JPH0319889A - Printing method of very fine patterns - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To print very fine patterns by a line of very small width and an ink film of proper thickness and to transfer said very fine patterns correctly and clearly to various kinds of target bodies to be transferred, by patterning a setting-type ink to very fine patterns by use of an intaglio or a lithography, hardening said setting-type ink while a part of the surface layer thereof is left to be incompletely hardened, and transferring said ink to said target bodies with the use of the influidity of the hardened part of said ink and the adhesiveness of said surface layer. CONSTITUTION:A pattern recessed portion 2 which will be a printing area is formed in an intaglio 1. A setting-type ink 3 is applied onto the surface of the intaglio 1. An unnecessary ink 3a on the surface of the intaglio 1 is removed by a doctor 4, for example, a thin metallic blade or the like. The ink 3 is filled only in the recessed portion 2. Then, the ink 3 in the recessed portion 2 is processed by heat or radiation, so that at least a part of the surface layer of the ink 3 is incompletely hardened. Accordingly, a surface portion 3b which is incompletely hardened and a completely hardened portion are formed. The intaglio 1 is overlapped with a body 7 to be transferred and tightly bonded. A hardened ink 6 in the recessed portion 2 of the intaglio 1 is transferred onto the body 7. The adhesiveness remaining in the surface portion 3b ensures the transfer of the hardened ink 6 onto the body 7.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a fine pattern printing method in which fine pattern formation is performed by printing means, and includes, for example, fine resist patterns such as fine circuits and element patterns to be supplied to electronic components. The present invention relates to a printing method suitable for forming with high precision and mass production.

[Conventional technology and the problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventionally, printed wiring, glass, and circuit patterns on ceramic boards have been printed in the form of rIi. Alternatively, printing methods such as screen printing and offset printing are widely used to form etching resist patterns on metal plates. However, these printing methods have relatively large print lines (200
However, the current situation is that it is not suitable for forming fine patterns with a line width of less than that (μm or more). Moreover, the printed pattern is deformed due to the influence of the fluidity of the ink, the pressure of the plate, and some of the ink remains on the plate without being transferred, resulting in poor reproducibility of the printed pattern. There was also.

For example, in the screen printing method, an ink shielding mask is formed on a mesh screen, the non-mask area of the mask is formed into a desired pattern, and ink is passed through the non-mask area and attached to the printing material to perform printing. However, with this printing method, it is easy to print thick ink (several μm to 20 μm thick), so it is possible to print a resist pattern with excellent resistance to scratches, but even the smallest practical printing line is about 200 μm To be the limit? ! ! It was difficult to print coarse and fine patterns. Also, offset printing method is PS plate (Presensitivity).
A lipophilic part and a hydrophilic part are formed on the scd plate, the hydrophilic part retains water and repels the citrus ink, the ink is selectively attached only to the lipophilic part, and the ink pattern is applied to the printing material. In order to particularly improve printability, the ink pattern on the PS plate is first transferred to a rubber blanket and then re-transferred to a printing medium such as paper.

However, although this printing method can easily produce relatively fine lines, the printed ink film thickness tends to be as small as 1 to 2 μm due to the inking method and the two-time transfer operation. Therefore, there is a drawback that holes and disconnections are likely to occur in the printed lines.

In addition, with this printing method, various efforts have been made to increase the thickness of the ink coating and form fine patterns with excellent corrosion resistance, but as the coating thickness increases, the printed lines become thicker, However, the limit was printing with a line width of about 100 to 200 μm. Therefore, with the above printing method, even if you try to use fine line printing, the limit is basically to print a line width of about 100 to 200 μm, and if you try to print a pattern with a smaller line width, the ink film thickness will also become thinner. Therefore, it could not be applied particularly to fine patterns such as resist patterns that require corrosion resistance.

In this way, with printing methods, it is difficult to form fine patterns, and the printed pattern is not always faithful to the plate pattern, so the reproducibility is also insufficient. In general, we had no choice but to rely on photolithography for the shape. However, although this photolithography is capable of forming extremely fine patterns, it has the disadvantage that the process is more complex, lowers productivity, and is higher in cost than printing methods.

On the other hand, intaglio printing is a printing method that allows relatively thin lines to be printed on a printing plate with a large print size of 2 J yen. This printing method involves forming 100-line recesses on a copper plate by engraving or etching, rubbing hard ink into the recesses, wiping off the ink in the non-printing areas, and then placing printing paper on the copper plate and applying strong pressure. It is used for printing. The reason for the strong pressure is that the ink rubbed into the recesses is in a recessed position below the plate surface, so by applying strong pressure to the flexible printing material such as paper, the ink surface and the printing material surface are forcibly brought into contact and adhered. This is to transfer the ink to the printing substrate.

However, although the conventional intaglio printing method is more suitable for fine line printing than the above-mentioned screen printing method and offset printing method, {There is a major problem in that it is almost impossible to print on paper.

The present invention was developed in view of the above problems, and it is possible to print fine patterns with a finer line width and an appropriate ink film thickness than conventional printing methods, and furthermore, Accurately and clearly print patterns on various printing materials,
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for printing fine patterns that can be formed efficiently and inexpensively.

(Means for Solving Problem ii) That is, the present invention has the following features: (1) Curable ink is applied to a printing intaglio plate formed with fine pattern recesses that will become printing image areas, and the areas other than the recesses are removed using a doctor. Either remove the ink and fill only the concave portions with ink, or apply hardened ink to a printing plate made by making a fine pattern plate portion that will become the printing image portion, and apply the ink only to the pattern plate portion. The ink on the intaglio plate or lithographic plate is cured so that at least a portion of the surface layer is in an incompletely cured state by applying a curing treatment using heat or radiation, and then transferring it to the printing material. A fine pattern printing method characterized by:

(2) A claim in which the curable ink is an ink whose main material is a resin that has an acrylic or methacrylic group and is cured by vinyl polymerization, and the surface layer of the ink in contact with the atmosphere on the plate is brought into an incompletely cured state. 1. The transfer method described in 1.

(3) The printing method according to claim 2, wherein after coating the surface of the intaglio or planographic plate with a vinyl polymerization inhibitor, a curable ink is applied and patterned.

(4) Printing according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the ink that has been cured so that at least a portion of the surface layer is in an incompletely cured state is transferred once to an intermediate such as plankenote, and then re-transferred to the printing material. Method.

(5) The printing method according to claim 4, wherein when the cured ink is retransferred to the printing material via an intermediate such as Plankesoto, the transfer is performed with an adhesive or adhesive layer interposed.

(6) The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the curing treatment using ultraviolet rays or visible light is performed from the back side of the plate to bring the ink surface layer that is in contact with the atmosphere into an incompletely cured state.

(7) The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the printing material is made of metal, ceramic, glass, or plastic and has rigidity. (8) The ink after curing is applied to the printing material through an adhesive or adhesive layer. 8. The printing method according to claim 5, wherein after the ink is transferred to the printing object, the adhesive or sticky layer on the part of the printing object where the cured ink layer does not exist is removed.

The main points are as follows.

[Effect]

The printing method of the present invention uses an intaglio plate or a lithographic plate as a plate to pattern curable ink into a fine pattern consisting of an extremely fine film with an appropriate thickness, and the curable ink thus patterned can be patterned into a fine pattern with an appropriate film thickness. By curing so that the surface layer part is in an incompletely hardened state, that is,
It is possible to make the ink mainly non-flowable in the completely cured area and maintain the shape baked on the plate as it is, and it is possible to maintain the adhesiveness in the incompletely cured surface layer area. Both of these effects are used to transfer the cured ink to the printing material. As a result, the cured ink layer consisting of a fine pattern according to the printing plate can be efficiently printed on the printing material without being deformed, and the remaining adhesive surface layer portion can be utilized to facilitate ink transfer.

Next, the present invention will be explained in accordance with the printing process order based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows examples of each step of the printing method of the present invention.

FIG. 1A shows a printing plate 1 used in the present invention. As the plate 1, an intaglio plate as shown in the figure or a planographic plate (not particularly shown) is used. Further, the plate 1 is not limited to a cylindrical shape wrapped around a rubber roller 20 as shown, but may be a flat plate as shown in FIG. 2. When the plate 1 is an intaglio plate, a pattern depression 2 that becomes a printing image line is formed on the intaglio plate 1, and when the plate 1 is a planographic plate, a pattern plate portion corresponding to the above-mentioned four parts 2 is made on the planar plate. ．． The shape of the recess 2 is not particularly limited, and for example, a metal plate material polished smooth (
Generally, other metals such as copper, copper alloys, iron, iron alloys, etc. are formed by cutting using a micro-cutting method, or a resist mask is optically provided on the base material using a photo application, and then etching is performed. It can be formed by The recess 2 has a line width of about 5 to 50 μm and a depth (plate depth) of 1 to 50 μm.
It can be considered as a microscopic object of about 10 μm. Further, the plate material may be made of a hard material such as glass or ceramic.

Furthermore, in order to increase the hardness of the surface of the intaglio plate 1, the plate-making surface may be plated with a hard metal such as nickel or chromium, thereby providing durability when ink is scraped off by a doctor. In forming the pattern plate portion of the lithographic plate, known plate-making methods used in lithographic printing can be applied. Next, curable ink 3 is applied to the above printing plate (intaglio) side
(Fig. 1 (B)). Ink can be easily applied by dipping the plate in an ink reservoir or by pouring ink onto the plate surface. At this time, if the plate 1 is an intaglio plate, unnecessary ink 3 on one side of the intaglio plate is removed as shown in the figure.
a is removed by scraping it off with a doctor 4 made of a thin metal blade, etc., and the remaining ink 3 is filled only in the recesses 2 that will become the printing lines. On the other hand, if the plate 1 is a planar plate, the applied curable ink 3 will naturally ink only on the pattern plate part due to the interaction of the surface roughness between the plate and the ink. In either plate, the ink 3 is patterned at this stage.Next, as shown in Fig. 1(C), the ink 3 patterned in the recesses 2 on the plate 1 and the patterned plate portion is The ink 3 is subjected to a curing treatment 5 using heat or radiation.
The ink is cured so that at least a portion of the surface layer of the ink becomes incompletely cured.

As a result, the curable ink 3 is made up of a cured ink 6 composed of an incompletely cured surface layer portion 3b and a fully cured portion 3c as shown in the figure.
becomes. The ink 3 is reactively activated by the curing treatment, and a thickening or curing reaction occurs within the intaglio recesses 2 or the planographic plate portion, and the fluidity of the ink disappears. However, in the incompletely cured surface layer portion, the degree of curing is lower than that in the fully cured portion, and physical properties such as stickiness remain. There are no particular limitations on the means for partially curing the surface layer of the ink, such as using the curing characteristics of the curable ink, adjusting the curing speed with a curing inhibitor, changing the direction of the curing process, etc. This is done by adjusting the degree.

The curable ink 3 used in the present invention is a thermosetting type, an ionizing radiation curable type, etc., and these are preferably solvent-free and relatively low viscosity. Specifically, commercially available ultraviolet curable inks, electron beam curable inks, infrared ray (or heat) curable inks, etc. can be used, and the present invention can also apply known inks such as those mentioned above. This is a very advantageous point. The basic composition of Ink 3 is explained by referring to an ultraviolet curable ink.A photosensitive prepolymer or monomer and a photopolymerization agent are used as a binder without using a solvent, and a coloring pigment and a suitable sensitizer are used as a binder. It is made up of ink auxiliary agents such as color and color control agents. Further, instead of the usual ultraviolet curable ink, a photoresist material that is appropriately selected from those used in semiconductor processing, photoetching, etc. may be used. Furthermore, as for the lithographic ink, it is not necessary to use a high viscosity ink as in the conventional lithographic printing method, and it is possible to use an ink with a slightly lower viscosity. The viscosity of this ink can be adjusted by selecting a prepolymer containing a photopolymerization initiator or a monomer having a low viscosity as a binder.

In the present invention, as the above-mentioned curable ink, an ink whose main material is a resin material having an acrylic group or a methacrylic group and which is cured by vinyl polymerization is used. This type of ink has the property that the polymerization reaction is inhibited by the influence of oxygen in the parts exposed to the atmosphere during the polymerization process, and by taking advantage of this property, it is easy to form an incompletely cured ink surface layer. It can be done. For example, when the hardening process 5 is performed as shown in FIG. 1(C), the part inside the recess 2 that is not in contact with the atmosphere is completely hardened and becomes a completely hardened part 3c; In the portion that is in contact with the atmosphere, the polymerization reaction is inhibited and curing is delayed, resulting in an incompletely cured surface layer portion 3b.

After curing the ink irregularly in this way, as shown in Figure 1 (D
), by overlapping the plate 1 and the printing material 7 and bringing them into close contact with each other, and then separating them, the cured ink 6 in the recesses 2 of the printing plate 1 is transferred onto the printing material 7. Printing is performed by the printing method of the present invention. Here, the adhesiveness remaining in the incompletely cured surface layer portion 3b ensures the transfer of the cured ink 6 to the printing material 7. In addition, even in the case of planographic printing, the part of the plate that comes into contact with the atmosphere becomes an incompletely hardened surface layer.
The adhesiveness of the surface layer portion ensures the transfer of the cured ink to the printing medium, and the transfer is also completed.

Further, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2(A), a vinyl polymerization inhibitor 8 is applied to the surface of the plate 1 in advance, and then a curable ink 3 is applied and patterned (FIG. 2(B)). )
, hardening treatment 5 is performed ((C) in the same figure). As a result, as described above, the curable ink 3 becomes incompletely cured in the portions in contact with the atmosphere, and the polymerization and curing in the portions in contact with the polymerization suppressor 8 are delayed due to the action of the inhibitor, resulting in an incompletely cured state. As a result, the area around the ink is completely incompletely cured surface layer 3b.
This results in irregular hardening. As the vinyl polymerization inhibitor, conventionally known ones can be used, and among them, penduquinone, butylcatechol, etc. are preferable.

In the present invention, as another embodiment of transferring the cured ink 6 to the printing material 7, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cured ink 6 is first transferred from the plate 1 to an intermediate body 9 such as a blanket, After that, printing can be performed by retransferring the ink 6 onto the printing medium 7.

In the case of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the cured ink 6 was reliably transferred to the blank due to the adhesiveness of the incompletely cured surface layer 3b on the side of the plate I that was in contact with the atmosphere, and the cured ink 6 was also transferred to the blank, and was also in contact with the polymerization inhibitor 8. Due to the adhesiveness of the incompletely cured surface layer on the side, the transfer of the cured ink 6 from the blanket to the printing material takes place (
(See Figures (D) to (E)).

When retransferring the cured ink 6 to the printing medium 7 via an intermediate 9 such as a Planckent, in order to ensure the transfer of the cured ink to the printing medium, as shown in FIG. 3(C), Transfer of the cured ink 6 is performed with an adhesive or adhesive layer 10 interposed. Adhesive or adhesive NIO is usually formed in advance on the printing medium 7 side. The adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive forming the layer IO may be selected from commercially available products that have excellent coating suitability and have weak adhesion or tackiness to the surface of the plate 1. For example, depending on the desired process, the adhesion/adhesive process can be appropriately selected from solvent activation type, heat activation type, pressure activation type, chemical reaction type, etc. Among them, pressure activation type is pressure sensitive. Adhesives (adhesives) and heat-activated photomelt adhesives are preferred. When printing is carried out through the adhesive or adhesive layer 10, as shown in FIG. Although the layer 10a is present, the layer 10a is removed by appropriate means if necessary (FIG. 4). Through this removal process, the surface of the printing medium 7 corresponding to the non-image area can be exposed. When the ink layer 3b is etched resist printed, the removing means includes dry etching using plasma or the like, wet etching using an appropriate etching solution, and the like. Other removal methods that can be used include ozone oxidation, radiant energy decomposition, and dissolution and removal methods using solvents and chemicals.

Furthermore, in the method of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3(A), a curing treatment 5 using ultraviolet rays or visible light can be applied from the back side of the plate 1. In this case, the plate must be made of a plate material that allows ultraviolet or visible light to pass through. Such a curing process has the advantage that the degree of curing of the ink can be changed between the deep part of the plate and the surface part, depending on the light transmittance of the ink.

In the present invention, the printing material 7 may be a flexible material such as paper or a thin film, metal, ceramic, glass, etc.
Various materials can be used, including materials with rigidity such as plastic. In particular, in the present invention, the ink 3 is hardened irregularly so that an incompletely hardened surface layer 3 is formed, and
Since the cured ink 6 can be reliably and efficiently transferred to the printing object 11 etc. using the adhesiveness of the material, printing can be easily performed even on rigid printing objects.

In the present invention, if necessary, a curing treatment may be applied to the transferred cured ink layer in order to more reliably complete curing. The printing method of the present invention having the above structure can be widely used in applications requiring fine pattern formation. For example, the present invention prints a fine pattern on a printing material through an adhesive or adhesive layer, then removes the layer in the non-image area, and then, if necessary, prints a fine pattern on the exposed printing material. ? It is also extremely effective for applications where the i-line portion is etched by dry or wet etching and the cured ink layer (along with the above layers) is removed after etching.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples. Copper intaglio plate with finely patterned recesses etched as a long flame plate (
Using a plate depth of 2 μm), wrap this around a rubber roller to form a plate cylinder roller, and apply an acrylic-urethane ultraviolet curable ink containing a thermal initiator to the intaglio surface, then apply a gravure printing doctor. A blade was used to scrape and remove ink from areas other than the concave portions of the plate. Next, the ink filled in the recesses was cured by irradiating far infrared rays toward the intaglio surface. Due to this curing process, the surface layer of the ink that came into contact with the atmosphere remained sticky. Next, this plate cylinder roller was placed on a glass plate and slowly rolled, and the hardened ink was transferred onto the glass plate using the above-mentioned adhesiveness. As a result, the cured ink in the plate recesses was completely transferred to the glass plate side without remaining, and a line pattern with a line width of 30 μm and a film thickness of 2 μm could be reproduced with good accuracy. Although penzoyl peroxide was used as the polymerization initiator, other peroxides, such as azoisobutyronitrile, can also be used. Construction 1 A waterless lithographic plate (manufactured by Toray Industries, Ltd.) with a plate depth of 2 μm was used as the plate, which was wrapped around a rubber roller to form a plate cylinder roller, and an acrylic-epoxy ultraviolet curable ink was applied to the plate surface of this plate cylinder roller. After the ink formed into a predetermined pattern due to the interaction between the surface energy of the plate and the ink, the ink was cured by irradiating the surface of the plate cylinder roller with ultraviolet rays. As a result of this curing treatment, tackiness remained on the surface layer of the ink that came into contact with the atmosphere.

Next, using this adhesive property, the cured ink was transferred from the plate cylinder roller onto the glass substrate. Through the above steps, a fine pattern consisting of lines of 30 μm in diameter and 2 μm in film thickness was printed and reproduced with high accuracy on the glass substrate. A PS plate with a plate depth of 2 μm was used as a plate, and this was wound around a rubber roller to form a plate cylinder roller. After applying dampening water to the plate cylinder roller using a dampening roller, the same process as in Example 1 was carried out. An ink containing a thermal polymerization initiator was applied. After the ink formed into a predetermined pattern due to the interaction of the surface energy of the plate, water, and ink, the roller surface was irradiated with far-infrared rays to harden the ink. Due to this curing process, the surface layer of the ink that came into contact with the atmosphere remained sticky. Next, this plate cylinder roller was rolled onto a glass substrate to transfer the cured ink onto the glass substrate. Through the above process, a fine pattern consisting of lines with a line width of 30 μm and a film thickness of 2 μm was printed with high accuracy on the glass substrate. An intaglio plate (plate depth 2 μm) with a fine pattern of recesses etched into a glass plate was used as the Fuarashi Okudo version, and this was fixed on a 1,000 plate plate. On this intaglio plate, methanol of hydroquinone was added as a vinyl polymerization inhibitor. After applying the solution, an acrylic-epoxy ultraviolet curable ink was applied thereon, and unnecessary ink outside the recesses was scraped off with a doctor.

Next, the intaglio surface was irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the ink. The ink remained sticky on the surface layer that was in contact with the atmosphere and on the surface layer that was in contact with the polymerization inhibitor. After the curing process, the ink in the intaglio was transferred onto the blanket using the adhesiveness of the surface layer in contact with the atmosphere. Subsequently, the ink on the blanket was retransferred onto the glass substrate using the adhesiveness of the surface layer in contact with the polymerization inhibitor.

As described above, a line pattern with a line width of 30 μm and a film thickness of 2 μm could be accurately reproduced on the glass substrate. An intaglio plate similar to that used in Example 4 was used as the Fuarashi Makoto plate, and it was fixed on a 1,000 plate plate. After coating the vinyl polymerization inhibitor on this intaglio plate in the same manner as in Example 4, the same plate as in Example 1 was used. Ink containing the same thermal polymerization initiator was applied, and unnecessary ink was removed with a doctor.

After this, the ink was irradiated with far infrared rays to harden it irregularly, and thereafter, it was transferred onto a glass substrate via a blanket in the same manner as in Example 4, and the same image pattern was reproduced with high accuracy by printing. A waterless lithographic plate similar to that in Example 2 was used as the Fuyoshi isolated plate, and this was fixed on a flat plate plate, and after applying a polymerization inhibitor in the same manner as in Example 4, the same ink was applied. The ink was patterned as specified by the interaction between the surface energy of the plate and the ink.

Next, the ink on the plate was cured by irradiating the surface of the plate with ultraviolet light. The ink remained sticky on the surface layer that was in contact with the atmosphere and on the surface layer that was in contact with the polymerization inhibitor. After the curing process, the ink in the intaglio is transferred onto the blanket using the tackiness of the surface layer in contact with the atmosphere, and then the ink on the blanket is transferred again using the tackiness of the surface layer in contact with the polymerization inhibitor. It was retransferred onto a glass substrate. As described above, a line pattern with a line width of 30 μm and a film thickness of 2 μm could be accurately reproduced on the glass substrate.

Sharpening 1 A PS plate similar to that in Example 3 was used as a plate, and this was fixed on a flat plate surface plate, and after coating with a polymerization inhibitor in the same manner as in Example 4, it was heated in the same manner as in Example 3. An ink containing a polymerization initiator was applied.

After the ink was baked on the plate, it was irradiated with far infrared rays to harden the ink. After curing, the ink inside the intaglio is transferred onto the blanket using the tackiness of the ink surface layer that comes into contact with the atmosphere, and then the ink on the blanket is transferred using the tackiness of the ink surface layer that comes into contact with the polymerization inhibitor. It was transferred again onto a glass substrate.

As described above, it was possible to accurately reproduce a line pattern with a line width of 30 pm and a film thickness of 2 μm on a glass substrate. A waterless lithographic plate (manufactured by Toray Industries, Ltd.) with a plate depth of 2 μm was used as the printing plate, and this was fixed on a flat plate plate. Acrylic-epoxy ultraviolet curable ink was applied onto this lithographic plate. After the ink formed a predetermined pattern due to the interaction between the surface energy of the plate and the ink, ultraviolet rays were irradiated from the closed plate surface to harden the ink on the plate. Next, the ink in the intaglio is transferred onto the blank using the adhesiveness of the ink surface layer that comes into contact with the atmosphere, and then an adhesive layer is applied to the glass substrate, which has been coated with an acrylic resin adhesive to a thickness of ltIm. The ink was retransferred through the paper. Next, this glass plate was exposed to an oxygen plasma atmosphere for 10 minutes to perform plasma etching.

As a result, the cured ink layer part is difficult to be attacked by oxygen plasma due to the presence of benzene rings due to the epoxy component, while the adhesive layer part made of acrylic resin is easily attacked by oxygen plasma, so as a result, only the adhesive layer is The exposed adhesive layer in the non-print area was removed. By the above, a line width of 30 μm and a film thickness of 3 μm were formed on a glass substrate.
(Ink layer: 2 μm, adhesion N: 1 μm) The line pattern could be accurately reproduced.

l Motion 4 An intaglio plate (plate depth 2 μm) with finely patterned recesses etched into a glass plate was used as a raw plate, and this was fixed on a flat plate plate. Acrylic-epoxy ultraviolet curable ink was applied onto this intaglio plate, and unnecessary ink outside the concave areas was scraped off using a doctor. Next, the ink was cured by irradiating ultraviolet light from the back side of the intaglio. This curing treatment from the back side left the ink with good adhesion on the front side, that is, the surface layer in contact with the atmosphere. Utilizing this adhesive property, the ink in the intaglio was transferred onto the blanket, and then the ink was retransferred via the adhesive layer onto a glass substrate whose entire surface was coated with an acrylic resin adhesive to a thickness of 1 μm. Next, this glass plate was exposed to an oxygen plasma atmosphere for 10 minutes to perform plasma etching. As a result, the cured ink layer part is difficult to be attacked by oxygen plasma due to the presence of benzene rings caused by epoxy resin, while the adhesive layer part made of acrylic resin is easily attacked by oxygen plasma, so as a result, only the adhesive layer is affected. The adhesive layer in the non-print area where is exposed has been removed. As a result of the above, 30 μm in line and 3 μm in film thickness were formed on the glass substrate.
The line pattern (ink layer 2 μm + adhesive layer 1 μm) could be reproduced with good accuracy. [Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the printing method of the present invention, an intaglio plate or a lithographic plate is used, and the printed line portion consisting of an extremely fine pattern with a predetermined film thickness is printed as a pattern recess on the intaglio plate and as a pattern concave portion on the lithographic plate. The process involves making a plate as a pattern plate, curing the curable ink patterned in the recesses of the plate or on the pattern plate, and then transferring the cured ink to the printing material. With conventional printing technology, it was only possible to reproduce prints with a minimum line diameter of 100 to 200 μm, but with a predetermined film thickness, it is possible to reproduce prints with a minimum line thickness of 100 II m.
It is possible to easily print extremely fine line drawings of less than In particular, in the present invention, the ink is cured in an irregular manner so that at least a portion of the surface layer is in an incompletely cured state. Fine patterns can be clearly reproduced in print while the ink is being held, and at the same time, the adhesiveness of the surface layer of the incompletely cured ink can be used to easily and reliably transfer the cured ink to the printing medium, etc. , it is possible to efficiently perform printing with good reproducibility. Furthermore, since the method of the present invention employs the above-described printing means, it is possible to efficiently and inexpensively form fine lines, which conventionally had to be done using expensive and inefficient photoresist. It has become possible. Furthermore, the method of the present invention allows for more stable transfer of cured ink by printing through an adhesive or adhesive layer. Therefore, the printing method of the present invention can be widely applied to the use of fine pattern formation, and can, for example, process and provide glass photomasks, fine printed circuit boards, and other products that require the formation of fine patterns with high precision and at low cost. It is possible and very profitable.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1(A) to (D) are schematic cross-sectional views showing one embodiment of each printing process of the printing method of the present invention, FIGS. 2(A) to (E), and 3.
Figures (A) to (C) and Figure 4 show the other L of the printing process of the method of the present invention. A schematic cross-sectional view showing each example of i...Printing plate 2...Four pattern parts 3...
- Curing ink 3b... incompletely cured surface layer part 4... doctor 5...
・Curing treatment 6... Cured ink 7... Printed material 8... Vinyl polymerization inhibitor 9... Intermediate
lO...Adhesive or sticky layer 1 Figure 9 Intermediate Figure 2

Claims (8)

[Claims] (1) Apply curable ink to a printing intaglio plate formed with minute pattern depressions that will become printing image areas, remove ink from areas other than the depressions with a doctor, and fill only the depressions with ink, or A hardening ink is applied to a printing plate made by plate-making a fine pattern plate part that will become a printing image part, and the ink is applied only to the pattern plate part for patterning, and then hardening treatment with heat or radiation. A method for printing fine patterns, which comprises curing the ink on an intaglio or planographic plate so that at least a portion of the surface layer thereof is in an incompletely cured state, and then transferring the ink to a printing medium. (2) A claim in which the curable ink is an ink whose main material is a resin that has an acrylic or methacrylic group and is cured by vinyl polymerization, and the surface layer of the ink in contact with the atmosphere on the plate is brought into an incompletely cured state. 1. The transfer method described in 1. (3) The printing method according to claim 2, wherein after coating the surface of the intaglio or planographic plate with a vinyl polymerization inhibitor, a curable ink is applied and patterned. (4) Printing according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the ink that has been cured so that at least a portion of the surface layer is in an incompletely cured state is transferred once to an intermediate such as a blanket, and then transferred again to the printing material. Method. (5) The printing method according to claim 4, wherein when the cured ink is retransferred to the printing object via an intermediate such as a blanket, the transfer is performed with an adhesive or adhesive layer interposed. (6) The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the curing treatment using ultraviolet rays or visible light is performed from the back side of the plate to bring the ink surface layer that is in contact with the atmosphere into an incompletely cured state. (7) The printing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the printing material is made of metal, ceramic, glass, or plastic and has rigidity. (8) A claim in which after the cured ink is transferred to the printing material through the adhesive or sticky layer, the adhesive or sticky layer on the printing material in the area where the cured ink layer does not exist is removed. 7. The printing method described in 5 to 7.