Laser preparation process method of ultrathin flexible glass

Abstract

The invention discloses a laser preparation process method of ultrathin flexible glass, which shortens the process route, saves the process cost, reduces the product loss and saves the material cost through laser modification, thinning, cutting forming, micro-etching, chemical tempering and surface strengthening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of electronic product glass, and in particular relates to a laser preparation process method for ultra-thin flexible glass. Background Art

[0002] In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventors found that the prior art has at least the following problems:

[0003] With the upgrading of electronic products, glass has been widely used in the electronics industry. The market has increasingly thinned the thickness of the protective glass for the touch screen glass cover. Ultra-thin glass has become one of the important development trends of glass. Ultra-thin glass cover has attracted more and more attention from listed companies in the electronic display industry. It is mainly used in folding mobile phones, folding laptops and various wearable electronic devices. Ultra-thin glass (UTG) refers to glass with a thickness of less than 100μm and is flexible. UTG is widely used in various electronic industries due to its high transparency, stability and impact resistance. Its easy-to-bend characteristics have marked a major milestone for the folding display industry, becoming an important player in the field of foldable flexible cover after CPI cover.

[0004] The existing preparation process of ultra-thin flexible glass UTG is lengthy, and the yield rate is low during the production process. Most of the current ultra-thin flexible glass technologies use stacking cutting / stack cutting, which has a long process flow and cycle, high equipment cost, labor cost, and material cost, and a large yield loss.

[0005] CN109676245A-A method for preparing a super-hydrophilic glass surface using pulsed laser, discloses a method for preparing a super-hydrophilic glass surface using pulsed laser, wherein the glass substrate to be processed is cleaned and blown dry and then placed on a processing platform, and the surface of the glass substrate to be processed is laser etched using a pulsed laser, and a regular convex-concave or pit-shaped microstructure is formed on the surface of the glass substrate to prepare a super-hydrophilic glass surface, but the above-mentioned technical problems cannot be solved. Summary of the invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a laser preparation process method for ultra-thin flexible glass, which shortens the process route, saves process costs, reduces product losses, and saves material costs.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a laser preparation process method for ultra-thin flexible glass, comprising the following steps:

[0008] 1) Laser modification; 2) Thinning; 3) Cutting and forming; 4) Micro-etching; 5) Chemical tempering; 6) Surface strengthening.

[0009] In the above step 1), local laser cutting is performed on the glass raw material, and the cutting process is determined according to the plate thickness and the edge characteristics required for ultra-thin glass. Laser cutting process: laser parameters 50Hz, 25%, defocus distance 0 (upper surface of glass) + 0.55 (lower surface of glass), after confirming the process, the first piece test can be carried out to determine that the focus parameters are just cut at a depth of 10um on the upper and lower surfaces of the glass.

[0010] In the above step 2), the laser-cut glass is thinned by acid etching. Acid etching method: acid spraying or acid immersion; Acid etching time, determined according to the amount of acid etching (e.g., 40um etching amount, 10min etching time, 50um etching amount, 18min-20min etching time, etc.)

[0011] In the above step 3), after thinning, the glass is cut into pieces by laser according to the laser induced direction. Laser cutting parameters: 50Hz, 80%, focal distance -34.84. (Parameters can be adjusted according to actual laser energy to ensure that the glass is completely cut through)

[0012] In the above step 4), after laser cutting into pieces, the edge morphology is optimized through micro-etching process. Micro-etching process: Soak in acid for 150s to 200s to ensure that the etching amount is ≤ 2um. Micro-etching is intended to ensure that the micro-cracks or broken edges on the edge of the product after laser cutting can be more passivated / flattened by acid treatment, which plays a role in repairing the edge flatness and avoiding damage caused by broken edges / micro-cracks in subsequent processes.

[0013] In the above step 5), the glass is chemically tempered. The tempering time is 15-20 minutes and the tempering temperature is 360°C. The tempered product has better impact resistance and bending resistance, which is a key process to ensure the bending strength of UTG.

[0014] In the above step 6), the tempered glass is surface strengthened to repair microcracks. The principle of surface strengthening is similar to that of micro-etching. The surface microcracks are repaired to be smoother by acid immersion (120s to 200s), thereby improving the bending strength of the UTG and reducing the risk of fragmentation when the UTG is bent.

[0015] In the above step 1), if the thickness of the glass raw material is 300um, the edge characteristic of the ultra-thin glass is required to be 15um, that is, the laser depth D value is between 15 and 20um.

[0016] One of the above technical solutions has the following advantages or beneficial effects: shortening the process route, saving process costs, reducing product losses, and saving material costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass provided in an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] See also Figure 1 , a laser-induced modification process for ultra-thin flexible glass, shortens the process route, saves process costs, reduces product losses, and saves material costs through laser modification, thinning, cutting and forming, micro-etching, chemical tempering, and surface strengthening.

[0020] It mainly consists of six processes: laser modification, thinning, cutting and forming, micro-etching, chemical tempering and surface strengthening.

[0021] ① Partial laser cutting is performed on thicker glass raw materials. The cutting process is determined according to the plate thickness and the edge characteristics (hereinafter referred to as C value) required by UTG (ultra-thin glass): for example, if the original glass plate thickness is 300um, the edge C value is required to be 15um, that is, the laser depth D value is about 15 to 20um;

[0022] ②Thinning: After the original glass is partially laser-induced, the product is thinned by acid etching. The etching speed in the depth direction of the laser-induced area is different from that in the plane plan. The difference in etching speed will form the edge C value;

[0023] ③ Cutting and forming: After thinning, laser cutting small pieces is performed according to the laser induced direction;

[0024] ④ Micro-etching: After laser cutting of small pieces, the micro-etching process is used to optimize the edge morphology;

[0025] ⑤Chemical tempering: Chemical tempering increases glass stress and increases bending strength;

[0026] ⑥Surface strengthening: After tempering, surface strengthening is performed to repair micro cracks and reduce the risk of breakage.

[0027] Thinning is performed by laser cutting to a certain depth. The laser-induced etching rate in the depth and plane direction of the area is different to form a specific edge shape (C value). Edge optimization is performed by micro-etching after cutting to reduce the risk of breakage due to edge collapse.

[0028] Through laser modification, thinning, cutting and forming, micro-etching, chemical tempering and surface strengthening, the process route can be shortened, process costs can be saved, product losses can be reduced, and material costs can be saved.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the terms "coaxial", "bottom", "one end", "top", "middle", "the other end", "upper", "one side", "top", "inside", "front", "center", "both ends" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0030] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly stipulated and limited, the terms such as "installation", "setting", "connection", "fixation" and "screw-on" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. Unless otherwise clearly defined, ordinary technicians in this field can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass, characterized in that: The steps include: 1) Laser modification; 2) Thinning; 3) Cutting and forming; 4) Micro-etching; 5) Chemical tempering; 6) Surface strengthening.

2. The laser preparation process of ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the above step 1), local laser cutting is performed on the glass raw material, and the cutting process is determined according to the plate thickness and the required edge characteristics of the ultra-thin glass; laser cutting process: laser parameters 50Hz, 25%, defocus distance 0-glass upper surface +0.55-glass lower surface.

3. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the above step 2), the laser cut glass is thinned by acid etching; the acid etching method is: acid spraying or acid immersion; the acid etching time is determined according to the amount of acid etching.

4. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 3, characterized in that: In the above step 3), after thinning, the film is cut into sheets by laser in the laser induced direction, and the laser cutting parameters are: 50 Hz, 80%, and focal distance -34.

84.

5. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 4, characterized in that: In the above step 4), after laser cutting into sheets, the sheets are subjected to a micro-etching process to optimize the edge morphology; Micro-etching process: Soak in acid for 150s to 200s to ensure that the etching amount is ≤2um.

6. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the above step 5), the glass is subjected to chemical tempering treatment, the tempering time is 15 minutes to 20 minutes, and the tempering temperature is 360°C.

7. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 6, characterized in that: In the above step 6), the tempered glass is surface strengthened and micro cracks are repaired by immersing it in acid solution for 120s to 200s to repair and smoothen the surface micro cracks.

8. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the above step 1), if the thickness of the glass raw material is 300um, the edge characteristic of the ultra-thin glass is required to be 15um, that is, the laser depth D value is between 15 and 20um.

9. The laser preparation process for ultra-thin flexible glass according to claim 8, characterized in that: In the above step 1), after confirming the process, the first piece test is performed to determine that the focus parameters are just cut at a depth of 10um on the upper and lower surfaces of the glass.

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