Abstract: There are provided a scribing step of performing scribing in a state in which a protective material is applied on at least one surface of a brittle material substrate, and a first scribing device that performs this scribing step. Accordingly, it is possible to form a vertical crack that reaches deep inside of the substrate, while effectively removing cullets produced at the time of severing the substrate, thus performing precise severing along a scribe line.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus process a substrate to divide a mother substrate into unit substrates. The apparatus is provided with a scribing portion for drawing a scribe line on a mother substrate, a breaking portion for breaking a mother substrate along the formed scribe line, and a portion for conveying a substrate for conveying a mother substrate or a unit substrate at least between the above described respective portions, wherein portion for conveying a substrate has a number of rotational supports and with a suction surface for sucking and holding each substrate from a main surface, rotational supports and have rotational axes, as well as suction members for respectively sucking and rotating a substrate which rotates substrates around rotational axes approximately simultaneously in such a manner that at least two main surfaces of each substrate are turned over in the upward and downward direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of breaking a substrate of a brittle material, the method comprising the steps of providing a substrate (1) of a brittle material, heating the substrate with a laser beam (3) to create a heated spot on the substrate, moving the laser beam and the substrate with respect to each other to create a line of heated spots on the substrate (2), cooling the heated spots on the substrate by locally applying a cooling medium (4) behind the heated spots such that a micro-crack is propagated in the line of heated spots, and breaking the substrate along the line of the propagated micro-cracks by applying a mechanical force on the substrate wherein, the cooling medium comprises an aqueous surfactant solution. The surfactants will connect to the broken siloxane bonds inside the surface cracks. Then recombination and healing of the broken siloxane bonds will not occur and the required breaking load will remain constant over time.

Abstract: A laser machining method includes directing pulse laser light onto a surface of a brittle material substrate, and a laser light scanning step for scanning laser light along a scribe-scheduled line. The laser intensity of the pulse laser light is 1.0×108 W/cm2 or greater and 1.0×1010 W/cm2 or less. The value obtained by multiplying the amount of heat input (J/cm2) by the linear expansion coefficient (10?7/K) of the brittle material is in a range of 3000 or greater and 100000 or less. Furthermore, the number of pulses within a square circumscribing the condensed light diameter of the pulse laser light is two or greater.

Abstract: In a method for processing brittle material, a laser light from a laser light source irradiates the brittle material and transports an irradiating position of the laser light along a predetermined line, wherein the laser light L from a plurality of laser light sources 11, 12 . . . m1, m2 . . . mn is irradiated simultaneously onto the surface of the brittle material W, and an irradiating range of the laser light, which is set to a predetermined shape, is moved over the surface of the brittle material. Furthermore, a plurality of optical wave guides 10 . . . 10 that guide the laser light from the laser light sources 11, 12 . . . m1, m2 . . . mn to the brittle material are provided, and composite laser light L irradiates the surface of the brittle material, with these optical wave guides 10 . . . 10 bundled together.

Abstract: A rotating shaft (23) is inserted through an axial center of a cutter wheel tip for scribing a brittle object. The rotating shaft (23) is integrally provided with the cutter wheel tip. The rotating shaft (23) is inserted into supporting holes (14) provided in side walls (11) of a tip holder (11) so as to be supported. A groove (13) is formed in an upper portion of each supporting hole (14) along an axial direction of the supporting hole (14).

Abstract: A mother glass substrate is continuously heated by a first laser spot LS1 to a temperature which is lower than a softening point of the mother glass substrate, along a scribe line formation line SL on a surface of the mother glass substrate, along which a scribe line is to be formed, while an area close to the first laser spot LS1 is continuously cooled along the scribe line formation line SL; and an area which is close to the cooled area and is on an opposite side to the first laser spot LS1 is continuously heated by a second laser spot LS2 along the scribe line formation line SL to a temperature which is lower than the softening point of the mother glass substrate.

Abstract: A substrate cutting system which requires a small footprint area so as to be compact, and also which is capable of efficiently cutting a substrate is disclosed. A pair of substrate cutting devices are provided in a cutting device guide body 30 so as to be movable along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the clamp devices 50, the pair of substrate cutting devices cutting the mother substrate from each of the top surface and the bottom surface of the mother substrate which is clamped by the clamp devices 50.

Abstract: A rotating shaft (23) is inserted through an axial center of a cutter wheel tip for scribing a brittle object. The rotating shaft (23) is integrally provided with the cutter wheel tip. The rotating shaft (23) is inserted into supporting holes (14) provided in side walls (11) of a tip holder (11) so as to be supported. A groove (13) is formed in an upper portion of each supporting hole (14) along an axial direction of the supporting hole (14).

Abstract: A method for forming a crack which can precisely form a crack in a desired direction in substrates made of brittle materials even if the substrate of a large size is placed apart from a correct reference position on the scribe table. According to this method, a crack formation presumed line M is formed following the position separated from a beam travel line L, which is the track of the movement of the center of the beam spot B, by an offset amount O by moving a beam spot B relatively to a substrate G so that the beam travel line L can be in an oblique direction to a reference axis direction X set so as to be coincident with the substantial major axis direction of the beam spot B, and further a cooling spot C is relatively moved following the crack formation presumed line M, and thereby a vertical crack is formed following the crack formation presumed line M.

Abstract: An etchable plate-shaped material is used as a vacuum suction pad 31. On one surface thereof, a large number of independent protruded portions and recessed portions are formed to provide a suction part 33b. Further, a periphery of the suction part is annularly formed to provide an airtight part 33a. When the vacuum suction pad 31 comes close to a substrate to be sucked, a skirt pad 32 with a slit 32d is integrally formed in the shape of a hemmed hat using an elastic member, in order to block outside air into a peripheral space of the vacuum suction pad 31. With this arrangement, it is possible to prevent the substrate from being locally deformed when the substrate is sucked by discharging air from a suction port 36 and to widen a clearance between the vacuum suction pad and the substrate such as a liquid crystal panel, at which the suction is possible.

Abstract: A method for forming a median crack and an apparatus for forming a median crack are provided, where the formation of a deep, straight median crack is possible, and an excellent broken surface of a brittle substrate can be gained as a result of breaking.

Abstract: Along a region where a scribe line is formed on a surface of a glass substrate 50, a laser spot is continuously applied for heating at a temperature lower than a softening point of the glass substrate 50, and a region in the vicinity of the heated region is cooled. In this manner, a blind crack is formed along a line to be scribed. A detection unit 40 applies light to the blind crack, immediately after formed in the vicinity of to a cooling spot, through an optical fiber 41. When the blind crack has been formed, part of the light is obtained in the optical fiber 41 because of diffuse reflection. Therefore, detection of the level of this reflected light allows checking as to whether the blind crack has been normally formed or not.

Abstract: Vertical cracks Vm in the thickness direction of a mother glass substrate 10 are sequentially formed along lines to be scribed and broken, and thus main scribe lines MS are formed along the lines to be scribed and broken of the mother glass substrate 10. Then, subordinate scribe lines SS are formed along the main scribe lines MS which have been formed, at a predetermined distance from the main scribe lines MS. Thus, the mother glass substrate 10 is broken along the main scribe lines MS. In this manner, the substrate can be scribed and broken efficiently without requiring a complicated device or the like.

Abstract: A brittle material substrate cutting method and cutting apparatus are provided, which prevent cut faces of a brittle material substrate from contacting each other after the cutting in a break step of continuously cutting the brittle material substrate, so that a damage or contamination on the brittle material substrate due to the contact can be prevented. A brittle material substrate cutting apparatus includes: a cutting section (112, 122) for applying a pressing force in a vicinity of a scribe line S formed on a substrate G and cutting the pressed portion of the substrate G; and a holding section moving parallel to the scribe line S while holding the cutting section. The brittle material substrate cutting apparatus continuously cuts the substrate G along the scribe line S.

Abstract: A scribing head according to the present invention includes: a scribing line forming means (29) structured so as to form a scribing line on a substrate; and a moving means (502, 503) for moving the scribing line forming means such that the scribing line forming means presses the substrate with a constant magnitude, wherein the moving means includes: a rotation means (502) rotating about a rotation axis, the axial center of the rotation axis being provided so as to align with a predetermined direction in which the scribing line forming means moves, and a motive power transmission means (503) for transmitting a motive power between the motive power transmission means and the scribing line forming means such that the scribing line forming means moves on a straight line along the axial center of the rotation axis in response to the rotation of the rotation means, the motive power transmission means being provided along the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A vacuum suction head of the present invention can be applied to a large-sized liquid crystal display panel and can reliably suck an object to be sucked even if the object has undulation or flexure. The suction head has a shaft, which holds a suction pad, and gas is charged into and discharged from the suction pad through a suction hole. A casing holds the shaft through first and second springs so as to be movable in the axial direction. Since the suction pad is elastically supported by the springs, the suction pad can reliably suck the object to be sucked having undulation or flexure. The vacuum suction head can be used for a vacuum suction device and a working table.

Abstract: In a glass cutter wheel where a blade edge is formed on a disk-shaped wheel, grooves having a predetermined shape are formed at a predetermined pitch in a ¼ or smaller or ¾ or smaller blade edge line portion of the entire perimeter of the blade edge. The ratio of the groove portion to the entire perimeter, which largely contributes to a scribing characteristic, is changed such that a desired scribing characteristic can be obtained.

Abstract: A scribing head 1 of this invention raises and lowers a scribing cutter by rotation of a servomotor 3. As a scribe pressure, a rotational torque of the servomotor 3 is transmitted to the scribing cutter. To form a scribe line across another scribe line which is formed earlier, the scribe pressure is raised temporarily when the scribing head passes the scribe line which is formed earlier. The rotational torque of the servomotor 3 is controlled at any of preset limits while the position of a cutter 6 of the scribing head shifts on the brittle substrate. The servomotor 3 is driven under position-control mode.