KR20130017443A

KR20130017443A - Substrate coating apparatus, substrate conveyance apparatus having the function for floating the surface and the method of conveying floating the substrate

Info

Publication number: KR20130017443A
Application number: KR1020110079854A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 신동기; 변성준; 김관태
Original assignee: 엘지디스플레이 주식회사
Priority date: 2011-08-10
Filing date: 2011-08-10
Publication date: 2013-02-20

Abstract

PURPOSE: A floating type substrate coating apparatus is provided to prevent the contamination of a spread liquid, to reduce the loss of a substrate by providing a large amount of substrates at once and to reduce tact time to increase the yield of a substrate. CONSTITUTION: A floating type substrate coating apparatus comprises a stage(100), a guide rail(200), a first conveyance unit(300a), and a second conveyance unit(300b). The stage floats a plurality of substrates by a specific height. A guide rail is arranged in a longitudinal direction of the stage on both sides of the stage. The first and second conveyance unit fixes each of the substrates from each other side and conveys the substrate along the guide rail. The upper part of the stage is separated into a central region and both side regions corresponding to the guide rail. The central region comprises a plurality of outlets and inlets. The both side comprise the inlet.

Description

Substrate coating apparatus, Substrate conveyance apparatus having the function for floating the surface and the Method of conveying floating the substrate}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a substrate applying apparatus, a floating substrate conveying apparatus and a substrate conveying method, and more particularly, to a floating substrate conveying apparatus and a substrate conveying method for lifting and conveying a substrate.

LCDs have advantages of small size, thinness, and low power consumption, and are used in notebook PCs, office automation devices, and audio / video devices. In particular, an active matrix type liquid crystal display device using a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as "TFT") as a switching element is suitable for displaying dynamic images.

The liquid crystal display device includes a backlight unit, a liquid crystal panel, and a driving circuit unit, and a backlight unit is disposed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal panel in which upper and lower substrates interpose liquid crystal, and a driving circuit unit for controlling each of the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit. The module is installed and completed.

The manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device may be divided into three processes, a substrate manufacturing process, a liquid crystal cell manufacturing process, and a module process.

In particular, the substrate manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device is similar to the silicon semiconductor manufacturing process, and is made of unit processes such as photolithography, etching, and cleaning to pattern thin films deposited on the substrate. In this unit process, a plurality of repetitive operations are required depending on the formation of the thin film.

In this case, the substrate is not only to be safely transported for each photo, etching, cleaning and deposition, but also the etching and cleaning process may be performed simultaneously with the conveyance to increase the efficiency of the process during the etching and cleaning process.

Therefore, such a substrate transfer device is an indispensable device in the liquid crystal display device manufacturing process.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional floating substrate transport apparatus.

The floating substrate conveying apparatus includes a plurality of substrate fixing members 35 for detachably fixing both ends of the stage 10 and the substrate 40, a slider 31 moving along the guide rail 20, It comprises a connecting means 37 for connecting the substrate holding member 35 and the slider 31, the guide rail 20 disposed in parallel to both sides of the stage (10).

And the floating substrate conveying apparatus is disposed above the stage 10 and the lower surface of the nozzle 50, which is a coating liquid 55 supply means for supplying the coating liquid 55 to the surface of the substrate 40 in a band shape. Is placed on. The nozzle 50 has a coating liquid injection portion 52.

At this time, the stage 10 is a carry-in area including a plurality of liftable lift pins 16 which are liftable to receive the substrate 40 conveyed by a transfer arm (not shown), and a gap between the nozzle 50 and the substrate 40. Is provided with an application area for maintaining a constant distance and a plurality of lift pins 16 capable of lifting and receiving the substrate 40.

In addition, a means for floating by using a conveyor belt or air is formed on the stage 10 to move the substrate 40.

Here, the nozzle 50 is fixed to a door frame (not shown) over the stage 10 and is coated with a coating liquid supplied by a supply pipe connected to a resist tank (not shown) on the surface of the substrate 40. It is configured to supply (discharge or drop) by.

And the said board | substrate fixing member 35 is equipped with the some adsorption pad which suction-holds both sides ends of the board | substrate 40, respectively.

In addition, the slider 31 is moved by a linear motor (not shown) mounted as sliding material on the guide rails 20 arranged in parallel to both sides of the stage 10.

On the other hand, the connecting means 37 serves to connect the substrate holding member 35 and the slider 31.

Next, operation | movement of the floating board | substrate conveying apparatus comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.

First, when the board | substrate 40 heat-processed by the thermal processing unit is carried in on the carrying in area | region of the stage 10 by the conveyance arm which is not shown in figure, several lifts raise and receive the board | substrate 40. FIG.

The conveying arm then retracts outward from the stage 10. After the substrate 40 is received, the lift pin 16 is lowered, while the substrate 40 is sucked and fixed by the suction pad of the substrate fixing member 35.

Next, the board | substrate 40 is conveyed to an application | coating area | region by the slider 31 driven by a linear motor. In the coating area, the coating liquid 55 is coated on the entire surface of the substrate 40 by the coating liquid 55 applied by the nozzle 50 as the substrate 40 moves.

At this time, the slider 31 and the substrate holding member 35 are disposed on both sides of the substrate 40, i.e., in two axes, which are arranged in one axis only in the other axis of the substrate 40. This is because problems such as warping may occur.

Then, the substrate 40 exiting the application area is lifted by the lift pins 16 formed in the transport area to move to the next stage 10.

On the other hand, the operation of the floating substrate conveying device is a guide rail after loading (loading) one substrate 40 in the loading area and then conveyed through the application area to the unloading area to unload the substrate 40 20, the phase is moved horizontally to enter the loading area again and the same process is repeated for the next substrate. Thus, a delay occurs between the end of the application process of one substrate and the start of the application process of the next substrate.

At this time, since the slider 31 and the substrate holding member 35 operate simultaneously on two axes disposed on both sides of the substrate 40, the substrate 40 cannot be processed in the next process during the delay. .

Therefore, this has the problem of increasing the time spent on making one product (tact time).

In addition, there was a problem with the coating liquid at the discharge portion of the nozzle, which will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the nozzle and the coating liquid when the coating liquid is not applied to the substrate.

During the delay, the nozzle 50 remains in the standby state, and thus, the coating liquid 55 forms in the nozzle 50 at the discharge part T of the nozzle. In this case, the coating liquid 55 may be exposed to the outside, and may be attached to foreign substances such as floating substances generated around the bar.

This result may prevent the coating liquid 55 from being properly discharged from the end of the substrate, or may cause a non-uniform coating phenomenon such as horizontal or vertical lines instead of uniform coating in the form of a surface on the substrate.

Accordingly, in order to solve the above problem, embodiments of the present invention have an object to achieve a reduction in tack time by alternately conveying the substrate from one of two axes to one axis of the substrate.

In order to achieve such a problem of the present invention, the floating substrate conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a predetermined number of substrates by discharging and sucking air through a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes formed on the upper surface. A stage to rise to a height; Guide rails disposed along the longitudinal direction of the stage at both sides of the stage; And a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit for fixing each of the plurality of substrates from different sides to convey along the guide rails, wherein the first and second conveying units alternately convey the substrates. It is characterized by.

Preferably, the upper surface of the stage is divided into two sides corresponding to the guide rail and a central region except for both sides, the central region includes a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes, and both sides of the stage are discharge holes. Characterized in that it comprises a.

In addition, the discharge holes distributed on both sides of the upper surface of the stage is characterized in that formed in a plurality of rows.

In addition, the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit are each characterized in that after unloading one substrate to move to the original position on the same guide rail to convey another substrate.

The first and second conveying units may each include a slider, a height adjusting means, and a substrate fixing member provided on an upper surface of the height adjusting means, and the height adjusting means and the substrate fixing member are at least one of an upper surface or a side surface of the slider. Characterized in that is formed.

The substrate fixing member may include an adsorption unit for adsorbing the vacuum on the lower surface of the substrate and a clamp for pressing and fixing the substrate to a region overlapping with the adsorption unit on the upper surface of the substrate.

On the other hand, the floating substrate conveying method according to another embodiment of the present invention is a stage in which the discharge hole and the suction hole for discharging and suctioning air is formed on the upper surface, disposed on both sides of the stage along the longitudinal direction of the stage Providing a floating substrate conveying device comprising two guide rails, a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit disposed on different guide rails of the two guide rails; Loading a substrate onto a stage of the substrate transfer device; Floating the loaded substrate on the stage through the discharge hole and the suction hole; Fixing one side of the substrate via the first conveying unit; Conveying the substrate along the guide rail by a first conveying unit; And after another substrate is loaded on the stage, fixing the another substrate to a second conveying unit disposed on the other side of the first conveying unit and conveying the substrate apart from the substrate of the first conveying unit. It is characterized by.

Preferably, after the substrates of the first and second conveying units are unloaded, the first and second conveying units move horizontally on the same guide rail to fix and convey another loaded substrate; Characterized in that it further comprises.

In addition, the step of floating the substrate, the upper surface of the stage is divided into a central region except the both sides and the both sides corresponding to the guide rail, the central region includes a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes, Both side surfaces include discharge holes, and the air is discharged and sucked under the central area of the substrate, and the air is floated by discharging the air under the both side surfaces of the substrate.

In addition, the step of floating the substrate further comprises a vacuum suction hole in one region of the stage, it characterized in that to adjust the height of the substrate.

The first and second conveying units may be configured to fix the substrate by using an adsorption unit for adsorbing vacuum on the lower surface of the substrate and a clamp for pressing the substrate in an area overlapping with the adsorption unit of the substrate. It features.

On the other hand, the substrate coating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a stage for causing a plurality of substrates to be raised to a predetermined height by ejecting and sucking air through a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes formed on the upper surface; A guide rail disposed along a longitudinal direction of the stage from a side surface; A first conveying unit and a second conveying unit which fix each of the plurality of substrates from different sides to convey along the guide rail; And a nozzle for applying a coating liquid to the substrate that is disposed and conveyed in one area of the upper surface of the stage, wherein the first and second conveying units alternately convey the substrate from the lower surface of the nozzle to convey the substrate. It is characterized in that the coating continuously.

In the substrate applying apparatus, the floating substrate conveying apparatus, and the floating substrate conveying method according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, by changing the conveying unit to one axis,

This has the effect of reducing the Tact Time.

Also. There is an effect of preventing contamination of the coating liquid in the discharge portion of the nozzle.

In addition, there is an effect of reducing the loss of the substrate as a large amount of substrate is provided in a short time.

Further, by preventing contamination of the coating liquid generated at the discharge portion of the nozzle and reducing the tack time, there is an effect of increasing the process yield of the substrate.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional floating substrate transport apparatus.
Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the nozzle and the coating liquid when the coating liquid is not applied to the substrate.
3A is a schematic perspective view of a floating substrate conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3b shows a front side view of a floating substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3C is a right side view of the floating substrate conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A shows a cross-sectional view of a conveying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is sectional drawing which shows the support pin and the adsorption part of a conveyance unit.
5A is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a process of transferring a substrate on a stage.
Fig. 5B shows a cross sectional view of the discharge hole and the suction hole formed in the stage in the loading and unloading areas.
Fig. 5C shows a cross-sectional view of the discharge hole and the vacuum suction hole formed in the stage in the application area.
6 is a plan view of the stage as viewed from the top.
7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the floating substrate conveying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
8A to 8D are plan views illustrating a method of transporting a substrate by a floating substrate transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the board | substrate coating apparatus, the floating board | substrate conveying apparatus, and the floating board | substrate conveying method which concern on the Example of this invention are demonstrated in detail with reference to drawings.

In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Figure 3a is a schematic perspective view of a floating substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3b is a front side view of a floating substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3c is a The right side view of the floating substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on one Example is shown.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the floating substrate conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stage 100, a guide rail 200, a conveying unit 300, and a support.

In the following description, as shown to FIG. 3A, the extending direction of the upper surface of the stage 100 is conveyance direction X, and the normal direction of the upper surface of the stage 100 is vertical direction Z, conveyance direction X, and vertical The direction orthogonal to both directions Z is called width direction Y.

In the figure, the coating apparatus is located in the vertical direction Z on the upper surface of the floating substrate conveying apparatus. The coating device includes a nozzle 500 and a coating liquid injecting part 520 for injecting the coating liquid 550 into the nozzle 500, and gantry is disposed on both sides of the nozzle 500. The substrate applying apparatus may be formed together with the floating substrate conveying apparatus, or may be fixed separately from the floating substrate conveying apparatus by the substrate fixing member 350 installed on the ceiling of the chamber in the chamber.

The stage 100 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The upper surface of the stage 100 extends in the conveyance direction X of the substrate 400. In this case, the width direction Y of the stage 100 is designed to be larger than the width of the substrate 400.

In addition, the stage 100 is provided with a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes (not shown) for allowing the substrate 400 to float, and the air discharge suction mechanism 150 is installed below the substrate 400. have.

However, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the type of the stage 100 to discharge the air to float and move the substrate 400, and includes a means for supporting or moving the substrate 400 by a conveyor belt or the like. It includes everything.

The stage 100 is divided into an import area, an application area, an export area, and a connection area, wherein an import area is an area for loading the substrate 400 and conveying it to the application area, and an unloading area is for unloading the substrate 400. In order to convey the outside of the application area, the application area refers to an area where the coating liquid 550 is applied under the nozzle 500. In addition, the connection area refers to a region in which two regions exist and adjusts the lift height of the substrate 400 between the loading area and the coating area and a floating height of the substrate 400 between the coating area and the carrying area. .

Here, a plurality of lift pins 160 for loading and unloading the substrate 400 from an external transport arm (not shown) may be provided in the loading area and the export area. The lift pin 160 waits while being inserted into the plurality of pinholes 165 on the stage 100, and when the substrate 400 enters a region in which the lift pin 160 is located, the lift pin 160 is lifted to raise the substrate 400. Load or unload.

And the width of the air discharge suction mechanism 150 is provided to be substantially the same as the width of the substrate 400. It is preferable that the conveyance direction X length of the air discharge suction mechanism 150 adopts sufficient length before and after the coating apparatus.

The air discharge suction mechanism 150 blows air to inflate the substrate 400 from the entire rear surface of the stage 100 and sucks air to adjust the height of the substrate 400.

The air discharge suction mechanism 150 includes an air discharge and suction rod 120 directly contacting the rear surface of the stage 100 and serving as a passage of air.

On the other hand, the pair of guide rails 200 are provided on both side surfaces 16a of the stage 100 so as to extend in the conveying direction X. FIG. The guide rail 200 on the left side is the first guide rail 200a and the guide rail 200 on the right side is the second guide rail 200b based on the conveyance direction X. The pair of guide rails 200 are arranged in parallel with each other with a gap slightly larger than the width of the substrate 400.

A guide rail support member 220 for supporting the guide rail 200 is disposed on the bottom surface of the guide rail 200.

Moreover, the conveyance unit 300 is arrange | positioned on the said pair of guide rails 200, respectively. The 1st conveyance unit 300a is arrange | positioned on the 1st guide rail 200a, and the 2nd conveyance unit 300b is arrange | positioned on the 2nd guide rail 200b.

In this case, the first and second conveyance units 300 are not formed at positions symmetrical with each other on the first and second guide rails 200, and each conveyance unit 300 receives and fixes the substrate 400 only on one axis. Since it serves to convey, the first and second conveying unit 300 moves independently of each other.

In other words, the operation manner of the conveying unit 300 is, for example, after the first conveying unit 300a starts conveying one substrate 400, followed by the second conveying unit 300b on another axis. It proceeds in such a way as to start conveying the two substrates 400.

In FIG. 3B, it can be seen that the transfer unit 300 disposed on the side of the slide moves the substrate 400 only on one axis. In the figure, only one conveying unit 300 is shown on one guide rail 200 to illustrate the uniaxial movement of the conveying unit 300.

In this case, the floating of the substrate 400 is performed by air emitted upward from the stage 100.

And when the conveyance unit 300 conveys the board | substrate 400, the board | substrate 400 can be coated by the coating liquid 550 which comes out of the nozzle 500 of the upper part.

Here, the conveying unit 300 which has been advanced first proceeds horizontally on the same guide rail 200 immediately after unloading the substrate 400 in the carrying out region, and then loads another substrate 400 in the loading region to continue the process. Continue.

That is, the conveying unit 300 may perform horizontal reciprocating movement on one guide rail 200.

In FIG. 3C, the plurality of substrate fixing members 350 disposed on the slide fix the substrate 400 on one axis, and the transfer unit 300 may move on the upper surface of the guide rail 200. The substrate 400 is coated with the coating liquid 550 by the upper nozzle 500 in the coating area through the loading area and ready to be unloaded by the transfer arm by the lift pin 160 in the loading area. do. At this time, the conveying unit 300 may move on one guide rail 200 and the guide rail 200 is formed in a straight line extending horizontally, so that the conveying unit 300 carries out a horizontal linear motion and is reloaded into a region. To the original position.

However, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the transfer unit 300 may include a stage 100 upper shaft and a stage 100 if the transfer unit 300 has a configuration capable of returning from the carrying area back to the carrying area. It also includes the case where the lower axis moves only in one direction formed by the conveyor belt on the elliptical conveyor belt connected thereto.

The conveying unit 300 includes a slider 310, a height adjusting means (not shown), a connecting means (not shown), and a substrate fixing member 350.

One slider 310 is disposed on each of the pair of guide rails 200. Each slider 310 is guided by the guide rail 200, and is provided so that a movement to the conveyance direction X is possible.

At this time, the number of arrangement of the slider 310 is not limited to only one arrangement on one guide rail 200, but also includes a plurality of arrangement cases.

Although not shown in the drawings, a linear motor (not shown) may be disposed on one side of the guide rail 200. The linear motor (not shown) serves to move the slider 310 in the conveyance direction (X).

In the floating substrate conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the conveying unit 300 on the guide rails 200 of both axes independently moves, the linear motor (not shown) also moves the conveying unit 300 independently. Can be arranged and working.

Figure 4a is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention and Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view showing the support pin and the suction portion of the conveying unit.

Four substrate fixing members 350 are fixed to the side surface of the slider 310. However, the number of arrangement of the substrate fixing member 350 is not limited to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention and includes at least one case formed on the side or the top of the slider 310.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the substrate fixing member 350 includes an adsorption part 357, a support pin 355, a clamp 352, a stopper (not shown), and an impact relief part (not shown). , Support 351 is included.

The substrate fixing member 350 sucks and secures the side edge of the substrate 400 by vacuum suction in the suction unit 357. By these substrate fixing members 350, the substrate 400 is fixed in a state spaced apart from the upper surface of the stage 100. Here, the adsorption part 357 fixes the substrate 400 by maintaining the vacuum until the substrate 400 is loaded and then unloaded.

And the clamp 352 is applied to the upper portion of the substrate 400 to further improve the adsorption of the adsorption portion 357. In this case, the portion of the clamp 352 that contacts the substrate 400 is the substrate contact portion 353. The clamp 352 is in a state of being bent at 180 ° with the adsorption part 357 and may be operated in two stages when the substrate 400 is placed on the upper part of the adsorption part 357. Step 1 may operate at a high speed to increase or decrease the speed of the process, while step 2 may operate at a low speed to prevent loss of the substrate 400. Here, the movement of the clamp 352 is the same as the direction of the arrow in the figure.

In this case, a stopper (not shown) and a speed controller (not shown) may be further configured to adjust the speed of the clamp 352.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the substrate contacting portion 353 of the clamp 352 is made of a round rubber material, and a support pin 355 is formed between the adsorption portions 357, which are bent on the substrate 400. It serves to maintain the flatness of the substrate 400 so that this does not occur.

The suction unit 357 is provided with a suction hole 357a and a vacuum tube 357b. The suction hole 357a is formed in the upper surface of the main body of the adsorption part 357 of synthetic rubber, as shown in Fig. 4B. The suction hole 357a may be a long hole and a plurality of suction holes 357a.

The suction hole 357a is connected to the vacuum tube 357b, and the vacuum tube 357b may be formed inside the main body of the suction part 357 having a plurality of passages. In addition, the vacuum tube 357b provides a passage for sucking vacuum from an external vacuum pump by a tube 359 connected to an outer surface of the support 351.

In addition, a height adjusting means 340 is formed at a lower portion of the support 351 on which the clamp 352, the suction unit 357, etc. are formed so that the support 351 can move according to the height change of the substrate 400. have. In this case, the height adjusting means 340 is connected to the slider 310 through the connecting means 360 disposed on the side of the slider 310.

The height adjusting means 340 may include a cylindrical bearing 340b and a lifting shaft 340a inserted into the bearing 340b as a swinging material to move up and down in a telescopic shape. At this time, the lifting shaft 340a is raised and lowered according to the difference between the lift height of the substrate 400 and the height of the slider 310 so that the support 351 may move according to the lift height of the substrate 400.

In addition, the height adjustment means 340 may form a cylindrical bearing 340b as a magnet bearing (340b). In this case, the first magnet body on the inner surface of the magnet bearing 340b and the second magnet body on the outer surface of the lifting shaft 340a are provided to promote the magnetic attraction force between the magnet bodies, thereby increasing the weight of the lifting shaft 340a and the support 351. Can be canceled into zero gravity. Therefore, the support shaft 351 may move according to the height of the substrate 400 because the weight of the lifting shaft 340a and the support 351 is not taken into consideration.

Here, the operation principle and the steps of conveying the substrate by discharging and sucking air in the stage will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5A is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a process of transferring a substrate on a stage, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a discharge hole and a suction hole formed in the stage in the loading and unloading region, and FIG. The cross section of a vacuum suction hole is shown.

In FIG. 5A, the arrow indicates the advancing direction of the substrate.

First, the stage 100 receives the substrate 400 by raising and lowering a plurality of lift pins 160 in a loading area on the substrate 400 conveyed by a transfer arm (not shown). Air is discharged to the carry-in area, and the lift pin 160 descends to the lower surface of the stage 100 again. Thereafter, the substrate 400 may rise from the stage 100 with a predetermined floating height h1. At this time, the floating height h1 of the loading area may be about 100 to 225 μm.

The substrate 400 is moved in the conveying direction by the conveying unit.

In the application area, a large number of discharge holes and vacuum suction holes are provided in a zigzag shape on the surface of the stage 100, for example, while discharging gas, that is, air, from the discharge holes and sucking air from the vacuum suction holes. As a result, the substrate 400 may be floated at a lift height h2 lower than the loading area. In this case, the floating height h2 of the application area may be about 30 to 50 μm.

As the substrate 400 moves, the coating liquid 550 of the nozzle 500 is applied onto the substrate 400.

In these connection regions, a plurality of jetting holes and suction holes are provided, and the substrate 400 is gradually lowered or raised by adjusting the injection amount and suction amount of air, which is a gas.

In the carrying out area, the substrate 400 may be formed to have the same height as the floating height h1 of the board 400 in the carrying area.

The substrate 400 of the carrying area may be lifted to a position higher than the lift height h1 of the substrate 400 by the lift pins 160 which are lifted on the stage 100 to be unloaded.

In the carry-in area and the carry-out area on the stage 100, the discharge hole 171 and the suction hole 175 are formed as shown in FIG. 5B. A suction hole 175 is formed between the discharge holes 171, and air of the intensity for floating the substrate by a predetermined height is discharged from the discharge hole 171. In the suction hole 175, the air distributed around the suction is sucked while the process proceeds by atmospheric pressure. Here, the direction of the arrow is a path of movement of air, which is the same in FIG. 5C.

In the connection area and the application area, the discharge hole 171 and the vacuum suction hole 175 are formed on the stage 100 as shown in FIG. 5C.

Since an air pressure smaller than atmospheric pressure is formed in the vacuum suction hole 179, more air is sucked in than the amount of air sucked into the suction hole 175 of FIG. 5B. Accordingly, since the floating force generated by the discharged air becomes smaller in FIG. 5C than in the case of FIG. 5B, the floating height of the substrate is also reduced.

6 is a plan view of the stage as viewed from the top. 6 in the above

The disposition of the discharge hole and the suction hole (or the vacuum suction hole) formed in the sheet was shown.

The edge portion of the stage 100 is formed only by the discharge hole 171. In addition, the discharge holes 171 and the suction holes 175 are formed one by one in a row alternately in the area bordered by the discharge holes 171. Here, a rhombic suction hole 175 is formed around the discharge hole 171 having the arrangement of the discharge hole 171 and the suction hole 175 or vice versa around the suction hole 175. It can also be seen from the side that the rhombic discharge hole 171 is formed.

However, the arrangement of the discharge hole 171 and the suction hole 175 is not limited to the above description, and the discharge hole 171 and the suction hole are not formed in a rhombus. 175 are each formed in a row and include all easily changeable shapes at the level of ordinary skill in the art such as alternating rows.

In this case, when a surface facing the first axis on which a transfer unit is disposed on one substrate is referred to as a first side surface, a surface facing the second axis on which the transfer unit is not arranged is referred to as a second side surface. In this case, only the discharge holes 171 are formed in both rows on both side surfaces 180 of the stage 100 corresponding to the first side surface and the second side surface.

In one embodiment of the invention the substrate is lifted by air and the conveying unit is only responsible for conveying the substrate. However, when the conveying unit plays a role of fixing on the first side of the substrate, there is a possibility that there is no fixture on the second side of the substrate, so that the second side region of the substrate may bend down. Therefore, in order to prevent this, only the discharge hole 171 is formed to provide a floating force larger than the center of the stage 100 at the second side.

The reason for forming the discharge holes 171 on both sides 180 rather than one side of the stage 100 is not supported by the transfer unit of the substrate since the transfer unit operates independently on both sides of the stage 100. This is because the side may be both sides on the stage 100 unless otherwise noted.

Therefore, only the discharge holes 171 are formed in both side surfaces 180 on the stage 100 corresponding to the first side surface and the second side surface, and in order to further increase the floating force at both side surfaces 180, the discharge holes 171 are formed. It may be formed in two or more rows instead of one.

7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the floating substrate conveying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Here, the solid arrow indicates the discharge direction of the air and the dotted arrow indicates the suction direction of the air. One side of the substrate 400 is fixed and supported by the substrate fixing member 350 of the transfer unit 330.

Here, the floating force caused by air on one side of the substrate 400 having the transfer unit 330 does not significantly affect the rise of the substrate 400 because the transfer unit 330 exists. However, it can be seen that the floating force caused by the air on the other side of the substrate 400 without the conveying unit 330 is stronger than the center region of the stage 100 to reduce the possibility of the substrate 400 being warped.

8A to 8D are plan views illustrating a method of transporting a substrate by a floating substrate transport apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawing, the stage 100 is divided into a connection area connecting the carry-in area, the application area, the export area, the import area and the application area, and connect the export area and the application area.

In FIG. 8A, the substrate 400 is loaded onto the stage 100 from a transfer arm (not shown) in the loading region. Thereafter, a plurality of lift pins (not shown) capable of lifting and lowering between the bottom of the stage 100 and the top of the stage 100 receive the substrate 400. These lift pins (not shown) may be driven up and down by a lift pin lifting unit (not shown) for carrying in using an air cylinder (not shown) as a drive source.

After the lift pin (not shown) receives the substrate 400, air is discharged and sucked in a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes formed in the loading area. This blows high pressure or constant pressure compressed air in order to float the substrate 400 on the upper surface of the stage 100 to a desired float height, and a plurality of holes are provided at a constant density. The hole is arranged as shown in FIG.

In this case, the floating height of the substrate 400 viewed from the top surface of the stage 100 in the loading area may be, for example, 100 to 225 μm.

In this case, an alignment unit (not shown) for aligning the substrate 400 on the stage 100 may be installed in the loading area.

The first conveying unit 300a is disposed on one side of the substrate 400, and the substrate 400 is formed by the substrate fixing member 350 and the slider 310 of the first conveying unit 300a. It is fixed to one conveyance unit 300a. Here, the first conveying unit 300a is disposed on the first guide rail 200a.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the first conveying unit 300a is conveyed to the coating area through the substrate 400 to the coating area so that the coating liquid is coated on the substrate 400.

At this time, vacuum suction holes are formed in the connection region and the application region. remind

The vacuum suction hole serves to lift the substrate 400 to a lower height than the conveying region by forming a low air pressure so as to suck the amount of air discharged more than the conveying region.

At this time, the floating height of the substrate 400 in the coating area is a predetermined value lower than the spacing of the loading area, which may be 30-50 μm. The connection area is an area in which the height of the substrate 400 is lowered to match the height gap between the substrate 400 and the stage 100 in the application area. At this time, in the connection region, the density of the vacuum suction hole is gradually increased along the conveyance direction, whereby the floating height of the substrate 400 gradually decreases during conveyance.

In this case, the height of the substrate fixing member 350 of the first transfer unit 300a is also changed by the operation of the height adjusting means according to the change in the height of the floating of the substrate 400.

Since the floating height of the substrate 400 is an important parameter that influences the uniformity of the coating or the consumption of the coating liquid, it is necessary to be constantly maintained at high precision.

In this case, a feedback control mechanism including an altitude detection sensor (not shown) that detects the height position of the substrate 400 may be installed to control the height of the lift.

In addition, the second conveying unit 300b loads another substrate 400 on the axis of the second guide rail 200b disposed opposite to the first guide rail 200a. The second conveying unit 300b includes the first conveying unit 300a so that the substrate 400 conveyed by the second conveying unit 300b does not overlap the substrate 400 conveyed by the first conveying unit 300a. ) Proceeds for a predetermined time in the conveying direction and then loads another substrate 400.

At this time, the structure of the 2nd conveyance unit 300b and the movement method of a board | substrate are the same as the structure of the 1st conveyance unit 300a and the movement method of a board | substrate.

Here, the warp of the board | substrate 400 is prevented by the floating force of the air discharged from the other side of the 1st conveyance unit 300a on the stage 100 in the board | substrate 400 which the 1st conveyance unit 300a carries. And the board | substrate 400 which the 2nd conveyance unit 300b conveys is prevented from the curvature of the board | substrate 400 by the floating force of the air discharged from the other side of the 2nd conveyance unit 300b on the stage 100.

In FIG. 8C, the coating liquid is coated on the substrate 400 by the first transfer unit 300a and the process immediately before the substrate 400 is unloaded in the carrying area is illustrated.

At this time, the substrate 400 conveyed by the second conveying unit 300b may be coated with a coating liquid in an application area.

As for the board | substrate 400 conveyed to the carrying out area | region by the said 1st conveying unit 300a, the floating height of the board | substrate 400 is adjusted high by the connection area | region between an application | coating area and a carrying out area, and it goes to a carrying out area | region. In addition, the substrate 400 is lifted by a plurality of lift pins (not shown) on the export area stage 100. The transfer arm (not shown) is then moved to the next step.

The first conveying unit 300a completes the process of loading and unloading one substrate 400 and then moves horizontally to the loading area on the axis of the first guide rail 200a as shown in FIG. 8D. In the drawing, a dotted line shows a process in which the first conveying unit 300a of the carrying area moves horizontally.

Then, the substrate 400 to be loaded is received in the same manner as in FIG. 8A.

Then, the substrate 400 is transported in the same process as described above to coat the coating liquid on the substrate 400.

Floating substrate conveying apparatus and substrate conveying method according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above to operate the conveying unit disposed on the two axes independently, so that the coating liquid coating process of the substrate on one stage As it is made continuously, the tack time can be reduced.

In addition, the continuous coating of the substrate can be performed to remove contamination that may be a problem in the discharge portion of the nozzle. This may improve the yield during the substrate coating process.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also within the scope of the present invention.

100: stage 150: air discharge suction mechanism
200: guide rail 300: conveying unit
310: slider 350: substrate holding member
400: substrate 500: nozzle

Claims

A stage for floating the plurality of substrates to a predetermined height by discharging and sucking air through the plurality of discharge holes and the suction holes formed on the upper surface;
Guide rails disposed along the longitudinal direction of the stage at both sides of the stage; And
And a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit which fix each of the plurality of substrates from different sides to convey along the guide rails.
The first and second conveying units alternately convey the substrates.

The method of claim 1,
The upper surface of the stage is divided into a central region excluding both side surfaces corresponding to the guide rail and the both sides,
The central region includes a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes,
Floating substrate conveying apparatus, characterized in that the both sides include a discharge hole.

The method of claim 2,
Floating substrate conveying apparatus, characterized in that the discharge holes distributed on both sides of the upper surface of the stage is formed of a plurality of rows.

The method of claim 1,
And the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit each unload one substrate and then move to the original position on the same guide rail to convey another substrate.

The method of claim 1,
The first and second conveying units each include a slider, a height adjusting means and a substrate fixing member provided on an upper surface of the height adjusting means, and at least one of the height adjusting means and the substrate fixing member is formed on an upper surface or a side of the slider. Floating substrate conveying apparatus, characterized in that.

The method of claim 5, wherein
The substrate fixing member includes an adsorption unit for adsorbing vacuum on the lower surface of the substrate and a clamp for pressing and fixing the substrate to a region overlapping with the adsorption unit on the upper surface of the substrate. .

A stage having a discharge hole and a suction hole for discharging and sucking air on an upper surface thereof, two guide rails disposed along the longitudinal direction of the stage on both sides of the stage, and disposed on different guide rails of the two guide rails Providing a floating substrate conveying apparatus comprising a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit to be formed;
Loading a substrate onto a stage of the substrate transfer device;
Floating the loaded substrate on the stage through the discharge hole and the suction hole;
Fixing one side of the substrate via the first conveying unit;
Conveying the substrate along the guide rail by a first conveying unit; And
Fixing another substrate to a second conveying unit disposed on the other side of the first conveying unit and conveying the substrate apart from the substrate of the first conveying unit after another substrate is loaded on the stage;
Floating substrate conveying method comprising a

The method of claim 7, wherein
After the substrates of the first and second conveying units are unloaded, the first and second conveying units move horizontally on the same guide rail to fix and convey another loaded substrate;
Floating substrate transfer method characterized in that it further comprises.

The method of claim 7, wherein
Floating the substrate,
The upper surface of the stage is divided into a central region excluding both side surfaces corresponding to the guide rail and the both sides,
The central area includes a plurality of discharge holes and suction holes, and both sides include discharge holes,
And floating by discharging and sucking air in a lower portion of the center area of the substrate, and by discharging air in lower portions of both sides of the substrate.

The method of claim 7, wherein
The floating of the substrate further includes a vacuum suction hole in one region of the stage, thereby adjusting the floating height of the substrate.

The method of claim 7, wherein
The first and second conveying units may fix the substrate by using an adsorption unit for adsorbing vacuum on the lower surface of the substrate and a clamp for pressing the substrate in an area overlapping with the adsorption unit of the substrate. Floating substrate conveying method.

A stage for floating the plurality of substrates to a predetermined height by discharging and sucking air through the plurality of discharge holes and the suction holes formed on the upper surface;
Guide rails disposed along the longitudinal direction of the stage at both sides of the stage;
A first conveying unit and a second conveying unit which fix each of the plurality of substrates from different sides to convey along the guide rail; And
And a nozzle for applying a coating liquid to the substrate, which is disposed in one area of the upper surface of the stage and is conveyed.
The said 1st and 2nd conveyance unit conveys the said board | substrate alternately from the lower surface of the nozzle, and coat | covers the said board | substrate continuously, The substrate coating apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.