METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING BRITTLE INORGANIC MATERIAL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and apparatus for processing a brittle inorganic material which carry out the fine groove processing of a complex plane pattern comprising optional straight lines and curves by using an inexpensive ultra-hard ball end mill for a cut material substrate of a brittle material such as glass and are high in quality and excellent in efficiency and economical properties. SOLUTION: The method and apparatus for processing the brittle inorganic material rotate the ultra-hard ball end mill 1 having cutting blade roundness and a helix angle and cut a groove at least 1 μm in depth by incision of one time without damage in the cut material substrate comprising a vitreous inorganic material and a brittle inorganic material. The rotary shaft of the ball end mill, in relation to the processing side surface of the cut material substrate, always the ball end mill on the processing sending direction side along the groove of the plane pattern comprising the optional straight lines and the curves of the cut material substrate, simultaneously cooperation-controls the movement of the cut material substrate and the movement of the ball end mill to have a prescribed inclination angle to move at least the cut material substrate in the uniaxial direction. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT