KR20110093351A - A method of forming fine pattern on multi-layer structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for forming a micro pattern of a multi-layer structure is provided to simultaneously etch upper/lower layers to be etched by laser, thereby preventing defects due to misalignment. CONSTITUTION: A mask(60) has a desired pattern on a substrate(100). A laser beam is irradiated to the substrate by the mask. Upper and lower layers to be etched are simultaneously etched. A micro pattern of a multi layer structure is made of a lower pattern(112) and an upper pattern(122). The micro pattern of the multi layer structure includes a contact area which connects the upper and lower patterns.

Description

A method of forming fine pattern on multi-layer structure}

The present invention relates to a method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, and more particularly, after the upper etching layer is selectively formed on the lower etching layer, the upper etching layer and the lower etching layer are formed by laser etching using a laser reflective mask. The present invention relates to a method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayered film structure that can improve the precision of a pattern at a low cost by forming a fine pattern of a multilayered film structure composed of a lower pattern and an upper pattern by simultaneously etching each layer.

In general, a touch screen is an input device that can be easily used by anyone of all ages by interactively and intuitively manipulating a computer by simply touching a button displayed on a display with a finger.

The touch screen is composed of a display device for displaying information and a touch panel coupled to the upper part of the display device. The touch panel may be classified into a resistive film type, a capacitive type, an infrared type, an ultrasonic type, and the like according to a driving method. Currently, the resistive film method is popular, and the capacitive method is used to minimize the thickness.

For example, in the capacitive touch panel, transparent electrodes are formed of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), ATO (Antimony Tin Oxide), CNT (Carbon Nano Tube), and the like on the pair of transparent insulating substrates, And a metal electrode wiring for correcting signal distortion and connecting a driving circuit, and then joining a pair of transparent insulating substrates so that the transparent electrodes face each other.

When the capacitive touch panel formed as described above is touched by a finger or a special pen, each metal electrode wiring provided at four sides according to the variation of the capacitance is configured to detect the touch position.

In the capacitive touch panel manufacturing method, a transparent electrode is formed on the transparent insulating substrate and a metal electrode wiring is formed along the edge of the transparent electrode. The metal electrode wiring is mainly through lithography or thick film printing. Will be formed.

Among them, in the lithography method, a photoresist is applied on an upper part of a metal film for forming a metal electrode wiring, an ultraviolet light is scanned through a mask on which a desired pattern is formed, and then a photoresist pattern is formed through a developing process. Subsequently, the metal film is etched using the photoresist pattern as an etch mask to form metal electrode wiring, and then the photoresist pattern is removed.

However, this lithography process is very complicated and requires a long process time and uses expensive photoresist, which increases the process cost and performs the multi-step process. It causes various problems and requires expensive and expensive equipment for performing a multi-step process, thereby increasing manufacturing costs and causing pollution by using a large amount of chemicals.

Meanwhile, in the thick film printing method, the metal electrode wiring is formed by screen printing a conductive paste containing a conductive material, for example, silver (Ag), along the edge of the transparent electrode and sintering through a heat treatment process. Compared to the lithography method described above, the process is simple, does not require a long process time, does not discharge a large amount of chemicals, and has the advantage that the process can be formed at a simple and low cost even when compared to a general deposition method.

However, the thick film printing method has a problem in that it is very difficult to form a fine pattern of 30 μm or less because the distance between pixels in the mesh of the mask used for screen printing and the size of the pixel itself are limited.

In addition, in a multilayer film structure such as a touch panel, when the pattern is formed, since the transparent electrode and the electrode wiring have to be patterned through a separate process, it is difficult to control the alignment between the upper and lower patterns, thereby increasing the defect rate.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, in forming a fine pattern of the multi-layered film structure by simultaneously etching the upper and lower etch layer through the laser etching using a laser reflective mask to form a pattern by simplifying the manufacturing process Compared to the lithography method used in the prior art, manufacturing costs can be reduced, and the occurrence of defects due to misalignment between patterns can be prevented, and at the same time, the fine pattern formation of the multilayer film structure which enables the large area of the pattern formation is possible. The purpose is to provide a method.

In addition, in the present invention, when forming a pattern of a multilayer film structure such as a touch panel, a metal film for forming electrode wiring is selectively formed on the transparent conductive layer through a printing method, and then transparent electrode and metal electrode wiring are simultaneously formed through laser etching. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure that enables the formation of a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure that cannot be precisely formed by a printing method alone.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, the method comprising: forming a lower etching layer on an upper portion of a substrate; Selectively forming an upper etching layer on the lower etching layer; Interposing a mask having a desired pattern formed on the substrate, and simultaneously etching the upper and lower etching layers by scanning a laser beam on the substrate through the mask. Etching each layer and the lower etching layer at the same time, characterized in that to form a fine pattern of a multi-layered film structure consisting of a lower pattern and an upper pattern including a contact (contact) area where the lower pattern and the upper pattern is overlapped and connected; .

In addition, the method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention includes the steps of forming a transparent conductive layer on the transparent insulating substrate; Selectively forming a metal film on the transparent conductive layer; Interposing the mask on which the desired pattern is formed on the transparent insulating substrate, and simultaneously etching the metal film and the transparent conductive layer by scanning a laser beam on the transparent insulating substrate through the mask. Simultaneously etching a film and the transparent conductive layer, wherein the electrode wiring formed in the metal layer and the transparent electrode formed in the transparent conductive layer are partially overlapped and connected to each other to form an electrode wiring and a transparent electrode pattern of the touch panel. It is characterized by forming.

In the method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention, the upper etching layer and the lower etching layer are simultaneously etched through a laser etching method using a laser reflective mask after selectively forming an upper etching layer on the lower etching layer. By forming a fine pattern of a multilayer structure consisting of a pattern and an upper pattern, it is possible to improve the precision of the pattern at a low cost and to facilitate alignment between the upper and lower patterns, and to form a fine pattern over a large area. There is an effect that can shorten the process time.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a laser etching system for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention.
2 is a view showing a process of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention.
3 to 5 are views sequentially showing a process of manufacturing a touch panel through a method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, although the Example of this invention is described in detail, this invention is not limited to a following example, unless the summary is exceeded.

First, prior to the description of the method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention, a laser etching system for implementing the present invention will be described.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a laser etching system for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a laser etching system homogenizes a stage 10 for mounting a substrate 100, a laser oscillator 20 for generating and outputting a laser beam, and a laser beam output from the laser oscillator 20. The homogenizer 30, the reflector 40 for guiding the laser beam passing through the homogenizer 30 in the direction of the substrate 100, and the reflector 40 are reflected and irradiated in the direction of the substrate 100. An optical system 50 for forming a laser beam as a line beam, a mask 60 mounted between the optical system 50 and the stage 10 to determine the shape of the laser beam scanned through the optical system 50, and each configuration A microprocessor (not shown) for controlling the elements.

The stage 10 is configured to mount and fix the substrate 100 on which the etched layer is stacked, and to move in synchronization with the mask 60.

The laser oscillator 20 is composed of a fiber laser or a diode laser and outputs a laser beam having a wavelength in the range of 200 nm to 2000 nm. Here, a fiber laser or a diode laser generates high power energy, and mainly has an emission wavelength in the infrared (IR) region, so that some thin films may be limited in use, but the cost is low, thus reducing the installation cost. It is advantageous in that the installation space can be reduced by stacking several units with a small volume, and it is easy to maintain and repair because there is no need to fill a gas like an excimer laser.

The homogenizer 30 may be a micro lens array or a diffractive optical element, and homogenizes the laser beam output through the laser oscillator 20 to uniform the energy distribution. A parallel and uniform laser beam is irradiated in the direction of the substrate 100 provided.

The reflector 40 serves to guide the laser beam passing through the homogenizer 30 toward the substrate 100.

The optical system 50 is composed of a plurality of lenses to make the laser beam reflected through the reflector 40 and irradiated toward the substrate 100 in the form of a line beam to be etched over a large area.

In addition, the mask 60 is provided between the optical system 50 and the substrate 100 to selectively etch only the etched layer in a desired area. At this time, the mask 60 is composed of a base substrate 62 for transmitting a laser beam and a reflective film pattern 64 for reflecting the laser beam, and the reflective film pattern 64 alternates two metal layers having different reflectances with each other. It is formed in a stacked structure repeatedly. The mask 60 having such a structure reflects most of the laser beam in a region other than the transmissive region of the mask 60 even when the mask 60 is irradiated with high energy enough to etch the layer to be etched. The pattern 64 may be configured by selecting the type of reflecting film used according to the wavelength of the laser beam for etching the layer to be etched, and is configured to have a reflectance of 90 to 100% with respect to the laser beam. By reflecting it is possible to minimize damage by a high energy laser beam.

Through this configuration, the mask 60 is positioned adjacent to the substrate 100 on which the etched layer is formed, and a desired pattern 112 and 122 is performed by performing etching by scanning a laser beam having a high energy enough to etch the etched layer. Since it is possible to prevent damage to the mask 60 due to the energy of the laser beam, through this, the size of the mask 60 can be configured to the same size as the substrate 100, so that the substrate 100 or An error due to the movement of the mask 60 can be prevented from occurring. In addition, since the laser beam is formed in the form of a line beam to irradiate the surface of the mask 60, the area that can be etched at once can be increased, thereby relatively reducing the number of movements of the laser generator 20 or the stage 10. As a result, it is possible to reduce errors caused by movement and increase throughput per unit time, thereby improving process efficiency.

In the case where the mask 60 is to be formed in a large area, deflection may occur due to the load of the mask 60, so that a plurality of masks corresponding to an area of a cell unit or an individual product unit are aligned and fixed. It's a good idea to use a multimask.

The microprocessor is configured to be connected to the stage 10, the laser oscillator 20, the homogenizer 30, the reflector 40 and the optical system 50, to control each operation and to generate a laser generated from the laser oscillator 20 Control the output of the beam.

The process of forming the micropattern of the multilayer structure according to the present invention using the above-described laser etching system will be described.

2 is a view showing a micropattern forming process of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 2A, the lower etching layer 110 is formed on the substrate 100. In this case, the lower etching layer 110 may be formed by various methods such as deposition and printing.

Next, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the upper etched layer 120 is selectively formed on both edges of the lower etched layer 110, that is, a region to be formed of the upper pattern. Form. In this case, the upper etching layer 120 may be formed by various methods such as a deposition method or a printing method. When the upper etching layer 120 is formed by a printing method, a method such as a screen printing method may be applied.

In the above-described drawings, the upper etched layer 120 is described as being formed over the region where the upper pattern is formed, that is, the entire area of both edges of the lower etched layer 110, It may be formed in a dummy pattern.

As described above, when the upper etching layer 120 is formed as a dummy pattern having a shape similar to the upper pattern to be formed, the upper etching layer 120 may be formed during etching using a laser etching system rather than forming the entire upper pattern. Since the etching residues can be reduced, defects caused by the etching residues can be reduced, and the amount of material for forming the upper etching layer 120 can be reduced, thereby reducing costs.

Next, the substrate 100 on which the upper etching layer 120 is formed is moved to the laser etching system of FIG. 1, and the upper etching layer 120 and the lower etching layer 110 are simultaneously etched using a laser beam. As shown in (c) of FIG. 2, the upper pattern 122 and the lower pattern 112 are formed, and at the same time, the contact region 114 connecting the lower pattern 112 and the upper pattern 122 to each other is formed. . In this case, a mask of the laser beam formed as a line beam through the optical system 50 through a mask 60 having a desired pattern formed on the substrate 100 when the upper etching layer 120 and the lower etching layer 110 are etched. The upper etching layer 120 and the lower etching layer 110 are etched while scanning at 60.

Through the above method, the lower etching layer 110, which is in contact with the upper pattern 122 when the upper etching layer 120 is etched, is simultaneously etched using the laser reflective mask 60, thereby forming the upper pattern 122 and the lower pattern ( 112 can also be formed to connect, thereby simplifying the process to reduce manufacturing costs, and to prevent the occurrence of misalignment, screen printing The resolution of the pattern formed by raising the low resolution which is the limit of the system to 30 micrometers or less, preferably 10 micrometers can be improved.

In particular, when a thick film printing method such as a screen printing method is applied in the process of forming the upper etching layer 120 on the lower etching layer 120, the manufacturing process is compared with the conventional deposition process and the pattern forming process using the etching process. There is an advantage that the process and manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

As described above, the method of forming a fine pattern of the multilayered film structure according to the present invention is particularly applied to the manufacturing process of metal electrode wiring of a touch panel, or is used in a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting display (OLED). It is applicable to forming metal wiring terminals for connecting FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) in the field of flat panel display or semiconductor rewiring, and in devices or flexible display where high temperature process such as deposition is impossible. In addition to simplifying the manufacturing process, the micropattern can be applied to the production of fine patterns, thereby reducing the cost of pattern formation and improving the precision of the pattern.

Hereinafter, a method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples.

In this embodiment, a process of manufacturing a touch panel using a method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure according to the present invention will be described.

3 to 5 are views sequentially showing a process of manufacturing a touch panel through a method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the following drawings, the manufacturing process of the upper plate (a) and the lower plate (b) constituting the touch panel is shown in parallel using the above-described fine pattern formation method of the multilayer film structure, but the upper plate (a) and the lower plate (b) Since the principle of manufacturing is basically the same, the following description will focus on the manufacturing process of the upper plate (a), and will be described by adding the manufacturing process of the lower plate (b) as necessary.

First, a transparent conductive layer 210 for forming a transparent electrode on the transparent insulating substrate 200 is formed (see FIG. 3). In this case, the transparent insulating substrate 200 may be a flexible material such as PET in the case of the upper plate, and a solid material such as a glass substrate may be used in the case of the lower plate. The upper panel should be made of a flexible material because the electrodes formed on the upper panel and the electrodes formed on the lower panel should be in contact with each other when the upper panel of the panel is pressed due to the characteristics of the touch panel, and the touch panel is a display unit of a display panel such as an LCD. Since it is mounted on the side, the lower plate is preferably formed of a solid material to prevent the pressure transmitted when pressing the upper plate of the touch panel to the display panel.

In addition, the transparent conductive layer 210 may be formed of materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), carbon nanotube (CNT), and Al-doped ZnO (AZO).

Next, the metal film 220 is formed on the transparent conductive layer 210 of the transparent insulating substrate 200, that is, the electrode wiring region (see FIG. 4). In this case, the metal film 220 may be formed through a deposition method or may be printed through a screen printing method using a paste containing a conductive material, for example, silver (Ag).

In this case, the metal film 220 may be formed over the entire area of the upper portion of the transparent conductive layer 210 formed in the electrode wiring region as shown in FIG. 4, or may be formed in a dummy pattern similar to the electrode wiring to be formed as described above. You may.

Next, the transparent insulating substrate 200 on which the metal film 220 is printed is mounted and fixed to the stage 10 of the laser etching system of FIG. 1, and is transparent between the transparent insulating substrate 200 and the optical system 50. After mounting the mask 60 having the electrode pattern and the electrode wiring pattern formed thereon, the metal film 220 and the transparent conductive layer 210 are scanned while scanning the laser beam output from the laser generator 20 along the surface of the mask 60. By simultaneously etching the electrode wiring 222, the transparent electrode 212 and the contact region 214 for electrically connecting the electrode wiring 222 and the transparent electrode 212 is formed (see Fig. 5).

In this case, the transparent electrodes 212 are formed on the display area of the transparent insulating substrate 200, that is, a plurality of sensing pads formed at regular intervals on the center except for the electrode wiring region formed along the edge of the transparent insulating substrate 200. Are formed to be electrically connected to each other in the longitudinal or transverse direction, and the contact 214 is formed integrally with the transparent electrode 212 so as to overlap the electrode wiring 222 in the electrode wiring region.

Even in this case, in forming the metal film 220, when the metal film 220 formed on the transparent insulating substrate 200 is formed in a dummy pattern similar to the electrode wiring to be formed, the metal film 220 is formed. The effect of more precise correction can be obtained, and the amount of etching residues generated during the laser etching process is smaller than that of forming the metal film 220 over the entire area of the electrode wiring region. There is less concern.

In addition, the transparent electrode 212, the electrode wiring 222, and the transparent electrode 212 and the electrode wiring 222 are simultaneously formed by simultaneously forming a contact region 214 in which the transparent electrode 212 and the electrode wiring 222 are connected to each other. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a defect due to misalignment than when forming individually. In addition, in order to prevent distortion of the laser beam when the mask 60 is mounted, the closer the mask 60 is to the transparent insulating substrate 200, the more advantageous it is to form an accurate pattern. Etch residues generated are attached to the mask 60 or the metal layer 220 to be etched, the transparent conductive layer 210 or the transparent electrode 212 formed in advance, and act as defects to reduce the accuracy of the pattern. It is preferable to select and arrange so as to be spaced apart from each other.

As described above, the mask 60 used for patterning is formed with a reflective film pattern 64 for reflecting the laser beam, which reflects most of the irradiated laser beam, so that the mask 60 is damaged by the energy of the laser beam. Since the mask 60 can be formed to the same size as the transparent insulating substrate 200, the mask 60 can be positioned adjacent to the transparent insulating substrate 200, and the laser oscillator 20 can be disposed through the configuration. ), The homogenizer 30, the reflector 40 and the optical system 50 to move in synchronization with each other, or the metal formed on the transparent insulating substrate 200 while moving the mask 60 and the stage 10 in synchronization with each other Since the film 220 and the transparent conductive layer 210 can be etched, an error due to the movement of the stage 10 or the mask 60 can be prevented from occurring.

At the same time, since the laser beam is formed into a line beam and the etching layer is patterned while scanning the surface of the mask, the area to be processed can be increased at once, thereby effectively reducing the process time.

In addition, when the metal film 220 is formed using a printing method having a low manufacturing cost, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the lithography method used in the past, and the pattern precision formed as compared with the pattern forming method through the printing method. Can improve.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

10: stage 20: laser generator
30: homogenizer 40: reflector
50: optical system 60: mask
62: base substrate 64: reflective film pattern
100: substrate 110: lower etching layer
112: lower pattern 114, 214: contact area
120: upper etching layer 122: upper pattern
200: transparent insulating substrate 210: transparent conductive layer
212: transparent electrode 220: metal film
222: electrode wiring

Claims (10)

In the method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure formed on a substrate,
Forming a lower etching layer on the substrate;
Selectively forming an upper etching layer on the lower etching layer;
Interposing the upper etched layer and the lower etched layer at the same time by interposing a mask having a desired pattern formed on the substrate and scanning a laser beam through the mask.
Simultaneously etching the upper etched layer and the lower etched layer to form a fine pattern of a multi-layered film structure composed of a lower pattern and an upper pattern, including a contact region where the lower pattern and the upper pattern overlap and are connected; Method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
Selectively forming the upper etch layer,
Method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized in that carried out through a deposition process or a printing process. The method of claim 2,
The upper etching layer,
Method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized in that it is carried out by the screen printing method. The method of claim 1,
Selectively forming the upper etch layer,
And forming a dummy pattern having a shape similar to that of the upper pattern on which the upper etched layer is to be formed. In the method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure for forming a transparent electrode of the touch panel formed on the transparent insulating substrate and the electrode wiring connected to the transparent electrode,
Forming a transparent conductive layer on the transparent insulating substrate;
Selectively forming a metal film on the transparent conductive layer;
Etching the metal film and the transparent conductive layer at the same time by interposing a mask having a desired pattern formed on the transparent insulating substrate and scanning a laser beam on the transparent insulating substrate through the mask;
Consists of including,
And simultaneously contacting the metal layer and the transparent conductive layer to partially contact the electrode wiring formed on the metal film and the transparent electrode formed on the transparent conductive layer to overlap each other. A method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized by forming a pattern. The method of claim 5, wherein
Selectively forming the metal film,
Method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized in that carried out through a deposition process or a printing process. The method according to claim 6,
The metal film,
Method for forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized in that it is carried out by the screen printing method. The method of claim 5, wherein
Selectively forming the metal film,
The method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized in that to form a dummy pattern similar to the electrode wiring to be formed on the metal layer on the transparent conductive layer. 6. The method according to claim 1 or 5,
Wherein,
The method of forming a fine pattern of a multilayer film structure, characterized in that formed in a 1: 1 size with the substrate or the transparent insulating substrate. 6. The method according to claim 1 or 5,
The etching by scanning the laser beam,
And forming a laser beam output from a laser generator as a line beam using an optical system, and scanning the surface of the mask to form a fine pattern of the multilayer film structure.

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