TWI659934B - Substrate breaking method and scribing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate cutting method capable of smoothly cutting a mother substrate at a position of a sealing material with fewer steps and a scribing device used for the substrate cutting method.

The breaking of the mother substrate G has the following steps: while pressing the scribing wheel 301 against the position on the surface of the glass substrate G1 facing the sealing material SL, while moving the scribing wheel 301 along the sealing material SL, the glass substrate G1 A scribe line L1 is formed on the surface; a trigger crack TC is formed at least at a position corresponding to the position where the scribe line L1 is formed in the side surface of the glass substrate G2; The stress in the direction where the line L1 splits, thereby breaking the mother substrate G along the trigger crack TC.

Description

Substrate breaking method and scribing device

The present invention relates to a substrate cutting method for forming a scribing line and cutting a bonded substrate, and a scribing device used in the substrate cutting method.

Previously, the cutting of a brittle material substrate such as a glass substrate was performed by the following steps: a scribing step, which forms a scribing line on the surface of the substrate; and a breaking step, which applies a specific force. In the scribing step, the blade of the scribing wheel is pressed against the surface of the substrate while the blade of the scribing wheel is moved along a specific line. In order to form a scribing line, a scribing device having a scribing head is used.

The following Patent Document 1 describes a method for cutting a liquid crystal panel from a mother substrate. In this method, a mother substrate is formed by bonding a substrate on which a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed and a substrate on which a color filter (CF, Color Filter) is formed via a sealing material. The mother substrate is divided to obtain each liquid crystal panel. The sealing material is arranged so that a space remaining as a liquid crystal injection region remains in a state where the two substrates are bonded together.

When the mother substrate having the above configuration is divided, scribe lines are formed on both surfaces of the mother substrate (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). In this case, a scribe line is formed on one side of the mother substrate, and then the mother substrate is turned upside down, and a scribe line is formed on the other side of the mother substrate. In this way, after scribe lines are formed on each surface of the mother substrate, one side of the mother substrate is pressed, and one of the bonded substrates is divided along the scribe lines. Then, the mother substrate is turned upside down. The other bonded substrate is cut along the scribe line.

[Prior technical literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-137641

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-131185

As also shown in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, in the conventional mother substrate, there is a region where no sealing material is interposed between adjacent liquid crystal injection regions. Therefore, when a scribe line is formed on both sides of the mother substrate as described above, a scribe line is formed in a region where no sealing material is interposed. If a scribing line is formed in this manner to divide the mother substrate, an edge region with a specific width will remain around the liquid crystal injection region of the liquid crystal panel.

However, in recent years, especially in the field of liquid crystal panels for mobile phones, it has become mainstream to narrow the edge region as much as possible. In order to cope with this requirement, it is necessary to constitute in such a manner that an area where no sealing material is interposed is omitted in the mother substrate, and adjacent liquid crystal injection regions are separated only by the sealing material. In this case, a scribe line is formed along the sealing material.

In the case where a scribe line is formed along the sealing material like this, the following method can also be used: as described above, a scribe line is formed for each surface, and then each surface is divided. However, if this method is used, since there are many steps for breaking the mother substrate, it is difficult to shorten the time required for breaking the mother substrate.

In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate cutting method capable of smoothly cutting a mother substrate at a position of a sealing material in fewer steps, and a scribing device for the substrate cutting method.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate cutting method for cutting a mother substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealing material. The substrate cutting method of this form includes the following steps: while pressing a knife against the surface of the first substrate, the substrate is opposed to the sealing material. Position, while moving the knife along the sealing material, a scribe line is formed on the surface of the first substrate; a crack is formed at least on a side of the second substrate corresponding to the position where the scribe line is formed; Stress is applied to the mother substrate in a direction where the scribe line is split, and the mother substrate is divided along the crack.

According to the substrate cutting method of this aspect, by applying stress to the mother substrate in a direction that breaks the scribe line formed on the first substrate, and starting from a crack formed on the side surface of the second substrate, the second substrate and The first substrate is divided along the scribe line. Therefore, when forming a scribing line, the step of turning the mother substrate to form a scribing line on the surface of the second substrate can be omitted, and when dividing, the step of turning the mother substrate and turning the second substrate can be omitted. Therefore, according to the substrate cutting method according to this aspect, the mother substrate can be smoothly separated in fewer steps.

Furthermore, in the substrate cutting method of this aspect, it is preferable that the step of forming the crack is performed after the step of forming the scribe line is performed. If a crack is formed on the side surface of the second substrate when the scribe line is formed, there is a fear that an undesired crack may occur on the second substrate starting from the crack due to the load at the time of forming the scribe line. In contrast, if a crack is formed after the scribe line is formed, such a problem can be avoided. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the step of forming a crack after the step of forming a scribe line.

Furthermore, in the step of breaking the mother substrate, it is preferable that the mother substrate be given a direction to split the scribe line by pressing the surface of the second substrate corresponding to the position where the scribe line is formed. Stress. In this way, since the surface of the second substrate is pressed at a position corresponding to the scribe line, stress is applied to both sides of the mother substrate approximately equally with the scribe line as the center, and the scribe line is split. Therefore, it is possible to more smoothly The second substrate on which the scribe lines are formed is separated.

Further, in the step of forming the crack, a crack may also be formed on a side of the first substrate at a position corresponding to the scribe line. In this way, a crack can be smoothly formed on the side surface of the second substrate by using a crack as a lead-in operation on the side surface of the first substrate.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the crack formed on the side surface of the second substrate is formed on the second substrate. The entire length in the thickness direction is formed on the side surface of the second substrate. By making the crack that becomes the starting point when the second substrate is divided in this way longer, the second substrate can be more accurately divided.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a scribing device for forming a scribing line on a mother substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealing material. The scribing device of this form includes: a scribing forming device, which presses a knife against a position of the first substrate surface opposite to the sealing material, moves the knife along the sealing material, and moves the knife along the first A scribe line is formed on the surface of the substrate; and a crack-forming device forms a crack at least at a position corresponding to a position where the scribe line is formed on a side surface of the second substrate.

By using the scribing device of this aspect, it is possible to form the scribing and cracks in the substrate cutting method of the first aspect described above on the mother substrate. Therefore, the effect described in the first aspect can be exhibited.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to a scribing device for forming a scribing line on a mother substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealing material. The scribing device of this form includes a first head that forms a scribing line on the surface of the first substrate, a second head that forms a crack at least on a side surface of the second substrate, and a first driving unit that makes the first The head moves along the sealing material; and a second drive unit that moves the second head in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the mother substrate. Here, the first head presses the knife against the surface of the first substrate facing the sealing material, while moving the knife along the sealing material, and the second head presses the knife against at least the A position corresponding to the position where the scribe line is formed on the side surface of the second substrate moves the knife in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the mother substrate.

By using the scribing device of this aspect, it is possible to form the scribing and cracks in the substrate cutting method of the first aspect described above on the mother substrate. Therefore, the effect described in the first aspect can be exhibited.

The scribing device of the third aspect may have a configuration including a first conveyor capable of placing the mother substrate and transferring the mother substrate downstream when the scribing is formed on the surface of the first substrate; And a second conveyor provided downstream of the first conveyor Side, and the mother substrate transferred by the first conveyor is placed. In this configuration, it may be configured such that the width of the second conveyor is set to be smaller than the width of the first conveyor in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the mother substrate, so that the second conveyor is At least one end portion of the mother substrate in the container extends from the second conveyor, and the second head moves on an end portion side of the mother substrate protruding from the second conveyor in a direction perpendicular to the mother substrate. In this way, cracks can be formed smoothly using the second head.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate cutting method capable of smoothly cutting a mother substrate at a position of a sealing material in fewer steps, and a scribing device used for the substrate cutting method.

The effect or meaning of the present invention will be made clearer by the description of the embodiment shown below. However, the embodiment shown below is an example when implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiment.

1‧‧‧ scribing device

2‧‧‧ scribing head (1st, 2nd)

11a‧‧‧The first conveyor

11b‧‧‧ 2nd conveyor

12a, 12b ‧‧‧ Pillar

13‧‧‧rail (1st drive unit)

14‧‧‧Sliding unit (1st drive unit)

15‧‧‧Drive motor (1st drive unit)

16‧‧‧guide rail (second drive unit)

17‧‧‧Sliding unit (second drive unit)

18‧‧‧ drive motor (second drive unit)

19a, 19b‧‧‧ Camera

21‧‧‧Lifting mechanism

21a‧‧‧cylinder cam

21b‧‧‧Lift

21c‧‧‧cam follower

21d‧‧‧Spring

22‧‧‧ scribe formation mechanism

23‧‧‧ base plate

23a‧‧‧slot

24‧‧‧Top plate

24a‧‧‧slot

25‧‧‧ floor

25a‧‧‧slot

26‧‧‧Rubber frame

27‧‧‧ cover

27a‧‧‧Front

27b‧‧‧Right face

27c‧‧‧Left face

27f‧‧‧hole

28‧‧‧Servo motor

30‧‧‧ Crossing tool

40‧‧‧ Crossing tool

101‧‧‧Control Department

102‧‧‧Testing Department

103‧‧‧Driver

104‧‧‧Input Department

105‧‧‧Display

301‧‧‧ scribing wheel (knife)

401‧‧‧ scribing wheel (knife)

B1, B2‧‧‧ holder

BB‧‧‧ Breaking lever

D1, D2‧‧‧thickness

D3‧‧‧ rib amount

D4‧‧‧Crack permeability

D5‧‧‧ Penetration

D6‧‧‧distance

F0‧‧‧Load

Fa‧‧‧Load

G‧‧‧Motherboard

G1‧‧‧ glass substrate (first substrate)

G2‧‧‧ glass substrate (second substrate)

L1‧‧‧ crossed

L2‧‧‧ crossed

LS‧‧‧line

R‧‧‧LCD injection area

SL‧‧‧sealing material

TC‧‧‧Triggered crack (crack)

1 (a) to (c) are diagrams schematically showing the configuration of a scribing device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a scribing head according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a scribing head according to the embodiment.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are a block diagram showing a configuration of a scribing device according to an embodiment, and a flowchart showing a cutting step of a mother substrate.

5 (a) to (e) are diagrams illustrating the cutting steps of the substrate cutting method of the embodiment.

6 (a) to (c) are diagrams showing experimental results obtained by using the substrate cutting method of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the effect of the scribing step in the embodiment.

8 (a) to (d) are diagrams showing a method for forming a trigger crack and a method for breaking it according to a modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Furthermore, in each figure, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to each other are noted for convenience. The X-Y plane is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is vertical.

<Configuration of Scribing Device>

1 (a), (b), and (c) are diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the scribing device 1. As shown in FIG. Fig. 1 (a) is a view of the scribing device 1 viewed from the positive side of the Y axis, Fig. 1 (b) is a view of a part of the scribing device 1 viewed from the positive side of the X axis, and Fig. 1 (c) is positive A side view of a part of the scribing device 1.

1 (a) and 1 (b), the scribing device 1 includes a first conveyor 11a, a second conveyor 11b, pillars 12a, 12b, a guide rail 13, a slide unit 14, a drive motor 15, a guide rail 16, and a slide unit 17. , Drive motor 18, cameras 19a, 19b, and two scribing heads 2.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the mother substrate G is placed on the first conveyor 11a. The mother substrate G has a substrate structure in which a pair of glass substrates are bonded to each other. The mother substrate G is transferred to the negative Y-axis direction by the first conveyor 11a, and is delivered to the second conveyor 11b. As shown in FIG. 1 (c), the width in the X-axis direction of the second conveyor 11b is smaller than the width in the X-axis direction of the first conveyor 11a. That is, the end portion on the positive side of the X-axis of the second conveyor 11b is retracted in the negative direction of the X-axis with respect to the first conveyor 11a. Therefore, the X-axis positive end portion of the mother substrate G delivered to the second conveyor 11b slightly protrudes from the second conveyor 11b.

Referring to FIG. 1 (a), the pillars 12 a and 12 b are vertically provided on the base of the scribing device 1 with the first conveyor 11 a interposed therebetween. The guide rail 13 is erected between the pillars 12 a and 12 b so as to be parallel to the X-axis direction. The sliding unit 14 is slidably provided on the guide rail 13. A driving motor 15 is provided on the guide rail 13, and the sliding unit 14 is driven in the X-axis direction by the driving motor 15.

A scribe head 2 is mounted on the sliding unit 14. The scribing tool is mounted on the scribing head 2 so as to face the upper surface of the mother substrate G. The scribing head 2 is moved in the X-axis direction while the scribing wheel held by the scribing tool is pressed against the front surface of the mother substrate G. Thereby, a scribe line is formed on the front surface of the mother substrate G.

1 (b), a guide rail 16 is provided on the positive side of the X-axis of the second conveyor 11b. Rail 16 It is fixed to a support frame (not shown) of the scribing device 1 so as to be parallel to the Z axis. The slide unit 17 is slidably provided on the guide rail 16. A driving motor 18 is provided on the guide rail 16, and the sliding unit 17 is driven in the X-axis direction by the driving motor 18.

A scribing head 2 is mounted on the sliding unit 17. A scribing tool is mounted on the scribing head 2 so that the scribing head 2 faces the side of the positive side of the X-axis of the mother substrate G when it is at the same height as the mother substrate G. The scribing wheel held by the scribing tool is pressed against the side surface of the mother substrate G while moving the scribing head 2 in the Z-axis direction. Thereby, the following trigger crack TC is formed in the side surface of the mother substrate G (refer FIG. 5). As described with reference to FIG. 1 (c), the side surface on the X-axis positive side of the mother substrate G is slightly extended from the second conveyor 11 b as described above so that the trigger crack TC can be formed as described above.

The cameras 19a and 19b are arranged above the guide rail 13 and detect alignment marks marked on the mother substrate G. Based on the captured images from the cameras 19a and 19b, the arrangement position of the mother substrate G with respect to the first conveyor 11a is detected. Similarly, two cameras (not shown) are also arranged above the second conveyor 11b. Based on the captured images from these cameras, the arrangement position of the mother substrate G with respect to the second conveyor 11b is detected. Based on the results of these inspections, the position where the scribe line is formed or where the crack is triggered is determined.

<Stroke head>

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the structure of the scribing head 2, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the scribing head 2.

2, the scribing head 2 includes a lifting mechanism 21, a scribing forming mechanism 22, a base plate 23, a top plate 24, a bottom plate 25, a rubber frame 26, a cover 27, and a servo motor 28.

The elevating mechanism 21 includes a cylindrical cam 21a connected to a drive shaft of the servo motor 28, and a cam follower 21c formed on the upper surface of the elevating portion 21b. The lifting portion 21b is supported by the base plate 23 so as to be movable in the vertical direction via a slider (not shown), and is pressed in the positive Z-axis direction by a spring 21d. Being pressed by the spring 21d, the cam follower 21c is pressed against the lower surface of the cylindrical cam 21a. The lifting portion 21 b is connected to the scribe formation mechanism 22. If using servo motor 28 When the cylindrical cam 21a is rotated, the lifting portion 21b moves up and down due to the cam action of the cylindrical cam 21a, and the scribing forming mechanism 22 moves up and down. A scribing tool 30, 40 is attached to the lower end of the scribing forming mechanism 22.

The scribing tool 30 is a tool for forming a scribing line on the upper surface of the mother substrate G, and the scribing tool 40 is a tool for forming a trigger crack on a side surface of the mother substrate G. A scribing tool 30 is mounted on the scribing head 2 mounted on the sliding unit 14 in FIG. 1 (a), and a scribing tool 30 is mounted on the scribing head 2 mounted on the sliding unit 17. The scribing tools 30, 40 respectively hold a scribing wheel for forming a scribing line and triggering a crack and can rotate it.

The rubber frame 26 is an air-impermeable elastic member. The rubber frame 26 has a shape that fits into the groove 23 a of the base plate 23, the groove 24 a of the top plate 24, and the groove 25 a of the bottom plate 25. In a state where the rubber frame 26 is installed in the grooves 23a, 24a, and 25a, the surface of the rubber frame 26 slightly protrudes outward from the sides of the base plate 23, the top plate 24, and the bottom plate 25.

The cover 27 has a shape obtained by bending three plate portions of a front surface portion 27a, a right surface portion 27b, and a left surface portion 27c. Two holes 27f are formed in the upper and lower end edges of the front surface portion 27a.

When the rubber frame 26 is fitted into the grooves 23a, 24a, and 25a, the right side surface 27b and the left side surface 27c of the cover 27 are deformed so as to be bent outward, and the cover 27 is mounted on the base plate 23, the top plate 24, and the bottom plate 25 . In this state, the screws are screwed to the top plate 24 and the bottom plate 25 through two holes 27f formed in the upper and lower end edges of the front portion 27a. Furthermore, screws are screwed into screw holes formed slightly outside the grooves 23a, 24a, 25a of the base plate 23, the top plate 24, and the bottom plate 25. Accordingly, the cover 27 is sandwiched between the base plate 23, the top plate 24, the bottom plate 25, and the head of the screw, and the peripheral portions of the right side surface portion 27b and the left side surface portion 27c are pressed against the rubber frame 26. In this way, the scribing head 2 can be assembled as shown in FIG. 3.

<Module Structure>

FIG. 4 (a) is a block diagram showing the configuration of the scribing device 1. As shown in FIG.

The scribing device 1 includes a control unit 101, a detection unit 102, a driving unit 103, an input unit 104, and a display unit 105.

The control unit 101 is provided with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is based on the memory. The control program in the memory controls each part. In addition, the memory is also used as a work area for controlling each part. The detection unit 102 includes various sensors in addition to the cameras 19a and 19b shown in FIG. 1 (a). The drive unit 103 includes a mechanism unit and drive motors 15 and 18 of the scribing device 1 shown in Figs. 1 (a) to (c). The input unit 104 includes a mouse and a keyboard. The input unit 104 is used to input various parameter values of the stroke operation such as the formation position of the stroke or the interval between the strokes. The display unit 105 includes a display, and when input is performed by the input unit 104, a specific input screen can be displayed.

<Substrate Breaking Method>

FIG. 4 (b) is a flowchart showing a breaking process of the mother substrate G. FIG.

The breaking of the mother substrate G includes: a step of forming a scribing line (S11), a step of triggering a crack (S12), and a breaking step (S13) of the mother substrate G. In S11, a scribe line is formed on the front surface of the mother substrate G along the sealing material. In S12, a trigger crack is formed on a side of the mother substrate G at a position corresponding to the formation position of the scribe line. In S13, the position of the back surface of the mother substrate G corresponding to the scribe line is pressed by the breaking lever to break the mother substrate G.

5 (a) to (e) are diagrams illustrating the breaking process of the mother substrate G. Fig. 5 (a) is a schematic diagram when the vicinity of the scribe position is viewed from the negative side of the Y axis, and Fig. 5 (b) is a schematic diagram when the vicinity of the scribe position is viewed from the positive side of the X axis, and Fig. 5 (c) is from Z Fig. 5 (d) is a schematic diagram when the vicinity of the position where the trigger crack TC is formed is observed from the positive side of the X-axis, and Fig. 5 (e) is a diagram from the X during the breaking step. A schematic diagram when the mother substrate G is viewed on the positive side of the axis.

5 (a) to (c) show the steps of forming a scribing line, FIG. 5 (d) shows the steps of forming a trigger crack, and FIG. 5 (e) shows the steps of breaking the mother substrate G. 5 (a) to (d) are performed by the scribing device 1, and FIG. 5 (e) is performed by the device that performs the breaking step. Since the breaking step of FIG. 5 (e) is performed using the existing device, detailed description of the structure of the device for breaking step is omitted here.

In FIGS. 5 (a) to (d), the scribing wheel 301 is held by the scribing tool 30 of the scribing head 2 driven by the sliding unit 14 of FIG. 1 (a), and the scribing wheel 401 is held by the borrowing tool. The scribing tool 40 of the scribing head 2 driven by the sliding unit 17 in FIG. 1 (a). The scribing wheel 301 is used to form a scribing line L1 on the upper surface of the mother substrate G, and the scribing wheel 401 is used to form a trigger crack TC on a side surface of the mother substrate G.

As shown in FIG. 5 (a), in the step of forming the scribing line, the scribing wheel 301 is pressed against the front surface of the mother substrate G while the scribing wheel 301 is moved in the positive direction of the X axis to form a scribing line L1.

5 (b), the mother substrate G is configured by bonding two glass substrates G1 and G2 via a sealing material SL. A color filter (CF) is formed on the glass substrate G1, and a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed on the glass substrate G2. A liquid crystal injection region R is formed by the sealing material SL and the two glass substrates G1 and G2, and liquid crystal is injected into the liquid crystal injection region R.

The sealing material SL is an adhesive containing a resin material such as an epoxy resin. For example, when the sealing material SL includes an ultraviolet curing resin, the glass substrate G1 is superimposed on the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 in a state where the sealing material SL is coated on the surface of the glass substrate G2, and then ultraviolet rays are irradiated. Thereby, the sealing material SL is hardened, and the glass substrates G1 and G2 are bonded together via the sealing material SL. Furthermore, the sealing material SL may include a thermosetting resin. In this case, the sealing material SL is hardened by heating, and the glass substrates G1 and G2 are bonded together via the sealing material SL. When the sealing material SL is hardened, it has high hardness.

As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the scribing wheel 301 is pressed against the surface of the glass substrate G1 at a position directly above the sealing material SL. As shown in FIG. 5 (c), the sealing material SL is arranged in a grid shape. The scribing wheel 301 moves to the positive direction of the X axis along the sealing material SL in a state where it is pressed against the position directly above the sealing material SL. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 5 (b) and (c), a scribe line L1 is formed on the surface of the glass substrate G1.

Moreover, as mentioned above, the sealing material SL has high hardness when it hardens. Therefore, when the scribing operation is performed, the load applied from the scribing wheel 301 to the glass substrate G1 passes through the sealing material. The material SL is also imparted to the glass substrate G2. Due to this load, stress concentration occurs on the upper surface (surface on the positive side of the Z axis) of the glass substrate G2 along the sealing material SL. Due to this stress concentration, the upper surface (the surface on the positive side of the Z axis) of the glass substrate G2 is compressed along the sealing material SL.

After the scribe line L1 is formed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), a trigger crack TC is formed on the side surface on the positive side of the X-axis of the mother substrate G. The trigger crack TC is formed at a position corresponding to the scribe line L1 in parallel with the Z-axis direction. By moving the scribing wheel 401 from the upper end of the side of the X-axis positive side of the glass substrate G1 to the negative direction of the Z-axis to the lower end of the side of the X-axis positive side of the glass substrate G2, the entire length of the mother substrate G in the thickness direction A trigger crack TC is formed on the side surface of the mother substrate G. At this time, the scribing wheel 401 is pressed against the side surfaces of the glass substrates G1 and G2 with a specific load.

In addition, as described above, the position control of the scribing wheels 301 and 401 relative to the mother substrate G uses the cameras 19a and 19b disposed above the first conveyor 11a and the cameras 19a and 19b disposed above the first conveyor 11a. A camera (not shown) takes an image of an alignment mark on the upper surface of the mother substrate G. That is, the control unit 101 of FIG. 4 (a) detects the positions of the mother substrate G on the first conveyor 11a and the second conveyor 11b based on the captured image of the alignment mark. Then, based on the detection result, the control unit 101 controls the first conveyor 11a and the second conveyor 11b so that the scribing wheels 301 and 401 are positioned at positions corresponding to the sealing material SL of the mother substrate G.

In this way, after trigger cracks TC are formed at all positions corresponding to the scribe line L1, the mother substrate G is removed from the scribe device 1. Then, the mother substrate G is placed in the state of being turned over to the device for performing the breaking step.

As shown in FIG. 5 (e), in the breaking step, the surface of the glass substrate G2 corresponding to the position where the scribe line L1 is formed is pressed by the breaking lever BB. As a result, stress is applied to the mother substrate G in a direction to break the scribe line L1, and the glass substrate G1 is divided along the scribe line L1. At this time, the stress in the cracking direction provided by the breaking rod BB is also applied to the glass substrate G2. As a result, the glass substrate G2 and the glass substrate G1 are cut off together with the trigger crack TC formed on the side surface of the glass substrate G2 as a starting point. In this way, the mother substrate G is divided along the scribe line L1.

<Experiment>

The inventors of the present case conducted an experiment of breaking the mother substrate G according to the substrate breaking method shown in FIGS. 5 (a) to (e). Hereinafter, this experiment and experimental results will be described.

In the experiment, a substrate (mother substrate) obtained by bonding glass substrates G1 and G2 each having a thickness of 0.2 mm through a sealing material SL was used. The size of the bonded substrate (mother substrate G) was 110 mm × 550 mm. A scribe line L1 is formed on the upper surface of the mother substrate G in parallel with the short side direction, and further, a trigger crack TC is formed on one side surface, and a breaking step is performed. The scribing wheels 301 and 401 use Micro Penett (registered trademark of Samsung Diamond Industry Co., Ltd.) manufactured by Samsung Diamond Industry Co., Ltd. The scribing wheels 301 and 401 each have a structure in which a V-shaped blade tip is formed on the outer periphery of a circular plate, and grooves are formed at a specific interval on a ridge line of the blade tip. The diameters of the scribing wheels 301 and 401 are 3 mm.

The scribing wheel 301 having this structure is pressed against the glass substrate G1 as shown in Figs. 5 (a) to 5 (c), and is moved to perform scribing. When the scribing operation is performed, the load applied to the scribing wheel 301 is controlled to 30N. Furthermore, a trigger crack TC is formed from the upper end to the lower end of the side surface of the mother substrate G by the scribing wheel 401.

Furthermore, in the experiment, the breaking step was performed by applying a stress in a direction in which the scribe line L1 was split by a hand. That is, while pressing a finger against a position corresponding to the scribe line L1 on the opposite side to the surface on which the scribe line L1 is formed, using both hands to apply stress in a direction to break the scribe line L1, the mother substrate G is pressed. Break. Further, the scribe line L1 does not reach the edge portion of the upper surface of the glass substrate G1, but forms the scribe line L1 such that a position at a specific distance from the edge portion of the upper surface of the glass substrate G1 becomes the starting point and the end point of the scribe line L1.

The experimental results are shown in Figs. 6 (a) to (c). 6 (a)-(c) are cross-sectional photographs of the mother substrate G on the scribe line L1. 6 (a) is a cross-sectional photograph near the right end (negative side of the X-axis) of the mother substrate G, FIG. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional photograph near the center of the mother substrate G, and FIG. 6 (c) is a A photograph of a cross section near the end on the left (positive side of the X axis).

In FIG. 6 (b), D1 and D2 are the thicknesses of the glass substrates G1 and G2, D3 is the rib amount, and D4 is the crack infiltration amount at the scribe line L1. Moreover, in Fig. 6 (c), D5 is the trigger crack The permeation amount of TC, D6 is the distance between the trigger crack TC and the endpoint of the scribe line L1. In Figs. 6 (a) to (c), the white area is the area that is consistent with the vertical plane including the center line of the scribe line L1, and the black area is the area that is offset from the vertical plane.

6 (a) to 6 (c), it can be seen that the glass substrate G2 on which the scribe line L1 is not formed is also roughly cut along the vertical plane including the center line of the scribe line L1. Furthermore, on the glass substrate G2, the offset between the black area of the cross-sectional photo and the vertical plane falls within the range of 0 to 30 μm, and no large fragments or offsets are generated on the cut surface. Therefore, a sufficiently durable liquid crystal panel can also be cut by the substrate cutting method of FIGS. 5 (a) to (e). Furthermore, it is considered that the amount of offset from the vertical plane can be further suppressed by adjusting the formation state of the trigger crack TC or the stress applying method in the breaking step.

Further, referring to FIGS. 6 (a) to (c), it can be seen that the progress of the cracks stops in the middle of the glass substrate G1 on the upper side, and the cracks do not progress to the glass substrate G2 on the lower side. However, referring to the cross-sectional photos of FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c) in detail, it is known that a stepped dent of about several micrometers is generated near the upper part of the cross-section of the lower glass substrate G2. It is considered that this nick is generated when the glass substrate G1 is scribed, and the load applied by the scribe wheel 301 is applied to the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 via the sealing material SL.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the effect in the scribing step that can be examined by the above experiment.

In the scribing step, if the scribing wheel 301 is pressed against the upper surface of the glass substrate G1 and the scribing wheel 301 is moved, the scribing line L1 is formed on the upper surface of the glass substrate G1 as described above. At this time, while the scribing wheel 301 is pressed against the upper surface of the glass substrate G1 with a specific load F0, it moves at a position directly above the sealing material SL. Here, since the hardness of the sealing material SL is high, the load F0 of the scribing wheel 301 is applied to the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 via the sealing material SL. When the load is set to Fa, the load Fa is continuously applied to the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 along the sealing material SL as the scribing wheel 301 moves. In this way, a stress concentration due to the load Fa is set on the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 Line LS. It is considered that, as described above, a nick is generated in the vicinity of the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 at the position of the line LS due to the pressure of the load Fa as described above. Therefore, further, a trigger crack TC is formed at a position corresponding to the scribe line L1 on the side of the glass substrate G2, and stress is applied in a direction of breaking the scribe line L1 in the breaking step, so that the glass substrate G1 is scribed along the scribe line. L1 is broken, and the line LS and the trigger crack TC become the starting point, and the glass substrate G2 is broken. From this, it is considered that the glass substrate G2 was smoothly cut like the above-mentioned experiment.

In addition, the load F0 of the scribing wheel 301 was 30N in the above experiment. However, the inventors of this case confirmed through further experiments that even if the load F0 is 20N or 10N, as long as it can be on the surface of the upper glass substrate G1 By forming a scribe line (crack), the mother substrate G can be divided along the scribe line L1 by the above-mentioned severing method. Therefore, by applying a load to the scribing wheel 301 to the extent that a scribing (crack) can be formed on the surface of the upper glass substrate G1, a nick is generated near the upper surface of the glass substrate G2 via the sealing material SL, so that it can be borrowed. The mother substrate G is successfully divided by the above-mentioned division method.

<Effects of Implementation Mode>

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be exhibited.

The glass substrate G2 is combined with the glass substrate G1 by applying stress to the mother substrate G in a direction that causes the scribe line L1 formed on the glass substrate G1 to crack, and starting from the trigger crack TC formed on the side surface of the glass substrate G2. Break. Therefore, in the step of forming the scribe line, the step of turning the mother substrate G over and further forming a line on the surface of the glass substrate G2 can be omitted, and in the breaking step, the mother substrate G can be turned over and the glass substrate G2 can be divided. Breaking steps. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the mother substrate G can be smoothly divided along the sealing material SL with fewer steps.

In this embodiment, after the scribe line L1 is formed on the upper surface of the glass substrate G1, a trigger crack TC is formed. Alternatively, the trigger crack TC may be formed first, and then the scribe line L1 may be formed. However, if a trigger crack TC is formed on the side of the glass substrate G2 when the scribe line L1 is formed, it is feared that the trigger crack TC will be used as a starting point in the glass due to the load when the scribe line is formed. The glass substrate G2 is broken undesirably. In contrast, as long as the trigger crack TC is formed after the scribe line L1 is formed as in this embodiment, such a problem does not occur. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably avoid the occurrence of undesired cracks in the glass substrate G2 in the step of forming the scribe line L1 on the glass substrate G1.

In this embodiment, in the step of breaking the mother substrate G, as shown in FIG. 5 (e), the surface of the glass substrate G2 corresponding to the position where the scribe line L1 is formed is pressed by the breaking lever BB. In addition, stress is applied to the mother substrate G in a direction in which the scribe line L1 is cleaved. Therefore, while pressing the surface of the glass substrate G2 at a position corresponding to the scribe line L1, stress is applied to both sides of the mother substrate G with the scribe line L1 as a center, and the scribe line L1 is split, so that the scribe line L1 can be split. The glass substrate G2 on which the scribe line is not formed is cut off smoothly.

In this embodiment, in the step of forming the trigger crack TC, not only the trigger crack TC is formed on the side of the glass substrate G2 at a position corresponding to the scribe line L1, but also on the side of the glass substrate G1 corresponding to the scribe line L1. A trigger crack TC was also formed at the location. Therefore, the trigger crack TC can be formed on the side surface of the glass substrate G1 as an introduction operation, and the trigger crack TC can be smoothly formed on the side surface of the glass substrate G2.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), a trigger crack TC is formed on the side surface of the glass substrate G2 over the entire length in the thickness direction of the glass substrate G2. By making the trigger crack TC, which is the starting point when the glass substrate G2 is broken, so long, the glass substrate G2 can be broken more accurately.

<Example of change>

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited at all by the said embodiment, and the embodiment of this invention can also be changed variously besides the above.

For example, in the above embodiment, a trigger crack TC is formed from the upper surface of the glass substrate G1 to the lower surface of the glass substrate G2, but as shown in FIG. 8 (a), a trigger crack may be formed only on the side of the glass substrate G2. TC. Triggering the crack TC becomes the break of the glass substrate G2 It is considered to be formed at least on the side surface of the glass substrate G2 at the starting point of time.

In addition, the trigger crack TC may not necessarily be formed over the entire length in the thickness direction of the glass substrate G2. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the trigger crack TC may be formed with a specific length from the upper surface of the glass substrate G2. Furthermore, since the trigger crack TC becomes a starting point when the division of the glass substrate G1 progresses to the upper surface of the glass substrate G2, it is desirable to be connected to at least the upper surface of the glass substrate G2.

In the above embodiment, the scribe line L1 is formed on the surface (upper surface) of the glass substrate G1, but as shown in FIG. 8 (c), the scribe line L2 may be formed on the surface (lower surface) of the glass substrate G2. In this case, the trigger crack TC is formed at least on the side surface of the glass substrate G1, and the breaking step is performed by pressing the surface of the glass substrate G1 and applying stress in a direction that the scribe line L2 is split.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the position of the glass substrate G2 corresponding to the scribe line L1 is pressed by the breaking lever BB, and the mother substrate G is given a stress in a direction to break the scribe line L1. As shown in FIG. 8 (d), the upper surface and lower surface of the mother substrate G1 are sandwiched by the holders B1 and B2, and the upper surface of the glass substrate G1 is pressed downward, so that the mother substrate G is provided with a marking. Stress in the direction of the line L1 cracking. However, in this case, it is difficult to uniformly apply stress to both sides of the mother substrate G with the scribe line L1 as the center. Therefore, compared with the above embodiment, there is a concern that the breaking accuracy of the glass substrate G2 may be reduced.

Also, in the above embodiment, the trigger crack TC is formed by the scribing wheel 401, but the trigger crack TC may not necessarily be formed by the scribing wheel 401, for example, a glass cutting machine of a type in which the blade tip does not rotate. Formation of a trigger crack TC. The scribing wheel 301 that forms the scribing line L1 can also be used for other cutting edges such as a scribing wheel that has no groove on the ridge line.

In the above embodiment, the scribe head 2 for forming the trigger crack TC is provided separately from the scribe head 2 for forming the scribe line L1, but the trigger crack can also be further formed with the scribe head 2 for forming the scribe line L1. The TC method constitutes the scribing device 1. In this case, the scribing head 2 is controlled, for example, as follows: the scribing wheel 301 moves on the upper surface of the mother substrate G to the drawing After the scribe line L1 is formed up to the edge portion in the positive direction of the X axis of 1 (a), the trigger crack TC is formed on the side of the positive side of the X axis of the mother substrate G in the negative direction of the Z axis. In this configuration, the width in the X-axis direction of the first conveyor 11a is set so that the end portion on the X-axis positive side of the mother substrate G protrudes from the first conveyor 11a.

In addition, the structure, thickness, and material of the mother substrate G are not limited to those shown in the above embodiment, and the mother substrate G with other structures can be cut by using the above-mentioned substrate cutting method and scribing device.

The embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea shown in the scope of the patent application.

Claims (12)

A substrate cutting method is characterized in that it is a substrate cutting method of cutting a mother substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealing material, and has the following steps: one side presses a knife against A position where the knife faces the sealing material on the surface of the first substrate is moved along the sealing material to form a scribe line on the surface of the first substrate; at least the side surface of the second substrate is scribed with the scribe line. A crack is formed at a position corresponding to the formation position; and the mother substrate is divided along the crack by applying a stress to the mother substrate in a direction that breaks the scribe line. The substrate cutting method according to claim 1, wherein after the step of forming the scribe line is performed, the step of forming the crack is performed. For example, the substrate cutting method of claim 1 or 2, wherein in the step of cutting the mother substrate, the mother substrate is given a surface by pressing a surface of the second substrate corresponding to a position where the scribe line is formed. The stress in the direction where the scribe line is split. According to the method for cutting a substrate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the step of forming the crack, a crack is also formed on a side of the first substrate at a position corresponding to the scribe line. According to the method for cutting a substrate according to claim 3, in the step of forming the crack, a crack is also formed at a position corresponding to the scribe line on the side surface of the first substrate. The method for cutting a substrate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the crack is formed on a side surface of the second substrate over a full length in a thickness direction of the second substrate. The method for cutting a substrate according to claim 3, wherein the crack is formed on the side surface of the second substrate over the entire length in the thickness direction of the second substrate. The method for cutting a substrate according to claim 4, wherein the crack is formed on the side surface of the second substrate over the entire length in the thickness direction of the second substrate. The method for cutting a substrate according to claim 5, wherein the crack is formed on a side surface of the second substrate over a full length in a thickness direction of the second substrate. A scribing device is characterized in that it is a scribing device that forms a scribing line on a mother substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealing material, and includes: a scribing forming device, one side of which A knife is pressed against a position on the surface of the first substrate that is opposite to the sealing material, while moving the knife along the sealing material to form a scribe line on the surface of the first substrate; and a crack-forming device at least A crack is formed at a position corresponding to the position where the scribe line is formed on the side surface of the second substrate. A scribing device, characterized in that it is a scribing device that forms a scribing line on a mother substrate formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate with a sealing material, and includes: a first head, which A scribe line is formed on the surface of the first substrate; a second head forms a crack at least on the side surface of the second substrate; a first driving portion moves the first head along the sealing material; and a second driving portion causes the The second head moves in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the mother substrate; and the first head presses a knife against a position on the surface of the first substrate opposite to the sealing material while causing the knife to seal along the seal. The material moves; the second head presses the knife against at least the position corresponding to the formation position of the scribe line on the side of the second substrate, and moves the knife in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the mother substrate. The scribing device as claimed in claim 11, comprising: a first conveyor capable of placing the mother substrate when the scribing is formed on the surface of the first substrate, and transferring the mother substrate toward a downstream side; and A conveyor is provided on the downstream side of the first conveyor, and the mother substrate transferred by the first conveyor is placed on the conveyor, and the second substrate is moved in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the mother substrate. The width of the conveyor is set to be smaller than the width of the first conveyor so that at least one end portion of the mother substrate in the second conveyor protrudes from the second conveyor; and the second head is formed from the second conveyor. The end portion side of the mother substrate extended by the conveyor is moved in a direction perpendicular to the mother substrate.