Glass etching device and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a glass etching device and a control method thereof, the used glass etching device comprises an etching electrode with an electrode block and a mask cover, an auxiliary electrode and an electrolyte tank, the bottom of the mask cover is provided with a hollow structure, and the mask cover is arranged at the lower half part of the electrode block in a semi-wrapping manner; the lower half part of the electrode block comprises a wrapping part wrapped by the mask cover and an exposed part exposed through the hollow structure, the etching electrode is used for electrolyzing the electrolyte in the electrolyte tank to generate plasma after a power supply provided by the etching power supply is connected, and the exposed part of the lower half part of the electrode block generates plasma to etch a workpiece to be machined. The etching electrode can create a high-temperature working environment by inducing plasma, the hollow structure of the mask cover is used for controlling the electrode block to generate plasma on the exposed part, the workpiece to be machined can be machined only by moving the etching electrode, the etching efficiency and the machining flexibility are improved, and meanwhile the structure is simple and easy to achieve.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of glass etching, and in particular to a glass etching device and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Microfluidic chips are chips based on micro-nano technology that can achieve precise control and manipulation of liquids or gases in microscale channels, and have broad application prospects in the fields of biomedicine, chemical analysis, environmental monitoring, etc. Glass materials have good light transmittance, chemical stability, biocompatibility and good mechanical strength, and are the main base materials for microfluidic chip manufacturing.

[0003] The main processing technologies for glass surface microstructures include mechanical cutting, hot stamping, laser processing, ultrasonic processing, abrasive water jet processing, ion beam engraving and chemical etching, etc. The appropriate processing technology is usually selected according to the specific microstructure requirements and processing conditions. Among them, ion beam engraving can achieve high-precision and high-controllability microstructure processing, and is often used in optical devices and nano-processing. However, the processing equipment is extremely expensive and the equipment investment cost is high; chemical etching is a key technology for high-quality microstructure precision processing on the glass surface. It relies on the principle of chemical reaction to achieve material removal. It has the advantages of simple equipment, low operating cost, good processing stability and good processing surface integrity. However, the chemical inertness of glass is strong, resulting in low etching efficiency. How to improve the chemical etching efficiency of glass materials is the key point to break through the bottleneck of industrial application of this technology. In addition, the current plasma thermal chemical etching microstructure is mainly based on drilling or milling etching of rod-shaped tool electrodes. For array microstructures or large-area complex microstructures, path planning of tool electrodes is required, resulting in low overall processing efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The following is a summary of the subject matter described in detail herein. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a glass etching device and a control method thereof, which can realize efficient and rapid etching of microstructures on a glass surface.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a glass etching device, the glass etching device comprising: an etching electrode, an auxiliary electrode, an electrolyte tank, and an etching power supply; Wherein, the etching electrode is connected to the cathode of the etching power supply, and the auxiliary electrode is connected to the anode of the etching power supply; The etching electrode comprises an electrode block and a mask cover, wherein the mask cover is half-wrapped and arranged on the lower half of the electrode block, a hollow structure is arranged at the bottom of the mask cover, and the lower half of the electrode block comprises a wrapped portion wrapped by the mask cover and an exposed portion exposed by the hollow structure; The auxiliary electrode is installed inside the electrolyte tank, and the electrolyte tank is used to place electrolyte and workpieces to be processed; The etching electrode is used to electrolyze the electrolyte in the electrolyte tank to generate plasma and etch the workpiece to be processed after the power provided by the etching power supply is passed through. The plasma is generated in the exposed part of the lower half of the electrode block.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, the glass etching device further includes: A movement control device is connected to the top of the etching electrode and is used to control the etching electrode to move and etch according to a preset movement path, and to control the distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed.

[0008] According to the glass etching device provided in some embodiments of the present application, the electrolyte is an alkaline solution, and the position of the electrode block wrapped by the mask cover is immersed in the electrolyte.

[0009] According to the glass etching device provided in some embodiments of the present application, the alkaline solution uses a sodium hydroxide solution or a potassium hydroxide solution.

[0010] According to the glass etching device provided by some embodiments of the present application, the hollow structure of the mask cover is a parallel multi-hole structure, a single through-groove structure, or a multi-through-groove structure.

[0011] According to the glass etching device provided in some embodiments of the present application, the etching electrode is arranged above the workpiece to be processed, and a preset distance is set between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed.

[0012] According to the glass etching device provided in some embodiments of the present application, the preset distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed is 50 µm to 100 µm.

[0013] According to the glass etching device provided by some embodiments of the present application, the mask cover uses an inert material with a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0014] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a glass etching method, which is applied to a glass etching device, wherein the glass etching device includes an etching electrode, an auxiliary electrode, an electrolyte tank, and an etching power supply, wherein the etching electrode includes an electrode block and a mask cover, wherein the mask cover is half-wrapped and arranged at the lower half of the electrode block, and a hollow structure is arranged at the bottom of the mask cover, and the electrolyte tank is used to place an electrolyte and a workpiece to be processed. The method includes: Immersing the electrode block portion of the etching electrode that is wrapped by the mask cover into the electrolyte tank; Providing power to the etching electrode and the auxiliary electrode through the etching power supply; Electrolyzing the electrolyte to generate plasma through the electrode block exposed by the hollow structure of the mask cover; The workpiece to be processed is etched by the plasma, and the plasma is ejected through the hollow structure to etch the workpiece to be processed.

[0015] According to the glass etching method provided by some embodiments of the present application, it is characterized in that the glass etching device further includes a movement control device, and the movement control device is connected to the top of the etching electrode; The method further comprises: Set preset motion paths; The moving control device controls the etching electrode to etch the workpiece to be processed according to a preset movement path.

[0016] The embodiments of the present application include at least the following beneficial effects: In an embodiment of the present application, a glass etching device is used, and the glass etching device includes an etching electrode with an electrode block and a mask cover, an auxiliary electrode and an electrolyte tank. A hollow structure is provided at the bottom of the mask cover, and is half-wrapped in the lower half of the electrode block by the mask cover. The lower half of the electrode block includes a wrapped portion wrapped by the mask cover and an exposed portion exposed by the hollow structure. The etching electrode is used to electrolyze the electrolyte in the electrolyte tank to generate plasma after the power provided by the etching power supply is passed through. The exposed portion of the lower half of the electrode block generates plasma to etch the workpiece to be processed. By inducing plasma, the etching electrode can create a high-temperature working environment. The hollow structure of the mask cover is used to control the electrode block to generate plasma in the exposed portion. The workpiece to be processed can be processed by moving the etching electrode, thereby improving etching efficiency and processing induction. At the same time, the structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in the following description, and partly become apparent from the description, or understood by practicing the present application. The purpose and other advantages of the present application can be realized and obtained through the structures particularly pointed out in the description and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the technical solution of the present application and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present application, they are used to explain the technical solution of the present application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of the present application.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a glass etching device provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an etching electrode provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3a A schematic structural diagram of a hollow structure of a mask cover provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3b A schematic structural diagram of another hollow structure of a mask cover provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3c A schematic structural diagram of another hollow structure of a mask cover provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the relationship between etching speed and temperature provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5a A schematic diagram of an etching path provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5b Another schematic diagram of an etching path provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an etching pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the distance structure between an etching electrode and a workpiece to be processed provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the steps of a glass etching method provided in an embodiment of the present application; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present application is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The described embodiments should not be regarded as limiting the present application, and all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0020] In the following description, reference is made to “some embodiments”, which describe a subset of all possible embodiments, but it will be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0022] Before further describing the embodiments of the present application in detail, the nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are explained. The nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are subject to the following interpretations.

[0023] Currently, the main processing technologies for glass surface microstructures include mechanical cutting, hot embossing, laser processing, ultrasonic processing, abrasive water jet processing, ion beam engraving, chemical etching and plasma thermochemical etching.

[0024] Mechanical cutting (mainly drilling) is a method of forming the surface of a material using a rotating multi-edged tool as a tool. It is easy to operate, has high processing efficiency, and has good dimensional consistency. However, due to the hardness and brittleness of glass materials, traditional cutting efficiency is low, processing costs are high, and the processing size is limited by the tool size, making it difficult to process microstructures below 500μm.

[0025] Hot pressing is to place the workpiece on a heated base plate for heating, then apply pressure to the die and act on the workpiece surface, and control the heating temperature and pressurization time of the workpiece to achieve the effect of hardening and cooling after softening, and finally realize material forming. Hot pressing has the characteristic of being able to stamp and form dense structures on the surface of the workpiece in one go. However, when faced with hot pressing of small-scale and large-area microstructures, due to the small size of the microstructure and the unevenness of the thermal field, it is easy to make hot pressing demolding very difficult, and it is very easy to cause the structure shape to collapse.

[0026] Laser processing uses a laser beam to irradiate the surface of the material, and uses the local thermal effect and photochemical reaction to melt and vaporize the surface material, thereby processing the target shape. It has been applied to cutting and drilling glass materials. However, since the main way to remove materials is through thermal effects, there is obvious thermal stress, which causes material deformation. Not only that, there is obvious thermal flanging at the corners of the workpiece after laser processing, which often requires secondary processing after laser processing to eliminate the effects of thermal deformation and thermal flanging. In addition, precision lasers are very expensive and the equipment investment cost is high.

[0027] Ultrasonic machining is a technology that uses a tool with small amplitude vibration at ultrasonic frequency to hammer the abrasive in the liquid, thereby gradually breaking the surface of the workpiece material. It is very suitable for processing hard and brittle materials such as glass and ceramics. However, due to the complexity of the design, installation and calibration of ultrasonic vibrators, and the loss of tool heads during processing, it is easy to cause dynamic imbalance and micro cracks on the workpiece surface. Therefore, the cost of ultrasonic machining is high and the surface quality of the machined surface is poor.

[0028] Abrasive water jet machining is a machining technology that uses a nozzle orifice to eject liquid mixed with fine abrasive particles at high speed to collide and shear the workpiece material to achieve material forming. At present, abrasive water jets have been used in glass cutting, shape modification and surface structure processing. However, due to the obvious shear force between the high-speed abrasive flow and the workpiece, it is easy to cause the contour and corners of the workpiece material to be broken. Therefore, abrasive water jet machining has shortcomings in micro-nano size processing. In addition, the abrasive flow circulation process requires advanced filtration systems, pressurization systems and excellent machine tool rigidity, and the equipment investment cost is relatively high.

[0029] Ion beam engraving can achieve high-precision and high-controllability microstructure processing and is often used in fields such as optical devices and nano-processing. However, the processing equipment is extremely expensive and the equipment investment cost is high.

[0030] Chemical etching is a process that relies on the principle of chemical reaction to remove materials. It has the advantages of simple equipment, low operating cost, good processing stability, and good processing surface integrity, and is very suitable for use in the field of medical devices. However, glass is chemically inert, which often results in low etching efficiency. How to improve the efficiency of chemical etching of glass materials is the key to breaking through the bottleneck of industrial application of this technology.

[0031] Microfluidic chips are chips based on micro-nano technology that can achieve precise control and manipulation of liquids or gases in microscale channels. They have broad application prospects in biomedicine, chemical analysis, environmental monitoring and other fields. Glass materials have good light transmittance, chemical stability, biocompatibility and good mechanical strength, and are the main substrate material for microfluidic chip manufacturing. In addition to being indispensable in microfluidic chips, glass microstructures have important applications in high-end watches, microlens arrays, Fresnel lenses and digital product panels.

[0032] At present, all major companies have invested a lot of research efforts in the manufacturing technology of glass materials and devices, mainly focusing on micro-machining and surface grinding and polishing processes. The main processing technologies for glass surface microstructures include mechanical cutting, hot stamping, laser processing, ultrasonic processing, abrasive water jet processing, ion beam engraving and chemical etching, etc. Usually, the appropriate processing technology is selected according to the specific microstructure requirements and processing conditions. Glass is a typical hard and brittle material that is difficult to process. Traditional mechanical cutting processing will inevitably lead to material edge collapse and surface microcracks.

[0033] Plasma thermochemical etching is a new way to manufacture complex microstructures on glass surfaces with high quality. It induces local discharge plasma on the surface of the tool electrode, and uses plasma energy to promote chemical etching of the workpiece material, thereby forming a specific microstructure on the surface of the material. The surface has no burrs, cracks, or thermal deterioration layers, and can maintain the initial light transmittance. It is expected to be widely used in the field of microfluidic chip medical devices with strict requirements on surface quality. The heat energy generated by the discharge plasma makes the temperature of the processing area reach above 600°C, and the chemical etching rate is effectively increased based on the thermochemical reaction. At present, foreign countries have invested a lot of research efforts in the research of the processing mechanism and process technology of plasma thermochemical etching, especially Canada and Switzerland, which are at the forefront of the research on the industrial application of this technology. At present, micro-machining has been realized on glass substrate materials, and the finished products can be used in smartphone casings, advanced medical equipment or optical fiber communication devices. In order to improve the processing accuracy and efficiency of this method, domestic and foreign scholars have developed methods such as tool electrode vibration, magnetic field coupling processing, tool electrode shaping, and non-Newtonian fluid etching.

[0034] At present, plasma thermochemical etching of microstructures is mainly based on drilling or milling etching with rod-shaped tool electrodes. For array microstructures or large-area complex microstructures, path planning of the tool electrode is required, so the overall processing efficiency is still low. Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a glass etching device and a control method thereof, which can achieve efficient and rapid etching of glass surface microstructures.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 1 , is a structural schematic diagram of a glass etching device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 1 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the glass etching device 100 may include but is not limited to: an etching electrode 110, an auxiliary electrode 120, an electrolyte tank 130 and an etching power supply 140, wherein the etching electrode 110 is connected to the cathode of the etching power supply 140, the auxiliary electrode 120 is connected to the anode of the etching power supply 140, and the auxiliary electrode 120 is installed inside the electrolyte tank 130, and the electrolyte tank 130 is used to place the electrolyte 210 and the workpiece 310 to be processed.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present application, the electrode block 111 of the etching electrode 110 can be made of a variety of materials. When selecting the material, its physical and chemical properties are mainly considered, such as melting point, conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient, and corrosion resistance. Exemplarily, the electrode block 111 in the embodiment of the present application can be made of the following materials: 1) Tungsten, which is a high melting point metal (melting point is about 3422°C) with good thermal stability and mechanical strength; 2) Copper: Copper is known for its excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. It is often used as a cathode material in applications that require efficient electrical conduction. 3) Stainless steel: Stainless steel has good corrosion resistance and high strength, and is suitable for working in corrosive media. When there are high requirements for mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, stainless steel is a good choice.

[0037] According to specific application requirements, the most suitable material can be selected to make the electrode block 111 to ensure the best performance and reliability of the device. This application does not limit the actual material selection for making the electrode block 111.

[0038] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the mask cover uses an inert material with a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0039] Illustratively, in some embodiments of the present application, the mask cover 112 of the etching electrode 110 is used to limit the etching of the electrode block 111, ensuring that only the exposed portion of the electrode block 111 can electrolyze the electrolyte. Therefore, the material of the mask cover 112 in the embodiments of the present application needs to have chemical resistance, thermal stability and insulation. Ceramic materials have excellent chemical corrosion resistance, especially when facing strong acids and strong alkalis, which makes ceramics an ideal alkali-resistant etching material. Since most ceramic materials are poor conductors, ceramic materials can be used as mask covers 112 in embodiments of the present application. The electrode block 111 is shielded by the mask cover 112, so that the shielded portion will not be exposed to the electrolyte, thereby achieving the effect of limiting the electrolysis of the electrode block 111.

[0040] It should be noted that, refer to Figure 2 , is a schematic diagram of an etching electrode provided in an embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the etching electrode 110 further includes an electrode block 111 and a mask cover 112. The mask cover 112 is half-wrapped and arranged on the lower half of the electrode block 111. A hollow structure 113 is arranged at the bottom of the mask cover 112. The lower half of the electrode block 111 includes a wrapped portion wrapped by the mask cover 112 and an exposed portion exposed by the hollow structure 113 ( Figure 3a to Figure 3c ). The etching electrode 110 is used to electrolyze the electrolyte 210 in the electrolyte tank 130 to generate plasma after the power provided by the etching power supply 140 is supplied, and to etch the workpiece 310 to be processed. The plasma is generated at the exposed portion of the lower half of the electrode block 111.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, a portion of the electrode block 111 is exposed through the hollow structure 113, so that the electrode block 111 can electrolyze the electrolyte 210 after power is turned on. The hollow structure 113 of the mask cover 112 can be a parallel multi-hole structure, a single through-groove structure, or a multi-through-groove structure. Figure 3a to Figure 3c, is a structural schematic diagram of the hollow structure of the mask cover provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] like Figure 3a As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, a parallel multi-hole structure can be used as the hollow structure 113, and a plurality of holes are arranged in parallel at the bottom of the mask cover 112. The number of holes can be set according to actual needs. In the embodiment of the present application, 7 parallel holes are set. When the structure to be etched is a multiple of 7, the etching can be completed quickly. The present application does not specifically limit the actual number of holes. In addition, the diameter of the hole can be set according to actual needs. It can be understood that the larger the diameter of the hole, the larger the pattern formed by a single etching. The present application does not specifically limit the diameter of the hole. In addition to the circle, the shape of the hole can also be set to other shapes, such as square, elliptical or other special shapes. Users can set it according to actual needs. The present application does not specifically limit the shape of the hole.

[0043] like Figure 3b As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, a single through-type groove structure can also be used as the hollow structure 113. By setting a through-type groove, etching that needs to be performed over a long distance can be completed quickly. The single through-type groove in the embodiment of the present application can be used as shown in FIG. Figure 3b The right-angle structure shown, or a rounded structure, is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0044] like Figure 3c As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, a multi-through groove structure can also be used as the hollow structure 113, and a plurality of through grooves can be provided to perform fast long-distance etching. In the embodiment of the present application, a plurality of through grooves in the multi-through groove structure can be arranged side by side and aligned (such as Figure 3c As shown), or an unaligned setting, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0045] In the embodiment of the present application, an inert material with a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm is used as the mask cover 112. When a voltage is applied between the electrode block 111 and the auxiliary electrode 120 for etching, the exposed portion of the electrode block 111 electrolyzes the electrolyte 310, and the exposed surface of the electrode block 111 is quickly surrounded by hydrogen bubbles. The distance set by the mask cover 113 with a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm enables plasma to accumulate in the holes of the mask cover 113. At this time, the resistance between the electrode block 111 and the auxiliary electrode 120 rises rapidly, thereby generating a large amount of Joule heat, and further forming a water vapor film on the exposed surface of the electrode block 111 to block the flow of current. When the electric field strength on both sides of the air film on the exposed surface of the electrode block 111 reaches a threshold value (about 10 6 V / m) when a discharge plasma breakdown is formed.

[0046] It should be noted that if Figure 4 As shown, the corrosion rate of the alkaline solution at room temperature is extremely low. When the temperature of the processing area reaches above 600°C, the chemical etching speed can be effectively promoted. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the hole thickness of the mask cover 112 is set to control the water vapor film to gather at the exposed part of the electrode block 111, so that the resistance between the electrode block 111 and the auxiliary electrode 120 increases rapidly through the thick gas film, and a large amount of heat energy is generated to rapidly increase the temperature, and plasma is induced on the exposed surface of the electrode block 111. The heat energy generated by the discharge can also increase the speed of plasma etching. It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the mask cover 112 can be adjusted according to the actual etching speed required. The thicker the mask cover, the higher the resistance, and the temperature also increases. When a faster etching speed is required, the thickness of the mask cover 112 can be increased to achieve more efficient etching. When the pattern to be etched is shallow, the etching speed needs to be controlled, and the thickness of the mask cover 112 can be reduced to achieve precise control of the etching speed.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, the auxiliary electrode 120 provides a path for electron transfer, but does not directly participate in the reaction. In order to ensure its stable performance, the auxiliary electrode is usually made of inert, corrosion-resistant and conductive materials. Exemplarily, the auxiliary electrode 120 in the embodiments of the present application can use the following materials: 1) Platinum (Pt), due to its high chemical stability, shows excellent corrosion resistance to almost all chemicals, does not react in most acidic and alkaline environments, and can maintain its physical properties unchanged even under extreme conditions, making it suitable for use as an auxiliary electrode; 2) Graphite (C). Compared with precious metals, graphite is low in cost, easy to obtain, and simple to process. At the same time, graphite has good mechanical strength and hardness, and can withstand a certain degree of pressure without deformation. Except for strong oxidants, graphite is stable to most chemicals.

[0048] According to specific application requirements, the most suitable material can be selected to make the auxiliary electrode 120 to ensure the best performance and reliability of the device. In addition to the materials provided in the embodiments of the present application, other materials can also be used as the auxiliary electrode 120, such as composite materials, etc. The present application does not limit the actual selection of the material for making the auxiliary electrode 120.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, the auxiliary electrode 120 can be as follows: Figure 1As shown, it is installed on the inner walls around the electrolyte tank 130 to form a loop with the etching electrode 110 and the electrolyte 210. It can also be installed on one or more inner walls around the electrolyte tank 130, or installed in the inner wall at the bottom of the electrolyte tank 130. It only needs to achieve current conduction with the etching electrode 110. The present application does not limit the specific installation position of the auxiliary electrode 120.

[0050] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the electrolyte 310 is an alkaline solution, and the portion of the electrode block 111 of the etching electrode 110 that is wrapped by the mask cover 112 is immersed in the electrolyte. In the embodiment of the present application, the electrolyte is electrolyzed by the etching electrode 110 to generate plasma, and the use of an alkaline solution can achieve low-cost etching.

[0051] Illustratively, in an embodiment of the present application, the plasma used for etching may be hydroxide ions. After the etching electrode 110 and the auxiliary electrode 120 are energized, a reduction reaction occurs on the exposed portion of the etching electrode 110 to generate plasma, and an oxidation reaction occurs on the surface of the auxiliary electrode to ensure current flow, thereby achieving the technical effect of electrolyzing the electrolyte.

[0052] Specifically, in the glass etching device provided in the embodiment of the present application, a reduction reaction occurs on the surface of the cathode block, and the reaction equation is: 2H2O+2e-→ H 2 ↑+2OH - ; ... (1) An oxidation reaction occurs on the surface of the auxiliary electrode, and the reaction equation is: 4OH - -4e- → 2H2O+O 2 ↑; ... (2) By using a hydrogen-oxygen solution, a plasma of hydrogen-oxygen ions is generated during electrolysis, thereby etching the workpiece to be processed. Only water needs to be added to the solution, thereby reducing the etching cost. At the same time, the generated gas is harmless.

[0053] In the embodiments of the present application, the alkaline solution uses a sodium hydroxide solution or a potassium hydroxide solution. Both sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are strong electrolytes, which are completely dissociated into ions in water, providing a large number of free-moving ions, so that the solution has a higher conductivity, and compared with acidic electrolytes, alkaline solutions are generally more stable and have less corrosive effect on equipment materials.

[0054] Due to their lower cost and higher solubility, potassium hydroxide solution and sodium hydroxide solution can provide good conductive effect during etching, ensuring the connectivity of the current between the etching electrode 110 and the auxiliary electrode 120, thereby ensuring the stability of etching, improving etching quality, and reducing etching costs.

[0055] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the glass etching device provided also includes a mobile control device 410, which is connected to the top of the etching electrode 110 and is used to control the etching electrode 110 to move and etch according to a preset motion path, and to control the distance between the etching electrode 110 and the workpiece 310 to be processed.

[0056] Exemplarily, in one embodiment of the present application, the mobile control device 410 is connected to the top of the etching electrode 110, so that only the etching electrode 110 is immersed in the electrolyte 210, and the mobile control device 410 can control the etching electrode 110 to move in the direction of the XYZ axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system. By moving in the direction of the XY axis, the etching electrode 110 can be controlled to process the workpiece 310 to be processed. The movement in the direction of the XY axis is controlled by setting a preset movement path, and the preset movement path is set according to the pattern that the user needs to etch; by moving in the direction of the Z axis, it can be achieved to control the preset distance between the etching electrode 110 and the workpiece 310 to be processed. By setting the preset distance, the etching speed can be controlled. At the same time, the set distance can promote the discharge of the processed product and the entry of the electrolyte during plasma impact etching.

[0057] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present application, the pattern to be etched is a plurality of parallel holes, the spacing between the holes is 3 mm, and the mask used is a parallel multi-hole structure. On the one hand, the preset motion path in the embodiment of the present application can be a direction perpendicular to the parallel holes, such as Figure 5a As shown, the etching electrode 110 in the figure is a side view, and the direction of the preset motion path is perpendicular to the parallel holes. At this time, the etching electrode 110 and the auxiliary electrode 120 are energized every 3mm to etch the etching points, and the mobile control device 410 pauses at every 3mm etching point, thereby achieving an interval etching effect; on the other hand, the preset motion path of the embodiment of the present application can also be an oblique movement, such as Figure 5b As shown, the etching electrode 110 in the figure is a side view, and the preset direction of the movement path is oblique movement, and it stops at etching points every 3 mm. At this time, the etching electrode 110 and the auxiliary electrode 120 are continuously energized. Due to the movement at non-etching points, the distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed increases, so that the plasma cannot etch the workpiece to be processed until it reaches the next etching point.

[0058] In another embodiment of the present application, Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the pattern to be etched is a parallel through-type structure, and the mask used is a parallel multi-hole structure. At this time, the preset motion path is perpendicular to the parallel holes, such as Figure 5aAs shown, the etching electrode 110 in the figure is a side view, and the direction of the preset motion path is perpendicular to the parallel holes. Therefore, the movement control device 410 only needs to move at a constant speed on the preset motion path to complete the etching of the workpiece 310 to be processed.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the preset motion path is set according to the pattern actually required to be etched, and is not limited to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The present application does not impose too many restrictions on the setting of the preset motion path.

[0060] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the etching electrode 110 is disposed above the workpiece 310 to be processed, and a preset distance is set between the etching electrode 110 and the workpiece 310 to be processed. The preset distance between the etching electrode 110 and the workpiece 310 to be processed is the distance when etching is performed. When plasma etching is performed, it is necessary to maintain the preset distance so that etching can be performed efficiently.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 7 , is a schematic diagram of the distance structure between an etching electrode and a workpiece to be processed provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, a preset distance is set between the etching electrode 110 and the workpiece to be processed, and the plasma (shown by the dotted line in the figure) generated by the electrolysis of the electrolyte by the etching electrode 110 impacts the workpiece to be processed 310. When electrolysis is carried out between the etching electrode 110 and the workpiece to be processed 310, the heat generated can form natural convection. Due to the preset distance, the mass transfer effect can be enhanced, thereby further enhancing the etching effect.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present application, the preset distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed is 50µm to 100µm. By setting the distance to 50µm to 100µm, the mass transfer effect is enhanced, the etching effect is further enhanced, and the etching efficiency is improved.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, a glass etching device is used, and the glass etching device includes an etching electrode with an electrode block and a mask cover, an auxiliary electrode and an electrolyte tank. A hollow structure is provided at the bottom of the mask cover, and is half-wrapped in the lower half of the electrode block by the mask cover. The lower half of the electrode block includes a wrapped portion wrapped by the mask cover and an exposed portion exposed by the hollow structure. The etching electrode is used to electrolyze the electrolyte in the electrolyte tank to generate plasma after the power provided by the etching power supply is passed through. The exposed portion of the lower half of the electrode block generates plasma to etch the workpiece to be processed. By inducing plasma, the etching electrode can create a high-temperature working environment. The hollow structure of the mask cover is used to control the electrode block to generate plasma in the exposed portion. The workpiece to be processed can be processed by moving the etching electrode, thereby improving etching efficiency and processing flexibility. At the same time, the structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 8 , is a schematic diagram of the steps of a glass etching method provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 8 As shown, the glass etching method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a glass etching device, the glass etching device includes an etching electrode, an auxiliary electrode, an electrolyte tank, and an etching power supply, wherein the etching electrode includes an electrode block and a mask cover, the mask cover is half-wrapped and arranged on the lower half of the electrode block, and a hollow structure is arranged at the bottom of the mask cover, and the electrolyte tank is used to place an electrolyte and a workpiece to be processed. It is characterized in that the glass etching method may include but is not limited to steps S810 to S840: Step S810: immerse the electrode block portion of the etching electrode that is wrapped by the mask cover into an electrolyte tank.

[0065] Step S820: supply power to the etching electrode and the auxiliary electrode through the etching power supply.

[0066] Step S830: electrolyzing electrolyte to generate plasma through the electrode block exposed by the hollow structure of the mask cover.

[0067] Step S840: etching the workpiece to be processed by plasma, wherein the plasma is ejected through the hollow structure to etch the workpiece to be processed.

[0068] Exemplarily, in the embodiment of the present application, the electrode block portion of the etching electrode wrapped by the mask cover is immersed in an electrolyte tank, and the electrolyte and the workpiece to be processed are placed in the electrolyte tank. When the etching electrode is immersed in the electrolyte, the etching power supply provides power to the etching electrode and the auxiliary electrode, and the electrode block exposed by the hollow structure of the mask cover is electrolyzed to generate plasma, and the workpiece to be processed is etched by the plasma. The plasma is ejected through the hollow structure to etch the workpiece to be processed. The glass etching method in the embodiment of the present application is used to control the glass etching device provided in the embodiment of the present application. The specific etching technical solution can refer to the description of the glass etching device in the previous text, which has the same technical principles and the same beneficial effects, and will not be repeated here.

[0069] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the glass etching device further includes a mobile control device, and the mobile control device is connected to the top of the etching electrode; the glass etching method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes: Set preset motion paths; The etching electrode is controlled by a mobile control device to etch the workpiece to be processed according to a preset movement path.

[0070] It is understandable that, as described above, in the embodiment of the present application, the etching electrode can be controlled to move in the direction of the XYZ axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system by the mobile control device. By moving in the direction of the XY axis, the etching electrode can be controlled to process the workpiece to be processed. The movement in the direction of the XY axis is controlled by setting a preset movement path, and the preset movement path is set according to the pattern that the user needs to etch; by moving in the direction of the Z axis, the preset distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed can be controlled. By setting the preset distance, the etching speed can be controlled. At the same time, the set distance can promote the discharge of the processed product and allow the electrolyte to enter during plasma impact etching.

[0071] In the embodiment of the present application, etching of the workpiece to be processed is achieved by presetting the motion path, thereby improving etching efficiency and processing flexibility, while the structure is simple and easy to implement.

[0072] Reference Fig. 9 The embodiment of the present application further discloses an electronic device, the electronic device 900 comprising: at least one processor 901; At least one memory 902, used to store at least one program; When at least one program is executed by at least one processor 901 , the above glass etching method is implemented.

[0073] The embodiment of the present application further discloses a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program executable by a processor. When the computer program executable by the processor is executed by the processor, it is used to implement the glass etching method as described above.

[0074] An embodiment of the present application also discloses a computer program product, including a computer program or computer instructions, wherein the computer program or computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium, a processor of an electronic device reads the computer program or computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer program or computer instructions, so that the electronic device performs the glass etching method as described above.

[0075] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, for example. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0076] It should be understood that in the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0077] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "module" or "unit" refers to a computer program or a part of a computer program that has a predetermined function and works together with other related parts to achieve a predetermined goal, and can be implemented in whole or in part by using software, hardware (such as processing circuits or memories), or a combination thereof. Similarly, a processor (or multiple processors or memories) can be used to implement one or more modules or units. In addition, each module or unit can be part of an overall module or unit that includes the function of the module or unit.

[0079] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0080] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0081] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, referred to as ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, referred to as RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0082] The step numbers in the above method embodiment are only provided for the convenience of explanation and description, and no limitation is imposed on the order of the steps. The execution order of each step in the embodiment can be adaptively adjusted according to the understanding of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A glass etching device, characterized in that: The glass etching device comprises: an etching electrode, an auxiliary electrode, an electrolyte tank and an etching power supply; Wherein, the etching electrode is connected to the cathode of the etching power supply, and the auxiliary electrode is connected to the anode of the etching power supply; The etching electrode comprises an electrode block and a mask cover, wherein the mask cover is half-wrapped and arranged on the lower half of the electrode block, a hollow structure is arranged at the bottom of the mask cover, and the lower half of the electrode block comprises a wrapped portion wrapped by the mask cover and an exposed portion exposed by the hollow structure; The auxiliary electrode is installed inside the electrolyte tank, and the electrolyte tank is used to place electrolyte and workpieces to be processed; The etching electrode is used to electrolyze the electrolyte in the electrolyte tank to generate plasma and etch the workpiece to be processed after the power provided by the etching power supply is passed through. The plasma is generated in the exposed part of the lower half of the electrode block.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The glass etching device also includes: A movement control device is connected to the top of the etching electrode and is used to control the etching electrode to move and etch according to a preset movement path, and to control a preset distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The electrolyte is an alkaline solution, and the position of the electrode block wrapped by the mask cover is immersed in the electrolyte.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The alkaline solution uses a sodium hydroxide solution or a potassium hydroxide solution.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The hollow structure of the mask cover is a parallel multi-hole structure, a single through-type groove structure or a multi-through-type groove structure.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The etching electrode is arranged above the workpiece to be processed, and a preset distance is arranged between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The preset distance between the etching electrode and the workpiece to be processed is 50 μm to 100 μm.

8. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The mask is made of an inert material with a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

9. A glass etching method, applied to a glass etching device, the glass etching device comprising an etching electrode, an auxiliary electrode, an electrolyte tank, and an etching power supply, wherein: The etching electrode comprises an electrode block and a mask cover, wherein the mask cover is half-wrapped and arranged at the lower half of the electrode block, a hollow structure is arranged at the bottom of the mask cover, and the electrolyte tank is used to place electrolyte and a workpiece to be processed, wherein the method comprises: Immersing the electrode block portion of the etching electrode that is wrapped by the mask cover into the electrolyte tank; Providing power to the etching electrode and the auxiliary electrode through the etching power supply; Electrolyzing the electrolyte to generate plasma through the electrode block exposed by the hollow structure of the mask cover; The workpiece to be processed is etched by the plasma, and the plasma is ejected through the hollow structure to etch the workpiece to be processed.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The glass etching device further comprises a movement control device, wherein the movement control device is connected to the top of the etching electrode; The method further comprises: Set preset motion paths; The moving control device controls the etching electrode to etch the workpiece to be processed according to a preset movement path.

Images