WO2011114399A1 - Foreign object grinding method and foreign object grinding device - Google Patents

Abstract

A grinding head is lowered. Subsequently, with a large foreign object (A) (defect) being ground, the grinding head is moved, without being raised, along the large foreign object (A), in a state where a grinding tape feeding direction (d2) is brought into agreement with a grinding head movement direction (d1). Due to the above, with the grinding tape pressed by the grinding head against the large foreign object on the surface of a workpiece, this large foreign object is reliably corrected by being ground, in a short processing time.

Description

Foreign matter polishing method and foreign matter polishing apparatus

The present invention relates to a foreign matter polishing method and a foreign matter polishing apparatus for polishing and correcting foreign matter on a workpiece surface.

In a color liquid crystal display device that has been widely used conventionally, liquid crystal is sealed between two glass substrates, a color filter substrate and an array substrate. A transparent electrode film is formed on the color filter element of the color filter substrate. When the color filter substrate is manufactured, various fibers generated from clothing, etc. on the substrate surface, skin tissues such as operators, metal pieces, glass When a foreign substance such as a piece adheres, a protrusion-like defect is formed. When such a projecting defect occurs, the defect comes into contact with the counter electrode, resulting in a defect that an image is not formed at that portion. For this reason, for example, as in Patent Document 1, in the color filter manufacturing process, the shape and address of the protruding defect are detected by a defect inspection apparatus, and the protruding defect is corrected or removed in the correcting process. Yes.

JP 2008-290166 A

However, in the conventional foreign matter polishing method, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the defect on the workpiece W is a large foreign matter A such as a fiber, the polishing head 12 is lowered and the polishing tape 8 is used at once. Since the region a that can be polished only reaches a part of the large foreign matter A, it is necessary to repeat the operation of raising the polishing head 12 and moving it horizontally and then moving it down again to polish and correct the entire large foreign matter A. is there. For this reason, there existed a problem that the processing time which grind | polishes a large foreign material became long. Further, depending on the shape of the polishing head 12, as shown in FIG. 8, irregularities occur on the surface of the large foreign matter A after polishing.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to reliably polish and correct large foreign matters in a short processing time.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the advancing direction of the polishing tape and the moving direction of the polishing head are made to coincide.

Specifically, in the first invention, the polishing tape is fed from the supply reel, and while being wound by the take-up reel, the polishing tape between the supply reel and the take-up reel is pressed by the polishing head to The object is a foreign matter polishing method in which foreign matter is polished and corrected.

And the said foreign material grinding | polishing method is the following.
Defect capturing step for capturing defects on the workpiece surface and creating information for correction;
A large foreign matter selection step of selecting a large foreign matter larger than a predetermined size from the information,
A polishing area dividing step of dividing the region with the selected large foreign matter into a plurality of polishing areas;
A polishing start point determination step of selecting a polishing area at one end of the large foreign matter from the plurality of polishing areas and determining a polishing start point that is the center of the polishing area;
An initial polishing step in which the center of the polishing head is moved to the polishing start point, and the polishing head is moved down to perform polishing until a predetermined height or less;
A head rotating step of rotating the polishing tape and the polishing head so that the direction connecting the center of the polishing head and the center of the adjacent polishing area coincides with the supply direction of the polishing tape;
After the head rotating step, an area moving step of moving the polishing head to the center of the adjacent polishing area while polishing the large foreign matter without raising the polishing head;
A polishing end step of raising the polishing head to end polishing when the head rotation step and the area moving step are completed in all the polishing areas.

According to the above configuration, when the defect on the workpiece is a large foreign matter, the region with the large foreign matter is divided into a plurality of polishing areas, and the moving direction of the polishing head connecting the centers of adjacent polishing areas and the polishing tape Since the advancing direction is matched, even if polishing is performed while moving the polishing head without raising the polishing head, the polishing tape is not accidentally detached from the polishing head. For this reason, since the raising and lowering operations of the polishing head can be omitted, the processing time for polishing correction for the large foreign matter is greatly shortened, and the surface of the large foreign matter after polishing becomes smooth. Further, since one end side of the large foreign matter is used as a polishing start point and polishing is continuously performed from the polishing start point to the other end side, the entire large foreign matter is reliably polished without leakage.

In the second invention, in the first invention,
The polishing start point determination step, the initial polishing step, the head rotation step, the area moving step, and the polishing end step are automatically performed over the entire region where the selected large foreign matter is present.

According to the above configuration, once the polishing area is divided, each polishing area is automatically and sequentially polished thereafter, so that polishing is not forgotten and the operation is easy.

In the third invention, in the first or second invention,
When the large foreign matter is selected in the large foreign matter selection step, an alarm is issued,
In the polishing area dividing step, the polishing area is set manually.

According to the above configuration, the operator can manually set the polishing area without overlooking the large foreign matter by alerting the alarm, so that the large foreign matter is surely corrected.

In the fourth invention, in the first or second invention,
The polishing area dividing step is automatically performed by image processing.

According to the above configuration, since a region with large foreign matters can be divided into a plurality of polishing areas by image processing, a series of operations are automatically performed. For this reason, it is not necessary for the operator to approach the polishing apparatus, thereby preventing generation of new dust such as fibers.

In a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions,
The workpiece is a display panel substrate,
The large foreign matter is a fiber.

According to the above configuration, since the fibers on the display panel substrate are surely polished and corrected, the quality is remarkably improved in the display device in which the quality is likely to be deteriorated due to the foreign matter.

In a sixth invention, a work stage on which a work is placed;
A work stage on which the work is placed;
A supply reel wound with abrasive tape;
A take-up reel for winding the polishing tape;
The present invention is intended for a foreign object polishing apparatus including a polishing head that is disposed between the supply reel and the take-up reel and presses the polishing tape against the workpiece.

And the said foreign material grinding | polishing apparatus is
A defect capturing mechanism for capturing defects on the workpiece surface and creating information for correction;
A moving device that rotatably supports the polishing tape and the polishing head around the polishing head and moves the polishing tape and the polishing head to an arbitrary position on the surface of the workpiece;
Control of moving the polishing tape along the defect while lowering the polishing head and polishing the defect, and without raising the polishing head, with the supply direction of the polishing tape aligned with the moving direction by the moving device Device.

In other words, the area that can be polished at a time by lowering the polishing head is limited, so if the defect on the workpiece is a large foreign object, the polishing head is raised, then moved to the adjacent polishing area and lowered again However, according to the above configuration, the control device makes the polishing tape supply direction coincide with the moving direction of the polishing head by the moving device, and moves the polishing head along the defect while feeding the polishing tape. Therefore, even if polishing is performed while moving the polishing head without raising the polishing head, the polishing tape is not accidentally detached from the polishing head. For this reason, since the raising and lowering operations of the polishing head can be omitted, the processing time for polishing correction for large foreign matters is greatly shortened.

As described above, according to the present invention, while the polishing head is lowered and the defects are polished with the polishing tape, the supply direction of the polishing tape is matched with the moving direction of the polishing head without raising the polishing head. By moving the polishing head along the defect in the state, large foreign matters can be reliably polished and corrected in a short processing time.

It is a top view which partially enlarges and shows a mode that it grind | polishes while moving between the some grinding | polishing areas of a large sized foreign material with the foreign material polishing apparatus of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of a foreign material grinding | polishing apparatus. It is a front view which expands and shows a polishing tape cassette. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the correction process periphery in the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device. It is a flowchart which shows the foreign material grinding | polishing method concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a side view explaining a mode that it grind | polishes while moving between the some grinding | polishing areas of a large foreign material. It is a top view explaining a mode that a large foreign material is grind | polished with the conventional foreign material grinding | polishing apparatus. It is a side view explaining a mode that a large foreign material is grind | polished with the conventional foreign material grinding | polishing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a foreign substance polishing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The foreign substance polishing apparatus 1 includes a base portion 2 having a frame structure, for example, and a flat surface on which a workpiece is placed on the upper surface of the base portion 2. A work stage 3 is provided. For example, in this embodiment, the workpiece is the array substrate W after the polyimide resin film is formed. The work stage 3 is provided with a plurality of through holes (not shown), and the array substrate W is sucked onto the work stage 3 by sucking air from the through holes.

On the work stage 3, there is provided a moving device 5 that supports the head body 4 so as to be movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. The moving device 5 moves along the Y direction along a pair of rail portions 5a arranged along the Y direction on the opposite side surfaces of the base portion 2, and moves the head body 4 along the X direction and the Z direction. A gantry portion 5b that is movably supported in a direction and a plurality of motors (not shown) are provided, and the head body 4 can be moved to an arbitrary position on the work stage 3.

The head body 4 includes a polishing cassette 7 shown in FIG. The polishing cassette 7 has a shape similar to that of a normal audio tape, and includes a supply reel 9 around which the polishing tape 8 is wound, and a take-up reel 10 around which the polishing tape 8 is wound. The supply reel 9 and the take-up reel 10 are driven by a motor (not shown) provided in the head body 4, and a pair of guide rollers 11 for guiding the polishing tape 8 is provided between the reels 9 and 10. And a polishing head 12 that is disposed between the pair of guide rollers 11 and presses the polishing tape 8 against the array substrate W. The polishing tape 8 is composed of a weakly sticky surface layer in which polishing powder made of fine particles is charged.

Although not shown in detail, the moving device 5 includes a rotating shaft 4a at the center of the head body 4, and supports the head body 4 so as to be rotatable about the rotating shaft 4a. Further, the polishing head 12 is disposed on the rotating shaft 4a. Thus, the polishing cassette 7 and the polishing head 12 are configured to be rotatable by an arbitrary angle α around the rotation shaft 4a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the foreign material polishing apparatus 1 includes a control device 14 at an arbitrary position of the base unit 2, and the control device 14 is connected to a main server 15 (not shown). The main server 15 has defect information for defect correction such as the size and position of defects on the surface of the array substrate W supplemented by the defect capturing mechanism 16 provided in a device different from the foreign material polishing device 1 in the previous process. Saved. The configuration of the defect capturing mechanism 16 is not particularly limited, but it is sufficient that the surface of the array substrate W can be scanned by a well-known imaging unit. In the defect capturing mechanism 16, the height of the surface of the array substrate W cannot be measured accurately.

In the vicinity of the polishing cassette 7 of the head main body 4, a height measuring mechanism 17 for measuring the height of foreign matter on the surface of the array substrate W is provided. Although not shown in detail, the height measuring mechanism 17 includes a known digital micromirror device. This digital micromirror device is a kind of display element in which a large number of micro mirror surfaces (micromirrors) (not shown) are arranged in a plane. The so-called confocal method is used to increase the foreign matter at each coordinate at a magnification of about 50 times. It is configured to be able to specify the distribution of thickness. In the present embodiment, the area that can be measured at once by the height measuring mechanism 17 is, for example, a square having a side of 210 to 250 μm. On the other hand, the area where the polishing tape 12 can be pressed down by the polishing head 12 and cut at once is, for example, about 400 μm in diameter. The height measuring mechanism 17 is disposed so as to be movable together with the polishing head 12 at a position shifted laterally with respect to the polishing head 12 in the head body 4. Then, the control device 14 performs polishing by moving the polishing head 12 to a foreign material that needs to be corrected by the moving device 5 based on the defect information stored in the main server 15, and the height measuring mechanism 17. Is moved to measure the height of the foreign matter after polishing.

-Foreign object polishing method-
Next, a foreign matter polishing method according to the present embodiment will be described. The work is the array substrate W after the polyimide resin film is formed.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, in the defect capturing step of step S01, defects are captured on the array substrate W after the polyimide resin film is formed by the defect capturing mechanism 16. As a result, the position and size of the foreign matter that needs to be corrected on the array substrate W are supplemented and stored in the main server 15. At this stage, the height is not accurately captured.

Next, in step S02, it is determined whether foreign matter polishing is necessary for the entire array substrate W based on defect information (foreign matter position, size, etc.). If there is no defect or only a defect that does not need to be polished, the process proceeds to step S03 and proceeds to the accepted product cassette storage process. In step S04, a color filter substrate (not shown) is placed on a normal production line. And pasted together. On the other hand, if there is a defect that needs to be polished, in step S05, the process proceeds to the cassette housing process for correction. Therefore, the defective array substrate W is stored in a cassette heading for the correction process, and is put into the correction process in step S06.

In the correction process shown in FIG. 5, the automatic mode is basically set. First, in step S10, the control device 14 acquires defect information from the main server 15 (defect capturing step).

Next, in the large foreign matter selection process in step S11, foreign matters that need to be corrected are classified based on the defect information. At this time, in particular, when the foreign matter is larger than a predetermined size, for example, 200 μm, which is a criterion slightly smaller than the measurement region (210 to 250 μm) of the height measuring mechanism 17, it is recognized as a large foreign matter A, and step S20 Proceed to On the other hand, when the size is smaller than the predetermined size, the polishing correction can be normally performed by one polishing, so the process proceeds to step S12, and the height measuring mechanism 17 is centered at the center of the foreign matter.

Next, in step S13, the center height of the foreign object is accurately measured.

Next, in step S14, it is determined whether the foreign object height is a predetermined 3 μm or less. If it is 3 μm or less, the polishing correction for the foreign matter is not necessary, and the process jumps to step S18. If it is larger than 3 μm, polishing correction is necessary, so that the process proceeds to step S15, where the polishing head 12 is centered on the center of the foreign matter, and polishing correction is performed. When correcting the polishing, the surface of the array substrate W is polished to a predetermined height h (for example, 3 μm) so as not to be damaged.

Next, in step S16, the height measuring mechanism 17 measures the center height of the foreign object again.

Next, in step S17, it is determined whether the foreign object height is a predetermined 3 μm or less. If it is 3 μm or less, the polishing for the foreign matter is finished, and the process proceeds to step S18. When larger than 3 micrometers, since grinding | polishing is not fully performed, it returns to step S15 and grinding | polishing is repeated.

On the other hand, in step S20, an alarm (not shown) such as a buzzer is sounded to notify the operator that the large foreign object A exists (alarm process). At this time, the automatic mode is switched to the manual mode. The alerting by the alarm reliably prevents the large foreign matter A from being overlooked.

Next, in step S21, an operator who notices the alarm manually measures whether the height of the large foreign matter A is 3 μm or less. If the height is measured at at least one location of the large foreign matter A and it is confirmed that the entire large foreign matter A has a height of 3 μm or less, there is no need for polishing, and the process jumps to step S18. When there is a portion higher than 3 μm, the large foreign matter A needs to be polished, and the process proceeds to the polishing area dividing step after step S23.

In the polishing area dividing step in step S23, the operator divides an area where the large foreign matter A is present by designating a plurality of polishing areas a. For example, the polishing area a indicates the approximate size that can be polished when the polishing head 12 is lowered by a circle having a predetermined radius. Although not shown in detail, when dividing in the polishing area a, the operator follows the large foreign matter A in order from one end of the large foreign matter A that is a fiber to the other end while visually checking the monitor screen. Then, the center of the polishing area a is clicked using a mouse, and a plurality of polishing areas a are made continuous so that the large foreign matter A is covered with the plurality of polishing areas a.

Next, in the polishing start point determination step, the polishing area a at one end of the large foreign matter A is selected from among the plurality of polishing areas a, and the polishing start point p1 that is the center of the polishing area a on one end side is determined.

Next, polishing correction is automatically performed. First, in step S24 in the initial polishing process, the polishing head 12 is centered at the polishing start point p1.

Next, in step S25, the polishing head 12 is lowered to one end of the large foreign matter A and polished. The polishing head 12 is lowered from the surface of the array substrate W to a predetermined height h (see FIG. 6).

Next, in the head rotation process in step S26, the angle adjustment of the head body 4 is automatically performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the control device 14 calculates a head moving direction d1 connecting the center of the polishing head 12 and the center p2 of the polishing area a adjacent to the polishing area a on one end side. . Then, the current supply direction d2 (shown in FIG. 3) of the polishing tape 8 from the supply reel 9 to the take-up reel 10 is calculated. The polishing tape 8 and the polishing head 12 are rotated together with the head body 4 about the rotation shaft 4a so that these two directions d1 and d2 coincide.

Next, in the area moving process of step S27, the head moving direction to the center p2 of the adjacent polishing area a while polishing the large foreign matter A without raising the polishing head 12 in a state where the two directions d1 and d2 coincide with each other. The polishing head 12 is moved together with the head main body 4 by the moving device 5 along d1. At this time, since the supply direction d2 of the polishing tape 8 and the head moving direction d1 of the polishing head 12 coincide with each other, the large foreign matter A is reliably polished without the polishing tape 8 being accidentally detached from the polishing head 12. The The moving speed of the polishing head 12 along the head moving direction d1 may be adjusted according to the material of the large foreign matter A so that the polishing is performed reliably. For example, the material may be estimated from the color, shape, etc. of a large foreign object by image processing, and the movement speed may be set automatically according to the material, or the movement speed may be set automatically. In the process, the moving speed of the polishing head 12 may be set manually.

Next, in step S28, it is determined whether there is an unpolished polishing area a. If there is, the process proceeds to step S26, and the head main body angle is automatically adjusted again. Also at this time, the head moving direction d3 from the current center p2 to the center p3 of the next adjacent polishing area a is calculated. Then, the angle of the head body 4 is adjusted around the rotation axis 4a by an angle α formed by d1 and d3. Thereafter, the head body 4 and the polishing head 12 are horizontally moved along the head moving direction d3. These head rotation process and area moving process are continuously performed until the polishing area a is eliminated. When the polishing correction in the polishing area a on the other end is completed, the polishing head 12 is raised, and the process proceeds to step S29 where the height is measured manually. At this time, for example, the operator performs height measurement in at least one polishing area a to check whether the height is equal to or less than a predetermined height h. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the polishing head 12 moves horizontally without being lifted to polish the surface of the large foreign matter A, so the surface of the large foreign matter A is relatively smooth.

Next, when it is confirmed that the large foreign matter A has been polished, the polishing correction of the large foreign matter is finished (polishing end step), and the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, the manual mode is returned to the automatic mode, and the process proceeds to step S18.

In step S18, it is determined whether there is an uncorrected defect based on the defect information. If there is an uncorrected defect, the process returns to step S11 to select another foreign object, and the subsequent steps are repeated. On the other hand, if there are no uncorrected defects, it is determined that the polishing correction for the array substrate W has been completed, and the process proceeds to step S04 in step S04.

Therefore, in this embodiment, even if polishing is performed while moving the polishing head 12 without raising the polishing head 12, the polishing tape 8 is not accidentally detached from the polishing head 12, and the raising and lowering operations of the polishing head 12 can be omitted. Further, the processing time for polishing correction for the large foreign matter A can be greatly shortened. Further, since one end side of the large foreign matter A is set as the polishing start point p1, and polishing is continuously performed from the polishing start point p1 to the other end side, the entire large foreign matter A can be reliably polished without any leakage.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

That is, in the above embodiment, the workpiece is the array substrate W after forming the polyimide resin film in the liquid crystal display device, but is not limited thereto, and may be the array substrate W before forming the polyimide resin film, or a color filter substrate. But you can. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to plasma display substrates other than liquid crystal display devices.

In the above embodiment, the polishing area dividing step is performed manually, but may be performed automatically by image processing. For example, an image obtained by image processing is divided into a plurality of polishing areas a according to a predetermined law. If the large foreign matter is long and thin like a fiber, the polishing area a is divided from one end to the other end. If the foreign matter is large in width, it is zigzag from one corner to the opposite corner on the diagonal. Or may be divided spirally from one corner to the center. According to this configuration, an area with large foreign matter can be divided into a plurality of polishing areas by image processing, and a series of operations are automatically performed. For this reason, it is not necessary for the operator to approach the polishing apparatus, and thereby no new dust is generated, so that the quality of the product can be further improved.

In addition, the above embodiment is an essentially preferable example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its application, and use.

As described above, the present invention is useful for a foreign substance polishing method and a foreign substance polishing apparatus for polishing and correcting large foreign substances such as fibers adhering to the surface of a workpiece such as a glass substrate used in a liquid crystal display device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Foreign material polishing apparatus 3 Work stage 5 Moving apparatus 8 Polishing tape 9 Supply reel 10 Take-up reel 11 Guide roller 12 Polishing head 14 Control apparatus 16 Defect capture mechanism

Claims (6)

A foreign matter polishing method in which a polishing tape is fed out from a supply reel and while being wound up by a take-up reel, the polishing tape between the supply reel and the take-up reel is pressed by a polishing head to polish and correct foreign matter on the workpiece surface. There,
Defect capturing step for capturing defects on the workpiece surface and creating information for correction;
A large foreign matter selection step of selecting a large foreign matter larger than a predetermined size from the information,
A polishing area dividing step of dividing the region with the selected large foreign matter into a plurality of polishing areas;
A polishing start point determination step of selecting a polishing area at one end of the large foreign matter from the plurality of polishing areas and determining a polishing start point that is the center of the polishing area;
An initial polishing step in which the center of the polishing head is moved to the polishing start point, and the polishing head is moved down to perform polishing until a predetermined height or less;
A head rotating step of rotating the polishing tape and the polishing head so that the direction connecting the center of the polishing head and the center of the adjacent polishing area coincides with the supply direction of the polishing tape;
After the head rotating step, an area moving step of moving the polishing head to the center of the adjacent polishing area while polishing the large foreign matter without raising the polishing head;
A foreign matter polishing method comprising: a polishing end step of raising the polishing head to end polishing when the head rotating step and the area moving step are completed in all the polishing areas. The foreign matter polishing method according to claim 1,
The polishing start point determination step, the initial polishing step, the head rotation step, the area moving step, and the polishing end step are automatically performed over the entire region having the selected large foreign matter. Foreign matter polishing method. In the foreign substance grinding method according to claim 1 or 2,
When the large foreign matter is selected in the large foreign matter selection step, an alarm is issued,
In the polishing area dividing step, the polishing area is manually set. In the foreign substance grinding method according to claim 1 or 2,
A foreign matter polishing method, wherein the polishing area dividing step is automatically performed by image processing. In the foreign matter grinding | polishing method as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
The workpiece is a display panel substrate,
The foreign matter polishing method, wherein the large foreign matter is a fiber. A work stage on which the work is placed;
A supply reel wound with abrasive tape;
A take-up reel for winding the polishing tape;
A foreign matter polishing apparatus comprising a polishing head disposed between the supply reel and the take-up reel and pressing the polishing tape against the workpiece,
A defect capturing mechanism for capturing defects on the workpiece surface and creating information for correction;
A moving device that rotatably supports the polishing tape and the polishing head around the polishing head and moves the polishing tape and the polishing head to an arbitrary position on the surface of the workpiece;
Control of moving the polishing tape along the defect while lowering the polishing head and polishing the defect, and without raising the polishing head, with the supply direction of the polishing tape aligned with the moving direction by the moving device An apparatus for polishing foreign matter, comprising: an apparatus.

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