KR20180049635A - An Apparatus for Testing Optical Properties and Reliabilities of Photonic Devices with a Structure of a Plural of Magazines - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting the characteristic of an optical device with a structure of multiple magazines, and more particularly, to an apparatus for inspecting a characteristic of an optical device of a structure of multiple magazines, capable of inspecting the characteristics of various optical devices by a grip structure accessible to the multiple magazines. The apparatus for inspecting the reliability and characteristic of an optical device with a structure of multiple magazines includes: a plurality of substrate magazines (11a-11n) including measurement slots in which a plurality of inspection substrates are stored, respectively; a robot arm (12) accessible to each of the magazines (11a-11n); a grip unit (13) coupled to the robot arm (12) to grip the inspection substrate of a different measurement slot of each of the magazines (11a-11n); and a driving module (14) for the movement of the robot arm (12). Accordingly, the present invention can improve inspection efficiency.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a multi-magazine structure optical device reliability and characteristics inspection apparatus,

The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting an optical device characteristic of a multiple magazine structure, and more particularly to an apparatus for inspecting an optical device characteristic of a multiple magazine structure capable of inspecting characteristics of various optical devices by a grip structure accessible to a plurality of magazines.

Optical devices such as LEDs, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), laser diodes (LDs) or photodiodes (PDs) may exhibit aging properties or various electro-optical properties It needs to be tested. In general, optical element testing can be done by a process in which each characteristic is tested separately and manually or automated for multiple samples.

In the case of LEDs and laser diodes (LD), which have entered mass production, their characteristics and reliability evaluation methods are relatively well established. However, in the case of organic light emitting diodes (OLED) Standard processes and methods for the evaluation of reliability have not been established yet. In particular, the development and improvement of the characteristics and life span of the organic materials constituting the light emitting layer are continuously being carried out. In the development of such an organic luminescent material, it is common to prepare a sample in which a plurality of (usually four) luminescent pixels called so-called TEG (Test Element Group) chips are formed in order to examine the electrooptical characteristics and deterioration characteristics. Since the light emitting material is composed of three kinds of red, green, and blue (R, G, and B), it is necessary to input a lot of time and manpower because several hundred TEG chips are manufactured and evaluated for each material development. The present invention can be applied to the evaluation of the characteristics and life of the overall optical device, but is a technique that can be effectively applied to the evaluation of the TEG chip for such an organic light emitting diode. However, the present invention can be applied not only to the evaluation of a TEG chip for evaluating an organic light emitting diode but also to a panel evaluation in the production of an actual organic light emitting diode product, and it can be applied to other types of optical devices such as LED and LD.

Prior art related to inspection of optical devices is Patent Publication No. 2013-0023422 'LED Test System and LED Test Method'. The prior art includes a heater portion for changing the LED temperature; A temperature measuring part for measuring a temperature of the LED changed by the heater part; And a quality tester part for testing the quality of the LED, wherein the heater comprises a heating plate installed in a heating zone provided with a predetermined cover and contacting the lower surface of the LED to heat or heat the LED, The temperature measuring part is a thermal camera capable of transmitting data in real time with a wavelength band of 7.4 mu m, a temperature resolving power of 0.03 DEG C to 30 DEG C and a frame rate of 50 to 60 Hz, And the integrating sphere detects the light emitted from the LED by the photodetector provided on the inner surface of the integrating sphere and outputs the light intensity, , A spectral distribution or a color temperature, and the LED is a silicon dome And the test is performed in a state that the test pattern is removed.

Another prior art related to the inspection of optical devices is Patent Literature No. 2011-0003054 entitled " LED fatigue test system ". The prior art includes a slide device that is slanted so that the LEDs are sequentially transferred; Heating means for applying heat to the LED; An inspection device for performing a lighting test on the LEDs exposed to heat; A classification device for classifying normal or defective according to the test result; And an LED fatigue test system comprising a control device.

The optical element is placed in a jig and stored in a space in which a predetermined condition is set, and periodically discharged to the outside to test the change in characteristics. A plurality of optical elements may be set to the same or different conditions, and it is advantageous that the optical elements are periodically inspected simultaneously. However, the prior art does not disclose a device having such a structure.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art and has the following purpose.

Prior Art 1: Patent Publication No. 2013-0023422 (published by APTEC Co., Ltd., Mar. 08, 2013) LED test system and LED test method Prior Art 2: Patent Publication No. 2011-0003054 (Halla Precision Engineering Co., Ltd., published on January 11, 2011) LED fatigue test system

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical device reliability and characteristic inspection device having a plurality of magazine structures for efficiently inspecting characteristics of optical devices by discharging a plurality of optical elements stored for reliability test in a space set to the same or different environmental conditions, .

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an optical device reliability and characteristic inspection apparatus of a multiple magazine structure includes: a plurality of substrate magazines each having a measurement slot in which a plurality of test substrates are stored; A robot arm accessible to each magazine; A grip unit coupled to the robot arm to grip inspection substrates of different measurement slots of respective magazines; And a drive module for movement of the robot arm.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the grip unit includes a fixed needle coupled to a fixing hole formed in the test substrate.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inspection boards are arranged vertically in the magazine, and the robot arms include an induction guide and a moving member which are arranged in the same plane and extend in different directions.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, each magazine is rotatable about a rotation adjusting axis perpendicular to the plane, enabling electrical signal and temperature addition to the optical element, and a direction detecting unit .

The apparatus according to the present invention has an advantage that the inspection efficiency is improved by allowing the characteristic test of the optical device to be performed in a continuous process. The device according to the invention has the advantage that the inspection reliability is improved by fixing the optical element to the element tray and connecting the element tray to the inspection test module. In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention can solve the problems such as contamination or property change occurring in the process of moving the test sample because the deterioration test and the optical characteristic test are separated from the conventional reliability evaluation test of the optical device. If necessary, the measurement area and the control program may be installed so that the measurement area can be used independently of the magazine area. This can significantly improve the efficiency of use of the apparatus for the purpose of enabling measurement of the electro-optical characteristics independently of aging by mounting a plurality of samples in an area for measuring a sample even when the sample is mounted on the magazine and aging. In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention makes it possible to standardize the inspection by not relying on the skill of the operator in the test process.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
2 shows an embodiment of a magazine and a grip unit applied to a testing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process of moving the test substrate in each magazine in the testing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a structure in which a test board is moved to an inspection position in an inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
5A and 5B illustrate an example of a process of inspecting the inspection jig in the inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, so that they will not be described repeatedly unless necessary for an understanding of the invention, and the known components will be briefly described or omitted. However, It should not be understood as being excluded from the embodiment of Fig.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the optical device characteristic inspection apparatus includes a plurality of substrate magazines 11a to 11n each having a measurement slot for storing a plurality of inspection substrates; A robot arm 12 capable of accessing each of the magazines 11a to 11n; A grip unit (13) coupled to the robot arm (12) to grip inspection substrates of different measurement slots of each magazine (11a - 11n); And a drive module 14 for movement of the robot arm 12.

The inspection apparatus 10 according to the present invention can be applied to any optical device characteristic test including an optical device such as an LED, an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a laser diode (LD) or a photodiode (PD). Further, in the inspection apparatus according to the present invention, any test related to the optical element including the aging test, the electric characteristic test and the optical characteristic test can be carried out, and the present invention is not limited to the kind of test. Each test can be carried out according to methods known in the art or appropriately according to the structure of the inspection apparatus according to the present invention. In addition, the testing apparatus according to the present invention allows testing to proceed in real time. Specifically, for example, a sample may be prepared for testing of an organic light emitting device. The prepared samples can be continuously supplied with electric power, and the lifetime can be evaluated by measuring changes in electrical characteristics in real time. Also, a hot air structure or a heating plate capable of controlling the temperature can be provided according to the needs of the substrate magazines 11a to 11n so that the inspection temperature can be adjusted while supplying current. Thereafter, the optical characteristics are tested again in the optical inspection apparatus, and the deterioration test can be again performed if necessary. According to the present invention, such a series of processes proceeds continuously for a plurality of samples, and can be automatically controlled. Various properties can be tested for the various optical elements in the same or similar manner and in different ways as required.

A plurality of substrate magazines 11a to 11n may be arranged at regular intervals along the circumference, for example, and may be arranged along a semicircular shape. A plurality of measurement slots may be formed in each of the substrate magazines 11a to 11n so that a test board on which the test jig is fixed may be disposed. Each of the substrate magazines 11a to 11n may be rotatably arranged and arranged to be movable along the circumferential direction along the regulation rail TR. The measurement slots can be arranged in a vertical direction, and the test substrates arranged in each measurement slot can be inserted or discharged in a sliding manner into the measurement slots. A robot arm 12 may be provided for ejecting or inserting the test substrate in the measurement slot. The robot arm 12 can be constructed so as to be accessible to the respective magazines 11a to 11n, and a conveyance guide which can be moved in a linear direction can be provided for this purpose. The grip unit 13 can be disposed on the robot arm 12 which is accessible to each of the magazines 11a to 11n. The grip unit 13 can approach each measurement slot formed in each magazine 11a to 11n to grasp and discharge or insert the test substrate. The inspection substrate discharged from the measurement slot can be moved to the inspection area IA. The optical element can be placed in a test jig coupled to the test substrate and optical properties such as luminance inspection can be performed on the optical element in the inspection area. When the optical characteristic inspection is completed, the inspection board can be moved to the magazines 11a to 11n by the robot arm 12 and disposed at a predetermined position of the measurement slot.

The robot arm 12 needs to be made rotatable in order to be able to move along the XYZ-axis and at the same time approach the different magazines 11a-11b arranged along the circumferential direction. A drive module 14 for up-and-down movement or Z-axis movement and rotational movement of the robot arm 12 can be disposed. Or the robot arm 12 can be moved along the XY-axis direction by the drive module 12. [ The drive module 14 may be provided with a Z-axis guide, and a rotary shaft may be installed. The driving module 14 can be made in various structures and the robot arm 12 or the grip unit 13 can be moved to the respective measuring slots 11a to 11n arranged in the respective magazines 11a to 11n by the operation of the driving module 14. [ Lt; / RTI > The driving module 14 can be controlled to be operated by the control unit 15 and the control unit 15 can control the position of the grip unit 13 while controlling the inspection process at the same time. The test result can be stored, or the test result can be analyzed and transmitted to the designated place. The control unit 15 may comprise suitable software or hardware for various inspectors and the drive module 14 may be made of a suitable structure for controlling the movement of the robot arm 12. [

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of the magazine 11a and the grip unit 13 applied to the inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of measurement slots SL may be disposed in a direction perpendicular to the magazine 11a, and inspection substrates DP1 to DPm may be disposed in each measurement slot SL. The inspection substrates DP1 to DPm may be plate-shaped, and each measurement slot SL may be in the shape of a pair of linear members disposed along the inner wall surface of the magazine 11a so as to face each other. A sliding groove may be formed in each of the linear members. The magazine 11a can be formed of a box-shaped receiving housing 21 with one side opened and the receiving housing 21 can be coupled to the mounting frame 22 in a structure rotatable by the rotation adjusting shaft 23 have.

Referring to FIG. 2 (B), the inspection board DPk can be moved to the inspection area by the robot arm 12 in the measurement slot SL. One side of the inspection board DPk can be exposed to the outside of the magazine 11a and can be gripped by the grip unit 13. The grip unit 13 is linearly moved along the robot arm 12, DPk may be discharged from the magazine 11a or disposed in the magazine 11a. Alternatively, the robot arm 12 may be moved to move the grip unit 13 to move the test substrate DPk.

The robot arm 12 or the grip unit 13 can be made into various structures for linear movement of the inspection substrate DPk and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process of moving the test substrate in each magazine in the testing apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, rotation adjusting shafts 231 and 232 may be disposed on the upper frame 222 and the lower frame 223, which are disposed above and below the fixed frame 221, respectively. The receiving housing 21 is coupled to the upper frame 222 and the lower frame 223 by the rotation adjusting shafts 231 and 232 so as to be rotatable in any direction and angle by the rotation adjusting shafts 231 and 232 . The direction detecting unit 24 may be disposed at the front side of the magazine 11a or at another suitable position so that the direction in which the open portion of the magazine 11a faces can be detected. The direction detected by the direction detection unit 24 can be transmitted to the control unit or the drive module, and the direction of movement of the robot arm based thereon is determined. The inspection board DP can be moved to a tester installed in the inspection area by the robot arm and the grip unit and the optical device fixed to the inspection jig DJ in the tester can be inspected. The inspection position setting unit 31 may be arranged in the inspection area. When the inspection substrate DP is located in the inspection position setting unit 31, the position of the inspection substrate DP can be confirmed by the position detection unit 34. [ And the inspection position can be accurately set by the position adjustment unit 32. [ The position adjustment unit 32 can be operated, for example, by an adjustment drive unit 33 for linear movement or tilt adjustment. The characteristics of the optical device can be inspected by the measuring unit 35 disposed at various positions, and the change in luminance of the optical device according to the deterioration level can be measured, for example, by the luminance measuring unit.

The inspection of the optical element can be performed with the test substrate DP bonded to the grip unit or in a separated state.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a structure in which a test board is moved to an inspection position in an inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

4, the robot arm 12 includes a support member 411 extending linearly for movement of the test substrate DPk in one direction, an induction guide 412 coupled to the support member 411, And a sliding rail 413 formed on the base 412. The robot arm 12 includes a connecting member 422 extending in two directions for moving the test substrate DPk in two directions; And a moving member 42 arranged to be movable along the connecting member 422 while extending in the same direction as the connecting member 422. The connecting member 422 can be made to be movable in three directions by being coupled to upper and lower guide members (not shown). A moving bracket 421 movably coupled along the moving member 42 can be disposed in front of the moving member 42 and the grip unit 13 can be coupled to the moving bracket 421. [

The grip unit 13 includes a support block 44 which is coupled to the movement bracket 421 and is L-shaped; A coupling block 43 disposed above the support block 44; A block moving unit 441 such as a moving cylinder disposed on the L-shaped bottom surface of the support block 44; And a fixing needle 431 formed on the lower surface of the coupling block 43. [

The grip unit 13 can be moved along the guide 412 in the direction of the magazine 11a and can be positioned in front of the test board DPk disposed in the measurement slot of the magazine 11a. The position of the fixing needle 431 is adjusted by the adjusting guide 451 coupled to the L-shaped vertical wall of the supporting block 44 and the fixing needle 431 is positioned in the fixing hole formed in the inspection board DPk can do. The fixing block 431 is moved downward by the block moving unit 441 and the fixing needle 431 is inserted into the fixing hole so that the test board DPk can be coupled to the grip unit 13. [ In this state, the moving bracket 421 can be moved so that one edge of the inspection board DPk is inserted into the sliding rail 413. [ The grip unit 13 can then move the guide 412 to move the test substrate DPk to the inspection area. The optical element placed in the inspection jig (DJ) can then be inspected by the measuring instrument. When the inspection is completed, the inspection substrate DPk can be placed again in the measurement slot of the magazine 11a by a process that is reverse to that described above.

In the illustrated embodiment, the grip unit 13 can be moved with the moving member 42 or independently of the moving member 42, and the present invention is not limited by the moving structure of the grip unit 13.

5A and 5B illustrate an example of a process of inspecting the inspection jig in the inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a method of inspecting an optical device includes the steps of: detecting a position of a test substrate DP on which a plurality of magazines are placed; A step P52 of operating the drive module 14 to determine the position of the robot arm 12 to which the grip unit 13 is coupled; A step P53 in which the determined robot arm 12 is moved; A step P54 of moving the grip unit 13 along the robot arm 12; A step P55 of fixing and confirming the substrate DP to the grip unit 13; The step (P56) in which the grip unit (13) is moved to the inspection position; And a step P57 in which the inspection jig is aligned at the inspection position.

The plurality of magazines may be located in different directions A, B, and C, respectively, and the direction of the magazine on which the substrate DP to be inspected is disposed may be detected. Then, the XYZ-coordinate of the substrate to be inspected can be determined (P51). When the direction of the inspection substrate DP is determined (P51), the driving module 14 is operated and the position of the robot arm 12 can be determined. The robot arm 12 includes a vertical movement block 52 which can move up and down with respect to the drive module 14; A path member 511 extending in a direction perpendicular to the vertical movement block 52; An induction member 512 extending in the same direction as the path member 511; And a grip moving bracket 513 formed on the guide member 512. One of the gripping brackets 513 is coupled to the grip unit 13 so that the grip unit 13 can be rotated along the rotation axis 51 of the drive module 14, .

By the operation of the drive module 14, the grip unit 13 can be moved in the determined direction and XYZ-coordinate (P53). The test substrate DP can be coupled to the grip unit 13 (P54) by fixing the fixed needle formed on the grip unit 13 to the fixing holes NH1 and NH2 formed on the test substrate DP. Then, whether or not the test board DP is fixed can be confirmed (P55). If the test board DP is not stably fixed, the movement of the grip unit 13 can be adjusted (P54). On the other hand, if the inspection substrate DP is stably fixed to the grip unit 13, the inspection substrate DP can be moved to the inspection position by the grip unit 13 (P56). When the alignment state of the test jig (DJ) is checked in the inspection region, the optical device characteristics disposed in the inspection jig (DJ) can be inspected.

The inspection apparatus according to the present invention can be operated in various ways and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The apparatus according to the present invention has an advantage that the inspection efficiency is improved by allowing the characteristic test of the optical device to be performed in a continuous process. The device according to the invention has the advantage that the inspection reliability is improved by fixing the optical element to the element tray and connecting the element tray to the inspection test module. In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention can solve the problems such as contamination or property change occurring in the process of moving the test sample because the deterioration test and the optical characteristic test are separated from the conventional reliability evaluation test of the optical device. In addition, the apparatus according to the present invention makes it possible to standardize the inspection by not relying on the skill of the operator in the test process.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . The invention is not limited by these variations and modifications, but is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11n: substrate magazines, magazines
12: Robot arm 13: Grip unit
14: drive module 15: control unit
21: receiving housing 22: mounting frame
23: rotation regulating shaft 24: direction detecting unit
31: inspection position setting unit 32: position adjustment unit
33: regulating drive unit 34: position detecting unit
35: measuring unit 42: moving member
43: coupling block 44: support block
51: rotation axis 52: vertical movement block
221: fixed frame 222: upper frame
223: Lower frame 231, 232:
411: Support member 412: Induction guide
413: sliding rail 421: moving bracket
422: connecting member 431: fixed needle
441: block moving unit 451: adjusting guide
511: path member 512: guide member
513: Grip movement bracket DJ: Inspection jig
DP, DP1, DPm, DPk: Test board IA: Inspection area
NH1, NH2: Fixed hole SL: Measuring slot
TR: Adjustable rail

Claims (4)

An optical device reliability and characteristic inspection apparatus,
A plurality of substrate magazines 11a to 11n each having a measurement slot in which a plurality of test substrates are stored;
A robot arm 12 capable of accessing each of the magazines 11a to 11n;
A grip unit (13) coupled to the robot arm (12) to grip inspection substrates of different measurement slots of each magazine (11a - 11n); And
And a drive module (14) for movement of the robot arm (12). The optical device reliability and characteristic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip unit (13) includes a fixed needle (431) coupled to fixing holes (NH1, NH2) formed on an inspection substrate (DP). The robot arm (12) according to claim 1, wherein the inspection boards (DP) are arranged vertically in the magazines (11a to 11n), and the robot arm (12) includes an inductive guide (412) And the optical device reliability and characteristics inspection device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the magazines (11a to 11n) is rotatable about a rotation regulating shaft (23) perpendicular to the plane so as to enable electrical signal and temperature addition to the optical element, To 11n) is provided with a direction detecting unit (24).

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