TWI689352B - Spray etching device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a spray etching device that facilitates maintenance and facilitates the lightening of the device and can perform high-quality spray etching processing.

The spray etching device at least includes an etching chamber (16), a liquid sending unit (40), and a driving unit (50), and their liquid sending unit (40), etching chamber (16), and driving unit (50) face The glass substrate (100) is arranged in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The etching chamber (16) at least includes a movable upper spray piping unit (162) and a lower spray piping unit (164) configured to spray the glass substrate (100) with an etching solution.

Description

Spray etching device

The present invention relates to an etching apparatus configured to perform etching processing on a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate.

In the thinning or cutting of glass substrates used in mobile phones, computers, LCD TVs, etc., opportunities for applying etching treatment are gradually increasing. The reason is that, when mechanical processing is applied to the glass substrate, scratches are likely to be generated during processing, whereas in the case of etching processing, no scratches are generated during processing. By using an etching process, the strength of the processed glass substrate can be improved.

As a representative example of the etching process for the glass substrate, a wet etching process using an etchant such as hydrofluoric acid may be mentioned. This wet etching process can be divided into an immersion method of immersing the glass substrate in the bath containing the etching solution and a spraying method of spraying the etching solution on the glass substrate from the spray nozzle. In the past, it has been widely used in the etching process with a simple structure and a relatively low equipment cost in the immersion method.

However, in recent years, the spray etching method has gradually become popular, and it is generally considered that the sludge (sludge) and other precipitates are managed It is easy, and the management of the etching rate is also easy (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). By performing etching treatment by such a spray method, it is generally considered that the processing of a glass substrate requiring dimensional accuracy can be performed satisfactorily.

[Prior Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Republished Publication No. 2013-118867

However, even in a spray-type etching apparatus, the management of sludge and other precipitates may still be a problem. For example, in a configuration in which a horizontally placed glass substrate is sprayed and etched from above and below, etching liquid may be retained on the upper side of the glass substrate.

The retention of the etching solution easily affects the quality of the etching process, so it is preferable to appropriately suppress the retention of the etching solution. In order to prevent the retention of the upper side of the glass substrate, in the case where a drive mechanism that changes the spray angle of etching is used, the drive mechanism must be frequently properly maintained. Especially when the drive mechanism is arranged in a position that is easily affected by the etching environment, the drive mechanism must be carefully maintained. In addition, depending on the configuration of the driving mechanism, the design of the etching device may be limited, or the etching device may be enlarged.

The object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance that is easy, and the device is easy to make lightweight, and can perform high-quality spraying Spray etching device for etching process.

The spray etching apparatus of the present invention is configured to perform a spray-type etching process on a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate. The spray etching device includes an etching chamber, a liquid sending unit, and a driving unit. The etching chamber includes at least a movable spray piping unit configured to spray the etching liquid to the substrates to be sequentially transported in a predetermined transport direction. As a configuration example of the spray piping unit, a plurality of spray pipes provided with a plurality of spray nozzles for discharging etching liquid are arranged and unitized by a frame member or a housing member.

The liquid feeding unit is configured to supply the etching liquid to the spray piping unit. As an example of the liquid supply unit, a liquid supply mechanism including a piping group that connects the etching solution tank and the etching chamber, and instruments such as pumps or pressure gauges provided in the piping group may be mentioned. With the liquid feed unit, the etching liquid contained in the etching liquid tank is supplied to the spray piping unit in the etching chamber. In addition, if necessary, the liquid feeding unit is configured to send liquids (cleaning liquid, water, etc.) other than the etching liquid to each chamber. In addition, as a representative example of the moving direction of the spray piping unit, a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the substrate to be processed may be mentioned, but it may be configured to move in an oblique direction or to move in such a manner as to draw a circle.

The driving unit is configured to transmit the driving force from the outside of the etching chamber to at least the spray piping unit. Examples of the configuration of the drive unit include a drive source such as a motor and a transmission mechanism such as a rack and pinion mechanism or a crank mechanism. For example, if When a pushing force or a tensile force is applied to the spray piping unit from the drive unit through the shaft bar, etc., the spray piping unit will reciprocate on a straight line. In consideration of the maintainability of the spray piping unit, the spray piping unit is preferably configured to be able to selectively release the connection state with the drive unit.

In addition, in the above-mentioned spray etching apparatus, the liquid supply unit, the etching chamber, and the drive unit are arranged in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the substrate to be processed. By adopting this arrangement, when the etching chambers are arranged along the conveying direction of the glass substrate, there is no physical interference of the liquid sending unit or the driving unit. In particular, when the etching chambers are continuously arranged, it is not necessary to arrange the liquid supply unit or the driving unit between the etching chambers, so the length of the device in the transport direction does not become longer than necessary, and the device does not increase in size .

In addition, since the spray piping unit is unitized and a driving force is applied to the entire unit to move it, it is not necessary to have a movable portion in the spray piping unit. Therefore, compared with the case where each of the nozzles is driven or the case where the driving force is transmitted to each of the pipes, a failure is less likely to occur. In addition, by preparing a spare spray piping unit, etc., the entire spray piping unit can be detached from the etching apparatus, and maintenance of each nozzle or piping can be performed. Therefore, maintenance becomes easy.

By performing the etching process while applying a driving force to the spray piping unit, the retention of the etching solution on the upper side of the substrate to be processed is less likely to occur, and the occurrence of uneven etching due to the retention of the etching solution is prevented. Also, it becomes easy to prevent clogging of nozzles or pipes, sludge accumulation, etc., so that it is easy to achieve high-quality etching treatment.

In the above-mentioned spray etching apparatus, it is preferable that In the piping unit, the leg portion is slidably supported by a linear guide member extending in the width direction, and the driving unit applies a force for reciprocating sliding movement of the spray piping unit along the guide member to the spray piping unit. By adopting such a configuration, the spray piping unit can be reciprocated well in the width direction, so that the etching liquid can be prevented from staying on the upper side of the substrate to be processed. In addition, the spray piping unit can be driven by a simple structure, so that the problem of the driving mechanism is suppressed.

In addition, the spray piping unit may be disposed on either the upper side or the lower side of the conveying path of the substrate to be processed, but preferably, the spray piping unit is configured to be disposed on the upper side of the conveying path of the substrate to be processed The upper-side spray piping unit and the lower-side spray piping unit disposed below the conveyance path of the substrate to be processed. Especially in this case, it is preferable that the lower part of the liquid supply unit and the upper side spray piping unit are connected by a flexible hose, and the upper part of the liquid supply unit and the lower side spray piping unit are It is connected with a flexible hose. With such a configuration, the hose becomes sufficiently long, and it becomes easy to flex it well as the spray piping unit moves.

According to the present invention, maintenance can be facilitated, the device can be made lighter, and high-quality spray etching can be performed.

10: Etching device

12: Introduction Department

14: Pre-treatment chamber

16: Etching chamber

18: washing chamber

20: Discharge section

30: handling roller

40: Liquid delivery unit

50: drive unit

100: glass substrate

162: Upper spray piping unit

164: Lower spray piping unit

166: Upper hose unit

167: Lower hose unit

168~169: drive shaft rod

170: base member

172: Guide member

[Fig. 1] A schematic view of a spray etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] A schematic configuration diagram of an etching chamber.

[Fig. 3] A schematic configuration diagram of a spray piping unit.

[Fig. 4] A schematic explanatory diagram of the operation of the spray piping unit.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the spray etching apparatus of the present invention will be described using the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the spray etching apparatus 10 includes an introduction unit 12, a pre-processing chamber 14, five etching chambers 16, a cleaning chamber 18, and a discharge unit 20. In the pre-processing chamber 14, the etching chamber 16, and the cleaning chamber 18, slit-shaped openings through which the glass substrate 100 can pass are formed in part of the partition walls. In the following embodiments, an example in which the substrate to be processed is the glass substrate 100 will be described. However, the spray etching apparatus 10 may be used in the processing of substrates other than the glass substrate 100 (eg, ceramic substrates, printed substrates, semiconductor substrates, etc.).

The spray etching apparatus 10 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 30 arranged from the introduction part 12 at the most upstream position to the discharge part 20 at the most downstream position. The conveying roller 30 is configured such that the glass substrate 100 provided (loaded) in the introduction section 12 is sequentially conveyed to the discharge section 20 via the pre-processing chamber 14, the etching chamber 16, and the cleaning chamber 18.

The pre-processing chamber 14 is configured to wash the glass substrate 100 before being introduced into the etching chamber 16. In this embodiment, the glass substrate 100 is sprayed with clean water from above and below in the pre-processing chamber 14, whereby the glass substrate 100 is washed with water. The etching chamber 16 is configured to the glass substrate 100 The etching liquid is sprayed to thin the glass substrate 100. In this embodiment, the spray etching apparatus 10 includes five etching chambers 16, but the number of etching chambers 16 can be appropriately increased or decreased. The structure of the etching chamber 16 will be described later.

The cleaning chamber 18 is configured to wash the glass substrate 100 subjected to the etching process in the etching chamber 16. In the washing chamber 18, like the pre-processing chamber 14, the glass substrate 100 is sprayed with washing water from above and below, whereby the glass substrate 100 is washed with water. In the discharge unit 20, the glass substrate 100 subjected to the etching process and the cleaning process is discharged. The glass substrate 100 is taken out (unloaded) in the discharge unit 20.

As shown in FIG. 1(B), the etching chamber 16 and the cleaning chamber 18 are provided with drying means (for example: air knife, dehydrating roller, etc.) for removing liquid on the glass substrate 100, and the etching liquid is appropriately performed Removal and washing water removal. In addition, the spray etching apparatus 10 is connected to an exhaust system (illustration omitted) including a scrubber and a drainage system (illustration omitted) including a filter press, etc. Gas and drainage.

Next, the configuration of the etching chamber 16 will be described using FIG. 2. The five etching chambers 16 have the same structure in principle, and therefore, the single etching chamber 16 will be described here. The etching chamber 16 includes at least an upper spray piping unit 162, a lower spray piping unit 164, an upper hose unit 166, a lower hose unit 167 (see FIG. 3), and a drive shaft 168.

The upper spray piping unit 162 is arranged at a predetermined distance above the glass substrate 100 conveyed on the conveying roller 30. The upper spray piping unit 162 is configured to arrange a plurality of pipes including a plurality of discharge nozzles that discharge the etching liquid in parallel. In this embodiment, an example is described in which six discharge nozzles are provided in each of five pipes arranged in parallel, but the number of pipes or discharge nozzles is not limited to this.

Here, the frame member, discharge nozzle, and piping of the upper spray piping unit 162 are made of polyvinyl chloride, but other acid-resistant members may also be used. The lower spray piping unit 164 is arranged at a predetermined distance below the glass substrate 100 conveyed on the conveying roller 30. The basic configuration of the lower spray piping unit 164 is the same as that of the upper spray piping unit 162, and therefore the description is omitted.

The upper side spray piping unit 162 and the lower side spray piping unit 164 are provided with base members 170 as legs at four locations on their bottoms (four corners in this embodiment). The base member 170 is supported by eight guide members 172 provided at predetermined positions in the etching chamber 16 in a slidable state. The bottom of the base member 170 is subjected to a drawing process, and the guide member 172 has a groove portion having a shape matching the bottom of the base member 170. The base member 170 reciprocates linearly along the groove of the guide member 172, whereby the upper spray piping unit 162 and the lower spray piping unit 164 reciprocate linearly in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass substrate 100 .

Since the base member 170 and the guide member 172 always rub against each other, it is preferable to use a material that has acid resistance and has high sliding characteristics or wear resistance. In this embodiment, the base member 170 uses polytetrafluoroethylene, and the guide member 172 uses ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene resin (U- PE), but the material is not limited to these. By not setting the materials of the base member 170 and the guide member 172 to be the same, it becomes difficult to wear each other.

The upper hose unit 166 is composed of a bundle of flexible acid-resistant hoses, and is configured to connect the upper spray piping unit 162 and the liquid supply unit 40. The lower hose unit 167 is composed of a bundle of flexible acid-resistant hoses, and is configured to connect the lower spray piping unit 164 and the liquid supply unit 40. (See FIG. 3) The drive shaft 168 is configured to transmit the driving force from the drive unit 50 to the upper spray piping unit 162. The driving shaft 169 is configured to transmit the driving force from the driving unit 50 to the lower spray piping unit 164. Since the driving shaft bar 168 and the driving shaft bar 169 penetrate the side wall of the etching chamber 16, a sealing mechanism such as a sealed bearing is used to maintain water impermeability and airtightness. The driving unit 50 converts the force from the motor into a linear driving force by a transmission mechanism such as rack and pinion, thereby transmitting the driving force to the drive shaft 168 and the drive shaft 169.

The upper hose unit 166 is configured to supply the etching liquid from the liquid feed unit 40 to the upper spray piping unit 162. The lower hose unit 167 is configured to supply the etching liquid from the liquid feed unit 40 to the lower spray piping unit 164. The upper hose unit 166 and the lower hose unit 167 are composed of an acid-resistant member such as tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA). The upper hose unit 166 and the lower hose unit 167 are designed to be sufficiently longer than necessary, so that even when the liquid feed unit is caused by the sliding action of the upper spray piping unit 162 and the lower spray piping unit 164 When the distance between 40 and the upper spray piping unit 162 and the lower spray piping unit 164 is changed, it still has sufficient flexibility to absorb this change (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 ).

In this embodiment, the upper hose unit 166 connects the lower part of the liquid supply unit 40 and the upper spray piping unit 162, while the lower hose unit 167 connects the upper part and the lower side of the liquid supply unit 40 The spray piping unit 164 is connected. The reason is that the lengths of the upper hose unit 166 and the lower hose unit 167 can be increased. When the upper spray piping unit 162 and the lower spray piping unit 164 are reciprocatingly moved, the upper hose unit 166 and the lower side The hose unit 167 may easily flex.

As a result, even in the case where a relatively hard fluorine-based resin is used, the upper hose unit 166 and the lower hose unit 167 can easily exert their original functions. In addition, the length of the upper hose unit 166 and the lower hose unit 167 (especially the length of the portion outside the upper spray piping unit 162 and the lower spray piping unit 164) can be increased. In addition, it is possible to reliably prevent the upper hose unit 166 and the lower hose unit 167 from hanging down to the spraying area of the etching solution.

In the spray etching apparatus 10 described above, the glass substrate 100 is loaded on the introduction section 12 by an operator, a robot arm, or the like. The glass substrate 100 is sequentially loaded on the introduction part 12 at appropriate intervals. The glass substrate 100 is introduced into the pre-processing chamber 14 from the introduction portion 12 through the slit-shaped opening, and here, the entire surface thereof is washed by washing water. Next, the glass substrate 100 is passed through the slit-shaped opening from the pre-processing chamber 14 Induction into the etching chamber 16.

In the etching chamber 16, the upper spray pipe unit 162 and the lower spray pipe unit 164 spray the etching liquid onto the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 100, respectively. During this etching process, as shown in FIG. 4(A) and FIG. 4(B), the upper spray piping unit 162 and the lower spray piping unit 164 will reciprocate in the width direction, so the spray angle of the etching liquid will be any time Variety. As a result, the etching liquid sprayed on the upper surface of the glass substrate 100 is less likely to be retained.

The glass substrate 100 is thinned while passing through the plurality of etching chambers 16 in sequence. Then, after passing through the etching chamber 16 arranged at the most downstream, it is cut by a liquid such as an air knife, and then introduced into the washing chamber 18. The glass substrate 100 is washed by washing water in the washing chamber 18. After being dehydrated by an air knife or the like, it is discharged to the discharge unit 20. The glass substrate 100 discharged to the discharge part 20 is recovered by an operator or a robot arm and moved to a post-stage process.

Through the above procedure, the spray etching device 10 can perform a spray etching process on a large number (for example, 500 sheets/day or more) of glass substrates 100. In this embodiment, an example of thinning of the glass substrate 100 is described. However, by using a masking agent having an etching resistance having a desired pattern layout, the glass substrate 100 can also be cut or end-faced. Smoothing, etc.

In consideration of the maintainability of the spray etching device 10, the top plate of the etching chamber 16 is preferably configured to be switchable or detachable. The upper spray piping unit 162 is removed by removing the upper hose unit 166 and the drive shaft 168, it can be easily taken out of the device from the ceiling part of the etching chamber 16. At this time, the upper spray piping unit 162, the upper hose unit 166, and the drive shaft 168 are preferably connected by an arbitrarily attachable and detachable structure (screw fastening, lock mechanism with release function, etc.).

In addition, the transport roller 30 group is designed in advance so that it can be easily disconnected from the drive transmission part, whereby it can be easily taken out of the device. Furthermore, the lower spray piping unit 164 can be taken out of the device from the ceiling like the upper spray piping unit 162. The maintenance work of the upper side spray piping unit 162 and the lower side spray piping unit 164 to remove precipitates such as sludge and the like is performed outside the device, thereby improving the maintainability. In addition, if the upper side spray piping unit 162 and the lower side spray piping unit 164 are prepared in advance, the time for stopping the production of the spray etching device 10 can be minimized.

In the description of the above-mentioned embodiment, all points should be considered as examples, rather than limiting factors. The scope of the present invention is not disclosed by the above-mentioned embodiments, but by the scope of patent application. In addition, the scope of the present invention is intended to include the meaning equivalent to the scope of patent application and all changes within the scope.

16‧‧‧Etching chamber

30‧‧‧Handling roller

40‧‧‧Liquid delivery unit

50‧‧‧Drive unit

100‧‧‧Glass substrate

162‧‧‧Upper spray piping unit

164‧‧‧Lower side spray piping unit

166‧‧‧Upper hose unit

168‧‧‧Drive shaft rod

169‧‧‧Drive shaft rod

170‧‧‧Base member

172‧‧‧Guiding member

Claims (2)

A spray etching apparatus is a spray etching apparatus configured to perform an etching process of a substrate to be treated such as a glass substrate by a spray method, and is characterized by comprising: an etching chamber, at least including a structure configured to be sequentially transported in a predetermined transport direction A movable spray piping unit for spraying etching liquid on the substrate to be processed; a liquid supply unit configured to supply the etching liquid to the spray piping unit; and a driving unit configured to transfer at least the spray piping unit from outside the etching chamber Driving force; the liquid feeding unit, the etching chamber, and the driving unit are arranged in a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate to be processed, and the spray piping unit is arranged from the upper side to the upper side of the transport path of the substrate to be processed The spray piping unit and the lower spray piping unit disposed on the lower side of the conveying path of the substrate to be processed, the lower part of the liquid feed unit and the upper spray piping unit are connected by a flexible hose , And the upper part of the liquid supply unit and the lower spray piping unit are connected by a flexible hose. The spray etching device according to item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the spray piping unit has its legs supported by a linear guide member extending in the width direction, and the drive unit is configured to be used To let the aforementioned spray piping unit The force for reciprocating sliding movement of the guide member is applied to the spray piping unit.

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