JP6587135B2 - Method and apparatus for polishing plate glass - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate glass polishing method and polishing apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for polishing a notch provided in the plate glass.

  For example, plate glass may be used as a member for supporting a semiconductor wafer during a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process. At this time, the semiconductor wafer is provided with a notch called a notch in order to align the crystal orientation with a predetermined direction, and the notch is generally polished. .

  Here, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for polishing a notch portion of a semiconductor wafer. In this polishing method, while rotating a disk-shaped polishing tool formed of a nonwoven fabric or the like, the notched portion is pressed against a notched portion of a semiconductor wafer to be polished, so that the notched portion is a convex outer peripheral portion of the polishing tool. (Paragraph 0027, FIG. 2 to FIG. 4).

JP 2005-118903 A

  By the way, when using plate glass for supporting a semiconductor wafer, it is necessary to provide a notch for alignment in the plate glass. Therefore, it is conceivable to polish the notch portion of the plate glass. However, since glass is generally brittle, for example, when a polishing tool such as that described in Patent Document 1 is pressed against a notch while rotating, a large load acts on the notch and easily breaks. May occur. This makes it difficult to obtain a polished surface with stable quality.

  In addition, if there is a corner in the notch portion of the plate glass, cracks are apt to be generated. For example, it may be considered that the corner portion is replaced with a smooth curved surface such as an R surface. However, in this case, since the three-dimensional shape of the notch portion becomes more complicated, it may be difficult to polish the surface of the notch portion without omission with the polishing tool of the form described in Patent Document 1.

  In view of the above circumstances, in the present specification, it is a technical problem to be solved to apply a stable polishing process to the entire surface of the notch provided in the plate glass without causing cracks or the like. .

  The solution to the above problem is achieved by the method for polishing a glass sheet according to the present invention. That is, this polishing method is a method for polishing a plate glass having a notch, and is moved by moving it in the longitudinal direction while pressing a tape having a polishing surface on the notch. Characterized by the fact that the notch is polished.

  As described above, the present invention is characterized in that a tape provided with a polishing surface is used for polishing a notch provided in a plate glass. In this way, if the polishing process is performed by moving the tape with the polishing surface while pressing it against the notch part, the flexibility of the tape, particularly the flexibility in the width direction, is exhibited, and the notch part It is possible to easily follow the tape on the surface. Therefore, even when the notch includes a curved surface such as an R surface, the notch can be polished without omission by following the tape on the surface. In addition, if the tape has a polishing surface, the contact with the object to be polished (notched portion) is gentle, and even if the shape of the tape changes (for example, curved along the width direction), its polishing performance Does not drop significantly. Therefore, it is possible to perform stable polishing while reducing the possibility of cracking during processing as compared with conventional disk-type polishing tools and the like.

  Further, the polishing method according to the present invention is directed to the notch portion in a state where the tape is fed at a predetermined feed speed from one side in the longitudinal direction toward the pressing area where the tape is pressed against the notch portion. You may press a tape.

  If the notch is polished while feeding the tape toward the pressing area at a predetermined feed speed, a new polishing surface can be continuously supplied to the notching (pressing area). . Therefore, the polishing performance can be maintained, and the polishing process can be more stably applied to the cutout portion.

  The polishing method according to the present invention may be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction while pressing a tape against the notch.

  Thus, if the tape is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction, the polishing efficiency can be increased as compared with the case where the tape is simply moved in one direction. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required for the polishing process and improve the production efficiency. By the way, when considering durability (usable time) and economical efficiency of the polished surface of the tape, it seems better to reduce the speed to some extent and move the tape slowly in a certain direction. However, if the moving speed of the tape is too low, the original polishing performance of the polishing tape may not be fully exhibited. Therefore, by combining the movement described above (the movement of feeding the tape at a predetermined feed speed toward the pressing area) and the reciprocating movement, the original polishing of the tape is possible while using the tape universally and economically. It is possible to perform high-quality polishing by fully exhibiting performance. Of course, the risk of cracking and so on is significantly reduced compared to the case where the tape is fixed and the glass plate that is brittle compared to the tape is moved three-dimensionally. This also stabilizes the quality of the polished surface. be able to.

  Moreover, the grinding | polishing processing method which concerns on this invention may tilt one of the tape and plate glass which pass a pressing area with respect to a perpendicular direction.

  Thus, by tilting one of the tape and the plate glass, for example, the end surface (side end surface) of the notch portion and the front and back surfaces of the plate glass can be polished to a shape connected by a tapered surface or an R surface. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the corners that are likely to cause glass breakage as much as possible, and to make a cutout portion having a three-dimensional shape that is resistant to cracking.

  Moreover, the grinding | polishing processing method which concerns on this invention may tilt one of the tape and plate glass which pass a pressing area around the virtual axis line along the thickness direction of plate glass.

  By tilting one of the tape and the sheet glass in this way, for example, from the bottom part of the notch part to the side part, the peripheral part of the sheet glass without significantly changing the position of the pair of stretching rollers and the support part of the sheet glass. The polishing region can be smoothly transferred to the boundary portion. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently polish the notch with the above-described minimum operation.

  Moreover, the grinding | polishing processing method which concerns on this invention may make the width direction dimension of a tape smaller than the width direction dimension of a notch part. In addition, the width direction dimension of a notch here means the opening dimension of the tangential direction in the site | part which provided the notch part among the peripheral parts of plate glass.

  When the width direction dimension of the tape is set in this way, when the tape is pressed against the notch portion, the end portion in the width direction of the tape first comes into contact with the surface (end surface) of the notch portion. Therefore, compared to the case where the width direction end of the tape is in contact with the part removed from the notch, the width direction end of the tape is easily deformed along the end surface of the notch. It is possible to bend and deform over the entire width direction.

  Moreover, the grinding | polishing processing method which concerns on this invention may be what made the particle size of the grinding | polishing surface 300 or more and 10,000 or less.

  By using a tape in which the grain size of the polished surface is set in the above range, it is possible to perform a high-quality polishing process on the notch portion of the plate glass with a cycle time sufficient for practical use.

  Further, the polishing method according to the present invention may supply the grinding liquid toward a region pressed against the notch portion or an upstream region of the polishing surface of the tape moving in the longitudinal direction. .

  By supplying the grinding liquid toward a predetermined region of the polishing surface of the tape in this way, during the polishing process performed while moving in the longitudinal direction, the region is always pressed against the notched portion of the polishing surface of the tape. The grinding liquid can be continuously supplied. Therefore, the polishing efficiency of the notch portion by the tape can be kept constant, and stable polishing can be continuously performed.

  Further, in this case, the polishing method according to the present invention provides a method for supplying the grinding liquid to the polishing surface by jetting, in the direction in which the grinding liquid is jetted and in the region pressed against the notch portion of the polishing surface of the tape. The injection direction of the grinding fluid may be set so that the angle formed by the longitudinal direction is less than 45 degrees, preferably less than 30 degrees.

  By supplying the grinding fluid to the polishing surface by jetting in this way, the grinding fluid is always supplied toward the polishing surface from a certain direction even when the attitude to the notch of the tape changes as described above. can do. In addition, the grinding liquid spraying direction is set to a predetermined range (less than 45 degrees) in relation to the longitudinal direction of the tape passing through the pressing area to the notch, so that the grinding liquid is polished on the polishing surface. As a result, the grinding liquid can be sent to the pressing area with the notch along the polishing surface. This makes it possible to further stabilize the polishing performance.

  In the polishing method according to the present invention, for example, the plate glass may be a plate glass for supporting a semiconductor wafer.

  As described above, according to the polishing method according to the present invention, even if it is a brittle material such as glass, a stable polishing process can be applied to the cutout portion without causing cracks. Also, due to the flexibility of the tape in the width direction, even if it is a notch with a complicated size and a small size as provided on a semiconductor wafer, the tape can be easily followed and polished without omission. Can do. Therefore, the polishing method according to the present invention can be suitably applied to a notch portion of a semiconductor glass supporting plate glass having the same size and shape as the notch portion of the semiconductor wafer.

  Moreover, the solution of the above-mentioned problem is also achieved by the plate glass polishing apparatus according to the present invention. That is, this polishing apparatus is an apparatus for polishing a plate glass having a notch, and is a pressing movement that relatively moves a tape provided with a polishing surface and a direction in which the tape is pressed against the notch. Characterized in that it comprises means and longitudinal movement means for moving the tape in its longitudinal direction.

  As described above, according to the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, as in the polishing method according to the present invention, polishing is performed by moving the tape provided with the polishing surface against the notch while moving the tape. Can do. Therefore, the flexibility of the tape, particularly the flexibility in the width direction, can be exhibited, and the tape can be easily copied to the surface of the notch portion. Further, if the tape is provided with a polishing surface, the polishing performance does not deteriorate even if the shape changes (for example, even if the tape is curved along the width direction). Therefore, even when the notch includes a curved surface such as an R surface, the notch can be polished without omission by following the tape on the surface. In addition, since the tape is easy to hit against the object to be polished, the possibility of cracking during processing can be reduced compared to conventional disk-type polishing tools, and stable polishing can be performed. It becomes.

  In the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, the longitudinal movement means includes a tape and a first tape winding body that is continuous on one side in the longitudinal direction, and a tape and a second tape that is continuous on the other side in the longitudinal direction. And a plurality of support rollers disposed between the first and second tape winders and supporting the tape. In this case, among the plurality of support rollers, a pair of support rollers disposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the pressing area that presses the tape to the notch portion is stretched with the tape passing through the pressing area. It may be a pair of tension rollers to be supported.

  If comprised in this way, a new grinding | polishing surface can always be supplied toward a pressing area, always providing constant tension to the tape which passes a pressing area. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform the polishing process and to stably carry out the polishing process.

  In the polishing apparatus according to the present invention, the longitudinal movement means may further include a reciprocating means for reciprocating the tape passing through the pressing area in the longitudinal direction.

  According to this configuration, the polishing efficiency can be increased as compared with a configuration in which the tape is moved only in one direction. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required for the polishing process and improve the production efficiency. Moreover, a tape can be used uniformly and continuously by combining with the operation | movement which sends a tape between the 1st and 2nd tape winding bodies. Therefore, the quality of the polished surface can be further stabilized. Moreover, since it leads to using a tape as wastelessly as possible, it is economical.

  Further, in this case, the reciprocating means according to the present invention may reciprocate a head portion integrally provided with a pair of tension rollers in the longitudinal direction of the tape passing through the pressing area.

  By comprising in this way, a pair of tension roller which tensions a tape on the both sides of a pressing area can be reciprocated along the longitudinal direction of the tape which passes a pressing area. Therefore, the tape supported by the pair of tension rollers, particularly the tape passing through the pressing area, can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction.

  Alternatively, the reciprocating means according to the present invention integrally includes at least a pair of intermediate support rollers disposed between the pair of tension rollers and the first and second tape winding bodies among the plurality of support rollers. The head portion provided on the head may be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the tape passing through the pressing area.

  With this configuration, the head unit integrally provided with the intermediate support roller can be reciprocated in a state where the pair of tension rollers described above is fixed. Thereby, the tape which passes a pressing area can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction, stabilizing the support state of a tape and a pair of tension roller. Therefore, the tape can be reciprocated without loosening as much as possible, and the necessary tension can be stably applied to the tape. Moreover, since the tape can be reciprocated without moving the support roller (a pair of tension rollers) closest to the pressing area, an effect of stabilizing the contact state between the notch and the tape can be expected.

  Alternatively, the reciprocating means according to the present invention includes a head portion provided with a head base and a head slide portion that reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the tape passing through the pressing area with respect to the head base. Also good. In this case, a pair of tension rollers may be provided on the head slide portion, and a pair of support rollers may be provided in a region of the head base that is closer to the pressing area than the pair of tension rollers. .

  When adopting a configuration in which the tape passing through the pressing area is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction (reciprocating means), it is necessary to reciprocate the support roller in a state where the tape is wound in the same direction as the reciprocating direction of the tape. Therefore, for example, when trying to reciprocate the tape at high speed, if the support roller in a state where the tape is stretched, especially a pair of tensioning rollers is reciprocated at high speed, the tape cannot follow the tensioning rollers, Slack is likely to occur. Therefore, as described above, the head portion is composed of the head base and the head slide portion, and the head slide portion is provided with a pair of tension rollers, and the head base is closer to the pressing area than the pair of tension rollers. A pair of support rollers was provided. If comprised in this way, a reciprocating movement of a pair of tension | tensile_strength roller in the state which the support roller nearest to the notch part used as grinding | polishing object was fixed with respect to the notch part (relative positional relationship was maintained). Thus, the tape passing through the pressing area can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation where the tape passing through the pressing area is loosened as much as possible, and to continue to give the tape sufficient tension for polishing during the reciprocating movement.

  The polishing apparatus according to the present invention applies back tension to the rotation drive motor of one of the first and second tape winding bodies on the feeding side. May be.

  In this way, by applying back tension to the rotation drive motor of the tape winding body on the feeding side, the tape between the tape winding body on the feeding side and one of the tension rollers is loosened particularly when the tape is reciprocated. It is possible to stabilize the tension of the tape by preventing the above.

  Further, the longitudinal direction moving means according to the present invention further includes tape length adjusting means for keeping the tape length between each tape winding body and each tension roller provided in the head portion constant. It may be a thing.

  In this way, the tape length between each tape take-up body and the tensioning roller is positively kept constant, so that it acts on the tape in the above region due to the reciprocating movement of the tape and the posture change (tilting). Even when the tension to be greatly fluctuated (increased or decreased), the tape length can be adjusted in such a direction as to cancel the tension fluctuation. Therefore, it is possible to control the pressing force to the notch portion to a constant magnitude by suppressing the fluctuation of the tension generated in the tape.

  Further, in this case, the tape length adjusting means according to the present invention is a pair of constant pressure cylinders that respectively move a pair of intermediate support rollers on which the tape is stretched between each tape winding body and each tensioning roller. It may be configured.

  If the tape length adjusting means is composed of a constant pressure cylinder and the intermediate support rollers on which the tape is stretched are moved, the responsiveness to excellent pressure fluctuations of the constant pressure cylinder can be utilized to quickly move between the above areas. The tape length can be restored to a certain size. Therefore, this configuration is particularly effective when the tape is reciprocated at a high speed in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, when the reciprocating means has a head portion, the polishing apparatus according to the present invention applies a grinding liquid to the head portion toward the region pressed against the notch portion of the tape polishing surface or the upstream region thereof. What provided the grinding fluid supply part to supply may be used.

  If the grinding fluid supply part is provided in the head part in this way, the tape passing through the pressing area reciprocates while maintaining a relative positional relationship with the head part (or head slide part) constant, Or tilt. Therefore, even when the tape is reciprocated or tilted, the supply position (at least the supply direction) of the grinding fluid to the tape can be kept constant, and the grinding fluid can be stably placed in the pressing area with the notch. It becomes possible to supply.

  Further, the polishing apparatus according to the present invention directs the tape from the opposite side to the notch when the tape is moved relative to the notch by the pressing movement means. A pushing means for pushing in may be further provided.

  By comprising in this way, the pressing to the notch part of a tape can be assisted with a pushing means. Therefore, while applying a predetermined amount of tension to be applied to the tape passing through the pressing area, sufficiently follow the tape to the surface of the notch, so that the surface of the notch does not leak sufficiently. It is possible to polish (for example, to a predetermined surface roughness).

  As described above, according to the present invention, a stable polishing process can be applied to the entire surface of the notch provided in the plate glass without omission.

It is a side view for demonstrating the whole structure of the grinding | polishing processing apparatus of the plate glass which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the polishing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a principal part enlarged plan view of the plate glass used as polish object. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the notch part for demonstrating the relationship between the inclination-angle of a tape, and the to-be-polished area | region of the notch part in that case. It is a principal part enlarged plan view for demonstrating the pressing aspect of the tape at the time of grinding | polishing. It is a principal part side view for demonstrating the inclination of the tape at the time of grinding | polishing processing, (a) is the state which orientated the tape in the plate | board thickness direction of plate glass, (b) is the 2nd of one side of a notch part of a tape. (C) is a side view of the main part in a state in which the tape is oriented in the inclination direction of the second taper surface on the other side of the notch. It is a principal part top view for demonstrating tilting of the plate glass at the time of grinding | polishing. It is principal part sectional drawing for demonstrating the pressing aspect of the tape at the time of grinding | polishing. It is a principal part side view for demonstrating the reciprocating movement of the tape at the time of grinding | polishing. It is a principal part enlarged plan view for demonstrating the pressing aspect of the tape at the time of tilting plate glass, (a) is the state which pressed the tape mainly on the 1st taper surface of one side, (b). Is a state in which the tape is mainly pressed against the first R surface, and (c) is an enlarged plan view of a main part in a state where the tape is mainly pressed against the first tapered surface on the other side. It is a principal part side view of the grinding | polishing processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a side view for demonstrating the whole structure of the polishing processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side view of the grinding | polishing processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the grinding | polishing processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a principal part side view for demonstrating the attitude | position of the tape at the time of grinding | polishing with the apparatus shown in FIG. 12, (a) is the board thickness direction of the 1st R surface provided in the notch part of the plate glass. (B) is a state oriented along the upper second tapered surface connecting the first R-plane and one surface, (c) is a first R-plane oriented state It is a figure which shows the state orientated in the direction along the lower 2nd taper surface which connects the other surface. It is a perspective view of the grinding fluid supply part shown in FIG. It is a principal part side view for demonstrating the adjustment aspect of the tape length of the predetermined part at the time of grinding | polishing with the grinding | polishing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a principal part side view for demonstrating the adjustment aspect of the tape length of the predetermined part at the time of grinding | polishing with the grinding | polishing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a principal part side view of the grinding | polishing processing apparatus which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (a)-(c) is a head when a head part exists in the attitude | position shown to Fig.6 (a)-(c), respectively. It is a principal part side view for demonstrating the operation | movement aspect of a part. (A)-(c) is a principal part side view for demonstrating the press aspect of a tape when a head part rock | fluctuates in the aspect shown to Fig.19 (a)-(c), respectively. It is a principal part side view of the grinding | polishing processing apparatus which concerns on 5th embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a polishing apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is for applying a polishing process to a plate glass 2 having a notch 1, and is provided with a polishing surface 11. The tape 12 includes a pressing movement means 13 for moving the tape 12 in the direction in which the tape 12 is pressed against the notch 1, and a longitudinal movement means 14 for moving the tape 12 in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the polishing apparatus 10 includes a first tilting means 15 that tilts the tape 12 with respect to the vertical direction Z, and a second tilting means 16 that tilts the plate glass 2 with respect to the horizontal pressing direction X. Is further provided.

  Here, the plate glass 2 to be polished is, for example, a plate glass for supporting a semiconductor wafer, and has a substantially disk shape as shown in FIG. In this case, the cutout portion 1 corresponds to a portion in which a part of the peripheral edge portion 3 of the plate glass 2 having a substantially perfect circle shape is cut out, and the surface thereof is composed of a plurality of surfaces including one or more curved surfaces. In the present embodiment, as viewed in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 3, the first R surface 4 is disposed at the bottom, and the first tapered surfaces 5a and 5b are disposed on both sides thereof. The notches 1 are formed so that the taper surfaces 5a, 5b and the peripheral edge 3 of the glass sheet 2 are connected by the second R surfaces 6a, 6b, respectively, or a shape similar thereto. Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 in a cross-sectional view, the first R surface 4 linearly extending along the vertical direction (plate thickness direction), and the surfaces 7a and 7b of the plate glass 2 The notch portion 1 is formed so as to have a shape connected to each other by the second tapered surfaces 8a and 8b or a shape similar thereto. Of course, although not shown, the first tapered surfaces 5a and 5b and the second R surfaces 6a and 6b also have the same cross-sectional shape as the first R surface 4 when viewed in the thickness direction. Thus, the notch 1 is formed. Hereinafter, each configuration of the polishing apparatus 10 will be described in detail.

  The tape 12 has a polishing surface 11 on at least one surface, and has a flexibility that can be deformed following the surface of the notch 1 to be polished when pressed. Therefore, the material and thickness dimension of the tape 12 can be arbitrarily selected and used within a range that satisfies the above conditions, for example. Here, for example, when considering the flexibility in the width direction of the tape 12 when pressed against the surface of the notch 1 (ease of deformation following the first R surface 4 of the notch 1), The width-direction dimension Wt before the deformation is set smaller than the width-direction dimension Wn of the notch 1 as shown in FIG.

  For the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12, for example, a material in which abrasive grains of a known material such as alumina, silicon carbide, diamond, etc., are fixed to the base of the tape 12 (resin film such as PE) can be used. Further, the particle size is set to, for example, 300 or more and 10,000 or less, preferably 500 or more and 3000 or less.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the pressing movement means 13 can linearly move a fixed support base 17 for fixing and supporting the glass sheet 2 and a bottom plate portion 18 connected to the fixed support base 17. And a linear movement drive unit 19. Further, the moving direction of the bottom plate portion 18 at this time is the direction in which the cutout portion 1 of the plate glass 2 fixedly supported on the fixed support base 17 is pressed against the tape 12 in the pressing area 20 with the tape 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2, the direction of arrow A). Note that the linear movement drive unit 19 may control (position control) the drive and stop by the stroke amount (in other words, the position at the time of movement), and the drive by the magnitude of the reaction force from the tape 12. In addition, the stop may be controlled (load control).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction moving means 14 includes a tape 12 and a first tape winding body 21 that is continuous on one side in the longitudinal direction, and a tape 12 and a first tape winding body 21 that is continuous on the other side in the longitudinal direction. The second tape winding body 22 includes a plurality of support rollers that are disposed between the first tape winding body 21 and the second tape winding body 22 and support the tape 12. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction moving means 14 reciprocates so that the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 that presses the tape 12 against the notch 1 can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction, as will be described later. Means 23 are further included.

  In this case, one of the first tape winding body 21 and the second tape winding body 22 is the driving side (winding side), and the other is the driven side (feeding side). The tape winding body 21 is disposed on a base 24 that is erected on the driven side, and the second tape winding body 22 is disposed on the driving side. For this reason, a motor 26 is connected to the core portion 25 of the second tape winding body 22 (see FIG. 2). The tape 12 wound around a plurality of support rollers is fed in the longitudinal direction with rotation of each support roller toward the second tape winding body 22. The feeding direction in this case is a direction in which the tape 12 passes through the pressing area 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. Further, the feeding speed of the tape 12 at this time can be controlled to a predetermined size (for example, 50 mm / min or more and 500 mm / min or less) by adjusting the rotation speed of the motor 26.

  The plurality of support rollers include a pair of tensioning rollers 27 disposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20, and a pair of tensioning rollers 27 and the respective tape winding bodies 21 and 22. It comprises a plurality of intermediate support rollers 28a, 28b disposed between them. The pair of tensioning rollers 27 supports the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 in a tensioned state. In the present embodiment, among the plurality of intermediate support rollers 28a and 28b, intermediate support rollers 28a (four in the illustrated example) that are relatively far from the pressing area 20 are rotatably attached to the base 24, Intermediate support rollers 28 b (four in the illustrated example) on the side relatively close to the pressing area 20 are rotatably attached to the head portion 29. In this case, the pair of tension rollers 27 is attached to the head portion 29 together with the intermediate support roller 28b on the side close to the pressing area 20 so as to be rotatable.

  The tension F of the tape 12 spanned between the pair of tension rollers 27, in other words, the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20, can be adjusted by the arrangement of the support rollers 27, 28a, and 28b described above. Further, it can be adjusted by the movement mode (stroke amount, moving speed, etc.) of the pressing moving means 13 and the reciprocating moving means 23 described later.

  The reciprocating means 23 includes a head portion 29 in which the above-described pair of tension rollers 27 and the intermediate support roller 28b are integrally attached, and a reciprocating movement driving portion 30 that reciprocates the head portion 29 in a predetermined direction C. It consists of. Here, the predetermined direction C substantially coincides with the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 (that is, the feeding direction B). Therefore, as will be described later, when the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 with respect to the fixed side (support portion 31) is changed by the first tilting means 15, the reciprocating direction C of the head portion 29 with respect to the fixed side changes accordingly. (Details will be described later).

  In this case, the reciprocating amount (stroke amount) of the head portion 29, that is, the pair of tension rollers 27 is arbitrary, but if the amount of movement is too small, sufficient polishing cannot be performed and the amount of movement is too large. If the amount is large, from the viewpoint of followability of the tape 12, the tape 12 is loosened, and the tension F of the tape 12 stretched between the pair of tension rollers 27 may be reduced. From the above viewpoint, the reciprocating amount of the tape 12 by the reciprocating means 23 is preferably set to 0.5 mm or more and 30 mm or less, preferably 2.0 mm or more and 15 mm or less. . Further, as in this embodiment, when the tape 12 is fed from one side in the longitudinal direction to the other side at a predetermined feed speed and reciprocated along the longitudinal direction (feed direction B), naturally It is important to make the reciprocating speed of the tape 12 larger than the feeding speed.

  Note that known drive means can be applied to the reciprocating drive unit 30, and for example, one or a combination of known drive means such as a motor, a cylinder, and a cam mechanism can be used.

  Moreover, the support part 31 which supports the head part 29 so that a reciprocation is possible is provided with the 1st tilting means 15, and, thereby, as shown in FIG. In addition, it is possible to rotate (tilt) about a first virtual axis X1 parallel to the rotation axis of the pair of tension rollers 27. The first imaginary axis X1 may be set slightly deviated from the position shown in FIG. 6 in the horizontal direction X or the vertical direction Z depending on various conditions such as the rigidity of the tape 12 and the size of the notch 1. Note that the known drive means described above can also be applied to the first tilting means 15.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the 2nd tilting means 16 is provided in the fixed support stand 17 of the plate glass 2, Thereby, as shown, for example in FIG. 7, it is fixedly supported by the fixed support stand 17 which supports the plate glass 2 fixedly. The made plate glass 2 can be rotated (tilted) around the second virtual axis X2 extending along the plate thickness direction. The second virtual axis X2 may also be set at a position slightly deviated in the horizontal directions X and Y from the position shown in FIG. 7 depending on various conditions. Moreover, about the attitude | position of the 2nd virtual axis line X2, although it is set as the direction extended along the plate | board thickness direction of the plate glass 2, in this embodiment, for example, the 1st tilting means 15 of the tape 12 in a grinding | polishing area | region (pressing area 20). When the posture changes, it is also possible to arrange the second virtual axis X2 in accordance with the posture, that is, in a direction extending along the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20. Note that the known drive means described above can also be applied to the second tilting means 16.

  Next, an example of the polishing method of the plate glass 2 using the polishing apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the plate glass 2 to be polished is placed on the fixed support base 17 and fixedly supported on the fixed support base 17, the linear movement drive unit 19 is driven, and the bottom plate part 18. The fixed support base 17 connected to the bottom plate portion 18 is moved in the direction of arrow A. As a result, the tape 12 is pressed against the cutout portion 1 of the plate glass 2 (FIG. 8) and is deformed following the surface shape of the pressed cutout portion 1. Here, for example, when the notch 1 has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, the tape 12 first comes into contact with the first tapered surfaces 5 a and 5 b of the notch 1, and then the first tapered surfaces 5 a and 5 a. 5b and the first R surface 4 formed between the first taper surfaces 5a and 5b (FIG. 5). As a result, the tape 12 is pressed against the surface of the cutout portion 1, particularly the side end surface, over the entire width direction.

  At this time, the motor 26 connected to the core portion 25 of the second tape winding body 22 is driven to rotate the core portion 25 to which the other end in the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 is fixed. The tape 12 is fed from the tape winding body 21 toward the second tape winding body 22. In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the reciprocating drive unit 30 is driven so that the head unit 29 and the pair of tensioning rollers 27 provided on the head unit 29 are directed in the direction of the arrow C described above. By reciprocating integrally along the tape, the tape 12 stretched between the pair of stretching rollers 27 is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction thereof. By the above operation, the tape 12 pressed against the surface of the notch 1 is polished by sliding the tape 12 in the area of the surface of the notch 1 where the tape 12 is pressed. Is finished below a predetermined size. Further, the above-described polishing process is performed while the region actually used in the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 is continuously shifted in the direction of the arrow B by the feeding operation of the tape 12 by both the tape winding bodies 21 and 22. Is called.

  After the tape 12 is disposed in a direction parallel to the plate thickness direction of the plate glass 2 in this manner, the predetermined surface (here, the side end surface) of the cutout portion 1 is polished (FIGS. 4 and 6). (A)) by driving the first tilting means 15 and tilting the head portion 29 about the first virtual axis line X1, one surface 7a and the side end surface (here, the first R surface) of the notch portion 1. 4) is polished on one second tapered surface 8a (FIGS. 4 and 6B). Also in this case, the tape 12 is fed between the first and second tape winding bodies 21 and 22 in the direction of arrow B, and the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 by the reciprocating drive unit 30 is moved in the longitudinal direction. The tape 12 is pressed against one of the second tapered surfaces 8a while reciprocating in the direction (here, the direction of the arrow C). In this manner, one of the second tapered surfaces 8a is polished and finished to a predetermined surface roughness.

  Thereafter, the first tilting means 15 is driven again, and the head portion 29 is tilted around the first virtual axis X1 and in the direction opposite to the previous direction, so that the other surface 7b and the side end surface of the notch portion 1 are tilted. The other second taper surface 8b connecting the (first R surface 4) is polished (FIGS. 4 and 6C). Also in this case, the tape 12 is fed between the first and second tape winding bodies 21 and 22 in the direction of arrow B, and the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 by the reciprocating drive unit 30 is moved in the longitudinal direction. While reciprocating in the direction of arrow C, the tape 12 is pressed against the other second tapered surface 8b. In this manner, the other second tapered surface 8b is polished and finished to a predetermined surface roughness.

  In addition to the above-described feeding operation, reciprocating operation, and tilting operation, the above polishing process may be performed while tilting the glass sheet 2 around the second virtual axis X2 extending along the thickness direction. (FIG. 7). One example will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 10A, in a state where the notch portion 1 of the plate glass 2 is disposed at a position facing the front surface of the first tapered surface 5b (upper in the illustrated example) of the notch portion 1, The polishing process accompanied by the movement of the tape 12 in the direction of the arrows A to C described above is started, and the plate glass 2 is tilted around the second virtual axis X2 at a predetermined angular velocity at a predetermined speed. Then, a position facing the first R surface 4 and the front as shown in FIG. 10B, and then a position facing the other (lower) first tapered surface 5a as shown in FIG. 10C. By continuing the polishing process accompanied by the movement of the tape 12 in the directions of arrows A to C while tilting the plate glass 2, the entire side end face of the notch 1 is polished. Thereafter, the tape 12 is tilted to the posture shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C by the first tilting means 15, and the sheet glass 2 is tilted as described above by the second tilting means 16 and polished by the tape 12. Perform processing. Thus, the entire area of the surface of the cutout portion 1 including the first and second R surfaces 4, 6a, 6b and the first and second tapered surfaces 5a, 5b, 8a, 8b is three-dimensionally polished. It becomes possible.

  As described above, in the present invention, the tape 12 provided with the polishing surface 11 is moved while being pressed against the notch 1, so that the polishing process is performed. Thus, the tape 12 can be easily copied on the surface of the cutout portion 1. Further, if the tape 12 is provided with the polishing surface 11, even if the shape changes (for example, even if the tape 12 is curved along the width direction), the polishing performance does not deteriorate. Therefore, even when the cutout portion 1 includes a curved surface such as the first R surface 4 as shown in the drawing, the cutout portion 1 can be polished without omission by following the tape 12 on the surface. . In addition, since the tape 12 is gentle against the notch 1, the possibility of cracking during processing can be reduced and stable high-quality polishing can be achieved compared to conventional disk-type polishing tools. Can be applied automatically.

  In the present embodiment, the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the arrow C), and the tension F of the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 at that time is constant. Therefore, the polishing surface 11 is formed on the surface of the notch portion 1 only by pressing and moving the plate glass against the tape 12 without arranging a member for pushing the tape 12 from the back side of the tape 12, for example. The polishing surface 11 can be slid while being pressed. As described above, if the notch 1 can be polished with the tape 12 without applying any indentation from the back side of the tape 12, an excessive load is eliminated as much as possible to the brittle glass, and the stable pressing is performed. The state of contact can be reproduced. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform the polishing process and to further stabilize the quality of the polished surface at that time.

  Although the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-described polishing apparatus 10 and the polishing method can naturally take any form within the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 11 shows a side view of the main part of the polishing apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The polishing apparatus 10 shown in the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the specific configuration of the reciprocating means 23. That is, the reciprocating means 23 has a configuration in which only the intermediate support roller 28b relatively close to the pressing area 20 is provided integrally with the head portion 29, and the pair of tensioning rollers 27 is fixed (for example, supported). The extension portion 32 extending from the portion 31 is rotatably fixed). Therefore, in this case, the reciprocating drive unit 30 moves only the intermediate support roller 28b closer to the pressing area 20 among the plurality of supporting rollers in the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 (indicated by the arrow C). Direction).

  If comprised in this way, the tape 12 which passes the pressing area 20 can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction, stabilizing the support state of the tape 12 and a pair of tension roller 27. FIG. Therefore, as compared with the reciprocating means 23 according to the first embodiment, the tape 12 can be reciprocated without being loosened as much as possible, and the necessary tension F can be stably applied to the tape 12. Further, since the tape 12 can be reciprocated without moving the support roller (the pair of stretching rollers 27) closest to the pressing area 20, the contact state between the notch 1 and the tape 12 is also stabilized. If only the tape 12 is reciprocated without reciprocating the pair of tensioning rollers 27, the pair of tensioning rollers 27 can be moved when the head portion 29 is largely tilted by the first tilting means 15. The tape 12 can be reciprocated without interfering with the plate glass 2 and the fixed support base 17. Therefore, even if the area of the second taper surfaces 8a and 8b is increased, it is possible to polish without any problem by this method.

  FIG. 12 shows a side view of the polishing apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The polishing apparatus 10 shown in the present embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments mainly in the specific configuration of the reciprocating means 23. That is, the reciprocating means 23 is provided with a head base 33 fixed to the support portion 31 and a head slide portion 34 reciprocating in a predetermined direction C with respect to the head base 33 as shown in FIG. The head slide portion 34 is provided with a pair of tension rollers 27, and a pair of support rollers (hereinafter referred to as a pair of support rollers (hereinafter referred to as a pair of support rollers) in the head base 33 closer to the pressing area 20 than the pair of tension rollers 27) , Which is referred to as a pressing-side support roller 28c), is different from the first and second embodiments.

  Here, the head base 33 is provided with a reciprocating drive unit 36 for reciprocating the head slide portion 34 in a predetermined direction C with respect to the head base 33. By reciprocating the head slide portion 34 in a predetermined direction C by the reciprocating drive unit 36, the pair of intermediate support rollers 28 b and the pair of tensioning rollers 27 attached to the head slide portion 34 reciprocate integrally. (See FIG. 13). The pressing side support roller 28 c attached to the head base 33 does not move relative to the head base 33. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the head slide portion 34 is reciprocated in a predetermined direction C in a state where the tape 12 is wound around each intermediate support roller 28b, the tension roller 27, and the pressing side support roller 28c. In this case, the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 reciprocates in the longitudinal direction.

  Note that the amount of reciprocation (stroke amount) of the head slide portion 34 at this time is arbitrary. For example, the same viewpoint as in the first embodiment (whether sufficient polishing performance can be exhibited, whether the tape 12 is in reciprocation) It is possible to set the amount of reciprocating movement of the tape 12 to a level equivalent to that of the first embodiment.

  Further, the reciprocating speed of the head slide portion 34 is also arbitrary. For example, the lower limit is preferably set to such an extent that sufficient polishing can be performed, and the upper limit is a pair of pressing side supports without the tape 12 being loosened. It is preferable to set the tension of the tape 12 stretched between the rollers 28c so as to maintain a necessary magnitude. Specifically, the reciprocating speed of the tape 12 is preferably set to 100 mm / sec or more and 1500 mm / sec or less, preferably 300 mm / sec or more and 1000 mm / sec or less, More preferably, it is set to 500 mm / sec or more and 700 mm / sec or less. When the tape 12 is fed from one side in the longitudinal direction to the other side at a predetermined feed speed and reciprocated along the feed direction B as in this embodiment, naturally, the tape 12 is reciprocated. It is important to make the moving speed larger than the feed speed.

  In addition, the support unit 31 that rotatably supports the head base 33 is provided with a rotation drive unit 37 (see FIG. 14), and the rotation drive unit 37 includes a head including the head base 33 and the head slide unit 34. The portion 35 can be tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the support portion 31. Exactly, by driving the rotation drive unit 37, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, with respect to any of the feeding direction B of the tape 12 and the pressing movement direction (movement direction of the plate glass 2) A of the tape 12. However, around the first virtual axis X1 extending in the orthogonal direction (Y-axis direction in the illustrated example), the head portion 35 rotates in either the forward or reverse direction with respect to the support portion 31 to a predetermined angle. In addition, the posture of the head portion 35 can be adjusted (ie, tilted). In the present embodiment, the first posture when mainly polishing the first R surface 4 that extends linearly along the thickness direction of the glass sheet 2 according to the cross-sectional shape of the cutout portion 1 (see FIG. 4). (Position indicated by solid line in FIG. 15A), second attitude when mainly polishing the upper second tapered surface 8a (posture indicated by solid line in FIG. 15B), and lower side The posture (angle) of the head unit 35 by the rotary drive unit 37 so as to take three postures (the posture shown by a solid line in FIG. 15C) when mainly polishing the second tapered surface 8b. ) Can be adjusted. The position of the first imaginary axis X1 depends on various conditions such as the rigidity of the tape 12 and the size of the plate glass 2 (from the position where the tape 12 is pressed against the surface of the notch 1). It may be set at a position slightly shifted in the horizontal direction X or the vertical direction Z from a position slightly separated in the horizontal direction X).

  In addition, the head part 35 is provided with a grinding liquid supply part 38 for supplying the grinding liquid L such as water by jetting toward the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 (see FIG. 12 and the like). The grinding fluid supply unit 38 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 16, for example, and is formed by opening an injection port 39 for the grinding fluid L on the outer peripheral surface 38a. The direction of the injection port 39 is constant with respect to the head portion 35 (head base 33), and the injection is performed so that the grinding liquid L is always directed to the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 or slightly upstream thereof. The direction of the mouth 39 is set to a predetermined angle (FIG. 13). Further, from the viewpoint of preventing the scattering of the grinding liquid L, the length of the tape 12 in the direction in which the grinding liquid L is jetted and the area pressed against the notch 1 in the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 (that is, the pressing area 20). It is preferable to set the injection direction of the grinding fluid L so that an angle θ (see FIG. 13) formed by the direction is less than 45 degrees, preferably less than 30 degrees.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction moving means 14 is configured such that the tape length between the tape take-up bodies 21 and 22 and the tension rollers 27 and 27 provided in the head portion 35, as shown in FIG. (Longitudinal dimension of the tape 12 from the first tape winding body 21 through the intermediate support rollers 28a1, 28a2 and 28b to the upper tension roller 27, and the second tape winding body 22 to the middle A tape length adjusting means 40 is further provided for keeping the longitudinal dimension of the tape 12 between the support rollers 28a1, 28a2 and 28b and the lower tensioning roller 27 constant. In the example shown in FIG. 12, a cylinder 41 as a roller moving unit is provided on the base 24 of the longitudinal direction moving unit 14, and the intermediate support roller 28 a 2 on the tension roller 27 side attached to the base 24 can be moved back and forth. Yes. The cylinder 41 is configured to pull the intermediate support roller 28a2 at a constant pressure.

  In this case, the motor 42 may be connected not only to the second tape winding body 22 on the winding side but also to the first tape winding body 21 on the feeding side (see FIG. 14). Further, back tension may be applied to the feeding motor 42 for the purpose of controlling the tension of the tape 12 with respect to the above-described upper tension roller 27 (suppressing fluctuation).

  In the present embodiment, the pair of tension rollers 27 provided on the head slide portion 34 are used as driving rollers, and the frictional force due to the winding of the tape 12 is applied to the tape 12 and the winding torque is applied to the tape 12. By increasing the tension, the tape length between the tension rollers 27 (the longitudinal dimension of the tape 12 from the one tension roller 27 through the pressing area 20 to the other tension roller 27) is made constant. The structure is such that it can be maintained. At this time, in order to increase the tension of the tape 12 by applying a pulling force by the lower cylinder 41 or a pulling force by the motor 26 of the second tape winding body 22 to the tape 12, the downstream side in the feed direction B of the tape 12. A one-way clutch function may be added to the tension roller 27 (the lower tension roller 27 in FIG. 12).

  Further, for the purpose of reducing vibration when the head slide part 34 is reciprocated at high speed, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, a compression spring 43, a damper or the like is provided between the head base 33 side and the head slide part 34 side. A buffer member may be interposed.

  Next, an example of the polishing method of the plate glass 2 using the polishing apparatus 10 having the above configuration will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 12, the plate glass 2 to be polished is placed on the fixed support base 17 and fixedly supported on the fixed support base 17, the linear movement drive unit 19 is driven, and the bottom plate part 18. The fixed support base 17 connected to the bottom plate portion 18 is moved in the direction of arrow A. As a result, the tape 12 is pressed against the notch 1 of the plate glass 2 (FIG. 13) and is deformed following the surface shape of the notch 1 pressed. Here, for example, when the notch 1 has a shape as shown in FIG. 3, the tape 12 first comes into contact with the first tapered surfaces 5 a and 5 b of the notch 1, and then the first tapered surfaces 5 a and 5 a. 5b and the first R surface 4 formed between the first taper surfaces 5a and 5b (FIG. 5). As a result, the tape 12 is pressed against the surface of the cutout portion 1 over the entire width direction, in particular, the first R surface 4 extending linearly along the thickness direction of the plate glass 2 (FIGS. 4 and 4). 15 (a)).

  At this time, the motors 26 and 42 connected to the first and second tape winding bodies 21 and 22 are respectively driven to change the first tape winding body 21 to the second tape winding body 22. Then, the tape 12 is fed (FIG. 12). In addition, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the reciprocating drive unit 36 is driven, and the intermediate support roller 28 b and the pair of tension rollers 27 provided on the head slide unit 34 are provided. By reciprocating integrally along the direction of the double arrow C described above, the tape 12 stretched between the pair of pressing-side support rollers 28c arranged closest to the plate glass 2 is in its longitudinal direction, that is, Reciprocate in the direction of double arrow C. By the above operation, the region where the tape 12 is pressed (the region extending linearly in the thickness direction of the first R surface 4) in the surface of the cutout portion 1 of the plate glass 2 is polished by the sliding of the tape 12. The surface roughness is finished to a predetermined size or less. Further, the above-described polishing process is performed while the region actually used in the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 is continuously shifted in the direction of the arrow B by the feeding operation of the tape 12 by both the tape winding bodies 21 and 22. Is called.

  After polishing the side end surface (first R surface 4) of the cutout portion 1 in this manner, the head portion 35 and the tape 12 are rotated around the first virtual axis X1 by the rotation drive portion 37, As shown in FIG.4 and FIG.15 (b), it is set as the attitude | position which match | combined the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 with the direction along the upper 2nd taper surface 8a provided in the notch part 1 of the plate glass 2. FIG. 15B, the tape 12 is pressed against the second taper surface 8a while being fed in the direction of arrow B while being reciprocated in the direction of double arrow C. Thus, the upper second tapered surface 8a is polished over the entire thickness direction, and the surface roughness is finished to a predetermined size or less.

  Further, the head 35 and the tape 12 are rotated around the first imaginary axis X1 by the rotation driving unit 37, and the lower portion provided in the notch 1 of the plate glass 2 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 15C. It is set as the attitude | position which match | combined the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 with the direction along the 2nd taper surface 8b of the side. 15C, the tape 12 is pressed against the second tapered surface 8b while being fed in the direction of the arrow B, and is reciprocated in the direction of the double arrow C while maintaining the posture shown in FIG. Accordingly, the lower second tapered surface 8b is polished over the entire thickness direction, and the surface roughness is finished to a predetermined size or less. In addition to the feeding operation, the reciprocating operation, and the tilting operation of the tape 12, the above polishing process tilts the glass sheet 2 around the second virtual axis X2 extending along the thickness direction thereof. You may make it carry out (rotating) (refer FIG.7 and FIG.10).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the head portion 35 includes the head base 33 and the head slide portion 34, the pair of tension rollers 27 is provided on the head slide portion 34, and the pair of tension members of the head base 33 are provided. A pair of support rollers (pressing side support rollers 28 c) is provided in a region closer to the pressing area 20 than the setting roller 27. According to this configuration, when the head slide portion 34 reciprocates, the support roller 28c closest to the notch 1 to be polished is fixed to the notch 1, in other words, the head slide portion. When paying attention only to the reciprocation along the double arrow C of 34, the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction C while maintaining the positional relationship with the notch 1. Can do. Therefore, during the reciprocating movement of the head slide portion 34, the situation where the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 is loosened is suppressed as much as possible, and a sufficient tension is applied to the tape 12 for polishing during the reciprocating movement. Is possible.

  Further, in this embodiment, during the polishing process with the above-described operation (particularly, the reciprocating movement of the tape 12), the tape length adjusting means 40 is used as the tape winding bodies 21 and 22 by the two cylinders 41 as the tape length adjusting means 40. Of the intermediate support rollers 28a1, 28a2 and 28b disposed between the installation rollers 27 and 27, the intermediate support rollers 28a2 and 28a2 on the tension roller 27 side attached to the base 24 are pulled at a constant pressure. Configured (see FIG. 12). Thereby, for example, when the tape length between the first tape winding body 21 and the upper tensioning roller 27 changes due to the reciprocating movement of the head slide portion 34, the change in the tape length is canceled (and The intermediate support roller 28a2 is moved from the tape 12 to a position balanced with the reaction force received by the intermediate support roller 28a2. Specifically, the head slide portion 34 is moved upward from the reference position shown in FIG. 13 by the above-described reciprocation, and the tape length between the first tape winding body 21 and the upper tension roller 27 is increased. In the case of increase, as shown in FIG. 17, the upper intermediate support roller 28 a 2 corresponding to the cylinder 41 is moved between the first tape winding body 21 and the upper tension roller 27 by the upper cylinder 41. It moves in a direction to cancel the increase in tape length (rightward in FIG. 17), and the lower intermediate support roller 28a2 corresponding to the cylinder 41 is moved by the lower cylinder 41 to the upper intermediate support roller. It moves in the direction opposite to 28a2 (the left direction in FIG. 17). Thereby, the tape length between the upper tension roller 27 corresponding to the first tape winding body 21 and the lower tension roller 27 corresponding to the second tape winding body 22 is reduced. Each tape length is kept constant. Further, when the head slide portion 34 moves downward from the reference position shown in FIG. 13 and the tape length between the second tape winding body 22 and the lower tension roller 27 increases, FIG. As shown, the lower cylinder 41 causes the lower intermediate support roller 28a2 corresponding to the cylinder 41 to increase the tape length between the second tape winding body 22 and the lower tension roller 27. The upper intermediate support roller 28a2 corresponding to the cylinder 41 is moved in the direction opposite to the lower intermediate support roller 28a2 by the upper cylinder 41. It moves in the left direction in FIG. Thereby, the tape length between the lower tension roller 27 corresponding to the second tape winding body 22 and the upper tension roller 27 corresponding to the first tape winding body 21 is reduced. Each tape length is kept constant.

  As described above, in the polishing apparatus 10 provided with the tape length adjusting means 40, even when the head slide portion 34 reciprocates, the tape winding bodies 21, 22 and the tension rollers 27, 27 can be connected to each other. Since the tape lengths can be kept constant, it is possible to control the pressing force to the surface of the notch portion 1 to a constant magnitude by suppressing the fluctuation of the tension generated in the tape 12. In particular, if the intermediate support roller 28a2 is moved by the cylinder 41 having a constant pressure, the head slide portion 34 can be utilized because it can take advantage of excellent response to fluctuations in the tension of the tape 12 (reaction force acting on the intermediate support roller 28a2). This is suitable for reciprocating the tape 12 as a result.

  In the present embodiment, the grinding liquid L is supplied toward a portion of the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 that passes through the pressing area 20, that is, a region slightly upstream of the portion pressed against the notch 1. (See FIG. 13). By supplying the grinding liquid L toward the predetermined area of the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 in this way, the notch is always cut out immediately after the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 during the polishing process performed while moving in the longitudinal direction. The grinding liquid L can be continuously supplied to the area pressed against the part 1. Therefore, the polishing efficiency of the notch 1 by the tape 12 can be kept constant, and stable polishing can be continuously performed. In particular, as in the present embodiment, the head portion 35 (more precisely, the head base 33) is provided with a grinding fluid supply portion 38 for supplying the grinding fluid L by jetting, so that the head portion 35 is tilted or the like. Even when this is changed, the relative positional relationship between the grinding fluid supply unit 38 and the head unit 35 (particularly the head base 33) is kept constant. Therefore, even when the tape 12 passing through the pressing area 20 reciprocates or tilts in the predetermined direction C, the supply position (at least the supply direction) of the grinding liquid L with respect to the tape 12 can be kept constant. Thus, the grinding liquid L can be stably supplied to the pressing area 20 with the notch 1.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly based on FIGS.

  FIG. 19 is a side view of the main part of the polishing apparatus 10 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The rotational drive unit 37 of the head unit 35 according to the present embodiment has the head unit 35 in a predetermined posture, and the head unit 35 has a predetermined posture in both forward and reverse directions around the first virtual axis X1 with reference to the predetermined posture. It is configured to repeatedly rotate (that is, swing) at a speed. For example, when the head unit 35 takes a three-stage polishing posture as shown in FIGS. 15A to 15C, the rotation driving unit 37 uses the postures shown in FIGS. 15A to 15C as references. As a position, the head portion 35 is swung around the first virtual axis line X1 (repetitively rotated between postures indicated by two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 19A to 19C).

  When the head portion 35 can be oscillated (repeatedly rotated in both forward and reverse directions) in this way, the polishing of the notch portion 1 by pressing the tape 12 is performed, for example, in the above-described feeding operation and reciprocating movement of the tape 12. In addition, it is performed with the swing of the tape 12. Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 15A, the rotation drive unit 37 moves the head unit 35 in the direction along the side end surface (first R surface 4) of the notch 1. The posture is the same in the longitudinal direction. Then, the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 is pressed against the first R surface 4 while feeding the tape 12 along the feeding direction B and reciprocating along the longitudinal direction C in the posture shown in FIG. Further, the tape passing the pressing area 20 by swinging the head portion 35 as shown in FIG. 19A with reference to the posture of the head portion 35 shown in FIG. 12 is swung around the first virtual axis X1 with a constant amplitude width θ1 (FIG. 20A). As a result, the first R surface 4 is polished over the entire thickness direction, and between the first R surface 4 and the second tapered surface 8a connected on one side (here, the upper side) in the thickness direction. The corner portion 9a and the corner portion 9b between the first R surface 4 and the second tapered surface 8b connected to the other side (here, the lower side) in the thickness direction are polished.

  Thereafter, the head portion 35 is rotated by the rotation driving portion 37, and the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 is aligned with the direction along the second tapered surface 8a of the notch portion 1 as shown in FIG. The posture will be changed. Then, the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 is pressed against the second taper surface 8a while feeding the tape 12 along the feeding direction B and reciprocating along the longitudinal direction C in the posture shown in FIG. Further, the tape passing the pressing area 20 by swinging the head portion 35 as shown in FIG. 19B with reference to the posture of the head portion 35 shown in FIG. 12 is swung around the first virtual axis X1 with a constant amplitude width θ2 (FIG. 20B). Thereby, the second taper surface 8a is polished over the entire thickness direction, and the corner portion between the second taper surface 8a and one surface 7a connected on one side (upper side here) in the thickness direction. The corner portion 9a between 9c and the first R surface 4 described above is polished.

  Further, the head unit 35 is rotated by the rotation driving unit 37 so that the longitudinal direction of the tape 12 is aligned with the direction along the second tapered surface 8b of the notch 1, as shown in FIG. And Then, the polishing surface 11 of the tape 12 is pressed against the second tapered surface 8b while feeding the tape 12 along the feeding direction B and reciprocating along the longitudinal direction C in the posture shown in FIG. Further, the tape passing the pressing area 20 by swinging the head portion 35 as shown in FIG. 19C with reference to the posture of the head portion 35 shown in FIG. 12 is swung around the first virtual axis X1 with a constant amplitude width θ3 (FIG. 20C). Thereby, the second taper surface 8b is polished over the entire thickness direction, and the angle between the second taper surface 8b and the other surface 7b connected to the other side (here, the lower side) in the thickness direction. The corner portion 9b between the portion 9d and the first R surface 4 described above is polished.

  In this way, the tape 12 is oscillated while being pressed against the notch 1, so that the region where the tape 12 is strongly pressed mainly on the surface of the notch 1 (ie, the substantial polishing region) is finely changed. Processing can be performed. Therefore, polishing can be efficiently performed while preventing polishing leakage. Moreover, the surface of the notch 1 is formed between the first R surface 4 and the first and second tapered surfaces 8a and 8b (corner portions 9a and 9b), and the tapered surfaces 8a and 8b and the plate glass 2 The surfaces 7a and 7b (corner portions 9c and 9d) can be polished into a shape that is smoothly connected by, for example, an R surface. Therefore, the corners 9a to 9d, which are likely to cause cracking, can be reduced as much as possible to finish the cutout portion 1 into a shape resistant to cracking. In particular, when the tape 12 is swung while being pressed against the notch 1 as in the present embodiment and is reciprocated along the longitudinal direction C, the pressing force of the tape 12 against the notch 1 is increased. It can be further increased.

  FIG. 21 shows a side view of an essential part of the polishing apparatus 10 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The polishing apparatus 10 moves the tape 12 from the side opposite to the notch 1 to the notch 1 when the tape 12 is moved relative to the notch 1 by the pressing movement means 13. It differs from the first to fourth embodiments in that it further comprises pushing means 44 for pushing in. Specifically, the pushing means 44 has a tip shape corresponding to the cutout portion 1 and is disposed between the pushing member 45 provided integrally with the head portion 29 and between the head portion 29 and the pushing member 45. And an elastic member 46 that elastically supports the pushing member 45.

  Thereby, for example, when the sheet glass 2 is moved in the direction of the arrow A toward the pressing area 20 with the tape 12 by the pressing moving means 13, and the tape 12 contacts the notched portion 1, The pressing member 45 is pressed against the tape 12 from the opposite side. Therefore, even if the tape 12 is not sufficiently deformed following the surface of the notch portion 1 due to relative movement by the pressing and moving means 13, the lack of deformation is compensated by the pushing of the pushing member 45, and the tape 12 is notched. Even if it follows the surface of the portion 1, it can be brought into contact (pressure contact) without fail. Therefore, it becomes possible to polish the surface of the notch portion 1 without leakage and sufficiently.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the tape 12 is moved in three different postures (shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C) by repeating the intermittent tilting operation by the first tilting means 15. Although the case where it arrange | positioned to the attitude | position) was illustrated, of course, it is not restricted to this tilting aspect. For example, the polishing process may be performed while continuously changing the posture of the tape 12 in accordance with the three-dimensional surface shape of the notch 1 to be polished. The same applies to the second tilting means 16, except that the glass sheet 2 is tilted so that the orientation of the notch 1 continuously changes as shown in the above example, and in FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (c). You may make it tilt the plate glass 2 so that the direction of the notch part 1 may change intermittently in the direction shown, respectively. Of course, in this case, the first tilting means 15 may perform polishing while gradually changing the posture of the tape 12 in the directions shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c). You may grind | polish, changing continuously.

  Further, in the above description, the glass sheet 2 is tilted (rotated) around the second virtual axis line X2 extending along the thickness direction thereof, and the posture of the tape 12 with respect to the notch portion 1 is, for example, FIG. Although the case of performing while changing as shown in c) is illustrated, at this time, the polishing may be performed while swinging the plate glass 2 on the basis of the illustrated postures. For example, in the case of the first embodiment, while feeding the tape 12 along the feeding direction B and reciprocating along the longitudinal direction C in the posture shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. The polished surface 11 is pressed against the first R surface 4. Further, by swinging the glass sheet 2 around the second virtual axis X2 as shown in FIG. 7 (both forward and reverse directions) with reference to the posture of the notch portion 1 shown in FIG. The tape 12 is relatively swung on the surface of the notch 1 by repeating the rotation of the tape 12. Thus, not only the first R surface 4 but also the first R surface 4 and the first tapered surfaces 5a and 5b connected on both sides in the circumferential direction are polished more smoothly. Similarly, when the first tapered surfaces 5a and 5b are polished (FIG. 10B and FIG. 10C), the plate glass 2 is similarly swung around the second virtual axis X2, thereby The taper surfaces 5a and 5b and the second R surfaces 6a and 6b connected on one side in the circumferential direction (the side opposite to the first R surface 4) are polished more smoothly. Similarly, when the second tapered surfaces 8a and 8b are polished, it is possible to polish the space between the surrounding surfaces more smoothly by swinging the plate glass 2. If possible, the tape 12 may be swung around the second virtual axis X2. Of course, the operation described above (oscillation around the second imaginary axis X2) can also be applied to the polishing method according to another embodiment (for example, the second to fourth embodiments).

  In the above description, the case where the notch portion provided in the glass plate for supporting a semiconductor wafer is polished is exemplified. However, as long as the glass plate 2 having the notch portion 1 is used, the plate glass according to applications other than the above is used. The present invention can be applied to the two cutout portions 1. Of course, the shape of the notch 1 is not limited to that illustrated. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a notch portion having a surface constituted by only a plurality of curved surfaces.

  Moreover, although the case where this invention is applied to the notch part 1 of the plate glass 2 was illustrated in the above description, of course, it is also possible to apply this invention to parts other than the notch part 1. FIG. For example, the second tilting means 16 expands the tilting range of the plate glass 2, and the polishing method or polishing apparatus according to the present invention is applied not only to the cutout portion 1 but also to the peripheral edge portion 3 of the plateglass 2 that is removed from the cutout portion 1. It is also possible to apply the polishing process according to 10.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Notch part 2 Sheet glass 3 Peripheral part 4, 6a, 6b R surface 5a, 5b, 8a, 8b Tapered surface 9a-9d Corner | angular part 10 Polishing apparatus 11 Polishing surface 12 Tape 13 Pushing moving means 14 Longitudinal moving means 15 First tilting means 16 Second tilting means 17 Fixed support base 18 Bottom plate part 19 Linear movement drive part 20 Pressing areas 21, 22 Tape winding body 23 Reciprocating movement means 24 Base body 25 Core part 26 Motor 27 A pair of tension rollers 28a , 28a1, 28a2, 28b Intermediate support roller 28c Pressing side support rollers 29, 35 Head unit 30, 36 Reciprocating drive unit 31 Support unit 33 Head base 34 Head slide unit 37 Rotation drive unit 38 Grinding fluid supply unit 40 Tape length adjustment Means 41 Cylinder 44 Pushing means 45 Pushing member 46 Elastic member X1 First virtual axis X2 Second virtual axis L Grinding liquid

Claims (16)

A method for polishing a plate glass having a notch,
By moving the tape in the longitudinal direction by means of longitudinal movement while pressing the tape having a polishing surface on the notch, the grinding is performed on the notch,
The longitudinal direction moving means includes the tape and a first tape winding body continuous on one side in the longitudinal direction, the tape and a second tape winding body continuous on the other side in the longitudinal direction, A plurality of support rollers disposed between the first and second tape winding bodies and supporting the tape, and the tape passing through a pressing area for pressing the tape against the notch, in the longitudinal direction And reciprocating means for reciprocating to,
Of the plurality of support rollers, a pair of pressing side support rollers disposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the pressing area are fixed at predetermined positions with respect to the pressing area,
At least a pair of support rollers disposed between the pair of pressing-side support rollers and the first and second tape winding bodies are provided on the tape passing through the pressing area by the reciprocating means. A plate glass polishing method in which the tape can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction, whereby the tape is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction. 2. The glass sheet polishing method according to claim 1, wherein the tape is pressed against the notch in a state where the tape is fed at a predetermined feed speed from one side in the longitudinal direction toward the pressing area. . The method for polishing a glass sheet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the tape and the glass sheet passing through the pressing area is tilted with respect to a vertical direction. The notch has a tapered surface;
The plate glass polishing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the tape is reciprocated in the longitudinal direction while pressing the tape against the notch in a state in which the tape is oriented in an inclined direction of the tapered surface. The plate glass polishing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein one of the tape and the plate glass passing through the pressing area is tilted around an imaginary axis along a thickness direction of the plate glass.   The plate glass polishing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a width dimension of the tape is smaller than a width dimension of the notch.   The plate glass polishing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a particle size of the polished surface is 300 or more and 10,000 or less.   Polishing of plate glass according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a grinding liquid is supplied toward a region pressed against the notch portion or an upstream region of the polishing surface of the tape moving in the longitudinal direction. Processing method.   When the grinding liquid is supplied to the polishing surface by jetting, an angle formed by the jet direction of the grinding liquid and the longitudinal direction of the tape in a region pressed against the notch portion of the polishing surface of the tape is 45. The method for polishing plate glass according to claim 8, wherein the direction of spraying the grinding liquid is set so as to be less than 5 degrees.   The method for polishing a plate glass according to claim 1, wherein the plate glass is a plate glass for supporting a semiconductor wafer. An apparatus for polishing a plate glass having a notch,
A tape with a polished surface;
A pressing movement means for relatively moving the tape in a direction in which the tape is pressed against the notch,
A longitudinal movement means for moving the tape in its longitudinal direction;
The longitudinal direction moving means includes the tape and a first tape winding body continuous on one side in the longitudinal direction, the tape and a second tape winding body continuous on the other side in the longitudinal direction, A plurality of support rollers disposed between the first and second tape winding bodies and supporting the tape, and the tape passing through a pressing area for pressing the tape against the notch, in the longitudinal direction It possesses a reciprocating means for reciprocating the,
Of the plurality of support rollers, a pair of pressing side support rollers disposed on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the pressing area are fixed at predetermined positions with respect to the pressing area,
At least a pair of support rollers disposed between the pair of pressing-side support rollers and the first and second tape winding bodies are provided on the tape passing through the pressing area by the reciprocating means. A plate glass polishing apparatus capable of reciprocating in the longitudinal direction . Of the plurality of support rollers, a pair of support rollers that support the tape that passes through the pressing area in a stretched state is a pair of tension rollers,
It said longitudinal moving means comprises a tape winding body of said each of the glass sheet of claim 11, further comprising a tape length adjusting means for keeping the tape length to each constant between the tensioning roller of the respective Polishing equipment. Among the plurality of support rollers, at least a pair of support rollers disposed between the pair of tensioning rollers and the first and second tape winding bodies is a pair of intermediate support rollers,
The tape length adjusting means includes a pair of constant pressure cylinders that respectively move a pair of the intermediate support rollers on which the tape is stretched between each of the tape winding bodies and each of the tension rollers. Item 15. A polishing apparatus for plate glass according to Item 12 . The plate glass according to any one of claims 11 to 13 , wherein a back tension is applied to a rotation driving motor of one of the first and second tape winding bodies on the feeding side. Polishing processing equipment. The at least one pair of support rollers are integrally provided on the head portion,
Said head portion, any claim 11 to 14 grinding fluid supply unit for supplying a grinding fluid toward a devoted region or upstream region thereof pressed into the notch of the polished surface of the tape is provided A polishing apparatus for plate glass according to claim 1. Pushing means for pushing the tape toward the notch from the side opposite to the notch when the tape is moved relative to the notch by the pushing and moving means. The flat glass polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15 .

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