JP6824130B2 - Printing method and printing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing method and a printing apparatus using an inkjet method for applying ink to a printing plate surface, and more particularly to a printing method and a printing apparatus for forming a high-definition printing pattern.

Currently, printing is used not only for characters and photographs but also for forming wiring boards and the like. Attempts to manufacture electronic devices by printing technology using functional materials inked are expected as new forming methods for passive elements and active electronic elements as well as metal wiring formation. Since the technical field called printed electronics technology is a process at normal pressure and relatively low temperature, it is said that it is possible to easily manufacture electronic devices with low energy, and it is attracting attention.

Patent Document 1 describes a method of filling an intaglio with ink in intaglio printing. In Patent Document 1, for an intaglio having an image portion formed on its surface and coated with silicone, ink is supplied to the entire surface of the intaglio including the image portion and the non-image portion, and then the ink-repellent flexibility By pressing the sheet, the ink in the non-image area is removed, and the image area is filled with ink. In Patent Document 1, the ink-repellent flexible sheet is peeled off for printing.

The printing method of Patent Document 2 includes a precoating step of applying a precoating liquid to a pattern forming region predetermined on the plate surface of a printing plate, an ink applying step of applying ink to a pattern forming region to which the precoating liquid is applied, and a pattern. It has a transfer step of transferring the ink applied to the formation region to the substrate. The precoat liquid makes the contact angle after applying the precoat liquid smaller than the contact angle of the pattern forming region before applying the precoat liquid to the ink.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-10936 JP-A-2017-61056

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a high possibility that ink remains in the non-image area, and it is difficult to form a high-definition print pattern.
Further, it is required to form finer wiring or the like by using a printing method, and further smoothness is required as compared with the wiring formed in Patent Document 2.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems based on the prior art and to provide a printing method and a printing apparatus for forming a high-definition printing pattern.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has an ink applying step of applying printing ink to a predetermined image portion on the plate surface of a printing plate by an inkjet method, and a printing ink applied to the image portion by the ink applying step. The leveling step includes a leveling step of flattening the printing ink and a transfer step of transferring the printing ink applied to the image portion flattened by the leveling step to the substrate. The leveling step is an ink with the printing ink of the image portion of the printing plate. The present invention provides a printing method including a step of pressing a substrate having a lower ink adhesion to a printing ink than an adhesion to a printing ink.

The base material used in the leveling step preferably has a layer containing silicone rubber.
The base material used in the leveling step is preferably provided with a layer containing a fluorine compound on the surface of the layer containing silicone rubber.
It is preferable that the printing plate has an image portion and a non-image portion, and the image portion is composed of recesses.
The printing plate is an intaglio having an image portion and a non-image portion, and it is preferable that the image portion is recessed and liquid-friendly to the printing ink, and the non-image portion is liquid-repellent to the printing ink. ..

The printing plate has an image portion and a non-image portion, the image portion is a concave portion and is composed of a layer containing silicone rubber, and the non-image portion is a convex portion and is on the surface of the layer containing silicone rubber. It is composed of the provided layer containing a fluorine compound, and the height difference between the surface of the image portion and the surface of the non-image portion is preferably more than 0.1 μm and 10 μm or less.
It is preferable that the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion with respect to the printing ink.

The printing ink contains a solvent, and the absorption rate of the solvent in the image area is preferably faster than the absorption rate of the solvent in the non-image area.
The viscosity of the printing ink is preferably 1 mPa · s or more and 30 mPa · s or less.
In the ink applying step, it is preferable to change the amount of printing ink applied to the image portion.
It is preferably used in the manufacture of electronic devices.
It is preferably used to form wiring patterns or electrodes.

The present invention includes an ink-applying unit that applies printing ink to a predetermined image unit on the plate surface of a printing plate by an inkjet method, a leveling unit that flattens the printing ink applied to the image unit by the ink-applying unit, and leveling. It has a transfer part that transfers the printing ink applied to the image part flattened by the part to the substrate, and the leveling part is the ink with the printing ink rather than the ink adhesion with the printing ink of the image part of the printing plate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus which has a base material having low adhesion and presses the base material against printing ink.
The base material preferably has a layer containing silicone rubber.
The base material is preferably provided with a layer containing a fluorine compound on the surface of a layer containing silicone rubber.

According to the present invention, a high-definition print pattern can be formed.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the printing plate apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the image recording part of the printing apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the arrangement of the nozzle of an inkjet head. It is a top view which shows another example of the arrangement of the nozzle of an inkjet head. It is a schematic diagram which shows the printing plate, the leveling part, and the substrate to be transferred. It is a schematic diagram which shows another example of the base material of a leveling part. It is a schematic plan view which shows the printing plate of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows an example of the printing plate of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows another example of the printing plate of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows an example of the printing pattern of the printing plate of the embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the thin film transistor formed by using the printing plate of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the 1st example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 2nd example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 2nd example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the 2nd example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the 2nd example of the printing method of embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 1st example of the conventional printing method. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 1st example of the conventional printing method. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 2nd example of the conventional printing method. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 2nd example of the conventional printing method. It is a schematic plan view which shows the 3rd example of the conventional printing method. It is a graph which shows the measurement result by the time-of-flight type secondary ion mass spectrometry of samples 1-5. It is a graph which shows the measurement result by the time-of-flight type secondary ion mass spectrometry of samples 1-5.

The printing method and printing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
It should be noted that the figures described below are exemplary for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the figures shown below.
In the following, "~" indicating the numerical range includes the numerical values described on both sides. For example, when ε is a numerical value α1 to a numerical value β1, the range of ε1 is a range including the numerical value α1 and the numerical value β1, and when expressed in mathematical symbols, α1 ≦ ε1 ≦ β1.
Angles such as "concrete numerical angles", "parallel", and "vertical" include error ranges generally tolerated in the art, unless otherwise stated.
In addition, "identical" and "whole surface" include an error range generally accepted in the relevant technical field.

<Printing equipment>
First, the printing apparatus will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a printing plate apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 10 is used in the printing method described later, and has a printing device main body 12, a storage unit 14, a determination processing unit 16, and a control unit 18.
The printing apparatus main body 12 uses the printing plate 25 to apply ink to a predetermined image portion on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25, and forms a pattern represented by the image portion on the substrate 31. The printing apparatus main body 12 will be described in detail later.

The storage unit 14 stores various types of information used in the printing device 10. The storage unit 14 stores information on a reference shape that serves as a reference for the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 to which printing ink is applied to a specific pattern.
The reference shape information is, for example, image data indicating an ideal state when printing ink is applied to an image unit composed of the image unit 25a of the printing plate 25. Further, when printing ink is applied to the image portion of the printing plate 25 a plurality of times, it is image data indicating an ideal state each time. When printing ink is ejected to the image portion by the inkjet method to form dots and the printing ink is applied to the image portion, the ideal arrangement of the dots formed by ejecting the printing ink each time is shown. The image data is referred to as the above-mentioned reference shape information.
In addition, image data showing an ideal state of the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 after transfer is also included in the reference shape information.

Further, the storage unit 14 stores the pattern data of the pattern to be printed, and the pattern data is appropriately input from the outside. The method of inputting the reference shape information and the pattern data into the storage unit 14 is not particularly limited, and various interfaces are provided in the storage unit 14 and input via a storage medium and a network regardless of whether it is wired or wireless. can do.
Further, as will be described in detail later, the storage unit 14 corrects the ejection pattern data and ejection timing data of the printing ink ejected from the inkjet head 40 and the ejection pattern data of the printing ink according to the mounting state of the printing plate 25. The corrected correction pattern data is also stored.

The printing ink ejection pattern data is data indicating an ejection pattern when the printing ink is applied to the pattern region of the printing plate 25 by using the inkjet head 40.
The ejection timing data is data indicating at what timing the printing ink is ejected to the pattern region of the printing plate 25 when the printing ink is applied to the pattern region of the printing plate 25 using the inkjet head 40. is there.

The determination processing unit 16 is used to acquire attachment information of the printing plate 25 provided on the plate cylinder 24. The determination processing unit 16 identifies the positions of the alignment mark A, the alignment mark B, the alignment mark C, and the alignment mark D by using the position information of the alignment mark obtained by the alignment camera 42 described later. As a result, it is possible to acquire the attachment information of the printing plate 25 provided on the plate cylinder 24.
The determination processing unit 16 compares the tilt angle of the printing plate 25 with the allowable range based on the mounting position information of the printing plate 25, and determines whether or not the printing plate 25 is within the allowable range. The determination information according to the determination result is output to the control unit 18. The tilt angle of the printing plate 25 will be described later.
The determination processing unit 16 stores the information of the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 to which the printing ink is applied to a specific pattern, which is obtained by the plate surface observing unit 26 of the printing apparatus main body 12 described later, and the storage unit 14. By comparing with the information of the reference shape which is the reference of the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 to which the printing ink is applied to the specific pattern, it is determined whether or not the printing ink is within a predetermined range with respect to the reference shape. is there. The determination information according to the determination result is output to the control unit 18.

In addition, when the determination processing unit 16 deviates from a predetermined range, the determination processing unit 16 also identifies the deviated part or the like. For example, when the printing ink is applied to the image portion, the protruding portion of the printing ink is specified. Further, when the printing ink is applied to the pattern region by the inkjet method, the determination processing unit 16 can specify the deviation of the position of the dots formed by the printing ink, the region where the dots are missing, and the like. As a result, the ejection amount of the printing ink and the like are adjusted according to the portion specified by the control unit 18 as described later.

Based on the mounting information of the printing plate 25 obtained by the alignment camera 42, when the printing plate 25 is tilted at an inclination angle β with respect to the printing plate having an ideal arrangement, the determination processing unit 16 determines that the printing ink is arranged. The discharge pattern data is multiplied by cos β according to the tilt angle β to create correction pattern data. This correction pattern data is stored in the storage unit 14.
For example, the correction processing unit 16 creates the correction pattern data when the tilt angle β of the printing plate 25 is compared with the allowable range based on the attachment information of the printing plate 25 and it is determined that the correction pattern data is out of the allowable range.
Further, the determination processing unit 16 calculates the amount of rotation for rotating the inkjet head 40 based on the mounting position information of the printing plate 25 obtained by the plate surface observation unit 26 described above, and stores it in the storage unit 14. The control unit 18 rotates the inkjet head 40 based on the amount of rotation to eject printing ink.

The control unit 18 is connected to the printing device main body 12, the storage unit 14, and the determination processing unit 16, and controls each element of the printing device main body 12, the storage unit 14, and the determination processing unit 16. Further, the control unit 18 controls each unit according to the determination result of the determination processing unit 16.
Further, for example, when the determination processing unit 16 creates correction pattern data for ejection pattern data, the control unit 18 ejects printing ink from the inkjet head 40 based on the correction pattern data.

<Printing device body>
Next, the printing apparatus main body 12 will be described.
Each part of the printing apparatus main body 12 is provided inside 20a of the casing 20 in order to create a clean atmosphere for printing. A filter (not shown) and an air conditioner (not shown) are provided so that the inside 20a of the casing 20 has a predetermined cleanliness.
The printing apparatus main body 12 includes an image recording unit 22, a plate cylinder 24, a plate surface observation unit 26, a stage 30, a drying unit 32, an ionizer 33, a cleaning unit 34, a maintenance unit 36, and a leveling unit 50. Has.
An image recording unit 22, a plate surface observation unit 26, a leveling unit 50, a drying unit 32, an ionizer 33, and a cleaning unit 34 are provided so as to surround the surface 24a of the plate cylinder 24. The cleaning portion 34 is provided in contact with the surface 24a of the plate cylinder 24. The leveling portion 50 is provided in contact with the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 held by the plate cylinder 24.

When the substrate 31 is arranged on the stage 30 and the plate cylinder 24 is rotated while the stage 30 is arranged at the printing position Pp below the plate cylinder 24, the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 and the surface 31a of the substrate 31 Are arranged so that they touch each other. As a result, the printing ink applied to the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 in a predetermined pattern is transferred to the surface 31a of the substrate 31. The transfer unit 39 is composed of the plate cylinder 24 and the stage 30.
In the printed circuit board 31, the printing ink is fired by heat, light, or the like, depending on the characteristics of the printing ink. Known materials used for firing printing inks using heat and light can be appropriately used. The printing ink on the substrate 31 may be fired inside the casing 20 20a or outside.

In the printing apparatus 10, printing ink is applied to the image portion of the printing plate 25 provided on the plate cylinder 24, but the application of the printing ink may be completed once, and printing is performed on the printing plate 25 a plurality of times. Ink may be applied. When the printing ink is applied a plurality of times, the plate cylinder 24 is rotated by the number of times the printing ink is applied. For example, when printing ink is applied to the printing plate 25 in two steps, the plate cylinder 24 is rotated twice, and when printing ink is applied to the printing plate 25 in two batches, the plate cylinder 24 is rotated four times. Let me. Applying printing ink is called inking. Further, it is also referred to as scanning that the printing ink is applied to the printing plate 25 once out of a plurality of times.
In the case where the printing ink is applied a plurality of times, the leveling process described later by the leveling unit 50 is performed when the printing ink is finally applied.

Hereinafter, each part of the printing apparatus main body 12 will be described.
The image recording unit 22 applies printing ink to a predetermined image unit on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25, and the image recording unit 22 applies printing ink to the plate surface 25c in a predetermined pattern. .. An inkjet method is used as the image recording method of the image recording unit 22.

The plate cylinder 24 is rotatable in one direction, for example, in the Y direction, about the rotation shaft 24b. The Y direction is the rotation direction. The Y direction is also called the feed direction. Further, the plate cylinder 24 is for rotating the printing plate 25 while holding the printing plate 25 to transfer the printing ink on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25, which is applied in a predetermined pattern, to the surface 31a of the substrate 31. Is.
The rotating shaft 24b is provided with, for example, a motor (not shown) for rotating the plate cylinder 24 via a gear (not shown) or the like. It is also possible to provide a direct drive motor that does not use gears. The motor is controlled by the control unit 18. Further, the rotation shaft 24b is provided with a rotary encoder (not shown) that detects rotation and the amount of rotation. The rotary encoder is connected to the control unit 18, and the control unit 18 detects the amount of rotation of the plate cylinder 24.

The substrate 31 to be transferred is not particularly limited, but a film substrate such as PEN (polyethylene terephthalate), PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and PC (polycarbonate), a glass epoxy substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a glass substrate are used. be able to. In addition to this, the material of the substrate used for the electronic device can be appropriately used. As a transfer method, in a rigid substrate such as a glass substrate, transfer can be performed by fixing the substrate 31 on the stage 30 and bringing it into close contact with the plate cylinder 24 as described above.
When a film is used for the printing plate 25, an impression cylinder may be used to fix the film to the impression cylinder and bring the film into close contact with the plate cylinder 24 for transfer.

The plate surface observation unit 26 is arranged on the downstream side of the plate cylinder 24 in the Y direction with respect to the image recording unit 22. The plate surface observation unit 26 acquires information on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 to which the printing ink is applied. In addition, the plate surface observation unit 26 also acquires information on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 after the printing ink has been transferred to the substrate 31.
The structure of the plate surface observing unit 26 is not particularly limited as long as it can acquire information on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 before and after the printing ink transfer. Since most of the printing plates 25 have a rectangular shape, it is preferable to use a line sensor and a line-shaped illumination. In this case, the plate surface imaging data is obtained as the information on the plate surface 25c. This plate surface imaging data is determined by the determination processing unit 16 by comparing it with the information of the reference shape as described above.

As the line sensor, for example, a monochrome CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor or a CCD (charge coupling element) sensor can be used. The line sensor does not have to be a color sensor because it observes the shadow of the ejected printing ink droplets. Further, a lens, various filters, and the like may be provided in front of the line sensor. As the line-shaped illumination, for example, one in which LEDs (light emitting diodes) are arranged in a straight line can be used.
The plate surface observation unit 26 is connected to the control unit 18, and the timing of acquisition of information on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 by the plate surface observation unit 26 is controlled by the control unit 18, and the plate surface 25c of the acquired printing plate 25 is controlled. Information is stored in the storage unit 14.

When transparent ink such as an insulator is used as the printing ink, it is difficult to identify with the naked eye. However, by installing a polarizing filter in front of the light source and the line sensor, and illuminating from two or more places, the printing ink by the line sensor is used. The distinctiveness of the ink can be improved.
Further, by acquiring the information on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 for each scanning, it is possible to detect the film thickness unevenness due to the landing position deviation, the satellite, and the change in the amount of discharged droplets. For example, the relationship between the film thickness and the optical characteristics is measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 14, so that the film thickness can be estimated by comparing the above relationship with the detected optical characteristics. Can be done.

When silver nano ink is used as the printing ink, the silver nano ink develops silver luster as it dries, and the color or reflectance changes. If the film thickness is thin, it dries quickly, and if it is thick, it dries slowly. Therefore, by measuring the relationship between the film thickness and color and the film thickness and reflectance in a predetermined time until detection, the film thickness can be measured in advance. Can be estimated.
In the case of transparent ink such as an insulator, the film thickness can be determined by the interference fringes. The film thickness can be estimated by measuring the relationship between the film thickness and the interference fringes in advance. In the case of crystalline printing inks such as semiconductors, it is also possible to provide a polarizing filter and estimate the film thickness by color. In this case as well, the film thickness can be estimated by measuring the relationship between the film thickness and the color in advance.

The stage 30 mounts the substrate 31 and moves it in the transport direction V to transport the substrate 31 to a predetermined position. The stage 30 is provided with a transport mechanism (not shown). This transfer mechanism is connected to the control unit 18, and the transfer mechanism is controlled by the control unit 18 to move the stage 30 in the transfer direction V, so that the position of the stage 30 can be changed.
The stage 30 first waits at the start position Ps on which the substrate 31 conveyed from the outside of the casing 20 is placed. Next, the stage 30 is moved to the printing position Pp below the plate cylinder 24. Next, after printing, the stage 30 is moved to the end position Pe with the printed substrate 31 placed on it, and then the substrate 31 is taken out of the casing 20. The stage 30 is moved from the end position Pe to the start position Ps, and waits until the substrate 31 is carried in.

The drying unit 32 dries the printing ink on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25. The drying method is not particularly limited as long as the printing ink can be dried, and examples thereof include hot air and cold air blowing by a fan, heating by an infrared heater, high frequency irradiation, and microwave irradiation.
If the printing ink on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 can be dried by natural drying, it is not always necessary to provide the drying portion 32. The degree of drying of the printing ink is not particularly limited, and may be a semi-dried state before it is completely dried.

The semi-dry state is a state in which a part of the solvent of the printing ink before coating is dissipated to the outside.
The preferred semi-dry state for printing is a state that satisfies the following requirements 1 to 3.
1. The degree to which the printing ink is not deformed in the horizontal direction due to the stress received by the printing ink on the plate surface 25c during printing (when the printing ink is transferred from the printing plate 25 to the substrate 31), that is, the pattern shape is not deteriorated by printing. Drying has progressed until it has the elasticity of
2. Drying proceeds until the cohesive force of the printing ink increases to the extent that the printing ink does not separate during printing (a state in which the printing ink remains on both the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 and the substrate 31 after transfer). And
3. The printing ink transfer failure (the printing ink does not transfer from the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 to the substrate 31 after the transfer) does not occur during printing, that is, the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 and the printing ink are attached. This is a state in which the drying has not progressed excessively until the adhesive force becomes larger than the adhesive force between the substrate 31 and the printing ink.

The ionizer 33 eliminates static electricity on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25. The ionizer 33 removes static electricity from the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25, and prevents foreign matter such as dust and dirt from adhering to the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25. Further, when the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 is charged, the discharged printing ink may be bent, but the bending of the discharged printing ink can be prevented, and the inkjet ejection accuracy is improved.
As the ionizer 33, an electrostatic static eliminator can be used, and for example, a corona discharge method and an ion generation method can be used. The ionizer 33 is provided on the downstream side of the drying unit 32 in the Y direction, but if the static electricity on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 can be eliminated before being recorded by the image recording unit 22, the ionizer 33 is provided. The position is not particularly limited.

The cleaning unit 34 removes the printing ink adhering to the plate cylinder 24 and the printing plate 25. The structure of the cleaning unit 34 is not particularly limited as long as it can remove the printing ink adhering to the plate cylinder 24 and the printing plate 25. For example, the roller is pressed against the plate cylinder 24, the printing ink is transferred to the roller, and the transferred printing ink is wiped off.

The maintenance unit 36 examines whether the ejection characteristics and the like of the image recording unit 22 exhibit predetermined performance. The maintenance unit 36 is about to wipe the nozzle or the like so as to exhibit a predetermined performance. The maintenance unit 36 is provided at a position away from the plate cylinder 24. The image recording unit 22 is transferred to the maintenance unit 36 via, for example, a guide rail (not shown). The maintenance unit 36 will be described in detail later.

The leveling portion 50 is for flattening the printing ink applied to the image portion of the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 by the inkjet head 40 which is an ink applying portion. Flattening the printing ink applied to the plate surface 25c image portion of the printing plate 25 is called a leveling process.
The transfer unit 39 described above transfers the printing ink applied to the image unit flattened by the leveling unit 50 to the substrate 31.

The leveling portion 50 has a cylindrical member 51 that can rotate in one direction, for example, the Yr direction, about the rotation shaft 50b, and a base material 52 provided on the surface of the member 51. The Yr direction is the rotation direction of the leveling portion 50.
The base material 52 has a lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the ink adhesion to the printing ink of the image portion of the printing plate 25. Since the base material 52 has lower ink adhesion than the image portion 25a (see FIG. 7) of the printing plate 25, adhesion of printing ink to the base material 52 is suppressed.

The base material 52 is composed of, for example, a layer containing silicone rubber. Further, the leveling portion 50 may be composed of a layer in which the cylindrical member 51 and the base material 52 include silicone rubber. The ink adhesion lower than that of the image portion 25a (see FIG. 7) of the printing plate 25 will be described later. The base material 52 may be configured to have a layer containing silicone rubber.
In the leveling portion 50, the base material 52 is pressed against the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 held by the plate cylinder 24, the base material 52 is pressed against the printing ink, and for example, the cylindrical member 51 is rotated in the Yr direction. The printing ink on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 is flattened.

The rotating shaft 50b is provided with, for example, a motor (not shown) for rotating the leveling portion 50 via a gear (not shown) or the like. It is also possible to provide a direct drive motor that does not use gears. The motor is controlled by the control unit 18. Further, the rotation shaft 50b is provided with a rotary encoder (not shown) that detects rotation and the amount of rotation. The rotary encoder is connected to the control unit 18, and the control unit 18 detects the amount of rotation of the leveling unit 50.

The leveling portion 50 only needs to be able to rotate by pressing the base material 52 against the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 when flattening the printing ink, and the base material 52 is constantly pressed against the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25. You don't have to be. Therefore, the leveling portion 50 may have a configuration in which the base material 52 can be in contact with and separated from the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25. Therefore, the leveling portion 50 may be provided with a mechanism for moving the cylindrical member 51 so that the base material 52 comes into contact with or separates from the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25.
The leveling portion 50 is not particularly limited in the method of crimping the base material 52 to the printing ink as long as the above-mentioned leveling treatment can be performed, and the leveling portion 50 is not limited to using the above-mentioned cylindrical member 51.

Hereinafter, the image recording unit 22 will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an image recording unit of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As described above, the image recording unit 22 uses an inkjet method. As shown in FIG. 2, the image recording unit 22 includes an inkjet head 40, an alignment camera 42, a laser displacement meter 44, an ink tank 45, and a rotating unit 49, which are provided on the carriage 46. ing. The carriage 46 can be moved in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 24b of the plate cylinder 24, that is, in the X direction by the linear motor 48, and the inkjet head 40 can be moved in the X direction by the carriage 46. The position of the carriage 46 can be calculated from the reading of a linear scale (not shown) provided on the linear motor 48.
The ink tank 45 stores printing ink and supplies printing ink to the inkjet head 40.

The inkjet head 40 is an ink application unit, and the inkjet head 40 is provided with an ejection control unit 43 for controlling ink ejection. The ejection control unit 43 adjusts the ejection waveform of the printing ink. The discharge control unit 43 is connected to the control unit 18. In the discharge control unit 43, for example, the user can adjust the discharge voltage or the discharge waveform through the user interface. As will be described later, the printing ink is ejected in a state where the temperature of the printing ink is adjusted.

The alignment camera 42 and the laser displacement meter 44 are also connected to the control unit 18. The carriage 46 is provided with a drive unit (not shown) for moving in the Z direction, and this drive unit is connected to the control unit 18, and the control unit 18 controls the movement of the carriage 46 in the Z direction. Will be done. Here, the Z direction is a direction perpendicular to the surface 24a of the plate cylinder 24.

The alignment camera 42 is for obtaining the position information of the printing ink ejection position, the printing ink ejection timing, and the alignment mark for correcting the pattern data.
The configuration of the alignment camera 42 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the alignment marks A to D.

The alignment camera 42 captures the alignment marks A to D, the imaged data is stored in the storage unit 14, and the determination processing unit 16 identifies the positions of the alignment marks A to D. The alignment camera 42 and the determination processing unit 16 function as a mounting position information acquisition unit that acquires mounting information of the printing plate 25 provided on the plate cylinder 24.
From the position information of the alignment marks A and B, it is possible to obtain information on the printing ink ejection start position in the Y direction, the expansion / contraction of the printing plate in the X direction, and the tilt angle θ of the printing plate. From the position information of the alignment marks A and C, it is possible to obtain information on the ejection start position of the printing ink in the X direction and the scaling of the printing plate in the Y direction. From the position information of the alignment marks A to D, for example, information on trapezoidal distortion of the printing plate, that is, information on trapezoidal deformation can be obtained. The printing ink ejection start position is called the ink ejection start position.
Ideally, the printing plate 25 has a line La (see FIG. 7) passing through the alignment mark A and the alignment mark C parallel to the above-mentioned Y direction. However, when the printing plate 25 is attached to the plate cylinder 24, the printing plate 25 is slightly tilted with respect to the plate cylinder 24. From the position information of the alignment marks A to D, it is possible to obtain information on the mounting of the printing plate 25 on the plate cylinder 24, for example, information such as the inclination of the printing plate 25 with respect to the Y direction of the plate cylinder 24.

Based on the various information obtained above, the printing ink ejection start position, the position of the inkjet head 40, and the printing ink ejection timing are corrected. For each of these corrections, a known correction method for droplets of printing ink by an inkjet can be used.
Further, known correction methods can be used for enlargement / reduction in the X direction, enlargement / reduction in the Y direction, inclination, and keystone correction of the pattern data.
The number of alignment marks may be at least three, and information on the expansion / contraction of the printing plate in the X direction, the tilt angle θ of the printing plate, and the expansion / contraction of the printing plate in the Y direction can be obtained. If there are four alignment marks, it is possible to obtain information on the trapezoidal distortion of the printing plate 25, so it is preferable that there are four alignment marks. Further, by providing a plurality of alignment marks inside the four alignment marks A to D, non-linear correction can be performed. In this case, a known correction method can also be used for correction using the alignment mark.

The laser displacement meter 44 measures the distance between the inkjet head 40 and the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25. The distance between the alignment mark A and the alignment mark C in the Y direction, that is, the AC length changes due to the plate body diameter + plate thickness change due to plate swelling due to printing ink or temperature. Here, since the printing ink of the inkjet head 40 is ejected at the timing of the rotary encoder, it does not receive a change in the plate cylinder diameter and responds to a change in the plate length, but the length changes when transferred to the substrate 31. It ends up.

For the purpose of keeping the length of the printed pattern on the substrate 31 constant even if there is a change in the AC length described above, the change in the plate body diameter + plate thickness is measured by the laser displacement meter 44. Make corrections based on the measured results.
As a specific example of the correction, the distance variation from the rotation shaft 24b of the plate cylinder 24 to the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 is precisely measured, and based on the result, the movement relative of the plate cylinder 24 and the substrate 31 during transfer is performed. It is possible to change the speed.
In addition to the above-mentioned specific example of correction, for example, a table of the relationship between the temperature and the distance between the rotating shaft 24b of the plate cylinder 24 and the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 prepared in advance by measuring the temperature of the plate cylinder 24 or the environment. Based on the above, the relative moving speeds of the block copy 24 and the substrate 31 at the time of transfer may be changed.
According to the specific example of the above-mentioned correction, printing can be performed with high accuracy even if the plate swells or the plate diameter changes. It is known that when transferring, if a difference is provided in the feeding speed between the plate side and the substrate side, the dimensions of the transfer pattern in the feeding direction change.

The configuration of the laser displacement meter 44 is not particularly limited as long as the distance between the inkjet head 40 and the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 can be measured.
Further, the laser displacement meter 44 can measure the change in the plate body diameter + plate thickness by measuring the distance of the printing plate 25 to the plate surface 25c. This can be used for enlargement / reduction in the Y direction. For example, when the diameter of the plate cylinder 24 or the film thickness of the printing plate 25 changes due to a temperature change, the length between the alignment mark A and the alignment mark C changes. This change in length can be used to correct the pattern data.

By using the alignment camera 42 and the laser displacement meter 44 as described above, the alignment accuracy can be improved. In the printing apparatus 10, it is used for forming a thin film transistor as described later. In a thin film transistor, even a deviation of about 10 μm results in characteristics different from the designed characteristics. When forming a plurality of thin film transistors, the characteristics will vary even if there is a deviation of about 10 μm. For example, when used for electronic paper, high performance will not be obtained, but such variations in characteristics will occur. It can be suppressed.

The rotating portion 49 rotates the inkjet head 40 about a line perpendicular to the surface 24a of the plate cylinder 24. The rotating portion 49 can align the direction of the inkjet head 40 with the inclination of the printing plate 25.
The method of ejecting the printing ink of the inkjet head 40 is not particularly limited, and the piezoelectric method of ejecting the liquid by utilizing the deflection deformation, the shear deformation, the longitudinal vibration, etc. of the piezoelectric element, and the liquid in the liquid chamber by the heater are used. Various methods can be used, such as a thermal method that heats and discharges a liquid by utilizing the film boiling phenomenon, and an electrostatic method that utilizes electrostatic force.

As a specific configuration of the inkjet head 40, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of nozzles 41 alternately change their positions in the Y direction along the X direction over a length corresponding to the entire width of the printing plate 25. Have been placed.
The nozzles 41 can be arranged at a high density by alternately arranging the positions in the Y direction along the X direction. The number of rows in which the nozzles 41 are arranged is not particularly limited, and may be one row, two rows, or more. Further, the nozzles 41 may be arranged in a matrix.
The configuration of the inkjet head 40 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. In the inkjet head 40 shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of head modules 40a are connected in the X direction. In this case, the configuration is not limited to a configuration in which a plurality of head modules 40a are connected in a row, and a plurality of nozzles 41 of the plurality of head modules 40a are arranged so as to alternately change positions in the Y direction along the X direction. The head module 40a may be connected to each other.
In the inkjet head 40 shown in FIG. 4, the ejection waveform can be adjusted for each head module 40a by the ejection control unit 43. Further, if the discharge control unit 43 is provided for each head module 40a, the discharge waveform can be adjusted for each discharge control unit 43.

In the image recording unit 22, the durability of the printing plate 25 is improved by using a non-contact inkjet method for inking the printing plate 25. Further, when it is necessary to control the ink film thickness, the inkjet method is suitable. In the inkjet method, the printing ink preferably has a viscosity in the range of 1 mPa · s or more and 20 mPa · s or less.

Next, the maintenance unit 36 will be described in detail.
The maintenance unit 36 has a wipe unit that uses a web (not shown) or a rubber blade (not shown) to remove ink, dust, and the like adhering to the inkjet head 40.
The web is wound around the peripheral surface of the rotary roller, for example, and the rotary roller is rotated to bring the web into contact with the inkjet head 40 to wipe off ink, dust, and the like. The web is not particularly limited to being wound around the peripheral surface of the rotating roller as long as the ink and dust of the inkjet head 40 can be removed. For the web, what is generally called a wiping cloth can be appropriately used.
For example, the cleaning liquid may be directly applied to the inkjet head 40, or the ink and dust of the inkjet head 40 may be removed by using a web to which the cleaning liquid is attached.

As the cleaning liquid, for example, an ink-soluble solvent or a solution containing no solid content among the ink components is used, and a hydrocarbon-based solvent can be used. As the hydrocarbon solvent, for example, toluene, xylene, hexane, tetradecane, or cyclododecene can be used.

In the wipe portion using the rubber blade, the inkjet head 40 can be moved in the X direction by the carriage 46, and the rubber blade is fixed and the inkjet head 40 is moved in the X direction to apply ink in the longitudinal direction. Wipe off. The inkjet head 40 may be fixed and the rubber blade may be moved in the X direction to wipe it off. When using a rubber blade, the above-mentioned cleaning liquid can also be used. The maintenance unit 36 may have a cap (not shown) to prevent the nozzle 41 from drying out.

The maintenance unit 36 can also perform operations such as purging, spitting, and drip on the inkjet head 40.
Purge means that the inkjet head 40 is placed on an ink receiver (not shown) and the ink is pushed out from the nozzle 41.
The spit is a discharge operation. As a result, nozzle clogging and discharge bending can be improved. The spit is carried out at the same place as the purge, but a station for the spit may be provided.
The drip is not a recovery operation that pushes out the ink as strongly as the above-mentioned purge, but an operation that recovers by slowly dripping the ink. This makes it possible to improve nozzle clogging and ink ejection bending.

Further, the maintenance unit 36 uses a ejection observation unit (not shown) for observing ink droplets (not shown) ejected from the inkjet head 40 and a nozzle 41 (see FIG. 4) of the inkjet head 40. It may be configured to have a nozzle observation unit (not shown) for observing from the surface side on which the ink is formed.
Both the discharge observation unit and the nozzle observation unit are connected to the control unit 18, these operations are controlled by the control unit 18, and the obtained imaging data is stored in the storage unit 14 by the control unit 18. The control unit 18 compares the ink ejection state of the inkjet head 40 with the design value of the ejection characteristics of the inkjet head 40, and the comparison result is stored in the storage unit 14.

Next, the relationship between the printing plate 25, the leveling unit 50, and the transferred substrate 31 will be described. The printing plate 25 has an image portion 25a and a non-image portion 25b, and the image portion 25a is a recess 27. The print plate 25 will be described in detail later.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a printing plate, a leveling portion, and a substrate to be transferred, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the base material of the leveling portion.
As shown in FIG. 5, the surface 52a of the base material 52 is arranged to face the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25, and the surface 52a of the base material 52 is in contact with the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 during the leveling treatment. After the leveling process, the printing ink is transferred to the surface 31a of the substrate 31 in contact with the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 and the surface 31a of the substrate 31.
As described above, the base material 52 has lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25. The ink adhesion is defined by the contact angle of the printing ink as compared with the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25, and the larger the contact angle, the lower the ink adhesion with the printing ink.

Regarding the ink adhesion with the printing ink, the ink adhesion of the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25 is F1, the ink adhesion of the non-image portion 25b of the printing plate 25 is F2, the ink adhesion of the base material 52 is F3, and the substrate 31. When the ink adhesion force of is F4, F2≈F3 <F1 <F4.
Regarding the contact angle of the printing ink, the contact angle of the printing ink of the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25 is Ar1, the contact angle of the printing ink of the non-image portion 25b of the printing plate 25 is Ar2, and the contact angle of the printing ink of the base material 52. Is Ar3, then Ar1 <Ar2≈Ar3.
The contact angles Ar1 to Ar3 of the above-mentioned printing ink are measured by using a method called the θ / 2 method. Since the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25 has a small area, the contact angle of the printing ink is measured by using a flat plate imitating the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25.

The base material 52 has a layer containing silicone rubber as described above. The layer containing silicone rubber constituting the base material 52 is made of, for example, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). Hereinafter, polydimethylsiloxane is also simply referred to as PDMS. Since PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) has high transferability, it is possible to prevent printing ink from remaining on the base material 52, and continuous printing is possible without cleaning the base material 52. Thereby, the printing efficiency can be improved.
The silicone rubber layer constituting the base material 52 is composed of, for example, an ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) or a thermosetting PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). As the ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), either a type in which the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is cured or a type in which the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is softened can be used depending on the production method.
More specifically, for the silicone rubber layer constituting the base material 52, for example, an ultraviolet curable liquid silicone rubber (product name, X-34-4184-A / B) manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone Co., Ltd. is used.

The structure of the leveling unit 50 is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, and the structure of the base material 52 may be a two-layer structure as shown in FIG. The base material 52 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a fluorine compound layer 54, which is a layer containing a fluorine compound, laminated on the surface 53a of the silicone rubber layer 53, which is a layer containing silicone rubber. The surface 54a of the fluorine compound layer 54 becomes the surface 52a of the base material 52. The silicone rubber layer 53 has the same structure as the layer containing the silicone rubber constituting the base material 52 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 described above.
The fluorine compound layer 54 repels the printing ink and exhibits liquid repellency to the printing ink. Further, it is preferable that the fluorine compound layer 54 exhibits high adhesion to the surface 53a of the silicone rubber layer 53 in addition to exhibiting liquid repellency to the printing ink. Therefore, the fluorine compound layer 54 is preferably a polymer containing a fluoroalkyl group as a main component. More specifically, the fluorine compound layer 54 is composed of, for example, durasurf (registered trademark) (DS-5210TH (trademark)) manufactured by Harves Co., Ltd. or Optool (registered trademark) DSX (trademark) manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd. Can be done.
In the case of the two-layered base material 52 shown in FIG. 6, for example, the fluorine compound layer 54 may be formed on a PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) film or a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film.

<Printed version>
Next, the printing plate 25 will be described.
7 is a schematic plan view showing a printed plate of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a printed plate of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows the other example of the printing plate of. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a printing pattern of the printing plate according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 7, for example, the printing plate 25 is provided with alignment marks A to D at the four corners, respectively, and the ejection confirmation area T, the printing areas G ₁₁ , G ₁₂ , the spit area G, and the printing Areas G ₂₁ and G ₂₂ , spit areas G, and print areas G ₃₁ and G ₃₂ are formed.

The ejection confirmation area T is an area where the printing ink is ejected in a test pattern by the inkjet head 40. After the evaluation, the printing ink in the ejection confirmation area T is removed by the cleaning unit 34 or transferred to the substrate 31 and removed.
The spit area G is an area used for checking the ejection of printing ink by the inkjet head 40 in a normal ejection operation.
By providing a discharge confirmation area, a discharge confirmation area T, and a spit area G in front of the print areas G ₁₁ , G ₁₂ , G ₂₁ , G ₂₂ , G ₃₁ , and G ₃₂ , the print areas G ₁₁ , G ₁₂ are provided. , G ₂₁ , G ₂₂ , G ₃₁ and G ₃₂ can be reliably ejected with printing ink.
The print areas G ₁₁ , G ₁₂ , G ₂₁ , G ₂₂ , G ₃₁ , and G ₃₂ are provided with a pattern forming region and a non-pattern forming region, which will be described later.

The printing plate 25 shown in FIG. 8 has an image unit 25a constituting the above-mentioned image unit and a non-image unit 25b other than the image unit 25a. The image unit composed of the image unit 25a is also called a pattern forming region, and a specific pattern is formed by a specific line, a specific shape, a combination of the line and the shape, and the like.
The pattern forming region is, for example, a region for forming a gate electrode, wiring, and the like. In the printing plate 25, the printing ink is transferred from the image unit 25a to the substrate 31, and the printing ink is not transferred from the non-image unit 25b to the substrate 31.
In the printing plate 25, the image portion 25a is a recess 27, which is a pattern forming region. The image portion 25a, that is, the recess 27 is composed of a layer containing silicone rubber as described later. The non-image portion 25b is a convex portion and is a non-pattern forming region. The non-image portion 25b, that is, the convex portion is composed of a layer containing a fluorine compound as described later.

The printing plate 25 is provided with a silicone rubber layer 92 on the support member 90. A silicone rubber layer 93 serving as a partition wall of the recess 27 is provided on the silicone rubber layer 92 except for the image portion 25a. The recess 27 is composed of a silicone rubber layer 92 and a silicone rubber layer 93, which are layers containing silicone rubber. In the recess 27, the bottom surface is the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92, and the side surface 27b of the recess 27 is composed of the silicone rubber layer 93, which is a layer containing silicone rubber. By changing the thickness of the silicone rubber layer 93, the depth of the recess 27 can be changed. That is, the plate depth of the printing plate 25 can be changed.
In general, the plate depth is the difference in relative height between the image portion 25a and the non-image portion 25b of the printing plate 25.

Further, the convex portion of the printing plate 25 is formed by the silicone rubber layer 93, and the fluorine compound layer 94, which is a layer containing a fluorine compound, is provided on the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93. The surface 94a of the fluorine compound layer 94 serves as the surface of the non-imaging portion 25b. The fluorine compound layer 94 repels the printing ink and exhibits liquid repellency to the printing ink.
The printing plate 25 is generally called an intaglio plate. In the printing plate 25, the height difference δ between the surface of the image portion 25a and the surface of the non-image portion 25b is more than 0.1 μm and 10 μm or less. The height difference δ of the printing plate 25 is the distance from the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92 to the surface 94a of the fluorine compound layer 94.
With respect to the height difference δ, a cross-sectional image of the printing plate 25 can be obtained using a scanning electron microscope, and the height difference δ can be obtained from the cross-sectional image.

The film thickness of the fluorine compound layer 94 may be 1 nm or more and 100 nm or less, and is preferably about 10 nm, for example. When the film thickness of the fluorine compound layer 94 is 1 nm or more, absorption of the solvent can be prevented.
By absorbing the printing ink solvent into the silicone rubber layer 92 and the silicone rubber layer 93, printing ink is prevented from being repelled by the silicone rubber layer 92 and the silicone rubber layer 93, and printing is performed on the silicone rubber layer 92 and the silicone rubber layer 93. Allows ink application. Further, by reducing the absorption of the solvent of the printing ink into the fluorine compound, it is possible to prevent pinning of the printing ink on the fluorine compound layer 94 and prevent the printing ink from remaining on the fluorine compound.

In the printing plate 25, the image unit 25a is liquid-friendly to the printing ink and is the parent ink unit. The non-image portion 25b is liquid-repellent with respect to the printing ink and is an ink-repellent portion.
The printing plate 25 shown in FIG. 8 has a configuration in which the silicone rubber layer 92 and the silicone rubber layer 93 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a recess 27 may be provided in the silicone rubber layer 92. In this case, the recess 27 is composed of only the silicone rubber layer 92 including the side surface 27b. The fluorine compound layer 94 is provided on the outermost surface 92c of the convex portion 92b of the silicone rubber layer 92.
In the printing plate 25, in any of the configurations shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the image portion 25a and the non-image portion 25b are formed in a specific pattern. The pattern of the image unit 25a is, for example, a pattern of gate electrodes and wiring, and the gate electrodes and wiring are formed.

The printing plate 25 can be used, for example, for forming various electrodes such as a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode of a thin film transistor used for electronic paper and the like. The printed plate 25 can also be used for forming wiring patterns for electronic circuits and printed wiring boards.
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing an example of a thin film transistor formed by using the printing plate of the embodiment of the present invention.
The thin film transistor 80 (hereinafter referred to as TFT 80) shown in FIG. 11 includes a gate electrode 82, a gate insulating layer (not shown), a source electrode 86a, a drain electrode 86b, a semiconductor layer (not shown), and a protective layer. (Not shown) and.

In the TFT 80, a gate insulating layer (not shown) is formed so as to cover the gate electrode 82. A source electrode 86a and a drain electrode 86b are formed on the gate insulating layer with a gap set in advance as a channel region 84. A semiconductor layer (not shown) that functions as an active layer is formed on the channel region 84. A protective layer (not shown) covering the semiconductor layer, the source electrode 86a, and the drain electrode 86b is formed. The channel length of the channel region 84 is on the order of several μm to several tens of μm. The drain current of the thin film transistor is affected by the channel length, and the variation in the channel length leads to the variation in the characteristics of the thin film tonranger.
In addition to the TFT 80 shown in FIG. 11 above, the printing plate 25 can be used for forming various pattern films such as an electrode film, a wiring film, and an insulating film. By sequentially laminating and forming such various films, an electronic device such as an electroluminescent transistor, an organic electroluminescence element, and a solar cell can be manufactured in addition to the TFT 80. The printing plate 25 can also be used in the manufacture of electronic devices.

The support material 90 of the printing plate 25 supports the silicone rubber layer 92, and is made of, for example, resin, metal, glass, or the like. Further, the support material 90 is not limited to being composed of only one kind of material, and a plurality of materials may be combined. In this case, for example, the support material 90 may be a composite material of an aluminum plate and a polyethylene terephthalate material. The printing plate 25 may be configured without the support member 90.
When the printing plate 25 is wound around the plate cylinder 24, the support member 90 needs to be flexible. Therefore, for example, when the support material 90 is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material, it is desirable that the thickness is about 50 to 200 μm. When the support member 90 is an aluminum plate, the thickness of the aluminum plate is preferably 0.1 to 1 mm, preferably 0.15 to 0.4 mm.

The silicone rubber layer 92 of the printing plate 25 constitutes the image portion 25a. Here, the silicone rubber refers to a rubber-like substance having a network structure having an organic siloxane as a main chain. Silicone resins also include those that do not exhibit rubber elasticity, such as organosiloxane polymers. The silicone resin also includes silicone rubber as described above.
The silicone rubber layer 92 of the printing plate 25 is made of, for example, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). Since PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) has high transferability, it is possible to prevent printing ink from remaining on the printing plate 25 after transfer, and continuous printing is possible without cleaning the printing plate 25. Thereby, the printing efficiency can be improved.
The silicone rubber layer 92 is composed of, for example, an ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) or a thermosetting PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). As the ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), either a type in which the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is cured or a type in which the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is softened can be used depending on the production method.
More specifically, for the silicone rubber layer 92, for example, an ultraviolet curable liquid silicone rubber (product name, X-34-4184-A / B) manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone Co., Ltd. is used.
The thickness of the silicone rubber layer 92 is thicker than that of the silicone rubber layer 93, for example, about 500 μm.

The silicone rubber layer 93 constitutes the side surface 27b of the recess 27, and the above-mentioned height difference δ can be adjusted by the thickness of the silicone rubber layer 93 as described above. The thickness of the silicone rubber layer 93 is, for example, about several μm to 10 μm, and is appropriately set according to the above-mentioned height difference δ of the printing plate 25.
Further, the silicone rubber layer 93 is provided on the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92, and may be composed of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) like the silicone rubber layer 92. The silicone rubber layer 93 is separate from the silicone rubber layer 92, and constitutes the side surface 27b of the recess 27 as described above. Therefore, it is preferable that the silicone rubber layer 93 is capable of forming a pattern. The silicone rubber layer 93 is composed of, for example, an ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) or a thermosetting PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane). As the ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), either a type in which the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is cured or a type in which the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is softened can be used depending on the production method.
For the ultraviolet curable PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), for example, an ultraviolet curable liquid silicone rubber (product name, X-34-4184-A / B) manufactured by Shinetsu Silicone Co., Ltd. is used. In addition to this, for example, two-component mixed type room temperature curing type KE106 (product name), X-32-3279 (prototype number), and X-32-3094-2 (prototype number) manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone Co., Ltd. can be used. it can.

The thickness of the silicone rubber layer 92 is preferably 10 μm or more and 1 mm or less. If the thickness of the silicone rubber layer 92 is less than 10 μm, which is too thin, the absorption rate of the solvent of the printing ink is lowered, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if the thickness of the silicone rubber layer 92 is too thick, such as exceeding 1 mm, the silicone rubber layer 92 is deformed greatly due to the stress received during printing, and as a result, the dimensional reproducibility and the alignment accuracy are deteriorated, which is not preferable. Note that the absorption rate v _s of the solvent of the printing ink described later, for greatly varies depending on the solvent of the printing ink used, also changes the lower limit value of the thickness of the preferred silicone rubber layer 92 accordingly.

The fluorine compound layer 94 of the printing plate 25 constitutes the non-image portion 25b.
It is preferable that the fluorine compound layer 94 exhibits high adhesion to the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 in addition to exhibiting liquid repellency to the printing ink described later. Further, since a load is applied by a printing pressure of, for example, about 10 kPa to 1 MPa during printing, it is preferable that the vulnerability is low so that cracks do not occur at that time. Therefore, the fluorine compound layer 94 is preferably a polymer containing a fluoroalkyl group as a main component. When the adhesion between the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 and the fluorine compound layer 94 is poor, an adhesive layer can be introduced as an intermediate layer.
More specifically, the fluorine compound layer 94 is composed of, for example, durasurf (registered trademark) (DS-5210TH (trademark)) manufactured by Harves Co., Ltd. or Optool (registered trademark) DSX (trademark) manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd. Can be done. The fluorine compound layer 94 is preferably 1 nm or more and 100 nm or less as described above.

The liquid repellent property to the printing ink and the liquid property property to the printing ink can be evaluated as shown below.
Droplets are deposited in a region where liquid repellency is expected and a region where liquid repellency is expected, and the behavior of the droplet is evaluated. The region where the amount of droplets is reduced with respect to the amount of droplets at the time of dripping is the ink-repellent portion having liquid repellency, and the region where the amount of droplets is increased is the parent ink portion having positivity.
In addition, liquid repellency and lipophilicity are imparted in the plate making process. In this case, the liquid-repellent property and the lipophilicity are evaluated by dripping a droplet on the boundary between the liquid-repellent ink-repellent portion and the lipophilic parent ink portion and evaluating the behavior of the droplet. The area where the amount of droplets is reduced with respect to the amount of droplets at the time of dripping is liquid-repellent, and the area where the amount of droplets is increased is lipophilic.

When the forward contact angle of the printing ink of the image unit 25a is θ _{A, s} and the receding contact angle of the printing ink of the non-image unit 25b is θ _{R, f} , the forward contact angle of the image unit 25a with respect to the printing ink. It is preferable that the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} of the non-image portion 25b are larger than those of θ _{A and s} . It is more preferable that the difference between the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} and the advancing contact angles θ _{A and s} is 10 ° or more. When the above difference is 10 ° or more, the difference between the liquid-friendly property and the liquid-repellent property of the image portion 25a and the non-image portion 25b with respect to the printing ink becomes clear, and a high-definition pattern can be formed.

When the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} of the non-image portion 25b are larger than the advancing contact angles θ _{A and s of the} image portion 25a, the printing ink existing at the boundary is a liquid-repellent ink-repellent portion (non-image). It moves from the part 25b) to the lipophilic parent ink part (image part 25a).
Theoretically, a force F having a magnitude shown in the following formula acts on the printing ink straddling the boundary between the image portion 25a and the non-image portion 25b in the direction from the non-image portion 25b to the image portion 25a. Here, in the following equation, γ is the surface tension of the printing ink, and r is the contact surface radius of the droplet.
F = -γπr (cosθ _{R, f} -cosθ _{A, s} )

If the receding contact angles θ _{R, f} and the advancing contact angles θ _{A, s} are less than 180 ° (all droplets satisfy this condition), then F is positive if θ _{R, f} > θ _{A, s.} , The droplet moves to the image unit 25a side. In addition to this, since friction acts between the printing ink and the plate surface, it is more preferable that the difference between the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} and the advancing contact angles θ _{A and s} is actually 10 ° or more.
The forward contact angle and the backward contact angle can be measured by either the "tilt method (also referred to as the sliding method)", the "Wilhelmy method" or the "expansion contraction method". In the present invention, the measurement was performed by the "tilt method (also referred to as the sliding method)".

It is preferable that the printing ink contains a solvent and the absorption rate of the solvent in the image unit 25a is faster than the absorption rate of the solvent in the non-image area 25b with respect to the same solvent. That is, the absorption rate of the solvent of the image portion 25a and _{v s,} when the rate of absorption of the non-image area 25b solvents and _{v f,} it is preferable that _v f <v _s. As a result, the spread of the printing ink on the image unit 25a is suppressed during the transfer of the printing ink, and high-definition pattern formation becomes possible.
Preferably absorption rate _{v s} of the solvent of the printing ink in the image area 25a is 0.1 [mu] m / s or more, more preferably 1.0 .mu.m / s or more. Preferably absorption rate _{v f} of the solvent of the printing ink in the non-image area 25b is less than 0.1 [mu] m / s, more preferably less than 0.01 [mu] m / s.
The forward contact angle and the backward contact angle described above can be adjusted by adding a surfactant to the solvent of the printing ink.

It explained absorption rate v _s of the solvent of the printing ink. Absorption rate v _s of the solvent of the printing ink, first, the image portion of the printing ink by the ink jet method, the non-image portion is dripping, imaged by the camera the shape of the printing ink dripping from the side. Next, the amount of ink remaining on the image and non-image areas is calculated by performing image processing of the ink shape captured for each elapsed time from the drip, and the amount of ink is differentiated by time. , Obtain the solvent absorption rate and evaporation rate of the printing ink.
In order to consider the influence of solvent evaporation of the solvent of the printing ink, a substrate having a liquid-repellent layer equivalent to that of the non-image part was prepared on the Si wafer, and the same experiments as those of the above-mentioned image part and non-image part were performed. Calculate the evaporation rate of the solvent of the printing ink. Since it is a Si wafer, the solvent absorption can be ignored and only the solvent of the printing ink is evaporated.
By subtracting the evaporation rate obtained by using the Si wafer from the sum of the absorption rate and the evaporation rate, the absorption rate of the solvent of the printing ink can be obtained.

Here, the desirable amount of the fluorine compound to be applied to the non-image portion 25b is the thickness of the fluorine compound layer 94 of the printing plate 25 described above, the receding contact angles θ _{R, f} and the advancing contact angles θ _{A, s} described above, and the above. are those comprehensive judgment combined absorption rate v _s of the solvent of the printing ink. However, the desirable amount of fluorine compound to be imparted to the non-imaging portion 25b is derived from the amount of fluorine compound obtained by time-of-flight secondary mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and PDMS. It can be estimated from the ratio of the amount of components, that is, the receding contact angles θ _{R, f} and the F / Si ratio in which a positive correlation is observed with the liquid repellency _{, as} will be described later. As will be described in detail later, when the F / Si ratio is 1689.75 or more, large receding contact angles θ _{R and f} can be obtained, and good liquid repellency can be obtained. Therefore, the F / Si ratio is preferably 1689.75 or more.
In the following equation, [C ₃ OF ₇ ] is a count number with a mass-to-charge ratio m / z = 184.98. [Si ₃ O ₇ H] is a count number with a mass-to-charge ratio m / z = 196.90. [Si ₃ C ₅ H ₁₅ O ₄ ] is a count number with a mass-to-charge ratio m / z = 223.03.
F / Si ratio = [C ₃ OF ₇ ] / ([Si ₃ O ₇ H] + [Si ₃ C ₅ H ₁₅ O ₄ ])

<Manufacturing method of printing plate>
Next, a method of manufacturing the printing plate 25 shown in FIG. 8 will be described.
First, a support member 90 provided with a silicone rubber layer 92 as a first layer containing silicone rubber is prepared. The silicone rubber layer 92 is composed of the above-mentioned ultraviolet curable PDMS or thermosetting PDMS.
Next, photosensitive PDMS is applied onto the silicone rubber layer 92 to form a second silicone rubber layer (not shown). As the photosensitive PDMS, for example, the above-mentioned ultraviolet curable PDMS is used. In the second silicone rubber layer, the region irradiated with ultraviolet light is cured.
The ultraviolet light is obtained by a general ultraviolet exposure device used in a semiconductor manufacturing device, and it is preferable to use light having a wavelength of 300 nm or less in order to dissociate a chemical bond such as a fluorine compound.

Next, a mask (not shown) is placed on the second silicone rubber layer. In the mask, a region that transmits ultraviolet light is formed in a pattern of a non-image portion 25b.
Then, ultraviolet light is irradiated from above the mask toward the second silicone rubber layer. When irradiated with ultraviolet light, the irradiated region of the second silicone rubber layer is cured, and the unirradiated region that is not irradiated is not cured. The unirradiated region is the region that becomes the image portion 25a.

Next, the mask is removed from the second silicone rubber layer, and the second silicone rubber layer after irradiation with ultraviolet light is held for a predetermined time, for example, in an atmosphere at room temperature to perform post-baking. This is done to accelerate the curing of the second silicone rubber layer.
Next, after post-baking, for example, the second silicone rubber layer is developed with toluene to dissolve and remove the unirradiated region, and a part of the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92 is exposed. The silicone rubber layer 93 is formed on the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92 so as to be a non-image portion 25b.

In the method for producing the printing plate 25, the above-mentioned ultraviolet curable PDMS is used to form a layer containing silicone rubber having a concave plate shape in the image portion 25a, such as the silicone rubber layer 92 and the silicone rubber layer 93. The method is not limited to the method used, and a method of pouring a thermosetting PDMS into a mold and molding may be used. Examples of the material of the mold used include glass, metal, Si and resist. The resist is a resist layer patterned on a glass substrate or the like.
Further, by using a mold having a multi-step uneven structure, the thickness of the silicone rubber layer 93, that is, the depth of the recess 27 can be made multi-step in the plane of the printing plate 25. By using this method, the range of the amount of printing ink applied, which will be described later, can be further expanded.

Next, the above-mentioned mask is placed on the silicone rubber layer 93 so that the region transmitting ultraviolet light and the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 are aligned with each other, and the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 is irradiated with ultraviolet light. To do. A hydroxyl group is formed on the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 irradiated with ultraviolet light, and the surface 93a is in an activated state. Next, the mask is removed from the silicone rubber layer 93.
Next, for example, the silicone rubber layer 93 together with the support material 90 is immersed in a silane coupling agent (not shown), and the activated surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 is subjected to a silane coupling treatment. Then, the unreacted silane coupling agent is rotated and removed by a spin coater, and the silane coupling agent is then applied to the surface 93a in an activated state under a saturated water vapor pressure environment at a predetermined temperature and time. Fix it.
As the silane coupling agent, for example, a primer agent for exclusive use of durasurf (DS-PC-3B (model number)) is used.

Next, a fluorine compound (not shown) is applied to the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93, and a fixing treatment is performed at a predetermined temperature and time. Then, the unfixed portion of the fluorine compound is washed and removed by, for example, spin coating with a fluorine-based solvent (durasurf (DS-TH (product name)) manufactured by Harves Co., Ltd.). As a result, the intaglio printing plate 25 shown in FIG. 7 can be obtained. As the fluorine compound, for example, durasurf (DS-5210TH (product name)) manufactured by Harves Co., Ltd. or Optool (registered trademark) DSX (product name) manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd. is used.

For the silane coupling treatment, it is desirable to start the treatment of immersing in the silane coupling agent immediately after the exposure, specifically, within 30 seconds after the exposure. This is because the surface radicals formed on the surface of the irradiation region by the exposure treatment are deactivated in a short time and the uncrosslinked component inside the silicone rubber layer 92 bleeds, so that the surface of the irradiation region gradually becomes hydrophobic. This is because it returns to.
When forming the surface 93a in the activated state, a mask exposure method using a mask was used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and plasma treatment using a mask having an opening, or a laser or a focused luminous flux is used. It is also possible to use a direct drawing method in which the image is directly scanned.
Further, when the silane coupling treatment was applied to the activated surface 93a, a liquid phase method in which the surface 93a was immersed in a silane coupling agent was used, but the method is not limited to this, and the silane coupling agent is used. The surface 93a in the activated state may be subjected to a silane coupling treatment by converting it into a gas and using a gas of a silane coupling agent.
When the degree of activation of the image portion 25a is insufficient, chemical or physical treatment is performed to improve the degree of activation of the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92 and the side surface 93b of the silicone rubber layer 93. Can be done.

In the method for producing the printing plate 25 described above, the fluorine compound is applied after the silane coupling treatment, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at the time of the silane coupling treatment, the fluorine-based silane coupling agent is bonded to the above-mentioned hydroxyl group by a vapor phase method or a liquid phase method. As a result, the fluorine compound layer 94 (see FIG. 8) may be formed.

Next, a method of manufacturing the printing plate 25 shown in FIG. 9 will be described.
With the silicone rubber layer 93 formed on the silicone rubber layer 92, the silicone rubber layer 92 is irradiated with ultraviolet light, including the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93, to cover the entire surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93. A hydroxyl group is formed to bring the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 into an activated state. In this case, the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92 is also in an activated state, and when the side surface 93b of the silicone rubber layer 93 is irradiated with ultraviolet light, the side surface 93b is also in an activated state.

In the method for producing the printing plate 25, the above-mentioned ultraviolet curable PDMS is used to form a layer containing silicone rubber having a concave plate shape in the image portion 25a, such as the silicone rubber layer 92 and the silicone rubber layer 93. The method is not limited to the above method, and a method of pouring and molding a thermosetting PDMS into a mold may be used as in the formation of the silicone rubber layer 92 and the convex portion 92b of the silicone rubber layer 92 shown in FIG. The material of the mold used is as described above.

Next, for example, a substrate containing a silane coupling agent is pressed only against the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 and brought into contact with the surface 93a to perform a silane coupling treatment on the surface 93a. Then, a fluorine compound layer 94 (see FIG. 8) is formed on the surface 93a in a silane-coupled state. The method for forming the fluorine compound layer 94 is as described above. The substrate containing the silane coupling agent can be formed by immersing the base material of the substrate in a solution in which the silane coupling agent is dissolved for a certain period of time. The material used for the base material of the substrate may be any material that absorbs the silane coupling agent and its solvent, and is composed of, for example, PDMS. The time for immersing the base material in the solution in which the silane coupling agent is dissolved may be appropriately determined from the concentration of the silane coupling agent and the solvent absorption rate of the base material.

Further, the method is not limited to the above method, and for example, a substrate containing a fluorine-based silane coupling agent is pressed only against the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 to bring it into contact with the surface 93a, and the fluorine compound layer 94 is brought into contact with the surface 93a. There is also a method of forming. The base material of the substrate is composed of, for example, PDMS, SHIN-ETSU SIFEL (registered trademark) manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., Daiel (registered trademark) manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd., or the like.
Further, the method is not limited to the above method, and for example, the surface 92a of the silicone rubber layer 92 and the surface 93a of the silicone rubber layer 93 are subjected to a silane coupling treatment by immersing in a silane coupling agent. The silane coupling treatment method is as described above. Then, for example, the substrate containing the fluorine compound is pressed only against the surface 93a in the silane coupling state and brought into contact with the surface 93a to form the fluorine compound layer 94 (see FIG. 9). As a result, the intaglio printing plate 25 shown in FIG. 9 can be obtained. The structure of the base material of the substrate is as described above.

<Printing method>
Next, the printing method of the present embodiment will be described using the printing device 10.
In the printing apparatus 10, a specific pattern is printed on the substrate 31 based on the pattern data of the pattern to be printed.
The alignment camera 42 acquires the position information of the alignment marks A to D, acquires the mounting position information of the printing plate 25, and obtains the inclination of the printing plate 25. When the inclination of the printing plate 25 is within the permissible range, the printing ink from the inkjet head 40 is ejected to the printing plate 25 with a predetermined ejection waveform without correcting the inclination, and ink is performed.
On the other hand, when the inclination of the printing plate 25 is out of the allowable range, the inclination is corrected and the pattern is printed. By correcting the inclination of the printing plate 25 in this way, the printing accuracy can be improved even when the mounting accuracy of the printing plate 25 is low.

Each time the printing ink is dropped, the plate surface observation unit 26 acquires information on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25, the determination processing unit 16 determines, and the control unit 18 ejects the printing ink based on the determination result. The amount and ejection density are adjusted, and the next printing ink is dropped. In this case, if there is a shortage in the recess of the printing plate 25, the amount of droplets of the printing ink around the shortage is increased to increase the formed dots. In addition to this, the number of droplets of the printing ink is set to be larger than the predetermined number of droplets to increase the droplet density.
On the contrary, when large dots are formed in the recesses of the printing plate 25 when the printing ink is dropped, the amount of the printing ink dropped is reduced and the formed dots are reduced. In addition to this, the number of droplets of the printing ink is set to be smaller than the predetermined number of droplets to reduce the droplet density.
Further, when the inkjet head 40 has a redundant nozzle, the redundant nozzle can also be used.

For example, in the case of 2400 dpi (dot per inch) pattern data, the image portion, that is, the pattern is formed by scanning the pattern of 1200 dpi in both the X and Y directions four times and scanning the pattern of 600 dpi in the X direction and 2400 dpi in the Y direction four times. The application of printing ink to the area, that is, the inking can be completed.
Further, for example, in the case of 1200 dpi in both the X direction and the Y direction, the distance between adjacent pixels (minimum value) of one nozzle is 21.2 μm, and the requirement for the ejection frequency is low, but the number of nozzles is twice that of 600 dpi in the X direction. You will need it. The distance between adjacent pixels in the X direction, that is, the minimum value is 21.2 μm, and there is concern about the influence of landing interference in the X direction.
On the other hand, in the case of 600 dpi in the X direction and 2400 dpi in the Y direction, the number of nozzles is halved as compared with the above-mentioned 1200 dpi in the X direction, and the distance between adjacent pixels in the X direction, that is, the minimum value is 42.3 μm, which causes landing interference in the X direction. Although the influence of the above is reduced, the distance between adjacent pixels in the Y direction, that is, the minimum value is 10.6 μm, and high frequency ejection is required twice as much as in the case of 1200 dpi in both the X direction and the Y direction.

Next, the printing method of the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described more specifically.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 to 16 are schematic plan views showing a first example of the printing method of the embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and FIGS. 17 to 20 are the first printing methods of the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows an example.
First, the printing ink is supplied to the ink tank 45 (see FIG. 2) (step S10). In step S10, printing ink is supplied from the ink tank (see FIG. 2) to the inkjet head 40 so that the inkjet head 40 can eject the printing ink.

Next, alignment is performed (step S12).
In this case, the position of the inkjet head 40 and the plate position are aligned. First, the alignment marks A to C are read by the alignment camera 42, and their positions are detected.
Next, the absolute distance in the X direction is obtained. In this case, for example, it is calculated from the carriage 46 position (linear scale reading value) when the alignment marks A and B are at the same position in the X direction of the field of view of the alignment camera 42.
Next, the absolute distance in the Y direction is obtained. In this case, it is calculated from the rotation position information of the plate cylinder 24 output from the rotary encoder when the alignment mark A and the alignment mark of the alignment mark C are at the same position in the Y direction of the field of view of the alignment camera 42. In the Y direction, the alignment is adjusted not by the distance but by the angle.

Next, the relative inclination of the inkjet head 40 and the printing plate 25 is obtained. In this case, the tilt angle θ is obtained. The deviation is measured not only in the X direction positions of the alignment marks A and B but also in the Y direction. The deviation in the Y direction is calculated from the rotation position information of the plate cylinder 24 output from the rotary encoder when the Y direction of the field of view of the alignment camera 42 is also the same, and the deviation is calculated from the distance in the X direction and the deviation in the Y direction. Calculate the angle θ. Alternatively, the tilt angle θ can be calculated from the deviation in the Y direction within the field of view of the camera.
Further, from the position information of the alignment marks A to C, the mounting position information of the printing plate 25 with respect to the plate cylinder 24 is obtained. That is, information on how the printing plate 25 is attached to the plate cylinder 24 is obtained. Then, the tilt angle β of the printing plate 25 is obtained. For example, the tilt angle β can be calculated from the distance in the X direction and the deviation in the Y direction.

The distance in the X direction, the angle in the Y direction, and the inclination angle θ obtained as described above are stored in the storage unit 14. In the control unit 18, the distance in the X direction, the angle in the Y direction, the tilt angle θ, the enlargement / reduction processing in the X and Y directions for the pattern data to be printed stored in the storage unit 14, and the pattern based on the tilt angle θ. The data is rotated and the pattern data is corrected. The corrected pattern data is subjected to tilt correction of the printing plate 25 as necessary.
Obtain correction pattern data. Further, the control unit 18 also adjusts the timing of discharging the printing ink from the inkjet head 40.

Next, the ejection of the inkjet head 40 is confirmed (step S14).
In this case, the evaluation of the printed matter of the test pattern or the ejection observation is performed.
The printed matter of printing the test pattern is evaluated visually or by a scanner on the printed circuit board. Further, it can be carried out by observing the printing ink on the printing plate 25 with the alignment camera 42 by only ejecting the printing plate 25 and not transferring the ink.
As described above, the printing plate 25 is provided with the ejection confirmation area T, and the printing ink is dropped therein. A discharge confirmation area T may be provided on the plate cylinder 24, and printing ink may be dropped therein.
After the evaluation, the printing ink in the ejection confirmation area T is removed by the cleaning unit 34 or transferred to the substrate 31 and removed.

If the discharge confirmation result is out of the predetermined range, the maintenance unit 36 performs a recovery operation, or the discharge control unit 43 optimizes the discharge waveform.
Along with the ejection confirmation, the information on the landing position of the printing ink dropped on the printing plate 25 is acquired by using the alignment camera 42. The determination processing unit 16 determines the deviation of the landing position, and if the X direction, the Y direction, and the inclination angle θ are out of the predetermined ranges, the correction pattern data is adjusted again for enlargement / reduction, rotation, and the like. ..

Next, after confirming the ejection in step S14, inking to the printing plate is performed (step S16). The step S16 for inking the printing plate corresponds to the ink applying step.
Pattern data or correction pattern data is sent to the discharge control unit 43, the plate cylinder 24 is rotated, and the plate cylinder 24 is determined in advance according to the timing based on the rotation position information of the plate cylinder 24 output from the rotary encoder at that time. With the ejection waveform, printing ink is ejected from the inkjet head 40 to the printing plate 25, and ink is performed.
In this case, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 17, the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25 is set so that the dropping positions 61 of the printing ink do not overlap each other.

In step S16 described above, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 18, the printing ink 62 is dropped on the dropping position 61 (see FIGS. 13 and 17) of the image unit 25a.
For example, when the plate cylinder 24 is rotated four times, that is, when the printing ink is applied to the image unit 25a by scanning four times, a spit is performed for each scanning. The spit is performed in the spit area G of the printing plate 25 or the spit area (not shown) for the spit provided on the plate cylinder 24.
The timing of the spit may be after the printing ink is applied to the image unit 25a or may be set for each printing plate. Further, the maintenance unit 36 may perform purging, wiping, and spit for each number of printed sheets, such as every 100 printing plates, and further confirm the ejection.

By using a non-contact inkjet method in the inking process, the durability of the printing plate 25 can be improved.
Next, the surface 52a of the base material 52 of the leveling portion 50 is pressed against the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 to which the printing ink has been applied by the inking step, and the base material 52 is pressed against the printing ink to form a cylindrical member 51. Is rotated in the Yr direction to flatten the printing ink on the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 (step S18). Step S18 is a leveling step for performing the leveling process. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 19, the base material 52 is pressed against the printing plate 25 and the base material 52 is pressed against the printing ink to flatten the surface 62a of the printing ink 62. 15 and 19 show only the base material 52 of the leveling portion 50 (see FIG. 1), and FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view of the base material 52.
Even after the base material 52 is removed from the printing plate 25, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 20, the printing ink 62 of the printing plate 25 is in a state where the surface 62a is flattened.

Next, the printing plate 25 after the leveling treatment is dried in the drying section 32 (step S20), and the printing ink 62 is dried. Step S20 corresponds to the drying step. In step S20, the printing ink is preferably in a semi-dry state.
Next, the printing ink 62 of the printing plate 25 flattened by the leveling step is transferred to the substrate 31 (step S22). Step S22 is a transfer step.
First, in the transfer step of step S22, the substrate 31 is placed on the stage 30 and waits at the start position Ps. Then, the substrate 31 is aligned to align the pattern of the printing plate 25.

Next, the stage 30 is moved in the transport direction V to arrange the substrate 31 at the printing position Pp below the plate cylinder 24. Then, the plate cylinder 24 is rotated to bring the plate surface 25c of the printing plate 25 into contact with the surface 31a of the substrate 31, and the printing ink 62 (see FIGS. 16 and 20) of the printing plate 25 is transferred to the substrate 31. Then, after the transfer, the stage 30 is moved in the transport direction V, and the substrate 31 is moved from the printing position Pp below the plate cylinder 24 to the end position Pe. After that, the printed plate 25 on which the pattern is formed is moved from the stage 30 and taken out of the casing 20. In this case, no printing ink 62 remains in the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25, and the printing ink 62 is transferred to the surface 31a of the substrate 31 to form a pattern portion (not shown). Since the leveling process is performed, the pattern portion becomes flat. Further, by carrying out the leveling process, the pattern portion is formed as shown in the image portion 25a, and a high-definition print pattern can be formed.

In the first example of the above-mentioned printing method, the printing ink is dropped once, but the printing ink is not limited to this, and may be a plurality of times as described above, for example, twice. This case will be described.
21 and 22 are schematic plan views showing a second example of the printing method of the embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and FIGS. 23 and 24 are the second second examples of the printing method of the embodiment of the present invention, respectively. It is a schematic cross-sectional view which shows an example.
In addition, in FIGS. 21 to 24, the same components as those of the printing plates shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 and 17 to 20 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, the first drip position 61a and the second drip position 61b of the printing ink are set in the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25. The dropping positions 61a are set so as not to overlap each other. The dropping positions 61b are also set so as not to overlap each other. The dropping position 61a and the dropping position 61b are set so as to overlap each other.
Then, the printing ink 62 is dropped on the first dropping position 61a and the second dropping position 61b by the inkjet method. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the printing ink 62 is dropped on the dropping position 61a and the dropping position 61b (see FIGS. 21 and 23) of the image unit 25a. The surface 62a of the printing ink 62 is not flat but uneven.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 19, the base material 52 of the leveling portion 50 is pressed against the printing plate 25, and the base material 52 is pressed against the printing ink 62, as in the first example of the printing method described above. , The surface 62a of the printing ink 62 is flattened. As a result, even after the base material 52 is removed from the printing plate 25, the surface 62a of the printing ink 62 of the printing plate 25 remains flat, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 20.
Next, the printing plate 25 after the leveling treatment is dried in the drying section 32, and the printing ink 62 is dried (step S20). In step S20, the printing ink 62 is preferably in a semi-dry state.
Next, the printing ink 62 of the printing plate 25 is transferred to the substrate 31 (step S22). As a result, the printing ink 62 is transferred to the surface 31a of the substrate 31 to form a flat pattern portion (not shown). Even in this case, by performing the leveling process, the pattern portion is formed as shown in the image portion 25a, and a high-definition print pattern can be formed.

In the first example of the printing method, when the leveling process is not performed, as shown in FIG. 25, when the printing ink 62 is dropped on the dropping positions 61 which are roughly set so as not to overlap each other, FIG. As shown in 26, the printing ink 62 exists in isolation and does not become linear. In this case, for example, it cannot be used as wiring unless the leveling process is performed.
Further, as shown in FIG. 27, when the printing ink is dropped on the dropping positions 61 which are densely set so as to overlap each other, the printing ink 62 overflows from the image portion 25a as shown in FIG. 28, and the non-image portion is formed. The printing ink 62 is also present in 25b. Even in this case, if the leveling process is not performed, the pattern is not linear when transferred to the substrate 31, and it cannot be used as wiring.

In the second example of the above-mentioned printing method, when the printing ink is dropped twice to perform ink king, the surface 62a of the printing ink 62 is not flat in the image portion 25a of the printing plate 25 as shown in FIG. , Becomes uneven. When transferred to the substrate 31 in this state without performing the leveling process, the pattern portion formed by the transfer is not flat.

In the printing plate 25, the image portion 25a, that is, the side surface 27b of the concave portion 27 is composed of the silicone rubber layer, and the non-image portion 25b, that is, the surface of the convex portion is composed of the fluorine compound layer 94. There is little overflow of printing ink, and the print ink releasability on the side surface 27b of the recess 27 is good. As a result, a high-definition print pattern can be formed. Further, since the printing ink has good releasability, the variation in the pattern width can be reduced, and in the case of wiring or the like, the characteristics can be uniformly formed. Moreover, the thickness of the pattern portion 98 corresponds to the above-mentioned height difference δ, and a pattern having a thick film thickness can also be formed.
Further, since the printing ink does not remain on the printing plate 25 as described above, the ink removing step becomes unnecessary and the ink usage efficiency is improved.
Further, the thickness of the pattern portion can be changed by changing the amount of the printing ink 62 in the image portion 25a, that is, the recess 27.

Further, when the printing plate 25 has a plurality of recesses 27 which are image portions 25a, the ejection amount of the printing ink 62 is changed by the inkjet method to change the amount of the printing ink 62 applied to each recess 27. Then, after the leveling process is performed, the printing plate 25 and the surface 31a of the substrate 31 are brought into contact with each other to transfer the printing ink of the printing plate 25 to the substrate 31. As a result, pattern portions having different thicknesses can be formed on the surface 31a of the substrate 31 in one transfer step. As a result, wirings having different thicknesses can be formed at the same time. Also in this case, the variation in the pattern width of each pattern portion can be reduced, and in the case of wiring or the like, the characteristics can be uniformly formed.

The printing plate 25 is in the form of a sheet, and may be in the form of a single leaf or a roll. In this case, the pattern can be formed by a roll-to-seat method, a sheet-to-roll method, or a roll-to-roll method.

<Printing ink>
The printing ink is not particularly limited, but for example, it is preferable that the image portion 25a does not repel the liquid, and for example, it is desirable that the printing ink has a surface tension equal to or less than the critical surface free energy of the silicone rubber.
It should be noted that there are features limited by the combination of the substrate and the printing ink, that is, the forward contact angle, the backward contact angle, and the absorption rate. The printing ink does not have to have a surface tension equal to or less than the critical surface free energy of the silicone rubber as long as the conditions of the forward contact angle, the backward contact angle, and the absorption rate are satisfied.
The printing ink is preferably a Newtonian fluid. The printing ink preferably has a viscosity in the range of 1 mPa · s or more and 20 mPa · s or less. However, when the absorption velocity v _s of the solvent of the printing ink in the image area 25a is large, the drying of printing inks proceeds immediately after coating, since the generation of liquid repellent nuclei is suppressed, it has to meet necessarily the viscosity of the above Absent.
Hereinafter, the material of the printing ink used for forming the precursor of the wiring of the electronic circuit, the component of the electronic element such as the thin film transistor, or the wiring of the electronic circuit and the component of the electronic element such as the thin film transistor will be specifically described.

The conductive material contains conductive fine particles, and the particle size of the conductive fine particles is preferably 1 nm or more and 100 nm or less. If the particle size of the conductive fine particles is larger than 100 nm, the nozzle is likely to be clogged, which makes it difficult to eject by the inkjet method. Further, when the particle size of the conductive fine particles is less than 1 nm, the volume ratio of the coating agent to the conductive fine particles becomes large, and the ratio of organic substances in the obtained film becomes excessive.
The dispersoid concentration is preferably 1% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less from the viewpoint of cohesiveness of the dispersoid concentration.

The surface tension of the dispersion liquid of the conductive fine particles is preferably in the range of 20 mN / m or more and 70 mN / m or less. When the liquid is ejected by the inkjet method, if the surface tension is less than 20 mN / m, the wettability of the printing ink composition to the nozzle surface increases, so that flight bending is likely to occur, and if it exceeds 70 mN / m, the nozzle tip This is because the shape of the meniscus is not stable and it becomes difficult to control the discharge amount and the discharge timing.

As the conductive material, for example, silver fine particles are included. Examples of metal fine particles other than silver include gold, platinum, copper, palladium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium, iridium, iron, tin, zinc, cobalt, nickel, chromium, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, and indium. , Any one may be utilized, or an alloy in which any two or more are combined may be utilized. Furthermore, silver halide may be used. However, silver nanoparticles are preferred. In addition to metal fine particles, conductive polymer or superconductor fine particles may be used.
Examples of the coating material for coating the surface of the conductive fine particles include an organic solvent such as xylene and toluene, citric acid and the like.

The dispersion medium used is one that satisfies the characteristics limited by the combination of the above-mentioned substrate and printing ink, that is, the forward contact angle and the backward contact angle, and the solvent absorption rate, and can disperse the above-mentioned conductive fine particles. The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it does not cause aggregation, but in addition to water, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol, n-heptane, n-octane, decane, tetradecane, toluene, xylene, simene, durene, etc. Hydrocarbon compounds such as inden, dipentene, tetrahydronaphthalene, decahydronaphthalene, and cyclohexylbenzene, or 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, as well as propylene carbonate, γ-butyrolactone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, cyclohexanone and the like. Polar compounds can be mentioned. Of these, water, alcohols, hydrocarbon compounds, and ether compounds are preferable, and more preferable dispersions, in terms of the dispersibility of fine particles, the stability of the dispersion, and the ease of application to the inkjet method. Examples of the medium include water and hydrocarbon compounds. These dispersion media can be used alone or as a mixture of two or more kinds.

Further, as the binder, that is, the additive, alkyd resin, modified alkyd resin, modified epoxy resin, urinated oil, urethane resin, rosin resin, rosinized oil, maleic acid resin, maleic anhydride resin, polybutene resin, diallyl phthalate. Resins, polyester resins, polyester oligomers, mineral oils, vegetable oils, urethane oligomers, and copolymers of (meth) allyl ether and maleic anhydride can be used alone or in combination of two or more. As the copolymer with maleic anhydride, another monomer such as styrene may be added as a copolymerization component.
Further, for the metal paste, as an additive, a dispersant, a wetting agent, a thickener, a leveling agent, a ground stain inhibitor, a gelling agent, a silicone oil, a silicone resin, a defoaming agent, a plasticizer, etc. are appropriately selected. May be added.
Further, as the solvent, normal paraffin, isoparaffin, naphthene, and alkylbenzenes can also be used.

Further, as the conductive material, a conductive organic material can be used, and for example, a polymer-based soluble material such as polyaniline, polythiophene, and polyphenylene vinylene may be included.
An organometallic compound may be contained instead of the fine metal particles. The organometallic compound referred to here is a compound in which a metal is precipitated by decomposition by heating. Such organometallic compounds include chlorotriethylphosphine gold, chlorotrimethylphosphine gold, chlorotriphenylphosphine gold, silver 2,4-pentandionato complex, trimethylphosphine (hexafluoroacetylacetonate) silver complex, and copper hexafluoro. There are pentandionatcyclooctadiene complexes and the like.
Other examples of the conductive fine particles include a resist, an acrylic resin as a linear insulating material, a silane compound that becomes silicon by heating, a metal complex, and the like. These may be dispersed as fine particles in the liquid, or may be dissolved and exist. Examples of the silane compound that becomes silicon by heating include trisilane, pentasilane, cyclotrisilane, and 1,1'-biscyclobutasilane.

Furthermore, as a liquid containing a conductive organic material, an aqueous solution of conductive polymers PEDOT (polyethylene dioxythiophene) and PPS (polystyrene sulfonic acid), doped Pani (polyaniline), and PEDOT (polyethylene dioxythiophene) An aqueous solution of a conductive polymer doped with PSS (polystyrene sulfonic acid) or the like can be used.

Materials for forming the semiconductor layer include inorganic semiconductors such as CdSe, CdTe, GaAs, InP, Si, Ge, carbon nanotubes, Si, and ZnO, organic low molecules such as pentacene, anthracene, tetracene, and phthalocyanine, and polyacetylenes. Polyphenylene conductive polymers such as conductive polymers, polyparaphenylene and its derivatives, polyphenylene vinylene and its derivatives, polypyrrole and its derivatives, polythiophene and its derivatives, polyfuran and its derivatives and other heterocyclic conductive polymers, In addition, organic semiconductors such as ionic conductive polymers such as polyaniline and derivatives thereof can be used.

The following materials can be used as the material having a large electrical insulating property, that is, the insulating material, which constitutes the interlayer insulating film. Specific examples of the organic material include polyimide, polyamideimide, epoxy resin, silsesquioxane, polyvinylphenol, polycarbonate, fluororesin, polyparaxylylene, polyvinylbutyral and the like, and polyvinylphenol or polyvinyl alcohol. May be crosslinked and used with an appropriate crosslinking agent. Polyxylene polyfluoride, fluorinated polyimide, fluorinated polyallyl ether, polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, poly (α, α, α', α'-tetrafluoro-paraxylene), polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene , Polyethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, fluorinated ethylene, fluorinated polymers such as propylene copolymer, polyolefin-based polymers, and other polystyrene, poly (α-methylstyrene), poly (α-vinylnaphthalene), Polypolytoluene, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, poly (4-methyl-1-pentene), poly (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene), polyparaxylene, poly [1,1- (2-methylpropane) bis ( 4-Phenyl) Carbonate], polycyclohexylmethacrylate, polychlorostyrene, poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether), polyvinylcyclohexane, polyallylene ether, polyphenylene, polystyrene-co-α-methylstyrene, Examples of the organic material include ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer and poly 2,4-dimethylstyrene.
Examples of the porous insulating film include phosphoriculate glass in which phosphorus is added to silicon dioxide, boron phosphorus silicate glass in which phosphorus and boron are added to silicon dioxide, polyimide, and a porous insulating film such as polyacrylic. Further, it is possible to form a porous insulating film having a siloxane bond such as porous methylsilsesquioxane, porous hydrosilsesquioxane, and porous methylhydrosilsesquioxane.

The material contained in the printing ink is not limited to the above-mentioned one, and the optimum material is selected according to the application. For example, printing ink containing a colorant used for producing a color filter and the like can also be applied. Examples of the colorant include known dyes and pigments. Further, such a printing ink may contain the above-mentioned dispersion medium and binder.

Hereinafter, the liquid repellency will be described using five types of samples, Samples 1 to 5 prepared by the production method shown below.
Specifically, with respect to Samples 1 to 5, 10 was taken from a heat-cured silicone rubber layer using an ORC Manufacturing VUS-3150 equipped with an excimer lamp as a light source in a nitrogen atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of less than 1%. It was irradiated with light for a second, treated with ultraviolet light, and then treated with activation.
Then, the silane coupling treatment was completed using a primer agent for exclusive use of durasurf (DS-PC-3B (model number)) as the silane coupling agent. Then, the unreacted silane coupling agent was removed by rotating with a spin coater. Then, the heating temperature and the heating conditions were changed, and five different levels of the silane coupling agent fixed state were tested. Next, using a spin coater, durasurf (DS-5210TH (product name)) manufactured by Harves Co., Ltd., which is a fluorine compound, is applied to the silicone rubber layer after the silane coupling treatment, and the hot plate at a temperature of 120 ° C. is used for 20 minutes. The fluorine compound was fixed. Finally, the unfixed portion of the fluorine compound is removed by spin coating with a fluorine-based solvent (durasurf (DS-TH (product name)) manufactured by Harves Co., Ltd.), and sample 1 composed of ink-repellent portions having different liquid repellency. ~ Sample 5 5 types of samples were prepared.

Using Time-of-Flight Secondary Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), the surface structure of the prepared samples 1 to 5 was analyzed. The PDMS coverage of the fluorine compound was evaluated by the ratio of the amount of the fluorine compound to the amount of the PDMS component.
For measurement, TOF manufactured by ION-TOF. SIMS 300 was used. The measurement was performed in the high mass resolution mode using Bi as the primary ion source. Negative secondary ions were measured under the conditions of beam diameter: 2 to 5 μm, irradiation amount: 1.3 × 10 ¹⁰ ions / cm ² , measurement range: 500 μm, and number of steps within the measurement range: 128 × 128. The qualitative spectra of the measurement results of samples 1 to 5 by the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry are shown in FIGS. 30 and 31.

As for the ratio of the amount of the fluorine compound and the amount of the component derived from PDMS obtained from the above-mentioned time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, the PDMS coverage of the fluorine compound was estimated from the following formula as described above. The results of the F / Si ratios of Samples 1 to 5 are shown in Table 1 below.
F / Si ratio = [C ₃ OF ₇ ] / ([Si ₃ O ₇ H] + [Si ₃ C ₅ H ₁₅ O ₄ ])
Since [C ₃ OF ₇ ], [Si ₃ O ₇ H] and [Si ₃ C ₅ H ₁₅ O ₄ ] in the above formula are as described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

The receding contact angles θ _{R and f} were measured for the samples 1 to 5 by the “tilt method (also referred to as the sliding method)”. The results of the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} are shown in Table 1 below. As a result, in Sample 1, the F / Si ratio was 0.38, and the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} were 0 °. On the other hand, in sample 5, the F / Si ratio was 1946.75, and the receding contact angles θ _{R and f} were 43 °.
Further, the samples 1 to 5 were inked by using the blade coating method on the entire surface of the printing plate. When the printing ink did not remain in the ink-repellent portion and the printing ink flowed in the parent ink portion, the liquid repellency was good, and when the printing ink remained in the ink-repellent portion, the liquid repellency was poor.
A positive correlation was also found for the F / Si ratio, receding contact angles θR _{, f} and liquid repellency for Samples 2 to 4, which were treated between Samples 1 and 5. It was clarified that when the F / Si ratio was 1689.75 or more, large receding contact angles θ _{R and f} were obtained, which was sufficient.
For the inking, a pigment ink in which silver nanoparticles were dispersed (nano silver ink manufactured by ULVAC Co., Ltd.) was used.

The present invention is basically configured as described above. Although the printing method and the printing apparatus of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements or modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

10 Printing device 12 Printing device body 14 Storage unit 16 Judgment processing unit 18 Control unit 20 Casing 20a Internal 22 Image recording unit 24 Plate cylinder 24a, 31a, 52a, 53a, 54a, 62a Surface 24b, 50b Rotating shaft 25 Printing plate 25a Image Part 25b Non-image part 25c Plate surface 26 Plate surface observation part 27 Recessed 27b Side surface 30 Stage 31 Substrate 32 Drying part 33 Ionizer 34 Cleaning part 36 Maintenance part 39 Transfer part 40 Ink head 40a Head module 41 Nozzle 42 Alignment camera 43 Discharge control part 44 Laser Displacement meter 45 Ink tank 46 Carriage 48 Linear motor 49 Rotating part 50 Leveling part 51 Member 52 Base material 53 Silicone rubber layer 54 Fluorine compound layer 61, 61a, 61b Dropping position 62 Printing ink 80 Thinning film 82 Gate electrode 84 Channel area 86a Source electrode 86b Drain electrode 90 Support material 92 Silicone rubber layer 92a, 93a, 94a Surface 92b Convex part 92c Outer surface 93 Silicone rubber layer 93b Side surface 94 Fluorine compound layer 98 Pattern part A, B, C, D Alignment mark G Spit area G ₁₁ , G ₁₂ , G ₂₁ , G ₂₂ , G ₃₁ , G ₃₂ Printing area Pe End position Pp Printing position Ps Start position S10, S12, S14, S16, S18, S20, S22 Step T Discharge confirmation area V Conveyance direction Y, Yr direction β tilt angle δ height difference θ tilt angle

Claims (15)

An ink applying process of applying printing ink to a predetermined image portion on the printing plate surface by an inkjet method,
A leveling step of flattening the printing ink applied to the image portion by the ink applying step,
It has a transfer step of transferring the printing ink applied to the image portion flattened by the leveling step to a substrate.
The leveling process is seen including the step of crimping the ink adhesion is lower base of the printing ink than the ink adhesion between the printing ink of the image portion of the printing plate in the printing ink,
The printing plate has the image portion and the non-image portion, and the image portion is composed of recesses.
A printing method in which the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion with respect to the printing ink . An ink application process in which printing ink is applied to a predetermined image portion on the printing plate surface by an inkjet method, and
A leveling step of flattening the printing ink applied to the image portion by the ink applying step, and a leveling step of flattening the printing ink.
It has a transfer step of transferring the printing ink applied to the image portion flattened by the leveling step to a substrate.
The leveling step includes a step of crimping a substrate having a lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the ink adhesion of the image portion of the printing plate to the printing ink.
The printing plate is an intaglio having an image portion and a non-image portion, the image portion is recessed and liquid-soluble with respect to the printing ink, and the non-image portion is liquid-repellent with respect to the printing ink. Is sex
A printing method in which the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion with respect to the printing ink . An ink application process in which printing ink is applied to a predetermined image portion on the printing plate surface by an inkjet method, and
A leveling step of flattening the printing ink applied to the image portion by the ink applying step, and a leveling step of flattening the printing ink.
It has a transfer step of transferring the printing ink applied to the image portion flattened by the leveling step to a substrate.
The leveling step includes a step of crimping a substrate having a lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the ink adhesion of the image portion of the printing plate to the printing ink.
The printing plate has an image portion and a non-image portion, the image portion is a concave portion and is composed of a layer containing silicone rubber, and the non-image portion is a convex portion and contains silicone rubber. It is composed of a layer containing a fluorine compound provided on the surface of the layer, and the height difference between the surface of the image portion and the surface of the non-image portion is more than 0.1 μm and 10 μm or less.
A printing method in which the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion with respect to the printing ink . The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base material used in the leveling step has a layer containing silicone rubber. The printing method according to claim 4 , wherein the base material used in the leveling step is provided with a layer containing a fluorine compound on the surface of the layer containing silicone rubber. The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the printing ink contains a solvent, and the absorption rate of the solvent in the image portion is faster than the absorption rate of the solvent in the non-image portion. The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the viscosity of the printing ink is 1 mPa · s or more and 30 mPa · s or less. The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the ink application step changes the amount of the printing ink applied to the image unit. The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , which is used for manufacturing an electronic device. The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , which is used for forming a wiring pattern or electrodes. An ink-applying part that applies printing ink to a predetermined image part on the plate surface of the printing plate by an inkjet method,
A leveling unit that flattens the printing ink applied to the image unit by the ink application unit, and a leveling unit.
It has a transfer unit for transferring the printing ink applied to the image unit flattened by the leveling unit to a substrate.
The printing plate has the image portion and the non-image portion, and the image portion is composed of recesses.
With respect to the printing ink, the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion.
The leveling portion has a base material having a lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the ink adhesion of the image portion of the printing plate to the printing ink, and the base material is pressed against the printing ink for printing. apparatus. An ink-applying part that applies printing ink to a predetermined image part on the plate surface of the printing plate by an inkjet method,
A leveling unit that flattens the printing ink applied to the image unit by the ink application unit, and a leveling unit.
It has a transfer unit for transferring the printing ink applied to the image unit flattened by the leveling unit to a substrate.
The printing plate is an intaglio having an image portion and a non-image portion, the image portion is recessed and liquid-soluble with respect to the printing ink, and the non-image portion is liquid-repellent with respect to the printing ink. Is sex
With respect to the printing ink, the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion.
The leveling portion has a base material having a lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the ink adhesion to the printing ink of the image portion of the printing plate, and the base material is pressed against the printing ink for printing. apparatus. An ink-applying part that applies printing ink to a predetermined image part on the plate surface of the printing plate by an inkjet method,
A leveling unit that flattens the printing ink applied to the image unit by the ink application unit, and a leveling unit.
It has a transfer unit for transferring the printing ink applied to the image unit flattened by the leveling unit to a substrate.
The printing plate has an image portion and a non-image portion, the image portion is a concave portion and is composed of a layer containing silicone rubber, and the non-image portion is a convex portion and contains silicone rubber. It is composed of a layer containing a fluorine compound provided on the surface of the layer, and the height difference between the surface of the image portion and the surface of the non-image portion is more than 0.1 μm and 10 μm or less.
With respect to the printing ink, the receding contact angle of the non-image portion is larger than the advancing contact angle of the image portion.
The leveling portion has a base material having a lower ink adhesion to the printing ink than the ink adhesion to the printing ink of the image portion of the printing plate, and the base material is pressed against the printing ink for printing. apparatus. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13 , wherein the base material has a layer containing silicone rubber. The printing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the base material is provided with a layer containing a fluorine compound on the surface of the layer containing silicone rubber.