KR20170076727A

KR20170076727A - Method for severing brittle substrate

Info

Publication number: KR20170076727A
Application number: KR1020177013565A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 히로시 소야마
Original assignee: 미쓰보시 다이야몬도 고교 가부시키가이샤
Priority date: 2014-11-25
Filing date: 2015-11-12
Publication date: 2017-07-04
Also published as: TW201628984A; CN107001103A; CN107001103B; JPWO2016084614A1; JP6311798B2; TWI663134B; KR101912685B1; WO2016084614A1

Abstract

By generating the plastic deformation by moving the edge 51 on the upper surface SF1, the trench line TL is formed. The process of forming the trench line TL is performed so as to obtain a crackle state. The step of forming the trench line TL includes a step of forming the low-loss section LR and the high-load section HR. In the step of forming the high-load section HR, the load applied to the blade tip 51 is higher than the load used in the process of forming the low-speed section LR. By extending the crack only in the high-load section HR of the trench line TL, a crack line is formed along a part of the trench line TL. The glass substrate 11 is divided along the trench line TL. The step of dividing the glass substrate 11 includes a step of extending a crack along the lowering section LR from the crack line as a starting point.

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR SEVERING BRITTLE SUBSTRATE [0002]

The present invention relates to a method of dividing 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. The scribe line can be formed by mechanically processing the substrate by using a blade tip. The tip of the blade slides or rolls on the substrate to form a trench due to plastic deformation on the substrate and a vertical crack is formed immediately below the trench. Thereafter, a stress imparting called a braking process is performed. Thus, the vertical crack is completely advanced in the thickness direction, whereby the substrate is divided.

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

For example, according to the technique of International Publication No. 2002/104078, in a 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 seal cap is provided, contact between the seal cap and the glass cutter can be avoided.

Further, according to the technique of International Publication No. 2003/006391, for example, in the method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel, two glass substrates are bonded after scribe lines are formed. Thus, two brittle substrates can be simultaneously braked by one braking process.

International Publication No. 2002/104078 International Publication No. 2003/006391

According to the above conventional technique, the brittle substrate is processed after the scribe line is formed, and the braking process is performed by the subsequent stress application. This means that a vertical crack already exists along the entire scribe line at the time of processing into the brittle substrate. Therefore, further elongation in the thickness direction of the vertical cracks unintentionally occurs during processing, so that the brittle substrate, which should be integrated during processing, may be separated. Further, even when the substrate processing step is not performed between the scribing line forming step and the substrate breaking step, it is usually necessary to carry or store the substrate after the scribing line forming step and before the substrate breaking step The substrate may be unintentionally partitioned at that time.

In order to solve the above problems, the present inventor has developed an independent division technique. According to this technique, as a line defining the position where the brittle substrate is divided, first, a trench line having no cracks is formed immediately below the line. By forming the trench line, the position at which the brittle substrate is divided is defined. Thereafter, if a state in which no crack is present immediately below the trench line is maintained, division along the trench line is unlikely to occur easily. By using this state, it is possible to prevent the brittle substrate from being unintentionally divided before the point at which the brittle substrate is to be divided, while stipulating in advance the position at which the brittle substrate is divided.

The formation of the trench line is performed by machining using a cutting edge. During this machining, the sharp edges are damaged and eventually become unsuitable for use. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the blade with a proper timing, and this work load is large in the cutting process. According to the study by the inventor of the present invention, formation of the trench line is less likely to cause damage to the edge of the scribe line than formation of a normal scribe line. However, in order to further reduce the above-described workload, it is desired to develop a method of dividing the blade into a smaller blade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a breaking method of a brittle substrate which can reduce the damage to a blade edge which is subjected to a process for defining a position at which the brittle substrate is divided.

The brittle substrate cutting method has the following steps.

A brittle substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and having a thickness direction perpendicular to the first surface is prepared. Next, a trench line is formed by causing plastic deformation on the first side of the brittle substrate by moving the blade tip on the first side while pushing the blade tip onto the first side of the brittle substrate. The process of forming the trench line is performed so as to obtain a crackless state immediately below the trench line in a state in which the brittle substrate is continuously connected in the direction intersecting the trench line. The step of forming the trench line includes a step of forming a low load section as a part of the trench line and a step of forming a high load section as a part of the trench line. In the process of forming the high-load section, the load applied to the blade edge is higher than the load used in the process of forming the low-load section. Next, a crack line is formed along a part of the trench line by extending a crack of the brittle substrate in the thickness direction only along the trench line and only in the high-load section of the trench line. After the step of forming the crack line, the brittle substrate is divided along the trench line. The step of dividing the brittle substrate includes a step of applying a stress to the brittle substrate to extend a crack along the lowered section from the crack line as a starting point.

According to the present invention, in the formation of the trench line for defining the position where the brittle substrate is divided, the load applied to the blade edge is reduced in the lowering section compared with the high-load section. Accordingly, the damage to the blade edge can be reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a flow chart schematically showing a method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG.
2 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line III-III in FIG.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view (A) along line IV-IVA in FIG. 2 and a schematic cross-sectional view (B) along line IV-IVB in FIG.
5 is a top view schematically showing a step of a method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
6 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of FIG.
Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line VII-VII in Figure 5;
8 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
9 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line IX-IX of Fig.
10 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line X-X in Fig.
11 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a step of a method for separating a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
14 is a schematic side view according to the view field corresponding to the arrow XIV in Fig.
15 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
16 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
17 is a side view (A) schematically showing a configuration of a scribing mechanism used in a method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 17 is a side view The bottom view is (B).
18 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to the first modification of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
19 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to a second modification of Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
20 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to the third modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 21 is a side view (A) schematically showing a configuration of a scribing mechanism used in a method for dividing a brittle substrate according to a fourth modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 21 (B) is the bottom view of the edge of the blade by visual field.
22 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
23 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
24 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
25 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to the first modification of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
26 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to the first modification of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
27 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to a second modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.
28 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method in the third modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.
29 is a side view schematically showing a configuration of a scribe mechanism used in a method of dividing a brittle substrate according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
30 is a front view (A) and a partially enlarged view (B) of FIG. 30 (A) schematically showing the configuration of the scribing wheel and pin in FIG. 29;
31 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
32 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
33 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
34 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
35 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
36 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
37 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
38 is a top plan view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
39 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
40 is a top view schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate cutting method according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
Fig. 41 is a partial top view (A) to (D) schematically showing one step of a brittle substrate breaking method according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
Fig. 42 is a schematic sectional view (A) along the line XLII-XLIIA in Fig. 41A, a schematic partial sectional view (B) along the line XLIIB-XLIIB in Fig. 41B, Sectional view (C) in accordance with XLIIC and a schematic partial sectional view (D) along the line XLIID-XLIID in Fig. 41 (D).

(Mode for carrying out the invention)

Hereinafter, a method of dividing a brittle substrate according to each embodiment 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 1)

A method of dividing the glass substrate 11 (brittle substrate) of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to a flow chart (Fig. 1).

Referring to Figs. 2 to 4, a glass substrate 11 is prepared (Fig. 1: step S10). The glass substrate 11 has an upper surface SF1 (first surface) and a lower surface SF2 (second surface opposite to the first surface). The glass substrate 11 also has a thickness direction DT perpendicular to the upper surface SF1.

Further, a scribe mechanism having a blade tip is prepared. Details of the scribing mechanism will be described later.

Next, the blade tip 51 is moved from the starting point N1 to the end point N3 via the intermediate point N2 on the upper surface SF1 while the blade tip is pushed onto the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11. As a result, plastic deformation occurs on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11. Thus, a trench line TL extending from the point of view N1 to the end point N3 via the point N2 is formed on the upper surface SF1 (Fig. 1: step S20). In Fig. 2, three TLs are formed by the movement of the blade tip in the direction DA.

The step of forming the trench line TL includes a step of forming a lowering section LR as a part of the trench line TL (Fig. 1: step S20L) and a process of forming a lower load section HR) (Fig. 1: step S20H). In Fig. 2, a low-speed section is formed from the point of time N1 to the midpoint N2, and a high-load section is formed from the midpoint N2 to the end point N3. In the step of forming the high-load section HR, the load applied to the blade tip 51 is higher than the load used in the process of forming the low-speed section LR. Conversely, in the process of forming the lowering section LR, the load applied to the blade edge 51 is lower than the load used in the process of forming the high-load section HR, and, for example, (HR) of the load is about 30 to 50%. Therefore, the width of the trench line in the high-load section HR is larger than the width of the low-drop section LR. For example, the high-load section HR has a width of 10 mu m and the low-load section LR has a width of 5 mu m. Further, the depth of the high-load section HR is larger than the depth of the low-drop section LR. The cross section of the trench line TL has, for example, a V-shaped shape with an angle of about 150 DEG.

In addition, in the high-load section HR, since a high load is applied to the blade tip 51, it is preferable that the distance of the high-load section HR is small in consideration of the life of the blade tip 51. [ Further, in the case of changing the load during the formation of the trench line TL, it is preferable that the scribing speed becomes small in the high-load section HR in order to sufficiently increase the load in the high-load section HR at a smaller distance . That is, since the control for instantly increasing the load of the blade tip 51 is difficult, scribing is performed with the load being increased until a predetermined load is actually reached at the position N2 in a certain section. Therefore, by reducing the speed in the high-load section HR, the load can be made high at a smaller distance, and the entire distance of the high-load section HR can be reduced.

The process of forming the trench line TL is performed in a direction DC (Figs. 4A and 4B) in which the glass substrate 11 intersects with the trench line TL immediately below the trench line TL, So as to obtain a cracked state in a state in which they are continuously connected to each other. For this purpose, the load applied to the edge of the blade is large enough to cause plastic deformation of the glass substrate 11, and is small enough not to cause a crack originating from the plastic deformation portion.

Next, a crack line (Fig. 1: step S30) is formed as follows.

Referring to Figs. 5 to 7, an assist line AL intersecting the high load section HR is formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 first. The assist line AL is accompanied by a crack penetrating in the thickness direction of the glass substrate 11. The assist line AL can be formed by a normal scribing method.

Next, the glass substrate 11 is separated along the assist line AL. This separation can be performed by a normal braking process. The cracks of the glass substrate 11 in the thickness direction are exclusively propagated along the trench line TL and only the high load section HR among the trench lines TL.

8 and 9, the crack line CL is formed along a part of the trench line TL in the above manner. Specifically, in the high-load section HR, a crack line CL is formed at a portion between the side newly generated by the separation and the intermediate point N2. The direction in which the crack line CL is formed is opposite to the direction DA in which the trench line TL is formed (Fig. 2). In addition, the crack line CL is hardly formed at a portion between the edge newly formed by the separation and the end point N3. This direction dependence is caused by the state of the edge at the time of forming the high-load section HR, and will be described in detail later.

10, the glass substrate 11 is extended in the extending direction of the trench line TL and at a position immediately below the high load section HR of the trench line TL by the crack line CL, Continuous connection is disconnected in the cross direction DC. Here, " continuous connection " means, in other words, a connection not blocked by a crack. Further, in the state where the continuous connection is broken as described above, the portions of the glass substrate 11 may be in contact with each other with a crack of the crack line CL interposed therebetween.

Next, a breaking process is performed in which the glass substrate 11 is divided along the trench line TL (Fig. 1: step S40). At this time, by applying stress to the glass substrate 11, a crack is stretched along the lowering section LR starting from the crack line CL. The direction in which the crack is extended (the arrow PR in Fig. 11) is opposite to the direction DA in which the trench line TL is formed (Fig. 2).

Next, details of the braking process will be described below.

12, a glass substrate 11 (FIG. 9) on which a crack line CL is formed such that the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 is opposed to the table 80 via the rug 81, Is placed on the table (80) through the opening (81). The rug 81 is made of a material that is more easily deformed than the materials of the glass substrate 11 and the table 80.

13 and 14, a brake bar 85 is prepared. 14, the break bar 85 preferably has a protruding shape so as to locally push the surface of the glass substrate 11, and has a substantially V-shaped shape in Fig. 14 . As shown in Fig. 13, the projecting portions extend in a straight line shape.

Next, the brake bar 85 is brought into contact with a part of the lower surface SF2 of the glass substrate 11. This contact portion is apart from the facing portion SF2C facing the crack line CL in the thickness direction (the longitudinal direction in Fig. 13) of the lower surface SF2.

Next, as shown by the arrow CT1, the contact portion expands along the lowering period LR of the trench line TL and becomes closer to the facing portion SF2C. The brake bar 85 is brought into contact with a portion opposed to the low-speed section LR on the lower surface SF2 at the time of the first contact or by the extension of the contact portion subsequent thereto, HR "). &Lt; / RTI >

Referring to Fig. 15, as shown by the arrow CT2, the contact portion reaches the opposed portion SF2C. In other words, the brake bar 85 first applies stress to the low-middle section LR of the crack line CL by the above-described process, and then applies stress to the crack line CL at the same time . This stress causes a crack to extend from the crack line CL (Fig. 15) along the lower section LR (see arrow PR in Fig. 16).

By the breaking process described above, the glass substrate is divided (Fig. 11).

17 (A) and 17 (B), a scribe mechanism 50 suitable for forming the above-described trench line TL will be described. The scribing mechanism 50 is attached to a scribing head (not shown) to move relative to the glass substrate 11, thereby performing scribing on the glass substrate 11. The scribing mechanism 50 has a cutting edge 51 and a shank 52. The blade 51 is held by the shank 52.

A plurality of surfaces surrounding the top surface SD1 (first surface) and the top surface SD1 are formed in the blade 51. These plural surfaces include a side surface SD2 (second surface) and a side surface SD3 (third surface). The ceiling surface SD1 and the side surfaces SD2 and SD3 face each other in directions different from each other 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 projection PP of the blade tip 51 by this 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 linear shape at the ridgeline point as described above.

The blade edge 51 is preferably a diamond point. That is, the blade 51 is preferably made of diamond. In this case, the hardness can be increased and the surface roughness can be easily reduced. 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 side surfaces SD2 and SD3 is the {111} plane. In this case, the side faces SD2 and SD3 are crystal planes which have different directions but are equivalent to each other in terms of crystallography.

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, polycrystalline diamond sintered without containing a binder such as an iron family element, or sintered diamond obtained by bonding diamond particles with a binding material such as an iron family element may be used from fine graphite or non-graphite carbon.

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

In forming the trench line TL using the scribing mechanism 50, first, the blade tip 51 is pushed against the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11. Specifically, the projecting portion PP and the side portion PS of the blade 51 are pushed in the thickness direction DT of the glass substrate 11.

Next, the extruded edge 51 is slid in the direction DA on the upper surface SF1. The direction DA is a projection of a direction extending from the projection PP along the side portion PS on the upper surface SF1 and substantially corresponds to a direction in which the axial direction AX is projected onto the upper surface SF1. At the time of sliding, the blade tip 51 is pulled by the shank 52 on the upper surface SF1. Plastic deformation is generated on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by this sliding. The trench line TL is formed by this plastic deformation.

In the formation of the trench line TL from the time point N1 to the end point N3 in the present embodiment, when the tip 51 is moved in the direction DB, in other words, Assuming that the posture of the blade 51 is inclined in the opposite direction, the formation of the crack line CL shown in Fig. 9 and the progress of the crack shown in Fig. 16 are less likely to occur than in the case of using the direction DA. More generally speaking, in the trench line TL formed by the movement of the nose 51 on the direction DA, the crack tends to expand in the direction opposite to the direction DA. On the other hand, in the trench line TL formed by the movement of the nib 51 to the direction DB, cracks are likely to extend in the same direction as the direction DB. It is presumed that this direction dependency is related to the stress distribution occurring in the glass substrate 11 due to the plastic deformation occurring in the formation of the trench line TL.

According to the present embodiment, in the formation of the trench line TL (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) for defining the position where the glass substrate 11 is divided, the reduction period LR is shorter than the high- The load applied to the blade edge 51 (Fig. 17 (A)) is reduced. Thus, the damage to the blade tip 51 can be reduced.

8 and 9) in the low-load section LR and the low load section HR in the low-load section LR (Fig. 8 and Fig. 9), the crack as the starting point at which the glass substrate 11 is divided It is not in the section (LR). Therefore, when an arbitrary process is performed on the glass substrate 11 in this state, unintentional division of the glass substrate 11 is unlikely to occur even if unexpected stress is applied to the lowering period LR. Therefore, the above process can be stably performed.

2 and 3), cracks as starting points for the glass substrate 11 to be divided are not present in the trench line TL (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3), and in the case where both of the lower period LR and the higher load period HR are in a crackle state . Therefore, when an arbitrary process is performed on the glass substrate 11 in this state, unintentional division of the glass substrate 11 is unlikely to occur even if unexpected stress is applied to the trench line TL. Therefore, the above process can be performed more stably.

The trench line TL is also formed before the formation of the assist line AL. Thus, it is possible to avoid the influence of the assist line AL in forming the trench line TL. Particularly, it is possible to avoid formation abnormality immediately after the edge portion 51 passes the assist line AL for forming the trench line TL.

Next, modifications of the first embodiment will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 18, a crack line CL may be formed on the occasion that the assist line AL crosses the trench line TL. In the case where the stress applied to the glass substrate 11 at the time of forming the assist line AL is large, such an event may occur.

19, the assist line AL may first be formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11, and then the trench line TL (not shown in Fig. 19) may be formed.

20, the assist line AL may be formed on the lower surface SF2 of the glass substrate 11 so as to cross the high load section HR in the planar layout. Thus, both the assist line (AL) and the trench line (TL) can be formed without affecting each other.

A scribe mechanism 50v may be used instead of the scribe mechanism 50 (Figs. 17A and 17B) with reference to Figs. 21A and 21B. The blade tip 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. 21 (B)) extending from the apex to the conical surface SC. Thus, the side portion PSv has a convex shape extending linearly.

(Embodiment 2)

Referring to Fig. 22, a glass substrate 11 is first prepared. Further, a scribe mechanism having a blade tip is prepared. Details of the scribing mechanism will be described later.

Next, the assist line AL intersecting the high load section HR (FIG. 23), which will be described later, is moved to the upper surface (FIG. 23) by the movement of the blade tip in the direction DB on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 SF1).

23, the trench line TL is formed on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 from the start point Q1 to the end point Q3 via the midpoint Q2 by the movement of the edge of the edge in the direction DB. The trench line TL from the time point Q1 to the midway point Q2 is formed as the high-load section HR. The trench line TL from the point Q2 to the end point Q3 is formed as the lowering period LR.

Next, the glass substrate 11 is separated along the assist line AL. This separation can be performed by a normal braking process. As a result of this separation, a crack in the glass substrate 11 in the thickness direction is exclusively propagated along the trench line TL and only in the high-load section HR of the trench line TL.

24, a crack line CL is formed along a part of the trench line TL by the above-described extension of the cracks. Specifically, in the high-load section HR, a crack line CL is formed at a portion between the side newly generated by the separation and the midpoint Q2. The direction in which the crack line CL is formed is the same as the direction DB (FIG. 23) in which the trench line TL is formed. In addition, the crack line CL is hardly formed at a portion between the side newly generated by the separation and the time point Q1. This direction dependence is due to the edge state at the time of formation of the high-load section HR, and will be described in detail later.

Next, a breaking process (FIG. 12 to FIG. 16) in which the cracks are extended from the midpoint Q2 to the end point Q3 along the trench line TL with the crack line CL as a starting point is performed by the same breaking process . Whereby the brittle substrate 11 is divided.

25 and 26, as a first modification, the trench line TL may be formed first, and then the assist line AL may be formed. Referring to Fig. 27, as a second modification, a crack line CL may be formed with the formation of the assist line AL as an opportunity. 28, the assist line AL may be formed on the lower surface SF2 of the glass substrate 11 so as to cross the high load section HR in the planar layout. In the present embodiment, the high load section HR is formed from the time point Q1, but the high load section HR may be formed at a portion intersecting the assist line AL. For example, the low-speed section LR is formed immediately before the point of intersection with the assist line AL from the point of time Q1, followed by the high-load section HR so as to intersect with the assist line AL .

29, a scribing mechanism 50R suitable for forming the trench line TL in the present embodiment will be described. The scribe mechanism 50R has a scribing wheel 51R, a holder 52R, and a pin 53. [ The scribing wheel 51R has a substantially disk-shaped shape, and its diameter is typically on the order of several millimeters. The scribing wheel 51R is rotatably held around the rotating shaft RX via a pin 53 to the holder 52R.

The scribing wheel 51R has an outer peripheral portion PF on which a blade tip is formed. The outer peripheral portion PF extends in a ring shape around the rotation axis RX. As shown in Fig. 30 (A), the outer peripheral portion PF rises in a ridge shape at the naked eye level, thereby forming a blade edge composed of a ridge line and an inclined plane. On the other hand, at the microscopic level, as shown in Fig. 30 (B), at the portion actually acting by the penetration of the scribing wheel 51R into the upper surface SF1 (downward from the dotted line in Fig. 30 The ridgeline of the peripheral portion PF has a fine surface shape MS. It is preferable that the surface shape MS has a curved shape having a finite curvature radius in a front view (Fig. 30 (B)). The scribing wheel 51R is formed using a hard material such as a cemented carbide, sintered diamond, polycrystalline diamond, or single crystal diamond. The entire scribing wheel 51R may be made of single crystal diamond from the viewpoint of reducing the surface roughness of the above-mentioned ridgelines and slopes.

The formation of the trench line TL using the scribing mechanism 50R is performed by transferring the scribing wheel 51R on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 (Fig. 29: arrow RT) 51R on the upper surface SF1 in the traveling direction DB. This progress by the electric motor is performed while pushing the outer peripheral portion PF of the scribing wheel 51R onto the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by applying the load F to the scribing wheel 51R. As a result, plastic deformation is caused on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11, thereby forming a trench line TL having a groove shape. The load F has a vertical component Fp parallel to the thickness direction DT of the glass substrate 11 and an in-plane component Fi parallel to the top surface SF1. The direction DB is the same as the direction of the in-plane component Fi.

Instead of following the scribe mechanism 50R that moves in the direction DB, the formation of the trench line TL may be performed by using a scribing mechanism 50 (Figs. 17A and 17B) (Figs. 21 (A) and 21 (B)) may be used.

The configuration other than the above is substantially the same as the configuration of the first embodiment described above, so that the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

Also in this embodiment, substantially the same effect as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained. Further, in the present embodiment, since the trench line TL can be formed by using the rotating blade edge instead of the fixed blade edge, the life of the blade edge can be prolonged.

(Embodiment 3)

Referring to Fig. 31, first, a glass substrate 11 and a scribing mechanism having a blade tip are prepared. The trench line TL is formed between the points R1 and R6 on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by the movement of the edge of the edge. The trench line TL between the points R1 and R2 and between the points R3 and R4 and between the points R5 and R6 is formed as the high load section HR. The trench line TL between the points R2 and R3 and between the points R4 and R5 is formed as the lowering period LR. The trench line TL may be formed by any of the methods described in Embodiment 1 or 2 (including modified examples thereof) described above.

Next, the glass substrate 11 is separated along the plurality of break lines BL each intersecting the high-load section HR. The break line BL may be formed by any method such as a normal scribing process or a process of generating a vertical crack from the trench line TL and the break line BL may be separated by a normal break process .

32, with the separation of the above-described glass substrate 11 as a result of the separation, a portion between the side newly formed by the separation and one of the pair of intermediate points where the side is located is provided with a crack line CL are formed. The direction in which the crack line CL is formed is opposite to the direction DA when the trench line TL is formed in the direction DA (Fig. 17A or 21A), and the direction in which the trench line TL is formed in the direction DB (Fig. 17 (A), Fig. 21 (A) or Fig. 29) is the same as the direction DB.

Next, by the same breaking process (Figs. 12 to 16) as in the first embodiment, a breaking process is performed in which cracks are extended along the trench line TL starting from the crack line CL. Whereby the brittle substrate 11 is divided.

According to the present embodiment, the position where the glass substrate 11 is divided can be defined by a plurality of trench lines TL and a plurality of break lines BL crossing the trench lines TL.

(Fourth Embodiment)

A trench line is formed between the end points S1 and S3 on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by the movement of the edge 51 in the direction DA (see Fig. 17A) DL. The trench line TL between the end point S1 and the intermediate point S2 is formed as the lowering period LR. The trench line TL between the intermediate point S2 and the end point S3 is formed as the high-load section HR.

34, the blade tip 51 is moved in the direction DA (see Fig. 17 (a)) on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 while pushing the blade tip 51 onto the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 A) to cause plastic deformation on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 so that the intersecting trench line LX intersects the lower period LR of the trench line TL on the upper surface SF1, (TM) is formed in the direction DM. The process of forming the intersecting trench line TM is performed so as to obtain a crackle state in the same way as the trench line TL. That is, the process of forming the intersecting trench lines TM is a process of forming the intersecting trench lines TM in a state in which the glass substrates 11 are continuously connected in the direction intersecting the intersecting trench lines TM So as to obtain a crackle state.

Next, the glass substrate 11 is separated along the break line BM intersecting the intersecting trench line TM. This separation can be performed by a normal scribing step and a breaking step. The break line BM crosses the intersecting trench line TM at a point shifted in the direction DM from the intersection of the intersecting trench line TM and the trench line TL. As a result of this separation, a crack line CM (Fig. 35) accompanied by a crack penetrating in the thickness direction of the glass substrate 11 along the intersecting trench line TM is formed.

Next, the glass substrate 11 is separated along the break line BL crossing the high-load section HR of the trench line TL. This separation can be performed by a normal scribing step and a breaking step. With this separation as a trigger, a crack line CL (FIG. 36) accompanied by a crack penetrating in the thickness direction of the glass substrate 11 along the high-load section HR is formed.

Next, by the same breaking process (Figs. 12 to 16) as in the first embodiment, a breaking process is performed in which cracks are extended along the trench line TL starting from the crack line CL. Thus, the brittle substrate 11 is divided along the trench line TL (FIG. 37). Thereafter, the breaking process is performed along the crack line CM, and the brittle substrate 11 is further divided.

According to the present embodiment, the position where the glass substrate 11 is divided can be defined by the trench line TL and the intersecting trench line TM intersecting therewith.

The blade tip 51v (Fig. 21 (A)) may be used instead of the blade tip 51 (Fig. 17 (A)). The trench line TL may be formed in a direction opposite to the direction DL (FIG. 33). In this case, the edge 51 (FIG. 17 (A)) is moved in the direction DB. Likewise, the formation of the intersecting trench line TM may be performed in a direction opposite to the direction DM (Fig. 34). In this case, the edge 51 (Fig. 17 (A)) is moved to the direction DB. When the blade tip is moved to the direction DB, the blade tip of the scraping wheel 51R (Fig. 29) may be used instead of the blade tip 51. [

(Embodiment 5)

The edge of the scribing wheel 51R (Fig. 29) is pushed onto the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by applying a load, 29). As a result, plastic deformation occurs on the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11. As a result, the intersecting trench line TM is formed in the direction DM (Fig. 38) on the upper surface SF1. When the formation of the intersecting trench line TM is started, the edge of the scribing wheel 51R (Fig. 29) is placed on the edge of the glass substrate 11. At this time, a slight crack (CP) is generated at the edge of the glass substrate 11. As a result, at one end of the intersecting trench line TM, a breakdown CP located on the edge of the glass substrate 11 is formed.

Referring to Fig. 39, next, a trench line TL is formed between points T1 and T6 on the upper surface SF1 by moving the tip of the edge on the upper surface SF1. The trench line TL between the points T1 and T2 and between the points T3 and T4 and between the points T5 and T6 is formed as the high load section HR. The trench line TL between the points T2 and T3 and between the points T4 and T5 is formed as the lowering period LR. The intersecting trench line TM crosses the high load section HR on the upper surface SF1. The trench line TL may be formed by any of the methods described in Embodiment 1 or 2 (including modified examples thereof) described above.

Next, a crack is extended along the intersecting trench line TM starting from the bridge CP. Thus, the glass substrate 11 is separated along the intersecting trench line TM (Fig. 40). As a result of this separation, a crack line CL is formed in the high-load section HR at a portion between one side newly formed by the separation and one of the pair of intermediate points where the side is located .

According to the present embodiment, substantially the same effects as in the fourth embodiment can be obtained. In addition, according to the present embodiment, bending CP is used as a starting point for generating a crack along the intersecting trench line TM. Thus, the break process along the break line BM (Fig. 34) intersecting the intersecting trench line TM can be omitted. 17A) or 51v (Fig. 21 (A)), which is a fixed edge of the blade, because the edge of the scribing wheel 51R (Fig. 29) ) Is used, the damage to the blade edge due to the overlaying is suppressed. It is also possible to use the blade tip 51 or the blade tip 51v instead of the blade tip of the scraping wheel 51R (Fig. 29) when this damage is not particularly a problem.

(Embodiment 6)

Referring to Figs. 41 (A) and 42 (A), first, a description will be given of a breaking apparatus for a glass substrate 11 in the present embodiment. The cutting apparatus has a scribing mechanism 50 (see also Fig. 17 (A)), a conveyor 70, a brake roller 61, and an auxiliary roller 62. The conveyor 70 conveys the glass substrate 11 in the direction CV while exposing the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11. [ The scribing mechanism 50 is fixed to a scribing head (not shown) and scribes the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by contacting the glass substrate 11 moved by the conveyor 70. [ The brake roller 61 is a member that locally presses the lower surface SF2 of the glass substrate 11 to perform the breaking process. The auxiliary roller 62 is a roller that contacts the glass substrate 11 on the upper surface SF1 which is the opposite surface so that the pushing onto the lower surface SF2 by the brake roller 61 can be performed. The auxiliary roller 62 is disposed at a position different from the brake roller 61 in the plane layout (Fig. 41 (A)) so that the glass substrate 11 can be stably rotated by pushing by the brake roller 61 And is preferably arranged so as to interpose the brake roller in the rotational axis direction (the longitudinal direction in FIG. 41 (A)).

41 (A) and 42 (A), the conveyor 70 is shown schematically by a chain double-dashed line. The same applies to the other drawings.

Next, the dividing method by the above-described dividing device will be described below.

As the conveyor 70 moves in the conveying direction CV, the glass substrate 11 is conveyed in the conveying direction CV. The edge 51 (see Fig. 17) of the scribe mechanism 50 is placed on the upper surface SF1 from the right edge of the glass substrate 11. [ (CP) is formed on the right edge of the glass substrate 11 by the overlaying.

The blade tip 51 placed on the upper surface SF1 moves in the direction opposite to the conveying direction CV relative to the upper surface SF1 of the glass substrate 11 by the movement of the glass substrate 11 in the conveying direction CV . The relative movement direction of the blade tip 51 to the upper surface SF1 corresponds to the direction DB (Fig. 17 (A)). During this movement, a load is applied to the blade tip 51, so that a high-load section HR of the trench line TL is formed on the upper surface SF1.

41 (B) and 42 (B), after the glass substrate 11 is further transported, the load applied to the blade tip 51 becomes smaller than that in the high load section HR, The formation of the lowering period LR of the trench line TL is started.

The glass substrate 11 is further conveyed so that the high load section formed with the breakage CP by the brake roller 61 and the assist roller 62 can be obtained by referring to Figures 41 (C) and 42 (C) (HR) is applied. As a result, a crack is extended from the bridge (CP), and as a result, a crack line (CL) is formed in the high load section (HR). In Fig. 42 (C), the crack line CL reaches the lower surface SF2 through the glass substrate 11 in the thickness direction.

41 (D) and 42 (D), the glass substrate 11 is further conveyed so that the stress applied to the low-speed section LR by the brake roller 61 and the sub- Lt; / RTI > A crack is extended from the crack line CL to the portion subjected to the stress during the lowering period LR. Thereafter, as the glass substrate 11 is conveyed, a crack develops in the lowering period LR. When the crack is extended, the scribing mechanism 50 forms the lowered intermediate section LR, thereby extending the lowered intermediate section LR. Thus, while the lowering period LR of the trench line TL is extended, the division of the glass substrate 11 progresses along the extended length. That is, the continuous division of the glass substrate 11 proceeds.

According to the present embodiment, the glass substrate 11 can be continuously divided. As a result, the glass substrate 11 can be divided without being restricted by the length of the glass substrate 11.

Unlike the high-load section HR, in the low-load section LR, cracks are hardly propagated to portions not yet subjected to stress application by the brake roller 61. [ Therefore, in the continuous dividing step shown in Fig. 42 (D), it is prevented that the crack reaches the blade edge 51 or extends beyond the position of the blade edge 51. [ Thus, continuous division of the glass substrate 11 can be stably performed.

Although the edge CP of the glass substrate 11 is used to generate the crack line CL in the present embodiment, the crack line CL may be formed using another instrument. Further, a scribing mechanism 50v (FIG. 21) or 50R (FIG. 29) may be used instead of the scribing mechanism 50.

The brittle substrate cutting method according to each of the above embodiments is particularly suitable for a glass substrate, but the brittle substrate may be made of a material other than glass. For example, ceramics, silicon, a compound semiconductor, sapphire, or quartz may be used as a material other than glass.

AL: assist line
BL, BM: Brake line
CL, CM: crack line
CP:
HR: High load section
SC: cone surface
PF: outer periphery
SD1: Surface
SD2, SD3: Side
AX: Axial direction
SF1: upper surface
SF2: when
LR: Degraded section
TL: Trench line
PP, PPv:
MS: Surface shape
TM: intersecting trench line
PS, PSv: Side
SF2C: opposite part
RX:
11: Glass substrate (brittle substrate)
50, 50R, 50v: scribe mechanism
51, 51v: end point
51R: Scribing wheel
52: Shank
52R: Holder
53: pin
61: Brake roller
62: Auxiliary roller
70: Conveyor
80: Table
81: rug
85: Brake bar

Claims

Preparing a brittle substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and having a thickness direction perpendicular to the first surface;
Forming a trench line by causing plastic deformation on the first surface of the brittle substrate by moving the blade tip on the first surface while pushing the blade tip onto the first 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, Is formed,
Forming a lowering section as a part of the trench line,
And a step of forming a high-load section as a part of the trench line. In the step of forming the high-load section, the load applied to the blade edge is higher than the load used in the step of forming the low- in
Forming a crack line along a part of the trench line by extending a crack of the brittle substrate along the trench line only in the high-load section of the trench line in the thickness direction;
And a step of dividing the brittle substrate along the trench line after the step of forming the crack line, wherein in the step of dividing the brittle substrate, stress is applied to the brittle substrate, And a step of extending the crack along the lowering period.
Method of breaking a brittle substrate.

The method according to claim 1,
The step of forming the crack line includes a step of forming an assist line that crosses the high load section on the first surface of the brittle substrate accompanied by a crack penetrating the brittle substrate in the thickness direction , And dividing the brittle substrate.

3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the step of forming the crack line includes a step of separating the brittle substrate along the assist line.

The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of forming an assist line on the second surface of the brittle substrate, wherein the assist line intersects the high load section in a planar layout,
Wherein the step of forming the crack line includes a step of separating the brittle substrate along the assist line.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
After the step of forming the trench line, plastic deformation on the first side of the brittle substrate by moving the blade tip on the first side of the brittle substrate while pushing the blade tip onto the first side of the brittle substrate Further comprising the step of forming an intersecting trench line intersecting the lowering section of the trench line on the first surface, wherein the step of forming the intersecting trench line comprises the steps of: And the brittle substrate is continuously connected in the direction crossing the intersecting trench line, so that a cracked state is obtained. Further,
Further comprising the step of forming, along the crossing trench line, a crack line accompanying a crack penetrating in the thickness direction of the brittle substrate,
Method of breaking a brittle substrate.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein prior to the step of forming the trench line a plastic deformation is produced on the first side of the brittle substrate by moving the blades on the first side while pushing the blades against the first side of the brittle substrate by applying a load Further comprising the step of forming an intersecting trench line that intersects the high load section of the trench line on the first surface, wherein the step of forming the intersecting trench line further comprises: So that the brittle substrate is continuously connected in the direction crossing the intersecting trench line.
Wherein the step of forming the crackline is performed by separating the brittle substrate by extending a crack along the crossing trench line,
Method of breaking a brittle substrate.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the lowering section is extended by the step of forming the lowering section while the step of expanding the crack is being performed.