JP7315951B2 - Glass structure manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a glass structure having at least one finely-grooved glass substrate comprising a groove-forming region in which fine grooves are formed and a peripheral region continuous to the outside of the groove-forming region. The present invention relates to a glass structure applicable to microchannel applications.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an optical glass panel for aerial imaging, in which a glass member and a light reflecting film such as a metal film are alternately laminated, has been used. In the optical glass panel for aerial image formation, it is possible to form a stereoscopic image of the subject in the air on the opposite principal surface side by allowing light from the subject to enter from one principal surface side. Such an optical glass panel was generally manufactured by laminating glass substrates on which metal films were formed and cutting the laminated glass substrates with a wire saw or the like.

However, in the above-described conventional manufacturing method, when the laminate is cut, cracks may occur in the glass, or the cut surface may meander.

Therefore, some conventional techniques employ a technique of changing the quality of a portion to be cut by a wire saw with a laser beam (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this technology, by guiding a wire saw to a location that has been altered by a laser beam, it is possible to prevent the laminated body from being cut in a meandering manner or cracking. rice field.

JP 2013-220981 A

However, in the prior art as described above, there is a limit to miniaturization of fine glass pieces obtained by cutting. Refinement of the fine glass pieces is indispensable, for example, for achieving high definition in the air display, but in the prior art, there is a limit to high definition in the air display.

Moreover, it is difficult to apply the glass member processed by the conventional technology to uses other than the floating display. Preferably, a versatile glass structure that can be applied to high-definition aerial displays and that can be easily applied to other uses is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a glass structure and a method of manufacturing the same, which are applicable to high-definition aerial displays and applicable to uses other than aerial displays.

A glass structure according to the present invention has a single plate shape having at least a first main surface and a second main surface. This glass structure is provided with a plurality of first fine grooves on the first main surface and a plurality of second fine grooves on the second main surface.

In addition, the glass structure is provided with a non-processed portion, to which neither the first fine grooves nor the second fine grooves reach, in the central portion in the thickness direction.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to realize an optical glass panel for aerial imaging for a high-definition aerial display with a single sheet of glass. Further, by combining a plurality of such glass structures, it becomes possible to realize a micro-channel forming member for medical use and a micro-channel forming member for industrial use.

In the configuration described above, it is preferable that the first fine groove and the second fine groove extend perpendicular to each other. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to realize a configuration suitable for an optical glass panel for aerial imaging of a high-definition aerial display with a single sheet glass.

Moreover, it is preferable that the first fine groove and the second fine groove are fine grooves having a width of 500 μm or less and having smooth side surfaces.

By adopting such a configuration, since the glass substrate has fine grooves with a width of 500 μm or less, for example, a plurality of fine grooves are arranged at a pitch (1000 μm or less) about twice the groove width. becomes possible. In other words, miniaturization of the pitch of the fine grooves can be achieved more easily than miniaturization of a plurality of fine glass pieces cut as in the prior art. For this reason, it becomes easy to respond to finer details such as an aerial display and a micro flow channel.

Here, the width means the size of the groove in the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (when the size changes in the depth direction, the maximum value among them). A smooth surface means a surface free from flaws (cracks) such as those produced by mechanical processing using a spindle, a cutter, or the like, abrasion processing using a laser, or the like. More specifically, the smooth surface means a chemically treated surface having a surface roughness Sa of 1.0 μm or less over the entire surface formed by etching. However, for a smooth surface, an evaluation method may be used in which a surface roughness Ra of 1.0 μm or less is acceptable.

A glass structure manufacturing method according to the present invention is for manufacturing the glass structure described above. This glass structure manufacturing method includes a laser processing step of forming a modified line having a property of being easily etched at a position where a fine groove is to be formed by scanning with a laser beam, and an etching process of the modified line. and an etching process step of dissolving by to form the microgrooves.

By adopting such a manufacturing method, for example, it becomes possible to form a large number of fine grooves at one time by etching, thereby improving productivity, particularly mass productivity. In addition, by employing the etching process, scratches or the like do not occur during processing, so that the strength of the glass structure increases, and it becomes easy to cope with ultra-thinness.

The laser beam diameter is generally about 1 to 2000 μm, and if the thickness of the glass substrate is thin, it is possible to form fine grooves with a width almost equal to the laser beam diameter. However, as the thickness of the glass substrate to be processed increases, the width of the fine groove tends to slightly increase during the etching process. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately select the plate thickness of the glass substrate to be used or to select an etching method that makes it difficult for side etching to occur, depending on the required groove width.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a glass structure that is compatible with high-definition aerial displays and that can be applied to uses other than aerial displays.

It is a figure showing the outline of the optical glass panel for imaging concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the optical glass panel for imaging which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the optical glass panel for imaging which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the optical glass panel for imaging which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an etching apparatus used for manufacturing an optical glass panel for imaging; It is a figure which shows the example of planarization of the side surface of a fine groove. It is a figure which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the optical glass panel for imaging which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a microchannel-forming member according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

An embodiment of the glass structure according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The glass structure can be used for applications such as medical microchannel-forming members, industrial microchannel-forming members (such as manifolds of inkjet devices), and optical glass panels for imaging. Here, an example of using the glass structure for an imaging optical glass panel 10 in the field of aerial displays will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the imaging optical glass panel 10 has a first major surface 102 having first fine grooves 12 and a second major surface 102 having second fine grooves 14 . 2 major surfaces 104 . A groove forming region 20 is arranged in the central portion of the first main surface 102 and the second main surface 104, and a peripheral region 22 is arranged so as to be continuous with the outside of this groove forming region.

The first fine grooves 12 on the first main surface 102 and the fine grooves 14 on the second main surface 104 are arranged perpendicular to each other as shown in FIGS. there is The first fine grooves 12 on the first main surface 102 and the fine grooves 14 on the second main surface 104 are provided with a light reflecting film (Fig. 1(B) and Fig. 4 ( B), reference numeral 15) is provided.

Examples of the light reflecting film include metal thin films with good reflectance such as Al thin films and Ag thin films. Here, an Al thin film is used as the light reflecting film 15, but it is not limited to this. Further, when the widths of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 are made as small as possible, the light reflecting effect can be obtained without using the light reflecting film 15 .

In this embodiment, the first fine grooves 12 and the fine grooves 14 are filled with a transparent resin material (not shown) having the same refractive index as that of the first major surface 102 . However, this configuration is an arbitrary one, and is not limited to such a configuration.

When light from a subject enters one main surface of the imaging optical glass panel 10 described above, the light is emitted from the main surface on the side opposite to the incident side, and an image of the subject is formed in the air in the vicinity thereof. Images can be displayed. By shortening the arrangement pitch of the first fine grooves 12, that is, the arrangement pitch of the light reflecting films 15, the imaged image can be made higher in definition.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the imaging optical panel 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. First, as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), a laser beam is scanned at the position where the first fine groove 12 is to be formed on the first main surface 102, and the modification for fine groove formation is performed. Line 122 is formed.

The type and irradiation conditions of the laser beam are not limited as long as the position where the fine groove is to be formed on the first main surface 102 can be modified to be easily etched. In this embodiment, the laser head irradiates a laser beam oscillated from a short pulse laser (e.g. picosecond laser, _femtosecond laser). may be used. In this embodiment, the output is controlled so that the average laser energy of the laser beam is about 10 μJ to 1000 μJ.

The modified lines 122 formed at the positions where fine grooves are to be formed are a plurality of filament layers formed by a laser beam pulse (with a beam diameter of about 1 to 10 μm) emitted from a pulse laser such as a picosecond laser or a femtosecond laser. are arranged, for example, a perforated pattern having a plurality of through-holes or modified layers. The modified line 122 has a property of being etched more easily than other locations on the first main surface 102 . Of course, the shape of the reforming line 122 is not limited to this shape, and may have a shape other than this.

It is preferable that the condensing area of the laser beam is appropriately adjusted. Here, the first microgroove 12 is easily formed by adjusting the laser beam condensing region to cover the entire depth direction of the first microgroove 12 on the first main surface 102. I have to.

After the laser processing of the first principal surface 102, laser processing of the second principal surface 104 is performed. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), a laser beam is scanned at the formation planned position of the second fine groove 14 on the second main surface 104, and the modification for fine groove formation is performed. A quality line 142 is formed. Since the specifications required for the laser beam are the same as those for the laser processing of the first main surface 102, the description is omitted here.

As in the case of laser processing on the first main surface 102, it is preferable that the laser beam has its condensing area adjusted as appropriate. Here, the second microgroove 14 is easily formed by adjusting the laser beam condensing region so as to cover the entire depth direction of the second microgroove 14 on the second main surface 104. I have to.

As described above, at the time of laser processing on the first main surface 102 and the second main surface 104, by adjusting the respective condensing regions, at the central portion in the thickness direction of the imaging optical glass panel 10, A non-processed portion 13 to which neither the first fine groove 12 nor the second fine groove 14 reaches is provided.

After the modified lines 122 and 142 are formed by the above-described laser processing, the modified lines 122 and 142 are formed into the first fine grooves 12 by etching as shown in FIG. and the second fine groove 14 . After that, as shown in FIG. 4B, light reflection films 15 are formed on the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14, respectively.

In the etching process described above, as shown in FIG. 5A, the imaging optical glass panel 10 is introduced into an etching apparatus 50 and subjected to an etching process using an etchant containing hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, or the like. Usually, an etchant containing about 1 to 10% by weight of hydrofluoric acid and about 5 to 20% by weight of hydrochloric acid is used, and if necessary, a surfactant or the like is used in combination.

In the etching device 50, the imaging optical glass panel 10 is transported by transport rollers, and the main surface of the imaging optical glass panel 10 is brought into contact with the etchant in the etching chamber. is etched. A cleaning chamber for washing away the etchant adhering to the optical glass panel 10 for imaging is provided in the subsequent stage of the etching chamber in the etching apparatus 50, so that the etchant is not removed from the optical glass panel 10 for imaging. It is ejected from the etching apparatus 50 in a state of being detached.

As an example of a method of bringing the etchant into contact with the optical glass panel 10 for imaging, as shown in FIG. and spray etching. Alternatively, instead of spray etching, as shown in FIG. 5B, a configuration may be adopted in which the optical glass panel 10 for imaging is transported while being in contact with the overflowing etching liquid in an overflow type etching chamber 54. is also possible.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5(C), dip etching is employed in which one or more imaging optical glass panels 10 accommodated in a carrier are immersed in an etching tank 56 containing an etchant. It is also possible to

By the etching process described above, the modified line 122 of the first main surface 102 and the modified line 142 of the second main surface 104 are dissolved, and the first microgrooves 12 and the second microgrooves 14 are formed. . It is possible to form the first micro-grooves 12 and the second micro-grooves 14 whose widths are minimized by the above technique. The widths of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 can be appropriately adjusted within a range of approximately 5 μm to 500 μm.

In this embodiment, the widths of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 are set to 500 μm or less in order to increase the definition of the floating display. The arrangement pitch of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 is about twice the groove width. By minimizing, it becomes possible to minimize the arrangement pitch of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 to about 10 to 20 μm.

In principle, the smaller the depth of the first fine groove 12 and the second fine groove 14, the easier it is to reduce the groove width. The reason for this is that the groove widths of the first fine groove 12 and the second fine groove 14 become slightly larger than the diameter of the laser beam in the etching process.

As a countermeasure against this slight increase, an alkali such as ammonium hydroxide or a fluorine complexing agent such as titanium oxide is added in the etching process to increase the groove width of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 in the etching process. Experiments by the applicant have revealed that the slight increase in width is suppressed. Therefore, the groove widths of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 can be adjusted by adding an appropriate amount of an alkali or a fluorine complexing agent to the etching solution as necessary.

Methods for forming the light reflecting film 15 on one side surface of the fine groove described above after the etching process include vacuum deposition, sputtering, and electroless plating, but other methods may also be used. is also possible.

It is preferable that the surface roughness of the side surfaces of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 be smooth prior to the formation of the light reflecting film 15 . By the above-described method, as shown in FIG. 6A, the surface roughness Sa (or surface roughness Ra) of the entire side surface of the first fine groove 12 is usually reduced to several tens of nanometers to several hundred nanometers. often become.

In order to further reduce the surface roughness Sa (or surface roughness Ra) of the entire side surface of the first fine groove 12, for example, sulfuric acid 35 to 95% by weight and fluorine, temperature-controlled at about 40 to 42°C. It is preferable to use an additional etching process using an etchant different from the normal etching process with an acid of about 1 to 10% by weight. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the surface roughness Sa (or surface roughness Ra) of the entire side surface of the first fine groove 12 on the first main surface 102 is smoothed to about several nanometers. It is possible to

In order to further improve the production efficiency of the imaging optical glass panel 10, as shown in FIGS. It is preferable to adopt a method of performing laser processing, etching, film formation, etc. on the glass base material 100 and then dividing it.

For example, a glass base material 100 having first main surfaces 102 arranged in a matrix of 4 rows×4 columns as shown in FIG. It is possible to divide into Apart from the scribe-break method, it is also possible to divide by an etching process. When dividing by etching, after covering the first main surface and the second main surface with a protective film, it is possible to divide by removing a portion corresponding to the cut portion in the protective film and performing an etching process. is.

So far, an example of using a glass structure having a plurality of finely grooved glass substrates in the imaging optical glass panel 10 of an aerial display has been shown, but the glass structure according to the present invention can be applied to other uses. Is possible.

FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically show a microchannel forming member as another application example of the glass structure. FIG. 8A shows an example in which the first fine groove 12 and the second fine groove 14 are arranged parallel to each other instead of perpendicular to each other, and the glass structure 11 is used as a microchannel. ing. In this glass structure 11, cover members are adhered so as to close the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14, respectively. Although it is preferable to use a highly transparent adhesive such as an OCA (Optical Clear Adhesive) film for bonding the cover member, the adhesive is not limited to this.

On the other hand, FIG. 8(B) shows an example in which a plurality of glass structures 11 are bonded to each other and used as a microchannel. Glass has chemical resistance equal to or greater than that of PEEK, which is widely used as a chemical-resistant member for forming channels, so it can be used as a channel for introducing various chemical solutions. Is possible. In addition, since the visibility of the microchannel is significantly improved due to the transparency of the glass, even if a problem occurs in the microchannel, it can be easily dealt with.

As described above, compared with the method of creating fine glass pieces by cutting with a wire saw or the like, it is possible to reduce the groove width of the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 and the groove arrangement pitch. Easy. Therefore, by using the glass structure according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve favorable effects such as refinement of optical panels, micro-channels, and the like.

Also, the method of forming the first fine grooves 12 and the second fine grooves 14 is not limited to the one described above. For example, it is possible to perform etching after forming a scribe line with a scribe wheel, or to perform etching after using both a scribe wheel and a laser beam.

The description of the above-described embodiments should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims.

10-optical glass panel for imaging 12-first fine groove 14-second fine groove 15-light reflecting film 20-groove forming region 22-peripheral region 50-etching device 100-glass base material 102-first Main surface 104 - second main surface 122, 142 - reforming line

Claims (3)

A single plate-shaped glass structure having at least a first principal surface and a second principal surface,
A plurality of first fine grooves are provided on the first main surface, while a plurality of second fine grooves are provided on the second main surface,
A glass structure for manufacturing a glass structure, characterized in that a non-processed portion to which neither the first fine groove nor the second fine groove reaches is provided in the central portion in the thickness direction. A manufacturing method comprising:
A laser processing step of forming a modified line having a property of being easily etched at this position by scanning the position where the fine groove is to be formed with a laser beam;
an etching treatment step of dissolving the modified lines by an etching treatment to form fine grooves;
A glass structure manufacturing method comprising at least: 2. The method of manufacturing a glass structure according to claim 1, wherein said first fine groove and said second fine groove extend perpendicular to each other. 3. The first fine groove and the second fine groove according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fine groove has a width of 500 μm or less and has a smooth side surface. glass structure manufacturing method .

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