TW201408613A - Chemical polishing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a single-wafer-type chemical polishing apparatus capable of performing a chemical polishing treatment on a glass substrate without the use of a jig. A chemical polishing apparatus (10) is provided with a plurality of conveyance rollers (50) and a plurality of spray pipes (322). The plurality of conveyance rollers (50) are each configured to convey a glass substrate (100) in the horizontal direction while supporting the glass substrate (100) from underneath. The spray pipes (322) are configured to spray a polishing liquid from at least the underside of the glass substrate (100) onto the glass substrate (100) that is conveyed by the plurality of conveyance rollers (50). The spray pipes (322) also spray the polishing liquid so that the circumferential surfaces of all of the conveyance rollers (50) within at least a chemical polishing space are wetted by the polishing liquid.

Description

Chemical polishing device

The present invention relates to a chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform a chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed.

In order to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate, it is generally necessary to chemically polish the glass substrate using a chemical polishing liquid containing hydrofluoric acid. As such a chemical polishing treatment, a batch type chemical polishing in which a glass substrate to be treated is immersed in a tank filled with a chemical polishing liquid for a specific period of time, and a glass substrate to be processed are conveyed by a transfer roller A single-piece chemical polishing in which the chemical slurry is sprayed and sprayed.

In the chemical polishing method, the batch method is performed by immersing the glass substrate to be treated in the polishing bath for a specific period of time to thin the glass substrate to a desired thickness. The advantage of being able to process a large amount of glass substrate at a time. However, in the grinding of the batch method, there are at least the following problems.

First, in the batch type polishing, since the polishing liquid bath is a structure that is open to the upper side, there is a bath of the polishing liquid. The surrounding area becomes a problem of a high concentration of hydrofluoric acid atmosphere. In particular, when the foaming treatment is performed on the polishing liquid in the polishing bath, there is a problem that the gaseous fluoric acid is likely to diffuse toward the surroundings. Workers who work in such a fluoric acid atmosphere may have health problems if they do not attach appropriate protective equipment to their work. Therefore, the cost of the protection equipment issued by the operator becomes high.

Further, in the batch type polishing, in order to eliminate the high-concentration hydrofluoric acid atmosphere around the polishing liquid bath, it is an exhaust device requiring a strong scrubber or the like, and the equipment cost is increased. Further, since corrosion of the device is likely to occur due to the hydrofluoric acid gas, there is also a problem that, in order to apply an appropriate anti-corrosion treatment, cost is incurred, and the frequency of exchange of the device is increased. And cost.

Therefore, in recent years, there has been a case where a chemical polishing treatment using a one-piece method is employed. For example, in the prior art, there is a general flat panel display glass substrate etching apparatus which is configured such that a glass substrate can be vertically supported by a jig capable of attaching a glass substrate. This jig is sprayed with a chemical polishing liquid on the glass substrate (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-266135

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is still necessary to use a jig for supporting a glass substrate. Therefore, the same as the batch type chemical polishing apparatus described above, the cost of preparing the jig is high, and there is also a problem that it is easy to produce a trace of the jig at the glass substrate. Since the jig trace is generated at the glass substrate, it is extremely difficult to carry out efficient chamfering design, and therefore, there is a problem that the deangulation efficiency is lowered.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus capable of applying a chemical polishing treatment to a glass substrate without using a jig.

The chemical polishing apparatus of the present invention is configured to perform a chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed. This chemical polishing apparatus is provided with a plurality of conveying rollers and a polishing liquid spraying means. The plurality of transport rollers are configured to transport the glass substrate in a horizontal direction while supporting the glass substrate from below. The polishing liquid spraying means is configured to eject the polishing liquid from at least the lower side to the glass substrate that is conveyed by the plurality of conveying rollers. The spraying by the polishing liquid spraying means is preferably performed from both the upper and lower sides. However, the present invention can be carried out even when the ejection from the upper side is not performed. Further, the polishing liquid spraying means is formed by at least the circumferential surface of all the conveying rollers in the chemical polishing processing space. The polishing liquid is sprayed in such a manner that the grinding liquid is set to a wet state.

In this configuration, since the polishing liquid from the polishing liquid spraying means is sprayed onto the conveying roller in the chemical polishing processing space, the peripheral surface of the conveying roller is constantly kept moist by the polishing liquid. State. In addition, since the peripheral surface of the transport roller is washed by the polishing liquid to be sprayed, it is difficult to adhere to a foreign object such as a slug on the circumferential surface of the transport roller, and the peripheral surface of the transport roller The system is always kept in a clean state.

Therefore, when the main surface of the glass comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the conveying roller, the glass substrate becomes difficult to be contaminated. Further, the portion of the glass substrate that is in contact with the circumferential surface of the transfer roller is also appropriately polished by the polishing liquid. As a result, even if the glass substrate is directly placed on the transport roller and transported, it is difficult to cause problems such as uneven polishing or deterioration of the quality of the glass substrate. Thereby, even if the jig is not used, it is possible to apply the chemical polishing treatment to the glass substrate in an appropriate manner.

According to the invention as described above, it is possible to apply a chemical polishing treatment to the glass substrate without using the jig.

10‧‧‧Chemical grinding device

12‧‧‧Moving Department

14‧‧‧Pre-treatment chamber

16‧‧‧1st treatment chamber

18‧‧‧2nd processing chamber

20‧‧‧3rd processing chamber

22‧‧‧4th processing chamber

24‧‧‧washing chamber

26‧‧‧ Moving out

28‧‧‧1st relay unit

30‧‧‧2nd relay

32‧‧‧3rd relay department

50‧‧‧Transport roller

282‧‧‧Steam tube

302‧‧‧Steam tube

322‧‧‧Steam tube

444‧‧‧Steam tube

[Fig. 1] A one-piece chemical polishing apparatus for an embodiment of the present invention A picture showing the appearance of the display.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a first processing chamber.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a processing liquid supply mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a crank mechanism.

[Fig. 7] A diagram for explaining the processing at the pre-processing chamber.

[Fig. 8] A diagram showing the state of support of the glass by the transfer roller.

Fig. 1 is a view showing the appearance of a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus 10 as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 are views showing a schematic configuration of the chemical polishing apparatus 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is generally provided with a loading unit 12, a pre-processing chamber 14, and a first processing chamber 16, a second processing chamber 18, and a third processing chamber. 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay portion 28, the second relay portion 30, and the third relay portion 32, and the water washing chamber 24, the carry-out portion 26, and the processing liquid storage portion 42, The treatment liquid supply unit 44 and the water supply unit 46.

The loading unit 12 is configured to be able to receive by the operator The manual operation performed or the glass substrate 100 to be subjected to the thinning treatment is carried out by an automatic operation performed by a robot or the like. The pre-processing chamber 14 is configured to receive the glass substrate 100 conveyed from the loading unit 12. The first processing chamber 16 is configured to eject a chemical polishing liquid on the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100 to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate 100. The second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 are configured to eject a chemical polishing liquid having the same composition as that of the first processing chamber 16 on the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100, and further extend the glass substrate 100. Thin. The first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are each configured to connect a plurality of processing chambers. The water washing chamber 24 is configured to wash the glass substrate 100 that has passed through the fourth processing chamber 22. The carry-out unit 26 is configured to take out the glass substrate 100 subjected to the chemical polishing treatment and the water washing treatment. The glass substrate 100 that has reached the carry-out portion 26 is taken out from the chemical polishing apparatus 10 and collected by manual work by a worker or by an automatic operation by a robot or the like. After that, when the glass substrate 100 needs to be further thinned, it is introduced into the chemical polishing apparatus 10 again. On the other hand, when it is not necessary to further reduce the thickness, the system moves. To the engineering office in the latter part of the film forming project.

The processing liquid storage unit 42 is connected via the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, and the recovery line 420. The processing liquid supply unit 44 is connected to the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, and the second via the liquid supply line 440. Relay unit 30. And the third relay unit 32. The water supply unit 46 is connected to the pre-treatment chamber 14 and the water washing chamber 24 via the water supply line 460. In addition, in FIG. 1, the collection line 420 of the chemical polishing apparatus 10, the liquid supply line 440, and the water supply line 460 of the washing water are abbreviate|omitted.

In the chemical polishing apparatus 10 described above, the pre-processing chamber is provided in addition to the working space of the inlet port 200 of the pre-processing chamber 14, the outlet port 300 from the water washing chamber 24, and a portion of the crank mechanism 36 to be described later. 14. The first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay portion 28, the second relay portion 30, the third relay portion 32, and the water washing chamber 24 is occluded airtightly and watertightly as a whole. The inlet 200 and the outlet 300 are in a slit shape which is slightly larger than the thickness of the glass substrate 100 and which is slightly wider than the width of the glass substrate 100. Further, a plurality of transport rollers 50 are disposed on the same plane through the respective portions. Each of the transport rollers 50 constitutes a transport path that supports the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100 while being transported in the right direction of the drawing.

Here, the transport speed is preferably set to 100 to 800 mm/minor, more preferably, it is set to 300 to 550 mm/min. Further, in the present embodiment, the processing time in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 is set to a total of 20 minutes, but it is not It is limited to this. Moreover, if the conveyance speed is too slow if it exceeds the above range, the production efficiency is deteriorated, and the chemical polishing liquid is liable to stay on the glass substrate 100 and hinder the uniform chemical polishing, which is the worst. Situation, There is also a flaw that causes the glass substrate 100 to be chipped. On the other hand, in the case of the same apparatus scale, if it is desired to increase the transport speed, it is difficult to optimize the liquid composition for achieving this target, and as a result, it is difficult to achieve homogenization chemical polishing.

The glass substrate 100 which is thinned in the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is not particularly limited, but is configured to be cut (1080×1230 mm) and G6 size (1500×1800 mm) for the G8 size. A large-sized glass substrate such as the same can also be used as a chemical polishing apparatus 10 for uniformly grinding the upper and lower surfaces thereof. Further, the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is configured such that the glass substrate 100 is directly transported by the transport roller 50 without using a jig or a carrier.

As described above, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, The chemical polishing liquid of the processing liquid supply unit 44 is supplied to the respective chambers at 40 to 42 ° C via the liquid supply line 440 in communication with the temperature-treated processing liquid supply unit 44. Here, the composition of the chemical polishing liquid is preferably a liquid composition of 1 to 20% by weight of hydrofluoric acid, 0 to 10% by weight of hydrochloric acid, and the remainder being water.

Further, the pre-treatment chamber 14 and the water washing chamber 24 are connected to the water supply unit 46 via the water supply line 460, and the washing water is supplied to the respective chambers. Further, the washing drainage discharged from the pre-treatment chamber 14 and the washing chamber 24 is discharged to the wastewater treatment facility.

On the other hand, as described above, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the bottom of the fourth processing chamber 22 are provided. The portion is connected to the treatment liquid storage portion 42 via the recovery line 420, and the polishing water is recovered. Since the bottoms of the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are each provided with a bottom portion that is inclined toward the adjacent processing chamber, the first relay unit 28 and the The processing liquids in the relay unit 30 and the third relay unit 32 are smoothly guided to the adjacent processing chambers. In addition, after the precipitation of the reaction product and other treatments have been carried out, it is sent to the treatment liquid supply unit 44 if it is in a state in which it can be reused. When it is in a state where it cannot be reused, it is transferred to the waste disposal facility as a thick waste liquid.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the pre-processing chamber 14, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, and the water washing chamber 24 are generally via an exhaust line 340. The gas is connected to the exhaust portion 34, and the internal gas of each chamber is attracted to the exhaust portion 34. Here, since the exhaust line 340 functions constantly, the inlet port 200 toward the pretreatment chamber 14 and the outlet port 300 from the water washing chamber 24 are formed in a part of the crank mechanism 36. The opening is maintained in a negative pressure state without a process gas leaking through the openings.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, and the water washing chamber 24, at the upper and lower positions of the conveying roller 50 Each of the plurality of injection tubes 444 (444U, 444L) extending in the transport direction of the glass substrate 100 is disposed. Each spray tube 444, It is a hollow resin tube made of vinyl chloride or TEFLON (registered trademark), and a plurality of injection nozzles 446 are formed in a row at one injection pipe. Then, the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed from the upper side spray pipe 444U disposed at the upper side, and the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed on the lower surface of the glass substrate 100 from the lower side spray tube 444L disposed at the lower side. . On the other hand, the washing water is sprayed from the upper side spray pipe 242U disposed at the water washing chamber 24, and the washing water is sprayed from the lower side spray pipe 242L to the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100. Further, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are provided with injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes, respectively. 322 (322U, 322L), and a chemical polishing liquid having the same composition as the first to fourth processing chambers 18, 20, 22, and 24 is sprayed onto the upper surface and the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100.

In this embodiment, the injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), the injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and the injection are disposed in the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32. The tubes 322 (322U, 322L), and the injection tubes (242U, 242L) disposed at the water washing chamber 24, are held in a fixed state. On the other hand, each of the injection tubes 444 disposed in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 is configured to be shaken by the crank mechanism 36. .

As shown in FIG. 5(A) and FIG. 5(B), in this embodiment, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, and the third portion are provided. The processing chamber 20 and the fourth processing chamber 22 are disposed on the upper side and the lower side of the glass substrate 100, and are respectively provided with ten ejection tubes 444 (444U, 444L). Fig. 5(A) is a plan view of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L), and at each of the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), for example, eight injection nozzles 446 are formed.

Each of the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) is closed on the front end side (lower side in the drawing), and a hydraulic control portion is provided on the base end side thereof. The hydraulic control unit is constituted by the same number (10) of opening and closing valves 442 (442U, 442L) as the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), and can be used for each of the opening and closing valves 442 (442U, 442L). The degree of opening is adjusted to arbitrarily set the hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid supplied to each of the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L). For example, it is possible to set a difference between the hydraulic pressures of the upper side injection pipe 444U and the lower side injection pipe 444L, or between the central injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) and the end injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). difference. Further, the hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid supplied to each of the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) can be confirmed by the gauge 38 disposed on the upper surface of the chemical polishing apparatus 10.

In this embodiment, the hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at the center position is set to be slightly larger than the spray pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at the peripheral position, toward the center of the glass substrate 100. The contact pressure and the ejection amount are set to be slightly higher than the contact pressure and the ejection amount to the peripheral position of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the chemical polishing liquid sprayed to the center of the glass substrate 100 becomes The chemical polishing liquid becomes difficult to stay on the upper surface of the glass substrate 100 by smoothly moving toward the peripheral position of the glass substrate. As a result, a slight amount of the chemical polishing liquid acts on the entire surface of the glass substrate 100, and it is easy to uniformly polish the glass substrate 100 in a uniform manner. Further, even if the hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is not changed in the wide direction, the chemical polishing liquid can be prevented from remaining on the glass substrate 100, and it is not necessary to specifically The hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is varied in the wide direction as long as the hydraulic pressures of all the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) are set to be uniform.

Further, each of the injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) is rotatably supported by a shaft or the like by a bearing or the like, and is configured to be slightly shaken by ±30° by the crank mechanism 36 ( Oscillation) (Refer to Figure 5(B)). In addition, FIG. 5(B) is a display for the shaking angle, and is not intended to be a display for the range of the chemical polishing liquid. That is, since the chemical polishing liquid is ejected from the injection nozzle 446 of the injection pipe 444 in a flared manner, the injection range thereof is wider than the shaking angle.

The crank mechanism 36 is provided with a drive motor 362 as shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), and is configured to convert the rotational force of the drive motor 362 into a swing of the spray tubes 444 (444U, 444L). The force is transmitted to the conduction mechanism portion 364 at the injection tube 444 (444U, 444L). The rotational force of the drive motor 362 is transmitted to the swing arm 366 as a force for rocking the swing arm 366 through the conductive arm. The rocking arm 366 is supported in a rotatable state and is disposed on the chemical polishing apparatus 10 At the inner wall portion of the support portion 368.

On the other hand, the end portions of the respective injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) pass through the partition wall of the processing chamber, and are installed at the portion located at the outer side of the processing chamber to be used for conduction in the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). The torque transmitting arms 372, 376 of the torque necessary for the shaking. The torque transmitting arms 372, 376 are respectively supported by the holding arms 370, 374 in a rotatable state. The holding arms 370, 374 are coupled to the rocking arm 366 in a rotatable and slidable state.

If the swing arm 366 is shaken by the rotational force of the drive motor 362, the holding arms 370, 374 are generally rocked as shown by the arrows in the figure, in conjunction with the swing arm 366. The force from the holding arm 370 is transmitted to the upper injection pipe 444U as torque via the torque transmitting arm 372. Further, the force from the holding arm 374 is transmitted to the lower injection pipe 444L as torque via the torque transmission arm 376. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(A) and FIG. 6(B), the upper side injection pipe 444U and the lower side injection pipe 444L are oriented in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass substrate 100 and are opposite to each other. The direction is rotated by about ±30°. Further, the number of rotations of the drive motor 362 is defined by the number of times of the swing of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L). However, in the present embodiment, the number of rotations of the drive motor is set to be about 10 to 30 rpm.

An injection nozzle 446U is formed on the lower side of the injection pipe 444U, and an injection nozzle 446L is formed on the lower side of the injection pipe 444L, and each of the injection nozzles is formed on one side. The chemical polishing liquid was sprayed onto the upper surface of the glass substrate while rotating about ±30° (refer to FIG. 5(B)).

Further, in the present embodiment, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 which are subjected to the same chemical polishing by the same liquid composition are intentionally divided. Make settings. The reason for this is that the ejection tube 444 (444U, 444L) is prevented from being flexed by suppressing the length of the ejection tube 444 (444U, 444L), and the ejection tube 444 (444U, 444L) is smoothly shaken. Therefore. Further, in order to suppress the influence due to thermal expansion of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) to be smaller. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to maintain the uniform distance between the ejection tubes 444 (444U, 444L) and the glass substrate 100, and to easily adjust the hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed on the glass substrate 100. . Further, by smoothly oscillating the ejecting tubes 444 (444U, 444L), the chemical polishing liquid can smoothly flow from the upper surface of the glass substrate 100, so that the chemical polishing liquid is hard to stay on the glass substrate 100. . In addition, although the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is related to the pipe diameter (liquid supply amount), it is generally preferably suppressed to 2.5 m or less, and more preferably 2 m or less. .

In order to chemically polish the glass substrate 100 at a high speed, it is necessary to increase the liquid amount of the chemical polishing liquid in the heated state. However, by suppressing the length of the injection tube 444 (444U, 444L) to an appropriate length, There is no case where the drive motor 362 is excessively enlarged, and a plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, can be made by a simple mechanism). 444L) Smoothly shake.

Next, the configuration of the pre-processing chamber 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7(A) to 7(C). At the pre-processing chamber 14, as in the foregoing, it is adjacent to the first processing chamber 16, and is provided with a crank mechanism 36 for oscillating the injection tubes 444 (444U, 444L). In addition to the above configuration, the pre-processing chamber 14 is disposed at the introduction port of the glass substrate 100 facing the first processing chamber 16, and is disposed on the opposite roller 146 for receiving the glass substrate 100, and above the glass substrate 100. Next, the water washing nozzles 142, 144 are sprayed. The water washing nozzles 142 and 144 cover the entire area in the direction (wide direction) orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass substrate 100, and are provided in plural at specific intervals. Here, the glass substrate 100 is set to a contact pressure that is gently held by the opposing roller 146 and the conveying roller 50 and introduced into the first processing chamber 16.

Further, the water washing nozzles 142 and 144 are set to spray water toward the inlet of the first processing chamber 16 of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the glass substrate 100 introduced into the first processing chamber 16 is sufficiently wetted to prevent initial etching with non-uniformity. In other words, since the first processing chamber 16 is in a fluoric acid gas atmosphere, if the surface of the glass substrate 100 is in a dry state, the fluorine acid gas may be eroded by unevenness. However, in the present embodiment, In the form, since the surface of the glass substrate 100 is protected by water, subsequent homogenization etching is started in the first processing chamber 16.

In the present embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7(A) to 7(C), the water washing nozzle 142 is configured to be sprayed toward the bottom side. On the other hand, the water-washing nozzle 144 is configured such that water is sprayed obliquely in the upward direction toward the upstream side of the transport path of the glass substrate 100. The water washing nozzle 144 is configured to spray water toward the obliquely upward direction. When the glass substrate 100 approaches the water washing nozzles 142 and 144, as shown in FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B), it is possible to wash the nozzle from the water. At 144, water is supplied to the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, it is possible to rapidly form a film on the glass substrate 100 to prevent it from being corroded by the hydrofluoric acid gas. In addition, when the glass substrate 100 approaches the water washing nozzle 144, since the water sprayed from the water washing nozzle 144 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100, the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100 can be appropriately washed by the water washing nozzle 144. Net and properly moisten it.

As described above, by providing the water washing nozzles 142, 144 at the pre-processing chamber 14, it is possible to prevent the glass substrate 100 in a dry state from being exposed to the hydrofluoric acid gas and being non-uniformly etched. In addition, since the glass substrate 100 is prevented from being held between the opposing roller 146 and the transport roller 50 in a dry state, it is possible to prevent the glass substrate 100 from passing between the opposing roller 146 and the transport roller 50. A flaw is generated on the surface or the glass substrate 100 is stained.

Next, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 will be described. In the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 in a fixed state are disposed at the upper and lower positions of the conveyance path. Further, a chemical polishing liquid is sprayed from the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 to the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100. Implemented here In the embodiment, the injection pipe 444, the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 respectively constitute the polishing liquid spraying means of the present invention.

In this case, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 may be considered as free spaces in the glass polishing process. However, in the present embodiment, the present invention is specifically In the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, the chemical polishing liquid having the same composition is also ejected toward the glass substrate 100. Therefore, when the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are passed, there is no possibility that the chemical polishing liquid stays on the glass substrate 100, and in the first pass, In the case of the relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, the glass substrate 100 does not dry, and high-quality glass polishing can be realized. In addition, although the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 of the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are in a fixed state, they may not be fixed. The formula is a rocking type.

The glass substrate 100 sequentially passes through the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay portion 28, the second relay portion 30, and the third The step 32 is followed by chemical polishing. Then, the glass substrate 100 which has been subjected to the chemical polishing in the plural stage is subjected to the sputum treatment by the air knife 244 disposed at the exit of the fourth processing chamber 22, and thereafter, by being disposed in the water washing chamber The spray pipe 242 of one of the groups 24 is washed by the washing water. Although the spray pipe 242 for washing is in a fixed state, it may be configured to be rocked.

In any case, at the final stage of the washing process, a pair of upper and lower air knives 246 are disposed, and the air jetted from the space is used to rapidly dry the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100. Then, the glass substrate 100 discharged from the outlet 300 of the washing chamber 24 is taken out by the worker who waits at the carry-out unit 26, and the series of processing is terminated. In this manner, by separately arranging the air knife 244 in the front stage of the pair of upper and lower air knives 246, the chemical polishing liquid can be quickly removed from the upper surface of the glass substrate 100, so that it can be effectively prevented. The upper surface of the glass substrate 100 is etched unevenly.

As described above, according to the chemical polishing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, chemical polishing is performed in a space to be closed, and a toxic gas system such as a hydrofluoric acid gas generated in the apparatus is used by a scrubber or the like. Since the exhaust mechanism is slightly recovered, the fluorinated acid gas system hardly spreads around the chemical polishing apparatus 10. As a result, the working environment around the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is greatly improved as compared with the case of the batch type chemical polishing treatment. Therefore, there is a fear that the health of the worker will not deteriorate, and it is also unnecessary to cost the protective equipment.

Further, since it is possible to prevent the equipment around the chemical polishing apparatus 10 from being corroded by the hydrofluoric acid gas, it is possible to suppress the maintenance cost of the equipment. That is to say, it can be said that there is a great advantage that it can provide a good working environment for the operator at a low maintenance cost.

Further, when the chemical polishing apparatus 10 having a single-piece method is used, it is possible to perform the polishing treatment in comparison with the batch method. The advantage of improving work efficiency and product quality. Further, according to the chemical polishing apparatus 10, since the plate thickness accuracy is improved, it is possible to stably predict the yield at the time of cutting. Further, the strength of the cut surface plane can be enhanced as compared with the batch type polishing treatment. Further, since there is no loss of fluoric acid due to foaming, it is expected to reduce the cost of fluoric acid by 15%.

Here, a state of the glass substrate 100 to be transported by the transport roller 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B). In the prior art, in order to avoid contamination of the glass substrate 100, it is not desirable to adopt a configuration in which the glass substrate 100 is directly brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the transport roller 50. However, in this embodiment, even if the glass substrate 100 is placed directly on the circumferential surface of the transport roller 50, the glass substrate 100 is not stained, and a special design is applied.

First, in this embodiment, a large amount is injected from a plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes 322 (322U, 322L). The chemical polishing liquid is constantly in contact with the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 50, and the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 50 is kept in a wet state, and a thin chemical polishing is formed on the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 50. The layer of liquid. At this time, a plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes 322 (322U, 322L) are used to at least make a chemical polishing processing space ( The first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay The peripheral surface of all the transport rollers 50 of the portion 32) is in a wet state, and the chemical polishing liquid is ejected.

According to the configuration described in this embodiment, a plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes 322 (322U, 322L) are used. The polishing liquid is sprayed onto the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 50 in the chemical polishing processing space. Therefore, the peripheral surface of the conveying roller 50 is kept wet by the polishing liquid. In addition, since the peripheral surface of the conveyance roller 50 is washed by the polishing liquid to be sprayed, it is difficult to adhere to foreign matter such as sludge on the circumferential surface of the conveyance roller 50, and the conveyance roller 50 The circumferential surface is constantly kept in a clean state. Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes 322 (322U, 322L) constitute the present invention. The slurry spraying means.

According to the above configuration, the friction coefficient between the circumferential surface of the transport roller 50 and the main surface of the glass substrate 100 can be greatly reduced, and the glass substrate 100 is less likely to be in contact with the peripheral surface of the transport roller 50. Defaced. In addition, since the chemical polishing liquid is interposed between the main surface of the glass substrate 100 and the peripheral surface of the conveying roller 50, the portion of the glass substrate 100 that is in contact with the circumferential surface of the conveying roller 50 is also It is suitably ground by a chemical polishing liquid. As a result, even if the glass substrate 100 is directly placed on the transport roller 50 and transported, it is difficult to cause unevenness such as chemical polishing treatment or This is a problem that deteriorates the quality of the glass substrate 100. Thereby, even if the jig is not used, it is possible to apply the chemical polishing treatment to the glass substrate in an appropriate manner.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8(B), for a plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L), injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes 322 (322U, 322L). In the polishing liquid spraying means, the injection force of the plurality of injection pipes 444L, the injection pipe 282L, the injection pipe 302L, and the injection pipe 322L which are configured to eject the polishing liquid from the lower side is preferably set to be a slave The injection force of the plurality of injection pipes 444U, the injection pipe 282U, the injection pipe 302U, and the injection pipe 322U that spray the polishing liquid on the upper side is stronger. The reason for this is that, by adopting such a configuration, a force that causes the glass substrate 100 to float upward in the upward direction is applied to the glass substrate 100. As shown in FIG. 8(B), generally, the upward force acts on the glass substrate 100, and the friction between the main surface of the glass substrate 100 and the peripheral surface of the transport roller 50 is further lowered.

In this manner, the frictional force between the circumferential surface of the transport roller 50 and the main surface of the glass substrate 100 is reduced, and the foreign matter is not attached to the circumferential surface of the transport roller 50. Even if the glass substrate 100 is directly placed on the transport roller 50, the glass substrate 100 is hardly stained. Therefore, it is easy to convey the glass substrate 100 horizontally along the arrangement of the conveyance rollers 50.

The above description of the embodiments is merely illustrative, and should not be construed as limiting. The scope of the invention It is not limited by the above embodiments, but is defined by the scope of the patent application. Furthermore, all changes that come within the meaning and range of the scope of the invention are included in the scope of the invention.

50‧‧‧Transport roller

100‧‧‧ glass substrate

282U, 282L‧‧‧ spray tube

444U, 444L‧‧‧ spray tube

446U, 446L‧‧‧ spray nozzle

Claims (3)

A chemical polishing apparatus is a chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform a chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed, and is characterized in that: a plurality of conveying rollers are provided, and one side is configured from below The glass substrate is supported while the glass substrate is supported, and the polishing liquid ejecting means is configured to eject the polishing liquid from at least the lower side to the glass substrate that is transported by the plurality of conveying rollers. In the polishing liquid spraying means, the polishing liquid is sprayed so that at least the entire surface of the conveying roller in the chemical polishing processing space is wetted by the polishing liquid. The chemical polishing apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the polishing liquid ejecting means includes a lower side polishing liquid ejecting means configured to eject the polishing liquid from the lower side to the glass substrate, The upper side polishing liquid ejecting means is configured to eject the polishing liquid from the upper side to the glass substrate, and the ejection force of the lower side polishing liquid ejecting means is set to be the ejection force of the upper side polishing liquid ejecting means. And stronger. The chemical polishing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chemical polishing apparatus further comprises: The plurality of processing chambers configured to eject a chemical polishing liquid having the same composition for a glass substrate, and a plurality of connection portions configured to connect the processing chambers, wherein the polishing liquid spraying means is The multiple links are also configured.