WO2015190281A1

WO2015190281A1 - Brittle substrate cleavage method and brittle substrate cleavage device

Info

Publication number: WO2015190281A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/065073
Authority: WO
Inventors: 山田　淳一
Original assignee: 株式会社Ihi
Priority date: 2014-06-11
Filing date: 2015-05-26
Publication date: 2015-12-17
Also published as: TWI607976B; JPWO2015190281A1; JP6269830B2; CN106029317A; KR101836025B1; KR20160124198A; TW201602028A

Abstract

The present invention is a brittle substrate (W) cleavage device (20) for cleaving a brittle substrate (W) along an intended cleavage line (L). The cleavage device is equipped with: a processing pedestal (3) on which the brittle substrate (W) is placed; a leading end fissure-forming unit (21) for forming a leading end fissure (41) as an initial fissure on the intended cleavage line (L) of the brittle substrate (W) at the leading end in the direction of movement when moving the brittle substrate (W); an end fissure-forming unit (22) for forming an end fissure (42) as an initial fissure on the intended cleavage line (L) of the brittle substrate (W) at the back end in the direction of movement when moving the brittle substrate (W); a laser irradiation unit (23) for irradiating laser light (C) on the brittle substrate (W); a refrigerant-spraying unit (24) for spraying a refrigerant (R) on the brittle substrate (W); and a movement means (25) for moving the brittle substrate (W) in a previously set direction with respect to the laser irradiation unit (23) and the refrigerant-spraying unit (24).

Description

Brittle material substrate cleaving method and brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus

The present invention relates to a brittle material substrate cleaving method and a brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-120915 for which it applied to Japan on June 11, 2014, and uses the content here.

Conventionally, as a cleaving device for cleaving a brittle material substrate such as a glass plate, a laser irradiation unit that irradiates the brittle material substrate with a laser beam and locally heats it, and jets a coolant onto the brittle material substrate heated by the laser beam. An apparatus including a coolant injection unit is proposed. However, in general, such a cleaving apparatus only forms a scribe line along the planned cutting line on the brittle material substrate, and by performing a break process on the brittle material substrate along the scribe line as a post process, Finally, the brittle material substrate is fully cut.

For such a cleaving device, as a cleaving method for full cutting of a brittle material substrate as well as simply forming a scribe line, a deformation stress acting in the thickness direction is applied along the planned fracture line of the brittle material substrate, A cleaving method has been proposed in which a brittle material substrate is fully cut by operating a local heat source along a planned cutting line (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-107301

However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to specifically configure the apparatus for applying the deformation stress, and the conditions for applying the deformation stress that can surely perform a full cut along the planned cutting line are determined. It can be difficult. Therefore, it is desired to provide a technique that has a relatively simple apparatus configuration and that can reliably perform a full cut on a brittle material substrate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a brittle material substrate cleaving method and a brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus that can reliably perform full cutting on a brittle material substrate by a relatively simple method. It is to provide.

As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventor, for example, for an extremely thin brittle material substrate having a thickness of 300 μm or less, appropriately selects heating / cooling conditions, and moves the laser and cooling. The knowledge that a full cut could be performed to the middle of the planned cutting line by appropriately generating thermal stress due to the temperature distribution in the direction was obtained. However, it has also been found that even if heating / cooling is appropriately selected in this way, there is a possibility that uncut portions may occur at the cut end portion. Therefore, the present inventor completed the present invention as a result of further research to eliminate the uncut portion at the cut end portion.

A first aspect of the present invention is a method for cleaving a brittle material substrate along a planned cutting line, and the brittle material substrate on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate with respect to the laser beam irradiation source. Forming a crack at the leading end in the moving direction and a terminal crack at the trailing end in the moving direction, and moving the brittle material substrate with respect to the laser beam irradiation source. , A process of performing a heat treatment by irradiating a laser beam on a planned cutting line from a laser beam irradiation source, and a cooling process by injecting a coolant from a coolant injection source to a heat-treated portion of a brittle material substrate by a laser beam And cutting the brittle material substrate along the planned cutting line.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the brittle material substrate has a non-product quality area at the periphery, a product quality area inside the non-product quality area, In the step of forming the end crack, both the start crack and the end crack are formed in the non-product quality area.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the brittle material substrate is subjected to heat treatment and thermal treatment so that the temperature gradient in the cutting line direction of the brittle material substrate is larger than the temperature gradient in the thickness direction of the brittle material substrate. Cooling process is performed.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus for cleaving a brittle material substrate along a planned cutting line, on a processing table on which the brittle material substrate is arranged, on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate, At the front end in the moving direction when moving the brittle material substrate, at the start end crack forming portion for forming the start crack, and at the rear end in the moving direction when moving the brittle material substrate on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate A terminal crack forming part for forming a terminal crack, a laser irradiation part for irradiating a laser beam onto the brittle material substrate, a coolant injection part for injecting a coolant onto the brittle material substrate, and a laser irradiation part for the brittle material substrate And a moving means for moving in a preset direction with respect to the coolant injection unit.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the moving means is configured to move the laser irradiation unit and the coolant injection unit with respect to the brittle material substrate. Is configured to move on the same movement path as the laser irradiation unit.

According to the cleaving method of the brittle material substrate of the present invention, a starting crack is formed as an initial crack at the tip in the moving direction when moving the brittle material substrate on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate, and the moving direction Since a terminal crack is formed as an initial crack at the rear end portion in FIG. 2, a full cut can be performed even at the cut terminal portion, particularly starting from the terminal crack. Therefore, a simple method of simply forming the end crack can eliminate the uncut portion at the cut end portion and perform a full cut on the entire cutting planned line.
According to the cleaving apparatus for a brittle material substrate of the present invention, a terminal crack forming portion that forms a terminal crack as an initial crack at the rear end portion in the movement direction when the brittle material substrate is moved on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate. Therefore, a full cut can be performed even at the cut end portion, particularly starting from the end crack. Therefore, a simple method of simply providing the terminal crack forming part can eliminate the uncut residue at the cut terminal part and perform the full cut on the entire cutting planned line.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of an example of the conveying apparatus provided with the cleaving apparatus of the brittle material board | substrate which concerns on this embodiment. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of a cleaving apparatus. It is a top view which shows the principal part of a brittle material board | substrate. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism cleaved by the initial crack of a brittle material board | substrate. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism cleaved by the initial crack of a brittle material board | substrate. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism in which a full cut (cleaving) is performed triggered by an initial crack in a very thin brittle material substrate. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism in which a full cut (cleaving) is performed triggered by an initial crack in a very thin brittle material substrate. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism in which a full cut (cleaving) is performed triggered by an initial crack in a very thin brittle material substrate.

Hereinafter, a brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a transport apparatus provided with a brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a transport apparatus, and 20 is a brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “crushing apparatus”). (Referred to as a cleaving device).

The transfer device 1 is a device that transfers a brittle material substrate W made of ultrathin glass having a thickness of 300 μm or less, for example. Normally, since the central portion of the brittle material substrate W is a product quality area, it is usual to avoid holding such a product quality area directly. Therefore, in such a brittle material substrate W, generally, a peripheral portion called an “ear” that is outside the product quality area, that is, a non-product quality area at both ends in the width direction of about 5 mm to 10 mm is directly held. It becomes an area to be.

The transport device 1 does not directly hold the product quality area of the brittle material substrate W in this way, but directly holds and transports only both end portions that become non-product quality areas, and also uses the cleaving device 20 to carry the brittle material substrate W. Is a device that performs full cutting (cutting) into a desired dimension. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 includes an unwinding roll 2 and a transport path 3 that transports the brittle material substrate W fed from the unwinding roll 2, and further includes a pair of fixed holding members 4, A pair of first movable holding members 5, a cleaving device 20, and a pair of second movable holding members 7 are provided.

The unwinding roll 2 includes a roll shaft 2a around which the brittle material substrate W is wound, and a drive source 8 such as a motor that is connected to the roll shaft 2a and rotates the roll shaft 2a. The drive source 8 is provided with a control unit (not shown) that controls the rotation speed of the roll shaft 2 a, and the control unit intermittently unwinds the brittle material substrate W from the unwinding roll 2. It is formed as follows. As the brittle material substrate W, as described above, ultrathin glass having a thickness of 300 μm or less is used.

A height adjusting roller 9 is disposed on the downstream side of the unwinding roll 2. The height adjusting roller 9 is a transport roller that transports the brittle material substrate W unwound from the unwinding roll 2. The upper end of the height adjusting roller 9 is disposed slightly higher than the upper surface of the transport path 3. With such a configuration, the height adjusting roller 9 transports the brittle material substrate W unwound from the unwinding roll 2 onto the upper surface (transport surface) of the transport path 3.

The conveyance path 3 is arranged on the delivery side of the height adjusting roller 9. For example, a plurality of long and thin plate-like conveyance units 10 are arranged in alignment along the conveyance direction of the brittle material substrate W. In this example, since the transport unit 10 is preferably transported in a non-contact manner with respect to the product quality area so as not to directly hold the product quality area which is the central portion of the brittle material substrate W, levitation by blowing out air is preferable. The formula is adopted.

A large number of air ejection holes (not shown) are provided on the upper surface of the floating transport unit 10, and an air supply source is connected to the air ejection holes via a pipe so that a predetermined amount of air is discharged from the air ejection holes. Erupted. The air is thus ejected to form an air layer on the transport unit 10, and the brittle material substrate W floats above the upper surface of the transport unit 10 (transport path 3) by the air layer. Note that the shape of the air ejection hole is not particularly limited, and may be a slit-like elongated hole in addition to a general circular hole.

In addition, a large number of suction holes (not shown) are formed in a processing region heated or cooled by a laser irradiation unit 23 or a coolant injection unit 24, which will be described later, and a region near the processing region, in addition to the air ejection holes. It may be formed. A vacuum pump (not shown) as a negative pressure source is connected to these suction holes via a pipe (not shown), and the brittle material substrate W is sucked by the vacuum pump to suck the brittle material substrate W. Pull on. However, the suction force by the suction hole is set to be weaker than the force of floating the brittle material substrate W by the air ejection hole. As a result, the air ejection from the air ejection holes and the suction by the suction holes are balanced, so that the brittle material substrate W is held at a predetermined interval between the upper surface of the transport path 3 and thus transported. The path 3 is held with high accuracy.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first clamp rail 11 and the second clamp rail 12 are arranged on both sides of the transport path 3 along the transport direction of the transport path 3. The fixed holding member 4 is provided on the upstream side (the unwinding roll 2 side) of the first clamp rail 11, and the first movable holding member 5 is provided on the downstream side of the fixed holding member 4.

The fixed holding member 4 is attached to the first clamp rail 11 in a fixed state via an attachment member (not shown). That is, the fixed holding member 4 is fixed without moving along the length direction of the first clamp rail 11 (the transport direction of the transport path 3). The fixed holding member 4 is a general clamp having a lower plate and an upper plate, and the brittle material substrate W can be attached and detached by forming the lower plate and the upper plate so that they can be contacted and separated by an air cylinder. Hold on. In addition, the site | part which hold | maintains the brittle material board | substrate W is the front-end | tip part of a lower board and an upper board, and, thereby, the fixed holding member 4 does not hold | maintain the product quality area of the brittle material board | substrate W directly, Directly hold only the ends on both sides.

The first movable holding member 5 is also a general clamp having a lower plate and an upper plate, and the lower plate and the upper plate are formed so as to be able to contact and separate by the air cylinder in the same manner as the fixed holding member 4. The brittle material substrate W is detachably held. Note that, similarly to the fixed holding member 4, the first movable holding member 5 does not directly hold the product quality area of the brittle material substrate W, but directly holds both end portions that are non-product quality areas.

The pair of first movable holding members 5 are both attached to the first clamp rail 11 so as to be reciprocally movable. That is, the pair of first movable holding members 5 can reciprocate along the length direction of the first clamp rail 11 (the conveyance direction of the conveyance path 3). Here, the 1st clamp rail 11 is provided with the ball screw mechanism and the linear motor mechanism, for example, and the moving speed and the moving distance of the 1st movable holding member 5 are controlled with high precision by this.

The second clamp rail 12 is provided with a pair of second movable holding members 7. The second movable holding member 7 is also a clamp configured similarly to the first movable holding member 5, and is movably attached to the second clamp rail 12. That is, the pair of second movable holding members 7 can reciprocate along the length direction of the second clamp rail 12 (the conveyance direction of the conveyance path 3). Note that the second movable holding member 7 does not directly hold the product quality area of the brittle material substrate W as in the case of the fixed holding member 4 and the first movable holding member 5, but only the end portions on both sides that become non-product quality areas. Hold directly. Similarly to the first clamp rail 11, the second clamp rail 12 is also provided with a ball screw mechanism and a linear motor mechanism so that the moving speed and moving distance of the second movable holding member 7 can be made with high accuracy. It is controlled.

Further, the transport device 1 is provided with a holding frame 13 on the unwinding roll 2 side of the transport path 3, and a cleaving device 20 is movably provided on the holding frame 13. As described above, the cleaving apparatus 20 is an embodiment of the cleaving apparatus for a brittle material substrate according to the present invention, and includes main components on the lower surface of the movable plate 20a shown in FIG. The movable plate 20a is provided on the holding frame 13 so as to be movable, and can thereby be moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport path 3, that is, in the width direction of the brittle material substrate W.

As shown in the side view of the schematic configuration in FIG. 2, the cleaving apparatus 20 uses the conveyance path 3 as a processing table according to the present invention, that is, a processing table on which the brittle material substrate W is arranged, , A terminal crack forming unit 22, a laser irradiation unit 23, a coolant injection unit 24, and a moving mechanism 25 that moves the laser irradiation unit 23 and the coolant injection unit 24 relative to the brittle material substrate W on the transport path 3. Moving means).

As shown in FIG. 1, the moving mechanism 25 has a movable plate 20a, a pair of guide rails 13a of a holding frame 13 that holds the movable plate 20 movably, and a movable plate 20a for running on the pair of guide rails 13a. And a drive source 20b such as a motor. For example, a ball screw is used as the guide rail 13a. With such a configuration, the movable plate 20a can move in the forward and reverse directions by rotating the guide rail 13a by the drive source 20b. Note that the moving mechanism 25 is not limited to a mechanism using such a ball screw, and for example, a mechanism using a linear motor can also be adopted.

In the present embodiment, the start-end crack forming portion 21 is disposed behind the moving direction of the movable plate 20a indicated by the arrow P in FIG. Therefore, the start-end crack forming portion 21 is disposed at the tip portion in the moving direction of the brittle material substrate W. Moreover, the terminal crack formation part 22 is arrange | positioned ahead in the moving direction of the movable plate 20a. Therefore, the terminal crack forming part 22 is arranged at the rear end part in the moving direction of the brittle material substrate W.

The start-end crack forming portion 21 is a brittle material on the planned cutting line L of the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. A start-end crack 41 is formed as an initial crack at the tip in the moving direction when the substrate W is moved, in this embodiment, at the tip in the moving direction of the movable plate 20a indicated by the arrow P in FIG.
In this embodiment, the start-end crack forming unit 21 includes a diamond cutter 21a and a moving mechanism 21b including an air cylinder or the like that can be moved up and down and moved in the horizontal direction.

With such a configuration, the start-end crack forming unit 21 plans to cleave the brittle material substrate W stopped on the transport path 3 as shown in FIG. 3 when the diamond cutter 21a is moved in a predetermined path by the moving mechanism 21b. A start-end crack 41 is formed at the tip on the line L. The depth of the start end crack 41 is not particularly limited, and is about several μm to several tens of μm. The length of the start crack 41 is about 2 to 3 mm because the cut surface of the crack formed by the diamond cutter 21a is rougher than the cut surface based on laser light irradiation described later. It is as follows. Therefore, such a starting crack 41 is formed to the inside of the virtual boundary line K between the product quality area and the non-product quality area of the brittle material substrate W indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Instead, it is formed in a non-product quality area called “ear” that is outside the product quality area.

The terminal crack forming portion 22 is a rear end portion in the moving direction when the brittle material substrate W is moved on the cutting line L of the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. 3, and in this embodiment, an arrow in FIG. A terminal crack 42 is formed as an initial crack at the rear end of the movable plate 20a in the moving direction indicated by P. Similarly to the start end crack forming part 21, the end crack forming part 22 also includes a diamond cutter 22a and a moving mechanism 22b made up of an air cylinder or the like that can move up and down and move in the horizontal direction.

With such a configuration, the terminal crack forming unit 22 causes the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate W stopped on the transport path 3 as shown in FIG. 3 when the diamond cutter 22a moves in a predetermined path by the moving mechanism 22b. A terminal crack 42 is formed at the rear end on L. The depth of the end crack 42 is set to about several μm to several tens of μm, like the start end crack 41.

Also, the length of the end crack 42 is set to about 2 to 3 mm or less, similarly to the start end crack 41. However, the terminal crack 42 may be located slightly ahead of the rear end edge without being formed up to the rear end edge on the planned cutting line L of the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. . However, it is preferable that the end crack 42 is also formed in a non-product quality area in the same manner as the start end crack 41. Therefore, the end edge of the end crack 42 on the start end crack 41 side is the position of the virtual boundary line K, for example, a brittle material substrate. It is outside from the position of 5 mm from the side edge of W. If formed in this way, the relatively rough cut surface formed by the diamond cutter 22a is formed only in the non-product quality area without being formed in the product quality area. No loss of quality.

As shown in FIG. 2, a laser irradiation unit 23 (laser light irradiation source) is disposed on the lower surface of the movable plate 20a. The laser irradiation unit 23 is disposed so as to cross the brittle material substrate W on the transport path 3 in the width direction of the brittle material substrate W along with the movement of the movable plate 20a, and a laser oscillator (not shown). And optical system equipment (not shown) for guiding the laser light C oscillated from the laser oscillator.

As the laser oscillator, for example, a carbon dioxide laser oscillator having an output of 100 W to several hundred W is preferably used. However, laser oscillators with other output ranges or other oscillation mechanisms can be used. The optical system device includes a mirror, a lens, and the like, and guides and condenses the laser light C oscillated from the laser oscillator to a preset region (heating region).

That is, the laser irradiation unit 23 irradiates the brittle material substrate W held on the conveyance path 3 with laser light C on the planned cutting line L shown in FIG. Heat up. Here, a space through which the laser beam C passes between the laser irradiation unit 23 and the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. 2 is set as a laser beam passage region 28, and the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. 3. The upper region irradiated with the laser beam C is defined as a heating region 29. The heating area 29 is set to a substantially rectangular area that is elongated along the planned cutting line L in the present embodiment. That is, in the laser irradiation unit 23, a laser oscillator and an optical system device are configured so as to form the elongated substantially rectangular heating area 29 in this way.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a coolant injection unit 24 is disposed on the lower surface of the movable plate 20 a behind the laser irradiation unit 23 in the moving direction of the movable plate 20 a at a predetermined distance from the laser irradiation unit 23. Yes. The coolant injection unit 24 (coolant injection source) includes an injection nozzle 24a that is disposed vertically downward with respect to the transport path 3, a liquid feed pump 24b, and a tank 24c that stores the coolant. ing. Under such a configuration, the coolant injecting unit 24 injects the coolant R having fluidity from the injection nozzle 24 a toward the brittle material substrate W.

Here, a space through which the coolant R passes between the coolant injection unit 24 and the brittle material substrate W is set as a coolant passage region 30, and the coolant on the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. 3. A region where R is injected is referred to as a cooling region 31. In this embodiment, the cooling area 31 is set to a small circular area formed on the planned cutting line L, and is formed and arranged at a predetermined distance behind the heating area 29 in the moving direction of the movable plate 20a. The coolant R sprayed from the spray nozzle 24a is formed by rapidly cooling the heating area 29 formed on the brittle material substrate W by the laser irradiation unit 23, and gas such as air is mixed into water.

In order to cleave while transporting the brittle material substrate W by the transport device 1 having the cleaving device 20 having such a configuration, first, the brittle material substrate W is sent out (unwinded) from the unwinding roll 2 shown in FIG. ), The front end of the brittle material substrate W is held by the first movable holding member 5. Then, when the first movable holding member 5 is moved and the brittle material substrate W is transported to a predetermined position, the movement of the first movable holding member 5 is stopped and the travel of the brittle material substrate W is stopped.

When the travel of the brittle material substrate W is stopped in this manner, the both ends of the brittle material substrate W on the side of the unwinding roll 2 are held by the fixed holding member 4. In addition to the holding of the brittle material substrate W by the fixed holding member 4, the distal end portion of the brittle material substrate W is also held by the second movable holding member 7. That is, the second movable holding member 7 holds the part ahead of the portion held by the first movable holding member 5.

Subsequently, in order to cut the brittle material substrate W in the width direction by the cleaving device 20, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the movement direction (arrow P and A start-end crack 41 is formed at the tip in the opposite direction). At the same time or before and after this, the end crack 42 is formed at the rear end in the moving direction on the planned cutting line L of the brittle material substrate W by the end crack forming portion 22. When the start-end crack 41 and the end-end crack 42 are formed in this way, prior to the movement of the movable plate 20a described later, the start-end crack formation portion 21 and the end-end crack formation portion 22 are moved to the respective moving mechanisms so as not to interfere with the movable plate 20a. 21b and the moving mechanism 22b are retracted from the conveyance path 3.

Next, while operating the laser irradiation unit 23 and the coolant injection unit 24, the brittle material substrate W on which the movable plate 20a is moved (advanced) in the direction of arrow P by the moving mechanism 25 shown in FIG. The lower end of the laser beam passing region 28 is made to reach the tip of the laser beam. Then, the heating area 29 (see FIG. 3) is formed on the brittle material substrate W, and the front end portion of the brittle material substrate W is irradiated with the laser beam C and subjected to heat treatment. At that time, since the leading end portion of the brittle material substrate W has not reached the coolant passage region 30, it has not been subjected to cooling processing, and therefore, initial processing in which only heat treatment is performed is performed.

Next, as a medium-term process following the initial process, the movable plate 20a is further moved (advanced) by the moving mechanism 25 while the laser irradiation unit 23 and the coolant injection unit 24 are operated, and the leading end part where the start crack 41 is formed. The lower part of the laser beam passing area 30 is made to reach the lower part of the laser beam passing area 28 slightly behind the front end. In addition, although expressed as initial machining and medium-term machining for the sake of convenience, the movable mechanism 20 is moved at a constant speed without stopping while moving from the initial machining to the medium-term machining. Therefore, the heating area 29 heated by the irradiation of the laser beam C and the cooling area 31 cooled by the coolant R continuously move (change) on the brittle material substrate W at a constant speed. That is, the heating area 29 and the cooling area 31 move (change) continuously at a constant speed in the same direction as the movement direction of the movable plate 20a.

In this way, when the coolant R is sprayed to the tip of the brittle material substrate W and cooled, the previously heated portion is rapidly cooled. Then, a tensile stress is generated on the upper surface of the brittle material substrate W by the heating / cooling action, and a stress concentration is generated on the notch bottom of the start-end crack 41. For this reason, when a predetermined stress is applied, the cutting line progresses along the planned cutting line L with the starting crack 41 as a starting point. At that time, since the brittle material substrate W is an ultra-thin glass plate, by appropriately selecting the heating conditions of the laser irradiation unit 23 and the cooling conditions of the coolant injection unit 24, the brittle material substrate W is not a scribe line but a brittle line. A breaking line obtained by full-cutting the material substrate W can be formed.

Then, as a final process following such a medium-term process, the movable plate 20a is further moved (advanced) by the moving mechanism 25 while the laser irradiation unit 23 and the coolant injection unit 24 are operated, and a terminal crack 42 is formed. The lower end of the laser beam passage region 28 and the lower portion of the coolant passage region 30 are sequentially reached and passed through the rear end portion of the brittle material substrate W. Even during the transition from the intermediate process to the final process, the movable plate 20a is moved at a constant speed by the moving mechanism 25 without stopping. Accordingly, the heating area 29 and the cooling area 31 continuously move at a constant speed on the brittle material substrate W.

In this way, the heat treatment by the laser irradiation unit 23 and the cooling treatment by the coolant injection unit 24 are continuously performed along the planned cutting line L, whereby the brittle material substrate W is fully cut (cut) by the planned cutting line L. It can be performed.
Here, the mechanism by which a brittle material substrate such as a glass plate is cleaved by an initial crack is generally considered as follows.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing cross sections of the brittle material substrate W. In these drawings, the symbol t indicates the thickness of the brittle material substrate W, and the symbol A indicates the initial crack formed on the upper surface of the brittle material substrate W. Show.
In order to cleave such a brittle material substrate W, when the initial crack A is irradiated with laser light and heated as shown in FIG. Is formed. Subsequently, when the vicinity of the initial crack A of the brittle material substrate W is cooled by coolant injection, the vicinity of the initial crack A is cooled, and a cooling region 31 is formed in the surface layer portion of the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. At that time, the heating area 29 previously formed by heating expands in the thickness direction of the brittle material substrate W by heat conduction.

In the state shown in FIG. 4B, the heating area 29 tends to extend due to thermal expansion. However, since the surroundings of the heating area 29 are hardly affected by heating, the thermal expansion in the heating area 29 is suppressed. As a result, a compressive stress is applied to the heating zone 29 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 4B.

On the other hand, the cooling zone 31 tends to shrink due to heat shrinkage, but the periphery of the cooling zone 31 is not greatly affected by the cooling, and thus acts to suppress the heat shrinkage in the cooling zone 31, and thereby, in FIG. As shown by the arrows in FIG. Thus, when tensile stress acts on the cooling region 31 of the surface layer portion of the brittle material substrate W, the tensile stress acts on the initial crack A, so that the brittle material substrate W is cleaved starting from the initial crack A. To do. As a result, the brittle material substrate W is cleaved as if an initial crack A grows, so that a marking line is made on the surface of the brittle material substrate W.

In particular, in the case of an extremely thin brittle material substrate W having a thickness of 300 μm or less, the mechanism by which a full cut (cleaving) is performed on the brittle material substrate W as an initial crack is considered as follows.
5A to 5C are perspective views showing the upper surface of the ultrathin brittle material substrate W. In these drawings, reference numeral 41 denotes a crack at the starting end formed on the upper surface of the brittle material substrate W, and reference symbol L denotes the brittle material. The cutting planned line of the board | substrate W is shown.

In order to cleave such a brittle material substrate W, as shown in FIG. 5A, the brittle material substrate W is moved in the direction of the arrow Q (the direction opposite to the moving direction of the movable plate 20a in FIG. 2), and the start crack 41 When heating by laser light irradiation and cooling by jetting coolant are sequentially performed along the planned cutting line L including, the ultrathin brittle material substrate W having a thickness of 300 μm or less conducts heat to the lower surface immediately after laser light irradiation. . That is, the temperature is almost uniform in the thickness direction of the brittle material substrate W, whereas the width of the temperature distribution is larger in the direction of the planned cutting line L of the brittle material substrate W than in the thickness direction of the brittle material substrate W. In other words, the brittle material substrate W has a gentle temperature gradient with a small change rate in the thickness direction, whereas the brittle material substrate W has a steep temperature gradient with a large change rate in the cutting line L direction (brittleness). The temperature gradient in the cutting line L direction of the brittle material substrate W is larger than the temperature gradient in the thickness direction of the material substrate W). For this reason, the growth of the start-end crack 41 is performed with the temperature distribution in the cutting line L direction being dominant over the temperature distribution in the thickness direction of the brittle material substrate W.

In such a state, the heating area 29 tends to expand due to thermal expansion, but the area around the heating area 29, particularly the area opposite to the direction of the arrow Q, is hardly affected by the heating. This acts to suppress expansion, and thereby compressive stress acts on the heating zone 29 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5A.

On the other hand, although the cooling zone 31 tends to shrink due to heat shrinkage, the periphery of the cooling zone 31 is not greatly affected by the cooling, and thus acts to suppress the heat shrinkage in the cooling zone 31, and thereby, in FIG. As shown by the arrows in FIG. When tensile stress is applied to the cooling region 31 in the surface layer portion of the brittle material substrate W in this way, the tensile stress acts on the starting crack 41, so that the brittle material substrate W is cleaved from the starting crack 41.

Therefore, when the brittle material substrate W is moved in the direction of the arrow Q, and heating by laser light irradiation and cooling by coolant injection are continuously advanced along the planned cutting line L, the brittle material substrate W starting from the starting crack 41 is used. The cleaving proceeds along the planned breaking line L.

However, when the movement of the brittle material substrate W in the direction of the arrow Q proceeds and the heating area 29 reaches the end of the brittle material substrate W as shown in FIG. 5B, the area around the heating area 29 is almost affected by the heating. There are few unoccupied regions, and in particular, there is no region of the brittle material substrate W on the side opposite to the arrow Q direction. Therefore, the force which suppresses the thermal expansion in the heating area 29 hardly works, and as a result, the heating area 29 tends to expand freely as shown by an arrow in FIG. 5B.

Similarly, in the cooling region 31, there are few regions around the cooling region 31 that are not greatly affected by the cooling, and in particular, the region on the side opposite to the arrow Q direction is reduced. As a result, the cooling zone 31 tends to shrink by heat as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5B.

Therefore, particularly the tensile stress in the cooling region 31 is relaxed, so that a sufficient tensile stress does not act on the breaking line that has started from the start crack 41, and therefore the progress of the breaking line along the planned breaking line L is stopped. To do. That is, the progress of the breaking line S starting from the starting crack 41 is stopped at the end portion of the planned breaking line L of the brittle material substrate W. Therefore, even if only the start-end crack 41 is formed and the heating by laser light irradiation and the cooling by the coolant injection are continuously progressed along the planned cutting line L, the cut end portion will always be cut off. As a result, in order to cut the remaining portion of the brittle material substrate W and perform a full cut, it is necessary to perform a break process as in the prior art.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5C, the terminal crack 42 is formed in the terminal part of the brittle material substrate W. By forming the terminal crack 42 in this way, the tensile stress generated on the planned cutting line L acts on the terminal crack 42 shown in FIG. 5C, so that the brittle material substrate W is cleaved starting from the terminal crack 42.

Therefore, when the brittle material substrate W is moved in the direction of the arrow Q and heating by laser light irradiation and cooling by the coolant injection are continuously advanced along the planned cutting line L, a terminal crack 42 is formed at the terminal part of the planned cutting line L. The cleaving of the brittle material substrate W starting from is progressed along the planned cutting line L, and is connected to the breaking line S starting from the previously formed start-end crack 41. Therefore, by forming the terminal crack 42 in this way, the cutting line S starting from the starting crack 41 on the planned cutting line L and the cutting of the brittle material substrate W starting from the terminal crack 42 are continuous. The brittle material substrate W is fully cut by one continuous breaking line.

When the brittle material substrate W is cut in this way, the movable plate 20a of the cleaving device 20 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow P direction to return to the initial position. Then, the holding of the first movable holding member 5 with respect to the brittle material substrate W after cutting is released, the first movable holding member 5 is moved to the fixed holding member 4 side, and the subsequent brittleness that the fixed holding member 4 holds. The tip of the material substrate W is held. On the other hand, the brittle material substrate W after being cut is further moved (conveyed) on the conveyance path 3 by moving the second movable holding member 7 to the downstream side in the conveyance direction.
Hereinafter, by repeating such steps, the brittle material substrate W unwound from the unwinding roll 2 can be continuously fully cut by the cleaving device 20 to have a desired size.

In the cleaving apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, the terminal crack 42 is formed as an initial crack at the rear end portion in the moving direction when the brittle material substrate W is moved on the planned cutting line L of the brittle material substrate W. Since the terminal crack forming portion 22 is provided, a full cut can be performed even at the cut end portion of the brittle material substrate W, particularly starting from the terminal crack 42. Therefore, a simple method of simply including the terminal crack forming portion 22 eliminates the uncut portion at the cut terminal portion, and can surely perform a full cut over the entire cutting line L.

Further, even in the method of cleaving the brittle material substrate using such a cleaving apparatus 20, since the terminal crack 42 is formed as the initial crack, it is possible to perform a full cut even at the cut terminal part starting from the terminal crack 42. Therefore, by a simple method such as simply forming the end crack 42, it is possible to perform a full cut over the entire planned cutting line without any uncut portion at the cut end portion.

Further, both the start crack 41 and the end crack 42 were formed in the non-product quality area of the brittle material substrate W. Therefore, although the cut surfaces of the start end crack 41 and the end crack 42 are relatively rough, the start end crack 41 and the end crack 42 are not formed in the product quality area, so that the quality of the final product composed of the product quality area is impaired. Can be prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the start-end crack forming unit 21 and the end-end crack forming unit 22 are configured to be movable by the original moving mechanism 21b and the moving mechanism 22b, respectively. The diamond cutter 21a and the diamond cutter 22a are attached to the movable plate 20a, or attached to the laser irradiation unit 23, so that the moving plate 25a moves the moving plate 25a to move the starting end crack forming portion 21 (diamond cutter 21a) and the terminal crack forming portion. 22 (diamond cutter 22a) may be moved.

In that case, without providing both the starting crack forming part 21 and the terminal crack forming part 22, only one crack forming part is attached to the movable plate 20 a or the laser irradiation part 23, and the formation of the starting crack 41 is performed by this crack forming part. The formation of the terminal crack 42 may be performed together.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the laser irradiation part 23 and the coolant injection part 24 were moved with respect to the brittle material board | substrate W by moving the movable plate 20a. For example, the large brittle material board | substrate W is divided | segmented into several sheets. For example, the laser irradiation unit 23 and the coolant injection unit 24 may be fixedly arranged, and the brittle material substrate W may be moved with respect to the laser irradiation unit 23 and the coolant injection unit 24.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the diamond cutter 21a and the diamond cutter 22a which are cutter wheels were used as the start end crack formation part 21 and the end crack formation part 22, this invention is not limited to this, For example, The start end crack 41 and the end crack 42 may be formed by ablation processing using a short pulse laser. When such a short pulse laser is used, since the start end crack 41 and the end crack 42 can be formed in a non-contact manner, generation of micro cracks can be suppressed.

The brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus and cleaving method of the present invention can perform a full cut even at the cut end portion, particularly starting from the end crack. Therefore, a simple method of simply forming the end crack can eliminate the uncut portion at the cut end portion and perform a full cut on the entire cutting planned line.

1 Conveying device 3 Conveying path (processing stand)
20 Brittle material substrate cleaving device 20a Movable plate 21 Start-end crack forming section 22 End-end crack forming section 23 Laser irradiation section (laser beam irradiation source)
24 Coolant injection part (coolant injection source)
25 Moving mechanism (moving means)
29 Heating area 31 Cooling area 41 Start crack 42 End crack L Split line W Brittle material substrate

Claims

A method of cleaving a brittle material substrate that cleaves the brittle material substrate along a planned cleaving line,
A crack at the leading end in the moving direction when the brittle material substrate is moved relative to the laser beam irradiation source on the cutting line of the brittle material substrate is formed, and a terminal crack is formed at the trailing end in the moving direction. Forming, and
A step of performing a heat treatment by irradiating a laser beam from the laser light irradiation source onto the planned cutting line while moving the brittle material substrate with respect to the laser light irradiation source;
A step of injecting a coolant from a coolant injection source to a heat-treated portion of the brittle material substrate by laser light, performing a cooling treatment, and cleaving the brittle material substrate along the planned cutting line;
A method for cleaving a brittle material substrate.
The brittle material substrate has a non-product quality area at the periphery, and a product quality area inside the non-product quality area;
2. The method for cleaving a brittle material substrate according to claim 1, wherein in the step of forming the start end crack and the end crack, both the start end crack and the end crack are formed in a non-product quality area.
2. The brittleness according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment and the cooling treatment are performed on the brittle material substrate such that a temperature gradient in a cutting line direction of the brittle material substrate is larger than a temperature gradient in the thickness direction of the brittle material substrate. Material substrate cleaving method.
A brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus for cleaving a brittle material substrate along a planned cutting line,
A processing table on which a brittle material substrate is placed;
A start-end crack forming part that forms a start-end crack at a tip end in a moving direction when the brittle material substrate is moved on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate,
A terminal crack forming portion that forms a terminal crack at a rear end portion in a moving direction when the brittle material substrate is moved on the planned cutting line of the brittle material substrate,
A laser irradiation unit for irradiating the brittle material substrate with laser light;
A coolant injection unit for injecting a coolant onto the brittle material substrate;
Moving means for moving the brittle material substrate in a preset direction with respect to the laser irradiation unit and the coolant injection unit;
A brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus comprising:
The moving means is configured to move the laser irradiation unit and the coolant injection unit with respect to the brittle material substrate,
The brittle material substrate cleaving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the start-end crack forming section and the end-end crack forming section are configured to move on the same moving path as the laser irradiation section.