JP2009166955A - Separation apparatus and substrate inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A separation device capable of reliably carrying out substrates one by one from a support body in which a plurality of substrates are supported in a stacked state, and a substrate having the separation device and capable of easily inspecting a substrate. An inspection apparatus is provided.
A separation apparatus 10 for separating and unloading a substrate W one by one from a support 20 that supports a plurality of substrates W in a stacked state, relative to the support 20 in the stacking direction of the substrates W. A suction head 30 that is movable and sucks onto the surface of the substrate W to hold the substrate W, and a part of the plurality of substrates W stacked by jetting air toward the stacked substrates W An air separation mechanism 40 that floats and separates the substrate W, a position sensor 46 that detects the position of the substrate W on the outermost surface of the substrates W stacked on the support 20, and the position of the substrate W detected by the position sensor 46 The ejection position control unit 11 adjusts the ejection position of the air separation mechanism 40 by changing the relative position between the air separation mechanism 40 and the stacked substrates W.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a separation apparatus that separates and carries out substrates one by one from a support that supports a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, and a substrate inspection apparatus using the same.

In general, a silicon substrate or the like used as a solar cell is manufactured by thinly slicing (slicing) a silicon ingot, and the cut substrate is conveyed by being supported by a support such as a storage cassette in a stacked state. ing.
Such a silicon substrate is required to be inspected for cracks, claw tracks, hooks, cracks, edge chips, pinholes, dirt, saw marks, and the like according to JIS H 0613.

  Conventionally, such an inspection is performed by visual inspection of an operator, and requires a lot of labor and time. Therefore, an inspection apparatus capable of automatically performing these inspections is required. In order to perform inspection automatically, it is necessary to carry out the laminated substrates (thin plates) one by one from the support. By the way, the above-mentioned silicon substrates and the like have a relatively smooth surface, so that the stacked substrates are in close contact with each other, and it is difficult to carry out the substrates one by one even if the substrate on the outermost surface is simply held. It was.

Therefore, for example, those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 have been proposed as separation apparatuses that separate and carry out stacked substrates one by one.
The separation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an adsorbing portion that is curved toward the opposite substrate side, and presses the central portion of the substrate surface to bend the substrate and adhere to the back surface of the substrate. The substrate is separated, and an end portion of the substrate is sucked and carried out.
In addition, the separation device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a suction pad that sucks at the four corners of the substrate, and also presses the center of the substrate surface to bend the substrate and adhere to the back surface of the substrate. The other substrate is separated, and the corner portion of the substrate is sucked and carried out.

Further, the separation device disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a suction pad having a number of suction holes, and sucks and holds the substrate with the suction pad, and blows air from the air knife portion to the back surface of the substrate. It is configured to separate another substrate that is in close contact.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-095633 JP 2001-114434 A JP-A-2005-179032

  By the way, since the silicon substrate for solar cells has a very thin thickness of, for example, about 150 to 400 μm and is a brittle material, when the substrate is curved as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, There is a risk that defects such as cracks, chips and cracks may occur in the substrate. If the curvature of the substrate is suppressed to prevent these defects, the adhered substrate cannot be reliably separated.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a method for separating a substrate that is in close contact using an air knife portion, but the thickness of the stacked substrates varies, so that it adheres to the back surface of the outermost substrate. In some cases, air could not be blown so as to separate the substrate, and the substrate could not be separated. Further, even when air is directed to the substrate held by the suction pad, it is necessary to increase the suction force so that the substrate does not fall. When the adsorption force is increased as described above, an excessive force is applied to the substrate, and there is a possibility that defects such as cracks, chips and cracks may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and includes a separation device capable of reliably carrying out substrates one by one from a support in which a plurality of substrates are supported in a stacked state, and the separation device. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate inspection apparatus that can easily inspect a substrate.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a separation apparatus according to the present invention is a separation apparatus that separates and transports a plurality of substrates one by one from a support that supports a plurality of substrates in a stacked state. On the other hand, the substrate can be relatively moved in the stacking direction of the substrate, and a suction head that holds the substrate by sucking it on the surface of the substrate, and a plurality of layers stacked by ejecting air toward the stacked substrates An air separation mechanism for levitating and separating a part of the substrate, a position sensor for detecting a position of the outermost substrate among the substrates stacked on the support, and a position sensor detected by the position sensor An ejection position control unit that adjusts an ejection position of the air separation mechanism by changing a relative position between the air separation mechanism and the stacked substrates according to the position of the substrate. Yes.

  In the separation apparatus having this configuration, the position sensor that detects the position of the substrate that is on the outermost surface among the substrates stacked on the support, that is, the closest position to the suction head, and the position of the substrate that is detected by the position sensor And an ejection position control unit that adjusts the ejection position of the air separation mechanism according to the ejection position control unit, so that the substrate held by the suction head and the substrate that is in close contact with the back surface of the substrate are separated from each other. Thus, the ejection position of the air separation mechanism can be adjusted, and the substrates can be reliably separated and carried out one by one. Further, since the air is directed to an appropriate position, it is not necessary to increase the suction force of the suction head, and it is possible to prevent the substrate from being cracked or chipped.

Here, the air separation mechanism is provided, and a separation mechanism holding member that is movable in the stacking direction of the substrate with respect to the support is provided, and the position sensor is provided on the separation mechanism holding member. It is preferable to configure.
In this case, since the air separation mechanism and the position sensor are provided on the separation mechanism holding member, the ejection position of the air separation mechanism can be reliably adjusted according to the position of the substrate on the outermost surface detected by the position sensor. It becomes possible. In addition, since the air separation mechanism and the position sensor are provided on the separation mechanism holding member that can approach and separate from the support body, workability when replacing the support body or accommodating the stacked substrates in the support body Can be greatly improved.

The position sensor may be provided on the support.
In this case, a position sensor can be provided at a location close to the substrate, and the position of the substrate on the outermost surface among the substrates stacked on the support can be reliably detected.

Furthermore, the position of the substrate on the outermost surface of the stacked substrates is compared with the position of the new substrate on the outermost surface after the substrate is unloaded by the suction head, and two or more substrates are unloaded. It is preferable to provide a carry-out number detection unit that detects whether or not it has been done.
In this case, the unloading number detection unit compares the position of the substrate on the outermost surface before holding the substrate with the suction head detected by the position sensor and the position of the new substrate on the outermost surface after holding the substrate. Thus, the thickness of the substrate held by the suction head is estimated, and when the thickness exceeds a predetermined value, it can be determined that two or more substrates have been carried out. Thereby, it can prevent that two or more board | substrates are conveyed by the back process in the state which contact | adhered.

  Further, the substrate inspection apparatus of the present invention includes the above-described separation device, and separates and transports the substrates one by one from a support that supports a plurality of substrates in a stacked state. , And an inspection part for inspecting at least one of hook, breakage, edge chip, pinhole, dirt and saw mark.

  In the substrate inspection apparatus having this configuration, the substrates are separated and carried out from the support one by one by the above-described separation apparatus, so that the substrates can be inspected one by one. As a result, it is possible to automatically inspect a substrate defined in JIS H 0613, and the efficiency of inspection work can be dramatically improved.

  According to the present invention, the separation apparatus capable of reliably carrying out the substrates one by one from the support body in which the plurality of substrates are supported in a stacked state, and the separation apparatus are provided, and the substrate can be easily inspected. A possible substrate inspection apparatus can be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 to 4 show schematic views of a separation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows a substrate inspection apparatus provided with this separation apparatus.
The separation device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention separates and carries out silicon substrates W one by one from a cassette container 20 in which a plurality of silicon substrates W for solar cells are stacked.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the separation apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can move in the stacking direction (vertical direction) of the silicon substrate W with respect to the cassette container 20 that stores the silicon substrates W in a stacked state and the cassette container 20. The suction head 30 positioned so as to face the silicon substrate W and the cassette container 20 can be moved in the stacking direction (vertical direction) of the silicon substrate W and the side of the silicon substrate W And an air nozzle 40 located in the section.

The cassette container 20 supports the stacked silicon substrates W, and includes a bottom portion 21 and four support walls 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The four support walls 22 of the cassette container 20 are erected so as to extend vertically from the bottom portion 21, and a notch 23 that is recessed downward is formed at the center in the width direction of each support wall 22. Yes.
In addition, on the bottom portion 21 of the cassette container 20, a mounting table 25 having a driving unit 24 that moves the accommodated silicon substrate W up and down is disposed. It is comprised so that the board | substrate W can be sent out upwards. The loading table 25 is provided with a stock sensor 26 for detecting whether or not the silicon substrate W remains in the cassette container 20.

  The silicon substrate W accommodated in the cassette container 20 is manufactured by thinly cutting a silicon ingot. In this embodiment, the silicon substrate W is cut from a single crystal silicon rod. Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the silicon substrate W has a substantially square plate shape with a 100 to 200 mm square and a thickness of 150 to 400 μm. In the present embodiment, a silicon substrate W having a 150 mm square and a thickness of 180 μm is targeted.

  Such silicon substrates W are accommodated in the cassette container 20 in a stacked state, the thickness in the stacked state is about 150 mm, and about 800 silicon substrates W are stacked. Here, since the thickness of the silicon substrate W varies, the exact number cannot be grasped at this time. Since the thickness is set to 180 μm, silicon substrates W having a thickness exceeding 300 μm are not mixed in the cassette container 20.

The suction head 30 is provided at the front end (lower end in FIG. 1) of the drive shaft portion 31 that can move up and down, and is disposed so as to face the center of the surface of the silicon substrate W accommodated in the cassette container 20. Yes. The suction head 30 is configured such that air is blown from the outer peripheral portion of the tip so that the central portion of the tip becomes a negative pressure, and the silicon substrate W is sucked and held using the negative pressure. is there. In the present embodiment, the silicon substrate W is configured to be held in a non-contact state with the suction head 30.
Further, a support plate 32 extending in a direction orthogonal to the drive shaft portion 31 is provided on the rear end side (upper end side in FIG. 1) of the suction head 30. A load sensor 33 corresponding to the load sensor 26 provided on the mounting table 25 is provided on the support plate 32.

The air nozzle 40 is fixed to a nozzle fixing portion 41 that is movable in the stacking direction (vertical direction) of the silicon substrate W with respect to the cassette container 20.
The nozzle fixing portion 41 includes a second drive shaft portion 42 disposed coaxially with the drive shaft portion 31 of the suction head 30 and a second support extending in a direction orthogonal to the second drive shaft portion 42. A plate 43; four arm portions 44 extending from the second support plate 43 in a direction perpendicular to the second drive shaft portion 42; and a claw portion 45 extending downward from the tip of the arm portion 44. ing. The nozzle fixing portion 41 is configured to be movable up and down independently of the suction head 30.

The arm portion 44 extends so that the tip thereof is positioned above the support wall 22 of the cassette container 20, and a part of the claw portion 45 corresponds to the cutout portion 23 of the support wall 22. ing.
A position sensor 46 that detects the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the silicon substrate W stacked on the cassette container 20 and an air nozzle 40 are disposed at the tip of the claw portion 45. The air nozzle 40 is provided with a spout so that air is spouted in a range of an angle of −30 ° to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. Air is jetted toward (angle -5 °).

The position sensor 46 detects the position of the uppermost (outermost surface) silicon substrate W among the stacked silicon substrates W, and outputs the detection result to the ejection position control unit 11 that controls the operation of the second drive shaft unit 42. Send. In the present embodiment, the surface position of the uppermost (outermost surface) silicon substrate W among the stacked silicon substrates W, that is, the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the stacked silicon substrates W is detected. .
The position sensor 46 also includes the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the stacked silicon substrates W and the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the new silicon substrate W after the silicon substrate W is unloaded by the suction head 30. The position is detected, and this signal is transmitted to the unloading number detection unit 12.

  In the unloading number detection unit 12, the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) before holding the silicon substrate W by the suction head 30 detected by the position sensor 46 and the outermost surface of a new substrate after holding the substrate ( By comparing the position with the position of the uppermost surface, the thickness of the silicon substrate W held by the suction head 30 is estimated, and when this thickness exceeds a predetermined value, two or more silicon substrates W are carried out. Judge that it was done.

A method for carrying out a substrate by the separation apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.
First, the mounting table 25 of the cassette container 20 is moved up and down so that the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the stacked silicon substrates W is adjusted to be positioned above the lower end of the notch 23 of the support wall 22. .
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive shaft portion 31 and the second drive shaft portion 42 are driven to move the suction head 30 and the nozzle fixing portion 41 downward, so that the suction head 30 is brought close to the silicon substrate W. The At this time, the position sensor 46 disposed in the nozzle fixing portion 41 detects the position of the uppermost (outermost surface) silicon substrate W among the stacked silicon substrates W, and the ejection position based on the detection result. The position of the nozzle fixing portion 41 is adjusted by the control unit 11 and the ejection position of the air nozzle 40 is adjusted.

Then, air is ejected from the air nozzle 40 obliquely downward. As a result, a part of the stacked silicon substrates W is levitated.
At this time, air is also ejected from the outer peripheral portion of the tip of the suction head 30, the central portion of the tip of the suction head 30 is in a negative pressure state, and the uppermost silicon substrate W is sucked and held by the suction head 30. Will be. Here, the silicon substrate W other than the silicon substrate W adsorbed by the adsorption head 30 is pressed downward by the air ejected from the air nozzle 40, and only one silicon substrate W is held by the adsorption head 30. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive shaft portion 31 and the second drive shaft portion 42 move upward, and the silicon substrates W are unloaded one by one. And when all the silicon substrates W are carried out, the stock sensors 26 and 33 react, and the cassette container 20 is replaced.

Next, the inspection apparatus 50 for the silicon substrate W provided with the separation apparatus 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the inspection apparatus 50 receives from the separation apparatus 10 described above, an inspection section 51 that inspects the silicon substrates W separated and carried out one by one by the separation apparatus 10, and the separation apparatus 10. Transporting means 52 for transporting the transferred silicon substrate W.
In the present embodiment, the inspection unit 51 includes a back surface inspection unit 53 that inspects the back surface of the silicon substrate W while being held by the suction head 30 of the separation apparatus 10, and the surface of the silicon substrate W that is transferred from the suction head 30. And a surface inspection unit 54 that inspects both sides of the silicon substrate W. The inspection unit 51 inspects at least one of cracks, claw tracks, hooks, breaks, edge chips, pinholes, dirt, and saw marks on the silicon substrate W.

  According to the separation apparatus 10 of this embodiment having such a configuration, the position sensor 46 that detects the position of the uppermost silicon substrate W among the silicon substrates W stacked in the cassette container 20, and this Since the ejection position control unit 11 adjusts the ejection position of the air nozzle 40 according to the position of the silicon substrate W detected by the position sensor 46, the silicon substrate W held by the suction head 30 and the silicon substrate W are provided. The ejection position of the air nozzle 40 can be adjusted so as to separate the other silicon substrate W that is in close contact with the back surface of the substrate, and the silicon substrates W can be reliably separated and carried out one by one. Further, even when the thickness of the silicon substrate W is different, the air can be directed to an appropriate position, and it is not necessary to increase the suction force of the suction head 30. Therefore, an unnecessary force is not applied to the silicon substrate W, and the silicon substrate W can be prevented from being cracked or chipped.

  In addition, since the air nozzle 40 and the position sensor 46 are disposed in the nozzle fixing portion 41 that moves in the vertical direction with respect to the cassette container 20, the air nozzle 40 has a position corresponding to the position of the silicon substrate W detected by the position sensor 46. It is possible to reliably adjust the ejection position. Further, since the nozzle fixing portion 41 is configured to be separable from the cassette container 20, the workability of the replacement operation of the cassette container 20 can be greatly improved.

  Further, the position sensor 46 positions the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the stacked silicon substrates W, and the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the new silicon substrate W after the silicon substrate W is unloaded by the suction head 30. , And comparing them to detect whether or not two or more silicon substrates W have been unloaded, so that two or more silicon substrates W are simultaneously unloaded. Thus, the silicon substrates W can be reliably inspected one by one.

  Further, the substrate inspection apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment separates and carries out the silicon substrates W one by one from the cassette container 20 by the above-described separating apparatus 10 and also inspects the back surface and the front surface of the silicon substrate W. It is possible to automatically inspect the silicon substrate W for cracks, claw tracks, hooks, breaks, edge chips, pinholes, dirt, saw marks, and the like. Thereby, the efficiency of the inspection work specified by JIS H 0613 can be dramatically improved.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the suction head 30 and the silicon substrate W are not in contact with each other, contamination of the surface of the silicon substrate W can be prevented. Further, since the claw portion 45 of the nozzle fixing portion 41 is located on the outer peripheral side of the suction head 30, the claw portion 45 serves as a guide for the silicon substrate W, and the horizontal displacement of the sucked silicon substrate W is shifted. Can be reliably carried out.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 and 7 show a separation apparatus according to the second embodiment.
In the separation device 110 according to the present embodiment, a position sensor 146 is provided in the cassette container 120. The separation device 110 is configured such that a signal from the position sensor 146 is transmitted to the driving unit 124 of the mounting table 125 so that the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the silicon substrate W becomes a predetermined position. After the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the silicon substrate W is adjusted in this way, the drive shaft portion 131 and the second drive shaft portion 142 move downward, and the silicon substrate W is floated and separated by the air nozzle 140. At the same time, the silicon substrate W is sucked and held by the suction head 130. That is, the relative position between the silicon substrate W and the air nozzle 140 is changed by the drive unit 124 of the mounting table 125, and the ejection position of the air nozzle 140 is adjusted.

According to the separation apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment having such a configuration, the position sensor 146 can be provided at a location close to the silicon substrate W, and the outermost surface of the silicon substrate W stacked in the cassette container 120. The position of the (top surface) can be detected with high accuracy.
Moreover, since the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the silicon substrate W is controlled by moving the mounting table 125 up and down, the operations of the drive shaft portion 131 and the second drive shaft portion 142 can be simplified. Further, since the position sensor 146 is fixed to the support wall 122 of the cassette container 120 that is not driven, the position sensor 146 can be easily arranged.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 8 and 9 show a separation apparatus according to the third embodiment.
In the separation device 210 according to the present embodiment, the position sensor 246 is provided in the cassette container 220, and the air nozzle 240 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the cassette container 220.
The separation device 210 is configured such that a signal from the position sensor 246 is transmitted to the driving unit 224 of the mounting table 225 so that the position of the outermost surface (uppermost surface) of the silicon substrate W becomes a predetermined position. In addition, the air nozzle 240 is disposed so as to eject air from the corner portion where the support walls 222 intersect with each other toward the center portion of the silicon substrate W.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a rubber member 234 is disposed at the tip of the suction head 230. This rubber member 234 is in contact with the surface of the silicon substrate W to prevent the horizontal displacement of the silicon substrate W. Here, the cross-sectional area of the rubber member 234 is 0.25% or less, preferably 0.2% or less, of the area of the surface of the silicon substrate W. That is, the contact area between the rubber member 234 and the surface of the silicon substrate W is 0.25% or less of the surface area of the silicon substrate W.

In the separation device 210 having this configuration, since the air nozzle 240 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the cassette container 220, the peripheral structure of the suction head 230 that moves up and down with respect to the cassette container 220 is simplified. The unloading operation of the silicon substrate W can be easily performed.
In addition, although the rubber member 234 is in contact with the surface of the silicon substrate W, the contact area is 0.25% or less of the surface area of the silicon substrate W, so that contamination of the silicon substrate W is suppressed. Can do. Further, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks by suppressing the bending deformation of the silicon substrate W due to the contact with the rubber member 234 during the adsorption.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, It can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the technical idea of the invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the silicon substrate made of single crystal silicon has been described as being carried out. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a silicon substrate made of polycrystalline silicon or a substrate made of other materials may be used. Any material that is thin and can be handled in a laminated state may be used.

  In the first and second embodiments, the nozzle fixing portion has been described as including four arm portions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of arm portions may be other than four. Good. However, when considering the role as the guide portion of the horizontal position of the substrate, it is preferable that there are three or more arm portions and claw portions.

  Furthermore, although the inspection apparatus is described as being configured to inspect the back surface of the silicon substrate while being held by the suction head, the configuration of the inspection unit is not particularly limited. It is only necessary that the surface inspection of the substrate can be performed.

It is the schematic of the separation apparatus which is the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the separation apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the adsorption | suction operation | movement of the separation apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the carrying-out operation | movement of the separation apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the inspection apparatus of the board | substrate which is embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic of the separation apparatus which is the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the cassette container periphery with which the separation apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is provided. It is the schematic of the separation apparatus which is the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the cassette container periphery with which the separation apparatus shown in FIG. 8 is provided.

Explanation of symbols

10, 110, 210 Separation device 11, 111, 211 Ejection position control unit 12, 112, 212 Unloading number detection unit 20, 120, 220 Cassette container (support)
30, 130, 230 Suction head 40, 140, 240 Air nozzle (air separation mechanism)
41, 141 Nozzle fixing part (separation mechanism holding member)
46, 146, 246 Position sensor 50 Inspection device (board inspection device)
51 Inspection Unit W Silicon Substrate (Substrate)

Claims (5)

A separation apparatus for separating and carrying out the substrates one by one from a support that supports a plurality of substrates in a stacked state,
A suction head that is movable relative to the support in the stacking direction of the substrate, and that holds the substrate by suction on the surface of the substrate;
An air separation mechanism that floats and separates some of the plurality of stacked substrates by ejecting air toward the stacked substrates;
A position sensor for detecting the position of the outermost substrate among the substrates laminated on the support;
An ejection position control unit that adjusts an ejection position of the air separation mechanism by changing a relative position between the air separation mechanism and the stacked substrates according to the position of the substrate detected by the position sensor; Separation device characterized by comprising. A separation mechanism holding member provided with the air separation mechanism and movable in the stacking direction of the substrate with respect to the support;
The separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position sensor is provided on the separation mechanism holding member.   The separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position sensor is provided on the support.   Compared the position of the substrate on the outermost surface of the stacked substrates with the position of a new substrate on the outermost surface after unloading the substrate by the suction head, and whether two or more substrates were unloaded The separation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a carry-out number detection unit that detects whether or not the discharge is performed. The separation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substrates are separated one by one from a support that supports a plurality of substrates in a stacked state, and are carried out.
An inspection apparatus for a substrate, comprising: an inspection unit that inspects at least one of cracks, claw tracks, hooks, breaks, edge chips, pinholes, dirt, and saw marks on the substrate.

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