CN100533232C - Substrate bonding device - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate bonding apparatus capable of bonding substrates with high accuracy and with ease. The bonding device (10) is provided with a pressurizing correction mechanism (32 a-32 d) which detects the load change of a pressurizing plate (19) when bonding two substrates (W1, W2), and pressurizes the substrates while adjusting the processing pressure according to the load change so as to make the load distribution of the pressurizing plate (19) uniform.

Description

Substrate bonding device

technical field

The present invention relates to a substrate bonding device and a substrate bonding method. Specifically, it is suitable for making a bonded substrate (panel/panel) from two substrates such as a liquid crystal display device (Liquid Crystal Display: LCD). ) substrate bonding device and substrate bonding method used.

In recent years, flat display panels such as LCDs have been required to be further reduced in cost due to progress in size and weight reduction (thinning). Therefore, there is a demand for an apparatus for bonding two substrates to manufacture a display panel that can improve yield and productivity.

Background technique

Liquid crystal display panels are arranged at extremely narrow intervals (about a few μm) on an array substrate in which a plurality of TFTs (thin film transistors) are made into a matrix (matrix), and color filters (red, green, blue) and light-shielding filters are formed. A color filter (CF) substrate such as a film is made by sealing liquid crystal between these two glass substrates. A light-shielding film is used to obtain contrast and to cover (light-shield) the TFT and prevent light leakage (light リ-ク) current. The array substrate and the CF substrate are bonded with a sealing material (adhesive) containing a thermosetting resin.

In the manufacturing process of this liquid crystal display panel, the liquid crystal sealing process of sealing the liquid crystal between the opposing glass substrates generally adopts the drop injection method, that is, a predetermined amount of liquid crystal is dropped around the substrate to form a frame-shaped sealing material. On the substrate surface inside the frame, the array substrate and the CF substrate are bonded in vacuum to seal the liquid crystal.

Conventionally, two substrates (a CF substrate and an array substrate) have been bonded together by a substrate pressing process using a pressing device (bonding device). This bonding device is equipped with two holding plates that face each other in the processing chamber and are arranged up and down to hold the CF substrate and the array substrate respectively. By precisely maintaining the flatness and the parallelism between the two holding plates, the substrate In a state where the distance in the thickness direction between them is always kept uniform, the two substrates are brought close to each other, thereby bonding. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses prior art related to such a bonding device.

Patent Document 1

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-323694

However, there is a problem in the above-mentioned conventional bonding apparatus in that in order to reduce the deformation of the holding plate due to the pressure difference from the outside (atmospheric pressure) when the processing chamber is evacuated, the portion affected by the pressure difference High rigidity is required, and therefore, the weight of the device increases, or the size of the device increases, or the like.

In recent years, as substrates have become larger and thinner, it has been difficult to ensure a certain degree of precision in the flatness of the retaining plate itself at the processing stage, and it has been difficult to maintain the parallelism of the two substrates with high precision. Therefore, when bonding large and thin substrates, it is particularly easy to cause dislocation and uneven substrate spacing during bonding.

Such substrate misalignment and uneven spacing between substrates cause display defects such as light leakage from the light-shielding portion and display unevenness, making it difficult to manufacture stable products and causing a decrease in yield.

Contents of the invention

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate bonding apparatus and a substrate bonding method capable of highly accurate and easy substrate bonding.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first, second, and ninth aspects of the present invention, the substrate bonding device for bonding two substrates respectively held on the first and second holding plates facing each other disposed in the processing chamber includes: A plurality of load detection mechanisms that detect the loads acting on the above-mentioned two substrates; a plurality of pressurization mechanisms that are arranged corresponding to the above-mentioned plurality of load detection mechanisms to generate a processing pressure for bonding the above-mentioned two substrates can be based on The load changes detected by the plurality of load detection mechanisms respectively adjust the processing pressure generated by the plurality of pressurization mechanisms. According to this configuration, the parallelism between the first holding plate and the second holding plate, that is, the first substrate and the second substrate can be kept uniform, and bonding can be performed with high precision. As a result, substrate misalignment and substrate gap unevenness can be prevented, and display defects can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first substrate and the second substrate are respectively held on a first holding plate and a second holding plate facing each other arranged in the processing chamber, and the first holding plate is brought close to the second holding plate. A substrate bonding device for bonding the above-mentioned first substrate and the above-mentioned second substrate, equipped with a plurality of pressurizing devices for correcting the processing pressure of bonding the above-mentioned first and second substrates according to the distribution of the load acting on the above-mentioned first holding plate corrective institution. According to this configuration, the parallelism between the first holding plate and the second holding plate, that is, the first substrate and the second substrate can be kept uniform, and bonding can be performed with high precision. As a result, substrate misalignment and substrate gap unevenness can be prevented, and display defects can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the pressurization correction mechanism includes a load detection mechanism and a pressurization mechanism. The load detection mechanism detects the load acting on the first holding plate. Also, the pressing mechanism generates the above-mentioned working pressure according to the change in load detected by the above-mentioned load detecting mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, it is provided that the sum of the loads acting on the first holding plate is calculated based on the outputs of the load detection mechanisms, and the processing by each of the pressing mechanisms is determined based on a decrease in the calculated sum of the loads. pressure control unit.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the control unit calculates the average value of the decrease of the total load, and determines the difference between the average value and the decrease of the load detected by each of the load detection mechanisms, and determines the value of the load by each of the pressurizing mechanisms. resulting processing pressure. Therefore, bonding can be performed with the load distribution kept uniform.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, trends of load changes detected by each of the load detection means are recorded for each of the load detection means, and the machining pressure generated by each of the pressurizing means is corrected in advance for each of the load change tendencies. Therefore, the bonding work can be performed more quickly and easily.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the above-mentioned first holding plate is suspended and supported on the support plate by a plurality of supports so as to be movable up and down, and the above-mentioned first holding plate and the above-mentioned plurality of supports are integrally connected with respect to the processing chamber, A dislocation prevention mechanism that allows the above-mentioned first retaining plate to move up and down while restricting its movement in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the displacement of the first holding plate during pressurization.

According to the eighth and tenth aspects of the present invention, the first substrate and the second substrate are respectively held on the first holding plate and the second holding plate facing each other arranged in the processing chamber, and the first holding plate is brought close to the second holding plate. The holding plate is a substrate bonding device for bonding the above-mentioned first substrate and the above-mentioned second substrate, equipped with: a load detection mechanism for detecting a load acting on the above-mentioned first holding plate; , a plurality of angle correction mechanisms for correcting the inclination angle of the above-mentioned first holding plate relative to the horizontal plane. According to this configuration, the parallelism between the first holding plate and the second holding plate, that is, the first substrate and the second substrate can be kept uniform, and bonding can be performed with high precision. As a result, substrate misalignment and substrate gap unevenness can be prevented, and display defects can be reduced. Furthermore, since the pressure control and the correction control of the parallelism of both substrates are performed separately, the control can be simplified.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a bonding apparatus of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the bonding device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the bonding device of FIG. 1 .

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the universal joint.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram for explaining a control mechanism of the bonding device of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 6 is a side view for explaining the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 6 .

Detailed ways

(first embodiment)

Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 .

1 is a front view showing a schematic structure of a substrate bonding device (hereinafter referred to as a bonding device) 10 according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bonding device 10, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the bonding device 10. . This bonding apparatus 10 bonds two kinds of first and second substrates W1 and W2 supplied with liquid crystal dropwise in advance to one of them to form a liquid crystal display panel.

Moreover, the liquid crystal display panel produced by this embodiment is an active matrix type liquid crystal display panel, the first substrate W1 is a color filter substrate (CF substrate) on which a color filter or a light-shielding film is formed, and the second substrate W1 is a color filter substrate (CF substrate). W2 is an array substrate (TFT substrate) on which TFTs and the like are formed. In this case, for example, a sealing material is applied around the second substrate W2 (adhesive surface side) to form a frame, a predetermined amount of liquid crystal is dropped on the substrate surface in the frame, and the two substrates W1, W2 is sent to the bonding device 10 .

The bonding device 10 includes a base plate 11 and a bracket assembly 12 fixed to the base plate 11 . Moreover, the base plate 11 and the bracket assembly 12 are made of materials with sufficient rigidity. Inside the holder assembly 12, there is an inner cavity 13 as a processing chamber, and the inner cavity 13 is divided into upper and lower sides, and is composed of an upper container 13a and a lower container 13b. The opening of the inner cavity 13, that is, the place where the upper container 13a and the lower container 13b contact, as shown in FIG. Circle 13c.

The lower container 13b is supported by the bracket assembly 12, and the upper container 13a is supported by the cavity opening and closing portion 14 so as to be movable up and down. The inner cavity opening and closing part 14 is a screw having an external thread formed at one end (the upper end in FIG. 1 ), and is screwed with an internal thread attached to the upper container 13 a to form a ball screw 15 . The other end of the lead screw (the lower end in FIG. 1 ) is connected to the speed reducer 16 , and the lead screw is driven to rotate by the motor 17 shown in FIG. 2 through the gear box 18 .

Therefore, when the screw is rotated forward and reverse by the motor 17, the ball screw 15 converts the rotational motion into a linear motion, and the upper container 13a can move up and down relative to the lower container 13b. Therefore, the inner cavity 13 performs an opening and closing action.

In the inner cavity 13, a pressure plate 19 as a first holding plate for suction-holding the first substrate W1 (CF substrate) and a second holding plate for suction-holding the second substrate W2 (TFT substrate) are provided facing each other. Taiwan 20. The pressure plate 19 and the table 20 have mechanisms for attracting and holding the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2, respectively, on which at least one of a suction force and an electrostatic force acts.

The table 20 is supported by a positioning stage 21 provided on the base plate 11 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction (X direction and Y direction) and to be rotatable in the horizontal direction (θ direction). More specifically, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) pillars 22 are erected on the positioning stage 21 , and each pillar 22 is supported on the positioning stage 21 . Furthermore, the positioning stage 21 can be horizontally moved by a stage driving motor driven by a control pulse from a motor driver which will be described later.

Between the positioning stage 21 and the lower container 13b, bellows 23 which are elastic bodies for maintaining the airtight state of the inner cavity 13 are respectively provided around the above-mentioned respective pillars 22 . The bellows 23 has "O" rings on flanges at both ends, and the "O" rings seal between the positioning stage 21 and the lower container 13b.

The pressure plate 19 is suspended and supported by a support plate 24 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction). In detail, a plurality of (in this embodiment, four) pillars 25 are fixed on the support plate 24 with nuts 26, and the nuts 26 are screwed (threaded) on threads formed on the upper ends of the pillars 25. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3 , each strut 25 is inserted into the insertion hole 27 a of the fixing member 27 attached to the upper container 13 a, and is attached to the upper surface (outer surface) of the pressure plate 19 .

The fixing part 27 and the support column 25 are integrally connected by a universal joint 28 as an anti-displacement mechanism. As shown in FIG. 4 , the universal joint 28 is substantially circular, and is formed by connecting an inner ring 28 b and an outer ring 28 c with respect to the center of an insertion hole 28 a formed in the center thereof. The universal joint 28 is attached to the lower surface of the fixing member 27, and fastens the fixing member 27 and the outer ring 28c. In addition, the strut 25 is inserted into each insertion hole 27a, 28a of the fixing member 27 and the universal joint 28, and the strut 25 and the inner ring 28b are fastened. That is, each strut 25 is respectively fixed to the pressure plate 19 and the inner chamber 13 (specifically, the upper container 13a).

The universal joint 28 can limit the horizontal movement of each strut 25 relative to the inner chamber 13 , that is, the radial movement toward the universal joint 28 . On the other hand, each strut 25 is allowed to move in the vertical direction relative to the inner cavity 13 , that is, to the axial direction of the universal joint 28 . Therefore, the pressure plate 19 can move up and down during bonding, and on the other hand, the lateral displacement of the pressure plate 19 can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 1 , between the support plate 24 and the upper container 13 a, a bellows 29 as an elastic body for maintaining the airtight state of the inner cavity 13 is provided around each support 25 . Similar to the above, the bellows 29 has "O" rings on the flanges at both ends, and the "O" rings seal between the support plate 24 and the upper container 13a.

The support plate 24 is moved up and down by a pressurized air spring 30 as a pressurizing mechanism driven by an electro-pneumatic regulator described later. A load sensor 31 as a load detection mechanism is provided between the support plate 24 and the pressurized air spring 30. The load sensor is pressed against the underside of the support plate 24, and the load during bonding is detected according to the pressure on the support plate 24. .

Further, the support plate 24 is vertically movable by a plurality of (four in this embodiment) press correction mechanisms 32a to 32d provided on the support plate 24 . Specifically, guide rods 33 respectively corresponding to the pressure correction mechanisms 32 a to 32 d are erected on the upper surface of the upper container 13 a, and the support plate 24 can move up and down along the guide rods 33 . The pressure correction mechanisms 32a to 32d are arranged at equal distances from the center of the support plate 24 (that is, the center of the first substrate W1). around 25.

Each press correction mechanism 32a to 32d includes motors 34a to 34d with encoders as a pressurization mechanism, a lead screw 35 driven by each motor 34a to 34d, and load sensors 36a to 36d as a load detection mechanism, respectively. The motors 34 a to 34 d are driven to rotate by control pulses from a motor driver described later, and the driving force is transmitted to each ball screw 35 .

Each ball screw 35 is connected to a first linear guide 37 capable of moving up and down along a guide rod 38 attached to each corresponding motor 34a to 34d. This guide rod 38 is fixed on the support plate 24, and the support plate 24 is installed on the second linear guide rail 39 designed to move up and down along the above-mentioned guide rod 33.

Each load sensor 36a-36d is provided in the upper end part of each guide rod 33. As shown in FIG. Each of the load cells 36 a to 36 d abuts on the lower surface of the corresponding ball screw 35 , and detects the load at the time of adhesion based on the pressure applied to the ball screw 35 .

The pressure correction mechanisms 32a to 32d constituted in this way, when the driving motors 34a to 34d rotate in the normal direction, the ball screw 35 that receives the driving force and moves downward pushes the load sensors 36a to 36d downward, and the reaction force , the support plate 24 rises. Conversely, when the drive motors 34a to 34d rotate in opposite directions, each ball screw 35 receives the driving force and moves upward, so that the support plate 24 descends.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control mechanism in the bonding apparatus 10 of this embodiment. Also, parts of the same structure as those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

The bonding apparatus 10 has the pressurization air spring 30 which moves the pressurization plate 19 up and down, and the control part 41 which controls the drive of the motors 34a-34d. The control unit 41 is composed of general PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers), and controls the electro-pneumatic conditioner 42 and the motor drivers 43a-34d that drive the pressurized air spring 30 and the motors 34a-34d respectively according to the output of the load sensors 31, 36a-36d. 43d action. In addition, the image processing device 44 calculates the amount of misalignment based on the results of the reference line marks captured by the CCD camera or the like for matching the positions of the two substrates W1, W2, and the control unit 41 controls the output of the image processing device 44 for Operation of the motor driver 46 that drives the stage drive motor 45 .

The control unit 41 converts the electrical signals output from the load sensors 31, 36a to 36d, and calculates the sum of the loads applied to the load sensors 31, 36a to 36d. Then, at the time of bonding, the processing pressure acting on both the substrates W1, W2 is confirmed from the load value reduced from the total load.

Here, when the inner cavity 13 is closed and placed in a decompressed state (vacuum state), the self-weight (substrate W1, pressure plate 19, support 25, pressure correction mechanisms 32a to 32d, etc.) applied to the support plate 24 The total weight) A, and the sum (A+B) of the pressure difference B between the atmospheric pressure acting on the pressure plate 19 in proportion to the cross-sectional area of the strut 25 and the pressure in the inner chamber 13 (A+B) is the sum of the loads. When the sum of the loads (A+B) brings the two substrates W1, W2 closer together for bonding, the processing pressure becomes a reaction force and gradually decreases. Therefore, the control unit 41 considers the processing pressure applied to both the substrates W1 and W2 as a reduction of the sum of the loads acting on the respective load cells 31, 36a to 36d at the time of bonding.

This processing pressure actually varies depending on the size of the display panel (substrates W1, W2) and the amount or type of liquid crystal and sealing material, but is approximately 100 kg in this embodiment. Here, for example, when the self-weight A applied to the support plate 24 is about 1000Kg, and the pressure difference B between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure in the cavity 13 is about 1000Kg, the total load (A+B) is about 2000Kg. In this case, the control unit 41 adjusts the working pressure so that the total load is about 1900Kg, that is, the reduction of the total load is 100Kg.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the load sensors 31, 36a to 36d each use a load sensor capable of detecting a load of 1/5 of the total load with a resolution of about 0.1 Kg. That is, as described above, when the total load is about 2000Kg, each load sensor 31, 36a-36d uses a load sensor capable of detecting a load of about 400Kg with a resolution of about 0.1Kg.

The control unit 41 calculates the reduction value of the total load, and outputs a signal generated by making the processing pressure applied to both the substrates W1 and W2 constant based on the calculation result to the electro-pneumatic controller 42 and the motor drivers 43a to 43d.

The electropneumatic regulator 42 adjusts the pressure of the pressurizing air spring 30 in response to a signal from the control unit 41 . In addition, the motor drivers 43a to 43d output pulse signals for driving the motors 34a to 34d at a predetermined number of pulses in response to a signal from the control unit 41 .

At this time, the control unit 41 calculates the difference between the decrease of the load detected by the load sensors 36a to 36d of the pressurization correction mechanisms 32a to 32d and the average value of the decrease of the total load detected by the load sensors 31, 36a to 36d. (unit time), drive signals for the motors 34a to 34d are generated based on the calculated value.

For example, when the decrease in the load detected by the load sensor 36a of the pressure correction mechanism 32a is larger than the above-mentioned average value, it indicates that the processing pressure applied by the pressure correction mechanism 32a is higher than that of the other pressure correction mechanisms 32b to 32d. high pressure. In other words, it is revealed that the plane of the pressure plate 19 is tilted, and the parallelism between the pressure plate 19 and the table 20 (the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 ) is broken. In this case, the control unit 41 performs correction, drives the motor 34a of the pressurization correction mechanism 32a in the direction of raising the support plate 24, or stops driving the motor 34a, so that the pressure applied to the pressurization plate 19 by the driving of the motor 34a The load (processing pressure) was reduced to the above average value.

For example, in this embodiment, when the decrease in the load detected by the load sensors 36a to 36d of the pressurization correction mechanisms 32a to 32d is greater than the above-mentioned average value by 0.1Kg or more, the drive of the corresponding motors 34a to 34d is stopped, An increase in processing pressure is thereby suppressed. Then, when the decrease in the load becomes within 0.1Kg, the stopped motor is driven again to pressurize both the substrates W1 and W2.

In this way, since the motors 34a to 34d are respectively driven and controlled according to the load detection results from the corresponding load sensors 36a to 36d, when the load distribution deviates due to force at one end during the bonding process, According to this, the inclination angle of the press plate plane can be corrected, and the pressure can be increased to the final processing pressure (about 100Kg). As a result, the substrates W1 and W2 can be bonded while maintaining accurate parallelism.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, although the pressurization is performed while appropriately correcting (adjusting) the working pressure based on the load detection results detected by the load sensors 31, 36a to 36d, it is also possible to adjust the pressurization correction mechanisms 32a to 36d. 32d, record the in-plane load change tendency of the pressing plate 19, and correct the processing pressure in advance for this tendency.

Specifically, as described above, the processing pressure is appropriately corrected, and the substrate pressing process is performed, for example, 10 times. Furthermore, the average number of pulses of the motors 34a to 34d for 10 times is calculated in advance for each of the pressurization correction mechanisms 32a to 32d. According to this calculation result, keep the pulse number difference on each pressure correction mechanism 32a～32d, before the processing pressure generated by the pressing plate 19 reaches the final processing pressure (approximately 100Kg in this embodiment), the pressure caused by the pressurization is reduced. The air spring 30 and the motors 34a to 34d control the descending speed of the pressurizing plate 19 to each constant speed to pressurize. This method can omit the control for adjusting the processing pressure. As a result, since the bonding operation can be simplified and the bonding can be performed at high speed, it contributes to shortening the manufacturing time of the display panel.

Hereinafter, the action of the bonding apparatus 10 configured as above will be described.

After the bonding apparatus 10 absorbs and holds the conveyed first and second substrates W1 and W2 on the pressure plate 19 and the workbench 20 respectively, it evacuates the inner chamber 13 and supplies a predetermined gas to the inner chamber 13 . Inside the lumen 13. This gas is reactive gas such as excitation gas used in PDP (Plasma Display Panel), and replacement gas including inert gas such as nitrogen and pure dry air. These gases are used for pretreatment, and impurities or products adhering to the surface of the substrate or display element are exposed to reaction gas or replacement gas for a certain period of time.

This treatment stabilizes the properties of the non-openable adhesive surface after bonding. On the surfaces of the first and second substrates W1 and W2 , films such as oxide films are formed, or suspended matter in the air adheres to change the state of the surfaces. Due to this change in state, each substrate is different, so a stable display panel cannot be manufactured. Therefore, this treatment can suppress the formation of a film or the attachment of impurities, and by treating the attached impurities, it is possible to suppress changes in the surface state of the substrate, which facilitates stabilization of the quality of the display panel.

Next, the bonding apparatus 10 aligns the two substrates W1 and W2 in a non-contact manner (at least without contacting the sealing material on the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2) using an optical mechanism (CCD camera, etc.) using the reference line mark. Location.

Next, the bonding apparatus 10 controls the pressure of the pressurized air spring 30 and the motors 34a to 34d on the pressurization and correction mechanisms 32a to 32d to drive and control the pressure on the first substrate W1 and the second substrate W2 (specifically, coating The support plate 24 , that is, the pressure plate 19 is lowered at a constant speed of, for example, 5 μm/s before the substrate W2 comes into contact with the sealing material). At this time, the sum of the loads detected by the respective load sensors 31, 36a to 36d is about 2000Kg.

If the first substrate W1 is in contact with the second substrate W2, the pressing plate 19 starts to generate processing pressure, and the above-mentioned total load begins to gradually decrease. Pressurization was continued until the pressure became about 100Kg. At this time, the bonding apparatus 10 controls the motors 34a to 34d so that the average value of the load decrease detected by the load sensors 36a to 36d of the pressure correction mechanisms 32a to 32d relative to the decrease of the total load is within 0.1Kg. Drive control is used to pressurize while correcting the machining pressure (that is, the inclination angle of the plane of the pressurizing plate 19). In addition, the distance (distance of descent) from when the processing pressure starts to be generated on the pressing plate 19 to when the pressing plate 19 stops moving is about 100 μm.

Incidentally, when the bonding is performed, as the working pressure is gradually increased, a force to move laterally (horizontally) acts on the pressing plate 19 due to the reaction force of the working pressure. However, this horizontal reaction force is absorbed by the universal joint 28 that integrally connects the support 25 that suspends and supports the pressure plate 19 and the upper container 13 a of the inner chamber 13 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pressure plate 19 from being misaligned as the working pressure increases.

After the bonding device 10 is pressurized until it becomes the final processing pressure, the inside of the cavity 13 is opened to communicate with the atmosphere. Therefore, the two substrates W1, W2 are uniformly compressed by the atmospheric pressure and the pressure difference between the two substrates W1, W2 until the substrate gap of a predetermined element thickness (element gap) is reached.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects are obtained:

(1) The bonding apparatus 10 is provided with pressure correction mechanisms 32a to 32d, and the pressure correction mechanisms 32a to 32d detect the change in the load of the pressure plate 19 when the two substrates W1, W2 are bonded, and adjust the processing pressure according to the load change. , The pressure is applied while making the load distribution of the pressure plate 19 uniform. According to this structure, the inclination angle of the plane of the press plate 19 can be corrected according to the load change detected by the press correction mechanisms 32a to 32d, and the press plate 19 and the table 20, that is, the two substrates W1 and W2 can be made parallel. The degree is kept uniform, and the bonding is carried out with high precision. As a result, it is possible to prevent substrate misalignment and uneven spacing between substrates, and to reduce display defects.

(2) In this embodiment, the processing pressure is adjusted according to whether the load distribution deviation is within the allowable range (for example, whether it is above 0.1Kg). According to this method, the degree of parallelism between the substrates W1 and W2 can be adjusted extremely easily during pressurization.

(3) Since the tendency of the load change of the pressing plate 19 is recorded for each of the pressurizing and correcting mechanisms 32a to 32d according to the implementation of the multiple times of the substrate pressurizing process, the load on the pressurizing and correcting mechanisms 32a to 32d is preliminarily adjusted for this tendency. The motors 34a to 34d are driven and controlled to adjust the processing pressure, so that the bonding operation can be performed at a higher speed. As a result, shortening of display panel manufacturing time is facilitated. In addition, since this method omits the complicated control for adjusting the processing pressure, the bonding work can be performed more easily.

(4) A universal joint 28 is provided which is fixed to the support plate 24 and integrally connects the strut 25 which suspends and supports the pressure plate 19 to the inner chamber 13 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the strut 25 from moving horizontally due to its reaction force as the working pressure increases. That is, it is possible to prevent the pressure plate 19 from moving (misaligned) in the horizontal direction with respect to the table 20 . In addition, using the structure of the universal joint 28, when the inner chamber 13 is in a decompressed (vacuum) state, even when the inner chamber 13 is deformed due to the pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure, it is possible to allow the pressure plate 19 to Moving up and down can reliably prevent misalignment in the horizontal direction.

(5) In this embodiment, since the load distribution of the pressure plate 19 can be made uniform, and the parallelism of the two substrates W1, W2 can be accurately maintained while pressing, so when bonding, the sealing material can be applied The load is roughly uniform. This means that bonding can be carried out with appropriate processing pressures. Therefore, it is possible to prevent uneven load distribution caused by one-end contact, thereby increasing the processing pressure. During bonding, it is possible to prevent the sealing material and liquid crystal from acting on the upper and lower substrates W1, W2 due to shear force, resulting in sticking. Misaligned.

(6) In this embodiment, since the inclination of the plane of the pressure plate 19 is corrected based on the detection result of the load change, the parallelism of the two substrates W1, W2 can be kept uniform, and bonding can be easily performed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in weight and an increase in volume caused by configuring a portion of the cavity 13 that is affected by a pressure difference from the outside when the inner chamber 13 is in a decompressed state with highly rigid members.

(second embodiment)

Hereinafter, a second embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the parts having the same configuration as those in the above-mentioned first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

6 is a side view showing a schematic structure of a substrate bonding device (hereinafter referred to as a bonding device) 50 of the second embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the bonding device 50 shown in FIG. 6 . Similar to the first embodiment, the bonding device 50 bonds the first and second substrates W1, W2 to form a liquid crystal display panel.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the bonding apparatus 50 includes an inner cavity 51 , and a pressure plate 52 for sucking and holding the first substrate W1 is provided in an upper container 51 a of the inner cavity 51 . In addition, in FIG. 6 , the lower container of the cavity 51 , the stage for suction-holding the second substrate W2 , and the like are omitted.

The pressurizing plate 52 is connected to a universal joint 53 , and the universal joint 53 is suspended and supported by a support plate 55 via a strut 54 . The universal joint 53 is composed of a first support portion 53a covering the upper surface (outside side) and the outer peripheral surface of the pressure plate 52, and a second support portion connected to the outer peripheral surface of the pressure plate 52 and the inner peripheral surface of the first support portion 53a. part 53b.

Between the upper surface of the pressure plate 52 and the inner surface of the first support portion 53a covering the pressure plate 52, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) load sensors 56a to 56d are arranged, and each load sensor 56a to 56d depends on the The pressure of the first supporting portion 53a is used to detect the load during bonding.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first support portion 53a and the second support portion 53b are connected by joints 57a to 57d at the centers of the adjacent sides (four sides) of the respective inner peripheral surfaces and outer peripheral surfaces. Moreover, an angle is provided on any two sides (two sides along the width direction of the first and second support parts 53a, 53b in the figure) that connect the first support part 53a and the second support part 53b facing each other. Correction mechanisms 58a, 58b.

The angle correction mechanisms 58a, 58b are equipped with motors 59a, 59b and the above-mentioned joints 57a, 57b, respectively, so that they can adjust the horizontal angle (inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane) of the longitudinal direction of the second support portion 53b according to the drive of the motors 59a, 59b.

The second support portion 53b and the pressure plate 52 are connected by joints 60a to 60d at the centers of the adjacent sides (four sides) of the respective inner peripheral surfaces and outer peripheral surfaces. Furthermore, an angle correction is provided on any two opposing sides connecting the second support portion 53b and the pressure plate 52 (two sides along the longitudinal direction of the second support portion 53b and the pressure plate 52 in the figure). Mechanisms 58c, 58d.

The angle correction mechanisms 58c and 58d respectively include motors 59c and 59d and the joints 60c and 60d to adjust the horizontal angle of the pressure plate 52 in the width direction by driving the motors 59c and 59d.

In the bonding apparatus 50 constituted in this way, when a working pressure is generated on the pressing plate 52, the load changes detected by the respective load cells 56a to 56d are output to a control unit (PLC) not shown in the figure, and according to the input from the control unit, signal to drive and control the motors 59a to 59d corresponding to the respective load sensors 56a to 56d.

For example, when the decrease of the load detected by the load sensor 56a is larger than the decrease of the load on the other load sensors 56b to 56d (that is, when it is greater than the average value of the decrease of the total load), the pressure plate 52 is raised along the Direction drives the motor 59a of the angle correction mechanism 58a. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, the inclination angle of the pressing plate 52 can be corrected based on the load detection results of the load sensors 56a to 56d, so that the load distribution on the pressing plate 52 can be made uniform.

According to the present embodiment described above, on the basis of the effects of the first embodiment, it also has the following effects:

(1) In the present embodiment, independent angle correction mechanisms 58 a to 58 d for adjusting the parallelism of the pressing plate 52 are provided as the mechanism for generating the machining pressure on the pressing plate 52 . According to this configuration, since the control for generating the machining pressure on the pressing plate 52 and the control of the angle correction mechanisms 58a to 58d can be performed separately, the control can be simplified.

Moreover, the above-mentioned embodiments can also be implemented in the following forms:

- In the first embodiment, although the load on the periphery of the first substrate W1 is detected by the four load sensors 36a to 36d, the number is not limited to four. That is, depending on the size of the first and second substrates W1 and W2, etc., two or three, or five or more substrates may be provided. Furthermore, the same applies to the second embodiment.

· In the first embodiment, the load sensor 31 for detecting the load near the center of the pressurizing plate 19 (first substrate W1) and the pressurizing air spring 30 as a pressurizing mechanism may be omitted depending on the display panel to be manufactured .

• The arrangement of the load sensors 36a to 36d in the first embodiment is not limited to the positions shown in FIG. 2 . The arrangement of the load cells 36a to 36d can be appropriately changed according to the size of the first and second substrates W1, W2, and are located at equal distances from the center of the support plate 24 (that is, the center of the first substrate W1). , as long as it is a position where the load on the peripheral edge of the first substrate W1 can be detected. At this time, it is preferable to arrange the load near the four corners of the first substrate W1 in the vicinity of the pillar 25 so as to detect the load. Also, even for the arrangement of the load sensors 56a to 56d in the second embodiment, it is not limited to the positions shown in FIG. 7 as well.

The characteristics of the above-mentioned embodiments are summarized as follows:

(Additional Note 1) A substrate bonding device for bonding two substrates respectively held on first and second holding plates facing each other disposed in a processing chamber, characterized in that it includes:

A plurality of load detection mechanisms for detecting loads acting on the above two substrates;

A plurality of pressurizing mechanisms provided corresponding to the plurality of load detection mechanisms to generate processing pressure for bonding the two substrates,

The processing pressures generated by the plurality of pressurizing mechanisms can be individually adjusted according to the load changes respectively detected by the plurality of load detecting mechanisms.

(Additional Note 2) A method of holding a first substrate and a second substrate on a first holding plate and a second holding plate facing each other arranged in a processing chamber, bringing the first holding plate close to the second holding plate, and bonding the first holding plate to the second holding plate. The substrate bonding device combining the above-mentioned first substrate and the above-mentioned second substrate is characterized in that:

A plurality of pressure correction mechanisms for correcting the processing pressure for bonding the first and second substrates according to the distribution of the load acting on the first holding plate are provided.

(Note 3) The substrate bonding device described in Note 2 is characterized by:

The above pressurized correction mechanism has:

a load detection mechanism for detecting a load acting on the first holding plate;

A pressurizing mechanism that generates the above-mentioned processing pressure based on the change in load detected by the above-mentioned load detection mechanism.

(Supplementary Note 4) The substrate bonding apparatus described in Supplementary Note 3 is characterized in that it includes a control unit that calculates the sum of the loads acting on the first holding plate based on the outputs of the above-mentioned load detection mechanisms, and based on the calculation, The reduced portion of the sum of the loads determines the processing pressure produced by each of the above pressing mechanisms.

(Note 5) The substrate bonding device described in Note 4, characterized in that:

the aforementioned control unit,

The average value of the reduction of the sum of the loads is calculated, and the processing pressure generated by each of the above-mentioned pressing mechanisms is determined based on the difference between the average value and the reduction of the load detected by each of the above-mentioned load detection mechanisms.

(Note 6) The substrate bonding device described in Note 5, characterized in that:

the aforementioned control unit,

When the decrease in the load detected by the load detection means is larger than the average value, the pressurizing means corresponding to the load detection means stops supplying the machining pressure.

(Note 7) The substrate bonding device described in Note 5, characterized in that:

the aforementioned control unit,

When the decrease in the load detected by the load detection means is larger than the average value, the pressing means corresponding to the load detection means reduces the working pressure.

(Supplementary Note 8) The substrate bonding apparatus described in any one of Supplementary Notes 3 to 7, wherein the trend of load change detected by each of the load detection mechanisms is recorded for each of the above-mentioned load detection mechanisms, and each load change tendency is recorded in advance. Correct the processing pressure generated by each of the above-mentioned pressurization mechanisms.

(Note 9) The substrate bonding device described in any one of Notes 3 to 8, characterized in that:

Each of the load detection mechanisms is arranged at positions at equal distances from the center of the first substrate, and detects a load near the periphery of the first substrate,

Each of the above-mentioned pressurization mechanisms is arranged at a position corresponding to each of the above-mentioned load detection mechanisms.

(Supplementary Note 10) The substrate bonding apparatus described in Supplementary Note 9, wherein each of the load detection mechanisms detects loads near four corners of the first substrate.

(Supplementary Note 11) The substrate bonding apparatus described in any one of Supplementary Notes 2 to 10, wherein a load detector for detecting a load acting on the above-mentioned first holding plate is further provided at the center position of the above-mentioned first holding plate. mechanism and a pressurizing mechanism that generates the above-mentioned processing pressure based on the change in load detected by the load detecting mechanism.

(Supplementary Note 12) The substrate bonding device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11, characterized in that:

The above-mentioned first holding plate is suspended and supported on the support plate by a plurality of pillars so that it can move up and down,

A dislocation prevention mechanism is provided that integrally connects the first holding plate and the plurality of supports with respect to the processing chamber, and allows the first holding plate to move up and down while restricting movement in the horizontal direction.

(Supplementary Note 13) A substrate bonding apparatus that holds a first substrate and a second substrate on a first holding plate and a second holding plate facing each other disposed in a processing chamber, and brings the first holding plate close to the second holding plate. Holding the plate, bonding the above-mentioned first substrate and second substrate,

It is characterized by: having:

a load detection mechanism for detecting a load acting on the first holding plate;

A plurality of angle correction mechanisms for correcting the inclination angle of the first holding plate relative to the horizontal plane according to the load distribution acting on the first holding plate.

(Supplementary Note 14) A substrate bonding method for bonding two substrates respectively held on first and second holding plates facing each other disposed in a processing chamber, characterized in that:

The load acting on the two substrates is detected at multiple points, and the processing pressure for bonding the two substrates is corrected based on the detected load change.

(Supplementary Note 15) A substrate bonding method for bonding two substrates respectively held on first and second holding plates facing each other arranged in a processing chamber, characterized in that:

The load acting on the two substrates is detected at multiple places, and the inclination of at least one of the first and second holding plates relative to the horizontal plane is corrected based on the detected load variation.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate bonding apparatus and a substrate bonding method that can perform substrate bonding with high precision and easily.

Claims (9)

1. A substrate bonding device for bonding two substrates respectively held on the first and second holding plates, the first and the second holding plates are disposed in a decompressed processing chamber and face each other, characterized in that: have: a plurality of load sensors (36a-36d) arranged outside the depressurized processing chamber for detecting the load acting on the first holding plate; a plurality of pressurizing mechanisms (34a-34d) provided corresponding to the plurality of load cells to generate processing pressure for bonding the two substrates, A control unit (41) for determining the processing pressure generated by each of the above-mentioned pressurizing mechanisms based on the sum of the loads acting on the first holding plate and the reduced load value calculated from the outputs of the above-mentioned each load sensors, The control unit can individually adjust the processing pressures generated by the plurality of pressurizing mechanisms according to changes in the loads respectively detected by the plurality of load sensors. 2. A substrate bonding apparatus, which respectively holds a first substrate and a second substrate on a first holding plate and a second holding plate facing each other arranged in a decompressed processing chamber, and makes the first holding plate close to the above-mentioned The 2nd holding plate, bonding above-mentioned 1st substrate and above-mentioned 2nd substrate, it is characterized in that: A plurality of pressing and straightening mechanisms (32a to 32d) for bonding the above-mentioned first and second substrates according to the distribution of the load acting on the above-mentioned first holding plate to generate a straightening process pressure, the plurality of pressing and straightening mechanisms have a plurality of load sensors (36a to 36d) for detecting loads acting on the first holding plate, a plurality of pressurizing mechanisms (34a to 34d) respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of load sensors, A control unit (41) for determining the processing pressure generated by each of the above-mentioned pressurizing mechanisms based on the sum of the loads acting on the first holding plate and the reduced load value calculated from the outputs of the above-mentioned each load sensors, The control unit (41) calculates the distribution of the load acting on the first holding plate based on the detection results of the load sensors, drives the plurality of pressurizing mechanisms according to the calculated distribution, and corrects the bonding of the first and second plates. The processing pressure of the second substrate. 3. The substrate bonding device according to claim 2, characterized in that: the aforementioned control unit, The average value of the decrease of the sum of the loads is calculated, and the processing pressure generated by the above-mentioned each pressurizing means is determined based on the difference between the average value and the load decrease detected by the above-mentioned each load detecting means. 4. The substrate bonding apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: each of the above-mentioned load sensors records the tendency of the load change detected by each of the load detection mechanisms, and corrects each load variation tendency by the above-mentioned load change tendency in advance. Processing pressure generated by each pressing mechanism. 5. The substrate bonding device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The above-mentioned first holding plate is suspended and supported on the support plate by a plurality of pillars so that it can move up and down, A dislocation prevention mechanism is provided that integrally connects the first holding plate and the plurality of supports with respect to the processing chamber, and allows the first holding plate to move up and down while restricting movement in the horizontal direction. 6. A substrate bonding apparatus, which respectively holds a first substrate and a second substrate on a first holding plate and a second holding plate facing each other arranged in a decompressed processing chamber, and makes the first holding plate close to the above-mentioned The second holding plate is bonded to the first substrate and the second substrate, It is characterized by: having: a load sensor (56a-56d) for detecting a load acting on the first holding plate; A plurality of angle correcting mechanisms (58a-58d) that are driven according to the load distribution acting on the first holding plate to correct the inclination angle of the first holding plate relative to the horizontal plane, A control unit (PLC) that determines the processing pressure generated by each of the pressurizing mechanisms based on the sum of the loads acting on the first holding plate and the reduced load value calculated from the outputs of the load sensors, The control unit calculates the distribution of the load acting on the first holding plate based on the detection results of the load sensors, drives the plurality of angle correction mechanisms based on the calculated distribution, and corrects the horizontal plane relative to the first holding plate. inclination. 7. The substrate bonding device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, and 6, wherein the sum of the above-mentioned loads, when the above-mentioned two substrates are bonded together, the processing pressure becomes a reaction force, gradually reduce. 8. The substrate bonding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sum of the loads decreases gradually as the process pressure becomes a reaction force when the two substrates are bonded closer together. 9. The substrate bonding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sum of the loads decreases gradually as the process pressure becomes a reaction force when the two substrates are bonded closer together.

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