JP6365105B2 - Irradiation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an irradiation apparatus including a mask holder that holds a mask.

  Conventionally, as an irradiation device, a sealing material made of an ultraviolet curable resin is provided between two light-transmitting substrates, and a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal is sealed in the sealing material is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the sealing material. An irradiation apparatus for bonding two substrates is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When irradiating the sealing material with ultraviolet light, if the liquid crystal is irradiated with ultraviolet light, the characteristics of the liquid crystal will change. In this irradiation device, a mask that blocks the light from the light source is placed at a position corresponding to the liquid crystal. doing.

JP 2004-77583 A

The irradiation apparatus may irradiate without using a mask. In this case, for example, a mask holder for holding the mask may be configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. However, if the mask holder is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body, the mask holder is driven to finely position the mask. An alignment driver to be adjusted is required. Since this alignment driving unit is connected to the mask holder, it is difficult to attach and detach the mask holder from the apparatus main body as it is.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an irradiation apparatus in which a mask holder that holds a mask can be easily attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an irradiation apparatus of the present invention includes an apparatus main body, a guide portion provided in the apparatus main body, a mask holder that can be pulled out to the front side along the guide portion, and the mask holder. An alignment drive unit that drives and finely adjusts the position of the mask supported by the mask holder, the alignment drive unit is provided on the front side and the back side, and the front side alignment drive unit is a drive motor. A coupling shaft that couples the drive motor and the mask holder, the coupling shaft is fixed to the mask holder so as to be detachable from the drive motor, and the drive motor is at a position deviated from a drawing locus of the mask holder. It is arranged.

  In the above-described configuration, a plurality of holding bars made of a light-transmitting material may be arranged on a holder frame that constitutes the mask holder, and the mask may be sucked and held by the plurality of holding bars.

Further, the irradiation apparatus of the present invention includes an apparatus main body, a guide part provided in the apparatus main body, a mask holder that can be pulled out to the front side along the guide part, and the mask holder by driving the mask holder. An alignment drive unit that finely adjusts the position of the mask supported by the front surface, the alignment drive unit is provided on the front side and the back side, and the front side alignment drive unit is fixed to the drive motor and the drive motor. , and a connecting shaft connecting the drive motor and the mask holder, said connecting shaft is freely detached from said mask holder, wherein the drive motor is disposed at a position off the lead path of the mask holder Features.

  According to the present invention, the mask holder that holds the mask can be easily attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

It is a front view which shows the irradiation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view which shows an irradiation apparatus. It is a right view which shows an irradiation apparatus. It is a figure which shows a workpiece | work and a mask, (A) is sectional drawing of a workpiece | work, (B) is a perspective view which shows a workpiece | work and a mask. It is a figure which shows the mask holder installed in the apparatus main body, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, (C) is a side view. It is a figure which shows a mask holder, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, (C) It is a side view. It is a figure which expands and shows the A section of FIG. It is a figure which shows a front side alignment drive part, (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, (C) is a top view of the state which removed the connection shaft, (D) is a top view of the removed connection shaft. It is. It is a figure which shows a back side alignment drive part, (A) is a front view, (B) is a rear view, (C) is a side view, (D) is X1-axis drive of the state which removed the upper Y-axis drive part (E) is a plan view of the removed Y-axis drive unit. It is a front view which shows typically the mask holder and mask support table which concern on the modification of this invention. It is a side view of FIG. 10, (A) shows the state at the time of alignment use, (B) shows the state at the time of extraction of a mask holder.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an irradiation apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the irradiation apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a right side view showing the irradiation apparatus.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the irradiation apparatus 1 includes an ultraviolet lamp 10 in the apparatus main body 30, and can irradiate the entire area of the work 2 as an irradiation area with uniform illuminance (that is, good uniformity) It is. The irradiation apparatus 1 is also used as a photocuring apparatus that cures a photocurable resin used for the work 2 by irradiating the work 2 with light using a substrate such as a liquid crystal panel as the work 2. The irradiation device 1 irradiates the workpiece 2 with a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) linear light sources. In the irradiation device 1, the straight tube type high-output ultraviolet lamp 10 is used as the ultraviolet light source. It is used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the apparatus main body 30 has a box shape, and includes a front door 31 and a back door 32 on the front surface 30 </ b> A and the back surface 30 </ b> B, respectively. The front door 31 and the rear door 32 are provided at positions facing a mask holder 40 described later, and the mask holder 40 is exposed to the outside by opening the front door 31 and the rear door 32. The front door 31 is formed in a size that allows the mask holder 40 to be pulled out. In the present embodiment, the side from which the mask holder 40 is pulled out is the front. Maintenance spaces are provided on the front side and the back side of the apparatus main body 30.
Note that the directions such as front and rear (front and back), left and right, and up and down described below indicate directions when viewed from the front side in a state where the irradiation apparatus 1 is installed.

  The irradiation apparatus 1 includes a plurality (three in the present embodiment) of irradiators 1 </ b> A to 1 </ b> C in the apparatus main body 30. Each of the irradiators 1 </ b> A to 1 </ b> C includes a single ultraviolet lamp 10 and a main reflector (main reflector) 12 that controls the emitted light of the ultraviolet lamp 10 in the case 11. Are arranged in parallel in the width direction (light source parallel direction) W orthogonal to the. Moreover, the irradiation apparatus 1 is provided with the auxiliary | assistant reflector (auxiliary reflecting mirror) 14 below the irradiators 1A-1C. The main reflecting plate 12 and the auxiliary reflecting plate 14 constitute a reflecting mirror of the irradiation device 1. Furthermore, the irradiation apparatus 1 includes a mask holder 40 below the irradiators 1A to 1C, and a mask 50 (FIG. 4) that shields ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp 10 is held in the mask holder 40.

The work 2 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. The workpiece 2 is placed on the irradiation stage 4 configured to be able to move up and down, and is moved from the openable / closable shutter 33 formed on the side surface 30C of the apparatus main body 30 to the inside of the apparatus main body 30 by a transfer means (not shown) such as a transfer robot. Are carried in and out. In the present embodiment, the shutter 33 is provided on the right side surface, and the work 2 is carried into and out of the apparatus main body 30 from the shutter 33 by the transfer robot. However, the position of the shutter 33 and the moving direction of the work 2 are the same. It is not limited. The irradiation stage 4 on which the workpiece 2 is mounted rises to a predetermined irradiation position (in this embodiment, a position where the distance between the mask 50 and the workpiece 2 is about 2 mm). At that time, the irradiation stage passes through an opening 3A of a mask support table described later.
The ultraviolet lamp 10 extends in parallel above the workpiece 2. In addition, it is possible to increase the area of the workpiece 2 by using a long arc lamp having a long tube length for the ultraviolet lamp 10. The workpiece 2 may be arranged so that the long side is along the tube axis of the ultraviolet lamp 10, or may be arranged so that the short side is along the tube axis of the ultraviolet lamp 10.

As described above, the irradiation device 1 includes the main reflector 12 and the auxiliary reflector 14, and makes the workpiece 2 uniform with direct light from the ultraviolet lamp 10 and reflected light from the main reflector 12 and the auxiliary reflector 14. Irradiation is possible with illuminance.
Here, when the workpiece 2 is irradiated only by the direct light of the ultraviolet lamp 10, the luminance distribution in the lamp tube axis direction (longitudinal direction) of the ultraviolet lamp 10 is reflected almost directly in the illuminance distribution of the workpiece 2.
Therefore, the light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 10 and deviating from the work 2 is reflected by the main reflection plate 12 and the auxiliary reflection plate 14 and illuminated so as to compensate for the illuminance distribution of the direct light in the work 2, so that the uniformity of the work 2 is increased. Has been enhanced.

  The main reflection plate 12 reflects light radiated around the ultraviolet lamp 10 (more precisely, in the horizontal direction) toward the work 2 to reduce the illuminance of the irradiated surface 2A (FIG. 4) of the work 2. It is intended to improve and make the illuminance uniform. The main reflection plate 12 is formed in a bowl shape extending along the tube axis of the ultraviolet lamp 10, and a surface facing the ultraviolet lamp 10 is formed as a reflection surface.

  In the case 11, a rectangular irradiation opening in a plan view is formed immediately below the ultraviolet lamp 10, and the longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the ultraviolet lamp 10. A wavelength selection filter 13 for selecting the wavelength of light to be transmitted is provided inside the irradiation opening, and the irradiation apparatus 1 emits light of a desired wavelength by the wavelength selection filter 13. In this embodiment, the wavelength selection filter 13 is provided. However, when the ultraviolet lamp 10 itself can emit light having a desired wavelength, the wavelength selection filter 13 may be omitted. A single wavelength selection filter may be arranged between the ultraviolet lamp 10 and the opening 3A. The case 11 may be omitted.

The auxiliary reflecting plate 14 is provided between the main reflecting plate 12 and the work 2, and reflects the light leaking out of the work 2 toward the work 2, thereby illuminance due to irradiation of the ultraviolet lamp 10 and the main reflecting plate 12. It supplements the distribution.
Specifically, the auxiliary reflector 14 includes a pair of auxiliary end plates 20 (FIG. 6) facing both ends of the ultraviolet lamp 10 and a pair of auxiliary side plates 21 (FIG. 6) facing both sides of the ultraviolet lamp 10. Have. The auxiliary end plate 20 and the auxiliary side plate 21 are assembled in a substantially rectangular tube shape surrounding the four sides of the work 2, and the inner wall surface is configured as a reflecting surface. In the present embodiment, the auxiliary reflector 14 is provided inside the mask holder 40, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided above the mask holder 40, for example. In the present embodiment, the auxiliary reflector 14 is supported by the mask holder 40 via the auxiliary reflector fixing member 14 </ b> A (FIG. 7) provided in the mask holder 40, and pulled out from the apparatus main body 30 together with the mask holder 40. It is configured to be. If the auxiliary reflector 14 does not wrap with the mask holder 40 in the height direction, the auxiliary reflector 14 may be fixed to the apparatus main body 30.
Under such a configuration, the irradiation distribution of the ultraviolet lamp 10 and the main reflector 12 is supplemented by the reflected light of the pair of auxiliary end plates 20 and the pair of auxiliary side plates 21.
In the present embodiment, the auxiliary reflector 14 is provided, but the auxiliary reflector 14 may be omitted.

4A and 4B are views showing the workpiece 2 and the mask 50. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the workpiece 2 and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the workpiece 2 and the mask 50.
As shown in FIG. 4, the work 2 is provided with a sealing material (liquid crystal sealing material) 2C made of an ultraviolet curable resin between two substrates 2B, and a liquid crystal panel in which the liquid crystal 2D is sealed in the sealing material 2C. It is. The workpiece 2 is formed by irradiating the sealing material 2C with ultraviolet rays so that the sealing material 2C is cured and the two substrates 2B are bonded together. One substrate 2B is an array substrate having a TFT (thin film transistor) circuit (not shown) at a position corresponding to the liquid crystal 2D, and the other substrate 2B is a color filter having a color filter (not shown) at a position corresponding to the liquid crystal 2D. It is a substrate. FIG. 4 shows the workpiece 2 arranged so that the substrate 2B having the TFT circuit becomes the irradiated surface 2A. Here, when the liquid crystal 2D is irradiated with ultraviolet rays when the sealing material 2C is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the characteristics of the liquid crystal 2D change. Therefore, the irradiation apparatus 1 is provided with a mask 50 that shields light traveling toward the liquid crystal 2D.

  The mask 50 includes a light shielding part 51 formed at a position corresponding to the liquid crystal 2D and a light transmitting part 52 formed at a position corresponding to the sealing material 2C. The mask 50 is formed using a transparent material (in this embodiment, glass), and a light shielding material (for example, a metal coat) is provided on the transparent material where light shielding is required to form the light shielding portion 51. At the same time, a portion other than the light shielding portion 51 is formed as a light transmitting portion 52 that remains a transparent material. As shown in FIG. 1, the mask 50 is sucked and held on the lower surface of the holding bar 42 of the mask holder 40.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing the mask holder 40 installed in the apparatus main body 30. FIG. 5A is a plan view, FIG. 5B is a front view, and FIG. 5C is a side view. 6A and 6B are views showing the mask holder 40. FIG. 6A is a plan view, FIG. 6B is a front view, and FIG. 6C is a side view. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mask holder 40 includes a frame-shaped holder frame (frame body) 41 formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the holder frame 41 includes a plurality of rod-shaped (in this embodiment). , 6) holding bars (holding portions) 42 are supported. The holder frame 41 is formed using a material having rigidity capable of supporting the holding bar 42 (for example, a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel, iron, or aluminum in the present embodiment).

The plurality of holding bars 42 are formed to have a length over the opening 3 </ b> A using a light transmissive material (preferably a transparent member, quartz in the present embodiment), and both ends are supported by the holder frame 41. In the present embodiment, the plurality of holding bars 42 are arranged in the width direction W, but may be arranged in the depth direction (Y direction).
In this way, by configuring the mask holder 40 using the plurality of holding bars 42, it is not necessary to use a single large quartz plate with high processing accuracy, so the members constituting the mask holder 40 can be reduced in size, As a result, weight reduction and cost reduction can be realized. In the present embodiment, the holding bars 42 are arranged at equal intervals, but the arrangement interval is not limited to equal intervals, and is appropriately set according to the size of the workpiece 2 and the arrangement of the liquid crystal cells inside the workpiece 2. Is done.

  Although the holding bar 42 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape and is not illustrated, the holding bar 42 includes a suction groove on a lower surface (surface on the irradiated surface 2A side) and a passage communicating with the suction groove on both end surfaces. As shown in FIG. 6, the tube 43 is connected to the passage, and the tubes 43 of the plurality of holding bars 42 are gathered together via the joints 44 on the front side and the back side, respectively, and the tube connection portion 45 is connected. Connected to. A tube 46 connected to a decompressor (not shown) is connected to the tube connecting portion 45. When the decompressor is driven, the passage of the holding bar 42 is depressurized, and the mask 50 is sucked and held by the holding bar 42 by suction from the suction groove.

As shown in FIG. 5, the irradiation apparatus 1 has a front side alignment drive unit (alignment drive unit) 60 and a back side alignment drive for driving the mask holder 40 and finely adjusting the position of the mask 50 on the front side and the back side. Part (alignment driving part) 70.
The front side alignment drive unit 60 is configured to be able to drive the mask holder 40 in the width direction W (X2 direction).
The back side alignment drive unit 70 is configured to be able to drive the mask holder 40 in the width direction W (X1 direction) and the depth direction (Y direction).
In addition, although the front side alignment drive part 60 and the back side alignment drive part 70 were each provided in the width direction W substantially center, the arrangement position is not limited to this.
The ultraviolet lamp 10, the decompressor and alignment driving units 60 and 70 are connected to the control device 90 (FIG. 1) of the irradiation device 1. Under the control of the control device 90, the lighting of the ultraviolet lamp 10 and the driving of the decompressor and alignment driving units 60 and 70 are controlled.

  In the irradiation apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, for example, when the workpiece 2 is arranged so that the substrate 2B having a color filter becomes the irradiated surface 2A, ultraviolet rays may be irradiated without using the mask 50. is there. In this case, if the holding bar 42 is present on the upper side of the work 2, the illuminance uniformity of the irradiated surface 2A is deteriorated due to the influence of light reflected or refracted by the holding bar 42. In particular, when the ultraviolet light reflected or refracted by the holding bar 42 is condensed on the liquid crystal 2D, the characteristics of the liquid crystal 2D change, which is a problem. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the holding bar 42 when the mask 50 is not used. However, the operation of removing the holding bar 42 is complicated, and there is a possibility that the relatively expensive holding bar 42 may be damaged when removing the mask 50.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the mask holder 40 is configured to be easily detachable, and the mask 50 is held by the mask holder 40. More specifically, the mask holder 40 is configured to be pulled out from the apparatus main body 30, and the mask holder 40, the front-side alignment driving unit 60, and the rear-side alignment driving unit 70 are configured to be easily detachable. .

As shown in FIG. 5, the irradiation apparatus 1 includes a mask support table 80 on which the mask holder 40 is placed, and the mask holder 40 is configured to be pulled out to the front side on the mask support table 80.
More specifically, the mask support table 80 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape in plan view, and the inner surface thereof constitutes the opening 3A. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the mask support table 80 has rails 81 for sliding the mask holder 40 and guide portions 82 for guiding the mask holder 40 on the upper surfaces of the left and right sides. . The rail 81 extends in the front-rear direction with the plane facing upward, and a guide portion 82 stands on the side of the rail 81. The guide part 82 is provided on the lateral outer side of the rail 81, and the guide part 82 prevents the mask holder 40 from falling off.

The mask holder 40 is provided with a plurality of slide portions 47 (three in the left and right, six in total in this embodiment) that can slide on the rail 81 on both side surfaces of the holder frame 41. The slide portion 47 is configured to reduce friction with the rail 81 when the mask holder 40 slides. In the present embodiment, the slide portion 47 is configured by a ball roller, and is disposed so that the roller 47 </ b> A faces downward and comes into contact with the rail 81. Thus, by providing the slide portion 47, the mask holder 40 can be easily pulled out even if the mask holder 40 is formed to be relatively heavy (in this embodiment, more than 30 kg). In addition, the structure of the slide part 47 is not limited to a ball roller.
The mask holder 40 is provided with grips 48 that can be gripped when the mask holder 40 is pulled out on both side surfaces.

8A and 8B are diagrams showing the front-side alignment driving unit 60, in which FIG. 8A is a front view, FIG. 8B is a side view, and FIG. 8C is a plan view with a connecting shaft removed. FIG. 8D is a plan view of the removed connecting shaft.
As shown in FIG. 8, the front-side alignment drive unit 60 includes a drive motor 61 fixed to the mask support table 80 of the apparatus body 30 and a connecting shaft 62 that connects the drive motor 61 and the mask holder 40. . Drive motor 61 has a movable drive shaft 61A in the axial direction, and a base portion 61 B which is fixed to the drive shaft 61A.
The drive shaft 61A is disposed along the width direction W (X2 direction), whereby the mask holder 40 is driven in the width direction W (X2 direction). The pedestal 61 B, the connecting shaft 62 is fixed.
The connecting shaft 62, together comprise along the shaft 62A vertically, provided with a plate 62B via linear guides 68 on the proximal end of the shaft portion 62A, a plurality plate 62B is in the pedestal portion 61 B (present In the form, it is fixed by two fixtures 63 (for example, screws). The connecting shaft 62 is configured to be freely slidable in the depth direction (Y direction) along the linear motion guide 68.

The plate 62B, a plurality (in this embodiment, two) the positioning pin 64 of is formed, the positioning hole 65 is formed in the base portion 61 B. The connecting shaft 62 is positioned by fitting the positioning pin 64 into the positioning hole 65 at the time of fixing.
A shaft portion 62 </ b> A of the connecting shaft 62 is inserted into a bearing portion 49 provided in the mask holder 40. For example, a rotary slide bush is used for the bearing portion 49, and a gap δ is formed between the bearing portion 49 and the base portion of the connecting shaft 62 so that the positioning pin 64 can be removed from the positioning hole 65. Has been.
The front-side alignment drive unit 60 includes a front-side drive unit cover 66 that covers the bases of the drive motor 61 and the connecting shaft 62. The front drive unit cover 66 is fixed to the mask support table 80 of the apparatus main body 30 by a plurality (four in this embodiment) of fixing tools 67 (for example, screws).

The front-side alignment drive unit 60 is cut off from the cut-off position P1 corresponding to the mating surface between the upper surface of the base 61B and the lower surface of the plate 62B of the connecting shaft 62 in a state where the front-side drive unit cover 66 is removed. The front-side alignment driving unit 60 is disposed at a position where the separation position P1 is below the lower surface 40A of the mask holder 40 (the lower surface of the holder frame 41), that is, at a position deviating from the drawing locus of the mask holder 40. This eliminates the need to remove the drive motor 61 when the mask holder 40 is pulled out, so that the mask holder 40 can be easily attached and detached.

9A and 9B are diagrams showing the rear side alignment driving unit 70, FIG. 9A is a front view, FIG. 9B is a rear view, FIG. 9C is a side view, and FIG. 9D is an upper side. FIG. 9E is a plan view of the removed drive motor and drive portion. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the back side alignment drive unit 70 includes two drive motors 71 and 72 fixed to the mask support table 80 of the apparatus main body 30, a bearing 79 and a mask holder driven by the drive motors 71 and 72. And a connecting body 73 for connecting 40 to 40. The drive motors 71 and 72 have drive shafts 71A and 72A that can move in the axial direction, and drive unit bodies 71B and 72B fixed to the drive shafts 71A and 72A, respectively. The other drive motor 72, drive shaft 72A, and drive unit body 72B are supported on the upper surface of one drive unit body 71B. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 70 </ b> A indicates the pedestal of the entire rear side alignment driving unit 70, and reference numeral P <b> 2 indicates the position of the mating surface between the lower stage driving unit and the upper stage driving unit.
The drive shaft 71A is disposed along the width direction W (X1 direction), and the drive shaft 72A of the drive motor 72 is disposed along the depth direction (Y direction). Driven in the direction W (X1 direction) and the depth direction (Y direction). As described above, the connecting shaft 62 is configured to be freely slidable in the depth direction (Y direction), and the position of the connecting shaft 62 in the depth direction (Y direction) is adjusted by the drive motor 72.
The coupling body 73 is supported by the upper drive motor 72 via a bearing 79, and the mask holder 40 is fixed to the coupling body 73 by a plurality of (in this embodiment, two) fixtures 74 (for example, screws). The The connecting body 73 is externally fitted to a substantially cylindrical bearing 79 extending vertically, and is configured to be rotatable about the central axis of the bearing 79.

On the back surface of the mask holder 40, a positioning pin 75 is formed in the approximate center of the width direction W, and a positioning hole 76 is formed on the front surface of the connecting body 73. The mask holder 40 is positioned by fitting the positioning pins 75 into the positioning holes 76 at the time of fixing.
The back side alignment drive unit 70 includes a back side drive unit cover 77 that covers the drive motors 71 and 72. The front-side drive unit cover 66 is fixed to the mask support table 80 of the apparatus main body 30 by a plurality (four in this embodiment) of fixing tools 78 (for example, screws).
Thus, by providing the positioning pin 64 and the positioning pin 75 on the front side and the back side of the mask holder 40, the mask holder 40 can be returned to the original position even if the mask holder 40 is removed. There is no need to readjust the position. The positioning pins 64 and the positioning pins 75 are not limited to pins, and various positioning members can be used.

Next, a procedure for attaching and detaching the mask holder 40 will be described.
In this embodiment, since the mask holder 40 is formed relatively heavy, the mask holder 40 is attached and detached by two or more workers.
When removing the mask holder 40, first, the back door 32 is opened, the tube 46 on the back side is pulled out, and the fixture 74 is removed. Next, the front door 31 is opened, the front-side tube 46 is pulled out, the fixture 67 is removed, and the front-side drive unit cover 66 is removed. Next, remove the fitting 63, to lift the coupling shaft 62 to separate et or pedestal 61 B. Then, the mask holder 40 is pulled out to the front side until the bearing portion 49 is located on the front side of the mask support table 80, and the connecting shaft 62 is pulled down from the bearing portion 49. Finally, the entire mask holder 40 is pulled out to the front side and carried out. The mask 50 is attached to and detached from the mask holder 40 by a robot (not shown).

When attaching the mask holder 40, first, the mask holder 40 is carried into the mask support table 80 from the front side. Next, the connecting shaft 62 is inserted into the bearing portion 49, and with the connecting shaft 62 lifted, the mask holder 40 is pushed all the way in and the positioning pin 75 on the back side is inserted into the positioning hole 76. Next, the connecting shaft 62 is lowered, the front positioning pin 64 is inserted into the positioning hole 65, and the front side of the mask holder 40 is fixed by the fixture 63. Next, while fixing the front side drive part cover 66 with the fixing tool 67, the front side tube 46 is connected to the tube connection part 45, and the front door 31 is closed. Next, while fixing the back side of the mask holder 40 with the fixture 74, the tube 46 on the back side is connected to the tube connection part 45, and the back door 32 is closed.
Note that the procedure is not limited to this as long as the mask holder 40 can be similarly attached and detached.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the apparatus main body 30, the guide portion 82 provided on the mask support table 80 of the apparatus main body 30, and the mask holder 40 that can be pulled out to the front side along the guide portion 82. , And an alignment drive unit 60 and 70 for finely adjusting the position of the mask 50 supported by the mask holder 40 by driving the mask holder 40, and the alignment drive units 60 and 70 are provided on the front side and the back side. The front-side alignment driving unit 60 includes a driving motor 61 and a connecting shaft 62 that connects the driving motor 61 and the mask holder 40, and the connecting shaft 62 can be detached from the driving motor 61. With this configuration, the mask holder 40 can be easily detached from the drive motor 61 and the mask holder 40 can be easily pulled out, so that the holding bar 42 and the mask holder 40 can be easily attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 30. it can.
In addition, since the drive motor 61 is disposed at a position deviated from the drawing locus of the mask holder 40, it is not necessary to remove the drive motor 61 when the mask holder 40 is drawn, so that the mask holder 40 can be pulled out easily.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of holding bars 42 made of a light transmissive material are arranged on the holder frame 41 constituting the mask holder 40, and the mask 50 is sucked and held by the plurality of holding bars 42. It was. With this configuration, the mask 50 can be stably held by the plurality of holding bars 42, so that the position of the mask 50 can be accurately adjusted. Further, since the holder frame 41 that can be formed more robustly than the holding bar 42 can be handled for attaching and detaching the mask 50 to and from the apparatus main body 30, damage to the holding bar 42 can be suppressed.

However, the above-described embodiment is an aspect of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the rail 81 is provided on the upper surface of the mask support table 80, and the slide portion 47 is arranged so that the roller 47A faces downward and comes into contact with the rail 81. However, the arrangement configuration of the rail 81 and the roller 47A is not limited to this. In place of or in addition to this arrangement, the mask holder 40 is provided with a rail, and the slide portion 47 is provided on the mask support table 80 on the apparatus main body 30 side so that the roller 47A contacts the rail with the roller 47A facing upward. May be.

In the above-described embodiment, the connecting shaft 62 is detachable from the drive motor 61, but the attachment / detachment between the mask holder 40 and the drive motor 61 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the connecting shaft 62 may be configured to be fixed to the drive motor 61 and detachable from the bearing portion 49 of the mask holder 40.
FIG. 10 is a front view schematically showing a mask holder 40 and a mask support table 80 according to a modification. 11 is a side view of FIG. 10, FIG. 11A shows a state when alignment is used, and FIG. 11B shows a state when the mask holder 40 is pulled out.
In the example of FIGS. 10 and 11, the back side alignment drive unit is configured substantially the same as the front side alignment drive unit 60. In addition, a plurality of slide portions 85 that can be vertically expanded and contracted are provided on both left and right sides of the mask support table 80 (in this embodiment, five on the left and right, a total of ten), and the rails 86 that come into contact with the slide portions 85 are provided. Is provided on the lower surface 40 </ b> A of the holder frame 41. The slide portion 85 includes an elevating mechanism 85A that can be vertically expanded and lowered to raise and lower the mask holder 40, and the tip end portion is configured by, for example, a ball roller so as to reduce friction with the rail 86 when the mask holder 40 slides. Yes. The lifting mechanism 85 </ b> A is connected to the control device 90 and is configured to expand and contract based on the control of the control device 90. The rail 86 extends in the front-rear direction with the plane facing downward.
When removing the mask holder 40, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), by raising all the slide portions 85, the connecting shaft 62 comes off from the bearing portion 49, and the mask holder 40 is driven on the front side and rear side alignment. Depart from the part 60. Thereby, the mask holder 40 can be pulled out to the front side.
In the example of FIGS. 10 and 11, it is not necessary to dispose the drive motor 61 at a position deviating from the drawing locus of the mask holder 40, and the degree of freedom of disposition of the drive motor 61 is improved. In this embodiment, the position of the mask holder 40 is determined by inserting the front and back connecting shafts 62 into the front and back bearings (rotary slide bushes) 49 of the mask holder 40. It does not require connecting bodies such as positioning pins and screws.

  In the above-described embodiment, the alignment driving units 60 and 70 are provided on the front side and the back side, but may be provided on both side surfaces, for example. In this case, it is not necessary to arrange the drive motor 61 at a position deviating from the drawing locus of the mask holder 40.

  In the above-described embodiment, the mask 50 is held by the plurality of holding bars 42 made of a light transmissive material. However, the plurality of holding bars 42 are made of a flat plate (for example, quartz) made of a light transmissive material. Plate). Moreover, the structure which hold | maintains the mask 50 in the mask holder 40 is not limited to the holding bar 42 or a flat plate, You may hold | maintain with another member.

  In the above-described embodiment, the three ultraviolet lamps 10 are used as the linear light source. However, the number of the linear light sources is not limited to this. Instead of the ultraviolet lamp 10, a linear light source in which light emitting elements such as ultraviolet LEDs are linearly arranged can be used. Further, the light emitted from the linear light source is not limited to ultraviolet rays.

  Moreover, although embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the irradiation apparatus 1 as a photocuring apparatus, this invention is applicable to various irradiation apparatuses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Irradiation apparatus 30 Apparatus main body 40 Mask holder 41 Holder frame 42 Holding bar 50 Mask 60 Front side alignment drive part (alignment drive part)
61 drive motor 62 connecting shaft 70 rear side alignment drive unit (alignment drive unit)
82 Guide section

Claims (3)

An apparatus main body, a guide part provided on the apparatus main body, a mask holder that can be pulled out to the front side along the guide part, and driving the mask holder to finely position the mask supported by the mask holder. An alignment drive unit for adjustment, the alignment drive unit is provided on the front side and the back side, and the front side alignment drive unit includes a drive motor and a connecting shaft that connects the drive motor and the mask holder. The irradiating apparatus characterized in that the connecting shaft is fixed to the mask holder so as to be detachable from the driving motor, and the driving motor is disposed at a position deviating from a drawing locus of the mask holder.   The irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of holding bars made of a light transmissive material are arranged on a holder frame constituting the mask holder, and the mask is sucked and held by the plurality of holding bars. . An apparatus main body, a guide part provided on the apparatus main body, a mask holder that can be pulled out to the front side along the guide part, and driving the mask holder to finely position the mask supported by the mask holder. An alignment drive unit for adjusting, the alignment drive unit is provided on the front side and the back side, the front side alignment drive unit is fixed to the drive motor and the drive motor, and the drive motor and the mask holder are An irradiating apparatus comprising: a connecting shaft to be connected; wherein the connecting shaft is detachable from the mask holder; and the drive motor is disposed at a position deviating from a drawing locus of the mask holder.

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