JP2012190607A - Manufacturing method of hermetic container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent excessive stress or the generation of deformation on substrates, when both substrates are cut by adding mechanical external force.SOLUTION: An assembly 20, in which a plurality of joint materials 2 and a plurality of supporting members 3 are disposed between a first substrate 1 and a second substrate 7 opposing to each other, is prepared. Each of the supporting members 3 is provided on a surface of the first substrate 1 which opposes to the second substrate, along a first virtual line 10 for partitioning the adjacent joint materials. The joint materials 2 are heated to join the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 with the joint materials, and each of the supporting member 3 abuts on the second substrate 7. The second substrate 7 is cut along the first virtual line 10 by adding mechanism external force, and the first substrate 1 is cut along a second virtual line 12 positioned between the joint materials and the first virtual line by adding mechanism external force.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an airtight container, and more particularly to a method for cutting a plurality of airtight containers from a pair of glass substrates.

  Flat panel type image display devices such as an organic LED display (OLED), a field emission display (FED), and a plasma display panel (PDP) are known. These image display devices are manufactured by hermetically bonding opposing glass substrates, and include an airtight container in which an internal space is partitioned from an external space. In order to manufacture such an airtight container, a gap defining member and a local adhesive material are arranged between opposing glass substrates as necessary, and a bonding material is arranged in a frame shape around the periphery, and a glass substrate Heat-join each other. This method can also be applied to the manufacture of vacuum heat insulating glass that does not have a functional device inside.

  A technique for manufacturing a plurality of hermetic containers from a pair of glass substrates is also known. Specifically, a plurality of frame-shaped bonding materials are arranged in a matrix between opposing glass substrates, and each bonding material is heated and bonded, and then cut into individual airtight containers.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing an OLED envelope. A plurality of light emitting elements are formed in a matrix on the mother substrate, and a plurality of frame-shaped sealing materials (sealing materials) corresponding to the light emitting elements are formed on the sealing substrate. The sealing substrate and the mother substrate are opposed so that the light emitting element is surrounded by the corresponding sealing material, the bonding material is melted, and the mother substrate and the sealing substrate are bonded. Thereafter, the mother substrate and the sealing substrate are cut and separated into individual panels.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a method for manufacturing an OLED envelope. A sealing material (sealing material) is arranged in a lattice shape between the first mother substrate and the second mother substrate, and both the substrates are joined. Next, both substrates are cut using the sealing material as a cutting line, and separated into individual airtight containers. When the sealing material is formed of an inorganic material, a scriber is used for cutting.

JP 2008-165170 A JP 2009-042719 A

  In the method described in Patent Document 1, since a frame-shaped sealing material (sealing material) is individually provided surrounding each light emitting element, when the substrate is cut, a gap between adjacent sealing materials is determined. Space will be used as a cutting line. However, since nothing is provided in this space, when cutting by applying a mechanical external force, it is necessary to support the external force by the substrate itself, and the substrate is subjected to great deformation and stress. As a result, the cutting becomes unstable and the yield may be reduced.

  Since the method described in Patent Document 2 uses a sealing material (sealing material) as a cutting line, the sealing material supports a mechanical external force, and the influence on the glass substrate can be suppressed. However, since the bonding material itself is cut, there is a possibility that the reliability of the hermetic container is lowered, for example, a crack is generated in the bonding material.

  The present invention is directed to a method for manufacturing an airtight container in which a plurality of frame-shaped bonding materials are provided between a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, and individual airtight containers are obtained by cutting the two substrates. And An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an airtight container capable of preventing the occurrence of excessive stress and deformation in a substrate and improving the yield when cutting both substrates by applying a mechanical external force. And

  In the method for manufacturing an airtight container of the present invention, a plurality of bonding materials and a plurality of support members are disposed between a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, and each of the bonding materials is a closed linear shape. Each of the supporting members is opposed to the second substrate of the first substrate, and is in contact with both the first and second substrates and spaced apart from the other bonding material. A step of preparing an assembly provided on a surface along a first imaginary line that partitions the bonding materials; and heating the bonding material to bond the first substrate and the second substrate with the bonding material. The step of bringing each of the support members into contact with the second substrate, and the second substrate bonded to the first substrate from the back surface of the surface facing the first substrate to the first imaginary line Cutting the surface by applying a mechanical external force along the surface, and the surface of the first substrate bonded to the second substrate facing the second substrate Cutting a plurality of hermetic containers by applying a mechanical external force along the second imaginary line located between the bonding material and the first imaginary line from the back surface. ing.

  A support member is provided on the first imaginary line, which is a cutting line for the second substrate. The support member contacts the second substrate when the first substrate and the second substrate are joined. For this reason, a mechanical external force applied when cutting the second substrate is supported by the support member, and large deformation and stress to the second substrate are prevented. On the other hand, since the second imaginary line serving as the cutting line of the first substrate is located between the bonding material and the first imaginary line, the mechanical external force applied when cutting the first substrate is It is supported by the bonding material and the support member. By providing the support member, the distance between the support positions of the external force is reduced, so that large deformation and stress are prevented even for the first substrate. Thus, the substrate can be cut stably and the yield can be improved.

  According to the present invention, when a mechanical external force is applied to cut both substrates, there is provided an airtight container manufacturing method capable of preventing the occurrence of excessive stress and deformation on the substrates and improving the yield. Can do.

It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st step of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd step of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd step of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd step of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the assembly formed in the 1st Embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the assembly of a comparative example. It is sectional drawing which shows the effect of this invention. It is a top view of the assembly formed in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The method for manufacturing an airtight container of the present invention can be applied to a method for manufacturing an envelope of an image display device such as an OLED, FED, or PDP having a device that requires the internal space to be hermetically cut off from the external space. The method for manufacturing an airtight container of the present invention is not limited to the manufacture of an airtight container such as an envelope of an image display device, and airtightness is required in the peripheral region of the opposing substrate such as vacuum heat insulating glass. It can be widely applied to the manufacture of an airtight container having a joint portion.

  1st Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the airtight container which concerns on this invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a process diagram showing Step 1, FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing Step 2, FIGS. 3 and 4 are process diagrams showing Step 3, and FIG. 5 is a plan view at the time when Step 2 is completed. FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show the same state except that a first imaginary line and a second imaginary line described later are shown separately. 1 to 4 are cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIG.

(Step 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 5, first, a plurality of frame-shaped bonding materials 2 are formed on a first substrate 1 so as to be arranged in a matrix. Any of the bonding materials 2 are arranged outside the other bonding materials 2 and spaced from each other. Next, the support member 3 is formed along the bonding material 2 in the outer region of each bonding material 2 on the first substrate 1. Each of the support members 3 is provided on a surface of the first substrate facing a second substrate 7 (described later) along a first imaginary line 10 that partitions adjacent bonding materials 2. A plurality of first imaginary lines 10 are set. In the present embodiment, some of the first imaginary lines 10 extend in parallel between the bonding materials 2 adjacent to each other, and the rest are the first imaginary lines 10. It extends in a direction perpendicular to the virtual line 10. The first virtual line 10 coincides with a cutting line to be described later, and the second substrate 7 is cut along the first virtual line 10. The support member 3 is continuously provided between the sides 2a and 2b of the bonding material 2 adjacent to each other.

  In the present embodiment, since a hermetic container as an envelope of the image display device is assumed, the plurality of bonding materials 2 have the same rectangular shape. However, the outer shape of the bonding material 2 is not limited to this, and may have any closed linear shape.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 5, a second substrate 7 is prepared in which the light emitting part 5 is formed and the electrode 6 is disposed around the light emitting part 5. The light emitting unit 5 includes a TFT circuit, a planarizing film, a contact hole, a lower electrode, an organic EL layer, an upper electrode, and a protective layer (all not shown). The electrode 6 is provided to connect a peripheral circuit used for driving the OLED element.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the first substrate 1 on which the bonding material 2 and the support member 3 are formed and the second substrate 7 on which the light emitting portion 5 is formed are arranged to face each other. An internal space 8 is defined. At this time, each of the bonding materials 2 is in contact with both the first and second substrates 1 and 7. The bonding material 2 is disposed so as to surround the light emitting portion 5, and the support member 3 is disposed so as to surround the electrode 6. In this way, an assembly 20 is prepared in which a plurality of bonding materials 2 and a plurality of support members 3 are arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate 7.

  It is desirable that the bonding material 2 has a negative temperature coefficient of viscosity, softens on the high temperature side, and has a lower softening point Ts than both the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7. Thereby, damage due to heat can be reduced. It is desirable that the bonding material 2 exhibits high absorbability with respect to the wavelength of the local heating light described later. Examples of the bonding material 2 include glass frit, inorganic adhesive, and organic adhesive.

  The first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 are desirably made of a material that is transparent to the local heating light so as not to hinder the irradiation of the local heating light to the bonding material 2. Examples of the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 include soda lime glass, high strain point glass, and alkali-free glass. In order to suppress the residual stress of the hermetic container, it is desirable that the materials used for the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 have the same linear expansion coefficient.

(Step 2)
The bonding material 2 is heated to bond the first substrate and the second substrate 7 with the bonding material 2. First, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), the second substrate 7 is pressed against the frame-shaped bonding material 2 using a pressing jig (not shown), and the bonding material 2 is adhered to the entire circumference. Ensure sex. Next, scanning is performed while irradiating the bonding material 2 with the local heating light 9 to heat the bonding material 2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2B, the second substrate 7 and the first substrate 1 are hermetically bonded. Since the pressed bonding material 2 melts, each support member 3 comes into contact with the second substrate 7. The assembly 20 after being hermetically bonded includes a plurality of hermetic containers 21 partitioned by the frame-shaped bonding material 2. The bonding material 2 may be heated by baking the entire assembly 20 in a heating furnace. Since local heating selectively heats the periphery of the bonding material 2, viewpoints such as heating and cooling time, energy required for heating, productivity, prevention of thermal deformation of the container, and prevention of thermal deterioration of the functional device disposed inside the container Therefore, it is more advantageous than the whole heating. Laser light is preferably used as the means for local heating.

(Step 3)
Next, the assembly 20 in which many airtight containers 21 are formed is cut and separated into individual airtight containers 21. This step includes a step of cutting the first substrate 1 and a step of cutting the second substrate 7. In the following description, the second substrate 7 is cut first, but the first substrate 1 is cut first. Can also be cut.

  First, the second substrate 7 bonded to the first substrate 1 is cut from the back surface 7a of the surface facing the first substrate 1 by applying a mechanical external force along the first virtual line 10. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, a cutting tool 11 such as a glass scriber is pressed against the back surface 7 a of the second substrate 7. The position of the cutting tool 11 is a position facing the support member 3, that is, on the first imaginary line 10. From that state, the cutting tool 11 is moved along the first virtual line 10 using the first virtual line 10 as a cutting line, and the second substrate 7 is cut as shown in FIG. The above operation is performed on all the first virtual lines 10 to cut the second substrate 7 into a matrix.

  Next, the first substrate 1 bonded to the second substrate 7 is positioned between the bonding material 2 and the first imaginary line 10 from the rear surface 1a of the surface facing the second substrate 7. Along the imaginary line 12, a mechanical external force is applied for cutting. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, a cutting tool 11 such as a glass scriber is pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the back surface 1 a of the first substrate 1. At this time, the cutting tool 11 is positioned between the support member 3 and the bonding material 2, that is, on the second imaginary line 12. The second imaginary line 12 is preferably set at a position between the electrode 6 and the bonding material 2. As shown in FIG. 5B, some of the second imaginary lines 12 extend in parallel between the bonding materials 2 adjacent to each other, and the remaining second imaginary lines 12 are the second imaginary lines of the part. It extends in a direction perpendicular to the line 12. Two second virtual lines 12 are set between the adjacent bonding materials 2.

  From this state, the second virtual line 12 is used as a cutting line, the cutting tool 11 is moved along the second virtual line 12, and the second substrate 7 is cut as shown in FIG. The above operation is performed on all the second virtual lines 12 to cut the first substrate 1 into a matrix. The small piece 22 including the support member 3 between the bonding materials 2 is separated, and the electrode 6 is exposed. In the illustrated example, the assembly 20 is separated into four airtight containers 21. By cutting the small piece 22 at the end, all the electrodes 6 provided on the second substrate 7 are exposed.

  A plurality of hermetic containers 21 can be cut out from the assembly 20 by individually cutting the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 according to the above steps. Each cut-out airtight container 21 is hermetically bonded to the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 by the bonding material 2, and an internal space 8 is defined inside. On the second substrate 7, an electrode 6 for connecting a drive circuit is disposed outside the bonding material 2 and along the periphery of the bonding material 2.

  In the present embodiment, a total of four airtight containers 21 arranged in two rows and two columns are formed on a pair of glass substrates, but two rows and three columns (total of six), three rows and three columns (total of nine), etc. Any number of hermetic containers can be formed in any arrangement. The electrode 6 is formed along two adjacent sides of the light emitting unit 5, but may be formed along only one side or two opposite sides.

  Here, the effect of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows an assembly 23 having the same configuration as the assembly 20 except that the support member 3 is not provided. 6A is a plan view similar to FIG. 5, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6A. Since the support member 3 is not provided, the virtual line 14 serving as the cutting line of the assembly 23 is set at a position equidistant from the adjacent bonding material 2, unlike the above embodiment. FIG. 7A shows a partial detail view in the central region E of FIG. 6B, and FIG. 7B shows a partial detail view in the end region F. FIG.

  When the cutting tool 11 is pressed against the second substrate 7 along the imaginary line 14, the second substrate 7 is deformed by the pressing force. Due to this deformation, when the cutting tool 11 is moved on the second substrate 7 using the virtual line 14 as a cutting line, the moving direction and posture of the cutting tool 11 become unstable. For this reason, it becomes difficult to cut the second substrate 7 stably. In addition, since the maximum bending moment is generated in the joint portion 13 between the second substrate 7 and the joining material 2, the joining material 2 is easily damaged.

  When the electrode 6 is formed in the vicinity of the cut portion as in this embodiment, another problem occurs. That is, as a result of the second substrate 7 being subjected to bending deformation, the electrode 6 in the vicinity thereof is also subjected to bending deformation, so that the electrode 6 is easily damaged. In particular, when the electrode 6 is provided, it is necessary to set the virtual line 14 at a position away from the bonding material 2 so that the virtual line 14 does not overlap the electrode 6. As a result, the bending moment is further increased, and the bonding material 2 and the electrode 6 are more easily damaged. The above phenomenon is undesirable because it causes the yield of the hermetic container and a decrease in bonding strength.

  In the present embodiment, such a problem is improved. FIGS. 7C and 7D are partial detailed views of the C part and D part of FIG. 1C, respectively. As is clear from these drawings, since the first imaginary line 10 that is the cutting line of the second substrate 7 is set on the support member 3, the support member 3 receives the pressing force of the cutting tool 11, and The deformation of the second substrate 7 is suppressed. For this reason, when the cutting tool 11 is moved along the cutting line, the moving direction and posture of the cutting tool 11 are stabilized, and the second substrate 7 can be stably cut. Since no bending moment is generated in the joint portion 13 between the second substrate 7 and the joining material 2, it is possible to prevent the joining material 2 from being damaged. When the electrode 6 is installed, it is possible to prevent the electrode 6 from being damaged.

  Further, when the first substrate 1 is cut, in the example of FIG. 6, the imaginary line 14 is set at the center between the bonding materials 2, so that the pressing force from the cutting tool 11 is supported by both the bonding materials 2. To do. On the other hand, in the case of this embodiment, the pressing force from the cutting tool 11 is supported by the support member 3 provided on the second imaginary line 12 and the bonding material 2 adjacent to the second imaginary line 12. . That is, in this embodiment, the distance between the support points is half that in the case of FIG. 6, and the bending moment applied to the bonding material 2 is reduced.

  Thus, according to this embodiment, since the supporting member 3 receives the pressing force of the cutting tool 11, the deformation | transformation of a board | substrate is suppressed and the stable cutting | disconnection is attained. Therefore, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing an airtight container that reduces breakage of the substrate and realizes both yield and bonding strength.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view similar to FIG. 5, showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the support member 3 is divided and provided between the sides 2 a and 2 b facing each other of the bonding material 2 adjacent to each other. Also in this embodiment, since the pressing force of the cutting tool 11 is supported by the support member 3, the same effect can be obtained. Although FIG. 7 shows the support member 3 divided into five parts per side, the number of divisions is not particularly limited, and the shape of the divided support member 3 can be selected as appropriate, such as a rectangle, an ellipse, or a circle. it can.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with specific examples.

(First embodiment)
By applying the first embodiment described above, a substrate on which a large number of hermetic containers were formed was divided, and the end face treatment of the substrate was performed to manufacture the hermetic container.

(Step 1)
First, a first substrate 1 was prepared. The procedure is specifically shown below. A glass substrate (AN100, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) having a plate thickness of 0.7 mm was cut to prepare a plate glass having an outer shape of 380 mm × 290 mm × 0.7 mm. Next, organic solvent cleaning, pure water rinsing, and UV ozone cleaning were performed on the plate glass to degrease the surface of the plate glass.

Next, the frame-shaped bonding material 2 and the support member 3 were formed on one surface of the plate glass. In this example, glass frit was used as the material for the bonding material 2 and the support member 3. The glass frit used has a negative temperature coefficient (temperature dependency), P ₂ O ₅ lead having a linear expansion coefficient α = 45 × 10 ⁻⁷ (1 / ° C.) and a softening point Ts = 348 ° C. (Pb) A paste in which a non-containing glass frit is used as a base material and an organic substance is dispersed and mixed as a binder.

  Hereinafter, the formation procedure will be specifically described. First, a total of four frame-shaped bonding materials 2 each having a width of 1 mm, a thickness of 100 μm, and an outer shape of 150 mm × 110 mm were formed on a first substrate 1 by screen printing in a 2 × 2 matrix. . Next, similarly, a support member 3 having a width of 1 mm and a thickness of 80 μm was formed by screen printing along the outer periphery of the bonding material 2 in a region outside the bonding material 2. Next, the bonding material 2 and the support member 3 were dried at 120 ° C. together with the first substrate 1 as a support substrate. And in order to burn out organic substance, it heated and baked at 460 degreeC, and the joining material 2 and the supporting member 3 were formed. As described above, the first substrate 1 on which the frame-shaped bonding material 2 and the support member 3 were formed was prepared (FIG. 1A).

  Next, a second substrate 7 was prepared. Hereinafter, the formation procedure will be specifically described. A glass substrate (AN100) having a plate thickness of 0.7 mm was cut to prepare a plate glass having an outer shape of 380 mm × 290 mm × 0.7 mm. Next, after cleaning in the same manner as the first substrate 1, a TFT circuit 12, a planarizing film 13, a contact hole 14, and a light emitting portion 3 were sequentially formed (FIG. 1B).

  Next, the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 are arranged such that the surface on which the bonding material 2 and the support member 3 are formed and the surface on which the light emitting portion 5 of the second substrate 7 is formed face each other. After being placed in alignment with each other, they were brought into contact with each other to form an assembly 20 in which the internal space 8 was defined (FIG. 1C).

(Step 2)
First, the assembly 20 composed of the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7 is pressed with a pressing jig (not shown), and the second substrate 7 is pressed against the frame-shaped bonding material 2 to bond the bonding material 2. The adhesion over the entire circumference was ensured.

  Next, the second substrate 7 and the first substrate 1 were hermetically bonded by scanning along the bonding material 2 while irradiating the bonding material 2 with laser light as the local heating light 9. Specifically, one processing laser device (not shown) is prepared as an emission source of the laser light 9, and the optical axis of the laser light 9 is set to be perpendicular to the substrate that is the object to be irradiated. . The irradiation conditions of the laser beam 9 were a wavelength of 980 nm, a laser power of 40 W, a spot diameter of 2 mm, and scanning was performed at a speed of 10 mm / sec.

  Since the frame-shaped bonding material 2 has a negative temperature coefficient, the frame-shaped bonding material 2 is softened by being heated with laser light. Since the bonding material 2 is pressed against the second substrate 7 by a pressurizing jig (not shown), the bonding material 2 is crushed and the second substrate 7 and the support member 3 are brought into contact with each other.

(Step 3)
Next, a glass scriber (not shown) is pressed onto the first imaginary line 10 on the back surface of the second substrate 7, and in this state, the glass scriber is moved along the first imaginary line 10, and the second The substrate 7 was cut. Similarly, a glass scriber (not shown) is pressed onto the second imaginary line 12 on the back surface of the first substrate 1, and in this state, the glass scriber is moved along the second imaginary line 12 to The substrate 1 was cut. The assembly 20 was separated into four airtight containers 21 by the above process. At the same time, the edge (small piece 22) of the first substrate 1 was cut out to expose all the electrodes 6 provided on the second substrate 7.

  A drive circuit or the like was mounted on the vacuum hermetic container 21 manufactured by the above procedure according to a normal method to complete an OLED. When the completed OLED was operated, it was confirmed that stable image display was possible over a long period of time, and that the bonding material strength and hermeticity applicable to the OLED were ensured.

(Example 2)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 7, it was the same as Example 1 except that the support member 3 of Example 1 was replaced with a discontinuous support member 3. When the completed OLED was operated, it was confirmed that stable image display was possible over a long period of time, and that the bonding material strength and hermeticity applicable to the OLED were ensured.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st board | substrate 3 Support member 7 2nd board | substrate 10 1st virtual line 12 2nd virtual line

Claims (7)

A plurality of bonding materials and a plurality of support members are disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate facing each other, and each of the bonding materials has a closed linear shape, Each of the support members is disposed on a surface of the first substrate facing the second substrate, and is in contact with both of the second substrates and spaced apart from each other outside the bonding material. Preparing an assembly provided along a first imaginary line that partitions the bonding materials;
Heating the bonding material to bond the first substrate and the second substrate with the bonding material, and bringing each of the support members into contact with the second substrate;
Cutting the second substrate bonded to the first substrate from the back surface of the surface facing the first substrate by applying a mechanical external force along the first imaginary line; A second imaginary line positioned between the bonding material and the first imaginary line from the back surface of the surface facing the second substrate, the first substrate bonded to the second substrate. Cutting a plurality of hermetic containers by applying a mechanical external force along
A method for manufacturing an airtight container.   The plurality of bonding materials have the same rectangular shape and are arranged in a matrix, and the support member is provided continuously or divided between adjacent sides of the bonding materials adjacent to each other. The method for producing an airtight container according to claim 1.   The method for manufacturing an airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the bonding material has a temperature dependency with a negative viscosity.   The method for manufacturing an airtight container according to claim 3, wherein the bonding material is a glass frit.   The method for manufacturing an airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the bonding material is heated by local heating light.   The method of manufacturing an airtight device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the airtight container is an envelope of an image display device.   The method for manufacturing an airtight container according to claim 1, wherein the first and second substrates are cut by a glass scriber.