KR102656883B1 - Substrate stage and apparatus for inspecting display cells having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A display cell inspection device is disclosed. The apparatus includes an inspection chamber for performing an inspection process on a plurality of display cells formed on a substrate, a substrate stage disposed inside the inspection chamber and supporting the substrate so that the display cells face downward, and the substrate. It is disposed below the stage and includes a probe card configured to contact the display cells for inspection of the display cells. The substrate stage includes a vacuum plate having a plurality of vacuum holes for vacuum suction of the substrate, at least one substrate ejector disposed on at least an edge of the vacuum plate and separating the substrate from the vacuum plate, and and an ejector driving unit that moves the at least one substrate ejector in a vertical direction so that the at least one substrate ejector protrudes downward from the lower surface of the vacuum plate.

Description

Substrate stage and apparatus for inspecting display cells having the same}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus for inspecting a substrate stage and display cells including the same. More specifically, it relates to a substrate stage for supporting a substrate on which display cells, such as organic light emitting device (OLED) cells, are formed, and a device for electrically and optically inspecting the display cells using this. .

OLED devices used as flat panel displays have the advantages of wide viewing angles, excellent contrast, and fast response speeds, so they are not only widely used in portable display devices, smart phones, and tablet PCs, but are also attracting attention as next-generation display devices through enlargement. I'm receiving it. In particular, the OLED device has the advantage of superior characteristics such as brightness, driving voltage, and response speed compared to inorganic light-emitting display devices, and is capable of producing multiple colors.

In the manufacturing process of the OLED device, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) layer is formed on the substrate through various film formation processes and etching processes, and on the TFT layer, a lower electrode and an organic layer (e.g., hole transport layer, light emitting layer, electronic layer, etc.) are formed on the substrate. An organic light-emitting layer consisting of a transport layer) and an upper electrode may be formed. Subsequently, the OLED device can be completed by sealing the substrate on which the TFT layer and the organic light-emitting layer are formed using an encapsulation substrate.

In particular, a plurality of OLED cells can be formed on the substrate, and after the encapsulation process is completed, each OLED cell can be individualized through a cutting process to complete the OLED device.

After the OLED cells are formed on the substrate, electrical and optical inspection processes may be performed on the OLED cells. For example, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1471752 discloses a device for inspecting display cells that can perform an inspection process on a plurality of OLED cells formed on the substrate before the encapsulation process, that is, after the cell process is completed. It is done. The inspection device can apply an electrical signal to the display cells using a probe card, and can perform electrical and optical inspection through application of the electrical signal.

In particular, the inspection device may include a substrate stage having a plurality of vacuum holes to support the substrate so that the substrate faces downward, and the probe card may be disposed below the substrate stage. After the inspection process is completed, the substrate can be unloaded by a substrate transfer robot. However, even when the vacuum pressure inside the vacuum holes is removed to unload the substrate, unloading of the substrate may not be easily performed due to static electricity between the substrate and the substrate stage. In order to facilitate unloading of the substrate, air may be sprayed through the vacuum holes, but in this case, the edge portion of the substrate may be separated from the substrate stage relatively later than the center portion due to static electricity, and in this case, the edge portion of the substrate may be separated from the substrate stage relatively later than the center portion of the substrate. There is a problem in that the substrate is damaged during the process of transferring it to the substrate transfer robot.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1471752 (registration date: December 4, 2014)

The purpose of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a substrate stage that can facilitate unloading of a substrate and an apparatus for inspecting display cells including the same.

A substrate stage according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a vacuum plate that supports the substrate by vacuum adsorption facing downward and has a plurality of vacuum holes formed for vacuum adsorption of the substrate, and at least one of the vacuum plates. at least one substrate ejector disposed at an edge and configured to separate the substrate from the vacuum plate, and vertically aligning the at least one substrate ejector so that the at least one substrate ejector protrudes downward from a lower surface of the vacuum plate. It may include an ejector driving unit that moves.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the substrate stage may further include a vertical driver for moving the vacuum plate in a vertical direction, and the vertical driver may be a substrate ejector such that the height of the substrate is maintained constant. The vacuum plate may be raised by a distance protruding downward from the vacuum plate by the ejector driving unit.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the substrate ejector may have a ring shape disposed along an edge of the lower surface of the vacuum plate.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the ejector driving unit may include a plurality of pneumatic cylinders connected to the substrate ejector.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the substrate stage may include a plurality of substrate ejectors disposed at edge portions of the lower surface of the vacuum plate.

According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, an apparatus for inspecting display cells includes an inspection chamber for performing an inspection process on a plurality of display cells formed on a substrate, and is disposed inside the inspection chamber, It may include a substrate stage that supports the substrate so that the display cells face downward, and a probe card disposed below the substrate stage and configured to contact the display cells to inspect the display cells. At this time, the substrate stage includes a vacuum plate with a plurality of vacuum holes for vacuum sucking the substrate, and at least one substrate ejector disposed at least at an edge of the vacuum plate and separating the substrate from the vacuum plate. , It may include an ejector driving unit that moves the at least one substrate ejector in a vertical direction so that the at least one substrate ejector protrudes downward from the lower surface of the vacuum plate.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the device includes a substrate transfer chamber connected to the inspection chamber, the substrate being disposed within the substrate transfer chamber, and the substrate being loaded onto the substrate stage and inspection of the display cells is performed. It may further include a substrate transfer robot for unloading the substrate from the substrate stage.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the substrate stage may further include a vertical driving unit for moving the vacuum plate in a vertical direction, wherein the vertical driving unit moves the substrate on the robot arm of the substrate transfer robot. The substrate ejector may elevate the vacuum plate by a distance protruding downward from the vacuum plate by the ejector driving unit so that the height of the substrate is maintained constant in the supported state.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the substrate stage may include one substrate ejector having a ring shape disposed along an edge of the lower surface of the vacuum plate or a plurality of substrate ejectors each disposed at edges of the lower surface of the vacuum plate. It may include substrate ejectors.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the ejector driving unit may include a plurality of pneumatic cylinders connected to each of the one substrate ejector or the plurality of substrate ejectors.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, the substrate stage includes a substrate ejector for separating the substrate from the lower surface of the vacuum plate, and the substrate ejector protrudes downward from the lower surface of the vacuum plate. It may include an ejector driving unit that moves the substrate ejector in the vertical direction. The substrate ejector can physically separate the substrate from the vacuum plate by pushing the substrate downward, and thus the unloading of the substrate can be performed stably.

In particular, while the substrate ejector moves downward, the vacuum plate is simultaneously raised by the vertical driving unit, so that the height of the substrate can be maintained substantially the same, and damage to the substrate during the unloading process can be prevented. there is.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram to explain OLED cells formed on a substrate.
Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an in-line process facility to which a device for inspecting display cells according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an apparatus for inspecting display cells shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a schematic bottom view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a schematic side view for explaining another example of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a schematic bottom view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 8.

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention does not have to be configured as limited to the embodiments described below and may be embodied in various other forms. The following examples are not provided to fully complete the present invention, but rather are provided to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

When an element is described as being disposed or connected to another element or layer, the element may be disposed or connected directly to the other element, and other elements or layers may be interposed between them. It may be possible. Alternatively, if one element is described as being directly placed or connected to another element, there cannot be another element between them. The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various items such as various elements, compositions, regions, layers and/or parts, but the items are not limited by these terms. won't

The terminology used below is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. Additionally, unless otherwise limited, all terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning that can be understood by a person skilled in the art. The above terms, as defined in common dictionaries, will be construed to have meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant art and description of the invention, and unless explicitly defined, ideally or excessively by superficial intuition. It will not be interpreted.

Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to schematic illustrations of ideal embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, variations from the shapes of the illustrations, for example variations in manufacturing methods and/or tolerances, are fully to be expected. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are not intended to be described as limited to the specific shapes of the regions illustrated as diagrams, but rather include deviations in the shapes, and the regions illustrated in the drawings are entirely schematic and represent their shapes. is not intended to describe the exact shape of the region, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining OLED cells formed on a substrate, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining an in-line process facility to which a device for inspecting display cells according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected. It's a degree. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an apparatus for inspecting display cells shown in FIG. 2.

1 to 3, an apparatus 100 for inspecting display cells according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used to electrically and optically inspect display cells such as OLED cells 20.

Specifically, the inspection device 100 of the OLED cells 20 uses a cell process and an encapsulation substrate (not shown) to form a plurality of OLED cells 20 on a substrate 10 in the manufacturing process of the OLED device. It can be used to inspect the electrical and optical properties of the OLED cells 20 between encapsulation processes for encapsulating the OLED cells 20.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the inspection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be connected to in-line processing equipment for manufacturing the display cells 20. For example, the inspection device 100 may be connected between the cell process equipment 30 for the cell process and the encapsulation process equipment 40 for the encapsulation process. As an example, the cell process equipment 30 and the encapsulation process equipment 40 may have a cluster shape, and the substrate 10 is transferred between the cell process equipment 30 and the encapsulation process equipment 40. An in-line substrate transfer device 50 may be disposed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the inspection device 100 may be connected to an in-line substrate transfer device 50 between the cell process equipment 30 and the encapsulation process equipment 40, and the cell process equipment ( It can be used to perform electrical and optical inspection processes on the OLED cells 20 formed on the substrate 10 in 30).

The substrate 10 may be transferred from the cell processing equipment 30 to the inspection device 100 through the in-line substrate transfer device 50, and electrical and optical inspection processes may be performed in the inspection device 100. After being performed, it can be transferred to the encapsulation process equipment 40 through the in-line substrate transfer device 50.

Meanwhile, the cell process is a process of forming a plurality of OLED cells 20 on a substrate 10, forming a TFT array layer on the substrate 10 and forming an organic light emitting layer on the TFT array layer. may include. As an example, the organic light-emitting layer may include a lower electrode layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an upper electrode layer. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, the OLED cells 20 formed on the substrate 10 in the cell process may each be provided with a plurality of inspection pads 22 electrically connected to the TFT array layer. You can.

The encapsulation process is a process of encapsulating the OLED cells 20 by bonding the substrate 10 on which the OLED cells 20 are formed and the encapsulation substrate. After the electrical and optical inspection processes for the OLED cells 20 are performed. can be performed.

The inspection device 100 may include an inspection chamber 102 that provides a space for performing electrical and optical inspection processes on the OLED cells 20. That is, the substrate 10 can be transferred from the cell processing equipment 30 to the inspection chamber 102, and after the inspection process is performed, it is transferred from the inspection chamber 102 to the encapsulation processing equipment 40. It can be.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the inspection device 100 may include a substrate transfer module 200 for transferring the substrate 100 between the inspection chamber 102 and the in-line process equipment. The substrate transfer module 200 is disposed within the substrate transfer chamber 202 and the substrate transfer chamber 202 connected to the inspection chamber 102 and moves the substrate 100 between the inspection chamber 102 and the in-line process equipment. ) may include a substrate transfer robot 204 for transferring the substrate.

As an example, the substrate transfer chamber 202 may be connected between the inspection chamber 102 and the in-line substrate transfer device 50, and the substrate transfer robot 204 may be connected to the in-line substrate transfer device 50. ) can receive the substrate 10 from the in-line substrate transfer robot 52 provided in the.

In particular, a substrate alignment unit 210 is disposed within the substrate transfer chamber 202 to hold and align the substrate 10 transferred to the substrate transfer chamber 202 by the in-line substrate transfer robot 52. The substrate alignment unit 210 may align the substrate 10 and then transfer it to the substrate transfer robot 204. The substrate transfer robot 204 may transfer the substrate 10 into the inspection chamber 102 .

Meanwhile, the substrate 10 transferred to the inspection chamber 102 may be loaded on the substrate stage 300 disposed within the inspection chamber 10. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 10 may be transferred to the inspection chamber 102 with the OLED cells 20 facing downward. At this time, the substrate transfer robot 204 may transfer the substrate 10 while supporting the edge portions of the substrate 10. For example, the substrate transfer robot 204 may be provided with a robot arm 206 for supporting the substrate 10, and the edge portions of the substrate 10 are supported on the robot arm 206. Support pins 208 may be provided for.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 4. This is a schematic bottom view for explaining the above, and FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, the substrate stage 300 includes a vacuum plate 302 provided with a plurality of vacuum holes 304 (see FIG. 6) to adsorb the back surface of the substrate 10, and the It may include a stage driver 310 for moving and rotating the vacuum plate 302.

The substrate 10 can be adsorbed to the lower surface of the vacuum plate 302 by vacuum pressure provided through the vacuum holes 304, and the vacuum holes 304 are connected to a vacuum system (not shown). can be connected to Although not shown, the vacuum system may include a vacuum pump, a pressure control valve, etc., the operation of which may be controlled by the controller (not shown).

The stage driver 310 may have an approximately Cartesian coordinate robot shape. As an example, the stage driver 310 includes horizontal drivers 312 and 314 for moving the vacuum plate 302 in the horizontal direction and vertical drivers 316 for moving the vacuum plate 302 in the vertical direction. And it may include a rotation driver 318 for rotating the vacuum plate 302.

The horizontal drivers 312 and 314 can move the vacuum plate 302 in the horizontal direction between the loading and unloading areas of the substrate 10 and the inspection area, and can also move the OLED cells 20 within the inspection area. ), the vacuum plate 302 can be moved in the horizontal direction for inspection. The horizontal driving units 312 and 314 may include an X-axis driving unit 312 and a Y-axis driving unit 314. As an example, the It can be configured using a linear motion guide, etc.

The vertical driver 316 may move the vacuum plate 302 in the vertical direction for loading and unloading of the substrate 10 and inspection of the OLED cells 20. As an example, the vertical driving unit 316 may be configured using a servo motor, a reducer, a linear motion guide, etc. However, since the configurations of the

The rotation driver 318 may include a motor for rotating the vacuum plate 302. As an example, the rotation drive unit 318 may be configured using a direct drive motor and a crossed roller bearing, and may be connected to the vacuum plate 302 through a central through hole of the direct drive motor. It can be placed.

Additionally, as an example, the vertical driver 316 may be mounted on the X-axis driver 312, and the rotation driver 318 may be mounted on a lower portion of the vertical driver 316. That is, the vertical driver 316 can be moved in the horizontal direction by the horizontal drivers 312 and 314, the rotation driver 318 can be moved in the vertical direction by the vertical driver 316, and the vacuum The plate 302 may be mounted on the lower part of the rotation drive unit 318.

Meanwhile, although not shown, a plurality of clamps (not shown) for gripping the edge portions of the substrate 10 may be disposed on the edge portions of the vacuum plate 302. The clamps are attached to the edges of the substrate 10 to prevent the substrate 10 from falling when the pressure inside the vacuum holes 304 becomes higher than the preset pressure due to an operation error or vacuum leak of the vacuum system. You can catch them.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate ejector 330 may be disposed at an edge of the vacuum plate 302 to separate the substrate 10 from the vacuum plate 302. The substrate ejector 330 may have a square ring shape disposed along the edge of the lower surface of the vacuum plate 302, and is provided on the vacuum plate 302 to move the substrate ejector 330 in the vertical direction. An ejector driving unit 332 may be disposed. The ejector driver 332 operates the substrate ejector 330 so that the substrate ejector 330 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the vacuum plate 302 in order to separate the substrate 10 from the vacuum plate 302. can be moved.

The ejector driver 332 may include a plurality of pneumatic cylinders connected to the substrate ejector 330. For example, four pneumatic cylinders may be disposed on the vacuum plate 302, and the cylinder rods of the pneumatic cylinders may penetrate the vacuum plate 302 and be connected to the substrate ejector 330. However, since the detailed configuration of the ejector driving unit 332 can be changed in various ways, the scope of the present invention will not be limited thereby. For example, the ejector driving unit 332 may be constructed using a motor, ball screw, ball nut, etc.

After the inspection process for the substrate 10 is completed, the robot arm 306 of the substrate transfer robot 204 may be positioned below the substrate 10 to unload the substrate 10, and the vertical The driving unit 316 may lower the vacuum plate 302 so that the substrate 10 is positioned on the robot arm 206. As described above, the vacuum pressure in the vacuum holes 304 can be removed while the substrate 10 is supported on the robot arm 206, and the ejector driver 332 is used to remove the substrate 10 from the robot arm 206. The substrate ejector 330 may be moved downward to be separated from the vacuum plate 302.

In particular, the vertical driver 316 raises the vacuum plate 302 by the distance that the substrate ejector 330 protrudes downward from the vacuum plate 302 so that the height of the substrate 10 is maintained constant. You can. At this time, it is preferable that the lowering speed of the substrate ejector 330 and the rising speed of the vacuum plate 302 are the same, and in addition, the lowering of the substrate ejector 330 and the raising of the vacuum plate 302 are performed simultaneously. It is desirable. As a result, the substrate 10 can be stably transferred onto the robot arm 206 by lowering the substrate ejector 330 and raising the vacuum plate 302. In addition, during the unloading process of the substrate 10 as described above, compressed air may be sprayed onto the substrate 10 through the vacuum holes 304, thereby making unloading the substrate 10 easier. It can be done.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view for explaining another example of the substrate stage shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 9 is a schematic bottom view for explaining the substrate stage shown in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , substrate ejectors 340 for separating the substrate 10 from the vacuum plate 302 may be mounted on edge portions of the vacuum plate 302, respectively. In addition, an ejector driver 342 may be disposed on the vacuum plate 302 to move the substrate ejectors 340 in the vertical direction. The ejector driving unit 342 may include pneumatic cylinders respectively connected to the substrate ejectors 340.

As shown, the substrate ejectors 340 are disposed adjacent to the sides of the vacuum plate 302, but differently from the above, they may be disposed at corners of the vacuum plate 302.

Referring again to FIG. 3, a probe card 120 may be placed below the substrate stage 300 for inspecting the OLED cells 20 formed on the substrate 10, and the probe card 120 Can be placed on the card stage 122. The probe card 120 may be provided with probes for contact with the OLED cells 20, and the vacuum plate 302 may be used to contact the probes of the probe card 120 with the OLED cells 20. It can be moved as vertically as possible.

The inspection device 100 may include an electrical inspection unit 130 that performs an electrical characteristic inspection of the OLED cells 20 by applying an inspection signal to the OLED cells 20 through the probe card 120. You can. In addition, the inspection device 100 may include an optical inspection unit 140 for performing an optical inspection on the OLED cells 20 to which the inspection signal has been applied.

Although not shown in detail, the optical inspection unit 140 includes an inspection camera for measuring the image quality and brightness of the OLED cells 20, a spectrometer for measuring color coordinates, color temperature, etc., and foreign matter on the substrate 10. , it may include a fluorescence microscope for detecting stains, etc. and also inspecting the alignment state of thin film patterns formed on the substrate 10.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, the substrate stage 300 includes a substrate ejector 330 for separating the substrate 10 from the lower surface of the vacuum plate 302, and the substrate ejector ( 330 may include an ejector driver 332 that moves the substrate ejector 330 in the vertical direction so that it protrudes downward from the lower surface of the vacuum plate 302. The substrate ejector 330 can physically separate the substrate 10 from the vacuum plate 302 by pushing the substrate 10 downward, thereby ensuring stable unloading of the substrate 10. It can be performed as:

In particular, while the substrate ejector 330 moves downward, the vacuum plate 302 is simultaneously raised by the vertical driver 316, so that the height of the substrate 10 can be maintained substantially the same. Damage to the substrate can be prevented during the unloading process of (10).

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art may 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 claims below. You will understand that you can do it.

10: Substrate 20: OLED cell
22: Inspection pad 30: Cell process equipment
40: Encapsulation process equipment 50: In-line substrate transfer device
52: In-line substrate transfer robot 100: Inspection device
102: Inspection chamber 120: Probe card
130: Electrical inspection unit 140: Optical inspection unit
200: substrate transfer module 202: substrate transfer chamber
204: substrate transfer robot 206: robot arm
208: support pin 300: substrate stage
302: vacuum plate 304: vacuum hole
310: Stage driving unit 316: Vertical driving unit
330: substrate ejector 332: ejector driving unit

Claims (11)

delete delete delete delete delete an inspection chamber for performing an inspection process on a plurality of display cells formed on a substrate;
a substrate stage disposed inside the inspection chamber and supporting the substrate so that the display cells face downward;
a probe card disposed below the substrate stage and configured to contact the display cells to inspect the display cells;
a substrate transfer chamber connected to the inspection chamber; and
A substrate transfer robot disposed within the substrate transfer chamber for loading the substrate onto the substrate stage and unloading the substrate from the substrate stage after inspection of the display cells is performed,
The substrate stage includes a vacuum plate having a plurality of vacuum holes for vacuum suction of the substrate, at least one substrate ejector disposed on at least an edge of the vacuum plate and separating the substrate from the vacuum plate, and An ejector driving unit that moves the at least one substrate ejector in a vertical direction so that the at least one substrate ejector protrudes downward from the lower surface of the vacuum plate, and a vertical driving unit that moves the vacuum plate in the vertical direction,
When unloading the substrate, the vertical driving unit lowers the vacuum plate so that the substrate is positioned on the robot arm of the substrate transfer robot, and the substrate is supported on the robot arm of the substrate transfer robot. An apparatus for inspecting display cells, wherein the substrate ejector elevates the vacuum plate by a distance at which the substrate ejector protrudes downward from the vacuum plate by the ejector driving unit so that the height of is maintained constant. delete delete The method of claim 6, wherein after the substrate is placed on the robot arm of the substrate transfer robot, vacuum pressure in the vacuum holes is removed to unload the substrate and air is sprayed onto the substrate through the vacuum holes. A device for inspecting display cells, characterized in that. The method of claim 6, wherein the substrate stage includes one substrate ejector having a ring shape disposed along an edge of the lower surface of the vacuum plate or a plurality of substrate ejectors respectively disposed at edges of the lower surface of the vacuum plate. A device for inspecting display cells, characterized in that. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ejector driving unit includes a plurality of pneumatic cylinders connected to each of the one substrate ejector or the plurality of substrate ejectors.

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