JP7811166B2 - Substrate holder and method for manufacturing substrate - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate holder used to form a film such as a resist film on the surface of a substrate, and a method for manufacturing a substrate using this substrate holder to form a film on the surface of the substrate.

Conventionally, methods for forming films such as resist films on the surface of a substrate include screen printing, curtain coating, spray coating, and roll coating. In roll coating, the substrate and a roller having a surface containing the film material to be formed on the substrate are moved relative to each other to bring the roller surface into contact with the substrate surface, and the film material on the roller surface is adhered to the substrate surface, thereby forming a film on the substrate surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-135460

When forming a film on a substrate using the roll coating method, the roller and substrate are moved relative to each other while a certain amount of pressure is applied from the roller to the substrate to ensure close contact between the surface of the substrate and the surface of the roller. However, if the pressure from the roller to the substrate is too great, defects such as cracks or breaks in the substrate can occur. These cracks and breaks are particularly likely to occur at the edges of the substrate where contact between the substrate and roller begins or ends. While it is possible to prevent these cracks and breaks by reducing the pressure from the roller to the substrate, if the pressure from the roller to the substrate is too small, the adhesion between the substrate and roller will be insufficient, resulting in defects such as the inclusion of air bubbles between the substrate surface and the film material being applied to the substrate, and uneven thickness of the formed film.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a substrate holder and a substrate manufacturing method that can prevent defects such as cracks, breakage, and the inclusion of air bubbles in the substrate when forming a film on the substrate using a roller body.

A substrate holder has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, and is provided with a storage section on the upper surface for storing a substrate, and is used to form a film by contacting a roller body with the surface of the substrate stored in the storage section, and the side surface has an inclined surface that slopes inward toward the upper surface or the lower surface.
The accommodation portion may be a recess having a bottom surface and a side surface, and the substrate holder may be made of a material having a Young's modulus smaller than that of the substrate.
Further, a method for manufacturing a substrate includes the steps of preparing a substrate holder having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, and having a storage section on the upper surface for storing a substrate, a step of storing the substrate in the storage section, and a step of forming a film on the surface of the substrate stored in the storage section, wherein the side surface of the substrate holder has an inclined surface that slopes inward toward the upper surface or the lower surface, and the step of forming the film is a step of moving a roller body containing material that will become the film and the substrate holder relative to each other, bringing the substrate and the roller body into contact with each other to adhere the material that will become the film to the substrate, and the inclined surface is arranged in the direction of movement of the substrate holder and the roller body.
The roller body may contact the substrate via the inclined surface.
The roller body may be a roll of film resist, and the film may be the film resist.
Further, the film forming step may include a step of forming the film on the substrate by passing the substrate holder housed in the housing section between the roller body and the roller, and the step of forming the film on the substrate may include a step of forming the film on the substrate by passing the substrate holder housed in the housing section between the roller body and the roller.
Furthermore, the roller body or the roller may be movable in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface of the substrate.
Furthermore, the substrate holder may be made of a material having a smaller Young's modulus than the substrate.

The substrate holder and substrate manufacturing method of the present invention make it possible to suppress the aforementioned problems that occur when forming a film on a substrate using a roller body.

FIG. 1 shows a substrate holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention using drawings. In order to make each component easier to understand, the actual shapes and structures may differ in scale, number, etc. from those shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 shows a substrate holder according to one embodiment of the present invention, with (a) being a plan view and (b) being a front cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A. The substrate holder 10 is a plate-like member having a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and can be made of a resin material such as polyoxymethylene (POM), polyetherketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or nylon; in this embodiment, nylon is used. The top surface 11 of the substrate holder 10 is provided with a storage compartment 14, which has a bottom surface 14a and a side surface 14b and is a rectangular recess. The bottom surface 14a is parallel to the top surface 11, and the side surface 14b is perpendicular to the top surface 11. The substrate holder 10 also has an inclined surface 15, which slopes inward toward the top surface 11, on part of the side surface 13 connecting the top surface 11 and bottom surface 12.

The substrate holder 10 is used when forming a film on a substrate using a roller body, and the storage section 14 functions as a storage space for storing the substrate on which the film is to be formed. The opening of the storage section 14 is slightly larger than the substrate to be stored, and the length from the top surface 11 to the bottom surface 14a is set to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate to be stored.

The inclined surface 15 is formed on the upper surface 11 of the side surface 13 located on the path when the roller body contacts the substrate via the substrate holder 10 during film formation on the substrate, and the lower surface 12 of the side surface 13 on which the inclined surface 15 is formed is perpendicular to the upper surface 11. In this embodiment, the inclined surface 15 is provided over the entirety of each of the two opposing side surfaces 13 of the substrate holder 10. By providing the inclined surface 15 on the substrate holder 10, the stress exerted by the roller body on the edge of the substrate at the start and end of contact between the substrate and the roller body can be reduced, thereby preventing cracks and breaks in the substrate. Here, the larger the angle θ formed by the inclined surface 15 and the upper surface 11, the smaller the stress exerted by the roller body on the edge of the substrate, and it is preferably 135° or greater.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which an inclined surface 15 is provided on each of the two opposing side surfaces 13 of the substrate holder 10, but an inclined surface 15 may be provided on only one side surface 13. Also, an example is shown in which an inclined surface 15 is provided on the upper surface 11 of the side surface 13 of the substrate holder 10, but the entire side surface 13 from the lower surface 12 to the upper surface 11 may be made into an inclined surface 15. Also, in this embodiment shown in Figure 1, an example is shown in which the opening end of the storage section 14 and the inclined surface 15 are spaced apart, but the opening end of the storage section 14 and the inclined surface 15 may not be spaced apart, and the inclined surface 15 may be formed from the edge of the storage section 14.

Next, a method for manufacturing a substrate according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a method for manufacturing a substrate according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the method for manufacturing a substrate according to the present invention will be described using the substrate holder 10 described above as an example of a method for forming a resist film on a substrate.

[Substrate accommodation step: FIG. 2(a)]
First, the substrate 20 and the substrate holder 10 are prepared. The substrate 20 is a low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) substrate, and copper foil (not shown) is formed on one surface. Next, the substrate 20 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 14 of the substrate holder 10. The accommodation portion 14 of the substrate holder 10 is formed slightly larger than the outer shape of the substrate 20, and a gap 21 is formed between the substrate 20 and the side surface 14b of the accommodation portion 14. Furthermore, the length from the top surface 11 to the bottom surface 14a of the substrate holder 10 is set to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the substrate 20 accommodated in the accommodation portion 14, and the surface of the substrate 20 accommodated in the accommodation portion 14 protrudes slightly from the top surface 11 of the substrate holder 10. In addition, the length from the top surface 11 to the bottom surface 14a of the substrate holder 10 may be the same as the thickness of the substrate 20 accommodated in the accommodation section 14, so that when the substrate 20 is accommodated in the accommodation section 14, the substrate 20 and the top surface 11 of the substrate holder 10 are on the same plane.

[Membrane formation process: Figure 2 (b-1), (b-2)]
Next, a film of film resist 31 is formed on the surface of the substrate 20 accommodated in the accommodation portion 14 of the substrate holder 10. In this embodiment, the film resist 31 is formed on the surface of the substrate 20 by a roll coating method using a roller body consisting of a roll-shaped film resist 31. The roll-shaped film resist 31 is a sheet-shaped film resist 31 wound into a roll. The film resist 31 is composed of a photosensitive film layer and an adhesive layer laminated on this photosensitive film layer, and the adhesive layer is exposed on the surface of the roll-shaped film resist 31.

(b-1) in Figure 2 shows the state before film resist 31 is formed on substrate 20 in the film formation process, and (b-2) shows the state after film resist 31 has been formed on substrate 20. Film resist 31 can be formed on the surface of substrate 20 by passing substrate holder 10, which contains substrate 20, between roll-shaped film resist 31 arranged on the upper surface 11 of substrate holder 10 and roller 32 arranged on the lower surface 12 of substrate holder 10. Roll-shaped film resist 31 and roller 32 are arranged so that their axes are parallel, and when substrate holder 10 is not passing, film resist 31 and roller 32 are arranged so that the outer periphery of film resist 31 and the outer periphery of roller 32 face each other with a gap smaller than the thickness of substrate holder 10. The roll-shaped film resist 31 is held so that it can rotate around its axis and move vertically perpendicular to the lower surface 12 of the substrate holder 10 when the lower surface 12 is used as the reference surface. It is connected to a rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the film resist 31 and to a biasing mechanism (not shown) that biases the film resist 31 downward. In addition, the roller 32 is positioned below the film resist 31 and is fixed and held so that it can rotate around its axis and cannot move vertically.

To form the film resist 31 on the substrate 20, first, the substrate holder 10, with the substrate 20 accommodated in the accommodation section 14, is inserted between the film resist 31 and the roller 32 from the side 13 on which the inclined surface 15 of the substrate holder 10 is formed. At this time, the surface of the film resist 31 facing the roller 32 is rotated in the direction of the substrate 20 by a rotation mechanism connected to the film resist 31, and the substrate holder 10 moves in the direction of the substrate holder 10 due to friction with the film resist 31. Furthermore, because the film resist 31 is held so that it can move vertically, as the substrate holder 10 moves, the film resist 31 moves upward along the inclined surface 15, upper surface 11, and surface of the substrate 20 of the substrate holder 10.

As the substrate holder 10 moves, the film resist 31 adheres to the surfaces of the substrate holder 10 and the substrate 20 that come into contact with the film resist 31. The film resist 31 adhered to the surfaces of the substrate holder 10 and the substrate 20 is unwound from its rolled state as the substrate holder 10 moves. In this process, the surface of the substrate 20 accommodated in the accommodation section 14 of the substrate holder 10 is set to slightly protrude from the top surface 11 of the substrate holder 10, or the length from the top surface 11 of the substrate holder 10 to the bottom surface 14a of the accommodation section 14 is set so that the surface of the substrate 20 and the top surface 11 of the substrate holder 10 are flush with each other. By using this configuration, the stress that the film resist 31 exerts on the edge of the substrate 20 at the start and end of contact between the substrate 20, film resist 31, and roller 32 can be reduced compared to when the substrate 20 is passed between the film resist 31 and roller 32 without being housed in the substrate holder 10, thereby suppressing the occurrence of cracks or breaks in the substrate 20.

Furthermore, by configuring the substrate holder 10 with an inclined surface 15, the stress that the film resist 31 exerts on the edge of the substrate holder 10 when contact with the film resist 31 and roller 32 begins and ends can be reduced, making it possible to prevent cracks or breaks in the substrate holder 10, and to prevent misalignment of the substrate holder 10 or substrate 20 due to impacts that occur when the substrate holder 10 comes into contact with the film resist 31 or roller 32.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the substrate 20 is an LTCC substrate, the substrate holder 10 is made of nylon, and the Young's modulus of the substrate 20 is 70 to 150 GPa, and the Young's modulus of the substrate holder 10 is approximately 1 GPa. In this embodiment, by making the Young's modulus of the substrate holder 10 smaller than that of the substrate 20, when stress acts from the film resist 31 to the substrate 20 during the formation of the film resist 31 on the surface of the substrate 20, distortion occurs in the substrate holder 10 supporting the substrate 20 before the substrate 20, thereby mitigating the impact on the substrate 20. This prevents cracks and breaks in the substrate 20. Similarly, by making the Young's modulus of the substrate holder 10 smaller than that of the substrate 20, rattle of the substrate 20 within the accommodation portion 14 of the substrate holder 10 when the film resist 31 is formed on the surface of the substrate 20 is prevented, and the film resist 31 can be properly formed on the surface of the substrate 20 without the inclusion of air bubbles.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the film resist 31 is connected to a biasing mechanism that biases the film resist 31 downward (toward the roller 32), a predetermined pressure can be applied to the substrate 20 when the film resist 31 is adhered to the substrate 20. By appropriately adjusting this predetermined pressure, it is possible to prevent cracks or breaks in the substrate 20, prevent air bubbles from getting between the film resist 31 and the substrate 20, and ensure that the thickness of the film resist 31 adhered to the surface of the substrate 20 is uniform. Note that the biasing mechanism can be, for example, a mechanism in which a spring stretched beyond its natural length is placed between the base (not shown) that secures the film resist 31 and the axis of the film resist 31, and the restoring force of the spring biases the film resist 31 downward.

[Substrate removal process]
Next, the substrate 20 is removed from the substrate holder 10. In the substrate holder 10 and substrate 20 to which the film resist 31 has been attached in the film formation process, a gap 21 is formed between the side surface 14b of the accommodation section 14 and the substrate 20, and the film resist 31 is bridged across this gap 21. The substrate 20 can be removed from the substrate holder 10 by cutting this bridged film resist 31 along the outline of the substrate 20 with a blade or the like.

The substrate 20, on whose surface the film resist 31 has been formed by the above process, can be patterned using well-known photolithography techniques to form a metal film on the copper foil formed on the surface of the substrate 20, or to etch the copper foil using the photoresist 31 as a mask, thereby manufacturing wiring boards that meet a variety of requirements.

The substrate holder and substrate manufacturing method of the present invention have been described above based on the examples. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and any modifications can be made within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the examples, the inclined surface 15 of the substrate holder 10 is formed on the upper surface 11 of the substrate holder 10. However, the substrate holder 10 may be configured with an inclined surface 15 that slopes inward toward the lower surface 12 of the side surface 13 of the substrate holder 10, or the inclined surfaces 15 may be provided on both the upper surface 11 and the lower surface 12. When providing the inclined surface 15 on the lower surface 12, it is preferable that the roller 32 on the lower surface 12 side be movable in the vertical direction. Furthermore, while the inclined surface 15 is formed over the entirety of each of the two opposing side surfaces 13 of the substrate holder 10, the inclined surface 15 may be formed on at least a portion of the substrate holder 10. For example, the inclined surface 15 may be formed partially on one of the sides that form the side surface 13 of the substrate holder 10.

In addition, in the examples, the film formed on the substrate 20 is a film of film resist 31. However, for example, liquid resist may be formed on the surface of the substrate 20 instead of film resist 31. When forming liquid resist on the surface of the substrate 20, a cylindrical roller may be prepared instead of a roll of film resist 31, liquid resist may be supplied to the side of the cylindrical roller, and the side of the roller to which the liquid resist has been supplied may be brought into contact with the substrate holder 10 and the substrate 20 to apply the liquid resist to each surface, and the resist may be dried after application to form a film. Furthermore, the film is not limited to resist, and various coating films and coating liquids can be used. Furthermore, in the examples, the process of forming a film using two rollers, film resist 31 and roller 32, has been described. However, a single roller may be used, or two or more rollers may be combined.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 substrate holder 11 upper surface 12 lower surface 13 side surface 14 storage section 14a bottom surface 14b side surface 15 inclined surface 20 substrate 21 gap 31 film resist 32 roller

Claims (9)

A substrate holder having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, and comprising a storage section on the upper surface for storing a substrate, and for forming a film by bringing a roller body into contact with a surface of the substrate stored in the storage section,
The side surface of the substrate holder has an inclined surface that slopes inward toward the upper surface or the lower surface. The substrate holder described in claim 1, characterized in that the storage portion is recessed and has a bottom surface and side surfaces. The substrate holder of claim 1, wherein the substrate holder is made of a material having a Young's modulus smaller than that of the substrate. In a method for manufacturing a substrate,
preparing a substrate holder having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, the substrate holder having a housing portion on the upper surface for housing a substrate;
a step of accommodating a substrate in the accommodation section;
forming a film on the surface of the substrate accommodated in the accommodation unit,
the side surface of the substrate holder includes an inclined surface that is inclined inward of the substrate holder toward the upper surface or the lower surface,
the step of forming the film is a step of moving a roller body containing the material to be the film relative to the substrate holder, and bringing the substrate into contact with the roller body to adhere the material to be the film to the substrate;
A method for manufacturing a substrate, wherein the inclined surface is arranged in the direction of movement of the substrate holder and the roller body. The method for manufacturing a substrate described in claim 4, characterized in that the roller body contacts the substrate via the inclined surface. The method for manufacturing a substrate described in claim 4, characterized in that the roller body is a roll-shaped film resist, and the film is the film resist. The method for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 4, characterized in that a roller is disposed below the roller body, and the film forming process is a process in which the film is formed on the substrate by passing the substrate holder housed in the housing between the roller body and the roller. The method for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 7, wherein the roller body or the roller is movable in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface of the substrate. 5. The method for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 4, wherein the substrate holder is made of a material having a Young's modulus smaller than that of the substrate.