JP2004313891A - Method and device for discharging droplet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for discharging droplets in which an expensive reagent and a rare sample can be easily and positively filled, and bubbles, fine particles, and the like are inhibited from residing in the liquid. <P>SOLUTION: In the method for discharging droplets, the liquid L is discharged to a desired point by using a discharge head 2. The discharge head 2 is provided with a cavity for storing the liquid L, a nozzle communicating with the cavity, and a discharge means for discharging the liquid L stored in the cavity from the nozzle. The method for discharging droplets is characterized by being provided with a process for removing impurities A contained in the liquid L from a flow path 24 in which the liquid L is allowed to flow. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a droplet discharging method and a droplet discharging device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, there has been remarkable progress in analyzing gene structures, and many gene structures including human genes have been revealed. In order to analyze such a gene structure, thousands or more than 10,000 different types of DNA fragments are aligned and fixed as spots on a substrate such as a microscope slide glass to obtain a test object, which is observed with a microscope or the like. Such methods are adopted.
[0003]
However, when several thousand or more objects are manufactured, such as in the case of such an object to be inspected, it is extremely inefficient if all the operations are performed manually, and thus automation is desired.
As one method for performing the automation, it is conceivable to use a filling device that discharges a liquid material such as a reagent and fills the test object. As a filling device for discharging a liquid material, for example, there is a droplet discharging device called an ink jet device (for example, see Patent Literature 1) conventionally used in printers and the like.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-324505 A
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described droplet discharge device, a liquid reservoir tank is provided behind the discharge head, and a liquid material is supplied to the discharge head from this tank, and a droplet (liquid material) is discharged from a nozzle of the discharge head. It is.
However, in the production of a test object or the like using a DNA fragment as described above, a specimen such as a DNA to be used is rare and a reagent to be used is often expensive. Therefore, it is difficult to store a large amount of the liquid material to be a sample in the liquid storage tank and in the path from the liquid storage tank to the discharge head, supply the liquid to the discharge head, and discharge the liquid.
[0006]
Because, when the liquid storage tank is provided as described above, the liquid must be filled in a path from the liquid storage tank to the discharge head, and a test liquid is used to remove mixed air (bubbles). Body discharge must be performed, and therefore, a large amount of liquid material (sample) is required, and a large amount of liquid material (sample) is wasted, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost. This is because it cannot be applied.
[0007]
On the other hand, in order to avoid the difficulty in handling the rare liquid material, a method has been proposed in which the liquid material is sucked by a necessary amount from the nozzles of the discharge head and charged into the discharge head. According to this method, there is no need to store the liquid in a liquid storage tank or the like, which is advantageous in cost.
[0008]
However, in this method, bubbles are generated by sucking the liquid material from the nozzle, and not only the bubbles remain in the ejection head, but also dust such as fine particles smaller in diameter than the nozzle diameter remains. There is a problem. Furthermore, in order to remove the remaining air bubbles, fine particles, and the like, it is necessary to suck more liquid material, and as a result, there is a problem that the liquid material is wasted.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to easily and surely fill expensive reagents and rare specimens, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a droplet discharge method and a droplet discharge device which can suppress the residual of particles and fine particles.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a droplet discharging method according to the present invention includes a cavity for storing a liquid material, a nozzle communicating with the cavity, and a discharge unit for discharging the liquid material stored in the cavity from the nozzle. A droplet discharging method for discharging a liquid material to a desired location using a discharge head having the method, comprising a step of removing impurities contained in the liquid material from a flow path in which the liquid material flows. I do.
[0011]
According to this droplet discharging method, the liquid stored in the cavity is discharged from the nozzle by the discharging means, so that the liquid can be discharged from the cavity through the nozzle by the discharging means. Further, when a storage tank in which a large amount of liquid material is stored and the cavity are connected via the flow path, the large amount of liquid material can be continuously discharged from the nozzle. Further, when impurities contained in the liquid material are removed from the inside of the flow path, it is possible to minimize the amount of the liquid material to be removed together with the impurities, and therefore, when the liquid material is expensive or rare, Also, it is possible to remove impurities without wasting the liquid material. Further, since the impurities are removed from the inside of the flow path as described above, the liquids can be satisfactorily discharged without the impurities remaining in the discharge head.
[0012]
Further, in the droplet discharging method, it is preferable that the step of removing the impurities is performed by opening an on-off valve that makes the inside and the outside of the flow path communicate.
According to this droplet discharging method, by opening the on-off valve, the inside and the outside of the flow path are in communication. When the impurity is, for example, a bubble, the bubble moves from the inside of the communicating channel to the outside, so that the bubble can be removed from the channel. That is, the air bubbles can be removed by opening the on-off valve. In the on-off valve, the air bubbles may be removed by suction in a state where the inside and the outside communicate with each other.
[0013]
Further, in the droplet discharging method, by contacting the nozzle with a liquid material prepared in advance, supplying the liquid material to the nozzle, and suctioning the liquid material from the flow path connected to the cavity side. And a step of sucking the liquid material toward the flow channel through the nozzle.
According to this droplet discharging method, the liquid material is sucked from the nozzle and stored in the cavity, and then the stored liquid material is discharged from the nozzle by the discharging means. Liquid material can be sucked into the discharge head by the minimum amount that can be ejected. Therefore, even when the liquid material is expensive or scarce, a small amount of liquid material can be ejected without wasting it. Can be
[0014]
Further, the droplet discharge device of the present invention has a cavity for storing a liquid material, a nozzle communicating with the cavity, and a discharge unit for discharging the liquid material stored in the cavity from the nozzle. A droplet discharge device including a discharge head, the liquid discharge device being connected to the cavity side of the discharge head and removing a flow path through which the liquid flows and impurities contained in the liquid from the flow path. And a removing means.
[0015]
According to this droplet discharge device, since the liquid stored in the cavity is discharged from the nozzle by the discharge means, the liquid can be discharged from the cavity through the nozzle by the discharge means. Also, when a storage tank in which a large amount of liquid material is stored is provided, and the storage tank and the cavity are connected via the flow path, the large amount of liquid material is continuously discharged from the nozzle. be able to. Further, since the impurities contained in the liquid material are removed from the inside of the flow path by the removing means, the liquid material can be discharged favorably without the impurities remaining in the discharge head.
[0016]
In the droplet discharge device, it is preferable that the removing unit is provided in at least a part of the flow path, and includes an opening / closing valve that connects the inside and the outside of the flow path to each other.
According to this droplet discharge device, by opening the on-off valve, the inside and the outside of the flow path are in communication. When the impurity is, for example, a bubble, the bubble moves from the inside of the communicating channel to the outside, so that the bubble can be removed from the channel. That is, the air bubbles can be removed by providing the removing means at a desired position in the flow path. In the removing means, a suction means may be provided to remove the air bubbles by suction while the inside and outside of the flow path communicate with each other.
[0017]
In this droplet discharge device, it is preferable that the flow path has a curved portion having a bottom portion and a top portion, and the removing means is provided at the top portion of the curved portion.
According to this droplet discharge device, the bubbles move from the bottom side to the top side by the action of buoyancy of the bubbles existing in the curved portion of the flow path, so that the bubbles can be concentrated at the top.
[0018]
In this droplet discharge device, the nozzle is brought into contact with a liquid material prepared in advance, and the liquid material is supplied from the liquid supply unit that supplies the liquid material to the nozzle, and the liquid material is sucked from the flow path connected to the cavity side. Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a suction unit for sucking the liquid material toward the flow path through the nozzle.
According to this droplet discharge device, the liquid material is supplied from the liquid material supply unit to the nozzle by the suction means, and is further suctioned and stored in the cavity. Thereafter, if the stored liquid material is discharged from the nozzle by the discharge means, it becomes possible to suck the liquid material into the discharge head by a minimum amount that can be discharged from the cavity through the nozzle by the discharge means, that is, Even when the liquid material is expensive or scarce, it is possible to discharge a small amount without wasting the liquid material.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are views showing an example of a droplet discharge device of the present invention, and reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1A indicates a droplet discharge device. The droplet discharge device 1 includes a discharge head 2, a container 3 for storing a liquid to be discharged, a removing unit 4 for removing bubbles (impurities) contained in the liquid, and a discharge head 2. The pressure controller 5 is provided with a suction means for sucking a liquid material.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2A, the ejection head 2 includes a nozzle plate 12 made of, for example, stainless steel and a vibration plate 13, and both are joined via a partition member (reservoir plate) 14. A plurality of cavities 15... And a reservoir 16 are formed between the nozzle plate 12 and the vibration plate 13 by a partition member 14, and these cavities 15. I have.
[0021]
Each cavity 15 and the inside of the reservoir 16 are filled with a liquid material, and a flow path 17 therebetween functions as a supply port for supplying the liquid material from the reservoir 16 to the cavity 15. . The nozzle plate 12 has a plurality of hole-shaped nozzles 18 for ejecting the liquid material from the cavities 15 in a state of being arranged vertically and horizontally. On the other hand, the diaphragm 13 is formed with a hole 19 that opens into the reservoir 16, and the hole 19 is connected to the removing unit 4 via a flow path 24.
[0022]
Further, a piezoelectric element (piezo element) 20 is joined to the surface of the vibration plate 13 opposite to the surface facing the cavity 15 as shown in FIG. The piezoelectric element 20 is sandwiched between the pair of electrodes 21 and 21 and is configured to bend so as to protrude outward when energized, and functions as a discharge unit in the present invention.
[0023]
The vibration plate 13 to which the piezoelectric element 20 is bonded in such a configuration flexes outward simultaneously with the piezoelectric element 20, thereby increasing the volume of the cavity 15. Then, the inside of the cavity 15 communicates with the inside of the reservoir 16, and when the liquid material is filled in the reservoir 16, the liquid material corresponding to the increased volume in the cavity 15 flows from the reservoir 16. It flows in via path 17.
When the power supply to the piezoelectric element 20 is released from such a state, both the piezoelectric element 20 and the diaphragm 13 return to their original shapes. Therefore, since the cavity 15 also returns to the original volume, the pressure of the liquid in the cavity 15 increases, and the liquid droplet 22 is discharged from the nozzle 18.
[0024]
The flow path 17 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 23 for opening and closing the flow path 17. Therefore, when the solenoid valve 23 is closed, the space between the cavity 15 and the reservoir 16 is closed, whereby the liquid in the cavity 15 is reliably prevented from flowing back to the reservoir 16 side. That is, when only a small amount of the liquid material can be sucked as described later, the liquid material may not be sufficiently filled in the reservoir 16. By closing the flow path 17 between the reservoir 15 and the reservoir 16, the liquid can be discharged from the nozzle 18 without flowing back to the reservoir 16.
[0025]
The ejection means of the ejection head 2 may be other than the electromechanical transducer using the piezoelectric element (piezo element) 20. For example, a method using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating element, a charge control type It is also possible to employ a continuous system such as a pressurized vibration type, an electrostatic suction system, or a system in which an electromagnetic wave such as a laser is irradiated to generate heat, and the liquid material is discharged by the action of the generated heat.
[0026]
The container 3 serves as a liquid supply unit in the present invention, and stores the liquid L therein as shown in FIG. The container 3 is not particularly limited as long as it can immerse the discharge head in a liquid material in which the discharge head 2 is stored by putting the discharge head 2 therein. For example, a beaker, a petri dish, and a glass bottle for storing a reagent are used. However, it is of course necessary to use a material that does not alter the quality of the liquid according to the type of the liquid used.
[0027]
The removing means 4 is provided in a part of the flow path 24 as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, it is composed of a branch portion 31, a branch pipe 32, a removal port 33, and on-off valves 34 and 35.
The flow path 24 is made of a transparent pipe or the like from which air bubbles can be easily visually confirmed, and the material thereof is preferably a flexible tube or a glass tube made of a resin or the like. The flow path 24 has a curved portion having a bottom 24a and a top 24b, and the removing unit 4 is provided on the top 24b. The ejection head 2 and the pressure controller 5 are provided on the bottom 24a side.
The branch portion 31 is a connection portion between the flow path 24 and the branch pipe 32. For example, a T-shaped pipe may be used, or a hole may be provided in the flow path 24 to directly connect the branch pipe 32. Further, the material is preferably the same as the material of the flow path 24.
The removal port 33 is a part for taking out bubbles in the flow path 24 to the outside, and is preferably oriented vertically.
Each of the on-off valves 34 and 35 is for removing bubbles contained in the liquid material by opening when bubbles are present in the flow path as described later. As the types of the on-off valves 34 and 35, an electromagnetic valve using the action of electromagnetic force, a pneumatic valve using the action of air pressure, or a manual valve on which the operator performs opening and closing operations is adopted. Here, when an electromagnetic valve, a pneumatic valve, or the like is used, a control unit for automatically driving the on-off valves 34 and 35 may be provided. In this example, a case will be described in which each of the on-off valves 34 and 35 is driven. However, these may be replaced with generally available three-way valves.
Although the removing means 4 having such a configuration is provided at two places as shown in FIG. 1A, a single means or three or more places may be provided. In the following description, one of the plurality of removing units 4 will be described as a representative, and the description of the other identical removing units 4 will be omitted.
[0028]
The pressure controller 5 is connected to the removing unit 4 via a flow path 24, and includes a buffer tank 25 connected to the flow path 24 and a pressure generator 27 connected to the buffer tank 25 via a tube 26. And a pressure sensor 29 connected to the buffer tank 25 via a tube 28, and a control unit 30 for controlling the pressure generator 27.
[0029]
The pressure generator 27 functions as a suction unit and a pressurizing unit in the present embodiment, and depressurizes or pressurizes the inside of the buffer tank 25 connected via the tube 26 to thereby form a reservoir for the discharge head 2. The pressure in the chamber 16 is reduced or increased. As the pressure generator 27, a pressure generator (vacuum pump) or a pressurization pump (air supply pump) provided with a mechanism for switching between decompression and pressurization by a three-way valve or the like, or means other than the pump, such as a water head, is used. A mechanism using the used negative pressure source / positive pressure source is adopted. In this example, it is assumed that pressure reduction and pressurization can be performed. However, the pressure generator 27 does not necessarily need to be able to perform both pressure reduction and pressurization, and at least suction through the discharge head 2 described later is performed. Sufficient decompression is sufficient.
[0030]
The pressure sensor 29 detects the pressure in the buffer tank 25 transformed by the pressure generator 27 and sends the obtained voltage value to the control unit 30 as a signal, and is composed of a conventionally known pressure sensor that is commercially available. Things.
The control unit 30 controls the pressure generator 27 so that the pressure inside the buffer tank 25 becomes a set pressure, and changes the degree of pressure reduction according to the pressure inside the buffer tank 25 detected by the pressure sensor 29, or The pressure generator 27 is controlled so as to change the degree of pressurization. Further, the control unit 30 can preset the internal pressure of the buffer tank 25 formed by the pressure generator 27, and further opens and closes the electromagnetic valve 23 provided in the flow path 17 of the discharge head 2. Control.
[0031]
In addition, in the droplet discharge device 1 having such a configuration, it is possible to automatically discharge the liquid material to a desired position by the discharge head 2 by including the moving mechanism for moving the discharge head 2. Here, the moving mechanism includes an X-direction transfer body that moves the discharge head 2 of the droplet discharge device 1 in the X direction, a Y-direction transfer body that moves in the Y direction, and a Z-direction (height direction) transfer body. By moving these transfer bodies in units of, for example, 1 μm by a driving means such as a linear motor, the ejection head 2 can be precisely moved in the XY directions as the horizontal direction and the Z direction as the height direction (vertical direction). It can be moved.
Further, the ejection head 2 is detachable with respect to the moving mechanism, so that the operation can be performed even when it is desired to manually eject and drop the liquid material.
[0032]
Next, a droplet discharge method of the present invention will be described based on a method of using the droplet discharge device 1 having the above-described configuration.
First, a step of filling the ejection head 2 with the liquid material L will be described.
That is, a liquid material L to be filled is prepared and put into the container 3. Here, the present invention is suitably used for filling particularly expensive reagents and rare specimens, and therefore, it is assumed that the liquid L has a minimum amount to be filled. It is preferable that such a liquid material L be degassed in advance.
[0033]
Next, the on-off valve 34 of the removing means 4 is closed, and the on-off valve 35 is opened. That is, the removal port 33 and the flow path 24 are in a non-communication state, and the ejection head 2 and the pressure controller 5 are in a communication state.
[0034]
Next, with the electromagnetic valve 23 of the discharge head 2 closed, the discharge head 2 is put in the container 3 and immersed in the liquid L.
Further, the mechanism on the pressure reducing side of the pressure generator 27 of the pressure controller 5 is operated to reduce the pressure in the buffer tank 25 to a predetermined pressure set in advance. Here, since the reservoir 16 in the ejection head 2 is connected to the buffer tank 25 via the tube 24 and the filter mechanism 4, the pressure in the reservoir 16 is also reduced to the same pressure as the buffer tank 25.
[0035]
When the buffer tank 25 is depressurized to a predetermined pressure in this way, the solenoid valve 23 is opened. Then, the flow path 17 is opened, and the cavity 15 and the reservoir 16 communicate with each other. Here, since the inside of the reservoir 16 and the inside of the flow path 24 are depressurized to the same pressure as the buffer tank 25, the liquid L is sucked from the nozzle 18, and as shown in FIG. 15, the reservoir 16, and the flow channel 24.
[0036]
With the flow of the liquid L, bubbles A generated by passing through the nozzle 18 and the cavity 15 are mixed into the liquid L, and the bubbles A appear in the liquid L in various places. Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, since the flow path 24 has a curved portion, the bubble A rises from the bottom 24a toward the top 24b by the action of buoyancy, and is provided at the top 24b. Focus on the removing means 4.
[0037]
After the liquid material L is filled in the flow path 24 as described above, by closing the electromagnetic valve 23, the suction of the liquid material L from the nozzle 18 is stopped. Further, the discharge head 2 is pulled up from the container 3 and the liquid L adhered to the nozzle 18 forming surface of the discharge head 2 is wiped off as necessary, thereby completing the filling of the liquid L.
Here, in order to easily remove the bubbles A in the process of removing the bubbles A described below, the mechanism on the pressurizing side of the pressure generator 27 is operated to preliminarily set the inside of the buffer tank 25 to a pressure slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure. Pressurize so that Accordingly, the pressure of the liquid L in the flow path 24 becomes equal to the pressure in the buffer tank 25, that is, the pressure of the liquid L is slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure.
[0038]
Next, the step of removing the bubbles A from the liquid L will be described.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3C, the on-off valve 35 of the removing means 4 is closed, and the on-off valve 34 is opened. As a result, the ejection head 2 and the pressure controller 5 are in a non-communication state, and the removal port 33 and the flow path 24 are in a communication state. Further, as described above, since the pressure of the liquid L is slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, the bubble A is pressed by the liquid L in the flow path 24 and the removal port is opened and closed via the on-off valve 34. Extruded from 33. Therefore, the bubbles A are completely removed from the liquid L.
[0039]
Next, preparation for a droplet discharging step is performed.
That is, by opening the on-off valve 35 after the on-off valve 34 of the removing means 4 is closed, the removal port 33 and the flow path 24 are not in communication, and the reservoir 16 and the pressure controller 5 are in communication.
In order to compensate for the pressure drop of the liquid L caused by the removal of the air bubbles A described above, the mechanism on the pressure side of the pressure generator 27 is operated to apply a pressure inside the buffer tank 25 to a pressure slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure. Pressure may be applied.
[0040]
Next, a droplet discharging step of discharging the liquid L will be described.
First, before discharging the liquid L, the discharge head 2 is arranged at a predetermined position. Here, when discharging the liquid material L, the liquid material L is discharged from the cavity through the nozzle 18 by operating the piezoelectric element 20 of the discharge head 2, and flows from the flow path 24 to the reservoir 16. Then, the fluid flows from the reservoir 16 to the cavity 15. In this manner, the liquid material L is discharged from the nozzle 18 as the liquid droplet 22 through the reservoir 16 and the cavity 15 from the flow path 24.
When a moving mechanism for moving the discharge head 2 is provided in the droplet discharge device 1, the discharge head 2 is moved to a desired position by appropriately operating the moving mechanism, and the droplet (liquid L ) Is performed.
[0041]
In such a droplet discharging method, the liquid L is sucked from the nozzle 18 and stored in the cavity 15, and then the stored liquid L is discharged from the nozzle 18 by the piezoelectric element 20. For example, only the minimum amount necessary for ejection can be sucked into the ejection head 2. Therefore, even when the liquid L is expensive or scarce, a small amount of discharge can be performed without wasting the liquid L.
Further, when the bubbles A included in the liquid L are removed from the inside of the flow path 24, the amount of the liquid L to be removed together with the bubbles A can be minimized, so that the liquid L is wasted. The bubble A can be removed without any trouble. Further, since the liquid material L is removed by opening and closing the on-off valves 34 and 35 concentrated on the top 24b of the flow path 24, the bubbles A can be easily removed. Further, since the bubble A is removed from the inside of the flow path 24, the bubble A does not remain in the discharge head 2 and the discharge of the liquid L can be performed satisfactorily.
[0042]
In this example, the bubbles A were removed from the removal port 33 by setting the pressure of the liquid L in the flow path 24 slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, but the removal port 33 was provided with suction means such as a vacuum pump. May be provided, and the bubbles A may be removed from the liquid material L by suction. In this case, the solenoid valve 23 is opened and the on-off valve 35 is closed.
[0043]
Further, in the present embodiment, the liquid L in the container 3 is filled from the discharge head 2 by suctioning the liquid L from the nozzle 18 by the pressure controller 5. May be provided, and the liquid material L may be supplied from the storage tank to the discharge head 2 via the flow path 24 and the removing unit 4. In this case, the above-described bubble A can be removed, and the liquid L in the storage tank can be continuously discharged from the nozzle 18.
[0044]
Further, in the present embodiment, the removing unit 4 is arranged at the top 24b of the flow path 24 having the curved portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various configurations may be adopted. Can be.
[0045]
Next, another embodiment of the removing means 4 and the flow path 24 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, only different portions of the above-described removing means 4 and the flow path 24 will be described, and the same portions will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.
[0046]
FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a droplet discharge device including a flow path 24 and a removing unit 4 according to another embodiment.
The droplet discharge device 1a includes a flow path 24 spirally arranged between the discharge head 2 and the pressure controller 5, and removing means 4a, 4b, and 4c provided at a top 24b of the flow path 24. Configuration.
The method of removing the liquid material L of the droplet discharge device 1a configured as described above is performed by selecting one of the removing means 4a, 4b, and 4c to remove the bubble A, or removing the bubbles A. Is removed step by step to remove the bubble A, or the bubble A is removed by suction with a vacuum pump connected to the removal port 33 of the removal means 4b with the open / close valve 35 of the removal means 4a, 4c closed. , Etc.
Also in such a droplet discharge device 1a, the same effect as that of the droplet discharge device 1 described above is exerted.
[0047]
FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a droplet discharge device including a flow path 24 according to another embodiment.
The droplet discharge device 1b includes a flow path 24 bent between the discharge head 2 and the pressure controller 5, and a removing unit 4 provided at a top 24b of the flow path 24. Has become.
Also in such a droplet discharge device 1b, the same effects as those of the droplet discharge device 1 described above are exerted.
[0048]
In the above-described example, an expensive reagent or a rare specimen was used as the liquid material for discharging for the purpose of filling. However, the liquid material is not limited thereto, and may be a material for forming an organic EL element or a material for metal wiring. Various materials such as a metal colloid, a microlens material, a color filter material, and a liquid crystal material can also be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic structural views of a droplet discharge device of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic configuration diagrams of an ejection head.
FIGS. 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining a removing unit.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another droplet discharge device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 2 ... Discharge head, 3 ... Container (liquid supply part), 4 ... Removal means, 5 ... Pressure controller (suction means), 15 ... Cavity, 18 ... Nozzle, 20 ... Piezoelectric element (discharge) Means), 24 ... flow path, 24a ... bottom part, 24b ... top part, 34, 35 ... open / close valve, A ... bubbles (impurities), L ... liquid

Claims (7)

Using a discharge head having a cavity for storing the liquid material, a nozzle communicating with the cavity, and discharge means for discharging the liquid material stored in the cavity from the nozzle, the liquid material is placed at a desired location. A droplet discharging method for discharging,
A method of discharging liquid droplets, comprising a step of removing impurities contained in the liquid material from a flow path in which the liquid material flows. 2. The droplet discharging method according to claim 1, wherein the step of removing the impurities is performed by opening an on-off valve that connects the inside and the outside of the flow path. 3. Contacting the nozzle with a liquid material prepared in advance, and supplying the liquid material to the nozzle;
A step of sucking the liquid material through the nozzle to the flow path side by suctioning from the flow path connected to the cavity side,
3. The droplet discharging method according to claim 1, further comprising: A droplet discharge device including a cavity for storing a liquid material, a nozzle communicating with the cavity, and a discharge head having a discharge unit for discharging the liquid material stored in the cavity from the nozzle. So,
A flow path connected to the cavity side of the discharge head and through which the liquid material flows,
Removing means for removing impurities contained in the liquid material from within the flow path,
A droplet discharge device comprising: 5. The droplet discharge device according to claim 4, wherein the removing unit includes an opening / closing valve provided in at least a part of the flow path and communicating the inside and the outside of the flow path. 6. The droplet discharge according to claim 4, wherein the flow path has a curved portion having a bottom portion and a top portion, and the removing unit is provided at a top portion of the curved portion. apparatus. A liquid material supply unit that contacts the nozzle with a liquid material prepared in advance and supplies the liquid material to the nozzle.
By suctioning from the flow path connected to the cavity side, suction means for suctioning the liquid material to the flow path side via the nozzle,
The droplet discharge device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising:

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