KR20050033426A - Conveying apparatus, spreading system, and inspection system - Google Patents

Abstract

A conveying device which is used in a coating system for coating a glass substrate with a coating solution such as a photoresist is provided to reduce a thrust required for the conveying process and simultaneously to prevent a subject to be conveyed such as a glass panel from being bent, thereby making homogeneous coating possible on a big-sized glass panel and being suitably applied to a PDP manufacturing device or a semiconductor inspection device. The conveying device(12) useful in a coating system comprises: a base(16) of which surface(16a) is extended to a conveying direction of a subject(28) to be conveyed; a guide member(18) extended to the conveying direction; a moving member(20) which moves to the conveying direction while being guided by the guide member; a supporting member(24) for supporting the subject to be conveyed from a certain distance by being fixed to the moving member; and a gas discharging/aspirating device(26) which discharges or aspirates gas to the subject to be conveyed by being formed on a certain region on the base, wherein the coating system comprises a spread device(14) which applies a coating solution onto the surface of the subject to be coated, wherein the surface is opposite to the side facing the gas discharging/aspirating device.

Description

Conveying apparatus, spreading system, and inspection system

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus for conveying a conveyed object such as a glass substrate, a coating system having the same, and an inspection system.

As a coating system for apply | coating coating liquids, such as photoresist, on a glass substrate, there exist some which are disclosed by patent document 1, for example. This coating system is provided with the coating apparatus for apply | coating a coating liquid, and the conveying apparatus for moving a glass substrate with respect to an application apparatus. The conveying apparatus has a base for adsorbing and supporting the glass substrate on the entire surface, and moves the glass substrate with respect to the coating apparatus by moving the glass substrate to the base in the state of adsorbing the glass substrate.

In addition, a coating system is also developed in which the coating apparatus is moved relative to the glass substrate while the glass substrate is fixed on the base (see Patent Document 2, for example).

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-243476

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-200450

However, in recent years, since the size of the liquid crystal glass substrate is being enlarged, in the conveying apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the weight of the base becomes too heavy, and the thrust required for conveyance increases, thereby conveying the glass substrate. There was a problem that this became difficult. In addition, in the coating system disclosed in Patent Document 2 of the type in which the coating apparatus is moved with respect to the glass substrate, the gantry (support structure: gantry) becomes larger due to the enlargement of the glass substrate, resulting in an increase in weight. There was a problem that it was not taken.

For this reason, it is considered that the glass substrate itself is conveyed by supporting a part of the glass substrate. In this case, however, it is necessary to suppress the warping of the glass substrate in order to achieve uniform coating.

This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and an object of this invention is to provide the conveying apparatus which can aim at the reduction of the thrust required for conveyance, and can suppress the curvature of a to-be-conveyed object, the coating system provided with this, and an inspection system.

The conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention is (1) the base which has a main surface extended in the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object, (2) the guide member extended in the conveyance direction, and (3) the movement which can be guided and moved in a conveyance direction. With respect to the member, (4) a support member fixed to the movable member and supporting the conveyed object with a gap on the main surface, and (5) a conveyed object conveyed in the conveying direction in a partial region in the conveying direction on the base. A gas discharge suction mechanism is provided for performing gas discharge and suction.

According to this apparatus, a to-be-carried object is conveyed to a conveyance direction by supporting a to-be-carried object by a support member, and guiding and moving a moving member to a conveyance direction by a guide member. At this time, in the partial region in the conveying direction on the base, the gas discharge suction mechanism can discharge and suck the gas to the conveyed object. Thus, in this conveying apparatus, since it is not necessary to move to the base when moving a to-be-carried object, the thrust required for conveyance can be aimed at. In addition, since the gas can be discharged and attracted to the conveyed object in a partial region on the conveyance path, the warpage of the conveyed object can be suppressed in the partial region.

In the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, the support member may be characterized by being able to adsorb and support a conveyed object. In this way, the conveyed object can be reliably supported.

In the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, the guide member may be comprised by one axis. In this way, the conveyed object is supported at one side edge side.

In the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, a support member may be characterized by having elasticity with respect to the normal direction of the main surface of a base. In this way, the height position of the object to be conveyed can be finely adjusted with respect to the normal direction of the main surface of the base, and the risk of undesirable occurrence such as the object being brought into contact with the gas discharge suction mechanism can be reduced.

In the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, a support member may be characterized by having elasticity with respect to the direction orthogonal to both the normal direction and the conveyance direction of the main surface of a base. In this case, in the case where the guide member is constituted by two axes, even if the distance between the guide members varies due to the twisting of the guide member, the conveyed object supported by the support member is damaged or the support member is supported by the support member. The risk of falling out or shifting can be reduced.

The conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention may be equipped with rotation correction means which corrects rotation of a to-be-carried object in the surface parallel to the main surface of a base. In this manner, in a system in which rotation of the object to be conveyed is not desirable at the time of a predetermined work, the work can be performed properly.

The conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention may be equipped with the 1st gas discharge mechanism which discharges gas from a base side toward a to-be-carried object in regions other than a partial region on a base. In this way, the weight load applied to the support member is reduced, and conveyance of the conveyed object becomes easy.

In the conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention, a to-be-carried object may be characterized by being a glass substrate.

A coating system according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned conveying apparatus and a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid to a conveyed object, and the gas discharge suction mechanism has a pair of main surfaces facing each other in a partial region. The gas is discharged and attracted to one main surface side of the object to be conveyed, and the coating apparatus applies the coating liquid to the other main surface side of the object to be conveyed in a partial region.

In this coating system, by discharging and sucking gas to a conveyed object in a partial region on the base, the warpage of the conveyed object is suppressed in the partial region and the coating liquid is applied in a state where the flatness is raised. Since it is possible to apply, it becomes possible to apply | coat a coating liquid uniformly.

The coating system according to the present invention may include, in some regions, a second gas discharging mechanism for discharging gas to the object to be conveyed to the other main surface side in front of the coating apparatus. By doing in this way, the flatness of the to-be-carried object in some area | region can be made higher, and it becomes possible to apply | coat a coating liquid more uniformly.

The application | coating method which concerns on this invention is a method of apply | coating a coating liquid, conveying the to-be-carried object which has a pair of opposing main surface. This method is characterized in that the coating liquid is applied to the other main surface side while discharging and attracting the gas to one main surface side with respect to the conveyed object.

In this coating method, since the warpage of the object to be conveyed can be suppressed and the coating liquid can be applied in a state where the flatness is raised, the coating liquid can be applied uniformly.

An inspection system according to the present invention includes the transfer device and an inspection device for inspecting the object to be conveyed, and the gas discharge suction mechanism has a pair of main surfaces facing each other in a partial region. The gas is discharged and attracted to one main surface side of the cross-section, and the inspection apparatus inspects the transported object on the other main surface side of the object to be transported in a partial region.

In this inspection system, by discharging and sucking gas to a conveyed object in a partial region on the base, the warpage of the conveyed object can be suppressed in the partial region and the inspection can be performed in a state where the flatness is raised. It becomes possible to aim at the improvement of.

In the conveying apparatus according to the present invention, a support member, a base body portion extending along a conveying direction, a plurality of support leg portions provided extending from the base body portion in a direction orthogonal to both a normal direction and a conveying direction of the main surface of the base; And a support mechanism that is provided at each end of the plurality of support legs and includes an adsorption portion for adsorbing and supporting the object to be transported, each of the plurality of support legs being elastic at least with respect to the normal direction of the main surface of the base. It may be characterized by having a twist around its own axis. In this way, by discharging and sucking the gas in a portion of the base, even if the height of the conveyed object is different in the conveying direction, the conveyed object can be reliably supported without being damaged.

The conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention is provided with two moving members and the support member, respectively, and each of the moving members is provided so that speed control is independent, and the support position of the conveyed object by each of the support members is a base. It may be characterized by shifting with respect to the direction orthogonal to both the normal direction and the conveyance direction of the main surface of the surface. In this way, by controlling the moving speed of the two moving members, the rotation of the object to be conveyed in a plane parallel to the main surface of the base is corrected, so that in a system where the object to be conveyed is undesired during a predetermined operation, It is possible to work properly.

The support mechanism which concerns on this invention is a support mechanism which supports a plate-shaped object, The base body part extended along a predetermined direction, the some support leg part extended in the direction which cross | intersects a predetermined direction from a base body part, Respectively provided at the distal end of the support leg portion, and having an adsorption portion for adsorbing and supporting the plate-shaped body, each of the plurality of support leg portions being at least a predetermined direction and a direction orthogonal to both of the extending direction of the support leg portion. In addition to having elasticity, it has a torsional property around its axis. According to this supporting mechanism, even when the height of the plate-shaped body is changed in the predetermined direction, the plate-shaped body can be reliably supported without being damaged.

<Example>

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described with reference to an accompanying drawing. In addition, in description of drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

(First embodiment)

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a coating system according to the present embodiment. 2 is a top view which shows the structure of the coating system which concerns on this embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 2, the coating device 14 and the gantry 40 are shown by the dashed-dotted line.

As shown to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the coating system 10 is equipped with the conveying apparatus 12 and the coating apparatus 14. As shown in FIG. The conveying apparatus 12 includes a base 16, a pair of guide rails (guide members) 18, four sliders (moving members) 20, a driving mechanism 22, and four supporting members. 24 and an air discharge suction mechanism (gas discharge suction mechanism) 26 are provided.

The base 16 forms a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is placed on a horizontal surface such as a bottom surface. The upper surface (main surface) 16a of this base 16 extends in a predetermined direction. The extending direction of the upper surface 16a of the base 16 becomes the conveying direction of the glass substrate (conveyed object) 28. The width of the base 16 is designed to be larger than the width of the glass substrate 28. In addition, in the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the extending direction of the upper surface 16a of the base 16 is conveyance direction X, and the normal direction of the upper surface 16a of the base 16 is vertical direction Z. The direction orthogonal to both the conveyance direction X and the vertical direction Z is called width direction Y. As shown to FIG.

The pair of guide rails 18 are provided on the upper surface 16a of the base 16 so as to extend in the conveying direction X. FIG. These pairs of guide rails 18 are arranged in parallel with each other at a distance slightly larger than the width of the glass substrate 28.

Two sliders 20 are provided on each of the pair of guide rails 18. Each slider 20 is guided by the guide rail 18, and is provided so that a movement to the conveyance direction X is possible.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive mechanism 22 is comprised from the linear motor mechanism containing the stator 30 and the mover 32. As shown in FIG. The stator 30 is provided on the base 16 so as to follow the guide rails 18 on the outside of each of the pair of guide rails 18. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the movable element 32 extends in the conveying direction X at both ends of the drive body 33 and the drive body 33 driven and acting on the stator 30. And a connecting member 37 for connecting the driving body 33 and the slider 20. The connecting member 37 is fixed to the outer surface of the slider 20, respectively. Thereby, the two sliders 20 provided in each guide rail 18 move synchronously, maintaining a fixed distance.

The supporting member 24 is fixed to the inner side surfaces of the four sliders 20, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, the supporting member 24 includes an adsorption portion 34 and an elastic plate portion 36. The support member 24 sucks and secures the side edge of the glass substrate 28 by air suction in the adsorption part 34. By these support members 24, the glass substrate 28 is supported in a state spaced apart from the upper surface 16a of the base 16. The elastic plate part 36 includes the base part 36a extended along the vertical direction Z, and the bending part 36b extended along the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. The adsorption part 34 is being fixed on the bending part 36b.

Here, it is preferable that the bending part 36b of the elastic plate part 36 has elasticity in the perpendicular direction Z, as shown in FIG. In this way, the support member 24 becomes elastic in the vertical direction Z, and the height position of the glass substrate 28 can be finely adjusted with respect to the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of undesirable occurrence such as the glass substrate 28 coming into contact with the gas discharge suction mechanism 26.

Moreover, with respect to the support member 24 fixed to the two sliders 20 provided on one guide rail 18, the base part 36a of the elastic plate part 36 is wide, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to have elasticity in the direction (Y). In this way, the support member 24 becomes elastic in the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the guide rail 18 is twisted, it is parallel to the upper surface 16a of the width direction Y of the glass substrate 28 and the base 16 on the other guide rail 18 side. It becomes possible to correct the rotation of the glass substrate 28 in one surface (rotation correction means).

The air discharge suction mechanism 26 is provided in the application | coating area | region (part area | region) below the coating device 14 mentioned later on the base 16. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the air discharge suction mechanism 26 discharges and sucks air (gas) to the lower surface (one main surface) 28a side of the glass substrate 28. The air discharge suction mechanism 26 has a plurality of holes 26a for allowing air to flow, and the plurality of holes 26a are regularly arranged in the conveyance direction X and the width direction Y. The length of the width direction Y of the air discharge suction mechanism 26 is provided substantially the same as the width of the glass substrate 28. As shown in FIG. It is preferable that the length of the conveyance direction X of the air discharge suction mechanism 26 adopts a sufficient length before and after the coating device 14. As an example, when conveying the glass substrate 28 whose length in the conveyance direction X is 2300 mm, the length in the width direction Y is 2000 mm, and the thickness is 0.6 mm, the air discharge suction mechanism ( It is preferable to adopt the conveyance direction X length of 26) at least about 400 mm-about 500 mm.

The coating device 14 applies a coating liquid such as a photoresist liquid to the upper surface (the other main surface) 28b side of the glass substrate 28. The nozzle tip 38 of the coating device 14 extends in the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. This coating device 14 is supported at a predetermined height on the base 16 by the gantry 40 provided on the base 16.

Next, the coating method of the coating liquid using the above-mentioned coating system 10 is demonstrated.

First, the glass substrate 28 is adsorbed by the four support members 24 at the side edges in the width direction Y at the front end of the coating device 14 on the base 16. I support it. At this time, the glass substrate 28 is supported in a state spaced apart from the upper surface 16a of the base 16. More specifically, the glass substrate 28 is spaced about 10 μm from the upper surface of the air discharge suction mechanism 26 in the application area, and about 100 μm to 200 μm at the tip 38 of the nozzle of the applicator 14. It is supported to be spaced apart.

Next, by moving the slider 20 by the drive mechanism 22, the glass substrate 28 is conveyed in the conveyance direction X at a predetermined speed. When the glass substrate 28 comes to the application area, the air discharge suction mechanism 26 discharges and sucks air to the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28. As a result, in the state where the glass substrate 28 floats on the air discharge suction mechanism 26, the warpage is corrected in the application region, thereby improving the flatness of the glass substrate 28. In the present embodiment, the correction of the warpage of the glass substrate 28 is considered to be about 10 µm to 100 µm at the maximum position. At this time, with respect to the plurality of holes 26a provided in the air discharge suction mechanism 26, as shown in FIG. 4, the suction holes (indicated by the white circles) and the discharge holes (indicated by the black circles) are adjacent to each other. In this way, it is preferable that the suction and discharge of air be uniformly performed on the glass substrate 28. In this way, the top view of the glass substrate 28 is further improved.

As described above, air is discharged and attracted to the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28 in the coating area, and is applied to the upper surface 28b of the glass substrate 28 by the coating device 14. Apply the solution. Here, since the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is raised, the coating liquid can be uniformly applied to the upper surface 28b of the glass substrate 28. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the air discharge mechanism (second gas discharge mechanism) 42 is provided above the air discharge suction mechanism 26 so as to be adjacent to the front end of the coating device 14, It is preferable to discharge the air to the upper surface 28b of the glass substrate 28 at the front end of the coating. In this way, the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is further raised, and it becomes possible to apply | generate even more uniformly.

Next, the adsorption | suction by the support member 24 is canceled | released with respect to the apply | coated glass substrate 28 conveyed to the rear end of the base 16 through the application | coating area | region. Then, the glass substrate 28 is taken out of the system and the support member 24 is returned to the front end of the base 16 for application to the next glass substrate 28.

As described in detail above, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to move the base at the time of moving the glass substrate 28, the thrust required for conveyance can be reduced. In addition, vibration and heat transmitted to the glass substrate 28 can be reduced as compared with when the base is moved. In addition, since the air discharge suction mechanism 26 can discharge and suck air to the glass substrate 28, the warping of the glass substrate 28 in the coating area can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to apply the coating liquid in a state where the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is raised in the coating area, thereby enabling uniform application of the coating liquid.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the support member 24 can attract and support the glass substrate 28, the glass substrate 28 can be reliably supported. In addition, since the glass substrate 28 is supported by the lower surface 28a, the glass substrate 28 is unlikely to be broken or damaged as in the case where the glass substrate 28 is sandwiched and supported, and the upper surface of the glass substrate 28 The coating liquid can be applied to the entirety of 28a).

In addition, in this embodiment, since the support member 24 has elasticity in the vertical direction Z, the height position of the glass substrate 28 can be finely adjusted with respect to the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of undesirable occurrence such as the glass substrate 28 coming into contact with the gas discharge suction mechanism 26.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the support member 24 fixed to the two sliders 20 provided on one guide rail 18 has elasticity in the width direction Y, the guide rail 18 may be twisted. At this time, the glass substrate 28 is located within the surface parallel to the top surface 16a of the base 16 and the deviation of the width direction Y of the glass substrate 28 with respect to the other guide rail 18 side. It becomes possible to correct the rotation of.

In the present embodiment, the glass substrate 28 in the coating area is provided by providing an air discharge mechanism 42 for discharging air on the upper surface 28b side of the glass substrate 28 before the coating device 14. ), The flatness can be further increased, and the coating liquid can be applied more uniformly.

(2nd embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element as said 1st Embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 6: is a top view which shows the structure of the coating system 60 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 6, the coating device 14 and the gantry 40 are shown with the dashed-dotted line. The structure of the coating system 60 which concerns on this embodiment is the same as that of the coating system 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment except the structure of the conveying apparatus 62 being different.

In this embodiment, only one guide rail 18 is provided along the conveyance direction X, and the conveying apparatus 62 is comprised by one axis. Thereby, compared with the case where two guide rails 18 are provided in parallel and comprised by two axes, only one linear motor mechanism as the drive mechanism 22 is needed, and cost reduction can be aimed at.

In this case, the glass substrate 28 is supported at one side edge portion by the support member 24. Since the glass substrate 28 is a one-side support type support, the weight load applied to the support member 24 increases, resulting in bending. The base 16 may be damaged by contact with the base 16 or the glass substrate 28 may be cracked. Thus, a gas discharge mechanism (first gas discharge mechanism) for discharging air (gas) from the base 16 side toward the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28 in the region other than the application region on the base 16. (66) is provided. The gas discharge mechanism 66 includes a plurality of static pressure bearings 66a, and the plurality of static pressure bearings 66a are regularly arranged in the conveyance direction X and the width direction Y. These static pressure bearings 66a are made of a porous body of stone, ceramic, or metal.

And in this embodiment, it is preferable that the support member 24 has elasticity in the perpendicular direction Z. As shown in FIG. In this manner, the height position of the glass substrate 28 can be finely adjusted in the vertical direction Z. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of undesirable occurrence such as the glass substrate 28 coming into contact with the gas discharge suction mechanism 26.

In addition, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the conveying apparatus 62 is provided with the rotation correction means which forcibly corrects rotation of the glass substrate 28 in the surface parallel to the upper surface 16a of the base 16. As shown in FIG. Do. That is, the guide rail 18 is not necessarily straight, and may be twisted in the width direction Y. When the guide rail 18 is twisted, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 7, the glass substrate 28 is rotated in a plane parallel to the upper surface 16a of the base 16. Rotation of the glass substrate 28 is undesirable in order to apply the coating liquid uniformly.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the support member 24 has the hinge structure 68 which can be rotated about the axis | shaft along the perpendicular direction Z, and one support member 24 has the width direction Y The piezoelectric element 70 capable of microdisplacement of about several tens of micrometers is mounted. Thereby, as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 8, the piezoelectric element 70 can correct | amend to the position shown by the solid line by the piezoelectric element 70 as it is. Instead of the piezo element 70, a voice coil, an ultrasonic motor, a linear motor, an air actuator, or the like may be used.

Next, the coating method of the coating liquid using the above-mentioned coating system 60 is demonstrated.

First, the glass substrate 28 is conveyed in the conveyance direction X without applying by the coating device 14, and by the twist of the guide rail 18, parallel to the upper surface 16a of the base 16. FIG. The presence or absence of rotation of the glass substrate 28 in one surface is detected. When the rotation of the glass substrate 28 is recognized, the control program is set in advance so as to drive the piezoelectric element 70 in the direction to correct the rotation. This prevents the rotation of the glass substrate 28 in the subsequent coating operation.

Next, the discharge of air is started from the plurality of positive pressure bearings 66a of the air discharge mechanism 66 toward the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28. The static pressure bearing 66a may have a discharge part of air and a suction part which sucks the discharged air. At this time, the suction of the air is intended to prevent the dust from adhering to the glass substrate and adversely affecting the coating because the discharged air may contain fine dust or the like. Next, the glass substrate 28 is adsorbed by the two support members 24 at the side edge of the width direction Y at the front end than the coating device 14 on the base 16, and is a one-side support type. Support At this time, the glass substrate 28 is supported in a state spaced apart from the upper surface 16a of the base 16. More specifically, the glass substrate 28 is spaced about 10 μm from the upper surface of the air discharge suction mechanism 26 in the application area, and about 100 μm to 200 μm at the tip 38 of the nozzle of the applicator 14. It is supported to be spaced apart.

Next, by moving the slider 20 by the drive mechanism 22, the glass substrate 28 is conveyed in the conveyance direction X at a predetermined speed. When the glass substrate 28 comes to the application area, the air discharge suction mechanism 26 discharges and sucks air to the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28. As a result, in the state where the glass substrate 28 floats on the air discharge suction mechanism 26, the warpage is corrected in the application area, whereby the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is improved.

As described above, air is discharged and attracted to the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28 in the coating area, and is applied to the upper surface 28b of the glass substrate 28 by the coating device 14. Apply the solution. Here, since the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is raised, the coating liquid can be uniformly applied to the upper surface 28b of the glass substrate 28. At this time, as shown in Fig. 5, an air discharge mechanism (second gas discharge mechanism) 42 is provided above the air discharge suction mechanism 26 so as to be adjacent to the front end of the coating device 14, It is preferable to discharge the air to the upper surface 28b of the glass substrate 28 at the front end of the coating. In this way, the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is further raised, and it becomes possible to apply | generate even more uniformly.

Next, the adsorption | suction by the support member 24 is canceled | released with respect to the apply | coated glass substrate 28 conveyed to the rear end of the base 16 through the application | coating area | region. Then, the glass substrate 28 is taken out of the system and the support member 24 is returned to the front end of the base 16 for application to the next glass substrate 28.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the effect similar to 1st embodiment can be acquired. Especially in this embodiment, since the guide rail 18 is comprised by one axis, compared with the case where it is comprised by two axes, since only one linear motor mechanism as the drive mechanism 22 is needed, cost reduction is aimed at. You can do it. At this time, in the area other than the application area on the base 16, since the air discharge mechanism 66 is provided to discharge air from the base 16 side toward the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28, the discharge is performed. By lifting the glass substrate 28 by the air, the weight load applied to the support member 24 can be reduced, and the conveyance of the glass substrate 28 can be facilitated.

In addition, since the rotation of the glass substrate 28 in the plane parallel to the upper surface 16a of the base 16 can be forcibly corrected, the rotation of the glass substrate 28 is prevented, so that the uniformity of the coating liquid is further uniform. One application is possible.

(Third embodiment)

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element as said 1st and 2nd embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an inspection system 80 according to a third embodiment. 10 is a top view which shows the structure of this inspection system 80. As shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 10, the gantry 40 is shown by the dashed-dotted line.

The inspection system 80 which concerns on this embodiment is equipped with the conveying apparatus 12 and the inspection apparatus 82, as shown to FIG. 9 and FIG. Since the conveying apparatus 12 is the same as that of the conveying apparatus of the coating system 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted.

The inspection apparatus 82 inspects the glass substrate 28 from the upper surface 28b side. As the inspection apparatus 82, an imaging apparatus, such as a CCD camera, and the laser measuring apparatus which irradiates a laser beam and receives the reflected light. According to the imaging device, for example, an optical image such as a circuit pattern formed on the glass substrate 28 is obtained, whereby inspection of defective products or the like is possible. Moreover, according to the laser measuring device, inspection of a defective product etc. becomes possible by irradiating the reflectance of a laser beam. As the inspection apparatus 82, not only these CCD cameras and laser measuring apparatuses, but all known apparatuses capable of inspecting the state of the glass substrate 28 in a non-contact manner are included.

This inspection apparatus 82 is attached to the gantry 40 provided on the base 16 via the slide member 84. The slide member 84 is movable in the width direction Y along the gantry 40. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 82 attached to the slide member 84 can move the width direction Y, and the scan of the width direction Y with respect to the glass substrate 28 is attained. In addition, the inspection apparatus 82 itself can also move in the vertical direction Z with respect to the slide member 84, thereby supporting the inspection apparatus 82 at a predetermined height position on the base 16. Therefore, the focused optical image is obtained in the imaging device, the data accuracy is improved in the laser measuring instrument, and the inspection accuracy is improved.

Next, the inspection method of the glass substrate 28 using the said inspection system 80 is demonstrated.

First, the glass substrate 28 is adsorbed and supported by the four edge members 24 in the width direction Y at the front end of the inspection apparatus 82 on the base 16. At this time, the glass substrate 28 is supported in a state spaced apart from the upper surface 16a of the base 16. More specifically, the glass substrate 28 is spaced about 10 mu m from the upper surface of the air discharge suction mechanism 26 in the inspection region (some regions).

Next, by moving the slider 20 by the drive mechanism 22, the glass substrate 28 is conveyed in the conveyance direction X at a predetermined speed. When the glass substrate 28 comes to the inspection area, the air discharge suction mechanism 26 discharges and sucks air to the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28. As a result, in the state where the glass substrate 28 floats on the air discharge suction mechanism 26, the warpage is corrected in the inspection area, thereby improving the flatness of the glass substrate 28. In the present embodiment, the correction of the warpage of the glass substrate 28 is considered to be about 10 µm to 100 µm at the maximum position. At this time, with respect to the plurality of holes 26a provided in the air discharge suction mechanism 26, as shown in Fig. 4, holes for suction (indicated by white circles) and holes for discharge (indicated by black circles). It is preferable that the suction and discharge of air are uniformly performed on the glass substrate 28 so as to be adjacent to each other. In this way, the top view of the glass substrate 28 is further improved.

Next, as described above, air is discharged and attracted to the lower surface 28a of the glass substrate 28 in the inspection region, and the conveyance of the glass substrate 28 in the conveying direction X is stopped. Then, the slide member 84 is slid in the width direction Y, and the glass substrate 28 is scanned. At this time, it is preferable to finely adjust the position of the inspection apparatus 82 in the vertical direction as needed. When the scanning is finished, the glass substrate 28 is moved by the predetermined distance in the conveying direction X, and the conveyance is stopped again, and then the second scan is performed. By performing a plurality of scans in this manner, the glass substrate 28 is inspected by the inspection apparatus 82 on the upper surface 28b. Here, since the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is raised, the inspection precision of the glass substrate 28 can be improved. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the air discharge mechanism 42 is provided at the front end of the inspection apparatus 82 above the air discharge suction mechanism 26, and the glass substrate 28 at the front end of the inspection in the inspection area. It is preferable to discharge air to the upper surface 28b of the (). In this way, the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is further increased, and the inspection with higher precision can be performed further. The air discharge mechanism 42 may be provided at the rear end of the inspection device 82 above the air discharge suction mechanism 26 or may be provided at both front and rear ends. As shown in Fig. 12, a ring-shaped air discharge mechanism 42 is provided around the lens in the imaging device and around the inlet / outlet of the laser light in the laser measuring device, thereby integrating with the inspection device 82. You may plan.

Next, the suction by the support member 24 is released to the inspected glass substrate 28 passed through the inspection area to the rear end of the base 16. Then, the glass substrate 28 is taken out of the system and the support member 24 is returned to the front end of the base 16 for inspection of the next glass substrate 28.

As described in detail above, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to move the base at the time of moving the glass substrate 28, the thrust required for conveyance can be reduced. In addition, vibration and heat transmitted to the glass substrate 28 can be reduced as compared with when the base is moved. Further, since the air discharge and suction mechanism 26 can discharge and suck air to the glass substrate 28, the warpage of the glass substrate 28 in the inspection region can be suppressed. As a result, the inspection can be performed in a state where the flatness of the glass substrate 28 is raised in the inspection region, and the inspection accuracy can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the same effect can be acquired by the structure similar to the coating system 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the conveying apparatus 12 of 1st Embodiment may be equipped with the air discharge mechanism 66 in the area | regions other than an application | coating area similarly to the conveying apparatus 62 in 2nd Embodiment.

In addition, also in the conveying apparatus 12 of 1st Embodiment, similarly to the conveying apparatus 62 in 2nd Embodiment, the glass substrate 28 in the surface parallel to the upper surface 16a of the base 16 was carried out. The rotation may be forcibly corrected.

In addition, the stator 30 of the drive mechanism 22 is preferably installed separately from the base 16, such as to be installed on the bottom surface (F). In this way, the reaction force generated by driving the drive mechanism 22 can be eliminated out of the system.

The guide member may be configured by the corner portion of the base 16 in the direction along the conveyance direction X, and the slider 20 may be configured to be guided by the corner portion. In this way, the number of parts can be reduced by omitting the guide rails 18.

13, in the conveyance apparatus 62 of the coating system 60 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, the base 16 is comprised from the base base part 70 and the air mechanism part 72, and the air mechanism part is carried out. It is preferable that the air discharge suction mechanism 26 and the air discharge mechanism 66 are integrally formed by grinding 72 or the like. In this way, the operation | work which matches the height of the air discharge | emission suction mechanism 26 and the height of the air discharge | emission mechanism 66 can be skipped, and manufacturing efficiency is aimed at.

In addition, in the above embodiment, two sliders 20 are provided on one guide rail 18. The sliders 20 have a length approximately equal to the length of the conveyance direction X of the glass substrate 28. The branch may consist of one member. In this way, the length of the adsorption part 34 can be lengthened, and the adsorption force can be improved. In addition, the number of components can be reduced by reducing the number of sliders 20.

Moreover, in the biaxial conveyance apparatus 12 with which the coating system 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment and the inspection system 80 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment are equipped, support of the glass substrate 28 is performed as follows. Also good. The support member 24 has a support mechanism 90 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. The support mechanism 90 includes a base body portion 92 extending along the conveying direction X, a plurality of support leg portions 94 extending in the width direction Y from the base body portion 92, and a plurality of supports. It is provided at the front-end | tip of the leg part 94, and includes the adsorption | suction part 96 for attracting and supporting the glass substrate 28. As shown in FIG. The length of the base body part 92 is about the same as the length of the conveyance direction X of the glass substrate 28. FIG. Each of the plurality of support legs 94 has elasticity at least in the vertical direction Z and has a twist property about its axis α. Each of the plurality of support legs 94 has elasticity in the conveying direction X, the width direction Y, and the vertical direction Z, and also has torsional properties around their axes, thereby providing six degrees of freedom. It is most suitable to have. At the distal end of the support leg 94, a wide mounting portion 98 is provided to reliably mount the adsorption portion 96.

This support mechanism 90 is connected to the inner surface of two sliders 20 slidably provided on the guide rail 18. More specifically, on one guide rail 18 side serving as a reference, as for the support mechanism 90, the base body portion 92 is directly connected to two sliders 20, and on the side of the other guide rail 18, The base body portion 92 of the support mechanism 90 is connected to two sliders 20 via the elastic member 99. As a result, the other side of the guide rail has elasticity in the Y direction. As a result, when the other guide rail 18 is distorted, the deviation of the width direction Y of the glass substrate 28 and the upper surface 16a of the base 16 are made with respect to the one guide rail 18 side. It is possible to correct the rotation of the glass substrate 28 in the plane parallel to (). As this elastic member 99, elastic bodies, such as an elastic plate fragment which has elasticity in the width direction Y, are mentioned.

The support leg 94 can be formed of a material such as SUS. As typical dimensions, length T1 is about 100 mm, width T2 is about 10 mm, and thickness T3 is about 1.5 mm. Thereby, the support leg part 94 can have a torsional degree of about +/- 2 degree around the axis (alpha).

As shown in Fig. 16, in the application area or the inspection area on the base 16, the glass substrate 28 is discharged and attracted to the glass substrate 28 by the air discharge suction mechanism 26. The height of 28 is changed in the conveyance direction X. The difference d of this height may be about 50 micrometers-about 200 micrometers. At this time, if the glass substrate 28 is not supported well due to deformation, there is a possibility that the glass substrate 28 may be damaged by cracking or cracking. In contrast, when the glass substrate 28 is supported by the support mechanism 90 described above, the plurality of support legs 94 have elasticity at least in the vertical direction Z and their axes α Since it has a torsional periphery, it can be reliably supported by the deformation of the glass substrate 28, so that the risk of damage to the glass substrate 28 can be reduced.

In addition, in the single-axis conveyance apparatus 62 which the coating system 60 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is equipped, you may support the glass substrate 28 as follows. The support member 24 has the elastic plate part 102 and the adsorption | suction part 104, as shown to FIG. 17 and FIG. These support members 24 are connected to each of the two sliders 20 via the elastic plate portion 102. The elastic plate portion 102 has elasticity at least in the vertical direction Z. The adsorption part 104 mounted at the front end of the elastic plate part 102 is a member for adsorbing and supporting the glass substrate 28 by air suction, and as shown in FIG. 18, an axis along the vertical direction Z is shown. It is rotatably provided around (beta).

In the support of the glass substrate 28 using the support member 24 described above, the positions of the adsorption portion 104 in the width direction Y are not overlapped in the respective support members 24. Thereby, the support position which adsorb | sucks and supports the glass substrate 28 by each support member 24 differs with respect to the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. It is preferable that this shift amount [Delta] y is set to an amount capable of correcting the rotation of about 1 degree of the glass substrate 28 as described later. For example, when conveying the glass substrate 28 whose length of the conveyance direction X is 2000 mm, it is preferable that the shift amount (DELTA) y is 1 mm or less.

In the support of the glass substrate 28 using the support member 24 described above, each of the sliders 20 is provided so as to be capable of speed control independently. That is, in the second embodiment described above, each slider 20 is provided to be synchronously movable while maintaining a constant distance by one driving member 33. However, in this case, each slider 20 is Each of the driving bodies 33 is provided so that speed control is possible independently.

Thereby, as shown in FIG. 19, when the two sliders 20 are moving at the same speed, although the support position of the glass substrate 28 was A point and B point, the speed v2 of the front slider 20 was carried out. ) Is made larger by Δv than the speed v1 of the rear slider 20, so that the supporting positions of the glass substrate 28 become A point and C point. Further, by making the speed v2 of the front slider 20 smaller by Δv than the speed v1 of the rear slider 20, the supporting position of the glass substrate 28 becomes A point and D point. Thus, by controlling the speed v2 of the front slider 20 and the speed v1 of the rear slider 20, the trajectory of the support position B of the glass substrate 28 by the front support member 24 is controlled. A circular arc 1 (indicated by broken lines in FIG. 19) around this point A is drawn. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, when the guide rail 18 is twisted, by controlling the speed v2 of the front slider 20 and the speed v1 of the rear slider 20, It becomes possible to correct the rotation of the glass substrate 28 in the plane parallel to the upper surface 16a.

In addition, in the above-described third embodiment, the inspection apparatus 82 is configured to slide the inspection apparatus 82 in the width direction Y by the slide member 84 to scan the glass substrate 28. However, the inspection apparatus 82 is wide. The inspection system may be configured by using an array of inspection apparatuses arranged in an array shape in the direction Y. FIG. In this way, it is not necessary to scan the glass substrate 28 in the width direction Y, and the inspection efficiency can be improved.

Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the application of the photoresist on the glass substrate 28 has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to application of ink when laminating and forming color filters.

In the above embodiment, the conveyance of the glass substrate 28 has been described as the object to be conveyed. However, the object to be conveyed may be another member that tends to cause warpage of a film, a semiconductor substrate, or the like.

[Industrial availability]

The conveying apparatus according to the present invention may also be used in other systems, such as a PDP manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display panel (PDP), a semiconductor inspection apparatus for inspecting defects of a semiconductor substrate, and the like, in which a warped object is to be avoided during a predetermined operation. Applicable

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the conveying apparatus which can aim at the reduction of the thrust required for conveyance, and can suppress the curvature of a conveyed object, the coating system provided with this, and an inspection system.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a coating system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2: is a top view which shows the structure of the coating system which concerns on 1st Embodiment (coating apparatus and gantry are shown with the dashed-dotted line).

3 is a partially enlarged view showing the configuration of the conveying apparatus.

4 is a view for explaining a state in which a hole for suction (shown by a white circle) and a hole for discharge (shown by a black circle) are adjacent to each other for a plurality of holes of the air discharge suction mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which air is discharged to the upper surface of the glass substrate by an air discharge mechanism provided at the front end of the coating apparatus.

FIG. 6: is a top view which shows the structure of the coating system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment (coating apparatus and a gantry are shown with the dashed-dotted line).

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining how the glass substrate is rotated in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the base due to the twisting of the guide rail.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a state in which the rotation of the glass substrate due to the twisting of the guide rail is corrected.

9 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an inspection system according to a third embodiment.

10 is a plan view showing the configuration of an inspection system according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a state in which air is discharged to the upper surface of the glass substrate by an air discharge mechanism provided at the front end of the inspection apparatus.

12 is a view showing an air discharge mechanism integrated in the inspection apparatus.

It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of a conveying apparatus.

14 is a diagram for explaining another modification of the transport apparatus.

It is a perspective view which shows the support mechanism which the conveyance apparatus of FIG. 14 is equipped with.

Fig. 16 is a view for explaining how the glass substrate is deformed by the air discharge suction mechanism.

It is a figure for demonstrating the other modified example of a conveying apparatus.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the structure of a supporting member included in the conveying apparatus of FIG. 17. FIG.

19 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the support position of a glass substrate and the speed of the slider.

FIG. 20 is a view for explaining a mode of correcting the rotation of the glass substrate due to the twisting of the guide rail in the conveying apparatus of FIG. 17.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

10: coating system

12, 62: conveying device

14: coating device

16: base

18: guide rail

20: slider

24: support member

26: air discharge suction mechanism

28: glass substrate

34: adsorption unit

36: elastic plate portion

42: air discharge mechanism

66: air discharge mechanism

80: Inspection system

82: inspection device

90: support mechanism

92: base body portion

94: support leg

96: adsorption unit

X: conveying direction

Claims (15)

A base having a main surface extending in the conveying direction of the object to be conveyed, A guide member extending in the conveying direction, A movable member guided by the guide member and movable in the conveying direction; A support member fixed to the movable member to support the conveyed object with a gap in the main surface; In a partial region in the conveyance direction on the base, a gas discharge suction mechanism for discharging and sucking gas to the conveyed object conveyed in this conveyance direction is provided. Conveying device. The method of claim 1, And the support member is capable of absorbing and supporting the object to be conveyed. The method of claim 1, The conveying apparatus, characterized in that the guide member is composed of one axis. The method of claim 1, And said support member is elastic with respect to the normal direction of said main surface of said base. The method of claim 1, And the supporting member is elastic with respect to a direction perpendicular to both a normal direction of the main surface of the base and the conveying direction. The method of claim 1, And a rotation correcting means for correcting the rotation of the object to be conveyed in a plane parallel to the main surface of the base. The method of claim 1, And a first gas discharging mechanism for discharging gas from the base side toward the object to be conveyed in a region other than the partial region on the base. The method of claim 1, The conveying apparatus is characterized in that the conveyed object is a glass substrate. The conveying apparatus of Claim 1, A coating device for applying a coating liquid to the conveyed object, The gas discharge suction mechanism discharges and sucks the gas to one main surface side of the conveyed object having a pair of main surfaces facing each other in the partial region, The coating device, wherein in the partial region, the coating liquid is applied to the other main surface side of the object to be conveyed. The method of claim 9, And a second gas discharging mechanism for discharging the gas to the conveyed object toward the other main surface in the partial region, in front of the coating apparatus. As a coating method of apply | coating a coating liquid, conveying the to-be-carried object which has a pair of main surface which opposes, A coating method, characterized in that the coating liquid is applied to the other main surface side while discharging and attracting gas to one main surface side with respect to the conveyed object. The conveying apparatus of Claim 1, An inspection apparatus for inspecting the conveyed object, The gas discharge suction mechanism discharges and sucks the gas to one main surface side of the conveyed object having a pair of main surfaces facing each other in the partial region, And said inspection apparatus inspects said object to be transported in said partial region on the other main surface side of said object to be transported. The method of claim 1, The support member; A base body portion extending along the conveying direction, A plurality of supporting leg portions extending from the base body portion in a direction orthogonal to both the normal direction of the main surface of the base and the conveying direction; It is provided in each of the front-end | tip of the said support leg part, and has the support mechanism containing the adsorption part for adsorption | suction and supporting the said to-be-contained object, Each of the plurality of supporting legs has elasticity with respect to at least a normal direction of the main surface of the base and has a twist property about its own axis. The method of claim 3, Two each of the movable member and the support member; Each of the moving members is provided so as to be able to independently control the speed, The support position of the said to-be-carried object by each of the said support members is shifted | deviated with respect to the direction orthogonal to both the normal direction of the said main surface of the said base, and the said conveyance direction. A support mechanism for supporting a plate-like body, A base body portion extending along a predetermined direction, A plurality of support leg portions extending from the base body portion in a direction crossing the predetermined direction; It is provided in each of the front-end | tip of the said several support leg part, and is provided with the adsorption part for adsorbing and supporting the said plate-shaped object, Each of the plurality of support legs has elasticity with respect to a direction orthogonal to at least both of the predetermined direction and a direction in which the support legs are extended, and has a twist property about its own axis. .