U.S. patent application number 11/934187 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-06 for method for the bonding of disk-shaped substrates and apparatus for carrying out the method.
This patent application is currently assigned to OC Oerlikon Balzers AG. Invention is credited to Thomas Eisenhammer, Jeff Ou-Yang.
Application Number | 20080053620 11/934187 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32682648 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080053620 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Eisenhammer; Thomas ; et
al. |
March 6, 2008 |
METHOD FOR THE BONDING OF DISK-SHAPED SUBSTRATES AND APPARATUS FOR
CARRYING OUT THE METHOD
Abstract
A first substrate (11a) is positioned on a support surface (7)
in a vacuum chamber with an upward-facing first bonding surface
(12a) spin-coated with adhesive while a second substrate (11b) is
held with downward-facing second bonding surface (12b) to a cover
(3) by suction. While the vacuum chamber is being evacuated to a
pressure of between 0.1 mbar and 2 mbar, a support pin (9) is
extended through central openings (14a, 14b) of the substrates
(11a, 11b) and then retracted with the second substrate (11b)
released from the cover (3) and carried by radially extended balls
(10). The support pin (9) is lowered to a position where the balls
(10), acting against the first bonding surface (12a), deform the
first substrate (11a). The first bonding surface (12a) being
therefore slightly concave, the first and second bonding surfaces
(12a, 12b) only touch close to their circumferences. Retraction of
the balls (10) causes a spreading of the contact area radially
inwards to cover the first and second bonding surfaces (12a, 12b)
without entrapment of non-bonded areas. The substrates (11a, 11b)
are then lifted by the support pin (9) with again extended balls
(10) and pressed against the cover (3) and the vacuum chamber is
aired.
Inventors: |
Eisenhammer; Thomas;
(Azmoos, CH) ; Ou-Yang; Jeff; (Beverly Hills,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PEARNE & GORDON LLP
1801 EAST 9TH STREET
SUITE 1200
CLEVELAND
OH
44114-3108
US
|
Assignee: |
OC Oerlikon Balzers AG
Balzers
LI
|
Family ID: |
32682648 |
Appl. No.: |
11/934187 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10803400 |
Mar 18, 2004 |
7311795 |
|
|
11934187 |
Nov 2, 2007 |
|
|
|
60497224 |
Aug 22, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
156/382 ;
G9B/7.167; G9B/7.194 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 66/72321 20130101;
B29L 2017/005 20130101; B29C 65/48 20130101; B32B 38/1866 20130101;
G11B 7/24038 20130101; B32B 2309/06 20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101;
B29C 66/8322 20130101; B29C 65/4845 20130101; B29K 2069/00
20130101; B32B 2429/02 20130101; B29C 65/7847 20130101; G11B 7/26
20130101; B29C 66/001 20130101; B29C 66/452 20130101; B29C 65/485
20130101; B29C 66/71 20130101; B32B 37/003 20130101; B29C 66/1122
20130101; B29K 2069/00 20130101; B32B 2309/68 20130101; B29C
2035/0827 20130101; B29C 66/342 20130101; B29C 65/4815 20130101;
B32B 37/12 20130101; B29C 65/7811 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
156/382 |
International
Class: |
B32B 37/00 20060101
B32B037/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for carrying out a method of bonding disk-shaped
substrates comprising an essentially plane disk-shaped first
substrate with a central opening and with a first bonding surface
and a back surface opposite the first bonding surface, and an
essentially plane disk-shaped second substrate with a central
opening and with a second bonding surface to be bonded to the first
bonding surface by a layer of adhesive, the apparatus comprising a
vacuum chamber accommodating: support means for supporting the
first substrate, the support means being structured as a
circumferential mechanical means for acting on the first substrate
at positions offset towards the outer edge of the said substrate
from its central opening, a holding device for holding the second
substrate in a position opposite the first substrate in a position
opposite the first substrate with the second bonding surface facing
the first bonding surface, a support pin extendable through the
central openings of the first substrate and the second substrate,
with radially extendable and retractable central mechanical means
for acting on the edge of the central opening of the first
substrate or on the first bonding surface in the vicinity of the
central opening.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises a
base plate carrying the support means and the support pin and a
cover carrying the holding device.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central mechanical means
comprise mechanical stop means for acting against the first bonding
surface and the circumferential mechanical means comprise
mechanical stop means for acting on the back surface of the first
substrate.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support means is suitable
for holding the first substrate in a position where the first
bonding surface lies in an essentially horizontal first plane and
the holding device is suitable for holding the second substrate in
a position where the second bonding surface lies in an essentially
horizontal second plane above the first plane.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first plane and the second
plane are parallel.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first plane is slightly
tilted with respect to the second plane.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the angle between the first
plane and the second plane is between 1.degree. and 3.degree..
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holding device is a
suction holding device.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a method for the bonding of
disk-shaped substrates and an apparatus for carrying out the
method. Method and apparatus are used in particular for the
production of optical disks for data storage such as DVD disks.
PRIOR ART
[0002] DVD and similar disks usually comprise a lower disk-shaped
substrate and an upper disk-shaped substrate, both with central
circular openings, which normally consist of a plastic material
like polycarbonate. At least the lower substrate carries a thin
optically active, i.e. reflective or semi-reflective layer, usually
consisting of a metal like Al, Au, Ag, Cu or an alloy, which
carries the data. The upper substrate is bonded to the lower
substrate by an adhesive, e.g., a UV-curable resin or a hot melt.
The liquid adhesive is usually applied to the lower substrate
before the substrates are joined and cured after the joining
step.
[0003] Alternatively, use of adhesives in the shape of flexible
sheets has been proposed.
[0004] Many different processes have been described for bonding the
substrates. In most cases the adhesive is applied to the upper side
of the lower substrate whereupon the parallel upper substrate is
lowered or dropped onto the adhesive layer and then pressed against
the same as disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,578 A and
6,291,046 B. Major problems of this general method are variations
in the thickness of the adhesive layer which is spread merely by
mechanical pressure exerted by the often slightly warped substrates
and the entrapment of gas which then forms inclusions or bubbles
whenever areas where the adhesive and the upper substrate have not
bonded properly are surrounded by bonded areas. Both effects
influence the optical properties of the disk and may cause
misreading of stored data.
[0005] To avoid the latter of the said problems the bonding step is
often carried out in a vacuum or partial vacuum. Although the
problem of creating bubbles by entrapment is thereby reduced it
could only be virtually completely solved in this way by applying
high-vacuum which, however, would require long cycle times and
expensive high performance vacuum pumps and is therefore
unacceptable for economic reasons. Also, longer exposure to vacuum
may cause the formation of bubbles from gases solved in the
adhesive under atmospheric pressure as it begins to outgas and it
is usually not possible to wait for complete outgassing as this
would increase cycle times even further beyond the economically
acceptable.
[0006] An example of the above-mentioned process is described in
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,208A where UV-curable adhesive is applied to
the top side of the lower substrate via a nozzle of a dispenser in
such a way that it covers, e.g., an annulus-shaped zone. After
transferral of the lower substrate and the upper substrate to a
vacuum chamber and reduction of the pressure to below 30 torr (40
mbar), the upper substrate is lowered onto the adhesive layer. The
whole process may be carried out in a vacuum chamber. However, this
requires a relatively large chamber which exacerbates the problems
mentioned above. A process of this type is also described in JP
2000 315 338 A.
[0007] According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,677A and U.S. Pat. No.
5,766,407A a large vacuum chamber is avoided in that a small
cylindrical vacuum chamber which narrowly encloses the substrates
is provided. After the joining of the upper and lower substrates
the atmospheric pressure is used for pressing the substrates
against each other.
[0008] In several prior art publications it has been proposed to
use spin coating where the adhesive is spread over the upper
surface of the lower substrate by rotation of the same in order to
achieve a layer of constant thickness. According to U.S. Pat. No.
6,136,133A the bonding step is then carried out in a vacuum chamber
at a pressure of about 50 pa (0.5 mbar). In DE 197 15 779 A1 a
similar process is described. While spin coating provides adhesive
layers of essentially constant thickness it does not solve the
problem of gas inclusions.
[0009] According to a somewhat different method, the disk is spun
after the substrates have been joined as described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,843,257A. Here the centrifugal forces lead to a radially
increasing thickness of the adhesive layer unless they are exactly
balanced by suction from the edge of the central opening. Such
balancing, however, requires precise control of angular velocity
and pressure and is therefore difficult to achieve. According to
U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,577B1 the problem is alleviated in that the
lower substrate is elastically deformed so as to form a central
depression which should accommodate surplus adhesive. However, the
control requirements are still difficult to fulfill.
[0010] EP 0 624 870 B1 shows a bonding method where, after a two
package epoxy resin adhesive has been applied to the upper surface
of the lower substrate along a circle surrounding the central
opening, the upper substrate and the lower substrate are held in
positions where they enclose an acute angle and first touch at
contact points at the outer edges when the upper substrate is
lowered. With the edge of the upper substrate opposite the point of
first contact being lowered further by, e.g., 1 mm/s, the upper
substrate pivots about the contact point until the substrates are
parallel and joined, with the adhesive spread between them. This
method, however, may as well lead to a varying thickness of the
adhesive layer. Also, entrapment of gas bubbles cannot be
excluded.
[0011] A similar method is apparent from DE 196 51 423 A1 where the
upper substrate is supported by a holding arm pivotable about an
axis at the level of the upper surface of the lower substrate in
such a way that the upper substrate is at the same time lowered
onto the lower substrate and rotated into an orientation parallel
to the same. Even where the process is carried out in a vacuum,
entrapment of gas can not be completely excluded unless high-vacuum
is employed. This, however, would again require expensive high
performance vacuum pumps and long cycle times. After joining of the
substrates the disk may be spun in order that the adhesive be more
equally distributed while suction is applied at the boundary of the
central opening to balance the centrifugal forces. This step is
fraught with problems as explained above.
[0012] According to JP 2003 006 940 A the lower and the upper
substrate are accommodated in a vacuum chamber where the outer edge
of the upper substrate is supported by spring-biased bolts a short
distance above the lower substrate. Its center portion is then
pressed downward by a pressing pad and joined to the center portion
of the lower substrate while the upper substrate is slightly
elastically deformed. After evacuation of the chamber the pressure
of the pad is increased and thereby the contact area spread
radially outward. With this method the risk of gas entrapments is
indeed very low, however, the pressure applied to the upper
substrate decreases from the center outward which may cause a
radially varying thickness of the adhesive layer.
[0013] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,549B1 another bonding method is
described where the upper substrate is held in a deformed state,
with its lower surface slightly convex, by a suction holding
device. When it is lowered onto the adhesive layer contact is first
established at the edges of the central openings whereupon the
upper substrate is released and, assuming its unstressed plane
configuration, contacts the whole of the adhesive-covered upper
surface of the lower substrate.
[0014] An alternative method is then proposed where the upper
substrate is again slightly deformed, with the center portion held
about 1.5 mm above the outer edge by a suction holding device and
its lower surface slightly concave. After contact has been
established between the outer edges of the substrates, the space
between them is evacuated through a central opening of the lower
substrate until the center portion of the upper substrate is
detached from the holding device by the suction of the vacuum and
the lower surface of the released upper substrate contacts the
whole of the upper surface of the lower substrate. The adhesive
which initially covers an annulus-shaped zone on the upper surface
of the lower substrate is thereby spread out between the surfaces.
Due to the fact that the release of the upper substrate is a
function of several parameters which cannot be precisely controlled
and reproduced like atmospheric pressure, contact surface and
pressure in the suction holding device, elastic forces produced by
the deformation of the upper substrate as well as the decreasing
pressure between the substrates the step is not precisely
controllable, in particular with respect to its timing. This makes
reliable execution of the bonding step with defined and short cycle
times difficult to achieve. It is, moreover, difficult to keep the
space between the substrates reliably sealed and its evacuation
through one of the central openings requires a complex
apparatus.
[0015] DE 100 08 111 A1 shows a somewhat similar bonding method
where the upper and lower substrates are placed in a small vacuum
chamber and attached to its top and bottom, respectively, by
suction holding devices. The upper surface of the lower substrate
is covered with hot melt. As soon as the chamber is sufficiently
evacuated, the substrates are forced towards each other by a
feeding of compressed air to both suction devices. Contact between
them is first established at the center portions and spreads from
there to the outer edges as both substrates are initially deformed
by the impact of the compressed air. With this method the motions
of the substrates and, as a consequence, their relative positions
cannot be precisely controlled which may lead to defects of the
finished product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] It is the object of the invention to provide a method where
the joining of the substrates takes place in a controlled manner,
where variations of the thickness of the adhesive layer is small
and gas inclusions between the substrates are virtually absent.
[0017] These objects are achieved by the features of claim 1. The
method according to the invention allows a precisely controlled
bonding step with short cycle time and high and constant quality of
the output.
[0018] It is a further object of the invention to provide an
apparatus which is suitable for carrying out the method according
to the invention. This object is achieved by the features of claim
10. The apparatus according to the invention is simple, unexpensive
and reliable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] In the following the invention is described in more detail
with reference to drawings referring to an embodiment of the
invention where
[0020] FIG. 1a is an axial section of an apparatus for carrying out
the method according to the invention,
[0021] FIG. 1b is a horizontal section along B-B in FIG. 1a of the
apparatus and
[0022] FIG. 2a-f schematically show axial sections through the
apparatus and substrates during various stages of the method
according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The apparatus comprises a cylindrical vacuum chamber with a
base plate 1, a circumferential side wall 2 and a removable cover
3. Holes 4 which are connected via a suction line 5 to a suction
pump (not shown) are distributed over the inside surface of the
latter so the cover 3 can serve as a suction holding device. The
base plate 1 carries a support 6, a web concentric with the side
wall 2 whose annulus-shaped plane upward-facing support surface 7
is slightly slanted (to the right in FIG. 1a), defining a plane
which encloses an angle of between 1.degree. and 3.degree.,
preferably about 2.degree. with the inside of the cover 3. From the
bottom of the vacuum chamber, i.e. through the base plate 1 an
evacuation line 8 leads to a vacuum pump (not shown). A central
support pin 9 is extendable through the base plate 1. Its position
can vary between a lower limit position where its tip lies below
the support surface 7 and an upper limit position where the tip
touches or nearly touches the cover 3. At a position just below the
tip support pin 9 carries several (e.g., four) balls 10
accommodated in borings distributed over its circumference. The
balls 10 can be radially extended and retracted behind the surface
of the support pin 9. Support pins of this type, complete with
actuators, are used in portable CD players and are therefore well
known.
[0024] The process according to the invention may, as illustrated
in FIGS. 2a-f, be carried out as follows:
[0025] In a first step of the method according to the invention a
first disk-shaped substrate 11a made, e.g., from a transparent
polycarbonate and containing a data-carrying metal layer, is
provided whose upward-facing bonding surface 12a has previously
been spin-coated with an, e.g., UV-curable, adhesive. The first
substrate 11a is then deposed on the support 6 in the open vacuum
chamber as a lower substrate, with an annulus-shaped part of its
back surface 13a which is adjacent to its outer edge resting
against the support surface 7. A second substrate 11b which may
have the same general structure as the first substrate 11a is
disposed as an upper substrate on the cover 3 where it is held by
suction, i.e. with a back surface 13b against the inside of the
cover 3, in a position above the first substrate 11a and
essentially parallel to the same, apart from the small slant angle.
Its downward-facing surface forms a second bonding surface 12b.
Then the vacuum chamber is closed (FIG. 2a).
[0026] In a second step, support pin 9 is extended through central
openings 14a, 14b of the substrates 11a, 11b and assumes an upper
limit position where its tip is close to the cover 3. Then balls 10
are extended radially outward and the suction holding device which
is integrated in cover 3 deactivated. The second substrate 11b is
then supported by the balls 10, with a part of the second bonding
surface 12b immediately adjacent the central opening 14b resting
against the same. At the same time, evacuation of the vacuum
chamber through evacuation line 8 begins (FIG. 2b).
[0027] During the evacuation process which takes approximately
2,700 ms the support pin 9 is being retracted. After about 2,1650
ms the balls 10 touch the first substrate 11a, acting as a
mechanical stop means against parts of the first bonding surface
12a immediately adjacent to the central opening 14a. The support
pin 9 is retracted by approximately another 2 mm whereby a force
directed away from the second substrate 11b is exerted on the first
substrate 11a at its center. It is thereby slightly elastically
deformed, with the first bonding surface 12a assuming a concave
shape where its center is about 2 mm below its circumference as the
latter is kept in essentially its previous position by the support
surface 7 acting as a mechanical stop means against the back
surface 13a close to its circumference (FIG. 2c) and exerting a
force directed towards the second substrate 11b on the first
substrate 11a. The second bonding surface 12b touches the first
bonding surface 12a at a small contact area on the left in FIG. 2c
at the circumferences of the first bonding surface 12a and the
second bonding surface 12b. At the same time, the pressure in the
vacuum chamber has reached a set value of, e.g., 1 mbar.
[0028] Now, 2,700 ms after the beginning of the evacuation process,
the balls 10 are retracted. The released first substrate 11a snaps
back to its unstressed plane configuration. As a consequence, the
contact area quickly extends to a narrow annulus adjacent to the
outer edge of the first bonding surface 12a and the second bonding
surface 12b and then spreads radially inwards to the edges of
central openings 14a,b. In this way, the contact area where the
substrates are bonded spreads from a small contact area to the
complete first bonding surface 12a and second bonding surface 12b
without ever enclosing a not-yet-bonded part of the bonding
surfaces (FIG. 2d). The boundary of the contact area forms a
joining front which shifts continuously to the boundaries of the
bonding surfaces. Entrapment of gas between the latter is therefore
reliably avoided.
[0029] After retraction of the support pin 9 by a short distance
the balls 10 are again radially extended (FIG. 2e). The support pin
9 is then extended, the balls 10 lifting the joined substrates 11a,
11b from the support 6 and up to the cover 3 which takes about 180
ms and then pressing them against the same (FIG. 2f), thereby
completing the bonding between the first substrate 11a and the
second substrate 11b to form a disk 15. After another 120 ms the
vacuum is broken and the pressure quickly rises to atmospheric
pressure and supports the compressing of the disk. The suction
device is activated and holds the disk 15 to the cover 3. Then the
vacuum chamber is opened and the disk 15 removed.
[0030] Due to the small volume of the vacuum chamber which narrowly
encloses the substrates and with the sequence of steps as described
above where the evacuation of the chamber is carried out in
parallel with the mechanical manipulations of the substrates
leading up to their joining, the bonding process takes only a few
seconds altogether which is not only advantageous from an economic
point of view but also virtually precludes outgassing of the
adhesive under vacuum conditions.
[0031] It is obvious for those skilled in the art that the method
and apparatus described above can be modified in many ways without
departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the
substrates may consist of any suitable material and the first
substrate may contain two data-carrying layers. The adhesive can be
of the hot melt or two package type. It can be spread on the second
bonding surface instead of on the first or applied to both. The
central mechanical stop means can have different, e.g., wedge-like
shapes and the circumferential mechanical stop-means can be
interrupted by gaps. Moreover, instead of central and
circumferential mechanical stop means mechanical friction means
which act on the edge of the central opening or the circumferential
edge, respectively, can be employed.
[0032] The support surface need not be slanted. The contact area
will in this case be a narrow annulus adjacent to the
circumferences of the bonding surfaces unless there is a slight
warp in one of the substrates or in both in which case the contact
area may be restricted to a subset of the said annulus.
[0033] More far-reaching deviations from the embodiment described
above are also possible. E.g., the first substrate may be bended in
different ways by appropriately modified mechanical means, for
instance in such a way that the first bonding surface assumes a
convex shape in which case the contact area will be an annulus
adjacent the central openings or some subset thereof. Also, the
schedule of the process as well as other parameters thereof may
differ.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
[0034] 1 base plate [0035] 2 side wall [0036] 3 cover [0037] 4
holes [0038] 5 suction line [0039] 6 support [0040] 7 support
surface [0041] 8 evacuation line [0042] 9 support pin [0043] 10
balls [0044] 11a,b first and second substrates [0045] 12a,b first
and second bonding surfaces [0046] 13a,b back surfaces [0047] 14a,b
central openings [0048] 15 disk
* * * * *