TWI457999B - Substrate bonding apparatus and substrate bonding method using the same - Google Patents

Description

Substrate bonding apparatus and substrate bonding method

The present invention relates to a substrate bonding apparatus and a substrate bonding method using the substrate bonding apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate bonding apparatus and a use station capable of effectively curing a sealant line A substrate bonding method of the substrate bonding apparatus.

In general, a flat display panel is manufactured by joining a pair of flat substrates. For example, when manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel, a lower substrate having a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode and an upper substrate having a color filter and a common electrode are manufactured. Thereafter, the liquid crystal is dispensed onto the lower substrate, and a sealant is applied to form a sealant line between the upper substrate and the edge of the lower substrate. Next, the sealant line is cured to bond the upper and lower substrates, thereby manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel.

In this case, the curing unit for curing the sealant line between the edges of the substrate comprises: a stage on which the substrate is placed; a photo-irradiator disposed on the platform for emitting light; And a mask having an opening disposed between the light applicator and the substrate for corresponding to the shape of the sealant line. Light emitted from the light irradiator is irradiated onto the sealant line through the opening of the reticle. Therefore, the substrates are bonded to each other.

The light applicator is fixed and the light emitted from the light applicator is completely illuminated by the reticle. A portion of the light passes through the opening of the reticle and is illuminated onto the sealant line to cure the sealant line. Therefore, when the position of the sealant line is changed depending on the size of the substrate, another mask having an opening corresponding to the changed position of the sealant line is required. In addition, a number of reticle having openings corresponding to the changed position of the sealant line are required, which adds cost.

The present invention provides a substrate bonding apparatus and a substrate bonding method using the substrate bonding apparatus, which can effectively cure a sealant line.

The present invention also provides a substrate bonding apparatus and a substrate bonding method using the substrate bonding apparatus, which can move the light irradiator according to the position of the sealant line.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a substrate bonding apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; a light irradiator that emits light along a specific line formed on the substrate; and is disposed around an upper side of the substrate to cause the light to be radiated a first track that moves along the line; and a second track that intersects the first track.

In an embodiment of the invention, the wires may extend along edges between the substrates.

In an embodiment of the invention, the substrate bonding apparatus may include a first track block, wherein the first track block has a first end connected to the first track and a first connection to the second track The two ends are moved along the first track.

In an embodiment of the invention, the substrate bonding apparatus may include a second track block, wherein the second track block has a first end connected to the second track and connected to the light applicator The second end moves along the second track.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second track may extend from the exterior of the platform to the interior of the platform.

In an embodiment of the invention, the end of the second track proximate to the platform may be disposed above the interior of the platform.

In an embodiment of the invention, the light applicator may comprise a light-emitting component arranged to illuminate in a particular direction.

In an embodiment of the invention, the light emitting component can emit ultraviolet (UV) rays.

In an embodiment of the invention, the light emitting component may comprise a light emitting diode (LED).

According to another exemplary embodiment, a substrate bonding method includes: preparing a pair of substrates, placing a sealant line between the substrates; placing the substrate on a stage; moving a light irradiator to correspond to the seal An upper side of the glue line; and moving the light applicator along the sealant line to emit light onto the sealant line.

In an embodiment of the invention, the sealant line may comprise a photocurable material.

In an embodiment of the invention, the substrate may comprise a light transmissive material.

Based on the above, in the substrate bonding apparatus and the substrate bonding method of the present invention, the light irradiator can be moved according to the position of the sealant line to cure the sealant line at various positions without using the photomask, and This further saves the cost of using the reticle.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete, and the scope of the invention will be fully conveyed by those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a substrate bonding apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. 2 and 3 are plan views illustrating a substrate bonding apparatus according to the current embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a light irradiator according to the current embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a substrate bonding apparatus according to the current embodiment includes a stage 200 on which a pair of substrates 110a, 110b are placed, and a curing unit 300 disposed on the substrates 110a, 110b for emitting light. A sealant is applied between the edges of the substrates 110a, 110b to bond the substrates 110a, 110b, and the sealant is cured by light emitted from the curing unit 300.

The substrate 110b, which may be referred to as an upper substrate, and the substrate 110a, which may be referred to as a lower substrate, are formed of light-transmitting glass and have a quadrangular shape. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and thus the upper substrate 110b and the lower substrate 110a may be formed of any material capable of transmitting light emitted from the curing unit 300. In addition, the upper substrate 110b and the lower substrate 110a are not limited to a quadrangular shape. A sealant is applied between the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b to bond the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b. For example, the sealant may be continuously applied to the edge of the top surface of the lower substrate 110a, and then the upper substrate 110b may be placed over the lower substrate 110a. Instead, the sealant may be continuously applied to the edge of the bottom surface of the upper substrate 110b, and then the lower substrate 110a may be placed under the upper substrate 110b. Hereinafter, a sealant pattern formed by applying a sealant between the upper substrate 110b and the lower substrate 110a is referred to as a sealant line L. Since the sealant line L extends along the edges of the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b, the sealant line L also has a quadrangular shape. However, the shape of the sealant line L is not limited to the quadrangular shape, and thus may vary depending on the shapes of the upper substrate 110b and the lower substrate 110a.

The platform 200 supports and fixes the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b. The shape of the stage 200 corresponds to the shapes of the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b. Since the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b have a quadrangular shape, the stage 200 can also have a quadrangular shape. However, the shape of the stage 200 is not limited thereto, and may vary depending on the shapes of the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b. Although not shown, a separate fixing member may be placed on the platform 200 to support and fix the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b. The fixing member may be a vacuum fixing device using vacuum suction or an adhesive chuck using an adhesive force. However, the fixing member may be any device for supporting the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b and fixing the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b to the stage 200.

The curing unit 300 includes a plurality of first moving parts 310a to 310d disposed on the platform 200 on which the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b are placed, and horizontally arranged in the lower portion Around the substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b; and a plurality of light irradiator modules 320a-320d, the plurality of light irradiator modules 320a-320d are coupled to the first moving parts 310a-310d, respectively, along the The first moving parts 310a to 310d are horizontally moved to emit light.

The first moving parts 310a to 310d respectively include a plurality of first tracks 311a to 311d. The first rails 311a to 311d are horizontally arranged around the lower substrate 110a and the upper substrate 110b. The first moving parts 310a-310d also respectively include a pair of first track blocks 312a-312d. The first ends of the first track blocks 312a to 312d are coupled to the first tracks 311a to 311d, and the second ends of the first track blocks 312a to 312d are connected to a light irradiator module which will be described later. The second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 of the groups 320a to 320d.

The first rails 311a to 311d are disposed on the stage 200 on which the substrates 110a, 110b are placed, and are horizontally arranged around the substrates 110a, 110b. The first rails 311a to 311d may extend along the sealant line L. Since the substrates 110a, 110b have a quadrangular shape, and the sealant line L extends along the edges of the substrates 110a, 110b, four tracks (i.e., the first tracks 311a to 311d) can be provided. The first rails 311a to 311d may be horizontally arranged along the sealant line L. The first rails 311a to 311d may be formed of, for example, but not limited to, linear motion (LM) guides, but are not limited thereto, and thus, for horizontally sliding the light irradiation modules 320a to 320d. Any of the components can be used as the first rails 311a to 311d. Although the first tracks 311a to 311d are separately formed, the first tracks 311a to 311d may be formed in a single piece horizontally disposed along the edges of the substrates 110a, 110b.

Since the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 connected to the first tracks 311a to 311d are provided in pairs, the number of the first track blocks 312a to 312d may correspond to the number of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1. . Since the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 connected to the first rails 311a to 311d are also provided in two places (i.e., in pairs), the connection to the first rails 311a to 311d is also provided in pairs. First track blocks 312a-312d. The first ends of the first track blocks 312a to 312d are connected to the first tracks 311a to 311d, and the second ends of the first track blocks 312a to 312d are connected to the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1. For example, the first track blocks 312a-312d can be a combination of a linear motor configured to move linearly and a motor for rotating a ball screw. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and therefore, the first track blocks 312a to 312d may be any components that move on the first tracks 311a to 311d.

The light irradiator modules 320a to 320d respectively include second moving parts 321a to 321d. The second moving parts 321a to 321d have first ends connected to the first rails 311a to 311d so as to be horizontally moved along the first rails 311a to 311d. The light irradiator modules 320a-320d also include light irradiators 322a-322d, respectively. The light irradiators 322a to 322d are connected to the second moving parts 321a to 321d, and are horizontally moved along the second moving parts 321a to 321d to irradiate the sealant line L with light such as ultraviolet rays. In the current embodiment, four modules (i.e., light irradiator modules 320a-320d) are connected to four tracks (i.e., first tracks 311a-311d). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and thus five or more light irradiation modules can be provided.

The second moving parts 321a to 321d intersect the first rails 311a to 311d, respectively. The first ends of the second moving parts 321a to 321d are connected to the first rails 311a to 311d, and the second ends of the second moving parts 321a to 321d are connected to the light irradiators 322a to 322d. The first ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are horizontally moved along the first tracks 311a to 311d, and the second ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are connected to the light irradiators 322a to 322d. The light irradiators 322a to 322d are moved along the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1. For this purpose, the second moving parts 321a to 321d include second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2.

The first ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are connected to the first tracks 311a to 311d through the first track blocks 312a to 312d, and the second ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are passed through the second track. Blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 are connected to light irradiators 322a to 322d. The second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 are provided in pairs to be connected to the first rails 311a to 311d, respectively. That is, since the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are provided in four pairs of four pairs, the pair of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are connected to the first track 311a through the first track blocks 312a to 312d, respectively. 311d. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and thus, four single second tracks may be connected to the first tracks 311a to 311d, respectively. The second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 intersect the first rails 311a to 311d. The second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 extend from the outside of the platform 200 to the inside thereof. That is, the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 extend from the outside of the substrates 110a and 110b to the inside thereof. Therefore, the second ends of the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 are placed on the upper portion of the stage 200 or the substrates 110a, 110b. The second ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are disposed in regions corresponding to the substrates 110a, 110b. The second ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are disposed at least over the inner regions of the substrates 110a, 110b. As the length of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 increases, the second ends of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 become closer to the central portions of the substrates 110a, 110b. As described above, since the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 cause the light irradiators 322a to 322d to move through the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2, the range of movement of the light irradiators 322a to 322d varies. The length of the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 changes. Thus, the light irradiators 322a to 322d can be moved along the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 according to the size of the substrates 110a, 110b, thereby effectively irradiating the sealant line L depending on the size of the substrates 110a, 110b. . That is, since the light irradiators 322a to 322d can be moved along the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 to correspond to the position of the sealant line L, even if the position of the sealant line L is changed, accurate irradiation can be performed. Sealant line L. Although the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 are formed in a strip shape, they may be in any shape for horizontally moving the light irradiators 322a to 322d. In addition, the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 may be constituted by, for example, rails of a linear movement (LM) guide, but are not limited thereto, and thus the horizontal irradiation of the light irradiation modules 320a to 320d may be used. Any part. Since the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 connected to the first rails 311a to 311d are provided in pairs, the number of the second rail blocks 312a-2 to 312d-2 may correspond to the second rails 321a-1 to 321d. The number of -1. Since the second rails 321a-1 to 321d-1 connected to the first rails 311a to 311d are also provided in two places (i.e., in pairs), the connection to the second rail 321a-1 is also provided in pairs. The second track blocks 312a-2 to 312d-2 of 321d-1. The first ends of the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 are connected to the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1, and the second ends of the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 are connected to the light irradiator 322a to 322d. For example, the second track blocks 321a-2 - 321d-2 can be a combination of a linear motor configured to move linearly and a motor for rotating the ball screw. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and therefore, the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 may be any components that move on the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1.

The light irradiators 322a to 322d emit light onto the sealant line L to cure the sealant line L, thereby bonding the lower substrate 110a to the upper substrate 110b. Each of the light irradiators 322a to 322d includes a body 322-1 and a plurality of light emitting members 322-2 that are inserted into the body 322-1 to emit light onto the sealant line L. Although the body 322-1 has a quadrangular cross section, it is not limited thereto. The body 322-1 may have a recess to accommodate the light emitting part 322-2. The light-emitting area of the light-emitting part 322-2 inserted in the body 322-1 is exposed outside the body 322-1. That is, the light emitting part 322-2 is partially exposed outside the bottom surface of the body 322-1 to emit light onto the substrates 110a, 110b. The light emitting members 322-2 are arranged in a specific direction with a space between the light emitting members 322-2. Therefore, the linear light is irradiated onto the linear sealant line L. Therefore, the irradiation area of the sealant line L can be increased. In the current embodiment, a light emitting diode (LED) for emitting uv (ultraviolet) rays is exemplified as the light emitting part 322-2.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a curing unit of a substrate bonding apparatus for curing a sealant line formed on a substrate according to a previous embodiment, according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a curing unit of a substrate bonding apparatus for curing a sealant line formed on a substrate according to a previous embodiment, according to another exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the substrate bonding apparatus according to the previous embodiment cures the sealant lines formed on the substrates of different sizes and bonds the substrates. The same portions of the current embodiment as those of the previous embodiment will be briefly described, or the description of the same portions will be omitted.

First, referring to FIG. 5, a pair of substrates 110a, 110b are placed on the stage 200 and fixed. A sealant line L is formed between the edges of the substrates 110a, 110b to bond the substrates 110a, 110b. The second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 are horizontally moved along the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 such that light irradiation is connected to the second ends of the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 The 322a to 322d are disposed to correspond to the upper portion of the sealant line L. That is, the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 are horizontally moved to emit light from the light irradiators 322a to 322d on the sealant line L. Next, the light irradiators 322a to 322d emit light. The first track blocks 312a-312d are horizontally moved along the first tracks 311a-311d such that the light irradiation modules 320a-320d connected to the second ends of the first track blocks 312a-312d are horizontally along the sealant line L. Move on the ground. That is, the light irradiation modules 320a to 320d are horizontally moved along the first rails 311a to 311d to emit light such as UV rays on the sealant line L. Therefore, the sealant line L is cured, and thus the substrates 110a, 110b are joined to each other. Since the light-emitting members 322-2 of the light irradiators 322a to 322d are arranged in a specific direction, the linear light-cured sealant line L from the light-emitting members 322-2. Therefore, the irradiation area of the sealant line L can be increased, thereby reducing the joining time of the substrates 110a, 110b.

Referring to FIG. 6, a pair of substrates 110a, 110b according to another exemplary embodiment is smaller than the substrates 110a, 110b of the embodiment of FIG. Therefore, the position of the sealant line L formed on the substrates 110a, 110b according to the embodiment of Fig. 6 is different from the position of the sealant line L formed on the substrates 110a, 110b according to the embodiment of Fig. 5. Therefore, the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 are horizontally moved along the second tracks 321a-1 to 321d-1 so that the light connected to the second ends of the second track blocks 321a-2 to 321d-2 The irradiators 322a to 322d are disposed to correspond to the upper portion of the sealant line L. As described above, the substrates 110a, 110b according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 are smaller than the substrates 110a, 110b of the embodiment of FIG. Thus, according to the embodiment of Fig. 6, the light applicators 322a-322d are spaced apart from the first tracks 311a-311d by a distance greater than the distance of the embodiment of Fig. 5. Thereafter, the light irradiators 322a to 322d emit light. At this point, the first track blocks 312a-312d are horizontally moved along the first tracks 311a-311d such that the light irradiation modules 320a-320d connected to the second ends of the first track blocks 312a-312d are along The sealant line L moves horizontally. That is, the light irradiation modules 320a to 320d are horizontally moved along the first rails 311a to 311d to emit UV rays on the sealant line L. Therefore, the sealant line L is cured, and thus the substrates 110a, 110b are joined to each other.

Therefore, according to the embodiment, the first moving parts 310a to 310d horizontally move the light irradiators 322a to 322d to emit linear light on the sealant line L. Therefore, the sealant line L can be continuously cured, and the irradiation area of the sealant line L can be increased, thereby reducing the joining time of the substrates 110a, 110b. In addition, the second moving parts 321a to 321d cause the positions of the light irradiators 322a to 322d to vary according to the positional change of the sealant line L. Therefore, the sealant line L can be cured at various positions without using a photomask.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the first moving part allows the light irradiator for illuminating to be horizontally movable along the sealant line L. The light emitting components are arranged on the light applicator in a particular direction. Thus, when moving horizontally, the light applicator can emit linear light onto the sealant line. Therefore, the sealant line can be continuously cured, and the irradiation area of the sealant line can be increased, thereby reducing the bonding time of the substrate. Additionally, the second moving part allows the light applicator to move according to the positional change of the sealant line. Therefore, the sealant line can be cured at various positions without using a photomask, and the cost of the mask can be saved.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

110a, 110b‧‧‧ substrate

200‧‧‧ platform

300‧‧‧ curing unit

310a~310d‧‧‧First moving parts

311a~311d‧‧‧ first track

312a~312d‧‧‧ first track block

320a~320d‧‧‧Light Irradiator Module

321a~321d‧‧‧Second moving parts

321a-1~321d-1‧‧‧second track

321a-2~321d-2‧‧‧second track block

322a~322d‧‧‧Light Irradiator

322-1‧‧‧ Ontology

322-2‧‧‧Lighting parts

L‧‧‧ Sealant line

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a substrate bonding apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

2 and 3 are top views illustrating a substrate bonding apparatus, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a light irradiator according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating an operation of a curing unit of a substrate bonding apparatus for curing a sealant line formed on a substrate, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating an operation of a curing unit of a substrate bonding apparatus for curing a sealant line formed on a substrate, according to another exemplary embodiment.

110a, 110b. . . Substrate

200. . . platform

300. . . Curing unit

310a～310d. . . First moving part

311a～311d. . . First track

312a～312d. . . First track block

320a～320d. . . Light irradiator module

321a～321d. . . Second moving part

321a-1～321d-1. . . Second track

321a-2～321d-2. . . Second track block

322a～322d. . . Light irradiator

L. . . Sealant line

Claims (11)

A substrate bonding apparatus comprising: a platform on which a substrate is placed; a light irradiator that emits light along a specific line formed on the substrate; disposed around an upper side of the substrate such that the light irradiator is along a first track in which the line moves; and a second track that intersects the first track, the second track extending from an exterior of the platform to an interior of the platform. The substrate bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the line extends along an edge between the substrates. The substrate bonding apparatus of claim 1, comprising a first track block, wherein the first track block has a first end connected to the first track and a first connection to the second track The two ends are moved along the first track. The substrate bonding apparatus of claim 1, comprising a second track block, wherein the second track block has a first end connected to the second track and connected to the light applicator The second end moves along the second track. The substrate bonding apparatus of claim 1, wherein an end of the second track adjacent to the platform is disposed above an interior of the platform. The substrate bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein It is characterized in that the light applicator includes a light-emitting member that is arranged to emit light in a specific direction. The substrate bonding apparatus of claim 6, wherein the light emitting part emits ultraviolet (UV) rays. The substrate bonding apparatus of claim 6, wherein the light emitting part comprises a light emitting diode (LED). A substrate bonding method comprising: preparing a pair of substrates, placing a sealant line between the substrates; placing the substrate on a platform; moving a light irradiator to correspond to an upper side of the sealant line; Moving the light applicator along a first track, wherein the first track extends along the sealant line to emit light onto the sealant line, wherein the light applicator corresponds to In the movement of the upper side of the sealant, the light applicator moves along a second track that intersects the first track, and the second track extends from the exterior of the platform to the interior of the platform The light applicator is placed to correspond to an upper portion of the sealant line. The substrate bonding method according to claim 9, wherein the sealant line comprises a photocurable material. The substrate bonding method according to claim 9, wherein the substrate comprises a light transmissive material.