JP4591418B2 - Drawing apparatus and drawing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus and a drawing method for drawing a pattern on a strip-shaped workpiece.

  For example, various wirings are formed in a COF (Chip On Film) used in a liquid crystal display device, but in recent years, as a technique for forming wirings on such a film-like substrate, the use of a droplet discharge method tends to expand. is there. In general, a coating technique using a droplet discharge method discharges a functional liquid containing a metal material as a droplet from a plurality of nozzles provided in the droplet discharge head while relatively moving the substrate and the droplet discharge head. The liquid droplets are repeatedly deposited on the substrate to draw and form a coating film. The consumption of functional liquid is less wasteful, and any pattern can be directly applied without using means such as photolithography. Has advantages.

  In this type of wiring formation, first, a belt-like work (for example, a film carrier tape) is conveyed by a reel-to-reel method or the like. Then, after performing so-called alignment in which the position of the workpiece is finely adjusted to adjust the relative positional relationship between the workpiece and the droplet discharge head, droplets are discharged onto the workpiece. Here, prior to the discharge to the normal work area, the liquid droplets are discharged to the inspection area, and the work is transported until the inspection area is located in the inspection apparatus. It is common to perform the inspection. In addition, multilayer wiring can be formed by repeating pattern drawing on a workpiece while changing the type of droplet. As a method for conveying a workpiece, for example, a method described in Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2001-267373 A

  However, when a transport system capable of transporting the workpiece only in a certain direction is used, there is a problem that it takes time to return the normal work area to the position of the droplet discharge head after the inspection area is inspected. In order to form a multilayer wiring, it is necessary to repeat the same process in order to form a second layer after first forming the first layer on the workpiece and then replacing the workpiece.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to use a drawing apparatus that can transfer a workpiece in either the normal transfer direction or the reverse transfer direction and that can easily perform inspection or multilayer wiring formation, and the drawing apparatus. It is to provide a drawing method.

  The drawing apparatus of the present invention is a drawing apparatus that draws a pattern on a strip-shaped workpiece, and includes a stage on which the workpiece is placed and a conveyance roller for conveying the workpiece, wherein the workpiece is in a conveyance path of the workpiece. A first conveying roller arranged upstream of the stage and applied with torque in the reverse conveying direction; and a second conveying roller arranged downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the normal conveying direction and the reverse conveying direction. A conveyance roller and a droplet discharge head that discharges a functional liquid to the workpiece placed on the stage are provided.

  According to this configuration, the work can be conveyed in the normal conveyance direction against the first conveyance roller by rotating the second conveyance roller in the normal conveyance direction. Further, the work can be transported in the reverse transport direction by making the torque of the second transport roller smaller than the torque of the first transport roller or applying the torque in the reverse transport direction. Further, in these processes, since the work is always tensioned, it is difficult for slack to occur between the first transport roller and the second transport roller. The drawing apparatus having the above-described configuration can freely convey a workpiece on the conveyance path using such a conveyance system, and can draw a pattern at an arbitrary position on the workpiece.

  The drawing apparatus preferably includes a third transport roller that is disposed downstream of the second transport roller in the work transport path and to which a torque in the normal transport direction is applied. According to this structure, the 3rd conveyance roller can assist conveyance of the workpiece | work in the conveyance path | route downstream of a 2nd conveyance roller. Here, it is preferable that the torque applied to the third transport roller is substantially the same in magnitude as the torque applied to the first transport roller. If it carries out like this, it can be made still easily in the state which applied the fixed tension | tensile_strength to the workpiece | work between the 1st conveyance roller and the 3rd conveyance roller. Further, the torque applied to the second transport roller for transporting the workpiece can be further reduced.

  The drawing apparatus of the present invention is a drawing apparatus that draws a pattern on a strip-shaped workpiece, and includes a stage on which the workpiece is placed and a conveyance roller for conveying the workpiece, wherein the workpiece is in a conveyance path of the workpiece. A first conveying roller arranged upstream of the stage and applied with torque in the reverse conveying direction; and a second conveying roller arranged downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the normal conveying direction and the reverse conveying direction. A transport roller, a droplet discharge head that discharges a functional liquid to the work placed on the stage, an inspection device provided on the downstream side of the stage in the transport path, the second transport roller, A controller that controls the operation of the droplet discharge head, wherein the droplet discharge head discharges the functional liquid to an inspection area on the workpiece; Rotating the roller in the forward transport direction and transporting the workpiece in the forward transport direction, positioning the inspection area in the inspection device, rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction, A step of positioning the work area on the work different from the inspection area on the stage by transporting the work in a reverse transport direction; and the droplet discharge head discharges the functional liquid to the work area And a control unit that executes at least the step of performing.

  According to this configuration, the workpiece can be transported in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction by the first transport roller and the second transport roller. At this time, since the workpiece is always tensioned, it is difficult for slack to occur between the first conveyance roller and the second conveyance roller. In addition, by such transport, the state of the functional liquid discharged to the inspection area can be inspected using an inspection apparatus, and then the work can be reversely transported and a pattern can be drawn in the work area according to the inspection result. For example, the work area can be a normal work area adjacent to the inspection area.

  The drawing apparatus of the present invention is a drawing apparatus that draws a pattern on a strip-shaped workpiece, and includes a stage on which the workpiece is placed and a conveyance roller for conveying the workpiece, wherein the workpiece is in a conveyance path of the workpiece. A first conveying roller arranged upstream of the stage and applied with torque in the reverse conveying direction; and a second conveying roller arranged downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the normal conveying direction and the reverse conveying direction. A transport roller, a droplet discharge head for discharging the first functional liquid or the second functional liquid onto the work placed on the stage, a drying device disposed on the downstream side of the stage, the first A controller for controlling the operation of the two transport rollers and the droplet discharge head, wherein the droplet discharge head discharges the first functional liquid to a work area on the workpiece; A step of positioning the work area in the drying device by rotating a conveyance roller in a normal conveyance direction and conveying the workpiece in a normal conveyance direction, and the first functional liquid discharged on the workpiece Drying with the drying device to form a pattern in the work area; and rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction to transport the work in the reverse transport direction, thereby And a controller that executes at least the step of positioning on the stage and the step of discharging the second functional liquid to the work area by the droplet discharge head.

  According to this configuration, the workpiece can be transported in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction by the first transport roller and the second transport roller. At this time, since the workpiece is always tensioned, it is difficult for slack to occur between the first conveyance roller and the second conveyance roller. In addition, by such transport, the first functional liquid discharged to the work area is dried in a drying apparatus to form a pattern, and then the workpiece is transported in reverse, and is laminated on the same plane as the pattern or on the pattern. The pattern by the second functional liquid can be drawn.

  In the drawing apparatus, it is preferable that one of the first functional liquid and the second functional liquid includes a conductive material and the other includes an insulating material. According to this configuration, a multilayer wiring can be formed by alternately laminating a pattern made of a metal material and a pattern made of an insulating material.

  The drawing method of the present invention includes a stage on which a strip-shaped workpiece is placed, and a conveyance roller for conveying the workpiece, which is disposed upstream of the stage in the conveyance path of the workpiece, and has a torque in the reverse conveyance direction. Is applied to the first conveyance roller, the second conveyance roller which is disposed on the downstream side of the stage and is rotatable in both the normal conveyance direction and the reverse conveyance direction, and the work placed on the stage. A drawing method for drawing a pattern on the workpiece using a drawing apparatus comprising: a droplet discharge head for discharging a functional liquid; and an inspection apparatus provided on the downstream side of the stage in the transport path. The droplet discharge head discharges the functional liquid to the inspection area on the workpiece, and rotates the second conveyance roller in the normal conveyance direction to thereby move the workpiece in the normal conveyance direction. A step of positioning the inspection area on the inspection apparatus by conveying, and rotating the second conveyance roller in the reverse conveyance direction to convey the workpiece in the reverse conveyance direction; A step of positioning different work areas on the workpiece on the stage, a step of the droplet discharge head discharging the functional liquid to the work area, and a step of drying the functional liquid to form a pattern; It is characterized by having.

  According to this method, the workpiece can be transported in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction by the first transport roller and the second transport roller. At this time, since the workpiece is always tensioned, it is difficult for slack to occur between the first conveyance roller and the second conveyance roller. In addition, by such transport, the state of the functional liquid discharged to the inspection area can be inspected using an inspection apparatus, and then the work can be reversely transported and a pattern can be drawn in the work area according to the inspection result. For example, the work area can be a normal work area adjacent to the inspection area.

  The drawing method of the present invention includes a stage on which a strip-shaped workpiece is placed, and a conveyance roller for conveying the workpiece, which is disposed upstream of the stage in the conveyance path of the workpiece, and has a torque in the reverse conveyance direction. Is applied to the first conveyance roller, the second conveyance roller which is disposed on the downstream side of the stage and is rotatable in both the normal conveyance direction and the reverse conveyance direction, and the work placed on the stage. In addition, a pattern is drawn on the workpiece using a drawing apparatus including a droplet discharge head that discharges the first functional liquid or the second functional liquid and a drying device disposed on the downstream side of the stage. In the drawing method, the droplet discharge head discharges the first functional liquid to a work area on the work, and rotates the second transport roller in the forward transport direction to Positive By transporting in the feeding direction, the step of positioning the work area on the drying device, and drying the first functional liquid discharged on the work by the drying device, forming a pattern in the work area Rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction to transport the workpiece in the reverse transport direction, thereby positioning the work area on the stage; and And discharging the second functional liquid to the work area.

  According to this method, the workpiece can be transported in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction by the first transport roller and the second transport roller. At this time, since the workpiece is always tensioned, it is difficult for slack to occur between the first conveyance roller and the second conveyance roller. In addition, by such transport, the first functional liquid discharged to the work area is dried in a drying apparatus to form a pattern, and then the workpiece is transported in reverse, and is laminated on the same plane as the pattern or on the pattern. The pattern by the second functional liquid can be drawn.

  In the drawing method, it is preferable that one of the first functional liquid and the second functional liquid includes a conductive material and the other includes an insulating material. According to this method, a multilayer wiring can be formed by alternately laminating a pattern made of a metal material and a pattern made of an insulating material.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings shown below, the dimensions and ratios of the components are appropriately different from the actual ones in order to make the components large enough to be recognized on the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
(A. Drawing device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a drawing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drawing apparatus 1 includes a base 11, an unwinding reel 84, a take-up reel 85, a stage 50, a droplet discharge head 90, an inspection device 3, a drying device 5, and the like disposed on the base 11. Yes. The drawing device 1 is a device that draws a pattern by discharging droplets from a droplet discharge head 90 onto a tape 80 that is stretched over a conveyance path from the take-out reel 84 to the take-up reel 85. The tape 80 corresponds to the strip-shaped workpiece in the present invention. In this paper, when comparing two points on the transport path, the side near the unwinding reel 84 is called the upstream side, and the side near the winding reel 85 is called the downstream side.

  Here, the tape 80 will be described. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of various tapes (TAB tapes; workpieces) 81 to 83 which are one embodiment of the strip-shaped workpiece in the present invention. The tape 80 described above may be any of these tapes 81 to 83, and may be in any other form as long as it is a strip-shaped workpiece.

  Sprocket holes 86 for transporting and winding the tape are continuously formed at both ends in the width direction of the tape 81, and a semiconductor device is mounted and wiring is formed at the center in the width direction of the tape 81. The work area 88 is continuously formed. This work area 88 is set for each device, for example. The drawing apparatus 1 draws and forms a wiring pattern in the work area 88.

  There are a plurality of types of tapes 81, 82, and 83 having different width dimensions corresponding to the size of the work area 88 described above and the number of work areas 88 arranged in the width direction. Here, the width dimension can be set to 48 mm, 70 mm, 150 mm, or the like, for example.

  For example, three alignment marks AM that are observed when the tapes 81 to 83 are positioned are formed in each work area 88 of each tape 81 to 83. The alignment mark AM has various shapes depending on the measurement method or the like. Here, the alignment mark AM is a circular mark and is illustrated as being arranged at three corners of the rectangular work area 88.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the configuration of the drawing apparatus 1 will be described in detail. The unwinding reel 84 is a reel that rotates in accordance with the conveyance of the tape 80 and sequentially unwinds the tape 80. On the other hand, the take-up reel 85 is a reel that rotates in accordance with the conveyance of the tape 80 and takes up the tape 80. The tape 80 is stretched over a conveyance path from the unwinding reel 84 to the take-up reel 85, and its traveling direction (positive conveyance direction) is the positive direction of the Y axis in the drawing. In other words, the direction from upstream to downstream is the normal conveyance direction. In this paper, the “forward transport direction” refers to the positive direction of the Y-axis and the direction of rotation of the sprocket (or roller) that transports the tape 80 in the positive direction of the Y-axis. Further, the “reverse transport direction” indicates the negative direction of the Y axis and the direction of rotation of the sprocket (or roller) that transports the tape 80 in the negative direction of the Y axis.

  The auxiliary roller 75, the clamp 77, the sprocket 71 and the opposing roller 73, the stage 50 and the droplet discharge head 90, the sprocket 72 and the opposing roller 74, the clamp 78, and the inspection device are arranged on the conveying path from the side closer to the unwinding reel 84. 3, a drying device 5 and a sprocket 76 are arranged. These components are attached to the base 11 directly or indirectly.

  The sprockets 71, 72, and 76 can convey the tape 80 by rotating with their teeth hooked on the sprocket holes 86 of the tape 80 (see FIG. 4). Alternatively, when the tape 80 is fixed, tension can be applied to the tape 80 by applying torque with the teeth applied to the sprocket holes 86 of the tape 80. The sprockets 71, 72, and 76 are driven by a servo motor (not shown). The sprockets 71, 72, and 76 correspond to the first transport roller, the second transport roller, and the third transport roller in the present invention, respectively. Opposing rollers 73 and 74 are arranged at positions facing the sprockets 71 and 72, respectively. The opposing rollers 73 and 74 serve to prevent the tape 80 from being detached from the sprockets 71 and 72 by sandwiching the tape 80 between the sprockets 71 and 72.

  Among the plurality of sprockets, the sprocket 76 is constantly applied with a constant torque in the forward conveyance direction, and the sprocket 71 is always applied with a torque in the reverse conveyance direction of approximately the same magnitude as this. . Such a mechanism is realized by adjusting the driving force of the servo motor connected to the sprockets 76 and 71 by an electromagnetic clutch (not shown). With the above configuration, when the action of other components is not considered, the tape 80 is stationary with a certain tension (tension) between the sprocket 76 and the sprocket 71. When the sprocket 72 is rotated in the normal conveyance direction in this state, the resultant force applied to the tape 80 from the sprockets 71, 72, and 76 becomes a force directed in the positive conveyance direction. For this reason, the tape 80 can be conveyed in the normal conveyance direction. Similarly, if the sprocket 72 is rotated in the reverse conveyance direction, a force in the reverse conveyance direction is applied to the tape 80 as a whole. For this reason, the tape 80 can be conveyed in the reverse conveyance direction.

  The auxiliary roller 75 is a roller that receives no driving force and rotates freely to support the tape 80. Further, the tape 80 located between the take-out reel 84 and the auxiliary roller 75 and between the sprocket 76 and the take-up reel 85 is loosened. Thereby, when the tape 80 is conveyed as described above, it is possible to prevent the tape from being excessively tensioned and deformed or damaged.

  The clamps 77 and 78 can hold both ends of the tape 80. Here, the both end portions of the tape 80 are the end portions when the sprocket holes 86 are arranged when viewed in the width direction and do not include the work area 88. The clamp 77 (78) includes a support part 77b (78b) that supports the tape 80 from below and a pressing part 77a (78a) that is movable in the Z-axis direction. The support part 77b (78b) and the pressing part The tape 80 is held by sandwiching the tape 80 with 77a (78a). The clamps 77 and 78 are attached to a clamp slider 13 provided on the base 11, and can be moved in the Y-axis direction by the clamp slider 13.

  On the downstream side of the clamp 78, the inspection device 3 and the drying device 5 are arranged in this order. The inspection apparatus 3 is an apparatus that inspects the functional liquid 9 (see FIG. 7B and the like) discharged on the tape 80 and the pattern drawn on the tape 80. The inspection device 3 may be configured by, for example, a stereomicroscope and the like, and inspected by human eyes, or configured by a CCD camera or the like, and may be configured to image the tape 80 and inspect by image processing.

  The drying device 5 is a device for drying the functional liquid 9 by evaporating the solvent contained in the functional liquid 9 discharged onto the tape 80. The configuration of the drying device 5 is selected according to the characteristics of the functional liquid 9, and for example, the drying device 5 may be configured to include a thermostatic bath, or may be configured to include a UV irradiation device.

  Next, components arranged around the stage 50 will be described. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the stage 50 and various units arranged in the vicinity thereof. The stage 50 includes a suction mechanism, and can place the tape 80 and hold the tape 80 by suction. A pattern is drawn on a portion of the tape 80 placed on the stage 50. A pair of frames 20 extending in the X-axis direction are arranged above the stage 50. A drawing unit 22 and an alignment unit 24 that are independently driven in the X-axis direction by a driving device such as a linear motor are installed on the frame 20. A droplet discharge head 90 is mounted on the drawing unit 22, and cameras 32 and 33 are mounted on the alignment unit 24.

  FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the stage 50 and the alignment unit 24. The stage 50 is configured by disposing (embedding) the porous plate 51 on the surface of the surface plate 60 so that the tape 80 described above can be adsorbed on the surface of the porous plate 51. The suction position of the tape 80 is the central portion in the width direction of the porous plate 51, and the center line of the tape 80 is set to a position where it matches the center line of the porous plate 51. As a result, the setup change of the drawing apparatus 1 accompanying the change in the size of the tape 80 can be minimized.

  The porous plate 51 is composed of a resin sintered material obtained by sintering a resin material. Sinter molding is a technique in which raw material powder is filled in a mold and heated, and the surface layers of the raw material powder are fused (sintered) to form while leaving the space between the powders. As the raw material powder, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), acrylic resin (PMMA), fluororesin (PVDF, PTFE) It is possible to employ a thermoplastic resin material such as. In this way, by configuring the porous plate 51 with a resin material, damage to the tape 80 adsorbed on the surface of the porous plate 51 can be prevented.

  A negative pressure suction device (not shown) is connected to the porous plate 51, and the negative pressure is supplied almost uniformly over the entire surface of the porous plate 51. Accordingly, even a plurality of types of tapes 80 having different widths can be uniformly sucked and held.

  The stage 50 is fixed to the movable plate 18 disposed below the stage 50. The movable plate 18 can be rotated by the motor 16 in the θz direction (rotation direction around the Z axis). The motor 16 is fixed to the slider 14. The slider 14 can move on the surface of the base plate 12 in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the stage 50 can move in the θz direction and the Y-axis direction with respect to the base plate 12. Here, the base plate 12 is fixed to the base 11 (FIG. 1).

  The movable plate 18 is also attached with sprockets 71 and 72 and opposing rollers 73 and 74 disposed so as to face them. Then, since the stage 50, the sprockets 71 and 72, and the opposing rollers 73 and 74 are all attached to the movable plate 18, when the movable plate 18 moves, the stage 50, the sprockets 71 and 72 move while maintaining their relative positional relationship. . At this time, if the tape 80 is attracted to the stage 50 and the rotation of the sprockets 71 and 72 is stopped, the portion of the tape 80 fixed to the stage 50 and the sprockets 71 and 72 moves together with the movable plate 18. Become.

  The alignment unit 24 includes a moving frame 31 that moves along the frame 20 described above, cameras 32 and 33 mounted on the moving frame 31, a pressing mechanism 34, and the like. The cameras 32 and 33 are constituted by a CCD camera or the like, measure the alignment mark AM (see FIG. 2) formed on the tape 80, and output it to the control unit 99. The control unit 99 drives the motor 16 and the slider 14 based on the measurement results of the cameras 32 and 33 to control the operation of the movable stage 18 (stage 50), and also controls the operation of the pressing mechanism 34. Further, the control unit 99 controls driving of the take-out reel 84, the take-up reel 85, the sprockets 71, 72, 76, the clamps 77, 78, and the droplet discharge head 90 (FIG. 1).

  The camera 32 is integrally fixed to the moving frame 31, but the camera 33 is mounted on a slider 35 provided so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the moving frame 31. Under control, the camera 32 can move in the Y-axis direction.

  The pressing mechanism 34 has a pair of pressing members 36 extending in the Y-axis direction, and is configured to be movable along the guide frame 41 in the Z-axis direction as a whole. Here, the guide frame is provided on the moving frame 31 so as to extend in the Z-axis direction. Of the pair of (−X side, + X side) pressing members 36, the + X side pressing member 36 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction with respect to the guide frame 41. That is, the width of the pair of pressing members 36 can be changed as appropriate.

  The movement of the camera 33 in the Y-axis direction, the movement of the entire pressing mechanism 34 in the Z-axis direction, and the movement of the + X-side pressing member 36 in the X-axis direction are performed by a linear motor or the like driven by the control of the control unit 99. This is done by the driving device.

  Returning to FIG. 3, a droplet discharge head 90 is mounted on the drawing unit 22. The droplet discharge head 90 can discharge droplets onto the tape 80 placed on the stage 50 while moving in the main scanning direction. Here, the main scanning direction is substantially parallel to the X-axis direction and is a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the tape 80. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the droplet discharge head 90. The droplet discharge head 90 mainly includes a head main body 90A, a nozzle plate 92 attached to one surface of the head main body 90A, and a piezo element 98 attached to the other surface of the head main body 90A.

  A plurality of nozzles 91 for discharging droplets are arranged in an array on the nozzle plate 92 constituting the droplet discharge surface. The head main body 90 </ b> A is formed with a plurality of pressure chambers 93 communicating with the nozzles 91. Each pressure chamber 93 is connected to a reservoir 95, and the reservoir 95 is connected to a functional liquid inlet 96. The functional liquid 9 is supplied to each pressure chamber 93 from the functional liquid introduction port 96 through the reservoir 95. On the other hand, a flexible diaphragm 94 is attached to the upper end surface of the head main body 90A. Piezo elements 98 are provided on opposite sides of the pressure chambers 93 with the diaphragm 94 interposed therebetween. The piezo element 98 is obtained by sandwiching a piezoelectric material such as PZT (registered trademark) between electrodes. The electrode is connected to the control unit 99.

  When a driving voltage is applied from the control unit 99 to the piezo element 98, the piezo element 98 is expanded or contracted. When the piezoelectric element 98 contracts and deforms, the pressure in the pressure chamber 93 decreases, and the functional liquid 9 flows from the reservoir 95 into the pressure chamber 93. Further, when the piezo element 98 expands and deforms, the pressure in the pressure chamber 93 increases, and the droplet of the functional liquid 9 is ejected from the nozzle 91. The droplet discharge conditions can be controlled by controlling the driving voltage applied to the piezo element 98.

  Here, the functional liquid 9 will be described. The functional liquid 9 used for forming the wiring pattern is a dispersion liquid in which conductive fine particles as the conductive material of the present invention are dispersed in a dispersion medium. In the present embodiment, as the conductive fine particles, for example, metal oxides containing at least one of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, palladium, and nickel, these oxides, conductive polymers, Superconductor fine particles are used. These conductive fine particles can be used by coating the surface with an organic substance or the like in order to improve dispersibility. The particle diameter of the conductive fine particles is preferably 1 nm or more and 1.0 μm or less. If it is larger than 1.0 μm, the nozzle 91 of the droplet discharge head 90 may be clogged. On the other hand, if the thickness is smaller than 1 nm, the volume ratio of the coating agent to the conductive fine particles is increased, and the ratio of organic substances in the obtained film becomes excessive.

  The dispersion medium is not particularly limited as long as it can disperse the conductive fine particles and does not cause aggregation. For example, in addition to water, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, n-heptane, n-octane, decane, dodecane, tetradecane, toluene, xylene, cymene, durene, indene, dipentene, tetrahydronaphthalene, decahydro Hydrocarbon compounds such as naphthalene and cyclohexylbenzene, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, ethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, bis (2- Methoxyethyl) ether, ether compounds such as p-dioxane, propylene carbonate, γ- Butyrolactone, N- methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, can be exemplified polar compounds such as cyclohexanone. Of these, water, alcohols, hydrocarbon compounds, and ether compounds are preferable and more preferable dispersion media in terms of fine particle dispersibility, dispersion stability, and ease of application to the droplet discharge method. Examples thereof include water and hydrocarbon compounds.

  The surface tension of the conductive fine particle dispersion is preferably in the range of 0.02 N / m to 0.07 N / m. When discharging the functional liquid 9 by the droplet discharge method, if the surface tension is less than 0.02 N / m, the wettability of the functional liquid 9 with respect to the nozzle surface increases, and thus flight bending easily occurs. If it exceeds m, the shape of the meniscus at the tip of the nozzle 91 is not stable, and it becomes difficult to control the discharge amount and the discharge timing. In order to adjust the surface tension, it is preferable to add a small amount of a surface tension adjusting agent such as a fluorine-based, silicone-based, or nonionic-based material to the above-described dispersion within a range that does not significantly reduce the contact angle with the surface to be discharged. The nonionic surface tension adjusting agent improves the wettability of the functional liquid 9 to the surface to be discharged, improves the leveling property of the film, and helps prevent the occurrence of fine irregularities on the film. The surface tension modifier may contain an organic compound such as alcohol, ether, ester, or ketone, if necessary.

  The viscosity of the dispersion is preferably 1 mPa · s to 50 mPa · s. When the functional liquid 9 is ejected as droplets using the droplet ejection method, if the viscosity is less than 1 mPa · s, the peripheral portion of the nozzle 91 is easily contaminated by the outflow of the functional liquid 9, and the viscosity is 50 mPa · s. If it is larger, the clogging frequency of the nozzle 91 is increased and it is difficult to smoothly discharge the functional liquid 9.

  In addition to the above-described piezo method for changing the pressure in the pressure chamber by deformation of the piezo element, a method for changing the pressure in the pressure chamber by generating bubbles by heating the functional liquid, etc. Various known techniques can be applied. Of these, the piezo method is superior in that it does not adversely affect the composition of the material because the functional liquid is not heated.

  The drawing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured as described above.

(B. Drawing method)
Next, a drawing method using the drawing apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a process diagram of the drawing method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the drawing apparatus 1 and the tape 80 in each step (process) of the drawing method according to the present embodiment. Here, reference numeral 88 b in FIG. 7 represents an inspection area 88 b used for inspection of the discharge state of the functional liquid 9 in the work area 88 of the tape 80. Reference numeral 88a represents a normal work area 88a adjacent to the inspection area 88b. The inspection area 88b and the work area 88a are drawn so as to have different thicknesses from the other areas for convenience of explanation, but actually have the same thickness as the other areas. Hereinafter, it demonstrates along the process drawing shown in FIG.

  First, in Step P1, the tape 80 is transported by the operation of the sprockets 71, 72, and 76 so that the inspection area 88b of the tape 80 is positioned on the stage 50 (FIG. 7A). As described above, this step is performed by rotating the sprocket 72 in the forward conveyance direction while applying a torque of a constant size and a reverse direction to the sprockets 71 and 76 and maintaining the tape 80 in a state of having a constant tension. Do. At the same time, the take-up reel 84 and the take-up reel 85 are appropriately rotated according to the transport amount of the tape 80 to feed out the tape 80 from the take-up reel 84 by a necessary amount, and the tape 80 is taken up by the take-up reel 85. In this step, the clamps 77 and 78 are opened. After this step is completed and the tape 80 moves to a predetermined position, the sprockets 71 and 72 are fixed, and the tape 80 between the sprockets 71 and 72 is maintained in that state.

  Next, in step P <b> 2, the tape 80 is adsorbed on the surface of the stage 50 (porous plate 51), and the tape 80 is placed on the stage 50. This step is performed as follows, for example.

  First, the alignment unit 24 is moved along the frame 20 (see FIG. 3), and the pressing mechanism 34 included in the alignment unit 24 is disposed at a position facing the stage 50. Next, by lowering the support frame 40 along the guide frame 41, the pressing members 36 of the pressing mechanism 34 are brought into contact with both ends of the tape 80 (see FIG. 4) and pressed toward the stage 50. At this time, the position of the pressing member 36 is adjusted in advance so as to contact both end portions of the tape 80 in the width direction. As described above, the pressing mechanism 34 presses both ends of the tape 80, so that even when the tape 80 is warped, the pressing mechanism 34 comes into close contact with the stage 50 in a state where the warp is corrected. Further, according to such a method, since only the both ends of the tape 80 are pressed and the pressing member 36 does not come into contact with the work area 88, the area where the functional liquid 9 on the work area 88 should be discharged is not damaged. No dents are generated.

  In this state, the stage 50 sucks the tape 80. That is, the tape 80 is adsorbed to the stage 50 by operating the negative pressure suction device of the stage 50 to adsorb and hold the tape 80 on the surface of the porous plate 51. Next, the support frame 40 is raised along the guide frame 41 to release the pressing of the pressing mechanism 34 against the tape 80. Here, when the pressing by the pressing mechanism 34 is released, the tape 80 is attracted to the stage 50, so that the tape 80 is not warped again.

  Next, in step P3, so-called alignment is performed in which the tape 80 is moved together with the movable stage 18 so as to be positioned so as to satisfy a predetermined relative positional relationship with respect to the droplet discharge head 90. In the present embodiment, this step is performed as follows.

  First, the clamps 77 and 78 hold the tape 80 (FIG. 7B). This step is performed by pressing the pressing portion 77a (78a) of the clamp 77 (78) against the support portion 77b (78b) via the tape 80. At this time, the portions of the tape 80 with which the clamps 77 and 78 abut are both end portions not including the work area 88. As a result, it is possible to prevent scratches, dents, and the like from occurring in the region where the functional liquid 9 is to be discharged in the inspection region 88b.

  Next, the clamps 77 and 78 are moved in a direction to reduce the distance between them, and slack is generated in the tape 80 between the clamp 77 and the sprocket 71 and between the sprocket 72 and the clamp 78 (FIG. 7 ( b)). This step is performed by moving the clamp 77 along the clamp slider 13 in the forward conveyance direction and moving the clamp 78 along the clamp slider 13 in the reverse conveyance direction. At this time, since the clamps 77 and 78 hold the tape 80, the tape 80 is also deformed as the clamps 77 and 78 move. On the other hand, since the tape 80 is fixed by the sprockets 71 and 72 at the positions of the sprockets 71 and 72, the slack as described above can be caused by the movement of the clamps 77 and 78.

  Next, the alignment marks AM on the tape 80 are photographed by the cameras 32 and 33. For example, if the tape 80 has a shape like the tape 81 shown in FIG. 2, the alignment mark AM1 is photographed and measured by the camera 32, and the alignment mark AM2 is photographed and measured by the camera 33. At this time, since the tape 80 is attracted to the stage 50 in a state where the warp has been corrected through the step P2, it is possible to accurately photograph and measure the alignment mark AM.

  In order to photograph the alignment mark AM simultaneously with the two cameras 32 and 33 as described above, the cameras 32 and 33 are moved in advance as follows. That is, the position in the X-axis direction of the moving frame 31 is adjusted so that the alignment mark AM1 is positioned in the measurement range of the camera 32, and the distance corresponding to the relative positional relationship between the alignment marks AM1 and AM2 is set via the slider 35. The camera 33 is moved in the Y axis direction.

  From these photographing results, the control unit 99 calculates the current position of the inspection area 88b of the tape 80, and further calculates the offset amount from the predetermined position.

  Next, based on the calculation result, the movable stage 18 (stage 50) is moved to align the tape 80. More specifically, the control unit 99 drives the slider 14 and the motor 16 based on the calculation result to move the movable stage 18 in the Y-axis direction and the θz direction (see FIG. 4), and is attracted to the surface of the stage 50. The aligned tape 80 is moved relative to the droplet discharge head 90 for alignment. This alignment is performed such that, for example, a straight line connecting the alignment mark AM1 and the alignment mark AM2 is in a state orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the droplet discharge head 90. Note that the alignment of the tape 80 in the X-axis direction is performed by adjusting the movement amount of the drawing unit 22.

  During the alignment, the stage 50 fixed to the movable stage 18, the sprockets 71 and 72, and the opposing rollers 73 and 74 also move together with the movable stage 18. Since the tape 80 is also attracted to the stage 50 and fixed by the sprockets 71 and 72, the part from the sprocket 71 to the sprocket 72 moves together with the movable plate 18.

  At this time, since the slack is generated in the tape 80 due to the movement of the clamps 77 and 78, even if the tape 80 moves together with the movable stage 18, the slack absorbs deformation due to the movement. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the tape 80 from being excessively tensioned, twisted, bent, or the like, and to perform alignment without causing deformation or damage to the tape 80 and the wiring formed on the tape 80. .

  In this way, the alignment in step P3 is completed.

  Next, in step P4, the functional liquid 9 is discharged from the droplet discharge head 90 to the tape 80 (FIG. 7B). More specifically, first, when the alignment of the tape 80 in step P3 is completed, the alignment unit 24 is moved along the frame 20 to be retracted from the position facing the stage 50 (that is, the tape 80), and the drawing unit 22 is moved. It is moved in the X-axis direction and arranged at a position facing the stage 50. Then, by discharging the functional liquid 9 from the droplet discharge head 90, the functional liquid 9 is disposed at a position where a wiring pattern is to be formed in the inspection region 88b of the tape 80.

  Next, in Step P5, the tape 80 is transported in the normal transport direction (+ Y direction), and the inspection area 88b is positioned in the inspection apparatus 3 (FIG. 7C). This step is performed by operating each component of the drawing apparatus 1 in the same manner as in Step P1. Prior to this step, the holding of the tape 80 by the clamps 77 and 78 is released.

  Next, in step P6, the state of the functional liquid 9 discharged to the inspection area 88b of the tape 80 is inspected using the inspection apparatus 3. In the case where the inspection apparatus 3 is constituted by a stereomicroscope or the like, for example, it is inspected whether the discharge amount and the discharge position of the functional liquid 9 are appropriate by visual observation by a person using the stereomicroscope. When the inspection apparatus 3 is composed of a CCD camera or the like, for example, the inspection area 88b of the tape 80 is photographed and subjected to image processing to determine whether the discharge amount and discharge position of the functional liquid 9 are appropriate. Check for these. The configuration and the inspection method of the inspection device 3 are not limited to this, and various methods can be used depending on the inspection object and the inspection purpose.

  Here, in the next step P7, it is determined whether or not the area on the tape 80 that has been worked in the process up to step P6 is the inspection area 88b. If it is the inspection area 88b, the process proceeds to Step P10, and if it is any other normal work area 88 including the work area 88a, the process proceeds to Step P8. Since the work has been performed on the inspection area 88b, the process proceeds to Step P10.

  In Step P10, the tape 80 is moved in the reverse conveyance direction (that is, in the −Y direction) so that the normal work area 88a adjacent to the inspection area 88b is positioned on the stage 50 by the operation of the sprockets 71, 72, and 76. It is transported (FIG. 7D). This step is performed by rotating the sprocket 72 in the reverse transport direction while applying a reverse torque in the reverse direction to the sprockets 71 and 76 and maintaining the tape 80 in a state having a constant tension. After this step is completed and the tape 80 moves to a predetermined position, the sprockets 71 and 72 are fixed, and the tape 80 between the sprockets 71 and 72 is maintained in that state.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to Step P2, and Steps P2 to P6 are subsequently performed on the work area 88a. That is, in step P 2, the tape 80 is sucked and placed on the stage 50 with the work area 88 a facing the droplet discharge head 90. Next, alignment is performed in step P3, and the functional liquid 9 is discharged to the work area 88a in step P4. Thereafter, in step P5, the tape 80 is transported so that the work area 88a is positioned in the inspection apparatus 3, and inspection is performed in step P6. Note that the inspection in step P6 may be omitted for the work area 88a.

  Next, in Step P7, it is determined again whether or not the area where the work has been performed in the processes up to Step P6 is the inspection area 88b. Since the work has been performed on the work area 88a, the process proceeds to Step P8 here.

  Next, in Step P8, the tape 80 is transported in the normal transport direction (+ Y direction), and the work area 88a is positioned in the drying device 5 (FIG. 7E). This step is performed by operating each component of the drawing apparatus 1 in the same manner as in Step P1.

  Next, in Step P9, the drying device 5 evaporates the solvent contained in the functional liquid 9 discharged onto the work area 88a, and dries the functional liquid 9. As a result, particles and solutes contained in the functional liquid 9 remain on the work area 88a to form a pattern. When the functional liquid 9 includes a conductive material, a wiring pattern made of the conductive material is formed. This step is performed according to the function of the drying device 5, and is performed, for example, by leaving in a high-temperature environment in a thermostat or UV irradiation.

  Drawing of the sprockets 71, 72, 76, the clamps 77, 78, the holding mechanism 34, the support frame 40, the movable stage 18, the stage 50, the cameras 32, 33, the droplet discharge head 90, and the like in the above-described steps P1 to P10 Operations of various components included in the apparatus 1 are performed under the control of the control unit 99.

  Through the above steps, a wiring pattern is formed on the tape 80 by the drawing apparatus 1.

  Thereafter, the wiring patterns can be successively formed in the continuous work area 88 on the tape 80 by sequentially performing the steps P1 to P9 on the other work areas 88. When the drawing process for all the work areas 88 of the tape 80 is completed, the tape 80 is exchanged together with the take-up reel 84 and the take-up reel 85.

  As described above, in the drawing method using the drawing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the tape 80 is reversed in the forward conveyance direction by the sprocket 71 as the first conveyance roller and the sprocket 72 as the second conveyance roller. It can also be transported in the transport direction. At this time, since the tension is always applied to the tape 80, it is difficult for slack to occur between the sprockets 71 and 72. Further, by such inspection, the state of the functional liquid 9 discharged to the inspection area 88b is inspected using the inspection apparatus 5, and then the tape 80 is reversely conveyed, and a pattern is drawn on the work area 88a according to the inspection result. be able to. Thereby, the steps from the discharge and inspection of the functional liquid 9 to the inspection area 88b to the discharge of the functional liquid 9 to the normal work area 88a can be performed in a short time.

<Second Embodiment>
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, a multilayer wiring is formed in the work area 88a of the tape 80 by using the same drawing apparatus 1 as in the first embodiment. In the following description, the description of the same steps as those in the first embodiment and the components having the same reference numerals will be omitted.

  The drawing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a process diagram of the drawing method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the drawing apparatus 1 and the tape 80 in each step (process) of the drawing method according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, it demonstrates along the process drawing shown in FIG.

  First, in step S1, the tape 80 is transported so that the work area 88a of the tape 80 is positioned on the stage 50 by the operation of the sprockets 71, 72, and 76 (FIG. 9A). As described above, this step is performed by rotating the sprocket 72 in the forward conveyance direction while applying a torque of a constant size and a reverse direction to the sprockets 71 and 76 and maintaining the tape 80 in a state of having a constant tension. Do.

  Next, in step S <b> 2, the tape 80 is adsorbed on the surface of the stage 50 (porous plate 51), and the tape 80 is placed on the stage 50.

  Next, in step S <b> 3, so-called alignment is performed in which the tape 80 is moved together with the movable stage 18 and positioned so as to satisfy a predetermined relative positional relationship with respect to the droplet discharge head 90.

  Next, in step S4, the functional liquid 9 corresponding to the first functional liquid of the present invention is discharged from the droplet discharge head 90 to the tape 80 (FIG. 9B). In this step, a functional liquid 9 containing a conductive material is used.

  Next, in step S5, the tape 80 is conveyed in the normal conveyance direction (+ Y direction), and the work area 88a is positioned in the inspection apparatus 3 (FIG. 9C).

  Next, in step S <b> 6, the state of the functional liquid 9 discharged to the work area 88 a of the tape 80 is inspected using the inspection device 3.

  Next, in step S7, the tape 80 is conveyed in the normal conveyance direction (+ Y direction), and the work area 88a is positioned in the drying device 5 (FIG. 9D).

  Next, in step S8, the solvent contained in the functional liquid 9 discharged onto the work area 88a is evaporated by the drying device 5, and the functional liquid 9 is dried. Here, since the functional liquid 9 contains a conductive material, a wiring pattern made of the conductive material is formed.

  Here, in the next step S9, it is determined whether or not further layer drawing is performed in order to form a multilayer wiring. Further, when performing multilayer drawing, the process proceeds to step S10, and when the formation of the multilayer wiring is completed, the process ends. Now, since only one wiring pattern is formed in the work area 88a, the process proceeds to step S10.

  In step S10, the operation of the sprockets 71, 72, and 76 conveys the tape 80 in the reverse conveyance direction (that is, in the −Y direction) so that the work area 88a is positioned on the stage 50 (FIG. 9E). . This step is performed by rotating the sprocket 72 in the reverse transport direction while applying a reverse torque in the reverse direction to the sprockets 71 and 76 and maintaining the tape 80 in a state having a constant tension.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S2, and thereafter, steps S2 to S8 are performed on the same work area 88a. That is, first, in step S <b> 2, the tape 80 is sucked and placed on the stage 50 with the work area 88 a facing the droplet discharge head 90. Next, alignment is performed in step S3, and functional liquid 9 corresponding to the second functional liquid of the present invention is discharged to the work area 88a in step S4. At this time, the discharge is performed so as to overlap the already formed first-layer wiring pattern. Here, the functional liquid 9 containing an insulating material is used. For this purpose, a plurality of droplet discharge heads 90 that discharge different functional liquids 9 may be mounted on one drawing unit 22, or a plurality of drawings that include droplet discharge heads 90 that discharge different functional liquids 9. A unit 22 may be provided. Thereafter, in step S5, the tape 80 is transported so that the work area 88a is located in the inspection apparatus 3, and inspection is performed in step S6. Next, in step S <b> 7, the tape 80 is transported in the forward transport direction (+ Y direction), and the work area 88 a is positioned in the drying device 5. In step S8, the functional liquid 9 discharged onto the work area 88a by the drying device 5 is dried, and an insulating pattern is formed on the first wiring pattern.

  Through these steps, a first-layer wiring pattern and an insulating pattern laminated thereon are formed on the work area 88a.

  Next, in step S9, it is determined again whether or not layer drawing is performed. Here, the process proceeds to step S10, and steps S2 to S8 are performed in order to form a second-layer wiring pattern on the insulating pattern. If necessary, the process further proceeds from step S9 to step S10, whereby the insulating pattern and the wiring pattern can be repeatedly laminated.

  In this way, a multilayer wiring pattern is formed on the tape 80 by the drawing apparatus 1.

  Thereafter, the same steps are sequentially performed on the other work areas 88, whereby multilayer wiring patterns can be successively formed in the continuous work areas 88 on the tape 80. When the drawing process for all the work areas 88 of the tape 80 is completed, the tape 80 is exchanged together with the take-up reel 84 and the take-up reel 85.

  Drawing of the sprockets 71, 72, 76, the clamps 77, 78, the pressing mechanism 34, the support frame 40, the movable stage 18, the stage 50, the cameras 32, 33, the droplet discharge head 90, etc. in the above-described steps S1 to S10 Operations of various components included in the apparatus 1 are performed under the control of the control unit 99.

  As described above, in the drawing method using the drawing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the tape 80 is reversed in the forward conveyance direction by the sprocket 71 as the first conveyance roller and the sprocket 72 as the second conveyance roller. It can also be transported in the transport direction. At this time, since the tension is always applied to the tape 80, it is difficult for slack to occur between the sprockets 71 and 72. Further, by using such reverse conveyance, it is possible to draw a multilayer wiring pattern in the work area 88a. Conventionally, in order to form a multilayer wiring, a first wiring pattern is first formed in all the work areas 88, and then, when the patterns are laminated, the tape 80 is replaced and a pattern is formed in all the work areas again. Was laminated. Therefore, according to the drawing method of this embodiment, a multilayer wiring pattern can be formed in a short time without changing the tape 80.

  In the above embodiment, the steps relating to the inspection, that is, step S5 and step S6 can be omitted as appropriate. This is because once the inspection is performed, stable discharge is performed in that state for a certain period.

<Liquid crystal display device>
Next, the liquid crystal display device 101 having the circuit board 103 on which the wiring pattern 112 is formed by the drawing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal display device 101 which is an electro-optical device. The liquid crystal display device 101 includes a liquid crystal panel 102 capable of color display and a circuit board 103 connected to the liquid crystal panel 102. Further, an illumination device such as a backlight and other incidental devices are attached to the liquid crystal panel 102 as necessary.

  The liquid crystal panel 102 includes a pair of substrates 105a and 105b bonded by a sealing material 104, and liquid crystal is sealed in a gap formed between the substrates 105a and 105b, a so-called cell gap. . These substrates 105a and 105b are generally formed of a light-transmitting material such as glass or synthetic resin. A polarizing plate 106a and a polarizing plate 106b are attached to the outer surfaces of the substrate 105a and the substrate 105b. In FIG. 10, the polarizing plate 106b is not shown.

  An electrode 107a is formed on the inner surface of the substrate 105a, and an electrode 107b is formed on the inner surface of the substrate 105b. These electrodes 107a and 107b are formed in stripes or letters, numbers, or other appropriate patterns. The electrodes 107a and 107b are made of a light-transmitting material such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide).

  The substrate 105a has an extended portion that protrudes from the substrate 105b, and a plurality of terminals 108 are formed on the extended portion. These terminals 108 are formed simultaneously with the electrode 107a when the electrode 107a is formed on the substrate 105a. Therefore, these terminals 108 are made of, for example, ITO. These terminals 108 include one that extends integrally from the electrode 107a and one that is connected to the electrode 107b via a conductive material (not shown).

  Note that a large number of actual electrodes 107a and 107b and terminals 108 are formed on the substrate 105a and the substrate 105b with extremely narrow intervals, respectively, but in FIG. 10, the structure of the liquid crystal panel 102 is easily understood. For this reason, the intervals are schematically shown in an enlarged manner, and only a few of them are illustrated, and other portions are omitted. Further, the connection state between the terminal 108 and the electrode 107a and the connection state between the terminal 108 and the electrode 107b are not shown in FIG.

  A semiconductor element 100 as a liquid crystal driving IC is mounted on the circuit board 103 at a predetermined position on the wiring board 109. The wiring substrate 109 is manufactured by forming a wiring pattern 112 by patterning a metal film such as Cu formed on a flexible base substrate 111 such as polyimide.

  Note that a large number of the actual wiring patterns 112 are formed on the base substrate 111 with extremely narrow intervals. However, in FIG. 10, in order to make the structure easy to understand, the intervals are enlarged and schematically illustrated. In addition, the structure is simplified and illustrated. Although not shown, a resistor, a capacitor, and other chip components may be mounted at predetermined positions other than the portion where the semiconductor element 100 is mounted.

  In the present embodiment, the circuit board 103 is manufactured by cutting the tape 80 on which the wiring pattern 112 is formed by the drawing apparatus 1 described above for each device.

  In the liquid crystal display device 101 according to the present embodiment, since the circuit board 103 included in the liquid crystal display device 101 is manufactured using the drawing device 1 described above, a high-quality liquid crystal display device in which the wiring pattern 112 is formed with high accuracy. 101 can be obtained.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, various deformation | transformation can be added with respect to the said embodiment in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. As modifications, for example, the following can be considered.

(Modification 1)
In the drawing method of the above-described embodiment, the stage 50 is connected to the stage 50 between Step P1 (or Step S1) for transporting the tape 80 and Step P2 (or Step S2) for attracting the tape 80 to the stage 50. A step of translating to the placed side may be further included.

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the drawing apparatus 1 and the tape 80 for explaining this step. As shown in this figure, the tape 80 is fixed at the positions of the sprockets 71 and 72, and the stage 50 is stretched in a state where a larger tension is applied by moving in parallel in the + Z direction. As a result, even when the tape 80 has an upwardly convex or downwardly convex warp, the warp of the tape 80 on the stage 50 can be corrected or reduced.

  Even if the warp cannot be completely corrected only by the parallel movement of the stage 50 described above, it can be corrected by pressing the tape 80 by the pressing mechanism 34 thereafter. The warpage of the tape 80 can be corrected more easily by reducing the warpage by parallel movement of the stage 50 in advance.

(Modification 2)
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12A, a tape guide 70 may be appropriately disposed in the transport path of the tape 80. In this modification, tape guides 70 are disposed on the upstream side of the sprocket 71 and the downstream side of the sprocket 72, respectively.

  FIG. 13A shows a cross-sectional view of the tape guide 70 in FIG. 12A in the XZ plane. As shown in this figure, one tape guide 70 is disposed on each side of the tape 80, and each has an upper block 70a and a lower block 70b. The tape guide 70 is a member for maintaining the posture of the tape 80 in a desired state by guiding the tape 80 into a space provided between the upper block 70a and the lower block 70b.

  FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view of a conventionally known tape guide 170. The tape guide 170 also includes an upper block 170a and a lower block 170b. The tape guide 170 has a boundary between the upper block 170a and the lower block 170b substantially on the extended line of the space where the tape 80 is to be located. In some cases, the tape 80 may get caught in the gap.

  On the other hand, in the tape guide 70 of the present embodiment, the boundary between the upper block 70a and the lower block 70b exists in a direction perpendicular to the space in which the tape 80 is to be located. Therefore, the tape 80 enters the boundary. It has the advantage of not being.

  When the tape guide 70 is arranged as shown in FIG. 12 (a), if slack is generated in the tape 80 before alignment, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), between the clamp 77 and the tape guide 70, And a slack is created between the tape guide 70 and the clamp 78. Even when alignment is performed in this state, the deformation of the tape 80 accompanying the alignment can be absorbed by the slack. In this case, it is preferable to fix the tape guide 70 to the movable stage 18 and to move the tape guide 70 together with the movable stage 18 and the like during alignment.

(Modification 3)
In the said embodiment, although the sprockets 71 and 72 are used as the 1st conveyance roller and the 2nd conveyance roller in this invention, it is not the meaning limited to this structure.

  For example, the sprocket 76 can be rotated in both the normal conveyance direction and the reverse conveyance direction, and can be used as the second conveyance roller. In this case, a driving force is not applied to the sprocket 72 and the sprocket 72 is freely rotated.

  Alternatively, a constant torque in the reverse conveyance direction can be applied to the auxiliary roller 75 and used as the first conveyance roller. In this case, a driving force is not applied to the sprocket 71, and the sprocket 71 is freely rotated.

  With such a configuration, the tape 80 can be transported in either the forward transport direction or the reverse transport direction.

1 is a schematic side view of a drawing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The partial top view of the various tapes which are one aspect | mode of the strip | belt-shaped workpiece | work in this invention. The top view which shows the stage and the various units arrange | positioned around it. The external appearance perspective view of a stage and an alignment unit. FIG. FIG. 6 is a process diagram of a drawing method according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 3A to 3E are cross-sectional views of a drawing apparatus and a tape in each step (process) of the drawing method according to the first embodiment. Process drawing of the drawing method which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIGS. 4A to 4E are cross-sectional views of a drawing apparatus and a tape in each step (process) of a drawing method according to a second embodiment. The exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal display device. Sectional drawing of the drawing apparatus and tape in the modification of this invention. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing of the drawing apparatus and tape in the modification of this invention. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing of the tape guide which concerns on the modification of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Drawing apparatus, 3 ... Inspection apparatus, 5 ... Drying apparatus, 9 ... Functional liquid, 11 ... Base, 18 ... Movable plate, 22 ... Drawing unit, 24 ... Alignment unit, 32, 33 ... Camera, 34 ... Holding mechanism , 36 ... pressing member, 50 ... stage, 70 ... tape guide, 71, 72, 76 ... sprocket as a transport roller, 73, 74 ... opposing roller, 75 ... auxiliary roller, 77, 78 ... clamp, 80 ... strip-shaped workpiece , 84 ... take-up reel, 85 ... take-up reel, 90 ... droplet discharge head, 99 ... control unit, 101 ... liquid crystal display device.

Claims (6)

A drawing device for drawing a pattern on a strip-shaped workpiece,
A stage for placing the workpiece;
A transport roller for transporting the workpiece,
A first transport roller disposed upstream of the stage in the transport path of the workpiece and applied with torque in a reverse transport direction;
A second transport roller disposed downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction;
A liquid droplet ejection head that ejects a functional liquid onto the workpiece placed on the stage;
An inspection apparatus provided on the downstream side of the stage in the transport path;
A controller that controls operations of the second transport roller and the droplet discharge head;
The droplet discharge head discharging the functional liquid to an inspection area on the workpiece;
Rotating the second conveyance roller in the normal conveyance direction and conveying the workpiece in the normal conveyance direction, thereby positioning the inspection region in the inspection apparatus;
Rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction and transporting the work in the reverse transport direction, thereby positioning a work area on the work different from the inspection area on the stage;
The droplet discharge head discharging the functional liquid to the work area;
A control unit that executes at least
A drawing apparatus comprising: A drawing device for drawing a pattern on a strip-shaped workpiece,
A stage for placing the workpiece;
A transport roller for transporting the workpiece,
A first transport roller disposed upstream of the stage in the transport path of the workpiece and applied with torque in a reverse transport direction;
A second transport roller disposed downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction;
A liquid droplet ejection head that ejects the first functional liquid or the second functional liquid onto the workpiece placed on the stage;
A drying device disposed downstream of the stage;
A controller that controls operations of the second transport roller and the droplet discharge head;
The droplet discharge head discharging the first functional liquid to a work area on the workpiece;
Rotating the second transport roller in the forward transport direction to transport the workpiece in the forward transport direction, thereby positioning the work area in the drying device;
Drying the first functional liquid discharged onto the workpiece by the drying device to form a pattern in the work area;
Rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction and transporting the workpiece in the reverse transport direction, thereby positioning the work area on the stage;
The droplet discharge head discharging the second functional liquid into the work area;
A control unit that executes at least
A drawing apparatus comprising: The drawing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
One of the first functional liquid and the second functional liquid includes a conductive material, and the other includes an insulating material. A stage on which a belt-like workpiece is placed;
A transport roller for transporting the workpiece,
A first transport roller disposed upstream of the stage in the transport path of the workpiece and applied with torque in a reverse transport direction;
A second transport roller disposed downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction;
A liquid droplet ejection head that ejects a functional liquid onto the workpiece placed on the stage;
An inspection apparatus provided on the downstream side of the stage in the transport path;
A drawing method for drawing a pattern on the workpiece using a drawing apparatus comprising:
The droplet discharge head discharging the functional liquid to an inspection area on the workpiece;
Rotating the second conveyance roller in the normal conveyance direction and conveying the workpiece in the normal conveyance direction, thereby positioning the inspection region in the inspection apparatus;
Rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction and transporting the work in the reverse transport direction, thereby positioning a work area on the work different from the inspection area on the stage;
The droplet discharge head discharging the functional liquid to the work area;
Drying the functional liquid to form a pattern;
A drawing method characterized by comprising: A stage on which a belt-like workpiece is placed;
A transport roller for transporting the workpiece,
A first transport roller disposed upstream of the stage in the transport path of the workpiece and applied with torque in a reverse transport direction;
A second transport roller disposed downstream of the stage and rotatable in both the forward transport direction and the reverse transport direction;
A liquid droplet ejection head that ejects the first functional liquid or the second functional liquid onto the workpiece placed on the stage;
A drying device disposed downstream of the stage;
A drawing method for drawing a pattern on the workpiece using a drawing apparatus comprising:
The droplet discharge head discharging the first functional liquid to a work area on the workpiece;
Rotating the second transport roller in the forward transport direction to transport the workpiece in the forward transport direction, thereby positioning the work area in the drying device;
Drying the first functional liquid discharged onto the workpiece by the drying device to form a pattern in the work area;
Rotating the second transport roller in the reverse transport direction and transporting the workpiece in the reverse transport direction, thereby positioning the work area on the stage;
The droplet discharge head discharging the second functional liquid into the work area;
A drawing method characterized by comprising: The drawing method according to claim 5 , wherein
One of the first functional liquid and the second functional liquid includes a conductive material, and the other includes an insulating material.

Images