JP2012126584A - End treating method and apparatus for glass plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remove cracks in a cut end face of a cut glass plate without breaking the glass plate.SOLUTION: A treating gas is made to flow into a flow path 15 in a plasma generating section 10 of a glass end treating apparatus 1 and plasma is generated in the flow path 15 to provide ability to etch or dissolve the glass plate 9 to the treating gas. This treating gas is fed to a treating section 20 and brought into contact with an end 9f of the glass plate 9.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for chamfering the edge of a glass plate, and more particularly to a glass edge processing method and apparatus suitable for thin glass having a thickness on the order of microns.

  In the glass manufacturing process, a glass plate is continuously formed into a long shape and then cut into an appropriate length. In a manufacturing process of a flat panel display (hereinafter abbreviated as “FPD”) such as a liquid crystal television display, a large glass substrate called mother glass is cut into a television size. As a method for cutting glass, a method is often used in which a glass surface is scratched with a glass cut with a diamond at the tip, and the glass is broken starting from this scratch. According to this cutting method, there are many fine cracks on the cut end face, and there is a possibility that the glass is further broken from the cracks. In order to remove such cracks, it is known to use a grindstone or the like (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2008-049449 A JP 2009-157092 A

For example, a glass plate for FPD has been thinned in recent years, and a glass plate having a thickness of about several tens to several hundreds of μm has appeared. However, the thinner the glass, the easier it is to crack. When the thickness is on the order of microns, it can be easily broken just by contacting a grinding wheel for polishing. Therefore, it is difficult to remove such cracks in the thin glass by polishing.
An object of this invention is to remove the crack of a cut end surface, making it not break even if a glass plate is thin.

In order to solve the above problems, the method of the present invention is an end treatment method for chamfering an end including a cut end face of a cut glass plate,
A plasma generation step of generating plasma in a flow path of the processing gas, and imparting an etching ability or a dissolving ability to the glass plate to the processing gas;
A processing step of bringing the processing gas after the application into contact with the end; and
It is characterized by including.
Since it processes by gas contact, it can prevent that a glass plate cracks during a process. And the crack of a cut end surface can be removed, chamfering the edge part of a glass plate by the etching effect | action or melt | dissolution effect | action of process gas.

  In the treatment step, it is preferable that the treatment gas is blown locally from both sides of the glass plate to the end portion. Thereby, the edge part of a glass plate can be chamfered from both sides, and it can avoid that only one side of the edge part of a glass plate is chamfered and the other side is sharp.

  In parallel with the treatment step, it is preferable to perform an exhaust step of locally sucking and exhausting the gas around the end of the glass plate. Thereby, it can prevent or suppress that the center part of a glass plate is damaged with process gas.

  The processing gas may contain a fluorine-containing component, and after adding a hydrogen-containing additive component to the processing gas, the processing gas may be subjected to the plasma generation step. Thereby, the etching ability can be imparted to the processing gas, and the edge of the glass plate can be chamfered by dry etching.

Examples of the fluorine-containing component include fluorine-containing compounds such as PFC (perfluorocarbon) and HFC (hydrofluorocarbon). Examples of the PFC include CF ₄ , C ₂ F ₆ , C ₃ F ₈ , C ₃ F _{8 and the} like. Examples of HFC include CHF ₃ , CH ₂ F ₂ , CH ₃ F and the like. Furthermore, fluorine-containing compounds other than PFC and HFC such as SF ₆ , NF ₃ , and XeF ₂ may be used as the fluorine-containing component, or F ₂ may be used.
As the hydrogen-containing additive component, it is preferable to use water (H ₂ O). In addition to water, the hydrogen-containing additive component may be an OH group-containing compound, hydrogen peroxide, or a mixture thereof. Examples of the OH group-containing compound include alcohol.

  The processing gas may contain air, nitrogen, oxygen, or a rare gas. In this case, by dissolving the processing gas into plasma, the processing gas can be provided with dissolving ability, and the edge of the glass plate can be dissolved and chamfered. The processing gas may be air, nitrogen, oxygen, or a mixed gas of noble gases.

The device of the present invention is an end processing device for chamfering an end including a cut end surface of a cut glass plate,
Support means for supporting the glass plate;
A plasma generating unit having a flow path for flowing a processing gas, generating plasma in the flow path, and imparting an etching ability or a dissolving ability to the glass plate to the processing gas;
A processing section for bringing the processing gas after the application into contact with the end; and
It is provided with.
Since a process part is processed by gas contact, it can prevent that a glass plate breaks. And the crack of a cut end surface can be removed, chamfering the edge part of a glass plate by the etching effect | action or melt | dissolution effect | action of process gas. As a result, the glass plate can be prevented from cracking starting from the crack.

  The processing unit may have a pair of outlets facing each other, the processing gas may be blown out from each outlet, and the end of the glass plate may be disposed between the pair of outlets. Thereby, process gas can be sprayed from the both sides to the edge part of a glass plate. Therefore, the edge part of a glass plate can be chamfered from both sides, and it can avoid that only one side of the edge part of a glass plate is chamfered and the other side is sharp.

  A concave groove for receiving the end of the glass plate is formed on a side surface of the processing unit facing the glass plate, and the pair of outlets face each other across an opening to the side surface of the concave groove. It is preferable that an exhaust port for sucking and exhausting the gas in the concave groove portion is provided in the inner periphery on the back side of the concave groove portion. As a result, the processing gas can be temporarily retained inside the recessed groove portion, and can be uniformly and sufficiently brought into contact with the end portion of the glass plate, and the end portion of the glass plate can be chamfered cleanly and reliably. . Moreover, it can prevent that processing gas leaks from a ditch | groove part to the center part of a glass plate, and can prevent that the center part of a glass plate is damaged by processing gas.

The plasma generation unit can employ various structures.
The plasma generation unit includes a pair of electrodes facing each other so as to define the flow path between them, and an electric field is applied between the electrodes to generate the plasma. Good.
The plasma generating unit includes an electrode structure including a shaft body and a cylindrical body that coaxially surrounds the shaft body, and generates the plasma between the shaft body and the cylindrical body or at the tip of the shaft body; and An axis of the electrode structure may be directed to the end of the glass plate, and the processing gas may flow toward the end along the axis.

The above plasma generation and chamfering treatment are preferably performed near atmospheric pressure. Here, the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure refers to a range of 1.013 × 10 ^{4 to} 50.663 × 10 ⁴ Pa, and considering the ease of pressure adjustment and the simplification of the apparatus configuration, 1.333 × 10 ⁴ to 10.664 × 10 ⁴ Pa is preferable, and 9.331 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.9797 × 10 ⁴ Pa is more preferable.

  According to the present invention, cracks on the cut end face can be removed while chamfering the end portion of the glass plate by the etching action or heating action of the processing gas. Since the treatment is performed by gas contact, cracks can be removed while preventing the glass plate from breaking.

It is explanatory drawing of the glass edge part processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a plane sectional view of the nozzle head of the above-mentioned glass edge processing device which meets the II-II line of Drawing 1. It is side surface sectional drawing which expands and shows the front side part of the said nozzle head. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the modification of the blowing part of the said nozzle head. It is commentary sectional drawing of the glass edge part processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the photograph before the process of the edge part of the glass plate in Example 1. FIG. It is the photograph after the process of the edge part of the glass plate in Example 1. FIG. It is the photograph after the process of the edge part of the glass plate in Example 2. FIG. It is the photograph after the process of the edge part of the glass plate in Example 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The glass plate 9 to be processed is, for example, a glass substrate for FPD. The thickness of the glass plate 9 is, for example, about 50 μm to 100 μm. In the figure, the thickness of the glass plate 9 is exaggerated.

  The glass plate 9 is obtained by cutting mother glass into a TV size. For cutting, glass cutting with a diamond at the tip is used. This glass cutting causes scratches on the surface of the mother glass, and breaks starting from the scratches. Thereby, the glass plate 9 is cut out. As shown in FIG. 3, the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 includes a cut end face 9e and corner portions 9c, 9d generated by the cutting. In the drawing, the upper corner portion 9c is formed by intersecting the upper surface 9a (upper main surface) of the glass plate 9 and the cut end surface 9e. In the drawing, the lower corner portion 9d is formed such that the lower surface 9b (lower main surface) of the glass plate 9 and the cut end surface 9e intersect each other. Many fine cracks exist on the cut end face 9e (FIG. 3). In order to remove this crack, the glass edge processing apparatus 1 chamfers the edge 9f of the glass plate 9.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the glass edge part processing apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment is provided with the support means 3, the moving means 4, the plasma production | generation part 10, and the nozzle head 20 (processing part). The support means 3 supports the glass plate 9 horizontally. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the support mode of the glass plate 9 by the support means 3 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include placement, adsorption, gripping, clamping, latching, and tensioning. Specifically, the support means 3 is comprised by the guide roll, the conveyor, the movement stage, the manipulator, the robot arm etc., for example.

  The moving means 4 is connected to the supporting means 3. The moving means 4 may be integrated into the support means 3. The moving means 4 moves the supporting means 3 and thus the glass plate 9 in the width direction (see FIG. 2) perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. Preferably, the moving means 4 advances or retracts the supporting means 3 and thus the glass plate 9 in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the nozzle head 20, adjusts the position in the front-rear direction, or 90 ° in the horizontal direction. The support means 3 and thus the glass plate 9 can be moved up and down or the height can be adjusted. Specifically, the moving unit 4 includes a drive unit of the support unit 3 and an output transmission mechanism of the drive unit. Examples of the drive unit include a motor, a pump, and a fluid pressure actuator. Examples of the output transmission mechanism include a belt, a pulley, a gear train, a lead screw, and a slide guide.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma generation unit 10 includes a processing gas supply source 11 and a plasma generation unit 13. The processing gas supply source 11 stores a processing gas before being plasmatized (before imparting etching ability). The processing gas includes a fluorine-containing component and a dilution component. The dilution component may be omitted.

Here, CF ₄ is used as the fluorine-containing component. As a fluorine-containing component, instead of CF ₄ , other PFC (perfluorocarbon) such as C ₂ F ₆ , C ₃ F ₈ , and C ₃ F ₈ may be used. CHF ₃ , CH ₂ F ₂ , CH ₃ HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) such as F may be used, and SF ₆ , NF ₃ , XeF ₂ , F _2, etc. may be used.

For example, Ar is used as the dilution component. As a dilution component, instead of Ar, other rare gases such as He, Ne, and Kr may be used, and other inert gases such as N ₂ may be used. In addition to the role of diluting the fluorine-containing component, the dilution component plays a role as a carrier gas and a gas for plasma generation.

A pre-plasmaization processing gas supply path 11 a extends from the processing gas supply source 11. A hydrogen-containing additive component supply source 12 is connected to the supply path 11a. The hydrogen-containing additive component is water vapor (H ₂ O). The hydrogen-containing additive component supply source 12 is composed of a water vaporizer.

Water is stored in the vaporizer 12 in a liquid state. A plasma pretreatment gas (CF ₄ + Ar) is introduced into the liquid in the vaporizer 12 and bubbled. Alternatively, the processing gas may be introduced into the upper part of the liquid level in the vaporizer 12, and the saturated vapor in the upper part may be pushed out with the processing gas. Thereby, water vapor is added to the processing gas. By adjusting the temperature of the vaporizer 12, it is possible to adjust the vapor pressure of water and thus the amount of addition. Alternatively, a part of the processing gas is introduced into the vaporizer 12, the remainder of the processing gas bypasses the vaporizer 12, and the amount of water added is adjusted by adjusting the flow rate ratio between the part and the remainder. Also good.

  As the hydrogen-containing additive component, an OH group-containing compound, hydrogen peroxide, or the like may be used instead of water. Examples of the OH group-containing compound include alcohol.

  A supply path 11 a downstream from the vaporizer 12 extends to the plasma generation unit 13. The plasma generation unit 13 includes a pair of electrodes 14 and 14. These electrodes 14 and 14 are arranged to face each other, and a narrow gap-shaped flow path 15 is formed between the electrodes 14 and 14. A supply path 11a is connected to the upstream end (upper end in FIG. 1) of the flow path 15. Here, the pair of electrodes 14 and 14 constitutes a parallel plate electrode, but is not limited thereto, and may be a coaxial cylindrical electrode or the like.

  A solid dielectric layer (not shown) is provided on the opposing surface of at least one of the electrodes 14. One electrode 14 is connected to a power source (not shown). The other electrode 14 is electrically grounded. The power source converts, for example, DC power into a pulsed high frequency and supplies it to the electrode 14. By applying this high frequency power, an atmospheric pressure plasma discharge is generated between the electrodes 14 and 14, and the flow path 15 becomes a discharge space.

  A plasma-treated post-treatment gas supply path 16 is drawn from the downstream end (lower end in FIG. 1) of the flow path 15. The supply path 16 is configured by a tube made of fluorine-resistant resin or the like and extends to the nozzle head 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nozzle head 20 (processing unit) includes a main body 21. The head main body 21 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1). The front side surface (left side in FIG. 1) of the main body 21 is directed to the supporting means 3 and thus to the glass plate 9. As shown in FIG. 1, a concave groove portion 22 having a semicircular cross section is formed on the front side surface of the head body 21, that is, the side surface facing the glass plate 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the recessed groove portion 22 extends in the width direction and reaches both end surfaces of the head body 21 in the width direction. The cross-sectional shape of the recessed groove portion 22 is not limited to a semicircular shape, and may be a quadrangle, a triangle, or other shapes. The thickness (vertical dimension) of the opening to the front side surface of the main body 21 of the recessed groove 22 is, for example, about 10 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of outlets 23, 23 are provided on the front side portion (left side in FIG. 1) of the head main body 21. The pair of outlets 23, 23 face each other vertically with an opening to the front side surface of the groove 22. As shown in FIG. 2, each outlet 23 has a slit shape extending in the width direction of the head 20. The opening thickness of the outlet 23 (the dimension in the left-right direction in FIG. 1) is 0. It is about several mm to 1 mm.

  The opening thickness of the outlet 23 may be adjustable (see the modification of FIG. 4). For example, the opening thickness of the blowout port 23 can be adjusted by the front and rear walls constituting the blowout port 23 being separated from each other. Alternatively, the opening thickness of the blowout port 23 may be adjusted by providing an adjustment plate inside or at the lower end of the blowout port 23 so that the position of the adjustment plate can be adjusted back and forth.

  The blowout port 23 may be configured by a large number (a plurality) of small holes dispersed and arranged in the width direction instead of the slits extending in the width direction. Or the blower outlet 23 may be comprised by the single small hole.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a supply port 24 is provided on the rear side (right side in FIG. 1) of the head main body 21. A leading end of the supply path 16 is connected to the supply port 24. A blowing guide path 25 is formed in the head main body 21. The blowing guide path 25 extends from the supply port 24, branches into two hands, and continues to the pair of blowing ports 23, respectively. Although not shown, the guide path 25 is provided with a rectification unit that uniformly disperses the gas from the port 24 in the width direction. The rectifying unit is configured by, for example, a chamber extending in the width direction (see the modified example in FIG. 4), a tournament-shaped or tree-shaped passage extending in the width direction while branching into a plurality of stages.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the concave groove portion 22 receives the end portion 9 f of the glass plate 9. As a result, the end portion 9 f of the glass plate 9 is disposed between the pair of outlets 23 and 23. Specifically, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, the cut end surface 9 e of the glass plate 9 is positioned slightly on the back side (right in FIG. 3) of the recessed groove portion 22 with respect to the upper and lower outlets 23, 23. Be placed. The cut end face 9e of the glass plate 9 may be disposed at substantially the same position as the upper and lower outlets 23, 23 in the front-rear direction (left and right in FIG. 3). The cut end face 9e of the glass plate 9 may be disposed so as to be slightly retracted to the front side (left side in FIG. 3) from the upper and lower outlets 23, 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an exhaust port 26 is provided on the inner surface of the head main body 21 on the back side (right side in FIG. 1) of the groove portion 22. The opening thickness (the vertical dimension in FIG. 1) of the exhaust port 26 is larger than the opening thickness of the outlet port 23 and is about 1 mm to several mm. As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust port 26 has a slit shape extending in the width direction of the head 20. The exhaust port 26 may be configured by a large number (a plurality of) holes dispersed in the width direction instead of the slit. As shown in FIG. 1, the glass plate 9 is disposed on the same horizontal plane as the exhaust port 26. The cut end surface 9 e of the glass plate 9 faces the exhaust port 26.

  An exhaust guide path 27 is formed inside the head body 21. The front end (left side in FIG. 1) of the exhaust guide path 27 is connected to the exhaust port 26. Although not shown, the exhaust guide path 27 is provided with a rectifying unit for uniformly sucking the gas in the groove 22 in the width direction of the exhaust port 16 (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1). The rectifying unit is configured by, for example, a chamber extending in the width direction of the head 20, a tournament-like or tree-like passage, and the like. An exhaust port 28 is provided on the back (right side in FIG. 1) of the head main body 21. The rear end (right side in FIG. 1) of the exhaust guide path 27 is connected to the exhaust port 28. An exhaust passage 2 a extends from the exhaust port 28. The exhaust passage 2 a is continuous with the exhaust means 2. The exhaust means 2 includes a suction pump and an abatement facility.

A method for chamfering the cut end surface 9e of the glass plate 9 by the glass end processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described.
In the processing gas supply source 11, the fluorine-containing component and the diluted component are mixed to generate a plasma pretreatment gas (CF ₄ + Ar). The volume flow ratio of each component of the processing gas is preferably about CF ₄ : Ar = 1: 1 to 1: 100. Water is added to the processing gas at the vaporizer 12. The dew point of the processing gas (CF ₄ + Ar + H ₂ O) after water addition and before plasma formation is preferably about 5 ° C. to 25 ° C. This processing gas is sent to the plasma generation unit 13 along the supply path 11 a and introduced into the flow path 15 between the electrodes 14.

And plasma is produced | generated in the flow path 15 and the etching ability with respect to the glass plate 9 is provided to process gas (plasma production | generation process). That is, in parallel with the supply of the processing gas, power is supplied to the electrode 14 from a power source (not shown), and an electric field is applied between the electrodes 14 and 14. Thereby, atmospheric pressure plasma is generated between the electrodes 14 and 14, and the flow path 15 becomes a discharge space. By this plasma, the processing gas is turned into plasma (including decomposition, excitation, radicalization, and ionization), and fluorine-based reaction components such as HF and COF ₂ are generated. The fluorine-based reaction component has an etching ability for glass components such as silicon oxide.

  The processing gas after being converted into plasma, that is, after the etching ability is imparted, is led out from the flow path 15 to the supply path 16 and sent to the nozzle head 20. In the nozzle head 20, the processing gas is guided from the supply port 24 to the upper and lower outlets 23 and 23 through the guide path 25. Then, the processing gas is blown out from the upper and lower outlets 23, 23.

  As shown by a thick line g with an arrow in FIG. 3, the processing gas from the upper outlet 23 is blown to the upper portion of the end portion 9 f of the glass plate 9. The processing gas from the lower outlet 23 is blown to the lower part of the end 9 f of the glass plate 9. At the same time, the gas in the groove 22 is sucked into the exhaust port 26 by the exhaust means 2. Accordingly, the processing gas flows on the end portion 9 of the glass plate 9 so as to wrap around the cut end surface 9e from the corner portions 9c and 9d, and further flows toward the exhaust port 26.

  In this distribution process, fluorine-based reaction components such as HF in the processing gas come into contact with the angles 9c and 9d of the glass end portion 9f and the cut end surface 9e, and silicon constituting the glass components of these contacted portions 9c, 9d and 9e Causes an etching reaction with the oxide (processing step). As a result, the angles 9c and 9d are rounded and the fine cracks on the cut end face 9e disappear.

  By spraying the processing gas from both sides of the glass plate 9, the glass end portion 9f can be chamfered from both the upper and lower sides. Only the upper part or the lower part of the glass end portion 9f can be avoided from being chamfered and the opposite side being pointed. Since the processing gas temporarily stays inside the concave groove portion 22 and contacts the glass plate end portion 9f uniformly and sufficiently, the glass end portion 9f can be chamfered cleanly and reliably.

  In the processing step, a member such as a grindstone is not physically brought into contact with the glass plate 9, but the glass end 9 is treated by gas contact. Therefore, even if the thickness of the glass plate 9 is small, for example, on the order of microns, it is possible to reliably prevent the glass plate 9 from breaking during chamfering.

  Since the processing gas flows away from the glass plate 9 after contacting the end 9f of the glass plate 9, it is possible to prevent the central portion of the glass plate 9 from being damaged by the fluorine-based reaction component. Etched processing gas and by-products generated by the etching reaction are sucked into the exhaust port 26 and sequentially removed through the exhaust guide path 27, the exhaust port 28, and the exhaust path 2a by the detoxifying device of the exhaust means 2. It is discharged after being harmed.

  Further, the glass plate 9 is moved in the width direction of the head 20 by the moving means 4. Thereby, one end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 can be chamfered over its entire length. After finishing the chamfering process for the one end portion 9f, the glass plate 9 is horizontally rotated 90 ° or 180 °, and the other end portion 9f is chamfered in the same manner as described above. In addition, it is not necessary to perform this chamfering process about the edge part which is not the side cut | disconnected by glass cutting etc. among the four edge parts of the glass plate 9. FIG. In this way, cracks on the end face 9e can be removed over the entire circumference of the glass plate 9. Therefore, in the subsequent FPD manufacturing process, television assembly process, and the like, it is possible to avoid or reduce the possibility that the glass plate 9 breaks starting from the crack.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings for the same configurations as those already described, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 4 shows a modification of the blowing part of the nozzle head 20. A pair of upper and lower blowing members 40 are provided on the front side portion (left side in FIG. 4) of the nozzle head 20 in FIG. These blowing members 40 have a flat plate shape extending in the width direction 20 (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 4).

  The upper blowing member 40 covers a portion above the concave groove portion 22 on the front side surface of the head main body 21. The lower end surface of the upper blowing member 40 is a slope that faces obliquely downward and rearward (right in FIG. 4). The lower blowing member 40 covers a portion below the concave groove portion 22 on the front side surface of the head main body 21. The upper end surface of the lower blowing member 40 is a slope that faces obliquely upward and rearward.

  A pair of convex portions 29 are formed on the front side portion of the head body 21 so as to sandwich the concave groove portion 22 therebetween. These convex portions 29 protrude forward as they approach the concave groove portion 22. The upper convex portion 29 has a slope that faces obliquely upward and forward. An upper blowing port 23 is formed between the upper blowing member 40 and the slopes of the convex portion 29. The lower convex portion 29 has an inclined surface that faces obliquely downward and forward. A lower outlet 23 is formed between the lower blowing member 40 and the slopes of the convex portion 29.

  The upper and lower blowing members 40 are fixed to the head main body 21 by screws 45, respectively. The screw hole 44 through which the screw 45 of the blowing member 40 is passed is a long hole with the long axis facing up and down. Thereby, the position of the blowing member 40 in the vertical direction can be adjusted. Therefore, the slope defining the outlet 23 of the outlet member 40 can be moved closer to and away from the convex portion 29. As a result, the opening thickness of the outlet 23 can be adjusted.

  A pair of concave grooves are formed on the front side surface of the head main body 21, and the opening of each concave groove is blocked by the blowing member 40, thereby forming a rectifying portion 25 a. The rectifying unit 25a extends in the width direction 20 (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 4). Each rectification part 25a is connected to the blowing guide path 25, and is connected to the corresponding outlet 23.

  The processing gas after imparting the etching ability is introduced into the upper and lower rectifying sections 25a from the blowing guide path 25 and is blown obliquely from the upper and lower blowing ports 23 after being made in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4). Is done. The blow-out flow g contacts the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 while changing its direction to the rear side (right side in FIG. 4) by suction from the exhaust port 26. As a result, the glass end portion 9f can be chamfered. Thereafter, the processing gas is sucked into the exhaust port 26.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The glass edge processing apparatus 1X of the second embodiment includes a coaxial resonator type plasma torch 30, a support means 3, and a processing gas supply source 5. The plasma torch 30 of the second embodiment serves as both a plasma generation unit that performs a plasma generation process and a processing unit that performs a processing process. Specifically, the plasma torch 30 includes a coaxial double cylindrical electrode structure including a shaft body 31 and a cylindrical body 32. The central axis L ₃₀ of the plasma torch 30 is oriented vertically. The shaft body 31 is composed of a rod-shaped (linear) conductor having a predetermined length, and is disposed on a vertical axis L _{30 of} the plasma torch 30.

  The cylindrical body 32 is composed of a cylindrical conductor, and is coaxial with the shaft body 31 and surrounds the shaft body 31. The cylinder 32 is electrically grounded. The upper end of the cylinder 32 is closed with a lid 33 made of a conductor. The lower end portion of the cylindrical body 32 is located below the shaft body 31 and is opened. The inner diameter of the cylindrical body 32 is about several mm.

  Although not shown, a power supply line extends from the high frequency power source and is connected to the plasma torch 30. The feeder line is formed of a coaxial cable, the outer conductor thereof is connected to the cylindrical body 32, and the core wire is connected to a predetermined position in the length direction of the shaft body 31. The core wire may be connected to the lid 33.

  An annular channel 34 is formed between the shaft body 31 and the cylinder body 32. A processing gas supply path 5 a extends from the processing gas supply source 5 to the plasma torch 30. The front end of the supply path 5 a is connected to the upper end (upstream end) of the flow path 34. The lower end opening of the cylindrical body 32 constitutes a jet port at the lower end portion (downstream end) of the flow path 34.

  In the second embodiment, air is used as the processing gas, and particularly clean dry air (hereinafter abbreviated as “CDA”) is used. As the processing gas, nitrogen or oxygen may be used instead of air or CDA, a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon may be used, or a mixed gas thereof may be used. The mixing ratio can be set arbitrarily. For example, a gas in which nitrogen and oxygen are mixed in the range of 0 to 100% can be used as the processing gas. Depending on the type of gas, the microwave to be fed to the plasma torch 30 and the reflected wave are matched.

The support means 3 of the second embodiment vertically supports the glass plate 9 immediately below the plasma torch 30. Axis L ₃₀ of the plasma torch 30 is directed to an end portion 9f of the glass plate 9. The cut end surface 9 e of the glass plate 9 faces the plasma torch 30. The moving means 4 of 2nd Embodiment moves the glass plate 9 to the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 5) along the main surfaces 9a and 9b.

A method for chamfering the cut end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 by the glass end processing apparatus 1X will be described.
A processing gas (CDA) is introduced into the flow path 34 of the plasma torch 30 from the processing gas supply source 5. The processing gas flows in the flow path 34 along the axis L ₃₀ and is blown downward from the lower end of the flow path 34 toward the end portion 9 f of the glass plate 9.

  At the same time, microwave power of a predetermined wavelength is supplied to the plasma torch 30 from a high-frequency power source (not shown). The shaft 31 resonates by this microwave, and the electric field intensity becomes maximum near the tip (lower end) of the shaft 31. As a result, the processing gas is turned into plasma at the tip of the shaft body 31 near atmospheric pressure, and plasma P is generated (plasma generation step). The plasma P extends below the shaft body 31 along the flow of the processing gas. The processing gas in the plasma P is heated to a high temperature by the plasma P and is given heat of melting to the glass 9. The processing gas after applying the heat of dissolution locally contacts the end portion 9 f of the glass plate 9. As a result, the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 is locally heated and melted, the corner portions 9c and 9d are chamfered, and the cracks on the cut end surface 9e disappear. Since it is not necessary to bring a member such as a grindstone into contact with the glass 9, it is possible to reliably prevent the glass plate 9 from breaking during the processing step.

  The processing gas after passing through the plasma P is rapidly deactivated and the temperature is lowered. Therefore, even if the processing gas flows further downward from the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 and comes into contact with the central portion of the glass plate 9, it can be avoided that the central portion of the glass plate 9 is damaged by heat. It is preferable to adjust the distance between the glass plate 9 and the plasma torch 30 so that the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 is positioned near the tip (lower end) of the plasma P.

  Further, by moving the glass plate 9 by the moving means 4, the end 9 f is chamfered over the entire circumference of the glass plate 9.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the glass plate 9 is not limited to an FPD substrate, and may be a glass plate cut out from a continuous glass in a glass manufacturing process.
The position of the glass plate 9 may be fixed, and the processing units 20 and 30 may be moved along the extending direction of the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 (width direction in FIG. 2) by the moving means.
In the first embodiment, the air outlet 23 may be disposed obliquely with respect to the glass plate 9. The processing gas from the blow-out port 23 may be blown obliquely with respect to the glass plate 9 toward the glass end portion 9 f and thus toward the outside of the glass plate 9.
In 1st Embodiment, you may abbreviate | omit the main-body 21 and the recessed groove part 22 which receives the glass edge part 9. FIG. Each outlet 23 and exhaust 26 may be constituted by a cylindrical nozzle different from the main body 21.
In the second embodiment, a pair of plasma torches 30 may be provided on both sides of the glass plate 9. Axis L ₃₀ is the main surface 9a of the glass plate 9 of the plasma torch 30, to 9b, may be orthogonal, it may be skewed. Axis L ₃₀ of the plasma torch 30 may not be perpendicular (vertical), which may be leveled, may be skewed with respect to the vertical.
In the second embodiment, an exhaust unit that sucks the gas around the end 9 f of the glass plate 9 may be provided below the plasma torch 30.
The shaft body 31 of the plasma torch 30 may have a tube shape, and the inside of the tube-shaped shaft body 31 may be a flow path through which the processing gas passes.
The plasma torch 30 is not limited to the coaxial resonator type, and may be an arc type or an inductively coupled type.
Although the cylindrical body 32 is a straight cylinder as a whole, for example, in the case of an arc type plasma torch, the lower end portion (tip end portion) of the cylindrical body 32 may be reduced in diameter downward. Plasma may be generated between the shaft body 31 and the cylinder body 32.

Examples of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
In Example 1, the apparatus of the structure substantially the same as the glass edge part processing apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment was used. The width of the nozzle head 20 of the apparatus (the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) was about 10 cm. The width of the outlet 23 (the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1) was about 6 cm. The opening thickness of the outlet 23 (the dimension in the left-right direction in FIG. 1) was 0.5 mm. The opening thickness (dimension in the vertical direction) of the concave groove portion 22 was 10 mm.
The width of the glass plate 9 (dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) was about 6 cm. The thickness of the glass plate 9 was 50 μm.

As a processing gas, a mixed gas of CF ₄ 0.1 L / min and Ar 0.9 L / min was used. Water vapor was added to the mixed gas. The gas dew point after the addition was adjusted to 12.6 ° C.

The power supplied to the plasma generation unit 10 was 270 W in direct current. This DC power is converted into a pulse wave with a frequency of 40 kHz, an applied voltage of 13 kV _p-p is applied between the electrodes 14 to generate atmospheric pressure plasma, and the processing gas is decomposed and activated to give etching ability ( Plasma generation process).

This processing gas was sent to the nozzle head 20 and sprayed to the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 for 5 minutes (processing step). The exhaust strength from the exhaust port 26 was adjusted so that the pressure difference between the atmosphere and the exhaust pipe 2a was 100 Pa.
The positions of the nozzle head 20 and the glass plate 9 were fixed and did not move relative to each other.

FIG. 6 is an observation image of the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 using a microscope. FIG. 4A shows the state before processing, and FIG. 4B shows the state after processing. By the treatment, the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 could be chamfered, and cracks on the end surface could be removed.
In FIG. 6B, it is considered that the portion near the end portion of the lower surface of the glass plate 9 is slightly damaged due to scratches or dust entered during observation.

  In Example 2, an apparatus having substantially the same structure as the glass edge processing apparatus 1X of the second embodiment (FIG. 5) was used. The inner diameter of the cylinder 32 of the plasma torch 30 of the apparatus was 4 mm. The dimensions of the glass plate 9 were the same as in Example 1.

CDA 15 L / min was used as a processing gas.
The power supplied to the plasma torch 30 was 150 W, and the frequency was 2450 MHz.
Plasma P was generated under atmospheric pressure by this power supply, and the heat of plasma P was applied to the processing gas (plasma generation step).
This processing gas was sprayed onto the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 (processing step).
The distance from the front end (lower end) of the plasma torch 30 to the end surface 9e of the glass plate 9 was 5 mm.
The plasma torch 30 was fixed and the glass plate 9 was conveyed at a speed of 45 mm / sec.

  FIG. 7 is an image obtained by observing the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 after processing with a microscope. By the treatment, the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 could be chamfered, and cracks on the end surface could be removed.

In the same glass edge processing apparatus as in Example 2, the glass plate 9 was moved at a moving speed of 60 mm / sec, and the other processing conditions were the same as in Example 2.
FIG. 8 is an image obtained by observing the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 after processing with a microscope. By the treatment, the end portion 9f of the glass plate 9 could be chamfered, and cracks on the end surface could be removed. Compared with Example 2, the chamfer R was slightly smaller. It was confirmed that the degree of chamfering can be adjusted by adjusting the conveyance speed or processing time.
The observation image of the sample 9 of Example 2 (FIG. 7) is whitish, whereas the observation image of the sample 9 of Example 3 (FIG. 8) is blackish simply due to the difference in the direction of lighting. It is.

  The present invention can be applied to manufacture of FPD, for example.

1,1X Glass edge processing apparatus 2 Exhaust means 2a Exhaust path 3 Support means 4 Moving means 5 Process gas supply source 5a Process gas supply path 9 Glass plate 9a Upper surface (main surface)
9b Bottom surface (main surface)
9c, 9d Corner portion 9e Cutting end face 9f End portion 10 Plasma generating portion 11 Processing gas supply source 11a Processing gas supply path 12 before etching ability application Hydrogen-containing additive component supply source (vaporizer)
13 Plasma generation unit 14 Electrode 15 Channel 16 Post-etching treatment gas supply channel 16a Branch channel 20 Nozzle head (processing unit)
21 Head body 22 Concave groove 23 Blowout port 24 Supply port 25 Blowout guide path 25a Rectifier 26 Exhaust port 27 Exhaust guide path 28 Exhaust port 29 Convex part 30 Plasma torch (plasma generating part, processing part)
31 Center electrode 32 Tube electrode 34 Flow path 40 Blowout member 44 Screw hole 45 Screw L ₃₀ Axis P of plasma torch P Plasma

Claims (10)

A glass end treatment method for chamfering an end including a cut end face of a cut glass plate,
A plasma generation step of generating plasma in a flow path of the processing gas, and imparting an etching ability or a dissolving ability to the glass plate to the processing gas;
A processing step of bringing the processing gas after the application into contact with the end; and
The glass edge part processing method characterized by including.   2. The glass edge processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the processing step, the processing gas is locally blown to the end from both sides of the glass plate.   3. The glass edge processing method according to claim 1, wherein an exhausting process for locally sucking and exhausting a gas around the end of the glass plate is performed in parallel with the processing process. .   4. The process gas according to claim 1, wherein the process gas contains a fluorine-containing component and a hydrogen-containing additive component is added to the process gas, and then the process gas is subjected to the plasma generation step. The glass edge part processing method as described in any one of.   The glass edge processing method according to claim 1, wherein the processing gas contains air, nitrogen, oxygen, or a rare gas. A glass edge processing apparatus for chamfering an end including a cut end face of a cut glass plate,
Support means for supporting the glass plate;
A plasma generating unit having a flow path for flowing a processing gas, generating plasma in the flow path, and imparting an etching ability or a dissolving ability to the glass plate to the processing gas;
A processing section for bringing the processing gas after the application into contact with the end; and
A glass edge processing apparatus comprising:   The processing section has a pair of outlets facing each other, the processing gas is blown out from each outlet, and the end of the glass plate is disposed between the pair of outlets. The glass edge part processing apparatus of Claim 6.   A concave groove for receiving the end of the glass plate is formed on a side surface of the processing unit facing the glass plate, and the pair of outlets face each other across an opening to the side surface of the concave groove. The glass edge processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an exhaust port that sucks and exhausts the gas in the concave groove portion is provided in an inner periphery on the back side of the concave groove portion.   The plasma generation unit includes a pair of electrodes facing each other so as to define the flow path between each other, and an electric field is applied between the electrodes to generate the plasma. Item 9. The glass edge processing apparatus according to any one of Items 6 to 8.   The plasma generating unit includes an electrode structure including a shaft body and a cylindrical body that coaxially surrounds the shaft body, and generates the plasma between the shaft body and the cylindrical body or at the tip of the shaft body; and The axis of the electrode structure is directed to the end portion of the glass plate, and the processing gas flows toward the end portion along the axis. The glass edge part processing apparatus as described in.