JP2008233147A - Fluid jetting device and fluid jetting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid jetting device and a fluid jetting method, capable of adjusting the fitting height of a plurality of fluid jetting heads arrayed on a carriage (heat carriage). <P>SOLUTION: The fluid jetting device which forms a pattern in a desired shape by jetting fluid from the plurality of fluid jetting heads 34 (34a, 34b) to a substrate P includes a rectangular main plate 73 where the plurality of fluid jetting heads 34 are arrayed and sub-plates 50 (50a, 50b) disposed between the plurality of fluid jetting heads 34 and the main plate 73, wherein each thickness of the sub-plates 50 is stipulated depending on bending of the main plate 73 in perpendicular direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus and a fluid ejecting method.

The fluid ejecting apparatus is an apparatus that includes a fluid ejecting head capable of ejecting fluid as droplets, and ejects various fluids (hereinafter referred to as ink) from the fluid ejecting head.
In a fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, ink stored in a fluid reservoir such as an ink tank or an ink cartridge is introduced into a pressure chamber of a fluid ejecting head, and a drive signal is applied to a pressure generation source such as a piezoelectric vibrator. Is driven to cause pressure fluctuations in the ink in the pressure chamber, and by controlling the pressure fluctuations, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles (openings).
The fluid ejecting head has a drive signal (potential difference from the lowest voltage to the highest voltage) of the drive signal supplied to the pressure generation source and the amount (weight / volume) of ink droplets ejected from the nozzles according to the waveform. Increase or decrease.

As a typical fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, an ink jet recording head is provided, and printing is performed by forming dots by ejecting and landing fluid-like ink from a nozzle of the recording head toward a printing paper or the like. There is an image recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer.
In recent years, the fluid ejecting apparatus is applied not only to the image recording apparatus but also to various manufacturing apparatuses such as a manufacturing apparatus for a color filter such as a liquid crystal display.

In such a fluid ejecting apparatus, in order to improve the droplet landing accuracy, the distance (work gap) between the fluid ejecting head and the work (fluid ejecting object such as a recording material or a substrate) becomes a predetermined value. To make fine adjustments.
JP 2004-283635 A

  By the way, in the fluid ejecting apparatus used as various manufacturing apparatuses, a large number of fluid ejecting heads are arranged in a carriage that is a rectangular flat plate, for example. Further, each fluid ejecting head is provided with an electrical wiring for a pressure generation source and a tube for a pressure chamber. For this reason, the carriage is supported by the apparatus main body via support posts disposed at both ends thereof so as to avoid a large number of electric wires and tubes.

  In this way, since the carriage is only supported at both ends, there is a problem that the central area of the carriage is bent and the work gap in each of the arranged fluid ejecting heads becomes non-uniform. In other words, in a fluid ejection head with a small workpiece gap (short distance to the workpiece), ink scattered during fluid ejection tends to adhere to the nozzle opening surface, and the wind speed of the airflow flowing through the workpiece gap increases. There is a problem that drying of ink is promoted.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to propose a fluid ejecting apparatus and a fluid ejecting method capable of adjusting the mounting heights of a plurality of fluid ejecting heads arranged in a carriage (head carriage). And

In the fluid ejecting apparatus and the fluid ejecting method according to the present invention, the following means are employed in order to solve the above problems.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid ejecting apparatus that forms a pattern of a desired shape by ejecting fluid from a plurality of fluid ejecting heads toward a substrate, and a rectangular main plate in which the plurality of fluid ejecting heads are arranged; A plurality of fluid ejecting heads and a sub-plate disposed between the main plate, and the sub-plate has a thickness defined according to a vertical deflection of the main plate. It is characterized by that.

  As a result, the displacement in the height direction of the fluid ejecting head due to the deflection of the main plate can be easily and reliably eliminated.

  The sub plate has a thickness defined according to a type of fluid ejected from a fluid ejecting head connected thereto.

  Thereby, in particular, the fluid ejecting head that ejects a fluid that is easily dried can be adjusted to be away from the substrate. By moving away from the substrate, the flow velocity of the airflow flowing between the substrate and the fluid ejecting head is reduced, and drying of the fluid can be suppressed.

  In addition, the sub-plate is formed thin in the central region of the main plate, and thick in the sub-plate disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction.

  Accordingly, it is possible to easily and surely avoid that the central region of the main plate is bent toward the substrate and the distance between the fluid ejecting head disposed in the region and the substrate is reduced.

  In addition, the sub-plate has a thickness defined so that distances between the plurality of fluid ejecting heads and the substrate are uniform.

Thereby, it is possible to improve (homogenize) the landing accuracy of the fluid ejection from each fluid ejection head. Further, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that the fluid is easily dried in the specific fluid ejecting head.
Accordingly, it is possible to perform highly accurate fluid ejection processing on the substrate.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid ejecting method in which a fluid is ejected from a plurality of fluid ejecting heads toward a substrate to form a pattern having a desired shape, and a rectangular main plate on which the plurality of fluid ejecting heads are arranged and the fluid In a state where the thickness of the sub-plate disposed between each of the ejection heads is defined according to the vertical deflection of the main plate, and the distance between the plurality of fluid ejection heads and the substrate is uniform. The fluid is ejected toward the substrate.

  Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the positional deviation in the height direction of the fluid ejecting head due to the deflection of the main plate and to land the fluid on the substrate with high accuracy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a droplet discharge device and a fluid ejection method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

[Droplet ejection (fluid ejection) device]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device IJ according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the droplet discharge device IJ.
The droplet discharge device IJ includes a drawing unit J that performs drawing by discharging droplets (fluid) onto the substrate P, a maintenance unit 80 connected to the + Y side of the drawing unit J, and a drawing unit J and maintenance. A drive unit 172 that drives (drives) a droplet discharge head 34 to be described later with the unit 80 is mainly configured.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drawing unit J includes a base 150 that can move in the X direction that is the transport direction, a table 70 that is placed on the base 150 and holds the substrate P to be drawn, and a lower surface side. A plurality of droplet discharge heads 34 (hereinafter also referred to as heads; see FIG. 3), and ink L (droplets) from the nozzle 18 (see FIG. 4) of each droplet discharge head 34 to the substrate P below. And a head unit 71 extending in the Y direction (a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate P).

On the base 150, a θ driving device 151 that drives the table 70 in the θZ direction (direction around the Z axis), and flushing in which preliminary discharge (flushing) is performed from the droplet discharge head 34 that is located on the + X side of the table 70. A unit 152 is provided.
The table 70 holds the substrate P and incorporates a heater (not shown) so as to heat the substrate P to a predetermined temperature. The reason why the substrate P is heated to a predetermined temperature is to temporarily dry the ink L ejected from the droplet ejection head 34 and landed on the substrate P (evaporate the solvent contained in the ink L).
These drawing units J are installed on the base 170 in an integrated state.

  The drive unit 172 guides the guide rails 157 provided on the frame 156 arranged in parallel so as to extend in the Y direction on both sides in the X direction across the maintenance unit 80, and each plate 74 (that is, the carriage 153). Mainly composed of a shaft type linear motor 158 driven along a rail 157, an ink cable connected to the droplet discharge head 34 and a linear motor 158 (movable element thereof) are connected to each mount 156. A case 171 for accommodating a power supply line or the like is installed along the Y direction.

  Linear guides 75 are provided on both sides of the plate 74 in the X direction, and are movable along the guide rails 157 in the Y direction. The linear motor 158 is arranged along the Y direction over the cylindrical movable element 159 provided on both sides of each plate 74, the drawing unit J, and the maintenance unit 80, and the movable element 159 of each plate 74 is respectively connected to the linear motor 158. And a stator 160 to be inserted. In the present embodiment, a moving coil type linear motor 158 in which the mover 159 is formed of a coil body and the stator 160 is formed of a magnet generator is used, and the current supplied to each mover 159 is adjusted. The position of each carriage 153 can be controlled independently.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the head unit 71.
The head unit 71 includes a plurality of (for example, seven) carriages 153 arranged in the Y direction that move independently of each other. Each carriage 153 includes a rectangular plate 74 extending in the X direction, a head carriage (sub-carriage) 73 that holds (supports) a plurality of (predetermined number; here, 12) droplet discharge heads 34, and a head carriage. The head carriage 73 includes a θ drive device 154 (see FIG. 2) that drives the plate 73 in the θZ direction with respect to the plate 74, and a lift device 155 (see FIG. 2) that raises and lowers the head carriage 73 in the Z direction. Is detachably attached to the plate 74 via a θ drive device 154 and an elevating device 155.

In each droplet discharge head 34, a plurality of droplet discharge nozzles 18 (hereinafter referred to as nozzles) are formed in an array (for example, 120 in two rows). Each head 34 is fixed to the head carriage 73 so that the arrangement direction of the nozzle rows is aligned with the Y direction. Further, each head 34 is arranged in a staircase shape in a state of being sequentially shifted in the Y direction. Thereby, the nozzles are arranged at an equal pitch over the entire width of the head unit 71.
With this configuration, the head unit 71 can eject the ink L at a predetermined pitch over, for example, several meters in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate P. A desired wiring pattern can be drawn over the entire surface of the substrate P by ejecting the ink L while transporting the substrate P in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the heads 34.

[Droplet discharge (fluid jet) head]
4A is a perspective view showing the configuration of the droplet discharge head, and FIG. 4B is a front sectional view.
The droplet discharge head 34 compresses the liquid chamber with, for example, a piezo element and discharges droplets (ink L) with the pressure wave. As described above, the plurality of nozzles 18 arranged in one or a plurality of rows. have.
An example of the structure of the head 34 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A, the head 34 includes a nozzle plate 12 and a diaphragm 13 made of, for example, stainless steel, and a partition member (reservoir plate) 14 is provided for both. Are joined together. A plurality of spaces 15 and a liquid reservoir 16 are formed between the nozzle plate 12 and the diaphragm 13 by the partition member 14. Each space 15 and the inside of the liquid reservoir 16 are filled with ink L, and each space 15 and the liquid reservoir 16 communicate with each other via a supply port 17. Further, nozzles 18 for ejecting ink L from the space 15 are formed in the nozzle plate 12. On the other hand, a hole 19 for supplying ink L to the liquid reservoir 16 is formed in the vibration plate 13.

Further, a piezoelectric element (piezo element) 20 is bonded to the surface of the diaphragm 13 opposite to the surface facing the space 15 as shown in FIG. The piezoelectric element 20 is configured such that a piezoelectric material is sandwiched between a pair of electrodes 21, and the piezoelectric material contracts when the pair of electrodes 21 are energized.
The diaphragm 13 to which the piezoelectric element 20 is bonded in such a configuration is bent integrally with the piezoelectric element 20 at the same time so that the volume of the space 15 is increased. It is going to increase. Accordingly, the ink L corresponding to the increased volume in the space 15 flows from the liquid reservoir 16 through the supply port 17.
Further, when energization to the piezoelectric element 20 is released from such a state, both the piezoelectric element 20 and the diaphragm 13 return to their original shapes. Therefore, since the space 15 also returns to its original volume, the pressure of the ink L in the space 15 rises, and a droplet of the ink L is ejected from the nozzle 18 toward the substrate.

  The ink jet system of the head 34 may be a system other than the piezo jet type using the piezoelectric element 20, for example, a system using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating element.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the sub-plate 50 disposed between the head carriage 73 and the droplet discharge head 34.
On the head carriage 73 extending in the direction parallel to the transport direction of the substrate P, twelve droplet discharge heads 34 are arranged so as to gradually shift in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. As described above, the plurality of nozzles 18 are formed on the nozzle formation surface 12 a of each droplet discharge head 34, and the nozzles 18 are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the droplet discharge head 34. Therefore, by arranging the droplet discharge heads 34 as described above, all of the nozzles 18 formed on the twelve droplet discharge heads 34 go straight in the width direction of the head carriage 73 (in the conveyance direction of the substrate P). Are arranged at regular intervals along the scanning direction (see FIG. 3).
That is, each carriage 153 can eject ink droplets in the width direction (search direction), for example, at a pitch of error ± 5 μm. The ink L can be landed over the entire surface of the substrate P by ejecting ink droplets from the carriages 153 while transporting the substrate P.

As shown in FIG. 5, the droplet discharge heads 34 are each fixed to a sub plate 50, and each sub plate 50 is fixed to a head carriage 73.
The sub plate 50 and the head carriage 73 are made of a material having a small linear expansion coefficient and excellent chemical resistance, for example, a material such as ceramic. By constituting the material with a small linear expansion coefficient, it is possible to suppress the expansion of the sub-plate 50 when the droplet discharge head 34 is fixed. In addition, the sub plate 50 and the head carriage 73 can be prevented from being eroded by the ink L by using a material having excellent chemical resistance.

The droplet discharge head 34 is disposed with its back surface in close contact with the surface of the sub-plate 50. An attachment flange portion 35 is formed to protrude from the side surface of the droplet discharge head 34, and an attachment hole 35 a is formed in the flange portion 35.
The mounting hole 35a is filled with a photo-curable resin 36 such as acrylic and cured. The photocurable resin 36 adheres to the inner surface of the mounting hole 35a of the droplet discharge head 34 and the surface of the sub plate 50, whereby the droplet discharge head 34 and the sub plate 50 are fixed to each other.
The droplet discharge head 34 positions the positions of the plurality of nozzles 18 formed at equal intervals on the nozzle forming surface 12a with respect to the positioning holes 52 of the subplate 50, which will be described later. It is fixed.

On the other hand, the sub plate 50 is disposed with its back surface in close contact with the surface of the head carriage 73. Of the two short sides of the rectangular sub-plate 50, attachment holes 54 for the head carriage 73 are formed at both corners of one short side line, and the head carriage 73 is positioned at both ends of the other short side. A positioning hole 52 serving as a means is formed.
A female screw 62 is formed in the head carriage 73 corresponding to the position where the attachment hole 54 of the sub-plate 50 is formed. In addition, positioning pins 64 project from the positions where the positioning holes 52 of the sub-plate 50 are formed.
The positioning pins 64 are fitted into the positioning holes 52 of the sub plate 50 so that the sub plate 50 and the head carriage 73 are positioned relative to each other. Further, the male screw 66 inserted into the attachment hole 54 of the sub plate 50 is screwed into the female screw 62 of the head carriage 73, so that the sub plate 50 is fixed to the head carriage 73.

Note that the formation positions of the attachment holes 54 and the positioning holes 52 of the sub-plate 50 may be positions other than the four corners of the sub-plate 50. The number of attachment holes 54 and positioning holes 52 may be two or more. Further, the formation positions and the number of the female screws 62 and the positioning pins 64 of the head carriage 73 are not limited to the above, and may be formed corresponding to the mounting holes 54 and the positioning holes 52 of the sub plate 50.
It should be noted that means other than the positioning hole 52 and the positioning pin 64 can be employed as positioning means for the sub plate 50 and the head carriage 73.

[Ink (fluid)]
The ink L used in the present embodiment is made of a dispersion obtained by dispersing conductive fine particles in a dispersion medium, or a precursor thereof.
Examples of the conductive fine particles include metal fine particles containing, for example, gold, silver, copper, palladium, niobium and nickel, as well as precursors, alloys, oxides thereof, and fine particles such as conductive polymers and indium tin oxide. Used.

The dispersion medium is not particularly limited as long as it can disperse the conductive fine particles and does not cause aggregation.
For example, in addition to water, alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, n-heptane, n-octane, decane, dodecane, tetradecane, toluene, xylene, cymene, durene, indene, dipentene, tetrahydronaphthalene, decahydro Hydrocarbon compounds such as naphthalene and cyclohexylbenzene, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, ethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ethyl ether, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, bis (2- Methoxyethyl) ether, ether compounds such as p-dioxane, propylene carbonate, γ- Butyrolactone, N- methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, can be exemplified polar compounds such as cyclohexanone.
Of these, water, alcohols, hydrocarbon compounds, and ether compounds are preferred from the viewpoints of fine particle dispersibility and dispersion stability, and ease of application to the droplet discharge method (inkjet method). More preferred dispersion media include water and hydrocarbon compounds.

In addition to the ink L described above, the ink L may be one in which a solid content such as a dye or a pigment is dissolved in a solvent. Specifically, a color filter film-forming material dissolved in a solvent is used.
[Height adjustment of droplet discharge head]
FIG. 6 is a view showing a support structure for the head carriage 73.
In order to perform drawing in the drawing unit J, it is necessary to perform alignment adjustment.
In the alignment adjustment, first, pre-drawing flushing (preliminary droplet discharge) is performed from each nozzle of each head 34. This pre-drawing flushing is performed on the droplet discharge region on the substrate P before moving the table 70 on which the substrate P is placed.
Next, the droplet discharged onto the substrate P is photographed by the CCD 78, and the discharge position and the discharge diameter are calculated. Then, alignment adjustment is performed based on the calculation result of the discharge position. The alignment in the X direction is performed by adjusting the droplet discharge timing of each nozzle. The alignment in the Y direction is performed by adjusting the position of each plate 74 by the linear guide 75.
Here, in the head unit 71 of the present embodiment, since the plurality of heads 34 are mounted on different head carriages 73 for each group, alignment adjustment can be easily performed. Note that pre-drawing flushing and drawing flushing other than alignment are performed on the flushing unit 152.

  In addition, each droplet discharge head 34 arranged in each head carriage 73 is arranged so as to be separated from the substrate P placed on the table 70 by a certain distance (for example, 300 to 500 μm). The That is, the distance (work gap H) from the nozzle forming surface 12a of each droplet discharge head 34 to the substrate P is set to a substantially constant distance. By making the work gap of each droplet discharge head 34 uniform and short, the landing accuracy of the ink L on the substrate P can be made uniform and highly accurate.

As shown in FIG. 6, the head carriage 73 is connected to the θ drive device 154 via support columns 76 disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and is further attached to the plate 74 via the lifting device 155. ing. Two struts 76 are disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the head carriage 73, but four struts may be disposed at the four corners of the head carriage 73.
Various wires and pipes to the twelve droplet discharge heads 34 attached to the head carriage 73 are routed between the columns 76 disposed at both ends of the head carriage 73. A large number of wires and pipes are connected to the twelve droplet discharge heads 34. Since it is necessary to avoid this large number of wires and pipes, the columns 76 that support the head carriage 73 must be disposed at both ends of the head carriage 73.

Since the head carriage 73 has to adopt the both-end support structure in this way, the central region of the head carriage 73 is bent vertically downward as compared with both end sides (in the vicinity of the support column 76). That is, the weight of a large number of wires and pipes for the droplet discharge head 34 is applied to the head carriage 73, so that the head carriage 73 is bent vertically downward.
Therefore, the work gap Ha of the droplet discharge head 34a disposed in the central region of the head carriage 73 becomes narrower (shorter) than the work gap Hb of the droplet discharge head 34b disposed at both ends.

When the work gap is narrowed, the droplets of the ink L (satellite ink) discharged onto the substrate P are likely to adhere to the nozzle forming surface 12a.
Further, since the airflow flowing between the substrate P and the nozzle forming surface 12a becomes faster, the ink L (meniscus) of the nozzle 18 is easily dried. In particular, when the dispersion medium of the ink L has a low boiling point (100 ° C. or lower), drying becomes significant.
Furthermore, the pressure of the airflow flowing between the substrate P and the nozzle forming surface 12a is increased, the nozzle forming surface 12a is pushed up, and the work gap becomes unstable.

  In order to avoid such inconvenience, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the sub-plate 50 provided between the droplet discharge head 34 and the head carriage 73 is adjusted according to the installation location of the droplet discharge head 34. I have to. That is, the thickness of the sub plate 50 is adjusted according to the amount of deflection of the head carriage 73.

The amount of deflection of the head carriage 73 can be calculated in advance from the shape and material of the head carriage 73 and the weight applied to the head carriage 73 (gravity of the droplet discharge head 34 and wiring / piping).
For example, when the deflection amount of the central region of the head carriage 73 is calculated to be 50 μm, the thickness ta of the sub-plate 50a of the droplet discharge head 34a is set to the thickness tb of the sub-plate 50b of the droplet discharge head 34b (this is the reference The thickness is reduced by 50 μm. (Relatively, the thickness tb of the sub-plate 50b is increased.)
As a result, the amount of deflection in the central region is offset by the difference in thickness of the sub-plate 50a, and the work gaps Ha and Hb between the droplet discharge head 34a and the droplet discharge head 34b are made uniform.

By adjusting the thickness of the sub-plate 50 with respect to all the droplet discharge heads 34 arranged on the head carriage 73, the work gaps of all the droplet discharge heads 34 are made uniform. In addition, since it is only necessary to adjust the thickness of the sub-plate 50 (preparing a plurality of sub-plates 50 having different thicknesses and attaching the optimal thickness), the work gap H can be uniformly and reliably realized. .
Thereby, the landing accuracy of the ink L from all the droplet discharge heads 34 arranged on the head carriage 73 can be made uniform and high. Accordingly, the metal wiring formed by the ink L that has landed on the substrate P is also highly accurate.

  In the embodiment described above, various limitations are made as preferred specific examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these. Various modifications can be made based on the description of the scope of claims.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the thickness of the sub-plate 50 is adjusted (defined) according to the deflection of the head carriage 73, but in addition to this, according to the type of ink L ejected from the droplet ejection head 34. You may adjust. That is, the droplet discharge head 34 that discharges the ink L that is easily dried (thickened) widens the work gap. Specifically, the droplet discharge head 34 that discharges the ink L that is easily dried (thickened) sets the work gap to 300 μm, for example, to 350 μm. As a result, the work gap is partially uneven, but the dry state is made uniform.

In the above embodiment, the case where the head carriage 73 extends in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the substrate P has been described. However, the present invention is applied to a case where the head carriage 73 extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate P. Of course, you can.
Further, the arrangement method of the droplet discharge heads 34 attached to the head carriage 73 is arbitrary and may be, for example, as shown in FIG. In the case of FIG. 7, since the head carriage 73 is particularly long, the amount of bending in the central region tends to increase, and the present invention can provide a remarkable effect.

[Drawing (droplet jetting) process]
Next, a process of forming a wiring pattern using the droplet discharge device IJ will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the wiring pattern forming method in the order of steps.
As the wiring pattern forming ink (ink (wiring pattern ink X1)), a liquid material in which conductive fine particles are dispersed in a dispersion medium such as water is used, for example, chromium is used as the conductive fine particles.
As conditions for droplet discharge, for example, the ink weight can be 4 to 7 ng / dot and the ink speed (discharge speed) can be 5 to 7 m / sec. The atmosphere for discharging the droplets is preferably set to a temperature of 60 ° C. or lower and a humidity of 80% or lower. Thereby, it is possible to perform stable droplet ejection without clogging the ejection nozzle of the droplet ejection head 34.

First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the bank B is arranged on the substrate P, and the film pattern formation region 234 is formed.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the wiring pattern ink X1 is ejected as droplets from the droplet ejection head 34, and the droplets are arranged in the film pattern formation region 234 between the banks B.
At this time, since the film pattern formation region 234 is surrounded by the bank B, the wiring pattern ink X1 is prevented from spreading outside the predetermined position. Further, since the bank B is made of a material having water repellency, even if a part of the discharged water-based wiring pattern ink X1 is placed on the bank B, it is repelled from the bank B due to the water repellency. It flows down to the film pattern formation region 234 of the bank B. Further, since the film pattern formation region 234 is lyophilic, the discharged wiring pattern ink X1 is likely to spread on the substrate P exposed in the film pattern formation region 234.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 8C, the wiring pattern ink X1 can be uniformly arranged in the extending direction of the film pattern forming region 234 between the banks B and B.
Here, since the substrate P is heated to about 60 ° C. by the table 70, the dispersion medium of the wiring pattern ink X1 is immediately evaporated and dried. As a result, the wiring pattern ink X1 is solidified to such an extent that it does not mix with other types of wiring pattern ink disposed on the wiring pattern ink X1.
Then, by arranging the wiring pattern ink X1 so as to overlap with each other, as shown in FIG. 8D, the film pattern forming region 234 has a layer of the wiring pattern ink X1 containing chromium as conductive fine particles as a desired film. Formed thick.

  The bank B is made of a material having a hydrophobic group, and exhibits water repellency as it is without performing a surface treatment. Therefore, even when another functional liquid (wiring pattern ink) is disposed on the wiring pattern ink X1, there is no need to perform surface treatment (water repellent treatment) on the bank B.

When the layer made of the wiring pattern ink X1 is formed, as shown in FIG. 8E, the wiring pattern ink X2 containing different conductive fine particles is disposed on the wiring pattern ink X1, thereby forming a film pattern. A wiring pattern (film pattern) in which different types of wiring pattern inks X1 and X2 are laminated is formed in the formation region 234.
For example, an aqueous wiring pattern ink X2 using silver as conductive fine particles is disposed on the wiring pattern ink X1.

  The dispersion medium of the wiring pattern ink X2 is also immediately dried because the substrate P is heated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8F, the wiring 233 is formed by laminating the wiring pattern ink X1 and the wiring pattern ink X2 in the film pattern formation region 234 between the banks B.

  After the droplet discharge process, the dispersion medium is completely removed to improve electrical contact between the fine particles in the wiring 233. Further, when a coating material such as an organic material is coated on the surface of the conductive fine particles in order to improve dispersibility, it is also necessary to remove this coating material. For this reason, the substrate P after the droplet discharge process is subjected to heat treatment and / or light treatment.

  The heat treatment and / or light treatment is usually performed in the air, but can also be performed in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen, argon, or helium as necessary. The heat treatment and / or light treatment temperature includes the boiling point (vapor pressure) of the dispersion medium, the type and pressure of the atmospheric gas, the thermal behavior such as fine particle dispersibility and oxidation, the presence and amount of coating material, the substrate It is determined as appropriate in consideration of the heat-resistant temperature. For example, in order to remove the coating material made of organic matter, it is necessary to bake at about 300 ° C. In the case where a substrate such as plastic is used, it is preferably performed at room temperature or higher and 100 ° C. or lower.

  In this embodiment, in particular, the heat treatment is performed at 350 ° C. for about 60 minutes to sufficiently remove the dispersion medium and the like in the wiring 233 composed of the wiring pattern ink X1 and the wiring pattern ink X2. The bank B has an inorganic skeleton as a main component, and thus has high resistance to heat treatment, and is sufficient without causing inconvenience such as melting even with heat treatment under the above conditions. It will be resistant.

Through the above steps, the wiring 233 formed by stacking chromium and silver can be formed in the film pattern formation region 234 between the banks B on the substrate P.
Ink X1 and X2 may contain a material that exhibits conductivity by heat treatment or light treatment instead of conductive fine particles, and the wiring 233 may have conductivity in this heat treatment / light treatment step. Good.

Electro-optical device
Next, a liquid crystal device will be described as an example of an electro-optical device in which the wiring pattern described above is used.
FIG. 9A is a plan view of the liquid crystal device viewed from the counter substrate side, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH ′ of FIG.
FIG. 10 is an equivalent circuit diagram of various elements and wirings in a plurality of pixels formed in a matrix in the image display region of the liquid crystal device.

  In FIG. 9, in the liquid crystal device 200 of the present embodiment, a pair of TFT array substrate 210 and counter substrate 220 are bonded together by a sealing material 252 that is a photocurable sealing material, and is partitioned by this sealing material 252. Liquid crystal 250 is sealed and held in the region. The sealing material 252 is formed in a frame shape closed in a region within the substrate surface.

  A peripheral parting 253 made of a light-shielding material is formed in a region inside the region where the sealing material 252 is formed. A data line driving circuit 201 and a mounting terminal 202 are formed along one side of the TFT array substrate 210 in a region outside the sealing material 252, and the scanning line driving circuit 204 is formed along two sides adjacent to the one side. Is formed. On the remaining side of the TFT array substrate 210, a plurality of wirings 205 are provided for connecting the scanning line driving circuits 204 provided on both sides of the image display area. In addition, an inter-substrate conductive material 206 for providing electrical continuity between the TFT array substrate 210 and the counter substrate 220 is disposed at at least one corner of the counter substrate 220.

  Instead of forming the data line driving circuit 201 and the scanning line driving circuit 204 on the TFT array substrate 210, for example, a TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) substrate on which a driving LSI is mounted and a peripheral portion of the TFT array substrate 210 The terminal group formed in the above may be electrically and mechanically connected via an anisotropic conductive film. In the liquid crystal device 200, the type of liquid crystal 250 to be used, that is, an operation mode such as a TN (Twisted Nematic) mode, a C-TN method, a VA method, an IPS method, or a normally white mode / normally black mode. Depending on the case, a retardation plate, a polarizing plate, and the like are arranged in a predetermined direction, but the illustration is omitted here. In the case where the liquid crystal device 200 is configured for color display, for example, red (R), green (G), blue ( The color filter of B) is formed together with the protective film.

In the image display area of the liquid crystal device 200 having such a structure, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of pixels 200a are arranged in a matrix, and each of these pixels 200a has a pixel switching area. A TFT (switching element) 30 is formed, and a data line 216 a for supplying pixel signals S 1, S 2,..., Sn is electrically connected to the source of the TFT 230. FIG. 10 shows an example of an active matrix substrate according to the present invention.
Pixel signals S1, S2,..., Sn to be written to the data line 216a may be supplied line-sequentially in this order, or may be supplied for each group to a plurality of adjacent data lines 216a. . Further, the scanning line 213a is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT 230, and the scanning signals G1, G2,..., Gm are applied to the scanning line 213a in a pulse sequential manner in this order at a predetermined timing. It is configured.

The pixel electrode 219 is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT 230, and the pixel signal S1, S2,..., Sn supplied from the data line 216a is supplied to each of the pixel signals S1, S2,. Write to the pixel at a predetermined timing. The pixel signals S1, S2,..., Sn written in the liquid crystal via the pixel electrode 219 in this way are held for a certain period with the counter electrode 221 of the counter substrate 220. In order to prevent the held pixel signals S1, S2,..., Sn from leaking, a storage capacitor 260 is added in parallel with the liquid crystal capacitor formed between the pixel electrode 219 and the counter electrode 221.
For example, the voltage of the pixel electrode 219 is held by the storage capacitor 260 for a time that is three orders of magnitude longer than the time when the source voltage is applied. Thereby, the charge retention characteristics are improved, and the liquid crystal device 200 with a high contrast ratio can be realized.

In addition to the liquid crystal device, the present invention can be applied to, for example, an organic EL (electroluminescence) display device.
An organic EL display device has a structure in which a thin film containing fluorescent inorganic and organic compounds is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode, and excitons are obtained by injecting electrons and holes into the thin film to excite them. It is an element that generates (exciton) and emits light by utilizing light emission (fluorescence / phosphorescence) when the exciton is recombined.
Such an organic EL device is also included in the range of the electro-optical device, and according to the present invention, for example, an organic EL device including a plurality of functional wirings can be provided.

[Electronics]
Next, a specific example of an electronic apparatus provided with display means including the liquid crystal device 200 will be described.
FIGS. 11A to 11D show examples of electronic devices including the liquid crystal device 200 described above.
FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing an example of a mobile phone. In FIG. 11A, a mobile phone 1000 includes a display unit 1001 using the liquid crystal device 200 described above.
FIG. 11B is a perspective view showing an example of a wristwatch type electronic device. In FIG. 11B, a timepiece 1100 includes a display unit 1101 using the liquid crystal device 200 described above.
FIG. 11C is a perspective view showing an example of a portable information processing apparatus such as a word processor or a personal computer. In FIG. 11C, the information processing apparatus 1200 includes an input unit 1202 such as a keyboard, a display unit 1206 using the liquid crystal device 200 described above, and an information processing apparatus body (housing) 1204.
FIG. 11D is a perspective view showing an example of a thin large-screen television. In FIG. 11D, a thin large-screen TV 1300 includes a thin large-screen TV main body (housing) 1302, an audio output unit 1304 such as a speaker, and a display unit 1306 using the liquid crystal device 200 described above.

In the above-described embodiment, the fluid ejecting device is embodied as a droplet discharge device (inkjet recording device). However, the fluid ejecting device is not limited to this, and a fluid other than ink (a liquid material in which particles of a functional material are dispersed) The present invention can be embodied in a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges a fluid such as a gel.
For example, a liquid material injection device for injecting a liquid material in the form of dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays, and biochip manufacturing It may be a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic substance used in the above, or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid as a sample that is used as a precision pipette.
In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form fluid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. May be a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects gel. Furthermore, a toner jet recording apparatus that ejects a solid such as toner powder may be used.
The present invention can be applied to any one of these fluid ejecting apparatuses.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a left view of a droplet discharge device. It is a bottom view of a head unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of a droplet discharge head. It is a figure which shows a subplate. It is a figure which shows the support structure of a head carriage. It is a figure which shows the other example of an arrangement | sequence of the droplet discharge head attached to a head carriage. It is a figure explaining the wiring pattern formation method in order of a process. It is a figure which shows the structure of a liquid crystal device. It is an equivalent circuit diagram, such as wiring in the pixel display area of a liquid crystal device. It is a figure explaining the specific example of an electronic device.

Explanation of symbols

  34 (34a, 34b): droplet ejection head (fluid ejecting head), 73: head carriage (main plate), 50 (50a, 50b) ... sub-plate, 76 ... strut, 153 ... carriage, IJ ... droplet ejection device (Fluid ejecting device), L (X1, X2) ... ink (liquid), P ... substrate, t (ta, tb) ... thickness, H (Ha, Hb) ... work gap (distance)

Claims (5)

In a fluid ejecting apparatus that forms a pattern of a desired shape by ejecting fluid from a plurality of fluid ejecting heads toward a substrate,
A rectangular main plate in which the plurality of fluid ejecting heads are arranged;
A sub-plate disposed between each of the plurality of fluid ejecting heads and the main plate;
With
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub plate has a thickness defined according to a vertical deflection of the main plate.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub-plate has a thickness defined according to a type of fluid ejected from a fluid ejecting head to be connected.   3. The fluid ejection according to claim 1, wherein the sub-plate is formed thin in a central region of the main plate and thick in a sub-plate disposed at both longitudinal ends. apparatus.   4. The thickness of each of the sub-plates is defined such that the distances between the plurality of fluid ejecting heads and the substrate are uniform. 5. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to the description. In a fluid ejecting method for forming a pattern of a desired shape by ejecting fluid from a plurality of fluid ejecting heads toward a substrate,
The thickness of a sub plate disposed between the rectangular main plate in which the plurality of fluid ejecting heads are arranged and each of the fluid ejecting heads is defined according to the vertical deflection of the main plate, and A fluid ejecting method, comprising: ejecting a fluid toward the substrate in a state where a plurality of fluid ejecting heads and the substrate have a uniform distance.

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