TWI400137B - Device for removing defects on edges of glass sheets and method therefor - Google Patents

Description

Device for removing edge defects of glass sheets and method thereof

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an apparatus and method for removing minute defects in the edge of a glass sheet, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for producing a splitting effect at the end face of a glass sheet by utilizing a high temperature gradient difference of the irradiated laser light.

At present, when processing glass sheets, such as processing on a glass substrate of an LCD panel, after the glass substrate is subjected to wheel cutting and rupture, there is a micro-crack generated in the cutting process in the section. Microcracks can cause a decrease in the strength of the glass. The improvement method utilizes relatively time-consuming mechanical grinding, which is processed at a speed of about 10 to 80 mm/s. Another method for improving microcracking, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. I317667, is to irradiate the end surface of the glass substrate with laser light within 70 degrees of the longitudinal direction of the end surface of the glass substrate and within 70 degrees of the thickness direction of the glass substrate, and the speed of the glass substrate is 0.1 to 200 mm/s, while irradiating the portion of the laser beam with the cooling gas, the air is blown, and the end face of the glass substrate is smoothed by heating to melt the end face of the glass and the microcrack.

The present invention provides an apparatus for removing edge defects of a glass sheet, the structure comprising: a stage for carrying the glass sheet. One for outputting a mine A laser output unit that emits light. An optical path guiding unit is disposed on the optical path of the laser beam to guide the laser light into a laser beam and irradiate to one end of the edge of the glass plate. The glass plate comprises a sheet material such as a glass substrate or a lens. And a control unit electrically coupled to the laser output unit and the optical path guiding unit for controlling the laser ray triggering time history and energy density of the laser output unit, and controlling the illumination path of the laser beam by the optical path guiding unit and The speed of movement is such that a layer of glass shavings is split at the end face to achieve the defect of removing the edge of the glass sheet, and the end surface of the smooth surface can be formed.

At the beginning of the research of the present invention, the glass powder is first placed on the end face of the glass sheet, and then irradiated with the laser light to the end surface of the glass sheet, and the glass powder is sprayed when irradiated by the laser light, or irradiated with the laser light first. The end face of the glass plate, and then the glass powder, can not remove the defects of the edge of the glass plate. Another method is to use the laser light to illuminate the end face of the glass plate to a high temperature state, and then flatten it with an external force, because the laser light is irradiated on the glass plate. When the laser light is removed from the end face, the energy after the light is irradiated rapidly decreases, and the defect of the edge of the glass sheet is still not removed. The experiments of the present invention were successfully described as follows.

The invention utilizes a laser beam to illuminate the end surface of the glass sheet to produce a high temperature gradient difference, thereby generating a splitting effect on the end surface, thereby achieving the defect of removing the edge of the glass sheet, and further forming the smooth surface of the end surface.

The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the edge of the removed glass sheet 10 of the present embodiment is slightly missing. The trapping device comprises: a stage 20 for controlling movement in the x, y, and z axes to carry the glass sheet 10, and the glass sheet 10 can be fixed to the stage 20, and the end surface 11 to be processed faces outward. A laser output unit 30 outputs a laser beam 31. An optical path guiding unit 40, which can be a scanning device disposed on the optical path of the laser beam 31, can apply an optical component (not shown) in the optical path guiding unit 40, and The ray 31 is guided as a laser beam 41, which is then irradiated onto one end face 11 of the edge of the glazing unit 10. A control unit 50 is electrically coupled to the laser output unit 30 and the optical path guiding unit 40. The control unit 50 outputs a telecommunication signal 51 to control the trigger time history and energy density of the laser beam 31 of the laser output unit 30. The output telecommunication signal 51 of the control unit 50 can also control the illumination path t and the moving speed of the laser beam 41 of the optical path guiding unit 40. By the irradiation of the laser beam 41, a layer of glass shavings s (as shown in FIG. 5) can be generated on the end surface 11 to achieve the defect of removing the edge of the glass sheet, and the end surface 11 can be formed into a smooth surface. surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the embodiment, the method for removing the micro-defects of the edge of the glass sheet 10 comprises: step S10, irradiating a laser beam 41 to the end surface 11 of a glass sheet 10. And step S20, controlling the illumination path t of the laser beam 41, and causing the laser beam 41 to sequentially finish the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 (or the starting point to the end point of the processing region to be split), the glass sheet The 10 end face 11 is caused by a high temperature gradient difference between the irradiation of the laser beam 41 and the non-irradiation, and a layer of glass shavings s (shown in FIG. 5) is generated at the end face 11 to make the end face 11 Form a smooth machined surface. The splitting direction is the direction along the irradiation path t of the laser beam 41.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, and referring to FIG. 1 at the same time, in the above embodiment, A stage 20 is configured to control the movement of the x, y, and z axes, such that the illumination path t of the laser beam 41 includes a plurality of parallel lines with one of the short sides 12 of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10, and each parallel line Maintaining a pitch p, and the direction of the illumination path t is sequentially: after the laser beam 31 is triggered to be irradiated, the laser beam guiding unit 40 is used to walk the laser beam 41 parallel to the path t1 of the short side 12; Irradiation of the laser beam 31, and moving the irradiation position of the laser beam 41 according to the path t2; triggering the irradiation of the laser beam 31 again, and moving according to the path t3, stopping the irradiation and moving according to the path t4, and Cover the entire end face 11 area with this illumination and movement (or the starting point to the end point of the split).

Referring to FIG. 4, and referring to FIG. 1 at the same time, in the above embodiment, the illumination path t of the laser beam 41 includes a plurality of parallel lines, one parallel line, with one long side 13 of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10. Maintaining a distance p between them, and the direction of the illumination path t is sequentially: after the laser beam 31 is triggered to be irradiated, the laser beam guiding unit 40 is used to walk the laser beam 41 parallel to the path t5 of the long side 13; Stopping the laser beam 31, and moving the irradiation position of the laser beam 41 according to the path t6; triggering the irradiation of the laser beam 31 again, and moving according to the path t7, stopping the irradiation and moving according to the path t8, and Repeat this illumination and move the entire end face 11 area.

In the above embodiment, the output wavelength of the laser beam 31 outputted by the laser output unit 30 is preferably between 3 and 12 um, or more preferably between 9 and 12 um.

In the above implementation, the irradiation energy of the laser beam 41 is controlled to cause it to split. The layer of glass shavings can range from 1 um to 1 mm.

In the above embodiment, the speed of the laser beam 41 relative to the end face 11 of the glass sheet 10 is greater than 500 mm/s.

In the above embodiment, the pitch p of the laser beam 41 irradiating the path t of the end face 11 of the glass sheet 10 is: (spot diameter d / 25) ≦ pitch p ≦ spot diameter d, wherein the spot diameter d is the laser beam 41 The size of the spot diameter after focusing, the spot diameter d after the focus is reduced by the energy distribution to the width of 1/e ² of the highest portion, and e is the base of the natural logarithm function. And the energy density of the laser beam 41 is between 1 ^* 10 ⁴ and 1 ^* 10 ⁶ W/cm ² .

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 again, in the embodiment, the device or the application step of the foregoing embodiment is mostly the same, but further includes a blowing nozzle 60, and the air blowing nozzle 60 can be used for the glass plate. 10 or the cooling gas g is outputted from the end surface 11 region after the laser beam 41 is irradiated, thereby further increasing the temperature gradient difference, thereby increasing the splitting speed.

It is worth mentioning that, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, before the step S10 is performed, the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 can be pre-engraved with a score 14 as a starting point or an end point of the splitting. And an end point. The score 14 can be engraved with a mechanical cutter or laser light.

The invention is characterized in that the invention irradiates the end face of the glass plate with laser light, and the glass plate absorbs the heat of the laser light to form a high temperature gradient, and the thermal expansion and contraction generate a thermal stress, so that the end face of the glass plate is cleaved. A layer of glass swarf, thereby eliminating micro-cracks on the edge surface of the glass sheet, smoothing the end surface of the glass sheet and improving the stress strength of the glass.

In summary, it is only described that the present invention is used to solve the problem. The embodiments or the embodiments of the technical means are not intended to limit the scope of the practice of the invention. That is, the equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application of the present invention or the scope of the invention are covered by the scope of the invention.

10‧‧‧glass plate

11‧‧‧ end face

12‧‧‧ Short side

13‧‧‧Longside

14‧‧‧ Scotch

20‧‧‧ stage

30‧‧‧Laser output unit

31‧‧‧Laser light

40‧‧‧Light path guiding unit

41‧‧‧Laser beam

50‧‧‧Control unit

51‧‧‧Telecom signal

60‧‧‧Air supply nozzle

D‧‧‧ spot diameter

g‧‧‧Cooling gas

S‧‧‧glass shavings

t‧‧‧Irradiation path

T1, t2, t3, t4‧‧‧ path

T5, t6, t7, t8‧‧‧ path

P‧‧‧ spacing

Step S10, step S20‧‧‧ method steps

1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for removing a micro-defect of a glass sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the steps of the method for removing micro-defects at the edge of a glass sheet according to the present invention; 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the illumination path; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the illumination path of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention with an air supply nozzle for providing a glass plate cooling gas. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which a blowing nozzle is provided to provide a glass plate end face cooling gas.

10‧‧‧glass plate

11‧‧‧ end face

20‧‧‧ stage

30‧‧‧Laser output unit

31‧‧‧Laser light

40‧‧‧Light path guiding unit

41‧‧‧Laser beam

50‧‧‧Control unit

51‧‧‧Telecom signal

Claims (18)

A device for removing edge defects of a glass sheet, comprising: a loading platform for carrying the glass sheet; a laser output unit for outputting a laser beam; and an optical path guiding unit disposed for the laser beam An optical path for guiding the laser beam to a laser beam to illuminate an end surface of the edge of the glass sheet; and a control unit electrically coupled to the laser output unit and the optical path guiding unit for controlling The laser light of the laser output unit triggers a time history and an energy density, and an illumination path and a moving speed of the laser beam that controls the optical path guiding unit, and a layer of glass shavings is generated at the end surface to achieve a shift In addition to the defects of the edge of the glass sheet; wherein the pitch p of the laser beam irradiation path t on the end surface of the glass sheet is: (a spot diameter d/25), a pitch p≦ spot diameter d, wherein the spot diameter d It is the size of the spot size after focusing of the laser beam. The diameter d of the spot after focusing is reduced to the width of 1/e ² of the highest part, and e is the base of the natural logarithm function. The apparatus for removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 1, wherein the output unit of the laser output unit outputs an output wavelength of 3 to 12 um. The apparatus for removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the irradiation energy of the laser light is controlled such that the thickness of the layer of the glass shavings is between 1 um and 1 mm. The apparatus for removing edge defects of a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the optical path guiding unit is a scanning device. The device for removing edge defects of a glass sheet according to the first aspect of the patent application, wherein the stage can control the movement in the x, y, and z directions, so that the illumination path of the laser beam includes a short side of the end face or A long side forms a plurality of parallel lines, and each parallel line has a spacing therebetween. The device for removing edge defects of a glass sheet according to the first aspect of the patent application, further comprising a blowing nozzle, wherein the air blowing nozzle can output a cooling gas to the glass sheet. The device for removing edge defects of a glass sheet according to the first aspect of the invention, further comprising a blowing nozzle, wherein the air blowing nozzle outputs a cooling gas to the region of the glass plate after the laser beam is irradiated. A method for removing edge defects of a glass sheet, the method comprising: irradiating a laser beam to an end surface of a glass sheet; and controlling an illumination path of the laser beam to sequentially finish the end surface of the glass sheet. The end face of the glass sheet is caused by a high temperature gradient difference between the irradiation of the laser beam and the non-irradiation, and a layer of glass shaving is generated at the end surface to achieve the defect of removing the edge of the glass sheet; The distance p of the laser beam irradiation path t of the end face of the glass sheet is: (one spot diameter d/25) ≦ spacing p ≦ spot diameter d, wherein the spot diameter d is the focused spot of the laser beam The size of the diameter, the spot diameter d after focusing is reduced by the energy distribution to the width of 1/e ² of the highest part, and e is the base of the natural logarithm function. A method of removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 8 is to apply a cooling gas to the glass sheet to increase the temperature gradient difference. The method for removing edge defects of a glass sheet according to claim 8, wherein the end face of the glass sheet is simultaneously applied with a cooling gas in a region after the laser light is irradiated to raise the high temperature gradient difference. The method of removing the micro-defects of the edge of the glass sheet as described in claim 8 of the patent application, controls the irradiation energy of the laser beam, so that the glass shavings of the layer are between 1 um and 1 mm. The method for removing edge defects of a glass sheet according to claim 8 , wherein before the step of irradiating the laser beam to the end surface of a glass sheet, the end surface of the glass sheet may be pre-marked as a starting point of the crack or end. A method of removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 12, wherein the score is formed by a mechanical cutter or laser light. A method of removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 8 wherein the output wavelength of the laser light is in the range of 3 to 12 um. A method of removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 8 wherein the speed of the laser light relative to the end face of the glass sheet is greater than 500 mm/s. A method of removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 8 wherein the laser light has an energy density of from 1 ^* 10 ⁴ to 1 ^* 10 ⁶ W/cm ² . The method for removing the edge defects of the glass sheet as described in claim 8 is irradiated with a laser beam on the end surface of a glass sheet to achieve the removal of minute defects of the edge of the glass sheet and to form a smooth surface. A method for removing edge defects of a glass sheet as described in claim 8 of the patent application, wherein the carrier carrying the glass sheet can control the x, y, and z axis directions The illumination path of the laser beam includes forming a plurality of parallel lines with one short side or one long side of the end surface, and each of the parallel lines has a spacing.