JP2006175847A - System for cutting brittle material and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for cutting a brittle material, capable of realizing a high-quality and high-speed cutting at the periphery of a cutting workpiece substrate without generating an uncut residue at a terminal part (the part positioned on the cutting end point side of cutting) and without generating a curve in a crack (a fracturing line). <P>SOLUTION: A substrate holding mechanism 10 is provided with an end material clamper 12 for the cutting workpiece substrate 51, a height holder 19, and a terminal part holder 70. The portions in the pressurizing bar 14 of the end material clamper 12 and in an end material holder 15 being brought into contact with the cutting workpiece substrate 51 are fitted with resin materials 14a, 15a having relatively high rigidity. The height holder 19 is made of a low friction material which accommodates horizontal movement of the cutting workpiece substrate 51 during cutting. The terminal part holder 70 arrests a part of the side estranged from the end material clamper 12 using a projected line of cutting 61 as reference in the terminal part of the cutting workpiece substrate 51, and the upper surface of the cutting workpiece substrate 51 is pressurized towards the height holder 19. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaving system in which a processing substrate made of a brittle material (hard and brittle material) is locally heated, and the processing substrate is cracked by the thermal stress. The cleaving process such as the cutting process at the edge of the processed substrate does not leave a cut at the end part (the part located on the cutting end point side of the cleaving process), and the crack (breaking line at the end part) The present invention relates to a brittle material cleaving system and method that can be realized at high speed and at high speed without causing the bending of

  Conventionally, as a method of cleaving glass substrates used in liquid crystal display panels and plasma display panels, a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate is locally heated and cooled, and thermal stress (tensile stress) generated at that time Has proposed a method of cleaving by generating cracks in the substrate to be processed.

  In such a conventional cleaving method, for example, the substrate to be processed is locally heated by irradiating the substrate to be processed placed on a stage with a laser beam, and the local heating is performed. The substrate to be processed is cracked by thermal stress (tensile stress) generated in the cracked region. In addition, by moving the region heated locally on the substrate to be processed along the planned cutting line, the crack generated in the processed substrate is propagated along the planned cutting line. In this case, when the locally heated region of the substrate to be processed is locally cooled by spraying a coolant or the like, the thermal stress (tensile stress) generated in the region can be further increased. The progress of cracks can be promoted.

  By the way, in such a conventional cleaving method, in order to cleave the substrate to be processed with high accuracy, it is necessary to accurately develop a crack generated in the substrate to be processed along the planned cutting line.

  As a conventional technique for this purpose, for example, a technique as described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. However, in this technique, when the center portion of the substrate to be processed is cleaved, the crack progresses with high accuracy. However, the crack propagation path is curved when the edge of the substrate to be processed is cleaved as in the cut-off process, and accurate straightness cannot be obtained.

Under such a background, the present inventors previously applied Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-269215 as a technique for realizing high-quality and high-speed cutting processing such as cutting-off processing at the edge of the substrate to be processed. The method described in the issue was proposed.
JP 2002-110589 A

  The present invention is a further improvement of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-269215, in which cleaving processing such as cut-off processing at the edge of the substrate to be processed is performed at the end portion (portion located at the processing end point side of cleaving processing). A brittle material cleaving system and method that can be realized with high quality and high speed without generating any uncut parts and without generating cracks (breaking lines) at the end. The purpose is to provide.

  As a first solution, the present invention provides a cleaving system in which a substrate to be processed made of a brittle material is locally heated, and the substrate to be processed is cracked by the thermal stress. A substrate holding mechanism for holding a processed substrate, and cleaving the substrate to be processed by locally irradiating the substrate to be processed by irradiating a laser beam onto the substrate to be processed held by the substrate holding mechanism. A processing unit that performs processing, and the substrate holding mechanism so that a region in which heating is locally performed on the substrate to be processed by the processing unit unit moves along a planned cutting line of the substrate to be processed. The processing unit is configured to move relative to each other, and the substrate holding mechanism has an edge of the substrate to be processed on one surface of the substrate to be processed and the opposite side thereof. An end material clamper that is held from both sides of the other surface, and provided on a side that is separated from the end material clamper with reference to a planned cutting line extending along the edge of the substrate to be processed, and is supported by the end material clamper. A height holder for supporting the other surface of the substrate to be processed, and a terminal portion restraining mechanism for restraining a terminal portion located on the processing end point side of the cleaving processing of the substrate to be processed, At least a portion of the material clamper that is in contact with the substrate to be processed is made of an elastic material having a relatively high rigidity, and the height holder is arranged so that the substrate to be processed is displaced along the extending surface during cleaving. The substrate is supported so as to be horizontally movable, and the termination portion restraining mechanism restrains a portion of the termination portion of the substrate to be processed on the side separated from the end material clamper with respect to the planned cutting line. Providing splitting processing system to.

  In the first solving means described above, it is preferable that the termination portion restraining mechanism restrains a part of the substrate to be processed by applying an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction orthogonal to the plane. . Specifically, the termination portion restraining mechanism includes a termination portion holder that pressurizes the one surface of the substrate to be processed toward the height holder, and the other surface of the substrate to be processed as the height holder. It is preferable that the vacuum suction mechanism sucks toward the surface.

  In the first solving means described above, it is preferable that the terminal portion restraining mechanism restrains a part of the substrate to be processed by applying an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction parallel to the plane. . Specifically, it is preferable that the termination portion restraining mechanism is a termination portion guide that pressurizes a side surface of the substrate to be processed located on the termination portion side along the direction of the planned cutting line.

  Furthermore, in the first solving means described above, it is preferable that the processing unit unit cools the region by spraying a coolant on the region that is locally heated on the substrate to be processed. Moreover, it is preferable that the holding width in the said edge part of the said to-be-processed substrate by the said end material clamper is 10 mm or less. Furthermore, the elastic material preferably has a Young's modulus in the range of 10 to several thousand MPa.

  As a second solution, the present invention provides a cleaving method in which a substrate to be processed made of a brittle material is locally heated, and the substrate to be processed is cracked by the thermal stress. A holding step of holding a target substrate to be processed by a substrate holding mechanism, and a laser beam is irradiated on the substrate to be processed held in the holding step to locally heat the substrate to be processed. A cutting step of moving a region where heating is locally performed on the substrate to be processed along a planned cutting line extending along an edge of the substrate to be processed, and the substrate to be processed is held in the holding step. The substrate holding mechanism for holding the edge clamper holds the edge portion of the substrate to be processed from both sides of one surface of the substrate to be processed and the other surface opposite thereto, and the edge portion of the substrate to be processed. Extending along A height holder that is provided on the side away from the end material clamper with reference to the planned cutting line and supports the other surface of the substrate to be processed supported by the end material clamper, and cleaving processing of the substrate to be processed An end portion restraining mechanism for restraining the end portion located on the processing end point side, and at least a portion of the end material clamper that contacts the substrate to be processed is made of an elastic material having a relatively high rigidity, and The holder supports the substrate to be processed so that the substrate to be processed is displaced along the extending surface at the time of cleaving, and the terminal portion restraining mechanism is configured to include the terminal portion of the substrate to be processed. There is provided a cleaving method characterized in that a part of the side separated from the end material clamper is constrained on the basis of a cleaving line.

  In the second solving means described above, the termination portion restraining mechanism for restraining a part of the substrate to be processed in the holding step applies an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction perpendicular to the plane. It is preferable.

  In the second solving means described above, the terminal portion restraining mechanism for restraining a part of the substrate to be processed in the holding step applies an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction parallel to the plane. It is preferable.

  Furthermore, in the above-described second solving means, it is preferable that the region is cooled by spraying a coolant on the region heated locally on the substrate to be processed in the cleaving step. Moreover, it is preferable that the holding width in the said edge part of the said to-be-processed substrate by the said end material clamper is 10 mm or less. Furthermore, the elastic material preferably has a Young's modulus in the range of 10 to several thousand MPa.

  According to the present invention, one surface and the other surface of the edge portion of the substrate to be processed are held by the resin material made of a relatively rigid elastic material attached to the end material clamper, and Since the other surface is supported by a height holder made of a low friction material that allows horizontal movement of the substrate to be processed at the time of cleaving, cleaving at the edge of the substrate to be processed (for example, 10 mm width or less) It is possible to realize high-quality and high-speed cutting-off processing that removes the width portion.

  Further, according to the present invention, the edge of the substrate to be processed is held by the resin material made of a relatively rigid elastic material attached to the end material clamper. And the degree of freedom in the thickness direction and the extension direction is suppressed. For this reason, the tensile stress generated in the planned cutting line of the substrate to be processed mainly acts in the left-right direction of the substrate to be processed (the direction in which the crack is opened), and the end of the substrate to be processed is likely to be left uncut. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of uncut portions at the part (the part located on the side of the cutting end point of the cleaving process). In addition, the terminal portion (part on the side away from the end material clamper with respect to the planned cutting line) is sandwiched between the terminal portion restraining mechanism and the height holder. Therefore, the displacement at the base material side end point of the substrate to be processed, which is generated as a result of the base material side of the substrate to be processed (the portion that is not the end material side to be cut off) opened outward, can be reduced. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the sharp curve of the crack in the termination | terminus part of a to-be-processed substrate can be prevented effectively, and a crack can be advanced linearly with sufficient precision to the last. In addition, since the base material side end point of the substrate to be processed is sandwiched between the end portion restraining mechanism and the height holder, the rigidity at the end portion of the planned cutting line of the substrate to be processed is increased, and the end portion Can be ensured, and the occurrence of uncut residue at the end portion of the substrate to be processed (the portion located on the processing end point side of the cleaving processing) can be more effectively prevented.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of a cleaving system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaving system 1 according to the present embodiment locally heats a work substrate 51 made of a brittle material such as glass and cracks the work substrate 51 by the thermal stress. The substrate holding mechanism 10 that holds the substrate 51 to be processed, and the processing unit 5 that performs the cutting process on the substrate 51 that is held by the substrate holding mechanism 10. And. Here, a glass substrate is used as the substrate 51 to be cut.

  Among these, the substrate holding mechanism 10 includes an end material clamper 12 that holds the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed from both the upper surface of the substrate 51 and the lower surface on the opposite side, and the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed. A height holder 19 that is provided on the side separated from the end material clamper 12 with respect to the planned cutting line 61 that extends, and supports the lower surface of the processed substrate 51 supported by the end material clamper 12, And an end portion holder (end portion restraining mechanism) 70 for restraining the end portion located on the side of the cutting end point of the cleaving process. The end material clamper 12 and each height holder 19 are both fixed on the base 11, and the substrate 51 to be processed placed on the end material clamper 12 and each height holder 19 is attached to the base 11. Its height is determined to be parallel.

  Here, the end material clamper 12 pressurizes the upper surface of the processed substrate 51 so as to sandwich the processed substrate 51 between the end material holder 15 that supports the lower surface of the processed substrate 51 and the end material holder 15. Pressure bar 14.

Resin materials 14 a and 15 a are attached to portions of the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 that are in contact with the substrate 51 to be processed. In addition, it is preferable that the resin materials 14a and 15a consist of an elastic material with comparatively high rigidity, and the Young's modulus is in the range of 10 to several thousand MPa (1 MPa = 1 × 10 ⁺⁹ N / m ² ). Here, the resin materials 14a and 15a are preferably made of the same material. More specifically, as the resin materials 14a and 15a, it is preferable to use a fluorine-based resin (PTFE such as Teflon (registered trademark), PCTFE, PFA, etc.), polyacetal resin (POM), MC nylon, or the like. Here, when listing Young's modulus of typical materials, PTFE is 0.3 to 0.6 GPa (1 GPa = 1 × 10 ⁺¹² N / m ² ), and polyethylene is 0.4 to 1.3 GPa. On the other hand, iron (steel) is 200 to 220 GPa, copper is 130 GPa, and rubber is several MPa.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the resin materials 14a and 15a have the thickness in the range of several tenths of mm to 10 mm. Here, if the thickness of the resin material 14a, 15a is too thin, the substrate 51 is likely to be damaged when pressed, and the degree of deformation at the portions held by the resin material 14a, 15a is insufficient. It becomes. Conversely, if the thickness of the resin materials 14a and 15a becomes too thick, the degree of deformation in the portion of the substrate 51 to be processed held by the resin materials 14a and 15a increases, and the planned cutting line of the substrate 51 to be processed Deformation at the left and right portions across 61 is asymmetric.

  Here, the pressure bar 14 is made of an integral rigid body so as to press the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed over the entire length of the substrate 51, and is not pressurized by the pressure bar 14. Then, it is attached in a state where it floats about several mm from the upper surface of the substrate 51 to be processed. The pressure bar 14 is preferably made of a metal having a Young's modulus of 100 GPa or more. Moreover, it is preferable that the holding width in the edge part of the to-be-processed substrate 51 clamped by the pressurization bar 14 and the end material holder 15 is 10 mm or less. Specifically, for example, when a cut-off process is performed to remove a portion having a width of 10 mm at the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed, the holding width at the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed is preferably about several mm. In this case, only a portion having a width of several mm among the portions having a width of 10 mm from the end side of the substrate to be processed 51 to the planned cutting line 61 is held by the pressure bar 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the lever shaft 13 supported by the support mechanism 17 is attached to the upper portion of the pressure bar 14. The other end of the lever shaft 13, a load sensor 18 which is pushed by the rod 16a of the motor 16 is incorporated, the fulcrum of the lever shaft 13 by moving the other end of the lever shaft 13 (force point N ₁₎ upward N Rotate around ₄ . At this time, the rotational movement of the rotor (not shown) rotated by the applied signal given from the outside is moved inside the motor 16 through the linear movement of the rod 16a via a speed reducer (not shown) such as a gear. A structure is provided for conversion to At this time, if a feedback circuit using an input signal to the motor 16 and an output signal from the load sensor 18 is configured by a control circuit (not shown), the other end (force N ₁ ) of the lever shaft 13 is required. it can be pushed in the target load W _1.

When the lever shaft 13 in this manner is rotated around the fulcrum N _4, by one end of the lever shaft 13 (action point N ₂₎ is moved downward, the pressure bar 14 is pushed by the lever shaft 13, the pressure The bar 14 moves downward to sandwich the substrate 51 to be processed with the end material holder 15. At this time, the load W ₁ applied to the other end (the force point N ₁ ) of the lever shaft 13 acts on one end (the operating point N ₂ ) of the lever shaft 13 as a load corresponding to the lever ratio of the lever shaft 13. In particular, the edge (pressure point N ₃ ) of the substrate 51 to be processed is pressurized with a desired load (force F ₁ ).

Here, since the distance between the fulcrum N ₄ of the lever shaft 13 and the action point N ₂ is longer than the distance that the action point N ₂ moves, the pressure bar 14 is in the vertical direction of the substrate 51 to be processed. Move almost parallel. As a result, the resin material 14 a attached to the pressure bar 14 and the upper surface of the substrate 51 to be processed come into uniform contact, and an equal load can be applied to the substrate 51 to be processed.

A plurality of lever shafts 13 that pressurize the pressure bar 14 in this way are arranged along the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed, and the upper portion of the pressure bar 14 corresponds to the number of lever shafts 13. Pressure can be applied only at the point. As a result, the load applied to the substrate 51 by the pressure bar 14 can be made uniform regardless of the location. On the contrary, by disposing the pressurization points by the lever shaft 13 unevenly, the cutting processing points P ₁ and P ₃ (corresponding to the processing start point and processing end point in the edge portion of the substrate 51 to be processed). the load in points), such as in the weakly or strongly than the load at the breaking machining point P ₂ of the central portion, it is also possible to vary the load to be applied to the processing substrate 51 by the pressure bar 14 by location .

  The height holder 19 supports the workpiece substrate 51 so that the workpiece substrate 51 is displaced along the extending surface during cleaving, and at least the workpiece substrate of the height holder 19 is supported. The portion in contact with 51 is preferably made of a low friction material that allows horizontal movement of the substrate 51 to be processed during cleaving. Specifically, for example, the upper surface of the metal height holder 19 is polished to reduce the friction coefficient of the upper surface, or a resin coat is applied to the upper surface of the height holder 19 to reduce the friction coefficient of the upper surface. Is preferred. In this case, the upper surface of the height holder 19 preferably has a friction coefficient in the range of 0.1 or less. Thereby, the friction between the upper surface of the height holder 19 and the workpiece substrate 51 made of glass or the like is reduced, and both can be relatively slid (moved horizontally). In addition, as a resin coat given to the upper surface of the height holder 19, it is preferable to use fluorine resin (PTFE such as Teflon (registered trademark), PCTFE, PFA, or the like). As the height holder 19, a material made of a low friction material as described above is used, and a portion of the height holder 19 that comes into contact with the substrate to be processed 51 (upper part of the height holder 19) A soft deformation member made of an elastic body that allows horizontal movement of the workpiece substrate 51 is provided, and the workpiece substrate 51 is moved horizontally on the height holder 19 so that the workpiece substrate 51 has its extended surface during cleaving. You may make it displace along.

  The end portion holder 70 is a side of the end portion of the substrate 51 to be separated from the end material clamper 12 with reference to the planned cutting line 61 by applying an external force to the substrate 51 from the direction orthogonal to the plane. The upper surface of the substrate 51 to be processed is pressed toward the height holder 19 (the height holder 19 closest to the planned cutting line 61 in FIG. 1).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the terminal end holder 70 is supported by a pair of support plates 72 fixed to the end of the height holder 19, and these support plates 72 via a support shaft 73. And a pressing bar 71. The presser bar 71 is configured to rotate around a support shaft 73 by a motor (not shown), and one end of the presser bar 71 moves downward to work with the height holder 19. The substrate 51 is sandwiched. At this time, one end of the pressing bar 71 pressurizes the upper surface of the substrate 51 to be processed with a desired load (force F ₂ ).

  Here, a portion of the holding bar 71 of the end holder 70 that contacts the substrate 51 to be processed (for example, a portion having a length of about several tens mm to several mm from the side surface located on the end portion side of the substrate 51 to be processed). ) Is attached with a resin material 71a. In addition, as the resin material 71a, it is preferable to use a fluorine-type resin (PTFE, PCTFE, PFA). However, when the material of the holding bar 71 is a material suitable for sandwiching the substrate 51 to be processed (for example, phosphor bronze), the resin material 71a is not necessarily used.

  The resin material 71a preferably has a thickness in the range of several mm to several tens of mm. Here, if the thickness of the resin material 71a is too thin, scratches and the like are likely to occur when the substrate 51 is pressed. On the other hand, if the thickness of the resin material 71a becomes too thick, the degree of deformation at the portion of the substrate 51 to be processed held by the resin material 71a increases, and the substrate 51 to be processed tends to be insufficient.

  In addition, it is not necessary to provide any special member in the portion of the height holder 19 that faces the end portion holder 70, but the rigidity is controlled by providing a resin material or the like, or a resin coat is applied to the upper surface of the portion. And the friction coefficient of the upper surface may be reduced. As a result, it is possible to perform non-linear control in which after a certain breaking force is elastically deformed, a slip action is generated beyond that.

  Next, the processing unit 5 for cleaving the substrate 51 to be processed held by the substrate holding mechanism 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 5 includes a preheating unit 20, a heating unit 30, and a cooling unit 40, and these units relatively move along a planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be processed. It is configured as follows. Note that the preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40 are arranged in a straight line in this order from the head side to the tail side in the movement direction on the substrate 51 to be processed.

The preheating unit 20 is for irradiating a laser beam LB ₁ on the substrate 51 to locally preheat the substrate 51 to be processed, and a laser comprising a CO ₂ laser or the like that emits a laser beam of about 200 W. The oscillator 21, the reflection mirror 22 that reflects the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 21, and the polygon mirror 23 that scans the laser light reflected by the reflection mirror 22 on the substrate 51 to be processed. As a result, the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 21 is reflected by the polygon mirror 23 via the reflection mirror 22 and repeatedly scanned over the predetermined length L ₁ along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be processed. As a result, a linear laser beam LB ₁ is generated. The linear laser beam LB ₁ has a linear irradiation pattern 62 extending in a direction along the planned cutting line 61 as shown in FIG.

The heating unit 30 is for locally heating the substrate 51 by irradiating the laser beam LB ₂ onto the substrate 51 that has been locally preheated by the preheating unit 20. A laser oscillator 31 composed of a CO ₂ laser or the like that emits a laser beam of about 10 W, a reflection mirror 32 that reflects the laser beam emitted by the laser oscillator 31, and a laser beam reflected by the reflection mirror 32 to be processed And a polygon mirror 33 that scans on 51. Thus, the laser beam emitted by the laser oscillator 31 is reflected by the polygon mirror 33 via the reflecting mirror 32, is scanned repeatedly over a predetermined length L ₂ along the expected splitting line 61 on the substrate to be processed 51 As a result, a linear laser beam LB ₂ is generated. The linear laser beam LB ₂ has a linear irradiation pattern 63 extending in a direction along the planned cutting line 61 as shown in FIG.

  The cooling unit 40 is for locally cooling the substrate 51 to be processed by spraying the coolant C onto the substrate 51 to be processed that has been locally heated by the heating unit 30. Water or mist (water and gas and A cooling nozzle 41 for injecting a coolant C such as a gas such as nitrogen, a particulate solid such as carbon dioxide particles, a liquid such as alcohol, or a mist-like alcohol onto the surface of the substrate 51 to be processed. The coolant C sprayed from the cooling nozzle 41 is sprayed with a predetermined spray pattern 64 on the substrate 51 as shown in FIG.

In the above, the substrate holding mechanism 10 and the processing unit 5 (the preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40) are configured to move relative to each other. A region where the heating and cooling are locally performed on the substrate 51 (irradiation patterns 62 and 63 of the laser beams LB ₁ and LB ₂ and a spray pattern 64 of the coolant C) is along the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed. To move. The preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40 included in the processing unit 5 can be moved in a direction along the substrate 51 by a moving stage (not shown). Alignment adjustment can be performed so that the preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40 are all arranged in a straight line at an appropriate interval along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51. Yes.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

  In the cleaving system 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the substrate 51 to be cleaved is transferred onto the substrate holding mechanism 10 (see the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 1 to 3), and the lower surface of the substrate 51 is processed. While being supported by the height holder 19, the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed is positioned between the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12 and the pressure bar 14, and further, the cutting processing of the substrate 51 to be processed is performed. The terminal part located on the end point side (a part on the side away from the end material clamper 12 with respect to the planned cutting line 61) is positioned between the terminal part holder 70 and the height holder 19.

The workpiece substrate 51 thus positioned on the substrate holding mechanism 10 is sandwiched between the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12. Specifically, in the end material clamper 12, the rotor (not shown) of the motor 16 is rotated to move the rod 16 a straight, and the other end (force N ₁ ) of the lever shaft 13 is pushed via the load sensor 18. Like that. As a result, the lever shaft 13 supported by the support mechanism 17 rotates about the fulcrum N _4, and one end (action point N ₂ ) of the lever shaft 13 moves downward, and the pressure bar 14 is pushed by the lever shaft 13. As a result, the pressure bar 14 moves downward and sandwiches the substrate 51 to be processed with the end material holder 15. Thereby, the substrate 51 to be processed is positioned at a predetermined location on the substrate holding mechanism 10.

  Further, the substrate 51 to be processed is sandwiched between the end holder 70 and the height holder 19. Specifically, in the terminal end holder 70, when the presser bar 71 is rotated about the support shaft 73 by a motor (not shown), one end of the presser bar 71 moves downward, and between the height holder 19 and the end holder 70. To sandwich the substrate 51 to be processed.

  Thereafter, the processing unit 5 is moved relative to the substrate holding mechanism 10 to position the processing unit 5 on the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed positioned on the substrate holding mechanism 10. The preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40 included in the processing unit 5 are positioned at appropriate intervals along the planned cutting line 61 when positioned on the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed. The alignment is adjusted in advance so as to be arranged in a straight line.

In this state, put microcracks on the end P ₁ of the substrate to be processed 51 with an initial crack unit (not shown), then moved relatively processing section unit 5 with respect to the substrate holding mechanism 10, the processing section unit 5 The preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40 included in the above are relatively moved in this order along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be processed.

As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, first, the preheating unit 20 relatively moves along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be processed, and a linear laser beam LB is formed on the substrate 51 to be processed. By irradiating ₁ , the substrate 51 to be processed is preheated locally at a predetermined temperature (about 30 to 200 ° C.). At this time, in the preheating unit 20, the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 21 is reflected by the polygon mirror 23 through the reflecting mirror 22, and has a predetermined length L along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be processed. By scanning repeatedly over ₁ , a linear laser beam LB ₁ having an irradiation pattern 62 is generated.

Next, the heating unit 30 relatively moves along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be processed that has been locally preheated by the preheating unit 20 in this way, and on the substrate 51 to be processed by the preheating unit 20. by irradiating the locally linear narrow linear region than the preheating is performed region with the laser beam LB _2, locally heating the processed substrate 51 at a predetermined temperature (about 100 to 400 ° C.) To do. At this time, in the heating unit 30, the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 31 is reflected by the polygon mirror 33 through the reflection mirror 32, and has a predetermined length L along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51. By scanning repeatedly over ₂ , a linear laser beam LB ₂ having an irradiation pattern 63 is generated.

  Thereafter, the cooling unit 40 is relatively moved along the planned cutting line 61 on the substrate 51 to be heated locally by the heating unit 30 in this manner, and locally on the substrate 51 to be processed by the heating unit 30. The substrate 51 to be processed is locally cooled by spraying the coolant C onto a region having the same size or larger than the region where the heating is performed. At this time, in the cooling unit 40, the coolant C sprayed from the cooling nozzle 41 is sprayed on the surface of the substrate 51 to be processed with a predetermined spray pattern 64.

  As described above, when preheating by the preheating unit 20, heating by the heating unit 30, and cooling by the cooling unit 40 are sequentially performed on the substrate 51 along the planned cutting line 61, the heating of the substrate 51 to be processed is mainly performed. A crack is formed by the thermal stress generated by the stress and the stress generated by cooling the workpiece 51, and the preheating unit 20, the heating unit 30, and the cooling unit 40 are along the planned cutting line 61 on the workpiece 51. The crack progresses along the planned cutting line 61 with the relative movement.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the substrate 51 is locally heated by the laser beams LB ₁ and LB ₂ irradiated by the preheating unit 20 and the heating unit 30, the workpiece is processed. The portions of the substrate 51 irradiated with the laser beams LB ₁ and LB ₂ cause thermal expansion, and the portions are raised upward, and at the same time, the substrate 51 to be processed is deformed so as to open left and right with a crack as a center.

At this time, a portion of the substrate 51 to be processed between the position irradiated with the laser beams LB ₁ and LB ₂ and the position of the edge adjacent thereto (end material as a cut-off portion) 51a (the left portion in the drawing) ) Width WL ₁ is a portion between the position irradiated with the laser beams LB ₁ and LB ₂ and the position of the edge not adjacent thereto (base material as a portion to be actually used) 51b (the right portion in the drawing) because) shorter than the width WL ₂ of greater easily deformed in comparison with the left part 51a and the right part 51b of the substrate to be processed 51. However, in this embodiment, the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed (a part of the left portion 51a of the substrate 51 to be processed) is attached to the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12. Since the portions are held by the resin materials 14a and 15a made of an elastic material having a relatively high rigidity, the plurality of portions are compared with the case where the portion is held by a resin material made of an elastic material having a relatively low rigidity such as rubber. The amount of deformation in the direction can be remarkably suppressed. For this reason, the deformation amounts of the left portion 51a and the right portion 51b of the substrate 51 to be processed are substantially equal, and the deformation asymmetry between them can be reduced.

Further, the tensile stress on the substrate 51 to be processed generated by the irradiation of the laser beams LB ₁ and LB ₂ is in the longitudinal direction (along the planned cutting line 61) with respect to the left portion 51 a and the right portion 51 b of the substrate 51. Deformation that opens to the outside perpendicular to the direction). However, in this embodiment, the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed (a part of the left portion 51a of the substrate 51 to be processed) is attached to the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12. Since it is held by the resin materials 14a and 15a made of a relatively rigid elastic material, as shown in FIG. 7A, the deformation amount of the left portion 51a of the substrate 51 to be processed is remarkably suppressed. be able to. On the other hand, the lower surface of the right portion 51b of the substrate 51 to be processed is supported by the height holder 19 made of a low friction material that allows the substrate 51 to move horizontally during the cleaving process. As shown in a), unlike the left portion 51a of the substrate 51 to be processed, the right portion 51b slides (horizontally moves) on the upper surface of the height holder 19 during cleaving, and its longitudinal direction (scheduled cutting line 61). Deformation that opens to the outside perpendicular to (the direction along). As a result, the crack 52 is accurately and linearly propagated along the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 after sufficiently securing the opening of the crack 52 required for the development of the crack 52 in the substrate 51 to be processed. Can be made. In FIG. 7A, the substrate 51 to be processed indicated by the two-dot chain line is the one before the cleaving process, and the substrate 51 to be processed indicated by the solid line is the one at the time of the cleaving process.

  At this time, in this embodiment, the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed (a part of the left portion 51a of the substrate 51 to be processed) is attached to the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12. Since it is held by the resin materials 14a and 15a made of an elastic material having a relatively high rigidity, the rigidity at the parting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed is increased, and the thickness direction and the extension direction thereof are increased. The degree of freedom is reduced. For this reason, the tensile stress generated in the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed mainly concentrates in the left-right direction (direction in which the crack 52 is opened) of the substrate 51 to be processed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of uncut portions at the end portion of the processed substrate 51 (the portion located on the processing end point side of the cleaving processing).

Further, in the present embodiment, a terminal portion of the substrate 51 to be processed, which is located on the side of the cutting end point of cutting (part of the side separated from the end material clamper 12 with respect to the cutting line 61) (for example, FIG. 1). 7A and the base material side end point P ₄ ) is sandwiched and restrained by the end portion holder 70 and the height holder 19, the base material side end point P ₄ vicinity of the substrate 51 to be processed. rigidity is increased to reduce the displacement at the base material side end point P ₄ of the processed substrate 51 that occurs as a result of the right part 51b of the workpiece substrate 51 opens outward (displacement δl in FIG. 7 (a)) in That is, even when the edge portion of the substrate 51 to be processed is held by the end material clamper 12, the crack 52 is likely to generate a sharp curve at the end portion thereof (FIG. 7B). 2), the end holder 70 and the height When the base material side end point P ₄ of the substrate to be processed 51 is sandwiched by the holder 19, such occurrences to effectively prevent the curvature, be accurately linearly advance the crack 52 to the end it is (see the solid line in FIG. 7 (b)). Further, by the base material side end point P ₄ of the processed substrate 51 is sandwiched between the end portion holder 70 and the height holder 19, the substrate to be processed 51 The rigidity at the terminal portion of the planned cutting line 61 can be increased, and an opening moment at the terminal portion can be secured, so the terminal portion of the substrate 51 to be processed (the portion located on the processing end point side of the cutting processing). ) Can be more effectively prevented.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the upper surface and the lower surface of the edge portion of the substrate 51 to be processed are made of a relatively rigid elastic material attached to the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12. Since the lower surface of the processed substrate 51 is supported by the height holder 19 made of a low friction material that allows horizontal movement of the processed substrate 51 during the cleaving process. A cleaving process (for example, a cutting process for removing a portion having a width of 10 mm or less) at the edge of the processed substrate 51 can be realized with high quality and high speed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed has the resin material 14a made of a relatively rigid elastic material attached to the pressure bar 14 and the end material holder 15 of the end material clamper 12. Since it is hold | maintained by 15a, the rigidity in the part of the parting line 61 of the to-be-processed substrate 51 is improved, and the freedom degree to the thickness direction and the extension direction is suppressed. For this reason, the tensile stress generated in the planned cutting line 61 of the substrate 51 to be processed mainly concentrates in the left-right direction (direction in which the crack 52 is opened) of the substrate 51 to be processed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of uncut portions at the end portion of the processed substrate 51 (the portion located on the processing end point side of the cleaving processing). In addition, a terminal portion of the substrate 51 to be processed, which is located on the side of the end point of the cleaving process (a part on the side separated from the end material clamper 12 with respect to the cleaving planned line 61 (for example, in FIGS. 1 and 7A)). Since the base material side termination point P ₄ ) is sandwiched and restrained by the termination portion holder 70 and the height holder 19, the substrate 51 to be processed that is generated as a result of the right portion 51 b of the substrate 51 being opened outward. it is possible to reduce the displacement δl in the base material side end point P _4. Therefore, to effectively prevent the occurrence of sharp curvature of the crack 52 at the end portion of the substrate to be processed 51, the crack 52 last until then progress and can be accurately linearly progress. in addition, since the base material side end point P ₄ of the processed substrate 51 is held between the end portion holder 70 and the height holder 19, the Planned cutting line of processed substrate 51 The rigidity at the end portion of 1 is increased, and an opening moment at the end portion can be secured, so that the cutting at the end portion of the substrate 51 to be processed (the portion located on the processing end point side of the cleaving process) is possible. The generation of the residue can be prevented more effectively.

  In the case where the cleaving process such as the cut-off process at the edge of the substrate 51 to be processed is performed as described above without causing the uncut part at the terminal part (the part located on the processing end point side of the cleaving process). Since there is no need to cut the remaining part twice, (1) it does not take extra time and the sequence is not complicated, and (2) to save time, There is no need to provide a processing unit for cutting twice, and (3) the advantage that there is no occurrence of discontinuity of cracks by cutting twice.

In the above-described embodiment, the upper end of the substrate 51 to be processed is pressed toward the height holder 19 by the end holder 70 so as to restrain a part of the end of the substrate 51 to be processed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the side surface located on the terminal portion side of the substrate 51 to be processed is aligned along the direction of the planned cutting line 61 by the terminal portion guide (terminal portion restraining mechanism) 74 as shown in FIGS. A part of the substrate 51 to be processed may be restrained by applying pressure. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the end portion guide 74 includes a pressing bar 75 fixed to the end of the height holder 19, and a resin material 75 a attached to the tip of the pressing bar 75. have. In addition, as the resin material 75a, it is preferable to use a fluorine resin similarly to the resin material 71a. Then, the processed substrate 51 is fixed in a state of being pressed against the resin material 75a of the holding bar 75 by the end material clamper 12, and as a reaction force (force F ₃ ), the end portion of the processed substrate 51 is obtained. The side surface located on the side is pressurized along the direction of the planned cutting line 61. In this case, the end portion guide 74 applies an external force to the substrate 51 to be processed from a direction parallel to the plane.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, by pressing the upper surface of the substrate to be processed 51 toward the height holder 19 by the end portion holder 70, a part of the end portion of the substrate to be processed 51 is restrained. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the substrate to be processed is sucked toward the height holder 76 by the lower surface of the substrate 51 to be processed by a vacuum suction mechanism (terminal portion restraining mechanism) 76 as shown in FIGS. A part of 51 may be restrained. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the vacuum suction mechanism 76 has a height holder 77 provided with a vacuum suction portion 77 a opened at a portion corresponding to the terminal portion of the substrate 51 to be processed. and which, by drawing a vacuum through the vacuum suction portion 78a of the suction nozzle 78, a force F ₄ corresponding to the suction force, so that the lower surface of the substrate to be processed 51 is drawn toward the height holder 76 It has become. In this case, the vacuum suction mechanism 76 applies an external force to the substrate 51 to be processed from a direction orthogonal to the plane. Here, the height holder 77 has the same configuration and operation as the height holder 19 according to the above-described embodiment except that the vacuum suction portion 77a is provided. A portion of the height holder 77 near the vacuum suction portion 77a is provided with a resin material or the like to control its rigidity, or a resin coat is applied to the upper surface of the portion to reduce the friction coefficient of the upper surface. May be. As a result, it is possible to perform non-linear control in which after a certain breaking force is elastically deformed, a slip action is generated beyond that. In addition, it is possible to start evacuation at time T in synchronism with the progress of cleaving from P1 to P3, and to control the vacuum pressure to be increased or decreased in synchronization with the progress. It is.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in addition to or instead of the terminal end holder 70 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the terminal end guide 74 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, The vacuum suction mechanisms 76 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can be used in appropriate combination.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the end portion holder 70 and the height holder 19 are combined to restrain a part of the end portion of the substrate 51 to be processed. As a member opposed to 70, a dedicated member other than the height holder 19 that supports the lower surface of the substrate 51 to be processed is used, and this member and the resin material 71 a of the holding bar 71 of the terminal end holder 70 are used for the substrate 51 to be processed. A part of the end portion may be sandwiched.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a single glass substrate is used as the workpiece 51 to be cleaved. However, a liquid crystal material is interposed between two glass substrates bonded via a sealing material. Similarly, high-quality and high-speed cleaving can be performed on the injected liquid crystal substrate, and high-quality and high-speed can be performed on a substrate made of any other brittle material. Cleaving can be performed.

The top view which shows the whole structure of the cleaving processing system which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. The side view which shows the detail of the board | substrate holding | maintenance mechanism of the cleaving processing system shown in FIG. The enlarged view which shows the detail of the end material clamper contained in the board | substrate holding | maintenance mechanism of the cleaving system shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. The enlarged view which shows the detail of the termination | terminus part holder contained in the board | substrate holding | maintenance mechanism of the cleaving system shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. The side view which shows the process part unit of the cleaving processing system shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. The side view for demonstrating the mode of the cleaving process of the to-be-processed substrate in the cleaving system shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. The top view for demonstrating the mode of the cleaving process of the to-be-processed substrate in the cleaving system shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. The top view which shows the outline of the 1st modification of the cleaving processing system shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. The enlarged view which shows the detail of the termination | terminus part holder contained in the board | substrate holding | maintenance mechanism of the cleaving processing system shown in FIG. The top view which shows the outline of the 2nd modification of the cleaving processing system shown in FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. The partial cross section side view which shows the detail of the vacuum suction mechanism contained in the board | substrate holding mechanism of the cleaving processing system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaving processing system 5 Processing part unit 10 Substrate holding mechanism 11 Base 12 End material clamper 13 Lever shaft 14 Pressure bar 14a Resin material 15 End material holder 15a Resin material 16 Motor 16a Rod 17 Support mechanism 18 Load sensor 19 Height holder 20 Preheating unit 21 Laser oscillator 22 Reflecting mirror 23 Polygon mirror 30 Heating unit 31 Laser oscillator 32 Reflecting mirror 33 Polygon mirror 40 Cooling unit 41 Cooling nozzle 51 Glass substrate (working substrate)
51a, 51b 52 of glass substrate 52 Crack 61 Planned cutting lines 62, 63 Laser beam irradiation pattern 64 Coolant spray pattern 70 Terminal holder (Terminal restraint mechanism)
71 Presser bar 71a Resin material 72 Support plate 73 Support shaft 74 Terminal section guide (terminal section restraining mechanism)
75 Presser bar 75a Resin material 76 Vacuum suction mechanism (terminal portion restraint mechanism)
77 Height holder 77a Vacuum suction part 78 Suction nozzle 78a Vacuum suction part P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ Cleaving point P ₄ Base material side termination point N ₁ Force point N ₂ Action point N ₃ Pressurization point N ₄ Support point F ₁ , F ₂ , F ₃ , F ₄ force LB ₁ , LB ₂ laser beam C coolant

Claims (15)

In the cleaving processing system that heats the processing substrate made of a brittle material locally and cleaves the processing substrate by generating a crack in the processing substrate,
A substrate holding mechanism for holding a substrate to be processed;
A processing unit that cleaves the processing substrate by locally irradiating the processing substrate by irradiating a laser beam on the processing substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism;
The substrate holding mechanism and the processing unit are relatively positioned so that a region where heating is locally performed on the processing substrate by the processing unit moves along a planned cutting line of the processing substrate. Configured to move,
The substrate holding mechanism includes an end material clamper that holds an edge of the substrate to be processed from both sides of one surface of the substrate to be processed and the other surface opposite to the substrate, and along the edge of the substrate to be processed. A height holder that is provided on the side separated from the end material clamper with respect to the planned cutting line extending and that supports the other surface of the substrate to be processed supported by the end material clamper; and And a terminal portion restraining mechanism for restraining a terminal portion located on the processing end point side of the cleaving processing, and at least a portion of the end material clamper that abuts on the substrate to be processed is made of an elastic material having a relatively high rigidity. The height holder supports the substrate to be processed so that the substrate to be processed is displaced along the extending surface at the time of cleaving, and the terminal portion restraining mechanism is configured to connect the terminal portion of the substrate to be processed. of Cleaving processing system, characterized by constraining the portions positioned away the Chi the expected splitting line from said end member clamper as a reference.   2. The cleaving process according to claim 1, wherein the termination portion restraining mechanism restrains a part of the substrate to be processed by applying an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction orthogonal to a plane thereof. system.   The cleaving processing system according to claim 2, wherein the termination portion restraining mechanism is a termination portion holder that pressurizes the one surface of the substrate to be processed toward the height holder.   The cleaving processing system according to claim 2, wherein the end portion restraining mechanism is a vacuum suction mechanism that sucks the other surface of the substrate to be processed toward the height holder.   2. The cleaving process according to claim 1, wherein the termination portion restraining mechanism restrains a part of the substrate to be processed by applying an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction parallel to a plane thereof. system.   6. The cleaving according to claim 5, wherein the termination portion restraining mechanism is a termination portion guide that pressurizes a side surface located on the termination portion side of the substrate to be processed along a direction of the planned cutting line. Processing system.   The said process part unit sprays a coolant to the area | region heated on the said to-be-processed substrate locally, and cools the said area | region, The said area | region is characterized by the above-mentioned. Cleaving system.   The cleaving system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a holding width at the edge of the substrate to be processed by the end material clamper is 10 mm or less.   The cleaving system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the elastic material has a Young's modulus in a range of 10 to several 1000 MPa. In the cleaving method of locally heating a substrate to be processed made of a brittle material and performing cleaving by generating a crack in the substrate to be processed by the thermal stress,
A holding step of holding a substrate to be cut by a substrate holding mechanism;
A region to be locally heated on the substrate to be processed is irradiated with a laser beam on the substrate to be processed held in the holding step to locally heat the substrate to be processed. A cleaving step of moving along a cleaving line extending along the edge of the processed substrate,
The substrate holding mechanism that holds the substrate to be processed in the holding step includes an end material clamper that holds the edge of the substrate to be processed from both sides of one surface of the substrate to be processed and the other surface opposite to the surface. And supporting the other surface of the substrate to be processed supported by the end material clamper, which is provided on the side separated from the end material clamper with reference to a planned cutting line extending along the edge of the substrate. And a termination portion restraining mechanism for restraining a termination portion of the substrate to be processed, which is located on the side of the cutting end point of the cleaving process, and contacts at least the substrate to be processed of the end material clamper. The portion is made of an elastic material having a relatively high rigidity, and the height holder supports the workpiece substrate so that the workpiece substrate can be displaced along its extending surface during the cleaving process. Imprisonment Mechanism cleaving process wherein the restraining a portion of the side away from said end member clamper based the expected splitting line of the end portion of the substrate to be processed.   11. The terminal portion restraining mechanism for restraining a part of the substrate to be processed in the holding step applies an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction orthogonal to the plane. Cleaving method.   11. The terminal portion restraining mechanism for restraining a part of the substrate to be processed in the holding step applies an external force to the substrate to be processed from a direction parallel to a plane thereof. Cleaving method.   The cleaving according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein in the cleaving step, the region is cooled by spraying a coolant on a region heated locally on the substrate to be processed. Processing method.   14. The cleaving method according to claim 10, wherein a holding width at the edge of the substrate to be processed by the end material clamper is 10 mm or less.   The cleaving method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the elastic material has a Young's modulus in a range of 10 to several 1000 MPa.

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