U.S. patent application number 11/263312 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-12 for glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display panels.
Invention is credited to Geun-Soo An, Jae-Nam Cho.
Application Number | 20060226094 11/263312 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37082186 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060226094 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cho; Jae-Nam ; et
al. |
October 12, 2006 |
Glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display panels
Abstract
A glass cassette for loading glass substrates for display panels
includes an upper plate, a lower plate, side plates, a stopper and
stepped support members. The lower plate is disposed substantially
parallel to the upper plate. The side plates are disposed spaced
apart from each other in a first direction and substantially
parallel to each other. The side plates are connected to the upper
plate and the lower plate. The stopper is disposed at an end
portion of the glass cassette to limit a movement of the glass
substrates in a second direction that is substantially
perpendicular to the first direction to stop the movement of the
glass substrates upon insertion. The stopper is connected between
the upper plate and the lower plate. The stepped support members
are disposed at each of the side plates while facing each other in
the first direction in order to flatly support the glass
substrates.
Inventors: |
Cho; Jae-Nam; (Asan-si,
KR) ; An; Geun-Soo; (Cheonan-si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CANTOR COLBURN, LLP
55 GRIFFIN ROAD SOUTH
BLOOMFIELD
CT
06002
US
|
Family ID: |
37082186 |
Appl. No.: |
11/263312 |
Filed: |
October 31, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/41.18 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/6734 20130101;
B65G 49/062 20130101; B65D 85/48 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/041.18 |
International
Class: |
A47G 19/08 20060101
A47G019/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 3, 2005 |
KR |
10-2005-0037084 |
Apr 8, 2005 |
KR |
20-2005-0009634 |
Claims
1. A glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display panels,
wherein the glass cassette comprises: an upper plate; a lower plate
disposed substantially parallel to the upper plate; side plates
disposed spaced apart from each other in a first direction and
substantially parallel to each other, the side plates being
connected to the upper plate and the lower plate; a stopper
disposed at an end portion of the glass cassette to limit a
movement of the glass substrates in a second direction that is
substantially perpendicular to the first direction to stop the
movement of the glass substrates upon insertion, the stopper being
connected between the upper plate and the lower plate; and stepped
support members disposed at each of the side plates while facing
each other in the first direction in order to flatly support the
glass substrates.
2. The glass cassette of claim 1, wherein the stepped support
members comprise: a first stepped support member disposed at a
first side plate; and a second stepped support member disposed at a
second side plate corresponding to the first side plate such that
the first and second stepped support members face each other,
wherein a vertical distance between a step of the first stepped
support member and the lower plate is substantially same as the
vertical distance between a step of the second stepped support
member, which faces the step of the first stepped support member,
and the lower plate.
3. The glass cassette of claim 1, wherein a glass supporting
surface is disposed on an external surface of the stepped support
members and comes in contact with the glass substrate.
4. The glass cassette of claim 3, wherein the glass supporting
surface includes a peak that extends in a direction perpendicular
to a direction at which the glass substrates are inserted into the
glass cassette.
5. The glass cassette of claim 1, wherein the stepped support
member includes alternating glass supporting surfaces and vertical
surfaces that are continuously connected to each other to form
steps, and an inclined surface is disposed between each of the
glass supporting surfaces and the vertical surfaces.
6. The glass cassette of claim 1, wherein the upper plate and the
lower plate each have grooves extending along the first direction
and facing each other, and a position of each of the side plates is
adjustable along the grooves in order to adjust a spacing between
the stepped support members responsive to a size of the glass
substrates.
7. The glass cassette of claim 1, wherein the stepped support
member comprises a metal portion.
8. A glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display panels,
wherein the glass cassette comprises: an upper plate; a lower plate
disposed substantially parallel to the upper plate; side plates
disposed spaced apart from each other in a first direction and
substantially parallel to each other, the side plates being
connected to the upper plate and the lower plate; and support
members disposed at each of the side plates while facing each other
in the first direction in order to flatly support the glass
substrates, wherein each of the support members comprises multiple
glass supporting surfaces corresponding to glass substrates of
varying sizes.
9. The glass cassette of claim 8, further comprising a stopper
disposed at an end portion of the glass cassette to limit a
movement of the glass substrates in a second direction that is
substantially perpendicular to the first direction to stop the
movement of the glass substrates upon insertion, the stopper being
connected between the upper plate and the lower plate.
10. The glass cassette of claim 8, wherein a distance between the
side plates is adjustable along grooves disposed in the upper and
lower plates.
11. A glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display
panels, wherein the glass cassette comprises: an upper plate; a
lower plate disposed substantially parallel to the upper plate;
side plates disposed spaced apart from each other in a first
direction and substantially parallel to each other, the side plates
being connected to the upper plate and the lower plate; a stopper
disposed at an end portion of the glass cassette to limit a
movement of the glass substrates in a second direction that is
substantially perpendicular to the first direction to stop the
movement of the glass substrates upon insertion, the stopper being
connected between the upper plate and the lower plate; and stepped
support members comprising a resin, the stepped support members
disposed at each of the side plates while facing each other in the
first direction in order to flatly support the glass
substrates.
12. The glass cassette of claim 11, wherein the resin is a
polyether ether ketone (PEEK).
13. The glass cassette of claim 11, wherein the stepped support
member further comprises a metal portion.
14. The glass cassette of claim 11, wherein an external surface of
the stepped support member that comes in contact with the glass
substrates is made of the resin.
15. The glass cassette of claim 11, wherein the resin is a
polyether ether ketone (PEEK).
16. The glass cassette of claim 13, wherein the metal portion is
made of aluminum (Al).
17. The glass cassette of claim 13, wherein an external surface of
the metal portion is stepped.
18. The glass cassette of claim 13, wherein the metal portion is
integrally formed with one of the side plates.
19. A glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display
panels, wherein the glass cassette comprises: an upper plate; a
lower plate disposed substantially parallel to the upper plate;
side plates disposed spaced apart from each other in a first
direction and substantially parallel to each other, the side plates
being connected to the upper plate and the lower plate; and support
members comprising a resin disposed at each of the side plates
while facing each other in the first direction in order to flatly
support the glass substrates, wherein each of the support members
comprises multiple glass supporting surfaces corresponding to glass
substrates of varying sizes.
20. The glass cassette of claim 19, further comprising a stopper
disposed at an end portion of the glass cassette to limit a
movement of the glass substrates in a second direction that is
substantially perpendicular to the first direction to stop the
movement of the glass substrates upon insertion, the stopper being
connected between the upper plate and the lower plate.
21. The glass cassette of claim 19, wherein a distance between the
side plates is adjustable along grooves disposed in the upper and
lower plates.
22. The glass cassette of claim 19, wherein the support members
further comprise a metal portion, and the resin is disposed at a
surface of the support members that contact the glass substrates.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Utility Model
Application No. 2005-0009634 filed on Apr. 8, 2005 and Korean
Patent Application No. 2005-0037084 filed on May 3, 2005, and all
the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C .sctn.119, and the
contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] (a) Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a glass cassette for
loading glass substrates of display panels, and more particularly,
to a glass cassette for loading glass substrates having various
sizes.
[0004] (b) Description of the Related Art
[0005] Recent developments in semiconductor technology have led to
a demand for display devices having smaller size, decreased weight
and enhanced performance. Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices,
plasma display panel (PDP) devices, flat emission display (FED)
devices, vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) devices, and organic
light emitting display (OLED) devices are examples of such display
devices.
[0006] Although display devices are manufactured by various
methods, most of the display devices include a pair of glass
substrates with a vacuum between the pair of glass substrates.
Glass substrates are typically produced by cutting an original
piece of glass into a plurality of cell glass substrates, which are
used in manufacturing display devices.
[0007] The original piece of glass or the cell glass substrates are
loaded into a glass cassette in order for transportation during a
manufacturing process. For example, during manufacture of an LCD
device, multilayered thin film patterns are disposed on transparent
insulation glass panels or cell glass substrates made of, for
example, SiO.sub.2 using a deposition process and an etching
process. Next, the cell glass substrates are loaded into the glass
cassette and transported in order to undertake a next process.
Since the cell glass substrate is suctioned and attached to an arm
of a robot, it is possible to remove the cell glass substrate from
the glass cassette freely. Additionally, since the cell glass
substrate is transported in the glass cassette, exposed surfaces of
the cell glass substrate may be protected from damage, and thereby
the cell glass substrate is both preserved and easily
transported.
[0008] Recently, large display devices have been manufactured using
a large cell glass substrate. The large cell glass substrate is
manufactured by cutting large pieces of original glass using a
multi-cutting process. When the large cell glass substrate is
manufactured, it is necessary for the large cell glass substrate to
be loaded into the glass cassette without deflection. When the
large cell glass substrate is deflected, patterns disposed on a
surface of the large cell glass substrate may be damaged or the
large cell glass substrate may be broken. In addition, when the
large cell glass substrate is deflected while being loaded in the
glass cassette, it is difficult to stably fix the large cell glass
substrate in the glass cassette.
[0009] Additionally, a problem currently exists in that cell glass
substrates of various sizes cannot be loaded together into a glass
cassette of the prior art. Since each glass cassette currently
loads cell glass substrates of only one size, many glass cassettes
are required to transport each of various different sizes of glass
substrates. Therefore, a cost of manufacturing display devices is
increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention is contrived to solve the
above-mentioned problems by providing a glass cassette for loading
glass substrates of various sizes together.
[0011] A glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display
panels includes an upper plate, a lower plate, side plates, a
stopper and stepped support members. The lower plate is disposed
substantially parallel to the upper plate. The side plates are
disposed spaced apart from each other in a first direction and
substantially parallel to each other. The side plates are connected
to the upper plate and the lower plate. The stopper is disposed at
an end portion of the glass cassette to limit a movement of the
glass substrates in a second direction that is substantially
perpendicular to the first direction to stop the movement of the
glass substrates upon insertion. The stopper is connected between
the upper plate and the lower plate. The stepped support members
are disposed at each of the side plates while facing each other in
the first direction in order to flatly support the glass
substrates.
[0012] In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a
glass cassette for loading glass substrates of display panels
includes an upper plate, a lower plate, side plates, and stepped
support members including a resin. The lower plate is disposed
substantially parallel to the upper plate. The side plates are
disposed spaced apart from each other in a first direction and
substantially parallel to each other. The side plates are connected
to the upper plate and the lower plate. The stepped support members
including a resin are disposed at each of the side plates while
facing each other in the first direction in order to flatly support
the glass substrates. Each of the support members includes multiple
glass supporting surfaces corresponding to glass substrates of
various sizes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The above and other features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent by describing in detail
exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached
drawings, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass cassette according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a front view of the glass cassette of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of area A of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of area B of FIG. 1; and
[0018] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a stepped supporting member of
a glass cassette according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention
will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The
embodiments herein explained are intended only to exemplify the
present invention, and thus the present invention is not limited
thereto.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a glass cassette 100 for loading glass
substrates of various sizes. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a
size of a relatively large glass substrate G.sub.1 is larger than a
size of a relatively small glass substrate G.sub.2. A structure of
the glass cassette 100 shown in FIG. 1 is merely to illustrate an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention and the present
invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the structure of the
glass cassette 100 may be modified into other forms.
[0021] A shape of the glass cassette 100 shown in FIG. 1 is similar
to a hexahedron. The glass cassette 100 includes side plates 24
that are installed to face each other. The side plates 24 are
extended in a Y-axis direction and arranged in an X-axis direction,
which is substantially perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, such
that each of the side plates 24 is substantially parallel to each
other and faces each other. The side plates 24 are spaced apart
from each other along the X-axis direction by a selected distance.
The side plates 24 are extended in a Z-axis direction, which is
substantially perpendicular to an X-Y plane. In order to load as
many glass substrates into the glass cassette 100 as possible, it
is desirable that the glass substrates are loaded in the Y-axis
direction. In order for a glass handling robot to conveniently
handle the glass substrates and in order to occupy an effective
processing space in a production line, it is desirable that
accommodation for size differences between the glass substrates
should be made in the X-axis direction rather than in the Z-axis
direction. Therefore, the side plates 24 are installed along the
X-axis direction such that the glass cassette 100 may accommodate
glass substrates having different sizes.
[0022] It is possible to adjust a spacing between the side plates
24 along the X-axis direction by moving the side plates 24, as
described below. Therefore, the relatively small glass substrate
G.sub.1 can be loaded into a space between one set of side plates
24, while the relatively large glass substrate G.sub.2 can be
loaded into a space between another set of side plates 24.
Alternatively, the relatively small and large glass substrates
G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 may both be loaded between a same set of side
plates 24 because the glass cassette 100 includes support members
capable of accommodating glass substrates having various sizes.
Advantageously, occupying efficiency of space within the glass
cassette 100 may be improved.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 1, the glass cassette 100 includes an
upper plate 21, a lower plate 22, the side plates 24, and a stopper
23. The glass cassette 100 may also include other elements, if
necessary. The glass substrates may be inserted into the glass
cassette 100 or removed from the glass cassette 100 in a direction
indicated by an arrow (in the Y-axis direction). The stopper 23 is
installed at an interior portion of the glass cassette 100 such
that the stopper 23 limits motion of the glass substrates G.sub.1
and G.sub.2 in the Y-axis direction in order to stop them upon
insertion. The stopper 23 extends in the Z-axis direction, for
example, from the lower plate 22 to the upper plate 21. Therefore,
the stopper 23 prevents the glass substrates from falling out of
the glass cassette 100.
[0024] The stopper 23 in FIG. 1 is shown substantially in a
vertical orientation along the Z-axis, but alternatively, the
stopper 23 may be placed diagonally from the lower plate to the
upper plate 21. In other alternative embodiments, a single stopper
23 or more than two may be installed on the interior portion of the
glass cassette 100 such that that movement of the glass substrates
G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 in the Y-axis may be limited.
[0025] The lower plate 22 is disposed substantially parallel to the
upper plate 21 and faces the upper plate 21. Rollers 30 may be
installed under the lower plate 22 to permit movement of the glass
cassette 100. The side plates 24 connect the upper plate 21 and the
lower plate 22 together and face each other. A plurality of stepped
support members 15 may be installed on each of the side plates 24
to have a predetermined spacing between each of the stepped support
members 15 in both the Y-axis and Z-axis directions. Each of the
stepped support members 15 extends toward a corresponding one of
the stepped support members 15 disposed at a corresponding one of
the side plates 24.
[0026] The stepped support members 15 may be individually installed
on the side plates 24. The side plates 24 may be configured to
allow the support members 15 to be installed at any of a number of
positions along the side plates 24. In alternative embodiments, the
stepped support members 15 may be pre-assembled onto a strip (not
shown), the strip with the support members 15 then installed on the
side plates.
[0027] Glass substrates of various sizes may be loaded into the
glass cassette 100 together due to a structure of the stepped
support members 15. In other words, as shown in FIG. 1, it is
possible to load the relatively large glass substrate G.sub.1 and
the relatively small glass substrate G.sub.2 into the glass
cassette 100 together.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, the upper plate 21 and the lower plate
22 may have top and bottom grooves 211 and 213, respectively. The
top and bottom grooves 211 and 213 face each other along the Z-axis
direction and are formed along the X-axis direction. The side
plates 24 are installed to enable movement of the side plates 24
along the grooves 211 and 213 in the X-axis direction. For example,
the side plates 24 can be freely moved in the X-axis direction by
releasing screws 241. The screws 241 are screwed into a hole (not
shown) which is continuously formed through screw fixing members
243 and the side plates 24. When the side plates 24 are placed in a
desirable position, is the side plates 24 are fixed there by
tightening the screws 241. Therefore, it is possible to adjust
spacing between stepped support members 15 facing each other
according to a size of the glass substrates.
[0029] The screw fixing members 243 can be detached from the side
plates 24 by completely unscrewing the screws 241 if necessary.
Therefore, the side plates 24 may be easily removed from the glass
cassette 100. Removal of the side plates 24 may be necessary when a
spacing between the side plates 24 and stepped support members 15
must be adjusted in order to load a much larger glass substrate.
Advantageously, the glass cassette 100 is easily maneuverable and
configurable to enhance a transporting capability of glass
substrates so that manufacturing time is reduced since the side
plates 24 can be easily detached from the glass cassette 100 or
repositioned.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the glass substrates G.sub.1 and
G.sub.2, which are inserted into the glass cassette 100, are flatly
supported in the X-Y plane or horizontal direction. The stepped
support members 15 are formed to face each other in the horizontal
direction so as to flatly support the glass substrates.
Advantageously, it is also possible to prevent deflection of the
glass substrates such that patterns formed on the glass substrates
are not damaged.
[0031] The stepped support members 15 include a first stepped
support member 15a and a second stepped support member 15b facing
the first stepped support member 15a. The glass substrate (G.sub.1
for example) may be loaded onto corresponding steps of the first
stepped support member 15a and the second stepped support member
15b. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, heights
of the steps of the first and second stepped support members 15a
and 15b facing each other may be substantially the same in order to
flatly support the relatively large and small glass substrates
G.sub.1 and G.sub.2.
[0032] For example, a vertical distance h.sub.1 between a step 151a
of the first stepped support member 15a and the lower plate 22 is
substantially same as a vertical distance h.sub.2 between a
corresponding step 151b of the second stepped support member 15b,
which faces to the step 151a of the first stepped support member
15a, and the lower plate 22. Therefore, it is possible to load a
glass substrate into the glass cassette 100 stably.
[0033] In alternative embodiments, the heights of the steps of the
first and second stepped support members 15a and 15b may be
different as to support the glass substrates G.sub.1 and G.sub.2 at
an angle as retrieval or placement of the glass substrates G.sub.1
and G.sub.2 into the glass cassette 100 may require.
[0034] An enlarged view of area A of FIG. 1 showing the stepped
support member 15 is shown in FIG. 3. The stepped support member 15
has a structure capable of supporting various sizes of glass
substrates without changing a position of the side plates 24. The
shape of the stepped support member 15 shown in FIG. 3 is merely to
illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and
the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0035] An external surface of the stepped support member 15 is
shaped like steps which include alternating glass supporting
surfaces 1531 and vertical surfaces 1533 which are continuously
connected to each other. In other words, the external surface of
the stepped support member 15 includes a series of alternating
vertical surfaces 1533 and glass supporting surfaces 1531, which
form a series of steps. Although three such steps are shown in FIG.
3, a number of the steps may be more or less than three as desired.
Therefore, a glass substrate may be loaded into or removed from the
glass cassette 100 by a robot or an operator and the glass
substrate is effectively supported while taking up minimal space in
the glass cassette 100. Advantageously, the glass substrate may be
prevented from being cracked and a generation of particulates is
prevented by reducing contact or interference with the vertical
surface 1533 of the stepped support member 15.
[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, the stepped support member 15 is
made of a resin, which is substantially non-abrasive and provides
stability for the glass substrate when the glass substrate is
placed on the stepped support member 15 and comes in contact
therewith. Advantageously, the glass substrate is prevented from
being scratched.
[0037] Glass substrates undergo a thermal treating process while in
the glass cassette 100. Therefore, there is a possibility that the
stepped support member 15 may be thermally deformed if a general
resin is used to form the stepped support member 15. Thus,
polyether ether ketone (PEEK), which is resistant to thermal
deformation, is used as the resin in the stepped support member
15.
[0038] A peak 1531a may be formed on the external surface of the
stepped support member 15, which comes in contact with the glass
substrate. A shape of the peak 1531a in FIG. 3 is merely to
illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and the
present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the shape of
the peak 1531a can be modified to other forms. Advantageously, the
peak 1531a minimizes friction between the glass substrate and the
stepped support member 15 to prevent scratches on a surface of the
glass substrate by minimizing a contact area between the glass
substrate and the stepped support member 15. This will be explained
in more detail with reference to FIG. 4 below.
[0039] An inclined surface 1535 may be formed between the glass
supporting surface 1531 and the vertical surface 1533 of the
stepped support member 15. The inclined surface 1535 advantageously
reduces interference between the glass substrate and the vertical
surface 1533 of the stepped support member 15, and makes it easier
to load the glass substrate into the glass cassette 100.
[0040] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the stepped support
member 15 of area B of FIG. 1. The relatively larger glass
substrate G.sub.1 is loaded onto the stepped support member 15. The
glass supporting surface 1531 is peaked along the X-axis direction
substantially perpendicular to the glass-inserting direction (the
direction indicated by an arrow in the y-direction). In other
words, the peak 1531a of each glass supporting surface 1531 extends
in the X-axis direction, which is substantially perpendicular to
the glass-inserting direction.
[0041] An enlarged circle of FIG. 4 shows a cross section of a
portion of the relatively large glass substrate G.sub.1 and the
stepped support member 15. As shown in FIG. 4, a contact area
between the relatively large glass substrate G.sub.1 and the glass
supporting surface 1531 on which the relatively large glass
substrate G.sub.1 is loaded is minimized. In other words, the
relatively large glass substrate G1 only comes in contact with the
peak 1531a of the stepped support member 15. In particular, the
glass supporting surface 1531 is shaped with inclined surfaces that
form the peak 1531a. Therefore, particulates do not remain on the
glass supporting surface 1531 but rather fall off. Advantageously,
since the particulates are removed in this manner, deterioration of
quality of a glass substrate due to the particulates is reduced, or
effectively prevented.
[0042] FIG. 5 shows a stepped support member 25 provided in the
glass cassette 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the
present invention. Since a structure of the stepped support member
25 is substantially same as the stepped support member 15 described
with reference to FIGS. 1-4, a detailed explanation of the same
elements will be omitted for convenience.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, a metal portion 251 is included in the
stepped support member 25. An external surface of the metal portion
251 is covered with a resin 253. Since a forming process of the
resin 253 on the external surface of the metal portion 251 can be
easily understood by those skilled in the art, a detailed
explanation of the forming process is omitted.
[0044] It is possible to easily injection-mold the resin 253 on the
external surface of the metal portion 251. Strength of the metal
portion 251 allows a length of the stepped support member 25 to be
increased in order to stably support a large glass substrate. In
such a case, if the stepped support member 25 is manufactured using
the metal portion 251, the resin 253 does not sink while being
injection-molded.
[0045] Since the stepped support member 25 is extended in the
X-axis direction, it is pressed downward (Z-axis direction) when
the large glass substrate is loaded thereon. Accordingly, unless it
is strong enough, the stepped support member 25 can be deflected
downward and the large glass substrate may fall off.
Advantageously, strength of the stepped support member 25 is
improved by using the metal portion 251, which reduces, or
effectively prevents deflection of the stepped support member
25.
[0046] In an exemplary embodiment, a light material with good
strength such as Al is used as the metal portion 251, although
other light materials may also be used. The metal portion 251 may
be integrally manufactured with the side plate 24 and then
injection-molded with the resin 253.
[0047] In addition, an upper surface 2511 of the metal portion 251
is stepped, thereby reinforcing the strength of the stepped support
member 25, while allowing multiple sized glass substrates to be
transported by the glass cassette 100 without requiring a
repositioning of the side plates 24. Although the upper surface
2511 of the metal portion 251 is stepped in FIG. 5, this is merely
to illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and
the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, it is
satisfactory if at least one external surface among the external
surfaces of the metal portion 251 is stepped.
[0048] Direct contact between a glass substrate and the metal
portion 251 may cause damage to the glass substrate. In order to
prevent damage to the glass substrate, at least one external
surface of the stepped support member 25 that comes in contact with
the glass substrate may be made of or coated with the resin
253.
[0049] In a glass cassette according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, stepped support members are installed in the
horizontal direction while facing each other. Advantageously,
damage to the glass substrate caused by deflection thereof can be
reduced, or effectively prevented.
[0050] Since a vertical distance between a step of a first stepped
support member and a lower plate of the glass cassette may be
substantially the same as a vertical distance between a
corresponding step of a second stepped support member and the lower
plate, the glass substrate may be stably loaded in the glass
cassette.
[0051] A peak may be formed on an external surface of the stepped
support members and comes in contact with the glass substrate to
minimize a contact area between the glass substrate and the stepped
support member and reduce, or effectively prevent scratches or
damage to a surface of the glass substrate.
[0052] Inclined surfaces are formed between the glass supporting
surface and a vertical surface of the stepped support member, and
thereby interference between the glass substrate and the vertical
surface of the stepped support member can be minimized. Therefore,
it is easy to load the glass substrate into the glass cassette.
[0053] Since grooves are formed in an upper plate and lower plate
of the glass cassette, it is possible for spacing between side
plates facing each other to be varied. Since the stepped support
members are made of a resin, the glass substrate is prevented from
being damaged. Since PEEK is used as the resin, thermal deformation
of the stepped support members is prevented. A metal portion may be
included in the stepped support member, thus strength of the
stepped support member is reinforced.
[0054] Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have
been described, it can be obviously understood by those skilled in
the art that the present invention may be modified in various forms
without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *