KR20150096875A - System for fabricating transparent electorde and method for fabricating transparent electorde using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transparent electrode manufacturing system capable of easily printing a transparent electrode of a mesh type on a substrate and a transparent electrode manufacturing method using the same. The transparent electrode manufacturing system capable of patterning the transparent electrode on a substrate which is sequentially transferred along a substrate transfer direction includes: a first printing unit to spray ink to the substrate and includes a plurality of nozzles which are transferred along a first direction which is a slant direction of the substrate transfer direction and are transferred in the substrate transfer direction or the opposite direction of the substrate transfer direction in response to the transfer of the substrate at the same time.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transparent electrode manufacturing system and a transparent electrode manufacturing method using the transparent electrode manufacturing system.

The present invention relates to a transparent electrode manufacturing system and a transparent electrode manufacturing method using the transparent electrode manufacturing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a transparent electrode manufacturing system capable of easily printing a mesh- To a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in photovoltaics because of its environmental friendliness and lack of concern about depletion of energy sources.

A light-transmitting layer having excellent light transmittance is laminated on the surface of the solar cell on which light is incident, and an electrically conductive electrode is formed on the light-transmitting layer to serve as an electron transfer path. However, the solar cell having such a structure has a problem that light is not transmitted on the region where the electrode is formed, and thus the efficiency of light collection is remarkably deteriorated.

As an alternative to the above problem, a transparent electrode is disposed in a solar cell. In particular, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) electrode is mainly used as such a transparent electrode. This is because ITO easily forms a thin film, has excellent light transmission characteristics, and has a relatively low electrical resistance.

However, when the conventional ITO electrode is used, the light collecting rate of the solar cell can be improved, but there is a problem that the photoconversion rate of the entire solar cell is lowered due to the relatively large resistance value.

Meanwhile, in order to solve the problem of the conventional transparent electrode, there is a technique of printing an electroconductive electrode solution in a mesh form and using it as a transparent electrode.

1 schematically shows an example of a system for manufacturing a conventional transparent electrode.

1, according to the conventional system 10, the electrode liquid is discharged from the nozzle unit 11 fixed in position and the substrate S is transferred in one direction to print the line, and the transferred substrate S ) Is rotated by 180 degrees, and then the substrate is re-fed in the direction opposite to the previously conveyed direction, thereby printing a mesh-shaped line.

However, in such a conventional system 10, there is a problem that the process of preventing the continuity of the process of rotating the substrate S is included, thereby making it economical in terms of time and cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which a nozzle for spraying an electrode solution is moved in a slanting direction of a substrate transfer direction, The present invention also provides a transparent electrode manufacturing system and a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode using the transparent electrode manufacturing system.

According to the present invention, there is provided a transparent electrode manufacturing system for patterning a transparent electrode on a substrate which is continuously transported along a substrate transport direction, comprising: And a first printing unit including a plurality of nozzles which are transported in a first direction and transported in a direction opposite to the substrate transport direction or the substrate transport direction in correspondence with the transport of the substrate. ≪ / RTI >

Here, the first printing unit may include: a first guide unit extending along the first direction; A first moving part movably provided along the first guide part; The plurality of nozzles may be mounted and provided on the first moving part so as to be movable in the substrate transport direction or the direction opposite to the substrate transport direction.

Preferably, the plurality of nozzles are rotatably provided on the second motion part.

The apparatus may further include a third motion unit that is provided between the first guide unit and the first motion unit and moves the first motion unit along the gravity direction.

The apparatus may further include a coating unit provided at a front end of the first printing unit and coating the substrate.

The plasma processing unit may further include a plasma processing unit provided at a front end of the first printing unit and performing plasma processing on the substrate.

The ink jet recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a first printing unit for receiving the substrate and ejecting ink; And a second printing unit having a plurality of nozzles which are conveyed in the opposite direction.

The second printing unit may include: a second guide unit extending along the second direction; A fourth motion part movably provided along the guide part; And a fifth motion part mounted on the fourth motion part and provided so as to be movable in the substrate transfer direction or in the direction opposite to the substrate transfer direction.

The plurality of nozzles may be rotatably provided on the fifth motion unit.

The apparatus may further include a sixth motion unit that is provided between the guide unit and the fourth motion unit and moves the fourth motion unit along the gravity direction.

It is preferable that the plurality of nozzles further include a voltage supply unit for applying a voltage to the plurality of nozzles so as to eject ink by an electrostatic force.

The ink supply unit may further include an ink supply unit connected to the plurality of nozzles to supply ink to the plurality of nozzles.

The apparatus may further include a test substrate portion that is movable along the substrate transport direction and monitors the printing state of the ink through the ink landed from the plurality of nozzles.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode, comprising: preparing a substrate on which a transparent electrode is patterned and a transparent electrode manufacturing system according to the above-described seventh aspect; A printing step of printing a mesh-shaped transparent electrode on the substrate through the first printing unit and the second printing unit; And a curing step of curing the transparent electrode in a mesh form to be printed on the substrate.

Here, it is preferable that the curing step is a heat treatment method using one of Infrared (IR), Near Infrared (NIR) and Mid-Infrared (MIR).

Also, the curing step is preferably a lamp curing method using intensified pulsed light.

The method may further include a substrate pretreatment step of plasma-treating the substrate before the printing step or coating the substrate with a polymer material.

It is preferable that the method further comprises the additional patterning step between the printing step and the curing step for further patterning the predetermined pattern on the substrate on which the transparent electrode of the mesh shape is printed.

According to the present invention, there is provided a transparent electrode manufacturing system capable of easily patterning a mesh-shaped transparent electrode and a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode using the same.

In addition, an in-line system can be constructed by patterning a transparent electrode in the form of a mesh on a substrate that is continuously transported.

Further, the interval between the patterns can be easily adjusted by rotating the plurality of nozzles on the second motion portion or the fifth motion portion.

Further, by adjusting the spacing between the plurality of nozzles and the substrate, a line pattern or a continuously connected closed curve pattern can be easily patterned.

In addition, it is possible to monitor in advance whether or not the mesh-shaped transparent electrode is correctly patterned using the test substrate portion.

In addition, the ink deposition rate of the substrate can be improved by performing plasma treatment on the substrate or performing polymer coating on the outer surface of the substrate.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a conventional system for manufacturing a transparent electrode,
2 is a perspective view schematically showing a transparent electrode manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing another transparent electrode manufacturing system shown in FIG. 2,
4 is a plan view schematically showing a first printing unit in the transparent electrode manufacturing system according to FIG. 2,
FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing the first printing unit in the transparent electrode manufacturing system according to FIG. 2,
FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically illustrating the operation of the first printing unit in the transparent electrode manufacturing system according to FIG. 2,
7 is a flowchart schematically showing a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a transparent electrode manufacturing system and a transparent electrode manufacturing method using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a transparent electrode manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing another transparent electrode manufacturing system shown in FIG.

2 or 3, the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is capable of precisely patterning a transparent electrode in the form of a mesh on a substrate irrespective of a substrate transfer speed, A first printing unit 120, a second printing unit 130, a voltage supply unit 140, an ink supply unit 150, a tester plate unit 160, and a control unit (not shown).

The pre-processing unit 110 performs a pre-process before patterning the transparent electrode in the form of a mesh on the substrate S.

Here, the pre-treatment includes a series of operations for improving the ink deposition rate of the substrate S, and in one embodiment of the present invention, the pre-processing is performed by a plasma processing operation of the substrate S, S) to the outer surface of the substrate.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the first printing unit in the transparent electrode manufacturing system according to FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing the first printing unit in the transparent electrode manufacturing system according to FIG. 2, 2 is a plan view schematically showing the operation of the first printing unit in the transparent electrode manufacturing system according to the second embodiment.

4 to 6, the first printing unit 120 includes a plurality of nozzles 124 for jetting ink toward the substrate S, and a plurality of nozzles 124 are formed on the substrate S for patterning, (Hereinafter referred to as a "first direction") with respect to the direction of movement of the substrate S in order to offset the relative velocity between the substrate S and the plurality of nozzles 124 due to the transfer of the substrate S, The first moving part 122, the second moving part 123, the plurality of nozzles 124, and the third moving part 125. The first moving part 122, the second moving part 123, .

The first guide part 121 is a member extending along the oblique direction with respect to the substrate transfer direction and spaced apart from the substrate S and provided on the upper side of the substrate S.

Here, the position of the first guiding portion 121 can be variably set, but the position of the first guiding portion 121 is fixed in one embodiment of the present invention.

The first motion part 122 is a member provided on the first guide part 121 and slidable along the longitudinal direction of the first guide part 121.

That is, the first motion part 122 moves along a virtual straight line parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first guide part 121, and is installed on the side of the first guide part 121 in one embodiment of the present invention .

Meanwhile, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first motion part 122 may be formed with a groove for guiding the sliding path of the second motion part 123, which will be described later.

The second motion part 123 is a member that is slidably and rotatably installed on the first motion part 122 and has a plurality of nozzles 124 installed on the upper side thereof.

The third motion part 125 is provided between the first motion part 122 and the first guide part 121 so as to move the first motion part 122 in the direction of gravity or more precisely, .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, since the plurality of nozzles 124 have an EHD (ElectroHydrodynamics) inkjet structure of ejecting ink using electrostatic force, the ink is ejected from the substrate S to the nozzle 124 And is sprayed along the injection path of either a straight jet or a spinning jet according to the spraying direction.

Here, a straight jet means that the ink flows along the vertical straight line direction of the nozzle, and the spinning jet means that the ink flows in a spiral or cone shape.

In other words, a closed curve-shaped pattern, which is connected in a line or continuously on the substrate S, can be patterned by adjusting the spacing between the nozzle 124 and the substrate S through the third motion part 125.

The plurality of nozzles 124 are installed on the upper side of the second motion unit 123 and the second motion unit 123 is provided on the first motion unit 122. [ As shown in Fig. The first motion part 122 is slidably mounted on the side surface of the first guide part 121 along the longitudinal direction of the first guide part 121 and the third motion part 125 is provided to the first motion part 122, And the first guide part 121 to move the first motion part 122 along the gravity direction.

Here, the plurality of nozzles 124 basically eject ink along the longitudinal direction of the first guide portion 121 in accordance with the movement of the first motion portion 122.

However, since the substrate S is continuously transferred in the embodiment of the present invention, when the injection path of the ink is adjusted merely by the movement of the first motion part 122, a relative speed difference due to the substrate transfer occurs, The ink is printed in a deflected manner.

Therefore, the second moving part 123 is moved along the substrate moving direction on the first moving part 122, thereby canceling the relative speed of the substrate moving. Here, the second motion part 123 is preferably slid at the same speed as the substrate transfer speed along the substrate transfer direction.

In addition, by rotating the second motion part 123 on the first motion part 122, the spacing between the patterns printed on the substrate S is adjusted.

For example, when the plurality of nozzles 124 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first guide portion 121, a pattern is formed on the substrate S at an interval equal to the interval between the plurality of nozzles 124 Printed.

Here, as the second motion part 123 rotates until the plurality of nozzles 124 are arranged along the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first guide part 121, the spacing distance of the pattern printed on the substrate S .

That is, when the plurality of nozzles 124 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first guide part 121, the spacing between the patterns is the widest, Are arranged in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 121 without being spaced apart from each other.

The second printing unit 130 is provided with a substrate S on which a pattern is printed through the first printing unit 120. A plurality of nozzles 134 for ejecting ink are arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction And moves in a direction opposite to the substrate transfer direction or the substrate transfer direction so as to offset the relative speed difference due to the substrate transfer. The second guide portion 131, the fourth movement portion 132, A plurality of nozzles 134, and a sixth motion unit 135. [

The second guide part 131, the fourth motion part 132 and the fifth motion part 133 of the second printing part 130 and the plurality of nozzles 134 and the sixth motion part 135 of the second printing part 130, The first motion unit 122 and the second motion unit 123 and the plurality of the nozzles 124 and the third motion unit 125 of the first motor 120 correspond to the first motion unit 122 and the third motion unit 125, I explain it as a standard.

The second guide part 131 performs substantially the same function as the first guide part 121. The second guide part 131 is disposed in a direction crossing the first guide part 121, The second guide part 131 and the first guide part 121 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other.

This arrangement is for printing the transparent electrode in a mesh form by allowing the substrate S to pass through both the first printing unit 120 and the second printing unit 130. [ That is, if the first printing unit 120 and the second printing unit 130 are perpendicular to each other, the substrate S passing through the first printing unit 120 and the second printing unit 130 A vertical pattern is formed.

It goes without saying that the angle between the first printing unit 120 and the second printing unit 130 may be set differently as needed.

The fourth motion part 132 and the fifth motion part 133 and the plurality of nozzles 134 and the sixth motion part 135 are formed by the first motion part 122 and the second motion part 123 and the plurality of nozzles 124 And the third motion part 125, detailed description will be omitted here.

The voltage supply unit 140 applies a voltage to the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 to generate an electric field for discharging ink between the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 and the substrate S described above.

Since the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has an EHD (ElectroHydrodynamics) ink-jet structure in which ink is ejected by using an electrostatic force, an electric field is formed by placing the voltage supply unit 140 described above do. Here, the member for transferring the substrate to the lower side of the substrate S is grounded or a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the voltage applied from the voltage supply unit 140 is applied to the substrate S, and between the substrate S and the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 An electric field can be easily formed.

The ink supply unit 150 supplies ink used for transparent electrode printing to the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134. It is preferable that the ink supplied from the ink supply unit 150 to the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 is formed of a conductive material so as to be discharged from the nozzles 124 and 134 under the influence of an electric field.

The tester plate unit 160 is provided to be movable along the substrate transfer direction and can be moved to the first printing unit 120 before the substrate S passes through the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. And the second printing unit 130 to monitor whether the ink discharge state is appropriate for printing.

That is, the pattern printed on the test device plate 160 may be monitored to check the interval between the patterns, the thickness of the pattern, the uniformity of the pattern, and the presence of the foreign substance.

Meanwhile, the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may additionally include a controller (not shown) for controlling each configuration.

Here, the control unit (not shown) is set to be capable of controlling the conveying path, the conveying speed, the conveying period, etc. of the first printing unit 120 or the second printing unit 130, The density, shape, etc. of the mesh-shaped transparent electrode can be adjusted.

In more detail, the moving speeds of the second moving part 123 and the fifth moving part 133 are preferably determined to be equal to the substrate feeding speed in consideration of the substrate feeding speed of the control part (not shown), and the first moving part 122 And the fourth motion part 132 or the third motion part 125 and the fifth motion part 135 to adjust the thickness and shape of the pattern.

In addition, the distance between the patterns can be adjusted in consideration of the degree of rotation of the second motion part 123 and the fifth motion part 133. [

Hereinafter, the operation of one embodiment of the transparent electrode manufacturing system and the transparent electrode manufacturing method using the same will be described.

7 is a flowchart schematically showing a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, a transparent electrode manufacturing method (S100) according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a transparent electrode in the form of a mesh using the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100, A substrate preprocessing step S120, a printing step S130, an additional patterning step S140, and a curing step S150.

The preparation step S110 is a step of preparing the transparent electrode on the substrate S by patterning the transparent electrode and the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 described above.

The substrate preprocessing step S120 is a step of plasma-processing the substrate S through the preprocessing unit 110 or performing a coating of a polymer material on the outer surface of the substrate S.

That is, the upper surface of the substrate S facing the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 may be cleaned, or may be subjected to a hydrophilic treatment or a hydrophobic treatment through a plasma treatment. Here, the hydrophilic or hydrophobic treatment is determined in consideration of the properties of the ink discharged from the plurality of nozzles 124, 134.

More specifically, if the ink used in the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 has a hydrophilic property, it is preferable that the outer surface of the substrate S is hydrophilized so that the ink is effectively adhered to the outer surface of the substrate S, . On the other hand, if the property of the ink is hydrophobic, the plasma treatment is performed so that the outer surface of the substrate S has hydrophobicity.

Also, in an embodiment of the present invention, a process of discharging or charging the substrate S through the plasma process can be performed. Here, the erasing is performed when the charges distributed on the substrate S are non-uniformly distributed, and the charging is used to uniformly coat the charges on the substrate S.

That is, by discharging or charging the substrate S through the plasma processing unit 120, the ink ejected from the plurality of nozzles 124 and 134 can be more effectively landed on the substrate S.

Meanwhile, in the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate S is subjected to the hydrophilic or hydrophobic treatment or the process of charging or discharging through the plasma treatment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, when the outer surface of the substrate S is coated with the polymer material through the substrate preprocessing step S110, substantially the same effect as that in the case of the above-described plasma processing can be expected.

The printing step S130 is a step of printing a mesh pattern by passing the pre-processed substrate S through the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100. The process of printing the transparent electrode through the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 Since the transparent electrode manufacturing system 100 has been described in the course of describing it, detailed description is omitted here.

The additional patterning step S140 is a step of patterning an additional pattern desired by the user on the substrate S on which the transparent electrode is printed. For example, when a pattern printed with a transparent electrode is used as a sensor, a solar cell, or the like, an additional pattern is required in addition to the transparent electrode, and such pattern may be patterned through an additional patterning step (S140).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the additional patterning step (S140) can be accomplished by performing a laser patterning step.

The curing step S150 is a step of curing the patterned patterns on the substrate S through the printing step S130 and the additional patterning step S140.

The curing step S150 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be performed using a heat treatment method using one of Infrared (IR), Near Infrared (NIR) and Mid-Infrared (MIR) A lamp curing method using an internally pulsed light may be used, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

100: Transparent electrode manufacturing system 110: Pretreatment unit
120: first printing unit 130: second printing unit
140: voltage supply unit 150: ink supply unit
160: tester plate
S100: Transparent electrode manufacturing method S110: Preparation step
S120: Substrate pretreatment step S130: Printing step
S140: additional patterning step S150: curing step

Claims (18)

A transparent electrode manufacturing system for patterning a transparent electrode on a substrate which is continuously transported along a substrate transfer direction,
A plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink toward the substrate and being transported along a first direction which is an oblique direction with respect to the substrate transport direction and transported in a direction opposite to the substrate transport direction or the substrate transport direction corresponding to the transport of the substrate And a first printing unit having a nozzle. The method according to claim 1,
The first printing unit may include: a first guide unit extending along the first direction; A first moving part movably provided along the first guide part; And a second motion part mounted on the first motion part and movable in a direction opposite to the substrate transfer direction or the substrate transfer direction, wherein the plurality of nozzles are mounted. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the plurality of nozzles are rotatably provided on the second motion unit. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a third motion part provided between the first guide part and the first motion part and moving the first motion part along the gravity direction. The method according to claim 1,
And a coating unit provided at a front end of the first printing unit and coating the substrate. The method according to claim 1,
And a plasma processing unit provided at a front end of the first printing unit and performing plasma processing on the substrate. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The first printing unit is provided with a substrate, and the ink is ejected. The ink is conveyed along a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and is conveyed in the substrate conveying direction or in a direction opposite to the substrate conveying direction And a second printing unit including a plurality of nozzles to be transferred to the transparent electrode. 8. The method of claim 7,
The second printing unit may include: a second guide unit extending along the second direction; A fourth motion part movably provided along the guide part; And a fifth motion part mounted on the fourth motion part, the fifth motion part being mounted movably in a direction opposite to the substrate transfer direction or the substrate transfer direction. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the plurality of nozzles are rotatably provided on the fifth motion unit. 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising a sixth motion part provided between the guide part and the fourth motion part, for moving the fourth motion part along the gravity direction. 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising a voltage supply unit for applying a voltage to the plurality of nozzles so that the plurality of nozzles eject ink by electrostatic force. 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising an ink supply unit connected to the plurality of nozzles to supply ink to the plurality of nozzles, 8. The method of claim 7,
Further comprising a test substrate portion which is provided to be movable along the substrate transport direction and monitors a printing state of the ink through ink injected from the plurality of nozzles. A substrate preparation step of preparing a substrate on which a transparent electrode is patterned and a transparent electrode production system according to the above-mentioned seventh aspect;
A printing step of printing a mesh-shaped transparent electrode on the substrate through the first printing unit and the second printing unit;
And a curing step of curing the transparent electrode in the form of a mesh printed on the substrate. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the curing step is a heat treatment method using one of Infrared (IR), Near Infrared (NIR), and Mid-Infrared (MIR). 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the curing step is a lamp curing method using intensified pulsed light. 15. The method of claim 14,
Further comprising a substrate pretreatment step of plasma-treating the substrate or coating the substrate with a polymer material before the printing step. 15. The method of claim 14,
Further comprising: an additional patterning step of additionally patterning a predetermined pattern on the substrate on which the transparent electrode of the mesh type is printed, between the printing step and the curing step.

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