JP4368369B2 - Glass substrate carrier assembly - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass substrate carrier assembly, and more particularly to a glass substrate carrier assembly for removing static electricity.

  Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are thin and light, and have a glass substrate, so they have become increasingly dominant in the display market. The method for producing a liquid crystal display includes forming thin film transistors and circuits on a glass substrate by using a photolithography method. In the photolithography method, a layer of a photoresist is uniformly applied on a glass substrate, and then a pattern is transferred from a mask to the photoresist layer before performing a development process.

  In a recent method of applying a photoresist to a glass substrate, the glass substrate is mounted on a photoresist spin coater, and a predetermined amount of photoresist is supplied to the center of the upper surface of the glass substrate. Finally, in order to generate centrifugal force, the photoresist spin coater is rotated at a high speed to rotate the glass substrate. The centrifugal force spreads the photoresist radially from the center of the glass substrate to its periphery, so that the photoresist covers the entire top surface and hardens.

  After the coating process, the edge of the glass substrate often has jaggedness generated by the solidification of the photoresist thrown from the edge of the glass substrate. Therefore, the glass substrate must be transported from the photoresist spin coater to the deburring device by the carrier assembly to remove the knurles. The carrier assembly includes a shelf and two brackets. The shelf can move horizontally. Both brackets have a plurality of pickup caps protruding from the shelf in the longitudinal direction, facing each other and attached to the brackets. Each racket is connected to a vacuum pump by a tube, and the vacuum pump generates a suction force on the pickup cap so as to hold the glass substrate with respect to the pickup cap. The suction force applied to the pickup cap causes static electricity to accumulate in the pickup cap.

  After the glass substrate reaches the deburring device, the glass substrate is removed from the pickup cap. However, the static electricity generated by the pick-up cap is 15-16 kilovolts (KV) that harms the semiconductor elements and circuits on the glass substrate and even the glass substrate.

  In order to overcome these disadvantages, the present invention provides a glass substrate carrier assembly that reduces or eliminates the aforementioned problems.

  It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a glass substrate carrier assembly for removing static electricity.

  To achieve this object, the glass substrate carrier assembly includes a shelf and a plurality of pickup caps. The shelf is electrically grounded and includes a bar, two stands, and two brackets. The bar has two ends. Both stands are respectively attached to both ends of the bar, extend downward from the ends, are electrically grounded and conductive, and each stand has an inner surface. Both brackets are electrically conductive, each attached to the inner surface of the stand and extending vertically inwardly from the inner surface to the lower side of the bar, and facing each other, and each bracket has a T shape and has an end portion and a plurality of brackets. With tabs. The tab is attached to an end portion of the bracket, extends vertically from the end portion, and has conductivity. The pickup caps are electrically conductive and are attached to the tabs above the suction holes, respectively. Static electricity reaches the ground through the pick-up cap, the tab, the bracket and the stand, so that static electricity is removed from the shelf when it occurs.

  Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3, the carrier assembly according to the present invention is placed between the photoresist coater 80 and the deburring device 90 and moves back and forth between the photoresist coater 80 and the deburring device 90. And a shelf 10 and a plurality of pickup caps 20.

  The shelf 10 moves horizontally, is electrically connected to the ground, and includes a bar 13, two stands 15, and two brackets 11.

  Bar 13 has two ends.

  Both stands 15 are respectively attached to both ends of the bar 13, extend downward from both ends of the bar, have conductivity, and are electrically grounded. Each stand 15 has an inner surface.

  Both brackets 11 have conductivity, and are respectively attached to the inner surface of the stand 15 and extend vertically downward from the inner surface under the bar 13 to be opposed to each other. Each bracket 11 is T-shaped and has an edge and a plurality of tabs 12. The tab 12 is electrically conductive and is attached to the edge of the bracket 11 and extends vertically from the edge. Each tab 12 has an upper surface, a recess 123, and a suction hole 121. The recess 123 is formed on the upper surface of the tab 12. The suction hole 121 is provided so as to penetrate the tab, communicates with the recess 123, and is connected to a vacuum pump through a tube so that suction force is generated in the suction hole 121.

The pickup cap 20 is elastic and conductive, and is attached to the upper surface of the tab 12 so as to cover the suction hole 121, and is placed in the recess 123 of the tab 12. Each pickup cap 20 may be made of a mixture of an elastic material and a conductive material that is elastic and conducts electricity, has at least one through hole, and has a mounting collar 21, a seal 23, and A cap 25 is provided. The elastic material can be rubber. The conductive material may be made of a carbonaceous material, graphite, metal or the like. The pickup cap 20 has a resistivity of 10 ³ -10 ⁵ ohms per unit area. Each of the through holes corresponds to the suction hole 121 of the tab 12. Static electricity generated by air passing through the suction hole 121 and the pickup cap 20 is electrically grounded so that the static electricity is removed from the pickup cap 20, the tab 12, the bracket 11, and the shelf 10 where the static electricity is generated. Pass through the stand 15.

  The mounting collar 21 is made of a sleeve and is placed in the recess 123 of the tab 12 and has an upper end portion and a lip (mouth) 211. The mouth 211 extends radially inward from the upper end.

  The seal 23 has a circular hole, an outer wall, and an annular recess 231. An annular recess 231 is formed in the outer wall and engages with the mouth 211 of the mounting collar 21 to hold the seal 23 on the mounting collar 21.

  The cap 25 is firmly attached to the mounting collar 21 against the seal 23 and has at least one hole 251. The at least one through hole 251 corresponds to and communicates with the suction hole 121 of the tab 12 through the seal 23 and the central hole of the mounting collar 21.

  When the carrier assembly carries the glass substrate from the photoresist coater to the deburring device 90, the glass substrate is securely attached to the pickup cap 20 by suction from the vacuum pump. After the glass substrate arrives at the deburring device 90, the vacuum pump is stopped to remove the glass substrate from the carrier assembly. Since static electricity passes through the pickup cap 20, the tab 12, the bracket 11, and the electrically grounded stand 15, the static electricity is removed from the shelf 10 when it is generated. Thus, static electricity is not accumulated to harm the semiconductor elements and circuits on the glass substrate or the glass substrate, which results in improved quality and cost reduction of the glass substrate.

  Although many features and advantages of the invention have been described along with details of the structure and operation of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Within the principles of the invention, changes will be made in detail with particular reference to the shape, dimensions and arrangement of parts, to the extent expressed by the broad general meaning of the terms set forth in the claims.

1 is a perspective view of a glass substrate carrier assembly according to the present invention having a photoresist coater device and a deburring device. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pickup cap of the glass substrate carrier assembly of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the pick-up cap of the glass substrate carrier assembly of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 shelf 11 bracket 12 tab 13 bar 15 stand 20 pickup cap 80 photoresist coater 90 deburring device

Claims (6)

A movable shelf comprising a bar having two ends adapted to be electrically grounded;
Two stands respectively attached to both ends of the bar and extending downward from the two ends, having conductivity, adapted to be electrically grounded, each having an inner surface;
Two brackets that are electrically conductive, are each attached to the inner surface of the stand and extend vertically from the inner surface to the lower side of the bar, opposite each other and each having an end;
A plurality of tabs that are electrically conductive and are attached to an end of the bracket and extend vertically from the end, each having a top surface;
A suction hole formed in and penetrating through the tab;
A glass substrate carrier assembly comprising: a plurality of pickup caps that are elastic and conductive, each of which is attached to an upper surface of the tab, each having at least one through hole.   The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein each pickup cap comprises a carbonaceous material.   The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein each pickup cap comprises graphite.   The carrier assembly of claim 1, wherein each pickup cap comprises a metal. Each tab further has a recess formed in the upper surface of the tab,
The suction hole of each tab communicates with the recess of the tab,
The carrier assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of the pickup caps is placed in a recess of the tab. Each pick-up cap is a mounting collar comprising a ring and is installed in a corresponding tab recess, and has an upper end and an opening extending inwardly from the upper end.
A seal having a central hole, an outer wall, and an annular recess formed in the outer wall and engaging the mouth of the mounting collar;
6. The carrier set of claim 5, including a cap attached to the mounting collar against the seal and having at least one hole corresponding to and communicating with a suction hole of a corresponding tab. Solid.

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