KR101553626B1 - Apparatus for turning glass - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate turn apparatus is disclosed. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate turn apparatus comprising: a plurality of roller conveyor units arranged to be spaced from each other to transfer a substrate; A chucking unit disposed adjacent to the plurality of roller conveyor units for selectively chucking a frame for supporting a substrate for supporting a substrate in a turn operation of the substrate or an align operation of the substrate; And a vacuum piping unit connected to the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit for discharging a cable used for the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit to the atmosphere (ATM).

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR TURNING GLASS [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate turn apparatus, and more particularly, to a substrate turn apparatus which includes a roller conveyor unit for transferring a substrate, a cable used in a chucking unit for chucking a substrate supporting frame, The present invention relates to a substrate turn apparatus capable of realizing an organic operation of a roller conveyor unit and a chucking unit to improve a transfer efficiency of a substrate.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, flat panel displays (FPD) have been attracting attention as the electronic display industry has rapidly developed in the semiconductor industry.

LCDs (liquid crystal displays), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are examples of substrates for flat panel displays.

Such a substrate for a flat display (hereinafter referred to as a substrate) is generally made of a glass material, and therefore has brittleness, which is a characteristic of being extremely vulnerable to external shocks.

Therefore, the substrate must be efficiently transported from the previous process step to the post-process step for manufacturing the substrate without being damaged.

In the past, TVs were about 20 to 30 inches in size and monitors were 17 inches or less in size. However, the popularity of large-screen 40-inch and larger monitors and 20-inch and larger monitors is growing.

Therefore, in the case of a manufacturer of a substrate, a large-sized substrate having a larger size has been manufactured, and it is known that an 8G (8G) large-sized substrate having a length / width of 2.6 m / .

On the other hand, as described above, since the 8th generation substrate is a large size substrate, transferring such a large size substrate is not an easy problem.

Actually, it is difficult to precisely transport a large-sized substrate in a horizontal posture (face-down) under a vacuum condition.

In this case, it is difficult to transport the substrate because the substrate must be transported under a limited condition in which only the edge portion of the substrate must be contacted.

Particularly, unlike the case where the substrate is linearly transported, when the substrate is turned at the intersection, it is more difficult to transfer the substrate, so that a substrate turn device is required.

However, in the research and development of such a substrate turn apparatus, the substrate turn apparatus is expected to be equipped with a structure such as a roller conveyor unit for transferring the substrate and a chucking unit for chucking the substrate supporting frame for supporting the substrate. If the structure for discharging the various cables used in the units to the ATM is not properly provided, it is difficult to implement the organic operation of the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit, It is necessary to develop the structure in advance.

Korea Patent Office Application No. 10-2006-0058222

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for discharging a cable used in a chucking unit for chucking a substrate carrying frame and a roller conveyor unit for transferring a substrate into an ATM in a proper and efficient manner , Thereby realizing the organic operation of the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of the substrate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveyor apparatus comprising: a plurality of roller conveyor units arranged to be spaced from each other to convey a substrate; A chucking unit disposed adjacent to the plurality of roller conveyor units for selectively chucking a substrate supporting frame for supporting the substrate during a turn operation of the substrate or an align operation of the substrate; And a vacuum piping unit connected to the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit for discharging a cable used in the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit to an ATM. Can be provided.

The vacuum piping unit includes a main body for cable discharge disposed in a center area between the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit; A plurality of piping arms for roller conveyor units extending to both sides of the cable discharge main body and connected to the roller conveyor unit; And a plurality of piping arms for chucking units extending to both sides of the main body for cable discharge so as to cross the piping arms for the roller conveyor unit and connected to the chucking unit.

The forming bellows may be provided on at least one of the piping arms for the plurality of roller conveyor units and the piping arms for the plurality of chucking units.

The vacuum piping unit may further include a branch body for cable discharge coupled to the piping arms for the plurality of chucking units.

The roller conveyor unit includes: a plurality of conveying rollers disposed on a vacuum (VAC) side to convey the substrate; A plurality of conveying roller driven shafts individually connected to the conveying rollers and disposed over atmospheric (ATM) and vacuum (VAC); A main shaft integrally connected to the plurality of conveying roller driven shafts by a gear assembly; And a main shaft rotation driving unit connected to the main shaft to rotationally drive the main shaft.

The roller conveyor unit may further include an ATM box for a roller conveyor that covers the main shaft including the gear assembly and the main shaft rotation driving unit on the atmospheric (ATM) side.

The roller conveyor unit includes a particle collecting pedestal connected to the atmospheric box for the roller conveyor and disposed at a lower portion of the conveying rollers on the vacuum (VAC) side to collect particles generated during conveyance of the substrate .

The roller conveyor unit includes a plurality of conveying guide rollers, one for each of the conveying rollers, for guiding the conveyance of the substrate. And a shaft feedthrough coupled to a boundary region of atmosphere (ATM) and vacuum (VAC) on the transport roller driven shaft.

And a plurality of idle conveyor units disposed around the roller conveyor unit.

Some of the plurality of idle conveyor units are disposed in parallel with the roller conveyor unit and the remaining idle conveyor units are arranged to intersect with the roller conveyor unit, and the idle conveyor unit and the roller conveyor unit may have the same structure.

Wherein the chucking unit comprises: a plurality of chucking waiting boxes (ATM Box) disposed under the peripheral region of the substrate supporting frame; A rotary chuck connected to the atmospheric box for chucking and chucking the substrate supporting frame while being rotated and coupled with a chucking ball at an end thereof; And a rotary chuck rotation driving unit that is provided in the atmospheric box for chucking and is connected to the rotary chuck and rotatably drives the rotary chuck.

The rotary chuck rotation drive unit includes: an air cylinder that linearly moves; A rack gear connected to the air cylinder; And a pinion gear engaged with the rack gear and connected to the rotary chuck to convert a linear movement of the air cylinder into rotary motion of the rotary chuck.

The rotary chuck rotation driving unit includes a moving block connected to the rack gear and operated forward and backward together with the rack gear when the air cylinder is operated; And a block stopper spaced apart from the moving block, the blocking stopper limiting a moving distance of the moving block.

A turn upper assembly supporting the plurality of roller conveyor units and turned with the plurality of roller conveyor units; And a turn lower assembly disposed in a lower region of the turn top plate assembly for rotatably supporting the turn top plate assembly.

The turn top plate assembly includes a turn top plate formed by a flat plate member; And a plurality of turn top plate reinforcing walls formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the turn top plate.

The lower turn plate assembly includes a turn lower plate base; A lower turn plate plate disposed in parallel with the turn upper plate and supporting a lower portion of the turn upper plate in an upper region of the turn lower plate base; And a plurality of connecting bellows for elastically connecting the lower turn plate base and the lower turn plate plate.

A plurality of ball casters for turning the turn top plate assembly are provided on any one of the turn top plate and the turn bottom plate plate and the other one of the turn top plate and the turn bottom plate includes the ball caster A ball caster rail to be rotatably inserted can be provided.

The ball caster rail is provided on the upper surface of the lower plate plate. The ball caster rail includes an inner rail and an outer rail, It can have a dual rail structure.

And a UVW alignment stage coupled to a lower portion of the lower plate assembly for aligning the lower plate assembly in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the? -Axis direction.

A stage penetrating portion may be formed in the UVW aligning stage.

And a turn driving unit disposed in the stage penetrating portion of the UVW aligning stage and having an upper end connected to the turn top plate assembly and generating a driving force for turning the turn top plate assembly.

The turn driving unit includes a turn driving rotary shaft having a shaft portion disposed over the ATM and the vacuum (VAC), and a head portion formed at an end of the shaft portion and having a larger diameter than the shaft portion; A turn top plate connecting plate coupled to the head portion of the turn driving rotary shaft and connected to the turn top plate assembly; And a turn-off feedthrough disposed on the atmospheric (ATM) side in a boundary region between the atmospheric (ATM) and vacuum (VAC) of the turn axis of rotation.

The turn driving unit includes a turn driving servomotor; A turn driving speed reducer connected to the turn driving servomotor for reducing the rotational force of the turn driving servomotor; An index drive operated by the turn driving servomotor; And a coupling coupling the index drive to the shaft portion of the turn-driving rotary shaft at a position adjacent to the turn-around feedthrough.

The substrate may be an 8th generation (8G) large substrate having a width of 2m or more.

According to the present invention, a cable conveying unit for conveying a substrate and a cable used in a chucking unit for chucking a substrate supporting frame can be discharged in an appropriate and efficient manner to atmosphere (ATM) The organic operation of the unit and the chucking unit can be realized and the transfer efficiency of the substrate can be improved.

1 is a view showing a turn section in a circulating vacuum logistics to which a substrate turn device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
2 is a front perspective view of the substrate turn device.
3 is a rear perspective view of the substrate turn device.
4 is a plan view of the substrate turn apparatus, showing the transfer of the substrate.
5 to 8 are views of the roller conveyor unit.
9 to 11 are views of a chucking unit.
12 to 13 are views of the turn top plate assembly.
14 is a view of the turn lower plate assembly.
15 to 16 are diagrams for a UVW aligned stage.
17 to 19 are views of the turn-driving unit.
20 to 21 are views of the idle conveyor unit.
22 to 23 are views of a vacuum piping unit.

In order to fully understand the present invention, operational advantages of the present invention, and objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

1 is a view showing a turn section in a circulating vacuum logistics to which a substrate turn device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

As shown in this figure, in a circulation vacuum logistics, a large substrate can be transported while being turned or turned on at 90 or 180 degrees.

As described above, a large-sized substrate refers to an 8th-generation (8G) substrate having a length of 2 m or more in length. Since it is difficult to realize a turn operation of a large substrate by using such a simple transfer unit, The substrate turn device 120 is required.

In particular, the substrate turn device 120 of the present embodiment is arranged so that only a minimum portion of the substrate transfer related to the transfer of the substrate is disposed in the vacuum (VAC) portion, and in particular, And the spatial efficiency of the large vacuum chamber can be solved.

The detailed structure of the substrate turn device 120 having these features will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 23. FIG.

Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the substrate turn apparatus, Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the substrate turn apparatus, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the substrate turn apparatus, FIGS. 9 to 11 show the chucking unit, FIGS. 12 to 13 show the turn top plate assembly, FIG. 14 shows the turn lower plate assembly, FIGS. 15 to 16 show the UVW alignment stage Figs. 17 to 19 are drawings of a turn-driving unit, Figs. 20 to 21 are drawings of an idle conveyor unit, and Figs. 22 to 23 are drawings of a vacuum piping unit.

Referring to these drawings, the substrate turn device 120 according to the present embodiment includes a roller conveyor unit 130 for transferring a substrate, a cable (not shown) for use in a chucking unit 140 for chucking a substrate supporting frame P Cable can be discharged to the atmosphere (ATM) in an appropriate and efficient manner, thereby realizing the organic operation of the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of the substrate And includes a roller conveyor unit 130, a chucking unit 140 and a vacuum piping unit 190 connected to the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140.

In addition, the substrate turn device 120 according to the present embodiment includes a turn upper assembly 150, a turn lower assembly 160, a turn driving unit 170, a UVW alignment stage 165, And the idle conveyor unit 180. By the operation of the organic conveyor unit 180, the substrate that has entered the direction A as shown in FIG. 4 is turned on and then transported in the direction B .

Hereinafter, a roller conveyor unit 130, a chucking unit 140, a turn upper assembly 150, a turn lower assembly 160, a UVW aligning stage 165 ), The turn driving unit 170, the idle conveyor unit 180, and the vacuum piping unit 190 will be sequentially described.

First, the roller conveyor units 130 are spaced apart from each other and serve to transfer a substrate.

In the case of this embodiment, a roller method is applied. This is because it is difficult to precisely transport a large-size substrate under a vacuum condition in a horizontal posture (face-down). In particular, since the substrate must be transported under limited conditions in which only the rim portion of the substrate must be contacted, The conveyor unit 130 is applied.

The pair of roller conveyor units 130 have the same structure only in the arrangement position.

5 to 8, the roller conveyor unit 130 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 131 for conveying the substrate, as described above.

The transfer rollers 131 are disposed on the side of the vacuum (VAC) in the vacuum chamber to contact the rim portion of the substrate to transfer the substrate.

A plurality of conveying guide rollers 137 are provided around the conveying rollers 131 so as to correspond to the conveying rollers 131 and guide the conveyance of the substrate. The conveying guide roller 137 is disposed to cross the conveying roller 131 to guide the conveyance of the substrate. The conveying guide roller 137 can be precisely set by the fine adjustment bolts.

To the conveying rollers 131, the conveying roller driven shaft 132 is individually engaged. That is, one conveying roller 131 per conveying roller driven shaft 132 is applied.

The conveying roller driven shaft 132 rotatably supports the conveying roller 131. The conveying roller driven shaft 132 is rotatably supported by the atmospheric (ATM) and vacuum (VAC) Respectively.

The conveying roller driven shaft 132 is provided with a shaft feedthrough (not shown) in the boundary region between the atmosphere (ATM) and the vacuum (VAC) so that the conveying roller driven shaft 132 can be disposed over the atmosphere (ATM) (138).

A plurality of conveying roller driven shafts 132 are integrally connected to the main shaft 133 by a gear assembly 139. A helical gear as the gear assembly 139 is provided on the conveying roller driven shafts 132 and the main shaft 133 so that a plurality of conveying roller driven shafts 132 are provided on one main shaft 133 So that one body can be formed.

Therefore, when the main shaft 133 is rotated, both of the conveying roller driven shafts 132 can be rotated by the gear assembly 139 at the same speed and direction. To this end, the main shaft 133 is provided with a main shaft rotation driving unit 134 for rotating the main shaft 133.

7, the main shaft rotation drive unit 134 includes a motor 134a, a drive pulley 134b connected to the motor 134a, a driven pulley 134c connected to the main shaft 133, A driving pulley 134b, and a driven pulley 134c.

When the motor 134a is operated, the rotational force of the motor 134a is transmitted to the driving pulley 134b, the belt 134d and the driven pulley 134c so that the main shaft 133 rotates. When the main shaft 133 rotates, All of the conveying roller driven shafts 132 can be rotated at the same speed and direction by the gear assembly 139 so that the conveying rollers 131 can be rotated to convey the substrate.

On the other hand, the roller conveyor unit 130 having such a structure includes a main shaft 133 including the gear assembly 139 on the atmospheric (ATM) side and a waiting box for the roller conveyor covering the main shaft rotation driving portion 134 135, ATM Box).

That is, the main shaft 133 and the main shaft rotation driving unit 134, which are drive means, are covered and protected by the atmospheric (ATM) portion of the roller conveyor standby box 135. Therefore, it is possible to solve the particle problem caused mainly by the driving means.

The waiting box 135 for the roller conveyor includes a box body 135a and a box cover 135b for opening and closing the upper opening of the box body 135a.

The box cover 135b is shown simply in the figure, but the box cover 135b may be bolted to the box body 135a or hooked.

At this time, it is preferable that a separate gasket or the like is interposed between the box body 135a and the box cover 135b so that the space between them is kept airtight.

And a particle collecting pedestal 136 is disposed around the waiting box 135 for the roller conveyor. The particle collecting pedestal 136 is disposed on the vacuum (VAC) side, that is, on the lower side of the conveying rollers 131 in the vacuum chamber, and collects particles generated during conveyance of the substrate.

Next, the chucking unit 140 is disposed adjacent to the plurality of roller conveyor units 130, and the frame P for supporting the substrate, which supports the substrate during the turn operation of the substrate or the align operation of the substrate, As shown in FIG.

The chucking unit 140 is applied in order to eliminate shaking of the substrate since the substrate should not be shaken during a turn operation to the substrate or an align operation of the substrate.

9 to 11, the chucking unit 140 includes a plurality of chucking waiting boxes 141 (ATM Box) disposed under the peripheral region of the substrate supporting frame P, A rotation chuck 142 connected to the chucking chamber 141 and rotatably supporting the frame P for supporting the substrate and having a chucking ball 142a coupled to the end thereof, And a rotary chuck rotation driving unit 143 for rotationally driving the rotary chuck 142.

The rotating chuck rotation driving portion 143 associated with the driving in the chucking unit 140 is disposed in the waiting box 141 for chucking and disposed under the peripheral region of the frame P for supporting the substrate, It is possible to prevent scattering.

The rotary chuck rotation driving section 143 is a device for converting the linear motion into rotary motion of the rotary chuck 142. As the rotary chuck rotation driving section 143 operates, So that the substrate supporting frame P can be chucked while being rotated.

The rotary chuck rotation drive unit 143 includes an air cylinder 143a to be linearly moved, a rack gear 143b connected to the air cylinder 143a, a gear gear 143b meshing with the rack gear 143b, And a pinion gear 143c which is connected to convert the linear motion of the air cylinder 143a into a rotary motion of the rotary chuck 142. [

Thus, when the air cylinder 143a is operated to advance the rack gear 143b, the pinion gear 143c meshed with the rack gear 143b is rotated to rotate the rotary chuck 142 like the dotted line in the enlarged part solid line in Fig. So that the substrate supporting frame P can be chucked.

At this time, the moving block 143d, which is operated forward and backward together with the rack gear 143b in operation of the air cylinder 143a, is connected to the rack gear 143b. On the opposite side, the moving block 143d is moved by the block stopper 143e. May be limited. That is, since excessive movement of the rack gear 143b is restricted by the moving block 143d and the block stopper 143e, it is possible to prevent the parts from being damaged.

Next, the turn top plate assembly 150 is a top plate structure that supports a plurality of roller conveyor units 130 and turns on with a plurality of roller conveyor units 130.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 13, the turn top plate assembly 150 may include a turn top plate 151 formed as a flat plate.

A turn top plate reinforcing wall body 152 formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the turn top plate 151 may be provided.

The turn top plate 151 may be made of an aluminum material to reduce weight and may be manufactured in a structure that can be assembled in all.

Next, the lower turn plate assembly 160 is a lower plate structure disposed in a lower region of the turn top plate assembly 150 and rotatably supporting the turn top plate assembly 150.

The turn lower plate assembly 160 prevents sagging of the turn top plate assembly 150 and distinguishes between atmospheric (ATM) and vacuum (VAC) when the turn top plate assembly 150 is turned.

14, the turn lower plate assembly 160 is disposed in parallel with the turn upper plate 151 in the upper region of the turn lower plate base 161, so that the turn upper plate 151 And a plurality of connecting bellows 163 for connecting the turn lower plate base 161 and the turn lower plate plate 162 in a stretchable manner.

As shown in FIG. 16, the atmosphere (ATM) and the vacuum (VAC) are distinguished at a position directly below the lower plate 162 of the turn. That is, the lower plate plate 162 is disposed on the vacuum (VAC) side and all of the remaining portions are disposed on the standby (ATM) side.

A plurality of ball casters 153 are provided on the turn top plate 151 to turn the turn top plate assembly 150 against the turn bottom plate assembly 160, And ball caster rails 164a and 164b into which the ball caster 153 is rotatably inserted.

The ball caster rails 164a and 164b are provided on the upper surface of the turn lower plate plate 162. The ball caster rails 164a and 164b are provided on the lower surface of the turn upper plate 151, And may have a dual rail structure of an inner rail 164a and an outer rail 164b.

Of course, the scope of the present invention can not be limited to the shape shown. That is, a structure in which ball castor rails 164a and 164b are provided on the turn top plate 151 and a plurality of ball casters 153 are provided on the turn bottom plate 162 is also within the scope of the present invention.

Next, the UVW aligning stage 165 is coupled to the lower portion of the lower turn plate assembly 160 to align the lower turn plate assembly 160 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the? -Axis direction on the XY plane .

The UVW alignment stage 165 has a structure in which the first and second alignment stages 166 and 167 can be relatively moved by a plurality of aligners 168, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 16 . In other words, the plurality of aligners 168 have a linear rail structure. By the operation of the aligner 168 of the linear rail structure, the second aligning stage 167 moves in the X-axis direction, the Y- So that it can be aligned in the axial direction. The second aligning stage 167 is connected to the lower turn plate base 161.

In the UVW alignment stage 165 having such a structure, a stage penetration portion 165a is formed so that the turn driving unit 170 can be inserted and installed. The stage penetration portion 165a may be rectangular but need not necessarily be rectangular.

The turn driving unit 170 is disposed in the stage penetrating portion 165a of the UVW aligning stage 165 and has an upper end connected to the turn top plate assembly 150 and a turn of the turn top plate assembly 150, Thereby generating a driving force for operation.

17 to 19, the turn driving unit 170 includes a shaft portion 171a disposed over atmospheric (ATM) and vacuum (VAC), a shaft portion 171a formed at an end portion of the shaft portion 171a, A turn driving rotary shaft 171 having a head 171b having a diameter larger than that of the turn driving rotary shaft 171 and a turn upper plate connecting plate 174 coupled to the head portion 171b of the turn rotary rotary shaft 171 and connected to the turn upper plate assembly 150, Lt; / RTI >

The shaft portion 171a of the turn-driving rotary shaft 171 is formed as a hollow hollow shaft so that a path for moving the cable can be formed.

Since the turn driving rotary shaft 171 has a structural rigidity enough to rotate a large structure, it can be made of stainless steel material and can be manufactured with high rigidity through various processing.

The turn-driving rotary shaft 171 is coupled with a turn-driving feed-through 173 disposed on the atmospheric (ATM) side in the boundary region between the atmosphere (ATM) of the turn-turning rotary shaft 171 and the vacuum VAC.

The turn-top plate connecting plate 172 side is disposed in the vacuum (VAC), that is, in the vacuum chamber with respect to the turn-driving feedthrough 173, and the remainder is disposed on the atmosphere (ATM) side outside the vacuum chamber. This turn-driving feedthrough 173 serves to support both the normal load and the axial load of the heavy object while being rotated.

A turn driving servomotor 174 for rotating the turn driving rotary shaft 171 and a turn driving speed reducer 179 for connecting the turn driving servomotor 174 and decelerating the rotational force of the turn driving servomotor 174 An index drive 176 operated by a turn driving servomotor 174 and an index drive 176 at a position adjacent to the turn drive feedthrough 173, And a coupling 177 which couples to the first end 171a.

When the turn driving servomotor 174 is operated in a state of being decelerated by the turn driving speed reducer 175, the turn driving rotary shaft 171 is rotated by the index drive 176 to rotate the turn top plate assembly 150 So that the turn operation of the substrate can be realized.

Next, the idle conveyor unit 180 is disposed in the periphery of the roller conveyor unit 130.

At this time, some of the idle conveyor units 180 are disposed side by side with the roller conveyor unit 130, and the other idle conveyor units 130 are arranged to intersect with the roller conveyor unit 130. Therefore, the incoming substrate can be transported in the cross direction.

The idler conveyor unit 180 may have a structure as shown in Figs. 20 to 21, wherein the structure of the idler conveyor unit 180 has the same structure as that of the roller conveyor unit 130 described above.

A plurality of idler rollers 181 are rotatably coupled to the respective idler roller rotary shafts 182 and a plurality of idler roller rotary shafts 182 are coupled to the idler roller rotary drive 183, As shown in FIG.

At this time, the idle roller rotation driving unit 183 may also be disposed on the atmospheric (ATM) side in a state in which it is disposed in a separate standby box 184. The structure of the idle roller rotation driving unit 183 is the same as that of the main shaft rotation driving unit 134, so that redundant description is avoided.

The vacuum piping unit 190 is connected to the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140 so that the cable used for the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140 is connected to the ATM .

Such a vacuum piping unit 190 includes a main body 191 for cable discharge, a piping arm 192 for a roller conveyor unit, and a piping arm 193 for a chucking unit, as shown in Figs. 22 to 23 .

The cable discharge main body 191 is disposed in the center area between the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140. The cables collected at the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140 side are directed to the outside of the vacuum chamber.

A piping arm 192 for the roller conveyor unit extends to both sides of the main body 191 for cable discharge and is connected to the roller conveyor unit 130. Since the pair of roller conveyor units 130 are applied, the pipe arms 192 for the roller conveyor unit are also provided in pairs.

A piping arm 193 for the chucking unit extends to both sides of the main body 191 for cable discharge so as to cross the piping arm 192 for the roller conveyor unit and is connected to the chucking unit 140.

At this time, a molding bellows 194 is provided on both the piping arms 192 for the roller conveyor unit and the piping arms 193 for the chucking unit. Therefore, slight repositioning is possible.

Both the piping arms 192 for the roller conveyor unit and the piping arms 193 for the chucking unit are provided with an arm supporting block 198 for supporting the arms 192 and 193.

A plurality of piping arms 193 for the chucking units are provided with branching bodies 195 for cable discharge. Since a total of four chucking units 140 are provided, two branching bodies 195 for cable discharge corresponding to the two chucking units 140 are applied one by one.

As described above, the substrate turn device 120 of the present embodiment includes the roller conveyor unit 130, the chucking unit 140, the turn top plate assembly 150, the turn bottom plate assembly 160, the UVW alignment stage 165, Since the structures of the turn driving unit 170, the idle conveyor unit 180 and the vacuum piping unit 190 are operated by being combined with each other, due to their organic operation, and then can be transported in the B direction. Therefore, the circulating vacuum logistics of FIG. 1 can be applied.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the roller conveyor unit 130 for transferring the substrate, and the cable used in the chucking unit 140 for chucking the substrate supporting frame P, (ATM) of the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140. Thus, the organic conveyance of the roller conveyor unit 130 and the chucking unit 140 can be performed, thereby improving the conveying efficiency of the substrate.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

120: Substrate turn device 130: Roller conveyor unit
131: Feeding roller 132: Feeding roller driven shaft
133: main shaft 134: main shaft rotation driving part
135: waiting box for roller conveyor 136: particle collecting base
137: Feed guide roller 138: Shaft feedthrough
140: chucking unit 141: waiting box for chucking
142: Rotating chuck 142a: Chuck king ball
143: Rotating chuck rotation driving part 143a: Air cylinder
143b: Rack gear 143c: Pinion gear
143d: moving block 143e: block stopper
150: Turn top plate assembly 151: Turn top plate
152: top plate reinforcement wall 153: ball caster
160: Turn lower plate assembly 161: Turn lower plate base
162: turn lower plate plate 163: connecting bellows
164a, 164b: ball caster rail 165: UVW alignment stage
165a: Stage penetrating part 170: Turn driving unit
171a: shaft portion 171b: head portion
171: Turn driving rotation axis 172: Turning plate connecting plate
173: Feedthrough for turn driving 174: Servo motor for turn driving
175: Reduction gear for turn drive 176: Index drive
177: coupling 180: idler conveyor unit
190: Vacuum piping unit 191: Main body for cable discharge
192: piping arm for roller conveyor unit 193: piping arm for chucking unit
194: Molded bellows 195: Branch body for cable release

Claims (24)

A plurality of roller conveyor units spaced apart from each other to convey the substrate;
A chucking unit disposed adjacent to the plurality of roller conveyor units for selectively chucking a substrate supporting frame for supporting the substrate during a turn operation of the substrate or an align operation of the substrate; And
And a vacuum piping unit connected to the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit for discharging a cable used in the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit to an ATM,
The vacuum piping unit includes:
A main body for cable discharge disposed in a center area between the roller conveyor unit and the chucking unit;
A plurality of piping arms for roller conveyor units extending to both sides of the cable discharge main body and connected to the roller conveyor unit; And
And a plurality of piping arms for chucking units extending to both sides of the cable discharge main body so as to cross the piping arms for the roller conveyor unit and connected to the chucking unit. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one of the piping arms for the plurality of roller conveyor units and the piping arms for the plurality of chucking units is provided with a molding bellows. The method according to claim 1,
The vacuum piping unit includes:
Further comprising a branch body for cable discharge coupled to the piping arms for the plurality of chucking units. The method according to claim 1,
The roller conveyor unit includes:
A plurality of transfer rollers disposed on the vacuum (VAC) side for transferring the substrate;
A plurality of conveying roller driven shafts individually connected to the conveying rollers and disposed over atmospheric (ATM) and vacuum (VAC);
A main shaft integrally connected to the plurality of conveying roller driven shafts by a gear assembly; And
And a main shaft rotation driving unit connected to the main shaft to rotate the main shaft. 6. The method of claim 5,
The roller conveyor unit includes:
Further comprising an atmospheric box (ATM Box) for a roller conveyor for covering the main shaft including the gear assembly and the main shaft rotation drive unit on the atmospheric (ATM) side. The method according to claim 6,
The roller conveyor unit includes:
And a particle collecting pedestal connected to the atmospheric box for the roller conveyor and disposed at a lower portion of the conveying rollers on the vacuum (VAC) side to collect particles generated during conveyance of the substrate. To the substrate. 6. The method of claim 5,
The roller conveyor unit includes:
A plurality of conveying guide rollers provided corresponding to the conveying rollers to guide the conveyance of the substrate; And
Further comprising a shaft feedthrough coupled to a boundary region of atmosphere (ATM) and vacuum (VAC) on the transport roller follower shaft. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a plurality of idle conveyor units disposed around the roller conveyor unit. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein some of the idle conveyor units are arranged side by side with respect to the roller conveyor unit and the others are arranged so as to intersect with the roller conveyor unit,
Wherein the idle conveyor unit and the roller conveyor unit have the same structure. The method according to claim 1,
The chucking unit includes:
A plurality of chucking waiting boxes (ATM Box) disposed under the peripheral region of the substrate supporting frame;
A rotary chuck connected to the atmospheric box for chucking and chucking the substrate supporting frame while being rotated and coupled with a chucking ball at an end thereof; And
And a rotary chuck rotation driving unit that is provided in the atmospheric box for chucking and is connected to the rotary chuck and rotatably drives the rotary chuck. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the rotary chuck rotation drive unit includes:
An air cylinder which is linearly moved;
A rack gear connected to the air cylinder; And
And a pinion gear engaged with the rack gear and connected to the rotary chuck to convert a linear motion of the air cylinder into rotary motion of the rotary chuck. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the rotary chuck rotation drive unit includes:
A moving block connected to the rack gear and operated forward and backward together with the rack gear when the air cylinder is operated; And
Further comprising a block stopper spaced apart from the moving block and restricting a moving distance of the moving block. The method according to claim 1,
A turn upper assembly supporting the plurality of roller conveyor units and turned with the plurality of roller conveyor units; And
Further comprising a turn lower assembly disposed in a lower region of the turn top plate assembly and rotatably supporting the turn top plate assembly. 15. The method of claim 14,
The turn top plate assembly includes:
A turn top plate formed of a flat plate; And
And a plurality of turn top plate reinforcing walls formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the turn top plate. 16. The method of claim 15,
The lower turn plate assembly includes:
Turn bottom plate base;
A lower turn plate plate disposed in parallel with the turn upper plate and supporting a lower portion of the turn upper plate in an upper region of the turn lower plate base; And
And a plurality of connecting bellows for elastically connecting the lower turn plate base and the lower turn plate plate. 17. The method of claim 16,
A plurality of ball casters for turning the turn top plate assembly are provided on any one of the turn top plate and the turn bottom plate plate,
And a ball caster rail into which the ball caster is rotatably inserted is provided on the other of the turn top plate and the turn bottom plate plate. 18. The method of claim 17,
The plurality of ball casters are provided on the lower surface of the turn top plate, the ball caster rails are provided on the upper surface of the turn bottom plate plate,
Wherein the ball caster rail has a double rail structure of an inner rail and an outer rail. 15. The method of claim 14,
And a UVW alignment stage coupled to a lower portion of the lower plate assembly for aligning the lower plate assembly in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the? -Axis direction. 20. The method of claim 19,
And a stage penetrating portion is formed in the UVW aligning stage. 21. The method of claim 20,
Further comprising a turn driving unit disposed in a stage penetrating portion of the UVW alignment stage and having an upper end connected to the turn top plate assembly and generating a driving force for turning operation of the turn top plate assembly, Turn device. 22. The method of claim 21,
The turn-
A turn driving rotary shaft having a shaft portion disposed over the atmosphere (ATM) and the vacuum (VAC), and a head portion formed at an end of the shaft portion and having a larger diameter than the shaft portion;
A turn top plate connecting plate coupled to the head portion of the turn driving rotary shaft and connected to the turn top plate assembly; And
And a turn-driving feedthrough disposed on the atmospheric (ATM) side in a boundary area between the ATM (ATM) and the vacuum (VAC) of the turn-driving rotary shaft. 23. The method of claim 22,
The turn-
Servo motor for turn driving;
A turn driving speed reducer connected to the turn driving servomotor for reducing the rotational force of the turn driving servomotor;
An index drive operated by the turn driving servomotor; And
Further comprising a coupling for coupling the index drive to the shaft portion of the turn-driving rotary shaft at a position adjacent to the turn-around feedthrough. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the substrate is an 8th-generation (8G) large-sized substrate having a length / width of longer than 2 m.

Images