JP2014095845A - Manufacturing installation and manufacturing method of pattern film - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture effectively a pattern film having stripe pattern that each line width and interval between lines are highly precise.SOLUTION: A manufacturing installation manufactures a pattern phase difference film. An exposure equipment arranged to the manufacturing installation irradiates lighting from a light source unit through a mask unit 31 to a film in consecutive conveying. The mask unit 31 has a first mask 41a and a second mask 42a arranged with an interval D and formed multiple slits 41s and 42s lining to a cross direction of a film 18 respectively. The first mask 41a and the second mask 42a are put together so that each slits 41s and 42s completely overlap in a light path of the lighting.

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a pattern film having a stripe pattern that requires high accuracy in individual line widths and intervals between lines.

  There is known a method of forming a stripe pattern extending in the film transport direction by giving exposure through a mask plate while continuously transporting a film having a photosensitive film formed on the surface. For example, in the mask plates known from Patent Documents 1 and 2, a mask layer is formed on one surface of a transparent glass substrate in which slits for light transmission elongated in the film transport direction are arranged at a constant pitch in the film width direction. Is. The mask plate is disposed as close as possible so that the mask layer does not contact the surface of the film, and the surface of the film is exposed to a stripe pattern by a so-called proximity method.

  A pattern retardation film (Film Patterned Retarder: hereinafter referred to as FPR) known from Patent Document 2 is used as an optical filter of a stereoscopic image display device that uses polarized glasses having different circularly polarized directions on the left and right sides, and has a line width of 250. It has a stripe pattern in which first and second retardation regions of ˜700 μm are alternately arranged horizontally. In the first phase difference region and the second phase difference region, rod-like liquid crystal layers oriented so that their optical axes are orthogonal to each other are formed, and these line widths are pixels constituting a horizontal line of the display screen of the stereoscopic image display device It matches the pitch with high accuracy. A stereoscopic image is observed by observing the display light whose polarization direction is modulated for each horizontal pixel line through the corresponding first and second phase difference regions and polarized glasses.

  In Patent Document 2, when manufacturing the FRP, two types of mask plates in which slits and light-shielding portions are exchanged and arranged in the width direction are used, and these mask plates are arranged in the film transport direction and the film is transported. However, ultraviolet rays having different polarization directions are sequentially irradiated through each mask plate. As a result, the polymer layer becomes an alignment film having stripe-shaped alignment characteristics corresponding to the polarization direction of the irradiated ultraviolet rays. A liquid crystal layer (phase layer) containing rod-shaped liquid crystals (nematic liquid crystals) is formed on the alignment film thus obtained, and the rod-shaped liquid crystals are aligned corresponding to each region of the alignment film, so that the optical axes are orthogonal to each other. An FPR in which stripe-like first and second phase difference regions are alternately arranged is obtained. Also in this document, exposure is performed by a proximity method using a mask plate in which a plurality of slits are formed during irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

  In the FRP manufacturing method described in Patent Document 2, two types of ultraviolet rays having different polarization directions must be used, and pattern exposure must be performed at two locations on the film transport path. Attempts have been made to more efficiently manufacture FRP using an alignment film capable of varying the alignment characteristics depending on the presence or absence of irradiation. In this manufacturing method, if the film is exposed once with a stripe pattern, an exposure area and a non-exposure area corresponding to the first and second phase difference areas can be obtained. It is necessary to perform high-precision exposure using the proximity method.

  In order to improve the accuracy of the exposure pattern when the film being conveyed is exposed by the proximity method, the illumination light directed from the light source to the mask plate is made parallel light. In particular, when using a mask plate in which slits elongated in the film transport direction are arranged at a constant pitch in the film width direction as used in the manufacture of FPR, illumination light is incident obliquely with respect to the film width direction. When the light passes through the slit, depending on the direction of the tilt of the illumination light, it is blocked by the edge of the slit, and the line width of the stripe pattern becomes narrow, or the illumination light that has passed through the slit obliquely enters the area that should be shielded. The width of the band becomes narrower.

  In this way, the exposure amount at the boundary between the exposed region and the non-exposed region becomes an intermediate level of exposure (hereinafter referred to as a blurred region), and even if the liquid crystal layer is formed by post-processing after exposure, the orientation of the liquid crystal is in either direction. It becomes a non-oriented region which is not oriented. Thus, if the line width of the non-oriented region generated at the boundary between the first and second retardation regions is sufficiently narrow, there is no practical problem because it is hidden by the black matrix of the liquid crystal color filter. When it gets thick, it becomes a big problem.

  In addition, when illuminating the film that is continuously transported with illumination light, the irradiation time is limited depending on the transport speed, so it is necessary to arrange a plurality of light sources in the width direction of the film so that a sufficient amount of light can be obtained. It is normal. Furthermore, as described above, a light source device that combines a light source close to a point light source and a reflector having a parabolic surface as a reflecting surface so as to obtain illumination light close to parallel light toward the mask plate is used. They are also arranged in the direction.

JP-A-9-274323 International Publication No. 2010/090429 A2

  However, even if a plurality of light source devices that combine a light source close to a point light source and a reflector having a parabolic reflecting surface are arranged in the width direction of the film, the illumination light from one light source device is made to be completely parallel light. It is extremely difficult. For this reason, for example, when a plurality of slits arranged in parallel are passed, the exposure amount becomes an intermediate level at the boundary between the exposure region and the non-exposure region, resulting in a loss of pattern exposure accuracy. Further, in the region where the illumination light from adjacent light source devices overlaps and reaches the mask plate, the range where the exposure amount becomes unstable easily spreads at the boundary portion between the exposure region and the non-exposure region, and improvement is required. .

  To alleviate this problem, increase the number of light source devices arranged in the width direction of the film, and use a light source that can be considered as a point light source, and install a parabolic mirror or collimator lens processed with high precision. Although they can be handled by combining them, they both cause a significant increase in equipment costs.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and the object thereof is a stripe pattern in which high accuracy is required for individual line widths and intervals between lines without incurring high costs for the pattern exposure unit. It is providing the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of a pattern film which can manufacture the pattern film which has NO efficiently.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the pattern film manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises a transport means for continuously transporting a film having a reaction film that reacts with light of a specific wavelength on the surface, and the light of the specific wavelength is non-parallel. A light source device that emits light, and a mask pattern that is arranged between the light source device and the film and that has a plurality of slits aligned in the longitudinal direction with the film transport direction and arranged at a constant pitch in the width direction of the film. And a first mask for passing light shaped from the light source device shaped into a plurality of lines by the plurality of slits to the film, and the first mask and the light source device. A plurality of slits arranged in the middle and having the longitudinal direction aligned with the film conveyance direction have a mask pattern arranged at a constant pitch in the film width direction. A second mask that blocks light that passes through the slits of the disk and then enters obliquely below the light shielding portion between the slits, and an exposure area of the reaction film that is pattern-exposed through the first and second masks. An optical characteristic providing unit that provides the non-exposed area with a function having different optical transmission characteristics is provided.

  The first mask and the second mask are preferably formed of a light-shielding film provided on the surface of a transparent quartz glass mask base material on which each slit pattern through which the light passes is formed. The light shielding film is preferably formed of a heat resistant inorganic material. Furthermore, a part of the film is wound around, and a pack-up roller that supports the back surface of the film on the outer peripheral surface is provided, and the light that has passed through the first and second masks is irradiated onto the surface of the film that is supported by the backup roller. It is desirable. As the optical property imparting means, a liquid crystal layer forming means for forming a liquid crystal layer by applying a coating liquid containing liquid crystal to the reaction film after pattern exposure can be included.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing method of the pattern film of this invention, the conveyance wavelength which continuously conveys the film which formed the reaction film which reacts with the light of a specific wavelength on the surface, and the specific wavelength radiated | emitted non-parallel from the light source device An irradiation step of irradiating the surface of the film during continuous conveyance after shaping the light in a line through a pair of masks formed with a narrow slit in the film width direction at a constant pitch, and a pair of masks And an optical property imparting step for imparting a function having different optical transmission properties to the exposed region and the non-exposed region of the reaction film that have been subjected to pattern exposure.

In the irradiation step, light of a specific wavelength shaped in a line shape is irradiated onto the surface of the film whose back surface is supported by being wound around the backup roller. Before the transporting step, there may be a photoreactive film forming step for forming a reactive film on the surface of the film. Furthermore, it is also a preferable aspect that the surface of the film is rubbed before or after the irradiation step. As the optical property imparting step, a liquid crystal layer forming step of forming a liquid crystal layer by applying a coating liquid containing liquid crystal to the reaction film on the film surface after performing both the irradiation step and the rubbing treatment can be effectively performed. it can.

  By providing the second mask at a predetermined interval on the light source side with respect to the first mask, the second mask is shielded by the first mask while using illumination light emitted in a non-parallel manner from the light source device. The second mask can block light that has a large inclination in the width direction of the film that greatly enters the portion to be shielded, which is advantageous for narrowing the region irradiated to the portion to be shielded and making the line width uniform. It is.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of a pattern phase difference film. It is explanatory drawing which shows a pattern phase difference film. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of each lamp | ramp of a lamp array. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of each mask board. It is explanatory drawing which shows the incident state of the light ray to each mask board and a film. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the pattern phase difference film which provided the rubbing process part in front of the exposure apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, a manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention includes a transport mechanism section 12, an alignment film forming section 14, an exposure apparatus 15, a rubbing processing section 16, a liquid crystal layer forming section 17, and the like. The pattern retardation film (hereinafter referred to as FPR) 19 is manufactured by performing the processing. The film 18 is transparent and flexible, and is drawn from, for example, a film roll (not shown) and supplied to the manufacturing apparatus 10. The film 18 is continuously conveyed at a constant speed by the conveyance mechanism unit 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the FPR 19 manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a first retardation region 21 and a second retardation region 22 that extend in a stripe shape in the direction in which the film 18 is conveyed during manufacturing. Alternatingly arranged in the width direction. In the first and second phase difference regions 21 and 22, the optical axes, for example, the slow axes are orthogonal to each other as indicated by arrows A1 and A2 in the drawing. These first and second retardation regions 21 and 22 exhibit retardation characteristics by changing the alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer formed on the surface of the film 18. Reference numeral 23 denotes a non-oriented region formed in each boundary portion of the first and second phase difference regions 21 and 22 and extends in the transport direction.

  The first retardation region 21 is formed with a width W1, and the second retardation region 22 is formed with a width W2. The arrangement pitch in the width direction of the phase difference regions 21 and 22 is P1. The arrangement pitch P1 is “width W1”. The width W2 is smaller than the width W1 by “width Wa × 2” of the non-oriented region 23, and is “width W1−width Wa × 2”. The width W1 can be selected from various values, but is usually set to 300 to 700 μm. The width Wa of the non-oriented region 23 is preferably uniform and small, but is 15 μm or less. In FIG. 2, the width direction of the non-oriented region 23 is exaggerated with respect to the phase difference regions 21 and 22.

  In the alignment film forming unit 14, a coating liquid containing a photoacid generator that decomposes by irradiation with ultraviolet rays to generate an acid is applied to the surface of the film 18, and further subjected to a drying process to obtain an alignment film 24 (with a certain thickness). 5) is formed. The alignment film 24 becomes a reaction film that reacts to light of a specific wavelength, but a curing agent or a photoacid generator that cures in response to light of a specific wavelength other than ultraviolet light may be used as the reaction film. Further, regarding the formation of the reaction film 24, a technique such as spraying other than coating may be used. The film 18 on which the alignment film 24 is formed is sent from the alignment film forming unit 14 to the exposure device 15.

  The exposure device 15 irradiates the film 18 being continuously conveyed with illumination light with a striped exposure pattern corresponding to the pattern of the first and second retardation regions 21 and 22 to be formed. As the illumination light, light according to the type of photochemical reaction of the alignment film 24 is used. In this example, ultraviolet light is used. Then, in the alignment film 24 formed on the surface of the film 18, for example, a stripe pattern exposure is performed in which a portion that becomes the first retardation region 21 is a linear exposure region, and the other portion is a non-exposure region. Is called.

  The exposure apparatus 15 includes a backup roller 27, a light source unit 28, a mask unit 31, and a mask holder 32 that holds the mask unit 31. The backup roller 27 is wound around the film 18 and supports the back side of the film 18 with the peripheral surface 27a. The backup roller 27 is rotatable and rotates following the conveyance of the film 18. The backup roller 27 may be rotated by a motor or the like in synchronization with the conveyance of the film 18.

  The light source unit 28 includes a light source device array 33 in which a plurality of light source devices 30 are arranged at a pitch P2 in the width direction of the film 18. Each of the light source devices 30 includes an ultraviolet lamp 30a that emits ultraviolet light as illumination light, and an illumination optical system (not shown) that includes a reflector 30b that reflects the illumination light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 30a toward the backup roller 27. Have. The illumination optical system is a well-known one that increases the utilization efficiency of the illumination light from the ultraviolet lamp 30a. For example, if the reflecting surface of the reflector 30b is shaped like a parabolic mirror, the illumination light parallel to the backup roller 27 is parallel. The degree can be kept high. However, in general, the ultraviolet lamp 30a is not regarded as a point light source, and even if a parabolic mirror is incorporated in each of the light source devices 30 to increase parallelism, illumination light emitted at a radiation angle of 7 to 8 ° or more. In general, the illumination light is irradiated toward the backup roller 27 while being optically non-parallel.

The illuminance on the film 18 by illumination from the light source unit 28 is preferably, for example, 200 mW / cm ² or more, and more preferably 500 mW / cm ² or more. In order to increase the use efficiency of illumination light and increase the accuracy of pattern exposure, it is necessary to suppress the radiation angle of illumination light emitted from each light source device 30 to 10 ° or less in at least the width direction of the film 18. desirable. In order to reduce the radiation angle, it is possible to use a lens instead of or in combination with the reflector 44b described above.

  The mask holder 32 holds the mask unit 31 in which the first mask plate 41 and the second mask plate 42 are overlapped, and positions the mask unit 31 so that the first mask plate 41 is close to the film 18. The first mask plate 41 shapes the illumination light from the light source unit 28 into a striped exposure pattern corresponding to the first and second phase difference regions 21 and 22 and passes it through the film 18 to be exposed by the proximity method. I do. The second mask plate 42 positioned between the first mask plate 41 and the light source unit 28 is used for the purpose of uniformly limiting the width Wa of the non-oriented region 23 shown in FIG. 2 as narrowly as possible. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first mask plate 41 is formed by vapor-depositing one mask 41a made of an inorganic material having excellent heat resistance and light shielding properties such as chromium on the surface of a transparent mask base material 41b. The first max 41a is arranged so as to face the surface of the film 18 with an interval of 300 μm. Note that the mask base material 41b is preferably made of a material that satisfies the conditions of high spectral transmittance for illumination light, high heat resistance, and low thermal expansion coefficient, for example, quartz glass. Among quartz glasses, ozoneless quartz glass, synthetic quartz glass, and natural quartz glass, which are excellent in ultraviolet transmittance and stable to heat from an ultraviolet light source, are preferable.

  The first mask 41a has a pattern in which a large number of slits 41s having an opening width Ws1 and a length L are arranged at a pitch P3 in the width direction of the film 18, and the light shielding width Ws2 between adjacent slits 41s is also the same as the opening width Ws1. It is. The second mask plate 42 is configured in the same manner as the first mask plate 41, and is used with the second mask 42 a facing the light source unit 2. The opening width Ws1, the light shielding width Ws2, and the pitch P3 of the slits 42s constituting the pattern of the second mask 42a are also made the same as the first mask plate 41. In addition, in order to avoid complication of the figure, the number of the slits 41s and 42s is reduced.

  The arrangement pitch P3 of the slits 41s is twice the arrangement pitch P1 of the phase difference regions 21 and 22 shown in FIG. 2, and the opening width Ws1 of the slits 41s is the same as the width W1 of the first phase difference region 21. The light shielding width Ws2 between the slits is also the same as the width W1 of the first transfer difference region 21. Therefore, the width W2 of the second retardation region 22 corresponding to this should be equal to the width W1, but actually, the width W2 of the second retardation region 22 is “width Wa × 2” of the non-oriented region 23. It gets smaller by the minute.

  The length L of the slit 41s is determined in consideration of the photosensitivity of the photooxidant contained in the reaction film 24 that undergoes chemical reaction upon exposure, the transport speed of the film 18, the intensity of ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source unit 28, and the like. For example, the length L can be set to 20 mm. If the length L is too long, the surface of the film 18 that is curved and supported by the backup roller 27 is separated from the first mask 41a at both ends of the slit 41s, and the illumination light that has passed through the slit 41s is likely to spread in the width direction. Therefore, it is preferable to consider the outer diameter of the backup roller 27 in advance. If the length L is shortened too much, the exposure time is shortened. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the intensity of illumination light from the light source unit 28, the conveyance speed of the film 18, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first and second mask plates 41 and 42 described above are brought into close contact with the surfaces opposite to the surfaces on which the first and second masks 41a and 42a are formed, so that the mask unit 31 is attached. It is configured and held by a mask holder 32. The surfaces of the masks 41 a and 42 a are aligned in parallel with each other, and are arranged so as to cross the optical path between the light source unit 28 and the film 18 vertically. Then, the first mask 41a and the second mask 42a are separated by a distance D that is the sum of the thicknesses of the mask base materials 41b and 42b. In this example, since the thickness of the mask base materials 41b and 42b is 3000 μm, the distance D is 6000 μm.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first and second mask plates 41 and 42 are combined so that the slits 41s and 42s formed in the masks 41a and 42a completely overlap in the optical path of the illumination light. Therefore, the light beam L0 radiated from the light source unit 28 substantially in parallel, passing through the vicinity of the edge of the slit 41a of the first mask plate 41 and perpendicularly incident on the reaction film 24 on the surface of the film 18 is reflected on the second mask plate 42. Similarly, when passing through the slit 42a, it passes through the vicinity of the edge.

  Of the light rays L1 to L3 included in the illumination light emitted with a radiation angle of 7 to 8 ° or more from the light source unit 28 with respect to the light ray L0, the light ray L1 whose radiation angle θ does not exceed 10 ° is the first. Although it reaches the reaction film 24 through the slit 41s of the mask 41a and gives an intermediate level exposure, it causes a blur region 46. If the radiation angle θ is within a small range, the blur region 46 is narrowed. be able to. Further, like the light beam L2, the light beam L2 that is directed to the slit 41s of the first mask 41a at a larger radiation angle is blocked by the second mask 42a, and the width of the blurred region 46 is not increased. The light beam L3 that reaches the reaction film 24 through the slits 41s and 42s at different positions in the first mask 41a and the second mask 42a is irradiated on the exposure region corresponding to the first phase difference region 21, which is inconvenient. Absent.

  By changing the distance D, it is possible to adjust the angle of the light beam allowed to reach the reaction film 24 through each slit 41s of the first mask 41a. If the interval D is increased, the radiation angle θ of the illumination light allowed to enter the slit 41s of the corresponding first mask 41a through the slit 42s of the second mask 42a can be further reduced. If the distance D is excessively large, conversely, illumination light having a large radiation angle θ passes through the slit 42s at a specific position of the second mask 42a, and is not adjacent to the slit 41s of the first mask 41a immediately below it. It is preferable not to make it too large because there is a risk of passing through the vicinity of the edge of the slit 41 s obliquely and entering the light shielding area immediately below the slits.

Note that the slits 41 s and 42 s formed in the first and second mask plates 41 and 42 so that the width W 2 of the second retardation region 22 in FIG. 2 is the same as the width W 1 of the first retardation region 21. The opening width Ws1 may be narrowed from both sides, and the light shielding width Ws2 may be made larger than the opening width Ws1 by the width Wa of the non-oriented region.

  The film 18 after the exposure processing by the exposure device 15 is conveyed to the rubbing processing unit 16. The rubbing processing unit 16 is provided with a rubbing roller, a driving mechanism thereof, and the like, and performs an alignment process on the alignment film 24 subjected to pattern exposure. The rubbing processing unit 16 performs a rubbing process on the alignment film 24 on the film 18 in a rubbing direction of 45 ° with respect to the conveying direction of the film 18 by a rubbing roller. The film 18 after the rubbing process is sent to the liquid crystal forming unit 17.

  The liquid crystal layer forming unit 17 forms a liquid crystal layer that exhibits retardation characteristics corresponding to the first and second retardation regions 21 and 22 on the alignment film 24. In this liquid crystal layer forming unit 17, a coating liquid containing a vertical alignment agent, a discotic liquid crystal, and the like is applied to the surface of the alignment film 24 after the rubbing process, and further, heat aging, cooling, and the like are performed. The alignment film 24 is cured by irradiation to fix the alignment state. By these processes, liquid crystal layers having different optical transmission characteristics are formed in the exposed region and the non-exposed region of the alignment film 24 exposed in a stripe pattern through the first mask 41a and the second mask 42a, resulting in liquid crystal formation. The unit 17 functions as an optical property imparting unit.

  The vertical alignment agent described above has an action of raising the discotic liquid crystal vertically with respect to the surface of the alignment film 24 and an action of aligning the discotic liquid crystal in a direction orthogonal to the rubbing direction. As a result of the pattern exposure process in the exposure unit 15, the alignment film 24 has an exposed region and a non-exposed region arranged in stripes, and an acid is generated in the exposed region, so that the discotic liquid crystal is vertically raised. However, the effect of orienting the discotic liquid crystal in the direction orthogonal to the rubbing direction is lost. For this reason, the discotic liquid crystal stands up and is oriented in the rubbing direction.

  Further, since the action of the vertical alignment agent is still preserved in the non-exposed region of the alignment film 24, the discotic liquid crystal stands vertically in the liquid crystal layer in contact with the non-exposed region of the alignment film 24 as an interface, and the rubbing direction The orientation posture is orthogonal to. As a result, on the alignment film 24 formed on the surface of the film 18, a line having a constant width by the discotic liquid crystal layer in a posture that is erected and oriented in the rubbing direction, and a disc that is erected and orthogonal to the rubbing direction. Lines of a certain width by the tick liquid crystal layer are alternately arranged, and a stripe pattern of the first retardation region 21 and the second retardation region 22 having the slow axes orthogonal to each other is obtained on the film 18.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. The film 18 is continuously transported at a constant speed by the transport mechanism 12. The alignment film 24 is sequentially applied and dried by the alignment film forming unit 14 on the surface of the film 18 being conveyed. The film 18 having the alignment film 24 on the surface is sent to the exposure device 15.

  In the exposure device 15, pattern exposure is performed with illumination light from the light source unit 28 while the film 18 is supported by the backup roller 27. The illumination light from the light source unit 28 is provided with a striped exposure pattern by the first mask plate 41 and the second mask plate 42 and is irradiated to the alignment film 24 on the film 18. The slits 41 s and 42 s provided in the first and second mask plates 41 and 42 are elongated in the transport direction of the film 18 and arranged at a constant pitch P3 in the width direction of the film 18.

  As the film 18 is transported, the position of the film 18 exposed by the illumination light moves. Thereby, the exposure area | region by irradiation of illumination light extends in the shape of a line in the conveyance direction according to conveyance of the film 18. FIG. Moreover, it becomes a non-exposure area between an exposure area | region and an exposure area | region, and as a result, exposure can be given to the full length of the film 18 with a striped exposure pattern.

  Illumination light from the light source unit 28 is made to approach parallel light with respect to the width direction of the film 18, but it is still inevitable that light having an angle in the width direction is included. However, in the exposure apparatus 15, in addition to the first mask 41 that contributes to proximity exposure by being brought close to the film 18, the second mask plate 42 that is disposed at a distance D from the first mask 41 toward the light source unit 28. Therefore, a light beam having a large inclination such as the light beam L2 shown in FIG. 5 is blocked by the second mask 42a and does not enter the slit 41s of the first mask 41a. Therefore, the blurred region 46 can be narrowed.

  By performing pattern exposure on the alignment film 24 as described above, the photoacid generator is decomposed in the exposed region to generate acid, and no acid is generated in the non-exposed region. In the blurred area 46 exposed at the intermediate level, acid is generated according to the exposure amount, but the amount of acid generated is small because the exposure amount is small.

  The film 18 after the pattern exposure processing is rubbed in a predetermined rubbing direction by the rubbing processing unit 16 and then sent to the liquid crystal layer forming unit 17. Then, a liquid crystal layer is formed on the alignment film 24 by the liquid crystal layer forming unit 17, and is heated and matured and cooled. In this way, on the film 18, a line-shaped liquid crystal layer in which vertically exposed discotic liquid crystals are aligned in the rubbing direction, corresponding to an exposure pattern in which line-shaped exposed areas and non-exposed areas are alternately arranged with a constant width. As a result, a stripe-like pattern is obtained in which vertically extending discotic liquid crystals are alternately arranged with a constant width in a line-like liquid crystal layer oriented perpendicular to the rubbing direction.

  These liquid crystal layers become a first retardation region 21 and a second retardation region 22 whose slow axes are orthogonal to each other. In the blurred region 46, since the amount of generated acid is small, the discotic liquid crystal is not aligned in a specific direction with respect to the rubbing direction, and becomes the non-oriented region 23. Thereafter, the alignment film 24 is cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays, and the alignment state of the liquid crystal layer is fixed together with this to obtain FPR19.

  In the above embodiment, the rubbing process is performed after the exposure by the exposure apparatus 15. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the rubbing processing unit 16 is provided upstream of the exposure apparatus 15 in the transport direction of the film 18 to perform the exposure. A rubbing process may be performed before.

  FPR19 was manufactured with the manufacturing apparatus 10. Each of the mask plates 41 and 42 used in the exposure apparatus 15 has first and second chromium formed on one surface of each of the first and second mask base materials 41b and 42b made of ozoneless quartz glass having a thickness of 3000 μm by sputtering. Masks 41a and 42a are formed.

  The first and second mask plates 41, 42 are in a state where the surfaces opposite to the mask are in close contact with each other to form a mask unit 31, which is held by the mask holder 32 and arranged opposite to the backup roller 27. did. The width Ws1 of the slit 41s and the interval Ws2 between the slits are both 530 μm wide. In addition, the distance D obtained by combining the thicknesses of the mask base materials 41b and 42b at this time was 6000 μm. The mask unit 31 was disposed with a gap of 300 μm between the first mask 41 a and the surface of the film 18.

  The saponified long film 18 was continuously guided to the production apparatus 10 to continuously produce the FPR 19 as follows. In this production, a film 18 made of cellulose acetate was first prepared.

<Preparation of film 18>
In order to produce the film 18, the cellulose acetate solution A and the additive solution B were prepared, respectively. The following composition was put into a mixing tank, stirred while heating to dissolve each component, and a cellulose acetate solution A was prepared.

Composition of cellulose acetate solution A Cellulose acetate with a substitution degree of 2.86 100 parts by weight Triphenyl phosphate (plasticizer) 7.8 parts by weight Biphenyl diphenyl phosphate (plasticizer) 3.9 parts by weight Methylene chloride (first component of the solvent) 300 parts by mass Methanol (second component of the solvent) 54 parts by mass 1-butanol 11 parts by mass

  Additive solution B was prepared using a separate mixing tank. The composition of the additive solution B is shown below. Each of the following components of additive solution B was put into a mixing tank and stirred while heating to dissolve each component to prepare additive solution B.

Composition of additive solution B The following compound B1 (Re reducing agent) 40 parts by mass The following compound B2 (wavelength dispersion controlling agent) 4 parts by mass Methylene chloride (first component of solvent) 80 parts by mass Methanol (second component of solvent) 20 Parts by mass

<< Preparation of film 18 made of cellulose acetate >>
40 parts by mass of additive solution B was added to 477 parts by mass of cellulose acetate solution A, and the mixture was sufficiently stirred to prepare a dope. The dope was supplied to a casting die (not shown), and the dope was discharged from the casting port of the casting die onto the peripheral surface of the rotating drum cooled to 0 ° C. The cast film formed by casting on the peripheral surface of the drum by this outflow was peeled off from the drum in a state where the solvent content was 70% by mass. The cast film peeled off, that is, the wet film, was guided to a pin tenter (a pin tenter described in FIG. 3 of JP-A-4-1009). Both ends of the wet film in the width direction are fixed with a plurality of pins of a pin tenter so that the stretching ratio in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the machine direction) is 3% when the solvent content is 3 to 5% by mass. It was dried while changing the width of the wet film. Thereafter, the wet film was guided to a heat treatment apparatus in which a plurality of rollers were arranged along the conveyance path of the wet film. The wet film was further dried by transporting the inside of the heat treatment apparatus with a roller to obtain a film 18 having a thickness of 60 μm. This film 18 did not contain an ultraviolet absorber, Re (measurement wavelength was 550 nm) was 0 nm, and Rth (measurement wavelength was 550 nm) was 12.3 nm.

<< Alkaline saponification treatment >>
The obtained film 18 was passed while contacting a dielectric heating roller having a temperature of 60 ° C., and the surface temperature of the film 18 was raised to 40 ° C. Then, the alkali solution of the composition shown below was apply | coated to the single side | surface of the film 18 by the coating amount of 14 ml / m < ² > using the bar coater. The film 18 coated with the alkaline solution was heated to 110 ° C. and conveyed for 10 seconds under a steam far-infrared heater manufactured by Noritake Co., Limited. Subsequently, pure water was applied at a coating amount of 3 ml / m ² using the same bar coater. The washing process was then repeated 3 times. The washing process consists of washing with a fountain coater and draining with an air knife. After this washing step, the film 18 was dried by being conveyed through a drying zone at 70 ° C. for 10 seconds to obtain an alkali saponified film 18.

Composition of alkaline solution Potassium hydroxide 4.7 parts by weight Water 15.8 parts by weight Isopropanol 63.7 parts by weight Surfactant (SF-1: C ₁₄ H ₂₉ O (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) ₂₀ H) 1.0 Parts by weight propylene glycol 14.8 parts by weight

<Manufacture of FPR19>
The film 18 subjected to the saponification treatment as described above was sent to the alignment film forming unit 14, and a coating solution for forming the alignment film 24 was continuously applied to the surface of the film 18 subjected to the saponification treatment. The coating solution has the following composition. The application was performed with a # 8 wire bar. The alignment film 24 was formed by drying the coating solution applied on the film 18 with warm air of 60 ° C. for 60 seconds and further with warm air of 100 ° C. for 120 seconds.

Composition of coating solution for forming alignment film 24 Polymer material for forming alignment film 24 3.9 parts by mass (PVA103, Kuraray Co., Ltd. polyvinyl alcohol)
Photoacid generator (S-2) 0.1 parts by mass Methanol 36 parts by mass Water 60 parts by mass

Next, the film 18 was irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the light source unit 28 through the mask unit 31. From the light source unit 28, ^two air-cooled mercury lamps (made by HOYA Co., Ltd .: UL750) with an illuminance of 200 mW / cm ² on the film in the UV-A region at room temperature air, and the lamp interval P2 is set to 60 mm. And was irradiated with ultraviolet rays at 50 mJ / cm ² . The photo-acid generator of the alignment film formation part 14 was decomposed | disassembled by ultraviolet irradiation, and the 1st phase difference area | region orientation layer was formed by generating an acidic compound.

The parallelism of the illumination light output from the light source unit 28 (in the width direction of the film 18) was 10 °. Since the interval Ws2 between the slits is 530 μm and the interval D between the masks 41a and 42a is 6000 μm, the mask unit 31 satisfies the conditional expression “0 ° <tan ⁻¹ (Ws2 / D) ≦ θ”.

  Thereafter, the film 18 was rubbed by the rubbing treatment unit 16. In the rubbing treatment, rubbing was performed in one direction at 500 rpm while maintaining a 45 ° angle in the transport direction. In this way, the film 18 having the alignment film 24 aligned in one direction was obtained. The alignment film 24 had a thickness of 0.5 μm.

After the rubbing treatment, the following liquid crystal layer coating solution was applied by the liquid crystal layer forming unit 17 at a coating amount of 4 ml / m ² using a bar coater. Next, after aging at a film surface temperature of 110 ° C. for 2 minutes, the film was cooled to 80 ° C., and was irradiated with ultraviolet rays at 50 mJ / cm ² using an air-cooled metal halide lamp (made by Eye Graphics Co., Ltd.) of 200 mW / cm ^{2 in} the air. Irradiation fixed the orientation state. Thus, the first and second phase difference regions 21 and 22 whose slow axes are orthogonal to each other are FPR19 arranged in the width direction. In each of the phase difference regions 21 and 22, the discotic liquid crystal is vertically aligned, but the slow axis of the first phase difference region 21 irradiated with ultraviolet rays is parallel to the rubbing direction, and the second non-irradiated second phase is also present. The slow axis of the phase difference region 22 was orthogonal to the rubbing direction. The film thickness of the liquid crystal layer was 0.9 μm.

Composition of coating liquid for optically anisotropic layer Discotic liquid crystal E-1 100 parts by mass Alignment film interface alignment agent (II-1) 3.0 parts by mass Air interface alignment agent (P-1) 0.4 part by mass Photopolymerization 3.0 parts by weight of initiator (Irgacure 907, manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals)
Sensitizer (Kayacure-DETX, manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part by weight Methyl ethyl ketone 400 parts by weight

  Even in the region where the illumination lights from the adjacent lamps of the light source unit 28 of the FPR 19 created as described above overlap, a wide non-orientation region 23 that causes a practical problem does not occur, and a failure area where it is distributed There was no. The width Wa of the non-oriented region 23 was sufficiently thin as 8 μm at the maximum.

  As mentioned above, although the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the pattern film of this invention have been demonstrated according to embodiment of illustration and a specific Example, they used the non-parallel illumination light from a light source part, and faced each other and combined. In the case of a pattern film manufacturing apparatus or manufacturing method that uses a proximity method to expose a striped pattern through two mask plates, a liquid crystal layer in which the directions of the slow axes are orthogonal to each other is formed in the exposed region and the non-exposed region. It is not limited to what you do. For example, by using a photo-curable film as the reaction layer and performing stripe pattern exposure, a stripe pattern in which cured portions and uncured portions are alternately arranged in a line can be obtained. After removing the uncured portion, after forming a color filter layer or light shielding layer having specific optical transmission characteristics as a whole and then removing the cured portion, striped color filter layer or light shielding It is also possible to manufacture a pattern film in which layers and stripe-shaped threading regions are alternately arranged.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Exposure apparatus 18 Film 19 Pattern phase difference film 24 Orientation film 27 Backup roller 28 Light source part 30 Light source apparatus 30a Ultraviolet lamp 30b Reflector 31 Mask unit 33 Light source apparatus array 41, 42 Mask board 41a, 42a Mask 41b, 42b Mask base material 41s , 42s slit

Claims (10)

Conveying means for continuously conveying a film having a reaction film that reacts with light of a specific wavelength formed on the surface;
A light source device that emits light of the specific wavelength in a non-parallel manner;
A plurality of slits arranged between the light source device and the film and having the longitudinal direction coincided with the transport direction of the film have a mask pattern arranged at a constant pitch in the width direction of the film, and from the light source device Of the emitted light, a first mask that passes the light shaped into a plurality of lines by the plurality of slits to the film;
A plurality of slits arranged between the first mask and the light source device, the longitudinal direction of which coincides with the transport direction of the film, and a mask pattern arranged at a constant pitch in the width direction of the film; A second mask for blocking light emitted from the light source device and passing through the slits of the first mask and then entering obliquely below the light shielding portion between the slits;
Optical property imparting means for imparting a function having different optical transmission characteristics to the exposed region and the non-exposed region of the reaction film that are pattern-exposed through the first and second masks;
An apparatus for producing a pattern film, comprising:   The first mask and the second mask are provided on the surface of a transparent quartz glass mask base material, and are formed of a light shielding film in which each slit pattern through which the light passes is formed. The pattern film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.   The said light shielding film is formed with the heat resistant inorganic material, The manufacturing apparatus of the pattern film of Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   A surface of the film on which a part of the film is wound and provided with a backup roller that supports the back surface of the film on the outer peripheral surface, and the light that has passed through the first and second masks is supported by the pack-up roller The pattern film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pattern film manufacturing apparatus is irradiated with the pattern film.   The optical property imparting means includes a liquid crystal layer forming means for forming a liquid crystal layer by applying a coating liquid containing a liquid crystal to the reaction film pattern-exposed through the first and second masks. Item 5. A pattern film manufacturing apparatus according to Item 4. A transport step for continuously transporting a film having a reaction film that reacts with light of a specific wavelength formed on the surface;
The film being continuously conveyed after the light of the specific wavelength radiated from the light source device is shaped into a line through a pair of masks formed with a narrow slit in the film width direction at a constant pitch in the film conveyance direction. An irradiation step for irradiating the surface of
A process for producing a patterned film, comprising:   7. The pattern film according to claim 6, wherein, in the irradiation step, the surface of the film whose back surface is supported by being wound around a backup roller is irradiated with the light having the specific wavelength shaped in a line shape. Manufacturing method.   8. The method for producing a patterned film according to claim 6, further comprising a photoreactive film forming step of forming the reactive film on the surface of the film before the transporting step.   The method for producing a patterned film according to claim 8, wherein a rubbing treatment is performed on the surface of the film before or after the irradiation step.   10. A liquid crystal layer forming step of forming a liquid crystal layer by applying a coating liquid containing liquid crystal on the surface of the film after performing both the irradiation step and the rubbing treatment. Manufacturing method of pattern film.