Flying object generating method and device, image forming device, and device for manufacturing three-dimensional object

Abstract

To provide a flying object generation method which can make a flying object material that is made to fly to adhere to a target by suppressing scattering of the flying object material.SOLUTION: A flying object generation method comprises a flying object material flying step of making a flying object material fly in the irradiation direction of a laser beam by irradiating a base material with the laser beam from the front surface side that is opposite to the front surface where the flying object material is arranged in the base material in which the flying object material is arranged on at least a portion of the surface so as to generate a uniform heat area indicating the substantially-uniform temperature distribution equal to or greater than the melting point of the flying object material on an interface between the base material and the flying object material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flying object generating method and device, an image forming device, and a three-dimensional object manufacturing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Image forming devices using inkjet methods, etc., are able to eject ink droplets to desired locations, and in recent years, they have been considered for application in fields such as 3D printers, which create three-dimensional shapes, and printed electronics, which form electronic components using printing technology.

[0003] In these fields, it is necessary to accurately eject not only low-viscosity inks used in conventional image forming apparatuses, but also highly viscous materials such as inks with high pigment concentrations and conductive pastes containing conductors to desired positions. For this reason, various technologies for ejecting highly viscous materials have been proposed. As such a technique, a technique of ejecting ink using a laser has been considered, and for example, the Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) method using an optical vortex laser has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The LIFT method is a method in which, for example, a film (layer) of a material to be transferred is formed on a substrate, the film of the material to be transferred is irradiated with a laser beam to eject the material to be transferred, and the material to be transferred is placed at a desired position on a substrate placed opposite the film of the material to be transferred. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for generating a flying object that can prevent scattering of a flying target material and allow the flying target material to adhere to the target. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a means for solving the above problems, the flying object generating method of the present invention comprises: In a substrate having a flying target material arranged on at least a part of its surface, from the surface side opposite to the surface on which the flying target material is arranged, At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is formed that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material. The method includes a step of flying the target material by irradiating the laser beam to fly the target material in the direction of the laser beam irradiation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a flying object generating method that can prevent scattering of a flying target material and allow the flying target material to adhere to the target. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a simulation image in which the temperature (energy) distribution of a Gaussian laser beam is represented by contour lines. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of an image showing the temperature (energy) distribution of the soaking irradiation laser beam. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of a Gaussian laser beam (dotted line) and a soaking laser beam (solid line). [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of a soaking irradiation laser beam. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the soaking irradiation laser beam. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the conventional LIFT method using a Gaussian laser beam. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the conventional LIFT method using a Gaussian laser beam. [Figure 4C]FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram showing another example of the conventional LIFT method using a Gaussian laser beam. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram showing an example of the LIFT method using a soaking laser beam in the present invention. [Figure 4E] FIG. 4E is a schematic diagram showing another example of the LIFT method using a soaking laser beam according to the present invention. [Figure 4F] FIG. 4F is a schematic diagram showing another example of the LIFT method using a soaking laser beam according to the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram showing an example of adjusting a soaking irradiation laser beam by a geometric method using an aspherical lens. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram showing an example of adjusting a soaking irradiation laser beam by a wave optics technique using a DOE. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram showing an example of adjusting the uniform heating irradiation laser beam by combining a reflective liquid crystal phase conversion element and a prism. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the temperature rise in a thin film of a target material due to differences in the absorption rate of laser energy. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a laser beam magnification varying means. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the laser beam magnification varying means. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the phase distribution conversion means. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the film thickness of a gold film alone as an assist film and the transmittance (backside fluence FB (%)) of a laser beam. [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram showing an example in which an assist film having a light absorbing region made of a light absorbing material and a non-light absorbing region made of a non-light absorbing material is disposed on a substrate. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram showing an example of irradiating a laser beam onto the substrate on which the pattern of light absorbing regions shown in FIG. 10A has been formed. [Figure 11A] FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a projectile generating device of the present invention. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the projectile generating device of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the projectile generating device of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object according to the present invention. [Figure 15A] FIG. 15A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the generation of flying objects when an assist film is used. [Figure 15B] FIG. 15B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the generation of flying objects when an assist film is used. [Figure 15C] FIG. 15C is a schematic diagram showing another example of the generation of flying objects when an assist film is used. [Figure 15D] FIG. 15D is a schematic diagram showing another example of the generation of flying objects when an assist film is used. [Figure 16A] FIG. 16A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a laser beam shape for which the beam profile was confirmed when an assist film was used. [Figure 16B] FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a residual donor image of the flying target material on the substrate after transfer when an assist film is used. [Figure 16C] FIG. 16C is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image of the flying target material adhered to the adhesion receiving medium when the assist film of FIG. 16B is used. [Figure 16D] FIG. 16D is a schematic diagram showing another example of a residual donor image of the flying target material on the substrate after transfer when an assist film is used. [Figure 16E] FIG. 16E is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image of the flying target material adhered to the adhesion receiving medium when the assist film of FIG. 16D is used. [Figure 16F]FIG. 16F is a schematic diagram showing another example of a residual donor image of the flying target material on the substrate after transfer when an assist film is used. [Figure 16G] FIG. 16G is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image of the flying target material adhered to the adhesion receiving medium when the assist film of FIG. 16F is used. [Figure 17A] FIG. 17A is a photograph showing an example of a residual donor image on a substrate after laser beam irradiation in an example. [Figure 17B] FIG. 17B is a photograph showing an example of an image of the transferred flying target material on the object to be deposited after irradiation with the laser beam in the example. [Figure 17C] FIG. 17C is a photograph showing an example of a residual donor image on a substrate after laser beam irradiation in a comparative example. [Figure 17D] FIG. 17D is a photograph showing an example of an image of the transferred flying target material on the object to be deposited after irradiation with a laser beam in a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Projectile generating method and projectile generating device) The method for generating a flying object of the present invention is directed to a substrate having a flying object material disposed on at least a portion of its surface, the method comprising: At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is formed that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material. The method includes a step of flying a target material by irradiating the laser beam to fly the target material in the direction of the laser beam irradiation, and further includes other steps as necessary. The projectile generating device of the present invention is a substrate having a projectile target material disposed on at least a portion of its surface, and is configured to: At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is formed that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material. The laser beam is irradiated to the object material, and the object material is caused to fly in the direction of the laser beam irradiation by the object material irradiated with the laser beam. The laser beam irradiator further includes other means as required.

[0009] The flying object generating method of the present invention can be suitably carried out, for example, by using the flying object generating device of the present invention, and the flying object material flying step can be suitably carried out by the flying object material flying means. Therefore, the flying object generating method of the present invention will be clarified below through an explanation of the flying object generating device of the present invention.

[0010] The present inventors have investigated the following problems in the prior art. In conventional image forming apparatuses using inkjet systems, when printing with highly viscous ink, the nozzles that eject the ink become clogged with ink, making it difficult to eject the ink stably. Furthermore, in conventional inkjet image forming apparatuses, in order to prevent ink clogging, it is necessary to increase the diameter of the nozzles that eject the ink (nozzle diameter) depending on the viscosity of the ink, for example. However, when the nozzle diameter is increased, the diameter of the ejected ink droplets becomes relatively large, which can result in a decrease in resolution. For this reason, in conventional inkjet image forming devices, using ink with high viscosity poses problems such as the inability to eject the ink stably and the resulting reduction in resolution, making it difficult to put into practical use.

[0011] When light-absorbing ink is ejected using the above-mentioned Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) method, unlike when using the inkjet method, there is no need to eject ink from a nozzle, so even ink with high viscosity can be ejected. However, when printing or the like is performed by ejecting ink using the LIFT method, there are cases where the ink scatters when ejected or when it adheres to the printing substrate (object), making it difficult to control the ink adhesion position. This is because the conventional LIFT method uses a general Gaussian laser beam, and with this Gaussian laser beam, the strongest energy is distributed along the optical axis of the laser beam, so when the laser beam is irradiated onto the ink to be ejected, the ink scatters. Furthermore, while the conventional LIFT method using a Laguerre-Gaussian beam such as an optical vortex laser can improve the accuracy of the attachment position of the flying light absorbing material compared to when a Gaussian beam is used, there is a problem in that it can be difficult to control the attachment position with higher precision.

[0012] Furthermore, when using the conventional LIFT method, it is known that the gap between the donor substrate and the receiver substrate must be small to prevent deterioration of print quality in the LIFT system. A gap of 500 μm or more is desirable to increase throughput for industrial applications. A gap of 1,000 μm or more is also desirable for use with uneven acceptors and curved surfaces. It has been reported that satellites and spray generally occur when the gap is 100 μm or larger (see, for example, L. Rapp, J. Ailuno, A.P. Alloncle, and P. Delaporte, “Pulsed-laser printing of silver nanoparticle ink: control of morphological properties,” Opt. Express 19 (2011) 21563-74). It has been reported that adding a highly absorbing film at the laser wavelength is necessary to improve droplet quality (see, for example, E. Turkoz, L. Deike and C.B. Arnold, “Comparison of jets from Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids induced by blister-actuated laser-induced forward transfer (BA-LIFT),” Appl. Phys. A (2017) 123:652).

[0013] The projectile generation method of the present invention has discovered that, in the LIFT method, by irradiating a laser beam at the interface between the substrate and the target material to be projected, a uniformly heated area is generated that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution above the melting point of the target material, thereby preventing the projected material from scattering and allowing it to adhere to the target. In particular, it was found that the method for generating projectiles of the present invention is remarkably excellent in that it prevents scattering and allows the projectiles to adhere to the target, even when the target material is a solid or powder.

[0014] <Flying target material flying process and flying target material flying means> The step of flying the flying target material includes the steps of: flying the flying target material from a surface side of a substrate having the flying target material disposed on at least a part of its surface, the surface side facing the surface on which the flying target material is disposed, to the substrate; At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is formed that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material. This is a process in which a laser beam is irradiated to cause the target material to fly in the direction of the laser beam irradiation. The flying material flying means is configured to: At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is formed that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material. This is a means for projecting a target material in the direction of the laser beam by projecting a laser beam.

[0015] The term "flying object" refers to a flying object that is generated by irradiating a target material with a laser beam. The term "flying" refers to the target material leaving the substrate and flying toward the target (for example, a receiver substrate or transfer medium to which the target material adheres). The shape of the projectile varies depending on the material of the target material. For example, if the target material is a liquid, the projectile is preferably approximately spherical, and if the target material is a solid, the projectile is preferably any shape, such as flat or granular. Note that liquid and solid refer to the state of the target material in the environment (temperature, pressure, etc.) that generates the projectile.

[0016] In the LIFT method, a laser beam is irradiated onto the target material, and when the target material reaches its melting point, if the target material is a solid or powder, it melts. As the molten target material cools, it resolidifies, and at that time the bonding force (intermolecular force) at the interface with the base material surface is released, causing the material to fly as powder or small fragments. Another principle of flight is that in the LIFT method, when the laser beam irradiation energy is large and the temperature of the target material is raised above its boiling point, the target material undergoes ablation and is propelled as fine particles. For example, when the temperature rise at which the material to be sent starts to vaporize from a room temperature environment is Tb (K), if light (laser beam) is irradiated onto the material to be sent so as to satisfy the following formula (1) surrounding the optical axis, the material to be sent will reach a pressure equal to or higher than the ambient pressure and vaporize, i.e., a vaporized region equal to or higher than the ambient pressure will be generated, allowing the material to be sent. Here, in the case of an open system, "ambient pressure" means atmospheric pressure. Q≧Tb(v c ρ)...Equation (1) v is the volume (kg), c is the specific heat (J / (kg K)), and ρ is the density (kg / m 3 ) In this case, Q(J) is the amount of heat input, not the amount of light irradiation energy. By considering the absorption rate or absorption coefficient of the light energy of the target material, it is possible to calculate the amount of light irradiation energy (energy density) required to generate a vaporized area with pressure equal to or greater than the outside air pressure.

[0017] In the projectile generating method and projectile generating device of the present invention, a laser beam is irradiated at the interface between the substrate and the target material so as to create a uniformly heated area that exhibits a substantially uniform temperature distribution above the melting point of the target material.

[0018] By irradiating the interface between the substrate and the target material with a laser beam to create a region where the temperature is above the melting point of the target material, the bonding force (intermolecular force) at the interface between the substrate and the target material is reduced, and the target material flies off as powder or small fragments.

[0019] Here, the "creation of a uniformly heated region exhibiting a substantially uniform temperature distribution at or above the melting point of the target material at the interface between the substrate and the target material" in the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The "uniformly heated region" refers to a region where the temperature distribution of the target material is approximately uniform. "A region where the temperature distribution of the target material is approximately uniform" means that within a region of the target material arranged on the substrate, there is no variation in the temperature of the target material and it is approximately the same temperature. When the target material is a homogeneous material, it is important that the temperature (energy) distribution of the irradiated laser beam is approximately uniform in order to generate a "region in which the temperature distribution of the target material is approximately uniform." The approximately uniform temperature (energy) distribution of the irradiated laser beam will be explained with reference to the drawings. Note that, in the following, a laser beam with an approximately uniform temperature (energy) distribution may be referred to as a "soaking irradiation laser beam."

[0020] FIG. 1A shows an example of a simulation image of a Gaussian laser beam, a commonly used laser beam, in a cross section perpendicular to the laser beam propagation direction, using contour lines to represent the temperature (energy) distribution. As shown in FIG. 1A, a Gaussian laser beam has a temperature (energy) distribution in a cross section perpendicular to the laser beam propagation direction, where the energy intensity is greatest at the center (optical axis) of the laser beam and decreases toward the edges. FIG. 2 shows an example of the energy intensity distribution of a Gaussian laser beam (dotted line) and a soaking laser beam (solid line) in a cross section perpendicular to the laser beam propagation direction. As shown in FIG. 2, similar to FIG. 1A, the Gaussian laser beam (dotted line) has a maximum energy intensity at the center (optical axis) of the laser beam and decreases toward the edges. The "energy intensity distribution of a laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the laser beam propagation direction" is sometimes simply referred to as the "cross-sectional intensity distribution of a laser beam." FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of an image showing the temperature (energy) distribution of a soaking irradiation laser beam. As shown in FIG. 1B, the soaking irradiation laser beam is clearly divided into areas with energy (black areas in the figure) and areas without energy (gray areas in the figure). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the soaking irradiation laser beam (solid line) does not have the maximum energy value at the optical axis like a Gaussian laser beam, but has an energy intensity distribution in which the energy intensity of the laser beam is approximately uniform. A laser beam having such a cross-sectional intensity distribution in which the energy intensity of the laser beam is approximately uniform is sometimes called a top-hat laser beam. Conventionally, it is known that a top-hat laser beam is used for thin film laser patterning, but its application to the LIFT method is not known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-143787).

[0021] In a soaking laser beam, it is ideal that the energy intensity of the laser beam is uniform. That is, it is ideal that the energy of the laser beam is approximately uniform (approximately constant) in a cross section perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam. Here, FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of a soaking irradiation laser beam, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the cross-sectional intensity distribution of a soaking irradiation laser beam. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, in a cross section perpendicular to the laser beam propagation direction, an ideal soaking irradiation laser beam appears to have the same energy intensity. However, in reality, the energy intensity of the laser beam is not completely constant as shown in FIG. 3A, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the energy intensity value of the laser beam oscillates, resulting in an energy distribution that appears to be wavy. Therefore, there are three or more points where the energy intensity of the soaking irradiation laser beam is the same in a cross section perpendicular to the laser beam propagation direction. For example, in the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the soaking irradiation laser beam shown in FIG. 3B, there are six points where the energy intensity of the laser beam is the same. In contrast, in the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the ideal Gaussian laser beam shown in FIG. 2, the energy intensity distribution is a Gaussian distribution, so there are only a maximum of two points where the energy intensity of the laser beam is the same. Therefore, in other words, a laser beam having three or more points where the energy intensity of the laser beam is the same in its cross-sectional intensity distribution can be said to have a substantially uniform energy distribution. In the present invention, the soaking irradiation laser beam that produces a "soaked region" means a laser beam having three or more points where the energy intensity of the laser beam is the same in its cross-sectional intensity distribution.

[0022] Whether a laser beam is a soaking laser beam can be determined by measuring the energy distribution of the irradiating laser beam with a beam profiler and checking whether the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the laser beam has three or more points with the same laser beam energy intensity.

[0023] Next, the advantages of carrying out the LIFT method using a soaking laser beam will be described with reference to the drawings. 4A to 4C are schematic diagrams showing an example of the LIFT method using a conventional Gaussian laser beam, and Fig. 4D to Fig. 4F are schematic diagrams showing an example of the LIFT method using a uniform heat irradiation laser beam according to the present invention. Fig. 4A to Fig. 4F explain the case where a transparent substrate 411 is used as the substrate and a solid film 421 is used as the target material. 4A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a case where a Gaussian laser beam 431 is irradiated onto a substrate 411 having a target material 421 disposed on at least a portion of its surface, from the surface opposite to the surface on which the target material 421 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the Gaussian laser beam 431 is irradiated from the surface opposite to the surface on which the target material 421 is disposed, the Gaussian laser beam 431 is irradiated onto the target material 421 through the substrate 411. When the Gaussian laser beam 431 is irradiated onto the target material 421, the target material 421 is heated to a melting point or higher by the energy of the laser beam, thereby reducing the bonding force (intermolecular force) at the interface between the substrate 411 and the target material 421. The cross-sectional intensity distribution 432 of the Gaussian laser beam 431 has a maximum value at the center of the Gaussian laser beam 431, and the intensity gradually decreases toward the edge. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4B, a force acting in a direction from the center of the Gaussian laser beam 431 to the outside tends to be generated in the flying target material 421. As a result, as shown in Fig. 4C, the flying target material 421 scatters and ends up adhering to the target 441 in pieces. Figure 4D is a schematic diagram showing an example of a substrate 411 having a target material 421 disposed on at least a portion of its surface, in which a soaking laser beam 433 is irradiated onto the substrate 411 from the surface side opposite to the surface on which the target material 421 is disposed. In the case of a soaking irradiation laser beam, the laser beam is irradiated onto the target material 421 via the substrate 411, and the energy of the laser beam heats the target material 421 to above its melting point, reducing the bonding force at the interface between the substrate 411 and the target material 421, just like in the case of a Gaussian laser beam. However, in the present invention, the laser beam is irradiated so as to create a soaking region in the target material 421. That is, as described above, the target material 421 is irradiated with the soaking irradiation laser beam 433 having a substantially uniform cross-sectional intensity distribution 434. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4E, a force is generated in the target material 421 in the same direction as the irradiation direction of the soaking irradiation laser beam 433. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4F, the target material 421 flies in the same direction as the irradiation direction of the laser beam, preventing the target material 421 from scattering and allowing it to adhere to the target 441.

[0024] In addition, "Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM)" and "1 / e" are used as indicators of the size (width) of a laser beam. 2 There is a "width". "Full width at half maximum (FWHM)" refers to the spectral width of a laser beam at half the maximum intensity of the laser beam (for example, the spectral width at intensity A in FIG. 2). "1 / e 2 "Width" refers to an index that regards the distance between two points of intensity values ​​corresponding to 13.5% of the maximum intensity in the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the laser beam as the laser beam diameter (for example, the spectral width at the intensity of B in Figure 2). This "full width at half maximum (FWHM)" and "1 / e 2 The ratio of FWHM to ho(FWHM / (1 / e 2 When the width is 0.6, ho is 0.6 for an ideal Gaussian laser beam, and ho is 1 for an ideal top-hat beam. In the case of a Gaussian laser beam, as the energy intensity of the laser beam increases, the irradiation area at that intensity decreases. Also, the intensity of the Gaussian laser beam increases as it approaches the center. That is, the energy intensity in the irradiation region of the Gaussian laser beam becomes non-uniform. On the other hand, for a uniform heating irradiation laser beam, the top-hat beam having the maximum intensity has a ratio ho (Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) / (1 / e 2 width)) that is theoretically "1", and the energy intensity of the laser beam in the irradiation region ("1 / e 2 width") is uniform. 2 By the present inventors, the ratio ho (Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) / (1 / e 2 width)) of the Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam in a cross-section orthogonal to the traveling direction of the laser beam, and the 1 / e 2 width, it is preferable to irradiate the flying target material so that 0.6 < ho < 1, and more preferably to satisfy 0.7 ≤ ho ≤ 0.9. Incidentally, ho (Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) / (1 / e 2 width)) of the uniform heating irradiation laser beam shown in FIG. 1B above was 0.85.

[0025] In a cross-section orthogonal to the traveling direction of the laser beam, there are no particular restrictions on the shape of the energy intensity distribution of the uniform heating irradiation laser beam with the 1 / e 2 width as the base, and it can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, a square, rectangle, parallelogram, circle, ellipse, etc. can be mentioned.

[0026] Next, the flying target material flying means will be described. As the light absorber flying means, for example, those having a laser light source and laser beam conversion means can be used, and further, if necessary, laser beam shaping means and other means can be provided.

[0027] - Laser Light Source - The laser light source is not particularly limited as long as it can emit laser light, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, a solid-state laser, gas laser, or semiconductor laser that generates a laser beam can be used, and one that can be pulsed is preferred. Examples of solid-state lasers include YAG lasers and titanium sapphire lasers. Examples of gas lasers include an argon laser, a helium-neon laser, and a carbon dioxide laser. The wavelength of the laser beam is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but is preferably 300 nm or more and 11 μm or less, and more preferably 350 nm or more and 1100 nm or less. The pulse width of the laser beam is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but is preferably 2 nanoseconds to 100 nanoseconds, more preferably 2 nanoseconds to 10 nanoseconds. Although a nanosecond laser beam can also cause ablation, a laser beam with a high peak power, such as a picosecond laser beam or a femtosecond laser beam, is preferred because it is more likely to cause ablation. The pulse frequency of the laser beam is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but is preferably 10 Hz or more and 1 MHz or less, and more preferably 20 Hz or more and 50 kHz or less. The laser light source may be, for example, an Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm.

[0028] --Laser beam-- The laser beam is a laser beam that is equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material and that generates a soaked-heat region where the heat distribution is approximately uniform. In other words, there are no particular limitations as long as the laser beam has a substantially uniform temperature (energy) distribution, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. An example of a laser beam that is equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material and that generates a soaked-heat region where the heat distribution is approximately uniform is a soaking-heat irradiation laser beam.

[0029] -Laser beam conversion means- As the laser beam, a desired laser beam can be generated by a laser beam conversion means. The laser beam converting means is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include soaking irradiation laser beam converting means. The soaking irradiation laser beam conversion means is not particularly limited as long as it can generate the soaking region described above, and examples thereof include an aspherical lens, a phase mask such as a diffractive optical element (DOE), a phase conversion means such as a liquid crystal phase conversion element (SLM), etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0030] The method using an aspherical lens is a method for geometrically converting a Gaussian laser beam into a uniformly heated laser beam. 5A is a schematic diagram showing an example of adjusting a soaking irradiation laser beam by a geometrical method using an aspherical lens. As shown in FIG. 5A, by passing a Gaussian laser beam through an aspherical lens 511, a laser beam having a cross-sectional intensity distribution 432 of a Gaussian laser beam is expanded at a central portion 521 of the laser beam by a concave lens effect and converged at a peripheral portion 522 of the laser beam by a convex lens effect, so that a laser beam having a cross-sectional intensity distribution 433 of the soaking irradiation laser beam can be adjusted on an irradiation surface (substrate) 512.

[0031] The method using a phase mask such as a diffractive optical element (DOE) is a method of converting a Gaussian laser beam into a uniformly heated irradiation laser beam using wave optics. Figure 5B is a schematic diagram showing an example of adjusting a uniform-heating laser beam using a wave optics technique with a DOE. As shown in Figure 5B, by passing a Gaussian laser beam through a DOE 531, a phase distribution that produces a concave lens effect in the center of the laser beam and a convex lens effect in the peripheral portion of the laser beam is given, and by controlling the wavefront, a uniform-heating laser beam can be obtained. In Figure 5B, 541 represents a focusing lens and 551 represents a substrate.

[0032] A method using a phase conversion means such as a liquid crystal phase change element (SLM) can convert the phase distribution of a laser beam (temporal spatial light modulation), so the superimposed wavefront can be changed temporally.

[0033] As an example other than the above, a combination of a reflective liquid crystal phase change element and a prism can also be used. FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram showing an example of adjusting the soaking irradiation laser beam by a combination of a reflective liquid crystal phase conversion element 561 and a prism 562.

[0034] The laser beam is converted into a uniformly heated irradiation laser beam by the laser beam conversion optical system and the fθ lens, and the uniformly heated irradiation laser beam is irradiated onto the target material. The size of the laser beam irradiated onto the substrate (diameter, 1 / e 2 The width is preferably 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and more preferably 30 μm or more and 150 μm or less. By setting the size of the laser beam to 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less, it becomes possible to maintain quality by laser scanning, and to achieve high-resolution two-dimensional drawing or three-dimensional printing.

[0035] The energy of the laser beam for soaking is determined by the fluence of the laser beam on the surface where the target material is located. B (J / cm 2 ) is the fluence F of the laser beam at the surface of the substrate irradiated with the laser beam. F (J / cm 2 ) is preferably 20% or more, and more preferably 20% or more and 80% or less. In addition, the fluence (J / cm 2 ) usually refers to the fluence on the incident side (front side fluence, F F ) and is often discussed in terms of the absorption coefficient of the material. However, the fluence on the film surface opposite to the light irradiated on the light absorbing film (backside fluence, F BThe inventors' investigations have revealed that controlling the β-amylase activity is important for flight quality. This will be explained in detail. First, when the laser intensity before entering the light absorbing material is I0, the light intensity I after entering is expressed by the following equation (3) using the absorption coefficient α from the Beer-Lambert law. I = I0exp(-αt) Equation (3) α: absorption coefficient, t: film thickness, I / I0: absorption rate at film thickness t This means that the heat input Q differs in the depth direction, and the temperature rise also differs. This means that if the absorption coefficient and film thickness are known, the fluence on the back side (backside fluence) can be calculated.

[0036] Figure 6 shows an example of the temperature rise in a thin film of a target material due to differences in the absorption rate of laser energy. L : Energy required to reduce viscosity, Q V : The energy required for vaporization. As the temperature rises, the projectile material becomes less viscous or vaporizes. If the material has a high absorption rate, as shown in Figure 6, C, there is almost no heat input to the back side (the surface side where the target material is located), and no temperature rise occurs. As a result, the front side fluence F F (J / cm 2 ) and backside fluence F B (J / cm 2 ) and mismatch occurs, and good quality cannot be obtained. Therefore, the fluence F of the laser beam on the surface where the target material is placed B (J / cm 2 ) is the fluence F of the laser beam at the surface of the substrate irradiated with the laser beam. F (J / cm 2 ) is preferably 20% or more. Also, if the material has low absorption, as in A in Figure 6, the amount of heat input to the back side will be large, so the front side fluence F F (J / cm 2 ) and backside fluence F B(J / cm 2 ) and the backside fluence F B (J / cm 2 ) may become too large, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of laser beam utilization, and in some cases, laser damage may occur to the object to be adhered. In the case of absorption rate B in Figure 6, the front side fluence F F (J / cm 2 ) reaches the vaporization temperature, and the backside fluence F B (J / cm 2 ) reaches the temperature at which viscosity decreases, so it can be said that this is an ideal condition.

[0037] -Laser beam shaping means- Examples of the laser beam shaping means include laser beam magnification means and phase distribution conversion means. The laser beam shaping means is arranged, for example, on the light source side of the condenser lens, and enables the incident laser beam to form a desired cross-sectional shape and transmitted wavefront on the front surface of the condenser lens.

[0038] --Laser beam magnification means-- The laser beam magnification varying means is a means for changing the ratio of the diameter of one axis to the diameter of the other axis perpendicular to the optical axis of the incident laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis. The laser beam magnification changing means may be, for example, a prism. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing an example of a laser beam magnification varying means. The laser beam magnification varying means shown in FIG. 7A is composed of a pair of transparent prisms (double prism 301) made of glass or the like, and varies the magnification in only one direction by changing the direction of light using the refraction of light. Note that the term "variable magnification" here means a change in magnification that changes the aspect ratio of the cross section of the laser beam. In FIG. 7A, the circle on the left indicates the cross section shape of the incident laser beam. For simplicity of explanation, the incident laser beam is assumed to be circular. Here, if the radius of the cross section of the incident laser beam in the x direction is Rx and the radius of the cross section in the y direction is Ry, then Rx / Ry=1 (the diameter D of the incident laser beam in FIG. 7A is in311, diameter D of the emitted laser beam out 312). If the radius of the cross section of the incident laser beam in the x direction is Rx and the radius of the cross section in the y direction is Ry, then Rx / Ry=1. Figure 7A shows an example in which the incident-side prism is rotated counterclockwise and the exit-side prism is rotated clockwise. In this case, the emitted laser beam in the x direction becomes relatively smaller than the incident laser beam. In other words, the reduction ratio can be changed to Rx / Ry<1. 7B shows an example in which the incident-side prism is rotated clockwise and the exit-side prism is rotated counterclockwise (double prism 302). In this case, the emitted laser beam in the x direction becomes relatively larger than the incident laser beam. In other words, the magnification can be changed so that Rx / Ry>1. As described above, in a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis of the incident laser beam, the ratio Rx / Ry of the diameter on one axis to the diameter on the other axis perpendicular to the axis can be freely changed.

[0039] --Phase distribution (wavefront) conversion means-- The phase distribution conversion means is a means for converting the phase distribution of the wavefront of the incident laser beam. The phase distribution conversion means may be, for example, a convex cylindrical lens. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the phase distribution conversion means. The phase distribution conversion means shown in Figure 8 is an optical system that corrects the transmitted wavefront of the laser beam 611 using a two-convex cylindrical lens optical system. When two cylindrical lenses (CYL1 621, CYL2 622) are arranged facing each other and their focal positions overlap (arranged so that the distance between the cylindrical lenses is L), the magnification becomes 1, the wavefront remains flat, and the focusing position does not change in the x and y directions. However, by slightly changing the distance between the cylindrical lenses (arranged so that the distance between the cylindrical lenses is L + ΔL), an independent cylindrical wavefront can be created in the x direction. By combining this with the defocusing effect of the focusing lens (axially symmetric) 623, a 0-degree astigmatic component of the transmitted wavefront can also be created. Note that 624 in the figure refers to the substrate.

[0040] More specifically, the laser beam shaping means may have the following configuration. First lens (CYL1): Plano-convex cylinder lens with a focal length of 50 mm, glass material: synthetic quartz Second lens (CYL2): Plano-convex cylinder lens with a focal length of 50 mm, glass material: synthetic quartz Third lens: 100mm focal length focusing lens (axially symmetric lens), glass material: synthetic quartz The focal length S is the distance from the first surface of the focusing lens to the focusing point. When the CYL spacing L is shortened by 100 μm, the focal position becomes 0.5 mm farther away. This allows the x and y focal positions to be set independently. In the above example, a configuration using two convex cylindrical lenses for one cylinder is shown, but a lens made by cementing together achromatic lenses or the like may also be used. Furthermore, if the lens has an aspherical shape, aberrations can be further corrected. Other basic characteristics are the same as those of the concave-convex cylinder optical system. Although the optical path length is longer than that of the concave-convex cylinder optical system, it can create a very good wavefront. By using a plurality of cylindrical lenses or a liquid crystal phase conversion element, it is possible to convert the phase distribution of the wavefront of an incident laser beam into an ideal state. In the case of the cylindrical lens system, although there are restrictions on the conversion pattern of the phase distribution, it is possible to perform good and high-quality correction of astigmatism, which cannot be solved by alignment of optical components. In this way, the accuracy of the flight can be improved.

[0041] -Other means- The other means is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include a laser beam wavelength changing element and an output adjusting unit.

[0042] --Laser beam wavelength changing element-- The laser beam wavelength converting element is not particularly limited as long as it can convert the wavelength of the laser beam to a wavelength that can be absorbed by the light absorbing material and can be transmitted through the substrate described below, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the laser beam wavelength converting element include KTP crystal, BBO crystal, LBO crystal, and CLBO crystal.

[0043] --Output adjustment section-- The output adjusting section is not particularly limited as long as it can adjust the laser beam to an appropriate output value, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include glass.

[0044] The output value of the laser beam irradiated onto the target material is not particularly limited as long as it can generate the uniformly heated region of the present invention, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Note that, hereinafter, the "output value" may also be referred to as "irradiation energy." The optimum value for the laser beam irradiation energy varies depending on the viscosity and film thickness of the target material, so it is preferable to adjust it appropriately. Specifically, it is more preferable for it to be 100 μJ / dot or less, and even more preferable for it to be 60 μJ / dot or less.

[0045] -Base material- The substrate is not particularly limited in shape, structure, size, material, etc., and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. The shape of the substrate is not particularly limited as long as it can support the target material on its surface and can be irradiated with a laser beam from its back surface (the surface opposite to the surface on which the target material is arranged in a substrate having the target material arranged on at least a part of its surface), and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the shape of the substrate include a flat plate, a cylindrical shape such as a perfect circle or ellipse, a surface cut out from a cylindrical shape, and an endless belt shape. Among these, it is preferable that the substrate is cylindrical and has a means for supplying the target material to the surface of the substrate rotating in the circumferential direction. If a light-absorbing material is supported on the surface of the cylindrical substrate, the material can be supplied regardless of the size of the object to be attached in the circumferential direction. In this case, a means for supplying the target material is disposed inside the cylinder, allowing a laser beam to be irradiated from the inside toward the periphery, and continuous irradiation can be achieved by rotating the substrate in the circumferential direction. Examples of the shape of the flat substrate include a glass slide.

[0046] The structure of the substrate is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

[0047] The size of the substrate is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but it is preferable to set the dimensions to match the width of the object to be adhered.

[0048] The material of the substrate is not particularly limited as long as it transmits light, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Among the light-transmitting materials, inorganic materials such as various glasses containing silicon oxide as the main component, and organic materials such as transparent heat-resistant plastics and elastomers are preferred in terms of transmittance and heat resistance. The substrate may also be referred to as a transparent body.

[0049] The surface roughness Ra of the substrate is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but it is preferable that both the front and back surfaces be 1 μm or less in order to suppress refraction and scattering of the laser beam and not reduce the energy imparted to the target material. Furthermore, if the surface roughness Ra is within the preferred range, it is advantageous in that it is possible to suppress variations in the average thickness of the target material adhered to the substrate and to adhere the desired amount of target material. The surface roughness Ra can be measured in accordance with JIS B0601, for example, using a confocal laser microscope (manufactured by Keyence Corporation) or a stylus surface profiler (Dektak150, manufactured by Bruker AXS Co., Ltd.).

[0050] -Flying materials- The target material is a material selected arbitrarily by the user and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include light-absorbing materials and non-light-absorbing materials.

[0051] --Light absorbing material-- The light absorbing material contains a light absorbing substance and further contains other substances appropriately selected as necessary. The light absorbing material preferably has an absorbance at the wavelength of the light (laser beam) of greater than 1, and more preferably greater than 2. If the light absorbing material has an absorbance at the wavelength of the laser beam of greater than 2, this is preferable because it can increase energy efficiency.

[0052] ---Light-absorbing material--- The light-absorbing substance is not particularly limited as long as it absorbs light of a predetermined wavelength, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include colorants such as pigments and dyes.

[0053] The light transmittance (absorbance) of a coating film formed from a light-absorbing material having light-absorbing properties is preferably 10% or less (1 or more), more preferably 1% or less (2 or more), even more preferably 0.1% or less (3 or more), and particularly preferably 0.01% or less (4 or more). When the transmittance is within the preferred range, the energy of the laser beam absorbed by the substrate is less likely to be converted into heat, which is advantageous in that it causes less changes to the light-absorbing material, such as drying or melting. Furthermore, when the transmittance is within the preferred range, the energy given to the light-absorbing material is less likely to decrease, which is advantageous in that it causes less variation in the deposition position. The transmittance (absorbance) can be measured using, for example, a spectrophotometer (UV3600, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation).

[0054] The light absorbing material is not particularly limited in shape, size, material, etc., and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. The form of the light absorbing material can be, for example, a liquid, a solid, a powder, etc. In particular, the ability to eject a highly viscous material or a solid is an advantage that cannot be achieved by conventional ink jet recording methods. Furthermore, when the light absorbing material is a solid or powder, the form of the light absorbing material is preferably in a viscous state when irradiated with a laser beam. Specifically, when it is desired to make a solid or powder fly, it is preferable to heat it to a molten state and make it viscous before irradiating it with a laser beam, for example.

[0055] The liquid light absorbing material is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include ink containing a pigment and a solvent, conductive paste containing a conductor and a solvent, etc. When a laser beam is irradiated onto ink containing a solvent, if the solvent does not absorb light, the energy of the laser beam is imparted to light-absorbing contents other than the solvent, causing the solvent to fly along with the contents. There are no particular restrictions on the viscosity of the liquid light absorbing material and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but a viscosity of 50,000 mPa·s or less is preferable, and 5,000 mPa·s or less is even more preferable. If the viscosity is too high, it is difficult to obtain the effect of surface tension. For these reasons, UV-curable inks are preferable. The viscosity can be measured at 25°C using, for example, a rotational viscometer (VISCOMATE VM-150III, manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.) or a rheometer (HAAKE RheoStress600, Thermo Fisher Scientific).

[0056] The light absorbing material is preferably a material whose viscosity decreases when irradiated with a laser beam.

[0057] The conductive paste is not particularly limited as long as it is an ink containing a conductor, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, it may be a conductive paste that is known or commonly used in the manufacturing method of a circuit board. The conductor is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include conductive inorganic particles such as silver, gold, copper, nickel, ITO, carbon, and carbon nanotubes; and particles made of conductive organic polymers such as polyaniline, polythiophene (for example, poly(ethylenedioxythiophene)), polyacetylene, and polypyrrole. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The volume resistivity of the conductive paste is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. However, from the viewpoint of usability for ordinary electrode applications, a volume resistivity of 10 3 Ω·cm or less is preferable.

[0058] The powder light absorbing material is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include metal fine particles, metal oxide fine particles, and resin fine particles. Examples of metal particles include silver, gold, aluminum, platinum, and copper. Examples of metal oxide fine particles include alumina, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, and silica. Examples of resin particles include silicone resin, acrylic resin, melamine resin, nylon resin, urethane resin, polyimide resin, fluororesin, polyester resin, and styrene acrylic resin. If necessary, fillers such as pigments, additives, etc. may be mixed. The volume average particle size (size) of the powder is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and is preferably 0.001 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably 0.01 μm or more and 10 μm or less. Examples of methods for disposing a powder light absorbing material on the surface of a substrate include a method of powder coating the particles as they are, and a method of dispersing the particles in a solvent and spray coating the dispersion. If necessary, after application, pressure may be applied or the mixture may be compressed by decompression or degassing. The pressed powder is preferably in the form of a layer having a predetermined average thickness, and the layered solid may be supported on the surface of a substrate.

[0059] The solid light absorbing material is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include an inorganic material film or an organic material film formed by sputtering or vapor deposition, a resin film formed by applying and drying a solution in which a resin is dissolved in a solvent, and a resin layer formed by heating and melting a thermoplastic resin to form a liquid, applying the liquid, and cooling it. Examples of inorganic material films used for sputtering or vapor deposition include thin metal films of silver, gold, aluminum, platinum, copper, and the like. If we want to make metals fly as solid films, we know that the melting point of gold (Au), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), and silver (Ag) is 1064°C and boiling point is 2700°C for Au, 660.32°C and boiling point is 2519°C for Al, 1812°C and boiling point is 3285°C (3287°C has also been reported) for Ti, and 961.78°C and boiling point is 2162°C for Ag, so by irradiating the appropriate energy, it is possible to raise the temperature above the melting or boiling point. The organic substance film may be, for example, an organic compound having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less. For the resin film, general resins such as thermosetting resins, photocurable resins, electron beam curable resins, and thermoplastic resins can be used, and these may contain fillers such as pigments as needed.

[0060] The metal thin film is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of metals include common metals that can be vapor-deposited or sputtered, such as silver, gold, aluminum, platinum, and copper. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Examples of methods for forming an image pattern by ejecting a thin metal film include a method in which a thin metal film is first formed on a substrate such as glass or film, and then the thin metal film is irradiated with a laser beam to eject the thin metal film, thereby forming an image pattern. Another method includes a method in which a non-image area is ejected to form an image pattern.

[0061] The pressed powder is preferably in the form of a film (layer) having a predetermined average thickness, and a solid film (layer) may be supported on the surface of a substrate.

[0062] --Non-light absorbing material-- The non-light-absorbing material is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that does not absorb light, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include solid, powder, or liquid resins, and light-resistant materials. When a non-light-absorbing material is used as the target material, an assist film is used between the substrate and the target material, which absorbs light and causes ablation in the same way as the target material, thereby assisting the non-light-absorbing material in flying. Examples of light-resistant materials include ceramics.

[0063] The size of the target material to be projected is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose.

[0064] The average thickness (film thickness) of the film formed by the target material is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but is preferably 3 μm or more, more preferably 5 μm or more, and even more preferably 5 μm to 35 μm. By setting the average thickness of the target material within the above preferred range, scattering of the target material when irradiated with a laser beam can be suppressed.

[0065] The method for measuring the average thickness of the target material is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, and examples include a method in which a number of arbitrary points are selected on the target material and the average thickness of the multiple points is calculated. The average is preferably an average of thicknesses at 5 points, more preferably an average of thicknesses at 10 points, and particularly preferably an average of thicknesses at 20 points. There are no particular limitations on the equipment for measuring the average thickness of the target material, and it can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include non-contact or contact methods such as a laser displacement meter or a micrometer.

[0066] The specific material of the flying target material is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, when forming an image, it may be a colorant such as toner, or when producing a three-dimensional object, it may be a three-dimensional modeling agent as described below.

[0067] -Coloring agent- As with the light absorbing material, there are no particular limitations on the shape or material of the colorant, and they can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. Below, we will explain the differences when the target material is a colorant.

[0068] The liquid colorant is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, aqueous inks can be used, in which a coloring material such as a dye, pigment, colored particles, or colored oil droplets is dispersed in water as a solvent. Furthermore, colorants containing a liquid with a relatively low boiling point, such as a hydrocarbon organic solvent or various alcohols, as a solvent can also be used. Among these, aqueous inks are preferred in terms of the safety of volatile components and the risk of explosion.

[0069] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus utilizing the projectile generating device of the present invention is capable of forming images using process inks for offset printing that use plates, JAPAN COLOR compatible inks, special color inks, etc., and therefore digital images that match the colors used in offset printing can be easily reproduced without plates. Furthermore, since images can also be formed using UV-curable ink, by curing the ink by irradiating it with ultraviolet light in the fixing process, blocking, where overlapping recording media stick together, can be prevented and the drying process can be simplified.

[0070] Examples of the coloring material include organic pigments, inorganic pigments, dyes, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0071] Examples of organic pigments include dioxazine violet, quinacridone violet, copper phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, sap green, monoazo yellow, disazo yellow, polyazo yellow, benzimidazolone yellow, isoindolinone yellow, fast yellow, chromophthalic yellow, nickel azo yellow, azomethine yellow, benzimidazolone orange, alizarin red, quinacridone red, naphthol red, monoazo red, polyazo red, perylene red, anthraquinonyl red, diketopyrrolopyrrole red, diketopyrrolopyrrole orange, benzimidazolone brown, sepia, and aniline black. Examples of metal lake pigments among the organic pigments include rhodamine lake, quinoline yellow lake, and brilliant blue lake.

[0072] Examples of inorganic pigments include cobalt blue, cerulean blue, cobalt violet, cobalt green, zinc white, titanium white, titanium yellow, chrome titanium yellow, light red, chrome oxide green, mars black, viridian, yellow ochre, alumina white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, vermilion, lithopone, ultramarine, talc, white carbon, clay, mineral violet, rose cobalt violet, silver white, calcium carbonate, and magnesium carbonate. , zinc oxide, zinc sulfide, strontium sulfide, strontium aluminate, brass, gold powder, bronze powder, aluminum powder, brass pigment, ivory black, peach black, lamp black, carbon black, Prussian blue, aureolin, mica titanium, yellow ochre, tail belt, raw sienna, raw umber, Cassel earth, chalk, gypsum, burnt sienna, burnt umber, lapis lazuli, azurite, malachite, orpiment, cinnabar, coral powder, chalk powder, red ochre, ultramarine, Prussian blue, fish phosphorus foil, and iron oxide-treated pearls.

[0073] Among these, carbon black is preferred as the black pigment in terms of hue and image preservation properties. As the cyan pigment, CI Pigment Blue 15:3, which is copper phthalocyanine blue, is preferred from the viewpoints of hue and image storage stability.

[0074] Preferred magenta pigments are CI Pigment Red 122, which is quinacridone red; CI Pigment Red 269, which is naphthol red; and CI Pigment Red 81:4, which is rhodamine lake. These may be used alone or in combination. Among these, a mixture of CI Pigment Red 122 and CI Pigment Red 269 is more preferred from the standpoint of hue and image storability. A mixture of CI Pigment Red 122 (PR122) and CI Pigment Red 269 (PR269) with a PR122:PR269 ratio of 5:95 to 80:20 is particularly preferred. When the PR122:PR269 ratio is within the particularly preferred range, the hue does not deviate from the magenta color.

[0075] Preferred yellow pigments are CI Pigment Yellow 74, which is a monoazo yellow, CI Pigment Yellow 155, which is a disazo yellow, CI Pigment Yellow 180, which is a benzimidazolone yellow, and CI Pigment Yellow 185, which is an isoindoline yellow. Of these, CI Pigment Yellow 185 is more preferred from the viewpoints of hue and image storage stability. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0076] When the target material is used as a process color ink as a colorant, it is preferable to use it as a four-color ink set.

[0077] Many inorganic pigments are composed of particles with a volume average particle size exceeding 10 μm. When an inorganic pigment with a volume average particle size of 10 μm or more is used as a colorant, the colorant is preferably a liquid. A liquid colorant is advantageous in that it can be maintained in a stable state without the use of forces other than non-electrostatic adhesion forces, such as electrostatic forces. Furthermore, the image forming method of the present invention is highly effective compared to inkjet recording methods, which are prone to significant nozzle clogging and ink sedimentation, making it difficult to achieve a stable continuous printing process. Furthermore, the image forming method of the present invention is highly effective compared to electrophotographic methods, which are unable to achieve a stable continuous printing process because a sufficient charge cannot be obtained when the surface area of ​​the colorant particles becomes small.

[0078] Examples of dyes include monoazo dyes, polyazo dyes, metal complex azo dyes, pyrazolone azo dyes, stilbene azo dyes, thiazole azo dyes, anthraquinone derivatives, anthrone derivatives, indigo derivatives, thioindigo derivatives, phthalocyanine dyes, diphenylmethane dyes, triphenylmethane dyes, xanthene dyes, acridine dyes, azine dyes, oxazine dyes, thiazine dyes, polymethine dyes, azomethine dyes, quinoline dyes, nitro dyes, nitroso dyes, benzoquinone dyes, naphthoquinone dyes, naphthalimide dyes, and perinone dyes.

[0079] The viscosity of the colorant is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. When a liquid colorant that penetrates into the recording medium is used, the colorant that adheres to the recording medium may cause feathering or bleeding, but when a high-viscosity colorant that can be handled by the image forming apparatus of the present invention is used, the colorant dries faster than it penetrates into the recording medium, and therefore bleeding is particularly reduced, improving color development and sharpening edges, allowing for the formation of high-quality images.In addition, when gradation is expressed by overlapping layers of colorant, bleeding due to an increase in the amount of colorant can be reduced. Furthermore, since this image forming method involves spraying and adhering a liquid colorant, it is possible to perform good recording even if the recording medium has minute irregularities, compared to, for example, a so-called thermal transfer method in which a colorant is melted and transferred from a film-like colorant carrier by heat.

[0080] The average thickness of the colorant is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but is preferably 100 μm or less. If the average thickness of the colorant is 100 μm or less, the energy required to propel the colorant can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of improving the durability of the colorant carrier and preventing decomposition of the composition when the colorant is organic. The preferred range of the average thickness varies depending on the recording medium, purpose, etc.

[0081] For example, when coated paper or a smooth film used in general offset printing is used as the recording medium, the average thickness of the colorant is preferably 0.5 μm or more and 5 μm or less. When the average thickness is within the preferred range, color differences due to minute differences in the average thickness of the recording medium are difficult to distinguish even with the human eye, which is advantageous in that it makes it easier to produce images with high saturation even on coated paper, and it also makes it easier to express sharp images without significant dot gain in halftone dots.

[0082] Furthermore, when using a recording medium with a surface roughness greater than that of coated paper or film, such as high-quality paper used in offices, the average thickness of the colorant is preferably 3 μm or more and 10 μm or less. When the average thickness is within the preferred range, the image is less susceptible to the surface roughness of the recording medium and good image quality is more likely to be obtained, and particularly when expressing a full-color image with process color colorants, the unevenness is less likely to be noticeable even when multiple colorant films (layers) are superimposed.

[0083] Furthermore, for example, when used in textile printing to dye cloth, fibers, etc., an average thickness of 5 μm or more is often required to adhere the colorant to the recording medium, such as cotton, silk, or synthetic fibers, because the fibers are thicker than paper and therefore a larger amount of colorant is often required.

[0084] When the material to be projected is a liquid, it is preferable that the material contains a surface tension adjuster. It was found that by adjusting the surface tension of the target material to a preferred range, it is possible to form projectiles of a desired size. In other words, when the projectile generation method of the present invention is applied to an image formation method and a three-dimensional object manufacturing method, a desired amount of droplets (light absorbing material) can be attached to the target object.

[0085] The area on the surface of the substrate where the target material to be projected is arranged is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to irradiate the laser beam from the surface opposite to the surface on which the target material to be projected is arranged, via the substrate, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. The shape of the region on the surface of the substrate where the target material is disposed is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. The area of ​​the region on the surface of the substrate where the target material is disposed is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

[0086] ---Assist membrane--- The assist film is not particularly limited as long as it has high energy absorption of the laser beam used and excellent thermal conductivity, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the solid film or powder film of the above-mentioned light absorbing material can be used as the assist film. For example, when the laser beam used has a wavelength in the visible light region, gold, copper, etc. are preferred, and when the laser beam has a wavelength in the ultraviolet light region, silver, titanium, etc. are preferred.

[0087] The method for forming the assist film is the same as the method for forming the solid film or powder film in the light absorbing material described above.

[0088] Here, the average thickness (film thickness) of the assist film will be explained below with reference to the drawings. Figure 9 shows the relationship between the thickness of the gold film alone as an assist film and the transmittance of the laser beam (backside fluence F B ) is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the laser beam absorption coefficient of gold and the laser beam transmittance of gold. Because gold has a high absorption coefficient of laser beams, for example, the transmittance of the laser beam drops to around 10% when the film thickness is only about 50 nm. In other words, if the laser beam energy on the surface (front side) of the gold film on the laser beam irradiation side is 100%, only 10% of the energy is irradiated on the surface (back side) of the gold film opposite to the irradiated surface. In this case, the assist film may not reach its own melting temperature, and the incident energy may need to be increased excessively to cause it to fly. Therefore, in order to achieve high-quality projection, the thickness of the assist film must be appropriate. Considering thermal conductivity, the fluence F of the laser beam on the surface where the projection target material is located is B is the fluence F of the laser beam at the surface of the substrate irradiated with the laser beam. F It is preferable that the average thickness (film thickness) of the assist film is 20% or more. Taking this into consideration, the average thickness (film thickness) of the assist film is preferably 40 nm or less, and more preferably 25 nm or less. The average thickness (film thickness) of the assist film is determined by measuring the substrate on which the assist film is formed using a spectroscopic ellipsometer, and the average value is used. Therefore, by setting the film thickness of the assist film to match the laser beam absorption characteristics of the target material as a non-light-absorbing material, creating a uniformly heated area above the melting point at the interface between the base material (transparent body) and the target material, and using the pressure generated by this heat to give the target material energy that enables it to fly, the scattering of the target material can be suppressed and it can be sent flying so that it adheres to the target.

[0089] It is also preferable that the assist film has a light-absorbing region that absorbs the laser beam and a non-light-absorbing region that does not absorb the laser beam. When an ideal top hat beam is used as the soaking irradiation beam, the energy difference at the edge of the laser beam is large and the cross-sectional intensity distribution is steep, which causes outward pressure at the edge of the laser beam and makes it more likely to scatter to some extent. Therefore, an ideal top hat beam cannot be said to be the optimal condition. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10A, an assist film having a light absorbing region that absorbs the laser beam and a non-light absorbing region that does not absorb the laser beam is used. Figure 10A is a schematic diagram showing an example of an assist film having a light-absorbing region made of a light-absorbing material and a non-light-absorbing region made of a non-light-absorbing material arranged on a substrate. As shown in Figure 10A, the light-absorbing region 1322 is arranged so as to be surrounded by the non-light-absorbing region. The non-light-absorbing region described here refers to a region of the film that hardly absorbs light, including cases where the film itself is made of a material that hardly absorbs light, or where the material reflects light on its surface and cannot absorb it. Light-absorbing regions 1322 made of a light-absorbing material that absorbs light, such as gold, are arranged in a pattern in the non-light-absorbing region 1323 that does not absorb light from the laser beam used. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram showing an example of irradiating a laser beam onto the substrate on which the pattern of light absorbing regions shown in FIG. 10A has been formed. As shown in FIG. 10B, an assist film 1321 having a pattern of light-absorbing regions 1322 and non-light-absorbing regions 1323 is disposed on a transparent body (substrate) 1311, and a solid film 1331 serving as the target material is disposed on top of the assist film 1321. To generate projectiles, a laser beam 1361 emitted from a light source (not shown) is directed toward the substrate from the surface opposite the surface on which the target material is disposed via a beam profile compiler 1371 (a uniformly heated laser beam conversion means), a Y deflection mirror 1381 and an X deflection mirror 1382 of an XY galvanometer scanner, and a scanning lens 1391. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10A, the laser beam is irradiated so as to include a single light-absorbing region 1322 (laser beam irradiation region 1324). By irradiating the laser beam so as to include the single light-absorbing region 1322, scattering at the laser beam edge can be suppressed. Furthermore, by appropriately arranging the pitch (center-to-center distance) between the light-absorbing and non-light-absorbing regions, it is possible to significantly reduce the amount of scattering, making it possible to generate high-resolution drawing patterns, such as imaging at several hundred dpi.

[0090] Here, the following verification was carried out on the projectile generation method using the assist membrane. In the following, an image forming apparatus having the flying target material flying means shown in FIG. 11A was used.

[0091] [Confirmation of assist membrane behavior] <Substrate, light absorbing material and adhered object> A gold film was deposited as the target material on a slide glass (Matsunami Glass Industry Co., Ltd., micro slide glass S7213; transmittance of 532 nm wavelength light is 99%) as the substrate.

[0092] Next, the surface of the substrate to which the target material was applied was placed opposite the object to be attached (medium to be transferred), and the substrate was placed so that the laser beam could be irradiated perpendicularly from the backside of the light absorbing material. The gap between the object to be attached (medium to be transferred) and the flying object material was set to 200 μm. The lasers used for irradiation using the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 11A are as follows. The means for ejecting the target material includes a laser light source, a laser beam shaping means, a laser beam conversion means, and the like. The light-absorbing material flying means in the projectile generating device shown in FIG. 11A has a scanning optical system equipped with a galvano scanner. First, a laser beam emitted from a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser light source unit passed through a spatial isolator, a λ / 4 plate, and a collimating lens. An acousto-optic deflector (AOM) controlled the frequency of the laser light source by temporally separating the zeroth-order and first-order beams based on ON / OFF signals from a PC and controller. The zeroth-order beam was cut off as it passed through the mirror and lens, and only the first-order beam passed through a nonlinear optical crystal (SHG element). The nonlinear optical effect generated second-order harmonic generation (SHG), generating green light with a wavelength of 532 nm. A harmonic separator (HS) separated the fundamental wave from the second-order harmonic, resulting in a monochromatic green beam. The resulting green beam had its phase and intensity distributions corrected by aberration correction and vertical and horizontal magnification variable elements, and then passed through a zoom lens to be incident on the phase distribution conversion means (Figure 9), which converted it into a uniformly heated laser beam. The beam then passed through mirrors, NDs, and other optical elements, was reflected by an optical deflector such as a galvanometer mirror, and passed through a condenser lens (focal length: 100 mm) to irradiate the surface or interior of the sample (light absorbing material, magenta ink). The outer diameter was 100 μm, ho (FWHM / (1 / e 2 Width): 0.85, scanning speed: 200 mm / s, one shot exposure was performed at 400 μm intervals. The laser beam profile was a square with a side length of 100 μm, the irradiation energy was 9 μJ, and the fluence was 0.09 J / cm. 2 It was decided. Figures 15A to 15D show images of flying objects photographed in 100 ns steps from a direction perpendicular to the direction of laser beam irradiation using a high-speed camera (Shimadzu Corporation, device name: High-Speed ​​Video Camera Hyper Vision HPV-X2). Figure 15A shows an image taken 0 ns after laser beam irradiation (at the time of irradiation), Figure 15B shows an image taken 100 ns after laser beam irradiation, Figure 15C shows an image taken 200 ns after laser beam irradiation, and Figure 15D shows an image taken 300 ns after laser beam irradiation. The black band indicated by the arrow in the figure is the flying projectile (target material, gold), and the black band visible above the projectile other than the arrow is the shadow of the projectile captured by the high-speed camera. The scale bar represents 100 μm. As shown in Figures 15A to 15D, it was confirmed that the flying target material irradiated with the soaking laser beam flew in the direction of the laser beam irradiation (downward in the figure) while maintaining its flat plate shape on the substrate.

[0093] [Pulse energy (fluence) when using an assist film] Next, a gold vapor-deposited film with a thickness of 23 nm was placed on a glass slide substrate as an assist film, and an aqueous slurry of non-crosslinked acrylic nanoparticles (100 nm) diluted with ethanol was applied to the surface as the target material using a supply roller to form a film thickness of 2 μm. A dot image was formed in the same manner as in "Confirmation of the behavior of the assist film," except for this. First, a laser beam was irradiated onto burn paper (manufactured by Laser Create, product name: Laser Alignment Paper), and the shape of the irradiated laser beam was confirmed. The results are shown in Figure 16A. The length h of one side of the beam profile was 100 μm. Next, the front side fluence F F 0.3J / cm 2 The size of the remaining donor image of the flying target material on the substrate after transfer and the image of the flying target material attached to the receiving medium were confirmed. The results are shown in Figures 16B and 16C. Figure 16B is the remaining donor image of the flying target material, and Figure 16C is the image of the flying target material attached to the receiving medium. Similarly, the front side fluence F F 0.2J / cm 2 16D and 16E are shown. 2 The images shown in Figures 16F and 16G are those obtained by changing the image size. Figures 16D and 16F show images of the remaining donor of the flying target material, and Figures 16E and 16G show images of the flying target material adhering to the receiving medium. Note that the sizes of the images in Figures 16B to 16G reflect the actual size ratios. As shown in Figures 16B to 16G, the pulse energy (front side fluence F FIt was found that the size of the transferred image increases as the front-side fluence F F 0.3J / cm 2 When changed to , the transfer image increases by about 20%, 0.2J / cm 2 When changed to , the transfer image increases by about 10%, 0.1J / cm 2 When changed to , the size was almost the same. From this, the front side fluence F of the laser beam in the projectile generation method using the assist film F Although it varies depending on the material, it is 20 mJ / cm 2 More than 800mJ / cm 2 Less than 100 mJ / cm is preferred 2 More than 500mJ / cm 2 The following is more preferable: Front side fluence F F But 20mJ / cm 2 More than 800mJ / cm 2 If the distance is less than this, the projectiles can be transferred with high transfer accuracy.

[0094] Next, an embodiment of the projectile generating device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a projectile generating device of the present invention. 11A, a flying object generating device 700 of the present invention includes a laser beam 711 emitted from a light source (not shown), a beam conversion optical system 721, and a focusing optical system 731, and is used together with a substrate 741, a target material 751, and a receiving medium 761. In the flying object generating device 700, the laser beam 711 emitted from a light source (not shown) passes through the beam conversion optical system 721 and an fθ lens as the focusing optical system 731 to convert it into a desired beam profile, and is then irradiated onto the target material 751 through the substrate 741. The target material 751 irradiated with the laser beam 711 flies through a gap 771 toward a receiving medium 761 arranged opposite the target material 751 disposed on the substrate 741, and adheres to the target material 752 (the target material after adhesion). The gap 771 between the flying target material 751 and the attachment medium 761 is adjusted by a gap holding means (not shown), and the position of the attachment medium 761 in the planar direction can be adjusted by a position adjusting means (not shown). FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the projectile generating device of the present invention. As shown in Figure 11B, the figure is an axisymmetric model for convenience. As shown in Figure 11B, the flying object generating device has a light source 811, a beam conversion optical system 821, an (XY) galvano scanner 831 which is a scanning optical system, and a condenser lens 841 which is a condensing optical system. It is possible to place a transparent body (substrate) 851 having a flying object material 853 and an assist film 852 arranged on at least a portion of its surface on a sample stage 881. It also has a gap holding member 871 for providing a gap between the transparent body (substrate) 851 and a target object (acceptor substrate) 861. The flying object generating device converts a Gaussian laser beam 812 irradiated from the light source 811 into a soaking irradiation laser beam 813 in the beam conversion optical system 821. 11B, a flying object generating device having a light source 811, a beam conversion optical system 821, a galvano scanner 831 as a scanning optical system, and a condenser lens 841 irradiates a transparent body (substrate) 851 with a uniform heat irradiation laser beam 813 from the surface side opposite to the surface on which the flying object material 853 is disposed, thereby flying the flying object material 853 in the irradiation direction of the uniform heat irradiation laser beam 813. Then, in the example of the flying object generating device shown in FIG. 11B, the flying object material 853 (flying object) that has been flown adheres to a target (object) 861.

[0095] Another embodiment of the projectile generating device of the present invention is shown in FIG. The projectile generating device of the present invention has a laser light source 1210, a beam shaping optical system 1220, a beam conversion optical system 1230, a scanning optical system 1240, a substrate 1261, a moving stage 1262 for moving the sample, and a host computer 1270. The host computer 1270 outputs an input signal to an exposure condition setting means 1271 based on processing object image data 1280, and causes the light source 1210 to output light based on the output signal. A laser beam output from a laser light source 1210 passes through a condenser lens 1201 and is expanded into an appropriate beam by a beam expander (BEX) 1202 . The beam expander 1202 and subsequent components include a means for varying the cross-sectional shape of the incident laser beam and a means for converting the phase distribution of the wavefront of the incident laser beam in order to form a high-quality beam profile on the sample surface. The incident laser beam passes through a beam shaping optical system 1220 and a number of reflecting mirrors required for three-dimensional scanning of the laser beam in x, y, and z directions. In Fig. 12, there are six reflecting mirrors 1203a to 1203f, but ten or more mirrors or optical elements 1241 can also be arranged. The laser beam passes through a plurality of mirrors and optical elements 1241 and a beam conversion optical system 1230, and is then reflected by a scanning optical system 1240 having an optical deflector 1243 such as a galvanometer mirror or a polygon mirror, and is irradiated onto the surface of or the interior of a substrate 1251 via a condenser lens 1244. The laser beam can be irradiated while being scanned in the direction S in the figure, for example. The substrate 1251 shown in FIG. 12 has an assist film 1252 on the surface opposite to the surface irradiated with the laser beam, and an object material 1253 to be ejected thereon, in this order. The gap 1271 between the film (layer) of the flying target material 1253 and the substrate material 1261 is controlled by the sample stage based on a coordinate control signal 1272 from a host computer 1270, so that the desired distance is maintained. To minimize scattering, a narrow gap is preferable, but a wider gap is better in terms of operability, reproducibility, and throughput. Therefore, the gap is preferably 0.05 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. In order to convert the incident laser beam into the desired beam, the shape of the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the direction of propagation and the shape of the transmitted wavefront are important, and for this purpose, it is advisable to have a laser beam shaping means. The laser beam shaping means will be described below. A magnification variable means for changing the ratio of the diameter of one axis to the diameter of the other axis perpendicular to the optical axis of the incident laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis, and a means for converting the phase distribution of the incident laser beam wavefront are arranged on the light source side of the focusing lens, so that the incident laser beam can have a desired cross-sectional shape and transmitted wavefront at the front surface of the focusing lens.

[0096] In order to perform optimal soaking irradiation, it is necessary to select a laser beam wavelength that is suitable for the light absorbing material, and not only visible light but also infrared light or ultraviolet light can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

[0097] (Image forming method and image forming apparatus) The image forming method of the present invention comprises the flying object generating method of the present invention and a transfer step of transferring the projectile target material, which is caused to fly by the projectile generating method, onto a transfer medium; Further, other steps may be included as necessary. The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises: the projectile generating device of the present invention; a transfer means for transferring a projectile material, which is caused to fly by a projectile generating device, onto a transfer medium; It may further have other means as necessary.

[0098] The image forming method of the present invention can be suitably carried out by the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the step of flying the target material can be carried out by a flying target material flying means, the transfer step can be suitably carried out by a transfer means, and the other steps can be suitably carried out by other means.

[0099] In the image forming method and image forming apparatus of the present invention, the parts other than the transfer step and transfer means are the same as those in the projectile generating method and projectile generating apparatus of the present invention, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0100] <Transfer process and transfer means> The transfer step is a step of transferring the ejected target material onto an image receiving medium. The transfer means is a means for transferring the ejected target material onto an image receiving medium. The transfer means is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include means equipped with a mechanism for bringing a flying object generated from the flying target material into contact with a transfer medium. Specifically, the transfer means may have, for example, a mechanism for adjusting the gap between the object to be attached and the flying target material, or a mechanism for transporting the object to be attached.

[0101] -Transfer medium- There are no particular restrictions on the transfer medium (subject to be transferred) as long as it can be contacted by the liquid column or droplets generated from the target flying material, and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. Examples include recording media and intermediate transfer belts used in image forming devices.

[0102] <Other steps and other means> Other processes include, for example, a step of supplying the target material, a beam scanning step, a step of transporting the object to be adhered, a fixing step, and a control step. Examples of other means include a means for supplying the target material, a beam scanning means, a means for transporting the object to be adhered, a fixing means, and a control means. Furthermore, the flying target material flying means, the substrate, the flying target material supply means, and the beam scanning means may be treated as a flying target material flying unit.

[0103] The means for supplying the target material to be sprayed is not particularly limited as long as it can supply the target material to be sprayed so that it is located on the optical path of the laser beam between the means for spraying the target material to be sprayed and the object to be adhered on the substrate, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the means for supplying the target material to be sprayed include a means for supplying the target material to the substrate by a dispenser-type coating means, and a means for supplying the target material via a cylindrical substrate arranged on the optical path. When the material to be sprayed is a liquid and is supplied to a substrate, it is preferable to provide a supply roller and a regulating blade as a means for supplying the material to be sprayed, as this is a very simple configuration that allows the material to be supplied to the surface of the substrate at a constant average thickness. In this case, the supply roller, with its surface partially immersed in a storage tank storing the target material, rotates while carrying the target material on its surface, and supplies the target material by contacting the substrate. The regulating blade is disposed downstream of the storage tank in the rotation direction of the supply roller and regulates the target material carried by the supply roller to make the average thickness uniform and stabilize the amount of target material to be sprayed. By making the average thickness extremely thin, the amount of target material to be sprayed can be reduced, allowing the target material to be deposited on the substrate as tiny dots with reduced scattering, and suppressing dot gain, which causes the halftone dots to thicken. The regulating blade may also be disposed downstream of the supply roller in the rotation direction of the substrate.

[0104] Furthermore, when the target material has a high viscosity, the material of the supply roller is preferably one having at least an elastic surface so as to ensure reliable contact with the substrate. When the target material has a relatively low viscosity, examples of the supply roller include gravure rolls, microgravure rolls, and forward rolls used in precision wet coating.

[0105] Furthermore, as a flying object material supply means that does not have a supply roller, a film (layer) of flying object material may be formed on the surface of the substrate by bringing the substrate into direct contact with the flying object material in a storage tank and then scraping off excess flying object material with a wire bar, etc. The storage tank may be provided separately from the flying object material supply means, and the flying object material may be supplied to the flying object material supply means by a hose, etc.

[0106] The process for supplying the target material to be flown is not particularly limited as long as it is a process for supplying the target material to be flown onto the optical path of the laser beam between the target material flown means and the object to be adhered, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, it can be suitably carried out using a target material flown supply means.

[0107] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The flying target material supply means includes a flying target material supply means 1511 for supplying the flying target material, an assist film material application means 1512 for applying the assist film material onto a substrate 1543, a conveying roller 1541, and a sheet recovery roller 1542. A dispenser method can be used as a method for supplying the target material to be sprayed 1511 and the assist film material to be sprayed 1512. Fig. 13 shows an example of the dispenser method, in which the target material to be sprayed 1511 and the assist film material to be sprayed 1512 have syringe parts for ejecting the target material to be sprayed and the assist film material. The assist film may be applied to the support in advance, or only the target material may be applied to the substrate in the image forming apparatus. Also, different types of target material may be applied using multiple target material supplying means. The flying target material supply means 1511 and the assist film material application means 1512 are driven by the rotation of the conveying roller 1541 to apply the flying target material and the assist film material onto the substrate 1543, thereby supplying them as a film (layer). The substrate 1543 supports the applied flying target material and assist film material by intermolecular forces on the surface facing the substrate 1123. The support force of the flying target material and the assist film material by the substrate 1543 may be reinforced by air adsorption or electrostatic adsorption. A base material 1543 is wound around the transport roller 1541 in advance, and one end of the wound base material 1543 is connected to a sheet collection roller 1542 disposed away from the transport roller 1541 in the +y direction. Rotation by a drive unit such as a motor causes the sheet collection roller 1542 to wind up the substrate 1543, and this winding action causes the substrate 1543 to travel in the +y direction. The transport roller 1541 rotates in response to the travel of the substrate 1543, and sends the wound substrate 1543 toward the sheet collection roller 1542. The substrate 1543 travels while carrying the material to be ejected, and is irradiated with a laser beam 1532 by the light irradiation unit 1531 at a position facing the light irradiation unit 1531, which is disposed between the conveying roller 1541 and the sheet recovery roller 1542. Then, a process of ejecting the material to be ejected from the substrate 1543 and a process of fixing the material to the object 1521 are carried out. The material to be sprayed supplied to the substrate 1543 is continuously supplied to a position irradiated with the laser beam 1532 by the rotation of the conveying roller 1541. After processing, the material to be sprayed is collected together with the substrate 1543 by the sheet collection roller 1542.

[0108] The beam scanning step is not particularly limited as long as it is a step of scanning a laser beam onto a target material, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, it can be suitably performed using a beam scanning means.

[0109] The material transport means is not particularly limited as long as it can transport the material, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, a pair of transport rollers can be used. The substrate transport step is not particularly limited as long as it is a step of transporting a substrate, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, it can be suitably carried out using a substrate transport means.

[0110] The fixing means is not particularly limited as long as it can fix the target material adhered to the object to be fixed, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, a thermocompression method using a heating and pressurizing member can be used. The heating and pressing member is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include a heating roller, a pressure roller, a combination of a heating roller and a pressure roller, etc. Other heating and pressing members include, for example, a combination of these with a fixing belt, and a combination of these with a heating block instead of the heating roller.

[0111] As a pressure roller, one whose pressure surface moves at the same speed as the material to be adhered transported by the material transport means is preferred in terms of suppressing image deterioration due to friction. Among these, one having an elastic layer formed near the surface is more preferred in terms of making it easier to apply pressure to the material to be adhered. Furthermore, a pressure roller having a water-repellent surface layer formed on the outermost surface using a low surface energy material such as a silicone-based water-repellent material or a fluorine compound is particularly preferred in terms of suppressing image distortion due to adhesion of flying material to the surface. Examples of water-repellent surface layers made of silicone-based water-repellent materials include films of silicone-based release agents, baked films of silicone oil or various modified silicone oils, films of silicone varnish, films of silicone rubber, and films made of composites of silicone rubber and various metals, rubbers, plastics, ceramics, etc. Examples of the water-repellent surface layer made of a fluorine compound include a fluororesin film, an organic fluorine compound film, a baked film or adsorption film of fluorine oil, a fluororubber film, and a film made of a composite of fluororubber and various metals, rubber, plastics, ceramics, etc.

[0112] The heating temperature of the heating roller is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, but is preferably 80° C. or higher and 200° C. or lower.

[0113] The fixing belt can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose without particular limitations as long as it is heat-resistant and has high mechanical strength. Examples include films of polyimide, PET, PEN, etc. Furthermore, it is preferable to use the same material as that forming the outermost surface of the pressure roller for the fixing belt, in order to prevent image distortion caused by adhesion of the target material to the surface. The fixing belt can be thinned, which reduces the energy required to heat the belt itself, allowing it to be used immediately after powering on. The temperature and pressure at this time vary depending on the composition of the target material to be fixed, but a temperature of 200°C or less is preferred from the perspective of energy conservation, and a pressure of 1 kg / cm or less is preferred from the perspective of device rigidity.

[0114] When two or more types of flying target materials are used, each color of flying target material may be fixed as it adheres to the object to be attached, or all types of flying target materials may be fixed in a stacked state after adhering to the object to be attached. Furthermore, if the material to be sprayed has a very high viscosity and dries slowly, making it difficult to improve the speed of adhesion to the object, the object may be additionally heated to promote drying. Furthermore, if the flying material penetrates and wets the object to be adhered slowly and the adhered flying material is dried in an insufficiently smooth state, the surface of the object to which the flying material is adhered becomes rough, and the surface of the object to be adhered may not be glossy. In order to achieve gloss on the surface of the object to be adhered, a fixing means may be used that applies pressure to fix the flying material adhered to the object to be adhered, so that the flying material is fixed by crushing it and pressing it into the object to reduce the surface roughness of the object to be adhered. The fixing means is necessary to fix the material to the object, particularly when a solid flying material formed by compacting powder is used. If necessary, a known optical fixing device may be used together with the fixing means. The fixing process is not particularly limited as long as it is a process of fixing the flying target material that has been attached to the object to be attached to the object to be attached, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, it can be suitably carried out using a fixing means.

[0115] The control means is not particularly limited as long as it can control the operation of each means, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, devices such as a sequencer and a computer can be mentioned. The control step is a step of controlling each step, and can be suitably carried out by a control means.

[0116] -Subjects- The object to be transferred (transfer medium) is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include a recording medium for forming an image, and a support substrate for forming a three-dimensional object.

[0117] --Recording Media-- The recording medium is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples include coated paper, fine paper, film, cloth, and fiber.

[0118] The gap between the object to be attached and the flying material is not particularly limited as long as the object to be attached and the flying material are not in contact with each other, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. It is preferably 0.05 mm to 5 mm, more preferably 0.10 mm to 2.0 mm, particularly preferably 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm, and most preferably 0.10 mm to 0.50 mm. A gap between the object to be attached and the flying material within the preferred range is advantageous in that it prevents a decrease in the accuracy of the attachment position of the flying material relative to the object to be attached. Furthermore, by preventing contact between the object to be attached and the flying material, it is possible to attach the flying material to the object to be attached, regardless of the flying material or the composition of the object to be attached. In the present invention, the attachment position accuracy is particularly excellent when attaching to an object to be attached at least 0.5 mm away. Furthermore, it is preferable that the gap be kept constant, for example, by a position control means for maintaining the position of the object to be deposited at a constant level. In this case, it is important to arrange each part taking into consideration the positional fluctuations of the target material and the object to be deposited, and the variation in the average thickness.

[0119] Furthermore, the average diameter (average dot diameter) of the flying material after transfer (adhesion) on the transfer medium (substrate) is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose, but a diameter of 100 μm or less is preferred in that the resolution of the formed image or three-dimensional object can be further improved. In the present invention, the flying droplets fly with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the irradiated laser beam, but the diameter of the dots formed on the transfer medium changes depending on the impact at the time of landing and the relationship with the surface tension of the transfer medium surface. The average dot diameter can be determined, for example, by obtaining a dot image of the flying target material using a microscope or the like, detecting the dot area from the image brightness information, calculating the area of ​​each dot from the number of pixels in the detected dot area, and averaging the diameter when converted into a circle to determine the dot diameter.

[0120] Furthermore, the variation in diameter (dot diameter) of the flying material after transfer (adhesion) on the transfer medium (substrate) is preferably 10% or less, and more preferably 6% or less. By keeping the variation in diameter of the flying material after transfer on the transfer medium within the above preferred range, the accuracy in forming images and three-dimensional objects can be further improved. Furthermore, the value of the diameter variation of the flying material on the transfer medium after transfer can be determined, for example, by obtaining a dot image of the flying material using a microscope or the like, detecting the dot area from the image brightness information, calculating the area of ​​each dot from the number of pixels in the detected dot area, and calculating the diameter when converted to a circle as the dot diameter from the average particle size and standard deviation of the particle size distribution of each dot.

[0121] In addition, the value of variation in the position (dot position) of the flying material on the transfer medium (substrate) after transfer (attachment) is preferably 10 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or less. By setting the value of variation in the position of the flying material on the transfer medium after transfer within the above-mentioned preferred range, the accuracy when forming an image or a three-dimensional object can be further improved. Note that, for example, when dots of the flying material are attached in a row, the value of variation in the position of the flying material on the transfer medium after transfer can be the value of variation in the position of the flying material in a direction perpendicular to the row of dots. For example, the dot image of the flying target material is acquired using a microscope or the like, the dot area is detected from the image brightness information, the coordinates of the center of gravity of each detected dot area are calculated, and the deviation of each center of gravity from the approximate line using the least squares method is calculated.

[0122] The target material flying means, target material supply means, and beam scanning means may be treated as a single unit that forms a colorant flying unit. For example, an image forming apparatus may be provided with four colorant ejection units to eject the process colors yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. The number of colorant colors is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. The number of colorant ejection units may be increased or decreased as needed. Furthermore, by arranging a colorant ejection unit containing a white colorant upstream of the colorant ejection unit containing the process color colorant in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, a white concealing layer can be provided, thereby forming an image with excellent color reproducibility on a transparent recording medium. However, particularly for yellow, white, and transparent colorants, it may be necessary to appropriately select a laser light source, such as a blue laser beam or an ultraviolet laser beam, to ensure the appropriate transmittance (absorbance) of the light of the laser beam wavelength.

[0123] Furthermore, since the image forming apparatus can use highly viscous colorants, even when an image is formed by sequentially layering colorants of different colors on a recording medium, bleeding, in which the colorants bleed and mix, can be suppressed, thereby enabling the production of high-quality color images.

[0124] For the purpose of miniaturizing the image forming apparatus, it is also possible to provide only one colorant jetting unit and form images in multiple colors by switching the colorant itself supplied to the supply roller and the colorant carrier.

[0125] The image forming apparatus of the present invention can also be applied to a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional object as follows.

[0126] (Method and apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional objects) The method for producing a three-dimensional object of the present invention comprises the flying object generating method of the present invention and a transfer step of transferring the projectile material, which is caused to fly by the projectile generating method, onto a transfer medium; a curing step of curing the transferred flying target material, The three-dimensional object is manufactured by repeatedly flying the target material onto the hardened target material in the flying target material flying step, and then hardening the unhardened target material in the hardening step. The manufacturing method of the three-dimensional object of the present invention may further include other steps as necessary. The apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object of the present invention comprises: the flying object generating apparatus of the present invention; a transfer means for transferring a projectile material, which is made to fly by a projectile generating device, onto a transfer medium; and a hardening means for hardening the transferred flying target material, The three-dimensional object is manufactured by repeating the process of ejecting the object material onto the hardened object material by the object material ejection means, and then hardening the unhardened object material by the hardening means. The three-dimensional object manufacturing apparatus of the present invention may further include other means as necessary.

[0127] The method and apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object of the present invention are the same as the image forming method and apparatus of the present invention, except that they have a curing step and curing means, and that they repeatedly transfer and harden the target material onto the hardened target material, and therefore will not be described here.

[0128] <Curing process and curing means> The curing step is a step of curing the transferred flying target material. The hardening means hardens the transferred flying target material. The curing means is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, if the target material is an ultraviolet curable material, an ultraviolet irradiator or the like can be used.

[0129] In the three-dimensional object manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, for example, a three-dimensional object can be manufactured by repeatedly flying a flying object material onto an already hardened flying object material using a flying object material flying means, and then hardening the unhardened (not yet hardened) flying object material using a hardening means.

[0130] <Other steps and other means> Other processes include, for example, a step of supplying a target material to be projected, a step of scanning a three-dimensional modeling head unit, a step of adjusting the substrate position, and a control step. Examples of other means include a means for supplying a flying object material, a three-dimensional modeling head unit scanning means, a substrate position adjusting means, and a control means.

[0131] <<Means for supplying flying material>> The means for supplying the flying object material is the same as the means for supplying the flying object material described above, except that the flying object material is a three-dimensional modeling agent and the object to be attached is a support substrate for a model, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0132] <<3D modeling head unit scanning means>> The 3D modeling head unit scanning means is not particularly limited and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, a 3D modeling head unit that integrates a target material flying unit and a curing means may be scanned across the object support substrate in the width direction (X axis) of the device. The 3D modeling head unit may be configured to, for example, harden the ultraviolet-curable target material applied by the target material flying unit using the curing means. Multiple 3D modeling head units may also be provided.

[0133] <<Board position adjustment means>> There are no particular limitations on the substrate position adjustment means and it can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, it may be a base (stage) that can adjust the position of the object support substrate in the depth direction (Y axis) and height direction (Z axis) of the device.

[0134] <<Control means>> The control means is the same as the control means of the image forming apparatus described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0135] The three-dimensional modeling agent contains at least a curable material, and may further contain other components as required.

[0136] <<Curable material>> The curable material is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound that undergoes a polymerization reaction and hardens when irradiated with active energy rays (ultraviolet rays, electron beams, etc.), heated, etc., and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose, and examples thereof include active energy ray-curable compounds, thermosetting compounds, etc. Among these, materials that are liquid at room temperature are preferred. The active energy ray-curable compound is a monomer having a relatively low viscosity and having a radically polymerizable unsaturated double bond in the molecular structure, and examples thereof include monofunctional monomers and polyfunctional monomers.

[0137] <<Other ingredients>> The other components are not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples thereof include water, organic solvents, photopolymerization initiators, surfactants, colorants, stabilizers, water-soluble resins, low-boiling alcohols, surface treatment agents, viscosity modifiers, adhesion promoters, antioxidants, antiaging agents, crosslinking accelerators, ultraviolet absorbers, plasticizers, preservatives, and dispersants.

[0138] -Product support substrate- The object support substrate is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the position of the substrate in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions may be adjusted by a substrate position adjusting means.

[0139] The gap between the object support substrate and the base material is the same as the gap between the object to be attached and the base material, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0140] Next, an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The number, position, shape, etc. of the following constituent members are not limited to those of this embodiment, and may be any number, position, shape, etc. that is preferable for implementing the present invention. The three-dimensional object manufacturing apparatus 1600 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the three-dimensional object manufacturing apparatus 1600. The three-dimensional object manufacturing apparatus 1600 includes a stage 1641, which is a support member that supports the object to be formed (object in the process of being formed) 200. The stage 1641 is reciprocatingly movable in the direction of the arrow Y, and is vertically movable in the direction of the arrow Z at intervals of, for example, 0.05 mm increments of the object thickness. A stage heater 1642 is arranged below the stage 1641, and the stage 1641 is controlled to a temperature that matches the temperature of the flying material 1612 that serves as the modeling material. A carrier (substrate) 1611 made of a rotating member that carries particulate material 1612 to be sprayed is placed above the stage 1641. The carrier 1611 is made of a rotating drum that carries the material 1612 to be sprayed and rotates in the direction of the arrow (transport direction), and transports the material 1612 to above the model 1630 on the stage 1641. The carrier 1611 is a transparent member, and is made of a cylindrical glass member, but is not limited to this. The target material 1612 should be selected appropriately depending on the desired object 1630. In the case of resin, examples include PA12 (polyamide 12), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), PSU (polysulfone), PA66 (polyamide 66), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), LCP (liquid crystal polymer), PEEK (polyether ether ketone), POM (polyacetal), PSF (polysulfone), PA6 (polyamide 6), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), etc. Furthermore, the target material 1612 of this embodiment is not limited to crystalline resins, and may also be amorphous resins such as PC (polycarbonate), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and PEI (polyetherimide), or a mixed resin of crystalline and amorphous resins. Furthermore, in addition to resin, various materials such as metal, ceramic, liquid, etc. can be used for the flying object material 1612. Furthermore, the flying object material 1612 may be a material having a viscosity of 1 Pa·s or more. In this embodiment, the material 1612 to be ejected is held by the peripheral surface of the support 1611 by intermolecular forces (van der Waals forces). If the resistance value of the material 1612 to be ejected is high, it can be held by electrostatic adhesion alone. Around the support 1611, a flying object material supply unit 1620 is arranged to supply the flying object material 1612 to the peripheral surface (surface) of the support 1611. The flying object material supply unit 1620 includes a mesh roller 1621 that rotates in the direction of the arrow and has flying object material 1612 supplied thereto, and a blade 1622 that rubs the flying object material 1612 within the mesh roller 1621. This flying object material supply unit 1620 rubs the flying object material 1612 with the blade 1622 to break up agglomerations, causing the flying object material 1612 to pass through the mesh roller 1621, and forming a thin film (layer) of the flying object material 1612 on the circumferential surface of the support 1611. The mesh opening of the mesh roller 1621 is preferably 20 to 30% larger than the average particle size of the target material 1612. A woven metal wire can be used, but a flat mesh made by electroforming or the like is more preferable. The supply by the flying target material supply unit 1620 is not limited to a mesh roller. For example, contact supply by a rotating body, non-contact supply, non-contact scattering from a mesh, and fluidized immersion by powder air current agitation are also possible. Inside the support 1611, a light irradiation unit 1602 is arranged as a means for causing the target material 1612 to fly from the peripheral surface of the support 1611. The light irradiation unit 1602 has the same configuration as any of the above-described embodiments, and irradiates a pulsed flying laser beam 1603 and a fixing laser beam 1604 onto a target material 1612 from inside a carrier 1611. Here, the irradiation position of the fixing laser beam 1604 corresponds to the modeling position. When irradiated with the flying laser beam 1603 , the flying target material 1612 flies from the peripheral surface of the support 1611 in the direction of irradiation of the flying laser beam 1603 . In addition, the flying target material 1612 attached to the model 1630 is heated and melted by irradiation with the fixing laser beam 1604, and then the flying target material 1612 cools and becomes one with the model 1630, causing the model 1630 to grow by at least one flying target material. In this way, the process of transporting the flying material 1612 by continuous rotation of the carrier 1611, flying the flying material 1612 with the flying laser beam 1603, and the process of heating and melting the attached flying material 1612 with the fixing laser beam 1604 and fixing it to the surface of the model 1630 are repeated until the modeling is completed. This allows the object 1630 to grow to a desired shape, thereby forming a three-dimensional object. Note that, in this embodiment, an example of a fixing method has been shown in which the flying object material 1612 attached to the model 1630 is irradiated with the fixing laser beam 1604 to melt it, but the present invention is not limited to this. This embodiment can also be applied to a method in which the flying object material 1612 is caused to fly by irradiating the surface of the model 1630 with the fixing laser beam 1604 in advance to melt it, and then the flying object material 1612 is adhered to the surface of the model 1630 by irradiating it with the flying laser beam 1603, and then the flying object material 1612 is fixed by cooling the surface of the model 1630. Such a method can be implemented by delaying the irradiation timing of the flying laser beam 1603 with respect to the irradiation timing of the fixing laser beam 1604. Although examples of the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Example]

[0141] Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way. In the following, an image forming apparatus having the flying target material flying means shown in FIG. 11A was used.

[0142] (Example) <Substrate, light absorbing material and adhered object> Gold was vapor-deposited as a target material (light absorber) onto a slide glass (microslide glass S7213, manufactured by Matsunami Glass Industry Co., Ltd.; transmittance of 532 nm wavelength light is 99%) as a substrate.

[0143] Next, the surface of the substrate to which the target material was applied was placed opposite the object to be attached (medium to be transferred), and the substrate was placed so that the laser beam could be irradiated perpendicularly from the backside of the light absorbing material. The gap between the object to be attached (medium to be transferred) and the flying object material was set to 200 μm.

[0144] The lasers used for irradiation using the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 11A are as follows. The means for ejecting the target material includes a laser light source, a laser beam shaping means, a laser beam conversion means, and the like. The light-absorbing material flying means in the projectile generating device shown in FIG. 11A has a scanning optical system equipped with a galvano scanner. First, a laser beam emitted from a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser light source unit passed through a spatial isolator, a λ / 4 plate, and a collimating lens. An acousto-optic deflector (AOM) controlled the frequency of the laser light source by temporally separating the zeroth-order and first-order beams based on ON / OFF signals from a PC and controller. The zeroth-order beam was cut off as it passed through the mirror and lens, and only the first-order beam passed through a nonlinear optical crystal (SHG element). The nonlinear optical effect generated second-order harmonic generation (SHG), generating green light with a wavelength of 532 nm. A harmonic separator HS separated the fundamental wave from the second-order harmonic, resulting in a monochromatic green laser beam. The phase and intensity distributions of the resulting green beam were corrected by aberration correction and vertical and horizontal magnification variable elements, and the beam passed through a zoom lens before being incident on the phase distribution converter shown in Figure 8, which converted it into a uniformly heated laser beam. The laser beam then passed through mirrors, NDs, and other optical elements, was reflected by an optical deflector such as a galvanometer mirror, and was then irradiated onto the surface or inside of the sample (light absorbing material, magenta ink) through a condenser lens (focal length: 100 mm). The laser beam diameter was 100 μm, ho (FWHM / (1 / e 2 Width): 0.85, scanning speed: 200 mm / s, one shot exposure was performed at 400 μm intervals.

[0145] <Evaluation of adhesion condition> FIG. 17A shows a residual donor image (a laser irradiation mark on the target material on the substrate) on the substrate after laser beam irradiation, and FIG. 17B shows an image of the transferred target material on the object to be deposited. From these results, it was found that the laser beam emitted by the uniform heating irradiation did not scatter, and adjacent dots were clearly formed at intervals of 400 μm, and each dot was clearly separated.

[0146] (Comparative Example) In this example, the target material was made to fly in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a Gaussian laser beam with a laser beam diameter of 100 μm was used without using a laser beam shaping means or a laser beam conversion means.

[0147] <Evaluation of adhesion condition> FIG. 17C shows the image of the remaining donor on the substrate after laser beam irradiation, and FIG. 17D shows the image of the transferred flying target material on the object to which it is attached. As shown in FIG. 17D, the attached light absorbing material was scattered on the object to such an extent that it was impossible to distinguish it from adjacent dots, and no coherent shape could be confirmed. Therefore, it was found that the uniform heat irradiation laser beam has better transferability than the Gaussian laser beam.

[0148] The present invention includes, for example, the following aspects. <1> In a substrate having a flying target material arranged on at least a part of its surface, from a surface side opposite to the surface on which the flying target material is arranged, so as to generate a uniformly heated region exhibiting a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material at the interface between the base material and the target material; The method for generating a flying object includes a step of flying a flying object material in a direction of irradiation of the laser beam by irradiating the flying object material with the laser beam. <2> the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam is substantially uniform in a cross section perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam; <1> This is a method for generating a flying object as described in the above. <3> The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam in a cross section orthogonal to the traveling direction of the laser beam, and 1 / e 2 width ratio ho (FWHM / (1 / e 2 width)) satisfies 0.6 < ho < 1, and is the flying object generation method according to any one of <1> to <2>. <4> The flying object generation method according to any one of <1> to <3>, which has an assist film for assisting flight between the base material and the material to be flown. <5> The flying object generation method according to any one of <4>, wherein the assist film has a light absorption region that absorbs the laser beam and a non-light absorption region that does not absorb the laser beam. <6> The fluence F of the laser beam on the surface on which the material to be flown is arranged B is 20% or more of the fluence F of the laser beam on the surface of the base material irradiated with the laser beam, and is the flying object generation method according to any one of <1> to <5>. F is 20% or more of the fluence F of the laser beam on the surface of the base material irradiated with the laser beam, and is the flying object generation method according to any one of <1> to <5>. <7> The flying object generation method according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein the diameter of the laser beam irradiated on the base material is 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less. <8> In a base material having a material to be flown arranged on at least a part of the surface, from the surface side opposite to the surface on which the material to be flown is arranged to the base material, at the interface between the base material and the material to be flown, a flying object generation device having flying object flying means for flying the material to be flown in the irradiation direction of the laser beam by generating a soaking region showing a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the material to be flown. is characterized by having flying object flying means for flying the material to be flown in the irradiation direction of the laser beam by irradiating a laser beam to generate a soaking region showing a substantially uniform temperature distribution equal to or higher than the melting point of the material to be flown at the interface between the base material and the material to be flown. <9> The flying object generation device according to <8>, which has flying object supply means for supplying the material to be flown to the base material. <10> The flying object generation device according to any one of <8> to <9>, which has phase conversion means for converting the phase distribution of the laser beam. <11> The aforementioned <8> from <10> a projectile generating device according to any one of the items above, and a transfer means for transferring the flying object material, which is caused to fly by the flying object generating device, onto a transfer medium. <12> The aforementioned <8> from <10> a projectile generating device according to any one of the items above, a transfer means for transferring the projectile material, which is caused to fly by the projectile generating device, onto a transfer medium; and a curing means for curing the transferred flying target material, The device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object is characterized in that the flying object generating device causes the flying object material to fly onto the hardened flying object material, and then the hardening means hardens the unhardened flying object material, thereby manufacturing a three-dimensional object.

[0149] The aforementioned <1> from <7> The flying object generating method according to any one of the <8> from <10> The flying object generating device according to any one of the <11> and the image forming apparatus described in <12> According to the apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object described above, the above-mentioned problems in the prior art can be solved and the object of the present invention can be achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 411, 512, 551, 741, 851, 1543, 1611 Base material 421, 751, 853, 1612 Flying target materials 431, 433, 711, 812, 813, 1532, 1603 Laser beam [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0151] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2016 / 136722

Claims

1. In a substrate having a flying target material arranged on at least a part of its surface, the flying target material is applied to the substrate from a surface side opposite to the surface on which the flying target material is arranged. At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is generated that exhibits a temperature distribution that is equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material and has three or more points with the same laser beam energy intensity. a step of flying the target material in a direction of irradiation of the laser beam by irradiating the target material with a laser beam, an energy intensity distribution of the laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam has three or more points having the same energy intensity of the laser beam; A method for generating a flying object.

2. a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam, and 1 / e ２ The ratio of the width to the FWHM (1 / e ２ 2. The method for generating a projectile according to claim 1, wherein the width satisfies 0.6<ho<1.

3. 3. The flying object generating method according to claim 1, further comprising an assist film for assisting the flying object between the substrate and the target material.

4. 4. The flying object generating method according to claim 3, wherein the assist film has a light absorbing region that absorbs the laser beam and a non-light absorbing region that does not absorb the laser beam.

5. The fluence F of the laser beam on the surface on which the target material is disposed Ｂ is the fluence F of the laser beam on the surface of the substrate irradiated with the laser beam. Ｆ 5. The method for generating a flying object according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the number of flying objects to the number of projectiles is 20% or more.

6. 6. The flying object generating method according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the laser beam irradiated onto the substrate is 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less.

7. In a substrate having a flying target material arranged on at least a part of its surface, the flying target material is applied to the substrate from a surface side opposite to the surface on which the flying target material is arranged. At the interface between the substrate and the target material, a uniformly heated region is generated that exhibits a temperature distribution that is equal to or higher than the melting point of the target material and has three or more points with the same laser beam energy intensity. a means for projecting a target material to be projected, the means for projecting a laser beam to the target material in the direction of the laser beam irradiation; the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam in a cross section perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam has three or more points with the same energy intensity of the laser beam; A projectile generating device characterized by:

8. 8. The projectile generating device according to claim 7, further comprising a projectile material supplying means for supplying the projectile material to the substrate.

9. 9. A projectile generating device according to claim 7, further comprising a phase conversion means for converting the phase distribution of said laser beam.

10. A projectile generating device according to any one of claims 7 to 9; a transfer means for transferring the projectile material, which is caused to fly by the projectile generating device, onto a transfer medium.

11. A projectile generating device according to any one of claims 7 to 9; a transfer means for transferring the projectile material, which is caused to fly by the projectile generating device, onto a transfer medium; and a curing means for curing the transferred flying target material, The device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object is characterized in that the device causes the projectile generating device to project the projectile material onto the hardened projectile material, and then hardens the unhardened projectile material using the hardening means, thereby manufacturing a three-dimensional object.

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