JP2012170940A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which contributes to reduction of a size and cost of the device.SOLUTION: The printer includes: a conveying part 13 for conveying a base material 1; a discharge head which relatively moves with respect to the base material and discharges droplets; and a detection device 120 which is arranged on the conveying part 13 and detects irregularity information of a surface of the opposite base material. The detection device 120 includes a ranging part 121 which measures a distance from a surface position based on a result of receiving reflected light of detection light L projected on the surface of the base material 1, and a control part which controls movement of the conveying part 13, and derives the irregularity information based on a position of the conveying part 13 in a direction along the surface of the base material 1 and a measurement result of the ranging part 121.

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.

  A technique of printing attribute information such as a manufacturing number or a manufacturing company on an IC on a substrate by using the above-described ultraviolet curable ink by a droplet discharge method is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1). When printing attribute information or the like on the IC, the droplet discharge head and the IC are arranged at a predetermined distance, but the thickness of the IC is not constant, so it is necessary to measure in advance. For example, Patent Document 2 includes a detection unit that detects the type (vibration state, mass, dimension, thickness, etc.) of a substrate in a path for holding and transporting the substrate. A technique for setting a conveyance condition is disclosed.

JP 2003-080687 A JP 09-246348 A

However, the following problems exist in the conventional technology as described above.
Since it is necessary to transport the substrate via the detection area of the detection means, there is a possibility that the transport path becomes long and productivity is lowered. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a detection means for each substrate processing apparatus at the transfer destination instead of in the transfer path. However, if a detection means is provided for each of a plurality of processing apparatuses, the apparatus becomes large and expensive.

  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 downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.
The printing apparatus of the present invention is provided in a transport unit that transports a base material, an ejection head that moves relative to the base material and ejects liquid droplets that are cured with actinic rays, and the transport unit. And a detection device for detecting unevenness information on the surface of the opposing substrate.
Therefore, in the printing apparatus of the present invention, the detection device for detecting the unevenness information on the surface of the substrate is provided in the movable transport unit, so there is no need to provide a separate detection region and each processing device. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a detection device, so that the device can be reduced in size and cost.

As the detection device, based on the result of receiving the reflected light of the detection light projected on the surface of the base material, the distance measuring unit for measuring the distance to the surface position and the movement of the transport unit are controlled. Thus, it is possible to suitably employ a configuration including a control unit that derives the unevenness information based on the position of the transport unit in the direction along the surface of the base material and the measurement result of the distance measuring unit.
Thereby, in this invention, since the distance to the position which projected the detection light on the surface of the base material can be measured non-contactingly, the bad influence given to a base material with a contact can be excluded. Moreover, in this invention, it becomes possible to detect the unevenness | corrugation of a surface with a three-dimensional shape from the two-dimensional position along the surface of a base material, and the distance to each position.

As said control part in the said structure, the structure which controls the movement of the said conveyance part based on the layout information of the member arrange | positioned on the surface of the said base material can be employ | adopted suitably.
Accordingly, in the present invention, it is not necessary to manually input and set the movement path of the transport unit, and work efficiency can be improved.

Moreover, in this invention, the structure provided with the head adjustment part which adjusts the relative position of the said discharge head of the direction facing the said base material at the time of the said droplet discharge based on the said uneven | corrugated information can be employ | adopted suitably.
As a result, according to the present invention, the gap amount between the ejection head and the base material can be maintained at an appropriate value according to the unevenness of the base material. A film can be formed on the material.

Further, in the present invention, an irradiation unit that irradiates the actinic light to the liquid discharged to the base material, and based on the unevenness information, in a direction facing the base material at the time of droplet discharge. The structure provided with the irradiation adjustment part which adjusts the relative position of the said irradiation part can be employ | adopted suitably.
Thereby, in this invention, it becomes possible to hold | maintain the gap amount between an irradiation part and a base material to an appropriate value according to the unevenness | corrugation of a base material, and hardens the liquid on a base material with a desired hardening characteristic. To form a film on the substrate.

Further, in the present invention, a pretreatment unit that performs a predetermined pretreatment in a state in which the base material is heated before discharging the droplets, and the pretreatment unit that is heated by the pretreatment unit before the droplets are discharged. A cooling unit that cools the substrate, and the detection device can suitably employ the detection of the unevenness information by the cooling unit.
Thereby, in this invention, since uneven | corrugated information can be detected during the cooling process of a base material, it is not necessary to ensure the detection time of uneven | corrugated information separately, and can improve production efficiency.

  Moreover, in this invention, the said droplet has a property hardened | cured with actinic light, and the structure provided with the irradiation part which irradiates the said actinic light to the said droplet discharged to the said base material can be employ | adopted suitably.

In the present invention, a configuration in which the discharge head discharges the droplets to a semiconductor device provided on the surface of the base material can be suitably employed.
As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to form and print a print pattern indicating the attribute information and the like of the semiconductor device with a predetermined print quality and low cost.
In addition, the relative movement direction and the orthogonal direction in this specification include a range deviated by an error due to manufacturing / 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. (A) is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of an application part, (b) is a model side view which shows a carriage. (A) is a schematic plan view showing a head unit, and (b) is 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 figure which shows the structure of a conveyance part. 6 is a flowchart for illustrating a printing method. FIG. 3 is a diagram in which detection light is projected from a detection device to a semiconductor substrate 1

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.

(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 a printing apparatus described later.

(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 pre-processing unit 9, a coating unit (printing unit) 10, a cooling unit 11, a storage unit 12, a transport unit 13, a post-processing unit 14, and It is comprised from the control part (not shown). The direction in which the supply unit 8 and the storage unit 12 are arranged, and the direction in which the preprocessing unit 9, the cooling unit 11, and the post-processing unit 14 are arranged are defined as the X direction. The direction orthogonal to the X direction is defined as the Y direction, and the coating unit 10, the cooling unit 11, and the transport unit 13 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. In the relay place 8a, a pair of rails 8b extending in the X direction are provided at substantially the same height as the semiconductor substrate 1 sent out from the storage container.

  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 is disposed at a relay location of the application unit 10 and 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 coating unit 10 performs the drawing process and the curing process by moving the semiconductor substrate 1 before drawing from the cooling unit 11 as a relay place. Thereafter, the coating unit 10 moves the drawn semiconductor substrate 1 to the cooling unit 11 and puts the semiconductor substrate 1 on standby.

  The post-processing unit 14 performs a reheating process as a post-process on the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the cooling unit 11 after the drawing process is performed in the application unit 10. The post-processing unit 14 includes a first relay location 14a and a second relay location 14b. The first relay location 14a and the second relay location 14b are collectively referred to as a relay location 14c.

  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. A pair of rails 12 b extending in the X direction are provided at the relay location 12 a at substantially the same height as the storage container that stores the semiconductor substrate 1. 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 an arm 13b. A gripping portion 13a for supporting the semiconductor substrate 1 from the back surface (lower surface) and gripping the side edge in a cantilever manner is provided at the tip of the arm portion 13b. The relay locations 8a, 9c, 11, 14c, and 12a are located within the movement range of the grip portion 13a. Accordingly, the gripping portion 13a can move the semiconductor substrate 1 between the relay locations 8a, 9c, 11, 14c, and 12a. The control unit 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 X 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 Y direction of the storage container 18, and the rails 18c are arranged extending in the X 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 X direction or from the -X direction, the semiconductor substrate 1 is arranged and stored in the Z direction.

  An extrusion device 23 is installed on the X direction side of the base 15 via a support member 21 and a support base 22. The extrusion device 23 is provided with an extrusion pin 23a that protrudes in the X direction and pushes the semiconductor substrate 1 toward the rail 8b by the linear motion mechanism similar to the lifting device 16. Therefore, the push pin 23a is installed at substantially the same height as the rail 8b.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, the extruding pin 23a in the extruding device 23 protrudes in the + X direction, so that the semiconductor substrate 1 positioned slightly on the + Z side from the rail 18c is pushed out of the storage container 18. Then, it is moved and supported on the rail 8b.

After the semiconductor substrate 1 moves onto the rail 8b, the push pin 23a returns to the standby position shown in FIG. Next, the lifting / lowering device 16 lowers the storage container 18 and moves the semiconductor substrate 1 to be processed next to a height facing the extrusion pin 23a. Thereafter, in the same manner as described above, the push pin 23a is projected to move the semiconductor substrate 1 onto the rail 8b.
In this way, the supply unit 8 sequentially moves the semiconductor substrate 1 from the storage container 18 onto the rail 8b. 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)
The preprocessing unit 9 preprocesses the semiconductor substrate 1 transported to the relay locations 9a and 9b at the processing location 9d. Examples of the pretreatment include irradiation with actinic rays in a heated state, for example, by a low-pressure mercury lamp, a hydrogen burner, an excimer laser, a plasma discharge part, a corona discharge part, or the like. 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.
After the preprocessing is completed, the preprocessing unit 9 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 to the relay location 9c. Subsequently, the transport unit 13 removes the semiconductor substrate 1 from the relay place 9c.

(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. 3A 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 in FIG. 3A, the application unit 10 includes a base 37 formed in a 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 Y direction (second direction) is the main scanning direction, and the X direction (first direction) is the sub scanning direction.

  On the upper surface 37a of the base 37, a pair of guide rails 38 extending in the X direction is provided so as to protrude over the entire width in the X 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. The stage 39 moves forward or backward along the X 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.

  For example, the place of the mounting surface 41 when the stage 39 is located on the + X side is a relay place of the load position or unload position of the semiconductor substrate 1. 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 (mark drawing) is performed on the semiconductor substrate 1, the semiconductor substrate 1 stands by on the mounting surface 41 which is a relay place. 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 Y direction, and a guide member 43 extending in the Y direction is installed on the pair of support bases 42. A guide rail 44 extending in the Y 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 Y 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. 3B is a schematic side view showing the carriage. As shown in FIG. 3B, on the semiconductor substrate 1 side of the carriage 45, a head unit 47 and a pair of curing units 48 as irradiation units are arranged at equal intervals from the center of the carriage 45 in the Y direction. 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.

  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. 4A is a schematic plan view showing the head unit. As shown in FIG. 4A, in the head unit 47, two liquid droplet ejection heads 49 are arranged with an interval in the sub-scanning direction (X direction). Plates 51 (see FIG. 4B) are respectively arranged. A plurality of nozzles 52 are arranged in each nozzle plate 51. In this embodiment, it can be said that the nozzle rows 60B to 60E in which the fifteen nozzles 52 are arranged along the sub-scanning direction are arranged on each nozzle plate 51 at intervals in the Y direction. In addition, the nozzle rows 60B to 60E in the two droplet discharge heads 49 are arranged on a straight line along the X direction. The nozzle rows 60B and 60E are arranged at equal intervals from the center of the carriage 45 in the Y direction. Similarly, the nozzle rows 60C and 60D are arranged at equal intervals from the center of the carriage 45 in the Y direction. Therefore, the distance between the + Y side curing unit 48 and the nozzle row 60B is the same as the distance between the −Y side curing unit 48 and the nozzle row 60E. Also, the distance between the + Y side curing unit 48 and the nozzle row 60C is the same as the distance between the −Y side curing unit 48 and the nozzle row 60D.

  FIG. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of the droplet discharge head. As shown in FIG. 4B, the droplet discharge head 49 includes a nozzle plate 51, and a 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.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4A, the curing unit 48 is disposed at positions on both sides of the head unit 47 in the main scanning direction (relative movement direction). An irradiating device for irradiating ultraviolet rays that cure the discharged droplets is disposed inside the curing unit 48. 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. An irradiation port 48 a is formed on the lower surface of the curing unit 48. Then, ultraviolet light emitted from the irradiation device is irradiated toward the semiconductor substrate 1 from the irradiation port 48a.

  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. 5A is a schematic front view showing the storage portion, and FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C are schematic side views showing the storage portion. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, 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.

  The semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the rail 12 b as a relay place by the transport unit 13 is moved from the rail 12 b to the storage container 18 by the transport unit 13. Or after moving to the middle of the storage container 18 from the rail 12b by the transport unit 13, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, located below the rail 12b, between the rails 12b, 12b in the Y direction, An extrusion device 80 having the same configuration as the extrusion device 23 and capable of being raised to a position facing the semiconductor substrate 1 in the middle position by a lifting device (not shown) is provided, and the transfer unit 13 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 to the rail 12b. When the transfer unit 13 is retracted from the rail 12b, the extrusion device 80 is lifted so as to face the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 and the extrusion pin. The semiconductor substrate 1 may be moved to the storage container 18 by projecting 23a in the + X direction.

  As described above, a predetermined number of semiconductor substrates 1 are stored in the storage container 18 by repeatedly storing the semiconductor substrate 1 in the storage container 18 and moving the storage container 18 in the Z direction by the lifting device 75. After that, 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.

(Transport section)
Next, the conveyance part 13 which conveys the semiconductor substrate 1 is demonstrated according to FIG.1, FIG6 and FIG.8.
The transport unit 13 includes a support body 83 provided on the top of the apparatus, and a rotation mechanism including a motor, an angle detector, a speed reducer, and the like is installed inside the support body 83. 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 below the support body 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. Accordingly, the rotation mechanism 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 body 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 inside the support body 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.

6A is a front view in which the grip portion 13a is provided on the −Z side of the arm portion 13b, FIG. 6B is a plan view (however, the arm portion 13b is not shown), and FIG. 6C. Is a left side view.
The gripping portion 13a is provided so as to be able to rotate and move in the θZ direction (rotation direction about the Z axis) with respect to the arm portion 13b, and its position in the XY plane varies. One direction is described as the x direction, and the direction parallel to the XY plane and orthogonal to the x direction is described as the y direction (Z direction is common).

  The grip portion 13a is rotatable in the θZ direction with respect to the arm portion 13b, and is provided so as to be movable in the Z direction with respect to the fixed portion 100 used in a fixed state when the semiconductor substrate 1 is gripped. The moving part 110 is provided.

  The fixed part 100 is mainly composed of a Z-axis member 101, a suspension member 102, a connecting member 103, a connecting plate 104, a sandwiching plate 105, and a fork part 106. The Z-axis member 101 extends in the Z direction and is provided on the arm portion 13b so as to be rotatable around the Z axis. The suspension member 102 is formed in a plate shape extending in the x direction, and is fixed to the lower end of the Z-axis member 101 at the center in the x direction. The connecting plate 104 is disposed in parallel with the suspension member 102 with a gap therebetween, and is connected to the suspension member 104 by the connecting member 103 at both ends in the x direction. The sandwiching plate 105 is formed in a plate shape extending in the x direction, and is fixed to the lower end of the connecting plate 104 at the + y side edge on the + Z side surface, as shown in FIG. . Of the + Z side surfaces of the clamping plate 105, the −y side edge side is a clamping surface 105 a when the semiconductor substrate 1 is clamped.

  The fork portion 106 supports the lower surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the semiconductor substrate 1 sandwiched by the sandwiching surface 105a from below, and extends from the side surface on the −y side of the sandwiching plate 105 in the y direction. And a plurality (four in this case) are provided at intervals in the x direction. The arrangement interval and the number of the fork portions 106 are set so that they can be supported at least at one place, preferably at two or more places in the length direction even when the length of the semiconductor substrate 1 varies depending on the model.

  The moving part 110 is mainly composed of an elevating part 111 and a grip plate 112. The elevating unit 111 is composed of an air cylinder mechanism or the like and moves up and down along the Z-axis member 101. The holding plate 112 is provided so as to be able to move up and down integrally with the lifting unit 111, and is shorter than the gap length in the x direction between the connecting members 103 and 103, and is shorter than the gap between the suspension member 102 and the connecting plate 104. An insertion portion 112a having a small width and inserted in the gap between the connection members 103 and 103 and the gap between the suspension member 102 and the connection plate 104 so as to be movable in the Z direction, and below the insertion portion 112a A sandwiching plate 112b that is positioned below the suspension member 102 and extends in the x direction with substantially the same length as the sandwiching plate 105 is integrally formed.

  The grip plate 112 composed of the insertion portion 112a and the sandwiching plate 112b moves integrally in the Z direction in accordance with the elevation of the elevation portion 111. When the holding plate 112 is lowered, it is possible to hold the one end edge of the semiconductor substrate 1 with the holding plate 115, and when the holding plate 112 is raised, the holding plate 112 is separated from the holding plate 115. The grip on the semiconductor substrate 1 is released.

  Then, by inputting the output of the detector arranged in the transport unit 13 to detect the position and posture of the gripping unit 13a, by driving the rotation mechanism 85 and the like to move the gripping unit 13a to a predetermined position, The semiconductor substrate 1 held by the holding part 13a can be transferred to a predetermined processing part.

  In addition, the transport unit 13 is provided with a detection device 120 that detects unevenness information on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1. As shown in FIG. 8, the detection device 120 projects detection light L such as infrared light or laser light toward the opposing semiconductor substrate 1, and reflects the detection light L reflected by the semiconductor substrate 1. , And a distance measuring unit 121 that measures the distance to the reflection position (surface position). The measurement result of the distance measuring unit 121 is output to the control unit. The control unit is configured to derive steps on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1, that is, unevenness information, from the results measured by the distance measuring unit 121 at a plurality of locations.

(Printing method)
Next, a printing method using the above-described printing apparatus 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for illustrating the printing method.
As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the printing method includes a carry-in process S <b> 1 for carrying in the semiconductor substrate 1 from the storage container 18, a pre-treatment process S <b> 2 for pre-treating the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 carried in, and pre-treatment. Cooling step S3 for cooling the semiconductor substrate 1 whose temperature has increased in step S2, printing step S4 for drawing and printing various marks on the cooled semiconductor substrate 1, and post-processing for the semiconductor substrate 1 printed with various marks The post-processing step S5 to be performed and the storage step S6 for storing the post-processed semiconductor substrate 1 in the storage container 18 are mainly configured.

  In this embodiment, since the detection device 120 detects unevenness information on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 in the cooling step S3, the cooling step S3 and the printing step S4 will be described in the following description.

  When the pretreatment (surface modification treatment in a heated state) 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 moves the semiconductor substrate 1 at the relay location 9c to the holding plate 105. It is gripped and conveyed with the gripping plate 112 and placed on the cooling plate 110a or 110b provided at the processing places 11a and 11b. 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.

  On the other hand, during the cooling step S <b> 3, the unevenness information on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 is detected using the detection device 120. Specifically, the control unit holds layout information of the semiconductor substrate 1 in which the semiconductor device 3 is disposed on the substrate 2 in advance, and, for example, a cross mark in FIG. A plurality of measurement positions MA shown are set.

  Then, the control unit controls the movement of the arm portion 13b and the gripping portion 13a of the transport unit 13 so as to measure the measurement position MA with the detection device 120 (ranging unit 121). The distances to the measurement positions MA are respectively measured by sequentially facing the measurement positions MA. Then, the control unit detects the protrusion amount of the semiconductor device 3 with respect to the surface of the substrate 2 from the difference in distance to each measurement position MA, and the position of the arm portion 13b in the Z direction and the mounting surface 41 of the stage 39. The position information in the Z direction is also used to detect unevenness information such as the thickness from the back surface of the substrate 2 to the surface of the semiconductor device 3 (that is, the maximum thickness of the semiconductor substrate 1).

  Then, the semiconductor substrate 1 subjected to the cooling process in the cooling step S <b> 3 is transported onto the stage 39 of the coating unit 10 by the transport unit 13. In the printing step S <b> 4, the coating unit 10 operates the chuck mechanism to hold the semiconductor substrate 1 placed on the stage 39 on the stage 39. In the application unit 10, the control unit serves as a head position adjustment unit, based on the unevenness information of the semiconductor substrate 1, the ejection head 49 and the semiconductor substrate 1 (if droplets are ejected to the semiconductor device 3, the semiconductor After adjusting the position of the ejection head 49 in the Z direction so that an appropriate gap G (see FIG. 3B) is formed, the carriage 45 is moved with respect to the stage 39, for example, in the + Y direction in the forward path. The liquid droplets 57 are discharged toward the semiconductor device 3 from the nozzles 52 in a predetermined nozzle array formed in each liquid droplet discharge head 49 while scanning (relatively moving). On the return path, the droplets 57 are ejected from the nozzles 52 in a predetermined nozzle array formed on each droplet ejection head 49 while the carriage 45 is scanned and moved (relatively moved) in the −Y direction with respect to the stage 39. To do.

  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. In the forward path, the mark is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the curing unit 48 installed on the −Y side of the carriage 45 which is the rear side in the scanning movement direction, and in the backward path, the carriage 45 which is the rear side in the scanning movement direction. The mark is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the curing unit 48 installed on the + Y side. 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.

  When printing on the semiconductor substrate 1 is completed, the coating unit 10 moves the stage 39 on which the semiconductor substrate 1 is placed to the unload position. 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 subjected to post-processing in the post-processing step S <b> 5, and then transferred to the storage unit 12 by the transfer unit 13 and stored in the storage container 18 in the storage step S <b> 6.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the detection device 120 that detects unevenness information of the semiconductor substrate 1 is provided in the transport unit 13, it is necessary to provide a separate detection region and pass through the semiconductor substrate 1. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a detection device for each detection region, it is possible to contribute to downsizing and cost reduction of the printing device. In the present embodiment, since the position of the droplet discharge head 49 and the curing unit 48 in the Z direction is adjusted using the detected surface roughness information of the semiconductor substrate 1, droplets are discharged with desired discharge characteristics. The liquid on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 can be cured with desired curing characteristics to form a film, and a high-quality semiconductor substrate 1 can be obtained. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the uneven | corrugated information of the semiconductor substrate 1 is detected by non-contact by projecting the detection light L on the surface of the semiconductor device 1, the adverse effect on the semiconductor substrate 1 due to contact can be eliminated. Further, a higher quality semiconductor substrate 1 can be manufactured.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the measurement position MA is sequentially measured based on the layout information of the semiconductor device 3 and the like arranged on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1, and therefore the movement path of the detection device 120 by the transport unit 13 is separately manually provided. There is no need to make input settings, and work efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the unevenness information of the semiconductor substrate 1 is detected in the cooling process S3 of the semiconductor substrate 1, it is not necessary to separately provide a time for detecting the unevenness information, and the production efficiency can be improved. .

  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-described embodiment, the distance measurement unit 121 in the detection device 120 is configured to project the detection light L onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The structure using the distance part 121 may be sufficient.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it was set as the structure which detects the uneven | corrugated information on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 in the cooling process of the semiconductor substrate 1, it is not restricted to this, For example, the relay place 8a in the supply part 8, pre-processing, etc. Any location or process may be used as long as it is detectable by the detection device 120 provided in the transport unit 13 before the printing process is performed, such as the relay locations 9a and 9b in the unit 9.

In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet curable ink is used as the UV ink. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various active light curable inks that can use visible light and infrared light as the 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.

  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 unit), 49: Droplet discharge head (discharge head), 52 ... Nozzle, 54 ... Functional liquid (liquid), 57 ... Droplet, 90 ... Housing, 90a ... Opening, 92 ... Cover member, 93 ... Holding device 96 ... Fixing member 97 ... Fastening member 97b ... Head part (gripping part)

Claims (8)

A transport unit for transporting the substrate;
A discharge head that moves relative to the substrate and discharges droplets;
A detection device that is provided in the transport unit and detects unevenness information on the surface of the opposing substrate;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1.
The detection device, based on the result of receiving the reflected light of the detection light projected on the surface of the substrate, a distance measuring unit that measures the distance to the surface position;
A controller that controls movement of the transport unit and derives the unevenness information based on a position of the transport unit in a direction along the surface of the base material and a measurement result of the distance measuring unit. Characteristic printing device. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The control unit controls the movement of the transport unit based on layout information of members arranged on the surface of the base material. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
A printing apparatus comprising: a head adjustment unit that adjusts a relative position of the ejection head in a direction facing the base material when the droplet is ejected based on the unevenness information. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
An irradiation unit that irradiates the actinic light to the liquid discharged to the base material;
A printing apparatus comprising: an irradiation adjustment unit that adjusts a relative position of the irradiation unit in a direction facing the base material when the droplet is discharged based on the unevenness information. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A pretreatment unit that performs a predetermined pretreatment in a state where the base material is heated before discharging the droplets;
A cooling unit that cools the substrate heated by the pretreatment unit before discharging the droplets;
The printing apparatus, wherein the detection device detects the unevenness information by the cooling unit. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The printing apparatus, wherein the discharge head discharges the droplets to a semiconductor device provided on a surface of the base material. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The droplet has a property of being cured by actinic rays,
An irradiation unit for irradiating the actinic rays to the droplets discharged to the substrate;
A printing apparatus characterized by that.

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