JP2003246053A - Film forming system, its coating liquid ejecting method, system for fabricating device, method for fabricating device, and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure safety without lowering throughput or workability. <P>SOLUTION: A film forming system comprises ejection means each having an area 55 for ejecting coating liquid produced by dissolving or dispersing a film material into a solvent and moving relatively the writing area 48a of a substrate 48 in the substantially orthogonal first direction Y and second direction X, and a cleaning mechanism for sucking coating liquid from the ejection means wherein the ejection means ejects coating liquid while moving relatively in the first direction Y. A preliminary ejection area 52 for ejecting coating liquid preliminarily from the ejection means is provided while separating from the cleaning mechanism on one side in the first direction of the substrate 48. Assuming the length of the ejecting area in the second direction is A and the length of the writing area in the second direction is B, the preliminary ejection area 52 having a length L in the second direction is provided where L≥2A+B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, a device manufacturing apparatus, a device manufacturing method, and a device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of electronic equipment such as computers and portable information equipment terminals, the use of liquid crystal display devices, especially color liquid crystal display devices, has been increasing. This type of liquid crystal display device uses a color filter for colorizing a display image. The color filter has a substrate on which R (red) and G are attached.
In some cases, a film is formed by landing in a predetermined pattern with (green) and B (red) inks as coating liquids. As a method of depositing ink on such a substrate to form a film,
The technology applying the inkjet method is adopted.

When the above technique is adopted, a predetermined amount of ink is ejected onto the filter from the ink jet head as the ejection means to land the ink. In this case, for example, the substrate is a Y stage (movable in the Y direction). The inkjet head is mounted on an X stage (a stage movable in the X direction). Then, after the inkjet head is positioned at a predetermined position by driving the X stage, the ink is ejected while the substrate is moved relative to the inkjet head by driving the Y stage, so that the inks from the plurality of inkjet heads are transferred to the substrate. It can be landed in place.

By the way, by covering the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head with the cap, the ink ejection surface is prevented from being dried when the drawing process is stopped or in the standby state. In addition, a negative pressure suction mechanism such as a pump or a tube that serves as a suction drive source is connected to this cap as a cleaning mechanism, and is used for introducing ink from the ink tank to the inkjet head through the tube or for continuous ejection. It has a function to eliminate the nozzle clogging caused by it. Further, before the ink is ejected to the substrate, the ink is preliminarily ejected to the cap to prevent the thickening of the ink and the precipitation of the solid content from the ink, and the stable ink ejection is performed.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems.
Usually, the cleaning mechanism is installed near the substrate in consideration of improving the throughput of the ejection process. In particular, because of the preliminary ejection of the coating liquid that is frequently performed even during the ejection treatment step, the distance that the ejection unit moves to the cleaning area greatly affects the throughput in the apparatus. Will be placed.

However, if a cleaning mechanism is present near the stage, it becomes a hindrance when the substrate is fed and discharged, and the workability is deteriorated. Further, although the cleaning mechanism is provided with an elevating device that elevates and lowers the cap with respect to the ejection means, it has been pointed out that there is a problem in safety if such a device is installed near the stage. .

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a film forming apparatus, a device manufacturing apparatus, a device manufacturing method, and a device capable of ensuring safety without lowering throughput and workability. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following constitutions. A film forming apparatus of the present invention has a discharge region for discharging a coating liquid in which a film material is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent, and is arranged in a first direction and a second direction which are substantially orthogonal to a drawing region of a substrate. A film-forming apparatus having a relatively moving ejection unit and a cleaning mechanism for sucking the coating liquid from the ejection unit, wherein the ejection unit relatively moves in the first direction to eject the coating liquid, the first direction of the substrate. A preliminary ejection area for preliminarily ejecting the coating liquid from the ejection unit is provided on one side, and the length of the ejection area in the second direction is A and the length of the drawing area in the second direction is B. Then, in the preliminary ejection area, the length L in the second direction is L.
It is characterized by being provided by ≧ 2A + B.

Thus, according to the present invention, by disposing the cleaning mechanism away from the substrate, it is possible to prevent the work of supplying the substrate and the work of discharging the substrate from being hindered, and prevent the workability from being deteriorated. It is possible to ensure safety. Further, in the present invention, since the preliminary ejection area separated from the cleaning mechanism can be arranged in the vicinity of the substrate, the throughput is reduced even if the preliminary ejection of the coating liquid is frequently performed during the ejection processing (drawing processing) step. It can be prevented. In addition, when performing preliminary ejection on one side of the drawing area in the second direction from the ejection portion (nozzle) on the other side of the ejection area in the second direction, the preliminary ejection area is the second area of the drawing area.
When it is provided only in the length of the direction, it is necessary to control so that the coating liquid is not ejected from the nozzles other than the ejection portion. Since the regions are provided, the application liquid may be preliminarily ejected from all the ejection units, and it is not necessary to control ejection or non-ejection for each ejection unit, which facilitates creation of a sequence.

The film forming apparatus of the present invention can also employ a structure in which the preliminary discharge areas are provided on both sides in the first direction with the substrate interposed therebetween.

Thus, according to the present invention, the discharging means is moved relative to the substrate from one side of the drawing area in the first direction and the relative movement is performed from the other side of the drawing area in the first direction. However, since the preliminary discharge area is located near the coating liquid discharge start position for the drawing area,
Throughput can be prevented from decreasing without depending on the relative movement direction.

As the preliminary discharge area, it is possible to adopt a structure which is provided on a stage which holds and moves the substrate and has a length extending over the preliminary discharge area, and is made of an absorbent material which absorbs the preliminarily discharged coating liquid.

As a result, in the present invention, the preliminary ejection area is always arranged in the vicinity of the substrate, and the ejection means moves between the starting position for ejecting the coating liquid to the drawing area and the preliminary ejection position. The route can be shortened to reduce the time required for movement.

Further, as the preliminary ejection area, at least the length of the ejection area in the second direction and absorbing the pre-ejected coating liquid, and the absorbing material in the second direction over the preliminary ejection area. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which a driving device that drives the driving device and a control device that controls the driving device based on the position of the ejection region with respect to the preliminary ejection area are formed.

Thus, in the present invention, by moving the absorbent material in advance to the position in the second direction of the discharge area corresponding to the drawing area, the discharging means causes the discharge means to move between the preliminary discharge area and the drawing discharge start position. Also when moving, it is sufficient to move only in the first direction, and the time required for the movement can be shortened. Further, in the present invention, since the absorbent material has at least the length of the discharge area in the second direction, by moving the absorbent material to a position facing the discharge area, it is possible to reserve the coating liquid from all the discharge portions. It suffices to eject, and it is not necessary to control ejection or non-ejection for each ejection unit, and the sequence can be easily created.

Further, in the present invention, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the driving device drives the absorbent material in the first direction.

As a result, in the present invention, the absorber can be moved to the vicinity of the substrate regardless of the size of the substrate. Therefore, the distance between the preliminary ejection area and the drawing ejection start position can be shortened without depending on the size of the substrate, and the movement time of the ejection device relating to the preliminary ejection can be shortened.

In the present invention, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the control device controls the drive device based on the result of detecting the size of the substrate in the first direction.

Thus, according to the present invention, when the substrate is supplied, the size in the first direction is automatically detected, and the absorbent is moved away from or close to the substrate according to the detected size. The absorber can be positioned quickly and reliably in the vicinity of the substrate.

The device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a device manufacturing apparatus having a film forming apparatus for landing the coating liquid discharged from the discharging means on the substrate and performing drawing processing on the substrate. The above film forming apparatus is used.

As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the workability of the material supply and the material discharge of the substrate from being deteriorated and to ensure the safety. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily create a sequence and prevent a decrease in throughput.

The device of the present invention is characterized by being manufactured by the above device manufacturing apparatus.

As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a decrease in workability and a decrease in throughput in the film forming apparatus, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in cost for manufacturing a device.

Further, the method for discharging the coating liquid of the film forming apparatus of the present invention has a discharge region for discharging the coating liquid in which the film material is dissolved or dispersed in the solvent, and the discharge regions are formed substantially in the drawing region of the substrate. A film forming method that includes a discharging unit that relatively moves in a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to each other, and a cleaning mechanism that sucks the coating liquid from the discharging unit, and the discharging unit relatively moves in the first direction to discharge the coating liquid. A method for ejecting a coating liquid of an apparatus, wherein a preliminary ejection area for preliminarily ejecting a coating liquid from an ejection means is provided on one side in the first direction of a substrate, and a length of the ejection region in the second direction is set. Assuming that A is the length of the drawing area in the second direction and B is the length L of the preliminary ejection area in the second direction, L ≧ 2A + B, and the coating liquid is preliminarily ejected in the preliminary ejection area, the drawing area of the substrate It is characterized in that it is discharged to.

Thus, according to the present invention, by disposing the cleaning mechanism away from the substrate, it is possible to prevent the work of supplying and discharging the substrate from being hindered and to prevent the workability from being deteriorated. It is possible to ensure safety. Further, in the present invention, since the preliminary ejection area separated from the cleaning mechanism can be arranged in the vicinity of the substrate, the throughput is reduced even if the preliminary ejection of the coating liquid is frequently performed during the ejection processing (drawing processing) step. It can be prevented. In addition, when performing preliminary ejection on one side of the drawing area in the second direction from the ejection portion (nozzle) on the other side of the ejection area in the second direction, the preliminary ejection area is the second area of the drawing area.
When it is provided only in the length of the direction, it is necessary to control so that the coating liquid is not ejected from the ejection portion other than the ejection portion. Since the ejection regions are provided, the application liquid may be preliminarily ejected from all the ejection units, and it is not necessary to control ejection or non-ejection for each ejection unit, which facilitates creation of a sequence.

Further, in the present invention, it is possible to adopt a construction in which the preliminary ejection areas are provided on both sides of the substrate in the first direction.

Thus, in the present invention, in either case where the ejection means is moved relative to the substrate from one side of the drawing area in the first direction, or when it is moved relative to the substrate from the other side of the drawing area in the first direction. However, since the preliminary discharge area is located near the coating liquid discharge start position for the drawing area,
Throughput can be prevented from decreasing without depending on the relative movement direction.

As the preliminary discharge area, it is possible to adopt a structure which is provided on a stage which holds and moves the substrate and has a length extending over the preliminary discharge area, and is made of an absorbent material which absorbs the preliminary discharged coating liquid.

Thus, in the present invention, the preliminary ejection area is always arranged in the vicinity of the substrate, and the ejection means moves between the starting position for ejecting the coating liquid to the drawing region and the preliminary ejection position. The route can be shortened to reduce the time required for movement.

Further, in the present invention, the absorbent having at least the length of the discharge area in the second direction is provided, and the absorbent is spread over the preliminary discharge area based on the position of the discharge area with respect to the preliminary discharge area. You may drive in the direction.

Thus, in the present invention, by moving the absorbent material in advance to the position in the second direction of the discharge area corresponding to the drawing area, the discharging means causes the discharge means to move between the preliminary discharge area and the drawing discharge start position. Also when moving, it is sufficient to move only in the first direction, and the time required for the movement can be shortened. Further, in the present invention, since the absorbent material has at least the length of the discharge area in the second direction, by moving the absorbent material to a position facing the discharge area, it is possible to reserve the coating liquid from all the discharge portions. It suffices to eject, and it is not necessary to control ejection or non-ejection for each ejection unit, and the sequence can be easily created.

Further, in the present invention, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the absorbent is driven in the first direction.

As a result, in the present invention, the absorber can be moved to the vicinity of the substrate regardless of the size of the substrate. Therefore, the distance between the preliminary ejection area and the drawing ejection start position can be shortened without depending on the size of the substrate, and the movement time of the ejection device relating to the preliminary ejection can be shortened.

Further, in the present invention, the size of the substrate in the first direction may be detected, and the absorber may be driven in the first direction based on the detected result.

Thus, in the present invention, when the substrate is supplied, the size in the first direction is automatically detected, and the absorbent is moved away from or close to the substrate according to the detected size. The absorber can be positioned quickly and reliably in the vicinity of the substrate.

The device manufacturing method of the present invention is a device manufacturing method including a drawing processing step in which the coating liquid discharged from the discharging means is landed on the substrate and drawing processing is performed on the substrate, and the film forming apparatus described above. It is characterized in that the drawing processing step is carried out by using the coating liquid discharging method.

As a result, in the present invention, it is possible to prevent the workability relating to the material supply and the material discharge of the substrate from being deteriorated, and it is possible to ensure the safety. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily create a sequence and prevent a decrease in throughput.

[0038]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the film forming apparatus, device manufacturing apparatus, device manufacturing method, and device of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
Here, the film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described as being applied to a filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter or the like used for a liquid crystal display device, for example.

FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a film forming apparatus 10 which constitutes a filter manufacturing apparatus (device manufacturing apparatus). This filter manufacturing apparatus includes three film forming apparatuses 10 having substantially the same structure.
Is configured to eject R (red), G (green), and B (blue) inks to the filter substrate, respectively. The ink constitutes a coating liquid in which the film material is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent.

The film forming apparatus 10 includes a base 12, a first moving means 14, a second moving means 16, an electronic balance (weight measuring means) (not shown), an ink jet head (ejection means) 20,
It has a capping unit 22, a cleaning unit (cleaning mechanism) 24, and the like. On the base 12, a first moving means 14, an electronic balance, a capping unit 22, a cleaning unit 24 and a second moving means 16 are installed.

The first moving means 14 is preferably the base 1
The first moving means 14 is directly installed on the upper surface of the second position 2, and is positioned along the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the second moving means 16 is vertically attached to the base 12 by using the columns 16A and 16A, and the second moving means 16 is attached to the rear portion 12A of the base 12. The X-axis direction (second direction) of the second moving means 16 is the Y-axis direction (first direction) of the first moving means 14.
Direction) is a direction orthogonal to. The Y-axis is an axis along the front portion 12B and the rear portion 12A of the base 12. On the other hand, the X axis is an axis along the left-right direction of the base 12 and is horizontal.

The first moving means 14 includes a guide rail 40,
40, and the first moving means 14 can adopt, for example, a linear motor. The slider 42 of the linear motor type first moving means 14 can be moved along the guide rail 40 in the Y-axis direction for positioning.

The slider 42 has a motor 44 for the θ axis. The motor 44 is, for example, a direct drive motor, and the rotor of the motor 44 is fixed to a table (stage) 46. This allows the motor 4
By energizing No. 4, the rotor and the table 46 can rotate along the θ direction and the table 46 can be indexed (rotational index).

The table 46 positions and holds the substrate 48. Also, the table 46
Has a suction holding means 50, and the suction holding means 50
Is operated, the substrate 48 can be sucked and held on the table 46 through the hole 46A of the table 46. On the table 46, the cleaning unit 2 is provided with a preliminary ejection area 52 for the ink jet head 20 to dispose of ink or perform trial ejection (preliminary ejection).
It is provided separately from No. 4, but will be described later.

The second moving means 16 is composed of columns 16A and 16A.
It has a column 16B fixed to
6B has a linear motor type second moving means 16. The slider 60 is movable along the guide rail 62A in the X-axis direction and can be positioned.
0 is an inkjet head 2 as an ink ejecting means
It has 0.

The ink jet head 20 has motors 62, 64, 66 and 68 as swing positioning means. When the motor 62 is operated, the inkjet head 20 can move up and down along the Z axis and be positioned.
The Z axis is a direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis. When the motor 64 is operated, the inkjet head 20 can be positioned by swinging along the β direction around the Y axis. When the motor 66 is operated, the inkjet head 20 can be positioned by swinging in the γ direction around the X axis. When the motor 68 is operated, the inkjet head 20 can be positioned by swinging in the α direction around the Z axis.

As described above, the inkjet head 20 shown in FIG. 1 can be positioned by linearly moving in the Z-axis direction on the slider 60, and can be positioned by swinging along α, β and γ. The ink ejection surface 20P of 20 can accurately control the position or orientation with respect to the substrate 48 on the table 46 side.
The ink ejection surface 20P of the inkjet head 20
Is provided with a plurality of nozzles (not shown), each of which ejects ink.

The electronic balance receives, for example, 5000 ink drops from the nozzles of the ink jet head 20 in order to measure and manage the weight of each ink drop ejected from the nozzles of the ink jet head 20. The electronic balance can accurately measure the weight of one ink drop by dividing the weight of the 5000 ink drops by the number 5000. The amount of ink droplets ejected from the inkjet head 20 can be optimally controlled based on the measured amount of ink droplets.

The cleaning unit 24 can clean the nozzles of the ink jet head 20 or the like periodically or at any time during the filter manufacturing process or during standby. The capping unit 22 covers the ink ejection surface 20P of the inkjet head 20 by covering the ink ejection surface 20P during standby without manufacturing a filter so as not to dry the ink ejection surface 20P.

The inkjet head 20 is moved in the X-axis direction by the second moving means 16 to move the inkjet head 20 to the electronic balance and cleaning unit 24.
Alternatively, it can be selectively positioned above the capping unit 22. That is, even during the filter manufacturing operation, the weight of the ink droplet can be measured by moving the inkjet head 20 to the electronic balance side, for example. If the inkjet head 20 is moved onto the cleaning unit 24, the inkjet head 20
Can be cleaned. When the inkjet head 20 is moved onto the capping unit 22, a cap is attached to the ink ejection surface 20P of the inkjet head 20 to prevent the ink from drying.

That is, the electronic balance, the cleaning unit 24, and the capping unit 22 are arranged on the rear end side of the base 12 and directly below the movement path of the ink jet head 20 so as to be separated from the table 46.
Since the work of supplying the substrate 48 to the table 46 and the work of discharging the substrate 48 are performed on the front end side of the base 12, the work is not hindered by the electronic balance, the cleaning unit 24 or the capping unit 22.

As shown in FIG. 2A, a preliminary discharge area 52 is provided along the X-axis direction on the rear end side of the table 46. This preliminary discharge area 52 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a receiving member 53 that is fixed to the table 46 and has a concave cross-section that opens upward, and an absorbent material that is replaceably installed in the recess of the receiving member 53 and that absorbs the ejected ink. And 54.

Here, for convenience, it is assumed that the entire upper surface of the substrate 48 is a drawing area 48a on which ink is ejected, and the ink jet head 20 has a rectangular ejection area 55 (that is, a nozzle arrangement distribution) shown in FIG. 2A. ), The length L of the absorbent 54 in the X direction is equal to the discharge area 55.
Is set so as to satisfy the following expression by using the length A in the X-axis direction and the length B in the X-direction of the drawing area 48a. L
≧ 2A + B (1)

The absorbing material 54 is disposed so as to protrude from the drawing area 48a of the substrate 48 on both sides in the X-axis direction by at least the length A of the ejection area. In addition, Y of the absorber 54
The width in the axial direction is the ejection area 55 of the inkjet head 20.
Is formed larger than the width in the Y-axis direction.

The operation of the film forming apparatus 10 having the above structure will be described below. When the worker supplies the substrate 48 onto the table 46 of the first moving means 14 from the front end side of the table 46, the substrate 48 is sucked and held by the table 46 and positioned. Then, the motor 44 operates,
The end surface of the substrate 48 is set to be parallel to the Y-axis direction.

Subsequently, the ink jet head 20 moves along the X-axis direction and is positioned above the electronic balance. Then, the specified number of drops (the specified number of ink drops) is ejected. Thereby, the electronic balance measures the weight of, for example, 5000 drops of ink, and calculates the weight per ink drop. Then, it is determined whether or not the weight per ink droplet is within a predetermined appropriate range, and if it is outside the appropriate range, the applied voltage to the piezo element is adjusted, and the like. Pay the weight properly.

When the weight per ink droplet is proper, the substrate 48 is appropriately moved and positioned in the Y-axis direction by the first moving means 14, and the ink jet head 20 is moved by the second moving means 16. It is appropriately moved and positioned in the X-axis direction. And the inkjet head 2
0 preliminarily ejects ink from all the nozzles to the preliminary ejection area 52 (absorbent material 54), and then moves relative to the substrate 48 in the Y-axis direction (actually, the substrate 48 is moved to the inkjet head 20). On the other hand, for example, it moves in the + Y direction in FIG. 2), and ink is ejected with a predetermined width from a predetermined nozzle onto a predetermined drawing area 48a on the substrate 48. When one relative movement between the inkjet head 20 and the substrate 48 is completed, the inkjet head 20 moves in a step by a predetermined amount in the X-axis direction with respect to the substrate 48, and thereafter, the substrate 48.
With respect to the inkjet head 20, for example in FIG.
Ink is ejected while moving in the Y direction. Then, by repeating this operation a plurality of times, it is possible to eject ink for drawing on the entire drawing area 48a.

The ink jet head 20 is appropriately cleaned and cleaned by the cleaning unit 24 during the color filter forming work, or is capped by the capping unit 22, and the weight of the ink droplets is measured by the electronic balance. The work of measuring can be performed. At this time, cleaning and the like are performed as shown in FIG.
In the area P1, which is separated from the table 46 by the reference numeral P1.

Further, the ink jet head 20 does not eject ink even after the step movement, by making a sequence of ejecting ink once in the preliminary ejection area 52 and then ejecting the ink to the drawing area 48. It is possible to take thickening measures and precipitation measures for the nozzle,
Stable ink ejection can be performed. here,
For example, a position at which the −X side edge of the drawing region 48a is ejected at the + X side end of the ejection region 55 (position P2 in FIG. 2A).
In the case where the inkjet head 20 is provided in the above, if the absorbing material 54 is not provided so as to project to the −X side of the drawing area 48, control to stop ink ejection from nozzles other than the corresponding nozzle is necessary. In the embodiment, even when the inkjet head 20 is at this position, the preliminary ejection area 52 is arranged over the entire ejection region 55, so that preliminary ejection can be performed from all the nozzles, and extra control is performed. It becomes unnecessary.

Next, an example of manufacturing a color filter by a drawing process will be described with reference to FIGS.

The substrate 48 shown in FIG. 3 is a transparent substrate having a suitable mechanical strength and a high light transmittance. Board 4
As 8, a transparent glass substrate, an acrylic glass, a plastic substrate, a plastic film, a surface-treated product thereof, or the like can be applied.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of color filter regions 105 are formed in a matrix on a rectangular substrate 48 from the viewpoint of improving productivity. These color filter areas 105 will later be formed on the glass 48.
By cutting, it can be used as a color filter suitable for a liquid crystal display device.

In the color filter area 105, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, R ink, G ink and B ink are used.
Ink is formed and arranged in a predetermined pattern. As the formation pattern, as shown in the figure, in addition to the conventionally known stripe type, there are a mosaic type, a delta type, a square type, and the like.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a process of forming the color filter region 105 on the substrate 48.

In FIG. 3A, the black matrix 110 is formed on one surface of the transparent substrate 48. A resin (preferably black) having no light transmission property is applied to a predetermined thickness (for example, about 2 μm) by a method such as spin coating on the substrate 48 which is the base of the color filter, and the photolithography method is applied. The black matrix 110 is provided in a matrix form by the above method.
The smallest display element surrounded by the lattice of the black matrix 110 is called a filter element, and is, for example, a window having a width of 30 μm in the X-axis direction and a length of about 100 μm in the Y-axis direction.

After the black matrix 110 is formed, heat is applied by, for example, a heater so that the substrate 4
Bake the resin above 8.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the ink droplet 99
Land on the filter element 112. The amount of the ink droplet 99 is a sufficient amount in consideration of the volume reduction of the ink in the heating process.

In the heating step of FIG. 3C, when all the filter elements 112 on the color filter are filled with the ink droplets 99, the heating process is performed using the heater. The substrate 48 has a predetermined temperature (for example, about 70 ° C.)
Heat to. The evaporation of the ink solvent reduces the volume of the ink. When the volume is drastically reduced, the ink discharging step and the heating step are repeated until a sufficient thickness of the ink film for the color filter is obtained. By this treatment, the solvent of the ink evaporates, and finally only the solid content of the ink remains to form a film.

In the protective film forming step shown in FIG. 3D, heating is performed at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in order to completely dry the ink droplet 99. When the drying is completed, a protective film 120 is formed to protect the color filter substrate 48 having the ink film formed thereon and to flatten the filter surface. For forming the protective film 120, for example, a method such as a spin coating method, a roll coating method or a ripping method can be adopted.

In the transparent electrode forming step of FIG. 3E, the transparent electrode 130 is formed by using a recipe such as a sputtering method or a vacuum adsorption method.
Are formed over the entire surface of the protective film 120.

In the patterning step of FIG. 3F, the transparent electrode 130 is further patterned into pixel electrodes corresponding to the openings of the filter element 112.

A TFT (T
This patterning is not necessary when using a thin film transistor or the like. Further, it is desirable to wipe the ink ejection surface 20P of the inkjet head 20 by using the cleaning unit 24 regularly or as needed during the drawing process.

As described above, in this embodiment, the capping unit 22 and the cleaning unit 24 are separated from the preliminary ejection area 52, and the cleaning unit 24 is separated.
Is separated from the table 46, work is not hindered when the substrate 48 is fed and discharged from the front end side of the table 46, and the substrate 48 can be replaced smoothly and safely and efficiently. be able to. Further, in the present embodiment, since the separated preliminary ejection area 52 is arranged on the table 46 in the vicinity of the substrate 48, from the movement time from the preliminary ejection to the drawing start position in the drawing area 48a and the drawing end position, It is possible to shorten the moving time to the preliminary ejection area 52 and prevent a decrease in throughput.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the length L of the preliminary discharge area 52, that is, the absorbent 54 in the X direction is set to the length A of the discharge area 55 in the X axis direction and the length of the drawing area 48a in the X direction. Since L ≧ 2A + B is set by using B, preliminary ejection can be always performed from all the nozzles, and extra control such as stopping ink ejection from a specific nozzle is not required and sequence creation is easy. Can be

In the first embodiment, the substrate 48
However, the preliminary ejection area 52 is provided on one side in the Y-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. The configuration may be such that 52, 52 are provided. In this case, when the substrate 48 is reciprocally moved with respect to the inkjet head 20 to perform the drawing process, the preliminary ejection area 52 is present in the vicinity thereof, and the ink thickened before starting the drawing is ejected in the preliminary ejection area. Since the drawing is performed after discharging the ink, the initial ejection of the drawing is stable and the drawing quality can be improved, and the ejection area 55 of the inkjet head 20 is located on either side of the substrate 48 in the Y-axis direction. The preliminary ejection can be performed in the same pass near the drawing start position, and the throughput can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the absorbent 54 is provided on the receiving member 53 which is a member different from the table 46, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a groove extending in the X-axis direction on the table 46. May be formed, and the absorbent 54 may be installed in this groove.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the second embodiment of the film forming apparatus of the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the embodiment of. In these figures, FIG.
The same elements as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Second
The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that
It is a structure of a preliminary ejection area.

As shown in FIG. 6A, in the film forming apparatus of this embodiment, the absorbing material 54 (and the receiving member 53) is located in the ejection area 55 of the ink jet head 20 in both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. In contrast, it is formed large. As shown in FIG. 6B, the absorbent material 54 is connected to a driving device 56 and is movable along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The drive device 56 moves the drawing area 4 in the X-axis direction.
The absorbent material 54 is moved over the above-described length L (L ≧ 2A + B) in which at least the length A of the ejection region 55 protrudes from both sides from 8. This drive device 56 is a control device 5.
7 and its drive is controlled. Other configurations are similar to those of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, when the ink jet head 20 moves, the control device 57 controls the driving device 56 to move the absorbent material 54 in the X-axis direction so as to follow the position of the ejection area 55 of the ink jet head 20. Let Further, the control device 57 controls the drive device 5 when the substrate 48 moves.
6 is controlled to move the absorbent material 54 in the Y-axis direction so as to maintain a constant distance from the table 46.

As a result, no matter where the ejection area 55 is in the X-axis direction, the absorbent 54 need only be moved in the Y-axis direction for preliminary ejection.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first
In addition to the effect similar to that of the embodiment of the present invention, by moving the absorbent material 54 according to the size of the substrate 48 and the table 46 in the Y-axis direction, the size of the substrate 48 does not depend, The distance between the preliminary ejection area 52 and the drawing ejection start position can be shortened, and the moving time of the inkjet head 20 relating to the preliminary ejection can be shortened.

In the second embodiment as well, the preliminary ejection area 5 is provided only on one side of the substrate 48 in the Y-axis direction.
The configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the two are provided, and as shown in FIG. 7, the configuration in which the preliminary ejection areas 52 and 52 are provided on both sides of the substrate 48 (that is, the table 46) in the Y direction may be provided. Also in this case, when the substrate 48 is reciprocally moved with respect to the inkjet head 20 to perform the drawing process, the preliminary ejection area 52 is provided regardless of the ejection region 55 of the inkjet head 20 on either side of the substrate 48 in the Y-axis direction. Will be present in the vicinity thereof, and the movement time to the preliminary ejection area 52 will be shortened, and the throughput can be improved.

Although not described and illustrated in the above embodiment, a sensor (detection device) for detecting the size of the substrate 48 in the Y-axis direction is provided on or near the table 46 to provide a control device. 57 may be configured to control the drive device 56 based on the detection result of this sensor. In this case, when the substrate 48 is supplied, the size in the Y-axis direction is automatically detected, and the absorber 54 is moved away from or close to the substrate according to the detected size, so that the substrate can be swiftly and surely. The absorber 54 can be positioned in the vicinity of the substrate 48, which can contribute to improvement in throughput.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

The device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the manufacture of color filters for liquid crystal display devices, but can be applied to EL (electroluminescence) display devices, for example. An EL display device has a structure in which a thin film containing a fluorescent inorganic and organic compound is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode, and excitons are generated by injecting electrons and holes into the thin film and recombining them. It is an element that produces (exciton) and emits light by utilizing the emission of light (fluorescence / phosphorescence) when the exciton is deactivated. Of the fluorescent materials used for such EL display elements, materials exhibiting emission colors of red, green, and blue are patterned on an element substrate such as a TFT by using the device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention to obtain self-luminous full color. An EL display device can be manufactured. The scope of the device in the present invention includes such an EL display device.

In this case, the device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is
It may have a step of performing a surface treatment such as plasma, UV treatment, coupling or the like on the surface of the resin resist, the pixel electrode and the lower layer so that the EL material is easily attached. The EL display device manufactured by using the device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is applied to the low information field such as segment display or full-screen simultaneous light emission, for example, pictures, characters, labels, or dots / lines / planes. It can also be used as a light source having a shape. In addition, passive drive display elements, TF
By using an active element such as T for driving, it is possible to obtain a full-color display device having high brightness and excellent responsiveness. Furthermore, if a metal material or an insulating material is used in the film forming technology of this apparatus, direct fine patterning of metal wiring, an insulating film, or the like becomes possible, and it can be applied to the production of a new high-performance device.

Further, the ink jet head 20 of the illustrated film forming apparatus is R (red). G (green). 1 of B (blue)
Although two types of ink can be ejected, it is of course possible to eject two or three types of ink at the same time. Also, the film forming apparatus 10
The first moving means 14 and the second moving means 16 use linear motors, but the invention is not limited to this, and other types of motors and actuators can also be used.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, the substrate can be replaced smoothly, safely and efficiently without lowering the workability when the substrate is supplied or discharged. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the moving time to the preliminary ejection area, prevent a decrease in throughput, eliminate the need for extra control regarding the ejection of the coating liquid, and facilitate the creation of a sequence. The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a film forming apparatus that constitutes a filter manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 7A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view in which the substrate and the preliminary discharge area are arranged on the table.

3A to 3F are diagrams showing an example of a procedure for manufacturing a color filter using a substrate.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a substrate and a part of a color filter region on the substrate.

5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view in which the preliminary ejection areas in FIG. 2 are provided on both sides of the substrate.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 7A is a plan view in which the substrate and the preliminary discharge area are arranged near the table, and FIG.

7A is a plan view and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view in which the preliminary ejection areas in FIG. 6 are provided on both sides of the substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Film forming device (film forming device) 20 Inkjet head (ejection means) 24 Cleaning unit (cleaning mechanism) 46 tables (stage) 48 substrates 48a drawing area 52 Preliminary discharge area 54 absorbent 55 Discharge area

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G02F 1/13 101 G09F 9/00 342Z 5G435 H05B 33/10 B41J 3/04 101Z 33/14 102R // G09F 9/00 342 F-term (reference) 2C056 EA01 EA14 EC08 EC24 EC54 EC57 FA15 FB01 JA13 JA17 JC23 2H088 FA18 FA30 HA08 HA12 HA14 KA30 MA20 3K007 AB18 DB03 FA01 4D075 AC06 AC07 AC73 AC86 CA47 CB36 DA06 A33 A04EA10 DC02 DB13 A04 DC10 DA02 DB13 DC04 DC12 AB01 BA05 BA23 BA34 5G435 AA04 AA17 BB05 BB12 CC09 CC12 GG12 HH18 KK05 KK07 KK10

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A discharge area for discharging a coating liquid in which a film material is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent, and relatively moves in a first direction and a second direction substantially orthogonal to a drawing area of a substrate. A film forming apparatus comprising: a discharging unit; and a cleaning mechanism that sucks the coating liquid from the discharging unit, wherein the discharging unit relatively moves in the first direction to discharge the coating liquid. A preliminary ejection area for preliminarily ejecting the coating liquid from the ejection device is provided on one side in the first direction, and the ejection area has a length A in the second direction, and When the length in the second direction is B, the preliminary ejection area is provided such that the length L in the second direction is L ≧ 2A + B 2. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary ejection areas are provided on both sides of the substrate in the first direction. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the preliminary discharge area is provided on a stage that holds and moves the substrate in a length that extends over the preliminary discharge area. A film forming apparatus, which is formed of an absorbent material that absorbs liquid. 4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary ejection area has at least a length of the ejection area in the second direction and absorbs the preliminary ejected coating liquid. And a drive device that drives the absorbent material in the second direction over the preliminary discharge area, and a control device that controls the drive device based on the position of the discharge region with respect to the preliminary discharge area. A film forming apparatus characterized by the above. 5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the driving device drives the absorbent material in the first direction. 6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a detection device that detects a size of the substrate in the first direction, wherein the control device includes the drive device based on a detection result of the detection device. A film-forming apparatus characterized by controlling the. 7. A device manufacturing apparatus having a film forming apparatus for landing a coating liquid discharged from a discharging means on a substrate and performing a drawing process on the substrate, wherein the film forming apparatus is a device for manufacturing a device. 6. A device manufacturing apparatus, wherein the film forming apparatus according to any one of 6 is used. 8. A device manufactured by the device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7. 9. A discharge region for discharging a coating liquid in which a film material is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent, and relatively moves in a first direction and a second direction substantially orthogonal to a drawing region of a substrate. A method for discharging a coating liquid in a film forming apparatus, comprising: a discharging unit; and a cleaning mechanism for sucking the coating liquid from the discharging unit, wherein the discharging unit relatively moves in the first direction to discharge the coating liquid. A pre-ejection area for preliminarily ejecting the coating liquid from the ejection means is provided on one side of the substrate in the first direction, and a length of the ejection region in the second direction is A, When the length of the drawing area in the second direction is B, the length L of the preliminary ejection area in the second direction is L ≧ 2A + B, and after the coating liquid is preliminarily ejected in the preliminary ejection area,
A method for discharging a coating liquid in a film forming apparatus, which comprises discharging onto a drawing area of the substrate. 10. The coating liquid discharging method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the preliminary discharging areas are provided on both sides of the substrate in the first direction with the substrate sandwiched therebetween. Method. 11. The method for discharging a coating liquid of a film forming apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, wherein an absorber is provided on a stage that holds and moves the substrate in a length extending over the preliminary discharge area. A method for discharging a coating liquid in a film forming apparatus, characterized in that the preliminary-discharged coating liquid is absorbed. 12. The method for discharging a coating liquid of a film forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an absorbent having at least a length of the discharge area in the second direction is provided, and the discharge area of the discharge area with respect to the preliminary discharge area is provided. A method for discharging a coating liquid in a film forming apparatus, characterized in that the absorbent is driven in the second direction over the preliminary discharge area based on a position. 13. The coating liquid discharging method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the absorbent is driven in the first direction. 14. The coating liquid discharging method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the size of the substrate in the first direction is detected, and the absorbent is driven in the first direction based on the detected result. A method for discharging a coating liquid in a film forming apparatus, comprising: 15. A device manufacturing method including a drawing processing step of causing a coating liquid discharged from a discharging means to land on a substrate and performing a drawing process on the substrate, wherein the device manufacturing method comprises: A device manufacturing method, wherein the drawing processing step is performed by using the coating liquid discharging method of the film forming apparatus described in 1.