JP2006142146A - Valve unit, droplet discharge apparatus, method of manufacturing electro-optic apparatus and droplet discharge method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a valve unit in which bubbles contained in ink supplied to a droplet discharge head are reduced and the discharge of a droplet is stabilized, a droplet discharge apparatus using the same, an apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optic apparatus using the droplet discharge apparatus and a droplet discharge method. <P>SOLUTION: The valve unit has: an ink intake port 3a for taking-in the ink, an ink discharge port 3b for discharging the ink to supply the ink to the droplet discharge head; a pressure chamber (5, 6, 7) constituted so as to include a primary liquid chamber 5 provided with the ink intake port 3a, a secondary liquid chamber 6 provided with the ink discharge port 3b and a flow passage 7 for communicating the primary liquid chamber 5 and the secondary liquid chamber 6 with each other; a bubble discharge port 3c provided in the primary liquid chamber 5 to release the bubbles to the outside from the primary liquid chamber; and a bubble discharge port 3d provided in the secondary liquid chamber 6 to release the bubbles to the outside form the secondary liquid chamber 6. An ultrasonic oscillator 20 is mounted in a casing 4 of the primary liquid chamber 5 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a valve unit, a droplet discharge device using the valve unit, an electro-optical device manufacturing apparatus using the droplet discharge device, and a droplet discharge method. The present invention relates to a valve unit and the like for finely forming the functional element on a substrate.

  In Patent Document 1, a print head and a print cartridge connected to the carriage are mounted on a carriage, and the print cartridge is periodically connected to an ink storage container outside the carriage via a tube so that only a vacuum pressure generated in the print cartridge is obtained. A technique for variably controlling the ink replenishment pressure by changing the height of the ink storage container in an inkjet printer that draws ink from the ink storage container into the print cartridge has been proposed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-260688 discloses an unexpected in a transmission system of a control signal from an ink amount detection unit to an ink supply valve in an ink jet recording apparatus that supplies ink through an ink supply valve that is controlled to open and close from a main tank to a sub tank. An ink jet recording apparatus that can effectively prevent, for example, leakage of ink from a sub tank caused by a failure has been proposed.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an ink jet type in which a pressure damper is rigidly fixed to a carriage in order to prevent a pressure damper connected between the recording head and an ink tank from swinging when the carriage including the recording head moves. Recording devices have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-244686 (paragraph 0001) JP 2001-199080 (Claim 1, paragraph 0010) JP 2001-232808 (paragraph 0001)

  When an electro-optical device such as an organic EL panel is manufactured by a droplet discharge method, the printing pattern is made finer, high patterning accuracy, uniformity of droplets dropped on the panel substrate, etc. Requests that are several orders of magnitude higher than those for inkjet printers are made.

  In particular, when bubbles are included in the ink, there is a problem that uniform droplets are not stably ejected from the droplet ejection head, and as a result, the above-described requirements may not be satisfied.

  Since the ink jet printer of Patent Document 1 does not have a valve for controlling the ink replenishment pressure, the so-called water head value for adjusting the height of the ink surface in the ink storage container and the height of the print head as described above. It is necessary to manage. Patent Document 1 does not disclose the problem of bubbles contained in ink.

  Since the ink jet recording apparatuses of Patent Documents 2 and 3 include an ink supply valve or a pressure damper that can eliminate the above-described water head value management, the flow of droplets from the head is prevented, and the ink supply pressure from the ink tank is prevented. It is possible to perform liquid droplet ejection that is not affected by fluctuations in the volume. However, in manufacturing an electro-optical device using a droplet discharge device, further stabilization of droplet discharge is required.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a valve unit capable of reducing bubbles contained in ink supplied to a droplet discharge head and stabilizing the droplet discharge, a droplet discharge device using the same, and a droplet discharge thereof An apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device using the device and a droplet discharge method are provided.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a valve unit that regulates ink to be supplied to a droplet discharge head, the casing of the valve unit, a pressure chamber built in the casing, and the pressure chamber including the ink. An ink intake port through which the pressure chamber discharges the ink and supplies it to the droplet discharge head, a bubble discharge port for discharging bubbles from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber, There is provided a valve unit comprising: an oscillator attached to a casing and vibrating the ink in the pressure chamber.

  In a first aspect, according to the present invention, the ink in the pressure chamber is vibrated so that bubbles are sufficiently and efficiently removed in the pressure chamber from the initial ink filling to the droplet discharging. The amount of bubbles in the ink supplied to the ink is reduced, cavitation and bubble accumulation in the droplet discharge head are prevented, and droplet discharge is stabilized.

  In a second aspect of the present invention, the pressure chamber includes a primary liquid chamber provided with the ink intake port, a secondary liquid chamber provided with the ink discharge port, the primary liquid chamber, and the secondary liquid chamber. And a valve body that is built in the pressure chamber and adjusts the amount or pressure of the ink flowing through the flow path by being stroked in the flow path. A valve unit is provided.

  In a second aspect, the present invention provides a compact valve unit in which a valve body is built in a pressure chamber.

  In a third aspect, the present invention provides the valve unit, wherein the oscillator generates a vibration in a direction intersecting a stroke direction of the valve body.

  In a third aspect, according to the present invention, without affecting the stroke of the valve body and the displacement of a later-described diaphragm or pressure receiving plate that moves the valve body, the bubble is not affected after all without affecting the discharge of the droplet. Can be removed.

  In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides the valve unit, wherein the oscillator is attached to the casing on the primary liquid chamber side.

  In a fourth aspect, according to the present invention, without affecting the stroke of the valve body and the displacement of a later-described diaphragm or pressure receiving plate that moves the valve body, the bubble without affecting the discharge of the droplets after all. Can be removed.

  In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a valve unit that regulates ink supplied to a droplet discharge head, the casing of the valve unit, an ink intake port for taking in the ink, and discharging the ink to An ink discharge port for supplying to the droplet discharge head, a primary liquid chamber built in the casing and provided with the ink intake port, a secondary liquid chamber provided with the ink discharge port, and the primary liquid chamber; A pressure chamber configured to include a flow path communicating with the secondary liquid chamber, a bubble discharge port provided in the pressure chamber for discharging bubbles from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber, and the secondary A diaphragm provided on the back of the liquid chamber and displaced in response to a pressure difference between the outside and the secondary liquid chamber, and connected to or integrated with the diaphragm on the back of the secondary liquid chamber, the displacement of the diaphragm According to Built in the primary liquid chamber, a pressure receiving plate that is displaced, a valve body that adjusts the amount or pressure of the ink flowing through the flow path by stroke in the flow path according to the displacement of the pressure receiving plate. A first spring that biases the valve body toward the pressure receiving plate; a second spring that is built in the secondary liquid chamber and biases the pressure receiving plate toward the opposite side of the valve body; An oscillator that is attached to the casing on the primary liquid chamber side and generates vibration in a direction intersecting with a stroke direction of the valve body to vibrate the ink in the pressure chamber. Provide a valve unit.

  In a fifth aspect, according to the present invention, the ink in the pressure chamber is vibrated so that bubbles are sufficiently and efficiently removed in the pressure chamber from the initial ink filling to the droplet discharging. The amount of bubbles in the ink supplied to the ink is reduced, cavitation and bubble accumulation in the droplet discharge head are prevented, and droplet discharge is stabilized.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a droplet discharge apparatus comprising: the droplet discharge head; and a valve unit connected between the droplet discharge head and an ink supply source. To do.

  In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a droplet discharge device that discharges droplets stably.

  In a seventh aspect, the present invention includes the liquid picking and discharging device, and discharges the ink containing a component that is a component of an electric device, an optical device, or an electro-optical device from the droplet discharge head. Thus, an electro-optical device manufacturing apparatus is provided that prints on a substrate.

  In a seventh aspect, according to the present invention, according to the present invention, an electro-optical device that requires high accuracy can be manufactured at low cost.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a droplet discharge method for discharging a pressure-controlled ink from a droplet discharge head, the step of taking the ink into a pressure chamber of a valve unit, and the ink in the pressure chamber. Adjusting the pressure, oscillating the ink in the pressure chamber to discharge bubbles from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber, and discharging the ink from which the bubbles have been removed to discharge the droplets. And a step of supplying to a discharge head.

  In a fifth aspect, according to the present invention, the ink in the pressure chamber is vibrated so that bubbles are sufficiently and efficiently removed in the pressure chamber from the initial ink filling to the droplet discharging. The amount of bubbles in the ink supplied to the ink is reduced, cavitation and bubble accumulation in the droplet discharge head are prevented, and droplet discharge is stabilized.

  The effect of the present invention will be described. First, at the time of initial ink filling, by vibrating the ink filled in the pressure chamber, for example, bubbles adhering to or remaining in the pressure chamber are discharged from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber. Since bubbles in the ink supplied to the ink can be reduced, stable droplet ejection can be realized from the initial stage. Secondly, during droplet discharge, the ink filled in the pressure chamber is vibrated to discharge bubbles contained in the ink and reduce bubbles in the ink supplied to the droplet discharge head. Therefore, stable droplet discharge is realized. Third, since the bubbles are removed in the pressure chamber downstream of the droplet discharge head, the bubble discharge means is attached to the droplet discharge head to prevent the structure around the droplet discharge head from becoming complicated.

  In a valve unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an ultrasonic oscillator that generates an ultrasonic wave by applying a voltage to a piezoelectric element such as PZT that vibrates in a predetermined direction is attached to the casing of the valve unit. The sound wave oscillator is driven to apply vibration in a predetermined direction to the pressure chamber or the ink in the pressure chamber to remove bubbles.

  For example, as an ultrasonic oscillator, a bimorph type vibrator in which two PZTs are bonded together or a unimorph type vibrator in which a metal plate and PZT are bonded together can be used. In some cases, PZT is directly attached to the casing of the valve unit. May be attached.

  A valve unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a valve unit that is connected between a droplet discharge head and an ink supply source and regulates ink supplied to the droplet discharge head, and can communicate with each other. A plurality of pressure chambers are provided, a pressure regulating valve for controlling a droplet discharge pressure from the droplet discharge head to be constant is disposed between the plurality of pressure chambers, and the ink supply source of the plurality of pressures An ink supply pipe is connected to the upstream pressure chamber connected to the lower side, while an ink discharge pipe is connected to the downstream pressure chamber connected to the droplet discharge head side from below. A bubble discharge port is provided in at least one of the plurality of pressure chambers.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the valve unit of the present invention is connected between a flexible ink pack installed outside the movable carriage and a droplet discharge head mounted on the carriage, Mounted on the carriage. Further, by using the valve unit of the present invention, a means for applying pressure to the flexible ink pack to squeeze out the ink from the ink pack can be made unnecessary. It is possible to eliminate the need for water head difference management with the droplet discharge head.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining a droplet discharge device to which a valve unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a valve unit 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected between an ink pack 1 filled with ink and a droplet discharge head 2. The ink intake port and the ink discharge port 3b of the valve unit 3 are formed below the pressure chamber of the valve unit 3, as will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is an external view of a valve unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the internal structure of the valve unit shown in FIG.

  2 and 3, a valve unit 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a valve unit 3 that regulates ink to be supplied to a droplet discharge head, and includes an ink intake port 3a that takes in the ink, For discharging the ink and supplying it to the droplet discharge head, the primary liquid chamber 5 having the ink intake port 3a, the secondary liquid chamber 6 having the ink discharge port 3b, and the primary liquid chamber 5 A pressure chamber (5, 6, 7) configured to include a flow path 7 that communicates with the secondary liquid chamber 6, and air bubbles are removed from the primary liquid chamber 5 provided in the primary liquid chamber 5. And a bubble discharge port 3d that is provided in the secondary liquid chamber 6 and discharges bubbles from the secondary liquid chamber 6 to the outside.

  The ink intake port 3a and the ink discharge port 3d are disposed below the primary liquid chamber 5 and the secondary liquid chamber 6 and below the bubble discharge ports 3c and 3d, respectively.

  Further, as a mechanism for adjusting the droplet discharge pressure, the valve unit 3 is provided at the back of the secondary liquid chamber 6 and is displaced in response to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the secondary liquid chamber 6 and the secondary liquid. A back plate of the chamber 6 is provided connected to or integrated with the diaphragm 8, and a pressure receiving plate 9 that is displaced according to the displacement of the diaphragm 8, and ink that flows through the flow path 7 by stroking according to the displacement of the pressure receiving plate 9. A valve body 10 that adjusts the amount or pressure of the first spring 11, a first spring 11 that is built in the primary liquid chamber 5 and biases the valve body 10 toward the pressure receiving plate 10, and a pressure receiving plate that is built in the secondary liquid chamber 6. And a second spring 12 that urges 9 toward the opposite side of the valve body 10.

  In particular, referring to FIG. 3, the first spring 11 abuts on one side of the large-diameter portion 10 a of the valve element 10, and the ring-shaped seal 13 for releasably closing the flow path 7 on the other side. Is attached.

  An ultrasonic oscillator 20 is attached to the casing 4 on the primary liquid chamber 5 side.

  The ultrasonic oscillator 20 includes PZT that vibrates by application of an AC voltage or a pulse voltage. By applying a voltage to the PZT from a predetermined direction, the stroke direction of the valve body 10 (displacement of the diaphragm 8 and the pressure receiving plate 9). Vibration in a direction intersecting the direction) to vibrate the ink in the primary liquid chamber 5 or the secondary liquid chamber 6 to adhere to the primary liquid chamber 5 and the secondary liquid chamber 6 or both chambers. Bubbles contained in the inks 5 and 6 are discharged from the bubble discharge ports 3c and 3d.

  Next, the operation of the valve unit 3 described above will be described.

  4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the valve unit 3 shown in FIG.

  For the sake of illustration, FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B) and FIGS. 2 and 3 are opposite in the arrangement of the primary liquid chamber and the secondary liquid chamber. Is down.

  Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the primary liquid chamber 5 is filled with ink from below through the ink inlet 3a. Here, since the ink is filled so as to spring out from below, the air in the primary liquid chamber 5 is pushed up, and the bubbles are discharged from the bubble outlet 3c (see FIG. 3). This makes it difficult for bubble accumulation to occur in the primary liquid chamber 5 and the like.

  At this time, the ultrasonic oscillator 20 is driven to generate vibration, and the ink in the primary liquid chamber 5 to the secondary liquid chamber 6 is vibrated to cause the primary liquid chamber 5 and the secondary liquid chamber 6 to be vibrated. For example, bubbles attached to the inner walls of the primary liquid chamber 5 or the secondary liquid chamber 6 or contained in the ink in the two chambers 5 and 6 are discharged from the bubble discharge ports 3c and 3d.

  When ink is ejected from the nozzles of the droplet ejection head 2 shown in FIG. 1, the ink in the secondary liquid chamber 6 flows toward the droplet ejection head, and the ink in the chamber is consumed.

  As a result, the inside of the secondary liquid chamber 6 becomes a negative pressure with respect to the external pressure, for example, the atmospheric pressure, and the diaphragm 8 having elasticity in the internal and external pressure difference is deformed toward the inner side of the secondary liquid chamber 6, and the pressure receiving plate 9 Then, the valve body 10 at the boundary (flow path 7) between the primary liquid chamber 5 and the secondary liquid chamber 6 is stroked in the same direction.

  As a result, the seal 13 is separated from the seating surface of the casing 4, and the primary liquid chamber 5 and the secondary liquid chamber 6 communicate with each other through the flow path 7, so that the ink in the primary liquid chamber 5 becomes the secondary liquid. It flows into the chamber 6 (see FIG. 4B).

  When the amount of ink flowing into the secondary liquid chamber 6 reaches a predetermined amount, the negative pressure decreases, the diaphragm 8 is pushed back, the load applied to the valve body 10 via the pressure receiving plate 9 decreases, and the first spring 11 is eventually added. As a result, the pressure receiving plate 9 and the valve body 10 return to their original positions, the seal 13 is seated on the seal seat surface, and the flow path 7 is closed (see FIG. 4A).

  During printing, the series of operations described above are repeated, and the ultrasonic oscillator 20 can be appropriately driven to remove bubbles. As a result, the ink pack 1 and the droplet discharge head 2 can be connected regardless of the ink water surface (ink head value or remaining ink amount) of the ink pack (tank, sub tank) 1 shown in FIG. The pressure in the secondary liquid chamber 6 in the connected valve unit (pressure damper) 3 is kept constant, and bubbles in the ink supplied to the droplet discharge head 2 are removed as much as possible. . Thus, no matter how the ink remaining amount or pressure (water head value) in the ink pack 1 changes, the valve unit 3 prevents the droplets from flowing out from the heads or nozzles of the droplet discharge head 2. Smooth and stable droplet discharge is performed.

  The valve unit of the present invention can be connected between an ink supply source of general industrial apparatuses for printing and a droplet discharge head. Among them, a panel such as a color filter, an alignment film, and a liquid crystal display device including them, The present invention is suitably applied to an EL device, an FED device, a PDP device using an organic EL element or the like as a light emitting element, and an electro-optical device manufacturing apparatus such as a metal wiring and an electrode on a printed board.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the droplet discharge apparatus with which the valve unit which concerns on one Example of this invention is applied. It is an external view of the valve unit which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the internal structure of the valve unit shown in FIG. (A) And (B) is typical sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the valve unit shown to FIG. 2 (A).

Explanation of symbols

1 Ink pack 2 Droplet discharge head 3 Valve unit (self-sealing valve)
3a Ink inlet 3b Ink outlet 3c Bubble outlet (primary liquid chamber side)
3d Air bubble outlet (secondary liquid chamber side)
4 Casing 5 Primary liquid chamber 6 Secondary liquid chamber 7 Flow path 8 Diaphragm 9 Pressure receiving plate 10 Valve body 10a Large diameter portion 11 First spring (valve spring)
12 Second spring (negative pressure holding spring)
13 Seal (ring-shaped seal)
14 Ink intake tube 15 Ink discharge tube 20 Ultrasonic oscillator

Claims (8)

A valve unit that regulates the ink supplied to the droplet discharge head,
A casing of the valve unit;
A pressure chamber built in the casing;
An ink inlet through which the pressure chamber takes in the ink;
An ink discharge port through which the pressure chamber discharges the ink and supplies the ink to the droplet discharge head;
A bubble discharge port for discharging bubbles from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber;
An oscillator attached to the casing and vibrating the ink in the pressure chamber;
A valve unit characterized by comprising: The pressure chamber includes a primary liquid chamber provided with the ink intake port, a secondary liquid chamber provided with the ink discharge port, and a flow path communicating the primary liquid chamber and the secondary liquid chamber. Consists of
2. The valve unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a valve body that is built in the pressure chamber and adjusts the amount or pressure of the ink flowing through the flow path by stroking the flow path.   The valve unit according to claim 2, wherein the oscillator generates a vibration in a direction intersecting a stroke direction of the valve body.   The valve unit according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator is attached to the casing on the primary liquid chamber side. A valve unit that regulates the ink supplied to the droplet discharge head,
A casing of the valve unit;
An ink intake port for taking up the ink;
An ink discharge port for discharging the ink and supplying the ink to the droplet discharge head;
A primary liquid chamber provided in the casing and provided with the ink intake port; a secondary liquid chamber provided with the ink discharge port; and a flow path communicating the primary liquid chamber and the secondary liquid chamber. A pressure chamber comprising,
A bubble discharge port provided in the pressure chamber for discharging bubbles from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber;
A diaphragm provided on a back portion of the secondary liquid chamber and displaced in response to a pressure difference between the outside and the secondary liquid chamber;
A pressure receiving plate that is connected to or integrated with the diaphragm at the back of the secondary liquid chamber, and is displaced according to the displacement of the diaphragm;
A valve body that adjusts the amount or pressure of the ink flowing through the flow path by stroking the flow path according to the displacement of the pressure receiving plate;
A first spring built in the primary liquid chamber and biasing the valve body toward the pressure receiving plate;
A second spring built in the secondary liquid chamber and biasing the pressure receiving plate toward the opposite side of the valve body;
An oscillator that is attached to the casing on the primary liquid chamber side, generates vibration in a direction intersecting with a stroke direction of the valve body, and vibrates the ink in the pressure chamber;
A valve unit characterized by comprising:   A droplet discharge apparatus comprising: the droplet discharge head; and the valve unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 connected between the droplet discharge head and an ink supply source. .   7. A liquid picking and discharging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said ink containing components that are components of an electric device, an optical device or an electro-optical device is discharged from said droplet discharge head and printed on a substrate. An apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device. A droplet discharge method for discharging regulated ink from a droplet discharge head,
Taking the ink into the pressure chamber of the valve unit;
Regulating the ink in the pressure chamber;
Vibrating the ink in the pressure chamber to discharge bubbles from the pressure chamber to the outside of the pressure chamber;
Discharging the ink from the pressure chamber and supplying it to the droplet discharge head;
A droplet discharge method comprising:

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