KR101000090B1 - Apparatus for assembling substrates - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate bonding apparatus. The substrate bonding apparatus provided includes a chamber, a substrate chuck installed in the chamber, the substrate chuck having an adhesive material to chuck the substrate by an adhesive force, and dechucking the substrate from the adhesive material by adjusting a temperature of the adhesive material. de-chucking substrate separator. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the dechucking of the substrate can be performed through the temperature control of the adhesive, the dechucking can be performed very easily.

Board, Bonded

Description

Apparatus for assembling substrates}

The present invention relates to a substrate bonding apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate bonding apparatus for bonding two substrates.

As information society has developed, the demand for display devices has increased in various forms. Recently, various flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), electro luminescent display (ELD), and vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) have been developed.

Among them, LCDs are used frequently because they have excellent image quality, light weight, thinness, and low power consumption compared to CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).

Such LCDs are manufactured by injecting a liquid crystal between a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrate on which electrodes are formed and a CF (Color filter) substrate coated with phosphors. A sealer is applied to the outer circumferential surfaces of both substrates to prevent leakage of the liquid crystal material. Spacers are disposed between the two substrates to maintain a gap between the two substrates at predetermined intervals.

In order to manufacture an LCD, a process of manufacturing a TFT substrate and a CF substrate, respectively, bonding both substrates, and injecting a liquid crystal material into a space between the substrates is essentially performed. The process of joining the dual substrates is one of the important processes for determining the quality of the LCD.

The substrate bonding process is performed by a substrate bonding apparatus composed of an upper chamber and a lower chamber capable of forming a vacuum inside the space where the process is performed.

That is, the substrate bonding apparatus presses and bonds the TFT substrate and the CF substrate to each other. To this end, the substrate bonding apparatus includes two electrostatic chucks (ESCs) disposed to face each other up and down, and hold the TFT substrate and the CF substrate using these electrostatic chucks, respectively. At the time of bonding, the two substrates are bonded to each other while maintaining the parallelism of both electrostatic chucks precisely.

On the other hand, the electrostatic chuck used in such substrate bonding apparatus is very expensive equipment. In addition, the surface of the electrostatic chuck is coated with a polyimide film for generating an electrostatic force, the polyimide film has a problem that is easily damaged by the particles generated during the substrate bonding process.

Therefore, in recent years, a substrate chuck for tacking, chucking a substrate using adhesive force, and a substrate bonding apparatus using the same have been disclosed.

However, in the case of the substrate bonding device that chucks the substrate using the adhesive force as described above, separate air is blown or a separate pin plate for de-chucking to separate the substrate from the chuck. There is a disadvantage to push to.

In addition, such an air blowing structure and a fin plate structure are not only bulky but also very complicated in structure, which makes it difficult to maintain and greatly increase the cost of the entire apparatus.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to facilitate the de-chucking (sub-chucking) of the substrate, a substrate bonding apparatus having a very simple structure To provide.

According to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, a substrate bonding apparatus is provided. The substrate bonding apparatus is a chamber, a substrate chuck installed in the chamber and having an adhesive material to chuck the substrate by adhesive force, and dechucking the substrate from the adhesive material by adjusting the temperature of the adhesive material. -chucking the substrate separator.

The substrate separator may include a thermoelectric element for increasing or decreasing the temperature of the adhesive material, and a temperature control unit connected to the thermoelectric element and controlling a power supply to the thermoelectric element to adjust the temperature of the adhesive material.

In this case, the thermoelectric element may be installed to be in contact with the pressure-sensitive adhesive or at least a part of the thermoelectric element may be inserted into the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

In addition, a plurality of thermoelectric elements may be installed in the substrate chuck, and the plurality of thermoelectric elements may be electrically connected to each other through a wiring film.

The substrate separator may further include a cooling plate for radiating heat absorbed by the thermoelectric element to the outside.

According to the substrate bonding apparatus of the present invention, since the dechucking of the substrate can be performed by controlling the temperature of the adhesive, there is an advantage that the dechucking can be performed very easily.

In addition, according to the substrate bonding apparatus of the present invention, since the substrate is dechucked by controlling the temperature of the adhesive using a thermoelectric element, there is an advantage that the substrate bonding apparatus can be configured with a very simple structure.

In addition, according to the substrate bonding apparatus of the present invention, since a plurality of thermoelectric elements are connected through a very thin wiring film and the substrate is dechucked through this, the volume inside the chamber can be significantly reduced than before. And, this can shorten the pumping exhaust time for the vacuum, etc. As a result there is an advantage that can reduce the TAT (Turn Around Time).

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosure may be made thorough and complete, and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a substrate bonding apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a view showing the substrate bonding apparatus shown in Figure 1 along the line II '. 3 is a view showing the wiring and the arrangement of the thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a view showing the wiring and arrangement of the thermoelectric device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, a substrate bonding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first chamber 100 and a second chamber 200 on which a first substrate S1 and a second substrate S2 are respectively seated. ). The second chamber 200 is fixed to the base, and the first chamber 100 is elevated by the chamber lifting unit 240.

A first substrate chuck is installed inside the first chamber 100, and a first substrate chuck capable of adhering, chucking, the first substrate S1 to the first surface plate 101. 150 is provided.

In addition, a second surface plate 201 is installed inside the second chamber 200, and a second substrate chuck 210 capable of chucking the second substrate S2 is provided on the second surface plate 201. It is provided. Here, the first substrate chuck 150 is an adhesive chuck which has a plurality of adhesive materials 151 such as rubber and adheres the substrate S1 with Van der Waals' Force. The second substrate chuck 210 is an electrostatic chuck that adheres the substrate S2 with an electrostatic force.

In addition, the first chamber 100 is provided with a vacuum chuck 120 for moving the first substrate (S1). Therefore, when the first substrate S1 is loaded between the first chamber 100 and the second chamber 200, the vacuum chuck 120 adsorbs the first substrate S1 to the first substrate S1. The first substrate S1 is moved so that the substrate S1 is chucked to the first substrate chuck 150, and when the first substrate S1 is chucked to the first substrate chuck 150, the first substrate S1 is chucked. Vacuum adsorption of the substrate S1 is blocked.

In addition, the second chamber 200 is provided with a vacuum chuck 220 for moving the second substrate (S2). Therefore, when the second substrate S2 is loaded between the first chamber 100 and the second chamber 200, the vacuum chuck 220 adsorbs the second substrate S2 to form the second substrate S2. The second substrate S2 is moved so that the second substrate S2 is chucked by the second substrate chuck 210, and when the second substrate S2 is chucked to the second substrate chuck 210, the second substrate S2 is chucked. 2 Vacuum adsorption of the substrate S2 is blocked. In this case, the vacuum chuck 220 may be configured as a lift pin.

Meanwhile, the substrate bonding apparatus removes the first substrate S1 from the adhesive material 151 by adjusting the temperature of the adhesive material 151 provided on the first substrate chuck 150. de-chucking substrate separator.

In the case of the adhesive material 151 such as a rubber, such a substrate separator uses a phenomenon in which adhesive force rapidly decreases when heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 60 ° C. or higher, and the substrate separator chucks or dechucks the substrate S1. In order to increase or decrease the temperature of the pressure-sensitive adhesive material 151 to change the adhesive force of the pressure-sensitive adhesive material.

Specifically, the substrate separator is connected to the thermoelectric element 153 and the thermoelectric element 153 for raising or lowering the temperature of the adhesive material 151 to control the power supply to the thermoelectric element 153. It includes a temperature control unit 160 for adjusting the temperature of the adhesive material (151).

That is, the thermoelectric element 153 absorbs heat or generates heat according to the direction in which the current flows, and the temperature control unit 160 controls the power supply to the thermoelectric element 153 to flow the current. By appropriately adjusting, it serves to increase or decrease the temperature of the pressure-sensitive adhesive 151.

In this case, the thermoelectric element 153 is installed so as to correspond to the adhesive material 151 one-to-one so as to effectively increase or decrease the temperature of the adhesive material 151, and is installed such that a part thereof contacts the adhesive material 151. At least a portion thereof may be installed to be inserted into the adhesive material 151.

On the other hand, the plurality of thermoelectric elements 153 installed for each pressure-sensitive adhesive 151 may be electrically connected to each other through a very thin wiring film 156, such as a polyimide film. In this case, since the plurality of thermoelectric elements 153 are interconnected through the wiring film 156 having a very thin thickness, the volume of the inside of the chamber 100 is significantly reduced than before.

As a result, the space between the chambers 100 and 200 is greatly reduced, so that the pumping evacuation time for the vacuum during the process is drastically shortened, and the TAT (Turn Around Time), which is a completion cycle of the product, is significantly reduced.

In this case, the plurality of thermoelectric elements 153 may be connected in series with each other, as shown in FIG. 3, and may also be connected in parallel with each other, as shown in FIG. 4.

In addition, the substrate separator may further include a cooling plate 155 for dissipating heat absorbed by the thermoelectric element 153 to the outside. In this case, since the heat absorbed by the thermoelectric element 153 is effectively radiated through the cooling plate 155, the heat absorption capability of the thermoelectric element 153 is greatly improved.

Reference numerals 130 and 230 are cameras and lighting devices for aligning the substrates S1 and S2, respectively.

Hereinafter will be described the operating state of the substrate bonding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the first chamber 100 and the second chamber 200 are spaced apart from each other, the robot (not shown) may be a space between the first chamber 100 and the second chamber 200. Import S1).

Subsequently, the vacuum chuck 120 provided in the first chamber 100 descends to adsorb and raise the first substrate S1, and the first substrate which is raised in the adsorbed state by the vacuum chuck 120. S1 is chucked by the adhesive material 151 provided in the first substrate chuck 150 of the first surface plate 101.

Subsequently, when the 2nd board | substrate S2 is carried in by the robot which is not shown in figure, the vacuum chuck 220 raises and receives the 2nd board | substrate S2, and a robot exits outside.

Thereafter, the vacuum chuck 220 is lowered so that the substrate S2 is chucked to the second substrate chuck 210 installed in the second surface plate 201.

Thereafter, the chamber elevating unit 240 lowers the first chamber 100 to be in close contact with the second chamber 200 so that a process space is formed between them 100 and 200, and is not shown when the process space is formed. The dry pump and the high vacuum molecular pump are operated to bring the formed process space into a vacuum state.

In this case, the first surface plate 101 descends to roughly align the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2. After rough alignment is performed, fine alignment between the substrates S1 and S2 is performed to finish the alignment.

When the alignment is completed, the interior of the chamber (100, 200) is in a vacuum state for the process, the first substrate (S1) and the second substrate (S2) is in a state of proximity.

Subsequently, the substrate separator adjusts the temperature of the adhesive material 151 to de-chuck the first substrate S1 from the adhesive material 151. As a result, the first substrate S1 is separated from the adhesive material 151 and falls onto the second substrate S2 positioned below the bonding material.

Subsequently, when the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 are bonded together, the inside of the chambers 100 and 200 is exhausted to be in a standby state. However, although not illustrated, the first chamber 100 is not shown. The N2 gas is supplied from the side) so that the first substrate S1 and the second substrate S2 are more firmly bonded.

When the process as described above is completed, the first chamber 100 and the second chamber 200 are spaced apart from each other, the vacuum chuck 220 of the second chamber 200 is raised, the robot from the outside Then, the bonding process is completed through the process of taking out the bonded panels.

As mentioned above, although the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiments, it is only an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a substrate bonding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the substrate bonding apparatus shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line II ′. FIG.

3 is a diagram illustrating a wiring and an arrangement state of a thermoelectric device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating a wiring and an arrangement state of a thermoelectric device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (5)

chamber; A substrate chuck installed in the chamber and having an adhesive material to chuck the substrate by adhesive force; And, A substrate separator configured to de-chuck the substrate from the adhesive by controlling the temperature of the adhesive; The adhesive material is a substrate bonding apparatus characterized in that the adhesive force is variable depending on the temperature The method of claim 1, The substrate separator includes a thermoelectric element for raising or lowering the temperature of the pressure-sensitive adhesive material, and a temperature control unit connected to the thermoelectric element and controlling a power supply to the thermoelectric element to adjust the temperature of the pressure-sensitive adhesive material. Board Bonding Device. 3. The method of claim 2, The thermoelectric element is a substrate bonding apparatus, characterized in that installed to be in contact with the pressure-sensitive adhesive or at least a portion is inserted into the pressure-sensitive adhesive. 3. The method of claim 2, The thermoelectric element is installed in a plurality of the substrate chuck, And the plurality of thermoelectric elements installed are electrically connected to each other through a wiring film. 3. The method of claim 2, The substrate separator further comprises a cooling plate for radiating heat absorbed by the thermoelectric element to the outside.

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