JP5509050B2 - Grooving tool for thin film solar cells - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a groove processing tool, in particular, a groove which is held by a holder and relatively moves along the scribe line along the integrated thin film solar cell substrate together with the holder to peel and remove the thin film on the thin film solar cell substrate. The present invention relates to a grooving tool for forming a groove.

  When an integrated thin film solar cell is manufactured, striped grooves for insulation are formed by scribing and removing the thin film formed on the substrate. As a tool for forming this groove, a tool as shown in Patent Document 1 is used. The tool shown in this patent document 1 has a needle-like or flat blade-like cutting edge. Then, the striped groove is formed by moving the tool in the groove forming direction.

  In the tool disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the cutting edge is rounded due to wear, turning near the end of the film in contact with the scribe line is increased, and the processing quality of the groove is deteriorated.

  Therefore, a tool and a manufacturing method as disclosed in Patent Document 2 are provided. In the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 2, a groove forming tool and a peeling tool are used to form a stripe-shaped groove in a thin film.

  The groove forming tool has two triangular pyramid-shaped convex portions at both ends in the tool width direction orthogonal to the tool movement direction during processing. And between these two convex parts, the circular-arc-shaped recessed part recessed upwards is formed. Further, the peeling tool has a flat cutting edge having substantially the same width as the groove.

  When forming a groove, first, the groove forming tool is moved in the groove forming direction, whereby two stripe-shaped grooves are formed at locations corresponding to both ends in the width direction of the groove. Next, the peeling tool is similarly moved in the groove forming direction, and the thin film remaining between the two striped grooves is peeled off.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-16439 JP 2002-33498 A

  When grooving is performed using the groove forming tool shown in Document 2, it is difficult to say that a groove with sufficient processing quality can be obtained, although film separation at the groove end is suppressed. If film peeling cannot be sufficiently suppressed during the groove processing, the patterning line cannot be formed accurately, and the power generation efficiency of the solar electric substrate is reduced.

  In the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, two grooves are first formed with a groove forming tool, and then the remaining film is peeled off with a peeling tool. I need it. For this reason, processing time becomes long. Moreover, in order to form a groove | channel, two tools for groove | channel formation and peeling are needed.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a groove processing tool capable of processing with high quality and capable of performing groove processing in a simple process while suppressing film peeling at the end of the groove during groove formation.

The groove processing tool for a thin film solar cell according to the first invention is held by a holder, and moves relative to the integrated thin film solar cell substrate along the planned scribe line together with the holder to peel the thin film of the thin film solar cell substrate. It is a tool for removing and forming a groove. This grooving tool includes a tool main body held by a holder and a blade edge portion formed at the tip of the tool main body. Cutting unit, the tip of the tool moving direction one end, has a blade extending in a direction intersecting the tool movement direction, the blade is viewed from the bottom surface of the cutting edge, the tool movement direction over the second end from the first end It is inclined at the same angle to the rear of the tool movement direction with respect to the orthogonal direction.

In the grooving tool, the blade at the blade edge portion is inclined rearward in the tool movement direction with respect to the tool movement direction as viewed from the bottom surface. Accordingly, when the groove processing tool is moved relative to the substrate to form the groove, the end of the groove is cut by the edge. For this reason, the edge part of a groove | channel will be cut | disconnected by a stronger shear force, and film | membrane peeling of parts other than a groove | channel can be suppressed. Moreover, since the blade is inclined from the first end to the second end side, the film from which the groove end portion is removed is smoothly discharged to the groove central portion side along the inclined surface of the blade. For this reason, it is suppressed that the removed film | membrane removes cutting performance, and stable high quality groove processing can be performed. Furthermore, we need not name to use two tools as in the prior art methods.

Further, in this case, the thin film removed on the first end side of the blade can be smoothly discharged to the second end side, and the groove processing quality is stabilized.

The grooving tool for a thin film solar cell according to the second invention is the grooving tool according to the first invention, wherein the blade tip portion has a blade extending in a direction intersecting the tool moving direction at the tip of the other end side in the tool moving direction. Yes. The blade, when viewed from the bottom surface of the cutting edge is inclined at the same angle in the tool movement direction rearwardly from the first end with respect to the direction perpendicular to the tool movement direction over the second end.

In this case, since the blade is formed at both ends in the tool moving direction at the blade edge part of the tool, if the blade on one end side in the tool moving direction is worn, the tool mounting direction is changed to the other end side in the tool moving direction. Blades can be used. In addition, when the inclination of the blade on the one end side in the tool movement direction and the blade on the other end side in the tool movement direction are reversed, the groove with good machining quality can be used during both forward and backward movements. Ru can be formed.

In this case , when the blade on one end side in the tool moving direction is worn, the tool mounting direction can be changed to use the blade on the other end on the rear side in the tool moving direction.

The grooving tool for a thin film solar cell according to the third invention is the grooving tool according to the fifth invention, wherein the blade on one end side in the tool movement direction of the blade edge portion and the blade on the other end side in the tool movement direction are at the same angle in the opposite direction. It is inclined at.

  In this case, a groove with good machining quality can be formed during movement in both directions during forward movement and backward movement.

A grooving tool for a thin film solar cell according to a fourth invention is the grooving tool according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the cutting edge has the same width along the direction in which the groove on the thin film is formed. It extends over the entire width of the body.

  Here, the blade edge portion extends with the same width along the groove forming direction. For this reason, even if the cutting edge is worn, it is possible to continue using the same tool only by forming a relief portion by correction processing.

A grooving tool for a thin-film solar cell according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the grooving tool of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein the tool body is formed in a rectangular shape.

  In the tool of the present invention, it is necessary to fix the posture of the tool at the time of grooving. That is, for example, when the tool is attached to the holder so as to be inclined with respect to the direction in which the groove is formed, the tool is not scribed with a desired groove width, or the cutting ability of the groove end by the tool tip is reduced. .

  In order to prevent the problems caused by the deviation of the mounting angle of the tool as described above, the tool mounting angle needs to be adjusted when the tool is replaced. Conventionally, this adjustment is performed while attaching the tool and the holder to another device for adjusting the tool angle and confirming the attachment angle of the tool with a microscope. Such adjustment work is very troublesome and requires a long work time.

Therefore, in the fifth invention, the tool body is rectangular. In this case, the mounting angle of the tool can be regulated simply by forming a rectangular groove on the holder side and fitting the tool main body into the rectangular groove. For this reason, when attaching a grooving tool to a holder, it can attach with an exact attitude | position by a simple operation | work.

The grooving tool for a thin film solar cell according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the grooving tool of the first aspect, wherein the blade of the blade edge portion is in the range of 5 ° to 35 ° from the first end to the second end as viewed from the bottom surface. The angle with respect to the substrate surface on the front in the moving direction is in the range of 65 ° to 75 °.

  In the present invention as described above, in the groove processing of the thin-film solar cell, it is possible to suppress the film peeling particularly at the groove end portion when forming the groove. In addition, the film can be surely removed with one tool, and a groove having a stable quality can be always formed.

1 is an external perspective view of a scribing apparatus in which an embodiment of the present invention is employed. The front view of the holder assembly by 1st Embodiment. The side view of FIG. The external appearance perspective view of the groove processing tool, the one part enlarged view, and a bottom view. The figure which shows the experimental example of a groove process. The figure which shows the example of the groove processing by the modification of 1st Embodiment. The bottom view of the groove processing tool of 2nd Embodiment. The bottom view of the groove processing tool of 3rd Embodiment. The front view of the reciprocating head with which the groove processing tool of 3rd Embodiment is mounted | worn. The external appearance perspective view of the groove processing tool of a reference example , and its partially enlarged view.

  FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of an integrated thin film solar cell scribing apparatus that employs an embodiment of the present invention.

-First embodiment-
[Overall configuration of scribing device]
This apparatus includes a table 1 on which a solar cell substrate W is placed, a holder assembly 3 provided on a scribe head 2, and two cameras 4 and a monitor 5, respectively.

  The table 1 is movable in the Y direction in FIG. 1 in a horizontal plane. The table 1 can be rotated at an arbitrary angle within a horizontal plane.

  The scribe head 2 can be moved in the X and Y directions above the table 1 by the movement support mechanism 6. The X direction is a direction orthogonal to the Y direction in the horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. The moving support mechanism 6 includes a pair of support columns 7a and 7b, a guide bar 8 provided between the pair of support columns 7a and 7b, a motor 10 that drives a guide 9 formed on the guide bar 8, and have. The scribe head 2 is movable in the X direction along the guide 9 as described above. The scribe head 2 is provided with an air cylinder (not shown), and the holder assembly 3 can be moved up and down along the linear guide by the air cylinder.

  The two cameras 4 are each fixed to a pedestal 12. Each base 12 is movable along a guide 14 provided in the support base 13 and extending in the X direction. The two cameras 4 can move up and down, and an image photographed by each camera 4 is displayed on a corresponding monitor 5. Here, an alignment mark for specifying a position is provided on the surface of the solar cell substrate W. The position of the alignment mark is specified by photographing the alignment mark with the two cameras 4. And the direction shift | offset | difference of the solar cell substrate W mounted in the table 1 is detected based on the position of the specified alignment mark.

[Holder assembly]
The holder assembly 3 is fixed to one surface of the scribe head 2. The holder assembly 3 can move in the X and Y directions together with the scribe head 2 and can move in the vertical direction with respect to the scribe head 2. The holder assembly 3 is taken out and shown in FIGS. FIG. 2 is a front view of the holder assembly 3, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

  The holder assembly 3 includes a holder 15 that is fixed to the scribe head 2, a groove processing tool 16 that is held by the holder 15, and a fixing plate 26.

<Holder>
The holder 15 is a plate-like member, and has a first main surface 17 attached to the scribe head 2 and a second main surface 18 on the opposite side. In addition, two through holes 19 are formed on the holder 15 in the vertical direction, and the holder 15 is fixed to the scribe head 2 by two bolts 20 that penetrate the respective through holes 19. In addition, a groove 21 having a predetermined length is formed in the holder 15 from below to above. The groove 21 is formed in the second main surface 18 and has a rectangular shape having a predetermined depth. A stop surface 21 a is formed on the upper portion of the groove 21. The upper end surface of the grooving tool 16 is in contact with the stop surface 21a. Thereby, the upward movement of the grooving tool 16 is restricted.

<Groove tool>
The groove processing tool 16 is inserted into the rectangular groove 21 of the holder 15, and the upper end surface of the groove processing tool 16 is in contact with the stop surface 21 a of the rectangular groove 21 as described above. The grooving tool 16 is made of a hard material such as cemented carbide or sintered diamond, and includes a tool body 22 and a blade edge portion 24.

  The tool body 22 is formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the rectangular groove 21 of the holder 15. Further, the lower part of the tool body 22, that is, the part connected to the blade edge part 24 is an inclined surface that tapers as it goes downward as viewed from the tool movement direction (right side in FIG. 2). The cutting edge 24 is formed integrally with the tool body 22 at the tip of the tool body 22.

  The details of the blade edge portion 24 are shown in FIGS. 4B is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a view of the cutting edge 24 viewed from the bottom side. FIG. 4D shows an enlarged view of the tool during processing.

  The blade edge portion 24 has a bottom surface 24a, a front surface 24b and a rear surface 24c, and a first side surface 24d and a second side surface 24e facing each other.

  At one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface 24a, a cutting edge surface 25a that is inclined with respect to the bottom surface 24a by a predetermined angle θ1 is formed. The cutting edge surface 25a is a surface that is parallel to the surface of the table 1, that is, the surface of the substrate W, in the processing posture in which the groove processing tool 16 is attached to the head. Further, the front surface 24b and the blade 25 which is the tip edge of the front surface 24b are inclined by an angle α rearward in the tool movement direction with respect to a virtual line N orthogonal to the tool movement direction M. The inclination angle α is preferably 5 ° or more and 35 ° or less. By tilting the front surface 24b and the blade 25 in this manner, a pair of edges 25b and 25c are formed at both ends in the blade width direction (the thickness direction of the blade edge portion 24). One edge 25b is formed at an obtuse angle when viewed from the bottom surface side, and the other edge 25c is formed at an acute angle when viewed from the bottom surface side.

  Here, an example of the blade edge surface 25a and the front surface 24b is shown below.

Length L of cutting edge surface 25a: 5 to 15 μm
The height H of the front surface 24b: 0.5 to 0.7 mm
These numerical values are merely examples, and can be variously changed depending on the material of the thin film, the material of the tool, and the like.

  When processing using the groove processing tool 16 as described above, as shown in FIG. 4D, the front surface 24b and the rear surface 24c of the blade edge portion 24 with respect to the solar cell substrate W are at an angle θ2 with respect to the substrate surface. Set to tilt only. By setting the grooving tool 16 in such a posture, the cutting edge surface 25a is parallel to the surface of the substrate W during processing as described above. In such a processing posture, the cutting edge surface 25a is parallel to the surface of the substrate W, so that the surface including the lower ends of the pair of edges 25b and 25c and the blade 25 (the leading edge of the front surface portion 24b) is the surface of the substrate W. Become parallel.

  The angle θ2 is preferably 65 ° to 75 °. By attaching and machining the groove machining tool 16 at such an inclination angle, it is possible to prevent the excess film from being peeled off when forming the groove.

<Fixed plate>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixing plate 26 has two through holes 27 arranged in the lateral direction. The fixing plate 26 is fixed to the second main surface 18 of the holder 15 by two bolts 29 that pass through the through holes 27 and screw into the corresponding screw holes 28 of the holder 15. In this way, the fixing plate 26 covers approximately ３ above the groove processing tool 16 inserted into the rectangular groove 21 of the holder 15.

  The fixing plate 26 is formed with a threaded hole 26a that passes therethrough. The screw hole 26 a is provided at a position facing the grooving tool 16 in a state where the fixing plate 26 is fixed to the holder 15. Then, by screwing the screw member 30 into the screw hole 26 a, the tip of the screw member 30 presses the groove processing tool 16 against the bottom surface of the rectangular groove 21. Thereby, the groove processing tool 16 is prevented from dropping from the rectangular groove 21.

<Installation of groove machining tool>
When grooves are formed on the thin film of the substrate W, the cutting edge surface 25a of the groove processing tool 16 is set so as to be parallel to the surface of the substrate W, and the groove processing tool 16 is moved along the groove forming direction. For this reason, it is necessary to attach the grooving tool 16 to the holder 15 at an appropriate attachment angle.

  In this embodiment, since the tool main body 22 is rectangular and the rectangular groove 21 is formed in the holder 15, the groove processing tool 16 is inserted into the holder 15 by fitting the rectangular tool main body 22 into the rectangular groove 21. Can be fixed at an appropriate angle.

  The holder assembly 3 including the groove processing tool 16 is set so that the tool itself is inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 70 °) with respect to the surface of the solar cell substrate W.

[Operation]
The grooving tool 16 is set on the scribe head 2 so as to have the above processing posture. Then, every time the table 1 is moved at a predetermined pitch in the Y direction, the holder assembly 3 is lowered and the cutting edge 25 of the grooving tool 16 is pressed against the surface of the solar cell substrate W. And the groove | channel along the X direction is formed in the surface of the solar cell board | substrate W by moving the holder assembly 3 to a X direction.

[Experimental example]
FIGS. 5A to 5C show monitor images when the thin film is removed using the groove processing tool according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 (a) is obtained by processing at a moving speed of 100 mm / sec, 400 mm / sec, and 800 mm / sec using a tool having an inclination angle α = 0 ° of the blade 25. FIG. 5 (b) shows a tool machined at the same moving speed using a tool with an inclination angle α = 20 ° of the blade 25, and FIG. 5 (c) uses a tool with an inclination angle α = 30 ° of the blade 25. Are processed at the same moving speed. Moreover, in each figure, the white part is a grooved part, and the black part is the part where the thin film remains. And in each groove | channel, the upper edge part in a figure is a part which the 2nd side surface 24e of the blade edge | tip part 24 contacts.

  As is apparent from each figure, when α = 0 °, the thin film is removed in a wavy shape at both ends of the groove, and the processing quality of the groove is degraded. On the other hand, at α = 20 ° and 30 °, the upper end of the groove (the portion where the edge 25c formed at an acute angle contacts) is processed in a relatively straight line, and the processing quality is good.

  From the above experimental results, the following can be understood.

  (a) Since the blade 25 is inclined from the direction orthogonal to the tool moving direction, the shearing effect is improved by the knife edge formed at an acute angle.

  (b) The film removed by the edge portion of the blade 25 is smoothly discharged by the inclination of the blade 25, and the adverse effect of the removed film on processing can be suppressed.

[Features of the first embodiment]
(1) The blade 25 of the blade edge portion 24 is inclined with respect to the tool moving direction when viewed from the bottom surface. Therefore, when a groove is formed by this groove processing tool, the shearing effect is improved by the knife edge at the end in the width direction of the groove. For this reason, film peeling of portions other than the groove at the groove end can be suppressed.

  (2) The film removed at the time of grooving is smoothly discharged from one end of the groove toward the groove center along the front surface portion 24b formed above the blade 25. For this reason, it is suppressed that the removed film | membrane removes cutting performance, and stable high quality groove processing can be performed.

  (3) A rectangular tool body 22 is inserted into the rectangular groove 21 of the holder 15 to regulate the mounting angle of the groove machining tool 16. For this reason, it is possible to always attach the grooving tool 16 to the holder 15 in a fixed posture with a very simple configuration and a simple attachment operation. Therefore, the processing quality of the groove formed by such a groove processing tool 16 is stabilized.

  Further, the cutting edge portion 24 of the groove processing tool 16 continuously extends over the entire length of the tool main body 22 with the same width along the direction in which the groove is formed. For this reason, even if the blade 25 is worn, the cutting effect can be easily recovered by correcting the blade edge, and the tool life can be extended.

[Modification of First Embodiment]
Here, when the groove processing is performed along the scribe line, there are (A) a case where film peeling at one end side of the groove is allowable and (B) a case where film peeling needs to be suppressed at both ends of the groove. In the case of (A), a groove having a desired quality can be obtained by performing groove processing using the groove processing tool 16 as described above. On the other hand, in the case of (B), a groove having satisfactory quality cannot be obtained with the groove machining tool shown in FIG.

  Therefore, in the case of (B), a film having a desired quality can be obtained by the configuration shown in FIG. That is, grooving may be performed using a pair of grooving tools in which the angle of inclination of the blade at the cutting edge is reversed. Note that the two grooving tools shown in FIG. 6 schematically show only the shape of the cutting edge viewed from the bottom surface side.

  Here, a first grooving tool 16 similar to that of the first embodiment and a second grooving tool 16 'whose blade angle is opposite to that of the first grooving tool 16 are used. Also, these two grooving tools 16, 16 'are fixed to the holder. In this case, one grooving tool 16 or 16 'is arranged upstream of the other grooving tool in the tool movement direction.

  By using such groove processing tools 16, 16 ', the processing quality at both ends of the groove can be improved.

-Second Embodiment-
In the first embodiment, the blade 25 is provided only on one end side of the cutting edge portion 24 in the tool moving direction. However, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the cutting edge portions 34 and 34 ′ have both ends in the tool moving direction. A blade may be provided. 7A and 7B are views of the blade edge portions 34 and 34 'viewed from the bottom surface side.

  Specifically, the blade edge portion 34 shown in FIG. 7A includes a bottom surface 34a, a front surface 34b and a rear surface 34c, and a first side surface 34d and a second side surface 34e facing each other, as in the first embodiment. Have. The lower end of each of the front surface 34b and the rear surface 34c of the blade edge portion 34 has blades 35a and 35b extending in a direction intersecting with the moving direction M of the tool. The blades 35 a and 35 b of the blade edge portion 34 are inclined by the same angle in the same direction with respect to the direction orthogonal to the tool moving direction M.

  The cutting edge portion 34 ′ shown in FIG. 7B has a substantially similar configuration. That is, it has a bottom surface 34a ', a front surface 34b' and a rear surface 34c ', and a first side surface 34d' and a second side surface 34e 'facing each other. The lower end of each of the front surface 34b 'and the rear surface 34c' has blades 35a'35b '. Further, in the blade edge portion 34 ′ shown in FIG. 7B, the blades 35 a ′ 35 b ′ are inclined by the same angle in the opposite direction to the blades 35 a and 35 b.

  By using the grooving tool having the cutting edge portions 34, 34 'as described above, when one of the blades 35a, 35a' is worn, the mounting direction of each grooving tool is reversed, and the other blade 35b, Processing can be continued by 35b '.

-Third embodiment-
[Grooving tool]
8A and 8B show a reciprocating head grooving tool according to the third embodiment. 8A and 8B are views of the blade edge portion as viewed from the bottom surface side.

  Here, the “groove machining tool for the reciprocating head” is a tool that can machine one end of the groove during forward movement during reciprocating movement and during movement in both directions during backward movement.

  More specifically, the cutting edge portion 44 of one tool has a bottom surface 44a, a front surface 44b and a rear surface 44c, and a first side surface 44d and a second side surface 44e facing each other. The lower end of each of the front surface 44b and the rear surface 44c of the blade edge portion 44 has blades 45a and 45b extending in a direction intersecting with the moving direction M of the tool. The blades 45a and 45b of the blade edge portion 44 are inclined by the same angle in the opposite directions with respect to the direction orthogonal to the tool moving direction M.

  When grooving using such a grooving tool having the cutting edge portion 44, first, the groove is machined by one of the blades 45a at the time of reciprocating movement. At this time, since one end of the groove is cut by the edge portion of the blade 45a, the processing quality of the one end of the groove can be improved. Further, at the time of backward movement, the position of the head on which the grooving tool is mounted is moved, and one end of the groove adjacent to the previously machined groove is machined by the blade 45b. At this time, since the one end of the groove is cut by the edge portion of the blade 45b as in the previous processing, the processing quality of the one end of the groove can be improved.

  Note that the cutting edge portion 44 ′ of the other grooving tool has the same configuration, and differs from the cutting edge portion 44 of one tool only in the direction in which the blades 45 a ′ and 45 b ′ are inclined.

[Reciprocating head]
Here, as described above, at the time of processing, it is necessary to set the tool itself so as to be inclined with respect to the substrate surface. Therefore, a head to which a tool as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B is attached needs to support the tool in a swingable manner and switch the tilt angle of the tool between forward movement and backward movement.

  FIG. 9 shows the structure of the head as described above. The reciprocating head 103 has a plate-like base 116, a holder 117, a swing member 118, and an air cylinder 119.

  The holder 117 is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the base 116 via a rail (not shown). The holder 117 has a holder main body 122 and a support member 123 fixed to the surface of the holder main body 122. The holder main body 122 is formed in a plate shape and has an opening 122a at the top. The support member 123 is a rectangular member that is long in the lateral direction, and a through hole 123a through which the swing member 118 is inserted is formed.

  The swing member 118 has a lower tool mounting portion 124 and an extension portion 125 formed to extend upward from the tool mounting portion 124. A groove is formed in the tool mounting portion 124, a tool is inserted into the groove, and the tool is fixed in the groove by a fixing plate 124a. A hole 125a is formed in the lower portion of the extension portion 125 so as to penetrate in the horizontal direction and in a direction orthogonal to the groove forming direction. The swing member 118 is swingable around a pin 126 that passes through the hole 125a. A pair of restricting members 127 a and 127 b are provided on the left and right sides of the upper end portion 125 b of the extension portion 125. Each regulation member 127a, 127b has a cylindrical member as a stopper fixed to the holder main body 122, and a spring inserted into the cylindrical member. Then, when the tip of each spring abuts on the upper end 125b of the extension 125, the swinging member 118 is maintained in the neutral position as shown in FIG. Further, the swinging member 118 swings and pushes one of the springs, and the upper end portion 125b of the extension part 125 comes into contact with the cylindrical member, so that the swinging angle is regulated.

  The air cylinder 119 is fixed to the upper surface of the cylinder support member 130. The cylinder support member 130 is disposed on the upper portion of the holder 117 and is fixed to the base 116. A hole penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the cylinder support member 130, and a piston rod (not shown) of the air cylinder 119 penetrates the through hole, and the rod tip is connected to the holder 117.

  A spring support member 131 is provided on the upper portion of the base 116. A spring 132 is provided between the spring support member 131 and the holder 117, and the holder 117 is urged upward by the spring 132. By this spring 132, the weight of the holder 117 can be almost canceled.

  A pair of air supply units 134 a and 134 b are provided on both the left and right sides of the holder 117. The pair of air supply units 134a and 134b have the same configuration, and each include a joint 135 and an air nozzle 136.

[Grooving operation]
When grooving is performed using the apparatus as described above, the air cylinder 119 is driven to lower the holder 117 and the swing member 118, and the tip of the tool is applied to the thin film. At this time, the pressure applied to the thin film of the tool is adjusted by the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder 119.

  Next, the head 103 is moved along the scribe line. During the forward movement, the swing member 118 swings clockwise about the pin 126 due to the contact resistance between the tool blade and the thin film on the substrate. This swing is restricted by the upper end 125b of the swing member 118 coming into contact with the right restricting member 127a. Therefore, the tool is moved in a posture inclined by a predetermined angle, and a groove is formed.

  Thereafter, the head 103 is moved relative to the substrate, and the tool is moved onto the scribe line to be lowered next. In the same manner as described above, the tool is pressed against the thin film on the substrate, and the head 103 is moved in the opposite direction.

  During this backward movement, the swing member 118 swings counterclockwise about the pin 126 due to the contact resistance between the tool blade and the thin film on the substrate. This swing is regulated by the upper end 125b of the swing member 118 coming into contact with the left regulating member 127b. Therefore, the tool 2 is moved in an inclined posture as opposed to the forward movement, and a groove is formed.

  By the operation as described above, groove processing can be performed when the tool is reciprocated. In the reciprocating head, an actuator such as an air cylinder for switching the swing angle of the swing member 118 may be provided.

-Reference example-
In the modification of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, both end portions of the groove are processed at the edge portions of the respective tools using two groove processing tools, but both ends of the groove are formed by one groove processing tool. You may make it process a part in the edge part of a tool. A grooving tool in this case is shown in FIG. The grooving tool of this reference example differs from the first embodiment only in the shape of the cutting edge.

  The cutting edge portion 224 of the grooving tool 216 shown in FIG. 10 has a bottom surface 224a, a front surface 224b and a rear surface 224c, and a first side surface 224d and a second side surface 224e.

  The bottom surface 224a is formed in a rectangular shape. The rear surface 224c extends upward perpendicular to the bottom surface 224a and is flush with the surface of the tool body 222. The first and second side surfaces 224d and 224e extend upward from the long side of the bottom surface 224a perpendicular to the bottom surface 224a, and are formed in parallel to each other. In addition, the part connected to the first and second side surfaces 224d and 224e in the lower part of the tool body 222 is an inclined surface that tapers as it goes downward as in the first embodiment.

  Further, the cutting edge portion 224 of the groove processing tool 216 extends continuously over the entire length of the tool main body 222 with the same width along the direction in which the groove is formed.

  In the blade edge portion 224 as described above, the blade 225 is formed at the corner between the bottom surface 224a and the lower end portion of the front surface 224b. The blade 225 will be described in detail below. 10B is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10C is an enlarged view of the posture of the tool during processing.

  At one end in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface 224a, a cutting edge surface 225a that is inclined by a predetermined angle θ1 with respect to the bottom surface 224a is formed. The cutting edge surface 225a is a surface that is parallel to the surface of the table 1, that is, the surface of the substrate W in the processing posture in which the groove processing tool 216 is attached to the head. Further, the front surface 224b and the blade 225 which is the leading edge of the front surface 224b are curved portions that are recessed inward. By forming the curved surface portion, a pair of edges 225b and 225c are formed at both ends in the blade width direction (thickness direction of the blade edge portion 224), and a relief portion recessed inwardly between the pair of edges 225b and 225c. (Front surface 224b) is formed.

  Here, an example of the blade 225 is shown below.

Length L of blade edge surface 225a: 5 to 15 μm
Front (blade and relief) height H: 0.5 to 0.7 mm
Front surface (curved surface = relief) depth D: 3-5μm
These numerical values are merely examples, and can be variously changed depending on the material of the thin film, the material of the tool, and the like.

  When machining using the groove machining tool 216 as described above, as shown in FIG. 10C, the front surface 224b and the rear surface 224c of the blade edge portion 224 with respect to the solar cell substrate W are at an angle θ2 with respect to the substrate surface. Set to tilt only. By setting the grooving tool 216 in such a posture, the cutting edge surface 225a becomes parallel to the surface of the substrate W during processing as described above. In such a processing posture, the blade edge surface 225a is parallel to the surface of the substrate W, so that the surface including the pair of edges 225b and 225c and the blade 225 (the leading edge of the front surface 224b) constituting the blade 225 is the substrate W. Parallel to the surface.

  The angle θ2 is preferably 65 ° to 75 °. By attaching and machining the groove processing tool 216 at such an inclination angle, it is possible to prevent the excess film from being peeled off when forming the groove.

[ Reference example features]
In this reference example , the thin film is scribed in a processing posture such that the pair of edges 225b and 225c and the blade 225 are parallel to the substrate surface. For this reason, it is possible to form a groove with good processing quality with little peeling or turning of the film in the vicinity of the groove end in one step. In addition, the presence of the pair of edges 225b and 225c and the relief portion prevents the entire cutting edge from being rounded even when the edges 225b and 225c are worn, so that a groove having a stable quality can be formed over a long period of time.

[Modification of Reference Example ]
In the reference example , the blade portion is formed in a U shape when viewed from the bottom surface. However, the same effect can be obtained even when the blade portion is formed in a V shape when viewed from the bottom surface.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes or modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  (a) In the embodiments described above, the entire tool body is rectangular, but the tool body may be formed of a round bar. Also in this case, if the cutting edge portion and the cutting edge are formed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, a groove with good processing quality can be formed in one step, as in the above-described embodiment. Further, it is possible to form a groove having a stable quality over a long period of time.

  (b) Specific examples of the cutting edge are not limited to the above examples, and various modifications can be made according to specifications such as the material of the thin film and the material of the tool.

15,117 Holder 16, 16 ', 216 Groove processing tool 22, 222 Tool body 24, 34, 34', 44, 44 ', 224 Cutting edge 25, 35a, 35b, 35a' 35b ', 45a, 45b, 45a' , 45b ', 225 blade

Claims (6)

A groove processing tool that is held by a holder, moves relative to the integrated thin film solar cell substrate along the planned scribe line together with the holder, and peels and removes the thin film of the solar electric substrate to form a groove. There,
A tool body held by the holder;
A cutting edge formed at the tip of the tool body;
With
The blade edge portion has a blade extending in a direction intersecting the tool moving direction at a tip on one end side in the tool moving direction,
The blade is inclined at the same angle rearward in the tool movement direction with respect to the direction orthogonal to the tool movement direction from the first end to the second end, as viewed from the bottom surface of the blade edge portion ,
The blade of the blade edge part is tilted toward the moving direction in the range of 65 ° or more and 75 ° or less with respect to the substrate surface on the front surface in the moving direction during processing.
Grooving tool for thin film solar cells. The blade edge portion has a blade extending in the direction intersecting the tool moving direction at the tip of the other end side in the tool moving direction,
Tip blade of the tool moving direction end side as viewed from the bottom surface of the cutting edge, inclined at the same angle in the tool movement direction rearwardly relative to the direction perpendicular to the tool movement direction over the first end or we second end doing,
The groove processing tool for thin film solar cells according to claim 1.   The grooving tool for a thin-film solar cell according to claim 2, wherein the blade on one end side in the tool moving direction of the blade edge part and the blade on the other end side in the tool moving direction are inclined at the same angle in the opposite direction.   The groove cutting tool for a thin film solar cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blade edge portion extends over the entire width of the tool main body with the same width along a direction in which the groove on the thin film is formed.   The groove processing tool for a thin film solar cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tool body is formed in a rectangular shape. Blades of the cutting edge portion is inclined in a range of less than 35 ° 5 ° or more over the second end from the first end when viewed from bottom, for thin film solar cells groove machining tool according to claim 1.