Self-Adaptive Grinding Disc for Full Substrate Contact Cleaning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing grinding and cleaning processes in display panel manufacturing suffer from low efficiency due to non-parallel alignment between the grinding disc and the substrate, leading to incomplete cleaning and reduced production rates, with existing solutions failing to maintain stability over time.

Innovation Solution

A grinding disc with a thickness self-adaptive layer that deforms based on pressure, combined with a grinding plate and optionally a metal pad and flange, ensures complete contact with the substrate surface, enhancing cleaning effectiveness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of moving object

If a traditional rigid grinding disc is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the contact area with the substrate is insufficient (only 30% effective cleaning area) due to non-parallel alignment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact area between grinding disc and substrateVSAvoidstructure complexity of grinding disc
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The grinding disc incorporates a soft layer that enables dynamic adaptation to the substrate surface. The soft layer deforms under pressure to conform to non-parallel surfaces, transforming the rigid structure into a dynamically adaptable one that maintains contact across the entire substrate area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical parameter of the grinding disc by introducing a soft layer with specific mechanical properties (softness, deformability). This parameter change allows the grinding disc to transition from a rigid, fixed-geometry structure to one that can elastically deform to match the substrate surface geometry.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If manual adjustment of the grinding disc is performed to improve alignment, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but production time increases due to repeated adjustments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidadjustment time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The soft layer enables the grinding disc to self-adjust to the substrate surface automatically during operation. The elastic deformation occurs naturally under operating pressure, eliminating the need for manual intervention or complex adjustment mechanisms, thus maintaining high cleaning effectiveness without time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The soft layer is pre-configured with deformable properties that enable automatic adaptation before the actual grinding process begins. This preliminary design feature ensures that the grinding disc is already adapted to the substrate surface geometry when operation starts, avoiding subsequent adjustments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If automatic optical monitoring is added to control dirt before LLO, then product quality improves, but input product to LLO decreases and utilization rate is seriously affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct qualityVSAvoidutilization rate of LLO equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The soft layer performs preliminary cleaning action by ensuring complete contact between the grinding disc and substrate surface. This preliminary cleaning effectiveness prevents dirt from entering the LLO equipment, eliminating the need for subsequent optical monitoring and product rejection, thus maintaining both quality and productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Ease of manufacture

If the grinding disc is made non-parallel to the substrate, then manufacturing is simpler, but long term grinding causes deviation and stable effect cannot be kept

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidgrinding stability over time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The soft layer provides dynamic stability by continuously adapting to substrate variations during long-term grinding operations. This dynamic adaptation compensates for any initial misalignment or wear, maintaining consistent cleaning effectiveness over time without requiring precise initial manufacturing alignment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The self-adaptive design increases the contact area between the grinding disc and substrate, overcoming blind spots and improving cleaning efficiency to achieve a 100% effective cleaning area, thereby enhancing production yield.

Implementation Method 1

a thickness self-adaptive layer disposed on the base layer, wherein the thickness self-adaptive layer is configured to deform based on pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure-induced deformation: Deformation

Implementation Method 2

The grinding plate is a magnetic metal material, and the metal pad and the grinding plate are attached and fixed to each other magnetically

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic attraction: Magnetism

Data Source

PatentEP4393645B1Grinding disk and substrate cleaning device
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • EP4393645B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4393645B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4393645B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present application provides a grinding disc and a substrate cleaning device. The grinding disc includes a thickness self-adaptive layer and a base layer and a grinding plate fixed on two opposite surfaces of the thickness self-adaptive layer respectively. The base layer is connected to the grinding head. The grinding plate contacts a product to grind and clean the product. The thickness self-adaptive layer can deform based on a pressure applied by the grinding disc to the product to be cleaned such that the grinding disc completely contacts a surface of the product to be cleaned to make a cleaning area of the grinding disc achieve 100%, which can improve a cleaning rate of the product.