Glass substrate thinning process and thinning equipment thereof

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of glass surface treatment, and particularly relates to etching method glass surface treatment, in particular to a glass substrate thinning process and thinning equipment thereof. According to the glass substrate thinning process, the clamping gap between the auxiliary tool and the side wall of the glass is coated with UV curing glue, a supporting layer protruding out of the ground of the glass substrate and a protection layer wrapping the corner are formed, etching liquid is doubly prevented from permeating in the transverse direction, and therefore the side face etching depth is reduced, meanwhile, the glass substrate makes contact with the top face of a tray through the supporting layer, and the thickness of the glass substrate is reduced. And the glass substrate does not generate scratches under slight shaking, so that the side etching of the glass substrate along the scratches is reduced, and the depth of the side etching is reduced to be below 20 microns.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of glass surface treatment, and particularly relates to glass surface treatment by an etching method, and more particularly to a glass substrate thinning process and a thinning device therefor. Background Art

[0002] When thinning a glass substrate, chemical etching is generally used for thinning to ensure the uniformity of the thinning of the glass substrate panel.

[0003] In related technologies, when horizontal chemical etching is used, the side etching of the glass substrate is serious. To solve the side etching problem, UV curable glue is manually applied to the side of the glass substrate to reduce side etching. It is found in actual use that although the side etching is reduced, there is still relatively deep side etching (etching depth greater than 40 μm).

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce the side etching depth of the glass substrate during chemical etching is a technical problem to be solved urgently at present.

[0005] It should be noted that the above information disclosed in this background art section is only used to understand the background art of the concept of the present application. Therefore, the above description is not considered as information of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide at least a glass substrate thinning process and a thinning device therefor.

[0007] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a glass substrate thinning process, and the thinning process includes: Step S1, placing the glass substrate on a silica gel pad; Step S2, clamping the side walls around the glass substrate by an auxiliary tooling; Step S3, applying and curing UV curable glue between the auxiliary tooling and the side wall of the glass substrate, so as to form a support layer protruding from the bottom surface of the glass substrate on the bottom surface of the glass substrate, and a protective layer wrapped at the corner of the glass substrate; Step S4, making the support layer of the glass substrate contact with the top surface of the tray of the thinning device; Step S5, performing chemical etching thinning; Wherein, step S5 includes: Step S51, putting the tray into an etching tank and immersing it in a hydrofluoric acid solution; Step S52, introducing gas into a gas generating plate located at the bottom of the etching tank; Step S53, after waiting for a preset time, completing the chemical etching thinning.

[0008] In an optional embodiment, the auxiliary tooling includes four abutting strips; The holding strip extends outwardly from the side facing the corresponding side wall of the glass substrate to form a triangular prism; In step S2, one side of the triangular prism of the holding strip abuts against the side wall of the glass substrate.

[0009] In an alternative embodiment, the height from the abutting position of the triangular prism of the holding strip to the top surface is H1; The height from the abutting position of the triangular prism of the holding strip to the bottom surface is H2; Wherein, H1 > H2, and the units of H1 and H2 are mm.

[0010] In an alternative embodiment, The triangular prism is used to divide the space between the holding strip and the glass substrate into two upper and lower troughs, namely the first glue-containing trough and the second glue-containing trough; Moreover, the volume of the first glue-containing trough is larger than the volume of the second glue-containing trough.

[0011] In an alternative embodiment, step S3 includes: Step S31, apply UV curable glue in the first glue-containing trough and scrape the excess UV curable glue to the corner of adjacent two holding strips; Step S32, perform ultraviolet curing to complete the bonding between the holding strip and the glass substrate and form a protective layer at the corner of the glass substrate; Step S33, turn the glass substrate over; Step S34, apply UV curable glue in the second glue-containing trough and scrape the excess UV curable glue above the second glue-containing trough; Step S35, perform ultraviolet curing to form a support layer protruding from the bottom surface of the glass substrate on the bottom surface of the glass substrate.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment, the auxiliary tooling further includes a first scraping plate; The holding strip is provided with a chute along the length direction for the insertion of the first scraping plate; One end of the first scraping plate is inserted into the chute, and the other end covers the top of the first glue-containing trough; Moreover, an arc-shaped convex part extends downward from the fitting part of the first scraping plate and the first glue-containing trough; The first scraping plate is used to perform the step in step S31 of scraping the excess UV curable glue to the corner of adjacent two holding strips.

[0013] In an alternative embodiment, the auxiliary tooling further includes a second scraping plate; The holding strip is provided with a chute along the length direction for the insertion of the second scraping plate; One end of the second scraping plate is inserted into the sliding groove, and the other end covers the top of the second glue storage groove; Moreover, an arc-shaped recess is formed upward at the fitting position of the second scraping plate and the second glue storage groove; The second scraping plate is used to perform the step in S34 of scraping the excess UV curable glue above the second glue storage groove.

[0014] In an optional implementation manner, after step S5, the thinning process further includes: Step S6, putting the glass substrate into a neutralization tank for acid neutralization; Step S7, putting the glass substrate into a cleaning tank for cleaning.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a thinning device, which includes: An auxiliary tooling, a tray, and an etching tank; The auxiliary tooling, the tray, and the etching tank are used to etch and thin the glass substrate according to the glass substrate thinning process as described in claim 1.

[0016] In an optional implementation manner, the auxiliary tooling includes four abutting strips; A triangular prism extends outward from one side of the abutting strip facing the corresponding side wall of the glass substrate.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are that in the glass substrate thinning process and its thinning device thereof, by applying UV curable glue at the clamping gap between the auxiliary tooling and the glass side wall, a support layer protruding from the ground of the glass substrate and a protective layer wrapping around the corner are formed, which double-block the lateral penetration of the etching solution, thereby reducing the side etching depth. At the same time, the glass substrate contacts the top surface of the tray through the support layer, and the glass substrate will not generate scratches under slight shaking, thereby reducing the side etching caused by the glass substrate along the scratches, and reducing the side etching depth to less than 20 μm.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in the following description, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or will be understood by implementing the present invention. The objectives and other advantages of the present invention are achieved and obtained by the structures specifically pointed out in the description and the drawings.

[0019] To make the above objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, specific preferred embodiments are given herein and described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. Description of the Drawings

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 Flow chart of the glass substrate thinning process provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 Top view of the glass substrate clamped with an auxiliary tooling provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of the auxiliary tooling clamped with the glass substrate provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 For Figure 1 Sub-step flow chart of step S3 in Figure 5 Structural schematic diagram of the first scraping plate provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of the second scraping plate provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 Structural schematic diagram of the glass substrate and the auxiliary tooling bonded by UV curable adhesive provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 8 For Figure 1 Sub-step flow chart of step S5 in Figure 9 Partial structural schematic diagram of the thinning equipment provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] In the figure: 100, auxiliary tooling; 110, support layer; 120, protective layer; 130, abutting strip; 131, chute; 140, triangular prism; 150, first scraping plate; 151, arc convex part; 160, second scraping plate; 161, arc concave part; 170, first glue storage groove; 180, second glue storage groove; 200, tray; 300, etching tank; 310, gas generating plate; 400, neutralization tank; 500, cleaning tank; 600, glass substrate. Specific embodiments

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] It has been found that in the related art, manual application of UV curable glue is directly carried out on the side wall of the glass substrate, resulting in uneven thickness of the UV curable glue on the side wall. Especially at the corners, fractures are likely to occur, so that the side wall of the glass substrate cannot be fully protected. Moreover, in horizontal chemical etching, internal bubble jitter is required, that is, gas is introduced through a gas generating plate to agitate the solution to ensure the consistency of the solution concentration. However, the agitation of the solution will drive the glass substrate to jitter accordingly, resulting in scratches on the contact surface between the glass substrate and the tray that communicate with the side wall, so that during etching, the side etching will be deepened.

[0025] Based on the above research, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a glass substrate 600 thinning process and its thinning equipment. By setting the auxiliary tooling 100, a uniform glue layer is formed on the side of the glass substrate 600 with UV curable glue, reducing side etching. At the same time, a support layer 110 for supporting the ground of the glass substrate 600 and a protective layer 120 for wrapping the corners are formed, further reducing side etching and reducing the depth of side etching to less than 20 μm.

[0026] All the defects existing in the above solutions are the results obtained by the inventors through practice and careful research. Therefore, the process of discovering the above problems and the solutions proposed by the present disclosure in this article for the above problems should be the contributions made by the inventors to the present disclosure during the process of the present disclosure.

[0027] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0028] The following will describe in detail some embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Without conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0029] At least one embodiment provides a glass substrate 600 thinning process. By applying UV curable glue at the clamping gap between the auxiliary tooling 100 and the glass side wall, a support layer 110 protruding from the ground of the glass substrate 600 and a protective layer 120 wrapping the corners are formed, which double-block the lateral penetration of the etching solution, thereby reducing the depth of side etching. At the same time, the glass substrate 600 contacts the top surface of the tray 200 through the support layer 110, and the glass substrate 600 will not generate scratches under slight jitter, thus reducing the side etching caused by the glass substrate 600 along the scratches and reducing the depth of side etching to less than 20 μm.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 , specifically, the glass substrate 600 thinning process includes the following steps: Step S1: Place the glass substrate 600 on the silicone pad.

[0031] Specifically, by laying the silicone pad, scratching of the glass substrate 600 is avoided. The surface of the silicone pad is subjected to a special coating treatment, such as setting a PTEE coating, which effectively reduces the adhesion between the UV curable adhesive and the silicone pad. Step S2: Clamp the side walls around the glass substrate 600 by means of the auxiliary tooling 100.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the auxiliary tooling 100 includes four abutting strips 130; a triangular prism 140 extends outward from one side of the abutting strip 130 facing the corresponding side wall of the glass substrate 600; in Step S2, one side edge of the triangular prism 140 of the abutting strip 130 abuts against the side wall of the glass substrate 600.

[0033] The abutting strip 130 and the triangular prism 140 are integrally formed, and the material is acid-resistant material, such as quartz glass. Assist in the application of the UV curable adhesive through the abutting strip 130 and the triangular prism 140 to improve the uniformity of the application.

[0034] Among them, the height from the abutting position of the triangular prism 140 of the abutting strip 130 to the top surface is H1; the height from the abutting position of the triangular prism 140 of the abutting strip 130 to the bottom surface is H2; where H1 > H2, and the units of H1 and H2 are mm. This facilitates the subsequent formation of the support layer 110 and the protective layer 120.

[0035] Step S3: Apply and cure the UV curable adhesive between the auxiliary tooling 100 and the side wall of the glass substrate 600, so as to form a support layer 110 protruding from the bottom surface of the glass substrate 600 on the bottom surface of the glass substrate 600, and a protective layer 120 wrapped around the corners of the glass substrate 600.

[0036] Specifically, please refer to Figure 3 , the triangular prism 140 is used to divide the space between the abutting strip 130 and the glass substrate 600 into two upper and lower grooves, namely the first glue-containing groove 170 and the second glue-containing groove 180; and, the volume of the first glue-containing groove 170 is larger than the volume of the second glue-containing groove 180.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 4 , Step S3 includes the following steps: Step S31: Apply the UV curable adhesive in the first glue-containing groove 170, and scrape the excess UV curable adhesive to the corners of two adjacent abutting strips 130.

[0038] Step S32: Perform ultraviolet curing to bond the abutting strip 130 to the glass substrate 600 and form a protective layer 120 at the corners of the glass substrate 600. The structure of the protective layer 120 is as shown in Figure 2 shown.

[0039] Step S33: Turn the glass substrate 600 over.

[0040] Step S34: Apply UV curable glue in the second glue storage groove 180 and scrape the excess UV curable glue above the second glue storage groove 180.

[0041] Step S35: Perform ultraviolet curing to form a support layer 110 protruding from the bottom surface of the glass substrate 600 on the bottom surface of the glass substrate 600. The structure of the support layer 110 is as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the auxiliary tooling 100 further includes a first scraping plate 150; a chute 131 for inserting the first scraping plate 150 is formed in the abutting strip 130 along the length direction; one end of the first scraping plate 150 is inserted into the chute 131, and the other end covers the top of the first glue storage groove 170; moreover, an arc-shaped convex portion 151 extends downward at the fitting portion of the first scraping plate 150 and the first glue storage groove 170; the first scraping plate 150 is used to perform the step in Step S31 of scraping the excess UV curable glue to the corners of adjacent two abutting strips 130.

[0043] By providing the first scraping plate 150 to scrape the UV curable glue in the first glue storage groove 170 and, through the arc-shaped convex portion 151, scraping the UV curable glue in the first glue storage groove 170 to the corners of adjacent two abutting strips 130, it is convenient to form the protective layer 120 during subsequent ultraviolet curing.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 6 , the auxiliary tooling 100 further includes a second scraping plate 160; a chute 131 for inserting the second scraping plate 160 is formed in the abutting strip 130 along the length direction; one end of the second scraping plate 160 is inserted into the chute 131, and the other end covers the top of the second glue storage groove 180; moreover, an arc-shaped concave portion 161 is formed upward at the fitting portion of the second scraping plate 160 and the second glue storage groove 180; the second scraping plate 160 is used to perform the step in Step S34 of scraping the excess UV curable glue above the second glue storage groove 180.

[0045] By setting the second scraping plate 160, the UV curable glue above in the second glue containing groove 180 is scraped, and through the arc-shaped recess 161, the UV curable glue above the second glue containing groove 180 is scraped to above the second glue containing groove 180, so as to facilitate the formation of the protective layer 120 during subsequent ultraviolet curing.

[0046] It should be noted that when applying the UV curable glue to the first glue containing groove 170 and the second glue containing groove 180, the extrusion amount of the UV curable glue is the same. By limiting the sizes of the first glue containing groove 170 and the second glue containing groove 180, the extrusion amount of the UV curable glue can meet the use requirements of the support layer 110 and the protective layer 120.

[0047] The schematic structural diagram of the UV curable glue in the first accommodating groove and the second accommodating groove after curing is as Figure 7 shown. After the UV curable glue is cured, the abutting strip 130 is bonded to the glass substrate 600.

[0048] Step S4, make the support layer 110 of the glass substrate 600 contact with the top surface of the tray 200 of the thinning device.

[0049] Specifically, the glass substrate 600 is placed on the top surface of the tray 200 manually, and the support layer 110 is made to contact with the top surface of the tray 200, so as to avoid scratches on the glass substrate 600 caused by slight shaking, and further reduce the side etching of the glass substrate 600 along the scratches.

[0050] Step S5, perform chemical etching thinning.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 8 , specifically, step S5 includes the following steps: Step S51, place the tray 200 into the etching tank 300 and immerse it in the hydrofluoric acid solution; Step S52, introduce gas into the gas generating plate 310 located at the bottom of the etching tank 300.

[0052] Step S53, after waiting for a preset time, complete the chemical etching thinning.

[0053] Step S6, place the glass substrate 600 into the neutralization tank 400 for acid neutralization.

[0054] Specifically, please refer to Figure 9 , place the glass substrate 600 after chemical etching into the neutralization tank 400 for acid neutralization.

[0055] Step S7, place the glass substrate 600 into the cleaning tank 500 for cleaning.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 9, at least one embodiment further provides a thinning device, the thinning device comprising: an auxiliary tooling 100, a tray 200, and an etching tank 300; the auxiliary tooling 100, the tray 200, and the etching tank 300 are used to etch and thin the glass substrate 600 according to the glass substrate 600 thinning process as described above.

[0057] Among them, the auxiliary tooling 100 is an independent auxiliary device, which is used in cooperation with a silica gel pad. The application of the UV curable adhesive is quantitatively applied through an existing adhesive application device, that is, the amount of adhesive provided per unit time is the same.

[0058] By applying the UV curable adhesive at the clamping gap between the auxiliary tooling 100 and the glass sidewall, a support layer 110 protruding from the ground of the glass substrate 600 and a protective layer 120 wrapped around the corner are formed, which double-blocks the lateral penetration of the etching solution, thereby reducing the side etching depth. At the same time, the glass substrate 600 contacts the top surface of the tray 200 through the support layer 110. When the etching solution is enhanced by the method of bubble jitter, the glass substrate 600 will not generate scratches under slight jitter, thereby reducing the side etching caused by the glass substrate 600 along the scratches.

[0059] In summary, the present invention provides a glass substrate 600 thinning process and its thinning device. By applying the UV curable adhesive at the clamping gap between the auxiliary tooling 100 and the glass sidewall, a support layer 110 protruding from the ground of the glass substrate 600 and a protective layer 120 wrapped around the corner are formed, which double-blocks the lateral penetration of the etching solution, thereby reducing the side etching depth. At the same time, the glass substrate 600 contacts the top surface of the tray 200 through the support layer 110, and the glass substrate 600 will not generate scratches under slight jitter, thereby reducing the side etching caused by the glass substrate 600 along the scratches.

[0060] Inspired by the above ideal embodiments according to the present invention, through the above description, relevant staff can completely make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical idea of this invention. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the content in the specification, and its technical scope must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A glass substrate thinning process, characterized in that, Including: Step S1: Place the glass substrate (600) on the silicone pad. Step S2: Clamp the side walls around the glass substrate (600) through the auxiliary tooling (100). Step S3: Apply UV curable glue between the auxiliary tooling (100) and the side wall of the glass substrate (600) and cure it, so as to form a support layer (110) protruding from the bottom surface of the glass substrate (600) on the bottom surface of the glass substrate (600), and a protective layer (120) wrapped around the corners of the glass substrate (600). Step S4: Make the support layer (110) of the glass substrate (600) contact the top surface of the tray (200) of the thinning equipment. Step S5: Perform chemical etching thinning. Among them, step S5 includes: Step S51: Place the tray (200) into the etching tank (300) and immerse it in the hydrofluoric acid solution. Step S52: Pass gas into the gas generating plate (310) located at the bottom of the etching tank (300). Step S53: After waiting for a preset time, complete the chemical etching thinning.

2. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary tooling (100) includes four abutting strips (130); the abutting strip (130) extends a triangular prism (140) outward toward one side of the corresponding side wall of the glass substrate (600); In step S2, one side edge of the triangular prism (140) of the abutting strip (130) abuts against the side wall of the glass substrate (600).

3. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 2, characterized in that the height from the abutting position of the triangular prism (140) of the abutting strip (130) to the top surface of the glass substrate (600) is H1; the height from the abutting position of the triangular prism (140) of the abutting strip (130) to the bottom surface of the glass substrate (600) is H2; wherein, H1 > H2, and the units of H1 and H2 are mm.

4. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 2, characterized in that the triangular prism (140) is used to divide the space between the abutting strip (130) and the glass substrate (600) into two upper and lower grooves, namely the first glue-containing groove (170) and the second glue-containing groove (180); and, the volume of the first glue-containing groove (170) is larger than the volume of the second glue-containing groove (180).

5. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 4, characterized in that step S3 includes: Step S31: Apply UV curable glue in the first glue-containing groove (170) and scrape the excess UV curable glue to the corners of two adjacent abutting strips (130). Step S32: Perform ultraviolet curing to complete the bonding between the abutting strip (130) and the glass substrate (600) and form a protective layer (120) at the corners of the glass substrate (600). Step S33: Turn the glass substrate (600) over. Step S34: Apply UV curable glue in the second glue-containing groove (180) and scrape the excess UV curable glue above the second glue-containing groove (180). Step S35: Perform ultraviolet curing to form a support layer (110) convex to the bottom surface of the glass substrate (600) on the bottom surface of the glass substrate (600).

6. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 5, characterized in that the auxiliary tooling (100) further includes a first scraping plate (150); a chute (131) for inserting the first scraping plate (150) is formed along the length direction of the abutting strip (130); one end of the first scraping plate (150) is inserted into the chute (131), and the other end covers the top of the first glue storage groove (170); moreover, an arc-shaped convex portion (151) extends downward at the fitting portion of the first scraping plate (150) and the first glue storage groove (170); the first scraping plate (150) is used to perform the step in step S31 of scraping the excess UV curable glue to the corner of two adjacent abutting strips (130).

7. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 5, characterized in that the auxiliary tooling (100) further includes a second scraping plate (160); a chute (131) for inserting the second scraping plate (160) is formed along the length direction of the abutting strip (130); one end of the second scraping plate (160) is inserted into the chute (131), and the other end covers the top of the second glue storage groove (180); moreover, an arc-shaped concave portion (161) is formed upward at the fitting portion of the second scraping plate (160) and the second glue storage groove; the second scraping plate (160) is used to perform the step in step S34 of scraping the excess UV curable glue above the second glue storage groove (180).

8. The glass substrate thinning process according to claim 1, characterized in that after step S5, the thinning process further includes: Step S6: Place the glass substrate (600) in a neutralization tank (400) for acid neutralization; Step S7: Place the glass substrate (600) in a cleaning tank (500) for cleaning.

9. A thinning device, characterized in that, The thinning equipment includes: an auxiliary tooling (100), a tray (200) and an etching tank (300); the auxiliary tooling (100), the tray (200) and the etching tank (300) are used to etch and thin the glass substrate (600) according to the glass substrate thinning process as claimed in claim 1.

10. The thinning equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the auxiliary tooling (100) includes four abutting strips (130); a triangular prism (140) extends outward from one side of the abutting strip (130) facing the corresponding side wall of the glass substrate (600).

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