CN1325981C - Working platform structure of binding machine and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a workbench structure in a bonding machine for bonding first and second substrates of a liquid crystal display device, comprising: a plate movably contained in a bonding chamber; mounted on the plate A plurality of sets of electrostatic chucks are used to provide electrostatic force to support the substrate; a plurality of vacuum holes, which are located in the plate around the electrostatic chuck, are used to receive a vacuum force to absorb and support the substrate; and a plurality of alignment marks are determined The holes, which are in the periphery of the plate, are used to define the marks for aligning the substrate to be picked up, whereby it is easier to separate the substrate from the stage by using a DC power supply having the opposite polarity to a regular DC power supply.

Description

Workbench structure and control method in bonding machine

This application claims the benefit of Korean Application Nos. P2002-0014998 and P2002-0015077, filed March 20, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

This application includes references to two co-pending applications: Application No. 10/184,096, filed June 28, 2002, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FORMANUFACTURING LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICES" (Attorney No. 8733.666.00); Application No. 10/184,088, filed June 28, 2002, entitled "SYSTEM FOR FABRICATING LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY ANDMETHOD OF FABRICATING LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY USING THESAME" (8733.684.00 in its entirety), which are hereby quote.

technical field

The present invention relates to a bonding machine for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, in particular to a workbench structure in a bonding machine for manufacturing liquid crystal displays (LCDs) by liquid crystal dripping, and also to a method for controlling a bonding machine.

Background technique

With the development of the information society, the demand for displays in various forms has gradually increased. Recently, various flat display panels have been developed to meet these needs, such as liquid crystal display devices (LCD), plasma display panels (PDP), electric Luminescent displays (ELDs), vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs) and the like, some of which are used as display devices in various devices.

The LCD has been very widely used as a mobile display device, and the LCD has replaced a cathode ray tube (CRT) with its characteristics and advantages of excellent picture quality, light weight, thinness, and low power consumption. In addition to mobile LCDs such as monitors for notebook computers, LCDs are being developed for monitors for televisions (TVs) and computers that receive and display broadcast signals.

Although there are various technological development approaches for LCDs used as displays in various fields, efforts to enhance the image quality of LCDs as displays are contradictory to the characteristics and advantages of LCDs in many respects. Therefore, for LCDs used in various fields as a general-purpose display, the key to developing LCDs is how far LCDs can be made to achieve high-quality pictures such as high definition and high brightness and large screens while maintaining the LCD's unique features. Lightweight, thin and low power consumption characteristics.

LCDs can be manufactured by a generally known LCD injection method, in which a sealant is coated on one substrate to form an injection hole, and the substrate is bonded to another substrate in a vacuum state by injection in the sealant. Holes or liquid crystals are injected therein by a liquid crystal dropping method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Documents No. 2000-284295 and No. 2001-005405, which provide a substrate on which liquid crystals are dropped and another substrate , make the two substrates facing each other along a vertical direction approach each other, and bond the two substrates.

Among the two methods, the liquid crystal dropping method is advantageous in that many steps (such as forming a liquid crystal injection hole, injecting liquid crystal, and sealing the liquid crystal injection hole) can be omitted, and less equipment is required. Therefore, development research has been conducted on various devices used in the liquid crystal dropping method.

1 and 2 show a prior art bonding machine which employs a liquid crystal dropping method.

This prior art bonding machine is equipped with a frame 10 forming a profile, table sections 21 and 22, a sealant outlet section (not shown), a liquid crystal dripping section 30, chamber sections 31 and 32, chamber moving device and table moving device.

The workbench part has an upper workbench 21 and a lower workbench 22, and there is an electrostatic chuck 28 at the bottom of the upper workbench 21. The electrostatic chuck 28 is a plate of insulating material with two square grooves, wherein each square groove with a plate electrode is coated with a dielectric material, and its main surface is on the same surface as the ground of the electrostatic chuck 28 . Each embedded plate electrode (not shown) is connected to a positive/negative DC power source through an appropriate switch. When a positive or negative voltage is applied to the plate electrode, a negative or positive charge is induced on the main surface of the dielectric material on the same plane as the ground of the electrostatic chuck 28, thereby generating a transparent electrode film by means of the substrate 51 and the charge. The Coulomb force generated between them adsorbs the substrate.

Keep the sealant outlet part and the liquid crystal dripping part 30 consistent with the position side of the bonding frame, and the chamber part has an upper chamber unit 31 and a lower chamber unit 32 which are detachable from each other.

The chamber moving device has a driving motor 40, and the motor 40 is used to selectively move the lower chamber unit 32 to a position for bonding, or to a position for releasing the sealant and dripping liquid crystal, and the table moving device has a driving motor 50, the drive motor 50 is used to selectively drive the upper table 21 up and down.

The steps of the method of manufacturing an LCD using the foregoing prior art bonding machine will be described in detail below.

Firstly, the second substrate 52 is installed on the lower workbench 22 in the lower chamber unit, and the lower chamber unit 32 is moved to the position where the upper workbench 21 is located by driving the driving motor 40 of the chamber moving device.

In this case, the upper workbench 21 generates vacuum suction, absorbs the second substrate 52 by vacuum, and drives the drive motor 40 to move the lower chamber unit 32 to the position of applying sealant and dripping liquid crystal.

Then, the first substrate 51 is put into the lower workbench 22 , and then the lower workbench 22 generates vacuum suction to vacuum absorb the first substrate 51 . This state is shown in Figure 1.

In this case, by the chamber moving device 40, the lower chamber unit 32 with the lower table 22 is moved to the position where the sealant is applied and the liquid crystal is dripped.

Then, when the sealant coating and the liquid crystal dripping work are completed with the sealant outlet portion and the liquid crystal dripping portion 30, as shown in FIG. Location.

After that, the chamber units 31 and 32 are bonded with the chamber moving device 40, the spaces where the respective work tables 21 and 22 are respectively located are closed, and the spaces are evacuated with the separation vacuum device. In this case, the second substrate 52, which is vacuum-adsorbed on the upper workbench, falls onto a pawl (not shown), and when the chamber is fully evacuated, the electrostatic chuck 28, which is charged with a voltage, is attracted. The second base plate 52 on the pawl.

Subsequently, the table 21 is moved downward so that the second substrate 52 adsorbed on the upper table 21 contacts the first substrate 51 adsorbed on the lower table 22 and presses it down to bond the two substrates, thereby completing Manufacture of LCDs.

However, the previous prior art assembly machine (bonding machine) has the following problems.

First, since this prior art bonding machine has a system in which sealant coating and liquid crystal dropping are performed on a substrate on which a thin film transistor is formed and a substrate on which a color filter layer is formed operation, so this prior art bonding machine becomes bulky due to the various parts of the sealant coating and liquid crystal dripping operations.

In particular, bonding machines required for large LCDs have recently become bulkier, which is not conducive to the manufacture of large LCDs.

Second, if the joint seal between the lower unit and the upper unit is poor, the substrate may be damaged during the bonding process, and the bonding may also be defective because air leaks through a leaking portion. Therefore, in a vacuum state, a portion for preventing air leakage is additionally required, which makes it difficult to achieve the required accuracy.

Third, the electrostatic chuck that absorbs the two plate electrodes of the substrate by applying different electrode voltages may drop the substrate due to insufficient electrostatic attraction. In addition, large glass substrates cannot be adsorbed.

Fourth, it is very difficult to align the substrates by moving the lower chamber in a lateral direction during the process of bonding the substrates, which prolongs the time period required for the overall manufacturing. That is, since manufacturing requires many moving operations, such as moving the lower chamber unit to a position where the liquid crystal is dripped or the sealant is applied to a substrate supported on the lower stage, the lower chamber is returned to be bonded again when the above process is completed. The position of the substrate makes it difficult to ensure the accuracy of the substrate alignment.

Fifth, as previously mentioned, even after the bonding is completed, the power to the electrostatic chuck 28 separating the substrates from the upper/lower stages is cut off, the potential remaining between the upper stage and the bonded substrates tends to prevent all Separation of the bonded substrates, which causes misalignment of the bonded substrates, weakens the bond of the encapsulant.

Contents of the invention

The present invention relates to a workbench structure in a bonding machine for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, and also to a method of controlling the bonding machine, which substantially avoids one or more of the problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art .

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a table structure in a bonding machine for manufacturing a liquid crystal display (LCD), which can provide a bonding machine having the most suitable size, movement, range and simplified stage movement direction and range for smooth substrate alignment. For a smooth process design relative to other processes, shortening the time period required to fabricate an LCD, more smoothly separating the substrate from the stage during de-chucking after electrostatic attaching, and providing a manufacturing Bonder method.

Additional features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The other objectives and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

In order to achieve these and other advantages, according to the purpose of the present invention, as specifically and generally described, the workbench structure in the bonding machine for bonding the first and second substrates of a liquid crystal display device includes: a a plate movably mounted in a bonding chamber; sets of electrostatic chucks mounted to the plate to provide electrostatic force to support the substrate; a plurality of vacuum holes in the plate around the electrostatic chucks for to receive a vacuum force to absorb and support the substrate; a plurality of alignment mark defining holes, which are in the periphery of the plate, are used to determine the marks for aligning the adsorbed substrate.

A set of electrostatic chucks includes pairs of plate electrodes that are applied with voltages of opposite polarity.

The plate electrodes have a voltage opposite in polarity to the voltage applied to the adjacent plate electrodes.

The electrostatic chucks in each set have different sizes.

The plurality of alignment mark defining holes includes at least two coarse mark holes and at least four fine mark holes.

The table structure in this bonder also includes lift pin holes in the plate that are used to support the substrate during loading or to lift the substrate from the table during unloading.

The electrostatic chuck includes six groups.

A set of electrostatic chucks includes four plate electrodes.

The plate electrodes have a voltage opposite in polarity to the voltage applied to the adjacent plate electrodes.

The table structure in this bonding machine also includes at least one or more spare holes in the central part of the plate.

The plurality of alignment mark defining holes includes at least one hole in the cut-out portion of one corner of the electrostatic chuck in each corner of the upper table.

The table structure in this bonder also includes a plurality of fixing holes in the perimeter of the plates for fixing the substrates being bonded.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a workbench structure in a bonding machine, the structure has an upper workbench and a lower workbench, and the structure includes: multiple groups of first electrostatic chucks loaded on the upper workbench for provide an electrostatic force supporting a substrate; a plurality of first vacuum holes, which are located around the electrostatic chuck in the upper workbench, and are used to receive a vacuum force to absorb and support the substrate; a plurality of first alignment marks determine holes, which In the outer periphery of the upper worktable, it is used to determine the marks for aligning the adsorbed substrate; multiple sets of second electrostatic chucks loaded on the lower workbench are used to provide electrostatic force to support the substrate; multiple second vacuum holes , they are located around the electrostatic chuck in the lower workbench, and are used to receive a vacuum force to absorb and support the substrate.

The workbench structure in this bonding machine also includes: a plurality of first fixing holes, which are used to fix the bonded substrates in the outer periphery of the upper workbench; It is used to fix the substrate to be bonded in the outer periphery.

The plurality of first fixing holes and the plurality of second fixing holes are formed at positions different from each other.

The workbench structure in this bonding machine also includes: lifting rod holes in the lower workbench, these holes are used to support the substrate during the loading process of the substrate or lift the substrate from the workbench during the unloading process.

The table structure in this bonding machine further includes: a plurality of second alignment mark determining holes in the periphery of the lower table for determining the marks for aligning the adsorbed substrates.

The plurality of first alignment mark defining holes or the plurality of second alignment mark defining holes includes at least two coarse mark holes and at least four fine mark holes.

The second alignment mark determines that light passes through the hole.

The electrostatic chuck consists of six groups, each group consisting of four plate electrodes.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling a bonding machine with an upper and lower workbench, each workbench is equipped with an electrostatic chuck, and each chuck has a plurality of plate electrodes, the method includes: Voltage or positive polarity voltage is applied to the plate electrode in the electrostatic chuck, and the upper and lower worktables are adsorbed by the electrostatic chuck; the upper and lower worktables are moved to bond the substrates; and the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck is cut off, and the opposite polarity Voltage is applied to the plate electrodes to move the upper or lower stage.

Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling a bonding machine with an upper and lower workbench, each workbench is equipped with an electrostatic chuck, and each chuck has a plurality of plate electrodes, the method includes: placing the first substrate Put the second substrate into the bonding chamber; empty the bonding chamber; apply a negative polarity voltage or a positive polarity voltage to the flat electrode in the electrostatic chuck, and the upper and lower worktables absorb each substrate by means of the electrostatic chuck; move the upper and lower worktables to bond the substrates; and cut off the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck, respectively apply voltages of opposite polarities to the plate electrodes, and move the upper or lower table.

The control method of the bonding machine also includes: after applying negative polarity voltage or positive polarity voltage to the plate electrodes, aligning the substrates adsorbed on the upper and lower worktables.

The control method of this bonding machine also includes: ventilating the bonding chamber, applying pressure to the bonded two substrates; and cutting off the voltage applied to the electrostatic chuck, respectively applying voltages of opposite polarities to the plate electrodes On, after moving the upper table or the lower table, unload the pressed first substrate and second substrate.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are provided to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the text serve to explain the principle of the invention:

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 has shown a kind of substrate bonding machine that adopts prior art liquid crystal instillation method in dripping liquid crystal process;

Fig. 2 shows a kind of substrate bonding machine adopting prior art liquid crystal dropping method in bonding substrate process;

FIG. 3 schematically shows a bonding machine for manufacturing LCDs using a liquid crystal dripping method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 schematically shows a plan view of an electrostatic chuck in a bonding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 shows the section along line I-I' in Fig. 4;

Figure 6 shows a detailed plan view of an upper workbench in a bonding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 shows a detailed plan view of the lower workbench according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a bonding machine for manufacturing a liquid crystal display (LCD) using a liquid crystal dropping method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The bonding machine of the present invention comprises a bonding chamber 110, a table section, a table moving device (not marked), an emptying device (not marked), a ventilation device (not marked) and a loading Part 300.

The bonding chamber 110 includes an inner space and an opening 111 in one side, and the inner space is used to perform bonding by pressing the substrates to each other and using successively different pressures by selectively making the space a vacuum state or an atmospheric state. During the bonding process, the opening 111 is used to allow the substrate to enter and exit.

Bonding chamber 110 also comprises a suction pipe 112 and a ventilation pipe 113, and suction pipe 112 is connected to its side, and it utilizes the air suction from the suction device that air is extracted from the internal space of bonding chamber 110, and the bonding chamber 110 is placed in a vacuum state, and a vent pipe 113 is connected to one side thereof, which introduces external air or other gas _N2 into the bonding chamber 110, and puts the bonding chamber 110 in an atmospheric state.

The suction pipe 112 and the vent pipe 113 have electric control valves 112a and 113a, respectively, which are used to selectively open/close the lines.

Along with this, the opening 111 in the bonding chamber 110 provides a door (not shown) for selectively closing the opening.

The door 111a can be a general sliding or rotating type door, or other devices that can close the opening. This sliding or rotating type door has a sealing part for sealing the gap, the details of which are not shown in the figure.

The workbench part includes an upper workbench 121 and a lower workbench 122 installed in an upper space and a lower space in the bonding chamber 110 respectively, and they face each other for supporting and putting into the bonding chamber 110 by the loading part 300. Substrates 510 and 520 are positioned within desired processing positions.

It is suggested that the upper table 121 has at least one electrostatic chuck (ESC) 121a and at least one vacuum hole 121b, the electrostatic chuck 121a is installed on a groove in the bottom of the upper table 121, and is used to support the substrate by electrostatic force, and the vacuum hole 121b is used for Through-hole vacuum absorbs and supports the substrate.

Although the present embodiment suggests that at least two ESCs 121a form a pair, and each ESC is provided with a DC voltage of opposite polarity for electrostatically supporting the substrate, the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be designed so that one ESC A DC voltage of opposite polarity is applied to provide the electrostatic force.

The upper workbench 121 has a plurality of vacuum holes 121b formed around each ESC 121a, the ESC 121 is fixed to the bottom of the upper workbench 121, and the vacuum holes are connected to a single or multiple pipeline 121c connected to the vacuum pump 123 connected to the upper workbench 121.

Together with this, it is suggested that the lower workbench 122 has at least one electrostatic chuck (ESC) 122a and at least one vacuum hole (not shown in the figure), the electrostatic chuck 122a is on the top surface of the lower workbench 122 to provide an electrostatic force for supporting the substrate, The vacuum holes are used to vacuum absorb and support the substrate through the holes.

The ESC and the vacuum holes may be the same as or different from those of the upper stage 121, but the electrostatic force providing means and the vacuum holes should be configured considering the entire manufacturing process of the substrate or each liquid crystal coating area.

Workbench moving device comprises: moving shaft 131, it is used for selectively moving upper workbench 121 up and down; The inside or outside of 110 is connected with worktables 121 and 122 through shafts respectively.

An unexplained symbol 135 represents a driving device, which drives the lower table 122 to move in the lateral direction during the alignment of the substrate.

The bonding machine of the present invention is equipped with a suction pump, which transmits a suction force to selectively bring the inner space of the bonding chamber 110 to a vacuum state, and is driven to generate a total air suction force. The space included in the suction pump 200 is formed so that the space communicates with the suction pipe 112 of the bonding chamber 110 .

The loading part is a device separate from the bonding chamber 110 and various parts in the bonding chamber 110, and it is installed outside the bonding chamber 110 to receive and selectively carry the first substrate 510 on which the liquid crystal is dropped or its The second substrate 520 coated with the sealant is loaded into the bonding chamber 110 or taken out therefrom.

The loading part includes a first arm 310 and a second arm 320, the first arm 310 is used to carry the first substrate 510 on which the liquid crystal is dropped, and the second arm 320 is used to carry the second substrate 520 on which the sealant is coated , wherein the loading part is designed such that the first arm 310 is located at the second above arm 320 .

In addition, it is also suggested that the bonding machine of the present invention also includes an alignment device 600, which is used to determine the alignment between the substrates 510 and 520 that are loaded into the bonding chamber 110 through the loading section and loaded onto the workbenches 121 and 122, respectively. Aligned state, at this time, although the alignment device 600 may be installed at least outside or inside the bonding chamber 110 , the present invention suggests that the alignment device 600 be installed outside the bonding chamber 110 as an embodiment.

In this way, the size of the bonding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is remarkably reduced in size compared with the prior art bonding machine which performs the substrate forming process separately in other processes, and by making the bonding machine perform only one simple The bonding process can greatly shorten the manufacturing time cycle.

Furthermore, the aforementioned inventive system enables faster and more accurate alignment of substrates by allowing the lower table to move only within a very limited range. Different from the prior art, because the aforementioned system bonding chamber of the present invention is not a two-piece bonding chamber that can be selectively combined/disassembled, but a whole bonding chamber, the aforementioned system of the present invention can eliminate two bonding chambers. Leakage problems that arise when bonding chambers are combined, and can eliminate many of the parts needed to prevent leaks.

The upper and lower tables are described in detail below. Fig. 4 schematically shows a plan view of an electrostatic chuck in a bonding machine according to the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 4, multiple groups (6 groups) of electrostatic chucks 121a are arranged on the upper workbench 121 or the lower workbench 122, and they are used to provide an electrostatic force to adsorb the substrate, wherein each group of electrostatic chucks 121a includes at least one pair of flat plates The electrode 1 and a pair of flat plate electrodes 1 are respectively supplied with opposite polarity (negative/positive) DC currents. There are a plurality of vacuum holes 121b in the upper table 121, which are around the electrostatic chuck 121a, and are used to receive vacuum force to absorb and support the substrate.

Therefore, when a positive voltage or a negative voltage is applied to the plate electrode 1, a negative or positive charge is induced on the upper worktable 121 and the lower worktable 122, and the substrate is subjected to a conductive layer and the upper working surface through the charge. Coulomb force adsorption between the stages, the conductive layer such as indium tin oxide (ITO) is used for transparent electrodes formed on the glass substrate 520 such as a common electrode or each pixel electrode.

The upper and lower tables on which the electrostatic chuck and other parts are formed are described in detail below. Fig. 6 shows a detailed plan view of the upper table in the bonding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 shows a detailed plan view of the lower table in the bonding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Fig. 6, there are multiple groups (6 groups) of electrostatic chucks 121a, each of which is installed in a groove in a plane of the upper workbench 121 to provide an electrostatic force for adsorbing the substrate, wherein each group of electrostatic chucks 121a includes multiple For the plate electrode 1 (four plate electrodes), DC currents of opposite polarities are respectively applied to the plate electrodes in each pair. These sets of electrostatic chucks 121a have different forms, and they are fastened to the upper workbench by fastening means, such as fastening bolts 2 .

The electrostatic chuck 121a may include at least one set of four or more plate electrodes 1 formed opposite to the cell area (active area) of the substrate.

There are a plurality of vacuum holes 121b in the upper stage 121, which are around the electrostatic chuck 121a, for receiving vacuum force to attract and support the substrate.

In the upper table 121, there are holes 3b, 3d, 3f, 3g, 3i and 3k for defining coarse alignment marks and holes 3a, 3c, 3e, 3h, 3j and 3l for defining fine alignment marks, which Around the electrostatic chuck 121a, opposite to the alignment device 600, there are also the corners of the plate electrode 1, which are cut into an 'L' shape at the corners of the upper table, in which holes are formed for defining coarse or fine alignment marks 3m and 3n. That is, holes 3a-3l are formed in pairs in the corners (four parts) of the upper table and the upper and lower sides of the upper table, and they are used to determine the coarse alignment mark and the fine alignment mark, while the flat plate Holes 3a-3l are formed in pairs in the corners of the electrode 1, and they are used to confirm the coarse alignment mark and the fine alignment mark. Although thick and fine alignment marks are formed at the corners of general substrates, there are as many holes as there are substrates of different sizes to determine the alignment marks of substrates of different sizes.

Therefore, when the substrate is the largest, the four pairs of holes 3a and 3b and 3k and 3l in the corners of the upper table are utilized to determine the alignment marks formed thereon, and when the substrate is smaller than the largest substrate, the remaining holes are utilized Identify alignment marks. That is to say, when the substrate is the largest, a minimum of two coarse alignment mark holes in the corner is sufficient, and if necessary, more than four coarse alignment mark holes are required to accommodate different models or sizes, while a minimum of four fine alignment mark holes are required. Alignment mark holes are sufficient, if necessary, more than six fine alignment mark holes are required to accommodate different models or sizes.

In addition, a plurality of alignment mark determining holes are formed symmetrically with respect to a central portion.

Although not discussed in the description of the process of bonding substrates using a bonding machine, there is a high possibility that the substrates to be bonded will not be aligned. This misalignment occurs when the upper table 121 is moved down and After pressurizing the substrates adsorbed on the upper workbench and the lower workbench, the pressure is uniformly applied to the two substrates by the pressure change of the bonded substrates and the introduction of dry air or gas during the ventilation of the bonding chamber. caused by deformation. Therefore, the fixing process of the two bonded substrates is carried out before venting. In the fixing process, light is used to partially fix the sealant, or heat or pressure is used to fix the bonded two substrates. Thus, in order to fix the bonded two substrates, it is necessary to additionally irradiate the sealant with light or heat the sealant.

Therefore, in the outer periphery of the electrostatic chuck 121a of the upper table 121, there are holes 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e and 4f for guiding an ultraviolet light to the encapsulant or partially heating the encapsulant. That is, the holes are formed at positions corresponding to the positions of the sealant (fixed sealant) formed between the two substrates. Although six holes are shown in the figure, the number of fixing holes equal to four or more is sufficient.

Although not shown in the figure, spare holes can also be arranged on positions other than the outer periphery of the upper worktable, and grooves 7 are also arranged in the outer periphery of the upper worktable 121, and a clamp is used to enter on several parts of them.

Referring to Fig. 7, similarly, there are also multiple groups (6 groups) of electrostatic chucks 122a, and each group of electrostatic chucks is installed in a groove in the lower workbench 122 (plate) to provide an electrostatic force for adsorbing the substrate, wherein each group The electrostatic chuck 122a includes multiple pairs of plate electrodes 1 (four plate electrodes), and DC currents with opposite polarities are respectively applied to the plate electrodes 1 in each pair. These groups of electrostatic chucks 122 a have different forms, and they are fixed to the lower table 122 by fastening means such as fastening bolts 2 .

In the lower stage 122, the electrostatic chuck 122a may also include at least one group of electrostatic chucks having four or more plate electrodes 1 formed opposite to the cell area (active area) of the substrate.

However, the polarity of the DC current applied to the plate electrode 1 of the electrostatic chuck in the upper and lower stages is different (compare Figs. 6 and 7).

There are a plurality of vacuum holes 122b in the lower table 121 around the electrostatic chuck 122a for receiving vacuum force to attract and support the substrate.

Similar to the upper table, in the upper table 121 there are holes 3b, 3d, 3f, 3g, 3i and 3k for defining coarse alignment marks and holes 3a, 3c, 3e, 3h for defining fine alignment marks , 3j and 3l, which are around the electrostatic chuck 121a, opposite to the alignment device 600, and the corners of the flat plate electrode 1, which are cut into an 'L' shape at the corners of the upper table, in which there are formed to determine the thickness or Fine align the marked holes 3m and 3n. That is, holes 3a-3l are formed in pairs in the corners (four parts) of the upper table and the upper and lower sides of the upper table, and they are used to determine the coarse alignment mark and the fine alignment mark, while the flat plate Holes 3a-3l are formed in pairs in the corners of the electrode 1, and they are used to confirm the coarse alignment mark and the fine alignment mark. Although thick and fine alignment marks are formed at the corners of general substrates, there are as many holes as there are substrates of different sizes to determine the alignment marks of substrates of different sizes.

Therefore, when the substrate is the largest, the four pairs of holes 3a and 3b and 3k and 3l in the corners of the upper table are utilized to determine the alignment marks formed thereon, and when the substrate is smaller than the largest substrate, the remaining holes are utilized Identify alignment marks. That is to say, when the substrate is the largest, a minimum of two coarse alignment mark holes in the corner is sufficient, and if necessary, more than four coarse alignment mark holes are required to accommodate different models or sizes, while a minimum of four fine alignment mark holes are required. Alignment mark holes are sufficient, if necessary, more than six fine alignment mark holes are required to accommodate different models or sizes.

In addition, in the outer periphery of the electrostatic chuck 122a of the lower table 122, there are holes 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g and 4h, which are used to guide an ultraviolet (UV) light to the sealant, or to The encapsulant is partially heated to secure the substrate. The fixing holes 4a-4h in the lower table are formed at positions different from those of the fixing holes 4a-4f in the upper base plate but at the same positions as the other parts. Therefore, the sealant is provided at the positions of the fixing holes 4a-4f in the upper table and the fixing holes 4a-4h in the lower table. Although seven fixing holes are shown in FIG. 1, no more than four or more fixing holes are sufficient.

There are also holes 5 on the lower table, which are used to support the substrate when the substrate is loaded on the lower table, or to lift the substrate from the surface of the lower table when the substrate is unloaded from the lower table, and its There may also be spare holes 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e and 6f.

If a camera is fixed in the side of the upper table to determine the coarse and fine alignment marks, then a beam of light is provided from the side of the lower table through the alignment holes of the marks in the lower table, and this Conversely, if the camera is secured within one side of the lower table, then light is provided through a marked alignment hole in the upper table, which serves as a backlight for the camera.

The coarse mark determination hole, the fine mark determination hole and the fixing hole in each workbench can be formed as required according to the virtual area of the substrate supported on the workbench.

The following explains the process of bonding substrates using the LCD bonder described above in the present invention, and the driving method of the table electrostatic chuck.

First, a first substrate on which a liquid crystal is dropped and a second substrate on which a sealant is coated are provided. Of course, liquid crystals can be dropped on the first substrate, and a sealant can also be coated.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3 , the loading part 300 puts the spare first substrate 510 on which the liquid crystal is dropped on the upper side by the first arm 310, and receives the coating and the sealant thereon by the second arm 320. The second substrate 520 is placed under the first arm 310 .

In this case, when the opening 111 in the bonding chamber 110 is opened, the loading part controls the second arm 320 so that the second arm 320 loads the second substrate 520 coated with the sealant thereon through the opened opening. into the bonding chamber 110. The upper workbench 121 is moved down to the upper side of the second substrate 520, the vacuum pump 123 connected to the upper workbench 121 is operated, and the vacuum suction delivered to the inner vacuum hole 121b of the upper workbench 121 is loaded into the second arm 320. The second substrate 520 in the chamber is bonded. Then, the upper table 121 is moved upward to load the second substrate.

Afterwards, the loading part controls the first arm 310, puts the first substrate 510 dripped with liquid crystal into the bonding chamber 110, and puts it on the lower workbench 122, so that the lower workbench 122 is connected to the lower workbench 122 along with it. The vacuum pump (not shown) of the workbench 122 is put into operation, and the first substrate 510 loaded by the first arm 310 is loaded by the vacuum suction from the vacuum hole (not shown in the figure) in the lower workbench 122, so that the first substrate 510 Supported on the lower workbench 122.

Load the second substrate 520 coated with sealant onto the front of the first substrate 510 on which the liquid crystal is dripped, so as to prevent the first substrate 510 from being loaded into the front of the second substrate 520, which may occur during loading. A situation where dust and the like generated during the second substrate 520 falls onto the liquid crystal dropped on the first substrate 510 .

If the substrate is bonded on the lower table from the previous bonding process, then in order to shorten the manufacturing time cycle, after the second arm 320 is loaded into the second substrate, the second arm 320 is unloaded from the bonded substrate on the lower table. Substrates can be loaded and unloaded simultaneously.

Once the loading of the substrates 510 and 520 is completed by the previous steps, the arms 310 and 320 in the loading section 300 are moved outside the bonding chamber 110, so that the door of the substrate opening 111 in the bonding chamber 110 is put into operation to close the substrate opening 111, making the bonding chamber 110 in a closed state.

Subsequently, although not shown in the figure, the substrate receiver is placed in a position below the upper table, the second substrate suctioned to the upper table is lowered onto the substrate receiver, and the bonding chamber is started to be emptied .

That is, the valve 112a connected to the suction pipe 112 of the bonding chamber 110 makes the suction pipe in an open state by making the suction pump (empty device) 200 in the emptying device start to work to generate an air suction force, The air suction generated by the suction pump 200 is transmitted to the inside of the bonding chamber 110 to place the inside of the bonding chamber 110 in a vacuum state.

Thus, when a required vacuum is obtained in the bonding chamber 110 by driving the suction pump 200 for a certain period of time, the suction pump 200 is stopped, and the suction pipe 112 is closed by operating the valve 112a.

When the bonding chamber 110 is completely emptied, power is supplied to the ESCs 121a and 122a so that the upper stage 121 and the lower stage 122 attract the respective substrates 510 and 520 by electrostatic attraction. Then, return the substrate receiver to the original position.

In this case, a voltage of about 0.1-1 KV is applied when the surface of the substrate on which the conductive layer is formed is located on one side of the table, and when the surface of the substrate on which the conductive layer is formed is located on the opposite side of the table , Apply a voltage of about 3-4KV.

In this case, the worktable moving device drives the drive motor 133 to move the upper worktable 121 downwards to make it close to the lower worktable 122. At the same time, the alignment device 600 determines the substrate 510 supported on each workbench 121 and 122. The alignment state of and 520 provides control signals to the moving axes 131 and 132 and the rotating axes connected to the respective stages 121 and 122 to align the substrates.

Then, the worktable moving device keeps receiving a drive signal, and is continuously driven, so that the second substrate 520 ESC, which is adsorbed on the upper worktable 121, is pressed downward to the first substrate 510 adsorbed on the lower worktable 122, This completes the main bonding process between the two substrates. Here, the main bonding process does not complete the bonding process by moving and compressing the substrates 121 and 122, the bonding is only done to the extent that no air enters between the two substrates when the pressure is changed to atmospheric pressure .

Therefore, when the main bonding process is completed, the power of the ESC 121a is turned off, the substrate is released from the upper stage, and the upper stage 121 is moved upward. Then, open the valve 113a, and introduce dry air or _N gas into the bonding chamber through the vent pipe 113, so that when the bonding chamber 110 gradually reaches the atmospheric state, a pressure difference is formed inside the bonding chamber 110 to press the adhesive. combined substrate. Since the space between the first and second substrates sealed by the sealant is in a vacuum state and the bonding chamber is in an atmospheric pressure state, the first and second substrates are uniformly pressurized.

Finally, an improved substrate bonding process can be performed by actuating the door 114 of the bonding chamber 110 once the bonding is complete, opening the substrate opening 111 closed by the door.

After that, substrate bonding is performed by unloading the bonded substrates by means of the loading section 300 and repeatedly performing the previous series of steps.

Meanwhile, as described above, there is a possibility that, even after the bonding is completed, in order to separate the substrates from the upper and lower tables, the power supply of the electrostatic chuck 28 is cut off, and remaining between the upper table and the bonded substrates The potential between the bonded substrates may also tend to prevent the bonded substrates from separating from the stage, which can cause misalignment of the bonded substrates and weaken the bond of the encapsulant

Therefore, in the present invention, when the power supply of ESC121a is cut off, a voltage of opposite polarity is immediately applied to the plate electrode 1 of the ESC, so as to easily separate the bonded substrate from the upper workbench.

A positive or negative voltage is applied to each flat electrode 1, and the substrate is adsorbed by the Coulomb force generated between the ITO conductive layer on the glass substrate 520 and the upper worktable, and the power applied to the flat electrode 1 is cut off. At the same time, a voltage with a polarity opposite to that of the adsorbed substrate is applied to each plate electrode 1, so as to easily separate the bonded substrate from the workbench. Then, the charge remaining between the stage and the substrate is neutralized, which facilitates easy separation of the bonded substrate from the stage.

As described above, the table structure and the control method of the bonding machine in the bonding machine for manufacturing LCDs of the present invention have the following advantages.

First of all, since the bonding machine of the present invention is separated from the equipment for dropping liquid crystals and applying sealant to receive substrates manufactured by other processes, it is possible to omit the substrates installed on the lower table in the bonding machine of the prior art. The system required for forming a liquid crystal layer and sealing, and can greatly reduce the overall size of the bonding machine, thereby allowing effective layout design and saving installation space.

Liquid crystal dripping, sealant coating, and substrate bonding are performed independently, shortening the overall manufacturing time cycle.

Third, the very limited movement of the lower table in the vacuum chamber of the bonding machine of the present invention enables rapid and accurate positional alignment of the substrates through lateral movement similar to the lower chamber unit of the prior art. In particular, unlike the prior art, the integral one vacuum chamber of the present invention is different from the upper and lower two-piece vacuum chambers that can be selectively combined/disassembled, which eliminates the leakage problem that occurs when the upper and lower two-piece vacuum chambers are combined, and saves Gone are the many parts needed to prevent leaks.

Fourth, since the loading part is designed to facilitate the process of loading the substrate, the arm that loads the substrate on which no liquid crystal is dropped into the vacuum chamber puts the bonded state bonded by the previous process on the lower table. The bonded substrates are taken out of the vacuum chamber, so the work time for loading the substrates and taking out the bonded substrates can be shortened.

Fifth, not only vacuum adsorption holes are always provided on the upper and lower workbenches, but also electrostatic chucks for electrostatic adsorption are provided. The bonding process can be performed more smoothly.

Sixth, the mark alignment holes in the workbench enable more accurate alignment of the two substrates, since the marks in the substrates can be determined by the camera during the process of bonding the two substrates.

Seventh, after bonding the two substrates, the fixed holes in the workbench are used to fix the bonded substrates, which prevents misalignment of the substrates that may occur during the ventilation process, and improves the yield.

Eighth, after using the electrostatic chuck to absorb and bond the two substrates, before moving the upper table upward, by applying a voltage of opposite polarity to the plate electrodes in the electrostatic chuck, it is easy to align the bonded substrates with the upper table This prevents misalignment of the substrates and weakening of the sealant adhesion when the upper stage 121 is moved upwards, which are caused by remaining potentials between the upper stage 121 and the substrates being bonded.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, in the table structure and the control method of the bonding machine in the bonding machine for manufacturing LCD of the present invention, Make various modifications and transformations. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and alterations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (24)

1. the Working table structure of the bonder of first and second substrates that are used for the slurry LCD is characterized in that, comprising:

One is contained in the plate in the bonding chamber movably;

Be installed to the many groups electrostatic chuck on this plate, be used to provide the electrostatic force of supporting substrate;

A plurality of vacuum holes, they are positioned at around the electrostatic chuck in this plate, are used for receiving a vacuum power, absorption and supporting substrate; With

A plurality of alignment marks are determined the hole, and they are used for determining to aim at the mark of adsorbed substrate in the periphery of this plate.

2. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, one group of electrostatic chuck comprises that a plurality of plate electrodes are right, is added with the voltage of opposite polarity on these electrode pairs.

3. Working table structure as claimed in claim 2 is characterized in that, plate electrode have with the adjacent panels electrode on the opposite polarity voltage of institute's making alive.

4. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, the electrostatic chuck in each group is of different sizes.

5. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, a plurality of alignment marks determine that the hole comprises at least two thick index aperture and at least four thin index aperture.

6. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, also comprises the elevating lever hole in this plate, and these holes are used in the process of mounting substrate supporting substrate or lift substrate from worktable in uninstall process.

7. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that electrostatic chuck comprises at least six groups.

8. Working table structure as claimed in claim 7 is characterized in that, one group of electrostatic chuck comprises at least four plate electrodes.

9. Working table structure as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, plate electrode have with the adjacent panels electrode on the opposite polarity voltage of institute's making alive.

10. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, also comprises at least one the standby hole in this plate middle body.

11. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, a plurality of alignment marks determine that the hole comprises at least one hole in the part of cutting away at an angle of electrostatic chuck in each angle of upper table.

12. Working table structure as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, also comprises a plurality of fixed orifices in this plate periphery, these fixed orifices be used for fixing bonding substrate.

13. the Working table structure of a bonder is characterized in that, this structure has a upper table and a lower table, comprising:

Be installed to many groups first electrostatic chucks on the upper table, be used to provide the electrostatic force that supports a substrate;

A plurality of first vacuum holes, they are positioned at around the electrostatic chuck in upper table, are used for receiving a vacuum power, adsorb and support this substrate;

A plurality of first alignment marks are determined the hole, and they are used for determining to aim at the mark of adsorbed substrate in the neighboring of upper table;

Be installed to many groups second electrostatic chucks on the lower table, be used to provide the electrostatic force that supports this substrate;

A plurality of second vacuum holes, they are positioned at around the electrostatic chuck in lower table, are used for receiving a vacuum power, adsorb and support this substrate.

14. Working table structure as claimed in claim 13 is characterized in that, also comprises:

A plurality of first fixed orifices, they in the neighboring of upper table, be used for fixing bonding substrate; With

A plurality of second fixed orifices, they in the neighboring of lower table, be used for fixing bonding substrate.

15. Working table structure as claimed in claim 14 is characterized in that, a plurality of first fixed orifices are formed on the different mutually positions with a plurality of second fixed orifices.

16. Working table structure as claimed in claim 13 is characterized in that, also comprises the elevating lever hole in the lower table, these holes are used in the process of mounting substrate supporting substrate or lift substrate from worktable in uninstall process.

17. Working table structure as claimed in claim 13 is characterized in that, comprises that also a plurality of second alignment marks determine the hole, they are used for determining to aim at the mark of adsorbed substrate in the periphery of lower table.

18. Working table structure as claimed in claim 17 is characterized in that, a plurality of first alignment marks determine that hole or a plurality of second alignment mark determine that the hole comprises at least two thick index aperture and at least four thin index aperture.

19. Working table structure as claimed in claim 17 is characterized in that, second alignment mark determines to have in the hole light to pass.

20. Working table structure as claimed in claim 13 is characterized in that, electrostatic chuck comprises at least six groups, and each group comprises at least four plate electrodes.

21. the control method with bonder of last lower table, each worktable all has electrostatic chuck, and each sucker all has a plurality of plate electrodes, it is characterized in that, this method comprises:

A reverse voltage or positive polarity voltage are added on the plate electrode in the electrostatic chuck, and last lower table adsorbs each substrate by electrostatic chuck;

Move and go up lower table with adhesive base plate; And

Cut-out is applied to the voltage on the electrostatic chuck, and the voltage with opposite polarity is applied on the plate electrode respectively, mobile upper table or lower table.

22. the control method with bonder of last lower table, each worktable all has electrostatic chuck, and each sucker all has a plurality of plate electrodes, it is characterized in that, this method comprises:

First substrate and second substrate are installed in the bonding chamber;

The bonding chamber of emptying;

A reverse voltage or positive polarity voltage are added on the plate electrode in the electrostatic chuck, and last lower table adsorbs each substrate by electrostatic chuck;

Move and go up lower table with adhesive base plate; And

Cut-out is applied to the voltage on the electrostatic chuck, and the voltage with opposite polarity is applied on the plate electrode respectively, mobile upper table or lower table.

23. method as claimed in claim 22 is characterized in that, also comprises: after being applied to reverse voltage or positive polarity voltage on the plate electrode, aim at the substrate that is adsorbed on the lower table.

24. method as claimed in claim 22 is characterized in that, also comprises:

Make bonding chamber ventilated, to two bonding substrates exert pressure; And

Be applied to voltage on the electrostatic chuck in cut-out, the voltage with opposite polarity is applied on the plate electrode respectively, after mobile upper table or the lower table, unloads first substrate and second substrate of being pressed.

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