JP5160996B2 - Substrate floating device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate levitating apparatus for levitating a substrate such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other flat panel display (FPD) by air.

  Conventionally, a mother glass substrate is floated by air in a non-contact state mother glass in a liquid crystal panel manufacturing process or an inspection process for inspecting the glass substrate by performing resist patterning on a glass substrate (mother glass) by a photolithography process. A technique for inspecting or transporting a substrate is employed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  When the mother glass substrate is levitated by air, a plurality of levitation plates in which air discharge holes are formed are arranged side by side on the upper surface of the stage on which the glass substrate of the substrate inspection apparatus or the substrate conveying apparatus is placed and the conveying surface for conveying the glass substrate, The glass substrate is floated by discharging air from the air discharge holes of these floating plates.

When supplying air for discharge to the levitation plate, a method of supplying air to each levitation plate via an air pipe from a buffer tank that temporarily stores air supplied from an air supply source is employed.
JP 2005-62819 A

  By the way, if the length of the air pipe is different for each levitation plate, the difference in pressure loss in the air pipe will cause a difference in the air discharge amount for each levitation plate. As a result, the substrate at the time of levitation can be kept horizontal. become unable.

  In this respect, the air pressure loss in the air piping can be made constant by making all the air piping the same length. In this case, the distance from the buffer tank to the furthest floating plate is the standard, and the air piping of the floating plate closest to the buffer tank is only the width of the glass substrate transport path compared to the furthest floating plate. become longer. In order to transport a large glass substrate having a side of 3000 mm, for example, in a transport stage in which floating plates with a width of 200 mm are arranged in the transport width direction, the air pipe connected to the floating plates arranged on both sides has a thickness of about 3000 mm. There is a difference. That is, since the air pipes sag 200 mm in order from the farthest levitating plate, other air pipes with sagging must be routed, resulting in a problem of complicated piping work. When air piping with sagging is rounded on the buffer tank side, resistance to the air flow occurs at this rounded portion, so the air pressure flowing through each air piping differs, and the floating pressure of each floating plate is constant. A new problem will arise. In addition, the length of all air piping must be matched to the length of the air piping with the longest distance from the buffer tank to the levitation plate, which increases the pressure loss and the air pressure supplied to the levitation plate. There is also a need to increase.

  In view of the above-described conventional situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate floating apparatus that supplies air at a constant pressure to a floating plate with a simple configuration.

  In order to solve the above problems, a substrate levitation apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of levitation plates that discharge air for levitation of a substrate, a buffer tank that temporarily stores air to be supplied to the plurality of levitation plates, And a plurality of air pipes for supplying air from the buffer tank to each of the plurality of floating plates. The buffer tank is disposed below and in the vicinity of a region where the plurality of floating plates are disposed. In addition, the plurality of air pipes extend in the arrangement direction of the floating plates, and the length from the buffer tank to the floating plate is substantially the same.

  According to the present invention, the air piping can be shortened, and the occurrence of a difference in air pressure loss due to the arrangement shape of the air piping can be prevented. Can be supplied to.

Hereinafter, a substrate floating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate inspection apparatus 1 including a substrate floating apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a substrate transfer device disposed before and after the substrate transfer direction (arrow D1) of the substrate inspection apparatus 1, a slider for holding and transferring one end of the substrate floating on the floating plate 11, and The illustration is omitted for.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the substrate floating apparatus 10 as viewed from above, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the substrate floating apparatus 10 as viewed from below. In FIG. 2, the illustration of the floating plate 11 of the substrate floating apparatus 10 is omitted.

  A substrate inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a gantry-fixed micro inspection apparatus, and includes a substrate floating apparatus 10, a microscope (inspection unit) 2, a gantry 3, a base unit 4, and a vibration isolation unit 5 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The construction frame 6 and the like.

  The gantry 3 has a gate shape, and is fixed on the base portion 4 so as to straddle the substrate conveyed onto the substrate floating device 10. The microscope 2 can be moved in a horizontal uniaxial direction (arrow D2) orthogonal to the substrate transport direction (arrow D1) by the operation of the linear motor mechanism 3a provided on the side surface of the gantry 3.

  Since the gantry 3 is fixed to the base portion 4, the microscope 2 moves the substrate conveyed in the substrate conveyance direction (arrow D1) by a slider (not shown) in one axial direction (arrow D2) by the operation of the linear motor mechanism 3a. By observing it, it is possible to observe the entire surface of the substrate. A transmission illumination light source that moves in synchronization with the operation of the microscope 2 is disposed below the microscope 2 so as to face the microscope 2.

  Among the floating plates 11 to be described later, two rows of floating plates 11 ′ positioned so as to sandwich a region to be inspected by the microscope 2 (a region that can be inspected by moving the microscope 2 in the movement direction D2) It is arranged closer to the moving direction of the microscope (arrow D2), which is the shorter side direction than the flying plate 11 arranged at the position, so that the substrate can be precisely levitated.

  A plurality of vibration isolation units 5 that absorb vibrations from the outside are disposed below the base unit 4. Further, a plurality of installation frames 6 are installed on the base 4 so as to extend in the substrate transport direction (arrow D1), and four substrate floating stages 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are installed on the installation frame 6. Has been.

  The substrate levitation apparatus 10 includes a levitation plate 11 (shown only in FIG. 3), a plate support frame 12, a buffer tank 12a, air pipes 13 and 14, a frame base portion 15, a height adjustment portion 16, and the like.

  The floating plate 11 has a rectangular tile shape, and discharges air for floating the substrate from an air discharge hole formed on the upper surface. The levitation plates 11 are arranged in a matrix in the substrate transport direction (arrow D1) and the microscope movement direction (arrow D2), and the longitudinal direction is parallel to the substrate transport direction (arrow D1).

  A plurality of plate support frames 12 that are formed by stacking square pipes and that support the floating plate 11 from below are arranged below the floating plate 11 so as to extend in the microscope movement direction (arrow D2).

  The plate support frame 12 is fixed on the frame base portion 15. The frame base portion 15 is fixed on the above-described installation frame 6 via the height adjusting portion 16 at the four corners.

  In the present embodiment, the buffer tank 12a is located below the area where the floating plate 11 is disposed and in the vicinity of the floating plate 11, and in this embodiment, a hollow portion (one of the stacked square pipes) is provided. Are formed by sealing the openings at both ends of the hollow portion) with a plate-shaped sealing material 12b, and temporarily stores air supplied from an air supply source (not shown) through the air pipe.

  Further, the buffer tank 12a extends in the longitudinal direction (that is, the microscope moving direction D2) of the plate support frame 12, which is one of the arrangement directions (arrows D1, D2) of the floating plates 11.

  Since the buffer tank 12a extends in the microscope movement direction (arrow D2), which is one of the arrangement directions of the floating plates 11, the distance from the buffer tank 12a to each floating plate 11 is the same. The lengths (arrows L) of the plurality of air pipes 13 that supply air are also the same and have the same shape.

  The air pipe 13 extends upward from a pipe joint 13 a provided on the side surface of the buffer tank 12 a (plate support frame 13) along the side surface of the plate support frame 12, curves at the upper end of the plate support frame 12, and floats on the floating plate 11. It extends horizontally along the bottom surface of the plate and is connected to a pipe joint 13 b provided on the bottom surface of the floating plate 11.

  In the present embodiment described above, the buffer tank 12a is disposed below and in the vicinity of the region where the plurality of floating plates 11 are disposed, and the microscope moving direction (arrow) that is one of the arrangement directions of the floating plates 11 is indicated. The plurality of air pipes 13 extending to D2) and connecting the buffer tank 12a and the floating plate 11 have substantially the same length L from the buffer tank 12a to the floating plate 11.

  Therefore, the air pipe 13 can be shortened, and the occurrence of the air pressure loss difference due to the difference in the length of the air pipe 13 (arrow L) can be prevented. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, air having a constant pressure can be supplied to the floating plate 11 with a simple configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the buffer tank 12 a is formed inside the plate support frame 12. Therefore, the installation space of the buffer tank 12a can be omitted, and therefore air with a constant pressure can be supplied to the levitation plate 11 with a simple configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the air pipe 13 connecting the buffer tank 12a and the floating plate 11 extends upward from the buffer tank 12a along the plate support frame 12, and is curved at the upper end of the plate support frame 12. It extends horizontally along the bottom surface of the floating plate 11 and is connected to the pipe joint 13 b on the bottom surface of the floating plate 11. Therefore, a simpler configuration can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the buffer tank 12a is formed inside the plate support frame 12. However, the buffer tank 12a may be arranged in a region between the plate support frames 12 and 12. In that case, it can be set as a simpler structure by arrange | positioning a buffer tank so that one plate support frame 12 may be followed.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the substrate floating device 10 is disposed in the gantry fixing type substrate inspection apparatus 1 in which the gantry 3 is fixed to the base portion 4 has been described. However, the gantry 3 moves along the base portion 4. The substrate levitation apparatus 10 may be arranged in a gantry movement type substrate inspection apparatus.

  Further, the substrate floating device 10 may be disposed on a substrate transport device or a substrate transfer device that is disposed before or after the substrate transport direction (arrow D1) of the substrate inspection apparatus 1. Further, the substrate floating device 10 can be arranged on a substrate transfer device that is not connected to the substrate inspection device 1.

  In the present embodiment, the buffer tank 12a extends in the microscope movement direction (arrow D2), which is one of the arrangement directions of the floating plates 11, but the substrate transport direction (arrow), which is another arrangement direction of the floating plates 11. D1) may be extended. In that case, the plate support frame 12 is disposed so that the longitudinal direction of the plate support frame 12 is parallel to the substrate transport direction (arrow D1), or the buffer tank is disposed so as to penetrate the plate support frame 11. Good.

  In the present embodiment, one air pipe 13 extending from the buffer tank 12a to the levitation plate 11 is arranged for each levitation plate 11. However, the air pipe 13 is branched to provide two or four levitation plates 11. You may make it connect. Even in this case, the lengths of the branched air pipes are preferably the same.

  When the plate support frame 12 supports the opposite ends of the two rows of floating plates 11, the air pipes 13 are connected to both side surfaces of the buffer tank 12 a formed inside the plate support frame 12. Thus, the number of buffer tanks 12a can be suppressed.

  Further, by forming more air supply ports to which the pipe joints 13a are attached on the side surfaces of the buffer tank 12a (plate support frame 12) than the number of the air pipes 13, the floating plate 11 can have a different size. When changing, air piping of a fixed distance can be connected to the changed floating plate.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lengths of all the air pipes 13 (arrow L) are not completely the same, but the lengths of some of the air pipes 13 are made different, and the resulting pressures in the air pipes 13 are generated. Even when the supply pressure to the levitation plate 11 is adjusted so as to eliminate the loss difference, the length of the air pipe 13 is substantially the same.

  Further, a plurality of buffer tanks 12a may be connected in series to suppress the number and length of the air pipes 14 from the air supply source to the buffer tank 12a.

It is a perspective view showing a substrate inspection device provided with a substrate floating device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the board | substrate levitation apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention from upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the board | substrate floating apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention from the downward direction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate inspection apparatus 2 Microscope 3 Gantry 4 Base part 5 Anti-vibration part 6 Construction frame 10 Board | substrate levitation apparatus 11 Floating plate 12 Plate support frame 12a Buffer tank 12b Seal material 13,14 Air piping 13a, 13b Piping joint 15 Frame base part 16 Height adjustment section

Claims (2)

A plurality of floating plates for discharging air for substrate floating;
A buffer tank for temporarily storing air to be supplied to the plurality of floating plates;
A plurality of air pipes for supplying air from the buffer tank to each of the plurality of floating plates;
In a substrate levitation apparatus comprising:
The buffer tank is disposed below and in the vicinity of the region where the plurality of floating plates are disposed, and extends in the arrangement direction of the floating plates,
Wherein the plurality of air pipes, the length from the buffer tank to the floating plate Ri substantially equal der each other,
The substrate floating device further includes a plate support frame that supports the floating plate from below.
The buffer tank is formed inside the plate support frame,
A substrate floating apparatus characterized by the above. The air pipe extends upward from the buffer tank along the plate support frame, is curved at the upper end of the plate support frame, extends horizontally along the bottom surface of the floating plate, and is connected to the floating plate. The substrate floating apparatus according to claim 1 .