WO2008035752A1 - Substrate inspecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a substrate inspecting apparatus, which can be easily transported by a vehicle even when a substrate is increased in size, is easily assembled at a transported site, and reduces transportation cost. The substrate inspecting apparatus is provided with an inspection head for inspecting an inspection line orthogonally intersecting with a substrate transfer direction; an inspection unit wherein an inspection floating stage section for floating a gantry for supporting the inspection head and the substrate to a fixed height is integrated with an inspection base; and a transfer unit, which is removably assembled to the inspection base between the leg section of the gantry and the inspection floating stage section, is arranged along one side end of a transfer path for transferring the substrate, in T-shape to the inspection unit, and holds the substrate to shift it in a transfer direction. The substrate inspecting apparatus can be transported by a vehicle by being disassembled into the transfer unit and the inspection unit.

Description

 Specification

 Substrate inspection device

 Technical field

 The present invention relates to a substrate inspection apparatus for inspecting a sheet-like substrate such as a glass substrate.

 Background art

 Conventionally, as a substrate inspection apparatus targeting a large glass substrate for a flat panel display (F PD) manufactured by a photo 'lithography' process line, a state in which the glass substrate is floated on the floating stage. It is known that the glass substrate is transported in the transport direction, and an inspection head attached to a gantry provided across the floating stage is used to inspect a defect on the surface of the glass substrate. In this type of substrate inspection apparatus, a floating stage for floating the glass substrate on a strong inspection base, a substrate transport mechanism for forcibly transporting the glass substrate held in the transport direction by holding the floated glass substrate, an inspection head A gate-type gantry movably provided in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction is integrated. The inspection base is a granite with a size equal to that of two large glass substrates, and a steel frame welded to a narrow rectangular frame!

 [0003] In recent years, the size of the glass substrate (mother glass) for FPD has been increased, and substrates exceeding 2.5 m and 3 m have appeared. When the width of the glass substrate exceeds 2 m, the width of the inspection system incorporating the gantry will exceed 2.5 m if the width of the glass substrate is 2 m including the space for mounting the gantry. The width of vehicles that can pass without permission is regulated to 2.5 m by laws such as the Road Act. For this reason, when transporting inspection equipment whose width is more than 2.5 m, special vehicles can be arranged to obtain traffic permission, and it can not be transported unless it is the traffic route where the traffic permission has been obtained. The problem of not being able to transport freely, and the problem of a significant increase in transportation costs arise.

As described above, when the size of the substrate inspection apparatus is increased with the increase in size of the glass substrate, a special vehicle to be transported to an FPD manufacturing plant and a special transport apparatus for carrying in the plant are required. Substrate inspection equipment that inspects glass substrates of 3 m in size Because the tray is mounted, its width exceeds 4m, and if it can not be transported even by a special truck, new problems will occur.

As a substrate inspection apparatus for solving such a problem, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1.

 In this substrate inspection apparatus, when the size of the glass substrate to be inspected is increased, the granite base plate for supporting the glass substrate in a flat horizontal state accurately becomes larger and heavier, causing problems of transportation inconvenience and cost increase. Because of this, the granite base plate is made as small as possible. In addition, this board inspection system is divided into three air frames, a gantry 'subassembly with granite base, two Y axis servomotors' assembly with vacuum contacts, and two air tables, and carried in. It will be transported to the previous FPD manufacturing plant and assembled at the local installation site.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-62819

 Disclosure of the invention

 However, in the substrate inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a suction pad array incorporating a vacuum nozzle and an air chuck are mounted on a granite base plate, and while the glass substrate is being transported, pressurized air is supplied. As a result, the glass substrate is floated and fixed by the vacuum gas during the inspection, so the operation to adsorb and float the glass substrate must be repeated each time the inspection becomes difficult to shorten the inspection time. Furthermore, since two Y-axis linear servomotor assemblies are disposed across the gantry subassembly, the glass substrate may be dislocated when delivering the glass substrate during inspection, or the front and rear ends of the glass substrate. There is a possibility that the glass substrate may rotate around this suction holding unit in order to hold the portion by suction. In particular, when the glass substrate is conveyed in the pressing direction, the center of gravity of the glass substrate is easily moved, and the conveyance attitude of the glass substrate becomes unstable.

In addition, the gantry subassembly is divided from the central steel frame, and the two Y-axis linear servomotors' assemblies are further divided from the upper steel frame and the lower steel frame and assembled in the field. It becomes difficult to align the reference axes (Y-axis) of the two Y-axis linear servomotor assemblies at right angles to the reference axis (X-axis) of the subassembly. That is, when integrating the steel frame divided into three by welding, the gantry 'sub If the assembly and the mounting position of the two Y-axis linear servomotors 'assemblies are out of alignment, the linearity of the two vertical-axis linear servomotors assemblies or the respective linear-axis linear servomotors' assembly relative to the gantry subassembly. The squareness must be adjusted on site, making the assembly complicated. In addition, since two linear linear servomotors are arranged with the gantry subassembly interposed between them, the orthogonality of each linear linear servomotor assembly to the gantry subassembly and the two linear axes. It is necessary to simultaneously adjust both linearities of the linear servomotor assembly and also to align the three steel frames, which causes the problem of complicated on-site adjustment work.

 The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate inspection apparatus capable of facilitating transportation and on-site assembly and reducing costs.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.

 One aspect of the present invention is an inspection head for inspecting an inspection line orthogonal to the transport direction of a substrate, a gantry for supporting the inspection head, and an inspection floating stage unit for floating the substrate to a predetermined height. An inspection unit integrally incorporated in the inspection base, and detachably attached to the inspection base between the leg of the gantry and the inspection floating stage portion, along the side edge of the transport path for transporting the substrate And a transport unit for holding the substrate and moving it in the transport direction, wherein the transport unit and the inspection unit are disposed at the time of transportation by a vehicle. It is a substrate inspection device which is disassembled into units of knit and made transportable.

 [0011] According to this aspect, the inspection unit and the transport unit can be assembled by mutually assembling force S, and can be carried out in units of transport and assembly. As a result, a large substrate inspection apparatus for inspecting a large substrate can be disassembled into units and easily transported.

In this case, the inspection unit is composed of the inspection floating stage unit that raises and supports the substrate, the inspection head, and the gantry. Therefore, the inspection unit alone is required to inspect the substrate. It can be assembled and adjusted to achieve accuracy. In the above aspect, the test base is provided with a reference member having a reference surface for horizontally mounting the transport unit on the test stage portion and a reference surface for mounting the transport unit at a right angle to the test line of the test head. Let's see.

 In this case, the inspection unit and the conveyance unit can be accurately assembled by bringing the conveyance unit into contact with the pressing member provided on the inspection base.

In the above aspect, the width dimension capable of floatingly supporting the substrate to the flatness that does not hinder inspection for the floating stage for inspection.

 In this case, the width dimension in the transfer direction of the inspection floating stage can be shortened to a fraction of the size of the substrate, and the width dimension width in the transfer direction of the inspection unit can be within the vehicle width of the vehicle. The inspection unit can be transported alone.

In the above aspect, the extension levitation stage unit or the extension roller stage unit may be attached to the inspection unit.

 In this case, the extended levitation stage unit or the extended roller stage unit can expand the transport path for supporting a large substrate, and stably transport the large substrate. Furthermore, by assembling the transport unit to one end side of the floating stage portion for inspection of the inspection unit and the extension stage unit, the substrate supported by the floating stage portion and the extension stage unit is held, and is orthogonal to the moving direction of the inspection head. The substrate can be moved in the direction of This makes it possible to perform two-dimensional inspection over the entire substrate.

 In this case, by assembling the extended levitation stage unit to the inspection unit, the substrate is supported in a floating state by the inspection levitation stage portion or the extended levitation staging unit over the entire surface, and inspection and transport are performed. Therefore, the substrate can be maintained in a healthy state without being damaged by friction during transport. In addition, since no friction occurs during transport, the transport speed can be improved to improve throughput.

 In the above aspect, the elongated levitation units may be arranged at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate to constitute the extended levitation stage portion.

In this case, the extended levitation stage unit differs from the levitation stage portion of the inspection unit Since the substrate does not support the inspected area, the flatness of the substrate supported in the extended floating stage unit is not so much required. Therefore, by arranging the elongated levitation units at intervals, it is possible to omit the levitation units at the spacing portion and achieve weight reduction, and as a result, the rigidity of the extension levitation stage unit in the conveying direction is reduced. It can prevent.

 In the above aspect, a roller may be provided at the junction of the inspection floating stage unit and the extended floating stage unit to overcome the level difference on the transfer surface. Furthermore, the rollers may be provided on the inspection base along both sides in the conveyance direction of the inspection floating stage portion.

 In this case, the extended floating stage can be easily incorporated into the inspection unit without adjusting the height of the transfer surface. By regulating the flying height of the substrate by means of the rollers disposed on both sides of the inspection area of the inspection floating stage, it is possible to maintain the flatness of the substrate well with a force S.

 Furthermore, in the above aspect, the transport bearing may be provided on the lower surface of the transport base of the transport unit.

 In this case, the transport unit, which is a heavy load, can be precisely aligned with the inspection base while being moved minutely, and by using the air bearing, the transport base can be positioned with high accuracy to the inspection base in the positioned state. can do.

According to the present invention, even if the substrate is enlarged, transportation and assembly at the transportation destination can be easily performed by the vehicle, and the transportation cost can be reduced.

 Brief description of the drawings

 FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a substrate inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 FIG. 2 is a side view of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG.

 FIG. 3 is a front view of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG. 1;

 [FIG. 4] It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the AA cross section of the board | substrate inspection apparatus of FIG.

 [FIG. 5] A front view showing an inspection unit of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG.

 6 is a side view of the inspection unit of FIG.

7 is a plan view of the inspection unit of FIG. 5; [FIG. 8] A plan view showing an extended levitation stage unit of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG.

9 is a side view showing the extended levitation stage unit of FIG.

 [FIG. 10] A plan view showing another extended levitation stage unit of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG.

11] A side view showing the extended levitation stage unit of FIG.

12 is a side view showing a transfer unit of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG. 1;

13] A plan view showing the transport unit of FIG. 12. [FIG.

 14 is a plan view showing a state before the extended levitation stage unit of FIGS. 8 and 10 and the transport unit of FIG. 13 are assembled to the inspection unit of FIG.

 [FIG. 15] A side view showing a state before the extended levitation stage unit of FIGS. 8 and 10 is assembled to the inspection unit of FIG.

 FIG. 16 is a front view showing a modification of the extended levitation stage unit of FIG. 8;

 17 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the structure of an abutting surface on which the floating stage unit portion of the extended floating stage unit of FIG. 16 is fastened.

 [FIG. 18] A front view showing another modification of the extended levitation stage unit of FIG.

 FIG. 19 is a plan view showing another modification of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG. 1;

 20 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a cross section A-A of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG. 19;

 21 is a side view showing a modification of the inspection unit of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG. 1;

 22 is a plan view showing the inspection unit of FIG. 21. FIG.

 FIG. 23 is a plan view showing a modification of the substrate inspection apparatus of FIG. 1;

Explanation of sign

 1 Substrate inspection device

 2 inspection unit

 3, 4 extended levitation stage unit

 5 Transport unit

 8 Gantry

 9 levitation stage

 10 Inspection head movement mechanism (head conveyance mechanism)

11 microscope (inspection head) 21 and 22 levitation units

 25 Transport base (base)

 26 Linear movement mechanism (rail, drive mechanism)

 27 Slider

 28 Adsorption mechanism (detachment mechanism)

 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 23.

 The substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment inspects a sheet substrate such as a maza-glass or the like that manufactures a large number of flat panel displays (FPDs) in a photolithographic process line, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. The apparatus is provided with an inspection unit 2, extended levitation stage units 3 and 4, and a transport unit 5. On one side of the inspection unit 2, the transport unit 5, which holds and conveys one side edge of the rectangular glass substrate, is disposed at right angles to the inspection axis (X axis) of the inspection unit 2! /.

 Inspection unit 2 is an inspection base placed on vibration isolation table 6 as shown in FIGS.

 7, a portal gantry 8 fixed to the inspection base 7, an inspection floating stage unit 9 for accurately raising the substrate to a certain height, and a guide laid on the horizontal beam 8a of the gantry 8 An inspection head moving mechanism 10 provided with a rail 10a, a microscope (inspection head) 11 linearly moved so as to traverse the inspection floating stage unit 9 by the inspection head moving mechanism 10, and a lower part of the inspection floating stage 9. A transmission illumination light source 12 disposed opposite to the objective lens of the microscope 11 and an illumination moving mechanism 13 for linearly moving the transmission illumination light source 12 in synchronization with the movement of the microscope 11 are provided.

As the inspection head, in addition to a microscope equipped with a plurality of objective lenses of different magnifications, the line illumination light is irradiated to the substrate at a predetermined angle, and the reflected light from the substrate is imaged by the line sensor camera. It is sufficient to inspect an inspection line orthogonal to the transfer direction of a substrate, such as a macro inspection head or a laser processing head in which a repair device is incorporated into a microscope. When the macro inspection head is adopted, the line sensor camera for imaging the inspection line and the line illumination light source are fixed to the gantry 8 with a predetermined angular relationship, so the inspection head is moved. The mechanism 10 and the illumination moving mechanism 13 become unnecessary.

 The levitation stage 9 for inspection is a precision levitation stage before and after the transport direction (Y direction) so that a slit-like minute gap 14 capable of transmitting illumination light from the transmission illumination light source 12 opens on the inspection line. Parts 9A and 9B are arranged in parallel. The precision levitation stage portions 9A and 9B constitute an inspection area of a predetermined width on both sides of the inspection line, and have a large number of air holes for discharging air substantially uniformly over the entire surface of the inspection area. The upper surface of the substrate can be accurately and flatly floated to a fixed height with respect to the upper surfaces of the precision levitation stages 9A and 9B. In the case of a precision floating stage 9A, 9B, for example, when a glass substrate having a thickness of 0.7 mm is floated to 0.2 mm, the height of the upper surface of the glass substrate is against the upper surface of the precision floating stage 9A, 9B. It can be regulated with high precision so that it becomes 0.9 mm in height.

 These precision levitation stage parts 9A and 9B are provided with air holes for sucking air in addition to air holes for discharging air, and by simultaneously discharging and sucking air, the floating height of the substrate is increased. It may be made to regulate to accuracy.

 When a macro inspection head is employed as the inspection head, a single precision floating stage 9A, 9B is formed, and slit grooves are provided along the inspection line to prevent light reflected from the surface of the stage. It is preferable to provide.

 The auxiliary inspection floating stage unit 9C is disposed closer to the upstream side than the precision floating stage units 9A and 9B, and is provided for stably carrying the substrate into the inspection area. A plurality of elongated levitation units 15 are horizontally disposed on the upper surface of the inspection base 7 with a gap in the width direction. The levitation stage 9C may have the same specification force as that of the precision levitation stage 9A, 9B, and may have a lower precision of levitation with a lower air hole density than the precision levitation stage 9A, 9B. Further, the levitation stage portion 9C may be omitted if the substrate can be regulated flat by the precision levitation stage portions 9A and 9B.

The inspection head moving mechanism 10 is constituted by, for example, a linear motor. The microscope 11 is provided so as to be movable along the guide rails 10a and the guide rails 10a, and the operation of the inspection head moving mechanism 10 allows the microscope 11 to be horizontally moved with respect to the upper surface of the floating stage 9 for inspection. It is getting better. The transmitting illumination light source 12 is horizontally moved by the illumination moving mechanism 13 in synchronization with the movement of the microscope 11. Transmitted light source from 12 The illumination light is irradiated from the back side of the substrate through the minute gap 14, transmitted through the substrate and observed by the microscope 11. An observation image of the substrate observed by the microscope 11 is obtained as an image by an imaging device.

[0031] The precision levitation stage sections 9A and 9B should have a width dimension that can support the substrate inspection with respect to the inspection line of the microscope 11 and float and support it to the flatness. With the substrate floated flat, by operating the inspection head moving mechanism 10 and the illumination moving mechanism 13, the microscope mirror 11 and the transmitted illumination light source 12 are directly oriented in the width direction (X direction) orthogonal to the transport direction (Y direction). By moving the line, inspection can be performed on a predetermined linear inspection line along the width direction of the substrate. By moving the substrate in the transport direction (Y direction) while floating the substrate, it is possible to inspect the entire surface of the substrate while floating the substrate. When a defect on the substrate surface is inspected with the microscope 11, the substrate is moved in the transfer direction by the transfer unit 5 and stopped at a position corresponding to the Y coordinate of the defect. After that, the defect on the substrate surface can be observed by moving the microscope 11 to a position corresponding to the X coordinate of the defect by the inspection head moving mechanism 10. In addition, when a macro inspection head is adopted as the inspection head, the substrate is transported at a constant speed in the transport direction (Y direction) while floating the substrate on the inspection floating stage unit 9, whereby the entire surface of the substrate is scanned by a plurality of line sensor cameras. Take pictures of the power S.

 Inspection unit 2 is a precision levitation stage 9A, 9B or gantry 8 with respect to inspection base 7 so that microscope 11 can move horizontally with respect to the substrate surface levitated horizontally on precision levitation stage 9A, 9B. Adjust the height of the The inspection unit 2 adjusts the gantry 8 or the precision levitation stage 9A, 9B by rotating the precision lift stage 9A, 9B by a minute angle so that the guide rail 10a is parallel to the minute clearance for the precision levitation stage 9A, 9B. Do.

In this inspection unit 2, precision levitation stage parts 9A and 9B, a gantry 8 incorporating a microscope 11, and a transmitted illumination light source 12 are adjusted with high accuracy and integrated into an inspection base 7, and one-dimensional It constitutes an inspection device. The inspection unit 2 is set so that the short side dimension of the inspection base 7 is smaller than the width dimension of the vehicle bed so that it can be transported by an ordinary vehicle of 2.5 m in width without road regulation alone. Be done. The dimension of the short side of the inspection base 7 in the transport direction should be at least the length at which the leg of the gantry 8 is attached to the inspection base 7. Yes. For example, when transporting by a large truck whose vehicle width is specified as 2.5 m, the short side dimension of inspection base 7 is larger than the maximum size of gantry 8 and inspection floating stage 9 combined, and the vehicle width 2 It becomes possible to set to a length shorter than 5 m. In addition, the short side width dimension of inspection levitation stage part 9 is a fraction of a board size shorter than the vehicle width, for example, 1/5 to 1/2 of 0.6 m for a 3 m size glass substrate. May be set to 1.5 m; Here, the short side dimension of inspection unit 2 is set to 2 m.

 Note that the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2 has an attachment member 16 having a reference surface 16 a for horizontally mounting the transport unit 5 described later, and a reference for attaching the inspection shaft at right angles to the inspection axis of the gantry 8. A pair of contact members 100 having a face 100a is provided at a predetermined interval. Further, on both ends of the inspection base 7 in the transport direction (Y direction), contact surfaces 17, 18 to which extended levitation stage units 3, 4 described later are attached are provided.

 As shown in FIG. 4, the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 are attached to two places so as to extend continuously on both sides in the transport direction to the check floating stage portion 9 of the inspection unit 2. It has become possible to

 Each of the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 includes mounts 19 and 20 fixed to application surfaces 17 and 18 provided on the inspection base 7. By adopting a fitting structure of concavities and convexities such as ant umbilical as the abutment surfaces 17 and 18, the convex portions formed on the racks 19 and 20 can be easily fitted into the concave portions formed on the inspection base 7 It can be attached. A plurality of elongated floating units 21 and 22 extending in the transport direction are arrayed and fixed in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction on the upper surfaces of the mounts 19 and 20. Since the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 do not need to raise the substrate with high precision as in the precision lift stages 9A and 9B, the float units 21 and 22 can be arranged separately. By arranging the floating units 21 and 22 at predetermined intervals, it is possible to reduce the weight of the extended floating stage units 3 and 4 and also to reduce the manufacturing cost S.

Each of the floating units 21 and 22 has a large number of air holes on the top surface, as in the case of the auxiliary inspection floating stage 9C. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, on the upper surfaces of the floating units 21 and 22, two grooves 21a and 22a for escaping the air discharged from the air holes to the atmosphere are formed along the transport direction. When the width of the levitation units 21 and 22 is relatively small, the gap portion The substrate can be stably floated without forming the grooves 21a and 22a because the force and air escape.

 The mounts 19 and 20 of the extended floating stage units 3 and 4 are provided with fastening members 23 and 24 for fixing to the transport unit 5 described later.

 As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the transport unit 5 is an elongated member having mounting surfaces 5a and 101a fixed to contact members 16 and 100 provided on the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2. It can move along a linear movement mechanism 26 such as a linear motor provided with a conveyance base 25, a guide rail 26a laid on the upper surface of the conveyance base 25 and a guide rail 26a, a guide rail 26a, and a guide rail 26a. A slider 27 is provided, and an attaching / detaching mechanism 28 attached to the slider 27 and attaching / detaching the substrate by, for example, adsorption or the like.

 The transfer base 25 is formed slightly longer than the length of two substrates in order to move the substrate in the transfer direction (Y direction). For example, in the case of a 3 m substrate size, the length of the transfer base 25 is 6.5 m, which is longer than 6 m of two substrates. The transport base 25 is pressed against both the reference surface 16 a of the contact member 16 of the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2 and the reference surface 100 a of the contact member 100 and fixed by bolts. The degree of perpendicularity to the (X axis) and the degree of horizontality to the precision floating stages 9A and 9B can be easily adjusted.

 The transport unit 5 is attached to the inspection unit 2 in a T-shape, and, for example, in the case of a 3 m glass substrate, installation when the transport unit 5 is assembled integrally with the inspection unit 2 The size of the face in the X and Y directions is 4 m for the length of the inspection unit 2 in the X direction, and 6.5 m for the transport unit 5 in the Y direction. When the transport unit 5 is assembled integrally with the inspection unit 2, the width is 4 m even in the short X direction, so the vehicle width that can pass on the general road prescribed by the law for operating the road is 2.5 m. It will not be possible to mount on a large truck (vehicle) within the area.

The conveyance unit 5 is configured such that it can be disassembled from the inspection unit 2 in unit units, and by setting the short side dimension of the inspection unit 2 to 2 m, the inspection unit 2 of 2m × 4m in size can be separated. It can be transported by a large truck with a width of 2.5 m. In addition, inspection unit 2, which functions as a one-dimensional inspection device, is highly adjusted and assembled. By mounting it on a large truck and transporting it, it can be assembled easily without any troublesome adjustment only by installing the transport unit 5 transported separately.

The transport unit is assembled in a T-shape with respect to the inspection unit 2 to function as a two-dimensional inspection apparatus. By mounting the extended floating stage units 3 and 4 on both sides of the inspection unit 2 in the transport direction, the transport unit 5 is disposed along the entire length of the substrate transport path along the side edge.

 [0043] As described above, since the transport base 25 needs to support the linear movement mechanism 26 disposed over a long distance so as not to overwhelm, as described above, the transport base 25 has a sufficiently large height and can be used as a strength member. It is supposed to work. In the present embodiment, three standard square steel pipes are stacked to increase the strength and reduce the weight.

 Further, the transfer base 25 is provided with a contact surface 29 to which the fastening members 23 and 24 of the mounts 19 and 20 of the extended floating stage units 3 and 4 are attached. By supporting the extended levitation stages 3 and 4 on the transfer base 25, the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 are prevented from being stagnated.

 An operation of the substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

 As shown in FIGS. 14 to 15, the substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is composed of four units of one inspection unit 2, two extended levitation stage units 3 and 4, and a transfer unit 5. The components can be disassembled to be assembled in units of 2 to 5 units. Therefore, there is an advantage that during transportation by vehicle, the units 2 to 5 can be disassembled and easily transported. In addition, when assembling at the transport destination, the board inspection device 1 capable of inspecting a large substrate with high accuracy can be easily performed at the transport destination site by simply assembling the units adjusted in units of 2 to 5 units with each other. Can be assembled

In particular, inspection unit 2 includes gantry 8 incorporating the inspection head of microscope 11 with high accuracy, floating precision stages 9A and 9B, and transmission illumination light source 12 integrally incorporated in inspection base 7 and independently. Since it is adjusted to become a one-dimensional inspection device, it is only necessary to assemble the other units 3 to 5 so that the substrate inspection can be performed with high accuracy that can not be performed after the subsequent adjustment work. Then, the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 are respectively fixed to contact surfaces 17 and 18 provided at both ends of the inspection base 7 in the transport direction, so that a large substrate is mounted and maintained in a flat state. A large floating stage can be constructed.

 Furthermore, by assembling the transport unit 5, one side of the substrate supported in the state of being floated by the floating stage can be held by the suction and removal mechanism and transported in the transport direction (Y direction). . Thus, while moving the substrate in the transfer direction (Y direction) by the operation of the transfer unit 5, the microscope 11 is moved in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the transfer direction by the inspection head moving mechanism 10. It is possible to perform a two-dimensional inspection over the entire surface.

 On the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2, an application member 16 having a reference surface 16a for horizontally mounting the transfer unit 5 and an application having a reference surface 10 Oa for mounting perpendicularly to the inspection axis of the gantry 8 The members 100 are provided in a pair at predetermined intervals.

 After the transport unit 5 has been incorporated into the inspection unit 2 to adjust the perpendicularity and levelness, the long transport unit 5 is separated from the inspection unit 2 so that each of them is separated by a large truck. It can be transported.

 In particular, the inspection unit 2 is a precision floating stage 9A which floats a part of the substrate corresponding to an inspection area where the substrate can be maintained horizontally, from the method of receiving the entire surface of the substrate like the conventional floating stage for inspection. By adopting 9B, the width dimension of the inspection unit 2 in the substrate transport direction (Y direction) can be reduced to a fraction of the size of the substrate. As a result, the width dimension in the substrate transfer direction of the inspection unit 2 can be made smaller than the vehicle width dimension of a general truck, and traffic can be obtained like a special heavy truck with special permission only by removing the long transfer unit 5. It will be possible to transport freely by general heavy trucks that are not regulated by the law to operate the road without being regulated. Compared to special heavy-duty trucks subject to traffic restrictions, transportation costs for general heavy-duty trucks can be significantly reduced.

In addition, in the transfer base 25 of the transfer unit 5, two contact surfaces 5a and 101a are provided. The transport unit 5 is transported separately from the inspection unit 2, and the mounting surface 5a of the transport surface 25 is transferred to the reference surface 16a of the contact member 16 of the inspection unit 2 and the reference surface 100a of the contact member 100 at the site. By simply pressing 101a together, for the transport direction (Y direction) The degree of horizontality and the degree of perpendicularity to the inspection axis (X axis) of the inspection unit 2 can be secured.

According to the substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the entire surface of the substrate is levitated by the levitation stage portion 9 or the extension levitation stage units 3 and 4 regardless of the position of the substrate in the transport direction. Since the substrate is supported in the state, even if the substrate is moved in the transport direction by the operation of the transport unit 5, damage due to friction that the back surface of the substrate does not rub against the transport path can be prevented in advance.

Further, the inspection floating stage portion 9 of the inspection unit 2 can move the microscope 11 by the inspection head moving mechanism 10 while maintaining the substrate flat and inspect the substrate surface with high accuracy along the inspection line. Then, by forcibly transporting the large and heavy glass substrate while floating, the transfer speed can be increased, and the substrate is inspected while floating without being placed on the inspection stage as in the prior art. As a result, it has the advantage of being able to improve the throughput of inspections.

Further, the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 are arranged along the transport direction of the inspection unit 2 in the transport direction by opening the space between the levitation units 21 and 22 for weight reduction. It is possible to suppress stagnation and facilitate transportation and assembly in the field. Furthermore, by fixing the extended floating stage units 3 and 4 to the transfer base 25 of the transfer unit 5, the extended floating stage units 3 and 4 can be used. It has the advantage of being able to improve stiffness, reduce stagnation and reduce vibration.

 In the substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the vibration isolation table 6 is provided at the lower part of the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2, but instead of this, the height adjustment mechanism is provided. It is also good to set up an agitator! Photo'lithography · In the case of in-line arrangement of the process line, an agitator shall be provided in order to match the height of the transfer line of the roller conveyors arranged in front and back. In the case of the in-line arrangement, the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 may be separated from the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2, and the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 may be attached directly to the floor.

Also, when the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 become large, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the two levitation unit sections 30 and 31 having a plurality of levitation units 22 are damaged. IJ, It may be fixed on a single mount 19 or 20 respectively. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the floated work parts 30 and 31 are fastened together by means of bolts 34 by using contact surfaces 32 and 33 provided in the width direction and thickness direction. It is preferable to bring them into close contact and assemble them precisely with high accuracy.

 When the racks 19 and 20 become large, as shown in FIG. 18, the racks 19 and 20 are also divided and fixed to the integrally assembled floating unit portions 30 and 31. It may be

 Further, instead of the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the extended roller stage units 40 and 41 may be incorporated into the inspection base 7 of the inspection unit 2. These extension roller stage units 40 and 41 have an extension roller stage unit in which the roller stage portions 42 and 43 supporting the back surface of the substrate by a large number of rollers 42a and 43a are mounted on the similar mounts 19 and 20 as the inspection unit 2. It may be incorporated into the examination base 7. In this case, each roller is composed of a free roller conveyor that freely rotates in contact with the back surface of the substrate, and the apexes of the rollers 42a and 43a in contact with the substrate back surface are the floating height of the substrate on the floating stage 9 of the inspection unit 2. Adjust to the same height. For example, when the substrate is floated to a height of 0.2 mm by the precision levitation stages 9A and 9B, the vertex heights of the rollers 42a and 43a of the roller stage portions 42 and 43 are set on the upper surface of the precision levitation stages 9A and 9B. Adjust the height of the substrate to 0.2 mm.

In addition, the crossing roller mechanism 44 shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 may be disposed at the junction of the floating stage 9 of the inspection unit 2 and the extended floating stage units 3 and 4. The roller roller mechanism 44 is attached to concave notches 21b and 22b formed in unit holding members 21a and 22a for supporting the floating units 21 and 22 of the extended floating stage units 3 and 4, respectively. In the roller passing mechanism 44, a shaft 44b is fixed to a U-shaped receiving member 44a, and a roller 44d is rotatably supported by the shaft 44b via bearings 44c and 44c. The roller 44d is made of a resin having wear resistance softer than a glass substrate such as PEEK (Poly Ether Ether Ketone) resin. The roller roller mechanism 44 is disposed in the gap between the levitation units 21 and 22 of the extension levitation stage units 3 and 4. Each roller 44d of the roller passing mechanism 44 is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of each of the floating units 21 and 22 by a height equivalent to the floating height of the substrate, for example, 0.2 mm. When the extended levitation stages 3 and 4 are attached to both end sides of the inspection unit 2 in the transport direction, a small level difference is generated in the lifting stage 9 and the respective extended levitation stages 3 and 4 in comparison with the floating height. Also, the front end of the glass substrate is in contact with the roller 44d, and it becomes possible to stably climb over the step.

 By providing the roller 44d for passing over at the junction of the extended levitation stage units 3 and 4 and the levitation stage unit 9 for inspection, the height of the conveyance surface can be adjusted without changing the height of the conveyance surface. 4 can be easily incorporated.

In addition, the overtaking roller mechanism 44 may be provided on the inspection base 7 along both sides of the inspection floating stage unit 9 to be an inspection area of the inspection unit 2. By attaching the overpass roller mechanism 44 to the inspection base 7, the projecting height of the roller 44b can be set with high accuracy with respect to the precision levitation stage portions 9A and 9B. As a result, the thin glass substrates carried into the inspection bench 2 are set to the floating height of the precision levitation stage portions 9A and 9B by the respective passing roller mechanisms 44 disposed at a plurality of locations along both sides of the inspection area. Because it is regulated, the flying height and flatness of the glass substrate can be maintained well.

Yes

 Furthermore, a tilt roller 45 may be provided on the lower surface of the transport base 25 of the transport unit 5 as a transport bearing for pivotably moving the transport unit 5 as shown in FIG. The transport unit 5 is placed on a carriage 46, and is mounted on the inspection base 7 by inserting the tip portion from the inside of the gantry 8 of the inspection unit 2 as shown in FIG. The carriage 46 is provided with a lift mechanism. The transport unit 5 is fed to a position where the mounting surface 5a, 101a of the transport base 25 substantially coincides with the mounting members 16, 100 of the inspection base 7, and the inspection base 7 is lowered by lowering the transport unit 5 by the lift mechanism. It is supposed to be mounted on top. At this time, since the transport base 25 is pivotably supported by the tilt roller 45 in a floating state from the inspection base 7, the transport surface of the transport base 25 is not moved slightly. The mounting surface 5 a, 101 a of the transport base 25 is inspected. The mounting members 16 and 10 of the base 7 can be accurately fitted to the reference surfaces 16a and 100a.

As the transport bearing, instead of the tilt roller 45, both ends of the lowermost square steel pipe constituting the transport base 25 are sealed to constitute an air tank for storing high pressure air, and many are formed on the lower surface. The function of the air bearing can be provided by forming an air projecting hole for projecting the air. If the air bearing is used, the mounting surface 5a of the transfer base 25 adheres closely to the mounting member 16 reference surface 16a of the inspection base 7 by opening the air tank to the atmosphere in the positioned state, so positioning can be performed with high accuracy. it can.

Claims

The scope of the claims  [1] An inspection head for inspecting an inspection line orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate, a gantry for supporting the inspection head, and a floating stage for inspection for floating the substrate at a predetermined height An inspection unit integrated into the inspection base,  The inspection unit is detachably attached to the inspection base between the leg portion of the gantry and the floating stage for inspection, and is T-shaped relative to the inspection unit along the side edge of the transport path for transporting the substrate. And a transport unit for holding the substrate and moving it in the transport direction.  A substrate inspection apparatus characterized in that the transport unit and the inspection unit are disassembled into units and transported during transportation by a vehicle.  [2] The inspection unit is a reference surface for horizontally mounting the transport unit on the inspection stage on the inspection base between the leg of the gantry and the inspection floating stage. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a contact member having a reference surface attached at right angles to the inspection line of the inspection head.  [3] The inspection floating stage unit has an inspection area of a width dimension capable of floatingly supporting the substrate with respect to the inspection line of the inspection head with a flatness that does not hinder the inspection. The board | substrate inspection apparatus of description.  [4] The inspection floating stage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inspection floating stage unit simultaneously discharges and sucks air to make the substrate float accurately at a predetermined height. Board inspection equipment.  [5] The inspection unit is detachably assembled with the extended levitation stage unit or the extension roller segment which supports the substrate horizontally on at least one side in the conveyance direction of the levitation stage unit for inspection, and can be transported during the transportation. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate inspection apparatus is disassembled from the inspection unit and made transportable.  6. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein in the extended levitation stage portion, elongated levitation units are arranged at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate. [7] The inspection unit is detachably assembled with an extended levitation stage unit that floats the substrate on at least one side in the transport direction of the levitation stage unit for inspection and horizontally supports the substrate. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a roller at a junction of the inspection floating stage unit and the extended floating stage unit for overcoming a step on a conveyance surface.  [8] The substrate according to claim 7, wherein the roller for overcoming the step on the conveyance surface is provided on the inspection base along both sides in the conveyance direction of the inspection floating stage unit. Inspection device.  [9] The transport unit includes a long transport base, a linear movement mechanism including a guide rail laid on the upper surface of the transport base, and a slider that moves along the guide rail by the linear movement mechanism. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an attaching / detaching mechanism provided on the slider and attaching / detaching the substrate. 10. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the transport unit is provided with a pivotable transport bearing on the lower surface of the transport base. [11] The transport base is formed by overlapping a plurality of square steel pipes, forming the lowermost square steel pipe in an air tank having a sealed structure, forming an air discharge hole for discharging a large amount of air on the lower surface thereof, and forming an air bearing. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that: [12] An inspection head for inspecting a substrate, a head transport mechanism for supporting the inspection head and moving it in one horizontal direction, and a large number of air discharge holes for discharging air, on the optical axis of the inspection head An inspection unit comprising: a horizontal floating stage unit for supporting the substrate placed on the surface in a floating state;  An extended floating stage unit which is assembled to the inspection unit, extends the floating stage portion in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the inspection head by the head transport mechanism, and supports the substrate in a floating state;  The levitation stage portion and the extended levitation stage unit are assembled along the transport direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the inspection head by the head transport mechanism. A substrate inspection apparatus comprising: a transport unit configured to grip a substrate floated by an extended floating stage unit and move the substrate in the transport direction. [13] The extended levitation stage unit includes the inspection unit and the conveyance unit. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the substrate inspection apparatus is assembled on both sides in the conveyance direction of the substrate. [14] The transport unit includes a base, a rail fixed to the base, a slider linearly moved along the rail, an attaching / detaching mechanism attached to the slider for gripping the substrate, and the slider The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: a drive mechanism for causing the extended levitation stage unit to be assembled to the base of the transfer unit.  15. The substrate inspection apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the extended levitation stage unit comprises a plurality of levitation units arranged at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate.