JP6925746B2 - Membrane forming device and film forming method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method.

Photolithography technology or screen printing technology is used to form a resist pattern for patterning a transparent conductive film of a touch panel. In the method using the photolithography technique, a high-definition pattern can be formed, but the equipment cost, the waste liquid treatment cost, and the like increase. The method using the screen printing technique is more advantageous than the method using the photolithography technique in terms of equipment cost and waste liquid treatment cost, but it is difficult to form a high-definition pattern. A technique for forming a high-definition resist pattern using an inkjet printing technique has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 57977277

There is a demand for a technique for forming a film used as an etching mask at the time of etching a transparent conductive film or the like with high definition. In particular, when a film having a linear edge is formed by using an inkjet printing technique, there is a problem that the edge is distorted from the straight line. An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus and a film forming method capable of reducing distortion of a linear edge of a film by using an inkjet printing technique.

According to one aspect of the invention
A storage device that stores a pattern of an application target area including an edge parallel to the first direction and an edge parallel to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
A support part that supports the object to be applied and
An ink ejection device having a plurality of nozzle holes for ejecting ink toward the surface of an object to be coated supported by the support portion, and an ink ejection device.
Movement having a function of moving one of the coating object supported by the support portion and the ink ejection device with respect to the other in the x-direction and the y-direction fixed to the support portion and orthogonal to each other. Mechanism and
It has a control device that controls the ink ejection device and the moving mechanism.
The plurality of nozzle holes are arranged side by side in the x direction.
The control device is
With the first direction parallel to the x direction, the coating object supported by the support portion and the ink ejection device based on the pattern of the coating target region stored in the storage device. A first method of applying ink to an edge of the application target area parallel to the first direction by ejecting ink from the ink ejection device while moving one of the two with respect to the other in the x direction. Control and
In a state where the first direction and the x direction are parallel to each other, one of the coating object supported by the support portion and the ink ejection device is moved in the y direction with respect to the other. A film forming apparatus having a function of executing a second control of applying ink to an edge parallel to the second direction of the application target region by ejecting ink from the ink ejection device is provided.

According to another aspect of the invention
A coating target area including an edge parallel to the first direction and an edge parallel to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction is aligned with the coating target object defined on the surface in the x direction. In a state where the first direction and the x direction are parallel to each other, the ink ejection device having a plurality of nozzle holes is moved in the x direction with respect to the other, and the first direction of the coating target area is described. Apply ink to the edges parallel to the direction of 1
While in parallel with said x direction and said first direction, one of said object to be coated with the ink ejection device relative to the other, while moving in the y direction perpendicular to the x-direction, the coating Ink is applied to the edge of the target area parallel to the second direction.
The object to be coated with one period that is moved in the x direction relative to the other of the ink discharge device, and at least one of the periods is being moved in the y-direction, the inside of the coating target region A film forming method for applying ink to the ink is provided.

According to yet another aspect of the invention.
A coating target area including an edge parallel to the first direction and an edge parallel to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction is aligned with the coating target object defined on the surface in the x direction. Of the plurality of nozzle holes, an ink ejection device having a plurality of nozzle holes is moved in the x direction with respect to the other in a state where the first direction and the x direction are parallel to each other. The ink ejected from the same nozzle hole is applied to the edge parallel to the first direction, and the ink is applied to the edge parallel to the first direction.
With the first direction parallel to the x direction, a plurality of the object to be coated and the ink ejection device are moved with respect to the other in the y direction orthogonal to the x direction. The ink ejected from the same nozzle hole among the nozzle holes of the above is applied to the edge parallel to the second direction.
A film forming method for applying ink ejected from a plurality of nozzle holes to the inside of the coating object is provided.

It is possible to reduce the distortion from the straight line of the edge parallel to the first direction and the edge parallel to the second direction of the film made of the applied ink.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2A is a bottom view of the ink ejection device, and FIG. 2B is a plan view showing a locus of movement of the ink ejection device with respect to the substrate. FIG. 3A is a plan view of a plurality of coating target areas defined on the surface of the substrate, and FIG. 3B is a plan view of the coating target area after executing four passes in the direction indicated by the arrow. FIG. 3C is an enlarged plan view of a film formed by the applied ink. FIG. 4A is a plan view of a plurality of coating target areas defined on the surface of the substrate, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the coating target area after executing four passes in the direction indicated by the arrow. FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a procedure after the ink application process of FIG. 4B is completed for the application target area in all the streets of the substrate, and FIG. 4D shows four passes in the direction indicated by the arrow. It is a top view of the area to be coated later. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the vicinity of the apex of the coating target area and the nozzle hole after executing the four passes shown in FIG. 4B, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the nozzle holes and the four passes shown in FIG. 4D. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship between the vicinity of the apex of the coating target area just before execution of a pass, and a nozzle hole. FIG. 6A is a plan view of a plurality of application target regions defined on the surface of the substrate to be formed by the film formation method according to another embodiment, and FIG. 6B is taken four times in the direction indicated by the arrow. It is a plan view of the coating target area after executing the pass of, FIG. 6C is a coating target after executing a predetermined number of passes in the direction indicated by the arrow (direction parallel to the x-axis direction and the u-axis direction). It is a top view of the area. 7A to 7C are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the pixels to which the ink is applied and the ink ejection device when the plurality of passes shown in FIG. 6C are executed. FIG. 8A is a schematic view of the film forming apparatus according to still another embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a schematic plan view of the film forming apparatus. FIG. 9A is a schematic view of the film forming apparatus according to still another embodiment, and FIG. 9B shows the movement of the substrate and the ink ejection apparatus when applying ink to the edge parallel to the v-axis direction of the application target region. 9C is a plan view showing the movement of the substrate and the ink ejection device when the ink is applied to the edge parallel to the v-axis direction of the application target region. FIG. 10A is a plan view showing a pattern of a coating target region defined on the surface of the substrate to be film-formed by the film-forming method according to still another embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a path in the w-axis direction. 10C is a plan view of the coating target area after executing the pass in the u-axis direction, and FIG. 10D is a plan view of the coating target area after executing the pass in the v-axis direction. It is a top view of the target area.

The film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to the examples will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5B.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The support portion (table) 23 is supported on the base 20 via the moving mechanism 21. The substrate 50, which is the object to be coated, is supported on the upper surface (support surface) of the support portion 23. An xyz Cartesian coordinate system is defined in which the upper surface of the support portion 23 is the xy plane and the normal direction thereof is the positive direction of the z axis. Normally, the base 20 is installed so that the xy plane is horizontal.

The moving mechanism 21 includes an x-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21A, a y-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21B, and a rotation mechanism 21C. The x-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21A moves the guide rail of the y-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21B in the x-axis direction. The y-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21B moves the rotation mechanism 21C in the y-axis direction. The rotation mechanism 21C rotates the support portion 23 around a rotation axis parallel to the z-axis. That is, the moving mechanism 21 has a function of translating the substrate 50 supported by the support portion 23 in two directions of the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, and a function of rotating the substrate 50 around a rotation axis parallel to the z-axis. ..

The ink ejection device 26 is arranged above the substrate 50 supported by the support portion 23. The ink ejection device 26 is supported on the base 20 by, for example, a portal frame 24. The ink ejection device 26 has a plurality of nozzle holes facing the substrate 50 (downward). The ink ejection device 26 droplets and ejects ink from a plurality of nozzle holes toward the substrate 50.

As the ink to be ejected toward the substrate 50, for example, an ultraviolet curable ink is used. A light source for radiating ultraviolet rays to the ink applied to the substrate 50 is arranged on the side of the ink ejection device 26. When a thermosetting type ink is used, a heat source for heating the ink applied to the substrate 50 is arranged on the side of the ink ejection device 26.

The storage device 31 stores image data that defines the position and planar shape of the area to which the ink is applied (application target area). The coating target area is defined by, for example, a plurality of pixels, and bitmap data is used as the image data. Various commands and data are input from the input device 35 to the control device 30. For the input device 35, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, a USB port, a communication device, or the like is used. Various information regarding the operation of the film forming apparatus is output to the output device 36. For the output device 36, for example, a display, a speaker, a USB port, a communication device, or the like is used.

The control device 30 controls the moving mechanism 21 and the ink ejection device 26 based on the image data stored in the storage device 31. By ejecting ink from the ink ejection device 26 while moving the substrate 50 by operating the moving mechanism 21, the ink can be applied to the area to be coated on the substrate 50.

FIG. 2A is a bottom view of the ink ejection device 26. A plurality of nozzle holes 27 are arranged at equal intervals in the x-axis direction on the bottom surface of the ink ejection device 26. The plurality of nozzle holes 27 may be arranged in a straight line or in a staggered manner. The pitch P of the nozzle hole 27 in the x-axis direction has a dimension (about 85 μm) corresponding to, for example, a resolution of 300 dpi. The distance Lx from the nozzle hole 27 at one end to the nozzle hole 27 at the other end is, for example, 50 mm. Light sources 28 for curing ink are arranged on both sides of the ink ejection device 26 in the y-axis direction.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2B, a state of relative movement between the substrate 50 and the ink ejection device 26 when ink is applied to the substrate 50 will be described.
FIG. 2B is a plan view showing a locus of movement of the ink ejection device 26 with respect to the substrate 50. For example, a substrate 50 having a square or rectangular planar shape is supported by a support portion 23 (FIG. 1) with its edges parallel to the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction. As an example, the planar shape of the substrate 50 is a square having a side length of 500 mm. Actually, ink is applied by moving the substrate 50 to the ink ejection device 26 in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction. However, in the following description, the movement of the substrate 50 is referred to as the ink ejection device 26 to the substrate 50. It may be expressed as a relative movement of.

When the ink ejection device 26 is moved relative to the substrate 50 in the y-axis direction, ink can be applied to a band-shaped region having a width of Lx in the x-axis direction (hereinafter, referred to as a street 51). The procedure of passing the ink ejection device 26 through the substrate 50 from one end to the other end in the y-axis direction is referred to as one pass in the y-axis direction. By executing one pass in the y-axis direction, the ink can be applied at a resolution corresponding to the pitch P in the x-axis direction. By executing four passes while shifting the ink ejection device 26 in the x-axis direction by 1/4 of the pitch P in one street 51, the resolution in the x-axis direction in one street 51 is quadrupled. be able to. For example, when the pitch P of the nozzle hole 27 (FIG. 2A) corresponds to 300 dpi, the resolution in the x-axis direction can be increased to 1200 dpi by executing four passes.

When the application of ink to one street 51 is completed, the ink ejection device 26 is moved relative to the substrate 50 by Lx (FIG. 2A) in the x-axis direction to apply ink to the adjacent street 51. Run. By repeating this process, the ink can be applied to the entire area of the substrate 50 to be coated.

Before explaining the examples, the procedure for applying the ink by the method according to the reference example and the application result will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of a plurality of application target regions 55 defined on the surface of the substrate 50 (FIG. 2B). Each of the application target areas 55 includes an edge parallel to the x-axis direction and an edge parallel to the y-axis direction. As an example, each planar shape of the application target area 55 is a square or a rectangle.

FIG. 3B is a plan view of the coating target area 55 after executing four passes in the direction indicated by the arrow 56 (y-axis direction). Hatching is attached to the area where the ink is applied. Ink is applied to each of the application target areas 55 to form a film formed by the ink.

FIG. 3C is an enlarged plan view of the film 52 formed by the applied ink. The edges of the formed film 52 parallel to the y-axis direction are substantially straight. On the other hand, the edge parallel to the x-axis direction is wavy, and distortion from a straight line is generated.

Hereinafter, the cause of distortion occurring at the edge parallel to the y-axis direction will be described. Since the ink is applied while moving the ink ejection device 26 relative to the substrate 50 in the y-axis direction, the ink ejected from the same nozzle hole 27 (FIG. 2A) is applied to the edge parallel to the y-axis direction. Is applied. On the other hand, inks ejected from a plurality of different nozzle holes 27 are applied to the edges parallel to the x-axis direction.

The ink ejection direction varies depending on the nozzle hole 27. The position where the ink droplets ejected from the same nozzle hole 27 land is deviated from the target position by the same distance in the same direction. Therefore, the edge of the coating target area 55 parallel to the y-axis direction becomes substantially a straight line. On the other hand, the relative positional relationship between the landing position of the ink droplets ejected from the different nozzle holes 27 and the target position is not the same. Therefore, the edges parallel to the x-axis direction formed by the inks ejected from the different nozzle holes 27 are distorted from the straight line.

Next, the procedure for applying the ink by the method according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D and 5A to 5B.
FIG. 4A is a plan view of a plurality of application target regions 55 defined on the surface of the substrate 50 (FIG. 2B), and is the same as the plan view shown in FIG. 3A. Although FIG. 4A shows four coating target regions 55, more coating target regions 55 are actually distributed on the surface of the substrate 50. The position and shape of the coating target area 55 are defined by the image data stored in the storage device 31 (FIG. 1). A plurality of pixels corresponding to the pixels of the image data are virtually defined in the coating target area 55.

An uv Cartesian coordinate system fixed to the surface of the coating target area 55 is defined. The xyz Cartesian coordinate system is fixed to the base 20 (FIG. 1). Before applying the ink, the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction are parallel to the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, respectively. Each of the plurality of application target areas 55 has edges parallel to the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction.

FIG. 4B is a plan view of the coating target area 55 after executing four passes in the direction indicated by the arrow 57 (v-axis direction). Hatching is attached to the area where the ink is applied. Ink is applied to the edge 55v parallel to the y-axis direction of the application target area 55 and the inner inner part of the application target area 55, and the ink is not applied to the edge 55u parallel to the x-axis direction. Ink is applied to at least one pixel at the apex of the square or rectangular application target area 55. Ink may be applied to a plurality of pixels in the vicinity of the apex including the pixel at the apex.

After performing the four passes, the uncoated area 59 containing the pixels on the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction remains. The dimension (width) of the uncoated region 59 in the v-axis direction is one pixel or more. Since ink is applied to the pixels at the apex of the coating target region 55, both ends of the uncoated region 59 do not reach the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction.

FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a procedure after the ink coating process of FIG. 4B is completed for the coating target area 55 in all the streets 51 (FIG. 2B) of the substrate 50. The control device 30 (FIG. 1) controls the rotation mechanism 21C to rotate the support portion 23 by 90 °. After the rotation, the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction fixed to the surface of the coating target area 55 become parallel to the y-axis direction and the x-axis direction, respectively.

FIG. 4D is a plan view of the coating target area 55 after executing four passes in the direction indicated by the arrow 58 (u-axis direction). Hatching is attached to the area where the ink is applied. Ink is applied to the uncoated area 59 (FIG. 4A) by these four passes. The ink is applied to the entire inside of the application target area 55 by a plurality of passes performed by the processes shown in FIGS. 4B and 4D.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the vicinity of the apex of the coating target region 55 and the nozzle hole 27 after executing the four passes shown in FIG. 4B. The position and shape of the coating target area 55 are defined by a plurality of pixels 60 arranged in a square grid pattern. The ink-coated pixels 60 are hatched by performing the four passes shown in FIG. 4B.

The actual ink droplets cover a region wider than the size of one pixel 60 on the surface of the coating target region 55. For example, the pitch of the pixels 60 is about 21 μm, which corresponds to a resolution of 1200 dpi, and the diameter of the ink droplets applied to the surface of the application target area 55 is about 50 μm. At this time, the diameter of the ink droplet corresponds to the size of the pixel 60 for about 2.5 pixels.

By executing the four passes, the ink is applied to the pixels 60 on the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction, and the ink is also applied to the pixels 60 in the inner part other than the unapplied area 59. In FIG. 5A, the width of the uncoated area 59 is set to twice the pixel pitch. Ink is applied to a predetermined number (for example, 2 × 2) of pixels 60 including the vertices of the application target region 55.

FIG. 5A shows an example in which ink is applied to the pixels 60 on the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction in the first pass, but the second to fourth times depending on the position of the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction. Ink may be applied to the pixel 60 on the edge 55v by any of the passes. For example, when ink is applied to the pixel 60 on the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction by the fourth pass, it is one pixel inside the pixel 60 on the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction. Ink is applied to the pixel 60 by the first pass.

FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the vicinity of the apex of the coating target area 55 immediately before executing the four passes shown in FIG. 4D and the nozzle hole 27. In FIG. 5B, the u-axis direction of the surface of the substrate 50 is parallel to the y-axis direction. In FIG. 5B, since the width of the uncoated area 59 is twice the pixel pitch, ink can be applied to all the pixels 60 in the uncoated area 59 by executing the two passes.

Depending on the positional relationship between the uncoated area 59 shown in FIG. 5B and the other uncoated areas, it may not be possible to apply ink to all the uncoated areas in these two passes. In this case, the ink can be applied to all the unapplied areas by executing the third and fourth passes.

Next, the excellent effect obtained by adopting the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to the above examples will be described.

In the above embodiment, the edge 55v (FIG. 4B) parallel to the v-axis direction of the coating target region 55 is coated with ink while the ink ejection device 26 is relatively moved in the v-axis direction with respect to the substrate 50. Ink is applied to the edge 55u (FIG. 4D) parallel to the u-axis direction while moving the ink ejection device 26 relative to the substrate 50 in the u-axis direction. Therefore, the ink ejected from the same nozzle hole 27 is applied to the edge parallel to the u-axis direction, and the ink ejected from the same nozzle hole 27 is also applied to the edge parallel to the v-axis direction. NS. Therefore, the edge of the film formed by the ink can be brought close to a straight line. Therefore, the appearance of the film formed of the ink can be improved. Further, when the lower layer film is etched using the applied ink film as an etching mask, the effect of improving the appearance of the lower layer film after etching can be obtained.

Even when a plurality of coating target areas 55 are arranged close to each other in the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction, that is, when the distance between the coating target areas 55 in the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction is narrow, the distortion of the edge is reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ink films applied to the adjacent application target regions 55 from being continuous with each other. For example, when the conductive film of the lower layer is etched using the coated ink film as an etching mask, it is possible to suppress a short-circuit failure between the conductive patterns after etching.

Next, a preferable dimension of the width of the uncoated region 59 (FIG. 4B) will be described. The edge of the film formed by the ink in the coating process shown in FIG. 4B, which is parallel to the u-axis direction, is distorted from a straight line due to variations in the characteristics of the plurality of nozzle holes 27. If the width of the uncoated area 59 is too narrow, this distortion cannot be corrected. In order to correct this distortion, it is preferable that the width of the uncoated area 59 is equal to or larger than the maximum amplitude of the distortion that can occur. For example, even if there is a variation in the direction of the ink ejected from the nozzle hole 27, the width of the variation does not exceed the pixel pitch. Therefore, by making the width of the uncoated area 59 more than twice the pixel pitch, it is possible to sufficiently correct the edge distortion.

The planar shape of the uncoated region 59 (FIG. 4B) does not have to be a rectangle long in the u-axis direction, and may be any shape. Ink may be applied to the uncoated area 59 by the process shown in FIG. 4D. For example, of the triangular regions obtained by dividing the square or rectangular coating target region 55 into four equal parts by two diagonal lines, two regions including edges parallel to the u-axis direction may be left as uncoated regions 59. good.

In the above embodiment, since the procedure for rotating the substrate 50 (FIG. 4C) is required, there is a concern that the takt time will be long. As will be described below, the tact time required to apply the ink by the method according to the embodiment is significantly increased as compared with the tact time required to apply the high quality ink by the conventional method (FIG. 3B). It won't end up.

In the following description, the dimensions of the substrate 50 are a square of 500 mm × 500 mm, the distance Lx (FIG. 2A) between the nozzle holes 27 at both ends provided in the ink ejection device 26 is 50 mm, and the pitch P of the nozzle holes 27 (FIG. 2A). ) Is equivalent to 300 dpi, and the moving speed of the substrate 50 is 200 mm / s.

It was found that when the resolution in the x-axis direction was increased by using the conventional method (FIG. 3B), the distortion of the edge parallel to the x-axis direction of the coating target area 55 was reduced to some extent. For example, if the resolution in the y-axis direction is 1200 dpi and the resolution in the x-axis direction is 2400 dpi, the distortion of the edge parallel to the x-axis direction becomes small to some extent. In order to make the resolution in the x-axis direction 2400 dpi, it is necessary to repeat eight passes in the coating process of one street 51 (FIG. 2B). When executing one pass, the time for the ink ejection device 26 to pass above the substrate 50 is 2.5 seconds, but it takes about 1 second for acceleration / deceleration, so it is necessary for one pass. The time is about 3.5 seconds.

Since one street requires eight passes, the coating process time for one street is about 28 seconds. Since 10 streets 51 are defined on one substrate 50, the coating processing time of one substrate 50 is about 280 seconds.

In the method according to the embodiment, even if the resolution in the x-axis direction is reduced to 1200 dpi, sufficient linearity of the edge of the coating target area 55 can be obtained. Therefore, it is sufficient to execute four passes for the coating process of one street. Even if the time required for acceleration / deceleration is taken into consideration, the coating processing time of one street 51 is 14 seconds. The coating processing time of the 10 streets 51 is 140 seconds. In the embodiment, the process of applying ink to the edge parallel to the v-axis direction (FIG. 4B) and the process of applying ink to the edge parallel to the u-axis direction (FIG. 4D) are separately executed, so that the total is total. A processing time of 280 seconds is required. The time required for the process of rotating the substrate 50 is 10 seconds or less. Even if the time required for rotation is 10 seconds, the time required to process one substrate 50 is about 290 seconds.

As described above, the tact time when the coating method according to the embodiment is adopted does not significantly increase with respect to the tact time when the conventional method is adopted.

Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, the ink ejection device 26 is stationary and the substrate 50 is moved with respect to the base 20 (FIG. 1), but one of the substrate 50 and the ink ejection device 26 is moved relative to the other. Just do it. For example, the substrate 50 may be stationary and the ink ejection device 26 may be moved. Alternatively, the substrate 50 may be stationary and the ink ejection device 26 may be moved in the x-axis direction, and vice versa, the ink ejection device 26 may be stationary and the substrate 50 may be moved in the y-axis direction.

In the above embodiment, the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction are orthogonal to each other, but the two do not necessarily have to be orthogonal to each other and may intersect with each other. For example, each planar shape of the application target area 55 may be a parallelogram. At this time, in the rotation process shown in FIG. 4C, the substrate 50 may be rotated by an angle formed by the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ink ejection device 26 is configured by one inkjet head, but the ink ejection device 26 may be configured by a plurality of inkjet heads. For example, when a plurality of inkjet heads are arranged side by side in the x-axis direction, a plurality of streets 51 (FIG. 2B) can be coated in one pass. Further, by arranging n inkjet heads in the y-axis direction and shifting them by 1 / n times the pitch P (FIG. 2A) of the nozzle holes 27 in the x-axis direction, the resolution that can be applied in one pass is n. Can be doubled.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 6A to 7C, a film forming apparatus and a film forming method according to another embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the description of the common configuration with the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B will be omitted.

FIG. 6A is a plan view of a plurality of application target regions 55 defined on the surface of the substrate 50 (FIG. 2B), and is the same as the plan view shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 6B is a plan view of the coating target area 55 after executing four passes in the directions indicated by the arrows 61 (y-axis direction and v-axis direction). Hatching is attached to the area where the ink is applied. The state of the ink-coated area after performing these four passes is the same as that shown in FIG. 4B. The uncoated area 59 remains in the application target area 55.

FIG. 6C is a plan view of the coating target area 55 after executing a predetermined number of passes in the directions indicated by the arrows 62 (directions parallel to the x-axis direction and the u-axis direction). By this coating process, the ink is applied to the uncoated area 59 (FIG. 6B), and as a result, the ink is applied to the entire inside of the application target area 55. Since the nozzle holes 27 (FIG. 2A) of the ink ejection device 26 are arranged in the x-axis direction, by executing one pass in the x-axis direction, one row of pixels 60 parallel to the x-axis direction can be obtained. Only ink is applied.

7A to 7C are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the pixels to which ink is applied when the plurality of passes shown in FIG. 6C are executed and the ink ejection device 26.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the position of the nozzle hole 27 in the y-axis direction coincides with the position of one row of pixels 60 arranged in the u-axis direction among the plurality of pixels 60 in the uncoated area 59 in the y-axis direction. The ink ejection device 26 is moved to. In this state, a pass for moving the ink ejection device 26 relative to the substrate 50 in the x-axis direction is executed once. As a result, the ink is applied to the pixels 60 for one line in the uncoated area 59. Any of the plurality of nozzle holes 27 can be used for applying the ink to the plurality of pixels 60 for one line. However, in order not to be affected by variations in the characteristics of the nozzle holes 27, it is preferable to use the same nozzle holes 27 for a plurality of pixels in one row.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the position of the nozzle hole 27 in the y-axis direction coincides with the position in the y-axis direction of the pixel 60 for one row in which the ink is not applied among the plurality of pixels 60 in the uncoated area 59. As described above, the ink ejection device 26 is moved relative to the substrate 50.

As shown in FIG. 7C, a pass for moving the ink ejection device 26 relative to the substrate 50 in the x-axis direction is executed once. As a result, the ink is applied to the pixels 60 for one line in the uncoated area 59.

By executing one pass in the x-axis direction, ink can be applied to the pixels 60 for one line. The position of the ink ejection device 26 in the y-axis direction is changed and the path in the x-axis direction is repeatedly executed until all the pixels 60 in all the uncoated areas 59 (FIG. 6B) are coated with ink.

Next, the excellent effect obtained by adopting the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to the examples shown in FIGS. 6A to 7C will be described.

Also in this embodiment, ink is applied to the edge 55v (FIG. 6B) of the coating target region 55 parallel to the v-axis direction while the ink ejection device 26 is relatively moved in the v-axis direction. Further, ink is applied to the edge 55u (FIG. 6C) parallel to the u-axis direction while the ink ejection device 26 is relatively moved in the u-axis direction. Therefore, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B, the distortion from the straight line of the edge of the coating target region 55 can be reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to rotate the substrate 50, it is not necessary to give the moving mechanism 21 (FIG. 1) a rotation function.

Next, a preferable dimension of the width of the uncoated region 59 (FIG. 4B) will be described. Also in this embodiment, it is preferable that the width of the uncoated region 59 is at least twice the pixel pitch, as in the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B. Further, in this embodiment, when the path in the u-axis direction (FIG. 6C) is executed, the ink can be applied only to the pixels 60 for one line. In order to reduce the number of passes required for the coating process shown in FIG. 6C and shorten the tact time, it is preferable to make the width of the uncoated region 59 as narrow as possible. Therefore, it is preferable to make the width of the uncoated area 59 twice the pixel pitch.

Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the posture of the ink ejection device 26 was not changed in the coating process shown in FIG. 6B and the coating process shown in FIG. 6C. After the coating process shown in FIG. 6B is completed and before the coating process shown in FIG. 6C is performed, the ink ejection device 26 may be rotated by 90 °. Then, when the coating process shown in FIG. 6C is performed, the plurality of nozzle holes 27 (FIG. 2A) are arranged in the v-axis direction. Therefore, in the processes shown in FIGS. 7A and 7C, ink can be applied to the pixels 60 in a plurality of rows by executing one pass. As a result, the number of times the path is executed can be reduced.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, a film forming apparatus and a film forming method according to still another embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the description of the common configuration with the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B will be omitted. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B, the object to be coated was the rigid substrate 50, but in this embodiment, the object to be coated is the flexible substrate 50.

FIG. 8A is a schematic view of the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. The flexible substrate 50, which is the object to be coated, is unwound from the feeding roll 71 and wound on the winding roll 72. The moving mechanism 73 is controlled by the control device 30 to rotate the feeding roll 71 and the winding roll 72. The ink ejection device 26 is arranged above the substrate 50 while being unwound from the feeding roll 71 and being wound by the take-up roll 72. An xyz Cartesian coordinate system is defined in which the feed direction of the substrate 50 is the y-axis direction, the width direction of the substrate 50 is the x-axis direction, and the vertical upper direction is the positive direction of the z-axis.

The ink ejection device 26 includes two inkjet heads 26A and 26B facing the substrate 50. One inkjet head 26A has a plurality of nozzle holes arranged in the x-axis direction. The other inkjet head 26B has a plurality of nozzle holes arranged in the y-axis direction. Further, the inkjet head 26B is supported by a linear motion mechanism 74, and has a configuration capable of translating in the x-axis direction with respect to the substrate 50.

FIG. 8B is a schematic plan view of the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. The substrate 50 is fed in the y-axis direction between the feeding roll 71 and the winding roll 72. One inkjet head 26A reaches from one edge to the other edge in the width direction (x-axis direction) of the substrate 50, and ink can be applied to the entire width direction. The other inkjet head 26B is movable from one edge to the other in the width direction (x-axis direction) of the substrate 50. A uv Cartesian coordinate system is defined on the surface of the substrate 50 with the width direction as the u-axis direction and the feed direction as the v-axis direction.

A plurality of coating target regions 55 are defined on the surface of the substrate 50. In FIG. 8B, only a part of the application target area 55 is shown. The coating target area 55 includes an edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction and an edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction. When the coating target region 55 passes below the inkjet head 26A, ink is ejected from the inkjet head 26A, and the ink is applied to the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction of the coating target region 55 and the inner inner portion. This coating process is substantially the same as the process shown in FIG. 4B. At this stage, an uncoated region 59 is left along the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction of the coating target region 55.

Ink is applied to the uncoated area 59 by moving the inkjet head 26B in the x-axis direction (u-axis direction) with the feed of the substrate 50 stopped. The relative movement of the substrate 50 and the ink ejection device 26 in this coating process is substantially the same as the relative movement in the process shown in FIG. 4D.

Next, the excellent effect obtained by adopting the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to this example will be described. In this embodiment as well, similarly to the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B, the edge of the film formed by the ink applied to the application target region 55 can be brought close to a straight line.

Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described.
In the above embodiment, the ink was applied when the application target area 55 passed below the inkjet head 26A once. In order to increase the resolution in the u-axis direction, the substrate is shifted in the u-axis direction by a distance shorter than the pitch of the nozzle holes so that the coating target area 55 reciprocates below the inkjet head 26A in the v-axis direction. 50 feed control may be performed. That is, the path in the v-axis direction may be executed a plurality of times. Further, in order to increase the resolution in the v-axis direction, the inkjet head 26B may be moved a plurality of times in the u-axis direction while moving the substrate 50 in the v-axis direction by a distance shorter than the pitch of the nozzle holes. That is, the path in the u-axis direction may be executed a plurality of times.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the ink is applied to the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction of the coating target area 55, the substrate 50 is sent to the inkjet head 26A in the v-axis direction, but the substrate 50 is made stationary. The inkjet head 26A may be moved in the v-axis direction.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, a film forming apparatus and a film forming method according to still another embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the description of the common configuration with the film forming apparatus and the film forming method shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B will be omitted.

FIG. 9A is a schematic view of the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the ink ejection device 26 includes two inkjet heads 26A and 26B, but in this embodiment, the ink ejection device 26 is composed of one inkjet head. The ink ejection device 26 can be translated in the x-axis direction by the linear motion mechanism 74.

FIG. 9B is a plan view showing the movement of the substrate 50 and the ink ejection device 26 when the ink is applied to the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction of the application target area 55. One pass is performed by feeding the substrate 50 in the v-axis direction. By executing a plurality of passes while shifting the ink ejection device 26 in the u-axis direction, ink is applied to the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction of the coating target area 55 and the inner inner portion. This coating process is substantially the same as the coating process shown in FIG. 6B. When this coating process is completed, an uncoated region 59 along the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction remains.

FIG. 9C is a plan view showing the movement of the substrate 50 and the ink ejection device 26 when the ink is applied to the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction of the application target area 55. With the uncoated area 59 arranged below the ink ejection device 26, one pass for moving the ink ejection device 26 in the u-axis direction is executed. Ink is applied to the uncoated area 59 by executing a plurality of passes while feeding the substrate 50 in the v-axis direction. This process is substantially the same as the coating process shown in FIG. 6C.

Next, the excellent effect obtained by adopting the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to this example will be described. In this embodiment as well, similarly to the examples shown in FIGS. 6A to 6B, the edge of the film formed by the ink applied to the application target area 55 can be brought close to a straight line.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10D, a film forming method according to still another embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the description of the common configuration with the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to the examples shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B will be omitted.

FIG. 10A is a plan view showing a pattern of a plurality of application target regions 55 defined on the surface of the substrate 50 (FIGS. 1 and 2B). In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5B, the coating target area 55 (FIG. 4A) was a square or rectangle having edges 55u and 55v parallel to the u-axis direction and the v-axis direction. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the coating target region 55 has edges 55u, 55v, 55w parallel to the three directions of the u-axis direction, the v-axis direction, and the w-axis direction, respectively. For example, each planar shape of the application target area 55 is an isosceles trapezoid. The isosceles trapezoids are arranged upside down in the w-axis direction and in the direction orthogonal to the w-axis direction.

In this embodiment, the edge 55w parallel to the w-axis direction, the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction, and the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction have a path in the w-axis direction, a path in the u-axis direction, and a v-axis, respectively. Apply ink by performing a directional pass. In the initial state, the w-axis direction is parallel to the y-axis direction.

FIG. 10B is a plan view of the coating target region 55 after executing the path in the w-axis direction in which the ink ejection device 26 is relatively moved in the w-axis direction (y-axis direction). Hatching is attached to the area where the ink is applied. Ink is applied to the edge 55w parallel to the w-axis direction of the application target area 55 and the inner inner part of the application target area 55, and ink is applied to the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction and the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction. Do not apply. As a result, the uncoated area 59 to which the ink has not been applied remains. The uncoated region 59 is composed of, for example, a band-shaped region along the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction and a band-shaped region along the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction.

After executing the path in the w-axis direction, the control device 30 (FIG. 1) controls the rotation mechanism 21C to rotate the substrate 50 so that the u-axis direction is parallel to the y-axis direction. In this state, the ink ejection device 26 is moved in the y-axis direction to execute the path in the u-axis direction.

FIG. 10C is a plan view of the coating target region 55 after executing the path in the u-axis direction. By executing the pass in the u-axis direction, the ink is applied to the uncoated region 59 along the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction.

After executing the pass in the u-axis direction, the control device 30 (FIG. 1) controls the rotation mechanism 21C to rotate the substrate 50 so that the v-axis direction is parallel to the y-axis direction. In this state, the ink ejection device 26 is moved in the y-axis direction to execute the path in the v-axis direction.

FIG. 10D is a plan view of the coating target region 55 after executing the path in the v-axis direction. By executing the pass in the v-axis direction, the ink is applied to the uncoated region 59 along the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction.

Next, the excellent effect obtained by adopting the film forming apparatus and the film forming method according to this example will be described.

In this embodiment, the distortion of the film formed by the ink from the straight line of the edge 55w parallel to the w-axis direction, the edge 55u parallel to the u-axis direction, and the edge 55v parallel to the v-axis direction is suppressed. Can be done. In order to improve the linearity of the edge, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of pixels defining the pattern of the coating target area 55 parallel to the u-axis direction, the v-axis direction, and the w-axis direction.

In this embodiment, the planar shape of the coating target area 55 is an isosceles trapezoid, but other shapes having parallel edges in each of the three directions may be used. For example, the planar shape of the coating target region 55 may be a regular hexagon and arranged so as to form a honeycomb structure. The planar shape of the application target area 55 may be another polygonal shape.

It goes without saying that each of the above embodiments is exemplary and the configurations shown in different examples can be partially replaced or combined. Similar effects and effects due to the same configuration of a plurality of examples will not be mentioned sequentially for each example. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples. For example, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes, improvements, combinations, etc. are possible.

20 Base 21 Moving mechanism 21A x-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21B y-axis direction linear motion mechanism 21C Rotation mechanism 23 Support part 24 Gate type frame 26 Ink ejection device 26A, 26B Ink ejection device 27 Nozzle hole 28 Light source 30 Control device 31 Storage device 35 Input device 36 Output device 50 Substrate (object to be coated)
51 Street 52 Film 55 Coating target area 55u u Edge parallel to the axis 55v v Edge parallel to the axis 55w w Edge parallel to the axis 56, 57, 58 Arrow 59 indicating the direction of the path 59 Uncoated area 60 pixels 61 , 62 Arrows indicating the direction of the pass 71 Feeding roll 72 Winding roll 73 Moving mechanism 74 Linear mechanism

Claims (4)

A storage device that stores a pattern of an application target area including an edge parallel to the first direction and an edge parallel to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction.
A support part that supports the object to be applied and
An ink ejection device having a plurality of nozzle holes for ejecting ink toward the surface of an object to be coated supported by the support portion, and an ink ejection device.
Movement having a function of moving one of the coating object supported by the support portion and the ink ejection device with respect to the other in the x-direction and the y-direction fixed to the support portion and orthogonal to each other. Mechanism and
It has a control device that controls the ink ejection device and the moving mechanism.
The plurality of nozzle holes are arranged side by side in the x direction.
The control device is
With the first direction parallel to the x direction, the coating object supported by the support portion and the ink ejection device based on the pattern of the coating target area stored in the storage device. A first method of applying ink to an edge of the application target area parallel to the first direction by ejecting ink from the ink ejection device while moving one of the two with respect to the other in the x direction. Control and
In a state where the first direction and the x direction are parallel to each other, one of the coating object supported by the support portion and the ink ejection device is moved in the y direction with respect to the other. A film forming apparatus having a function of ejecting ink from an ink ejection device to perform a second control of applying ink to an edge parallel to the second direction of the coating target region. The control device is
In the first control, parallel edges in the first direction, applying the ink ejected from the same of the nozzle hole of the plurality of the nozzle holes,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the second control, ink ejected from the same nozzle hole among the plurality of nozzle holes is applied to an edge parallel to the second direction. A coating target area including an edge parallel to the first direction and an edge parallel to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction is aligned with the coating target object defined on the surface in the x direction. In a state where the first direction and the x direction are parallel to each other, the ink ejection device having a plurality of nozzle holes is moved in the x direction with respect to the other, and the first direction of the coating target area is described. Apply ink to the edges parallel to the direction of 1
While in parallel with said x direction and said first direction, one of said object to be coated with the ink ejection device relative to the other, while moving in the y direction perpendicular to the x-direction, the coating Ink is applied to the edge of the target area parallel to the second direction.
The object to be coated with one period that is moved in the x direction relative to the other of the ink discharge device, and at least one of the periods is being moved in the y-direction, the inside of the coating target region A film forming method for applying ink to the surface. A coating target area including an edge parallel to the first direction and an edge parallel to the second direction orthogonal to the first direction is aligned with the coating target object defined on the surface in the x direction. Of the plurality of nozzle holes, an ink ejection device having a plurality of nozzle holes is moved in the x direction with respect to the other in a state where the first direction and the x direction are parallel to each other. The ink ejected from the same nozzle hole is applied to the edge parallel to the first direction, and the ink is applied to the edge parallel to the first direction.
With the first direction parallel to the x direction, a plurality of the object to be coated and the ink ejection device are moved with respect to the other in the y direction orthogonal to the x direction. The ink ejected from the same nozzle hole among the nozzle holes of the above is applied to the edge parallel to the second direction.
A film forming method for applying ink ejected from a plurality of nozzle holes to the inside of an object to be coated.

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