KR20130093262A - Apparatus for inspecting display cells - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus for inspecting display cells is provided to reduce the failure rate of an OLED device by inspecting the display cells on a substrate before a sealing process. CONSTITUTION: A stage (122) supports a substrate (10) with a plurality of display cells (20). The stage includes a plurality of vacuum holes to absorb the substrate. A probe card (124) includes a plurality of probes in contact with inspection pads of the display cells. An inspecting unit (152) inspects the electrical characteristics of the display cells. An ionizer provides ionized air or inert gases to the vacuum holes.

Description

Apparatus for inspecting display cells < RTI ID = 0.0 >

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus for testing display cells. And more particularly to an apparatus for electrically and optically inspecting display cells formed on a mother substrate (hereinafter, referred to as 'substrate') such as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Device) cells.

The OLED device used as a flat panel display device is widely used in portable display devices, smart phones, tablet PCs, and the like, as well as being widely used as a next-generation display device due to its large size, having a wide viewing angle, excellent contrast and high response speed . In particular, the OLED device has advantages such as luminance, driving voltage, response speed, and the like, and can be multicolored, compared to the inorganic light emitting display device.

In the manufacturing process of the OLED device, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) layer is formed on the substrate through various film forming processes and etching processes, and on the TFT layer, a lower electrode and an organic layer (for example, a hole transport layer, Transport layer) and an upper electrode may be formed. Then, the OLED device can be completed by sealing the TFT layer and the substrate on which the organic light emitting layer is formed using an encapsulating substrate.

In particular, a plurality of OLED cells may be formed on the substrate, and after the sealing process is completed, individual OLED cells may be individualized through a cutting process to complete the OLED device.

Meanwhile, after the encapsulation process is completed, an inspection process for OLED cells formed on the substrate may be performed. In the inspection process, a function test of the TFT layer, a correction circuit inspection, an image quality inspection, a spectral inspection, an image inspection, and the like may be performed by applying an inspection signal to the OLED cells. However, since the inspecting process is performed after the sealing process is completed as described above, the loss due to the defective OLED devices in the inspecting process may be increased.

In order to solve the above problems, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-2006-0017586 discloses a method of performing the TFT array function test before performing the cell process after the TFT array forming process, -0046645 and 10-2011-0096382 disclose a method for measuring the thickness of the thin film layers during or after forming each thin film layer of OLED cells.

However, even if the function test for the TFT array and / or the thickness measurement for the thin film layers forming the organic light emitting layer are performed as described above, since the final inspection processes must be additionally performed after the sealing process is performed, There is a possibility that the productivity of the apparatus is deteriorated.

Embodiments of the present invention perform an inspection process for display cells, such as a plurality of OLED cells formed on a substrate, before an encapsulation process is performed to inspect display cells that can reduce the defective rate of the OLED device and increase productivity. The purpose is to provide a device.

An apparatus for inspecting display cells according to embodiments of the present invention includes: a stage supporting a substrate on which a plurality of display cells are formed and having a plurality of vacuum holes for adsorbing the substrate; A probe card having a plurality of probes configured to be in contact with test pads of display cells, respectively, and connected to the probe card to apply a test signal to the display cells through the probes, and to examine electrical characteristics of the display cells. And an inspection unit configured to provide an ionized air or inert gas into the vacuum holes when the vacuum state inside the vacuum holes is released to unload the substrate from the stage. It may include an ionizer.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an inspection chamber may be provided that is connected to a transfer chamber connected to a process chamber for forming the display cells and provides a space for performing an inspection process on the display cells.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the substrate may be transferred to the inspection chamber by a substrate transfer robot disposed in the transfer chamber, in which the substrate handling robot for loading the substrate on the stage. This can be arranged.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the substrate handling robot may grip the substrate, invert the substrate up and down, and then load it on the stage.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a fan filter unit for supplying an inert gas into the test chamber may be disposed above the test chamber.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the stage may be provided with a heater for adjusting the temperature of the display cells.

According to embodiments of the present invention, a probe card accommodating part may be further provided in which a plurality of probe cards are accommodated, and the probe card may be selected from the plurality of probe cards.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the display cells may be arranged to have a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns on the substrate, and the probes of the probe card may be arranged in at least one row in the row direction or the column direction of the display cells. It may be arranged in a line to be in contact with the display cells at the same time.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the probe card may have an opening extending in parallel with the direction in which the probes are placed to observe the display cells in contact with the probes.

According to embodiments of the present invention, an optical inspection unit for optically inspecting the display cells observed through the opening may be further provided.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the optical inspection unit, a color camera for measuring the image quality of the display cells, a spectrometer for measuring the color coordinates of the display cells, an ellipse for measuring the thin film thickness of the display cells It may include a vision camera for inspecting the appearance of the system or the display cells.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, in the manufacturing process of display cells, such as OLED cells, electrical and optical inspection processes may be performed in an in-line manner after the cell process for forming the OLED cells. Therefore, the defective rate of the OLED cells can be greatly reduced. In addition, since subsequent processes for OLED cells determined to be defective can be omitted, the manufacturing cost of the OLED cells can be greatly reduced.

In particular, when the substrate is unloaded from the stage after the inspection process is completed, the substrate may be easily unloaded by providing ionized air and / or an inert gas to remove static electricity through the vacuum holes of the stage.

In addition, by configuring the probe card cassette to accommodate the plurality of probe cards and the probe card corresponding to the test target substrate from among the probe cards can be selected, the time required to replace the probe card when the test target display cells are changed This can be greatly shortened.

In addition, since the plurality of OLED cells can perform both electrical and optical inspection processes in contact with the probes of the probe card, the inspection efficiency of the OLED cells can be greatly improved, and separate inspection compared to the prior art. Since there is no need to have a device, the manufacturing cost of the OLED cells can be further reduced.

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining OLED cells formed on a substrate.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an apparatus for manufacturing the OLED cells shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for inspecting display cells according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the substrate handling robot shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view for describing the substrate handling robot shown in FIG. 3.
6 and 7 are schematic configuration diagrams for describing the stage illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view for describing the probe card illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a schematic side view for explaining the probe card shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 10 is a schematic side view illustrating the probe card accommodating part illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 11 is a schematic front view for describing a probe card transfer unit for transferring a probe card from the probe card accommodation unit illustrated in FIG. 3.
12 and 13 are schematic plan views for explaining a clamping unit for holding a probe card conveyed by the probe card conveying unit shown in FIG. 9.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments of the invention. However, the present invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in various other forms. The following examples are provided so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the scope of the present invention, rather than being provided so as to enable the present invention to be fully completed.

When an element is described as being placed on or connected to another element or layer, the element may be directly disposed or connected to the other element, and other elements or layers may be placed therebetween It is possible. Alternatively, if one element is described as being placed directly on or connected to another element, there can be no other element between them. The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various items such as various elements, compositions, regions, layers and / or portions, but the items are not limited by these terms .

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Furthermore, all terms including technical and scientific terms have the same meaning as will be understood by those skilled in the art having ordinary skill in the art, unless otherwise specified. These terms, such as those defined in conventional dictionaries, shall be construed to have meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the related art and the description of the present invention, and are to be interpreted as being ideally or externally grossly intuitive It will not be interpreted.

Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to schematic illustrations of ideal embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, changes from the shapes of the illustrations, such as changes in manufacturing methods and / or tolerances, are those that can be expected sufficiently. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific shapes of the areas illustrated in the drawings, but include deviations in shapes, the areas described in the drawings being entirely schematic and their shapes Is not intended to illustrate the exact shape of the area and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining OLED cells formed on a substrate. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for manufacturing the OLED cells shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for inspecting display cells according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is also.

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

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

The cell process is a process of forming a plurality of OLED cells 20 on a substrate 10, including forming a TFT array layer on the substrate 10 and forming an organic light emitting layer on the TFT array layer. can do. For example, the organic light emitting layer may include a lower electrode, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an upper electrode, and the like. 1, the OLED cells 20 formed on the substrate 10 in the cell process each have a plurality of test pads 22 electrically connected to the TFT array layer .

The sealing process may be performed after the cell process by sealing the OLED cells 20 by bonding the substrate 10 on which the OLED cells 20 are formed and the sealing substrate.

Meanwhile, the cell process and the encapsulation process may be performed in an inline manner so that the substrate 10 and the encapsulation substrate are not exposed to air. For example, the plurality of process chambers 40 and 50 for performing the cell process and the encapsulation process may be arranged in a cluster form. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of process chambers 40 and 50 may be connected to each other with the transfer chamber 44 interposed therebetween, and the process chambers 40 and 50 may be connected to each other. The interior can be isolated from the outside air.

The inspection apparatus 100 of the OLED cells 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform the inspection process in an inline manner with respect to the plurality of OLED cells 20 formed by the cell process, in particular the inspection The process is preferably performed before the encapsulation process is performed. For example, the inspection process of the OLED cells 20 may be performed in the inspection apparatus 100 connected to the transfer chamber 44.

The inspection apparatus 100 may include an inspection chamber 102 providing a space for performing electrical and optical inspection processes on the OLED cells 20. [ That is, the substrate 10 may be transferred from the first process chamber 40 to the test chamber 102 to perform a cell process, and after the test process is performed, the encapsulation process from the test chamber 102. It may be transferred to the second process chamber 50 for performing the.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, one cluster type manufacturing apparatus 30 is shown, a plurality of cluster type manufacturing apparatus may be connected to each other.

Hereinafter, a method of inspecting the display cells, that is, the OLED cells 20 by using the apparatus 100 for inspecting display cells according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the substrate 10 on which the plurality of OLED cells 20 are formed is transferred to the inspection chamber 102 of the inspection apparatus 100. The OLED cells 20 may be formed in the first process chambers 40 of the OLED manufacturing apparatus 30 as shown in FIG. 2. For example, a lower electrode, an organic light emitting layer, and an upper electrode may be formed on the substrate 10 in the plurality of first process chambers 40 as shown in FIG. 2. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2, three first process chambers 40 are provided, but the number of the first process chambers 40 may be changed in various ways, thereby the scope of the present invention. Will not be limited.

Meanwhile, the OLED manufacturing apparatus 30 is a substrate supplying the transfer chamber 44 and the substrate 10 to which the first process chambers 40 and the inspection chamber 102 of the inspection apparatus 100 are connected. Supply unit 60 may be included. A substrate transfer robot 46 for transferring the substrate 10 may be disposed in the transfer chamber 44, and the OLED chambers 20 formed on the substrate 10 may be disposed in the transfer chamber 44. The second process chamber 50 for encapsulation may be connected. In addition, although not shown, a second substrate supply unit (not shown) for supplying an encapsulation substrate (not shown) for encapsulating the OLED cells 20 may be further provided. The configuration of the OLED manufacturing apparatus 30 as described above is merely presented as an example, the configuration of the OLED manufacturing apparatus 30 may be variously changed.

The substrate 10 may be transferred from the first process chamber 40 to the inspection chamber 102 by a substrate transfer robot 46 disposed in the transfer chamber 44. In this case, all of the first process chamber 40, the test chamber 102, and the second process chamber 50 may be maintained in a state of being cut off from the outside air. In particular, the interior of the inspection chamber 102 may be formed with an inert gas, for example, a nitrogen gas atmosphere, in order to prevent the OLED cells 20 from coming into contact with air.

Referring to FIG. 3, a fan filter unit 104 may be disposed above the test chamber 102 to supply nitrogen gas into the test chamber, and the nitrogen gas supplied into the test chamber 102 may be disposed in the test chamber 102. It may be discharged through the lower panel 102A of the test chamber 102. The lower panel 102A may be provided with a plurality of outlets (not shown) for discharging the nitrogen gas, and at least a portion of the discharged nitrogen gas may be circulated in the piping 105 and the fan filter unit 104. Through the test chamber 102 may be supplied again.

For example, the fan filter unit 104 may be connected to the nitrogen gas source 106 and may be configured to be connected to the circulation pipe 105 to recycle a portion of the nitrogen gas. In addition, a lower portion of the test chamber 102 may be connected to the vacuum system 108, and the test chamber 102 may be maintained at a process pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. As an example, the vacuum system 105 may be connected to the circulation pipe 105.

Subsequently, the substrate 10 transferred to the inspection chamber 102 may be loaded on the stage 150 disposed in the inspection chamber 10 by the substrate handling robot 110.

Referring to FIG. 3, a substrate handling robot 110 may be disposed in the inspection chamber 102, and the substrate handling robot 110 supports the substrate 10 transferred into the inspection chamber 102. A plurality of support members 118 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) may be included.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the substrate handling robot illustrated in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating the substrate handling robot illustrated in FIG. 3.

4 and 5, the substrate handling robot 110 may include a base frame 112 and a support frame 114, and the support frame 114 is transferred into the inspection chamber 102. A plurality of support members 118 for supporting the substrate 10 may be mounted. For example, side frames 116 may be mounted on both sides of the support frame 114, and the support members 118 may be mounted on the side frames 116.

Meanwhile, the substrate 10 may be transferred into the inspection chamber 102 in a state where the front surface on which the OLED cells 20 are formed is disposed downward. This is to prevent foreign matter from accumulating on the substrate 10 on the substrate 10. That is, in the cell process, the OLED cells 20 may be formed on the front surface of the substrate 10 while the front surface of the substrate 10 is disposed downward. In this case, the transfer arm of the transfer robot 46 may transfer the substrate while supporting the edge portions of the substrate 10, and the support members 108 may be transferred to the inspection chamber 102. It may be arranged to support the edge portions of the substrate 10.

The support frame 114 may be provided with a handling arm 120 for moving the rear surface of the substrate 10 to move in the vertical direction. After the substrate 10 is loaded on the support members 118, the handling arm 120 may move downward to grip the rear surface of the substrate 10. For example, the handling arm 120 may be equipped with a plurality of vacuum pads capable of generating a vacuum pressure, and the substrate 10 may be gripped on the bottom surface of the handling arm 120 by the vacuum pressure. Can be.

On the other hand, the support frame 114 may be configured to be rotatable with respect to the base frame 112 to invert the top and bottom of the substrate 10. For example, after the rear surface of the substrate 10 is gripped by the handling arm 120, the support frame 114 may rotate 180 degrees, so that the front surface of the substrate 10 faces upward. Can be arranged.

On the other hand, the base frame 112 may be configured to be movable in the vertical direction. After the substrate 10 is inverted as described above, the base frame 112 may move downward, and a stage 122 for supporting the substrate 10 may be disposed below the base frame 112. have.

6 and 7 are schematic configuration diagrams for describing the stage illustrated in FIG. 3.

6 and 7, the stage 122 may be configured to be movable in horizontal and vertical directions. That is, it can move down the substrate handling robot 110 for loading and unloading the substrate 10 onto the stage 122, and also for inspection of the OLED cells 20 on the substrate 10. It may be moved under the probe card 124 for inspection of the OLED cells 20.

For example, the stage 122 may be configured to be movable in the horizontal direction by the horizontal driver 132. The horizontal driver 132 may be configured using a motor, a ball screw, a ball block, or the like, and may be guided in a horizontal direction by a guide member such as a linear motion guide. Alternatively, the horizontal drive unit 132 may alternatively be configured using pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders.

In addition, the stage 122 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction to contact the test pads 22 of the OLED cells 20 on the substrate 10 with the probes 126 of the probe card 124. Can be.

In addition, the stage 122 may be provided with lift pins 134 for loading and unloading the substrate 10. The lift pins 134 may be configured to be movable in the vertical direction through the top surface of the stage 122. For example, the stage 122 may be disposed on a transfer plate 136 configured to be movable by the horizontal driver 132, and the lift pins 134 may be disposed on the transfer plate 136. Can be. In this case, the lift pins 134 may be configured to penetrate the stage 122, and the stage 122 may be disposed to be movable in the vertical direction by the vertical driver 138.

As a result, the lift pins 134 may protrude relatively to the upper portion of the stage 122 or may be retracted into the stage 122 by the lowering of the stage 122. That is, the substrate 10 may be placed on the lift pins 134 while the lift pins 134 protrude from the stage 122 by the vertical driver 138, and then the stage 122. The substrate 10 may be loaded on the upper surface of the stage 122 by the rise of.

As described above, the lift pins 134 are fixed in the vertical direction and the stage 122 is moved in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the lift pins 134 are used for loading and unloading the substrate 10. It can also be configured to be driven independently.

Meanwhile, a plurality of vacuum holes 140 for adsorbing the substrate 10 may be provided on an upper surface of the stage 122. The vacuum holes 140 may be connected to the vacuum pump 144 through an air pipe 142 and may adsorb the substrate 10 using a vacuum pressure.

After the substrate 10 is loaded into the stage 122 as described above, the stage 122 opens the test pads 22 of the OLED cells 20 and the probes 126 of the probe card 124. The OLED cells 20 may be raised to be in contact with each other, and an inspection process may be performed on the OLED cells 20 while the OLED cells 20 are electrically connected to the probe card 124.

However, when the substrate 10 is unloaded from the stage 122 after the inspection process is performed as described above, the substrate 10 may not be easily separated from the stage 122 by static electricity. Can be. According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the vacuum in the vacuum holes 140 is released to unload the substrate 10 from the stage 122, air ionized into the vacuum holes 140. And / or ionizer 146 for providing an inert gas.

For example, the ionizer 146 may be connected to the air line 142 via a valve 148, for example a three-way valve. The ionizer 146 may be disposed in the test chamber 102, and ionizes air and / or an inert gas in the vacuum chamber 102 when the vacuum is released to the vacuum holes 140. can do. Alternatively, however, the ionizer 146 may be disposed outside the vacuum chamber 102, in which case the ionizer 146 may be a separate gas source for supplying purified air or an inert gas. Can be connected to

On the other hand, the stage 122 may be provided with a heater 150 for adjusting the temperature of the OLED cells 20. The heater 150 may be used to adjust the temperature of the OLED cells 20 during the inspection process of the OLED cells 20. As an example, the heater 150 may be built in the stage 122 and may be configured using an electric resistance heating wire or the like.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view for explaining the probe card shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 9 is a schematic side view for explaining the probe card shown in FIG. 3.

8 and 9, the probe card 124 may have a plurality of probes 126 configured to contact the test pads 22 of the OLED cells 20 formed on the substrate 10. have. In this case, the OLED cells 20 may be disposed to have a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and the probes 126 of the probe card 124 are one row in the row direction or the column direction of the OLED cells 20. Alternatively, they may be arranged in a line so as to be in contact with the OLED cells 20 in a row at the same time.

The probe card 124 also has an opening 128 extending in parallel with the direction in which the probes 126 are arranged so that the OLED cells 20 in contact with the probes 126 can be observed from above. Can have

However, unlike the above, although not shown, the probe card 124 may have two rows of probes arranged parallel to each other on both sides of the opening 128. In this case, two rows of OLED cells 20 among the OLED cells 20 formed on the substrate 10 may be in contact with the two rows of probes at the same time. In addition, although the probe card 124 has probes 126 and one opening 128 arranged in a row, the probe card 124 is arranged in a plurality of rows. It may have a plurality of openings for observing the probes and the OLED cells 20 in contact with the probes.

Although not shown, a plurality of contact pads (not shown) may be provided on an upper surface of the probe card 124, and the probes 126 may be provided with a pogo block configured to contact the contact pads. It may be connected to the inspection unit 152 (see FIG. 3) for applying an inspection signal to the OLED cells 20. However, since the electrical connection method between the probe card 124 and the inspection unit 152 may be changed in various ways, the present invention is provided by the electrical connection method between the probe card 124 and the inspection unit 152. The scope of will not be limited.

Referring back to FIG. 3, a probe card accommodating part 154 may be provided at one side of the test chamber 102 to accommodate the plurality of probe cards 124.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view for explaining the probe card storage unit shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 11 is a schematic front view for explaining the probe card transfer unit for transferring the probe card from the probe card storage unit shown in FIG. 3. . 12 and 13 are schematic plan views for explaining a clamping unit for holding a probe card conveyed by the probe card conveying unit shown in FIG.

10 and 11, the probe card accommodating part 154 may include a probe card cassette 156 for accommodating the probe cards 124. The probe card cassette 156 may be provided in the probe card cassette 156. The probe cards 124 may be stored in a multi-layered manner. In this case, a plurality of support members 158 or slots for supporting the probe cards 124 may be provided at both side surfaces of the probe card cassette 156.

The probe card cassette 156 may be configured to be movable in a vertical direction, and one of the probe cards 124 may be selected. In particular, the probe card transfer unit 160 for selecting and transferring one of the probe cards 124 and the probe card 124 transferred by the probe card transfer unit 160 may be disposed in the test chamber 102. The clamping unit 172 for fixing may be arranged.

The probe card cassette 156 may be configured to be movable in the vertical direction by the vertical driver 159, and one of the probe cards 124 may be selected by the vertical driver 159. In detail, the vertical driver 159 may move the probe card cassette 156 in the vertical direction so that one of the probe cards 124 is positioned at a selected position, and the probe card transfer unit 160 may The selected probe card 124 may be withdrawn from the probe card cassette 156 at a selected position. On the contrary, the probe card 124 may be stored in the probe card cassette 156 at the selected position.

The probe card transfer unit 160 vertically moves a horizontal transfer unit 162 for transferring the probe card 124 positioned at the selected position in the horizontal direction by the vertical drive unit 159 and the selected probe card 124 vertically. It may include a vertical conveying unit 164 for conveying in the direction. The vertical transfer unit 164 is disposed on the support plate 166 and the support plate 166 to move the support pins 168 and the support plate 166 in the vertical direction to support the probe card 124. It may include a driving unit 170 to make. In addition, the horizontal transfer unit 162 may be configured to move the vertical transfer unit 164 in the horizontal direction.

The driving unit 170 of the vertical transfer unit 164 may be configured using a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, but in addition to this can be configured in various forms, by the configuration of the drive unit 170 of the vertical transfer unit 164 itself. The scope of the present invention will not be limited. In addition, the horizontal transfer unit 162 may be configured by using a linear motion mechanism including a conventional guide member and a motor and a ball screw. However, the configuration of the horizontal transfer unit 162 may also be variously changed, thereby not limiting the scope of the present invention.

The horizontal transfer unit 162 may move the vertical transfer unit 164 below the selected probe card 124 so as to transfer the selected probe card 124, and then support plate of the vertical transfer unit 164. The selected probe card 124 can be unloaded from the probe card cassette 156 by the rise of 166. Subsequently, the horizontal transfer unit 162 may move the probe card 124 under the clamping unit 172.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the probe card cassette 156 is provided inside the test chamber 102, but the probe card cassette 156 may be disposed outside the test chamber 102. . In this case, a separate chamber (not shown) in which the probe card cassette 156 is disposed may be provided at one side of the test chamber 102, and the probe may be between the test chamber 102 and the separate chamber. A door for transferring the card 124 may be provided.

8 and 9, clamping slots 130 configured to be coupled to the clamping unit 172 may be provided at the side of the probe card 124. Each of the slots 130 may include an upper slot 130A extending in a vertical direction and a lower slot 130B extending downward to have a predetermined inclination angle from a lower portion of the upper slot 130A. In this case, the lower slot 130B may extend in a substantially horizontal direction.

12 and 13, the clamping unit 172 moves the clamping pins 174 and the clamping pins 174 which are coupled to the clamping slots 130 of the probe card 124 in the horizontal direction. It may include a horizontal drive unit 176 for. That is, when the probe card 124 is moved upward by the vertical transfer unit 164, the clamping pins 174 may be inserted into the first upper slots 130A, and then the clamping pins 174. When the horizontal driving unit 176 is moved in the horizontal direction, the probe card 124 may be fixed by the clamping unit 172.

Although not shown in detail, rollers (not shown) may be mounted at ends of the clamping pins 174 so that the clamping pins 174 may be easily moved along the clamping slot 130. In addition, a mounting frame 178 is additionally provided to restrict the probe card 124 from moving in the direction of movement of the clamping pins 174 while the probe card 124 is gripped by the clamping unit 172. Can be. On the other hand, as shown, although two pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders are used as the drive unit 176, the configuration of the drive unit 176 can be variously changed, the present invention by the configuration of the drive unit 176 itself The scope of will not be limited.

Subsequently, an inspection signal may be applied to the OLED cells 20 through the probes 126, and various characteristics of the OLED cells 20 to which the inspection signal is applied may be inspected.

For example, electrical inspection and optical inspection may be performed on the OLED cells 20. As an example, as an electrical test, the test unit 152 may measure resistance, current, voltage, etc. of the OLED cells 20. In addition, for the optical inspection, the inspection apparatus 100 may include an optical inspection unit 180, although not shown in detail, the optical inspection unit 180 may measure an image quality of the OLED cells 20. A color camera, a spectrometer for measuring color coordinates, an ellipsometer for measuring the thickness of the OLED cells 20, for example, an organic light emitting layer thickness, and an appearance inspection of the OLED cells 20 It may include a vision camera for.

The electrical inspection may be performed sequentially or simultaneously on a row of OLED cells 20 in contact with the probes 126, and the optical inspection may be performed sequentially on the array of OLED cells 20. Can be. To this end, the optical inspection unit 180 for the optical inspection may be configured to be movable in the direction in which the array of OLED cells 20 are arranged on the probe card 124. That is, the optical inspection may be sequentially performed on the OLED cells 20 observed through the opening 128 of the probe card 124.

After the electrical inspection and the optical inspection of the OLED cells 20 as described above are completed, the substrate 10 may be transferred from the inspection chamber 102 to the second process chamber 50. Specifically, the substrate 10 may be reversed by the substrate handling robot 110, and then the second process for the encapsulation process by the substrate transfer robot 46 via the transfer chamber 44. May be transferred to the chamber 50.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, the front surface of the substrate 10 on which the OLED cells 20 are formed is disposed to face upward, that is, the probe card 124 is disposed on the substrate 10. The inspection processes are performed in a state of being disposed on an upper portion of the substrate, but in contrast, the front surface of the substrate 10 is disposed downward, that is, the probe card 124 is disposed below the substrate 10. Inspection processes may also be performed in the state. In this case, the stage 122 may be disposed above the probe card 124 and may adsorb the rear surface of the substrate 10 using vacuum holes. In addition, the optical inspection unit 180 may be disposed under the probe card 124. In particular, the substrate handling robot 110 does not need to invert the substrate 10, but merely performs a function of transferring the substrate 10 between the substrate transfer robot 46 and the stage 122. Can be.

According to the embodiments of the present invention as described above, in the manufacturing process of the OLED cells 20, the electrical process and the optical inspection process cell process for forming the OLED cells 20 and the OLED cells 20 By performing in an inline manner between the encapsulation processes for encapsulating the OLEDs, the defective rate of the OLED cells 20 can be greatly reduced, and subsequent processes for the OLED cells 20 determined to be defective can be omitted. The manufacturing cost of 20 can be greatly reduced.

In particular, when unloading the substrate 10 from the stage 122, the unloading of the substrate 10 is performed by providing ionized air and / or an inert gas through the vacuum holes 140 of the stage 122. It can be done easily.

In addition, by configuring the probe card cassette 156 accommodating the plurality of probe cards 124 and the probe card 124 corresponding to the test target substrate from the probe cards 124 can be selected and used, various displays The time required to replace the probe card 124 for inspection of the cells can be greatly shortened.

In addition, since the plurality of OLED cells 20 can perform both electrical and optical inspection processes in contact with the probes 126 of the probe card 124, the inspection efficiency of the OLED cells 20 is greatly improved. The manufacturing cost of the OLED cells 20 can be further reduced since there is no need to provide a separate inspection device compared to the prior art.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

10: substrate 20: OLED cell
22: test pad 30: OLED manufacturing apparatus
40,50: first and second process chamber 44: transfer chamber
46: substrate transfer robot 100: OLED inspection device
102: test chamber 110: substrate handling robot
122: stage 124: probe card
126: probe 134: lift pin
140: vacuum hole 146: ionizer
150: heater 152: inspection unit
154: probe card housing 156: probe card cassette
160: probe card transfer unit 172: clamping unit
180: optical inspection unit

Claims (11)

A stage supporting a substrate on which a plurality of display cells are formed and having a plurality of vacuum holes for adsorbing the substrate;
A probe card disposed to face the stage and having a plurality of probes configured to be in contact with test pads of the display cells, respectively;
An inspection unit connected to the probe card to apply an inspection signal to the display cells through the probes and inspect electrical characteristics of the display cells; And
An ionizer connected to the vacuum holes of the stage and providing ionized air or an inert gas into the vacuum holes when releasing the vacuum inside the vacuum holes to unload the substrate from the stage. An apparatus for inspecting display cells. The display cell of claim 1, further comprising a test chamber connected to a transfer chamber connected to a process chamber for forming the display cells and providing a space for performing a test process on the display cells. Device for inspection. The method of claim 2, wherein the substrate is transferred to the inspection chamber by a substrate transfer robot disposed in the transfer chamber,
And a substrate handling robot for loading the substrate on the stage within the inspection chamber. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the substrate handling robot grips the substrate, inverts the substrate up and down, and then loads the substrate onto the stage. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a fan filter unit is disposed above the test chamber to supply an inert gas into the test chamber. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stage is provided with a heater for adjusting the temperature of the display cells. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a probe card accommodating part in which a plurality of probe cards are stored, wherein the probe card is one selected from the plurality of probe cards. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display cells are arranged to have a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns on the substrate, and the probes of the probe card are in contact with at least one row of display cells in a row direction or a column direction of the display cells. Apparatus for inspecting display cells, arranged in a line as possible. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the probe card has an opening extending parallel to the direction in which the probes are placed to observe display cells in contact with the probes. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an optical inspection section for optically inspecting the display cells viewed through the opening. The optical inspection unit of claim 10, wherein the optical inspection unit comprises a color camera for measuring the image quality of the display cells, a spectrometer for measuring the color coordinates of the display cells, an ellipsometer for measuring the thin film thickness of the display cells, and the At least one selected from the group consisting of vision cameras for visual inspection of display cells.

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