WO2016199696A1

WO2016199696A1 - Coating unit and coating device using same

Info

Publication number: WO2016199696A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/066597
Authority: WO
Inventors: 山中　昭浩
Original assignee: Ntn株式会社
Priority date: 2015-06-09
Filing date: 2016-06-03
Publication date: 2016-12-15
Also published as: TW201711757A; JP6514047B2; JP2017000947A

Abstract

A coating unit (10) is provided with: a coating needle (3) for coating the surface of a substrate (5) with a liquid material (4); a container (1) into which the liquid material (4) is injected, the bottom of said container (1) having a through hole (1b) through which it is possible to insert the tip (3a) of the coating needle (3); a seal member (6) that is provided to the bottom of the container (1) and that closes the through hole (1b); a linear guide (15) supporting the coating needle (3) and the container (1) so that it is possible to move said coating needle (3) and said container (1) relative to each other in the vertical direction; and a servomotor (11) and a cam (24) that lower the coating needle (3), open a hole (6a) in the seal member (6) using the tip (3a) of the coating needle (3), cause the tip (3a) of the coating needle (3) to protrude from the hole (6a), and apply the liquid material (4) injected into the container (1) to the tip (3a) of the coating needle (3). The seal member (6) prevents excess liquid material (4) from being applied to the tip (3a) of the coating needle (3) and exiting the container (1).

Description

Coating unit and coating apparatus using the same

The present invention relates to a coating unit and a coating apparatus using the coating unit, and more particularly to a coating unit that applies a liquid material to an object using a coating needle and a coating apparatus using the coating unit. More specifically, the present invention relates to an application unit that draws a conductive pattern on the surface of a substrate using an application needle, corrects an open defect in the conductive pattern, and applies a conductive adhesive. It is related with the coating device using.

In the field of semiconductor devices such as RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, printed electronics technology that forms fine circuits on the surface of a substrate by printing and coating methods is rapidly developing. As a method for forming a fine electrode pattern, there are a printing method, an inkjet method, a method using a coating needle, and the like. The method using an application needle has an advantage that a liquid material having a wide range of viscosity can be applied to a fine region.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-268353 (Patent Document 1) has a container in which a through hole is opened at the bottom thereof and a liquid material is injected, and a tip portion thereof has an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the through hole, An application needle for applying a liquid material to a defective part of the substrate surface, a linear guide member that supports the container and the application needle so as to be relatively movable up and down, and a container and the application needle are moved up and down relatively to penetrate. An application unit is disclosed that includes a drive unit that protrudes the tip of an application needle from a hole and attaches a liquid material to the tip.

JP 2007-268353 A

However, in the conventional application unit, if the application operation of the high-viscosity liquid material is repeated several times, a liquid material pool may be generated under the through-hole of the container, and the liquid material adhering to the tip of the application needle There was a problem that the amount of the liquid material applied to the surface of the substrate varied and the amount of the liquid material applied varied.

Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a coating unit capable of stably coating a liquid material many times and a coating apparatus using the coating unit.

An application unit according to the present invention includes an application needle for applying a liquid material to an object, and a container into which a liquid material is injected by opening a through-hole through which the tip of the application needle can be penetrated. A seal member provided at the bottom of the container for closing the through-hole, a linear guide member for supporting the application needle and the container so as to be relatively movable up and down, and moving the application needle and the container relatively up and down. , Provided with a drive unit for making a hole in the seal member by the tip of the application needle, projecting the tip of the application needle from the hole, and attaching the liquid material injected into the container to the tip of the application needle It is.

In the application unit according to the present invention, when the tip of the application needle protrudes from the hole of the seal member, the seal member prevents the excess liquid material from adhering to the outer periphery of the application needle and coming out of the container. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid material pool from being generated under the through hole of the container, and the liquid material can be stably applied many times.

It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the coating unit used as the foundation of this invention, and the coating method using the same. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the problem of the coating unit shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the coating unit by one Embodiment of this invention, and the coating method using the same. FIG. 4 is another cross-sectional view showing a coating method using the coating unit shown in FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the application | coating unit shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the liquid material coating device provided with the coating unit shown in FIG.

In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, first, a coating unit that is the basis of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 1A to 1C are cross-sectional views showing a main part of a coating unit and a coating method using the same. In FIG. 1A, the application unit includes a container 1, a lid 2, and an application needle 3.

The liquid material 4 is injected into the hole 1 a in the container 1. A through hole 1b is formed at the center of the bottom of the hole 1a. The hole 1a has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area decreases as it approaches the through hole 1b. Therefore, even when the amount of the liquid material 4 is small, the tip 3a of the application needle 3 can be immersed in the liquid material 4, which is economical. Further, since the through hole 1b is very small, there is almost no leakage of the liquid material 4 from the through hole 1b due to the surface tension of the liquid material 4 and the water repellency and oil repellency of the container 1. On the side surface of the container 1, a protrusion 1 c for supporting the container 1 is provided.

A through hole 2 a is formed in the center of the lid 2. The lid 2 seals the inside of the container 1 by closing the opening at the upper end of the container 1. The tip portion 3a of the application needle 3 has a tapered shape that becomes gradually narrower toward the tip. A circular flat surface is formed at the tip of the application needle 3. The application needle 3 includes a thin shaft portion 3b on the distal end side (lower side) and a thick shaft portion 3c on the proximal end side (upper side). The outer diameter of the thin shaft portion 3 b is set to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole 1 b at the bottom of the container 1. The outer diameter of the thick shaft portion 3 c is set to be approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole 2 a of the lid 2. The container 1, the lid 2, and the application needle 3 are arranged so that the central axis of the through hole 1b, the central axis of the through hole 2a, and the central axis of the application needle 3 coincide.

Next, how to use this coating unit will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, the tip of the application needle 3 is positioned at a predetermined position above a desired position on the surface of the substrate 5. At this time, the thick shaft portion 3 c of the application needle 3 passes through the through hole 2 a of the lid 2, and the tip portion 3 a of the application needle 3 is immersed in the liquid material 4 in the container 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the application needle 3 is lowered, the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 is projected from the through hole 1 b below the bottom of the container 1, and the tip of the application needle 3 is placed on the surface of the substrate 5. Contact. When the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 protrudes from the through hole 1 b to the bottom of the container 1, the liquid material 4 adheres to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3. When the tip of the application needle 3 comes into contact with the surface of the substrate 5, the liquid material 4 attached to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 is applied to the surface of the substrate 5. Next, as shown in FIG.1 (c), the application needle 3 is raised, the front-end | tip part 3a of the application needle 3 is immersed in the liquid material 4 in the container 1, and it waits.

Next, the problem of this application unit will be described. When a highly viscous liquid material 4 containing metal powder is used and positioning, coating, and waiting are repeated a plurality of times as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c), FIG. 2 (c) As shown, a liquid material pool 4a may be generated below the through hole 1b of the container 1. Since the liquid material 4 containing metal powder has a large specific gravity, the liquid material pool 4a tends to be easily generated. When the liquid material pool 4a is generated, the amount of the liquid material 4 adhering to the tip 3a of the application needle 3 changes every time the application operation is performed, and the amount of the liquid material 4 applied to the substrate 5 varies.

In a semiconductor device such as an RFID tag, in order to draw a fine circuit on the surface of the substrate 5, it is possible to stably apply a high-viscosity liquid material 4 containing metal powder many times. is necessary. The present invention can solve this problem.

3 (a) and 3 (b) are cross-sectional views showing the main part of the coating unit according to one embodiment of the present invention and a coating method using the same. 3A and 3B show an unused coating unit and a coating method using the same. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, A2 and B2 are enlarged views of A1 and B1, respectively.

In the unused application unit, as shown in FIG. 3A, a seal member 6 is attached to the lower end surface of the container 1. The seal member 6 has a size larger than the opening on the lower side of the through hole 1 b, and the through hole 1 b is closed by the seal member 6. The seal member 6 is formed of a synthetic resin film having a thickness of 100 μm or less. The outer peripheral part of the sealing member 6 is stuck around the opening part below the through-hole 1b in the lower end surface of the container 1 using, for example, an adhesive. A recess having a depth similar to the thickness of the seal member 6 may be formed in a region of the lower end portion of the container 1 where the seal member 6 is attached.

When applying using an unused application unit, the application needle is placed at a predetermined position above a desired position on the surface of the substrate 5 with the sealing member 6 attached as shown in FIG. 3. Position the tip of 3. At this time, the thick shaft portion 3 c of the application needle 3 passes through the through hole 2 a of the lid 2, and the tip portion 3 a of the application needle 3 is immersed in the liquid material 4 in the container 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the application needle 3 is lowered and a hole 6a is formed in the seal member 6 by the tip 3a of the application needle 3, and the tip of the application needle 3 is projected from the through hole 1b and the hole 6a. To contact the surface of the substrate 5. The diameter of the hole 6a of the seal member 6 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the thin shaft portion 3b of the application needle 3 (that is, the outer diameter of the thickest portion of the tip portion 3a). The hole 6a of the seal member 6 can suppress the excess liquid material 4 from adhering to the distal end portion 3a and the thin shaft portion 3b of the application needle 3 and being drawn out under the through hole 1b. It is possible to prevent the liquid material reservoir 4a from being generated below.

When the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 protrudes under the container 1 through the through hole 1 b and the hole 6 a, the liquid material 4 adheres to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3. When the tip of the application needle 3 comes into contact with the surface of the substrate 5, the liquid material 4 attached to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 is applied to the surface of the substrate 5. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1C, the application needle 3 is raised, and the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is immersed in the liquid material 4 in the container 1 to complete one application. This application unit can be used even after the hole 6a is opened in the seal member 6.

4 (a) to 4 (c) are cross-sectional views showing a main part of the coating unit used at least once and a coating method using the same. 4 (a) to 4 (c), C2, D2, and E2 are enlarged views of C1, D1, and E1, respectively.

In the coating unit used at least once, as shown in FIG. 4A, a hole 6a is opened in the seal member 6 attached to the lower end surface of the container 1. The hole 6a is opened by the application needle 3 as described above. The diameter of the hole 6a of the seal member 6 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the thin shaft portion 3b of the application needle 3 (that is, the outer diameter of the thickest portion of the tip portion 3a).

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the tip of the application needle 3 is positioned at a predetermined position above a desired position on the surface of the substrate 5. At this time, the thick shaft portion 3 c of the application needle 3 passes through the through hole 2 a of the lid 2, and the tip portion 3 a of the application needle 3 is immersed in the liquid material 4 in the container 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the application needle 3 is lowered, and the tip of the application needle 3 is protruded from the bottom of the container 1 through the through hole 1b and the hole 6a to come into contact with the surface of the substrate 5. At this time, since the inner side of the hole 6a of the seal member 6 and the outer peripheral surface of the application needle 3 are in close contact with each other, excess liquid material 4 adheres to the distal end portion 3a and the thin shaft portion 3b of the application needle 3 and passes through the through hole 1b. Pulling down is suppressed, and generation of the liquid material pool 4a under the through hole 1b is prevented.

When the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 protrudes under the container 1 through the through hole 1 b and the hole 6 a, the liquid material 4 adheres to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3. When the tip of the application needle 3 comes into contact with the surface of the substrate 5, the liquid material 4 attached to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3 is applied to the surface of the substrate 5. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4C, the application needle 3 is raised, and the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is immersed in the liquid material 4 in the container 1 and waits.

FIG. 5 (a) is a front view showing the entire configuration of the coating unit 10, and FIG. 5 (b) is a side view thereof. 5A and 5B, the coating unit 10 includes a servo motor 11 and an arm 12. The rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is arranged in the vertical direction with the tip facing downward. A columnar rotating portion 13 is fixed to the rotating shaft. A slope is formed at the lower end of the rotating portion 13. The arm 12 is arranged in the vertical direction along the back surface of the lower end portion of the servo motor 11, and the upper portion thereof is fixed to the lower end portion of the servo motor 11 by the support portion 14.

A linear guide 15 (linear motion guide member) including a rail portion and a slide portion is provided on the lower front surface of the arm 12. The rail part is fixed to the lower part of the arm 12 so as to be directed in the vertical direction. The slide part is supported so as to be movable up and down along the rail part. The movable part 16 is fixed to the upper part of the slide part, and the application needle holder fixing part 17 is fixed to the lower part. A fixed pin 18 is provided on the side surface of the movable portion 16 on the arm 12 side, and another fixed pin 19 is fixed to the arm 12 via a position adjusting portion 20 below the fixed pin 18. The distance between the fixing pins 18 and 19 can be adjusted by the position adjusting unit 20. A spring 21 is provided between the two fixing

pins

18 and 19, and the movable portion 16 is biased downward by the spring 21.

The side surface of the movable portion 16 is fixed to the cam 24 via the cam connecting plate 22 and the bearing 23. A slope is formed at the upper end of the cam 24. The slope of the upper end of the cam 24 is in contact with the slope of the lower end of the rotating unit 13. For example, when the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated from 0 degree to 180 degrees, the bearing 23 is lowered, and when the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated from 180 degrees to 360 degrees, the bearing 23 is raised. When the bearing 23 moves up and down, the movable portion 16 and the application needle holder fixing portion 17 move up and down along the rail portion of the linear guide 15. The servo motor 11, the rotating unit 13, and the cam 24 constitute a driving unit.

The application needle holder storage part 25 is fixed to the lower end of the application needle holder fixing part 17. A concave portion (not shown) is formed at the lower end of the application needle holder storage portion 25. The upper end of the application needle 3 is fixed perpendicularly to the center of the lower end of the application needle holder 26. A convex part (not shown) is formed on the upper part of the application needle holder 26. The convex portion of the application needle holder 26 is inserted into the concave portion of the application needle holder storage portion 25, and the application needle holder 26 is fixed to the application needle holder storage portion 25 with a screw.

The lid 2 is attached to the container 1 into which the liquid material 4 has been injected, the application needle 3 is inserted into the hole 2 a of the lid 2, and the metal pin 1 d on the protrusion 1 c on the side surface of the container 1 is the magnet at the lower end of the arm 12. (Not shown). The container 1 is fixed to the lower end of the arm 12 by the application needle 3 and the metal pin 1d.

Furthermore, an origin sensor 27 is provided on the side surface of the lower end portion of the servo motor 11. The origin sensor 27 detects an origin mark formed on the side surface of the cam 24 and outputs an origin position signal of the servo motor 11. Based on the output signal of the origin sensor 27, the servo motor 11 is initialized.

When the rotation angle of the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is 0 degree, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A, the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is a liquid material in the container 1. 4 is immersed. When the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated from 0 degree to 180 degrees, the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is inserted into the through-hole at the bottom of the container 1 as shown in FIGS. 3 (b) and 4 (b). It projects below the bottom of the container 1 through 1b and the hole 6a of the seal member 6. At this time, the liquid material 4 adheres to the tip 3 a of the application needle 3, and the liquid material 4 is applied to the surface of the substrate 5. When the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated from 180 degrees to 360 degrees, the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is returned into the container 1 and immersed in the liquid material 4 as shown in FIG. And enters a standby state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the liquid material coating apparatus 30 including the coating unit 10. In FIG. 6, the liquid material coating apparatus 30 includes an observation optical system 31, a CCD camera 32, and a coating unit 10. The observation optical system 31 includes a light source for illumination, an objective lens, and the like, and is used for observing the surface state of the substrate 5 and the state of the liquid material 4 applied by the application unit 10. An image observed by the observation optical system 31 is converted into an electric signal by the CCD camera 32. For example, the coating unit 10 corrects the conductive liquid material 4 by applying the conductive liquid material 4 to the disconnection portion generated in the wiring pattern formed on the substrate 5. The observation optical system 31, the CCD camera 32, and the coating unit 10 constitute a correction head unit.

The liquid material coating apparatus 30 further includes a Z stage 33 that moves the correction head portion in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the substrate 5 to be coated, and a Z-stage 33 mounted in the lateral direction (X-axis direction). The X-stage 34 is moved to (1)), the Y-stage 35 is mounted on the substrate 5 and moved in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction), the control computer 36 controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and the CCD camera 32. A monitor 37 for displaying an image and the like, and an operation panel 38 for inputting a command from an operator to the control computer 36 are provided. The stages 33 to 35 constitute a positioning device.

This apparatus configuration is an example. For example, a gantry that mounts a Z stage 33 on which an observation optical system 31 and the like are mounted on an X stage, further mounts an X stage on a Y stage, and moves the Z stage 33 in the XY direction. A configuration called a system may be used, and any configuration may be used as long as the Z stage 33 on which the observation optical system 31 or the like is mounted can be moved relative to the substrate 5 to be coated in the XY direction. .

Next, the operation of the liquid material application device 30 will be described. It is assumed that a desired application needle 3 and a container 1 filled with a desired liquid material 4 are set in advance in the application unit 10. The substrate 5 to be applied is set on the Y stage 35. Here, it is assumed that the liquid material 4 is applied to the broken portion generated in the wiring pattern formed on the substrate 5. The liquid material 4 is a conductive metal paste.

The surface of the substrate 5 is displayed on the screen of the monitor 37. The user of the liquid material application device 30 operates the buttons on the operation panel 38 while looking at the screen of the monitor 37, and an image of the center of the disconnected portion is displayed at a predetermined position (for example, the center) of the screen of the monitor 37. Thus, the stages 33 to 35 are controlled. When the center portion of the disconnection portion is arranged at a predetermined position, the coordinates of the stages 33 to 35 at that time are stored. Based on the coordinates, the distance between the optical axis of the observation optical system 31 stored in advance and the center axis of the application needle 3, and the distance between the focal position of the observation optical system 31 and the tip of the application needle 3. The stages 33 to 35 are controlled, and as shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A, the tip of the application needle 3 is disposed at a predetermined position above the disconnection portion.

Next, when the user instructs a coating operation using the operation panel 38, the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated. When the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated from 0 degree to 180 degrees, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B, the application needle 3 is lowered and the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is moved. The liquid material 4 that protrudes under the bottom of the container 1 through the through-hole 1b of the container 1 and the hole 6a of the seal member 6 and adheres to the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is applied to the disconnected portion of the surface of the substrate 5. . When the rotation shaft of the servo motor 11 is rotated from 180 degrees to 360 degrees, as shown in FIG. 4C, the application needle 3 is raised, and the tip 3a of the application needle 3 is the liquid material in the container 1. 4 is immersed in a standby state.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the tip portion 3a of the application needle 3 protrudes from the hole 6a of the seal member 6, excess liquid material 4 adheres to the outer peripheral portion of the application needle 3 and the container 1 Exiting to the outside is suppressed by the seal member 6. Further, since the hole 6a is formed in the seal member 6 using the application needle 3 in a state where the application needle 3 and the container 1 are attached to the application unit 10, the positional deviation between the application needle 3 and the hole 6a of the seal member 6 occurs. There is nothing. Therefore, even when a high-viscosity and high-mass metal paste is used as the liquid material 4, it is possible to prevent the liquid material pool 4a from being generated below the through-hole 1b of the container 1, and the liquid material 4 can be used many times. It can be applied stably.

Further, the liquid material 4 can be applied to an arbitrary position on the surface of the substrate 5 by controlling the X stage 34, the Y stage 35, and the Z stage 33.

In this embodiment, the case where the liquid material 4 is applied to the broken portion of the fine pattern formed on the surface of the substrate 5 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the application position is moved continuously. Thus, it goes without saying that a circuit such as an RFID tag can be drawn on the surface of the substrate 5, a conductive pattern can be drawn, or a conductive adhesive can be applied.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

1 container, 1a hole, 1b through-hole, 1c protrusion, 1d metal pin, 2 lid, 2a through-hole, 3 coating needle, 3a tip, 3b thin shaft, 3c thick shaft, 4 liquid material, 5 substrate, 6 Seal member, 6a hole, 10 coating unit, 11 servo motor, 12 arm, 13 rotating unit, 14 supporting unit, 15 linear guide, 16 movable unit, 17 coating needle holder fixing unit, 18, 19 fixing pin, 20 position adjustment Part, 21 spring, 22 cam coupling plate, 23 bearing, 24 cam, 25 application needle holder storage, 26 application needle holder, 27 origin sensor, 30 liquid material application device, 31 observation optical system, 32 CCD camera, 33 Z stage , 34 X stage, 35 Y stage, 36 control computer, 37 monitor, 38 operation panel.

Claims

An application needle for applying a liquid material to an object;
A container through which a liquid material is injected by opening a through-hole capable of penetrating the tip of the application needle at the bottom;
A seal member provided at the bottom of the container and closing the through hole;
A linear guide member that supports the application needle and the container to be relatively movable up and down;
The applicator needle and the container are moved up and down relatively, a hole is formed in the seal member by a tip portion of the applicator needle, the tip portion of the applicator needle protrudes from the hole, and is injected into the container An application unit comprising: a drive unit that attaches a liquid material to the tip of the application needle.
When the tip of the application needle protrudes from the hole of the seal member, the inside of the hole of the seal member and the outer peripheral surface of the application needle are in close contact with each other, and excess liquid material adheres to the tip of the application needle. The application unit according to claim 1, wherein the application unit is suppressed from coming out of the container.
The coating unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a diameter of the hole opened in the seal member is substantially equal to an outer diameter of a tip portion of the coating needle.
The coating unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seal member includes a synthetic resin film having a thickness of 100 µm or less.
The driving unit immerses the tip of the application needle in the liquid material in the container during standby, and lowers the application needle during application to lower the tip into the through-hole and the seal of the container. 2. The liquid material that protrudes from a hole of a member and adheres to the tip is applied to the object, and then the application needle is raised to immerse the tip in the liquid material in the container. The coating unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The object is a substrate;
An application unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
And a positioning device that arranges the coating unit at a predetermined position above a desired position on the surface of the substrate.