JP4578281B2 - Developer clarifier - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer clarifier and a method for producing a member for a plasma display in a developing device. More specifically, for example, as a member for a plasma display, an electrode, a dielectric, a partition (rib), etc. on a substrate such as a glass substrate. The present invention relates to a device for clarifying a contaminated developer after being used for pattern development, and a method for producing a member for a plasma display having a pattern developing step including the developer clarifying step.

Conventionally, for example, when forming a pattern such as an electrode, a dielectric, and a partition wall on a pattern formation substrate, as shown in FIG.
(A) a development processing step of removing a portion unnecessary for pattern formation by immersing the pattern formation substrate in the developer and / or spraying the developer on the pattern formation substrate;
(B) After the step (a), a cleaning process step of cleaning the pattern forming substrate by immersing the pattern forming substrate in the cleaning liquid and / or spraying the cleaning liquid on the pattern forming substrate;
(C) a liquid removal process for removing the developer and / or cleaning liquid adhering to the surface of the pattern forming substrate with an air knife;
It is known to employ a process consisting of:

  In FIG. 2, 1 is a substrate, 2 is a developer, 3 is cleaning water, 4 is a shower tube, 5 is an air knife, and 6 is a transport roller. In FIG. 2, the development process (a) and the cleaning process (b) are each performed in a mode in which a liquid is ejected. It is also possible to process by doing.

  The substrate that has undergone the development processing step (a) and the cleaning processing step (b) is present on the substrate 1 by the high-pressure air flow that is jetted from the air knife 5 to the substrate 1 in the liquid removal processing step of (c). The processing liquid is blown off and removed, and is further transported to the next step by the transport roller 6.

Although pattern formation has been performed in such a process, a developer such as an alkaline aqueous solution used in the development processing step (a) is clarified and reused by a processing apparatus. As a method for separating insoluble matters in the developer, a method using a filter or a liquid cyclone is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). However, when the degree of contamination of the developing solution is significant, there is a problem that insoluble matter cannot be removed efficiently with a filter or a liquid cyclone, and the filter must be replaced frequently. In addition, there is another problem that the liquid cyclone cannot perform efficient solid-liquid separation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-4197

  An object of the present invention is to provide a developer clarifier that efficiently collects and clarifies insoluble matters in a contaminated developer after use in development when a pattern is formed on a substrate on which a latent image is formed, and this It is providing the manufacturing method of the member for plasma displays which has the pattern image development process including a developing solution clarification process.

That is, the developer clarifier of the present invention, there is provided a equipment you clarified developer discharged from the development processing step of performing development by contacted the substrate on which the latent image is formed in the developer,
(A) the bubble generation hand stage to generate a bubble,
(B) insoluble matter removing means for pulling up the insoluble matter floating in the developer by attaching it to the insoluble matter removing plate ;
(C) means for scraping off and removing insoluble matter adhering to the insoluble matter removing plate with a blade;
Equipped with,
You wherein insolubles removing plate is arranged perpendicular to the liquid surface of the developer.
A method of manufacturing a member for plasma display of the present invention is a development by contacted the substrate on which the latent image is formed on the developer row cormorants Manufacturing method, developing process is,
(A) as the bubble generation factory to generate a bubble,
(B) an insoluble matter removal step of pulling up the insoluble matter floating in the developer by attaching it to an insoluble matter removing plate disposed perpendicularly to the liquid surface of the developer ; and
(C) a step of scraping off and removing the insoluble matter adhering to the insoluble matter removing plate with a blade;
It characterized by comprising a.

  According to the present invention, when performing pattern formation on a substrate on which a latent image is formed, insoluble matter in a contaminated developer after use in development can be efficiently recovered and clarified. Even in the case where development is carried out, it is possible to form a pattern with a high yield with little occurrence of foreign matter on the pattern formation substrate.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the developer clarification apparatus of the present invention.
The developer clarifier of the present invention is installed in the development processing step (a) in the above-described development step.

  The contaminated developer after being used for development in the development processing step (a) is introduced into the processing tank 7. A porous material 8 is disposed at the bottom of the treatment tank 7, and the gas 14 sent from the outside passes through the porous material 8 and floats as fined bubbles 13. In order to efficiently capture the insoluble matter 12 in the developer, the porous material 8 is preferably spread on the bottom surface of the tank without any gap across the width direction of the liquid flow. In the apparatus layout, when there is no gap and no spread, it is preferable that the bubble generation is satisfied in the width direction with respect to the liquid flow. By exposing the entire liquid that passes through to the air bubbles, it is possible to float the unnecessary material evenly. The micronized bubbles 13 float with the insoluble matter 12 in the developer and gather near the liquid surface. At this time, bubbles 13 generated from the bottom of the processing tank 7 cause a flow of the developing solution in the processing tank 7 in the direction of the suspended matter pulling device 9, and the insoluble matter 12 floating near the liquid surface is insoluble. It adheres to the removal plate 11. In the present embodiment, the insoluble matter removing plate 11 is a belt conveyor type, and the insoluble matter 12 attached is pulled up sequentially. The pulled insoluble matter 12 is scraped off and collected by a blade 10 provided in the suspended matter lifting device 9.

  Here, the insoluble matter in the developer includes a substance that does not dissolve in the developer. Although not particularly limited, when a component that does not dissolve in a developer, for example, a photosensitive paste for alkali development is used, a reactive monomer having no acidic group, an ultraviolet polymerization initiator, a viscosity modifier, a dispersing agent, a thixotropic agent, etc. And the like. These insoluble materials may include glass fillers or metal fillers having a high specific gravity. According to the present invention, it is possible to remove insoluble materials having a high specific gravity.

  The porous material preferably has a pore diameter of 10 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 10 to 200 μm, and even more preferably 10 to 100 μm. When the pore diameter is less than 10 μm, the pressure loss becomes high, and the flow rate cannot be secured.

As a gas sent into the processing tank, in addition to air, a gas that does not react with a developing solution such as a rare gas such as nitrogen, oxygen, or argon can be used. In this case, the concentration of carbon dioxide contained in the gas is preferably 10 ppm or less, and more preferably 5 ppm or less. If the concentration of carbon dioxide in the gas exceeds 10 ppm, problems such as a neutralization reaction with an alkaline developer and a decrease in the concentration of the developer occur. Moreover, it is preferable that it is 100-3000 L / min per 1 m < ² > of porous material surfaces, and, as for the flow volume of the gas sent into a processing tank, it is more preferable that it is 200-2000 L / min. If the gas flow rate is less than 200 L / min, it will not spread all over, and the suspended matter capture efficiency will be poor. If it exceeds 3000 L / min, the amount of gas used will be enormous and not only will cost increase, but many bubbles will be generated. Therefore, the equipment costs such as the installation of a defoaming facility for preventing overflows overlap.

  The size of the bubbles after passing through the porous material is preferably 1 mm or less in diameter at atmospheric pressure, more preferably 0.5 mm or less, and particularly preferably 0.2 mm or less. When the bubble diameter exceeds 1 mm, the trapping efficiency of suspended matter tends to be reduced. In the present invention, the bubble diameter is converted by the pore diameter of the porous material.

  The lifting speed of the insoluble matter removing plate may be adjusted as appropriate according to the degree of contamination of the developing solution, the flow rate of the developing solution at the capturing site, etc., but is preferably 10 to 200 cm / min, for example. If the pulling speed is too slow, the suspended matter cannot be captured, while if it is too fast, the efficiency becomes poor. Here, the insoluble matter removing plate is not particularly limited, but a belt-like or plate-like one is preferable. The material may be selected according to the properties of the resin, SUS, a metal such as iron, ceramics, and the like. The material of the insoluble matter removing plate is not particularly limited. For example, a metal mesh or a resin plate may be used in addition to a metal such as steel or various stainless steel materials. In order to improve the insoluble matter removing ability, it is preferable to use the insoluble matter removing plate surface provided with a large number of undulations and stripe-shaped convex portions. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the unnecessary material removing plate may be substantially perpendicular to the liquid surface of the developer, or inclined at a range of 45 to 90 ° with respect to the liquid surface. May be installed.

  The insoluble matter pulled up by the insoluble matter removing plate is scraped and collected by, for example, a blade attached to the insoluble matter removing plate.

  From the developer from which the insoluble matter has been removed by the above-described steps, the fine insoluble matter is further removed by a centrifuge. After that, it is partially exchanged with a new solution, the concentration is adjusted, and after filtering, it is again used as a developer in the development processing step (a).

  The pore diameter of the filter used for filtering may be selected appropriately according to each process. For example, in the case of producing a plasma display partition by a photosensitive paste method, it is preferably 1 to 200 μm. More preferably, it is ˜100 μm. If the hole diameter is less than 1 μm, clogging is severely expensive, and if it exceeds 200 μm, the diameter of the nozzle hole is exceeded and nozzle clogging is induced.

  The insoluble matter concentration in the developer after filtering is preferably 200 ppm or less, and more preferably 100 ppm or less. If the insoluble matter concentration exceeds 200 ppm, depending on the material used, aggregates are likely to be generated in the piping line after the filter.

  The temperature of the developer after processing is preferably adjusted to, for example, 10 to 40 ° C, and more preferably adjusted to 20 to 40 ° C.

  Further, the processed developer is partially reused after being replaced with a new solution to adjust the concentration. The developer concentration after adjustment may be set to an appropriate value depending on the material used. For example, when the electrode pattern is developed with sodium carbonate using a photosensitive silver paste in a plasma display, it is 0.1 to 1% by weight. It is preferably 0.1 to 0.7% by weight. If the concentration is less than 0.1% by weight, the development time becomes long, and development residues are likely to remain. If the concentration exceeds 1% by weight, the development time is too early, it is difficult to control, and defects such as peeling are likely to occur.

  In the present invention, the type of pattern formed on the substrate is not particularly limited, but is preferably a pattern including a concavo-convex form or a matrix structure, specifically, an electrode, a phosphor layer, a dielectric, A partition, a black matrix, a black stripe, or a color filter can be used.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, unless otherwise indicated,% in an Example shows weight%.

Example 1
As shown in FIG. 2, a pattern was formed on the substrate using a pattern developing apparatus composed of a development processing step (a), a cleaning processing step (b), and a liquid removal processing step (c).

  A shower tube was installed in the development processing step, the substrate was moved under the shower tube at a constant speed, the developer was sprayed from the nozzle, and unnecessary portions were removed by chemical reaction.

  In the cleaning process step (b), nozzles were installed downward with a pitch of 100 mm per shower tube, and the substrate from which unnecessary portions were removed by the developing unit was moved at a constant speed. Water was sprayed onto the substrate from the nozzle to wash away the developer.

  Finally, in the liquid removal treatment step (c), a so-called air knife for blowing air onto the slit was installed, and the liquid adhering to the substrate surface was blown off by the force of air.

  Using this apparatus, a partition wall having a height of 200 μm before firing was formed on a 60-inch substrate by a photosensitive paste method. About 300 g of paste per sheet is mixed as a residue in the developer by development, and 200 sheets were developed in 1 minute.

  Here, the insoluble matter in the developer used in the development processing step (a) was removed by the developer clarifier of the present invention, and components other than the components dissolved in the developer were removed by a centrifugal separator. Finally, after passing through the development tank, the liquid temperature is adjusted to 35 ° C, partly replaced with a new liquid, and the concentration is adjusted to 0.5%. 100 μm) was used for filtering, and then again used as a developer.

A porous substance (trade name: Filtroplast # 80, manufactured by Pall Inc., pore size 80 μm) was placed at the bottom of the processing tank of the developer clarifier. Bubbles after passing through the porous material had an average diameter of 100 μm or less under atmospheric pressure (when the water surface floated). The air used had a carbon dioxide concentration of 5 ppm, and air was fed at a flow rate of 750 L / min (under atmospheric pressure) per 1 m ^{2 of the} porous material surface. The insoluble matter floating in the developer is bubbled using a suspended matter lifting device (trade name: Oil Skimmer, manufactured by Accor Japan Co., Ltd.) and a lifting belt (material: SUS631) set to the size of the processing tank. At the same time, it was raised at a speed of 150 cm / min.

  The insoluble matter concentration (SS: standard method 1 GFP filtration method) in the developer after the developer clarification treatment was always constant at 30 ppm, and the filter life was changed once per 7000 substrates.

  Also, using a foreign substance inspection apparatus (SATURN9000, manufactured by V Technology Co., Ltd.), detection conditions were set to detect 20 micron square or more, and the foreign substance on the substrate surface after development was evaluated. The rate was 0.3%.

    Foreign matter detection rate (%) = {(number of substrates on which foreign matter is detected) / (total number of test substrates)} × 100.

Example 2
When the same operation as in Example 1 was carried out except that Filtroplast # 150 (pore size 150 μm) was used instead of Filtroplast # 80 as the porous material, the concentration of insoluble matter in the developer became constant at 50 ppm. The life of the filter was replaced once with a development process of 4000 substrates. Further, the foreign matter detection rate was 0.5%.
Example 3
When the same operation as in Example 1 was carried out except that Filtroplast # 30 (pore diameter 30 μm) was used instead of Filtroplast # 80 as the porous material, the concentration of insoluble matter in the developer became constant at 20 ppm. The lifetime of the filter was changed once with a development process of 10,000 substrates. Further, the foreign matter detection rate was 0.2%.

Comparative Example 1
In the developer clarification device, the same operation as in Example 1 was performed except that the porous material and the suspended matter lifting device were not used. As a result, the suspended matter amount became constant at 200 ppm, and the lifetime of the filter was developed for 1000 substrates. One replacement per treatment. Moreover, the foreign matter detection rate deteriorated to 5%.

Comparative Example 2
In the developer clarification apparatus, the same operation as in Example 1 was performed except that no porous material was used. As a result, the amount of suspended solids was constant at 170 ppm, and the filter life was once per 1500 substrate development processes. It became an exchange. Moreover, the foreign matter detection rate deteriorated to 3%.

The figure of the developing solution clarifier used in the image development process (a) is shown. The outline of the pattern formation process which has three processes, the development process process (a), the cleaning process process (b), and the liquid removal process process (c) which are employ | adopted by this invention is shown in model.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Developer 3 Washing water 4 Shower tube 5 Air knife 6 Transport roller 7 Developer processing tank 8 Porous material 9 Floating substance lifting device 10 Blade 11 Insoluble matter removal plate 12 Insoluble matter 13 Bubble 14 Gas a Development process b Clean Treatment process c Liquid removal treatment process

Claims (2)

A developer clarifier that clarifies a developer discharged from a development processing step in which development is performed by bringing a substrate on which a latent image is formed into contact with the developer,
(A) the bubble generation hand stage to generate a bubble,
(B) insoluble matter removing means for pulling up the insoluble matter floating in the developer by attaching it to the insoluble matter removing plate ;
(C) means for scraping off and removing insoluble matter adhering to the insoluble matter removing plate with a blade;
Equipped with,
The developer clarification apparatus, wherein the insoluble matter removing plate is disposed perpendicular to the liquid level of the developer. A method for producing a member for a plasma display, which includes a development processing step in which development is performed by bringing a substrate on which a latent image is formed into contact with a developing solution,
(A) as the bubble generation factory to generate a bubble,
(B) an insoluble matter removal step of pulling up the insoluble matter floating in the developer by attaching it to an insoluble matter removing plate disposed perpendicularly to the liquid surface of the developer ; and
(C) a step of scraping off and removing the insoluble matter adhering to the insoluble matter removing plate with a blade;
The manufacturing method of the member for plasma displays characterized by comprising.

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