JP2016040099A - Removal method, removal device and printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide removing technology for preferably removing a deposit adhering to a plate-like body such as a blanket or substrate, and to provide a printing system that uses the removing technology.SOLUTION: A removal method for removing a deposit adhering to one main surface of the plate-like body includes: a transferring step of transferring the deposit to a transfer body by bringing the transfer body into close contact with the one main surface of the plate-like body; and a peeling step of removing the deposit from the one main surface of the plate-like body by peeling the transfer body coming into close contact with the one main surface of the plate-like body from the plate-like body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a removal technique for removing deposits adhering to one main surface of a plate-like body such as a blanket or a substrate, and a printing system using the removal technique.

  Electronics such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, glass substrates for plasma displays, glass or ceramic substrates for magnetic or optical disks, glass substrates for organic EL, glass substrates or silicon substrates for solar cells, other flexible substrates and printed boards In order to form a pattern layer on a substrate for equipment, a printing technique using a plate-like body such as a blanket has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this printing technology, the coating layer on the blanket is patterned by pressing and contacting a blanket coated with the coating layer with a pattern opposite to the pattern to be formed on the substrate, that is, a plate having a reverse pattern. A pattern layer having the reverse pattern is formed on the blanket (patterning process). Then, the pattern layer is transferred to the substrate by pressing the blanket against the substrate and bringing it into contact (transfer process). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the patterning process and the transfer process are continuously performed in the same apparatus to perform the printing process. However, an apparatus for performing the patterning process and an apparatus for performing the transfer process are provided. It is also possible to perform printing processing (= patterning processing + transfer processing) in parallel.

JP 2013-184382 A

  As described above, in the printing technique using the blanket, the pattern layer carried on the blanket during the transfer process is transferred to the substrate, but a part of the pattern layer may remain on the blanket due to transfer failure. Even if the transfer is performed well, part of the coating solution may remain on the blanket by design. The formation of the coating layer on the blanket is often performed using a slit nozzle, and the coating layer thickness may be non-uniform at the start and end portions of the coating, and further at the nozzle edge portion. Therefore, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 10, it is proposed that a coating layer having a plane size that is slightly larger than the plane size of the plate or substrate is applied to the blanket, and a pattern layer is formed in the central portion of the coating layer. Has been. Therefore, when a printing process is performed according to the proposal, a part of the coating layer remains in a frame shape on the blanket. Therefore, in order to reuse the blanket, it is desirable to remove the deposits remaining on the blanket, and establishment of a technique suitable for the removal is desired. The establishment of such a technique is demanded not only in a printing technique using a blanket but also in a substrate processing technique for removing deposits adhering to the surface of the substrate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a removal technique for satisfactorily removing deposits attached to a plate-like body such as a blanket or a substrate, and a printing system using the removal technique. To do.

  1st aspect of this invention is the removal method which removes the deposit | attachment adhering to one main surface of a plate-shaped object, Comprising: A transfer body is closely_contact | adhered to one main surface of a plate-shaped body, and an adhering matter is transferred to a transfer body. And a transfer step of peeling the transfer body in close contact with the one main surface of the plate-like body from the plate-like body to remove deposits from the one main surface of the plate-like body.

  Further, the second aspect of the present invention is a removing device for removing deposits adhering to one main surface of the plate-like body, and the transfer material is brought into close contact with the one main surface of the plate-like body by transferring the deposits. After the transfer, the transfer body is peeled off from the plate-like body to remove deposits from one main surface of the plate-like body.

  Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus that forms a coating layer by applying a coating liquid to a blanket, and after patterning the coating layer formed on the blanket to form a pattern layer, the pattern layer is formed on the substrate. The transfer body is attached to the blanket used to transfer the pattern layer to the substrate and the transfer material is transferred to the transfer body, and then the transfer body is peeled off from the blanket. Removal device for removing deposits and a blanket from which a coating layer is formed is transported to a printing device, and a blanket used to transfer a pattern layer to a substrate is transported to a removal device to remove the deposits. And a transport device for transporting the coating material to the coating device for reuse of the blanket.

  According to this invention, in order to remove the deposits from the one main surface of the plate-like body, the transfer body is brought into close contact with the one main surface, whereby the deposits are transferred to the transfer body. Thereafter, the transfer body is peeled off from the plate-like body while carrying the deposit. In this way, deposits are efficiently removed from the one main surface of the plate-like body.

It is a top view which shows 1st Embodiment of the removal apparatus concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the removal apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the removal apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the removal apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the removal apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows 3rd Embodiment of the removal apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the printing system equipped with 4th Embodiment of the removal apparatus concerning this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the removal apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the coating device with which the printing system shown in FIG. 7 was equipped. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of a blanket, an application layer, a plate, a board | substrate, and an effective area | region. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the transfer apparatus with which the printing system shown in FIG. 7 was equipped. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a lower stage block. It is a figure which shows the structure of a raising / lowering hand unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of a transfer roller unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of an upper stage assembly. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a figure which shows typically the positional relationship of each part of an apparatus in each step of a process. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the peeling apparatus with which the printing system shown in FIG. 7 was equipped. It is a perspective view which shows the main structures of a peeling apparatus. It is a side view which shows the structure of an initial stage peeling unit, and the positional relationship of each part. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of each part in each step in peeling processing. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of each part in each step in peeling processing. It is a side view which shows the outline of the washing | cleaning apparatus which wash | cleans the transfer plate used for ink removal.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a removing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the removing apparatus shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 3 is a view showing the operation of the removing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows an operation flowchart and a schematic diagram of the operation. In order to uniformly indicate the directions in each figure, XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are set as shown in FIG. Here, the XY plane represents the horizontal plane and the Z axis represents the vertical axis. More specifically, the (+ Z) direction represents a vertically upward direction. In addition, access to the apparatus from the outside including loading and unloading of articles (a blanket and a transfer plate for removal) is made along the Y-axis direction.

  In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a pattern layer is formed on a substrate, that is, a printing process is performed using a blanket carrying an application layer formed by applying an application material such as ink on one main surface. That is, after patterning the coating layer on the blanket to form a pattern layer, the pattern layer is transferred to the substrate. For this reason, the coating material may partially remain on the surface of the blanket used to transfer the pattern layer to the substrate and may adhere to the blanket. Therefore, the removal apparatus according to the present invention moves the deposits adhered to the blanket to the transfer plate for removal by performing operations similar to the transfer operation and the peeling operation performed by the above-described device, thereby removing the blanket from the blanket. Remove the deposits.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a removal apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The blanket BL handled in the first embodiment and the embodiments described later is a plate-like body in which a thin elastic layer made of silicon rubber is formed on the surface of a glass plate or a transparent resin plate. In order to clarify the removing operation, the blanket BL in a state where the adhered matter is appropriately adhered to the surface SF of the elastic layer is referred to as “blanket BLi”, and the blanket from which the adhered matter has been removed by the removing device. BL is referred to as “Blanket BL0”. The transfer plate TP handled in the first embodiment or the like is a glass plate having the same plane size as the blanket BL, and the surface tension of the transfer plate TP is lower than the surface tension of the surface SF of the blanket BL, and the surface of the blanket BL It has higher wettability than SF. As for the transfer plate TP, similarly to the blanket BL, the transfer plate with the attached matter is appropriately referred to as “transfer plate TPi”, while the transfer plate without the attached matter is designated as “transfer”. This will be referred to as “plate TP0”.

  The removing device 1A includes a transfer device 201 that performs a transfer process, a peeling device 301 that performs a peeling process, and a transport device 401 that transports the blanket BL and the transfer plate TP. In the transfer apparatus 201, as shown in the upper right part of FIG. 3, the two holding parts 2011 and 2012 are arranged so as to be close to and away from each other in the vertical axis direction Z. Among these, the holding unit 2011 disposed on the upper side is a transfer plate holding unit that holds the transfer plate TP downward, and is transferred by an adsorption mechanism (not shown) provided on the vertical lower surface of the transfer plate holding unit 2011. Adsorb and hold the plate TP. The other holding part 2012 is a state in which the surface SF on which the deposit (here, the ink RI remaining on the surface SF of the blanket BL due to the formation of the pattern layer on the substrate) is attached is directed to the transfer plate holding part 2011. And a blanket holder that holds the blanket BL. The blanket BL is sucked and held by a suction mechanism (not shown) provided on the vertical upper surface of the blanket holder 2012. The holding units 2011 and 2012 are connected to an elevating drive unit 2013 (FIG. 2) using a motor as a drive source, and the elevating drive unit 2013 is operated according to an operation command from the control device 500 that controls the removing device 1A. When the transfer plate holding part 2011 is lowered toward the blanket holding part 2012 as shown in the upper right part of FIG. 3, the blanket BL and the transfer plate TP are brought into close contact with each other, and the contact body AB (the right center part in FIG. 3). Reference). At this time, the deposit RI is transferred to the transfer plate TP due to the difference in surface tension described above. In the present embodiment, only the transfer plate holding unit 2011 is lifted and lowered so as to be close to and away from the blanket holding unit 2012. However, only the blanket holding unit 2012 is lifted or both holding units 2011 are configured. , 2012 may be configured to move up and down in opposite directions. The same applies to the peeling device 301 described below and the transfer / peeling device described later.

  In the peeling apparatus 301, as shown in the right center part and the lower right part of FIG. 3, two holding parts 3011 and 3012 are arranged so as to be close to and away from each other in the vertical axis direction Z. Among these, the holding unit 3011 disposed on the upper side is a transfer plate holding unit configured to hold the transfer plate TP of the contact body AB from above, and an adsorption mechanism provided on the vertical lower surface of the transfer plate holding unit 3011. The transfer plate TP is sucked and held by (not shown). The other holding unit 3012 is a blanket holding unit that holds the blanket BL of the adhesion body AB from below, and sucks and holds the blanket BL by an adsorption mechanism (not shown) provided on the vertical upper surface of the blanket holding unit 3012. . These holding units 3011 and 3012 are connected to an elevating drive unit 3013 (FIG. 2) using a motor as a drive source, and the elevating drive unit 3013 is operated in accordance with an operation command from the control device 500. When the transfer plate holding unit 3011 descends toward the blanket holding unit 3012 as shown in the lower right portion, the transfer plate holding unit 3011 comes into contact with the transfer plate TP of the contact body AB and is held by suction. Subsequently, when the transfer plate holding unit 3011 is raised while holding the transfer plate TP, the transfer plate TP is peeled from the blanket BL, and the deposit RI is completely moved from the blanket BL to the transfer plate TP and removed.

The transfer device 401 includes a transfer unit 402 configured by a transfer mechanism such as a transfer robot, a blanket transfer unit 403 that transfers the blanket BL between the outside of the device and the transfer unit 402, and between the outside of the device and the transfer unit 402. And a transfer plate transfer unit 404 for transferring the transfer plate TP. And the conveyance part 402 is the following conveyance according to the operation command from the control apparatus 500, ie,
(1) Loading the blanket BLi provided to the blanket delivery unit 403 from the outside of the apparatus into the transfer device 201;
(2) Loading of the transfer plate TP0 provided to the transfer plate delivery unit 404 from the outside of the apparatus into the transfer apparatus 201;
(3) Conveyance of the adhesion body AB (see FIG. 3) created by the transfer device 201 to the peeling device 301;
(4) Unloading of the blanket BL0 peeled off by the peeling device 301 to the blanket delivery unit 403,
(5) Unloading of the transfer plate TPi peeled off by the peeling device 301 to the transfer plate delivery unit 404;
Can be executed.

  Each part of 1 A of removal apparatuses comprised as mentioned above is controlled by the control apparatus 500. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 500 includes a CPU 501 that controls the operation of the entire device, a motor control unit 502 that controls a motor provided in each unit, and a valve control unit that controls control valves provided in each unit. 503 and a negative pressure supply unit 504 that generates a negative pressure supplied to the suction mechanism. Note that when the negative pressure supplied from the outside can be used, the control device 500 does not have to include the negative pressure supply unit 504.

  Next, a removal process for removing the residual ink RI, which is an example of the deposit, from the blanket BLi by the removal apparatus 1A configured as described above will be described. In this removal apparatus 1A, the CPU 501 controls each part of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 3 according to a removal program stored in advance in a memory (not shown) provided in the control apparatus 500, and executes the removal process. When the blanket BLi is placed on the blanket delivery unit 403 from the outside of the apparatus, the hand (not shown) of the transport unit 402 receives the blanket BLi. Then, the conveyance unit 402 carries the blanket BLi into the transfer device 201, and the surface SF of the blanket BLi, that is, one main surface to which the residual ink RI is attached is directed to the transfer plate holding unit 2011 as shown in the upper right part of FIG. In this state, it is placed on the blanket holder 2012 (step S11). Following this, the blanket BLi is sucked and held by the suction mechanism of the blanket holder 2012.

  Further, the hand of the transport unit 402 receives the transfer plate TP0 provided in advance from the outside of the apparatus to the transfer plate delivery unit 404 and carries it into the transfer device 201 (step S12). At this time, the transfer plate holding part 2011 is sufficiently separated from the blanket holding part 2012 in the vertical axis direction Z. Then, as shown in the upper right part of FIG. 3, the transfer plate TP0 is positioned so as to overlap the entire surface SF of the blanket BLi already sucked and held on the blanket holder 2012, and in this state, the transfer plate holder 2011 is sucked. Adsorbed and held by the mechanism. In this embodiment, the blanket BLi and the transfer plate TP0 are carried into the transfer device 201 in this order. However, this order may be changed, and a blanket dedicated hand and a transfer plate dedicated hand are prepared in advance. You may comprise so that the said carrying-in operation | movement and the carrying-out operation | movement demonstrated later may be performed simultaneously by operating both in parallel.

  Following this, the transfer plate holder 2011 is lowered by the elevating drive unit 2013 to bring the blanket BL and the transfer plate TP into close contact with each other to form an adhesive body AB (see the center right portion in FIG. 3). The residual ink RI, which is a kimono, is transferred to the transfer plate TP (step S13). When a certain period of time has elapsed since the formation of the contact body AB, the transfer plate holding portion 2011 is lifted by the lifting / lowering drive section 2013 after releasing the suction of the transfer plate TP by the suction mechanism of the transfer plate holding section 2011. Separated from AB.

  In the next step S14, after the adsorption holding of the adhesion body AB by the adsorption mechanism of the blanket holding section 2012 is released, the adhesion body AB is conveyed to the peeling device 301 by the hand of the conveyance section 402, and the blanket BL of the adhesion body AB is removed. It is placed on the blanket holder 3012 (step S14). Following this, the blanket BL is adsorbed by the adsorption mechanism of the blanket holding unit 3012 to hold the adhesion body AB.

  In this way, in order to separate the adhesion body AB carried into the peeling device 301 into the blanket BL and the transfer plate TP, the transfer plate holding section 3011 is lowered by the elevating drive unit 3013 and brought into contact with the transfer plate TP of the adhesion body AB. Then, the transfer plate TP is sucked and held by the suction mechanism of the transfer plate holding unit 3011, and the transfer plate holding unit 3011 is raised by the elevating drive unit 3013 while maintaining the holding state. As a result, the transfer plate TP is peeled from the blanket BL (step S15). At this time, the residual ink RI moves upward together with the transfer plate TP while adhering to the transfer plate TP, and the contact body AB is separated into the transfer plate TPi and the blanket BL0 from which the residual ink RI has been removed.

  Among these, the blanket BL0 is carried out to the blanket delivery unit 403 by the transport unit 402 (step S16), and then the transfer plate TPi is carried out to the transfer plate delivery unit 404 by the transport unit 402 (step S17). Of course, the carrying-out order is not limited to this, and the carrying-out order may be changed, or both may be carried out simultaneously. This also applies to the second embodiment. The blanket BL0 carried out in this way is transported as it is to a coating device (a device that forms a coating layer by coating ink on the surface SF of the blanket BL0) and is reused. On the other hand, the transfer plate TPi is transferred to a transfer plate cleaning device (not shown) and subjected to a cleaning process. An example of this cleaning process will be described later in detail.

  As described above, in this embodiment, after transferring the residual ink RI to the transfer plate TP by bringing the transfer plate TP into close contact with one main surface of the blanket to which the residual ink RI is attached (transfer process), The transfer plate TP is peeled off from the blanket BL while carrying the residual ink RI to remove the residual ink RI from the surface SF of the blanket BL (peeling step). For this reason, it is possible to efficiently remove the residual ink RI from the blanket BL.

  Further, since the residual ink RI is removed by a dry method using the transfer plate TP, the following effects can be obtained. As a method for removing deposits from the blanket BL, for example, a cleaning method described in JP-A-9-155306, JP-A-2006-41439, or the like can be used. That is, processing liquid such as water or chemicals is supplied to the surface of the blanket while carrying the blanket by roller conveyance (roller conveyance), and so-called wet cleaning is performed. In this case, there is a high possibility that the surface portion of the blanket, that is, the silicon rubber layer swells with the treatment liquid, and the blanket that has been subjected to removal of the adhering matter (wet cleaning) cannot be reused as it is. It is necessary to prepare the surface condition of the blanket before coating. For this purpose, it is necessary to separately provide a baking device equipped with a hot plate and a drying device equipped with a decompression chamber, and it is inevitable that the removal device is large and expensive. In addition, in a removal device that combines wet cleaning and baking (or drying), the silicone rubber layer swells and shrinks every time the blanket is reused, and the silicone rubber layer is severely deteriorated, resulting in an increase in running cost. I will. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the deposits are removed by a transfer technique based on a physical action using the difference in surface tension, there is no need to add additional equipment such as a baking device or a drying device, and the blanket Deposits can be removed without significantly changing the surface condition. As a result, the blanket can be repeatedly used with a small size and low cost.

  Thus, in the first embodiment, the transfer plate TP and the blanket BL correspond to examples of the “transfer body” and the “plate-like body” of the present invention, respectively. The transfer plate holders 2011 and 3011 correspond to examples of the “first transfer body holder” and the “second transfer body holder” of the present invention, respectively. The blanket holding portions 2012 and 3012 correspond to examples of the “first plate-like body holding portion” and the “second plate-like body holding portion” of the present invention, respectively. Further, the elevating drive units 2013 and 3013 correspond to examples of the “first drive unit” and the “second drive unit” of the present invention, respectively. Steps S13 and S15 correspond to examples of the “transfer process” and the “peeling process” of the present invention, respectively.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the removing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the removing apparatus shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, an operation flowchart and a schematic diagram of the operation are shown. The second embodiment differs greatly from the first embodiment in that instead of providing the transfer device 201 and the peeling device 301, a transfer / peeling device 601 that performs the transfer step and the peeling step in the same device is provided. The other configuration is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. The following description will be focused on the differences, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

  In the removing device 1B according to the second embodiment, a transfer / peeling device 601 is disposed adjacent to the conveying device 401. In the transfer / peeling device 601, two holding portions 6011 and 6012 are disposed so as to be close to and away from each other in the vertical axis direction Z as shown in the upper right portion of FIG. Among these, the holding unit 6011 disposed on the upper side is a transfer plate holding unit that holds the transfer plate TP downward, and is transferred by an adsorption mechanism (not shown) provided on the vertical lower surface of the transfer plate holding unit 6011. Adsorb and hold the plate TP. The other holding unit 6012 is a blanket holding unit that holds the blanket BL with the surface SF to which the residual ink RI is attached facing the transfer plate holding unit 6011, and is provided on the vertical upper surface of the blanket holding unit 6012. The blanket BL is sucked and held by a suction mechanism (not shown). The transfer plate holding unit 6011 is connected to an elevating drive unit 6013 using a motor as a drive source, and the elevating drive unit is operated in accordance with an operation command from the control device 500. As shown in the upper right part of FIG. The plate holding part 6011 descends toward the blanket holding part 6012, or the transfer plate holding part 6011 rises to the opposite side of the blanket holding part 6012 as shown in the lower right part of FIG. In this embodiment, the elevating drive unit 6013 is connected only to the transfer plate holding unit 6011. However, the elevating drive unit 6013 is connected only to the blanket holding unit 6012 to move the blanket holding unit 6012 up or down. The two holding portions 6011 and 6012 may be moved up and down by being connected to the portions 6011 and 6012.

  Next, the removal process of the residual ink RI by the removing apparatus 1B configured as described above will be described. In this removal apparatus 1B, the CPU 501 controls each part of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 5 according to a removal program stored in advance in a memory (not shown) provided in the control apparatus 500, and executes a removal process. Also in the removing device 1B, as in the first embodiment, the transfer unit 402 carries the blanket BLi from the blanket delivery unit 403 to the transfer / peeling device 601 (step S21) and transfers the transfer plate TP0 from the transfer plate delivery unit 404. It is carried into the transfer / peeling device 601 (step S22). The blanket BLi and the transfer plate TP0 thus carried are positioned so as to face each other while being separated from each other in the vertical axis direction Z as shown in the upper right part of FIG. 5, and the blanket holding part 6012 and the transfer plate holding part 6011, respectively. Is adsorbed and retained. In this embodiment, the blanket BLi and the transfer plate TP0 are carried into the transfer / peeling device 601 in this order. However, this order may be changed, and a blanket dedicated hand and a transfer plate dedicated hand are prepared in advance. Alternatively, it may be configured such that both the carrying-in operation and the carrying-out operation described later are performed simultaneously by operating both in parallel.

  Subsequently, as shown in the middle right portion of FIG. 5, the transfer plate holding unit 6011 is lowered by the lift drive unit 6013 to bring the blanket BLi and the transfer plate TP0 into close contact with each other, thereby transferring the residual ink RI to the transfer plate TP. (Step S23). When the transfer process is completed in this way, the transfer plate holding unit 3011 is lifted by the lift drive unit 3013, and the transfer plate TP is peeled from the blanket BL (step S24). At this time, the residual ink RI moves upward together with the transfer plate TP while adhering to the transfer plate TP, and is separated into the transfer plate TPi and the blanket BL0 from which the residual ink RI has been removed.

  After completion of separation, the transport unit 402 carries the blanket BL0 to the blanket delivery unit 403 (step S25), and further carries the transfer plate TPi to the transfer plate delivery unit 404 (step S26).

  As described above, also in this embodiment, after the transfer plate TP0 is brought into close contact with the surface SF of the blanket BLi and the residual ink RI is transferred to the transfer plate TP (transfer process), the residual ink RI remains supported. The transfer plate TP is peeled from the blanket BL, and the residual ink RI is removed from the surface SF of the blanket BL (peeling step). For this reason, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment is acquired. Moreover, in the second embodiment, since the transfer process and the peeling process are continuously performed in the transfer / peeling apparatus 601, the configuration of the removing apparatus can be simplified as compared with the first embodiment.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the transfer plate holding unit 6011, the blanket holding unit 6012, and the lifting / lowering driving unit 6013 are examples of the “transfer body holding unit”, the “plate body holding unit”, and the “drive unit” of the present invention, respectively. It corresponds to.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the transfer plate TP is used as the “transfer body” of the present invention. However, a transfer roller (or transfer drum) having a cylindrical or columnar shape may be used instead of the transfer plate TP. Good. Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a third embodiment of the removing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 6A is a side view of the removing apparatus according to the third embodiment, and FIGS. It is a figure which shows typically operation | movement of the said removal apparatus. In this removing device 1C, a plurality of rollers 4071 are arranged in the X direction at a predetermined interval, and a moving unit 407 that moves the blanket BL in the X direction is configured by these rollers 4071. In the moving unit 407, a drive source such as a motor is operated in accordance with a movement command from the control device 500, and the plurality of rollers 4071 rotate in a predetermined direction (counterclockwise in the drawing). As a result, the blanket BLi is moved in the X direction by roller conveyance (roller conveyance) with the surface SF of the blanket BLi to which the residual ink RI adheres to the surface SF being directed vertically upward.

  In addition, a transfer roller TR is rotatably disposed above the one roller 4071 positioned at the close contact position CP among the plurality of rollers 4071 with a space equal to or slightly narrower than the thickness of the blanket BLi. The transfer roller TR is formed of a material having a surface tension lower than the surface tension of the surface SF of the blanket BL and higher wettability than the surface SF of the blanket BL, and is larger than the width of the blanket BLi in the Y direction. It has a width and a perimeter that exceeds the length of the blanket BLi in the X direction. The transfer roller TR is connected to a rotating unit 408 such as a motor. When the rotating unit 408 is operated in response to a rotation command from the control device 500, the transfer roller TR is driven by the movement of the blanket BLi ( Rotate clockwise in the figure. Therefore, the blanket BLi is sandwiched between the transfer roller TR and the roller 40711 at the close contact position CP, and is moved in the X direction with respect to the transfer roller TR in that state. Thus, the roller 4071 corresponding to the contact position CP functions as a backup roller of the transfer roller TR, and the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR and the surface of the blanket BLi are brought into close contact with each other, and the residual ink RI on the blanket BLi is applied to the transfer roller TR. Transfer (transfer process). As described above, in the third embodiment, the contact area between the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR and the surface of the blanket BLi has a linear shape extending in the Y direction, and the moving step is performed as shown in FIG. When the residual ink RI moves to the contact position CP by execution, the residual ink RI is transferred to the transfer roller TR at the contact position CP.

  Then, a peeling process is performed following the transfer process. That is, as the rotation of the transfer roller TR and the movement of the blanket BL proceed, the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR has residual ink RI on the (+ X) direction side with respect to the contact position CP as shown in FIG. It is peeled from the blanket BL while being carried (peeling step). Thereby, the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR and the blanket BL0 from which the residual ink RI has been removed are separated.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the transfer process and the peeling process on the peripheral surface portion of the blanket BL in the X direction are continuously performed by the movement of the blanket BL in the X direction and the rotation of the transfer roller TR. Then, when the end portion (end on the −X direction side) of the blanket BL passes the contact position CP, all of the residual ink RI is transferred to the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR. In the present embodiment, the residual ink RI transferred to the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR is removed from the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR, and the cleaning device 710 performs the same removal process for the next blanket BL. It is provided in the vicinity of the roller TR.

  The cleaning device 710 includes a cleaning roller 711 and a drying unit 712, and is provided so as to be close to and away from the transfer roller TR. When the cleaning device 710 moves close to the transfer roller TR as shown in FIG. 4D in response to an operation command from the control device 500, the cleaning roller 711 contacts the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR. Residual ink RI transferred to the peripheral surface is removed and collected. Although not shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 711 in order to remove the residual ink RI. Therefore, in this embodiment, the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR wetted with the cleaning liquid is configured to be dried by the drying unit 712. During the transfer of the residual ink RI onto the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR (FIGS. (B) and (c)), the control device 500 retracts the cleaning device 710 from the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR. However, it may be configured to always contact. When the cleaning device 710 is always brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR as described above, the transfer roller TR may be configured such that the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR is equal to or less than the length of the blanket BLi in the X direction. Therefore, the size of the removing device 1C can be reduced.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the transfer roller TR is used as the “transfer body” of the present invention, but the residual ink RI is transferred to the transfer roller TR as in the first and second embodiments. After the transfer step, the transfer roller TR is peeled off from the blanket BL while carrying the residual ink RI to remove the residual ink RI from the surface SF of the blanket BL (peeling step). For this reason, it is possible to efficiently remove the residual ink RI from the blanket BL.

  Further, since the peripheral surface of the transfer roller TR is cleaned by the cleaning device 710, the removal process for the blanket BL can be repeatedly performed continuously. Therefore, the operating efficiency of the removing device 1C can be increased.

<Fourth embodiment>
In the first to third embodiments, the removal devices 1A to 1C are provided independently. However, the removal device according to the present invention is incorporated in the printing system, and (1) an application layer is formed on the blanket BL. Coating process, (2) printing process for patterning the coating layer to form a pattern layer, and then transferring the pattern layer to the substrate, (3) removing residual ink from the blanket used to transfer the pattern layer to the substrate You may comprise so that the removal process to remove may be performed. Hereinafter, after describing the schematic configuration of the system and the layout of the configuration of an example of the printing system 100 with reference to FIGS. 7 to 28, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail.

<< Configuration and layout of printing system >>
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a printing system equipped with the fourth embodiment of the removing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control system of the removing apparatus shown in FIG. The printing system 100 includes a coating apparatus 800 for performing the coating process, a transfer apparatus 202 and a peeling apparatus 302 for performing a patterning process for patterning a coating layer in the printing process, and a printing process. The image forming apparatus includes a transfer device 203 and a peeling device 303 for executing a transfer process for transferring the pattern layer to the substrate, and a transfer device 204 and a peeling device 304 for executing the removal process.

  The transfer device 202 and the peeling device 302 are arranged in the X direction to form a first device row AL1 for patterning processing. The transfer device 203 and the peeling device 303 are arranged in the Y direction to form a second device row AL2 for transfer processing. Furthermore, the transfer device 204, the peeling device 304, and the coating device 800 are arranged in the X direction to form a third device row AL3 for removal processing and coating processing. As shown in FIG. 7, the first device row AL1 and the third device row AL3 are arranged in parallel while being separated in the Y direction, and (+ X) of the first device row AL1 and the third device row AL3. The second device row AL2 is disposed on the direction side, and the blanket BL can be circulated and conveyed along the annular blanket conveyance path PTB.

  A plate cleaning device 720 for cleaning the plate PP is disposed on the (+ Y) direction side of the first device row AL1 (= transfer device 202 + peeling device 302), and is used for the patterning process along the annular plate transport path PTP. The plate PP to be transported is freely transportable. Note that “PPi” and “PP0” in FIG. 7 indicate plates before and after being transported to the plate cleaning device 720, and the plate PPi means a plate that is used for patterning and has ink attached to the surface. The plate PP0 means a plate that is cleaned by the plate cleaning device 720 and reused for the patterning process.

  Further, on the (−Y) direction side of the third apparatus row AL3 (= transfer apparatus 204 + peeling apparatus 304 + coating apparatus 800), a transfer plate cleaning apparatus 730 for cleaning the transfer plate TP is arranged, and an annular transfer plate conveyance is performed. The transfer plate TP used for the removal process can be conveyed along the path PTT.

  A broken line PTS in FIG. 7 indicates a path for transporting the substrate SB in order to perform transfer processing by the second apparatus row AL2 (= transfer apparatus 203 + peeling apparatus 303), that is, a substrate transport path.

  In the printing system 100, a transport device 401 is provided to transport the blanket BL, the plate PP, the substrate SB, and the transfer plate TP. The transfer device 401 includes a plurality of transfer units 402, a plurality of blanket transfer units 403, a plurality of transfer plate transfer units 404, a plurality of plate transfer units 405, and a plurality of substrate transfer units 406, and a blanket transfer path PTB, They are arranged on the plate transport path PTP, the transfer plate transport path PTT, and the substrate transport path PTS.

  In this printing system 100, the blanket BL is in a state where the surface SF (one main surface of the blanket BL on which a coating layer or a pattern layer is formed and residual ink adheres after transfer processing) is always directed vertically upward, that is, in the (+ Z) direction. Receive various treatments. Therefore, in the path portion that overlaps at least the blanket transport path PTB among the transport paths PTP, PTT, and PTS other than the blanket transport path PTB, the plate PP, the substrate SB, and the transfer plate TP are in contact with the blanket BL while the main surface is vertically downward, That is, it is conveyed in a state directed in the (−Z) direction. Therefore, in the printing system 100, a part of the transport unit 402 that transports the plate PP, the substrate SB, and the transfer plate TP is equipped with a reversing mechanism that reverses the hand (not shown), and the plate PP, the substrate SB, The main surface of the transfer plate TP can be reversed. Therefore, in FIG. 7, the transport unit 402 having the reversing mechanism is marked with a double circle, while the transport unit 402 not having the reversing mechanism is marked with a circle to distinguish them.

  Each unit of the printing system 100 laid out as described above is controlled by the control device 500. As shown in FIG. 8, the control device 500 includes a CPU 501 that controls the operation of the entire system, a motor control unit 502 that controls a motor provided in each device, and a valve that controls control valves provided in each device. A control unit 503, a negative pressure supply unit 504 that generates a negative pressure to be supplied to each device, an image processing unit 505 that performs image processing on an image captured by the camera, and a gas such as dry air or inert gas And a gas supply unit 506 for supply. Here, each part of the system is directly controlled by the control device 500, but it may be configured such that each device is controlled by an individual control device and the host computer controls each control device by communication. Needless to say.

  Next, each device constituting the printing system 100 will be described.

<< Applicator >>
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a coating apparatus equipped in the printing system shown in FIG. The coating apparatus 800 includes a blanket holder 810 for sucking and holding the blanket BL. The blanket holding portion 810 is provided with a plurality of lift pins (not shown) at appropriate intervals. These lift pins support the blanket BL from below when the blanket BL is carried in and out, and lift the blanket BL upward from the surface of the blanket holder 810.

  Above the blanket holder 810, a carriage 820 is provided that extends substantially horizontally from both sides of the blanket holder 810. The carriage 820 includes a nozzle support part 840 for supporting the slit nozzle 830 and a pair of left and right lifting mechanisms 850 for supporting both ends of the nozzle support part 840. In addition, a pair of travel rails 860 extending in parallel to the substantially horizontal direction are disposed at both ends of the blanket holding portion 810. These travel rails 860 reciprocate the carriage 820 in the Y direction shown in FIG. 9 by guiding both ends of the carriage 820.

  A pair of linear motors 870 each provided with a stator 871 and a mover 872 are disposed on both sides of the blanket holder 810 and the carriage 820 along the edge sides on both sides of the blanket holder 810. In addition, a pair of linear encoders 880 each having a scale portion and a detector are fixed to both sides of the blanket holding portion 810 and the carriage 820. The linear encoder 880 detects the position of the carriage 820.

  In the coating apparatus 800 configured as described above, the ink is continuously ejected from the slit nozzle 830 while the carriage 820 moves in the Y direction, and the ink is supplied to the surface SF of the blanket BL to form the coating layer. . In this embodiment, the X-direction width of the ink discharge port of the slit nozzle 830 is set to be shorter than the width of the blanket BL and longer than the width of the pattern layer, and the coating apparatus 800 is shown in FIG. The coating layer is applied in the positional relationship shown.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship among a blanket, a coating layer, a plate, a substrate, and an effective area. The coating apparatus 800 forms the coating layer CL on the surface SF of the blanket BL so that the positional relationship shown in FIG. That is, in the blanket BL, the coating layer CL is applied to the central portion thereof, but the peripheral portion is a blank portion where no ink is applied. Note that the symbol “AR” in the figure indicates an effective area where the pattern layer obtained by patterning the coating layer CL with the plate PP is effectively transferred to the substrate SB and functions as a device. In this embodiment, the effective area AR is narrower than the coating layer CL, and a frame-shaped area (hereinafter referred to as “residual area”) RR excluding the effective area AR from the coating layer CL by performing a transfer process and a peeling process is a blanket. It remains on the surface SF of BL. The reason for providing the residual region RR in this manner is that it is practically difficult to apply the entire coating layer CL with a uniform film thickness. That is, the pattern layer is formed using only the central region of the coating layer CL having a uniform film thickness. As a result, a good pattern layer can be formed, and the pattern layer can be satisfactorily formed on the substrate SB.

<< Transfer device >>
In the printing system 100, three types of transfer devices 202, 203, and 204 are provided, which basically have the same configuration. Therefore, the transfer device 203 will be described, and the description of the transfer devices 202 and 204 will be omitted.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a transfer device equipped in the printing system shown in FIG. In the figure, the state where the external cover is removed is shown to show the internal configuration of the apparatus. In the transfer device 203, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are carried in and out along the Y-axis direction.

  The transfer device 203 has a structure in which the upper stage block 4 and the lower stage block 6 are attached to the main frame 2. In FIG. 11, in order to clearly indicate the distinction between the blocks, the upper stage block 4 is provided with coarse pitch dots, and the lower stage block 6 is provided with finer pitch dots.

  The transfer device 203 brings the blanket BL and the substrate SB into close contact with each other by bringing the blanket BL held by the lower stage block 6 and the substrate SB held by the upper stage block 4 into contact with each other. An apparatus for transferring a layer to a substrate SB.

  The lower stage block 6 of the transfer device 203 is supported by the base frame 21 of the main frame 2. On the other hand, the upper stage block 4 is attached to a pair of upper stage support frames 22 and 23 that are erected from the base frame 21 and extend in the Y direction so as to sandwich the lower stage block 6 from the X direction.

  Further, a pre-alignment camera for detecting the positions of the substrate SB and the blanket BL carried into the apparatus is attached to the main frame 2. More specifically, three substrate pre-alignment cameras 241, 242, and 243 for detecting the edge of the substrate SB carried into the apparatus along the Y-axis direction at three different positions are provided on the upper stage support frame 22. , 23 are respectively attached to booms erected. Similarly, three blanket pre-alignment cameras 244, 245 and 246 for detecting the edge of the blanket BL carried into the apparatus along the Y-axis direction at three different positions are provided from the upper stage support frames 22 and 23. Each is attached to a standing boom. In FIG. 11, one blanket pre-alignment camera 246 located behind the upper stage block 4 does not appear.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the structure of the lower stage block. In the lower stage block 6, pillars 602 are erected in the vertical axis direction (Z direction) at four corners of a plate-shaped alignment stage 601 with an opening at the center, and the stage support plate 603 is supported by these pillars 602. Has been. Although not shown, at the bottom of the alignment stage 601, there are three degrees of freedom in the rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as “θ direction”), the X direction and the Y direction about the rotation axis extending in the vertical axis direction Z. An alignment stage support mechanism (not shown) such as a cross roller bearing having a degree is provided, and the alignment stage 601 is attached to the base frame 21 via the alignment stage support mechanism. Therefore, the alignment stage 601 can move in a predetermined range in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction with respect to the base frame 21 by the operation of the alignment stage support mechanism.

  An annular rectangular lower stage 61 having an upper surface substantially coincident with a horizontal plane and having an opening window 611 formed at the center is disposed above the stage support plate 603. A blanket BL is placed on the upper surface of the lower stage 61, and the lower stage 61 holds it.

  The opening size of the opening window 611 needs to be larger than the planar size of the central effective area AR (see FIG. 10) that effectively functions as the pattern formation area in the surface area of the blanket BL. That is, when the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61, the entire area corresponding to the effective area AR of the lower surface of the blanket BL faces the opening window 611, and the lower part of the effective area AR is completely open. There is a need. The coating layer made of the pattern forming material is formed so as to cover at least the entire effective area AR.

  The upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61 is provided with a plurality of grooves 612 along the peripheral edges of the opening window 611. Each groove 612 is connected to a negative pressure supply unit of the control device 500 via a control valve (not shown). 504 is connected. Each groove 612 is disposed in a region having a planar size smaller than the planar size of the blanket BL. Then, as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure, the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61 so as to cover all the grooves 612. In order to enable this, a stopper member 613 for restricting the position of the blanket BL is appropriately disposed on the lower stage upper surface 61a.

  By supplying negative pressure to each groove 612, each groove 612 functions as a vacuum suction groove, and thus the four sides of the peripheral portion of the blanket BL are sucked and held on the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. By configuring the vacuum suction groove with a plurality of independent grooves 612, even if a vacuum break occurs in some of the grooves for some reason, the suction of the blanket BL by other grooves is maintained, so that the blanket BL can be securely attached. Can be held. Further, the blanket BL can be adsorbed with a stronger adsorbing force than when a single groove is provided.

  Below the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, there are provided lifting hand units 62 and 63 for moving the blanket BL up and down in the Z-axis direction, and a transfer roller unit 64 that abuts and pushes up the blanket BL from below. Yes.

  FIG. 13 shows the structure of the lifting hand unit. Since the structures of the two lifting hand units 62 and 63 are the same, the structure of one lifting hand unit 62 will be described here. The elevating hand unit 62 has two support columns 621 and 622 erected in the Z direction from the base frame 21, and a plate-like slide base 623 can move up and down with respect to these support columns 621 and 622. It is attached. More specifically, guide rails 6211 and 6221 extending in the vertical axis direction (Z direction) are attached to the two support columns 621 and 622, respectively, on the back surface of the slide base 623, that is, on the (+ Y) side main surface. The attached slider (not shown) is slidably attached to the guide rails 6211 and 6221. Then, for example, an elevating mechanism 624 including an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism moves the slide base 623 up and down in accordance with a control command from the control device 500.

  A plurality (four in this example) of hands 625 are attached to the slide base 623 so as to be movable up and down. The structure of each hand 625 is basically the same except that the shape of the base portion differs depending on the arrangement position. Each hand 625 is attached to a slider 627 slidably engaged with a guide rail 626 attached along the vertical axis direction (Z direction) to the front surface of the slide base 623, that is, the (−Y) side main surface. It is fixed. The slider 627 is connected to an elevating mechanism 628 having an appropriate drive mechanism such as a rodless cylinder attached to the back surface of the slide base 623, and moves up and down with respect to the slide base 623 by the operation of the elevating mechanism 628. To do. Each hand 625 is provided with an independent lifting mechanism 628, and each hand 625 can be moved up and down individually.

  That is, in the elevating hand unit 62, the elevating mechanism 624 moves the slide base 623 up and down to integrally move the hands 625 up and down, and the elevating mechanisms 628 operate independently to allow the hands 625 to move up and down. Can be raised and lowered individually.

  The upper surface 625a of the hand 625 is finished in an elongated flat surface with the Y direction as the longitudinal direction, and the upper surface 625a can be brought into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL to support the blanket BL. The upper surface 625a is provided with an adsorption hole 625b that communicates with a negative pressure supply unit 504 provided in the control device 500 via a pipe and a control valve (not shown). As a result, negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 504 is supplied to the suction hole 625b as necessary, and the blanket BL can be sucked and held on the upper surface 625a of the hand 625. Therefore, it is possible to prevent slipping when the hand 625 supports the blanket BL.

  In addition, an appropriate gas, for example, dry air or inert gas, is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b from a gas supply unit 506 of the control device 500 as necessary via a pipe and a control valve (not shown). That is, the negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 504 and the gas from the gas supply unit 506 are selectively supplied to the suction hole 625b by opening and closing each control valve controlled by the control device 500.

  When the gas from the gas supply unit 506 is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b, a small amount of gas is discharged from the adsorption hole 625b. Thereby, a minute gap is formed between the lower surface of the blanket BL and the upper surface 625a of the hand, and the hand 625 is in a state of being separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL while supporting the blanket BL from below. Therefore, the blanket BL can be moved in the horizontal direction without being rubbed against each hand 625 while the blanket BL is supported by each hand 625. In addition, you may provide a gas discharge hole in the hand upper surface 625a separately from the adsorption hole 625b.

  Returning to FIG. 12, in the lower stage block 6, the lifting hand units 62 and 63 having the above-described configuration are arranged to face each other in the Y direction with the hand 625 facing inward. In the state where each hand 625 is lowered most, the upper surface 625a of the hand is located below the lower stage upper surface 61a. On the other hand, in the state where each hand 625 is raised most, the tip of each hand 625 protrudes upward from the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, and the hand upper surface 625a is above the lower stage upper surface 61a, that is, in the (+ Z) direction. To the position protruding.

  Further, when viewed from above, a certain distance is provided between the tips of the hands 625 facing each other of the elevating hand units 62 and 63 so that they do not come into contact with each other. Further, as will be described next, the transfer roller unit 64 moves in the X direction using this gap.

  FIG. 14 shows the structure of the transfer roller unit. The transfer roller unit 64 includes a transfer roller 641 that is a cylindrical roller member extending in the Y direction, and a support frame that extends in the Y direction along the lower side of the transfer roller 641 and rotatably supports the transfer roller 641 at both ends thereof. 642 and an elevating mechanism 644 that has an appropriate drive mechanism and moves the support frame 642 up and down in the Z direction. The transfer roller 641 is not connected to a rotation drive mechanism and rotates freely. Further, the support frame 642 is provided with a backup roller 643 that comes into contact with the surface of the transfer roller 641 from below to prevent the transfer roller 641 from bending.

  The length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction is shorter than the length of the four sides of the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61 along the Y direction, that is, the opening dimension of the opening window 611 in the Y direction, and will be described later. It is longer than the length along the Y direction of the substrate SB when held on the upper stage. Since the effective area AR effective as a pattern formation area in the blanket BL is naturally equal to or shorter than the length of the substrate SB, the transfer roller 641 is longer than the effective area AR in the Y direction.

  The elevating mechanism 644 includes a base portion 644a and support legs 644b extending upward from the base portion 644a and connected to the vicinity of the center of the support frame 642 in the Y direction. The support leg 644b can move up and down with respect to the base portion 644a by an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor or a cylinder. The base portion 644a is slidably attached to a guide rail 646 extending in the X direction, and is further coupled to a moving mechanism 647 having an appropriate driving mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. . The guide rail 646 is attached to the upper surface of the lower frame 645 that extends in the X direction and is fixed to the base frame 21. By operating the moving mechanism 647, the transfer roller 641, the support frame 642, and the lifting mechanism 644 integrally travel in the X direction.

  As will be described in detail later, in this transfer device 203, the transfer roller 641 is brought into contact with the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 and the blanket BL is partially pushed up to be held on the upper stage and close to the blanket BL. The blanket BL is brought into contact with the substrate SB arranged oppositely.

  The elevating mechanism 644 travels through a gap formed by the hands 625 facing each other of the elevating hand units 62 and 63. Each hand 625 has an upper surface 625 a that can be retracted in the (−Z) direction from the lower surface of the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 to the lower side. Therefore, when the elevating mechanism 644 runs in this state, the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 passes over the upper surface 625a of each hand 625, and the transfer roller unit 64 and the hand 625 are prevented from colliding. .

  Next, the structure of the upper stage block 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the upper stage block 4 is erected from an upper stage assembly 40 that is a structure extending in the X direction and upper stage support frames 22 and 23, so that both ends of the upper stage assembly 40 in the X direction are positioned. A pair of support columns 45 and 46 for supporting each of them, and an elevating mechanism 47 that includes an appropriate drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism and moves the entire upper stage assembly 40 up and down in the Z direction.

  FIG. 15 is a view showing the structure of the upper stage assembly. The upper stage assembly 40 includes an upper stage 41 holding the substrate SB on the lower surface, a reinforcing frame 42 provided on the upper stage 41, and a beam-like structure coupled to the reinforcing frame 42 and extending horizontally along the X direction. A body 43 and an upper suction unit 44 mounted on the upper stage 41 are provided. As shown in FIG. 15, the upper stage assembly 40 has substantially symmetric shapes with respect to the XZ plane and the YZ plane including the center on the outer shape.

  The upper stage 41 is a flat plate member that is slightly smaller than the plane size of the substrate SB to be held, and the lower surface 41a held in a horizontal posture is a holding plane that holds the substrate SB in contact therewith. Since the holding plane is required to have a high degree of flatness, quartz glass or a stainless steel plate is suitable as the material. The holding plane is provided with a through hole for mounting a suction pad of the upper suction unit 44 described later.

  The reinforcing frame 42 is composed of a combination of reinforcing ribs extending in the Z direction on the upper surface of the upper stage 41. As shown in the drawing, the upper stage 41 is prevented from being bent and its lower surface (holding plane) 41a In order to maintain the flatness, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 421 parallel to the YZ plane and reinforcing ribs 422 parallel to the XZ plane are appropriately combined. The reinforcing ribs 421 and 422 can be made of, for example, a metal plate.

  Further, the beam-like structure 43 is a structure formed by combining a plurality of metal plates and having a longitudinal direction in the X direction, and both ends thereof are supported by the support columns 45 and 46 so as to be vertically movable. Yes. Specifically, guide rails 451 and 461 extending in the Z direction are provided on the support columns 45 and 46, respectively, and a slider (not shown) is attached to the (+ Y) side main surface of the beam-like structure 43 facing the support pillars 45 and 46, respectively. These are slidably engaged. As shown in FIG. 11, the beam-like structure 43 and the support column 46 are connected by an elevating mechanism 47, and the elevating mechanism 47 operates to keep the beam-like structure 43 in a horizontal posture. Move in the vertical axis direction (Z direction). Since the upper stage 41 is integrally coupled to the beam-like structure 43 via the reinforcing frame 42, the upper stage 41 moves up and down with the holding plane 41 a kept horizontal by the operation of the elevating mechanism 47.

  The structures of the reinforcing frame 42 and the beam-like structure 43 are not limited to those illustrated. Here, a necessary strength is obtained by combining a plate-like member parallel to the YZ plane and a plate-like member parallel to the XZ plane, but a sheet metal, an angle member, or the like may be appropriately combined with other shapes. The reason for this structure is to make the upper stage assembly 40 lightweight. In order to reduce the deflection of each part, it is conceivable to increase the thickness of the upper stage 41 or to use the beam-like structure 43 as a solid body, but if so, the mass of the entire upper stage assembly 40 will increase.

  When the weight of the structure disposed on the upper part of the apparatus increases, a mechanism for supporting and moving the structure requires further strength and durability, and the entire apparatus becomes very large and heavy. It is more realistic to reduce the weight of the entire structure while obtaining the required strength by combining plate materials and the like.

  A pair of upper suction units 44 are mounted on the upper stage 41 surrounded by the reinforcing frame 42. A state where one upper suction unit 44 is taken out upward is shown in the upper part of FIG. In the upper suction unit 44, for example, rubber suction pads 443 are attached to lower ends of a plurality of pipes 442 extending downward from the support frame 441, respectively. The upper end side of each pipe 442 is connected to a negative pressure supply unit 504 of the control device 500 through a pipe and a control valve (not shown). The support frame 441 has a shape that does not interfere with the ribs 421 and 422 constituting the reinforcing frame 42.

  The support frame 441 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical axis direction with respect to the base plate 446 via a pair of sliders 444 and a pair of guide rails 445 engaged therewith. Further, the base plate 446 and the support frame 441 are coupled by an elevating mechanism 447 having an appropriate driving mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. By the operation of the lifting mechanism 447, the support frame 441 moves up and down with respect to the base plate 446, and the pipe 442 and the suction pad 443 move up and down integrally therewith.

  The upper suction unit 44 is attached to the upper stage 41 by fixing the base plate 446 to the upper stage 41. In this state, the lower end of each pipe 442 and the suction pad 443 are inserted through through holes (not shown) provided in the upper stage 41. Then, by the operation of the elevating mechanism 447, the suction pad 443 has the lower surface discharged to the lower side of the lower surface (holding plane) 41a of the upper stage 41 and the lower surface inside the through hole of the upper stage 41 (upper). It moves up and down with the retracted position. Further, when the lower surface of the suction pad 443 is positioned at substantially the same height as the holding plane 41a of the upper stage 41, the upper stage 41 and the suction pad 443 can cooperate to hold the substrate SB on the holding plane 41a. it can.

  Returning to FIG. 11, the upper stage assembly 40 configured as described above is provided on the base plate 481. More specifically, the support columns 45 and 46 are respectively erected on the base plate 481, and the upper stage assembly 40 is attached to the support columns 45 and 46 so as to be movable up and down. The base plate 481 is attached to the upper stage support frames 22 and 23, and is supported by an upper stage block support mechanism 482 including an appropriate movable mechanism such as a cross roller bearing.

  Therefore, the entire upper stage assembly 40 can be moved horizontally with respect to the main frame 2. Specifically, the base plate 481 moves horizontally in the horizontal plane, that is, the XY plane by the operation of the upper stage block support mechanism 482. A pair of base plates 481 provided corresponding to the support pillars 45 and 46 can move independently of each other, and the upper stage assembly 40 moves with respect to the main frame 2 in accordance with these movements. It is possible to move in a predetermined range in the direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction.

  Next, transfer processing in the transfer device 203 configured as described above will be described. In this transfer process, the substrate SB held on the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 are arranged close to each other with a minute gap therebetween. Then, the transfer roller 641 contacts the lower surface of the blanket BL and moves along the lower surface of the blanket BL while locally pushing up the blanket BL. The pushed blanket BL first locally contacts the substrate SB, and the contact portion gradually expands as the roller moves, and finally contacts the entire substrate SB. As a result, the blanket BL and the substrate SB are brought into close contact with each other, and the pattern layer on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB.

  16 to 22 are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus at each stage of processing. Hereinafter, the operation of each unit in the transfer process will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, in order to show the relationship between the respective units at each stage of the process in an easy-to-understand manner, a configuration that is not directly related to the process at the stage or a reference numeral to be attached thereto may be omitted.

  In this transfer process, the substrate SB is first carried along the substrate transfer path PTS in FIG. 7 to the initialized transfer device 203 and set on the upper stage 41. Next, the blanket BL carrying the pattern layer patterned by the plate PP is carried along the blanket conveyance path PTB in FIG. 7 and set on the lower stage 61. The substrate SB is loaded with the transfer surface receiving the pattern layer transferred downward, and the blanket BL is loaded with the pattern layer facing upward.

  FIG. 16 shows a process until the substrate SB is carried into the apparatus and set on the upper stage 41. As shown in FIG. 16A, in the initial state, the upper stage 41 is retracted upward and the distance from the lower stage 61 is increased, and a wide processing space SP is formed between both stages. Each hand 625 is retracted below the upper surface of the lower stage 61. The transfer roller 641 is the position closest to the (−X) direction among the positions facing the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, and the position retracted below the upper surface of the lower stage 61 in the vertical axis direction (Z direction). It is in. Each control valve connected to the negative pressure supply unit 504 is closed.

  In this state, from the (−Y) direction to the (+ Y) direction, the substrate SB placed on the substrate hand HS of the transport unit 402 is carried into the processing space SP after its thickness is measured in advance. The At this time, since the hand 625 and the transfer roller 641 are retracted downward, the carrying-in operation can be facilitated. When the substrate SB is positioned at a predetermined position, the upper stage 41 is lowered as indicated by an arrow.

  When the upper stage 41 is lowered to a predetermined position close to the substrate SB, the suction pad 443 provided on the upper stage 41 is below the lower surface of the upper stage 41, that is, the holding plane 41a, as shown in FIG. Until it comes into contact with the upper surface of the substrate SB. When the control valve connected to the suction pad 443 is opened, the upper surface of the substrate SB is sucked by the suction pad 443 and the substrate SB is held. Then, the substrate SB is lifted from the substrate hand HS by raising the suction pad 443 while continuing the suction. At this point, the substrate hand HS moves out of the apparatus.

  Finally, as shown in FIG. 16C, the lower surface of the suction pad 443 rises to a position that is the same height as or slightly higher than the holding plane 41 a, so that the upper surface of the substrate SB becomes the upper stage 41. It is held in close contact with the holding plane 41a. A configuration may be employed in which suction grooves or suction holes are provided on the lower surface of the upper stage 41 and the substrate SB is sucked by these. In this way, the holding of the substrate SB is completed.

  FIGS. 17 and 18 show a process from when the substrate SB is loaded until the blanket BL is loaded and held on the lower stage 61. When the holding of the substrate SB by the upper stage 41 is completed, as shown in FIG. 17A, the upper stage 41 is raised to form a wide processing space SP again, and each hand 625 is moved from the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61. Also raise to the top. At this time, the upper surfaces 625a of the hands 625 are all set to the same height.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 17B, it is accepted that the blanket BL having the pattern layer PL formed on the upper surface is placed on the blanket hand HB of the transport unit 402 and carried into the processing space SP. The thickness of the blanket BL is measured prior to loading. The blanket hand HB is preferably of the fork type having fingers extending in the Y direction so that the blanket hand HB can enter through the gap without interfering with the hand 625.

  When the blanket hand HB descends after entering or the hand 625 rises, the upper surface 625a of the hand 625 comes into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the blanket BL thereafter moves to the hand 625 as shown in FIG. Is supported by By supplying a negative pressure to the suction hole 625b (FIG. 13) provided in the hand 625, the support can be made more reliable. Thus, the blanket BL is transferred from the blanket hand HB to the hand 625, and the blanket hand HB can be discharged out of the apparatus.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18A, the hand 625 is lowered with the height of the upper surface 625 a of each hand 625 aligned, and finally the hand upper surface 625 a is made to be the same height as the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61. . As a result, the peripheral portions of the four sides of the blanket BL abut against the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 18B, a negative pressure is supplied to the vacuum suction groove 612 provided on the lower stage upper surface 61a to suck and hold the blanket BL. Accordingly, the suction with the hand 625 is released. As a result, the blanket BL is in a state in which the peripheral portions of the four sides are sucked and held by the lower stage 61. In FIG. 18B, the blanket BL and the hand 625 are separated to clearly indicate that the suction holding by the hand 625 has been released, but in actuality, the lower surface of the blanket BL is in contact with the upper surface 625a of the hand. Is maintained.

  If the hand 625 is separated in this state, it is considered that the blanket BL is bent downward at its center by its own weight, and has a convex shape as a whole. By maintaining the hand 625 at the same height as the lower stage upper surface 61a, it is possible to suppress the bending and maintain the blanket BL in a planar state. In this way, the blanket BL is held by the lower stage 61 by suction and the central portion is supplementarily supported by the hand 625, and the holding of the blanket BL is completed.

  The order of loading the substrate SB and the blanket BL may be reversed. However, when the substrate SB is loaded after the blanket BL is loaded, there is a possibility that foreign matters may fall on the blanket BL when the substrate SB is loaded, thereby contaminating the pattern layer PL or generating defects. By setting the blanket BL on the lower stage 61 after setting the substrate SB on the upper stage 41 as described above, such a problem can be avoided in advance.

  When the substrate SB and the blanket BL are set on the upper and lower stages in this way, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are subsequently pre-aligned. Further, the gap adjustment is performed so that both face each other with a preset gap therebetween.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a process of gap adjustment processing and alignment processing. Among these, the precision alignment process shown in FIG. 19C is executed only by the transfer device 203 and is not executed by the other transfer devices 202 and 204. This is because the accuracy of forming the pattern layer on the coating layer and the accuracy of transferring the transfer plate TP to the blanket BL are lower than the accuracy of transferring the pattern layer to the substrate SB.

  As described above, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are carried in from an external device. However, positional displacement may occur during the delivery. The pre-alignment process is a process for roughly positioning each of the substrate SB held on the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 at a position suitable for the subsequent process.

  FIG. 19A is a side view schematically showing the arrangement of a configuration for executing pre-alignment. As described above, in this embodiment, a total of six pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246 are provided in the upper part of the apparatus. Among these, the three cameras 241 to 243 are substrate pre-alignment cameras for detecting the outer edge of the substrate SB held on the upper stage 41. The other three cameras 244 to 246 are blanket pre-alignment cameras for detecting the outer edge of the blanket BL. Here, the pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243 are referred to as “substrate pre-alignment cameras” for the sake of convenience, but these can be used for both the alignment of the substrate SB and the alignment of the substrate SB. The processing contents are also the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 19A, the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 and 242 are installed at substantially the same position in the X direction and different positions in the Y direction. ) Each side edge is imaged from above. Since the upper stage 41 is formed in a plane size slightly smaller than the substrate SB, the (−X) side outer edge portion of the substrate SB (or substrate SB) extending to the outside of the end portion of the upper stage 41 is imaged from above. be able to. Further, although not shown in the figure, another substrate pre-alignment camera 243 is provided on the front side of FIG. 19A, and the camera 243 is (−) of the substrate SB (or substrate SB). Y) Take an image of the side outer edge from above.

  On the other hand, the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 and 246 are installed in substantially the same position in the X direction and different positions in the Y direction, and the (+ X) side outer edge portion of the blanket BL placed on the lower stage 61. Are imaged from above. Further, another blanket pre-alignment camera 245 is provided on the front side of FIG. 19A, and the camera 245 images the (−Y) side outer edge of the blanket BL from above.

  The positions of the substrate SB and the blanket BL are grasped from the imaging results obtained by these pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246, respectively. Then, the upper stage block support mechanism 482 and the alignment stage support mechanism are actuated as necessary, so that the substrate SB and the blanket BL are respectively positioned at preset target positions.

  When the blanket BL is moved horizontally together with the lower stage 61, it is preferable that the upper surface 625a of each hand 625 and the lower surface of the blanket BL are slightly separated from each other as shown in FIG. For this purpose, the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 506 can be discharged from the suction hole 625b of the hand 625. The same applies to the precision alignment process described later.

  In addition, for a thin or large substrate SB that is likely to be bent, the substrate SB may be subjected to processing with a plate-like support member in contact with the back surface, for example, in order to facilitate handling. In such a case, even if the support member is larger than the substrate SB, for example, the support member is made of a transparent material, or a partially transparent window or through hole is provided in the support member. If the position of the outer edge portion is set to be easy to detect, pre-alignment processing similar to the above can be performed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 19B, the upper stage 41 holding the substrate SB is lowered with respect to the lower stage 61 holding the blanket BL, and a gap G between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is predetermined. To the set value. At this time, the thicknesses of the substrate SB and the blanket BL measured in advance are taken into consideration. That is, the distance between the upper stage 41 and the lower stage 61 is adjusted so that the gap between the two becomes a predetermined value in consideration of the thicknesses of the substrate SB and the blanket BL. The gap value G here can be set to about 300 μm, for example.

  Regarding the thicknesses of the substrate SB and the blanket BL, there are individual differences due to dimensional variations in manufacturing, and even for the same component, for example, a change in thickness due to swelling is conceivable. Further, the gap G may be defined between the lower surface of the substrate SB and the upper surface of the blanket BL, and between the lower surface of the substrate SB and the upper surface of the pattern layer PL of the pattern forming material carried on the blanket BL. May be defined between. As long as the thickness of the pattern layer PL is strictly controlled in the coating stage, it is technically equivalent.

  When the substrate SB and the blanket BL are thus arranged to face each other with the gap G interposed therebetween, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are brought into close contact by causing the transfer roller 641 to run in the X direction while contacting the lower surface of the blanket BL. Let Thereby, the pattern layer PL on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB.

  FIG. 20 shows the process of the transfer process. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20A, the transfer roller 641 is raised to a position directly below the blanket BL, and the center line of the transfer roller 641 is substantially the same as the end of the substrate SB in the X direction. Alternatively, the transfer roller 641 is disposed at a position slightly deviated in the (−X) direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. 20B, the transfer roller 641 is further raised and brought into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the blanket BL at the contacted position is locally pushed upward. Thereby, the blanket BL (more precisely, the pattern layer PL carried by the blanket BL) is pressed against the lower surface of the substrate SB with a predetermined pressing force. Since the transfer roller 641 is longer than the substrate SB (and the effective region AR) in the Y direction, an elongated region along the Y direction from one end to the other end in the Y direction on the lower surface of the substrate SB contacts the blanket BL.

  Thus, the lifting mechanism 644 travels in the (+ X) direction while the transfer roller 641 presses the blanket BL, thereby moving the push-up position of the blanket BL in the (+ X) direction. In order to prevent the hand 625 from coming into contact with the transfer roller 641 at this time, as shown in FIG. 20C, at least the hand 625 with respect to the hand 625 whose X-direction distance from the transfer roller 641 is a predetermined value or less. The upper surface 625a is retracted downward until it is positioned lower than the lower surface of the support frame 642.

  Since the suction by the hand 625 has already been released, the blanket BL is not lowered downward as the hand 625 is lowered. Further, by appropriately managing the timing of starting the descent in synchronization with the travel of the transfer roller 641, it is possible to prevent the blanket BL that has lost support by the hand 625 from drooping downward due to its own weight.

  FIG. 21 shows the running process of the transfer roller 641. Since the substrate SB and the blanket BL that have been in contact with each other are maintained in close contact with each other via the pattern layer PL, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are moved as the transfer roller 641 travels as shown in FIG. The area where the two are in close contact gradually expands in the (+ X) direction. At this time, as shown in the figure, the hand 625 is sequentially lowered as the transfer roller 641 approaches.

  In this way, finally, as shown in FIG. 21B, all the hands 625 descend, and the transfer roller 641 reaches the (+ X) side end below the lower stage 61. At this time, the transfer roller 641 has reached a position substantially directly below or slightly to the (+ X) side of the end of the (+ X) side of the substrate SB, and the entire lower surface of the substrate SB is on the pattern layer PL on the blanket BL. Abutted.

  While the transfer roller 641 travels while maintaining a constant height, the area of the area pressed by the transfer roller 641 on the lower surface of the blanket BL is constant. Therefore, when the lifting mechanism 644 applies a constant load and presses the transfer roller 641 against the blanket BL, the substrate SB and the blanket BL are pressed against each other with a constant pressing force with the pattern layer PL of the pattern forming material interposed therebetween. Will be. Thereby, the pattern transfer from the substrate SB to the blanket BL can be performed satisfactorily.

  In transferring the pattern layer PL, it is ideal that the entire surface area of the substrate SB can be effectively used, but the peripheral portion of the substrate SB cannot be effectively used due to scratches, contact with a hand during transportation, or the like. An area inevitably arises. As shown in FIG. 21B, when the central portion excluding the end region of the substrate SB is defined as the effective region AR, the pressing force and traveling speed of the transfer roller 641 may be constant at least within the effective region AR. desirable. For this purpose, the length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction needs to be longer than the length of the effective area AR in the same direction. In the X direction, the transfer roller 641 starts traveling from a position on the (−X) side of the end of the effective area AR in the (−X) direction, and reaches at least the end of the effective area AR in the (+ X) direction. Until then, it is desirable to maintain a constant speed. The surface area of the blanket BL facing the effective area AR of the substrate SB becomes the effective area AR on the blanket BL side.

  When the transfer roller 641 reaches the end on the (+ X) side in this way, the transfer roller 641 stops running and the transfer roller 641 is retracted downward as shown in FIG. Thereby, the transfer roller 641 is separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the transfer process is completed.

  When the transfer process is thus completed, the close contact body between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is carried out. FIG. 22 shows the process of carrying out the plate and blanket. First, as shown in FIG. 22A, each hand 625 that has been lowered during the transfer process is raised again to position the upper surface 625 a at the same height as the upper surface 61 a of the lower stage 61. In this state, the suction of the substrate SB by the suction pad 443 of the upper stage 41 is released. Accordingly, the holding of the substrate SB by the upper stage 41 is released, and a close contact body in which the substrate SB and the blanket BL are integrated through the pattern layer PL of the pattern forming material is left on the lower stage 61. The center part of the contact body is supported by the hand 625.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 22B, the upper stage 41 is raised to form a wide processing space SP, the suction by the groove 612 of the lower stage 61 is released, and the hand 625 is further raised to lower the lower stage. Move upward from 61. At this time, it is preferable that the contact body is sucked and held by the hand 625.

  This makes it possible to access from the outside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22 (c), the blanket BL in the state where the substrate SB is in close contact is received by receiving the blanket hand HB of the transport unit 402 from the outside and performing an operation reverse to that during loading. To the peeling device 303. Then, if the substrate SB is peeled from the blanket BL by the peeling device 303, a pattern layer is formed on the substrate SB.

<< Peeling device >>
In the printing system 100, three types of peeling devices 302, 303, and 304 are provided, which basically have the same configuration. Therefore, the transfer device 303 will be described, and the description of the transfer devices 302 and 304 will be omitted.

  FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing an example of a peeling device equipped in the printing system shown in FIG. The peeling device 303 is a device for peeling the close contact body that is carried in with the main surfaces in close contact with each other. The peeling device 303 has a structure in which the stage block 3 and the upper suction block 5 are respectively fixed on the main frame 11 attached to the housing. In FIG. 23, the casing is not shown in order to show the internal structure of the apparatus.

  The stage block 3 has a stage 30 for placing a close contact body (hereinafter referred to as “work”) in which the substrate SB and the blanket BL are in close contact with each other. The horizontal stage part 31 which became and the taper stage part 32 where the upper surface became a plane which has the inclination of several degrees (for example, about 2 degree | times) with respect to a horizontal surface are provided. An initial peeling unit 33 is provided on the taper stage portion 32 side of the stage 30, that is, in the vicinity of the end portion on the (−Y) side. A roller unit 34 is provided so as to straddle the horizontal stage portion 31.

  On the other hand, the upper suction block 5 is erected from the main frame 11 and has a support frame 50 provided so as to cover the upper part of the stage block 3, a first suction unit 51 attached to the support frame 50, and a second An adsorption unit 52, a third adsorption unit 53, and a fourth adsorption unit 54 are provided. These adsorption units 51 to 54 are arranged in order in the (+ Y) direction.

  FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the peeling apparatus. More specifically, FIG. 24 shows the structure of the stage 30, the roller unit 34, and the second suction unit 52 among the components of the peeling device 303. The stage 30 includes a horizontal stage portion 31 whose upper surface 310 is a substantially horizontal surface and a tapered stage portion 32 whose upper surface 320 is a tapered surface. The upper surface 310 of the horizontal stage unit 31 has a plane size that is slightly larger than the plane size of the workpiece to be placed.

  The taper stage unit 32 is provided in close contact with the (−Y) side end of the horizontal stage unit 31, and the upper surface 320 thereof is the same height as the upper surface 310 of the horizontal stage unit 31 at the portion in contact with the horizontal stage unit 31. While located at (Z-direction position), it is retracted downward, that is, in the (−Z) direction, as it moves away from the horizontal stage portion 31 in the (−Y) direction. Therefore, in the entire stage 30, the horizontal surface of the upper surface 310 of the horizontal stage portion 31 and the tapered surface of the upper surface 320 of the tapered stage portion 32 are continuous, and the ridge line portion E to which they are connected has a linear shape extending in the X direction. ing.

  In addition, lattice-shaped grooves are formed on the upper surface 310 of the horizontal stage portion 31. More specifically, a grid-like groove 311 is provided at the center of the upper surface 310 of the horizontal stage portion 31 and one of the rectangles on the tapered stage portion 32 side is surrounded so as to surround the region where the groove 311 is formed. A groove 312 is provided on the peripheral edge of the upper surface 310 of the horizontal stage portion 31 so as to have a substantially U shape excluding the side. These grooves 311 and 312 are connected to a negative pressure supply unit 504 (FIG. 8) via a control valve, and suction grooves that suck and hold a workpiece placed on the stage 30 when negative pressure is supplied. As a function. The two types of grooves 311 and 312 are not connected on the stage, and are connected to the negative pressure supply unit 504 through independent control valves. Therefore, in addition to adsorption using both grooves, Adsorption using only grooves is also possible.

  A roller unit 34 is provided so as to straddle the stage 30 configured in this manner. Specifically, a pair of guide rails 351 and 352 extend in the Y direction along both ends in the X direction of the horizontal stage portion 31, and these guide rails 351 and 352 are fixed to the main frame 11. ing. A roller unit 34 is slidably attached to the guide rails 351 and 352.

  The roller unit 34 includes sliders 341 and 342 slidably engaged with the guide rails 351 and 352, respectively, and extends in the X direction across the upper part of the stage 30 so as to connect the sliders 341 and 342. The lower angle 343 is provided. An upper angle 345 is attached to the lower angle 343 via an appropriate lifting mechanism 344 so as to be movable up and down. A columnar peeling roller 340 extending in the X direction is attached to the upper angle 345 in a freely rotatable manner.

  When the upper angle 345 is lowered downward, that is, in the (−Z) direction by the lifting mechanism 344, the lower surface of the peeling roller 340 comes into contact with the upper surface of the work placed on the stage 30. On the other hand, in a state where the upper angle 345 is positioned upward, that is, in a position in the (+ Z) direction by the lifting mechanism 344, the peeling roller 340 is separated from the upper surface of the workpiece. A backup roller 346 for suppressing the bending of the peeling roller 340 is rotatably attached to the upper angle 345, and a rib for preventing the upper angle 345 itself from being bent is appropriately provided. The peeling roller 340 and the backup roller 346 do not have a drive source, and these rotate freely.

  The roller unit 34 is movable in the Y direction by a motor 353 attached to the main frame 11. More specifically, the lower angle 343 is connected to, for example, a ball screw mechanism 354 as a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor 353 into linear motion. When the motor 353 rotates, the lower angle 343 is guided to the guide rails 351, 351. The roller unit 34 moves in the Y direction by moving along the 352 in the Y direction. The movable range of the peeling roller 340 according to the movement of the roller unit 34 is as follows: (−Y) direction to the vicinity of the (−Y) side end portion of the horizontal stage portion 31, (+ Y) direction of the horizontal stage portion 31 ( The position is set to the outside of the (+ Y) side end, that is, the position further advanced to the (+ Y) side.

  Next, the configuration of the second adsorption unit 52 will be described. The first to fourth adsorption units 51 to 54 all have the same structure, and here, the structure of the second adsorption unit 52 will be described as a representative. The second suction unit 52 includes a beam member 521 that extends in the X direction and is fixed to the support frame 50. The beam member 521 has a pair of vertical downwards, that is, a (−Z) direction. The column members 522 and 523 are attached at different positions in the X direction. A plate member 524 is attached to the column members 522 and 523 via a guide rail that is hidden in the drawing so as to be lifted and lowered. The plate member 524 is lifted and lowered by a lifting mechanism 525 including a motor and a conversion mechanism (for example, a ball screw mechanism). Driven.

  A bar-shaped pad support member 526 extending in the X direction is attached to the lower portion of the plate member 524, and a plurality of suction pads 527 are arranged at equal intervals in the X direction on the lower surface of the pad support member 526. FIG. 24 shows a state where the second suction unit 52 is moved upward from the actual position. However, when the plate member 524 is moved downward by the lifting mechanism 525, the suction pad 527 is moved to the horizontal stage portion 31. It can be lowered to a position very close to the upper surface 310, and comes into contact with the upper surface of the workpiece when the workpiece is placed on the stage 30. A negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 504 is applied to each suction pad 527, and the upper surface of the work is sucked and held.

  FIG. 25 is a side view showing the structure of the initial peeling unit and the positional relationship of each part. First, the structure of the initial peeling unit 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. The initial peeling unit 33 has a bar-shaped pressing member 331 extending in the X direction above the taper stage portion 32, and the pressing member 331 is supported by a support arm 332. The support arm 332 is attached to the column member 334 via a guide rail 333 extending in the vertical axis direction so as to freely move up and down, and the support arm 332 moves up and down with respect to the column member 334 by the operation of the lifting mechanism 335. . The column member 334 is supported by a base portion 336 attached to the main frame 11, but the position adjustment mechanism 337 can adjust the position in the Y direction of the column member 334 on the base portion 336 within a predetermined range. .

  A workpiece WK (= substrate SB + blanket BL) as an object to be peeled is placed on the stage 30 constituted by the horizontal stage portion 31 and the taper stage portion 32.

  In the work WK, the blanket BL has a larger planar size than the substrate SB, and the substrate SB is in close contact with the substantially central portion of the blanket BL. The work WK is placed on the stage 30 with the blanket BL down and the substrate SB up. At this time, as shown in FIG. 25, the (−Y) side end portion of the substrate SB in the workpiece WK is substantially above the ridge line portion E at the boundary between the horizontal stage portion 31 and the taper stage portion 32, more specifically, the ridge line portion. The workpiece WK is placed on the stage 30 so that the position is slightly shifted to the (−Y) side from E. Accordingly, the blanket BL outside the substrate SB in the (−Y) direction is disposed so as to protrude onto the taper stage portion 32, and a gap is generated between the lower surface of the blanket BL and the upper surface 320 of the taper stage portion 32. . An angle θ formed by the lower surface of the blanket BL and the upper surface 320 of the taper stage portion 32 is about the same number of degrees (2 degrees in this embodiment) as the taper angle of the taper stage portion 32.

  The horizontal stage portion 31 is provided with suction grooves 311 and 312 to hold the lower surface of the blanket BL by suction. Among them, the suction groove 311 sucks the lower surface of the blanket BL that hits the lower part of the substrate SB, while the suction groove 312 sucks the lower surface of the blanket BL outside the substrate SB. The suction grooves 311 and 312 can independently turn on and off the suction, and the two types of suction grooves 311 and 312 can be used together to strongly suck the blanket BL. On the other hand, by performing suction using only the outer suction groove 312 and not performing suction on the central portion of the blanket BL where the pattern is effectively formed, a pattern resulting from the deflection of the blanket BL due to suction. Can prevent damage. As described above, by independently controlling the negative pressure supply to the suction groove 311 at the center and the suction groove 312 at the peripheral edge, it is possible to switch the suction holding mode of the blanket BL according to the purpose. Yes.

  Thus, the first to fourth suction units 51 to 54 and the peeling roller 340 of the roller unit 34 are arranged above the work WK sucked and held on the stage 30. As described above, the plurality of suction pads 527 are arranged below the second suction unit 52 in the X direction. More specifically, the suction pad 527 is integrally formed of a material having flexibility and elasticity, such as rubber or silicon resin, and the lower surface thereof contacts the upper surface of the work WK (more specifically, the upper surface of the substrate SB). It has an adsorbing portion 527a that contacts and adsorbs it, and a bellows portion 527b that has elasticity in the vertical direction (Z direction). The suction pads provided in the other suction units 51, 53 and 54 have the same structure, but in the following, the suction pads provided in these suction units 51, 53 and 54 will be denoted by reference numerals 517, 537 and 547, respectively. To distinguish each other.

  The first suction unit 51 is provided above the (−Y) side end of the horizontal stage portion 31 and sucks the upper surface of the (−Y) side end of the substrate SB when it is lowered. On the other hand, the fourth suction unit 54 is provided above the (+ Y) side end of the substrate SB placed on the stage 30 and sucks the upper surface of the (+ Y) side end of the substrate SB when lowered. The second suction unit 52 and the third suction unit 53 are appropriately distributed between them, and for example, the suction pads 517 to 547 can be arranged at substantially equal intervals in the Y direction. Between these adsorption units 51 to 54, movement in the vertical direction and on / off of adsorption can be performed independently of each other.

  The peeling roller 340 moves in the vertical direction to move toward and away from the substrate SB, and moves in the Y direction to move horizontally along the substrate SB. In the state where the peeling roller 340 is lowered, it moves horizontally while abutting on the upper surface of the substrate SB and rolling. The position of the peeling roller 340 when moved to the most (−Y) side is a position closest to the (+ Y) side of the suction pad 517 of the first suction unit 51. In order to enable the arrangement at such close positions, the first suction unit 51 has the same structure as the second suction unit 52 shown in FIG. The fourth suction units 52 to 54 are attached to the support frame 50 in the opposite direction.

  The initial peeling unit 33 has its Y-direction position adjusted so that the pressing member 331 is positioned above the blanket BL protruding above the taper stage portion 32. Then, when the support arm 332 is lowered, the lower end of the pressing member 331 is lowered and presses the upper surface of the blanket BL. At this time, the tip of the pressing member 331 is formed of an elastic member so that the pressing member 331 does not damage the blanket BL.

  Next, the peeling operation by the peeling device 303 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 are diagrams showing the positional relationship of each part at each stage during the peeling process, and schematically show the progress of the process. This peeling process is performed by the CPU 501 executing a processing program stored in advance to control each unit.

  First, when the workpiece WK is loaded at the above position on the stage 30 by the transfer unit 402 disposed between the transfer device 203 and the peeling device 303, the device is initialized and each part of the device is set to a predetermined initial state. The In the initial state, the work WK is sucked and held by one or both of the suction grooves 311 and 312, and the suction member 331 of the initial peeling unit 33, the peeling roller 340 of the roller unit 34, and the first to fourth suction units 51 to 54 are sucked. All of the pads 517 to 547 are separated from the work WK. Further, the peeling roller 340 is at a position closest to the (−Y) side in the movable range.

  From this state, the first suction unit 51 and the peeling roller 340 are lowered and brought into contact with the upper surface of the workpiece WK, respectively. At this time, as shown in FIG. 26A, the suction pad 517 of the first suction unit 51 sucks the upper surface of the (−Y) side end of the substrate SB, and the peeling roller 340 is positioned adjacent to the (+ Y) side. In contact with the upper surface of the substrate SB. In FIG. 26A, the downward arrow attached in the vicinity of the pressing member 331 means that the pressing member 331 moves in the direction of the arrow in the subsequent process from the state shown in the drawing. The same applies to the following drawings.

  Next, the initial peeling unit 33 is operated, the pressing member 331 is lowered, and the end of the blanket BL is pressed. The end of the blanket BL protrudes above the taper stage 32, and there is a gap between its lower surface and the upper surface 320 of the taper stage 32. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 26B, the pressing member 331 presses the end of the blanket BL downward, so that the end of the blanket BL bends downward along the tapered surface of the taper stage portion 32. As a result, the end of the substrate SB sucked and held by the first suction unit 51 and the blanket BL are separated from each other and peeling is started. The pressing member 331 is formed in a rod shape extending in the X direction, and the length in the X direction is set longer than that of the blanket BL. Therefore, the contact region where the pressing member 331 contacts the blanket BL extends linearly from the (−X) side end of the blanket BL to the (+ X) side end. By doing so, the blanket BL can be bent into a columnar shape, and the boundary line between the peeling region where the substrate SB and the blanket BL have already peeled and the unpeeled region that has not yet peeled (hereinafter referred to as “peeling boundary”). Line)) can be made straight.

  From this state, the first suction unit 51 starts to rise, and the peeling roller 340 is moved in the (+ Y) direction in synchronization with this. Specifically, the movement of the peeling roller 340 is started at the timing when the peeling boundary line that moves in the (+ Y) direction reaches the position immediately below the peeling roller 340 due to the rising of the first suction unit 51. As a result, the region where the peeling roller 340 contacts the substrate SB moves in the (+ Y) direction. Thereafter, the first suction unit 51 moves upward, that is, in the (+ Z) direction, and the peeling roller 340 moves at a constant speed in the (+ Y) direction.

  As shown in FIG. 26C, the first suction unit 51 that holds the end portion of the substrate SB is raised, whereby the substrate SB is pulled up, and the separation from the blanket BL proceeds in the (+ Y) direction. Since the peeling roller 340 is in contact, the peeling does not proceed beyond the contact area by the peeling roller 340. By moving the peeling roller 340 in the (+ Y) direction at a constant speed while being in contact with the substrate SB, the progressing speed of the peeling can be kept constant. That is, the separation boundary line is a straight line along the roller extending direction, that is, the X direction, and further proceeds in the (+ Y) direction at a constant speed. Thereby, the damage of the pattern resulting from the stress concentration by the fluctuation | variation of the advancing speed of peeling can be prevented reliably.

  Subsequently, the value of an internal control parameter N for the following processing is set to 2. Then, the process waits for the peeling roller 340 to pass through the Nth suction position. The Nth suction position is a position directly below the Nth suction unit (N = 1 to 4) on the upper surface of the substrate SB, and is a position where the Nth suction unit receives the suction.

  Since N = 2 here, the process waits until the peeling roller 340 passes through the second suction position, that is, the position immediately below the second suction unit 52. When the peeling roller 340 passes through the second suction position, the second suction unit 52 starts to descend, and the substrate SB is captured by the suction pad 527 of the second suction unit 52.

  As shown in FIG. 26D, since the peeling roller 340 has already passed, the substrate SB is peeled from the blanket BL and lifted upward at a position directly below the second suction unit 52. By approaching the substrate SB while applying a negative pressure to the suction pad 527 made of an elastic member having elasticity, the substrate SB is captured when the lower surface of the suction pad 527 comes into contact with the upper surface of the substrate SB. Can be adsorbed. After the suction pad 527 is lowered to a predetermined position, the substrate SB pulled up may be waited. In any case, it is possible to prevent suction failure by providing the suction pad with flexibility.

  After the adsorption of the substrate SB is started, the movement of the second adsorption unit 52 is turned up. As a result, as shown in FIG. 27A, the peeling speed is still controlled by the peeling roller 340, and the main body for lifting the substrate SB for peeling is changed from the first suction unit 51 to the second suction unit 52. Taken over. Further, the substrate SB after separation is switched from holding by only the first suction unit 51 to holding by the first suction unit 51 and the second suction unit 52, and the number of holding points increases. In addition, when each adsorption | suction unit 51-54 raises, the relative position in the Z direction between each adsorption | suction unit 51-54 is maintained so that the attitude | position of the board | substrate SB after peeling becomes a substantially plane.

  Subsequently, 1 is added to the value of the control parameter N, and the process is a loop process that returns to step S107 until the parameter N becomes 4. Therefore, in the next loop, when the peeling roller 340 passes the third suction position immediately below the third suction unit 53, the lowering of the third suction unit 53 is started. As shown in FIG. The main body for lifting the substrate SB moves from the second suction unit 52 to the third suction unit 53. Further, in the next loop, after the peeling roller 340 passes through the fourth suction position, the fourth suction unit 54 descends and pulls up the substrate SB. By changing the upper limit value of N in step S110, it is possible to cope with a case where the number of suction units is different from the above.

  Thus, by pulling up the substrate SB by the fourth suction unit 54, the entire substrate SB is pulled away from the blanket BL as shown in FIG. Therefore, after raising the fourth suction unit 54, the peeling roller 340 is moved to the (+ Y) side from the stage 30 to stop the movement. And as shown in FIG.27 (d), after raising all the adsorption | suction units 51-54 to the same height, it stops. Further, the pressing member 331 of the initial peeling unit 33 is separated from the blanket BL and moved to a retracted position above the upper surface of the blanket BL and at the (−Y) side end of the (−Y) side end of the blanket BL (step S114). ). Thereafter, the suction holding of the blanket BL by the suction groove is released, and the separated substrate SB and the blanket BL are carried out of the apparatus, whereby the peeling process is completed.

  The suction units 51 to 54 have the same height by holding the substrate SB after separation and the blanket BL in parallel so that the hand for dispensing hand inserted by an external robot or operator can be accessed. This is to facilitate the delivery of the blanket BL and the substrate SB.

<< Cleaning device >>
In the printing system 100, a plate cleaning device 720 is provided for cleaning and reusing the plate PPi used for the patterning process, and the transfer plate TPi used for removing the residual ink RI from the blanket BL. A transfer plate cleaning device 730 is provided in order to clean and reuse the toner. These have the same configuration as the cleaning apparatus described in JP-A-9-155306 and JP-A-2006-41439. Therefore, the cleaning device 730 will be described, and the description of the cleaning device 720 will be omitted. FIG. 28 is a side view schematically showing a cleaning device for cleaning the transfer plate used for ink removal. In the cleaning device 730, the internal space of the cleaning housing 731 is partitioned into three processing spaces by two partition walls. Each partition is formed with an opening so that the transfer plate TP can pass in a posture inclined with respect to a horizontal plane (XY plane). A plurality of inclined rollers 732 are arranged in the X direction at predetermined intervals so as to pass through the processing spaces while passing through the openings, and the transfer plate TP moves through the three processing spaces by roller conveyance (roller conveyance). It is possible to move in order.

  In these treatment spaces, a pre-wet part 733, a chemical solution treatment part 734, and a rinse part 735 are provided. Among these, the pre-wet part 733 located on the most upstream side in the transfer direction of the transfer plate TPi supplies water or a predetermined chemical solution from the shower nozzle 7331 to the transfer plate TPi to pre-wet the transfer plate TPi. Further, the chemical solution processing unit 734 adjacent to the (+ X) direction side of the pre-wet unit 733 supplies a cleaning chemical solution from the two-fluid nozzle 7341 to the transfer plate TPi that has passed through the pre-wet unit 733 to perform the cleaning process. Apply. Further, the rinsing unit 735 adjacent to the (+ X) direction side of the chemical solution processing unit 734 supplies a rinsing solution such as water from the shower nozzle 7351 to the transfer plate TPi that has passed through the chemical solution processing unit 734 for cleaning. Rinse the chemical solution. In addition, since the transfer plate TPi is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane during conveyance, the liquid supplied to the transfer plate TPi flows down downward in the gravitational direction as needed. In this manner, the transfer plate TPi is wet-cleaned to remove the residual ink RI transferred to the transfer plate TPi and reused as the transfer plate TP0. In order to forcibly dry the transfer plate TP0, a drying unit may be provided on the (+ X) direction side of the rinse unit 735. As described above, in the printing system 100, the transfer device 204, the peeling device 304, and the conveyance unit 402 disposed between the transfer device 204 and the peeling device 304 constitute the “removal device” of the present invention. ing. That is, the transfer plate TP is brought into close contact with the surface SF of the blanket BLi to which the residual ink RI is adhered by the transfer device 204 to form a contact body (work WK). At that time, the residual ink RI is transferred to the transfer plate. It is transcribed to TP. Then, the contact body is transported to the peeling device 304 by the transport unit 402, and the transfer plate TP is peeled from the blanket BL while carrying the residual ink RI by the peeling device 304, and the residual ink RI is removed from the surface SF of the blanket BL. The For this reason, the residual ink RI from the blanket BL can be efficiently removed as in the first embodiment.

  In the printing system 100, as shown in FIG. 7, the transfer devices 202 to 204 and the peeling devices 302 to 302 are disposed on the blanket transport path PTB while transporting the blanket BL along the annular blanket transport path PTB. By repeating the coating process, the printing process, and the removal process by 304 and the coating apparatus 800, the substrate SB on which the pattern layer PL having a desired pattern (inversion pattern of the plate PP) is formed can be mass-produced. Further, these devices are arranged in an annular shape along the blanket transport path PTB in accordance with the processing order. That is, the coating device 800, the transfer device 202, the peeling device 302, the transfer device 203, the peeling device 303, the transfer device 204, and the peeling device 304 are annularly arranged in this order on the blanket transport path PTB. By adopting such an arrangement layout, the occupation area of the printing system 100, that is, the footprint of the printing system 100 can be suppressed.

  Thus, in the printing system 100, the transport unit 402 arranged on the blanket transport path PTB functions as the “first transport unit”, “second transport unit”, and “third transport unit” of the present invention. Further, a patterning process is performed in which the coating layer CL on the blanket BL is patterned by the transfer device 202 and the peeling device 302 to form a pattern layer, and the pattern layer is transferred to the substrate SB by the transfer device 203 and the peeling device 303. A pattern layer is formed on the substrate SB. That is, the combination of the transfer devices 202 and 203 and the peeling devices 302 and 303 functions as the “printing device” of the present invention. However, the configuration of the printing apparatus is not limited to this. For example, the patterning process may be performed using the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 instead of the transfer apparatus 203 and the peeling apparatus 303. Further, instead of the transfer device 203 and the peeling device 303, the transfer process may be performed using an apparatus described in Patent Document 1.

  In the printing system 100, the plate PP is conveyed along the annular plate conveyance path PTP so that the plate PP can be reused. However, a new plate PP is carried into the transfer device 202 every patterning process. You may comprise. Further, the transfer plate TP is transported along the annular transfer plate transport path PTT so that the transfer plate TP can be reused. However, a new transfer plate TP is transported to the transfer device 204 for each removal process. You may comprise.

  Further, as the “removal device” in the printing system 100, the removal device 1A shown in FIG. 1, the removal device 1B shown in FIG. 4, or the removal device 1C shown in FIG. 6 may be used.

<Others>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the fourth embodiment, the transfer plate TP is held by vacuum suction, but the holding mode is not limited to this and is arbitrary.

  In the third embodiment, the blanket BL is moved in the X direction while rotating the transfer roller TR at a predetermined position. However, the blanket BL is held at the predetermined position while the transfer roller TR is rotated in the X direction. You may comprise so that it may move to. In short, the blanket BL may be moved relative to the transfer roller TR in the X direction corresponding to the “first direction” of the present invention, that is, may be relatively moved. In the third embodiment, the Y direction corresponds to the “second direction” of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the blanket BL is an example of the “plate-like body” of the present invention, and the residual ink RI on the blanket BL is the “adherent” of the present invention. For example, the present invention can be applied to a removing apparatus that removes a substance adhering to the substrate by a transfer body such as the transfer plate TP or the transfer roller TR.

  In the above embodiment, the transfer plate TP and the transfer roller TR are formed of a material having a surface tension that is lower than the surface tension of the surface SF of the blanket BL and higher than the surface SF of the blanket BL. However, it may be configured such that only the close contact portion that is in close contact with the blanket BL has a lower surface tension than the surface SF of the blanket BL. That is, the surface tension of the close contact portion of the transfer body such as the transfer plate TP or the transfer roller TR that is in close contact with one main surface of the plate-like body such as the blanket BL or the substrate is larger than the surface tension of one main surface of the plate-like body. What is necessary is just to comprise so that it may become low.

  The present invention can be suitably applied to a removal technique for removing deposits adhering to a plate-like body such as a blanket or a substrate, and a printing system using the removal technique.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A-1C ... Removal apparatus 100 ... Printing system 201,202,203,204 ... Transfer apparatus 301,302,303,304 ... Peeling apparatus 407 ... Moving part 408 ... Rotation part 500 ... Control apparatus 601 ... Transfer / peeling apparatus 710, 720, 730 ... Cleaning device 800 ... Application device 2011 ... Transfer plate holder (first transfer body holder)
2012 ... Blanket holding part (first plate-like body holding part)
2013 (first) elevating drive unit 3011 ... transfer plate holding unit (second transfer body holding unit)
3012 ... Blanket holding part (second plate-like body holding part)
3013 (Second) lift drive unit 6011 ... Transfer plate holding unit (transfer body holding unit)
6012 ... Blanket holding part (plate-like body holding part)
6013 ... Elevating drive unit 401 ... Conveying device 402 ... Conveying unit AB ... Adhering body BL, BL0, BLi ... Blanket CL ... Application layer CP ... Adhering position PL ... Pattern layer PP, PP0, PPi ... Plate PTB ... Blanket conveying path RI ... Residual ink (attachment)
SB ... Substrate SF ... Surface of blanket BL TP, TP0, TR, TPi ... Transfer plate TR ... Transfer roller (transfer body)
WK ... Work (adherent body)
Z: Vertical axis direction

Claims (14)

A removal method for removing deposits adhering to one main surface of a plate-like body,
A transfer step in which a transfer body is brought into close contact with one main surface of the plate-like body and the deposit is transferred to the transfer body;
And a peeling step of peeling the transfer body that is in close contact with the one main surface of the plate-like body from the plate-like body to remove the deposits from the one main surface of the plate-like body. . The removal method according to claim 1,
A removal method in which a surface tension of at least a close contact portion that is in close contact with one main surface of the plate-like body is lower than a surface tension of one main surface of the plate-like body. It is the removal method of Claim 1 or 2, Comprising:
The transfer body has one main surface that can be in close contact with the entire one main surface of the plate-shaped body,
The transfer step is a step of bringing the entire one main surface of the plate-like body into close contact with the one main surface of the transfer body,
In the peeling step, the entire one main surface of the plate-like body and the one main surface of the transfer body are brought into close contact with each other by the transfer step, and the deposit is transferred to the one main surface of the transfer body. A removal method, which is a step of peeling the transfer body from the plate-like body. It is the removal method of Claim 3, Comprising:
A cleaning step of cleaning the transfer body peeled off from the plate-like body to remove the deposits from the transfer body;
A removal method of reusing the transfer body that has undergone the washing step. It is the removal method of Claim 1 or 2, Comprising:
A moving step of moving the plate-like body relative to the transfer body in a first direction parallel to the one main surface of the plate-like body;
The transfer body is finished in a cylindrical or columnar shape, and is a peripheral surface that is in contact with one surface of the plate-like body in a second direction parallel to the one main surface of the plate-like body and perpendicular to the first direction. Have
In the transfer step, the transfer body rotates with the relative movement of the plate-like body in the first direction in a state where the peripheral surface of the transfer body is in contact with one surface of the plate-like body. A step of transferring the deposit to the transfer body at a close contact position where a peripheral surface of the body and one surface of the plate-like body are in close contact with each other;
In the peeling step, the deposit transferred to the peripheral surface of the transfer body is peeled away from the plate-like body by the relative movement of the plate-like body in the first direction and the rotation of the transfer body. The removal method which is a process. The removal method according to claim 5,
Of the peripheral surface of the transfer body, after the peripheral surface portion to which the deposit adheres is separated from the plate-like body, and again by the relative movement of the plate-like body in the first direction and the rotation of the transfer body. A removal method further comprising a washing step of washing the peripheral surface portion and removing the deposit from the transfer body before coming into contact with one surface of the plate-like body. A removal device for removing deposits adhering to one main surface of a plate-like body,
After the transfer body is brought into close contact with the one main surface of the plate-like body and the deposit is transferred to the transfer body, the transfer body is peeled off from the plate-like body and the one main surface of the plate-like body is A removal device for removing deposits. The removal device according to claim 7,
A first transfer body holding portion for holding the transfer body, and holding the plate-like body so that one main surface of the plate-like body faces the transfer body held by the first transfer body holding portion. The first plate-shaped body holding portion, and at least one of the first transfer body holding portion and the first plate-shaped body holding portion are driven and brought close to each other so that the transfer body is placed on one main surface of the plate-shaped body. A first drive unit that forms a contact body by closely contacting, and a transfer device that transfers the deposit to the transfer body by the formation of the contact body;
A second transfer body holding section for holding the transfer body constituting the contact body, a second plate body holding section for holding the plate body constituting the contact body, the second transfer body holding section, and A second drive unit that drives at least one of the second plate-like body holding portions to be separated from each other and peels the transfer body closely attached to one main surface of the plate-like body from the plate-like body; A peeling device that removes the deposit from one main surface of the plate-like body by peeling the transfer body from the plate-like body;
A removal apparatus comprising: a conveying device that conveys the contact body from the transfer device to the peeling device. The removal device according to claim 7,
A transfer body holding section for holding the transfer body;
A plate-like body holding portion that holds the plate-like body so that one main surface of the plate-like body faces the transfer body held by the transfer body holding portion;
A drive unit that drives at least one of the transfer body holding part and the plate-like body holding part to bring the plate-like body holding part and the transfer body holding part close to and away from each other;
The drive unit brings the plate-like body holding part and the transfer body holding part close to each other, so that one main surface of the plate-like body is in close contact with the transfer body, and the deposit is transferred to the transfer body,
The drive unit separates the plate-shaped body holding unit and the transfer body holding unit from each other, whereby the transfer body is separated from the plate-shaped body to remove the deposits from one main surface of the plate-shaped body. A removal device characterized by. The removal device according to claim 7,
A moving unit that moves the plate-like body relative to the transfer body in a first direction parallel to the one main surface of the plate-like body;
A rotating unit that rotates the transfer body,
The transfer body is finished in a cylindrical or columnar shape, and is a peripheral surface that is in contact with one surface of the plate-like body in a second direction parallel to the one main surface of the plate-like body and perpendicular to the first direction. Have
The moving unit relatively moves the plate-like body in the first direction while the peripheral surface of the transfer body is in contact with one surface of the plate-like body, and the rotating unit rotates the transfer body. Thus, the transfer of the deposits from the plate-like body to the peripheral surface of the transfer body and the peeling of the deposits transferred to the peripheral face of the transfer body from the plate-like body are performed. A removing device for removing the deposits from one main surface of the body. The removal apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10,
A removal device further comprising a cleaning device that cleans the transfer body to remove the deposits transferred to the transfer body. A coating apparatus for coating the blanket with a coating solution to form a coating layer;
A printing apparatus for patterning the coating layer formed on the blanket to form a pattern layer, and then transferring the pattern layer to a substrate;
After the transfer body is brought into close contact with the blanket used to transfer the pattern layer to the substrate and the deposit adhering to the blanket is transferred to the transfer body, the transfer body is peeled off from the blanket. A removing device for removing the deposit,
The blanket on which the coating layer is formed is transported to the printing device, the blanket used to transfer the pattern layer to the substrate is transported to the removing device, and the adhering material is removed. A printing system comprising: a conveying device that conveys the ink to the coating device and reuses the blanket. The printing system according to claim 12, comprising:
The coating device, the printing device and the removing device are arranged in an annular shape,
The transport system is a printing system that circulates and transports the blanket along a blanket transport path that connects the coating device, the printing device, and the removal device in an annular shape. The printing system according to claim 13, comprising:
The transport device includes a first transport unit that transports the blanket on which the coating layer is formed, a second transport unit that transports the blanket used to transfer the pattern layer to the substrate, and the attachment. A third transport unit that transports the blanket from which the kimono has been removed,
The printing system in which the first transport unit, the second transport unit, and the third transport unit are arranged in the blanket transport path.

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