JP2009096148A - Brittle material substrate parting apparatus and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily part a scribe-processed brittle material substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The upper face of a lower casing 11 is sealed with an elastic film 12 to form a fluid chamber A. The lower face of an upper casing 21 is sealed with an elastic film 22 to form a fluid chamber B. A scribe-processed glass plate 41 is place on the elastic film 12 and fixed by closing the upper casing 21 from the upper side. The fluid chamber A of the lower casing 11 and the fluid chamber B of the upper casing 21 are pressurized. By pressurizing the fluid chamber A to have higher pressure than the chamber B, the scribe-processed glass plate 41 is convexed over the elastic films 12, 22, to part the glass plate 41 held between the elastic films 12, 22 along a scribe line. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a brittle material substrate cutting device and a brittle material substrate cutting method for cutting a scribe-processed brittle material substrate.

  In the manufacturing process of a panel substrate used for a flat display body such as a liquid crystal display panel, the liquid crystal panel substrate is divided from the mother substrate at the final stage. At this time, the liquid crystal panel substrate may be divided into a large number of small pieces depending on the intended use. When a substrate such as a glass substrate or a silicon substrate is divided into small pieces, scribing is performed at a small pitch along the outer shape of the small piece, and the substrate is divided at a scribe position. As a method of dividing, a method of directly applying a force to the substrate to apply a bending moment and a method of dividing along a scribe line with a break bar are known.

  However, with such a method, the glass substrate may be contaminated or lost. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, an elastic sheet is placed on the upper part of the container whose upper surface is open, a glass substrate is adhered onto the elastic sheet, a ring having the same shape as the outer periphery of the container is pressed, hermetically sealed and the container is pressurized An apparatus for dividing a glass substrate by bending an elastic sheet is known.

Patent Document 2 proposes a cutting apparatus using a support head curved upward. In this cutting apparatus, a glass substrate is arranged on the support head, covered with a presser sheet from the top, and the gap between them is sucked in vacuum, so that the glass substrate is bent along the support head and divided. Yes.
JP 2007-22876 A JP 2004-354836 A

  However, according to the substrate dividing apparatus of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to attach a scribe-processed glass substrate onto an elastic sheet, and there is a drawback in that it takes time to remove a substrate that has become a small piece after division from the elastic sheet. It was. In addition, the method of Patent Document 2 has a drawback that it is difficult to keep the inside of the presser sheet airtight because the presser sheet is placed on the glass substrate, and a non-uniform force is applied to the glass substrate. Furthermore, since the glass substrate is not bonded to the curved support head, after the glass substrate is divided, the divided chips are likely to be scattered and difficult to take out.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a conventional defect, and it is easy to prevent the divided substrate from being scattered without mainly bonding a brittle material substrate having a small scribe pitch on the sheet. An object of the present invention is to provide a brittle material substrate cutting device and a brittle material substrate cutting method capable of cutting a brittle material substrate such as a glass plate.

  In order to solve this problem, the brittle material substrate cutting apparatus of the present invention includes a lower housing in which a fluid chamber is configured including an elastic film provided on an upper surface, and an elastic film provided on a lower surface. Connected to connect the upper case and the lower case so that the upper case and the lower case can be opened and closed and the pair of elastic films face each other when closed. And a pressurizing unit connected to the upper casing and the lower casing, respectively, and pressurizing the fluid chambers of the upper casing and the lower casing.

  Here, each of the pressurizing units may include a compressor and a regulator, and may independently adjust the pressure of each fluid chamber.

  Here, the pressurizing unit connects a regulator and a compressor connected to one of the upper casing and the lower casing and fluid chambers of the upper casing and the lower casing, and opens and closes between them. And a duct having a free valve.

  In order to solve this problem, the brittle material substrate cutting method according to the present invention arranges a scribed brittle material substrate on the elastic film of the lower housing in which a fluid chamber is configured including the elastic film provided on the upper surface. And fixing the upper housing and the lower housing so that the elastic film is in contact with the brittle material substrate, the upper housing having a fluid chamber including an elastic film provided on the lower surface, By changing the pressure of each fluid chamber constituted by the upper housing and the lower housing, the pressure of one fluid chamber is made larger than the pressure of the other fluid chamber, and the pair of elastic films and the By curving the brittle material substrate, the brittle material substrate is divided along a scribed line.

  Here, the fluid chamber constituted by the upper casing and the fluid chamber constituted by the lower casing are respectively pressurized, and the pressure of the fluid chamber of either the upper casing or the lower casing is set to the pressure of the other fluid chamber. By making it larger, the pair of elastic films and the brittle material substrate may be curved.

  Here, the brittle material substrate is scribed only on one surface, and includes any one of the upper housing and the lower housing including the elastic film in contact with the non-scribe surface of the brittle material substrate. You may make it make the pressure of the fluid chamber comprised on the one side become larger than the pressure of the other fluid chamber.

  According to the present invention having such characteristics, the brittle material substrate can be reliably and easily divided. The present invention is particularly effective when a fragile material substrate having a small thickness is scribed at a small pitch to divide it into a large number of small pieces or strips, and the fragile material substrate does not scatter even after being divided. The effect that it can be taken out is obtained.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a brittle material substrate cutting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof. In the present embodiment, an elastic film 12 is attached to the upper surface of the lower housing 11, and the inside of the lower housing 11 is sealed by the elastic film 12 to form a fluid chamber A. The elastic film 12 is a flexible member that can be stretched and contracted, is airtight, and does not damage or contaminate the brittle material substrate. For example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) can be used as the elastic film 12. A plug 13 for press-fitting a fluid is provided in the side wall of the lower housing 11, and a regulator 15 and a compressor 16 are connected to the plug 13 via a pipe 14. The compressor 16 pressurizes the fluid chamber A of the lower housing 11, and the regulator 15 holds the pressure at a set value. The meter 17 is a pressure gauge for confirming the pressure in the fluid chamber A.

  On the other hand, the upper housing 21 is a housing whose lower surface is released, and an elastic film 22 is attached to the lower surface, the inside is sealed, and the fluid chamber B is formed. The elastic film 22 is also the same member as the elastic film 12. A regulator 25 and a compressor 26 are connected to the plug 23 on the side wall via a pipe 24. The compressor 26 pressurizes the fluid chamber B of the lower casing 21, and the regulator 25 holds the pressure at a set value. The meter 27 is a pressure gauge for confirming the pressure in the fluid chamber B. Here, the regulators 19 and 25 and the compressors 16 and 26 constitute a pressurizing unit that pressurizes the fluid chambers A and B of the casing.

  Between the lower casing 11 and the upper casing 21, a hinge part 30 for connecting the lower casing 11 and the upper casing 21 is attached, and the hinge part 30 can be opened and closed like a bivalve shell. It is configured. Further, when the lower casing 11 and the upper casing 21 are closed, a fixing tool 31 such as a snap lock is provided to maintain the state. The hinge part 30 and the fixture 31 are connecting parts that connect and fix the lower casing 11 and the upper casing 21. When the lower casing 11 and the upper casing 21 are closed, the elastic films 12 and 22 come into contact as shown in FIG.

  When a single glass plate 41 is cut using this brittle material substrate cutting apparatus, a scribe line is previously formed on the upper surface of the glass plate 41 along a desired shape. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, a large number of parallel scribe lines are formed in a lattice shape at a small pitch, and the glass plate 41 is divided into a large number of small pieces. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a target glass plate 41 is disposed on the elastic film 12 of the lower housing 11. In this case, positioning is unnecessary, and it is only necessary to place it at an arbitrary position. Then, the lower casing 11 and the upper casing 21 are closed and fixed by the fixture 31. As a result, the glass plate 41 is held between the elastic films 12 and 22 as shown in FIG.

  In this state, the compressors 16 and 26 are simultaneously driven, and a fluid, for example, air flows into the upper and lower fluid chambers A and B through the pipes 14 and 24. The upper and lower fluid chambers A and B are pressurized while maintaining the same pressure. As a result, the elastic films 22 and 12 are in close contact with the glass plate 41 from above and below, respectively. Next, the pressure of one fluid chamber, for example, the fluid chamber A of the lower casing 11 is increased above the pressure of the fluid chamber B of the upper casing. At this time, the compressor 16 may be further driven to pressurize, or air may be discharged slightly from the regulator 25 to lower the pressure in the upper fluid chamber B. As a result, the elastic films 12 and 22 are curved upward as shown in FIG. 5, and the glass plate 41 is also curved accordingly. The glass plate 41 can be broken by a bending moment applied at this time at a weakly scribed portion of the glass plate 41, and the glass plate 41 can be divided into small pieces along a large number of scribe lines with a small pitch.

  After the division is thus completed, the pressures of the fluid chambers A and B are simultaneously reduced to atmospheric pressure. As a result, the divided glass plate is held horizontally on the elastic film 12. Here, the fixture 31 is removed, and the upper housing 21 is opened. By doing so, since the glass plate is already divided, it can be easily taken out as a divided piece. In this case, since the elastic film 12 and the small piece are not bonded together, it can be taken out very easily. Since the elastic film 12 is horizontal, the glass plate that has been divided into small pieces is not scattered.

  Further, in this embodiment, when two bonded substrates such as a mother substrate of a liquid crystal panel are divided into small pieces, scribes are simultaneously formed at a small pitch in the vertical direction and are divided by the dividing device of this embodiment. It is also possible. However, in this case, it is difficult to set the pressure in the fluid chambers A and B, and a horizontal crack may occur. Therefore, it is preferable to divide the upper and lower glass plates separately.

  When the upper and lower glass plates are individually divided, first, only the upper glass plate is scribed at a small pitch and placed on the elastic film 12, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, A is convex upward and only the upper glass plate is cut along the scribe line. Thereafter, the substrate is taken out and the bonded substrate is inverted, and the other glass plate is similarly scribed at a small pitch. Then, the bonded substrate is placed again on the elastic film 12, the fluid chamber A is convex upward as shown in FIG. 5, and the upper glass plate is divided to complete the cutting of the bonded substrate. As a result, the two bonded substrates can be divided stably. Further, after the division, as shown in FIG. 3, the divided chips remain in the elastic film 12, and since each chip and the elastic film 12 are not bonded, they can be easily taken out.

  In this embodiment, the fluid chambers A and B are pressurized so that the pressure in the fluid chamber A is greater than that in the fluid chamber B. However, the pressure in the fluid chamber B is increased, that is, protrudes downward. The elastic films 12 and 22 may be bent together with the glass plate 41 so as to be divided. In this case, scribing is performed on the lower surface of the glass plate 41. Further, the fluid chambers A and B may be deformed so that the elastic films 12 and 22 are convex upward or downward by decompressing one of them.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, a regulator and a compressor are connected to the fluid chambers A and B, respectively, to form a pressurizing unit. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the fluid chambers A and B are connected by a duct 51, and a valve is interposed between them. The regulator 15, the compressor 16, and the meter 17 may be connected only to one of the fluid chambers A, for example. Note that the plug 53 of the lower housing 11 is connected to the duct 51.

  In this case, if the compressor 16 is driven with the valve 52 opened and the fluid chambers A and B connected, the fluid chambers A and B can be completely pressurized to the same pressure using only the compressor 16. it can. Thereafter, the valve 52 connecting the fluid chambers A and B is closed, and only the fluid chamber A is further pressurized by the compressor 16. If it carries out like this, the elastic films 12 and 22 can be curved with one compressor, and a glass plate can be parted.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, an example is described in which a single glass plate or a liquid crystal mother substrate is divided into small pieces by applying a small scribe pitch. However, the object of division is limited to the glass plate. Further, the shape of the division is not limited to that divided into small pieces. The present invention can be applied to a cutting apparatus that cuts various brittle material substrates into arbitrary shapes.

  In addition, the lower housing 11 and the upper housing 21 may be made of a transparent member, and in this case, it is possible to easily grasp the state of being divided by bending.

  The present invention can easily divide various brittle material substrates such as a scribed single plate and a bonded substrate along a scribe line. The present invention is particularly effective when a brittle material substrate is divided into small sizes, and can be used in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display panel or the like, or in various other brittle material substrate cutting processes.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a substrate cutting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which open | released the upper housing | casing of the board | substrate cutting device of this Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which open | released the upper housing | casing of the board | substrate cutting apparatus of this Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which hold | maintained the glass substrate and closed the substrate cutting device. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which pressurized the lower housing | casing. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the board | substrate cutting device by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Lower housing | casing 21 Upper housing | casing 12,22 Elastic film 22,23 Flag 14,24 Pipe 15,25 Regulator 16,26 Compressor 17,27 Meter 30 Hinge part 31 Fixed part

Claims (6)

A lower housing in which a fluid chamber is configured including an elastic film provided on an upper surface, and a brittle material substrate is disposed on the elastic film;
An upper housing in which a fluid chamber is configured including an elastic film provided on a lower surface;
A connecting part for connecting the upper case and the lower case so as to be freely opened and closed, and fixing the upper case and the lower case so that the pair of elastic films face each other when closed;
A brittle material substrate cutting apparatus comprising: a pressurizing unit that is coupled to the upper casing and the lower casing, respectively, and pressurizes the fluid chambers of the upper casing and the lower casing.   The brittle material substrate cutting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the pressurizing units includes a compressor and a regulator, and independently adjusts the pressure of each fluid chamber. The pressurizing part is
A regulator and a compressor connected to one of the upper housing and the lower housing;
The brittle material substrate cutting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a duct having a valve that can be opened and closed between the fluid chambers of the upper housing and the lower housing. A scribed brittle material substrate is disposed on the elastic film of the lower housing in which the fluid chamber is configured including the elastic film provided on the upper surface,
An upper housing in which a fluid chamber is configured including an elastic film provided on a lower surface, the upper housing and the lower housing are fixed so that the elastic film is in contact with the brittle material substrate,
By changing the pressure of each fluid chamber composed of the upper housing and the lower housing, the pressure of one of the fluid chambers is larger than the pressure of the other fluid chamber,
A brittle material substrate cutting method in which the pair of elastic films and the brittle material substrate are curved to cut the brittle material substrate along a scribed line. Pressurizing each of the fluid chamber composed of the upper housing and the fluid chamber composed of the lower housing;
5. The brittle material substrate according to claim 4, wherein the pair of elastic films and the brittle material substrate are curved by making the pressure of the fluid chamber of either the upper housing or the lower housing larger than the pressure of the other fluid chamber. Splitting method. The brittle material substrate is scribed on only one side,
6. The pressure of a fluid chamber constituted by one of the upper housing and the lower housing including the elastic film in contact with a non-scribed surface of the brittle material substrate is made larger than the pressure of the other fluid chamber. The brittle material substrate cutting method described.

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