JP2005169773A - Two layer-structured intaglio and patterning method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a two layer-structured intaglio, which is especially aimed at the pattern formation of a functional material, which can inexpensively, easily and quantitatively transfer a pattern forming material and further high resolution pattern can be formed, and a patterning method. <P>SOLUTION: This intaglio having two layer structure consists of a thin film board part and a pattern part, and the board part is made of an elastic body and the pattern part is made of a rigid body. The patterning method for transferring onto a matter to be transferred by pushing up a pattern forming material through the pressurization from the elastic body side of the intaglio is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an intaglio having a two-layer structure and a patterning method using the same.

  Known pattern forming methods include photolithography and printing. As a photolithography technique, there are known a method in which a material to be patterned is made photosensitive, or a method in which a pattern is previously formed with another photosensitive material, etching is performed, and then the photosensitive material is removed. The printing method includes printing plates such as letterpress, intaglio, planographic and stencil, and plateless printing such as ink jet and electrophotography.

  Photolithography is widely used as a pattern formation technique in the electronics field. In this case, it is required that each formed pattern has a constant quality, that is, high uniformity between the patterns.

  In the case of the photolithography method, since it is often necessary to perform chemical and physical treatments on the material to be patterned, it is necessary that the material can withstand those treatments. However, there are many materials that do not show resistance to chemical and physical treatments, such as DNA, proteins, fragments thereof, and compounds having a self-organizing function such as thiol, in which case the photolithography method cannot be applied.

  Examples of materials having resistance to chemical and physical treatment processes include noble metal nanoparticles and organic semiconductor materials, but they are expensive and sometimes difficult to use photolithography.

  On the other hand, since the material can be directly patterned by the printing method, high resistance to the material as in the photolithography method is not required so much. However, since high uniformity is required between patterns in pattern formation, when an accurate pattern is formed by a printing method, it is necessary to accurately transfer a certain amount of pattern forming material to a transfer object. .

  However, in the case of a general printing method, a pattern is completed by repeating the transfer of the pattern forming material. For example, in the case of lithographic offset printing, a pattern forming material transfer from an ink roll to a plate, a pattern forming material transfer from a plate to a blanket roll, and a pattern forming material transfer from a blanket roll to a transfer object are performed.

  In this way, when the pattern forming material goes through multiple processes, it is very rare that the pattern forming material completely transfers in all steps, and the pattern forming material repeatedly adheres to and tears on various media. Printed. Therefore, the variation in the transfer amount of the pattern forming material resulting from the tearing of the pattern forming material causes the variation of each printed pattern.

  By the way, a method using ink jet is known as precise patterning of liquid, and as described in Non-Patent Document 1, there is an example used as a method of electrode formation in the field of organic transistors. In the case of a method using an ink jet, there are advantages that liquid can be controlled quantitatively and patterning can be performed without contact with a substrate.

Further, as described in Non-Patent Document 2, in a field called MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), it has been proposed to create a micromechanical part using an ink jet.
Sirringhaus et. al. Science 280, 2123 (2000) S. B. Fuller et. al. Journal of Microelectrochemical Systems Vol. 11, p. 54 (2002) However, in the method using an ink jet, pattern formation is performed using spherical droplets, so the shape to be patterned is defined by the size of the diameter of the droplets. Since the diameter of the droplet is about 10 microns at the minimum, the resolution is limited. As described in Non-Patent Document 1 for forming a high-definition pattern, an ink-repellent partition wall is previously provided. The operation such as providing the is required. For example, even in the case of forming a straight line, since a pattern is formed using spherical droplets, it is difficult to form a pattern having sharp edges.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, can quantitatively transfer pattern forming materials, and can perform pattern formation with high definition and sharp edges by a simple method. It is an issue to provide an intaglio that makes it possible. Another object is to provide a patterning method using the intaglio.

  The invention of claim 1 is an intaglio plate comprising a thin film as a substrate portion and a pattern portion, wherein the substrate portion is made of an elastic body and the pattern portion is made of a rigid body and has a two-layer structure. is there.

  The invention of claim 2 is a step of filling a pattern forming material into a concave portion of an intaglio plate comprising a substrate portion made of an elastic body and a pattern portion made of a rigid body, and applying the pressure from the elastic body side of the intaglio plate The patterning method according to claim 1, further comprising a transferring step.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the patterning method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of curing the pattern forming material after the step of filling the recess with the pattern forming material.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the patterning method according to the second or third aspect, wherein the cured pattern forming material is semi-cured.

  According to the present invention, by applying pressure from the elastic body side of the intaglio plate having a two-layer structure, the pattern forming material filled in the concave portion protrudes above the plate and is then pressed against the transfer object, thereby quantifying the pattern forming material. Can be transferred. Therefore, it is possible to perform patterning more accurately than a general printing method and at a lower cost than a photolithography method. In addition, a pattern can be formed even in a material that is not resistant to a photolithography process. In addition, it is possible to form a pattern with high definition and sharp edges, which has been difficult with a method using an ink jet, by a simple method.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an intaglio according to the present invention comprising two layers of a thin film made of an elastic body 20 and a pattern portion made of a rigid body 10. The material of the elastic body 20 may be any material that can be deformed by the pressure applied during transfer. However, silicone rubber or fluorosilicone rubber, which is difficult to adhere to the pattern forming material, is most suitable. Further, the hardness of the elastic body 20 is preferably 40 to 70, more preferably 40 to 50, as measured by a durometer A which is a standard measurement method. The material of the rigid body 10 may be any material as long as it is not deformed by pressure during transfer, and SUS304, SUS430, phosphor bronze, copper, nickel, brass, or the like can be used. Further, the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 may be subjected to a water repellent treatment in advance, for example, a method of vapor-depositing fluorine-based silicone on the surface of the pattern portion.

  In the intaglio plate making process, a pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 is produced by photolithography and etching. In the pattern portion, the relationship between the pattern thickness d and the pattern width l is preferably d <l. Separately from the pattern portion, a thin film made of the elastic body 20 is prepared, and the pattern portion is attached to the thin film, whereby an intaglio having a two-layer structure is prepared.

  Further, the plate making process is not limited to the above method, and the same intaglio may be used even if a thin film made of the elastic body 20 is first bonded to the rigid body 10 and then a pattern portion is formed by photolithography and etching. Can be obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the filling process of the pattern forming material into the intaglio is performed by dropping an appropriate amount of the pattern forming material 30 on the intaglio and scraping off the excess pattern forming material with the doctor blade 40. Only the concave portion of the intaglio is filled with the pattern forming material. Here, the pattern forming material is a material composed of conductive fine particles and a binder. The type of the pattern forming material to be used is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a material in which silver nanoparticles are dispersed in a polyester polymer and a material in which an EL light emitting material is dispersed in an aromatic organic solvent.
As another method for supplying the pattern forming material, it is also possible to use an ink jet as shown in FIG.

  Next, in the transfer step, as shown in FIG. 5, the intaglio plate filled with the pattern forming material is placed on the transfer device 70 and fixed. The transfer device 70 is provided with a pressurizing mechanism, and by applying pressure to the fixed intaglio, the intaglio elastic body 20 is deformed. As the pressurization mechanism, various pressurization mechanisms such as water pressure, hydraulic pressure, and pressurization with compressed air can be used. By applying pressure from the elastic body side of the intaglio, the elastic body 20 is deformed as shown in FIG. 6, and the deformed elastic body 20 enters the pattern portion formed of the rigid body 10 of the intaglio. As a result, the pattern forming material 30 filled in the concave portions of the intaglio plate protrudes to the upper portion of the rigid body 10. By bringing the transfer object 60 into contact with the ink from the upper part of the intaglio, the pattern forming material filled in the recesses can be quantitatively transferred to the transfer object 60.

  Further, a step of curing the pattern forming material may be provided between the pattern forming material filling step and the transfer step. The pattern forming material filled in the recesses of the intaglio is cured by heating, irradiation with light, irradiation of ultraviolet rays or infrared rays, electron beams, γ rays, etc., and then applied to the transfer object in the same manner as in the transfer step. The cured pattern forming material is transferred. In this curing process, the pattern forming material may be completely cured. However, if the pattern forming material is apparently cured or is semi-cured when it is touched by hand, It is more preferable from the viewpoint of the adhesion between the object and the pattern forming material.

  As described above, by using the intaglio of the present invention, it is possible to form a pattern having sharp edges even in high-definition pattern formation in which the line width of the pattern is 100 microns or less, and further 20 microns or less. . In addition, in the electronics field and biochemical field where high-resolution pattern formation technology is required, it is possible to form a wide range of high-resolution patterns at a very low cost and with a simple method compared to conventional methods. . Furthermore, since the film thickness of the pattern is equal to the thickness of the rigid body, it is possible to produce an arbitrary film thickness pattern by a simple method by changing the thickness of the rigid body portion.

  (Plate making process) A SUS304 having a thickness of 50 microns was used as a rigid material, and a pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 was produced by photolithography and etching.

  Further, a silicone rubber mixed with a curing agent is dropped onto a polyester film, covered with a protective film, and pressed with a laminator to form a thin film having a thickness of 30 microns, which is dried at 80 ° C. for 4 hours, and the elastic body 20 A thin film was prepared.

  A primer for bonding with silicone rubber is applied to one surface of the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 previously prepared, dried at room temperature for 40 minutes, and then attached to the thin film made of the elastic body 20, as shown in FIG. An intaglio having a layer structure was prepared.

  (Filling and transfer process) The intaglio was filled with a pattern forming material and placed on the transfer device 70. As the pattern forming material, a material in which silver nanoparticles were dispersed in a polyester polymer was used. Pressure was applied by compressed air from the elastic body side of the intaglio, and the pattern forming material filled in the recesses was transferred to the transfer object.

  Then, after passing through a drying step, it was confirmed by observation with a microscope that the pattern was accurately transferred to the transfer object.

  (Plate making process) Using fluorosilicone rubber as an elastic material, a suitable amount is dropped on a polyester film, covered with a protective film, and pressed with a laminator to form a thin film with a thickness of 30 microns. A thin film made of the elastic body 20 was produced by drying. An intaglio having a two-layer structure was produced by pasting this thin film and the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 produced in Example 1. When the pattern forming material was filled and transferred in the same manner as in Example 1 and the microscopic observation was performed after the drying process, it was confirmed that the same exact pattern as in Example 1 was transferred to the transfer object. .

  (Plate making process) Using an ethylene propylene rubber as an elastic material, a thin film having a thickness of 30 microns was formed by rolling and vulcanization. An intaglio having a two-layer structure was produced by pasting this thin film and the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 produced in Example 1. When the pattern forming material was filled and transferred in the same manner as in Example 1 and the microscopic observation was performed after the drying process, it was confirmed that the same exact pattern as in Example 1 was transferred to the transfer object. .

  (Hardening of pattern forming material by heating) A fluorine-based silicone was vapor-deposited in advance on the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 produced in Example 1 to perform a water repellent treatment. An intaglio having a two-layer structure was produced by pasting this pattern portion and a thin film made of the elastic body 20 produced in Example 1. After filling the pattern forming material in the same manner as in Example 1, the entire intaglio was heated to semi-cure the filled pattern forming material. Thereafter, as in Example 1, the pattern forming material was transferred to the transfer object by applying pressure. As a result, it was confirmed by microscopic observation that the edges were sharp and an accurate pattern was transferred.

(Hardening of pattern forming material by ultraviolet irradiation) In the same manner as in Example 4, a fluorine-based silicone was vapor-deposited in advance on the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 prepared in Example 1 to perform a water repellent treatment. An intaglio having a two-layer structure was produced by pasting this pattern portion and a thin film made of the elastic body 20 produced in Example 1. An ultraviolet curable binder was used as the pattern forming material, and after filling the pattern forming material, the filled pattern forming material was semi-cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays. Thereafter, as in Example 1, the pattern forming material was transferred to the transfer object by applying pressure. As a result, it was confirmed by microscopic observation that the edges were sharp and an accurate pattern was transferred.
<Comparative example>
(Plate making process) In the production of a thin film, a thin film having a thickness of 30 microns was formed using SUS304 which is a rigid body instead of an elastic material. An intaglio having a two-layer structure was produced by pasting this thin film and the pattern portion made of the rigid body 10 produced in Example 1. As a result of filling and transferring the pattern forming material in the same manner as in Example 1, even when pressure was applied from the thin film side of the intaglio, the pattern forming material did not protrude upward, and the pattern forming material could not be quantitatively transferred.

It is explanatory drawing showing one Example of the intaglio which has a 2 layer structure of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing one Example of the pattern formation material filling process of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing one Example of the pattern formation material filling process of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the other Example of the pattern formation material filling process of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing one Example of the transfer process of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing one Example of the transfer process after the pressurization of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Rigid body 20 Elastic body 30 Pattern forming material 40 Doctor blade 50 Inkjet head 60 Transfer object 70 Transfer device

Claims (4)

  An intaglio plate comprising a thin film as a substrate portion and a pattern portion, wherein the substrate portion is made of an elastic body and the pattern portion is made of a rigid body and has a two-layer structure.   Filling a pattern forming material into a concave portion of an intaglio plate composed of a substrate portion made of an elastic body and a pattern portion made of a rigid body, and transferring the pattern forming material by applying pressure from the elastic body side of the intaglio plate. The patterning method according to claim 1.   The patterning method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of curing the pattern forming material after the step of filling the concave portion with the pattern forming material. 4. The patterning method according to claim 2, wherein the cured pattern forming material is semi-cured.

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