JP2012139655A - Printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing apparatus capable of contributing to improvement of production efficiency without causing deterioration of printing quality.SOLUTION: The printing apparatus includes a discharge head 49 for discharging droplets of a liquid relatively moving to a substrate and cured by active rays, and an irradiation part 48 provided on a rear side of the relative movement direction to the discharge head and irradiating the droplets on the substrate with the active rays. The plurality of discharge heads are provided along the direction orthogonal to the relative movement direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  In recent years, attention has been focused on a droplet discharge device that forms an image or a pattern on a recording medium using ultraviolet curable ink that is cured by ultraviolet irradiation. The ultraviolet curable ink has a preferable characteristic as a printing ink, in which the curing is very slow until it is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and it is rapidly cured when irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Moreover, since the solvent is not volatilized during curing, there is an advantage that the environmental load is small.

  Further, the ultraviolet curable ink exhibits high adhesion to various recording media depending on the composition of the vehicle. Further, after curing, it is chemically stable, has high adhesiveness, chemical resistance, weather resistance, friction resistance, etc., and has excellent characteristics such as withstand outdoor environments. For this reason, an image can be formed not only on a thin sheet-like recording medium such as paper, a resin film, or a metal foil, but also on a recording medium having a three-dimensional surface shape such as a label surface or a textile product.

By the way, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, when an inkjet printer in which UV irradiation means such as a UV lamp is provided beside the inkjet head, the UV ink is cured immediately after drawing near the drawing position by the inkjet head. be able to.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for improving production efficiency by arranging a plurality of ejection heads in the scanning direction.

JP 2004-322560 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-161541

However, the following problems exist in the conventional technology as described above.
The time until the ultraviolet curable ink discharged from the discharge head and applied to the recording medium is cured by being irradiated with UV light (hereinafter referred to as “pinning”) differs depending on the discharge head. There may be a difference in film adhesion, bleeding, landing diameter, and the like, resulting in a decrease in print quality.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can contribute to an improvement in production efficiency without causing a decrease in print quality.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.
The printing apparatus of the present invention includes a discharge head that discharges liquid droplets that are relatively moved with respect to a substrate and are cured with actinic rays, and the base provided on the rear side in the relative movement direction with respect to the discharge head. An irradiating section that irradiates the droplets on the material with the actinic rays, and a plurality of the ejection heads are provided along a direction orthogonal to the relative movement direction.

  Therefore, the printing apparatus of the present invention can discharge droplets from a plurality of discharge heads, thereby improving the production efficiency and making the distance between each discharge head and the irradiation unit the same in the relative movement direction. Therefore, the pinning time for each ejection head is constant, and the print quality can be ensured by keeping the film formed by the ejected droplets in a constant state.

  In the above configuration, the ejection head includes a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles that eject the liquid droplets are arranged along a direction intersecting the relative movement direction, and the base material is included in the nozzle row. LN is the length in the orthogonal direction of an actual nozzle row composed of nozzles that discharge the droplets, and LH is the distance in the orthogonal direction between the actual nozzle rows of the adjacent ejection heads. Then, the structure which arrange | positions the said adjacent ejection head by the positional relationship which satisfies LH = n * LN (n is a positive integer) can be employ | adopted suitably.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, the droplet discharge operation in the relative movement direction and the operation of feeding the plurality of discharge heads by the distance LN along the direction intersecting the relative movement direction are repeated n times, thereby efficiently performing the base material. It is possible to apply droplets on top.

In the above configuration, when a plurality of the nozzle rows are provided at intervals in the relative movement direction, according to the distance in the relative movement direction between the nozzle row and the irradiation unit in the ejection head. A configuration having a control unit for controlling the relative movement speed can be suitably employed.
As a result, in the present invention, when the distance in the relative movement direction with the irradiation unit is different in the nozzle row, the relative movement speed is controlled until the liquid droplets are landed and irradiated with actinic rays to be cured. The pinning time can be set to a certain time, and the print quality can be secured.

In the above configuration, when a plurality of the nozzle rows are provided at intervals in the relative movement direction, a selection unit that selects a nozzle row to be used from the plurality of nozzle rows according to the relative movement direction. A configuration having the above can be suitably employed.
Thus, in the present invention, the selection unit selects the nozzle row in which the distance in the relative movement direction between the nozzle row and the irradiation unit is constant between the plurality of ejection heads, thereby pinning between the plurality of ejection heads. Time can be constant.

On the other hand, the printing apparatus of the present invention irradiates actinic rays and a pair of irradiating portions provided side by side along a predetermined direction, and a first ejection that ejects liquid droplets that are cured by the actinic rays. A head and a second ejection head; and a moving unit that moves the first ejection head, the second ejection head, and the irradiation unit relative to the substrate in the predetermined direction, and The first ejection head and the second ejection head are arranged side by side along a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.
Therefore, in the present invention, each of the ejection heads and the irradiation unit in the relative movement direction is improved while ejecting liquid droplets from the first and second ejection heads at the time of relative movement with respect to the substrate by the moving means. Therefore, the pinning time for each ejection head is constant, and the film formed by the ejected droplets is kept in a constant state, so that the printing quality can be ensured.

In the above configuration, a distance of the first ejection head to one of the pair of irradiation units is equal to a distance of the second ejection head to one of the pair of irradiation units, and the distance of the pair of irradiation units The distance of the 1st discharge head with respect to the other can employ | adopt the structure equal to the distance of the 2nd discharge head with respect to the other among a pair of said irradiation parts.
Accordingly, even when one or the other of the pair of irradiation units is used to cure the liquid on the substrate, the pinning time of the liquid ejected from the first and second ejection heads is made constant. Can do.

In the above configuration, the length of the irradiation range irradiated from the pair of irradiation units in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction is the length of the first discharge head, the length of the second discharge head, And the structure which is more than the sum of the distance between the said 1st discharge head and the said 2nd discharge head can be employ | adopted suitably.
Accordingly, in the present invention, actinic rays are collectively irradiated to the liquid discharged from the first and second discharge heads onto the base material in either one of the pair of irradiation units or the other. It becomes possible.

Further, as the ejection head in the present invention, a configuration for ejecting the droplets to a semiconductor device provided on the base material can be suitably employed.
Accordingly, in the present invention, a print pattern indicating the attribute information of the semiconductor device can be formed and printed with a predetermined print quality.
In addition, in the present specification, the orthogonal direction and the vertical direction include a range deviated by an error due to manufacturing and assembly.

(A) is a schematic plan view which shows a semiconductor substrate, (b) is a schematic plan view which shows a droplet discharge device. The schematic diagram which shows a supply part. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of a pre-processing part. (A) is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the coating unit, (b) is a schematic side view showing a carriage, (c) is a schematic plan view showing a head unit, and (d) is a liquid droplet ejection head. The principal part schematic cross section for demonstrating a structure. (A) is a schematic plan view showing a head unit, and a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of a droplet discharge head. The schematic diagram which shows a storage part. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of a conveyance part. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating a printing method. The schematic plan view which shows the head unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The following embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each configuration easy to understand, the actual structure is different from the scale and number of each structure.

(First embodiment)
In this embodiment, a characteristic printing apparatus of the present invention and an example of a printing method for printing by discharging droplets using this printing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Semiconductor substrate)
First, a semiconductor substrate which is an example of an object to be drawn (printed) using a printing apparatus will be described.
FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing a semiconductor substrate. As shown in FIG. 1A, a semiconductor substrate 1 as a base material includes a substrate 2. The substrate 2 only needs to have heat resistance so that the semiconductor device 3 can be mounted. As the substrate 2, a glass epoxy substrate, a paper phenol substrate, a paper epoxy substrate, or the like can be used.

  A semiconductor device 3 is mounted on the substrate 2. On the semiconductor device 3, marks (print pattern, predetermined pattern) such as a company name mark 4, a model code 5, and a production number 6 are drawn. These marks are drawn by the printing apparatus.

(Printer)
FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view showing the printing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 1B, the printing apparatus 7 mainly includes a supply unit 8, a preprocessing unit 9, a coating unit (printing unit) 10, a cooling unit 11, a storage unit 12, a transport unit 13, and a control unit 14. Has been. The printing apparatus 7 is arranged in the order of the supply unit 8, the preprocessing unit 9, the application unit 10, the cooling unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the control unit 14 in the clockwise direction with the conveyance unit 13 as the center. A supply unit 8 is arranged next to the control unit 14. A direction in which the supply unit 8, the control unit 14, and the storage unit 12 are arranged is an X direction. The direction orthogonal to the X direction is defined as the Y direction, and the coating unit 10, the transport unit 13, and the control unit 14 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. The vertical direction is the Z direction.

  The supply unit 8 includes a storage container in which a plurality of semiconductor substrates 1 are stored. The supply unit 8 includes a relay location 8a, and supplies the semiconductor substrate 1 from the storage container to the relay location 8a.

  The pretreatment unit 9 has a function of modifying the surface of the semiconductor device 3 while heating. The pretreatment unit 9 adjusts the spread of the ejected droplets and the adhesion of the marks to be printed. The pre-processing unit 9 includes a first relay location 9a and a second relay location 9b, and takes the semiconductor substrate 1 before processing from the first relay location 9a or the second relay location 9b to modify the surface. Thereafter, the preprocessing unit 9 moves the processed semiconductor substrate 1 to the first relay location 9a or the second relay location 9b, and makes the semiconductor substrate 1 stand by. The first relay location 9a and the second relay location 9b are collectively referred to as a relay location 9c. A place where preprocessing is performed inside the preprocessing unit 9 is defined as a processing place 9d.

  The cooling unit 11 has a function of cooling the semiconductor substrate 1 that has been heated and surface-modified in the pretreatment unit 9. The cooling unit 11 includes processing places 11 a and 11 b that hold and cool the semiconductor substrate 1. The processing places 11a and 11b are collectively referred to as a processing place 11c as appropriate.

  The application unit 10 has a function of drawing (printing) a mark by discharging droplets onto the semiconductor device 3 and solidifying or curing the drawn mark. The application unit 10 includes a relay location 10a, and performs drawing processing and curing processing by moving the semiconductor substrate 1 before drawing from the relay location 10a. Thereafter, the coating unit 10 moves the drawn semiconductor substrate 1 to the relay location 10a, and makes the semiconductor substrate 1 stand by.

  The storage unit 12 includes a storage container that can store a plurality of semiconductor substrates 1. The storage unit 12 includes a relay location 12a, and stores the semiconductor substrate 1 from the relay location 12a into the storage container. The operator carries out the storage container in which the semiconductor substrate 1 is stored from the printing apparatus 7.

  A transport unit 13 is disposed at a central location of the printing apparatus 7. The transport unit 13 is a scalar robot having two arms. A grip portion 13 a that grips the semiconductor substrate 1 is provided at the tip of the arm portion. The relay locations 8a, 9c, 10a, 11c, and 12a are located within the movement range 13b of the grip portion 13a. Accordingly, the gripping portion 13a can move the semiconductor substrate 1 between the relay locations 8a, 9c, 10a, 11c, and 12a. The control unit 14 is a device that controls the overall operation of the printing apparatus 7 and manages the operation status of each unit of the printing apparatus 7. Then, an instruction signal for moving the semiconductor substrate 1 is output to the transport unit 13. Thereby, the semiconductor substrate 1 is drawn by passing through each part sequentially.

Details of each part will be described below.
(Supply section)
FIG. 2A is a schematic front view showing the supply unit, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are schematic side views showing the supply unit. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the supply unit 8 includes a base 15. An elevating device 16 is installed inside the base 15. The elevating device 16 includes a linear motion mechanism that operates in the Z direction. As this linear motion mechanism, a mechanism such as a combination of a ball screw and a rotary motor or a combination of a hydraulic cylinder and an oil pump can be used. In this embodiment, for example, a mechanism using a ball screw and a step motor is employed. An elevating plate 17 is connected to the elevating device 16 on the upper side of the base 15. The elevating plate 17 can be moved up and down by a predetermined moving amount by the elevating device 16.

  A rectangular parallelepiped storage container 18 is installed on the elevating plate 17, and a plurality of semiconductor substrates 1 are stored in the storage container 18. The storage container 18 has openings 18a on both sides in the Y direction, and the semiconductor substrate 1 can be taken in and out from the openings 18a. Convex rails 18c are formed inside the side surfaces 18b located on both sides in the X direction of the storage container 18, and the rails 18c are arranged extending in the Y direction. A plurality of rails 18c are arranged at equal intervals in the Z direction. By inserting the semiconductor substrate 1 along the rail 18c from the Y direction or from the -Y direction, the semiconductor substrate 1 is arranged and stored in the Z direction.

  On the Y direction side of the base 15, a substrate drawing portion 22 and a relay stand 23 are installed via a support member 21. A relay stand 23 is disposed on the substrate drawing portion 22 at a location on the Y direction side of the storage container 18. The substrate drawing portion 22 includes an arm portion 22a that expands and contracts in the Y direction and a linear motion mechanism that drives the arm portion 22a. This linear motion mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism that moves linearly. In this embodiment, for example, an air cylinder that operates with compressed air is employed. A claw portion 22b bent into a substantially rectangular shape is installed at one end of the arm portion 22a, and the tip of the claw portion 22b is formed in parallel with the arm portion 22a.

  The substrate pull-out portion 22 extends the arm portion 22 a, so that the arm portion 22 a penetrates the storage container 18. Then, the claw portion 22 b moves to the −Y direction side of the storage container 18. Next, after the elevating device 16 moves down the semiconductor substrate 1, the substrate drawing portion 22 contracts the arm portion 22a. At this time, the claw portion 22 b moves while pushing one end of the semiconductor substrate 1.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 2C, the semiconductor substrate 1 is moved from the storage container 18 onto the relay stand 23. The relay base 23 is formed with a recess having a width substantially the same as the width of the semiconductor substrate 1 in the X direction, and the semiconductor substrate 1 moves along the recess. And the position of the X direction of the semiconductor substrate 1 is determined by this recessed part. The position of the semiconductor substrate 1 in the Y direction is determined by the location where the semiconductor substrate 1 is stopped by being pushed by the claw portion 22b. On the relay stand 23 is a relay place 8a, and the semiconductor substrate 1 stands by at a predetermined place of the relay place 8a. When the semiconductor substrate 1 is waiting at the relay location 8 a of the supply unit 8, the transport unit 13 moves the gripping unit 13 a to a location facing the semiconductor substrate 1 to grip and move the semiconductor substrate 1.

  After the semiconductor substrate 1 is moved from the relay table 23 by the transfer unit 13, the substrate drawing unit 22 extends the arm portion 22a. Next, the lifting device 16 lowers the storage container 18, and the substrate drawing portion 22 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 from the storage container 18 onto the relay stand 23. In this way, the supply unit 8 sequentially moves the semiconductor substrate 1 from the storage container 18 onto the relay stand 23. After all the semiconductor substrates 1 in the storage container 18 are moved onto the relay stand 23, the operator replaces the empty storage container 18 with the storage container 18 in which the semiconductor substrate 1 is stored. Thereby, the semiconductor substrate 1 can be supplied to the supply unit 8.

(Pre-processing section)
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the preprocessing unit. As shown in FIG. 3A, the pretreatment unit 9 includes a base 24, and a pair of first guide rails 25 and second guide rails 26 extending in the X direction are arranged on the base 24. is set up. A first stage 27 as a mounting table that reciprocates in the X direction along the first guide rail 25 is installed on the first guide rail 25, and along the second guide rail 26 on the second guide rail 26. A second stage 28 is placed as a mounting table that reciprocates in the X direction. The first stage 27 and the second stage 28 include a linear motion mechanism and can reciprocate. As this linear motion mechanism, for example, a mechanism similar to the linear motion mechanism included in the lifting device 16 can be used.

  A placement surface 27a is installed on the upper surface of the first stage 27, and a suction-type chuck mechanism is formed on the placement surface 27a. After the transport unit 13 places the semiconductor substrate 1 on the placement surface 27a, the pretreatment unit 9 can fix the semiconductor substrate 1 to the placement surface 27a by operating the chuck mechanism. Similarly, a mounting surface 28a is installed on the upper surface of the second stage 28, and a suction chuck mechanism is formed on the mounting surface 28a. After the transport unit 13 places the semiconductor substrate 1 on the placement surface 28a, the pretreatment unit 9 can fix the semiconductor substrate 1 to the placement surface 28a by operating the chuck mechanism.

  The first stage 27 has a built-in heating device 27 </ b> H, and heats the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the placement surface 27 a to a predetermined temperature under the control of the control unit 14. Similarly, the second stage 28 includes a heating device 28 </ b> H, and heats the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the placement surface 28 a to a predetermined temperature under the control of the control unit 14.

  The place of the placement surface 27a when the first stage 27 is located on the X direction side is the first relay place 9a, and the place of the placement surface 28a when the second stage 28 is located in the X direction is the first place. 2 relay place 9b. The relay location 9c, which is the first relay location 9a and the second relay location 9b, is located within the operating range of the grip portion 13a, and the placement surface 27a and the placement surface 28a are exposed at the relay location 9c. Accordingly, the transport unit 13 can easily place the semiconductor substrate 1 on the placement surface 27a and the placement surface 28a. After the pretreatment is performed on the semiconductor substrate 1, the semiconductor substrate 1 stands by on the placement surface 27a located at the first relay location 9a or the placement surface 28a located at the second relay location 9b. Therefore, the grip part 13a of the transport part 13 can easily grip the semiconductor substrate 1 and move it.

  A flat plate-like support portion 29 is erected in the −X direction of the base 24. A guide rail 30 extending in the Y direction is installed on the upper side of the surface of the support portion 29 on the X direction side. A carriage 31 that moves along the guide rail 30 is installed at a location facing the guide rail 30. The carriage 31 includes a linear motion mechanism and can reciprocate. As this linear motion mechanism, for example, a mechanism similar to the linear motion mechanism included in the lifting device 16 can be used.

  A processing unit 32 is installed on the base 24 side of the carriage 31. Examples of the processing unit 32 include a low-pressure mercury lamp that emits actinic rays, a hydrogen burner, an excimer laser, a plasma discharge unit, and a corona discharge unit. When a mercury lamp is used, the liquid repellency of the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 can be modified by irradiating the semiconductor substrate 1 with ultraviolet rays. When a hydrogen burner is used, the surface can be roughened by partially reducing the oxidized surface of the semiconductor substrate 1, and when an excimer laser is used, the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 is partially melted and solidified. When plasma discharge or corona discharge is used, the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 can be roughened by mechanical cutting. In this embodiment, for example, a mercury lamp is employed. The pre-processing unit 9 reciprocates the carriage 31 while irradiating ultraviolet rays from the processing unit 32 while the semiconductor substrate 1 is heated by the heating devices 27H and 28H. As a result, the pretreatment unit 9 can irradiate ultraviolet rays over a wide area of the treatment place 9d.

  The pretreatment unit 9 is entirely covered by the exterior unit 33. Inside the exterior part 33, a door part 34 that can move up and down is installed. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, after the first stage 27 or the second stage 28 has moved to a position facing the carriage 31, the door 34 is lowered. Thereby, the ultraviolet rays irradiated by the processing unit 32 are prevented from leaking out of the preprocessing unit 9.

  When the mounting surface 27a or the mounting surface 28a is located at the relay place 9c, the transport unit 13 supplies the semiconductor substrate 1 to the mounting surface 27a and the mounting surface 28a. The preprocessing unit 9 performs the preprocessing by moving the first stage 27 or the second stage 28 on which the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed to the processing place 9d. After the preprocessing is completed, the preprocessing unit 9 moves the first stage 27 or the second stage 28 to the relay location 9c. Subsequently, the transport unit 13 removes the semiconductor substrate 1 from the placement surface 27a or the placement surface 28a.

(Cooling section)
The cooling unit 11 includes cooling plates 110 a and 110 b such as heat sinks that are provided at the processing places 11 a and 11 b and whose upper surfaces are suction holding surfaces of the semiconductor device 1.
The processing locations 11a and 11b (cooling plates 110a and 110b) are located within the operating range of the gripping portion 13a, and the cooling plates 110a and 110b are exposed at the processing locations 11a and 11b. Therefore, the transport unit 13 can easily place the semiconductor substrate 1 on the cooling plates 110a and 110b. After the semiconductor substrate 1 is cooled, the semiconductor substrate 1 stands by on the cooling plate 110a positioned at the processing location 11a or the cooling plate 110a positioned at the processing location 11b. Therefore, the gripping part 13a of the transport part 13 can easily grip and move the semiconductor substrate 1.

(Applying part)
Next, the coating unit 10 that forms marks by discharging droplets onto the semiconductor substrate 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. There are various types of apparatuses for ejecting droplets, and an apparatus using an ink jet method is preferable. The ink jet method is suitable for microfabrication because it can discharge minute droplets.

  FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the application unit. Liquid droplets are ejected onto the semiconductor substrate 1 by the application unit 10. As shown to Fig.4 (a), the application part 10 is provided with the base 37 formed in the rectangular parallelepiped shape. The direction in which the droplet discharge head and the object to be discharged move relative to each other when discharging droplets is defined as a main scanning direction. The direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction is defined as the sub scanning direction. The sub-scanning direction is a direction in which the droplet discharge head and the discharge target are relatively moved when a line feed is made. In the present embodiment, the X direction is the main scanning direction, and the Y direction is the sub scanning direction.

  On the upper surface 37a of the base 37, a pair of guide rails 38 extending in the Y direction are provided so as to protrude over the entire width in the Y direction. A stage 39 having a linear motion mechanism (not shown) corresponding to the pair of guide rails 38 is attached to the upper side of the base 37. As the linear motion mechanism of the stage 39, a linear motor, a screw type linear motion mechanism, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, for example, a linear motor is employed. Then, it moves forward or backward along the Y direction at a predetermined speed. Repeating forward and backward movement is called scanning movement. Further, a sub-scanning position detection device 40 is disposed on the upper surface 37 a of the base 37 in parallel with the guide rail 38, and the position of the stage 39 is detected by the sub-scanning position detection device 40.

  A placement surface 41 is formed on the upper surface of the stage 39, and a suction-type substrate chuck mechanism (not shown) is provided on the placement surface 41. After the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed on the placement surface 41, the semiconductor substrate 1 is fixed to the placement surface 41 by a substrate chuck mechanism.

  The place of the placement surface 41 when the stage 39 is positioned in the −Y direction is the relay place 10a. The placement surface 41 is installed so as to be exposed within the operating range of the gripping portion 13a. Therefore, the transport unit 13 can easily place the semiconductor substrate 1 on the placement surface 41. After application | coating is performed to the semiconductor substrate 1, the semiconductor substrate 1 waits on the mounting surface 41 which is the relay place 10a. Therefore, the grip part 13a of the transport part 13 can easily grip the semiconductor substrate 1 and move it.

  A pair of support bases 42 are erected on both sides of the base 37 in the X direction, and guide members 43 extending in the X direction are installed on the pair of support bases 42. A guide rail 44 extending in the X direction is provided below the guide member 43 so as to protrude over the entire width in the X direction. A carriage (moving means) 45 movably attached along the guide rail 44 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The carriage 45 includes a linear motion mechanism. As the linear motion mechanism, for example, a mechanism similar to the linear motion mechanism included in the stage 39 can be used. Then, the carriage 45 scans and moves along the X direction. A main scanning position detector 46 is disposed between the guide member 43 and the carriage 45, and the position of the carriage 45 is measured. A head unit 47 is installed on the lower side of the carriage 45, and a droplet discharge head (not shown) is projected on the surface of the head unit 47 on the stage 39 side.

  FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing the carriage. As shown in FIG. 4B, a head unit 47 and a curing unit 48 as a pair of irradiation units are disposed on the carriage 45 on the semiconductor substrate 1 side. A liquid droplet ejection head (ejection head) 49 for ejecting liquid droplets is provided on the side of the semiconductor substrate 1 of the head unit 47.

  An irradiating device for irradiating ultraviolet rays that cure the discharged droplets is disposed inside the curing unit 48. The curing unit 48 is disposed on both sides of the head unit 47 in the main scanning direction (relative movement direction). The irradiation device includes a light emitting unit and a heat radiating plate. A number of LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements are arranged in the light emitting unit. This LED element is an element that emits ultraviolet light, which is ultraviolet light, upon receiving power.

  A storage tank 50 is arranged on the upper side of the carriage 45 in the drawing, and the functional liquid is stored in the storage tank 50. The droplet discharge head 49 and the storage tank 50 are connected by a tube (not shown), and the functional liquid in the storage tank 50 is supplied to the droplet discharge head 49 through the tube.

  The functional liquid is mainly composed of a resin material, a photopolymerization initiator as a curing agent, a solvent or a dispersion medium. A functional liquid having an inherent function can be formed by adding a coloring material such as a pigment or a dye or a functional material such as a lyophilic or liquid repellent surface modifying material to the main material. In this embodiment, for example, a white pigment is added. The functional liquid resin material is a material for forming a resin film. The resin material is not particularly limited as long as the material is liquid at normal temperature and becomes a polymer by polymerization. Furthermore, a resin material having a low viscosity is preferable, and it is preferably in the form of an oligomer. A monomer form is more preferable. The photopolymerization initiator is an additive that acts on a crosslinkable group of the polymer to advance the crosslinking reaction. For example, benzyldimethyl ketal or the like can be used as the photopolymerization initiator. The solvent or the dispersion medium adjusts the viscosity of the resin material. By setting the viscosity at which the functional liquid can be easily discharged from the droplet discharge head, the droplet discharge head can stably discharge the functional liquid.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view showing the head unit. As shown in FIG. 5A, in the head unit 47, two liquid droplet ejection heads 49 constituting the first and second ejection heads are arranged at intervals in the sub-scanning direction. Nozzle plates 51 are arranged on the surface 49. A plurality of nozzles 52 are arranged in each nozzle plate 51. In the present embodiment, each nozzle plate 51 is provided with one nozzle row 60 in which 15 nozzles 52 are arranged along the sub-scanning direction. In addition, the two nozzle rows 60 are arranged in a straight line along the Y direction and at equal intervals with the curing units 48 on both sides in the X direction.

  In each droplet discharge head 49, the nozzle 52 located at both ends of the nozzle row 60 does not tend to be unstable in droplet discharge characteristics, and thus is not used for the droplet discharge process. That is, in this embodiment, the actual nozzle row 60 </ b> A that actually ejects droplets to the semiconductor substrate 1 is formed by the 13 nozzles 52 excluding the nozzles 52 at both ends.

Here, when the length of each actual nozzle row 60A in the sub-scanning direction is LN and the distance in the sub-scanning direction between the adjacent nozzle discharge heads 49 between the actual nozzle rows 60A is LH, the adjacent droplet discharge heads. 49 are arranged in a positional relationship satisfying the following expression.
LH = n × LN (n is a positive integer) (1)
In the present embodiment, two droplet discharge heads 49 are arranged along the Y direction with a positional relationship of n = 1, that is, LH = LN.

  An irradiation port 48 a is formed on the lower surface of the curing unit 48. The irradiation port 48 a is provided with an irradiation range having a length equal to or longer than the sum of the lengths of the ejection heads 49 and 49 in the Y direction and the distance between the ejection heads 49 and 49. Then, ultraviolet light emitted from the irradiation device is irradiated toward the semiconductor substrate 1 from the irradiation port 48a.

  FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of the droplet discharge head. As shown in FIG. 5B, the droplet discharge head 49 includes a nozzle plate 51, and the nozzle 52 is formed on the nozzle plate 51. A cavity 53 communicating with the nozzle 52 is formed at a position above the nozzle plate 51 and facing the nozzle 52. A functional liquid (liquid) 54 is supplied to the cavity 53 of the droplet discharge head 49.

  A vibration plate 55 that vibrates in the vertical direction and expands or contracts the volume in the cavity 53 is installed above the cavity 53. A piezoelectric element 56 that extends in the vertical direction and vibrates the vibration plate 55 is disposed at a location facing the cavity 53 on the upper side of the vibration plate 55. The piezoelectric element 56 expands and contracts in the vertical direction to pressurize and vibrate the diaphragm 55, and the diaphragm 55 pressurizes the cavity 53 by expanding and reducing the volume in the cavity 53. As a result, the pressure in the cavity 53 varies, and the functional liquid 54 supplied into the cavity 53 is discharged through the nozzle 52.

  When the droplet discharge head 49 receives a nozzle drive signal for controlling and driving the piezoelectric element 56, the piezoelectric element 56 expands and the diaphragm 55 reduces the volume in the cavity 53. As a result, the functional liquid 54 corresponding to the reduced volume is discharged as droplets 57 from the nozzles 52 of the droplet discharge head 49. The semiconductor substrate 1 coated with the functional liquid 54 is irradiated with ultraviolet light from the irradiation port 48a so that the functional liquid 54 containing a curing agent is solidified or cured.

(Storage section)
FIG. 6A is a schematic front view showing the storage portion, and FIGS. 6B and 6C are schematic side views showing the storage portion. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the storage unit 12 includes a base 74. An elevating device 75 is installed inside the base 74. As the lifting device 75, the same device as the lifting device 16 installed in the supply unit 8 can be used. A lifting plate 76 is connected to the lifting device 75 on the upper side of the base 74. The lifting plate 76 is lifted and lowered by the lifting device 75. A rectangular parallelepiped storage container 18 is installed on the lifting plate 76, and the semiconductor substrate 1 is stored in the storage container 18. The same container as the storage container 18 installed in the supply unit 8 is used as the storage container 18.

  A substrate extruding portion 78 and a relay stand 79 are installed on the Y direction side of the base 74 via a support member 77. A relay stand 79 is disposed on the substrate push-out portion 78 at a location on the Y direction side of the storage container 18. The board pushing part 78 includes an arm part 78a that moves in the Y direction and a linear motion mechanism that drives the arm part 78a. This linear motion mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism that moves linearly. In this embodiment, for example, an air cylinder that operates with compressed air is employed. The semiconductor substrate 1 is placed on the relay stand 79, and the arm portion 78 a can come into contact with the center of one end of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the Y direction side.

  The substrate pushing part 78 moves the arm part 78a in the -Y direction, so that the arm part 78a moves the semiconductor substrate 1 in the -Y direction. The relay stand 79 is formed with a recess having a width substantially the same as the width of the semiconductor substrate 1 in the X direction, and the semiconductor substrate 1 moves along the recess. And the position of the X direction of the semiconductor substrate 1 is determined by this recessed part. As a result, the semiconductor substrate 1 is moved into the storage container 18 as shown in FIG. A rail 18 c is formed in the storage container 18, and the rail 18 c is positioned on an extension line of a recess formed in the relay stand 79. Then, the semiconductor substrate 1 is moved along the rails 18 c by the substrate pushing part 78. Thereby, the semiconductor substrate 1 is stored in the storage container 18 with high quality.

  After the transport unit 13 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 onto the relay stand 79, the lifting device 75 raises the storage container 18. And the board | substrate extrusion part 78 drives the arm part 78a, and moves the semiconductor substrate 1 in the storage container 18. FIG. In this way, the storage unit 12 stores the semiconductor substrate 1 in the storage container 18. After the predetermined number of semiconductor substrates 1 are stored in the storage container 18, the operator replaces the storage container 18 in which the semiconductor substrate 1 is stored with the empty storage container 18. Thus, the operator can carry the plurality of semiconductor substrates 1 together to the next process.

  The storage unit 12 has a relay place 12a on which the semiconductor substrate 1 to be stored is placed. The transport unit 13 can store the semiconductor substrate 1 in the storage container 18 in cooperation with the storage unit 12 only by placing the semiconductor substrate 1 on the relay location 12a.

(Transport section)
Next, the conveyance part 13 which conveys the semiconductor substrate 1 is demonstrated according to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the configuration of the transport unit. As shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance part 13 is provided with the base 82 formed in flat form. A support base 83 is disposed on the base 82. A cavity is formed inside the support base 83, and a rotation mechanism 83a including a motor, an angle detector, a speed reducer, and the like is installed in the cavity. The output shaft of the motor is connected to the speed reducer, and the output shaft of the speed reducer is connected to the first arm portion 84 disposed on the upper side of the support base 83. In addition, an angle detector is installed in connection with the motor output shaft, and the angle detector detects the rotation angle of the motor output shaft. Thereby, the rotation mechanism 83a can detect the rotation angle of the first arm portion 84 and rotate it to a desired angle.

  A rotation mechanism 85 is installed on the first arm portion 84 at the end opposite to the support base 83. The rotation mechanism 85 includes a motor, an angle detector, a speed reducer, and the like, and has the same function as the rotation mechanism installed in the support base 83. The output shaft of the rotation mechanism 85 is connected to the second arm portion 86. Accordingly, the rotation mechanism 85 can detect the rotation angle of the second arm portion 86 and rotate it to a desired angle.

  On the second arm portion 86, an elevating device 87 is disposed at the end opposite to the rotation mechanism 85. The elevating device 87 includes a linear motion mechanism and can be expanded and contracted by driving the linear motion mechanism. For this linear motion mechanism, for example, a mechanism similar to the lifting device 16 of the supply unit 8 can be used. A rotating device 88 is disposed below the lifting device 87.

  The rotation device 88 only needs to be able to control the rotation angle, and can be configured by combining various motors and a rotation angle sensor. In addition, a step motor capable of rotating at a predetermined rotation angle can be used. In this embodiment, for example, a step motor is employed. Further, a speed reducer may be arranged. It can be rotated at a finer angle.

  A gripping portion 13a is arranged on the lower side of the rotating device 88 in the drawing. The grip 13 a is connected to the rotation shaft of the rotation device 88. Therefore, the conveyance unit 13 can rotate the gripping unit 13 a by driving the rotating device 88. Furthermore, the conveyance part 13 can raise / lower the holding part 13a by driving the raising / lowering apparatus 87. FIG.

  The gripping portion 13a has four linear finger portions 13c, and a suction mechanism that sucks and sucks the semiconductor substrate 1 is formed at the tip of the finger portion 13c. And the holding part 13a can hold | grip the semiconductor substrate 1 by operating this adsorption | suction mechanism.

  A control device 89 is installed on the −Y direction side of the base 82. The control device 89 includes a central processing unit, a storage unit, an interface, an actuator drive circuit, an input device, a display device, and the like. The actuator drive circuit is a circuit that drives the rotation mechanism 83a, the rotation mechanism 85, the lifting device 87, the rotation device 88, and the suction mechanism of the grip portion 13a. These devices and circuits are connected to the central processing unit via an interface. In addition, an angle detector is connected to the central processing unit via an interface. The storage unit stores program software indicating operation procedures for controlling the transport unit 13 and data used for control. The central processing unit is a device that controls the transport unit 13 in accordance with program software. The control device 89 receives the output of the detector arranged in the transport unit 13 and detects the position and posture of the grip unit 13a. And the control apparatus 89 performs the control which drives the rotation mechanism 83a and the rotation mechanism 85, and moves the holding part 13a to a predetermined position.

(Printing method)
Next, a printing method using the above-described printing apparatus 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for illustrating a printing method.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, the printing method includes a carry-in step S <b> 1 for carrying in the semiconductor substrate 1 from the storage container 18, and a pre-treatment step for performing pre-treatment on the surface of the carried-in semiconductor substrate 1 (first step). ) S2, a cooling step (second step) S3 for cooling the semiconductor substrate 1 whose temperature has increased in the pretreatment step S2, a printing step (third step) S4 for drawing and printing various marks on the cooled semiconductor substrate 1; The storage step S5 for storing the semiconductor substrate 1 on which various marks are printed in the storage container 18 is mainly configured.

Among the steps described above, the steps from the pretreatment step S2 to the printing step S4 are the characteristic portions of the present invention. Therefore, the characteristic portions will be described in the following description.
In the preprocessing step S2, in the preprocessing unit 9, one of the first stage 27 and the second stage 28 is located at the relay location 9c. The conveyance unit 13 moves the gripping unit 13a to a location facing the stage located at the relay location 9c. Subsequently, the transport unit 13 lowers the gripping unit 13a and then releases the suction of the semiconductor substrate 1, thereby placing the semiconductor substrate 1 on the first stage 27 or the second stage 28 located at the relay location 9c. To do. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed on the first stage 27 located at the relay location 9c. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9C, the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed on the second stage 28 located at the relay location 9c.

  The first stage 27 and the second stage 28 are preheated by the heating devices 27H and 28H, and the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the first stage 27 or the second stage 28 is immediately heated to a predetermined temperature. The temperature for heating the semiconductor substrate 1 is preferably below the heat-resistant temperature of the semiconductor substrate 1 and can effectively modify the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 or efficiently remove organic substances on the surface, as will be described later. In this embodiment, the semiconductor substrate 1 is heated to a temperature of, for example, 180 ° C. so as to have a temperature in the range of 150 ° C. to 200 ° C.

  Further, when the transfer unit 13 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 onto the first stage 27, the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the second stage 28 is performed at the processing place 9 d inside the pretreatment unit 9. Then, after the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the second stage 28 is completed, the second stage 28 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 to the second relay location 9b. Next, the preprocessing unit 9 drives the first stage 27 to move the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the first relay location 9 a to the processing location 9 d facing the carriage 31. Thereby, the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the first stage 27 can be started immediately after the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the second stage 28 is completed.

  Subsequently, in the preprocessing unit 9, the semiconductor device 3 mounted on the semiconductor substrate 1 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Thereby, the chemical bond of the organic irradiation object in the surface layer of the semiconductor device 3 is cut, and the active oxygen separated from the ozone generated by the ultraviolet rays is bonded to the molecules of the cut surface layer, so that the hydrophilicity is high. It is converted into a functional group (for example, —OH, —CHO, —COOH) to modify the surface of the substrate 1 and remove organic substances on the surface. Here, as described above, since the semiconductor device 3 (semiconductor substrate 1) is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in a state of being heated to 180 ° C. in advance, the semiconductor substrate 1 is not damaged, and collisions of molecules on the surface layer occur. The surface can be effectively modified by increasing the speed, and organic substances on the surface can be efficiently removed. After pre-processing, the pre-processing unit 9 drives the first stage 27 to move the semiconductor substrate 1 to the first relay location 9a.

  Similarly, when the transfer unit 13 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 onto the second stage 28, the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the first stage 27 is performed at the processing location 9 d inside the pretreatment unit 9. . Then, after the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the first stage 27 is completed, the first stage 27 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 to the first relay location 9a. Next, the pretreatment unit 9 drives the second stage 28 to move the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the second relay place 9 b to the treatment place 9 d facing the carriage 31. Thereby, the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the second stage 28 can be started immediately after the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 on the first stage 27 is completed. Subsequently, the preprocessing unit 9 irradiates the semiconductor device 3 mounted on the semiconductor substrate 1 with ultraviolet rays, so that the semiconductor substrate 1 is not damaged in the same manner as the semiconductor substrate 1 on the first stage 27. The surface can be effectively modified and organic substances on the surface can be efficiently removed. After performing the pretreatment, the pretreatment unit 9 drives the second stage 28 to move the semiconductor substrate 1 to the second relay location 9b.

  When the pretreatment of the semiconductor substrate 1 is completed in the pretreatment step S2 and the process proceeds to the cooling step S3, the transfer unit 13 transfers the semiconductor substrate 1 in the relay place 9c to the cooling plate 110a or 110b provided in the treatment places 11a and 11b. Place. Thus, the semiconductor substrate 1 heated in the pretreatment step S2 is cooled (temperature adjustment) for a predetermined time to an appropriate temperature (for example, room temperature) when the printing step S4 is performed.

  The semiconductor substrate 1 cooled in the cooling step S <b> 3 is transported onto the stage 39 located at the relay location 10 a of the coating unit 10 by the transport unit 13. In the printing step S <b> 5, the application unit 10 operates the chuck mechanism to hold the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the stage 39 on the stage 39. Then, the coating unit 10 ejects droplets 57 from the nozzles 52 formed in each droplet ejection head 49 while scanning (relatively moving) the carriage 45 with respect to the stage 39 in the + X direction, for example.

  Thereby, marks such as the company name mark 4, the model code 5, and the production number 6 are drawn on the surface of the semiconductor device 3. Then, the mark is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the curing unit 48 installed on the −X side of the carriage 45 which is the rear side in the scanning movement direction. As a result, since the functional liquid 54 that forms the mark contains a photopolymerization initiator that starts polymerization by ultraviolet rays, the surface of the mark is immediately solidified or cured.

  At this time, the two droplet discharge heads 49 are arranged along the Y direction which is the sub-scanning direction, and the nozzle row 60 is also arranged linearly in the Y direction. The pinning time from the ejection to the curing by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays is the same without causing a difference between the two droplet ejection heads 49.

  When the scanning movement of the carriage 45 in the + X direction is completed, the stage 39 is fed by a distance LN (= LH) in the + Y direction, for example. While the carriage 45 is scanned and moved relative to the stage 39 in the −X direction (relative movement), the droplets 57 are ejected from the nozzles 52 formed on the droplet ejection heads 49, and the rear in the scanning direction. The mark is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the curing unit 48 installed on the + X side of the carriage 45 which is the side.

  As a result, droplets are also ejected to the area between the two droplet ejection heads 49 where the droplets were not ejected by the first scanning movement. Also, in the droplet discharge by the second scanning movement, the pinning time from when the droplet 57 is discharged to the semiconductor device 3 until it is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays is different between the two droplet discharge heads 49. It does not occur and is the same. Furthermore, since the distance in the X direction between the nozzle row 60 (actual nozzle row 60A) and the curing units 48 on both sides is the same, droplet ejection by the first scanning movement and droplet ejection by the second scanning movement are performed. The pinning time is the same.

  After printing on the semiconductor substrate 1, the coating unit 10 moves the stage 39 on which the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed to the relay location 10a. Thereby, the conveyance part 13 can make it easy to hold | grip the semiconductor substrate 1. FIG. Then, the application unit 10 stops the operation of the chuck mechanism and releases the holding of the semiconductor substrate 1.

  Thereafter, the semiconductor substrate 1 is transported to the storage unit 12 by the transport unit 13 and stored in the storage container 18 in the storage step S5.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the two droplet discharge heads 49 are arranged along the Y direction which is the sub-scanning direction, the pinning time of the droplets 57 discharged from each droplet discharge head 49 is as follows. Can be the same. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the drawing quality of the formed marks can be made constant, and the printing quality can be ensured.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the distance LH in the Y direction between the actual nozzle arrays 60A of the adjacent droplet discharge heads 49 is a positive integer multiple of the length LN in the Y direction of the actual nozzle array 60A. Since the two droplet ejection heads 49 are arranged, even when droplets are ejected to the semiconductor substrate 1 by a plurality of scanning movements, the droplet ejection processing can be completed by the minimum number of scanning movements. It can contribute to the improvement of sex.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the printing apparatus 7 will be described with reference to FIG.
In this figure, the same components as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, each droplet discharge head 49 in the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of nozzle rows 60B to 60E extending in the Y direction at intervals in the X direction. The nozzle rows 60B to 60E of the both droplet discharge heads 49 are located on the same straight line. Also in the present embodiment, the distance LH in the Y direction between the actual nozzle rows 60A of the adjacent droplet discharge heads 49 is a positive integer multiple of the length LN in the Y direction of the actual nozzle row 60A (here, 1 time). LH = LN), two droplet discharge heads 49 are arranged.
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In the printing apparatus 7 having the above configuration, the nozzle row used when ejecting the droplets 57 to the semiconductor substrate 1 is selected by the control unit 14. For example, for any of the droplet discharge heads 49, the droplet discharge process is performed using only the nozzle row 60B. Thereby, the same effect | action and effect as the said 1st Embodiment can be acquired.

  For some reason, when a nozzle row different from the first scan movement is used during the second scan movement after the first scan movement, for example, the droplet discharge process is performed using only the nozzle row 60B in the first scan movement. When the droplet discharge process is performed using the nozzle row 60C in the second scanning movement, since the distance to the curing unit 48 located on the rear side in the scanning movement direction is different with respect to the movement in the + X direction, the pinning time is May not be constant. Therefore, the control unit 14 makes the pinning time constant by adjusting the scanning movement speed according to the distance in the X direction between the nozzle row and the curing unit 48.

For example, assuming that the distances in the X direction between the nozzle rows 60B and 60C and the curing unit 48 are LB and LC, respectively, and the scanning movement speeds when the nozzle rows 60B and 60C are used are VB and VC, respectively, the control unit 14 In one scanning movement, after performing droplet discharge processing using the nozzle row 60B at a scanning movement speed of VB, in the second scanning movement, the nozzle row 60C is moved at a scanning movement speed of speed VC = VB × (LC / LB). The droplet discharge process is performed by using this.
Thus, the pinning time can be made constant by adjusting the scanning movement speed.

Further, when both the scanning movement to the + X side and the scanning movement to the −X side are performed, the nozzle row to be used is selected according to the scanning movement direction, or the same nozzle row is used as described above. As described above, the scanning movement speed can be adjusted.
For example, when the droplet ejection process and the ultraviolet irradiation process are performed using the nozzle row 60B during the scanning movement in the + X direction, the droplet ejection processing and the ultraviolet radiation are performed using the nozzle row 60D during the scanning movement in the −X direction. By performing the irradiation process, it is possible to make the pinning time for both scanning movements constant when the movement speeds of the scanning movements are the same.

For example, when the nozzle row 60B is used during both scanning movements, the distance in the X direction between the nozzle row 60B during the scanning movement to the + X side and the curing unit 48 on the rear side in the scanning movement direction (−X side) is LX1, The distance in the X direction between the nozzle row 60B during scanning movement to the −X side and the curing unit 48 on the rear side (+ X side) in the scanning movement direction is LX2, the scanning speed to the + X side is VX1, and the scanning to the −X side is performed. When the speed is VX2, the controller 14 performs the droplet discharge process using the nozzle row 60B at the scanning movement speed of the speed VX1 in the scanning movement to the + X side, and then performs the speed VX2 in the scanning movement to the −X side. = The droplet ejection process is performed using the nozzle row 60B at a scanning movement speed of VX1 × (LX2 / LX1).
Thus, the pinning time can be made constant by adjusting the scanning movement speed.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, an ultraviolet curable ink is used as the UV ink, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various actinic ray curable inks that can use visible light and infrared light as curable light are used. be able to.
Similarly, various active light sources that emit active light such as visible light can be used as the light source, that is, an active light irradiation unit can be used.

  Here, in the present invention, the “actinic ray” is not particularly limited as long as it can impart energy capable of generating a starting species in the ink by the irradiation, and is broadly divided into α rays, γ rays, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, visible rays, electron beams and the like are included. Among these, from the viewpoints of curing sensitivity and device availability, ultraviolet rays and electron beams are preferable, and ultraviolet rays are particularly preferable. Therefore, as the actinic ray curable ink, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable ink that can be cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays as in the present embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the nozzle row extends in the sub-scanning direction (Y direction) is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction (the direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the Y direction). ) May be extended.
In this case, since the distance between the nozzles constituting the nozzle row and the curing unit 48 is not constant, for example, an average value of the distance between the nozzle and the curing unit 48 is used to obtain the scanning moving speed to be adjusted. Also good.

Further, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which one nozzle plate has a plurality of nozzle rows as in the second embodiment shown in FIG.
According to this, since the adjacent nozzle rows can be arranged with high density, the carriage itself can be made small. Further, the ratio between the distance between the nozzle rows and the distance between the light source and the plurality of nozzle rows can be reduced. Thereby, the average time from landing to curing in all nozzle rows can be further shortened. Therefore, it is easy to control the time from landing to curing to be constant.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Semiconductor substrate (base material), 3 ... Semiconductor device, 7 ... Printing apparatus, 9 ... Pre-processing part, 10 ... Application | coating part (printing part), 14 ... Control part, 45 ... Carriage (moving means), 48 ... Curing Unit (irradiation part), 49 ... Droplet discharge head (discharge head), 52 ... Nozzle, 54 ... Functional liquid (liquid), 57 ... Droplet

Claims (9)

A discharge head that discharges a liquid droplet that moves relative to the substrate and is cured by actinic rays; and is disposed on the rear side in the relative movement direction with respect to the discharge head. An irradiation unit for irradiating the actinic ray,
A plurality of the ejection heads are provided along a direction orthogonal to the relative movement direction. The printing apparatus according to claim 1.
The ejection head has a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles that eject the droplets are arranged along a direction intersecting the relative movement direction,
Among the nozzle rows, LN is the length in the orthogonal direction of the actual nozzle row composed of nozzles that discharge the droplets to the substrate, and the interval between the actual nozzle rows of the adjacent ejection heads is LN. If the distance in the orthogonal direction is LH,
The adjacent ejection heads are arranged in a positional relationship satisfying LH = n × LN (n is a positive integer). The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A plurality of the nozzle rows are provided at intervals in the relative movement direction,
A printing apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control the relative movement speed according to a distance in the relative movement direction between the nozzle row and the irradiation unit in the ejection head. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A plurality of the nozzle rows are provided at intervals in the relative movement direction,
A printing apparatus comprising: a selection unit that selects a nozzle row to be used from the plurality of nozzle rows according to the relative movement direction. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit is provided on both sides of the ejection head in the relative movement direction. A pair of irradiation units that irradiate actinic rays and are arranged side by side in a predetermined direction; a first ejection head and a second ejection head that eject liquid droplets that are cured by the actinic rays; Moving means for moving the first discharge head, the second discharge head, and the irradiation unit relative to the base material in the predetermined direction,
The printing apparatus, wherein the first discharge head and the second discharge head are arranged side by side along a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction. The printing apparatus according to claim 6.
The distance of the first ejection head to one of the pair of irradiation units is equal to the distance of the second ejection head to one of the pair of irradiation units,
The distance between the first ejection head with respect to the other of the pair of irradiation units is equal to the distance of the second ejection head with respect to the other of the pair of irradiation units. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
The length of the irradiation range irradiated from the pair of irradiation units in the direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction is the length of the first discharge head, the length of the second discharge head, and the first A printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus is equal to or greater than a sum of distances between the ejection head and the second ejection head. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The printing apparatus, wherein the discharge head discharges the droplets to a semiconductor device provided on the base material.

Images