KR20080008728A - Method for manufacturing flat panel display and apparatus for shaving outer surface of glass substrate for their use - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a flat panel display and an apparatus for shaving an outer surface thereof are provided to etch selectively the required areas of a glass substrate while maintaining characteristics such as high productivity and uniform distribution. An apparatus for shaving an outer surface includes a chamber(280), a cassette(220), a plate(260), a supplier(230), and a storing tank(240). The chamber is used for executing the shaving of an outer surface therein. The cassette is used for moving a glass substrate. The plate installed in the chamber in a vertical direction includes nozzles for spraying etch liquid toward the outer surface of the glass substrate. The nozzles of the plate are used for etching one face of the glass substrate opposite to the plate. The supplier connected to the plate supplies the etch liquid. The storing tank installed in the chamber stores the etch liquid and supplies the etch liquid to the supplier.

Description

Method for manufacturing flat panel display and exterior thinning apparatus used therein {METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FLAT PANEL DISPLAY AND APPARATUS FOR SHAVING OUTER SURFACE OF GLASS SUBSTRATE FOR THEIR USE}

1 illustrates a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display as an example of a flat panel display;

2 and 3 are schematic views of an outer surface thinning apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view illustrating a method of operating an outer surface thinning apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10, 15: electrode 20: sealing material

30: liquid crystal 100, 150: glass substrate

200: outer surface thinning device 210: glass substrate

220: cassette 230: supply unit

240: storage tank 260: plate

262: nozzle 270: top block

272: connecting portion 280: chamber

282: carry-in and out opening 284: blockade gate

290: etching solution

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display and an organic light emitting display, and to an external thinning device for a glass substrate for a flat panel display.

Flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and organic light emitting display devices are widely used in various electronic devices such as monitors for computers, television receivers, and display units for mobile phones.

Recently, with the trend toward thinner and lighter electronic devices, interest in thinner and lighter display devices has increased. For example, both notebook computers and mobile phones are pursuing thinner and lighter weights, and accordingly, thinner and lighter flat panel displays are being pursued.

An important element for thinning and weight reduction of such a flat panel display device is a glass substrate. The liquid crystal display and the organic light emitting diode display include a pair of glass substrates having electrodes formed on inner surfaces thereof. Here, glass has a specific gravity and a certain thickness is required in order to secure mechanical strength. Therefore, the presence of the glass substrate is an obstacle to the thinning and the weight reduction of the flat panel display device.

In general, in the manufacturing process of the flat panel display device, a method of producing a plurality of flat panel display devices from a large pair of glass substrates is used.

As described above, in the method of producing a plurality of flat panel display devices from a pair of glass substrates, the process is concentrated, so the glass substrate tends to be large because the manufacturing cost can be reduced. By the way, when handling a glass substrate in this way, when a glass substrate is made too thin, it may become brittle or bend. Therefore, some thickness is required.

On the other hand, there is no problem even if the thickness of the glass substrate is somewhat thin because the size of the glass substrate is small because the size of the glass substrate is small after being cut into each zone (the semifinished product) and the product. Therefore, after assembling a pair of glass substrates, the method of thinning the outer surface of a glass substrate and cutting | disconnecting into each area is used. Thus, thinning a glass substrate is an important factor in thinning and weight-reducing a flat panel display device.

In order to achieve a thinner and lighter weight of the flat panel display device, a technology of thinning the outer surface of the glass substrate may be classified into a mechanical thinning technique of applying mechanical friction to the glass substrate and an etching thinning technique using chemical reaction of glass.

In the case of etch thinning technology, both surfaces of the glass substrate are reacted and removed by using an etching compound capable of reacting with the glass substrate. In order to induce such an etching reaction, a conventional etching process uses a bath method in which a glass substrate is immersed in an etchant hydrofluoric acid or the like, or a spray method of spraying an etchant hydrofluoric acid on the surface of the glass substrate is used. have. In both cases, both sides of the glass substrate come into contact with the compound, so both sides react equally and etch by the same thickness.

The etching thinning technology is advantageous in mass production compared to the mechanical thinning technology because of excellent productivity and small mechanical breakage during processing because of the large area processing of the disc unit. But Generally The asymmetric structure of one side of the glass substrate that is heavier and the other thinner than the case where two glass substrates of the same thickness are bonded is advantageous for the subsequent process, has a low incidence of failure failure, and high mechanical strength of the substrate. For this reason, asymmetrical flat panel display devices are currently formed using mechanical thinning technology.

However, when the mechanical thinning technique is used to form a flat panel display device having an asymmetric structure, productivity decreases and mechanical breakage of the glass substrate is large.

In addition, when the spray method, which is one of the etch thinning techniques, is applied to the cross-sectional etching to form a flat panel display having an asymmetric structure, the etching liquid that hits the glass substrate splashes on the glass substrate opposite to the nozzle even if the etching liquid is sprayed in only one direction. There is a problem of lowering, and in order to solve this problem, the gap between the nozzles is far away or the protective coating treatment is performed on one side of the substrate, and there is a need to proceed with etching.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a flat panel display device and a device for manufacturing a flat panel display device, which are excellent in productivity, have little mechanical damage during processing, and can uniformly etch only a desired surface of a glass substrate. It is to provide.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an outer surface thinning apparatus includes a chamber in which an outer surface thinning process is performed, a cassette for mounting a glass substrate to move into the chamber, and an injection hole for spraying an etchant toward an outer surface of the glass substrate. And a plate installed in the longitudinal direction inside the chamber, a supply unit connected to the plate to supply an etchant, and a storage tank located outside the chamber to store the etchant and supply the etchant to the supply unit. Only the surface is provided with the injection port so that only one surface of the glass substrate facing the plate is etched.

It is preferable that the said plate has a larger area than the said glass substrate.

It is preferable to further include a top blocker connected to the plate by a connecting portion to prevent the etching liquid from splashing on the chamber.

It is preferable to further include a recycling unit for recycling the used etchant connected to the chamber and the storage tank.

The cassette is preferably formed to mount the glass substrate in the longitudinal direction so that the plate can be inserted between the glass substrates.

The etchant used in the outer surface thinning device is preferably a hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluoric acid-based compound, or an aqueous solution and a mixture thereof.

The plate is preferably made of polyvinyl chloride or polyolefin polymer resin of Teflon.

The plate is preferably made of a high molecular compound that does not react with the hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluoric acid-based compound.

The plate is preferably made of stainless steel with hydrofluoric acid resistance.

It is preferable that the plurality of injection holes are provided in the plate at uniform intervals, and the distance from each injection hole to the outer surface is constant.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display device, in which a cassette having a glass substrate for a vertically arranged display device is moved into a chamber, and spray holes are regularly arranged on one surface of the glass substrate. Positioning between the plates, supplying an etchant to the plate, and spraying the etchant to one side of the glass substrate through the spray hole of the plate.

The etchant preferably includes a hydrofluoric acid or hydrofluoric acid-based compound, or an aqueous solution or mixture thereof.

Preferably, the cassette holds the glass substrate such that the glass substrate is in a vertical posture during the etching liquid injection.

It is preferable to etch so that the thickness of the glass substrate may be 0.1 mm to 0.7 mm.

It is preferable that the said flat panel display device is a liquid crystal display device.

Then, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the liquid crystal display will be described as an example of the flat panel display.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

First, electrodes 10 and 15 are formed on a pair of glass substrates 100 and 150 having a plurality of device regions. In this case, the pixel electrode may be formed on one glass substrate 100, and the common electrode may be formed on the other glass substrate 150. In addition, a color filter (not shown), a thin film transistor (TFT) (not shown), various signal lines (not shown), a light blocking member (or a black matrix), or the like can be formed. Each part may include a photolithography process and an etching process, and sometimes only a photo process is required.

A sealant 20 is applied along the perimeter of each device region of the glass substrates 100, 150.

The two substrates 100 and 150 are aligned and bonded with the sealing material 20, and then the liquid crystal 30 is injected into the inside of each device region. Thereafter, the spacers may be dispersed as necessary before bonding the two substrates 100.

Subsequently, an outer surface thinning step of cutting the outer surfaces of the glass substrates 100 and 150 to make the thickness thinner is performed. The glass substrates 100 and 150 are then cut into respective device regions to complete the manufacture.

Such a manufacturing method produces a plurality of liquid crystal display devices having substantially the same shape and size in the pair of glass substrates 100 and 150.

2 and 3 are schematic views of an external thinning apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a method of operating an external thinning apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram showing.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which a liquid crystal display device is mounted on an outer surface thinning device, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which an etchant is sprayed onto a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display device mounted on an outer surface thinning device.

As shown in Figure 2 and 3, the outer surface thinning apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a chamber 280, a cassette 220, a plate 260, the top block 270, the etching solution supply unit (supply unit) 230, an etchant supply tank (240) and a recycle unit (recycle unit) (250).

The outer surface thinning process of the glass substrate 210 which concerns on a present Example is performed using the etching liquid 290 in the chamber 280. FIG. The chamber 282 is provided with a carry-in / out port 282 for carrying in and carrying out the substrate 210, and is provided with a blocking gate 284 for opening and closing the carry-in / out port 282. The inner wall surface of the chamber 280 and the surface of each member in the chamber 280 have chemical resistance to the etchant. For example, when the etching solution 290 is hydrofluoric acid, the inner wall surface and the surface of each member may be coated with a fluorine resin such as Teflon. In addition, the blocking gate 284 that opens and closes the carry-in / out port 282 is densely sealed so that the etching liquid does not leak.

The cassette 220 carries the glass substrate 210 for the liquid crystal display device and moves inside the chamber 280. The cassette 220 may allow the glass substrate 210 to be inserted in the vertical direction, and the plate 260 may be inserted between the glass substrates 210.

In the plate 260, a plurality of injection holes 262 in which the etchant 290 is injected toward the outer surface of the glass substrate 210 is regularly formed on one surface thereof, and has a larger area than the glass substrate 210. Plate 260 is a polyolefin polymer resin, for example, a polyvinyl chloride and Teflon (Teflon) and a high molecular compound that does not react with the hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluoric acid-based compound, or a hydrofluoric acid resistant stainless steel Use the rivers.

The upper blocking part 270 is connected to the plate 260 by the connection part 272 and prevents the etchant 290 from splashing on the upper surface of the chamber 280.

The supply unit 230 supplies the etching solution 290 to the plate 260. Examples of the etchant include hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluoric acid-based compounds, or aqueous solutions and mixtures thereof.

The storage tank 240 stores the etchant 290 and supplies the etchant 290 to the supply unit 230.

The recycling unit 250 is for recycling the used etchant 290.

The outer surface thinning process will now be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cassette 220 mounted with the vertically arranged glass substrate 210 is moved into the chamber 280 through the loading / unloading port 282. The movement may be performed by a robot or by a worker's hand. The glass substrate 210 is aligned between the plates 260. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper blocking portion 270 connected to the plate 260 forms a '-' shape at a right angle with respect to the plate 260.

Meanwhile, in the storage tank 240, the concentration of the etchant is adjusted according to the etching thickness of the glass substrate 210 and the type of the etchant. Thereafter, the supply unit 230 receives the etchant 290 of the storage tank 240 and supplies the plate 260. The etchant 290 supplied to the plate 260 is sprayed onto the glass substrate 210 through the injection hole 262. In this case, since the injection hole 262 is positioned on one surface of the plate 260, the etching solution 290 may be injected toward one surface of the glass substrate 210.

As such, the etching solution 262 is ejected and etched only on one surface of the glass substrate 210 facing the injection hole 262 of the plate 260. In addition, the plate 260 prevents the etchant hitting the glass substrate 210 from splashing on the glass substrate 210 opposite the plate, thereby selectively and uniformly etching only a desired surface of the glass substrate 210, The other side should not be damaged.

Thus, the glass substrate 210 may be etched such that the thickness of the glass substrate 210 is 0.1 mm to 0.7 mm, and the thickness difference between the two glass substrates 210 is 0.01 mm to 0.6 mm.

As described above, when the outer surface of the glass substrate 210 is etched for a predetermined time, when the glass substrate 210 reaches a desired thickness, the injection of the etchant 290 is stopped, and the cassette having the glass substrate 210 mounted thereon through the carry-in / out port 282 ( 220 is pulled out of chamber 280.

Thereafter, the next cutting step is performed.

The etchant 290 used here is collected and recycled back to the recycling unit 250 and sent to the storage tank 240. The etchant sent to the storage tank 240 is used as an etchant for thinning the outer surface of the glass substrate 210 again. Therefore, cost is reduced.

The outer surface thinning apparatus may include a controller (not shown) for controlling the whole. The control unit includes a function of controlling each part of the sequence.

According to the external thinning device, the chemical thinning of the etching liquid is performed by the addition of the chemical action of the etching liquid, and thus the thinning of the external surface can be performed. .

Although the liquid crystal display is exemplified in the above description of the embodiment of the present invention, the same may be applied to a flat panel display such as an organic light emitting display. Since such a flat panel display does not require a backlight, one of the substrates is not a glass substrate. Therefore, some may be a glass substrate. At this time, the effect of the present invention can be obtained.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to selectively etch only the desired surface of the glass substrate while maintaining characteristics such as maintaining high productivity and uniform thickness distribution, which are advantages of the spray method, when performing the outer surface thinning process.

According to the present invention, it is possible to selectively etch only a desired surface of the glass substrate while maintaining the characteristics such as maintaining high productivity and uniform thickness distribution, which are advantages of the spray method, when the external thinning apparatus and the external thinning method are performed.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concepts of the present invention defined in the following claims are also provided. of

It belongs to the scope of rights.

Claims (15)

Chamber where the external thinning process is carried out inside, A cassette for mounting a glass substrate to move the inside of the chamber, A plate having an injection hole for injecting an etchant toward the outer surface of the glass substrate and installed in the longitudinal direction inside the chamber; A supply part connected to the plate for supplying an etchant, and A storage tank located outside the chamber to store an etchant and supply an etchant to the supply unit Including; The plate has the injection holes on only one side such that only one side of the glass substrate facing the plate is etched. External thinning device. In claim 1, And the plate has an area larger than that of the glass substrate. In claim 1, The outer surface thinning device is further connected to the plate by a top block for preventing the etching liquid splashing on the upper chamber. In claim 1, And a recycling unit for recycling the used etchant connected to the chamber and the storage tank. In claim 1, And the cassette is formed to mount the glass substrate in the longitudinal direction so that the plate can be inserted between the glass substrates. In claim 1, Etching liquid used in the outer surface thinning device is a hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluoric acid-based compound, or an aqueous solution and a mixture thereof. In claim 1, The plate is made of a polyvinyl chloride series (Polyvinyl chloride) or Teflon (Teflon) polyolefin-based (polyolefin) polymer resin outer surface thinning device. In claim 1, The plate is an external thinning device consisting of a high molecular compound that does not react with the hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluoric acid-based compound. In claim 1, The plate is an external thinning device made of stainless steel with hydrofluoric acid resistance. In claim 1, The plurality of injection holes are provided on the plate at a uniform interval, and the distance from each injection hole to the outer surface is constant outer thinning device. Moving the cassette with the glass substrate for the vertically arranged display device into the chamber; Placing the glass substrate between the plates on which one or more nozzles are regularly arranged; Supplying an etchant to the plate, and Spraying the etching liquid onto one surface of the glass substrate through the spray hole of the plate Method of manufacturing a flat panel display comprising a. In claim 11, The etchant comprises a hydrofluoric acid or hydrofluoric acid-based compound, or an aqueous solution or mixture thereof. In claim 11, And the cassette holds the glass substrate such that the glass substrate is in a vertical posture during the etching liquid injection. In claim 11, And etching the glass substrate so that the thickness is 0.1 mm to 0.7 mm. In claim 11, And said flat panel display is a liquid crystal display.

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