JP2013095617A - Method for producing glass substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing glass substrates, whereby, in a sheet-fed chemical polishing device, it is possible to divide a glass base material of a single sheet form into a plurality of glass substrates.SOLUTION: The present invention is a method for producing glass substrates, for application in a chemical polishing device constituted to carry out chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of continuously conveyed glass substrates. The chemical polishing device is equipped at least with a conveying section and a polishing treatment section. In the chemical polishing device, the amount of chemical polishing solution sprayed onto the glass base material from the upper side, and the amount of chemical polishing solution sprayed onto the glass base material from the lower side, are respectively adjusted, thereby causing partitioning slots formed on a first principal surface and partitioning slots formed on a second principal surface to penetrate at locations shifted by predetermined amounts from the center of the glass base material in the thickness direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass substrate manufacturing method applied to a chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform chemical polishing on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed.

  In order to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate, it is generally necessary to perform a chemical polishing process on the glass substrate using a chemical polishing liquid containing hydrofluoric acid. As such chemical polishing treatment, batch type chemical polishing in which a glass substrate to be treated is immersed in a tank containing a chemical polishing solution for a predetermined time, and chemical treatment while sequentially conveying the glass substrate to be treated by a conveyance roller. One example is single wafer chemical polishing in which a polishing liquid is sprayed.

  Among these chemical polishing methods, in the batch method polishing, the glass substrate is thinned to a desired plate thickness by immersing the glass substrate to be processed in a polishing bath for a predetermined time. There is an advantage that the substrate can be processed. However, batch polishing has at least the following problems.

  First, in the batch-type polishing, there is a problem that the polishing liquid bath has a dense hydrofluoric acid atmosphere due to the structure in which the polishing liquid bath is open upward. In particular, when bubbling is performed on the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid bath, there is a problem that gaseous hydrofluoric acid is likely to diffuse around. Workers who work in such a hydrofluoric acid atmosphere may have a health hazard unless they wear appropriate protective equipment and work. For this reason, the cost of the protective equipment supplied to a worker becomes high.

  In addition, in batch type polishing, in order to eliminate the hydrofluoric acid atmosphere where the periphery of the polishing bath is concentrated, a powerful exhaust facility such as a scrubber is required, which increases the facility cost. Furthermore, since the equipment is easily corroded by the hydrofluoric acid gas, there is a problem that it takes a cost to perform an appropriate anti-corrosion treatment, and the cost is increased due to frequent replacement of equipment.

  Therefore, in recent years, a single wafer chemical polishing process has been used. For example, in the conventional technology, a glass substrate is supported in a vertical direction by a jig to which the glass substrate can be attached, and a chemical polishing liquid is sprayed onto the glass substrate while conveying the jig. There exists a panel display glass substrate etching apparatus (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP 2008-266135 A

  However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 is configured to process the glass substrate while supporting it in a vertical state, the glass substrate can be appropriately reduced in thickness, but one sheet. There is a disadvantage that it is not suitable for a process of dividing the sheet-shaped glass base material into a plurality of glass substrates. The reason is that when the glass substrate is arranged in a vertical state, if the glass is divided into a plurality of small pieces, the divided small pieces fall due to gravity. For this reason, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot be used for a process of taking a plurality of glass substrates from a large glass base material.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and is a glass substrate that enables a sheet-like glass base material to be divided into a plurality of glass substrates in a single wafer chemical polishing apparatus. It is to provide a manufacturing method.

The present invention is a glass substrate manufacturing method applied to a chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform chemical polishing on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed. The chemical polishing apparatus includes at least a transport unit and a polishing processing unit. The transport unit is configured to transport a glass base material in which a resist layer is formed on the first main surface and the second main surface in a horizontal direction so as to straddle a partition line that is a position to be cut. A conveyance roller is provided. The polishing processing unit is configured to etch a partition line of the glass base material by spraying a chemical polishing liquid from above and below the glass base material transported by the transport unit.
In such a chemical polishing apparatus, the first main surface is adjusted by respectively adjusting the amount of chemical polishing liquid sprayed onto the glass base material from above and the amount of chemical polishing liquid sprayed onto the glass base material from below. The partition groove formed on the second main surface and the partition groove formed on the second main surface are penetrated at a position displaced by a predetermined amount from the center in the thickness direction of the glass base material.

  In this configuration, the partition groove formed on the first main surface and the partition groove formed on the second main surface are prevented from penetrating at the center position in the thickness direction of the glass base material. For this reason, even if the glass base material is subjected to a strengthening process such as a chemical strengthening process in advance, the glass base material can be divided into a plurality of glass substrates without causing cracks or the like. Moreover, since it becomes possible to perform such a process with a single-wafer type chemical polishing apparatus, work safety is improved.

  According to the present invention described above, it is possible to divide a single sheet-like glass base material into a plurality of glass substrates in a single wafer chemical polishing apparatus.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the single wafer type chemical polishing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a single wafer type chemical polishing apparatus. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a single wafer type chemical polishing apparatus. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a 1st process chamber. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a process liquid supply mechanism. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a crank mechanism. It is a figure explaining the process in a pre-processing chamber. It is a figure which shows an example of the general appearance of the glass base material cut | disconnected by a chemical polishing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the general appearance of the glass base material cut | disconnected by a chemical polishing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the other example of the general appearance of the glass base material cut-processed with a chemical polishing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the glass tray used in embodiment of the manufacturing method of a glass substrate. It is a figure which shows the state which accommodates a glass base material in a glass tray. It is a figure which shows the state in which the glass tray which accommodated the glass base material is conveyed. It is a figure which shows the state which the partition groove | channel of the main surface of a glass base material deepens. It is a figure which shows the state which the partition groove | channel of the main surface of a glass base material deepens.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of a single wafer chemical polishing apparatus 10 according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the chemical polishing apparatus 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the chemical polishing apparatus 10 includes a carry-in unit 12, a pretreatment chamber 14, a first treatment chamber 16, a second treatment chamber 18, a third treatment chamber 20, and a fourth treatment. The chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, the third relay unit 32, the water washing chamber 24, the carry-out unit 26, the processing liquid storage unit 42, the processing liquid supply unit 44, and the water supply unit 46 Prepare.

  The carry-in unit 12 is configured to be capable of receiving a glass substrate 100 to be thinned and carried in by manual work by an operator or automatic work by a robot or the like. The pretreatment chamber 14 is configured to receive the glass substrate 100 transported from the carry-in unit 12. The first processing chamber 16 is configured to inject a chemical polishing liquid onto the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100 to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate. Each of the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 sprays a chemical polishing liquid having the same composition as that of the first processing chamber 16 onto the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate. Further, it is configured to be thinner. The first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are each configured to connect a plurality of processing chambers. The water washing chamber 24 is configured to wash the glass substrate 100 that has passed through the fourth processing chamber 22. The carry-out unit 26 is configured to be able to take out the glass substrate 100 that has undergone the chemical polishing process and the water washing process. The glass substrate 100 that has reached the carry-out unit 26 is removed from the chemical polishing apparatus 10 and collected by manual operation by an operator or automatic operation by a robot or the like. After that, the glass substrate 100 is introduced into the chemical polishing apparatus 10 again when further thinning is necessary, while it is transferred to a subsequent process such as a film forming process when further thinning is not necessary. .

  The processing liquid storage unit 42 is connected to the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22 and the recovery line 420. The processing liquid supply unit 44 is connected to the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, via the liquid supply line 440. The second relay unit 30 and the third relay unit 32 are connected. The water supply unit 46 is connected to the pretreatment chamber 14 and the rinsing chamber 24 via a water supply line 460. In FIG. 1, the recovery line 420, the liquid supply line 440, and the cleaning water supply line 460 of the chemical polishing apparatus 10 are not shown.

  In the above-described chemical polishing apparatus 10, the pretreatment chamber 14, the first treatment chamber 14, and the first treatment chamber 14, except for the inlet 200 to the pretreatment chamber 14, the outlet 300 from the washing chamber 24, and a part of the working space of the crank mechanism 36 described later. Processing chamber 16, second processing chamber 18, third processing chamber 20, fourth processing chamber 22, first relay section 28, second relay section 30, third relay section, and water washing chamber 24. Are closed airtight and watertight as a whole. The inlet 200 and the outlet 300 have a slit shape that is slightly higher than the thickness of the glass substrate 100 and slightly wider than the lateral width of the glass substrate 100. A number of transport rollers 50 are arranged on the same plane so as to penetrate each part. Each transport roller 50 constitutes a transport path that transports the glass substrate 100 in the rightward direction while supporting the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100.

  Here, the conveyance speed is preferably set to 100 to 800 mm / min, and more preferably 300 to 550 mm / min. The processing time in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 is set to about 20 minutes in total in this embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, if the conveyance speed is too slow exceeding the above range, not only the production efficiency is bad, but also the chemical polishing liquid tends to stay on the glass substrate 100, and uniform chemical polishing is hindered. There is a risk of causing cracks in the substrate 100. On the other hand, in order to increase the conveyance speed in the same apparatus scale, it is difficult to optimize the liquid composition for realizing this, and it is difficult to achieve uniform chemical polishing after all.

  The glass substrate 100 to be thinned by the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is not particularly limited, but the upper and lower surfaces of a large glass substrate such as a G8 size quarter cut (1080 × 1230 mm) and a G6 size (1500 × 1800 mm) are also provided. The chemical polishing apparatus 10 is configured so that polishing can be performed uniformly. Further, the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is configured to directly convey the glass substrate 100 by the conveying roller 50 without using a jig or a carrier.

  As described above, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third The relay section 32 communicates with the temperature-controlled processing liquid supply section 44 via the liquid supply line 440, and the chemical polishing liquid of the processing liquid supply section 44 is supplied to each chamber at about 40 to 42 ° C. It comes to be supplied. Here, the composition of the chemical polishing liquid is preferably 1 to 20% by weight of hydrofluoric acid, 0 to 10% by weight of hydrochloric acid, and the remaining water.

  Further, the pretreatment chamber 14 and the rinsing chamber 24 communicate with the water supply unit 46 via the water supply line 460 so that the cleaning water is supplied to each chamber. In addition, the cleaning waste water discharged from the pretreatment chamber 14 and the water washing chamber 24 is discharged to a waste water treatment facility.

  On the other hand, as described above, the bottoms of the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 are connected to the processing liquid storage portion 42 via the recovery line 420. The polishing water is collected. The bottoms of the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 have bottoms that are inclined toward the adjacent processing chambers. The processing liquid in the second relay unit 30 and the third relay unit 32 is smoothly guided to the adjacent processing chamber. The recovered polishing water is subjected to precipitation of reaction products and other treatments, and is sent to the treatment liquid supply unit 44 if it is in a reusable state, while it cannot be reused. In some cases, the process proceeds to a waste liquid treatment process as a concentrated waste liquid.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the pretreatment chamber 14, the first treatment chamber 16, the second treatment chamber 18, the third treatment chamber 20, the fourth treatment chamber 22, and the water washing chamber 24 are connected to the exhaust line 340. The internal gas of each chamber is sucked into the exhaust part 34 through the exhaust gas. Here, since the exhaust line 340 functions constantly, the inlet 200 to the pretreatment chamber 14, the outlet 300 from the water washing chamber 24, and an opening formed in a part of the crank mechanism 36 have negative pressure. The process gas will not be leaked through these openings.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the glass substrate 100 is transferred to the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, and the water washing chamber 24. A group (10) of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) extending in the direction are arranged at the upper and lower positions of the conveying roller 50, respectively. Each injection pipe 444 is a hollow resin pipe made of vinyl chloride or Teflon (registered trademark), and a plurality of injection nozzles 446 are formed in a row on one injection pipe. Then, the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed from the upper injection pipe 444U arranged on the upper side to the upper surface of the glass substrate 100, and the chemical polishing liquid is injected from the lower injection pipe 444L arranged on the lower side to the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100. Is injected. On the other hand, cleaning water is jetted from the upper jet pipe 242U arranged in the water washing chamber 24 to the upper surface of the glass substrate, and cleaning water is jetted from the lower jet pipe 242L to the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100. Further, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are respectively provided with an injection pipe 282 (282U, 282L), an injection pipe 302 (302U, 302L), and an injection pipe 322 ( 322U, 322L), and a chemical polishing liquid having the same composition as that of the first to fourth processing chambers 18, 20, 22, and 24 is sprayed onto the top and bottom surfaces of the glass substrate 100.

  The injection pipe 282 (282U, 282L), the injection pipe 302 (302U, 302L), and the injection pipe 322 (322U, 322) disposed in the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 322L) and the injection pipes (242U, 242L) disposed in the flush chamber 24 are held in a fixed state. On the other hand, each injection pipe 444 arranged in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 is configured to swing by the crank mechanism 36. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in this embodiment, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 are: Ten injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) are arranged on the upper side and the lower side of the glass substrate 100, respectively. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). For example, eight injection nozzles 446 are formed in each injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L).

  Each of the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) is closed at the distal end side (the lower side in the drawing), and a hydraulic pressure control unit is provided at the proximal end side. The hydraulic pressure control unit includes the same number (10) of opening / closing valves 442 (442U, 442L) as the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), and adjusts the opening of each opening / closing valve 442 (442U, 442L). The hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid supplied to each injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) can be arbitrarily set. For example, there is a difference in hydraulic pressure between the upper injection pipe 444U and the lower injection pipe 444L, or there is a difference in hydraulic pressure between the central injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) and the end injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). Or can be provided. In addition, the hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid supplied to each injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) can be confirmed by an instrument 38 disposed on the upper surface of the chemical polishing apparatus 10.

  In this embodiment, the liquid pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at the central position is set to be slightly higher than the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at the peripheral position, and the glass substrate 100 is moved toward the central position. The contact pressure and the injection amount are set slightly higher than the contact pressure and the injection amount to the peripheral position of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the chemical polishing liquid sprayed to the central position of the glass substrate 100 moves smoothly to the peripheral position of the glass substrate, and the chemical polishing liquid is less likely to stay on the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. As a result, an almost equal amount of chemical polishing liquid acts on the entire surface of the glass substrate 100, and the entire surface of the glass substrate 100 is easily polished uniformly. If the chemical polishing liquid does not stay on the upper surface of the glass substrate 100 without changing the hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) in the width direction, the hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is dared. Need not be changed in the width direction, and the hydraulic pressures of all the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) may be set uniformly.

  In addition, each injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is configured to be oscillated by about ± 30 ° by the crank mechanism 36, with both ends thereof being rotatably supported by bearings or the like ( (See FIG. 5B). FIG. 5B shows the swing angle and does not show the spray range of the chemical polishing liquid. That is, since the chemical polishing liquid is ejected from the spray nozzle 446 of the spray pipe 444 in a trumpet shape, the spray range is wider than the swing angle.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the crank mechanism 36 converts the drive motor 362 and the rotational force of the drive motor 362 into a force that causes the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) to swing. And a transmission mechanism 364 configured to transmit to the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). The rotational force of the drive motor 362 is transmitted to the swing arm 366 as a force for swinging the swing arm 366 via the transmission arm. The swing arm 366 is supported in a rotatable state by a support portion 368 provided on the inner wall portion of the chemical polishing apparatus 10.

  On the other hand, the end of each injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) penetrates the partition wall of the processing chamber, and is required for the oscillation of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at a portion located outside the processing chamber. Torque transmission arms 372 and 376 for transmitting various torques are attached. The torque transmission arms 372 and 376 are supported by holding arms 370 and 374 in a rotatable state, respectively. The holding arms 370 and 374 are connected to the swing arm 366 so as to be rotatable and slidable.

  When the swing arm 366 swings by the rotational force of the drive motor 362, the holding arms 370 and 374 swing in conjunction with the swing arm 366 as shown by the arrows in the drawing. The force from the holding arm 370 is transmitted as torque to the upper injection pipe 444U via the torque transmission arm 372. The force from the holding arm 374 is transmitted as torque to the lower injection pipe 444L via the torque transmission arm 376. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), the upper injection pipe 444U and the lower injection pipe 444L are in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 100 and in directions opposite to each other. It will rotate about ± 30 °. Note that the rotational speed of the drive motor 362 defines the number of oscillations of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). In this embodiment, the rotational speed of the drive motor is set to about 10 to 30 rpm.

  The upper injection pipe 444U has an injection nozzle 446U formed on its lower surface, and the lower injection pipe 444L has an injection nozzle 446L formed on its upper surface, so that each injection nozzle rotates about ± 30 °. However, the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed onto the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate (see FIG. 5B).

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 that perform similar chemical polishing with the same liquid composition are dared to each other. It is divided and provided. The reason is that by suppressing the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L), the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is prevented from bending and the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is smoothly swung. This is to make it happen. Moreover, it is for suppressing the influence by the thermal expansion of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) small. By adopting such a configuration, the distance between the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) and the glass substrate 100 can be maintained uniformly, and the hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid injected onto the glass substrate 100 is adjusted. It becomes easy. Further, since the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) smoothly swings, the chemical polishing liquid can be smoothly flowed off from the upper surface of the glass substrate 100, so that the chemical polishing liquid is applied to the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. It becomes difficult to stay. In addition, although the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) relates to the pipe diameter (liquid feeding amount), in general, it is preferable to suppress the length to 2.5 m or less, preferably 2 m or less.

  In order to chemically polish the glass substrate 100 at high speed, it is necessary to increase the amount of the heated chemical polishing liquid, and the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is suppressed to an appropriate length. Thus, the plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) can be smoothly swung with a simple mechanism without enlarging the drive motor 362 so much.

  Next, the configuration of the pretreatment chamber 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (A) to 7 (C). As described above, the preprocessing chamber 14 is provided with the crank mechanism 36 that swings the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) in the vicinity of the first processing chamber 16. In addition to the above configuration, the pretreatment chamber 14 is sprayed with water on the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100 and the opposing roller 146 that receives the glass substrate 100 at the inlet of the glass substrate 100 to the first processing chamber 16. Washing nozzles 142 and 144 are arranged. A plurality of the water washing nozzles 142 and 144 are arranged at predetermined intervals over the entire region in the direction (width direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 100. Here, the contact pressure is set so that the glass substrate 100 is softly held by the counter roller 146 and the transport roller 50 and introduced into the first processing chamber 16.

  Further, the water washing nozzles 142 and 144 are set so as to inject water toward the inlet of the glass substrate 100 to the first processing chamber 16. Therefore, the glass substrate 100 introduced into the first processing chamber 16 is in a sufficiently wet state, and inhomogeneous initial etching is prevented. That is, since the first processing chamber 16 is in a hydrofluoric acid gas atmosphere, if the surface of the glass substrate 100 is in a dry state, there is a risk that the hydrofluoric acid gas may erode inhomogeneously. Then, since the surface of the glass substrate 100 is protected with water, after that, homogeneous etching is started in the first processing chamber 16.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 (A) to 7 (C), the water washing nozzle 142 is configured to inject water downward, while the water washing nozzle 144 is above and is a glass substrate. It is comprised so that water may be injected diagonally toward the upstream of 100 conveyance paths. As a result of the water washing nozzle 144 being configured to inject water obliquely upward, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the glass substrate 100 approaches the water washing nozzles 142 and 144, the water washing is performed. Water can be supplied from the nozzle 144 to the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. For this reason, it becomes possible to rapidly form a water film for protecting from the hydrofluoric acid gas on the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. When the glass substrate 100 approaches the water washing nozzle 144, the water sprayed from the water washing nozzle 144 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the water washing nozzle 144 appropriately cleans the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100, and appropriately Can be moistened.

  As described above, by providing the water-washing nozzles 142 and 144 in the pretreatment chamber 14, it is possible to prevent the glass substrate 100 in a dry state from being exposed to the hydrofluoric acid gas and being etched unevenly. Further, since the glass substrate 100 is prevented from being sandwiched between the counter roller 146 and the transport roller 50 in a dry state, the glass substrate 100 may be damaged when passing between the counter roller 146 and the transport roller 50. The glass substrate 100 is prevented from being damaged.

  Next, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 will be described. In the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 in a fixed state are arranged at the upper and lower positions of the conveyance path, respectively. Yes. Then, the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed onto the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100 from the spray pipe 282, the spray pipe 302, and the spray pipe 322. In this embodiment, the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 each constitute the polishing liquid injection means of the present invention.

  Here, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 may be empty spaces in the glass polishing process. In the relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, the chemical polishing liquid having the same composition is sprayed onto the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the chemical polishing liquid stays on the glass substrate when passing through the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, or conversely, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 28, The glass substrate 100 does not become dry when passing through the relay unit 30 and the third relay unit 32, and high-quality glass polishing is realized. The injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 of the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are in a fixed state, but are not fixed and swing. It is also possible to adopt a formula structure.

  The glass substrate 100 includes a first processing chamber 16, a second processing chamber 18, a third processing chamber 20, a fourth processing chamber 22, a first relay unit 28, a second relay unit 30, and a third processing unit. Are sequentially subjected to chemical polishing. The glass substrate 100 that has been subjected to the multi-stage chemical polishing is subjected to a liquid draining process on the upper surface by an air knife 244 disposed at the outlet of the fourth processing chamber 22, and then a group of disposed in the water washing chamber 24. Washing is performed with washing water received from the injection pipe 242. The cleaning injection pipe 242 is in a fixed state, but may be configured to swing this.

  In any case, a pair of upper and lower air knives 246 are arranged at the final stage of the cleaning process, and the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100 are quickly dried by the air jetted therefrom. And the glass substrate discharged | emitted from the outlet 300 of the water washing chamber 24 is taken out by the worker who waits in the carrying-out part 26, and a series of processing processes are completed. In this manner, by separately disposing the air knife 244 in front of the pair of upper and lower air knives 246, the chemical polishing liquid can be quickly removed from the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the upper surface of the glass substrate 100 is uneven. It is possible to effectively prevent etching.

  As described above, according to the chemical polishing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, chemical polishing is performed in a closed space, and toxic gas such as hydrofluoric acid gas generated in the apparatus is almost exhausted by an exhaust mechanism such as a scrubber. Since everything is recovered, the hydrofluoric acid gas hardly diffuses around the chemical single wafer apparatus 10. As a result, the working environment around the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is remarkably improved as compared with the case of the batch type chemical polishing process. Accordingly, there is no need to worry about deteriorating the health of workers, and it is not necessary to cost protective equipment.

  Furthermore, since the facilities around the chemical polishing apparatus 10 can be prevented from being attacked by the hydrofluoric acid gas, the maintenance cost of the facilities can be reduced. In other words, it can be said that there is a great merit that a good working environment can be provided to the worker with low maintenance costs.

  Further, when the single wafer chemical polishing apparatus 10 is used, there is an advantage that it is possible to improve the work efficiency and the quality of the product as compared with the batch type polishing process. In addition, according to the chemical polishing apparatus 10, since the plate thickness accuracy is improved, the yield stability at the time of scribing is predicted. Further, the flat strength of the cut surface can be increased as compared with the batch-type polishing treatment. And since there is no hydrofluoric acid loss by bubbling, the effect of reducing hydrofluoric acid cost by about 15% can be expected.

  Then, the process which cut | disconnects one sheet-like glass base material using the chemical polishing apparatus 10, and divides | segments into a several glass substrate is demonstrated. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B show an overview of the glass base material 102 processed by the chemical polishing apparatus 10. The glass base material 102 is attached to the chemical polishing apparatus 10 while being supported by a first glass support member 70 and a second support member 72 formed of a member having hydrofluoric acid resistance such as polyvinyl chloride in a lattice shape. be introduced. As an example of the material of the glass base material 102, aluminosilicate glass thinned to a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm can be given. The glass base material 102 is chemically strengthened in a potassium nitrate molten salt at about 350 to 450 ° C.

  After the glass base material is chemically strengthened, a plurality of chip regions (use regions) having touch panel sensor elements and the like and an overcoat layer for protecting the chip regions are formed on the first main surface side, and then The acid-resistant resist layer is formed on the first main surface and the second main surface. The resist layer is formed so as to straddle a partition region having a line width of about 1 mm to 5 mm for partitioning the chip region. Various resists resistant to hydrofluoric acid used for the resist layer can be used. For example, OPT (registered trademark) manufactured by Nippon Paint Co., Ltd. is used in this embodiment.

  The glass base material 102 is sandwiched between the first glass support 70 and the second support 72 and introduced into the carry-in unit 12, so that the glass base material 102 has the preprocessing chamber 14 and the first to fourth processing chambers. 16, 18, 20, 22, and the flush chamber 24 are guided to the discharge unit 26. If the glass base material 102 is not a tempered glass, the glass base material 102 is partitioned by performing the same chemical polishing process on the first main surface and the second main surface of the glass base material 102. Can be divided appropriately.

  However, when the glass base material 102 is chemically tempered glass, when the same chemical polishing treatment is applied to the first main surface and the second main surface, the first main surface and the second main surface are formed by chemical polishing. There is a possibility that the glass base material 102 is cracked when the partition grooves on the main surface 2 are deepened and penetrated. The reason has not been elucidated exactly, but the following reasons are considered as a result of numerous experiments. That is, normally, when the first main surface and the second main surface of the glass base material 102 are simultaneously etched, the partition groove penetrates at the center in the thickness direction of the glass base material 102.

  Here, in chemically strengthened glass, a compressive stress layer is formed at both ends (surface) in the thickness direction, while a tensile stress layer is formed at the center portion (inside) in the thickness direction. Therefore, the tensile stress is considered to be the strongest. When the partition groove penetrates at the place where the tensile stress is the strongest, it is expected that the change in internal stress generated simultaneously with the penetration becomes enormous and the glass base material 102 is broken.

Here, by using the function of the chemical polishing apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, the center line 105 where the tensile stress is strongest is shifted by a predetermined amount 106. The partition groove is penetrated. As a general rule, the amount of deviation 106 is as follows: σ _c is compressive stress [MPa], DOL is the thickness of the chemically strengthened layer [μm], T is the plate thickness [μm], and σ _T is the CT value (Calculated Tensile Stress) [MPa ], It has been clarified through experiments that it is necessary to set the CT value, which is the value of σ _T calculated by the following equation, to increase as the value increases.

  The reason is considered to be that the tensile stress inside the glass base material 102 decreases as the shift amount 106 increases and moves away from the center line. On the other hand, if the amount of deviation 106 is increased more than necessary, the strength and design may be lowered. Therefore, the amount of deviation 106 can be within a range in which the occurrence of cracking of the glass base material 102 can be prevented. It can be said that it is preferable to set as small as possible. For example, if the plate thickness of the glass base material 10 is about 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm and the CT value is up to about 30, the glass base material 102 is cracked by setting the shift amount 106 to 50 μm to 100 μm. Is prevented.

  In the chemical polishing apparatus 10, in order to adjust the deviation amount 106, for example, the magnitude of the difference in the hydraulic pressure between the upper injection pipe 444U and the lower injection pipe 444L is adjusted, or the lower injection pipe 444L controls the lower surface. It is preferable to perform a chemical polishing process so that the partition groove is deepened by an amount corresponding to the deviation amount 106. In short, by appropriately adjusting the opening degree of each on-off valve 442 (442U, 442L) constituting the hydraulic pressure control unit, the partition groove on the first main surface and the partition groove on the second main surface of the glass base material 102 are formed. Can be prevented from penetrating at the center of the glass base material 102 in the thickness direction.

  The glass substrate after the end face treatment is immersed in a peeling tank containing an alkaline peeling solution such as a mixed solution of caustic soda or TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) and DMI (1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone). Then, the resist layer is peeled off. By performing the above processing, as shown in FIG. 9C, a plurality of glass substrates 104 can be stably and efficiently obtained from a chemically strengthened glass base material.

  Next, another example of the embodiment of the process of cutting one sheet-like glass base material 102 and dividing it into a plurality of glass substrates 104 in the chemical polishing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the first glass support 70 and the second support 72 are not used. First, the glass base material 102 is directly placed on the transport roller 50 and chemical polishing treatment is performed on both the first main surface and the second main surface. Then, the acid-resistant film 64 is attached to the surface in contact with the conveyance roller 50 at the stage where the partition grooves on the first main surface and the partition grooves on the second main surface are deepened by a desired amount. And the glass base material 102 is mounted on the conveyance roller 50 in the state which made the main surface on which the acid resistant film 64 was affixed down.

  The acid resistant film 64 is preferably attached so that air does not enter between the glass base material. In this embodiment, the acid resistant film is attached using a glass laminator, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, here, a resin film made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) having a thickness of about 50 to 150 μm is used as the acid-resistant film 64, but films of other materials can also be used. On the main surface to which the acid-resistant film 64 is attached, the depth of the partition grooves on the first main surface and the partition grooves on the second main surface does not occur even when the polishing liquid is further sprayed. There will be a difference. After attaching the acid resistant film 64, there is no problem even if the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed from above and below, but from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of liquid used, the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed only from the upper side. It is preferable to do.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately prevent the partition groove on the first main surface and the partition groove on the second main surface from penetrating at the center in the thickness direction of the glass base material 102. . For this reason, it is possible to prevent the glass base material 102 from being cracked when the partition groove on the first main surface and the partition groove on the second main surface penetrate. Further, even after the glass member 102 is divided into a plurality of glass substrates 104, each glass substrate 104 can be attached to the acid-resistant film 64 and apparently handled as one sheet, so that it is discharged from the chemical polishing apparatus 10. The glass substrate 104 to be processed becomes easy. The acid resistant film 64 used in this embodiment is preferably as stiff as possible. The reason is that when the acid-resistant film 64 is weak, the acid-resistant film 64 on the transport roller 50 may bend and the plurality of glass substrates 104 may be broken. If the acid resistant film 64 is weak, it is possible to attach a plate, a frame or the like for reinforcing the elasticity to the acid resistant film 64.

  Furthermore, another example of the embodiment of the process of cutting one sheet-like glass base material 102 and dividing it into a plurality of glass substrates 104 in the chemical polishing apparatus 10 will be described using FIGS. 11 to 15. In this embodiment, with respect to the glass base material 102, the glass base material 102 is first placed directly on the conveyance roller 50, and chemical polishing treatment is performed on both the first main surface and the second main surface. The point is the same as in the previous embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the acid-resistant film 64 is pasted on the first main surface or the second main surface when the partition grooves on the first main surface and the partition grooves on the second main surface are deepened by a desired amount. ing.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the glass tray 60 comprised so that it may support from under the glass base material 102 is used. The glass tray 60 is made of a resin material having acid resistance (in this embodiment, polyvinyl chloride), and has a main body 600 configured to accommodate the glass base material 102 and a tip portion fixed to the main body 600. 604. The main body 600 includes a bottom plate portion and a side plate portion provided so as to rise from the periphery of the bottom plate portion. The side plate portion is configured to have a height of about 2 to 5 times the thickness of the glass base material 102, and is disposed substantially over the entire periphery of the bottom plate, but a notch portion 602 is provided in part. ing. The pointed portion 604 is attached to one side surface of the main body 600 and has a shape that tapers away from the main body 600. The pointed portion 604 plays a role of allowing the glass tray 60 to pass smoothly between the transport roller and the facing roller disposed so as to face the transport roller 50.

  As described above, the glass base material 102 is acid-resistant to the first main surface or the second main surface when the partition grooves on the first main surface and the partition grooves on the second main surface are deepened by a desired amount. Although the film 64 is affixed, as shown to FIG. 12 (A), as for the glass base material 102 in which this acid-resistant film 64 was affixed, the surface by the side of the acid-resistant film 64 touches the glass tray 60, It is placed on the main body 600 of the glass tray 60. Thereafter, the glass base material 102 is fixed to the main body 600 of the glass tray 60 by the acid resistant tape 62. And the glass tray 60 which accommodated the glass base material 102 is mounted on the conveyance roller 50 in the state which the tip part 604 faced the downstream of the conveyance direction, as shown in FIG.12 (B).

  The glass tray 60 includes a carry-in unit 12, a preprocessing chamber 14, a first processing chamber 16, a second processing chamber 18, a third processing chamber 20, a fourth processing chamber 22, a first relay unit 28, and a first relay unit 28. The second relay unit 30, the third relay unit 32, the water washing chamber 24, the carry-out unit 26, the processing liquid storage unit 42, the processing liquid supply unit 44, and the water supply unit 46 sequentially pass through each processing chamber. In addition, the chemical polishing liquid supplied from the upper side in each relay unit accumulates in the main body 600. For this reason, the glass base material 102 on the glass tray 60 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid accumulated in the main body 600 as shown in FIGS. 13 (A) and 13 (B). At this time, since the chemical polishing liquid is always supplied to the main body 600 from above, a part of the chemical polishing liquid in the main body 600 spills over the side plate portion and flows out to the outside through the notch portion 602. . As a result, the chemical polishing liquid in the main body 600 is always replaced with a newly supplied liquid, so that it is always easy to stabilize the hydrofluoric acid concentration in the chemical polishing liquid, and a constant polishing rate is ensured. In this embodiment, no hole is provided in the bottom surface portion of the main body 600. However, by providing one or more small holes in the bottom surface portion of the main body 600, the circulation of the chemical polishing liquid may be promoted. .

  Furthermore, in the state where the glass base material 102 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid accumulated in the main body 600, the partition grooves on the first main surface and the partition grooves on the second main surface penetrate, so that the chemical polishing liquid is injected. Compared with the case where the partition groove on the first main surface and the partition groove on the second main surface penetrate in this state, the penetration portion is less likely to be sharpened. Further, even after the partition groove on the first main surface and the partition groove on the second main surface penetrate, the glass base material 102 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid accumulated in the main body 600, thereby sharpening the penetration portion. And the end of the glass substrate 104 can be brought close to a circular arc shape in a sectional view.

  Subsequently, using FIGS. 14A to 14D and FIGS. 15A to 15D, changes in the shape of the glass base material 102 or the glass substrate 104 in the case of processing in this embodiment. Will be explained. First, as shown in FIGS. 14A to 14C, the glass base material 102 is formed with resist layers on the first main surface and the second main surface by a chemical polishing liquid sprayed from above and below. Undelimited partition grooves are etched and deepened. As shown in FIG. 14D, at the stage where the partitioning grooves on the first main surface and the second main surface are deepened by a desired amount, the main surface of either the first main surface or the second main surface An acid resistant film 64 is attached to the surface.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15A, the glass base material 102 is accommodated in the glass tray 60 with the main surface to which the acid resistant film 64 is attached facing down, and the chemical polishing process is continued. . At this time, since the glass base material 102 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid as described above, only the partition groove on the upper main surface where the acid-resistant film 64 is not attached is provided, as shown in FIG. It will deepen.

  And according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG.15 (C), since the point where the tensile stress which is the center of the thickness direction of the glass base material 102 becomes the largest can be avoided, a partition groove can be penetrated. It is possible to prevent the glass base material 102 from cracking when penetrating the partition groove. Further, by immersing the glass base material 102 in the chemical polishing liquid of the main body 600 of the glass tray 60 after penetrating the partition groove, as shown in FIG. It is possible to remove the sharpness and bring the end face of each glass substrate closer to a circular arc shape in cross section.

  The glass substrate obtained by the above-described manufacturing method can be used as a user-side glass substrate constituting a touch panel integrated liquid crystal display. It can also be used as a cover glass for a liquid crystal display of a mobile phone.

  Since the sensor element provided in the chip region is generally vulnerable to heat, it has been difficult to perform chemical strengthening treatment on the glass in which the chip region is formed. However, according to the above-described embodiment, the chip region is formed. It is possible to obtain a plurality of glass substrates by stably cutting the large chemically strengthened large glass base material 104, so that the productivity is remarkably improved especially on the glass substrate on which the sensor element for the touch panel is mounted. Is possible.

  The above description of the embodiment is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above embodiments but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10- Chemical polishing apparatus 12- Loading part 14- Pre-processing chamber 16- 1st processing chamber 18- 2nd processing chamber 20- 3rd processing chamber 22- 4th processing chamber 24-Flushing chamber 26- Unloading part 28-1st relay part 30-2nd relay part 32-3rd relay part 60-Glass tray 102-Glass base material 104-Glass substrate

Claims (3)

A chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform chemical polishing on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed,
A plurality of transport rollers configured to transport a glass base material formed on the first main surface and the second main surface in a horizontal direction so that the resist layer straddles a partition line that is a position to be cut. A transport section;
A polishing processing unit configured to etch a partition line of the glass base material by injecting a chemical polishing liquid from above and below the glass base material transported by the transport unit,
In a manufacturing method of a glass substrate applied to a single wafer type chemical polishing apparatus comprising:
By adjusting the amount of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed on the glass base material from the upper side and the amount of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed on the glass base material from the lower side, the partition groove formed on the first main surface and the first A method for producing a glass substrate, comprising: passing a partition groove formed on the main surface of 2 at a position displaced from a center in a thickness direction of the glass base material by a predetermined amount. A first chemical polishing step for subjecting both the first main surface and the second main surface to a chemical polishing treatment;
A second chemical polishing step in which only a predetermined amount of single-side polishing is applied to only the first main surface;
The manufacturing method of the glass substrate of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   In the second chemical polishing step, a glass tray having a main body capable of accommodating a glass base material and a pointed portion configured to taper toward the downstream side in the transport direction is used, and the glass base material is used. The method for producing a glass substrate according to claim 1, wherein the placed glass tray is conveyed.

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