JP2007010768A - Method for partially forming thin film, thin film forming material, method for restoring partial defect of thin film, color filter for liquid crystal panel and device for restoring defect of thin film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for partially forming a thin film capable of partially forming the thin film without causing unevenness of film thickness. <P>SOLUTION: A thin film forming material 15a comprising a solid component, a solidifying component and a solvent is dropped onto a part 14 to remove a defect in a filter film 13 formed on a substrate 11, the solvent is removed from the dropped thin film forming material 15, thereafter, the solidifying component is solidified and, thereby, a thin film is partially formed, wherein removal rate of the solvent is adjusted in accordance with the rate of change of volume of the supplied thin film forming material. Thereby, it is made possible to partially form a thin film on the part 14 to remove a defect in a filter film 13 without causing unevenness of film thickness and to restore a color filter for a liquid crystal panel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film partial forming method, a thin film forming material used in the method, a thin film partial defect repairing method using the method, a color filter repaired by the thin film partial defect repairing method, and a thin film The present invention relates to a defect repair apparatus.

  As one of the methods for forming a thin film on a substrate, a thin film forming method is known in which a liquid thin film forming material containing a solidifying component is dropped on a substrate and the dropped thin film forming material is solidified. It has been. According to the method of dropping and solidifying a liquid thin film forming material on the substrate, it is possible to form a thin film of any size by adjusting the dropping area of the thin film forming material.

  Therefore, if a minute amount of liquid thin film forming material is selectively dropped onto a partial region, the thin film can be formed only on the partial region. Although methods such as an ink jet method and a dispenser method can be used as a method of dropping a minute amount of a thin film forming material, these methods have limitations on physical properties such as viscosity and surface tension of the thin film forming material that can be dropped. For example, it is difficult to drop only the solidified component itself such as a curable resin.

  In order to allow a liquid thin film forming material to be dropped by, for example, an ink jet method, the solid component and the solidified component that are components of the thin film forming material are diluted with a solvent, and the physical property value is adjusted to enable the dropping. The method is taken. A thin film can be partially formed by removing the solvent from the dropped thin film forming material by drying, leaving only the solid component and the solidified component, and solidifying the solidified component in this state.

  Such a method of partially forming a thin film is used to repair the thin film. In particular, color filters for liquid crystal panels, which are a type of thin film used in liquid crystal displays for personal computers and mobile phones, and panel displays for liquid crystal televisions, are required to achieve both pixel refinement and cost reduction. Therefore, even if a defect such as contamination of foreign matter, film thickness abnormality, or color mixture occurs in the color filter, it is possible to repair the defective part and commercialize it by forming a thin film partly without discarding it. It has been broken. In particular, in a color filter for a liquid crystal panel, a plurality of types of thin films such as a red filter film, a green filter film, and a blue filter film are densely formed on the substrate, so that defects are likely to occur, and no defects occur in the filter film manufacturing process. If only the product is used as a product, the manufacturing cost increases. Therefore, there is a demand for a method that can efficiently and accurately repair defective portions of the color filter.

  For color filter restoration, for example, defective portions of the color filter are removed with laser light, and a thin film forming material is dropped as a correction ink on the removed portion, and the dropped correction ink is cured and contracted to partially form a thin film. It is done by doing.

  However, in a method of forming a thin film partially by dropping a small amount of a thin film forming material containing a solvent such as correction ink, removing the solvent, and solidifying the remaining solidified component, the film thickness of the formed thin film is There is a problem that it is not uniform.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a thin film partially formed by the prior art. FIG. 5 shows the color filter 2 formed on the substrate 1. The color filter 2 includes a filter thin film 4 between the black matrixes 3 and further includes a thin film 5 partially formed in the filter thin film 4.

  The solidifying component used for forming the partial thin film 5 has many viscosities and surface tensions alone, and is not suitable for dropping by an ink jet method or a dispenser method, so that dilution with a solvent is required.

  After the thin film forming material diluted with such a solvent is dropped, evaporation in the peripheral portion of the dropped thin film forming material in the process of vaporization evaporation, that is, drying, of the thin film forming material is performed at the central portion. Therefore, a flow from the central portion to the peripheral portion occurs in the dropped thin film forming material, and a solid component and a solidified component are deposited on the peripheral portion. The thin film forming material having only the solid component and the solidified component as a result of evaporation of the solvent has a large viscosity and poor fluidity, so that it is solidified with a thick peripheral edge. For this reason, the dropped thin film forming material, that is, a partially formed thin film, has a film thickness unevenness in which the film thickness at the peripheral portion is relatively thick and the film thickness near the center is relatively thin. .

  The film thickness unevenness generated in the thin film, for example, in a color filter for a liquid crystal panel, leads to non-uniformity in color, non-uniformity in light transmission, etc. It causes a decrease.

Although the conventional technology for preventing unevenness of the film thickness is not related to the defect repair of the color filter, it is a pattern forming paste for forming a large area pattern of electrodes, resistors, dielectrics, etc. with a uniform film thickness. As the liquid medium, it has been proposed to use at least two kinds of organic solvents having different boiling points (see Patent Document 1). In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a pattern layer having a plane area of 1500 cm ² is formed with the above-described pattern forming paste, and the formed pattern layer is dried at 170 ° C. and then fired at 520 ° C. A pattern with a raised portion of 1 mm or less is realized.

  However, when repairing a defective portion of a color filter for a liquid crystal panel, since a thin film is formed in a small area of about 100 μm square, for example, in a planar shape, the film thickness difference in the dropped thin film forming material is within a range of several μm or less. Is required. For this reason, the difference of the evaporation rate of the solvent in the peripheral part and center part of the dripped thin film formation material appears notably as a film thickness difference. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the evaporation rate of the solvent is not taken into consideration. Therefore, when the region where the thin film is formed is small and the influence of the solvent removal rate is large as in the case of repairing the defect of the color filter. Even if the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, unevenness in film thickness may occur.

  In another prior art, two or more kinds of liquids having different boiling points are used to move the spacer near the center of the landing position of the spacer dispersion liquid when the spacer is arranged on the substrate of the liquid crystal display device by the ink jet device. It is proposed that the surface temperature of the substrate when the spacer dispersion liquid is landed is made 20 ° C. or more lower than the boiling point of the lowest boiling liquid contained in the dispersion liquid. Patent Document 2).

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a technique for moving the spacer and disposing it at a desired position, and does not disclose a method of suppressing film thickness unevenness when forming a thin film. In addition, since the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not consider the evaporation rate of the solvent, even when the drying conditions disclosed in Patent Document 2 are used when forming a thin film, the occurrence of film thickness unevenness is suppressed. It is not possible.

JP-A-11-172169 (pages 4-6-7) JP 2003-279999 A (page 5-7)

  An object of the present invention is to provide a partial thin film forming method capable of forming a thin film partially without causing unevenness of film thickness, a thin film forming material used in the method, and partial defect repair of a thin film using the method Is to provide a method.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a thin film defect repairing apparatus capable of repairing a defective portion of the thin film without causing unevenness of the film thickness.

The present invention is a partial thin film forming method of partially forming a thin film on a substrate,
A supply step of partially supplying a thin film forming material containing a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent onto the substrate;
A solvent removal step for removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material,
In the solvent removal step,
It is a partial thin film formation method characterized in that the solvent removal rate is adjusted based on the rate of change in volume of the supplied thin film formation material.

  In the present invention, the solvent contained in the thin film forming material includes two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points.

In the present invention, among the two or more solvents, the content of the solvent having the highest boiling point is:
It is 30 volume% or more and 60 volume% or less with respect to the total volume of the solid component and solidification component which are contained in a thin film forming material, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

Moreover, the present invention provides a solvent removal step.
The solvent is removed by heating the supplied thin film forming material,
The removal rate of the solvent is adjusted by adjusting the heating temperature of the thin film forming material.

Moreover, the present invention provides a solvent removal step.
The substrate supplied with the thin film forming material is accommodated in the chamber, and the solvent is removed.
The solvent removal rate is adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the gas contained in the chamber.

Moreover, the present invention provides a solvent removal step.
The substrate supplied with the thin film forming material is accommodated in the chamber, and the solvent is removed.
The solvent removal rate is adjusted by adjusting the vapor pressure of the solvent inside the chamber.

In the present invention, the solvent contained in the thin film forming material includes two or more solvents having different boiling points,
The solvent removal step
A first solvent removal step of setting the vapor pressure of any one of the two or more solvents to a saturated vapor pressure and removing the remaining solvent;
And a second solvent removal step of reducing the vapor pressure of the one solvent and removing the solvent.

  In the invention, it is preferable that the thin film forming material contains 30% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less of the one kind of solvent with respect to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component.

Further, the present invention includes a supply step of partially supplying a thin film forming material containing a solid component, a solidifying component, and a solvent onto the substrate, and a solvent removing step of removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material. A thin film forming material used in a partial thin film forming method for partially forming a thin film on the top,
A thin film forming material characterized in that the solvent contains two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points.

In the present invention, the content of the solvent having the highest boiling point among the two or more solvents is
It is 30 volume% or more and 60 volume% or less with respect to the total volume of a solid component and a solidification component, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Further, the present invention partially repairs the thin film by removing the defective portion generated in the thin film and forming the thin film on the portion where the defective portion is removed by using the partial thin film forming method of the present invention. This is a method for repairing a partial defect in a thin film.

  The present invention also provides a color filter for a liquid crystal panel, wherein a defective portion is repaired by the thin film partial defect repairing method of the present invention.

Moreover, the present invention provides a defect repair apparatus for a thin film that repairs a defect portion generated in a thin film formed on a substrate.
A defect removing means for removing a defective portion generated in the thin film;
A material supply means for supplying a thin film forming material containing a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent to the portion from which the defective portion has been removed;
A solvent removing means for removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material;
A thin film defect repairing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls a solvent removal rate by the solvent removing unit based on a change rate of a volume of a supplied thin film forming material.

In the present invention, the solvent removing means includes a heating means for heating the supplied thin film forming material,
The control means has a function of controlling the heating temperature of the thin film forming material by the heating means.

The present invention further includes a chamber for accommodating the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material,
The control means has a function of controlling the pressure of the gas accommodated in the chamber.

The present invention further includes a chamber for accommodating the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material,
The control means has a function of controlling the vapor pressure inside the chamber of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material.

  According to the present invention, a thin film partially formed on a substrate includes a supply step of partially supplying a thin film forming material including a solid component, a solidifying component, and a solvent onto the substrate, and the supplied thin film forming material. It forms through the solvent removal process which removes a solvent. In the solvent removal step, the solvent removal rate is adjusted based on the volume change rate of the supplied thin film forming material. As a result, for example, when the volume change rate of the supplied thin film forming material becomes zero, the removal rate of the solvent is reduced, and the fluidity of the thin film forming material is affected by the surface tension of the thin film forming material itself. Thus, the thin film forming material can be maintained to such an extent that it can be deformed into an energetically stable shape. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the difference in the amount of the thin film forming material deposited in the peripheral portion and the central portion of the supplied thin film forming material, which is generated in the process of removing the solvent. Therefore, a thin film can be partially formed without causing film thickness unevenness.

  Here, a solid component is what is contained in the thin film forming material in a solid state. The solidified component is a component that is in a liquid state in the thin film forming material, but becomes a solid state when solidified after removal of the solvent.

  According to the present invention, the thin film forming material includes two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points. This makes it possible to adjust the solvent removal rate in the solvent removal step by a simple method.

  Moreover, according to this invention, content of the solvent with the highest boiling point of two or more types of solvents contained in a thin film forming material is 30 volumes with respect to the total volume of the solid component and solidification component contained in a thin film forming material. % To 60% by weight. This can more reliably suppress the occurrence of film thickness unevenness.

  According to the invention, in the solvent removal step, the solvent is removed by heating the supplied thin film forming material, and the solvent removal rate is adjusted by adjusting the heating temperature of the thin film forming material. By this, the removal speed of the solvent in a removal process can be adjusted with a simple method.

  According to the invention, in the solvent removal step, the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material is accommodated in the chamber, and the solvent removal speed is adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the gas accommodated in the chamber. . This makes it possible to adjust the solvent removal rate in the solvent removal step by a simple method.

  According to the invention, in the solvent removal step, the substrate to which the thin film forming material is supplied is accommodated in the chamber, and the solvent is removed by adjusting the vapor pressure of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material in the chamber. Adjust the speed. This makes it possible to adjust the solvent removal rate in the solvent removal step by a simple method.

  According to the invention, in the solvent removal step, in the first solvent removal step, the vapor pressure of any one of the two or more solvents contained in the thin film forming material is set to the saturated vapor pressure and the remaining solvent is left. The solvent is removed, and in the second solvent removal step, the vapor pressure of the one kind of solvent is lowered and the solvent is removed. This makes it possible to adjust the solvent removal rate in the solvent removal step by a simpler method.

  According to the invention, in the thin film forming material, the one kind of solvent whose vapor pressure is brought to a saturated vapor pressure in the first solvent removal step is 30% by volume or more based on the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component. 60 volume% or less is contained. This can more reliably prevent the occurrence of film thickness unevenness.

  According to the invention, the thin film forming material used in the partial thin film forming method for partially forming a thin film on the substrate includes a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent, and the solvent has two or more different boiling points. Of the solvent. By using such a thin film forming material, when removing the solvent from the thin film forming material after partially supplying the thin film forming material onto the substrate, the removal rate of the solvent can be adjusted by a simple method. . As a result, for example, when the rate of change of the volume of the supplied thin film forming material becomes zero, the removal rate of the solvent is reduced, and the fluidity of the thin film forming material is affected by the surface tension of the thin film forming material itself. The thin film forming material can be maintained to such an extent that it can be deformed into an energetically stable shape. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the difference in the amount of deposition of the thin film forming material between the peripheral portion and the central portion of the portion where the thin film forming material is supplied, which is generated in the process of removing the solvent, thereby preventing the occurrence of film thickness unevenness. be able to.

  Further, according to the present invention, the thin film forming material is a solvent having the highest boiling point of two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points, and is 30% by volume with respect to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component contained in the thin film forming material. More than 60% by weight is contained. By using such a thin film forming material, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of film thickness unevenness.

  Further, according to the present invention, the thin film is repaired by removing a defective portion generated in the thin film, and partially forming the thin film by applying the partial thin film forming method of the present invention to the portion where the defective portion is removed. Is done. As a result, a thin film having a uniform film thickness can be formed in the portion where the defective portion of the thin film has been removed, so that a uniform thin film having no difference in quality between the repaired portion and the other portions can be obtained. Can do.

  According to the present invention, the color filter for the liquid crystal panel is repaired by the thin film partial defect repairing method of the present invention, so that a thin film having a uniform film thickness is formed on the part where the defect has occurred. The As a result, it is possible to prevent a difference in quality between a portion where the defect has occurred and a portion where the defect has not occurred, and thus it is possible to obtain a high quality color filter for a liquid crystal panel in which the defect is accurately repaired. it can.

  According to the invention, the defect repair apparatus for a thin film removes a defective portion generated in the thin film by the defect removing means, and includes a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent by the material supply means in the portion from which the defective portion has been removed. A thin film forming material is supplied, and the solvent is removed from the supplied thin film forming material by a solvent removing unit to repair a defective portion generated in the thin film. At this time, the removal rate of the solvent by the solvent removal unit is controlled by the control unit based on the rate of change of the volume of the supplied thin film forming material. As a result, for example, when the volume change rate of the supplied thin film forming material becomes zero, the removal rate of the solvent is reduced, and the fluidity of the thin film forming material is affected by the surface tension of the thin film forming material itself. Thus, the thin film forming material can be maintained to such an extent that it can be deformed into an energetically stable shape. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the difference in the amount of deposition of the thin film forming material between the peripheral portion and the central portion of the portion to which the thin film forming material is supplied. Therefore, a thin film defect repairing apparatus capable of partially repairing the thin film without causing film thickness unevenness is realized.

  According to the present invention, the thin film defect repairing apparatus removes the solvent from the thin film forming material by heating the thin film forming material with the heating means which is the solvent removing means, and the control means removes the thin film forming material by the heating means. Control the heating temperature. As a result, a thin film defect repairing apparatus capable of partially repairing a thin film without causing uneven film thickness can be realized with a simple configuration.

  According to the present invention, the thin film defect repairing apparatus stores the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material in the chamber, and controls the pressure of the gas stored in the chamber by the control means to form the thin film. Remove the solvent from the material. As a result, a thin film defect repairing apparatus capable of partially repairing a thin film without causing uneven film thickness can be realized with a simple configuration.

  According to the invention, the thin film defect repairing apparatus accommodates the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material in the chamber, and controls the vapor pressure of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material in the chamber by the control means. Then, the solvent is removed from the thin film forming material. As a result, a thin film defect repairing apparatus capable of partially repairing a thin film without causing uneven film thickness can be realized with a simple configuration.

  The present invention is a partial thin film forming method for partially forming a thin film on a substrate, and supplying a thin film forming material including at least a solid component, a solidifying component, and a solvent partially on the substrate, A solvent removal step of removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material, wherein the solvent removal rate is adjusted based on the rate of change of the volume of the supplied thin film forming material. .

  Hereinafter, the case of applying the partial thin film forming method of the present invention to partial defect repair of a color filter for a liquid crystal panel will be exemplified and described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a color filter 10 for a liquid crystal panel. The color filter 10 for liquid crystal panel (hereinafter, simply referred to as “color filter”) includes, for example, a black matrix 12 formed in a lattice shape on a glass substrate 11 and a filter thin film provided in a region partitioned by the black matrix 12. 13. In this embodiment, the filter thin film 13 includes a red filter film 13R colored in red (R), a green filter film 13G colored in green (G), and a blue filter film 13B colored in blue (B). Including. Such a color filter 10 has a defect such as so-called color loss in which the film thickness abnormality or the filter thin film 13 is not partially filled with a predetermined color thin film due to adhesion of foreign matters such as dust in the manufacturing process. May occur.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a defective portion generated in the color filter 10 is removed. When a defect occurs in the filter thin film 13 of the color filter 10, the defective portion is removed to form a removed portion (hereinafter also referred to as a defect removed portion) 14. For example, a laser irradiation apparatus is used to remove the defective portion. The laser irradiation device is not particularly limited, but a solid-state laser YAG laser, a gas laser excimer laser, or the like is preferably used. The defect-removed portion 14 is formed by irradiating the defective portion with laser light using a laser irradiation apparatus. A thin film is formed on the defect-removed portion 14 using the partial thin film forming method of the present invention. Repair is done.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of a partial thin film forming method. In this embodiment, the partial thin film forming method includes a solidification step of solidifying the remaining solidified component after the solvent removal step in addition to the supply step and the solvent removal step described above. Hereinafter, each step of the method for forming a partial thin film will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3A shows a supplying process for partially supplying the thin film forming material 15 onto the substrate 11. The thin film forming material 15 is supplied by being dropped toward the defect removing portion 14 as a droplet 15a by, for example, an ink jet apparatus. The thin film forming material 15 includes a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent so that the thin film forming material 15 can be discharged as droplets 15a by, for example, an inkjet apparatus.

  In this embodiment, since the thin film forming material 15 is used for repairing the color filter 10, a pigment or the like is used as the solid component. The color of the pigment is appropriately selected according to the color of the filter thin film 13 including the defective portion to be repaired.

  As the solidifying component, a curable resin such as a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet curable resin is preferably used. A curable resin such as a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet curable resin is maintained in a liquid state before being subjected to a curing process, and thus is suitable for maintaining the thin film forming material 15 in a liquid state in the supplying step and the solvent removing step. ing.

  This solidifying component is preferably contained in an amount of 30% by volume or more based on the total volume of the solidifying component and the solid component. When the particles of the solid component have a shape close to a sphere, the filling rate in the state where the spherical particles are deposited in a close-packed state is about 70% by volume, so that the particles have a filling rate of 70% by volume or less. In other words, by filling the space between the particles with the solidified component so that the solidified component becomes 30% by volume or more, the thin film forming material 15 can sufficiently exhibit fluidity as a liquid material. In particular, in the solvent removal step described later, when the volume ratio of the solidified component (solidified component / (solidified component + solid component)), which is also a liquid component, is less than 30% by volume, even if the solvent remains sufficiently, a thin film is formed. Since the material as a whole is less likely to exhibit fluidity, it may not be possible to deform its shape by applying its surface tension. Therefore, the suitable range of the content ratio (volume ratio) of the solidified component is set to 30% by volume or more.

  The upper limit of the content ratio of the solidifying component is not particularly limited, but is preferably 80% by volume or less, and 75% by volume or less with respect to the total volume of the solidifying component and the solid component. More desirable.

  As described above, the larger the content ratio of the solidified component that is a solidified component contained in the thin film forming material and is liquid until it is subjected to the curing treatment, the more easily the fluidity of the thin film forming material is expressed. However, the role of the solidifying component in the partial repair of the thin film is to fix the solid component pigment to the substrate, and what is required for the function as the thin film after the repair is the solid component. Therefore, when trying to repair with a thin film forming material with a large solid component content and a small solid component content, a large amount of thin film forming material is dripped in order to make the solid component concentration at the repaired part equal to the sound part. Must. This means that the time required for the dropping process is increased, and therefore the takt time for thin film repair is increased. Moreover, since the volume of the thin film forming material that can be dropped onto the repaired portion is limited, the content ratio of the solidified component cannot be excessively increased. Therefore, the upper limit is preferably 80% by volume, more preferably 75% by volume.

  As the solvent, an organic solvent is preferably used. Specific examples of the organic solvent include alkyl ethers of ethylene glycol such as butyl carbitol acetate (also known as diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate) and methyl carbitol (also known as diethylene glycol monomethyl ether), and esters such as butyl acetate. These solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more, but it is preferable to use two or more solvents having different boiling points. The reason for this will be described later. Here, the boiling point is the boiling point at 1 atmosphere.

  As the solvent, it is preferable to use a solvent having a boiling point of 100 ° C. or higher and 300 ° C. or lower. By using such a solvent, it is possible to easily adjust the solvent removal rate in the solvent removal step described later. If the boiling point of the solvent is less than 100 ° C., the solvent is likely to evaporate, and it is difficult to adjust the solvent removal rate. In addition, there is a possibility that clogging occurs at the discharge port of the ink jet apparatus, and the thin film forming material cannot be dropped. When the boiling point of the solvent exceeds 300 ° C., the time required for removing the solvent becomes long and the productivity may be lowered. In addition, when using 2 or more types of solvents from which a boiling point differs as a solvent, the boiling point of at least 1 type of solvent should just be in the said range.

  FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C show a solvent removal step for removing the solvent from the thin film forming material 15 supplied onto the substrate 11. The removal of the solvent is performed by drying by evaporating the solvent from the thin film forming material 15. This solvent removal may be performed, for example, by heating the thin film forming material 15 to, for example, about 50 ° C. using an infrared lamp as a heating means. You may carry out by heating to about degreeC. The solvent removal may be performed by natural drying, and the substrate 11 and the color filter 13 are accommodated in the chamber, and the pressure of the gas accommodated in the chamber is made lower than the atmospheric pressure, that is, the chamber You may carry out by the reduced pressure drying which decompresses and dries an internal atmosphere.

  In this solvent removal step, the solvent removal rate is adjusted based on the volume change rate (hereinafter also referred to as volume change rate) of the thin film forming material 15 supplied onto the substrate 11. In this embodiment, the removal rate of the solvent is adjusted so as to decrease when the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 becomes zero.

  Since the thin film forming material 15 includes a solid component, a solidified component that is a liquid component, and a solvent, the droplets of the thin film forming material 15 supplied onto the substrate 11 decrease the solvent at the initial stage of the drying process. Along with this, the volume decreases and the outer shape becomes smaller. When the drying further proceeds and the volume of the thin film forming material 15 reaches a certain value, the volume of the thin film forming material 15 does not decrease any more even if the solvent decreases, and the outer shape of the droplet does not change. This is because when the volume of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material 15 reaches a certain value, the solidified component and the solvent, which are liquid components, exist only in the gaps between the solid components. This is because the volume of the entire thin film forming material 15 does not decrease even if the solvent is further reduced.

  In this drying process, as described above, the evaporation rate of the solvent in the peripheral portion 16 of the supplied thin film forming material 15 is faster than the evaporation rate of the solvent in the central portion 17. Thus, a flow from the central part 17 toward the peripheral part 16 occurs, and a phenomenon occurs in which solid components and solidified components are deposited on the peripheral part 16 as shown in FIG.

  If the solidification component is cured as it is, the film thickness unevenness occurs. However, in this embodiment, when the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 becomes zero as described above, the solvent removal rate is reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3C, the difference in deposition amount between the peripheral edge portion 16 and the central portion 17 can be eliminated, and the occurrence of film thickness unevenness can be prevented.

  That is, when the volume of the thin film forming material 15 reaches a certain value, the solvent is contained in the solidified component, so that the thin film forming material 15 has a low fluidity compared to the fluidity in the supply process. However, the thin film forming material 15 has fluidity that can be freely deformed by the action of the surface tension of the thin film forming material 15 itself. When having such fluidity, by reducing the evaporation rate of the solvent, that is, the removal rate of the solvent, it is possible to secure a fluidity time that allows the thin film forming material 15 to be freely deformed. As a result, the thin film forming material 15 has a small surface area and is energetically stable by the surface tension of the thin film forming material 15 itself, that is, the peripheral portion 16 and the central portion 17 of the supplied thin film forming material 15. The film is deformed so as to eliminate the difference in film thickness.

  Thus, after the thin film forming material 15 is deformed, the drying further proceeds, the solvent is completely removed, and the solid component and the solidified component remain. Next, a partial thin film is solidified in a state in which the unevenness of the film thickness is eliminated by applying a curing process such as heat curing or ultraviolet curing process to solidify the solidified component. Therefore, in this embodiment, a thin film can be partially formed without causing unevenness in film thickness.

  The solvent removal rate can be adjusted by the heating temperature of the thin film forming material 15 by the heating means when the solvent is removed by heating by the heating means. In this case, for example, the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 is obtained by tracking the volume change of the thin film forming material 15 in the solvent removal step, and it is determined that the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 has become zero by a control means such as a microcomputer. Sometimes, the heating by the heating means is stopped, or the heating temperature by the heating means is lowered to reduce the solvent removal rate.

  Further, by performing a test in advance, the solvent is removed from the thin film forming material 15 having the same volume as that supplied to the defect removing portion 14, and the thin film formation is performed from the relationship between the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 and the heating time. The heating time until the volume change rate of the material 15 becomes zero is obtained, and when the heating time elapses, the heating by the heating means is stopped or the heating temperature by the heating means is decreased. Good. In this test, for example, a thin film is formed on the substrate in the same manner as the filter thin film 13, a hole having the same size as the defect removing portion 14 is formed in the thin film, and the defect removing portion 14 is actually supplied to the hole. The thin film forming material 15 having the same volume as the volume can be supplied and heated, and the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 can be obtained.

The volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 is, for example, a charge coupled device (Charge Coupled).
It can obtain | require as follows using what is called a CCD camera provided with Device; First, with a CCD camera having a lens with a magnification of several tens of times, the droplets of the thin film forming material 15 are observed from a direction substantially parallel to the side surface of the color filter 10, that is, one surface in the thickness direction of the color filter 10, The width of the portion of the droplet that is higher than the surface of the color filter 10 (hereinafter referred to as the rising portion of the droplet) and the height of the color filter 10 from the surface are measured. From these values, the shape of the rising portion of the droplet is approximated to a spherical crown, and the volume of the rising portion is approximated. When repairing a defective portion of a thin film such as the filter thin film 13 as in the present embodiment, the amount of the thin film forming material 15 supplied to the defect removing portion 14 is formed in the defect removing portion 14 by a solidified component and a solid component. Since the film thickness of the thin film to be formed is selected so as to be approximately equal to the film thickness of the surrounding filter thin film 13, the droplet of the thin film forming material 15 is the surface of the color filter 10 when the solvent remains. It has a more prominent part. Therefore, the change in the volume of the thin film forming material 15 appears as a change in the volume of the rising portion of the droplets of the thin film forming material 15. Therefore, the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 can be obtained by continuously obtaining the volume of the rising portion of the droplet as described above.

  When the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 is obtained in this way, the removal rate of the solvent may be adjusted by actually obtaining the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 in the solvent removal step. If the relationship between the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 and the heating time is previously determined by a test and the solvent removal rate is adjusted, the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 can be obtained more easily. This is preferable because it is easy to adjust the solvent removal rate based on the volume change rate of the forming material 15. In this case, since it is not necessary to provide a CCD camera as in the thin film defect repairing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4 described later, the manufacturing cost of the thin film defect repairing apparatus can be reduced.

  In addition, when two types of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent for the thin film forming material 15, the solvent based on the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 can be obtained without actually obtaining the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15. The removal rate can be adjusted.

  When two types of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent, in the solvent removal step, a solvent having a relatively low boiling point (hereinafter, also referred to as a low boiling point solvent) is first evaporated, and then a solvent having a relatively high boiling point ( Hereinafter, the high boiling point solvent is also evaporated. That is, after removal of the low boiling point solvent, the high boiling point solvent remains. When drying at the same temperature, the evaporation rate of the high boiling point solvent is smaller than the evaporation rate of the low boiling point solvent. Therefore, when only the high boiling point solvent remains as the solvent, the solvent removal rate decreases. That is, when two types of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent, by leaving only the high boiling point solvent as the solvent, the removal rate of the solvent can be reduced and the film thickness difference can be eliminated. Therefore, when only the high boiling point solvent remains as the solvent, the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 is made zero so that the solvent removal rate can be set as described above. It can be adjusted so that it decreases when the volume change rate becomes zero.

  However, if the amount of the remaining high-boiling solvent is excessive, the fluidity is sufficiently developed, but the volume change of the thin film forming material 15 occurs in the process of evaporating the high-boiling solvent, and the film thickness varies again. There is a fear. Therefore, in order to make the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 zero when only the high boiling point solvent remains as the solvent, the amount of the high boiling point solvent remaining after the removal of the low boiling point solvent, that is, the thin film The amount of the high boiling point solvent initially contained in the forming material 15 is desirably a minimum at which the thin film forming material 15 exhibits fluidity. Specifically, in the thin film forming material 15, the ratio (%) of the volume of the high boiling point solvent to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component is preferably 30% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less.

  When the volume of the high boiling point solvent is less than 30% by volume of the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component, the fluidity of the thin film forming material 15 can be deformed when only the high boiling point solvent remains as a solvent. It becomes smaller than the degree, and the variation in the film thickness cannot be eliminated, and the film thickness may be uneven. When the volume of the high boiling point solvent exceeds 60% by volume of the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component, even if the variation in the film thickness is once resolved, the variation in the film thickness occurs again in the evaporation process of the high boiling point solvent. Unevenness may occur.

  Even when three or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent, the same effect as in the case of using two kinds of solvents having different boiling points can be obtained. Therefore, it is preferable to use two or more types of solvents having different boiling points as described above. When three or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent, the solvent having the highest boiling point contained in the thin film forming material 15 corresponds to the aforementioned high boiling point solvent, and the remaining solvent corresponds to the aforementioned low boiling point solvent. To do. Therefore, the volume of the solvent having the highest boiling point contained in the thin film forming material 15 is preferably 30% by volume to 60% by volume with respect to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component.

  When two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent in this way, the heating temperature by the heating means may be maintained at a constant temperature, but only when the solvent having the highest boiling point remains as the solvent. It is preferable to stop the heating by the heating means and let it dry naturally or to lower the heating temperature by the heating means. As a result, the removal rate of the solvent can be further reduced, so that a sufficient time for the thin film forming material 15 to be deformed can be secured, and the occurrence of film thickness unevenness can be prevented more reliably.

  When the solvent is removed by drying under reduced pressure, the solvent removal rate can be adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the gas accommodated in the chamber, that is, the degree of vacuum of the chamber. In this case, for example, as in the case of adjusting the heating temperature by the heating means described above, the volume change rate is obtained by continuously measuring the volume of the thin film forming material 15 in the solvent removal step, and the thin film forming material is obtained by the control means. When it is determined that the volume change rate of 15 has become zero, the valve may be opened so that the inside of the chamber is opened to the atmosphere or the vacuum degree of the chamber is reduced. In addition, drying until the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 becomes zero based on the relationship between the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 and the time from the start of reduced-pressure drying (hereinafter referred to as the drying time). The time may be obtained, and the valve may be opened when the drying time has elapsed.

  Further, although different from the drying under reduced pressure, when the substrate 11 and the color filter 13 are accommodated in the chamber and the solvent is removed, the solvent removal speed can also be adjusted by adjusting the vapor pressure of the solvent in the chamber. Can be adjusted. For example, when one type of solvent is used as the solvent, the thin film forming material 15 is heated while exhausting the gas inside the chamber with the vapor pressure of the solvent inside the chamber being lower than the saturated vapor pressure of the solvent. Then, similarly to the case of adjusting the heating temperature by the heating means described above, when it is determined that the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 has become zero, the exhaust of the gas in the chamber is stopped, or the gas By stopping the exhaust and supplying the vapor of the solvent to the inside of the chamber, the vapor pressure of the solvent inside the chamber can be increased and the removal rate of the solvent can be reduced. Also in this case, the time for the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 to be zero may be obtained in advance by a test, and the solvent removal rate may be adjusted.

  When two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points are used as the solvent, the removal rate of the solvent is adjusted based on the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 without actually obtaining the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15. Can be performed. In this case, the solvent removal step includes a first solvent removal step and a second solvent removal step. In the first solvent removal step, the vapor pressure in the chamber of any one of the two or more solvents having different boiling points is set to the saturated vapor pressure, and in this state, the thin film forming material 15 is heated to leave the remaining solvent. Remove. At this time, since the solvent whose vapor pressure in the chamber reaches the saturated vapor pressure is not removed from the thin film forming material 15, only the solvent whose vapor pressure is set to the saturated vapor pressure remains as a solvent. Next, in the second solvent removal step, the solvent vapor remaining from the inside of the chamber is exhausted to lower the vapor pressure of the solvent, and in this state, the thin film forming material 15 is heated to remove the remaining solvent.

  When the first solvent removal step is completed and only the solvent whose vapor pressure is saturated vapor pressure remains as a solvent, the inside of the chamber is filled with the remaining solvent vapor. Therefore, the remaining solvent is in a vapor-liquid equilibrium state, and the removal rate of the solvent from the thin film forming material 15 becomes almost zero. Therefore, when the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 becomes zero at this point, the solvent removal rate is reduced when the volume change rate of the thin film forming material becomes zero. And variations in film thickness can be eliminated.

  In particular, since the remaining solvent is not removed from the thin film forming material 15 unless the vapor of the solvent in the chamber is exhausted, it is easy to adjust the removal rate of the solvent, and the fluidity is such that the thin film forming material 15 can be freely deformed. A sufficient time can be secured. Therefore, the occurrence of film thickness unevenness can be prevented more reliably. Moreover, even when the boiling points of the solvents used as two or more kinds of solvents are close to each other, the solvents can be sequentially evaporated. Therefore, it is most suitable when the solvent removal rate is adjusted only by the temperature at which the thin film forming material 15 is heated. A solvent having a lower boiling point than a solvent used as a solvent having a high boiling point can be used as the solvent having the highest boiling point. As a result, the time required for removing the solvent can be shortened, so that the time required for repairing the defect of the color filter 13 can be shortened.

  In order to make the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 zero at the time when the first solvent removal step is completed and only the solvent whose vapor pressure is saturated vapor pressure remains as a solvent, Similarly to the case where the removal rate of the solvent is adjusted by heating by means, the volume of the remaining solvent, that is, the solvent whose vapor pressure is brought to the saturated vapor pressure is changed to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component in the thin film forming material 15. On the other hand, it is preferably 30% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less. When the volume of the solvent is less than 30% by volume of the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component, the fluidity of the thin film forming material 15 is more than deformable when only the solvent remains as a solvent. There is a possibility that the film thickness becomes smaller, and there is a possibility that the film thickness unevenness occurs. Further, when the volume of the solvent exceeds 60% by volume of the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component, the film thickness is again measured in the second solvent removal step even if the variation in the film thickness generated in the first solvent removal step is eliminated. Variation may occur, and film thickness unevenness may occur.

  Further, the removal rate of the solvent can be adjusted by the presence or absence of air blowing to the supply location of the thin film forming material 15, that is, the defect removal portion 14. For example, by supplying air, specifically air or the like, to the supply location of the thin film forming material 15, the vapor pressure of the solvent in the vicinity of the supply location can be locally reduced, and the solvent removal rate can be increased. By stopping the blowing, the vapor pressure of the solvent can be locally increased and the solvent removal rate can be reduced.

  Further, when the thin film forming material 15 is heated with or without blowing to the supply location of the thin film forming material 15, and it is determined that the volume change rate of the thin film forming material 15 has become zero, the thin film forming material If air saturated with the vapor of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material 15 is supplied to 15 supply locations, the vapor pressure of the solvent can be locally increased and the removal rate of the solvent can be reduced.

  The color filter 10 in which the defective portion is repaired by using the partial thin film forming method of the present invention for forming a thin film in the defect removing portion 14 of the color filter 10 is also an embodiment of the present invention. By repairing the defect portion by the thin film partial defect repair method of the present invention using the partial thin film formation method of the present invention, the difference between the film thickness of the peripheral portion of the defect removal portion and the film thickness of the central portion is, for example, A high quality color filter 10 for a liquid crystal panel in which defects are as small as about 2 μm and defects are accurately repaired can be obtained. In this way, the color filter 10 having a small film thickness difference and no film thickness unevenness has no uneven color and light transmittance variation in the repaired portion, and has the same function as a healthy part that is normally formed without causing defects. It can be demonstrated. As described above, according to the method for repairing a partial defect of a thin film of the present invention, it is possible to repair a defective portion generated in the color filter with high quality, and thus it is possible to achieve an effect of reducing the cost of manufacturing the color filter. .

  FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing a simplified configuration of a thin film defect repairing apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A thin film defect repair apparatus 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as a defect repair apparatus) is an apparatus that can suitably execute the partial thin film formation method of the present invention.

  The defect repairing apparatus 20 roughly supplies a defect removing means 23 for removing a defective portion generated in the thin film 22 formed on the substrate 21 and a thin film forming material containing a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent to the defect removing portion. A material supplying means 24 for heating, a heating means 26 for heating the supplied thin film forming material, a substrate 21 on which the thin film 22 is formed, holding the thin film 22, the defect removing means 23, the material supplying means 24 or the heating means 26, It includes a moving means 27 for changing the relative position and a control unit 28 for controlling the overall operation of the apparatus. The heating means 26 constitutes a solvent removing means 25 that removes the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material.

  Examples of the substrate 21 and the thin film 22 include a glass substrate as described above and a color filter formed thereon. In the present embodiment, the moving means 27 is formed so that the substrate 21 can be placed thereon, and the substrate 21 and the thin film 22 are placed on the moving means 27.

  The moving means 27 on which the substrate 21 and the thin film 22 are placed is, for example, a three-axis table 27 that can move in the three-axis directions of XYZ. The moving means 27 does not necessarily need to be movable in the three-axis direction, and may be a table that can be moved in the XY two-axis direction, or a table that is uniaxial and rotationally movable. Also good.

  In the present embodiment, the defect repair device 20 includes an image processing device (not shown) that detects the position of the defective portion of the thin film 22. The image processing apparatus detects the position of the defective portion of the thin film 22 and outputs the position information to the control unit 28. In the present embodiment, the moving unit 27 is combined with the image processing apparatus, and executes processing on the thin film 22 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 28 based on positional information of a defective portion of the thin film 22 input from the image processing apparatus. It is comprised so that it may move to the position to do.

  In the present embodiment, a laser irradiation apparatus is used as the defect removing means 23. The laser irradiation device 23 irradiates the thin film 22 moved by the moving means 27 so that the defect position corresponds to the laser irradiation device 23, and removes the defective portion.

  The material supply unit 24 includes a storage unit that stores a liquid thin film forming material including a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent, and a discharge unit that discharges the thin film forming material stored in the storage unit. Realized by an inkjet device. The discharge unit may be a piezo type or a thermal type. Since the inkjet device 24 can accurately eject fine droplets, a fine repair region such as a defect-removed portion of the thin film 22 can be accurately filled with a necessary amount of thin film forming material.

  In this embodiment, the heating means 26 that is the solvent removing means 25 is an infrared heating device 26 that includes an infrared lamp and heats the thin film forming material by irradiating infrared rays. The infrared heating device 26 receives power supply from a power source (not shown) according to an operation command of the control unit 28, and heats and heats a predetermined portion of the thin film 22 to remove the solvent of the thin film forming material. Further, when a thermosetting resin is used as the solidifying component of the thin film forming material, the heating means 26 functions as a curing means for further heating the thin film forming material after the solvent is removed to cure the thermosetting resin.

  Although different from the present embodiment, a hot plate, which is a heating device, may be provided between the substrate 21 and the moving table 27 as the heating means constituting the solvent removing means 25. In this case, the hot plate receives power supply from a power source (not shown) according to the operation command of the control unit 28, and heats a predetermined portion of the thin film 22 through the substrate 21 to remove the solvent from the thin film forming material. .

  The control unit 28 is realized by a microcomputer having a central processing unit (CPU), for example. The control unit 28 comprehensively controls the operations of the moving unit 27, the defect removing unit 23, the material supplying unit 24, and the heating unit 25 based on an operation control program stored in advance in a memory 29 that is a storage unit. The defect repair device 20 is operated so as to repair the defective portion of the thin film 22. In the present embodiment, the control unit 28 includes a timer, and controls the operation of the heating unit 26 based on the time measured by the timer from the time when the heating unit 26 starts heating. Accordingly, the control unit 28 can control the solvent removal rate by the heating unit 26 that is a solvent removing unit based on the change rate of the volume of the supplied thin film forming material. Specifically, the control unit 28 elapses the heating time until the volume change rate of the thin film forming material, which is obtained in advance by the test, becomes zero, from the time when the heating by the heating unit 26 is started. If it is determined that the operation has been performed, the operation of the heating unit 26 is stopped, or the infrared irradiation energy from the infrared heating device 26 which is the heating unit 26 is reduced. As a result, the heating temperature of the thin film forming material decreases, and the solvent removal rate decreases.

  In the present embodiment, the defect repairing apparatus 20 includes a chamber 30 capable of adjusting the atmosphere, an exhaust pump 31 that exhausts the gas accommodated in the chamber 30 to the outside of the chamber 30, and the interior and exterior of the chamber 30. And a gate valve 32 for blocking gas flow therebetween. The pressure of the gas inside the chamber 30 can be adjusted by the exhaust pump 31 and the gate valve 32. That is, by exhausting the gas inside the chamber 30 by the exhaust pump 31 with the gate valve 32 closed, the pressure inside the chamber 30 can be reduced and the pressure of the gas inside the chamber 30 can be made lower than the atmospheric pressure. it can. Also, from this state, the pressure of the gas inside the chamber 30 can be returned to atmospheric pressure by opening the gate valve 32 and opening the inside of the chamber 30 to the atmosphere.

  Inside the chamber 20, a moving table 27 that is a moving means on which the substrate 21 and the thin film 22 are placed, a laser irradiation device 23 that is a defect removing means, an ink jet device 24 that is a material supply means, and a heating means. And an infrared heating device 26. By adopting such a configuration, instead of removing the solvent by the heating unit 26 or simultaneously with removing the solvent by the heating unit 26, the inside of the chamber 30 can be decompressed and the solvent can be removed by drying under reduced pressure. That is, the exhaust pump 31 and the gate valve 32 have a function as the solvent removing means 25.

  The operations of the exhaust pump 31 and the gate valve 32 are controlled based on the time measured by the timer of the control unit 28 from the time when the exhaust by the exhaust pump 31 is started. As a result, the control unit 28 can control the rate of solvent removal by the exhaust pump 31 and the gate valve 32, which are solvent removal means, based on the change rate of the volume of the supplied thin film forming material. When the solvent is removed by drying under reduced pressure as well as the solvent removal by the heating unit 26, the control unit 28 uses a timer from the time when the solvent removal by the heating unit 26 is started, that is, from the time when heating by the heating unit 26 is started. The operation of the exhaust pump 31 and the gate valve 32 may be controlled based on the time measured.

  Further, the defect repairing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment includes a vapor supply device 33 that supplies the vapor of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material into the chamber 30. Although not shown, the vapor supply device 33 is supplied to the solvent tank for storing the solvent, the solvent heating device for heating and evaporating the solvent stored in the solvent tank, and the solvent vapor chamber 30 evaporated by the solvent heating device. And a steam flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting the supply amount of the steam.

  Since the defect repairing apparatus 20 of this embodiment includes the vapor supply apparatus 33, the solvent removal speed is adjusted by the vapor pressure of the solvent in the chamber 30 as well as the solvent removal speed by the heating temperature of the heating unit 26. Can be done. For example, when two types of solvents A and B having different boiling points are used as the solvent for the thin film forming material, the chamber is closed in the state where the gate valve 32 is closed and the exhaust pump 31 is not operated in the first solvent removal step. The vapor of the solvent A is supplied from the vapor supply device 33 to the inside of the chamber 30 to fill the chamber 30 with the vapor of the solvent A. In this state, the thin film forming material is heated by the heating means 26 to remove the solvent B. Next, in the second solvent removal step, the vapor of the solvent A is exhausted by the exhaust pump 31 or the gate valve 32, and the solvent is removed by the heating means 26, or together with the solvent removal by the heating means 26, the exhaust pump 31 is used. The solvent is removed by drying under reduced pressure to remove the solvent A.

  At this time, the control unit 28 controls the operations of the heating unit 26, the exhaust pump 31, and the gate valve 32 based on the time measured by the timer from the time when heating by the heating unit 26 is started. Thus, the control unit 28 can control the solvent removal rate by the heating unit 26, the exhaust pump 31, and the gate valve 32, which are the solvent removal unit 25, based on the rate of change of the volume of the supplied thin film forming material. it can. Specifically, the control unit 28 starts the operation of the exhaust pump 31 when the time counted by the timer from the time when the heating by the heating means 26 starts exceeds a predetermined time W, or the gate The valve 32 is opened, and the removal of the solvent A from the thin film forming material by the heating means 26 is started.

  In the present embodiment, the time from when the heating is started to the time when the removal of the solvent B is completed and the variation in the film thickness generated in the thin film forming material is eliminated is obtained in advance by a test. Is the predetermined time W. As a result, it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of fluidity that allows the thin film forming material 15 to be freely deformed, so that the occurrence of film thickness unevenness can be more reliably suppressed.

  In addition, the time until the variation in film thickness generated in the thin film forming material is eliminated can be obtained as follows, for example. First, the test for forming a thin film is repeated by changing the time T from the time when the heating of the thin film forming material is started until the removal of the solvent A is started. In each test example, the film thickness distribution of the formed thin film was measured in the same manner as in Example 1 described later, and the film thickness difference within a desired range, for example, a film thickness difference within a 100 μm square region. A test example with a thickness of 2.0 μm or less is obtained. Of the time T in the test example in which the film thickness difference is 2.0 μm or less, the smallest value is defined as the time until the dispersion of the film thickness generated in the thin film forming material is eliminated.

Examples of the present invention will be described below.
Example I
In Example I, a defect repairing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4 is prepared, and a case where a defective portion generated in a red filter film of a color filter for a liquid crystal panel is repaired is shown.

Example 1
In the thin film forming material, as a solid component, a red pigment (trade name: Chromofine, manufactured by Dainichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) is 2.5 cm ³ , and as a solidifying component, an ultraviolet curable resin (trade name: Dicure Clear SD2407, Dainippon A mixture of 7.5 cm ^{3 of} Ink Chemical Industries Co., Ltd. and 85 cm ^{3 of} methyl carbitol (boiling point 193 ° C.) and 5 cm ³ of butyl carbitol (boiling point 247 ° C.) was used as a solvent.

  First, the defect part which arose in the red filter film | membrane of a color filter was removed so that it might become a 100 micrometer square in planar shape with the laser irradiation apparatus, and the defect removal part was formed. The thin film forming material was dropped from the ink jet apparatus, which is a material supply means loaded with the above thin film forming material, onto the defect removal portion, and the thin film forming material was filled into the removal portion. Next, the thin film forming material filling portion was heated to 50 ° C. by an infrared lamp of an infrared heating device as a solvent removing means, and the solvent was removed. However, heating by the infrared heating device is stopped for 2 minutes, which is the time when the removal of methyl carbitol obtained in advance by testing is completed, and then allowed to stand at room temperature (about 25 ° C.) for 30 minutes for natural drying, The solvent was removed. Thereafter, the filled portion of the thin film forming material was irradiated with ultraviolet rays by an ultraviolet irradiation device (not shown), and the ultraviolet curable resin was solidified by curing to repair the defective portion of the red filter film.

  After the solidification is completed, the thickness distribution of the thin film in the repaired part, in which the thin film is partially formed, particularly the film thickness difference between the peripheral part and the central part, is measured by a film thickness measuring device (trade name: DEKTAK, manufactured by ULVAC, Inc.). It was measured. As a result of measuring the film thickness distribution, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 2.0 μm.

(Example 2)
In Example 2, 85 cm ^{3 of} butyl acetate (boiling point 127 ° C.) and 5 cm ³ of butyl carbitol were used in place of methyl carbitol and butyl carbitol as the solvent for the thin film forming material, and the solvent was removed using an infrared heating apparatus. The red filter film defect portion is the same as in Example 1 except that it is carried out by natural drying by leaving it at room temperature (about 25 ° C.) for 10 minutes instead of heating for 2 minutes and leaving it at room temperature for 30 minutes. Repaired. After the repair, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 2.0 μm.

(Comparative Example 1)
In Comparative Example 1, instead of methyl carbitol and butyl carbitol acetate as a solvent for the thin film forming material, only 90 cm ^{3 of} methyl carbitol was used, and the solvent was removed by heating for 2 minutes with an infrared heating device and 30 at room temperature. The red filter film defect portion was repaired in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the heating was performed for 20 minutes at a temperature of 50 ° C. using an infrared heating device instead of leaving for a minute. After restoration, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 5.0 μm.

(Comparative Example 2)
In Comparative Example 2, only butyl acetate 90 cm ³ was used in place of methyl carbitol and butyl carbitol as the solvent for the thin film forming material, and the solvent was removed by heating with an infrared heating device for 2 minutes and at room temperature for 30 minutes. The red filter film defect portion was repaired in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was carried out by natural drying by leaving it at room temperature (about 25 ° C.) for 10 minutes instead of leaving it alone. After the repair, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 6.0 μm.

Example II
In Example II, among the solvents contained in the thin film forming material, the volume of butyl carbitol acetate, which is the solvent with the highest boiling point, is a solidified component, an ultraviolet curable resin (Dicure Clear SD2407), and a solid component, a red pigment. The red filter membrane was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the ratio (solvent / (ultraviolet curable resin + red pigment); volume%) of (chromofine) to the total volume was changed in three stages as shown in Table 1. The defective part was repaired. After the repair, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1 for the red filter film repaired in each ratio test example. The measurement results are shown together in Table 1.

  From Table 1, by setting the volume of the solvent with the highest boiling point among the solvents contained in the thin film forming material to 30 to 60% by volume of the total volume of the ultraviolet curable resin as the solidifying component and the red pigment as the solid component It can be seen that the occurrence of film thickness unevenness can be more reliably suppressed.

Example III
Example III shows an example in which only one type of solvent is used as the solvent for the thin film forming material and the removal rate of the solvent is controlled by the heating temperature of the heating means. In Example III, similarly to Example I, the defect repairing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4 was prepared, and the defective portion generated in the red filter film of the color filter for liquid crystal panel was repaired.

In the thin film forming material, as a solid component, a red pigment (trade name: Chromofine, manufactured by Dainichi Seika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) is 2.5 cm ³ , and as a solidifying component, an ultraviolet curable resin (trade name: Dicure Clear SD2407, Dainippon Ink Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.) 7.5 cm ³ , and 90 cm ³ of butyl carbitol acetate (boiling point 247 ° C.) as a solvent were used.

(Example 3)
In the same manner as in Example 1, a defect removal portion was formed, and the above-described thin film forming material was filled in the defect removal portion. Next, the thin film forming material filling portion was heated to 80 ° C. by an infrared lamp of an infrared heating device as a solvent removing means, and the solvent was removed. However, the heating by the infrared heating device is stopped for 3 minutes, which is the heating time until the volume change rate of the thin film forming material obtained in advance by testing becomes zero, and then allowed to stand at room temperature (about 25 ° C.) for 30 minutes. The mixture was naturally dried to remove the solvent. Thereafter, the ultraviolet curable resin was solidified in the same manner as in Example 1 to repair the defective portion of the red filter film.

  After the repair, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 2.0 μm.

(Comparative Example 3)
In Comparative Example 1, the solvent removal was carried out by performing heating for 10 minutes at a temperature of 80 ° C. using an infrared heating device instead of performing heating for 3 minutes using an infrared heating device and standing for 30 minutes at room temperature. In the same manner as in No. 3, the red filter film defect was repaired. After restoration, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 5.0 μm.

Example IV
Example III shows an example in which the same thin film forming material as in Example 1 was used and the solvent removal rate was controlled by the vapor pressure of the solvent in the chamber. In Example III, similarly to Example I, the defect repairing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4 was prepared, and the defective portion generated in the red filter film of the color filter for liquid crystal panel was repaired.

Example 4
In the same manner as in Example 1, a defect removal portion was formed, and the defect removal portion was filled with a thin film forming material. Next, butyl carbitol acetate vapor was supplied into the chamber with the gate valve closed, and the chamber was filled with butyl carbitol vapor to saturate the butyl carbitol acetate. Next, the portion filled with the thin film forming material was heated to 50 ° C. by an infrared lamp of an infrared heating device as a solvent removing means, and methyl carbitol was removed. When 5 minutes have elapsed from the start of heating by the infrared heating device until the removal of methyl carbitol obtained in advance by the test is completed and the variation occurring in the thin film forming material is resolved, the gate valve is turned off. It was opened and the vapor of butyl carbitol acetate was discharged out of the chamber. Thereafter, heating at a temperature of 50 ° C. with an infrared heating device is further performed for 5 minutes to remove butyl carbitol acetate, and then the ultraviolet curable resin is solidified in the same manner as in Example 1 to repair the defective portion of the red filter film. went.

  After the repair, the film thickness distribution was measured in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the film thickness difference in the 100 μm square region was 1.0 μm.

2 is a plan view showing a configuration of a color filter 10 for a liquid crystal panel. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where a defective portion generated in the color filter 10 is removed. FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the partial thin film formation method. It is a systematic diagram which simplifies and shows the structure of the defect repair apparatus 20 of the thin film which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the thin film 1 partially formed by the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Color filter for liquid crystal panels 11 Glass substrate 12 Black matrix 13 Filter film 14 Removal part 15 Thin film formation material 20 Thin film defect repair apparatus 21 Substrate 22 Thin film 23 Defect removal means 24 Material supply means 25 Solvent removal means 26 Heating means 27 Moving means 28 Control unit 30 Chamber 31 Exhaust pump 32 Valve 33 Steam supply means

Claims (16)

A partial thin film forming method for partially forming a thin film on a substrate,
A supply step of partially supplying a thin film forming material containing a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent onto the substrate;
A solvent removal step for removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material,
In the solvent removal step,
A method for forming a partial thin film, comprising adjusting a solvent removal rate based on a rate of change in volume of a supplied thin film forming material.   The partial thin film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the solvent contained in the thin film forming material includes two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points. Among the two or more solvents, the content of the solvent having the highest boiling point is
3. The method for forming a partial thin film according to claim 2, wherein the content is 30% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less based on the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component contained in the thin film forming material. In the solvent removal step,
The solvent is removed by heating the supplied thin film forming material,
The method for forming a partial thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the solvent removal rate is adjusted by adjusting a heating temperature of the thin film forming material. In the solvent removal step,
The substrate supplied with the thin film forming material is accommodated in the chamber, and the solvent is removed.
The method for forming a partial thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the removal rate of the solvent is adjusted by adjusting the pressure of the gas accommodated in the chamber. . In the solvent removal step,
The substrate supplied with the thin film forming material is accommodated in the chamber, and the solvent is removed.
The method for forming a partial thin film according to claim 1, wherein the solvent removal rate is adjusted by adjusting the vapor pressure of the solvent inside the chamber. The solvent contained in the thin film forming material includes two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points,
The solvent removal step
A first solvent removal step of setting the vapor pressure of any one of the two or more solvents to a saturated vapor pressure and removing the remaining solvent;
The partial thin film forming method according to claim 6, further comprising a second solvent removal step of reducing the vapor pressure of the one kind of solvent and removing the solvent.   8. The method of forming a partial thin film according to claim 7, wherein the thin film forming material contains 30% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less of the one kind of solvent with respect to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component. A supply step of partially supplying a thin film forming material including a solid component, a solidifying component, and a solvent onto the substrate; and a solvent removing step of removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material. A thin film forming material used in a partial thin film forming method for forming a thin film,
A thin film forming material, wherein the solvent contains two or more kinds of solvents having different boiling points. Among the two or more solvents, the content of the solvent with the highest boiling point is
The thin film forming material according to claim 9, wherein the content is 30% by volume or more and 60% by volume or less with respect to the total volume of the solid component and the solidified component.   A thin film is formed by removing a defective portion generated in the thin film, and forming the thin film on the portion from which the defective portion has been removed by using the partial thin film forming method according to claim 1. A method for repairing a partial defect in a thin film, characterized in that the film is partially repaired.   A color filter for a liquid crystal panel, wherein a defective portion is repaired by the thin film partial defect repairing method according to claim 11. In a thin film defect repairing apparatus for repairing a defective portion generated in a thin film formed on a substrate,
A defect removing means for removing a defective portion generated in the thin film;
A material supply means for supplying a thin film forming material containing a solid component, a solidified component, and a solvent to the portion from which the defective portion has been removed;
A solvent removing means for removing the solvent from the supplied thin film forming material;
A thin film defect repairing apparatus comprising: control means for controlling a solvent removal rate by the solvent removing means based on a rate of change in volume of the supplied thin film forming material. The solvent removal means includes a heating means for heating the supplied thin film forming material,
14. The thin film defect repairing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control means has a function of controlling a heating temperature of the thin film forming material by the heating means. A chamber for accommodating the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material;
15. The thin film defect repairing device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the control means has a function of controlling the pressure of the gas accommodated in the chamber. A chamber for accommodating the substrate supplied with the thin film forming material;
16. The thin film defect repairing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control unit has a function of controlling a vapor pressure inside the chamber of the solvent contained in the thin film forming material.

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