KR20060118966A - Substrate cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

A cassette testing apparatus and a cassette testing method using the same are provided to improve the test reliability in spite of vibration due to an external impact, by detecting the presence or absence of variation based on the variation of distance between a cassette and a sensor. A cassette testing apparatus is configured to test a cassette. The cassette includes upper and lower plates(120,122), three vertical surfaces(114,116,118) and an entrance surface(112). The cassette testing apparatus comprises a support end for providing a bottom surface for loading the cassette, and a first sensor(142). The first sensor is disposed to face the upper plate of the cassette at a location higher than the cassette, and senses the variation of distance with the upper plate.

Description

Cassette inspection device and cassette inspection method using same {substrate cassette}

1 is a perspective view of a typical cassette.

2 is a block diagram of a typical cassette inspection and cleaning system.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a typical cassette inspection device.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention with a cassette.

5 is a perspective view of a cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

110: cassette 112: entrance surface

114,116 Both sides 118: Back side

120,122: upper and lower plates 124,126,128: first to third frame bar

132: slot pin 134: support bar

142,144,146: first to third sensors

The present invention relates to a cassette inspection apparatus and a cassette inspection method using the same, more specifically, in the inspection step of the cassette for storing and storing a plurality of substrates during the manufacturing process of the flat panel display apparatus for the substrate, the external The present invention relates to a cassette inspection apparatus and a cassette inspection method using the same, which can greatly improve inspection reliability by detecting whether vibration is generated by an impact.

Recently, as the society has entered the full-scale information age, the display field for visually displaying various electrical signal information has developed rapidly, and in response to this, various flat displays with excellent characteristics such as light weight, thinness, and low power consumption have been developed. Flat Panel Display device (FPD) is introduced to quickly replace the existing cathode ray tube (CRT).

Specific examples of such a flat panel display device include a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel device (PDP), a field emission display device (FED), and an electroluminescent display device. (Electro luminescence Display device: ELD), etc., which are commonly equipped with a flat display panel, in which a pair of transparent substrates are bonded to each other with a unique fluorescent or polarizing layer interposed therebetween as an essential component. have.

Recently, an active matrix type in which pixels, which are basic units of image expression, are arranged in a matrix on these flat panel display panels, and each pixel is individually controlled by a switching element such as a thin film transistor (TFT). ) Is widely used because of its excellent video reproducibility and color reproducibility.In this case, a thin film deposition process and a photoresist for forming a thin film of a predetermined material on the surface of a substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display device A photolithography process for exposing and developing only a selected portion of the thin film by applying and exposing and developing with a predetermined mask, and an etching process for obtaining a thin film pattern having a desired shape by removing the exposed portion of the thin film ( etching) is repeated several times, and in addition, various different processes such as cleaning, bonding, and cutting are involved.

On the other hand, during the manufacturing process of such a flat panel display device, a plurality of substrates to be processed are united and transported and stored to reduce time and effort, and a cassette is used as a storage case for this. It is the smallest unit for substrate storage and transport in the entire manufacturing process of the device.

1 is a perspective view of a general cassette 10, which shows a substantially hexahedral box shape in which the front entrance face 12 is opened.

More specifically, the general cassette 10 faces up and down, and vertically connects the upper and lower plates 20 and 22 of the squares serving as the ceiling and the bottom, and the edges corresponding to the upper and lower plates 20 and 22 vertically. Three side surfaces, including an open entrance surface 12, and a plurality of frame bars 24, 26, 28 for implementing the interior substrate storage space.

In this case, the three sides may be divided into two sides 14 and 16 facing each other and a rear side 18 facing the entrance face 12, assuming that the entrance face 12 faces forward, and both sides are double sides. From the inner surface of at least one of the first and second frame bars 24 and 26 constituting (14, 16), the slot pins 32 at regular pitch intervals protrude horizontally in a direction facing each other, and the rear surface 18 From the inner surface of the at least one third frame bar 28, the support bar 34 having the same pitch interval as the slot pin 32 protrudes horizontally toward the inlet surface 12.

Accordingly, the substrates are received layer by layer by the support bars 34 supporting both edges by the slot pins 32 corresponding to each other and simultaneously supporting the substrates.

On the other hand, when the appearance of the cassette 10 changes in appearance, it is directly connected to the breakage of the substrate. Therefore, the inspection of the cassette 10 is performed at regular intervals during the manufacturing process of the flat panel display device, thereby improving the safety of substrate storage and transportation. For this purpose, a cassette inspection apparatus is used for this purpose, and in particular, as the loading capacity of the cassette 10 including the substrate size increases with the increase of the area of the flat panel display, which is a recent trend, Prosecutors are becoming increasingly important.

In this case, the conventional cassette inspection apparatus is constructed of a so-called in-line system which is interlocked with a stocker for loading and storing the cassette 10 and a cassette cleaning apparatus for cleaning the cassette 10. 2 is a block diagram of such a general cassette inspection and cleaning system.

Referring to FIG. 1, first, the stocker 42 provides a plurality of shelves divided up, down, left, and right as a part for sorting and stacking the cassette 10 according to the purpose, so that the cassette 10 is separately stacked. A rock master, which is a cassette transport robot, is provided to handle the cassettes between the shelves including the inside and the outside. Next, the cassette cleaning device 46 receives the cassette 10 through the washing loader 44, which is a connection medium with the stocker 42, and proceeds with cleaning and drying thereof. The cassette inspection device 48, which has a loader function, is turned over to be transferred to the stocker 42 after the inspection is completed.

During this process, the cassette inspection device 48 checks whether the support bar 34 has a variation in pitch, including inclination due to an external abnormality of the cassette 10, and supports the cassette 10 on which the cassette 10 is seated. However, it is equipped with a plurality of mobile and stationary sensors.

That is, the accompanying Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a typical cassette inspection apparatus, the cassette is omitted for convenience in order to avoid the complexity of the drawing, when described with reference to Figure 1 above, a general cassette inspection as shown The device is erected at a height above the cassette 10 perpendicular to the support end 52 on which the support end 52 on which the cassette 10 is seated, and on the outside thereof when the cassette 10 is seated. A plurality of posts 54 and a plurality of crossbeams 55 connecting the upper ends of the posts 54 are provided. As a result, the plurality of posts 54 and the crossbeams 55 serve as pillars and beams, respectively, to form a hexahedral steel structure surrounding the cassette placed on the support end 52.

In addition, the first sensors 56 are fixed to the inner surface of at least one of the posts 54 so as to be paired with the upper and lower ends so as to face the upper and lower ends of any one side of the cassette 10, as shown in FIG. 1. The first and second frame bars 24 and 26 constituting both sides 14 and 16 of the cassette 10 of the cassette 10 are provided with at least four connecting at least four vertex portions of the upper and lower plates 20 and 22, respectively. The bar 54 of the cassette inspection apparatus may also be four or more corresponding to one to one, and in this case, the first sensors 56 are fixed to be paired with upper and lower ends of these four posts 54, respectively. A total of four or more pairs facing the upper and lower ends of the at least four first and second frame bars 24 and 26, respectively, may be used.

At this time, although FIG. 3 is a perspective view, some of the first sensors 56 mounted on the inner surfaces of the respective posts 54 will not be seen, but are shown in dotted lines for convenience of description.

Apart from these posts 54, there is also provided a lifting post 58, which is erected perpendicularly to the support end 52 so as to face at least one of both sides 14, 16 of the cassette 10, wherein the cassette ( 10) The robot arm 60 is moved up and down along the lifting post 58 in a state in which the predetermined length is horizontally extended toward the support bar 34 therein, and at the end of the robot arm 60, a second arm is provided. The sensor 62 is fixed. In this case, the robot arm 60 including the lifting post 58 and the second sensor 62 may be provided as a pair facing each other with the support bar 34 of the cassette 10 interposed therebetween as shown in the drawing. have.

Therefore, when the cassette 10, which is an inspection object, is seated on the supporting end 52, the first and second frame bars of the four pairs of first sensors 56, which form both sides 14 and 16 of the cassette 10, respectively. In particular, it is possible to check whether the cassette 10 is inclined based on the measurement by measuring the distance between the upper and lower ends and themselves connecting the corresponding vertex portions of the upper and lower plates 20 and 22 among 24.26. It is possible to inspect whether the pitch gap of the support bar 34 is changed by using the second sensor 62 which is moved up and down in proximity to the support bar 34.

However, the above-described general cassette inspection apparatus exhibits a disadvantage that is very vulnerable to vibration, etc., considering that a conventional cassette inspection apparatus establishes an inline system interoperating with a stocker and a cassette cleaning apparatus, a large robot rockmaster or a cassette cleaning apparatus may be used. Vibration or impact caused by the vibration is likely to be transmitted to the cassette 10 through the support, which causes a phenomenon in which the measurement results of the first and second sensors 56 and 62 are changed to greatly reduce inspection reliability.

In particular, the support bar 34 of the cassette 10 has a cantilever shape extending horizontally with its distal end fixed to the third frame bar 28 forming the rear surface 18 of the cassette 10. As a result, the up and down oscillation phenomenon appears, and when such an up and down oscillation phenomenon occurs during the pitch interval inspection of the second sensor 62, an accurate inspection is impossible and the cassette is frequently judged to be defective.

In this regard, it is possible to simply add a vibration damping function to suppress the vibration to the support end 52, but this entails a cost burden and stably secures the cassette 10 to the support end 52 having a vibration damping function. Since additional measures for loading and unloading should be considered, it is difficult to be easily applied, and thus, a specific method for improving the inspection reliability of the cassette inspection apparatus is required in a simpler and more convenient way.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention is to improve the inspection reliability of the cassette inspection device despite the vibration due to external shock, etc. The present invention provides a cassette inspection apparatus capable of detecting whether vibrations are generated during an inspection, and provides a cassette inspection method that can greatly improve inspection reliability by using the same.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cassette inspection apparatus for inspecting a cassette having an upper and lower plates and three vertical surfaces and an open entrance surface connecting them, a support end providing a bottom surface on which the cassette is seated; And a first sensor fixedly installed on a horizontal plane that is horizontal to the bottom surface at a position higher than the cassette so as to face the top plate of the cassette up and down, and detects whether there is a fluctuation of vertical gap between itself and the top plate. A cassette inspection apparatus is provided. In this case, the upper and lower plates each have a rectangular plate shape corresponding to each other, and the first sensor is characterized in that at least four facing each of the four vertices of the upper plate.

 In addition, the three vertical surfaces of the cassette are divided into two sides facing each other and the rear surface facing the inlet surface, a plurality of protruding horizontally toward the inlet surface from the rear surface while maintaining the first pitch of the upper and lower predetermined intervals And a support bar, which is fixed in pairs on a first vertical line perpendicular to the bottom surface so as to face each of the upper and lower ends of at least one of the two sides of the cassette. A second sensor each measuring a lateral distance between at least one of the sides; And a third sensor vertically moving with respect to the bottom surface and detecting a change in the first pitch while moving up and down along a second vertical line adjacent to the support bar.

In addition, the both sides of the cassette is composed of at least two first and second frame bars connecting the corresponding vertex portions of the upper and lower plates, respectively, and the rear surface of the cassette is formed by the corresponding edges of the upper and lower plates. And a plurality of support bars protruding from an inner surface of the third frame bar, wherein the plurality of support bars protrude from the inner surface of the third frame bar. In this case, the first vertical line is the at least two first and second frames. Bars are at least four corresponding to each other, and the second vertical line is characterized in that the two sides thereof are located between the support bar.

And at least one post perpendicular to the bottom surface; At least one crossbeam horizontal to the bottom surface and coupled to the top end of the post; At least one lifting post perpendicular to the bottom surface; And a robot arm disposed to be movable up and down along the lifting post and having a distal end proximate to the support bar, wherein the first sensor is fixed to the crossbeam, the second sensor is fixed to the post, and the third The sensor is fixed to the end of the robot arm.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a cassette inspection method using the cassette inspection apparatus, comprising: a) mounting the cassette on the bottom surface of the support end; b) while the first sensor detects a vertical gap between the cassette and the cassette upper plate, the second sensor detects a lateral distance between itself and at least one side of the cassette and tilts the cassette. And determining whether the third sensor has changed the first pitch of the support bar. After the step b), the detection result of the first sensor is a reference value. If more than, characterized in that the step b) is repeated, the reference value is characterized in that ± 0.1 to 0.5mm.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a schematic view showing the outline of the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention together with the cassette, and in particular, a plurality of sensors.

First, the cassette 110, which is an inspection object of the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention, includes three vertical surfaces connecting upper and lower surfaces facing up and down and their corresponding edges, and as a result, define a substrate storage space therein. In the meantime, a box shape of a substantially hexahedron in which one side inlet surface 112 is opened is shown.

More specifically, first, the upper and lower surfaces of the cassette 110 according to the present invention are made up of square upper and lower plates 120 and 122 each having a size similar to that of a substrate, but having a larger size, respectively, which serve as a ceiling and a floor, respectively.

Next, the three vertical planes connecting the three corresponding edges of the upper and lower plates 120 and 122 face each other (114, 116) and the entrance face 112 facing each other, assuming that the entrance face 112 is the front. The back side 118 may be divided into two sides, and the two sides 114 and 116 may be formed of a plurality of first and second frame bars 124 and 126 connecting edges corresponding to each other of the upper and lower plates 120 and 122 while maintaining a predetermined interval. The rear surface 118 also includes at least one third frame bar 128 connecting edges corresponding to the upper and lower plates 120 and 122. Therefore, it is easy to check whether the substrate is accommodated in any direction through the space between the first to third frame bars 124, 126 and 128. In this case, the first and second frame bars 124 and 126 are each of the upper and lower plates 120 and 122, respectively. There may be at least two or more connecting the four corresponding vertices.

In addition, the slot pins 132 protruding horizontally from the inner surfaces of the first and second frame bars 124 and 126 facing each other are lined up and down at a predetermined pitch to separate the layers, and the inner surface of the third frame bar 128. From the plurality of support bars 134 protruding horizontally toward the inlet surface 112 from the top and bottom to form the same pitch as the slot pin 132. Accordingly, the slot pins 132 support both edges of the substrate for each layer, and the support bar 134 holds the back of the substrate.

Next, the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention for inspecting such a cassette provides a bottom surface through a support end (see 152 in FIG. 5) of a predetermined height on which the cassette 110 is seated, and is higher than the cassette 110. A first sensor 142 fixed to an imaginary horizontal plane horizontal to the bottom surface in a position and facing up and down with the upper plate 120 of the cassette 110, and on an imaginary first vertical line perpendicular to the bottom surface. A second sensor 144 that is fixed in pairs and is laterally opposed to the upper and lower ends of at least one of the two sides 114 and 116 of the cassette 110 and the support bar 134 of the cassette 110 with respect to the bottom surface. And a third sensor 146 provided to be movable up and down along a vertical virtual second vertical line.

In this case, each of the sensors 142, 144, and 146 has a different function. First, the first sensor 142 is for detecting the occurrence of vibration. Specifically, when the cassette 110 vibrates due to an external shock, the first sensor 142 vibrates itself and the cassette. (110) It detects the presence of vibration based on the fluctuation of the vertical gap between the upper plate (120). To this end, the first sensor 142 is preferably at least four facing up and down each of the four vertex portions of the upper plate 120 of the cassette 110, for example, a distance measuring sensor may be used.

Next, the second sensor 144 is used to check whether the cassette is inclined. The second sensor 144 is paired to face the upper and lower ends of at least one of the side surfaces 114 and 116 of the cassette 110, respectively. If the left and right distances to the upper and lower ends of at least one of the side surfaces 114 and 116 are different, it means that the cassette is inclined.

At this time, the cassette 110, which is an inspection object of the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention, may be used in general, and the first and second frame bars 124 and 126 constituting both sides 114 and 116 of the cassette 110 are generally At least four may be provided to connect at least four vertex portions of the upper and lower plates 120 and 122, respectively. Therefore, in this case, the first vertical line may also be four or more corresponding to the at least four first and second frame bars 124 and 126 one-to-one, respectively, so as to detect the inclination of the cassette in all directions. 144 may be fixed to be paired at the upper and lower ends of the four first vertical lines, respectively, and a total of four or more pairs facing the bottom and side surfaces of the at least four first and second frame bars 124 and 126 may be used.

Finally, the third sensor 146 is to check whether the support bar 134 has a pitch variation, and ascends up and down along an imaginary second vertical line that is close to the support bar 134 and perpendicular to the bottom surface. The gap between each of the support bars 134 is detected. In this case, the second vertical line and the third sensor 146 may be provided as a pair facing each other with the support bar therebetween.

On the other hand, the first to third sensors (142, 144, 146) of the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention can be appropriately mounted to the general cassette inspection apparatus without significant deformation, a specific example thereof is shown in FIG. In this case, in order to prevent the drawing from becoming too complicated, the cassette is omitted. Referring to FIG. 4, it will be easily understood.

As can be seen, the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a support end 152 that provides a bottom surface on which the cassette 110 is seated, similar to a general case, and a plurality of vertically upright heights of the cassette 110 or more. Posts 154 and a plurality of crossbeams 156 horizontal to the floor at a position higher than the case, so that the crossbeams 156 are at these top ends, provided the plurality of posts 154 are the same height. As a result, the plurality of posts 154 and the cross beams 156 form a hexahedral steel structure surrounding the cassette 110 when it is seated on the support end 152.

In particular, the plurality of posts 154 may include at least two first and second frame bars 124 and 126 which connect vertex portions corresponding to each other of the upper and lower plates 120 and 122 to implement both sides 114 and 116 of the cassette 110. It is preferable that at least four corresponding one to one are provided.

Accordingly, the first sensor 142 may be mounted on the crossbeam 156 to face up and down with the upper plate 120 of the cassette 110, and may be paired with upper and lower ends of the inner surfaces of the four posts 154. The second sensor 144 may be mounted to face the lower ends of at least two first and second frame bars 124 and 126 connecting the vertices of the cassette 110 and the upper and lower plates 120 and 122, respectively. In this case, considering that FIG. 5 is a perspective view, a part of the second sensor 144 attached to the inner surface of the post 154 may be accurate, but not shown to the outside.

In addition, apart from these, the lifting post 158 vertically upright with respect to the support end 152 and the robot arm 160 which is pulled into the cassette 110 in a state of being installed to be elevated along this and is close to the support bar 134. ), The end of the robot arm 160 has a movement path which is lifted along a virtual second vertical line which is close to the support bar 134 and perpendicular to the support end 152. Therefore, the third sensor 146 is fixed to the end of the robot arm 160.

In this case, the robot arm 160 including the lifting post 158 and the second sensor 146 may be provided in a pair corresponding to each other with the support bar 134 interposed therebetween as shown in the figure.

Corresponding to the above description with reference to FIG. 4 only, the horizontal plane facing up and down with the upper plate 120 of the cassette 110 is provided by a plurality of crossbeams 156, and the first vertical lines are each posts. 154 and the second vertical line corresponds to the lifting path at the end of the robot arm 160.

On the other hand, when the cassette inspection method using the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention described above, the cassette 110 is seated on the first support end (152).

Subsequently, the second sensor 144 senses lateral distances between the upper and lower ends of the first and second frame bars 124 and 126 of the cassette 110 corresponding to the second sensor 144 to determine whether the cassette 110 is inclined, and the lifting post. It is checked whether the pitch between the support bars 134 is constant through the third sensor 146 at the distal end of the robot arm 160 along 158.

During this process, the first sensor 142 detects the fluctuation of the vertical gap between itself and the cassette 110 and the upper plate 120, and based on this, if the gap variation exceeding the reference value is detected, the re-inspection is performed. do. The reference value may be about ± 0.2 mm, which is a vertical vibration allowance for the support bar 134 of the cassette 110.

At this time, although not separately shown in the drawings, including the cassette inspection process according to the above-described procedures, the measurement results of the first to third sensors (142, 144, 146) are collected and analyzed, and whether or not re-inspection is determined and re-inspection is performed accordingly. All operations such as making a defective or defective product for the cassette 110 may be collectively controlled through a control unit such as a PC in which a predetermined algorithm is built in. Thus, the above-described inspection process may be automatically performed.

Cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention as described above has a function to detect the occurrence of vibration during the cassette inspection process, and if the vibration is detected above the reference value can be re-inspected to greatly improve the inspection reliability There is this. In addition, the cassette inspection apparatus according to the present invention can be applied without any modification to the general bar, there is an advantage to improve the inspection reliability more simply and conveniently.

Claims (10)

A cassette inspection apparatus for inspecting a cassette having an upper and a lower plate and three vertical surfaces and an open entrance surface connecting them, A support end providing a bottom surface on which the cassette is seated; A first sensor fixedly installed on a horizontal plane that is horizontal to the bottom surface at a position higher than the cassette so as to face the top plate of the cassette up and down, and detects whether there is a fluctuation in the vertical gap between itself and the top plate; Cassette inspection apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 1, The upper and lower plates each have a rectangular plate shape corresponding to each other, and the first sensor is at least four cassette inspection apparatus respectively facing the four corner portions of the upper plate. The method of claim 1, The three vertical surfaces of the cassette are divided into two side surfaces facing each other and a rear surface facing the inlet surface, and the cassette protrudes horizontally from the rear surface toward the inlet surface while maintaining a first pitch of a predetermined interval up and down. Cassette inspection apparatus further comprising a plurality of support bars. The method of claim 3, wherein Fixed in pairs on a first vertical line perpendicular to the bottom surface such that the upper and lower ends of at least one of the two sides of the cassette are respectively faced to measure a lateral distance between itself and at least one of the two sides. A second sensor; A third sensor which is vertical to the bottom surface and is moved up and down along a second vertical line adjacent to the support bar to detect whether the first pitch is changed Cassette inspection apparatus further comprising. The method of claim 4, wherein Both sides of the cassette are each composed of at least two first and second frame bars connecting the corresponding vertex portions of the upper and lower plates, and the rear surface of the cassette connects the corresponding edges of the upper and lower plates. And at least one third frame bar, wherein the plurality of support bars protrude from an inner surface of the third frame bar. The method of claim 5, The first vertical line is at least four corresponding to the at least two first and second frame bars, respectively, The second vertical line is two cassette inspection apparatus is located on both sides of the support bar between. The method of claim 6, At least one post perpendicular to the bottom surface; At least one crossbeam horizontal to the bottom surface and coupled to the top end of the post; At least one lifting post perpendicular to the bottom surface; The robot arm is disposed to be movable up and down along the lifting post and has a distal end close to the support bar. Including, The first sensor is fixed to the crossbeam, The second sensor is fixed to the post, The third sensor is a cassette inspection device fixed to the end of the robot arm. A cassette inspection method using the cassette inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, a) mounting the cassette on the bottom surface of the support end; b) while the first sensor detects a vertical gap between the cassette and the cassette upper plate, the second sensor detects a lateral distance between itself and at least one side of the cassette and tilts the cassette. Determining whether the third sensor senses a change in the first pitch of the support bar; Cassette inspection method comprising a. The method of claim 8, If the detection result of the first sensor after the step b) is more than the reference value, repeating the step b). The method of claim 9, The reference value is ± 0.1 to 0.5mm cassette inspection method.

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