JPH10280169A - Vertical type developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vertical type developing device for obtaining uniform development patterns by eliminating the temp. difference between the upper and lower parts of a developer to be poured from the top end of a base material at the time of vertical type development. SOLUTION: While the base material 11 having photosensitive layers exposed with prescribed patterns is perpendicularly held and transported, the base material is heated from its both surfaces and is heated up to a prescribed temp. by heating units 13a and 13b. The developer is poured from the top ends of both sides of the base material from developing nozzles 12a and 12b, by which the development processing of the photosensitive layers is executed and resist patterns are formed. Further, a temp. gradient may be formed between the upper and lower parts of the base material according to need.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a shadow mask used for a color cathode ray tube of a color terminal display, and more particularly, to a method in which a predetermined pattern is exposed on a base material such as a metal in a shadow mask manufacturing process. The present invention relates to a developing device that forms a resist pattern by developing a photosensitive layer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, color terminal displays have been used for high-definition televisions and computer terminal displays, and their size and high-definition display have been further accelerated. Under such circumstances, a color CRT used for a color terminal display is also required to have high resolution and high quality display. In the case of a color cathode ray tube using a shadow mask, one of the factors that influence the display performance is the dot arrangement of the phosphor screen, that is, the hole size and hole pitch of the shadow mask. The following quality is required including the hole size and hole pitch of the shadow mask.

[0003] 1. Irregularity Even if the variation in the hole size is 1 μm or less, when it forms a group, it may be recognized as irregularity by human eyes. Moyamura,
A wide variety occurs, such as large areas such as stripes, small areas such as black spots and white spots. 2. Dimensional accuracy As the size of the display increases, the size of the shadow mask becomes larger, the hole size becomes smaller and the number of holes increases, and the hole size accuracy is severe, and the dimensional difference between the top, bottom, left and right is within the tolerance of ± 3 to 8 μm. It is necessary to enter. 3. Defects At least 380,000 civilian and 1.3 million high-definition holes are defective if they are defective. Therefore, the defect accuracy is actually 9
9.9997 to 99.9999% or more is required.

The shadow mask has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.18.
A photoresist is applied to a substrate made of a mild steel sheet having a thickness of 2 mm, dried to form a photosensitive layer, a pre-processing step of exposing a shadow mask pattern, and a developing process with a predetermined developing solution to form a resist pattern. A developing step of hardening the resist pattern, and using the resist pattern as a mask, firstly, the small hole side is first etched to form a protective film, and then the opposite large hole side is secondly etched. Then, it is manufactured through a post-processing step of removing the resist pattern and the protective film.

[0005] In the shadow mask manufacturing process, the developing process is an important process in order to satisfy the above quality requirements. The development method is roughly classified into two methods, a horizontal conveyance development method in which development is performed while the substrate is conveyed vertically, and a vertical conveyance development method in which development is performed while the substrate is conveyed vertically. In the case of the horizontal transport developing method, there is a problem that the substrate is bent due to its own weight, and the substrate travels in a meandering manner to easily cause development unevenness. The vertical transport developing method is an improvement on the above-mentioned problem of the horizontal transport developing method, and has been introduced as a developing method corresponding to a recent increase in the size of a display and a wider base material. In the vertical transport developing method, as shown in FIG. 3, a developing solution is flowed from upper ends of both sides of a base material 31 by developing nozzles 32a and 32b, and while the developing solution flows from the upper end to the lower end, a photosensitive layer on the base material is formed. The development processing is performed.

[0006] Next, the pouring development will be described. In horizontal development, development using spray is the most widely used method, but in vertical development, the developer applied at the upper end flows down, so when spraying over the entire surface, the liquid amount increases at the lower end, Development unevenness occurs at the upper and lower ends of the substrate. For this reason, in vertical development, development is generally performed by using a developing nozzle 32a and 32b as shown in FIG. In the pouring development, a single stream of the developing solution is formed by a nozzle from the vicinity of the upper end of the base material, and the same amount of the developing solution is supplied from the upper end to the lower end of the base material.

[0007] In a vertical developing apparatus for developing a substrate while transporting it while holding the substrate vertically, although the running stability and the quantitative supply of the developing solution can be improved even if the substrate becomes large, the following is required. There's a problem.

Usually, the temperature of the substrate having the photosensitive layer on which a predetermined pattern has been exposed is substantially at room temperature until the development process is started, so that a heated developer is poured from the upper end of the substrate. The heat is taken by the base material while flowing from the upper end to the lower end of the base material, and the temperature of the developing solution is lowered. That is, the developing conditions are different between the upper end and the lower end of the base material. As a result, there is a problem that dimensional variations of the pattern occur above and below the substrate, and unevenness occurs at the stage of the shadow mask obtained through the subsequent etching step.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has been made in consideration of the following problems. In the vertical development in which a resist pattern is formed by flowing the developing solution from the upper end, a temperature difference between the upper and lower sides of the developing solution flowing from the upper end of the substrate is eliminated, and a uniform developing pattern is obtained over the entire surface of the substrate. It is an object to provide a mold developing device.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, first, a base material such as a metal having a photosensitive layer on which a predetermined pattern is exposed is vertically held and conveyed. In a vertical developing device for forming a resist pattern by performing a developing process with a predetermined developing solution, a heating unit capable of heating the base material to a predetermined temperature in advance before the developing process is provided. This is a mold developing device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vertical developing apparatus according to the first aspect, the heating unit can have a temperature gradient between the upper and lower sides of the base material. It is.

More specifically, in the first aspect, by providing a heating unit in the vertical developing device, the substrate is heated by a heater of the heating unit before the developing process, and the temperature of the substrate is reduced by the developer solution. We found that adjusting the temperature can eliminate the temperature difference. If there is no temperature difference,
Since the liquid temperature does not decrease, a uniform development pattern can be obtained between the upper and lower sides of the substrate.

However, when the developer must be developed at a temperature which is considerably higher than room temperature, when the substrate is heated to that temperature, the photosensitive layer in the soluble portion of the developer undergoes a curing reaction due to heat. So-called thermal fogging may occur, making it impossible to obtain a desired development pattern. As a method for solving this problem, in claim 2, a temperature gradient is provided between the upper and lower sides of the base material, and the base material temperature is increased toward the lower end of the base material, so that the heat at the interface between the liquid temperature and the base material is reduced. The development conditions can be made uniform by balancing. Thereby, even when there is a temperature difference between the substrate and the developing solution, a temperature drop is minimized, and high-temperature development can be performed without causing thermal fogging.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described in more detail. In the shadow mask manufacturing process, the apparatus of the present invention develops a resist pattern by developing with a predetermined developing solution while vertically holding and transporting a base material such as a metal having a photosensitive layer with a predetermined pattern exposed. This is a device relating to an improvement of a vertical developing device for forming the image. FIG. 1 shows a vertical developing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a manufacturing process of a shadow mask.

First, a photosensitive resist is coated on both surfaces of a substrate made of a mild steel plate or the like, and prebaked to form a photosensitive layer. Then, a predetermined pattern is exposed and the predetermined pattern is printed on the photosensitive layers on both surfaces of the substrate. . Here, as the photosensitive resist, in addition to a water-soluble resist such as casein and PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), a dry film, an acrylic or rubber-based liquid resist, or the like can be used.

Next, while holding and transporting the substrate having the photosensitive layer with the predetermined pattern exposed vertically, the substrate is first heated from both sides by heating units 13a and 13b to a predetermined temperature (FIG. 1). The temperature of the substrate is substantially determined by the selected resist development conditions, but is appropriately set according to the transport speed and size of the substrate, the selected resist film thickness, various characteristics, and the like. Further, a temperature gradient is provided between the upper and lower portions of the base material as necessary.

Next, a developing solution is poured from the upper ends of both sides of the substrate from the developing nozzles 12a and 12b to develop the photosensitive layer to form a resist pattern (see FIG. 1). In the pouring development, the development proceeds by the developer flowing from the upper end of the base material to the base material by gravity and flowing toward the lower end by gravity. The developer is appropriately selected according to the type of the selected photosensitive resist. Next, a hardening process and a heating process are performed on the resist pattern as needed to obtain a desired dot group resist pattern.

Next, a first etching is performed using the small-hole resist pattern on one side of the substrate as a mask to form a protective film on the small-hole pattern side. Further, a second etching is performed using the large-hole resist pattern on the opposite surface as a mask until the substrate penetrates, and the resist pattern and the protective film are peeled off to produce a shadow mask.

[0019]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail. <Example 1> First, a base material made of a mild steel plate having a width of 600 mm was degreased by immersion in a 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at 80 ° C for 2 minutes, and then thoroughly washed with water to obtain a casein resist (manufactured by Fuji Chemical Co., Ltd.). Dip coating and pre-baking were performed to form photosensitive layers on both surfaces of the substrate.

Next, a dot group pattern having a diameter of 90 μm was exposed on the photosensitive layers on both surfaces of the substrate using an ultrahigh pressure mercury light source at an exposure amount of 2000 mj.

Next, the transfer speed of the substrate is set to 2.0 m / min.
The substrate was heated from both sides by the heaters of the heating units 13a and 13b so that the temperature of the substrate was 35 ° C. Next, the developer heated to 35 ° C. using the developing nozzles 12 a and 12 b having a nozzle diameter of 10 mm
A developing process was carried out by flowing the substrate from the upper ends on both sides thereof at a flow rate of in to form a resist pattern (see FIG. 1). Here, city water was used as a developer. Furthermore, spray cleaning was performed with city water.

Next, a 3% aqueous solution of chromic anhydride was poured at 20 ° C. and discharged in the same manner as in the development to perform a hardening treatment of the resist pattern. Thereafter, spray cleaning was performed with pure water.

Finally, heat treatment was performed at 200 ° C. in a 10 m tunnel oven to obtain a desired dot group resist pattern.

The dimensions of the obtained dot group resist pattern were measured with a length measuring machine Hisomet (manufactured by union), and the average was 94.5 μm (60 samples, 0.8 standard deviation) near the upper end of the base material, 9 around the part
The average value was 4.8 μm (sample number 60, standard deviation 0.6) and 94.2 μm near the lower end (sample number 60, standard deviation 0.8).

When the developed pattern was observed with an electron microscope, the fringe shape around the pattern was good without any abnormality.

<Example 2> Formation of a photosensitive layer from degreasing of a substrate,
Processing was performed in the same procedure as in Example 1 until the pattern exposure.

Next, the transport speed of the substrate is set to 2.0 m / min.
The substrate was heated from both sides by the heaters of the heating units 13a and 13b such that the substrate temperature had a temperature gradient of 40 ° C. at the upper end and 45 ° C. at the lower end. Next, using a developing nozzle 12a and 12b having a nozzle diameter of 10 mm, a developing solution heated to 50 ° C. was flowed at a flow rate of 10 L / min from the upper ends of both sides of the base material to perform a developing process, thereby forming a resist pattern ( (See FIG. 1). Here, city water was used as a developer. Thereafter, spray cleaning was performed with city water.

Next, the same hardening treatment and heating treatment as in Example 1 were performed to obtain a desired dot group resist pattern.

When the dimensions of the obtained dot group resist pattern were measured with a length measuring machine Hisomet (manufactured by union), an average of 96.times. 2 μm (60 samples, 0.4 standard deviation), average 9 near center
The average was 5.7 μm (sample number 60, standard deviation 0.5) and 95.4 μm near the lower end (sample number 60, standard deviation 0.7).

When the developed pattern was observed with an electron microscope, no abnormality was found in the fringe shape around the pattern, and the pattern was good.

<Comparative Example> From the degreasing of the substrate to the exposure, the treatment was carried out in the same procedure as in Example 1.

Next, the transport speed was set to 2.0 m / min, and the substrate having the photosensitive layer to which a predetermined pattern was exposed was left in a light-shielded room at 22 ° C. for 2 hours. Next, the developing nozzles 32a and 3 having a nozzle diameter of 10 mm
10L / mi of developer heated to 50 ° C using 2b
Developing treatment was carried out by flowing from the upper ends of both sides of the substrate at a flow rate of n to form a resist pattern (see FIG. 3). Here, city water was used as a developer. Thereafter, spray cleaning was performed with city water.

Next, a hardening treatment was performed in the same procedure as in Example 1 to obtain a dot group resist pattern.

The dimensions of the obtained dot group resist pattern were measured with a length measuring machine Hisomet (manufactured by union), and an average of 96.0 μm (60 samples, 0.4 standard deviation) was found near the upper end of the substrate. Average 9 near the center
The average was 5.1 μm (sample number 60, standard deviation 0.6) and 93.9 μm on average near the lower end (sample number 60, standard deviation 0.8).

Observation of the dot group resist pattern by an electron microscope revealed that the fringe shape around the pattern was abnormal.

[0036]

By using the vertical developing device of the present invention to heat the base material to a predetermined temperature by the heating unit before the development processing, the difference in the temperature of the developer between the upper and lower parts of the base material is eliminated, and A uniform development pattern can be obtained over the top and bottom of the material. In addition, by providing a temperature gradient between the top and bottom of the base material, the temperature range of the developer can be set widely, and it is effective especially when the set temperature of the developer is high, and high-temperature development without causing heat fogging of the photosensitive layer And a uniform developed pattern can be obtained over the upper and lower portions of the substrate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a part of a vertical developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process flow chart showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a part of a conventional vertical developing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 31 ... base material 12a, 12b, 31a, 31b ... developing nozzle 13a, 13b ... heating unit 14, 34 ... flowing developer

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vertical developing device for forming a resist pattern by carrying out development processing with a predetermined developing solution while vertically holding and transporting a base material such as a metal having a photosensitive layer on which a predetermined pattern is exposed, A vertical developing device further comprising a heating unit capable of heating the base material to a predetermined temperature before the development processing. 2. The vertical developing device according to claim 1, wherein said heating unit is capable of providing a temperature gradient between upper and lower portions of said base material.