JP2008238159A - Droplet jetting applicator and method of manufacturing coated body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a droplet jetting applicator capable of preventing a deviation of impact positions of droplets and a variation in impact areas. <P>SOLUTION: The droplet jetting applicator 1 includes an irradiator H1 and a droplet jetting head H2. The irradiator H1 is configured to irradiate a water-repellent film formed on a surface of an application target 2 with a light beam for removing the water-repellent film. The droplet jetting head H2 is configured to jet a droplet to each of multiple hydrophilic regions of the surface of the application target 2, each of the hydrophilic regions being exposed outside in a dot shape by removing the water-repellent film. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet spray coating apparatus that sprays and applies a plurality of droplets to a coating object and a method for manufacturing a coated body.

  In addition to printing image information, the droplet spray coating device manufactures various flat display devices such as liquid crystal display devices, organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display devices, electron emission display devices, plasma display devices, and electrophoretic display devices. It is used for the process at the time of doing (for example, refer nonpatent literature 1).

The droplet spray coating apparatus includes a droplet spray head (for example, an ink jet head) that sprays droplets from a plurality of nozzles toward a coating target such as a substrate, and the droplet spray head applies the coating target. A plurality of droplets are landed on the object, a predetermined application pattern is formed, and various application bodies are manufactured. A water repellent film (liquid repellent film) for controlling the landing area (contact angle) of the landed droplets is formed on the application surface of the application target.
Tatsuya Shimoda, “Technology for Forming Thin Film Devices Directly from Micro Liquids—Micro Liquid Processes—2. Application to Inorganic Thin Films and Interesting Applications”, Materia Japan (Japan Institute of Metals, 2005, 44th) Volume 5, No. 2, Chapter 2, 3.1, p. 414-415

  However, in the above-described droplet spray coating apparatus, the droplet that has landed on the water-repellent surface moves slidably and deviates from a predetermined landing position (coating position). End up. Further, since the water-repellent surface usually changes with time before application, variations in the landing area (landing diameter: application area) of droplets may occur due to the influence of this change over time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a droplet spray coating apparatus and a method for manufacturing a coating body that can prevent the displacement of the landing position of the droplet and the variation of the landing area. That is.

  A first feature according to an embodiment of the present invention is that, in a droplet spray coating apparatus, light that removes the water repellent film is irradiated in a dot shape toward the water repellent film formed on the surface of the object to be coated. An irradiation unit and a droplet ejecting head that ejects droplets toward a plurality of hydrophilic regions, which are the surface of an object to be coated that is exposed in a spot shape after the water-repellent film is removed, are provided.

  A second feature according to the embodiment of the present invention is that, in the method for manufacturing an applied body, light for removing the water-repellent film is irradiated in a dot shape toward the water-repellent film formed on the surface of the object to be coated. And a step of ejecting liquid droplets toward a plurality of hydrophilic regions that are the surface of the application target object that is exposed in the form of dots by removing the water-repellent film.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent deviations in the landing positions of droplets and variations in landing areas.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a droplet spray coating apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes an ink application box 3 that applies ink, which is a liquid, as droplets E to a substrate 2 to be applied, and the ink. An ink supply box 4 that supplies ink to the application box 3 is provided. The ink application box 3 and the ink supply box 4 are fixed to the upper surface of the gantry 5 adjacent to each other.

  Inside the ink application box 3, a substrate moving mechanism 6 that holds the substrate 2 and moves it in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and an irradiation head unit 7A having an irradiation head H1 that irradiates light toward the substrate 2; The droplet ejecting head unit 8 having the droplet ejecting head H2 that ejects the droplet E toward the substrate 2, and the unit for moving the irradiation head unit 7A and the droplet ejecting head unit 8 together in the X-axis direction. A moving mechanism 9, a head maintenance unit 10 that cleans the droplet ejection head H <b> 2, and an ink buffer tank 11 that stores ink are provided.

  The substrate moving mechanism 6 includes a Y-axis direction guide plate 12, a Y-axis direction moving table 13, an X-axis direction moving table 14 and a substrate holding table 15. The Y-axis direction guide plate 12, the Y-axis direction moving table 13, the X-axis direction moving table 14, and the substrate holding table 15 are formed in a flat plate shape and are stacked on the upper surface of the gantry 5. The substrate moving mechanism 6 includes an irradiation head H1 and a droplet ejection head so that the substrate 2 passes through an irradiation position where light is irradiated by the irradiation head H1 and an application position where droplets are ejected by the droplet ejection head H2. It functions as a moving mechanism for moving the substrate 2 relative to H2.

  The Y-axis direction guide plate 12 is fixedly provided on the upper surface of the gantry 5. On the upper surface of the Y-axis direction guide plate 12, a plurality of guide grooves 12a are provided along the Y-axis direction. These guide grooves 12a guide the Y-axis direction moving table 13 in the Y-axis direction.

  The Y-axis direction moving table 13 has a plurality of protrusions (not shown) that engage with the respective guide grooves 12a on the lower surface, and is movable on the upper surface of the Y-axis direction guide plate 12 in the Y-axis direction. Is provided. A plurality of guide grooves 13 a are provided on the upper surface of the Y-axis direction moving table 13 along the X-axis direction. The Y-axis direction moving table 13 is moved in the Y-axis direction along each guide groove 12a by a feed mechanism (not shown) using a feed screw and a drive motor.

  The X-axis direction moving table 14 has a protrusion (not shown) that engages with each guide groove 13a on the lower surface, and is provided on the upper surface of the Y-axis direction moving table 13 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. Yes. The X-axis direction moving table 14 is moved in the X-axis direction along each guide groove 13a by a feed mechanism (not shown) using a feed screw and a drive motor.

  The substrate holding table 15 is fixed to the upper surface of the X-axis direction moving table 14. The substrate holding table 15 includes an adsorption mechanism (not shown) that adsorbs the substrate 2, and the substrate 2 is fixed and held on the upper surface by the adsorption mechanism. For example, an air suction mechanism or the like is used as the suction mechanism.

  The unit moving mechanism 9 includes a pair of support columns 16A and 16B erected on the upper surface of the gantry 5 and an X-axis direction guide plate 17 connected between upper ends of the support columns 16A and 16B and extending in the X-axis direction. And a base plate 18 which is provided on the X-axis direction guide plate 17 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction and supports the irradiation head unit 7A and the droplet ejection head unit 8.

  The pair of support columns 16A and 16B are provided so as to sandwich the Y-axis direction guide plate 12 in the X-axis direction. A guide groove 17a is provided on the front surface of the X-axis direction guide plate 17 along the X-axis direction. The guide groove 17a guides the base plate 18 in the X-axis direction.

  The base plate 18 has a protrusion (not shown) that engages with the guide groove 17a on the back surface, and is provided on the X-axis direction guide plate 17 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. The base plate 18 is moved in the X-axis direction along the guide groove 17a by a feed mechanism (not shown) using a feed screw and a drive motor. An irradiation head unit 7A and a droplet ejection head unit 8 are attached to the front surface of the base plate 18 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiation head unit 7A includes an irradiation head H1 that irradiates light toward the surface of the substrate 2, and a first support mechanism 19A that supports the irradiation head H1 movably.

  Here, the surface of the substrate 2 is subjected to water repellent treatment, and a water repellent film 2 a for controlling the landing area (contact angle) of the landed droplet E is formed on the surface of the substrate 2. The water repellent film 2a is formed of a material (for example, a silane coupling agent) that evaporates by the heat of light irradiation by the irradiation head H1.

  The irradiation head H <b> 1 is connected to a light source unit 71 that emits light via a fiber cable 72. The irradiation head H1 includes a head main body 73 that is a housing, a plurality of fibers 72a that are arranged in the head main body 73 through the fiber cable 72, and light guided by the fibers 72a on the substrate 2. An optical system 74A for condensing light in a dot shape (dot shape) is provided on the surface of the upper water-repellent film 2a. The irradiation head H1 functions as an irradiation unit.

  The light source unit 71 is provided inside the gantry 5. The light source unit 71 includes a main body 71a that is a casing, a light source 71b that is provided inside the main body 71a and generates light (for example, ultraviolet light), and a shutter 71c that blocks light from the light source 71b. Yes. The shutter 71c is positioned on the optical path until light from the light source 71b enters the fiber cable 72, and is provided so as to be movable between a standby position where light is blocked and an irradiation position where light is allowed to pass without being blocked. For example, a UV (ultraviolet) light source such as a xenon lamp or an excimer lamp is used as the light source 71b. The light emitted from the light source unit 71 is guided and supplied to the irradiation head H <b> 1 by the fiber cable 72.

  The optical system 74A is configured by, for example, a plurality of microlenses 74a that respectively collect light in a circular shape on the surface of the water repellent film 2a on the substrate 2. These micro lenses 74a are arranged in a straight line so that the pitches (intervals) of the condensing points are the same as the pitches of the nozzles (described later) of the droplet ejecting head H2. Thereby, the surface of the water repellent film 2a on the substrate 2 is irradiated with light in a circular dot shape. In addition, the diameter of each micro lens 74a is determined according to a desired landing area (landing diameter).

  The first support mechanism 19 </ b> A is fixed to the base plate 18. The first support mechanism 19A includes a Z-axis direction moving mechanism 19a that moves the irradiation head H1 in the direction perpendicular to the coating surface of the substrate 2 on the substrate holding table 15, that is, the Z-axis direction, and the irradiation head H1 as the Y-axis. A Y-axis direction moving mechanism 19b that moves in the direction, and a θ-direction rotating mechanism 19c that rotates the irradiation head H1 in the θ direction. Thereby, the irradiation head H1 can move in the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and can rotate in the θ-axis direction.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the droplet ejecting head unit 8 is provided with a droplet ejecting head H <b> 2 that ejects a plurality of droplets E toward the surface of the substrate 2, and the droplet ejecting head H <b> 2 provided on the base plate 18 is movable. And a second support mechanism 19B for supporting.

  The liquid droplet ejecting head H2 includes a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles (through holes) for ejecting the liquid droplets E, a plurality of piezoelectric elements (not shown) provided corresponding to the nozzles, and the like. It has. Each nozzle is provided on the nozzle plate in a straight line at a predetermined pitch. The number of nozzles is, for example, about 64, 128, or 256, the nozzle diameter is, for example, about 50 μm to 100 μm, and the nozzle pitch is, for example, about 0.5 mm. Such a droplet ejection head H2 ejects droplets (ink droplets) E from each nozzle toward the substrate 2 in response to application of a driving voltage to each piezoelectric element, and the droplets E are ejected onto the surface of the substrate 2. Application is performed to form a predetermined application pattern.

  The second support mechanism 19B is fixed to the base plate 18. Similar to the first support mechanism 19A (see FIG. 2), the second support mechanism 19B has a droplet ejection head H2 in a direction perpendicular to the coating surface of the substrate 2 on the substrate holding table 15, that is, in the Z-axis direction. A Z-axis direction moving mechanism 19a that moves the droplet ejecting head H2, a Y-axis direction moving mechanism 19b that moves the droplet ejecting head H2 in the Y-axis direction, and a θ-direction rotating mechanism 19c that rotates the droplet ejecting head H2 in the θ direction. Has been. Accordingly, the droplet ejecting head H2 can move in the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and can rotate in the θ-axis direction.

  The head maintenance unit 10 is provided on the upper surface of the gantry 5 on an extension line in the moving direction of the droplet ejecting head unit 8, away from the Y-axis direction guide plate 12. The head maintenance unit 10 cleans the droplet ejection head H2 of the droplet ejection head unit 8. The head maintenance unit 10 automatically cleans the droplet ejecting head H2 in a state where the droplet ejecting head H2 is stopped at the maintenance position facing the head maintenance unit 10.

  The ink buffer tank 11 adjusts the ink liquid level (meniscus) at the tip of the nozzle by utilizing the water head difference (water head pressure) between the ink liquid level stored in the ink buffer tank 11 and the nozzle surface of the droplet ejection head H2. This prevents ink leakage and ejection failure.

  Inside the ink supply box 4, a plurality of ink tanks 25 for containing ink are detachably provided. The ink tank 25 is connected to the droplet ejection head H <b> 2 via the ink buffer tank 11 by the supply pipe 26. That is, the droplet ejecting head H <b> 2 receives ink supply from the ink tank 25 through the ink buffer tank 11.

  Here, various inks can be used as the ink. For example, the ink is composed of a solute that remains as a residue on the substrate 2 and a solvent that dissolves (disperses) the solute. Examples of this solution include ink containing water, a water-absorbing low vapor pressure solvent (eg, EG), a water-soluble polymer material (eg, PVP: polyvinyl pyrrolidone or PVA: polyvinyl alcohol), and a water-soluble film material. Use.

  Inside the gantry 5, a control device 27 for controlling each part of the droplet spray coating device 1 is provided. The control device 27 includes a control unit such as a CPU that controls each unit intensively, and a storage unit (not shown) that stores application information related to droplet application to the substrate 2 and various programs. Yes. The control device 27 is connected to an input unit (not shown) operated by an operator. The application information includes application patterns (for example, dot patterns), the conveyance speed of the substrate 2, irradiation time, irradiation timing, ejection timing, and the like, and is information related to the application operation on the substrate 2.

  Based on the application information and various programs, the control device 27 controls the movement of the Y-axis direction movement table 13, the movement control of the X-axis direction movement table 14, the movement control of the base plate 18, the control of the first support mechanism 19A, Control of the 2nd support mechanism 19B, control of the light source part 71, etc. are performed. Thereby, the relative position between the substrate 2 on the substrate holding table 15 and the irradiation head H1 can be changed in various ways, and the relative position between the substrate 2 on the substrate holding table 15 and the droplet ejection head H2 can be changed in various ways. And can be changed.

  Next, a coating operation (coating process) performed by the above-described droplet spray coating apparatus 1 will be described. Note that the control device 27 of the droplet spray coating apparatus 1 executes a coating operation process to control driving of each unit.

  In the coating operation, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, light for removing the water-repellent film 2 a is irradiated in a dot shape (dot shape) toward the water-repellent film 2 a formed on the surface of the substrate 2. Then, the droplets E are ejected toward a plurality of hydrophilic regions S which are the surface of the substrate 2 exposed in the form of dots by removing the water repellent film 2a. Note that the arrows in FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate the moving direction of the substrate 2.

  That is, the control device 27 controls each part of the ink application box 3 based on the application information, and applies the droplet E to the substrate 2 on the substrate holding table 15, that is, toward the moving substrate 2. An irradiation operation for irradiating light and an ejection operation for ejecting the droplet E are performed. A water repellent film 2 a is formed in advance on the surface of the substrate 2 on the substrate holding table 15.

  First, the control device 27 controls the Y-axis direction moving table 13 and the base plate 18 to move the droplet ejecting head unit 8 from the standby position to the coating start position facing the substrate 2, and in addition, the first support mechanism 19A and the second support mechanism 19B are controlled, and the irradiation head H1 and the droplet ejection head H2 are rotated in the θ direction to stop at the same predetermined angle. By this angle, the pitch of the light condensing points and the landing pitch of the droplets E are set to be the same.

  Next, the control device 27 controls the Y-axis direction moving table 13 and, in addition, controls the shutter 71c and the droplet ejecting head H2 of the light source unit 71, and emits light in a dot shape toward the substrate 2 by the irradiation head H1. Irradiation and a plurality of droplets E are ejected toward the substrate 2 by the droplet ejecting head H2. Thereby, the dot row pattern of the droplets E is sequentially applied to the surface of the substrate 2 to form a coating pattern. The irradiation time is set to a time during which the water repellent film 2a on the substrate 2 can be evaporated by the heat energy of light. In addition, the shutter 71c of the light source unit 71 performs an intermittent movement operation of moving to the standby position and the irradiation position based on the irradiation time and the irradiation timing.

  At this time, the irradiating head H1 is arranged in the form of a dot array in which light is aligned on the water repellent film 2a on the substrate 2 moving in the Y-axis direction according to the intermittent movement of the shutter 71c based on the irradiation time and irradiation timing. Irradiation is performed sequentially (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As a result, the water-repellent film 2a on the irradiated substrate 2 is evaporated by heat, and a plurality of hydrophilic regions (hydrophilic portions) S on the surface of the substrate 2 exposed in the form of dots are sequentially arranged as dot rows arranged in the X-axis direction. It is formed. These hydrophilic regions S are formed in a circular shape. Thereafter, the droplet ejecting head H2 applies and applies the droplet E to each hydrophilic region S on the substrate 2 moving in the Y-axis direction according to the ejection timing, and forms a dot row pattern aligned in the X-axis direction. Are sequentially formed in the Y-axis direction to create a coating pattern (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The ejection timing is set according to the transport speed of the substrate 2 so that each droplet E reaches each hydrophilic region S on the substrate 2.

  In such a coating operation, the droplet E that has landed on the hydrophilic region S is prevented from sliding so as to be slid by the water-repellent film 2a surrounding the hydrophilic region S, so that the landed droplet E can be moved from a predetermined landing position. It is possible to prevent the shift. For example, even when the droplet E reaches the boundary between the water repellent film 2 a and the hydrophilic region S, the droplet E is attracted to the hydrophilic region S and located on the hydrophilic region S. Furthermore, since the area of the hydrophilic region S is formed constant and the droplet E is applied to the hydrophilic region S, the area of the hydrophilic region S and the landing area of the droplet E become the same, and the landing of the droplet E The diameter becomes uniform.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the water-repellent film 2a formed on the surface of the substrate 2 is irradiated with light for removing the water-repellent film 2a in a dot shape, Since the droplets E are ejected toward the plurality of hydrophilic regions S on the surface of the substrate 2 exposed in the form of dots after the water-repellent film 2a is removed, the droplets E that have landed on the hydrophilic region S The water repellent film 2a that surrounds the film does not move so as to slide, and the liquid droplet E can be prevented from being displaced from the predetermined landing position, so that the landing position of the liquid droplet E can be prevented from being displaced. Furthermore, since the area of the hydrophilic region S is formed constant and the droplet E is applied to the hydrophilic region S, the landing area of the droplet E is made constant without being affected by the temporal change of the water repellent surface. Therefore, variation in the landing area (landing diameter) can be prevented.

  In addition, by providing the optical system 74A that collects light in a circular dot shape on the surface of the water repellent film 2a, the hydrophilic region S can be easily formed in a circular dot shape. Depending on the configuration, it is possible to form a coating pattern by a set of dodds.

  Moreover, since various application bodies are manufactured by apply | coating the droplet E to the board | substrate 2 which is an application | coating object using the above-mentioned droplet jet application apparatus 1, generation | occurrence | production of the manufacture defect of an application body is prevented. In addition, a highly reliable coated body can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The second embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the first embodiment. Therefore, a part different from the first embodiment, that is, the optical system 74B will be described in particular. In the second embodiment, description of the same parts as those described in the first embodiment is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the optical system 74A includes a plurality of microlenses 74a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the plurality of microlenses 74a, as shown in FIG. 74B may be configured by a plurality of lenses 74b and a pattern mask M. Each lens 74b is provided in place of each microlens 74a. In the pattern mask M, a plurality of through holes Ma are formed in a line. Each through hole Ma is formed in a circular shape, and its diameter is determined according to a desired landing area (landing diameter). The pattern mask M is located near the water-repellent film 2a on the substrate 2, and each through hole Ma is located at a position facing each lens 74b, and is fixed to the irradiation head H1. The pattern mask M moves with the irradiation head H1. As mentioned above, according to the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment can be acquired. Furthermore, the area and shape of the hydrophilic region S can be easily changed according to the type of the pattern mask M.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The third embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the first embodiment. Therefore, in particular, portions different from the first embodiment, that is, the irradiation head unit 7B and the imaging unit P will be described. In the third embodiment, description of the same parts as those described in the first embodiment is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the irradiation head unit 7B includes a laser light source 7a that intermittently emits laser light as light for removing the water-repellent film 2a on the substrate 2, and a beam expander 7b that expands the emitted laser light. In synchronism with the intermittent operation of the laser light source 7a, a deflecting scanner 7c that deflects and scans the enlarged laser beam, and the scanned laser beam is condensed on the water repellent film 2a of the substrate 2 on the substrate moving mechanism 6. And a condenser lens 7d. This irradiation head unit 7B functions as an irradiation unit.

  The laser light source 7 a is provided on the first support plate 18 a fixed to the base plate 18. The laser light source 7 a is controlled by the control device 27. The laser light source 7a intermittently emits laser light by a pulse signal (laser light emission pulse) transmitted from the control device 27 as a control signal. The first support plate 18a is fixed to the base plate 18 substantially parallel to the mounting surface of the substrate holding table 15 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate moving mechanism 6.

  The beam expander 7b is positioned on the optical path of the laser light and provided on the first support plate 18a. The beam expander 7b expands the laser light emitted from the laser light source 7a to become parallel light. For example, a beam expander or the like is used as the beam expander 7b.

  The deflection scanner 7c includes a deflector c1 that deflects laser light, a rotation shaft c2 that is fixed to the deflector c1, and a drive source c3 that rotates the rotation shaft c2. The deflection scanner 7c rotates the deflector c1 by the drive source c3 in synchronization with a pulse signal transmitted as a control signal to the laser light source 7a, sequentially changes the tilt angle of the deflector c1, and deflects the laser light. The laser beam is scanned by changing the direction.

  The deflector c1 is provided on the optical path of the laser beam, and deflects the laser beam expanded by the beam expander 7b toward the condenser lens 7d. As this deflector c1, for example, a galvanometer mirror, a polygon mirror (rotating polygon mirror) or the like is used. The rotation axis c2 is fixed at a position where the deflector c1 can deflect the laser beam. The drive source c3 is provided on the first support plate 18a. The drive source c3 is controlled by the control device 27. That is, the driving source c3 is controlled so that the rotation of the deflector c1 is synchronized with the pulse signal (laser light emission pulse). Thereby, the deflection scanner 7c scans the laser beam in synchronization with the intermittent operation (intermittent interval) of the laser light source 7a.

  The condenser lens 7d is provided on the second support plate 18b fixed to the base plate 18 substantially perpendicularly to the first support plate 18a via the third support mechanism 19C. The condensing lens 7d is an f-θ lens that is a lens for correcting the scanning speed of the laser light to be constant. The condenser lens 7d is formed to have a width larger than the application width in which the droplets E in the droplet ejection head H2 are arranged. Thereby, each hydrophilic region S arranged in a line in a width corresponding to the coating width can be formed by a single scan of the laser beam. The third support mechanism 19C is a Z-axis direction moving mechanism that supports the condenser lens 7d and moves the supported condenser lens 7d in the Z-axis direction.

  The droplet ejecting head H2 is provided on the second support plate 18b via the fourth support mechanism 19D. The fourth support mechanism 19D is a Z-axis θ-direction rotating mechanism that supports the droplet ejecting head H2, moves the supported droplet ejecting head H2 in the Z-axis direction, and further rotates the θ-direction.

  The imaging unit P includes an imaging unit Pa that performs an imaging operation toward the substrate 2 on the substrate moving mechanism 6, and a fifth support mechanism 19E that supports the imaging unit Pa and moves it in the X-axis direction. The imaging unit Pa is provided on the second support plate 18b via the fifth support mechanism 19E. The imaging unit Pa has an autofocus function for automatically focusing. As the imaging unit Pa, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or the like is used.

  Next, a coating operation (coating process) including the alignment process performed by the above-described droplet spray coating apparatus 1 will be described. In the third embodiment of the present invention, an alignment process for aligning the laser light irradiation position with the landing position of the droplet E is performed before performing the coating operation according to the first embodiment. Is called.

  In the alignment step, the droplet ejecting head H2 can move only in the θ direction (the angle of the droplet ejecting head H2 can be changed in the θ direction), and the imaging unit Pa can move only in the X-axis direction. 7d is fixed. Here, the irradiation size of the laser light is set in advance according to the landing area of the droplet E by moving the condenser lens 7d in the Z-axis direction by the third support mechanism 19C (for example, a diameter of 10 to 10). About 100 μm). The interval between the droplets E in the X-axis direction is adjusted by the angle in the θ direction of the droplet ejecting head H2.

  As shown in FIG. 8, first, alignment is performed as an alignment step (step S1), and after the alignment, it is determined whether or not the amount of misalignment is within a predetermined range (step S2). Step S1 is repeated until the deviation amount falls within a predetermined range (NO in step S2).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the substrate 2 for the coating operation including the alignment process includes a first region R1 for manufacturing, a second region R2 for droplet landing, and a third region for laser light irradiation. A region R3 is provided. The second region R2 and the third region R3 function as alignment regions. A water repellent film 2a is formed in each of the first region R1 and the second region R2, and a material exhibiting irreversible discoloration due to laser light irradiation (for example, ultraviolet irradiation) is applied to the third region R3. Has been.

  In the alignment step, alignment between the landing position (application position) of the droplet E and the irradiation position of the laser beam is performed. First, as shown in FIG. 10, the droplet E is ejected once onto the second region R2 on the substrate 2 based on the application information by the droplet ejecting head H2. As a result, the droplets E land on the second region R2 on the substrate 2 in a line. Here, an arrow Y1 in FIG. 10 indicates the moving direction of the substrate 2. The application information includes application patterns (for example, dot patterns), the conveyance speed of the substrate 2, irradiation time, irradiation timing, ejection timing, and the like, and is information related to the application operation on the substrate 2.

  The landing position of the droplet E is adjusted so that the top application point A1 (the center point of the leftmost droplet E in FIG. 10) overlaps the center point T1 of the imaging region Ra of the imaging unit Pa. That is, the image picked up by the image pickup unit Pa is subjected to image processing, and a deviation amount between the top application point A1 and the center point T1 is calculated. The stop position of the imaging unit Pa at this time is set so that the center point T1 faces a predetermined landing position (design value). The application information is adjusted based on the calculated deviation amount, for example, the position adjustment of the substrate holding table 15 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate moving mechanism 6 and the ejection timing adjustment of the droplet ejection head H2. The amount of deviation in the X-axis direction is reduced by adjusting the position of the substrate holding table 15, and the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction is reduced by adjusting the ejection timing. In this way, the landing position of the droplet E is adjusted so that the top application point A1 overlaps the center point T1 of the imaging region Ra of the imaging unit Pa.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the laser beam intermittently emitted and scanned based on the coating information is condensed on the third region R3 on the substrate 2 by the condenser lens 7d. Thereby, circular-shaped each discoloration location Sa is formed in 1st row | line | column in 3rd area | region R3 on the board | substrate 2. FIG. Here, an arrow Y1 in FIG. 11 indicates the moving direction of the substrate 2.

  The irradiation position of the laser light is adjusted so that the head irradiation point A2 (the center point of the discoloration spot Sa at the left end in FIG. 11) overlaps the center point T1 of the imaging region Ra of the imaging unit Pa. That is, the image picked up by the image pickup unit Pa is subjected to image processing, and a deviation amount between the head irradiation point A2 and the center point T1 is calculated. The stop position of the imaging unit Pa at this time is set so that the center point T1 faces a predetermined landing position (design value). The application information is adjusted based on the calculated deviation amount, for example, the position adjustment of the deflector c1 and the irradiation timing (pulse signal output timing, etc.) of the laser light source 7a. The amount of deviation in the X-axis direction is reduced by adjusting the position of the deflector c1, and the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction is reduced by adjusting the irradiation timing. The position adjustment of the deflector c1 is performed while considering the correction amount in the position adjustment of the substrate holding table 15 described above. In this way, the irradiation position of the laser light is adjusted so that the head irradiation point A2 overlaps the center point T1 of the imaging region Ra of the imaging unit Pa. As a result, the landing position of the droplet E matches the irradiation position of the laser beam based on the design value.

  Next, when it is determined that the deviation amount is within the predetermined range (YES in step S2), the application operation is performed based on the adjusted application information (step S3). In the application operation, the droplet E is ejected onto the first region R1 on the substrate 2. This application operation is basically the same as in the first embodiment.

  First, the control device 27 controls the substrate moving mechanism 6 and the base plate 18 based on the application information, and moves the droplet ejecting head H2 and the condenser lens 7d to the application start position facing the substrate 2. Next, the control device 27 controls the substrate moving mechanism 6 based on the application information, and in addition controls the irradiation head unit 7B, intermittently emits laser light, scans in the X-axis direction, and faces the substrate 2. Then, the liquid droplets are ejected onto the hydrophilic regions S on the substrate 2 by controlling the liquid droplet ejecting head H <b> 2. Thereby, the dot row pattern of the droplets E is sequentially applied to the surface of the substrate 2 to form a coating pattern. The irradiation time of the laser light is set to a time during which the water repellent film 2a on the substrate 2 can be evaporated by the thermal energy of the light. Further, the moving speed of the substrate 2, the emission pulse of the laser beam, and the scanning speed of the deflection scanner 7c (displacement of the deflector c1) are synchronized.

  At this time, the condenser lens 7d is a substrate that moves in the Y-axis direction by intermittent emission of laser light based on irradiation time and irradiation timing (pulse signal transmitted as a control signal to the laser light source 7a) and scanning of the laser light. 2 is sequentially irradiated to the water-repellent film 2a on the top 2 in the form of a dot row arranged in the X-axis direction. That is, in the step of irradiating the laser beam, the laser beam is intermittently emitted as light for removing the water repellent film 2a, the emitted laser beam is enlarged, and synchronized with the intermittent operation of the laser light source 7a, and the enlarged laser beam is deflected. Then, the surface of the water repellent film 2a is irradiated with light in a spot shape by condensing the scanned laser light on the water repellent film 2a. As a result, the water-repellent film 2a on the irradiated substrate 2 is evaporated by heat, and a plurality of hydrophilic regions (hydrophilic portions) S on the surface of the substrate 2 exposed in the form of dots are formed as dot rows arranged in the X-axis direction. Is done. These hydrophilic regions S are formed in a circular shape. Thereafter, the droplet ejecting head H2 applies and applies the droplet E to each hydrophilic region S on the substrate 2 moving in the Y-axis direction according to the ejection timing, and forms a dot row pattern aligned in the X-axis direction. Are sequentially formed in the Y-axis direction to create a coating pattern. The ejection timing is set according to the transport speed of the substrate 2 so that each droplet E reaches each hydrophilic region S on the substrate 2. In this way, the laser beam is intermittently emitted by the irradiation head unit 7B, and the irradiation position of the laser beam can be changed at high speed, so that the light is irradiated onto the water-repellent film 2a in a dot configuration with a simple configuration. Further, the same number of hydrophilic regions S as the number of nozzles of the droplet ejecting head H2 can be easily generated.

  By such an application operation, as in the first embodiment, the droplet E landed on the hydrophilic region S is prevented from sliding so as to be slid by the water-repellent film 2a surrounding the hydrophilic region S. It is possible to prevent the droplet E from shifting from a predetermined landing position. For example, even when the droplet E reaches the boundary between the water repellent film 2 a and the hydrophilic region S, the droplet E is attracted to the hydrophilic region S and located on the hydrophilic region S. Furthermore, since the area of the hydrophilic region S is formed constant and the droplet E is applied to the hydrophilic region S, the area of the hydrophilic region S and the landing area of the droplet E become the same, and the landing of the droplet E The diameter becomes uniform.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, the irradiation head unit 7B is synchronized with the intermittent operation of the laser light source 7a that intermittently emits laser light as light for removing the water repellent film 2a, the beam expander 7b that expands the emitted laser light, and the laser light source 7a. In addition, the apparatus includes a deflection scanner 7c that deflects and scans the enlarged laser light, and a condenser lens 7d that condenses the scanned laser light on the water-repellent film 2a. Since intermittent emission is possible and the irradiation position of the laser beam can be changed at high speed, the light can be irradiated onto the water-repellent film 2a in a dot configuration with a simple configuration. The same number of hydrophilic regions S as the number of nozzles can be easily generated.

  Further, since there is a step (alignment step) of matching the landing position of the droplet E on the surface of the substrate 2 and the irradiation position of the laser beam on the surface of the substrate 2 before the step of irradiating the laser beam. Since the landing position and the generation position of the hydrophilic region S coincide with each other with high accuracy, it is possible to reliably prevent the liquid droplet E from deviating from the predetermined landing position.

  Note that an irradiation position shift and a drawing position shift may occur due to expansion and contraction of the large substrate 2. In order to suppress these deviations, the irradiation timing and ejection timing are corrected according to the amount of expansion / contraction of the substrate 2. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of patterns P <b> 1 such as wiring patterns are formed on the substrate 2. In FIG. 12, L1 is a crosshair indicating the ideal center position T2, L2 is a crosshair indicating the actual center position B1, and α is a shift amount. First, before the light irradiation and application, each pattern P1 is imaged by the imaging unit Pa, the captured image is subjected to image processing, the actual center position B1 of each pattern P1 is detected, and the pattern interval is obtained. The difference (deviation amount α) between the actual center position B1 based on each obtained pattern interval and the ideal center position T2 based on the ideal pattern interval is obtained as a correction amount. Based on the correction amount, the irradiation timing and the injection timing are adjusted. Thereby, the influence of the expansion / contraction of the substrate 2 is suppressed, and the irradiation position shift and the drawing position shift due to the expansion / contraction of the substrate 2 can be suppressed.

  Further, there may be a deviation in irradiation position and drawing position due to micron order blur due to distortion of the apparatus such as the stage movable shaft. In order to suppress these deviations, the reference substrate (ideal substrate) 2 is imaged by the imaging unit Pa, the position of each pattern is detected, and the detection data (measurement data) is used as blur data to provide a correction amount unique to the apparatus. Remember as. When the application operation is performed on another substrate 2, the correction amount is used. Thereby, blur due to distortion of the apparatus such as the stage movable shaft is suppressed, and an irradiation position shift and a drawing position shift caused by the blur can be suppressed.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  For example, in the first embodiment described above, the shutter 71c is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The shutter 71c is removed, a xenon flash lamp or the like is used as the light source 71b, and the irradiation time and irradiation timing are used. Thus, on / off of the light source 71b may be controlled.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the substrate 2 is moved with respect to the irradiation head H1 and the droplet ejecting head H2 during the coating operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The irradiation head H1 and the droplet ejecting head H2 may be moved relative to the substrate 2, and the irradiation head H1 and the droplet ejecting head H2 and the substrate 2 may be relatively moved.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, only one droplet ejecting head H2 is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of droplet ejecting heads H2 may be provided. Well, the number is not limited. In this case, the number of irradiation heads H1 may be increased corresponding to the number of droplet ejecting heads H2, or the size of the irradiation head H1 may be increased to the width of the application region corresponding to the application region of the substrate 2. You may make it enlarge.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the surface of the water repellent film 2a on the substrate 2 is irradiated with light in a circular shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Light may be irradiated in a rectangular shape.

  Finally, in the above-described first to third embodiments, various numerical values are given, but these numerical values are illustrative and are not limited.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet spray coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the irradiation head unit with which the droplet spray coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a side view for demonstrating the application | coating operation | movement which the droplet spray application apparatus shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a top view for demonstrating the application | coating operation | movement which the droplet spray application apparatus shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the modification of the optical system in the irradiation head unit with which the droplet spray coating apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the droplet spray coating apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the irradiation head unit with which the droplet spray coating apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the coating operation which the droplet spray coating apparatus shown in FIG. 6 performs. It is a top view which shows the board | substrate used for the coating operation which the droplet spray coating apparatus shown in FIG. 6 performs. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the alignment in the flow of the application | coating operation | movement shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the alignment in the flow of the application | coating operation | movement shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the correction | amendment performed according to the expansion-contraction amount of a board | substrate.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet spray coating apparatus, 2 ... Application object (substrate), 2a ... Water-repellent film, 6 ... Movement mechanism (substrate movement mechanism), 7B ... Irradiation part (irradiation head unit), 7a ... Laser light source, 7b ... Beam expander, 7c ... deflection scanner, 7d ... condensing lens, 74A, 74B ... optical system, E ... droplet, H1 ... irradiation unit (irradiation head), H2 ... droplet ejection head, S ... hydrophilic region

Claims (9)

An irradiation unit that irradiates light that removes the water-repellent film in a dot-like manner toward the water-repellent film formed on the surface of the application target;
A liquid droplet ejecting head that ejects liquid droplets toward a plurality of hydrophilic regions that are the surface of the application target object that is exposed in the form of dots by removing the water repellent film;
A droplet spray coating apparatus comprising:   The irradiation unit and the droplet ejection head so that the application object passes through an irradiation position where the light is irradiated by the irradiation unit and an application position where the droplet is ejected by the droplet ejection head; The droplet spray coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism that relatively moves the coating object.   3. The droplet spray coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit includes an optical system that collects the light in a circular dot shape on a surface of the water repellent film. The irradiation unit is
A laser light source that intermittently emits laser light as the light;
A beam expander for expanding the emitted laser beam;
A deflection scanner that deflects and scans the enlarged laser beam in synchronization with the intermittent operation of the laser light source;
A condensing lens that condenses the scanned laser light on the water repellent film;
The droplet spray coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: Irradiating the water repellent film formed on the surface of the object to be coated with dots of light for removing the water repellent film;
A step of ejecting droplets toward a plurality of hydrophilic regions that are the surface of the application target object that is exposed in the form of dots by removing the water repellent film;
The manufacturing method of the application body which has this. In the irradiating step, the light is irradiated while moving the application object,
6. The method of manufacturing an application body according to claim 5, wherein, in the spraying step, the droplets are sprayed while moving the application object.   6. The irradiating step irradiates the light on the surface of the water-repellent film in the form of dots by an optical system that collects the light on the surface of the water-repellent film in the form of a circular dot. Or the manufacturing method of the application body of 6.   In the irradiating step, laser light is intermittently emitted as the light, the emitted laser light is enlarged, synchronized with the intermittent operation of the laser light, the enlarged laser light is deflected, scanned, and scanned The method for producing an applied body according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the laser light is condensed on the water-repellent film so that the surface of the water-repellent film is irradiated with the light in the form of dots.   7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of aligning a landing position of the droplet with respect to a surface of the application object and an irradiation position of the light with respect to the surface of the application object before the irradiation step. The manufacturing method of the apply | coated body.

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