JP2009055037A - Method and device for etching glass substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for etching a glass substrate. <P>SOLUTION: In the method of etching a glass substrate, etching is performed to a glass substrate by soaking the glass substrate in etching liquid housed in a base including an etching region and a washing region. The glass substrate is transferred to the washing region of the base, and the etching region and the washing region are separated from each other. The etching liquid in the washing region is discharged. The washing liquid is applied to the glass substrate. With this method, efficiency in a glass substrate etching process is improved, and deterioration of quality of the glass substrate can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an etching method and apparatus, and more particularly to a glass substrate etching method and apparatus.

  Flat panel displays such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), ELD (Electro Luminescent Display), VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display), etc. A glass substrate made of silicon oxide as a constituent element. In the case of the glass substrate, the weight occupied by the flat plate display is the largest. Therefore, as part of the integration of the flat plate display, research on reducing the weight of the glass substrate has been actively conducted. As an example of a method for reducing the weight of the glass substrate, it is possible to take a thin plate to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate. In particular, among the glass substrates, in the case of the glass substrate included in the LCD, the thickness was conventionally about 1.2 mm, but recently it has been managed at about 0.8 mm, and the degree of integration is further increased. In the case of the required glass substrate, it is currently controlled to about 0.6 mm or less.

  In order to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate, conventionally, a method of etching the surface of the glass substrate by depositing the glass substrate in a container mainly containing an etching solution is selected. In particular, when performing an etching process for thinning the glass substrate, if the surface of the glass substrate is not smooth, a serious defect is provided in the image quality of a flat display including the glass substrate. In addition to forming a thin film, it must be formed uniformly.

  For this reason, a bubbler, a spray nozzle or the like is installed on the bottom surface of the container, and when the etching process is performed, the etching liquid is bubbled from the bottom surface of the container to the glass substrate positioned vertically in the container. Or apply spraying method. That is, the etchant is uniformly provided to the glass substrate using the bubbler, the spray nozzle or the like. In particular, an example of a method for bubbling the etchant when etching the glass substrate is disclosed in Patent Document 1, and an example of a method for spraying the etchant is started in Patent Document 2. However, even if the glass substrate is etched using the bubbler or the spray nozzle, it is not easy to obtain a glass substrate having a satisfactory uniform surface.

  Accordingly, recently, not only the thinning of the glass substrate but also the step of polishing the glass substrate is performed after the etching process is performed for uniformity. However, when polishing the glass substrate, since pressure is applied to the glass substrate, the glass substrate itself is highly likely to be damaged.

Korean patent application 1998-37000 Korean patent application 1996-23779

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a glass substrate etching method capable of efficiently etching a glass substrate.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass substrate etching apparatus for achieving the glass substrate etching method.

  According to the glass substrate etching method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the glass substrate is first deposited in an etching solution contained in a base including an etching region and a cleaning region to etch the glass substrate. To do. The glass substrate is transferred to the cleaning region of the base, and the etching region and the cleaning region are separated. The etchant in the cleaning area is discharged. A cleaning solution is added to the glass substrate.

  For example, the etchant may include fluoride salt, sulfate, nitrate, sulfonate, hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid, and the cleaning solution may include deionized water. it can.

  In addition, a water flow of the etchant can be generated while the glass substrate is etched to increase the etching efficiency.

  For example, after the etching solution in the cleaning region is discharged, an etching solution having a temperature of 10 to 30 ° C. can be added to remove impurities and the like on the glass substrate.

  A glass substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment for achieving the above-described object of the present invention contains an etching solution, a base including an etching region and a cleaning region, and a substrate positioned inside the base for fixing and transferring the substrate. A substrate transfer unit, a separation member that separates the etching region and the cleaning region, and a cleaning member that supplies a cleaning liquid to the substrate in the cleaning region.

  For example, the substrate transfer unit may include a jig for fixing the substrate and a rail for transferring the jig.

  The etching apparatus may further include a water flow generation unit for generating a water flow of the etchant, and the water flow generation unit includes a rotating member and a support member connected to the rotating member and capable of reciprocating. it can.

  The cleaning apparatus may further include a discharge port and a discharge valve for discharging the etching solution in the cleaning region, and the bottom surface of the base may be lowered toward the cleaning region.

  According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, etching and cleaning can be performed continuously, and a plurality of substrates can be loaded and the cleaning process and the etching process can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, the efficiency of the etching process can be increased. In addition, impurities can be prevented from adhering to the surface of the substrate and deteriorating quality while being transferred from the etching process to the cleaning process.

Glass Substrate Etching Method FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a glass substrate etching method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a glass substrate is deposited in an etchant contained in a base including an etching region and a cleaning region, and the glass substrate is etched (S10). In order to increase the etching efficiency of the glass substrate, a water flow of the etching solution can be generated. The etchant may contain fluoride salt, sulfate salt, nitrate salt, sulfonate salt, hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, nitride acid, etc., and these can be used alone or in combination. Specifically, acidic ammonium fluoride, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate as a salt can be used. In particular, when the etchant contains a fluoride salt, it is not only easier to handle than when it contains hydrofluoric acid, but the quality of the substrate is reduced due to the continuous generation and residue of reaction byproducts. Can be prevented. The temperature of the etching solution may be about 10 to 60 ° C., for example. Although the etching rate increases as the temperature of the etching solution increases, it is difficult to keep the surface quality of the substrate uniform.

  Next, the glass substrate is moved to a base cleaning region, and the cleaning region and the etching region are separated (S20). It is preferable that the etching solution in the etching region is completely separated using a partition wall so that the etching solution does not flow into the cleaning region.

  Next, the etching solution in the cleaning region is discharged (S30). It is desirable that the etching solution is quickly discharged to the discharge port by opening / closing a valve or the like.

  A cleaning solution is added to the glass substrate (S40). Slow ion water or the like can be used as the cleaning liquid, and other known cleaning substances for glass substrates can also be used. Before adding the cleaning solution, it is desirable to remove impurities by adding an etching solution at normal temperature, for example, about 10 to 30 ° C., to the glass substrate. In order to prevent deterioration of the quality of the glass substrate, it is desirable that the step of discharging the etching solution and adding the cleaning solution or the normal temperature etching solution be performed continuously without a time interval.

  While the substrate is being cleaned in the cleaning region, another substrate can be etched in the etching region. Therefore, a plurality of glass substrate etchings can be performed continuously.

Glass Substrate Etching Apparatus FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a glass substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a glass substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 and 5 are enlarged perspective views showing a rotating member of the glass substrate etching apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the glass substrate etching apparatus 100 includes a base 10 for storing the etching solution 20, a substrate transfer unit 40 for transferring the substrate 30, a water flow generating unit 50 for generating a water flow of the etching solution, A separation member 60 for separating the base 10 into an etching area EA and a cleaning area CA and a cleaning member 70 for cleaning the substrate 30 are included. Preferably, the bottom surface of the base 10 is designed to be lowered toward the cleaning area CA so that the by-product generated in the etching process and the etching solution used can easily move toward the discharge port of the cleaning area. Can be done.

  In addition, the glass substrate etching apparatus 100 includes a valve 72 for discharging the etching solution in the cleaning area CA of the base 10, a filter 80 for removing impurities in the discharged etching solution, and etching in which the impurities are removed. A buffer tank 90 for storing the liquid and a pump 95 for supplying the etching liquid to the base 10 are further included.

  The substrate transfer unit 40 is positioned in the base 10 and fixes the substrate 30. The glass substrate etching apparatus 100 may include a plurality of substrate transfer units 40 so that the substrate can be etched and cleaned continuously. The substrate transfer unit 40 moves from one end of the base 10 toward the cleaning area CA. Specifically, the substrate transfer unit 40 does not move while the substrate is being cleaned in the cleaning area CA. When the cleaning of the substrate is completed in the cleaning area CA and the substrate transfer unit 40 that fixes the next substrate moves to the cleaning area CA, the other substrate transfer units also move to the next position together.

  The substrate transfer unit 40 may include a jig for fixing the substrate 30 and a rail for moving the jig, and the jig and the rail may be located in the base 10. As another method, the substrate transfer unit 40 may be positioned on the base 10 to fix the substrate 30 to the top. It further includes an external base (not shown) for storing the etchant discharged from the base 10.

  The water flow generator 50 generates a water flow of the etchant so that the substrate 30 is uniformly and efficiently etched. In addition, by-products generated by etching on the surface of the substrate 30 can be prevented from being adsorbed to the substrate again. Specifically, the water flow generator 50 includes a rotating member 52 and a support member 54.

  The rotating member 52 rotates to generate a water flow of the etching solution and supply it to the substrate 30. Accordingly, the etching rate and etching uniformity of the substrate 30 can be increased. Specifically, in order to rotate the rotating member 52, the water flow generator 50 can reciprocate vertically or horizontally. The movement of the water flow generating unit 50 causes a frictional force to act between the rotating member 52 and the etching solution, thereby rotating the rotating member 52. As another method, the rotating member 52 includes a motor and can rotate by itself without moving the water flow generating unit 50.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the rotating member 52 includes a roller 52a and a brush 52b formed on the surface of the roller 52a. Preferably, the brush 52b may be made of a highly flexible synthetic resin so that the substrate 30 is not damaged by friction between the brush 52b and the substrate 30. Alternatively, referring to FIG. 5, the rotating member 52 may include a roller 152a and a plurality of pads 152b protruding from the surface of the roller 152a. The pad 152b can increase the friction between the rotating member 52 and the etchant to generate a stronger water flow. Alternatively, the rotating member 52 may be a streamline screw.

  Preferably, the water flow generator 50 may include a plurality of rotating members 52, and the water flow generator 50 may be positioned between the substrates 30 in order to uniformly supply a water flow to the substrate. The water flow generating unit 50 is transferred by the support member 54 so as not to hinder the movement of the substrate 30 and the substrate transfer unit 40.

  For example, referring to FIG. 3, the support member 54 may be moved in parallel so that the water flow generating unit 50 deviates from the movement path of the substrate 30. After the movement of the substrate 30 is completed, the support member 54 moves so that the water flow generation unit 50 is located again between the substrates. The moving direction of the support member 54 is arbitrary, and can be moved in the vertical direction as another method.

  The etchant 20 may include a fluoride salt, a sulfate, a nitrate, a sulfonate, hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, a nitric acid, and the like. Substantially the same.

  After the substrate 30 is moved to the cleaning area CA, the etching area EA and the cleaning area CA are separated by a separation member 60. In the cleaning area CA, the substrate 30 is cleaned. For example, after the etching area EA and the cleaning area CA are separated by the separation member 60, the etching solution in the cleaning area CA can be quickly discharged through opening and closing of a discharge valve connected to the discharge port of the cleaning area CA. it can. Etching solution and reaction byproducts remain on the surface of the substrate, but it is desirable to remove them quickly. Therefore, it is desirable to supply the cleaning liquid to the substrate 30 quickly. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the substrate 30 through the cleaning member 70. Deionized water or the like can be used as the cleaning liquid.

  Before supplying the cleaning liquid, an etching liquid can be supplied to remove impurities on the surface of the substrate 30. The etchant for removing the impurities is preferably at room temperature, for example, about 10 to 30 ° C., and can be supplied through the cleaning member 70. The etchant and the cleaning solution may be sprayed through nozzles, and may be sprayed through different nozzles or through the same nozzle. The cleaning member 70 includes a plurality of nozzles so that the etching liquid and the cleaning liquid can be uniformly sprayed onto the substrate 30.

  As another method, after the etching solution is discharged from the cleaning region CA, a new etching solution at room temperature is supplied again to the cleaning region CA, and etching and cleaning are performed for a predetermined time, and then etching is performed again. The liquid can be discharged and the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the substrate.

  The etching solution discharged from the cleaning area CA through the discharge port is supplied to the filter 80 to remove impurities. The etching solution from which impurities are removed from the filter 80 is supplied to a buffer tank 90 for temporary storage. A pump 95 for supplying the etching solution to the base 10 is connected to the buffer tank 90. Through this, the etching solution can be reused, and the cost of the etching process can be reduced.

  While the substrate 30 is being cleaned in the cleaning area CA, another substrate can be etched in the etching area EA. Therefore, etching of a plurality of glass substrates can be performed continuously.

  According to the glass substrate etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, etching and cleaning can be performed continuously, and a plurality of substrates can be introduced and the cleaning process and the etching process can proceed simultaneously. Therefore, the efficiency of the etching process can be increased. In addition, it is possible to prevent the impurities from adhering to the surface of the substrate during the etching process to move to the cleaning process and degrading the quality.

  In the following, a glass substrate etching method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described through specific examples and experimental examples.

  A base for containing an etching solution, a jig installed inside the base for fixing a glass substrate, a rail for moving the jig, a partition for separating the inside of the base into an etching region and a cleaning region A glass substrate etching apparatus including a screw for generating a water flow, an arm connected to the screw and capable of reciprocating vertically and horizontally, and an injection nozzle capable of spraying a cleaning liquid and an etching liquid. An approximately 600 mm × 700 mm × 0.63 mm glass substrate is fixed to the jig, and GLET-100 (product name, JIWONTECH, Korea) is supplied to the base as an etching solution and etched at about 45 ° C. for about 120 minutes. It was. Next, the jig was moved to the cleaning region and separated from the etching region by a partition wall. After quickly draining the etching solution in the cleaning region, deionized water was sprayed onto the glass substrate to clean the glass substrate.

  Substantially the same as in Example 1 except that it further includes a step of spraying an etching solution at about 20 ° C. onto the glass substrate after the drain cleaning solution is quickly drained and before spraying deionized water onto the glass substrate. Etching and cleaning were performed by the same method.

  Etching and cleaning were performed in substantially the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the etching solution was about 20 ° C.

Comparative Example 1

  After etching, the glass substrate was taken out of the base and etched and cleaned in substantially the same manner as in Example 1 except that another glass substrate was cleaned.

  The occurrence of white spots and the state of sludge in the corners were observed on the surfaces of the glass substrates of Example 1, Example 2, and Comparative Example 1, and the etched thickness was measured. Showed it. Specifically, the number of white spots generated on the surface of the glass substrate was observed and described, and the sludge state was indicated by a three-stage evaluation method (◯: good, Δ: normal, ×: bad).

  Referring to Table 1, in the case of the glass substrate of Comparative Example 1 in which the etching process and the cleaning process were performed on other bases, many white spots were generated and the corner sludge state was not improved. The glass substrate on which the etching process and the cleaning process were performed on the same base according to Examples 1 and 2 had not only a small number of white spots but also excellent corner sludge. In particular, referring to the results of Example 2, it can be seen that the quality can be improved by adding an etching solution at room temperature before adding the cleaning solution to the glass substrate.

  The glass substrate etched / cleaned according to Example 3 had an etching thickness of about 150 μm and a surface roughness (Ra) of about 0.01 μm. On the other hand, the surface roughness (Ra) of the glass substrate etched / cleaned in Example 1 was about 0.03 μm. Therefore, it can be seen that when the temperature of the etchant is high, the etching rate increases, but the surface uniformity may be reduced.

  According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the efficiency of the etching process can be increased. It can prevent that the quality of a glass substrate falls.

  The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the present invention is not limited to this, as long as it has ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The present invention can be modified or changed.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a glass substrate etching method according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the glass substrate etching apparatus by one Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows the glass substrate etching apparatus by one Example of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the rotation member of the glass substrate etching apparatus by one Example of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the rotation member of the glass substrate etching apparatus by one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Base 20 Etching liquid 30 Substrate 40 Substrate transfer part 50 Water flow generation part 60 Separation member 70 Cleaning member EA Etching area CA Cleaning area

Claims (11)

Etching the glass substrate by depositing the glass substrate in an etching solution contained in a base including an etching region and a cleaning region;
Transferring the glass substrate to the cleaning region of the base while being deposited in an etching solution, and separating the etching region and the cleaning region;
Draining the etchant of the cleaning region;
Adding a cleaning liquid to the glass substrate.   The etchant includes at least one selected from the group consisting of fluoride salts, sulfates, nitrates, sulfonates, hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid. The glass substrate etching method as described.   The glass substrate etching method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a water flow of the etching solution.   The glass substrate etching method according to claim 1, further comprising adding an etching solution having a temperature of 10 to 30 ° C. after discharging the etching solution in the cleaning region.   The glass substrate etching method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid contains deionized water. A base containing an etchant and including an etching region and a cleaning region;
A substrate transfer unit for fixing the substrate located inside the base and transferring the substrate while being deposited in an etchant;
A discharge port for discharging the etching solution in the cleaning region;
A separation member for separating the etching region and the cleaning region;
A glass substrate etching apparatus comprising: a cleaning member that supplies a cleaning liquid to the substrate in the cleaning region.   The glass substrate etching apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the substrate transfer unit includes a jig for fixing the substrate and a rail for transferring the jig.   The glass substrate etching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a water flow generation unit configured to generate a water flow of the etching solution.   The glass substrate etching apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the water flow generation unit includes a rotating member and a supporting member connected to the rotating member and capable of reciprocating.   The glass substrate etching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a discharge valve for discharging the etching solution in the cleaning region.   The glass substrate etching apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a bottom surface of the base is lowered toward the cleaning region.

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