Droplet discharge apparatus, manufacturing method of electric optical apparatus, electric optical ap

专利摘要:
A droplet discharging device 1 for selectively discharging functional droplets while relatively moving the functional droplet discharging head 10 in which the functional liquid has been introduced into the workpiece W, the functional liquids having specifications and / or introduced with each other. A plurality of different types of functional droplet discharge heads 10, a carriage 9 for mounting the plurality of types of functional droplet discharge heads 10 so as to be interchangeable, and a plurality of types of functional droplet discharge heads 10 A stocker 12 for stock exchangeable stock, and a head moving stacking mechanism 13 for moving and stacking each functional liquid discharge head 10 between the carriage 9 and the stocker 12. Doing. By enabling the function droplet ejection head 10 to be automatically replaced, the droplet ejection apparatus 1 can efficiently perform the workpiece processing.
公开号:KR20040012480A
申请号:KR1020030048674
申请日:2003-07-16
公开日:2004-02-11
发明作者:다카노유타카；나카무라신이치；우스다히데노리；야마다요시아키
申请人:세이코 엡슨 가부시키가이샤；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

Droplet discharging device, manufacturing method of electro-optical device, electro-optical device and electronic device {DROPLET DISCHARGE APPARATUS, MANUFACTURING METHOD OF ELECTRIC OPTICAL APPARATUS
[79] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid droplet ejecting apparatus, an electro-optical device manufacturing method, an electro-optical device, and an electronic apparatus that eject a functional liquid by a functional liquid ejection head represented by an inkjet head to a work such as a substrate. will be.
[80] In a conventional inkjet printer (color printer) or the like, a plurality of inkjet heads are mounted on a carriage, and color printing is performed by introducing a plurality of inks in this case. In this case, inkjet heads having the same specification are mounted (for example, , Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-49920.
[81] By the way, in the application technology of the inkjet head (functional droplet ejection head), it is conceivable to discharge a plurality of kinds of functional liquids having different viscosities so as to form a plurality of kinds of functional films and the like depending on the workpiece to be discharged of the functional liquid. Can be. For example, in the preparation technique of the preparat which apply | coats a dyeing agent to the sample on a preparat, seals and fixes it with a coating material, and omits a cover glass, discharge of a functional liquid droplet, etc. It is necessary to discharge the sample dye (functional liquid) and the coating material (functional liquid) by the head. In such a case, a sample dye having a low viscosity and a coating material having a high viscosity require the use of a function droplet ejection head having different specifications, and in simple terms, two droplets equipped with a function droplet ejection head having different specifications. It is necessary to use a discharge apparatus or to replace a functional liquid droplet ejection head (including a functional liquid supply system) with respect to one droplet ejection apparatus.
[82] However, since this requires time for conveyance of the workpiece to another droplet ejection apparatus or reattachment (exchange operation) such as a functional droplet ejection head, the droplet ejection treatment for each workpiece is considerably large. It gets crowded.
[83] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a droplet ejection apparatus, a manufacturing method of an electro-optical device, an electro-optical device, and an electronic device capable of efficiently performing work processing by enabling the function liquid ejection head to be automatically replaced.
[1] 1 is an overall perspective view of a droplet ejection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[2] 2 is an enlarged perspective view around the head unit of the droplet ejection apparatus.
[3] 3 is an enlarged perspective view around the first discharge head (functional droplet discharge head).
[4] 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a second discharge head (functional droplet discharge head).
[5] 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a third discharge head (functional droplet discharge head).
[6] Fig. 6 is a perspective view around the head stocker of the droplet ejection apparatus.
[7] 7 is an enlarged perspective view around the stock table and cap unit of the head stocker.
[8] 8 is a front view of the functional liquid supply mechanism of the droplet ejection apparatus.
[9] 9 is a block diagram showing the control means of the droplet ejection apparatus.
[10] 10A and 10B are waveform diagrams showing discharge waveforms (Fig. 10 (a)) and micro-vibration waveforms (Fig. 10 (b)) applied to the functional droplet discharge head.
[11] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a drive pulse for driving a functional droplet discharge head.
[12] 12 is a flowchart for explaining a color filter manufacturing step.
[13] (A)-(e) is a schematic cross section of the color filter shown in order of a manufacturing process.
[14] Fig. 14 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a schematic structure of a liquid crystal device using a color filter to which the present invention is applied.
[15] Fig. 15 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a schematic structure of a liquid crystal device of a second example using a color filter to which the present invention is applied.
[16] Fig. 16 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a schematic structure of a liquid crystal device of a third example using a color filter to which the present invention is applied.
[17] Fig. 17 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a display device according to a second embodiment.
[18] 18 is a flowchart for explaining a manufacturing step of the display device according to the second embodiment.
[19] 19 is a process chart for explaining formation of an inorganic bank layer.
[20] 20 is a flowchart for explaining formation of an organic substance bank layer.
[21] 21 is a process chart for explaining a process of forming a hole injection / transport layer;
[22] 22 is a process chart for explaining a state in which a hole injection / transport layer is formed.
[23] 23 is a process chart for explaining a process of forming a blue light emitting layer.
[24] 24 is a flowchart for explaining a state where a blue light emitting layer is formed.
[25] 25 is a flowchart for explaining a state where various light emitting layers are formed.
[26] Fig. 26 is a process chart for explaining formation of a cathode.
[27] Fig. 27 is an exploded perspective view showing main parts of the display device in accordance with the third embodiment.
[28] Fig. 28 is a sectional view of principal parts of a display device in accordance with a fourth embodiment.
[29] * Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings
[30] 1: droplet discharge device
[31] 3: moving mechanism
[32] 4: X axis table
[33] 5: Y axis table
[34] 7: head unit
[35] 9: sub carriage
[36] 10: function droplet discharge head
[37] 12: Head Stalker
[38] 13: transfer robot
[39] 14: functional fluid supply mechanism
[40] 15: distance measuring device
[41] 16: control means
[42] 26: adsorption table
[43] 32: Z axis moving mechanism
[44] 42: head holding member
[45] 44: head mount
[46] 47: positioning hole
[47] 48: detector
[48] 51: head body
[49] 51a: nozzle surface
[50] 54: flat flexible cable
[51] 55: silicone tube
[52] 62: gripping protrusion
[53] 63: blood detection unit
[54] 64: positioning pin
[55] 71: stock table
[56] 73: head maintenance mechanism
[57] 74: horizontal moving mechanism
[58] 75: cap unit
[59] 76: wiping unit
[60] 101: head cap
[61] 104: up and down movement mechanism
[62] 105: suction pump
[63] 121: Wiping Sheet
[64] 141 tank unit
[65] 142: sub tank
[66] 144 lifting mechanism
[67] 150: liquid level sensor
[68] 151: main tank
[69] 152: pressure feed device
[70] 181: control unit
[71] 182: CPU
[72] 183: ROM
[73] 184: RAM
[74] 188: Head Driver
[75] 500: color filter
[76] 520, 530, 550: liquid crystal device
[77] 600, 700, 800: display device
[78] W: Substrate
[84] The droplet ejection apparatus of the present invention is a droplet ejection apparatus for selectively ejecting functional droplets while relatively moving a functional droplet ejection head relative to a work, comprising a plurality of functional droplet ejection heads and a plurality of functional droplet ejections. A carriage equipped with a head, a stocker for stocking a plurality of functional droplet discharge heads, a head moving stacking mechanism for moving and loading each functional droplet discharge head between the carriage and the stocker, and a carriage equipped with a functional droplet discharge head A moving mechanism for moving the relative to the workpiece, a functional liquid supply means for supplying the functional liquid to the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads, and a control means for controlling the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads, respectively. It is done.
[85] According to this structure, the functional liquid is supplied to the functional liquid droplet ejecting head by the functional liquid supply means while the functional liquid supplying means relatively moves the functional liquid ejection head on the carriage with respect to the work by the moving mechanism, and functions by the control means. Discharge drive the droplet discharge head. Thereby, many functional liquid droplets can be reached at the desired position of a workpiece | work. In this case, the function liquid drop ejection head required for the work processing is appropriately stocked in the stocker, and the function liquid drop ejection head on the stocker and the function liquid drop ejection head on the carriage are moved by the head moving stacking mechanism according to the progress of the operation. By exchanging, it is possible to discharge the functional liquid by the new functional droplet discharge head. That is, by discharging the functional liquid droplet discharge head, it is possible to discharge different functional liquids to the work in a short time.
[86] In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads include a plurality of kinds of functional droplet ejection heads having different functional liquids and / or specifications.
[87] Further, it is preferable that a plurality of the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads are replaceably mounted on the carriage, and the control means controls the plurality of the functional droplet ejection heads in association.
[88] According to this configuration, since the functional liquid introduced into the work and / or the plural types of functional liquid discharge heads having different specifications can be integrally scanned to discharge the functional liquid, various droplets of the functional liquid to the work are discharged. This becomes possible.
[89] In this case, each of the function droplet ejection heads is held by the head holding member, and is mounted on the head holding member so as to be interchangeably mounted on each head mounting part of the carriage and each head mounting part of the stocker, and is moved by the head moving stacking mechanism. It is preferable to be loaded.
[90] According to this configuration, when the shapes (appearances) of the plural types of the functional liquid droplet ejecting heads are different, the portions other than the head attachment portion of the head holding member are formed in a unified form, whereby each functional liquid droplet ejecting head is subjected to the same conditions. Can be mounted on the carriage and stocker, and can also be moved and stacked. That is, even when the shapes of the plural kinds of the function droplet ejecting heads are different, each head mounting portion of the carriage and each head mounting portion of the stocker can have the same structure, and also the grip portion of the head moving stacking mechanism. No change is required.
[91] In this case, the head holding member is provided with a plurality of positioning portions for positioning the functional droplet ejection head on the carriage and the stocker, and each head mounting portion of the carriage and each head mounting portion of the stocker correspond to a plurality of positioning portions. It is preferable that the positioning accommodation part of is provided.
[92] According to this structure, each function liquid droplet discharge head can be mounted with good positioning accuracy with respect to each head mounting part of a carriage and each head mounting part of a stocker. Moreover, it is preferable that the positioning parts which consist of a positioning part and a positioning accommodating part are two places or three places separated from each other.
[93] In this case, it is preferable that the head moving loading mechanism grips the functional liquid droplet discharge head in a horizontal position through the head holding member, and the holding portion held by the head moving loading mechanism is provided upright on the head holding member. .
[94] According to this structure, the head movement stacking mechanism can move and load this in the state which hold | maintained the functional liquid ejection head in the horizontal attitude | position by holding the to-be-held part of a head holding member. In this case, the gripped portion is provided on the head holding member so that the head moving stacking mechanism can grasp the gripped portion appropriately and stably without interfering with the function droplet discharge head.
[95] In such a case, it is preferable that the detection unit for detecting the type of the mounted functional liquid discharge head is provided in each head mounting portion of the carriage, and the detected portion corresponding to the detection portion is provided in the head holding member.
[96] According to this configuration, when the functional droplet discharge head is attached to the head mounting portion of the carriage, the type of the functional droplet discharge head is detected by the cooperation of the detected portion of the head holding member and the detection portion of the carriage. Based on this detection result, the corresponding data is selected from the head-specific data (discharge pattern data) of the control means. In addition, the nozzle position data (reference position data) of each function droplet ejecting head may be stored in the memory of the control means in advance, or the detected part may be attached to the memory (IC) and stored therein. have.
[97] In this case, each of the functional droplet discharge heads mounted on each head mounting portion of the carriage via the head holding member has a reference discharge nozzle located at its outermost end at the same position in the negative scanning direction. It is desirable to be arranged in an array.
[98] According to this configuration, since the control reference points in the plural kinds of the functional liquid droplet ejecting heads coincide with the same position in the sub-scanning direction, the data structure of the control means can be simplified, and each functional liquid droplet with respect to the carriage. The discharge head can be mounted with good accuracy.
[99] In this case, the functional liquid supplying means has a plurality of functional liquid tanks corresponding to the plural kinds of functional liquid droplet ejecting heads, and the plurality of functional liquid tanks and the plural kinds of functional liquid droplet ejecting heads are connected via a tube, respectively. desirable.
[100] According to this structure, since each functional liquid tank and each functional liquid droplet discharge head are previously connected by the tube, when the functional liquid droplet discharge head is exchanged between the stocker and the carriage, the tube can be attached and detached. It is not necessary to do this, so that the functional liquid droplet discharge head can be replaced quickly, and the leakage of the functional liquid during replacement can be reliably prevented.
[101] In such a case, it is preferable that the control means have a plurality of head drivers corresponding to the plurality of types of functional droplet discharge heads, and the plurality of head drivers and the plurality of types of functional liquid discharge heads are connected via cables, respectively.
[102] According to this structure, since each head driver and each functional droplet discharge head are previously connected by a cable, it is not necessary to attach or detach a cable at the time of replacing a functional droplet discharge head between a stocker and a carriage, The function liquid drop ejection head can be replaced quickly, and the replacement structure is not complicated.
[103] In such a case, it is preferable that the stocker has a drying prevention cap in close contact with the nozzle face of the functional droplet discharge head stocked therein.
[104] According to this structure, since the drying of the function liquid droplet discharge head (the nozzle surface) in stock is prevented, even if it is a stock state, the discharge function of a function liquid droplet discharge head can be hold | maintained suitably. For this reason, the functional liquid droplet ejection head can be replaced while the ejection function is properly maintained, and even if the functional droplet ejection head immediately after the replacement does not interfere with the ejection of the droplet.
[105] In this case, it is preferable that the cap is connected with suction means for sucking the functional liquid of the functional droplet discharge head through the cap.
[106] According to this configuration, for example, the cap can be used to immediately clean the functional liquid of the functional liquid droplet ejecting head, before the replacement of the functional liquid droplet ejecting head, thereby cleaning the functional liquid ejecting head. The discharge function can be exchanged in a more suitable state.
[107] In this case, it is preferable that the stocker further has a wiping mechanism for wiping the nozzle face of the functional droplet discharge head stocked therein.
[108] According to this structure, the meniscus of each discharge nozzle can be maintained in an appropriate state, for example by wiping the nozzle surface of a functional droplet discharge head after the cleaning which draws in said functional liquid.
[109] In this case, the stocker further has an air discharge receiving receiving empty discharge of the functional liquid droplets from all the discharge nozzles of the functional liquid droplet discharge heads stocked therein, and the control means periodically discharges the functional liquid droplet discharge head. It is preferable to carry out the empty discharge.
[110] According to this configuration, the discharge function of the functional liquid droplet discharge head can be suitably maintained by carrying out the empty discharge of the functional liquid droplets from all the discharge nozzles of the functional droplet discharge head stocked regularly or immediately before the replacement. Can be. For this reason, the functional liquid droplet ejection head can be replaced while the ejection function is properly maintained, and even if the functional droplet ejection head immediately after the replacement does not interfere with the ejection of the droplet. Moreover, it is also possible to advance and retract said cap, and to serve also as an empty discharge receiver.
[111] In such a case, it is preferable that the control means apply a drive waveform not involving the discharge of the functional droplet to the discharge nozzle of the functional droplet discharge head stocked in the stocker.
[112] According to this configuration, in the ink chamber reaching the respective ejection nozzles of the functional droplet ejection head, the functional fluid is microscopically moved and agitated by the driving waveform to which the functional liquid is applied, thereby partially drying the functional liquid, in particular, the ejection nozzle. Drying of the functional liquid part which comprises the meniscus of a tip is suppressed. As a result, clogging due to drying of each discharge nozzle can be suppressed as a whole. Therefore, the ejection function of the stock function droplet ejection head can be properly maintained, and even if the function droplet ejection head immediately after replacement is not impeded to eject the droplet.
[113] In this case, the control means applies a drive waveform that does not accompany the ejection of the functional liquid at the ejection timing of the main ejection to the ejection nozzle which does not perform the ejection of the functional droplet ejection head mounted on the carriage. It is preferable.
[114] According to this structure, clogging by drying of the discharge nozzle which does not perform main discharge can be suppressed similarly to the above. Therefore, regular flushing (air discharge of the functional liquid droplets from all the discharge nozzles) and the like can be omitted as appropriate, thereby reducing the tact time of the work processing as a whole.
[115] The manufacturing method of the electro-optical device of the present invention is characterized by forming a film formation part by a functional liquid drop on a workpiece using the above-described liquid drop ejection device.
[116] In addition, the electro-optical device of the present invention is characterized in that a film-forming portion formed by a functional liquid drop is formed on a work by using the above-described liquid drop ejection device.
[117] According to this structure, since it is manufactured using the droplet ejection apparatus which enables various ejection of a functional liquid with respect to a workpiece | work, it becomes possible to manufacture an electro-optical device itself efficiently. As the electro-optical device (device), a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) device, an electron emission device, a plasma display panel (PDP) device, an electrophoretic display device, and the like can be considered. In addition, the electron emission device is a concept including a so-called field emission display (FED) device or a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) device. As the electro-optical device, a device including metal wiring formation, lens formation, resist formation, light diffusion body formation, and the like can be considered.
[118] The electronic device of this invention is equipped with the said electro-optical device, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
[119] In this case, as an electronic device, various electrical appliances correspond to this, in addition to the mobile telephone and personal computer equipped with what is called a flat panel display.
[120] EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, with reference to an accompanying drawing, the droplet ejection apparatus, the manufacturing method of an electro-optical device, an electro-optical device, and an electronic device are demonstrated. Since the ink jet head (functional liquid drop ejection head) of an ink jet printer can eject minute ink droplets (functional liquid drop) in a dot shape with good precision, it is a special ink for a functional liquid (eject object liquid), for example. By using liquid bodies, such as luminous or photosensitive resin, application to the manufacturing field of various components is anticipated.
[121] The droplet ejection apparatus of this embodiment uses a plurality of kinds of functional liquid droplet ejecting heads having different specifications or a plurality of kinds of functional liquid ejecting heads having different functional liquids introduced therein while being appropriately exchanged in the apparatus, and is a substrate (W). ) To form a desired film forming portion on the substrate (details will be described later).
[122] As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet ejection apparatus 1 of an Example is a base 2, the X-axis table 4 which is the moving mechanism 3 provided on the base 2, and orthogonal to this. Y-axis table 5, the main carriage 6 attached to the X-axis table 4 to be movable, and the head unit 7 mounted on the main carriage 6 are provided. The head unit 7 is mounted on the sub carriage (carriage) 9 so as to be detachable and replaceable with three kinds of functional liquid droplet ejecting heads 10 having different specifications. Moreover, the board | substrate W which is a workpiece | work is mounted in the Y-axis table 5 so that attachment or detachment is possible.
[123] In the vicinity of the left part of the X-axis table 4, a head stocker (stocker) 12 for stocking the function liquid ejection head 10 is arranged. The head stocker 12 of the embodiment has three types. The functional droplet ejection head 10 is configured to be stockable. On the left side of the base 2, a mobile stacking robot 13 is placed upright, and by the mobile stacking robot 13, the function droplet ejection head 10 and the sub carriage 9 on the head stocker 12 are placed. The function liquid discharge head 10 can be replaced (replaced).
[124] In the vicinity of the mobile stacking robot 13, a functional liquid supply mechanism (functional liquid supply means) 14 is arranged on the base 2, and the functional liquid droplet discharge heads 10 are provided from the functional liquid supply mechanism 14. The functional liquid is supplied to the. Similarly, the distance measuring device (measurement means) 15 using a laser beam is provided downward on the base 2 near the mobile loading robot 13. Moreover, the droplet ejection apparatus 1 is comprised with the control means 16 which collectively controls the structural apparatuses, such as the said moving mechanism 3, the functional droplet ejection head 10, etc. (refer FIG. 9).
[125] In addition, although not shown in the figure, the droplet ejection apparatus 1 receives periodic flushing (discharge ejection of the functional liquid from the entire ejection nozzles) of the functional droplet ejection head 10 mounted in the head unit 7. In addition to the flushing unit and the wiping unit for wiping the nozzle face of the functional droplet discharge head 10, a suction unit for performing functional liquid suction and storage of the functional droplet discharge head 10, and the like are provided.
[126] The X-axis table 4 has the X-axis slider 21 of the drive of the motor 22 which comprises the drive system of an X-axis direction, and is mounted so that the said main carriage 6 is movable to this. Similarly, the Y-axis table 5 has a Y-axis slider 23 for driving the motor 24 constituting the drive system in the Y-axis direction, and the suction table (work table) 26 and the θ table 27 and the like. The set table 25 which consists of these parts is mounted so that a movement is possible, and is comprised. In this case, the X-axis table 4 is supported by the left and right props 29 and 29 which are set up on the base 2, while the Y-axis table 5 is directly supported by the base 2. . And the board | substrate W is set in the positioning state on the suction table 26 of the set table 25. As shown in FIG.
[127] In the droplet ejection apparatus 1 of this embodiment, each functional droplet ejection head 10 is driven in synchronism with the movement of each functional droplet ejection head 10 by the X-axis table 4 (the Selective discharge), and the so-called main scanning of the functional liquid droplet discharge head 10 is performed by a reciprocating motion in the X-axis direction of the X-axis table 4. Incidentally, in response to this, so-called sub-scanning is performed by the reciprocating (braking) operation in the Y-axis direction of the substrate W by the Y-axis table 5. The driving of each of the functional droplet ejection heads 10 in the scanning is performed based on the ejection pattern data stored in the control means 16.
[128] As shown in FIG. 2, the main carriage 6 includes a slide base 31 attached to the X-axis slider 21 so as to be movable in a vertical position, and a Z-axis movement configured in the slide base 31. It has a mechanism (gap adjusting means) 32. A pair of guide rails 33 are provided on the front surface of the slide base 31, and the head unit 7 is attached to the pair of guide rails 33 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. The Z-axis movement mechanism 32 includes a female screw member 35 provided on the head unit 7 side, a lead screw 36 screwed thereto, and a lead screw 36. I) a stepping motor (actuator) 37 which rotates, and the head unit 7 is moved up and down by the forward and reverse rotation of the stepping motor 37, and the function liquid discharge head 10 on the head unit 7 is rotated. ) And the work gap between the substrate W and the substrate W can be finely adjusted (details will be described later).
[129] The head unit 7 has a vertical posture bracket 41 slidably attached to the slide base 31 and a sub carriage 9 in a horizontal posture attached to the bracket 41. The three kinds of the functional droplet ejection heads 10, 10, and 10 are detachably attached to the head 9 through the head holding members 42, 42, and 42, respectively. In addition, although not shown, the parallelism fine adjustment mechanism which fine-adjusts the angle of the X-axis center and the Y-axis center in the sub carriage 9 between the bracket 41 and the sub carriage 9 is comprised.
[130] The sub carriage 9 is made of thick plates such as stainless steel, and three head mounting portions 44, 44, 44 are formed on the surface thereof in a row. Each head mounting portion 44 has a shallow groove portion 45 into which the head holding member 42 is fitted in a positioning state, and a lower portion of the functional droplet discharge head 10 formed at the center of the shallow groove portion 45. It is comprised by the through opening 46 through which the head main body 51 penetrates. In the groove bottom of the shallow groove portion 45, a pair of positioning holes (positioning accommodation portion) for positioning the head holding member (functional liquid drop ejection head 10) 42 with a through opening 46 therebetween. (47, 47) are formed. In addition, a detector 48 for detecting the type of the functional droplet discharge head 10 is embedded in the groove edge portion of each shallow groove portion 45, and the detector 48 is connected to the control means 16 described above. .
[131] The three types of liquid droplet ejection heads 10, 10, and 10 are provided with a first ejection head (refer to FIG. 3) 10a mounted on the right side of the sub carriage 9, and on the left and right middle portions thereof. It consists of the 2nd discharge head (refer FIG. 4) 10b mounted, and the 3rd discharge head (refer FIG. 5) 10c mounted in the left part, and is all hold | maintained by the head holding member 42. It is attached to the head mounting part 44 of the sub carriage 9. In addition, although not shown in figure, the three types of functional droplet discharge heads 10, 10, and 10 attached to the sub carriage 9 in the positioning state are the outermost discharge nozzles (reference nozzles) on the bracket 41 side. ) Is positioned so as to be arranged at the same position in the Y-axis direction.
[132] The 1st discharge head 10a is of the specification which discharges a trace amount functional fluid with comparatively low viscosity from each discharge nozzle. That is, it is a specification with many nozzles and small discharge amount of the functional liquid per unit nozzle. As shown in FIG. 3, the 1st discharge head 10a has the head main body 51 which has two nozzle rows (not shown) in the nozzle surface 51a, and the head board fixed to the upper side of the head main body 51. As shown in FIG. Has 52. The head board 52 is connected to a pair of flat flexible cables 54 and 54 which are connected to the control means 16 via a pair of connectors 53 and 53, and the head body 51 is connected to the head board 51. A pair of silicon tubes 55 and 55 which are penetrated and connected to the functional liquid supply mechanism 14 are connected.
[133] Attachment bosses 56 and 56 protrude from both sides of the head main body 51, respectively, and the first discharge head 10a attaches the head main body 51 to the attachment opening 61 of the head holding member 42. In the inserted positioning state, the pair of attachment bosses 56 and 56 are screwed to the head holding member 42.
[134] The head holding member 42 is composed of a rectangular stainless steel plate having the attachment opening 61 formed at the center thereof, and has a depth of the shallow groove portion (head mounting portion 44) 45 of the sub carriage 9. It is formed in about the same thickness. On the upper surface of the head holding member 42, a cylindrical grip projection (grip portion) 62 is placed upright at the front corner portion, and a blood detector 63 corresponding to the detector 48 is provided at the side portion. Attached. The lower surface of the head holding member 42 has a pair of positioning pins (positioning portions) 64 and 64 corresponding to the pair of positioning holes 47 and 47 with the attachment opening 61 therebetween. Is installed.
[135] The head holding member 42 on which the function droplet ejection head (first ejection head 10a) 10 is mounted is gripped by the mobile stacking robot 13 at a portion of the grip projection 62, and the sub carriage 9 It is attached to the head mounting part 44 of the upper side from the upper side. At this time, the pair of positioning pins 64 and 64 of the head holding member 42 are aligned and guided to the pair of positioning holes 47 and 47 of the head mounting portion 44 so as to guide the sub carriage. The head holding member 42 is mounted on the (9). In addition, contrary to the above, the positioning pin 64 may be provided in the head mounting portion 44, and the positioning hole 47 may be provided in the head holding member 42.
[136] In the state where the head holding member 42 is attached to the sub carriage 9, the surface (upper surface) of the head holding member 42 and the surface (upper surface) of the sub carriage 9 become one surface, and a functional liquid droplet is provided. The head body 51 of the discharge head 10 slightly projects downward from the attachment opening 61 of the sub carriage 9. In addition, the detector 63 of the head holding member 42 is in contact with the detector 48 of the sub carriage 9, and the type of the functional liquid discharge head 10 is detected.
[137] In addition, although not shown in figure, in the circumferential side part of the head holding | maintenance member 42, the locking projection is comprised so that a projection and protruding can be carried out at two places which become point symmetry, and the mobile loading robot 13 is a holding projection ( When the gripping 62 is released, the locking projection is locked to the edge of the shallow groove portion 45 so that the head holding member 42 is fixed to the head attaching portion 44 (prevents from falling out). That is, the head holding member (functional liquid drop) with respect to the sub carriage 9 is formed by the operation portion formed on the holding protrusion 62, the locking protrusion formed on the head holding member 42, and the locking groove formed on the head mounting portion 44. The lock unlock mechanism of the discharge head (42) is configured. In addition, it is the same structure also in the stock table 71 mentioned later.
[138] The 2nd discharge head 10b is a specification which discharges a comparatively high viscosity functional fluid from each discharge nozzle in large quantities. That is, the number of nozzles is extremely small, and the function liquid discharge amount per unit nozzle is considerably large. As shown in FIG. 4, the 2nd discharge head 10b has the head main body 51 which has one nozzle row (not shown) in the nozzle surface 51a, and the head board fixed to the upper side of the head main body 51. As shown in FIG. Has 52. The flat flexible cable 54 is connected to the head board 52 via the connector 53, and the silicon tube 55 is connected to the head main body 51. As shown in FIG.
[139] In this case as well, the second discharge head 10b is mounted on the head holding member 42 including the pair of positioning pins 64 and 64, the gripping protrusion 62 and the detector 63. In this state, the head mounting portion 44 of the sub carriage 9 is detachably attached.
[140] The third discharge head 10c has a specification of discharging a relatively high viscosity functional liquid from each discharge nozzle in a large amount. That is, the number of nozzles is relatively large, and the function liquid discharge amount per unit nozzle is medium. As shown in FIG. 5, the 3rd discharge head 10c has the head main body 51 which has one nozzle row (not shown) in the nozzle surface 51a, and the head board fixed to the upper side of the head main body 51. As shown in FIG. Has 52. The flat flexible cable 54 is connected to the head board 52 through the connector, and the silicon tube 55 is connected to the head main body 51.
[141] In this case as well, the third discharge head 10c is mounted on the head holding member 42 including the pair of positioning pins 64 and 64, the gripping protrusion 62 and the detector 63. In this state, the head mounting portion 44 of the sub carriage 9 is detachably attached. That is, the three head holding members 42, 42, and 42 are only different around the attachment opening 61 corresponding to the shape of each of the functional droplet discharge heads 10, 10a, 10b, and 10c. It has the same form.
[142] The distance measuring apparatus 15 measures the position of the surface of the board | substrate W, and the position of the surface of the adsorption table 26, and measures each said position with good precision using the reflection of a laser beam. This measurement result is output to said control means 16, and the thickness of the board | substrate W is calculated by the control means 16. FIG. And a work gap is calculated from the thickness of this board | substrate W, the positional data of the sub carriage (functional liquid droplet discharge head 10) 9, and the suction table 26, and based on this calculation result, Fine adjustment of the gap and height fine adjustment of the sub tank 142 described later are performed (details will be described later). That is, the gap measuring means is comprised by the distance measuring device (measurement means) 15 and the control means (calculation means) 16.
[143] As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the head stockers 12 are arranged so as to face the above left column 29, and form a head mounting portion 72 for setting the function droplet ejection head 10. Figs. It has the stock table 71, the head preservation mechanism 73 arrange | positioned under the stock table 71, and the horizontal movement mechanism 74 which moves the stock table 71 in the state of a horizontal attitude | position. In addition, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, although only one horizontal movement mechanism 74 is shown for convenience of description, in order to ensure the precision and stability of horizontal movement, the horizontal movement mechanism ( 74) may be installed to allow horizontal movement. Moreover, the head maintenance mechanism 73 is provided with the cap unit 75 which has the function of a flushing unit, and the function of a suction unit, and the wiping unit 76 which wipes the nozzle surface 51a.
[144] The stock table 71 has substantially the same form as the sub carriage 9 described above, and is provided with three head mounting portions 72 serving as stock portions extending laterally (left) as other portions, and each head mounting portion ( 72 consists of a shallow groove part 81 and the through opening 82, and has a pair of positioning holes 83 and 83 and a detector 84. As shown in FIG. The plate support portion 78 has a pair of guide holes 86 and 86 into which a pair of guide rods 92 and 92 of the horizontal movement mechanism 74 described later are inserted, and a lead screw (ball screw) of the horizontal movement mechanism 74. A screw hole 87 is formed to which the 93 is screwed.
[145] Moreover, the stock table 71 is arrange | positioned in the substantially same height as the said sub carriage 9, The nozzle surface 51a of the function liquid discharge head 10 attached to the stock table 71, and the sub The nozzle face 51a of the functional liquid droplet ejecting head 10 attached to the carriage 9 is set to the same height level. And the stock table 71 is located in the upper part of the cap unit 75 of the head preservation mechanism 73 at the home position of the back end of the support | pillar 29 side, and is horizontally moved. The mechanism 74 reciprocates in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) between the position facing this cap unit 75 and the position facing the wiping unit 76.
[146] The horizontal movement mechanism 74 includes a pair of guide rods 92 and 92 horizontally supported at both front and rear ends of the apparatus frame 91 and lead screws 93 arranged between the guide rods 92 and 92. And a stock motor 94 connected to one end of the lead screw 93. As described above, the plate support portion 78 of the stock table 71 is slidably inserted into the pair of guide rods 92 and 92, and the screw hole of the plate support portion 78 is inserted into the lead screw 93. 87) is screwed. When the stock motor 94 rotates forward and backward, the screw mechanism constituted by the lead screw 93 and the screw hole 87 guides the pair of guide rods 92 and 92 to move the stock table 71 horizontally. And reciprocates between the cap unit 75 and the wiping unit 76. Then, at the time of the movement of the stock table 71, the wiping of the function liquid droplet discharge head 10 mounted (stock) on the stock table 71 is performed. That is, the wiping mechanism is constituted by the wiping unit 76 and the horizontal moving mechanism 74.
[147] As shown in FIG. 7, the cap unit 75 includes a first head cap 101a, a second head cap 101b, and a head corresponding to three kinds of functional droplet discharge heads 10 (10a, 10b, 10c). 3rd head cap 101c, the cap base 102 which supports these head caps 101, the support frame 103 which slidably supports the cap base 102 in an up-down direction, and the cap base 102 The vertical movement mechanism 104 which vertically moves three types of head caps 101 through () is provided. Moreover, the cap unit 75 is equipped with the suction pump (suction means) 105 connected to each head cap 101 via the suction tube 106. As shown in FIG. In addition, since the head preservation mechanism may have one or two cases when three functional liquid droplet ejection heads are mounted at the same time, the cap, the oscillation mechanism of the cap, the suction pump (suction means), and the wiping unit It is good also as a structure provided with one to one each. Of course, the oscillation mechanism, the suction pump (suction means), and the wiping unit may be used as one.
[148] The head cap 101 fills the concave functional fluid pool 111 with the functional liquid absorbent 112, and has a sealing packing 113 at the edge of the functional liquid pool 111. The entire packing nozzle is sealed by bringing the sealing packing 113 into close contact with the nozzle face 51a of the droplet discharge head 10. And the suction tube 106 provided through the opening-closing valve (magnetic valve) 114 through this functional fluid pool 111 is connected. When the functional liquid suction of the functional droplet discharge head 10 is performed by the suction pump 105 via the head cap 101, only the necessary opening / closing valve 114 is opened.
[149] The cap base 102 is formed in the downward "U" shape and slides on both side frames 103a and 103a of the support frame 103 formed in the upward "U" shape from both side plate parts 102a and 102a. Possibly supported. On the other hand, the vertical motion mechanism 104 is the vertical motion motor 116 fixed to the center of the support frame 103, the lead screw 117 connected to the vertical motion motor 116, and the lead screw 117 is screwed at the same time It is comprised by the female screw bracket 118 fixed to the lower surface of the cap base 102. As shown in FIG. By the normal and reverse rotation of the up-and-down motor 116, the cap base 102 moves up and down through the lead screw 117 and the female screw bracket 118.
[150] In this case, the nozzle cap 51a of the functional droplet discharge head 10 is sealed by bringing the head cap 101 into close contact with the functional droplet discharge head 10 in the stock by the vertical motion mechanism 104. Drying of the functional liquid is prevented (capping). In addition, with respect to the functional droplet discharge head 10 just before replacement | extraction, the suction of the functional liquid is carried out by the suction pump 105, and the suction of all the discharge nozzles becomes possible. After the suction, the nozzle surface is cleaned (wiping) by the wiping unit. In addition, the head cap 101 is slightly separated from the nozzle surface 51a, and air discharge from all the discharge nozzles is performed, so-called flushing (air discharge or preliminary discharge) is possible. In other words, each head cap 101 of the embodiment also serves as an air discharge receiving receiving air discharge of the functional droplet discharge head 10. In addition, at the time of flushing, the head unit 101 is slightly lowered from the nozzle surface 51a in order to prevent scattering of the functional liquid as much as possible, but the cap unit 75 when moving the stock table 71 or the like. At the time of waiting, it is preferable that the head cap 101 is sufficiently lowered (having a lowering position in two stages).
[151] On the other hand, the wiping unit 76 is wiped by a wiping sheet such as a nonwoven fabric containing a solvent containing the functional liquid attached to the nozzle face 51a of the functional droplet discharge head 10 by the functional liquid suction described above. It is. As shown in FIG. 6, the wiping unit 76 includes a feeding reel 122 wound around the wiping sheet 121, a winding reel 123 to wind the wiping sheet, and a wipe. Wiping roller 124 for pressing the ping sheet 121 against the function droplet discharge head 10 and the first intermediate roller 125 arranged between the feeding reel 122 and the wiping roller 124. And a second intermediate roller 126 arranged between the wiping roller 124 and the winding reel 123. 6, a motor, a support frame, etc. which become a drive source are abbreviate | omitted.
[152] When the wiping sheet 121 starts to run in the unfolded state by the drive rotation of the take-up reel 123 and the braking rotation of the feeding reel 122, in synchronization with this, the horizontal moving mechanism 74 causes the function liquid drop. The stock table 71 on which the discharge head 10 is mounted is moved. Thereby, the nozzle surface 51a of the functional liquid droplet discharge head 10 comes into contact with the wiping sheet 121 traveling toward the rear end side from the front end side in the moving direction, so that the wiping of the functional liquid is performed. Is executed. In addition, although not shown in figure, the mechanism which raises the whole wiping unit 76 or the wiping roller 124 a little is provided, and at the time of double acting of the function droplet discharge head 10, the wiping sheet ( 121 is not in contact with the functional droplet discharge head 10.
[153] In this way, the head preservation mechanism 73 preserves the entire discharge nozzles of the functional droplet discharge head 10 in the stock so as to function properly before use. In the head maintenance mechanism 73, the cleaning mechanism of the wiping unit 76 or the cap unit 75 may be omitted (the suction pump 105 may be omitted). In addition, it is also possible to install a dedicated air discharge receiving unit separately from the cap 55.
[154] The mobile stacking robot 13 is a robot body 131 mounted on the base 2, a robot arm 132 installed on the upper part of the robot body 131, and a robot attached to the tip of the robot arm 132. The hand 133 is comprised. A chuck mechanism 134 is formed at the distal end of the robot hand 133 so as to hold the gripping protrusion 62 of the head holding member 42 therebetween (see FIG. 7). The gripping operation by 133 and the movement operation by the robot arm 132 are controlled by the control means 16 described above.
[155] In the standard head exchange operation by the mobile stacking robot 13, first, the functional liquid drop ejection head 10 on the sub carriage 9 to be replaced is gripped, and this is the empty head of the stock table 71. It loads and moves to the apparatus part 72. Subsequently, the functional liquid droplet discharge head 10 on the stock table 71 to be replaced is gripped, and this is transferred to the empty head device portion 44 of the sub carriage 9. In addition, in this embodiment, three (three types) of the functional droplet discharge heads 10 are mounted on the sub carriage 9 and one on the stock table 71. The total number of the parts (10) and the mounting number of the sub carriage 9 and the stock table 71 are not limited to the embodiment, and can be appropriately changed as necessary.
[156] As shown in FIG. 8, the functional liquid supply mechanism 14 includes three sets of tank units 141, 141, and 141 each having a sub tank 142 which is a functional liquid tank, and each sub tank 142. ), And three types of main tanks 151 connected to each other), and a pressure liquid feeding device 152 for feeding the functional liquid from the main tanks 151 to the corresponding sub tanks 142, respectively. That is, the functional liquid supply means for supplying the functional liquid to the sub tank 142 is configured by the main tank 151 and the pressure liquid feeding device 152. The functional liquid pumped from each main tank by the pressure feeding device 152 is stored in the sub tank 142.
[157] Each tank unit 141 includes a sub tank 142, a tank holder 143 for supporting the sub tank 142 to be liftable, and a lifting mechanism for lifting the sub tank 142 up and down (water head adjusting means). 144. The elevating mechanism 144 includes a pair of elevating guides 146 and 146 for supporting the tank holder 143 having a “co” shaped cross section so that the lower plate portion 143a can elevate and a pair of elevating guides 146 and 146. ), The lower plate portion of the tank holder 143 is connected to the lifting guide motor (actuator) 148 fixed to the lower surface of the support guide member 147, and the lifting motor 148. It consists of a lead screw 149 screwed to 143a).
[158] The sub tank 142 moves up and down through the tank holder 143 by the forward and reverse rotation of the lifting motor 148. That is, the sub tank 142 moves up and down by the elevating mechanism 144, so that the head H between the sub tank 142 and the functional droplet discharge head 10 can be finely adjusted (details will be described later). ). In addition, the pressure supply device 152 is also controlled by the control means 16 described above. That is, the liquid level (water level) sensor 150 is provided in each sub tank 142, and the liquid supply of the pressure supply apparatus 152 is controlled so that the liquid level of the sub tank 142 may become constant.
[159] In addition, when the consumption amount of the functional liquid is small, the main tank 151 can be omitted. In this case, the elevating mechanism 144 is controlled so that the liquid level of the sub tank 142 becomes constant based on the detection result of the liquid level sensor 150, and based on the measurement result of the distance measuring device 15. The head H is controlled to be a predetermined value.
[160] On the other hand, each sub tank 142 and each head unit (each function droplet discharge head 10) 7 are connected by the silicon tube 55 mentioned above, and the said moving mechanism 3 and moving stacking are mentioned. The intermediate part is suspended from the upper side so that it can follow the head unit 7 moving by the robot 13 (not shown). Similarly, each head driver 188 and each head unit 7 described later are always connected by the above-mentioned flat flexible cable 54. That is, in the functional droplet discharge head 10 of this embodiment, the silicon tube 55 and the flat flexible cable 54 are not interrupted at the time of its replacement (moving stacking). Moreover, it can also be set as the structure interrupted using a one-touch pipe joint and a connector.
[161] The control means 16 is equipped with the control part 181 which controls the various operation | movement of the droplet discharge apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. The control unit 181 includes a CPU 182, a ROM 183, a RAM 184, and an interface 185 that perform various controls, which are connected to each other via a bus 186. The ROM 183 has an area for storing control programs and control data processed by the CPU 182. The RAM 184 is used as various work areas for control processing. The interface 185 is configured with logic circuits for supplementing the functions of the CPU 182 and for handling interface signals with peripheral circuits.
[162] The interface 185 includes the above-described moving mechanism 3, the function droplet ejection head (head driver 188) 10, the Z-axis moving mechanism 32, the moving stacking robot 13, the head stocker 12, and the like. The functional liquid supply mechanism 14 is connected. In addition, as the detection unit 187, the interface 185 is connected to the detector 48 of the distance measuring device 15, the sub carriage 9, and each detector 84 of the stock table 71. The CPU 182 inputs various detection signals, various commands, and various data through the interface 185 according to the control program in the ROM 183, and controls various data (discharge pattern data) and the like in the RAM 184. In addition, various control signals are output through the interface 185.
[163] That is, the CPU 182 controls the ejection drive of the plural kinds of the function droplet ejecting heads 10 through the head driver 188, and at the same time, the X-axis table 4 of the moving mechanism 3 via the various drivers. And the movement operation of the Y-axis table 5. In addition, the CPU 182 controls the mobile stacking robot 13 in accordance with the replacement of the functional droplet discharge head 10, and at the same time, the cap unit 75, the wiping unit 76, and the like of the head preservation mechanism 73. To control. In addition, the CPU 182 functions the work gap via the Z-axis moving mechanism 32 and the sub tank 142 of the functional liquid supply mechanism 14 based on the measurement result of the distance measuring device 15. The head H between the droplet ejection heads 10 is finely adjusted.
[164] In the basic operation of the droplet ejection apparatus 1 based on the ejection pattern data, the functional droplet ejection head (reversely scanning) the functional droplet ejection head 10 in the X-axis direction by the X-axis table 4 ( 10), the functional liquid droplets are selectively discharged, and the Y-axis table 5 is moved to the Y-axis direction of the substrate W to perform sub-scanning. In addition, when the functional liquid droplet ejection head 10 is replaced, the head unit 7 is moved to the home position in advance, and the functional liquid droplet ejection on the sub carriage 9 is first performed by the mobile loading robot 13. The head 10 is moved and loaded on the stock table 71, and then the function liquid discharge head 10 on the stock table 71 is moved and loaded on the sub carriage 9.
[165] On the other hand, the functional droplet discharge head 10 mounted in the sub carriage 9 is recognized by the detector 48 provided in the head mounting portion 44, and the nozzle position is recognized simultaneously with the mounting and the head type. The recognition result is added to the discharge pattern data. Similarly, also in the stock table 71, the attachment of the stock liquid droplet discharge head 10, the head type, etc. are recognized by the detector 84 provided in the head mounting part 72, and flushing and the like are recognized based on this. Functional liquid suction and the like are controlled. In addition, the detection means which consists of the detector 63 and the detectors 48 and 84 may use a mechanical switch or a sensor, and may comprise the IC chip in the detector 63 side.
[166] In addition, the droplet ejection head 10 stocked in the head stocker 12 is subjected to liquid droplet ejection in order to suppress an increase in the viscosity of the functional liquid at the ejection nozzle in addition to the capping maintenance operation. Apply a drive waveform that does not accompany it. As shown in Figs. 10A and 10B, in the present embodiment, as a drive pulse, the discharge waveform (Fig. 10 (a)) accompanied by the droplet ejection is not used, and the droplet does not accompany the droplet ejection. A vibration waveform (Fig. 10 (b)) is prepared, and a microscopic vibration waveform is appropriately applied to the functional liquid droplet ejecting head 10 on the head stocker 12. In this case, the discharge waveform is applied to the piezoelectric element of the functional droplet discharge head 10 to the piezoelectric element of the h1 high maximum potential and h2 low minimum potential with respect to the intermediate voltage Vm. A waveform consisting of only a high maximum potential h1 is applied to the intermediate voltage Vm.
[167] In addition, the microscopic vibration waveform P2 can be applied to the discharge nozzle which does not perform main discharge of the function droplet discharge head 10 mounted in the sub carriage 9 at the discharge timing of main discharge. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the main discharge is not performed in the discharge timing (drive pulse), the micro vibration waveform P2 is applied, and the discharge waveform P1 and the micro vibration waveform P2 are mixed in the drive pulse P. FIG. To do that.
[168] In addition, since it is necessary to preserve the discharge nozzle of the functional droplet discharge head 10 in the stock, which includes preventing the viscosity increase, as described above, the functional droplet discharge head moved and stacked on the head stocker 12 as described above. In addition to capping using the head holding mechanism 73 and the horizontal moving mechanism 74, suction, flushing, and wiping are appropriately performed at 10.
[169] On the other hand, at the time of replacing the substrate W, the surface position of the substrate W and the surface position of the suction table 26 are measured by the distance measuring device 15, and the control unit 181 is based on this measurement data. As a result, the thickness of the substrate W is calculated, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 32 is driven so that the work gap has an appropriate dimension. That is, at the time of the exchange of the substrate W, the Z-axis moving mechanism 32 is driven to maintain a predetermined work gap, and the function liquid discharge head 10 is minutely moved upward and downward through the head unit 7. Move it. In addition, in this case, it can also be set as the structure which makes the suction table 26 side move minutely.
[170] By the way, by adjusting the work gap, when the functional droplet discharge head 10 moves, the head H from the sub tank 142 to the functional droplet discharge head 10 changes. Thus, the head H (25 mm ± 0.5 mm) between the sub tank 142 and the function droplet ejection head 10 is increased by the function drop ejection head 10 moving up and down in the gap adjustment. The sub tank 142 is moved finely in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism 144 of the tank unit 141 so as to be properly maintained.
[171] In this way, since the work gap is appropriately maintained, abnormalities in the impact position of the functional liquid droplets and variations in the impact diameter can be effectively prevented. In addition, since the head H between the sub tank 142 and the functional droplet discharge head 10 is properly maintained at the same time, a variation (deviation from the design value) is caused in the amount of the functional droplet at each discharge nozzle. It does not occur Thus, selective discharge of the functional liquid droplets onto the substrate W can be performed with a fairly good accuracy.
[172] By the way, in the liquid droplet ejection apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the functional liquid ejection heads 10 (10a, 10b, 10c) of three kinds (multiple kinds) of different specifications are detachably mounted, and a functional liquid, There are cases where the three different (plural) functional liquid droplet ejection heads 10 are detachably mounted. In addition, there may be an intermediate case of both. The use of the plurality of functional liquid droplet ejection heads 10 depends on the discharge object to be discharged of the functional liquid and the functional liquid used for this.
[173] Therefore, hereinafter, examples of the discharge object include a color filter, a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL device, a PDP device, an electron emission device (FED device, SED device), and the like, and the liquid discharge device (function) according to the present embodiment. These manufacturing methods using the droplet ejection heads 10) 1 will be described.
[174] First, the manufacturing method of the color filter comprised in a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescent apparatus, etc. is demonstrated. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process of the color filter, and FIGS. 13A to 13E are schematic cross-sectional views of the color filter 500 (filter base 500A) of the present embodiment shown in the order of the manufacturing process. to be.
[175] First, in the black matrix forming step S1, as shown in FIG. 13A, the black matrix 502 is formed on the substrate W 501. The black matrix 502 is formed of a metal chromium, a laminate of metal chromium and chromium oxide, a resin black, or the like. To form the black matrix 502 made of a metal thin film, a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, or the like can be used. In addition, when forming the black matrix 502 which consists of resin thin films, the gravure printing method, the photoresist method, the thermal transfer method, etc. can be used.
[176] Subsequently, in the bank forming step S2, the bank 503 is formed in a state of being superimposed on the black matrix 502. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 13B, a resist layer 504 made of a negative transparent photosensitive resin is formed to cover the substrate 501 and the black matrix 502. And the exposure process is performed in the state which covered the upper surface with the mask film 505 formed in matrix pattern shape.
[177] As shown in FIG. 13C, the resist layer 504 is patterned by etching the unexposed portion of the resist layer 504 to form a bank 503. In addition, when forming a black matrix by resin black, it becomes possible to use a black matrix and a bank.
[178] The bank 503 and the black matrix 502 below it become partition wall portions 507b for partitioning each pixel region 507a, and are colored by the functional droplet ejection head 10 in a later colored layer forming step. When forming the layers (film forming portions) 508R, 508G, and 508B, the impact areas of the functional droplets are defined.
[179] The filter base 500A can be obtained by passing through the black matrix forming step and the bank forming step.
[180] In addition, in this embodiment, as the material of the bank 503, a resin material is used in which the surface of the coating film becomes small liquid (hydrophobic). In addition, since the surface of the substrate (glass substrate) 501 is hydrophilic (hydrophilic), liquid droplets are formed in each pixel region 507a surrounded by the bank 503 (compartment wall portion 507b) in the colored layer forming step described later. The accuracy of impact position is improved.
[181] Next, in the colored layer forming step (S3), as shown in FIG. 13D, each pixel region surrounded by the partition wall portion 507b by discharging the functional liquid droplets by the functional liquid droplet discharge head 10 ( 507a). In this colored layer formation process, three functional liquid droplet ejection heads 10 of the same specification are mounted in the liquid droplet ejection apparatus 1, and R and G are respectively provided in these three functional droplet ejection heads 10. FIG. B functional fluid (filter material) of three colors is introduced to discharge functional droplets.
[182] In this case, it is preferable to use the droplet having the nozzle pitch that matches the pitch of each pixel region 507a, that is, the pixel pitch. Further, drawing (liquid drop ejection) may be performed on the whole of the substrate 501 in the order of R, G, and B, and drawing (liquid drop ejection) is performed in order of R, G, and B for each main scan. It can also be done. Examples of the R, G, and B three-color array patterns include a stripe array, a mosaic array, a delta array, and the like.
[183] Thereafter, the functional liquid is fixed through a drying treatment (treatment such as heating) to form three colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B. When the colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B are formed, the process proceeds to the protective film forming step (S4), and as shown in FIG. 13E, the substrate 501, the partition wall portion 507b, and the colored layer 508R. 508G and 508B to form a protective film 509 to cover the top surface.
[184] That is, the protective film coating liquid is discharged to the whole surface in which the colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B of the board | substrate 501 are formed, and the protective film 509 is formed through a drying process.
[185] After the protective film 509 is formed, the color filter 500 can be obtained by cutting the substrate 501 for each effective pixel region.
[186] 14 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a schematic structure of a passive matrix liquid crystal device (liquid crystal device) as an example of a liquid crystal display device using the color filter 500 described above. By attaching ancillary elements, such as a liquid crystal drive IC, a backlight, a support body, to this liquid crystal device 520, the transmissive liquid crystal display device as a final product can be obtained. In addition, since the color filter 500 is the same as that shown in FIG. 13, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the corresponding site | part, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
[187] The liquid crystal device 520 is roughly constituted by a liquid crystal layer 522 composed of a color filter 500, an opposing substrate 521 made of a glass substrate, and the like, and a STN (Super Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal composition interposed therebetween. The color filter 500 is disposed above the figure (observer side) in the drawing.
[188] Although not shown, polarizers are arranged on the outer surfaces of the opposing substrate 521 and the color filter 500 (opposite side of the liquid crystal layer 522 side), and are positioned on the opposing substrate 521 side. The backlight is arrange | positioned at the outer side of a polarizing plate.
[189] On the protective film 509 of the color filter 500 (the liquid crystal layer side), a plurality of rectangular first electrodes 523 long in the left and right directions in FIG. 14 are formed at predetermined intervals, and the first electrodes 523 are formed. The first alignment layer 524 is formed to cover the surface on the side opposite to the color filter 500 side of the < RTI ID = 0.0 >
[190] On the other hand, on the surface of the opposing substrate 521 that faces the color filter 500, a rectangular second electrode 526 that is elongated in a direction orthogonal to the first electrode 523 of the color filter 500 is predetermined. A plurality of gaps are formed at intervals, and the second alignment layer 527 is formed to cover the surface of the second electrode 526 on the liquid crystal layer 522 side. These first and second electrodes 523 and 526 are formed of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO).
[191] The spacer 528 provided in the liquid crystal layer 522 is a member for keeping the thickness (cell gap) of the liquid crystal layer 522 constant. In addition, the sealing material 529 is a member for preventing the liquid crystal composition in the liquid crystal layer 522 from leaking to the outside. One end of the first electrode 523 extends to the outside of the sealing member 529 as the lead wiring 523a.
[192] The portion where the first electrode 523 and the second electrode 526 intersect is a pixel, and the colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B of the color filter 500 are positioned at the portion that becomes the pixel. .
[193] In a typical manufacturing process, the color filter 500 is patterned with the first electrode 523 and the first alignment film 524 is applied to produce a portion on the color filter 500 side, and the substrate 521 is separately provided. ), The second electrode 526 is patterned, and the second alignment film 527 is applied to produce a portion on the side of the opposing substrate 521. Then, the spacer 528 and the sealing material 529 are made in the part of the opposing board | substrate 521 side, and the part of the color filter 500 side is joined in this state. Next, the liquid crystal which comprises the liquid crystal layer 522 is injected from the injection hole of the sealing material 529, and the injection hole is closed. Thereafter, both polarizing plates and the backlight are laminated.
[194] The droplet ejection apparatus 1 of the embodiment applies, for example, the spacer material (functional liquid) constituting the cell gap, and is the portion of the color filter 500 side to the portion of the opposing substrate 521 side. Before bonding, the liquid crystal (functional liquid) is uniformly applied to the region surrounded by the sealing material 529. Specifically, the application of the spacer material uses, for example, a second discharge head 10b having a small number of nozzles and a large amount of functional droplet discharge per ejection unit nozzle, and the functional liquid (spacer material is used for this). UV curable resin is introduced. In addition, although application | coating of a liquid crystal depends also on the type of liquid crystal, if it is low viscosity, the 1st discharge head 10a (3rd discharge head 10c if high viscosity) is used.
[195] In this case, the second discharge head 10b is attached to the sub carriage 9 beforehand, and the first discharge head 10a is attached to the head stocker 12. First, the portion on the opposing substrate 521 side on which the sealing material 529 is printed in a ring shape is set on the suction table, and the spacer material is formed by the first discharge head 10a on the portion on the opposing substrate 521 side. Discharged at intervals, and irradiated with ultraviolet light to solidify the spacer material. In addition, during this ultraviolet irradiation, the second discharge head 10b is mounted on the head stocker 12 and the first discharge head 10a is mounted on the sub carriage 9. Next, only a predetermined amount of liquid crystal is uniformly discharged by the first discharge head 10a to the inside of the sealing member 529 on the side of the opposing substrate 521. Then, the part of the color filter 500 side prepared separately and the part of the opposing board | substrate 521 side which apply | coated predetermined amount of liquid crystal were introduce | transduced in vacuum, and are bonded together.
[196] As described above, the liquid crystal (liquid crystal layer 522) is a cell because the liquid crystal is uniformly applied (charged) in the cell before the portion on the color filter 500 side and the portion on the opposing substrate 521 side are bonded. The shortcomings such as not being spread evenly in the corners of the corners and the like can be eliminated.
[197] It is also possible to print the sealing material 529 by the functional droplet discharge head 10. In this case, the 3rd discharge head 10c of the comparatively high viscosity specification which prints (applies) the sealing material 529 is used, and UV cure resin or thermosetting resin is used for this as a functional liquid (sealing material). Introduce. In this case, the 3rd discharge head 10c is also mounted in the sub carriage 9 together with the said 2nd discharge head 10b. If possible, the second discharge head 10b and the third discharge head 10c are driven in parallel, and the discharge of the sealing material 529 and the discharge of the spacer material are performed in parallel.
[198] It is also possible to apply the first and second alignment films 524 and 527 by the functional droplet discharge head 10. In this case, the fourth discharge head 10d to which the alignment films 524 and 527 are applied has a large number of nozzles and a low viscosity specification (for example, the first discharge head 10a). Polyimide resin is introduced as a functional liquid (alignment film material). First, the fourth discharge head 10d is introduced into the sub carriage 9, and following the process, the other functional droplet discharge heads 10a, 10b, and 10c are sequentially replaced.
[199] As described above, in the droplet ejection apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the plurality of kinds of the functional liquid ejection heads 10 for ejecting the plural kinds of the functional liquids can be interchanged between the sub carriage 9 and the head stocker 12. Since it is mounted, a plurality of kinds of functional liquids can be freely discharged depending on the form of the substrate processing. For this reason, the board | substrate process can be performed efficiently by manufacture of the liquid crystal device 520, etc.
[200] FIG. 15 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a schematic structure of a second example of a liquid crystal device using the color filter 500 manufactured in the present embodiment.
[201] The point that the liquid crystal device 530 differs greatly from the liquid crystal device 520 is that the color filter 500 is disposed on the lower side (the opposite side to the observer side) in the drawing.
[202] The liquid crystal device 530 is roughly configured by inserting a liquid crystal layer 532 made of STN liquid crystal between a color filter 500 and a counter substrate 531 made of a glass substrate or the like. Although not illustrated, polarizers and the like are arranged on the outer surfaces of the counter substrate 531 and the color filter 500, respectively.
[203] On the protective film 509 (liquid crystal layer 532 side) of the color filter 500, the 1st electrode 533 of a rectangular shape elongate inward in the figure is formed in predetermined intervals, and this 1st electrode The first alignment layer 534 is formed to cover the surface of the liquid crystal layer 532 side of 533.
[204] On the surface facing the color filter 500 of the opposing substrate 531, a plurality of rectangular second electrodes 536 extending in a direction orthogonal to the first electrode 533 on the color filter 500 side are predetermined. The second alignment film 537 is formed so as to cover the surface on the liquid crystal layer 532 side of the second electrode 536.
[205] The liquid crystal layer 532 is provided with a spacer 538 for keeping the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 532 constant, and a sealing material 539 for preventing leakage of the liquid crystal composition in the liquid crystal layer 532 to the outside. have.
[206] Similarly to the liquid crystal device 520 described above, the portion where the first electrode 533 and the second electrode 536 intersect is a pixel, and the colored layer 508R of the color filter 500 is formed at a portion of the pixel. , 508G, 508B).
[207] Fig. 16 shows a third example in which a liquid crystal device is constructed using the color filter 500 to which the present invention is applied, and is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a transmissive thin film transistor (TFT) type liquid crystal device.
[208] This liquid crystal device 550 arranges the color filter 500 on the upper side (observer side) in the figure.
[209] The liquid crystal device 550 includes a color filter 500, an opposing substrate 551 disposed to face the color filter, a liquid crystal layer (not shown) interposed therebetween, and an upper surface side of the color filter 500 (observer). The polarizing plate 555 arrange | positioned at the side) and the polarizing plate (not shown) arrange | positioned at the lower surface side of the opposing board | substrate 551 are outlined.
[210] The liquid crystal drive electrode 556 is formed on the surface of the protective film 509 (the surface on the opposite substrate 551 side) of the color filter 500. This electrode 556 is made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO, and is a front electrode covering the entire region where the pixel electrode 560 to be described later is formed. In addition, the alignment film 557 is provided in a state where the surface of the electrode 556 opposite to the pixel electrode 560 is covered.
[211] An insulating layer 558 is formed on a surface of the opposing substrate 551 facing the color filter 500, and the scanning line 561 and the signal line 562 are formed orthogonal to each other on the insulating layer 558. have. The pixel electrode 560 is formed in an area surrounded by the scan line 561 and the signal line 562. In the actual liquid crystal device, the alignment film is provided on the pixel electrode 560, but the illustration is omitted.
[212] In addition, a thin film transistor 563 including a source electrode, a drain electrode, a semiconductor, and a gate electrode is integrated in a portion surrounded by the notch, the scan line 561, and the signal line 562 of the pixel electrode 560. Consists of The thin film transistor 563 is turned on / off by application of a signal to the scan line 561 and the signal line 562 so that the energization control to the pixel electrode 560 can be performed.
[213] The liquid crystal devices 520, 530, and 550 in each of the above examples have a transmissive structure, but a reflective layer or a semi-transmissive reflective layer may be provided to form a reflective liquid crystal device or a transflective liquid crystal device.
[214] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 17 is a sectional view showing the principal parts of a display area (hereinafter simply referred to as display device 600) of an organic EL device which is a kind of display in the present invention.
[215] The display device 600 is schematically configured in a state in which a circuit element portion 602, a light emitting element portion 603, and a cathode 604 are stacked on a substrate (W) 601.
[216] In the display device 600, light emitted from the light emitting element portion 603 toward the substrate 601 is transmitted through the circuit element portion 602 and the substrate 601 to the observer side, and at the same time, the light emitting element portion 603 is provided. After the light emitted from the back side of the substrate 601 is reflected by the cathode 604, the light is transmitted through the circuit element portion 602 and the substrate 601 to be emitted to the observer side.
[217] An underlayer protective film 606 made of a silicon oxide film is formed between the circuit element portion 602 and the substrate 601. An island shape made of polycrystalline silicon is formed on the undercoat 606 (the light emitting element portion 603 side). The semiconductor film 607 is formed. In the left and right regions of the semiconductor film 607, the source region 607a and the drain region 607b are formed by high concentration cation implantation, respectively. The center portion where no cation is injected is the channel region 607c.
[218] In addition, a transparent gate insulating film 608 is formed in the circuit element portion 602 to cover the underlying protective film 606 and the semiconductor film 607, and the channel region 607c of the semiconductor film 607 over the gate insulating film 608 is formed. ), A gate electrode 609 composed of, for example, Al, Mo, Ta, Ti, W, or the like is formed. A transparent first interlayer insulating film 611a and a second interlayer insulating film 611b are formed on the gate electrode 609 and the gate insulating film 608. In addition, contact holes 612a and 612b which penetrate the first and second interlayer insulating films 611a and 611b and communicate with the source region 607a and the drain region 607b of the semiconductor film 607, respectively. Formed.
[219] On the second interlayer insulating film 611b, a transparent pixel electrode 613 made of ITO or the like is patterned and formed into a predetermined shape, and the pixel electrode 613 is formed in the source region 607a through the contact hole 612a. Connected.
[220] In addition, a power supply line 614 is arranged on the first interlayer insulating film 611a, and the previous source line 614 is connected to the drain region 607b through the contact hole 612b.
[221] Thus, the thin film transistors 615 for driving connected to each pixel electrode 613 are formed in the circuit element part 602, respectively.
[222] The light emitting element unit 603 is provided between the functional layers 617 stacked on each of the plurality of pixel electrodes 613, and between the pixel electrodes 613 and the functional layers 617, respectively. The bank part 618 which divides into an outline is comprised.
[223] The light emitting element is comprised by these pixel electrode 613, the functional layer 617, and the cathode 604 arrange | positioned on the functional layer 617. In addition, the pixel electrode 613 is patterned and formed in substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the bank part 618 is formed between each pixel electrode 613.
[224] The bank portion 618 is stacked on the inorganic bank layer 618a (first bank layer) formed of, for example, an inorganic material such as SiO, SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , and the like. And an organic bank layer 618b (second bank layer) having a cross-sectional trapezoid shape formed of a resist having excellent heat resistance and solvent resistance, such as an acrylic resin and a polyimide resin. A portion of the bank portion 618 is formed on the edge of the pixel electrode 613.
[225] An opening 619 that is gradually enlarged and opened upward with respect to the pixel electrode 613 is formed between each bank portion 618.
[226] The functional layer 617 is formed of a hole injection / transport layer 617a formed in a stacked state on the pixel electrode 613 in the opening 619 and a light emitting layer 617b formed on the hole injection / transport layer 617a. have. In addition, another functional layer having a function other than that of the light emitting layer 617b may be further formed. For example, an electron transport layer can also be formed.
[227] The hole injection / transport layer 617a has a function of transporting holes from the pixel electrode 613 side and injecting the holes into the light emitting layer 617b. This hole injection / transport layer 617a is formed by discharging the first composition (functional liquid) containing the hole injection / transport layer forming material. As a hole injection / transport layer formation material, the mixture of polythiophene derivatives, such as polyethylenedioxythiophene, and polystyrene sulfonic acid, is used, for example.
[228] The light emitting layer 617b emits light in any one of red (R), green (G), or blue (B), and is formed by discharging a second composition (functional liquid) containing a light emitting layer forming material (light emitting material).
[229] Moreover, as a solvent (nonpolar solvent) of a 2nd composition, it is preferable that it does not melt | dissolve with respect to the hole injection / transport layer 617a, For example, cyclohexyl benzene, dihydrobenzofuran, trimethylbenzene, tetramethylbenzene, etc. Can be used. By using such a nonpolar solvent for the second composition of the light emitting layer 617b, the light emitting layer 617b can be formed without re-dissolving the hole injection / transport layer 617a.
[230] In the light emitting layer 617b, holes injected from the hole injection / transport layer 617a and electrons injected from the cathode 604 are configured to emit light by recombination in the light emitting layer.
[231] The cathode 604 is formed to cover the entire surface of the light emitting element unit 603 and forms a pair with the pixel electrode 613 to flow a current through the functional layer 617. In addition, a sealing member (not shown) is disposed above the cathode 604.
[232] Next, a manufacturing process of the display device 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 26.
[233] As shown in FIG. 18, the display device 600 includes a bank portion forming step (S21), a surface treatment step (S22), a hole injection / transport layer forming step (S23), a light emitting layer forming step (S24), and an opposite electrode. It is manufactured through the formation process (S25). In addition, a manufacturing process is not limited to what is illustrated and may be added also when the other process is excluded as needed.
[234] First, in the bank portion forming step (S21), as shown in FIG. 19, the inorganic bank layer 618a is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 611b. The inorganic bank layer 618a is formed by forming an inorganic film at the formation position, and then patterning the inorganic film by photolithography or the like. In this case, a portion of the inorganic bank layer 618a is formed to overlap the edge of the pixel electrode 613.
[235] When the inorganic bank layer 618a is formed, an organic bank layer 618b is formed on the inorganic bank layer 618a, as shown in FIG. The organic bank layer 618b is also formed by patterning the same as the inorganic bank layer 618a by a photolithography technique or the like.
[236] In this way, the bank portion 618 is formed. In addition, an opening 619 which is opened upward with respect to the pixel electrode 613 is formed between the bank portions 618. This opening portion 619 defines the pixel region.
[237] In the surface treatment step (S22), a lyophilic treatment and a liquid-repellent treatment are performed. The regions to be subjected to the lyophilic treatment are the first stacked portion 618aa of the inorganic bank layer 618a and the electrode surface 613a of the pixel electrode 613, and these regions are, for example, plasma using oxygen as the processing gas. The surface treatment is lyophilic by the treatment. This plasma process also serves to clean ITO, which is the pixel electrode 613.
[238] Further, the liquid repelling treatment is performed on the wall surface 618s of the organic bank layer 618b and the upper surface 618t of the organic bank layer 618b, for example, by a plasma treatment using methane tetrafluoride as the processing gas. The surface is fluorinated (treated as liquid repellent).
[239] By performing this surface treatment process, when forming the functional layer 617 using the functional liquid droplet discharge head 10, a functional liquid droplet can be made to reach a pixel area more reliably, and it also reaches a pixel area. The function liquid droplets can be prevented from overflowing from the opening 619.
[240] By passing through the above steps, the display device base 600A can be obtained. This display device base 600A is mounted on the set table 25 of the droplet ejection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the following hole injection / transport layer forming step S23 and light emitting layer forming step S24 are performed. .
[241] As shown in FIG. 21, in the hole injection / transport layer forming step (S23), the first composition containing the hole injection / transport layer forming material is discharged from the functional droplet discharge head 10 into each opening 619 which is a pixel region. do. After that, as shown in FIG. 22, drying and heat treatment are performed to evaporate the polar solvent contained in the first composition, and the hole injection / transport layer 617a is disposed on the pixel electrode (electrode surface 613a) 613. Form.
[242] Next, the light emitting layer formation process (S24) is demonstrated. In the light emitting layer forming step, as described above, in order to prevent re-dissolution of the hole injection / transport layer 617a, it is not dissolved in the hole injection / transport layer 617a as a solvent of the second composition used at the time of forming the light emitting layer. Non-polar solvents are used.
[243] However, on the other hand, since the hole injection / transport layer 617a has low affinity for the nonpolar solvent, even when the second composition containing the nonpolar solvent is discharged onto the hole injection / transport layer 617a, the hole injection / transport layer 617a ) And the light emitting layer 617b may not be brought into close contact or the light emitting layer 617b may not be uniformly applied.
[244] Therefore, in order to enhance the affinity of the surface of the hole injection / transport layer 617a for the nonpolar solvent and the light emitting layer forming material, it is preferable to perform a surface treatment (surface modification treatment) before the light emitting layer is formed. This surface treatment is performed by apply | coating on the hole injection / transport layer 617a the surface modifier which is the same solvent or a solvent similar to the nonpolar solvent of the 2nd composition used at the time of forming a light emitting layer, and dries this.
[245] By performing such a treatment, the surface of the hole injection / transport layer 617a becomes easy to affinity with the nonpolar solvent, and in the subsequent step, the second composition containing the light emitting layer forming material is uniformly applied to the hole injection / transport layer 617a. can do.
[246] Next, as shown in FIG. 23, the pixel composition (opening part 619) uses the 2nd composition containing the light emitting layer formation material corresponding to any one of each color (blue (B) in the example of FIG. 23) as a functional liquid droplet. A predetermined amount is injected into the inside). The second composition injected into the pixel region is diffused over the hole injection / transport layer 617a and filled in the opening 619. In addition, even when the second composition has landed on the top surface 618t of the bank portion 618 out of the pixel region, the top surface 618t is subjected to the liquid repellent treatment as described above, so that the second composition has an opening ( 619) easy to roll into.
[247] In this light emitting layer forming step, the above-mentioned liquid droplet ejecting apparatus 1 is equipped with three functional liquid droplet ejecting heads 10 of the same specification, and the three functional liquid ejecting heads 10 are each R, G, and the like. A functional liquid (second composition) of B three colors is introduced to discharge the functional liquid droplets. In this case, it is preferable to use the functional droplet discharge head 10 having a pitch of each opening 619, that is, a nozzle pitch that matches the pixel pitch. In addition, drawing (liquid drop ejection) may be performed in the order of R, G, and B over the entire region of the substrate 601, and drawing (liquid drop ejection) is performed in order of R, G, and B for each main scan. You may. Examples of the R, G, and B three-color array patterns include a stripe array, a mosaic array, a delta array, and the like.
[248] As shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, when the light emitting layer 617b corresponding to blue (B), red (R), and green (G) is formed, a drying process etc. are then performed. Thereby, the 2nd composition after discharge is dried, the nonpolar solvent contained in a 2nd composition is evaporated, and the light emitting layer 617b is formed on the hole injection / transport layer 617a. The order of forming the light emitting layer 617b is not limited to the illustrated order, and may be formed in any order. For example, the order of forming may be determined according to the light emitting layer forming material.
[249] As described above, the functional layer 617, that is, the hole injection / transport layer 617a and the light emitting layer 617b is formed on the pixel electrode 613. Then, the process proceeds to the counter electrode forming step (S25).
[250] In the counter electrode formation step (S25), as shown in FIG. 26, the cathode 604 (counter electrode) is formed on the entire surface of the light emitting layer 617b and the organic bank layer 618b, for example, by a vapor deposition method, sputtering method, or CVD. It is formed by the law. In this embodiment, the cathode 604 is formed by laminating a calcium layer and an aluminum layer, for example.
[251] On top of this cathode 604, an Al film, an Ag film as an electrode, or a protective layer such as SiO ₂ or SiN for oxidation prevention is appropriately provided thereon.
[252] After the cathode 604 is formed in this way, the display device 600 can be obtained by performing other processing such as sealing processing or wiring processing for sealing the upper portion of the cathode 604 with the sealing member.
[253] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 27 is an exploded perspective view showing main parts of a plasma display device (PDP device: hereinafter simply referred to as display device 700), which is a kind of display according to the present invention. In FIG. 27, a part of the display device 700 is shown in a notched state.
[254] The display device 700 is roughly configured by including a first substrate 701, a second substrate 702, and a discharge display unit 703 formed therebetween. The discharge display unit 703 is constituted by a plurality of discharge chambers 705. Of the plurality of discharge chambers 705, three discharge chambers 705 of the red discharge chamber 705R, the green discharge chamber 705G, and the blue discharge chamber 705B are set to form one pixel. .
[255] A stripe address electrode 706 is formed on the upper surface of the first substrate 701 at predetermined intervals, and a dielectric layer 707 is formed to cover the address electrode 706 and the upper surface of the first substrate 701. have. On the dielectric layer 707, the partition wall 708 is provided between each address electrode 706 so as to correspond to each address electrode 706. As shown in the figure, the partition wall 708 extends to both sides in the width direction of the address electrode 706 and includes one not shown to extend in the direction orthogonal to the address electrode 706.
[256] The region partitioned by the partition 708 serves as the discharge chamber 705.
[257] The phosphor 709 is disposed in the discharge chamber 705. The phosphor 709 emits fluorescence of any one of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and a red phosphor 709R is formed at the bottom of the red discharge chamber 705R. The green phosphor 709G is disposed at the bottom of the green discharge chamber 705G, and the blue phosphor 709B is disposed at the bottom of the blue discharge chamber 705B.
[258] On the lower surface of the drawing of the second substrate 702, a plurality of display electrodes 711 are formed in a stripe shape at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the address electrode 706. A protective film 713 made of a dielectric layer 712 and MgO or the like is formed so as to cover them.
[259] The first substrate 701 and the second substrate 702 are joined to face each other in a state where the address electrode 706 and the display electrode 711 are perpendicular to each other. The address electrode 706 and the display electrode 711 are connected to an AC power supply (not shown).
[260] By energizing each of the electrodes 706 and 711, the fluorescent substance 709 is excited by the discharge display unit 703, and color display becomes possible.
[261] In the present embodiment, the address electrode 706, the display electrode 711, and the phosphor 709 can be formed using the droplet ejection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the formation process of the address electrode 706 in the 1st board | substrate 701 is illustrated.
[262] In this case, the following steps are performed in a state where the first substrate 701 is mounted on the set table 25 of the droplet ejection apparatus 1.
[263] First, a liquid material (functional liquid) containing a material for forming a conductive film wiring is landed on the address electrode formation region by the functional liquid droplet discharge head 10 as a functional liquid droplet. This liquid material is a material for forming a conductive film wiring, in which conductive fine particles such as metal are dispersed in a dispersion medium. As the conductive fine particles, metal fine particles containing gold, silver, copper, palladium, nickel, or the like, conductive polymers or the like can be used.
[264] When the replenishment of the liquid material is completed for all the address electrode forming regions to be replenished, the address electrode 706 is formed by drying the liquid material after discharge and evaporating the dispersion medium contained in the liquid material.
[265] Incidentally, although the formation of the address electrode 706 has been exemplified above, the display electrode 711 and the phosphor 709 can also be formed by passing through the respective steps.
[266] In the case of forming the display electrode 711, the liquid material (functional liquid) containing the conductive film wiring forming material is impacted on the display electrode formation region as a functional liquid, similarly to the case of the address electrode 706.
[267] In the case of forming the phosphor 709, a liquid material (a kind of liquid material of the present invention) containing a fluorescent material corresponding to each color (R, G, B) is used for three functional liquid droplet ejection heads ( 10 is discharged as a droplet, and it reaches an impact in the discharge chamber 705 of a corresponding color.
[268] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. 28 is a sectional view of principal parts of an electron emission device (FED device: hereinafter simply referred to as display device 800) which is a kind of display in the present invention. In FIG. 28, a part of the display device 800 is shown as a cross section.
[269] The display device 800 is schematically configured to include a first substrate 801, a second substrate 802, and a field emission display portion 803 formed therebetween. The field emission display portion 803 is constituted by a plurality of electron emission portions 805 arranged in a matrix.
[270] On the upper surface of the first substrate 801, the first element electrode 806a and the second element electrode 806b constituting the cathode electrode 806 are formed to be perpendicular to each other. In addition, an element film 807 having a gap 808 is formed in a portion partitioned by the first element electrode 806a and the second element electrode 806b. In other words, the plurality of electron emission portions 805 are formed by the first element electrode 806a, the second element electrode 806b, and the element film 807. The element film 807 is made of, for example, palladium oxide (PdO) or the like, and the gap 808 is formed by forming after forming the element film 807.
[271] An anode electrode 809 opposing the cathode electrode 806 is formed on the bottom surface of the second substrate 802. A lattice-shaped bank portion 811 is formed on the bottom surface of the anode electrode 809, and the phosphor 813 is disposed so as to correspond to the electron emission portion 805 in each of the downward openings 812 surrounded by the bank portion 811. It is arranged. The phosphor 813 emits fluorescence of any one color of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and each opening 812 has a red phosphor 813R, a green phosphor 813G, and a blue color. The phosphor 813B is disposed in a predetermined pattern.
[272] And the 1st board | substrate 801 and the 2nd board | substrate 802 comprised in this way are joined by the minute gap. In the display device 800, electrons protruding from the first element electrode 806a or the second element electrode 806b, which are cathodes, through the element films (gaps 808 and 807) are anode electrodes 809, which are anodes. The fluorescent substance 813 formed in ()) is excited to emit light, and color display is possible.
[273] Also in this case, similarly to the other embodiments, the first element electrode 806a, the second element electrode 806b, and the anode electrode 809 can be formed using the droplet ejection apparatus 1, Phosphors 813R, 813G, and 813B can be formed using the droplet ejection apparatus 1.
[274] By the way, the droplet ejection apparatus 1 comprised in this way is used for manufacture of an electrophoretic display apparatus etc. other than said color filter, various liquid crystal display apparatus, organic electroluminescent apparatus, FED apparatus, PDP apparatus, etc. which are mounted in a mobile telephone or a personal computer. Applicable As another electro-optical device, a device including lens formation, resist formation, light diffusing body formation, or the like, and the above-described preparat formation can be considered, in addition to the metal wiring formation described above.
[275] According to the liquid droplet ejecting apparatus of the present invention, the function liquid ejecting head on the stocker and the function liquid ejecting head on the carriage can be exchanged as necessary by the head moving stacking mechanism, so that the function differs in a short time with respect to the work. The liquid can be discharged, and the work processing can be efficiently performed.
[276] According to the electro-optical device of the present invention, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic device, the electro-optical device of the present invention is manufactured by a droplet ejection device that enables various ejections of a functional liquid to a work, thereby providing a high-quality and low-cost electro-optical device. can do.

权利要求:
Claims (19)
[1" claim-type="Currently amended] A droplet ejection apparatus for selectively ejecting functional droplets while moving a functional droplet ejection head relative to a work,
A plurality of function droplet discharge heads,
A carriage on which the plurality of function droplet ejection heads are mounted,
A stocker for stocking the plurality of functional droplet discharge heads;
A head moving loading mechanism for moving and loading the respective function liquid droplet discharge heads between the carriage and the stocker;
A moving mechanism for moving the carriage on which the functional liquid droplet ejecting head is mounted relative to the work;
Functional liquid supply means for supplying the functional liquid to the plurality of functional liquid droplet discharge heads, respectively;
And a control means for controlling the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads, respectively.
[2" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
And the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads comprise a plurality of kinds of functional droplet ejection heads having different functional liquids and / or specifications.
[3" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
In the carriage, a plurality of the plurality of functional droplet ejection heads are mounted to be interchangeable.
And the control means controls the plurality of function droplet ejection heads in association with each other.
[4" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
Each of the functional droplet ejection heads is held by a head holding member, and is interchangeably mounted on each head mounting portion of the carriage and each head mounting portion of the stocker via the head holding member. Droplet discharging device, characterized in that the movement by stacking.
[5" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 4, wherein
The head holding member is provided with a plurality of positioning portions for positioning the functional droplet discharge head on the carriage and the stocker,
And a plurality of positioning accommodation portions corresponding to the plurality of positioning portions are provided in each head mounting portion of the carriage and each head mounting portion of the stocker.
[6" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 4, wherein
The head moving stacking mechanism grips the function liquid discharge head in a horizontal position through the head holding member,
The droplet holding device is characterized in that the head holding member is provided with a gripping portion held by the head moving stacking mechanism.
[7" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 4, wherein
Each head mounting portion of the carriage is provided with a detection portion for detecting the type of the mounted functional liquid droplet discharge head,
And a to-be-detected portion corresponding to the detection portion is provided in the head holding member.
[8" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 4, wherein
Each of the functional droplet discharge heads mounted on the head mounting portions of the carriage via the head holding member has a reference discharge nozzle positioned at its outermost end at the same position in the negative scanning direction. Droplet ejection apparatus, characterized in that arranged in the array.
[9" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
The functional liquid supplying means has a plurality of functional liquid tanks corresponding to the plurality of types of functional liquid discharge heads,
And the plurality of functional liquid tanks and the plurality of kinds of functional liquid droplet ejecting heads are connected via a tube, respectively.
[10" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
The control means has a plurality of head drivers corresponding to the plurality of types of functional droplet discharge heads,
And the plurality of head drivers and the plurality of kinds of the function droplet ejecting heads are connected via cables, respectively.
[11" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
And said stocker has a drying prevention cap in close contact with the nozzle face of said functional liquid droplet ejecting head stocked therein.
[12" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 11,
And a suction means for sucking the functional liquid of the functional droplet discharge head through the cap.
[13" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 12,
And the stocker further has a wiping mechanism for cleaning the nozzle face of the function droplet discharge head stocked therein.
[14" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
The stocker further has an air discharge receiver receiving air discharge of the functional liquid droplets from all the discharge nozzles of the functional liquid droplet discharge head stocked therein,
And said control means periodically discharges the function droplet discharge head to the droplet discharge head.
[15" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
And the control means applies a drive waveform that does not accompany the discharge of the functional liquid droplets to the discharge nozzles of the functional droplet discharge head stocked in the stocker.
[16" claim-type="Currently amended] The method of claim 1,
The control means applies a drive waveform that does not accompany the ejection of the functional liquid at the ejection timing of the main ejection to the ejection nozzle that does not eject the functional droplet ejection head mounted on the carriage. Droplet ejection device, characterized in that.
[17" claim-type="Currently amended] The film forming part by the said functional liquid droplet is formed on the said workpiece | work using the droplet discharge apparatus of Claim 1, The manufacturing method of the electro-optical device characterized by the above-mentioned.
[18" claim-type="Currently amended] The film formation part by the said functional liquid droplet was formed on the said workpiece | work using the droplet ejection apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.
[19" claim-type="Currently amended] An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 18 mounted thereon.

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US6933958B2|2005-08-23|Member to be recognized for alignment; head unit and electronic device provided therewith; method of manufacturing lcd, organic el device, electron emission device, pdp device, electrophoretic display device, color filter, and organic el; method of forming spacer, metallic wire, lens, resist, and light diffusion member, each of said methods using said head unit

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TWI236431B|2005-07-21|Liquid droplet ejection apparatus, method of manufacturing electro-optic device, electro-optic device, and electronic apparatus

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US8128197B2|2012-03-06|Liquid droplet ejection apparatus, method for manufacturing electro-optic device, electro-optic device, and electronic equipment

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同族专利:

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公开号 | 公开日

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US20040075713A1|2004-04-22|

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CN1475345A|2004-02-18|

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JP2004130299A|2004-04-30|

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TW590894B|2004-06-11|

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TW200402366A|2004-02-16|

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CN1221389C|2005-10-05|

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KR100532529B1|2005-12-01|

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US7032990B2|2006-04-25|

引用文献:

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公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题

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法律状态:
2002-08-02|Priority to JPJP-P-2002-00226474

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2002-08-02|Priority to JP2002226474

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2003-06-30|Priority to JP2003187836A

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2003-06-30|Priority to JPJP-P-2003-00187836

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2003-07-16|Application filed by 세이코 엡슨 가부시키가이샤

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2004-02-11|Publication of KR20040012480A

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2005-12-01|Application granted

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2005-12-01|Publication of KR100532529B1

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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JPJP-P-2002-00226474|2002-08-02|

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JP2002226474|2002-08-02|

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JP2003187836A|JP2004130299A|2002-08-02|2003-06-30|Droplet discharging device, manufacturing method of electro-optical device, electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus|

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JPJP-P-2003-00187836|2003-06-30|