KR20080025880A - Etching apparatus and etching method - Google Patents

Abstract

An etching apparatus and an etching method are provided to need no work for sealing the circumference of glass and prevent the waste of an expensive etchant. An etching apparatus includes: an etching chamber(100) in which glass(400) is etched; a cassette(200) which fixes the circumference of the glass and has many fixation units capable of vertically positioning glass within the etching chamber; and a spray device(300) which sprays an etchant(500) on the upper part of the vertically positioned glass to etch the surfaces of the glass uniformly. An etching method includes the steps of: sealing and fixing the circumference of glass using many fixation units provided in the cassette; transferring the cassette to the inside of the etching chamber to place the glass vertically in the etching chamber; moving the spray device to the upper part of the glass, and spraying the etchant on the sides of the glass; and etching the surface of the glass uniformly by making the sprayed etchant flow down to form a water film.

Description

Etching Apparatus and Etching Method

1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of an etching apparatus according to the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cassette according to the present invention.

3 is a top view of a cassette according to the present invention.

4 is a view showing a state in which the injector according to the invention injects the etching liquid to the glass.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: etching chamber 110: circulator

200: cassette 210: fixing means

211: sealing means 300: injection device

310: nozzle 400: glass

500: etchant 600: robot arm

The present invention relates to an etching apparatus and an etching method used to manufacture a flat panel display device, and more particularly, there is no need to seal the circumferential surface of the glass and can prevent expensive etching liquid waste. It relates to an etching apparatus and an etching method having an advantage.

In general, there are various devices such as a liquid crystal device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescent display (ELD), a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED).

Such a flat panel display device is widely used as a display device of a portable information device such as a portable television, a notebook computer, a mobile phone, and has advantages in that it is light and portable. Therefore, in order to enhance portability, the weight reduction of information devices has been continuously studied, and as one method, studies to reduce the weight of glass, which is the most basic element of a flat panel display device, are being conducted.

In particular, since glass has the largest weight among the elements constituting the flat panel display device, studies are being actively conducted to reduce the weight of the flat panel display device by reducing the weight of the glass.

However, as the size of the flat panel display increases, there is a certain limit in reducing the size of the glass by reducing the size of the glass. Currently, a method of reducing the weight by thinning the thickness of the glass using an etching apparatus is mainly used.

A typical etching apparatus used to reduce the thickness of the glass is composed of an etching chamber, a quick dump rinse (QDR) bath and a drying bath, and a lower portion of the etching chamber includes a nitrogen gas bubble to improve the etching efficiency of the glass ( Porous bubble plates are formed to produce bubbles uniformly.

Therefore, when the glass is immersed in the etching chamber filled with the etching solution, the surface of the glass is etched by the etching solution, whereby nitrogen gas bubbles are generated in the bubble plate to efficiently etch the glass.

The glass, which has been etched in the etching chamber, is washed through a rinse bath and then transferred to a drying bath to be dried.

As such, the most widely used method of reducing the thickness of the glass is to immerse the glass in the etching chamber filled with the etching liquid so that the surface of the glass is etched by the etching liquid.

However, glass etching using such a conventional etching apparatus has the following problems.

First, since the entire glass is immersed in the etching liquid filled in the etching chamber, sealing of the circumferential surface of the glass before the etching process is performed to prevent the etching liquid from contacting the liquid crystal layer formed between the upper and lower glasses. Preceded. However, since the sealing work is made by hand, the work is inconvenient and increases the process cost.

Second, since the etchant must be filled in the etching chamber so that the entire glass can be immersed, there is a problem that a much larger amount of etchant is used than the amount required for the actual glass etching.

In particular, the etchant has a problem that the expensive etchant is wasted unnecessary because it is discarded after being discharged to the outside when the etching solution is contaminated by various foreign matters due to the etching process 3-4 times.

Third, when the etching process is performed several times without replacing the etching liquid, various foreign substances due to the etching are stacked on the bottom surface of the etching chamber, and thus the inside of the etching chamber should be cleaned after the etching liquid is discharged. However, such a cleaning operation is difficult and dangerous, there was a problem that the risk of safety accidents always exist.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for sealing the circumferential surface of the glass, and to provide an etching apparatus and an etching method having various advantages, such as preventing expensive etching liquid waste. To provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an etching chamber in which glass is etched; A cassette for fixing an outer circumferential surface of the glass and having a plurality of fixing means for positioning the glass in an etch chamber in a vertical direction; It provides an etching apparatus comprising an injection device for spraying the etching liquid to the upper portion of the glass located in the vertical direction to flow the etching liquid and to uniformly etch the glass surface.

In addition, the present invention provides a glass fixing step of sealing and fixing the outer circumferential surface of the glass by using a plurality of fixing means provided in the cassette; A glass alignment step of transferring the cassette into the etching chamber to position the glass vertically inside the etching chamber; A spray step of injecting an etchant by moving the injector to an upper side of the glass; In addition, the sprayed etching solution flows down to form a water film, the etching step of uniformly etching the surface of the glass; provides an etching method comprising a.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention in which the above object can be specifically realized are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of an etching apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a cassette according to the present invention. 3 is a top view of a cassette according to the present invention.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the etching apparatus according to the present invention, the etching chamber 100 is made of the etching of the glass 400, and a plurality of fixing means 210 for fixing the glass 400 (Fig. 2 and 3), and an injection apparatus 300 for injecting an etchant 50 into the glass 400.

The fixing means 210 provided in the cassette 200 fixes the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400, and vertically positions the glass 400 in the etching chamber 100. In more detail, when the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400 is inserted into and fixed to the fixing means 210 provided in the cassette 200, the glass 400 is vertically positioned inside the cassette 200. As such, when the glass 400 is inserted into and fixed to each fixing means 210 of the cassette 200, the cassette 200 is inside the etching chamber 100 by a transfer means such as the robot arm 600 (see FIG. 1). The glass 400 is positioned perpendicular to the inside of the etching chamber 100.

Here, although not shown, the left and right sides of the glass 400 inserted in the lower portion of the cassette 200, that is, the lower portion of the fixed water end 210, to prevent the glass 400 from escaping to the lower side of the cassette 200. A latching jaw supporting the lower surface may be formed.

On the other hand, the fixing means 210 is provided with a sealing means 211 to prevent the outer peripheral surface of the glass 400 in contact with the etching liquid 500. The sealing means 211 prevents the etchant 500 from being introduced into the glass 400 through the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400 to prevent damage to the liquid crystal layer inside the glass 400.

As described above, the fixing means 210 has a role of preventing the etching liquid 500 from being introduced into the glass 400 by fixing the glass 400 and having a sealing means 211 therein. Therefore, the fixing means 210 is preferably configured to surround the entire outer circumferential surface of the glass 400, but may be configured to surround only both circumferential surfaces of the glass 400 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This is because the etching liquid 500 is sprayed on the upper portion of the glass 400 is located vertically flows down the upper and lower circumferential surface of the glass 400 by the fixing means 210 when adjusting the spray angle of the etching liquid 500, etc. This is because the inflow of the etchant 500 may be prevented even if it is not sealed. Of course, the fixing means 210 may be changed in various forms, such as in the form of a fixing chuck surrounding the upper circumferential surface and the left and right both circumferential surfaces of the glass 400.

In addition, the fixing means 210 is preferably provided with a buffer pad (not shown) which is installed in contact with the glass 400, the fixing portion in order to prevent the outer peripheral surface of the glass 400 from being damaged by an impact. Of course, the buffer pad may also serve to prevent the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400 from coming into contact with the etchant 500 as in the sealing means 211.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the glass 400 is loaded in the cassette 200 and transferred into the etching chamber 100, the injector 300 is etched through the upper side of the etching chamber 100. After moving inside, the etchant 500 is sprayed on the glass 400 through the plurality of nozzles 310 provided inside.

4 is a view showing a state in which the injector according to the present invention injects the etching liquid to the glass.

As such, when the injector 300 sprays the etching liquid 500 on the glass 400, the etching liquid 500 flows down the surface of the glass 400 to form a water film, as shown in FIG. 4. 400) The surface is uniformly etched.

Here, the injector 300 may spray the etching solution 500 on both front and rear surfaces of the glass 400 for the rapid progress of the etching process, and the etching solution 500 may be applied only to one side of the glass 400. Can be sprayed selectively.

That is, the pair of injectors 300 are located on both sides of the glass 400 so that both sides of the glass 400 are etched, and the injectors 300 are positioned only on one side of the glass 400. Therefore, only one surface of the selected glass 400 may be etched.

As described above, according to the present invention, the entire glass 400 is directly sprayed by the amount of the etching liquid 500 on the side surface of the glass 400 using the spraying apparatus 300 without the need for the entire glass 400 to be dipped in the etching liquid. Therefore, since the etchant 500 flows down the surface of the glass 400 to etch the glass 400, when the fixing means 210 provided in the cassette 200 seals the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400, the etchant 500 ) There is no risk of flowing into the glass 400.

That is, even if the etchant 500 is sprayed on the glass 400, when the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400 is sealed by the fixing means 210, the contact between the etch solution 500 and the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400 is blocked, so that the glass 400 is inside the glass 400. There is no fear of damage to the liquid crystal layer or the like.

Therefore, the present invention does not require the sealing operation of the glass 400 circumferential surface that must be made before the etching process proceeds as in the related art, and sprays only the amount of the etching liquid 500 to the glass 400 as necessary. Therefore, waste of the etchant 500 may be reduced. In addition, since the plurality of glasses 400 may be simultaneously etched and transferred using the cassette 200, the etching process may be rapidly performed.

On the other hand, the etching chamber 100 is provided with a circulator 110 for reuse of the used etching liquid (see Fig. 1). As shown in the prior art, the etching liquid 500 does not need to be filled in the etching chamber 100. Therefore, the used etchant 500 is immediately discharged and reused through the circulation device 110.

As such, when the etchant 500 is immediately discharged through the circulation device 110, foreign matters contained in the etchant 500 do not have time to be stacked on the bottom surface of the etching chamber 100. The cleaning operation of the etching chamber 100 is also simplified. In addition, since the toxic etchant 500 is not filled in the etching chamber 100, safety of an operator performing maintenance work on the etching chamber 100 may be promoted.

In addition, the chamber 100 is provided with a filtration device such as a filter that can remove foreign substances contained in the etchant 500. The filtration apparatus removes foreign substances contained in the etchant to allow the etchant 500 to be supplied back to the injector 300, thereby preventing the expensive etchant 500 from being unnecessarily wasted. The filtration device may be provided in the circulation device 110 through which the etching liquid 500 is discharged.

The etching method using the etching apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above will be briefly described as follows.

First, when the outer circumferential surface of the glass 400 is sealed and fixed to the plurality of fixing means 210 provided in the cassette 200, the cassette 200 is inside the etching chamber 100 by a transfer means such as the robot arm 600. The glass 400 is vertically positioned in the etching chamber 100 by being transferred to the glass chamber 400.

As such, when the cassette 200 is transferred into the etching chamber 100, the injector 300 moves to spray the etching liquid 500 on the upper side of the glass 400. At this time, the sprayed etchant 500 flows down the surface of the glass 400 to form a water film to uniformly etch the glass 400.

In addition, the etchant 500 is discharged through the circulation device 110 formed in the etching chamber 100. In this process, various foreign substances contained in the etchant 500 are removed by a filtration device. In this way, the etchant 500 from which the foreign matter is removed is supplied to the injector 300 and reused for etching the glass 400.

The etching apparatus and the etching method according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, the present invention does not need to seal the side surface of the glass because the etching process is performed by spraying the etching liquid directly onto the glass in a state in which the outer peripheral surface of the glass is sealed and fixed using the fixing means provided in the cassette.

Second, the present invention can directly spray the amount of the etchant in the required amount of glass, separate the foreign matter contained in the etchant through the filter device can be reused after the etching solution can prevent unnecessary waste of the etchant, foreign matter is etched It is not stacked on the bottom of the chamber, which simplifies cleaning inside the etching chamber.

Third, the present invention does not need to be filled with toxic etchant in the etching chamber, it is possible to improve the safety of the worker in the maintenance work of the etching chamber.

Fourth, the present invention is to fasten the etching process because the etching process for the plurality of glass at the same time after fixing the glass to each of the plurality of fixing means provided in the cassette.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (10)

An etching chamber in which the glass is etched; A cassette for fixing an outer circumferential surface of the glass and having a plurality of fixing means for positioning the glass in an etch chamber in a vertical direction; Etching apparatus comprising a spraying device for spraying the etching liquid to the upper portion of the glass located in the vertical direction flows down the etching liquid to uniformly etch the glass surface. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means includes sealing means to prevent the outer circumferential surface of the glass from contacting the etching liquid. The etching apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing means includes a buffer pad in contact with the glass and the fixing portion. The etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the injector may selectively inject an etchant to one side of the glass. The etching apparatus of claim 1, wherein the injector is located only on one side of the glass. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the etching chamber is provided with a circulation device for reuse of the etching liquid. The etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the etching chamber is provided with a filtration device for removing foreign substances contained in the used etching liquid. A glass fixing step of sealing and fixing an outer circumferential surface of the glass by using a plurality of fixing means provided in the cassette; A glass alignment step of transferring the cassette into the etching chamber to position the glass vertically inside the etching chamber; A spray step of injecting an etchant by moving the injector to an upper side of the glass; And, And etching the surface of the glass by etching the sprayed etching liquid to form a water film. The etching method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fixing means has a cushioning member therein. The method of claim 8, further comprising: a circulation step for reusing the sprayed etchant; And, And a filtration step of removing foreign substances contained in the sprayed etchant.

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