KR20160147982A - Method for splitting brittle substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The edge 51 is slid on the surface SF1 of the brittle substrate 4 to generate plastic deformation to form a trench line TL having a groove shape. Immediately below the trench line TL, the brittle substrate 4 is continuously connected. Next, the member 11 is provided on the surface SF1. The member 11 has portions separated from each other through the trench line TL. Next, the crack line CL is formed by extending a crack of the brittle substrate 4 in the thickness direction DT along the trench line TL. The brittle substrate 4 is disconnected continuously in the direction crossing the trench line TL immediately below the trench line TL by the crack line CL. The brittle substrate 4 is divided along the crack line CL.

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR SPLITTING BRITTLE SUBSTRATE [0002]

The present invention relates to a method of breaking a brittle substrate.

In the production of electric devices such as a flat display panel or a solar cell panel, it is often necessary to separate a brittle substrate such as a glass substrate. First, a scribe line is formed on the substrate, and then the substrate is divided along the scribe line. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-188534 discloses a method of forming a scribe line by a glass cutter wheel. As the glass cutter rolls on the substrate, a trench due to plastic deformation is formed on the substrate, and a vertical crack is formed immediately below the trench. Thereafter, a stress imparting called a braking process is applied. By progressing the cracks completely in the thickness direction by the breaking process, the substrate is divided.

The step of dividing the substrate is often performed immediately after the step of forming the scribe line on the substrate. However, it has also been proposed to perform a step of forming any member on the substrate between the step of forming the scribe line and the step of breaking.

For example, according to the technique of International Publication No. 2002/104078, in the method of manufacturing an organic EL display, a scribe line is formed on a glass substrate for each region to be an organic EL display before mounting a sealing cap. Therefore, when the scribe line is formed on the glass substrate after the sealing cap is formed, contact between the sealing cap and the glass cutter can be avoided.

(Patent Document 1): JP-A-9-188534

(Patent Document 2): International Publication No. 2002/104078

According to the above conventional technique, a step of forming a sealing cap (member) on a glass substrate (brittle substrate) is performed after formation of the scribe line. Therefore, by using this technique, a brittle substrate can be divided with a narrow region between members as a boundary. On the other hand, since a vertical crack already exists in the process of forming the sealing cap on the brittle substrate, a new extension in the thickness direction of the vertical crack is likely to occur unintentionally. Therefore, the brittle substrate which should be integrated in this process may be unintentionally divided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a brittle substrate, which avoids unintentional division of a brittle substrate during a step of forming a member on a brittle substrate, A method of dividing a brittle substrate by which a substrate can be divided.

A method for separating a brittle substrate according to the present invention includes the steps of preparing a brittle substrate having a surface and having a thickness direction perpendicular to the surface, a step of pushing a blade tip onto the surface of the brittle substrate, And forming a trench line having a groove shape by causing plastic deformation on the surface of the brittle substrate by sliding the edge pressed by the brittle substrate on the surface of the brittle substrate. The step of forming the trench line is performed so as to obtain a crackless state in which the brittle substrate is continuously connected in the direction crossing the trench line immediately below the trench line. The method of breaking a brittle substrate of the present invention further comprises a step of forming a member on the surface after the step of forming the trench line. The member has portions separated from each other through the trench line on the surface. The breaking method of the brittle substrate according to the present invention further includes a step of forming a crack line by extending a crack of the brittle substrate in the thickness direction along the trench line after the step of disposing the member. The brittle substrate is disconnected continuously in a direction crossing the trench line immediately below the trench line by the crack line. The breaking method of the brittle substrate of the present invention further includes a step of breaking the brittle substrate along the crack line.

The above-mentioned "pushing the edge of the blade onto the surface" means pushing the edge of the blade at an arbitrary position on the "surface", which means that the edge of the blade is pushed against the edge of the "surface".

According to the present invention, as a line defining the position where the brittle substrate is divided, a trench line having no crack is formed immediately below the line. The crack line to be used as a direct gauge of division is formed by self-aligning the crack along the trench line. Therefore, the brittle substrate after the formation of the trench line and before the formation of the crack line is in a stable state in which the division is not easily caused because the cracked line is not yet formed, while the divided position is defined by the trench line. Since the step of forming the member on the brittle substrate is performed in this stable state, it is avoided that the brittle substrate is unintentionally divided during this step. Also, since this process is performed after formation of the trench line, the movement of the edge of the trench for forming the trench line is not disturbed by the member. Accordingly, the arrangement of the trench lines and the arrangement of the members can be set freely mutually. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a structure in which the trench line passes through a narrow region between the members. Thereafter, a crack line is formed by using the trench line, and then the brittle substrate is divided, whereby the brittle substrate can be divided with a narrow region between the members as a boundary. As described above, it is possible to separate the brittle substrate with the narrow region between the members as the boundary while avoiding the unintentional division of the brittle substrate during the process of forming the member on the brittle substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view schematically showing a method for dividing a brittle substrate according to a first embodiment of the present invention ((A) to (E)).
Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view (A) along the line IIA-IIA in Fig. 1 (A), a schematic cross-sectional view (B) along the line IIB-IIB in Fig. A schematic sectional view (D) taken along line IID-IID in FIG. 1 (D), and a schematic sectional view (E) taken along line IIE-IIE in FIG. 1 (E).
3 is a cross-sectional view (A) schematically showing a configuration of a trench line formed in the method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention and a cross-sectional view (B) schematically showing the configuration of a crack line.
4 is a flow chart schematically showing a configuration of a brittle substrate cutting method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a side view (A) schematically showing the structure of a mechanism used in the method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a side view (B) schematically shown at the time point of FIG.
6 is a top view ((A) and (B)) schematically showing a dividing method of a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
7 is a top view ((A) and (B)) schematically showing a dividing method of a brittle substrate according to a first modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a top view schematically showing a method of dividing a brittle substrate according to a second modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is a top view schematically showing a breaking method of a brittle substrate according to a third modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig.
10 is a top view schematically showing a first step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
11 is a top view schematically showing the second step of the brittle substrate breaking method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a top view schematically showing a third step of the brittle substrate cutting method according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a top view ((A) and (B)) schematically showing a dividing method of a brittle substrate according to a first modification of the third embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a top view schematically showing a breaking method of a brittle substrate according to a second modification of the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig.
15 is a top view ((A) and (B)) schematically showing a dividing method of a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
16 is a top view ((A) and (B)) schematically showing a breaking method of a brittle substrate according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a top view schematically showing a breaking method of a brittle substrate according to a modification of the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 18 is a side view (A) schematically showing the structure of a mechanism used in the method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention, and Fig. 18 is a side view (B) schematically shown at the time point of FIG.

(Mode for carrying out the invention)

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

(Embodiment Mode 1)

A method of dividing the brittle substrate of the present embodiment will be described below.

1 (A) and Fig. 2 (A), a glass substrate 4 (brittle substrate) is first prepared (Fig. 4: step S10). The glass substrate 4 has an upper surface SF1 (surface) and a lower surface SF2 opposite thereto. The glass substrate 4 has a thickness direction DT perpendicular to the upper surface SF1. A cutting mechanism 50 having a blade tip 51 and a shank 52 is also prepared. The blade tip 51 is supported by being fixed to the shank 52 as its holder. Further, a more detailed structure of the cutting mechanism is described in the second and sixth embodiments.

Next, the blade tip 51 is pushed against the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 (Fig. 4: step S20). Next, the extruded edge 51 is slid on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 (see arrows in Fig. 1 (A)).

1 (B) and Fig. 2 (B), plastic deformation is generated on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 by the sliding of the blade 51. Fig. Thus, a trench line TL having a groove shape is formed on the upper surface SF1 (Fig. 4: step S30). 3 (A), the step of forming the trench line TL is a step of forming the glass substrate 4 in the extending direction of the trench line TL 1 (B)) in a state in which they are continuously connected to each other in a direction (DC) intersecting with the longitudinal direction (lateral direction in Fig. 1 (B)). In the cracked state, the trench line TL due to plastic deformation is formed, but no crack is formed. Therefore, even when an external force such as a bending moment is simply applied to the glass substrate 4 as in the conventional breaking process, division according to the trench line TL does not easily occur. For this reason, in the crackle state, the dividing step according to the trench line TL is not performed. In order to obtain a crackle state, the load applied to the blade 51 becomes small enough not to cause cracking, and becomes large enough to cause plastic deformation.

The crackle state is maintained for the required time (Fig. 4: step S40). In order to maintain the cracked state, an operation of applying an excessive stress to the glass substrate 4 in the trench line TL, for example, application of a large external stress causing breakage of the substrate or heating . The glass substrate 4 can be transported to the place where the next process is carried out while the crackle state is maintained. Further, while the crackle state is maintained, the glass substrate 4 can be stored until the next process is carried out.

Referring to Figs. 1 (C) and 2 (C), after formation of the trench line TL, the laminated material 11 (member) is provided on the upper surface SF1 while the crackle state is maintained. The step of providing the laminate 11 can be performed, for example, by joining members prepared in advance or by depositing a raw material.

The laminated material 11 has portions 11a and 11b separated from each other through the trench line TL on the upper surface SF1. In other words, the portions 11a and 11b on the upper surface SF1 sandwich the trench line TL. The portions 11a and 11b may be arranged on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 at intervals W through the trench line TL. The gap W may be small enough to make it impossible to slide the blade tip 51 so as to pass between the portions 11a and 11b on the surface SF1. This is because, according to the present embodiment, such an operation is unnecessary. The reason why the operation of the blade tip 51 is impossible is the collision between the member 11 and the blade tip 51 or the shank 52. [ The interval W may be, for example, 100 mu m or less. Each of the portions 11a and 11b may be very close to the trench line TL.

The laminate 11 is preferably formed such that the trench line TL protrudes from between the portions 11a and 11b on the upper surface SF1. In Fig. 1 (C), the right end and the left end of the trench line TL project from the region between the portions 11a and 11b, respectively. Only one end of the trench line (TL) may protrude.

The laminate material 12 may also be provided on the lower surface SF2. The laminated material 12 may have portions 12a and 12b that are separated from each other.

1 (D) and 2 (D), the cracks of the glass substrate 4 in the thickness direction DT along the trench line TL after the formation of the laminate material 11 It is extended. As a result, a crack line CL is formed in self-alignment with the trench line TL (Fig. 4: step S50). 3B, the glass substrate 4 is formed in the extending direction of the trench line TL (in the lateral direction in FIG. 1B) by the crack line CL immediately below the trench line TL Direction) in the direction (DC) intersecting with the direction (direction). Here, " continuous connection " means, in other words, a connection not blocked by a crack. Further, in the state where the continuous connection is disconnected as described above, the portions of the glass substrate 4 may be in contact with each other through the cracks of the crack line CL.

Formation of the crack line CL is started by applying stress to the glass substrate 4 at the end of the trench line TL, for example, to release the distortion of the internal stress near the trench line TL. In the example of Fig. 1 (C), stress is applied to the glass substrate 4 at the right end or the left end of the trench line TL. As shown in Fig. 1 (C), in the case where the trench line TL protrudes from between the portions 11a and 11b, the portions 11a and 11b are less likely to be damaged at the time of stress application. Further, details will be described later in Embodiment Mode 2 and later, but stresses may be applied to both ends, which is more preferable. The stress can also be applied, for example, by application of an external stress by pushing the tip of the blade again on the formed trench line TL, or by heating by laser light irradiation or the like.

1 (E) and Fig. 2 (E), the glass substrate 4 is then divided into the substrate pieces 4a and 4b along the crack line CL (Fig. 4: step S60). Namely, a so-called brake process is performed. The breaking process can be performed, for example, by applying an external force FB (Fig. 2 (D)) to the glass substrate 4. [ The substrate piece 4a on which the portions 11a and 12a are formed and the substrate piece 4b on which the portions 11b and 12b are formed are obtained.

According to the present embodiment, the trench line TL having no crack is formed directly below the line defining the position where the glass substrate 4 is divided. The crack line CL to be used as a direct instrument of the dividing is formed by self-aligning a crack along the trench line TL. Therefore, the glass substrate 4 after the formation of the trench line TL and before the formation of the crack line CL is defined by the trench line TL but the crack line CL is not yet formed Therefore, it is in a stable state in which no breaking occurs easily. The step of providing the laminated material 11 on the glass substrate 4 is performed in this stable state so that the glass substrate 4 is prevented from being unintentionally divided during this process.

Further, since this process is performed after the formation of the trench line TL, the movement of the edge of the trench for forming the trench line TL is not disturbed by the laminate material 11. Accordingly, the arrangement of the trench line TL and the arrangement of the laminated material 11 can be freely determined. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a structure in which the trench line TL passes through a narrow region between the laminated members 11. [ Thereafter, a crack line CL is formed by using the trench line TL and the glass substrate 4 is thereby divided so that a narrow region (a portion in FIG. 1D) between the laminated materials 11 (A region between the glass substrates 11a and 11b) as a boundary.

As described above, while the glass substrate 4 is prevented from being unintentionally divided during the process of forming the laminate 11 on the glass substrate 4, The substrate 4 can be divided.

According to the present embodiment, the width W between the portions 11a and 11b of the laminated material 11 can be arbitrarily narrowed. As a result, the portions 11a and 11b can be arranged more densely. Therefore, the glass substrate 4 can be used more efficiently.

This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the laminate 11 includes a material having a low heat resistance, for example, a synthetic resin. This is because, in such a case, it is difficult to use the technique of scribing with laser light having a narrow width corresponding to a narrow gap between the lamination materials in place of the method of the present embodiment, considering thermal adverse effects on the lamination material .

The process of forming the crack line CL in this embodiment is essentially different from the so-called break process. In the breaking process, the already formed crack is further extended in the thickness direction to completely separate the substrate. On the other hand, the step of forming the crack line CL causes a change from a crackle state obtained by forming the trench line TL to a state having a crack. It is considered that this change is caused by the opening of the internal stress of the crackle state. The plastic deformation state at the time of formation of the trench line TL and the state such as the magnitude and direction of the internal stress generated by the formation of the trench line TL are the same as in the case where the rotation of the rotary blade is used, It is considered that the sliding is used in the case where the sliding of the nose end is used, and when sliding of the nose end is used, the crack is likely to occur in the wider scribe condition. Further, it is considered that what kind of instrument is required to open the internal stress, and the occurrence of cracks on the trench line TL due to application of stress from outside as described above acts as such an instrument. Details of a suitable formation method of the trench line TL and the crack line CL will be described in the following second to sixth embodiments.

(Embodiment 2)

First, the blade edge used in the breaking method of the brittle substrate in the present embodiment will be described below.

5A and 5B, a plurality of surfaces surrounding the top surface SD1 (first surface) and the top surface SD1 are formed on the blade edge 51. [ These plural surfaces include a side surface SD2 (second surface) and a side surface SD3 (third surface). The topsurface SD1 and the side surfaces SD2 and SD3 (first to third sides) face in different directions and are adjacent to each other. The blade tip 51 has a vertex at which the top face SD1 and the side faces SD2 and SD3 join together and forms the protrusion PP of the blade tip 51 by the vertex. The side faces SD2 and SD3 form a ridge constituting the side portion PS of the blade edge 51. [ The side portion PS extends linearly from the projection PP. Further, the side portion PS has a convex shape extending in a line on the ridgeline point as described above.

The blade edge 51 is preferably a diamond point. That is, the blade tip 51 is preferably made of diamond in that it can reduce the hardness and the surface roughness. More preferably, the blade edge 51 is made of a single crystal diamond. More preferably, the crystallographic plane SD1 is the {001} plane and each of the sides SD2 and SD3 is the {111} plane. In this case, the side faces SD2 and SD3 are crystal faces having different orientations, but are crystallographically equivalent to each other.

Further, a diamond other than a single crystal may be used. For example, a polycrystalline diamond synthesized by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method may be used. Alternatively, a sintered diamond obtained by bonding polycrystalline diamond particles sintered from fine graphite or non-graphitized carbon, which does not contain a binding material such as an iron family element, with a binding material such as an iron family element may be used.

The shank 52 extends in the axial direction AX. The blade tip 51 is preferably attached to the shank 52 such that the normal direction of the surface SD1 substantially follows the axial direction AX.

3 (A)) is formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 by using the projecting portion PP and the side portion PS of the blade tip 51 ) Is pushed in the thickness direction DT of the glass substrate 4. The blade tip 51 is slid on the upper surface SF1 along the direction in which the side PS is projected onto the upper surface SF1. As a result, on the upper surface SF1, a trench-like trench TL which is free from vertical cracks is formed. The trench line TL is generated by plastic deformation of the glass substrate 4, but the glass substrate 4 may be slightly scraped at this time. However, such a cut-off can generate fine debris, so it is preferable that the cut-off is as small as possible.

The trench line TL and the crack line CL (Fig. 3 (B)) are formed at the same time, and only the trench line TL is formed by sliding the edge 51. [ The crack line CL is a crack extended in the thickness direction DT from the depression of the trench line TL and extends in a line on the upper surface SF1. According to the method described later, only the trench line TL is formed, and the crack line CL can be formed accordingly.

Next, the method of dividing the glass substrate 4 will be described below.

Referring to Fig. 6 (A), in step S10 (Fig. 4), the glass substrate 4 is first prepared. The glass substrate 4 has a flat upper surface SF1. The edge surrounding the upper surface SF1 includes sides ED1 (first side) and side ED2 (second side) facing each other. In the example shown in Fig. 6 (A), the edge has a rectangular shape. Therefore, sides ED1 and ED2 are parallel sides. In the example shown in Fig. 6 (A), sides ED1 and ED2 are rectangular short sides. The glass substrate 4 also has a thickness direction DT perpendicular to the top surface SF1 (Fig. 5 (A)).

Next, in step S20 (Fig. 4), the blade tip 51 is pushed to the upper surface SF1 at the position N1. Details of the position N1 will be described later. 5A, the projection PP of the edge 51 on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 is positioned between the edge ED1 and the side PS And the side portion PS of the blade tip 51 is disposed between the projection PP and the edge ED2.

Next, in step S30 (Fig. 4), a plurality of trench lines TL (five lines in the figure) are formed on the upper surface SF1. The formation of the trench line TL is performed between the position N1 (first position) and the position N3. A position N2 (second position) is located between the positions N1 and N3. Therefore, the trench line TL is formed between the positions N1 and N2 and between the positions N2 and N3.

The positions N1 and N3 may be located apart from the edge of the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 as shown in Fig.6A or may be located on the edge of the upper surface SF1 It is also good. The trench line TL to be formed is apart from the edge of the glass substrate 4 in the case of electrons and in contact with the edge of the glass substrate 4 in the latter case.

The position N1 of the positions N1 and N2 is closer to the side ED1 and the position N2 of the positions N1 and N2 is closer to the side ED2. 6A, the position N1 is close to the side ED1 of the sides ED1 and ED2 and the position N2 is close to the side ED2 of the sides ED1 and ED2, Both of the nodes N1 and N2 may be located near either of the sides ED1 or ED2.

When the trench line TL is formed, in this embodiment, the blade tip 51 is displaced from the position N1 to the position N2 and further displaced from the position N2 to the position N3. That is, referring to Fig. 5 (A), the blade tip 51 is displaced in the direction DA from the side ED1 to the side ED2. The direction DA corresponds to the direction in which the axis AX extending from the blade edge 51 is projected onto the upper surface SF1. In this case, the blade 51 is dragged onto the upper surface SF1 by the shank 52 to slide.

Referring to Fig. 6 (B), next, the crackle state (Fig. 3 (a)) described in the first embodiment is maintained for a desired time. In the meantime, as step S40 (Fig. 4), the laminated material 11 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The laminate is formed such that the trench line TL protrudes from the side of the laminate material 11 on the upper surface SF1 toward the edge ED2.

Next, in the step S50 (Fig. 4), the thickness direction DT (see Fig. 3B) from the position N2 to the position N1 (see the broken line arrow in the figure) along the trench line TL The crack line CL is formed by expanding the cracks of the glass substrate 4 in the substrate. The formation of the crack line CL is initiated by the intersection of the assist line AL and the trench line TL at the position N2. For this purpose, the assist line AL is formed after forming the trench line TL. The assist line AL is a normal scribe line accompanied by a crack in the thickness direction DT and releases the distortion of the internal stress in the vicinity of the trench line TL. The method of forming the assist line AL is not particularly limited, but it may be formed with the edge of the upper surface SF1 as a starting point, as shown in Fig. 6 (B).

The crack line CL is hardly formed in the direction from the position N2 to the position N3 in comparison with the direction from the position N2 to the position N1. In other words, there is a direction dependency in easiness of extension of the crack line CL. Therefore, a phenomenon may occur that the crack line CL is formed between the positions N1 and N2 and not between the positions N2 and N3. This embodiment aims at the division of the glass substrate 4 between positions N1 and N2 and does not aim at separation of the glass substrate 4 between positions N2 and N3. Therefore, it is necessary to form the crack line CL between the positions N1 and N2, but it is not a problem that the crack line CL is difficult to be formed between the positions N2 and N3.

Next, in step S60 (Fig. 4), the glass substrate 4 is divided along the crack line CL. More specifically, a braking process is performed. When the crack line CL is completely formed in the thickness direction DT at the time of its formation, the formation of the crack line CL and the division of the glass substrate 4 can occur at the same time. In this case, the breaking process can be omitted.

As a result, the glass substrate 4 is divided.

Next, the first to third modified examples of the dividing method will be described below.

7A, the first modification is such that the intersection of the assist line AL and the trench line TL is insufficient as an opportunity to start the formation of the crack line CL (Fig. 6B) Quot; 7B, the glass substrate 4 is detached along the assist line AL by adding an external force to the glass substrate 4 that generates a bending moment or the like. Thus, formation of the crack line CL is started.

7 (A), the assist line AL is formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4. However, the assist line AL for separating the glass substrate 4 is formed on the glass substrate 4, Or may be formed on the lower surface SF2. In this case, the assist line AL and the trench line TL cross each other at the position N2 on the plane layout, but do not make direct contact with each other.

In the first modified example, the distortion of the internal stress in the vicinity of the trench line TL is released by the separation of the glass substrate 4, and thus the formation of the crack line CL is started. Therefore, the assist line AL itself may be a crack line CL formed by adding stress to the trench line TL.

8, in the second modified example, the blade tip 51 is pushed from the position N3 to the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 in step S20 (Fig. 4). When the trench line TL is formed in step S30 (Fig. 4), in the present modified example, the blade tip 51 is displaced from the position N3 to the position N2, and further from the position N2 (N1). 5, the blade tip 51 is displaced in the direction DB which is the direction from the side ED2 to the side ED1. The direction DB corresponds to the direction opposite to the direction in which the axis AX extending from the blade 51 projects onto the upper surface SF1. In this case, the blade tip 51 is pushed over the upper surface SF1 by the shank 52. [

9, in the third modified example, when the trench line TL is formed in step S30 (FIG. 4), the edge 51 is formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 at a position N1 (N2) as compared with the case of the second embodiment. Specifically, when the position N4 is located between the positions N1 and N2 and the formation of the trench line TL reaches the position N4, the load of the blade tip 51 becomes high. In other words, the load of the trench line TL becomes higher between the positions N4 and N3 than the position N1, which is the end portion of the trench line TL. This makes it easier to cause the formation of the crack line CL from the position N2 while reducing the load at the end portion other than the end portion.

According to the present embodiment, the crack line CL can be more reliably formed from the trench line TL.

Unlike the third embodiment described later, in this embodiment, the assist line AL is not yet formed at the point of time when the trench line TL is formed (Fig. 6 (A)). Therefore, the crackle state can be more stably maintained without the influence from the assist line (AL). 7A in which the assist line AL is formed instead of the state shown in Fig. 6A in which the assist line AL is not formed, when the stability in the cracked state does not matter, The laminated material 11 may be formed.

(Fourth Embodiment)

The method of dividing the brittle substrate in the present embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 10 to 12. Fig.

Referring to Fig. 10, in this embodiment, the assist line AL is formed before the formation of the trench line TL. The method of forming the assist line AL itself is the same as that of Fig. 6B (Embodiment 2).

11, next, the blade tip 51 is pushed against the upper surface SF1 in step S20 (Fig. 4), and the trench line TL is formed in step S30 (Fig. 4). The formation method of the trench line TL itself is the same as in Fig. 6A (Embodiment 2). The assist line AL and the trench line TL cross each other at the position N2. Next, as in the second embodiment, step S40 (Fig. 4) is performed.

Next, referring to Fig. 12, a laminated material 11 is formed in the same manner as in the second embodiment, as step S40 (Fig. 4). Next, the glass substrate 4 is separated along the assist line AL by a normal breaking process of adding an external force to the glass substrate 4 to generate a bending moment or the like. Thus, as step S50 (Fig. 5), formation of the crack line CL similar to that of the first embodiment is started (see the dashed arrow in the figure). 10, the assist line AL is formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4, but the assist line AL for separating the glass substrate 4 is formed on the lower surface of the glass substrate 4 SF2). In this case, the assist line AL and the trench line TL cross each other at the position N2 on the plane layout, but do not make direct contact with each other.

The configuration other than the above is almost the same as the configuration of the second embodiment described above.

Referring to Fig. 13 (A), in the first modification, the assist line AL is formed on the lower surface SF2 of the glass substrate 4. Fig. Then, as in the case of Fig. 8 (Embodiment 2), the formation of the trench line TL is made from the position N3 to the position N1. The glass substrate 4 is detached along the assist line AL by adding an external force that generates a bending moment or the like to the glass substrate 4 after the laminate material 11 is formed with reference to Fig. As a result, formation of the crack line CL is started (see the broken line arrow in the figure).

14, in the second modified example, when the trench line TL is formed in step S30 (FIG. 4), the edge 51 is located at the position N1 of the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 4 (N2) as compared with the case of the second embodiment. Specifically, when the position N4 is located between the positions N1 and N2 and the formation of the trench line TL reaches the position N4, the load of the blade tip 51 becomes high. In other words, the load of the trench line TL becomes higher between the positions N4 and N3 than the position N1, which is the end portion of the trench line TL. This makes it easier to cause the formation of the crack line CL from the position N2 while reducing the load at the end portion other than the end portion.

(Fourth Embodiment)

15 (A), in the method of dividing the brittle substrate according to the present embodiment, in the step S30 (FIG. 4), the position ED2 is reached from the position N1 via the position N2 A trench line TL is formed.

Referring to Fig. 15 (B), a laminate material 11 is formed as step S40 (Fig. 4), similarly to the second embodiment. Next, between the position N2 and the edge ED2, a stress is applied which releases the distortion of the internal stress in the vicinity of the trench line TL. This causes the formation of a crack line in accordance with the trench line TL (Fig. 4: step S50).

Concretely as the application of the stress, in the area between the position N2 and the edge ED2 (the area between the broken line and the edge ED2 in the figure) on the upper face SF1, Lt; / RTI > This sliding is performed until the side ED2 is reached. The blade edge 51 is preferably slid so as to intersect the trajectory of the first formed trench line TL, more preferably overlap the trajectory of the firstly formed trench line TL. The length of this sliding movement is, for example, about 0.5 mm. This re-sliding may be performed for each of the plurality of trench lines TL (Fig. 15 (A)) after the formation thereof, or the step of forming one trench line TL and sliding again Or may be sequentially performed for each trench line TL.

As a modified example, in order to add stress between the position N2 and the side ED2, in place of the above-described sliding of the blade 51 again, the position N2 and the side edge ED2 ) May be irradiated with laser light. The thermal stress generated thereby also relaxes the distortion of the internal stress in the vicinity of the trench line TL, thereby causing initiation of crack line formation.

The configuration other than the above is almost the same as the configuration of the second embodiment described above.

(Embodiment 5)

16A, in the method of dividing a brittle substrate according to the present embodiment, the position N2 is moved from the position N1 to the position N2 in the step S30 (Fig. 4) , The trench line TL is formed away from the edge of the upper surface SF1. The formation method of the trench line TL itself is almost the same as that of Fig. 6A (Embodiment 2).

Referring to Fig. 16 (B), the laminated material 11 is formed as step S40 (Fig. 4), similarly to the second embodiment. Next, the same stress application as in Fig. 15 (B) (Embodiment 4 or its modification) is performed. This results in formation of a crack line along the trench line TL (Fig. 4: step S50).

17, as a modification of the process of Fig. 16A, in the formation of the trench line TL, the edge 51 is moved from the position N3 to the position N2 and from the position N2 (N1).

The configuration other than the above is almost the same as the configuration of the second embodiment described above.

(Embodiment 6)

18 (A) and 18 (B), in each of the above-described embodiments, a blade tip 51v may be used in place of the blade tip 51 (Figs. 5A and 5B). The blade edge 51v has a conical shape with a vertex and a conical surface SC. The protrusion PPv of the blade tip 51v is constituted by apices. The side portion PSv of the blade tip is formed along an imaginary line (broken line in Fig. 18 (B)) extending from the apex to the conical surface SC. Thus, the side portion PSv has a convex shape extending in a line.

In each of the above embodiments, the first and second sides of the edge of the glass substrate are rectangular short sides, but the first and second sides may be rectangular long sides. Further, the shape of the edge is not limited to the rectangular shape, and may be square, for example. In addition, the first and second sides are not limited to straight lines but may be curved lines. In each of the above embodiments, the surface of the glass substrate is flat, but the surface of the glass substrate may be curved.

A glass substrate is used as the brittle substrate particularly suitable for the above-described separation method, but the brittle substrate is not limited to the glass substrate. The brittle substrate may be made of, for example, ceramics, silicon, compound semiconductor, sapphire, or quartz in addition to glass.

The present invention can freely combine the embodiments of the present invention within the scope of the invention, or appropriately modify or omit the embodiments.

4: Glass substrate (brittle substrate)
11: laminated material (member)
50:
51, 51v: end point
52: Shank
AL: assist line
CL: crack line
ED1: side (first side)
ED2: side (second side)
N1: Position (first position)
N2: position (second position)
SF1: upper surface (surface)
SF2: when
TL: Trench line
PP, PPv:
PS, PSv: Side

Claims (5)

Preparing a brittle substrate having a surface and a thickness direction perpendicular to the surface,
A step of pushing a blade tip onto the surface of the brittle substrate,
Forming a trench line having a groove shape by causing plastic deformation on the surface of the brittle substrate by sliding the edge pressed by the pressing step on the surface of the brittle substrate, The step of forming the line is carried out so as to obtain a crackle state in a state in which the brittle substrate is continuously connected in the direction crossing the trench line immediately below the trench line,
And forming a member on the surface after the step of forming the trench line, the member having a portion separated from each other through the trench line on the surface,
And a step of forming a crack line by extending a crack of the brittle substrate in the thickness direction along the trench line after the step of disposing the member so as to form a crack line, Wherein the brittle substrate is continuously disconnected in a direction crossing the trench line,
And dividing the brittle substrate along the crack line. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of forming the member is performed so that the trench line protrudes from between the portions separated from each other on the surface. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein in the step of forming the member, the portion is disposed on the surface of the brittle substrate through the trench line at an interval of 100 mu m or less. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein in the step of preparing the brittle substrate, the brittle substrate is made of glass. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein in the step of preparing the brittle substrate, the surface is surrounded by the edges including the first and second sides facing each other,
Wherein the blade edge has a protruding portion and a side portion extending from the protruding portion and having a convex shape, and the step of pressing the blade edge is characterized in that the side edge of the blade edge on the surface of the brittle substrate The second side being disposed so as to be disposed between the protrusion and the second side,
In the step of forming the trench line, the trench line is formed between a first position and a second position closer to the second side than the first position,
Wherein the step of forming the crack line is carried out by extending a crack of the brittle substrate in the thickness direction from the second position to the first position along the trench line.

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