JP6331663B2 - Inkjet device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink jet equipment, and more particularly to an ink jet apparatus for producing an electronic device having a high-precision laminated structure including a display.

  A display or a semiconductor integrated circuit is manufactured by patterning and laminating a plurality of layers of electronic material films on a substrate. Conventionally, high-definition patterning has been performed by photolithography, but recently, the printed electronics field in which this process is to be realized by a printing process has attracted attention.

  As a printing process used in the printed electronics field, many methods such as screen printing, gravure printing, and microcontact printing have been studied and developed, and the inkjet method is one of them.

Inkjet technology is widely used for image recording apparatuses and is an established technical field. However, there are many problems that cannot be dealt with by the prior art as specifications of the ink jet apparatus used as printed electronics.
One of them is misalignment of pattern formation. If the pattern to be stacked on the base pattern already formed is displaced, the characteristics of the electronic device as designed cannot be obtained. In order to manufacture an electronic device by printed electronics, a positional accuracy of about submicron to 10 μm is required. Therefore, the positioning of the nozzle head mounted on the ink jet apparatus is very important.

  For example, the reference position of the alignment camera and the nozzle head is grasped in advance, and the amount of displacement from the reference position is calculated from the position when the alignment mark formed in advance on the drawing object is detected by the alignment camera. And the coating device and the coating method which adjust the positional relationship of a nozzle head and a drawing target object from the calculated displacement amount are known (for example, refer patent document 1).

  However, the technique represented by Patent Document 1 cannot cope with the following problems. That is, the problem of the discharge bending due to the meniscus behavior with a slight difference in nozzle shape cannot be dealt with. In addition, there is no mention of mechanical nozzle inclination, which is an installation error with respect to the drawing object, and there is a concern about the problem of ejection bending.

  In addition, a method is known in which a plate on which a nozzle head and an alignment mark are formed is prepared, and the nozzle head is aligned based on the alignment mark on the plate (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  However, in the technique represented by Patent Document 2, in order to observe the nozzle head and the alignment mark at different distances from the lens used for alignment at the same time, it is necessary to prepare a bifocal lens, only the camera unit. But it costs a lot. In addition, a plate on which alignment marks corresponding to the types of specifications of the nozzle head must be prepared, and there is a problem that the nozzle interval, the number of nozzles, and the number of nozzle heads to be installed cannot be easily changed.

  Accordingly, the present situation is that there is a demand for an apparatus capable of easily positioning a nozzle head with high accuracy in an inkjet apparatus used in printed electronics.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, and makes it a subject to solve the said various problems in the past and to achieve the following objectives. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet apparatus that can easily position a nozzle head with high accuracy and can suppress a positional deviation of a layered pattern to be drawn.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is formed by a nozzle head having an ink ejection mechanism, a stage for moving a table on which an object is placed to an arbitrary position, and ink ejected from the ejection mechanism. Imaging means for imaging the alignment mark, first position information of the stage when forming the alignment mark on the object, and second stage of the stage when imaging the alignment mark with the imaging means Storage means for storing position information, and calculation means for calculating a relative position between the nozzle head and the imaging means from the first position information and the second position information stored in the storage means. If, based on the result calculated by the calculating means, and control means for moving the stage, the image pickup means, the alignment mark Having alignment means for aligning the forming position, an ink jet apparatus for acquiring the second position information.

  According to the present invention, the above-described configuration can solve the conventional problems, and can provide an ink jet apparatus that enables the nozzle head to be accurately and easily positioned with respect to the drawing object.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a main operation sequence of the ink jet apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining sequence control for performing positioning of a nozzle head concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows an example which forms an alignment mark in a drawing target object with a nozzle head unit. It is the photograph which aligned the alignment mark with the alignment camera. It is a photograph which shows an example which actually implemented drawing with the inkjet apparatus based on Example 1 of this invention. It is a cross-line drawing photograph when aligning a nozzle head with the inkjet apparatus based on Example 2 of this invention. It is a photograph explaining the comparative example 1, Comprising: It is a crossline drawing photograph when not aligning a nozzle head. It is a figure explaining the comparative example 2, Comprising: It is a front view at the time of discharging ink to a drawing target object from a nozzle. 6 is a graph for explaining a relationship between an ink ejection angle deviation and a landing position deviation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention including examples will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments and examples, components (members and components) having the same functions and shapes are described once by giving the same reference numerals after being described once unless there is a possibility of confusion. Omitted. In order to simplify the drawings and the description, even if the components are to be represented in the drawings, the components that do not need to be specifically described in the drawings may be omitted as appropriate.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an ink jet apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
1 includes a surface plate 1, an XYZθ stage 2, a suction table 3, a gantry 4, a gantry Z stage 5, a nozzle head unit 6, a camera unit 7, an X-axis guide rail 8, a Y-axis guide rail 9, The shaking table 10 is mainly configured. Of course, the dimensions of the above-mentioned members and parts constituting the ink jet apparatus are appropriately set so as to satisfy the positional accuracy and functions described later, although not specifically described.
In FIG. 1, the Z axis indicates the vertical direction, and the θ axis indicates the rotational direction with respect to the vertical direction. Further, the X axis and the Y axis are orthogonal to each other, and are a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system arranged so as to be orthogonal to the Z axis.

  On the surface plate 1, an X-axis guide rail 8 and a Y-axis guide rail 9 for attaching the XYZθ stage 2 so as to be reciprocally movable, a gantry 4 for attaching the gantry Z stage 5 so as to be reciprocally movable in the vertical direction, Is provided with a vibration isolation table 10 so as to prevent the vibrations from being transmitted.

In the X-axis direction of the XYZθ stage 2, there is provided an X-axis linear movement stage 2 </ b> X that can reciprocate along an X-axis guide rail 8 fixed to the surface plate 1. The X-axis linear movement stage 2X is composed of, for example, controllable drive means such as a linear motor provided with a servo mechanism, and guide means such as a linear air guide that moves and guides along the X-axis guide rail 8. It is configured to be able to reciprocate in the X-axis direction via the moving means. The X-axis linear movement stage 2X is configured such that the suction table 3 has a predetermined X based on a commanded amount of control via a sensor (not shown) such as a linear scale and a linear encoder provided in parallel to the X-axis guide rail 8 and the driving means. It is controlled to be located at the axis coordinates. In this case, the X-axis position accuracy is preferably submicron to 10 μm in order to manufacture a high-definition electronic device.
The moving means of the X-axis linear moving stage 2X is not limited to the above-described one, and as long as the positional accuracy is ensured, controllable driving means such as a servo motor and a step motor, and guide means such as a rack and pinion. It may be comprised from these.

In the Y-axis direction of the XYZθ stage 2, a Y-axis linear movement stage 2Y that can reciprocate along a Y-axis guide rail 9 fixed to the surface plate 1 is provided. The Y-axis linear movement stage 2Y is composed of controllable drive means such as a linear motor provided with a servo mechanism and guide means such as a linear air guide that moves and guides along the Y-axis guide rail 9, for example. It is configured to be able to reciprocate in the Y-axis direction via the moving means. The Y-axis linear movement stage 2Y is configured such that the suction table 3 has a predetermined Y based on a commanded amount of control via a sensor (not shown) such as a linear scale and a linear encoder provided in parallel to the Y-axis guide rail 9 and the driving means. It is controlled to be located at the axis coordinates. In this case, the Y-axis position accuracy is preferably from submicron to 10 μm in order to manufacture a high-definition electronic device.
The moving means of the Y-axis linear moving stage 2Y is not limited to the above-described one, and as long as the positional accuracy is ensured, controllable driving means such as a servo motor and a step motor, and guide means such as a rack and pinion. And may be configured from the following.

In the Z-axis direction of the XYZθ stage 2, there is a Z-axis linear movement stage (not shown) that can reciprocate along the Z-axis direction that is the vertical direction in FIG. 1 between the XYZθ stage 2 and the suction table 3. It is equipped. This Z-axis linear movement stage includes, for example, a controllable drive means such as a linear motor provided with a servo mechanism, and a guide means such as a linear air guide that guides movement along the Z-axis direction. It is configured to be able to reciprocate in the Z-axis direction via. The Z-axis linear movement stage is configured such that the suction table 3 has a predetermined Z based on a commanded control amount via a linear scale parallel to the Z-axis direction, a sensor (not shown) such as a linear encoder, and the driving means. It is controlled to be located at the axis coordinates.
The Z axis here is for controlling the gap between the object to be drawn and the nozzle head unit 6, and is not necessarily required if the gap can be controlled by the Z axis of the gantry Z stage 5.
The moving means of the Z-axis linear moving stage is not limited to the above, but as long as the above functions are ensured, controllable driving means such as a servo motor and step motor, and guide means such as a rack and pinion , May be configured.

In the θ-axis direction of the XYZθ stage 2, a rotary stage (not shown) is provided between the XYZθ stage 2 and the suction table 3 that can be rotated (meaning circular movement in the forward and reverse directions). . The rotary stage includes, for example, a moving means composed of a controllable driving means such as a linear motor provided with a servo mechanism and a guide means such as a rolling guide that is rotatably guided in a predetermined rotation axis direction. Thus, it is configured to be rotatable in a predetermined rotation axis direction. In addition, the rotary table has a predetermined suction table 3 based on a commanded control amount via a linear scale provided between the XYZθ stage 2 and the suction table 3 and a sensor (not shown) such as a linear encoder and the driving means. Is controlled to the θ position. In this case, the θ axis is mainly used for the alignment operation of the drawing object.
The rotating stage moving means is not limited to the above-described one, and includes a controllable driving means such as a servo motor and a step motor, and appropriate guiding means as long as a predetermined positional accuracy is ensured. It may be.

  The suction table 3 is fixed to the XYZθ stage 2 and is a table for placing a drawing object fixed by suction. The suction in this case is configured such that, for example, the drawing object can be fixed by bringing the suction table 3 and the drawing object into a reduced pressure or near vacuum state. That is, the surface of the suction table 3 is provided with a plurality of air holes (not shown) for reducing the pressure or vacuum, and the plurality of air holes are passed through pipes (not shown) communicating therewith. It communicates and is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) as a suction means.

  As described above, the X-axis linear movement stage 2X, the Y-axis linear movement stage 2Y, the Z-axis linear movement stage, and the rotary stages of the XYZθ stage 2 are configured as follows via the moving means. . That is, each stage is configured to be able to move and adjust the suction table 3 to any position via each moving means and to detect any position.

  The gantry 4 has a portal structure and is fixed to the surface plate 1 so as to straddle the XYZθ stage 2 and the suction table 3. A gantry Z stage 5 is attached to the gantry 4 so as to reciprocate in the Z-axis direction. A nozzle head unit 6 and a camera unit 7 are attached and fixed to the gantry Z stage 5.

The gantry Z stage 5 is, for example, via a moving means constituted by a controllable drive means such as a linear motor provided with a servo mechanism and a guide means such as a rolling guide that moves and guides along the Z-axis direction. , And can be reciprocated in the Z-axis direction. The gantry Z stage 5 allows the nozzle head unit 6 and the camera unit 7 to have predetermined Z-axis coordinates based on the commanded control amount via the linear scale and linear encoder sensors provided in the guide means and the drive means. It is controlled to be positioned.
The Z axis here is for controlling the gap between the object to be drawn and the nozzle head unit 6 and is not necessarily required if the gap can be controlled by the Z axis of the XYZθ stage 2. In this case, the camera unit 7 does not necessarily need to be attached to the gantry Z stage 5, and equipment for fixing directly to the gantry 4 or separately may be prepared.
The moving means of the gantry Z stage 5 is not limited to the above-described one, and is configured by controllable driving means such as a servo motor and a step motor and guide means such as a rack and pinion as long as the above functions are satisfied. It may be.

The nozzle head unit 6 includes a plurality of N (N ≧ 1) nozzle heads (not shown) capable of discharging ink, material ink for manufacturing an electronic device, and a discharge mechanism for discharging the material ink. Is equipped. Examples of the material ink herein include ink containing a material necessary for manufacturing an electronic device having a laminated structure such as an electrode material, a semiconductor material, a light emitting material, a bank material, and a resist material.
The nozzle head ejection mechanism provided in the nozzle head unit 6 functions as mark forming means for forming alignment marks 32 to be formed on the drawing object 30 shown in FIG. As described above, the alignment mark 32 is formed of any one of an electrode material, a semiconductor material, a light emitting material, a bank material, and a resist material as ink filled in the nozzle head.
The nozzle head here is detachable from the nozzle head unit 6 so that it can cope with the difference in material ink constituting the electronic device to be manufactured, the difference in resolution of the nozzle head, and the maintenance of the nozzle head. It is configured to be able to.

The camera unit 7 can capture and observe the drawing object 30 vertically along the Z-axis direction with respect to the printing surface of the drawing object 30 shown in FIG. An alignment camera as an imaging means configured as described above is provided. This alignment camera is not expensive like the bifocal lens used in Patent Document 2 described above, but a relatively low-priced one provided with a normal lens is used.
The video of the camera unit 7 is provided with a guideline 33 as an alignment means for aligning the formation position of an alignment mark 32 shown in FIG.
In addition, as an imaging means, the CCD camera generally used for an alignment camera or the equivalent imaging means which exhibits the said function may be sufficient.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet apparatus includes a control device 35 for controlling the operation of the ink jet apparatus that positions the nozzle head. The control device 35 includes a control unit 11, axis control units 12 that function as calculation means and control means described later, a position detection unit 13, and a storage unit 14 that functions as first and second storage means described later. It is comprised.

With reference to FIG. 2, the flow of the main sequence incorporated in the inkjet apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the nozzle head is simply described as “nozzle”, the alignment mark as simply “mark”, and the alignment camera as simply “camera”.
First, a nozzle head capable of ejecting ink is installed in the nozzle head unit 6 of FIG. 1 (step S1). Next, the drawing object is placed on the suction table 3 in FIG. 1, and the drawing object is aligned with respect to the coordinate position of each stage (step S2). That is, when the drawing object is placed on the suction table 3 on the XYZθ stage 2 in FIG. 1, the drawing object is associated with the coordinates of the XYZθ stage. If the mass production process is taken into consideration, the operation of placing the drawing object on the suction table 3 can be performed automatically, for example, with a teaching robot.

  Next, an alignment mark is newly drawn on the drawing target, which is a process unique to the present invention (step S3, mark forming step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 to be described later, an alignment mark 32 is drawn and formed on the drawing target 30 by the ink ejection mechanism of the nozzle head provided in the nozzle head unit 6.

  Next, the stage position information is acquired and stored in a state where the reference nozzle for positioning the entire nozzle head is on the predetermined position of the alignment mark formed in step S3 (step S4, first storage step). . Here, “on a predetermined position” does not mean eye measurement, but means that alignment is performed on a numerical value based on stage position information.

  Proceeding to step S5, the stage position information when the alignment camera guideline and the alignment mark aligned in step S4 are aligned is acquired and stored (second storage step). Next, a relative position (relative coordinate value) between the reference nozzle and the alignment camera for positioning the entire nozzle head is calculated from the stage position information in step S4 and step S5 (step S6, calculation step).

Next, the position at which drawing is to be started, for example, the pattern of the substrate on which the drawing object is stacked is aligned with the alignment camera guideline (step S7). Next, the process proceeds to step S8, and the stage is moved by the coordinate of the relative position between the nozzle serving as the reference and the alignment camera in order to position the entire nozzle head calculated in step S6 (moving step). Thereby, the nozzle head can be accurately positioned at the intended position with respect to the drawing object.
Note that the procedure of step S1 and step S2 shown in FIG. 2 may be reversed.

  In the case of the ink jet apparatus proposed in the present invention, even if the ink landing is deviated from the originally assumed landing reference position due to an error due to the installation of the nozzle head or a bending specific to the nozzle, acquisition of stage information is performed as follows. can do. That is, since the alignment marks drawn with the shift are aligned by the alignment camera, the stage information including the shift is acquired. As a result, the nozzle head is positioned in consideration of the displacement.

With reference to FIG. 3, sequence control for performing predetermined drawing on an object to be drawn by the ink jet apparatus that positions the nozzle head will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating sequence control for performing predetermined drawing on a drawing target of an ink jet apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The XYZθ stage 2 and the gantry Z stage 5 are connected to each axis control unit 12 and position detection unit 13 including a stage control controller. The nozzle head unit 6 is connected to a discharge generation device 15 provided in an ink discharge mechanism, and each axis control unit 12 and the discharge generation device 15 are connected to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 here, as represented by a personal computer (PC), allows the user to easily operate the inkjet apparatus of the present invention on the interface. Each axis control unit 12 controls the XYZθ stage 2 and the gantry Z stage 5, and each axis control unit 12 is provided with means for acquiring position information and data of each axis shown in FIG. Yes.

That is, each axis control unit 12 includes the X-axis linear movement stage 2X of the XYZθ stage 2, the Y-axis linear movement stage 2Y, the Z-axis linear movement stage, the rotary stage, the linear motors of the gantry Z stage 5, and the respective It is connected to a position detector 13 provided with a sensor.
The position detector 13 is the linear encoder / sensor of the X-axis linear movement stage 2X, the Y-axis linear movement stage 2Y, the Z-axis linear movement stage, the rotary stage, and the gantry Z stage 5 of the XYZθ stage 2 described above. Connected to detection means. In other words, the position detection unit 13 is connected to the detection means or position detection means that are the above-described sensors.

Each axis control unit 12 includes a CPU, an I / O (input / output) port, a ROM including a PROM, a RAM, a timer, and the like as a stage control controller, and these are connected to each other by a signal bus. It can also comprise and comprise a computer. The CPU has a calculation function and a control function for performing control, which will be described later, as control means. In the ROM, a program according to the present invention (for example, the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) for exhibiting the arithmetic function and control function of the CPU, and a function for exhibiting the arithmetic function and control function of the CPU are provided. Related data is stored in advance. The RAM is backed up by a power source such as a battery, for example, and stores information / data input / output via the CPU as needed, and stores and holds the information / data even after the main power of the inkjet apparatus is turned off. The timer is backed up by a power source such as a battery, for example, and functions as a timing unit that continues the timing operation even after the main power of the ink jet apparatus is turned off.
In addition, you may comprise so that each said function of each axis | shaft control part 12 and the control part 11 may be divided | segmented and shared and it may mutually complement.

  The storage unit 14 is connected to each axis control unit 12 and the position detection unit 13 via the control unit 11. The storage unit 14 acquires and stores position information of the XYZθ stage 2 when the alignment position of the alignment mark 32 formed on the drawing target 30 shown in FIG. 4 to be described later and the alignment camera of the nozzle head unit 6 are aligned. It functions as a first storage means. In addition, the storage unit 14 functions as a second storage unit that acquires and stores position information of the XYZθ stage 2 when the formation position of the alignment mark 32 is aligned by the alignment camera of the nozzle head unit 6. In place of the storage unit 14, the functions of the first and second storage units may be replaced with the RAM of the microcomputer.

  Based on FIG. 3, an example of a procedure for performing predetermined drawing on a drawing object will be described. First, the operation and speed instruction 18 during drawing of the XYZθ stage 2 for performing predetermined drawing on the drawing object from the control unit 11 and the discharge position instruction 19 for performing ink discharge are sent to each axis control unit 12. sign up. Then, the controller 11 instructs the discharge generator 15 to discharge parameters 20 for discharging ink. The ejection parameters 20 for ink ejection referred to here relate to means for driving the ink ejection mechanism provided in the nozzle head unit 6 such as voltage, frequency and waveform. This is the procedure of the preprocessing 16 shown in FIG.

  Next, each axis control unit 12 operates each of the stages of the XYZθ stage 2 based on the operation and speed instruction 18 during drawing. In the stage operation 21 during drawing, if the XYZθ stage 2 reaches the discharge position registered by the discharge position instruction 19, the position detection unit 13 causes the axis control unit 12 to perform discharge position detection 22, and discharge occurs. The discharge trigger 23 is input to the device 15 as a signal. In response to the input of the discharge trigger 23, the ink discharge 24 is performed from the nozzle head unit 6. This is the procedure (mark formation step) of drawing 17 shown in FIG. Thereby, alignment marks are formed on the drawing object.

  Next, the XYZθ stage 2 is operated so that a nozzle serving as a reference for alignment is arranged on a predetermined position of the alignment mark formed by the above procedure, and the position detection unit 13 obtains stage position information of the XYZθ stage 2 at that time. Get in. This is the procedure (first storage step) of nozzle stage position information acquisition 26 shown in FIG.

  Next, the predetermined position of the alignment mark is aligned with the alignment camera guideline of the camera unit 7, and stage position information of the XYZθ stage 2 at that time is acquired by the position detection unit 13. This is the procedure (second storage step) for obtaining the stage position information 28 of the camera shown in FIG.

From the nozzle stage position information acquisition 26 and the camera stage position information acquisition 28, a relative position calculation 29 of the nozzle and the camera is performed (calculation step). Based on the value of the relative position, the XYZθ stage 2 is operated toward the nozzle head unit 6 in a state where the position where the drawing target is to be drawn is aligned with the guideline provided in the camera unit 7 (moving step). . By doing so, the nozzle head unit 6 can be accurately aligned with the drawing object.
It should be noted that the above-described “operations” of nozzle stage position information acquisition 26, camera stage position information acquisition 28, and nozzle-camera relative position calculation 29 may be automatically performed in the mass production process of electronic device manufacturing. Alternatively, the above-described steps may be automatically performed.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an example in which the alignment mark 32 is formed by the ink 31 filled in the nozzle head unit 6 on the drawing target 30 by the nozzle head unit 6. The drawing object 30 is fixed to the suction table 3 shown in FIG. Examples of the drawing object 30 mentioned here include substrates such as a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, a film substrate, and a PET substrate. In addition, a cross line is shown in FIG. 4 as an example of the alignment mark 32 here, but the shape of the alignment mark 32 can be imaged and observed by the camera unit 7 and can be aligned with the guideline provided in the camera unit 7. If it is. Further, the alignment mark 32 is preferably formed when the nozzle head unit 6 is newly attached.

  Hereinafter, an ink jet apparatus for accurately positioning the nozzle head of the present invention with respect to a drawing object will be described. A nozzle head (which is hidden and cannot be seen in FIG. 4) capable of ejecting ink 31 is installed in the nozzle head unit 6. In this case, when fixing the nozzle head to the nozzle head unit 6, it is preferable to fix it to a precisely machined carriage. The nozzle head is generally fixed to the carriage using, for example, a fastening means such as a screw. However, the position of the nozzle head is fixed to a predetermined value due to slight fluctuations in the fastening torque accompanying the screw fastening. Since it may deviate from the position, special attention and a separate device are required.

  The drawing object 30 is placed on the suction table 3 and fixed. If a stacked pattern is formed, the drawing object is aligned by the θ axis of the XYZθ stage 2. The effect of the alignment in this case is to prevent a positional shift in the θ-axis direction with respect to the base pattern on which a newly laminated pattern has already been formed.

  Usually, a nozzle head used in an ink jet apparatus has a plurality of nozzles, and a nozzle I to be used for positioning of the nozzle head of the present invention is determined from among them. Using the nozzle head provided with the nozzle I, and further the nozzle head unit 6 to which the nozzle head is attached, the alignment mark 32 is formed on the drawing object 30 according to the drawing 17 sequence of FIG. That is, the alignment mark 32 used for accurate positioning by the ink jet apparatus of the present invention is formed using the nozzle head unit 6 and the ink 31.

  Nozzles I used in the inkjet apparatus of the present invention are those that fall within an average value within a certain statistical error regarding the various discharge bends described in the background art in the inspection / measurement process incorporated in the nozzle manufacturing process. I do not use it. Therefore, various discharge bends have been devised so as not to cause problems in conjunction with the above-described configuration and control unique to the present invention.

  Positioning is performed by operating the XYZθ stage 2 so that the nozzle I used in the positioning operation of the nozzle head unit 6 is positioned immediately above the predetermined position A where the formed alignment mark 32 is located, and position information is acquired. In this case, the alignment is, for example, an alignment based on the control amount of the XYZθ stage 2, rather than performing an apparent alignment with a display unit of a camera that can observe the nozzle I and the alignment mark 32 simultaneously. In other words, if the alignment mark 32 is formed by deviating from the assumed ink landing position due to nozzle head installation error or nozzle-specific bending, the alignment of the nozzle and the alignment mark 32 is displayed on the observation camera. Observed at the part as if they were shifted.

  The alignment mark 32 thus formed is aligned with the guideline provided in the camera unit 7 to acquire the position information of the XYZθ stage 2. The place where the alignment mark 32 is aligned at this time is the predetermined position A.

  From the position information acquired when the alignment mark 32 is formed by the nozzle I and the position information acquired when the alignment mark 32 is aligned by the camera unit 7, the relative position between the nozzle I and the camera unit 7 is calculated. . The calculated value is preferably stored in the control unit 11 or each axis control unit 12.

  Using the guideline of the camera unit 7, alignment is performed at a place where drawing is to be started. From that location, the coordinate value corresponding to the relative position between the nozzle I and the camera unit 7 calculated above is operated in the direction of the nozzle head unit 6 on the XYZθ stage 2. By doing so, the nozzle head unit 6 can be accurately positioned with respect to the drawing object 30.

  FIG. 5 is a photograph of an example in which alignment is actually performed with an alignment camera. A broken line cross line guideline 33 of the alignment camera is displayed on the photograph, and the alignment mark 32 drawn on the glass substrate 36 can be aligned. The predetermined position A in this case is the center where the cross lines intersect.

Example 1
FIG. 6 is a photograph showing an example of actual drawing performed by the inkjet apparatus according to Example 1 of the present invention. As an electronic device having a laminated structure in printed electronics, for example, a liquid crystal display using a TFT (thin film transistor) was assumed. In the above embodiment, the liquid crystal display is assumed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an electronic device using a TFT (thin film transistor) may be, for example, an organic EL display or an electrochromic display. As a nozzle head, including Example 1, Example 2, and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 to be described later, specifications and functions (resolution, etc.) necessary for manufacturing the electronic device, predetermined accuracy (nozzle diameter, The one provided with a discharge curve etc. was selected and used. And it carried out on the same conditions except for special mention, and compared.
In the first embodiment, the alignment (adjustment) accuracy is evaluated using the alignment mark 32 that is a cross line at the center of the photograph as the first layer pattern and the four corner L-shaped lines 37 as the second layer pattern. First, the nozzle head and ink (Harima Kasei Co., Ltd., NPG-J) used for the first layer are cross-lined with respect to the glass substrate (Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd., OA-10G) 36 as a drawing object. An alignment mark 32 was drawn. Thereafter, in order to sinter the ink, the glass substrate 36 was removed and baked in an oven. Again, the glass substrate 36 was placed on the suction table 3 shown in FIG. 1, and the glass substrate 36 was aligned. The alignment operation of the glass substrate 36 itself at this time was performed using the θ axis of the XYZθ stage 2. The ink (Harima Kasei Co., Ltd., NPG-J) is a gold (Au) nanometal ink.
Next, the nozzle head and ink (Harima Kasei Co., Ltd., NPG-J) used in the second layer are installed, and the operation described in FIG. 2 and the description thereof is performed using the ink jet apparatus shown in FIG. 1 according to the present invention. The nozzle head unit 6 was aligned. L-shaped lines 37 were newly drawn at the four corners of the cross line (alignment mark 32) as viewed in the first layer, and baked again in an oven to sinter the ink.

The distance between the first-layer cross line (alignment mark 32) and the second-layer L-shaped line 37 is designed to be 50 μm between the center of the first-layer line and the center of the second-layer line. When four places were measured with the optical microscope, they were No. 1 = 50.167 μm, No. 2 = 51.505 μm, No. 3 = 50.83 μm, and No. 4 = 50.83 μm. In the evaluation of the positioning accuracy in this measurement, the positional deviation is about 1.5 μm.
The positioning accuracy of the nozzle head differs depending on how the ink to be used spreads after drawing with the substrate and the positioning accuracy of the inkjet device itself. From the value of this measurement shown as an example, a result that can be said to be a positioning accuracy sufficient for manufacturing the electronic device having a laminated structure in printed electronics was obtained.

(Example 2)
FIG. 7 is a drawing photograph of a cross line (alignment mark 32) when the nozzle head is aligned by the ink jet apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. A substrate obtained by patterning molybdenum (Mo) into four squares by photolithography (square pattern 38) on a glass substrate (Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd., OA-10G) 36 is used as a drawing target. With respect to this drawing object, the nozzle head is aligned with the center of the patterning in the inkjet apparatus according to the present invention, and the cross line (alignment mark 32) is made of Au nanometal ink (Halima Kasei Co., Ltd., NPG-J). Drawn. The distance between the four square patterns 38 is 60 μm, and the position of 30 μm in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction from the apex facing the center side of each square is the center of the four square patterning (square pattern 38). is there. From observation with an optical microscope, it can be seen that in Example 2, it landed at a position shifted by 0.769 μm in the X-axis direction and 0.1 μm in the Y-axis direction. The deviation from the center of patterning is 0.775 μm. Also in Example 2, a result that can be said to be a positioning accuracy sufficient for manufacturing the electronic device having the laminated structure in the printed electronics was obtained from the value of this measurement.

(Comparative Example 1)
FIG. 8 is a cross-line drawing photograph when alignment is not performed. A substrate obtained by patterning molybdenum (Mo) into four squares by photolithography (square pattern 38) on a glass substrate (Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd., OA-10G) 36 is used as a drawing target. With respect to this drawing object, a nozzle head was placed at the center of patterning, and a cross line (alignment mark 32) was drawn with Au nanometal ink (Harima Kasei Co., Ltd., NPG-J). The distance between the four square patterns 38 is 60 μm, and the position of 30 μm in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction from the apex facing the center side of each square is the center of the four square patterning (square pattern 38). is there. From observation with an optical microscope, it can be seen that in Example 2, it landed at a position shifted by 9.264 μm in the X-axis direction and 12.14 μm in the Y-axis direction. The deviation from the center of patterning is 15.271 μm. Comparison between Example 2 and Comparative Example 1 revealed that the nozzle head can be accurately positioned at a predetermined position by the ink jet apparatus according to the present invention.

(Comparative Example 2)
FIG. 9 is a front view when the ink 31 is ejected from the predetermined nozzle 34 to the drawing object 30. The ink 31 that is indicated by a solid line is landed perpendicularly (regularly landing) from the nozzle 34 to the drawing object 30, and the ink 31 that is indicated by a broken line is an angle θ from the nozzle 34 to the drawing object 30. It is the one that landed with a shift. Generally, the deviation of the landing of the ink 31 is caused by a deviation of ejection due to the meniscus behavior of the nozzle 34 or a deviation from the reference position of the mechanical nozzle due to an installation error of the nozzle head. Here, if the distance between the nozzle 34 and the drawing object 30 is h, and the distance between the position where the ink landed with a deviation of the angle θ and the position where the ink landed normally is 1 (el), the following (1) It can be expressed by a formula.
l = h · tanθ (1)

  FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the angle deviation of ink ejection and the landing position deviation based on the relational expression. The distance between the nozzle and the substrate is shown in the graph as 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm. Many general inkjet heads perform ejection by controlling the distance between the nozzle and the drawing object to be on the order of several millimeters. If ink is ejected at a distance of 1 mm, the nozzle angular deviation θ must be controlled within 0.044 ° to achieve the deviation of 0.775 μm from the predetermined position shown in the second embodiment. . This value requires not only a nozzle head with a very high accuracy but also a precise alignment with respect to the drawing object, which requires a complicated and expensive system. Such problems can be solved by the ink jet apparatus of the present invention.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention described in the claims is not specifically limited by the above description. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the above. For example, the technical matters described in the above embodiments and examples may be appropriately combined.

  Further, the nozzle head provided in the ink jet apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes all known nozzle heads having an ink ejection mechanism. For example, the actuator means for discharging liquid (ink) as droplets may be a piezo method, a bubble jet (registered trademark) method, an electrostatic method, or the like. The ink jet apparatus of the invention can be applied.

  The effects appropriately described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. It is not a thing.

1 Surface plate 2 XYZθ stage (an example of stage)
2X X-axis moving stage (an example of a stage)
2Y Y-axis moving stage (an example of a stage)
3 Suction table (table)
4 Gantry 5 Gantry Z stage 6 Nozzle head unit (equipped with mark forming means and nozzle head)
7 Camera unit (equipped with imaging means)
8 X-axis guide rail (composes moving means)
9 Y-axis guide rail (composes moving means)
10 vibration isolation table 11 control unit (an example of control means and calculation means)
12 Each axis control part (an example of a control means and a calculation means)
13 position detection part 14 storage part (an example of storage means)
15 Discharge mechanism (ink discharge mechanism)
16 Preprocessing 17 Drawing 18 Operation and speed instruction during drawing 19 Discharge position instruction 20 Discharge parameter instruction 21 Stage operation during drawing 22 Discharge position detection 23 Discharge trigger 24 Ink discharge 25 Nozzle alignment to predetermined position of alignment mark 26 Acquisition of nozzle stage position coordinates 27 Alignment of alignment marks with camera guidelines 28 Acquisition of camera stage position coordinates 29 Calculation of relative position of nozzle and camera 30 Drawing object (an example of object)
31 Ink 32 Alignment mark 33 Guideline (Positioning means)
34 Nozzle 35 Control device 36 Glass substrate 37 L-shaped line 38 Square pattern

JP 2010-099597 A JP 2004-322606 A

Claims (5)

A nozzle head having an ink ejection mechanism;
A stage for moving a table on which an object is placed to an arbitrary position;
Imaging means for imaging an alignment mark formed by ink ejected from the ejection mechanism;
Storage means for storing first position information of the stage when the alignment mark is formed on the object and second position information of the stage when the alignment mark is imaged by the imaging means ;
Calculating means for calculating a relative position between the nozzle head and the imaging means from the first position information and the second position information stored in the storage means ;
Control means for moving the stage based on the result calculated by the calculation means;
Equipped with a,
The image pickup unit includes an alignment unit for aligning with a formation position of the alignment mark, and acquires the second position information .   The ink jet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stage includes a detecting unit that detects the arbitrary position of the stage. 3. The alignment mark according to claim 1, wherein the alignment mark is formed of any one of an electrode material, a semiconductor material, a light emitting material, a bank material, and a resist material as the ink filled in the nozzle head. Inkjet device. The inkjet apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the imaging unit is installed so as to be able to capture an image perpendicular to the object . The stage has moving means for moving a coordinate value corresponding to the relative position calculated by the calculating means from a position where the drawing start position is picked up by the imaging means toward the nozzle head . inkjet equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that.

Images