JP5272663B2 - Planarized product manufacturing method, planarized product, and planarized method of processing surface - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a flattened object that can obtain the flattened object with higher flatness, and to provide the flattened object and a method of flattening a treated surface. <P>SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the flattened object having at least a base material 1 has a near-field etching process for etching the treated surface using near-field light 4a, 4b, 4c. The flattened object is manufactured by this method of manufacturing the flattened object. The method of flattening the treated surface reduces maximum protrusion 5a, 5b, 5c length (Rmax) of the treated surface 2 to 10 nm or less by etching the treated surface using the near-field light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a planarized product, a planarized product obtained by the production method, and a method for planarizing a surface to be processed.

  In a gas barrier sheet used as a packaging material for foods, pharmaceuticals and the like, a gas barrier layer is formed on a resin film substrate in order to prevent the influence of oxygen / water vapor, which is a factor that deteriorates the quality of contents. However, there are cases where the gas barrier layer cannot sufficiently cover the surface of the resin film substrate due to the unevenness of the resin film substrate surface, and it is not easy to obtain sufficient gas barrier properties.

  In addition, electronic device substrates that replace glass substrates such as display film substrates are required to have a gas barrier property against oxygen and water vapor in order to prevent deterioration of the element, and therefore, the adoption of the gas barrier sheet has been attempted. However, the present situation is that what has sufficient characteristics is not obtained due to the unevenness of the surface of the resin film substrate and the unevenness of the surface of the gas barrier sheet. Furthermore, in a gas barrier sheet used for applications such as an organic EL display element, there is a problem that current is short-circuited due to irregularities (projections) of a transparent conductive layer (electrode) provided on the surface of the gas barrier sheet.

  From the above, it has become an important issue to obtain a flat resin film substrate and a gas barrier sheet by reducing the unevenness of the resin film substrate and consequently the unevenness of the gas barrier sheet surface.

  With respect to such problems, Patent Document 1 discloses that a workpiece is placed in an atmosphere containing a reaction gas, electric energy or light energy is applied to the workpiece, plasma is generated, and atoms or Converts molecules into volatile substances and smoothes at least one side of the workpiece. The workpiece is the base material itself, a gas barrier layer laminated on the base material, a gas barrier layer on the base material, transparent A smoothing method is described which is at least one of those obtained by laminating conductive layers.

  Patent Document 2 discloses that a workpiece is placed in a chamber, a pressurized gas is ejected into the chamber, a gas cluster is formed by adiabatic expansion, and the formed gas cluster is irradiated with electrons. This is a gas cluster ion, which is irradiated with this gas cluster ion to smooth at least one surface of the workpiece. The workpiece is the substrate itself, and a gas barrier layer is laminated on the substrate. A smoothing treatment method is described which is at least one of those obtained by laminating a gas barrier layer and a transparent conductive layer on a substrate.

JP 2004-50711 A (Claim 1, paragraph 0030, paragraph 0033, paragraph 0038) JP 2004-58415 A (Claim 1, paragraph 0030, paragraph 0033, paragraph 0038)

  The smoothing method employed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is very useful as a method that can greatly flatten the surface of the substrate. However, gas barrier sheets are required to have higher gas barrier properties and higher flatness to prevent short circuits. A new method for manufacturing a flattened material that realizes further flattening and flatness of the surface to be processed. There is a need for a conversion method.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a planarized product from which a planarized product having higher flatness can be obtained. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a planarized product in which irregularities on the surface of the planarized product are reduced and there are no large protrusions that cause a current short circuit.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a planarized product manufactured by a method for manufacturing a planarized product having higher flatness. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a flattened product in which unevenness on the surface of the flattened product is reduced and there is no large protrusion that causes a current short circuit.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for flattening a surface to be processed that provides a surface to be processed having higher flatness. More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for flattening a surface to be processed in which unevenness of the surface to be processed is reduced and a surface to be processed that does not have a large protrusion that causes a current short circuit is obtained.

  As a result of intensive studies by the present inventor, it has been found that the surface to be processed can be flattened at the nano level by using a method of etching the surface to be processed using near-field light. More specifically, the present inventors have found that by using near-field light, minute protrusions existing on the surface to be processed can be selectively removed by etching, and the present invention has been completed.

  A method for producing a planarized product according to the present invention for solving the above-described problem is a method for producing a planarized product having at least a base material, and includes a near-field etching process step of etching a surface to be processed using near-field light. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a planarized material having at least a base material, and since the method includes a near-field etching process step of etching a surface to be processed using near-field light, the surface to be processed is planarized at a nano level. As a result, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a planarized product that can provide a planarized product having higher flatness.

  In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a pretreatment step for planarizing the surface to be treated in advance before the near-field etching treatment step.

  According to the present invention, since the pre-process for pre-planarizing the surface to be processed is provided before the near-field etching process, the surface to be processed having high flatness in advance before the near-field etching process. This makes it easier to exhibit the advantages of near-field etching that selectively etches microprojections, and as a result, it becomes easier to obtain a surface to be processed having higher flatness.

  In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, it is preferable that the surface of the substrate is the surface to be treated.

  According to the present invention, since the surface of the base material is the surface to be processed, the surface roughness of the base material surface, which contributes to the surface roughness of the surface of the planarized product, is removed to increase the flatness of the surface. As a result, the flatness of the planarized product can be made higher.

  In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, a first ceramic layer forming step for forming a first ceramic layer on the substrate is provided before the near-field etching treatment step, and the surface of the first ceramic layer is provided. Is preferably the treated surface.

  According to the present invention, the first ceramic layer forming step for forming the first ceramic layer on the substrate is provided before the near-field etching processing step, and the surface of the first ceramic layer is used as the surface to be processed. The unevenness of the surface of the first ceramic layer, which contributes to the surface roughness of the surface of the flattened product, can be removed to increase the flatness of the surface. As a result, the flatness of the flattened product It becomes easy to make it higher.

  In the planarized material manufacturing method of the present invention, it is preferable to provide a second ceramic layer forming step for forming a second ceramic layer after the near-field etching treatment step.

  According to this invention, since the second ceramic layer forming step for forming the second ceramic layer is provided after the near-field etching treatment step, the second ceramic layer is further formed on the planarized first ceramic layer. As a result, it becomes easier to obtain a planarized product with fewer surface protrusions.

  In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, a transparent conductive layer forming step for forming a transparent conductive layer on the substrate is provided before the near-field etching treatment step, and the surface of the transparent conductive layer is covered with the surface to be covered. It is preferable to use a treated surface.

  According to this invention, the transparent conductive layer forming step for forming the transparent conductive layer on the substrate is provided before the near-field etching treatment step, and the surface of the transparent conductive layer is used as the surface to be processed. The surface can be flattened, and as a result, the flattened product can be applied to an electronic device display that is susceptible to microprojections such as an organic EL display element.

  In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, and chlorine radicals are generated by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions existing on the surface to be processed. It is preferable that the near-field etching process is performed by removing the protrusions by reacting radicals with the protrusions.

  According to the present invention, the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, chlorine radicals are generated by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, and the chlorine radicals react with the protrusions. Since the near-field etching process is performed by removing the protrusions, it becomes easy to selectively remove the minute protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, and as a result, the flatness of the flattened product can be easily increased. Become.

  In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, it is preferable that the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) on the surface of the planarized product is 10 nm or less.

  According to this invention, since the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) on the surface of the flattened object is 10 nm or less, the surface to be processed is flattened at the nano level, and as a result, the flatness of the flattened object can be easily increased. Become.

  In the manufacturing method of the planarization thing of this invention, it is preferable that the said base material is a resin film or a glass plate.

  According to this invention, since the substrate is a resin film or a glass plate, it becomes possible to obtain a film or glass flat plate as a planarized product, and as a result, a gas barrier sheet or glass substrate can be obtained. A transparent electrode using a material can be provided.

  The planarized product of the present invention for solving the above problems is manufactured by the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, since the planarized product is manufactured by the planarized product manufacturing method of the present invention, the surface to be processed can be planarized at the nano level, and as a result, the planarized product having higher planarity can be obtained. It is possible to provide a planarized product manufactured by a method for manufacturing a chemical.

  In the planarized product of the present invention, the planarized product is preferably a gas barrier sheet.

  According to the present invention, since the planarized product is a gas barrier sheet, the planarized product of the present invention is applied to a field where higher planarity is required, and as a result, the significance of using the present invention is increased.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the planarization method of the surface to be processed of the present invention etches the surface to be processed using near-field light so that the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) of the surface to be processed is 10 nm or less. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, by etching the surface to be processed using near-field light, the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) of the surface to be processed is set to 10 nm or less, so that the surface to be processed is planarized at the nano level. As a result, it is possible to provide a method for flattening a surface to be processed that provides a surface to be processed having higher flatness.

  In the planarization method of the surface to be processed of the present invention, the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, and chlorine radicals are generated by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions existing on the surface to be processed. It is preferable that the etching is performed by removing the protrusions by reacting the chlorine radicals with the protrusions.

  According to the present invention, the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, chlorine radicals are generated by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, and the chlorine radicals react with the protrusions. Since the etching is performed by removing the protrusions, the minute protrusions existing on the surface to be processed can be easily selectively removed by etching, and as a result, the flatness of the surface to be processed can be further enhanced.

  According to the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a planarized product in which a planarized product having higher flatness can be obtained. More specifically, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a planarized product in which unevenness on the surface of the planarized product is reduced and a planarized product free from large protrusions that causes a current short circuit can be obtained.

  According to the planarized product of the present invention, it is possible to provide a planarized product manufactured by a method for manufacturing a planarized product having higher flatness. More specifically, it is possible to provide a planarized product in which unevenness on the surface of the planarized product is reduced and there is no large protrusion that causes a current short circuit.

  According to the method for planarizing a surface to be processed according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for planarizing a surface to be processed that can provide a surface to be processed having higher flatness. More specifically, it is possible to provide a method for planarizing a surface to be processed in which unevenness of the surface to be processed is reduced and a surface to be processed that does not have a large protrusion that causes a current short circuit can be obtained.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[Production method of flattened product]
The method for producing a planarized product according to the present invention is a method for producing a planarized product having at least a substrate, and includes a near-field etching treatment step of etching a surface to be treated using near-field light. Thereby, it becomes possible to planarize the surface to be processed at the nano level, and as a result, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a planarized product that can provide a planarized product having higher planarity.

(Near field etching process)
In the near-field etching process, the surface to be processed is etched using near-field light. That is, normally, when light is applied to a surface to be processed on which minute protrusions exist, near-field light is generated at the tips of the protrusions, and these protrusions are etched using this. The etching method is not particularly limited, but the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, and chlorine radicals are generated by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions existing on the surface to be processed. It is preferable to carry out by a method in which the protrusion is removed by reacting with the protrusion. Thereby, it becomes easy to selectively remove the fine protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, and as a result, the flatness of the flattened product can be further improved.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic conceptual diagram (cross-sectional view) showing an example of a near-field etching process. As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate product 1 in the production process of the planarized product is held in an atmosphere in which inert chlorine molecules (light absorption edge wavelength: 400 nm) are sealed at a predetermined pressure (for example, 100 Pa). Then, the surface of the intermediate product 1 is used as the surface 2 to be processed, and 532 nm laser light 3 (Nd: YAG laser light, 2W) is irradiated. As a result, near-field light 4a, 4b, 4c is emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions 5a, 5b, 5c of the surface 2 to be processed, and chlorine molecules are decomposed (chlorine radicals are generated) by a non-adiabatic process. Reacts with the protrusions 5a, 5b, and 5c, thereby etching the protrusions 5a, 5b, and 5c. Then, when the flattening progresses by etching and the protrusions 5a, 5b, and 5c are removed, the near-field light is not generated, so that the etching reaction is automatically stopped.

  In FIG. 1, inert chlorine molecules are sealed at a predetermined pressure as an atmosphere in which chlorine is present in the near-field etching process, but the sealed pressure may be appropriately adjusted according to the etching process characteristics. Good. The light to be irradiated is not limited to the laser beam 3 of 532 nm (Nd: YAG laser light, 2 W), and various lasers such as a semiconductor laser such as GaAs and a gas laser such as ArF are used as the optical oscillator. You can also. Further, the intensity of the laser beam may be adjusted as appropriate.

(Pretreatment process)
Before the near-field etching treatment step, it is preferable to provide a pretreatment step for planarizing the surface to be treated in advance. As a result, it is possible to obtain a processed surface with high flatness in advance in the stage before the near-field etching treatment process, and it becomes easier to demonstrate the advantages of near-field etching that selectively etches microprotrusions. It becomes easy to obtain a surface to be processed having higher flatness.

  In other words, as described above, the near-field etching process generally etches minute protrusions existing on the surface to be processed using near-field light. For this reason, from the viewpoint of further exerting the effects in the near-field etching process, the surface to be processed is pre-processed before the process is performed, and the surface to be processed is flattened to the extent that minute protrusions exist. It is preferable to make it. Such a pretreatment step is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known surface treatment method can be appropriately used. However, from the viewpoint of relatively flattening the surface to be processed and making the main factor contributing to the surface roughness of the surface to be processed be minute protrusions on the surface, wet etching, CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) It is preferable to polish the surface to be processed. Further, a polishing tape finer than the polishing tape used in a normal CMP method may be used, and nano-level surface treatment may be performed by performing softer polishing. As described above, the optimum method and conditions for the pretreatment process may be selected as appropriate in consideration of various conditions such as the material, hardness, and roughness of the surface to be processed.

(Timing for performing near-field etching process)
In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, the timing at which the near-field etching treatment step is performed is not particularly limited, and a surface to be treated may be appropriately selected according to the layer configuration of the planarized product. In the following, some preferred timings for performing the near-field etching process will be described. Specifically, an example in which the substrate is the surface to be processed, an example in which the first ceramic layer is the surface to be processed, and an example in which the transparent conductive layer is the surface to be processed will be described.

(A) Example of using substrate as surface to be processed In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, it is preferable that the surface of a base material is a surface to be processed. That is, it is preferable to perform a near-field etching process on the surface of the base material used for the planarized product. As a result, it becomes possible to remove unevenness on the surface of the base material, which contributes to the surface roughness of the surface of the flattened product, and to increase the flatness of the surface. As a result, the flatness of the flattened product It becomes easy to make it higher.

  Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as a base material, It is preferable that it is a resin film or a glass plate. Thereby, a film-like thing or a glass flat-plate-like thing can be obtained as a planarization thing, As a result, a transparent electrode using a gas barrier sheet or a glass substrate can be provided. However, since the surface of the base material preferably has a certain degree of surface roughness from the significance of the near-field etching process step of improving the flatness of the surface to be processed, a glass plate with high flatness is used as the base material. It is preferable to use a resin film.

  The resin film used for the substrate is not particularly limited. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide, polyolefin, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyurethane acrylate, polyethersulfone, polyimide , Flexible substrates such as polysilsesquioxane, polynorbornene, polyetherimide, polyarylate, and cyclic polyolefin can be used. The resin film used as the substrate is preferably one having a heat resistance of preferably 100 ° C. or higher, particularly preferably 150 ° C. or higher. Moreover, you may use a resin film as a laminated body.

  Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular also about the thickness of a base material, From a viewpoint of a flexibility and form retainability, it is 6 micrometers or more normally, Preferably it is 12 micrometers or more, and is usually 400 micrometers or less, Preferably it is set as the range of 250 micrometers or less.

  The base material is manufactured in the base material preparation step. When using a resin film as a base material, the manufacturing method can also be manufactured by a conventionally well-known general method. Moreover, you may use a stretched film for a base material. The stretching method may be a conventionally known general method. Although a draw ratio can be suitably selected according to resin used as a raw material of a base material, it is preferred to make it 2-10 times in a vertical axis direction and a horizontal axis direction, respectively. Moreover, also when using a glass plate as a base material, the manufacturing method can be manufactured by a conventionally well-known general method.

  The substrate manufactured in the substrate preparation step is subjected to a near-field etching treatment step, or a pretreatment step and a near-field etching treatment step, and the surface thereof is flattened. Then, by flattening the surface of the base material, the roughness of the surface of the flattened product to be manufactured can be suppressed. As described above, since the surface of the substrate using the resin film has a certain degree of roughness, it is significant to perform the near-field etching treatment process, or the pretreatment process and the near-field etching treatment process.

  Several specific examples of the steps of the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention when the surface of the substrate is the surface to be treated will be introduced below. In the case where the planarized product is composed of only the base material, the base material preparation step → the near-field etching treatment step (the pre-treatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step as necessary) is performed. Further, when the planarized product is composed of the base material / first ceramic layer, the base material preparation step → the near-field etching treatment step (a pre-treatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step if necessary) → A first ceramic layer forming step is performed. Further, when the planarized material is composed of the base material / the first ceramic layer / the second ceramic layer, the base material preparation step → the near-field etching treatment step (if necessary, the pre-treatment step before the near-field etching treatment step) ) → first ceramic layer forming step → second ceramic layer forming step. When the planarized material is composed of the base material / first ceramic layer / second ceramic layer / transparent conductive layer, the base material preparation step → the near-field etching treatment step (if necessary, before the near-field etching treatment step) The first ceramic layer forming step → the second ceramic layer forming step → the transparent conductive layer forming step is performed. The details of the first ceramic layer forming step, the second ceramic layer forming step, and the transparent conductive layer forming step will be described later. Moreover, when inserting another layer between a base material and a 1st ceramic layer, between a 1st ceramic layer and a 2nd ceramic layer, and between a 2nd ceramic layer and a transparent conductive layer, it is predetermined. This step (the step of forming a predetermined layer) may be performed at a predetermined timing.

(B) Example of using first ceramic layer as surface to be processed In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, the first ceramic layer is formed on the base material before the near-field etching treatment step. It is preferable to provide a forming step and use the surface of the first ceramic layer as the surface to be processed. That is, it is preferable that the first ceramic layer is provided directly on the substrate or via another layer, and the near-field etching treatment process is performed on the surface of the first ceramic layer. As a result, the unevenness of the surface of the first ceramic layer, which contributes to the surface roughness of the surface of the flattened product, can be removed and the flatness of the surface can be increased. It becomes easy to make flatness higher.

The first ceramic layer forming step is not particularly limited as long as the first ceramic layer is formed of a ceramic material (inorganic material). Preferably, the first ceramic layer is formed of an inorganic material having gas barrier properties. That is, the first ceramic layer is preferably a gas barrier layer. In this case, examples of the ceramic material (inorganic material) include silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, indium oxide, calcium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, boron oxide, hafnium oxide, barium oxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide. Examples thereof include oxides; nitrides such as silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, and magnesium nitride; carbides such as silicon carbide, and sulfides. Moreover, you may use 2 or more types of composite_body | complex chosen from them. Examples of such composites include composite oxides using two or more oxides, composite metal oxynitrides using two or more oxides and nitrides, inorganic oxynitrides containing oxygen and nitrogen, and carbon Inorganic oxide carbides, inorganic nitride carbides, inorganic oxynitride carbides, etc., containing More specifically, inorganic oxide (MO _x ), inorganic nitride (MN _y ), inorganic carbide (MC _z ), inorganic oxide carbide (MO _x C _z ), inorganic nitride carbide (MN _y C _z ), inorganic Among oxynitrides (MO _x N _y ) and inorganic oxynitride carbides (MO _x N _y C _z ), preferable M is a metal element such as Si, Al, or Ti. Among them, a film made of M and Si and made of silicon oxide is preferably used because it has high transparency and good gas barrier properties, whereas silicon nitride exhibits higher gas barrier properties. Particularly preferred is a composite of silicon oxide and silicon nitride (inorganic oxynitride (SiO _x N _y )). When the content of silicon oxide is large, the transparency is improved, and when the content of silicon nitride is large, the gas barrier property is improved. In addition, examples of composite oxides using two or more oxides include MaMbO _x and MaMbMcO _x . Furthermore, examples of the composite metal oxynitride using two or more kinds of oxides and nitrides include MaMbO _x N _y and MaMbMcO _x N _y . Here, Ma, Mb, and Mc represent different metal elements, and examples thereof include Sn, Zn, Si, Al, and Ti. The first ceramic layer may contain a predetermined amount of predetermined additives and impurities in addition to the above-described materials.

  The method for forming the first ceramic layer in the first ceramic layer forming step is not particularly limited, but is preferably a vacuum film forming method from the viewpoint of using a ceramic material (inorganic material). Specifically, the first ceramic layer is formed by applying a method such as a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method (for example, an RF sputtering method, a DC sputtering method), an ion plating method, a thermal CVD method, and a plasma CVD method. Is done. These methods are appropriately selected in consideration of the type of the base material and the first ceramic layer, the type of film forming material, the ease of film forming, the process efficiency, and the like.

  The thickness of the first ceramic layer (gas barrier layer) formed in the first ceramic layer forming step is usually 10 nm or more and 500 nm or less. Within this range, it is easy to adjust the color and secure productivity while ensuring gas barrier properties and flexibility. When the near-field etching treatment process, or the pretreatment process and the near-field etching treatment process are performed using the first ceramic layer as the surface to be treated, the thickness of the first ceramic layer is reduced by polishing, In one ceramic layer forming step, it is preferable to predict the decrease and to form a thickness somewhat thicker than a desired thickness.

  The first ceramic layer is formed on the base material by the first ceramic layer forming step. However, the first ceramic layer may be directly formed on the base material, or the first ceramic layer may be formed between the base material and the first ceramic layer. One or more other layers such as an anchor layer for securing adhesiveness or a planarizing layer for securing flatness may be inserted between them, and a first ceramic layer may be formed on each of these layers. .

  The first ceramic layer manufactured in the first ceramic layer forming step is subjected to a near-field etching treatment step, or a pretreatment step and a near-field etching treatment step, and the surface thereof is flattened. Then, by flattening the surface of the first ceramic layer, the surface roughness of the flattened product to be manufactured can be suppressed.

  It is preferable to provide the 2nd ceramic layer formation process which forms a 2nd ceramic layer, after passing through a 1st ceramic layer formation process, a near field etching process process, or a pre-processing process and a near field etching process process. As a result, a second ceramic layer is further formed on the planarized first ceramic layer, and as a result, a planarized product with fewer surface protrusions can be easily obtained.

  The second ceramic layer forming step is not particularly limited as long as the second ceramic layer is formed of a ceramic material (inorganic material). Preferably, the second ceramic layer is formed of an inorganic material having gas barrier properties. As described above, the second ceramic layer may be formed with the same material, manufacturing method, thickness, and the like as those described for the first ceramic layer, so that the description thereof is omitted to avoid duplication of description. .

  Several examples of specific steps of the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention when the surface of the first ceramic layer is the surface to be treated will be introduced below. When the planarized material is composed of a base material / first ceramic layer, the base material preparation step → the first ceramic layer forming step → the near-field etching treatment step (if necessary, the pre-treatment step before the near-field etching treatment step) ). Further, when the planarized material is composed of the base material / first ceramic layer / second ceramic layer, the base material preparation step → first ceramic layer forming step → near field etching treatment step (near field etching treatment if necessary) A pretreatment process is performed before the process.) → The second ceramic layer forming process is performed. When the planarized material is composed of the base material / the first ceramic layer / the second ceramic layer / the transparent conductive layer, the base material preparation step → the first ceramic layer forming step → the near-field etching treatment step (if necessary A pretreatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step.) → Second ceramic layer formation step → Transparent conductive layer formation step. Details of the transparent conductive layer forming step will be described later. When inserting another layer between the base material and the first ceramic layer, between the first ceramic layer and the second ceramic layer, between the second ceramic layer and the transparent conductive layer, etc. A predetermined process (a predetermined layer forming process) may be performed at a predetermined timing. Further, the surface of the base material and the surface of the transparent conductive layer are also treated surfaces, and a near-field etching treatment step (a pretreatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step as necessary) is further performed on these treatment surfaces. You may go.

(C) Example of using transparent conductive layer as surface to be processed In the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention, a transparent conductive layer forming step for forming a transparent conductive layer on a substrate is performed before the near-field etching treatment step. It is preferable that the surface of the transparent conductive layer is a treated surface. That is, it is preferable that a transparent conductive layer is provided directly on the base material or by disclosing other layers, and a near-field etching treatment step is performed on the surface of the transparent conductive layer. As a result, the surface of the transparent conductive layer can be flattened, and as a result, the flattened product can be applied to an electronic device display that is easily affected by microprojections such as an organic EL display element. . Moreover, it can be set as the transparent electrode which comprised flatness by providing a transparent conductive layer on a base material. Here, if a resin film is used for a base material, it can be set as a transparent electrode film, and if a glass plate is used for a base material, it can be set as a transparent electrode plate.

  The transparent conductive layer forming step is not particularly limited as long as the transparent conductive layer is formed of a transparent conductive material. Examples of the material used for the transparent conductive layer include tin oxide, indium oxide, ITO, ATO, IZO, and silver.

  The method for forming the transparent conductive layer in the transparent conductive layer forming step is not particularly limited, but for example, wet coating such as vapor deposition, sputtering, ion plating, CVD, dry coating methods, plating methods, printing methods, spray coating methods, etc. The law can be mentioned.

  The thickness of the transparent conductive layer formed in the transparent conductive layer forming step is usually 2 nm or more and 1000 nm or less. If it is within this range, the stress itself is controlled while ensuring conductivity, and the flexibility is excellent and the transparency is easily kept high. Moreover, if it is the said range, it will become easy to ensure productivity. When the near-field etching treatment process, or the pretreatment process and the near-field etching treatment process are performed using the transparent conductive layer as the surface to be treated, the transparent conductive layer is considered in consideration of the reduction in the thickness of the transparent conductive layer due to polishing. In the forming step, it is preferable to predict the amount of decrease and to form the thickness somewhat thicker than the desired thickness.

  The transparent conductive layer is formed on the base material by the transparent conductive layer forming step. However, the transparent conductive layer may be formed directly on the base material, or may be bonded between the base material and the transparent conductive layer. One or more other layers such as an anchor layer for securing the property, a planarizing layer for securing the planarity, the first ceramic layer, and the second ceramic layer may be inserted. Since the transparent conductive layer is usually used as an electrode, the transparent conductive layer is preferably provided on the uppermost surface (surface) of the planarized product.

  The transparent conductive layer produced in the transparent conductive layer forming step is subjected to a near-field etching treatment step, or a pretreatment step and a near-field etching treatment step, and the surface thereof is flattened. Then, by flattening the surface of the transparent conductive layer, the surface roughness of the flattened product to be manufactured can be suppressed.

  Several specific examples of the process steps of the method for producing a planarized product according to the present invention in the case where the surface of the transparent conductive layer is the surface to be treated will be introduced below. Since the planarized material is used as a transparent electrode, when the planarized material is composed of a substrate / transparent conductive layer, the substrate preparation step → transparent conductive layer forming step → near field etching treatment step (near field etching treatment if necessary) A pretreatment step is performed before the step). Here, when inserting another layer between the base material and the transparent conductive layer, a predetermined step (a step of forming a predetermined layer) may be performed at a predetermined timing. Moreover, you may further perform a near-field etching process process (a pre-process process is performed before a near-field etching process process as needed) by making the base-material surface into a to-be-processed surface.

  Furthermore, in order to use the planarized product as a gas barrier sheet with a transparent electrode, etc., when the planarized product is composed of a substrate / first ceramic layer / transparent conductive layer, a substrate preparation step → first ceramic layer forming step → The transparent conductive layer forming step → the near-field etching treatment step (the pre-treatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step if necessary). Here, when another layer is inserted between the base material and the first ceramic layer and between the first ceramic layer and the transparent conductive layer, a predetermined step (a predetermined layer forming step) is predetermined. It may be performed at the timing. In addition, using the surface of the base material or the surface of the first ceramic layer as a surface to be processed, a near-field etching treatment step (a pretreatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step if necessary) is performed on these surfaces. You may also go further.

  Further, since the planarized product is used as a gas barrier sheet with a transparent electrode, etc., when the planarized product is composed of a substrate / first ceramic layer / second ceramic layer / transparent conductive layer, the substrate preparation step → first The ceramic layer forming step → the second ceramic layer forming step → the transparent conductive layer forming step → the near field etching treatment step (the pretreatment step is performed before the near field etching treatment step if necessary). Here, when inserting another layer between the base material and the first ceramic layer, between the first ceramic layer and the second ceramic layer, and between the second ceramic layer and the transparent conductive layer, A predetermined step (a step of forming a predetermined layer) may be performed at a predetermined timing. In addition, using the surface of the base material or the surface of the first ceramic layer as a surface to be processed, a near-field etching treatment step (a pretreatment step is performed before the near-field etching treatment step if necessary) is performed on these surfaces. You may also go further.

(Planarized product manufactured)
It is preferable that the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) of the surface of the planarized product manufactured by the method for manufacturing a planarized product of the present invention is 10 nm or less. As a result, the surface to be processed is flattened at the nano level, and as a result, the flatness of the flattened product can be made higher.

  By using the method for producing a planarized product of the present invention described above, a planarized product having higher planarity can be easily obtained. More specifically, the unevenness on the surface of the flattened product is reduced, and it becomes easy to provide a flattened product free from large protrusions that cause a current short circuit.

[Planarized product]
The planarized product of the present invention is manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a planarized product of the present invention. Thereby, it becomes possible to planarize the surface to be processed at the nano level, and as a result, it is possible to provide a planarized product manufactured by a method for manufacturing a planarized product having higher flatness. Such flattened materials can be used for various applications depending on the layer structure employed, for example, packaging materials for foods and pharmaceuticals, touch panels, film substrates for displays, film substrates for lighting, film substrates for solar cells, and circuit boards. A film substrate etc. can be mentioned. In addition, it can be used for electronic devices that can be bent, light, not broken, and can be replaced with conventional glass materials such as display sealing films, lighting sealing films, solar cell sealing films, and circuit board sealing films. The planarized product of the present invention can also be used as a sealing film used for a member. Furthermore, the planarized product of the present invention can be used in a form in which a thin film is formed on glass, metal, or a wafer substrate. As described above, the planarized product of the present invention can be employed in applications where surface flatness is required at the nano level. Below, some specific examples of the planarized material of the present invention that can be used for the above-mentioned applications will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the planarized product of the present invention. The planarized material 10a is composed of the base material 6 and is subjected to a near-field etching process using the surface of the base material 6 as the surface 2 to be processed. Thereby, since the base material 6 with high flatness can be obtained, the flattened product 10a can be used for a predetermined application. Since the details of the substrate 6 have already been described, the description here is omitted to avoid duplication of description.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the planarized product of the present invention. The planarized material 10b is composed of a base material 6 and a transparent conductive layer 7 formed on the base material 6, and a near-field etching process is performed with the surface of the transparent conductive layer 7 as the surface 2 to be processed. In the planarized product 10b, etching using a near field is performed on the surface of the transparent conductive layer 7, but in addition to or instead of this, the surface of the substrate 6 is used as a surface to be processed. A near-field etching process may be performed.

  In the planarized product 10b, the transparent conductive layer 7 functions as an electrode. Thereby, since a transparent electrode with high flatness can be obtained, the flattened product 10b can be used for a predetermined application. More specifically, if the substrate 6 is a resin film, a film-like transparent electrode can be obtained, and if the substrate 6 is a glass plate, a plate-like transparent electrode can be obtained. Since the details of the base material 6 and the transparent conductive layer 7 have already been described, the description here is omitted to avoid duplication of description.

  The planarized product of the present invention is preferably a gas barrier sheet. As a result, the planarized product of the present invention is applied to a field where higher flatness is required, and as a result, the significance of using the present invention is increased. Therefore, some specific examples in the case where the planarized product of the present invention is used as a gas barrier sheet will be described below.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another example of the planarized product of the present invention. The planarized material 10c is composed of a base material 6 and a first ceramic layer 8 formed on the base material 6, and a near-field etching process is performed using the surface of the first ceramic layer 8 as the surface 2 to be processed. ing. In addition, in the planarized material 10c, etching using a near field is performed on the surface of the first ceramic layer 8, but in addition to or instead of this, the surface of the base 6 is used as a surface to be processed. A near-field etching process may be performed.

  In the planarized product 10c, the first ceramic layer 8 functions as a gas barrier layer. As a result, a gas barrier sheet with high flatness can be obtained, and the flattened product 10c can be used for a predetermined application. Since the details of the base material 6 and the first ceramic layer 8 have already been described, the description thereof is omitted here to avoid duplication of description.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another example of the planarized product of the present invention. The planarized material 10d is composed of a base material 6, a first ceramic layer 8 formed on the base material 6, and a second ceramic layer 9 formed on the first ceramic layer 8, and the first ceramic layer. A near-field etching process is performed using the surface 8 as the surface 2 to be processed. In addition, in the planarized product 10d, etching using a near field is performed on the surface of the first ceramic layer 8, but in addition to or instead of this, the surface of the substrate 6 is used as a surface to be processed. A near-field etching process may be performed.

  In the planarized product 10d, the first ceramic layer 8 and the second ceramic layer 9 each function as a gas barrier layer. As a result, a gas barrier sheet having high flatness can be obtained, and the flattened product 10d can be used for a predetermined application. Since the details of the substrate 6, the first ceramic layer 8, and the second ceramic layer 9 have already been described, the description thereof is omitted here to avoid duplication of description.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another example of the planarized product of the present invention. The planarized material 10e is formed on the base material 6, the first ceramic layer 8 formed on the base material 6, the second ceramic layer 9 formed on the first ceramic layer 8, and the second ceramic layer 9. The transparent conductive layer 7 is formed, and a near-field etching process is performed using the surface of the first ceramic layer 8 as the surface 2 to be processed. In the planarized material 10e, the surface of the first ceramic layer 8 is etched using a near field. In addition to or in place of this, the base material 6 and / or the transparent conductive layer 7 is used. A near-field etching process may be performed using the surface of the substrate as a surface to be processed.

  In the planarized product 10e, the first ceramic layer 8 and the second ceramic layer 9 each function as a gas barrier layer, and the transparent conductive layer 7 functions as an electrode. Thereby, a gas barrier sheet with a transparent electrode having high flatness can be obtained, and the flattened product 10e can be used for a predetermined application. Since the details of the base material 6, the first ceramic layer 8, the second ceramic layer 9, and the transparent conductive layer 7 have already been described, the description thereof is omitted here to avoid duplication of description.

  According to the planarized product of the present invention described above, a planarized product manufactured by a method for manufacturing a planarized product having higher flatness can be easily obtained. More specifically, unevenness on the surface of the flattened product is reduced, and a flattened product without a large protrusion that causes a current short circuit is easily obtained.

[Method of flattening the surface to be treated]
In the method for planarizing a surface to be processed according to the present invention, the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) of the surface to be processed is set to 10 nm or less by etching the surface to be processed using near-field light. As a result, the surface to be processed is flattened at the nano level, and as a result, it is possible to provide a method for planarizing the surface to be processed that provides a surface to be processed having higher flatness.

  The method for etching the surface to be processed using near-field light is not particularly limited, but the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, and the near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusion existing on the surface to be processed is used. It is preferable to carry out by generating chlorine radicals and reacting the chlorine radicals with the protrusions to remove the protrusions. Thereby, it becomes easy to selectively remove the fine protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, and as a result, the flatness of the surface to be processed can be further improved. Since such an etching method has already been described, description thereof is omitted here in order to avoid duplication of description.

  According to the method for planarizing a surface to be processed according to the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a method for planarizing a surface to be processed that provides a surface to be processed having higher flatness. More specifically, it is possible to provide a method for planarizing a surface to be processed in which unevenness of the surface to be processed is reduced and a surface to be processed that does not have a large protrusion that causes a current short circuit can be obtained.

  EXAMPLES Next, although an Example demonstrates this invention further more concretely, this invention is not limited to description of a following example, unless the summary is exceeded.

Example 1
As a substrate, soda lime polished glass (Central Glass Co., Ltd., thickness: 0.7 mm, Rmax: 4 nm) was used, and a near-field etching process step was performed using the polished glass surface as a surface to be processed. Specifically, the soda-lime polished glass was ultrasonically cleaned with pure water and then set in a near-field etching apparatus. And after exhausting the inside of the apparatus, chlorine gas was introduced and the internal pressure of the apparatus was set to 100 Pa. Next, 532 nm laser light (Nd: YAG laser light, 2 W) was irradiated onto the substrate surface, and after 150 minutes, the soda lime polished glass was taken out from the apparatus. And when the surface roughness of the soda-lime polishing glass which is a to-be-processed surface after a near field etching process was measured, it was set to Rmax = 1nm.

  In addition, the measurement of the surface roughness (Rmax) of the to-be-processed surface uses Nanopics-1000 by Seiko Instruments Inc. as an atomic force microscope (AFM: Atomic Force Microscope), and is based on JIS B0601, and is the range of 20 micrometers. Evaluation was performed by measuring the maximum protrusion length (Rmax). The surface roughness was measured using the same method in the following examples and comparative examples.

(Example 2)
A polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) film (manufactured by Teijin DuPont Co., Ltd .: Q-65F (trade name), thickness: 200 μm) is used as a substrate, and a SiON film as a first ceramic layer is RF-sputtered on the substrate. The first ceramic layer was formed by the method (high purity chemical SiON target: purity 3N) to a thickness of 100 nm. Subsequently, ultrasonic cleaning was performed for 5 minutes, and a high temperature treatment at 160 ° C. × 1 hour was performed.

  The intermediate product thus obtained was subjected to a near-field etching process using the surface of the first ceramic layer as the surface to be processed. First, the surface roughness of the first ceramic layer was measured before the process, and Rmax = 15 nm. It was. Next, in the same manner as in Example 1, a near-field etching process was performed on the surface to be processed to obtain a planarized product. As a result, the surface roughness of the treated surface (first ceramic layer) after treatment was Rmax = 5 nm.

(Example 3)
The intermediate product obtained in Example 2 was subjected to the following treatment as a pretreatment step before the near-field etching treatment step was performed on the surface of the first ceramic layer as the surface to be treated. That is, surface polishing pretreatment (polishing pressure 30 g / cm ² , rocking speed 60 rpm, polishing speed 2 mm / sec) was performed with a polishing apparatus (manufactured by Tokki Co., Ltd .: alumina polishing tape 1 μm abrasive). Subsequently, ultrasonic cleaning was performed for 5 minutes, and a high temperature treatment at 160 ° C. × 1 hour was performed. The polishing apparatus basically uses a CMP method, and a polishing tape finer than the polishing tape used in a normal CMP method enables soft polishing and a nano-level surface treatment. It has become so.

  Here, when the surface roughness of the surface of the first ceramic layer after the polishing treatment was measured, Rmax = 9 nm.

  Next, using the surface of the first ceramic layer as the surface to be processed, a near-field etching process was performed on the surface to be processed in the same manner as in Example 1. And after the near field etching process process, when the surface roughness of the 1st ceramic layer surface was measured, it was Rmax = 3nm. Thereafter, a SiON film (thickness: 100 nm) as a second ceramic layer was further formed on the first ceramic layer using the same RF sputtering method as in Example 2, and a second ceramic layer forming step was performed. . When the surface roughness (surface roughness of the second ceramic layer) of the obtained flattened product was measured, Rmax = 3 nm was obtained.

(Comparative Example 1)
A planarized product was obtained in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the pretreatment step and the near-field etching treatment step were not performed. When the surface roughness of the second ceramic layer was measured, Rmax = 24 nm was obtained.

Example 4
With respect to the planarized material obtained in Example 3, ITO as a transparent conductive layer is further formed on the second ceramic layer so as to have a thickness of 150 nm by DC sputtering (ITO target manufactured by Tosoh: purity 3N). Then, a transparent conductive layer forming step was performed. And when the surface roughness of the transparent conductive layer was measured, it was set to Rmax = 8 nm.

(Comparative Example 2)
For the planarized product obtained in Comparative Example 1, ITO as a transparent conductive layer was further formed on the second ceramic layer in the same manner as in Example 4. And when the surface roughness of the transparent conductive layer was measured, it was set to Rmax = 71 nm.

(Example 5)
With respect to the planarized material obtained in Example 4, the surface of the transparent conductive layer was used as a surface to be processed, and a near-field etching process was performed on the surface to be processed in the same manner as in Example 1. After the treatment, the surface roughness of the planarization layer (the surface roughness of the transparent conductive layer) was measured, and Rmax = 2 nm.

It is a typical conceptual diagram which shows an example of a near field etching process. It is typical sectional drawing which shows an example of the planarization thing of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows another example of the planarization thing of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows another example of the planarization thing of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows another example of the planarization thing of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows another example of the planarization thing of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Intermediate product 2 Surface to be processed 3 Laser light 4, 4a, 4b, 4c Near field light 5, 5a, 5b, 5c Protrusion 6 Base material 7 Transparent conductive layer 8 First ceramic layer (gas barrier layer)
9 Second ceramic layer (gas barrier layer)
10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e Planarized product

Claims (12)

A method for producing a planarized material having at least a base material , wherein the surface to be processed is held in an atmosphere in which chlorine is present, and chlorine radicals are generated by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, A method for producing a planarized product, comprising: a near-field etching treatment step of etching a surface to be processed using near-field light by removing the projection by reacting the chlorine radical with the projection .   The method for manufacturing a planarized product according to claim 1, wherein a pretreatment step of planarizing the surface to be processed in advance is provided before the near-field etching treatment step.   The method for producing a planarized product according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the base material is the surface to be processed.   The first ceramic layer forming step of forming a first ceramic layer on the substrate is provided before the near-field etching treatment step, and the surface of the first ceramic layer is used as the surface to be processed. Or the manufacturing method of the planarization thing of 2.   The method for manufacturing a planarized product according to claim 4, wherein a second ceramic layer forming step of forming a second ceramic layer is provided after the near-field etching treatment step.   The transparent conductive layer formation process which forms a transparent conductive layer on the said base material is provided before the said near field etching process process, The surface of the said transparent conductive layer is made into the said to-be-processed surface. The manufacturing method of the planarization thing of description. The method for producing a planarized product according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein a maximum protrusion length (Rmax) of the surface of the planarized product is 10 nm or less. Wherein the substrate is a resin film or a glass plate, a manufacturing method of a flat product according to any one of claims 1-7. It manufactures with the manufacturing method of the planarization thing of any one of Claims 1-8 , The planarization thing characterized by the above-mentioned. The planarized product according to claim 9 , wherein the planarized product is a gas barrier sheet. A method of planarizing a surface to be processed by etching the surface to be processed using near-field light so that the maximum protrusion length (Rmax) of the surface to be processed is 10 nm or less, in an atmosphere containing chlorine. Holding a surface to be processed, generating chlorine radicals by near-field light emitted in the vicinity of the protrusions existing on the surface to be processed, and reacting the chlorine radicals with the protrusions to remove the protrusions. Method of flattening the treated surface. The planarization method of the to-be-processed surface of Claim 11 which provides the pre-processing process which planarizes the said to-be-processed surface before etching a to-be-processed surface using the said near field light.

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