KR20160109631A - Apparatus and method for forming pattern line - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, disclosed are an apparatus and a method for forming a pattern line, capable of forming a pattern line of a remarkably fine linewidth in comparison with an inkjet apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a stage to receive a substrate; a nozzle unit placed on an upper side of the substrate to inject ink on the substrate, so as to form a pattern line; and a bias unit generating a bias signal of a predetermined waveform where a high and a low level signal are repeated at specific time and interval, so as to apply the bias signal to the nozzle unit. By the bias signal, an electric field is formed between the substrate and the nozzle unit without applying ground potential to the substrate. An injection volume and an injection time of ink injected from the nozzle unit are adjusted depending on a waveform of the bias signal, and a potential difference and a cycle between the high and the low level.

Description

[0001] Apparatus and method for forming pattern line [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming a pattern line, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for forming a pattern line using electrohydrodynamics.

Recently, a variety of electronic products have been released and include semiconductor devices that perform various functions. Semiconductor devices have been reduced in size with the tendency to be lighter and thinner, and accordingly, the width of the pattern lines inside the device is becoming thinner. In addition, a flat panel display (FPD) such as an LCD and an OLED has a smaller circuit element for driving each pixel in order to realize more pixels per unit area, It is getting thinner. Various display devices such as smart phones, TVs, monitors, and notebooks have been made lighter and smaller in accordance with the trend of high resolution of the display panel, and accordingly, circuits for driving display devices are integrated on a printed circuit board (PCB) The pattern lines to be formed are not only complicatedly formed but also formed finely.

On the other hand, as a demand for a flexible display increases, processes that can not form a pattern line on a substrate under a high temperature and a high pressure such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are increasing. That is, after the pattern line is formed, the defective portion must be repaired. In the conventional repair method using CVD, a metal source is vaporized to supply a broken portion of the pattern line, Lt; / RTI > However, such a method has a problem that when the material of the substrate is low in thermal resistance due to the deposition process using the laser, the substrate is damaged and deformed, so that the repair can not be performed. In addition, maintenance must be carried out in the chamber of a vacuum atmosphere for repairing, and the size of the equipment is inevitably increased.

Therefore, apparatuses for forming pattern lines in semiconductors, FPDs, PCBs, or repairing defects in formed pattern lines must be able to process at low temperatures and form thinner pattern lines.

In order to enable a low-temperature process, conventionally, a pattern line is formed by using an ink jet apparatus which ejects ink using a pneumatic or piezoelectric element. That is, a pneumatic pressure is applied to a nozzle through which ink is ejected, or a piezoelectric element is provided in a nozzle, and a predetermined potential is applied to the piezoelectric element to eject ink. However, in such an ink-jet method, it is impossible to form a fine pattern line because the ink can not be ejected in a trace amount, and the line width of the pattern line is uneven.

In order to solve the problem of the ink jet method, a pattern forming apparatus using an electrohydraulic method for forming an electric field between a nozzle and a substrate and discharging ink has been used. However, in the conventional electrohydraulic method, the ground electrode must be brought into contact with the substrate or a separate charging electrode must be applied between the substrate and the nozzle. Therefore, there is a problem of substrate damage and contamination due to contact of the ground electrode, and problems such as poor discharge amount control due to irregular electric field formation depending on the electric conduction characteristic of the substrate occur.

Korean Patent No. 10-1454106 filed by the applicant of the present application mentions that it is not necessary to apply grounding to the substrate by applying alternating current to the nozzle. However, it is not possible to form pattern lines of various line widths simply by applying an AC power source. In other words, although it is possible to improve the utility of the apparatus by forming pattern lines of various line widths using the same apparatus, if the AC power is simply applied to the nozzles, it is necessary to form a pattern of the same line width, Can not be formed.

Korean Patent No. 10-1454106

The present invention provides a pattern line forming apparatus and method which can form a pattern line having a line width that is much smaller than that of an ink jet apparatus, because a high-temperature and high-pressure process is not required, and the apparatus is simple in construction.

The present invention provides a pattern line forming apparatus and method that does not contact a ground electrode with a substrate.

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for forming a pattern line capable of varying the discharge amount and spacing of ink, and forming pattern lines of various line widths and shapes.

An apparatus for forming a pattern line according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; A nozzle unit positioned above the substrate and forming a pattern line by ejecting ink onto the substrate; And a bias unit for generating a bias signal of a predetermined waveform in which signals of a high level and a low level are repeated at a predetermined time and interval and applying the generated bias signal to the nozzle unit, wherein a bias potential is not applied to the substrate by the bias signal An electric field is formed between the substrate and the nozzle unit, and the ejection amount and ejection time of the ink ejected from the nozzle unit are adjusted according to the waveform of the bias signal, the high level and the low level potential difference and period.

An optical unit for visual inspection of the pattern line; an inspection unit for electrical inspection of the pattern line; a pneumatic unit for applying a pneumatic pressure to the nozzle unit; And a curing unit for curing the pattern line formed on the substrate. The curing unit may further include a solvent supply unit for spraying the solution toward the end of the unit, and a curing unit for curing the pattern line formed on the substrate.

The bias unit includes a waveform generator for generating a first bias signal, an amplifier for amplifying the first bias signal to generate a second bias signal, and a control unit for monitoring at least one of the first and second bias signals .

The waveform generator includes a waveform generator for generating a signal of a predetermined waveform, and a DC generator for generating a DC voltage and raising the level of the signal generated by the waveform generator.

Further comprising an intermediate level in which the potential difference between the high level and the low level is 0, and the ejection interval of the ink is adjusted according to the time of the intermediate level.

The line width and length of the pattern line are adjusted according to the discharge amount, interval, and discharge time of the ink.

And a control unit for controlling at least one of the stage, the nozzle unit, the bias unit, the optical unit, the inspection unit, the pneumatic unit, the solvent supply unit, and the curing unit.

The control unit includes an input / output unit for inputting and outputting control signals and data, a data storage unit for storing line widths and lengths of the pattern lines and waveform data of the bias signals, And a control unit for selecting a waveform of a bias signal for forming the pattern line and controlling the bias unit through the input / output unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a pattern line, the method comprising: placing a substrate on a stage; Determining an area on the substrate where a pattern line is to be formed; Determining a line width and a length of the pattern line, and generating a corresponding bias signal; Applying the bias signal to a nozzle unit; And forming a pattern line on the substrate by ejecting ink from the nozzle unit, wherein an electric field is formed between the substrate and the nozzle unit without applying a ground potential to the substrate by the bias signal, The ejection amount and ejection time of the ink ejected from the nozzle unit are adjusted according to the waveform of the signal, the potential difference and period of the high level and the low level.

Further comprising an intermediate level in which the potential difference between the high level and the low level is 0, and the ejection interval of the ink is adjusted according to the time of the intermediate level.

The line width and the length of the pattern line are adjusted according to the discharge amount, spacing, and discharge time of the ink.

The present invention can generate a bias signal of various waveforms from a bias unit and apply it to a nozzle unit so that a pattern line can be formed on a substrate or a defect can be repaired without connecting a ground electrode to the substrate. In addition, the discharge amount of the ink can be adjusted by adjusting the potential difference, the period, and the intermediate level time of the bias signal, thereby forming pattern lines of various line widths or repairing defects.

Therefore, the present invention can form a pattern line without a vacuum chamber, and can form a uniform extreme fine pattern line compared with a conventional piezoelectric element or an ink jet apparatus using air pressure.

In addition, it is possible to form a pattern line without using a grounding electrode or a charging electrode, thereby simplifying the apparatus, preventing contamination and damage of the substrate due to the grounding structure, and changing irregular discharge amount And instability can be prevented.

1 is a configuration diagram of a pattern line forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a configuration diagram of a bias unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a diagram for explaining a pattern line formation principle according to an intermediate level in which a potential difference between a high level and a low level is zero;
4 is a configuration diagram of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a view for explaining the concept of a conventional piezoelectric element inkjet method.
6 is a view for explaining the concept of pattern line formation according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 illustrates a pattern line formed by connecting a ground electrode to a conventional substrate.
8 illustrates a pattern line formed without connecting a ground electrode to a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9-11 illustrate pattern lines formed according to the waveform of a bias signal in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate pattern lines formed by continuous bias signals and intermediate level adjustments, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a method of forming a pattern line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of other various forms of implementation, and that these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, It is provided to let you know completely.

1 is a configuration diagram of a pattern line forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for forming a pattern line according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stage 100 for adjusting a process position on a substrate 10, a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink for forming a pattern line on the substrate 10, A bias unit 300 for generating a bias signal for controlling the shape of a pattern line formed on the substrate 10 and supplying the generated bias signal to the nozzle unit 100; A pneumatic unit 400 for assisting the discharge, and an optical unit 500 for observing the process of forming the pattern. An inspection unit 600 for inspecting whether or not a pattern formed on the substrate 10 is defective and an inspection unit 600 for checking whether a pattern formed on the substrate 10 is defective And a control unit 700 for controlling the first half of the pattern forming apparatus including the inspection unit 600 and the like. Further, it may further include a display (not shown) for displaying an image photographed from the optical unit 500 to the user.

The stage 100 seats the substrate 10 and moves the substrate 10 to the process position. That is, the stage 100 moves the substrate 10 to a position where the pattern line is to be formed or a position for repairing a defect of the pattern in a state where the substrate 10 is seated. Here, the substrate 10 may include a flat panel display, a touch screen, a PCB, and the like on which a predetermined conductive pattern line is to be formed or formed. That is, the substrate 10 may be a substrate 10 for forming a pattern line of a predetermined shape in a predetermined area, and may be a substrate 10 to be repaired, in which a pattern line is formed and defects are generated in the pattern line. For example, the substrate 10 may be a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display device in which pixel electrodes, gate lines, data lines, thin film transistors and the like are formed or formed. Such a stage 100 can move the substrate 10 in a plane, and can move in two directions orthogonal to each other, i.e., in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. Further, the stage 100 can move upward in the direction of the nozzle unit 200 and downward in the opposite direction, i.e., in the vertical direction. That is, the stage 100 can move horizontally, vertically, and vertically while keeping the substrate 10 horizontal after the substrate 10 is placed. The stage 100 may be interlocked with a device for pulling the substrate 10 onto the stage 100 and a device for pulling the substrate 10 from the stage 100. [ On the other hand, it is desirable that the stage 100 has a high positional accuracy because the substrate 10 must be moved to the correct position in order to form a fine and fine pattern on the substrate 10. Since a very small amount of ink is ejected from the nozzle unit 200 by an electric field, the distance between the nozzle unit 200 and the substrate 10 is very close to several mu m to several tens of mu m, 10) preferably has a high surface flatness. In this stage 100, after the substrate 10 is received from the outside, the substrate 100 is moved upward to maintain the gap between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10 at a process interval of, for example, 1 m to 100 m, The stage 100 is moved in the lateral and / or longitudinal direction to position the substrate 10 so that a predetermined region of the substrate 10 faces the nozzle 250 at a position where a pattern line is to be formed or a defect is to be repaired. After the ink is ejected from the nozzle 250 and the process is completed, the substrate 100 may be moved downward and then the substrate 10 may be drawn out. Of course, the substrate 10 may be seated and the stage 100 may be moved in the horizontal direction and / or the vertical direction, then moved upward, or may be moved in the horizontal direction and / or the vertical direction and move upward.

The nozzle unit 200 may include a nozzle 250 for discharging ink supplied from an ink storage unit (not shown). Further, it may further include a housing (not shown) surrounding the nozzle 250. Here, the ink storage unit communicates with the nozzle unit 200 to store the ink discharged through the nozzle unit 200. [ The ink storage unit may be formed of a small-capacity syringe type because the amount of ink to be discharged is not small when the pattern line is formed with a line width of several micrometers or more, but the present invention is not limited thereto, And can be manufactured in appropriate materials, capacities, and shapes according to processing conditions such as cycle. Further, in addition to the electric field formed between the nozzle unit 200 and the substrate 10 for discharging the ink, the ink storage unit and the pneumatic unit 400 can be connected to supply air pressure when air pressure is used, It is preferable that the unit is made of an insulating material or insulated so that electricity does not flow in other directions than the space between the nozzle unit 200 and the substrate 10. [ Further, the ink supplied from the ink storage unit is conductive and functional ink, and ions are contained therein. Therefore, it is possible to precisely eject a very small amount of ink by using the principle of electrohydraulic which forms an electric field between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10 without connecting the ground electrode to the substrate 10. [ That is, the ions contained in the conductive and functional ink are moved by the force in the direction of the substrate 10 by the electric field between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10, so that a very small amount of ink can be accurately ejected. At this time, the electric field between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10 is formed by a bias signal supplied from the bias unit 300. In addition, in order to form an electric field between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10, the nozzle 250 must function as an electrode. For this, the nozzle 250 may be made of a metal material, the metal wire may be formed in the nozzle 250, or a metal may be coated on the outside of the body of an insulating material. However, when the nozzle 250 is formed of a metal material, it is difficult to form a small end area of the nozzle 250, and it is difficult to discharge a very small amount of ink. In addition, when a metal wiring is formed in the nozzle 250, since an electric field is formed around the metal wiring, an electric field can not be uniformly formed in the nozzle 250, so that a uniform force is not applied to the ink, Discharge is not possible. Therefore, in order to reduce the end area of the nozzle 250, it is preferable to manufacture the nozzle 250 with a material such as glass or plastic, which is easier to process than metal, and form a metal film on the outer surface of the nozzle 250 Do. In this case, a very small amount of ink can be ejected, and a uniform electric field can be generated inside the nozzle 250, so that the ejection amount of the ink can be precisely controlled. Various methods such as plating and vapor deposition may be used to form a metal film on the outer surface of the nozzle 250. However, it is preferable to use a deposition method capable of preventing the clogging of the end of the nozzle 250 made of glass or plastic and uniformly forming the metal film to a thickness of several nanometers or less. The nozzle unit 200 may further include a driving unit (not shown) for moving the nozzle 250 or the nozzle unit 200 up and down. That is, the driving unit may raise the nozzle unit 200 to replace the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10, or may move the nozzle 250 and the substrate (not shown) depending on the pattern to be formed on the substrate 10, 10, the nozzle unit 200 is driven up and down. That is, in order to finely adjust the distance between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10 regardless of the movement of the stage 100 in the vertical direction, the distance between the nozzle unit 200 and the substrate 10 A driving unit may be provided.

The bias unit 300 generates a predetermined bias signal and supplies it to the nozzle unit 200. The bias signal generated from the bias unit 300 is applied to the nozzle unit 200 so that an electric field is formed between the nozzle unit 200 and the substrate 10 and the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle unit 200 To be adjusted. That is, the size and spacing of ink droplets can be adjusted. The bias unit 300 generates a bias signal of a predetermined waveform in which the high-level and low-level signals are repeated at a predetermined time and interval. That is, the bias unit 300 may generate bias signals of various waveforms such as a sine wave, a cosine wave, a pulse wave, a square wave, a sawtooth wave, and a triangle wave, and may also generate a waveform defined by the user. In addition, the bias unit 300 may generate bias signals of various waveforms using at least one basic waveform and a DC waveform. For example, a sinusoidal wave and a cosine wave can be used as basic waveforms, and a bias signal of a predetermined waveform can be generated by adjusting the potential level, period, and the like of the basic waveform. In addition, a bias signal such as a pulse wave, a square wave, a sawtooth wave, a triangle wave, a user-defined waveform, etc. other than the basic waveform can generate a bias signal of a desired waveform by combining basic waveforms. The bias unit 300 includes a waveform generator 310 for generating a predetermined waveform and an amplifier 320 for amplifying a waveform generated by the waveform generator 310 to generate a bias signal of various waveforms. can do. The bias unit 300 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

The pneumatic unit 400 assists with the pressure so that the ink supplied to the nozzle 250 can stay at the end of the nozzle 250. The pneumatic unit 400 can reduce the intensity of the bias signal supplied to the nozzle unit 200 by supplying a predetermined amount of air pressure to the nozzle unit 200, thereby ensuring stability, It is possible. In addition, when the nozzle 250 is clogged, it is possible to pierce the clogged nozzle 250 without contaminating the substrate 10 by supplying a predetermined air pressure from the pneumatic unit 400. That is, positive pressure is supplied to the nozzle 250 while ink is being ejected, and when the nozzle 250 is blocked, negative pressure is supplied to the nozzle 250 to recover the hardened metal material at the end of the nozzle 250, It is possible to solve the clogging of the nozzle without replacing the nozzle 250 by melting it with the solvent.

The optical unit 500 photographs a pattern line formed on the substrate 10 or photographs the process of forming a pattern line. That is, the optical unit 500 can photograph the pattern line formed on the substrate 10 to perform optical inspection of the pattern, that is, visual inspection, 10 can be photographed. The image photographed in the optical unit 500 can be displayed to the user through the display. The optical unit 500 may include an illumination unit 510 provided below the stage 100 and a photographing unit 520 provided above the stage 100. That is, the illumination unit 510 illuminates the illumination from the lower side of the stage 100, and the imaging unit 520 photographs the substrate 10 on the upper side of the substrate 10. At this time, at least the portion where the substrate 10 is mounted on the stage 100 is made transparent so that the illumination can be irradiated from the illumination portion 510 on the lower side of the stage 100 to obtain a video image of the substrate 10 of a clearer image quality . The pattern line formed on the substrate 10 is photographed and displayed on the display in the optical unit 500 to check whether or not the pattern line is formed correctly and the pattern line formed on the substrate 10 is photographed in real time, It is possible to more accurately grasp the situation of the process unit 10, thereby increasing the efficiency of the process. On the other hand, the photographing unit 520 is vertically arranged on the substrate 10 and the nozzle unit 200 is installed obliquely, so that the substrate 10 can be photographed without distortion. That is, even if the nozzle 250 is obliquely arranged because the ink is discharged in the direction of the electric field formed between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10, when the direction of the electric field between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10 is vertical The shape of the formed pattern is the same.

The inspection unit 600 may be provided to inspect the defects of the substrate 10 or to check whether the repair is normally performed. That is, the inspection unit 600 can check whether a predetermined pattern line formed on the substrate 10 is defective or not, and check whether repair is normally performed after repairing the defect. At least a part of the inspection unit 600 may be provided in a predetermined area on the stage 100. For example, a predetermined signal may be applied to a pattern line formed on the substrate 10 to check whether the pattern line is defective or repaired And a probe (not shown) that can be used. The probe may be provided with at least one pin that contacts the pattern on the substrate 10 and may be connected to the signal line on the opposite side of the side in contact with the pin. That is, one side of the pattern formed on the substrate 10 may be connected to the pins of the probe and the other side may be connected to the signal line. Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether a signal having a predetermined potential is applied through the fin and the signal is transmitted to the signal line on the other side, thereby checking whether the pattern line is defective or repaired. Here, the fins may be provided in the form of a needle using a high-strength metal such as tungsten. The data measured by the inspection unit 600 is supplied to the control unit 700. The control unit 700 can use the data of the inspection unit to determine whether the defect is defective and / have. Meanwhile, the present invention can perform a visual inspection using the optical unit 500 and an electrical inspection using the inspection unit 600. Of course, either the visual inspection using the optical unit 500 and the electrical inspection using the inspection unit 600 are possible.

The control unit 700 generally includes a stage 100, a nozzle unit 200, and a bias unit 300 to control the pattern line forming apparatus of the present invention. That is, the control unit 700 receives data from the optical unit 500 and the inspection unit 600 and controls the stage 100, the nozzle unit 200, the bias unit 300, and the like. The control unit 700 includes an input / output unit 710 connected to each component of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention for inputting and outputting data, a data storage unit 710 for storing data for controlling the driving of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention The nozzle unit 200, the bias unit 300, the pneumatic unit 400, and the like, which receive the data of the optical unit 500 and the inspection unit 600 through the input / output unit 710, And a control unit 730 for generating a control signal for controlling the input / output unit 710 through the input / output unit 710. The control unit 700 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

Although not shown, the present invention may further include a solvent supply unit that vaporizes the solvent used in the ink and ejects the solvent toward the end of the nozzle 250. The present invention ejects ink from the nozzle unit 200 to form a pattern line on the substrate 10 or to repair defects in an already formed pattern line. The pattern line basically includes a substrate 10 ), The metal material corresponding to the type of the pattern line to be formed is contained in the ink. Such a metal material is mixed with an appropriate solvent to form a solution, and a solution containing the metal material, that is, ink, is discharged by an electric field formed between the nozzle unit 200 and the substrate 10. In this case, the pattern line may not be formed in advance. If the solvent 250 is excessively removed, the nozzle 250 may be replaced. In this case, . In order to prevent the nozzle 250 from being clogged by the solvent, the present invention supplies a vaporized solvent to the end of the nozzle 250 to prevent the solvent from being blown from the end of the nozzle 250, Even when only the metal material remains, the metal material is melted again by the solvent supplied from the solvent supply unit, thereby preventing the end of the nozzle 250 from being clogged. In order to discharge a very small amount of ink, the tip area of the nozzle 250 must be very small. Therefore, in the case of a solvent with high volatility, the tip of the nozzle 250 is very likely to be clogged when the ejection of ink is stopped for a while. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the end of the nozzle 250 from being blocked as much as possible by continuously supplying the vaporized solvent to the end of the nozzle 250, thereby enabling formation of a stable pattern line. In addition, since the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle unit 200 is very small, there is a high possibility that ink is ejected to another position without ejecting ink to a correct position even with a small disturbance, thereby forming an erroneous pattern line. In order to prevent this, if the vaporized solvent supplied from the solvent supply unit blows in a vertical direction to the substrate 10 so that the ink ejected from the nozzle 250 vertically and accurately reaches the substrate 10, As much as possible.

Further, although not shown, the present invention may be further provided with a curing unit for curing the pattern lines formed on the substrate 10. For example, the curing unit may include a laser beam irradiating unit for irradiating the pattern line with a laser beam. The laser beam irradiating unit supplies thermal energy to the pattern lines so that the pattern lines are hardened. The laser can be divided into CW (continuous wave) and pulsed laser according to the oscillation type, and it can be broadly divided into IR, visual and UV laser according to the wavelength. CW laser does not have peak power and hardening process occurs only by energy supply. Pulsed laser oscillates high peak power to pulse duration shorter than nano cesond to generate instantaneous curing . On the other hand, in the case of IR and visual, it is a radiation hardening which is absorbed by an object to generate heat and cures. In the case of UV, a reactive curing occurs which is absorbed by an object with high photon energy and destroys a chemical bond.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a bias unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a pattern line forming principle according to an intermediate level in which a potential difference of a high level and a low level is zero.

2, a bias unit 300 for generating bias signals of various waveforms according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a waveform generating unit 310 for generating a predetermined waveform, And an amplification unit 320 for amplifying the generated waveform. The apparatus may further include an observing unit 330 that observes at least one of the waveforms of the waveform generating unit 310 and the amplifying unit 320 in real time.

The waveform generator 310 may include at least one waveform generator 311 and a DC generator 312. That is, at least one waveform generator 311 generates a predetermined waveform in which a high level and a low level having a predetermined potential difference are repeated in a predetermined cycle, and the direct current generator 311 generates a predetermined waveform, which is outputted from the waveform generator 311, DC voltage is mixed with the waveform so that the waveform has a predetermined potential or higher. The waveform generator 311 generates at least two basic waveforms such as a sinusoidal wave and a cosine wave, mixes them, and outputs a bias signal of a predetermined waveform at a predetermined period and time. Further, the direct current generator 312 adds a direct current component so that the low level of the bias signal generated from the waveform generator 311 has a potential equal to or higher than 0V. Therefore, a waveform of a predetermined type in which the high level and the low level are repeated at a predetermined period and time and the low level is at least 0 V or less can be generated from the waveform generating unit 310. [

On the other hand, the potential of the bias signal generated by the waveform generator 310 does not have a potential difference large enough to generate a potential difference between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10. Accordingly, the amplification unit 320 amplifies the level of the bias signal generated by the waveform generation unit 310, and has a potential difference between the nozzle 250 and the substrate 10 so that an electric field can be generated.

The observation unit 330 observes a predetermined waveform generated through the waveform generation unit 310 and the amplification unit 320 in real time. That is, the observation unit 330 can observe the bias signal generated by the waveform generation unit 310, or can observe the bias signal amplified by the amplification unit 320, and the waveform generation unit 310 and the amplification unit 320, Can be observed. The waveform of the bias signal observed by the observation unit 330 can be displayed to the user through the control unit 700 and the display.

The bias unit 300 as described above can generate a bias signal that maintains a high level for a predetermined time and repeats waveforms that maintain a low level for a predetermined time periodically. Here, the low level does not necessarily mean the ground potential, i.e., OV, but may mean that the potential is lower than the high level. For example, when the high level is + 100V, the low level can be + 50V, 0V, -50V, -100V, and so on. According to the bias signal thus generated, the size of the ink droplet discharged from the nozzle 250, the discharging time and interval of the ink droplet can be adjusted, and thus pattern lines of various shapes can be formed on the substrate 10. That is, the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle 250 can be adjusted according to the waveform of the bias signal, the magnitude of the potential difference, the period, and the like, and the size of the dots formed on the substrate 10 can be controlled by the ink. Further, a pattern line having a predetermined line width and length may be formed by superimposing dots. Accordingly, a bias signal having various waveforms can be applied according to the line width, the length, and the like of the pattern to be formed on the substrate 10. Here, the amount of ink ejected according to the period of the bias signal can be adjusted, and the size of the dot can be adjusted accordingly. For example, the shorter the periods of the high level and the low level, that is, the shorter the holding time of the high level and the low level, the smaller the dot size, and the longer the holding time of the high level and the low level, can do. That is, a predetermined amount of ink droplets can be ejected in one cycle of a high level and a low level. The shorter the period of the bias signal is, the smaller the amount of the ink droplet is and the smaller the size of the dot. The size of the dot can be large. Further, the amount of the ink droplet can be adjusted according to the potential difference between the high level and the low level, and the size of the dot can be adjusted accordingly. That is, the larger the potential difference between the high level and the low level, the larger the dot size, and the smaller the potential difference, the smaller the dot size. For example, when the high level is +100 V, as the low level is reduced to +50 V, 0 V, and -50 V, the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle unit 250 increases, and accordingly, the dot size may increase. The interval between the bias periods is 0V, that is, the intermediate level between the high level and the low level is provided, so that the ejection interval of the ink can be adjusted, and the interval of the dots can be adjusted accordingly. That is, the longer the intermediate level time is, the longer the ink ejection interval becomes and the longer the dot interval becomes, and the shorter the intermediate level time, the shorter the ink ejection interval becomes, and the interval between the dots becomes shorter.

Further, by adjusting the time of the intermediate level, the end of one dot can be in contact with the end of another dot, and dots can be formed to overlap in a predetermined area. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a period in which a potential difference of a preset time is 0, that is, an intermediate level is inserted in the middle of a bias signal generated in the bias unit 300, (a1) can be adjusted, and the distance between the dots formed through the dots can be reduced, thereby forming a wiring pattern in which dots and dots are connected. That is, as shown in Fig. 3 (b), the edges of adjacent dots can be brought into contact (a2), and adjacent dots can be overlapped with a predetermined width as shown in Fig. 3 (c) . Accordingly, a desired pattern can be uniformly formed on the substrate 10, a very fine line width can be stably formed, and the control thereof can be facilitated. Accordingly, the discharge amount and discharge time of the ink can be adjusted by adjusting the period of the bias signal, the potential difference, the time of the intermediate level, and the like, thereby forming pattern lines of various line widths and lengths. For example, when the line width is narrow and a long pattern line is formed, the potential level difference between the high level and the low level can be reduced, and the intermediate level time can be adjusted so that at least part of one dot and the other dot are in contact or overlap.

4 is a configuration diagram of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, a control unit 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input / output unit 710 connected to each component of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention for inputting / outputting data, A data storage unit 720 in which data for controlling the driving of the nozzle unit 200 is stored and a control unit 700 for receiving data from the optical unit 500 and the inspection unit 600 through the input / output unit 710, The bias unit 300, the pneumatic unit 400, and the like, and supplies the generated control signals to the input / output unit 710 through the input / output unit 710.

The input / output unit 710 is provided for data input / output between the control unit 700 and other structures of the pattern forming apparatus. The input / output unit 710 may include an input unit (not shown) for inputting data from the outside and an output unit (not shown) for outputting the control signal to the outside. The input unit can be connected to the optical unit 500 and the inspection unit 600, and can receive the data output therefrom. That is, the input unit receives the image photographed by the optical unit 500, and receives data supplied from the inspection unit 600. The image photographed at the optical unit 500 can be displayed in real time through the display and the data supplied from the inspection unit 600 can be used for forming and repairing the pattern line. The output unit is connected to the stage 100, the nozzle unit 200, the bias unit 300, the air pressure unit 400, the optical unit 500, the inspection unit 600, As shown in FIG.

The data storage unit 720 stores data for driving and controlling the pattern line forming apparatus. For example, in the data storage unit 720, the line width and length of the pattern line, the ink discharge amount, and the discharge time can be stored. Further, a bias signal according to the discharge amount of the ink and the discharge time can be stored. Here, the bias signal may store a potential difference, a period, a time, etc. of a high level and a low level, a period and a time of an intermediate level, and the like. The data storage unit 720 may store a bias signal according to the ink component. That is, in the data storage unit 720, the line width and length of the pattern, the ink component, the discharge amount, the discharge time, and the bias signal for the pattern can be matched and stored, respectively. The data stored in the data storage unit 720 may be stored by the user before the start of the process, and continuously updated during or after the process.

The control unit 730 generates control signals for controlling the respective sections of the pattern forming apparatus, and supplies the control signals to the respective units through the input / output unit 710. That is, the control unit 730 controls the driving of the stage 100, the nozzle unit 200, the bias unit 300, the air pressure unit 400, the optical unit 500, the inspection unit 600, And supplies it through the output unit of the input / output unit 710. [ In addition, the controller 730 determines the position, line width, and length of the pattern line to be formed or the pattern line to be repaired, and can refer to the data stored in the data storage unit 720 so that a process under appropriate conditions can be performed. That is, the control unit 730 determines the position, line width, and length of the pattern line to be formed or the pattern line to be repaired using the data supplied from the optical unit 500 and the inspection unit 600, And acquires an appropriate bias signal by referring to the storage unit 730 and supplies a control signal to the bias unit 300 to generate a corresponding bias signal.

As described above, according to the present invention, a bias signal of various waveforms is generated from the bias unit 300 and applied to the nozzle unit 200, thereby forming a pattern line on the substrate 10 without connecting the ground electrode to the substrate 10 Or repair defects. In addition, the discharge amount of the ink can be adjusted by adjusting the potential difference, the period, and the intermediate level time of the bias signal, thereby forming pattern lines of various line widths or repairing defects. Therefore, the present invention can form a pattern line without a vacuum chamber, and can form a uniform extreme fine pattern line compared with a conventional piezoelectric element or an ink jet apparatus using air pressure. In addition, it is possible to form a pattern line without using a grounding electrode or a charging electrode, thereby simplifying the apparatus, preventing contamination and damage of the substrate due to the grounding structure, and changing irregular discharge amount And instability can be prevented.

Inkjet  Method and Electricity Hydraulics  Comparison of methods

5 (a), 5 (b) and 5 (c)) of the piezoelectric element inkjet method, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view for explaining a conventional piezoelectric inkjet method. Fig. In the conventional piezoelectric element inkjet method, as shown in Fig. 5 (a), the pressure generated by the piezoelectric element spreads on the surface of the ink droplet so that the ink droplet becomes large, and at the same time, The ink and the nozzle are separated and ejected at the moment when the force with which the ink is applied is eliminated. As a result, the limit of controlling the pattern line as shown in Fig. 5 (c) is several tens of 탆.

6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c) show the principle of the electrohydraulic method FIG. As shown in Fig. 6 (a), the electrohydraulic method draws the ion component in the ink toward the charged substrate using the potential difference between the nozzle and the substrate, and as shown in Fig. 6 (b) Only a part of the ink surface is separated by the Taylor-Cone Shape to form a very small droplet, and a pattern of 2 탆 or less can be formed as shown in FIG. 6 (c).

Electricity Hydraulics  Comparison between the conventional and the present invention

7 is a photograph of a pattern formed by a conventional method of connecting a ground electrode to a substrate and applying a DC voltage to the nozzle unit. As shown in FIG. 7, since a non-uniform electric field is formed due to the difference in conductivity between the non-conductive portion of the substrate surface and the metal wiring, the continuous fine pattern can not be formed.

8 is a photograph of a pattern formed by applying a bias signal to a nozzle unit without connecting a ground electrode to a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the ground electrode is not applied to the substrate, a uniform electric field can be formed between the non-conductive portion of the substrate and the nozzle unit to which the bias signal is applied, thereby forming a uniform pattern. Here, the bias signal is generated by sequentially generating a negative potential difference and a positive potential difference. This is because there is no ground electrode to eliminate the charge that is charged. For example, a bias signal is applied to a pulse waveform in which -100 V and +100 V are alternately applied when the potential of the substrate is 0V.

The pattern shape according to the shape of the bias of the present invention

FIGS. 9 to 11 are diagrams showing a waveform of a bias signal according to an embodiment of the present invention and pattern shapes formed by ink ejected therefrom.

As shown in FIG. 9, when a square-shaped bias signal is applied to the nozzle unit, ink droplets of a size corresponding to each signal are ejected, and a section having a potential difference of 0 is provided in the middle of the signal, have. In addition, it can be seen that the size of the ink droplet ejected varies depending on the type of the supplied bias signal, for example, the shape of the waveform, the magnitude of the potential difference, the frequency, and the like. And it is possible to discharge ink of various sizes which is impossible in an electrohydraulic method of applying AC power. Accordingly, it is possible to form a fine line width of the pattern and a pattern of various line widths.

10 and 11 show patterns formed on the substrate when a continuous bias signal is applied to the nozzle unit, FIG. 10 shows a pattern line pattern when the bias signal is a square wave, and FIG. 11 shows patterns . It can be seen that the same ink is used and the ejection conditions are the same, and the line width of the pattern formed when the signal is a square wave and when it is sawtooth is different. Since the shape of the pattern including the line width of the pattern formed in accordance with the bias signal is changed according to the bias signal, according to the present invention, the bias signal is supplied to the nozzle differently according to the type of the ink and the pattern to be formed on the substrate, Can be precisely formed.

However, when a continuous bias signal is applied, a non-uniformly thick part may occur as shown in part A and part A of FIG. This may occur depending on the characteristics of the ink or the discharge environment. However, as the continuous bias signal is supplied to the nozzles, discharge and discharge stop are repeated at the end of the nozzle, and thus the accumulated ink is discharged at one time to be. This phenomenon can be prevented by ejecting only the ink having the size corresponding to the shape of the bias signal by providing the interval in which the potential difference is zero in the middle of the bias signal, that is, the intermediate level. In addition, a uniform fine line width pattern can be realized by appropriately setting the length of the intermediate level.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing patterns formed by adjusting the potential difference of the bias signal to 0, that is, the length of the intermediate level. FIG. FIG. 12 shows that individual dots are formed instead of continuous pattern lines when the length of time in which the potential difference of the bias signal is 0 is long. If the interval where the potential difference of the signal is 0 is shortened, A continuous pattern is formed as shown in FIG.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of forming a pattern line according to an embodiment of the present invention.

14, a method of forming a pattern line according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a step (S110) of moving a stage 100 on which a substrate 10 is placed, A step S140 of selecting a bias signal according to a line width and a length of the pattern line, a step S140 of generating a bias signal and applying the bias signal to the nozzle unit 200, A step S150 of forming a pattern line on the substrate 10 by the ink ejected from the unit 200 and a step S160 of confirming whether the pattern line is normally formed.

S110: When the substrate 10 is placed on the stage 100, the control unit 700 applies a control signal to the stage 100 so that the stage 100 can move up and down. That is, the control unit 730 of the control unit 700 generates a control signal and applies it to the driving unit of the stage 100 through the input / output unit 710 to move the stage 100 up and down.

S120: A region for forming a pattern line on the substrate 10 or a region to be repaired is determined. At least one of the optical unit 500 and the inspection unit 600 may be used for this purpose. That is, the optical unit 500 photographs the substrate 10 placed on the stage 100 and displays it on the display so that the user can confirm the pattern line forming area or the repair area. Of course, the control unit 700 may set the pattern line forming area or the repair area using the image provided from the optical unit 500. [ The photographing of the substrate 10 using the optical unit 500 may be performed during the movement of the stage 100 or may be performed after the stage 100 is stopped. At this time, an enlarged image of a pattern formed on the substrate 10 may be displayed on the display. In addition, the repair area can be determined using the inspection unit 600. It is determined whether a signal applied through the probe is transmitted to the signal line by connecting the probe to one side of the already formed pattern line and connecting the signal line to the other side The defect of the pattern line can be inspected.

S130: The control unit 700 confirms the line width and length of the pattern line to be formed or the line width and length of the area to be repaired, and selects the waveform of the bias signal corresponding thereto. That is, the control unit 730 of the control unit 700 calculates the line width and the length of the pattern line to be formed or the area to be repaired, and calculates the waveform of the bias signal corresponding to the line width and the length of the data stored in the data storage unit 720 Select.

S140: The control unit 700 supplies a control signal to the bias unit 300 to generate a bias signal according to the line width and the length of the pattern formed on the substrate 10 or the pattern to be repaired.

S150: The bias unit 300 generates a bias signal of a predetermined waveform according to the control signal of the control unit 700 and applies the generated bias signal to the nozzle unit 200, thereby discharging ink from the nozzle 250 of the nozzle unit 200 do. At this time, air pressure may be provided to the nozzle unit 200 through the pneumatic unit 500. Since a predetermined bias signal is supplied from the bias unit 300 to the nozzle unit 200, a predetermined bias signal is applied to the substrate 10 by the ink discharged from the nozzle unit 200 without connecting the ground electrode to the substrate 10 Pattern lines are formed or defects are repaired. In addition, a process in which ink is ejected from the nozzle unit 200 and a process in which a pattern line is formed on the substrate 10 can be photographed by the optical unit 500 and displayed through a display.

S160: The inspection of the pattern line or the repaired pattern formed on the substrate 10 is carried out using the inspection unit 500. That is, after the pattern line formation or repair is completed, it is confirmed whether or not they are normally performed. As a result, if the pattern or repair is not normal and the defect occurs again in the middle, the line width and length of the defect are determined and a predetermined bias is supplied to the nozzle unit 200 through the bias unit 300, So that the ink is ejected.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100: stage 200: nozzle unit
300: Bias generation unit 400: Pneumatic unit
500: optical unit 600: inspection unit
700: control unit

Claims (11)

A stage on which a substrate is placed;
A nozzle unit positioned above the substrate and forming a pattern line by ejecting ink onto the substrate;
And a bias unit for generating and applying to the nozzle unit a bias signal of a predetermined waveform in which signals of a high level and a low level are repeated at a predetermined time and interval,
An electric field is formed between the substrate and the nozzle unit without applying a ground potential to the substrate by the bias signal,
Wherein the ejection amount and the ejection time of the ink ejected from the nozzle unit are adjusted according to the waveform of the bias signal, the potential difference and the period of the high level and the low level.
The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an optical unit for visual inspection of the pattern line;
An inspection unit for electrically inspecting the pattern line;
A pneumatic unit for applying a pneumatic pressure to the nozzle unit,
A solvent supply unit for vaporizing the solvent used in the ink and jetting the solvent toward the end of the nozzle unit;
And a curing unit for curing a pattern line formed on the substrate.
The biasing unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A waveform generator for generating a first bias signal;
An amplifier for amplifying the first bias signal to generate a second bias signal;
And an observing unit that observes at least one of the first and second bias signals.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the waveform generator comprises: a waveform generator for generating a signal of a predetermined waveform;
And a DC generator for generating a DC voltage to increase the level of the signal generated by the waveform generator.
The pattern line forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an intermediate level in which the potential difference between the high level and the low level is 0, and the discharging interval of the ink is adjusted according to the intermediate level time.
The pattern line forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the line width and length of the pattern line are adjusted in accordance with a discharge amount, an interval, and an ejection time of the ink.
5. The pattern line forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a control unit for controlling at least one of the stage, the nozzle unit, the bias unit, the optical unit, the inspection unit, the pneumatic unit, the solvent supply unit, and the curing unit.
8. The control apparatus according to claim 7,
An input / output unit for inputting and outputting control signals and data,
A data storage unit for storing the line width and the length of the pattern line and the waveform data of the bias signal,
And a control unit for selecting a waveform of a bias signal for forming the pattern line using the data stored in the data storage unit and controlling the bias unit through the input / output unit.
Placing the substrate on a stage;
Determining an area on the substrate where a pattern line is to be formed;
Determining a line width and a length of the pattern line, and generating a corresponding bias signal;
Applying the bias signal to a nozzle unit;
And ejecting ink from the nozzle unit to form a pattern line on the substrate,
An electric field is formed between the substrate and the nozzle unit without applying a ground potential to the substrate by the bias signal,
Wherein a discharge amount and an ejection time of the ink ejected from the nozzle unit are controlled according to a waveform of the bias signal, a potential difference and a period of the high level and the low level.
The method according to claim 9, further comprising an intermediate level in which the potential difference between the high level and the low level is 0, and the ejection interval of the ink is adjusted according to the intermediate level time.
The pattern line forming method according to claim 10, wherein line width and length of the pattern line are adjusted according to a discharge amount, an interval, and an ejection time of the ink.

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