JP2004199975A - Pattern forming device and pattern forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pattern forming device for forming a pattern of an appropriate shape. <P>SOLUTION: The pattern forming device 1 is provided with a stage 3 for holding a substrate 9, a discharging part 42 for discharging a pattern-forming material toward the substrate 9, an ionizer 45 for imparting ions to the discharged pattern-forming material, and a charge measurement part 46 for measuring charge volume of the pattern-forming material on the substrate 9. In forming the pattern, drive of the ionizer 45 is first started and the ions are supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the substrate 9. After that, the pattern-forming material is discharged from the discharging part 42 toward the substrate 9 in accordance with the movement of the stage 3. The pattern-forming material is discharged in a charged state, but the charge is removed by the ions and deformation, and discharging abnormalities or the like of the pattern-forming material due to static charge is suppressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique for forming a pattern on a substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of forming a partition pattern on a panel used for a plasma display device, an organic EL display device, or the like, a sand blast method (also called a photolithography method), a screen printing method, a lift-off method, and the like are known. However, these methods are complicated and cause an increase in production cost. Therefore, in recent years, a method has been proposed in which a paste-like pattern forming material is discharged from a nozzle having fine discharge ports to form a pattern on a substrate, as disclosed in Patent Document 1.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-184303
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above method, when an insulating pattern forming material is ejected from a nozzle formed of an insulator such as ceramics, a pattern on a substrate is formed due to friction between the nozzle and the pattern forming material at the time of ejection. May be charged. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when a pattern forming material is discharged from a nozzle 901 having a plurality of discharge ports 902 arrayed and formed at a constant pitch onto a substrate 903 (shown by hatching in parallel), The surface of the discharged pattern forming material 904 may be positively charged, for example. In this case, depending on the material of the pattern forming material, the pattern forming material discharged by the discharge port 902 located at the end (the pattern forming material denoted by reference numeral 904a in FIG. The cross-sectional shape may be distorted or the pattern forming material 904 itself may fall due to the repulsive force acting between them.
[0005]
In addition, since the portion on the side of the discharge port 902 is charged to the polarity opposite to that of the pattern forming material 904, the pattern forming material during discharge is discharged while being drawn to the vicinity of the discharge port 902, and the pattern forming material 904 on the substrate 903 is discharged. May be deformed or adhere to the vicinity of the discharge port 902, which may hinder subsequent discharge of the pattern forming material. Further, the pattern forming material 904 may be non-uniformly charged.
[0006]
On the other hand, when an insulating substrate is used, the substrate itself may be charged (or charged), and the pattern forming material formed on the substrate may be deformed by static electricity.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to form a pattern having an appropriate shape.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a pattern forming apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate, comprising: a holding unit for holding the substrate; and a discharge unit having a discharge port for discharging a pattern forming material toward the substrate. A moving mechanism for moving the discharge portion relative to the substrate in a direction along a main surface of the substrate; and a means for removing static electricity from the discharged pattern forming material.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pattern forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the removing unit is an ionizer that applies an ionized gas to the discharged pattern forming material.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 3 is the pattern forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the charge measuring unit that measures a charge amount of the pattern forming material on the substrate; A control unit for controlling the amount of ions provided by the ionizer.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: a) discharging a pattern forming material from a discharge unit toward the substrate while moving the discharge unit along a main surface of the substrate. And b) applying an ionized gas to the pattern forming material discharged in parallel with the step a).
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the pattern forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The pattern forming apparatus 1 forms a partition pattern (for example, a rectangular pattern having a cross-sectional shape of several tens of μm and a height of several hundred μm) on a glass substrate (hereinafter, referred to as “substrate”) 9 of a plasma display device. The substrate 9 on which the partition pattern is formed is a panel (usually a rear panel) which is an assembly part of the plasma display device through another process.
[0013]
In the pattern forming apparatus 1, a stage moving mechanism 2 is provided on a base 11, and the stage 3 holding the substrate 9 can be moved in the X direction shown in FIG. A frame 12 is fixed to the base 11 so as to straddle the stage 3, and the head unit 4 is attached to the frame 12.
[0014]
The stage moving mechanism 2 has a structure in which a ball screw 22 is connected to a motor 21, and a nut 23 fixed to the stage 3 is attached to the ball screw 22. A guide rail 24 is fixed above the ball screw 22. When the motor 21 rotates, the stage 3 moves smoothly along the guide rail 24 in the X direction together with the nut 23.
[0015]
The head unit 4 includes a discharge unit 42 that discharges a paste-like pattern forming material onto the substrate 9 and a light irradiation unit 44 that emits ultraviolet light toward the substrate 9. The discharge unit 42 and the light irradiation unit 44 It is attached to the lower part of the base 41 fixed to the frame 12. The discharge section 42 has a nozzle 43 formed of ceramics, and the nozzle 43 has a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the Y direction. As the pattern forming material, for example, a glass frit having a low softening point, an ultraviolet curable resin, or a material containing a solvent or an additive and being an insulator is used. The light irradiation unit 44 emits light toward the substrate 9 on the (−X) side of the ejection unit 42, and forms a light spot corresponding to each ejection port on the substrate 9. Note that the nozzle 43 does not necessarily need to be formed of ceramics.
[0016]
A supply pipe 422 having a check valve 421 is attached to the discharge section 42, and the supply pipe 422 is branched, and one is connected to a pump 423, and the other is a tank that stores a pattern forming material via a control valve 424. 425. The light irradiation unit 44 is connected to a light source unit 442 that generates ultraviolet light via an optical fiber 441.
[0017]
An ionizer 45 is attached to the base 41 on the (−X) side of the light irradiation section 44. The ionizer 45 has an electrode and a blowing mechanism inside (the blowing port may be provided in the head section 4, and the electrode and the blowing mechanism may be provided outside the head section 4), and the electrodes constitute air in the vicinity thereof. Molecules (oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, etc.) are ionized into positive ions and negative ions (hereinafter collectively referred to as “ions”), and are supplied onto the substrate 9 by a blowing mechanism. Further, between the light irradiation section 44 and the discharge section 42, a charge measurement section 46 for measuring the charge amount of the pattern forming material discharged from the discharge section 42 is provided. The charge measuring section 46 is in a state where the lower end serving as a sensor is close to the pattern forming material.
[0018]
The motor 21, the pump 423, the control valve 424, the light source unit 442, the ionizer 45, and the charge measuring section 46 of the stage moving mechanism 2 are connected to the control section 5. The partition pattern is formed on the substrate 9 by the apparatus 1.
[0019]
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the head unit 4. As shown in FIG. 3, a discharge port 431 is formed at the tip of the nozzle 43, and the discharge port 431 is located on the (−X) side of the direction toward the substrate 9 (the rear side in the traveling direction at the time of pattern formation described later). ). Further, a surface 432 parallel to the main surface of the substrate 9 is formed at the tip of the nozzle 43, and the surface 432 and the main surface of the substrate 9 are brought into close proximity. Thereby, the pattern forming material is discharged in a state where the discharge port 431 is close to the main surface of the substrate 9. Further, the ionizer 45 is provided with a blowing port 451 that opens toward the tip of the nozzle 43.
[0020]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the lower portion of the nozzle 43 is viewed from the (−X) side in the (+ X) direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of discharge ports 431 are arranged at a constant pitch in the Y direction, and the shape of the discharge ports 431 is such that the height in the normal direction of the substrate 9 (that is, the Z direction) is The rectangle is larger than the width in the Y direction.
[0021]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of an operation in which the pattern forming apparatus 1 forms a partition pattern. Hereinafter, the pattern forming operation will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0022]
First, the substrate 9 is placed on the stage 3, and the driving of the ionizer 45 is started under the control of the control unit 5 (step S11). Specifically, ions are emitted together with the air blown from the blower port 451 while ions are sequentially generated by the ionizer 45. Most of the ejected ions require at least several seconds to recombine, so that the ions are suspended near the surface of the substrate 9 between the ionizer 45 and the nozzle 43.
[0023]
Subsequently, the light source unit 442 and the stage moving mechanism 2 are controlled, and the emission of ultraviolet rays and the movement of the stage are started (step S12). When the ejection section 42 (more precisely, the ejection port 431) reaches the starting point of pattern formation on the substrate 9, ejection of the pattern forming material from the ejection section 42 toward the substrate 9 is started (step S13). The discharge of the pattern forming material from the discharge unit 42 is performed by the check valve 421, the pump 423, and the control valve 424 shown in FIG. First, the pump 423 performs a suction operation with the control valve 424 opened by the control of the control unit 5. At this time, since the check valve 421 prevents the backflow of the pattern forming material, the pattern forming material is drawn into the pump 423 from the tank 425. Next, the control valve 424 is closed under the control of the control unit 5, and the pump 423 performs the pushing operation. Thus, the pattern forming material is continuously discharged from the nozzle 43.
[0024]
In the pattern forming apparatus 1, for example, the pattern forming material is discharged in a state of being charged with positive static electricity due to friction between the nozzle 43 and the nozzle 43 (strictly, the inner wall of the nozzle 43 continuing to the discharge port 431). At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the discharged charges on the surface of the pattern forming material 91 attract the negative ions of the opposite polarity floating nearby and are neutralized. That is, the static electricity is removed from the pattern forming material 91 immediately after the ejection by the ions. Further, the vicinity of the discharge port 431 of the nozzle 43 is charged with static electricity having the opposite polarity to the discharged pattern forming material 91, but like the pattern forming material 91, the static electricity is removed by ions floating nearby. Is done.
[0025]
In the charge measuring section 46 adjacent to the discharge section 42, the charge amount of the pattern forming material 91 located below (for example, the charge amount in an area corresponding to several tens of patterns) is measured (Step S14), and the control section is controlled. The measurement result is output to 5. For example, when the charge amount of the pattern forming material 91 is relatively large, the flow rate of the ionizer 45 is increased by the control of the control unit 5 (step S15). Accordingly, the amount of ions existing in the vicinity of the ejection port 431 is substantially increased, and the charge amount of the pattern forming material ejected subsequently can be reduced. The charge measuring section 46 can measure the charge amount based on the potential of the pattern forming material by performing calibration in advance.
[0026]
In the pattern forming apparatus 1, steps S14 and S15 are repeatedly performed (step S16), and an appropriate amount of ions are sequentially applied to the discharged pattern forming material. Further, even when an abnormality occurs in the ionizer 45 (for example, when the amount of applied ions sharply decreases, or when an abnormality occurs in the ratio of generated positive ions to negative ions), the charge amount can be reduced. By performing the measurement repeatedly, an abnormality is quickly detected, and the occurrence of defective products can be prevented.
[0027]
The pattern forming material 91 from which the static electricity has been removed on the substrate 9 (or the pattern forming material 91 in the process of being removed) has a light irradiating unit 44 disposed behind the discharge unit 42 in the traveling direction relative to the substrate 9. UV rays are sequentially emitted from As described above, the pattern forming material contains an ultraviolet curable resin whose curing (crosslinking reaction) is started by ultraviolet rays, and the pattern forming material 91 maintains the cross-sectional shape immediately after being discharged by the light irradiation unit 44 ( That is, it is cured (in a state where no adverse effects such as deformation due to static electricity have occurred).
[0028]
When the end point of the pattern formation on the substrate 9 reaches just below the discharge unit 42 (Step S16), the discharge of the pattern forming material is stopped (Step S17). In order to cure the pattern forming material near the end point, the substrate 9 further moves, and thereafter, emission of ultraviolet rays and movement of the stage are stopped (step S18). Then, the ionizer is stopped (Step S19), and the pattern formation by the pattern forming apparatus 1 ends.
[0029]
The partition wall pattern formed in the above steps is baked in another step to remove the resin component in the pattern forming material, and the low softening point glass frit is fused to form the partition walls.
[0030]
As described above, in the pattern forming apparatus 1, with the movement of the stage 3, the pattern forming material is discharged from the discharge port 431 toward the substrate 9, and in parallel with this, the discharged pattern forming material 91 is supplied to the ionizer 45. From which ionized air is applied. Accordingly, static electricity is removed from the pattern forming material 91, and deformation of the pattern forming material, abnormal discharge, and the like during pattern formation are suppressed. As a result, the pattern forming apparatus 1 can form a highly accurate partition pattern. Further, even when the type of the pattern forming material, the discharge condition, and the like are changed, the ionizer 45 is controlled based on the output from the charge measuring unit 46, so that an appropriate amount of the pattern forming material to be discharged is Ions can be provided.
[0031]
Although the discharged pattern forming material 91 may be non-uniformly charged as shown in FIG. 7, even in such a case, the positive ions and the negative ions floating near the pattern forming material 91 respectively cause pattern formation. The attraction of the opposite polarity charge generated on the surface of the material 91 removes static electricity appropriately.
[0032]
It is also assumed that the substrate 9 itself is uniformly or non-uniformly charged. However, static electricity generated on the substrate 9 is also removed in the same manner as the pattern forming material. It is also suppressed that the shape of the substrate is adversely affected.
[0033]
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible.
[0034]
The ionized gas applied to the pattern forming material may be a gas obtained by ionizing a gas other than air.
[0035]
The ionizer 45 does not necessarily need to have a blowing mechanism, and the amount of ions applied to the ejected pattern forming material may be adjusted by changing the amount of generated ions. When an ionizer capable of individually controlling the generation amount of the positive ion or the negative ion is used, the generation amount of the positive ion or the negative ion may be changed based on the measurement result of the charge measuring unit 46. .
[0036]
In the charge measuring section 46, it is not always necessary to measure the charge amount based on the potential of the surface of the pattern forming material. If a physical amount substantially corresponding to the charge amount is measured, another method is used. Is also good.
[0037]
In the pattern forming apparatus 1, the use of the ionizer 45 realizes easy removal of static electricity generated in the pattern forming material, but other methods may be used to remove static electricity.
[0038]
For example, by using a conductive nozzle formed of metal or the like grounded, static electricity generated in the discharged pattern forming material may be suppressed. Further, a method of removing static electricity from the pattern forming material by setting the atmosphere in which the pattern forming apparatus is used in a state of high humidity (for example, humidity of 60 to 70%) may be adopted. Furthermore, even if carbon particles are mixed with the pattern forming material (for example, 5 to 10% is mixed), charging of the discharged pattern forming material is suppressed. These techniques for removing static electricity from the pattern forming material and the technique using an ionizer may be used in combination.
[0039]
The head unit 4 and the stage 3 may move relatively in the direction along the main surface of the substrate 9. For example, the stage 3 may be fixed and the head unit 4 may be provided with a moving mechanism.
[0040]
The pattern forming device may be used for forming a pattern such as a partition wall or a phosphor in another type of flat display device (flat panel display) such as an organic EL display device or a liquid crystal display device. The substrate 9 is not limited to a glass substrate, but may be a resin substrate, a semiconductor substrate, or the like.
[0041]
The substrate 9 does not necessarily need to be held by being placed on the stage 3. For example, the substrate 9 may be held by a member that grips the end of the substrate 9 within a range that does not interfere with the nozzle 43.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, a pattern having an appropriate shape can be formed by removing static electricity from a discharged pattern forming material.
[0043]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, static electricity can be easily removed.
[0044]
According to the third aspect of the invention, an appropriate amount of ions can be applied to the ejected pattern forming material.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining how static electricity is generated in a partition pattern.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a pattern forming apparatus.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a head unit.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a lower portion of a nozzle.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of an operation of forming a pattern.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining how static electricity is removed from a partition pattern.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining how static electricity is removed from a partition pattern.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pattern forming apparatus 2 Stage moving mechanism 3 Stage 5 Control part 9,903 Substrate 42 Discharge part 45 Ionizer 46 Charge measurement parts 91,904,904a Pattern formation material 431,902 Discharge ports S11-S19 Step

Claims (4)

A pattern forming apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate,
A holding unit for holding the substrate,
A discharge unit in which a discharge port for discharging the pattern forming material toward the substrate is formed,
A moving mechanism for moving the discharge portion relative to the substrate in a direction along a main surface of the substrate,
Means for removing static electricity from the discharged pattern forming material,
A pattern forming apparatus comprising: The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The pattern forming apparatus, wherein the removing unit is an ionizer that applies an ionized gas to the discharged pattern forming material. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 2,
A charge measuring unit that measures the charge amount of the pattern forming material on the substrate,
A control unit that controls the amount of ions provided by the ionizer based on the output from the charge measurement unit,
A pattern forming apparatus, further comprising: A pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate,
a) a step of relatively moving the discharge unit along a main surface of the substrate while discharging the pattern forming material toward the substrate from the discharge unit;
b) applying an ionized gas to the pattern forming material discharged in parallel with the step a);
A pattern forming method, comprising:

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