Breaking apparatus and breaking method

Abstract

 A substrate is held on a table 22, and the substrate is caused to project beyond a lateral side of the table 22 and is positioned by a positioning section 30. Then, that part of the substrate 23 which is located on the table is locked in place by a clamping section 40. Subsequently the substrate is broken along a scribing line, with its projecting part kept pressed from above, by using a breaking unit 50. In this way, a substrate of even smaller size can be precisely broken with ease under uniform application of pressure.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a breaking apparatus and a breaking method for use particularly in cutting of substrates made of a brittle material including a low-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate and a high-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

[0002] A low-temperature co-fired ceramic (hereafter referred to as "LTCC") substrate is constructed by performing conductor wiring on sheets obtained by mixing an aggregate of alumina and a glass material thereby to form a multilayer film, followed by firing the multilayer film at a temperature as low as approximately 800 ºC. In the design of a LTCC substrate, a multiplicity of functional areas are simultaneously formed in a lattice pattern on a single mother board, and the functional areas are separated from one another for use on an individual basis. As presented in Patent Document 1, heretofore it has been customary to achieve LTCC substrate fragmentation by hand operation using a scriber adapted for ceramic processing for scribing operation. As another conventional way of LTCC substrate fragmentation, mechanical cutting using a cutting tool has also been adopted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] However, the conventional fragmentation method based on mechanical cutting not only requires much time to complete cutting but also poses difficulty in performing cutting with precision, and, what is more, it has drawbacks such as the production of dust particles during cutting and the necessity to secure a certain space area between small substrate segments on a mother board for the sake of cutting.

[0004] Meanwhile, regarding LTCC substrate making, in the case where a mother board is scribed along desired cutting lines with precision, the mother board can be divided into pieces along the scribing lines.

[0005] However, in order to break a LTCC substrate or the like by hand operation following the formation of scribing lines, a certain limitation has to be placed on substrate geometry. For example, in the case of obtaining substrate segments having a size of greater than 5 millimeter square, a scribed LTCC substrate or the like can be broken successfully by hand operation. However, if the size is even smaller, it will be difficult for the substrate to break under uniform application of pressure. Breaking of the substrate by force leads to the disadvantage of causing resultant products to be susceptible to chipping.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a breaking apparatus and a breaking method capable of easy breaking of a substrate following the formation of scribing lines.

[0007] A breaking apparatus of the present invention comprises: a table on which is emplaced a substrate to be cut preformed with scribing lines, an end of which serves as a breaking line; a clamping unit for holding the substrate emplaced on the table under a condition where a scribing line of the substrate is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line at the end of the table by only an amount of T1 (>= 0); and a breaking unit disposed at a lateral side of the table so as to be freely movable with respect to a plane of the table, for breaking the substrate while pressing the end of the substrate projecting beyond the table.

[0008] The breaking apparatus may further comprises: a monitoring means for recognizing a location of the substrate projecting beyond the end of the table.

[0009] In the breaking apparatus, the breaking unit may be designed to move a breaking portion upward and downward under a condition where an end of the breaking unit is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line of the table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

[0010] In the breaking apparatus, the breaking unit may be designed to turn a breaking portion under a condition where an end of the breaking unit is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line of the table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

[0011] A breaking method of the present invention comprises: a step of emplacing a substrate to be cut preformed with scribing lines on a table whose end serves as a breaking line; a step of holding the substrate emplaced on the table under a condition where a scribing line of the substrate is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line at the end of the table by only an amount of T1 (>= 0); and a step of breaking the substrate while pressing the end of the substrate projecting beyond the table.

[0012] In the breaking step of the breaking method, the breaking portion may be moved upward and downward under a condition where an end of a breaking portion is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line of the table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

[0013] In the breaking step of the breaking method, the breaking portion may be turned under a condition where an end of a breaking portion is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line of the table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

[0014] Substrates to which the present invention is applicable include various substrates made of brittle materials such as a low-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate and a high-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate except glass.

[0015] According to the present invention having such a characteristic, it is possible to break a substrate along scribing lines under uniform application of force while effecting positioning for each scribing line on an individual basis. Accordingly, a brittle material-made substrate can be divided into pieces along scribing lines regardless of substrate geometry. The present invention is therefore effective especially in the case of handling a small-size substrate and the case of obtaining a product of a small size of 5 mm or below by substrate fragmentation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] 

Figure 1 is a plan view of a breaking apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the breaking apparatus of the embodiment.

Figure 3 is a partial lateral view showing various configurations of a table adopted in the embodiment.

Figure 4A is a diagram indicating the relationship in position among an end of the table, a substrate, and a breaking unit.

Figure 4B is a diagram indicating the relationship in position among the end of the table, the substrate, and the breaking unit.

Figure 5A is a diagram indicating the relationship in position among the end of the table, the substrate, and the breaking unit.

Figure 5B is a diagram indicating the relationship in position among the end of the table, the substrate, and the breaking unit.

Figure 5C is a diagram indicating the relationship in position among the end of the table, the substrate, and the breaking unit.

Figure 6A is a diagram showing another example of the breaking unit.

Figure 6B is a diagram showing another example of a movement of the breaking unit.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the breaking apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a front view of the breaking apparatus of the embodiment.

Figure 9 is a right-hand lateral view of the breaking apparatus of the embodiment.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide and a breaking plate of the embodiment.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a retaining block and a substrate retainer of the embodiment.

Figure 12 is a diagram indicating the relationship in position among the end of the table, the substrate, a positioning stopper for substrate, and the breaking unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Now, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of a breaking apparatus in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. As shown in these figures, the breaking apparatus 10 is composed of a base section 20, a positioning section 30, a clamping unit 40, a breaking unit 50, and a monitoring section 60.

[0018] In the base section 20, a table 22 is held on a base 21, and the breaking unit 50 is held at the left side of the table 22. For the convenience of explanation, in this specification, the side toward the breaking unit with respect to the table will be defined as the left (the opposite is the right) and the side toward the table with respect to the breaking unit will be defined as the right (the opposite is the left). The positioning section 30 and the clamping unit 40 are held at the right-hand end and the left-hand end, respectively, of the table 22. Although a substrate 23 made of a brittle material such as a LTCC substrate is emplaced on the table 22, in Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a condition as seen before the emplacement of a substrate. The table 22 has a centrally located feeding groove 24 extending along an X axis direction (right-left direction).

[0019] The positioning section 30 feeds the substrate 23 in the X axis direction while abutting on the right-hand end thereof, and changes the angle at which the substrate 23 is set as viewed on an XY plane so as to achieve positioning of the substrate 23. The positioning section 30 includes a slider 31 which is free to move along the feeding groove 24 formed centrally of the table 22, and a locking portion 32. As shown in Fig. 1, the slider 31 is capable of angle variation for adaptability to substrates of different shapes.

[0020] The clamping unit 40 acts to hold the substrate 23 to be cut, with an end of the substrate 23 projecting beyond the left-hand end of the table 22, and is provided with a retaining bar 41 and a retaining lever 42. The retaining bar 41 of the clamping unit 40, which is a long member whose length is larger than the width of the table 22 in a Y axis direction, is held so as to be free to move up and down slightly in parallel with the XY plane. The retaining lever 42 is a lever for moving the retaining bar 41 up and down. When a user moves the retaining lever 42 downward following the positioning of the substrate 23, then the left-hand end of the substrate 23 is pressed from above to be locked in place by the retaining bar 41.

[0021] The breaking unit 50 acts to break the substrate 23 projecting beyond the table 22. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the breaking unit 50, a breaking portion 51 is retained by a spring 52 for free up-and-down movement by only a very short distance in a Z axis direction. The user is able to move the breaking portion 51 up and down by operating a lever 53. The right-hand end of the breaking portion 51 has a wedge-shaped lateral face. The position of the breaking portion 51 in the X axis direction can be slightly changed by an adjustment knob 54. Moreover, the position of the breaking portion 51 in the X axis direction can be indicated by a gage 55.

[0022] Further, as shown in Fig. 2, disposed above the table 22 is the monitoring section 60 for recognizing conditions of the end of the substrate on the table 22. The monitoring section 60 includes a CCD camera 61 which can be freely moved in the Y axis direction by a sliding mechanism 62. The CCD camera 61 takes an image of the location of the substrate at the end of the table 22, and the thereby obtained image is displayed by a non-illustrated monitor for user's understanding.

[0023] Next, a description will be given below as to operations for cutting a substrate preformed with a multiplicity of parallel scribing lines SL by using the said breaking apparatus. At first, the substrate 23 is placed on the table 22, and an end (the left-hand end) of the slider 31 is brought into contact with the right-hand end of the substrate 23. Then, a scribing line formed on the substrate 23 is aligned with the left-hand end of the table 22. The positional relation will hereafter be described in detail. At this time, the position of the left-hand lateral face of the substrate and/or the position of the scribing line SL is confirmed by the CCD camera 61 of the monitoring section 60.

[0024] Under this condition, the right-hand end face of the substrate 23 is locked in place by the locking portion 32 of the positioning section 30.
Then, the breaking unit 50 is brought close to the left-hand end face of the table 22 and is locked in a predetermined position. Moreover, the substrate 23 is locked in place, with its left-hand end kept pressed from above by the retaining bar 41 of the clamping unit 40. Instead of adopting such a locking method, it is possible to hold the substrate in place from below the table 22 by means of vacuum suction. Subsequently, the breaking portion 51 is pressed down by turning the cutting lever 53 of the breaking unit 50. In this way, the substrate 23 can be broken along the scribing line. Next, the locking of the substrate 23 is released. Then, the locking of the slider 31 is released so that it can be moved along the groove 24 of the table 22 toward a next scribing line, and similar operations will be repeated.

[0025] Next, the configuration of an end of the table 22 and the relationship among the table, the breaking unit, and the substrate will be described. Fig. 3 is a lateral view showing various configurations of the left-hand end of the table 22 at which is held the substrate 23. To begin with, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the end of the table 22 may be rectangular parallelepiped-shaped. In this case, a ridge of the table 22 constitutes a breaking line BL1. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the table 22 may have a notch formed at its end so as to define a bevel-shaped section. In this case, a ridge which the top surface of the table 22 forms with the bevel constitutes a breaking line BL2. Further, as shown in Fig. 3(c), the end of the table 22 may be curved. In this case, a starting point of the curved line constitutes a breaking line BL3. The breaking lines BL1 to BL3 are lines that extend in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane while passing through the points shown in Figs. 3(a) to 3(c), respectively.

[0026] Next, the relation between the substrate 23 and the breaking unit 50 in the case where the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped table 22 shown in Fig. 3(a) is used will be described. At first, as shown in Fig. 4, a scribing line SL formed on the top surface of the substrate 23 may be brought into coincidence with the breaking line BL1 in the Z axis direction (the lines are parallely arranged on the same plane, viz., a YZ plane). At this time, the right-hand end of the breaking portion 51 to be pressed down from above may be brought into coincidence with the breaking line BL1 on the Z axis (the end and the line are parallely arranged on the same plane, viz., the YZ plane) as shown in Fig. 4A, or may be located outside the breaking line BL1 (on the left side of the breaking line BL1) as shown in Fig. 4B. This location needs to be ascertained by the CCD camera 61 of the monitoring section 60. In either case, by pressing the breaking portion 51 in a negative Z axis direction, or equivalently in a downward direction, the substrate can be broken along the scribe line SL.

[0027] Moreover, as shown in Fig. 5, the substrate 23 may be locked in place, with its scribing line SL located on the left of the breaking line BL1 of the table 22; that is, located so as to project outwardly of the breaking line BL1. In this case, as shown in Fig. 5A, the end of the breaking portion 51 may be aligned with the breaking line BL1. Also, the right-hand end of the breaking portion 51 may be aligned with the scribing line SL as shown in Fig. 5B, or may be located outside the scribing line SL (located on the left of the scribing line SL) as shown in Fig. 5C. This location needs to be ascertained by the CCD camera 61 of the monitoring section 60. In either case, by pressing the breaking unit 50 downward, it is possible to break the substrate 23 along the scribe line SL.

[0028] More generally, as shown in Fig. 5C, when it is assumed that a distance between the breaking line BL and the scribing line SL in the X axis direction is T1 and that a distance between the breaking line BL and the breaking unit 50 in the X axis direction is T2, then the following conditions will be considered:

(1) T1 = T2 = 0

(2) T1 > T2 >= 0

(3) T2 > T1 >= 0

(4) T2 = T1 > 0.

[0029] Note that Fig. 4A corresponds to the condition (1), Fig. 4B corresponds to the condition (3), and Figs. 5A, 5B, and 5C correspond to the conditions (2), (4), and (3), respectively. In the case where the table 22 takes on the shape shown in Fig. 3(b) or the shape shown in Fig. 3(c), when it is assumed that a distance between the breaking line BL2, BL3 and the left-hand end of the table 22 is ΔT, then the distance T2 has to be greater than or equal to ΔT.

[0030] It is noted that, in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4A to 5C, the breaking portion 51 of the breaking unit 50 has its lower surface made parallel to the substrate 23, and the top surface of the substrate 23 is pressed downward by the lower surface of the breaking portion. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 6A, in the case of using a breaking unit having a slanting surface, more specifically a surface which is not parallel to a plane of the substrate 23 but is inclined rightward in an upward direction, the top surface of the substrate 23 may be pressed down in the Z axis direction by the slanting surface. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 6B, the left-hand end of the substrate 23 may be pressed down by turning the breaking portion 51 whose lower surface is parallel to the substrate 23 in a direction as indicated by an arrow in the figure. In either case, the substrate can be broken along the scribing line SL.

[0031] Next, the breaking apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of the breaking apparatus 100 of this embodiment. Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are a front view and a right-hand lateral view, respectively, of the breaking apparatus 100. Like the preceding embodiment, the breaking apparatus 100 of this embodiment is composed of a base section 110, a breaking unit 120, a positioning section 130, a clamping unit 140, and a monitoring section 160. In this embodiment, in the base section 110, a stage base plate 112 is held on a base plate 111. The stage base plate 112 supports a table 113 located above it with four columns 114. The stage base plate 112 is designed to be movable in the X axis direction by only a very short distance on the base plate 111. The stage base plate 112 is set in a desired position by a stage movement adjusting screw 116 attached to a bracket 115, and is whereafter fastened to the base plate 111 by a bolt. As shown in Fig. 7, the table 113 has a substrate guide 117 formed along one of the lateral faces thereof. The substrate guide 117 keeps a position of a substrate to be cut in the Y axis direction by forcing itself against a lateral face of the substrate.

[0032] The breaking unit 120 acts to break the substrate 23 projecting beyond the table 113. In this embodiment, a support shaft 122a including a coil spring 121a and a support shaft 122b including a coil spring 121b are vertically implanted on the base plate 111. The breaking unit 120 has a supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123 and a breaking plate 124 that are held by the support shaft 122a, 122b so as to be free to move up and down within certain limits in parallel with the XY plane. As shown in perspective in Fig. 10, the supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123 is a flat-plate member having rectangular holding portions 123a and 123b formed at its right-hand part and left-hand part, respectively, for holding a positioning-stopper slider, which will hereafter be described, for free sliding movement in the X axis direction while guiding it at the side walls of the holding portions. Moreover, disposed above the supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123 is the breaking plate 124 having a flat-plate shape, which is fixed integrally to the supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123 by a bolt. The supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123 and the breaking plate 124 are free to move only in the Z axis direction (top-bottom direction) by a very short distance. In the breaking plate 124 for breaking the substrate 23, its right-hand lateral face opposed to the left-hand end face of the table 113 is designed as an upwardly inclined surface. Moreover, one end of a cutting lever 125 is coupled to the upper part of the support shaft 122a by a pin for free turning movement. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the cutting lever 125 is disposed in parallel with the Y axis direction, with its substantially centrally located roller 126 abutting on the breaking plate 124. Note that, in Fig. 7, the diagrammatical representation of the cutting lever is omitted.

[0033] Next, the positioning section 130 will be described. The positioning section 130 includes the positioning-stopper slider 131 and a positioning stopper for substrate 132 as shown in Fig. 10. The positioning-stopper slider 131 and the positioning stopper for substrate 132 are integrally fixed to each other by a bolt, assuming the shape of the letter "T" as a whole. The longitudinal right-hand lateral face of the positioning stopper for substrate 132 is a surface to be contacted by the substrate 23. The positioning-stopper slider 131 is held for free sliding movement only in the X axis direction while being guided by the side walls of a pair of the holding portions 123a and 123b placed on the supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123. At the lateral side of the supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, there are arranged a positioning-stopper adjustment screw plate 133 and an adjustment screw 134. The adjustment screw 134 allows the positioning-stopper slider 131 to move in the X axis direction. Moreover, the location in the X axis direction can be ascertained by means of a gage 135 in this construction.

[0034] Next, the clamping unit 140 acts to hold the substrate 23 to be cut, with an end of the substrate 23 projecting beyond the table 113. The clamping unit 140 is constructed of a retaining block 141 and a substrate retainer 142 attached to the breaking unit 120. As shown in perspective in Fig. 11, the retaining block 141 is composed of a block portion 141a formed by bending a flat plate into the shape of the letter "L" and a fixed portion 141b. The fixed portion 141b is fixed to the right-hand upper surface of the breaking plate 124 by two bolts. The substrate retainer 142 is a slim, flat plate-shaped member disposed at an end of the table along the Y axis direction. The retaining block 141 holds the substrate retainer 142 for free up-and-down movement by means of retaining shafts 143 and springs 144.
Therefore, by pressing the cutting lever 125 downward, the breaking plate 124, the positioning section 130, and the clamping unit 14 can be unitarily moved up and down. Moreover, on the base plate 111 is disposed a substrate tray 150 for holding cut pieces of the substrate.

[0035] Moreover, as shown in Fig. 8, disposed above the table 113 is the monitoring section 160 for recognizing conditions of the left-hand end of the substrate placed on the table 113. The monitoring section 160 includes a CCD camera 161 which can be freely moved in the Y axis direction by a sliding mechanism 162. The CCD camera 161 takes an image of the location of the substrate at the left-hand end of the table 113, and the thereby obtained image is displayed by a non-illustrated monitor for user's understanding.
Note that, in Figs. 7 and 8, the diagrammatical representation of the monitoring section 160 is omitted.

[0036] Next, referring to Fig. 12, operations for cutting a substrate preformed with a multiplicity of parallel scribing lines SL by means of the breaking apparatus will be described. In the breaking apparatus 100 of the second embodiment, the breaking plate 124 is not allowed to move in the X axis direction, whereas the table 113 and the positioning stopper for substrate 132 can be moved in the X axis direction. At first, the position of the table 113 in the X axis direction is set by the adjusting screw 116 to determine a distance T2 between the breaking line BL1 and the end of the breaking plate 124. Then, the positioning of the positioning stopper for substrate 132 in the X axis direction is effected. That is, by turning the adjustment screw 134, the positioning-stopper slider 131 and the positioning stopper for substrate 132 are allowed to move by a very short distance in a - X axis direction on the supporting plate for positioning-stopper slide 123, thereby determining a distance T3. At this time, the distance between the end of the table 113 and the substrate can be ascertained by using the gage 135. Just like the first embodiment, given the distance between the end of the table and the scribing line located as if to project beyond the table of T1, then the following formula holds:


wherein P represents the X axis direction-wise pitch of the scribing lines formed along the Y axis direction.

[0037] Then, the substrate 23 is emplaced on the table 113, with its Y axis direction-wise end pressed against the substrate guide 117. Moreover, the left-hand end of the substrate 23 is brought into abutment with the right-hand end of the positioning stopper for substrate 132. In this state, the substrate 23 is held firmly in position by user's hands, and is broken by pressing the cutting lever 125 down. At this time, during the pressing-down action, the substrate retainer 142 abuts along Y axis direction-wise one side (left edge) of the substrate 23. Then, the cutting lever 125 is pressed further downward to compress the springs 121a and 121b, with consequent application of strong pressure to the end of the substrate 23. In this way, the substrate 23 can be held in place. Meanwhile, since the breaking plate 124 is pressed further downward, it is possible to break the substrate 23 along the scribing line. Cut pieces of the substrate 23 are dropped on to the substrate tray 150. After that, the cutting lever 125 is pressed upward until it comes to a position where the substrate retainer 142 no longer presses itself against the substrate 23, so that the substrate 23 can be displaced in the - X axis direction in preparation for a next similar breaking process.

[0038] In this way, according to the present invention, the substrate is broken under the condition that at least that part thereof which is to be cut along the scribing line is caused to project beyond the table, whereas that part thereof which is placed on the table is held firmly in position. Accordingly, regardless of the pitch of the scribing lines, for example, even if the pitch for substrate fragmentation is as small as 5 mm or below, a force can be exerted uniformly on the substrate. This makes it possible to break the substrate along the scribing lines with precision.

[0039] It is noted that, while, in the descriptions of the first and second embodiments, a low-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate is named as exemplary of the substrate, substrates to which the present invention is applicable include a ceramic substrate such as a high-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate, a silicon substrate, a sapphire substrate, an InP (indium) substrate, a GaN (gallium nitride) substrate, and various substrates made of a brittle material except for glass.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the positioning section is composed of the slider 31 which is slidingly moved on the table and the locking portion 32. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the positioning section is constructed of the positioning stopper for substrate 132. Alternatively, a sliding mechanism capable of automatic sliding movement of the substrate 23 may be adopted. Moreover, although the breaking unit is designed to be moved up and down by turning the cutting lever, it may be designed to be moved up and down or turned automatically by means of a cylinder or a motor.

[0041] Further, although, in the first and second embodiments, the breaking apparatus is provided with the monitoring section to make sure a position of a projecting part of the substrate, the construction may be so designed that the said position can be checked from above by visual check. This eliminates the need to provide the monitoring section.

[0042] The present invention relates to a breaking apparatus and a breaking method for breaking a substrate made of a brittle material. The breaking apparatus and method are characterized in that a previously-scribed substrate made of a brittle material can be positioned with precision and broken under uniform application of pressure, and are therefore suitable for use in a process of breaking small-sized substrates.

[0043] A substrate is held on a table 22, and the substrate is caused to project beyond a lateral side of the table 22 and is positioned by a positioning section 30. Then, that part of the substrate 23 which is located on the table is locked in place by a clamping section 40. Subsequently the substrate is broken along a scribing line, with its projecting part kept pressed from above, by using a breaking unit 50. In this way, a substrate of even smaller size can be precisely broken with ease under uniform application of pressure.

Claims

1. A breaking apparatus comprising:

a table on which is emplaced a substrate to be cut preformed with scribing lines, an end of which serves as a breaking line;

a clamping unit for holding said substrate emplaced on said table under a condition where a scribing line of said substrate is located at a position spaced outwardly from said breaking line at the end of said table by only an amount of T1 (>= 0); and

a breaking unit disposed at a lateral side of said table so as to be freely movable with respect to a plane of said table, for breaking said substrate while pressing the end of said substrate projecting beyond said table.

2. The breaking apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

A monitoring means for recognizing a location of the substrate projecting beyond the end of said table.

3. The breaking apparatus as set forth in claim 1,
wherein said breaking unit is designed to move a breaking portion upward and downward under a condition where an end of said breaking unit is located at a position spaced outwardly from said breaking line of said table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

4. The breaking apparatus as set forth in claim 1,
wherein the breaking unit is designed to turn a breaking portion under a condition where an end of said breaking unit is located at a position spaced outwardly from the breaking line of the table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

5. A breaking method comprising:

a step of emplacing a substrate to be cut preformed with scribing lines on a table whose end serves as a breaking line;

a step of holding the substrate emplaced on said table under a condition where a scribing line of said substrate is located at a position spaced outwardly from said breaking line at the end of said table by only an amount of T1 (>= 0); and

a step of breaking said substrate while pressing the end of said substrate projecting beyond said table.

6. The breaking method as set forth in claim 5,
wherein, in the breaking step, the breaking portion is moved upward and downward under a condition where an end of a breaking portion is located at a position spaced outwardly from said breaking line of said table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

7. The breaking method as set forth in claim 5,
wherein, in the breaking step, the breaking portion is turned under a condition where an end of a breaking portion is located at a position spaced outwardly from said breaking line of said table by only an amount of T2 (>= 0).

Drawing