KR102608016B1 - Method and Apparatus for transferring substrate and Method for processing substrate having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of transferring a substrate according to exemplary embodiments involves placing a substrate on a floating stage equipped to perform a process while transporting the substrate in a floating state, and providing a vacuum to the back of the substrate introduced into the floating stage to move the substrate to the back of the substrate. adsorbed to a roller provided in one area of the floating stage, rotating the roller forward so that the substrate adsorbed on the roller is transferred to an alignment section of the floating stage, and detaching the back side of the substrate from the roller. The vacuum provided to the back of the substrate is released, the roller is reversely rotated within a range where the substrate does not deviate from the alignment section of the floating stage after the vacuum is released, and the reverse rotation of the roller is terminated. Afterwards, the substrate is aligned so that the process can be performed on the flotation stage.

Description

Substrate transfer method and device, and substrate processing method including the same {Method and Apparatus for transferring substrate and Method for processing substrate having the same}

The present invention relates to a substrate transport method and device, and a substrate processing method including the same. More specifically, it relates to a substrate transport method and device for transporting a substrate in a floating state, and a substrate processing method including the same.

In the manufacture of display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and organic light emitting display devices, a process of discharging a chemical solution to form an alignment film, color filter, etc. onto a substrate can be performed.

The process of discharging the chemical solution on the substrate can be performed with the substrate levitated mainly using a levitating stage. The flotation stage may consist of a section for entering the substrate, a section for discharging a chemical solution on the substrate, and a section for advancing the substrate.

In the section where the chemical solution is discharged on the substrate, the substrate must be maintained in alignment. Accordingly, in the section where the substrate is introduced, the substrate must be transported to the alignment section where the substrate is aligned by adsorbing and rotating a roller on the back of the substrate.

In order to adsorb the roller to the back of the substrate, vacuum instead of air must be provided to the back of the substrate, and after transporting the substrate to the alignment section, the vacuum provided to the back of the substrate must be released to detach the roller adsorbed to the back of the substrate. .

If the vacuum is not released, sufficient alignment of the substrate may not be achieved because the back side of the substrate and the roller are in a state of adsorption.

Accordingly, after aligning the substrate to be detached from the roller by releasing the vacuum, a process of discharging the chemical solution can be performed by transporting the aligned substrate to a section for discharging the chemical solution.

However, in the related art, even after the vacuum is released, the substrate is not detached from the roller due to friction between the back of the substrate and the roller, so there is a problem in that sufficient alignment of the substrate is not achieved.

One object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer method and device that can easily detach the substrate from the roller after transferring the substrate using a roller while the substrate is floating.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method that can easily detach the substrate from the roller after transporting the substrate using a roller while the substrate is floating.

A method of transferring a substrate according to exemplary embodiments for achieving an object of the present invention involves placing a substrate on a floating stage provided to perform a process while transferring the substrate in a floating state, and feeding the substrate into the floating stage. By providing a vacuum to the back side of the substrate, the back side of the substrate is adsorbed to a roller provided in one area of the floating stage, and the roller is rotated forward so that the substrate adsorbed on the roller is transferred to the alignment section of the floating stage, After releasing the vacuum provided to the back side of the substrate so that the back side of the substrate is detached from the roller, and after releasing the vacuum, the roller is reversely rotated within the range where the substrate does not deviate from the alignment section on the floating stage. After terminating the reverse rotation of the roller, the substrate is aligned so that a process can be performed on the floating stage.

In exemplary embodiments, a vacuum may be provided to the back of the substrate by sensing the substrate being input to the floating stage.

In exemplary embodiments, the vacuum may be provided only in an area adjacent to the area where the roller is provided, and air for levitation of the substrate may be provided in the remaining areas.

In exemplary embodiments, the vacuum is provided only in the area adjacent to the area in which the roller is provided, but if the vacuum is not provided, the area adjacent to the area in which the roller is provided may also cause the substrate to float. Air can be provided.

In order to achieve another object of the present invention, a substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments includes introducing a substrate into a flotation stage provided to perform a process while transporting the substrate in a floating state, and feeding the substrate into the flotation stage. By providing a vacuum to the back side of the substrate, the back side of the substrate is adsorbed to a roller provided in one area of the floating stage, and the roller is rotated forward so that the substrate adsorbed on the roller is transferred to the alignment section of the floating stage, Releasing the vacuum provided to the back side of the substrate so that the back side of the substrate is detached from the roller, and after releasing the vacuum, reverse-rotating the roller within a range where the substrate does not deviate from the alignment section of the floating stage, After terminating the reverse rotation of the roller, the substrate is aligned so that a process can be performed on the floating stage, and after aligning the substrate, the side of the substrate is gripped to transfer the substrate along the floating stage. Afterwards, a chemical solution can be applied on the substrate transported along the floating stage.

In exemplary embodiments, a vacuum may be provided to the back of the substrate by sensing the substrate being input to the floating stage.

In exemplary embodiments, the vacuum may be provided only in an area adjacent to the area where the roller is provided, and air for levitation of the substrate may be provided in the remaining areas.

In exemplary embodiments, the vacuum is provided only in the area adjacent to the area in which the roller is provided, but if the vacuum is not provided, the area adjacent to the area in which the roller is provided may also cause the substrate to float. Air can be provided.

In exemplary embodiments, the floating stage where the chemical solution is applied may provide both air and vacuum to the back side of the substrate.

The substrate transport method and device according to exemplary embodiments, and the substrate processing method including the same, can easily detach the substrate from the roller after transporting the substrate to the alignment section, thereby sufficiently achieving alignment of the substrate. will be.

Accordingly, the substrate transport method and device according to exemplary embodiments, and the substrate processing method including the same, can minimize chemical application defects because the chemical solution can be applied after sufficient alignment of the substrate is achieved. .

Therefore, the substrate transfer method and device according to exemplary embodiments, and the substrate processing method including the same can minimize chemical application defects, so it can be expected to improve process reliability according to the manufacturing of display devices.

However, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and may be expanded in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus applied to a substrate processing method according to example embodiments.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of applying a chemical solution on a substrate among substrate processing methods according to example embodiments.
3 to 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining a substrate transport method according to example embodiments.

Since the present invention can be subject to various changes and can have various forms, embodiments will be described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosed form, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. While describing each drawing, similar reference numerals are used for similar components. Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as “comprise” or “consist of” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions for the same components are omitted.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus applied to a substrate processing method according to example embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments includes discharging a chemical solution to form an alignment layer, a color filter, etc. on the substrate 11 when manufacturing a display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic light emitting display device. It can be applied to perform the requested process.

The substrate processing method according to example embodiments may be performed while the substrate 11 is levitated using a levitation stage. The floating stage in the substrate processing apparatus 100 for performing the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments includes a section for entering the substrate 11, a section for discharging a chemical solution on the substrate 11, and a section for discharging the chemical solution on the substrate 11. It may consist of a section that advances.

Accordingly, the floating stage in the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments includes an entry stage 300 provided in a section where the substrate 11 enters, and a discharge stage provided in a section where the chemical solution is discharged onto the substrate 11. (200), the advancing stages 303 provided in the section through which the substrate 11 advances may be arranged sequentially.

In addition, in the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, in the section where the chemical solution is discharged on the substrate 11, the floating height of the substrate 11 must be controlled relatively precisely, so that air is applied to the back of the substrate 11. and vacuum may be provided together. Accordingly, the discharge stage 200 may be provided to levitate the substrate 11 by providing both air injection and vacuum suction to the rear surface of the substrate 11.

In the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, in the section where the substrate 11 enters and the section where the substrate 11 advances, simply levitating the substrate 11 is required, so that there is a surface on the back of the substrate 11. Air can be provided. Accordingly, the entry stage 300 and the exit stage 303 may be provided to levitate the substrate 11 by providing air injection to the rear surface of the substrate 11.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of applying a chemical solution on a substrate among substrate processing methods according to example embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the section for discharging the chemical liquid on the substrate 11 may include a transfer unit 23, a discharge unit 25, etc. in addition to the discharge stage 200. You can.

As mentioned above, the discharge stage 200 may be provided with air holes for spraying air to the back of the substrate 11 and vacuum holes for sucking vacuum. Each of the air holes and vacuum holes may be connected to a member such as an air compressor that sprays air and a vacuum pump that performs vacuum suction.

Accordingly, the substrate 11 transferred to the discharge stage 200 may be levitated by air injection and vacuum suction from the back side of the substrate 11.

The transfer unit 23 is used to transfer the substrate 11 that is levitated on the discharge stage 200, and may be mainly provided to move along the discharge stage 200 by holding the side of the substrate 11.

Therefore, the transfer unit 23 may be comprised of a gripper that grips the side of the substrate 11 and a guide rail provided on the side of the discharge stage 200 to guide the movement of the gripper. The transfer unit 23 may be provided on one or both sides of the substrate 11.

The discharge unit 25 may be mainly equipped to discharge the chemical solution using an inkjet method. The discharge unit 25 may have a nozzle surface 26 on one surface of which a plurality of nozzles are provided. A plurality of nozzles provided in the discharge unit 25 may be arranged in a row at regular intervals and may be provided to discharge the chemical solution in an amount of ㎍. Additionally, the discharge unit 25 may be provided with a number of piezoelectric elements corresponding to the nozzles, and may be provided to discharge liquid droplets through the nozzles by the operation of the piezoelectric elements. The amount of chemical liquid discharged from the nozzle can be independently adjusted by controlling the voltage applied to the piezoelectric elements.

Accordingly, the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments allows discharging the chemical solution onto the substrate 11 while transporting the substrate 11 in a floating state.

In the case of the substrate 11 being transported to the section where the chemical is discharged, if its position is not maintained in alignment, the chemical may not be discharged at the correct position on the substrate 11, which may cause defects.

In the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the substrate 11 transported to the section where the chemical solution is discharged must be aligned. In other words, the substrate 11 must be maintained in an aligned state in the section where the chemical solution is discharged onto the substrate 11.

Accordingly, an alignment section may be disposed between the section where the substrate 11 is entered and the section where the chemical solution is discharged. Accordingly, after the substrate 11 entering the section where the substrate 11 enters is aligned in the alignment section, the aligned substrate 11 can be transferred to the section where the chemical is discharged.

Hereinafter, in the substrate transport method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, a member provided in a section where the substrate 11 is entered and transferred to an alignment section for aligning the substrate 11 will be described.

3 to 5 are schematic diagrams for explaining a substrate transport method according to example embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, in the section where the substrate 11 enters, a member for transporting the substrate 11 to the alignment section while the substrate 11 is floating is adsorbed to the back side of the substrate 11 and rotates. A roller 31 capable of doing so may be provided. The roller 31 may be provided in one area of the entry stage 300 among the floating stages.

Accordingly, in the section where the substrate 11 enters, the roller 31 is adsorbed to the back side of the substrate 11 and the substrate 11 is transferred to the alignment section by rotating the roller 31 to which the substrate 11 is adsorbed. It is possible.

However, since air is provided to the back side of the substrate 11 in the section where the substrate 11 is entered, the back side of the substrate 11 will not be adsorbed to the roller 31 as shown in FIG. 4. The entry stage 300 in the section where the substrate 11 is entered may be provided with air holes 35 that can supply air to the back side of the substrate 11.

Also, in the section where the substrate 11 is introduced, it is necessary to provide a vacuum toward the back side of the substrate 11 when the substrate 11 is introduced. Accordingly, when the substrate 11 is introduced, the back side of the substrate 11 can be adsorbed to the roller 31 by providing a vacuum toward the back side of the substrate 11.

In particular, the vacuum provided to the back surface of the substrate 11 may not be provided to the entire back surface of the substrate 11, but only to an area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided. That is, vacuum is provided only in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided, and air for floating the substrate 11 is provided in the remaining areas.

Therefore, in the substrate transfer method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the entry stage 300 in the section where the substrate 11 enters has an air hole 35 capable of supplying air to the back side of the substrate 11. ) and, in some cases, vacuum holes 33 that can supply vacuum may be provided.

In addition, vacuum is provided only in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided, but if vacuum is not provided, air for floating the substrate 11 is also provided in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided. You can do it.

Therefore, in the substrate transfer method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the entry stage 300 in the section where the substrate 11 enters has an air hole 35 capable of supplying air to the back side of the substrate 11. ) may be provided, and the vacuum holes 33 in the area where the roller 31 is provided and the neighboring area may be provided to have a mixed structure to supply air.

Hereinafter, a substrate transport method and a substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 mentioned above.

First, the substrate 11 on which the preceding process has been performed is introduced into the flotation stage. That is, the substrate 11 is input into the entry stage 300, which is the section where the substrate 11 enters. Insertion of the substrate 11 into the flotation stage can mainly be achieved by using a transfer member such as a conveyor or the like.

The substrate 11 introduced into the entry stage 300 may be maintained in a floating state by air provided to the back side of the substrate 11.

Then, sensing is performed as to whether the substrate 11 is input from the floating stage to the entry stage 300. As a result of the sensing, when it is confirmed that the substrate 11 is input into the entry stage 300, a vacuum may be provided to the back side of the substrate 11.

At this time, the mentioned vacuum can be provided only in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the air hole 33 disposed in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided and providing air is changed to a vacuum hole 33 providing vacuum as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, a vacuum can be provided to the back side of the substrate 11.

Therefore, in the substrate transfer method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, when the substrate 11 is sensed being input from the floating stage to the entry stage 300, vacuum is applied only to the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided. can be provided, and air can be continuously provided in the remaining areas.

In this way, as a vacuum is provided to the back surface of the substrate 11 in an area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided, the back surface of the substrate 11 may be adsorbed to the roller 31.

In addition, the roller 31 may also be driven when it is confirmed that the substrate 11 is input into the entry stage 300 as a result of sensing whether the substrate 11 is input from the floating stage to the entry stage 300.

In the substrate transfer method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, when it is confirmed that the substrate 11 is input into the entry stage 300, a vacuum is provided to the back side of the substrate 11, and the roller 31 is It can be made to run.

One area of the entry stage 300 where the roller 31 is provided may be the front end of the entry stage 300 based on the transfer direction of the substrate 11.

As mentioned, the back side of the substrate 11 is adsorbed to the roller 31 by vacuum, and the substrate 11 can be transferred to the alignment section by providing driving force to rotate the roller 31 in a forward direction. .

Subsequently, when the substrate 11 is transferred to the alignment section, the vacuum provided to the back side of the substrate 11 is released. Accordingly, the substrate 11 may be detached from the roller 31. That is, in the substrate transport method and the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the vacuum provided to the back side of the substrate 11 can be released so that the back side of the substrate 11 is detached from the roller 31.

In addition, in the substrate transfer method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the configuration can be changed to release the vacuum and provide air in an area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 providing the vacuum is provided. will be. That is, the configuration of the vacuum hole 33, which is disposed in an area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided as shown in FIG. 5 and provides vacuum, is changed to an air hole 33 that provides air as shown in FIG. 4. This allows air to be provided to the back side of the substrate 11.

In other words, vacuum is provided only in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided, but if vacuum is not provided, air 11 for the floating of the substrate 11 is also provided in the area adjacent to the area where the roller 31 is provided. It is possible to provide .

However, despite releasing the vacuum and supplying air to the back side of the substrate 11 even in the area where the vacuum was released, situations frequently occur in which the back side of the substrate 11 is not easily detached from the roller 31. there is.

This means that when the roller 31 is adsorbed to the back of the substrate 11 and rotates, the pressure value (absolute value) for the vacuum provided to the back of the substrate 11 is such that the roller 31 moves from the back of the substrate 11. This is because the vacuum is released for desorption and is somewhat larger than the pressure value (absolute value) for the air provided.

In fact, when the roller 31 is adsorbed to the back of the substrate 11 and rotates, the pressure value for the vacuum provided to the back of the substrate 11 is about -15 kPa, while the roller 31 is pulled from the back of the substrate 11. ) is released to detach the vacuum, and since the pressure value for the supplied air is about 5 kPa, the vacuum is released and air is supplied to the back of the substrate 11 even in the area where the vacuum is released, the roller 31 ), situations in which the back side of the substrate 11 is not easily detached from the surface frequently occur.

Therefore, in the substrate transport method and the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the roller 31 may be rotated in reverse after the vacuum provided to the substrate 11 is released. That is, the vacuum is released and the roller 31 is driven in the opposite direction based on the transfer direction of the substrate 11. At this time, the distance at which the substrate 11 is transferred in the direction opposite to the original transfer direction may be within a range that does not deviate from the alignment section of the floating stage.

As such, in the substrate transport method and the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the vacuum provided to the back side of the substrate 11 is released, air is provided to the back side of the substrate 11, and the roller 31 rotates in reverse. By driving it to do so, the friction between the substrate 11 and the roller 31 can be alleviated. Accordingly, in the substrate transport method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the substrate 11 can be easily detached from the roller 31 by alleviating the friction force between the substrate 11 and the roller 31. will be.

In the substrate transfer method and substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, the vacuum provided to the back of the substrate 11 is released, air is provided to the back of the substrate 11, and the roller 31 is rotated in reverse. This can also be achieved by sensing whether the substrate 11 enters the alignment section.

In addition, by releasing the vacuum provided to the back side of the substrate 11, air is provided to the back side of the substrate 11, and the roller 31 rotates in reverse, thereby alleviating the friction force between the substrate 11 and the roller 31. After the substrate 11 is detached from the roller 31, the reverse rotation of the roller 31 can be terminated.

Subsequently, after the reverse rotation of the roller 31 is terminated, the position of the substrate 11 is aligned. The mentioned alignment is to ensure that the substrate 11 is positioned correctly during the subsequent process of discharging the chemical solution onto the substrate 11. In particular, the mentioned alignment is mainly to ensure that the side of the substrate 11 can be correctly positioned and held on the transfer unit 23 of the discharge stage 200 by tapping the edge of the substrate 11.

Next, in the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments, after aligning the substrate 11 in the alignment section, the side of the substrate 11 is gripped using the transfer unit 23 to lift the substrate 11 on the floating stage. It is transported along the discharge stage 200, and the chemical solution can be applied on the substrate 11 transported along the floating stage.

And after applying the chemical solution on the substrate 11, the substrate 11 can be transferred to the subsequent process along the advance stage 303 of the floating stage.

As such, the substrate transport method and the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments can minimize chemical application defects because the chemical solution can be applied after the substrate 11 is sufficiently aligned.

The substrate transport method and device according to exemplary embodiments, and the substrate processing method including the same, can be more actively applied to the manufacturing of display devices.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following patent claims. You will understand that it is possible.

11: substrate 23: transfer unit
25: discharge part 26: nozzle face
31: roller 33: vacuum hole
35: air hole
100: Substrate processing device
200: discharge stage
300: Entry stage
303: Advance stage

Claims (3)

In a substrate transfer device including a levitating stage provided to perform a process while transporting a substrate in a levitated state,
The floating stage is configured to sequentially arrange an entry stage provided in a section for entering the substrate, a discharge stage provided in a section for discharging a chemical solution on the substrate, and an exit stage provided in a section for advancing the substrate. ,
In one area of the entry stage, a roller capable of adsorbing and rotating on the back surface of the substrate may be provided as a member for transporting the substrate to the alignment section while the substrate is levitated, and
The entry stage is provided with air holes that supply air to the back side of the substrate, and supply vacuum to the back side of the substrate only when the substrate enters among the air holes so that the back side of the substrate can be adsorbed to the roller. provided, wherein the vacuum is provided only in an area adjacent to the area where the roller is provided, and air for floating the substrate is provided in the remaining areas,
When it is confirmed that the substrate is introduced into the entry stage, a vacuum is provided to the back side of the substrate and the roller is driven to rotate forward in the same direction as the transfer direction of the substrate to move the substrate into the alignment section. transporting the substrate, and when the substrate is transferred to the alignment section, releasing the vacuum provided on the back side of the substrate and driving the roller so that the roller rotates in the opposite direction to the transfer direction of the substrate. Characterized by a substrate transfer device. According to claim 1,
The vacuum is provided only in the area adjacent to the area where the roller is provided, but when the vacuum is not provided, air for floating the substrate is provided even in the area adjacent to the area where the roller is provided. A substrate transfer device. According to claim 1,
It further includes a sensing unit provided to sense the substrate being input into the entry stage, and when the sensing unit senses the substrate being input into the floating stage, a vacuum is provided only in an area adjacent to the area where the roller is provided, and , A substrate transfer device characterized in that air is continuously provided in the remaining area.

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