JP3590100B2 - Soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator used as a static eliminator for removing static electricity from a liquid crystal substrate, a large glass substrate, or the like, for example, in the atmosphere or in an atmospheric gas atmosphere.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in the production of a liquid crystal panel, there is a rubbing process in which a glass substrate is rubbed with a buff in order to orient the liquid crystal, and the charged potential is extremely high because the processed substrate is large and insulative. When the glass substrate is charged in such a manner, floating particles adhere or electrostatic discharge occurs due to electrostatic force, which causes disconnection or short circuit of an element formed on the substrate, lack of visual sense of an image element, etc., and lowers the yield. Let me do it. Therefore, in the field of liquid crystal panel manufacturing, a static eliminator is used to prevent charging of the glass substrate.
[0003]
Various types of static eliminators have been conventionally known, and among them, a soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator that irradiates soft X-rays in the air or in an atmospheric gas atmosphere to eliminate static electricity is known. . As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator 50 is configured by disposing a soft X-ray tube 53 inside a case 52 having an opening 51 on the front surface. Then, the soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube 53 are applied to a conical irradiation area 55 as shown in the figure. In the conventional soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator 50, the soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube 53 are not blocked at all by the opening 51 of the case 52, and the apex angle 56 is 110 °. Is irradiated to the irradiation area 55.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator configured as described above, if the irradiation area of the soft X-ray can be arbitrarily adjusted to a desired range, shielding can be minimized.
[0005]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator capable of arbitrarily adjusting a soft X-ray irradiation range to a desired range.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, a device for irradiating soft X-rays from a soft X-ray tube disposed inside to remove static electricity is provided with a collimator for blocking a part of the soft X-rays irradiated from the soft X-ray tube. The front surface of the collimator is provided so as to be detachable from the soft X-ray tube, and the irradiation area of the soft X-ray can be adjusted by changing the mounting position of the front surface of the collimator. The soft X-ray irradiation static elimination device is provided. In this case, for example, by changing the mounting position of the front surface of the collimator to a state where it is raised and a state where it is lowered, the irradiation area of the soft X-ray may be adjusted.
[0007]
The soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator of the present invention can further have the following configuration. That is, the collimator may be configured by a main body and a moving member that moves in front of the main body, and furthermore, may be configured so that the mounting position of the front surface of the moving member can be changed. Further, the front surface may be fixed to the moving member at an arbitrary position by screwing a screw inserted from the outside of the L-shaped slit formed on the left and right of the front surface into the moving member.
[0008]
[Action]
In the soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator of the present invention, a part of the soft X-ray irradiated from the soft X-ray tube can be shielded by the collimator, and the irradiation area of the soft X-ray can be arbitrarily adjusted. By adjusting the irradiation area of the soft X-ray to a desired range in this way, it is possible to suppress the shielding to a minimum.
[0009]
【Example】
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a static eliminator 2 for eliminating static electricity from a substrate 1 made of, for example, a liquid crystal substrate or a large glass substrate, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate 1 is transferred by the transfer device 3. A soft X-ray tube 4 for irradiating soft X-rays is disposed on the side of the static eliminator 2, and a soft X-ray tube 4 is provided inside the static eliminator 2 surrounded by a wire mesh 5. It is configured to irradiate X-rays to eliminate static electricity on the substrate 1. A shielding plate 6 is mounted behind the static eliminator 2 to prevent the soft X-rays radiated inside the static eliminator 2 from leaking outside.
[0010]
The soft X-ray emitted from the soft X-ray tube 5 is an X-ray having a wavelength of several Å to several hundred Å, and ionizes electric molecules. The soft X-rays according to the present invention are in an X-ray region having a small transmittance so as to be easily absorbed by a thin air layer, and generally have a wavelength of several angstroms to several hundred angstroms. This soft X-ray has a low transmittance and a high photon absorptance of gas molecules, and has characteristics of easily ionizing gas molecules. In addition, neutral oxygen atoms (radicals) are hardly generated in the ionization process, and ozone is not generated. In addition, ultraviolet rays on the long wavelength side, which have lower energy than the soft X-ray region, ionize the gas, but generate more ozone than that. On the other hand, X-rays on the short wavelength side, which have higher energy than the soft X-ray region, have sufficient ionization energy, but are hardly absorbed by gas molecules, and the light absorption cross-section becomes smaller as the wavelength becomes shorter. Is very small and cannot be used for static elimination. In addition, ordinary X-rays require a large-scale shielding means, which is not suitable for practical use.
[0011]
According to the present invention, the soft X-ray eliminator 2 configured to irradiate the soft X-rays from the soft X-ray tube 4 to the substrate 1 or the like to perform static elimination as described above is provided with the collimator 7. Thus, a part of the soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube 4 is blocked, whereby the irradiation area of the soft X-rays can be arbitrarily adjusted. The collimator 7 is made of, for example, a material that can block irradiation of soft X-rays, such as a metal plate of Fe, Al, or Cu, or a resin plate of PVC or plastic. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the collimator 7 suitably used in the soft X-ray static eliminator of the present invention will be described.
[0012]
FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment in which a window hole 11 for transmitting soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube 4 is formed in the front face 10 of the collimator 7 mounted around the soft X-ray tube 4. It is shown. As described above, the collimator 7 is mounted around the soft X-ray tube 4, and a part of the soft X-ray emitted from the soft X-ray tube 4 is blocked by the front surface 10 of the collimator 7, so that the light passes through the window hole 11. It is possible to set only the range to be irradiated as a soft X-ray irradiation area. This embodiment shows a case where a substantially square window hole 11 is formed substantially at the center of the front face 10 of the collimator 7, and according to this embodiment, as shown in the figure, it spreads almost equally in the right, left, up and down directions. It is possible to form the irradiation area 12 in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid.
[0013]
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a window hole 13 is formed in the front face 10 of the collimator 7 as in FIGS. 2 and 3. The window hole 13 in this embodiment has a rectangular shape which is long horizontally. And is disposed slightly above the center of the front surface 10 of the collimator 7. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to form a quadrangular pyramid-shaped irradiation area 14 extending left and right as shown in the upper front part of the collimator 7. With this configuration, the soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube 4 can be emitted only to the upper front part of the collimator 7.
[0014]
The collimator 7 shown in FIG. 6 includes a main body 15 and a moving member 16 that moves in front of the main body 15. A window hole 18 for transmitting soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube 4 disposed inside the collimator body 15 is formed in the front surface 17 of the moving member 16. Slits 19 are provided on the left and right sides of the moving member 16, and the screw 20 inserted from the outside of the slit 19 is screwed into the collimator main body 15 so that the moving member 16 can be moved to the collimator main body 15 at an arbitrary position. It can be fixed.
[0015]
In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the moving member 16 and the collimator main body 15 are deeply fitted and fixed by screws 20 inserted into the slits 19, so that the moving member 16 and the collimator main body 15 are fixed to the upper front part of the collimator 7. It is possible to form a rectangular pyramid-shaped irradiation area 21 vertically wide. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, by making the moving member 16 and the collimator main body 15 fit in a shallow manner, the irradiation area 22 in the form of a quadrangular pyramid which is narrow and wide in the vertical direction is formed in the upper front part of the collimator 7. Can be formed.
[0016]
The collimator 7 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is an embodiment in which the window hole 18 is opened vertically wider than those in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the moving member 16 and the collimator main body 15 are deeply fitted. FIG. 10 shows a state where the moving member 16 and the collimator body 15 are fitted shallowly. Since the window hole 18 is vertically wide as in this embodiment, the pyramid-shaped irradiation areas 23 and 24 which are further expanded in comparison with the case of FIGS. 7 and 8 can be formed. Will be possible.
[0017]
Next, in the collimator 7 shown in FIG. 11, the main body 15 and the moving member 16 moving in front of the main body 15 are fixed by the screws 20 inserted from the outside of the slit 19, as in the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. This shows an embodiment in which the fixing position of the moving member 16 is variable and the mounting position of the front surface 25 of the moving member 16 can be changed. By screwing a screw 27 inserted from the outside of an L-shaped slit 26 formed on the left and right of the front surface 25 into the moving member 16, the front surface 25 can be fixed to the moving member 16 at an arbitrary position. I have.
[0018]
In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the front surface 25 is lifted and fixed to the moving member 16 with the screw 27, and the moving member 16 and the collimator main body 15 are fitted deeply into the screw 20. , A rectangular pyramid-shaped irradiation area 21 can be formed in the upper front part of the collimator 7 in a vertical direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. By fitting the member 16 and the collimator body 15 shallowly, it is possible to form an irradiation area 22 in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid that is narrow in the upper and lower directions in the upper front part of the collimator 7. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the front surface 25 is lowered and fixed to the moving member 16 with the screw 27, and the moving member 16 and the collimator body 15 are deeply fitted and fixed with the screw 20. In front of the collimator 7, a rectangular pyramid-shaped irradiation area 30 which is wider than the case of FIG. 12 can be formed, and as shown in FIG. By fitting the collimator body 16 and the collimator body 15 shallowly, it is possible to form a rectangular pyramid-shaped irradiation area 31 in front of the collimator 7 as compared with the case of FIG.
[0019]
As described above, the collimator 7 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 11 can adjust the irradiation area by variously changing the fixing position of the collimator body 15 and the moving member 16 and the mounting position of the front surface 25, and is more than necessary. The shielding area can be minimized because the irradiation area is not large.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the irradiation region of the soft X-ray can be arbitrarily adjusted to a desired range, so that the minimum shielding can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a static eliminator according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a collimator having a substantially square window hole formed substantially at the center of the front surface. FIG. 3 is a side view of the collimator. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a collimator having a window hole formed slightly above the center of the front surface. FIG. 5 is a side view of the collimator. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a collimator composed of a main body and a moving member. FIG. 8 is a side view of the collimator in a state where the moving member and the collimator body are deeply fitted. FIG. 8 is a side view of the collimator in a state where the moving member and the collimator body are fitted shallowly. FIG. 10 is a side view of a collimator having a vertically wide opening. FIG. 10 is a side view of a collimator having a vertically wide opening compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 11 is a front view of a collimator composed of a main body and a moving member. It is configured so that the mounting position can be changed FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side view of the collimator in a state where the front surface is lifted up, and the moving member and the collimator main body are deeply fitted. FIG. Side view of the collimator fitted shallowly. [FIG. 14] Side view of the collimator with the moving member and the collimator body fitted deeply with the front face down. [FIG. 15] Front face down. FIG. 16 is a side view of a conventional soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator with the moving member and the collimator body fitted shallowly. FIG. 16 is a side view of the conventional soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator. [Explanation of symbols]
2 Soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator 4 Soft X-ray tube 7 Collimator

Claims (4)

In what removes static electricity by irradiating soft X-rays from a soft X-ray tube arranged inside, a collimator for blocking part of the soft X-rays emitted from the soft X-ray tube is attached ,
The front surface of the collimator is provided so as to be detachable from the soft X-ray tube, and the irradiation area of the soft X-ray can be adjusted by changing the mounting position of the front surface of the collimator. , Soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator. 2. The soft X-ray irradiation area according to claim 1, wherein the mounting position of the front surface of the collimator is changed between a raised state and a lowered state. X-ray irradiation static eliminator. The soft collimator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the collimator comprises a main body and a moving member that moves in front of the main body, and is further configured to be capable of changing a mounting position of a front surface of the moving member. X-ray irradiation static eliminator. By screwing a screw inserted from the outside of the L-shaped slit formed on the left and right of the front surface into the moving member, the front surface can be fixed to the moving member at an arbitrary position, The soft X-ray irradiation static eliminator according to claim 3.

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