JP2005161129A - Wiping method, wiping device, liquid drop delivery device, manufacturing method for electro-optical device, electro-optical device and electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiping method capable of preventing intrusion of a washing liquid relative to a delivery nozzle and suitably spraying the washing liquid to a wiping sheet, a wiping device, a liquid drop delivery device, a manufacturing method for an electro-optical device, the electro-optical device and an electronic instrument. <P>SOLUTION: In the wiping method, a nozzle surface of a function liquid drop delivery head formed with a delivery nozzle for delivering the function liquid is wiped by using the wiping sheet sprinkled with the washing liquid in order to maintain the function liquid drop delivery head. In this method. sheet capillary force that the washing liquid can be impregnated to the wiping sheet is acted at sprinkling, and nozzle capillary force that the washing liquid cannot be intruded to the delivery nozzle is acted at wiping. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiping method and wiping apparatus for wiping a nozzle surface of a functional liquid droplet ejection head on which ejection nozzles are formed by a wiping sheet sprayed with a cleaning liquid, a liquid droplet ejection apparatus, a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, and electro-optical The present invention relates to an apparatus and an electronic device.

  In a droplet discharge device that discharges functional droplets onto a workpiece by discharging the functional droplet discharge head, the wiping device is used to remove dirt adhered to the nozzle surface of the functional droplet discharge head. It has become.

The wiping device includes a wiping unit that mounts a roll-shaped wiping sheet, and a moving mechanism that moves the wiping unit forward and backward toward the head unit. The wiping unit has a wiping roller that rotates the wiping sheet. When the moving mechanism moves the wiping unit, the wiping roller abuts the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head via the wiping sheet, and the wiping sheet Thus, the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head is wiped (wiped). The cleaning liquid is supplied to the wiping sheet just before wiping the nozzle surface, and the nozzle surface is wiped with the wiping sheet impregnated with the cleaning liquid.
JP 2003-127405 A

  By the way, the cleaning liquid supplied to the wiping sheet improves the wiping efficiency of the nozzle surface by wiping. However, depending on the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid may enter the discharge nozzle of the functional liquid droplet discharge head. The cleaning liquid that has entered the ejection nozzle causes variations in the diameter of the ejected functional liquid droplets and clogging of the nozzles, leading to deterioration in the ejection performance of the functional liquid droplet ejection head. Further, unless the wiping sheet is uniformly impregnated with the cleaning liquid, the wiping efficiency of wiping is reduced, and the dirt attached to the nozzle surface cannot be removed.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a wiping method and a wiping apparatus that can prevent the cleaning liquid from entering the discharge nozzle and that can appropriately spray the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet, a droplet discharge apparatus, a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, An object is to provide an optical device and an electronic device.

  The present invention relates to a cleaning liquid in a wiping method for wiping a nozzle surface of a functional liquid droplet ejection head on which a discharge nozzle for ejecting a functional liquid is formed by a wiping sheet sprayed with a cleaning liquid in order to maintain the functional liquid droplet ejection head. Is characterized in that a sheet capillary force that can be impregnated acts on the wiping sheet when sprayed, and a nozzle capillary force that cannot penetrate into the discharge nozzle acts when wiping.

  Further, the present invention provides a wiping method for wiping the nozzle surface of a functional liquid droplet ejection head in which ejection nozzles for ejecting functional liquid are formed by a cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying a cleaning liquid on a wiping sheet and a wiping sheet on which the cleaning liquid is sprayed. In the wiping apparatus, the cleaning liquid is acted on by a sheet capillary force that can be impregnated on the wiping sheet when sprayed, and at the time of wiping by a nozzle capillary force that cannot penetrate the discharge nozzle. It is characterized by doing.

  According to these configurations, it is possible to quickly impregnate the wiping sheet with the cleaning liquid by the sheet capillary force. On the other hand, when wiping the nozzle surface, the nozzle capillary force that cannot enter the discharge nozzle acts on the cleaning liquid, so that the cleaning liquid can be prevented from entering the discharge nozzle. Here, “capillary force” indicates a force generated due to the surface tension (cohesive force) of the cleaning liquid and the adhesive force (affinity) between the cleaning liquid and the wiping sheet or the discharge nozzle.

  In this case, the functional liquid is obtained by dissolving the functional material in the functional liquid solvent, and the cleaning liquid weakens the nozzle capillary force against the cleaning liquid solvent and the cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional material, and the sheet capillary force against the cleaning liquid solvent. And a solute to be improved.

  According to this configuration, since the cleaning liquid is mainly composed of the cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional liquid material, the functional liquid contamination on the nozzle surface can be efficiently removed. In this case, by configuring the cleaning liquid solvent to be the same as the functional liquid solvent, the possibility that the cleaning liquid attached to the nozzle surface contaminates the functional liquid can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from entering the discharge nozzle during wiping by weakening the nozzle capillary force acting on the cleaning liquid solvent and dissolving the solute improving the sheet capillary force acting on the cleaning liquid solvent in the cleaning liquid. At the same time, the wiping sheet can be quickly impregnated with the cleaning liquid. It is possible to adjust the strength of the nozzle capillary force and the sheet capillary force by adjusting the kind of solute and the amount of solute dissolved.

  The present invention provides a wiping sheet impregnated with a cleaning liquid, and supplies the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply means to the wiping sheet in order to wipe the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet discharge head on which the discharge nozzle for discharging the functional liquid is formed. In the cleaning liquid supply method, the functional liquid is obtained by dissolving a functional material in a functional liquid solvent, and the cleaning liquid includes a cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional material and a solute that improves the volatility of the cleaning liquid solvent. It is characterized by being.

  Further, the present invention provides a wiping method for wiping the nozzle surface of a functional liquid droplet ejection head in which ejection nozzles for ejecting functional liquid are formed by a cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying a cleaning liquid on a wiping sheet and a wiping sheet on which the cleaning liquid is sprayed. In the wiping apparatus, the functional liquid is obtained by dissolving the functional material in the functional liquid solvent. The cleaning liquid is a cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional material, and a solute that improves the volatility of the cleaning liquid solvent. It is comprised by these.

  According to these configurations, the volatility of the cleaning liquid itself can be improved by the solute. Therefore, even if some cleaning liquid remains on the nozzle surface by wiping the nozzle surface (wiping operation), the remaining cleaning liquid volatilizes immediately, so that the residual cleaning liquid has an adverse effect on the functional liquid droplet ejection head (nozzle clogging or It is possible to prevent the functional liquid droplets from flying).

  In this case, it is preferable that the functional liquid is an aqueous solution, and the cleaning liquid uses water as the cleaning liquid solvent and ethanol as the solute. In this case, the functional liquid is preferably a polyethylene dioxythiophene aqueous solution (PEDOT).

  According to this configuration, the nozzle surface can be wiped efficiently by using the same water as the functional liquid solvent as the cleaning liquid solvent. Moreover, by adding ethanol as a solute, the surface tension of water can be weakened, and the impregnation property of the cleaning liquid into the wiping sheet (by the sheet capillary force) can be improved, and the volatility of the cleaning liquid can be increased.

  In these cases, the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the wiping sheet by spraying the cleaning liquid from the spray nozzle facing the wiping sheet while the wiping sheet is fed, and the spraying amount per unit area of the wiping sheet is sprayed from the spray nozzle. It is preferable to adjust the spray amount of the cleaning liquid to be constant by changing the feeding speed of the wiping sheet.

  Further, in these cases, the cleaning liquid spraying means has a sheet feeding means for sending the wiping sheet, a spray head facing the wiping sheet to be sent, a cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying the cleaning liquid from the spray head on the wiping sheet, and a sheet feeding means. And a control means for controlling the cleaning liquid spraying means, and the control means makes the spraying amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle constant, and varies the wiping sheet feed speed to change the wiping sheet per unit area. It is preferable to adjust the spraying amount.

  According to these configurations, the spray amount per unit area of the wiping sheet can be adjusted by controlling the spray amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle and the feeding speed of the wiping sheet. Accordingly, it is possible to easily adjust the spray amount of the cleaning liquid in consideration of the type of the wiping sheet, the type of the cleaning liquid, and the like. Further, since the cleaning liquid is sprayed by the spray nozzle, the cleaning liquid can be uniformly impregnated into the wiping sheet without causing the cleaning liquid to be pooled on the wiping sheet.

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device that discharges a functional liquid onto a workpiece by driving the functional droplet discharge head while relatively moving the functional droplet discharge head on which the discharge nozzle is formed with respect to the workpiece. The functional liquid droplet ejection head is maintained by the wiping method described above or the wiping device described above.

  According to this configuration, the functional liquid droplet ejection head of the liquid droplet ejection apparatus is maintained by the wiping method capable of suitably maintaining the functional liquid droplet ejection head or the wiping apparatus described above. It is possible to favorably discharge the functional liquid from the head.

  A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the present invention is characterized in that a film-forming portion made of functional droplets is formed on the workpiece using the droplet discharge device described above. In addition, an electro-optical device according to the present invention is characterized in that a film-forming portion made of functional droplets is formed on a workpiece using the droplet discharge device described above.

  According to these configurations, since the droplet discharge device capable of appropriately maintaining the functional droplet discharge head is used, it is difficult to cause defective discharge of the functional droplet discharge head during manufacturing, and these can be efficiently manufactured. Can do. Examples of the electro-optical device (device) include a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) device, an electron emission device, a PDP (Plasma Display Panel) device, and an electrophoretic display device. The electron emission device is a concept including a so-called FED (Field Emission Display) device or SED (Surface-Conduction Electron-Emitter Display) device. Further, as the electro-optical device, devices including metal wiring formation, lens formation, resist formation, light diffuser formation, and the like are conceivable.

  An electronic apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes the electro-optical device manufactured by the above-described electro-optical device manufacturing method or the electro-optical device described above.

  In this case, the electronic apparatus corresponds to various electric products in addition to a mobile phone and a personal computer equipped with a so-called flat panel display.

  As described above, according to the wiping method and wiping apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning liquid can be quickly absorbed (impregnated) into the wiping sheet, and at the time of wiping operation, from the wiping sheet to the discharge nozzle (by the nozzle capillary force). The cleaning liquid does not enter. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from entering the discharge nozzle that may occur during the wiping operation, and the functional droplet discharge head can be appropriately maintained by the wiping operation.

  Further, according to the wiping method and the wiping apparatus, even if the cleaning liquid adheres to the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head due to the wiping operation, the cleaning liquid quickly evaporates. For this reason, the cleaning liquid adhering to the nozzle surface is not mixed into the functional liquid ejected from the functional liquid droplet ejection head, and the functional liquid ejection result is not adversely affected. Even if the cleaning liquid adheres to the nozzle surface, a step for removing the cleaning liquid is not required, and the wiping operation can be performed efficiently.

  Since drawing is performed with functional droplets using the droplet ejection apparatus of the present invention, the wiping method described above, and the functional droplet ejection head maintained by the wiping device, an appropriate rendering result (ejection result) can be obtained. . In addition, since the electro-optical device manufacturing method, the electro-optical device, and the electronic apparatus of the present invention are manufactured using the above-described droplet discharge device, they are manufactured efficiently with a high yield.

  Hereinafter, a droplet discharge device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This droplet discharge device is incorporated in a so-called flat display production line, and emits light that becomes a color filter of a liquid crystal display device or each pixel of an organic EL device by a droplet discharge method using a functional droplet discharge head. An element or the like is formed.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a droplet discharge device. As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a machine base 2 and a functional liquid droplet discharge head 71, and includes a drawing unit 3 that is widely placed on the entire area of the machine base 2, and a drawing unit 3. Head maintenance means 4 placed on the machine base 2 so as to be attached, and control means 5 connected thereto are provided. Although not shown in the drawings, the droplet discharge device 1 incorporates a functional liquid supply means for supplying a functional liquid in which a functional material is dissolved and various auxiliary devices to the drawing means 3. The droplet discharge device 1 is controlled overall by the control means 5, performs drawing with functional droplets on the workpiece W using the drawing means 3, and draws appropriately using the head maintenance means 4. Function recovery processing (maintenance) of the means 3 (functional droplet discharge head 71) is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the drawing means 3 includes an X / Y moving mechanism 11 including an X axis table 21 for main scanning (moving in the X axis direction) and a Y axis table 22 orthogonal to the X axis table 21. , A main carriage 12 movably attached to the Y-axis table 22, and a head unit 13 that is suspended from the main carriage 12 and has a functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 mounted thereon.

  The X-axis table 21 has an X-axis slider 31 driven by an X-axis motor 23 constituting a drive system in the X-axis direction, and a set table 32 composed of a suction table 33, a θ table 34, and the like is movably mounted on the X-axis slider 31. Configured. Similarly, the Y-axis table 22 has a Y-axis slider 41 driven by a Y-axis motor 24 that constitutes a drive system in the Y-axis direction, and supports the head unit 13 via the θ rotation mechanism 42 on the Y-axis slider 41. The carriage 12 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction.

  The X-axis table 21 is disposed parallel to the head maintenance means 4 in the X-axis direction and is directly supported on the machine base 2. On the other hand, the Y-axis table 22 is supported by left and right support columns 51 erected on the machine base 2 and extends in the Y-axis direction so as to straddle the X-axis table 21 and the head maintenance means 4 (see FIG. 1). In the droplet discharge device 1, the area where the Y-axis table 22 and the X-axis table 21 intersect is the drawing area 52 where the workpiece W is drawn, and the area where the Y-axis table 22 and the head maintenance means 4 intersect performs the function recovery process. The Y axis table 22 faces the drawing area 52 when drawing on the workpiece W, and the maintenance unit 53 when performing the recovery process. Yes.

  The head unit 13 includes a functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 and a head plate (not illustrated) on which the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 is mounted via a head holding member (not illustrated). The main carriage 12 is attached with a θ rotation mechanism 42 that is supported by a Y-axis slider 41 and that slightly rotates the head unit 13 in the θ direction. That is, the head unit 13 is supported by the main carriage 12 via the head plate supported by the θ rotation mechanism 42.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 has a so-called double structure, a functional liquid introduction part 72 having two connection needles 73, and a dual head substrate that is continuous with the functional liquid introduction part 72. 74 and a head main body 75 which is connected to the lower side of the functional liquid introducing portion 72 and has an in-head flow path filled with the functional liquid therein. The connection needle 73 is connected to a functional liquid supply mechanism (not shown) and supplies the functional liquid to the functional liquid introduction unit 72. The head main body 75 includes a cavity 81 (piezoelectric element) and a SUS nozzle plate 82 that forms a nozzle surface 83. A large number (180) of discharge nozzles 84 constituting two nozzle rows are opened on the nozzle surface 83. The functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 ejects the functional liquid from the ejection nozzle 84 by the pumping action of the cavity 81 while receiving the supply of the functional liquid from the connection needle 73.

  The head maintenance unit 4 includes a moving table 91 placed on the machine base 2, and a suction unit 92 and a wiping unit 93 placed on the moving table 91. The moving table 91 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction, and when the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 is maintained, the suction unit 92 and the wiping unit 93 are appropriately moved to the maintenance area 53. As the head maintenance means 4, in addition to the above units, a discharge inspection unit that inspects the flight state of the functional liquid droplets discharged from the functional liquid droplet discharge head 71 and functions discharged from the functional liquid droplet discharge head 71. It is preferable to mount a weight measuring unit or the like for measuring the weight of the droplet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the suction unit 92 includes a cap stand 101, a cap 102 supported by the cap stand 101 and in close contact with the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71, and functional liquid droplet ejection via the cap 102. A suction pump 103 (not shown) for sucking the head 71 and a suction tube (not shown) for connecting the cap 102 and the suction pump 103 are provided. Although not shown in the figure, the cap stand 101 incorporates a cap lifting mechanism 104 that lifts and lowers the cap 102 by motor drive. With respect to the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 of the head unit 13 facing the maintenance area 53, The cap 102 can be detached and connected.

  When sucking the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71, the cap lifting mechanism 104 is driven to bring the cap 102 into close contact with the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 and to drive the suction pump 103. Thereby, a suction force can be applied to the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 via the cap 102, and the functional liquid is forcibly discharged from the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71. Further, on the downstream side of the suction tube cap 102 (on the suction pump 103 side), a suction pressure detection sensor for detecting the suction pressure and a liquid detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of functional liquid passing through the suction tube (both not shown). Is provided.

  Note that the cap 102 has a function of a flushing box that receives the functional liquid ejected by the discarding (preliminary ejection) of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71, and drawing on the workpiece W as when the workpiece W is replaced. The function liquid of the regular flushing performed when stopping temporarily is received. In this flushing operation, the cap lifting mechanism 104 moves the cap 102 (the upper surface thereof) from the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 to a position that is slightly separated.

  The suction unit 92 is also used for storing the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 when the liquid droplet ejection apparatus 1 is not in operation. In this case, the head unit 13 faces the maintenance area 53 and the cap 102 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71. As a result, the nozzle surface 83 is sealed, the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 (ejection nozzle 84) is prevented from being dried, and the nozzle clogging of the ejection nozzle 84 can be prevented.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the wiping unit 93 is for wiping the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 with the wiping sheet 111, and is a wiping sheet 111 wound in a roll shape. , A wiping unit 112 for wiping the nozzle surface 83 with the fed wiping sheet 111, and a cleaning liquid nozzle 141 for spraying the cleaning liquid, And a cleaning liquid supply unit 114 for spraying the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet 111 that has been fed out. The wiping sheet 111 is made of a cloth (sheet) woven with fibers such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

  The winding unit 112 includes a feeding reel 121 on which a roll-shaped wiping sheet 111 is mounted, a winding reel 122 that winds the fed wiping sheet 111, and a winding motor 123 with an encoder. The wiping sheet 111 wraps around a wiping roller 131 (described later) and is taken up by the take-up reel 122. The winding amount / feeding amount (winding speed / feeding speed) of the wiping sheet 111 is detected by an encoder attached to the winding motor 123.

  The wiping unit 113 includes a wiping roller 131 that contacts the wiping sheet 111 that is fed to the nozzle surface 83, and a roller lifting mechanism 132 that lifts and lowers the wiping roller 131. When the wiping roller 131 is moved up and down, the wiping sheet 111 is configured to be separated from the nozzle surface 83. Further, the wiping roller 131 is provided with a wiping pressure detection sensor (not shown) that detects the pressing force of the wiping sheet 111 against the nozzle surface 83. The pressing force of the wiping sheet 111 can be adjusted by adjusting the lifting / lowering of the wiping roller 131 based on the wiping pressure detection sensor. In this embodiment, the wiping roller 131 is moved up and down. However, the wiping sheet 111 may be brought into contact with the nozzle surface 83 by moving the head unit 13 up and down.

  The cleaning liquid supply unit 114 faces the wiping sheet 111, and includes a plurality of cleaning liquid nozzles 141 disposed at a substantially intermediate position between the feeding reel 121 and the wiping roller 131 (before the wiping roller 131), and a plurality of cleaning liquid nozzles 141. A cleaning liquid supply mechanism 142 that supplies the cleaning liquid and sprays the cleaning liquid onto the cleaning liquid nozzle 141 is provided. The plurality of cleaning liquid nozzles 141 are arranged in an alignment on the upstream side of the wiping roller 131 in the sheet feeding direction so as to be orthogonal to the feeding direction of the wiping sheet 111 (that is, in the width direction of the wiping sheet 111).

  The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 142 is connected to the cleaning liquid tank 143, the cleaning liquid tank 143 connected to the cleaning liquid tank 143 and the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzles 141 via a cleaning liquid manifold (not shown), and the cleaning liquid supply tubes 144. The electromagnetic valve 140 is provided, and an air supply mechanism 145 that pumps the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid nozzle 141 by supplying compressed air to the cleaning liquid tank 143.

  Each cleaning liquid nozzle 141 is constituted by a spray nozzle, and when the cleaning liquid is pumped to the cleaning liquid nozzle 141 via the electromagnetic valve 140, fine cleaning droplets are sprayed. As will be described later, the amount of cleaning liquid fed from the cleaning liquid tank 143 is configured to be kept constant by the cleaning liquid manifold. In this way, by configuring the cleaning liquid nozzle 141 as a spray nozzle, the cleaning liquid can be uniformly distributed on the wiping sheet 111 and a small amount of cleaning liquid can also be distributed.

  Note that the spray form of the cleaning liquid can be arbitrarily applied according to the actual situation (such as the arrangement of the functional liquid droplet ejection heads 71), and the spray nozzle to be applied may be selected according to the spray form. For example, when a conical method as shown in FIG. 3A is applied, a full cone nozzle capable of spraying the cleaning liquid in a circular and uniform manner is used as the cleaning liquid nozzle 141, and each cleaning liquid nozzle is arranged in the width direction of the wiping sheet 111. A plurality of cleaning liquid nozzles 141 are arranged so that the spray ranges do not overlap. In addition, when a rod-shaped method capable of spraying the cleaning liquid substantially uniformly with respect to the width direction of the wiping sheet 111 is applied, a fan-shaped nozzle in which the spray amount decreases from the center to both ends is used. Then, the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzles 141 are arranged in alignment so that the spray regions at both ends partially overlap with the width direction of the wiping sheet 111 (see FIG. 3B).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air supply mechanism 145 includes an air pump 146 serving as a compressed air supply source, a regulator 147 for maintaining the compressed air from the air pump 146 at a predetermined constant pressure, and an air through the regulator 147. An air tube 148 that connects the pump 146 and the cleaning liquid tank 143, and a three-way valve 149 that is interposed in the air tube between the regulator 147 and the cleaning liquid tank 143 and has an atmosphere release port. By switching the three-way valve 149 and causing the air pump 146 and the cleaning liquid tank 143 to communicate with each other, a constant pressure of compressed air is supplied to the cleaning liquid tank 143 and fed from the cleaning liquid tank 143 (to each cleaning liquid nozzle 141). The liquid feeding amount of the cleaning liquid can be made constant. In addition, by adjusting the valve opening time of the electromagnetic valve 140 (air operated valve), it is possible to adjust the amount of cleaning liquid fed (that is, the spraying amount of cleaning liquid per hour).

  Here, a series of wiping operations will be described. First, prior to the wiping operation, the XY movement mechanism 11 (Y-axis table 22) is driven to move the head unit 13 to the maintenance area 53. Since the normal wiping operation is performed following the suction operation by the suction unit 92, the movement operation of the head unit 13 to the maintenance area 53 can be omitted. Next, the winding unit 112 and the cleaning liquid supply unit 114 are activated, and the electromagnetic valve 140 is opened to spray the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid nozzle 141 onto the wiping sheet 111. Then, while continuing to spray the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid-impregnated portion of the wiping sheet 111 is sent to the wiping roller 131 side and the wiping sheet 111 is wound around the take-up reel 122.

  At this time, while continuing the spraying of the cleaning liquid and the feeding of the wiping sheet 111, the roller lifting mechanism 132 is driven to raise the wiping roller 131 to a predetermined height and the moving table 91 is driven. Then, the wiping unit 93 is moved toward the maintenance area 53. Accordingly, the wiping unit 93 passes the maintenance area 53 while the wiping sheet 111 (impregnated with the cleaning liquid) is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 and is attached to the nozzle surface 83 by the wiping sheet 111. Wipe off dirt.

  When the wiping unit 93 passes through the maintenance area 53, the spraying of the cleaning liquid and the driving of the moving table 91 are stopped, and the driving of the winding motor 123 is stopped to stop the feeding of the wiping sheet 111. Then, the roller lifting mechanism 132 is driven to lower the wiping roller 131, and the wiping operation is finished. In this embodiment, the position where the suction unit 92 faces the maintenance area 53 is the home position of the moving table 91. After the wiping operation is completed, the moving table 91 is driven again, and the moving table 91 is moved. It is designed to return to the home position.

  Although not shown, the control means 5 is composed of a personal computer or the like, and is connected to the apparatus body with input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, various drives such as an FD drive and a CD-ROM drive, and peripheral devices such as a monitor display. It is. The control system of the control means 5 will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 5 includes an interface 151 for connecting the drawing unit 3 and the head maintenance unit 4, a storage area that can be temporarily stored, a RAM 152 that is used as a work area for control processing, and various storage areas ROM 153 for storing control programs and control data, drawing data for drawing on the workpiece W, various data from the drawing means 3 and the head maintenance means 4, and the like, and processing various data Are provided with a hard disk 154 for storing the above programs, a CPU 155 for arithmetic processing of various data in accordance with the programs stored in the ROM 153 and the hard disk 154, and a bus 156 for connecting them together.

  In the control means 5, various data from the drawing means 3, the head maintenance means 4, etc. are input via the interface 151 and are stored in accordance with a program stored in the hard disk 154 (or sequentially read out by a CD-ROM drive or the like). Each unit is controlled by causing the CPU 155 to perform arithmetic processing and outputting the processing result to the drawing unit 3, the head maintenance unit 4, and the like via the interface 151.

  By the way, the discharge nozzle 84 of the functional liquid droplet discharge head 71 is liable to cause a discharge failure. When the cleaning liquid impregnated in the wiping sheet 111 enters the discharge nozzle 84 during the wiping operation, the discharge failure occurs. The penetration of the cleaning liquid into the discharge nozzle 84 is due to the capillary force due to the capillary phenomenon, and the capillary liquid acting on the cleaning liquid (nozzle capillary force) is small, and a cleaning liquid that cannot enter the discharge nozzle 84 is used. preferable. On the other hand, since the wiping operation is performed using the wiping sheet 111 uniformly impregnated with the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid must be easily absorbed by the wiping sheet 111. The absorbability (penetration) of the cleaning liquid in the wiping sheet 111 is also affected by the capillary force, and it is preferable that a capillary force (sheet capillary force) that can be impregnated in the wiping sheet 111 acts on the cleaning liquid. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a wiping operation is appropriately performed using a cleaning liquid that takes both of these into consideration.

  The “nozzle capillary force” referred to here is the surface tension of the cleaning liquid and the wettability of the nozzle plate 82 with respect to the cleaning liquid (the affinity of the cleaning liquid with respect to the nozzle plate 82 and can be represented by the contact angle between the nozzle plate 82 and the cleaning liquid. This is a force that occurs in relation to the discharge nozzle 84 and draws the cleaning liquid into the discharge nozzle 84. In general, the surface tension can be translated into the cohesive force of the liquid, and it is known that a liquid having a high surface tension tends to have low wettability (repel) because of its strong cohesive force. Therefore, if the wettability of the cleaning liquid to the nozzle plate 82 (discharge nozzle 84) is low, the cohesive force of the cleaning liquid resists the force to draw the cleaning liquid, so that the nozzle capillary force acting on the cleaning liquid during the wiping operation is reduced.

  The “sheet capillary force” (strength) is substantially the same as the nozzle capillary force, and the permeability of the cleaning liquid in the wiping sheet 111 is related to the surface tension of the cleaning liquid and the wettability of the wiping sheet 111 with respect to the cleaning liquid. The higher the wettability, the higher the permeability.

  Here, the cleaning liquid used in the present embodiment will be specifically described by taking as an example a case where PEDOT (polyethylenedioxythiophene aqueous solution) is applied as the functional liquid and a wiping sheet 111 made of polyethylene is used. PEDOT is a functional liquid for forming a hole injection / transport layer 617a (details will be described later) constituting the functional layer 617 of the organic EL device.

  Since the functional liquid is obtained by dissolving the functional material, the solvent of the functional material is used as a main component in the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid remaining on the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 is mixed with the functional liquid droplets ejected from the ejection nozzle 84 to reduce the possibility of adversely affecting the drawing result. Is preferably a functional liquid solvent applied to the functional liquid. Therefore, here, a cleaning liquid mainly composed of water is used.

  However, when water is used for the cleaning liquid, the wiping sheet 111 is composed of a sheet in which (hydrophobic) polyethylene fibers are closely woven, so that the wettability is low, and the wiping sheet 111 can absorb the cleaning liquid. Can not. (Also, if it can be done, it takes a lot of time to absorb the cleaning liquid). On the other hand, since water has a high surface tension and relatively low wettability with respect to the nozzle plate 82, the nozzle capillary force acting during wiping is weak, and the cleaning liquid does not easily enter the discharge nozzle 84.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, an ethanol solution obtained by adding ethanol having affinity to the wiping sheet 111 while reducing the surface tension of the water is used as the cleaning liquid. As shown in FIG. 6, the surface tension of the cleaning liquid decreases as the ethanol concentration increases. This suggests that when the ethanol solution is used as the cleaning liquid, the wettability of the cleaning liquid to the wiping sheet 111 is improved and the nozzle capillary force is gradually increased. On the other hand, as described above, the cleaning liquid is preferably close to the components of the functional liquid, and the ethanol concentration is preferably as low as possible. Therefore, the ethanol concentration of the cleaning liquid was determined based on experiments conducted on the absorbability of the cleaning liquid with respect to the wiping sheet 111 and the penetration into the discharge nozzle 84.

  In the experiment regarding the absorbability of the cleaning liquid, a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is sprayed on the wiping sheet 111 with an ethanol concentration of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 40%, and 50%. The absorption rate of the cleaning liquid was measured. Then, based on the time until the wiping sheet 111 supplied with the cleaning liquid by the above-described cleaning liquid supply mechanism 142 reaches the wiping roller 131, it is determined whether the absorbency is good or bad. As a result, the ethanol concentration is 15%. From above, it was confirmed that the permeability of the cleaning liquid to the wiping sheet 111 was improved.

  On the other hand, in the experiment on the penetration property of the cleaning liquid, the ethanol concentration of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, The nozzle surface 83 was wiped off using a wiping sheet 111 on which a predetermined amount of 40% and 50% cleaning liquid was sprayed. As a result, when the ethanol concentration was 25%, it was confirmed that the cleaning liquid entered the discharge nozzle 84, and when it exceeded 25%, it was confirmed that the amount of the cleaning liquid entered increased.

  Since it is preferable that these experimental results and the ethanol concentration be as low as possible, it is understood that the ethanol concentration of the cleaning liquid is preferably about 15% to 20%. (In the droplet discharge device 1 of the present embodiment, a 20% ethanol solution is used as the cleaning liquid.)

  In this embodiment, the capillary force is changed by adding ethanol to water, but instead of ethanol, alcohols other than ethanol (such as isopropyl alcohol), acetone, surphenol, etc. It is also possible to add a surfactant. However, in this case, it goes without saying that it is necessary to make a selection according to the actual situation after carefully considering the influence when the cleaning liquid is mixed into the functional liquid.

  Of course, if the texture or material of the wiping sheet 111 is different, the experimental results also differ, and the preferred cleaning solution concentration (ethanol concentration) and the type of cleaning solution change. ) It is necessary to select a cleaning solution. Similarly, the result of the wiping experiment also depends on the nozzle diameter, the material of the nozzle plate 82, the type of cleaning liquid, and the like, and it is necessary to set an appropriate cleaning liquid concentration according to the situation.

  In this way, focusing on the nozzle capillary force and the sheet capillary force acting during the wiping operation, the functional liquid droplets generated by the wiping operation are obtained by using a cleaning liquid that does not easily enter the discharge nozzle 84 and easily impregnates the wiping sheet 111. It becomes possible to prevent the ejection failure of the ejection head 71.

  Further, ethanol can not only increase the absorbability of the cleaning liquid with respect to the wiping sheet 111 but also increase the volatility of the cleaning liquid itself. By adding a highly volatile substance to the main component of the cleaning liquid, even if the cleaning liquid adheres to the nozzle surface 83 of the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 during the wiping operation, it can be volatilized quickly. Can be prevented from remaining in (discharging) the functional liquid or causing the flight of the functional liquid droplets. In addition, since the cleaning liquid volatilizes quickly, a wiping operation can be performed efficiently without the need for a process for removing the cleaning liquid attached to the nozzle surface 83. The substance that increases the volatility of the cleaning liquid is not limited to ethanol, and alcohols, acetone, and the like can be appropriately used in consideration of the type of main solvent of the cleaning liquid and the type of functional liquid. is there.

  Whether or not the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 is appropriately maintained by the wiping operation is greatly related to the amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed on the wiping sheet 111 in addition to the capillary force acting on the cleaning liquid. Wiping sheets 111 having different impregnation amounts of the cleaning liquid (polyethylene-made wiping sheet 111 having a length of 27 cm and a width of 30 cm, a cleaning liquid having an ethanol concentration of 20% is used by the cleaning liquid supply unit 114 at 0 g, 6.5 g, 13 g, 19 After the wiping operation was performed on the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71, the functional liquid droplet ejection head 71 was discharged twice, and the results shown in FIG. 7 were obtained. This experimental result indicates that an appropriate maintenance result cannot be obtained if the amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed on the wiping sheet 111 is too large or too small.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the spray amount of the cleaning liquid can be easily adjusted. Specifically, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the winding motor 123 of the wiping unit 93 based on the encoder, and adjusts the feed speed of the wiping sheet 111 to thereby disperse the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet 111. Adjust. That is, as described above, since the spraying amount (per time) of the cleaning liquid sprayed from each cleaning liquid nozzle 141 is constant, the cleaning liquid spraying amount on the wiping sheet 111 is adjusted by adjusting the feeding speed of the wiping sheet 111. Can be adjusted. In this case, when the feeding speed of the wiping sheet 111 is increased, the spraying amount of the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet 111 is decreased. When the feeding speed of the wiping sheet 111 is decreased, the spraying amount of the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet 111 is increased. In this embodiment, the feeding speed of the wiping sheet 111 is adjusted so that 0.008 g of cleaning liquid is sprayed per unit area of the wiping sheet 111 based on the experimental result.

  Note that the optimum amount of the cleaning liquid supplied to the wiping sheet 111 can be influenced by the type of the wiping sheet 111, the type of the cleaning liquid, the pressing force of the wiping sheet 111 during the wiping operation, and the like. It is necessary to set the optimal spraying amount.

  Next, as an electro-optical device (flat panel display) manufactured using the droplet discharge device 1 of this embodiment, a color filter, a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL device, a plasma display (PDP device), an electron emission device ( FED devices, SED devices), and active matrix substrates formed in these display devices will be described as an example for their structures and manufacturing methods. Note that an active matrix substrate refers to a substrate on which a thin film transistor, a source line electrically connected to the thin film transistor, and a data line are formed.

First, a method for manufacturing a color filter incorporated in a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL device or the like will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of the color filter, and FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the color filter 500 (filter base body 500A) of this embodiment shown in the order of the manufacturing process.
First, in the black matrix formation step (S11), a black matrix 502 is formed on a substrate (W) 501 as shown in FIG. The black matrix 502 is formed of metal chromium, a laminate of metal chromium and chromium oxide, resin black, or the like. A sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, or the like can be used to form the black matrix 502 made of a metal thin film. Further, when forming the black matrix 502 made of a resin thin film, a gravure printing method, a photoresist method, a thermal transfer method, or the like can be used.

Subsequently, in the bank formation step (S12), the bank 503 is formed in a state of being superimposed on the black matrix 502. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 9B, a resist layer 504 made of a negative transparent photosensitive resin is formed so as to cover the substrate 501 and the black matrix 502. Then, an exposure process is performed with the upper surface covered with a mask film 505 formed in a matrix pattern shape.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, the resist layer 504 is patterned by etching an unexposed portion of the resist layer 504 to form a bank 503. When the black matrix is formed from resin black, it is possible to use both the black matrix and the bank.
The bank 503 and the black matrix 502 below the bank 503 serve as partition wall portions 507b for partitioning the pixel regions 507a. The colored layer (film forming portions) 508R, 508G, and 508B are formed by the droplet discharge head 71 in the subsequent colored layer forming step. The landing area of the functional droplet is defined when forming the.

The filter substrate 500A is obtained through the above black matrix forming step and bank forming step.
In the present embodiment, as the material of the bank 503, a resin material whose coating film surface is lyophobic (hydrophobic) is used. Since the surface of the substrate (glass substrate) 501 is lyophilic (hydrophilic), the droplets into each pixel region 507a surrounded by the bank 503 (partition wall portion 507b) in the colored layer forming step described later. The landing position accuracy is improved.

  Next, in the colored layer forming step (S13), as shown in FIG. 9D, functional droplets are ejected by the droplet ejection head 71 and landed in each pixel region 507a surrounded by the partition wall portion 507b. Let In this case, functional liquid droplets are ejected by introducing functional liquids (filter materials) of three colors of R, G, and B using the liquid droplet ejection head 71. Note that the arrangement pattern of the three colors R, G, and B includes a stripe arrangement, a mosaic arrangement, a delta arrangement, and the like.

Thereafter, the functional liquid is fixed through a drying process (a process such as heating), and three colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B are formed. If the colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B are formed, the process proceeds to the protective film forming step (S14), and as shown in FIG. A protective film 509 is formed so as to cover the upper surface.
That is, after the protective film coating liquid is discharged over the entire surface of the substrate 501 where the colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B are formed, the protective film 509 is formed through a drying process.
Then, after forming the protective film 509, the color filter 500 moves to a film forming process such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) which becomes a transparent electrode in the next process.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a schematic configuration of a passive matrix liquid crystal device (liquid crystal device) as an example of a liquid crystal display device using the color filter 500 described above. By attaching auxiliary elements such as a liquid crystal driving IC, a backlight, and a support to the liquid crystal device 520, a transmissive liquid crystal display device as a final product can be obtained. Since the color filter 500 is the same as that shown in FIG. 9, the corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The liquid crystal device 520 is roughly composed of a color filter 500, a counter substrate 521 made of a glass substrate, and a liquid crystal layer 522 made of STN (Super Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal composition sandwiched between them, The filter 500 is arranged on the upper side (observer side) in the figure.
Although not shown, polarizing plates are provided on the outer surfaces of the counter substrate 521 and the color filter 500 (surfaces opposite to the liquid crystal layer 522 side), and the polarizing plates located on the counter substrate 521 side are also provided. A backlight is disposed outside.

On the protective film 509 of the color filter 500 (on the liquid crystal layer side), a plurality of strip-shaped first electrodes 523 elongated in the left-right direction in FIG. 10 are formed at predetermined intervals. The color of the first electrode 523 A first alignment film 524 is formed so as to cover the surface opposite to the filter 500 side.
On the other hand, a plurality of strip-shaped second electrodes 526 elongated in a direction orthogonal to the first electrode 523 of the color filter 500 are formed on the surface of the counter substrate 521 facing the color filter 500 at a predetermined interval. A second alignment film 527 is formed so as to cover the surface of the two electrodes 526 on the liquid crystal layer 522 side. The first electrode 523 and the second electrode 526 are made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO.

The spacer 528 provided in the liquid crystal layer 522 is a member for keeping the thickness (cell gap) of the liquid crystal layer 522 constant. The sealing material 529 is a member for preventing the liquid crystal composition in the liquid crystal layer 522 from leaking to the outside. Note that one end of the first electrode 523 extends to the outside of the sealing material 529 as a lead-out wiring 523a.
A portion where the first electrode 523 and the second electrode 526 intersect with each other is a pixel, and the color layers 508R, 508G, and 508B of the color filter 500 are located in the portion that becomes the pixel.

  In a normal manufacturing process, patterning of the first electrode 523 and application of the first alignment film 524 are performed on the color filter 500 to create a portion on the color filter 500 side. Patterning of the electrode 526 and application of the second alignment film 527 are performed to create a portion on the counter substrate 521 side. Thereafter, a spacer 528 and a sealing material 529 are formed in the portion on the counter substrate 521 side, and the portion on the color filter 500 side is bonded in this state. Next, liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer 522 is injected from the inlet of the sealing material 529, and the inlet is closed. Thereafter, both polarizing plates and the backlight are laminated.

  The droplet discharge device 1 according to the embodiment applies, for example, a spacer material (functional liquid) that constitutes the cell gap, and before the portion on the color filter 500 side is bonded to the portion on the counter substrate 521 side, the sealing material Liquid crystal (functional liquid) can be uniformly applied to the region surrounded by 529. In addition, the above-described sealing material 529 can be printed by the droplet discharge head 71. Furthermore, the first and second alignment films 524 and 527 can be applied by the droplet discharge head 71.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a principal part showing a schematic configuration of a second example of a liquid crystal device using the color filter 500 manufactured in the present embodiment.
The liquid crystal device 530 is significantly different from the liquid crystal device 520 in that the color filter 500 is arranged on the lower side (the side opposite to the observer side) in the figure.
The liquid crystal device 530 is generally configured by sandwiching a liquid crystal layer 532 made of STN liquid crystal between a color filter 500 and a counter substrate 531 made of a glass substrate or the like. Although not shown, polarizing plates and the like are provided on the outer surfaces of the counter substrate 531 and the color filter 500, respectively.

On the protective film 509 of the color filter 500 (on the liquid crystal layer 532 side), a plurality of strip-shaped first electrodes 533 elongated in the depth direction in the figure are formed at predetermined intervals, and the liquid crystal of the first electrodes 533 is formed. A first alignment film 534 is formed so as to cover the surface on the layer 532 side.
A plurality of strip-shaped second electrodes 536 extending in a direction orthogonal to the first electrode 533 on the color filter 500 side are formed on the surface of the counter substrate 531 facing the color filter 500 at a predetermined interval. A second alignment film 537 is formed so as to cover the surface of the second electrode 536 on the liquid crystal layer 532 side.

The liquid crystal layer 532 is provided with a spacer 538 for keeping the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 532 constant and a sealing material 539 for preventing the liquid crystal composition in the liquid crystal layer 532 from leaking to the outside. Yes.
Similarly to the liquid crystal device 520 described above, a portion where the first electrode 533 and the second electrode 536 intersect with each other is a pixel, and the colored layers 508R, 508G, and 508B of the color filter 500 are located at the portion that becomes the pixel. Is configured to do.

FIG. 12 shows a third example in which a liquid crystal device is configured using a color filter 500 to which the present invention is applied, and is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a transmissive TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type liquid crystal device. It is.
In the liquid crystal device 550, the color filter 500 is arranged on the upper side (observer side) in the figure.

The liquid crystal device 550 includes a color filter 500, a counter substrate 551 disposed so as to face the color filter 500, a liquid crystal layer (not shown) sandwiched therebetween, and an upper surface side (observer side) of the color filter 500. The polarizing plate 555 and the polarizing plate (not shown) arranged on the lower surface side of the counter substrate 551 are roughly configured.
A liquid crystal driving electrode 556 is formed on the surface of the protective film 509 of the color filter 500 (the surface on the counter substrate 551 side). The electrode 556 is made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO, and is a full surface electrode that covers the entire region where a pixel electrode 560 described later is formed. An alignment film 557 is provided so as to cover the surface of the electrode 556 opposite to the pixel electrode 560.

  An insulating layer 558 is formed on the surface of the counter substrate 551 facing the color filter 500, and the scanning lines 561 and the signal lines 562 are formed on the insulating layer 558 in a state of being orthogonal to each other. A pixel electrode 560 is formed in a region surrounded by the scanning lines 561 and the signal lines 562. In an actual liquid crystal device, an alignment film is provided on the pixel electrode 560, but the illustration is omitted.

  In addition, a thin film transistor 563 including a source electrode, a drain electrode, a semiconductor, and a gate electrode is incorporated in a portion surrounded by the cutout portion of the pixel electrode 560 and the scanning line 561 and the signal line 562. . The thin film transistor 563 is turned on / off by application of signals to the scanning line 561 and the signal line 562 so that energization control to the pixel electrode 560 can be performed.

  Note that the liquid crystal devices 520, 530, and 550 in the above examples are transmissive, but a reflective liquid crystal device or a transflective liquid crystal device is provided by providing a reflective layer or a transflective layer. You can also.

  Next, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a display area of an organic EL device (hereinafter simply referred to as a display device 600).

The display device 600 is schematically configured with a circuit element portion 602, a light emitting element portion 603, and a cathode 604 stacked on a substrate (W) 601.
In the display device 600, light emitted from the light emitting element portion 603 to the substrate 601 side is transmitted through the circuit element portion 602 and the substrate 601 and emitted to the observer side, and the light emitting element portion 603 is opposite to the substrate 601. After the light emitted to the side is reflected by the cathode 604, the light passes through the circuit element portion 602 and the substrate 601 and is emitted to the observer side.

  A base protective film 606 made of a silicon oxide film is formed between the circuit element portion 602 and the substrate 601, and an island-shaped semiconductor film 607 made of polycrystalline silicon is formed on the base protective film 606 (on the light emitting element portion 603 side). Is formed. In the left and right regions of the semiconductor film 607, a source region 607a and a drain region 607b are formed by high concentration cation implantation, respectively. A central portion where no positive ions are implanted is a channel region 607c.

  In the circuit element portion 602, a transparent gate insulating film 608 covering the base protective film 606 and the semiconductor film 607 is formed, and a position corresponding to the channel region 607c of the semiconductor film 607 on the gate insulating film 608 is formed. For example, a gate electrode 609 made of Al, Mo, Ta, Ti, W or the like is formed. On the gate electrode 609 and the gate insulating film 608, a transparent first interlayer insulating film 611a and a second interlayer insulating film 611b are formed. Further, contact holes 612a and 612b are formed through the first and second interlayer insulating films 611a and 611b and communicating with the source region 607a and the drain region 607b of the semiconductor film 607, respectively.

A transparent pixel electrode 613 made of ITO or the like is patterned and formed in a predetermined shape on the second interlayer insulating film 611b, and the pixel electrode 613 is connected to the source region 607a through the contact hole 612a. .
A power supply line 614 is disposed on the first interlayer insulating film 611a, and the power supply line 614 is connected to the drain region 607b through the contact hole 612b.

  Thus, the driving thin film transistors 615 connected to the pixel electrodes 613 are formed in the circuit element portion 602, respectively.

The light emitting element portion 603 includes a functional layer 617 stacked on each of the plurality of pixel electrodes 613, and a bank portion 618 provided between each pixel electrode 613 and the functional layer 617 to partition each functional layer 617. It is roughly structured.
The pixel electrode 613, the functional layer 617, and the cathode 604 provided on the functional layer 617 constitute a light emitting element. Note that the pixel electrode 613 is formed by patterning in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and a bank portion 618 is formed between the pixel electrodes 613.

The bank unit 618 is laminated on the inorganic bank layer 618a (first bank layer) 618a formed of an inorganic material such as SiO, SiO ₂ , TiO _{2 and the} like, and is laminated on the inorganic bank layer 618a. It is composed of an organic bank layer 618b (second bank layer) having a trapezoidal cross section formed of a resist having excellent heat resistance and solvent resistance. A part of the bank unit 618 is formed on the peripheral edge of the pixel electrode 613.
An opening 619 that gradually expands upward with respect to the pixel electrode 613 is formed between the bank portions 618.

The functional layer 617 includes a hole injection / transport layer 617a formed in a stacked state on the pixel electrode 613 in the opening 619, and a light emitting layer 617b formed on the hole injection / transport layer 617a. Has been. In addition, you may further form the other functional layer which has another function adjacent to this light emitting layer 617b. For example, it is possible to form an electron transport layer.
The hole injection / transport layer 617a has a function of transporting holes from the pixel electrode 613 side and injecting them into the light emitting layer 617b. The hole injection / transport layer 617a is formed by discharging a first composition (functional liquid) containing a hole injection / transport layer forming material. A known material is used as the hole injection / transport layer forming material.

  The light emitting layer 617b emits light in red (R), green (G), or blue (B), and discharges a second composition (functional liquid) containing a light emitting layer forming material (light emitting material). Is formed. As the solvent (nonpolar solvent) of the second composition, a known material that is insoluble in the hole injection / transport layer 617a is preferably used, and such a nonpolar solvent is used as the second composition of the light emitting layer 617b. By using the light emitting layer 617b, the light emitting layer 617b can be formed without re-dissolving the hole injection / transport layer 617a.

  The light emitting layer 617b is configured such that the holes injected from the hole injection / transport layer 617a and the electrons injected from the cathode 604 are recombined in the light emitting layer to emit light.

  The cathode 604 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the light emitting element portion 603, and plays a role of flowing current to the functional layer 617 in a pair with the pixel electrode 613. Note that a sealing member (not shown) is disposed on the cathode 604.

Next, the manufacturing process of said display apparatus 600 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 14, the display device 600 includes a bank part forming step (S21), a surface treatment step (S22), a hole injection / transport layer forming step (S23), a light emitting layer forming step (S24), It is manufactured through an electrode formation step (S25). In addition, a manufacturing process is not restricted to what is illustrated, and when other processes are removed as needed, it may be added.

First, in the bank part forming step (S21), as shown in FIG. 15, an inorganic bank layer 618a is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 611b. The inorganic bank layer 618a is formed by forming an inorganic film at a formation position and then patterning the inorganic film by a photolithography technique or the like. At this time, a part of the inorganic bank layer 618 a is formed so as to overlap with the peripheral edge of the pixel electrode 613.
When the inorganic bank layer 618a is formed, an organic bank layer 618b is formed on the inorganic bank layer 618a as shown in FIG. The organic bank layer 618b is also formed by patterning using a photolithography technique or the like in the same manner as the inorganic bank layer 618a.
In this way, the bank portion 618 is formed. Accordingly, an opening 619 opening upward with respect to the pixel electrode 613 is formed between the bank portions 618. The opening 619 defines a pixel region.

In the surface treatment step (S22), a lyophilic process and a lyophobic process are performed. The regions to be subjected to the lyophilic treatment are the first stacked portion 618aa of the inorganic bank layer 618a and the electrode surface 613a of the pixel electrode 613. These regions are made lyophilic by plasma treatment using oxygen as a processing gas, for example. Is done. This plasma treatment also serves to clean the ITO that is the pixel electrode 613.
In addition, the lyophobic treatment is performed on the wall surface 618s of the organic bank layer 618b and the upper surface 618t of the organic bank layer 618b, and the surface is fluorinated (treated to be liquid repellent) by plasma treatment using, for example, tetrafluoromethane. )
By performing this surface treatment process, when the functional layer 617 is formed using the droplet discharge head 71, the functional droplet can be landed more reliably on the pixel region, and has landed on the pixel region. It is possible to prevent the functional droplet from overflowing from the opening 619.

  Then, the display device base 600A is obtained through the above steps. The display device base 600A is placed on the set table 32 of the droplet discharge device 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the following hole injection / transport layer forming step (S23) and light emitting layer forming step (S24) are performed. .

  As shown in FIG. 17, in the hole injection / transport layer forming step (S23), the first composition containing the hole injection / transport layer forming material is transferred from the droplet discharge head 71 into each opening 619 that is a pixel region. To discharge. After that, as shown in FIG. 18, a drying process and a heat treatment are performed, the polar solvent contained in the first composition is evaporated, and a hole injection / transport layer 617a is formed on the pixel electrode (electrode surface 613a) 613.

Next, the light emitting layer forming step (S24) will be described. In this light emitting layer forming step, as described above, in order to prevent re-dissolution of the hole injection / transport layer 617a, the hole injection / transport layer 617a is used as a solvent for the second composition used in forming the light emitting layer. A non-polar solvent insoluble in.
However, since the hole injection / transport layer 617a has a low affinity for the nonpolar solvent, the hole injection / transport layer 617a has a low affinity even if the second composition containing the nonpolar solvent is discharged onto the hole injection / transport layer 617a. There is a possibility that the injection / transport layer 617a and the light emitting layer 617b cannot be adhered to each other, or the light emitting layer 617b cannot be applied uniformly.
Therefore, in order to increase the surface affinity of the hole injection / transport layer 617a with respect to the nonpolar solvent and the light emitting layer forming material, it is preferable to perform a surface treatment (surface modification treatment) before forming the light emitting layer. In this surface treatment, a surface modifying material which is the same solvent as the non-polar solvent of the second composition used in the formation of the light emitting layer or a similar solvent is applied on the hole injection / transport layer 617a, and this is applied. This is done by drying.
By performing such treatment, the surface of the hole injection / transport layer 617a is easily adapted to the nonpolar solvent. In the subsequent step, the second composition containing the light emitting layer forming material is added to the hole injection / transport layer. It can be uniformly applied to 617a.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the second composition containing the light-emitting layer forming material corresponding to one of the colors (blue (B) in the example of FIG. 19) is used as a functional droplet as a pixel region ( A predetermined amount is driven into the opening 619). The second composition driven into the pixel region spreads on the hole injection / transport layer 617a and fills the opening 619. Even if the second composition deviates from the pixel region and lands on the upper surface 618t of the bank portion 618, the upper composition 618t is subjected to the liquid repellent treatment as described above. Things are easy to roll into the opening 619.

  Thereafter, by performing a drying process or the like, the discharged second composition is dried, the nonpolar solvent contained in the second composition is evaporated, and as shown in FIG. 20, the hole injection / transport layer 617a A light emitting layer 617b is formed thereon. In the case of this figure, a light emitting layer 617b corresponding to blue (B) is formed.

  Similarly, using the droplet discharge head 71, as shown in FIG. 21, the same steps as in the case of the light emitting layer 617b corresponding to the blue (B) described above are sequentially performed, and other colors (red (R) and green) are performed. A light emitting layer 617b corresponding to (G)) is formed. Note that the order in which the light-emitting layers 617b are formed is not limited to the illustrated order, and may be formed in any order. For example, the order of formation can be determined according to the light emitting layer forming material. Further, the arrangement pattern of the three colors R, G, and B includes a stripe arrangement, a mosaic arrangement, a delta arrangement, and the like.

  As described above, the functional layer 617, that is, the hole injection / transport layer 617a and the light emitting layer 617b are formed on the pixel electrode 613. And it transfers to a counter electrode formation process (S25).

In the counter electrode forming step (S25), as shown in FIG. 22, a cathode 604 (counter electrode) is formed on the entire surface of the light emitting layer 617b and the organic bank layer 618b by, for example, vapor deposition, sputtering, CVD, or the like. In the present embodiment, the cathode 604 is configured by, for example, laminating a calcium layer and an aluminum layer.
On top of the cathode 604, an Al film, an Ag film as electrodes, and a protective layer such as SiO ₂ or SiN for preventing oxidation thereof are provided as appropriate.

  After forming the cathode 604 in this way, the display device 600 is obtained by performing other processes such as a sealing process for sealing the upper part of the cathode 604 with a sealing member and a wiring process.

Next, FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a plasma display device (PDP device: hereinafter simply referred to as a display device 700). In the figure, the display device 700 is shown with a part thereof cut away.
The display device 700 is schematically configured to include a first substrate 701 and a second substrate 702 that are disposed to face each other, and a discharge display portion 703 that is formed therebetween. The discharge display unit 703 includes a plurality of discharge chambers 705. Among the plurality of discharge chambers 705, the three discharge chambers 705 of the red discharge chamber 705R, the green discharge chamber 705G, and the blue discharge chamber 705B are arranged to form one pixel.

Address electrodes 706 are formed in stripes at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the first substrate 701, and a dielectric layer 707 is formed so as to cover the address electrodes 706 and the upper surface of the first substrate 701. On the dielectric layer 707, partition walls 708 are provided so as to be positioned between the address electrodes 706 and along the address electrodes 706. The partition 708 includes one extending on both sides in the width direction of the address electrode 706 as shown, and one not shown extending in the direction orthogonal to the address electrode 706.
A region partitioned by the partition 708 is a discharge chamber 705.

  A phosphor 709 is disposed in the discharge chamber 705. The phosphor 709 emits red (R), green (G), or blue (B) fluorescence. The red phosphor 709R is disposed at the bottom of the red discharge chamber 705R, and the green discharge chamber 705G. A green phosphor 709G and a blue phosphor 709B are arranged at the bottom and the blue discharge chamber 705B, respectively.

On the lower surface of the second substrate 702 in the drawing, a plurality of display electrodes 711 are formed in stripes at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the address electrodes 706. A dielectric layer 712 and a protective film 713 made of MgO or the like are formed so as to cover them.
The first substrate 701 and the second substrate 702 are bonded so that the address electrodes 706 and the display electrodes 711 face each other in a state of being orthogonal to each other. The address electrode 706 and the display electrode 711 are connected to an AC power source (not shown).
When the electrodes 706 and 711 are energized, the phosphor 709 emits light in the discharge display portion 703, and color display is possible.

In the present embodiment, the address electrode 706, the display electrode 711, and the phosphor 709 can be formed using the droplet discharge device 1 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, a process of forming the address electrode 706 on the first substrate 701 will be exemplified.
In this case, the following steps are performed with the first substrate 701 placed on the set table 25 of the droplet discharge device 1.
First, a liquid material (functional liquid) containing a conductive film wiring forming material is landed on the address electrode formation region as a functional liquid droplet by the liquid droplet ejection head 71. This liquid material is obtained by dispersing conductive fine particles such as metal in a dispersion medium as a conductive film wiring forming material. As the conductive fine particles, metal fine particles containing gold, silver, copper, palladium, nickel, or the like, a conductive polymer, or the like is used.

  When the replenishment of the liquid material is completed for all the address electrode formation regions to be replenished, the address material 706 is formed by drying the discharged liquid material and evaporating the dispersion medium contained in the liquid material. .

By the way, although the formation of the address electrode 706 has been exemplified in the above, the display electrode 711 and the phosphor 709 can also be formed through the above steps.
In the case of forming the display electrode 711, as in the case of the address electrode 706, a liquid material (functional liquid) containing a conductive film wiring forming material is landed on the display electrode formation region as a functional droplet.
In the case of forming the phosphor 709, a liquid material (functional liquid) containing a fluorescent material corresponding to each color (R, G, B) is ejected as droplets from the droplet ejection head 71, and the corresponding color. In the discharge chamber 705.

Next, FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of an electron emission device (also referred to as an FED device or an SED device: hereinafter simply referred to as a display device 800). In the drawing, a part of the display device 800 is shown as a cross section.
The display device 800 includes a first substrate 801, a second substrate 802, and a field emission display unit 803 formed therebetween, which are disposed to face each other. The field emission display unit 803 includes a plurality of electron emission units 805 arranged in a matrix.

  On the upper surface of the first substrate 801, a first element electrode 806a and a second element electrode 806b constituting the cathode electrode 806 are formed so as to be orthogonal to each other. In addition, a conductive film 807 having a gap 808 is formed in a portion partitioned by the first element electrode 806a and the second element electrode 806b. That is, the first element electrode 806a, the second element electrode 806b, and the conductive film 807 constitute a plurality of electron emission portions 805. The conductive film 807 is made of, for example, palladium oxide (PdO), and the gap 808 is formed by forming after forming the conductive film 807.

  An anode electrode 809 that faces the cathode electrode 806 is formed on the lower surface of the second substrate 802. A lattice-shaped bank portion 811 is formed on the lower surface of the anode electrode 809, and a phosphor 813 is disposed in each downward opening 812 surrounded by the bank portion 811 so as to correspond to the electron emission portion 805. Yes. The phosphor 813 emits fluorescence of any one of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and each opening 812 has a red phosphor 813R, a green phosphor 813G, and a blue color. The phosphors 813B are arranged in the predetermined pattern described above.

  The first substrate 801 and the second substrate 802 configured as described above are bonded together with a minute gap. In this display device 800, electrons that jump out of the first element electrode 806 a or the second element electrode 806 b that are cathodes through the conductive film (gap 808) 807 are formed on the phosphor 813 formed on the anode electrode 809 that is an anode. When excited, it emits light and enables color display.

  Also in this case, as in the other embodiments, the first element electrode 806a, the second element electrode 806b, the conductive film 807, and the anode electrode 809 can be formed using the droplet discharge device 1 and each color. The phosphors 813R, 813G, and 813B can be formed using the droplet discharge device 1.

  The first element electrode 806a, the second element electrode 806b, and the conductive film 807 have the planar shape shown in FIG. 25A, and when these are formed, as shown in FIG. 25B. In addition, the bank portion BB is formed (photolithographic method), leaving portions where the first element electrode 806a, the second element electrode 806b, and the conductive film 807 are previously formed. Next, the first element electrode 806a and the second element electrode 806b were formed in the groove portion constituted by the bank portion BB (inkjet method using the droplet discharge device 1), and the solvent was dried to form a film. After that, a conductive film 807 is formed (an ink jet method using the droplet discharge device 1). Then, after forming the conductive film 807, the bank portion BB is removed (ashing peeling process), and the process proceeds to the above forming process. As in the case of the organic EL device described above, it is preferable to perform a lyophilic process on the first substrate 801 and the second substrate 802 and a lyophobic process on the bank portions 811 and BB.

  As other electro-optical devices, devices such as metal wiring formation, lens formation, resist formation, and light diffuser formation are conceivable. By using the droplet discharge device 1 described above for manufacturing various electro-optical devices (devices), various electro-optical devices can be efficiently manufactured.

It is a plane schematic diagram of the drawing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of a functional droplet discharge head. It is explanatory drawing about the spraying form by a washing | cleaning-liquid nozzle. It is explanatory drawing around a wiping unit. It is a control block diagram explaining a control system of a droplet discharge device. It is explanatory drawing about a washing | cleaning liquid, and is the figure which showed the surface tension of the washing | cleaning liquid for every density | concentration of a washing | cleaning liquid, the relationship with a wiping sheet, and the relationship with a discharge nozzle. It is explanatory drawing which showed the experimental result about the spraying quantity of the washing | cleaning liquid with respect to a wiping sheet | seat, and the discharge performance of the functional droplet discharge head after a wiping operation | movement. It is a flowchart explaining a color filter manufacturing process. (A)-(e) is a schematic cross section of the color filter shown to the manufacturing process order. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the liquid crystal device using the color filter to which this invention is applied. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the liquid crystal device of the 2nd example using the color filter to which this invention is applied. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the liquid crystal device of the 3rd example using the color filter to which this invention is applied. It is principal part sectional drawing of the display apparatus which is an organic electroluminescent apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the manufacturing process of the display apparatus which is an organic electroluminescent apparatus. It is process drawing explaining formation of an inorganic bank layer. It is process drawing explaining formation of an organic substance bank layer. It is process drawing explaining the process in which a positive hole injection / transport layer is formed. It is process drawing explaining the state in which the positive hole injection / transport layer was formed. It is process drawing explaining the process in which a blue light emitting layer is formed. It is process drawing explaining the state in which the blue light emitting layer was formed. It is process drawing explaining the state in which the light emitting layer of each color was formed. It is process drawing explaining formation of a cathode. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view of the display apparatus which is a plasma type display apparatus (PDP apparatus). It is principal part sectional drawing of the display apparatus which is an electron emission apparatus (FED apparatus). It is the top view (a) around the electron emission part of a display apparatus, and the top view (b) which shows the formation method.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Droplet discharge apparatus 5 Control means 71 Function droplet discharge head 83 Nozzle surface 84 Discharge nozzle 93 Wiping unit 111 Wiping sheet 113 Wiping unit 114 Cleaning liquid supply unit 141 Cleaning liquid nozzle 142 Cleaning liquid supply mechanism

Claims (13)

In the wiping method for wiping the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head in which the ejection nozzle for ejecting the functional liquid is formed by the wiping sheet sprayed with the cleaning liquid in order to maintain the functional liquid droplet ejection head,
The cleaning liquid is such that a sheet capillary force capable of impregnating the wiping sheet acts upon the spraying, and a nozzle capillary force impervious to the discharge nozzle acts on the wiping. A characteristic wiping method. The functional liquid is obtained by dissolving a functional material in a functional liquid solvent,
The cleaning liquid is a cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional material;
The wiping method according to claim 1, further comprising: a solute that weakens the nozzle capillary force against the cleaning liquid solvent and improves the sheet capillary force against the cleaning liquid solvent. In the wiping method for wiping the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head in which the ejection nozzle for ejecting the functional liquid is formed with a wiping sheet sprayed with a cleaning liquid in order to maintain the functional liquid droplet ejection head,
The functional liquid is obtained by dissolving a functional material in a functional liquid solvent,
The cleaning liquid is a cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional material;
And a solute that improves the volatility of the cleaning solution solvent. The functional liquid is an aqueous solution,
4. The wiping method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid uses the cleaning liquid solvent as the water and the solute as ethanol.   The wiping method according to claim 1, wherein the functional liquid is a polyethylenedioxythiophene aqueous solution. The cleaning liquid is sprayed on the wiping sheet by spraying the cleaning liquid from a spray nozzle facing the wiping sheet while feeding the wiping sheet,
The spray amount per unit area of the wiping sheet is a constant spray amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle,
6. The wiping method according to claim 1, wherein the wiping method is adjusted by changing a feeding speed of the wiping sheet. Cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet;
In the wiping apparatus comprising: a wiping means for wiping the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head in which the ejection nozzle for ejecting the functional liquid is formed by the wiping sheet on which the cleaning liquid is dispersed,
The cleaning liquid is acted by a sheet capillary force capable of being impregnated on the wiping sheet during the spraying, and a nozzle capillary force acting so as not to enter the discharge nozzle during the wiping. Wiping device. Cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying the cleaning liquid on the wiping sheet;
In the wiping apparatus comprising: a wiping means for wiping the nozzle surface of the functional liquid droplet ejection head in which the ejection nozzle for ejecting the functional liquid is formed by the wiping sheet on which the cleaning liquid is dispersed,
The functional liquid is obtained by dissolving a functional material in a functional liquid solvent,
The cleaning liquid is a cleaning liquid solvent that dissolves the functional material;
And a solute for improving the volatility of the cleaning liquid solvent. The cleaning liquid spraying means includes a sheet feeding means for feeding the wiping sheet,
A cleaning liquid spraying means for spraying the cleaning liquid from the spraying head on the wiping sheet, the spraying head facing the wiping sheet to be sent;
Control means for controlling the sheet feeding means and the cleaning liquid spraying means,
The control means adjusts the spraying amount per unit area of the wiping sheet by making the spraying amount of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle constant and varying the feeding speed of the wiping sheet. The wiping device according to claim 7 or 8. In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus for ejecting the functional liquid onto the workpiece by driving the functional liquid droplet ejection head while relatively moving the functional liquid droplet ejection head on which the ejection nozzle is formed with respect to the workpiece,
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein the functional liquid droplet ejection head is maintained by the wiping method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or the wiping apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9.   11. A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, wherein the droplet discharge device according to claim 10 is used to form a film forming portion with functional droplets on the workpiece.   An electro-optical device using the droplet discharge device according to claim 10, wherein a film forming portion using functional droplets is formed on the workpiece. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device manufactured by the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 11 or the electro-optical device according to claim 12.

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