TW201437052A - Transferring method and apparatus for plate-shaped object and pattern-forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A transferring method and apparatus for a plate-shaped object and a pattern-forming apparatus are provided. The method well transfers the plate-shaped object held by a first holding tool by supporting an edge portion of a lower surface of the object to a second holding tool. The second holding tool sucks and holds an upper surface of the object above the first holding tool. The method includes descending a first sucking member from a first through holeof the second holding tool, sucking and holding the upper surface of the object, descending a second sucking member from a second through hole at a position different from the first through hole, sucking and holding the object at a different position on the upper surface of the object, rising the first and second sucking members and receding them in the first and second through holes respectively, such that the object is transferred from the first holding tool to the second holding tool.

Description

Plate-shaped conveyance method, conveying device, and pattern forming device Set

The present invention relates to a method and a transport device for transporting a plate-shaped object to be transported to a second holding device by a plate-shaped object to be held by a first holding device, and a pattern forming device equipped with the same.

For example, the invention described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-158799 is known. In the invention described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-158799, a flat blanket is fixed to the upper surface of the lower stage, and the surface on which the pattern is formed faces downward, that is, the front side In the lower state, the relief plate is suction-fixed by the upper stage, and the compressed gas is ejected from the opening provided near the center of the lower stage, and the flat blanket is extruded. In this way, the blanket is pressed into contact with the relief, and the pattern of the relief is transferred to the flat blanket.

In order to hold the relief on the upper stage in this manner, the transfer device such as the transfer robot must transport the relief to the lower side of the upper stage in a face-down state, and then transfer it to the upper stage. Therefore, the robot of the transport robot must support the relief by avoiding the pattern formed on the relief, and thus the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the relief, for example, the peripheral region within the outer peripheral edge 10 [mm], holds the relief. As a result, the central portion of the relief is bent into a conical shape. When the size of the relief is relatively small, the amount of bending of the relief is small, which does not cause a big obstacle to the transfer of the upper stage by the robot of the self-propelled robot, but as the size of the relief increases, the amount of bending also becomes large, which makes it difficult to The letterpress self-transporting robot is well transported to the upper stage. This problem occurs not only when the relief is pressed against the flat blanket but also when the relief pattern is transferred to the flat blanket, and also occurs in the case where the upper stage is attached to the substrate instead of the adsorption. Fix the relief, and place the flat blanket against the substrate to transfer the pattern on the flat blanket to the substrate. In other words, when the plate-shaped object to be transported is transported to the second holding device such as the upper stage, the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is bent by the plate-shaped object to be transported. It is difficult to perform the transfer well.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for conveying a plate-shaped object to be conveyed held by a first holding device in a state of supporting a peripheral portion of a lower surface to a second holding device. The second holding means sucks and holds the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed above the first holding means.

The method of conveying the plate-shaped object to be transported according to the present invention is to convey the plate-shaped object held by the first holding means in a state of supporting the peripheral portion of the lower surface to the second holding means, the second holding means being the first holding means The upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is adsorbed and held thereon, and the method of conveying the plate-shaped object to be conveyed includes a first adsorption step, and the first adsorption member is disposed in the second holding device from the vertical direction. The perforation is lowered, the first adsorption position of the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be held by the first holding means is adsorbed, and the second adsorption step is such that the second adsorption member is moved up and down from a position different from the first through hole. a second through hole that is provided in the second holding member is lowered, and a second adsorption position different from the first adsorption position in the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is adsorbed and held; and a moving step is performed to hold the plate-shaped object to be conveyed The first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are raised and retracted into the first through hole and the second through hole, respectively, so that the plate-shaped object is moved from the first holding device to Second holding devices.

Further, the plate-shaped object conveying device of the present invention transmits the plate-shaped object to be conveyed by the first holding device in a state of supporting the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface to the second holding device, and the second holding device is at the first The upper surface of the transported object is adsorbed and held on the upper side of the holding device, and the transport apparatus for the plate-shaped object is characterized in that the first adsorbing member and the second adsorbing member are configured to adsorb and hold the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be transported. And a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the first adsorption member along the first movement path, the first movement path being disposed through the first through hole of the second holding device penetrating in the up and down direction, and causing the second adsorption member to follow the second Moving path lifting, the second shift The moving path is provided in the second through hole of the second holding device through the vertical direction at a position different from the first through hole; and the lifting mechanism lowers the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, respectively, using the first After the adsorption member and the second adsorption member adsorb and hold the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position which are different from each other in the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed held by the first holding means, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are passed The plated object is moved from the first holding device to the second holding device by rising and retracting into the first through hole and the second through hole.

In the invention (the method of conveying the plate-shaped object to be conveyed and the conveying device), the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is held by the first holding means while being supported by the peripheral portion of the lower surface thereof. Therefore, the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is bent, and the amount of displacement due to the bending differs in each portion of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed. The first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are respectively movable up and down, and the first adsorption member adsorbs and holds the first adsorption position of the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed, and the second adsorption member adsorbs and holds the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed. Second adsorption position. Therefore, it is needless to say that the amount of displacement caused by the bending of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed at the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position is the same, and even if the displacement amounts are different from each other, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption can be utilized. The member adsorbs and holds the plate-shaped object to be conveyed. Further, the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is directly moved from the first holding means to the second holding means in a state of being adsorbed by the first adsorbing member and the second adsorbing member, and is adsorbed and held by the second holding means. The transfer of the plate-like object from the first holding means toward the second holding means is performed in this manner.

Here, in order to adsorb and hold the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position of the plate-shaped object by the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, it is preferable to constitute the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position. Decreasing a distance corresponding to the amount of displacement caused by the bending at the first adsorption position for the first adsorption member, and further, the second adsorption member drops a distance corresponding to the displacement amount caused by the bending at the second adsorption position, and for example, The first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are lifted and lowered to the drive mechanism portion as follows.

The drive mechanism portion may be configured to include: a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member; and the moving member moving up and down in the vertical direction above the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member by the lifting mechanism; The first connecting member connects the moving member and the first adsorbing member to each other, and the first adsorbing member moves up and down together with the moving member, and has a position adjusting function, that is, on the upper surface of the first adsorbing member and the plate-shaped object to be transported When the moving member is further lowered after the contact, the relative position of the first adsorbing member to the moving member is displaced to maintain the height position of the first adsorbing member; and the second connecting member connects the moving member and the second adsorbing member to each other. The second adsorption member moves up and down together with the moving member, and has a position adjustment function, that is, when the moving member is further lowered after the second adsorption member abuts against the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed, the second adsorption member is made to move the member The relative positional displacement maintains the height position of the second adsorbing member.

Further, the conveying device constructed in the above manner can be applied to a pattern forming device which is held by the blanket held on the upper surface of the downloading table and the lower surface of the loading table disposed above the downloading table. The plate-like objects are pressed against each other to form a pattern. In other words, the pattern forming apparatus may include: a transporting device that transports the plate-like object between the loading stage and the downloading stage while supporting the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of the plate-like object before the pattern formation; and the transfer device Plate body The conveying device is conveyed to the loading table; and the conveying device includes: a first adsorption member and a second adsorption member that adsorbs an upper surface of the holding plate object; and a lifting mechanism that moves the first adsorption member along the first movement path, the first a moving path is provided in the first through hole of the loading table through the up-and-down direction, and the second adsorption member is moved up and down along the second moving path, and the second moving path passes the position at a different position from the first through hole a second through hole penetratingly provided in the loading table; the elevating mechanism lowers the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, and adsorbs and holds the plate-like object held by the conveying device by the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, respectively After the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position are different from each other on the surface, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are moved back to the first through hole and the second through hole to raise the plate-like body self-transporting device. Move to the uploading station. By this means, even if the plate-like object before the pattern formation by the conveying means is bent, the plate-like object can be conveyed from the conveying device to the loading table, and the plate-like object before the pattern formation can be favorably sucked and held by the loading table, which is good. Pattern formation is performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member respectively adsorb the mutually different positions of the upper surfaces of the plate-shaped objects, and then the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are raised to form a plate shape. Since the conveyed object is conveyed to the second holding means, the plate-shaped object to be transported can be satisfactorily transferred from the first holding means to the second holding means regardless of whether or not the plate-shaped object is bent.

1‧‧‧ pattern forming device

2‧‧‧Main frame

4‧‧‧Uploading block

6‧‧‧Download block

8‧‧‧Control unit

21‧‧‧ Chassis

22, 23‧‧‧ Uploading table support

27‧‧‧Aligning the camera with precise alignment

40‧‧‧stage assembly

41‧‧‧ Uploading station (second holding device)

41a‧‧‧ Keep the plane

41b‧‧‧Adsorption tank

41c, 625b‧‧‧Adsorption holes

41d‧‧‧through holes

42‧‧‧Rigid frame

43‧‧‧ beam structure

44‧‧‧Upper adsorption unit (conveyor)

45, 46‧‧‧ support column

47, 447, 624, 628, 644‧‧ ‧ lifting mechanism

61‧‧‧ download station

61a‧‧‧Upper surface of the download station

62, 63‧‧‧ Lifting robot unit

64‧‧‧Rotating roller unit

241, 242, 243‧‧ ‧ pre-aligned cameras for substrates

244, 245, 246‧‧ ‧ pre-aligned camera for blanket

421, 422‧‧ ‧ reinforcement ribs

440‧‧‧Drive Department

441‧‧‧Support frame (moving member)

441a‧‧‧Support arm

441b‧‧‧ pillar

441c‧‧‧support plate

442‧‧‧Connected components

442a‧‧‧ Cover

442b‧‧‧ hollow shaft

442c‧‧‧stops

442d‧‧‧Pipe

442e‧‧‧Compressed spring

442f‧‧‧ card stop

443‧‧‧Adsorption pad

444‧‧‧Sliding parts

445, 451, 461, 626, 646, 6211, 6221 ‧ ‧ rails

446‧‧‧floor

481‧‧‧floor

482‧‧‧Uploading platform support mechanism

601‧‧‧ plate-shaped alignment stage

602, 621, 622‧‧ ‧ pillar

603‧‧‧Station support plate

605‧‧‧Aligned to the stage support mechanism

611‧‧‧Open window

612‧‧‧ slot

613‧‧‧stop members

623‧‧‧Sliding base

625‧‧‧manipulator

625a‧‧‧ upper surface of the robot

627‧‧‧Sliding parts

641‧‧‧Transfer roller

642‧‧‧Support frame

643‧‧‧Support roller

644a‧‧‧Base Department

644b‧‧‧ feet

645‧‧‧lower frame

647‧‧‧Mobile agencies

801‧‧‧CPU

802‧‧‧Motor Control Department

803‧‧‧Valve Control Department

804‧‧‧Negative pressure supply department

805‧‧‧Image Processing Department

806‧‧‧Gas Supply Department

AR‧‧‧Active area

BL‧‧‧ blanket

G‧‧‧ interval

H‧‧‧ distance

HB‧‧‧Banded robot

HP‧‧• plate manipulator (first holding device)

HS‧‧‧Machine robot (first holding device)

PP‧‧‧print plate (plate-shaped conveyed object, plate-like object)

PT‧‧‧ coating layer

R1, R2‧‧‧ area

SB‧‧‧ substrate (plate-shaped conveyed material, plate-like object)

SP‧‧ ‧ processing space

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a pattern forming apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pattern forming apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a download station block.

4 is a view showing the structure of a lifting robot unit.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the structure of a transfer roller unit.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the structure of an uploading station assembly.

Fig. 7 is a view showing a lower surface of the loading table.

8(a) and 8(b) are views showing the configuration and operation of a connecting member that connects the suction pad to the support frame.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a pattern forming process.

10(a) to 10(d) are first diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

11(a) to 11(c) are second diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

12(a) and 12(b) are third diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

13(a) to 13(c) are fourth diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

14(a) to 14(c) are fifth diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

15(a) to 15(c) are sixth diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

Fig. 16 is a view showing a positional relationship between a printing plate or a substrate and a blanket.

17(a) to 17(c) are seventh diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a pattern forming apparatus of the present invention. Moreover, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pattern forming apparatus. In addition, in FIG. 1, in order to show the internal structure of a device, the state after the cover is removed is shown. In order to collectively indicate the directions in the respective drawings, as shown in the lower right of FIG. 1, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are set. Here, the XY plane represents a horizontal plane, and the Z axis represents a vertical axis. In more detail, the (+Z) direction indicates a vertical upward direction. The front direction when viewing from the device is the (-Y) direction, and the article accesses the device from the outside along the Y-axis direction, and the access includes loading and unloading.

This pattern forming apparatus 1 has a structure in which an uploading block 4 and a downloading block 6 are attached to a main frame 2. In Fig. 1, in order to clearly show the difference between the blocks, the uploading block 4 is marked with a coarse pitch, and the downloading block 6 is marked with a fine pitch. The pattern forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 8 (FIG. 2) in addition to the above-described members, and the control unit 8 controls each part of the apparatus to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with a processing program stored in advance. The detailed configuration of the uploading block 4 and the downloading block 6 will be described below. First, the overall configuration of the device 1 will be described.

The pattern forming apparatus 1 is a device that performs patterning by causing the blanket BL held by the downloading block 6 to abut against the printing plate PP or the substrate SB held by the loading table 4. The pattern forming process of the apparatus 1 is more specifically described below. First, the printing layer PP-coated coating layer is patterned by patterning the printing plate PP produced corresponding to the pattern to be formed by abutting the blanket BL uniformly coated with the pattern forming material (patterning) deal with). Then, by bringing the blanket BL patterned in this manner into contact with the substrate SB, the pattern loaded by the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB (transfer processing). Thereby, a desired pattern is formed on the substrate SB.

In this manner, the pattern forming apparatus 1 can be used for both the patterning process and the transfer process in the pattern forming process for forming the predetermined pattern on the substrate SB, but it is also possible to perform the process of performing only one of these processes. Way to use.

The downloading block 6 of the pattern forming apparatus 1 is supported by a base frame 21 of the main frame 2. On the other hand, the loading block 4 is erected from the chassis 21 so as to sandwich the downloading block 6 from the X direction, and is attached to a pair of loading table support frames 22 and 23 extending in the Y direction.

Further, a prealignment camera for detecting the position of the substrate SB and the blanket BL carried into the apparatus is attached to the main frame 2. Specifically, the three substrate pre-alignment cameras 241, 242, and 243 are respectively attached to booms that are erected from the loading table support frames 22, 23, and the three substrate pre-alignment cameras 241, 242 243 is for detecting the edge of the substrate SB carried into the apparatus along the Y-axis direction at three different locations. Similarly, 3 pre-aligned cameras for blankets 244, 245, and 246 are respectively mounted on the booms erected from the loading platform support frames 22, 23. The three pre-aligned cameras 244, 245, and 246 are used to detect along three different locations. The Y-axis direction is carried into the edge of the blanket BL of the apparatus. In addition, in FIG. 1, one blanket pre-alignment camera 246 located behind the loading table 4 is not presented. Further, in FIG. 2, the pre-aligned camera for the substrate is simply referred to as "PA camera for substrate", and the pre-aligned camera for the blanket is simply referred to as "PA camera for blanket".

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a download station block. The download block 6 is a four-corner of the plate-shaped alignment stage 601 which is opened at the center, and the support 602 is erected in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the stage support plate 603 is supported by the support 602. Although not shown in the drawings, a rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as "θ direction"), an X direction, and a Y direction having a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction Z as a rotation center is provided in a lower portion of the alignment stage 601. The three degrees of freedom, such as a Cross Roller Bearing, are aligned with the stage support mechanism 605 (FIG. 2), and the alignment stage 601 is mounted on the chassis via the alignment stage support mechanism 605. twenty one. Therefore, the alignment stage 601 can be moved by the alignment stage support mechanism 605, and the chassis 21 can be moved within a predetermined range along the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction.

On the upper portion of the stage support plate 603, an annular rectangular downloading stage 61 is disposed. The downloading stage 61 has a flat surface whose upper surface is substantially in line with the horizontal plane, and an opening window 611 is formed in the central portion. The blanket BL is placed on the upper surface of the download stage 61, so that the download stage 61 holds the blanket BL.

The opening size of the opening window 611 must be larger than the surface area of the blanket BL The plane size of the effective area (not shown) of the central portion that functions as a pattern forming region. That is, when the blanket BL is placed on the downloading stage 61, it is necessary that the entire area of the lower surface of the blanket BL corresponding to the effective area faces the opening window 611, and the lower side of the effective area is completely opened. Moreover, the coating layer of the pattern forming material is formed to cover at least the entire effective region.

A plurality of grooves 612 are provided on the upper surface 61a of the download table 61 so as to extend along the respective sides of the opening window 611, and the respective grooves 612 are connected to the negative pressure supply of the control unit 8 via a control valve (not shown). Section 804. Each of the grooves 612 is disposed in a region having a planar size smaller than the planar size of the blanket BL. Further, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the blanket BL is placed on the downloading stage 61 so as to cover all of the grooves 612. Further, in order to allow the blanket BL to cover all of the grooves 612, the stopper member 613 for restricting the position of the blanket BL is appropriately disposed on the upper surface 61a of the download table.

By supplying a negative pressure to each of the grooves 612, each of the grooves 612 functions as a vacuum suction tank, and in this manner, the four sides of the peripheral portion of the blanket BL are suction-held on the upper surface 61a of the download table 61. Since the plurality of grooves 612 are independent of each other, the vacuum suction grooves are formed. Therefore, even if vacuum breakage occurs in a part of the grooves for some reason, the adsorption of the other grooves to the blanket BL can be maintained, so that the blanket BL can be reliably held. Moreover, the blanket BL can be adsorbed by an adsorption force stronger than when a separate groove is provided.

Below the opening window 611 of the downloading table 61, lifting robot units 62 and 63 for moving the blanket BL up and down in the Z-axis direction, and rotating rollers for abutting against the blanket BL from below are provided. Cartridge unit 64.

4 is a view showing the structure of a lifting robot unit. The structure of the two lifting robot units 62, 63 is the same, so the structure of one of the lifting robot units 62 will be described here. The lifting robot unit 62 includes two pillars 621 and 622 which are erected from the chassis 21 in the Z direction, and a plate-shaped slide base 623 is attached to the pillars 621 and 622 so as to be movable up and down. More specifically, the guide rails 6211 and 6221 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) are attached to the two pillars 621 and 622, respectively, and are attached to the back surface of the slide base 623, that is, the (+Y) side main surface. The illustrated slider is slidably attached to the guide rails 6211 and 6221. Further, the elevating mechanism 624 including an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism moves the slide base 623 up and down in accordance with a control command from the control unit 8.

A plurality of (four in this example) robot 625 are attached to the slide base 623 so as to be movable up and down. The structure of each robot 625 is substantially the same except that the shape of the base portion is different depending on the arrangement position. Each of the robots 625 is fixed to a slider 627 that is slidably engaged with a guide rail 626 that is attached to the front surface of the slide base 623 in the vertical direction (Z direction), that is, the (-Y) side main surface. . The slider 627 is coupled to a lifting mechanism 628 that is mounted on the back of the sliding base 623 and includes a suitable driving mechanism such as a rodless cylinder, and the slider 627 is operated by the lifting mechanism 628. The slide base 623 is moved up and down. Each of the robots 625 is provided with an independent lifting mechanism 628, so that each robot 625 can be moved up and down individually.

That is, in the lifting robot unit 62, it can be made by the lifting mechanism 624. The slide base 623 is moved up and down, and the robots 625 are integrally moved up and down, and can be independently operated by the respective lift mechanisms 628, so that the respective robots 625 are separately raised and lowered.

The upper surface 625a of the robot 625 is finished in an elongated planar shape in the Y direction, so that the upper surface 625a can abut against the lower surface of the blanket BL to support the blanket BL. Further, the upper surface 625a is provided with an adsorption hole 625b that communicates with the negative pressure supply portion 804 provided in the control unit 8 via a pipe (not shown) and a control valve. Thereby, the negative pressure is supplied from the negative pressure supply unit 804 to the adsorption hole 625b, and the blanket BL is suction-held on the upper surface 625a of the robot 625. Therefore, the slip when the blanket BL is supported by the robot 625 can be prevented.

Further, the adsorption hole 625b is supplied with an appropriate gas such as dry air or an inert gas from the gas supply unit 806 of the control unit 8 via a pipe and a control valve (not shown). In other words, the negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 804 and the gas from the gas supply unit 806 are selectively supplied to the adsorption hole 625b by the opening and closing of the respective control valves controlled by the control unit 8.

When the gas from the gas supply unit 806 is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b, a small amount of gas is ejected from the adsorption hole 625b. Thereby, a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the blanket BL and the robot hand surface 625a, and the robot 625 is in a state of being separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL while supporting the blanket BL from below. Therefore, the blanket BL can be supported by the respective robots 625, and the blanket BL can be moved in the horizontal direction without friction with respect to the respective robots 625. Alternatively, the gas ejection hole may be provided on the robot hand surface 625a separately from the adsorption hole 625b.

Returning to Fig. 3, in the downloading block 6, the lifting with the above-described configuration The robot units 62, 63 are disposed to face each other with the robot 625 facing inward and facing in the Y direction. In a state where the respective robots 625 are most lowered, the robot hand surface 625a is located below the download table upper surface 61a, that is, at a position that is largely retreated in the (-Z) direction. On the other hand, in a state where the respective robots 625 are maximally increased, the distal end of each robot 625 is in a state of protruding upward from the opening window 611 of the downloading table 61, and the mechanical hand surface 625a is compared with the upper surface 61a of the downloading table. When it reaches the upper position, it reaches the position where it protrudes in the (+Z) direction.

Further, when viewed from above, the front ends of the robot arms 625 facing each other of the two lifting robot units 62, 63 are provided with a fixed interval, so that the front ends of the robots 625 do not contact each other. Moreover, as described below, the transfer roller unit 64 is moved in the X direction by the gap.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the structure of a transfer roller unit. The transfer roller unit 64 includes a transfer roller 641 as a cylindrical roller member extending in the Y direction, and a support frame 642 extending in the Y direction along the lower side of the transfer roller 641 by Both end portions rotatably support the transfer roller 641; and the elevating mechanism 644 has a suitable drive mechanism for moving the support frame 642 up and down in the Z direction. The transfer roller 641 is free to rotate without being connected to the rotary drive mechanism. Further, the support frame 642 is provided with a backup roll 643 which abuts against the surface of the transfer roller 641 from below and prevents the transfer roller 641 from being bent.

The length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction is shorter than the length of the side in the Y direction among the four sides of the opening window 611 of the downloading table 61, that is, the opening size in the Y direction of the opening window 611, and is longer than the holding table held below. Plate PP or substrate SB The length along the Y direction. The length of the effective area of the blanket BL which is effective as the pattern forming region is of course less than the length of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, so that the transfer roller 641 is longer than the effective area in the Y direction.

The elevating mechanism 644 includes a base portion 644a and a support leg 644b extending from the base portion 644a to the upper side and coupled to the vicinity of the center of the support frame 642 in the Y direction. The leg 644b can be moved up and down with respect to the base portion 644a by a suitable drive mechanism such as a motor or a cylinder. The base portion 644a is slidably attached to the guide rail 646 extending in the X direction, and is further coupled to a moving mechanism 647 including an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. Further, a guide rail 646 is attached to the upper surface of the lower frame 645 which is extended in the X direction and fixed to the chassis 21. By the movement mechanism 647, the transfer roller 641, the support frame 642, and the elevating mechanism 644 are integrally moved in the X direction.

The details of the pattern forming apparatus 1 are such that the blanket roller 641 is brought into contact with the blanket BL held by the downloading table 61 to partially raise the blanket BL, and the blanket BL is held in contact with each other. The plate PP or the substrate SB that is placed on the stage and disposed adjacent to the blanket BL in the opposite direction.

The elevating mechanism 644 is moved by a gap formed by the opposing robots 625 of the elevating robot units 62 and 63. Further, each robot 625 can have its upper surface 625a receding downward in the (-Z) direction from the lower surface of the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64. Therefore, by the elevating mechanism 644 moving in this state, the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 passes over the upper surface 625a of each robot 625, thereby preventing the transfer roller unit 64 from colliding with the robot 625.

Next, the configuration of the uploading block 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the loading platform 4 includes: a stage assembly 40 as a structure extending along the X direction; and a pair of support columns 45, 46 erected from the loading table support frames 22, 23, respectively, and The X-direction end portions of the loading table assembly 40 are respectively supported; and the elevating mechanism 47 includes an appropriate driving mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism, and the entire loading table assembly 40 is moved up and down in the Z direction.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the structure of an uploading station assembly. Fig. 7 is a view showing a lower surface of the loading table. The loading stage assembly 40 includes: an loading table 41 for holding the printing plate PP or the substrate SB on the lower surface; a reinforcement frame 42 disposed on the upper portion of the loading table 41; and a beam-like structure 43 coupled to the reinforcing frame 42 and The horizontally extending in the X direction; and the upper adsorption unit 44 are mounted on the loading table 41. As shown in Fig. 6, the loading table assembly 40 has a shape that is substantially symmetrical with respect to the XZ plane and the YZ plane, respectively, including the center on its outer shape.

The loading stage 41 is a plate-shaped member slightly smaller than the plane size of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB to be held, and the lower surface 41a of the loading table 41 held in a horizontal posture serves as a holding plane for holding the printing plate PP or the substrate SB against the ground. . Since the holding plane requires high flatness, it is preferably a quartz glass or a stainless steel plate as a material for maintaining the plane. Further, in the holding plane 41a, as shown in Fig. 7, there is provided an adsorption groove 41b for adsorbing and holding the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, and an adsorption hole 41c for adsorbing and holding the printing plate PP or the substrate SB. The central portion of the upper surface; and the through hole 41d are used to ensure the movement path of the adsorption pad of the upper adsorption unit 44 described below. Further, the adsorption tank 41b and the adsorption hole 41c are connected to the negative pressure of the control unit 8 via a control valve (not shown). Supply unit 804. Thereby, the negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 804 can be supplied to the adsorption tank 41b and the adsorption hole 41c as needed, and the printing plate PP or the substrate SB can be adsorbed and held by the holding plane 41a.

The reinforcing frame 42 includes a combination of reinforcing ribs extending in the Z direction on the upper surface of the loading table 41, and as shown in FIG. 6, to prevent the upper stage 41 from being bent to maintain the lower surface of the loading table 41 (holding plane) The flatness of 41a is appropriately combined with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 421 parallel to the YZ plane and reinforcing ribs 422 parallel to the XZ plane. The reinforcing ribs 421, 422 may, for example, comprise a metal plate.

Further, the beam-like structure 43 is a structure in which the X-direction is formed by combining a plurality of metal plates, and both end portions thereof are supported by the support columns 45 and 46 so as to be movable up and down. Specifically, the support columns 45 and 46 are respectively provided with guide rails 451 and 461 extending in the Z direction, and on the other hand, the (+Y) side main faces of the beam-like structure 43 opposed to the guide rails 451 and 461 are provided. A slider (not shown) is attached, and these sliders are slidably engaged. Further, as shown in Fig. 1, the beam-like structure 43 and the support column 46 are coupled by the elevating mechanism 47, and are operated by the elevating mechanism 47, so that the beam-like structure 43 is maintained in the horizontal posture in the vertical direction (Z direction). . Since the loading table 41 is integrally coupled to the beam-like structure 43 via the reinforcing frame 42, the lifting mechanism 47 is operated, and the loading table 41 is horizontally held by the holding plane 41a to move up and down.

Further, the configurations of the reinforcing frame 42 and the beam-like structure 43 are not limited to those shown in the drawings. Here, the plate-like member parallel to the YZ plane is combined with the plate-shaped member parallel to the XZ plane to obtain the required strength, but a sheet metal member, an angle member, or the like may be appropriately combined into other shapes. The purpose of making this structure is to make it The stage assembly 40 is constructed to be lightweight. In order to reduce the bending of each portion, it is also conceivable to increase the thickness of the loading table 41 or to make the beam-like structure 43 a solid body, but in this case, the mass of the entire loading table assembly 40 is increased.

The increased weight of the structure disposed on the upper portion of the device will result in greater strength and durability for the mechanism used to support or move the structure, so that the device as a whole is also greatly weighted. It is more realistic to obtain the required strength by a combination of sheets or the like while achieving overall weight reduction of the structure.

Further, a pair of upper adsorption units 44 are attached to the upper portion of the loading table 41 surrounded by the reinforcing frame 42. In the upper part of Fig. 6, a state in which one of the upper adsorption units 44 is taken upward is shown. The upper adsorption unit 44 functions to transfer the printing plate PP or the substrate SB between the external robot and the loading table 41 as described below, and corresponds to the "plate-shaped conveyance device" and "transfer" of the present invention. An example of a device. The upper adsorption unit 44 is attached to the support frame 441 via a plurality of adsorption pads 443 via a connection member 442. In more detail, it is constructed as follows.

In the support frame 441, as shown in FIG. 6, the two support arms 441a extending in the Y direction are provided at a predetermined interval in the X direction. Further, the pillars 441b are suspended from the (+Y) side end portion and the (-Y) side end portion of each of the support arms 441a in the (-Z) direction, and a total of four pillars 441b extend downward. Further, the support plate 441c is horizontally supported by the two pillars 441b on the (+Y) side of the stay 441b, and the other support plate 441c is horizontally supported by the two pillars 441b on the (-Y) side. Each of the support plates 441c extends in the X direction and is disposed so as to face the three through holes 41d arranged in the X direction from above. The support frame 441 constructed in this way becomes not The shape of the ribs 421, 422 constituting the reinforcing frame 42 is disturbed.

In each of the support plates 441c, the adsorption pad 443 is attached to the connection member 442 so as to correspond to the through hole 41d. Therefore, when the support frame 441 is moved up and down by the elevating mechanism 447 described below, the six adsorption pads 443 connected to the support plate 441c of the support frame 441 are also lifted and lowered uniformly as the support frame 441 is moved up and down. For example, when the printing plate PP or the substrate SB which is conveyed to the position immediately below the loading table 41 while being supported by the external robot is transferred to the loading table 41, the plurality of adsorption pads 443 are uniformly lowered as the support frame 441 is lowered. Dropped and adhered to the upper surface of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB. The problem at this time is the bending of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB supported by the robot. That is, since it is necessary to transport the printing plate PP or the substrate SB directly under the loading table 41 in a face-down state, the robot can only support the peripheral portion of the lower surface of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, resulting in a printing plate. The PP or the substrate SB is bent. Therefore, there is a case where the timing at which the adsorption pad 443 abuts against the upper surface of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB is different for each of the adsorption pads 443. Therefore, in the present embodiment, each of the adsorption pads 443 is coupled to the support frame 441 via the connection member 442.

8(a) and 8(b) are views showing the configuration and operation of a connecting member that connects the suction pad to the support frame. The joint members 442 have the same configuration. The connection member 442 includes a cylindrical cover 442a that is attached to the support plate 441c of the support frame 441 with the opening facing downward, and the cover 442a functions as a main body of the connection member 442. effect. A through hole (not shown) is provided in the upper end surface of the cover 442a, and a hollow shaft 442b is extended in the vertical direction Z so as to penetrate the inside of the through hole and the cover 442a. On the hollow shaft 442b The outer peripheral portion of the upper end is fixed with a stopper 442c having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the through hole (the same diameter as the outer diameter of the cover 442a in the present embodiment) to prevent the hollow shaft 442b from the cover 442a. Fall off. Further, a pipe 442d is connected to the upper end hollow portion of the hollow shaft 442b, and the pipe 442d is further connected to the negative pressure supply portion 804 (FIG. 2) of the control unit 8 via a control valve (not shown).

Further, a compression spring 442e is fitted from the lower end side of the hollow shaft 442b, that is, the (-Z) side end portion, and the compression spring 442e is housed inside the cover 442a. In addition, the locking plate 442f is fixed to the side surface of the hollow shaft 442b so that the lower end portion of the compression spring 442e housed in the cover 442a is locked from the (-Z) side, and is adsorbed as shown in FIG. When the pad 443 is in the free state, or as shown in FIG. 8(a), when the adsorption pad 443 comes into contact with the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, the compression spring 442e is in an external force-free state. In the external forceless state, the distance between the adsorption pad 443 attached to the lower end portion of the hollow shaft 442b and the support plate 441c is maintained at a predetermined value. On the other hand, after the adsorption pad 443 is in contact with the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, as shown in FIG. 8(b), even if the support plate 441c is moved further downward, that is, by a distance H in the (-Z) direction, the compression spring 442e will The length H is contracted with this movement, thereby maintaining the adsorption pad 443 at the position of the abutment time point. In other words, in the present embodiment, when the suction pad 443 is in contact with the upper surface of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, and the support frame 441 is further lowered, the relative position of the adsorption pad 443 to the support plate 441c of the support frame 441 is displaced. Thereby, the height position of the adsorption pad 443 is maintained. Play the position adjustment function in this way.

In the present embodiment, in order to elevate and lower the support frame 441 as described above, a drive mechanism portion 440 having the following configuration is provided. The drive mechanism portion 440, such as As shown in Fig. 6, the support frame 441 is movably supported by a base plate 446 in a vertical direction via a pair of sliders 444 and a pair of guide rails 445 that are engaged with the pair of sliders 444. Further, the bottom plate 446 and the support frame 441 are coupled by a lifting mechanism 447 including an appropriate mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. When the lifting mechanism 447 is operated, the support frame 441 is lifted and lowered with respect to the bottom plate 446, and the connecting member 442 and the suction pad 443 are lifted and lowered integrally with the support frame 441.

The upper suction unit 44 is integrated with the loading table 41 by fixing the bottom plate 446 to the side surface of the beam-like structure 43. In this state, the lower end of each connecting member 442 and the suction pad 443 are inserted into a through hole (not shown) provided in the loading table 41. Then, the suction pad 443 is moved by the elevating mechanism 447 so that the lower surface thereof protrudes from the lower surface (holding plane) 41a of the loading table 41 to the lower suction position, and the lower surface retreats to the inside of the through hole of the loading table 41. The (above) retracted position moves up and down. Moreover, when the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 is positioned at substantially the same height as the holding plane 41a of the loading table 41, the loading table 41 and the adsorption pad 443 can cooperatively hold the printing plate PP or the substrate SB on the holding plane 41a.

Returning to Fig. 1, the loading stage assembly 40 constructed in the manner described above is disposed on the bottom plate 481. In more detail, the support columns 45, 46 are respectively erected on the bottom plate 481, and the loading table assembly 40 is mounted on the support columns 45, 46 in a liftable manner. The bottom plate 481 is mounted on the loading table support frames 22, 23 and is supported by an loading table support mechanism 482 including a suitable movable mechanism such as a cross roller bearing.

Therefore, the loading stage assembly 40 as a whole can be moved horizontally relative to the main frame 2. Specifically, the bottom plate 481 is in a horizontal plane due to the operation of the loading block support mechanism 482, that is, Move horizontally in the XY plane. The pair of bottom plates 481 respectively provided corresponding to the support columns 45, 46 are movable independently of each other, and the loading table assembly 40 is movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction with respect to the main frame 2 as the pair of bottom plates 481 move. Move within the specified range.

The respective portions of the pattern forming apparatus 1 constructed in the above manner are controlled by the control unit 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 8 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 801 for controlling the overall operation of the device, a motor control unit 802 for controlling the motor provided in each part, and a valve control unit 803 for controlling the setting. The control valve of each part; and the negative pressure supply part 804 generate a negative pressure supplied to each part. Further, in the case where the negative pressure supplied from the outside can be utilized, the control unit 8 may not include the negative pressure supply portion.

The motor control unit 802 controls the positioning or movement of each part of the apparatus by controlling the motor group provided in each functional block. Further, the valve control unit 803 controls the negative pressure piping path connected to each functional block from the negative pressure supply unit 804 and the valve group connected to the piping path of the robot 625 from the gas supply unit 806, and operates the negative Execution of vacuum adsorption under pressure supply, release of vacuum adsorption, and gas ejection from the surface 625a of the robot hand.

Moreover, the control unit 8 includes an image processing section 805 that performs image processing on an image taken with a camera. The image processing unit 805 detects the substrate SB by performing predetermined image processing on the images captured by the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243 and the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246 attached to the main frame 2. The approximate position of the blanket BL. Moreover, by photographing with the alignment camera 27 using the precise alignment described below The image performs prescribed image processing to more accurately detect the positional relationship between the substrate SB and the blanket BL. The CPU 801 controls the loading stage support mechanism 482 and the alignment stage support mechanism 605 based on the position detection results to perform alignment of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB held on the loading table 41 with the blanket BL held on the downloading table 61. (Pre-alignment processing and precise alignment processing).

Next, the pattern forming process in the pattern forming apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. In the pattern forming process, the printing plate PP or the substrate SB held by the loading table 41 and the blanket BL held by the downloading table 61 are arranged close to each other with a slight gap therebetween. Further, the transfer roller 641 abuts against the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the blanket BL is partially raised upward to move along the lower surface of the blanket BL. The raised blanket BL first partially abuts against the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, so that the abutting portion gradually expands as the roller moves, and finally abuts against the entire printing plate PP or the substrate SB. Thereby, the blanket BL is patterned from the printing plate PP, or the substrate SB is patterned from the blanket BL.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a pattern forming process. 10(a) to 10(d) to FIGS. 17(a) to 17(c) are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the process. Hereinafter, the operation of each part in the pattern forming process will be described with reference to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d) to FIGS. 17(a) to 17(c). In addition, in order to easily understand the relationship of each part in each stage of a process, the structure which does not directly relate to the process of this stage, or the figure which the code| In addition, in the case where the object to be processed of the loading table 41 is the printing plate PP and the substrate SB is the same, the operation is the same except for a part, and therefore, the sharing is performed. The drawings are appropriately referred to as a printing plate PP and a substrate SB.

In the pattern forming process, first, the printing plate PP corresponding to the pattern to be formed is carried into the initialized pattern forming apparatus 1 and placed on the loading stage 41 (step S101), and then, the pattern forming material is formed. The blanket BL of the uniform coating layer is carried in and placed on the downloading stage 61 (step S102). The printing plate PP is loaded with the effective surface corresponding to the pattern facing downward, and the blanket BL is carried with the coating layer facing upward.

FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d) show a process in which the printing plate PP or the substrate SB is carried into the apparatus and placed on the loading table 41. As shown in FIG. 10(a), in the initial state, the loading table 41 is retracted upward, and the interval from the downloading table 61 is increased, and a wide processing space SP is formed between the two stages. Further, the pair of upper adsorption units 44 raises the support frame 441 upward so that the respective adsorption pads 443 are positioned above the loading table 41. Further, each robot 625 is retracted below the upper surface of the download table 61. The transfer roller 641 is located at the most (-X) direction of the position facing the opening window 611 of the downloading stage 61, and is located at a position which is retracted to the lower side in the vertical direction (Z direction) from the upper surface of the downloading table 61. . The respective control valves connected to the negative pressure supply portion 804 are closed.

In this state, the printing plate PP of the printing plate robot HP placed on the outside is moved in the (+Y) direction from the front side of the apparatus to the (+Y) direction. Space SP. The plate robot HP can be either an operation jig manually operated by an operator or an external robot of the transfer robot. However, since it is necessary to carry the printing plate PP in a state in which the pattern to be formed faces downward, and in a so-called face-down state, the printing plate holder HP holds the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the printing plate PP. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 10 (a), the plate PP bend For example, the printing plate PP of the so-called G4 size (680 × 880 [mm]) has a case where the amount of bending reaches several [mm]. Therefore, if the printing plate PP held by the printing plate robot HP is carried into the position directly below the loading table 41, the distance between the upper surface of the printing plate PP and the lower surface of the loading table 41 is relatively short near the outer periphery, and In contrast, it becomes relatively long near the center.

When the printing plate PP is carried by the printing plate robot HP, the robot 625 and the transfer roller 641 are retracted to the lower side, and the loading operation can be facilitated. When the printing plate PP is positioned at a predetermined position, the loading table 41 is lowered as indicated by the arrow.

When the loading table 41 is lowered to a predetermined position close to the printing plate PP, the support frame 441 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 447, whereby the respective adsorption pads 443 descend along the movement path extending through the through hole 41d and extending in the vertical direction Z, via The through hole 41d protrudes downward from the lower surface of the loading table 41, that is, the holding plane 41a, and abuts against the upper surface of the printing plate PP. However, the amount of displacement in the printing plate PP which is bent and displaced to the lower side due to the bending (corresponding to "the amount of displacement due to bending" of the present invention) differs in each portion of the printing plate PP. Therefore, as described above, there is a case where the distance from the lower surface 41a of the loading table 41 in each portion of the printing plate PP is different for each of the adsorption pads 443. This results in a plurality of adsorption steps. For example, in the case where the printing plate PP is bent as shown in FIG. 10(a), the suction pad 443 abutting on the position close to the outer periphery of the printing plate PP is in a position closer to the position near the central portion of the printing plate PP. The adsorption pad 443 abuts at an early timing. This case corresponds to an example of the "first adsorption step" of the present invention. Then, as the support frame 441 is further lowered, the remaining adsorption pads 443 also abut against the upper surface of the printing plate PP. This case is equivalent to the present invention An example of the "second adsorption step". At this time, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the compression spring 442e is contracted to connect the compression member 442e to the relative position of the support plate 441c, thereby maintaining the adsorption pad. The height position of 443. By the position adjustment function, the support frame 441 can be moved downward by a fixed amount of downward movement, whereby all the suction pads 443 are brought into contact with the upper surface of the printing plate PP. Therefore, it is desirable to measure the amount of bending of the printing plate PP in advance, and to set the amount of downward movement of the support frame 441 in consideration of the amount of bending.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10(b), when all of the adsorption pads 443 abut against the upper surface of the printing plate PP, the control valve connected to each of the adsorption pads 443 is opened, and the upper surface of the printing plate PP is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 443. Keep the plate PP. Next, in a state of continuous adsorption, the elevating mechanism 447 is operated to raise the support frame 441. At the initial stage of the rise, the compression spring 442e that contracts when the suction pad 443 is lowered is elongated as the support plate 441c rises, and finally returns to the original initial state. During this time, the adsorption pad 443 is always stationary. On the other hand, the adsorption pad 443 connected to the connection member 442 whose compression spring 442e is first restored to the initial state rises as the support plate 441c rises while adsorbing and holding the printing plate PP. Then, when all the compression springs 442e are restored to the initial state, as shown in Fig. 10(c), the bending of the printing plate PP is eliminated, and the printing plate PP is supported in a horizontal state.

Further, the support frame 441 continues to rise, and the printing plate PP holding the adsorption on the adsorption pad 443 is maintained in a horizontal state, and is lifted from the printing plate robot HP. At this point in time, the printing plate is moved outside the device by the robot HP.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 10(d), the adsorption pad 443 is passed through the through hole 41d. It rises to the upper position of the loading table 41. The adsorption switching is performed in the middle of the rise. That is, if the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 reaches the holding plane 41a (the lower surface of the loading table 41), and the upper surface of the printing plate PP is in close contact with the holding plane 41a, the control valve connected to the adsorption groove 41b and the adsorption hole 41c ( When the drawing is omitted, the upper surface of the printing plate PP is sucked by the adsorption groove 41b and the adsorption hole 41c, and the transfer of the printing plate PP to the loading table 41 is completed. Then, after the completion of the transfer is confirmed, the supply of the negative pressure to each of the adsorption pads 443 is stopped, and each of the adsorption pads 443 is moved to the upper side of the loading table 41 through the through holes 41d. Needless to say, each of the adsorption pads 443 may be positioned in the through hole 41d at the time when the transfer process is completed. In this way, the holding of the printing plate PP is completed, but the substrate SB can be carried by the substrate robot HS in the same order. This case corresponds to an example of the "moving step" of the present invention.

FIGS. 11(a) to 11(c) and FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b) show the process from the loading of the printing plate PP to the loading of the blanket BL and the holding of the blanket 61. When the holding of the printing plate PP by the loading table 41 is completed, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the loading table 41 is raised to form a wide processing space SP again, and the robot 625 is compared with the upper surface of the downloading table 61. 61a rises to the top. At this time, the upper surfaces 625a of the respective robots 625 are all at the same height.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the blanket BL having the coating layer PT on which the pattern forming material is formed on the upper surface is placed on the outside of the blanket robot HB, and is carried in. To the processing space SP. The thickness of the blanket BL was measured before moving in. It is desirable that the blanket robot HB is a fork type robot including a finger extending in the Y direction, not to be mechanical. Hand 625 interference can enter through their gaps.

When the blanket robot HB enters and descends, or the robot 625 rises, the upper surface 625a of the robot 625 abuts against the lower surface of the blanket BL as shown in FIG. 11(c), and thereafter the blanket BL is driven by the robot. 625 support. Support can be more reliably performed by supplying a negative pressure to the adsorption hole 625b (Fig. 4) provided in the robot 625. In this way, the blanket BL can be conveyed from the blanket robot arm HB to the robot 625, and the blanket is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the robot HB.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the height of the upper surface 625a of each robot 625 is kept constant to lower the robot 625, and finally, the robot hand surface 625a is made the same as the upper surface 61a of the download table 61. height. Thereby, the peripheral edge portion of the four sides of the blanket BL abuts against the upper surface 61a of the download table 61.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the vacuum suction groove 612 provided on the upper surface 61a of the downloading table is supplied with a negative pressure to suck and hold the blanket BL. Accordingly, the adsorption of the robot 625 is released. Thereby, the blanket BL is in a state in which the peripheral portion of the four sides thereof is sucked and held by the downloading table 61. In Fig. 12(b), in order to clearly show that the suction holding of the robot 625 is released, the blanket BL is separated from the robot 625, but the lower surface of the blanket BL is maintained in contact with the surface 625a of the robot hand. .

It is conceivable that if the robot 625 is separated from the blanket BL in this state, the blanket BL is bent downward due to its own weight, and thus has a downward convex shape as a whole. This bending can be suppressed by maintaining the robot 625 at the same height as the upper surface 61a of the downloading table, thereby maintaining the blanket BL in a planar state. In this way, the blanket BL becomes on the one hand its peripheral part is downloaded The stage 61 is suction-held, and on the one hand, the center portion is supported by the robot 625 in an auxiliary state, so that the holding of the blanket BL is completed.

The order in which the printing plate PP and the blanket BL are carried in can also be reversed. However, when the printing plate PP is carried in after the blanket BL is carried in, there is a concern that foreign matter falls onto the blanket BL when the printing plate PP is carried, and the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material is contaminated or defective. This problem can be prevented by setting the printing plate PP on the loading table 41 as described above and setting the blanket BL on the downloading table 61.

Returning to Fig. 9, if the printing plate PP and the blanket BL are respectively disposed on the upper downloading station in this manner, the pre-alignment processing of the printing plate PP and the blanket BL is next performed (step S103). Further, gap adjustment is performed such that the printing plate PP and the blanket BL are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap therebetween (step S104).

13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams showing a procedure of a gap adjustment process and an alignment process. Here, the precise alignment process shown in FIG. 13(c) is a process required only in the transfer process described below, so the precise alignment process will be described in the following description of the transfer process. As described above, the printing plate PP, the substrate SB, or the blanket BL is carried in from the outside, but may cause a positional shift when the conveyance is performed. The pre-alignment process is a process for substantially positioning the printing plate PP or the substrate SB held on the loading table 41 and the blanket BL held on the downloading table 61 at positions suitable for subsequent processing.

Fig. 13 (a) is a side view schematically showing a configuration of a configuration for performing pre-alignment. As described above, in the present embodiment, a total of six pre-aligned cameras 241 to 246 are provided on the upper portion of the apparatus. The three cameras 241 to 243 are pre-aligned for the substrate for detecting the outer edge of the printing plate PP (or the substrate SB) held on the loading table 41. camera. Further, the other three cameras 244 to 246 are pre-aligned cameras for the blanket for detecting the outer edge of the blanket BL. In addition, for convenience, the pre-aligned cameras 241 to 243 are referred to as "pre-aligned cameras for substrates", but these pre-aligned cameras 241-243 can be used for positional alignment of the printing plate PP and the substrate SB. Any of the positions in the alignment is aligned and their processing is the same.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 13( a ), the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 and 242 are disposed substantially in the X direction and are disposed differently in the Y direction, and respectively photograph the printing plate PP from above or The (-X) side outer edge portion of the substrate SB. Since the loading stage 41 is formed to have a slightly smaller planar size than the substrate SB, the upper surface portion of the printing plate PP (or the substrate SB) extending from the end portion of the loading table 41 to the outside can be photographed upward. Further, although not shown in FIG. 13(a), another substrate pre-alignment camera 243 is disposed on the near side of the paper surface of FIG. 13(a), and the camera 243 photographs the printing plate PP (or the substrate SB from above). (-Y) side outer edge portion.

On the other hand, the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 and 246 are disposed substantially in the X direction and are disposed differently in the Y direction, and respectively photograph the blanket BL placed on the downloading table 61 from above ( +X) Side outer edge. Further, another blanket pre-alignment camera 245 is disposed on the near side of the paper surface of Fig. 13(a), and the camera 245 photographs the (-Y) side outer edge portion of the blanket BL from above.

The positions of the printing plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are grasped based on the imaging results of the pre-aligned cameras 241 to 246, respectively. Then, the loading stage support mechanism 482 and the alignment stage support mechanism 605 are operated as needed, whereby the printing plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are respectively positioned at predetermined target positions.

Further, when the blanket BL is horizontally moved together with the downloading table 61, it is preferable to slightly separate the upper surface 625a of each robot 625 from the lower surface of the blanket BL as shown in Fig. 13 (a). To achieve this, the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 806 can be ejected from the adsorption hole 625b of the robot 625. This case is also the same in the precise alignment processing described below.

Further, in the case of the substrate SB which is thin or large and which is likely to be bent, for example, the substrate SB may be supplied to the process in a state in which the plate-shaped support member is brought into contact with the back surface, so that it is easy to handle. In this case, even if the support member is a large member as compared with the substrate SB, the outer edge of the substrate SB can be easily detected by, for example, forming a support member made of a transparent material, or partially providing a transparent window or a through hole in the support member. For the position of the part, the same pre-alignment process as described above can also be performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the loading table 41 holding the printing plate PP is lowered relative to the downloading table 61 holding the blanket BL, and the interval G between the printing plate PP and the blanket BL is made to conform to a predetermined setting value. At this time, the thickness of the printing plate PP and the blanket BL measured in advance is considered. In other words, the gap between the printing plate PP and the blanket BL is adjusted so that the gap between the printing plate PP and the blanket BL becomes a predetermined value, and the interval between the loading table 41 and the downloading table 61 is adjusted. Here, the gap value G can be, for example, about 300 μm.

Regarding the thickness of the printing plate PP and the blanket BL, in addition to individual differences due to dimensional variations in manufacturing, even if the same part is used, for example, thickness variation due to expansion can be imagined. Therefore, it is desirable to use it at each use. All measurements were made. Moreover, the gap G may be defined between the lower surface of the printing plate PP and the upper surface of the blanket BL, or may be formed on the lower surface of the printing plate PP and the pattern supported by the blanket BL. The upper surface of the coating layer PT of the material is defined. As long as the thickness of the coating layer PT is strictly managed in the coating stage, the two definitions are equivalent in terms of technology.

Returning to Fig. 9, if the printing plate PP and the blanket BL are disposed opposite to each other with a gap G in this manner, the transfer roller 641 is then moved in the X direction while abutting against the lower surface of the blanket BL. The plate PP is brought into contact with the blanket BL. Thereby, the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material on the blanket BL is patterned by the printing plate PP (patterning process; step S105).

14(a) to 14(c) show the process of the patterning process. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14( a ), the transfer roller 641 is raised to a position immediately below the blanket BL, and the transfer roller 641 is disposed in the transfer roller 641 in the X direction. The center line is substantially the same position as the end of the printing plate PP, or a position slightly deviated from the position (-X) direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. 14(b), the transfer roller 641 is further raised to abut against the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the blanket BL at the abutting position is locally raised upward. Thereby, the blanket BL (more strictly, the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material supported by the blanket BL) is pressed to the lower surface of the printing plate PP with a predetermined pressing force. Since the transfer roller 641 is longer in the Y direction than the printing plate PP (and the effective area), the elongated region in the Y direction from one end to the other end in the Y direction of the lower surface of the printing plate PP is in contact with the blanket BL. .

By the elevating mechanism 644, the transfer roller 641 is moved in the (+X) direction while the blanket BL is pressed as described above, and the raised position of the blanket BL is moved in the (+X) direction. At this time, in order to prevent the robot 625 from coming into contact with the transfer roller 641, as shown in FIG. 14(c), the distance from the transfer roller 641 in the X direction is made The robot 625 having a predetermined value or less is retracted to the lower side until at least the upper surface 625a of the robot 625 is lower than the lower surface of the support frame 642.

Since the suction of the robot 625 is released, the blanket BL does not fall downward as the robot 625 descends. Further, the timing of starting the lowering can be appropriately managed in synchronization with the movement of the transfer roller 641, and the blanket BL that has lost the support of the robot 625 can be prevented from hanging downward due to its own weight.

15(a) to 15(c) show the transition process of the transfer roller 641. Since the printing plate PP temporarily abutted and the blanket BL are maintained in a state of being in close contact with the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material, as shown in FIG. 15(a), the adhesion area of the printing plate PP and the blanket BL follows The transfer roller 641 moves and gradually expands in the (+X) direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15(a), the robot 625 is sequentially lowered as the transfer roller 641 approaches.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 15(b), the robot 625 is all lowered, and the transfer roller 641 reaches the vicinity of the (+X) side end portion below the downloading table 61. At this point of time, the transfer roller 641 reaches substantially directly below the (+X) side end portion of the printing plate PP or slightly (+X) side slightly above the (+X) side end portion of the printing plate PP. The position is such that the lower surface of the printing plate PP abuts against the coating layer PT on the blanket BL.

While the transfer roller 641 is maintained at a fixed height, the area of the lower surface of the blanket BL pressed by the transfer roller 641 is fixed. Therefore, by applying a fixed load to the lifting mechanism 644, the transfer roller 641 is pressed against the blanket BL, and the printing plate PP and the blanket BL are laminated on one side of the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material. The fixed pressing force presses against each other. Thus, it can be printed well The version PP is patterned on the blanket BL.

In addition, it is preferable to use the entire surface area of the printing plate PP in the patterning, but in the peripheral portion of the printing plate PP, it is inevitable that an area that cannot be effectively utilized due to contact with the robot during damage or transportation. . As shown in Fig. 15 (b), when the central portion of the removed end portion of the printing plate PP is used as the effective region AR for effectively exerting the plate function, it is desirable that the pressing force and the traveling speed of the transfer roller 641 are at least effective. The area AR is fixed inside. For this reason, the length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction must be longer than the length of the effective area AR in the Y direction. Further, it is desirable that the transfer roller 641 is moved from the position on the (-X) side of the end portion of the effective region AR in the (-X) direction in the X direction, and at least in the (+X) direction. Maintain a fixed speed before the end of the effective area AR. The surface area of the blanket BL opposed to the effective area AR of the printing plate PP becomes an effective area on the side of the blanket BL.

Figure 16 shows the positional relationship of the printing plate or substrate with the blanket. More specifically, FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the positional relationship when the printing plate PP or the substrate SB is in contact with the blanket BL from above. As shown in FIG. 16, the blanket BL has a larger planar size than the printing plate PP or the substrate SB. The region R1 in the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the blanket 16 in FIG. 16 is a region that abuts on the upper surface 61a of the download table while being held by the download table 61. The blanket BL is held on the downloading stage 61 in a state in which the lower surface is open in a region in which the region R1 is inside.

The printing plate PP and the substrate SB are substantially the same size, and these dimensions are smaller than the opening window size of the downloading table 61. Moreover, the effective area AR effective for actual pattern formation is smaller than the size of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB. Therefore, the corresponding in the blanket BL The area of the effective area AR is a state in which the lower surface is opened and faces the opening window 611 of the download stage 61.

The hatched area R2 indicates a region (pressing region) of the lower surface of the blanket BL that is simultaneously pressed by the transfer roller 641. The pressing region R2 is an elongated region extending in the direction in which the roller extends, that is, in the Y direction, and both end portions in the Y direction extend to the outside of the end portion of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB, respectively. Therefore, when the transfer roller 641 presses the blanket BL in a state parallel to the lower surface of the blanket BL, the pressing force is in the Y direction from one end portion to the other end portion of the effective region AR in the Y direction. Evenly.

In this way, the transfer roller 641 is moved in the X direction while the effective area AR is given a uniform pressing force in the Y direction, whereby the printing plate PP or the substrate SB and the blanket are in the entirety in the effective area AR. The BL is pressed against each other with a uniform pressing force. Thereby, it is possible to prevent pattern damage due to uneven pressing, and to form a pattern of excellent quality.

As a result, when the transfer roller 641 reaches the (+X) side end portion, the transfer roller 641 is stopped, and as shown in FIG. 15(c), the transfer roller 641 is retracted downward. Thereby, the transfer roller 641 is spaced apart from the lower surface of the blanket BL, thereby ending the patterning process.

Referring back to Fig. 9, when the patterning process is completed as described above, the plate PP and the blanket BL are carried out (step S106). 17(a) to 17(b) show the process of carrying out the printing plate and the blanket. First, as shown in Fig. 17 (a), each robot 625 that has been lowered during the patterning process is raised again, and the upper surface 625a is positioned and The upper surface 61a of the download stage 61 has a position of the same height. In this state, the adsorption of the printing plate PP by the adsorption tank 41b and the adsorption hole 41c of the loading stage 41 is released. Thereby, the holding of the printing plate PP by the loading table 41 is released, and the laminated body obtained by integrating the printing plate PP and the blanket BL with the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material is left on the downloading stage 61. The central portion of the laminate is supported by a robot 625.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the loading table 41 is raised to form a wide processing space SP, the suction of the groove 612 of the downloading table 61 is released, and the robot 625 is further raised, and moved to the upper side compared with the downloading table 61. square. At this time, it is preferable to adsorb and hold the laminated body by the robot 625.

Thereby, access can be made from the outside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17(c), the blanket robot manb is received from the outside, and the opposite operation to the loading is performed, and the blanket BL in a state in which the printing plate PP is in close contact is carried out to the outside. When the printing plate PP thus adhered is peeled off from the blanket BL by a suitable peeling device, a predetermined pattern is formed on the blanket BL.

Next, a case where the pattern formed on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB as the final target will be described. This transfer step is basically the same as in the case of the patterning process. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, first, the substrate SB is placed on the loading table 41 (step S107), and then the patterned blanket 64 is placed on the downloading stage 61 (step S108). Then, after the pre-alignment processing and the gap adjustment of the substrate SB and the blanket BL are performed (steps S109 and S110), the transfer roller 641 is moved in the lower portion of the blanket BL, whereby the pattern on the blanket BL is transferred. To the substrate SB (transfer processing; step S112). After the transfer is completed, the integrated blanket BL and the substrate SB are moved. The processing ends (step S113). These series of operations are also the same as those shown in Figs. 10(a) to 10(d) to Figs. 17(a) to 17(c). In addition, when the printing plate PP is referred to as the substrate SB in these figures, the symbol PT refers to the pattern after the patterning process.

However, in the transfer process, in order to accurately transfer the pattern to a predetermined position of the substrate SB, a more precise alignment of the two is performed before the substrate SB is brought into contact with the blanket BL (precise alignment processing). (Step S111). Figure 13 (c) shows the process of the precise alignment process.

Although not described in FIG. 1, the pattern forming apparatus 1 is provided with a precise alignment camera 27 supported on a support column that is erected from the chassis 21 in the (+Z) direction. The precise alignment camera 27 is configured such that four corners of the substrate SB are respectively photographed by the opening window 611 of the downloading stage 61, and four optical axes are vertically arranged upward.

An alignment mark (substrate side alignment mark) which is a position reference is formed in advance at four corners of the substrate SB, and a pattern corresponding to the alignment mark is used as a pattern by the printing plate PP. A portion of the pattern is formed with a blanket side alignment mark. The substrate side alignment mark and the blanket side alignment mark are photographed in the same field of view of the camera 27 accurately, and the positional relationship of the substrate side alignment mark and the blanket side alignment mark is determined. The amount of shift is calculated, and the amount of movement of the blanket BL for correcting the positional shift amount is obtained. By using the alignment stage support mechanism 605, the alignment stage 601 is moved by the obtained movement amount, and the download stage 61 is moved in the horizontal plane, thereby correcting the positional deviation of the substrate SB and the blanket BL.

In a state in which the substrate SB and the blanket BL are opposed to each other with a small gap G therebetween, the alignment marks respectively formed on the substrate SB and the blanket BL are imaged by the same camera, whereby the substrate SB and the blanket can be performed. High precision alignment of the BL. In this sense, it can be said that the alignment process is a more precise precision alignment process than the case where the substrate SB and the blanket BL are separately photographed for position adjustment. In the present embodiment, the substrate SB is brought into contact with the blanket BL in this state, and a pattern in which the alignment is accurately positioned is formed at a predetermined position of the substrate SB. Moreover, the alignment marks respectively formed on the substrate SB and the blanket BL can be positioned in the field of view of the precise alignment camera 27 by performing the pre-alignment processing of the substrate SB and the blanket BL in advance.

In addition, when the blanket BL is patterned by the printing plate PP, it is not necessary to perform precise alignment processing in the manner described. This is because the positional offset is not formed between the pattern formed on the blanket BL and the blanket-side alignment mark by the blanket side alignment mark and the pattern, as long as the blanket is used. The side alignment marks are precisely aligned with the substrate side alignment marks, and the slight positional shift of the printing plate PP and the blanket BL does not affect the pattern formation. For this reason, only the pre-alignment processing is performed in the patterning process.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the printing plate PP in the face-down state is carried by the printing plate robot HP, so that the printing plate PP held by the printing plate robot HP is bent. However, since the plurality of adsorption pads 443 of the upper adsorption unit 44 configured as described above are adsorbed and held at the upper surface positions of the printing plates PP different from each other, and after receiving the printing plate PP from the printing plate robot HP, The printing pad 443 is conveyed to the upper side of the loading table 41 via the through hole 41d, and the printing plate PP is conveyed to the lower side of the loading table 41. Since the upper surface of the printing plate PP is in close contact with the lower surface (holding plane) 41a of the loading table 41 without being affected by the bending, the adsorption groove 41b and the adsorption hole 41c of the loading table 41 are satisfactorily used. Adsorption holds the plate PP.

Here, at the time when the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 reaches the holding plane 41a, the upper surface of the printing plate PP is in close contact with the holding plane 41a, but even if the timing is slightly deviated in each of the adsorption pads 443, the printing plate PP can be transferred. . However, in the present embodiment, since the position adjustment function of the connection member 442 is utilized, the timing can be made substantially uniform. In other words, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the printing plate PP is adsorbed and held by the plurality of adsorption pads 443, and the printing plate PP is transferred from the printing plate robot HP to the loading table 41, thereby eliminating the bending of the printing plate PP. , the printing plate PP is corrected to a horizontal posture. Then, all of the adsorption pads 443 maintain a horizontal posture rise. Therefore, the printing plate PP can be closely attached to the lower surface 41a of the loading table 41 in a state of being corrected to the horizontal posture as described above, so that the printing and adsorption holding of the printing plate PP can be performed more satisfactorily.

These effects are effective not only when the printing plate PP is conveyed from the printing plate robot HP to the loading table 41, but also when the substrate SB is conveyed from the substrate robot HS to the loading table 41.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of through holes 41d are provided in the loading table 41, and patterning is performed in a state where the through holes 41d are located on the upper surface of the printing plate PP or the substrate SB (printing plate PP transfers the pattern to the blanket) The pattern on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB). Therefore, there is a case where the influence of the through hole 41d is disturbed. However, when the pattern formation result at the position of the through hole 41d is observed, it is confirmed that no pattern defect is found at the position of the through hole 41d, and good pattern formation is achieved over the entire surface.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the printing plate PP and the substrate SB correspond to an example of the "plate-shaped object to be conveyed" and the "plate-like object" of the present invention, and the printing plate robot HP and the substrate robot HS correspond. An example of the "first holding device" and the "transporting device" of the present invention. Further, the loading table 41 corresponds to an example of the "second holding device" of the present invention. Further, the pair of upper adsorption units 44 correspond to an example of the "transport device" and the "transport device" of the present invention. Further, the support frame 441 corresponds to an example of the "moving member" of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be added to the contents without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the pad rows in which the three adsorption pads 443 are arranged along the X direction are arranged in four rows in the Y direction, and the total of 12 adsorption pads 443 are used, but the plate may be adsorbed by using the plurality of adsorption pads 443. When the PP or the upper surface of the substrate SB is different from each other, the number and arrangement of the adsorption pads 443 are arbitrary.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the method and the conveying device for conveying the plate-shaped object to be conveyed by the present invention are applied to the pattern forming device. However, the application of the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to all of the following devices: The plate-shaped object to be conveyed held by the holding member in a state of supporting the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface is conveyed to the second holding means, and the second holding means adsorbs and holds the plate-like object above the first holding means surface.

The present invention can be applied to any of the following techniques and a pattern forming apparatus for patterning using the technique, in which the first holding means for holding the plate-shaped object to be transported from the state of being bent is transferred to the adsorption. Keep the plate shape moved a second holding means for the upper surface of the object.

41‧‧‧ Uploading station (second holding device)

41b‧‧‧Adsorption tank

41c‧‧‧Adsorption holes

41d‧‧‧through holes

644‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

61‧‧‧ download station

61a‧‧‧Upper surface of the download station

442b‧‧‧ hollow shaft

443‧‧‧Adsorption pad

611‧‧‧Open window

625‧‧‧manipulator

641‧‧‧Transfer roller

642‧‧‧Support frame

HP‧‧• plate manipulator (first holding device)

HS‧‧‧Machine robot (first holding device)

PP‧‧‧print plate (plate-shaped conveyed object, plate-like object)

SB‧‧‧ substrate (plate-shaped conveyed material, plate-like object)

SP‧‧ ‧ processing space

Claims (5)

A method of conveying a plate-shaped object to be transported, wherein a plate-shaped object held by a first holding device in a state of supporting a peripheral portion of a lower surface is transferred to a second holding device, and the second holding device is at the first holding device The upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is adsorbed and held, and the method of conveying the plate-shaped object is characterized by comprising: a first adsorption step of disposing the first adsorption member in the second direction from the vertical direction Holding the first through hole of the device down, adsorbing and holding the first adsorption position of the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be held by the first holding device; and second adsorbing step, causing the second adsorption member to The second through hole of the second holding device is lowered at a position where the first through hole is different in the vertical direction, and the first surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is different from the first adsorption position. a second adsorption position; and a moving step of raising the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member holding the plate-shaped object to be lifted, respectively, and retracting into the first through hole and Said second through hole, the plate-like object conveyed from said first holding means is moved to said second holding means. The method of conveying a plate-shaped object to be transported according to claim 1, wherein the first adsorption step is a step of lowering the first adsorption member and holding the first holding device. a distance corresponding to the amount of displacement caused by the bending of the plate-shaped object at the first adsorption position, The second adsorption step is a step of lowering the second adsorption member to a displacement amount caused by bending of the plate-like object held by the first holding means at the second adsorption position the distance. A plate-shaped conveyance device for transporting a plate-shaped object held by a first holding device in a state of supporting a peripheral portion of a lower surface to a second holding device, wherein the second holding device is at the first holding device The upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed is adsorbed and held, and the plate-shaped object conveying device includes a first adsorption member and a second adsorption member, and adsorbs and holds the plate-shaped object to be conveyed. The upper surface; and the driving mechanism portion, the first adsorption member is raised and lowered along the first movement path, and the first movement path is disposed through the first through hole of the second holding device through the vertical direction, and The second adsorption member is raised and lowered along the second movement path, and the second movement path is disposed in the second through hole of the second holding device through the upper and lower directions at a position different from the first through hole; The driving mechanism unit lowers the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, and respectively adsorbs and holds the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member by the first After the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position are different from each other in the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed held by the device, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are moved back to the The plate-shaped object to be conveyed moves from the first holding device to the second holding device in the first through hole and the second through hole. A conveying device for a plate-shaped object to be conveyed according to claim 3, wherein The drive mechanism portion includes: an elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member; and a moving member for the first adsorption member and the first portion by the lifting mechanism The upper side of the second adsorbing member moves up and down; the first connecting member connects the moving member and the first adsorbing member to each other, and the first adsorbing member moves up and down together with the moving member, and has position adjustment a function of maintaining a relative position of the first adsorbing member to the moving member while maintaining the moving member further after the first adsorbing member abuts against the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be conveyed a height position of the first adsorption member; and a second joint member interconnecting the moving member and the second adsorption member, causing the second adsorption member to move up and down together with the moving member, and having position adjustment a function of causing the second adsorbing member to be opposite when the moving member is further lowered after the second adsorbing member abuts against the upper surface of the plate-shaped object to be transported Relative position displacement of said mobile member, to maintain the height position of the second suction member. A pattern forming device that forms a pattern by pressing a blanket held on an upper surface of a downloading table with a plate-like object that is held by a lower surface of an loading table disposed above the downloading table, and the pattern forming device The present invention includes a conveying device that conveys the plate-like object to the loading table and the downloading table while supporting a peripheral portion of a lower surface of the plate-like object before pattern formation And a transfer device that transfers the plate-like object from the transfer device to the loading table; and the transfer device includes: a first adsorption member and a second adsorption member that adsorbs and holds the upper surface of the plate-like object And a driving mechanism portion that moves the first adsorption member along the first movement path, the first movement path is disposed through the first through hole of the loading table through the vertical direction, and the second The adsorption member is raised and lowered along the second movement path, and the second movement path is provided in the second through hole of the loading table through the vertical direction at a position different from the first through hole; the drive mechanism portion makes The first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are lowered, and the upper surfaces of the plate-like objects held by the conveying means are adsorbed and held by the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member, respectively. After the first adsorption position and the second adsorption position, the first adsorption member and the second adsorption member are moved back to the first through hole and the second through hole by rising , The plate-like object from the transport device to move the upper stage.