JP2004230216A - Film-forming device and liquid-filling method therefor, device-manufacturing equipment and method for manufacturing device, and device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fill liquid without waste into a head, and at the same time, discharge bubbles to a sufficient degree. <P>SOLUTION: The film forming device is provided with a head 20 for spouting supplied liquid, a pressure-reducing means 29 for allowing the liquid to be supplied by reducing the pressure in the inside of the head 20, and a controller 31 for controlling the liquid supply in accordance with the pressure reduction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, a method for filling a liquid material thereof, a device manufacturing method, a device manufacturing apparatus, a device, and an electronic apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art With the development of electronic devices such as computers and portable information device terminals, the use of liquid crystal display devices, particularly color liquid crystal display devices, has been increasing. This type of liquid crystal display device uses a color filter to color a display image. The color filter has a substrate and is formed by supplying R (red), G (green), and B (red) inks (liquids) as droplets to the substrate in a predetermined pattern. There is. As a method of supplying droplets to such a substrate, for example, a film forming apparatus using a droplet discharge method such as an inkjet method is employed.
[0003]
In the case of adopting the droplet discharge method, in a film forming apparatus, a predetermined amount of droplets is discharged from a droplet discharge head to a substrate to supply and form a film. In many cases, a plurality of nozzle openings are formed, and a piezoelectric element is provided in such a manner that the expansion and contraction directions are aligned so as to face each nozzle opening. As this kind of piezoelectric element, for example, an electrode and a piezoelectric material in which an electrode and a piezoelectric material are alternately laminated in a sandwich shape are provided, and a functional liquid filled in a cavity (ink reservoir) of the droplet discharge head is provided by the piezoelectric element. The discharge is performed by a pressure wave generated by the deformation.
[0004]
Conventionally, as a method of filling a liquid material such as ink into such a droplet discharge head, for example, a cap made of a flexible material is brought into contact with the nozzle surface of the head in a pressed state, and a closed space in the cap is formed. The pressure is reduced by a pressure reducing means connected to the cap. However, the flow path inside the head is fine, and air bubbles accumulate in a portion where the flow of the functional liquid is stagnant, such as a bent portion, a portion where the width of the flow channel changes, and an uneven portion. If air bubbles remain in the head as described above, the pressure loss at the time of discharging the droplets increases, which causes not only unstable discharge, but also a problem that the ink cannot be discharged in a severe case. Therefore, conventionally, when the liquid material is filled in the head by the above-described reduced pressure, bubbles are simultaneously sucked and discharged together with the liquid material by the cap. As described above, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for discharging ink and residual air bubbles by suction to a head.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-85153 A
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above-described related art has the following problems.
Since the liquid material sucked together with the air bubbles is discharged, if the liquid material itself is expensive, the cost is greatly increased. Further, in the case of a liquid material such as a protein used for gene synthesis that can be prepared only in a small amount, the amount of the liquid to be discharged cannot be secured, so that there is a possibility that the filling into the head and the discharge of bubbles may not be sufficient. Further, in recent years, since there has been an increasing demand for discharging fine droplets, the nozzles of the head are also formed in fine dimensions. Therefore, the capillary force is increased, and it is becoming difficult to discharge bubbles by suction.
[0007]
In addition, when applying the droplet discharge technology to various applications, the use of high-viscosity liquids is increasing, but since high-viscosity liquids do not easily discharge bubbles by suction, it is necessary to perform a large amount of suction. There is also a problem that the consumed high viscosity liquid increases. Further, since the high-viscosity liquid does not flow smoothly inside the head, the air bubbles adhering to the wall of the flow path in the head may not be easily removed, and the air bubbles may not be sufficiently discharged.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and can fill a liquid without wasting a liquid material in a head, and can sufficiently discharge bubbles, a film forming apparatus, a method of filling the liquid material, and the like. An object is to provide a device manufacturing method, a device manufacturing apparatus, a device, and an electronic apparatus.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.
The film forming apparatus of the present invention is a film forming apparatus having a head that discharges the supplied liquid material, a decompression unit that supplies the liquid material by depressurizing the inside of the head, and It is characterized by comprising a regulating means for regulating the supply of the liquid material.
[0010]
Further, the liquid filling method of the film forming apparatus of the present invention is a liquid filling method of a film forming apparatus for filling the liquid inside a head for discharging a supplied liquid, wherein the inside of the head is depressurized. And a step of regulating the supply of the liquid material according to the reduced pressure.
[0011]
Therefore, in the film forming apparatus and the liquid filling method of the present invention, the pressure inside the head is reduced before the liquid is filled, so that the air inside the head, which is the base of bubbles, can be reduced in advance. At this time, since the supply of the liquid material to the head due to the pressure difference due to the reduced pressure is regulated, the liquid material can be gently filled into the head, and bubbles can hardly remain in the head. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a large amount of the liquid material from being consumed in order to discharge air bubbles even if the liquid material has a high viscosity, and to prevent useless consumption of a liquid material that can be manufactured only in a small amount.
[0012]
In the case of a configuration in which the storage unit that stores the liquid material is connected to the head, a configuration that includes a second pressure reducing unit that reduces the pressure of the storage unit can be adopted as the regulating unit.
In this case, the liquid is supplied to the inside of the head by the pressure difference between the inside of the head and the reservoir, but the pressure difference is smaller than when the reservoir is under atmospheric pressure, and the liquid is gradually introduced into the head. It becomes possible to supply.
[0013]
Further, a configuration having an on-off valve for opening and closing a liquid supply path provided between the head and the storage section is also suitable. By closing the supply path by the on-off valve, the inside of the head and the reservoir can be independently decompressed, and each can be rapidly decompressed to a predetermined pressure. Then, by opening the supply path by the on-off valve, the liquid material can be smoothly supplied from the reservoir to the inside of the head due to the pressure difference.
[0014]
Further, in the case of a configuration in which the storage unit that supplies the liquid material via the supply path is connected, a configuration having an adjustment valve that adjusts the flow rate of the liquid material in the supply path can be adopted as the regulating unit. In this case, when the pressure inside the head is reduced, an amount of the liquid material corresponding to the reduced pressure is about to be supplied from the storage unit. The head can be filled gently, and air bubbles can hardly remain in the head.
[0015]
Further, in the present invention, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a regulation control means for controlling the regulation means to change the supply amount of the liquid material to the head is provided.
In this case, the speed and pressure of the liquid supplied to the inside of the head fluctuate (for example, pulsate), so that the air bubbles are easily moved and hardly adhere to a wall or the like. Therefore, air bubbles can be hardly left inside the head.
[0016]
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a detecting means for detecting a filling state of the liquid material inside the head, and a control means for controlling supply control of the liquid material by the restricting means based on a detection result of the detecting means. Is preferred.
In this configuration, when it is detected that the liquid material is filled in the head, the supply of the liquid material to the inside of the head is stopped, so that the liquid material can be prevented from being sucked by the decompression means.
[0017]
The device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a device manufacturing apparatus for forming a film on a work by discharging droplets from a head, wherein the film is formed on the work using the above-described film forming apparatus. . Further, the liquid filling method of the film forming apparatus of the present invention is a liquid filling method of a film forming apparatus for filling the liquid inside a head for discharging a supplied liquid, wherein the inside of the head is depressurized. And a step of regulating the supply of the liquid material according to the reduced pressure.
[0018]
Thus, according to the present invention, wasteful consumption of the liquid material can be prevented, and bubbles during the filling of the liquid material remain inside the head, and the ejection of the droplet becomes unstable or the ejection becomes impossible. Can be avoided, and a film can be formed on a work with desired discharge characteristics.
[0019]
Further, a device of the present invention is characterized by being manufactured by the device manufacturing apparatus described above. As a result, according to the present invention, a high-quality device in which a film is formed with droplets that are stably discharged can be obtained.
[0020]
An electronic apparatus according to another aspect of the invention includes the above device. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem caused by the bubbles remaining in the head, and to obtain an electronic device that is reduced in cost because the liquid material is not wasted and the productivity is improved. Can be.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a film forming apparatus, a liquid filling method thereof, a device manufacturing apparatus, a device manufacturing method, a device, and an electronic apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the film forming apparatus of the present invention is described as being applied to a filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter or the like used for a liquid crystal display device using, for example, ink as a liquid material. The liquid that can be used in the present invention is included in the liquid. That is, the liquid material includes, in addition to the liquid described above, a liquid material containing fine particles of, for example, metal.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a film forming apparatus (inkjet apparatus) 10 constituting a filter manufacturing apparatus (device manufacturing apparatus). This filter manufacturing apparatus includes three film forming apparatuses 10 having substantially the same structure, and each of the film forming apparatuses 10 has an ink of each color of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Is discharged onto the filter substrate.
[0023]
The film forming apparatus 10 includes a base 12, a first moving unit 14, a second moving unit 16, an electronic balance (weight measuring unit) (not shown), an inkjet head (head) 20 as a droplet discharge head, a capping unit 22, a cleaning unit. 24 etc. The first moving means 14, the electronic balance, the capping unit 22, the cleaning unit 24, and the second moving means 16 are respectively set on the base 12.
[0024]
The first moving means 14 is preferably installed directly on the base 12, and the first moving means 14 is positioned along the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the second moving means 16 is mounted upright on the base 12 using the columns 16A, 16A, and the second moving means 16 is mounted on the rear portion 12A of the base 12. The X axis direction of the second moving unit 16 is a direction orthogonal to the Y axis direction of the first moving unit 14. The Y axis is an axis along the direction of the front part 12B and the rear part 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 each is horizontal.
[0025]
The first moving means 14 has guide rails 40, 40, and the first moving means 14 can employ, for example, a linear motor. The slider 42 of the first moving means 14 of the linear motor type can be positioned by moving in the Y-axis direction along the guide rail 40.
[0026]
The slider 42 includes 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 46. Thus, when the motor 44 is energized, the rotor and the table 46 can rotate along the θ direction to index the rotation of the table 46.
[0027]
The table 46 positions and holds a substrate 48 as a work. Further, the table 46 has a suction holding unit 50, and by operating the suction holding unit 50, the substrate 48 can be suctioned and held on the table 46 through the hole 46 </ b> A of the table 46. The table 46 is provided with a preliminary ejection area 52 for the inkjet head 20 to discard or test eject (preliminary ejection) ink.
[0028]
The second moving means 16 has a column 16B fixed to the columns 16A, 16A, and the column 16B has a second moving means 16 of a linear motor type. The slider 60 can be positioned by moving in the X-axis direction along the guide rail 62A, and the slider 60 includes the inkjet head 20 as an ink discharge unit.
[0029]
The ink jet head 20 has motors 62, 64, 66, 68 as swing positioning means. By operating the motor 62, the ink jet head 20 can be moved up and down along the Z axis to 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 ink jet 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 ink jet head 20 can be positioned by swinging in the α direction around the Z axis.
[0030]
As described above, the ink jet head 20 of FIG. 1 can be positioned by linearly moving in the Z-axis direction, and can be positioned by swinging along α, β, and γ in the slider 60. The position or orientation of the ejection surface 20P can be accurately controlled 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 (for example, 120) nozzles each of which ejects ink.
[0031]
Here, a structural example of the inkjet head 20 will be described with reference to FIG. The inkjet head 20 is, for example, a head using a piezo element (piezoelectric element). As shown in FIG. 2A, a plurality of nozzles 91 are formed on an ink ejection surface 20P of a head main body 90. A piezo element 92 is provided for each of the nozzles 91.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the piezo element 92 is disposed corresponding to the nozzle 91 and the ink chamber 93, and is located, for example, between a pair of electrodes (not shown). It is configured to bend in such a manner. Then, by applying an applied voltage Vh to the piezo element 92 as shown in FIG. 2C, the piezo element 92 is pointed by an arrow as shown in FIGS. 2D, 2F and 2E. By expanding and contracting in the Q direction, the ink is pressurized and a predetermined amount of droplets (ink droplets) 99 are ejected from the nozzle 91.
[0033]
More specifically, as shown in the ejection waveform diagram of FIG. 3A, the ink chamber is expanded and the volume is increased by the waveform section a1 having the positive gradient, and the ink corresponding to the increased volume is stored in the ink chamber. Inflow. Further, by applying the applied voltage Vh in the waveform section a2 having a negative gradient, the ink chamber is reduced, and a predetermined amount of ink is ejected from the nozzle 91 by pressurizing the ink. The inkjet system of the inkjet head 20 may be a system other than the piezo-jet type using the piezoelectric element 92, for example, a thermal inkjet type using thermal expansion.
[0034]
A driving voltage suitable for the type and temperature of the ink is applied to a piezo element 92 provided in the inkjet head 20 under the control of a control device 28 described later in order to eject a predetermined amount of ink. (Not shown) for each nozzle 91. Further, by controlling the driving device, the control device 28 applies not only the ejection waveform shown in FIG. 3A but also the micro-vibration waveform shown in FIG. 3B to the piezo element 92 as a driving waveform.
[0035]
FIG. 4 shows an ink supply system for the inkjet head 20.
The ink stored in the ink tank 25 as a storage unit is supplied to the inkjet head 20 via an ink tube (supply path) 26. The ink tank 25 is provided with a suction pump (second pressure reducing means) 31 as a regulating means for sucking the internal space 25a and reducing the pressure, and an open valve 32 for releasing the internal space 25a to atmospheric pressure. The driving of the suction pump 31 and the opening and closing of the release valve 32 are controlled by a control device 28 as shown in FIG. In the middle of the ink tube 26, an ink valve (open / close valve) 33 for opening and closing the ink tube 26 is provided. The opening and closing operation of the ink valve 33 is also controlled by the control device 28 (see FIG. 5).
[0036]
The cleaning unit 24 can perform cleaning of the nozzles and the like of the inkjet head 20 regularly or at any time during the filter manufacturing process or during standby. The capping unit 22 prevents the ink in the nozzles of the inkjet head 20 from drying out, and prevents the ink ejection surface 20P from being exposed to the outside air during a standby time when the filter is not manufactured. The cleaning unit 24 has a moving means 34 for moving the suction pad 35 with respect to the inkjet head 20 between the contact position and the separation position under the control of the suction pad 35 and the control device 28 (FIG. 5).
[0037]
The suction pad 35 includes a suction pump (decompression means) 29 for sucking the inside of the head 20 and reducing the pressure when the head 20 comes into contact with the inkjet head 20, and an opening valve 36 for opening the inside of the head 20 to atmospheric pressure. And an optical sensor (detection means) 37 for optically detecting a state of ink filling in the ink jet head 20. The detection result of the optical sensor 37 is output to the control device 28.
[0038]
Returning to FIG. 1, the electronic balance measures, for example, the weight of one ink droplet ejected from the nozzle of the inkjet head 20, and for example, 5,000 ink droplets from the nozzle of the inkjet head 20. receive. The electronic balance can measure the weight of one ink drop almost exactly by dividing the weight of the 5000 ink drops by 5000. Based on the measured amount of the ink droplet, the amount of the ink droplet ejected from the inkjet head 20 can be optimally controlled.
[0039]
Next, an operation of filling the inkjet head 20 with ink will be described.
First, ink is not introduced into the inkjet head 20 at the beginning of the film forming process (droplet discharging process). Therefore, before the film forming process, the inside of the inkjet head 20 is sucked by the suction pump 29 to introduce the ink. Specifically, first, the control device 28 causes the suction pad 35 of the cleaning unit 24 to contact the inkjet head 20 via the moving unit 34. The control device 28 controls the ink valve 33 and the release valves 32 and 36 to close the ink tube 26 and to keep the ink tank 25 and the inkjet head 20 in a closed state.
[0040]
Next, the controller 28 operates the suction pumps 29 and 31 to reduce the pressure inside the inkjet head 20 and the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 to a predetermined pressure. Here, since the pressure is reduced while the ink tube 26 is closed by the ink valve 33, it is possible to prevent the inkjet head 20 and the ink tank 25 from adversely affecting each other in reducing the pressure.
[0041]
By this depressurizing step, air serving as a base of air bubbles is discharged from both the inside of the inkjet head 20 and the inside space 25a of the ink tank 25. At this time, the control device 28 reduces the pressure so that the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 has a higher pressure than the inside of the head and a lower pressure than the atmospheric pressure. Then, when the pressure inside the ink jet head 20 and the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 is reduced to a predetermined pressure, the controller 28 controls the ink valve 33 to open the ink tube 26. Thus, the ink in the ink tank 25 is supplied to the inkjet head 20 by a pressure difference between the ink tank 25 and the inkjet head 20 and a capillary force.
[0042]
Here, if the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 is under atmospheric pressure, the ink is rapidly introduced into the inkjet head 20, but since the internal space 25a is also depressurized, the ink is Is smaller than the pressure difference when the internal space 25a is at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the supply of the ink in the ink tank 25 to the inside of the inkjet head 20 is regulated, and the ink is gently supplied and filled via the ink tube 26 (filling step). When the optical sensor 37 detects that the ink has been filled into the ink jet head 20, the control device 28 stops the driving of the suction pumps 29, 31 and opens the open valves 32, 36 to open the ink jet head 20. The inside and the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 are returned to the atmospheric pressure. This makes it possible to prevent the supply of ink from being stopped and the ink from being sucked by the suction pad 35 because the pressures inside the ink jet head 20 and the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 become equal.
[0043]
Subsequently, the control device 28 separates the suction pad 35 from the inkjet head 20 via the moving unit 34. Thus, the ink filling process before the film forming process is completed. In this step, in addition to discharging the air that is the base of the air bubbles in advance, the head 20 is gently filled with the ink. That is, the ink can be filled in a state where almost no air bubbles remain.
[0044]
Next, driving of the inkjet head 20 will be described.
As described above, when the ink is filled in the ink jet head 20 from the ink tank 25 via the liquid feeding tube 26, a driving voltage having a discharge waveform shown in FIG. Ink is ejected from a predetermined nozzle 91 by driving the piezo element 92 corresponding to the nozzle 91 at an arbitrary interval and cycle.
[0045]
Next, the film forming process will be described.
When the operator feeds 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 suction-held and positioned on the table 46. Then, the motor 44 is operated to set the end faces of the substrate 48 so as to be parallel to the Y-axis direction.
[0046]
Next, the inkjet head 20 moves along the X-axis direction and is positioned above the electronic balance. Then, the designated number of drops (the number of designated ink drops) is ejected. Thus, the electronic balance measures, for example, the weight of 5000 ink drops, and calculates the weight per ink drop. Then, it is determined whether or not the weight of each ink droplet falls within a predetermined appropriate range. If the weight is outside the appropriate range, the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 30 is adjusted, and the like. Keep the weight per drop properly.
[0047]
When the weight of each 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 inkjet head 20 is moved by the second moving means 16 in the X-axis direction. It is moved and positioned appropriately in the direction. Then, the ink jet head 20 pre-discharges ink from all nozzles to the pre-discharge area 52, and then moves relative to the substrate 48 in the Y-axis direction (actually, the substrate 48 Move in the Y direction), and discharge ink from a predetermined nozzle to a predetermined area on the substrate 48 with a predetermined width. When the one-time relative movement between the ink-jet head 20 and the substrate 48 is completed, the ink-jet head 20 moves by a predetermined amount in the X-axis direction with respect to the substrate 48, and thereafter, while the substrate 48 moves with respect to the ink-jet head 20 To eject ink. By repeating this operation a plurality of times, ink can be ejected to the entire film forming region to form a film.
[0048]
Next, an example of manufacturing a color filter by a film forming process will be described with reference to FIGS.
The substrate 48 shown in FIG. 6 is a transparent substrate that has high mechanical transparency and high light transmittance. As the substrate 48, for example, a transparent glass substrate, acrylic glass, a plastic substrate, a plastic film, and a surface-treated product thereof can be used.
[0049]
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of color filter regions 105 are formed in a matrix on a rectangular substrate 48 from the viewpoint of increasing productivity. These color filter regions 105 can be used as color filters suitable for a liquid crystal display device by cutting the glass 48 later.
[0050]
In the color filter area 105, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, R ink, G ink, and B ink are formed and arranged in a predetermined pattern. As the formation pattern, there are a mosaic type, a delta type, a square type and the like in addition to a conventionally known stripe type as shown in the figure. In particular, when the nozzle interval is made to correspond to the arrangement pitch of the pixel portions by tilting the head 20, the stripe type is effective because the number of nozzles that can be discharged at one time is large.
[0051]
FIG. 6 shows an example of a process for forming the color filter region 105 on the substrate 48.
In FIG. 6A, a black matrix 110 is formed on one surface of a transparent substrate 48. A resin having no light transmission property (preferably black) is applied to a predetermined thickness (for example, about 2 μm) on a substrate 48 serving as a base of the color filter by a method such as spin coating, and is subjected to photolithography. The black matrix 110 is provided in the form of a matrix by the above method. The smallest display element surrounded by the lattice of the black matrix 110 is a filter element, for example, a window having a width of about 30 μm in the X-axis direction and a length of about 100 μm in the Y-axis direction.
After the formation of the black matrix 110, the resin on the substrate 48 is baked by, for example, applying heat with a heater.
[0052]
As shown in FIG. 6B, the ink droplet 99 is supplied to the filter element 112. The amount of the ink droplet 99 is a sufficient amount in consideration of a decrease in the volume of the ink in the heating step.
In the heating step in FIG. 6C, when all the filter elements 112 on the color filter are filled with the ink droplets 99, a heating process is performed using a heater. The substrate 48 is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, about 70 ° C.). As the solvent in the ink evaporates, the volume of the ink decreases. When the volume decreases sharply, the ink discharging step and the heating step are repeated until a sufficient ink film thickness as a color filter is obtained. By this processing, the solvent of the ink evaporates, and finally, only the solid content of the ink remains to form a film.
[0053]
In the protective film forming step of FIG. 6D, 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 on which the ink film is formed 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, and a ripping method can be adopted.
In the transparent electrode forming step of FIG. 6E, the transparent electrode 130 is formed over the entire surface of the protective film 120 using a recipe such as a sputtering method or a vacuum deposition method.
In the patterning step of FIG. 6F, the transparent electrode 130 is further patterned into a pixel electrode corresponding to the opening of the filter element 112.
[0054]
This patterning is unnecessary when a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) or the like is used for driving the liquid crystal. Further, during the film forming process, it is desirable to wipe the ink ejection surface 20P of the inkjet head 20 using the cleaning unit 24 periodically or as needed.
[0055]
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the ink is filled, the pressure inside the ink jet head 20 and the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25 is reduced to discharge the air that forms the base of the air bubbles in advance. The number of generated bubbles can be significantly reduced. Further, in the present embodiment, by regulating the supply of the ink, the ink can be gently introduced into the head 20, so that the air bubbles formed by entraining the air can be reduced, and the air bubbles in the head 20 can be reduced. Ink can be filled without remaining.
[0056]
Therefore, even when using a liquid material that can be produced only with a high viscosity or a small amount, or when using a head with a fine size, the bubble discharging operation is facilitated, and the wasteful consumption of the liquid material due to the bubble discharging is suppressed. Since it is possible, cost increase can be prevented. In the present embodiment, by using the inkjet head 20 in which no air bubbles remain, it is possible to avoid a situation such as unstable ejection or non-ejection due to the remaining air bubbles, and it is possible to accurately print the ink on the substrate 48 with desired ejection characteristics. The film can be formed well.
[0057]
Further, in the present embodiment, by providing the ink tube 33 with the ink valve 33, it is possible to perform independent decompression work on the ink jet head 20 and the ink tank 25, and to smoothly and quickly reduce the pressure to a predetermined pressure. It is possible. Further, in the present embodiment, since the ink filling state in the head 20 is detected by the optical sensor 37, it is possible to stop the ink supply before the ink is sucked into the suction pad 35, which is wasteful. Ink consumption can be further prevented.
[0058]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.
For example, in the above embodiment, the sensor for detecting the ink filling is provided. However, when the sensor is not provided, the procedure may be such that the suction pumps 29 and 31 are stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed.
[0059]
Further, in the above embodiment, the supply of ink to the inside of the inkjet head 20 is regulated by reducing the pressure in the internal space 25a of the ink tank 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Functions not only as an on-off valve for opening and closing the ink flow path, but also as an adjusting valve (restriction means) capable of variably adjusting the flow rate of ink in the ink tube 26. That is, the ink flow path may be narrowed so that the amount of ink corresponding to the amount of sucked air is not supplied. Also in this case, since the supply of ink to the inside of the inkjet head 20 is regulated, the head 20 is gradually filled with the ink, so that the entrainment of air can be suppressed and bubbles can be prevented from remaining.
[0060]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the pressure difference between the ink tank 25 and the inkjet head 20 has been described as being constant. However, the present invention is not limited to this. By controlling the valve 33 as the regulation control means by the control device 28, the amount of ink supplied to the inside of the inkjet head 20 may be varied, for example, by pulsating. In this case, when the head is filled with ink, fluctuations in the speed and pressure of the ink cause a state in which vibrations are simulated and bubbles attached to the head wall are easily moved, and the bubbles are more reliably discharged. It becomes possible to do. In addition, as a method for further preventing bubbles from remaining, pretreatment such as preheating of the ink and filling of low density ink in advance to improve wettability can be performed.
[0061]
On the other hand, the device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to, for example, manufacturing a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, but can be applied to, for example, an EL (electroluminescence) display device. An EL display device has a configuration in which a thin film containing a fluorescent inorganic or organic compound is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode. Electrons and holes are injected into the thin film and recombined, thereby forming excitons. (Exciton), and emits light by utilizing light emission (fluorescence / phosphorescence) when the exciton is deactivated. Among the fluorescent materials used in such EL display elements, materials that emit red, green, and blue light, that is, a material that forms a light emitting layer and a material that forms a hole injection / electron transport layer are used as inks, and each of the present invention is used as an ink. By patterning on an element substrate such as a TFT or a TFD using the device manufacturing apparatus described above, a self-luminous full-color EL device can be manufactured. The scope of the device in the present invention includes such an EL device.
[0062]
In this case, for example, similar to the above-described black matrix of the color filter, a resin partition is formed using a resin resist so as to partition each pixel, and the discharged droplets are easily attached to the surface of the lower layer. In addition, in order to prevent the partition from repelling the discharged droplet and mixing with the droplet in the adjacent section, the surface of the substrate is subjected to plasma, UV treatment, coupling, etc. as a process prior to the discharge of the droplet. Perform processing. Thereafter, the film is manufactured through a first film forming step in which a material for forming the hole injection / electron transport layer is supplied as droplets to form a film, and a second film forming step in which a light emitting layer is similarly formed. .
[0063]
The EL display device manufactured using the device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a low-information field such as a segment display and a simultaneous display of a still image with simultaneous emission, for example, a picture, a character, a label, or the like, or a dot, line, or surface. It can also be used as a light source having a shape. Further, a full-color display device having high luminance and excellent responsiveness can be obtained by using an active element such as a TFT as well as a passively driven display element for driving. Furthermore, if a metal material or an insulating material is provided for the droplet discharge patterning technology of the present apparatus, direct fine patterning of metal wiring or insulating film can be performed, and a PDP (plasma display panel) using this metal wiring forming technology can be used. ), Or the fabrication of a new high-performance device such as an antenna for a wireless tag.
[0064]
In the above-described embodiment, for convenience, the ink-jet device and the ink-jet head have been referred to as “ink-jet”, and the ejected material has been described as “ink”. The material is not limited to the above, and any material may be used as long as it is adjusted so as to be ejected from the head as a droplet. For example, various materials such as the above-described EL device material, metal material, insulating material, and semiconductor material may be included. Needless to say.
[0065]
The ink jet head 20 of the illustrated film forming apparatus has an R (red). G (green). One type of ink of B (blue) can be ejected. Of course, two or three types of ink can be simultaneously ejected. Further, the first moving means 14 and the second moving means 16 of the film forming apparatus 10 use linear motors, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of motors and actuators can be used.
[0066]
Electronic devices in which the device according to the present embodiment is incorporated include personal computers and portable telephones, electronic organizers, pagers, POS terminals, IC cards, minidisc players, liquid crystal projectors, engineering workstations (EWS), word processors And various electronic devices such as a television, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, an electronic desk calculator, a car navigation device, a device having a touch panel, a clock and a game device. For example, FIG. 8A is a perspective view illustrating an example of a mobile phone. In FIG. 8A, reference numeral 600 denotes a mobile phone main body, and reference numeral 601 denotes a display unit using the above color filter. FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing an example of a portable information processing device such as a word processor or a personal computer. 8B, reference numeral 700 denotes an information processing device, reference numeral 701 denotes an input unit such as a keyboard, reference numeral 703 denotes an information processing device main body, and reference numeral 702 denotes a display unit using the above-described color filter. FIG. 8C is a perspective view illustrating an example of a wristwatch-type electronic device. In FIG. 8C, reference numeral 800 denotes a watch main body, and reference numeral 801 denotes a display unit using the above color filter. Since the electronic devices shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C include the color filters of the above-described embodiments, it is possible to realize electronic devices including color filters that can be manufactured with high quality and high throughput. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a film forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure of an inkjet head.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a driving waveform of an inkjet head.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an ink supply system relating to an inkjet head.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for manufacturing a color filter using a substrate.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a substrate and a part of a color filter region on the substrate.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic apparatus including a display device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Film-forming apparatus (inkjet apparatus), 20 inkjet head (head), 25 ink tank (storage part), 26 ink tube (supply path), 28 control apparatus (regulation control means, control means), 29 suction pump (pressure reduction means) ), 31 suction pump (second pressure reducing means, regulating means), 33 ink valve (opening / closing valve, regulating means, regulating valve), 48 substrate (work)

Claims (11)

A film forming apparatus having a head for discharging a supplied liquid material,
Decompression means for decompressing the inside of the head and supplying the liquid material,
A film forming apparatus comprising: a regulating unit that regulates the supply of the liquid material according to the pressure reduction. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
A storage unit that stores the liquid material is connected to the head,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the regulating means has a second pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the reservoir to a pressure higher than the inside of the head and to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2,
A film forming apparatus, comprising: an opening / closing valve provided between the head and the reservoir to open and close a supply path of the liquid material. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
A reservoir that supplies the liquid material via a supply path is connected to the head,
The film forming apparatus, wherein the regulating means has an adjusting valve for adjusting a flow rate of the liquid material in the supply path. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A film forming apparatus comprising: a regulation control unit that controls the regulation unit to change a supply amount of the liquid material to the head. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Detecting means for detecting the filling state of the liquid material inside the head,
A film forming apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to control supply control of the liquid material by the control unit based on a detection result of the detection unit. A device manufacturing apparatus for forming a film on a work by discharging droplets from a head,
A device manufacturing apparatus, wherein a film is formed on the work using the film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A device manufactured by the device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7. An electronic apparatus comprising the device according to claim 8. A liquid filling method of a film forming apparatus for filling the liquid inside a head that discharges the supplied liquid,
Depressurizing the inside of the head,
Regulating the supply of the liquid material according to the reduced pressure. A device manufacturing method having a filling step of filling a liquid material into a head, and a film forming step of forming a film on a work by discharging droplets from the head,
A device manufacturing method, wherein the filling step is performed by using the liquid filling method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 10.

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