JP2005330113A - Method for bonding quartz glass - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for bonding quartz glass without using a resin-made adhesive. <P>SOLUTION: This method for bonding quartz glass plates 10 and 12 comprises forming thin films 11 and 13 on the surfaces of the two quartz glass plates 10 and 12, respectively with a material having a lower softening point than the quartz glass plate, superimposing the quartz glass plates 10 and 12 so that the thin films 11 and 13 oppose each other, and treating them by annealing at a temperature in the vicinity of the softening point of the thin film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for joining quartz glass for joining quartz glasses together.

  Conventionally, quartz glass has been joined using a resin adhesive. For example, when producing an optical waveguide consisting of a core and a clad, a groove is formed in the surface of the glass substrate, a resin having a higher refractive index than that of glass is filled in the groove, and another glass substrate is laminated and adhered to the coated surface. However, there is a method of forming an optical waveguide by curing a resin as an adhesive. In this method, the resin serves as an adhesive for joining the glass substrates, and the resin itself serves as a core (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In addition, in a method for bonding quartz glass using a resin, there is also a bonding method in which quartz glass substrates that are superposed via a resin adhesive are brought into close contact with each other under vacuum (for example, see Patent Document 3).

JP-A-6-88914 JP-A-11-52159 JP 2001-337239 A

  However, in a method in which a resin adhesive is attached to the bonding surface of the quartz glass and the quartz glasses are bonded to each other, the usage environment of the quartz glass after bonding may be determined by the characteristics of the adhesive. In addition, there is a problem that there is no method for joining quartz glasses in an environment where resin cannot be used. Furthermore, in joining of glass plates that have irregularities processed on one or both of the joining surfaces of quartz glass, it is difficult to join the resin adhesive so that the resin does not enter the concave portion of the quartz glass. Met.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a method for joining quartz glass that can be joined without using a resin adhesive.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 forms a thin film on a surface of two quartz glass plates with a material having a softening point lower than that of the quartz glass plate, and the quartz glass plates are arranged so that the thin films face each other. This is a quartz glass joining method in which quartz glass plates are joined together by performing an annealing process at a temperature near the softening point of the thin film.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the thin film, the quartz glass is formed of a quartz-based material in which GeO ₂ , P ₂ O ₅ , B ₂ O ₃ or the like is added to SiO ₂ in order to lower the softening point. Is the method.

  The invention of claim 3 is a method for joining quartz glass, wherein the thin film is formed by any one of a flame deposition method, a CVD method, an electron beam evaporation method, and a sputtering method.

  The invention of claim 4 is a method for joining quartz glass, wherein the annealing treatment is performed within a temperature range of 600 to 1200 ° C.

  According to this invention, the outstanding effect that quartz glass can be joined without using resin-made adhesive agents is exhibited.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIGS. 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views showing a bonding process of a method for bonding quartz glass according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the quartz glass bonding method according to the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 1A, the thin film 11 is formed on the surface of the quartz glass plate 10 with a material having a softening point lower than that of the quartz glass plate 10. The thin film 11 is formed by a flame deposition method, a CVD method, an EB (electron beam) evaporation method, a sputtering method, or the like. Thin film 11 is formed of a silica-based material _{P 2 O 5, B 2 O} 3, GeO 2 or the like is added to SiO ₂ in order to lower the softening point of SiO _2. Further, a thin film 13 is similarly formed on the surface of another quartz glass plate 12 bonded to the quartz glass plate 10. At this time, the softening points of the thin films 11 and 13 formed on the surfaces of the two quartz glass plates 10 and 12 may not be the same. That is, the kind and concentration of the additive material added to the thin film may be different.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the quartz glass plates 10 and 12 on which the thin films 11 and 13 are formed are overlapped so that the thin films face each other. The stacked quartz glass plates 10 and 12 are annealed at a temperature near the higher softening point of the thin film. The annealing treatment is preferably performed within a temperature range of 600 to 1200 ° C.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, the thin films 11 and 13 are softened and melted by the annealing process to become an integrated thin film layer 15, and the quartz glass plates 10 and 12 are joined via the thin film layer 15.

  In the quartz glass bonding method of the present embodiment, in order to prevent the quartz glass from cracking due to thermal expansion during the annealing process, two quartz glass plates having a thin film formed on the surface are subjected to the annealing process. This is because, in a method in which a thin film is formed on the surface of one quartz glass plate and the other quartz glass plate is directly stacked on the thin film and annealed, a large strain is caused at the interface between the thin film and the stacked quartz glass. This is because it occurs.

  In the quartz glass bonding method of the present embodiment, glass plates can be bonded to each other without using a resin adhesive, and the glass can be bonded even in an environment where the resin cannot be used. In addition, a device manufactured using a quartz glass plate bonded by this method is not affected by the characteristics (such as optical characteristics) of the resin adhesive.

  Next, another embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing another preferred embodiment of the method for bonding quartz glass according to the present invention.

  The basic bonding process is substantially the same as the method for bonding quartz glass of FIG. 1 described above, but differs in that the quartz glass plates 10 and 12 are processed. As shown in FIG. 2A, the thin film 21 is formed on the surface of the quartz glass plate 20 as described above, and the box-shaped recess 24 is formed in the quartz glass plate 20 by etching or the like. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2B, a recess 25 is also formed in the quartz glass plate 22 having a thin film 23 formed on the surface. Although the recessed part 25 was formed larger than the recessed part 24, the shape of the recessed part 24 and the recessed part 25 may be the same or different.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the quartz glass plates 20 and 22 are stacked so that the thin films 21 and 23 face each other, and the stacked quartz glass plates 20 and 22 are heated to a temperature near the higher softening point of the thin film. Annealing is performed at

  After the annealing treatment, as shown in FIG. 2D, the quartz glass plates 20 and 22 are joined through a thin film layer 27 in which the thin film is softened and melted, and the hollow portions 26 are formed in the joined quartz glass plates 20 and 22. Is formed.

  The quartz glass bonding method of the present embodiment has the same effects as those of the previous embodiment. Furthermore, since the quartz-based material is used for the bonding, the hollow portion 26 can be formed without the adhesive entering the recesses 24 and 25. That is, if a thin film is formed on a quartz glass plate, a desired pattern is formed, and the quartz glass plates are joined together, a minute three-dimensional structure can be produced in the quartz glass.

  The quartz glass bonding method described in the above embodiment includes an optical device used for optical communication and an electrophoresis method for separating charged substances such as ions, organic acids, amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The present invention can also be applied to the production of a quartz microchip used in the manufacturing process.

(A)-(c) is sectional drawing which shows the joining process of the joining method of the quartz glass of suitable embodiment. (A)-(d) is sectional drawing which shows the joining process of the joining method of the quartz glass of other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10,12 Quartz glass plate 11,13 Thin film

Claims (4)

  A thin film is formed on the surface of two quartz glass plates with a material having a softening point lower than that of the quartz glass plate, and the quartz glass plates are stacked so that the thin films face each other, and annealing treatment is performed at a temperature near the softening point of the thin film. A method for joining quartz glass, characterized by joining quartz glass plates together. The thin film, in order to lower the softening _{point, GeO 2, P 2 O 5} , B 2 bonding method of the quartz glass of claim 1, wherein the O ₃ or the like is formed from silica-based material added to SiO _2.   The method for bonding quartz glass according to claim 1, wherein the thin film is formed by any one of a flame deposition method, a CVD method, an electron beam evaporation method, and a sputtering method. The method for bonding quartz glass according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the annealing treatment is performed in a temperature range of 600 to 1200 ° C.

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