JPH11207959A - Substrate, its manufacture, and pattern formation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate suitable to form a pattern by an ink-jet method whereby a fluid body before dried does not spread too much when forming the pattern and the pattern is not divided after the fluid body is dried. SOLUTION: This substrate is provided with affinity areas 10 affinitive to a predetermined fluid body 12 and non-affinity areas 11 non-affinitive to the fluid body 12. The affinity areas 10 are arranged in a predetermined pattern (shape, size and arrangement) in the non-affinity areas 11, so that the fluid body 12 can be adhered continuously to a constant area over a plurality of affinity areas in the substrate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an industrial application of an ink jet recording head, and more particularly to an improvement of a substrate for forming an arbitrary pattern by an ink jet system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A substrate used in a semiconductor process or the like is made of silicon or the like. Conventionally, a lithography method or the like has been used to manufacture an integrated circuit or the like from the silicon substrate.

In this lithography method, a photosensitive material called a resist is thinly applied on a silicon wafer, and an integrated circuit pattern prepared by photolithography is transferred to a glass dry plate by light printing. The wiring pattern and the element are formed by implanting ions or the like into the transferred resist pattern.

[0004] The use of the lithography method requires steps such as photolithography, resist coating, exposure, and development, so that a fine pattern cannot be formed unless a semiconductor factory or the like is well-equipped. For this reason, it has been common sense that formation of a fine pattern requires complicated process management and cost.

[0005]

However, it is desired to easily and inexpensively manufacture a pattern on the order of μm without using a facility such as a factory, even if it is not as fine as an ultra LSI. If it can be done, industrially unlimited demand is conceivable.

Incidentally, there is an ink jet method as a technique for discharging ink at an arbitrary position on a sheet. The application of the ink jet system has been mainly used for a printer for printing. An ink jet recording head that discharges ink by an ink jet method is configured to be able to discharge an arbitrary fluid from a nozzle hole.
Ink is used as a fluid, the ink is ejected from an ink jet recording head, and printing is performed on paper as a target surface. Since the resolution of the ink jet recording head is as fine as 400 bpi, for example, it is considered that an arbitrary pattern can be formed with a width on the order of μm if a fluid that can be used for industrial purposes can be discharged from each nozzle hole.

According to the ink jet system, a pattern can be formed by changing the ink to another industrial fluid without using equipment such as a factory, so that it is very preferable to apply the ink jet system to industrial applications.

[0008] In the case where a pattern is formed by using an ink jet system, an obstacle occurs. When the droplet reaches the target surface, the droplet discharged from the ink jet recording head spreads over a certain area (hereinafter, the arrival of one droplet at the target surface is referred to as “landing”). The spread of the landed droplet depends on the speed of the droplet and the contact angle between the target surface and the fluid.

However, when the ink jet system is industrially applied, since the discharged liquid droplets land and spread widely, there is a disadvantage that a fine pattern used in a semiconductor process or the like cannot be formed.

[0010] In addition, the pattern of the droplets that have spread appropriately in contact with each other at the time of impact may be separated with drying, and the pattern may not be maintained.

[0011]

In order to solve this inconvenience, the present inventor considers the characteristics of an ink-jet that a droplet to be ejected is a fluid, and uses a surface tension to form an appropriate pattern. I figured out a way to keep it spread.

That is, a first object of the present invention is to enable formation of a fine pattern by the surface tension of a fluid by using a region having an affinity for a fluid and a region having no affinity for the fluid. To provide a substrate.

A second object of the present invention is to make it possible to form a substrate in which a region having affinity for a fluid and a region having no affinity for the fluid are formed, so that a fine pattern is formed by the surface tension of the fluid. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a substrate that can be formed.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a pattern forming method suitable for forming a pattern on the substrate of the present invention.

Here, the fluid means not only the ink but also the ink.
It is a medium having a viscosity that can be used for industrial purposes and can be discharged from a nozzle. It does not matter whether it is aqueous or oily. Further, the mixture may be mixed in a colloidal state.

Also, having affinity means having a relatively small contact angle with a fluid, and having no affinity means having a relatively large contact angle with a fluid. These expressions are used for convenience to clarify the behavior of the membrane with respect to the fluid.

The present invention comprises an affinity region having an affinity for a predetermined fluid, and a non-affinity region having no affinity for the fluid, wherein the affinity region is one of the non-affinity regions. Is a substrate that is arranged in a predetermined pattern (shape, size, and arrangement) so that a fluid can be continuously attached to a fixed area over a plurality of affinity regions.

For example, the patterns are arranged so that even if a fluid adheres to one pattern, the fluid is prevented from moving to an adjacent pattern due to the surface tension of the fluid.

In the pattern, for example, each affinity region is formed in a linear pattern.

Further, for example, in the pattern, each affinity region is formed in a dot pattern having a predetermined shape (spherical or polygonal).

Here, it is preferable that the dot pattern is arranged in contact with an adjacent dot pattern.

According to the present invention, one of an affinity region having an affinity for a predetermined fluid and a non-affinity region having no affinity for a fluid is provided on a base with respect to the other region. Manufacturing a substrate in which a fluid can be continuously attached to a certain area over a plurality of affinity regions by providing a pattern forming step of forming the one region so as to be arranged in a predetermined pattern. Is the way.

For example, the pattern forming step includes a step of forming a metal layer on the base with a predetermined metal, and a step of selectively supplying energy to the metal layer formed on the base in accordance with a pattern, thereby reducing the energy. The method includes a step of removing the metal in the supplied region, and a step of immersing the base from which the metal has been removed according to the pattern in a mixed solution containing a sulfur compound.

Here, the sulfur compound has a property opposite to that of the substrate with respect to the affinity for the fluid.

For example, in the pattern forming step, a copolymer compound composed of a monomer having an affinity for the fluid and a monomer having no affinity for the fluid is coated on the base by a film. It is formed in a shape.

Further, for example, the pattern forming step includes a step of forming a predetermined substance in a layer on the base, a mask step of masking the substance according to the pattern, and supplying energy to the masked base. Removing the material in the unmasked region.

Further, the pattern forming step includes a step of masking the base in accordance with a pattern, a step of performing plasma processing on the masked base, and a step of modifying molecules that have been dissociated by the plasma processing. And a step.

The pattern forming step includes: a step of masking the base in accordance with the pattern; a step of irradiating the masked base with ultraviolet rays to modify the surface;
Is provided.

Further, for example, the pattern forming step includes a step of applying electric charges to the entire surface of the base, a step of irradiating the base surface to which electric charges are applied in accordance with the pattern with a laser beam, Bonding a predetermined substance to the charged region that has not disappeared.

Further, for example, the pattern forming step includes a step of providing a predetermined substance on the base according to the pattern.

Here, the above-mentioned substance has the opposite property to the base with respect to the affinity for the fluid.

According to the present invention, there is provided a pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate according to the present invention, comprising the steps of: driving an ink jet recording head provided so as to be capable of discharging liquid droplets according to an arbitrary pattern; Forming a pattern of the fluid on the substrate by discharging droplets of the fluid from the nozzle holes of the ink jet recording head moving along the line.

Here, the step of forming a pattern includes supplying the fluid to a cavity provided in the ink jet recording head and configured to be capable of filling the fluid, and causing a volume change in the cavity. By applying a voltage according to an arbitrary pattern to the piezoelectric element configured so as to be able to discharge droplets of the fluid from the nozzle holes.

[0034]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 of the present invention relates to a substrate structure suitable for forming an arbitrary pattern by discharging a fluid from an ink jet recording head or the like.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a substrate according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a view of FIG. 1A viewed from a cross section AA, and FIG. 1C is a modified example of FIG. 1B.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the substrate 1a of the first embodiment includes an affinity region 10 having an affinity for a predetermined fluid and a non-affinity region having no affinity for the fluid. 11
And

As shown in FIG. 2B, an affinity film 101a is formed on a substrate 100a having a composition having no affinity for a fluid in a region 10 to be given an affinity. It is composed. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3C, the substrate 1a is formed by forming a non-affinity film 101b on the region 11 from which affinity is to be eliminated on a base 100b having a composition having an affinity for a fluid. Be composed.

Here, the affinity or the non-affinity is determined by the properties of the fluid to be patterned. For example, in the case of a fluid having a hydrophilic property, a composition having a hydrophilic property indicates affinity and a composition having a hydrophobic property indicates non-affinity. Conversely, for a lipophilic fluid, a hydrophilic composition indicates non-affinity, and a hydrophobic composition indicates affinity. What to use for the fluid will be changed and applied variously depending on the industrial application object of the ink jet system.

Table 1 shows composition examples of the base 100 and the film constituting the affinity region corresponding to the properties of the fluid.

[0041]

[Table 1]

In the first embodiment, the affinity region 10 is formed to have a dot-like pattern, particularly a circular shape. For this purpose, the circular affinity film 101a is attached to the base 100 having no affinity.
Non-affinity film 1 formed on a or a circular hole
01b is formed on the base 100b having affinity.

The pattern shape of each affinity region 10 may be an ellipse, not a perfect circle. Further, the substrate 1 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the patterns may be arranged without being in contact with each other, or the patterns may be arranged in contact with each other as in the substrate 1b of FIG.

The shape, size, and density of each pattern can be appropriately changed according to the magnitude of the surface tension of the fluid, for example, the magnitude of the contact angle and the size of the droplet. For example, as in the case of the substrate 1c in FIG. 3, a rectangular pattern may be provided at scattered points. Further, as in the case of the substrate 1d in FIG. 4, the rectangular patterns may be provided in a checkered pattern so that the rectangular patterns partially contact each other. Further, as in the case of the substrate 1e in FIG. 5, a triangular pattern may be provided at scattered points. Further, like a substrate 1f in FIG. 6, triangular patterns may be provided so as to partially contact each other. Further, FIG.
A linear pattern may be provided like the substrate 1g.

As described above, the dot pattern and the linear pattern can be applied in various modifications regardless of their shapes. The size and arrangement of the dot pattern and the linear pattern will be described below.

(Operation) FIGS. 9 and 10 show how droplets adhere to a conventional substrate when droplets are ejected from an ink jet recording head.

FIG. 9A is a sectional view when a plurality of droplets 12 are discharged onto the base 100, and FIG. 10A is a plan view thereof. When the droplets 12 are continuously discharged onto the substrate not subjected to the surface treatment of the present invention, as can be seen from FIG.
2 is continuous. However, since there is no boundary for preventing the spread of the droplet 12, each droplet is connected as shown in FIG. 10A, but the outline spreads more than the disturbance of the position when the outline lands. I will. When the amount of the solvent component is small, it is difficult to form a fine pattern because the solidification is continued while the outline is widened.

When the solvent component is large, when the droplet is dried, the solvent component in the droplet is removed, and each droplet contracts at the position where the droplet lands. Since there is no restriction on the attachment position, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10B, the droplets 12 that were initially connected also become isolated islands 12b. Despite the necessity of imparting conductivity as a pattern, the connection of the landed droplets is useless as a pattern if they are separated as islands 12b as described above.

Referring to FIG. 8, the operation of the substrate according to the first embodiment subjected to the surface treatment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2A shows the shape of the droplet on the substrate when the droplet is discharged onto the substrate 1b of FIG. FIG. 7B shows the shape of the droplet on the substrate when the droplet is discharged onto the substrate of FIG. In any of the patterns shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, it is assumed that the droplet from the ink jet recording head lands along the line L3.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the droplet 12 that has landed on the substrate spreads sufficiently in the affinity region 10. However, it is excluded from the non-affinity region 11 and drawn into the adjacent affinity region 10 according to the surface tension. Therefore, after being pulled in by the surface tension, as shown in the figure,
The droplet 12 adheres only to the affinity region 10. Even if the ejection direction of the droplets from the head is slightly shifted, the lines L2 to L4
If the liquid droplets 12 land on a certain width, the attached droplets 12 always ride on the affinity region 10 between the lines L2 and L4. Since the affinity regions 10 are separated from each other or only touch each other at one point, one affinity region 1 is used unless it directly impacts.
The droplet 12 on 0 does not enter the adjacent affinity region 10. Next to the affinity region 10 on which the droplet 12 is mounted, the affinity region 10 on which the droplet 12 is always mounted,
Since they are in contact with or slightly apart from each other, the droplets 12 are connected to each other by surface tension. Therefore, since the droplets 12 are connected along the trajectory of the landing, the pattern is continuous. Since the droplets are filled in the affinity region 10 on which the droplets 12 are loaded, even if the droplets are dried, they are not separated from adjacent droplets that have been connected.

As can be seen from the above, in the case of a dot pattern, it is preferable that the size of the dot pattern is such that the amount of landed droplets in one affinity region 10 cannot be loaded and leaks to the periphery. If the dot pattern is too small compared to the droplet, the surface tension generated at the boundary between the individual affinity regions is too weak to prevent the spread of the droplet, and it will not be different from the case when ejected to a normal substrate . If the dot pattern is too small compared to the droplet, the droplet does not reach the boundary of each affinity region, and the contour may be distorted or the pattern may be divided.

Therefore, the relationship between the size of the dot pattern and the amount of the droplet depends on the contact angle of the fluid, but the area of the dot pattern is made slightly smaller than the area where the droplet lands and spreads normally. It is preferable to keep it.

The arrangement of the dot patterns in the affinity region is preferably such that the individual patterns are in point contact with each other. If the individual patterns come into contact with each other and are completely connected, the surface tension cannot be prevented at the boundary of the affinity region, and there is a possibility that the droplet may enter the adjacent affinity region indefinitely. Conversely, if the dot patterns are too far apart, the continuity of the droplets will be impaired, causing separation of the droplet patterns.

On the other hand, in the linear pattern shown in FIG. 8B, the droplet 12 has landed along the line L3 and is connected to the adjacent droplet 12. In this linear pattern, as long as the droplet 12 lands between the lines L2 and L4, it is absorbed by the connection of the droplets centered on the line L3, and the droplet does not spread beyond the width of the lines L2 to L4. Further, since the line L3 is continuous, the droplet pattern is not divided as long as the droplet 12 lands so as to overlap.

In the linear pattern, the linear affinity region 10
Is preferably smaller than the diameter of the droplet 12 to be landed. If the width of the affinity region 10 is such, the surface tension of the droplet acts on the boundary, and the contour of the droplet pattern becomes linear.

(Pattern Forming Method) Next, a method of forming a pattern using the substrate of this embodiment will be described. According to the above-described substrate, when a droplet is applied, the pattern does not spread beyond the location where the droplet is attached or shrinks during drying, and the pattern is not divided, so that the pattern is drawn by an arbitrary method. Can be. However, when a fine pattern is drawn at a high speed in an arbitrary shape, it is preferable to draw by an ink jet method. The pattern formation on the substrate of the first embodiment will be described below by applying the ink jet method.

First, the structure of the ink jet recording head will be described. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the ink jet recording head 2. As shown in the figure, the ink jet recording head 2 is configured by fitting a nozzle plate 21 provided with nozzles 211 and a pressure chamber substrate 22 provided with a vibration plate 23 in a housing 25. The pressure chamber substrate 22 is formed by etching, for example, silicon, and has a cavity (pressure chamber) 221, a side wall 222, a reservoir 223, and the like.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view and a partial cross-sectional view of a main structure of an ink jet recording head 2 formed by laminating a nozzle plate 21, a pressure chamber substrate 22, and a vibration plate 23. As shown in the figure, the main part of the ink jet type recording head 2 includes a pressure chamber substrate 22 and a nozzle plate 21.
And a structure sandwiched by the diaphragm 23. The nozzle plate 21 is formed with a nozzle hole 211 so as to be arranged at a position corresponding to the cavity 221 when the nozzle plate 21 is bonded to the pressure chamber substrate 22. In the pressure chamber substrate 22,
By etching a silicon single crystal substrate or the like, a plurality of cavities 221 are provided so that each can function as a pressure chamber. The cavities 221 are separated by side walls 222. Each cavity 221 is connected to a reservoir 223 which is a common flow path via a supply port 224. The diaphragm 23 is made of, for example, a thermal oxide film. A piezoelectric element 24 is formed at a position corresponding to the cavity 221 on the vibration plate 23. The diaphragm 23 is provided with an ink tank port 231 so that an arbitrary fluid can be supplied from an ink tank (not shown). The piezoelectric element 24 has a structure in which, for example, a PZT element or the like is sandwiched between an upper electrode and a lower electrode (not shown).

The ejection principle of the ink jet recording head 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. The fluid 12 is supplied from an ink tank (not shown) to the ink tank port 2 provided on the diaphragm 23.
It is supplied to the reservoir 223 via the ref. Fluid 1
2 from the reservoir 223 through the supply port 224
It flows into each cavity 221. The volume of the piezoelectric element 24 changes when a voltage is applied between the upper electrode and the lower electrode. This volume change deforms the diaphragm 23,
The volume of the cavity 21 is changed.

When no voltage is applied, the diaphragm 23 is not deformed. However, when a voltage is applied, the diaphragm 23b and the piezoelectric element after deformation 24b are deformed to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. When the volume in the cavity 21 changes, the pressure of the fluid 12 filled in the cavity 21 increases. The fluid 12 is supplied to the nozzle hole 211, and the droplet 12 is discharged.

Next, a pattern forming method will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, while moving the ink jet recording head 2 along an arbitrary pattern,
The piezoelectric element 24 is continuously driven to discharge droplets of the fluid 12 onto the substrate 1 of the present invention. Since the affinity region 10 is provided on the substrate 1, the droplet 12
Get on. The function of keeping the droplet 12 along the affinity region 10 is as described above. When the droplets 12 are ejected for all the patterns, as shown in FIG. 4B, the droplets 1 are continuously placed in the affinity region 10 in the region along the pattern.
2 is in a state of riding. Gap affinity region 1
When there is 0 ', the droplet 12 is connected beyond the gap. If the amount and the moving speed of the droplets 12 ejected from the ink jet recording head 2 are appropriately controlled, the pattern is formed on the substrate 1 without being cut. After pattern formation, through any process such as heat treatment to fix the fluid,
Complete pattern formation.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
Since the affinity regions are arranged in a dot pattern or a linear pattern, the droplets landed on the substrate do not spread too much, and the droplet pattern due to the continuous droplets is not broken. Therefore, a substrate suitable as a universal substrate for forming an arbitrary pattern on the substrate by an inkjet method or the like can be provided.

(Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing the substrate described in Embodiment 1 above. In particular, in the present embodiment, a self-assembled monomolecular film of a sulfur compound is used.

(Explanation of Principle) The principle of self-assembly when the sulfur compound is a thiol compound will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a metal layer is provided on a base and immersed in a solution containing a sulfur compound to form a self-assembled monolayer. The thiol compound has a tail portion composed of a mercapto group as shown in FIG. This is 1
Dissolve in 10 mM ethanol solution. In this solution,
When the gold film is immersed and left at room temperature for about 1 hour as shown in FIG. 3B, the thiol compound spontaneously aggregates on the surface of the gold (FIG. 3C). Then, the gold atom and the sulfur atom are covalently bonded, and a monomolecular film of a thiol molecule is formed two-dimensionally on the surface of the gold (FIG. 3D). The thickness of this film depends on the molecular weight of the sulfur compound, but is
Angstroms. By adjusting the composition of the sulfur compound, the self-assembled monolayer can be freely set to have an affinity or a non-affinity for the fluid.

As the sulfur compound, a thiol compound is preferable. Here, the thiol compound refers to a mercapto group (-
Organic compounds having an SH (mercapt group) (R-SH;
R is a general term for a hydrocarbon group such as an alkyl group.

Table 2 shows typical compositions of thiol compounds for the case where the fluid is hydrophilic and the case where the fluid is lipophilic. n and m are natural numbers.

[0067]

[Table 2]

As can be seen from Table 2, the sulfur compound monomolecular film can be freely set by making it hydrophilic or lipophilic or by changing the composition. When the sulfur compound is made hydrophilic,
When the substrate is made lipophilic and the sulfur compound is made lipophilic, the substrate is chosen to be hydrophilic.

(Manufacturing Method) FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a manufacturing process of the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment. This figure is a sectional view seen from a cut surface corresponding to, for example, FIG. 1 (b) or (c).

Metal Layer Forming Step (FIG. 11A): In the metal layer forming step, the metal layer 101 is formed on the base 100. The base 100 is selected to have affinity or non-affinity for the fluid depending on the fluid. A metal layer 101 is provided on a base 100. As the metal layer, gold (Au) is preferable from the viewpoint of chemical and physical stability. In addition, metals such as silver (Ag), copper (Cu), indium (In), and gallium-arsenic (Ga-As) that chemically adsorb a sulfur compound may be used. For the formation of the metal layer, known techniques such as wet plating, vacuum evaporation, and vacuum sputtering can be used. The type of the film is not particularly limited as long as it is a film forming method capable of uniformly forming a metal thin film with a constant thickness. Since the role of the metal layer is to fix the sulfur compound layer, the metal layer itself may be extremely thin. Therefore, the thickness may be generally about 500 to 2000 angstroms.

Note that depending on the substrate 100, the metal layer 101
And the base 100 are inferior in adhesion. In such a case, an intermediate layer is formed between the base and the metal in order to improve the adhesion between the metal layer 101 and the base 100. The middle layer is
A material that increases the bonding force between the base 100 and the metal layer 101, for example, a nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), tantalum (Ta) nozzle, or an alloy thereof (Ni
-Cr or the like). By providing an intermediate layer,
The bonding force between the base 100 and the metal layer 101 increases, so that the sulfur compound layer hardly peels off due to mechanical friction. Metal layer 1
In the case where an intermediate layer is formed under layer No. 01, for example,
It is formed by a vacuum sputtering method or an ion plating method with a thickness of 00 to 300 angstroms.

Pattern Forming Step (FIG. 11B): In the pattern forming step, the metal layer 1 formed on the base 100 is
01, energy is applied to either the affinity region or the non-affinity region to evaporate the metal. The energy is preferably light, and particularly preferably laser light capable of supplying short wavelength high energy. The pickup 30 that emits laser light is moved while emitting laser light in accordance with the pattern of the affinity region or the non-affinity region. In the region irradiated with the laser light, the base 100 is exposed because the metal forming the metal layer 101 evaporates. Note that various patterns can be applied to the pattern as described in the first embodiment.

Sulfur compound immersion step (FIG. 11C):
In the sulfur compound immersion step, the substrate on which the metal layer pattern is formed is immersed in a sulfur compound solution to form a self-assembled monomolecular film 102. First, the self-assembled monolayer 10
2. Prepare a solution in which a thiol compound having a composition to be used is dissolved in an organic solvent such as ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. To make this film non-hydrophilic, a sulfur compound having an alkyl group is used, and to make it hydrophilic, a sulfur compound having an OH group or a CO ₂ H group is used. The base 10 having the metal layer 101 formed in the solution
Soak 0. The immersion conditions are such that the concentration of the sulfur compound in the solution is 0.01 mM, the solution temperature is from normal temperature to about 50 ° C., and the immersion time is about 5 to 30 minutes. During the immersion treatment, the solution is stirred or circulated in order to uniformly form the sulfur compound layer.

As long as the surface of the metal is kept clean, the sulfur molecules self-assemble to form a monomolecular film, so that strict condition control is not required. By the end of the immersion, a monomolecular film of sulfur molecules having a strong adhesive property only on the surface of gold is formed.

Finally, the solution attached to the surface of the base is washed and removed. Since the thiol molecules attached to portions other than the gold layer do not have a covalent bond, they are removed by simple washing such as rinsing with ethyl alcohol.

By the above steps, the self-assembled monolayer 1
The substrate 1 is manufactured in which 02 is hydrophilic or non-hydrophilic and the exposed portion of the base 100 is non-hydrophilic or hydrophilic. When the fluid discharged onto the substrate is hydrophilic, FIG.
As shown in (c), the self-assembled monolayer 102 portion is the affinity region 10, and the exposed portion of the base 102 is the non-affinity region 1.
It becomes 1.

As described above, according to the second embodiment,
By using a self-assembled monolayer of sulfur compounds,
A substrate suitable for industrial application of the ink jet system can be manufactured. In particular, a self-assembled monolayer of a sulfur compound is resistant to abrasion and has high physical and chemical resistance, and thus is suitable for a substrate that is an industrial product. If a sulfur compound is selected, the self-assembled monolayer can be freely made hydrophilic or non-hydrophilic depending on the properties of the base. Further, if a laser beam is used, a fine pattern can be formed, so that a pattern suitable for holding droplets of a fluid at surface tension can be formed.

(Embodiment 3) Embodiment 3 of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing the substrate described in Embodiment 1 using a copolymer compound.

(Explanation of Principle) The term “copolymer” refers to a polymer compound containing two or more monomers and containing them as components. In this embodiment, at least one of the monomers is selected as a material having an affinity for the fluid, and the other monomer is selected as a material having an affinity for the fluid. The copolymer compound has a lamella structure in which the plurality of monomers are in units of one or more molecular blocks. The lamella structure is a structure in which plate-like block units are collected according to a certain rule. Since the molecules constituting the block unit may have affinity or non-affinity, if this copolymer compound is arranged and fixed on one surface of the base, the substrate will have fine affinity regions and non-affinity regions. The substrate structure of the present invention will be adopted.

Table 3 shows composition examples of the copolymer compound that can be used in the present embodiment.

[0081]

[Table 3]

(Manufacturing Method) The manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The copolymer compound mixing step (FIG. 13)
(A)): First, a monomer exhibiting hydrophobicity is polymerized by ionic polymerization to obtain a hydrophobic polymer 104 having an appropriate molecular weight. Then, the hydrophilic monomer 103 is added to the polymer 104 and polymerized to obtain a block copolymer 105 composed of a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion. As the catalyst, butyllithium and sodium naphthalene are used.
THF is used as the solvent.

Coating Step (FIG. 13B): The block copolymer solution 105 (for example, trichloroethylene) obtained in the above step is poured onto the base 100 by a casting method. Then, the solvent is removed by allowing it to stand and dried.

In this embodiment, since the base 100 does not come into direct contact with the fluid ejected by the ink-jet method, the base 100 has a constant composition regardless of whether it has an affinity or a non-affinity. Any material can be applied as long as the material has the mechanical strength described above.

The copolymer compound layer may be formed by using a polymer thin film growth method, that is, a plasma polymerization method. The plasma polymerization method uses a mixed gas of a monomer gas having an affinity and a monomer gas having a non-affinity. This mixed gas is activated by glow discharge, and a polymer film is generated on the base 100. A plasma polymerization apparatus is used for forming the copolymer compound layer. As plasma polymerization conditions, gas flow rate, gas pressure,
The discharge frequency and discharge power are set according to the mixed gas.

According to the third embodiment, since the copolymer compound is used, the substrate of the present invention can be manufactured with a fine molecular level lamella structure. In this substrate, the affinity region and the non-affinity region can be randomly arranged only by generation and application of the copolymer compound, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

(Embodiment 4) Embodiment 4 of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing the substrate described in Embodiment 1 using an organic substance such as paraffin.

(Manufacturing Method) The manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Step of forming paraffin layer (FIG. 14A):
In the paraffin layer forming step, paraffin is applied to the base 100 to form the paraffin layer 106. Since paraffin is non-hydrophilic, the composition of the base 100 is hydrophilic. For example, 4-vinylpyrrolidone, ethylene oxide, vinyl alcohol, cellulose, vinyl acetate and the like are used. The paraffin can be applied by a coating method such as a roll coating method, a spin coating method, a spray coating method, a die coating method or a bar coating method, various printing methods, and a transfer method.

Mask Forming Step (FIG. 14B): The mask forming step is a step of forming a mask 107 on the paraffin layer 106. The mask 107 is formed in a pattern such that the non-hydrophilic region is covered with the mask. Various masks such as an exposure mask, an emulsion mask, and a hard mask can be formed as the mask material. When using an exposure mask, chromium, chromium oxide, silicon, silicon oxide, oxide film, etc. are deposited by vacuum evaporation, sputtering, CV
It is formed by the D method or the like. Note that various patterns can be applied to the mask pattern as described in the first embodiment.

Energy application step (FIG. 14C):
The energy application step is a step of applying energy to the paraffin layer 106 on which the mask 107 is formed to remove paraffin in a region not covered by the mask. Light, heat, light, and heat can be considered as energy, but light is preferably used to remove paraffin in a specific minute region. For example, a short-wavelength laser beam is
7. Irradiate from above to evaporate the exposed paraffin.

Mask Removal Step (FIG. 14D): The mask removal step is a step of removing the mask 107. The removal of the mask 107 uses a known organic solvent.

By the above manufacturing steps, the paraffin layer 10
6 becomes the non-hydrophilic (non-affinity) region 10 and the base 100
Becomes the hydrophilic (affinity) region 11. In addition,
When the fluid ejected from the ink jet recording head is lipophilic, the paraffin layer 106 becomes an affinity region, and the base 100 becomes a non-affinity region.

According to the fourth embodiment as described above, the substrate of the present invention can be manufactured using paraffin.

(Embodiment 5) In Embodiment 5 of the present invention, the substrate of Embodiment 1 is manufactured by plasma processing.

(Explanation of Principle) The plasma processing is a method of performing a high-voltage glow discharge under a predetermined atmospheric pressure to modify the surface of a substrate. When plasma treatment is performed on an insulating substrate such as glass or plastic, a large amount of unreacted groups and a cross-linked layer are present on the substrate surface. To form These groups are polar and therefore hydrophilic. On the other hand, many glasses and plastics are non-hydrophilic. Therefore, a hydrophilic region and a non-hydrophilic region can be generated by partial plasma treatment.

(Manufacturing Method) The manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Mask Forming Step (FIG. 15A): The mask forming step is a step of applying a mask 109 on the base 100. As the base 100, a material in which unreacted groups can appear by plasma irradiation, a predetermined plastic, a glass substrate whose surface is processed with Teflon, or the like is used. Mask 109
Is patterned so that only a region to be made non-hydrophilic on the base 100 is masked. Various masks such as an exposure mask, an emulsion mask, and a hard mask can be formed as the mask material. When using an exposure mask, chrome, chromium oxide, silicon, silicon oxide,
An oxide film or the like is formed by vacuum evaporation, sputtering, a CVD method, or the like. Note that various patterns can be applied to the mask pattern as described in the first embodiment.

Plasma Irradiating Step (FIG. 15B): The plasma irradiating step is a step of irradiating the base 100 with the mask 109 with plasma 33. For example, 10 ^-1 to 1
Using neon transformer in argon gas of 00 Pa,
Glow discharge is performed by applying a voltage of several hundred volts to several thousand volts. In addition, a method of forming discharge plasma by capacitive or dielectric coupling using a discharge power source in a radio frequency band, a method of supplying microwave power to a discharge vessel through a waveguide to form discharge plasma, and the like are applied.

By this treatment, ions, electrons, excited atoms or molecules, radicals and the like are generated as active particles in the plasma, and the molecular structure of the polymer on the surface of the base 100 changes. That is, a large amount of unreacted groups and a crosslinked layer appear in a portion irradiated with the plasma 33.

Surface Modification Step (FIG. 15C): The surface modification step is a step of oxidizing the surface of the base 100 subjected to the plasma treatment and modifying the surface. The base 100 on which the unreacted groups and the crosslinked layer have appeared by the plasma treatment is exposed to the atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphere. Unreacted groups on the surface of the base 100 are oxidized to generate hydroxyl groups and carbonyl groups. These polar groups show hydrophilicity that easily wets with water. On the other hand, the areas which are masked and not subjected to the plasma treatment remain plastic and are non-hydrophilic.

Therefore, the area subjected to the plasma processing becomes the affinity area 10, and the area not subjected to the plasma processing becomes the non-affinity area 11.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the non-hydrophilic film can be changed to a hydrophilic film by changing the molecular structure of the partial region constituting the base by the plasma treatment. The substrate of Embodiment 1 can be provided without forming a new layer. This substrate is stable because the composition at the molecular level is changed.

The non-hydrophilic film can be changed to a hydrophilic film by irradiating ultraviolet rays instead of plasma irradiation.

(Embodiment 6) In Embodiment 6 of the present invention, the substrate of Embodiment 1 is manufactured by applying electric charge to the substrate.

(Manufacturing Method) The manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Charge application step (FIG. 16A): The charge application step involves modifying the surface of the base 100 to generate charges. As the base 100, polyethylene terephthalate is used. Corona discharge is used to apply the electric charge 112 to the surface of the base 100.

Decharging Step (FIG. 16B): The discharging step is a step of removing the electric charge applied to the base 100. In order to perform the decharging, energy is supplied to the surface of the base 100. For example, laser light 3
4 is irradiated according to the pattern of the affinity region or the non-affinity region as described in the first embodiment. Electric charges are removed from the irradiated area on the base 100.

Film Forming Step (FIG. 16C): The film forming step is a step of forming a film 114 on the surface of the base 100. After charging the resin powder or the like containing fine particles on the surface of the base 100, the resin powder is dispersed on the surface of the base 100 to form a film. Either make the base 100 compatible with the fluid medium and make the membrane 113 incompatible, or make the base 100 incompatible and make the membrane 113 incompatible.
Is optional.

A substrate in which an affinity pattern and a non-affinity pattern are mixed can also be manufactured by applying corona discharge to a pet film. First, a comb-shaped electrode is used as one electrode for generating corona discharge, and a flat electrode is used as the other electrode. When a pet film is passed between the two electrodes, the pet film is charged in stripes or dots. When the charged ink lands on the pet film, a pattern is formed. If the ink is made hydrophilic, the pet film exhibits water repellency, so that the pet film after the ink has landed can be used as the substrate of the present invention.

As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the substrate of the first embodiment can be manufactured by providing the affinity region and the non-affinity region by discharging the substrate.

(Embodiment 7) Embodiment 7 of the present invention is a method of forming a film directly on a base.

(Manufacturing Method) The manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Printing Step (FIG. 17A): The printing step is a step of forming a film having an affinity for a fluid or a film having no affinity by a predetermined printing method. When a material that is incompatible with the fluid ejected from the ink jet recording head is used as the film material 114b applied to the base 100, the material of the base 100 is formed of an affinity material. When a material having an affinity for a fluid is used as the film material 114b, the material of the base 100 is processed using a material having a non-affinity. As a printing method, using a plate 115 provided with a pattern corresponding to an affinity region or a non-affinity region, a film material 114b is applied to the plate 115 using a roller 35 or the like, and a pressure is applied to the film material 114b on the plate 115. Material base 100
Refers to the method of showing on top. Depending on the shape of the plate 115, a relief plate, a flat plate, an intaglio, a stencil, a method using static electricity or magnetism, or the like can be applied. That is, a known printing method that can apply a film material instead of ink can be appropriately applied.

A rubbing method may be used in which a film material is rubbed on the substrate 100 with a brush to make the film material adhere non-uniformly. According to the rubbing method, the plate 115 is not required.

Fixing method (FIG. 17B): film material 11
When 4b is transferred to the base 100, the film material 114 is stabilized by applying a known technique such as heat treatment, and the film 114 is formed.

As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, the substrate as shown in the first embodiment can be manufactured by a method of directly attaching a material to the base.

(Other Modifications) The present invention can be applied in various modifications without depending on the above embodiment.

The patterns provided on the substrate are those shown in the first embodiment are merely examples, and various changes can be made regardless of this. The size, shape and arrangement of both the dot pattern and the linear pattern can be variously changed. This is because these factors are determined according to the properties of the fluid.

Further, the method of manufacturing the substrate is not limited to those of the above-described second to seventh embodiments, and may be variously modified as long as it is finally divided into an affinity region and a non-affinity region. It is possible.

As a surface treatment for making the non-hydrophilic substrate partially hydrophilic, a method using a silane coupling agent,
A method for forming a porous film such as aluminum oxide or silica, a method for locking a water-absorbing organic film such as PVA, a method for applying reverse sputtering with argon or the like, a corona discharge, ultraviolet irradiation, an ozone treatment, a degreasing treatment, etc. Various known methods can be applied.

[0123]

According to the present invention, since a region having an affinity for a fluid and a region having no affinity for the fluid are used, a fine pattern can be formed by the surface tension of the fluid discharged by an ink jet method or the like. A formable substrate can be provided.

Therefore, a fine pattern, which had to be formed by a large number of steps using expensive equipment in a factory or the like, can be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

According to the present invention, a step of arranging a region having an affinity for a fluid and a region having no affinity for the fluid is provided. A method for manufacturing a substrate capable of forming a pattern can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a substrate (dot-like circular pattern) according to a first embodiment, wherein FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view thereof, and FIG.

FIG. 2 is a modification of the substrate of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a modified example of the substrate of the first embodiment (square pattern sparse).
FIG.

FIG. 4 is a modified example of the substrate according to the first embodiment (square pattern dense).
FIG.

FIG. 5 is a modified example of the substrate according to the first embodiment (a triangular pattern is sparse).
FIG.

FIG. 6 is a modified example of the substrate according to the first embodiment (dense triangular pattern).
FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a modified example (linear pattern) of the substrate according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the substrate according to the first embodiment. (A) shows the case of a dot pattern, and (b) shows the case of a linear pattern.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional views when droplets are ejected onto a normal substrate, wherein FIG. 9A shows a state immediately after ejection and FIG.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are plan views when droplets are ejected onto a normal substrate, wherein FIG. 10A shows a state immediately after ejection and FIG. 10B shows a state after drying.

FIG. 11 shows a method of manufacturing a substrate according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of self-assembly of a sulfur compound.

FIG. 13 shows a method of manufacturing a substrate according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 shows a method of manufacturing a substrate according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 15 shows a method of manufacturing a substrate according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 16 shows a method of manufacturing a substrate according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows a method of manufacturing a substrate according to a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a process chart of the pattern forming method of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the ink jet recording head.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a main part of an ink jet recording head.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the principle of ink ejection of an ink jet recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g: substrate, 10: affinity region, 11: non-affinity region, 100: base

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI H05K 3/10 H01L 21/02 Z // H01L 21/02 (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kiguchi 3-5-5 Yamato, Suwa-shi, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Inside the corporation

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A non-affinity region having an affinity region having an affinity for a predetermined fluid, and a non-affinity region having no affinity for the fluid, wherein the affinity region is one of the non-affinity regions. And a substrate arranged in a predetermined pattern so that the fluid can be continuously attached to a predetermined area over a plurality of the affinity regions. 2. The pattern is arranged such that even if the fluid adheres to one pattern, the fluid is prevented from moving to an adjacent pattern due to the surface tension of the fluid. 2. The substrate according to 1. 3. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the affinity regions is formed in a linear pattern. 4. The substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the affinity regions is formed in a dot pattern having a predetermined shape (spherical or polygonal). 5. The substrate according to claim 4, wherein the dot pattern is arranged in contact with an adjacent dot pattern. 6. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein one of an affinity region having an affinity for a predetermined fluid and a non-affinity region having no affinity for said fluid is placed on the base with respect to said other region. A pattern forming step of forming the one region so as to be arranged in a predetermined pattern, so that the fluid can be continuously attached to a certain area over a plurality of the affinity regions. Manufacturing method. 7. The pattern forming step includes forming a metal layer on the base with a predetermined metal, and selectively supplying energy to the metal layer formed on the base in accordance with the pattern. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of: removing a metal in a region to which energy has been supplied; and immersing the base from which the metal has been removed according to the pattern in a mixed solution containing a sulfur compound. Substrate manufacturing method. 8. The substrate according to claim 7, wherein the sulfur compound has a property opposite to that of the substrate with respect to an affinity for the fluid.
3. The method for manufacturing a substrate according to item 1. 9. The pattern forming step includes the step of: adding a copolymer compound composed of a monomer having an affinity for the fluid and a monomer having no affinity for the fluid on the base. The method for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 6, wherein the substrate is formed in a film shape. 10. The pattern forming step includes: forming a predetermined substance in a layer on the base; masking the substance in accordance with the pattern; and applying energy to the base on which the mask is provided. 7. The method of manufacturing a substrate according to claim 6, further comprising: supplying and removing the substance in a region where the mask is not provided. 11. The pattern forming step includes: a step of masking the base in accordance with the pattern; a step of performing plasma processing on the masked base; and a step of generating molecules dissociated by the plasma processing. A step of performing a reforming process;
The method for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 6, comprising: 12. The pattern forming step includes a step of masking the base in accordance with the pattern, and a step of irradiating the masked base with ultraviolet rays to modify the surface. A method for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 6. 13. The pattern forming step includes: applying a charge to the entire surface of the base; irradiating a laser beam to a surface of the base provided with the charge according to the pattern; 7. The method of manufacturing a substrate according to claim 6, further comprising: bonding a predetermined substance to a charged region in which the charge has not disappeared. 14. The method according to claim 6, wherein the pattern forming step includes a step of providing a predetermined substance on the base according to the pattern. 15. The method of manufacturing a substrate according to claim 10, wherein the substance has a property opposite to the base with respect to affinity for the fluid. 16. A pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate according to claim 1, wherein said ink jet recording head is provided so as to be capable of discharging droplets of said fluid. Driving the liquid according to an arbitrary pattern, and forming a pattern by the fluid on the substrate by discharging droplets of the fluid from nozzle holes of the ink jet recording head moving along the pattern. And a step of forming a pattern. 17. The step of forming a pattern includes supplying the fluid to a cavity provided in the ink jet recording head and configured to be capable of filling the fluid, and causing a volume change in the cavity. 17. The pattern forming method according to claim 16, wherein a liquid droplet of the fluid is discharged from the nozzle hole by applying a voltage according to an arbitrary pattern to the piezoelectric element configured to be able to perform the operation.