KR101436627B1 - Method for cutting glass substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for cutting a glass substrate, capable of forming a through hole on a glass substrate used as a touch panel by using a laser beam, comprising an irradiating step, a heating step, a cooling step, a contracting step, and a separating step. The glass substrate is divided into a through hole cutting part arranged inside a line to be cut among the glass substrates, and a substrate main body part arranged outside the line to be cut among the glass substrates, by irradiating the line to be cut, of the through hole, with a first laser beam in the irradiating step. The through hole cutting part is heated at a temperature lower than a melting point of the glass substrate by irradiating the through hole cutting part with a second laser beam in the heating step. The through hole cutting part and the substrate main body part are cooled for a fixed time in the cooling step. The through hole cutting part and the substrate main body part are separated from each other as the volume of the through hole cutting part is contracted during the cooling step, in the contracting step. A through hole is formed as the contracted through hole cutting part is separated from the substrate main body part in the separating step.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for cutting a glass substrate,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a glass substrate cutting method, and more particularly, to a glass substrate cutting method for forming a through hole in a glass substrate used as a touch panel using a laser beam.

The touch panel includes a flat panel display device such as an electronic notebook, a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electroluminescence (EL) device and an image display device such as a CRT (Cathod Ray Tube) Is a simple and easy-to-use tool that is provided on a screen of a display unit to allow a user to select desired information while viewing the image display apparatus. In addition, since the input is possible without using a separate input device, And has been applied to various image display devices because of the convenience of being able to operate quickly and easily through the contents.

The above-mentioned touch panel is manufactured using a glass substrate. In order to manufacture a speaker hole or a button hole of a touch panel, a through hole is formed in the glass substrate.

If a through hole is formed by using a hard material such as diamond to form a through hole on a glass substrate, the cutting surface is sharp and irregular, so it is impossible to cut precisely and a separate polishing process is required Thereby reducing the efficiency of the process.

Further, when the laser beam is irradiated along the line along which the through-hole is to be cut and the glass substrate portion corresponding to the inside of the through-hole is to be separated from the main body portion of the glass substrate, it is not easily separated. Accordingly, it is possible to separate the glass substrate portion corresponding to the inside of the through hole from the glass substrate main body portion by applying mechanical stress. However, when mechanical stress is applied to the glass substrate portion corresponding to the inside of the through hole, cracks are generated at the interface of the through hole, There is a problem that the quality of a touch panel to be manufactured later deteriorates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a glass substrate, And a method of cutting a glass substrate capable of cutting a precise and minute cut, increasing the efficiency of a process, and improving the quality of a product made of a glass substrate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a glass substrate cutting method for forming a through hole in a glass substrate, the glass substrate cutting method comprising the steps of: irradiating a first laser beam along a line along which a through- An irradiating step of cutting the substrate to divide the glass substrate into a through-hole cut portion disposed in the glass substrate at the inside of the line along which the material is to be cut and a substrate body portion disposed outside the line to be cut in the glass substrate; A heating step of irradiating a second laser beam to the through-hole cutout portion disposed inside the line along which the object is intended to be cut to heat the through-hole cutout portion at a temperature lower than the melting point of the glass substrate; A cooling step of cooling the through hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion for a predetermined time; A shrinking step of shrinking the through-hole cut portion during the cooling step so that the through-hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion are spaced apart from each other; And a separating step of separating the through-hole cut portion from the substrate main body portion, wherein the cross-sectional area of the through-hole cutout portion irradiated with the second laser beam is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the through- .

In the glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention, in the heating step, the second laser beam may be outputted from the CO2 laser output portion.

In the glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention, the cooling step may cool the glass substrate at room temperature.

In the glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention, in the irradiating step, the first laser beam may be a vessel beam having a length equal to or longer than the thickness of the glass substrate.

The glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention is characterized in that the first laser beam is formed into a vessel beam by a convex excicon lens having a protruding conical exit surface and the Gaussian incident on the incidence surface of the convex excitonic lens A laser beam having an energy distribution of the shape can be formed into the vessel beam while being emitted from the exit surface of the convex excision lens.

The glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention is characterized in that the first laser beam has a concave exicon lens having a concave conical exit surface and a concave exicon lens arranged between the concave excicon lens and the glass substrate, And a laser beam incident on the incidence surface of the concave exicon lens is emitted from an exit surface of the concave exicon lens and is converged by the condenser lens, It can be molded into a vessel beam.

In the method of cutting a glass substrate according to the present invention, in the irradiation step, a plurality of foci may be formed at different positions along the thickness direction of the glass substrate.

A glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention includes: a condensing lens for condensing an incident laser beam toward the glass substrate; And a refraction member disposed on the lower side of the focusing lens and having a penetrating portion formed to penetrate therethrough and formed of a light transmitting material having a refractive index different from the refractive index of air, Wherein the laser beam passing through the refractive member forms a first focus on the glass substrate and the laser beam transmitted through the refractive member among the laser beam condensed by the condensing lens moves along the thickness direction of the glass substrate Position, the first laser beam can be formed.

The glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention can prevent defects and cracks from occurring due to no need to apply pressure to the glass substrate and can prevent degradation of the quality of a product made of a glass substrate, .

In addition, the glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention can precisely and finely cut the through-hole while the through-hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion are separated from each other, and the quality of the cut surface can be prevented from deteriorating.

In addition, the method of cutting a glass substrate according to the present invention can improve the quality of the cross-section of the through-hole cut portion and the substrate body portion while uniform energy is supplied to the entire cross-section of the glass substrate.

Also, in the glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention, a plurality of focal points are formed along the thickness direction of the substrate, so that the cut section quality of the substrate can be improved and the processing efficiency can be increased.

1 is a flowchart showing a glass substrate cutting method according to a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing the glass substrate cutting method of FIG. 1 in order;
FIG. 3 is a view showing a case where a glass substrate is irradiated with a first laser beam formed by a vessel beam in the glass substrate cutting method of FIG. 1,
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-sectional area of the through-hole cut portion irradiated with the second laser beam in the glass substrate cutting method of FIG. 1,
5 is a view illustrating a case where a glass substrate is irradiated with a first laser beam formed by a vessel beam in a glass substrate cutting method according to a second embodiment of the present invention,
6 is a view illustrating a case where a first laser beam having a plurality of focal points formed at different positions along a thickness direction of a glass substrate is irradiated onto the glass substrate in the glass substrate cutting method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the glass substrate cutting method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a glass substrate cutting method according to a first embodiment of the present invention in order; FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing the glass substrate cutting method of FIG. 1 in order; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross-sectional area of the through-hole cut portion irradiated with the second laser beam in the glass substrate cutting method of FIG. 1; FIG. Fig.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a glass substrate cutting method according to an embodiment of the present invention forms a through hole in a glass substrate used as a touch panel using a laser beam, and includes an irradiating step S110, a heating step S120 , A cooling step (S130), a contracting step (S140), and a separating step (S150).

The irradiating step S110 irradiates the first laser beam L1 along the line along which the object is to be cut 11 of the through hole 11 to irradiate the glass substrate 10 to the line along which the object is intended to be cut CL, And a substrate main body portion 10b disposed on the outside of the line along which the object is intended to be cut CL in the glass substrate 10. The through-hole cut-

2, the glass substrate 10 is divided into a through hole cutting portion 10a and a substrate body portion 10b with reference to a line along which the substrate is to be cut CL. In this case, the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate main body portion The contact surfaces of the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate body portion 10b are engaged with each other so that the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate body portion 10b are not separated from each other.

When the pressing force is applied to the through-hole cutting portion 10a to separate the through-hole cutting portion 10a from the substrate main body portion 10b of the glass substrate 10, the substrate main body portion 10b and the through-hole cutting portion 10a, The quality of a product made of the glass substrate 10 on which the through hole 11 is formed may be deteriorated.

In this embodiment, the first laser beam L1 is a vessel beam B having a length equal to or greater than the thickness of the glass substrate 10. [

Referring to FIG. 3, the first laser beam L1 is formed into a vessel beam B by a convex exiscon lens 110 having a protruding conical exit surface. Concretely, the laser beam L having the energy distribution of a gentle shape incident on the incident surface 111 of the convex excitonic lens 110 is emitted from the exit surface 112 of the convex excitonic lens 110 Bezel beam (B).

That is, the cut region CF of the laser beam L, which can uniformly maintain the energy intensity enough to cut the glass substrate 10, The glass substrate 10 is divided into the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b while irradiating the glass substrate 10 along the line along which the material is to be cut CL.

Since the energy intensity is substantially uniform in the cut region CF of the laser beam L, the first laser beam L1 in which the cut region CF of the laser beam L is extended by the thickness of the glass substrate 10 The glass substrate 10 can be divided into the through-hole cutout portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b while supplying uniform energy over the entire thickness direction of the glass substrate 10. [

The glass substrate 10 is divided into the through hole cutout portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b by using the first laser beam L1 formed by the vessel beam B, It is possible to improve the quality of the cross section of the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b while uniform energy is supplied.

The heating step S120 irradiates the second laser beam L2 to the through hole cutout portion 10a to heat the through hole cutout portion 10a at a temperature lower than the melting point of the glass substrate 10.

Here, the cross-sectional area CS irradiated with the second laser beam L2 on the through-hole cutout 10a is preferably smaller than the cross-sectional area of the through-hole cutout 10a.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the cross-sectional area CS irradiated with the second laser beam L2 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the through-hole cutout 10a. 4B, if the cross-sectional area CS irradiated with the second laser beam L2 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the through-hole cutout portion 10a, the substrate main body portion 10b close to the line along which the cut is intended to be cut CL, The substrate main body portion 10b can be heated while the heat is transferred to a part of the through hole cut portion 10a. The cross sectional area CS irradiated with the second laser beam L2 is smaller than the cross sectional area of the through hole cutout portion 10a in order to prevent a portion of the substrate main body portion 10b close to the line along which the substrate is to be cut CL from being heated. Is small.

The second laser beam L2 is output from the CO2 laser output unit. CO2 laser is a high-efficiency laser with high conversion efficiency from electric energy to light energy.

In the cooling step (S130), the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b are cooled for a predetermined time. Here, it is preferable that the through hole cutout portion 10a of the glass substrate 10 and the substrate main body portion 10b are cooled at room temperature. When the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b are cooled, the through hole cutting portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b can be cooled by using cooling water or cold air.

In the shrinking step S140, the through hole cutout portion 10a is shrunk in the cooling step S130, and the through hole cutout portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b are separated from each other.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is no change in the state of the substrate body portion 10a during cooling of the glass substrate 10, but the volume of the heated through hole cut portion 10a shrinks as it is cooled. Accordingly, a minute space is formed between the contact surfaces of the through-hole cutout portions 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b which are engaged in the interference fit state, and the through hole cutout portions 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b are separated from each other.

The through hole cut portion 10a which is engaged with the substrate main body portion 10b in the interference fit state is contracted so that the through hole cut portion 10a and the substrate main body portion 10b are separated from each other, It is possible to perform fine cutting and prevent degradation of the quality of the cut surface.

In the separating step S150, the through hole 11 is formed while the shrunken through hole cutting portion 10a is separated from the substrate main body portion 10b.

The through hole cut portion 10a and the substrate body portion 10b are spaced apart from each other and the through hole cut portion 10a which is engaged with the substrate main body portion 10b in an interference fit state is formed as the through hole cut portion 10a is contracted in volume, And the through holes 11 are formed in the glass substrate 10. The through-holes 11 are formed in the glass substrate 10 as shown in FIG.

It is not necessary to apply pressure to the glass substrate 10 because the through hole cutout portion 10a is easily separated from the substrate main body portion 10b so that it is possible to prevent defects and cracks from being generated, The quality of the product can be prevented from deteriorating and the efficiency of the process can be increased.

5 is a view illustrating a case where a glass substrate is irradiated with a first laser beam formed by a vessel beam in a glass substrate cutting method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 5, the members denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in Figs. 1 to 4 have the same configuration and function, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The first laser beam L1 in the irradiating step of this embodiment is a vessel beam B having a length equal to or greater than the thickness of the glass substrate 10.

5, the first laser beam L1 includes a concave exicon lens 210 having a concave conical exit surface 212 and a concave exicon lens 210 between the concave exicon lens 210 and the glass substrate 10. [ And is formed into a vessel beam B by a converging lens 220 which converges the laser beam L passed through the concave axial lens 210. [ Specifically, the laser beam L incident on the incident surface 211 of the concave axial lens 210 is emitted from the exit surface 212 of the concave axial lens 210 and is converged by the condenser lens 220 Bezel beam (B).

The laser beam L having a Gaussian energy distribution incident on the incidence surface 211 of the concave exicon lens 210 travels along the optical axis C and reaches the exit surface 212 of the concave exicon lens 210. [ And is deflected toward the direction away from the vertex of the cone by the depressed cone shape of the cone. The refracted laser beam L advances in the direction away from the vertex of the conical shape and then converges to the optical axis C by the condenser lens 220 so that the beam of the Bessel beam B May be formed.

Similarly, by varying the conical angle of the exit surface 212 of the concave exicon lens 210, the length of the vessel beam B can be changed. When the thickness of the glass substrate 10 to be cut is changed, the laser beam L is changed over to the thickness of the modified glass substrate 10 by changing the conical shape of the exit surface 212 to a concave exicon lens having a different angle Can be formed into a vessel beam (B) having a length.

In constructing an actual glass substrate cutting apparatus, a certain space may be required between the optical system for molding the vessel beam B and the glass substrate 10. [

3, when the vessel beam B is formed using the convex excitonic lens 110, the vessel beam B is formed just below the exit surface of the convex excitonic lens 110, There may be a restriction on the space in which a separate construction unit such as an inspection unit for monitoring the cutting process can be installed in order to improve the function of the substrate cutting apparatus. Also, in the course of loading and unloading the glass substrate 10, there is a risk of collision between the glass substrate 10 and the optical system for molding the vessel beam B.

In the present embodiment, the vessel lens B is formed by using the optical system including the concave axial lens 210 and the condenser lens 220 so that the optical system for forming the vessel substrate 10 and the vessel lens B A certain space can be secured. This makes it possible to secure a space for installing various separate constituent units and to prevent the risk of collision.

The spatial distance between the glass substrate 10 and the optical system for molding the vessel beam B can be variously adjusted by adjusting the angle of the exit surface of the concave axial lens 210 or the focal length of the condenser lens 220 .

6 is a view illustrating a case where a first laser beam having a plurality of focal points formed at different positions along a thickness direction of a glass substrate is irradiated onto the glass substrate in the glass substrate cutting method according to the third embodiment of the present invention to be. In Fig. 6, the members denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in Figs. 1 to 4 have the same configuration and function, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The first laser beam L1 in the irradiating step of this embodiment is a laser beam in which a plurality of focal points are formed at different positions along the thickness direction of the glass substrate 10 and the converging lens 310 and the refraction member 320 .

The condenser lens 310 condenses the incident laser beam L onto the glass substrate 10 side. Here, the refractive member 320 is formed of a light-transmitting material having a penetration portion 320a disposed below the condenser lens 310 and penetrating therethrough and having a refractive index different from that of the air.

6, a laser beam L passing through the penetration portion 320a of the laser beam condensed by the condenser lens 310 forms a first focus f1 on the glass substrate 10, The laser beam L transmitted through the refractive member 320 among the laser beams L condensed by the condensing lens 310 is incident on the glass substrate 10 along the thickness direction thereof at a position different from the first focus f1, (f2, f2 '), whereby the first laser beam L1 is formed.

The refractive members 320 may be arranged in a plurality of directions along the optical axis RA of the condenser lens 310. The diameter of the penetrating portion 320a may be gradually increased along the advancing direction of the laser beam L Or smaller.

A plurality of second focuses f2 and f2 'are formed along the thickness direction of the glass substrate 10 by arranging a plurality of refractive members 320 along the optical axis RA of the condensing lens 310, The cut section quality of the cutting tool 10 can be improved and the machining efficiency can be increased.

In the glass substrate cutting method constructed as described above, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects and cracks because it is not necessary to apply pressure to the glass substrate by easily separating the through-hole cut portion from the substrate main body portion, It is possible to prevent deterioration of the quality of the semiconductor device and increase the efficiency of the process.

Further, in the glass substrate cutting method constructed as described above, the through-hole cut portion engaged with the substrate main body portion in the interference fit state is contracted, so that the through-hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion are separated from each other and the through hole can be precisely and finely cut And the quality of the cut surface can be prevented from being lowered.

Further, in the glass substrate cutting method constructed as described above, the glass substrate is divided into the through-hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion by using the first laser beam formed by the vesselel beam, uniform energy is supplied to the entire cross- It is possible to obtain an effect of improving the quality of the cross section of the through hole cutting portion and the substrate main body portion.

Further, in the glass substrate cutting method configured as described above, the glass substrate is divided into the through hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion by the laser beam in which a plurality of focal points are formed at different positions along the thickness direction of the glass substrate, A plurality of focal points may be formed along the glass substrate to improve the quality of the cut surface of the glass substrate and increase the processing efficiency.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, but can be implemented in various forms of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

10: glass substrate
10a: Through hole cutting section
10b:
11: Through hole
L1: the first laser beam
L2: the second laser beam
CL: Line to be cut

Claims (8)

A glass substrate cutting method for forming a through hole in a glass substrate,
Cutting the glass substrate while irradiating a first laser beam along a line along which the through-hole of the through-hole is to be cut, the through-hole cutting portion of the glass substrate being disposed inside the line along which the object is to be cut, An irradiation step of dividing the substrate into a substrate body part arranged on the outside of the line;
A heating step of irradiating a second laser beam to the through hole cut portion to heat the through hole cut portion to a temperature lower than a melting point of the glass substrate;
A cooling step of cooling the through hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion for a predetermined time;
A shrinking step of shrinking the through-hole cut portion during the cooling step so that the through-hole cut portion and the substrate main body portion are spaced apart from each other; And
And a separating step of separating the shrunken through-hole cut-out portion from the substrate main body portion to form the through-hole,
Wherein a cross-sectional area of the through-hole cutout portion irradiated with the second laser beam is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the through-hole cutout portion. The method according to claim 1,
In the heating step,
And the second laser beam is output from the CO2 laser output unit. The method according to claim 1,
The cooling step includes:
Wherein the glass substrate is cooled at room temperature. The method according to claim 1,
In the irradiation step,
Wherein the first laser beam is a vessel beam having a length longer than the thickness of the glass substrate. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first laser beam is formed into a vessel beam by a convex excicon lens having a protruding conical exit surface,
Wherein a laser beam having a Gaussian energy distribution incident on an incident surface of the convex lens is emitted from the exit surface of the convex lens and is formed into the vessel beam. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first laser beam comprises a concave exocrine lens having a concave conical exit surface and a condenser lens disposed between the concave excicon lens and the glass substrate and converging a laser beam passed through the concave exicon lens Shaped by a vessel beam,
Wherein a laser beam incident on an incident surface of the concave axial lens is emitted from an exit surface of the concave axial lens and is converged by the focusing lens to be formed into the vessel beam. The method according to claim 1,
In the irradiation step,
Wherein the first laser beam is a laser beam having a plurality of focal points formed at different positions along a thickness direction of the glass substrate. 8. The method of claim 7,
A condenser lens for condensing an incident laser beam toward the glass substrate; And
And a refraction member disposed on the lower side of the condenser lens and having a penetrating portion penetrating therethrough and formed of a light transmitting material having a refractive index different from the refractive index of air,
Wherein a laser beam passing through the penetrating portion of the laser beam condensed by the condensing lens forms a first focus on the glass substrate and a laser beam of the laser beam condensed by the condensing lens, Wherein the first laser beam is formed by forming a second focus at a position different from the first focus along the thickness direction of the substrate.

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