JP4401878B2 - Airtight panel manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an airtight panel in which two substrates are sealed at an outer peripheral portion at a predetermined interval and the inside is in a high vacuum state or a rare gas atmosphere.
As an airtight panel targeted by this manufacturing apparatus, first, an electron emission portion such as a field emission element is formed on the inner surface side of one substrate, and a fluorescent light is emitted upon receiving an electron projection on the inner surface side of the other substrate. A fluorescent light emitting device provided with a display portion can be given. In addition, a photoelectric conversion film is formed on the inner surface side of one substrate, and an electron emission portion such as a field emission element that scans the photoelectric conversion film with an electron beam is formed on the inner surface side of the other substrate. And a panel-like imaging device that reads out image light incident on the light as an electrical signal. In addition, a plasma display panel that emits the phosphor layer by using a discharge phenomenon after introducing an rare gas after forming an electrode and a phosphor layer on the inner surface side of at least one substrate, or at least one of the substrates Examples include a panel sensor in which a specific gas such as an inert gas is sealed after an electrode is formed on the inner surface side. Further, the airtight panel to be manufactured by the present invention is an element having a panel-like airtight container structure with two substrates as described above, and is provided inside the vacuum state or a rare gas atmosphere. The principle and function of the element are not questioned.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an airtight panel as an image display apparatus. This manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus in which a plurality of processing chambers such as a preprocessing chamber, a bake chamber, and a sealing processing chamber are arranged in series, and an airtight and openable load lock is provided between the processing chambers. In addition, each processing chamber is provided with exhaust means and heating means necessary for the process performed in the processing chamber, and after the substrate constituting the hermetic panel is put into the apparatus, It is configured as an in-line type apparatus configured so that the manufacturing process can proceed while moving only within the apparatus.

In the conventional in-line type hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus as described above, a tray on which a substrate is placed is often used to transport the substrate within the apparatus, and the tray may be made of metal such as stainless steel. There were many. Further, conventionally, a metal heater has often been used as the heating means for heating the substrate. Further, the transport means for transporting the tray on which the substrate is placed is often configured to transport the tray by driving the roller directly on the roller provided in the processing chamber. .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-59399

However, the conventional in-line type hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus having the above-described metal tray and heating means and a conveying means for driving a roller has the following problems.
That is, since the metal tray and heater have a large heat capacity, the temperature of the tray and the substrate placed on the tray cannot be rapidly increased immediately after being put into the manufacturing apparatus. It took a long time to raise the temperature before moving to. For this reason, the processing time of the whole apparatus becomes long, and an efficient process cannot be performed at the time of mass production. In addition, if the tray is made of metal, distortion due to heat is large, and it may be difficult to stably hold a substrate made of glass or the like placed on the tray.

  In addition, when a substrate is placed on a roller and the substrate is moved by rotating the roller with a driving means, the roller comes into contact with the lower surface of the substrate at several points to ensure the conveyance of the substrate. It is necessary to provide a number of rollers, and means for driving these many rollers must be provided outside the apparatus and connected to the rollers in each processing chamber in an airtight state, so that the connection mechanism and structure must be complicated. I don't get it. In addition, if a large number of rollers are provided in the processing chamber, there is a problem that the heat capacity of the processing chamber that also serves as a furnace by the heating means increases. Furthermore, since there are a large number of movable parts in the processing chamber, the amount of dust generated from the movable parts is increased, which may cause a defect in the airtight panel that is a product. These problems also apply to a plasma display or the like in which the inside of the panel is once evacuated and then filled with a rare gas such as xenon and sealed.

  The present invention has been made in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, and in an in-line type hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus, the heat capacity of a tray or a heater can be reduced to enable rapid heating / heating / cooling of a substrate for mass production. It is possible to carry out efficient processing sometimes, and it is possible to stably transport panel components such as glass substrates, etc., with a simple structure tray transport means with few moving parts and small heat capacity It is intended to make it difficult for foreign matter defects on the hermetic panel to occur.

An airtight panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 includes a tray on which two panel constituent members arranged at a predetermined interval are placed, and a plurality of processes provided so that the tray can pass through continuously. A chamber, an exhaust unit provided in at least a part of the plurality of processing chambers, a heating unit provided in at least a part of the plurality of processing chambers, and a transport unit configured to transport the tray in the plurality of processing chambers An airtight panel manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an airtight panel formed by sealing the two panel constituent members ,
At least a part of the heating means is a carbon heater, the tray is a carbon tray ,
The carbon tray includes a base body formed by opening a concave portion for accommodating two substrates serving as the panel constituting member and a spacer member provided on either of the two substrates, and the concave portion. A fixed fulcrum that is provided at the edge and supports the edge of the substrate and can be adjusted, and is provided at the edge of the recess opposite to the fixed fulcrum and presses the edge on the opposite side of the substrate. And a movable pressing fulcrum .

The hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 is the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carbon tray is
The amount of protrusion into the recess is adjusted by the adjusting means provided so as to be able to appear in the recess at the edge of the recess that is one side of a pair of sides parallel to the conveyance direction of the carbon tray, A position-adjustable first fixed fulcrum supporting one of the pair of edges of the substrate parallel to the transport direction of the carbon tray is opposite to the edge provided with the first fixed fulcrum. A biasing means is provided at the other edge of the recess so as to be able to appear and retract in the recess and is opposite to one of the pair of edges of the substrate parallel to the transport direction of the carbon tray. A movable first pressing fulcrum that is pressed by
The amount of protrusion into the recess is adjusted by the adjusting means provided so as to be able to appear in the recess at the edge of the recess that is one side of a pair of sides orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the carbon tray, A position-adjustable second fixed fulcrum that supports one of the pair of edges of the substrate perpendicular to the transport direction of the carbon tray is opposite to the edge provided with the second fixed fulcrum. A biasing means is provided on the other edge of the recess so as to be able to appear and retract in the recess, and biases an edge opposite to one of the pair of edges of the substrate perpendicular to the transport direction of the carbon tray. A movable second pressing fulcrum that is pressed by
Each of the two substrates is provided.

An airtight panel manufacturing apparatus according to a third aspect is the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus according to the second aspect , wherein the carbon heaters are arranged in pairs above and below a transport path of the carbon tray transported by the transport means. In addition, the carbon heater is longer than the carbon tray in the transport direction of the tray.

The hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 is the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the transfer means is provided in the processing chamber and abuts against a lower surface of the carbon tray. A support roller that movably supports the rack, a rack provided in the carbon tray, a pinion provided in the processing chamber and engaged with the rack, and a mechanism provided outside the processing chamber and driving the pinion It is characterized by having.

The hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 is the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rack is longer than the carbon tray in the transport direction of the carbon tray, and relates to the transport direction of the carbon tray. The rack is attached to the carbon tray so that both ends of the rack protrude from both ends of the carbon tray,
The pinion is installed in such an arrangement that the carbon tray always engages with the rack in both processing chambers when the carbon tray moves from the processing chamber to the adjacent processing chamber.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect , wherein the pinion is engaged with the rack by an urging means.

A hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to a seventh aspect is characterized in that in the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, guide means for guiding the carbon tray in a transport direction is provided.

  In the in-line structure hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, if the heating means provided in the processing chamber is a carbon heater, a rapid temperature increase can be achieved particularly in the initial stage of heating, and the maximum heating temperature can be sufficiently increased. Since the amount of discharge is small and the cooling time can be shortened, the processing time of the entire apparatus is shortened, and efficient processing can be performed during mass production.

  Further, if the tray is a carbon tray, the heat capacity is small, so the response to heating is fast, the coefficient of thermal expansion is small, warpage and distortion are small, the hardness is large, and the substrate made of glass or the like that is a constituent member of an airtight panel Is most suitable for stably holding with high accuracy.

  Further, if a rack and pinion mechanism is adopted as the transport means, the number of components is reduced compared to the drive roller transport mechanism, so that the heat capacity in the first processing chamber is reduced, and the temperature rise and cooling in the processing chamber can be facilitated. can do.

  Further, if the carbon heaters are arranged in pairs above and below the conveyance path of the carbon tray, the panel constituent members can be heated more quickly and uniformly.

  Further, the carbon tray is provided on a base having a concave portion for accommodating the panel constituent member and the like opened on the upper surface, and a fixed fulcrum provided on an edge of the concave portion to support the edge of the substrate is opposite to the fixed fulcrum. If it is set as the structure which provided the pressing fulcrum provided in the side, the board | substrates made from glass etc. as said panel structural member can be positioned and fixed with high precision with respect to the said carbon tray, and the airtight panel manufactured Assembling accuracy increases.

  In addition, if the carbon heater is set longer than the carbon tray in the transport direction of the tray, the carbon heater can heat the panel constituent material more uniformly.

  Further, when a rack and pinion mechanism is adopted as the transport means, a support roller that contacts the lower surface of the carbon tray and supports the carbon tray so as to be movable, a rack provided on the carbon tray, and the processing It can be configured with a simple structure that does not unnecessarily increase the heat capacity in the processing chamber, which includes a pinion that is provided in the chamber and engages with the rack, and a driving unit that is provided outside the processing chamber and drives the pinion. .

  In the configuration of the rack and pinion mechanism, the rack is longer than the carbon tray in the transport direction of the carbon tray, and both ends of the rack protrude from both ends of the carbon tray. When the pinion is arranged so as to always engage with the rack in both processing chambers when moving from the processing chamber to the adjacent processing chamber, in the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus having an inline structure, a plurality of panel constituent materials are provided. Even if there is an air-tight load lock mechanism that can be opened and closed between the processing chambers, smooth conveyance can be continued without interfering with this, and the processing time of the entire system is shortened, making it efficient during mass production. Can be processed.

  Further, if the pinion is configured to be engaged with the rack by the biasing means, the driving force of the driving means is reliably transmitted to the carbon tray side, and the panel constituting material between the plurality of processing chambers in the inline type manufacturing apparatus. Can be reliably transferred.

  In addition, if the carbon tray is provided with guide means, the carbon tray is reliably transported along the intended transport path without meandering, and reliably and quickly transported to a predetermined work position in each processing chamber. Work can be done.

  Thus, according to the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the heat capacity of the heating means and the tray is small, particularly the temperature rise of the panel constituent material in the initial stage of heating can be accelerated, and a plurality of reliable transport mechanisms can be used. Since it can be smoothly transported between the processing chambers and the cooling time is shortened, the processing time such as heating can be shortened compared to the conventional one, and the possibility of dust generation can be reduced by simplifying the structure. In this case, it is possible to efficiently mass-produce high performance hermetic panels.

In the following, an embodiment of the present invention considered to be the best by the patent applicant at the time of filing to implement the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a field emission display panel (panel display device in which a field emission element which is a cold cathode is mounted as an electron source) which is an example of an airtight panel manufactured by the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 2A. 2 is a plan view of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example, FIG. 3 is a front view of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example, FIG. 4 is a right side view of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the carbon tray of the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is the airtight panel of this example. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the carbon tray conveying means in the manufacturing apparatus, FIG. 8 is a C view in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the carbon tray guide means in the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 11 is a front view showing the carbon tray guide means in the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example, FIG. 11 is a right side view showing the carbon tray guide means in the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example, and FIG. 12 is the airtight panel of this example. Overall structure of manufacturing equipment The state of Atsushi Nobori in a schematic diagram and a manufacturing process showing a illustrates in correspondence with the schematic diagram.
Hereinafter, each component will be described with reference to the drawings shown in parentheses.

(1) Airtight panel configuration (Figure 1)
First, the hermetic panel manufactured by the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example will be described.
The airtight panel 1 of this example is a field emission display panel which is a panel type display device in which a field emission device (Field Emission Device) which is a cold cathode is mounted as an electron source. The rectangular glass substrates 2 and 3 are slightly shifted in a direction parallel to the pair of sides in plan view, arranged at a predetermined interval in the thickness direction of the substrates 2 and 3, and the outer peripheral portions facing each other are sealed. It is sealed with a dressing 4 and the inside is evacuated to a high vacuum state.

  A field emission element 5 is formed on the inner surface of one substrate (cathode substrate) 3, and an anode as a light-emitting display unit comprising an anode conductor and a phosphor layer is formed on the inner surface of the other substrate (anode substrate) 2 facing this substrate. 6 is formed. The cathode of the field emission device 5 is led out on the cathode substrate 3 outside the panel by hermetically leading the sealing material 4 through the cathode wiring. The anode conductor of the anode 6 is led out on the anode substrate 2 outside the panel by hermetically leading the sealing material 4 through the anode wiring. The display mode by the field emission element 5 and the anode 6 is, for example, as long as the phosphor on the anode side has a solid shape and the drive system of the field emission device can be individually driven at an arbitrary point in a matrix shape. Graphic display.

Thus, the airtight panel 1 manufactured by the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example does not have an exhaust structure such as an exhaust pipe for exhausting the inside of the panel or a cover material for sealing an exhaust hole formed in the substrate. Also, there is no structure of a getter chamber or the like, and a so-called complete chipless structure is formed in which a thin vacuum container is constituted by only two substrates 2 and 3 and a sealing material 4.
In order to manufacture the hermetic panel 1 having such a structure, the two substrates 2 and 3 are arranged at a predetermined interval, and continuously pass through a plurality of processing chambers provided with exhaust means and heating means. A so-called in-line type hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus that can be processed while being used is used. In particular, the manufacturing apparatus of this example having structural features as described below is suitable.

(2) Overall configuration of the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus (FIGS. 2 to 4 and 12)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus 10 of this example includes a firing chamber 11, a vacuum firing chamber 12, a sealing chamber 13, and a cooling chamber 14 as a plurality of processing chambers. . These four processing chambers are arranged so as to communicate with each other in this order, and an airtight load lock 15 that can be opened and closed and through which the material can pass is provided at each communicating portion.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 12, exhaust means 16 are communicated with each of the four processing chambers 11 to 14, and when this load lock 15 is closed, each processing chamber is in a desired vacuum state (in accordance with the process). Pressure). Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the firing chamber 11 is provided with a carbon heater 17 as a heating means, and the substrates 2 and 3 as the panel constituent materials can be rapidly heated to a desired temperature. it can. Although not shown in detail, the vacuum baking chamber 12 and the sealing chamber 13 are provided with temperature adjusting means as heating means, and the temperature of the substrates 2 and 3 as panel constituent materials is appropriately adjusted according to the process. be able to. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, a gas introducing means 18 is connected to the firing chamber 11, the sealing chamber 13, and the cooling chamber 14, and a desired type of gas corresponding to the process is supplied to each processing chamber. It is possible to obtain a desired processing atmosphere by introducing only the amount. For example, after the sealing chamber is evacuated, the plasma display can be sealed after filling the hermetic panel with a rare gas such as xenon and the panel sensor with a specific gas such as an inert gas.

  The carbon heater 17 employed in this example has a small heat capacity, and raises the temperature immediately after the substrates 2 and 3 made of glass, which is a panel constituent material, are put into the firing chamber 11 which is the first processing chamber. Compared to heaters, it can be done easily in a short time. Since this carbon heater 17 is a resistance heating method by directly energizing bulk carbon (carbon plate), precise temperature control is possible (for example, about ± 5 ° C.), and the material to be heated can be heated indirectly or directly. It has a low thermal expansion coefficient and is less likely to cause distortion, so it can withstand rapid temperature rise and fall, its maximum heating temperature is 1000 ° C or higher, and it has less gas emission during heating, making it excellent as a heating means in a vacuum atmosphere. Has features. Furthermore, since the heating region can be freely changed, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the shape and dimensions of the heating target (that is, the substrates 2 and 3). Further, since the carbon heater 17 of this example is longer than the tray in the tray conveyance direction to be described later (as an example, it is longer by 2/5 of the length in the same direction of the tray), the substrates 2 and 3 are uniformly heated. be able to.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, in this example, the carbon tray 20 on which the two substrates 2 and 3 that are hermetic panel constituent members are placed is processed by successively passing through the four processing chambers. However, for transporting the carbon tray 20, transport means for the carbon tray 20 and guide means for guiding the transport of the carbon tray 20 by the transport means are provided in each processing chamber.
Hereinafter, these configurations will be described in detail.

(3) Structure of carbon tray 20 (hereinafter also simply referred to as tray) (FIGS. 5 and 6)
Unlike the conventional metal, the tray used for transporting the substrate in this example is made of carbon. The carbon tray 20 has a base made of a rectangular plate made of carbon in which a recess 21 for accommodating the two substrates is opened on the upper surface by counterboring. The concave portion 21 has an inner shape that substantially matches the outer shape of the substrates 2 and 3, but in this example, the vertical direction of the tray (the vertical direction that is the transport direction in FIG. 1) in consideration of the positioning of the rectangular substrates 2 and 3. The width of the recess 21 is substantially the same as the width of the substrates 2 and 3 in the same direction, and the width of the recess 21 in the horizontal direction (left and right direction perpendicular to the transport direction in FIG. 1) is larger than the width of the substrates 2 and 3 in the same direction. It is somewhat larger and there is a margin for positioning the substrates 2 and 3. The bottom of the recess 21 is finished to a high flatness by cutting, has high adhesion to the substrates 2 and 3, and has good heat conduction.

As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the rectangular upper substrate 2 and lower substrate 3 should be positioned and sealed in a state slightly shifted in a direction parallel to the pair of sides in plan view. It is desirable to form an electrode drawn out of the hermetic panel shown in FIG. For this positioning, a fixed fulcrum and a pressing fulcrum are provided for each of the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 3. That is, on the lower substrate 3, a seal glass, which is a sealing material 4 having a function as a spacer member, which is partially provided with a protruding portion to secure an exhaust space, is placed thereon. The upper substrate 2 is placed, and at the edge of the concave portion 21, fulcrums for positioning and fixing the upper and lower two substrates (the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 3) are provided. Yes. In this example, the seal glass is a member independent of the substrate, but the seal glass may be formed in a predetermined shape on any substrate in advance.
In this example, the sealing glass (sealing material 4) having protrusions is used as a spacer member. However, a leaf spring-like elastic member may be sandwiched between the substrates 2 and 3 as a spacer member.

  The positioning mechanism for the lower substrate 3 will be described. One of a pair of sides parallel to the transport direction of the tray 20 (on the left side of the tray 20 in FIG. 5) has two fixed fulcrums 22 below the recess 21. Is provided. The fixed fulcrum 22 is fixed to a predetermined position protruding into the recess 21 so as to be provided in a groove formed in the tray and to support the edge of the lower substrate 3. In addition, one pressing fulcrum 23 is provided at the center of the other edge (the right side of the tray 20 in FIG. 5) opposite to the edge provided with the fixed fulcrum 22. . This pressing fulcrum 23 can be projected and retracted in the recess 21 along the groove formed in the tray 20, and the lower substrate 3 is pressed by pressing the opposite edge of the lower substrate 3 with a spring 24 as a biasing means. Can be positioned in contact with the fixed fulcrum 22.

  The positioning mechanism for the upper substrate 2 will be described. One of a pair of sides parallel to the transport direction of the tray 20 (on the left side of the tray 20 in FIG. 5) has two fixed fulcrums 25 at the top of the recess 21. Is provided. The fixed fulcrum 25 can be projected and retracted in the recess 21 along the groove formed in the tray 20, and the rear end is pushed by an adjusting means 26 such as a screw to adjust the amount of protrusion into the recess 21 and the lower side The position of the upper substrate 2 with respect to the lower substrate 3 in contact with the fixed fulcrum 22 can be determined. Further, one pressing fulcrum 27 is provided at the center of the other edge (the right side of the tray 20 in FIG. 5) opposite to the edge provided with the fixed fulcrum 25. . The pressing fulcrum 27 has the same structure as the lower pressing fulcrum 23, and can be positioned by pressing the opposite edge of the upper substrate 2 to bring the upper substrate 2 into contact with the fixed fulcrum 25.

  Further, in the recess 21, a pair of edge portions (upper and lower sides of the tray in FIG. 5) orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the tray 20 are fixed fulcrums 22 for the lower substrate 3 having the same structure as described above. And a pressing fulcrum 23 and an adjustable fixed fulcrum 25 and a pressing fulcrum 27 for the upper substrate 2 are provided.

  According to the above configuration, in FIG. 5, first, the lower substrate 3 is dropped into the recess 21, the left and lower edges are brought into contact with the fixed fulcrum 22, and the pressing fulcrum 23 once retracted is provided. If it is opened and brought into contact with the two opposite edges, the position of the lower substrate 3 is determined. A sealing glass (sealing material 4) is placed on the lower substrate 3, and the upper substrate 2 is placed thereon, and the fixed fulcrum 25 and the pressing fulcrum 27 for the upper substrate 2 are brought into contact with each edge of the upper substrate 2. . Then, the adjusting means 26 of the fixed fulcrum 25 for the upper substrate 2 is adjusted to adjust the position of the upper substrate 2 with respect to the lower substrate 3.

  The carbon tray 20 employed in this example has a small heat capacity, a fast response to heating, a small coefficient of thermal expansion, a small warp and distortion, and a high hardness. Suitable as a holding means when heating the material. That is, the flatness of the substrates 2 and 3 is maintained at a high temperature and precise alignment is possible, and the hermetic panel 1 can be manufactured with high accuracy by a synergistic effect with the carbon heater 17. .

  The effect of the carbon tray 20 described above will be further described in comparison with a conventional stainless steel tray. The specific heat of carbon is 0.8 (25 ° C.) to 1.45 (300 ° C.), the specific heat of iron is 0.4 (25 ° C.) to 0.6 (300 ° C.), and the specific heat of iron is carbon. It is about 1/2. However, the specific gravity of carbon is 1.75 to 1.80, the specific gravity of iron is about 7.8, and the specific gravity of iron is about four times that of carbon. Therefore, the heat capacity of iron when processed into parts of the same volume is about twice that of carbon, and since carbon has a smaller heat capacity, it is possible to quickly raise and lower the temperature using carbon rather than iron. .

  In addition, the thermal conductivity of carbon is about 160 w / mK, the thermal conductivity of iron is about 72 w / mK, and the thermal conductivity of carbon is about twice that of iron. This is advantageous.

(4) Structure of conveying means (FIGS. 2 to 6, 7 and 8)
The manufacturing apparatus of this example has a conveying means for continuously conveying the carbon tray 20 between the processing chambers. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the transport unit has a support roller 30 in each processing chamber. The support rollers 30 are arranged in two rows at a predetermined interval, and simultaneously abut against the lower surface of the carbon tray 20 at four or more locations, and can support the carbon tray 20 movably while maintaining a horizontal state.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a stainless steel rack 31 is provided on one side of the carbon tray 20. The rack 31 is longer than the carbon tray 20 in the transport direction of the carbon tray 20, and both ends thereof protrude from both ends of the carbon tray 20 in the same direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, 7, and 8, a drive mechanism 33 including a pinion 32 that engages with the rack 31 from above is provided in each processing chamber. The drive mechanism 33 is provided adjacent to the load lock 15 in each processing chamber, and the rack 31 provided on the carbon tray 20 is set to have a length protruding from both ends of the tray 20. Thus, even when the carbon tray 20 moves from the processing chamber to the adjacent processing chamber, the pinion 32 is always engaged with the rack 31 in any of the processing chambers. Therefore, the carbon tray 20 on which the substrates 2 and 3 are placed can pass through the load lock 15 without interfering with the load lock 15 between the processing chambers, and the carbon tray 20 is smoothly and continuously conveyed between the processing chambers. The

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the drive mechanism 33 has a motor 34 as a drive means outside the processing chamber. The motor 34 is installed upward, and its output shaft is connected to a vertical drive shaft 36 through an electromagnetic clutch 35. The drive shaft 36 penetrates the wall of the processing chamber through an airtight bearing 37, and passes through the processing chamber. Protruding. A rotatable support shaft 39 is horizontally disposed on a support base 38 provided in the processing chamber. The drive shaft 36 is interlocked and connected to one end of the horizontal shaft 39 via a bevel gear 40. Yes. An arm 41 is swingably attached to the other end of the support shaft 39 that passes through the support base 38, and an intermediate gear 42 fixed to one end of the support shaft 39 is provided at the upper end of the arm 41. A pinion 32 that meshes with the intermediate gear 42 is provided at the lower end. Accordingly, the driving force of the motor 34 is transmitted to the pinion 32 via the electromagnetic clutch 35, the drive shaft 36, the bevel gear 40, the support shaft 39, and the intermediate gear 42.

  In FIG. 8, the arm 41 on the near side of the pinion 32 is omitted to clearly show the mechanism, but it is attached between the upper end of the arm 41 holding the pinion 32 and the support base 38. A spring 43 is provided as a biasing means, and when the pinion 32 is engaged with the rack 31 and the arm 41 is in a position swung in the direction of the white arrow in the figure as shown in FIG. The upper end of the arm 41 is rotated around the support shaft 39 by the elastic force acting in the direction of the solid arrow in the drawing of the spring 43, and thereby the pinion 32 at the lower end of the arm 41 is given to the rack 31 by a predetermined amount. It is configured so that it can be reliably engaged by force.

  The conveying means using the rack 31 and the pinion 32 adopted in the manufacturing apparatus of this example requires fewer constituent members than the method of moving the roller on which the substrate is placed, and therefore, in the firing chamber 11 which is the first processing chamber. Since the heat capacity can be reduced, the temperature rise in the same room can be further facilitated by the synergistic effect with the carbon heater 17 and the carbon tray 20.

(5) Structure of guide means (FIGS. 9 to 11)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 9 to 11, guide means 50 for preventing meandering of the carbon tray 20 and guiding it in the transport direction is provided in each processing chamber. A vertical rotating shaft 51 is fixed to the bottom of each processing chamber, and a bearing 52 is rotatably provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 51. There are a plurality of bearings 52 held by the rotating shaft 51, and they are arranged in two rows along the transport direction at a predetermined interval. Further, a guide plate 53 is provided on the lower surface of the tray 20 so as to be parallel to the rack 31 and perpendicular to the lower surface of the tray 20 and slightly shorter than the dimension in the transport direction of the tray 20. The two rows of bearings 52, 52 sandwich the guide plate 53 of the tray 20 to prevent meandering of the tray 20 during conveyance, and the tray 20 is stably conveyed in a predetermined direction by the conveyance means.

(6) Manufacturing process of the airtight panel 1 by the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus 10 (FIG. 12)
Next, the manufacturing procedure of the airtight panel 1 in the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus 10 of this example described above will be described. In the process in each processing chamber, the load lock 15 is closed as necessary and the exhaust means 16 is operated to achieve and maintain a desired degree of vacuum for each processing chamber, and the carbon heater 17 as necessary. Alternatively, the temperature adjusting means is used to achieve the desired temperature of the substrates 2 and 3 for each processing chamber, and when the tray 20 is moved from the processing chamber to the processing chamber, the above-described guide means 50 and transport means are used.

1) Substrate setting As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the anode substrate 2 and the cathode substrate 3 are placed in the recess 21 of the carbon tray 20 and adjusted so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with each other and temporarily fixed in position. And put into the firing chamber 11 of the manufacturing apparatus 10.

2) Firing step (A in FIG. 12)
In the firing chamber 11, the temperature is quickly and stably raised by the carbon heater 17 through the processes of air firing, specific atmosphere firing, and vacuum firing, and the heat is fired to 300 to 400 ° C.
According to this example, since the carbon heater 17 is used and the substrates 2 and 3 to be heated are supported by the carbon tray 20, the temperature is raised from room temperature to 350 ° C. when a conventional stainless steel jig is used. While it took 35 minutes to do this, the temperature could be raised to about the same temperature in about 15 minutes, and the process time was greatly shortened.

3) Firing step (B in FIG. 12)
In the vacuum baking chamber 12, the temperature is further heated to 400 to 500 ° C. by the temperature adjusting means, and degassing including the final sealing seal portion is performed.

4) Sealing step (C in FIG. 12)
In the sealing chamber 13, the temperature is returned to 300 to 400 ° C., and the sealing portion (sealing material 4) between the cathode substrate 3 and the anode substrate 2 is pressurized and melted and sealed by a sealing operation means (not shown) in the chamber. After that, it is immediately cooled to solidify the seal portion, and the cathode substrate 3 and the anode substrate 2 are fixed.

5) Cooling step (D in FIG. 12)
In the cooling chamber 14, the temperature is lowered to near room temperature and then taken out from the apparatus 10.

6) Getter activation process Thereafter, the getter in the panel is activated to further increase the degree of vacuum in the panel.

7) Cutout process Cut out the two sealed substrates into a predetermined panel shape to form an airtight panel as a product, or in the case of multiple series, cut two integrated substrates for each unit panel. Separate into individual airtight panels.

  In the embodiment described above, among the plurality of processing chambers, at least the heater provided in the firing chamber 11 which is the first firing stage is made of carbon, and the heating means or temperature adjusting means in the other chambers are conventional. Although it was configured, these may also be made of carbon.

  As described above, according to this example, the heating means and the tray are made of carbon, and the rack and pinion conveying means with few components is adopted. Therefore, the heat capacity of the entire apparatus is small, and the rising of the substrate in the initial heating stage is particularly small. The temperature can be increased, the cooling time of the cooling process can be shortened, and the mechanism of the transfer means can be reliably transferred between multiple processing chambers without interfering with the load lock. As a result, the overall processing time including the processing time for heating and the like can be greatly shortened. Furthermore, since the possibility of dust generation can be reduced by simplifying the structure, high-performance airtight panels such as vacuum panels and gas-filled panels can be mass-produced efficiently in a short time as described above in in-line production. Is obtained.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a field emission display panel (panel display device in which a field emission element which is a cold cathode is mounted as an electron source) which is an example of an airtight panel manufactured by the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line bb in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 3 is a front view of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the carbon tray of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the means for transporting the carbon tray in the airtight panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 8 is a view C in FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the guide means of the carbon tray in the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 10 is a front view showing the guide means of the carbon tray in the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 11 is a right side view showing the guide means for the carbon tray in the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of this example. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus of the present example, and a diagram showing a state of temperature rise in the manufacturing process corresponding to the above schematic diagram.

Explanation of symbols

1. Airtight panel 2. Substrate as a panel component (anode substrate, upper substrate)
3 Substrate as a panel component (cathode substrate, lower substrate)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Airtight panel manufacturing apparatus 11 Baking chamber as a processing chamber 12 Vacuum baking chamber as a processing chamber 13 Sealing chamber as a processing chamber 14 Cooling chamber as a processing chamber 17 Carbon heater as a heating means 20 Carbon tray 21 Recessed portion 22 Fixed fulcrum DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 Press fulcrum 24 Spring as urging means 25 Fixed fulcrum 26 Adjustment means 27 Press fulcrum 30 Support roller which comprises conveyance means 31 Rack which comprises conveyance means 32 Pinion which comprises conveyance means 33 Drive mechanism which comprises conveyance means 34 Motor 43 as drive means for conveyance means 43 Spring as biasing means for pinion 50 Guide means 51 Rotating shaft constituting guide means 52 Bearing constituting guide means 53 Guide plate constituting guide means

Claims (7)

A tray on which two panel components arranged at a predetermined interval are placed, a plurality of processing chambers provided so that the tray can pass continuously, and at least a part of the plurality of processing chambers An exhaust unit provided; a heating unit provided in at least a part of the plurality of processing chambers; and a transport unit configured to transport the tray in the plurality of processing chambers, and sealing the two panel constituent members. An airtight panel manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an airtight panel comprising :
At least in part to the carbon heater, airtight panel manufacturing apparatus as carbon tray the tray of the heating means,
The carbon tray includes a base body formed by opening a concave portion for accommodating two substrates serving as the panel constituting member and a spacer member provided on either of the two substrates, and the concave portion. A fixed fulcrum that is provided at the edge and supports the edge of the substrate and can be adjusted, and is provided at the edge of the recess opposite to the fixed fulcrum and presses the edge on the opposite side of the substrate. An airtight panel manufacturing apparatus comprising a movable pressing fulcrum . The carbon tray is
The amount of protrusion into the recess is adjusted by the adjusting means provided so as to be able to appear in the recess at the edge of the recess that is one side of a pair of sides parallel to the conveyance direction of the carbon tray, A position-adjustable first fixed fulcrum supporting one of the pair of edges of the substrate parallel to the transport direction of the carbon tray is opposite to the edge provided with the first fixed fulcrum. A biasing means is provided at the other edge of the recess so as to be able to appear and retract in the recess and is opposite to one of the pair of edges of the substrate parallel to the transport direction of the carbon tray. A movable first pressing fulcrum that is pressed by
The amount of protrusion into the recess is adjusted by the adjusting means provided so as to be able to appear in the recess at the edge of the recess that is one side of a pair of sides orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the carbon tray, A position-adjustable second fixed fulcrum that supports one of the pair of edges of the substrate perpendicular to the transport direction of the carbon tray is opposite to the edge provided with the second fixed fulcrum. A biasing means is provided on the other edge of the recess so as to be able to appear and retract in the recess, and biases an edge opposite to one of the pair of edges of the substrate perpendicular to the transport direction of the carbon tray. A movable second pressing fulcrum that is pressed by
Airtight panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises for each of the two substrates. The carbon heaters are arranged in pairs above and below the transport path of the carbon tray transported by the transport means, and the carbon heater is longer than the carbon tray in the transport direction of the tray. The airtight panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 . The transport means is provided in the processing chamber and is provided in the processing chamber, a support roller that contacts the lower surface of the carbon tray and movably supports the carbon tray, a rack provided in the carbon tray, and the processing chamber. a pinion engaging said rack Te, airtight panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 to 3, wherein further comprising a mechanism for driving the pinion provided on the processing chamber. The rack is attached to the carbon tray such that the rack is longer than the carbon tray in the transport direction of the carbon tray, and both ends of the rack protrude from both ends of the carbon tray in the transport direction of the carbon tray. And
The pinion claim 4, wherein the carbon tray is installed in an arrangement such as to engage the rack at all times the two processing chamber when moving into the processing chamber adjacent from the processing chamber The airtight panel manufacturing apparatus described. 5. The hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the pinion is engaged with the rack by a biasing means. The hermetic panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising guide means for guiding the carbon tray in a transport direction.

Images