JP2000097835A - Wettability determination method of substrate and manufacture of test applicator and liquid crystal device used in determination method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable simple and short-time wettability determination of a substrate on a manufacture line site by measuring an adhesion degree of a coating film, for each liquid reagent having different adhesive tensions applied on a part of the substrate. SOLUTION: Liquid reagents 2a-2d are applied on the peripheral parts 1a-1d on the four sides of a glass substrate 1 conveyed to a manufacture line. Monohydric to polyhydric alcohols having different molecular weights are used as the liquid reagents. In a case that, for example, a contamination degree on the glass substrate 1 surface is high, the liquid reagents have low wettability and take the form of small balls in the repelled state. In a case that the contamination is clear line this, the glass substrate 1 is returned to a cleaning process. In case the surface is sufficiently clean and has a high activity degree, the liquid reagents show high wettability and take the form of comparatively wide lines, and if the surface is contaminated in some degree, the liquid reagents take the form of somewhat narrow lines. When visual determination is delicate, the line widths are measured precisely by using a measuring equipment, such as a vernier caliper or the like, and the quality of wettability on the glass substrate 1 is determined by whether the measured result is in a prescribed range or not.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for determining wettability of a silicon substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel, and the like, and a reagent applicator used in the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A glass substrate used for a liquid crystal device such as a silicon substrate or a liquid crystal panel is required to have a patterning accuracy due to the adhesion of various films in a process of forming wirings and switching elements provided on the surface, and a glass substrate. A high degree of cleanliness or activity is required to enhance the adhesion of the sealing material to be bonded.

Since it is generally difficult to quantitatively confirm the cleanliness and activity of a glass substrate or the like, the wettability (wetability) of the surface of the substrate is measured to indirectly control the cleanliness of the substrate. Conventionally, a method for making a determination is used.

Here, a brief description will be given with reference to FIG. 5. When a predetermined reagent is dropped on a glass substrate 1 to form a droplet A, the droplet A is formed depending on the degree of contamination on the substrate. The contact angle θ of the substrate 1 changes. In the drawing, γA indicates the surface tension of the droplet A.

That is, theoretically, when the glass substrate is in a completely clean state, the contact angle θ = 0 and the droplet A
Shows an ideal wettability that can spread the surface of the substrate 1 as far as possible, and when impurities such as an oil film and dust adhere to the substrate, the higher the degree of the contamination, the larger the contact angle θ. It is known to show a tendency.

Accordingly, by setting the allowable range of the contact angle θ in advance, when the droplet A has a contact angle θ exceeding the allowable range, it can be determined that the degree of contamination is high, and the allowable range can be determined. In the following cases, the degree of contamination of the substrate is within a range where there is no problem in use, and it can be determined that there is sufficient activity.

[0007]

However, conventionally, when the wettability of a glass substrate is simply determined at the site of a production line for a liquid crystal panel or the like, for example, methylene iodide or the like is dropped with a dropper or the like. Then, the droplet A was enlarged by an optical system, and the contact angle θ was measured by a protractor.

[0008] However, the above-mentioned conventional method has a problem that the cost is increased due to the necessity of a special optical device, and the droplet A is changed due to a change in the measurement conditions such as the operating condition of a dropper or the like when the reagent is dropped. The size of the lens changed, requiring precise and cumbersome operations such as refocusing the optical system each time, and the measurement of the contact angle θ with a protractor took time. .

Therefore, the conventional wettability determination method has a problem that it is not suitable for application to the site of a liquid crystal panel or semiconductor device production line where simplicity and high speed are required to improve productivity. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a sex determination method and a reagent applicator used for the determination method.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a method for judging the wettability of a substrate according to the present invention comprises the steps of providing n (n is an integer of 1 or more) liquids having different adhesion tensions on a part of the substrate. A coating step of applying a reagent, a measuring step of measuring the degree of adhesion of each liquid reagent on the substrate, and a determination of judging the wettability of the substrate based on the degree of adhesion of the liquid reagent measured in the measuring step And at least a process.

This makes it possible to accurately and quickly determine the wettability of the substrate by observing the degree of adhesion of the n kinds of liquid reagents.

That is, depending on the type and use of the substrate, for example, when the degree of adhesion of ethanol as the second reagent is good, the wettability (cleanability) of the substrate is determined to be within an allowable range, For example, if the adhesion of propanol as the third reagent is rejected if the degree of adhesion is poor, the wettability (cleanliness) is determined to be insufficient and the determination that the substrate is to be washed again or baked is simply performed at the production line site. It is possible to do.

The above liquid reagent is preferably composed of monohydric or polyhydric alcohols having different molecular weights.

When such a liquid reagent is used, there is an advantage that impurities can be prevented from remaining on the silicon substrate or the glass substrate after coating, and the reliability of the product is not affected. In addition, monohydric or polyhydric alcohols having different molecular weights have a property that the smaller the molecular weight, the more easily it gets wet, and the larger the molecular weight, the more difficult it is to get wet and repelled.

Further, in the measuring step, the width or the adhering area of the adhering area of each liquid reagent is measured by analyzing image data indicating the coating state of the liquid reagent applied through the optical system. In the above-mentioned determination step, the quality or wettability of the substrate can be determined by comparing the width or the area of the adhesion area of each of the liquid reagents with a predetermined value set in advance. In this case, the productivity is further improved. I can expect that.

The reagent applicator used in the above-described method for determining the wettability of a substrate is composed of n kinds of liquid reagents (n is an integer of 1 or more) having different adhesion tensions. To the n-th) felt-tip pen.

In this case, the liquid reagent may be composed of a monohydric or polyhydric alcohol having a different molecular weight.

According to such a reagent applicator, for example, in the case of a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel, for example, a No. 2 felt-tip pen in which an ethanol-based reagent is sealed, and a propanol-based reagent It is possible to easily apply each reagent on a glass substrate using, for example, a No. 3 felt-tip pen enclosing the same, and apply ethanol as a reagent using a second felt-tip pen according to the method for determining wettability of the substrate. However, if the degree of adhesion is good, the wettability (cleanability) of the substrate is determined to be within an acceptable range, or propanol as a reagent is applied using a third felt pen, and if the degree of adhesion is poor, In the case of being repelled, it is easy to judge on the site of the production line that the wettability (cleanliness) is insufficient and that the substrate is washed again and fired. Kill as to become.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device of the present invention, in a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device in which a thin film is patterned on a substrate, n types (n is an integer of 1 or more) having different adhesion tensions on a part of the substrate. A) a coating step of applying a liquid reagent, a measuring step of measuring the degree of adhesion of a coating film of each liquid reagent on the substrate, and a wettability of the substrate based on the degree of adhesion of the liquid reagent measured in the measuring step. And a determining step of determining the quality of the product.

According to this manufacturing method, since the wettability of the substrate can be determined by a simple method, the precision of forming a thin film on the substrate can be maintained extremely high, and the quality of the liquid crystal device can be further improved. Things.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state of applying a liquid reagent to a substrate, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an application state of a liquid reagent applied to a substrate, and FIG. 3 is a reagent used in the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of 1 composition of an applicator.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a glass substrate for a liquid crystal device as one type of substrate.

As the glass substrate, for example, a non-alkali glass or quartz substrate or the like is used, and on the surface thereof, for example, a TFD (Thin Film Diode) provided as a switching element in the case of an active matrix type liquid crystal panel.
A thin film such as a metal or a semiconductor for forming a thin film diode (TFT) or a thin film transistor (TFT) or a resist for patterning the metal or the semiconductor is formed.

Further, a terminal portion for supplying a signal to the switching element is formed on the glass substrate 1. For example, a COG (Chip On Glass) method or a TAB (Tape Automated Bonding: Tape) is used. Driving ICs and FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) are mounted by an automated bonding method, etc., and an ACF (Anisotropy Conductive Fi
lm: anisotropic conductive film).

The glass substrate 1 is immersed in, for example, a predetermined cleaning liquid, subjected to a degreasing treatment and removal of impurities, and is then dried after removing the cleaning liquid with pure water.

When an active matrix type liquid crystal panel is manufactured by using the glass substrate 1, for example, the glass substrate 1 may be manufactured by a manufacturing line for forming the above-mentioned switching element, a process of bonding the substrates to each other with a sealing material, or the like. Is transported to the step of mounting the driving IC.

Here, although the glass substrate 1 has been cleaned as described above, when the cleaning is insufficient or when scale is attached during drying, the patterning accuracy of the switching element and the terminal portion and the sealing accuracy are reduced. Between the substrates in the area,
The surface may be contaminated to such an extent that the product quality such as the reliability of conduction of the driving IC is affected.

Therefore, in order to confirm the cleanliness of the surface of the glass substrate 1 and to improve the product yield, the wettability of the substrate surface is determined every predetermined number of the glass substrates 1 conveyed to the production line. Becomes

Specifically, for example, a glass substrate 1 as a sample is extracted every 100 sheets,
The liquid reagents 2a, 2a are placed on the peripheral edges 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d of the sides.
b, 2c and 2d are applied. The reason why the reagent was applied to the peripheral portion was to avoid the portion serving as the display portion of the liquid crystal panel to perform the inspection.

As the liquid reagents 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d, monohydric or polyhydric alcohols having different molecular weights are used.

The use of alcohols having different molecular weights as the liquid reagent is easier as the molecular weight is smaller.
The higher the molecular weight, the more difficult it is to get wet and the more easily it is repelled (that is, the ease of wetting is methanol>ethanol> propanol ...). This is because the contrast of the contact angles becomes clear and the determination of wettability becomes easy.

The liquid reagents 2a, 2b, 2c, 2
When d is dropped on the substrate, a droplet A as shown in FIG.
However, γAcosθ at this time indicates an adhesion tension indicating a measure of adhesion, and the above-mentioned easiness of wetting or repelling is considered to reflect this adhesion tension. Therefore,
In the present embodiment, the liquid reagents are composed of alcohols having different molecular weights. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to apply the same reagent as long as it is a predetermined liquid having a different adhesion tension.

In this embodiment, the liquid reagents 2a, 2a
b, 2c, 2d, for example, methanol, 2b
For example, ethanol, 2c was propanol, and 2d was butanol. The liquid reagent is not limited to these, and the alcohol may be appropriately mixed,
It is also conceivable to use a diol as a dihydric alcohol or a triol as a trihydric alcohol.

In this embodiment, the liquid reagents 2a, 2a
In order to apply b, 2c and 2d, a felt pen-shaped reagent applicator 3 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 was used.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 4 denotes a case made of a resin, metal, or the like having resistance to various alcohols. The narrowed end of the case 4 is made of a permeable material such as felt. The core material 5 to be inserted is inserted, and the tip 5a of the core material 5 is cut into a predetermined shape so that a straight line having a constant width (for example, 5 mm) can be easily drawn.

The plurality of reagent applicators 3, 3,...
Are classified into, for example, a first pen, a second pen, a third pen, and a fourth pen, and one of the liquid reagents 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d is provided in the case 4 of each reagent applicator 3 by a predetermined amount. Is filled.

Further, as shown in FIG.
An airtight cap 6 for preventing evaporation and leakage of the reagent when not in use is provided. In FIG. 4, the case 4 includes a cylindrical shaft portion 4a and a lid portion 4b.

Using the reagent applicator 3 of the first to fourth pens, for example, thus configured, the tip 5a of the core material is brought into contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. , FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, each liquid reagent 2a, 2
Each of b, 2c, and 2d is applied linearly.

FIG. 2 exemplifies the state of application of the liquid reagent. For example, when the surface of the glass substrate 1 is sufficiently clean and has high activity, the liquid reagent has a high wettability as shown in FIG. It has a relatively wide linear shape. Further, when the surface of the glass substrate 1 is contaminated to some extent due to the adhesion of impurities or the like, it becomes a line having a slightly narrow width as shown in (b), and when the degree of contamination on the surface is large, (c)
As shown in (2), the reagent becomes extremely poor in wettability and repels in a polka dot form.

When the wettability is clearly poor visually as shown in FIG. 4C and it is clear that the surface of the glass substrate 1 is contaminated by impurities or the like, the glass substrate 1 The process is transferred to the step of cleaning again all the glass substrates of the lot from which the glass substrate 1 has been extracted.

On the other hand, when the visual judgment is delicate as in (a) and (b) above, each liquid reagent 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is measured using a measuring instrument such as a caliper or a micrometer.
The line width is precisely measured for.

Based on the measurement results, for example, the line width of the liquid reagent 2a (methanol) is in the range of 4.8 to 5 mm, and the line width of the liquid reagent 2b (ethanol) is 4.5 to 5 mm.
When the line width of the liquid reagent 2c (propanol) is in the range of 4.2 to 5 mm, and the line width of the liquid reagent 2d (butanol) is in the range of 4 to 5 mm, the glass substrate 1 The glass substrate can be sent to the next step after judging that the activity is sufficiently clean and high.

Further, for example, the liquid reagent 2a (methanol)
Is less than 4.8 mm, liquid reagent 2b (ethanol)
Is less than 4.5 mm, the liquid reagent 2c (propanol) has a line width of less than 4.2 mm, and the liquid reagent 2d (butanol) has a line width of less than 4 mm. It is determined that the glass substrate 1 has been contaminated, and the process returns to the step of cleaning all the glass substrates of the lot from which the glass substrate 1 has been extracted.

In the above example, the case where the width of the liquid reagent application area is manually measured by the measuring instrument has been described. However, instead of this, for example, each of the liquid reagents 2a, 2b, 2
The application state of c and 2d is photographed by a CCD camera or the like, and image data obtained by the photographing is subjected to a predetermined arithmetic processing by an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer to convert image data corresponding to a predetermined area into binary data. Calculate the line width and area of the application area of each liquid reagent from the brightness of the image, etc., compare the line width value or area value with a preset value, and exceed the set value It is also possible to judge that the glass substrate 1 has high wettability and is clean, and to judge that the glass substrate 1 is low and has low wettability and is contaminated.

In such a case, by arranging the CCD camera or the like on the transfer line of the glass substrate 1, a system for automatically performing the substrate wettability determination method according to the present invention as part of the manufacturing process is constructed. It is expected that the productivity and yield of liquid crystal panels and the like can be further improved.

In this embodiment, the case where the wettability of the glass substrate is determined has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same applies to the case where the wettability of a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate or a GaAs substrate is determined. Can be applied.

Further, by adding a dye of a predetermined color to the liquid reagent and coloring the liquid reagent, the line width and area of the application area can be easily measured.

In this embodiment, the case where the reagent is applied to the peripheral portion of the glass substrate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of types of reagent application tools 3 (for example, the second It is also possible to shorten the time required for determining wettability by arranging and applying the pens and the third pen at the same time.

[0051]

As described above, the method for judging the wettability of a substrate according to the present invention provides a method for judging the wettability of n on a part of the substrate.
A coating step of applying a liquid reagent of a kind (n is an integer of 1 or more), a measuring step of measuring the degree of adhesion of each liquid reagent on the substrate, and a measuring step of measuring the degree of adhesion of the liquid reagent measured in the measuring step. The wetness of the substrate can be determined accurately and in a short time by comparing and observing the degree of adhesion of the n kinds of liquid reagents. Becomes

The liquid reagent can be composed of a monohydric or polyhydric alcohol having a different molecular weight. When such a liquid reagent is used, impurities remain on a silicon substrate or a glass substrate after coating. Can be avoided, and there is an effect that the reliability and the like of the product are not affected.

Further, in the measuring step, the width or the area of the adhering region of each liquid reagent is measured by analyzing image data indicating the coating state of the liquid reagent obtained through the optical system. In the above-mentioned determination step, the quality or wettability of the substrate can be determined by comparing the width or the area of the adhesion area of each of the liquid reagents with a predetermined value set in advance. In this case, the productivity is further improved. There is an effect that can be.

The reagent applicator used in the above-described method for determining the wettability of a substrate is composed of n kinds of liquid reagents (n is an integer of 1 or more) having different adhesion tensions. To n-th) felt pen, and with such a reagent applicator, it is possible to easily determine the necessity of another substrate cleaning or baking treatment at the site of the production line. effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state in which a liquid reagent is applied to a substrate.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an application state of a liquid reagent applied to a substrate.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example and a use state of a reagent applicator used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a reagent applicator used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional state after application of a liquid reagent.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Glass substrate 2a-2b Liquid reagent 3 Reagent applicator 4 Case 5 Core material 6 Cap

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, wherein a part of the substrate has n kinds (n) having different adhesion tensions.
Is an integer of 1 or more), a measuring step of measuring the degree of adhesion of the coating film of each liquid reagent on the substrate, and a degree of adhesion of the liquid reagent measured in the measuring step. A determining step of determining whether the wettability of the substrate is good or not, and a method of determining wettability of the substrate. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid reagent is composed of a monohydric or polyhydric alcohol having a different molecular weight. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measuring step comprises: analyzing image data indicating a coating state of the coating film of each of the liquid reagents obtained via an optical system to measure a width or an adhesion area of each liquid reagent. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step determines whether the wettability of the substrate is good or not by comparing a width or an adhering area of the adhering region of each of the liquid reagents with a predetermined value set in advance. Method for determining wettability of substrate. 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said felt pen comprises n kinds of felt pens each enclosing one of n kinds of liquid reagents having different adhesion tensions (n is an integer of 1 or more). A reagent applicator used in the method for determining wettability of a substrate according to any one of the above. 5. The reagent applicator according to claim 4, wherein the liquid reagent sealed in each of the felt pens is made of one of monohydric or polyhydric alcohols having different molecular weights. . 6. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, comprising patterning a thin film on a substrate, comprising: a coating step of coating n types (n is an integer of 1 or more) of liquid reagents having different adhesion tensions on a part of the substrate; A measuring step of measuring the degree of adhesion of the coating film of each liquid reagent on the substrate, and a determining step of determining whether the wettability of the substrate is good or not based on the degree of adhesion of the liquid reagent measured in the measuring step. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, comprising at least: