JP2013026603A - Printing device, printing system, printing method and computer readable storage medium recording program for executing printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing device capable of improving printing accuracy and achieving downsizing and power saving of the device by suppressing intrusion of air bubbles between a printed substrate and a stamp.SOLUTION: A printing device 10 for printing a print material on a printed substrate 1 by bringing the printed substrate 1 and a stamp member 2 into contact with each other includes: moving mechanisms 30, 50 which bring the printed substrate 1 held by a first holding mechanism 20 and the stamp member 2 held by a second holding mechanism 40 into contact with each other under atmospheric pressure by relatively moving one of the first holding mechanism 20 and the second holding mechanism 40 with respect to the other; and a suction mechanism 60 which makes the stamp member 2 sucked to the printed substrate 1 by evacuating a gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp member 2 in the state that the printed substrate 1 and the stamp member 2 coming into contact with each other are under the atmospheric pressure.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a printing system, a printing method, and a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing the printing method is recorded.

  In recent years, integration (miniaturization) of semiconductor integrated circuits has progressed. In order to form this fine semiconductor integrated circuit, a pattern corresponding to a desired semiconductor integrated circuit is formed by forming a mask pattern made of resist by photolithography technology, for example, and performing etching using the formed mask pattern as a mask. Is used. At this time, in the exposure step, exposure is performed by a stepper or the like using, for example, an ArF excimer laser beam having a short wavelength as a light source in order to further improve the accuracy. For this reason, an apparatus cost or a cost for manufacturing a mask such as a reticle is increasing.

  On the other hand, instead of the photolithography technique, a method of forming a pattern by a printing method, for example, a method of forming a pattern by an imprint method is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this imprinting method, a stamper on which unevenness (surface shape) corresponding to the unevenness of the pattern to be formed is formed is embossed on the surface of the substrate to be printed, and a fine pattern is formed at low cost. be able to.

  In such an imprint method, it is necessary to align the relative positions of the stamper and the substrate to be printed with high accuracy before the stamper is embossed on the substrate to be printed.

  As a method for aligning the stamper and the substrate to be printed, an alignment pattern is provided on each of the surface of the stamper and the surface of the substrate to be printed, and the alignment pattern is optically observed to make the relative relationship between the stamper and the substrate to be printed. Methods for aligning positions are known. Alternatively, a method is known in which alignment pins are inserted into center holes having substantially the same diameter provided in both the stamper and the substrate to be printed.

JP 2008-12858 A

  However, in the printing method such as the imprint method described above, when the stamper and the substrate to be printed are brought into contact with each other in an aligned state, bubbles may enter between the stamper and the substrate to be printed. If bubbles remain between the stamper and the substrate to be printed, there is a problem that a pattern cannot be formed with high accuracy.

  In order not to leave bubbles between the stamper and the substrate to be printed, it is conceivable to contact the stamper and the substrate to be printed under a reduced pressure atmosphere. In the example shown in Patent Document 1, the chamber in which the substrate to be printed and the stamper are arranged is decompressed by the decompressing means. However, since the entire chamber is depressurized, a space for depressurizing becomes large, and it is difficult to reduce the size and power consumption of the apparatus.

  Further, the above-described problem is not limited to the case where the stamper is pressed against the substrate to be printed on which the printing material is applied, and the printing material in the pressed portion is removed to print the pattern. The above-described problems are common problems when, for example, a pattern is printed by bringing a stamp coated with a printing material into contact with a member to be printed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and by suppressing air bubbles from entering between the substrate to be printed and the stamp, it is possible to improve printing accuracy and reduce the size and power consumption of the apparatus. Provided are a printing apparatus, a printing system, and a printing method that can be realized.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is characterized by the following measures.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, in a printing apparatus that prints a printing material on the substrate to be printed by bringing the substrate to be printed and a stamp member into contact with each other, a first holding mechanism that holds the substrate to be printed; The second holding mechanism that holds the stamp member, and the first holding mechanism or the second holding mechanism is moved relative to the other to hold the stamp member in the first holding mechanism. A moving mechanism for bringing the printed substrate and the stamp member held by the second holding mechanism into contact with each other under atmospheric pressure, and the printed substrate and the stamp member being in contact with each other are large. A printing apparatus comprising: an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the stamp member to the printing substrate by evacuating a gap between the printing substrate and the stamp member in a state under atmospheric pressure. It is subjected.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, in a printing method for printing a printing material on the substrate to be printed by bringing the substrate to be printed and a stamp member into contact with each other, the first material is printed by the first holding mechanism. One of a first holding process for holding the substrate, a second holding process for holding the stamp member by a second holding mechanism, and a first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism by a moving mechanism. Is moved relative to the other to bring the printed substrate held by the first holding mechanism into contact with the stamp member held by the second holding mechanism under atmospheric pressure. In a state where the substrate to be printed and the stamp member in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the gap between the substrate to be printed and the stamp member is evacuated by an adsorption mechanism. , And a suction step of adsorbing the stamp member to the substrate to be printed, the printing method is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the printing accuracy and to reduce the size and power consumption of the apparatus by suppressing bubbles from entering between the substrate to be printed and the stamp.

1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment. In the printing stage of the printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, it is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which the to-be-printed substrate hold | maintained at the vacuum suction holding | maintenance board is contacting the stamp currently hold | maintained at the stamp holder. . It is a schematic plan view which shows the state of the to-be-printed substrate in each process of the printing method which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing (the 1) which shows the state of the to-be-printed substrate in each process of the printing method which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing (the 2) which shows the state of the to-be-printed substrate in each process of the printing method which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state of a to-be-printed substrate and a stamp when it presses sequentially toward an outer peripheral part from a center part. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the state of a to-be-printed substrate and a stamp when peeling sequentially from an outer peripheral part toward a center part. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the printing system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of a printing module. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of a printing unit.

Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
First, the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The printing apparatus according to the present embodiment prints a printing material applied to a stamp on a substrate to be printed by bringing the substrate to be printed into contact with the stamp.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows that the printed substrate 1 held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20 is in contact with the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 in the printing stage 11 of the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows a state.

  The printing apparatus 10 is provided with a vacuum suction holding plate 20, a moving mechanism 30, a stamp holder 40, a vertical operation arm 50, and a vacuum pressing nozzle 60.

  The vacuum suction holding plate 20 is for holding the printed substrate 1 placed thereon by vacuum suction while the printed substrate 1 is placed on the upper surface. For example, in a suction stage (not shown), the substrate 1 to be printed is vacuum-sucked by the vacuum exhaust mechanism 21 through the suction hole 21 in a state where the suction hole 21 formed in the vacuum suction holding plate 20 is connected to a vacuum exhaust mechanism (not shown). To do. For example, the substrate 1 can be held by closing the lower side of the suction hole 21 by closing an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the vacuum suction holding plate 20 and disconnecting the vacuum exhaust mechanism.

  The substrate 1 to be printed is for transferring the printing material applied to the pattern formed on the stamp 2 by being brought into contact with the stamp 2. As the substrate 1 to be printed, for example, a substrate made of various materials such as a substrate made of an inorganic material such as glass or silicon, a substrate made of an organic material containing a polymer material such as plastic, or the like can be used.

  The vacuum suction holding plate 20 corresponds to the first holding mechanism in the present invention.

  The transport mechanism 30 is for moving the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the substrate 1 to be printed along the X direction in FIG. As the transport mechanism 30, for example, various transport mechanisms such as a belt transport mechanism and a roller transport mechanism can be used. A printing stage 11 is provided in the middle of the transport mechanism 30. The printing stage 11 stops the substrate 1 to be printed held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20, and contacts the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 on the substrate 1 to be printed that has been stopped. This is a region where the printing material applied to the stamp 2 is printed on the substrate 1 to be printed.

  As the stamp 2, a stamp used in a so-called microcontact printing method in which printing is performed by transferring a printing material applied to a pattern formed on the stamp 2 to the substrate 1 to be printed can be used. As the stamp 2, for example, a stamp having a line width pattern of 1 to 5 μm can be used. The stamp 2 is preferably made of an elastic member, and can be made of any one or more of various silicone rubbers including, for example, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

  The stamp holder 40 is for holding the stamp 2 by sucking the upper surface of the stamp 2. For example, the stamp 2 is vacuum-sucked by the vacuum exhaust mechanism via the suction hole 41 in a state where the suction hole 41 formed in the stamp holder 40 is connected to a vacuum exhaust mechanism (not shown) in a mounting stage (not shown) in advance. For example, the stamp 2 can be held by closing an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the stamp holder 40 to close the upper side of the suction hole 41 and disconnecting the vacuum exhaust mechanism.

  The stamp holder 40 corresponds to the second holding mechanism in the present invention.

  The vertical movement arm 50 holds the stamp holder 40 holding the stamp 2, and moves the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 up and down by moving the stamp holder 40 held up and down. The vertical movement arm 50 is movable in the Z direction in FIG. 2, is movable in the Y direction in FIG. 1, and is rotatably provided in the θ direction that is a rotation direction about the Z axis. Further, as described above, the transport mechanism 30 is provided so as to be movable in the X direction in FIGS. 1 and 2. Accordingly, the printed substrate 1 held on the vacuum suction holding plate 20 by the transport mechanism 30 and the vertical operation arm 50 and the stamp 2 held on the vertical operation arm 50 via the stamp holder 40 are in the X direction. , Y direction, Z direction and θ direction so as to be movable relative to each other. Further, the stamp holder 40 holding the stamp 2 is moved by the vertical movement arm 50 so that the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 can be conveyed to the coating mechanism 90 and the cleaning mechanism 100 described later. It has been.

  The transport mechanism 30 and the vertical operation arm 50 correspond to a moving mechanism in the present invention. Further, the transport mechanism 30 and the vertical movement arm 50 contact the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 under atmospheric pressure by moving either one of the vacuum suction holding plate 20 and the stamp holder 40 relative to the other. It is something to be made.

  The transport mechanism 30 and the vertical movement arm 50 are also used to align the relative positions of the substrate 1 to be printed and the stamp 2 in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions. It corresponds to.

  The vacuum pressing nozzle 60 directly evacuates the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 in a state where the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure. This is for adsorbing to the printed circuit board 1. The vacuum pressing nozzle 60 has a frame body 61 and a nozzle 62. The nozzle 62 may be provided with slit-like nozzle holes that are continuous along the outer periphery of at least one of the substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other. Alternatively, the nozzle 62 may be provided with nozzle holes at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of at least one of the substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other. An evacuation mechanism 63 for evacuating the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 is connected to the nozzle 62 via a nozzle pipe 66 provided with an opening / closing valve 64 and a flow rate adjustment valve 65 in the middle. ing.

Further, the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 adsorbs the stamp 2 to the substrate 1 to be printed, prints the printing material applied to the stamp 2 on the substrate 1 to be printed, and then forms a gas in the gap between the substrate 1 to be printed and the stamp 2. Is supplied, and the inside of the gap is pressurized to peel the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 from each other. Accordingly, the gas supply mechanism 67 for supplying gas to the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 is connected to the nozzle pipe 66 via the nozzle pipe 70 provided with the opening / closing valve 68 and the flow rate adjustment valve 69 on the way. Connected on the way. Further, for example, nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas can be used as the gas.

  In the present embodiment, an expansion / contraction mechanism 80, a coating mechanism 90, and a cleaning mechanism 100 may be further provided.

  The expansion / contraction mechanism 80 is for expanding and contracting the stamp 2 along a certain direction in a horizontal plane when the stamp 2 is made of an elastic member. As the expansion / contraction mechanism 80, for example, a first expansion / contraction mechanism 81 that expands / contracts the stamp 2 in the X direction and a second expansion / contraction mechanism 82 that expands / contracts the stamp 2 in the Y direction may be provided. As the first expansion / contraction mechanism 81, a mechanism in which the portions on both the front and rear sides of the printing stage 11 along the X direction are connected so as to be able to adjust the distance by a ball screw, for example, can be used. As the second expansion / contraction mechanism 82, a mechanism in which the front and rear side portions of the printing stage 11 are connected along the Y direction so as to be adjustable with a ball screw, for example, can be used.

  Depending on the printing process, patterns with different stamps may be overprinted. In this case, it is necessary to perform printing with a positional accuracy of 1 μm or less. By using the expansion / contraction mechanism 80 described above, not only the position of the stamp is aligned, but also when a certain stamp expands / contracts with respect to the substrate to be printed or another stamp due to the influence of temperature, printing material, etc. The expansion and contraction can be corrected. Alternatively, even when the substrate to be printed expands and contracts with respect to the stamp due to the influence of temperature, printing material, etc., the expansion and contraction can be corrected. Therefore, printing accuracy can be improved.

  The application mechanism 90 is for applying a printing material to the stamp 2. The application mechanism 90 may include an application unit 91 that applies a printing material to the stamp 2 and a supply unit 92 that supplies the printing material to the application unit 91. For example, the application unit 91 may include a storage tank in which a liquid containing a printing material is stored, and the printing material can be applied to the stamp 2 by immersing the stamp 2 in the storage tank. Alternatively, the application unit 91 may have a spray nozzle for spraying the printing material, and the printing material is applied to the stamp 2 by spraying a liquid containing the printing material onto the stamp 2 by the spray nozzle. be able to. The supply unit 92 includes, for example, a first supply unit 92a that supplies a printing material, a second supply unit 92b that supplies a solvent, and a printing material and a second supply unit that are supplied from the first supply unit 92a. It may have a mixing unit 92c that mixes the solvent supplied from 92b at a predetermined mixing ratio.

  For example, when silver is used as the printing material, for example, silver ink can be used as the liquid containing the printing material.

  The cleaning mechanism 100 is for cleaning the stamp 2. The cleaning mechanism 100 may include a first cleaning unit 101 and a second cleaning unit 102. For example, the first cleaning unit 101 may have a storage tank in which a cleaning liquid such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is stored, and the stamp 2 after printing is immersed in the storage tank, thereby remaining in the stamp 2. The printed material can be washed away. Further, the second cleaning unit 102 may include, for example, an ultraviolet lamp or an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus, and the stamp 2 from which the printing material is cleaned and removed by the first cleaning unit 101 is replaced with an ultraviolet lamp or an atmospheric pressure. Cleaning treatment can be performed by a plasma apparatus.

  Note that the printing apparatus 10 may include, for example, an arithmetic processing unit, a storage unit, and a display unit (not shown). The arithmetic processing unit is, for example, a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit is a computer-readable recording medium configured with, for example, a hard disk, in which a program for causing the arithmetic processing unit to execute various processes is recorded. A display part consists of a screen of a computer, for example. The arithmetic processing unit reads a program recorded in the storage unit, sends a control signal to each unit constituting the printing apparatus 10 according to the program, and executes a printing method as described later.

  Next, a printing method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 3A to 3E are schematic plan views showing the state of the substrate 1 to be printed in each step of the printing method according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A to FIG. 5C are schematic cross-sectional views showing the state of the substrate 1 to be printed in each step of the printing method according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 3, illustration of a coating mechanism, a cleaning mechanism, and the like is omitted for ease of illustration.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the substrate 1 to be printed is set on the vacuum suction holding plate 20. As described above, in a state where the suction hole 21 formed in the vacuum suction holding plate 20 is connected to a vacuum exhaust mechanism (not shown), the substrate 1 to be printed is vacuum-sucked through the suction hole 21 by the vacuum exhaust mechanism. Then, for example, the printing substrate 1 can be held by closing the lower side of the suction hole 21 by closing an unillustrated opening / closing mechanism provided on the lower surface of the vacuum suction holding plate 20 and disconnecting the vacuum exhaust mechanism ( First holding step). Then, the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the substrate 1 to be printed is carried into the printing stage 11 by the transport mechanism 30.

  At this time, while the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the substrate 1 to be printed is being carried into the printing stage 11 by the transport mechanism 30, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, by an ultraviolet lamp or an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus. The substrate to be printed 1 may be cleaned by the substrate cleaning mechanism 31. Then, the printed substrate 1 may be cleaned by passing the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the printed substrate 1 below the substrate cleaning mechanism 31 by the transport mechanism 30.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B, the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 is attached to the printing substrate 1 held on the vacuum suction holding plate 20 in the printing stage 11. For example, the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 is moved by a vacuum pressing nozzle moving mechanism (not shown), and the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 is attached so that the tip of the nozzle 62 is located at the outer periphery of the substrate 1 to be printed or the vicinity of the outer periphery of the stamp 2 to be contacted thereafter. .

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 4C, the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is moved onto the printing substrate 1 held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20. And the relative position with respect to the to-be-printed substrate 1 of the stamp 2 is aligned by the conveyance mechanism 30 and the up-and-down operation arm 50 (positioning process).

  The stamp 2 is held in advance by the stamp holder 40 (second holding step). Then, the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is transported to the coating unit 91 of the coating mechanism 90 by the vertical movement arm 50, and the stamp 2 is immersed in a storage tank provided in the coating unit 91. The printing material is applied to 2 (application process).

  As described above, the transport mechanism 30 and the vertical movement arm 50 can align the relative positions of the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 in the X direction, the Y direction, the Z direction, and the θ direction. Therefore, for example, relative positions in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction are aligned by the transport mechanism 30 and the vertical operation arm 50 with reference to the alignment mark formed on the substrate 1 to be printed and the stamp 2.

  When the expansion / contraction mechanism 80 is provided, the relative position in the X direction of the stamp 2 with respect to the substrate 1 to be printed can be made more accurate by expanding / contracting the stamp 2 in the X direction by the first expansion / contraction mechanism 81, for example. It can be aligned (stretching process). Further, when the expansion / contraction mechanism 80 is provided, the relative position in the Y direction of the stamp 2 with respect to the substrate 1 to be printed is made more accurate by expanding / contracting the stamp 2 in the Y direction by the second expansion / contraction mechanism 82, for example. Can be aligned.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, the stamp holder 40 is lowered by the vertical movement arm 50, whereby the stamp 2 held on the stamp holder 40 is held on the vacuum suction holding plate 20. 1 is contacted under atmospheric pressure (movement process). Then, in a state where the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 is directly evacuated by the vacuum pressing nozzle 60, whereby the stamp 2 is removed. It is made to adsorb | suck to the to-be-printed substrate 1 (adsorption process). Thereby, by suppressing bubbles from entering between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2, it is possible to improve printing accuracy and to reduce the size and power consumption of the apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 is directly evacuated so that the stamp 2 is pressed against the printed substrate 1 sequentially from the center of the stamp 2 toward the outer peripheral portion. You may make it do.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 when sequentially pressed from the central portion toward the outer peripheral portion.

  For example, the nozzle holes provided at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of the stamp 2 are divided into a plurality of groups, and individual vacuum exhaust mechanisms 63a to 63d are provided for each group. Alternatively, the nozzle pipe 66 is provided for each group, and the open / close valves 64a to 64d and the flow rate adjusting valves 65a to 65d are individually provided in the nozzle pipe 66. And the exhaust flow volume in each group is equalized by adjusting the exhaust capacity of the vacuum exhaust mechanisms 63a-63d or the opening degree of the flow control valves 65a-65d for each group. Thereby, the exhaust flow rate along the outer periphery of the stamp 2 can be adjusted to be substantially constant. Then, the printed substrate 1 and the stamp are sequentially pressed against the printed substrate 1 from the central portion of the stamp 2 (region I surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 6) toward the outer peripheral portion. 2 can be directly evacuated. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress bubbles from entering between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2.

  In this way, in a state where the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 is evacuated, and the stamp 2 is adsorbed to the printed substrate 1. By doing so, the printing material is printed on the substrate 1 to be printed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a gas is supplied to the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 by the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 and is pressurized. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the stamp holder 40 is lifted by the vertical movement arm 50, whereby the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20. Peel from 1. That is, the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 peels the stamp 2 from the printed substrate 1 while supplying gas to the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 (peeling step). Further, as shown in FIG. 3D, the stamp holder 40 and the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 are retracted from directly above the printing stage 11. Thereby, the to-be-printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 can be peeled easily.

  In the present embodiment, gas is supplied to the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 so that the stamp 2 is sequentially peeled from the outer peripheral portion of the stamp 2 toward the central portion from the printed substrate 1. You may pressurize.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of the printing substrate 1 and the stamp 2 when being sequentially peeled from the outer peripheral portion toward the central portion.

  For example, the nozzle holes provided at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of the stamp 2 are divided into a plurality of groups, the nozzle pipes 70 are provided for each group, and the on-off valves 68a to 68d and the flow rate adjusting valve 69a are individually provided in the nozzle pipe 70. -69d are provided. And the supply flow rate of the gas from gas supply mechanism 67a-67d in each group is equalized by adjusting the opening degree of the flow volume adjustment valve 69a-69d for every group. Thereby, the supply flow rate of the gas along the outer periphery of the stamp 2 is adjusted to be substantially constant. Then, the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 are sequentially peeled from the printed substrate 1 from the outer peripheral portion of the stamp 2 (region II surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 7) toward the central portion. The gas can be pressurized by supplying gas to the gap. Therefore, the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 can be more easily separated.

  Next, the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the substrate 1 to be printed is carried out of the printing stage 11 by the transport mechanism 30.

  At this time, in the middle of unloading the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the substrate 1 to be printed from the printing stage 11 by the transport mechanism 30, as shown in FIG. 3 (e), for example, a baking mechanism comprising a heater or an ultraviolet lamp. By 32, the printing material printed on the to-be-printed substrate 1 may be baked. And even if the printing material printed on the to-be-printed substrate 1 is baked by letting the vacuum suction holding plate 20 holding the to-be-printed substrate 1 pass below the firing mechanism 32 by the transport mechanism 30. Good.

  Further, the stamp 2 after printing is conveyed to the first cleaning unit 101 by the vertical movement arm 50 while being held by the stamp holder 40. Then, the printing material remaining on the stamp 2 can be cleaned and removed by immersing the stamp 2 in a storage tank provided in the first cleaning unit 101 (cleaning step). Next, the stamp 2 from which the printing material is washed and removed by the first washing unit 101 is conveyed to the second washing unit 102 by the vertical movement arm 50. Then, the stamp 2 can be cleaned by an ultraviolet lamp or an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus provided in the second cleaning unit 102.

  When the printing process is performed in the vacuum chamber as in the prior art, the stamp must be taken in and out of the vacuum chamber each time the printing material is applied to the stamp or washed, or the coating mechanism and the cleaning mechanism must be provided in the vacuum chamber. Don't be.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since a series of operations from application of the printing material to the stamp, cleaning, alignment, and printing are performed in the atmosphere, not only can the apparatus be simplified and miniaturized, but also the productivity can be greatly increased. Improvement can be achieved. In addition, when the stamp is made of an elastic member, it is possible to prevent intrusion of bubbles by sequentially pressing from the central portion toward the outer peripheral portion, and it is possible to correct thermal distortion by expanding and contracting the stamp. Can be obtained.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a printing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The printing system according to the present embodiment is the first embodiment in that a plurality of printing modules are stacked in the vertical direction, and the substrate to be printed held by the vacuum suction holding plate is conveyed by the transfer arm. This is different from the printing apparatus according to the above.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the printing system 10a according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the printing module M1. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the printing unit 11a. In FIG. 9, the vertical movement arms are not shown for ease of illustration.

  The printing system 10a includes shelf units U1 and U2 in which various modules are stacked. The shelf unit U1 includes, for example, a printing module M1 stacked in order from the bottom. The shelf unit U2 includes, for example, a substrate cleaning module M2 and a firing module M3 that are stacked two by two in order from the bottom. As shown in FIG. 8, a substrate transfer passage C is provided between the shelf unit U1 and the shelf unit U2. The substrate transfer passage C is provided with a transfer arm D that can move along the substrate transfer passage C and that can move up and down. A wafer W is transferred by the transfer arm D between the modules of the shelf units U1 and U2. The delivery arm D is preferably provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction, which is at least the stacking direction of the plurality of printing modules M1, and conveys the substrate 1 to be printed between each of the plurality of printing modules M1. Preferably there is.

  The printing module M1 corresponds to the printing apparatus in the present invention, and the transfer arm D corresponds to the transport arm in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the printing module M1 includes a printing unit 11a, a coating unit 90a, and a cleaning unit 100a. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the printing unit 11 a includes, for example, each mechanism provided on the printing stage 11 in the printing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. That is, the printing unit 11a is provided with a vacuum suction holding plate 20a, a stamp holder 40, a vertical movement arm 50, and a vacuum pressing nozzle 60. Further, the coating unit 90a and the cleaning unit 100a may be provided on opposite sides with respect to the printing unit 11a. Further, the coating unit 90a and the cleaning unit 100a have the same configurations as the coating mechanism 90 and the cleaning mechanism 100 in the first embodiment, respectively.

  The vacuum suction holding plate 20a is for holding the printed substrate 1 by vacuum suction with the printed substrate 1 placed on the upper surface. In the present embodiment, the vacuum suction holding plate 20a is fixed in the printing unit 11a. As shown in FIG. 10, the configuration of the vacuum suction holding plate 20a in the present embodiment is the same as that of the vacuum suction holding plate 20 in the first embodiment except that the configuration is fixed in the printing unit 11a. Can be. Further, the substrate 1 to be printed can be the same as that of the first embodiment.

  The vacuum suction holding plate 20a corresponds to the first holding mechanism in the present invention.

  The stamp holder 40 and the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 can be the same as the stamp holder 40 and the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 in the first embodiment. However, in the first embodiment, the stamp holder 40 and the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 are arranged on the opposite sides with respect to the printing stage 11, but in this embodiment, the stamp holder 40 and the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 May be arranged on the same side with the vacuum suction holding plate 20a as the center.

  The vertical movement arm 50 is movable in the Z direction in FIG. 10, is movable in the X direction and the Y direction in FIG. 9, and is rotatably provided in the θ direction that is a rotation direction around the Z axis. ing. Therefore, the printed substrate 1 held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20a by the vertical movement arm 50 and the stamp 2 held by the vertical movement arm 50 via the stamp holder 40 are in the X direction, the Y direction, It is movably provided in the Z direction and the θ direction. Further, by moving the stamp holder 40 holding the stamp 2 by the vertical movement arm 50, the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is provided so as to be conveyed to the coating unit 90a and the cleaning unit 100a. Yes.

  Alternatively, the vacuum suction holding plate 20a may be provided so as to be movable in the X direction, and the relative movement in the X direction may be performed by the vacuum suction holding plate 20a. At this time, the vacuum suction holding plate 20a and the vertical movement arm 50 correspond to a moving mechanism in the present invention. Further, the vacuum suction holding plate 20a and the vertical movement arm 50 move either the vacuum suction holding plate 20a or the stamp holder 40 relative to the other to bring the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 under atmospheric pressure. It is a thing made to contact with. The vacuum suction holding plate 20a and the vertical movement arm 50 are also used to align the relative positions of the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 in the X direction, the Y direction, the Z direction, and the θ direction. Corresponds to the alignment mechanism.

  Also in this embodiment, the expansion / contraction mechanism 80 may be provided. The expansion / contraction mechanism 80 can be the same as the expansion / contraction mechanism 80 in the first embodiment.

  The printing method according to the present embodiment can be performed in the same manner as the printing method according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 except for some processes.

  In the present embodiment, first, the printing substrate 1 is carried into the substrate cleaning module M2 made of, for example, an ultraviolet lamp or an atmospheric pressure plasma device by the delivery arm D, and the printing substrate 1 is cleaned by the substrate cleaning module M2. can do.

  Next, the substrate 1 to be printed is set on the vacuum suction holding plate 20a provided in the printing unit 11a by the delivery arm D. The printed substrate 1 held on the delivery arm D is placed on the vacuum suction holding plate 20a via lift pins (not shown) provided on the vacuum suction holding plate 20a. As in the first embodiment, the substrate 1 to be printed is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust mechanism through the suction hole 21 while the suction hole 21 formed in the vacuum suction holding plate 20a is connected to a vacuum exhaust mechanism (not shown). Adsorb. Then, for example, by closing an unillustrated opening / closing mechanism provided on the lower surface of the vacuum suction holding plate 20a, the lower side of the suction hole 21 is closed, and the vacuum exhaust mechanism is disconnected, thereby holding the substrate 1 to be printed (first first). Holding step).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the printing unit 11a, the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 is attached to the substrate 1 to be printed held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20a. The specific method can be the same as in the first embodiment.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the relative position of the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 with respect to the printing substrate 1 held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20a is aligned by the vertical operation arm 50. (Positioning process).

  The stamp 2 is held in advance by the stamp holder 40 (second holding step). Then, the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is transported to the coating unit 91 of the coating unit 90a by the vertical movement arm 50, and the stamp 2 is immersed in a storage tank provided in the coating unit 91, thereby stamping. The printing material is applied to 2 (application process).

  Then, for example, relative positions in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction are aligned by the vertical movement arm 50 with reference to the alignment marks formed on the substrate 1 and the stamp 2 (alignment process).

  As in the first embodiment, when the expansion / contraction mechanism 80 is provided, the relative position of the stamp 2 in the X direction and the Y direction with respect to the printing substrate 1 is further increased by expanding / contracting the stamp 2. It can be aligned with accuracy (stretching process).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5A, the stamp holder 40 is lowered by the vertical movement arm 50, whereby the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20a. The substrate 1 is brought into contact under atmospheric pressure (movement process). Then, in a state where the printing substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the stamp 2 is directly evacuated by the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 by the vacuum press nozzle 60. Is adsorbed to the printing substrate 1 (adsorption process). Also in the present embodiment, by suppressing bubbles from entering between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2, it is possible to improve printing accuracy and to reduce the size and power consumption of the apparatus.

  As in the first embodiment, the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 are pressed against the printed substrate 1 so that the stamp 2 is sequentially pressed from the center portion of the stamp 2 toward the outer peripheral portion. The gap may be directly evacuated. Thereby, it is possible to further suppress bubbles from entering between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2.

  In this way, in a state where the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 is evacuated, and the stamp 2 is adsorbed to the printed substrate 1. By doing so, the printing material is printed on the substrate 1 to be printed.

  Next, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), gas is supplied to the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 by the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 and pressurized. Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the stamp holder 40 is lifted by the vertical movement arm 50, whereby the stamp 2 held by the stamp holder 40 is held by the vacuum suction holding plate 20a. Peel from 1. That is, the vacuum pressing nozzle 60 peels the stamp 2 from the printed substrate 1 while supplying gas to the gap between the printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 (peeling step). Thereby, the to-be-printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 can be peeled easily.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the printed substrate 1 is peeled off from the printed substrate 1 sequentially from the outer peripheral portion of the stamp 2 toward the central portion. Gas may be supplied to the gap between the stamp 2 and the stamp 2 for pressurization. Thereby, the to-be-printed substrate 1 and the stamp 2 can be peeled off more easily.

  Next, the vacuum suction of the vacuum suction holding plate 20a is released, and the substrate 1 to be printed placed on the vacuum suction holding plate 20a is transferred to the transfer arm D via lift pins (not shown) provided on the vacuum suction holding plate 20a. Deliver. The transferred substrate 1 to be transferred is carried out of the printing unit 11a by the transfer arm D. Then, the transfer arm D is carried into the firing module M3 of the shelf unit U2 and subjected to heat treatment, whereby the solvent of the printing material is evaporated and dried, and the printed printing material can be fired. When the liquid containing the printing material is the silver ink described above in the first embodiment, it can be baked as silver by performing a heat treatment at 180 ° C. for 30 minutes, for example.

  Further, the stamp 2 after printing is conveyed to the first cleaning unit 101 provided in the cleaning unit 100 a by the vertical movement arm 50 while being held by the stamp holder 40. Then, the printing material remaining on the stamp 2 can be cleaned and removed by immersing the stamp 2 in a storage tank provided in the first cleaning unit 101 (cleaning step). Next, the stamp 2 from which the printing material is washed and removed by the first washing unit 101 is conveyed to the second washing unit 102 by the vertical movement arm 50. Then, the stamp 2 can be cleaned by an ultraviolet lamp or an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus provided in the second cleaning unit 102.

  According to the present embodiment, since the printing module M1, the substrate cleaning module M2, and the firing module M3 are vertically stacked, the exclusive area of the apparatus can be reduced. If each module is arranged in accordance with the time required for each process of printing, cleaning, and baking, the entire optimization can be achieved.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Can be modified or changed.

  For example, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the printing method is a so-called microcontact printing method in which printing is performed by transferring a printing material applied to a pattern formed on a stamp to a substrate to be printed. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the printing material applied to the stamp is printed on the substrate to be printed. Therefore, the stamper is pressed against the substrate to be printed on which the printing material is applied, and by removing the printing material applied to the portion corresponding to the convex portion of the pattern formed on the stamper among the substrate to be printed, The present invention can also be applied to an imprint method in which a pattern is printed on a substrate to be printed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printed substrate 2 Stamp 10 Printing apparatus 10a Printing system 20 Vacuum suction holding plate 30 Conveyance mechanism 40 Stamp holder 50 Vertical movement arm 60 Vacuum press nozzle 80 Extending mechanism 90 Coating mechanism 100 Cleaning mechanism

Claims (16)

In a printing apparatus that prints a printing material on the substrate to be printed by contacting the substrate to be printed and a stamp member,
A first holding mechanism for holding the substrate to be printed;
A second holding mechanism for holding the stamp member;
The printed substrate and the second holding mechanism held by the first holding mechanism by moving either one of the first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism relative to the other. A moving mechanism for contacting the stamp member held at a pressure under atmospheric pressure;
In a state where the printed substrate and the stamp member that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the gap between the printed substrate and the stamp member is evacuated to remove the stamp member from the printed substrate. A printing apparatus having an adsorption mechanism for adsorption.   The suction mechanism evacuates the gap so that the stamp member is sequentially pressed from the central portion of the stamp member toward the outer periphery with respect to the substrate to be printed. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is adsorbed to the substrate to be printed.   The said adsorption | suction mechanism peels the said stamp member from the said to-be-printed substrate, supplying gas to the clearance gap between the said stamp member and the to-be-printed substrate attracted | sucked to the said to-be-printed substrate. Or the printing apparatus of Claim 2. The stamp member is made of an elastic member,
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an expansion / contraction mechanism that expands and contracts the stamp member held by the second holding mechanism in a horizontal direction.   5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment mechanism that adjusts a relative position between the printed substrate held by the first holding mechanism and the stamp member held by the second holding mechanism. The printing apparatus in any one. The printing apparatus prints the printing material applied to the stamp member on the printed substrate by bringing the printed substrate and the stamp member into contact with each other.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an application mechanism that applies a printing material to the stamp member.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning mechanism that cleans the stamp member. A unit in which a plurality of the printing apparatuses according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are stacked in a vertical direction,
A printing system, comprising: a transport arm that is provided so as to be movable in a stacking direction of at least the plurality of printing apparatuses and that transports a substrate to be printed with each of the plurality of printing apparatuses. In a printing method for printing a printing material on the substrate to be printed by contacting the substrate to be printed and a stamp member,
A first holding step of holding the substrate to be printed by a first holding mechanism;
A second holding step of holding the stamp member by a second holding mechanism;
By moving one of the first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism relative to the other by a moving mechanism, the substrate to be printed and the second held by the first holding mechanism. A moving step of contacting the stamp member held by the holding mechanism under atmospheric pressure;
In a state where the substrate to be printed and the stamp member that are in contact with each other are under atmospheric pressure, the gap between the substrate to be printed and the stamp member is evacuated by an adsorption mechanism, whereby the stamp member is removed. A printing method comprising: an adsorption step for adsorbing the printed substrate.   In the suction step, the gap is evacuated by the suction mechanism so that the stamp member is sequentially pressed from the center portion of the stamp member toward the outer peripheral portion with respect to the printed substrate. The printing method according to claim 9, wherein the stamp member is attracted to the substrate to be printed.   The method includes a peeling step of peeling the stamp member from the substrate to be printed while supplying gas to the gap between the stamp member and the substrate to be printed that is attracted to the substrate to be printed by the suction mechanism. The printing method according to claim 9 or 10. The stamp member is made of an elastic member,
The printing method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, further comprising an expansion / contraction step of expanding / contracting the stamp member held by the second holding mechanism in a horizontal direction by an expansion / contraction mechanism.   An alignment step of aligning a relative position between the printed substrate held by the first holding mechanism and the stamp member held by the second holding mechanism by an alignment mechanism. The printing method according to claim 12. The printing method is to print the printing material applied to the stamp member on the printing substrate by bringing the printing substrate and the stamp member into contact with each other.
The printing method according to claim 9, further comprising an application step of applying a printing material to the stamp member by an application mechanism.   The printing method according to claim 9, further comprising a cleaning step of cleaning the stamp member by a cleaning mechanism.   A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to execute the printing method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

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