JPH11177286A - Substrate transport plate and its processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] A substrate transport plate and a processing apparatus therefor that can omit setup work, prevent complication of a configuration, and speed up and increase efficiency of work even when the size of a substrate is changed. I will provide a. SOLUTION: A plurality of types of printed circuit boards 1 having different sizes.
And a plurality of guide slots 6 provided in a peripheral portion of the vacuum suction region 5 provided on the mounting surface 4. And
A vacuum holding container 8 detachably connected to the vacuum pump 10 is provided on the transport plate 3, the vacuum suction region 5 is constituted by a plurality of suction holes, and the vacuum holding container 8 and the plurality of suction holes are connected via a communication pipe. To be connected continuously. Since the transport plate 3 itself is transported, the transport plate 3 can be transported without any setup change regardless of the size of the printed circuit board 1. In addition, since the end of the printed circuit board 1 is not touched, it is possible to reduce distortion, cracks, and the like of the printed circuit board 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate transport plate used for transporting various substrates such as glass substrates and printed substrates having different sizes, and a processing apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a glass substrate, a printed circuit board or the like is transported, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Hei.
Although the transfer device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 97 is used, when transferring substrates having different sizes by the same transfer system, the transfer device is provided with a width adjusting mechanism. As shown in FIG. 8, the transport device includes a conveyor rail 22 and the conveyor rail 2.
2, a connecting shaft 24 provided on the connecting portion 23, and a connecting shaft 24 provided on the connecting portion 23.
A drive shaft 27 for transmitting rotational force to the drive shaft 27 via helical gears 25 and 26, and a drive motor 28 for applying rotational force to the drive shaft 27 are provided.

In the above configuration, when the size of the substrate is changed, a setup operation for matching the size of the transfer device with the size of the substrate is required. This setup operation may be performed by driving the drive motor 28. When the drive motor 28 is driven, the rotational force is transmitted from the drive motor 28 to the connection shaft 2 via the drive shaft 27 and the helical gears 25 and 26 sequentially.
4 and the conveyor rail 22 moves. By this movement, the setup operation for matching the size of the transfer device and the substrate is completed. It should be noted that Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-119100 and the like are examples of such prior art documents.

[0004]

In the conventional transfer device, when the size of the substrate is changed as described above, a setup operation for matching the size of the transfer device and the substrate is required. There's a problem. First, in recent years, diversification of needs has occurred along with the expansion of demand. Therefore, the setup operation has a problem that the configuration is complicated, the operation takes time, and the operation becomes inefficient.

Also, when it becomes necessary to align the substrates, an alignment device is provided in each processing apparatus according to the size of a plurality of types of substrates, or a mechanism for operating an alignment mechanism is provided. There was a problem that it had to be changed at any time according to the size. Further, when processing substrates having different sizes, not only cannot different types be processed at the same time, but also there is a problem that a time loss for setup change occurs and the configuration of the apparatus becomes complicated. Further, glass substrates and printed circuit boards have recently been increased in size. However, when these large substrates are transported, an apparatus that takes into account bending, cracking, and the like is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and simplifies the setup work, prevents the configuration from becoming complicated, and increases the speed and efficiency of the work even when the size of the substrate is changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transport plate capable of achieving the above and the like and a processing apparatus therefor. It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate transport plate and a processing apparatus therefor that can sufficiently cope with bending, cracking, and the like even if the substrate is large.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a transport plate capable of mounting a plurality of types of substrates having different sizes on a mounting surface, and a transfer plate provided on the mounting surface. A negative pressure holding container that includes a plurality of guide slots provided in a peripheral portion of the negative pressure suction region and a peripheral portion of the negative pressure suction region. The negative pressure suction area is provided with a plurality of suction holes, and the negative pressure holding container and the plurality of suction holes are connected via a communication member. It is preferable that marks are provided at the corners of the substrate and at the non-negative pressure suction area on the mounting surface.

[0008] Further, it includes a positioning member for the substrate inserted into each of the guide slots, and driving means for operating the positioning member, the driving means comprising an actuator for the positioning member, and an actuator for the actuator. The actuator may include a movement direction conversion mechanism for converting the rotational movement into a linear movement to move the positioning member in the guide direction of the guide slot, and a vertical movement mechanism for the actuator. The movement direction conversion mechanism may include a rack that supports the positioning member, and a pinion attached to a rotation shaft of the actuator. The vertical movement mechanism may include a cylinder in which a plunger member is connected to the actuator.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the substrate transport plate according to the first or second aspect is accommodated in a processing apparatus, wherein the processing apparatus includes a plurality of the transport plates. A positioning member for the substrate to be inserted into each of the guide slots, and driving means for operating the positioning member. The driving means converts the rotational motion of the actuator into a linear motion by an actuator for the positioning member. It is characterized in that it comprises a movement direction conversion mechanism for converting the position of the positioning member in the guide direction of the guide slot, and a vertical movement mechanism for the actuator. Preferably, the movement direction conversion mechanism includes a rack supporting the positioning member, and a pinion attached to a rotation shaft of the actuator. Further, it is preferable that the vertical movement mechanism includes a cylinder in which a plunger member is connected to the actuator.

[0010] Here, the "substrate" in the claims
Includes a large and small liquid crystal substrate, a glass substrate, a printed circuit board, and the like used in the electric, electronic, and semiconductor manufacturing fields, as well as various substantially plate-shaped objects to be conveyed. The “negative pressure suction” in the negative pressure suction region includes vacuum suction. Further, as the "actuator", various kinds of motors in a broad sense such as a pulse motor can be used. In addition, various cam mechanisms, cranks and sliders, ridges and screw members, various gear mechanisms including a rack, or various link mechanisms can be used for the “movement direction conversion mechanism”. The “vertical movement mechanism” includes solenoids, screw members, chains,
Various gear mechanisms including belts or racks can be used. Further, the “cylinder” includes one or more of various air cylinders and hydraulic cylinders. A plunger member such as a piston rod of the cylinder is directly and indirectly attached to the actuator. Further, "processing apparatus" refers to various processing apparatuses for substrates used in a manufacturing process, an inspection process, and the like.

According to the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the substrate is placed on the mounting surface of the transfer plate, the substrate is held in the plurality of suction holes in the negative pressure suction region.
The relative position between the substrate and the transport plate is determined. When the relative position is fixed, the valve is closed and removed from the negative pressure pump, and the transport plate and the negative pressure pump are separated. At the time of this separation, since the negative pressure holding container maintains the negative pressure state, the holding state is maintained, and the relative position change between the substrate and the transport plate is prevented. Since the transport plate is transported instead of the substrate while maintaining this holding state, regardless of the size of the substrate, the transport can be performed without changing the setup, and the common transport can be performed. Further, since the substrate is not touched, distortion or the like of the substrate can be suppressed.
In addition, since an open / close valve or valve is used, handling,
Gas flow and / or gas control is easy.

According to the third or sixth aspect of the present invention, when the substrate is set on the transfer surface of the transfer plate, the positioning member operates to adjust the position of the substrate. That is, the actuator of the driving means is driven in accordance with the size of the substrate to transmit power to the positioning member via the movement direction conversion mechanism, and the positioning member moves in the guide direction of the guide slot to adjust the position of the substrate. When the substrate is positioned, the substrate is held in the negative pressure suction area, and the suction action determines and fixes the relative position between the substrate and the transport plate. When the relative position is fixed in this way, the transport plate is transported by a transport device such as a conveyor.

According to the fourth or seventh aspect of the present invention, when the actuator of the driving means is driven, the pinion of the movement direction conversion mechanism rotates to move the meshing rack in the longitudinal direction, and the positioning supported by the rack is performed. The member moves in the longitudinal direction of the guide slot, and the positioning member positions the substrate. According to the invention described in claim 5 or 8,
The vertical movement mechanism engages the rack and pinion of the movement direction conversion mechanism by projecting the cylinder plunger member, which excels in linear motion and cleanliness, or releases the plunger member to release the engagement between the rack and pinion. I do.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, a substrate transport plate and a processing apparatus for the same according to the present embodiment include: And a positioning processing device 11 for freely accommodating.

The printed circuit board 1 is, as shown in FIG.
A single-sided substrate, a double-sided substrate, a multilayer substrate, a flexible substrate, or the like is provided, and alignment markers 2 for alignment processing are provided at four corners thereof. The plurality of alignment markers 2 are determined by design values of the printed circuit board 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the transport plate 3 is formed in a flat rectangular shape, and a vacuum suction area 5 is provided at the center of a mounting surface 4 having a flat surface. On the left and right sides of the front and rear portions (obliquely right and left in FIG. 1), substantially oval guide groove holes 6 are formed so as to pass therethrough. At the four corners of the mounting surface 4 of the transport plate 3 and in the vicinity of the guide slot 6, alignment marks 7 for measuring the relative distance are respectively provided in a + -shape in consideration of the size of the printed circuit board 1.

The vacuum suction area 5 is composed of a plurality of suction holes 5a arranged in a matrix.
In consideration of the maximum and minimum sizes of the printed circuit board 1, the printed circuit board 1 is penetrated. The plurality of suction holes 5a thus configured
Is connected to a hollow vacuum holding container 8 via a communication pipe. The vacuum holding container 8 is mounted on a side wall of the transport plate 3 and has an opening / closing valve 9 for the suction hole 5a at a front portion thereof.
However, a valve 9A for the vacuum pump 10 is detachably provided at the rear.

The positioning processing device 11 includes a plurality of positioning pins 12 for position adjustment and a plurality of driving means 13. Each positioning pin 12 is vertically slidably and vertically slidably inserted in a non-contact state through a small gap in the guide slot 6, and the exposed upper part moves by contacting the outer peripheral edge of the printed circuit board 1.・ It functions to perform positioning. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each drive unit 13 converts the rotation of each motor 14 into a linear motion by rotating the positioning pin 12 in the guide direction of the guide slot 6. It has a movement direction conversion mechanism 15 for moving and an air cylinder 16 for raising and lowering each motor 14.

The motor 14 is mounted on a mounting plate 17 and has its output shaft directed upward. The movement direction conversion mechanism 15 includes a rack 18 that vertically supports the positioning pin 12 and a pinion 19 that is fitted on the output shaft of the motor 14, and these mesh with each other during alignment. Further, the air cylinder 16 is disposed vertically below the mounting plate 17, and the tip of the piston 16 a is connected to the mounting plate 17.

In the above configuration, in order to mount and transport the printed circuit board 1 on the transport plate 3, first, the transport plate 3 is set on the positioning processing device 11, and the positioning pins 12 are projected from the respective guide slots 6. A plurality of CCD cameras 20 respectively recognize and recognize the alignment marker 2,
The printed board 1 is placed on the mounting surface 4 of the transport plate 3. Then, the alignment pins 2 are adjusted by the positioning pins 12 so as to match the positions of the alignment marks 7 which have been recognized by the CCD camera 20 in advance.

That is, a signal is output to the motor 14 by the amount of correction obtained by the image processing of the CCD camera 20, and the motor 14 is driven by the amount of correction to transmit the rotational driving force to the rack 18 via the pinion 19, thereby positioning the motor. The pin 12 slides in the longitudinal direction of the guide slot 6. With this slide, the positional relationship with respect to the width of the positioning pins 12 and the positional relationship of the transport plate 3 can be changed. Since the alignment conforms to the design value, in this embodiment, ± 10
It converged within μm.

When the alignment marker 2 and the alignment mark 7 of the printed circuit board 1 match with high precision, the open / close valve 9 and the valve 9A are opened, and the printed circuit board 1 is vacuum-chucked into the plurality of suction holes 5a of the vacuum suction area 5. You. The relative position between the printed board 1 and the transport plate 3 is determined and fixed by the vacuum chuck action. When the relative position between the printed circuit board 1 and the transport plate 3 is fixed, the valve 9A is closed and the vacuum pump 10
And the valve 9A are removed, and the transfer plate 3 and the vacuum pump 10 are separated. At the time of this separation, since the vacuum holding container 8 maintains the vacuum state, the chuck state is maintained, and the relative position between the printed board 1 and the transport plate 3 does not change.

Next, the transport plate 3 is mounted on the pair of left and right conveyor rails 21, and the transport plate 3 is transported. Since the transport plate 3 itself is transported in this manner, the transport plate 3 can be transported extremely easily without any change in the size, regardless of the size of the printed circuit board 1. Also, since there is no need to touch the edge of the printed circuit board 1 at all,
It becomes possible to significantly reduce distortion, cracks, and the like of the printed circuit board 1. Thus, the transport plate 3 is carried into another processing device (not shown) while being guided by the pair of conveyor rails 21.

In the processing device, the CCD camera 20 recognizes the alignment mark 7 and finely adjusts the position of the transport plate 3. At the time of this fine adjustment, since the relative positions of the printed circuit board 1 and the transport plate 3 are fixed in advance,
Only the positioning of the transport plate 3 is performed. In the present embodiment, the alignment has converged to ± 50 μm or less, including the design error of the transport plate 3 and the like. Since the relative positions of the printed circuit board 1 and the transfer plate 3 are fixed within ± 10 μm, the alignment of the transfer plate 3 automatically positions and fixes the printed circuit board 1 with high accuracy within ± 60 μm. It is the same as that.

When the vacuum pressure decreases during the repetition of the processing and the transport, the vacuum pump 10 and the valve 9A are connected again, and after the opening and closing valve 9 is opened, the evacuation is performed again. Thus, the relative position between the printed board 1 and the transport plate 3 is not impaired, and the process and the transport are repeated while the printed board 1 is being sucked.

According to the above configuration, the setup work can be omitted without fail, so that common processing can be performed regardless of the size of the printed circuit board 1, and the configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated. In addition, the work can be expected to be greatly shortened, and efficiency can be improved. Also, unlike Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-119100, the transfer plate 3
Since it is possible to align the printed board 1 of an arbitrary size on the vacuum suction area 5 of the mounting surface 4, there is no need to change the transport plate 3 with the change of the size of the printed board 1.

Further, unlike the publication, the printed circuit board 1
After determining and fixing the relative position of the transfer plate 3 and the transfer plate 3, the transfer plate 3 is mounted on the pair of conveyor rails 21 and transferred, so that there is no need to directly align the printed circuit board 1. Therefore, when transporting and processing printed circuit boards 1 of various sizes,
In a processing device subsequent to the initial alignment device, extremely accurate and precise alignment and processing can be performed without changing the position of the alignment system. Further, since the positioning pin 12 is set in the guide slot 6 in a non-contact state with a gap therebetween, these collisions can be prevented,
Significant improvement in positioning accuracy can be expected.

Although one system of the vacuum suction region 5 is shown in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of systems of the vacuum suction region 5 may be used when there is a large difference in the size of the substrate or when it is desired to suck the entire surface of the substrate.
May be used. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the suction hole 5a can be appropriately formed in a columnar shape, a truncated cone shape, a funnel shape, or the like. Further, a similar positioning mechanism may be used for positioning the transport plate 3 in the processing apparatus. However, in this case, the driving means 13 can be omitted. Also,
The guide slots 6 are formed on the left and right sides of the front and rear portions of the vacuum suction area 5, respectively. However, as shown in FIG. Is also good.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the positioning processing device 11 is provided with the positioning pins 12 and the driving means 13, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The positioning plate 12 and the driving means 13 may be built in the transport plate 3. Further, although the positioning pins 12 can be individually operated, the positioning pins 12a, 12b,
Positioning pins 12c, 12d and positioning pin 12
e and 12f can be moved in the same direction by the same amount to prevent the printed circuit board 1 from being damaged. In the figure, the positioning pin 12f side is the upstream side of the printed circuit board 1, in other words, the traveling direction.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the size of the substrate is changed, the setup work is abolished, the configuration is prevented from becoming complicated, and the work is made faster and more efficient. There is an effect that can be. Further, even if the substrate is large, if the transport plate is transported after the relative position between the substrate and the transport plate is fixed, it is possible to provide a substrate transport plate and a processing apparatus capable of sufficiently coping with bending and cracking. become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a transport state in an embodiment of a substrate transport plate and a processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a substrate transport plate and a processing apparatus therefor according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a driving means in the embodiment of the substrate transport plate and the processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a printed board in an embodiment of the substrate transport plate and the processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an alignment state in the embodiment of the substrate transport plate and the processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an alignment state in the embodiment of the substrate transfer plate and the processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the substrate transport plate and the processing apparatus therefor according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory sectional view showing a conventional transport device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printed circuit board (substrate) 2 Alignment marker (mark) 3 Transfer plate 4 Mounting surface 5 Vacuum suction area (negative pressure suction area) 5a Suction hole 6 Guide groove hole 7 Alignment mark (mark) 8 Vacuum holding container (negative pressure holding container) 9) Opening / closing valve 9A valve 10 Vacuum pump (negative pressure pump) 11 Positioning processing device (processing device) 12 Positioning pin (positioning member) 13 Driving means 14 Motor (actuator) 15 Movement direction conversion mechanism 16 Air cylinder (cylinder) 18 rack 19 pinion

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A transport plate on which a plurality of types of substrates having different sizes can be mounted on a mounting surface, a negative pressure suction region provided on the mounting surface, and a plurality of substrates provided around the negative pressure suction region. A negative pressure holding container which is detachably connected to a negative pressure pulling pump, wherein the negative pressure suction region includes a plurality of suction holes, and wherein the negative pressure holding container includes a plurality of suction holes. And the plurality of suction holes are connected via a communication member. 2. The substrate transport plate according to claim 1, wherein a mark is provided at each of a corner of said substrate and a non-negative pressure suction area of said mounting surface. 3. A positioning member for the substrate to be inserted into each of the guide slots, and driving means for operating the positioning member, the driving means comprising: an actuator for the positioning member;
3. The actuator according to claim 1, further comprising a movement direction conversion mechanism for converting the rotational movement of the actuator into a linear movement to move the positioning member in the guide direction of the guide slot, and a vertical movement mechanism for the actuator. Substrate transport plate. 4. The substrate transfer plate according to claim 3, wherein the movement direction conversion mechanism includes a rack for supporting the positioning member, and a pinion attached to a rotation shaft of the actuator. 5. The substrate transport plate according to claim 3, wherein the vertical movement mechanism includes a cylinder having a plunger member connected to the actuator. 6. The processing apparatus for a substrate transport plate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said processing apparatus is for a substrate inserted into a plurality of guide slots of said transport plate. And a driving means for operating the positioning member. The driving means converts the rotational motion of the actuator into a linear motion to move the positioning member into the guide slot. A moving direction converting mechanism for moving the substrate in the guide direction, and a vertical moving mechanism for the actuator. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the movement direction converting mechanism includes a rack supporting the positioning member, and a pinion attached to a rotation shaft of the actuator. 8. The apparatus for processing a substrate transport plate according to claim 6, wherein said vertical movement mechanism includes a cylinder having a plunger member connected to said actuator.