JP2012176521A - Patterning head and patterning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a patterning head and a patterning apparatus in which a membrane formed on a substrate can be peeled or removed in a good state.SOLUTION: The patterning head 30 mainly includes a holder 31, a holder oscillating part 34, an elevation part 50, and a patterning tool 60. The holder oscillating part 34 adjusts a blade length direction of a blade edge 61a by oscillating the holder 31 to a fragile material substrate. The oscillation axis 36a of the holder oscillating part 34 is almost perpendicular to a drawing direction (direction of an arrow AR4) of the patterning tool 60, and extends in a direction (direction of an arrow AR5) almost perpendicular to the blade length direction (direction of an arrow AR3) of the blade edge 61a. The holder 31 is oscillated with the oscillation axis 36a arranged in an attaching piece 36 as a center. As a result, the holder oscillating part 34 can turn the holder 31 to a direction of an arrow R2 so that the blade length direction (direction of the arrow AR3) of the blade edge butted against the membrane is almost parallel to the surface of the membrane.

Description

  The present invention relates to a patterning (peeling or removing a film formed on the surface of a solar cell substrate such as groove processing) and a patterning apparatus using the patterning head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique is known in which a film formed on a surface of a solar cell is peeled off by pressing a blade edge against the surface of a CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium DiSelenide) solar cell to perform groove processing (for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2009/145058

  Here, in the manufacturing process of the solar cell described above, various heat treatments are performed. Thereby, depending on the case, the board | substrate (glass board | substrate) which comprises a solar cell warps by the influence of this heat | fever, and the blade span direction of a blade edge | tip and the board | substrate surface do not become substantially parallel. In normal patterning, a narrow patterning tool is used to form a narrow groove, so that the adverse effect due to the warping of the substrate is small. For example, to expose the lower electrode at the end of the solar cell substrate In addition, in the process of removing the film formed on the lower electrode relatively broadly (also referred to as a chipping process), the adverse effect due to the warp of the substrate is large, and the blade edge is in uniform contact with the film formed on the substrate. Therefore, there arises a problem that the film cannot be peeled off or removed in a good state.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a patterning head and a patterning apparatus that can peel or remove a film in a good state from a film formed on a substrate.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention of claim 1 is used for a process of partially peeling or removing a film formed on the substrate by being moved relative to the substrate. A patterning head, comprising a patterning tool, a holder for fixing the patterning tool, and a holder swinging part for swinging the holder with respect to the substrate, and the patterning tool fixed to the holder includes the patterning tool, In the state of being abutted against the film, when moved relative to the substrate and fixed to the holder, the cutting edge direction of the blade of the patterning tool is substantially perpendicular to the processing direction. The holder swinging portion is arranged so that the blade span direction of the blade edge against the membrane is substantially parallel to the surface of the membrane. And wherein the rotating the holder.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the patterning head according to the first aspect, the holder swings about a rotation shaft provided in the holder swinging portion, and the rotation shaft is connected to the patterning tool. It extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extending direction and substantially perpendicular to the blade spanning direction.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the patterning head according to the first or second aspect, a holding unit that holds the substrate, and the holder that is moved relative to the holding unit. A driving unit that moves the patterning tool along the processing direction, and the patterning head moves the holder in a direction close to the holding unit, thereby moving the patterning tool fixed to the holder to the film. It further has an elevating part which abuts against

  4. The holder swinging portion according to claim 1, wherein the blade span direction of the patterning tool abutted against the film on the substrate is substantially parallel to the surface of the film. Rotate the holder. As a result, the substrate warps due to the heat treatment of the substrate, and as a result, even when the main surface of the substrate is inclined with respect to the blade crossing direction of the blade edge at the time of non-contact, the blade edge can touch the substrate. Can be suppressed. Therefore, a groove having an appropriate width can be formed with respect to the film formed on the substrate.

It is a front view which shows an example of the whole structure of the patterning apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of the whole structure of the patterning apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows an example of a structure of a solar cell. It is a front view which shows an example of a structure of patterning head vicinity. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of a holder rocking | fluctuation part vicinity. It is a side view which shows an example of a structure of a holder rocking | fluctuation part vicinity. It is a front view which shows an example of a structure of a patterning tool. It is a front view which shows an example of the positional relationship of a patterning tool and a solar cell. It is a front view which shows an example of the positional relationship of a patterning tool and a solar cell. It is a front view which shows an example of the positional relationship of a patterning tool and a solar cell. It is a front view which shows another example of a structure of a patterning tool. It is a front view which shows another example of a structure of a patterning tool.

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

<1. Configuration of patterning device>
1 and 2 are a front view and a side view, respectively, showing an example of the overall configuration of the patterning apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of the solar cell 3. When the film 5 is formed on the brittle material substrate 4 as in the solar cell 3, the patterning apparatus 1 forms the groove 6 in the film 5 by peeling the film 5 with a tool (see FIG. 3). ), A specific film (for example, a metal back (lower) electrode) is exposed.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the “brittle material substrate” refers to a substrate formed of a brittle material such as a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate.

  Further, the film 5 of the solar cell 3 to be processed in the present embodiment is laminated on the brittle material substrate 4 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the film 5 mainly includes a metal back (lower) electrode L1, a CIGS (Cu, In, Ga, Se) light absorption layer L2, a buffer layer L3, and a transparent electrode window layer L4. And have.

  Further, the groove 6 includes the CIGS light absorption layer L2, the buffer layer L3, and the transparent electrode after the metal back electrode L1, the CIGS light absorption layer L2, the buffer layer L3, and the transparent electrode window layer L4 are laminated in this order. It is formed by removing the window layer L4. In addition, the groove may be formed by removing the CIGS light absorption layer L2 and the buffer layer L3 before the transparent electrode window layer L4 is laminated. The metal back electrode L1 is exposed by the formed groove 6.

  Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the patterning apparatus 1 mainly includes a holding unit 10, a patterning unit 20, an imaging unit 80, and a control unit 90. In addition, in FIG. 1 and each subsequent figure, in order to clarify the directional relationship, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached as necessary. Yes.

  The holding unit 10 holds the brittle material substrate 4 constituting the solar cell 3 and moves the held brittle material substrate 4 relative to the patterning unit 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the holding unit 10 is provided on a base 10 a and mainly includes a table 11, a ball screw mechanism 12, and a motor 13.

  Here, the base 10a is formed of, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped stone surface plate, and the upper surface (the surface facing the holding unit 10) is flattened. Thereby, the thermal expansion of the base 10a can be reduced, and the brittle material substrate 4 held by the holding unit 10 can be favorably moved.

  The table 11 sucks and holds the brittle material substrate 4 placed thereon. Further, the table 11 advances and retracts the held brittle material substrate 4 in the direction of the arrow AR1 (X-axis plus or minus direction: hereinafter, also simply referred to as “advance / retreat direction”) and rotates it in the direction of the arrow R1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the table 11 mainly includes a suction unit 11 a, a turntable 11 b, and a moving table 11 c.

  The adsorption part 11a is provided on the upper side of the turntable 11b. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a brittle material substrate 4 can be placed on the upper surface of the suction portion 11 a. A plurality of suction grooves (not shown) are arranged in a lattice pattern on the upper surface of the suction portion 11a. Therefore, the brittle material substrate 4 is adsorbed to the adsorbing portion 11a by exhausting (suctioning) the atmosphere in each adsorption groove while the brittle material substrate 4 is placed.

  The turntable 11b is provided on the lower side of the suction portion 11a, and rotates the suction portion 11a around a rotation shaft 11d substantially parallel to the Z axis. The moving table 11c is provided below the rotating table 11b, and moves the suction unit 11a and the rotating table 11b along the advancing / retreating direction.

  Therefore, the brittle material substrate 4 sucked and held by the table 11 is moved forward and backward in the direction of the arrow AR1, and is rotated around the rotating shaft 11d that moves as the suction portion 11a moves back and forth.

  The ball screw mechanism 12 is disposed below the table 11 and moves the table 11 back and forth in the direction of the arrow AR1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball screw mechanism 12 mainly has a feed screw 12a and a nut 12b.

  The feed screw 12 a is a rod that extends along the advancing / retreating direction of the table 11. A spiral groove (not shown) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the feed screw 12a. One end of the feed screw 12a is rotatably supported by the support portion 14a, and the other end of the feed screw 12a is rotatably supported by the support portion 14b. Further, the feed screw 12a is linked to the motor 13, and when the motor 13 rotates, the feed screw 12a rotates in the rotation direction.

  As the feed screw 12a rotates, the nut 12b advances and retreats in the direction of the arrow AR1 due to a rolling motion of a ball (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the nut 12b is fixed to the lower part of the movable table 11c.

  Therefore, when the motor 13 is driven and the rotational force of the motor 13 is transmitted to the feed screw 12a, the nut 12b advances and retreats in the direction of the arrow AR1. As a result, the table 11 to which the nut 12b is fixed advances and retreats in the direction of the arrow AR1 similarly to the nut 12b.

  The pair of guide rails 15 and 16 regulate the movement of the table 11 in the traveling direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of guide rails 15 and 16 are fixed on the base portion 10a with a predetermined distance in the direction of the arrow AR2.

  A plurality of (two in the present embodiment) sliding portions 17 (17a, 17b) are slidable along the guide rail 15 in the direction of the arrow AR1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sliding portions 17 (17a, 17b) are fixed at a predetermined distance in the direction of the arrow AR1 at the lower portion of the movable table 11c.

  A plurality of (two in the present embodiment: for convenience of illustration, only the sliding portion 18a is described) sliding portions 18 are slidable along the guide rail 16 in the direction of the arrow AR1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, each sliding portion 18 is fixed at a predetermined distance in the direction of the arrow AR1 at the lower portion of the movable table 11c, similarly to the sliding portion 17 (17a, 17b). .

  As described above, when the rotational force of the motor 13 is applied to the ball screw mechanism 12, the table 11 moves along the pair of guide rails 15 and 16. Therefore, it is possible to ensure straightness of the table 11 in the forward / backward direction.

  The patterning unit 20 forms the groove 6 in the film 5 on the brittle material substrate 4 by using the patterning tool 60 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the patterning unit 20 mainly includes a patterning head 30 and a drive unit 70.

  The patterning head 30 is moved relative to the brittle material substrate 4 held by the holding unit 10, thereby forming the grooves 6 in the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4. The detailed configuration of the patterning head 30 will be described later.

  The drive unit 70 moves the holder 31 (see FIG. 4) to which the patterning tool 60 is attached relative to the holding unit 10 to move the patterning tool 60 in the direction of the arrow AR2 (Y axis plus or minus direction: Hereinafter, it is simply reciprocated along the “processing direction”. As shown in FIG. 2, the drive unit 70 mainly includes a column 71, a rail 72, and a motor 73.

  A plurality of (two in this embodiment) support columns 71 (71a, 71b) extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) from the base portion 10a. As shown in FIG. 2, each guide rail 72 is fixed with respect to these support | pillars 71a and 71b in the state pinched | interposed between support | pillars 71a and 71b.

  A plurality (two in this embodiment) of guide rails 72 restricts the movement of the patterning head 30 in the processing direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of guide rails 72 are fixed at a predetermined distance apart in the vertical direction.

  The motor 73 is interlocked and connected to a feed mechanism (not shown) (for example, a ball screw mechanism). Thereby, when the motor 73 rotates, the patterning head 30 reciprocates in the direction of the arrow AR2 along the plurality of guide rails 72.

  The imaging unit 80 images the brittle material substrate 4 held by the holding unit 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 80 has a plurality of cameras 85 (85a, 85b).

  A plurality (two in this embodiment) of cameras 85 (85a, 85b) are arranged above the holding unit 10 as shown in FIGS. Each camera 85 (85a, 85b) captures an image of a characteristic portion (for example, an alignment mark (not shown)) formed on the brittle material substrate 4. And the position and attitude | position of the brittle material board | substrate 4 are calculated | required based on the image imaged by each camera 85 (85a, 85b).

  The control unit 90 realizes operation control of each element of the patterning apparatus 1 and data calculation. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the control unit 90 mainly has a ROM 91, a RAM 92, and a CPU 93.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 91 is a so-called nonvolatile storage unit, and stores, for example, a program 91a. As the ROM 91, a flash memory that is a readable / writable nonvolatile memory may be used. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 92 is a volatile storage unit and stores, for example, data used in the calculation of the CPU 93.

  The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 93 performs control according to the program 91a of the ROM 91 (for example, control of the lifting / lowering operation of the holder swinging portion 34 by the lifting / lowering portion 50 and the reciprocating motion of the patterning head 30 by the driving portion 70), and Data processing such as position calculation of the brittle material substrate 4 is executed.

<2. Configuration of patterning head>
FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the configuration in the vicinity of the patterning head 30. Each of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of the configuration in the vicinity of the holder swinging portion 34. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the patterning tool 60. Each of FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of the positional relationship between the patterning tool 60 and the solar cell 3.

  The patterning head 30 is moved relative to the brittle material substrate 4 to partially peel or remove the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4 to expose the back electrode, for example, Then, the groove 6 (see FIG. 3) is formed. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the patterning head 30 mainly includes a holder 31, a holder swinging part 34, an elevating part 50, and a patterning tool 60.

  4 and 7, the holder 31 fixes the patterning tool 60 so that the blade portion 61a of the patterning tool 60 is on the solar cell 3 side. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the patterning tool 60 is fixed to the holder 31, the blade crossing direction (arrow AR3 direction) of the blade portion 61a of the patterning tool 60 is the groove 6 (see FIG. 3). It is substantially perpendicular to the processing direction (arrow AR2 direction) (film peeling or removal direction).

  Here, the patterning tool 60 will be described. The patterning tool 60 is a tool for partially peeling or removing the film 5 to form, for example, the groove 6 (see FIG. 3). The peeling or removal of the film by the patterning tool 60 moves the patterning tool 60 relative to the brittle material substrate 4 in a state where the patterning tool 60 is abutted against the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4. To be executed. As shown in FIG. 7, the patterning tool 60 mainly has a blade portion 61 and a grip portion 62.

  The blade portion 61 has a flat plate shape as shown in FIGS. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the blade portion 61 has a blade edge 61a extending in the film peeling or removing direction, for example, the blade crossing direction (arrow AR3 direction) substantially perpendicular to the processing direction of the groove 6 (arrow AR2 direction). is doing.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the direction along the surface of the blade portion 61 and substantially perpendicular to the blade spanning direction (arrow AR3 direction) is the length direction (arrow AR4 direction). Define. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the blade portion 61 so that the size S1 (first size) of the blade edge 61a in the length direction is smaller than the size S2 (second size) of the blade portion 61 in the length direction. A through-hole 61b is formed in the upper surface. That is, the width of the blade edge 61a in the length direction is very narrow.

  As a result, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the blade edge 61 a is abutted against the film 5 on the brittle material substrate 4, the blade edge 61 a is deformed following the shape of the main surface of the brittle material substrate 4. For example, even when the substrate is warped (curved) due to heat treatment and the principal surface of the brittle material substrate 4 is inclined with respect to the blade crossing direction (arrow AR3 direction) of the blade edge 61a at the time of non-contact (FIG. 8). The blade edge 61a can be made to follow along the main surface of the brittle material substrate 4 (see FIG. 9). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the blade edge 61a from hitting the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4, and to peel or remove the film 5 over an appropriate width, for example, to form a groove 6 having an appropriate width. it can.

  Thus, when the load component along the length direction acts on the patterning tool 60 in a state where the blade edge 61 a of the blade portion 61 is abutted against the film 5, the blade crossing direction of the blade edge 61 a is relative to the surface of the film 5. The blade edge 61a is deformed so as to be substantially parallel.

  In addition, the film 5 removed from the brittle material substrate 4 passes through the through hole 61b provided in the blade portion 61 and is opposite to the processing direction of the patterning tool 60 (for example, the patterning tool 60 is in the positive direction of the Y axis). When it moves, it is discharged to the Y axis minus direction side). That is, it is possible to suppress the removed film 5 from adhering to the blade edge 61a. Therefore, even when the cutting edge 61a of the patterning tool 60 is moved relative to the film 5 on the brittle material substrate 4, a good removal state of the film 5 can be maintained.

  Here, the size S1 of the blade edge 61a in the length direction is preferably 0.3 mm to 2 mm (more preferably 0.5 mm to 1 mm). Further, the size S2 of the blade portion 61 in the length direction is preferably 2 mm to 20 mm (more preferably 3 mm to 10 mm).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the grip portion 62 has a flat plate shape and extends from the blade portion 61 along the length direction (arrow AR4 direction). Then, the patterning tool 60 is fixed to the holder 31 by inserting the vicinity of the end of the gripping portion 62 into the fixing hole 31 a provided in the holder 31.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the size S3 (third size) of the blade edge 61a in the blade spanning direction (arrow AR3 direction) is set to be larger than the size S4 (fourth size) of the gripping portion 62 in the blade spanning direction. Has been. Therefore, the groove 6 (see FIG. 3) having a width larger than the size S4 of the grip portion 62 can be easily formed by one groove processing.

  The size S3 of the blade edge 61a in the blade spanning direction is preferably 1 mm to 15 mm (more preferably 2 mm to 10 mm). Further, the size S4 of the blade portion 61 in the blade spanning direction is preferably 0.5 mm to 12 mm (more preferably 1 mm to 8 mm).

  The holder swinging portion 34 adjusts the blade passing direction of the blade edge 61 a by swinging the holder 31 with respect to the brittle material substrate 4. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the holder swinging portion 34 mainly has a holder joint 35 and a holder mounting block 40.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the holder joint 35 is rotatably supported with respect to the holder mounting block 40 by being rotated around a rotation shaft 38 a substantially parallel to the length direction (arrow AR4 direction). . As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the holder joint 35 mainly has an attachment piece 36 and a turning portion 38.

  The attachment piece 36 is an attachment element for attaching the holder 31 to the lower part of the holder joint 35. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the attachment piece 36 is provided at the lower end of the holder joint 35, and the shape of the attachment piece 36 is substantially L-shaped in a side view.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the attachment piece 36 has a swing shaft 36a. The swing shaft 36a is substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the patterning tool 60 (arrow AR4 direction) and is substantially perpendicular to the blade spanning direction (arrow AR3 direction) of the blade edge 61a (arrow AR5 direction: hereinafter, simply “ Extending in the axial direction). The holder 31 swings around a swing shaft 36 a provided on the mounting piece 36.

  In this way, the holder swinging portion 34 moves the holder 31 to the arrow so that the blade span direction (arrow AR3 direction) of the blade edge 61a abutted against the film 5 is substantially parallel to the surface of the film 5. It can be rotated in the R2 direction (see FIG. 4).

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the brittle material substrate 4 is warped due to the heat treatment of the brittle material substrate 4, and as a result, the main surface of the brittle material substrate 4 with respect to the blade span direction of the blade edge 61a when not in contact is Even if it is a case where it inclines, it can suppress that the blade edge | tip 61a hits the film | membrane 5 by one piece. Therefore, the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4 can be peeled or removed over an appropriate width, for example, the groove 6 can be formed.

  The turning portion 38 is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the holder mounting block 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the turning portion 38 is inserted so as to face the inner diameter surfaces of the bearings 46 and 47.

  As described above, the holder mounting block 40 supports the holder joint 35 in a rotatable manner. As shown in FIG. 4, the holder mounting block 40 is provided above the mounting piece 36 of the holder joint 35 and above the holder 31, and mainly includes bearings 46 and 47 and a fixing portion 49. ing.

  The bearings 46 and 47 are disposed in the mounting block main body 40a in this order from the top. The bearings 46 and 47 pivotally support the turning portion 38 of the holder joint 35.

  The fixing portion 49 fixes the swivel portion 38 that is rotatable by the bearings 46 and 47 to the holder mounting block 40. Here, as the fixing portion 49, for example, a fastening member such as a screw may be used. Thereby, the rotation angle of the holder joint 35 around the rotating shaft 38a can be set. Therefore, the posture of the patterning tool 60 fixed to the holder 31 can be adjusted in the XY plane.

  In the present embodiment, two bearings 46 and 47 have been described. However, the number of bearings is not limited to this, and may be one, for example, or three or more. good.

  The elevating unit 50 moves the holder 31 in a direction close to the holding unit 10, thereby abutting the patterning tool 60 fixed to the holder 31 against the film 5 on the brittle material substrate 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the elevating part 50 mainly has a cylinder 51 and a transmission part 52.

  The cylinder 51 is a driving force supply source that applies a driving force along the vertical direction (Z-axis plus or minus direction) to the holder mounting block 40 side. As shown in FIG. 4, the cylinder 51 is disposed above the holder mounting block 40 and mainly includes a main body 51 a and a rod 51 b.

  The rod 51b can advance and retreat with respect to the main body 51a. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end of the rod 51 b is connected to the transmission unit 52. Therefore, when the cylinder 51 is driven and the rod 51b advances from the main body 51a, the transmission unit 52 is pushed downward by the lower end of the rod 51b.

  The transmission unit 52 is provided between the cylinder 51 and the holder mounting block 40 and transmits the driving force from the cylinder 51 to the holder mounting block 40.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide mechanism 53 mainly has a guide rail 53a and a guide block 53b that is slidable in the vertical direction along the guide rail 53a. The mounting plate 54 is a plate member sandwiched between the guide mechanism 53 and the holder mounting block 40. The holder mounting block 40 is fixed to the guide block 53 b via the mounting plate 54. Thereby, when the driving force along the vertical direction is applied to the holder mounting block 40, the guide mechanism 53 guides the holder mounting block 40 along the ascending / descending direction of the guide block 53b.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the rotation shaft 56 is substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the patterning tool 60 (the direction of the arrow AR 4) and is substantially perpendicular to the swing shaft 36 a provided on the attachment piece 36. It extends to. Thereby, the rotation angle of the holder mounting block 40 around the rotation shaft 56 can be set. Therefore, the posture of the patterning tool 60 fixed to the holder 31 can be adjusted in the YZ plane.

<3. Advantages of patterning tool and patterning head of this embodiment>
As described above, in the patterning tool 60 of the present embodiment and the patterning head 30 including the patterning tool 60, the blade portion 61 is provided with the through hole 61b (see FIG. 7). Due to the presence of the through hole 61b, the size S1 of the blade edge 61a in the length direction (arrow AR4 direction) is smaller than the size S2 of the blade portion 61 in the length direction.

  Thereby, when the blade edge 61 a is abutted against the film 5 of the solar cell 3, the blade edge 61 a is deformed following the shape of the main surface of the brittle material substrate 4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the blade edge 61a from hitting the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4, and the film 5 can be peeled or removed over an appropriate width. For example, the groove 6 can be formed. .

  Further, the film 5 removed from the brittle material substrate 4 is discharged to the opposite side to the processing direction of the patterning tool 60 through the through hole 61 b provided in the blade portion 61. Therefore, even when the cutting edge 61a of the patterning tool 60 is moved with respect to the film 5 of the brittle material substrate 4, a good removal state of the film 5 can be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, patterning is performed so that the blade span direction (arrow AR3 direction) of the blade portion 61 abutted against the film 5 on the brittle material substrate 4 is substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate. The holder swinging portion 34 of the head 30 can rotate the holder 31. Thereby, it can suppress that the blade edge | tip 61a hits the film | membrane 5 piece by piece. Therefore, the film 5 formed on the brittle material substrate 4 can be peeled or removed over an appropriate width, and the groove 6 can be formed.

<4. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the present embodiment, the patterning device 1 targets the film 5 of the solar cell 3 for peeling or removing (for example, groove processing), but the object for peeling or removing (for example, groove processing) is the target. It is not limited. As a processing target, it is sufficient that a scribeable film is formed on a base (not limited to a brittle material substrate) that serves as a base.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the patterning head 30 has been described as being moved in the processing direction (in the direction of the arrow AR2) with respect to the holding unit 10 by the driving unit 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the patterning head 30 may be fixed and the holding unit 10 may be moved in the processing direction. Furthermore, both the holding unit 10 and the patterning head 30 may be moved in the processing direction. That is, it is sufficient that at least one of the holding unit 10 and the patterning head 30 is moved relative to the other.

  (3) Further, in the present embodiment, the blade portion 61 of the patterning tool 60 has a through-hole 61b so that the size S1 of the blade edge 61a is smaller than the size S2 of the blade portion 61 as shown in FIG. However, the configuration of the patterning tool 60 is not limited to this.

  FIG. 11 is a front view showing the configuration of the patterning tool 160. For example, like the patterning tool 160 of FIG. 11, the size of the blade portion 61 and the grip portion 162 in the blade crossing direction may be set to be substantially the same.

  Also in this case, when the blade edge 61 a is abutted against the film 5 on the brittle material substrate 4, the blade edge 61 a is deformed following the shape of the main surface of the brittle material substrate 4. Further, the film 5 removed from the brittle material substrate 4 is discharged to the opposite side to the processing direction of the patterning tool 60 through the through hole 61 b provided in the blade portion 61.

  (4) In the present embodiment, the patterning head 30 has a holder rocking portion 34 that rocks the holder 31 around the rocking shaft 36a extending in the axial direction (arrow AR5 direction: see FIGS. 4 to 6). However, the configuration of the patterning head 30 is not limited to this.

  FIG. 12 is a front view showing the configuration of the patterning tool 260. For example, a blade portion 261 that does not have a through hole may be used like the patterning tool 260 of FIG. In this case, when the blade edge 261 a is abutted against the film 5, the holder swinging portion 34 moves the holder 31 in the direction of the arrow R <b> 2 (see FIG. 4) so as to be substantially parallel to the surface of the film 5. Can be rotated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the blade edge 261 a from hitting the film 5.

  Further, the holder rocking portion 34 that does not have the rocking shaft 36 a may be used, and the patterning tool 60 may be fixed to the holder 31. That is, the holder 31 is in a fixed state without swinging with respect to the holder swinging portion 34. In this case, when the blade edge 61 a is abutted against the film 5 of the solar cell 3, the blade edge 61 a is deformed following the shape of the main surface of the brittle material substrate 4. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the blade edge 61a from hitting the film 5 in one piece.

  As described above, if the patterning head 30 has any one of the holder swinging portion 34 and the patterning tool 60 described above, the blade edge 61a (261a) of the patterning tool 60 (160, 260) is formed on the film 5. It can suppress hitting.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Patterning apparatus 3 Solar cell 4 Brittle material substrate 5 Film 6 Groove 10 Holding unit 11d, 38a, 56 Rotating shaft 20 Patterning unit 30 Patterning head 31 Holder 34 Holder swinging part 35 Holder joint 36a Swing shaft 50 Lifting part 51 Cylinder 52 Transmission unit 60, 160, 260 Patterning tool 61, 261 Blade unit 61a, 261a Blade edge 61b Through hole 62, 162 Gripping unit 70 Drive 80 Imaging unit 90 Control unit s1 Size (first size)
s2 size (second size)
s3 size (third size)
s4 size (4th size)

Claims (3)

A patterning head used for processing to partially peel or remove a film formed on the substrate by being moved relative to the substrate,
(a) a patterning tool;
(b) a holder for fixing the patterning tool;
(c) a holder swinging portion that swings the holder with respect to the substrate;
With
The patterning tool fixed to the holder is moved relative to the substrate while being abutted against the film,
When fixed to the holder, the blade crossing direction of the cutting edge of the patterning tool is substantially perpendicular to the processing direction,
The patterning head characterized in that the holder swinging portion rotates the holder so that the blade span direction of the cutting edge abutted against the film is substantially parallel to the surface of the film. . The patterning head according to claim 1,
The holder swings around a rotation shaft provided in the holder swinging portion,
The patterning head, wherein the rotation axis extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to an extending direction of the patterning tool and substantially perpendicular to the blade spanning direction. A patterning head according to claim 1 or 2,
A holding unit for holding the substrate;
A drive unit that moves the patterning tool along the processing direction by moving the holder relative to the holding unit;
With
The patterning head is
(d) an elevating unit that abuts the patterning tool fixed to the holder against the film by moving the holder in a direction approaching the holding unit;
The patterning apparatus further comprising:

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