as follows.

The color filter substrate 4 is attached to the upper stage 2 installed in the chamber 1 by a loading means (not shown) using a vacuum chuck or the like, and the TFT array substrate 5 is attached to the lower stage 3. Attach.

Subsequently, in the state where the inside of the chamber 1 is sealed, the inside of the adapter chamber 1 is vacuumed by the operation of a vacuum device (not shown), and the upper part is driven by the driving of the stage 2 and 3 moving device. The bonding between the substrates 4 and 5 is performed by the downward movement of the stage 2 or the upward movement of the lower stage 3.

According to the related art described above, since the TFT array substrate and the color filter substrate are arranged horizontally on the lower stage and the upper stage, and then bonded up and down, only one module can be produced in one bonding process. It can be seen as an inefficient production process, and as the size of the substrate increases, the area ratio of the chamber and the device decreases, which leads to a problem of reduced productivity.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and improves the structure in the chamber by installing a central stage and two side stages, thereby allowing the production of two modules in one process. Its purpose is to provide.

The substrate joining device of the present invention proposed to solve the above technical problem includes a frame forming an exterior, a chamber for bonding the substrate, a stage for mounting the substrates, and a moving means for driving the chamber and the stage. In the LCD for a liquid crystal display device, the center stage is mounted on both sides of the liquid crystal display device, and the two side stages are disposed so as to face each other with the center stage therebetween, each side is mounted on the side adjacent to the center stage Characterized in a chamber structure comprising a.

In addition, the two side stages and the center stage on which the substrates are mounted may be installed in the chamber in a horizontal or vertical direction, and the center stage may be installed to be rotatable.

In addition, the two side stages on which the substrate is mounted move close to each other in the vertical or horizontal direction toward the center stage on which the substrate is fixed, and the two side stages close to the center stage are fine to the center stage. And aligned to bond the substrates.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the substrate bonding machine of the present invention consisting of the above configuration means.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a structure in the adapter chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the structure in the chamber 10 includes two side stages 12 and 13 on which substrates 14 and 17 are mounted on one surface, and a central stage on which substrates 15 and 16 are mounted on both surfaces. 11 is configured to be installed horizontally in the chamber (10).

The center stage 11 is installed to be horizontally positioned in the center of the chamber 10, and is fixedly installed in the chamber 10 so as to be rotatable when loading the substrate into the chamber 10 or for alignment of the substrate. In addition, the two side stages 12 and 13 are composed of an upper stage 12 positioned horizontally on the upper side of the chamber 10 and a lower stage 13 positioned horizontally on the lower side of the chamber 10. Each of the side stages 12 and 13 is configured to be movable up and down.

On the other hand, the rotation or vertical movement of the center stage 11 and the two side stages 12 and 13 in the chamber 10 is typically possible by a driving means (not shown) installed and driven in the combiner.

In order to bond the two pairs of TFT array substrate and the color filter substrate in the structure of the chamber 10 as described above, the substrate must be loaded into the chamber 10 by substrate loading means (not shown). The substrate loading method is possible by a robot arm or the like in a conventional manner. In the substrate loading, since the stages 11, 12 and 13 are horizontally installed as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate is generally loaded horizontally by a robot arm or the like, but the center stage 11 is rotated. This is possible so that the substrates 15 and 16 can be loaded in the vertical or oblique directions if necessary.

The substrates mounted on the center stage 11 and the two side stages 12 and 13 include a TFT array substrate and a color filter substrate. Preferably, the substrates on the lower side of the upper stage 12 and the center stage 11 are provided. The color filter substrate is attached, and the TFT array substrate is attached to the upper side of the lower stage 13 and the center stage 11. A vacuum chuck or an electrostatic chuck may be used to load and attach the substrates 14, 15, 16, and 17 to each stage 11, 12, and 13, and an electrostatic chuck may be used in a bonding process performed in a vacuum state. have.

First, the color filter substrates 14 and 16 are loaded on the lower side of the upper stage 12 and the center stage 11 by the robot arm, and then the TFTs are placed on the upper side of the lower stage 13 and the center stage 11. The array substrates 15 and 17 are loaded. The reason for loading the substrate in this order is to load the TFT array substrates 15 and 17 first, and then, when loading the color filter substrates 14 and 16, foreign matters buried in the robot arm or the like may cause the TFT array substrate 15 to be loaded. , 17) to solve the problems caused by falling. On the other hand, when loading the substrates 14, 15, 16, 17 into each stage 11, 12, 13 in the adapter chamber 10 as described above, the central stage 11 is typically loaded for efficient loading. It is possible to rotate by means of moving means (not shown) which can be implemented and to move the side stages 12, 13 up and down by conventional means of movement (not shown).

As described above, when the substrates 14, 15, 16, and 17 are mounted on the stages 11, 12, and 13, the TFT array substrate positioned on the upper side of the center stage 11 by moving the upper stage 12 downward. The color filter substrate 14 positioned on the upper stage 12 and the color filter substrate 14 are positioned as close as possible to be bonded in a vacuum state, and the lower stage 13 is moved upward to position the lower side of the center stage 11. The color filter substrate 16 and the TFT array substrate 17 located on the lower stage 13 are brought close to each other by a distance that can be bonded in a vacuum state.

When the upper stage 12 and the lower stage 13 are close to the central stage 11 as described above, after performing stage fine alignment using a conventional alignment apparatus and method, the inside of the chamber 10 is vacuumed. The substrates are bonded together. However, in the fine alignment, a fine alignment operation is performed on two side stages (the upper stage 12 and the lower stage 13) unlike the conventional art.

The substrate bonding procedure as described above allows the downward movement of the upper stage 12 and the upward movement of the lower stage 13 to simultaneously produce two modules, or the downward movement of the upper stage 12 and the lower stage ( The upward movement of 13 may be sequentially performed to produce two modules at time intervals.

As described above, when the substrate bonding is performed in the horizontal structure as illustrated in FIG. 2, two modules may be produced in one process at the same time or sequentially.

3 is a block diagram showing a structure in a chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the structure in the chamber 20 includes two side stages 22 and 23 on which substrates 24 and 27 are mounted on one side and a central stage on which substrates 25 and 26 are mounted on both sides. 21 is installed vertically in the chamber 20 is configured.

The center stage 21 is installed to be vertically positioned at the center of the chamber 20, and is fixedly installed in the chamber 20 so as to be rotatable when loading the substrate into the chamber 20 or for alignment of the substrate. In addition, the two side stages 22 and 23 are composed of a left stage 22 positioned vertically on the left side of the chamber 20 and a right stage stage 23 positioned vertically on the right side of the chamber 20. Each of the side stages 22 and 23 is configured to be movable left and right.

On the other hand, the rotation or left and right movement of the center stage 21 and the two side stages 22 and 23 in the chamber 20 is usually possible by a driving means (not shown) installed and driven in the combiner. In particular, the two side stages 22 and 23 are moved to the left and right by driving means (not shown) installed with the guide rail 28 in the lower chamber and installed in the splicer.

In order to bond the two pairs of TFT array substrate and the color filter substrate in the structure of the chamber 20 as described above, the substrate should be loaded into the chamber 20 by a substrate loading means (not shown). The substrate loading method is possible by a robot arm or the like in a conventional manner. In the substrate loading, since the stages 21, 22, and 23 are vertically installed as shown in FIG. 3, the substrates 24, 25, 26, and 27 are loaded vertically by a robot arm or the like. In general, the center stage 21 can be rotated so that the substrates 25 and 26 can be loaded in a horizontal or inclined direction if necessary.

Meanwhile, when loading the substrates into the chamber 20 in the structure of the chamber 20 in which the stages 21, 22, and 23 are vertically installed as described above, as shown in FIG. 2. Likewise, the stage is loaded differently from the method of moving the substrates into the chamber 10 installed horizontally. That is, the structure of the robot arm may be made to adsorb the substrate to be loaded, and then the substrate may be horizontally moved into the chamber, and then the substrate may be supplied to each stage 21, 22, 23 by rotating the substrate 90 degrees while adsorbing the substrate. .

The substrates 24, 25, 26, and 27 mounted on the center stage 21 and the two side stages 22 and 23 may correspond to a TFT array substrate and a color filter substrate, and preferably correspond to the side stages. The color filter substrate is attached to the left stage 22 and the right stage 23, and the TFT array substrates 25 and 26 are attached to both surfaces of the center stage 21, respectively. The reason why the TFT array substrate is attached to the center stage 21 as described above is to minimize the movement of the TFT array substrate on which the liquid crystal is typically dropped. A vacuum chuck or an electrostatic chuck may be used to load and attach the substrates 24, 25, 26, and 27 to each stage 21, 22, and 23, and an electrostatic chuck may be used in a bonding process performed in a vacuum state. have.

The substrate loading and the substrate bonding process are described below.

First, color filter substrates 24 and 27 are loaded onto the left stage 22 and the right stage 23 corresponding to the side stages by a robot arm capable of attracting the substrate, and then both surfaces of the center stage 21 are loaded. The TFT array substrates 25 and 26 are loaded into the package. The reason for loading the substrate in this order is to load the TFT array substrates 25 and 26 first, and then, when loading the color filter substrates 24 and 27, foreign substances on the robot arm or the like typically drop liquid crystals. This is to solve the problems caused by falling on the TFT array substrates 25 and 26.

Meanwhile, when loading the substrates 24, 25, 26, 27 into the stages 21, 22, 23 in the combiner chamber 20 as described above, the moving means moves the central stage 21 for efficient loading. It can rotate by (not shown) and can move the side stages 22 and 23 to the left and right by conventional moving means (not shown). As the stage is formed vertically, the substrate cannot be mounted on the stage only by horizontal movement of the robot arm in the chamber 20, so that the robot arm moved into the chamber 20 can be rotated 90 degrees to safely mount the substrate on the stage. Can be.

When the substrates 24, 25, 26, and 27 are mounted on the stages 21, 22, and 23 as described above, as shown in FIG. 3, the two side stages 22 and 23 are arranged on the center stage 21. Move closer to A guide rail 28 is formed in the lower chamber to move the two side stages 22 and 23, and the conventional driving means allows the two side stages 22 and 23 to move along the guide rail 28. (Not shown) is installed in the combiner. For example, a power unit (not shown) including a motor is installed in the splicer, and a connecting bar for transmitting the force generated by the power unit is horizontally attached to the two side stages 22 and 23. As a result, the two side stages 22 and 23 can be moved closer to the center stage 21 along the guide rail 28.

After moving the two side stages 22 and 23 to the center stage 21 as described above, the substrates mounted on the stages 21, 22 and 23 are accurately aligned by a conventional alignment apparatus and method. To perform the operation. However, in the present invention, since the substrate is bonded to each other by using three stages, the alignment operation is performed by finely adjusting the two side stages 22 and 23 around the center stage 21.

When the stage fine alignment is made as described above, the substrates are bonded to the inside of the chamber 20 in a vacuum state. That is, the TFT array in which the stage 22 is aligned on the left side of the center stage 21 by aligning the stage by using an alignment method and a rotational movement of the center stage 21 that are usually used in the bonding machine. The substrate 25 and the color filter substrate 24 positioned on the left stage 22 are bonded to each other, and the left side stage 23 moved to the left is disposed on the right side of the center stage 21 and the TFT array substrate 26. The color filter substrate 27 positioned on the right stage 23 is bonded.

The substrate bonding procedure as described above allows the right side stage 22 and the right side stage 23 to be moved simultaneously to produce two modules at the same time, or the left side stage 22 to the left side stage 22 and the right side stage The leftward movement of 23 may be performed at a time interval so that two modules may be sequentially produced.

As described above, when the substrate bonding is performed in the vertical structure as shown in FIG. 3, two modules may be produced in one process at the same time or sequentially.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration and operation and preferred embodiments, the structure in the chamber is improved by installing the central stage and the side stage unlike the conventional one, so that two modules can be produced in one bonding process, thereby improving productivity. There is a contributing advantage.

On the other hand, since the stage in the chamber can be configured by installing horizontally or vertically, there is an advantage that the structure of the bonding device can be selectively used according to the device area to be used.

Claims (5)

In the splicer for a liquid crystal display device comprising a frame forming an appearance, a chamber for attaching the substrate, a stage for mounting the substrates, and moving means for driving the chamber and the stage, A chamber structure including a center stage on which the substrate is mounted on both sides, and two side stages disposed to face each other with the center stage interposed therebetween, and the substrate being mounted on a side adjacent to the center stage, respectively; Substrate adapter. The method according to claim 1, And the two side stages and the center stage on which the substrates are mounted are installed in the chamber horizontally or vertically. The method according to claim 1, And the center stage is installed to be rotatable. The method according to claim 2, And the two side stages on which the substrate is mounted are bonded to the substrate by moving in a vertical or horizontal direction toward a central stage on which the substrate is fixed. The method according to claim 4, And the two side stages closely moved to the center stage are finely aligned with the center stage to adhere the substrate.

Images