JPH0750731B2 - Liquid crystal display board inspection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for inspecting an electrical characteristic of an inspected object by bringing a film electrode into contact with an electrode of the inspected object.

(Prior Art) In general, as an inspection apparatus for inspecting the electrical characteristics of semiconductor elements such as IC and LSI, as shown in FIG. 6, a large number of probe needles 3 that come into contact with electrodes 2 provided on the semiconductor element 1 are provided. The one with the individual is used.

However, when the electrodes of the semiconductor element increase and are miniaturized with the high integration of ICs, LSIs, etc., the probe needles 3 contacting these electrodes also need to be miniaturized and densely packed. However, there are problems such as difficulty in manufacturing and adjusting the probe needle 3 and low reliability.

In particular, in the case of inspecting a substrate such as a liquid crystal television screen having multiple electrodes at a fine pitch, it is extremely difficult for the conventional inspection device using the probe needle to deal with it.

As a technique considering the above circumstances, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-233
There are technologies disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-14659.

The former is one in which a plurality of conductive metal films such as aluminum and copper are patterned and wired in parallel on the surface of an elastic insulating film such as soft plastic, while the latter is one in which a microstrip line is projected at the end of the substrate. It was provided by.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, when a film electrode is used instead of the conventional probe needle, it is necessary to press the film electrode against the object to be inspected with an appropriate pressure for inspection.

Here, if the contact pressure of this kind of film electrode is too low, it is not possible to accurately perform the inspection of the electrical characteristics due to poor contact, while if the contact pressure is too high, the object to be inspected is damaged, etc. There was a fear of.

In particular, if a liquid crystal substrate is taken as an example of the object to be inspected, this type of substrate is becoming larger in size in recent years, and therefore, the area where the film electrode is in contact tends to be wide. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to uniformly press the wide area as described above to surely bring the electrodes into contact with each other.

Moreover, in an inspection device for inspecting a large-sized substrate of this type, the substrate is usually fixed to a spin chuck or the like for inspection, but unless the diameter of the spin chuck is increased as the substrate becomes larger, the film electrode The pressing force for pressing is an eccentric load, which may have various adverse effects such as damage to the object to be inspected. Therefore, according to the conventional method, there is a drawback in that the inspection apparatus has to be large and complicated according to the size of the inspection object.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to solve the conventional problems described above, even if a large inspection object, it is possible to reliably contact the electrode of the inspection object and the film electrode, Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inspection device having a simple structure and capable of maintaining the miniaturization of the device.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving Problems) The present invention relates to a chuck table on which a liquid crystal display substrate having an outer shape of a quadrangle is placed, and electrodes arranged along one side of the liquid crystal display substrate. A film electrode having an electrode pattern formed on the liquid crystal substrate, the film electrode being arranged corresponding to a plurality of sides on which the electrodes are formed on the liquid crystal substrate, and uniformly on each film electrode surface along the direction of each side. A plurality of pressure contact means for contacting the electrode pattern of the film electrode with the electrodes on the corresponding sides of the liquid crystal substrate supported by the chuck table by applying various fluid pressures to the plurality of pressure contact means. Connected fluid paths, input means for inputting information corresponding to proper fluid pressures to the plurality of pressure contact means, and fluid pressures variable according to information from the input means provided in the middle of the fluid paths. Therefore, there is no contact failure due to insufficient pressure contact force between the film electrode and the electrode of the liquid crystal display substrate, and there is no substrate damage due to excessive pressure contact force on each side of the liquid crystal display substrate. A fluid pressure control means for setting an appropriate pressure, and a liquid crystal display substrate inspecting device.

(Operation) In the present invention, the electrodes of the liquid crystal display substrate are formed on the surface of the film electrode used as the inspection electrode, instead of contacting the electrodes with each other through a mechanical intermediary means that is a rigid body as in the prior art. Since a uniform fluid pressure is applied in the direction of the side and this fluid pressure is set to an appropriate pressure by the fluid pressure control means based on the information from the input means, there is no contact failure due to insufficient pressure contact force, Moreover, it is possible to adjust the pressure to an appropriate level that does not damage the substrate due to excessive pressure contact force.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to a visual inspection device for a liquid crystal screen (LCD) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

<First Example> First, an example in which a film electrode and an electrode of an LCD are brought into contact with each other by vacuum suction will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The LCD 10, which is an object to be inspected, is mounted and fixed on a spin chuck 20 having a vacuum suction function, and is vertically movable.
The LCD 10 is, for example, an active LCD, and has first to third electrodes 10A to 10C formed on three sides of a rectangular substrate as shown in FIG.

The film electrodes 11 that are in contact with the first to third electrodes 10A to 10C of the LCD 10 are provided at three locations corresponding to the electrodes 10A to 10C, and the electrodes 10A to 10C are raised by raising the spin chuck 20. Is arranged so as to abut.

As shown in FIG. 3, a large number of electrode patterns 12 are formed at predetermined intervals at the tip of the film electrode 11, and through holes 13 are formed between the electrode patterns 12.

Then, the film electrode 11 and the pressure contact block 30 as a pressure contact means for contacting each of the electrodes 10A to 10C,
It is supported and fixed above the film electrode 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the press contact block 30 has, for example, two vacant chambers 32 (communicating along the electrode arrangement direction of the electrodes 10A to 10C) facing the film electrode 11 on the bottom surface of the block body. And supporting a vacuum tube 33 communicating with the vacant chamber 32. The vacuum tube 33 is connected to a compressor (not shown).

Further, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the atmospheric pressure in the empty chamber 32 is provided, and when the pressure in the empty chamber 32 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the compressor is driven and vacuum adsorption in the pressure contact block 30 is performed. It is supposed to be started.

Next, the operation will be described. First, the spin chuck 20
In the lowered state, the LCD 10 is vacuum-sucked, and then the spin chuck 20 is raised to bring the electrode surface of the LCD 10 into contact with the film electrode 11. In this state, the spin chuck 20 is rotated as needed to rotate the respective electrodes 10A to 10A of the LCD 10.
The position of C and the film electrode 11 is determined.

Here, when the atmospheric pressure in the chamber 32 of the pressure contact block 30 reaches a predetermined value due to the rise of the spin chuck 20, the compressor (not shown) described above is driven, and the vacuum adsorption in the pressure contact block 30 is executed. .

That is, the film electrode 11 facing the vacant chamber 32 is adsorbed by the pressure contact block 30. On the other hand, since the through hole 13 is formed in the film electrode 11, the LCD 10 is also pressed into contact with the through-hole 13 through the pressure contact block 30.
Will be vacuum-adsorbed.

Therefore, as a result that both the film electrode 11 and the LCD 10 are attracted to the pressure contact block 30, both electrodes can be surely brought into contact with each other if the electrodes are surely positioned. As a result, it is possible to accurately inspect the display screen by giving a signal to each electrode as to whether it can be displayed by all the pixels of the LCD 10 or whether a predetermined pattern can be accurately displayed. it can.

Moreover, in the apparatus of this embodiment, instead of the conventional method of pressing the film electrode 11, the contact between the electrodes is secured by adsorption, so that the film electrode 11 is pressed through a mechanical intermediary means. Compared with the above, the load acting on the LCD 10 is significantly reduced, and the risk of causing a serious situation such as breakage of the LCD 10 is further reduced. In this way, the load acting on the LCD 10 as the object to be inspected is significantly reduced, so when this embodiment is applied to the inspection of a large substrate such as a large screen LCD, this large substrate is mounted. Even if the spin chuck or the like to be placed and fixed has the same diameter as the conventional one, it is possible to prevent the conventional harmful effects resulting from the eccentric load.

In the case of a suction failure, the vacant chamber 32 of the pressure-contact block 30 is
Since the internal pressure becomes abnormal, this can be detected by the sensor (not shown) described above, and it is possible to take measures such as issuing an alarm, so that it is possible to easily detect a contact failure situation of the electrode due to a suction failure, Therefore, it is possible to always inspect the electrical characteristics accurately.

Further, by directly acting the fluid pressure on the film electrode 11, even if the electrodes are brought into contact with each other in a wide area, the fluid pressure acts uniformly, so that reliable contact can be easily ensured in all areas. be able to.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a fluid such as air is directly ejected to the film electrode 15 and the film electrode 15 is applied to the electrodes 10A to 10C of the LCD 10.
An embodiment in which the button is pressed will be described with reference to FIG.

The film electrode 15 applied to the second embodiment is different from the film electrode 11 in that it does not have a through hole 13, and the pressure contact block 30 shown in FIG. However, the vacuum tube 33 of this pressure contact block 30 is connected to an electropneumatic regulator 40 which is an example of a fluid pressure control means for electrically controlling the air pressure to be led out to the vacuum tube 33. There is. The electropneumatic regulator 40 is controlled by the system controller. For example, a digital control signal from the CPU 50 is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 53, and the electropneumatic regulator 40 is controlled. Further, a keyboard 51 for operating and inputting various data to the CPU 50 is provided, and a display unit 52 for displaying fluid pressure data or contact pressure data calculated by the CPU 50 is provided. Then, the electropneumatic regulator 40 is controlled by a program based on the setting input of the contact pressure or the like from the keyboard 51.

The electropneumatic regulator 40 is capable of continuously varying the air pressure as a fluid pressure according to an electric signal, and has a configuration as shown in FIG.

The structure and operation of the electropneumatic regulator 40 will be described. Air pressure is supplied to the SUP side and is branched and led to the main valve 42 and the orifice 43. In this state, a force motor composed of coil 41A and magnet 41B
When an electric signal is input to the 41 through the D / A converter 53, the air passing through the orifice 43 causes the flapper 44 to move to the nozzle 45 by the force generated in the force motor 41.
When approaching the tip, back pressure is generated in the pilot chamber 46. Due to this back pressure, a jet force is generated at the tip of the nozzle 45,
The flapper 44 stops at a position where this force and the force of the force motor 41 are balanced, and thus the pilot pressure is determined. Initially, the atmospheric pressure is on the OUT side, so the force exerted downward on the upper diaphragm 47A exceeds the force exerted upward on the lower diaphragm 47B, and the main valve 42
Press down, the air on the SUP side flows into the OUT side, and the pressure on the OUT side rises. When the pressure on the OUT side is guided to the feedback chamber 48 and the downward force of the upper diaphragm 47A and the upward force of the lower diaphragm 47B are balanced, the main valve 42 is closed and stabilized.

When air is continuously consumed from the OUT side device (the air cylinder 30 in this embodiment), the main valve 42 becomes stable in the open state by the amount of supplementing the OUT side air consumption amount.

Next, if the electric signal lowers the current set OUT side pressure, or if the OUT side pressure has some influence, the upward force of the lower diaphragm 47B will outweigh the downward force of the upper diaphragm 47A. Two diaphragms 47
A and 47B rise, the air on the OUT side passes through the relief valve 49A and is released to the atmosphere from the relief port 49B. Therefore, when the downward force of the upper diaphragm 47A and the upward force of the lower diaphragm 47B are balanced, the diaphragm 4
7A and 47B return to the lower position, and relief valve 49A closes. In this way, the OUT side pressure can be adjusted.

An air cylinder 30, which is an example of a pressing drive unit that is drive-controlled by the electropneumatic regulator 40, introduces air from the OUT side of the electropneumatic regulator 40 and continuously changes the pressing force by the air pressure. It has become.

The CPU 50 functions as a system controller of the apparatus of this embodiment, and executes control of the configuration shown in FIG. 4 and also controls drive of the spin chuck 20 for mounting and positioning the LCD 10, for example. It has become. In relation to the pressing of the film electrode 15, pressing force data or air pressure data for obtaining this pressing force is input via the keyboard 51, and a digital signal corresponding thereto is input to the D / A converter 53. Output to. On the other hand, the input data value from the keyboard 51 is controlled to be displayed on the display unit 52.

Next, the operation will be described.

In order to press the film electrode 15, first, numerical data is operated and input from the keyboard 51. This data is
It may be the pressing force data at the pressing portion 20 or the air pressure data for obtaining the pressing force.

This data is input to the CPU 50, and the CPU 50 outputs a digital signal for obtaining the pressing force. Then, the digital signal is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 53, and the DC voltage which is the analog signal is applied to the force motor 41 of the electropneumatic regulator 40.

The operation of the electropneumatic regulator 40 after setting the electric signal to the force motor 41 is omitted because it has been described above, but the air pressure corresponding to the set electric signal is output from the OUT side. Then, this air pressure acts so that the film electrode 15 presses the electrodes 10A to 10C of the LCD 10. At this time, the pressing force of the film electrode 15 accompanying the air ejection in the pressure contact block 30 is the pressing force as a result of controlling the air pressure by the electropneumatic regulator 40 based on the data input from the keyboard 51. Therefore, when the keyboard input is changed, the pressing force can be continuously changed following the change. Therefore,
It is possible to easily set an appropriate pressing force that does not cause a contact failure and does not cause damage to the LCD 10 due to excessive pressing force, and it is possible to quickly perform an accurate preparation for an electrical characteristic inspection.

Incidentally, the LCD 10 or the like, which is an object to be inspected of this kind, may have an electrode surface inclined at a slight angle, but in this case, air pressure should be directly applied to the film electrode 15 as in the present embodiment. The flexibility of the film electrode 15
Adhesion with the electrode surface of D10 can be secured.

Even in the case of the second embodiment in which the fluid pressure is discharged to secure the contact between the electrodes, the load on the inspection object is reduced,
With regard to ensuring uniform contact pressure in all regions, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

In the second embodiment, the fluid pressure can be adjusted by the fluid pressure control means such as the electropneumatic regulator 40 which should be derived from the pressure contact means 30, but even when the fluid is sucked in as in the first embodiment. , Depending on the compatibility with the object to be inspected,
The suction pressure can be adjusted. For example, by connecting a product name CVS Conbum (manufactured by Myotoku Co., Ltd.) in front of the pressure contact means 30 and controlling the supply air pressure, the ultimate vacuum degree can be varied and the contact pressure can be controlled. In addition, the contact pressure may be adjusted by controlling the opening diameter of the solenoid valve by the above-mentioned system controller or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the fluid pressure control means 40 is replaced by the CPU 5
0, controlled via the D / A converter 53, but by changing the voltage etc. by adjusting the volume, etc. without going through the CPU etc.,
The fluid pressure control means 40 may be directly controlled, or the fluid pressure may be manually varied to adjust the contact pressure.

Although the keyboard input data is controlled to be displayed on the display unit 52 in the above embodiment, for example, the output of the sensor for detecting the pressure in the vacant chamber 32 described above is displayed on the display unit 5 via the CPU 50.
It is also possible to display on 2 and make the operator recognize the contact pressure.

Further, although air is used as the adsorption and discharge gas, the conditions required for the object to be inspected, such as a cooling atmosphere, a high temperature atmosphere,
N2 gas, high-temperature gas, low-temperature gas, etc. can be appropriately selected and used in a clean confidential container. Especially in the low temperature test, it is effective in preventing dew condensation.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the electrodes of the liquid crystal display substrate are not attached to the electrodes via the mechanical mediating means, but are placed on the surface of the film electrode used as the inspection electrode. Apply uniform fluid pressure in the direction of the side where
Moreover, since the fluid pressure control means sets an appropriate pressure for this fluid pressure based on the information from the input means, reliable contact can be easily ensured in the entire region.

Further, the load acting on the object to be inspected is smaller than that in the case of the mechanical intermediary means, and the serious occurrence of damage such as damage to the object to be inspected is greatly reduced.

Therefore, when the present invention is applied to the inspection of a large substrate or the like as the object to be inspected, even if the spin chuck or the like for mounting and fixing the large substrate has the same diameter as the conventional one, the conventional adverse effects due to the eccentric load are This can be prevented, which can contribute to downsizing of the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view for explaining the apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view for explaining the relationship between a film electrode and an electrode of an object to be inspected, and FIG. 3 is a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view of a film electrode applied to an example device, FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the second example device, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an electropneumatic regulator which is an example of fluid pressure control means. 6
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional electrical characteristic test with a probe needle. 10 ... Inspected object, 11, 15 ... Film electrode, 20 ... Spin chuck, 30 ... Pressure contact means, 40 ... Fluid pressure control means, 50 ... CP
U, 51 ... Operation part, 52 ... Display part, 53 ... D / A converter.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A chuck base on which a liquid crystal display substrate having a quadrangular outer shape is mounted, and a film electrode having an electrode pattern corresponding to electrodes arranged along one side of the liquid crystal display substrate, the liquid crystal substrate A film electrode arranged corresponding to a plurality of sides on which the electrode is formed, and a uniform fluid pressure is applied to each of the film electrode surfaces along the direction of each side to form an electrode pattern of the film electrode. A plurality of pressure contact means for pressure contact with the electrodes on each corresponding side of the liquid crystal substrate supported by the chuck base, a fluid path connected to the plurality of pressure contact means, and a plurality of pressure contact means Input means for inputting information corresponding to an appropriate fluid pressure, and a fluid pressure provided in the middle of the fluid path for varying the fluid pressure in accordance with the information from the input means so that the film electrode and the liquid crystal display substrate are electrically charged. And a fluid pressure control means for setting an appropriate pressure on each side of the liquid crystal display substrate so as not to cause substrate damage due to excessive pressure contact force. Board inspection device.