JP2015131741A - Manufacturing method of glass substrate with end surface protective layer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of a glass substrate with a protective layer which makes it possible to easily form a protective layer capable of effectively preventing brittle fracture, and a glass substrate with a protective layer.SOLUTION: The manufacturing method includes a processing protective layer forming step, a parting step, an end surface protective agent supply step, and a processing protective layer removal step. In the processing protective layer forming step, etching resistant layers 22 on which a processing pattern is formed are formed on a first principal plane and a second principal plane of a mother glass substrate 20. In the parting step, the mother glass substrate 20 is parted into a plurality of the glass substrates 10 while the etching resistant layers 22 are left in a state where the layers extend from end surfaces of a glass substrate 10. In the end surface protective agent supply step, end surface protective agent is supplied between the etching resistant layer 22 and the end surfaces of the glass substrates 10. In the processing protective layer removal step, the etching resistant layers 22 are removed from the glass substrates 10 after filling the end surface protective agent.

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass substrate that can be applied to a flat panel display or the like, and more particularly, to a glass substrate that can effectively prevent breakage due to damage.

  In recent years, thin glass substrates have been widely used for liquid crystal displays, organic EL displays, touch panels and the like. The glass substrate is highly transparent and excellent in texture and design. On the other hand, since it is made of a brittle substance, it has a risk of being broken by an external force smaller than predicted. For this reason, conventionally, a reinforcing layer such as a compressive stress layer is formed on the two main surfaces or the end surfaces sandwiched between these two main surfaces by subjecting the glass substrate to a physical strengthening treatment or a chemical strengthening treatment. Measures have been taken to prevent destruction by.

  However, in order to improve production efficiency, a necessary configuration (touch sensor, transparent electrode, etc.) is added to a predetermined position on a large mother glass substrate, and then this mother glass substrate is formed into a plurality of glass substrates having desired shapes. A method of cutting a mother glass substrate into a desired shape is often used by forming a processing pattern for cutting and processing the mother glass substrate along the processing pattern. When such a method is used, the reinforcing layer on the end surface is lost among the reinforcing layers formed on the main surface and the end surface of the mother glass substrate.

  Therefore, there is a technique in the prior art for forming an end face protective layer for preventing breakage by applying a resin to the end face of a glass substrate (for example, Patent Document 1). In such a conventional technique, as shown in FIG. 1A, an end face protective layer 102 is applied to the end face of a glass substrate 110 having an end face perpendicular to the main face, or FIG. As shown, there is one in which an end face protective layer 112 is applied to an end face of a glass substrate 110 having a curved end face. And by having such a structure, it was supposed that it could prevent that a crack generate | occur | produces from the end surface of a glass substrate.

Special table 2012-527399 gazette

  However, as a result of the experiment conducted by the applicant, in the above-described prior art configuration (particularly, the configuration shown in FIG. 1A), when an external force acts near the boundary between the end surface and the main surface (near the corner) In addition, despite the presence of the end face protective layer, cracks may occur from the corners of the end face. The reason is considered to be that the protective layer near the corner of the end face becomes thin no matter how the protective layer is applied.

  Since it is difficult to apply a polymer or the like to an end face of a thin glass substrate that is applied to a flat panel display, it is extremely difficult to form a protective layer having a desired thickness on the end face. Furthermore, in a state where the end face is originally fouled such as scratches, even if the end face is covered with a protective layer, brittle fracture may occur from the end face. And even if it was a case where a chamfering process etc. were performed and the corner was removed, there existed a possibility that a glass substrate might be cracked by the crack at the time of a chamfering process.

  The objective of this invention is providing the manufacturing method of the glass substrate with a protective layer which makes it possible to form easily the end surface protective layer which can prevent a brittle fracture effectively, and the glass substrate with an end surface protective layer. .

  The manufacturing method of the glass substrate with an end surface protective layer according to the present invention includes a processing protective layer forming step, a cutting step, an end surface protective agent supplying step, and a processing protective layer removing step. In the processing protective layer forming step, a processing protective layer on which a processing pattern for forming a desired shape is formed is formed on each of the first main surface and the second main surface of the mother glass substrate. As the processing protective layer, a layer suitable for the type of cutting processing is appropriately selected. For example, when cutting by etching, an etching resistant layer such as an acid resistant film or an acid resistant resist is used as the processing protective layer. In the case of cutting by blasting, a blast resistant layer is used as a processing protective layer.

  In the cutting step, by cutting the mother glass substrate along the processing pattern, the mother glass substrate is formed into a plurality of glass substrates in a desired shape while leaving the processing protective layer in a state of extending from the end surface of the glass substrate. Divide into

  Etching is a typical example of a process suitable for leaving the processing protective layer in a state of extending from the end face of the glass substrate. In either case of isotropic or anisotropic, side etching enters from the opening width of the processing protection layer, so that the processing protection layer remains in a state of extending from the end face of the glass substrate after the division. . In the blasting process and part of the laser processing, the processing protective layer remains in a state of extending from the end face of the glass substrate after the division by the same action as the side etching.

  In the end surface protective agent supplying step, an end surface protective agent for forming the end surface protective layer is supplied between the processing protective layer extended from the end surface of the glass substrate obtained by the division and the end surface of the glass substrate. Examples of the end face protecting agent include polymer materials such as UV curable resins and thermosetting resins having the same appearance and properties as glass. It becomes possible to increase the thickness of the end face protective layer by filling more end face protective agent between the processing protective layer and the end face of the glass substrate.

  In the process protective layer removing step, the process protective layer is removed from the glass substrate after the end face protective agent is filled. Examples of the removal of the processing protective layer include peeling by applying force to the portion extending from the end face, peeling using an adhesive tape or an adhesive sheet, and chemicals having peelability (such as alkaline stripping solution). And peeling with the use of.

  In this configuration, the end surface protective layer is effectively and accurately formed by supplying the end surface protective agent to the end surface of the glass substrate while using the process protective layer with the process protective layer remaining. The In particular, it is possible to form a thick end face protective layer near the boundary between the end face and the main surface by utilizing side etching in etching or a similar action. For this reason, it becomes possible to form an end face protective layer having a sufficient thickness for a portion that is highly likely to be damaged by the action of an external force, and to fully exert the effect of the end face protective layer against an injury. Become.

  Furthermore, since the end face protective layer is formed by a cutting process and a series of flows, the work efficiency is good and the work cost is reduced. Moreover, since the main surface is protected by the processing protective layer when forming the end surface protective layer, the end surface protective layer forming process is executed while ensuring the safety of the surface of the main surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily form an end face protective layer capable of effectively preventing brittle fracture in a glass substrate.

It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional glass substrate with an end surface protective layer. It is a figure which shows the outline of the glass substrate with an end surface protective layer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of the process of parting a glass substrate from a mother glass substrate. It is a figure which shows the outline of the process of parting a glass substrate from a mother glass substrate. It is a figure which shows the outline of the process of parting a glass substrate from a mother glass substrate. It is a figure which shows the outline of the process of apply | coating an end surface protective layer to the end surface of a glass substrate. It is a figure which shows the outline of the glass substrate with an end surface protective layer which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of the process of apply | coating an end surface protective layer to the end surface of a glass substrate.

  2A and 2B show a schematic configuration of the glass substrate 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The glass substrate 10 according to the present embodiment is used for a touch panel of a flat panel display. The glass substrate 10 has a thin plate shape and is configured to have a thickness of 1 mm or less, and in many cases, about 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. The glass substrate 10 has a first main surface 10A (upper side in the drawing) and a second main surface 10B (lower side in the drawing), and is sandwiched between the first main surface 10A and the second main surface 10B. As shown, it has four end faces 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F.

  Sensors such as touch sensors and transparent electrodes are formed on the surfaces of the first main surface 10A and the second main surface 10B, and a compressive stress layer (not shown) is formed by a chemical strengthening process. On the four end faces 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F, an end face protective layer 12 made of an end face protecting polymer is formed. For this reason, it can be said that the glass substrate 10 has a reinforcing layer for preventing brittle fracture on all six surfaces (two main surfaces and four end surfaces).

  Then, the production method of the glass substrate 10 is demonstrated using FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the glass substrate 10 is formed by dividing a large mother glass substrate 20. The mother glass substrate 20 is subjected to a chemical strengthening process in advance, and necessary components such as a touch sensor and a transparent electrode are arranged at predetermined positions.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, an etching resistant layer 22 is formed on both sides of the mother glass substrate 20. In this embodiment, a colored (for example, black) acid-resistant film is used as the etching-resistant layer 22, but is not limited thereto. For example, an acid resistant resist agent or other masking agent can be used as the etching resistant layer 22. In this embodiment, the etching resistant layer 22 corresponds to the processing protective layer of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, a processed pattern that matches the desired shape of the glass substrate 10 is formed on the etching resistant layer 22. In this embodiment, the etching resistant layer 22 is patterned by the laser device 24 that oscillates infrared rays. However, the patterning method is not limited to this, and other laser devices such as a pico laser can be appropriately selected in consideration of the beam diameter, processing accuracy, power, and the like. Furthermore, patterning can also be performed by photolithography techniques such as exposure and development.

  After the processing pattern is formed on the etching resistant layer 22, the mother glass substrate 20 is subjected to an etching process with an etching solution containing hydrofluoric acid. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an etchant enters from both sides along the processing pattern formed in the etching-resistant layer 22, and this portion is etched, whereby the mother glass substrate 20 Are cut into a desired shape to obtain a plurality of glass substrates 10. After the processing pattern penetrates by etching from both sides, portions other than those constituting the glass substrate 10 are removed as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B).

  As a result, a plurality of glass substrates 10 with the etching resistant layer 22 attached thereto are obtained. These glass substrates 10 are subjected to a washing treatment or a washing treatment using an alkaline liquid as necessary. In the etching process, the glass is melted in a direction perpendicular to the first main surface 10A and the second main surface 10B, and at the same time, the first main surface 10A and the second main surface are caused by side etching. The glass is also melted in the direction parallel to 10B. For this reason, when the mother glass substrate 20 is divided, the etching-resistant layer 22 remains on the glass substrate 10 so as to extend from the respective end faces.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the end face protective layer is formed in a space surrounded by the etching resistant layer 22 extending from the end face of the processed glass substrate 10 and the end face of the glass substrate 10. 12 is filled with a polymer agent for protecting the end surface. In this embodiment, the dispenser 26 fills the end surface protecting polymer agent. However, in place of the dispenser 26, it is also possible to apply the end face protecting polymer by means such as a coating roll, spray, or dipping.

  It is preferable that the polymer for protecting an end surface has a property that can be easily cured by having a permeability close to that of glass in appearance and having a refractive index close to that of glass. In this embodiment, a UV curable resin (Shotsui Chemical Co., Ltd. Photorec, Henkel Japan UV curable optical transparent adhesive, etc.) is used as the end face protective layer 12. Is not limited to this.

  After the end face protective agent is filled, the etching resistant layer 22 is peeled from the glass substrate 10 as shown in FIG. As a result, a plurality of glass substrates 10 provided with the end face protective layer 12 are obtained. Since this glass substrate 10 is immediately formed with the end face protective layer 12 in a state where the scratches on the end face have disappeared by etching, it becomes possible to keep the end face free from contamination. Moreover, since the end surface protective layer 12 is formed in an etching process and a series of processes, the workability is improved and the work cost is reduced. Furthermore, when the glass substrate 10 is transported for the subsequent process, the end face protective layer 12 is already formed, and the end face without the reinforcing layer is exposed to an environment in which an external force acts. .

  Since the scratches, pits and the like are removed by the etching process, and the end face protective layer is formed immediately in this etching process and a series of flows, the two main faces 10A and 10B and the four end faces 10C are substantially formed. , 10D, 10E, 10F The strength is comparable to the state in which the reinforcing layer is formed on all six surfaces, and it is overwhelmingly advantageous compared to the case where the reinforcing layer is formed on all six surfaces. Efficiency can be realized.

  In addition, when the end surface protective layer 12 is formed, the components such as the touch sensor formed on the first main surface 10A or the second main surface 10B are protected by the etching-resistant layer 22, so that the touch sensor It is also possible to ensure safety.

  Subsequently, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the glass substrate 14 according to this embodiment has a substantially rectangular thin plate shape and includes a slot 142 and a notch 144. The glass substrate 14 has an end face protective layer 16 formed on the end face including the slots 142 and the notches 144.

  About slot 142 and notch part 144, compared with the above-mentioned end face 10C, 10D, 10E, and 10F, application of a polymer for end face protection becomes more difficult. For this reason, in this embodiment, the end surface protective layer 16 is formed in the slot 142 and the notch 144 by using the method shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, in the slot 142 and the notch portion 144, the amounts of the first main surface 14A and the second main surface 14B differ from each other in the amounts extending from the end surfaces of the etching resistant layer 22. In this embodiment, the extension amount of the etching resistant layer 22 on the first main surface 14A is configured to be shorter than the extension amount of the etching resistant layer 22 on the second main surface 14B. In this configuration, the amount of etching on the first main surface 14A side is larger than that on the second main surface 14B side. As a result, a relatively large curved surface is formed on the first main surface 14A side.

  Since this curved surface extends to the outside of the etching resistant layer 22 on the first main surface 14A side, the end surface protecting polymer can be supplied perpendicularly from the first main surface 14A side toward the curved surface. It becomes possible. When a predetermined amount or more of the end surface protecting polymer is supplied to the curved surface, the end surface protecting polymer is filled between the etching resistant layer 22 on the first main surface 14A side and the end surface, and the second main surface protecting polymer is filled. The polymer for end face protection that has flowed on the etching-resistant layer 22 on the surface side is filled between the etching-resistant layer 22 on the second main surface side and the end face.

  At this time, a force may be applied to the end face protecting polymer in a desired direction by using wind force or the like as necessary. In this embodiment, the dispenser 28 is used to fill the polymer for protecting the end face. However, the end face protective layer 12 can be formed by a method other than the dispenser 28 as in the above-described embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the etching resistant layer 22 is used as the processing protection layer on the premise that etching processing is performed has been described, but the type of processing is not limited to etching. For example, even when blasting is used, when the mother glass substrate 20 is divided, the counter-processed layer remains in a state of extending from each end face of the glass substrate 10 by an action similar to side etching. Also in laser processing, by selecting a laser oscillation device, it is possible to leave a pair of processing layers in a state of extending from each end face of the glass substrate 10.

  Moreover, the process which cuts the mother glass substrate 20 does not necessarily need to be comprised by a single process. For example, even when adopting a combination of scribe processing and etching processing, adopting a combination of blast processing and etching processing, or adopting complex processing including at least etching processing, Needless to say, the same effects can be achieved.

  As for the processing protective layer, an etching resistant layer (acid resistant resist, acid resistant film, etc.) is used for the etching process, but a blast resistant layer is used for the blasting process, and the processing is performed in other processing processes. A protective layer for processing suitable for processing is selected.

  The glass substrate produced by the method according to the above-described embodiment is covered with an end surface protective layer that has an end surface that increases in thickness from the center in the thickness direction toward the outside. For this reason, a part vulnerable to an injury like the 1st main surface or the 2nd main surface, an end surface, and a boundary vicinity will be protected effectively. Furthermore, a vertex portion is provided at an intermediate position in the thickness direction of the end surface, and a curved surface is formed from the vertex portion to each of the first main surface and the second main surface. Such a shape appears remarkably in the cutting by the etching process, but can also be realized in other cutting processes such as a blast process and a laser processing process.

  The present invention is most effective in a glass substrate using a flat panel display, but is also effective in a glass substrate for a building member such as a showcase or a window.

  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.

10,14-Glass substrate 12,16-End face protective layer 20-Mother glass substrate 22-Etching-resistant layer 24-Laser device 26, 28-Dispenser 142-Slot 144-Notch

Claims (4)

Forming a processing protective layer formed with a processing pattern for forming a desired shape on each of the first main surface and the second main surface of the mother glass substrate;
By cutting the mother glass substrate along the processing pattern, the mother glass substrate is divided into a plurality of glass substrates having a desired shape while leaving the processing protective layer in a state of extending from the end surface of the glass substrate. Steps,
Supplying an end surface protective agent for constituting the end surface protective layer between the processing protective layer extending from the end surface of the glass substrate obtained by the division and the end surface of the glass substrate;
Removing the processing protective layer from the glass substrate after filling with the end face protective agent;
The manufacturing method of the glass substrate with an end surface protective layer containing this.   The method for producing a glass substrate with an end face protective layer according to claim 1, wherein the cutting process includes at least an etching process, and the process protective layer is an etching resistant layer. A glass substrate having a plate shape,
A first main surface, a second main surface, and an end surface sandwiched between them;
The said end surface is covered with the end surface protective layer comprised so that thickness might become large toward the outer side from the center part of the thickness direction, The glass substrate with an end surface protective layer characterized by the above-mentioned.   The end face has an apex at an intermediate position in the thickness direction, and a curved surface is formed from the apex to each of the first main surface and the second main surface. 3. A glass substrate with an end face protective layer according to 3.

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