TW201341119A - Method for producing glass substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for producing glass substrates, whereby, in a sheet-fed chemical polishing device, it is possible to divide a glass base material of a single sheet form into a plurality of glass substrates. The present invention is a method for producing glass substrates, for application in a chemical polishing device constituted to carry out chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of continuously conveyed glass substrates. The chemical polishing device is equipped at least with a conveying section and a polishing treatment section. In the chemical polishing device, the amount of chemical polishing solution sprayed onto the glass base material from the upper side, and the amount of chemical polishing solution sprayed onto the glass base material from the lower side, are respectively adjusted, thereby causing partitioning slots formed on a first principal surface and partitioning slots formed on a second principal surface to penetrate at locations shifted by predetermined amounts from the center of the glass base material in the thickness direction.

Description

Method for manufacturing glass substrate

The present invention relates to a method for producing a glass substrate to be applied to a chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform a chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed.

In order to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate, it is generally necessary to chemically polish the glass substrate using a chemical polishing liquid containing hydrofluoric acid. As such a chemical polishing treatment, a batch type chemical polishing in which a glass substrate to be treated is immersed in a tank in which a chemical polishing liquid is placed, and a glass substrate to be processed are transported by a predetermined time The rollers are used to transport and spray a single piece of chemical polishing of the chemical slurry.

In the chemical polishing method, the batch method is performed by immersing the glass substrate to be treated in a polishing bath for a specific period of time to thin the glass substrate to a desired thickness. There is an advantage that a large amount of glass substrate can be processed at one time. However, the grinding of the batch method has at least the following problems.

First, in the batch type polishing, since the polishing liquid bath is open to the upper side, there is a problem that the periphery of the polishing liquid bath becomes a high-concentration hydrofluoric acid atmosphere. In particular, when the foaming treatment is performed on the polishing liquid in the polishing bath, there is a problem in that the gaseous fluoric acid is easily diffused toward the surroundings. An operator who works in such a fluoric acid atmosphere does not have proper protective equipment. And doing work, there will be damage to health. Therefore, the cost of the protective equipment distributed to the operator will become higher.

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

Therefore, in recent years, a chemical polishing treatment using a one-piece method has been used. For example, in the prior art, there is a flat panel display glass substrate etching apparatus which is configured to support a glass substrate by supporting a glass substrate in a longitudinal direction and transport the jig The chemical polishing liquid is sprayed on the glass substrate (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[Previous Technical Literature]

[Patent Literature]

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

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the glass substrate is supported and processed in a vertical state, the thinning of the glass substrate can be appropriately performed, but the image is reversed. It is to divide one sheet of glass base material into a plurality of glass bases. In the general processing of the board, there is a problem. The reason for this is that when the glass substrate is placed in a vertical state, if the glass is divided into a plurality of small pieces, the divided small pieces are dropped by gravity. Therefore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot be used in a process such as a glass substrate in which a plurality of glass substrates are taken from a large glass base material.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a single-piece chemical polishing apparatus capable of dividing a sheet-shaped glass base material into a plurality of glass substrates. A method of manufacturing a glass substrate.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a glass substrate which is applied to a chemical polishing apparatus configured to perform a chemical polishing treatment on a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed. The chemical polishing apparatus includes at least a conveying unit and a polishing unit. The conveyance unit is provided with a scribe line that spans the position to be cut, and is configured to convey the glass base material on which the photoresist layer is formed on the first main surface and the second main surface in the horizontal direction. The transfer roller. The polishing processing unit is configured to eject the chemical polishing liquid from the vertical direction on the glass base material conveyed by the conveying unit, and to etch the area line of the glass base material.

In such a chemical polishing apparatus, the amount of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed from the upper side to the glass base material and the amount of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed from the lower side to the glass base material are respectively adjusted to be formed. On the first main surface The division groove and the division groove formed on the second main surface are penetrated at a position shifted by a specific amount from the center in the thickness direction of the glass base material.

In this configuration, the division groove formed on the first main surface and the division groove formed on the second main surface are prevented from penetrating at the center position in the thickness direction of the glass base material. Therefore, even when the glass base material is subjected to a strengthening treatment such as chemical strengthening treatment in advance, the glass base material can be divided into a plurality of glass substrates without causing cracking or the like. Further, since such a treatment can be performed by a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus, the safety of the work is improved.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to divide one sheet of glass base material into a plurality of glass substrates in a single-piece chemical polishing apparatus.

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

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

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

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

Here, the transport speed is preferably set to 100 to 800 mm/min, and more preferably set to 300 to 550 mm/min. The processing time in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 is set to a total of 20 minutes in this embodiment, but it is not It is limited to this. If the above-mentioned range is exceeded and the conveyance speed becomes too slow, not only the production efficiency will be deteriorated, Moreover, the chemical polishing liquid is also liable to remain on the glass substrate 100, which hinders uniform chemical polishing, and in the worst case, causes cracking of the glass substrate 100. On the other hand, if the conveyance speed is increased at the same apparatus scale, it is difficult to optimize the liquid composition required for this, and as a result, it is difficult to achieve homogenization chemical polishing.

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

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

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

On the other hand, as described above, the bottoms of the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22 are connected to the processing liquid storage portion 42 via the recovery line 420, and It is made that the water to be treated is recovered. The bottoms of the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are each provided with a bottom portion that is inclined toward the adjacent processing chamber. Therefore, the first relay unit 28 and the The processing liquids in the relay unit 30 and the third relay unit 32 are smoothly guided to the adjacent processing chambers. In addition, the polishing water to be recovered is sent to the treatment liquid supply unit 44 if it is in a state capable of being reused after being subjected to precipitation and other treatment of the reaction product. If it is in a state where it cannot be reused, it is transferred to the waste liquid treatment project as a high-concentration waste liquid.

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

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, and the water washing chamber 24, the upper and lower positions of the conveying roller 50 are provided. Are configured separately One group (10) of injection tubes 444 (444U, 444L) extend in the transport direction of the glass substrate 100. Each of the injection pipes 444 is a hollow resin pipe made of vinyl chloride or teflon (registered trademark), and a plurality of injection nozzles 446 are formed at one injection pipe. Then, the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed from the upper side spray pipe 444U disposed at the upper side, and the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed on the lower surface of the glass substrate 100 from the lower side spray tube 444L disposed at the lower side. . On the other hand, the washing water is sprayed from the upper side spray pipe 242U disposed at the water washing chamber 24, and the washing water is sprayed from the lower side spray pipe 242L to the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100. Further, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are provided with injection pipes 282 (282U, 282L), injection pipes 302 (302U, 302L), and injection pipes, respectively. 322 (322U, 322L), and a chemical polishing liquid having the same composition as that of the first to fourth processing chambers 18, 20, 22, and 24 is sprayed onto the upper surface and the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100.

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

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

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

In the present embodiment, the hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at the center position is set to be somewhat larger than that of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) at the peripheral position, for the center position of the glass substrate 100. The contact pressure and the ejection amount are set to be slightly higher than the contact pressure and the ejection amount to the peripheral position of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the chemical polishing liquid sprayed to the central position of the glass substrate 100 is oriented toward the periphery of the glass substrate. By moving smoothly, the chemical polishing liquid becomes difficult to stay on the glass substrate 100. As a result, a slight amount of the chemical polishing liquid acts on the entire surface of the glass substrate 100, and it is easy to uniformly polish the entire glass substrate 100. Further, even if the hydraulic pressure of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is not changed in the wide direction and the chemical polishing liquid does not remain on the glass substrate 100, it is not necessary to specifically spray. The hydraulic pressure of the tubes 444 (444U, 444L) is changed in the width direction, and the hydraulic pressures of all the injection tubes 444 (444U, 444L) can be set to be uniform.

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

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

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

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

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

Further, in the present embodiment, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, and the fourth processing chamber 22, which perform the same chemical polishing by the same liquid composition, are specifically divided into each other. Set the ground. The reason for this is to prevent the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) from being bent, and to prevent the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) from being bent, and to make the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) smoothly shake. Further, in order to suppress the influence due to thermal expansion of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) to be smaller. By adopting such a configuration, the distance between the ejection tubes 444 (444U, 444L) and the glass substrate 100 can be maintained uniform, and the hydraulic pressure of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed on the glass substrate 100 can be easily adjusted. Further, by smoothly oscillating the ejecting tubes 444 (444U, 444L), the chemical polishing liquid can smoothly flow from the upper surface of the glass substrate 100, so that the chemical polishing liquid becomes difficult to stay in the glass substrate 100. Above. In addition, although the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) is related to the pipe diameter (liquid supply amount), it is preferably 2.5 m or less, and more preferably 2 m or less. .

In order to chemically polish the glass substrate 100 at a high speed, it is necessary to increase the liquid supply amount of the chemical polishing liquid in the heated state, and to suppress the length of the injection pipe 444 (444U, 444L) to an appropriate length, and It is necessary to increase the size of the drive motor 362, and it is possible to smoothly swing the plurality of injection pipes 444 (444U, 444L) by a simple mechanism.

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

Further, the water washing nozzles 142 and 144 are set to spray water toward the inlet port of the glass substrate 100 to the first processing chamber 16. Therefore, the glass substrate 100 introduced into the first processing chamber 16 is sufficiently wetted, and the initial etching for the heterogeneity is prevented. In other words, since the first processing chamber 16 is in a fluoric acid gas atmosphere, if the surface of the glass substrate 100 is in a dry state, there is a risk of heterogeneous corrosion by the hydrofluoric acid gas. In the form, since the surface of the glass substrate 100 is protected by water, the homogenization etching is started in the first processing chamber 16 thereafter.

In the present embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7(A) to 7(C), the water washing nozzle 142 is configured to spray water directly downward, and the water washing nozzle 144 is configured to face upward and toward Water is sprayed obliquely on the upstream side of the conveyance path of the glass substrate 100. Since the water washing nozzle 144 is configured to spray water obliquely upward, as a result, when the glass substrate 100 approaches the water washing nozzles 142, 144, as in FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B). Generally, it is shown that water can be supplied from the water washing nozzle 144 to the upper surface of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, it is possible to form a water film which can be quickly formed on the glass substrate 100 to protect it from the attack by the hydrofluoric acid gas. Further, if the glass substrate 100 is brought close to the water washing nozzle 144, the water sprayed from the water washing nozzle 144 is sprayed onto the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100. Therefore, the bottom surface of the glass substrate 100 can be appropriately prepared by the water washing nozzle 144. Wash and soak it properly.

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

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

Here, it is also conceivable that the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are blank spaces in the glass polishing process. In the present embodiment, the chemical polishing liquid having the same composition is also sprayed toward the glass substrate 100 from the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32. . Therefore, there is no possibility that the chemical polishing liquid stays on the glass substrate when passing through the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32, or vice versa. 28. When the second relay unit 30 and the third relay unit 32 are dried, the glass substrate 100 is dried, and high-quality glass polishing can be realized. In addition, the injection pipe 282, the injection pipe 302, and the injection pipe 322 of the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay unit 32 are in a fixed state, but they may not be fixed. It uses a rocking structure.

The glass substrate 100 sequentially passes through the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, the first relay unit 28, the second relay unit 30, and the third relay. Part 32 is chemically ground in sequence. Thereafter, the glass substrate 100 subjected to the chemical polishing in the plurality of stages is subjected to the liquid removal treatment by the air knife 244 disposed at the exit of the fourth processing chamber, and then disposed in the water washing chamber. The spray pipe 242 of one of the 24 groups is washed by the washing water received by the spray pipe 242. Although the spray pipe 242 for washing is in a fixed state, it may be configured to be rocked.

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

As described above, according to the chemical polishing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, chemical polishing is performed in a space where the occlusion is performed, and a toxic gas such as a hydrofluoric acid gas generated in the apparatus is used by the scrubber. The exhaust mechanism is recovered in a slight amount, and therefore, the fluorinated acid gas system hardly spreads around the chemical polishing apparatus 10. As a result, the working environment around the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is greatly improved as compared with the case of the batch type chemical polishing treatment. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the deterioration of the health of the worker, and it is also unnecessary to cost the protective equipment.

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

Further, in the case of using the one-piece chemical polishing apparatus 10, there is an advantage that the work efficiency and the quality of the product can be improved compared to the batch type polishing treatment. Further, according to the chemical polishing apparatus 10, since the accuracy of the sheet thickness is improved, it is possible to stably predict the yield at the time of the cut. Further, the plane strength of the cut surface can be further enhanced as compared with the batch type polishing treatment. Further, since there is no loss of hydrofluoric acid caused by the foaming treatment, it is also possible We are looking forward to a 15% reduction in the cost of fluoric acid.

Next, a description will be given of a process in which one sheet of the glass base material is cut and divided into a plurality of glass substrates by using the chemical polishing apparatus 10. 8(A) and 8(B) show an overview of the glass base material 102 treated at the chemical polishing apparatus 10. The glass base material 102 is supported by, for example, a first glass holder 70 and a second holder 72 formed of a member having a fluorine-resistant acidity such as polyvinyl chloride, and is introduced into the chemical polishing. In device 10. An example of the material of the glass base material 102 is an aluminosilicate glass whose thickness is reduced to about 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm. The glass base material 102 is chemically strengthened in a potassium nitrate molten salt of about 350 to 450 °C.

The glass base material is subjected to a chemical strengthening treatment, and a plurality of wafer regions (use regions) including a sensing element for a touch panel and the like are formed on the first main surface side, and the wafer region is protected. The coating layer is formed with an acid-resistant resist layer on the first main surface and the second main surface. The resist layer is formed so as to straddle a region of about 1 mm to 5 mm wide for the line region of the wafer region. For the fluororesin resist to be used in the resist layer, various materials can be used. For example, in the present embodiment, OPUTO (transliteration, registered trademark) manufactured by NIPPON PAINT Co., Ltd. is used.

The glass base material 102 is held by the first glass holder 70 and the second holder 72 and introduced into the loading unit 12, whereby the glass base material 102 passes through the pre-processing chamber 14 and the first to the first The processing chambers 16, 18, 20, 22 and the water washing chamber 24 are always guided to the discharge portion 26. false When the glass base material 102 is not a glass that has been reinforced, the same chemical polishing treatment is applied to the first main surface and the second main surface of the glass base material 102, whereby the glass base material 102 can be placed. The division area is appropriately cut off.

However, when the glass base material 102 is a glass which has been chemically strengthened, if the same chemical polishing treatment is applied to the first main surface and the second main surface, the first main surface and the first main surface are caused by chemical polishing. 2 The area of the main surface is deepened, and when it is made through this, there is a possibility that cracks may occur at the glass base material 102. Although the reason for this is not clearly understood clearly, based on the results of most experiments, the following reasons can be speculated. In other words, when the first main surface and the second main surface of the glass base material 102 are simultaneously etched, the division groove penetrates at the center in the thickness direction of the glass base material 102.

Here, in the chemically strengthened glass, a compressive stress layer is formed at both end portions (surfaces) in the thickness direction, and on the other hand, a tensile stress layer is formed in the central portion (inside) in the thickness direction. Therefore, it can be inferred that the tensile stress becomes the strongest at the center of the thickness direction. In the place where the tensile stress is the strongest and the division groove is penetrated, the change in the internal stress generated at the same time as the penetration is large, and it is expected that the glass base material 102 will be broken.

Here, the function of the chemical polishing apparatus 10 is utilized, and as shown in FIG. 9(A) and FIG. 9(B), it is assumed that the division groove is made to be the center line 105 which becomes the strongest from the tensile stress. The offset of the offset 106 is made to pass through. This offset amount 106 is clearly known through experiments: in principle, when σ _{c is} set to compressive stress [MPa], DOL is set to thickness of chemical strengthening layer [μm], and T is set to plate thickness [ μm], and when the set CT value σ _T (calculated Tensile Stress) [MPa] , it is necessary to train as by being a value calculated from the formula σ _T becomes the high CT values increased The way to set the offset 106.

The reason for this is that the tensile stress in the glass base material 102 is lowered as the offset amount 106 becomes larger as it goes away from the center line. On the other hand, when the offset amount 106 is increased to more than necessary, since there is a possibility that the strength or the design property is lowered, the offset amount 106 can be said to prevent the glass base material 102 from being prevented. It is desirable to set as small as possible within the range in which the fragmentation occurs. For example, when the thickness of the glass base material 102 is about 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm and the CT value is at most 30, the offset of the glass base material 102 can be prevented by setting the offset amount 106 to 50 μm to 100 μm.

At the chemical polishing apparatus 10, in order to adjust the above-described offset amount 106, for example, it is necessary to adjust the magnitude of the hydraulic pressure difference between the upper side injection pipe 444U and the lower side injection pipe 444L, or by the lower side injection pipe. 444L may be subjected to a chemical polishing treatment in such a manner that the division groove is deepened by an amount corresponding to the offset amount 106 only in the lower portion. That is, By adjusting the opening degree of each of the opening and closing valves 442 (442U, 442L) constituting the hydraulic pressure control unit, it is possible to prevent the division groove of the first main surface of the glass base material 102 and the division groove of the second main surface from being in the glass mother. The material 102 is penetrated at the center of the thickness direction.

The glass substrate which has been subjected to the end surface treatment is immersed in a base containing a caustic soda or a mixture of TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) and DMI (1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone). In the stripping bath of the stripping solution, the resist layer is peeled off. By performing the above processing, as shown in FIG. 9(C), generally, a glass substrate 104 which can be stably and efficiently obtained from the glass base material which has been chemically strengthened is obtained.

Next, another example of the embodiment of the process of cutting and dividing the sheet-like glass base material 102 into a plurality of glass substrates 104 in the chemical polishing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the first glass holder 70 and the second holder 72 are not used. First, the glass base material 102 is directly placed on the transfer roller 50, and the first main surface and the second surface are chemically polished. Thereafter, the acid-resistant film 64 is attached to the surface on the side in contact with the conveying roller 50 in a stage in which the groove of the first main surface and the groove of the second main surface are deepened by a desired amount. . After that, the glass base material 102 is placed on the transport roller 50 in a state in which the main surface to which the acid-resistant film 64 is attached is directed downward.

The acid-resistant film 64 is preferably attached in such a manner that air is not mixed between it and the glass base material. In this embodiment, although a glass laminator is used for attaching an acid-resistant film, it is not Limited to this. In addition, as the acid-resistant film 64, a resin film made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) having a thickness of about 50 to 150 μm is used. However, a film of another material may be used. On the main surface to which the acid-resistant film 64 is attached, even if the polishing liquid is sprayed, the division groove is not deepened. Therefore, the groove of the first main surface and the groove of the second main surface are formed. There is a difference between the depths of the system. Further, after the acid-resistant film 64 is attached, there is no problem even if the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed from both the upper and lower sides, but from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of liquid used, it is only from the upper side. It is desirable to carry out the injection of a chemical polishing liquid.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately prevent the division groove of the first main surface and the division groove of the second main surface from penetrating in the center of the thickness direction of the glass base material 102. Therefore, when the division groove of the first main surface and the division groove of the second main surface are penetrated, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of chipping at the glass base material 102. In addition, even after the glass base material 102 is divided into a plurality of glass substrates 104, the glass substrates 104 are adhered to the acid-resistant film 64, and can be treated as one sheet. Therefore, chemical polishing is performed. The processing of the glass substrate 104 discharged from the device 10 is easy. Moreover, it is preferable that the acid-resistant film 64 used in this embodiment is toughness as much as possible. The reason for this is that when the toughness of the acid-resistant film 64 is weak, the acid-resistant film 64 on the conveying roller 50 is bent, and there is a concern that a plurality of glass substrates are scattered. When the toughness of the acid-resistant film 64 is weak, it may be attached to the acid-resistant film 64 to compensate for the toughness. Strong tablet or frame, etc.

Furthermore, another example of the embodiment of the process of cutting and dividing the sheet-like glass base material 102 into a plurality of glass substrates 104 in the chemical polishing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 to FIG. In the embodiment, in the glass base material 102, the glass base material 102 is directly placed on the transport roller 50, and the first main surface and the second surface are chemically polished. The same as the above embodiment. In this embodiment, in the same manner, the acid-resistant film 64 is attached to the first main body in a stage where the division of the first main surface and the division of the second main surface are performed in a desired amount. Face or 2nd main face.

Further, in this embodiment, a glass tray 60 configured to support the glass base material 102 from below is used. The glass tray 60 is made of a resin material having acid resistance (in this embodiment, polyvinyl chloride), and includes a main body 600 configured to house the glass base material 102, and is fixed to the main body. The tip end portion 604 at 600. The main body 600 includes a bottom plate portion and a side plate portion that is erected from the periphery of the bottom plate portion. The side plate portion is formed to have a height of about 2 to 5 times the thickness of the glass base material 102, and is generally arranged to cover the entire circumference of the bottom plate. However, the cutout portion 602 is provided at a part thereof. The tip end portion 604 is mounted at one of the sides of the body 600 and assumes a shape that gradually tapers the front end as it moves away from the body 600. The tip end portion 604 functions between the conveying roller and the opposing roller disposed so as to face the conveying roller 50, and the glass tray 60 is smoothly passed.

As described above, the glass base material 102 is on the first main surface or the second main surface in a stage where the division groove of the first main surface and the division of the second main surface are deepened by a desired amount. The acid-resistant film 64 is attached. However, as shown in FIG. 12(A), the glass base material 102 to which the acid-resistant film 64 is attached is formed so that the surface of the acid-resistant film 64 side faces the glass tray 60. The manner of connection is placed on the body 600 of the glass tray 60. Thereafter, the glass base material 102 is fixed to the body 600 of the glass tray 60 by the acid resistant tape 62. Then, the glass tray 60 in which the glass base material 102 is accommodated is placed on the transport roller 50 in a state where the tip end portion 604 is directed downstream of the transport direction as shown in FIG. 12(B).

The glass tray 60 passes through the loading unit 12, the pre-processing chamber 14, the first processing chamber 16, the second processing chamber 18, the third processing chamber 20, the fourth processing chamber 22, and the first relay unit 28 in order. The second relay unit 30, the third relay unit 32, the water washing chamber 24, the carry-out unit 26, the processing liquid storage unit 42, the processing liquid supply unit 44, and the water supply unit 46 are provided in each processing chamber and each relay unit. The chemical polishing liquid supplied from the upper side is accumulated in the body 600. Therefore, the glass base material 102 on the glass tray 60 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid accumulated in the body 600 as shown in FIG. 13(A) and FIG. 13(B). At this time, in the main body 600, since the chemical polishing liquid is constantly supplied from above, a part of the chemical polishing liquid in the main body 600 overflows beyond the side plate portion, and passes through the cutout portion 602. Flow out to the outside. As a result, since the chemical polishing liquid in the main body 600 is constantly replaced by a new one, it is easy to stabilize the concentration of the hydrofluoric acid in the chemical polishing liquid, and to ensure a certain degree. Grinding speed. Further, in this embodiment, although the hole is not provided in the bottom surface portion of the main body 600, the chemical polishing liquid may be promoted by providing one or a plurality of small holes at the bottom surface portion of the main body 600. cycle.

Further, in a state in which the glass base material 102 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid accumulated in the main body 600, since the division groove of the first main surface and the division groove of the second main surface are penetrated, compared with When the chemical polishing liquid is sprayed, the division groove of the first main surface and the division groove of the second main surface are penetrated, and the penetration place is less likely to be sharp. In addition, the glass base material 102 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid accumulated in the main body 600 after the division groove of the first main surface and the division groove of the second main surface are penetrated, thereby enabling the penetration of the glass base material. When the sharpness is suppressed, the end portion of the glass substrate 104 has an arc shape when it is close to the cross section.

Next, the glass base material 102 or the glass substrate 104 in the case of being processed by the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14(A) to 14(D) and FIGS. 15(A) to 15(D). The change in shape is explained. First, as shown in FIGS. 14(A) to 14(C), the glass base material 102 is made of a chemical polishing liquid sprayed from above and below, so that the first main surface and the second main surface are formed. The division groove which is not formed with the resist layer is etched and deepened. In a stage where the first main surface and the second main surface are grooved to have a desired amount of deepening, the acid-resistant film 64 is attached to the first main surface as shown in Fig. 14(D). Or one of the main faces of the second main face.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15(A), the main surface to which the acid-resistant film 64 is attached is generally placed on the lower side, and the glass base material 102 is housed in the glass tray 60, and the chemical polishing treatment is continued. At this time, like the above one In general, since the glass base material 102 is immersed in the chemical polishing liquid, as shown in Fig. 15(B), only the division groove which is not attached to the upper surface of the upper side of the acid-resistant film 64 is gradually deepened. .

According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15(C), it is possible to prevent the tensile stress at the center of the thickness direction of the glass base material 102 from becoming the largest. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the glass base material 102 from being broken when the partition groove is penetrated. Further, the glass base material 102 is still immersed in the chemical polishing liquid of the body 600 of the glass tray 60 after the division groove is penetrated, as shown in Fig. 15(D), generally, when the division groove is penetrated. The sharp portion thus produced is removed, and the end surface of each glass substrate can be made into an arc shape when it is close to the cross section.

The glass substrate obtained by the above-described manufacturing method can be used as a glass substrate constituting a user side of a touch panel integrated liquid crystal display. Moreover, it can also be used as a cover glass for a liquid crystal display of a mobile phone.

Since the sensing element provided in the wafer region is generally inferior in thermal resistance, it is difficult to perform chemical strengthening treatment on the glass in which the wafer region is formed. However, according to the above embodiment, Since the large-sized glass base material 104 in which the chemical strengthening of the wafer region is formed is stably cut and a plurality of glass substrates can be obtained, in particular, the glass substrate on which the sensing element for the touch panel is mounted is used. In the case of the situation, it is possible to make a significant improvement in productivity.

The description of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and should not be It is considered to be a restrictive record. The scope of the present invention is not defined by the above-described embodiments, but is expressed by the scope of the patent application. Further, all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the scope of the invention are included in the scope of the invention.

10‧‧‧Chemical grinding device

12‧‧‧Moving Department

14‧‧‧Pre-treatment chamber

16‧‧‧1st treatment chamber

18‧‧‧2nd processing chamber

20‧‧‧3rd processing chamber

22‧‧‧4th processing chamber

24‧‧‧washing chamber

26‧‧‧ Moving out

28‧‧‧1st relay unit

30‧‧‧2nd relay

32‧‧‧3rd relay department

60‧‧‧ glass tray

102‧‧‧Glass base metal

104‧‧‧ glass substrate

Fig. 1 is a view showing the appearance of a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fig. 8 is a view showing an example of an overview of a glass base material which has been subjected to a cutting treatment by a chemical polishing apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a view showing an example of an overview of a glass base material which has been subjected to a cutting treatment by a chemical polishing apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a view showing another example of an overview of a glass base material which has been subjected to a cutting treatment by a chemical polishing apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a view showing an example of a glass tray used in an embodiment of a method for producing a glass substrate.

Fig. 12 is a view showing a state in which a glass base material is housed by a glass tray.

Fig. 13 is a view showing a state in which a glass tray containing a glass base material is transported.

[Fig. 14] A view showing a state in which the division groove of the main surface of the glass base material is deepened.

Fig. 15 is a view showing a state in which the division groove of the main surface of the glass base material is deepened.

10‧‧‧Chemical grinding device

12‧‧‧Moving Department

14‧‧‧Pre-treatment chamber

16‧‧‧1st treatment chamber

18‧‧‧2nd processing chamber

20‧‧‧3rd processing chamber

22‧‧‧4th processing chamber

24‧‧‧washing chamber

26‧‧‧ Moving out

28‧‧‧1st relay unit

30‧‧‧2nd relay

32‧‧‧3rd relay department

36‧‧‧Crank mechanism

42‧‧‧Processing liquid containment department

44‧‧‧Processing liquid supply department

46‧‧‧Water Supply Department

50‧‧‧Transport roller

100‧‧‧ glass substrate

200‧‧‧Import

242U‧‧‧Upper jet pipe

242L‧‧‧Bottom injection tube

244‧‧‧ air knife

246‧‧‧ Air knife

282U‧‧‧Upper jet pipe

282L‧‧‧Bottom injection tube

300‧‧‧export

302U‧‧‧Upper jet pipe

302L‧‧‧Bottom injection tube

322U‧‧‧Upper jet pipe

322L‧‧‧Bottom injection tube

362‧‧‧Drive motor

364‧‧‧Transmission Department

420‧‧‧Recycling pipeline

440‧‧‧liquid supply pipeline

444U‧‧‧Upper jet pipe

444L‧‧‧Bottom injection tube

446U‧‧‧upside spray nozzle

446L‧‧‧Bottom spray nozzle

460‧‧‧Water supply pipeline

Claims (3)

A method for producing a glass substrate is a method for producing a glass substrate to be applied to a one-piece chemical polishing apparatus, wherein the one-piece chemical polishing apparatus is configured to be a plurality of glass substrates that are continuously conveyed In the chemical polishing apparatus that performs the chemical polishing treatment, the conveying unit includes a scribe line having a position at which the traverse is to be cut, and is configured to be formed on the first main surface and the second main surface. a plurality of transport rollers that transport the glass base material of the photoresist layer in the horizontal direction; and the polishing processing unit is configured to eject the chemical polishing liquid from the vertical direction and etch the glass with respect to the glass base material conveyed by the transport unit. The method for producing a glass substrate is characterized in that the amount of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed from the upper side to the glass base material and the amount of the chemical polishing liquid sprayed from the lower side to the glass base material are characterized by The adjustment is performed separately, and the division groove formed on the first main surface and the division groove formed on the second main surface are made to have a specific amount from the center in the thickness direction of the glass base material. The position of the offset is made to pass through. The method for producing a glass substrate according to the first aspect of the invention, further comprising: a first chemical polishing step of applying a chemical polishing treatment to both the first main surface and the second main surface; and A second chemical polishing step of a chemical polishing treatment in which a specific single-side polishing amount is applied to the main surface. The method for producing a glass substrate according to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the second chemical polishing step is configured to include a main body capable of accommodating a glass base material and configured to face the conveying direction The glass tray of the tip end portion which is tapered on the downstream side and the tip end is conveyed, and the glass tray on which the glass base material is placed is conveyed.