Positioning device

Abstract

To provide a positioning device capable of smoothly adjusting a posture to perform positioning regardless of the magnitude of fluctuation of the posture, as well as, capable of minimizing deformation due to application of external force to a table.SOLUTION: A positioning device includes: a base 17; a movable table 11 supported movably in a horizontal direction X with respect to the base 17; two support shafts 69 provided at intervals on the movable table 11 and rotatably supported around an axis perpendicular to a surface direction of the movable table 11, a mounting plate 15 fixed to the support shaft 69 and supported on the movable table 11; and attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B that are provided on the moving table 11 and adjust an attitude of the mounting plate 15 with respect to the moving table 11 by moving at least one of the support shafts 69 in a vertical direction Z.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a positioning device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, positioning devices used in the manufacturing and inspection processes of semiconductors and FPDs (flat panel displays) require not only positioning by table movement but also adjustment of the alignment of the table surface, which necessitates fine adjustment of the table in the pitching and yawing directions.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a guide device in which a stage is mounted on an intermediate stage that is mounted on a base and moves linearly via a micro-displacement actuator, and the micro-displacement actuator adjusts the pitching and yawing of the stage to correct its posture. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-102762 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in semiconductor and FPD positioning devices, as products become larger, the tables also tend to become larger, resulting in greater attitude fluctuations. The guide device described in Patent Document 1 corrects the stage attitude using a micro-displacement actuator, making it difficult to correct the attitude by more than a small amount. For this reason, it is difficult for this guide device to smoothly adjust for large attitude fluctuations and perform positioning.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a positioning device that can smoothly adjust posture and position a table regardless of the magnitude of posture fluctuation, and that can minimize deformation caused by the application of external force to the table. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention comprises the following configurations. The base and a moving table supported so as to be movable in a first direction relative to the base; two support shafts that are provided on the moving table with a gap therebetween and are supported rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the surface direction of the moving table; a mounting plate fixed to the support shaft and supported by the moving table; an attitude adjustment mechanism provided on the moving table, which adjusts the attitude of the mounting plate with respect to the moving table by moving at least one of the support shafts in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; Equipped with Positioning device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the positioning device of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly adjust the posture and perform positioning regardless of the magnitude of the posture fluctuation, and further, it is possible to minimize deformation of the table due to the application of an external force. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the positioning device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the positioning device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a front view of the positioning device for explaining pitching adjustment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view of a positioning device 100 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the positioning device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0011] 1 and 2, a positioning device 100 according to this embodiment includes a base 17, a movable table 11, a pair of attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B, and a mounting plate 15, and the movable table 11 is supported by the base 17. In this positioning device 100, a workpiece such as a semiconductor or a mother glass for a flat panel display is mounted on the mounting plate 15, and the positioning device 100 moves and positions the workpiece to a processing position or an inspection position during a manufacturing process or an inspection process.

[0012] Base 17 is a long, L-shaped base in side view, and is supported on the floor surface by two support bases 19 so that its longitudinal direction is along the horizontal direction (first direction) X. Base 17 has a support plate portion 18 that is arranged so that its surface is along the vertical direction (second direction) Z while supported on the floor surface.

[0013] The movable table 11 is supported by a support plate portion 18 of a base 17. A pair of linear guide devices 21 and a linear actuator 23 are provided between the movable table 11 and the base 17. The movable table 11 is supported on the base 17 by the pair of linear guide devices 21.

[0014] The linear guide device 21 includes a rail body 25 and a movable body 27. The rail bodies 25 of the pair of linear guide devices 21 are each arranged along the horizontal direction X, which is the longitudinal direction of the support plate portion 18 of the base 17, and are fixed at an interval in the vertical direction Z. The movable body 27 is fixed to the moving table 11. The movable body 27 is formed in a concave shape in cross section, and is assembled to the rail body 25 with the concave portion fitted into the rail body 25.

[0015] The movable body 27 fixed to the moving table 11 has a plurality of rolling elements (not shown) rollably held on the inner surfaces of the recessed portions facing both side surfaces of the rail body 25, and the rolling elements allow linear movement with low friction relative to the rail body 25. This allows the moving table 11 to move smoothly along the horizontal direction X by the linear guide device 21.

[0016] The linear actuator 23 includes a fixed rail 31 and a mover 33. The fixed rail 31 is made of a permanent magnet and is fixed to the support plate portion 18 of the base 17. This fixed rail 31 is disposed between the rail bodies 25 of the linear guide device 21 on the support plate portion 18 of the base 17. The mover 33 is a module having an electromagnetic coil, and is fixed to the moving table 11 and disposed with a gap between it and the fixed rail 31.

[0017] In the linear actuator 23, when an electromagnetic force is generated in the electromagnetic coil of the mover 33, an attractive force and a repulsive force are generated between the fixed rail 31 made of a permanent magnet. These attractive and repulsive forces become the moving force that moves the movable table 11, and the movable table 11 supported by the linear guide device 21 moves along the horizontal direction X. Note that the linear actuator 23 may be one in which the fixed rail 31 is equipped with an electromagnetic coil and the mover 33 is made of a permanent magnet, or one in which both the fixed rail 31 and the mover 33 are equipped with electromagnetic coils.

[0018] The attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B are each provided on the moving table 11 and are arranged at an interval in the horizontal direction X, which is the movement direction of the moving table 11. The attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B include a movable plate 41 and a support plate 43. A pair of linear guide devices 51 and a ball screw device 53 are provided between the movable plate 41 and the moving table 11. The movable plate 41 is supported on the moving table 11 by the linear guide device 51.

[0019] The linear guide device 51 includes a rail body 55 and a movable body 57. The rail bodies 55 of the pair of linear guide devices 51 are each arranged along the vertical direction Z and are fixed to the moving table 11 at an interval in the horizontal direction X. The movable body 57 is fixed to the movable plate 41. The movable body 57 is formed in a concave shape in cross section, and is assembled to the rail body 55 with the concave portion fitted into the rail body 55.

[0020] The movable body 57 fixed to the movable plate 41 has a plurality of rolling elements (not shown) rollably held on the inner surfaces of the recessed portions facing both side surfaces of the rail body 55, and the rolling elements roll, allowing linear movement with low friction relative to the rail body 55. This allows the movable plate 41 to move smoothly along the vertical direction Z by the linear guide device 51.

[0021] The ball screw device 53 is composed of a screw shaft 63 rotated by a drive motor 61 and a nut (not shown) fixed to the movable plate 41. The screw shaft 63 is arranged along the vertical direction Z. The ball screw device 53 moves the nut fixed to the movable plate 41 along the screw shaft 63 by rotating the screw shaft 63 with the drive motor 61. As a result, the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B having the movable plate 41 supported by the linear guide device 51 move along the vertical direction Z.

[0022] The support plate 43 is supported by the movable plate 41. A bearing 67 is provided on the support plate 43. The bearing 67 has a support shaft 69, which is disposed along a direction perpendicular to the surface direction of the support plate 43 and is rotatably supported.

[0023] One attitude adjustment mechanism 13A includes a pair of linear guide devices 71 between a support plate 43 and a movable plate 41. The linear guide devices 71 include a rail body 75 and a movable body 77. The rail bodies 75 of the pair of linear guide devices 71 are each arranged along the horizontal direction X and are fixed to the movable plate 41 at an interval in the vertical direction Z. The movable body 77 is fixed to the support plate 43. The movable body 77 is formed in a concave shape in cross section, and is assembled to the rail body 75 with the concave portion fitted into the rail body 75.

[0024] The movable body 77 fixed to the support plate 43 has a plurality of rolling elements (not shown) rollably held on the inner surfaces of the recessed portions facing both side surfaces of the rail body 75, and the rolling elements roll, allowing linear movement with low friction relative to the rail body 75. This allows the support plate 43 to move along the horizontal direction X by the linear guide device 71.

[0025] The mounting plate 15 is supported by a pair of attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B and is disposed so that its surface is aligned with the vertical direction Z. To this mounting plate 15, support shafts 69 of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B are fixed.

[0026] In the positioning device 100 having the above configuration, a workpiece is mounted on the mounting plate 15. Then, in the manufacturing process or the inspection process, the workpiece mounted on the mounting plate 15 is moved to a processing position or an inspection position and positioned there.

[0027] Next, the operation of the positioning device 100 will be described. (horizontal X movement) When the workpiece is to be moved in the horizontal direction X, the linear actuator 23 is operated. When an electromagnetic force is generated in the electromagnetic coil of the mover 33 of the linear actuator 23, an attractive force and a repulsive force are generated between the mover 33 and the fixed rail 31, and the moving table 11 supported by the linear guide device 21 moves along the horizontal direction X. As a result, the workpiece mounted on the mounting plate 15 moves in the horizontal direction X.

[0028] (Movement in the vertical direction Z) To move the workpiece in the vertical direction Z, the ball screw devices 53 of each of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B are operated. When power is supplied to the drive motors 61 of the ball screw devices 53 of each of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B, the drive motors 61 rotate the screw shafts 63, and the movable plates 41 move along the vertical direction Z. At this time, the drive motors 61 of the ball screw devices 53 of each of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B rotate the screw shafts 63 in the same direction, and move each movable plate 41 in the same direction. As a result, the workpiece mounted on the mounting plate 15 moves in the vertical direction Z.

[0029] (Pitching adjustment) To adjust the attitude of the workpiece in the pitching direction, the ball screw device 53 of one of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B is operated to move the movable plate 41 along the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. 3 , for example, the ball screw device 53 of one of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A is operated to move the movable plate 41 upward along the vertical direction Z. As a result, the mounting plate 15 is pulled up from its fixed position with the support shaft 69 of one of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and swung around the support shaft 69 of the other attitude adjustment mechanism 13B, thereby adjusting its attitude in the pitching direction (the direction of arrow α in FIG. 3 ). At this time, the support shaft 69 of each of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B rotates relative to the support plate 43, thereby smoothly adjusting the attitude of the mounting plate 15 in the pitching direction.

[0030] Here, because the mounting plate 15 swings about the support shaft 69 of the other attitude adjustment mechanism 13B, a distance fluctuation (so-called cosine error) occurs between the support shafts 69 of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B. However, the support plate 43 equipped with the support shaft 69 of one attitude adjustment mechanism 13A is movable along the horizontal direction X by a linear guide device 71 between the support plate 43 and the movable plate 41. Therefore, the distance fluctuation between the support shafts 69 of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B during pitching adjustment of the mounting plate 15 is smoothly absorbed, and deformation such as twisting caused by the application of an external force to the mounting plate 15 is suppressed.

[0031] As described above, according to the positioning device 100 of this embodiment, the moving table 11 moves in the horizontal direction X relative to the base 17, and the mounting plate 15 moves in the horizontal direction X together with the moving table 11. This allows the workpiece mounted on the mounting plate 15 to be moved along the horizontal direction X and positioned at a position where, for example, processing or inspection will be performed. Furthermore, by moving the support shaft 69 in the vertical direction Z using at least one of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A and 13B, the mounting plate 15 can be swung relative to the moving table 11, and the attitude of the workpiece mounted on this mounting plate 15 can be adjusted.

[0032] Moreover, the support shafts 69 of the attitude adjustment mechanism 13A are supported by linear guide devices 71 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction X. Therefore, it is possible to absorb fluctuations in the distance between the support shafts 69 when adjusting the attitude of the mounting plate 15. As a result, even if the attitude of the mounting plate 15 is adjusted significantly, deformation of the mounting plate 15 due to the application of an external force thereto can be suppressed.

[0033] Furthermore, since each support shaft 69 can be moved in the vertical direction Z by the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B, it is possible to quickly adjust the attitude of the mounting plate 15 by moving both support shafts 69. Also, by moving the support shafts 69 in the same direction along the vertical direction Z, it is possible to move the mounting plate 15 in the vertical direction Z and perform shift adjustment.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the case where two attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B are provided and pitch adjustment is performed by two-axis drive has been exemplified, but only one of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B may be provided with a movement function along the vertical direction Z. In this case as well, the pitch adjustment of the mounting plate 15 can be performed by moving the support shaft 69 of one of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B along the vertical direction Z.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the pitching adjustment of the mounting plate 15 is performed is exemplified, but the adjustment of the posture is not limited to the pitching direction.

[0036] Furthermore, the drive system for moving the movable table 11 is not limited to the linear actuator 23 but may be a ball screw device or the like, and the drive system for moving the movable plate 41 of the attitude adjustment mechanisms 13A, 13B is not limited to the ball screw device 53 but may be a linear actuator or the like.

[0037] As such, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and these modifications and applications are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0038] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: (1) The foundation, a moving table supported so as to be movable in a first direction relative to the base; two support shafts that are provided on the moving table with a gap therebetween and are supported rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the surface direction of the moving table; a mounting plate fixed to the support shaft and supported by the moving table; an attitude adjustment mechanism provided on the moving table, which adjusts the attitude of the mounting plate with respect to the moving table by moving at least one of the support shafts in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; A positioning device comprising: With this positioning device, when the movable table moves in a first direction relative to the base, the mounting plate moves in the first direction together with the movable table. This allows the workpiece mounted on the mounting plate to be moved along the first direction and positioned, for example, for processing or inspection. Furthermore, by using the posture adjustment mechanism to move the support shaft in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the mounting plate can be swung relative to the movable table, and the posture of the workpiece mounted on the mounting plate can be adjusted.

[0039] (2) A positioning device according to (1), wherein the support shaft moved in the second direction by the attitude adjustment mechanism is supported by a linear guide device so as to be movable in the first direction relative to the moving table. In this positioning device, the support shafts, which are moved in the second direction by the attitude adjustment mechanism, are supported by the linear guide device so as to be movable in the first direction. Therefore, fluctuations in the distance between the support shafts when adjusting the attitude of the mounting plate can be absorbed. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the mounting plate due to external forces even when the attitude of the mounting plate is adjusted significantly.

[0040] (3) A positioning device described in (1) or (2), wherein the movable table has an attitude adjustment mechanism that adjusts the attitude of the mounting plate relative to the movable table by moving each of the support axes in the second direction. With this configuration of the positioning device, the attitude of the mounting plate can be quickly adjusted because each support shaft can be moved in the second direction by the attitude adjustment mechanism. Also, by moving the support shafts in the same direction along the second direction, the mounting plate can be moved in the second direction and positioned. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 11 Mobile Table 13A,13B Attitude adjustment mechanism 15 Mounting plate 17 Foundation 69 Support shaft 71 Linear guide device 100 Positioning device X horizontal direction (first direction) Z vertical direction (second direction)

Claims

1. The base and a moving table supported so as to be movable in a first direction relative to the base; two support shafts that are provided on the moving table with a gap therebetween and are supported rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the surface direction of the moving table; a mounting plate fixed to the support shaft and supported by the moving table; an attitude adjustment mechanism provided on the moving table, which adjusts the attitude of the mounting plate with respect to the moving table by moving at least one of the support shafts in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; Equipped with Positioning device.

2. the support shaft moved in the second direction by the attitude adjustment mechanism is supported by a linear guide device so as to be movable in the first direction relative to the moving table; The positioning device according to claim 1 .

3. the moving table includes the attitude adjustment mechanism that adjusts the attitude of the mounting plate relative to the moving table by moving each of the support shafts in the second direction.

3. The positioning device according to claim 1 or 2.

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