JP2010214771A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can correct a pattern shape formed on a base material with high precision. <P>SOLUTION: The printer is a device for correcting the pattern shape formed on a printing plate 12 by applying tension in a planar direction of the printing plate to the printing plate 12. The printing device has a pretension applying device 20, a rod-like electroconductive pattern 31 capable of thermally expanding and contracting with the change of temperature, and a temperature control section 50. The pretention applying device 20 is connected to the periphery of the printing plate 12 and applies pretension to the printing plate 12. The rod-like electroconductive pattern 31 is arranged along the periphery of the printing plate 12 and applies the compression force in a direction against the pretension to the printing plate 12. The temperature control section 50 controls the temperature of the rod-like electroconductive pattern 31. The compression force applied to the printing plate 12 changes by the thermal expansion and contraction of the rod-like electroconductive pattern 31 and predetermined tension is applied to the printing plate 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus, and more specifically, when patterning a functional resin material such as a resist material or a conductive paste material by printing, it is equivalent to the pattern position accuracy obtained by photolithography. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus provided with a mechanism for correcting a pattern shape in order to obtain a pattern having a positional accuracy of 2.

  Regarding a conventional printing apparatus, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-177102 discloses a screen for the purpose of suppressing a decrease in printing accuracy due to a dimensional change based on a temperature change of a plate frame, a decrease in screen tension, or the like. A printing apparatus is disclosed (Patent Document 1). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-62241 discloses that printing with high accuracy is possible, it can be used repeatedly for a long period of time, has excellent handling properties and versatility, and reduces manufacturing costs. A plate making for screen printing for the purpose is disclosed (Patent Document 2).

JP 2000-177102 A JP 2006-62241 A

  In recent years, printing technology has been applied to miniaturization applications. For example, in the manufacturing process of flat panel displays and the like, it is used to form a fine pattern on the order of μm. In the formation of such a fine pattern, in particular, when a laminated pattern is formed, if the positional accuracy at the time of superposition is low, circuit malfunction occurs due to resistance failure or insulation failure. For this reason, the positional accuracy of the pattern is required at a very high level as compared with printing for characters and artworks.

  In order to perform highly accurate alignment, it is necessary to consider the material of the printing plate. In general, an aluminum plate having a thickness on the order of several hundreds μm is used as a material for a printing plate. However, the linear expansion coefficient of aluminum is generally used for flat panel displays and the like, and is about one digit larger than the linear expansion coefficient of glass, quartz, or the like, which is a substrate material. For this reason, a difference in dimensional change due to a temperature change becomes large between the printing plate and the substrate, and it is difficult to perform highly accurate alignment.

  For this reason, it is desirable to use a material such as glass or quartz having a small thermal expansion coefficient as a printing plate material requiring high positional accuracy. However, even if such a material is used, if the size of the printing plate becomes m (meters), it is difficult to align all the printing position patterns with sub-μm to several μm accuracy. Become. For this reason, it is necessary to correct the pattern position to the position where it should be formed, for example, by matching the pattern formed on the printing plate or the like with the position of the pattern such as the base.

  In addition, the substrate (substrate) is subjected to various processes such as heat treatment in the process of forming the base pattern. For this reason, the formation position and dimensions of the base pattern may be different for each substrate. That is, as described above, in order to match the pattern formed on the printing plate or the like to the position of the pattern such as the ground with submicron to several μm or less accuracy, it is formed on the printing plate with respect to the substrate for each printing. It is necessary to correct the pattern.

  As such a pattern correction technique, in the case of an aluminum printing plate, a method of correcting the pattern by pulling the peripheral edge of the plate with a vise or the like can be considered.

  Further, in the printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, a heater and a cooling pipe are arranged in a hollow plate frame, and temperature adjustment is performed so as to coincide with a set target temperature. As a result, variations in pattern dimensions caused by changes in the ambient temperature are suppressed, and tension is applied when the tension of the printing plate is reduced, thereby suppressing a decrease in printing accuracy. Further, the printing plate making disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above includes a printing plate having a mask material in which an opening having a predetermined opening shape is formed, and a plate frame on which the printing plate is stretched. The plate frame is configured to be deformable in both the inside and outside directions, thereby adjusting the opening shape of the opening.

  However, the method described in Patent Document 1 is a method for dealing with a long-term dimensional change such as a change in ambient temperature or a deformation of the printing plate over time. For example, in order to accurately overlay a printing plate on a pre-patterned substrate, it is extremely difficult to perform dimensional correction for each substrate.

  The method described in Patent Document 2 is based on dimensional correction by pushing and pulling a screw. In other words, there are places that depend greatly on the number of dimensional correction points and the interval, stress concentrates on the correction points, and the amount of displacement at that part increases specifically. In general, correction with a small displacement distribution is performed along the side. It is extremely difficult.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide a printing apparatus capable of correcting a pattern shape formed on a substrate with high accuracy.

  A printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus that corrects a pattern shape formed on a substrate by applying tension in the plane direction to the substrate. The printing apparatus includes a pretension applying device, a plurality of tension adjusting units that can be thermally expanded and contracted according to a temperature change, and a temperature control unit. The pretension applying device is connected to the periphery of the base material and applies pretension to the base material. The plurality of tension adjusting units are arranged along the periphery of the base material, and apply a compressive force in a direction against the pretension to the base material. The temperature control unit controls the temperature of the plurality of tension adjusting units. The compressive force applied to the base material is changed by thermal expansion and contraction of the plurality of tension adjusting units, and a predetermined tension is applied to the base material.

  According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, the compression force applied to the base material is freely adjusted through temperature control of the plurality of tension adjusting units. Thereby, predetermined | prescribed tension | tensile_strength can be provided to a base material and the pattern shape formed in the base material can be corrected with high precision.

  Preferably, the temperature control unit can individually adjust the temperatures of the plurality of tension adjusting units. According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, the pattern shape formed on the base material can be corrected to an arbitrary shape and size by individually adjusting the temperatures of the plurality of tension adjusting units.

  Preferably, the plurality of tension adjusting portions are formed by arranging a plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns. According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, the plurality of tension adjusting units can be finely arranged along the periphery of the substrate. For this reason, the pattern shape formed in the base material can be corrected with higher accuracy.

  Preferably, the printing apparatus further includes a duct member. The duct member is provided along the periphery of the substrate so as to surround the plurality of tension adjusting portions. The duct member forms a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows. According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, the initial temperature of the plurality of tension adjusting units can be set to a predetermined value by the circulation of the refrigerant. Thereby, the correction of the pattern shape through the temperature control of the plurality of tension adjusting units can be performed with higher accuracy.

  Preferably, the temperature control unit includes a power supply unit that applies a voltage to the plurality of tension adjustment units, and a switch unit that opens and closes an electrical connection between the power supply unit and the plurality of tension adjustment units. According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, temperature control of the plurality of tension adjusting units can be realized with a simple configuration.

  Preferably, the pretension applied to the base material from the pretension applying device is set so that the deformation of the base material falls within the elastic deformation range. According to the printing apparatus configured in this way, plastic deformation and fracture of the base material can be prevented.

  Preferably, the amount of deformation due to heat generation of the plurality of tension adjusting units is set to be smaller than the amount of deformation of the base material due to application of pretension. According to the printing apparatus configured in this manner, the base material can be prevented from buckling.

  Preferably, the pretension applying device includes a holding mechanism for holding a pretension applied to the base material constant. According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, it is possible to maintain a state in which a certain pretension is applied to the base material from the pretension applying apparatus when the pattern shape is corrected.

  Also preferably, the substrate has a substantially rectangular planar shape. The plurality of tension adjusting units are arranged along each of the four sides of the base material. The pretension applying device is provided to apply a pretension to the base material in a direction substantially orthogonal to each side of the base material. According to the printing apparatus configured as described above, the pattern shape formed on the substantially rectangular base material can be freely corrected.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus capable of correcting a pattern shape formed on a substrate with high accuracy.

It is a top view which shows the printing apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the printing apparatus along the II-II line | wire in FIG. It is a top view which shows the 1st specific example of the printing plate mounted in the printing apparatus in FIG. It is a top view which shows the 2nd specific example of the printing plate mounted in the printing apparatus in FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the heat_generation | fever temperature of a rod-shaped conductor pattern, and the thermal expansion amount of a rod-shaped conductor pattern. It is a figure which shows the model of the printing plate and rod-shaped conductor pattern which are used for a finite element simulation. It is a figure which expands and shows the range enclosed with the dashed-two dotted line VII in FIG. It is a table | surface which shows the analysis conditions of the model shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the analysis result of the finite element simulation implemented on the conditions in FIG. 10 is a graph showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line X in FIG. 9. 10 is a graph showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line XI in FIG. 9. It is a table | surface which shows another analysis conditions of the model shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the analysis result of the finite element simulation implemented on the conditions in FIG. It is a graph which shows the range enclosed with the dashed-two dotted line XIV in FIG. It is a graph which shows the range enclosed with the dashed-two dotted line XV in FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to below, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing apparatus along the line II-II in FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, first, a basic configuration of the printing apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described. The printing apparatus 10 prints a pattern shape formed on a printing plate 12 as a substrate. This is a device for correcting the plate 12 by applying tension in the plane direction. The printing apparatus 10 includes a pretension applying device 20, a plurality of bar-shaped conductor patterns 31 as tension adjusting units that can be thermally expanded and contracted with a temperature change, and a temperature control unit 50. The pretension applying device 20 is connected to the peripheral edges 12 a to 12 d of the printing plate 12 and applies pretension to the printing plate 12. The rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are arranged along the peripheral edges 12 a to 12 d of the printing plate 12, and apply a compressive force in a direction against pretension to the printing plate 12. The temperature control unit 50 controls the temperatures of the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31. The compression force applied to the printing plate 12 is changed by thermal expansion and contraction of the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31, and a predetermined tension is applied to the printing plate 12.

Next, the structure of the printing apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described in detail.
The printing apparatus 10 further includes a fine movement stage 14 and a suction stage 13 as a base for holding the printing plate 12. The fine movement stage 14 is configured to be movable in the plane direction of the printing plate 12. The suction stage 13 is mounted on the fine movement stage 14. The printing plate 12 is sucked and held on the suction stage 13.

  The printing plate 12 has a substantially rectangular planar shape. The printing plate 12 has peripheral edges 12a to 12d. The peripheral edge 12a and the peripheral edge 12c are arranged to face each other, and the peripheral edge 12b and the peripheral edge 12d are arranged to face each other.

  In the present embodiment, the printing plate 12 is formed from a glass substrate and has a size of 3000 mm × 3000 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm. On the upper surface of the printing plate 12, an alignment pattern and a lyophobic pattern such as a circuit (not shown) are formed.

  The pattern formed on the printing plate 12 is formed so that the scale factor is slightly smaller than the pattern of the base formed on the substrate (substrate) to be overprinted.

  Specifically, the pattern dimension formed on the printing plate 12 is formed to be about 6 ppm smaller than the ideal design dimension of the printing pattern in advance. That is, when the vertical and horizontal lengths of the underlying pattern formed on the substrate are set to 1, the vertical and horizontal lengths of the pattern formed on the printing plate 12 are 0.999994 (= 1− 1 × 0.000006).

  The plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are arranged along the peripheral edges of the peripheral edges 12a to 12d at intervals. In the present embodiment, a plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are arranged at equal intervals. The bar-shaped conductor pattern 31 has one end connected to each of the peripheral edges 12a to 12d and extends in a bar shape in a direction away from each peripheral edge.

  The rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is formed of a metal that can be thermally expanded when a current is passed. The rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is formed of a resistor such as nichrome, cantal, or chromel. In the present embodiment, in particular, a plurality of rod-like conductor patterns 31 are formed by etching a nichrome thin plate. With such a configuration, the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 can be arranged with higher density along the peripheral edges of the peripheral edges 12a to 12d.

  The printing apparatus 10 further includes a film 26 as a duct member. The film 26 is provided so as to cover the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31. The film 26 is provided in a form that sandwiches the upper and lower surfaces of the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31. The film 26 is fixed to the printing plate 12. The film 26 is preferably formed from a polymer material having high heat resistance. In the present embodiment, a polyimide film is used as the film 26.

  A gap is formed between the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 and the film 26, and a cooling oil passage 41 as a refrigerant passage in which the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are arranged is formed by the gap. The cooling oil passage 41 is formed so as to extend along each of the peripheral edges 12a to 12d. The cooling oil is circulated through the cooling oil passage 41. The cooling oil passage 41 is connected to the temperature regulator 29 through the outlet 27 and the outlet 28. The temperature controller 29 is constituted by, for example, an oil cooler capable of oil cooling.

  In addition, the refrigerant | coolant which cools the some rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is not restricted to oil, For example, water may be sufficient.

  The pretension applying device 20 includes a tensioner 21 and a clamp member 22. In the present embodiment, the tensioner 21 and the clamp member 22 are arranged as a set on the outer periphery of each of the peripheral edges 12a to 12d. The clamp member 22 grips the outer edge of the film 26. The tensioner 21 is connected to the clamp member 22.

  The tensioner 21 has a function of pulling the printing plate 12 in the plane direction through the film 26. In the present embodiment, the tensioner 21 is provided so as to apply pretension to the printing plate 12 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the peripheral edges 12a to 12d.

  The tensioner 21 is composed of an electric cylinder driven by a pulse motor that can electrically maintain a pre-tensioned state with respect to the printing plate 12. That is, the tensioner 21 has a holding function for keeping the pretension applied to the printing plate 12 constant. A load cell (not shown) is provided between the clamp member 22 and the tensioner 21. With such a configuration, the displacement amount of the electric cylinder can be controlled to be a target load value, and the pretension load on the printing plate 12 can be precisely adjusted.

  The pretension applying device 20 is not limited to the above configuration, and for example, the tensioner 21 may be configured by a mechanism such as a worm gear and the printing plate 12 may be pulled via a wire.

  The temperature control unit 50 includes a pulse power supply 51, a wiring 52, and a switch 53 (see FIG. 2). The pulse power source 51 is electrically connected to the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 via the wiring 52. The switch 53 is provided on the path of the wiring 52, and voltage application from the pulse power source 51 to the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is turned on / off by the opening / closing operation.

  In general, the relationship between the amount of heat generated by the resistor and the applied voltage is proportional. For this reason, it is possible to control the amount of heat generated by the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 by applying a predetermined voltage to the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the temperature control part 50 is comprised so that the temperature of the some rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 can be adjusted separately. More specifically, a switch 53 that is a switching element is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of bar-shaped conductor patterns 31, and a voltage is applied by one pulse power supply 51. With such a configuration, by performing, for example, PWM (pulse width modulation) control on each bar-shaped conductor pattern 31, the amount of heat generated by each bar-shaped conductor pattern 31 can be controlled with a simple system configuration. It becomes possible.

Next, an example of the operation of the printing apparatus 10 in the present embodiment will be described.
A substrate that is a substrate to be printed is sucked and held on the suction stage 13 in advance, and if necessary, rough positioning for measurement described later is performed by the fine movement stage 14. By observing the alignment pattern on the substrate using a plurality of cameras such as a CCD (not shown), the center of gravity of each alignment pattern is measured, and the inter-pattern dimension is measured from the inter-pattern distance. Thereafter, the suction holding of the substrate by the suction stage 13 is released, and the substrate is carried out using a transport means (not shown). Further, the printing plate 12 coated with a printing material such as ink is carried into the apparatus and placed on the suction stage 13.

  Next, the printing plate 12 is sucked and held on the suction stage 13, and the position of the alignment pattern on the printing plate 12 is measured in the same procedure as the above-described substrate alignment pattern measurement. Note that this step may be omitted as necessary.

  Next, the suction holding of the printing plate 12 by the suction stage 13 is released, and the end of the film 26 connected to the end of the printing plate 12 is gripped by the clamp member 22. Then, the tensioner 21 applies pretension in four directions substantially orthogonal to the peripheral edges of the printing plate 12.

  At this time, the amount of pretension applied to the printing plate 12 is set so that the deformation of the printing plate 12 falls within the elastic deformation range. Preferably, the amount of pretension is set to about twice the difference between the original dimension of the printing plate 12 and the design dimension of the ideal print pattern. For example, when the difference between the original dimension of the printing plate 12 and the design dimension of an ideal printing pattern is a difference in magnification of 6 ppm, the pretension amount to be applied to the printing plate 12 is twice that of 12 ppm. The printing plate 12 is pulled.

  Next, the alignment pattern position and inter-pattern dimension of the printing plate 12 in a state where pretension is applied are measured. The difference between the measured value and the dimension between the alignment patterns of the substrate, which is the substrate to be printed, is calculated, and the calculated value is set as a necessary dimensional correction amount of the printing plate 12 described later.

  Next, a voltage is applied from the pulse power source 51 to the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 while the pretension state of the printing plate 12 is maintained by exciting the pulse motor of the electric cylinder constituting the tensioner 21. The rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is thermally expanded by generating heat. Along with the thermal expansion of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31, a reaction force in a direction against the pretension direction applied from the tensioner 21 is generated. As a result, the thermally expanded rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 pushes back the printing plate 12 in the pretensioned state, and the pattern shape on the printing plate 12 is corrected.

  At this time, the voltage applied to the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31, that is, the amount of heat generation, is determined by calculating in advance from the linear expansion coefficient of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 and the necessary dimensional correction amount. The correction amount is controlled below the pretension amount of the printing plate 12, that is, within the range of tensile elastic deformation. For example, the correction amount is controlled in the range of 1 to 1 + 12 ppm times the original dimension of the printing plate 12 before pretensioning. By performing dimensional correction within such a range, the printing plate 12 does not undergo compressive deformation, and the occurrence of buckling can be suppressed.

  Further, during correction, it is possible to adjust the applied voltage by positioning the printing plate 12 while appropriately driving the fine movement stage 14 and feedback-controlling the change in the inter-pattern distance. In this case, more accurate dimensional correction can be realized.

  In the present embodiment, the temperature serving as the base of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 can be set to a desired value by flowing the cooling oil through the cooling oil passage 41. Thereby, temperature control of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 by voltage application, and further correction of the pattern shape can be performed with high accuracy.

  After the above step, the pattern correction operation is completed by holding the printing plate 12 by suction using the suction stage 13. Then, the printing process of a board | substrate is implemented using the printing plate 12 by which the pattern shape was correct | amended.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a first specific example of a printing plate mounted on the printing apparatus in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the magnitude of the pretension applied to the printing plate 12 by the tensioner 21 is represented by an arrow 102, and the magnitude of the voltage applied to the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31, that is, the heat generation of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31. The quantity is represented by arrow 101. As shown in the figure, when the pre-tension is applied to the printing plate 12 and the inter-pattern dimension of the printing plate 12 is non-linearly distributed with respect to the in-plane, the individual rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are provided. By changing the amount of applied voltage by PWM control, the pattern shape on the printing plate 12 can be corrected to an arbitrary shape.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second specific example of a printing plate mounted on the printing apparatus in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, a printing plate 12 on which a pattern 16 is formed and a substrate 61 that is a printing material on which a pattern 62 is formed are shown superimposed. As shown in the figure, even when the amount of positional deviation between the pattern 16 formed on the printing plate 12 and the pattern 62 formed on the substrate 61 differs depending on the location, the application to the individual rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 is performed. By changing the voltage amount by PWM control, the pattern shape on the printing plate 12 can be corrected to an arbitrary shape.

  According to the printing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the pretension applied to the printing plate 12 is freely adjusted through the temperature control of the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31. Thereby, the pattern shape on the printing plate 12 can be corrected with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the case where a plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are formed by etching a thin nichrome plate as a resistor as a heating element has been described. However, as other examples, a sheathed heater or a cartridge heater is used. It is good also as a form which inserted what wound an exothermic wire around insulators, such as ceramics, in metal pipes which are represented by.

  In this embodiment, the case where a glass substrate is used as the printing plate material has been described. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to other materials such as metals. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to dimensional correction of the printing plate 12 having a size of 3 m × 3 m. However, the present invention is applicable to any size regardless of the size of the printing plate 12. Is applicable.

  In the present embodiment, an example of a printing plate has been described as an object for pattern correction. However, as a matter of course, a glass substrate that is a substrate to be printed may be used. Further, the object for pattern correction may be a transfer plate for transferring a pattern of a printing plate to a glass substrate that is a printing object, and further, an arbitrary in-plane dimension or shape that needs to be controlled. The present invention can also be applied to these devices.

  Next, an example performed to confirm the above-described effect achieved by the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. In this example, the accuracy of dimensional correction of the printing plate 12 due to the heat generated by the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 was confirmed by finite element simulation.

  First, a trial calculation for obtaining the optimum length of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 was performed. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the heat generation temperature of the rod-shaped conductor pattern and the amount of thermal expansion of the rod-shaped conductor pattern.

  Referring to FIG. 5, as a precondition, the printing plate 12 and the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 have the same thickness, and the total width of the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 per side of the printing plate 12 is the same as that of the printing plate 12. One side was half the length. That is, the plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns 31 are arranged so as to have a cross-sectional area that is half of one side of the printing plate 12. The material of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 was nichrome. The thermal expansion amount of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 calculated from the linear expansion coefficient and the temperature rise was plotted for each original length (10 mm, 20 mm, 50 mm, 100 mm) of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31.

  As shown in the figure, the temperature required to expand the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 of each length by 1 μm is 0.66 ° C./μm for 10 mm, and 1.41 ° C./μm for 20 mm. In the case of 50 mm, it was 3.69 ° C./μm, and in the case of 100 mm, it was 7.48 ° C./μm. If the length of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is too short, it is necessary to perform finer temperature control. If the length is too long, the temperature control becomes rough, but the amount of heat applied increases, leading to a decrease in efficiency. In the present embodiment, the size of the printing plate 12 is 3 m × 3 m, and the necessary correction amount is about 6 ppm on average. Therefore, it is determined that the length of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 is in the range of 20 mm to 50 mm. The Based on this trial calculation, the length of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 was set to 50 mm.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a printing plate and a rod-shaped conductor pattern model used for finite element simulation. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a table showing analysis conditions of the model shown in FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, in this simulation, a glass substrate was used as the printing plate 12, and analysis was performed using a 1/4 model (1.5 m × 1.5 m) as a central symmetry condition of 3 m × 3 m. The material of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 was nichrome, and the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 was disposed with a length of 50 mm, a width s of 5 mm, and an interval t of 5 mm based on the above-described calculation. Further, in order to express the analysis in a state where the pretension state is maintained, the end portion 31p of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 on the side not in contact with the printing plate 12 is displacement-constrained. The initial temperature of the entire model was 23 ° C., and the temperature of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 during dimension correction was 35.7 ° C.

  Under the above conditions, by the finite element simulation, for each position (see FIG. 7), the edge of the printing plate 12, 5 mm inside from the edge of the printing plate 12, and 10 mm inside from the edge of the printing plate 12. The correction amount distribution of the printing plate 12 was determined.

  FIG. 9 is a graph showing an analysis result of the finite element simulation performed under the conditions in FIG. FIG. 10 is a graph showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line X in FIG. FIG. 11 is a graph showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line XI in FIG. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the distribution of the correction amount at the center portion and the edge portion in the side direction of the printing plate 12 is shown in an enlarged manner, respectively.

  With reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, the distribution of correction amounts at the positions of the edge of the printing plate 12, 5 mm inside from the edge of the printing plate 12, and 10 mm inside from the edge of the printing plate 12 is a line 110. , 120, 130. The difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the correction amount of the printing plate 12 is 0.26 μm at the edge of the printing plate 12, 0.14 μm 5 mm inside the edge of the printing plate 12, and 10 mm from the edge of the printing plate 12. It became 0.10 micrometer inside.

  Assuming that the outer size of the printing plate 12 is the same as that of the substrate that is the printing object, the effective area in which the printing pattern is formed is usually a portion that is 10 mm inside the end of the printing plate 12. From this, it can be said that the result of the above analysis has realized an extremely accurate error in the correction amount. Even if the effective area is the range from the edge of the printing plate 12, the correction amount error is 0.26 μm, which is sufficient as the accuracy required for overlaying.

  FIG. 12 is a table showing another analysis condition of the model shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 12, next, a rod-shaped conductor pattern 31 having a length of 50 mm and a width of 1 mm is disposed at an interval of 1 mm, and other conditions are the same as the above-described analysis conditions, and a finite element simulation is performed. Carried out.

  FIG. 13 is a graph showing an analysis result of a finite element simulation performed under the conditions in FIG. FIG. 14 is a graph showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line XIV in FIG. FIG. 15 is a graph showing a range surrounded by a two-dot chain line XV in FIG. In FIGS. 14 and 15, the distribution of the correction amount at the center portion and the end portion in the side direction of the printing plate 12 is shown in an enlarged manner, respectively.

  Referring to FIGS. 13 to 15, the distribution of correction amounts at the positions of the edge of the printing plate 12, 5 mm inside from the edge of the printing plate 12, and 10 mm inside from the edge of the printing plate 12 is a line 110. , 120, 130. The difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the correction amount of the printing plate 12 is 0.12 μm at the edge of the printing plate 12, 0.09 μm inside 5 mm from the edge of the printing plate 12, and 10 mm from the edge of the printing plate 12. It became 0.07 micrometer inside.

  By reducing the width of the rod-shaped conductor pattern 12 and increasing the number of arrangements, the pattern shape can be corrected with higher accuracy than in the previous analysis conditions. Further, by arranging the rod-shaped conductor patterns 12 finely as described above, the temperature change of each rod-shaped conductor pattern 12 can be arbitrarily given by PWM control, and pattern shapes of more various forms can be corrected. Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the dimensional correction is performed on the two opposite sides has been described, but by providing the dimensional correction mechanism on the four sides of the printing plate 12 based on the configuration of the present embodiment described above, It is possible to perform dimensional correction with high accuracy in the directions of two orthogonal axes.

  Further, in this example, the case where the temperature change of each bar-shaped conductor pattern 31 is constant has been described. However, based on the description of the present embodiment described above, the temperature change of each bar-shaped conductor pattern 31 is PWMed. It is possible to carry out various types of pattern dimension correction by arbitrarily applying the control.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  The present invention is mainly used in a printing apparatus that pattern-forms a functional resin material such as a resist material or a conductive paste material by printing.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing apparatus, 12 Printing plate, 12a-12d periphery, 20 Pretension application apparatus, 21 Tensioner, 22 Clamp member, 26 Film, 31 Rod-shaped conductor pattern, 41 Cooling oil path, 50 Temperature control part, 51 Pulse power supply, 52 Wiring, 53 switches.

Claims (9)

A printing apparatus that corrects a pattern shape formed on a base material by applying tension in the plane direction to the base material,
A pretensioning device that is connected to the periphery of the substrate and applies pretension to the substrate;
A plurality of tension adjusting units arranged along the periphery of the base material, applying a compressive force against the pretension to the base material, and capable of thermal expansion and contraction according to a temperature change;
A temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of the plurality of tension adjusting units,
A printing apparatus in which a compressive force applied to a base material is changed by thermal expansion and contraction of the plurality of tension adjusting units, and a predetermined tension is applied to the base material.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control unit is capable of individually adjusting temperatures of the plurality of tension adjusting units.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of tension adjusting units are formed by arranging a plurality of rod-shaped conductor patterns.   The printing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a duct member provided along a peripheral edge of the base material so as to surround the plurality of tension adjusting portions and forming a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant flows. apparatus.   The temperature control unit includes a power supply unit that applies a voltage to the plurality of tension adjustment units, and a switch unit that opens and closes an electrical connection between the power supply unit and the plurality of tension adjustment units. The printing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4.   The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pretension applied to the base material from the pretension applying device is set so that the deformation of the base material is within an elastic deformation range. .   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a deformation amount due to heat generation of the plurality of tension adjusting units is set to be smaller than a deformation amount of the base material due to provision of pretension.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pretension applying device includes a holding mechanism for holding a pretension applied to the base material constant. The substrate has a substantially rectangular planar shape,
The plurality of tension adjusting units are arranged along each side of the four sides of the base material,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pretension applying device is provided so as to apply a pretension to the base material in a direction substantially orthogonal to each side of the base material.