JP4049146B2 - Element manufacturing method and element manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an element manufacturing method and an element manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement in an apparatus for forming an element by forming an arbitrary pattern on a substrate using a functional liquid applying apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus.

  Semiconductor elements and other circuit elements are manufactured by forming circuit patterns and wiring patterns on silicon, glass, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and other substrates. Conventionally, for example, a lithography method is used for manufacturing such an element. In this lithography method, a photosensitive material called a resist is applied on a substrate, a circuit pattern is irradiated and developed, and metal ions are implanted into the circuit pattern to form a circuit pattern. This lithography method requires large-scale equipment and complicated processes, and the manufacturing cost is high.

  Further, as a method for forming the wiring, for example, a method by etching is used. In this method, a metal foil is attached to the surface of a substrate, a resist resin is further applied, and patterning is performed by photolithography or the like, and a portion of the metal foil from which the resist has been removed is etched away. However, this etching method has a problem that the manufacturing cost is high. A method of printing a wiring pattern has also been proposed, but there is a problem in that it becomes one product and lacks quality stability.

  By the way, a method of forming a wiring pattern by ejecting a metal-containing liquid on a substrate instead of ink using an ink jet recording head can be considered. Since the resolution of this ink jet recording head is as fine as 400 dpi, for example, if a functional liquid can be ejected from each nozzle hole, an arbitrary pattern can be formed with a width on the order of μm without the need for facilities such as a semiconductor factory. It is considered possible.

  However, when a droplet ejected by the ink jet method lands on the substrate surface, there is a problem that the droplet spreads greatly on the substrate surface, or the shape of the droplet remains in the outline of the wiring pattern as it is, resulting in unevenness.

  In addition, there has been no method and apparatus for efficiently forming a three-dimensional wiring having a plurality of layers and connecting the electric circuits of the layers to each other.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an element manufacturing method and an element manufacturing apparatus that efficiently form an element having a three-dimensional wiring.

  The element manufacturing method of the present invention is a method of manufacturing an element by applying a metal-containing liquid to an element forming substrate, and a step of forming a hole in the element forming substrate and applying the metal-containing liquid into the hole by an ink jet method. And a process.

  In this case, it is preferable that the holes are formed at positions where the terminals of the plurality of electric circuit elements are different from each other in the thickness direction of the substrate.

  In this case, the substrate has a multilayer structure including a plurality of electric circuit layers and an insulating layer between the electric circuit layers, and the metal-containing liquid applied to the holes enables electric conduction between the electric circuits of the respective layers. Is preferred.

  Similarly, it is preferable that a plurality of holes are formed in a long shape extending in a certain direction on the substrate surface and substantially parallel.

  The element manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing an element by applying a metal-containing liquid to an element forming substrate, and a processing apparatus for forming a hole in the element forming substrate, and applying the metal-containing liquid into the hole by an ink jet method. And a liquid applying device.

  According to the element manufacturing method and the element manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, an element having a three-dimensional wiring can be efficiently formed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, a case where an antenna of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag is formed will be described as an example.

(RFID tag structure)
The RFID tag is an electronic circuit used in a so-called radio wave type recognition system. This system is composed of three parts: (1) a transponder (transmitter / receiver) called a “tag”, (2) a tag reader, and (3) a data processing system such as a computer.

  The tag reader includes an electronic device unit and an antenna, and transmits a radio wave for starting the tag and receives a radio signal from the tag. The received data is checked and decoded by the electronic device unit.

  The tag includes an IC and an antenna, which has a section of memory that stores identification codes and other data. The contents of this memory are transmitted by radio waves (to the tag reader) when the chip becomes operational.

  In many RFID systems, a tag reader emits radio waves in a certain zone determined by the frequency of use of the system and the size of the antenna. When one tag passes through this zone, the tag detects the radio wave from the tag reader and transmits the data stored in the tag.

  When the tag reader receives data from the tag, it decodes the data and determines whether the data is valid. If the data is valid, it is transmitted to a data processing system such as a computer.

  There are two types of tags, active and passive. An active tag operates with the power of a battery that is connected or housed inside. The active type has an advantage that the power supplied to the tag reader can be reduced, and generally a long reading distance is possible. Passive tags do not require a separate external power source and the operating power is derived from the energy emitted by the tag reader. Passive tags are much smaller and lighter than active tags, are cheaper, and have virtually no lifetime limitations.

(Configuration of RFID tag)
FIG. 1 is a plan view (1) of the RFID tag and a cross-sectional view (2) thereof. As shown in FIG. 1A, the RFID tag 10 includes an IC 12 provided on a PET substrate 11, a spiral antenna 13 connected to the IC, and a solder resist 14 formed on a part of the antenna. And an Ag wire 15 formed on the solder resist and connected to both ends of the antenna to form a loop.

  The antenna 13 is formed in a spiral shape on the substrate 11 with a predetermined distance from each other, and each of the surrounding portions of the spiral is not short-circuited with an adjacent surrounding portion. In order not to short-circuit each of the circulating portions, it is necessary to accurately arrange the metal forming the antenna at a predetermined position on the substrate. When the liquid containing the metal constituting the antenna is ejected onto the substrate by the ink jet method, it is necessary to prevent unevenness from remaining on the outline of the antenna.

(RFID tag manufacturing method)
First, after patterning and forming a plurality of portions having different affinities with respect to the liquid containing the metal constituting the antenna, the liquid is discharged by an ink jet method. Here, the plurality of portions having different affinity are preferably a combination of a high affinity portion and a non-affinity portion. Specifically, a portion where the antenna is to be formed is a high affinity portion, and a portion where the antenna is not to be formed is a non-affinity portion. More specifically, the metal-containing liquid (such as a colloidal solution such as Au, Ag, or Cu) that constitutes the antenna is an aqueous liquid. Therefore, the portion where the antenna is to be formed is hydrophilic and the antenna is formed. Parts that should not be made hydrophobic.

FIG. 2 is a manufacturing process cross-sectional view for explaining the method for manufacturing the RFID tag. As one of the methods for patterning a substrate into a plurality of portions having different affinity as described above, there is a method using an organosiloxane. For example, an organosiloxane mixed with titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) as a photocatalyst is applied onto the PET substrate shown in FIG. 2 (1) by spin coating or an inkjet method, and ultraviolet light is emitted from a high-pressure mercury lamp having a wavelength of 254 nm through an optical mask. Let it be exposed. As a result, the exposed portion of the hydrophobic organosiloxane becomes hydrophilic.

  Further, the Au colloid solution (“Perfect Gold” manufactured by Vacuum Metallurgical Co., Ltd.) is used for wiring drawing by the ink jet method. By baking this at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes in the air, the gold antenna wiring 13 shown in FIG. 2B can be obtained. Further, in order to obtain an RFID tag, IC mounting is performed as shown in FIG. 2 (3), and solder resist 14 is applied by an ink jet method as shown in FIG. 2 (4). Furthermore, an Ag colloid solution (“Perfect Silver” manufactured by Vacuum Metallurgical Co., Ltd.) is applied by an ink jet method to form an Ag wire 15 that connects both ends of the antenna 13 to form a loop, and the RFID tag 10 shown in FIG. To manufacture.

  Note that it may be difficult to form the IC 12 having the size shown in the drawing by the inkjet method with the resolution of the current inkjet method, but if the larger IC is acceptable, it can be realized by the inkjet method. As described above, the manufacturing efficiency and the cycle time are drastically improved by executing all the processes by the ink jet method. Further, by improving the manufacturing efficiency of the RFID tag and reducing the cost, an extremely inexpensive RFID tag can be manufactured, and the disposable tag can be put into practical use.

  In the above example, organosiloxane is applied to the entire surface of the substrate and the portion to be hydrophilized is exposed, but it is not always necessary to apply organosiloxane to the entire surface of the substrate. That is, when a metal-containing liquid is ejected to a portion where an antenna is to be formed by an ink jet method, the metal-containing liquid remains in a portion where the antenna is to be formed, and a metal-containing liquid does not remain in a portion where the antenna is not to be formed. Therefore, the portion where the antenna should be formed should be made hydrophilic, and the vicinity of the boundary between the portion where the antenna should not be formed and the portion where the antenna should be formed should be made hydrophobic. Therefore, it is not necessary to apply organosiloxane to a position sufficiently away from the boundary between the portion where the antenna should not be formed and the portion where the antenna should be formed.

  As another method for patterning hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity of a substrate, there is a method using fluoroalkylsilane (FAS). Fluoroalkylsilane is also hydrophilized by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. It is still preferred to use a suitable photocatalyst.

  Moreover, the material which comprises the antenna wiring 13 etc. is not restricted to this, For example, you may use the Cu-SOM liquid by a vacuum metallurgical company, the nano paste of Harima Chemicals, etc. The former is suitable for forming copper wiring, and the latter has a characteristic that fine metal wiring can be formed by low-temperature baking at about 150 ° C. to 200 ° C. Moreover, not only a metal but electroconductive polymers, such as PEDT (polyethylene-dioxythiophene), may be sufficient. In this case, a plurality of regions having different affinities for the conductive polymer are patterned, and a melted conductive polymer is applied to the regions having affinity.

  As yet another method of patterning the substrate to fix the functional liquid at a desired position on the substrate, there is a method of forming a bank for preventing the functional liquid from overflowing on the substrate. In this method, an element thickness corresponding to the bank height is generated, and a flattening process is required after the functional liquid is discharged and baked. However, this method is advantageous when it is desired to increase the thickness of the wiring.

  By the way, the micro lens array (MLA) is formed by arranging a large number of minute lenses on a substrate, and is used for a liquid crystal display panel, a projector, a scanner, and the like. In order to form the microlens array, a method of discharging a transparent epoxy resin or the like, which is a lens material, onto the substrate by an ink jet method can be considered. By processing the lens forming part on the substrate so as to have affinity with the resin and making the non-forming part of the lens non-affinity with the resin, the shape and arrangement of the lens can be made more accurate. it can.

  The method for applying the functional liquid is not limited to the ink jet method, and may be a method using a dispenser.

  Further, the substrate on which the above elements are formed is not limited to PET, glass, and silicon, but can be formed on paper, for example, and used as a seal.

  According to this manufacturing method, since the functional liquid is selectively applied only to the necessary portion, there is no waste of material and cost can be reduced as compared with the case where the functional liquid is applied and etched on the entire surface.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the speaker. As shown in FIG. 3, a coil 32 is formed by applying a liquid in which metal fine particles are dispersed onto a diaphragm 31 by ink jet, and the diaphragm 31 is arranged to face a magnetic flux generating means 33 such as a magnet. . By generating a signal current from the analog signal generating and amplifying circuit 34 through the coil 32 on the diaphragm 31, a magnetic flux is also generated from the coil 32, and the diaphragm 31 vibrates due to the interaction with the magnetic flux generating means 33. Sound is generated. The diaphragm 31 may be planar as illustrated, or may be cone-shaped. Furthermore, a thin and waterproof speaker can be formed by covering the coil forming surface on the diaphragm 31 with a waterproof film or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a front perspective view when electrical wiring is formed on the wall surface. The residential unit wall 41 shown in the figure is provided with a power terminal 42, a telephone terminal 44, a cable TV terminal 46, and the like. An electric wire 43 is connected to the power terminal 42 and signal lines 45 and 47 are connected to terminals of telephones and cable televisions so that electric power and signals can be output, respectively. For example, a wall-mounted television 48 is attached to the unit wall 41, and the electric wire 43 and the signal line 47 are connected to the wall-mounted television 48. Can be output.

  The electric wires 43 and the signal lines 45 and 47 can be formed by applying a liquid in which metal fine particles are dispersed by ink jet to a predetermined position on the unit wall surface, and drying and curing.

<Embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a manufacturing process cross-sectional view of an element provided with a three-dimensional wiring manufactured by the element manufacturing method of the present embodiment. The same surface treatment as that used above is performed on the insulating substrate 51 (S1), and a plurality of layers of electric circuits 52 are formed on the substrate (S2). Here, a liquid in which metal fine particles are dispersed by ink jet is applied to both surfaces of the substrate in a predetermined pattern, and dried and cured to form a total of two layers of electric circuits 52. The method of forming the multi-layer electric circuit 52 is not limited to this, and an insulating layer may be formed on a single-layer electric circuit, and a next-layer electric circuit may be formed thereon.

  Next, holes 53 are formed in the substrate (S3). The holes 53 are for electrical connection between the plurality of layers of electric circuits 52, and the terminals of the plurality of layers of the electric circuits 52 are exposed on the wall surfaces of the holes 53 at different positions in the thickness direction of the substrate. Is done. The hole 53 may penetrate from one surface of the substrate to the other surface, or may not reach the other surface and do not penetrate. As a method for forming the holes 53, for example, a photosensitive material may be applied and exposed to a predetermined pattern for development, or a mask having a predetermined pattern may be applied for etching. The diameter of the hole 53 is, for example, 100 μm.

  Next, the metal-containing liquid 54 is applied into the hole 53 by ink jetting (S4). At this time, it is desirable to perform lyophilic processing on the wall surface of the hole 53 in advance according to the nature of the metal-containing liquid. By drying and curing the applied liquid 54, the plurality of layers of electric circuits 52 can be conducted to each other, and a three-dimensional wiring can be formed. In addition, since it is sufficient that the conductivity of each layer is ensured, the hole 53 after curing may be completely filled with metal, and the metal film 55 is formed only on the wall surface of the hole 53. It is good also as (S5).

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 6A is a plan view of an anisotropic conductive film 61 manufactured by the element manufacturing method of the present embodiment, and FIG. A plurality of elongated holes 62 extending in a certain direction on the film surface, such as silicon rubber or polyester film, are formed substantially in parallel with each other, and after applying the necessary surface treatment, a liquid in which metal fine particles are dispersed is formed by ink jetting. 62. If this is dried and cured, it is possible to produce an anisotropic conductive film 61 that is electrically conductive in a certain direction on the film surface and insulated in a direction perpendicular to the film surface. As shown in FIG. 6B, the hole 62 may penetrate in the thickness direction of the film, or may be formed as a groove that does not penetrate.

<Manufacturing equipment>
FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of an element manufacturing apparatus used in the manufacturing method. The element manufacturing apparatus 100 includes an ink jet type functional liquid application device, and includes an ink jet head group 1, an X direction drive shaft 4, a Y direction guide shaft 5, a control device 6, a mounting table 7, a cleaning mechanism unit 8, and a base. A stand 9 is provided.

  The inkjet head group 1 includes an inkjet head that discharges a predetermined functional liquid (metal-containing liquid, photosensitive material, etc.) from a nozzle (discharge port) and applies the liquid to a substrate.

  The mounting table 7 mounts a substrate 101 (PET, glass, silicon, paper, etc.) to which a functional liquid is applied by the applying device, and includes a mechanism for fixing the recording medium at a reference position.

  An X-direction drive motor 2 is connected to the X-direction drive shaft 4. The X direction drive motor 2 is a stepping motor or the like, and rotates the X direction drive shaft 4 when a drive signal in the X axis direction is supplied from the control device 6. When the X direction drive shaft 4 is rotated, the inkjet head group 1 moves in the X axis direction.

  The Y-direction guide shaft 5 is fixed so as not to move with respect to the base 9. The mounting table 7 includes a Y-direction drive motor 3. The Y-direction drive motor 3 is a stepping motor or the like, and moves the mounting table 7 in the Y-axis direction when a drive signal in the Y-axis direction is supplied from the control device 6.

  The control circuit 6 supplies a droplet discharge control voltage to each head of the inkjet head group 1. Further, a drive pulse signal for controlling the movement of the inkjet head group 1 in the X-axis direction is supplied to the X-direction drive motor 2, and a drive pulse signal for controlling the movement of the mounting table 7 in the Y-axis direction is supplied to the Y-direction drive motor 3. .

  The cleaning mechanism unit 8 includes a mechanism for cleaning the inkjet head group 1. The cleaning mechanism unit 8 includes a Y-direction drive motor (not shown). The cleaning mechanism 8 moves along the Y-direction guide shaft 5 by driving the Y-direction drive motor. The movement of the cleaning mechanism 8 is also controlled by the control device 6.

  Although FIG. 7 does not show an exposure apparatus that performs hydrophilic / hydrophobic patterning or the like, a known exposure apparatus that uses a mercury lamp or the like can be applied to the manufacturing method of this embodiment.

It is the top view (1) of an RFID tag, and its arrow sectional drawing (2). It is manufacturing process sectional drawing explaining the manufacturing method of the said RFID tag. It is a schematic perspective view of a speaker. It is a front perspective view at the time of forming electric wiring on a wall surface. It is manufacturing process sectional drawing of the element provided with the solid wiring manufactured by the element manufacturing method of this embodiment. It is the top view (a) of the anisotropic conductive film manufactured by the element manufacturing method of 2nd Embodiment, and its BB sectional drawing (b). It is a schematic perspective view of the element manufacturing apparatus used for the said manufacturing method.

Explanation of symbols

10 RFID tag 11 PET substrate 12 IC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Antenna 14 Solder resist 15 Ag wire 51 Board | substrate 53 Hole 62 Hole 100 Element manufacturing apparatus 1 Inkjet head group

Claims (5)

A method for producing an element by applying a metal-containing liquid to an element forming substrate,
Forming a hole in the element formation substrate;
Depending on the nature of the metal-containing liquid, a step of performing lyophilic processing on the wall surface of the hole;
Applying the metal-containing liquid into the hole by an ink jet method;
A device manufacturing method comprising: In claim 1,
The hole is an element manufacturing method in which terminals of a plurality of electric circuit elements are formed at different positions in the thickness direction of the substrate. In claim 2,
The substrate has a multilayer structure including a plurality of electric circuit layers and an insulating layer between the electric circuit layers, and the metal-containing liquid applied to the holes enables electric conduction between the electric circuits of the layers. Method. In claim 1,
A device manufacturing method in which a plurality of the holes are formed in a long shape extending in a certain direction on a substrate surface and substantially in parallel. An apparatus for manufacturing an element by applying a metal-containing liquid to an element forming substrate,
A processing apparatus for forming a hole in the element forming substrate;
A liquid application device for applying the metal-containing liquid into the hole by an inkjet method;
I have a,
An element manufacturing apparatus in which the wall surface of the hole is subjected to lyophilic processing in advance according to the properties of the metal-containing liquid before the metal-containing liquid is applied .

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