KR20220088055A - Chuck cleaning apparatus, chuck cleaning metohd and inkjet print system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a chuck cleaning apparatus, a chuck cleaning method using the same, and an inkjet printing system. A chuck cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an intake portion having an intake hole connected to an intake pipe, and a cover extending to the intake portion and having a support portion capable of end contact with a chuck capable of supporting a substrate, The intake pipe may form a vacuum pressure in a hollow part formed on the upper portion of the chuck by the cover to suck in dust and dirt to clean the chuck.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a chuck cleaning method using a chuck cleaning apparatus, comprising: (a) moving a chuck capable of supporting a substrate to a cleaning area in a first direction (S10); and (c) cleaning the chuck by forming a vacuum pressure on the chuck to absorb dust and dirt (S30).

Description

A chuck cleaning device, a chuck cleaning method using the same, and an inkjet print system

The present invention relates to a chuck cleaning apparatus, a chuck cleaning method and an inkjet printing system using the same, and more particularly, to a chuck cleaning apparatus for removing contaminants on a chuck, a chuck cleaning method and an inkjet printing system using the same.

Inkjet technology is a non-impact printing technology that can apply droplets in a desired shape to a substrate by spraying ink through a micro-sized nozzle. As inkjet technology develops, it is not only the case of printing type on paper, but also the manufacturing process of display devices, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), solar cells, sensors, etc. by forming or patterning thin films of complex shapes. It is used in various fields such as

Unlike general type and graphic printing, in the case of electronic devices, it is important to apply uniformly to a desired film thickness on a substrate. If the substrate on which the film is to be formed as well as the chuck supporting the substrate is contaminated with foreign substances, printing defects such as mura are caused. .

In the conventional inkjet printing system, when the chuck is contaminated by foreign substances, the operator has to manually remove the foreign substances. This conventional method not only delays the maintenance time for a long time, but also lowers the inkjet printing production yield, and has problems in that the cleaning efficiency is also lowered.

Korean Patent Publication (Registration Publication No. 10-1981059, "Non-contact nozzle cleaning apparatus and inkjet print head maintenance system having the same") discloses a non-contact air suction unit capable of non-contact cleaning of nozzles through suction air, but A method for cleaning the chuck is not disclosed.

Korean Registration Publication No. 10-1981059 (Announcement Date: 2019.05.22.)

The present invention was devised to solve the problems of the conventional chuck cleaning method, and relates to a chuck cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning contaminants on a chuck in a non-contact manner, a chuck cleaning method using the same, and an inkjet printing system.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a chuck cleaning apparatus.

A chuck cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an intake portion having an intake hole connected to an intake pipe, and a cover extending to the intake portion and having a support portion capable of end contact with a chuck capable of supporting a substrate, The intake pipe may form a vacuum pressure in a hollow part formed on the upper portion of the chuck by the cover to suck in dust and dirt to clean the chuck.

According to an embodiment, the cover may make surface contact along an edge of the chuck.

According to an embodiment, the gantry may further include a lifting and lowering driving unit provided to be supported on one end of the gantry and configured to raise and lower the cover in the second direction so that the cover faces the chuck or is spaced apart from the chuck.

According to an embodiment, it may further include a coupler that is seated on the upper portion of the intake unit and supports and fixes the intake pipe that can be drawn into the intake hole to be detachable.

According to an embodiment, the intake pipe may have a corrugated pipe structure made of a flexible material.

According to an embodiment, one end of the intake pipe and the inner end of the support part may have an inclined surface that becomes narrower toward the upper end.

According to an embodiment, the chuck may be a vacuum chuck having pores formed therein, and the pores may selectively communicate with a pressure valve for exhausting gas to an upper portion of the chuck or a pressure reducing valve for sucking in gas.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides an inkjet printing system.

An inkjet printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chuck capable of supporting a substrate and movable in a first direction; a chuck cleaning device supported on a first end of the gantry and capable of cleaning the chuck while moving up and down in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and an inkjet printhead supported by a second end on the gantry, movable in the first direction and a third direction orthogonal to the second direction, and capable of discharging ink to the substrate, wherein the chuck cleaning apparatus includes: It may have the characteristics of at least one of claims 1 to 7.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a chuck cleaning method.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a chuck cleaning method using a chuck cleaning apparatus, comprising: (a) moving a chuck capable of supporting a substrate to a cleaning region in a first direction (S10); and (c) step (S30) of forming a vacuum pressure on the chuck to absorb dust and dirt to clean the chuck.

According to an embodiment, in the (c) step (S30), the gas may be pressurized through the pores formed in the chuck to form an airflow in one direction.

According to an embodiment, the method may further include (b) step (S20) of moving the chuck cleaning apparatus downward in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to face the chuck.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an advantage in that the product yield is increased by effectively removing the chuck foreign material by automating the chuck cleaning by the chuck cleaning device.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by automating the chuck cleaning by the chuck cleaning device, there is an advantage in that the time required for the chuck cleaning is shortened and the facility operation rate is improved.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the chuck is a vacuum chuck, there is an advantage in that the strength of the airflow in one direction can be strengthened by the intake method to increase the chuck cleaning power.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the cover can be replaced in proportion to the specification of the chuck in consideration of the usage environment in which the specification of the chuck varies in proportion to the substrate, and the advantage of facilitating detachment of the cover by using a coupler that can be fastened to the intake pipe have.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an inkjet printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view schematically illustrating an inkjet printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3(a) and 3(b) are rear views illustrating an operation relationship of a chuck cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a rear cross-sectional view showing an airflow flow in the chuck cleaning apparatus in FIG. 3B .
5 (a) and 5 (b) are rear views showing the operation relationship of the chuck cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a rear cross-sectional view showing an airflow flow in the chuck cleaning apparatus in FIG. 5( b ).
7 is a view showing a cover seating surface on a chuck according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a chuck cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosed content may be thorough and complete and the spirit of the present invention may be sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when a component is referred to as being on another component, it may be directly formed on the other component or a third component may be interposed therebetween. In addition, in the drawings, the shape and size are exaggerated for effective description of technical content.

Also, in various embodiments of the present specification, terms such as first, second, third, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, what is referred to as a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes a complementary embodiment thereof. In addition, in this specification, 'and/or' is used in the sense of including at least one of the components listed before and after.

In the specification, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, component, or a combination thereof described in the specification exists, and one or more other features, number, step, configuration It should not be construed as excluding the possibility of the presence or addition of elements or combinations thereof. In addition, in this specification, "connection" is used in a meaning including both indirectly connecting a plurality of components and directly connecting a plurality of components.

In addition, in the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related well-known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the first direction refers to the Y axis of the Cartesian coordinate system, the second direction refers to the Z axis of the Cartesian coordinate system, and the third direction refers to the X axis of the Cartesian coordinate system. In this case, the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an inkjet printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing an inkjet printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 (a) and 3(b) are rear views showing the operation relationship of the chuck cleaning apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is the inside of the chuck cleaning apparatus 20 in FIG. 3(b). It is a rear cross-sectional view showing the flow of air flow, FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are rear views showing the operation relationship of the chuck cleaning apparatus 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is FIG. 5 (b) ) is a rear cross-sectional view showing an airflow flow in the chuck cleaning device 20, and FIG. 7 is a view showing the cover seating surface 13 on the chuck 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 7 , in the chuck cleaning apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an airflow is formed by a suction method to remove foreign substances on the chuck 10 in a non-contact manner, and suction and cleaning can be performed. The chuck cleaning device 20 may be supported on a first end 410 of the gantry 40 to be described later. The chuck cleaning device 20 can move up and down in the second direction.

The chuck cleaning apparatus 20 may include the cover 100 , and further include an elevating driving unit 200 , an intake pipe 300 , and a coupler 400 .

Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 6 , the cover 100 may form an arbitrary closed space while surrounding one surface of the chuck 10 . The cover 100 may include an intake part 110 and a support part 120 . The cover 100 may form a hollow part 130 inside the chuck 10 when the end contacts the chuck 10 .

The cover 100 according to an embodiment may be replaced according to the specification of the chuck 10 . Preferably, the length of the cover 100 in the XY direction may vary to correspond to the size of the chuck 10 .

The intake unit 110 may be an intake region that may provide a reduced pressure to form an airflow in a predetermined direction on the chuck 10 . An intake hole 111 may be formed in the intake unit 110 .

The intake hole 111 may be connected while being in communication with an intake pipe 300 to be described later. At least one intake hole 111 may be formed in the intake unit 110 .

The support part 120 may provide a step that forms a frame of the cover 100 and is seated on the chuck upper part. The support part 120 may be provided to extend to the intake part.

The support part 120 may end-contact the chuck 10 . The support part 120 may have a thin end in order to narrow a contact area with the chuck 10 .

The support part 120 according to an embodiment may have an inclined surface 121 at one end in order to maximize the dust collecting effect by the airflow. The support part 120 may be provided such that a boundary surface with the intake part 110 is inclined in the inner direction. The inclined surface 121 may become narrower toward the inner upper end. Due to the inclined surface 121 , the direction of the airflow from the end portion may be toward the intake hole 111 of the intake portion 110 .

Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3 (b), 5 (a), 5 (b), and 7 , the chuck 10 may support the substrate S. According to an embodiment, the chuck 10 may be an electrostatic chuck that supports the substrate S by electrostatic force or a vacuum chuck 11 that supports the substrate S by vacuum decompression.

The chuck 10 may be positionally moved in the first direction. The chuck 10 may be moved to face the lower surface of the chuck cleaning apparatus 20 or the lower surface of the inkjet print head 30 to be described later in the second direction according to the position movement.

The chuck 10 may be replaced according to the specifications of the substrate S.

Referring back to FIG. 7 , the cover seating surface 13 may be provided along the edge of the chuck, and may provide an area capable of making surface contact with the cover 100 .

According to an embodiment, when the chuck 10 is the vacuum chuck 11 , the airflow in the second (+) direction formed by the intake pipe 300 may be strengthened. To this end, when the chuck 10 is a vacuum chuck 11 , pores 11a may be formed in the chuck 10 at arbitrary intervals. The pore 11a may be connected to the pressure-reducing valve 12 or the pressure-reducing valve to selectively communicate with the pressure-reducing valve 12 or the pressure reducing valve.

The pressure valve 12 may open or close the pressure pipe to exhaust gas into the chuck 10 in the (+) second direction.

The pressure reducing valve may open and close the pressure reducing tube so that gas is drawn in and discharged from the inside of the chuck 10 in the (−) second direction to the outside of the chuck 10 .

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3 (a) to 6 , the elevating driving unit 200 may position the cover 100 in the second direction before and after the chuck cleaning process. The elevating driving unit 200 may be a moving shaft that moves while supporting the cover 100 in the second direction.

The elevating driving unit 200 may be provided at the first end 41 of the gantry 40 . The elevating driving unit 200 may move the position of the cover 100 in the second direction by elevating driving. The elevating driving unit 200 may be driven downward so that the cover 100 faces the chuck 10 . The elevating driving unit 200 may be driven upward so that the cover 100 is spaced apart from the chuck 10 .

One end of the elevating driving unit 200 may be fixedly connected to the first end 41 of the gantry 40 , and the other end may be connected to the cover 100 , more specifically, the intake unit 110 .

The elevating driving unit 200 according to an embodiment may be a servo motor capable of precisely moving the position.

A plurality of elevating driving units 200 according to an embodiment may be provided to form a symmetry with each other for stable positional movement.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 3 (b), 5 (a), and 5 (b), the gantry 40 includes the elevating driving unit 200 at the first end 41 and the intake pipe 300. can be fixedly supported, the second end 42 may support the inkjet print head 30 to be described later so as to be movable in the third direction.

The first end 41 may have a different surface from the second end 42 . In addition, since the ink-made print head 30 and the chuck cleaning device 20 are provided to be supported on different surfaces of the gantry 40 , physical interference and collision may not occur.

Referring back to FIGS. 3A to 6 , the intake pipe 300 may be a pipe connected to a suction (not shown) that provides a reduced pressure environment to the hollow part 130 of the cover 100 . Suction (not shown) may be connected to the end of the intake pipe 300 to form an arbitrary air flow in the hollow part 130 to provide reduced pressure. The suction (not shown) may form a vacuum pressure in the hollow part 130 .

The intake pipe 300 may be easily deformed in shape. The intake pipe 300 according to an embodiment may be made of a flexible material. The intake pipe 300 may have a corrugated pipe structure to enable length extension. When the position of the cover 100 is moved, the intake pipe 300 has one end fixed to the cover 100 , so that the intake pipe 300 can be lengthened according to the movement of the cover 100 .

The intake pipe 300 may be interposed between the first end 41 of the gantry 40 and the intake portion 110 of the cover 100 . That is, one end of the intake pipe 300 may be connected to a pressure valve (not shown) of the gantry 40 , and the other end of the intake pipe 300 may be connected to communicate with the intake unit 110 of the cover 100 .

The intake pipe 300 according to an embodiment may have an inclined surface 310 at one end in order to maximize the dust collection effect. That is, the end of the cover 100 side of the intake pipe 300 may be provided to be inclined in the inner direction. The inclined surface 310 may become narrower toward the inner upper end. The intake pipe 300 may be a reducer.

Referring back to FIGS. 3 ( a ) to 6 , the coupler 400 may facilitate the coupling of the cover 100 and the intake pipe 300 when the cover 300 is replaced according to the specification of the chuck 10 . have. The coupler 400 may be provided to be seated on the upper portion of the intake unit 110 of the cover to facilitate detachment of the replaceable cover 100 to correspond to different substrates. The coupler 400 may support and fix the intake pipe 300 detachable from the intake unit 110 .

The coupler 400 may be seated on the intake unit 110 of the cover 100 through a coupler (not shown) to be fastened and fixed. A coupler (not shown) according to an embodiment may be a bolt, but is not limited thereto.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3 ( b ), 5 ( a ), and 5 ( b ), the inkjet print head 30 may discharge ink to the substrate S. The inkjet print head 30 may be movably supported by the second end 41 of the gantry 40 . The inkjet print head 30 may move in the third direction. The inkjet print head 30 may be positioned at a position parallel to the chuck in the first direction while moving in the third direction.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a chuck cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Each step of the chuck cleaning method using the chuck cleaning device 20 will be described in time series with reference to FIG. 8 .

The chuck cleaning method may include moving the chuck to the cleaning zone (a) step (S10) and cleaning the chuck (c) step (S30), and further comprising moving the position of the chuck thinning device (b) step (S20) .

Movement of the chuck to the cleaning zone (a) In step S10 , the chuck capable of supporting the substrate may be moved to the cleaning zone in the first direction. This cleaning zone means that it is positioned parallel to the chuck cleaning device in the second direction.

Position movement of chuck lengthening apparatus (b) In step S20, the chuck cleaning apparatus may be moved downward in the second direction to face the chuck. In the chuck lengthening device position movement (b) step ( S20 ), the cover may be moved in the second direction by the driving force of the elevating driving unit to face the chuck, and the intake pipe may be extended in the second direction.

In the chuck cleaning (c) step ( S30 ), a vacuum pressure is applied to the chuck to suck in dust and dirt to clean the chuck.

In the chuck cleaning (c) step (S30), when an airflow in one direction is formed, the gas may be decompressed through pores formed in the chuck to increase the gas flow to the upper end.

The chuck cleaning method may be selectively performed in parallel with the inkjet printing process by the inkjet printhead.

As mentioned above, although the present invention has been described in detail using preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to specific embodiments and should be construed according to the appended claims. In addition, those skilled in the art should understand that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1: Inkjet printing system
10: chuck 11: vacuum chuck
11a: pore 12: pressure valve
13: cover seating surface
20: chuck cleaning device 100: cover
110: intake unit 111: intake hole
120: support 121: inclined surface
130: hollow
200: elevating driving unit
300: intake pipe 310: slope
400: coupler
30: inkjet print head
40: gantry 41: first end
42: second end
f1: first airflow flow f2: second airflow flow
S: substrate

Claims (11)

A cover having an intake portion having an intake hole connectable to an intake pipe, and a support portion extending to the intake portion and end contacting a chuck capable of supporting a substrate,
and the intake pipe is capable of cleaning the chuck by forming a vacuum pressure in a hollow part formed at an upper portion of the chuck by the cover to suck in dust and dirt.
The method of claim 1,
and the cover is contactable and in surface contact along an edge of the chuck.
The method of claim 1,
The chuck cleaning apparatus further comprising: a support provided at one end of the gantry and configured to raise and lower the cover in a second direction so that the cover faces the chuck or is spaced apart from the chuck.
The method of claim 1,
The chuck cleaning apparatus further comprising: a coupler seated on an upper portion of the intake unit and supporting and fixing the intake pipe that can be drawn into the intake hole so as to be detachably attached.
The method of claim 1,
The intake pipe has a corrugated pipe structure made of a flexible material, the chuck cleaning device.
The method of claim 1,
One end of the intake pipe and the inner end of the support part have an inclined surface that becomes narrower toward the upper end.
The method of claim 1,
The chuck is
It is a vacuum chuck with pores formed,
The pore may selectively communicate with a pressure valve for exhausting gas to the upper portion of the chuck or a pressure reducing valve for intake gas.
a chuck capable of supporting the substrate and movable in a first direction;
a chuck cleaning device supported on a first end of the gantry and capable of cleaning the chuck while moving up and down in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and
an inkjet printhead supported by a second end of the gantry and movable in the first direction and a third direction orthogonal to the second direction, and capable of discharging ink to the substrate;
The chuck cleaning device has at least one of the features of any one of claims 1 to 7, an inkjet print system.
In the chuck cleaning method using the chuck cleaning device,
(a) moving the chuck capable of supporting the substrate to the cleaning zone in the first direction (S10); and
and (c) step (S30) of forming a vacuum pressure in the chuck to suck in dust and dirt to clean the chuck.
10. The method of claim 9,
In (c) step (S30),
A chuck cleaning method capable of forming an airflow in one direction by pressurizing a gas into the pores formed in the chuck.
10. The method of claim 9,
and (b) step (S20) of moving the chuck cleaning device downward in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to face the chuck.

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