Scribing and breaking apparatus, system therefor, and scribing and breaking method

• US 7,131,562 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsuboshi Diamond Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsuboshi Diamond Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ejimatani, Akira, Ueyama, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Peterson, Kenneth E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamilton, Isaac N.
• Application Number:
  US10/450,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20040040997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 838/86, 838/85, 838/83, 225/96.5
• US Class Current: 225/96.5
• CPC Class Codes: B28D 5/0011 with preliminary treatment, e.g. weakening by scoring
• CPC Class Codes: B28D 5/0082 for supporting, holding, feeding, conveying or discharging work
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2249/04 Arrangements of vacuum systems or suction cups
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 33/03 Glass cutting tables; Apparatus for transporting or handling sheet glass during the cutting or breaking operations
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 33/033 Apparatus for opening score lines in glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 33/07 Cutting armoured, multi-layered, coated or laminated, glass products
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133351 Manufacturing of individual cells out of a plurality of cells, e.g. by dicing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/307 Combined with preliminary weakener or with nonbreaking cutter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/321 Preliminary weakener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/325 With means to apply moment of force to weakened work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/329 Plural breakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/371 Movable breaking tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0378 On opposite sides of work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0385 Rotary scoring blade
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0581 Cutting part way through from opposite sides of work

Abstract

A separation apparatus comprising a first and a second scribing means for scribing front and rear surfaces of a first mother substrate made of a brittle material along first predetermined scribing lines previously provided on the front and rear surfaces of the first mother substrate, the first and second scribing means being opposed to each other on an upper side and a lower side, and a holding and transferring means for holding and transferring the first mother substrate so that the first predetermined scribing lines of the first mother substrate are located between the first and second scribing means.

Claims

1. A separation apparatus, comprising:

first and second scribing means for scribing front and rear surfaces of a mother substrate made of a brittle material, the first and second scribing means being opposed to each other on an upper side and a lower side;

a holding and transferring means for holding and transferring the mother substrate so that scribing lines of the mother substrate are located between the first and second scribing means;

a first table, on which the mother substrate, being transferred between the first and second scribing means by the holding and transferring means, is mounted; and

a pair of cameras for recognizing alignment marks provided on the mother substrate,

wherein the first and second scribing means are controlled so that a deviation of the mother substrate set on the first table, relative to the first table, is obtained based on alignment marks recognized by the pair of cameras and the deviation is canceled by linear interpolation.

2. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding and transferring means holds and transfers the mother substrate while sucking.

3. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding and transferring means transfers the mother substrate while holding an end thereof.

4. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mother substrate comprises first and second glass substrates bonded together,

the first glass substrate is scribed by the first scribing means, and

the second glass substrate is scribed by the second scribing means.

5. A separation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the mother substrate is a liquid crystal mother panel, and

only a seal for sealing liquid crystal is provided between the first and second glass substrates.

6. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second scribing means are provided on one side of the first table.

7. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second table, wherein the first and second scribing means are provided between the first table and the second table, and

the mother substrate is placed across the first and second tables by the holding and transferring means.

8. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a removing means for removing substrate fragments separated from the mother substrate by at least one of the first and second scribing means.

9. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second scribing means have first and second rollers, respectively, and the first and second rollers roll on the mother substrate while exerting a predetermined pressure on the mother substrate so that the mother substrate is separated along the scribing lines provided by the first and second means.

10. A separation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first and second rollers roll on the mother substrate in such a manner that they exert a bending moment around the scribing line on the mother substrate.

11. A separation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first and second rollers roll on surfaces of the mother substrate opposite to each other with respect to the scribing line.

12. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first table is provided with at least one roller for guiding the mother substrate transferred by the holding and transferring means.

13. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second scribing means have first and second cutter wheel chips for scribing the mother substrate, respectively, and

blades of the first and second cutter wheel chips are different from each other.

14. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first table is provided with a cut portion,

the second scribing means is disposed in the cut portion so that the rear surface of the mother substrate across the cut portion can be scribed by the second scribing means, and

the first scribing means is disposed so that the front surface of the mother substrate across the cut portion can be scribed.

15. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the linear interpolation corrects for a gap in a position of the mother substrate with respect to positions of desired scribe lines by correcting moving directions of the first and second scribing means for forming the scribe lines.

16. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first and a second transferring means for separately transferring the first and second scribing means, respectively, in the same orthogonal directions relative to a direction of scribe lines formed by the first and second scribing means in scribing the front and rear surfaces, the orthogonal directions being substantially horizontal.

17. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mother substrate comprises a bonded substrate.

18. A separation system, comprising at least a first separation apparatus and at least a second separation apparatus,

wherein the first separation apparatus comprises:

a first and a second scribing means for scribing front and rear surfaces of a first mother substrate made of a brittle material, the first and second means being opposed to each other on an upper side and a lower side;

a first holding and transferring means for holding and transferring the first mother substrate so that first predetermined scribing lines of the first mother substrate are located between the first and second scribing means;

a first table, on which the mother substrate, being transferred between the first and second scribing means by the holding and transferring means, is mounted; and

a first pair of cameras for recognizing alignment marks provided on the mother substrate,

wherein the first and second scribing means are controlled so that a deviation of the first mother substrate set on the first table, relative to the first table, is obtained based on alignment marks recognized by the first pair of cameras and the deviation is canceled by linear interpolation,

the second separation apparatus comprises;

a third and a fourth scribing means for scribing front and rear surfaces of a second mother substrate separated from the first mother substrate by the first separation apparatus, the third and fourth scribing means being opposed to each other on an upper side and a lower side;

a second holding and transferring means for holding and transferring the second mother substrate so that second predetermined scribing lines, previously provided on the second mother substrate and crossing the first predetermined scribing lines, are located between the third and fourth scribing means;

a second table, wherein the second mother substrate is placed on the second table while the second mother substrate is transferred between the third and fourth scribing means by the second holding and transfening means; and

a second pair of cameras for recognizing alignment marks provided on the second mother substrate,

wherein the third and fourth scribing means are controlled so that a deviation of the second mother substrate set on the second table, relative to the second table, is obtained based on alignment marks recognized by the second pair of cameras and the deviation is canceled by linear interpolation.

19. A separation method, comprising the steps of:

holding a mother substrate having both sides made of a brittle material by a holding and transferring means;

transferring and setting the mother substrate on a first table by the holding and transferring means so that the mother substrate is located between a first and a second scribing means opposed to each other;

recognizing alignment marks on the mother substrate by a first pair of cameras;

obtaining a deviation of the mother substrate set on the first table, relative to the first table, based on the alignment marks recognized by the first pair of cameras; and

forming scribing lines on the mother substrate using the first and second scribing means by the first and second scribing means being transferred along predetermined scribing lines on the mother substrate while canceling the deviation by linear interpolation.

20. A separation method according to claim 19, wherein the first and second scribing means are provided between the first table and a second table, and the mother substrate is placed across the first and second tables by the holding and transfening means.

21. A separation method according to claim 19, wherein in the holding step, the holding and transferring means transfers the mother substrate while holding an end thereof.

22. A separation method according to claim 19, wherein in the setting step, the holding and transferring means holds and transfers the mother substrate while sucking.

23. A separation method according to claim 19, further comprising removing substrate fragments separated from the mother substrate by at least one of the first and second scribing means.

24. A separation method according to claim 19, wherein the mother substrate is separated by rolling first and second rollers provided in the first and second scribing means, respectively, on the mother substrate while exerting a predetermined pressure on the mother substrate along the scribing lines.

25. A separation method according to claim 20, wherein in the holding step, the holding and transferring means transfers the mother substrate while holding an end thereof.

26. A separation method according to claim 20, wherein in the setting step, the holding and transferring means holds and transfers the mother substrate while sucking.

27. A separation method according to claim 20, further comprising removing substrate fragments separated from the mother substrate by at least one of the first and second scribing means.

28. A separation method according to claim 20, wherein the mother substrate is separated by rolling a first and a second rollers provided in the first and second scribing means, respectively, on the mother substrate while exerting a predetermined pressure on the mother substrate along the scribing lines.

29. A separation method, comprising the steps of:

in a first separation apparatus,

holding a mother substrate having both sides made of a brittle material by a first holding and transferring means;

transferring and setting the mother substrate on a first table by the first holding and transferring means so that the mother substrate is located between a first and a second scribing means opposed to each other;

recognizing alignment marks on the mother substrate by a first pair of cameras;

obtaining a deviation of the mother substrate set on the first table, relative to the first table, based on the alignment marks recognized by the first pair of cameras; and

forming scribing lines on the mother substrate using the first and second scribing means by the first and second scribing means being transferred along first predetermined scribing lines on the mother substrate while canceling the deviation by linear interpolation, and

in a second separation apparatus,

holding the separated mother substrate by a second holding and transferring means;

transferring and setting the separated mother substrate on a second table by the second holding and transferring means so that the separated mother substrate is located between a third and a fourth scribing means opposed to each other;

recognizing the alignment marks on the mother substrate by a second pair of cameras;

obtaining a deviation of the mother substrate set on the second table, relative to the second table, based on the alignment marks recognized by the second pair of cameras; and

forming scribing lines on the mother substrate using the third and fourth scribing means by the third and fourth scribing means being transferred along second predetermined scribing lines on the mother substrate while canceling the deviation by linear interpolation.