JP5773940B2 - Pattern forming apparatus and pattern forming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for performing pattern formation on a blanket by an object or pattern formation on an object by a blanket by pressing a blanket against a plate-like object.

  As an invention for manufacturing an electronic component using the pattern forming method described above, for example, an invention described in Patent Document 1 has been known. In the invention described in Patent Document 1, the pattern of the plate is transferred to the blanket by bringing the blanket into pressure contact with the plate, thereby forming the pattern on the blanket (first transfer step). Thereafter, the blanket is brought into pressure contact with the substrate to transfer the pattern on the blanket to the substrate, whereby a pattern is formed on the substrate (second transfer step).

JP 2010-158799 A

  By the way, in pattern formation technology that forms a pattern by pressing a blanket against a plate-like object such as a plate or a substrate, in order to improve versatility, the type of object, the type of blanket to be used, and the material constituting the pattern It is desirable to press the blanket against the object in a manner according to pattern formation conditions such as thickness.

  Further, after the central portion of the blanket is pressed against the object and brought into contact with the object, it is necessary to stably widen the contact region toward the edge. This is because if the blanket does not partially abut and the blanket abuts on the object so as to surround the non-abutting part, the air bubbles are caught in the non-abutting part. That is, residual bubbles exist between the blanket and the object, and pattern formation is hindered. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique for stably forming a pattern by pressing a blanket against an object.

  This invention is made in view of the said subject, and makes it the 1st objective to provide the pattern formation technique which has the high versatility which can perform pattern formation by controlling the pressing aspect of the blanket to an object. .

  A second object is to form a pattern more stably after achieving the first object.

  In order to achieve the first object, the pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention is a pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern by pressing a blanket against a plate-like object by a pressing member. A plurality of openings are formed in a plane opposite to the object held by the first holding means, and the blanket is held in a state where the pressing member arranged on the plane is covered with the blanket. Gas for the second holding means, positive pressure supply means for supplying positive pressure to each of the plurality of pressing side openings facing the pressing member among the plurality of openings, and the blanket side opening facing the blanket among the plurality of openings The gas supply / exhaust means for supplying and exhausting the gas and the gas supply and exhaust by the positive pressure supply means and the gas supply / exhaust means are controlled for each opening. It is characterized in that it comprises a control means.

  In order to achieve the first object, the pattern forming method according to the present invention faces an object holding step of holding a plate-like object by the first holding means and the object held by the first holding means. A blanket holding step of holding the blanket in a state where the pressing member arranged on the plane of the second holding means is covered with the blanket, and supplying a gas to the blanket side opening formed in the plane facing the blanket or A switching step for switching the presence / absence of a gas layer between the blanket and the pressing member by exhausting, and an arbitrary first pressing side among a plurality of pressing side openings formed on a plane facing the pressing member after the switching step By supplying a positive pressure to the opening, a part of the pressing member is lifted from the plane and a part of the blanket is pressed against the object to form a pattern corresponding to the first pressing side opening. A pattern forming step of forming to, is characterized in that it comprises.

  In the invention thus configured (pattern forming apparatus and pattern forming method), when positive pressure is supplied to any one of the plurality of pressing side openings (first pressing side opening), a part of the pressing member is Lift from the plane and press a part of the blanket against the object. Thus, a pattern corresponding to the (first) pressing side opening to which positive pressure is supplied is formed on the object. Moreover, supply and exhaust of gas can be performed with respect to the blanket side opening facing the blanket. For this reason, the state between the pressing member and the blanket changes according to the supply and exhaust of the gas. In this way, pattern formation is not performed by simply pressing the blanket against the object by the pressing member, but pattern formation is performed by controlling the state between the pressing member and the blanket at that time, and excellent versatility is obtained. It is done.

  Here, for example, a gas layer can be interposed between the blanket and the pressing member by supplying gas to the blanket side opening by the gas supply / exhaust means. Further, the blanket and the pressing member can be brought into close contact with each other by exhausting the gas from the blanket side opening by the gas supply / exhaust means. Furthermore, you may comprise so that the above-mentioned two types of states may be produced selectively by controlling supply and exhaust of the gas with respect to the blanket side opening. Thus, the state between the pressing member and the blanket can be controlled in a plurality of modes. In each state, a portion of the pressing member (part facing the first pressing side opening) is planarized by supplying positive pressure to any first pressing side opening among the plurality of pressing side openings by the positive pressure supply means. You can lift a part of the blanket and press a part of the blanket against the object.

  In addition, when a positive pressure is supplied to the first pressing side opening and a part of the pressing member is lifted from the plane in this way, the second pressing side opening excluding the first pressing side opening among the plurality of pressing side openings is provided. Negative pressure may be supplied. Thus, only the portion of the pressing member that faces the first pressing side opening can be lifted from the plane, and the pattern can be formed with high accuracy.

  In this way, with the part of the pressing member lifted from the plane, the supply of the negative pressure to the third pressing side opening adjacent to the first pressing side opening in the second pressing side opening is stopped, and the area of the pressing member rising from the plane is The region of the blanket that is widened and thereby pressed against the object may be widened. In this case, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in a state where positive pressure is supplied only to the first pressing side opening, a part of the blanket is partially in contact with the object, but the supply of negative pressure to the third pressing side opening is stopped. Then, the force that holds the pressing member against the applied pressure in the already lifted space, that is, the space surrounded by the lifted portion of the pressing member and the flat surface (hereinafter referred to as “pressurizing space”) is applied to the third pressing side opening. It becomes weaker in the vicinity. Along with this, the gas component in the pressurizing space flows between the portion facing the third pressing side opening of the pressing member and the flat surface, and the portion is lifted from the flat surface so that the area for pressing the blanket against the object is widened. . Therefore, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in the pressure in the pressurizing space and to widen a blanket region (hereinafter referred to as “contact region”) that contacts the object gently and stably. As a result, it is possible to satisfactorily perform pattern formation on the blanket by the object and pattern formation on the object by the blanket without generating residual bubbles.

  Moreover, the opening located in the center part of a plane may be used as the first pressing side opening, and the center part of the blanket may be pressed against the object by supplying positive pressure to the first pressing side opening. In this case, by stopping the supply of negative pressure to the third pressing side opening, it is possible to widen the blanket region pressed against the object from the central portion to the edge side.

  Further, while the supply of the negative pressure to the third pressing side opening is stopped, the positive pressure supply to the first pressing side opening by the positive pressure supply means may be continued, and thereby the negative pressure to the third pressing side opening may be continued. When the pressurizing space is expanded by stopping the pressure supply, positive pressure is supplied from the first pressing side opening. As a result, pressure fluctuations in the pressurized space are further suppressed. In particular, when negative pressure supply is simultaneously stopped for a plurality of third pressing side openings, the amount of expansion of the pressurizing space increases, and in parallel thereto, positive pressure supply from the first pressing side opening is continued. It is effective to do.

  The second holding means further has a groove formed in a plane so as to surround a plurality of openings, and the blanket side negative pressure supply means supplies negative pressure to the groove and holds the blanket by suction with the second holding means. You may comprise. As a result, the blanket is stably adsorbed and held by the second holding means even during the widening process of the contact area, and the pattern can be formed satisfactorily.

  Note that the shape and size of each opening formed in the plane is arbitrary, and for example, each pressing-side opening may be configured by a slit groove extending in a first direction parallel to the plane. Further, the plurality of slit grooves may be arranged in a second direction parallel to the plane and orthogonal to the first direction. In this case, the contact area is formed in a state extending in the first direction, and the contact area extends to both sides in the second direction in that state, so that pattern formation can be performed stably. In particular, by making the interval between the second slit grooves constant, it is easy to stabilize the widening speed of the contact area, and the stability of pattern formation can be further enhanced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, gas can be supplied and exhausted to the blanket side opening facing the blanket, and the state between the pressing member and the blanket is controlled by supplying and exhausting the gas. Pattern formation can be performed in a pressing manner according to the state.

  Further, by lifting a part of the pressing member from the plane and thereby pressing a part of the blanket against the object, the negative pressure supply to the third pressing side opening adjacent to the first pressing side opening is stopped. The pressurizing space is widened toward the edge, thereby widening the area of the blanket that contacts the object. Therefore, pattern formation can be performed satisfactorily.

It is a perspective view which shows the printing apparatus equipped with the pattern formation apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the cross section of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the apparatus of FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an overall operation of the printing apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the dimensional relationship of a suction plate, a blanket, a balloon member, a plate | board, and a board | substrate. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the pattern formation apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the pattern formation operation | movement in the printing apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the pattern formation operation | movement in the printing apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the pattern formation operation | movement in the printing apparatus concerning this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of other embodiment of the pattern formation apparatus concerning this invention.

  Here, the overall configuration and operation of a printing apparatus equipped with an embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described first. Then, the pattern forming apparatus and method according to the present invention will be described in detail.

A. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a printing apparatus equipped with a pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is shown with the apparatus cover removed in order to clearly show the internal structure of the apparatus. Yes. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the apparatus shown in FIG. The printing apparatus 100 is peeled after the upper surface of the blanket carried into the apparatus from the front side of the apparatus is brought into close contact with the lower surface of the plate PP carried into the apparatus from the left side of the apparatus. The pattern layer is formed by patterning the coating layer on the blanket with the pattern formed on the lower surface of the plate PP (patterning process). Further, the printing apparatus 100 is formed on the blanket by peeling off the upper surface of the patterned blanket after the upper surface of the substrate SB carried into the apparatus is brought into close contact with the lower surface of the substrate SB from the right side of the apparatus. The transferred pattern layer is transferred to the lower surface of the substrate SB (transfer process). In FIG. 1 and each drawing to be described later, in order to clarify the arrangement relationship of each part of the apparatus, the transport direction of the plate PP and the substrate SB is “X direction”, and the right hand side in FIG. The horizontal direction is referred to as “+ X direction”, and the reverse direction is referred to as “−X direction”. Further, among the horizontal directions orthogonal to the X direction, the front side of the apparatus is referred to as “+ Y direction” and the back side of the apparatus is referred to as “−Y direction”. Further, the upward direction and the downward direction in the vertical direction are referred to as “+ Z direction” and “−Z direction”, respectively.

  In this printing apparatus 100, each part of the apparatus (conveyance unit 2, upper stage unit 3, alignment unit 4, lower stage unit 5, pressing unit 7, pre-alignment unit 8, static elimination unit 9) is provided on the stone surface plate 1. The control unit 6 controls each part of the apparatus.

  The transport unit 2 is a device that transports the plate PP and the substrate SB in the X direction, and is configured as follows. In this transport unit 2, two brackets (not shown) are erected from the right rear corner and the left corner of the upper surface of the stone surface plate 1, and a ball screw mechanism so as to connect the upper ends of both brackets to each other. 21 extends in the left-right direction, that is, in the X direction. In this ball screw mechanism 21, a ball screw (not shown) extends in the X direction, and a rotary shaft (not shown) of a shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 is connected to one end thereof. A ball screw bracket (not shown) is screwed to the center of the ball screw, and a shuttle holding plate 22 extending in the X direction is attached to the (+ Y) side surface of the ball screw bracket. It has been.

  A plate shuttle 23L is provided at the (+ X) side end of the shuttle holding plate 22 so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction Z, while a substrate shuttle 23R is provided at the (−X) side end so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction Z. It has been. Since these shuttles 23L and 23R have the same configuration except for the hand rotation mechanism, here, the configuration of the plate shuttle 23L will be described, and the substrate shuttle 23R will be given the same or corresponding reference numerals. Therefore, description of the configuration is omitted.

  The shuttle 23L has an elevating plate 231 extending in the X direction approximately the same as or slightly longer than the width of the plate PP (X direction size), and the (+ X) side end and the (−X) side end of the elevating plate 231 respectively. It has two plate-use hands 232 and 232 extending to the front side, that is, the (+ Y) side. The elevating plate 231 is attached to the (+ X) side end of the shuttle holding plate 22 via a ball screw mechanism (not shown) so as to be elevable. In other words, the ball screw mechanism extends in the vertical direction Z with respect to the (+ X) side end of the shuttle holding plate 22. At the lower end of this ball screw mechanism, a rotary shaft (not shown) is connected to a plate shuttle lifting motor M22L (FIG. 3). A ball screw bracket (not shown) is screwed to the ball screw mechanism, and an elevating plate 231 is attached to the (+ Y) side surface of the ball screw bracket. For this reason, the plate lifting / lowering motor M22L is operated in accordance with an operation command from the motor control unit 63 of the control unit 6 so that the elevating plate 231 is driven up and down in the vertical direction Z.

  The front-rear size (Y-direction size) of each hand 232, 232 is longer than the length size (Y-direction size) of the plate PP, and the plate PP can be held on the front end side (+ Y side) of each hand 232, 232. Yes.

  In order to detect that the plate PP is held by the plate hands 232 and 232 in this way, a plate detection sensor (not shown) is provided from the center of the elevating plate 231 to the (+ Y) side via a sensor bracket. It is attached. For this reason, when the plate PP is placed on both hands 232, the sensor detects the rear end of the plate PP, that is, the (−Y) side end, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 6.

  Further, the plate hands 232 and 232 are attached to the elevating plate 231 via bearings, and are rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction (Y direction). Further, rotary actuators RA2 and RA2 (FIG. 3) are attached to both ends of the elevating plate 231 in the X direction. These rotary actuators RA2 and RA2 operate using pressurized air as a drive source, and can be rotated in 180 ° units by opening and closing a valve inserted in a pressurized air supply path. For this reason, by controlling the opening and closing of the valve by the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6, a hand posture suitable for handling the plate PP before patterning with one main surface of the plate hands 232 and 232 facing upward. (Hereinafter referred to as “unused posture”) and a hand posture suitable for handling the patterned PP with the other main surface facing upward (hereinafter referred to as “used posture”). It is possible. The point of having the hand posture switching mechanism is the only difference between the plate shuttle 23L and the substrate shuttle 23R.

  Next, attachment positions of the plate shuttle 23L and the substrate shuttle 23R with respect to the shuttle holding plate 22 will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the plate shuttle 23L and the substrate shuttle 23R have a width size of the plate PP or the substrate SB (in the embodiment, the width size of the plate PP and the substrate SB is the same). It is attached to the shuttle holding plate 22 spaced apart in the X direction by a longer interval. When the rotary shaft of the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 is rotated in a predetermined direction, both the shuttles 23L and 23R move in the X direction while maintaining the above-mentioned separation distance. For example, in FIG. 2, the symbol XP23 indicates the position immediately below the upper stage unit 3, and the shuttles 23L and 23R are equidistant from the position XP23 in the (+ X) direction and the (−X) direction, respectively (this distance is referred to as “step movement”). It is located at positions XP22 and XP24 separated by "unit". In the present embodiment, the state shown in FIG. 2 is referred to as an “intermediate position state”.

  Further, when the rotary shaft of the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 is rotated in a predetermined direction from this intermediate position state and the shuttle holding plate 22 is moved in the (+ X) direction by the step movement unit, the substrate shuttle 23R is moved in the (+ X) direction. It moves and moves to a position XP23 directly below the upper stage portion 3 for positioning. At this time, the plate shuttle 23L also moves integrally in the (+ X) direction and is positioned at a position XP21 close to a plate cleaning device (not shown) arranged on the (+ X) direction side of the printing apparatus 100.

  Conversely, when the rotary shaft of the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 is rotated in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction and the shuttle holding plate 22 is moved in the (−X) direction by the step movement unit, the plate shuttle 23L is moved from the intermediate position state. It moves in the (−X) direction and moves to a position XP23 directly below the upper stage portion 3 to be positioned. At this time, the substrate shuttle 23R also moves integrally in the (−X) direction, and is positioned at a position XP25 close to the substrate cleaning device (not shown) arranged on the (−X) direction side of the printing apparatus 100. . Thus, in this specification, the five positions XP21 to XP25 are defined as the shuttle positions in the X direction. That is, the plate delivery position XP21 is the closest position to the plate cleaning device among the three positions XP21 to XP23 where the plate shuttle 23L is positioned, and the plate PP is carried into and out of the plate cleaning device X It means the direction position. The substrate delivery position XP25 is the closest position to the substrate cleaning apparatus among the three positions XP23 to XP25 where the substrate shuttle 23R is positioned, and the position in the X direction where the substrate SB is carried into and out of the substrate cleaning apparatus. Means. The position XP23 means an X-direction position where the suction plate 34 of the upper stage unit 3 moves in the vertical direction Z and sucks and holds the plate PP and the substrate SB, and the plate shuttle 23L is located at the X-direction position XP23. In this case, the position XP23 is referred to as a “plate suction position XP23”. On the other hand, when the substrate shuttle 23R is located at the X-direction position XP23, the position XP23 is referred to as a “substrate suction position XP23”. Called. In addition, the position in the vertical direction Z where the plate PP and the substrate SB are transported by the shuttles 23L and 23R, that is, the height position is referred to as a “transport position”.

  In the present embodiment, the thickness of the plate PP and the substrate SB is measured in order to accurately control the gap amount between the plate PP and the blanket during patterning and the gap amount between the substrate SB and the blanket during transfer. There is a need. Therefore, a plate thickness measurement sensor SN22 and a substrate thickness measurement sensor SN23 are provided. In the present embodiment, a reflection type optical sensor having a light projecting part and a light receiving part is used as both sensors SN22 and SN23, but other sensors may be used.

  At the position XP23, the upper stage unit 3 is arranged. In the upper stage portion 3, a ball screw mechanism 31 extending in the vertical direction Z is fixed, and a rotating shaft (not shown) of the first stage lifting motor M 31 is attached to the upper end portion of the ball screw mechanism 31. In addition to being connected, a ball screw bracket (not shown) is screwed into the ball screw mechanism 31. A support frame 32 is fixed to the ball screw bracket, and can be moved up and down in the vertical direction Z integrally with the ball screw bracket. Further, another ball screw mechanism (not shown) is supported on the frame surface of the support frame 32. This ball screw mechanism is provided with a ball screw having a narrower pitch than the ball screw of the ball screw mechanism 31, and a rotary shaft (not shown) of the second stage lifting motor M32 (FIG. 3) is provided at the upper end thereof. While being connected, a ball screw bracket is screwed into the central portion.

  A stage holder 33 is attached to the ball screw bracket. A metal suction plate 34 such as an aluminum alloy is attached to the lower surface of the stage holder 33. Therefore, the suction plate 34 is moved up and down in the vertical direction Z by operating the stage lifting motors M31 and M32 in accordance with an operation command from the motor control unit 63 of the control unit 6. Further, in the present embodiment, by combining ball screw mechanisms having different pitches and operating the first stage elevating motor M31, the suction plate 34 can be moved up and down at a relatively wide pitch, that is, the suction plate 34 can be moved at high speed. In addition, the suction plate 34 can be moved up and down at a relatively narrow pitch by operating the second stage lifting motor M32, that is, the suction plate 34 can be precisely positioned.

  A suction mechanism is provided on the lower surface of the suction plate 34, that is, a suction surface for sucking and holding the plate PP and the substrate SB, and is connected to a negative pressure supply source via a negative pressure supply path. The suction valve V31 (FIG. 3) connected to the suction mechanism is controlled to open / close in accordance with an opening / closing command from the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6, so that the plate PP and the substrate SB can be sucked by the suction mechanism. In the present embodiment, the above-described suction mechanism and the suction mechanism that sucks and holds the blanket as described later use factory power as a negative pressure supply source, but the apparatus 100 is a negative pressure supply unit such as a vacuum pump. The negative pressure supply unit may be configured to supply negative pressure to the suction mechanism.

  In the upper stage unit 3 configured as described above, after the plate is transported from the left hand side of FIG. 1 to the plate suction position XP23 directly below the upper stage unit 3 through the transport space by the plate shuttle 23L of the transport unit 2. Then, the suction plate 34 of the upper stage unit 3 descends to hold the plate PP by suction. Conversely, when the suction plate 34 that has attracted the plate PP is released while the plate shuttle 23L is positioned immediately below the upper stage unit 3, the plate PP is transferred to the transport unit 2. In this way, the plate is delivered between the transport unit 2 and the upper stage unit 3.

  Further, the substrate SB is also held by the upper stage unit 3 in the same manner as the plate PP. That is, after the substrate SB is transported from the right hand side of FIG. 1 to the position immediately below the upper stage unit 3 by the substrate shuttle 23R of the transport unit 2, the suction plate 34 of the upper stage unit 3 is lowered. The substrate SB is sucked and held. Conversely, when the suction plate 34 of the upper stage unit 3 that has sucked the substrate SB is released while the substrate shuttle 23 </ b> R is positioned immediately below the upper stage unit 3, the substrate SB is transferred to the transport unit 2. . In this way, the substrate SB is delivered between the transport unit 2 and the upper stage unit 3.

  Below the upper stage portion 3 in the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as “vertically below” or “(−Z) direction”), the alignment portion 4 is disposed on the upper surface of the stone surface plate 1. In the alignment unit 4, the support plate 41 is disposed in a horizontal posture so as to straddle the concave portion of the stone surface plate 1 and is fixed to the upper surface of the stone surface plate 1 as shown in FIG. 1. An alignment stage 42 is fixed on the upper surface of the support plate 41. The lower stage unit 5 is placed on the alignment stage 42 of the alignment unit 4, and the upper surface of the lower stage unit 5 faces the suction plate 34 of the upper stage unit 3. The upper surface of the lower stage unit 5 can suck and hold the blanket BL, and the control unit 6 controls the alignment stage 42 so that the blanket BL on the lower stage unit 5 can be positioned with high accuracy.

  The alignment stage 42 includes a stage base 421 that is fixed on the support plate 41, and a stage top 422 that is disposed vertically above the stage base 421 and supports the lower stage unit 5. Both the stage base 421 and the stage top 422 have a frame shape having an opening in the center. Between the stage base 421 and the stage top 422, a support mechanism such as a cross roller bearing having three degrees of freedom in the rotational direction, the X direction, and the Y direction with the rotational axis extending in the vertical direction Z as the rotational center. 423 is arranged in the vicinity of each corner of the stage top 422. Each support mechanism 423 is provided with a ball screw mechanism (not shown), and a stage drive motor M41 (FIG. 3) is attached to each ball screw mechanism. Then, by operating each stage drive motor M41 in accordance with an operation command from the motor control unit 63 of the control unit 6, the stage top 422 is placed in a horizontal plane while providing a relatively large space at the center of the alignment stage 42. The suction plate 51 of the lower stage unit 5 can be positioned by being moved and rotated about the vertical axis. In this embodiment, one of the reasons for using the alignment stage 42 having a hollow space is formed on the blanket BL held on the upper surface of the lower stage portion 5 and the substrate SB held on the lower surface of the upper stage portion 3. This is because the alignment mark is imaged by the imaging unit 43.

  The lower stage unit 5 includes a suction plate 51, a column member 52, a stage base 53, and a lift pin unit 54. The stage base 53 is provided with three elongated holes extending in the left-right direction X and arranged in the front-rear direction Y. The stage base 53 is fixed on the alignment stage 42 so that these long hole openings and the central opening of the alignment stage 42 overlap in a plan view from above. In addition, a part of the imaging unit 43 is loosely inserted into the long hole opening. A column member 52 is erected at (+ Z) from the upper surface corner of the stage base 53, and each apex supports the suction plate 51.

  The suction plate 51 is made of a metal plate such as an aluminum alloy. A suction mechanism (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the suction plate 51, one end of a positive pressure supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the suction mechanism, and the other end is connected to a pressurizing manifold. ing. Further, a valve V51 (FIG. 3) is inserted in an intermediate portion of each positive pressure supply pipe. The pressure manifold is constantly supplied with a constant pressure of air obtained by adjusting the pressure of air supplied from the factory power with a regulator. For this reason, when the desired valve V51 is selectively opened in accordance with the operation command from the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6, the pressurized air adjusted to the suction mechanism connected to the selected valve V51 is supplied. Supplied.

  Further, not only selective supply of pressurized air but also selective negative pressure supply is possible for the suction mechanism. That is, one end of a negative pressure supply pipe (not shown) is connected to each of the adsorption mechanisms, and the other end is connected to a negative pressure manifold. Further, a valve V52 (FIG. 3) is inserted in an intermediate portion of each negative pressure supply pipe. A negative pressure supply source is connected to the negative pressure manifold via a regulator, and a predetermined negative pressure is constantly supplied. For this reason, when a desired valve V52 is selectively opened according to an operation command from the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6, a regulated negative pressure is supplied to the adsorption mechanism connected to the selected valve V52. Is done.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the blanket BL and the balloon member (reference numeral BA in FIGS. 5 and 7 to 9) are partially or completely adsorbed on the adsorption plate 51 by opening / closing control of the valves V51 and V52. The air can be partially supplied between the suction plate 51 and the balloon member to partially inflate the balloon, and a part of the blanket BL can be pressed against the plate PP or the substrate SB held on the upper stage 3. It has become. As described above, the blanket BL is pressed against the plate PP and the substrate SB using the balloon member to perform pattern formation, and details thereof will be described later together with the configuration of the suction mechanism of the suction plate 51.

  In the lift pin portion 54, a lift plate 541 is provided between the suction plate 51 and the stage base 53 so as to be movable up and down. The lift plate 541 is formed with notches at a plurality of locations to prevent interference with the imaging unit 43. In addition, a plurality of lift pins 542 are erected vertically upward from the upper surface of the lift plate 541. On the other hand, a pin elevating cylinder CL51 (FIG. 3) is connected to the lower surface of the lift plate 541. And the valve | bulb control part 64 of the control part 6 switches the opening / closing of the valve connected to the pin raising / lowering cylinder CL51, thereby operating the pin raising / lowering cylinder CL51 to raise / lower the lift plate 541. As a result, all the lift pins 542 are moved back and forth with respect to the upper surface of the suction plate 51, that is, the suction surface. For example, the lift pins 542 project from the upper surface of the suction plate 51 in the (+ Z) direction, so that the blanket BL can be placed on the top of the lift pins 542 by a blanket transport robot (not shown). Then, following the placement of the blanket BL, the lift pin 542 moves backward in the (−Z) direction from the upper surface of the suction plate 51, so that the blanket BL is transferred to the upper surface of the suction plate 51. Thereafter, the thickness of the blanket BL is measured by a blanket thickness measurement sensor SN51 (FIG. 3) disposed in the vicinity of the suction plate 51 at an appropriate timing as will be described later.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the upper stage unit 3 and the lower stage unit 5 are disposed to face each other in the vertical direction Z. Between them, a pressing unit 7 that presses the blanket BL placed on the lower stage unit 5 from above and a pre-alignment unit 8 that pre-aligns the plate PP, the substrate SB, and the blanket BL are arranged. ing.

  The pressing part 7 can be switched between two states by raising and lowering a pressing member 71 provided vertically above the suction plate 51 in the vertical direction Z by a switching mechanism (not shown). That is, when the switching mechanism lowers the pressing member 71, the blanket BL on the suction plate 51 is pressed by the pressing portion 7 (a blanket pressing state). On the other hand, when the switching mechanism raises the pressing member 71, the pressing portion 7 is separated from the blanket BL and is released from the blanket BL (a blanket pressing release state).

  In the pre-alignment unit 8, the pre-alignment upper part 81 and the pre-alignment lower part 82 are stacked in two stages in the vertical direction Z. Among these, the pre-alignment upper portion 81 is arranged vertically above the pre-alignment lower portion 82, and is brought into contact with the blanket BL by the plate PP and the substrate shuttle 23R held by the plate shuttle 23L at the position XP23. The substrate SB to be held is aligned. On the other hand, the pre-alignment lower part 82 aligns the blanket BL placed on the suction plate 51 of the lower stage unit 5 prior to close contact with the plate PP and the substrate SB. Note that the pre-alignment upper portion 81 and the pre-alignment lower portion 82 basically have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following, the configuration of the pre-alignment upper portion 81 will be described, and the pre-alignment lower portion 82 will be assigned the same or corresponding reference numerals, and the description of the configuration will be omitted.

  In the pre-alignment upper portion 81, four upper guides 812 are movably provided with respect to the frame-like frame structure 811. That is, the frame structure 811 includes two horizontal frames spaced apart in the left-right direction X and extending in the front-rear direction Y, and two horizontal frames spaced apart in the front-rear direction Y and extended in the left-right direction X. Are combined. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper guide 812 at the center of the left horizontal plate of the two horizontal plates extending in the front-rear direction Y is moved in the left-right direction X by a ball screw mechanism (not shown). It is provided to be freely movable. The upper guide 812 moves in the left-right direction X when the drive motor M81 (FIG. 3) coupled to the ball screw mechanism operates in accordance with an operation command from the motor control unit 63 of the control unit 6. Similarly to the above, the upper guide 812 is configured to move in the left-right direction X by the drive motor M81 with respect to the right horizontal plate. Further, for each of the two horizontal plates extending in the front-rear direction Y, the upper guide 812 is configured to move in the left-right direction X by the drive motor M81 as described above. In this way, the four upper guides 812 surround the plate PP and the substrate SB at a position vertically below the position XP23, and each upper guide 812 can be moved toward and away from the plate PP independently. Therefore, it is possible to align the plate PP and the substrate SB by horizontally moving or rotating them on the shuttle hand by controlling the movement amount of each upper guide 812.

  In this embodiment, as will be described later, after the pattern layer on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB, the blanket BL is peeled off from the substrate SB, and static electricity is generated in the peeling step. In addition, static electricity is generated when the blanket BL is peeled from the plate PP after the coating layer on the blanket BL is patterned by the plate PP. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a static elimination unit 9 is provided to neutralize static electricity. The charge removal unit 9 includes an ionizer 91 that irradiates ions toward a space sandwiched between the upper stage unit 3 and the lower stage unit 5 from the (+ X) side.

  The control unit 6 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, a memory 62, a motor control unit 63, a valve control unit 64, an image processing unit 65, and a display / operation unit 66. The CPU 61 is stored in the memory 62 in advance. Each part of the apparatus is controlled according to the program, and the patterning process and the transfer process are executed as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the printing apparatus of FIG. In the initial state of the printing apparatus 100, the plate shuttle 23L and the substrate shuttle 23R are positioned at intermediate positions XP22 and XP24, respectively. The plate PP loading process (step S1) and the substrate SB of the substrate cleaning robot (not shown) of the substrate cleaning apparatus are transferred in synchronism with the plate PP transfer operation of the plate cleaning robot (not shown) of the plate cleaning apparatus. In synchronization with the operation, the substrate SB loading step (step S2) is executed. Since the plate shuttle 23L and the substrate shuttle 23R integrally move in the left-right direction X, the plate PP is loaded (step S1), and then the substrate SB is loaded. (Step S2) may interchange the order of both.

  As described above, in this embodiment, not only the plate PP but also the substrate SB is prepared before the patterning process is performed, and the patterning process and the transfer process are continuously performed as will be described in detail later. To do. As a result, the time interval until the coating layer patterned on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB can be shortened, and stable processing is performed.

  In the next step S3, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (−X) direction. As a result, the plate shuttle 23L moves to the plate suction position XP23 and is positioned. Then, the plate shuttle elevating motor M22L rotates the rotation shaft to move the elevating plate 231 downward (-Z). As a result, the plate PP is moved and positioned to a pre-alignment position lower than the transport position while being supported by the plate shuttle 23L.

  Next, the upper guide drive motor M81 is actuated to move the upper guide 812, and each upper guide 812 contacts the end face of the plate PP supported by the plate shuttle 23L to position the plate PP at a preset horizontal position. To do. Thereafter, each upper guide drive motor M81 operates in the reverse direction, and each upper guide 812 is separated from the plate PP. Thus, when the pre-alignment processing of the plate PP is completed, the stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotating shaft in a predetermined direction, and the suction plate 34 is lowered downward (−Z) to contact the upper surface of the plate PP. Subsequently, the valve V31 is opened, whereby the plate PP is sucked onto the suction plate 34 by the upper stage suction mechanism.

  When the adsorption of the plate PP is completed in this way, the stage elevating motor M31 rotates in the reverse direction, and the adsorption plate 34 moves up vertically while adsorbing and holding the plate PP, so that the plate PP is placed at a position above the plate adsorption position XP23. Move. Then, the plate shuttle elevating motor M22L rotates the rotation shaft to move the elevating plate 231 vertically upward, and the plate shuttle 23L is moved from the pre-alignment position to the transport position, that is, the plate suction position XP23 and positioned. Thereafter, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (+ X) direction, and the empty plate shuttle 23L is positioned at the intermediate position XP22.

  In the next step S4, the stage drive motor M41 is operated to move the alignment stage 42 to the initial position. As a result, the start becomes the same position every time. Subsequently, the pin elevating cylinder CL51 operates to raise the lift plate 541 and cause the lift pin 542 to protrude vertically upward from the upper surface of the suction plate 51. Thus, when the blanket BL preparation is completed, a blanket transport robot (not shown) accesses the apparatus 100 and places the blanket BL on the top of the lift pin 542 and then withdraws from the apparatus 100. Next, the pin lifting cylinder CL51 operates to lower the lift plate 541. As a result, the lift pins 542 descend while supporting the blanket BL and place the blanket BL on the suction plate 51. Then, the lower guide drive motor M82 operates, the lower guide 822 moves, and each lower guide 822 contacts the end face of the blanket BL supported by the suction plate 51 to position the blanket BL at a preset horizontal position.

  When the pre-alignment process of the blanket BL is completed in this way, the valve V52 is opened, whereby a negative pressure adjusted to the lower stage suction mechanism is supplied, and the blanket BL is sucked to the suction plate 51. Further, each lower guide drive motor M82 rotates the rotating shaft in the reverse direction, and each lower guide 822 is separated from the blanket BL. Thereby, the preparation for the patterning process is completed.

  In the next step S5, the sensor horizontal drive cylinder CL52 (FIG. 3) operates to position the blanket thickness measurement sensor SN51 at a position immediately above the right end of the blanket BL. And blanket thickness measurement sensor SN51 outputs the information relevant to the thickness of blanket BL to the control part 6, and, thereby, the thickness of blanket BL is measured. Thereafter, the sensor horizontal drive cylinder CL52 operates in the reverse direction to retract the blanket thickness measurement sensor SN51 from the suction plate 51.

  Next, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotating shaft in a predetermined direction, lowers the suction plate 34 downward (−Z), and moves the plate PP to the vicinity of the blanket BL. Further, the second stage elevating motor M32 rotates the rotating shaft to raise and lower the suction plate 34 at a narrow pitch, thereby accurately adjusting the interval between the plate PP and the blanket BL in the vertical direction Z, that is, the gap amount. The gap amount is determined by the control unit 6 based on the thickness measurement results of the plate PP and the blanket BL.

  Then, the pressing member 71 of the pressing part 7 is lowered and the peripheral edge of the blanket BL is pressed by the pressing member 71 over the entire circumference. Subsequently, the valves V51 and V52 are operated to partially supply air between the suction plate 51 and the balloon member to inflate a part of the balloon member, so that the blanket BL is partially expanded to the upper stage portion 3. Is pressed against the plate PP held on the plate. As a result, the central portion of the blanket BL is in close contact with the plate PP, and a pattern formed in advance on the lower surface of the plate PP comes into contact with the coating layer previously applied on the upper surface of the blanket BL, and the coating layer is patterned to form a pattern layer. Form. This point will be described in detail later.

  In the next step S6, the second stage elevating motor M32 rotates the rotating shaft, and the suction plate 34 is raised to peel the plate PP from the blanket BL. Further, in parallel with raising the plate PP to perform the peeling process, the valve V51, V52 is switched between open and closed, and negative pressure is applied to the balloon member and the blanket BL to draw it toward the suction plate 51 side. After that, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft to raise the suction plate 34 and position the plate PP at a static elimination position substantially the same height as the ionizer 91. Further, the pressing member 71 of the pressing unit 7 is raised to release the blanket BL. Subsequently, the ionizer 91 operates to remove static electricity generated during the plate peeling process. When this removal process is completed, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft, and the suction plate 34 moves up to the initial position (position higher than the plate suction position XP23) while sucking and holding the plate PP.

  In the next step S7, the rotary actuators RA2 and RA2 operate to rotate the plate hands 232 and 232 by 180 ° to position them from the origin position to the reverse position. As a result, the hand posture is switched from the unused posture to the used posture, and the preparation for receiving the used plate PP is completed. Then, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (−X) direction. As a result, the plate shuttle 23L moves to the plate suction position XP23 and is positioned.

  On the other hand, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft, the suction plate 34 descends toward the hands 232, 232 of the plate shuttle 23L while holding the plate PP, and the plate PP is placed on the hands 232, 232. After the positioning, the valves V31 and V32 are closed, whereby the suction of the plate PP by the suction mechanism of the suction plate 34 is released, and the delivery of the plate PP at the transport position is completed. Then, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotating shaft in the reverse direction to raise the suction plate 34 to the initial position. Thereafter, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (+ X) direction. As a result, the plate shuttle 23L moves to the intermediate position XP22 and is positioned while holding the used plate PP.

  In the next step S8, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (+ X) direction. Thus, the substrate shuttle 23R that holds the unprocessed substrate SB moves to the substrate suction position XP23 and is positioned. Then, the pre-alignment process of the substrate SB and the suction process of the substrate SB are performed in the same manner as the pre-alignment process of the plate PP and the suction process of the plate PP by the suction plate 34. Thereafter, when the adsorption of the substrate SB is detected, the stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft, and the adsorption plate 34 is moved vertically upward while the substrate SB is adsorbed and held, so that the substrate SB is positioned higher than the substrate adsorption position XP23. Move. Then, the substrate shuttle elevating motor M22R rotates the rotation shaft to move the substrate shuttle 23R from the pre-alignment position to the transport position for positioning. Thereafter, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (−X) direction, and positions the empty substrate shuttle 23R at the intermediate position XP24.

  In the next step S9, the blanket thickness is measured, and after the fine alignment is executed, the transfer process is executed. That is, the thickness of the blanket BL is measured in the same manner as the thickness measurement in the patterning process. The main reason for measuring the thickness of the blanket BL not only immediately before patterning but also immediately before transfer is that the thickness of the blanket BL changes with time due to swelling of a part of the blanket BL. By measuring the blanket thickness at, a highly accurate transfer process can be performed.

  Next, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft in a predetermined direction, lowers the suction plate 34 downward (−Z), and moves the substrate SB to the vicinity of the blanket BL. Further, the second stage elevating motor M32 rotates the rotating shaft to raise and lower the suction plate 34 at a narrow pitch, thereby accurately adjusting the distance between the substrate SB and the blanket BL in the vertical direction Z, that is, the gap amount. The gap amount is determined by the control unit 6 based on the thickness measurement results of the substrate SB and the blanket BL. Then, similarly to the patterning (step S5), the pressing member 71 presses the peripheral edge of the blanket BL.

  Thus, both the substrate SB and the blanket BL are pre-aligned and positioned at a distance suitable for the transfer process, but in order to accurately transfer the pattern layer formed on the blanket BL to the substrate SB. It is necessary to align the two precisely. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the imaging unit 43 images the alignment marks patterned on the blanket BL and the alignment marks formed on the substrate SB, and outputs these images to the image processing unit 65 of the control unit 6. Based on these images, the control unit 6 obtains a control amount for aligning the blanket BL with respect to the substrate SB, and further creates an operation command for the stage drive motor M41 of the alignment unit 4. Then, the stage drive motor M41 operates according to the control command to move the suction plate 51 in the horizontal direction and rotate around the virtual rotation axis extending in the vertical direction Z to precisely align the blanket BL with the substrate SB. (Alignment process).

  Then, the valves V51 and V52 are operated to partially supply air between the suction plate 51 and the balloon member to inflate part of the balloon member, so that the blanket BL is partially held on the upper stage portion 3. The pressed substrate SB is pressed. As a result, the blanket BL adheres to the substrate SB. Thus, the pattern layer on the blanket BL side is transferred to the substrate SB while being precisely aligned with the pattern on the lower surface of the substrate SB.

  In the next step S10, similarly to the plate peeling (step S6), the peeling of the substrate SB from the blanket BL, the positioning of the substrate SB to the discharging position, the pressing release of the blanket BL by the pressing member 71, and discharging are executed. Thereafter, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft, and the suction plate 34 moves up to the initial position (position higher than the transport position) while holding the substrate SB by suction.

  In the next step S11, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (+ X) direction. As a result, the substrate shuttle 23R moves to the substrate suction position XP23 and is positioned. Further, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotation shaft to lower the suction plate 34 toward the hands 232 and 232 of the substrate shuttle 23R while holding the substrate SB. Thereafter, the valve V31 is closed, whereby the adsorption of the substrate SB by the adsorption mechanism is released. Then, the first stage elevating motor M31 rotates the rotating shaft in the reverse direction to raise the suction plate 34 to the initial position. Thereafter, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotating shaft, moves the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (−X) direction, and moves the substrate shuttle 23R to the intermediate position XP24 while holding the substrate SB, thereby positioning.

  In the next step S12, the valves V51 and V52 are operated to release the suction of the balloon member and the blanket BL by the suction plate 51. Then, the pin lifting cylinder CL51 operates to raise the lift plate 541 and lift the used blanket BL vertically upward from the suction plate 51. Then, the blanket transport robot accesses the apparatus 100 to receive the used blanket BL from the top of the lift pin 542 and retracts from the apparatus 100. Following this, the pin elevating cylinder CL51 operates to lower the lift plate 541 and lower the lift pin 542 downward (−Z) from the suction plate 51.

  In the next step S13, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft, and the shuttle holding plate 22 moves in the (+ X) direction. As a result, the plate shuttle 23L moves to the plate delivery position XP21 and is positioned. Subsequently, the used plate PP is taken out from the printing apparatus 100 by the plate transport robot of the plate cleaning apparatus. When unloading of the plate PP is completed in this way, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (−X) direction, thereby positioning the plate shuttle 23L at the intermediate position XP22.

  In the next step S14, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft, and moves the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (−X) direction. Thus, the substrate shuttle 23R is moved to the substrate delivery position XP25 and positioned. Subsequently, the substrate transport robot of the substrate cleaning apparatus takes out the substrate SB subjected to the transfer process from the printing apparatus 100. When the unloading of the substrate SB is completed in this manner, the shuttle horizontal drive motor M21 rotates the rotation shaft to move the shuttle holding plate 22 in the (+ X) direction, thereby positioning the substrate shuttle 23R at the intermediate position XP23. Thereby, the printing apparatus 100 returns to the initial state.

B. By the way, the printing apparatus 100 described above uses a blanket BL as a plate-like carrier for carrying the coating layer and the pattern layer, and a balloon as a pressing member that presses the blanket BL against the plate PP or the substrate SB to come into contact therewith. The member is used. Hereinafter, the dimensional relationship among the suction plate 51, the blanket BL, the balloon member, the plate PP, and the substrate SB will be described with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. The adopted pattern forming apparatus and pattern forming method according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a dimensional relationship among the suction plate, blanket, balloon member, plate, and substrate, and FIG. 6 is a view showing an embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 schematically shows a side cross section and a pneumatic circuit. The lower surface PPa of the plate PP is a patterning surface having a concavo-convex pattern for patterning the coating layer CT on the blanket BL, and the coating layer CT is patterned by this concavo-convex pattern to form the pattern layer PL. Further, the lower surface SBa of the substrate SB is a transfer surface onto which the pattern layer PL on the blanket BL is transferred as described above. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, an effective pattern area EPA having the same area as the lower surface PPa of the plate PP and the lower surface SBa of the substrate SB is provided at the center of the surface of the blanket BL, and the effective pattern area EPA is within the effective pattern area EPA. The coating layer CT and the pattern layer PL are formed.

  The blanket BL is held by the upper surface 51a of the suction plate 51 in a state where the balloon member BA disposed at the center of the upper surface 51a of the suction plate 51 is covered from above. This balloon member BA is a sheet of an elastic material such as rubber or resin, and its plane size is larger than that of the substrate SB and the plate PP, but smaller than that of the blanket BL. It is completely covered with the blanket BL. In the present embodiment, the balloon member BA is detachable from the central portion of the upper surface of the suction plate 51 in consideration of replacement of the balloon member BA.

  Further, when the blanket BL is carried into the suction plate 51 so as to cover the balloon member BA from above, the peripheral portion of the blanket BL, that is, the portion protruding from the balloon member BA is held by the upper peripheral portion of the suction plate 51. Thus, in the present embodiment, the central area of the upper surface 51a of the suction plate 51 functions as a balloon holding area that holds the balloon member BA, while the peripheral area functions as a blanket holding area that holds the blanket BL.

  Among these, the blanket holding area has a frame shape in plan view as viewed from above, and is provided so as to surround the balloon holding area. In this blanket holding region, double annular grooves 511 and 512 are formed so as to surround the balloon holding region. Note that reference numerals 511a and 512a in FIG. 6 are openings of the annular grooves 511 and 512, respectively, and are opposed to the blanket BL.

  On the other hand, the balloon holding area has a rectangular shape wider than the effective pattern area EPA, and openings 513a of a plurality of suction grooves 513 are formed in the balloon holding area. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of suction grooves 513 are slit grooves extending in the X direction, and are arranged in a line at equal intervals in the Y direction. Therefore, the openings 513a are formed in the balloon holding region at regular intervals in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 6, and function as a “pressing side opening” facing the balloon member BA.

  And one end of piping is connected to each opening 511a, 512a, and 513a. The other end of each pipe branches into two, and one of the branch pipes is connected to the pressurizing manifold 57a via the valve V51 as described above. The other branch pipe is connected to a negative pressure manifold 57b through a valve V52. Further, a positive pressure supply unit 58a and a negative pressure supply unit 58b for supplying a positive pressure and a negative pressure adjusted by a regulator are connected to the manifolds 57a and 57b, respectively. For this reason, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 individually controls the open / closed state of these valves V51 and V52, so that positive pressure supply, negative pressure supply and supply stop are selectively performed for each of the openings 511a, 512a and 513a. To be done. That is, each opening 511a, 512a, 513a functions as a pressure supply port.

  In this specification, as shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, the openings 513 a are distinguished from each other according to the formation positions of the suction grooves (slit grooves) 513, so that they are formed at the center position of the upper surface 51 a of the suction plate 51. The opening 513a is defined as “opening P (0)”, and the openings 513a of the slit grooves 513 arranged in the forward direction (+ Y) from the opening P (0) are defined as “opening P (+1)” and “opening P (+2)”, respectively. ,..., And the openings 513a of the slit grooves 513 arranged in the rearward direction (−Y) from the opening P (0) are referred to as “opening P (−1)”, “opening P (−2)”,. Called. Then, using these, the pattern forming method in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

7 to 9 are diagrams schematically showing a pattern forming operation in the printing apparatus according to the present invention. The arrow line in these figures indicates the pressure state supplied to each opening 511a, 512a, 513a, that is,
Upward solid line ... Positive pressure supply Downward arrow solid line ... Negative pressure supply Dotted line without arrow ... Indicates supply stop. Here, a pattern forming operation for forming a pattern layer on the blanket BL by pressing the blanket BL against and contacting the plate PP held on the suction plate 37 will be described. However, since the pattern forming operation for forming the pattern by transferring the pattern layer to the substrate SB is basically the same, the same or corresponding reference numerals are given and the description is omitted. This also applies to later embodiments.

  Immediately before the start of this patterning operation (patterning S5), the balloon member BA is adsorbed on the entire surface at the center of the upper surface 51a of the adsorption plate 51. Further, the blanket BL is disposed so as to cover the balloon member BA, and the peripheral portion of the blanket BL is adsorbed by the peripheral portion of the upper surface 51 a of the adsorption plate 51. In the present embodiment, it is possible to selectively create the two types of states shown in FIG. 7 by supplying and exhausting gas to and from the opening 512a facing the blanket BL. Switching. For the following description, the state shown in FIG. 7A is referred to as a “contact state”, while the state shown in FIG. 7B is referred to as a “state with a gas layer interposed”.

  In order to create the close contact state shown in FIG. 7A, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 closes all the valves V51 and opens all the valves V52 to supply negative pressure to the openings 511a, 512a, and 513a. To do. As a result, the gas between the blanket BL and the balloon member BA is exhausted through the opening 512a, and the two are in close contact with each other, that is, in the close contact state, and held by suction on the upper surface 51a of the suction plate 51.

  On the other hand, in order to create the state in which the gas layer shown in FIG. 7B is interposed, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 closes all the valves V51 except for the valve V51 connected to the opening 512a, and connects to the opening 512a. All the valves V52 except the valve V52 are opened. Thereby, a gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied to the opening 512a, whereby a gas layer GL is formed between the blanket BL and the balloon member BA. Note that negative pressure is supplied to the other openings 511a and 513a in the same manner as in the close contact state, and the balloon member BA is adsorbed and held at the center of the upper surface of the adsorption plate 51, and the blanket BL passes through the gas layer GL. It is arranged so as to cover the member BA, and its outermost peripheral edge is sucked and held at the center of the upper surface of the suction plate 51.

  As described above, the present embodiment is configured to be able to switch between the “contact state” and the “state with the gas layer interposed” by opening / closing control of the valves V51 and V52. This switching is set according to the type of plate PP, substrate SB, blanket BL, and pattern forming conditions such as the material and thickness of the coating layer CT. For example, a recipe including information indicating a state corresponding to the pattern formation condition can be prepared in advance. And when a user, an operator, etc. select a recipe, you may comprise so that the said state switching may be performed based on the selected recipe. Thus, a state suitable for pattern formation is automatically selected, and preparation for the patterning operation is completed. Thus, the presence or absence of the gas layer GL between the blanket BL and the balloon member BA is switched before the patterning operation (switching step).

  When the close contact state is selected, the central portion of the blanket BL is in close contact with the upper surface of the balloon member BA as shown in FIG. Then, the valve control unit 64 closes the valve V52 connected to the opening P (0) at the center of the upper surface and opens the valve V51 to supply positive pressure from the opening P (0). Is started ((b) in the figure). By this positive pressure supply, pressurized air enters between the central portion of the balloon member BA and the upper surface 51a to form a pressurized space SP5, whereby the central portion of the balloon member BA is lifted, and the central portion of the blanket BL is printed on the plate. It abuts against the lower surface of the PP. On the other hand, the openings P (+1), P (+2), ..., P (-1), P (-2), ... located on the (+ Y) edge side and the (-Y) edge side of the opening P (0) are: In both cases, negative pressure is supplied to hold the balloon member BA by suction. At the present time, the opening P (0) corresponds to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention, and the openings P (+1), P (+2),..., P (−1), P (−2),. This corresponds to the “second pressing side opening” of the present invention.

  Next, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 opens the valve V52 while closing the valve V51 connected to the opening P (+1) adjacent to the opening P (0) among the second pressing side openings at the present time. The state is switched from the closed state to the closed state, and the supply of negative pressure to the opening P (+1) is stopped ((c) in the figure). Then, in the vicinity of the opening P (+1), the force for holding the balloon member BA against the applied pressure in the pressurizing space SP5 is gradually weakened. Along with this, the gas component in the pressurizing space SP5 flows between the vertical upper portion of the opening P (+1) of the balloon member BA and the upper surface 51a, and the balloon portion is lifted from the upper surface 51a, thereby blanket BL. The vertical upper portion of the opening P (+1) is pressed against the lower surface of the plate PP and brought into contact therewith. As described above, the area of the blanket BL that abuts the plate PP, that is, the abutment area CA is gradually stabilized from the central portion to the (+ Y) edge side while suppressing the pressure in the pressurizing space SP5 from rapidly changing. And widened. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent residual bubbles from entering between the plate PP and the blanket BL during the widening.

  Thus, in the widening step shown in FIG. 10C, the opening P (+1) corresponds to the “third pressing side opening” of the present invention. At the present time, the opening P (0) corresponds to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention, and the openings P (+2),..., P (−1), P (−2),. This corresponds to the “second pressing side opening”. In addition, while the negative pressure supply to the opening P (+1) corresponding to the third pressing side opening is stopped, the positive pressure supply to the opening P (0) corresponding to the first pressing side opening is continued. When the pressurizing space SP5 is expanded by stopping the negative pressure supply to the opening P (+1), a positive pressure is supplied from the opening P (0). As a result, the pressure fluctuation in the pressurizing space SP5 is further suppressed.

  When the widening of the contact area CA toward the (+ Y) edge side is completed in this way, the step of widening the contact area CA toward the (−Y) edge side is performed next. That is, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 opens the valve V52 while closing the valve V51 connected to the opening P (-1) adjacent to the opening P (0) among the second pressing side openings at the present time. The state is switched from the closed state to the closed state, and the negative pressure supply to the opening P (-1) is stopped ((d) in the figure). Then, in the vicinity of the opening P (−1), the balloon member BA against the applied pressure in the pressurizing space SP5 is held in the vicinity of the (+ Y) widening step of the contact area CA toward the edge side ((c) in the same figure). Accordingly, the contact area CA is gradually and stably widened from the central portion to the (−Y) edge side while suppressing abrupt fluctuation of the pressure in the pressurizing space SP5. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent residual bubbles from entering between the plate PP and the blanket BL during this widening.

  As described above, in the widening step shown in FIG. 4D, the opening P (−1) corresponds to the “third pressing side opening” of the present invention. At the present time, the opening P (0) corresponds to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention, and the openings P (+2),..., P (−2),. Is equivalent to.

  Further, by performing the widening process, the pressurizing space SP5 is expanded, and the pressing force (or pressing force) for pressing the blanket BL against the plate PP may be reduced. Therefore, after executing the widening process a certain number of times (in this embodiment, twice), the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 is connected to the openings P (+1) and P (−1) where the negative pressure supply is stopped. The valve V51 is switched from the closed state to the open state, and the positive pressure supply to the openings P (+1) and P (-1) is started ((e) in the figure). By this positive pressure supply addition step, a new positive pressure supply is applied by the amount of the pressurizing space SP5, and the pressing force (or pressing force) pressing the blanket BL against the plate PP can be stabilized. At this time, the openings P (0), P (+1), and P (-1) correspond to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the blanket BL can be satisfactorily brought into contact with the plate PP without generating bubbles by repeating the widening step and the positive pressure supply addition step described above. A pattern layer can be formed. When the formation of the pattern layer is completed, the original state is restored.

  Further, during the pattern formation, a negative pressure can be constantly supplied to the opening 511a to keep the peripheral edge of the blanket BL in close contact with the suction plate 51, so that the pattern formation can be performed stably.

  In the above description, the patterning operation in the close contact state has been described. However, the patterning operation in the state where the gas layer is interposed is performed as shown in FIG. That is, when the state in which the gas layer is interposed is selected, the gas layer GL is interposed between the blanket BL and the balloon member BA, and the central portion of the blanket BL is as shown in FIG. , Spaced from the upper surface of the balloon member BA. The subsequent operation is the same as that in the close contact state. However, since the blanket BL is pressed against the plate PP by the balloon member BA with the gas layer GL interposed as described above, the pressing operation is gentler than that in the close contact state, and the blanket BL is slowly Contact the plate PP. Therefore, when the close contact state (FIGS. 7A and 8) is compared with the state in which the gas layer is interposed (FIGS. 7B and 9), the close contact state is higher in the pressure contact speed. The pressure contact force of the blanket BL against the plate PP and the substrate SB is rapidly applied rapidly.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, gas can be supplied to and discharged from the opening 512a adjacent to the opening 513a among the openings facing the blanket BL. And the control part 6 controls the said supply / exhaust, and switches formation of the gas layer GL between the blanket BL and the balloon member BA. As a result, it is possible to vary the press contact property in the pattern forming operation depending on the presence or absence of the gas layer GL, and it is possible to select an appropriate state according to the pattern forming conditions, and excellent versatility. can get.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the suction plates 37 and 51 correspond to the “first holding unit” and the “second holding unit” of the present invention, respectively. In this embodiment, the opening 513a corresponds to the “pressing side opening” of the present invention. The valve V51 connected to the pressing side opening 513a, the positive pressure supply portion 58a and the piping constitute the “positive pressure supplying means” of the present invention, and the valve V52 connected to the pressing side opening 513a, negative The “pressing side negative pressure supply means” of the present invention is constituted by the pressure supply portion 58b and the piping. The opening 512a corresponds to the “blanket side opening” of the present invention. The valve V51, the valve V52, the positive pressure supply unit 58a, the negative pressure supply unit 58b, and the pipe connected to the blanket side opening 512a are used in the present invention. The "gas supply / exhaust means" is configured. The annular groove 511 corresponds to the “groove portion” of the present invention, and the “blanket side negative pressure supply means” of the present invention is configured by the valve V52, the negative pressure supply portion 58b and the pipe connected to the annular groove 511. Has been. The control unit 6 and the valve control unit 64 correspond to the “control unit” of the present invention. The “X direction” corresponds to the “first direction” of the present invention, and the “Y direction” corresponds to the “second direction” of the present invention.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the pattern forming method according to the present invention. This embodiment is different from the pattern forming method shown in FIG. 8 in the valve switching mode in the process of first floating the balloon member BA and the widening mode of the contact area CA in the widening process. Are identical. Although the pattern formation in the close contact state will be described here, the same applies to the case where the pattern formation is performed with the gas layer interposed. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIG.

  Also in this embodiment, immediately before the start of the pattern forming operation (patterning S5), the balloon member BA is adsorbed on the entire surface at the central portion of the upper surface 51a of the adsorption plate 51 (FIG. 10A). Further, the blanket BL is disposed so as to cover the balloon member BA, and the peripheral portion of the blanket BL is adsorbed by the peripheral portion of the upper surface 51 a of the adsorption plate 51. That is, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 closes all the valves V51, and opens all the valves V52 to supply negative pressure to the openings 511a, 512a, and 513a.

  Then, the valve control unit 64 closes the valve V52 while closing the valve V51 connected to the openings P (+1) and P (−1) located on both sides in the Y direction with respect to the opening P (0) at the center of the upper surface. By simultaneously switching from the open state to the closed state, the supply of negative pressure to the openings P (+1) and P (-1) is stopped ((b) in the figure). Subsequently, the valve control unit 64 controls the opening and closing of the valves V51 and V52 connected to the openings P (0), P (+2), and P (−2) simultaneously as follows. That is, the valve V52 connected to the opening P (0) is closed and the valve V51 is opened to supply positive pressure from the opening P (0). At the same time, while the valve V51 connected to the openings P (+2) and P (-2) is closed, the valve V52 is simultaneously switched from the open state to the closed state, and negative to the openings P (+2) and P (-2). Stop pressure supply. As a result, the balloon positioned vertically above the openings P (0), P (+1), P (-1), P (+2), and P (-2) by the positive pressure supplied from the opening P (0). Pressurized air enters between the central portion of the member BA and the upper surface 51a to form a pressurized space SP5, whereby the central portion of the balloon member BA rises over a wider range than the embodiment shown in FIG. The central portion is pressed against the lower surface of the plate PP to be brought into contact therewith ((c) in the figure). On the other hand, the openings P (+3), P (+4),... Located on the (+ Y) edge side from the opening P (+2), and the opening P (− located on the (−Y) edge side from the opening P (−2). 3), P (-4),... Is supplied with a negative pressure, whereby the balloon member BA is held by suction. At present, the opening P (0) corresponds to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention, and the openings P (+3), P (+4),..., P (−3), P (−4),. This corresponds to the “second pressing side opening” of the present invention.

  Since the pressurizing space SP5 is relatively wide in this way, in this embodiment, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 closes the valve V51 connected to the opening P (+1) that stops the negative pressure supply. The state is switched from the open state to the positive state, and the positive pressure supply to the opening P (+1) is started ((d) in the figure). By this positive pressure supply addition step, a new positive pressure supply is applied to the pressurizing space SP5, and the pressing force (or pressing force) by which the balloon member BA presses the blanket BL against the plate PP can be stabilized. At this time, the openings P (+3), P (+4),..., P (−3), P (−4),... Correspond to the “second pressing side opening” of the present invention. Although there is no change, the opening P (+1) is newly equivalent to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention.

  Next, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 is connected to the openings P (+3) and P (−3) adjacent to the openings P (0) and P (+1) among the second pressing side openings at the present time. The valve V52 is switched from the open state to the closed state while the valve V51 is closed, and the supply of negative pressure to the openings P (+3) and P (-3) is stopped ((e) in the figure). Then, similarly to the widening step, in the vicinity of the openings (+3) and P (−3), the force for holding the balloon member BA against the applied pressure in the pressurizing space SP5 gradually decreases, and the pressure in the pressurizing space SP5 The abutment area CA is gently and stably widened from the central portion to the (+ Y) edge side and the (−Y) edge side while suppressing abrupt fluctuations. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent residual bubbles from entering between the plate PP and the blanket BL during this widening. At the same time, the valve control unit 64 of the control unit 6 switches the valve V51 connected to the opening P (-1) from which the negative pressure supply has been stopped from the closed state to the open state, and supplies the positive voltage to the opening P (-1). Start pressure supply. By this new positive pressure supply, the pressing force (or pressing force) for pressing the blanket BL against the plate PP can be stabilized.

  Thus, in the widening step shown in FIG. 5E, the openings P (+3) and P (−3) correspond to the “third pressing side opening” of the present invention. At the present time, the openings P (0), P (+1), and P (-1) correspond to the “first pressing side opening” of the present invention, and the openings P (+4),..., P (−4), ... corresponds to the “second pressing side opening” of the present invention.

  Also in the present embodiment, the blanket BL is made good for the plate PP without causing bubbles to remain as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 by repeating the widening step and the positive pressure supply addition step. The pattern layer can be formed on the blanket BL by the plate PP. Further, during the pattern formation, a negative pressure can be constantly supplied to the opening 511a to keep the peripheral edge of the blanket BL in close contact with the suction plate 51, so that the pattern formation can be performed stably.

C. Others The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the above-described one without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, a plate-like object such as the plate PP or the substrate SB is sucked and held by the suction plate 37, but the holding mode of the object is not limited to this.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the plate PP and the substrate SB have the same outer size, but it is not essential that the plate-like object has a single outer size. Also, the present invention is applicable.

  In this embodiment, annular grooves 511 and 512 are provided on the upper surface 51a of the suction plate 51 to form annular openings 511a and 512a, and slit grooves 513 are provided to form an opening 513a extending in the X direction. However, the shape, size, and arrangement of each opening are arbitrary. That is, the present invention is applied to all devices that hold the balloon member by suction by a second holding means such as a suction plate provided with a plurality of pressing side openings on the upper surface 51a, and further hold the blanket BL so as to cover the balloon member. can do.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pattern forming apparatus according to the present invention is installed in the printing apparatus 100, but the application target of the present invention is not limited to this, and a blanket is applied to a plate-like object. The present invention can be applied to any pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern by contact.

  The present invention relates to a pattern forming apparatus and a pattern forming method that perform pattern formation on a blanket by an object or pattern formation on an object by a blanket by bringing a blanket into contact with a plate-like object such as a plate or a substrate. Can be applied to.

6. Control unit (control means)
34 ... Suction plate (first holding means)
51. Suction plate (second holding means)
58a ... Positive pressure supply unit 58b ... Negative pressure supply unit 64 ... Valve control unit (control means)
513 ... Adsorption groove (slit groove)
BA ... Balloon member (pressing member)
BL ... Blanket PP ... Plate (plate-like object)
SB ... Substrate (plate-like object)
SP5 ... Pressure space V51 ... Pressure valve V52 ... Suction valve X ... Left-right direction (first direction)
Y: Front-back direction (second direction)

Claims (16)

A pattern forming apparatus for forming a pattern by pressing a blanket against a plate-like object by a pressing member,
First holding means for holding the object;
A plurality of openings are formed in a plane facing the object held by the first holding means, and the blanket is held in the plane in a state where the pressing member arranged in the plane is covered with the blanket. Holding means;
A positive pressure supply means for supplying positive pressure to each of the plurality of pressing side openings facing the pressing member among the plurality of openings;
A gas supply / exhaust means for supplying and exhausting gas to a blanket side opening facing the blanket among the plurality of openings;
Control means for controlling positive pressure supply by the positive pressure supply means and gas supply and exhaust by the gas supply / exhaust means for each opening;
A pattern forming apparatus comprising:   The control means controls supply / exhaust of gas to the blanket side opening so that a gas layer is interposed between the blanket and the pressing member, and the blanket and the pressing member are in close contact with each other. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1, which produces   The control means supplies a positive pressure to an arbitrary first pressing side opening among the plurality of pressing side openings by the positive pressure supplying means, so that a part of the pressing member is lifted from the plane, and the blanket of the blanket The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a part is pressed against the object.   The control means supplies the gas to the blanket side opening by the gas supply / exhaust means and creates a state in which a gas layer is interposed between the blanket and the pressing member, while the positive pressure supply means The positive pressure is supplied to an arbitrary first pressing side opening among the plurality of pressing side openings to lift a part of the pressing member from the plane and press a part of the blanket against the object. Pattern forming device.   The control means is configured to exhaust the gas from the blanket side opening by the gas supply / exhaust means and create a state in which the blanket and the pressing member are brought into close contact with each other, and the plurality of pressing side openings by the positive pressure supply means. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the pressing member is lifted from the plane by supplying a positive pressure to an arbitrary first pressing side opening, and a part of the blanket is pressed against the object. A pressing-side negative pressure supplying means for supplying a negative pressure to the pressing-side opening;
When the control means supplies positive pressure to the first pressing side opening, the control means controls the pressing side negative pressure supply means to exclude the first pressing side opening from the plurality of pressing side openings. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a negative pressure is supplied to the two pressing side openings.   The control means stops the negative pressure supply to the third pressing side opening adjacent to the first pressing side opening in the second pressing side opening in a state where a part of the pressing member is lifted from the plane. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the area of the blanket that is pressed against the object is widened by widening the area of the pressing member that is lifted from the plane. The first pressing side opening is located in a central portion of the plane;
The control means presses the central portion of the blanket against the object by supplying positive pressure to the first pressing side opening, stops the negative pressure supply to the third pressing side opening, and is pressed against the object. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the blanket region is widened from the central portion to an edge side.   9. The control unit according to claim 7, wherein the control unit continues the positive pressure supply to the first pressing side opening by the positive pressure supply unit while stopping the negative pressure supply to the third pressing side opening. Pattern forming device. Further provided with a blanket side negative pressure supply means,
The second holding means further includes a groove formed in the plane so as to surround the plurality of openings,
10. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blanket side negative pressure supply unit supplies negative pressure to the groove portion and sucks and holds the blanket by the second holding unit. 11.   11. The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each pressing-side opening is a slit groove extending in a first direction parallel to the plane.   The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of slit grooves are arranged in a second direction parallel to the plane and orthogonal to the first direction.   The pattern forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein an interval between the plurality of slit grooves is constant. An object holding step of holding a plate-like object by the first holding means;
A blanket holding step of holding the blanket at the plane in a state where the pressing member disposed on the plane of the second holding means facing the object held at the first holding means is covered with the blanket;
A switching step of switching the presence or absence of a gas layer between the blanket and the pressing member by supplying or exhausting gas to the blanket side opening formed on the plane facing the blanket,
After the switching step, a part of the pressing member is removed from the plane by supplying positive pressure to an arbitrary first pressing side opening among a plurality of pressing side openings formed on the plane so as to face the pressing member. A pattern forming step of lifting and pressing a part of the blanket against the object to form a pattern corresponding to the first pressing side opening on the object;
A pattern forming method comprising:   In the pattern forming step, when forming a pattern corresponding to the first pressing side opening, a negative pressure is supplied to a second pressing side opening excluding the first pressing side opening among the plurality of pressing side openings. Item 15. The pattern forming method according to Item 14.   In the pattern forming step, the negative pressure supply to the third pressing side opening adjacent to the first pressing side opening in the second pressing side opening is stopped, and the region of the pressing member floating from the plane is widened. The pattern forming method according to claim 15, wherein a pattern corresponding to the third pressing side opening is formed on the object by widening an area of the blanket pressed against the object.

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