JP2006088151A - Droplet discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a droplet discharge apparatus which does not cause defective discharge due to drying, solidification or the like of a composition in discharging the composition from a nozzle. <P>SOLUTION: The droplet discharge apparatus comprises a nozzle portion provided with a nozzle hole for discharging a composition, a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole, a means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion, wherein lyophilic treatment is performed on the bottom surface of the nozzle portion. As the means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion, a channel through which the composition can flow is provided in the nozzle portion and the composition is supplied to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion by passing the composition through the channel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for ejecting droplets, and more particularly to a droplet ejection apparatus that prevents ejection failure due to drying or solidification of a composition to be ejected.

  In recent years, so-called direct drawing, in which a circuit pattern is directly drawn on a substrate using a semiconductor material, a metal material, or an insulating material, has been actively studied. Specifically, using an apparatus provided with means for ejecting droplets, an electronic circuit is drawn so as to strike characters with a printer, and an electronic device is printed.

  A conventional method for manufacturing an electronic device uses a considerably complicated process for forming a pattern such as a circuit. For example, in the case of forming a single wiring, first, a film of a semiconductor material or a metal material that is a base of the wiring is formed on the substrate, and then a region used for the wiring is specified in this film and a resist or the like is formed. Finally, the other film is removed leaving the region specified by etching or the like. By repeating this process, a target circuit pattern is formed. However, in such a process, since the number of processes is large and it is necessary to perform the process of forming and removing the film in a vacuum, the use of an expensive and huge vacuum apparatus increases the manufacturing cost.

  On the other hand, when direct drawing is used, it is possible to directly form a circuit pattern such as a wiring, so that the process, which conventionally takes three steps, can be performed once. Moreover, since it can manufacture under atmospheric pressure and a vacuum apparatus becomes unnecessary, it becomes possible to achieve a significant cost reduction. Therefore, direct drawing using a droplet discharge device has attracted a great deal of attention.

  The direct drawing described above is performed by using, for example, a droplet discharge device such as an ink jet device. However, when a highly viscous material or the like is discharged by the droplet discharge device, discharge generated by drying of the material or the like Defects are a problem. For this reason, various solutions have been conceived so far in order to solve the ejection failure.

For example, a method of wiping the head having the discharge port with a solvent such as an organic solvent or the discharge liquid itself before discharging the material, a method of capping the entire head and immersing it in the solvent, or a space filled with solvent vapor There is a method of arranging the head. In addition, a meniscus control method that prevents drying and solidification by adding a moisturizing agent to the liquid to be discharged or applying a pulse voltage that does not discharge to the piezo element to vibrate the liquid and stirring (for example, patents) Reference 1).
JP-A-9-290505

  However, the method of wiping the head before discharging the material or capping the entire head and immersing it in a solvent or filling it with steam is effective for discharge failure before printing, but it is effective for discharge failure during printing. Can not respond. That is, when drawing a pattern, among the plurality of nozzles of the droplet discharge device, nozzles that are not used at that time (nozzles that do not discharge droplets) do not discharge for a certain period. There is a case where ejection failure occurs due to drying and solidification. This is because the higher the volatility of the solvent, the higher the viscosity of the material due to the evaporation of the solvent, and the greater the risk of ejection failure.

  In order to prevent this, there are a method of adding a humectant to the liquid and a meniscus control method. However, in the method of adding a humectant, there may be no appropriate humectant depending on the material. Further, in the meniscus control method, the viscosity of the material increases due to the evaporation of the solvent with the passage of time, and as a result, the discharge state changes, making it impossible to accurately control the discharge amount and discharge position of the material. There is. Thus, neither method has reached an essential solution.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a droplet discharge device having a nozzle that does not cause a discharge failure when a droplet is discharged.

  In the present invention, in a droplet discharge device, discharge failure due to drying and solidification of the composition in the nozzle is prevented. The term “discharge failure” as used herein refers not only to the case where the composition is not discharged at all, but also to the case where the amount and direction of the discharged liquid cannot be accurately controlled by drying or solidifying the composition. In addition, the droplet discharge device is a device that selectively discharges (jets) a droplet (also referred to as a dot) of a composition containing a material such as a conductive film or an insulating film to form an arbitrary place. Depending on the method, it is also called an inkjet device.

  The droplet discharge device of the present invention includes a nozzle portion having a nozzle hole for discharging a composition, a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole, and a means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion. The bottom surface of the nozzle part is characterized by being lyophilic. As the composition, any material can be used as long as it can be discharged from the nozzle hole, and a metal material, an insulating material, or the like can be used. As a pressurizing means for discharging the composition, a piezoelectric method in which a piezoelectric element is provided and a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element to deform and the composition is pushed out, or a heating element is heated to generate bubbles. A thermal ink jet method for extruding the composition can be used. The lyophilic treatment referred to here is to bring the bottom surface of the nozzle part into an affinity that does not repel the composition (hereinafter also referred to as lyophilic property).

  As a means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle part, for example, a flow path through which the composition can flow is provided in the nozzle part. And a composition is supplied to the bottom face of a nozzle part by flowing a composition through the said flow path. The flow path may be configured not only to supply the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion but also to suck the composition on the bottom surface of the nozzle portion. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a liquid feeding means for extruding the composition into the flow path and supplying it to the bottom surface of the nozzle part or a returning liquid means for sucking and collecting the composition from the bottom face of the nozzle part.

  The above configuration can be similarly applied to a droplet discharge device provided with a plurality of nozzle holes. In this case, the flow path may be provided between the plurality of nozzle holes. For example, when the plurality of nozzle holes are linearly arranged, the flow paths are arranged in a direction parallel to the arrangement of the nozzle holes. You may provide long. The term “linearly arranged” includes not only a state in which the individual nozzle holes are arranged in a straight line but also a state in which the nozzle holes are arranged in a line with a certain regularity such as a case where they are alternately arranged back and forth. It is out.

  Further, the droplet discharge device of the present invention includes a nozzle portion having a nozzle hole for discharging the composition, a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole, and a first connected to the side wall of the nozzle hole. And the second and second channels, and the composition is transferred between the nozzle hole and the first channel and between the nozzle hole and the second channel. The composition transfer between the nozzle hole and the first flow path or between the nozzle hole and the second flow path is when the composition is supplied to the nozzle hole from the first flow path or the second flow path. It means the exchange when the composition of the nozzle hole is sucked into the first channel or the second channel. A liquid feeding means for extruding the composition into one or both of the first flow path and the second flow path and supplying the composition to the nozzle hole or a returning liquid means for sucking and collecting the composition from the nozzle hole may be provided. preferable. Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to a droplet discharge device provided with a plurality of nozzle holes. In this case, a flow path may be provided so as to connect adjacent nozzle holes, or a first flow path or a second flow path may be provided so that a plurality of nozzle holes are shared. Moreover, you may provide an on-off valve in the part which a nozzle hole and a 1st flow path connect, and the part which a nozzle hole and a 2nd flow path connect.

  In addition, the droplet discharge device of the present invention is connected to two different locations on the nozzle part having nozzle holes for discharging the composition, a pressure chamber connected to the nozzle holes, and a side wall of the pressure chamber. A flow path provided; a first pressure means provided on a side wall of the pressure chamber; and a second pressure means provided on a side wall of the flow path. An on-off valve is provided at the connecting portion. Further, a separate flow path may be provided to supply the composition to the flow path from the outside.

  According to the present invention, in the droplet discharge device, it is possible to prevent the composition discharged from the nozzle hole from being dried or solidified, so that the composition can be discharged without causing discharge failure.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description, and it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that modes and details can be variously changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments below. Note that in the structures of the present invention described below, the same reference numerals are used in common in different drawings.

  In general, in a droplet discharge device, a composition present in a nozzle hole, which is an outlet for discharging the composition, is always in contact with air and thus easily dried and solidified. When the composition is continuously ejected, the composition is replaced every time it is ejected, so that problems such as drying do not occur. However, when the composition is not ejected for a certain period of time, the composition is dried.

  In particular, when a highly volatile solvent is used in the composition, since the drying is more significant, the risk of clogging the nozzle holes due to solidification of the composition becomes very high. Moreover, even if it does not solidify, the viscosity of the composition increases due to the evaporation of the solvent, and a problem arises in the landing accuracy such as the direction when discharging. Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem, the droplet discharge device of the present invention is configured not to dry the composition of the nozzle holes.

  Specifically, the same composition as the composition discharged from the nozzle hole is supplied to the bottom surface of the nozzle, and at least the nozzle hole and the bottom surface of the surrounding nozzle are coated with the composition. As a means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle, for example, a flow path connected to the bottom surface of the nozzle is provided on the bottom surface of the nozzle in addition to the nozzle hole. And drying can be prevented by supplying a composition from the said flow path and covering the bottom face of a nozzle with a composition. In this case, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the nozzle is previously not repelled (lyophilic).

  As another configuration of the present invention, a flow path connected to the side wall of the nozzle hole is provided, and the composition is supplied directly from the flow path to the nozzle hole. By directly exchanging the composition between the nozzle hole and the flow path, the composition in the nozzle hole flows and is constantly replaced. Therefore, the composition can be prevented from drying and solidifying.

  As another configuration of the present invention, a circulation channel is provided on the side wall of the pressurizing chamber connected to the nozzle hole, and the composition of the nozzle hole is caused to flow using the circulation channel. The flow of the composition can be controlled by deforming the pressurizing chamber and the circulation flow path by selectively applying a voltage to the piezoelectric elements respectively provided on the side walls of the pressurization chamber and the circulation flow path.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the droplet discharge device of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment mode, a droplet discharge apparatus in which means for supplying a composition is provided on the bottom surface of a nozzle having a nozzle hole for discharging a composition will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the droplet discharge means in the droplet discharge apparatus. The droplet discharge means 101 includes a preliminary liquid chamber 103 connected to the liquid chamber flow path 102, a nozzle portion 109 including a fluid resistance portion 104, a pressurizing chamber 105, a piezoelectric element 106 and a nozzle hole 107, and a nozzle portion bottom surface 100. It is comprised from the flow paths 111 and 112 which are means to supply a composition.

  The composition supplied to the inside of the droplet discharge means 101 from the outside passes through the liquid chamber flow path 102 and is stored in the preliminary liquid chamber 103, and then moves to the nozzle portion 109 for discharging the composition. . In the nozzle portion 109, an appropriate composition is filled into the pressurizing chamber 105 by the fluid resistance portion 104.

  A piezoelectric element 106 that is deformed by applying a voltage is provided on the side wall of the pressurizing chamber 105. As the piezoelectric element 106, for example, a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric effect such as titanic acid / zirconic acid / lead (PZT) can be used. By applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element 106 disposed in the target nozzle, the composition in the pressurizing chamber 105 can be pushed out and the composition 108 can be discharged to the outside.

  Usually, the composition on the outermost surface of the nozzle hole 107 is easily dried because it is in contact with air. When the composition is discharged from the nozzle hole 107, the composition is replaced, so that drying is not a problem. However, when the discharge is not performed for a certain period, the composition may be dried and solidified. Therefore, in the droplet discharge means 101 shown in FIG. 1, the flow paths 111 and 112 are provided to prevent the composition on the outermost surface of the nozzle hole 107 from being dried. The same composition as that discharged from the nozzle hole 107 using the flow paths 111 and 112 is supplied to the bottom surface 100 of the nozzle portion 109 (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle portion bottom surface 100), and the nozzle holes 107 and the nozzles around the nozzle holes 107 are supplied. The bottom surface 100 is covered with the composition (FIG. 1A).

  With such a configuration, since a new composition is always supplied to the nozzle hole 107, drying of the composition in the nozzle hole 107 can be prevented. Here, the same composition as the composition discharged from the nozzle hole 107 is supplied from the flow paths 111 and 112 to the bottom surface 100 of the nozzle part. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may supply.

  Further, the shape and arrangement of the flow paths 111 and 112 may be any as long as the composition can be supplied to the bottom surface 100 of the nozzle portion. For example, the flow paths 111 and 112 may be formed linearly around the nozzle hole 107 ( 1B), it may be formed in a circular shape (including an annular shape or a ring shape) around the nozzle hole 107 (FIG. 1C). One flow path may be provided for one nozzle hole, or a plurality of flow paths may be provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the flow path is provided obliquely toward the nozzle hole 107 with respect to the bottom surface 100 of the nozzle portion, the composition supplied from the flow paths 111 and 112 is directed toward the nozzle hole 107. It is preferable because it is easy to flow. FIGS. 1B and 1C schematically show the bottom of the droplet discharge means 101 in FIG. 1A, and are cross sections taken along line AB in FIGS. 1B and 1C. Corresponds to AB in FIG.

  Further, the channel 111, 112 may be provided with means for feeding and supplying the composition (liquid feeding means) or means for sucking and collecting the composition (returning liquid means). A pump, a screw, or the like can be used as the liquid feeding means and the liquid returning means for the composition. Here, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), a pump 111a having a liquid feeding means or a returning liquid means at the end opposite to the end connected to the bottom surface 100 of the nozzle part of the flow paths 111, 112, By providing 112a, the flow of the composition in the flow paths 111 and 112 can be controlled.

  In this case, the flow of the composition can be selectively adjusted depending on whether the pumps 111a and 112a are provided with liquid feeding means or return liquid means. For example, if a pump having liquid feeding means is provided in each of the pumps 111 a and 112 a, the composition can be supplied from the flow paths 111 and 112 to the bottom surface 100 of the nozzle part. Further, by providing a pump having liquid feeding means in one of the pumps 111a and 112a and providing a pump having returning liquid means in the other, the composition can be moved by flowing in a specific direction of the nozzle bottom surface 100. .

  The composition may be supplied to the flow paths 111 and 112 by providing a liquid chamber for supply outside, or by connecting the preliminary liquid chamber 103 and the flow paths 111 and 112.

  It is necessary to prevent the composition supplied from the flow paths 111 and 112 to the nozzle unit bottom surface 100 from falling. Therefore, it is preferable that the surface of the nozzle unit bottom surface 100 be previously in a state in which the composition is not repelled (lyophilic). Moreover, it controls by the pump etc. which have a liquid feeding means or a return liquid means so that a composition may not be excessively supplied to the nozzle part bottom face 100 from the flow paths 111 and 112, and it may fall.

  Also in the nozzle portion 109, wettability between the composition and the liquid chamber flow path 102, the preliminary liquid chamber 103, the fluid resistance portion 104, the pressurizing chamber 105, and the nozzle hole 107 is important. Therefore, in order to adjust the wettability between the composition and the material, a carbon film, a resin film, or the like may be formed in a portion that contacts the composition.

  With the above structure, the composition can be accurately discharged onto the object to be processed. There are two types of droplet discharge methods: the so-called sequential method, in which droplets are continuously ejected to form a continuous linear pattern, and the so-called on-demand method, in which droplets are ejected in the form of dots. May be used. Further, when a continuous linear pattern is formed, a dispenser method may be used.

  Next, the configuration of the droplet discharge means of the droplet discharge device in which a plurality of nozzle holes are arranged will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, when showing the same thing as FIG. 1, it shows with the same code | symbol.

  Similar to the droplet discharge means 101 shown in FIG. 1, the droplet discharge means 120 includes a preliminary liquid chamber 103 connected to the liquid chamber flow path 102, a fluid resistance section 104, a pressurization chamber 105, a piezoelectric element 106, and A plurality of nozzle portions 109 including the nozzle holes 107 are connected.

  In FIG. 2, flow paths 113 a to 113 e are respectively provided in the nozzle portion 109. Here, the flow paths 113a to 113e are respectively provided between adjacent nozzle holes 107a to 107d, and the nozzle holes 107a to 107d and the nozzle portion bottom surface 100 are covered with the composition supplied from the flow paths 113a to 113e ( FIG. 2 (A), (B)). By supplying the composition from the flow paths 113a to 113e, the composition of the nozzle hole 107 can be prevented from drying. In addition, although the composition supplied to the nozzle part bottom face 100 from the flow paths 113a-113e is preferably the same as the composition discharged from the nozzle hole 107, other than that, the solvent of the composition and the composition A solution that prevents drying can be used.

  The shape of the flow path may be any shape, for example, it may be formed between a plurality of nozzle holes in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle holes are arranged (FIG. 2B), or the nozzle holes are arranged. The flow paths 115 and 116 may be formed linearly in a direction parallel to the direction (FIG. 2C). Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, a circular shape (including an annular shape and a ring shape) may be formed around each nozzle hole.

  In FIG. 2, a plurality of nozzle holes are arranged on a straight line. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the nozzle holes may be arranged in a cluster so as to form a triangle by alternately shifting the nozzle holes. The holes may be arranged one above the other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a liquid feeding means or a returning liquid means can be provided in the flow paths 113a to 113e. Here, the compositions of the flow paths 113a to 113e are provided by providing pumps 114a to 114e each having a liquid feeding means or a returning liquid means at the ends of the flow paths 113a to 113e that are not connected to the nozzle bottom surface 100. Can be controlled.

  Further, the composition may be supplied to the flow paths 113 a to 113 e by providing a liquid chamber for supply separately or by connecting to the preliminary liquid chamber 103.

  It is necessary to prevent the composition supplied from the flow paths 113a to 113e to the nozzle unit bottom surface 100 from falling. For this reason, it is preferable that the surface of the nozzle unit bottom surface 100 is previously not repelled (lyophilic). In addition, control is performed with a pump or the like having liquid feeding means so that the composition is not excessively supplied to the nozzle bottom surface 100 from the flow paths 113a to 113e and dropped.

  With the above structure, the composition can be discharged onto the object to be processed. There are two types of droplet discharge methods: the so-called sequential method, in which droplets are continuously ejected to form a continuous linear pattern, and the so-called on-demand method, in which droplets are ejected in the form of dots. May be used. Further, when a continuous linear pattern is formed, a dispenser method may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the composition is ejected by a so-called piezo method using a piezoelectric element is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and so-called extruding the composition by generating heat to generate bubbles. A thermal ink jet method may be used. In this case, the piezoelectric element 106 may be replaced with a heating element.

(Embodiment 2)
In this embodiment, a droplet discharge apparatus different from that in Embodiment 1 is described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings shown in this embodiment mode, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same components as those in Embodiment Mode 1.

  First, a specific configuration of a droplet discharge unit in the droplet discharge apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The droplet discharge means 201 includes a preliminary liquid chamber 103 connected to the liquid chamber flow path 102, a nozzle portion 209 including a fluid resistance portion 104, a pressurizing chamber 105, a piezoelectric element 106, and a nozzle hole 107, and a nozzle hole 107. It is comprised from the flow paths 211 and 212 which are means to supply a composition.

  The composition supplied to the inside of the droplet discharge means 201 from the outside passes through the liquid chamber flow path 102 and is stored in the preliminary liquid chamber 103, and then moves to the nozzle portion 209 for discharging the composition. . In the nozzle part 209, an appropriate composition is filled into the pressurizing chamber 105 by the fluid resistance part 104.

  A piezoelectric element 106 that is deformed by applying a voltage is provided on the side wall of the pressurizing chamber 105. As the piezoelectric element 106, for example, a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric effect such as titanic acid / zirconic acid / lead (PZT) can be used. By applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element 106 disposed in the target nozzle, the composition in the pressurizing chamber 105 can be pushed out, and the composition can be discharged from the nozzle hole 107 to the outside.

  Further, in the droplet discharge means 201 shown in FIG. 3, flow paths 211 and 212 through which the composition can flow are provided in the nozzle portion 209. The flow paths 211 and 212 are connected to the nozzle hole 107, and the composition is exchanged at the connection portion between the nozzle hole 107 and the flow path 211 or 212. Normally, the composition present in the nozzle hole 107 is easy to dry because it is in contact with air, but by supplying a new composition directly from the outside to the nozzle hole 107, the composition in the nozzle hole 107 is replaced to prevent drying. be able to. Here, the flow path 211 or the flow path 212 is provided on the side walls 130 a and 130 b of the nozzle hole 107.

  In addition, a means for feeding the composition into the flow paths 211 and 212 and supplying the composition to the nozzle hole 107 (liquid feeding means) or a means for sucking the composition and collecting the composition from the nozzle hole 107 (returning liquid means) is provided. Good. As the liquid feeding means and the liquid returning means for the composition, a pump or the like can be used as shown in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3A, by providing pumps 211a and 212b having liquid feeding means or returning liquid means at the ends opposite to the ends connected to the nozzle holes 107 of the flow paths 211 and 212, respectively. The flow of the composition in the flow paths 211 and 212 and the nozzle hole 107 can be controlled.

  Both of the pumps 211a and 212b provided in the flow paths 211 and 212 may have a liquid feeding means or a returning liquid means, or one of them has a liquid feeding means and the other has a returning liquid means. May be selected as appropriate by the practitioner. The flow of the composition can be selectively controlled by a combination of whether the pumps 211a and 211b are provided with liquid feeding means or return liquid means.

  For example, one of the flow paths (for example, the flow path 211) has a liquid feeding means and supplies the composition to the nozzle hole 107, and the other flow path (for example, the flow path 212) has a return liquid means from the nozzle hole 107. By sucking the composition, the composition of the flow paths 211 and 212 and the nozzle hole 107 can be controlled to flow in a specific direction. Usually, since the composition flow in the nozzle hole 107 is not regular (turbulent flow state), the ejection direction is not constant when ejected. However, the composition is discharged by making the flow of the composition in the nozzle hole 107 regular (for example, in a laminar flow state) by exchanging the composition with the nozzle hole 107 using the flow paths 211 and 212. The position and direction can be accurately controlled.

  In addition, a valve that can be opened and closed may be provided at a connection portion between the flow paths 211 and 212 and the nozzle hole 107. This case will be described with reference to FIG.

  Usually, the composition is ejected by deforming the piezoelectric element 106 provided on the side wall of the pressurizing chamber 105 by applying a voltage and extruding the composition from the nozzle hole 107. However, due to the presence of the flow paths 211 and 212 connected to the nozzle hole 107, the force for pushing out the composition during discharge also works on the composition of the flow paths 211 and 212, and the amount of the composition discharged from the nozzle hole 107 Or the discharge direction may not be accurately controlled. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the opening / closing valve 213 that adjusts the transfer of the composition between the channels 211, 212 and the nozzle hole 107 by opening and closing at the portion where the nozzle hole 107 and the channels 211, 212 are connected. 214 may be provided.

  The on-off valves 213 and 214 are closed when the composition is discharged from the nozzle hole 107, and open when the composition is not discharged from the nozzle hole 107 (when the nozzle portion 209 is not used). The composition can be supplied to the channel 107 from the channels 211 and 212. As described above, by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves 213 and 214, the composition amount and the discharge direction can be accurately controlled even when a flow path connected to the nozzle hole is provided. The on-off valves 213 and 214 may be any valves as long as the connection between the nozzle hole 107 and the flow paths 211 and 212 can be shut off. A valve that opens and closes by fixing one point or a valve that opens and closes by sliding. Can be used.

  The composition may be supplied to the channels 211 and 212 by providing a liquid chamber for supply outside or by connecting the preliminary liquid chamber 103 and the channels 211 and 212. Good.

  Further, in the nozzle part 209, the wettability of the composition and the liquid chamber channel 102, the preliminary liquid chamber 103, the fluid resistance part 104, the pressurizing chamber 105, and the nozzle hole 107 becomes important. Therefore, in order to adjust the wettability between the composition and the material, a carbon film, a resin film, or the like may be formed in a portion that contacts the composition.

  By the above means, the composition can be accurately discharged onto the object to be processed. There are two types of droplet discharge methods: the so-called sequential method, in which droplets are continuously ejected to form a continuous linear pattern, and the so-called on-demand method, in which droplets are ejected in the form of dots. May be used. Further, when a continuous linear pattern is formed, a dispenser method may be used.

  Next, the configuration of the droplet discharge means in which a plurality of nozzle holes are arranged in the droplet discharge means shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same components as those described above.

  In FIG. 4, a common liquid chamber 218 is provided and connected to each of the plurality of pressurizing chambers 105 in the nozzle portion. In addition, a flow path 215 connected to the plurality of nozzle holes 207a to 207e is provided. A liquid feeding means 216 for sending out the composition and a return liquid means 217 for sucking the composition are provided at the ends of the flow path 215, respectively, and the composition flows in the direction of the nozzle holes 107a to 107e in the flow path 215. So that it is controlled. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as described above, liquid feeding means may be used for both ends of the flow path 215, or return liquid means may be used.

  Further, the flow path 215 may be provided in any shape and arrangement as long as the composition can be supplied to the nozzle holes 207a to 207e. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, adjacent nozzle holes (for example, nozzle holes 107a and 107b) are provided so as to be connected, and the nozzle hole 107a is formed from one end of the flow path 215. ~ 107e can be provided so that the composition flows to the other end of the channel 215.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4C, the flow path 215 may be formed so that a plurality of nozzle holes are shared, and the composition may flow from a direction perpendicular to the arrangement of the nozzle holes. In this case, it is preferable to provide a slit plate 219 between the adjacent nozzle holes to reinforce the nozzle portion. Further, by providing the threshold plate 219, the direction in which the composition flows can be aligned.

  By the above means, the composition can be discharged onto the object to be processed. There are two types of droplet discharge methods: the so-called sequential method, in which droplets are continuously ejected to form a continuous linear pattern, and the so-called on-demand method, in which droplets are ejected in the form of dots. May be used. Further, when a continuous linear pattern is formed, a dispenser method may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the composition is ejected by a so-called piezo method using a piezoelectric element is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and so-called extruding the composition by generating heat to generate bubbles. A thermal ink jet method may be used. In this case, the piezoelectric element 106 may be replaced with a heating element.

  Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 3)
In this embodiment, a structure of a droplet discharge device which is different from that in the above embodiment is described with reference to drawings. In addition, when showing the same thing as the said embodiment, it shows using the same code | symbol.

  In this embodiment mode, a configuration in which a circulation channel 321 connected to the pressurizing chamber 305 is provided in the droplet discharge unit 301 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The droplet discharge means 301 includes a preliminary liquid chamber 103 connected to the liquid chamber flow path 102, a fluid resistance section 104, a pressure chamber 305, piezoelectric elements 306 a to 306 d, a circulation flow path 321, and a nozzle section including a nozzle hole 107. 309.

  The composition supplied from the outside to the inside of the droplet discharge means 301 passes through the liquid chamber flow path 102 and is stored in the preliminary liquid chamber 103, and then moves to the nozzle portion 309 for discharging the composition. . In the nozzle portion 309, an appropriate composition is filled into the pressurizing chamber 305 by the fluid resistance portion 104.

  Piezoelectric elements 306 a and 306 b that are deformed by applying a voltage are provided on the side wall of the pressurizing chamber 305. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a circulation channel 321 connected to the side wall of the pressurizing chamber 305 is provided, and piezoelectric elements 306 c and 306 d are also provided on the side wall of the circulation channel 321.

  The piezoelectric elements 306a to 306d provided in the pressurizing chamber 305 and the circulation channel 321 can be deformed by applying a voltage separately. As the piezoelectric element, for example, a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric effect such as titanic acid / zirconic acid / lead (PZT) can be used. By selectively applying a voltage to the piezoelectric elements 306a to 306d arranged in the target nozzle, the composition in the pressurizing chamber 305 can be pushed out and the composition 108 can be discharged to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, by using the circulation channel 321 provided in the pressurizing chamber 305, the composition of the pressurizing chamber 305 and the nozzle hole 107 is made to flow and the composition of the nozzle hole 107 is replaced. Drying of the object can be prevented. Hereinafter, the flow of the composition in the pressurizing chamber 305 and the nozzle hole 107 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (A), open / close valves 311 and 312 that can be opened and closed are provided at the connecting portion between the pressurizing chamber 305 and the circulation flow path 321, and the piezoelectric elements 306 a to 306 d and the open and close valves 311 and 312 Things flow in the direction of the arrow (solid line). In FIG. 5, the on-off valves 311 and 312 can be opened and closed in only one direction, respectively, and have a function of preventing the backflow of the composition. Here, the opening / closing valve 311 can be opened / closed only on the left side in the drawing, and the opening / closing valve 312 is provided so as to be opened / closed only on the right side in the drawing. Then, a voltage is selectively applied to the piezoelectric elements 306a to 306d to cause the composition to flow in the direction of the solid arrow.

  Specifically, when the piezoelectric elements 306a and 306b are contracted, the piezoelectric elements 306c and 306d are expanded to move the composition, so that the on-off valve 312 is opened and the composition is not discharged from the nozzle hole 107, and the pressure chamber 305 is discharged. And the composition of the nozzle hole 107 can be made to flow. At the same time, the on-off valve 311 opens and the composition moves, so that a new composition moves to the nozzle hole 107 and the composition in the nozzle hole 107 is replaced. As a result, drying of the composition of the nozzle hole 107 can be prevented. Further, when the composition of the circulation channel 321 and the pressurizing chamber 305 and the nozzle hole 107 can be flowed by contracting or expanding only the piezoelectric elements 306c and 306d, the piezoelectric elements 306a and 306b are not used. May be.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, a flow channel 313 that can supply a composition from the outside to the circulation flow channel 321 may be provided. In general, even when the composition of the nozzle hole 107 is circulated, there is a problem that the viscosity of the composition increases with time due to evaporation of the solvent of the composition. Therefore, by providing the flow path 313 to supply a new composition to the circulation flow path 321, it is possible to prevent the composition of the nozzle hole 107 from increasing in viscosity and drying.

  By the above means, the composition of the nozzle hole can be prevented from being dried, and the composition can be efficiently discharged onto the object to be processed. There are two types of droplet discharge methods: the so-called sequential method, in which droplets are continuously ejected to form a continuous linear pattern, and the so-called on-demand method, in which droplets are ejected in the form of dots. May be used. Further, when a continuous linear pattern is formed, a dispenser method may be used.

  Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 4)
In this embodiment, a configuration example of a linear droplet discharge device including the droplet discharge unit described in the first to third embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The linear droplet discharge device shown in FIG. 6A has a droplet discharge means 506 in the device, and forms a pattern of a desired composition on the substrate 502 by discharging the composition thereby. It is. In this linear droplet discharge device, a substrate such as a resin substrate typified by a plastic substrate or a semiconductor wafer typified by silicon can be used as the substrate 502 in addition to a glass substrate of a desired size.

  6A, the substrate 502 is carried into the housing 501 from the carry-in port 504, and the substrate after discharging the composition is carried out from the carry-out port 505. Inside the housing 501, the substrate 502 is mounted on the transfer table 503, and the transfer table 503 moves on rails 510 a and 510 b that connect the carry-in port 504 and the carry-out port 505.

  The support unit 507 supports the droplet discharge means 506 that discharges the composition and moves in parallel with the transport table 503. When the substrate 502 is carried into the housing 501, the support portion 507 moves so as to match a predetermined position at the same time. The movement of the droplet discharge means 506 to the initial position can be performed efficiently when the substrate is carried in or when the substrate is carried out.

  The droplet discharge process starts when the substrate 502 reaches a predetermined position where the droplet discharge unit 506 waits due to the movement of the transport table 503. The droplet discharge process is achieved by a combination of relative movement of the support unit 507 and the substrate 502 and droplet discharge from the droplet discharge unit 506 supported by the support unit 507. A desired droplet pattern can be drawn on the substrate 502 by adjusting the moving speed of the substrate 502 or the support portion 507 and the period of discharging the composition from the droplet discharge means 506. In particular, since the droplet discharge process requires a high degree of accuracy, it is desirable to stop the movement of the transport table and sequentially scan only the support unit 507 with high controllability during droplet discharge. Further, the droplet discharge means 506 can be scanned so as to move back and forth in one direction.

  The raw material liquid is supplied to the inside of the casing from a droplet supply unit 509 installed outside the casing 501, and further supplied to the liquid chamber inside the droplet discharge means 506 via the support section 507. The supply of the raw material liquid is controlled by a control unit 508 installed outside the housing 501, but may be controlled by a control unit built in a support portion 507 inside the housing.

  In addition, the movement of the carriage and the support unit 507 is similarly controlled by the control unit 508 installed outside the housing 501.

  Further, the droplet discharge device shown in FIG. 6 is further subjected to a heat treatment for the substrate, a sensor for alignment with the pattern on the substrate, a gas introduction unit to the casing, an exhaust unit inside the casing, and the substrate. Means, means for irradiating the substrate with light, and means for measuring various physical property values such as temperature and pressure may be installed as necessary. These means can also be collectively controlled by the control means 508 installed outside the housing 501. Furthermore, if the control means 508 is connected to a production management system or the like with a LAN cable, a wireless LAN, an optical fiber, or the like, the process can be uniformly managed from the outside, leading to improvement in productivity.

  Next, the linear droplet discharge device shown in FIG. 6B, which is an improvement of the linear droplet discharge device shown in FIG. 6A, will be described. In this apparatus, the support unit 507 is provided with a rotation unit, and the droplet discharge unit 506 is designed to have an angle with respect to the substrate 502 by rotating the support unit 507 at an arbitrary angle θ. The angle θ is allowed to be an arbitrary angle, but considering the size of the entire apparatus, it is preferably within 0 ° to 45 ° in the direction in which the substrate 502 moves. By providing the support unit 507 with a rotating means, it is possible to draw a composition pattern at a pitch narrower than the pitch of the nozzle holes provided in the droplet discharge means 506.

  FIG. 6C shows a linear droplet discharge device having a structure in which two droplet discharge means 506 of the linear droplet discharge device shown in FIG. In this apparatus, compositions of different materials can be collectively performed by the same scanning. That is, while the pattern is formed by discharging the raw material liquid A by the first liquid droplet discharging unit 506a, the pattern is formed by discharging the raw material liquid B by the second liquid droplet discharging unit 506b with a slight time difference. A continuous pattern is possible. The raw material liquid supply units 509a and 509b store and supply the raw material liquid A and the raw material liquid B used in the respective droplet discharge means. By using this structure, the process can be simplified and the efficiency can be significantly increased.

  7A to 7C schematically show the bottom of the droplet discharge means in FIG.

  FIG. 7A shows a case where nozzle holes 602 are linearly arranged on the nozzle bottom surface 601. On the other hand, FIG. 7B shows a configuration in which the nozzle holes 604 of the nozzle portion bottom surface 601 are arranged in two rows, and each row is arranged in a cluster form so as to form a triangle with a half pitch shift. ing. In FIG. 7C, the number of rows is increased to two without shifting the pitch of the nozzle holes.

  In the arrangement of FIG. 7C, after the liquid droplets from the first-stage nozzle hole 606 were discharged, the same composition was discharged from the nozzle hole 607 to the same position with a time difference, and the liquid was already discharged. Before the composition on the substrate is dried or solidified, the same droplets can be further laminated to form a thick layer.

  Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 5)
In this embodiment, a droplet discharge device having a structure different from that described above will be described with reference to FIG. In the configuration of FIG. 8 described below, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same components as those in the above embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, in this embodiment, the droplet discharge device is configured to fill at least the periphery of the nozzle hole with the vapor of the solvent of the composition to be discharged. Therefore, the droplet discharge means 101 is provided in a closed space 402 that is blocked from the outside world, and the closed space 402 is filled with the vapor of the solvent. That is, the droplet discharge device itself has a chamber structure having a closed space 402, and the vapor of the solvent is supplied into the inside thereof using the vapor supply means 401. In this way, by filling the droplet discharge device itself with the solvent vapor of the composition to be discharged, the composition in the nozzle hole 107 is always in contact with the solvent vapor, and drying of the composition can be prevented. .

  FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram showing the entire linear droplet discharge device. The droplet discharge device forms a pattern of a desired composition on the substrate 502 by discharging the composition using the droplet discharge means 506. The substrate 502 is carried into the closed space 402 from the opening / closing type inlet 404, and the substrate after the discharge of the composition is carried out from the opening / closing type outlet 405. The substrate 502 is carried in and out quickly so that outside air does not enter.

  The closed space 402 is filled with the solvent vapor of the composition by using the vapor supply means 401. Inside the closed space 402, the substrate 502 is mounted on the transfer table 503, and the transfer table 503 moves on rails 510 a and 510 b that connect the carry-in port 504 and the carry-out port 505. The configuration of the above-described embodiment can be used for the droplet discharge means.

  With the above-described configuration, drying and solidification of the composition to be discharged can be prevented in the droplet discharge device. Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 6)
In this embodiment, a structure for preventing the composition of the nozzle hole from being dried by applying vibration to the droplet discharge device will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, when showing the same thing as the said embodiment, it shows using the same code | symbol.

  The droplet discharge device described in this embodiment is provided with vibration units 801 and 802 that can apply vibration to the entire droplet discharge unit 101 (FIG. 14A). In this embodiment, a high-frequency pulse voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 106 of the nozzle portion 109 that is not discharging the composition to vibrate, and the entire droplet discharge means 101 is vibrated by the vibration means 801 and 802. As a result, the composition of the preliminary liquid chamber 103, the fluid resistance portion 104, the pressurizing chamber 105, and the nozzle hole 107 vibrates. As a result, a composition flow is formed in the droplet discharge means 101, and drying of the composition in the nozzle hole 107 can be prevented.

  There has been a method of forming a composition flow by applying a high-frequency pulse voltage to the piezoelectric element 106 to form a flow of the composition. However, the vibration of the piezoelectric element 106 can sufficiently flow the composition. I couldn't. This is because, when strong vibration is applied to the piezoelectric element, the composition may jump out of the nozzle hole, so that only certain vibration can be performed. The composition around the piezoelectric element (here, the composition of the pressure chamber 105) This is because it only flows. For this reason, there is a possibility that ejection failure may occur when the viscosity of the composition of the nozzle hole increases due to insufficient flow of the composition and drying of the solvent.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in addition to the vibration of the piezoelectric element 106, the entire droplet discharge means 101 is vibrated by the vibration means 801 and 802, so that the composition can sufficiently flow. As a result, since a new composition can always be supplied to the nozzle hole 107, it is possible to prevent drying more reliably as compared with the conventional method. Note that when the composition can be flowed by the vibrating means 801 and 802, the piezoelectric element 106 does not have to be vibrated.

  Further, in the case of having a plurality of nozzle holes, the flow of the composition can be formed by vibrating the piezoelectric element 106 and the vibrating means 803 and 804 (FIG. 14B). In this case, the composition flows between the nozzle hole 207, the pressurizing chamber 105, the fluid resistance portion 104, and the common liquid chamber 218 connected to the fluid resistance portion 104. Therefore, even when the solvent of the composition in the nozzle hole 207 is dried, the composition is always replaced, so that ejection failure of the composition can be prevented. Further, the structure shown in FIG. 14 may be provided with a flow path as shown in the above embodiment, and in this case, it is possible to further prevent the composition from drying.

  Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 7)
In this embodiment, a configuration example of a droplet discharge apparatus including the droplet discharge unit described in the above embodiment will be described with reference to a diagram different from FIG.

  In this embodiment mode, one mode of a droplet discharge device used for forming a pattern such as a wiring is shown in FIG. The individual heads 14050 of the droplet discharge means 14030 are connected to the control means 14070, which can draw a preprogrammed pattern under the control of the computer 14100.

  The drawing timing may be performed with reference to a marker 14110 formed on the substrate 14000, for example. Alternatively, the reference point may be determined based on the edge of the substrate 14000. This is detected by an imaging means 14040 such as a CCD, converted into a digital signal by the image processing means 14090, recognized by the computer 14100, a control signal is generated and sent to the control means 14070. Of course, the information on the pattern to be formed on the substrate 14000 is stored in the storage medium 14080. Based on this information, a control signal is sent to the control means 14070, and each head 14050 of the droplet discharge means 14030 is sent. Can be controlled individually.

  When the object to be processed is large, the head 14050 may be scanned in the XY axis direction to perform ejection. This is very effective when discharging onto a large substrate larger than the width of the head 14050 that discharges droplets. Furthermore, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  Note that here, a droplet discharge device having a plurality of heads 14050 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. One head may be ejected by scanning in the XY axis direction. In this case, the device can be further reduced in size and weight.

  In addition, a plurality of materials can be discharged simultaneously by filling the plurality of heads 14050 with different materials. Furthermore, by setting the diameters of the nozzles of the plurality of heads 14050 separately, it is possible to simultaneously form wirings having various line widths depending on the application.

  Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 8)
In this embodiment, a method for manufacturing a display device using the droplet discharge device described in the above embodiment will be described with reference to drawings.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10A, a substrate 700 on which a TFT (thin film transistor) and a light emitting element are formed is prepared. Specifically, as the substrate 700, for example, a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass or alumino borosilicate glass, a quartz substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like can be used. Alternatively, a metal substrate including a stainless steel substrate or a semiconductor substrate with an insulating film formed on the surface thereof may be used. A substrate made of a synthetic resin having flexibility such as plastic generally tends to have a lower heat resistant temperature than the above substrate, but can be used as long as it can withstand the processing temperature in the manufacturing process. . The surface of the substrate 700 may be planarized by polishing such as a CMP method.

  Pretreatment for increasing the adhesion of a conductive film or an insulating film formed by a droplet discharge method is performed on the surface of the substrate 700 described above. As a method for improving the adhesion, for example, a method of attaching a metal or a metal compound capable of enhancing the adhesion of the conductive film or the insulating film to the surface of the substrate 700 by a catalytic action, a formed conductive film or an insulating film, and An organic insulating film with high adhesion, a method of attaching a metal or a metal compound to the surface of the substrate 700, a method of performing surface modification by performing plasma treatment on the surface of the substrate 700 under atmospheric pressure or reduced pressure, and the like. It is done. Examples of the metal having high adhesion to the conductive film or insulating film include titanium, titanium oxide, 3d transition elements such as Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. Is mentioned. Examples of the metal compound include the above-described metal oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides. As the organic insulating film, for example, an insulating film including a Si—O—Si bond formed using a polyimide or a siloxane material as a starting material (hereinafter referred to as a siloxane insulating film) can be given. Siloxane has a skeleton structure formed of a bond of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). As a substituent, an organic group containing at least hydrogen (for example, an alkyl group or an aromatic hydrocarbon) is used. A fluoro group may be used as a substituent. Alternatively, an organic group containing at least hydrogen and a fluoro group may be used as a substituent.

  Note that when the metal or the metal compound attached to the substrate 700 has conductivity, the sheet resistance is controlled so that the normal operation of the semiconductor element is not hindered. Specifically, the average thickness of the conductive metal or metal compound is controlled to be, for example, 1 to 10 nm, or the metal or metal compound is partially or entirely insulated by oxidation. You can do it. Alternatively, the deposited metal or metal compound may be selectively removed by etching except for the region where the adhesion is desired to be improved. Alternatively, the metal or the metal compound may be selectively attached only to a specific region by using a droplet discharge method, a printing method, a sol-gel method, or the like, instead of attaching the metal or the metal compound to the entire surface of the substrate in advance. Note that the metal or metal compound does not need to be a completely continuous film on the surface of the substrate 700, and may be dispersed to some extent.

In this embodiment mode, a photocatalyst such as ZnO or TiO ₂ that can improve adhesion by a photocatalytic reaction is attached to the surface of the substrate 700. Specifically, ZnO or TiO ₂ is dispersed in a solvent and distributed on the surface of the substrate 700, or a Zn compound or Ti compound is attached to the surface of the substrate 700 and then oxidized, or a sol-gel method. As a result, ZnO or TiO ₂ can be attached to the surface of the substrate 700 as a result.

  Next, the gate electrodes 701 to 703 and the wiring are formed on the surface of the substrate 700 that has been subjected to pretreatment for improving adhesion by using the droplet discharge device including the droplet discharge unit described in the above embodiment mode. 704 is formed. Specifically, for the gate electrodes 701 to 703 and the wiring 704, a conductive material including one or more metals such as Ag, Au, Cu, and Pd and a metal compound is used. Note that a conductive material having one or more metals, such as Cr, Mo, Ti, Ta, W, and Al, or a metal compound, can be used as long as aggregation can be suppressed by the dispersant. is there. In addition, a gate electrode in which a plurality of conductive films are stacked can be formed by performing deposition of a conductive material a plurality of times by a droplet discharge method. However, it is preferable to use a composition in which any one of Au, Ag, and Cu is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent in consideration of the specific resistance value, more preferably the composition discharged from the nozzle hole. It is preferable to use low resistance silver or copper. However, when Ag or Cu is used, a barrier film is preferably provided after the gate electrodes 701 to 703 and the wiring 704 are formed as a countermeasure against impurities. As the barrier film, a silicon nitride film or nickel boron (NiB) can be used.

  Alternatively, particles in which a conductive material is coated with another conductive material to form a plurality of layers may be used. For example, conductive particles in which Cu is coated with Ag, or particles having a three-layer structure in which nickel boron (NiB) is coated around Cu and Ag is coated around it may be used. As the solvent, esters such as butyl acetate and ethyl acetate, alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol, organic solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone and acetone are used. The viscosity of the composition is preferably 20 cp or less, in order to prevent the drying from occurring or to allow the composition to be smoothly discharged from the nozzle holes. The surface tension of the composition is preferably 40 mN / m or less. However, the viscosity and the like of the composition may be appropriately adjusted according to the solvent to be used and the application. As an example, the viscosity of a composition in which ITO, organic indium, or organic tin is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent is 5 to 20 mPa · S, and the viscosity of a composition in which Ag is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent is 5 to 20 mPa · S. The viscosity of the composition in which Au is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent is preferably set to 5 to 20 mPa · S.

  The diameter of the nozzle hole of the droplet discharge device is set to 0.1 to 50 μm (preferably 0.6 to 26 μm), and the discharge amount of the composition discharged from the nozzle is 0.00001 pl to 50 pl (preferably Is set to 0.0001 to 40 pl). This discharge amount increases in proportion to the size of the nozzle hole diameter. In addition, the distance between the object to be processed and the nozzle hole is preferably as close as possible in order to drop it at a desired location, and is preferably set to about 0.1 to 2 mm. Note that the discharge amount can be controlled by changing the pulse voltage applied to the piezoelectric element without changing the diameter of the nozzle hole. These discharge conditions are preferably set so that the line width is about 10 μm or less.

  In the case of using a droplet discharge method, a conductive material dispersed in an organic solvent or an inorganic solvent is dropped from a nozzle and then dried or baked at room temperature. Specifically, in this embodiment, a solution in which Ag is dispersed in a tetradecane solution is dropped, and the solvent is removed by baking at 200 ° C. to 300 ° C. for 1 min to 50 hr, whereby the gate electrodes 701 to 703 are formed. In the case of using an organic solvent, by performing the baking in an oxygen atmosphere, the solvent can be efficiently removed, and the resistance of the gate electrodes 701 to 703 can be further reduced. Although not shown, a scanning line connected to the gate electrode 701 in this step can also be formed at the same time.

  Next, a gate insulating film 705 is formed so as to cover the gate electrodes 701 to 703 and the wiring 704 (see FIG. 10B). As the gate insulating film 705, an insulating film such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide can be used, for example. As the gate insulating film 705, a single-layer insulating film may be used, or a plurality of insulating films may be stacked. In this embodiment, an insulating film in which silicon nitride, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride are sequentially stacked is used as the gate insulating film 705. As a film formation method, a plasma CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like can be used. In order to form a dense insulating film capable of suppressing gate leakage current at a low deposition temperature, a rare gas element such as argon is preferably contained in the reaction gas and mixed into the formed insulating film. Aluminum nitride can be used for the gate insulating film 705. Aluminum nitride has a relatively high thermal conductivity and can efficiently dissipate heat generated in the TFT.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, a first electrode 706 included in the light-emitting element is formed over the gate insulating film 705 using a droplet discharge device. Note that in this embodiment mode, the first electrode 706 corresponds to an anode and the second electrode 736 formed later corresponds to a cathode; however, the present invention is not limited to this structure. The first electrode 706 may correspond to a cathode, and the second electrode 736 may correspond to an anode.

  For the anode, other light-transmitting oxide conductive materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), and gallium-added zinc oxide (GZO) can be used. . Indium tin oxide containing ITO and silicon oxide (hereinafter referred to as ITSO) or indium oxide containing silicon oxide mixed with 2 to 20% zinc oxide (ZnO) may be used. In addition to the light-transmitting oxide conductive material as an anode, in addition to a single layer film made of, for example, one or more of TiN, ZrN, Ti, W, Ni, Pt, Cr, Ag, Al, etc., titanium nitride and A stack of a film containing aluminum as its main component, a three-layer structure of a titanium nitride film, a film containing aluminum as its main component, and a titanium nitride film can be used. However, when light is extracted from the anode side with a material other than the light-transmitting oxide conductive material, the light-transmitting oxide film is formed to have a film thickness that allows light to pass (preferably about 5 nm to 30 nm).

  Note that the first electrode 706 can be formed by a sputtering method or a printing method in addition to a droplet discharge method. In the case of using a droplet discharge method or a printing method, the first electrode 706 can be formed without using a mask. Even when the sputtering method is used, by forming the resist used in the lithography method by a droplet discharge method or a printing method, it is not necessary to separately prepare an exposure mask, which leads to cost reduction.

  Further, the first electrode 706 may be cleaned by polishing with a CMP method or a polyvinyl alcohol-based porous body so that the surface thereof is planarized. Further, after polishing using the CMP method, the surface of the anode may be subjected to ultraviolet irradiation, oxygen plasma treatment, or the like.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 10C, a first semiconductor film 707 is formed. The first semiconductor film 707 can be formed using an amorphous semiconductor or a semi-amorphous semiconductor (SAS). A polycrystalline semiconductor film may also be used. In this embodiment, a semi-amorphous semiconductor is used for the first semiconductor film 707. A semi-amorphous semiconductor has higher crystallinity and higher mobility than an amorphous semiconductor and can be formed without increasing the number of steps for crystallization unlike a polycrystalline semiconductor.

An amorphous semiconductor can be obtained by glow discharge decomposition of a silicide gas. Typical silicide gases include SiH ₄ and Si ₂ H ₆ . This silicide gas may be diluted with hydrogen, hydrogen and helium.

SAS can also be obtained by glow discharge decomposition of silicide gas. A typical silicide gas is SiH ₄ , and in addition, Si ₂ H ₆ , SiH ₂ Cl ₂ , SiHCl ₃ , SiCl ₄ , SiF _{4 and the} like can be used. In addition, it is easy to form a SAS by diluting and using this silicide gas with hydrogen or a gas obtained by adding one or more kinds of rare gas elements selected from helium, argon, krypton, and neon to hydrogen. It can be. It is preferable to dilute the silicide gas at a dilution rate in the range of 2 to 1000 times. Furthermore, a carbide gas such as CH ₄ or C ₂ H ₆ , a germanium gas such as GeH ₄ or GeF ₄ , F ₂ or the like is mixed in the silicide gas, so that the energy bandwidth is 1.5-2. You may adjust to 4 eV or 0.9-1.1 eV. A TFT using SAS as the first semiconductor film can obtain a mobility of 1 to 10 cm ² / Vsec or more.

  Alternatively, the first semiconductor film may be formed by stacking a plurality of SAS formed of different gases. For example, among the various gases described above, a first semiconductor film is formed by stacking a SAS formed using a gas containing a fluorine atom and a SAS formed using a gas containing a hydrogen atom. Can do.

The reaction production of the coating by glow discharge decomposition can be performed under reduced pressure or atmospheric pressure. When performed under reduced pressure, the pressure may be approximately in the range of 0.1 Pa to 133 Pa. The power for forming the glow discharge may be high frequency power of 1 MHz to 120 MHz, preferably 13 MHz to 60 MHz. The pressure is in the range of approximately 0.1 Pa to 133 Pa, and the power supply frequency is 1 MHz to 120 MHz, preferably 13 MHz to 60 MHz. The substrate heating temperature may be 300 ° C. or less, preferably 100 to 250 ° C. As an impurity element in the film, impurities of atmospheric components such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon are desirably 1 × 10 ²⁰ atoms / cm ³ or less, and in particular, the oxygen concentration is preferably 5 × 10 ¹⁹ atoms / cm ³ or less. Is 1 × 10 ¹⁹ atoms / cm ³ or less.

Note that in the case where a semiconductor film is formed using Si ₂ H ₆ and GeF ₄ or F ₂ , crystals grow from a side closer to the substrate of the semiconductor film, so that the crystallinity of the semiconductor film becomes closer to the side closer to the substrate. high. Therefore, in the case of a bottom-gate TFT whose gate electrode is closer to the substrate than the first semiconductor film, a region having high crystallinity on the side close to the substrate in the first semiconductor film can be used as a channel formation region. Suitable for, can increase the mobility more.

Further, when a semiconductor film is formed using SiH ₄ and H ₂ , larger crystal grains can be obtained on the side closer to the surface of the semiconductor film. Therefore, in the case of a top-gate TFT in which the first semiconductor film is closer to the substrate than the gate electrode, a region having high crystallinity on the side far from the substrate in the first semiconductor film can be used as a channel formation region. Suitable for, can increase the mobility more.

In addition, SAS shows a weak n-type conductivity when impurities intended for valence electron control are not intentionally added. This is because oxygen is easily mixed into the semiconductor film because glow discharge with higher power is performed than when an amorphous semiconductor is formed. Therefore, the threshold value can be controlled by adding an impurity imparting p-type to the first semiconductor film provided with the channel formation region of the TFT at the same time as or after the film formation. It becomes possible. The impurity imparting p-type is typically boron, and an impurity gas such as B ₂ H ₆ or BF ₃ may be mixed in the silicide gas at a rate of 1 ppm to 1000 ppm. For example, when boron is used as an impurity imparting p-type, the concentration of boron is preferably 1 × 10 ^{14 to} 6 × 10 ¹⁶ atoms / cm ³ .

  Next, protective films 708 to 710 are formed over the first semiconductor film 707 so as to overlap with portions of the first semiconductor film 707 which serve as channel formation regions. The protective films 708 to 710 may be formed using a droplet discharge method or a printing method, or may be formed using a CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like. As the protective films 708 to 710, an inorganic insulating film such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon nitride oxide, a siloxane insulating film, or the like can be used. Alternatively, these films may be stacked and used as the protective films 708 to 710. In this embodiment mode, silicon nitride formed by a plasma CVD method and a siloxane insulating film formed by a droplet discharge method are stacked and used as protective films 708 to 710. In this case, patterning of silicon nitride can be performed using a siloxane insulating film formed by a droplet discharge method as a mask.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10D, the first semiconductor film 707 is patterned. For patterning the first semiconductor film 707, a lithography method may be used, or a resist formed by a droplet discharge method or a printing method may be used as a mask. In the latter case, it is not necessary to prepare a mask for exposure separately, which leads to cost reduction. In this embodiment mode, an example of patterning using a resist 711 formed by a droplet discharge method is shown. Note that the resist 711 can be formed using an organic resin such as polyimide or acrylic. Then, patterned first semiconductor films 712 and 713 are formed by dry etching using the resist 711.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, part of the gate insulating film 705 is selectively removed by etching, so that part of the wiring 704 is exposed. For the etching of the gate insulating film 705, a lithography method may be used, or a resist formed by a droplet discharge method or a printing method may be used as a mask. In the latter case, it is not necessary to prepare a mask for exposure separately, which leads to cost reduction.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, a second semiconductor film 714 is formed so as to cover the first semiconductor films 712 and 713 after patterning. An impurity imparting one conductivity type is added to the second semiconductor film 714. In the case of forming a p-channel TFT, an impurity gas such as B ₂ H ₆ or BF ₃ may be mixed into the silicide gas as an impurity imparting p-type. For example, when boron is used as an impurity imparting p-type, the concentration of boron is preferably 1 × 10 ^{14 to} 6 × 10 ¹⁶ atoms / cm ³ . In the case of forming an n-channel TFT, an impurity imparting n-type conductivity, for example, phosphorus may be added to the second semiconductor film 714. Specifically, an impurity gas such as PH ₃ may be added to a silicide gas to form the second semiconductor film 714. The second semiconductor film 714 having one conductivity type can be formed using a semi-amorphous semiconductor or an amorphous semiconductor, like the first semiconductor films 712 and 713.

  Note that in this embodiment mode, the second semiconductor film 714 is formed in contact with the first semiconductor films 712 and 713; however, the present invention is not limited to this structure. A third semiconductor film functioning as an LDD region may be formed between the first semiconductor films 712 and 713 and the second semiconductor film 714. In this case, the third semiconductor film is formed using a semi-amorphous semiconductor or an amorphous semiconductor.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11C, wirings 715 to 719 are formed by a droplet discharge method, and the second semiconductor film 714 is etched using the wirings 715 to 719 as a mask. Etching of the second semiconductor film 714 can be performed by dry etching in a vacuum atmosphere or an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. By the etching, second semiconductor films 720 to 724 functioning as a source region or a drain region are formed from the second semiconductor film 714, and a part of the first electrode 706 is exposed. When the second semiconductor film 714 is etched, the protective films 708 to 710 can prevent the first semiconductor films 712 and 713 from being over-etched.

  The wirings 715 to 719 can be formed in a manner similar to that of the gate electrodes 701 to 703. Specifically, a conductive material including one or more metals such as Ag, Au, Cu, and Pd and a metal compound is used. In the case of using a droplet discharge method, a conductive material dispersed in an organic or inorganic solvent is dropped from a nozzle and then dried or baked at room temperature. A conductive material having one or more metals such as Cr, Mo, Ti, Ta, W, Al, or a metal compound can be used as long as aggregation can be suppressed by the dispersant and the dispersion can be dispersed in the solution. Baking may be performed in an oxygen atmosphere to reduce the resistance of the wirings 715-719. Further, the wirings 715 to 719 in which a plurality of conductive films are stacked can be formed by performing film formation of a conductive material a plurality of times by a droplet discharge method or various printing methods.

  Through the above process, TFTs 730, 731 and 732 are formed.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11D, a partition 733 is formed so as to cover the TFT 730, the TFT 731, the TFT 732, and the end portion of the first electrode 706. The partition wall 733 can be formed using an organic resin film, an inorganic insulating film, or a siloxane insulating film. For example, acrylic resin, polyimide, polyamide, or the like can be used for the organic resin film, and silicon oxide, silicon nitride oxide, or the like can be used for the inorganic insulating film. In particular, a photosensitive organic resin film is used for the partition wall 733, an opening 734 is formed over the first electrode 706, and the side wall of the opening 734 is formed to have an inclined surface formed with a continuous curvature. Thus, connection between the first electrode 706 and the second electrode 736 to be formed later can be prevented. At this time, the mask can be formed by a droplet discharge method or a printing method. Further, the partition wall 733 itself can be formed by a droplet discharge method. Note that the partition 733 has an opening 734.

Next, before the electroluminescent layer 735 is formed, in order to remove moisture, oxygen, and the like adsorbed on the partition wall 733 and the first electrode 706, heat treatment is performed in an air atmosphere or heat treatment (vacuum baking) in a vacuum atmosphere. May be performed. Specifically, heat treatment is performed in a vacuum atmosphere at a substrate temperature of 200 ° C. to 450 ° C., preferably 250 to 300 ° C., for about 0.5 to 20 hours. It is desirably 3 × 10 ⁻⁷ Torr or less, and if possible, 3 × 10 ⁻⁸ Torr or less is most desirable. In the case where an electroluminescent layer is formed after heat treatment in a vacuum atmosphere, reliability can be further improved by placing the substrate in a vacuum atmosphere until just before the electroluminescent layer is formed. it can. The first electrode 706 may be irradiated with ultraviolet rays before or after vacuum baking.

  Note that in this embodiment mode, a passivation film 737 to be formed later is formed using silicon nitride, and the passivation film 737 and the second electrode 736 are in contact with each other. A light-transmitting oxide conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and a conductive film containing silicon oxide are used so as to be in contact with the insulating film containing silicon nitride or silicon nitride oxide, and the first electrode or the second electrode of the light-emitting element is used. By forming the second electrode, the luminance of the light-emitting element can be increased more than any combination of the materials described above. In addition, when ITSO is used for the first electrode 706, the above-described vacuum baking is particularly effective because moisture is easily attached by silicon oxide contained therein.

  Then, an electroluminescent layer 735 is formed so as to be in contact with the first electrode 706 in the opening 734 of the partition wall 733. The electroluminescent layer 735 may be composed of a single layer or a plurality of layers stacked. In the case of a plurality of layers, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer are stacked in this order on the first electrode 706 corresponding to the anode. Note that in the case where the first electrode 706 corresponds to a cathode, the electroluminescent layer 735 is formed by stacking an electron injection layer, an electron transport layer, a light emitting layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer.

  Note that when a monochrome image is displayed or when a color image is displayed using a white light emitting element and a color filter, the structure of the electroluminescent layer 735 is the same in all pixels. In the case of displaying a color image using three light emitting elements that respectively emit light of three primary colors, the electroluminescent layer 735 may be applied separately by changing the material, the layer to be stacked, or the film thickness for each corresponding color. When the electroluminescent layer is separately applied, the droplet discharge method is very effective because there is no waste of material and the process can be simplified. Note that the color may be a full color using a mixed color or an area color in which a plurality of pixels having a single hue are arranged for each specific area.

  Note that the color filter may include a colored layer that can transmit light in a specific wavelength region and, in some cases, a shielding film that can shield visible light in addition to the colored layer. The color filter may be formed on a cover material for sealing the light emitting element or may be formed on an element substrate. In any case, the colored layer or the shielding film can be formed using a printing method or a droplet discharge method.

  The electroluminescent layer 735 can be formed by a droplet discharge method using any of a high molecular weight organic compound, a medium molecular weight organic compound, a low molecular weight organic compound, and an inorganic compound. Medium molecular organic compounds, low molecular organic compounds, and inorganic compounds may be formed by vapor deposition.

  Then, a second electrode 736 is formed so as to cover the electroluminescent layer 735. In this embodiment mode, the second electrode 736 corresponds to a cathode. As a method for manufacturing the second electrode 736, an evaporation method, a sputtering method, a droplet discharge method, or the like is preferably used depending on the material.

As the cathode, a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, a mixture thereof, or the like having a low work function can be used. Specifically, alkali metals such as Li and Cs, and alkaline earth metals such as Mg, Ca, and Sr, alloys containing these (Mg: Ag, Al: Li, Mg: In, etc.), and compounds thereof ( In addition to CaF ₂ and CaN, rare earth metals such as Yb and Er can be used. When an electron injection layer is provided, other conductive layers such as Al can be used. When light is extracted from the cathode side, other light-transmitting oxide conductive materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), and gallium-added zinc oxide (GZO) are used. It is possible to use. Indium tin oxide containing silicon oxide (hereinafter referred to as ITSO) or indium oxide containing silicon oxide and further mixed with 2 to 20% zinc oxide (ZnO) may be used. In the case of using a light-transmitting oxide conductive material, it is preferable to provide an electron injection layer in the electroluminescent layer 735 to be formed later. In addition, without using a light-transmitting oxide conductive material, light can be extracted from the cathode side by forming the cathode with a film thickness that allows light to pass therethrough (preferably, about 5 nm to 30 nm). In this case, a light-transmitting conductive layer may be formed using a light-transmitting oxide conductive material so as to be in contact with or under the cathode so as to suppress the sheet resistance of the cathode.

  In the opening 734 of the partition wall 733, the first electrode 706, the electroluminescent layer 735, and the second electrode 736 overlap with each other, so that a light-emitting element 738 is formed.

  Note that light extraction from the light-emitting element 738 may be performed from the first electrode 706 side, the second electrode 736 side, or both. Among the above three configurations, the material and film thickness of each of the anode and the cathode are selected in accordance with the target configuration. When light is extracted from the second electrode 736 side as in this embodiment mode, higher luminance can be obtained with lower power consumption than in the case of extracting light from the first electrode 706 side.

  Note that a passivation film 737 may be formed so as to cover the light-emitting element 738. As the passivation film 737, a film that hardly transmits a substance that causes deterioration of the light-emitting element such as moisture or oxygen compared to other insulating films is used. Typically, it is desirable to use, for example, a DLC film, a carbon nitride film, a silicon nitride film formed by an RF sputtering method, a CVD method, or the like. Alternatively, for example, a film in which a carbon nitride film and silicon nitride are stacked, a film in which polystyrene is stacked, or the like may be used as the passivation film 737. In addition, the above-described film that hardly transmits a substance such as moisture and oxygen and a film that easily transmits a substance such as moisture and oxygen compared to the film but has a low internal stress may be stacked to be used as the passivation film 737. Is possible. In this embodiment mode, silicon nitride is used. In the case where silicon nitride is used for the passivation film 737, a rare gas element such as argon is preferably included in the reaction gas and mixed into the passivation film 737 in order to form a dense passivation film 737 at a low deposition temperature.

  Actually, when the state shown in FIG. 11 (D) is completed, it is packaged with a protective film (laminate film, ultraviolet curable resin film, etc.) or a cover material that is highly airtight and less degassed so as not to be exposed to the outside air. It is preferable to enclose (enclose).

  Note that although a process for forming a pixel portion is described in this embodiment mode, a scan line driver circuit can be formed over the same substrate as the pixel portion when a semi-amorphous semiconductor is used as the first semiconductor film. . Alternatively, a pixel portion may be formed using a TFT using an amorphous semiconductor, and a separately formed driver circuit may be attached to the substrate on which the pixel portion is formed.

In the display device shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a protective film is formed between the first semiconductor film and the second semiconductor film of the TFT; however, this embodiment is not limited to this structure. 10 and FIG. 11, the protective film is not necessarily formed. FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in the case where a protective film is not formed. A TFT 7010 illustrated in FIG. 12A includes a gate electrode 7020 formed over a substrate 7000, a gate insulating film 7030 formed so as to cover the gate electrode 7020, and a gate insulating film so as to overlap with the gate electrode 7020. A first semiconductor film 7040 formed over the 7030 and second semiconductor films 7050 and 7060 in contact with the first semiconductor film 7040 are provided. When the second semiconductor films 7050 and 7060 are formed by etching, a fluoride gas such as SF ₆ , NF ₃ , or CF ₄ is used as an etching gas. In this etching, since the etching selectivity with respect to the first semiconductor film 7040 cannot be obtained, the processing time is appropriately adjusted. By this etching, the first semiconductor film 7040 is partially exposed.

  In the case where the first semiconductor film 7040 and the second semiconductor films 7050 and 7060 are patterned using the same mask without forming the protective film as in FIG. 12A, the gate insulating film 7030, The semiconductor film 7040 and the second semiconductor films 7050 and 7060 can be formed successively without being exposed to the air. In other words, each stacked interface can be formed without being contaminated by atmospheric components or contaminants floating in the atmosphere, so that variations in TFT characteristics can be reduced.

  In FIGS. 10, 11, and 12A, the gate electrode is formed on the substrate side of the first semiconductor film; however, this embodiment is not limited to this structure. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in the case where the first semiconductor film is formed on the substrate side with respect to the gate electrode. Note that in FIG. 12B, a TFT 7080 is shown. 12B, wirings 7090 and 7100 are formed over a substrate 7070, and second semiconductor films 7110 and 7120 are formed so as to be in contact with the wirings 7090 and 7100, so that the second semiconductor A first semiconductor film 7130 is formed so as to be in contact with the films 7110 and 7120. A gate insulating film 7140 is formed over the first semiconductor film 7130, and a gate electrode 7150 is formed over the gate insulating film 7140 so as to overlap with the first semiconductor film 7130.

  Note that each of the TFTs illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12 uses the second semiconductor film functioning as a source region or a drain region, but the second semiconductor film is not necessarily formed. In this case, the wiring is directly connected to the first semiconductor film, and the wiring functions as a source region or a drain region. In particular, in the TFT illustrated in FIG. 10B, when the second semiconductor film is not used, a mask used for patterning for forming the second semiconductor films 7110 and 7120 is not necessary. Can be reduced.

  Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

(Embodiment 9)
As an electronic device formed using the droplet discharge device of the present invention, a video camera, a digital camera, a goggle type display (head mounted display), a navigation system, a sound reproduction device (car audio, audio component, etc.), a computer, a game Reproducing a recording medium such as a device, a portable information terminal (mobile computer, cellular phone, portable game machine or electronic book), an image reproducing apparatus (specifically, a DVD (digital versatile disc)) provided with a recording medium, And a device provided with a display capable of displaying an image). Specific examples of these electronic devices are shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 13A illustrates a television receiver which includes a housing 2001, a support base 2002, a display portion 2003, a speaker portion 2004, a video input terminal 2005, and the like. By using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing of the display portion 2003 and other circuits, a television receiver can be manufactured.

  FIG. 13B illustrates a digital camera, which includes a main body 2101, a display portion 2102, an image receiving portion 2103, operation keys 2104, an external connection port 2105, a shutter 2106, and the like. By using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing the display portion 2102 and other circuits, a digital camera can be manufactured.

  FIG. 13C illustrates a computer, which includes a main body 2201, a housing 2202, a display portion 2203, a keyboard 2204, an external connection port 2205, a pointing mouse 2206, and the like. A computer can be manufactured by using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing the display portion 2203 and other circuits.

  FIG. 13D illustrates a mobile computer, which includes a main body 2301, a display portion 2302, a switch 2303, operation keys 2304, an infrared port 2305, and the like. A mobile computer can be manufactured by using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing of the display portion 2302 and other circuits.

  FIG. 13E shows a portable image reproducing device (such as a DVD reproducing device) provided with a recording medium, which includes a main body 2401, a housing 2402, a display portion A 2403, a display portion B 2404, and a recording medium (DVD etc.) reading portion 2405. Operation key 2406, speaker unit 2407, and the like. A display portion A2403 mainly displays image information, and a display portion B2404 mainly displays character information. By using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing of the display portion A 2403, the display portion B 2404, and other circuits, an image reproducing device can be manufactured. Note that the image reproducing device provided with the recording medium includes a game machine and the like.

  FIG. 13F illustrates a goggle type display (head mounted display), which includes a main body 2501, a display portion 2502, and an arm portion 2503. By using the droplet discharge device described in the above embodiment mode for processing the display portion 2502 or other circuits, a goggle type display can be manufactured.

  FIG. 13G illustrates a video camera, which includes a main body 2601, a display portion 2602, a housing 2603, an external connection port 2604, a remote control receiving portion 2605, an image receiving portion 2606, a battery 2607, an audio input portion 2608, operation keys 2609, and an eyepiece. Part 2610 and the like. A video camera can be manufactured by using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing the display portion 2602 and other circuits.

  FIG. 13H illustrates a cellular phone, which includes a main body 2701, a housing 2702, a display portion 2703, an audio input portion 2704, an audio output portion 2705, operation keys 2706, an external connection port 2707, an antenna 2708, and the like. By using the droplet discharge device described in any of the above embodiments for processing the display portion 2703 and other circuits, a mobile phone can be manufactured.

  In addition to the electronic devices described above, it can be used for a front-type or rear-type projector.

  As described above, the applicable range of the present invention is so wide that it can be used for electronic devices in various fields. Note that this embodiment mode can be freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

The figure which shows a droplet discharge means. The figure which shows the droplet discharge means which has several nozzle holes. The figure which shows a droplet discharge means. The figure which shows the droplet discharge means which has several nozzle holes. The figure which shows a droplet discharge means. The figure which shows a droplet discharge device. The figure which shows the arrangement | sequence of the nozzle hole of a droplet discharge apparatus. The figure which shows a droplet discharge means. The figure which shows a droplet discharge device. 4A and 4B illustrate a method for manufacturing a display device using a droplet discharge device. 4A and 4B illustrate a method for manufacturing a display device using a droplet discharge device. 4A and 4B illustrate a method for manufacturing a display device using a droplet discharge device. FIG. 14 illustrates an electronic device formed using a droplet discharge device. The figure which shows a droplet discharge device.

Claims (16)

A nozzle portion comprising a nozzle hole for discharging a composition and a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole;
Means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle part,
A liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein a bottom surface of the nozzle portion is lyophilic. In claim 1,
The means for supplying the composition has a flow path provided in the nozzle part,
A droplet discharge device, wherein the composition is supplied to a bottom surface of a nozzle portion through the flow path. In claim 2,
The droplet discharge device, wherein the flow path includes means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion or means for sucking the composition from the bottom surface of the nozzle portion. A nozzle portion comprising a plurality of nozzle holes arranged in a line for discharging the composition, and a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the plurality of nozzle holes;
Means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle part,
A liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein a bottom surface of the nozzle portion is lyophilic. In claim 4,
The means for supplying the composition has a plurality of channels provided in the nozzle part,
A droplet discharge apparatus, wherein the composition is supplied to a bottom surface of a nozzle portion through the plurality of flow paths. In claim 5,
The droplet discharge device, wherein the plurality of flow paths are respectively provided between a plurality of nozzle holes arranged linearly. In claim 5 or claim 6,
Each of the plurality of flow paths is provided with means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle portion or means for sucking the composition from the bottom surface of the nozzle portion. A nozzle portion having a nozzle hole for discharging the composition, a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole, and a flow path connected to a side wall of the nozzle hole;
A droplet discharge device, wherein the composition is supplied to the nozzle hole through the flow path. Nozzle portion comprising a nozzle hole for discharging a composition, a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole, and a first flow path and a second flow path respectively connected to a side wall of the nozzle hole Have
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein the composition is supplied to the nozzle hole through the first flow path, and the composition is sucked from the nozzle hole through the second flow path. In claim 9,
A droplet discharge device, wherein an opening / closing valve is provided at a connecting portion between the nozzle hole and the first flow path and a connecting portion between the nozzle hole and the second flow path. A plurality of nozzle holes arranged in a line for discharging the composition, a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the plurality of nozzle holes, and a flow path connected to the side walls of the plurality of nozzle holes. Having a nozzle part,
The droplet discharge device, wherein the flow path connects the plurality of nozzle holes, and the composition is transferred between the plurality of nozzle holes and the flow path. In any one of Claims 8 thru | or 11,
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein the flow path includes means for supplying the composition to the nozzle hole or means for sucking the composition from the nozzle hole. A nozzle hole for discharging the composition;
A pressurizing chamber connected to the nozzle hole;
A flow path connected to two different places on the side wall of the pressurizing chamber;
First pressurizing means provided on a side wall of the pressurizing chamber;
Second pressurizing means provided on the side wall of the flow path,
A droplet discharge device, wherein an opening / closing valve is provided at a connecting portion between the pressurizing chamber and the flow path. In claim 13,
Means for supplying a composition from the outside to the flow path is provided. A nozzle portion comprising a nozzle hole for discharging a composition and a pressurizing means for discharging the composition from the nozzle hole;
Means for supplying the composition to the bottom surface of the nozzle part;
Means for supplying steam,
The droplet supply device, wherein the means for supplying the vapor supplies a vapor of a solvent of the composition to the nozzle hole. A droplet discharge means having a nozzle hole for discharging the composition, a pressure chamber connected to the nozzle hole, a pressure means provided in contact with the pressure chamber, and a vibration means;
A droplet discharge device, wherein the composition contained in the droplet discharge unit is vibrated by the pressurizing unit and the vibrating unit.

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