Coating processes – Measuring – testing – or indicating
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-28
2004-01-06
Pianalto, Bernard (Department: 1762)
Coating processes
Measuring, testing, or indicating
C118S050000, C118S308000, C118S624000, C118S668000, C427S058000, C427S123000, C427S189000, C427S190000, C427S191000, C427S193000, C427S195000, C427S197000, C427S202000, C427S203000, C427S258000, C427S259000, C427S261000, C427S265000, C427S272000, C427S282000, C427S294000, C427S385500, C427S421100, C427S427000, C427S466000, C427S468000, C427S469000, C427S470000, C427S472000, C427S474000, C427S561000, C427S562000, C427S564000, C427S567000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06673386
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pattern forming method and apparatus which allows a desired pattern to be formed on a substrate implementing a large-scale panel such as a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), liquid crystal panel, organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel, or circuit board with a low cost, and yet which allows a fine pattern to be formed with high precision. The invention also relates to pattern-forming material particles to be used for the pattern forming method and apparatus.
PDPs have become far thinner than CRT type image display devices, and flat in their image-displaying surfaces, thus being considered as useful for so-called wall-hanging type large-scale image display devices or the like.
In the image display mechanism of a PDP, in which a micro-cell structure is formed between a pair of transparent glass plates, plasma arcs are generated by this cell structure so that a fluorescent layer formed within the cell structure emits light, the resulting light emission being allowed to penetrate through the transparent glass plates so as to be radiated outside. In this one pair of glass plates, a multiplicity of transparent linear electrodes intersecting one another are formed, and producing plasma emission at the intersecting points of those linear electrodes allows an emission image having any arbitrary pattern to be formed. Arranging fluorescent layers corresponding to the three primary colors of R, G and B enable the display of color images.
Now, an explanation of PDPs is given below.
As shown in
FIG. 85
, a plasma display panel (PDP) is so constructed that electric discharge is generated locally between opposing two substrates, i.e. a front glass plate
80
and a back glass plate
89
, thereby causing fluorescent layers
85
formed in partitions on the substrate to be excited so as to emit light.
On the inner surface of the front glass plate
80
, transparent electrodes
81
for generating surface discharge along the substrate surface are arrayed, by one pair for each line. Each of the transparent electrodes
81
comprises a wide, linear band-shaped transparent electrode made of ITO thin film, and a narrow, linear band-shaped Ag bus electrode
82
made of metal thin film. The bus electrode
82
is an auxiliary electrode for ensuring appropriate electrical conductivity. A dielectric layer
83
is provided so as to cover the transparent electrodes
81
, and a protective film
84
of MgO is deposited on the surface of the dielectric layer
83
. Both the dielectric layer
83
and the protective film
84
have light transparency.
Next, on the inner surface of the back glass plate
89
, address electrodes (data electrodes)
88
are arrayed so as to perpendicularly intersect the transparent electrodes
81
. One linear rib, indicated by numeral
86
, is provided between every adjacent ones of the address electrodes
88
. The ribs
86
are formed from low melting-point glass, and opaque to ultraviolet rays. These ribs
86
partition the discharge space along the line direction in sub-pixels (unit light-emitting areas), and define the gap size of the discharge space.
Then, the fluorescent layers
85
of the three colors of R, G and B for color display are provided so as to cover the back wall surface including upper portions of the address electrodes
88
and side faces of the ribs
86
. The transparent electrodes
81
correspond to one line of the matrix display, and one address electrode
88
corresponds to one column. Then, three columns correspond to one pixel (picture element). That is, one pixel is made up of three sub-pixels of R, G and B arrayed along the line direction.
Stored state of wall charges in the dielectric layer
83
is controlled by opposite discharge between the address electrodes
88
and the transparent electrodes
81
. Applying sustain pulses alternately to the transparent electrodes
81
causes occurrence of surface discharge (main discharge) at the sub-pixels where a specified amount of wall charges are present. Ultraviolet rays caused by this surface discharge causes the fluorescent layer
85
to be locally excited, radiating visible light of a specified color. Out of this visible light, a portion of light that is transmitted by the front glass plate
80
becomes display light. Since the arrangement pattern of the ribs
86
is a stripe pattern, portions corresponding to individual columns within the discharge space are continuous in the column direction, stretching over all the lines. The color of emission light of the sub-pixels within each column is of the same.
Because of the large size of the panel substrate, the formation of the linear electrodes onto the surface of glass plates forming the PDP has so far been implemented by screen printing process, photoetching process, and thin film process.
However, there have been issues that the screen printing process is insufficient in the precision of fine patterns, while the photoetching process and the thin film process involve large numbers of steps, resulting in high-priced pattern formation. Such issues have been applicable also to the pattern formation onto other large-scale panel substrates such as the cell-surrounding wall formation in the fabrication of liquid crystal panels or organic EL panel, or the conductor-circuit formation onto circuit boards.
In particular, in the case of techniques involving exposure and development, resulting waste liquids cannot be adopted in terms of environmental issues. Besides, exposure equipment and development equipment are large in size and large in installation site, taking high equipment costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming a pattern onto a panel substrate, the method and apparatus being simple in processes and yet good at the precision of fine-pattern formation, as well as to provide pattern-forming material particles to be used for the pattern forming method and apparatus.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention has the following constitutions.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a pattern on a surface of a panel substrate, comprising:
electrically charging pattern-forming material particles;
jetting out the electrically charged pattern-forming material particles through a nozzle by applying electrostatic force to the pattern-forming material particles to form a pattern; and
fixing the pattern onto the panel substrate.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a pattern onto a panel substrate according to the first aspect, wherein the electrically charging is implemented by a corona charging method.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a pattern onto a panel substrate according to the first or second aspect, wherein in forming the pattern, a pattern is once formed on a surface of an intermediate member with the jetted out pattern-forming material particles, and thereafter the pattern on the intermediate member is transferred onto the surface of the panel substrate, by which the pattern is formed on the panel substrate.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a pattern onto a panel substrate according to the first or second aspect, further comprising performing an exposure and development process on the formed pattern.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a pattern onto a panel substrate according to the first or second aspect, further comprising: forming an adhesion layer on a surface of the panel substrate to which the pattern-forming material particles have not yet jetted out from the nozzle.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a pattern onto a panel substrate according to the first or second aspect, wherein the pattern-forming material particles are particles each having a particle siz
Fukano Akira
Komyoji Daido
Kumon Akira
Matsuda Naoko
Naka Hiroyuki
Pianalto Bernard
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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