# US 12,180,109 B2 · Method for manufacturing glass sheet, and glass sheet and glass sheet assembly

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- Number: US 12,180,109 B2
- Document ID: US12180109B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/602,473
- Filed: 2020-04-03
- Published: 2022-06-30
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-23
- Assignees: Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Takayuki Noda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12180109B2

## CPC

- C03C 15/00: Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by etching (etching or surface-brightening compositions, in general C09K13/00)
- B23K 26/0622: by shaping pulses
- B23K 26/402: involving non-metallic material, e.g. isolators
- B23K 26/53: for modifying or reforming the material inside the workpiece, e.g. for producing break initiation cracks
- C03C 23/0025: {by a laser beam}
- B23K 2103/54: {Glass}
- C03C: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

## Abstract

Provided is a method of manufacturing a glass sheet having a through hole, including: a first step of preparing a glass sheet (1); and a second step of forming a through hole (2) in the glass sheet (1), wherein the first step includes, under conditions of: θ representing an inclination angle of an inner wall surface (2a) of the through hole (2) with respect to a sheet thickness direction; D representing a minimum hole width of the through hole (2); and an allowable variation range of the minimum hole width D being represented by A % of the minimum hole width D, preparing the glass sheet (1) for which a sheet thickness variation range ΔT satisfies the following relationship when the through hole (2) is gradually widened toward only one side of the sheet thickness direction: ΔT≤(D×A/tan θ)/200.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a glass sheet having a through hole, the method comprising:
a first step of preparing a glass sheet; and
a second step of forming, in the glass sheet, a through hole gradually widened toward at least one side of a sheet thickness direction,
wherein the first step comprises:
preparing a glass sheet for which a sheet thickness variation range ΔT of the glass sheet satisfies the following relationship when the through hole in the second step is gradually widened toward only one side of the sheet thickness direction:
ΔT≤(D×A/tan θ)/200, or
preparing a glass sheet for which the sheet thickness variation range ΔT of the glass sheet satisfies the following relationship when the through hole in the second step is gradually widened from a middle portion in the sheet thickness direction toward both of one side and another side of the sheet thickness direction:
ΔT≤(D×A/tan θ)/100
provided that θ represents an inclination angle of an inner wall surface of the through hole with respect to the sheet thickness direction; D represents a minimum hole width of the through hole; and an allowable variation range of the minimum hole width D is represented by A % of the minimum hole width D.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the second step comprises forming a plurality of the through holes identical to each other in size and shape in the glass sheet for which the sheet thickness variation range ΔT satisfies any one of the relationships.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first step comprises preparing a plurality of glass sheets for each of which the sheet thickness variation range ΔT satisfies any one of the relationships.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the second step comprises forming the through hole through laser irradiation treatment for a principal surface of the glass sheet, and etching treatment for the glass sheet after the laser irradiation treatment.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 4, wherein the forming of the through hole is performed by forming an irradiation-treated region in the glass sheet through the laser irradiation treatment, and removing the irradiation-treated region through the etching treatment.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 4, wherein the laser irradiation treatment comprises irradiating, with a laser, a plurality of mutually separated points on an imaginary line corresponding to a contour line of an opening of the through hole on the principal surface of the glass sheet.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 4, wherein the etching treatment for the glass sheet for forming the through hole gradually widened toward only the one side of the sheet thickness direction comprises placing a mask only on the principal surface of the glass sheet on one side.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein a sheet thickness T0 of the glass sheet is from 30 μm to 1,300 μm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle θ of the inner wall surface of the through hole with respect to the sheet thickness direction is from 2° to 45°.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the minimum hole width D of the through hole is from 5 μm to 200 μm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the allowable variation range A of the minimum hole width D is from 2% to 40% of the minimum hole width D.

### Claim 12

A glass sheet for forming a through hole gradually widened toward at least one side of a sheet thickness direction, the through hole having an inclination angle α of an inner wall surface thereof with respect to a sheet thickness direction of from 2° to 45° and a minimum hole width “d” of from 5 μm to 200 μm,
wherein, under conditions of: a sheet thickness t0 being from 30 μm to 1,300 μm; an allowable variation range of the minimum hole width “d” being represented by a % of the minimum hole width “d”; and “a” being from 2% to 40%,
when the through hole is gradually widened toward only one side of the sheet thickness direction, a sheet thickness variation range Δt satisfies the following relationship:
Δt≤(d×a/tan α)/200, or
when the through hole is gradually widened from a middle portion in the sheet thickness direction toward both of one side and another side of the sheet thickness direction, the sheet thickness variation range Δt satisfies the following relationship:
Δt≤(d×a/tan α)/100.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

A glass sheet assembly, which is an assembly of a plurality of glass sheets for each of which the sheet thickness variation range Δt of claim 12 satisfies any one of the relationships.