JP2008093570A - Weighing method and method for discharging liquid body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a weighing method which enables the weighing of a liquid body discharged through discharge heads by properly arranging carriages mounting a plurality of discharge heads in a weighing region, and to provide a method for discharging the liquid body. <P>SOLUTION: This weighing method is provided with a first arranging process arranging at least two of a plurality of carriages arranged in a drawing area in a weighing area, a first weighing process in which the liquid body is discharged as liquid drops through the respective heads mounted on at least two carriages and the liquid body discharged through the respective heads is weighed, a second arranging process in which the carriage that has finished in weighing out of the two carriages is discharged and the remaining carriage and at least one new carriage are rearranged in the weighing area, and a second weighing process in which the liquid body is discharged as liquid drops through the respective discharge heads mounted on at least the two rearranged carriages and the liquid body discharged through the respective heads is weighed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for measuring the weight of a liquid droplet containing a functional material and a method for discharging the liquid.

  In recent years, a forming method has been proposed in which a liquid material containing a functional material is ejected as droplets onto a substrate using an inkjet method (droplet ejection method) to form a thin film made of the functional material. Typical examples of the thin film include a color filter, a light emitting layer, and a metal wiring.

  In such a droplet discharge method, it is one of important issues to stably apply a necessary amount of liquid on the substrate. As a method for measuring the weight of liquid droplets, droplets are ejected from a droplet ejection head under the same environmental conditions as those used when droplets are ejected onto a workpiece (substrate). A method for measuring the amount of ejected droplets is known (Patent Document 1).

  The environmental conditions include at least one of temperature and humidity. As a method for managing this, it has been proposed to adjust an environmental condition in a chamber in which a droplet discharge device having a droplet discharge head is accommodated by an air conditioner.

  On the other hand, as a substrate becomes larger, there is known a droplet discharge device including a plurality of head units (or carriages) on which a plurality of droplet discharge heads capable of discharging a liquid material as droplets are mounted (Patent Literature). 2).

JP 2004-209429 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-254797

  When applying the conventional weight measurement method to a conventional droplet discharge device having a plurality of the head units, a large-sized system is used to manage environmental conditions during weight measurement or when a droplet is discharged and drawn on a workpiece. A chamber is required. Under such conditions, depending on how the weight measuring device for measuring the weight of the droplet and each head unit are arranged, it is influenced by the air flow in the chamber, and the weight measurement and actual drawing are not performed. There was a problem that it was difficult to make the environmental conditions similar.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and is a weight capable of measuring the weight of a liquid material ejected from an ejection head by appropriately arranging a carriage on which a plurality of ejection heads are mounted in a weight measurement region. An object is to provide a measurement method and a liquid discharge method.

  A weight measurement method for measuring the weight of a liquid material discharged from a plurality of discharge heads mounted on a plurality of carriages, wherein at least two of the plurality of carriages arranged in a drawing region are arranged in the weight measurement region. A first arrangement step, a first measurement step of discharging the liquid material as droplets from each of the discharge heads mounted on at least two carriages, and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged for each of the discharge heads; and at least 2 A second arrangement step in which the carriages that have been measured out of the two carriages are ejected and the remaining carriage and at least one new carriage are rearranged in the weight measurement region, and mounted on at least two rearranged carriages. A second measuring process for discharging the liquid material as droplets from each discharge head and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged for each discharge head Characterized by comprising a and.

  According to this method, in the first arrangement step, at least two carriages are arranged adjacent to each other in the weight measurement region. Further, in the second arrangement step, the carriage whose measurement has been completed is discharged from the weight measurement region, and the remaining carriage and at least one new carriage are rearranged. Therefore, regardless of whether the number of carriages is an even number or an odd number, when the measurement droplets are ejected from the ejection head, the carriages are always arranged adjacent to each other. Therefore, compared to the case where the carriage is arranged alone in the weight measurement area, the arrangement of the carriage is close to a state in which a plurality of carriages are arranged in the drawing area, as in the case of discharge drawing in which the liquid material is actually discharged onto the workpiece. The weight can be measured with That is, a carriage equipped with a plurality of ejection heads can be arranged in a weight measurement region in an appropriate state close to that during actual ejection drawing, and droplets can be ejected from the ejection head to be measured, and the weight can be measured. .

  In the first measurement step and the second measurement step, a plurality of ejection heads mounted on at least two carriages are divided into two head groups for each carriage when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of at least two carriages. When the head group mounted on the boundary side between adjacent carriages and the carriage at one end on either side of the plurality of carriages arranged in the drawing area are arranged in the weight measurement area, the carriage at one end Each head group mounted on the head is a measurement object.

  According to this method, in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, a plurality of ejection heads mounted on the carriage are divided into two head groups for each carriage as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of at least two carriages. Divide into Then, a head group positioned on the boundary side between adjacent carriages at the time of actual ejection drawing and a head group positioned on both ends of a plurality of arranged carriages are measured. That is, the head group to be measured can be selected and weight measurement can be performed in consideration of the arrangement of the head group during actual ejection drawing.

  A plurality of weight measuring devices corresponding to each head group of at least two carriages are arranged in the weight measuring region, and the head group to be measured and the weight measuring device are opposed to each other in the first arranging step and the second arranging step. Thus, at least two carriages are arranged. According to this method, a plurality of weight measuring devices are arranged corresponding to each head group of at least two carriages arranged in the weight measuring region. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently perform the weight measurement by reducing the time required for the weight measurement as compared with the case where the measurement is performed using one weight measuring device.

  The ejection head includes a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, and the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row is measured in the first measurement step and the second measurement step. . According to this method, it is possible to measure the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row in a state close to that during actual ejection drawing.

  In the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the number of discharges that can be measured is set and droplets are discharged. According to this method, discharge is performed by setting the number of discharges that can be measured. Therefore, if the weight of the discharged liquid is divided by the number of discharges, the weight can be obtained even if the amount of liquid droplets discharged by one discharge is very small.

  Further, in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, it is preferable that the droplets are ejected from ejection heads other than the measurement target. According to this method, since the droplets are discharged from the discharge heads other than the measurement target, it is possible to stabilize the discharge characteristics by preventing the flight bending and clogging in the standby discharge head. That is, the weight measurement can be performed while maintaining the ejection characteristics.

  The liquid material ejection method of the present invention is a liquid material ejection method in which a liquid material is ejected and drawn on a workpiece from a plurality of ejection heads mounted on a plurality of carriages. A first disposing step of disposing at least two carriages in the weight measurement region, and discharging the liquid material as droplets from each of the discharge heads mounted on the at least two carriages. A first measurement step of measuring weight, a second arrangement step of discharging a carriage that has been measured out of at least two carriages, and rearranging the remaining carriage and a new at least one carriage in the weight measurement region; The liquid material is ejected as droplets from each ejection head mounted on at least two rearranged carriages and ejected for each ejection head. A second measurement step for measuring the weight of the liquid material, an adjustment step for adjusting the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged for each discharge head based on the measured weight information of the liquid material for each discharge head, And a discharge step of discharging and drawing a liquid material as droplets from a plurality of discharge heads to a desired region of the work while the plurality of carriages are opposed and moved relative to each other.

  According to this method, in the first arrangement step and the second arrangement step, a carriage on which a plurality of discharge heads are mounted is arranged in the weight measurement region in an appropriate state close to that during actual discharge drawing. In the first measurement process and the second measurement process, droplets are ejected from the ejection head to be measured, and the weight is measured. In the adjustment step, the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged for each discharge head is adjusted based on the measured weight information of the liquid material for each discharge head. Therefore, in the discharge process, an appropriate amount of liquid material can be discharged and drawn as droplets from a plurality of discharge heads to a desired region of the work.

  In the first measurement step and the second measurement step, a plurality of ejection heads mounted on at least two carriages are divided into two head groups for each of the carriages when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of at least two carriages. If one of the heads mounted on the boundary side of adjacent carriages and one of the carriages on both ends of the plurality of carriages arranged in the drawing area are arranged in the weight measurement area, Each mounted head group is a measurement target. According to this method, in the first measurement process and the second measurement process, the head group to be measured is selected in consideration of the actual arrangement of the head group at the time of ejection drawing, and weight measurement is performed. Accordingly, it is possible to measure the weight of the droplet closer to the actual ejection drawing, and in the ejection process, an appropriate amount of liquid material can be ejected and drawn as a droplet from a plurality of ejection heads in a desired region of the work.

  A plurality of weight measuring devices corresponding to each head group of at least two carriages are arranged in the weight measuring region, and the head group to be measured and the weight measuring device are opposed to each other in the first arranging step and the second arranging step. Thus, at least two carriages are arranged. According to this method, the time required for the weight measurement can be shortened compared with the case where one weight measuring device is provided, and the weight measurement can be performed efficiently. Therefore, it is possible to discharge and draw an appropriate amount of liquid material as droplets from a plurality of discharge heads in a desired region of the work while ensuring high productivity.

  The ejection head has a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, and the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row is measured in the first measurement step and the second measurement step. According to this method, in the adjustment step, it is possible to adjust the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged for each nozzle row. Therefore, in the discharge process, an appropriate amount of liquid material can be discharged and drawn as droplets from each nozzle row of the plurality of discharge heads in a desired region of the work.

  In the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the number of discharges that can be measured is set and droplets are discharged. According to this method, by dividing the weight of the discharged liquid material by the number of discharges, the weight can be obtained even if the amount of liquid droplets discharged by one discharge is very small. Therefore, in the adjustment process, the droplet discharge amount can be adjusted with high accuracy, and in the discharge process, an appropriate amount of liquid is discharged and drawn as droplets from a plurality of discharge heads in a desired area of the workpiece. can do.

  Further, in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, it is preferable that the droplets are ejected from ejection heads other than the measurement target. According to this method, since the droplets are discharged from the discharge heads other than the measurement target, it is possible to stabilize the discharge characteristics by preventing the flight bending and clogging in the standby discharge head. Therefore, the weight measurement can be performed while maintaining the ejection characteristics. That is, in the ejection step, an appropriate amount of liquid material can be ejected and drawn as droplets from a plurality of ejection heads in a desired region of the work.

  Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for manufacturing a color filter that uses a droplet discharge device capable of discharging a liquid as droplets, applies a liquid containing a colored layer forming material to a colored region, and discharges and draws the colored layer. Explained as an example.

  First, a droplet discharge device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the structure of the droplet discharge device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet discharge device 1 includes an X-axis table 22 that moves a suction table 41 on which a substrate W as a work is placed in the X-axis direction, and carriages as a plurality (seven) carriages. A Y-axis table 23 that moves the unit 21 in the Y-axis direction independently above the X-axis table 22 is provided.

  Each carriage unit 21 arranged in the Y-axis direction includes a head unit 61 on which droplet ejection heads 62 (see FIG. 3) as a plurality of ejection heads that eject a liquid material as droplets are mounted, and the head unit 61. And a main carriage 63 on which the carriage body 66 is suspended.

  A weight measuring mechanism 91 for measuring the weight of the liquid discharged from the droplet discharge head 62 and a maintenance mechanism 12 for performing maintenance of the droplet discharge head 62 on an extension line in the Y-axis direction in which the carriage units 21 are arranged. Is provided. The Y-axis table 23 extends perpendicularly to the X-axis table 22. A plurality of carriage units 21 arranged in the drawing area 31 are provided with a maintenance area 32 where the maintenance mechanism 12 is provided, and a weight measurement mechanism 91 is provided. And move to the weight measuring area 33.

  The maintenance mechanism 12 wipes the liquid material and foreign matter adhering to the surface (nozzle surface) of the droplet discharge head 62 by suction removal and the like with the suction unit 111 for sucking and removing the liquid material thickened in the droplet discharge head 62. And a wiping unit 112 that wipes off with the sheet 112a.

  A plurality of suction units 111 are provided in the Y-axis direction so as to correspond to a plurality (seven) of carriage units 21. Each suction unit 111 and wiping unit 112 are disposed on an angle frame 118.

  The maintenance mechanism 12 is a device that restores the discharge function such as nozzle clogging of the plurality of droplet discharge heads 62 mounted on the plurality of head units 61 by the suction units 111 and the wiping units 112.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the structure of the droplet discharge device. Specifically, it is a side view seen from the maintenance mechanism 12 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to stabilize the discharge characteristics of the droplet discharge head 62, the X-axis table 22 is regularly provided corresponding to a plurality of carriage units 21 arranged in the Y-axis direction. A flushing box 114 and two pre-drawing flushing boxes 115 provided at both ends of the suction table 41 in the X-axis direction are provided.

  The liquid material is flushed from all the nozzles 85 (see FIG. 3) of the liquid droplet ejection head 62 toward the regular flushing box 114 or the pre-drawing flushing box 115 to eject the liquid regularly or before the drawing. The clogging and the liquid meniscus in the nozzle 85 are stabilized.

  The X-axis table 22 includes a base 40, a pair of X-axis guide rails 45 disposed on the base 40, and a pair of X-axis linear motors (not shown) arranged in parallel with the pair of X-axis guide rails 45. ). An X-axis slider 44 guided by a pair of X-axis guide rails 45 and slidably moved in the X-axis direction by an X-axis linear motor, and a table support portion 43 supported by the X-axis slider 44 are provided. The table support unit 43 is provided with a suction table 41 for sucking (air sucking) the substrate W and a θ-axis table 42 for finely adjusting the θ position of the substrate W via the suction table 41. When the pair of X-axis linear motors are driven, the X-axis slider 44 guided by the pair of X-axis guide rails 45 moves in the X-axis direction, and the substrate W set on the suction table 41 moves in the X-axis direction. be able to.

  Although not shown, the suction table 41 is provided with a pair of X-axis width adjusting mechanisms in the X-axis direction and a pair of Y-axis width adjusting mechanisms in the Y-axis direction. Alignment). The set substrate W is image-recognized by a workpiece recognition camera (not shown) provided on the Y-axis table 23 and the like and finally positioned.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the regular flushing box 114 is disposed on the table support portion 43 so that the upper surface thereof is substantially the same height as the upper surface of the suction table 41. Similarly, the pre-drawing flushing box 115 is also arranged on the suction table 41 so that the upper surface thereof is substantially the same height as the upper surface of the suction table 41.

  On the other hand, the Y-axis table 23 is provided side by side with a pair of support stands 56 erected from the base 40, a pair of columnar support members 55 spanned on the pair of support stands 56, and the pair of columnar support members 55. And a pair of Y-axis linear motors 54. On the pair of columnar support members 55, there are a pair of Y-axis guide rails 53 and a Y-axis slider 52 that is guided by the pair of Y-axis guide rails 53 and moves freely in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis linear motor 54. Is provided.

  A plurality of Y-axis sliders 52 are provided corresponding to each carriage unit 21 and support the bridge plate 51 on which the main carriage 63 is suspended. That is, seven bridge plates 51 are supported by independent Y-axis sliders 52.

  When the Y-axis linear motor 54 is driven, the Y-axis slider 52 guided by the pair of Y-axis guide rails 53 moves in the Y-axis direction, and the main carriage 63 suspended from the bridge plate 51 moves in the Y-axis direction. Can be made.

  The main carriage 63 suspends the carriage main body 66 that supports the head unit 61 and the carriage main body 66, and is connected to the upper portion of the carriage main body 66. The θ position of the head unit 61 is motor-driven via the carriage main body 66. The head θ-axis table 67 and the head θ-axis table 67 can be finely adjusted. And an adjustable head Z-axis table 68.

  Such a droplet discharge device 1 is housed in a chamber 5 having a hepper unit 6 at the top, and is used in an air-conditioned state so that the inside thereof has a predetermined cleanness, temperature, and humidity.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a droplet discharge head. FIG. 4A is a perspective view, and FIG. 4B is a plan view showing a nozzle plate.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the droplet discharge head 62 has a so-called double structure, a liquid introduction part 71 having two connection needles 72, a head substrate 73 connected to the liquid introduction part 71, The head main body 74 is provided above the liquid introducing portion 71 and has an in-head flow path filled with a liquid material. The connection needle 72 is connected to a tank in which the liquid material is stored via a pressure regulating valve, and the liquid material is supplied to the flow path in the head of the droplet discharge head 62. The head main body 74 includes a cavity 81 formed of a piezoelectric element and the like, and a nozzle plate 82 in which two nozzle rows 84 including a plurality of nozzles 85 are formed on the nozzle surface 82a. The head substrate 73 is provided with two series of connectors 75, and each connector 75 is connected to the head driver 131 (see FIG. 8) via a flexible flat cable. The head driver 131 applies a driving voltage to the piezoelectric element to change the volume of the cavity 81. Thus, the liquid filled in the cavity 81 is pressurized, and the liquid is ejected from the nozzle 85 as droplets.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the length of each nozzle row 84 is, for example, 1 inch (approximately 25.4 mm), and each nozzle row 84 has a pitch P1 (approximately 140 μm) with 180 nozzles 85 equal to each other. It is arranged in order. In this case, one nozzle row 84 is provided so as to be shifted from the other nozzle row 84 by a half pitch (70 μm) in the nozzle row direction. Therefore, when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the direction of each nozzle row, the plurality of nozzles 85 are arranged at the nozzle pitch P2. Therefore, the dot density (resolution) of the droplets ejected from the plurality of nozzles 85 is 360 dpi.

  Such a droplet discharge head 62 is not limited to the one provided with the piezoelectric element, but as an energy generating means for pressurizing the liquid material, an electromechanical conversion element that vibrates by electrostatically adsorbing the vibration plate, or a liquid material is used. It may be provided with a heating element for heating.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the droplet discharge heads in the head unit. Specifically, it is a plan view seen from the X-axis table 22 side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a total of 12 droplet discharge heads 62 are mounted on the head unit 61. Two head groups 62L and 62R in which six droplet discharge heads 62 are arranged stepwise when viewed from the X-axis direction are configured. In each of the head groups 62L and 62R, three droplet discharge heads 62 filled with a liquid material containing colored layer forming materials of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are arranged in parallel in the order of RGB. . For example, the nozzle rows 84 of the heads R1, R2, R3, and R4 filled with a red (R) liquid are arranged in the Y-axis direction with a nozzle pitch P2 as viewed from the X-axis direction. . The same applies to the other green (G) and blue (B). Further, in the heads R2 and G2 and the heads G2 and B2 filled with liquid materials of different colors, the nozzle rows 84 are arranged in a state shifted from each other in the Y-axis direction by a distance of 1/3 of the total length of the nozzle rows. Has been.

  Accordingly, in this case, a so-called drawing width capable of continuously ejecting the liquid material of the same color in the Y-axis direction is (P2 × 359 × 4) + (P2 × 3) = 100730 μm, which is approximately 100 mm.

  Next, the weight measuring mechanism 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the carriage unit and the weight measuring mechanism. FIG. 6A is a schematic side view showing the weight measuring mechanism, and FIG. 6B is a schematic plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the weight measuring mechanism 91 is arranged on a gantry 99 provided between the drawing area 31 and the maintenance area 32 in which a plurality of carriage units 21 (CA1 to CA7) are arranged in the Y-axis direction. It is installed. Two carriage units 21 can be arranged to face each other by the Y-axis table 23 in the weight measurement region 33 in which the weight measurement mechanism 91 is provided.

  The weight measuring mechanism 91 has a moving mechanism including a motor 98 between the gantry 99 and can move the weight measuring mechanism 91 in the X-axis direction. For example, a servo motor is used as the motor 98.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the weight measuring mechanism 91 includes an electronic balance 95 as four weight measuring devices arranged on a support plate 97, and a first droplet provided for each electronic balance 95. A receiving portion 94 and a second droplet receiving portion 92 are provided. The electronic balance 95 can measure the weight of the liquid material discharged to the first droplet receiver 94.

  The first droplet receiving portion 94 has a tray shape and is provided with an absorber 96 that absorbs the discharged liquid material.

  The second droplet receiving portion 92 has a tray shape supported by pillars erected from the four corners of the support plate 97. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, an opening 92a surrounding the first droplet receiving portion 94 is provided. Similarly, an absorber 93 is laid so as to surround each first droplet receiving portion 94. The absorber 93 is laid so that the upper surface thereof is substantially the same height as the upper surface of the absorber 96. As such absorbers 93 and 96, for example, porous foamed plastic is used.

  The first droplet receiving portion 94 and the second droplet receiving portion 92 are designed based on the arrangement of the droplet discharge heads 62 mounted on the head unit 61 facing them. That is, the size (planar area) of the first droplet receiving portion 94 shown in FIG. 6B is such that the nozzle surface 82a (see FIG. 3) of the droplet discharge head 62 can be sufficiently opposed. . The size (plane area) of the second droplet receiving portion 92 is such that the two head units 61 are arranged so that the droplet discharge head 62 to be measured and the first droplet receiving portion 94 face each other. In addition, it is designed such that the droplet discharge head 62 other than the measurement target and the second droplet receiving portion 92 always face each other.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a control system of the entire droplet discharge device 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system of the droplet discharge device. As shown in FIG. 7, the control system of the droplet discharge device 1 basically includes a host computer 2, a droplet discharge head 62, an X-axis table 22, a Y-axis table 23, a maintenance mechanism 12, and a weight measurement mechanism 91. And a control unit 122 (controller 13) that performs overall control of the entire droplet discharge device 1 including the drive unit 121.

  The host computer 2 is configured by connecting a keyboard, a display for displaying an input result of the keyboard, and the like to the computer main body connected to the controller 13.

  The drive unit 121 includes a head driver 131 that controls the ejection of the droplet ejection head 62, a moving driver 132 that controls the linear motors of the X-axis table 22 and the Y-axis table 23, and a suction unit of the maintenance mechanism 12. 111, a maintenance driver 133 that drives and controls the wiping unit 112 and the unit lifting mechanism, and a weight measurement driver 134 that controls the electronic balance 95 and the motor 98 of the weight measurement mechanism 91.

  The control unit 122 includes a CPU 141, a ROM 142, a RAM 143, and a P-CON 144, which are connected to each other via a bus 145. The ROM 142 has a control program area for storing a control program to be processed by the CPU 141, and a control data area for storing control data for performing a drawing operation and weight measurement.

  The RAM 143 includes various register groups, a drawing data storage unit that stores drawing data for discharging a liquid material onto the substrate W, a position data storage unit that stores design position data of the substrate W and the head unit 61, and the like. It has a storage unit and is used as various work areas for control processing. The design position data of the head unit 61 is the position data stored immediately before the drawing process. In addition to the position data at the time of design (newly installed) of the droplet discharge device 1, the design position data of the head unit 61. It is a concept that also includes updated position data.

  The P-CON 144 is connected to various drivers of the drive unit 121 and a camera for recognizing the position of the substrate W. The P-CON 144 supplements the function of the CPU 141 and has a logic circuit for handling interface signals with peripheral circuits. Configured and incorporated. For this reason, the P-CON 144 receives various commands and the like from the host computer 2 as they are or processes them and imports them into the bus 145, and in conjunction with the CPU 141, the data and control signals output from the CPU 141 and the like to the bus 145 are directly received. Or it processes and outputs to the drive part 121. FIG.

  The CPU 141 inputs various detection signals, various commands, various data, etc. via the P-CON 144 according to the control program in the ROM 142, processes various data, etc. in the RAM 143, and then drives via the P-CON 144. The entire droplet discharge device 1 is controlled by outputting various control signals to the unit 121 and the like. For example, the CPU 141 controls the droplet discharge head 62, the X-axis table 22, and the Y-axis table 23 so that the liquid material is transferred from the droplet discharge head 62 to the substrate W under predetermined droplet discharge conditions and predetermined movement conditions. Drawing to be discharged as droplets is performed.

  Further, the CPU 141 controls the Y-axis table 23 to place the carriage unit 21 in the weight measurement region 33, and the liquid material is transferred from the droplet discharge head 62 mounted on the head unit 61 to the first droplet receiver 94. It is discharged as a drop. Then, the droplet discharge amount is calculated based on the weight of the liquid material measured by the electronic balance 95. Based on the calculation result, the drive voltage for driving the piezoelectric element of each droplet discharge head 62 is controlled to discharge an appropriate amount of droplets.

  Since such a droplet discharge apparatus 1 has a plurality of carriage units 21, a maintenance mechanism 12 is provided correspondingly. A similar measure can be considered for the weight measuring mechanism 91, but the apparatus becomes larger. In the present embodiment, the two carriage units 21 can be arranged in the weight measurement region 33 in consideration of the size of the apparatus. The environmental conditions when the plurality of carriage units 21 are arranged in the drawing region 31 and performing discharge drawing of the liquid material, the driving state of the droplet discharge head 62, and the two carriage units 21 are arranged in the weight measurement region 33 and measured. The environmental conditions and driving state when the liquid material is discharged from the target droplet discharge head 62 are not necessarily the same. The weight measurement method and the liquid material discharge method of the present invention have been made in consideration of such technical background.

(Weight measurement method and liquid material discharge method)
Next, a liquid discharge method using the weight measurement method of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a liquid material discharge method, and FIGS. 9A to 9D are schematic views showing a weight measurement method.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the liquid material ejection method of the present embodiment, the first arrangement step (step S1) of arranging the carriage unit 21 in the weight measurement region 33, the droplet ejection head 62 to be measured, and the weight measurement. A positioning step (step S2) for positioning the first droplet receiving portion 94 of the mechanism 91. Also, a measurement discharge step (step S3) for measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged from the positioned droplet discharge head 62, and the discharge amount of the droplet per discharge based on the measured weight of the liquid material And a calculation step (step S4). Further, a step of determining whether or not the measurement of the selected head groups 62L and 62R is completed (step S5), a step of determining whether or not the measurement for all the carriage units 21 is completed (step S6), If not completed, a second arrangement step (step S7) is provided for rearranging the carriage unit 21 again. Then, by repeating Step S2 to Step S6 again, the liquid material is ejected as droplets from each droplet ejection head 62 mounted on the rearranged carriage unit 21 and ejected for each droplet ejection head 62. A second measuring step for measuring the weight of the liquid material.

  Steps S1 to S7 show the weight measurement method of the present embodiment, and steps S2 to S3 are steps corresponding to the first measurement step.

  Then, based on the measured weight information of the liquid material for each droplet discharge head 62, an adjustment step (step S8) for adjusting the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged for each droplet discharge head 62, and the substrate W And a discharge step (step S9) of discharging and drawing the liquid material as droplets in a desired region.

  Step S1 in FIG. 8 is a first arrangement step. In step S1, as shown in FIG. 9A, the control unit 122 drives the Y-axis table 23, and among the seven carriage units 21 (CA1 to CA7), first, the carriage unit CA1 and the carriage unit CA2 are used. Are moved to the weight measurement region 33 and arranged so as to face the weight measurement mechanism 91. Then, the process proceeds to step S2.

  In the positioning step of step S2 in FIG. 8, the control unit 122 selects the droplet discharge head 62 to be measured from the head groups 62L and 62R of the carriage units CA1 and CA2 based on the weight measurement program, Positioning is performed so as to face the first droplet receiving portion 94. As shown in FIG. 4, in the head unit 61, droplet discharge heads 62 filled with a liquid material of the same color are arranged in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, if the Y-axis linear motor 54 of the Y-axis table 23 and the motor 98 of the weight measuring mechanism 91 are driven, as shown in FIG. 9B, four droplet discharge heads 62 that discharge the same color liquid material. And the four first droplet receivers 94 can be arranged to face each other. At this time, the head Z-axis table 68 of each of the carriage units CA1 and CA2 is driven so that the ejected droplets do not scatter other than the first droplet receiver 94, and the nozzle surfaces 82a and the upper surfaces of the absorbers 96 are driven. Is adjusted so that the distance between and is about 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. Then, the process proceeds to step S3.

  Step S3 in FIG. 8 is a measurement ejection step. In step S3, first, the weight of the first droplet receiving portion 94 before receiving the liquid is measured. At this point, the weight may be reset as “zero”. Next, a predetermined number of droplets are ejected from the droplet ejection head 62 to be measured to the first droplet receiver 94. The setting of the number of discharges is included in the weight measurement program in consideration of the minimum measurement unit of the electronic balance 95. In this case, the minimum weighing unit of the electronic balance 95 is 1 mg. On the other hand, since the liquid droplets to be ejected are at the ng level, the liquid droplet ejection head 62 is driven with the number of ejections set to 2000 to 3000 so that the amount of the liquid material is measurable. Are discharged as droplets.

  In the measurement ejection step of the present embodiment, the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row 84 is measured. The reason for this is that, as shown in FIG. 3, the droplet discharge head 62 includes two nozzle rows 84 and two corresponding connecting needles 72 corresponding to the nozzle rows 84. Have different liquid common channels. Therefore, the variation in the discharge amount of the droplets for each nozzle row 84 due to the difference in the liquid common flow path is taken into consideration. Therefore, the discharge for measurement from one nozzle row 84 is performed, the weight of the first droplet receiver 94 is measured, and the measurement result is stored in the RAM 143 of the controller 122. Thereafter, in the same manner, metering discharge is performed from the other nozzle row 84 to measure the weight, and the measurement result is stored in the RAM 143. Therefore, the number of ejections is obtained by multiplying the number of nozzles 180 in the nozzle row 84 by the number of ejections.

  In addition, the arrangement of the plurality of carriage units 21 in the drawing region 31 was considered in order to bring the weight measurement conditions close to the conditions for actually drawing and drawing droplets on the substrate W. That is, in the carriage unit CA1 located on one end side of the array, the measurement results of the droplet discharge heads 62 of the two head groups 62L and 62R are validated, and in the adjacent carriage unit CA2, the head group 62L located on the boundary side. The measurement results of the respective droplet discharge heads 62 were treated as valid. As a result, compared with the case where the carriage unit 21 is arranged one by one in the weight measurement region 33 and the weight measurement is performed, the two carriage units 21 are always adjacent to each other, and the variation in the discharge amount due to the surrounding air current, temperature, etc. The weight measurement is performed in consideration of the influence and the influence on the fluctuation of the discharge amount due to the heat radiation from the adjacent carriage unit 21.

  Further, in the measurement ejection step, droplets were simultaneously ejected from the droplet ejection head 62 other than the measurement target toward the second droplet receiver 92. As a result, the droplet discharge heads 62 other than the object to be measured during standby are prevented from being bent or clogged, and the discharge characteristics are stabilized. That is, the weight measurement can be performed while always maintaining the discharge characteristics. Then, the process proceeds to step S4.

  Step S4 in FIG. 8 is a calculation process. In step S4, the weight of the liquid material effective for each droplet discharge head 62 and each nozzle row 84 obtained by measurement is divided by the number of discharges for each nozzle row. Thereby, the discharge amount of the droplet per discharge is calculated. Such calculation is executed by the CPU 141 based on the measurement result stored in the RAM 143. Then, the process proceeds to step S5.

  Step S5 in FIG. 8 is a step of determining whether or not the measurement of the selected head groups 62L and 62R has been completed. In this case, since six droplet discharge heads 62 are arranged in each of the head groups 62L and 62R, step S2 to step S4 are thereafter repeated five times. Then, the process proceeds to step S6.

  Step S6 in FIG. 8 is a step of determining whether or not the measurement for all the carriage units 21 has been completed. At this stage, since it has not been completed yet, the process proceeds to step S7.

  Step S7 in FIG. 8 is a second arrangement step. In step S <b> 7, as shown in FIG. 9C, the control unit 122 drives the Y-axis table 23 and moves the carriage unit CA <b> 1 whose measurement is completed from the weight measurement area 33 to the maintenance area 32. Further, the carriage unit CA2 is rearranged in the weight measurement region 33 so that the carriage unit CA3 is adjacent to the remaining carriage unit CA2. Steps S2 to S7 are repeated until the weight measurement of the seven carriage units 21 is completed. In the final second arrangement step, as shown in FIG. 9D, the carriage unit CA6 and the carriage unit CA7 are arranged adjacent to each other. Then, in the calculation process of step S4, from the weight measurement result of the liquid material with the head group 62R of the carriage unit CA6 and each of the head groups 62L and 62R of the carriage unit CA7 located on one end side as the measurement object, per discharge. The discharge amount of the droplet is required. Then, the process proceeds to step S8. In this case, the carriage unit 21 discharged to the maintenance area 32 is disposed to face the suction unit 111, respectively. During the period in which the weight measurement is performed, it is desirable to perform flushing for discharging the liquid material from each droplet discharge head 62. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the carriage unit 21 waiting in the drawing area 31 before the weight measurement and the regular flushing box 114 are disposed to face each other, and it is desirable to perform flushing in the same manner. Thereby, clogging of the nozzle 85 is prevented.

  Step S8 in FIG. 8 is an adjustment process. In step S8, the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged for each droplet discharge head 62 is determined based on the measured weight information of the liquid material for each droplet discharge head 62 (droplet discharge amount per discharge). adjust. Examples of the adjustment method include a method of changing an effective drive voltage in the drive waveform applied to the piezoelectric element of the droplet discharge head 62. In addition, it is possible to change the discharge amount of droplets by a method of changing the steepness in the drive waveform. In this case, the drive voltage was adjusted for each droplet discharge head 62 and each nozzle row 84 so that the droplet discharge amount for each of the three different color liquids would be a desired value. Then, the process proceeds to step S9.

  Step S9 in FIG. 8 is a discharge process for discharging and drawing the liquid material as droplets in a desired region of the substrate W. In step S9, the liquid material is discharged as droplets from the plurality of droplet discharge heads 62 while the substrate W and the plurality of carriage units 21 are opposed to each other and relatively moved. In the adjustment step, since the droplet discharge amount is adjusted for each liquid material, an appropriate amount of the liquid material can be applied to the desired region.

(Color filter manufacturing method)
Next, a method for manufacturing a color filter to which the liquid material discharge method of this embodiment is applied will be described.

  First, a liquid crystal display device which is one of electro-optical devices using color filters will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the structure of the liquid crystal display device.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the liquid crystal display device 500 includes a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) transmissive liquid crystal display panel 520 and an illumination device 516 that illuminates the liquid crystal display panel 520. The liquid crystal display panel 520 includes a counter substrate 501 having a color filter 505 as a colored layer, an element substrate 508 having a TFT element 511 having one of three terminals connected to the pixel electrode 510, and both substrates 501 and 508. And a sandwiched liquid crystal (not shown). Further, an upper polarizing plate 514 and a lower polarizing plate 515 for deflecting transmitted light are disposed on the surfaces of both the substrates 501 and 508 on the outer surface side of the liquid crystal display panel 520.

  The counter substrate 501 is made of a material such as transparent glass, and RGB color filters 505R, 505G, as a plurality of types of colored layers in a plurality of colored regions partitioned in a matrix by partition walls 504 on the surface side sandwiching the liquid crystal. 505B is formed in a stripe shape. The partition wall 504 includes a lower layer bank 502 called a black matrix made of a light-shielding metal such as Cr or an oxide film thereof, and an upper layer bank 503 made of an organic compound formed on the lower layer bank 502 (downward in the drawing). It is comprised by. The counter substrate 501 is formed so as to cover the OC layer 506 and the overcoat layer (OC layer) 506 as a planarization layer that covers the partition wall portion 504 and the color filters 505R, 505G, and 505B partitioned by the partition wall portion 504. And a counter electrode 507 made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). The color filters 505R, 505G, and 505B are manufactured using a color filter manufacturing method described later.

  The element substrate 508 is also made of a material such as transparent glass, and has a plurality of pixel electrodes 510 formed in a matrix form on the surface side sandwiching the liquid crystal with an insulating film 509 interposed therebetween, and corresponding to the pixel electrodes 510. TFT element 511. Of the three terminals of the TFT element 511, the other two terminals not connected to the pixel electrode 510 are connected to the scanning line 512 and the data line 513 arranged in a grid so as to surround the pixel electrode 510 while being insulated from each other. It is connected.

  The lighting device 516 uses a white LED, EL, cold cathode tube, or the like as a light source, and includes a light guide plate, a diffusion plate, a reflection plate, and the like that can emit light from these light sources toward the liquid crystal display panel 520. As long as it is provided with anything.

  Note that alignment films for aligning liquid crystal molecules in a predetermined direction are formed on the surfaces of the counter substrate 501 and the element substrate 508 sandwiching the liquid crystal, which are not shown. The upper and lower polarizing plates 514 and 515 may be combined with an optical functional film such as a retardation film used for the purpose of improving the viewing angle dependency. The liquid crystal display panel 520 is not limited to a TFT element as an active element, and may have a TFD (Thin Film Diode) element. Furthermore, as long as it has a color filter on at least one substrate, an electrode constituting a pixel The liquid crystal display device may be a passive liquid crystal display device arranged so as to cross each other.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a method for manufacturing a color filter. As a method for manufacturing the color filter of the present embodiment, a liquid discharge method using the droplet discharge device 1 is applied. In FIG. 11, the width in the Y-axis direction of each droplet discharge head indicated by a broken line indicates the width of a region where the liquid material can be discharged from the two nozzle rows 84.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the liquid droplet ejection apparatus 1, the stripe directions of the RGB three-color colored region A are parallel to the plurality of head units 61 (carriage units 21) arranged in the drawing region 31. Then, the substrate W is set on the suction table 41 and positioned.

  For example, the head unit 61 is positioned so that the end in the Y-axis direction of the head R1 of the head unit 61 coincides with the end of the red (R) colored region A of the substrate W.

  Then, while driving the X-axis table 22 and moving the substrate W relative to the plurality of head units 61 in the X-axis direction, the droplet discharge heads 62 mounted on the head units 61 are moved to the coloring region A. A liquid containing the colored layer forming material is discharged as droplets.

  As described above, in each head unit 61, four droplet discharge heads 62 that discharge a liquid material of the same color when viewed from the X-axis direction are arranged in the Y-axis direction with a nozzle pitch P <b> 2. Therefore, if the head unit 61 is arranged in the drawing region 31 so that the drawing width E in which the liquid material of the same color can be discharged in the Y-axis direction is continuous, the liquid material of the same color corresponding to the width of the substrate W is formed with a gap. It can be given without emptying. As a matter of course, in the vicinity of the end of the colored region A, a region where no liquid material is applied to the colored region A corresponding to green (G) or blue (B) other than red (R) is generated. Therefore, if a sub-scan that moves the plurality of head units 61 in the Y-axis direction and then a main scan that discharges the droplets again is performed, a liquid material having a desired color is applied to all the colored regions A. can do.

  Since the color filter manufacturing method of the present embodiment uses the above-described liquid material discharge method, the weight of the liquid material discharged from each droplet discharge head 62 is measured in a state close to the actual discharge drawing conditions. . And it adjusts beforehand for every nozzle row 84 of the droplet discharge head 62 so that the discharge amount of the discharged droplet may become an appropriate amount for every three color liquids. Therefore, a necessary amount of droplets is stably applied to the colored region A. If the applied liquid is dried and solidified, a colored layer of three colors of RGB having a desired film thickness can be formed in the colored region A. The liquid crystal display device 500 including the color filter manufactured as described above has high display quality in which desired optical characteristics are realized.

The effect of the said embodiment is as follows.
(1) In the weight measurement method of the above embodiment, in the first arrangement step, the two carriage units 21 are arranged adjacent to each other in the weight measurement region 33. In the second arrangement step, the carriage unit 21 whose measurement has been completed is discharged from the weight measurement region 33, and the remaining carriage unit 21 and a new carriage unit 21 are rearranged. Accordingly, when the measurement droplets are discharged from the droplet discharge head 62, the carriage units 21 are always arranged adjacent to each other. Therefore, as compared with the case where the carriage unit 21 is arranged alone in the weight measurement region 33, the plurality of carriage units 21 are arranged in the drawing region 31 as in the case of the discharge drawing in which the liquid material is actually discharged onto the substrate W. The weight measurement can be performed with the arrangement of the carriage unit 21 close to the above state. That is, a head unit 61 on which a plurality of droplet discharge heads 62 are mounted is disposed in the weight measurement region 33 in an appropriate state close to that during actual discharge drawing, and droplets are discharged from the droplet discharge head 62 to be measured. The weight can be measured.

  (2) In the weight measuring method of the above embodiment, the head group 62R and the head group 62L positioned on the boundary side between the adjacent carriage units 21 and the both end sides of a plurality (seven) of the carriage units 21 arranged in the drawing region 31. When the carriage units CA1 and CA7 located at the position are arranged, the head groups 62L and 62R of the carriage unit are measured. Therefore, the head groups 62L and 62R to be measured can be selected in consideration of the arrangement of the head groups 62L and 62R at the time of actual ejection drawing, and weight measurement can be performed. That is, weight measurement reflecting the actual discharge state of the liquid material can be performed.

  (3) In the weight measurement method of the above embodiment, in the metering ejection step, the number of ejections is set for each of the two nozzle rows 84 of the droplet ejection head 62 to eject droplets, and the weight is measured. Therefore, it is possible to measure the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row 84 in a state close to actual ejection drawing. Therefore, in the calculation step, it is possible to calculate the discharge amount of the droplets discharged for each nozzle row 84.

  (4) In the weight measurement method of the above embodiment, the liquid material is discharged toward the second droplet receiving portion 92 from the droplet discharge heads 62 other than the measurement target. Accordingly, it is possible to always measure the weight while maintaining the ejection characteristics of the droplet ejection head 62.

  (5) In the liquid material ejection method of the above embodiment, in the adjustment step, based on the results measured using the weight measurement method, the desired droplet ejection amount corresponding to the three different color liquid materials and Thus, the drive voltage applied to the piezoelectric element is adjusted for each nozzle row 84 of each droplet discharge head 62. Accordingly, in the ejection process, it is possible to eject droplets having an appropriate ejection amount from the droplet ejection head 62 according to the three different color liquids.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, various deformation | transformation can be added with respect to the said embodiment in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, modifications other than the above embodiment are as follows.

  (Modification 1) In the weight measurement method of the above embodiment, the number of carriage units 21 arranged in the weight measurement region 33 is not limited to two. For example, three carriage units 21 may be arranged adjacent to each other. In that case, the weight measuring mechanism 91 is configured to include six electronic balances 95. Further, the two carriage units 21 for which the measurement has been completed are ejected, and the two carriage units 21 may be rearranged so as to hit the ball. Therefore, the number of carriage units 21 to be newly added is not limited to one, and may be changed depending on the number of carriage units 21 arranged in the drawing area 31. In this way, proper arrangement in the weight measurement region 33 is possible regardless of whether the number of carriage units 21 is odd or even.

  (Modification 2) In the weight measurement method of the above embodiment, the order of the carriage units 21 arranged in the weight measurement region 33 is not limited to this. For example, seven carriage units 21 may be arranged in the maintenance area 32 by the Y-axis table 23 and maintenance of each droplet discharge head 62 may be performed, and then arranged in the weight measurement area 33 from the carriage unit CA7 side. .

  (Modification 3) In the weight measuring method of the said embodiment, the number of the electronic balances 95 in the weight measuring mechanism 91 is not limited to four. For example, two electronic balances 95 may be provided so as to correspond to one carriage unit 21, and the plurality of carriage units 21 arranged in the weight measurement region 33 may be moved in the Y-axis direction to measure the weight.

  (Modification 4) In the liquid discharge method of the above embodiment, the arrangement of the droplet discharge heads 62 in the head unit 61 of the droplet discharge apparatus 1 is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to divide the several droplet discharge head 62 arrange | positioned at the head unit 61 into two head groups seeing from a X-axis direction.

  (Modification 5) The device manufacturing method to which the liquid material discharge method of the above embodiment is applicable is not limited to the color filter manufacturing method. For example, in the liquid crystal display device 500, the present invention can also be applied to the alignment film for aligning liquid crystals or the liquid crystal itself. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a method of forming an organic EL light emitting layer by applying a liquid material containing a light emitting material to a region partitioned by a partition wall.

The schematic plan view which shows the structure of a droplet discharge apparatus. The schematic side view which shows the structure of a droplet discharge apparatus. (A) is a perspective view showing a droplet discharge head, (b) is a plan view showing a nozzle plate. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of droplet discharge heads in the head unit. Schematic which shows arrangement | positioning of a carriage unit and a weight measurement mechanism. (A) is a schematic side view which shows a weight measurement mechanism, (b) is a schematic plan view. The block diagram which shows the control system of a droplet discharge apparatus. The flowchart which shows the discharge method of a liquid body. (A)-(d) is schematic which shows the weight measuring method. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a structure of a liquid crystal display device. Schematic which shows the manufacturing method of a color filter.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 21 ... Carriage unit as a carriage, 31 ... Drawing area, 33 ... Weight measurement area, 62 ... Droplet discharge head as discharge head, 62L, 62R ... Head group, 84 ... Nozzle row, 85 ... Nozzle, 95 ... Electronic balance as weight measuring device, CA1, CA7 ... Carriage unit as carriage at one end, W ... Substrate as workpiece.

Claims (12)

A weight measuring method for measuring the weight of a liquid discharged from a plurality of discharge heads mounted on a plurality of carriages,
A first arrangement step of arranging at least two carriages among the plurality of carriages arranged in the drawing area in the weight measurement area;
A first measurement step of discharging the liquid material as droplets from each of the discharge heads mounted on the at least two carriages, and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged for each of the discharge heads;
A second arrangement step of discharging a carriage for which measurement has been completed out of the at least two carriages, and rearranging the remaining carriage and a new at least one carriage in the weight measurement region;
A second measurement step of discharging the liquid material as droplets from each of the discharge heads mounted on the rearranged at least two carriages, and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged for each of the discharge heads; A weight measuring method comprising:   In the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the plurality of ejection heads mounted on the at least two carriages are provided for each of the two carriages when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the at least two carriages. When the head group mounted on the boundary side of adjacent carriages and one of the carriages at both ends of the plurality of carriages arranged in the drawing area are arranged in the weight measurement area. The weight measuring method according to claim 1, wherein each head group mounted on the carriage at the one end is a measurement target. In the weight measuring region, a plurality of weight measuring devices corresponding to the head groups of the at least two carriages are arranged,
3. The weight according to claim 2, wherein in the first arrangement step and the second arrangement step, the at least two carriages are arranged so that the head group to be measured and the weight measuring device face each other. Measuring method. The ejection head has a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged,
4. The weight measuring method according to claim 1, wherein in the first measuring step and the second measuring step, the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row is measured. 5. .   5. The weight measurement method according to claim 1, wherein in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the number of discharges that can be measured is set and the droplets are discharged. .   6. The weight measuring method according to claim 1, wherein in the first measuring step and the second measuring step, the droplets are also discharged from the discharge heads other than the measurement target. A liquid material discharge method for discharging and drawing a liquid material on a workpiece from a plurality of discharge heads mounted on a plurality of carriages,
A first arrangement step of arranging at least two carriages among the plurality of carriages arranged in the drawing area in the weight measurement area;
A first measurement step of discharging the liquid material as droplets from each of the discharge heads mounted on the at least two carriages, and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged for each of the discharge heads;
A second arrangement step of discharging a carriage for which measurement has been completed out of the at least two carriages, and rearranging the remaining carriage and at least one new carriage in the weight measurement region;
A second measurement step of discharging the liquid material as droplets from each of the discharge heads mounted on the rearranged at least two carriages, and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged for each of the discharge heads;
An adjustment step of adjusting the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged for each of the discharge heads based on the measured weight information of the liquid material for each of the discharge heads;
An ejection step of ejecting and drawing the liquid material as droplets from the plurality of ejection heads to a desired area of the workpiece while the workpiece and the plurality of carriages are arranged to be opposed to each other and relatively moved. A method of discharging a liquid material characterized by the above.   In the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the plurality of ejection heads mounted on the at least two carriages are provided for each of the two carriages when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the at least two carriages. When the head group mounted on the boundary side of adjacent carriages and one of the carriages at both ends of the plurality of carriages arranged in the drawing area are arranged in the weight measurement area. The method for discharging a liquid material according to claim 7, wherein each head group mounted on the carriage at the one end is a measurement target. In the weight measuring region, a plurality of weight measuring devices corresponding to the head groups of the at least two carriages are arranged,
9. The at least two carriages are arranged in the first arrangement step and the second arrangement step so that the head group to be measured and the weight measurement device face each other. Liquid discharge method. The ejection head has a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged,
The liquid material according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the weight of the liquid material ejected for each nozzle row is measured. Discharge method.   11. The liquid material according to claim 7, wherein in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the number of discharges that can be measured is set and the liquid droplets are discharged. Discharge method.   12. The liquid discharge according to claim 7, wherein in the first measurement step and the second measurement step, the liquid droplets are discharged also from the discharge heads other than the measurement target. Method.

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