JP2007230079A - Method and apparatus for processing brittle inorganic material - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for processing a brittle inorganic material which carry out the fine groove processing of a complex plane pattern comprising optional straight lines and curves by using an inexpensive ultra-hard ball end mill for a cut material substrate of a brittle material such as glass and are high in quality and excellent in efficiency and economical properties. <P>SOLUTION: The method and apparatus for processing the brittle inorganic material rotate the ultra-hard ball end mill 1 having cutting blade roundness and a helix angle and cut a groove at least 1 μm in depth by incision of one time without damage in the cut material substrate comprising a vitreous inorganic material and a brittle inorganic material. The rotary shaft of the ball end mill, in relation to the processing side surface of the cut material substrate, always the ball end mill on the processing sending direction side along the groove of the plane pattern comprising the optional straight lines and the curves of the cut material substrate, simultaneously cooperation-controls the movement of the cut material substrate and the movement of the ball end mill to have a prescribed inclination angle to move at least the cut material substrate in the uniaxial direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hard brittle inorganic material processing method and a processing apparatus therefor, and in particular, an arbitrary straight line and curved line using a ball end mill on a work material substrate such as a vitreous inorganic material or a hard brittle inorganic material such as single crystal silicon. The present invention relates to a hard brittle inorganic material processing method and a processing apparatus for processing a fine groove of a planar pattern.

  In recent years, a micro TAS (Total Analysis System) (also referred to as a micro chemical chip or a micro chip) has an advantage that a chemical reaction can be performed at high speed, a reaction in a minute amount is possible, and on-site analysis can be realized. ) Has been developed and has been used extensively in fields such as chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. The microchemical chip has a fine channel having a width of 10 μm to several hundreds of μm and a depth of several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm, and processes such as mixing, reaction, separation, and detection are performed in the channel. From the viewpoint of reactivity and detection sensitivity, the processed surface of the flow path is required to be mirror-like, and it is important to have a technology for cutting fine grooves and the like on substrate materials such as glassy inorganic materials. It has become.

  Conventionally, there is a processing method such as wet etching using a chemical such as an excimer laser or hydrofluoric acid in order to process a minute groove or the like on a glass substrate.

  However, chemical processing methods such as wet etching have the following problems. Since hydrofluoric acid or the like is a strong acid chemical, it requires a qualified person and requires attention to handling, and in order to preserve the environment, waste liquid treatment after processing becomes a problem. For this reason, costs such as considering safety measures are required.

  Further, since a hydrofluoric acid solution having a low concentration is used in consideration of safety, it takes time for processing and becomes an obstacle to shortening the process time. Further, it takes time and effort for masking to form a required groove, resulting in a reduction in work efficiency.

  In addition, in the case of processing by excimer laser or wet etching, there are problems such as difficult processing of complex shapes, difficulty in dealing with various types, and large capital investment.

Therefore, efficient machining by mechanical means that can perform complex machining and is relatively easy to handle a wide variety of products has been studied. As an example of a typical mechanical machining method, A grinding method using a grinding wheel has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).
The grinding method disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a grindstone formed of two or more kinds of abrasive grain layers whose tip portion can machine the surface of a workpiece into different surface roughnesses, and moves the grindstone to the feed direction side. It is a method of inclining and grinding.

Further, as another example of the mechanical processing method, a cutting method using a ball end mill or a square end mill by the inventors of the present application has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 2).
In the cutting method of Patent Document 2, the rotation axis of a carbide ball end mill having a cutting edge roundness and a twist angle has a relative inclination angle in the feed direction of the ball end mill with respect to the processing side surface of the work material. In this state, a ball end mill is rotated to cut a groove having a depth of 1 μm or more into a work material made of a hard brittle inorganic material such as a vitreous inorganic material with a single cut without any damage.

Note that a tool attachment that supports the ball cutter by tilting the axis of the ball cutter with respect to the vertical rotation axis and aligning the tip R (arc) center of the ball cutter with the vertical rotation axis in the simultaneous four-axis control processing apparatus. A processing method used has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 3).
JP 2006-35363 A JP 2005-96399 A JP 2003-205432 A

  However, in the grinding method of Patent Document 1, a grinding wheel for obtaining a high-quality processed surface with a small surface roughness with high efficiency is formed from two or more types of abrasive layers that can be processed to different surface roughnesses. In addition, it is expensive because of its special structure, and there is a problem that the most expensive diamond abrasive grains are required particularly for hard and brittle inorganic materials such as glassy inorganic materials. In addition, the grinding method using a grindstone cannot cope with high-precision micromachining of a chemical chip formed by denser and higher integration of finer grooves for higher functionality and multi-function. There is.

  In the processing apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 (FIG. 9), the work table is composed of a three-stage table, each of which is rotatable in an XY plane, is moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and a grinding wheel is attached. The formed spindle shaft is configured to move in the Z-axis direction. For this reason, in the superposition mechanism method in which the X-axis and Y-axis movement mechanisms orthogonal to each other on the work table are overlapped, and the mechanism that rotates in the XY plane is further overlapped, the complicated and fine material of hard and brittle materials such as glass for chemical chips is used. The rigidity required to maintain the high precision required for accurate grooving is extremely difficult, positioning errors of the workpiece (work material) are large, and finer grooves are more dense for higher functionality and multi-function. However, there is a problem in that it cannot cope with high-precision microfabrication of chemical chips formed with high integration.

  On the other hand, the cutting method disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that it can process only 1 μm or less at a time using a diamond end mill with a sharp tip to cut glass in units of micrometers, and has poor workability. Of the ball end mill against the processing side surface of the work material using a ball end mill made of cemented carbide such as cBN ((Cubic Boron Nitride)) which is not made of expensive diamond. A groove having a depth of 1 μm or more with a relative inclination angle in the feed direction is cut without damage with a single cut and is necessary for high integration of chemical chips. There are advantages such as being able to cope with fine processing etc. However, Patent Document 2 describes a basic processing method of hard and brittle inorganic materials using a ball end mill. As shown in the drawings, a method for processing a groove of a complex plane pattern composed of straight lines and curves in an arbitrary direction on a hard and brittle inorganic material substrate applied to a chemical chip as in the present invention and its processing device are specifically described. Not disclosed.

  That is, in the processing apparatus shown in Patent Document 2 (FIG. 2), the stage (work table) moves in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, the spindle head moves in the Z-axis direction, and the spindle moves in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. It can be tilted arbitrarily with respect to the two-dimensional direction. In such a superposition mechanism system in which the X-axis and Y-axis movement mechanisms orthogonal to each other are overlapped, the high accuracy required for complicated and fine groove processing of hard brittle materials such as glass for chemical chips is maintained. It is quite difficult to secure rigidity and positioning errors of the work material become large, especially for high precision micro machining of chemical chips formed with denser and more dense grooves formed for higher functionality and multifunction. There is a problem that can not be handled.

  Further, the processing method of Patent Document 3 reduces the projection amount of the ball cutter from the tool holder as much as possible, prevents interference between the workpiece and the tool holder, and processes various three-dimensional shapes. Is inclined relative to the vertical rotation axis, and as shown in Patent Document 2 or the present invention, a constant inclination relative to the processing side surface of the work material in the feed direction of the ball cutter. It is not intended to maintain the corners at all times, and moreover, it is difficult to process a groove with a complicated planar pattern consisting of straight lines and curves in any direction on a hard and brittle inorganic material substrate applied to a chemical chip as in the present invention. There is a problem that it is difficult to carry out with accuracy in terms of mechanism and control.

  And the simultaneous 4-axis control processing apparatus shown by patent document 3 (FIG. 4) is the X-axis (1st axis), Y-axis (2nd axis) of a workpiece | work orthogonal to each other, and the Z-axis (1st axis | shaft) of a ball cutter. (3 axis) linear motion in the direction and the C axis (fourth axis) pivoting around the Z axis are simultaneously controlled, and any curved surface processing is performed on the workpiece by the ball cutter. The superposition mechanism system that overlaps the X-axis and Y-axis movement mechanisms of the workpiece perpendicular to each other ensures sufficient rigidity to maintain the high precision required for complex and fine groove processing of hard and brittle materials such as glass for chemical chips. There is a problem that it is difficult to cope with high-precision microfabrication of a chemical chip formed by denser and higher integration of finer grooves especially for higher functionality and multi-function.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems, and a work material substrate made of hard brittle material such as glass, which has been impossible with conventional cutting methods, can be obtained at low cost on the market. A high-quality, highly efficient and economical hard brittle inorganic material processing method that performs fine grooving of complex planar patterns consisting of arbitrary straight lines and curves using a carbide / cBN small-diameter ball end mill and its processing An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the hard brittle inorganic material processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention is a work comprising a glass ball inorganic material or a hard brittle inorganic material by rotating a carbide ball end mill having a rounded edge and a twist angle. A hard and brittle inorganic material processing method in which a groove having a depth of 1 μm or more is cut in a material substrate without damage by a single incision, wherein a rotating shaft of the ball end mill is placed on a processing side surface of the work material substrate On the other hand, the ball end mill always moves the workpiece substrate so as to have a predetermined inclination angle on the relative processing feed direction side along the groove of the plane pattern made of arbitrary straight lines and curves of the workpiece substrate. The movement of the ball end mill is simultaneously and cooperatively controlled, and at least the movement of the work material substrate is in one axial direction.

  Invention of Claim 2 is the hard-brittle inorganic material processing method of Claim 1, Comprising: The said simultaneous coordinated control is the linear movement of the 1st axial direction in the horizontal surface of the said work material board | substrate arrange | positioned in the horizontal surface, A linear movement in the second axial direction perpendicular to the first axis of the ball end mill disposed above the work material substrate in a parallel horizontal plane, and a linear movement in the third axial direction in the vertical plane of the ball end mill; , By coordinating with the horizontal turning around the fourth axis parallel to the third axis of the ball end mill, the rotation axis of the ball end mill moves along the groove of the planar pattern of the workpiece substrate with respect to the machining feed direction. It is characterized by being carried out by NC control so as to always maintain the tilt angle.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the hard and brittle inorganic material processing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the cutting is performed in a state where the work material substrate is placed in water.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a hard-brittle inorganic material processing method of any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3, Comprising: The inclination | tilt angle of the said ball end mill is the predetermined | prescribed outer peripheral surface of the cutting edge of a ball end mill. When positioned at the depth of cut, the end circumferential line of the radius of curvature of the ball end mill is within a range of 90 ° or more and an inclination angle inclined to a position where it intersects the processing side surface of the work material substrate. Features.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hard brittle inorganic material processing apparatus in which a first spindle holding a carbide ball end mill having a cutting edge roundness and a twist angle is rotated to cut a work made of a glassy inorganic material or a hard brittle inorganic material. A hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus for cutting a groove having a depth of 1 μm or more in a material substrate without damage by a single cut, and holding the work material substrate, a straight line in a first axial direction in a horizontal plane A work table having a first axis moving means for moving, and the first spindle supported above the work table so that a rotation axis of the ball end mill has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane. A second axis moving means for performing a linear movement in a second axis direction orthogonal to the first axis in a parallel horizontal plane, a third axis moving means for performing a linear movement in a vertical third axis direction, and the third axis. Around the fourth axis parallel to the A column having a fourth axis turning means for turning, and the ball end mill always rotates the ball end mill with respect to the processing side surface of the work material substrate, and arbitrary straight lines and curves of the work material substrate. The first, second and third axis moving means and the fourth axis turning means are simultaneously coordinated controlled so as to maintain a predetermined inclination angle relative to the machining feed direction side along the groove of the planar pattern consisting of It is characterized by that.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, characterized in that a water storage tank for holding the work material substrate in water is provided on the work table.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the hard brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the work material substrate maintains a strong adhesive force at room temperature and is cooled or heated to a predetermined temperature. Then, the adhesive substrate loses its adhesive force, and the work material substrate is fixed in the water tank using a double-sided adhesive tape having a characteristic that can be easily removed from the water tank.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a groove of the work material substrate is formed at a lower end portion of the attachment to which the first spindle is attached. For performing post-processing verification by feedback control or groove shape measurement in simultaneous coordinated control of the first, second, third axis moving means and fourth axis turning means by performing position detection and image processing by the image processing means A sensor or visual recognition means is provided.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, wherein a cutter for drilling or counterboring is held at a predetermined position of the work material substrate. The second spindle is attached to the column along with the first spindle.

  According to the invention of claim 1, using a cemented carbide ball end mill, the workpiece substrate made of a vitreous inorganic material or a hard brittle inorganic material has a depth of, for example, 15 to 20 μm and a width of about 200 μm. It is possible to cut finely processed grooves efficiently at a time. For this reason, the processing using the conventional diamond end mill can process only 1 μm or less at a time, and the workability is poor. On the other hand, the productivity can be improved by about 20 times. In addition, a cemented carbide ball end mill is about one-tenth the price of a diamond end mill, so that it is about 1/200 of a conventional method using a diamond end mill in terms of productivity and tool cost. Cost reduction.

  Further, the workpiece substrate is moved in one axial direction so as to always maintain a predetermined inclination angle toward the processing feed direction side of the ball end mill with respect to the processing side surface of the workpiece substrate, and the ball end mill has a large number of ball end mills. By simultaneously controlling the axis movement, it is possible to machine a complex flat pattern groove consisting of arbitrary straight lines and curves on the workpiece substrate, and to move the X and Y axes perpendicular to the conventional workpiece. Rigidity for maintaining high accuracy such as positioning of the work material substrate can be ensured as compared with the superposition mechanism system in which the mechanisms are overlapped. In this way, the rigidity of the entire processing equipment is ensured by increasing the number of functions and functionality by keeping the workpiece substrate side, which is prone to position errors of the workpiece substrate, to a single simple linear movement mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to realize high-precision microfabrication of a chemical chip formed by denser and higher integration of finer grooves.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the rigidity of the entire processing apparatus is ensured by performing NC control by simultaneously coordinating the movement of the workpiece substrate in one axial direction, the two-axis movement of the ball end mill and the one-axis turning. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the reliability of high-precision microfabrication of a chemical chip formed by denser and higher integration of finer grooves for higher functionality and multi-function.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention of claim 1 or 2, in addition, the mechanical strength of hard brittle inorganic materials such as glass is lowered in water, so that the machinability is improved. At the same time, it is possible to prevent cracking by suppressing temperature non-uniformity of the work material substrate due to a local temperature rise in the processed part.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to having the same effect as the invention of any one of claims 1 to 3, the inclination angle of the ball end mill with respect to the processing side surface of the work material substrate is applied. By defining the range, the optimum cutting speed can be secured and the productivity can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 5, one first axis moving means of the work table holding the workpiece substrate, two second axes of the first spindle holding the ball end mill, the third axis moving means, and the first Since it is configured to simultaneously and cooperatively control the four-axis turning means, it can have the same effect as the invention of any one of the first to third aspects.

  According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to having the same effect as the invention of claim 5, the work material substrate can be held in the water storage tank on the work table and processed in water, This has the same effect as that of the third aspect of the invention.

  According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to having the same effect as the invention of any one of claims 5 to 6, a special double-sided adhesive tape that loses its adhesive strength when cooled or heated is used. Since the work material substrate is fixed in the water storage tank on the work table, the work substrate is attached and removed from the work table in a simpler manner than the general fixing method using a bolting jig. Work efficiency is significantly improved.

  According to the invention of claim 8, in addition to having the same effect as the invention of any one of claims 5 to 7, the X, Y, and the like by the optical sensor or the visual recognition means and the image processing means. It is possible to perform post-processing verification such as feedback control in Z-axis direction movement control and turning control around the C1 axis, and measurement of the shape of the processed part. As a result, it is possible to further improve the reliability corresponding to the high-precision micromachining of the chemical chip formed by densely integrating the finer grooves for higher functionality and multi-function.

  According to the invention of claim 9, in addition to having the same effect as the invention of any one of claims 1 to 3, the second spindle provided in the column with the first spindle, Drilling and counterbore necessary for the chemical chip can be processed freely and longitudinally when the groove processing is performed with the first spindle by the same hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus. This shortens the chemical chip processing step and further improves productivity.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

  1 is a front view of a hard brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a ball end mill processed portion of the hard brittle inorganic material processing method of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an example photograph of a chemical chip.

  The apparatus for processing a hard and brittle inorganic material of the present invention includes a work table 4 that holds a work material substrate G made of a hard and brittle inorganic material such as a vitreous inorganic material, and a spindle 2 that is erected in a gate shape above the work table 4. And a column 8 for supporting the.

  The work table 4 includes first axis moving means (Y axis moving means) 3 that performs linear movement in the first axis (Y axis) direction in the horizontal plane.

  The column 8 includes a second axis moving means (X axis moving means) 5 that performs linear movement in the direction of the second axis (X axis) perpendicular to the horizontal plane parallel to the Y axis, and a third axis perpendicular to the X axis. It has a third axis moving means (Z axis moving means) 6 that performs linear movement in the (Z axis) direction and a turning means (C1 axis turning means) 7 that performs horizontal turning around the C1 axis parallel to the Z axis.

  A conventional machining apparatus such as the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3 is a superposition mechanism system in which a work table holding a work material is linearly moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions orthogonal to a horizontal plane, or further a turning mechanism is stacked. On the other hand, the hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus of the present invention limits the movement of the work table 4 holding the work substrate G in the horizontal plane to one linear movement in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis moving means 3. The horizontal X-axis direction linear movement by the two-side X-axis moving means 5 and the vertical Z-axis direction linear movement by the Z-axis moving means 6 are separated. In this way, by keeping the work table 4 side that is likely to cause a position error of the workpiece substrate G to at least one simple linear movement mechanism, the rigidity of the entire processing apparatus is ensured and high functionality and multi-function are achieved. Therefore, it is possible to realize high-precision microfabrication of a chemical chip formed by denser and higher integration of finer grooves Ga.

  The first spindle 2 is driven by, for example, a brushless motor having a maximum rotation speed of 80000 rpm, and a spindle attachment 72 is attached to the lower part of the spindle head 71 as shown in FIG. Thus, the rotation axis (S axis) of the ball end mill 1 is attached so as to be able to arbitrarily hold a predetermined inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane.

  In this way, the processing principle of holding the ball end mill 1 at a predetermined inclination angle θ in the processing direction with respect to the processing surface G1 of the work material substrate G made of a hard and brittle inorganic material fixed horizontally (see FIG. 5). Is based on the cutting method of Patent Document 2 by the inventors of the present application.

  In this case, the ball end mill 1 has an obtuse angle at the tip 12 and a twist angle (not shown), and is approximately 1/10 less expensive than conventional diamond-made ones such as cBN. It has been found that even a hard alloy product has sufficient practical durability.

  The turning mechanism 7 is driven by a turning actuator 74 such as a servo motor with a speed reducer, for example, and turns around the C1 axis in both forward and reverse directions with the first spindle 2 held at the inclination angle θ.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first axis moving means 3 is provided on the bed 9 and is horizontally installed so as to be movable via, for example, a linear guide mechanism 32 extending in the Y-axis direction. 4 is reciprocated in the Y-axis direction by a first actuator 31 such as a servo motor with a speed reducer.

  The work table 4 has a structure including a water storage tank that can be filled with water, and holds the workpiece substrate G horizontally in the water storage tank. This is because the mechanical strength of hard brittle inorganic materials such as glass is lowered in water, so that the machinability is improved and the temperature non-uniformity of the work piece substrate due to the local temperature rise of the processed part is suppressed to prevent cracking. This is because it is preferable to perform ball end milling of the hard and brittle inorganic material in water.

There are the following two examples of the method for fixing the work material substrate G in the water storage tank of the work table 4.
One example is a general method of fixing the workpiece substrate G with a jig through a plurality of bolt holes (not shown) in the water storage tank of the work table 4.

  Another example is a method of fixing the work material substrate G in the water storage tank of the work table 4 using a special double-sided adhesive tape (not shown). There are two types of this special double-sided adhesive tape, and detailed explanations are omitted here, but both retain strong adhesive strength at room temperature, and one of them will exhibit adhesive strength when cooled to around 0 ° C, for example. The other is, for example, an acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive having a characteristic that, when heated to around 50 to 60 ° C., the adhesive strength is lost and the workpiece substrate G can be easily separated from the work table 4. Are coated on both sides.

  In such a method of fixing the work material substrate G on the work table 4 using a special double-sided adhesive tape, the work material 4 can be attached to and detached from the water storage tank of the work table 4 by bolting. Compared with a general fixing method using tools, the work is simplified and the working efficiency is remarkably improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the second axis moving means 5 includes, for example, a linear guide mechanism 52 that extends in the X-axis direction on an upper portion of a gate-shaped column 8 that is erected on the bed 9. The X-axis mount 51 installed in the vertical direction so as to be movable is reciprocated in the X-axis direction by a second actuator 53 such as a servo motor with a speed reducer.

  On the side surface of the X-axis mount 51, the third axis moving means 6 is provided. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the third axis moving means 6 is installed in the vertical direction so as to be movable via, for example, a linear guide mechanism 62 extending in the Z-axis direction on the side surface of the X-axis mount 51. The Z-axis pedestal 61 is moved up and down in the Z-axis direction by a third actuator 63 such as a servo motor with a speed reducer.

  On the side surface of the Z-axis mount 61, the turning mechanism 7 for turning the spindle head 71 supporting the first spindle 2 around the C1 axis parallel to the Z axis is provided in the vertical direction along the C1 axis. Yes.

  Further, on the side surface of the Z-axis pedestal 61, a second spindle 10 that holds a cutter 11 such as a square end mill at the tip end along the C2 axis parallel to the C1 axis opposite to the Z axis is perpendicular. And the first spindle 2. The second spindle 10 is driven by, for example, a brushless motor having a maximum rotation speed of 80000 rpm, and is drilled at a predetermined position of the work material substrate G by a cutter 11 such as a perforation Gb or a seat as shown in the example of the chemical chip in FIG. Used to process bores (not shown).

  In this way, with the same hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus, the first spindle 2 processes the groove Ga, and the second spindle 10 processes the drilling Gb and counterbore necessary for the chemical chip in a freely movable manner. By doing so, the chemical chip processing step can be shortened and the productivity can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a visual recognition means such as an optical sensor 100 such as a laser or a CCD camera (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the spindle attachment 72 on the C1 axis. The optical sensor 100 or visual recognition means detects the position of the groove Ga of the workpiece substrate G, performs image processing by an image processing means (not shown), performs movement control in the X, Y, and Z axis directions and turns around the C1 axis. Performs post-processing verification such as feedback control in control and measurement of the shape of the processed part. Thereby, it is possible to improve the reliability and cope with high-precision microfabrication of a chemical chip formed by denser and higher integration of finer grooves Ga for higher functionality and multi-function.

  With the configuration as described above, the rotation S axis of the ball end mill 1 always moves the ball end mill 1 along the groove Ga formed by arbitrary straight lines and curves of the workpiece substrate G with respect to the processing side surface G1 of the workpiece substrate G. Thus, the X-axis moving means 5, the Y-axis moving means 3, the Z-axis moving means 6 and the C1-axis turning means 7 are simultaneously coordinated controlled so as to always maintain a predetermined inclination angle θ relative to the machining feed direction side. 1 to 3, reference numeral 110 denotes an operation panel, 111 denotes a control panel, and 112 denotes the various motor controllers. These are attached to the inside and outside of the bed 9, and are used as a hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus that travels to any place on the floor surface. The unit is configured as a unit so that it can be fixed.

  In other words, the simultaneous coordinated control means that the workpiece substrate G arranged in the horizontal plane moves linearly in the Y-axis direction in the horizontal plane and the Y axis of the first spindle 2 arranged above the workpiece substrate G. The rotation S of the ball end mill 1 is coordinated with the linear movement in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction in the vertical plane orthogonal to each other in the parallel horizontal plane and the horizontal turning around the C1 axis parallel to the Z axis of the first spindle 2. The control is performed by NC control so that the inclination angle θ is always maintained with respect to the machining feed direction along the groove Ga of a complicated flat pattern consisting of arbitrary straight lines and curves of the workpiece substrate G.

  When the rotation axis of the end mill is cut so that it is almost perpendicular to the processing side surface of the work material as in the past, the cutting speed is reduced because the rotation radius of the cutting edge is small near the center of the rotation axis. Since the cutting workability is lowered, the groove depth for cutting the material when the cutting edge processes the finished surface is, for example, 1 μm or less, which is the limit that does not break in the case of a glass work material substrate. On the other hand, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, when the outer peripheral surface of the cutting edge 12 of the ball end mill 1 is set to a predetermined cutting depth T, the terminal circumference of the curvature radius R of the ball end mill 1 is set. The tilt angle θ when the ball end mill 1 is tilted to a position where the line 11 intersects the processing-side surface G1 of the workpiece substrate G is θ = θ1. In this state, the cutting surface 12 of the workpiece substrate G has the largest cutting speed due to the radius of curvature of the cutting edge 12 = the radius of curvature R, and the cutting speed due to the rotational radius r of the cutting edge 12 at the bottom of the processing groove Ga. Become the largest.

  On the other hand, when the inclination angle θ of the ball end mill 1 is increased, the cutting speed due to the rotation radius r of the cutting edge 12 is reduced on the processing side surface G1 of the workpiece substrate G, and the cutting edge 12 is formed at the bottom of the processing groove Ga. The cutting speed due to the rotation radius r becomes smaller.

  For this reason, it is desirable to incline in the feed direction at an angle θ ≧ θ1 equal to or greater than the inclination angle θ1 as an application range of the inclination angle θ of the rotation S axis of the ball end mill 1. For example, in FIG. 5, when the radius of curvature R of the ball end mill 1 is 200 μm and the cutting depth T is 20 μm, the minimum inclination angle θ is cos θ = (200−20) / 200. 26 °. That is, the application range of the inclination angle θ in this case is 26 ° ≦ θ <90 °. However, the optimum inclination angle θ is set in consideration of the rotational speed of the ball end mill 1, the feed speed, the cutting depth T, the radius of curvature R, the operability (machining efficiency), and other various machining conditions.

  The details of the basic processing method of the hard and brittle inorganic material using the ball end mill 1 are omitted since they are specifically described in Patent Document 2 by the inventors of the present application, but the inclination of the ball end mill 1 is omitted. As a result of a cutting test using a carbide ball end mill 1 with an angle θ = 45 ° and curvature radii R = 0.2 mm and 0.25 mm, the processed groove surface of the ball end mill 1 at a rotational speed of 20000 rpm is the best. At the rotation speed of the end mill 1 at 20000 rpm, good results are obtained at a feed rate of 1 to 8 μm / sec.

  In the above-described cutting test, the ball end mill 1 having the curvature radii R = 0.2 mm and 0.25 mm is used, but the ball end mill 1 having other arbitrary curvature radii R is actually used. However, the same effect can be obtained.

  In the hard brittle inorganic material processing method and the processing apparatus of the present invention as described above, a ball end mill 1 of a cemented carbide such as cBN is used, for example, a depth of 15 to 20 μm on a work substrate G made of glass, Since it is possible to efficiently cut the finely processed groove Ga having a width of about 200 μm at a time, the productivity is higher than that of a conventional end milling method in which the rotary shaft is cut so as to be substantially perpendicular to the processing side surface of the work material. About 20 times higher. In addition, the cemented carbide ball end mill 1 of the present invention is about one-tenth the price of a conventional diamond end mill, so that the conventional diamond end mill processing method can be used in terms of both productivity and tool cost. Compared with this, the cost can be reduced by about 1/200.

It is a front view of the hard-brittle inorganic material processing apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of FIG. It is an AA arrow cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a BB arrow line view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the ball end mill process part of the hard-brittle inorganic material processing method of this invention. It is an example photograph of a chemical chip.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ball end mill 2 1st spindle 3 1st axis | shaft (Y-axis) moving means 4 Work table 5 2nd axis | shaft (X-axis) moving means 6 3rd axis | shaft (Z-axis) moving means 7 Turning means 8 Column 9 Bet 10 1st 2 spindles 11 cutters 31, 53, 63 first, second, third actuators 32, 52, 62 linear guide mechanism 71 spindle head 72 spindle attachment 73 spindle clamp 74 turning actuator 100 optical sensor 110 operation panel 111 control panel 112 various Motor controller

Claims (9)

A carbide ball end mill with a rounded edge and a twist angle is rotated to cut a groove with a depth of 1 μm or more into a workpiece substrate made of glassy inorganic material or hard brittle inorganic material without any damage by one cut. A hard brittle inorganic material processing method,
The rotation axis of the ball end mill is always relative to the processing side surface of the work material substrate. The ball end mill is relatively moved along the groove in a plane pattern composed of arbitrary straight lines and curves of the work material substrate. A hard and brittle inorganic material characterized in that the movement of the workpiece substrate and the movement of the ball end mill are simultaneously coordinated controlled so as to have a predetermined inclination angle, and at least the movement of the workpiece substrate is uniaxial. Processing method.   The simultaneous cooperative control includes linear movement in the first axial direction in the horizontal plane of the workpiece substrate arranged in the horizontal plane, and horizontal plane parallel to the first axis of the ball end mill arranged in the upper direction of the workpiece substrate. The linear movement in the second axis direction orthogonal to the inner axis, the linear movement in the third axial direction in the vertical plane of the ball end mill, and the horizontal turning around the fourth axis parallel to the third axis of the ball end mill are coordinated. The rotation axis of the ball end mill is controlled by NC control so as to always maintain the inclination angle with respect to the machining feed direction along the groove of the planar pattern of the workpiece substrate. The hard brittle inorganic material processing method as described.   The hard brittle inorganic material processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the work material substrate is cut in a state where the work material substrate is placed in water.   The inclination angle of the ball end mill is such that when the outer peripheral surface of the cutting edge of the ball end mill is positioned at a predetermined depth of cut, the end circumferential line of the radius of curvature of the ball end mill intersects with the processing side surface of the workpiece substrate. The method for processing a hard and brittle inorganic material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing is within a range of 90 ° or more and an inclination angle inclined to a position. A first spindle holding a carbide ball end mill having a cutting edge roundness and a torsion angle is rotated so that a groove having a depth of 1 μm or more is formed once on a workpiece substrate made of a glassy inorganic material or a hard brittle inorganic material. It is a hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus that performs cutting without damage by cutting,
A work table having first axis moving means for holding the work material substrate and performing linear movement in the first axis direction in a horizontal plane;
The first spindle is erected above the work table, supports the first spindle so that the rotation axis of the ball end mill has a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and is orthogonal to the first axis in a parallel horizontal plane. Second axis moving means for linearly moving in two axes, third axis moving means for linearly moving in the third axial direction in the vertical plane, and fourth for horizontally turning around the fourth axis parallel to the third axis A column having a shaft turning means,
The rotation axis of the ball end mill is always relative to the processing feed direction side along a groove of a plane pattern composed of arbitrary straight lines and curves of the work material substrate with respect to the processing side surface of the work material substrate. A hard brittle inorganic material processing apparatus, wherein the first, second and third axis moving means and the fourth axis turning means are simultaneously controlled to maintain a predetermined inclination angle.   6. The hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a water storage tank for holding the workpiece substrate in water on the work table.   The work material substrate retains a strong adhesive force at room temperature, and loses the adhesive force when cooled or heated to a predetermined temperature, so that the work material substrate can be easily detached from the water storage tank. 7. The hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the hard and brittle inorganic material processing apparatus is fixed in the water storage tank using a tape.   The first, second, third axis moving means and fourth axis turning means by detecting the position of the groove of the work material substrate and image processing by the image processing means at the lower end of the attachment to which the first spindle is attached. 8. The hard and brittleness according to claim 5, further comprising an optical sensor or visual recognition means for performing post-processing verification by feedback control or groove shape measurement in simultaneous coordinated control. Inorganic material processing equipment.   The second spindle holding a cutter for drilling or counterboring at a predetermined position of the work material substrate is provided alongside the first spindle in the column. The hard brittle inorganic material processing apparatus according to claim 8.

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