Panel repairing apparatus

Abstract

A panel repairing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention repairs a defective pattern of a lower layer in a panel having an upper layer and the lower layer and comprises: a laser generator which generates a laser beam; a beam expander unit configured to diverge or converge at least a portion of the laser beam; a flat-top beam unit which processes the laser beam passing through the beam expander unit so that the intensity of the laser beam has a flat-top distribution; and an objective lens unit configured to transmit the laser beam, which is processed to have the flat-top distribution, through the upper layer and focus the laser beam on the lower layer.

Description

Panel repair device

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for repairing defective elements existing in a panel of a display device or the like using a laser.

[0002] Representative display panels include liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), but various other types of display panels are also used.

[0003] The display panel can be formed by stacking layers in which various elements such as thin film transistors (TFTs) are formed, and layers of glass or organic materials covering these layers.

[0004] During the manufacturing process of the display panel, if foreign substances are mixed in or if a short circuit or disconnection occurs in the pattern that constitutes the elements or wiring, local defects such as pixel units may occur.

[0005] If such defects exist in the lower or inner layer where thin film transistors, etc. are formed, the defective pattern or pixel can be selectively repaired by irradiating the lower or inner layer with a laser beam passing through the upper layer.

[0006] When attempting to repair defective patterns using a laser beam, a technique is required to precisely focus the laser beam on the location of the defect. If the laser beam delivers high energy to a location other than the defective pattern, it could damage unwanted layers, such as organic layers (organic films) through which the laser beam passes.

[0007] Additionally, depending on the type of layer covering the upper part of the display panel, such as glass or organic material, different methods are required to confirm defective patterns in the underlying layer as visual information, such as a video or image.

[0008] [Prior Art Literature]

[0009] (Patent Document) KR 10-2077935 B1 (Registered on February 10, 2020)

[0010] One object of the present invention is to provide a panel repair device configured to process a laser beam into a uniform distribution and focus it on a location where a defective pattern exists so as to be suitable for selectively repairing a defective pattern of a panel.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a panel repair device configured to effectively check the presence of a defective pattern and whether or not it can be repaired, regardless of the type or material of the panel.

[0012] However, the technical tasks that this embodiment seeks to accomplish are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks may exist.

[0013] As a means for achieving the above-described technical task, a panel repair device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a laser generator for generating a laser beam to repair a defective pattern of a lower layer in a panel having an upper layer and a lower layer; a beam expander unit configured to diverge or converge at least a portion of the laser beam; a flat beam unit for processing the intensity of the laser beam passing through the beam expander unit to have a flat-top distribution; and an objective lens unit configured to focus the laser beam processed to have the flat-top distribution onto the lower layer by transmitting the upper layer.

[0014] A panel repair method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: generating a laser beam to repair a defective pattern of a lower layer in a panel having an upper layer and a lower layer; diverging or converging at least a portion of the laser beam; processing the intensity of the laser beam, of which at least a portion is diverged or converged, to have a flat distribution; and focusing the laser beam having the flat distribution on the lower layer by transmitting the laser beam through the upper layer.

[0015] The above-described problem-solving methods are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may exist, as described in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

[0016] According to any one of the above-described problem solving means of the present invention, the panel repair device according to the present embodiment can precisely and intensively irradiate a laser beam to a lower layer, such as a thin film transistor, without damaging an upper layer, such as an organic film, glass, or film, of the panel.

[0017] In addition, the panel repair device according to the present embodiment is provided with a beam expander unit, a leveling beam unit, and a slit unit, so that each can independently and precisely shape a laser beam. The beam expander unit can easily adjust the uniformity of the leveling distribution without changing the size of the laser beam, and the slit unit can remove peripheral laser beams that may leave the processing area without affecting other characteristics of the laser beam.

[0018] Furthermore, since the panel repair device according to the present embodiment performs imaging by irradiating inspection light from the upper layer side, similar to a laser beam, a separate device for accessing the lower side of the panel can be omitted. Furthermore, inspection can be conveniently performed by selecting a light source without the need to move or replace components depending on the type of upper layer.

[0019] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a panel repair device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a leveling beam unit of a panel repair device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a laser beam of a flat distribution formed by a panel repair device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the processing result by the slit unit of the panel repair device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a state in which a defective pattern of a lower layer of a panel is repaired by a panel repair device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a panel repair method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, irrelevant parts have been omitted for clarity of description, and similar reference numerals have been used throughout the specification to indicate similar elements.

[0026] Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected," but also cases where there are other components intervening or where it is "electrically connected" with other elements intervening. Furthermore, when a part is said to "include" a component, this should be understood to mean that, unless specifically stated to the contrary, it may include other components rather than excluding them, and does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0027] Some of the operations or functions described as being performed by the device in this specification may instead be performed by a server, terminal, or device connected to the device.

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a leveling beam unit (130) of a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a laser beam of a leveling distribution formed by a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing result by a slit unit (140) of a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a defective pattern of a lower layer of a panel (10) is repaired by a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] A panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can identify and repair defective patterns existing in a display panel (10) such as an LCD or OLED. In a display panel in which a plurality of layers are laminated, the defective element can be repaired by irradiating a laser beam on a defective pattern or defective wiring of a lower layer including a thin film transistor (TFT) or the like laminated therebelow without damaging an upper layer including at least one of an organic film, glass, and film.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a laser generator (110), a beam expander unit (120), a leveling beam unit (130), and an objective lens unit (150).

[0032] The laser generator (110) can generate a laser beam to be irradiated onto the panel for repairing defective patterns. For example, the laser beam generated by the laser generator (110) of the present embodiment may be a nanosecond laser beam in which the length of a single laser pulse is in nanoseconds. More specifically, the laser generator (110) of the present embodiment can generate a high power nanosecond laser beam of about 30 mJ.

[0033] A laser beam generated from a laser generator (110) can be irradiated to a beam expander unit (120, BEX). The beam expander unit (120) can diverge or converge at least a portion of the incident laser beam. For example, the beam expander unit (120) can split the incident laser beam, shape a portion into a diverging beam, and shape the other portion into a convergent beam.

[0034] In the present embodiment, a laser beam (divergent beam and / or convergent beam) passing through a beam expander unit (120) can be irradiated to a leveling beam unit (130). At this time, a guide unit (125) including at least one mirror, as shown in FIG. 1, can be installed in the laser beam path between the beam expander unit (120) and the leveling beam unit (130). In addition, a wavelength selection unit (127, Wave Selector) is installed on the laser beam path, so that a beam of a specific wavelength can be selected and used from the laser beam.

[0035] The leveling beam unit (130) processes the laser beam incident through the beam expander unit (120) to have an intensity distribution of a flat-top distribution. The laser beam generated from the laser generator (110) may have an intensity distribution of a Gaussian shape, and the leveling beam unit (130) of the present embodiment can shape the laser beam of the Gaussian distribution into a more uniform flat-top distribution shape by processing it by refracting and synthesizing it. For example, the profile of the laser beam processed into a flat-top distribution is as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 described below.

[0036] Specifically, the leveling beam unit (130) of the present embodiment may include a plurality of first micro lens arrays (131) and second micro lens arrays (132) and a focusing lens (133).

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, an incident laser beam can sequentially pass through the first micro lens array (131) and the second micro lens array (132). Among the incident laser beams, a diverging beam and a converging beam can form different paths while passing through the first and second micro lens arrays (131, 132), respectively. In addition, the focusing lens (133) can be arranged so that the laser beam that has sequentially passed through the first and second micro lens arrays (131, 132) passes through it. The laser beam that has sequentially passed through the focusing lens (133) can have a flat intensity distribution.

[0038] That is, the leveling beam unit (130) of the present embodiment can form a laser beam having an intensity distribution of a leveling distribution by refracting and synthesizing a diverging beam and a converging beam, respectively.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, a laser beam having a flat distribution may have an intensity distribution in which the intensity is relatively uniform in the center (310) and the intensity rapidly decreases in the periphery (320). The laser beam having a flat distribution may be divided into a center (310) in which the intensity is maintained at 90% or more, and a periphery (320) in which the intensity rapidly changes between 10% and 90%.

[0040] Referring again to FIG. 1, the objective lens unit (150) is configured to focus a laser beam processed to have a flat distribution onto a specific layer. In the present embodiment, the objective lens unit (150) can allow a laser beam with a flat distribution to pass through the upper layer of the panel and be focused onto the lower layer where a defective pattern exists.

[0041] Meanwhile, the panel repair device (100) according to the present embodiment may further include a slit unit (140) to further process a laser beam of a flat distribution. Referring to FIG. 1, the slit unit (140) may be placed between the flat beam unit (130) and the objective lens unit (150).

[0042] The slit unit (140) can be configured to process the periphery of the flat distribution of the laser beam. Referring to FIG. 4, as the laser beam passes through the slit portion, beams in a portion other than the flattened center of the flat distribution are removed, thereby obtaining a distribution in which the intensity of the periphery changes more steeply. In FIG. 4, the intensity distribution of the laser beam before passing through the slit ([Slit not applied]) and the intensity distribution of the laser beam after passing through the slit ([Slit applied]) can be confirmed.

[0043] Additionally, the panel repair device (100) according to the present embodiment may further include a tube lens (142). As shown in FIG. 1, the tube lens (142) may be placed between the slit unit (140) and the objective lens unit (150). The tube lens (142) may serve to transmit a laser beam passing through the slit unit (140) to the objective lens unit (150).

[0044] According to the panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention described above, a laser beam can be precisely and intensively irradiated to a lower layer, such as a thin film transistor, in which a wiring or pattern requiring repair exists without damaging an upper layer, such as an organic film or glass, in a display panel, etc.

[0045] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, since a plurality of layers are laminated on the display panel (10), by processing the laser beam with a flat distribution in this embodiment, when irradiating the laser beam on a defective pattern requiring repair, it is possible to prevent other layers (upper layer, 11) other than the layer where the defective pattern exists (e.g., lower layer, 12) from being damaged by the laser beam.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the lower layer (12) of the panel (10) may include a plurality of layers constituting a thin film transistor, and the upper layer (11) of the panel (10) may include a plurality of layers such as an organic film and glass.

[0047] Furthermore, the panel repair device (100) according to the present embodiment is configured with a beam expander unit (120), a leveling beam unit (130), and a slit unit (140), so that each can independently and precisely shape a laser beam. Specifically, the beam expander unit (120) is configured to be able to adjust the distance between the lenses therein, so that the uniformity of the leveling distribution can be easily adjusted without changing the overall size of the laser beam.

[0048] In addition, the slit unit (140) can remove peripheral laser beams that may escape the processing area without affecting the intensity distribution or other characteristics of the laser beam. The slit unit (140) is configured to be driven by a power source (motor), thereby controlling the laser beam of a uniform distribution to a desired size.

[0049] Below, a configuration that can check information such as whether a defective pattern has been repaired in a panel repair device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0050] Referring again to FIG. 1, the panel repair device (100) according to the present embodiment may further include an inspection unit (160). The inspection unit (160) may generate and provide information on a defective pattern using inspection light.

[0051] In this embodiment, the inspection unit (160) can generate information about a defective pattern in the lower layer of the panel by irradiating the inspection light onto the panel through the objective lens unit (150). That is, the inspection light can be irradiated from the objective lens unit (150) in a direction passing through the upper layer and toward the lower layer.

[0052] Specifically, the inspection unit (160) may include a light source unit (161) that generates inspection light, an inspection light guide unit (162) that guides the path of the inspection light so that the inspection light is irradiated through the objective lens unit (150), and an imaging unit (163) that is configured to collect the inspection light irradiated to the panel.

[0053] The inspection unit (160) according to the present embodiment can selectively use multiple light sources. As shown in FIG. 1, the light source unit (161) can be equipped with a first light source (161a) and a second light source (161b). For example, the first light source (161a) can be a light-emitting diode that generates infrared light as inspection light, and the second light source (161b) can be a light-emitting diode that generates visible light as inspection light.

[0054] The inspection light guide unit (162) may include a coating splitter (162a). The coating splitter (162a) may be installed at a point where the inspection lights generated from the first light source (161a) and the second light source (161b) merge. For example, the coating splitter (162a) may be formed to reflect the first light source (161a) and transmit the second light source (161b).

[0055] In addition, the inspection light guide unit (162) may further include at least one beam splitter (BS) to align the inspection light to the path of the laser beam for panel repair, and may guide the inspection light including infrared light and visible light to the objective lens unit (150). The inspection light guide unit (162) may further include at least one beam splitter (BS) to guide the inspection light to the imaging unit (163).

[0056] The imaging unit (163) may be equipped with a charge-coupled device (CCD) for generating an image from inspection light, and may further be equipped with a mirror and / or a tube lens (Tube lens_B) as shown in FIG. 1.

[0057] Meanwhile, the inspection unit (160) may further include a control unit (not shown). The control unit may control the first light source (161a) and the second light source (161b) to operate selectively.

[0058] According to the above configuration, the inspection unit (160) can selectively operate the first light source (161a) or the second light source (161b), and the inspection light generated by the operated light source can reach the lower layer where the defective pattern exists through the objective lens unit (150) by the inspection light guide unit (162) including the coating splitter (162a). The light source that generates the inspection light can be selected so as to enable confirmation of the defective pattern depending on the types of the upper layer and the lower layer. For example, in the case of the upper layer being transparent glass, a visible light source is selected, and in the case of the upper layer being a colored organic film, an infrared light source is selected, so that the inspection light can penetrate the upper layer.

[0059] Accordingly, according to the panel repair device (100) including the inspection unit (160) of the present embodiment, the presence or absence of a defective panel or whether it needs to be repaired can be confirmed by irradiating inspection light from the upper layer side in the same manner as a laser beam. In other words, there is an advantage in that inspection can be performed together with repair from the upper side without a separate device being installed on the lower side of the panel.

[0060] Furthermore, inspection can be performed by selecting a light source according to the type of upper layer without the need to move or replace components, thereby providing the advantage of convenient response to various panels. Specifically, by selectively turning multiple light sources on and off using the inspection light guide unit (162) equipped with the coating splitter (162a) described above, the selected inspection light can be irradiated along a predetermined path.

[0061] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a panel repair method according to one embodiment of the present invention. The panel repair method performed in the panel repair device (100) illustrated in FIG. 1 may include steps sequentially processed by the panel repair device (100) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6. Therefore, even if the content is omitted below, it also applies to the method performed in the panel repair device (100) according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0062] A panel repair method according to one embodiment of the present invention is for repairing a defective pattern of a lower layer in a panel having an upper layer and a lower layer, and may include a step (S610) of generating a laser beam from a laser generator (110), a step (S620) of modifying at least a portion of the laser beam to diverge or converge in a beam expander unit (120), a step (S630) of processing the intensity of the laser beam passing through the beam expander unit (130) to have a leveling distribution, a step (S640) of processing the periphery of the leveling distribution of the laser beam having the leveling distribution in a slit unit (140), and a step (S650) of transmitting the laser beam having the leveling distribution through the upper layer and focusing it on the lower layer in an objective lens unit (150).

[0063] In addition, the panel repair method according to the present embodiment may further include a step (S660) of irradiating inspection light from the inspection unit (160) onto the panel through the objective lens unit (150) to transmit the inspection light through the upper layer and generate information about a defective pattern of the lower layer. At this time, infrared light or visible light may be selectively irradiated as the inspection light.

[0064] In the above description, steps S610 to S660 may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, depending on the implementation of the present invention. Furthermore, some steps may be omitted as needed, and the order of steps may be switched.

[0065] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0066] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a panel repair device for repairing a defective pattern of a lower layer in a panel having an upper layer and a lower layer, A laser generator that generates a laser beam; A beam expander unit configured to diverge or converge at least a portion of the laser beam; A flat beam unit that processes the intensity of a laser beam passing through the beam expander unit to have a flat-top distribution; and Including an objective lens unit configured to focus a laser beam processed to have the above-mentioned flat distribution by transmitting the upper layer to the lower layer. Panel repair device.

2. In paragraph 1, The upper layer of the above panel comprises at least one of an organic film, glass and a film, A panel repair device in which a nanosecond laser beam is generated from the above laser generator.

3. In paragraph 1, The above leveling beam unit, First and second micro lens arrays arranged so that an incident laser beam passes through them sequentially; and A panel repair device comprising a focusing lens arranged to allow a laser beam passing through the second micro lens array to pass therethrough.

4. In paragraph 1, A panel repair device further comprising a slit unit arranged between the leveling beam unit and the objective lens unit and configured to process a periphery of the leveling distribution of the laser beam.

5. In paragraph 1, A panel repair device further comprising an inspection unit configured to irradiate the panel with inspection light through the objective lens unit to generate information about a defective pattern of the lower layer.

6. In paragraph 5, The above inspection unit, A light source unit that generates the above inspection light; An inspection light guide unit that guides the path of the inspection light so that the inspection light is irradiated through the objective lens unit; and A panel repair device comprising an imaging unit configured to collect inspection light irradiated on the panel.

7. In paragraph 5, The above inspection unit, A light source unit having a first light source that generates infrared light and a second light source that generates visible light; and A panel repair device comprising an inspection light guide unit that guides the first light source and the second light source to the objective lens unit, the inspection light guide unit having a coating splitter formed to reflect the first light source and transmit the second light source.

8. In paragraph 7, The above inspection unit, A panel repair device further comprising a control unit that controls the first light source and the second light source to selectively operate.

9. In paragraph 5, The above inspection unit, A panel repair device comprising an inspection light guide unit having a beam splitter arranged between the leveling beam unit and the objective lens unit and configured to merge or split the laser beam and the inspection light.

10. In paragraph 5, A panel repair device, wherein the inspection light is irradiated from the objective lens unit in a direction from the upper layer to the lower layer by the inspection unit.

11. A panel repair method for repairing a defective pattern of a lower layer in a panel having an upper layer and a lower layer, A step of generating a laser beam; A step of diverging or converging at least a portion of the laser beam; A step of processing the intensity of the laser beam, at least some of which is diverged or converged, to have a flat distribution; and A method for repairing a panel, comprising the step of transmitting the laser beam having a uniform distribution through the upper layer and focusing it on the lower layer.

12. In paragraph 11, A panel repair method further comprising the step of processing a periphery of a flat distribution of the laser beam processed to have the flat distribution.

13. In paragraph 11, A panel repair method further comprising the step of transmitting inspection light through the upper layer and irradiating the lower layer to generate information about a defective pattern of the lower layer.

14. In paragraph 13, A panel repair method, wherein, in the step of generating information on the above-mentioned defective pattern, infrared light or visible light is selectively irradiated as the inspection light.

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