JP7408162B2 - Board breaking device and board breaking method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate breaking device and a substrate breaking method for cutting a glass substrate on which a scribe line (cut groove) has been formed in advance along the scribe line. The main processing target of the present invention is glass substrates used in flat panel displays (FPDs) used in, for example, televisions, mobile terminals, game devices, and the like.

Conventionally, a scribe line is formed on the surface of a glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as "substrate") by mechanical scribing using a scribing wheel or by laser scribing (scribing process), and in the next process (breaking process), a scribe line is formed along the scribe line. The substrate is divided and processed by breaking it. In this breaking process, a long break bar with a downwardly tapered shape (knife-like shape) is pressed along the scribe line of the substrate, and the substrate is bent into a V shape and divided (see, for example, Patent Document 1), There is a known method (see Patent Document 2) in which the substrate is divided by blowing a heating medium such as steam onto the substrate to generate thermal stress so that the cracks in the scribe line penetrate in the thickness direction of the substrate.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-120725 WO2004-067243 publication

However, in the breaking method by pressing a knife-shaped break bar as described in Patent Document 1, when the upper surface of the board is bent into a V shape by pressing, the adjacent divided end surface may be damaged depending on how the pressing load is applied. The upper edges may press against each other and cause chipping, which could cause problems such as cracks on the board surface and deterioration of the edge strength. . In addition, the scribe line to be broken is basically a straight line like the break bar, and the break bar needs to be accurately aligned with the straight scribe line to break.

On the other hand, in the breaking method using thermal stress described in Patent Document 2, breaking is performed without contacting the substrate, so there is no risk of chipping due to pressing of the cut end surfaces together due to deflection. However, since it is used to perform convective heat transfer by blowing a heat medium such as steam toward the scribe line from a nozzle placed spatially away from the scribe line, the efficiency of heat utilization is low. This is not only bad and uneconomical, but also because the atmospheric gas is stirred up by the spraying, and if the atmospheric gas contains dust, there is a risk that the yield of the product will be adversely affected. Further, there were also problems in that the assembly structure of the heating mechanism including the heat source was complicated and increased in size.

In addition, in any of the above cases, after one scribe line is cut, the next scribe line is cut by moving the substrate relative to the break bar or the heat medium injection part. It has been desired to reduce the time required to separate all scribe lines as much as possible.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate breaking device and method that eliminates the risk of chipping on the cut end surface, uses thermal stress to break, has low heat loss, and has excellent work efficiency. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical measures. That is, the substrate breaking device of the present invention is a substrate breaking device that breaks a substrate on which a scribe line is formed along the scribe line, and includes a plurality of columnar heat transfer rods made of a material with good thermal conductivity. , a table made of a highly thermally conductive material in which a plurality of mounting holes into which the heat transfer rods can be inserted are formed on a mounting surface on which the substrate is mounted; a plate made of a highly thermally conductive material that is supported in a thermally insulated manner with respect to the table; a first temperature setting mechanism that sets the table to a first set temperature T1; and a second temperature setting mechanism that sets the plate to a second set temperature T2. each heat transfer rod is thermally insulated from the table, and held so that one end thereof is flush with the mounting surface and the other end faces the plate for heat conduction. and the positions of the mounting holes formed in the table include at least a plurality of positions facing the scribe line when the substrate is placed on the mounting surface. did.
Here, the first set temperature T1 and the second set temperature T2 may have a temperature difference that can cause a difference in thermal stress in the substrates in contact with the respective temperatures.

According to the present invention, heat transfer rods are inserted in advance into a plurality of mounting holes (along the scribe line) located at positions facing the scribe line of the board when the board is placed on the mounting surface of the table. The set temperature of each heat transfer rod is set to the second set temperature T2 due to heat conduction from the plate, and the temperature of the table is set to the first set temperature T1. In this state, if the board to be broken is placed so that the scribe line is in contact with the heat transfer rod inserted into the mounting hole of the table, the scribe line will be in contact with the table at the first set temperature T1. , the areas in contact with the heat transfer rod at the second set temperature T2 alternate, a thermal stress distribution is formed along the scribe line, and a separation force is applied to separate the scribe line, causing a break. will be done.

According to the present invention, by inserting heat transfer rods into mounting holes located along a plurality of scribe lines on a substrate, a plurality of scribe lines can be simultaneously cut or a plurality of unit substrates can be cut out at the same time. becomes possible. Thereby, the time required for cutting the substrate can be shortened and work efficiency can be increased. In addition, by aligning the insertion position of the heat transfer rod along the scribe line, it is possible to divide a scribe line of any shape, including curves or bent lines, or to cut out unit boards with arbitrary outlines such as circles. Can be done.
Furthermore, in the present invention, since the substrate is not broken by bending it with a break bar, it is possible to obtain a high-quality end surface without defects such as chips on the broken substrate section. In addition, since thermal stress is applied to the substrate through heat conduction through surface contact, it is possible to keep heat loss to a minimum, and also prevents dust from flying up due to breakage caused by spraying steam, etc., and product surfaces wet with steam. This has the effect of suppressing the adhesion of particles.

In the present invention, the mounting holes may be formed in a mesh or lattice shape on the mounting surface at regular intervals.
Thereby, by selecting the attachment hole into which the heat transfer rod is inserted, it is possible to easily break along a scribe line of any shape including a straight line or a curved line.

In the present invention, one of the first temperature setting mechanism and the second temperature setting mechanism may be a heating mechanism using an electric heater, and the other may be a water cooling mechanism.

In the present invention, a robot arm may be provided that holds the substrate by suction and places it on the placement surface, and carries out the broken substrate from the placement surface.
Thereby, it is possible to carry the substrate to the mounting surface and maintain the contact state, and to carry out the operation of carrying out the divided substrate from the mounting surface efficiently.

Further, a substrate breaking method of the present invention made from another viewpoint is a substrate breaking method in which a substrate on which a scribe line is formed is placed on a table and broken along the scribe line, and the substrate is placed on a table and broken along the scribe line. The mounting surface is set at a first set temperature T1, and a second set temperature different from the first set temperature T1 is set along the position of the table opposite to the position of the scribe line when the substrate is mounted. A table is prepared in which a plurality of areas set at a set temperature T2 are formed at intervals, and the scribe line is brought into contact with the placement surface of the table, so that the break is made along the scribe line. ing.

1 is a schematic front view of a substrate breaking device that is an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a right side view of the table portion in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the table and plate of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of attaching a heat transfer rod to the table of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a substrate to be divided. FIG. 6 is a layout diagram of heat transfer rods when breaking the substrate shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a heating region and a cooling region formed on (a scribe line of) a substrate by a heat transfer rod and a table. FIG. 6 is a layout diagram of heat transfer rods when dividing another type of unit substrate. A layout diagram of heat transfer rods when dividing a circular unit board.

In the following, details of the invention will be explained based on the figures.
1 to 4 are diagrams showing a substrate breaking apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of a substrate W to be cut. On the substrate W, scribe lines S in the form of vertical and horizontal shallow grooves that are perpendicular to each other are processed in the previous step, and this allows for a plurality of unit substrates W1, for example, six unit substrates as shown in FIG. and the surrounding scrap material E. The scribe line S is processed by a mechanical scribe in which a scribing wheel is rolled while being pressed against the substrate surface, but it can also be formed by a laser scribe instead.

The substrate breaking device A has a horizontal table 1 on which a substrate W to be cut is placed and held, a substrate W to be cut is held by suction and placed on the table 1, and a unit substrate W1 after being cut is placed on the table 1. It is equipped with a robot arm (transport arm) 14 that carries out transport from the table surface.

The table 1 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity such as aluminum, copper, etc., and by circulating a refrigerant such as cold water through a circulation passage 2 (water cooling jacket) passing through the interior, a first set temperature T1 (refrigerant temperature ). The inlet 3 and outlet 4 of the circulation passage 2 are connected to a refrigerant source (not shown) via piping. The refrigerant temperature can be adjusted to a desired temperature by a temperature controller (not shown) of the refrigerant source. Further, on the flat mounting surface (upper surface) of the table 1, a large number of mounting holes 5 into which heat transfer rods 6, which will be described later, can be fitted are provided vertically and in a mesh (or lattice) pattern. Adjacent mounting holes 5 are equally spaced apart.

The heat transfer rod 6 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper, and has a cylindrical shape so that it can be removably fitted into the mounting hole 5, as shown in FIG. 4(a). The outer peripheral surface in contact with the mounting hole 5 is covered with a heat insulating material 6a. Note that by precision machining the heat transfer rod 6 and the mounting hole 5, a space may be provided between the heat transfer rod 6 and the mounting hole 5, so that the heat transfer rod 6 and the mounting hole 5 are not in contact with each other and thermally insulated.
Further, at least a part or the entire surface of the upper end surface of the heat transfer rod 6 is formed as a flat surface, and as shown in FIG. 4(b), the upper surface of the heat transfer rod 6 and the table 1 It is designed to be flush with the top surface (placement surface) of. Further, the lower end side of the heat transfer rod 6 is provided with an insertion portion 6b that is inserted into a socket 7 (hole) of the plate 8, which will be described later.

On the underside of the table 1 (on the opposite side from the mounting surface), there is a plate 8 made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper and equipped with a large number of sockets 7, and a plate 8 made of a ceramic material that is a heat insulating material. are connected with a gap provided through a connecting bolt 9 and a nut 10. The gap between the table 1 and the plate 8 serves as a heat insulating space that thermally insulates them. The gap is maintained by installing the

The socket groups 7 provided on the plate 8 are arranged at positions facing each mounting hole 5 of the table 1 located above. Thereby, by inserting the heat transfer rod 6 into the mounting hole 5 from the table top surface (placement surface), the lower insertion part 6b can be attached to the socket 7, and the heat transfer rod 6 and plate 8 The surface contact with the plate 8 enables heat conduction, and the heat of the plate 8 is transferred to the heat transfer rod 6. An electric heater 12 is incorporated in the plate 8, and the heat of the plate 8 heated by the electric heater 12 is transmitted to the heat transfer rod 6, so that the upper surface of the heat transfer rod 6 is set at a second set temperature T2. is formed. The electric heater 12 is connected to a power source (not shown) via an electric wire 13, and can be adjusted to a desired temperature by a temperature controller (not shown).

The robot arm 14 includes a suction cup 15 that sucks the substrate W by vacuum. In this embodiment, six suction cups are provided so as to be able to suction the six unit substrates W1 to be divided, but it may be formed so that one large suction cup can suction the six unit substrates. .

Here, the first set temperature T1 of the table 1 and the second set temperature T2 of the plate 8 (namely, the heat transfer rod 6) will be explained. In this embodiment, by bringing the substrate W to be broken into contact with each other, a cooling region that is cooled in contact with the upper surface (mounting surface) of the table 1 and a heated region in contact with the heat transfer rod 6 are formed along the scribe line. This creates a large temperature difference between the first set temperature T1 and the second set temperature T2 because it generates thermal stress (compressive stress and tensile stress) in opposite directions in the heated area and creates a strong separation force on the scribe line. If given, a stronger separation force can be generated.
However, in substrates such as liquid crystal panels, the temperature that can be heated is limited by other materials (circuits, adhesives, etc.) provided on the substrate, and it is necessary to keep the temperature below the allowable temperature. It is also desirable to cool the device within a range that does not cause condensation.
Therefore, the set temperatures T1 and T2 are set within the temperature range allowed for the substrate to be processed. For example, the first set temperature T1 of the table 1 is set to 20°C, which is higher than the dew point temperature, and the second set temperature T2 of the heat transfer rod 6 (and plate 8) is set to 110 to 60°C, which is sufficiently higher than the dew point temperature. I am trying to set it in a range.

Next, the operation of cutting the substrate W by the breaking device A described above will be explained. In the following explanation, each substrate W that is transported one after another by the robot arm 14 and placed on the table 1 is always accurately positioned at the same position on the table by the robot arm (or positioning means using a contact member, etc.). shall be positioned and placed.
First, as shown in FIG. 6, the heat transfer rod 6 is fitted in advance into the mounting hole 5 at a position opposite to the scribe line S of the substrate W placed on the table 1 (the hatched part is the heat transfer rod). 6). In this operation, as shown in FIG. 4(a), by directly inserting from the top surface of the table 1, it can be attached to the socket 7 of the plate 8, as shown in FIG. 4(b).

After the heat transfer rod 6 is set on the table 1, a refrigerant is flowed through the circulation passage 2 of the table 1 to cool the table 1 to the first set temperature T1 (refrigerant temperature), and the electric heater 12 is energized to cool the plate 8 ( and heating the heat transfer rod 6) to a second set temperature T2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the substrate W held by suction by the robot arm 14 is transported to a fixed position above the table 1, and as shown in FIG. 1(b), the robot arm 14 is lowered to remove the substrate W. The lower surface of the table 1 is brought into contact with the upper surface (placement surface) of the table 1. The contact time varies depending on the thickness of the substrate, but for a typical substrate, about 2 seconds is sufficient. Due to this contact, since the heat transfer rods 6 are attached side by side at opposing positions along the scribe line S of the substrate W, the area in the scribe line S that is in contact with the heat transfer rod 6 is partially heated, and the area in the scribe line S is partially heated. The area in contact with the table surface 1 is partially cooled.

In this way, due to the contact between the substrate W and the table 1 and the contact between the substrate W and the heat transfer rod 6, the substrate W has a heating area in contact with the heat transfer rod 6 and a heat transfer area as shown in FIG. Cooling areas in contact with the table 1 between the rods 6 are formed adjacent to each other alternately along the scribe line S.
As a result, compressive stress is generated in the scribe line S in the heating region due to thermal expansion, and tensile stress is generated in the cooling region due to thermal contraction. When this compressive stress and tensile stress occur simultaneously at multiple locations adjacent to each other, cracks in the scribe line S penetrate in the thickness direction of the substrate, and as a result, the scribe line S is completely severed. As a result, the substrate W is divided into six unit substrates W1 and scraps E.

The divided unit substrate W1 is carried out by the robot arm 14 and sent to the next process. The remaining scraps E are removed from the table 1 in the next step by the same robot arm 14 or by another scrap removing means (for example, a cleaner that sucks the scraps) (not shown).

By fitting the heat transfer rod 6 into the mounting hole 5 of the table 1 along the shape of the scribe line S to be separated in this way, a unit board having an arbitrary external outline can be broken by applying thermal stress. can do. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a unit board having a U-shaped contour line with a part of the side recessed, or a circular unit board as shown in FIG. 9, is cut along the scribe line S and taken out. You can also do that.

As described above, in the substrate breaking device of the present invention, by fitting the heat transfer rod into the mounting hole opposite to the position along the scribe line of the substrate, it is possible to simultaneously break multiple scribe lines or separate multiple unit substrates. It becomes possible to start cutting at the same time. Thereby, the time required for cutting the substrate can be shortened and work efficiency can be increased. Furthermore, by selecting the mounting position of the heat transfer rod, it is possible to divide a scribe line of any shape including a curved line or a bent line, or to cut out a unit board having an arbitrary outline such as a circle.

Further, in the present invention, since the substrate is not broken by bending the substrate with a knife-like break bar, a high-quality end face without defects such as chips can be obtained on the broken substrate cross section. In addition, since thermal stress is applied to the substrate by heat conduction through surface contact, there is no dust flying up that occurs when a break is caused by spraying steam, etc., and particles are prevented from adhering to the product surface wet with steam. Loss can also be suppressed to a small level.

Although typical embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified or changed as appropriate within the scope of achieving the object and not departing from the scope of the claims. Is possible.
For example, in the above embodiment, the table 1 is cooled and the plate 8 is heated, but an electric heater may be attached to the table 1 to heat it and cool the plate 8. Further, the heating means and cooling means may be replaced with other methods.
In addition, in the above embodiment, a large number of mounting holes are provided in a mesh or lattice pattern on the table 1, but if the shape of the scribe line S' to be divided is always the same and never changed, the scribe line S' A dedicated table may be used in which mounting holes are formed only at positions opposite to the positions along line S' and no extra mounting holes are provided.
Further, in the above embodiment, all the mounting holes are circular holes, but some or all of them may be oval holes, square holes, etc., and the shape of the heat transfer rod may also be an elliptical column, a square column, etc.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for the board breaking apparatus and the board breaking method which break the board|substrate with which the scribe line was formed along the scribe line.

A Breaking device S Scribe line W Substrate W1 Unit substrate 1 Table 2 Circulation passage (first temperature setting mechanism)
5 Mounting hole 6 Heat transfer rod 7 Socket 8 Plate 12 Electric heater (second temperature setting mechanism)
14 Robot arm (transport arm)
15 Sucker

Claims (5)

A substrate breaking device that breaks a substrate on which a scribe line is formed along the scribe line,
Multiple heat transfer rods made of columnar and highly thermally conductive material,
a table made of a highly thermally conductive material and having a plurality of mounting holes into which the heat transfer rods can be inserted on a mounting surface on which the substrate is mounted;
a plate made of a highly thermally conductive material that is supported in a manner that is thermally insulated from the table on a side opposite to the placement surface of the table;
a first temperature setting mechanism that sets the table to a first set temperature T1;
a second temperature setting mechanism that sets the plate to a second set temperature T2;
Each of the heat transfer rods is thermally insulated from the table, and is held such that one end thereof is flush with the mounting surface and the other end faces the plate for heat conduction;
In the substrate breaking device, the positions of the attachment holes formed in the table include at least a plurality of positions facing the scribe line when the substrate is placed on the placement surface. 2. The substrate breaking device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting holes are formed in a mesh or grid shape on the mounting surface at regular intervals. 3. The substrate breaking device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first temperature setting mechanism and the second temperature setting mechanism uses a heating mechanism using an electric heater, and the other uses a water cooling mechanism. The substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a robot arm that suction-holds the substrate and places it on the placement surface, and carries out the broken substrate from the placement surface. break device. A substrate breaking method in which a substrate on which a scribe line is formed is placed on a table and broken along the scribe line,
The mounting surface on which the substrate is mounted is set to a first set temperature T1, and the first set temperature T1 is set along the position of the table opposite to the position of the scribe line when the substrate is mounted. Prepare a table in which a plurality of regions set at a second set temperature T2 different from the above are formed at intervals,
A substrate breaking method in which the substrate is broken along the scribe line by bringing the scribe line into contact with the placement surface of the table.

Images