Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-28
2001-05-15
Aftergut, Jeff H. (Department: 1733)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S295000, C156S556000, C156S566000, C156S571000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231706
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing optical disks and more particularly, to a method for manufacturing optical disks of a bonded type to be utilized for DVDs, etc. and an apparatus used in the method.
BACKGROUND ART
There is a known technique to obtain optical disks for DVD by bonding a plurality of substrates having recording layers to each other thereby to achieve multilayer recording
The Applicant has proposed a method and an apparatus for bonding of optical disks in a technique described in the International Publication No. WO 97/35720.
In the disclosed technique, a pair of substrates are held to confront each other via a relatively narrow interval. An adhesive discharge nozzle is inserted into the interval of the substrates. While the adhesive is injected out through the discharge nozzle, the pair of substrates are rotated in a planar direction (rotated around a center axis of the substrates) to thereby arrange the adhesive annularly in the interval. The interval of the substrates is reduced then and at the same time, the substrates are further rotated. In consequence, the annularly injected adhesive is spread in a radial direction to thereby fill the interval with a thin adhesive layer. The pair of substrates is bonded via the adhesive layer when the adhesive layer is set through the projection of ultraviolet rays. An optical disk is obtained in this manner.
According to the above-discussed method, the adhesive arranged annularly in the interval of the substrates is expanded in the radial direction while being kept in contact with the substrates, so that the thin adhesive layer of a correct thickness can be formed efficiently. Moreover, the method is advantageous in that air bubbles or gaps are difficult to bring about between the adhesive layer and the substrate, excessive use of the adhesive is eliminated, etc.
However, the above method has disadvantages as well. Specifically, the method needs the arrangement of the substrates in an apparatus that can apply or feed the adhesive while the pair of substrates is held with respective bond faces opposed to each other. It is additionally required in the method to send a pair of substrates holding the adhesive layer therebetween to a setting apparatus in order to set the adhesive and to handle the substrates efficiently and correctly to prevent bad influences upon the processing accuracy of the optical disks.
For instance, since substrates of each pair are manufactured or prepared separately due to a difference in material and structure of recording layers, it is troublesome to correctly combine the plurality of kinds of substrates and feed them to a predetermined position. Even after the adhesive layer is formed at the interval of the substrates, there is a possibility that the substrates and adhesive layer will be moved or deformed before the adhesive layer is set. The substrates and adhesive layer should be treated to avoid such inconveniences, which is a difficult task.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing optical disks which handles substrates correctly and efficiently to thereby obtain optical disks of high quality and high performance in the above-described technique of manufacturing optical disks.
In accomplishing these and other aspects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing optical disks by bonding each pair of substrates via an adhesive, which comprises processes of:
(a) aligning substrates to be paired in an alternating row of a plurality of paired substrates with respective bond faces thereof facing in one direction;
(b) turning over one substrate of each pair of substrates adjacent to each other in the aligned row and holding the one and the other substrates of the pair with respective bonding faces facing each other;
(c) supplying the pair to a bonding position while holding the pair in a state facing each other;
(d) feeding an adhesive into an interval of the substrates held confronting each other at the bonding position, reducing the interval and spreading the adhesive in a radial direction while rotating the substrates around a center axis of the substrates, to thereby form an adhesive layer between the substrates;
(e) supporting from below a lower substrate of the pair of substrates confronting each other via the adhesive layer, and sending the substrates from the bond position to a setting position;
(f) setting the adhesive layer at the set position to unite the substrates in one body, thereby obtaining an optical disk; and
(g) removing the optical disk from the setting position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing optical disks according to claim
1
, wherein the process (a) includes processes of:
(a-1) sequentially piling and accumulating only substrates of the same kind among the pairs; and
(a-2) alternately taking out the accumulated substrates and aligning them with respective bonding faces facing in the one direction.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing optical disks according to the first or second aspect, wherein in the process (b) the one substrate is a leading substrate of the aligned row and the other substrate is a substrate next to the leading substrate of the aligned row.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing optical disks according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the adhesive is fed annularly in the process (d).
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing optical disks according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, which further includes, between the process (d) and (e), a process (d+) of rotating the substrates holding the adhesive layer therebetween in the planar direction to thereby adjust a thickness of the adhesive layer.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing optical disks according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, which further includes, after the process (g), a process (h) of inspecting the optical disk.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing optical disks by bonding substrates in pairs via an adhesive, which comprises:
an alignment transfer device for aligning and transferring substrates to be paired with respective bonding faces facing in one direction;
a turn-over holding device which turns over one substrate of each pair of substrates adjacent to each other at the alignment transfer device and holds the one and the other substrates of the pair in a state with respective bonding faces facing each other;
a bonding device;
a substrate feed device for feeding the pair of substrates to the bonding device while holding the pair in the state facing each other;
the bonding device including a substrate holding device which holds the pair of substrates fed from the feed device in a state facing each other, can change an interval of the substrates and rotate the substrates in a planar direction, and an adhesive discharge device which can freely move toward and away from the interval of the substrates from beside the substrates held by the substrate holding device and discharge the adhesive;
a setting device;
a pre-setting transfer device prior to setting which supports from below a lower substrate of the pair of substrates piled via the adhesive at the bonding device and transfers the pair from the bonding device to the setting device;
the setting device setting the adhesive between the substrates transferred by the transfer device to thereby obtain an optical disk of the united substrates; and
a take-out device for removing the optical disk from the setting device.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing optical disks according to th
Higaki Norihide
Kanashima Keinosuke
Kida Katsuhiro
Tsutsumi Hideki
Aftergut Jeff H.
Haran John T.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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