JP3636845B2 - Method for forming fine barrier ribs - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for forming fine barrier ribs required for barrier ribs in plasma display panels and other display panels.
[0002]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For example, in a plasma display panel, as shown in FIG. 4 simply, the front panel A and the back panel B are overlapped so that the striped electrodes A1 and B1 formed on both panels face each other at right angles, Light is emitted by causing discharge in the stripe-shaped or grid-shaped partition walls C at the intersections. The stripe-shaped or grid-shaped partition walls C are provided to prevent crosstalk of light and to make a screen contrast.
The barrier ribs are very fine. For example, in the case of a stripe shape, it is now required to be formed over the entire panel at an interval of about 100 μm with a width of about 30 μm and a height of about 200 μm. ing.
[0003]
The partition walls are generally formed by screen printing, but are obtained by so-called overprinting, in which the printing and drying of the glass paste are aligned and repeated about 10 times each time. As another method, there has been attempted a method in which a glass paste is applied to the entire surface of a glass substrate, coated with a photoresist, exposed and developed, sandblasted at a portion not covered with a resist pattern, and then fired.
[0004]
However, in the former method of forming a partition wall by screen printing, the alignment and screen distortion each time are major obstacles to making a fine pattern and a large screen. Further, in the latter method using sandblasting, nonuniformity in the blast depth is likely to be a major obstacle to making fine patterns and large screens.
On the other hand, circuit formation technology in so-called printed circuit boards has a long history, and all of its design technology, manufacturing method, manufacturing device, testing method, and testing device have been established. It is fully compatible with density and fine patterning.
[0005]
[Technical matters to be solved]
Therefore, the present applicant made various attempts based on the idea that the circuit formation technology in a so-called printed circuit board can be applied to a method for forming fine barrier ribs in a plasma display panel or the like. Therefore, the present invention intends to provide a new method for forming fine barrier ribs that can achieve a fine pattern and a large screen, which have been problems with conventional forming methods.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
That is, the method for manufacturing the fine partition wall according to claim 1 includes a step of forming a metal layer having a height of 100 μm to several hundreds of μm on a glass substrate in a fine stripe shape or a fine dot shape, and an air space portion where the metal layer does not exist. It is characterized by comprising a step of embedding a partition wall material, a step of curing the embedded partition wall material, and a step of removing the metal layer thereafter.
And by using such invention specific matters as means, a metal layer is formed as a gauge or template for embedding the partition wall material, and the fine stripe or fine dot metal layer is formed by a lithography method. In addition, the width of selection of the process means is widened, and management and control at the time of forming the fine partition walls are facilitated. Of course, a fine partition wall having a desired height can be obtained at a time without overprinting.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a fine partition wall, comprising: laminating a metal layer having a thickness of 100 μm to several hundreds of μm on a glass substrate; and forming a fine resist pattern on the metal layer; Removing a metal layer portion that is not covered to form a fine stripe-shaped or fine dot-shaped metal layer; embedding a partition wall material in the portion from which the metal layer has been removed; and curing the embedded partition wall material; And a step of removing the resist pattern and a metal layer under the resist pattern.
And by using such invention specific matters as a means, the metal layer as a gauge or template when embedding the partition material is obtained by various methods such as wet etching and dry etching after obtaining a resist pattern by various methods. Further, the range of selection of the process means is widened, and management and control during the formation of the fine barrier ribs are facilitated. Of course, a fine partition wall having a desired height can be obtained at a time without overprinting.
[0008]
Furthermore, in the method for producing fine barrier ribs according to claim 3, a copper foil having a thickness of 100 μm to several hundreds of μm is bonded and laminated on a glass substrate, and then the entire surface of the copper foil is covered with a photoresist. Forming a fine resist pattern by exposing to a desired pattern and developing, and etching a copper foil portion not covered with the resist pattern to form a copper foil layer in the form of fine stripes or fine dots And a step of embedding a partition wall material in the etched portion of the copper foil, a step of curing the partition wall material, and a step of removing and etching the resist pattern and the copper foil under the resist pattern. It is what.
And by using such invention specific matters as a means, the metal layer as a gauge or template when embedding the partition wall material is obtained by so-called photolithography of copper foil to obtain a resist pattern, and then wet etching or dry etching. Various etching methods and etchants can be selected and used, and the range of selection of process means is widened, so that management and control at the time of forming fine barrier ribs are facilitated. Of course, a fine partition wall having a desired height can be obtained at a time without overprinting.
[0009]
Furthermore, in addition to the above requirements, the method for producing a fine partition wall according to claim 4 is based on an organopolysiloxane having a methyl group or a phenyl group as the partition wall material, and includes an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, an oxime group, and the like. It is characterized in that an organosiloxane having a functional side chain is used as a crosslinking agent and a curing catalyst is added thereto.
And by using such invention specific matters as means, it is possible to cure and vitrify the partition wall material even at a relatively low temperature while ensuring good workability, and to obtain a fine partition wall of a desired height at a time. be able to.
[0010]
Furthermore, the method for producing a fine partition wall according to claim 5 similarly uses perhydropolysilazane as the partition wall material.
And by using such invention specific matters as a means, it is possible to cure and vitrify the partition wall material even at a relatively low temperature while ensuring good workability. Can be obtained.
[0011]
Furthermore, in addition to the above requirements, the method for manufacturing the fine barrier ribs according to claim 6 performs a step of curing the embedded barrier rib material and a step of removing the resist pattern in a series of heating steps. It is characterized by that.
And by using such an invention specific matter as a means, two process actions can be performed in one process, and the process can be simplified.
[0012]
Furthermore, in addition to the above requirements, the method of manufacturing a fine partition wall according to claim 7 is characterized in that the glass substrate is a glass substrate for a plasma display panel.
And by using such invention specific matters as means, it is possible to obtain the fine barrier ribs in the plasma display panel at a desired height at once without overprinting, and to be able to cope with fine patterning and large screens. it can.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described as an example, and the method for forming a fine partition wall of the present invention will be described by interweaving various embodiments.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a glass substrate for a plasma display panel, on which a striped transparent electrode (not shown) is formed. That is, on an ordinary glass substrate, an address electrode is formed on an AC type panel, and after an anode / bus line etching, resistance printing, insulating layer printing, and anode printing on a DC type panel. Fine partition walls are formed.
[0014]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a copper foil 2 having a thickness of about 210 μm to a thickness of about 210 μm is laminated on the glass substrate 1. The thickness of 100 μm to several 100 μm is suitable for current plasma display fine partition walls of about 200 μm, and only about 20 μm thick in a single screen printing by conventional screen printing. Since it cannot be formed, it is based on the idea that at least about 5 times is necessary, and the upper limit value will be several hundreds μm of about 500, 600 μm.
In this lamination, an adhesive 3 is used, and it is desirable to use a glassy adhesive. If an epoxy resin adhesive or the like is used, the adhesive layer is then peeled off or a separate glass is used. Need to be coated with quality.
Also, the copper foil 2 having a thickness of about 210 μm is used, but this has a thickness that takes into account the degree of withdrawal from the desired height of the fine partition wall because it may be retracted when the partition wall material is cured. Because it does. In addition, although there may be a problem in processing time and cost, instead of adhesive lamination of copper foil, for example, the glass substrate 1 is subjected to metal plating, and a metal layer such as copper is directly laminated on the glass substrate 1. It is possible.
[0015]
Subsequently, a photoresist film 4 is laminated on the copper foil 2. This resist layer may be formed by applying and drying a resist solution, but according to the photoresist film 4, the resist layer can be easily laminated on the copper foil 2. When the resist solution is applied and dried, any coating method such as a doctor blade method or a roll coater method can be employed. These resist materials are classified into a positive type in which the exposed part is dissolved and removed by development, and a negative type in which the exposed part is insoluble by development. Should be selected in consideration of properties, adhesion, peelability and the like. In the embodiment, since the negative shape is used, the exposed portion becomes insoluble by development.
[0016]
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the photoresist film 4 is exposed through the original mask 5 except for a portion that finally becomes a fine partition wall, and is developed and developed on the copper foil. A fine stripe-shaped resist pattern 41 is formed to remain. The resist pattern 41 in the form of fine stripes is formed over almost the entire surface of the glass substrate 1 with a width of 150 μm and an interval of 40 μm, for example. In the exposure of the photoresist layer, in addition to the batch exposure using the original mask 5, the pattern may be directly drawn and exposed by scanning with a particle beam such as an electron beam or an ion beam. Good. In addition, even when performing batch exposure, exposure may be performed by any method such as contact exposure, proximity exposure, reduced projection exposure, mirror type projection exposure, etc. Anyway, a fine resist pattern can be accurately and clearly, reliably and efficiently. Anything that can be performed well is acceptable. When a lattice-like fine partition wall is required, a fine dot-like resist pattern is left instead of the fine stripe-like resist pattern 41.
In developing the photoresist film 4, the unexposed portion of the resist layer may be removed with a normal developer such as an aqueous sodium carbonate solution.
[0017]
Next, a portion of the copper foil 2 that is not covered with the resist pattern is removed, and an airspace portion 21 is formed at a location to be a fine partition. The copper foil can be removed by dry etching in addition to wet etching using a conventional chemical. In the case of wet etching, it is possible to adopt a method of spraying the etching solution by spraying or the like instead of simply immersing it in the etching solution. Also, dry etching is selectively used in consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of means using various etchants such as plasma etching, reactive ion etching, and ion milling.
[0018]
In addition, in the invention specific matter described in claim 1, it is only necessary to form a metal layer having a height of 100 μm to several 100 μm in a fine stripe shape or a fine dot shape on a glass substrate. Regardless of the method using the lithography method, for example, the so-called mask method or lift-off method which is originally a thin film forming means can be applied. Here, the mask method is a method in which a negative pattern mask is closely attached to a glass substrate, a metal layer is formed by vapor deposition or the like, and the mask is removed to leave a fine pattern metal layer. The lift-off method uses a photoresist to form a negative pattern on a glass substrate, then forms a metal layer by vapor deposition or the like, and further develops to dissolve and remove the negative pattern. In this method, the layer is also removed at the same time, and finally a finely patterned metal layer is left on the glass substrate.
As described above, the fine stripe-shaped air space portion 21 is formed on the glass substrate 1 by the metal layer which is the copper foil 2 on the glass substrate 1.
[0019]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the partition wall material 6 is embedded in the airspace portion 21 from which the metal layer, that is, the copper foil is removed, that is, the stripe-like recesses on the side of the fine striped copper foil, and the excess partition wall material is squeezed. Remove.
The partition wall material 6 may be a glass paste of a conventional composition that is densified after firing to form a black insulating layer. Here, in addition to black pigment, heatless glass (HEATLESS GLASS) sold by Homer Technology Co., Ltd., Toshiba The one to which Tospearl (trade name) sold by Silicone Co., Ltd. was added was used.
[0020]
Heatless glass (trade name) is a so-called silica solution that forms an amorphous ceramic layer that is hard and has excellent adhesion on various substrates even at low temperature heating or room temperature drying. And this thing is comprised by three main ingredients, a crosslinking agent, and a curing catalyst, containing silicon component (SiO ₂ ) contains 40% or more in terms of conversion, and does not contain a solvent, water or a hydroxyl group. is there. The main agent is an organopolysiloxane having a methyl group or a phenyl group, the crosslinking agent is an organosiloxane having a functional side chain such as an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, or an oxime group, and the curing catalyst is Zn, Al, Co, Metal-containing organic compounds such as Sn and halogen. Also, the curing mechanism is that the functional group of the main component organopolysiloxane is first hydrolyzed by moisture in the air to be converted into hydroxyl groups, and then the hydroxyl groups of the organopolysiloxane are attacked by the functional groups of the crosslinker organosiloxane. In addition, it is considered that a dealcoholization reaction is caused under the action of a curing catalyst to form a polysiloxane cured body which is a polymer compound having a three-dimensional structure. It becomes a metal alkoxide condensate by a so-called sol-gel method.
In addition, this heatless glass can also be used as a vitreous adhesive which adheres and laminates the copper foil 2 on the glass substrate 1.
[0021]
Tospearl is a silicone resin fine particle having a network structure in which a siloxane bond extends three-dimensionally and an inorganic and organic structure in which one methyl group is bonded to a silicon atom. Fine particles can be obtained.
Therefore, when Tospearl is added to the heatless glass and baked, Tospearl is also converted into a silica while the heatless glass is solated, gelled, and cured, and is vitrified as a whole. Addition of this Tospearl improves the thixotropy of the heatless glass when it is liquid, and can reduce retreat and volume reduction during firing as compared with the case of heat glass alone.
[0022]
When baking is performed to harden the barrier rib material, the resist pattern can also be removed by incineration at the same time. However, the resist material is removed by incineration using a barrier rib material that can be cured by room temperature drying or low-temperature heating, such as heatless glass. When cured at a temperature that cannot be performed, the resist pattern is subsequently removed, and then the copper foil under the resist pattern is removed. The resist pattern can be removed, for example, by oxidizing and gasifying with an active oxygen resist in oxygen plasma.
The removal of the copper foil 22 under the resist pattern may be performed in the same manner as the removal of the copper foil 21 portion.
Thereafter, if the surface is cleaned by cleaning or the like, a glass substrate for a plasma display panel in which fine stripe-shaped partition walls 61 having a width of 40 μm, a height of 200 μm, and an interval of 150 μm are formed is completed.
[0023]
In the above description, the heatless glass is used as the partition wall material. However, for example, an inorganic polymer such as perhydropolysilazane can also be used. Perhydropolysilazane is a thermosetting inorganic silazane (ceramic precursor polymer) represented by the structural formula [SiH _a NH _b ] n (where _a is 1 to 3, and _b is 0 or 1). The partition material containing perhydropolysilazane as a component is buried in the air space portion next to the metal layer formed in the form of fine stripes or fine dots, and is fired at a predetermined atmosphere and temperature to become a hard ceramic layer. Such perhydropolysilazane includes Tonen Polysilazane (trade name) sold by Tonen Corporation. Of course, it is not restricted to these, Other ceramic precursor polymers can also be used as a partition material.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
The method for forming fine barrier ribs of the present invention comprises the invention specific matters described in claims 1 to 7 embodied by the embodiment described above. By having it, various effects as described below are exhibited.
That is, in the invention specific matter described in claim 1, the metal layer is formed as a gauge or template when embedding the partition wall material, and the fine stripe-like or fine dot-like metal layer is a so-called printed board. Design technology, manufacturing method, manufacturing equipment, test method, test equipment, etc. can be used, etc., and the freedom of management and control during the formation of fine barrier ribs is expanded, making fine patterns without overprinting, It is possible to obtain a fine partition wall having a desired height corresponding to a large screen.
[0025]
Further, in the invention specific matter described in claim 2, the metal layer as a gauge or template when embedding the partition wall material is obtained by various methods such as wet etching and dry etching after obtaining a resist pattern by various methods and A fine barrier rib with a desired height that can be obtained by selectively using an etchant and has a greater degree of freedom in management and control during the formation of fine barrier ribs, and can be used for fine patterning and larger screens without overprinting. Can be obtained.
[0026]
Furthermore, in the invention specific matter described in claim 3, the metal layer as a gauge or template when embedding the partition wall material is obtained by performing so-called photolithography on copper foil to obtain a resist pattern, and then performing wet etching or dry etching. It can be obtained by selectively using various etching methods and etchants, etc., and the degree of freedom of management and control at the time of forming fine barrier ribs is widened, and it corresponds to fine pattern and large screen without overprinting A fine partition wall having a desired height can be obtained.
[0027]
Furthermore, according to the invention specific matters described in claims 4 and 5, the partition wall portion can be cured and vitrified even at a relatively low temperature while ensuring good workability, and overprinting is performed. In addition, a fine partition wall having a desired height corresponding to a fine pattern and a large screen can be obtained.
[0028]
Furthermore, according to the invention specific matter described in claim 6, two process actions can be performed in one process, and the process can be simplified.
[0029]
Furthermore, according to the invention specific matter described in claim 7, the fine barrier ribs in the plasma display panel can be adjusted to a desired height at one time without overprinting, and can be adapted to a fine pattern and a large screen. Can be obtained.
Although the plasma display panel has been described above as an example, the present invention is not limited to the plasma display panel, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be similarly applied to those requiring a partition with a fine pattern.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate steps up to laminating a metal layer and a resist layer on a glass substrate in an example of the method for forming fine barrier ribs of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams (a), (b), and (c) illustrating steps from exposure and development of a resist layer to removal of a metal layer portion that is not covered with the resist pattern.
FIG. 3 shows a process from embedding a partition wall material in a portion where the metal layer has been removed and curing, removing the resist layer, removing the metal layer under the resist layer, and obtaining a panel in which fine partition walls are formed. (A) (b) (c).
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the structure of a plasma display.
[Explanation of symbols]
A Front panel A1 Striped electrode B Rear panel B1 Striped electrode C Partition 1 Glass substrate 2 Copper foil (metal layer)
21 Copper Foil Part 22 Copper Foil Part 3 Adhesive Layer 4 Photo Etching Film 41 Fine Striped Resist Pattern 5 Master Mask 6 Partition Material 61 Fine Striped Partition

Claims (7)

  A step of forming a metal layer having a height of 100 μm to several hundreds of μm on a glass substrate into a fine stripe or a fine dot, a step of embedding a partition wall material in an empty area where the metal layer does not exist, and a curing of the embedded partition wall material A method for forming fine barrier ribs, comprising: a step and a step of removing the metal layer thereafter.   After laminating a metal layer having a thickness of 100 μm to several 100 μm on a glass substrate, a step of forming a fine resist pattern on the metal layer, and removing a metal layer portion not covered with the resist pattern to form a fine stripe or fine A step of forming a dot-shaped metal layer, a step of embedding a partition wall material in a portion where the metal layer has been removed, a step of curing the embedded partition wall material, and removing the resist pattern and the metal layer under the resist pattern And a process for forming fine barrier ribs.   A copper foil having a thickness of 100 μm to several 100 μm is bonded and laminated on a glass substrate, and then the entire surface of the copper foil is covered with a photoresist, and the photoresist is exposed in a desired pattern and developed to form a fine resist pattern. A step of removing a copper foil portion not covered with the resist pattern to form a layer of a fine stripe or fine dot copper foil, and a step of embedding a partition wall material in the portion from which the copper foil has been removed A method of forming fine barrier ribs, comprising: a step of curing the barrier rib material; and a step of removing the resist pattern and the copper foil under the resist pattern.   As the partition material, an organopolysiloxane having a methyl group or a phenyl group as a main agent, an organosiloxane having a functional side chain such as an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, or an oxime group as a crosslinking agent, and a curing catalyst added thereto The method for forming fine barrier ribs according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein:   4. The method for forming fine barrier ribs according to claim 1, wherein perhydropolysilazane is used as the barrier rib material.   6. The fine barrier rib according to claim 2, wherein the step of curing the embedded barrier rib material and the step of removing the resist pattern are performed in a series of heating steps. Forming method.   7. The method for manufacturing a fine partition according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate is a glass substrate for a plasma display panel.

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