JP2008012389A - Apparatus for forming rib - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a rib highly precisely on a substrate by curing an internal rib forming material by the light made incident into a nozzle part to prevent the clogging of the nozzle part. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus for forming the rib is constituted so that the rib forming material to be discharged from the nozzle part 51 onto the substrate 9 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted from a light irradiation part 43 to form the rib while moving the nozzle part 51 and the light irradiation part 43 relatively to the substrate 9 along the main surface 91 of the substrate 9. The nozzle part 51 is formed from zirconia capable of transmitting ultraviolet lays and a shielding layer 511 for shielding the ultraviolet rays reaching a flow passage 513 of the rib forming material in the nozzle part 51 is formed on the surface of the nozzle part 51 in the vicinity of a discharge port 512. As a result, the internal rib forming material can be cured by the light made incident into the nozzle part to prevent the clogging of the nozzle part 51 and consequently the rib can be formed highly precisely on the substrate 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rib forming apparatus for forming a rib on a substrate.

  Conventionally, various methods for forming a rib on a glass substrate used in a flat display device such as a plasma display device are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a paste-like rib forming material is discharged onto a substrate. The rib portion is formed on the substrate by moving the nozzle portion that performs the irradiation and the light irradiation portion that irradiates the rib forming material discharged onto the substrate with ultraviolet rays relative to the substrate along the main surface of the substrate. Rib forming devices have been proposed.

In Patent Document 2, an ultraviolet irradiation unit is used in an ink jet printer that performs printing on a recording medium by irradiating the ink immediately after being ejected onto the recording medium while ejecting fine droplets of ink from the recording head. A lattice-shaped protective member is provided on the irradiation surface of the protective member, and the ultraviolet reflectance of the surface facing the recording head among the surfaces along the vertical direction of the protective member is made lower than the ultraviolet reflectance of the surface facing the recording head. As a result, the amount of ultraviolet light that is reflected by the recording medium and incident on the recording head is reduced while the recording head discharge port is clogged, while ensuring a certain amount of ultraviolet light that is irradiated onto the recording medium. A technique for preventing this is disclosed.
JP 2002-184303 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-279942

  By the way, depending on the type of flat display device, an aspect ratio, which is a ratio of height to width, is high, and fine ribs are required. In order to form a high aspect ratio fine rib by discharging a rib forming material from the nozzle portion, a nozzle portion having a fine discharge port is similarly required, and in order to manufacture such a nozzle portion with high accuracy, It is conceivable to use a zirconia workpiece. However, since most zirconia transmits ultraviolet rays to some extent, the ultraviolet rays from the light irradiating part are irradiated directly onto the nozzle part by passing through the substrate and reflecting on the stage, and the inside of the nozzle part. The rib forming material may be hardened, and in this case, the nozzle portion is clogged and it is difficult to accurately form the rib on the substrate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can accurately form ribs on a substrate by preventing the inner rib-forming material from being hardened by light incident into the nozzle portion and clogging the nozzle portion. It is an object.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a rib forming apparatus for forming a rib on a substrate, and is provided in the vicinity of a discharge portion that discharges a photocurable rib forming material onto the substrate, and the discharge portion. A light irradiation unit for irradiating the rib forming material discharged onto the substrate with light, and a moving mechanism for moving the discharge unit and the light irradiation unit relative to the substrate in a direction along the substrate. The nozzle has a discharge port that discharges the rib forming material, and is formed of a material that transmits at least part of light in a wavelength band that cures the rib forming material; A shielding layer that shields the light in the wavelength band that is formed on the surface of the nozzle portion near the discharge port and reaches the flow path of the rib forming material in the nozzle portion.

  Invention of Claim 2 is a rib formation apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: While the said discharge part covers the main surface at the side of the said light irradiation part of the said nozzle part, the said light of the said wavelength band is covered. A shielding member for shielding is further provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rib forming apparatus for forming ribs on a substrate, comprising a discharge port for discharging a photocurable rib forming material onto the substrate, and curing the rib forming material. A nozzle part formed of ceramics that shields light in a wavelength band, a light irradiation part that is provided in the vicinity of the nozzle part and that irradiates light onto a rib forming material discharged onto the substrate, and the nozzle part And a moving mechanism that moves the light irradiation unit relative to the substrate in a direction along the substrate.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a rib formation apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3, Comprising: The stage which has the mounting surface in which the said board | substrate is mounted is further provided, The said board | substrate has the said wavelength band The light is transmitted, and the mounting surface absorbs the light in the wavelength band.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rib forming apparatus for forming a rib on a substrate, wherein a photocurable rib forming material is applied to a substrate that transmits light in a wavelength band for curing the rib forming material. A nozzle portion that discharges from a discharge port, a light irradiation portion that is provided in the vicinity of the nozzle portion and irradiates light onto a rib forming material discharged onto the substrate, and the nozzle portion and the light irradiation portion are disposed on the substrate. And a stage having a placement surface on which the substrate is placed and which absorbs the light in the wavelength band.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the rib forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the nozzle portion is directed toward the main surface of the substrate and is inclined with respect to the main surface. The rib forming material is discharged from the discharge port, and the opening surface of the nozzle part where the whole or most of the discharge port is formed is inclined so that the normal line intersects the substrate on the discharge side. ing.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the rib forming device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a light source that emits light including the light in the wavelength band, and the light irradiation unit from the light source. And a filter that is arranged on an optical path that reaches the substrate via, shields at least heat rays of incident light, and transmits the light in the wavelength band.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the rib forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the nozzle portion includes a plurality of discharge ports, and the pitch of the plurality of ribs formed on the substrate. Is less than 1 millimeter.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the rib forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein in each of the plurality of ribs, a width of a cross section perpendicular to the direction along the substrate is 200 micrometers or less. The ratio is 5 or more.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the rib forming apparatus according to the eighth or ninth aspect, wherein the nozzle portion is formed of zirconia.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately form ribs on the substrate by preventing or suppressing clogging of the nozzle portion due to the light incident on the nozzle portion being cured.

  Further, in the invention of claim 2, it is possible to prevent light from entering the nozzle portion from the main surface on the light irradiation portion side and hardening the rib forming material in the nozzle portion, and the inventions of claims 4 and 5 Then, it can suppress that the light from a light irradiation part reflects in a stage, and injects into a nozzle part.

  In the invention of claim 6, the rib forming material can be stably discharged in a state with a high aspect ratio. In the invention of claim 7, heat is generated by the heat rays applied to the nozzle portion, and the inside of the nozzle portion. The rib forming material can be prevented from being hardened by the above-described method. In the invention of claim 10, a highly accurate nozzle portion can be easily manufactured.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a rib forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The rib forming apparatus 1 is formed on a glass substrate (hereinafter, referred to as “substrate”) 9 for a flat display device such as a plasma display device or a field emission display (depending on the type of the flat display device). The substrate 9 on which the ribs are formed becomes a panel which is an assembly part of the flat display device through another process.

  In the rib forming apparatus 1, the stage moving mechanism 2 is provided on the base 11, and the stage 20 can be moved in the X direction shown in FIG. A frame 12 is fixed to the base 11 so as to straddle the stage 20, and the head portion 4 is attached to the frame 12 via the head moving mechanism 3.

  The (+ Z) side surface (hereinafter referred to as “mounting surface”) 201 of the stage 20 is colored in black, and the substrate 9 is mounted and held on the mounting surface 201. The stage moving mechanism 2 has a structure in which a ball screw 22 is connected to a motor 21 and a nut 23 fixed to the stage 20 is attached to the ball screw 22. When the guide rail 24 is fixed above the ball screw 22 and the motor 21 rotates, the stage 20 moves smoothly along the guide rail 24 in the X direction along with the nut 23 (that is, the head portion 4 moves relative to the substrate 9). Relatively main scanning.)

  The head moving mechanism 3 includes a motor 31 supported by the frame 12, a ball screw 32 connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 31, and a nut 33 attached to the ball screw 32. 33 moves in the Y direction in FIG. A base 40 of the head unit 4 is attached to the nut 33, and thus the head unit 4 can move (sub-scan) in the Y direction. The base 40 is connected to a guide rail 34 fixed to the frame 12 and is smoothly guided by the guide rail 34.

  The head unit 4 includes a discharge unit 42 that discharges a paste-like rib forming material onto the substrate 9, and a light irradiation unit 43 that emits ultraviolet rays toward the substrate 9. The discharge unit 42 and the light irradiation unit 43 include They are attached to the lower part of the lifting mechanism 41 fixed to the base 40 close to each other. The rib forming material includes a photoinitiator that starts curing (crosslinking reaction) by ultraviolet rays, a resin that is a binder, and a low softening point glass frit that is a glass powder. A nozzle unit 5 having a plurality of ejection openings arranged in the Y direction is detachably attached to the lower surface of the ejection section 42. A supply pipe 442 having a check valve 441 is attached to the discharge portion 42, the supply pipe 442 is branched, one is connected to the pump 443, and the other is a tank for storing rib forming material via the control valve 444. 445.

  The light irradiation unit 43 is connected to the light source unit 432 through the optical fiber 431. The light source unit 432 includes a light source 433 (for example, a xenon lamp) that emits light having a wavelength of 300 to 700 nanometers (nm), and a filter 434 that transmits only light having a wavelength band of 300 to 400 nm (that is, ultraviolet rays). Of the light incident on the filter 434 from the light source 433, only ultraviolet light in the wavelength band passes through the filter 434 (that is, visible to near-infrared light is cut), and is guided to the light irradiation unit 43 by the optical fiber 431. It is burned. Then, ultraviolet rays are emitted from the light irradiation unit 43 toward the substrate 9 on the (−X) side of the discharge unit 42, and light spots corresponding to the respective discharge ports are formed on the substrate 9.

  The motor 21 of the stage moving mechanism 2, the pump 443, the control valve 444, the light source unit 432, the motor 31 of the head moving mechanism 3, and the lifting mechanism 41 of the head unit 4 are connected to the control unit 6. 6, the rib forming apparatus 1 forms ribs on the substrate 9.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the tip of the nozzle unit 5, and FIG. 3 is a view showing the vicinity of the plurality of discharge ports 512 of the nozzle unit 5. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the tip of the nozzle unit 5 is viewed along a normal line of an opening surface 514 of the nozzle unit 51 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle unit 5 includes a nozzle unit 51 in which a large number of discharge ports 512 are arranged in the Y direction at a predetermined pitch (for example, a pitch of 660 micrometers (μm)). The aspect ratio of each discharge port 512 in FIG. 3 (which can also be regarded as the aspect ratio of the discharge port) is, for example, 15 to 25 for manufacturing a panel of a field emission display device, and a nozzle for manufacturing a panel of a plasma display device. It is larger than the aspect ratio of the discharge port in the part (for example, about 14 times). As shown in FIG. 2, the main surface of the nozzle unit 51 on the light irradiation unit 43 side and the main surface on the opposite side to the light irradiation unit 43 (the surface on the opposite side of the nozzle body 52 of the lid member 53 described later, and The surface of the nozzle body 52 opposite to the lid member 53) is covered with a first protective member 54 and a second protective member 55, respectively, and the first and second protective members 54, 55 are made of stainless steel. Is done. The light irradiation unit 43 has a nozzle unit 51 so that the light emission position is 15 millimeters (mm) from the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 and the optical axis is perpendicular to the main surface 91 of the substrate 9. Is placed close to.

  A flow path 513 (in FIG. 2, only one discharge opening 512 and one flow path 513 are denoted by reference numerals) continuous to the respective discharge ports 512 in the nozzle portion 51 is parallel to the ZX plane and in the Z direction. It extends in a direction inclined with respect to (for example, a direction inclined by 45 degrees). As a result, the rib forming material 81 is discharged from the discharge port 512 in the discharge direction toward the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 and inclined with respect to the main surface 91. Similarly, the opening surface 514 of the nozzle portion 51 (the surface including the plurality of discharge ports 512 at the tip of the nozzle portion 51) has its normal line parallel to the ZX plane and inclined with respect to the Z direction. Actually, the flow path 513 of the nozzle portion 51 is formed by closing a large number of grooves arranged in the nozzle body 52 with a plate-like lid member 53, and the nozzle body 52 and the lid member 53 are both It is formed by cutting white zirconia.

  A facing surface 515 parallel to the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 is formed on the (−Z) side portion of the nozzle portion 51 in FIG. 2. In the rib forming apparatus 1, the lifting mechanism 41 is provided with a discharge portion as necessary. By moving 42 in the Z direction, the gap between the opposed surface 515 of the nozzle portion 51 and the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 at the time of rib formation is maintained at a substantially constant minute width, so that the nozzle portion 51 The state is always close to the main surface 91 of the substrate 9. In the nozzle portion 51, a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) layer 511 having a thickness of 1 to 2 μm (shown by a thick line in FIG. 2 and parallel oblique lines in FIG. 3) on the opening surface 514 and the opposing surface 515. ) Is formed by a plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. As will be described later, the DLC layer 511 serves to shield the ultraviolet rays that enter the nozzle portion 51 from the vicinity of the discharge port 512 of the nozzle portion 51. Therefore, in the following description, the DLC layer 511 is referred to as the shielding layer 511. Call.

  Next, the operation | movement in which the rib formation apparatus 1 forms a rib is demonstrated. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of operations in which the rib forming apparatus 1 forms ribs on the substrate 9. In the rib forming apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, first, after the substrate 9 is loaded by an external transport mechanism and placed on the placement surface 201 of the stage 20 (step S <b> 11), the stage moving mechanism 2 and the head moving mechanism 3. Thus, the nozzle unit 5 is arranged at a predetermined initial position with respect to the substrate 9. Subsequently, after the emission of ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43 is started (step S12), the discharge of the rib forming material from the discharge unit 42 is started (step S13).

  The rib forming material is discharged from the discharge portion 42 by the check valve 441, the pump 443, and the control valve 444 shown in FIG. First, the pump 443 performs a suction operation with the control valve 444 being opened under the control of the control unit 6. At this time, since the reverse flow of the rib forming material is prevented by the check valve 441, the rib forming material is drawn from the tank 445 to the pump 443. Next, the control valve 444 is closed and the pump 443 performs an extrusion operation. Thereby, the rib forming material is continuously discharged from the discharge portion 42.

  Further, almost simultaneously with the start of the discharge of the rib forming material, the control unit 6 drives and controls the motor 21 of the stage moving mechanism 2 to move the stage 20 in the (−X) direction below the discharge unit 42. By doing so, the discharge part 42 and the light irradiation part 43 start a relative movement with respect to the board | substrate 9 in the (+ X) direction along the main surface 91 (step S14). In practice, as shown in FIG. 2, while the rib forming material 81 is discharged from each discharge port 512, the plurality of discharge ports 512 are in the direction opposite to the discharge side of the rib forming material 81 (ie, the (+ X) direction). ), The rib forming material 81 discharged from each of the discharge ports 512 sequentially adheres to the substrate 9 by sequentially moving relative to the substrate 9 along the main surface 91.

  In addition, the rib forming material 81 discharged onto the substrate 9 is placed from a position above the discharge port 512 by the light irradiation unit 43 disposed behind the nozzle portion 51 in the direction of travel relative to the substrate 9. Ultraviolet rays are irradiated. As described above, the rib forming material is added with a photoinitiator and has photocurability, and the rib forming material on the substrate 9 can be easily cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43. It is possible. Thereby, a high-definition rib extending in the relative traveling direction of the nozzle unit 5 is formed.

  At this time, the ultraviolet rays irradiated to the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 from the light irradiation unit 43 (more precisely, the ultraviolet rays that have not been irradiated to the rib forming material on the substrate 9) are transmitted through the substrate 9 and passed through the stage 20. The mounting surface 201 is irradiated. As described above, the mounting surface 201 is colored black, and most of the ultraviolet rays irradiated on the mounting surface 201 are absorbed by the mounting surface 201. Further, even when the ultraviolet light reflected on the surface of the rib (or the very slight ultraviolet light reflected on the mounting surface 201) is irradiated to the vicinity of the discharge port 512 of the nozzle portion 51, FIG. By forming a shielding layer 511 on the opening surface 514 and the opposing surface 515 of the second nozzle portion 51, ultraviolet rays are prevented from entering the nozzle portion 51 from the vicinity of the ejection port 512. Actually, since the light emission position of the light irradiation unit 43 is disposed in the vicinity of the ejection port 512, a part of the ultraviolet light emitted from the light irradiation unit 43 is also irradiated to the light irradiation unit 43 side of the nozzle unit 51. However, the main surface of the nozzle unit 51 on the light irradiation unit 43 side is covered with a first protective member 54 that is a shielding member that shields light, so that the nozzle unit 51 is exposed to the inside of the nozzle unit 51 from the main surface on the light irradiation unit 43 side. It is possible to prevent the rib forming material from being cured in the nozzle portion 51 by the incidence of ultraviolet rays.

  Further, in the rib forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening surface 514 of the nozzle portion 51 is such that the normal line intersects the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 on the discharge side ((−X) side). By inclining, in each cross section parallel to the YZ plane of the rib, each part of the rib is formed by stacking the rib forming material from the (−Z) side to the (+ Z) side. . As described above, ribs having a high aspect ratio are formed on the substrate 9 by stably discharging the rib forming material from the discharge port 512 in a state where the aspect ratio is high.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a cross section of the rib 8 being formed in parallel with the YZ plane. Actually, the cross section of the rib 8 has a width in the Y direction of 100 μm and a height in the Z direction of 2 mm. On the substrate 9, the same number of ribs 8 as the discharge ports 512 in the discharge section 42 are widely spread in the Y direction. They are arranged at the same pitch 660 μm as the discharge ports 512.

  When the rib forming material is continuously discharged and the end point of rib formation on the substrate 9 reaches just below the nozzle unit 5, the discharge of the rib forming material is stopped (step S15). Thereafter, in order to cure the rib forming material in the vicinity of the end point, the substrate 9 is further moved by a slight distance and then stopped (step S16), and the emission of ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43 is also stopped (step S17). Further, in the rib forming apparatus 1, the head unit 4 is moved by a predetermined distance in the Y direction, and the substrate 9 is also moved to the original position, and then the above steps S12 to S17 are repeated, whereby the substrate 9 is moved in the Y direction. It is also possible to form a large number of ribs throughout.

  The ribs formed in the above steps are baked in other steps to remove the resin content in the rib forming material and fuse the low softening point glass frit. And the panel which is an assembly part of a flat display apparatus is completed suitably through other required processes.

Here, absorption of ultraviolet rays on the mounting surface 201 of the stage 20 will be described. Table 1 shows the measurement result of the illuminance of ultraviolet rays at a position corresponding to the discharge port 512 of the nozzle portion 51. In this illuminance measurement, the stage mounting surface is a mirror surface (more precisely, a mirror surface provided on a stainless steel plate member), a white surface before coloring, and a black surface after coloring. The light emission position is set at a height of 10 mm or 20 mm from the mounting surface, and the ultraviolet ray is emitted from the light irradiation unit 43 so that the principal ray is perpendicular to the mounting surface, and the discharge port 512 of the nozzle unit 51 is discharged. The illuminance of the reflected light from the mounting surface (in Table 1, “illuminance at the discharge port”) was measured with an illuminometer arranged in the vicinity of the corresponding position. In this illuminance measurement, the light-receiving surface of the illuminance meter is a circle with a diameter of 19 mm, and the illuminance when the illuminance meter is arranged on the mounting surface and ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43 are directly measured is 194.5 mW. / Cm ² .

  From Table 1, the illuminance at the position corresponding to the discharge port 512 of the nozzle unit 51 is equal to the light emission position of the light irradiation unit 43 at any height of 10 mm and 20 mm from the mounting surface 201. It is highest when the stage mounting surface is a white surface, and lowest when it is a black surface. Actually, the illuminance on the black surface is about 6% of the illuminance on the white surface and 9 to 13% of the illuminance on the mirror surface. In the case where the mounting surface is a mirror surface, light is not scattered compared to the case of a white surface, so the illuminance at the discharge port is low. As described above, in the mounting surface 201 colored in black in the present embodiment, it can be seen that most of the ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43 are absorbed and the illuminance at the discharge port is lowered.

  As described above, in the rib forming apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, the ultraviolet light emitted from the light irradiation unit 43 and transmitted through the substrate 9 is absorbed by the mounting surface 201 of the stage 20 on which the substrate 9 is mounted. The Thereby, the light from the light irradiation unit 43 is suppressed from being reflected by the stage 20 and entering the nozzle unit 51. Further, even if ultraviolet rays reflected on the surface of the rib (or very slight ultraviolet rays reflected on the mounting surface 201) are directed toward the nozzle part 51 formed of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays. By forming the shielding layer 511 on the surface of the nozzle portion 51 in the vicinity of the discharge port 512, the ultraviolet rays are prevented from reaching the rib forming material flow path 513 in the nozzle portion 51. As described above, in the rib forming apparatus 1, the rib formation in the nozzle portion 51 is performed by the light reaching the flow path 513 from the periphery of the discharge port 512 by absorbing the ultraviolet rays on the mounting surface 201 and shielding the ultraviolet rays on the shielding layer 511. It is possible to reliably prevent the material from being hardened and clogging the nozzle portion 51. As a result, it is possible to accurately form the ribs on the substrate 9.

  In the filter 434 of the light source unit 432, only the ultraviolet light out of the light emitted from the light source 433 is transmitted and light in other wavelength bands including heat rays is shielded, so that heat is emitted by the heat rays applied to the nozzle portion 51. It is possible to prevent the rib forming material from being hardened in the nozzle portion 51 and to thereby stably form a highly accurate rib on the substrate 9.

  By the way, when forming a rib having a higher aspect ratio, it is necessary to use a nozzle portion having a discharge port having a high aspect ratio, and to further increase the intensity of ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation portion 43. 20 mounting surface 201 absorbs ultraviolet rays that cure the rib forming material, thereby suppressing the amount of ultraviolet rays incident on nozzle portion 51 and preventing nozzle portion 51 from clogging. Higher aspect ratio ribs on 9 can be formed.

  In addition to black coloration, for example, a black film (which may be paper) is laid on the mounting surface 201 of the stage 20 or ultraviolet absorptivity is realized by applying a hard alumite treatment to a metal stage. Further, the stage 20 itself may be formed of a material that absorbs ultraviolet rays.

Further, in the rib forming apparatus 1, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), titanium carbide (TiC), chromium nitride (CrN), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (SiN), alumina (Al ₂ O) ₃ ) etc. may be formed on the opening surface 514 and the facing surface 515 as a shielding layer by a CVD method or a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method. In this case, from the viewpoint of reliably preventing the transmission of ultraviolet rays, the thickness of the shielding layer to be coated is preferably 0.3 μm or more, and does not affect the rib forming material formed from the discharge port 512. From this point of view, the thickness of the shielding layer is preferably 10 μm or less. In addition, the shielding layer formed by CVD method is normally 0.3-3 micrometers in thickness. Further, by applying a black colorant to the opening surface 514 and the opposing surface 515 of the nozzle portion 51 (actually, a colorant layer is formed), the ultraviolet rays incident on the vicinity of the discharge port 512 are blocked. It may be realized.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing the nozzle unit 5a of the rib forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the nozzle unit 5a of FIG. 6, the nozzle part 51a is formed of black zirconia that shields ultraviolet rays, and the shielding layer 511 in the nozzle part 51 of FIGS. 2 and 3 is omitted. Other configurations of the nozzle unit 5a are the same as those of the nozzle unit 5 of FIGS. 2 and 3, and are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  Also in the rib forming apparatus having the nozzle unit 5a of FIG. 6, the same processing as that of the rib forming apparatus of FIG. 1 is performed. That is, after the substrate 9 is placed on the placement surface 201 of the stage 20 (FIG. 4: step S11), the emission of ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43 and the discharge of the rib forming material from the discharge unit 42 are started. At the same time (steps S12 and S13), the substrate 9 starts to move and ribs are formed on the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 (step S14).

  At this time, even when ultraviolet rays reflected on the surface of the rib (or very slight ultraviolet rays reflected on the mounting surface 201) are irradiated to the vicinity of the discharge port 512 of the nozzle portion 51, Since the nozzle part 51 itself is formed of a material that blocks ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet rays are prevented from entering the nozzle part 51. In the rib forming apparatus, the discharge of the rib forming material is continued, and when the end point of the rib formation on the substrate 9 reaches just below the nozzle unit 5, the discharge of the rib forming material is stopped (step S15). And the emission of ultraviolet rays from the light irradiation unit 43 are stopped (steps S16 and S17), and the rib forming operation on the substrate 9 by the rib forming apparatus is completed.

  As described above, in the rib forming apparatus having the nozzle unit 5a of FIG. 6, the nozzle portion 51a is formed of black zirconia that shields ultraviolet rays that harden the rib forming material. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the inner rib forming material from being hardened by light incident on the nozzle portion 51 and clogging the nozzle portion 51, and the ribs can be formed on the substrate 9 with high accuracy. The nozzle portion 51a may be formed of other ceramics as long as it can shield the ultraviolet rays and can produce the nozzle portion 51a with a predetermined shape accuracy.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  In the first and second embodiments, the rib forming material is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, but the rib forming material may be cured by irradiation with light in other wavelength bands. In the rib forming apparatus, i) when the nozzle portion is formed of a material that transmits light in a wavelength band that cures the rib forming material, a shielding layer that shields light in the wavelength band is formed on the surface in the vicinity of the discharge port. Ii) The nozzle part itself is formed of ceramics capable of shielding the light in the wavelength band for curing the rib forming material and manufacturing the nozzle part with high precision, and iii) The substrate cures the rib forming material. When a stage on which a substrate is placed when transmitting light in the wavelength band is provided with a placement surface that absorbs light in the wavelength band, at least one of the conditions is satisfied, so that the inside of the nozzle portion (the vicinity of the discharge port is In other words, it is possible to prevent or suppress clogging of the nozzle portion due to curing of the rib forming material, and to accurately form the rib on the substrate. The rib forming material preferably includes a low softening point glass frit, but other materials may be used depending on the use of the substrate on which the rib is formed.

  In the first embodiment, since the nozzle portion 51 formed of white zirconia transmits part of the ultraviolet rays (that is, part of the amount of ultraviolet rays), the shielding layer 511 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port 512. Although provided, the shielding layer 511 may be similarly provided when the nozzle portion 51 transmits light in a part of the ultraviolet wavelength band. That is, when the nozzle part 51 is formed of a material that transmits at least part of light in the wavelength band for curing the rib forming material, the nozzle part 51 is clogged by providing the shielding part 511 in the nozzle part 51. This can be prevented.

  In addition, the shielding layer 511 is not necessarily provided on the entire opening surface 514 of the nozzle portion 51, and when only one ejection port 512 is provided in the nozzle portion 51, the shielding layer 511 is in the vicinity of the ejection port 512. May be provided only. In order to prevent the clogging of the nozzle portion 51 by blocking the ultraviolet rays reaching the flow path 513 of the rib forming material, it is necessary to form the shielding layer 511 at least on the surface in the vicinity of the discharge port 512 of the nozzle portion 51. Become. When forming a rib on a substrate that does not transmit ultraviolet light, if the distance between the facing surface 515 of the nozzle portion 51 and the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 is kept at a very small distance, the surface on the facing surface 515 It is also possible to omit the shielding layer 511.

  The first protection member 54 is not necessarily a plate-like member formed of stainless steel, and may be provided as a layer (including a film shape) that blocks ultraviolet rays, similarly to the shielding layer 511. .

  Further, the nozzle portion 51 can be formed of a material other than zirconia, and the shape and pitch of the discharge ports are the cross-sectional shape and pitch of ribs required for the design of the display device (for example, a width of 80 μm). In addition, the height may be appropriately changed depending on the ribs having a height of 500 μm and a pitch of 330 μm. However, the pitch of the plurality of ribs formed on the substrate 9 is 1 mm or less (preferably 300 μm or more), and the width of the cross section perpendicular to the direction extending along the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 of each rib is 200 μm or less. (Preferably, 50 μm or more) When the aspect ratio is 5 or more (preferably, 25 or less), the nozzle unit 51 having fine discharge ports 512 with a high aspect ratio at a fine pitch is necessary. Therefore, it is preferable that the high-precision nozzle portion 51 is easily manufactured by using a zirconia workpiece.

  In the discharge part 42, the opening surface 514 of the nozzle part 51, 51a in which the entire discharge port 512 is formed is inclined so that the normal line intersects the main surface 91 of the substrate 9 on the discharge side. The rib having a high aspect ratio is formed with high accuracy. However, in the rib forming apparatus, a part of the discharge port 512 is extended to the opposing surface 515 in the nozzle portions 51 and 51a (see FIG. 2), and the aspect ratio is set. It is also possible to form a rib having a high height. That is, the opening surface 514 on the nozzle portions 51 and 51a in which the whole or most of the discharge port 512 is formed only needs to be inclined so that the normal line intersects the substrate 9 on the discharge side.

  In the first and second embodiments, the filter 434 disposed in the light source unit 432 makes ultraviolet light (not only ultraviolet light in the wavelength band of 300 to 400 nm, but also shorter wavelength) out of light from the light source 433. (For example, it may be 200 to 400 nm), but only is transmitted and emitted from the light irradiation unit 43, but directly to the nozzle unit (or nozzle unit) or through the surface of the rib or the like. A filter that shields at least heat rays while transmitting light in a wavelength band that cures the rib-forming material from the viewpoint of preventing the rib-forming material in the nozzle portion from being cured by heat generated by indirectly irradiated light. It is important that 434 is disposed on the optical path from the light source 433 to the substrate 9 via the light irradiation unit 43.

  In the rib forming apparatus 1, the substrate 9 on the stage 20 moves in the X direction with respect to the ejection unit 42 and the light irradiation unit 43, but moves the ejection unit 42 and the light irradiation unit 43 in the X direction with respect to the substrate 9. A mechanism may be provided. That is, the relative movement in the X direction of the discharge unit 42 and the light irradiation unit 43 in the rib forming apparatus with respect to the substrate 9 may be realized by any mechanism.

  The substrate on which the rib is formed in the rib forming apparatus may be formed of a material other than glass. In this case, when the substrate is formed of a material (for example, metal) that does not transmit light in a wavelength band that cures the rib forming material, the stage 20 is mounted in the first and second embodiments. The coloring of the placement surface 201 may be omitted.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a rib formation apparatus. It is a figure which expands and shows the tip vicinity of a nozzle unit. It is a figure which shows the some discharge outlet vicinity of a nozzle unit. It is a figure which shows the flow of operation | movement in which a rib formation apparatus forms a rib on a board | substrate. It is sectional drawing which shows a rib. It is a figure which shows the nozzle unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rib formation apparatus 2 Stage moving mechanism 8 Rib 9 Substrate 20 Stage 42 Discharge part 43 Light irradiation part 51, 51a Nozzle part 54 Protection member 81 Rib formation material 91 Main surface 201 Placement surface 433 Light source 434 Filter 511 Shielding layer 512 Discharge port 513 Flow path 514 Opening surface

Claims (10)

A rib forming apparatus for forming a rib on a substrate,
A discharge part that discharges a rib-forming material having photo-curing properties onto the substrate;
A light irradiation unit that is provided in the vicinity of the discharge unit and irradiates light onto the rib forming material discharged onto the substrate;
A moving mechanism for moving the ejection unit and the light irradiation unit relative to the substrate in a direction along the substrate;
With
The discharge part is
A nozzle portion that has a discharge port for discharging the rib forming material and is formed of a material that transmits at least part of light in a wavelength band that cures the rib forming material;
A shielding layer that shields the light in the wavelength band that is formed on at least the surface of the nozzle portion in the vicinity of the discharge port and reaches the flow path of the rib forming material in the nozzle portion;
A rib forming apparatus comprising: The rib forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The rib forming apparatus, wherein the discharge unit further includes a shielding member that covers the main surface of the nozzle unit on the light irradiation unit side and shields the light in the wavelength band. A rib forming apparatus for forming a rib on a substrate,
A nozzle portion formed of ceramics that has a discharge port for discharging a photocurable rib forming material onto a substrate and shields light in a wavelength band that cures the rib forming material;
A light irradiation unit that is provided in the vicinity of the nozzle unit and irradiates light onto a rib forming material discharged onto the substrate;
A moving mechanism for moving the nozzle unit and the light irradiation unit relative to the substrate in a direction along the substrate;
A rib forming apparatus comprising: The rib forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A stage having a placement surface on which the substrate is placed;
The rib forming apparatus, wherein the substrate transmits the light in the wavelength band, and the mounting surface absorbs the light in the wavelength band. A rib forming apparatus for forming a rib on a substrate,
A nozzle part that discharges a rib-forming material having photocurability from a discharge port onto a substrate that transmits light in a wavelength band that cures the rib-forming material;
A light irradiation unit that is provided in the vicinity of the nozzle unit and irradiates light onto a rib forming material discharged onto the substrate;
A moving mechanism for moving the nozzle unit and the light irradiation unit relative to the substrate in a direction along the substrate;
A stage on which the substrate is mounted and having a mounting surface that absorbs the light in the wavelength band;
A rib forming apparatus comprising: The rib forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The nozzle in which the nozzle portion discharges the rib forming material from the discharge port in a discharge direction that is directed toward the main surface of the substrate and is inclined with respect to the main surface, and the whole or most of the discharge port is formed. The rib forming apparatus is characterized in that the opening surface of the portion is inclined so that the normal line intersects the substrate on the discharge side. The rib forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A light source that emits light including the light in the wavelength band;
A filter disposed on an optical path from the light source via the light irradiation unit to the substrate, shielding at least heat rays among incident light, and transmitting the light in the wavelength band;
The rib forming apparatus further comprising: The rib forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The nozzle portion includes a plurality of discharge ports;
A rib forming apparatus, wherein a pitch of a plurality of ribs formed on the substrate is 1 mm or less. The rib forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
In each of the plurality of ribs, the rib forming apparatus is characterized in that a cross-sectional width perpendicular to the direction along the substrate is 200 micrometers or less and an aspect ratio is 5 or more. The rib forming apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein
The said nozzle part is formed with a zirconia, The rib formation apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

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