Mathod for cutting for surface

Abstract

The present invention relates to a surface cutting method for separating the surface of a film from the film, and specifically, to a surface cutting method capable of rapidly taking a thin film sample with a thickness of several μm from the film. The surface cutting method of the present invention may include: a sample tray preparation step of preparing a sample tray having a plurality of pinholes on an upper surface on which a film is mounted; a film fixing step of fixing the lower surface of the film by pressing it against the upper surface of the sample tray; a blade contact step of contacting the blade such that a part of the lower end of the blade is inserted from the upper side of the film at the starting point of a cutting line, which is a virtual straight line located on the upper surface of the film and parallel to the upper surface of the film; and a thin film sample collection step of collecting a thin film sample by moving the blade along the cutting line to cut the surface of the film.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a surface cutting method for separating the surface of a film from the film, and specifically, to a surface cutting method capable of rapidly extracting a thin film sample with a thickness of several μm from the film. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of display materials, accurate analysis of single-layer or multi-layer films is essential for the development of excellent multi-tasking, highly integrated display materials. For accurate analysis, sample pretreatment is required to obtain a sufficient amount of thin film samples with an accurate thickness from the film surface or the layer to be analyzed. In other words, sample pretreatment is necessary to separate the thin film samples from the film by cutting the film surface or the layer to be analyzed.

[0003] Conventionally, one of the methods for surface cutting to pre-treat samples such as hard coating layers and self-healing coating layers in films involved using the EZ-Pick II, a sample pre-treatment device manufactured by ST Japan Inc. However, the surface cutting method for sample pre-treatment using the EZ-Pick II required a significant amount of manual operation by the analyst; consequently, the efficiency of the pre-treatment process was determined by the analyst's experience and know-how, and pre-treatment was only possible down to a scale of tens of μm, requiring a long time. Furthermore, the process of collecting 1-2 mg samples was complex.

[0004] In addition, there are generally methods using milling machines, microtomes, etc., for surface cutting.

[0005] Surface cutting methods using milling machines exhibit high error rates in micro-scale machining, and since refrigerants are sprayed onto the workpiece during processing, it is difficult to obtain pure thin film samples due to the mixing of refrigerant components.

[0006] While microtomes enable micro-scale processing, they are difficult to apply to the surface pretreatment of multilayer films, most of which are in film form, because the toming process is performed with the sample fixed in a sample holder similar to a vise.

[0007] In particular, in order to analyze a surface or thin layer containing low-concentration additives in a large-area film, a sufficient amount of thin film sample must be collected quickly, but it was difficult to perform accurate and rapid sample pretreatment with the conventional methods described above.

[0008] Therefore, in order to accurately and rapidly pre-treat samples in display films, an automated pre-treatment method is required that can uniformly and rapidly cut to a thickness of several μm, overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages. The problem to be solved

[0009] The present invention relates to a surface cutting method for separating the surface of a film from the film, and specifically, to a surface cutting method capable of rapidly taking a thin film sample with a thickness of several μm from the film.

[0010] The technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0011] The surface cutting method of the present invention may include: a sample tray preparation step of preparing a sample tray having a plurality of pinholes on an upper surface on which a film is mounted; a film fixing step of fixing the lower surface of the film by pressing it against the upper surface of the sample tray; a blade contact step of contacting the blade such that a part of the lower end of the blade is inserted from the upper side of the film at the starting point of a cutting line, which is a virtual straight line located on the upper surface of the film and parallel to the upper surface of the film; and a thin film sample collection step of collecting a thin film sample by moving the blade along the cutting line to cut the surface of the film.

[0012] In the sample tray preparation step of the surface cutting method of the present invention, the sample trays are provided in a plurality, and the area of ​​the pinhole entrance side on the upper surface and the number of pinholes per unit area are formed differently for each of the plurality of sample trays, and among the plurality of sample trays, one sample tray may be selected and prepared based on the material and thickness of the film.

[0013] In the sample tray preparation step of the surface cutting method of the present invention, the plurality of pinholes may be arranged such that they are spaced apart from each other at a certain interval along an alignment line, which is a virtual straight line formed at a position facing the cutting line on the upper surface of the sample tray.

[0014] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, the alignment line may be longer than the cutting line.

[0015] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, a vacuum channel connected to the pinhole is provided inside the sample tray, and in the film fixing step, a vacuum may be formed in the vacuum channel to fix the film to the sample tray.

[0016] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, the material of the sample tray may include one or more of Aluminum 6061, Carbon A36, and SUS304 Stainless, the number of pinholes may be 100 to 400, and the diameter may be 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.

[0017] In the blade contact step of the surface cutting method of the present invention, the width of the blade may be 1 mm to 10 mm.

[0018] In the blade contact step of the surface cutting method of the present invention, the blade may be inserted into the film to a depth of 10 μm to 100 μm.

[0019] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, the cutting lines are provided in a plurality, the plurality of cutting lines are parallel to each other, and the plurality of cutting lines can be positioned such that they are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the cutting lines.

[0020] The surface cutting method of the present invention may include, after the thin film sample collection step, a blade separation step of separating the blade from the film; a blade movement step of moving the blade so as to face the lower end of the blade at the starting point of an uncollected cutting line among the plurality of cutting lines where the thin film sample was not collected; a blade re-contact step of contacting the blade at the starting point of the uncollected cutting line so as to insert a part of the lower end of the blade from the upper side of the film; and a thin film sample re-collection step of collecting the thin film sample by moving the blade along the uncollected cutting line to cut the surface of the film.

[0021] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, the plurality of cutting lines may be spaced apart from each other so as not to overlap each other. Effects of the invention

[0022] The surface cutting method of the present invention is for separating and collecting a thin film sample from a layer to be analyzed for the analysis of multi-functional, highly integrated films used in the field of display materials, and can accurately and rapidly separate a thin film sample from the film with a thickness of several μm. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0023] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a surface cutting device using the surface cutting method of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the surface cutting method of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a cutting line on a film. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing multiple cutting lines on a film. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a sample tray. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-section of a sample tray. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the surface cutting method of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the completed cutting line and the uncollected cutting line on the film. Figure 9 is a photograph showing the PC film after collection is complete. Figure 10 is a photograph showing a thin film sample taken from a PC film. Figure 11 is a photograph showing the PVC film after collection is complete. Figure 12 is a photograph showing a thin film sample taken from a PVC film. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In this process, the size or shape of components illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. Furthermore, terms specifically defined in consideration of the configuration and operation of the present invention may vary depending on the intent or convention of the user or operator. The definitions of such terms should be based on the content throughout this specification.

[0025] In describing the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "center," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," "outer," "one side," and "other side" is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the present invention is typically arranged when in use. These terms are intended merely for the purpose of describing and briefly explaining the invention, and do not suggest or imply that the indicated device or element must have a specific orientation or be configured or operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a surface cutting device using the surface cutting method of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the surface cutting method of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cutting line (21) on a film (11). FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a plurality of cutting lines (21) on a film (11). FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a sample tray (100). FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section of the sample tray (100). FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the surface cutting method of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a completed cutting line (21) and an uncollected cutting line (21a) on a film (11). FIG. 9 is a photograph showing a PC film (11) that has been collected. FIG. 10 is a photograph showing a thin film sample collected from a PC film (11). FIG. 11 is a photograph showing a PVC film (11) that has been collected. Figure 12 is a photograph showing a thin film sample taken from a PVC film (11).

[0027] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12, the surface cutting method of the present invention is described in detail.

[0028] The surface cutting method of the present invention may be used to separate a portion to be analyzed from a film (11) for the analysis of a multi-functional, highly integrated film (11) used in the field of display materials. The surface cutting method of the present invention can accurately and quickly separate a thin film sample to be analyzed from the film (11) with a thickness of several μm.

[0029] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, the film (11) to be sampled from the thin film may be, for example, a PC (Polycarbonate) film, a PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) film, etc.

[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the surface cutting method of the present invention may be performed in a system comprising a sample tray (100) on which a film (11) is mounted, a blade (200) for cutting the surface of the film (11) mounted on the sample tray (100), a driving unit (300) for providing driving force to the blade (200) or the sample tray (100) for adjusting the relative position of the blade (200) and the sample tray (100), and a vacuum pump for providing negative pressure to fix the position of the film (11) on one side of the sample tray (100).

[0031] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the surface cutting method of the present invention may include a sample tray preparation step (S100) of preparing a sample tray (100) having a plurality of pinholes (110) on an upper surface on which a film (11) is mounted, a film fixing step (S200) of fixing the lower surface of the film (11) by pressing it against the upper surface of the sample tray (100), a blade contact step (S300) of contacting the blade (200) so that a part of the lower end of the blade (200) is inserted from the upper side of the film (11) at the starting point of a cutting line (21), which is a virtual straight line located on the upper surface of the film (11) and parallel to the upper surface of the film (11), and a thin film sample collection step (S400) of collecting a thin film sample by moving the blade (200) along the cutting line (21) to cut the surface of the film (11).

[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cutting line (21) may be a virtual straight line formed on the surface of the film (11) and may have a certain width. The width of the cutting line (21) may correspond to the width of the blade (200) in the blade contact step (S300). The cutting line (21) may be a target area for collecting a thin film sample from the film (11). As illustrated in FIG. 4, the cutting line (21) may be provided in multiple numbers. The multiple cutting lines (21) may be parallel to each other and may be spaced apart from each other by a certain distance in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the cutting line (21).

[0033] In the sample tray preparation step (S100), a suitable sample tray (100) can be selected and used from among the sample trays (100) provided, taking into account the hardness, flexibility, thickness, friction, etc. of the film (11). Specifically, among the sample trays (100), the entrance side area of ​​the pinhole (110) on the upper surface and the number of pinholes (110) per unit area may be formed differently for each sample tray (100), and one sample tray (100) can be selected from among the sample trays (100) based on the material and thickness of the film (11) and prepared in the sample tray preparation step (S100).

[0034] In the surface cutting method of the present invention, negative pressure is applied by a vacuum pump to the pinhole (110) formed in the sample tray (100), so that the film (11) can be fixed in a state of close contact with the upper surface of the sample tray (100). In the film fixing step (S200), even if gas remains between the sample tray (100) and the film (11) after the film (11) is mounted, the film (11) can be completely fixed to the sample tray (100) because the remaining gas is completely discharged by the pinhole (110). That is, the pinhole (110) can serve two roles: as a passage for discharging remaining gas and as a passage for applying negative pressure.

[0035] As described above, since the film (11) is fixed to the sample tray (100) by applying negative pressure to the pinhole (110), if the inlet area of ​​the pinhole (110) is too small or the number of pinholes (110) is small, the force for fixing the film (11) to the sample tray (100) may be insufficient. On the other hand, if the inlet area of ​​the pinhole (110) is too large, the film (11) with low hardness may undergo bending deformation. Therefore, the number of pinholes (110) and the inlet diameter can be determined by considering the material and thickness of the film (11).

[0036] The material of the sample tray (100) may include one or more of Aluminum 6061, Carbon A36, and SUS304 Stainless. In the case of the material of this sample tray (100), generally, for a display film (11), the static friction coefficient between the film (11) and the sample tray (100) is about 0.3, and considering the force applied to the film (11) by the blade (200), it may be desirable to form a frictional force of 0.3 kgf to 2 kgf between the film (11) and the sample tray (100), and therefore, a normal force of 1 kgf to 4 kgf may be applied to the film (11) by the plurality of pinholes (110). Accordingly, the pressure applied to the pinholes (110) is about 9.83 x 10 -6 Since the surface cutting method of the present invention is performed at atmospheric pressure, the number of pinholes (110) is 100 to 400, and the diameter can be 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. For example, the diameter of the pinholes (110) may be 0.5 mm, and the number of pinholes (110) may be 234.

[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of pinholes (110) may be arranged at a certain distance from each other along an alignment line (23), which is a virtual straight line formed at a position facing the cutting line (21) on the upper surface of the sample tray (100). Although PC is a high-rigidity material with almost no compressive deformation, bending deformation may occur when the blade (200) moves during the thin film sample collection step (S400) in the case of a thin PC film (11) or a highly flexible film (11). Therefore, if there are no pinholes (110) in the movement trajectory of the blade (200), the film (11) may lift due to bending deformation even if it is not pushed. Therefore, it may be preferable for the pinholes (110) to be positioned at a location facing the cutting line (21). Considering bending deformation, the spacing between adjacent pinholes (110) may be 5 mm to 20 mm, and for example, 10 mm.

[0038] The alignment line (23) may be longer than the cutting line (21). In the thin film sample collection step (S400), if there is no pinhole (110) behind the direction of movement of the blade (200) and the film (11) is easily bent, the film (11) behind the point of movement may be pulled and lifted. Therefore, it may be desirable for the alignment line (23) to be longer than the cutting line (21).

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 6, a vacuum channel (120) connected to the pinhole (110) is provided inside the sample tray (100), and in the film fixing step (S200), a vacuum is formed in the vacuum channel (120) to fix the film (11) to the sample tray (100). A plurality of pinholes (110) may be connected to a single vacuum channel (120), and since negative pressure generated by a vacuum pump is applied to the pinholes (110) through the vacuum channel (120), uniform pressure can be applied to the plurality of pinholes (110). If the film (11) has sufficient weight and hardness, a vacuum may not be applied to the pinholes (110).

[0040] The width of the blade (200) in the blade contact step (S300) is 1 mm to 10 mm, and the blade (200) can be inserted into the film (11) to a depth of 10 μm to 100 μm. The blade (200) can be provided as a plurality of blades (200) having different widths. The width of the blade (200) can be determined by considering the hardness and thickness of the film (11). For example, if the hardness of the film (11) is high and the thickness is thick, a blade (200) with a large width can be used. The insertion depth of the blade (200) can be measured with a dial gauge.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the surface cutting method of the present invention may include, after the thin film sample collection step (S400), a blade separation step (S500) for separating the blade (200) from the film (11), a blade movement step (S600) for moving the lower end of the blade (200) to face the starting point of an uncollected cutting line (21a) among a plurality of cutting lines (21) where the thin film sample was not collected, a blade re-contact step (S700) for contacting the blade (200) so that a part of the lower end of the blade (200) is inserted from the upper side of the film (11) at the starting point of the uncollected cutting line (21a), and a thin film sample re-collection step (S800) for collecting the thin film sample by moving the blade (200) along the uncollected cutting line (21a) to cut the surface of the film (11).

[0042] In order to analyze additives contained in low concentrations on the analysis layer or surface of the film (11) to be analyzed, it may be necessary to collect a sufficient amount of thin film samples. In this case, if the width of a single cutting line (21) is widened and the thin film samples are collected at once with a wide blade (200), it may be difficult to collect a thin film sample of uniform thickness. Furthermore, as the width of the blade (200) increases, the film (11) receives excessive force from the blade (200) during the thin film sample collection step (S400), so the film (11) may be crumpled or broken, and the device may be slightly twisted, making it difficult to cut the surface with a uniform thickness. Therefore, there is a limit to the area or width for a single surface cut. However, since it is desirable to cut the surface as widely as possible for accurate analysis of the film (11), it may be desirable to repeatedly collect thin film samples by changing the position of the blade (200). Accordingly, multiple cutting lines (21) may be provided on the film (11).

[0043] Multiple cutting lines (21) may be spaced apart from each other so as not to overlap. The spacing between multiple cutting lines (21) can be freely set. There is no limit to the spacing between multiple cutting lines (21), but they may be spaced 2 mm to 10 mm apart from each other to secure the maximum amount of sample. For example, multiple cutting lines (21) may be spaced 5 mm apart from each other. Additionally, if the hardness is high, such as in PC film (11), it does not matter if the cutting lines (21) are not spaced apart from each other, but in the case of a film (11) with low hardness, the film (11) may be pressed and deformed during the blade contact step (S300), and the deformation of the film (11) that occurs during the blade contact step (S300) and the thin film sample collection step (S400) may affect the blade re-contact step (S700) and the thin film sample re-collection step (S800). Therefore, it may be preferable to set the spacing between the cutting lines (21) considering the material of the film (11) and the amount of thin film sample taken.

[0044] As illustrated in FIG. 8, when the thin film sample is collected from one cutting line (21) in the thin film sample collection step (S400), the blade separation step (S500), blade re-contact step (S700), and thin film sample re-collection step (S800) can be repeated to cut the surface of the film (11) from the uncollected cutting line (21a) to collect the thin film sample.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] 1) Method

[0048] A PC film (11) with an area of ​​130 mm x 180 mm was placed on a sample tray (100) provided with 234 pinholes (110), and no vacuum pressure was applied to the pinholes (110). The sample tray (100) was made of Aluminum 6061. The blade (200) was made of tungsten.

[0049] All four cutting lines (21) were cut on the surface of the film (11) to a thickness of 30 μm.

[0051] 2) Result

[0052] The standard deviation of the cutting thickness was 0.007, and a micro vernier caliper was used for thickness measurement. Specifically, a magnetic scale, which is a digital indicator, was used as the thickness measuring device. FIG. 9 is a photograph showing the PVC film (11) after collection is completed, and FIG. 10 is a photograph showing the thin film sample collected from the PVC film (11).

[0054] Example 2

[0055] 1) Method

[0056] A PVC film (11) with an area of ​​200 mm x 150 mm was placed on a sample tray (100) provided with 234 pinholes (110), and a vacuum of 9.83 x 10⁻⁶ Torr was applied to the pinholes (110). The sample tray (100) was made of Aluminum 6061. The blade (200) was made of tungsten.

[0057] For each of the five cutting lines (21), the surface of the film (11) was cut with thicknesses of 70 μm, 50 μm, 50 μm, 50 μm, and 50 μm.

[0059] 2) Result

[0060] The standard deviation of the cutting thickness was 0.008, and a micro vernier caliper was used for thickness measurement. Specifically, a magnetic scale, which is a digital indicator, was used as the thickness measuring device. FIG. 11 is a photograph showing the PVC film (11) after the collection was completed, and FIG. 12 is a photograph showing the thin film sample collected from the PVC film (11).

[0062] Comparative example

[0063] 1) Method

[0064] Analysis was performed using SAICAS (Surface And Interfacial Cutting Analysis System) of DAIPLA·WINTES (Japan). An attempt was made to separate a thin film layer of 300 nm and 1 μm from the sample using a diamond cutting blade (200) with a width of 0.3 mm.

[0066] 2) Result

[0067] A minute amount (approx. 0.1 mg) of thin sections was collected through a 12-hour preparative process, and no components were detected when the collected sections were analyzed using the py-GC / MS method. This pretreatment process can only be performed by skilled personnel, and even when the analyst collected sections for a long period of time, only minute amounts of thin sections could be collected.

[0069] Although embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, they are merely illustrative and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0070] 11...Film 21...Cutting line 21a...Uncollected cutting line 23...Alignment line 100...Sample tray 110...Pinhole 120...Vacuum Euro 200...Blade 300...drive unit

Claims

Claim 1 A sample tray preparation step of preparing a sample tray including a plurality of pinholes on an upper surface on which a film is mounted; a film fixing step of fixing the lower surface of the film by pressing it against the upper surface of the sample tray; and a blade contact step of contacting the blade such that a portion of the lower end of the blade is inserted from the upper side of the film at the starting point of a cutting line, which is an imaginary straight line located on the upper surface of the film and parallel to the upper surface of the film. A surface cutting method comprising a thin film sample collection step of collecting a thin film sample by moving the blade along the cutting line to cut the surface of the film, wherein in the sample tray preparation step, the plurality of pinholes are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other at a certain distance along an alignment line, which is a virtual straight line formed at a position facing the cutting line on the upper surface of the sample tray, and the alignment line is longer than the cutting line; wherein in the blade contact step, the width of the blade is 1 mm to 10 mm, and the blade is inserted into the film to a depth of 10 μm to 100 μm, and the film is either a PC film or a PVC film; the number of pinholes is 100 to 400, the diameter is 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm, and the spacing between adjacent pinholes is 5 mm to 20 mm. Claim 2 A surface cutting method according to claim 1, wherein in the sample tray preparation step, the sample trays are provided in plurality, and the area of ​​the pinhole entrance side on the upper surface and the number of pinholes per unit area are formed differently for each of the plurality of sample trays, and one sample tray is selected and prepared among the plurality of sample trays based on the material and thickness of the film. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A surface cutting method according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum channel connected to the pinhole is provided inside the sample tray, and in the film fixing step, a vacuum is formed in the vacuum channel to fix the film to the sample tray. Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete Claim 8 delete Claim 9 A surface cutting method according to claim 1, wherein the cutting lines are provided in plurality, the plurality of cutting lines are parallel to each other, and the plurality of cutting lines are positioned such that they are spaced apart from each other by a certain distance in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the cutting lines, and after the thin film sample collection step, a blade separation step of separating the blade from the film; a blade movement step of moving the lower end of the blade to face the starting point of an uncollected cutting line among the plurality of cutting lines where the thin film sample has not been collected; a blade re-contact step of contacting the blade at the starting point of the uncollected cutting line so that a part of the lower end of the blade is inserted from the upper side of the film; and a thin film sample re-collection step of collecting a thin film sample by moving the blade along the uncollected cutting line to cut the surface of the film. Claim 10 A surface cutting method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of cutting lines are spaced apart from each other so as not to overlap each other.

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