KR102720884B1 - Apparatus and method for delaminating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate separation device and a substrate separation method, and more particularly, to a substrate separation device and a substrate separation method for separating a support substrate and a flexible substrate.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate separation device is a substrate separation device for separating a support substrate and a flexible substrate bonded to the support substrate, the substrate separation device including: a fixing portion for fixing the flexible substrate while separating the support substrate; a pressing portion for pressurizing the support substrate to partially separate the support substrate and the flexible substrate; and a separating portion for separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate fixed to the fixing portion by absorbing the support substrate.

Description

{APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DELAMINATING SUBSTRATE}

The present invention relates to a substrate separation device and a substrate separation method, and more particularly, to a substrate separation device and a substrate separation method for separating a support substrate and a flexible substrate.

In recent years, the development of various technologies has been accelerating, and in particular, the electronics and semiconductor fields are developing rapidly at a rate that is several to several dozen times faster than other fields. Accordingly, many new technologies are also being developed in the display device field.

The cathode ray tube (CRT), which was mainly used in existing TVs and computer monitors, has represented display devices for almost a hundred years since its development. However, flat panel displays (FPDs), which are thinner and lighter than before, now account for the majority of display devices, and these are rapidly developing as they diversify into liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

These display devices are now being implemented as flexible displays by applying thin and easily bendable films or Willow Glass instead of the existing glass substrate.

However, since the flexible substrate including such a film or willow glass is very thin and sagging occurs and is vulnerable to impact, it is not used alone in the flexible display manufacturing process, but is used in a state of being bonded to a support substrate such as carrier glass. In this case, the support substrate and the flexible substrate need to be separated after a certain process is completed, and accordingly, there is an urgent need for the development of a substrate separation device and separation method that can quickly and easily separate the support substrate and the flexible substrate without damaging the flexible substrate.

KR 10-2013-0002124 A

The present invention provides a substrate separation device and a substrate separation method capable of separating a support substrate and a flexible substrate without damaging the flexible substrate.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate separation device is provided as a substrate separation device for separating a support substrate and a flexible substrate bonded to the support substrate, the substrate separation device including: a fixing portion for fixing the flexible substrate while separating the support substrate; a pressing portion for pressurizing the support substrate to partially separate the support substrate and the flexible substrate; and a separating portion for separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate fixed to the fixing portion by absorbing the support substrate.

The above fixing portion fixes the flexible substrate by absorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate to which the supporting substrate is bonded on the upper surface, the pressing portion is arranged on the lower portion of the supporting substrate that does not overlap with the flexible substrate, and the separating portion can absorb the upper surface of the supporting substrate above the fixing portion.

The above flexible substrate has a polygonal shape, and the pressurizing portion can be placed on the side of one edge of the flexible substrate.

The above-mentioned fixing member can fix an area including one edge of the flexible substrate with an adhesive strength different from that of another area of the flexible substrate.

The above pressurizing member may include a contact member arranged on a lower portion of the support substrate; and a first driving member for moving the contact member in an up-and-down direction.

The upper surface of the above contact member may be formed to be inclined downward toward the center of the flexible substrate.

The above separating portion may include a plurality of adsorbers arranged from one edge of the flexible substrate toward the other edge facing the one edge.

At least one of the plurality of adsorbers may be positioned to overlap an area including one edge of the flexible substrate.

The above plurality of adsorbers can be arranged so that the spacing increases sequentially along the arrangement direction.

The above plurality of adsorbents can have their adsorption force sequentially reduced along the arrangement direction.

Each of the plurality of adsorbers may include an adsorption member for adsorbing the support substrate; and a second driving member for moving the adsorption member up and down.

The above-mentioned adsorption member can be connected to the second driving member so as to be able to tilt in the vertical direction.

In addition, a substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a step of providing a support substrate to which a flexible substrate is bonded; a step of fixing the flexible substrate; a step of pressurizing the support substrate to partially separate the support substrate and the flexible substrate; and a step of separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate by absorbing the support substrate; wherein the step of fixing the flexible substrate is maintained while separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate.

The step of partially separating the support substrate and the flexible substrate may include the step of pressing the lower portion of the support substrate upward from the side of one edge of the flexible substrate.

The step of pressing the lower portion of the support substrate upward can be performed by lifting the support substrate by suction in an area including one edge of the flexible substrate.

The step of fixing the flexible substrate can fix the flexible substrate by absorbing the lower part of an area including one edge of the flexible substrate relatively more strongly than other areas of the flexible substrate.

The step of separating the support substrate may include a step of sequentially peeling the support substrate in a direction from one edge of the flexible substrate toward the other edge facing the one edge.

The step of sequentially peeling off the support substrate includes a step of lifting a first position of the support substrate by a first height; and a step of lifting a second position of the support substrate spaced apart from the first position along the peeling direction by a second height lower than the first height; and the steps of lifting the first position and the second position of the support substrate can be performed simultaneously.

The step of sequentially peeling off the support substrate may further include a step of lifting the second position of the support substrate by a first height.

The step of sequentially peeling off the support substrate can be performed by controlling at least one of the position and height of lifting the support substrate according to the thickness and strength of the support substrate.

According to a substrate separation device and a substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the support substrate is sequentially peeled and separated from the flexible substrate, thereby preventing deformation and damage to the flexible substrate during the substrate separation process.

In addition, the support substrate and the flexible substrate can be easily separated by initially separating the support substrate by applying a pressure, and the support substrate can be separated more precisely and efficiently by controlling the suction force applied to the support substrate.

In addition, since the substrate separation process is performed while the flexible substrate is secured to the fixture, the post-processing of the flexible substrate can be performed by moving the flexible substrate while it is secured to the fixture, thereby minimizing the loss of work efficiency and cost due to the addition of separate processes and equipment.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a drawing showing the substrate separation device illustrated in Figure 1 as viewed from the AA' direction.
FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the position where a pressurizing part is placed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an adsorber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a plurality of adsorbers arranged according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a drawing showing how suction ports are arranged in a fixed portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a drawing showing the operation of a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and the embodiments of the present invention are provided only to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and to fully inform a person having ordinary skill in the art of the scope of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a view of the substrate separation device illustrated in FIG. 1 when viewed in the A-A' direction. In addition, FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a position where a pressurizing unit (200) according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged, FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an adsorber (310) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a drawing showing a view where a plurality of adsorbers (310) are arranged according to an embodiment of the present invention. Meanwhile, FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an view where adsorbents are arranged in a fixing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a substrate separation device for separating a support substrate (10) and a flexible substrate (20) bonded to the support substrate (10), the substrate separation device including: a fixing member (100) for fixing the flexible substrate (20) while separating the support substrate (10); a pressing member (200) for pressurizing the support substrate (10) to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20); and a separating member (300) for separating the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) fixed to the fixing member (100) by absorbing the support substrate (10).

When manufacturing a flexible device, a flexible substrate (20) is attached to a support substrate (10). That is, in order to manufacture a flexible device, a thin and easily bendable film or Willow Glass is used instead of a conventional glass substrate. Since such a film or Willow Glass is very thin and sags and is vulnerable to impact, it is not used alone during the manufacturing process, but is used in a state of being attached to a support substrate (10) such as a carrier glass. When the film or Willow Glass is attached to the support substrate (10), various processes for manufacturing the device are performed. A substrate on which various processes are performed on a film or Willow Glass is referred to as a flexible substrate (20), and a substrate on which such a flexible substrate (20) is attached is defined as a support substrate (10).

Here, the flexible substrate (20) and the support substrate (10) may have a polygonal shape. For example, the flexible substrate (20) and the support substrate (10) may have a rectangular shape for manufacturing a flexible display. In this case, the flexible substrate (20) may have four corners (C1, C2, C3, C4) as illustrated in FIG. 3. Here, one corner (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) faces the other corner (C3) of the flexible substrate (20) with respect to the center (O) of the flexible substrate (20).

In addition, the support substrate (10) may have a larger area than the film or willow glass so that the film or willow glass is completely overlapped for easy bonding of the film or willow glass. At this time, the edge area of the support substrate (10) does not overlap with the flexible substrate (20).

The fixing member (100) fixes the flexible substrate (20). Here, the fixing member (100) may include an adsorption pad capable of vacuum-adsorbing one surface of the flexible substrate (20) across its entire surface. At this time, the fixing member (100) may fix the flexible substrate (20) by adsorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20) on which the support substrate (10) is bonded to the upper surface. In various processes for manufacturing a device, the flexible substrate (20) is generally placed on top of the support substrate (10). In this way, the support substrate (10) on which the flexible substrate (20) is bonded to the upper surface can be rotated, and the fixing member (100) may fix the flexible substrate (20) by adsorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20) in a state where the support substrate (10) is placed on top of the flexible substrate (20). In this way, when the fixing member (100) absorbs and fixes the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20), after the support substrate (10) is separated through the process described below, the fixing member (100) can be moved with the flexible substrate (20) secured without the need to fix the flexible substrate (20) separately, thereby performing post-processing such as the sealing process.

The pressurizing portion (200) presses the support substrate (10) to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20). Here, the pressurizing portion (200) may be positioned at the lower portion of the support substrate (10) that does not overlap the flexible substrate (20), and presses upward an edge region of the support substrate (10) that does not overlap the flexible substrate (20) to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20).

In the past, a method was used to insert a knife having a sharp end between the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) in order to initially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20). However, in this case, it was very difficult to accurately position the knife between the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20), and there was a problem in that the flexible substrate (20) was damaged due to the flexible substrate (20) being folded or the like by the insertion of the knife.

Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present invention, by fixing the flexible substrate (20) and pressurizing the support substrate (10) upward separately from the flexible substrate (20), the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) can be easily initially separated without damaging the flexible substrate (20).

As described above, when the flexible substrate (20) has a rectangular shape, the initial peeling of the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) can be performed from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20). At this time, the pressurizing portion (200) can be positioned adjacent to one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) on the side of the fixing portion (100). That is, the pressurizing portion (200) can be positioned on the side of one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) adjacent to one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20). Here, the pressurizing portion (200) can be positioned below the support substrate (10) in the area between one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) and one edge of the support substrate (10) that is positioned in the same direction as the one edge of the flexible substrate (20).

The pressurizing member (200) may include a contact member (210) arranged at the lower portion of the supporting substrate (10) and a first driving member (230) for moving the contact member (210) up and down. As described above, the pressurizing member (200) presses the supporting substrate (10) upward to initially separate the supporting substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20). The contact member (210) is moved upward by the first driving member (230) to press the supporting substrate (10) upward. As the contact member (210) presses the supporting substrate (10) in this way, the supporting substrate (10) is lifted from one corner (C1) to be initially separated from the flexible substrate (20). Here, it goes without saying that the first driving member (230) may have various configurations, such as a motor or cylinder, for moving the contact member (210) up and down.

Here, the upper surface of the contact member (210) may be formed as a plane or curved surface that slopes downward toward the center (O) of the flexible substrate (20). In the drawing, the upper surface of the contact member (210) is illustrated as being formed as a horizontal plane, but as the contact member (210) moves upward, the support substrate (10) is lifted from one edge and deformed into a bent state, so in order to stably support and pressurize the support substrate (10) deformed into such a shape from below, the upper surface of the contact member (210) may be formed as a plane or curved surface that slopes downward toward the center (O) of the flexible substrate (20).

At this time, the aforementioned fixing member (100) can fix an area including one edge of the flexible substrate (20) with a different suction force from other areas of the flexible substrate (20). That is, in the process of initially separating the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) by the pressurizing member (200), a relatively strong force is applied upward to an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20), and therefore, the area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) needs to be fixed with a relatively strong suction force compared to other areas of the flexible substrate (20). Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the fixing member (100) can be controlled to have a strong suction force in an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) (an area illustrated by a dotted line in FIG. 6). In addition, for this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the spacing between the suction ports (110a) arranged in an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) may be formed shorter than the spacing between the suction ports (110a) arranged in other areas, or as shown in FIG. 6(b), the diameter of the suction ports (110a) arranged in an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) may be formed larger than the diameter of the suction ports (110a) arranged in other areas.

The separation unit (300) separates the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) by sucking the support substrate (10). Here, the separation unit (300) is arranged on the upper part of the fixing unit (100) and can separate the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) by sucking the upper surface of the support substrate (10). As described above, the pressurizing unit (200) presses one edge of the support substrate (10) upward to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) and perform initial peeling. Thereafter, the separation unit (300) completely separates the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) by sucking the support substrate (10) and lifting the support substrate (10) upward.

At this time, the separation unit (300) can sequentially peel the support substrate (10) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) in a direction (EL) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1) to separate the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20). That is, the separation unit (300) can sequentially lift each region of the support substrate (10) that is distinguished in a direction from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1) to separate the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20).

At this time, the separation unit (300) may operate at least in part together with the pressurizing unit (200) to separate the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20). As described above, the pressurizing unit (200) presses one edge of the support substrate (10) upward to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20), so that the separation unit (300) can simultaneously adsorb and lift the support substrate (10) in an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) when the contact member (210) rises, thereby initially separating the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20).

Here, the separating part (300) may include a plurality of adsorbers (310) arranged in a direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3) facing the edge (C1). At this time, the plurality of adsorbers (310) may be installed on the support plate (330) such that an adsorption member (312) to be described later can move up and down, respectively.

The adsorbers (310) are arranged in a direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3) facing the edge (C1) to vacuum-absorb respective areas of the support substrate (10). Here, the adsorbers (310) may each include an adsorption member (312) for vacuum-absorbing the support substrate (10) and a second driving member (316) for moving the adsorption member (312) up and down. For example, the adsorption member (312) may have a shape in which the diameter of the upper part is smaller than that of the lower part, and the second driving member (316) may of course have various configurations such as a motor or cylinder for moving the adsorption member (312) up and down.

Here, the suction member (312) can be connected to the second driving member (316) so as to be tilted in the vertical direction. As described above, the separating member (300) sequentially peels the supporting substrate (10) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) in the direction (EL) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1). At this time, as the supporting substrate (10) is sequentially peeled from the flexible substrate (20), each region is deformed into a curved state. At this time, the suction member (312) can be connected to the second driving member (316) so as to be tilted in the vertical direction along the direction (EL) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1) in order to stably adsorb the supporting substrate (10) even when the corresponding region of the supporting substrate (10) is deformed into a curved state. In order to tilt the suction member (312) in this way, it goes without saying that various configurations can be applied, such as connecting the suction member (312) and the second driving member (316) by a connecting member (314) such as a hinge, or connecting the suction member (312) and the second driving member (316) by a connecting member (314) such as a bellows.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the flexible substrate (20) may be arranged so that the spacing sequentially increases (D1, D2, D3, D4) in the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) to the other edge (C3) facing the edge (C1). That is, when the support substrate (10) is sequentially peeled off from the flexible substrate (20), initially, a relatively large force is required because the bonded area of the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) is large, and as the support substrate (10) is sequentially peeled off, the bonded area of the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) gradually decreases, so that the support substrate (10) can be peeled off with a relatively weak force. Accordingly, when a plurality of adsorbers (310) are arranged so that the spacing between them sequentially increases (D1, D2, D3, D4) in the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to the other edge (C3) facing the edge (C1), the force required for peeling the support substrate (10) can be appropriately distributed and applied, thereby preventing damage to the substrate due to excessive force being applied. FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which a plurality of adsorbers (310) are arranged on the support substrate (10), and it goes without saying that the plurality of adsorbers (310) can be arranged in various numbers and positions so that the spacing between them sequentially increases (D1, D2, D3, D4) in the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to the other edge (C3) facing the edge (C1).

In addition, the plurality of adsorbers (310) can be controlled so that the adsorption force sequentially decreases along the arrangement direction, that is, the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1). Such an appropriate distribution of force for the sequential peeling of the support substrate (10) can be achieved by controlling the pressure of a vacuum pump connected to the plurality of adsorbers (310), and can also be achieved by controlling the diameter of the adsorption member (312). That is, although not shown, the adsorption member (312) arranged on the upper portion of the support substrate (10) can be formed to have an inner diameter that sequentially decreases in the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1). In this case, the adsorption member (312) can apply a gradually lower force as the support substrate (10) is sequentially peeled off, thereby preventing damage to the substrate, as described above.

Hereinafter, the operation of a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7(a) shows a state in which a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates to initially separate a support substrate (10) and a flexible substrate (20).

Referring to Fig. 7(a), first, the fixing member (100) fixes the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20) by absorbing it while the supporting substrate (10) is placed on top of the flexible substrate (20). Here, the fixing member (100) may include an absorbing pad capable of vacuum absorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20), and at this time, the fixing member (100) fixes the flexible substrate (20) by absorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20) on which the supporting substrate (10) is bonded to the upper surface.

Here, the fixing member (100) can relatively strongly adsorb the lower part of the region including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to which the pressurizing member (200) is adjacently arranged, compared to other regions of the flexible substrate (20). That is, as described above, in order to initially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20), a relatively strong force must be applied, and accordingly, the region including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) requires a relatively high fixing force compared to other regions of the flexible substrate (20) excluding the region including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20).

Accordingly, the fixing member (100) relatively strongly absorbs the lower portion of the area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to which the pressurizing member (200) is adjacent compared to other areas of the flexible substrate (20), thereby stably fixing the flexible substrate (20) even when a relatively strong force is applied to the area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) during initial peeling of the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20). This can be achieved by adjusting the diameter and arrangement interval of the suction ports arranged in the corresponding area of the suction pad, or by controlling the pressure of the vacuum pump connected to the suction ports arranged in the corresponding area.

In this case, the plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) included in the separating section (300) may adsorb the upper surface of the supporting substrate (10). That is, the plurality of adsorption members included in each of the plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) may be moved downward by the second driving member (316) and may be fixed by vacuum adsorption of the upper surface of the supporting substrate (10).

When the flexible substrate (20) is fixed by the fixing member (100), the pressurizing member (200) presses the supporting substrate (10) upward to partially separate the supporting substrate (10) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) and to initially separate the supporting substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20). Here, the contact member (210) presses upward the area between one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) that does not overlap with the flexible substrate (20) and one edge of the supporting substrate (10) corresponding thereto by the driving of the first driving member (230), whereby the supporting substrate (10) is partially lifted and can be separated from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20).

When the pressurizing unit (200) is pressurized, at least one of the plurality of absorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) positioned to overlap with an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) can be driven to partially lift the support substrate (10). That is, as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 7, when a plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) are arranged at five positions in the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to the other edge (C3), the plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) may include a first adsorber (310a), a second adsorber (310b), a third adsorber (310c), a fourth adsorber (310d), and a fifth adsorber (310e) according to the arrangement direction (EL). At this time, the first adsorber (310a) is arranged to overlap with an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20), so that the adsorber can simultaneously move upward as the pressure member moves upward. In this way, by simultaneously moving the pressurizing member and the first absorber (310a) upward, the upper and lower surfaces of the supporting substrate (10) are simultaneously supported, and the supporting substrate (10) can be stably initially separated from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20). Here, it goes without saying that the first absorber (310a) to the fifth absorber (310e) can be arranged one or more in a direction intersecting the above arrangement direction.

At this time, the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) can move upward at the same time as the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a). Here, the height (H2) at which the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) moves upward may be lower than the height (H1) at which the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) moves upward. For example, when the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) moves upward about 1 mm, the adsorption member (312) of the second adsorber (310b) can move upward about 0.5 mm. In this way, by moving the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) and the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) simultaneously, it is possible to prevent the support substrate (10) from being excessively bent and damaged.

FIG. 7(b) shows a state in which a substrate separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates to sequentially separate an initially separated support substrate (10) from a flexible substrate (20).

Referring to Fig. 7(b), when the support substrate (10) is initially peeled off from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20), the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) is positioned at the first height (H1), and the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) is positioned at the second height (H2). At this time, the separating unit (300) sequentially drives the second adsorber (310b) to the fifth adsorber (310e) to sequentially peel the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20). That is, after the support substrate (10) is initially peeled off from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20), the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) moves to the first height (H1) in the same manner as the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a). At this time, the adsorption member of the third adsorber (310c) moves again by the second height (H2) lower than the first height. This is performed in the same manner for the fourth adsorber (310d) and the fifth adsorber (310e), and the adsorption member of the fifth adsorber (310e) located at the second height (H2) moves to the second height or the first height (H1), so that the support substrate (10) can be completely separated from the flexible substrate (20) by sequentially separating each position in the direction from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to the other edge (C3).

Hereinafter, a substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In the description of the substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention, any description that overlaps with the above-described content related to the substrate separation device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a substrate separation method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step of preparing a support substrate (10) to which a flexible substrate (20) is bonded (S100), a step of fixing the flexible substrate (20) (S200), a step of pressurizing the support substrate (10) to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) (S300), and a step of sequentially separating the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) by absorbing the support substrate (10) and separating the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) (S400), and the step of fixing the flexible substrate (20) (S200) is maintained while separating the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20).

Step (S100) of preparing a support substrate (10) prepares a support substrate (10) to which a flexible substrate (20) is bonded. Here, the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) may have a polygonal shape such as a rectangle, and as described above, the support substrate (10) may have an edge area that does not overlap with the flexible substrate (20).

At this time, the step (S100) of preparing the support substrate (10) may include the step of preparing a support substrate (10) having a larger area than the flexible substrate (20) and having the flexible substrate (20) bonded to the upper surface, and the step of rotating the support substrate (10) to which the flexible (20) substrate is bonded so that the support substrate (10) is placed on top of the flexible substrate (20). As described above, in various processes for manufacturing a device, the flexible substrate (20) is generally placed on top of the support substrate (10), and in the step (S100) of preparing the support substrate (10), the support substrate (10) to which the flexible substrate (20) is bonded to the upper surface is rotated so that the support substrate (10) is placed on top of the flexible substrate (20).

The step (S200) of fixing the flexible substrate (20) can fix the flexible substrate (20) by vacuum-absorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate (20) by the fixing member (100). Here, the fixing member (100) can include an absorption pad capable of vacuum-absorbing an entire surface of the flexible substrate (20), and the flexible substrate (20) is fixed by vacuum-absorbing by the fixing member (100) until the support substrate (10) is completely separated. Meanwhile, as described above, the step (S200) of fixing the flexible substrate (20) can fix the lower portion of an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) by relatively strongly absorbing it compared to other areas of the flexible substrate (20).

The step (S300) of partially separating the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) is performed by pressurizing the support substrate (10) to partially separate the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) and thereby initially peeling them off. Here, the pressurizing portion (200) may be arranged on the side of one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) at the lower portion of the support substrate (10) that does not overlap with the flexible substrate (20), and accordingly, the step (S300) of partially separating the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) may be performed by pressurizing the lower portion of the support substrate (10) adjacent to one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) upward.

The step (S400) of separating the support substrate (10) separates the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20) by absorbing the support substrate (10). At this time, the step (S400) of separating the support substrate (10) can sequentially lift and peel each position of the support substrate (10) in the direction from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3) facing the one edge (C1) by a plurality of absorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e).

At this time, among the plurality of adsorbers (310) driven in the step (S400) of separating the support substrate (10), the first adsorber (310a) and the second adsorber (310b) can be driven simultaneously with the step (S300) of partially separating the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20). That is, the step of pressing the lower portion of the support substrate (10) upward can be performed by lifting the support substrate (10) by adsorbing it in an area including one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20), and thereby the step (S300) of partially separating the support substrate (10) and the step (S400) of separating the support substrate (10) can be partially performed simultaneously.

Here, in order to sequentially peel off the support substrate (10) from the flexible substrate (20), a step of lifting a first position of the support substrate (10) by a first height (H1) and a step of lifting a second position of the support substrate (10) spaced apart from the first position along the peeling direction (EL) by a second height (H2) lower than the first height (H1) may be included. In this case, the steps of lifting the first position and the second position of the support substrate (10) may be performed simultaneously.

That is, when a plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) are arranged at five positions including the first position to the fifth position in the direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) to the other edge (C3), the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) positioned on the first position moves to the first height to lift the first position of the support substrate (10) to the first height (H1). In addition, at the same time, the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) positioned on the second position moves to the second height (H2) to lift the second position of the support substrate (10) to the second height. As described above, by simultaneously moving the adsorption members of the first adsorber (310a) and the second adsorber (310b), it is possible to prevent the support substrate (10) from being excessively bent and damaged.

Thereafter, in order to sequentially peel off the support substrate (10), the second position of the support substrate (10) can be lifted by the first height (H1). That is, when the support substrate (10) is initially peeled off from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) through the above process, the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) is positioned at the first height (H1), and the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) is positioned at the second height (H2). At this time, the adsorption member of the second adsorber (310b) moves to the first height (H1) in the same manner as the adsorption member of the first adsorber (310a) to lift the second position of the support substrate (10) by the first height (H1), and the adsorption member of the third adsorber (310c) moves to the second height (H2) lower than the first height (H1) to lift the third position of the support substrate (10) by the second height (H1). This can be sequentially performed for a plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) arranged in a direction (EL) from one edge (C1) of the flexible substrate (20) toward the other edge (C3).

In this way, the step of sequentially peeling off the support substrate (10) can be performed by controlling at least one of the position and height for lifting the support substrate (10) according to the thickness and strength of the support substrate (10). That is, as the thickness and strength of the support substrate (10) increase, the support substrate (10) becomes more difficult to bend. In this case, the spacing between the plurality of adsorbers (310a, 310b, 310c, 310d, 310e) is increased overall, and the height at which each adsorbing member (312) moves upward is controlled to be lower overall, thereby preventing breakage of the support substrate (10) and damage to the flexible substrate (20) caused thereby.

When the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) are completely separated, a step of moving the fixing member (100) on which the flexible film is fixed can be further performed to perform post-processing of the flexible film. That is, the support substrate (10) is separated from the flexible substrate (20) while the flexible substrate (20) is placed on the lower side, and the flexible substrate (20) is maintained in a state in which its lower surface is fixed by the fixing member (100). Therefore, in the subsequent processing of the flexible substrate (20), the fixing member (100) can be moved while the flexible substrate (20) is fixed, and a post-processing such as an encapsulation process can be performed while the flexible substrate (20) is fixed on the fixing member (100) without having to separately fix the flexible substrate (20) again.

In this way, according to the substrate separation device and substrate separation method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the support substrate (10) is sequentially peeled and separated from the flexible substrate (20), thereby preventing deformation and damage to the flexible substrate (20) during the substrate separation process.

In addition, the support substrate (10) and the flexible substrate (20) can be easily separated by initially separating the support substrate (10) by the pressurizing force, and the support substrate (10) can be separated more precisely and efficiently by controlling the suction force applied to the support substrate (10).

In addition, since the substrate separation process is performed while the flexible substrate (20) is secured to the fixing member (100), the post-processing of the flexible substrate (20) can be performed by moving the flexible substrate (20) while it is secured to the fixing member (100), thereby minimizing the loss of work efficiency and cost due to the addition of separate processes and equipment.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated using specific terms above, such terms are only for the purpose of clearly describing the present invention, and it is obvious that the embodiments of the present invention and the described terms may be variously changed and modified without departing from the technical spirit and scope of the following claims. Such modified embodiments should not be understood individually from the spirit and scope of the present invention, but should be considered to fall within the claims of the present invention.

10: Support substrate 20: Flexible substrate
100: Fixed part 200: Pressurized part
210: Contact member 230: First driving member
300: Separator 310: Adsorber
312: Absorbing member 314: Connecting member
316: Second driving member 330: Support plate

Claims (20)

A substrate separation device for separating a support substrate and a flexible substrate bonded to the support substrate,
A fixing member for fixing the flexible substrate while separating the supporting substrate;
A pressurizing portion for pressurizing the support substrate to partially separate the support substrate and the flexible substrate; and
A separation unit for separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate fixed to the fixing unit by absorbing the support substrate;
The above separation part,
A plurality of adsorbers arranged from one edge of the flexible substrate toward another edge facing the one edge;
A substrate separation device in which the plurality of adsorbers are arranged so that the spacing between them sequentially increases along the arrangement direction from one edge of the flexible substrate to the other edge. In claim 1,
The above fixing member fixes the flexible substrate by absorbing the lower surface of the flexible substrate to which the support substrate is bonded on the upper surface,
The above pressurizing portion is positioned on the lower portion of the support substrate that does not overlap with the flexible substrate,
The above separation unit is a substrate separation device that absorbs the upper surface of the support substrate from the upper portion of the fixing unit. delete In claim 2,
The above fixed part,
A substrate separation device that secures an area including one edge of the flexible substrate with a different suction force from another area of the flexible substrate. delete In claim 2,
The above pressurizing member includes a contact member arranged on the lower portion of the support substrate,
A substrate separation device in which the upper surface of the above contact member is formed to be inclined downward toward the center of the flexible substrate. delete In claim 1,
A substrate separation device wherein at least one of the plurality of adsorbers is positioned to overlap an area including one edge of the flexible substrate. delete In claim 1,
A substrate separation device in which the above plurality of adsorbers have an adsorption force that sequentially decreases along the arrangement direction. delete delete A step of preparing a support substrate to which a flexible substrate is bonded;
A step of fixing the above flexible substrate;
A step of pressurizing the support substrate to partially separate the support substrate and the flexible substrate; and
A step of separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate by absorbing the support substrate;
The step of fixing the flexible substrate is maintained while separating the support substrate from the flexible substrate,
The step of separating the above support substrate is:
A substrate separation method performed by adsorbing the support substrate with a plurality of adsorbers arranged from one edge of the flexible substrate toward the other edge facing the one edge, and arranged so that the spacing between them increases sequentially along the arrangement direction from one edge of the flexible substrate to the other edge. In claim 13,
The step of partially separating the support substrate and the flexible substrate comprises:
A substrate separation method, comprising: a step of pressing the lower portion of the support substrate upward from the side of one edge of the flexible substrate; delete In claim 13,
The step of fixing the above flexible substrate is:
A substrate separation method for fixing a lower portion of an area including one edge of the flexible substrate by relatively strongly adsorbing it compared to other areas of the flexible substrate. In claim 13,
The step of separating the above support substrate is:
A substrate separation method, comprising: a step of sequentially peeling the support substrate in a direction from one edge of the flexible substrate toward another edge facing the one edge; In claim 17,
The step of sequentially peeling off the above support substrate is:
A step of lifting the first position of the above support substrate by a first height; and
A step of lifting a second position of the support substrate spaced apart from the first position along the peeling direction by a second height lower than the first height;
A substrate separation method in which the steps of lifting the first position and the second position of the above-mentioned support substrate are performed simultaneously. In claim 18,
The step of sequentially peeling off the above support substrate is:
A substrate separation method further comprising: a step of lifting a second position of the support substrate by a first height; In claim 17,
The step of sequentially peeling off the support substrate is:
A substrate separation method comprising: controlling at least one of a position and a height of lifting the supporting substrate according to the thickness and strength of the supporting substrate.

Images