JP2002127070A - Plate-like body holder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suspend and hold a plate-like body or a warping plate-like body slantingly placed in a plate-like body holder without contacting with the plate- like body. SOLUTION: A noncontact sucking tool for suspending and holding the plate- like body in a noncontact state by blowing out air, is rotatably and liftably installed on a base.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a liquid crystal glass substrate, a semiconductor wafer, or other plate-like body placed in an inclined state, or without contact with a warped or undulating plate-like body. The present invention relates to a plate-shaped body holding device for suspending and transporting a sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a Bernoulli chuck (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-1) has been used as a non-contact suction device for suspending and holding a plate-like body, for example, a semiconductor wafer in a non-contact state by blowing gas.
05831) has been proposed.

[0003] In the non-contact suction device, a negative pressure is generated by a high-speed airflow flowing in a narrow space between the holding surface of the non-contact suction device and the plate by ejecting air from a nozzle toward the plate. The plate is suspended and held in a non-contact state floating in the air.

[0004] Therefore, when the holding surface of the non-contact suction device and the plate-like body are not placed parallel to each other, but are greatly inclined, no negative pressure is generated, and it is impossible to suspend and hold.

When the plate is suspended, the air is blown out and held in a state where the holding surface of the non-contact suction device is close to the plate. Contact the periphery of the holding surface before jetting.

When holding a plate-like body such as a large glass substrate, the suspension is performed by a plurality of non-contact suction devices.

[0007] The distance between the suction member and the plate-shaped member during suspension holding is usually about 0.5 mm.

[0008] The non-contact suction device is fixed to a base or a bracket, and it is difficult to accurately obtain the flatness of the holding surfaces of all the attached non-contact suction devices. There is a problem of contact.

Further, in the case of a large plate-like body which is not flat but has a warp or undulation, it is impossible to maintain the parallelism between the holding surface of each non-contact suction device and the plate-like body during holding. There is also the problem of doing.

[0010]

The problem to be solved is that a plate-like body not placed in parallel with the non-contact suction device is suspended and held without contact, and a plurality of non-contact suction devices are required. Therefore, when suspending and holding a plate-like body that is not placed parallel to the non-contact suction device or a warped plate-like body,
Each non-contact suction device is parallel to the surface of the opposing plate-like body, and is suspended and held in a non-contact state.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

In a plate-like body holding device for suspending and holding a plate-like body placed in an inclined state in a non-contact state, a support shaft having a non-contact suction device fixed to an end thereof is rotatably inserted into a base, The problem can be solved by a plate-like body holding device in which a stopper is fixed to a position of the support shaft projecting from the base.

According to the present invention, when the non-contact suction device rotatably supported on the base by the support shaft approaches a plate-like body that is not parallel to the holding surface of the non-contact suction device, the high-pressure air is applied to the plate-like shape. When jetted toward the body, the pressing force of the jetted high-speed air flow makes the spacing between the plate-shaped body equal to the entire holding surface, the holding surface becomes parallel to the plate-shaped body, and the non-contact suction tool approaches Then, a negative pressure is generated in the space between the holding surface and the plate-shaped body, and the plate-shaped body is suction-held.

[0014]

Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a plate-like body holding device A according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a state immediately before the plate-like body 12 is suspended, and FIG. This shows a state in which the ejection non-contact suction device D sucks the plate-like body 12 and becomes parallel.

In the plate-like body holding device A, a tubular support shaft 6 fixed to the upper part of the nozzle 3 of the non-contact suction device C is inserted downward into a shaft hole 8 of a rotatable bearing 7 mounted on the base 1. The support shaft 6 has a flexible pipe 11 connected to a high-pressure air source.
Is connected.

The diameter of the shaft hole 8 is slightly larger than the diameter of the support shaft 6, so that the support shaft 6 can freely move up and down.

A stopper 7 whose bottom is perpendicular to the support shaft 6 is fixed to a portion of the support shaft 6 protruding from the base 1.

The support shaft 6 is a hollow tube. The lower end is connected to the nozzle of the non-contact suction device C, and the upper end is connected to a high-pressure air source. It is connected.

The non-contact suction device C has a cushion chamber 4 which is open below the center of the cylindrical base 2, a nozzle 3 is provided at the upper center of the cushion chamber 4, and the periphery of the cushion chamber 4 at the lower end is provided. The portion forms the holding surface 5 facing the plate-like body 12.

When the high-pressure air P sent from the pipe 11 is blown out from the nozzle 3 toward the plate 12, the non-contact suction device C has a large distance between the non-contact suction device C and the plate 12. The plate 12 is pressed by the high-pressure air P ejected from the nozzle 3.

When the noncontact suction device C is further approached and the distance is reduced, the cushion chamber 4 and the holding surface 5 and the plate 1
2 is decompressed, and a suction force is generated on the plate-like body 12.

And if you get closer. Cushion room 4
And the space is pressurized to generate a force repelling the plate-like body 12.

Accordingly, the plate-shaped body 12 is suspended in a non-contact state at a distance where the suction force due to the generated negative pressure and the weight and load of the plate-shaped body 12 are balanced.

When the plate-like body 12 which is not placed in parallel with the holding surface 5 of the non-contact suction device C is suspended and held as shown in FIG. Body 1
2, the pressurizing action of the high-pressure air P ejected from the nozzle 3 by the air flow causes the entire circumference of the holding surface 5 and the plate-like body 1 to move.
Since the force that keeps the distance from the base 2 constant is generated, the non-contact suction device rotatably mounted on the base 1 is parallel to the plate-shaped body 12 as shown in FIG. A suction force is generated in the suction device C, and the plate-shaped body 12 is suspended and held in a non-contact state.

When the base 1 is raised in this state, the stopper 9 comes into contact with the upper surface of the base 1. When the base 1 is further raised, the non-contact suction device C is rotated, and the entire bottom surface of the stopper 9 comes into contact with the base 1 and is held on the holding surface 5. The plate-shaped body 12 is leveled and moved in this state.

[0027]

[Embodiment 2] Fig. 4 shows another plate-shaped body holding device B of the present invention.

The base 1 has a shaft hole 2 slightly larger than the support shaft 6.
1 is a plate-shaped body holding device B which holds the support shaft 6 passing through the shaft hole 21 so as to be rotatable up and down.

[0029]

Embodiment 3 FIGS. 5 and 6 show a side sectional view and a lower plan view of a non-contact suction device D of a field plate holding apparatus E according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

The non-contact suction device D used in the plate-like body holding device E of the present embodiment has the air suction port 1 in the suspended holding state.
4 and at the same time, high-pressure air P
To suspend the plate-shaped body 12 in a non-contact state.

The support shaft 6 is fixed to the upper part of the air suction port 14, and the support shaft 6 is rotatable about the shaft hole 19 of the bearing 7.
And is held by the base 1.

A stopper 9 is fixed to a position of the support shaft 6 protruding from the base 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the upper end of the support shaft 6 is connected to an air supply source via a switching valve 17 and to an air suction source via a switching valve 18.

In the above configuration, the plate-like body 12 not placed in parallel with the holding surface 23 of the non-contact suction device D of the plate-like body holding device E
7, the switching valve 17 is opened, the switching valve 18 is closed, and the high-pressure air P is ejected from the air suction port 14 and the nozzle 22 as shown in FIG. The switching valve 17 is closed and the switching valve 1 is closed when the surface 23 is made parallel to the plate-shaped body 12 and further approached.
8 is opened, and air is sucked from the air suction port 14.

The plate 12 is attracted by the air flow sucked from the air suction port 14, but is prevented from contacting by the high-pressure air P jetted from the nozzle 22.

In this state, the plate-like body 12 holds the non-contact suction device D
And the plate-shaped body 12 is held and transported in a horizontal state as the base 1 is raised.

As shown in FIG. 8, a spring 24 is inserted between the stopper 9 and the base 1 or between the base 1 and the non-contact suction device as shown in FIG. The body holding device F is also a suitable example.

The non-contact suction device used in the present invention may be a device other than that described in the present embodiment, such as a holding device for holding a workpiece in a non-contact state by ejecting gas or a Bernoulli chuck. .

[0039]

The effects obtained by typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

(1) It is possible to suspend and hold a plate-shaped body placed not parallel to the non-contact suction device without contact.

(2) A warped or undulating plate-like body can be suspended and held without contact.

(3) In the plate-like body holding device in which a plurality of non-contact suction devices are mounted on the base, it is possible to balance loads applied to the non-contact suction devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a plate-shaped body suspended vertically according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view of another embodiment of the present invention at the start of suspension of a plate-like body.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the non-contact suction device D according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a non-contact suction device D according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an operation system diagram of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base 2, Base 3, 22 Nozzle 4 Cushion chamber 5, 23 Holding surface 6 Support shaft 7 Bearing 8, 21 Shaft hole 9 Stopper 12 Plate-shaped body 14 Air suction port 24 Spring A, B, E, F Plate-shaped body holding Equipment C, D, Non-contact suction device P High pressure gas

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A holding device for suspending and suspending a plate-like body placed in an inclined manner in a non-contact state, wherein a support shaft having a non-contact suction device fixed to an end thereof is rotatably inserted into a base. A plate-like body holding device in which a stopper is fixed at a position protruding from the base of the support shaft.